The UN Vote on Palestine | National Catholic Reporter

The UN Vote on Palestine | National Catholic Reporter by MSW. The UN is an assembly of sovereigns rather than a sovereign assembly.  Until it has a "lower house" that is directly elected, it cannot be sovereign - and until only nations who have a decent respect for human rights are admitted, that cannot happen.  I would not include Israel in that group, considering how they treat the Palestinians.  I am not sure America qualifies either, given how far it has gone over the line in the war on terror.  Considering that most military treaties in the world make an American General Officer the Commander in Chief (who reports to the President), this is where the real power is in global affairs, which is why when we act unilaterally or assert our might, the rest of the world resents us - particularly when we are operating in the service of an ethnic, rather than a religious, state.  If we really want a decent respect from the world, we need to deal fairly on both sides - which is why the UN vote is significant - the world has spoken - even if it has no power against the American hegemony.

Amy Sullivan on Abortion Rate Drop & Pro-Life Activists' Tepid Response | National Catholic Reporter

Amy Sullivan on Abortion Rate Drop & Pro-Life Activists' Tepid Response | National Catholic Reporter by MSW.  MGB: The pro-life movement is about proposing an unattainable goal, which is the ultimate in organizational long term security.

Fiscal Cliff Negotiations Revisited | National Catholic Reporter

Fiscal Cliff Negotiations Revisited | National Catholic Reporter by MSW.  MGB: I agree with E.J. The left (not necessarily the Democrats) need another voice, like Eugene Debbs or Michael Harrington, to enunciate a vision of a more just society. There are likely several of them who could, but getting the media coverage of them is the challenge.

Does the Pro-Life Cause Need Better Allies? | National Catholic Reporter

Does the Pro-Life Cause Need Better Allies? | National Catholic Reporter by MSW.  MGB: Worse yet, pro-life conservatives even resist calls for a living wage for families - meaning if you have more kids you get a tax credit backed increase in salary to cover the cost of another child.  If you ask them why they resist, they say that people should be sexually more responsible.  In other words, they really are anti-sex and anti-woman - just as the feminists characterize them.  The War on Women is real and we need to get out of it - although frankly the Church may be a leader in that war.  If the Church wants to bring clean hands to this debate, it needs to start paying the kind of living wage I mentioned to its employees, advocate it for all employees, and ordain a few women, including raising some Abbesses to the Order of Bishops.

Wal-Mart's Evil | National Catholic Reporter

Wal-Mart's Evil | National Catholic Reporter by MSW.  MGB: Wal-Mart is no less evil then Target or Starbucks in how their employees are treated.  There is truly a race to the bottom going on and neither party is willing to address it.  We need much higher minimum wages and much more generous tax credits to families payable with wages rather than with annual refunds - which are often filed for by predatory lenders pedaling refund anticipation loans.  This whole structure should be backstopped with a commitment to training anyone who desires it - with pay.  The Church is notably absent in endorsing a vision that will radically improve the conditions the working poor must face.

The Hubris of Sen. McConnell | National Catholic Reporter

The Hubris of Sen. McConnell | National Catholic Reporter by MSW.  MGB: Romney's proposal could be construed as not quite different from Bowles-Simpson, provided you let dividend and capital gains rates go up to a "consolidated rate, " however I question whether you can make the whole thing work without adding some kind of consumption tax, as the Bipartisan Policy Center suggests.  That may be one of those things to be done later.  Considering it is one of those taxes that is hard on the majority, one would think that the GOP would be in favor of it for electoral advantage.

Anti-immigrant is pro-life? | National Catholic Reporter

Anti-immigrant is pro-life? | National Catholic Reporter by MSW.  MGB: Most of the pro-life movement is an adjunct of the Republican Party, except when its not.  Those of us who are considered pro-life Democrats are not seen as so by the GOP side.  Indeed, the key thing to know about the GOP version of the movement is that it is entirely electoral.  It holds to positions that cannot ever be enacted, which is a great tool for separating the faithful from their time and treasure.

Lustre of Our Country - Continuing the Review of Noonan's Classic | National Catholic Reporter

Lustre of Our Country - Continuing the Review of Noonan's Classic | National Catholic Reporter by MSW.  MGB: The question of public funding of religious activities is interesting.  The opposition to it comes from a fear of papism, which has declined in recent years.  It is obvious that the students deserve a full level of support.  The question is, does the leadership.  The difficulty is that most parish assets are held in trust under the legal ownership of the local bishop, who is appointed by the Pope and supervised by the Papal Nuncio.  If these schools were solely owned and controlled by non-profit parent boards (possibly with a religious member), this objection would vanish.  The other concern is more modern, the opposition of parish schools to both unionization and credentialing.  This is a point where the Church should yield some ground in exchange for public funds - but those funds should not be at the expense of the current system but must instead be funded by an increase in property taxes, especially in higher income neighborhoods where the parents of elite private schools reside, as they will likely be the beneficiaries of such an increase.

Crisis Mag's Parallel Universe | National Catholic Reporter

Crisis Mag's Parallel Universe | National Catholic Reporter by MSW. MGB: If the magazine is a Republican rag, why give it space at all? There are emerging voices that are much more worthy of your attention - as the Republican movement seems to be doomed by demographics, at least as a national party. If certain voters actually come out and vote in their own interests, even the current gerrymandered party would be history.

"Lustre of Our Country" - a Review of Noonan's Classic | National Catholic Reporter

"Lustre of Our Country" - a Review of Noonan's Classic | National Catholic Reporter by MSW. MGB: I have not read the book.  The question for bringing morality into politics, especially sexual morality, is whether the population at large is entitled to an opinion on individual behavior.  In some cases, it is.  In most, it does not beyond making sure children are cared for and adults can form relationships which allow them to transition from members of their family of origin to a family of choice.  This is not simply secularism, but is a result of a belief that God has granted each person free will. The extent to which the imposition of group will on individuals is the extent to which a society is a police state.  Sometimes, police power is worthy, especially to protect the innocent.  However, such cases must be weighed for their practicability.  

Politics itself is not idealism, it is the art of the possible.  In a modern society, some things are not possible, such as regulating abortion in the first trimester under the assumption that the child is a person.  These cannot be finessed by simply overturning Roe on jurisdictional grounds.  The unborn are either people under the law or not - and mandating that they be considered as such has implications in law that the pro-life movement itself is unwilling to face, which is why there has been no progress on this issue.

Silk on Religious Demographics | National Catholic Reporter

Silk on Religious Demographics | National Catholic Reporter by MSW.  MGB: The HHS ban should fade out by mid-year as a whimper.  It was a misguided and rather ham-handed attempt to shift the election that no one bought.  Young Latinos are like all young people.  It is not immigration they respond to but everything, including gay marriage and the control of the nation by the plutocracy.  Until the GOP becomes a working class party and includes immigrants within, it will cease in a generation and be replaced by a party which is.

Pro-Life RCs and the GOP | National Catholic Reporter

Pro-Life RCs and the GOP | National Catholic Reporter by MSW.  MGB: McCain has usually shown moderation on this issue (unless he was running for President).  He is at least being honest.  It is the movement itself that is its own worst enemy, not the GOP.  It is time for a bit of honesty from pro-life leadership as to what they can and cannot do and the compromises they would have to make to actually have a workable abortion bill (just forget about overturning Roe in Court or getting an amendment ratified (or even passed)).  Of course, most pro-choice Democrats have also ignored how  empty the pro-life movement hand is as well (particularly the position of the bishops), for not wanting to alienate Catholic voters.  They should instead be honest and not rely on an exaggerated version of pluralism.

Jorge Ramos: Rock Star! | National Catholic Reporter

Jorge Ramos: Rock Star! | National Catholic Reporter by MSW. MGB: Bravo Jorge!  The GOP can't seem to handle the truth.  If the problem was Joe Arpayo, it was time to take Joe's microphone away.  They have to learn that they can't shoot the messenger, however they operate their own highly partisan news service and therefore assume everyone else is just as bad.

The Fiscal Cliff | National Catholic Reporter

The Fiscal Cliff | National Catholic Reporter by MSW. MGB: Actually, the tech boom was in large part due to capital gains tax cuts agreed to by Bill Clinton in 1997, which set up a bull market for IPOs to take advantage of low rates for making money on these deals, many of which were worthless.

Raising taxes on the wealthy is actually good for growth because the wealthy are likely to save or speculate with the money rather than increase employee salaries or hire new staff. The more you pay people to do less, the less they will do. That is why the Bush tax cuts had the opposite effect and saw labor cost cutting run rampant. This is why higher taxes on the wealthy, especially in the dividend and capital gains areas, are so vital. These rates are where the real money is. For some who get most of their income from dividends, taxes will double, while capital gains rates will go up by two thirds under the fiscal cliff.

The people reacting to the uncertainty right now are not real firms, who are more concerned about economic growth before hiring, has are speculators, who want to know if it is best to sell now or hold for future gains.

As for Medicare, it is too early for reform here, since the Affordable Care Act's effects are not entirely known. If they lead to an upward spiral in insurance rates then health industry stock will take a downward spiral to bankruptcy, leading to either single payer or a public option - both of which will require new revenues. Alternatively, if the ACA does work, then the cost savings under it will make further cuts unnecessary. Irregardless, the whole issue of the Doc Fix needs to be taken care of, as letting it go in without some basic reform is untenable. The lesson of past reforms is that if cost cuts don't work, the only thing to be done is higher revenues - and this should be an across the board increase - maybe with a consumption tax.

Whether Obama needs to use the bully pulpit or quiet negotiation is a matter of tactics. He should only resort to it if it helps Republicans sign up to the deal. If it makes them dig in, than its time for no drama Obama.

For Sec'y of State? Snowe or Huntsman | National Catholic Reporter

For Sec'y of State? Snowe or Huntsman | National Catholic Reporter by MSW.  MGB: General Wesley Clark has an inside track, as it will keep him out of the 2016 race as a favor to Clinton.

More Good Stuff from Dolan | National Catholic Reporter

More Good Stuff from Dolan | National Catholic Reporter by MSW.  MGB: There are several informational pickets being held on Black Friday in support of workers, especially at Wal-Mart.  For those who wish to send a message about the Goods Life, we gladly welcome more hands.  At the very least, please don't cross a picket line - even if you don't want to join it.

More Wisdom from Berkowitz | National Catholic Reporter

More Wisdom from Berkowitz | National Catholic Reporter by MSW.  MGB: Freedom of thought is about publishing and preaching, not how you treat abuse victims in college (where charges are often swept under the rug rather than being reported to police) or whether you have a say in earned employee benefits (they are not a gift - and if they are one must give in such a way that the left hand does not know what the right is doing).  Freedom of thought also does not include the freedom to lie with impunity, when there are cameras rolling, and expect no one to catch it.

By and large, the main aspect of freedom of thought was all those GOP candidates that might have done better who sat this one out - although Huckabee was probably wise to do so.  Although he would have been a good leader for the base, having a white southerner challenge America's first black president would have given too many a feeling of personal license to say some ugly things that would have been the death of the GOP.  Sometimes the most important freedom of though is the right to stay silent, which Mike exercised wisely.

More Idiocy from Zuhlsdorf | National Catholic Reporter

More Idiocy from Zuhlsdorf | National Catholic Reporter by MSW.  MGB: Jesus freedom can not be far from the freedom in Aristotle and Aquinas, which comes from the attraction to the Good or God.  If everyone has such a freedom as part of their human nature (which is divinely granted and ordained), then Rousseau's rule of unanimity applies - at least to such questions involving the freedom to do what one chooses morally (provided it does not impinge on the freedom or welfare of others).  That, by the way, is how to square liberalism with Catholicism.  It is why prohibition of alcohol was (and drugs is) wrong - even if in the case of alcohol the Catholic Church had a conscience exemption for sacramental wine.  It is why smoking will never be totally ban, why prostitution should be legal (but trafficking illegal) and why attempts to end legal abortion must be weighed against both the rest of the law on murder and tort relief and the type of enforcement mechanisms employed if such regulation were to occur.

On Gratitude | National Catholic Reporter

On Gratitude | National Catholic Reporter by MSW.  A must read piece for the holilday.  MGB: Humility is not thinking less of myself, its thinking of myself less. Another definition is to accept myself exactly as I am and exactly as I am not. Once I do that, how can I deny the same privilege to others. For that too, I need gratitude.

Dolan on the Elections | National Catholic Reporter

Dolan on the Elections | National Catholic Reporter by MSW. MGB: The Cardinal and the blogger misunderstand humanism.  It is not a selfish ideology, it is that morality resides in human nature, not divine nature, and that any other interpretation is based on hubris.  We are called to love ourselves and others and the fulfillment of that nature, but we cannot be God.  The attempts to be so have been as destructive as the selfishness the Cardinal decries.  Catholic Libertarianism is different than secular Libertarianism in this way.  It is time to rid the Church of the stoicism implied by the Cardinal's letter.

Baltimore pastor speaks his mind in homily on same-sex marriage | National Catholic Reporter

Baltimore pastor speaks his mind in homily on same-sex marriage | National Catholic Reporter My thoughts exactly.

A Win In the Courts | National Catholic Reporter

A Win In the Courts | National Catholic Reporter by MSW.  MGB: This will be quickly dealt with on a ground of ripeness as no rules have been issued.  If this order is not vacated quickly the appropriate circuit court will.  Also, there is no effect unless the firm is self-insured, because in truth the company has been paying for contraceptive insurance since December 2000, which the government would be stupid not to argue.  And again, for the record, blatocysts are not human life - they operate solely under the maternal genetics and will continue to do so until gastrulation.  At some point, these trials are going to involve a geneticist and there will be a formal ruling on the lack of humanity at this stage.  That could prove interesting.

Bad Options in the Mideast | National Catholic Reporter

Bad Options in the Mideast | National Catholic Reporter by MSW.  MGB: There are good options and they are obvious.  First, give Gaza back to Egypt, provided they subdue it and make it no threat to Israel.  Second, restore King Abdullah to Damascus and recreate the old Hashemite kingdom (with the exception of Israel), with the new kingdom including parts of the West Bank and Northern Israel which are mostly Arab or Palestinian.  Third, the remainder of Israel must fully honor the human rights of everyone in its borders, regardless of ethnicity.  At this point, Israel will be worthy of the creation of a new Holy of Holies and the return of the Ark of the Covenant from Axum.

A solution to the marriage muddle? | National Catholic Reporter

A solution to the marriage muddle? | National Catholic Reporter   Canon Law has never required procreative ability, only functionality.  The Sacramental mystery of marriage has always been that the couple performs the marriage, with the Church only providing witness.  The Genesis and Gospel passages having to do with a couple becoming one flesh have to do with indissolubility of marriage and the family dynamic of severing the relationship to the natal family and creating unity with the new spouse.  There is no natural law reason, aside from a fear of change, to conclude that any of these truths do not adhere to gay marriages.

What the Church fears is a largely gay clergy quietly blessing these unions when done civilly (which they also do for secular marriages and marriages when not all the details have been accomplished having to do with marriage tribunals) or leaving the priesthood to pursue such unions themselves - or simply never signing up - or worse having them seek a right to marry and abandon continence as well.

This really becomes a problem if there is no separate celibate clergy on the track to the episcopacy, as without this tradition, Church property arrangements will have to change - with all such property being transferred from the personal ownership of the bishop to some kind of modern non-profit corporation or foundation.

Now you see why this issue is so important to the Bishops.  Personal net worth.

Remembering, and Mis-Remembering, Vatican II | National Catholic Reporter

Remembering, and Mis-Remembering, Vatican II | National Catholic Reporter by MSW.  MGB: The issue on retrenchment is not Ratzinger but Blessed John Paul II.  We was in the old school, rather firmly, and has left the Church filled with those who share his views - often those who are not even old enough to remember life before the Council, although their parents may have raised them as if no Council exists (which is why there is any debate at all about sexual morality).  Pope Benedict now has to sort out the damage and undo some of what his old boss put in, without making it look like he is doing so.  How he sets the tone in the New Evangelization will provide a clue on this.  If he brings it back to the message of the empty tomb and the role of the Church in witnessing that fact, then there is hope.  If, on the other hand, this becomes an exercise is hitting the laity over the head on the issues of legal abortion, marriage equality and contraception, it will be a wasted exercise.

Infrastructure | National Catholic Reporter

Infrastructure | National Catholic Reporter by MSW.  MGB: The problem with our infrastructure comes solely from the inability to raise gas taxes to fund it, which is why most bridges are dangerous. The DC area is now privatizing roads and tolls because of this - although many suspect that when toll roads go unused, the road companies will fail and we will go back to what works. Part of the reluctance was due to the administration's commitment to enacting cap and trade for global warming. When that failed, there was no plan B. Until some of the highly partisan redistricting is overturned in court over the next two years, we will have to deal with the wall against adequate funding of roads in the GOP. Sadly, it is not really the GOP's fault. Its ultimately the voters who want to be under-taxed. We have met the enemy and it is us.

The good news is that because the infrastructure is so old, it can be replaced if we want to go with overhead powered and controlled electric cars - and we can let the car builders and system operators fund the project, even though the government would have done it more cheaply.

A Real Attack on Religion | National Catholic Reporter

A Real Attack on Religion | National Catholic Reporter by MSW.  MGB: It is not secularism, however, to remind priests that a good penance includes turning themselves into civil authorities if they have committed a crime, especially one involving life or property.  Most crimes should be dealt with in a mental health context - both non-violent drug offenses and most violent crimes.  The Church needs to develop an infrastructure to take these functions from the state (but overseen by the deacons and laity, not the bishops).

Romney's Ugly Exit | National Catholic Reporter

Romney's Ugly Exit | National Catholic Reporter by MSW.  MGB: The rich have their own language of entitlement.  Romney is fluid in it.  Only an idiot, however, would write him a check.  Luckily for him, he will likely find some.

"Something fine and bracing" | National Catholic Reporter

"Something fine and bracing" | National Catholic Reporter by MSW.  MGB: In the end, the people in the pews who write the checks must become sick of Romanization, which I regard as illegitimate.  It is the papacy's revenge on the world for its loss of secular power, which was also illegitimate.   At some point, if St. Malachy is correct, the Roman Church will move toward the East and in doing so shed most of its holding, including, hopefully, the American or entire English speaking Church.  Such a shedding would remove the biggest obstacle to ecumenicism - Romanism - and I am sure the Church of England would be back in the tent rather quickly - although there may be rump parishes who still wish to link to a separate Roman Church.  I will not be a member of any of these.

A Second to Schlumpf | National Catholic Reporter

A Second to Schlumpf | National Catholic Reporter by MSW.  MGB: Regardless of Black Friday - Black Thursday should be avoided by all who favor social justice for workers, especially those seasonal workers who can't tell the boss no.  I always shop a bit later and it is only an inheritance that lets us shop at all.  While I agree that all the avarice has nothing to do with the child of Bethlehem, I must always call foul about those who object to Christ being taken out of the annual celebration of the winter solstice, which predates Christianization of most cultures.  As Christians, we may certainly call Jesus our light - however the evidence is that he was not born on December 25th, but rather on April 17th, 6 BCE (the necessary astrology to attract the Magi to a messianic Jewish King).  Of course, putting Jesus birth in Eastertide has too many reincarnation implications, so I can see why they did it, but keep in mind that the celebration of Christmas at this time is about fulfilling very human needs to stand as one against the long nights - often with the kind of revelry that the Christmas Christianizers object to.  There is no reason we can't have both.

Weigel's Blinders | National Catholic Reporter

Weigel's Blinders | National Catholic Reporter by MSW.  MGB: What Weigel is quoted as saying seems to be what the bishops are saying.  Perhaps he is writing for them on this issue and perhaps that is the problem!  The truth that the Bishops, Weigel and MSW ignores is that the mandate has been established law for 12 years next month and the current language has been legally tested seems lost in this issue.  It was primarily electoral and the election is passed.  Weigel and the Bishops lost and lost big.  Let this dead horse rot in peace.

USCCB In Disarray | National Catholic Reporter

USCCB In Disarray | National Catholic Reporter by MSW.  MGB: It is hard to try to say something about the poor when you enjoy breaking bread with the rich, many of whom would be miffed if a solid document were written that effectively dealt with the question of what the state should do to ameliorate poverty and assure a living wage.  Of course, it is hard to talk about such wages when one does not necessarily pay them.  God sheds a tear whenever anyone in the clergy tells someone in their employer who needs a higher salary to fund yet another child that they should try Natural Family Planning.    We need a strong document that deals with wealth, charity and the need for obligatory matters done by the state.  More importantly, bishops need to set an example with how they actually run their diocese. 

Poverty Doc Defeated | National Catholic Reporter

Poverty Doc Defeated | National Catholic Reporter by MSW.  MGB: Considering how badly MSW said the document was, it is surprising it got the number of votes that it did. One would hope for a lopsided vote in the other direction. It does not bode well for the moral courage to stand on what is right rather than on the consensus group-think.

Re-Districting & Majority Votes | National Catholic Reporter

Re-Districting & Majority Votes | National Catholic Reporter by MSW.  MGB: It is actually quite clear that this is due to redistricting and this is shameful.  It also shows the ineptitude of the Democrats who did not organize more to get new voters out to vote in 2009 and 2010 elections.  It will take a decade to undo this and put in non-partisan redistricting.  I suspect that the Democrats are leery of permanent reforms because demographically they will have an overwhelming majority next time, and will be able to consign the Republicans into obscurity in 2020 using the current rules - this is assuming the GOP and the current Democratic coalition survives that long.  If the GOP becomes a workers party and the Dems become the elite party, the whole dynamic may change.

The GOP Religious Coalition | National Catholic Reporter

The GOP Religious Coalition | National Catholic Reporter by MSW.  MGB: He is entirely correct.  Who else are the bishops and the old conservative priests but the kind of Old White men who now form the background of both the Order of Bishops and the Knights of Columbus.  They will soon be outvoted in the Church as well.

Letter From B'more: Monday Review | National Catholic Reporter

Letter From B'more: Monday Review | National Catholic Reporter by MSW.  MGB: If the American Bishops use the New Evangelization as an excuse to beat the faithful over the head with political issues that they barely understand (it is not there area and they are badly staffed) we will simply tune them out all the more and may cut off their funds.  We are promised that the Church will never fail, but the Church is more than the bishops.  I see this as a temporary problem.  When the majority of bishops were teens during the spirit of Vatican II days, you will see the Church lurch to the Left and even conservative young priests will follow them, since when you scratch a conservative you get a 50-50 chance of finding someone liberal at heart who is just being careful (if you doubt that, look at the history of Supreme Court nominees appointed by Republicans).

Archbishop says US church must 'redouble' efforts on marriage issue | National Catholic Reporter

Archbishop says US church must 'redouble' efforts on marriage issue | National Catholic Reporter These bishops are very close minded on this question.  If God creates marriages with two people who contract marriage with each other, with the priest merely acting as witness for the community and parish, how is this different for gays?  As importantly, if the two becoming one flesh is the essential part of marriage (not fecundity - which is not required under canon law), is it not infantalizing gays to deny them the right to form an adult sexual relationship and thus leave their family of origin when their straight brothers and sisters have this right?  Finally, does the Church really want to send the message that gay promiscuity and gay monogamy are morally the same?  Seriously?  I don't think so!

The bishops are running scared.  They know that half their priests are probably gay (unless like other Republicans they don't believe survey research).  Such priests would gladly bless gay unions privately and many may seek release from their vows in order to marry themselves, nor never buy into the self-loathing that drove many into the priesthood originally.  Acceptance of gay marriage by society will end the celibate male priesthood and may even lead to an Abbess becoming a member of the Order of Bishops, which scares them to the core.

Gehring on Bishops & Obama | National Catholic Reporter

Gehring on Bishops & Obama | National Catholic Reporter by MSW.  MGB: I predict much of the toxic rhetoric will go away, as it serves no one, especially the bishops.  If they are paying attention to the demographics of the Republican Party, which is more in the news than they are, they will hang out on the side lines before continuing their war on the Democratic Party.

Samuel Rodriguez In the Cross-Hairs | National Catholic Reporter

Samuel Rodriguez In the Cross-Hairs | National Catholic Reporter by MSW.  MGB: Gimmickry won't save the Republican Party from itself.  The views expressed by GOP leaders against immigration reform were not an attempt to make the old white males less tolerant - they were a reflection of the intolerance of the GOP rank and file (and some of its leaders - Jim Sensensenbrenner comes to mind).  The GOP in its current form won't change - it will either fade away or be the victim of an outside takeover by people whose agenda is empowering the working class.  Unless the GOP becomes a workers and libertarians party, it will simply go the way of the Whigs.

Post-Mortems Abound | National Catholic Reporter

Post-Mortems Abound | National Catholic Reporter by MSW. MGB: School choice had its day when the holy sisters worked for peanuts. While we still have sisters operating schools, they are often more geared to the economically elite, given the cost of hiring top rated teachers.

As for Obama, don't confuse your disdain for the result for it being really bad law. It actually is not. It is correct on three points. Point one is that the states are not competent to say who is a citizen, a person or subject to the protection of the government in human rights. That is very clear by the attempts made to deny benefits to Latino undocumented workers. Second, unless the fetus is declared a person, their interests are not to be considered. Three, the plain reading of the Constitution justifies beginning personhood at birth. If you don't like it, pass a law federal law (no amendment is needed), but make sure it cuts no corners on equal protection. The federal law must deal with how miscarriages are treated under the law and the limits of investigation and tort relief. Of course, after you deal with these issues, you must essentially start life at the start of the second trimester, if not assisted viability.

Saying you are pro-life while not insisting on such legislative language is to join in a fraud.

As for the Church, I am sure Sr. Carol and Fr. Larry are doing just fine and have not lost their White House entry badges. If you want relations to improve, have the Church hire staff that will tell it what it does not want to here on contraception (that it is a right under preventative coverage dating to December 2000). This issue is going away, as it is entirely electoral. Time to stop talking about it.

Silk Looks at Religious Voting Patterns | National Catholic Reporter

Silk Looks at Religious Voting Patterns | National Catholic Reporter by MSW.  MGB: It looks like Catholic voters still care more about justice than what the Bishops say about abortion.  That is a good thing for the Church if it gets the attention of the bishops and they respond with a bit of soul searching rather than with threats.  They need to remember who pays the contributions which let them live as princes of the Church.

Good News from California | National Catholic Reporter

Good News from California | National Catholic Reporter by MSW.  MGB: Jerry got real with the citizenry.  It is frankly about time.  Largely because of California's problems with proposition 13, DC voters are not allowed to do initiatives on fiscal issues, so they can't cut their own taxes or mandate spending.  That's a good thing.

Looking Ahead | National Catholic Reporter

Looking Ahead | National Catholic Reporter by MSW.  MGB: The problem is not Obama and the Church, its the Church with itself - most especially the Hierarchy with Catholic women, especially middle aged women who in most generations are the backbone of Catholicism in the laity - people like my wife.  Fixing this is going to take a sea change in how we as a Church relate to God.  God the Ogre needs to fade into the past, as I believe it will.  That God is fine for my mother.  I don't think it works for my wife or my daughter.  It certainly doesn't work for me.  The question is, will this generation of women just politely ignore the bishops (like they did in this election) or will they speak out and force a sea change.

Camosy on Elections & CST | National Catholic Reporter

Camosy on Elections & CST | National Catholic Reporter by MSW.  MGB: My hope is that a renewed push for workers rights and dignity will be the guiding factor in forming a new political movement - one which includes Democrats, Republicans, Occupiers, Catholics, Distributists, Greens and Libertarians.  Until we unite behind such a cause, "they" will win.

Benedict XVI & the Environment | National Catholic Reporter

Benedict XVI & the Environment | National Catholic Reporter by MSW.  MGB: An event at Catholic University tonight.  There is also a discussion of Michael Harrington's The Other America at Georgetown sponsored by DSA.  So much to do, so little time.

What Now? Bishops' Edition | National Catholic Reporter

What Now? Bishops' Edition | National Catholic Reporter by MSW.  MGB: Firstly, if the bishops wish to speak for us politically, and some moral issues do have political ramifications, they need to ask us first - bot because some of us have knowledge that they don't have and out of due courtesy. The spirit of prophesy (which is the same thing as self-criticism) should be encouraged in the Church.

Secondly, while only some bishops were outspoken in the media, all seemed to send out messages on Faithful Citizenship, but these often went against the spirit of the document. The document is flawed anyway, because it does not consider the likelihood that the great moral issues that they consider non-negotiable are not political issues at all, but are decided constitutionally out of the hands of legislative officials. Note that judges cannot be disciplined by the bishops, as any bishop so disciplined would be bound to recuse himself from the question before him - which means they can't force the 6 Catholic justices to listen to them on Roe or conscience protection.

Third, as far as traditional marriage where the wife is subject to the husband - let it die. What many bishops and Catholic theologians can't stomach is the loss of subservience within marriage. Hopefully, in a generation, this should die out. What the bishops fear is gay priests demanding the right of themselves and their heterosexual brethren to marry and to bless gay unions - as well they should. Doing so sends a message that being gay is not a license to live promiscuously. 

Fourth, the contraception mandate has been in force for almost 12 years. If it were a big deal, the USCCB would have taken this issue to George W. Bush for rethinking. Now that the election is over, this is not an issue at all. HHS will make the appropriate concessions or the courts will do it for them. The fact that the lawsuit against the mile was filed before it was ripe shows that this issue was entirely a political stunt, as the cases continue to be dismissed until a final rule is issued.

Fifth, the Massachusetts issue was about compassion, not choice. St. Thomas More in Utopia disagrees with you and the Vatican on this issue. It is a moral question, not a religious one. The theological question that IS relevant is whether you believe God will damn those ending their sufferings because he is personally offended at the prospect. It is a key question in Theology and it, not Liberty, is the difference between the Christian Left and the Hierarchy. I cannot believe that God is such an ogre.

Sixth, it is not merely enough to say that the GOP is giving lip service to the cause of life - if this is true we must take active measures to point that out so that the bishops cease all association with a movement that has become a Republican front (and mostly always has been). The fact that the bishops could not rely on unity in the pro-life movement to have the GOP work with the Democrats on perfecting, rather than defeating, the Affordable Care Act speaks volumes. Their one last chance should be seeking a larger refundable Child Tax Credit for every family, regardless of work status. If the pro-life movement disagrees, the bishops should have no further contact with them.

Finally, the New Evangelization must be about preaching the truth of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ, not moral conformity within the Church.

Response to a Comment | National Catholic Reporter

Response to a Comment | National Catholic Reporter by MSW.  MGB: If it had not been for the nomination of Tea Party members to many Senate seats, the GOP might well have looked reasonable enough to not only take the Senate, but also the White House.  Leave the fillibuster exactly where it is.  Of all the comments you could have responded to, why this one?

Nate Silver - 1; Karl Rove - 0 | National Catholic Reporter

Nate Silver - 1; Karl Rove - 0 | National Catholic Reporter by MSW.  MGB: I got more sleep because I did not stay awake for the President's celebration, but I did see Romney's concession. My concern is that while Rove was objecting, Romney would not concede. If that is not a sign that the Crossroads operation between Rove and the campaign was interlinked to an extent that is probably illegal, nothing else can be. On a personal note, nothing can restore the hour of sleep I lost while Romney dithered with Rove's speculations. On a separate personal note, yesterday, based on the polls available, I projected Obama would get 330 electoral votes, while Rove said Romney would get 285. Should Florida fall to Obama, as widely expected, my projection will prove exact. I don't think even Silver got that close. Perhaps you should read (and cite) my blog more and sign up for my newsfeed on Facebook.

The Sweetest Win | National Catholic Reporter

The Sweetest Win | National Catholic Reporter by MSW.  MGB: The Church should be standing for compassion and abandon the idea that pointless suffering is salvatory once someone has become spiritually awake. While great suffering can convince people to seek God, after one has found Him, there is no point to it, other than to challenge the rest of us to provide care and compassion. This is a sad victory which gives credence to the idea that we can somehow add to the sufferings of Christ in order to remit sin. We absolutely cannot and such a view is hubris of the highest order.

What Now? | National Catholic Reporter

What Now? | National Catholic Reporter by MSW.  MGB: With respect, MSW didn't vote for Obama so while he certainly has the right to an opinion on what Obama should do next, it might be best to keep it to himself.


MSW should concentrate on the Church - particularly the bishops - who arguably lost last night where they spoke up for their "three non-negotiables." So far they have been badly advised and MSW has been goading them on. What the USCCB needs is someone to speak with them on how they might want to make peace with these issues - all of which are matters of right rather than electoral politics - and focus their political activities on political decisions, such as the economy.

Until the USCCB is willing to listen to voices within the Church that dissent from their position on these issues, they will continue to make the same mistakes. Using this blog to empower them to do so gives neither them nor the Church as a whole good service. Telling the truth might.

As far as the second term agenda, immigration reform should occur - although I am not sure how that looks if James Sensenbrenner continues speaking out against it. With Paul Ryan remaining at budget, I don't see how not simply going off the fiscal cliff is not the best option. Obama holds all the cards and unless the GOP gets real on this fact, he is best advised to simply let all the tax cuts expire and blame the GOP - which would be taking a page from Clinton's playbook (and actually using his tax rates). I suspect a deal is possible, where the top tax rate, the corporate rate, the capital gains rate and the dividend rate all fall somewhere between 25% and 28%. 26.5% is an inconvenient number, so perhaps 27% is where they will end up. Perhaps they can do 25% now, 26% in a year and 27% the following year. Working out a deal on taxes first will let every other issue happen, which after the devestation of Superstorm Sandy should start with the effects of global warming.

Turnout | National Catholic Reporter

Turnout | National Catholic Reporter by MSW.  MGB: Too many people have fought to hard to waste your vote on a write in for President with no electors pledged. Everyone should vote. I got up at 5 and we left at 5:20, taking our 9 year old with us. In Virginia the lines were long, which may mean Republcans also came out - which means it could be close in Virginia.

Non-Negotiables: Just 5? | National Catholic Reporter

Non-Negotiables: Just 5? | National Catholic Reporter by MSW.  MGB: The three non-negotiables in the Bishop's letter last month (Marriage equality, abortion, conscience protection) are not even legislative issues, so I question why they are political issues at all, since they are about constitutional law. On such issues, Republican appointees are as likely to vote with Democratic appointees as not, although it is true that Democratic appointees do seem to have a better understanding of individual rights. When did that become a bad thing in a natural rights Republic? Abortion will only be a legislative issue when the right to life movement produces a bill that threads the needle between granting legal status to embroys and fetuses (or ignores first trimester embryos altogether) and not doing violence to equal protection law in dealing with statutes on murder, criminal torts and granting legal personhood to embryos destined to miscarry. No bill, no issue. Put up or shut up.

Election Day: A Call to Unity and Action | National Catholic Reporter

Election Day: A Call to Unity and Action | National Catholic Reporter by MSW.  MGB: The call for unity in Vatican II is often understand by some bishops as a call to obedience.  It should not be.  For the Church to be healthy, the Spirit of Prophesy (which we on the far left call self-criticism) must also flourish.  We can't always defend the bishops, especially when they are off base.  I grant that Valerie Jarrett picked an unnecessary fight with them over contraception, but the bishops took the bait (as such mandates ALREADY EXIST).  If anything, Catholic Democrats breifly through the President under the bus by siding with the bishops at all on this.  If the bishops' positions this year are based on lies, there is only one obvious choice on the ballot today, and that is full throated support of Obama.

Obama's Black Critics | National Catholic Reporter

Obama's Black Critics | National Catholic Reporter by MSW.  MGB: MSW really doesn't understand the meaning of liberation. You have to in order to understand those such as West. Make no mistake, Obama is mainstream, not liberationist. He was never a movement guy, like West and Jackson (or even me, and I am white).

With Friends Like These: "The Rape Thing" | National Catholic Reporter

With Friends Like These: "The Rape Thing" | National Catholic Reporter by MSW.  MGB: Some would say he is just being honest. The problem is with the pro-life movement. It may have a vision, but it seems to have no plan or maybe its vision is something it does not want to share. Until it is shared, the pro-life movement is about group identity for Republicans, with pro-life Dems allowed just to keep the tax advantages of various groups, hiding the movements true nature as the religious wing of the GOP.

Checking With History | National Catholic Reporter

Checking With History | National Catholic Reporter by MSW.  MGB: More important is that writing in a candidate for which no electors are pledged is a wasted vote.

Melady for President! | National Catholic Reporter

Melady for President! | National Catholic Reporter by MSW.  MGB: Abortion and contraception are not really issues if you define an issue as some policy area where someone is actually trying to do something. If you factor those out, the only party Catholics can really vote for is the Democratic Party (unless you don't mind the Greens). Most importantly, you are not electing a person when you vote in a state - you are electing a slate of electors. Unless there are Melady electors pledged, you are simply wasting your vote - and I'm not talking about wasting it by voting for a slate of electors with no chance of winning - I mean literally casting a vote that cannot be counted.

Early Voting | National Catholic Reporter

Early Voting | National Catholic Reporter by MSW.  MGB: The Grand Old Republican Party's commitment to fair play has long been overtaken by the hard knuckle politics of the segregationists recruited as part of Nixon's Southern Strategy. This is just more of the same and another reason the Voting Rights Act cannot be allowed to expire in any portion. Indeed, it must be expanded and doing so is reason enough to re-elect President Obama, since he seems to have been enforcing it of late.

Must-Read: Gibson on "Catholic Moment" | National Catholic Reporter

Must-Read: Gibson on "Catholic Moment" | National Catholic Reporter by MSW.  MGB: No, we have not reached a Catholic moment and won't until we again have a president who is both Catholic and willing to call the Bishops on the carpet for participating in the fraudulent aspects of the pro-life movement - which has yet to offer a vision of what ending abortion looks like and how to do it.  Indeed, such a president might even have his own ideas on how that would work, although I expect criminality is not part of it.

Big News From Indiana | National Catholic Reporter

Big News From Indiana | National Catholic Reporter by MSW.  MGB: Mourdock and McMahon are simply idiots and it is good that the public is seeing through them.  Of course, I don't fault him for pointing out the big whole in the pro-life argument - he actually performed a service to show how undeveloped it is.  Anyone who claims to be pro-life from either the Democratic or Republican side is honor-bound to say how that would work - both on how to enact it in a post-Roe world (since privacy is not going anywhere until you get personhood done and overturning federal supremacy is a non-starter), followed by an explanation of what the powers of the state would be in enforcing the rights of fetuses and embryos - again taking care to note and deal with the equal protection issues in a post-Roe landscape where those protected have to be legal people and not evidence in a proscribed medical procedure.  We ARE NOT going to the bad old days where doing an abortion was an equal crime to shooting your neighbor's dog (a misdemeanor payable by a fine and loss of medical license). 

Why I Can't Vote for Obama | National Catholic Reporter

Why I Can't Vote for Obama | National Catholic Reporter by MSW.  MGB: The reason religious liberty is a canard is that it ignores the institutional expertise of the Institute of Medicine as well as ignoring the fact that this has been settled law for almost a dozen years.  It is not a small fib to call this an open issue - it is not.  I agree that Obama has not done enough for under-water borrowers (of which I am one), but his scope of action has been limited by bad advice from his economic A team, which included Larry Summers, and by an obstructionist Congress.  If those are your only issues, you need to rethink your vote.  If non-voting is only a protest and you hope he wins anyway than you should simply vote for him.  Writing any candidate in is not advisable, by the way, since you do not vote for a president but for a slate of electors.  If there is not slate to vote for, you may as well leave that line blank.  I don't see how Jill Stein or Gary Johnson fits your moral perspective any differently, nor will a vote for the Constitutionalists, so your only vote is really for the Obama electors.

EJ Dionne Opposes Euthanasia | National Catholic Reporter

EJ Dionne Opposes Euthanasia | National Catholic Reporter by MSW.  MGB: There are some forms of passive euthanasia that must be allowed.  Treating pain is one of them and the other is removing care.  I would add that withholding all care, including feeding, is necessary if one has brought someone back from the dead but they have never regained consciousness.  That aspect has never been explored by the Magisterium.  I also believe that looking at what St. Thomas More said in Utopia is useful, as it is natural law based.  I think it is also hubris to try to glorify the suffering of the dying as a sin offering.  Christ suffered to experience our sufferings.  We can do no more than that and we are committing a sin of pride if we think or teach otherwise.  The pain is not a sin offering so much as an opportunity to call out to God for relief.  We should not be blind to the fact that God sometimes comes in the form of a compassionate physician.

More on Intrinsic Evil | National Catholic Reporter

More on Intrinsic Evil | National Catholic Reporter by MSW.  MGB: Politics is not about evil or less evil but on possible and less possible. Overturning Roe on jurisdictional grounds is impossible, as is overturning it through state action. Only the sovereign national legilature can change the status of the unborn, and no bill that can stand the light of day has been introduced - nor has any bill establishing any kind of socialism (which is best defined as making the means of production democratically held and owned by the workers). As of now, both seem impossible - so setting either issue up as essential is essentially propoganda.

Lies that Boomerang | National Catholic Reporter

Lies that Boomerang | National Catholic Reporter by MSW.  MGB: Hierarchists always lie, since the truth is always a matter of negotiation or authority for them. The same can be seen in the life of the Church. This is who is staffing Romney and the main reason he needs to lose big.

Religious Voting Breakdown | National Catholic Reporter

Religious Voting Breakdown | National Catholic Reporter by MSW.  MGB: One wonders how observant Catholics line up based on gender. That may be the difference Valerie Jarrette was looking for. Also, let us remember that the President was once employed by Catholic Charities. Perhaps he wishes for options for the current employees that he would have wanted for him his fellow co-workers, many of whom were likely both non-Catholic and female.

Bp Jenky Goes Off the Reservation | National Catholic Reporter

Bp Jenky Goes Off the Reservation | National Catholic Reporter by MSW.  MGB: Of late, confirmandi promise to follow the Magisterium, so this is what he means. Whether he has the right to use the power given him to bound and loose in forgiving sins is sufficient to direct people via politics is a long held debate. Personally, I think he is full of hubris, as are many of this overty Republican brother bishops.


Mostly, he is badly staffed, probably both within his diocese and by the USCCB (goaded on by MSW's blog) on this issue, which is truly a non-issue. The fact still remains that all insurance policies that provide preventative care already provided contraceptive coverage, without objection by the Church since it did not cost them money at the time (and still won't - so it is not really an issue). The current fight is about co-pays and co-pays only.

What is really abohorrent is that it damages the body of Christ and may lead people out of church - although I don't suspect that people who already use birth control and still go to Communion will care about voting for it as well. What they should do, however, is withhold funds from the Bishop's appeal this year - especially this one.

Why I Can't Vote for Romney | National Catholic Reporter

Why I Can't Vote for Romney | National Catholic Reporter by MSW.  MGB: The Tea Party's reason for being is to oppose Obama because of his age and race. They will go away when they get another old white man to be president. I expect Romney, if elected, would do what his military and economic advisors tell him is the best thing, and that he will surround himself with really able people. The problem is, I don't trust the GOP neo-cons he has surrounded himself with, even if, after the election, he enacts almost exactly the same tax policy as Obama would have. I also shivver at the thought of Romney's staff having Patriot Act era powers. I would expect that a CEO in chief would be Nixon all-over-again, which means some scandal over abuse of power would likely result. The country need not go through that again.
As far as abortion and contraception, they are non-issues until the pro-life movement adds detail to their vision of what a pro-life nation would look like in the law and in the circumstances of families facing both a teen pregnancy and a miscarriage. As for contraception, it has not been an issue since December 2000, when the EEOC said women had a right to it in any preventative policy. The HHS MANDATE IS ONLY ABOUT COPAYS!. If this is a personal issue for you, you have a skewed sense of what is important.
As for Ryan, his place on the ticket is code that Romney knew he would lose. The frightening thing is that he is getting closer that we all like, although if Medicaid is made more of an issue over the weekend, it will mean that he loses Flordia for the ticket. BTW, you basically have to go bankrupt to use Medicaid for nursing home care.