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Parishes in the diocese were given the choice to stop chartering Girl Scout troops immediately, or graduate scouts already in the program to American Heritage Girl troops over the next few years.
Previously, Naumann had told priests to end sales of the Girls Scouts’ famous cookies, according to the Kansas City Star.
“No Girl Scout cookie sales should occur in Catholic Schools or on parish property after the 2016-2017 school year,” he said in a letter sent to priests in his parish in January.
BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI via Getty Images The archbishop of Kansas City, Kansas, Joseph Naumann (left).
The problem with Girl Scouts, according to Naumann, is that their programs and materials can cause children to be “misled and misinformed” by “secular culture.”
“To follow Jesus and his Gospel will often require us to be counter-cultural,” Naumann wrote in his statement. “With the promotion by Girl Scouts USA (GSUSA) of programs and materials reflective of many of the troubling trends in our secular culture, they are no longer a compatible partner in helping us form young women with the virtues and values of the Gospel.”
In particular, Naumann pointed to the fact that Girl Scouts USA pays membership dues to the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts (WAGGGS), which the archbishop claims has ties to International Planned Parenthood. Naumann also referred to how Girls Scouts materials portray birth control activist Margaret Sanger and feminists Betty Friedan and Gloria Steinem as role models.
“These as well as many other ‘role models’ in the GSUSA’s new manuals and web content not only do not reflect our Catholic worldview but stand in stark opposition to what we believe,” he wrote.
“Our greatest responsibility as a church is to the children and young people in our care,” Naumann wrote in his statement. “We have a limited time and number of opportunities to impact the formation of our young people. It is essential that all youth programs at our parishes affirm virtues and values consistent with our Catholic faith.”
John Moore via Getty Images Girl Scouts sell cookies as a winter storm moves in on February 8, 2013 in New York City.
In a statement to HuffPost, a GSUSA spokesperson said that the organization has worked to create a positive relationship with the Catholic Church over the past 100 years.
“Girl Scouts is always willing to work with any and every person or organization in order to fulfill our mission of building girls of courage, confidence and character, who make the world a better place.”
On its website, the GSUSA said that it “does not not have a relationship or partnership with Planned Parenthood.” The GSUSA does pay dues to WAGGGS, but claims that it does not always take the same positions as the global organization, and that scouts’ membership dues aren’t used to pay WAGGGS.
GSUSA also said that it is a secular organization and doesn’t take an official position on birth control, abortion, and human sexuality.
The American Catholic bishops and the Girl Scouts USA have had a tense relationship in recent years, much of which centers around the church’s concerns around the culture war issues of contraception, sexual orientation, and gender identity. The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops held a series of talks with the GSUSA in 2013 and 2014 about these issues. As a result of the dialogue, the committee in charge of the review issued a document saying that it was “morally objectionable” that WAGGGS promoted educating girls about their “sexual and reproductive health/rights.” The committee believed the phrase itself was “problematic.”
Still, the committee didn’t endorse or condemn the GSUSA, leaving decisions about church-hosted scouting to each individual diocesan bishop.
In 2016, the archdiocese of St. Louis officially disbanded its committee on Girl Scouts, and encouraged its priests to choose alternative scouting programs, instead. In a statement about the move, Archbishop Robert Carlson cited concerns about the GSUSA’s “position on and inclusion of transgender and homosexual issues,” among other issues.
SHARE Gov. Scott Walker Friday named Waukesha attorney Daniel Kelly to the state Supreme Court, replacing retiring Justice David Prosser.
By of the
Madison — Gov. Scott Walker on Friday named a little-known Waukesha lawyer with no judicial experience to the state Supreme Court, putting Daniel Kelly on the bench and keeping in place the high court's 5-2 conservative majority.
Kelly — who in his application called affirmative action and slavery the same morally — will replace retiring Justice David Prosser on Aug. 1, the start of the court's new term.
Kelly, 52, initially applied for the appointment in secret, but his name became public in June, when Walker's team narrowed the field of candidates from 11 to five.
Kelly took just one question from reporters after Walker announced the appointment in the state Capitol, but he declined to discuss his writings opposing affirmative action and gay marriage.
"The primary and only job of a Wisconsin Supreme Court justice is to apply the law as it is written and the oath that I will take will guarantee to you that my personal political beliefs and political philosophy will have no impact on that whatsoever," Kelly said. "Those things simply have no place inside the courtroom."
In his application, Kelly included a 2014 book chapter in which he wrote same-sex marriage would rob marriage of any meaning and likened affirmative action to slavery.
"Affirmative action and slavery differ, obviously, in significant ways," Kelly wrote. "But it's more a question of degree than principle, for they both spring from the same taproot. Neither can exist without the foundational principle that it is acceptable to force someone into an unwanted economic relationship. Morally, and as a matter of law, they are the same."
Asked to discuss what he meant, Kelly remained in the background and Walker answered on his behalf, saying Kelly would not inject his personal beliefs into his work for the court. Walker declined to yield the podium to Kelly when reporters asked him to specifically answer their questions.
Kelly also did not say whether he would run for a full 10-year term in 2020, but Walker said he expected that he would. Walker said he had not asked him that question when he interviewed him for the job.
In his prepared remarks, Kelly said he's had a lifelong love of the law and was humbled by the appointment.
"To this day, I cannot walk into a courtroom without my heart skipping a beat," he said. "I trust that will never change. I trust that I will always stand humbly before the law."
Chief Justice Patience Roggensack appeared with Walker and Kelly and said she had known Kelly for a long time and was impressed with his scholarship.
"I am very, very pleased with the governor's appointment," she said.
Kelly was with the large Milwaukee law firm Reinhart Boerner Van Deuren for 15 years, but left it in 2013. He spent a year as the vice president and general counsel for the Kern Family Foundation, which was established by the founders of Generac Power Systems. In 2014, Kelly formed a small law firm in Waukesha with attorney Rod Rogahn.
Kelly has been closely involved with conservative legal groups. The president of the Milwaukee chapter of the Federalist Society, he also sits on an advisory panel to the Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty.
Throughout his application, he praised two of the U.S. Supreme Court's conservative justices — Antonin Scalia, who died in February, and Clarence Thomas.
Kelly was an adviser to state Supreme Court Justice Rebecca Bradley's campaign this year and served as an attorney on Prosser's campaign during a recount after he narrowly won re-election in 2011.
He also was on the legal team that defended legislative and congressional maps that Republican lawmakers redrew in 2011.
In that litigation, a panel of federal judges made changes to the districts for two Assembly districts on Milwaukee's south side after it found those maps violated the voting rights of Latinos. The other maps — which greatly favor Republicans — were left in place. (A separate challenge to the maps is pending in federal court in Madison; Kelly is not involved in that litigation.)
The appointment to the Supreme Court is the second one Walker has made since he was first elected in 2011. Last year, the GOP governor put Bradley on the bench, six months before she was elected to a full 10-year term.
Walker has the sole say on the appointment. Kelly does not need the confirmation of the state Senate or any other body.
The governor acknowledged Kelly did not have judicial experience, but noted two other members of the high court — Prosser and Justice Shirley Abrahamson — had not served as a judge before they became justices.
To get on the Supreme Court, Kelly beat out 10 others.
He was the only applicant who kept his name secret in the early going, but his name was released once he made the first cut.
The field was later cut from five to three and Kelly beat out the other two finalists, Appeals Court Judges Mark Gundrum and Thomas Hruz.
Gundrum, who served alongside Walker in the Assembly, was the early favorite among observers.
Walker appointed Gundrum to the District 2 Court of Appeals in Waukesha in 2011 — passing over Kelly for that spot.
Under state law, appointees to the state Supreme Court stand for election at the first year in which a Supreme Court election isn't already scheduled, and in this case contests are already planned for 2017, '18 and '19. That means that — should he choose to run — Kelly would be on the ballot in 2020.
Five Labour grandees, who previously campaigned for Britain to Leave the EU in the 1975 referendum, have penned an open letter explaining why they’ve changed their position.
Former Labour leader Neil Kinnock, Margaret Beckett, Hilary Benn, David Blunkett and Jack Straw have published a letter in support of the EU in the Sunday Mirror. The four who join Kinnock in signing this letter were ministers under previous Labour governments. Benn is currently shadow Foreign Secretary and is expected to play a big role in Labour’s EU strategy.
Although all five were once Eurosceptics, now they say “It’s clear Britain is stronger, safer and better off than we would or could be if pulled out of the EU.”
The five explain that their previous Euroscepticism was rooted in concerns that “membership would mean a one-way loss of sovereignty and investment.” “This has proved unfounded”, they write. They praise the EU for giving Britain economic partnership with 27 other countries, three million jobs and employment rights.
In a move that’s been interpreted as support for David Cameron’s attempt to renegotiate Britain’s relationship with the EU, they write: “The conclusion of the current renegotiation will hopefully strengthen this relationship as we make the progressive case for Britain in Europe.”
The Prime Minister is hoping to strike a deal at next week’s summit of EU leaders in Brussels. If this successful it would clear the way for Cameron to put the renegotiated terms of British membership to the public in a referendum in June.
The letter in full:
In the 1975 referendum we all campaigned against remaining in what is now the European Union.
Now, and for a long time past, it has been clear Britain is stronger, safer and better off than we would or could be if we pulled out.
Our concern then was that membership would mean a one-way loss of sovereignty and investment. This has proved unfounded.
We are part of an economic partnership with 27 other democracies, exercising full rights to determine agreed rules in the world’s largest single market.
That has brought three million jobs, it attracts large investment, promotes growth and provides for employment rights that protect British workers.
We also have control of our currency, borders, security, defence, foreign affairs and justice.
Britain’s voice on global matters, whether debt relief, peace-keeping or climate change, is amplified by being part of Europe. Intelligence sharing helps us fight terrorism and other crime.
The conclusion of the renegotiation will hopefully strengthen this relationship as we make the progressive case for Britain in Europe.
Leaving would be a huge risk to prosperity, security and the opportunities of future generations.
The EU is not perfect and improvement is always worth making, but the benefits far outweigh the costs.
– Neil Kinnock, Margaret Beckett, David Blunkett, Jack Straw and Hilary Benn
Day two of Government Shutdown 2013 offered America plenty of surreal moments, from the brief and ridiculous re-emergence of the Grand Bargain, to the sight of multiple members of a universally reviled governing body offering to give up their paychecks as if they thought it was a move worthy of a medal. But nowhere did Salvador Dali's clocks warp and melt under the heat of sustained stupidity as badly as they did down at the World War II Memorial in Washington, D.C.
Yesterday, it became pretty obvious that if you wanted to catch the eye of any Beltway reporter to discuss what you were enduring during the shutdown, you had to go on down to this memorial to make your case. Unfortunately, that's where many members of Congress decided to while away their day as well. As Ryan Reilly reported, heroic members of Congress turned out to boldly grandstand at the memorial, pretending just as hard as they could that its temporary closure was the most dire effect of the shutdown ... for which ... they voted. Yes, that was by far the most surreal thing about it. Gawker's Tom Scocca turned the best phrase about the whole mess, describing those lawmakers as committing "an act of civil disobedience against themselves."
But Mark Segraves, reporting for NBC News' Washington affiliate, managed to capture the howler highlight of the Great World War II Memorial Bleat-n-Repeat -- Rep. Randy Neugebauer's (R-Tex.) Wednesday confrontation of a poor park ranger on the scene -- who was doing nothing more than her job -- blaming her for the closure he voted for and telling her that she should be ashamed of herself.
Seriously, this actually happened. Per Segraves:
"How do you look at them and ... deny them access?" said Neugebauer. He, with most House Republicans, had voted early Sunday morning to pass a funding measure that would delay the Affordable Care Act, a vote that set up a showdown with the Senate and President Barack Obama. With the parties unable to agree on how to fund the federal government, non-essential government functions shut down Tuesday. "It's difficult," responded the Park Service employee. "Well, it should be difficult," replied the congressman, who was carrying a small American flag in his breast pocket. "It is difficult," responded the Park Service employee. "I'm sorry, sir." "The Park Service should be ashamed of themselves," the congressman said. "I'm not ashamed," replied the ranger.
From there, Segraves reports, "a crowd of onlookers got involved," and began loudly demanding that Neugebauer lay off the park ranger, pointing out again and again that the reason everyone was in the position they were in was due to the fact that Congress very specifically put them there. Neugebauer countered that it was all really Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid's (D-Nev.) fault, but that failed to impress anyone.
What's really ghastly about this is that the whole "Harry Reid shut down the government" line is a talking point. It's "messaging" -- the mostly disingenuous bilge that politicos spit in order to gain some phantom upper hand in a war of rhetoric that plays itself out in the press. It's not intended to be sincere, it's all posturing -- throwing sub-standard witticisms at a wall in the hopes that something will stick and convince people.
This is all stuff intended for an audience of reporters -- and in that setting, all is fair. But you're not actually supposed to extend "messaging" out into the world of ordinary human Americans in this fashion, and victimize park rangers with it.
What's also inane about this is that, as Segraves takes pains to point out, the park rangers deployed to the World War II Memorial, while enforcing the closure of the memorial to the general public, are also there to make sure that the Honor Flight veterans who come to the memorial get access to the site. So, by impeding her from doing her job, all Neugebauer was doing was impeding access for the Honor Flight veterans. And telling the ranger that she should be ashamed? Man, that's not a good look, and the gathered crowd made sure Neugebauer learned that the hard way.
Got to give credit to the ranger for standing her ground and doing her job with professionalism, in the face of an idiot who really needs to learn his place.
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It’s finally happening. The long-awaited, oft speculated, seemingly impossible ‘Evil Dead 4’ is actually happening – it’s just coming in the form of a TV series. In the picturesque town of Auckland, New Zealand director Sam Raimi, producer Rob Tapert and star Bruce Campbell are rolling cameras on Ash Vs. Evil Dead, the Starz TV series that has allowed the creative trio to further the demonic misadventures of their cult hero, Ash Williams. Hail to the king, baby.
Yesterday afternoon, I jumped on the phone for a conference call with Raimi, Tapert and Campbell to chat about diving back in to their beloved franchise and get some details on what fans can expect from this new incarnation of the Evil Dead universe. They shared a ton of great info, but before we get into that, check out this first look image at the guys reuinited with ‘The Classic’ – the 1973 Oldsmobile Delta 88 Ash drove in the Evil Dead films (and which has appeared in almost all of Raimi’s films to date).
Without further ado, here are the 23 things you should know about Ash Vs. Evil Dead:
The series takes place in an alternate universe that exists after Evil Dead 2. In Raimi’s words, “ It doesn’t really exist in the exact same universe. It’s a slightly altered universe. It takes place somewhere in an alternate universe after Evil Dead 2.”
In Raimi’s words, “ So does that mean Army of Darkness is stricken from the timeline? Not exactly. Raimi explained (kind of), “ Army of Darkness, does it exist? Well, certainly Ash went through that experience. W e’re not referencing specifics from that, but he certainly has that in his memory.”
Raimi explained (kind of), “ Ash Vs. Evil Dead will feature new Deadite designs, and entirely new entities altogether. According to Tapert, “We certainly will play to what we once did with D eadites , even through the remake, but we’re trying to expand the universe…We will encounter Deadites , which are very different from other forces of nature out there, and then we expose the audience to new entities that were not yet presented in the Evil Dead universe.
According to Tapert, The action takes place in the modern day. Raimi said, “It takes place in the here and now with Ash thirty years later; what he’s become and what he’s going to have to face.”
There’s no time travel…yet. But Tapert says it’s always a possibility, “[Time travel] certainly was an element of the Necronomicon that some of the [spells] not only called for demons, but portals in time and space. Perhaps by the end of this season, because we haven’t really discussed episodes 9 and 10 so much. Or the second season, if the story took us there. We know it’s part of the Evil Dead universe. So it’s always a possibility, but right now it’s not in the work that we’re doing.
But Tapert says it’s always a possibility, “[Time travel] certainly was an element of the Necronomicon that some of the [spells] not only called for demons, but portals in time and space. Perhaps by the end of this season, because we haven’t really discussed episodes 9 and 10 so much. Or the second season, if the story took us there. We know it’s part of the Evil Dead universe. So it’s always a possibility, but right now it’s not in the work that we’re doing. Ash Vs. Evil Dead picks up when the Deadites return from a decades-long period of dormancy. Raimi described the setup, “The Deadites have been fairly dormant over the last 20-30 years and Ash has been living a low life, hiding out. Our story really begins when they come back and someone is needed to stand up against them.” Is it Ash’s fault that they come back? “Of course.”
Tonally, the series is a mix of the visceral horror of Evil Dead and the slapstick comedy of Evil Dead 2 and Army of Darkness. Raimi described, “ We have elements of the Evil Dead films, which have always had very hard-edged, intense horror really designed to frighten the audience, and no holds barred there…B ut also, there is a comedic element that is alive in this… . I think what we tried to do is go back to the horror of the first and second Evil Dead, but with the character that Bruce created over the second and third Evil Dead. We’re really a combination; something we haven’t quite seen before.”
Raimi described, “ Ash is a basketcase. He’s traumatized by the horrors he survived in the first three films. Campbell explained, “He is a basketcase. We’re going to find Ash is potentially damaged goods and, god forbid, this is our hero.” Tapert continued, “He’s not a nobler or saner character than when we last saw him. In fact, I think if anything, he’s digressed. He’s kind of sunk to his lowest instincts, and that’s where we find him.”
In the series, a team forms around him. Raimi described the new gang, “ In this incarnation, Ash has a team that forms around him. Pablo (Ray Santiago), a young immigrant who wants to be part of the American fabric, forget his roots, and through his encounters with Ash and the Evil Dead, discovers what’s really important to him. Kelly (Dana DeLorenzo), Pablo’s love interest who first doesn’t believe in Ash and wants nothing to do with him, but becomes a part of the team as they realize there is something greater at play than a series of Evil Dead-like attacks.
And some new enemies too. Raimi continued, “Amanda Fisher ( Jill Marie Jones ) is a police officer who sees something that she doesn’t believe and it causes her great problems in her profession, and she’s on the trail to hunt down Ash because she believes he’s responsible for this series of bodies. Eventually, she teams up with Ruby ( Lucy Lawless ) who knows something about the Evil Dead, and she’s also on the hunt for Ash. That is the core team over the first season. “
Lucy Lawless’ character, Ruby, is on a justified mission against Ash. Tapert explained, “S he’s a woman of mystery, and we don’t want to reveal too much about her real agenda or why she so desperately wants to track Ash down, but she’s had an unpleasant experience that Ash was involved with…she’s completely justified in her actions and she’s going to become a formidable person to have on Ash’s tail.”
Tapert explained, “S Ash is going to give you some sugar, baby. The series will explore romance, but it’s secondary. Campbell spoke to Ash’s ill-fated love life, “There is a bit of arrested development there, so he’s going to have some struggles. Because there are bigger issues! We’re talking life and death. There are some romantic aspects…Ash doesn’t usually have a lot of time for that. There’s usually creatures breaking down his door, trying to tear his head off.” Tapert interjected, “Bruce, give ’em some sugar, baby.” “I will give some sugar. There’s going to be some sugar to give.”
The chainsaw arm will definitely make an appearance, no word on the boomstick though. Tapert confirmed, “ He’s been living in fear of a resurgence of the Evil Dead, of the Deadites , so that old rusted hulk of his, that’s the one thing he’s kept oiled up and in tip-top shape just in case. So I think we will see that sweet baby come back, come roaring to life, slicing and dicing on the D eadites .”
The effects are designed to continue the Evil Dead tradition. Tapert said, “We’re working with a great makeup effects artist down in New Zealand, Roger Murray , we’ve worked with him on various things over the years. That’s one of the expectations from the franchise; makeup effects, gore effects. So absolutely we plan to have those and continue with what the audience expects from the franchise in a new and different way.” Campell agreed, “ This is not going to be a watered down version of Evil Dead. The very first Evil Dead has no rating. The second Evil Dead has no rating. Only Army of Darkness was ever rated. Thankfully by partnering with Starz, the gloves are off and we have no restrictions, almost literally…[The fans] want the hardcore stuff, and they’re going to get it.
Tapert said, Joseph LoDuca will compose the soundtrack. Raimi explained the new approach they’re taking to the music, “We’re also working with something we really haven’t done on the Evil Dead. We’re working with some older classic rock music from the 70s and early 80s, because of course Ash became stunted due to the developments in his life at that time and has never gone past those moments.” Tapert added, “We’ll be taking old sounds, old music and re-bending it and shaping it in a new fashion.”
Sam Raimi will only direct the pilot. They’ve already got their other directors lined up, including Michael Bassett (Silent Hill: Revelation), Michael Hurst (Bitch Slap), and Luke Jacobs .
They’ve already got their other directors lined up, including (Silent Hill: Revelation), (Bitch Slap), and . However, he has and will continue to heavily influence the creative direction of the show. Tapert said, “ Sam and his brother Ivan have been involved in the [writer’s] room every spare second until Sam got down here to start prepping… and we continue to talk through each of the episodes. We’re exactly where we should be at the start of shooting. We’ve got six scripts. We’re all very much involved in the creative process.” Campbell spoke to how Raimi will remain a part of that process, “ I’m going to be in touch with Sam even on the episodes he’s not directing, because I’ve never been directed by anyone else as this character. Thank god he’s doing this pilot so we can get reacquainted with the approach to this character. Because when he’s off doing post on this pilot, we’re going to grope in the dark without him but he will be consulted quite heavily.”
Tapert said, “ They opted for the half-hour format to match the “breakneck” pace of the films. Tapert explained, “One of the reasons we decided we wanted to do a half hour was that we thought that this was – the breakneck pace that the movies often had, that really was the right format in the world of television for this particular project.” Raimi continued, “ I really appreciate that Starz let us keep this half-hour idea. That’s what makes it really cool to me, that we can really fire on all cylinders, and be outrageous and fast paced and non-stop without a lot of secondary character exposition that sometimes you find in these hour shows.”
Tapert explained, “One of the reasons we decided we wanted to do a half hour was that we thought that this was – the breakneck pace that the movies often had, that really was the right format in the world of television for this particular project.” Raimi continued, “ Ash Vs. Evil Dead expands the Evil Dead universe to a bigger story. Campbell said, “Because you’re doing a TV show now and not a feature film, you actually have to structure everything differently. You have to structure the storytelling differently and you have to create a much larger world, because the demands of the audience are much – it’s every week that you’re entertaining them, so you have to have a multiplicity of stories and angles and tangents. It’s going to be a much bigger story.”
The series doesn’t preclude the possibility of a sequel to the Evil Dead remake. In fact, they’re definitely still interested in making one. Raimi said, “I love the Evil Dead remake. I think Fede Alvarez did a brilliant job…I love that movie, and I hope there will be a sequel. After we had made his movie, as much as the fans loved it, they also seemed to want to see Bruce again in this series. So we thought, this is our time. If we’re ever going to do it, we have to set aside that crowd. Now is a good time. And television seems like an interesting format to take it forward in. So we chose to make Bruce’s story right now. I hope we can get Fede back to continue the new Evil Dead series once we’ve established Bruce’s story.
In fact, they’re definitely still interested in making one. Raimi said, “I love the Evil Dead remake. I think Fede Alvarez did a brilliant job…I love that movie, and I hope there will be a sequel. After we had made his movie, as much as the fans loved it, they also seemed to want to see Bruce again in this series. So we thought, this is our time. If we’re ever going to do it, we have to set aside that crowd. Now is a good time. And television seems like an interesting format to take it forward in. So we chose to make Bruce’s story right now. I hope we can get Fede back to continue the new Evil Dead series once we’ve established Bruce’s story. Don’t count out another Ash-centric Evil Dead film either, even if the show doesn’t take off. “ It’s a possibility no matter what happens, because I think we always want to keep that ability in the back of our minds to tell a story on the big ol ‘ screen. Nothing will preclude anything, regardless of what happens.”

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