Links for 05/01/15 | National Catholic Reporter

Links for 05/01/15 | National Catholic Reporter by MSW. MGB: Lets be clear about St. Joseph the Worker. He was not a hgh end carpenter.  He and his sons were day laborers, like the undocumented Latinos who congregate at Seven Eleven looking for work every day. That was their life.  Most of us cannot relate, but the undocumented workers can.  There is even a day labor story in the Gospel, where everyone who works gets a living wage.  THAT is a story that links St. Joseph to the cause of both workes and migrants - and is probably more radical than even Francis wants to be.



I like where Cardinal Turkson puts the poor first in his talk.  Indeed, I would like to point out that the Earth itslef has no agenda - it cares little if it is dry or frozen - indeed, to the planet, what happens on the crust in skin rash.  The Earth is concerned about continental movement, if anything.  Any concern with the climate has to be concern for its impact on the human population.  Science got us into this and will get us out - but science must be the servant of humanity, not industrialists.  As for the meme that consumerism is bad - tht is entirely false.  Consumption is what makes work worthwhile. Without it, more people would be volunteering to get Bernie Sanders elected (like me) - and he would be running in a Socialist Party, not as a Democrat - and believe me, they are not the same thing.



Tony Arnett gives a brief summary of what happened at the entire climate change symposium, including comic relief from the right wing (and sadly how they got ink as the other side when the deseve nothing - sadly, they likely thoght their mission successful - fools).  This is definitely a good step up for the encyclical's releae.



Speaking of tracicomedy, we have Rep. Flores of Texas, who blames the Baltimore riots on same sex marriage, rather than on police breaking the neck of a prisoner.  He makes no sense.  First of all, Jesus was very clear that disasters happen - and riots are not disasters per se - because they do - they are not linked to sin or human events (with now th exception being global warming).  If the part of Baltimore that is more heavily populated wiht gays rioted, it would be suspect - but a sale at Bed, Bath and Beyond is not a riot - and they won their fight, no riot coming. If Flores wants to link Gay Marriage - which is not even a bad thing - to riots, we can plan a little party in his district should Scalia convince the rest of the Court to vote his (the wrong) way.  Luckily, I don't see it happending - the bad faith actions of the Catholic Church notwithstanding.