https://www.ncronline.org/news/opinion/distinctly-catholic/links-53018
MGB: It should be a controversial estimate, but only MSW and Rachel Maddow care about Puerto Rico. I suspect that we will never know because their governor is an idiot and because NEJM has likely underestimated refugees who fled to America. The only way to really know would be to add a question to the Census and see who claims to have fled. Other than that, the responsible parities in the PR government would actually have to leave San Juan and see what is happening elsewhere, and they seem incapable of doing that.
In Houston, rich people take care of themselves, although I don't doubt the government took care of them too. FEMA should buy out everyone in the spillway for the dam, because hurricanes do strike twice.
Unions need to transform, no matter what happens in Janus. Unless they get really smart about pushing for employee-ownership and cooperative consumption, their model will become more and more out of date.
The lost children meme is tragic. ICE probably need not track the placement of children with their relatives but it absolutely must track those that have been put in shelters. There is more to the details than the headlines show.
The Pope's statements on one particular gay man being beautifully made very much need to be amplified and Ratzinger's CDF remark about intrinsic disorder (which in the end, is only one dicastry leader's opinion, not doctrine) rejected, once and for all. Then the implications should be explored. The Anachronists will hate that.
Bravo to Ted for profiling Sister Jean Dolores. May her revolutionary zeal for Christ be an example to women to whom such an example resonates.
Whether the summit is on or off depends on the way the wind is blowing at National Airport.
The Watergate babies should have cooperated more with President Carter, but they were all amateurs. The Budget and Impoundment Control Act, which invented the Budget Resolution and all the unnecessary process that allows members to gum up the works was passed before the class of 74 was elected or sworn in the following January. Lawrence has no idea what he is talking about. He is pushing for a unitary executive, like that would be coherent with the current POTUS in charge (who is even more of an idiot than Lawrence).
The big takeaway on Memorial Day is that it marked a new piece among white veterans of the Civil War that allowed Jim Crow to come about and is echoed in the slaughter of black men by police, including veterans.
Thursday, May 31, 2018
Wednesday, May 30, 2018
You may be more elite than you think
https://www.ncronline.org/news/opinion/distinctly-catholic/you-may-be-more-elite-you-think
MGB: Americans generally don't think of elitism in economic terms. Even though I am retired with a bit over $30,000 in the bank (thank you, Mr. President - it was $10,000 more), my cultural elitism is based on my writings on economics and morality. Just last year, I wrote a column about the perception of elites and how it can be traced back to the New York Jewish Elite (self-titled) of mid-century, particularly the early 60s.
Economic curves are always skewed and wealth is no different, nor the fact that wealth correlates with both income and taxation. In prior days, our tax code went after the top 9.9% with rates that did not really seize wealthy so much as to discourage additional income,which was usually had at the expense of workers or less wealthy investors. While it would be lovely to bring back these rates, is unlikely to happen. The best we can do is to systematically shift workers from retirement based almost solely on public wealth (which caps contributions, so the really wealthy don't pay in as much nor do they get the benefits that would match those payments) to a more mixed portfolio, with public wealth to insure private wealth, not in the market as a whole (the mega-rich do not diversify) but to have a controlling interest in the companies they work in and build value for.
The game really is not about wealth. It is about power. Of course, for most employee-owned firm, controlling the means of production is a boring exercise, involving monthly or quarterly catered dinners, presentations on financial performance and employee-owner culture. If you use such companies to control the means of consumption, like housing (both apartments for young people and 0% mortgages and new homes for mid-career and older workers), food production (think of IBM with supermarkets or homes with food production greenrooms) and clothing (suits for work) - and even vacation properties, then workers might take more interest in being owners - especially if you give them control of either health plans or hiring doctors. Add consumer credit at reasonable rates and you have stopped the bleeding. The problem with the 9.9% is that they actively keep everyone else poor, even if they don't mean to, because their money managers put profit over human needs. Make workers into active consumer-owners and the damage stops.
MGB: Americans generally don't think of elitism in economic terms. Even though I am retired with a bit over $30,000 in the bank (thank you, Mr. President - it was $10,000 more), my cultural elitism is based on my writings on economics and morality. Just last year, I wrote a column about the perception of elites and how it can be traced back to the New York Jewish Elite (self-titled) of mid-century, particularly the early 60s.
Economic curves are always skewed and wealth is no different, nor the fact that wealth correlates with both income and taxation. In prior days, our tax code went after the top 9.9% with rates that did not really seize wealthy so much as to discourage additional income,which was usually had at the expense of workers or less wealthy investors. While it would be lovely to bring back these rates, is unlikely to happen. The best we can do is to systematically shift workers from retirement based almost solely on public wealth (which caps contributions, so the really wealthy don't pay in as much nor do they get the benefits that would match those payments) to a more mixed portfolio, with public wealth to insure private wealth, not in the market as a whole (the mega-rich do not diversify) but to have a controlling interest in the companies they work in and build value for.
The game really is not about wealth. It is about power. Of course, for most employee-owned firm, controlling the means of production is a boring exercise, involving monthly or quarterly catered dinners, presentations on financial performance and employee-owner culture. If you use such companies to control the means of consumption, like housing (both apartments for young people and 0% mortgages and new homes for mid-career and older workers), food production (think of IBM with supermarkets or homes with food production greenrooms) and clothing (suits for work) - and even vacation properties, then workers might take more interest in being owners - especially if you give them control of either health plans or hiring doctors. Add consumer credit at reasonable rates and you have stopped the bleeding. The problem with the 9.9% is that they actively keep everyone else poor, even if they don't mean to, because their money managers put profit over human needs. Make workers into active consumer-owners and the damage stops.
Tuesday, May 29, 2018
Weighing responses to Francis' 'God made you like this' comment
https://www.ncronline.org/news/opinion/distinctly-catholic/weighing-responses-francis-god-made-you-comment
MGB: There is a place for argument on this issue and no one should be losing their tenure over it or be accused of heresy. The evidence seems to be showing that being gay is a natural state, not a state of chosen disorder. Whether something is ordered a certain way is an intellectual construct, not an aspect of nature. Nature is biological, not theological. Heresy is like orthodoxy, it relates to the three great Councils of the fourth century, not every press release from the CDF or disagreements with the Catechism.
What is important theologically are the implications of admitting that gays are wonderfully made and differently ordered. What is sad is that some need proof from science when simple respect dictates that when gay people say they were born gay rather than made a decision to be gay, that we disregard their testimony. How can we insist they trust us about faith and Christ if we won't trust them to accurately report their truth.
If we do believe them, then their sexuality is not sinful, provided they approach it the way heterosexuals do - inside of marriage and with some degree of experimentation less than penetration being allowable. Of course, this is the real reason the Anachronists fear allowing gay sex - because doing so would reveal that it is a lie that sex must be procreative - which is piety but not healthy moral law for anyone who is not born asexual.
Letting asexuals design natural law sexuality for people who are sexual is simple stupidity on the rest of our part. We are mostly at the stage where we are ignoring them, and so are the gays. Catholic sexual morality has lost its credibility and the only way the asexuals in the hierarchy can gain it again is to out themselves and reexamine their own assumptions, which extend from their personal sexuality (which could be called disordered as well) and apologize for the inconvenience.
Where does this leave us? At minimum, sacred continence must be repudiated as an unnecessary accommodation to Neo-Platonic philosophy by the early Church. Ideally, it means that families of gay couples should be given the Sacramental weddings they deserve, since wedding ceremonies are as much a family thing as a sacramental encounter by the couple (who, whether gay or straight, perform the sacrament themselves - the priest is optional).
I agree that there is still a lot of heavy lifting to do to change Catholic sexual teaching. It starts with one comment. The key is to now take the next step. Sexual couples are fine, by the way. The Church needs to start its re-examination for its own sake. Christ promised that eventually, it would, because the gates of Hell will not prevail against it. That does not mean that the Church will never change. It means that it must.
MGB: There is a place for argument on this issue and no one should be losing their tenure over it or be accused of heresy. The evidence seems to be showing that being gay is a natural state, not a state of chosen disorder. Whether something is ordered a certain way is an intellectual construct, not an aspect of nature. Nature is biological, not theological. Heresy is like orthodoxy, it relates to the three great Councils of the fourth century, not every press release from the CDF or disagreements with the Catechism.
What is important theologically are the implications of admitting that gays are wonderfully made and differently ordered. What is sad is that some need proof from science when simple respect dictates that when gay people say they were born gay rather than made a decision to be gay, that we disregard their testimony. How can we insist they trust us about faith and Christ if we won't trust them to accurately report their truth.
If we do believe them, then their sexuality is not sinful, provided they approach it the way heterosexuals do - inside of marriage and with some degree of experimentation less than penetration being allowable. Of course, this is the real reason the Anachronists fear allowing gay sex - because doing so would reveal that it is a lie that sex must be procreative - which is piety but not healthy moral law for anyone who is not born asexual.
Letting asexuals design natural law sexuality for people who are sexual is simple stupidity on the rest of our part. We are mostly at the stage where we are ignoring them, and so are the gays. Catholic sexual morality has lost its credibility and the only way the asexuals in the hierarchy can gain it again is to out themselves and reexamine their own assumptions, which extend from their personal sexuality (which could be called disordered as well) and apologize for the inconvenience.
Where does this leave us? At minimum, sacred continence must be repudiated as an unnecessary accommodation to Neo-Platonic philosophy by the early Church. Ideally, it means that families of gay couples should be given the Sacramental weddings they deserve, since wedding ceremonies are as much a family thing as a sacramental encounter by the couple (who, whether gay or straight, perform the sacrament themselves - the priest is optional).
I agree that there is still a lot of heavy lifting to do to change Catholic sexual teaching. It starts with one comment. The key is to now take the next step. Sexual couples are fine, by the way. The Church needs to start its re-examination for its own sake. Christ promised that eventually, it would, because the gates of Hell will not prevail against it. That does not mean that the Church will never change. It means that it must.
Friday, May 25, 2018
US bishops are complicit in our political train wreck
https://www.ncronline.org/news/opinion/distinctly-catholic/us-bishops-are-complicit-our-political-train-wreck
MGB:_Let us first note on the foster care press release that Catholic Adoption services are a more polite form of kidnapping. Women with opioid problems should not forever lose thier children. The Catholic system is just a bit too willing to furnish families with infertility with babies to keep rather than referring them for treatment.
The state laws will not stand, by the way. The staff at USCCB needs to really take a class in federal jurisprudence regarding the supremacy of the federal law in due process and equal protection. It is a fight the reactionaries will never win on either gay adoptive parents or abortion. As for the Trump initiatives on Title X, they won’t survive regulatory review or the direct prohibitions on such regulations that will be enacted by the next Congress.
The memos are just diagnostic tools for the real problem, the affiliation of some bishops with the Republican Party. In 2016, Hillary gave the wrong answer to a partial birth abortion question. Instead of defending the practice, she should have cited the law and the rarity of the procedure in the third trimester and further gone on to accuse the pro-life movement of being a Republican pawn. Instead, she fell into their trap and the bishops were ready with letters condemning her on this non-issue, doing more than Putin or Black Lives Matter to give us this President. For that, they should be ashamed. They should hope for impeachment very soon. If they associate themselves even with the Republican Congress during the midterms, the Churches may be very empty from election day through Advent.
MGB:_Let us first note on the foster care press release that Catholic Adoption services are a more polite form of kidnapping. Women with opioid problems should not forever lose thier children. The Catholic system is just a bit too willing to furnish families with infertility with babies to keep rather than referring them for treatment.
The state laws will not stand, by the way. The staff at USCCB needs to really take a class in federal jurisprudence regarding the supremacy of the federal law in due process and equal protection. It is a fight the reactionaries will never win on either gay adoptive parents or abortion. As for the Trump initiatives on Title X, they won’t survive regulatory review or the direct prohibitions on such regulations that will be enacted by the next Congress.
The memos are just diagnostic tools for the real problem, the affiliation of some bishops with the Republican Party. In 2016, Hillary gave the wrong answer to a partial birth abortion question. Instead of defending the practice, she should have cited the law and the rarity of the procedure in the third trimester and further gone on to accuse the pro-life movement of being a Republican pawn. Instead, she fell into their trap and the bishops were ready with letters condemning her on this non-issue, doing more than Putin or Black Lives Matter to give us this President. For that, they should be ashamed. They should hope for impeachment very soon. If they associate themselves even with the Republican Congress during the midterms, the Churches may be very empty from election day through Advent.
Thursday, May 24, 2018
Links for 5/24/18
https://www.ncronline.org/news/opinion/distinctly-catholic/links-52418
MGB:_The bishops need to listen to lawyers and politicians in redesigning Faithful Citizenship, especially those who can explain the logic behind Roe.
Gregg believes in dog eat dog capitalism, with no mercy for any family with more kids than they can afford. There is nothing Catholic about that.
The apology is a first step. Returning authority over the clergy to the people is the necessary amend. There is quite a list of Papal Anachronisms that have afflicted the Church for centuries, but it was only given voice in the last two, as my book on Amazon details.
Pandering to the Freedom Caucus goes beyond the Hastert Rule to a Tea Party veto, enforced by primary challenges. Immigration and Impeachment in this Congress both have the same chance, and both involve telling the Freedom Caucus to shut up.
Congratulations to Sr. Norma. I am sure LifeSiteNews is steaming over a Catholic speech having nothing to do with abortion and that makes Trump look bad.
Another pro-choicer has won in pro-life country. This shows that impeachment, even if unmentioned, ”trumps” all other issues. Pro-life Democrats have a huge burden of proof to say what being pro-life means to them, especially in regard to sanctions against abortion. Most Democrats find any sanction unacceptable, period. As for Republican pro-lifers, the rest of us mostly conclude that it is all about Republican electoral politics, another reason pro-life Democrats are considered fifth columnists. They rarely describe any sanctions they would impose because it would not be good for the party. It is how Sarah Palin could run as a pro-life candidate with only a vague notion of what was actually in Roe. When Trump first became pro-life he actually spoke logically about sanctioning women if abortion was being punished at all, which is correct since for abortion to be banned, it would have to be considered infanticide with the killing of a legal person. He was quickly corrected by GOP pro-life leaders.
MGB:_The bishops need to listen to lawyers and politicians in redesigning Faithful Citizenship, especially those who can explain the logic behind Roe.
Gregg believes in dog eat dog capitalism, with no mercy for any family with more kids than they can afford. There is nothing Catholic about that.
The apology is a first step. Returning authority over the clergy to the people is the necessary amend. There is quite a list of Papal Anachronisms that have afflicted the Church for centuries, but it was only given voice in the last two, as my book on Amazon details.
Pandering to the Freedom Caucus goes beyond the Hastert Rule to a Tea Party veto, enforced by primary challenges. Immigration and Impeachment in this Congress both have the same chance, and both involve telling the Freedom Caucus to shut up.
Congratulations to Sr. Norma. I am sure LifeSiteNews is steaming over a Catholic speech having nothing to do with abortion and that makes Trump look bad.
Another pro-choicer has won in pro-life country. This shows that impeachment, even if unmentioned, ”trumps” all other issues. Pro-life Democrats have a huge burden of proof to say what being pro-life means to them, especially in regard to sanctions against abortion. Most Democrats find any sanction unacceptable, period. As for Republican pro-lifers, the rest of us mostly conclude that it is all about Republican electoral politics, another reason pro-life Democrats are considered fifth columnists. They rarely describe any sanctions they would impose because it would not be good for the party. It is how Sarah Palin could run as a pro-life candidate with only a vague notion of what was actually in Roe. When Trump first became pro-life he actually spoke logically about sanctioning women if abortion was being punished at all, which is correct since for abortion to be banned, it would have to be considered infanticide with the killing of a legal person. He was quickly corrected by GOP pro-life leaders.
Wednesday, May 23, 2018
Vatican needs new means to adjudicate bishops' roles in sex abuse
https://www.ncronline.org/news/accountability/distinctly-catholic/vatican-needs-new-means-adjudicate-bishops-roles-sex-abuse
MGB: The obvious place is the Congregation for Bishops, but they are likely part of the problem. Had they been doing their jobs, they would know who was dropping the ball on sexual abuse and would have already tied a millstone around their necks, with the offending priests, and thrown them into the nearest lake, sea or ocean.
The problem is that, for good reason, the Vatican took over from Princes the appointment of bishops, who had taken it from the people. In the modern world, both the appointment and the removal of bishops can be given back to the local people, not the clergy. The Church now needs a corps of lay deacon(ess)es to administer parishes (married, single, gay, straight, with the right to remarry) and govern each diocese as a body, including appointing priests and bishops. When either mess up, it should be up to a body constituted the lay diaconate to investigate and remove offenders, with the national conference of bishops taking any action with regard to their vows.
Until this procedure is adopted, let the Holy See be the deep pockets to which victims' attorneys may go for satisfaction of claims. Once a few Raphael's disappear from the Vatican walls, they will figure out a way to remove bishops quickly or give up power over them (although without that power, there is no need for a Curia of that size).
MGB: The obvious place is the Congregation for Bishops, but they are likely part of the problem. Had they been doing their jobs, they would know who was dropping the ball on sexual abuse and would have already tied a millstone around their necks, with the offending priests, and thrown them into the nearest lake, sea or ocean.
The problem is that, for good reason, the Vatican took over from Princes the appointment of bishops, who had taken it from the people. In the modern world, both the appointment and the removal of bishops can be given back to the local people, not the clergy. The Church now needs a corps of lay deacon(ess)es to administer parishes (married, single, gay, straight, with the right to remarry) and govern each diocese as a body, including appointing priests and bishops. When either mess up, it should be up to a body constituted the lay diaconate to investigate and remove offenders, with the national conference of bishops taking any action with regard to their vows.
Until this procedure is adopted, let the Holy See be the deep pockets to which victims' attorneys may go for satisfaction of claims. Once a few Raphael's disappear from the Vatican walls, they will figure out a way to remove bishops quickly or give up power over them (although without that power, there is no need for a Curia of that size).
Tuesday, May 22, 2018
Links for 5/22/18
https://www.ncronline.org/news/opinion/distinctly-catholic/links-52218
MGB:_The key factor in the election will be whether the GOP has the courage to shoot its own dog. It may lose some Trump voters, but these are people who have been consistent GOP voters since Nixon and still deny he was a crook. If Trump is still in office, they will be the only GOP voters. Everyone else will vote Democratic and abortion will not be an issue.
Rossello’ has been the perfect neo-con and perfectly bad at the recovery. The GOP is just piling on.
Mo Brooks is playing the fool all the way to the bank. The question is how much of his state will become good gulf fishing.
The Occupation is a technial term. If there were no occupation, Gaza could open its ports without blockade and its border with Egypt. To not even see an occupation present is about as neo-conservative as you can get.
The idea of weaponizing Love is radical enogh to make anyone squirm a bit. Stand By Me is a love song and will become a wedding favorite this year. Consider it a signal of things to come.
MGB:_The key factor in the election will be whether the GOP has the courage to shoot its own dog. It may lose some Trump voters, but these are people who have been consistent GOP voters since Nixon and still deny he was a crook. If Trump is still in office, they will be the only GOP voters. Everyone else will vote Democratic and abortion will not be an issue.
Rossello’ has been the perfect neo-con and perfectly bad at the recovery. The GOP is just piling on.
Mo Brooks is playing the fool all the way to the bank. The question is how much of his state will become good gulf fishing.
The Occupation is a technial term. If there were no occupation, Gaza could open its ports without blockade and its border with Egypt. To not even see an occupation present is about as neo-conservative as you can get.
The idea of weaponizing Love is radical enogh to make anyone squirm a bit. Stand By Me is a love song and will become a wedding favorite this year. Consider it a signal of things to come.
Monday, May 21, 2018
Lies, damned lies, and presidential tweets
https://www.ncronline.org/news/opinion/distinctly-catholic/lies-damned-lies-and-presidential-tweets
MGB:_The election law violations are a fine, including collusion. The habit of dealing with crooks without vetting them first could be criminal, but such violations of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act will probably also result in fines. The obstruction was so clumsy, it probably only merits censure. What will lead to impeachment are any instances of money laundering for the Russian Oligarchs which, combined with doing their bidding on Ukraine, will likely cause impeachment, jail on the family plan and seizure of all assets touched by said conduct. I wonder how the public high schools are in Slovenia?
The second tweet about FBI conversations with Trump campaign officials and any intercepted phone conversations came from the fact that those campaign staffers were Russian agents, if not spies. By hiring them, Trump abetted espionage.
Donald Trump is what you get when you hire a CEO to be President in a low tax economy. Lying is one of the tools of the trade to maximize personal wealth, from telling employees that they must make concessions to shaving the truth to show that things are bad when you took over and you fixed them. Of course, things were not bad under Obama, but the only thing Trump can think to do is reverse his policies, going back to the future of 2008. Wonderful year.
MGB:_The election law violations are a fine, including collusion. The habit of dealing with crooks without vetting them first could be criminal, but such violations of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act will probably also result in fines. The obstruction was so clumsy, it probably only merits censure. What will lead to impeachment are any instances of money laundering for the Russian Oligarchs which, combined with doing their bidding on Ukraine, will likely cause impeachment, jail on the family plan and seizure of all assets touched by said conduct. I wonder how the public high schools are in Slovenia?
The second tweet about FBI conversations with Trump campaign officials and any intercepted phone conversations came from the fact that those campaign staffers were Russian agents, if not spies. By hiring them, Trump abetted espionage.
Donald Trump is what you get when you hire a CEO to be President in a low tax economy. Lying is one of the tools of the trade to maximize personal wealth, from telling employees that they must make concessions to shaving the truth to show that things are bad when you took over and you fixed them. Of course, things were not bad under Obama, but the only thing Trump can think to do is reverse his policies, going back to the future of 2008. Wonderful year.
Friday, May 18, 2018
Vatican document on economics is a serious, intellectually hefty indictment
https://www.ncronline.org/news/opinion/distinctly-catholic/vatican-document-economics-serious-intellectually-hefty-indictment
MGB: The document is correct that economic activity is within the moral realm, but so is all human action, including medicine, warfare and nuclear physics.
Consumerism is Capitalism getting undeserved luck. It provides at least first world workers, and eventually workers in emerging markets, enough material comfort to avoid revolution, much to the disappointment of revolutionaries everywhere. Capitalists have built an adequate cage, although it is getting rusty, leading to a resurgence of demands for social democracy, which fuels the reactionary resistance of Trump and Le Pen.
All moral sciences, of course, have to abandon the realm of study and lead to the world of invention. At the end of his writing, Marx wrote about the workers controlling the means of consumption, but he did not elaborate. The current economics on the left is heading down that road and, while it will include more liberty, it will likely also include the Church as a provider of social services because workers will chose that.
When this message makes it into the mainstream, we will Occupy Capitalism rather than trying to outvote it. Once it is beaten from the inside, it will not stand.
MGB: The document is correct that economic activity is within the moral realm, but so is all human action, including medicine, warfare and nuclear physics.
Consumerism is Capitalism getting undeserved luck. It provides at least first world workers, and eventually workers in emerging markets, enough material comfort to avoid revolution, much to the disappointment of revolutionaries everywhere. Capitalists have built an adequate cage, although it is getting rusty, leading to a resurgence of demands for social democracy, which fuels the reactionary resistance of Trump and Le Pen.
All moral sciences, of course, have to abandon the realm of study and lead to the world of invention. At the end of his writing, Marx wrote about the workers controlling the means of consumption, but he did not elaborate. The current economics on the left is heading down that road and, while it will include more liberty, it will likely also include the Church as a provider of social services because workers will chose that.
When this message makes it into the mainstream, we will Occupy Capitalism rather than trying to outvote it. Once it is beaten from the inside, it will not stand.
Thursday, May 17, 2018
Links for 5/17/18
https://www.ncronline.org/news/opinion/distinctly-catholic/links-51718
MGB:_Sadly, SBA is a classic pro-life group because of its Republicanism.
Agreed, many undocumented workers are trafficking victims and CIS seems to not care about treating them fairly when they find them.
Control Boards only work with political officials calling then to justice. This governor is simply an idiot and it shows in how he has messed up the response to Maria.
Hillsdale wants to be as notable as Liberty and Regent. Good luck with that.
Foundations do the work of the donors, although throwing off the Senator’s family for not going along with their groupthink is tacky. I hope they sue to remove his name.
I don’t have to watch the video to guess Rahm.
MGB:_Sadly, SBA is a classic pro-life group because of its Republicanism.
Agreed, many undocumented workers are trafficking victims and CIS seems to not care about treating them fairly when they find them.
Control Boards only work with political officials calling then to justice. This governor is simply an idiot and it shows in how he has messed up the response to Maria.
Hillsdale wants to be as notable as Liberty and Regent. Good luck with that.
Foundations do the work of the donors, although throwing off the Senator’s family for not going along with their groupthink is tacky. I hope they sue to remove his name.
I don’t have to watch the video to guess Rahm.
Wednesday, May 16, 2018
Pope Benedict and Pope Francis: free and faithful in Christ
https://www.ncronline.org/news/opinion/distinctly-catholic/pope-benedict-and-pope-francis-free-and-faithful-christ
MGB:_Having done on camera interviews, I can testify how hard it is to be comfortable looking at the camera (unless it’s with a teleprompter). That Francis is natural at it shows he either has great tech or can visualize who he is really speaking to as a priest. When he washes the feet on Holy Thursday, it is no longer a sick farce.
He and Benedict upset the culture of the Vatican, including its dysfunctional teaching on sexuality. Benedict opposed birth control, not to affirm the goal-centered sexuality of the Neo-Platonists but to affirm the rights of people in developing countries to have fertility as part of their economic solution and to insist that the economy accommodate them, rather then they sacrifice child-bearing to international planner agendas.
Both Popes do not believe that it is the job of the Church to do our thinking for us. That we are up to the task of both thinking and belief ourselves. They are not Anachronists that want all of thinking to have been done by tradition, so we only need comply.
MGB:_Having done on camera interviews, I can testify how hard it is to be comfortable looking at the camera (unless it’s with a teleprompter). That Francis is natural at it shows he either has great tech or can visualize who he is really speaking to as a priest. When he washes the feet on Holy Thursday, it is no longer a sick farce.
He and Benedict upset the culture of the Vatican, including its dysfunctional teaching on sexuality. Benedict opposed birth control, not to affirm the goal-centered sexuality of the Neo-Platonists but to affirm the rights of people in developing countries to have fertility as part of their economic solution and to insist that the economy accommodate them, rather then they sacrifice child-bearing to international planner agendas.
Both Popes do not believe that it is the job of the Church to do our thinking for us. That we are up to the task of both thinking and belief ourselves. They are not Anachronists that want all of thinking to have been done by tradition, so we only need comply.
Tuesday, May 15, 2018
Links for 5/15/18
https://www.ncronline.org/news/politics/distinctly-catholic/links-51418\M\
MGB:_Hiring Cohen was business as usual and it paid off. No one is suddenly moving to bring back net neutrality. They will take the embarrassment as long as the policy change holds.
MGB:_Hiring Cohen was business as usual and it paid off. No one is suddenly moving to bring back net neutrality. They will take the embarrassment as long as the policy change holds.
CUA has always been reactionary. If not with Napa than with the bishops riding herd on the Theology Department. It is where you go when Georgetown turns you down.
Loras College, my Alma Mater has always been highly ranked on their Best Buy list, which caters to students saving money.
How does one seize second class citizenship? Would that not include full repatriation rights for Palestinians as an Israeli Arab majority? Note to MSW: Berkowitz is a neo-con as the rest of the world describes it. So are you.
Eugenics is always wrong, but neither that nor the pill was the problem with Humanae Vitae. It was an Asexual Cardinal trying to sell married Catholics on the proposition that sex was a means to an end rather than an intrinsic good. It is a perfect example of Papal Anachronism.
Trump is an angry old man who, like his followers, believes FoxNews. Nothing is worse than a star who belieives his own P.R.
Why is Dymphna the saint of the mentally ill when it was her father that was crazy?
Monday, May 14, 2018
Celebrate Israel's 70th anniversary without reluctance
https://www.ncronline.org/columns/distinctly-catholic
MGB:_Israel has a fine democracy, as long as you are not Arab or Palestinian. It has a fine judicial system, provided you are not being held by the IDF (do you prefer electro-genital shock or water-boarding?) or your house is not in the path of a settlement (things that go boom).
Today is suupposed to be the anniversary of the United Nations mandate for Palestine. There may have been violence, but that justified self-defense, no a land grab that erradicated Palestine.
Israel has both a demographic and a moral problem. There is no acceptable solution if it keeps going on its current path. The Temple would never be restored to such a nation.
MGB:_Israel has a fine democracy, as long as you are not Arab or Palestinian. It has a fine judicial system, provided you are not being held by the IDF (do you prefer electro-genital shock or water-boarding?) or your house is not in the path of a settlement (things that go boom).
Today is suupposed to be the anniversary of the United Nations mandate for Palestine. There may have been violence, but that justified self-defense, no a land grab that erradicated Palestine.
Israel has both a demographic and a moral problem. There is no acceptable solution if it keeps going on its current path. The Temple would never be restored to such a nation.
Friday, May 11, 2018
Trump turned us into a National Enquirer nation
https://www.ncronline.org/news/opinion/distinctly-catholic/trump-turned-us-national-enquirer-nation
MGB:_The problem is not that Trump is a National Enquirer character, butu the fact that he probably believes what it says. Even if not, we know he believes what FoxNews says. That is a problem. Propaganda is meant for the masses who are not supposed to know any better. Trump believes it, which is like a declining Hollywood actor believing his own press clippings. You would hope that, given that fact, the Enquirer and FoxNews would have the good sense to abandon tabloid journalism and give the President real news. Sadly, that is not the case. Makes you wonder, who has an interest in preserving the madness of King Donald?
MGB:_The problem is not that Trump is a National Enquirer character, butu the fact that he probably believes what it says. Even if not, we know he believes what FoxNews says. That is a problem. Propaganda is meant for the masses who are not supposed to know any better. Trump believes it, which is like a declining Hollywood actor believing his own press clippings. You would hope that, given that fact, the Enquirer and FoxNews would have the good sense to abandon tabloid journalism and give the President real news. Sadly, that is not the case. Makes you wonder, who has an interest in preserving the madness of King Donald?
Thursday, May 10, 2018
Links for 5/10/18
https://www.ncronline.org/news/opinion/distinctly-catholic/links-51018
MGB:_Instead of judging modernity, he uses it as a criteria to judge the Church. Of course, if he had been open to truth, he would call for enforcing the rights of women to ordination as coming from God. I also doubt he delineates the difference between natural rights and natural law and why they are not the same.
Blankenship was a fossil who thought racism would appeal to his base. Good for them for being better than he. Someone revoke is parole. As for the pro-life Democrat, he needs to be clear on what he thinks it means as far as criminal penalties and privacy rights for everyone, from contraceptors to gays and lesbians.
Mayor Cantrell has faith. I hope it is more than just loyalty.
Trump has only one mission, to overturn everything done by the first black president because he assumes he has to be more capable.
The scandal can be encapsulated in one sentence. For the bishops, the washing of the feet on Holy Thursday is a sad farce.
MGB:_Instead of judging modernity, he uses it as a criteria to judge the Church. Of course, if he had been open to truth, he would call for enforcing the rights of women to ordination as coming from God. I also doubt he delineates the difference between natural rights and natural law and why they are not the same.
Blankenship was a fossil who thought racism would appeal to his base. Good for them for being better than he. Someone revoke is parole. As for the pro-life Democrat, he needs to be clear on what he thinks it means as far as criminal penalties and privacy rights for everyone, from contraceptors to gays and lesbians.
Mayor Cantrell has faith. I hope it is more than just loyalty.
Trump has only one mission, to overturn everything done by the first black president because he assumes he has to be more capable.
The scandal can be encapsulated in one sentence. For the bishops, the washing of the feet on Holy Thursday is a sad farce.
Wednesday, May 9, 2018
Faith takes a hit with religious people behaving badly
https://www.ncronline.org/news/opinion/distinctly-catholic/faith-takes-hit-religious-people-behaving-badly
MGB:_Faith has to do with trust in God, not loyalty to the Church. The true test of faith is that it endures, not because of, but despite the antics of religious sects, from the Catholics to the Evangelicals.
The racism of Trump supporters and their association with the bishops might alienate some Catholics, but it won’t shock them.
The Church’s opposition to religious marriages for gays and lesbians, who are legally entitled to marry, civil or religious, and the sour grapes of the Church as an employer when gay employees do so, is unfortunate but expected. I am sure some leave over this nonsense, but not most.
Absolutely nothing about seeking birth control for all women, including Church employees or insisting that when the Church says it will accept a bill that duplicates the status quo (which, if you are starting with a health plan subsidized originally by the health insurance exclusion, has absolutely no regulation of abortion funding) is going to have people leave the Church or the Democratic Party. They may be manipulated into voting GOP, but that is because the GOP lies about what is going on. That the bishops agree to participate in that lie may have liberal men and women leave the Church, but if their faith is in Christ and not Chaput, they likely will just roll their eyes.
Humanae Vitae is universally ignored, so modern Catholic youth don’t leave over it, but we are getting warm. From about the same time, the pressure for female ordination has grown. It has grown so much that ordaining women deacons is now being considered seriously, but that won’t be enough. There is no good reason outside the hierarchy’s echo chamber for not ordaining women and until they start doing so, people will find nothing in the Church to be loyal to.
MGB:_Faith has to do with trust in God, not loyalty to the Church. The true test of faith is that it endures, not because of, but despite the antics of religious sects, from the Catholics to the Evangelicals.
The racism of Trump supporters and their association with the bishops might alienate some Catholics, but it won’t shock them.
The Church’s opposition to religious marriages for gays and lesbians, who are legally entitled to marry, civil or religious, and the sour grapes of the Church as an employer when gay employees do so, is unfortunate but expected. I am sure some leave over this nonsense, but not most.
Absolutely nothing about seeking birth control for all women, including Church employees or insisting that when the Church says it will accept a bill that duplicates the status quo (which, if you are starting with a health plan subsidized originally by the health insurance exclusion, has absolutely no regulation of abortion funding) is going to have people leave the Church or the Democratic Party. They may be manipulated into voting GOP, but that is because the GOP lies about what is going on. That the bishops agree to participate in that lie may have liberal men and women leave the Church, but if their faith is in Christ and not Chaput, they likely will just roll their eyes.
Humanae Vitae is universally ignored, so modern Catholic youth don’t leave over it, but we are getting warm. From about the same time, the pressure for female ordination has grown. It has grown so much that ordaining women deacons is now being considered seriously, but that won’t be enough. There is no good reason outside the hierarchy’s echo chamber for not ordaining women and until they start doing so, people will find nothing in the Church to be loyal to.
Tuesday, May 8, 2018
Links for 5/8/18
https://www.ncronline.org/news/opinion/distinctly-catholic/links-5818
MGB:_Usually if the professorship is named, there is sponsor involvement. Nuncio, call your office.
Conservatives are playing with incentives. They are trying to make it look like they are doing something to keep immigrants out and this was an easy target. It is one that only an election will fix, although as soon as the topic comes up, they will counter with protecting the unborn, even though there is no viable plan to do so.
Pelosi should promise to make Hillary or Bernie Speaker and impeach both Trump and Pence.
Young people leave because they no longer have to go to Church once they leave the house, if they did then. Want to test the theory? Bless gay marriage and ordain women.
Harry grew up in machine politics. That is not to be underestimated, just ask my Prendergast cousins.
Rust Belt Obama-only voters stayed home and the pro-life voters came out in force because of Hillary’s get out the vote response to the Partial Birth Abortion question. At that moment, Trump looked pro-life, even though he is not.
America is a nation settled by the second sons of nobility. 5% of us are related to these people, liberal or conservative and everyone likes a good wedding and the resonance of the Anglican rite in te culture.
Most faith based providers and federal agencies have the good sense of making sure there is a non-sectarian provider and that they themselves respect the rights of people who get services to not be proselytized. If the matter goes to court, it is an easy win.
The base and Trump will give the Dems the election. Anyone who calls this a pro-life election needs to be excommunicated for being stupid.
MGB:_Usually if the professorship is named, there is sponsor involvement. Nuncio, call your office.
Conservatives are playing with incentives. They are trying to make it look like they are doing something to keep immigrants out and this was an easy target. It is one that only an election will fix, although as soon as the topic comes up, they will counter with protecting the unborn, even though there is no viable plan to do so.
Pelosi should promise to make Hillary or Bernie Speaker and impeach both Trump and Pence.
Young people leave because they no longer have to go to Church once they leave the house, if they did then. Want to test the theory? Bless gay marriage and ordain women.
Harry grew up in machine politics. That is not to be underestimated, just ask my Prendergast cousins.
Rust Belt Obama-only voters stayed home and the pro-life voters came out in force because of Hillary’s get out the vote response to the Partial Birth Abortion question. At that moment, Trump looked pro-life, even though he is not.
America is a nation settled by the second sons of nobility. 5% of us are related to these people, liberal or conservative and everyone likes a good wedding and the resonance of the Anglican rite in te culture.
Most faith based providers and federal agencies have the good sense of making sure there is a non-sectarian provider and that they themselves respect the rights of people who get services to not be proselytized. If the matter goes to court, it is an easy win.
The base and Trump will give the Dems the election. Anyone who calls this a pro-life election needs to be excommunicated for being stupid.
Monday, May 7, 2018
Vatican silence on Cardinal Pell's trial is a turn from a long history
https://www.ncronline.org/news/accountability/distinctly-catholic/vatican-silence-cardinal-pells-trial-turn-long-history
MGB:_A healthy Church strives for martyrdom, not freedom. Imagine the witness of a Pope dying because he condemned Hitler. Sadly, the Popes could not. It is an essential change for Pell to face trial, but that should have been thought of as the minimum. I will be impressed if the Vatican pays all related civil penalties rather than claiming sovereign immunity and the myth that bishops are not employees of the Holy see.
MGB:_A healthy Church strives for martyrdom, not freedom. Imagine the witness of a Pope dying because he condemned Hitler. Sadly, the Popes could not. It is an essential change for Pell to face trial, but that should have been thought of as the minimum. I will be impressed if the Vatican pays all related civil penalties rather than claiming sovereign immunity and the myth that bishops are not employees of the Holy see.
Friday, May 4, 2018
Trump to address NRA today in Dallas. They deserve each other.
https://www.ncronline.org/news/opinion/distinctly-catholic/trump-address-nra-today-dallas-they-deserve-each-other
MGB_There should never have been an end date on the assault weapons ban. Thank you, Bill Clinton.
Militias have been superseded by the National Guard. There is no logic behind the amendment or at least in restricting assault weapons to Guard members and veterans, with penalties against letting young people use them.
It is not Gary that sells to Chicago gang bangers, it is the rest of Illinois. Want to stop this? Legalize drugs. All drugs. And provide treatment for mental illness on demand by individuals or their families.
There are plenty of common sense reforms and even more ways to get the guns, from simply buying up gun stores and all their inventory to house to house health and safety inspections to take guns out of violent neighborhoods (no criminal charges, just seizures) to forcing gun makers selling to the Government to not sell to private entities. We might even disarm police, especially if they have incidents of harming unarmed people.
No Republican would ever go with any of it, which is the best reason not to vote for them at any level.
As for Trump, his name is not appropriate in serious discussions not involving impeachment. Another reason to fire all Republicans. Even the pro-life ones. Especially the pro-life ones because their propaganda is as toxic to the truth as the NRA’s.
MGB_There should never have been an end date on the assault weapons ban. Thank you, Bill Clinton.
Militias have been superseded by the National Guard. There is no logic behind the amendment or at least in restricting assault weapons to Guard members and veterans, with penalties against letting young people use them.
It is not Gary that sells to Chicago gang bangers, it is the rest of Illinois. Want to stop this? Legalize drugs. All drugs. And provide treatment for mental illness on demand by individuals or their families.
There are plenty of common sense reforms and even more ways to get the guns, from simply buying up gun stores and all their inventory to house to house health and safety inspections to take guns out of violent neighborhoods (no criminal charges, just seizures) to forcing gun makers selling to the Government to not sell to private entities. We might even disarm police, especially if they have incidents of harming unarmed people.
No Republican would ever go with any of it, which is the best reason not to vote for them at any level.
As for Trump, his name is not appropriate in serious discussions not involving impeachment. Another reason to fire all Republicans. Even the pro-life ones. Especially the pro-life ones because their propaganda is as toxic to the truth as the NRA’s.
Thursday, May 3, 2018
Links for 5/3/18
https://www.ncronline.org/news/opinion/distinctly-catholic/links-5318
MGB:_Someone send Dana’s column to Alec Baldwin for Saturday Night’s show.
Hawking had every reason to believe God was a jerk, however it did not make him a jerk, so it did not matter. His last conclusions about what preceded the Bing Bang are actually in line with the doctrine that the universe came from nothing. No time, no matter, no space, no physical laws. No God waiting in the wings. Of course, he is a physicist, not a theologian. His views are totally consistent with the concept of a created universe, whether he acknowledges the Creator or not, except by his actions. He does not have to for God to love him.
Francis practices poverty to the extent possible in his personal life, rather than keeping alive the practice of Pope as Roman Emperor. Some bishops do this too, others do not and these are the ones complaining, the ones that like nice meals, black town cars and people serving them. Francis practices the humility of Jesus washing the feet of his disciples. With most others, the reenactment of Holy Thursday is a sick joke.
Napa should include me. Half of my book on Papal Anachronists concerns St. John Paul, both Veritatis and Evangelium.
Regarding Starbucks, Zionism is not a race. It is neo-conservatism.
It seems that the Religous Freedom wing of the bishops was simply anti-Obama.
Ojeda seems to be showing, quite effectively, that the Tea Party movement is simply Repblcian perforance art. If he wins, he proves his point.
The 10,000 visitor per weekend mark sounds like there is both a vibrant Latino Church in Chicago as well as a good tourist trade. How many people attend St. Patrick’s each weekend? It is probably the same ballpark.
Trafficking will continue as long as anyone is considered ”illegal” and prostitution is a crime, which assues the women are criminals instead of victims. In both cases, law enforcement is likely part of thhe problem.
Fr. Conroy has his job back. No word wheter Ryan’s CoS had to go to the woodshed. I am sure Ryan is not the first conservative to bristle when the Chaplain offers more than a feel-good prayer. If that is all they ever did, then the post should stay empty. Thank Heaven it is sometimes the voice of courage and the left should always celebrate that.
MGB:_Someone send Dana’s column to Alec Baldwin for Saturday Night’s show.
Hawking had every reason to believe God was a jerk, however it did not make him a jerk, so it did not matter. His last conclusions about what preceded the Bing Bang are actually in line with the doctrine that the universe came from nothing. No time, no matter, no space, no physical laws. No God waiting in the wings. Of course, he is a physicist, not a theologian. His views are totally consistent with the concept of a created universe, whether he acknowledges the Creator or not, except by his actions. He does not have to for God to love him.
Francis practices poverty to the extent possible in his personal life, rather than keeping alive the practice of Pope as Roman Emperor. Some bishops do this too, others do not and these are the ones complaining, the ones that like nice meals, black town cars and people serving them. Francis practices the humility of Jesus washing the feet of his disciples. With most others, the reenactment of Holy Thursday is a sick joke.
Napa should include me. Half of my book on Papal Anachronists concerns St. John Paul, both Veritatis and Evangelium.
Regarding Starbucks, Zionism is not a race. It is neo-conservatism.
It seems that the Religous Freedom wing of the bishops was simply anti-Obama.
Ojeda seems to be showing, quite effectively, that the Tea Party movement is simply Repblcian perforance art. If he wins, he proves his point.
The 10,000 visitor per weekend mark sounds like there is both a vibrant Latino Church in Chicago as well as a good tourist trade. How many people attend St. Patrick’s each weekend? It is probably the same ballpark.
Trafficking will continue as long as anyone is considered ”illegal” and prostitution is a crime, which assues the women are criminals instead of victims. In both cases, law enforcement is likely part of thhe problem.
Fr. Conroy has his job back. No word wheter Ryan’s CoS had to go to the woodshed. I am sure Ryan is not the first conservative to bristle when the Chaplain offers more than a feel-good prayer. If that is all they ever did, then the post should stay empty. Thank Heaven it is sometimes the voice of courage and the left should always celebrate that.
Wednesday, May 2, 2018
Firing Fr. Conroy fits Paul Ryan's pattern when it comes to the poor
https://www.ncronline.org/news/opinion/distinctly-catholic/firing-fr-conroy-fits-paul-ryans-pattern-when-it-comes-poor
MGB: Ryan's politics cry to Heaven for vengeance, both in regard to poor families (and the aborted because of poverty) and the working man. Someone should warn him by excommunicating him, but his Ordinary back home is almost as conservative as he is.
To be clear, Fr. Conroy resigned when requested, rather than letting Ryan cool off or admonishing him. That Conroy thinks Ryan is too far gone to admonish speaks volumes about the Speaker, who like any reactionary, cannot handle conflicting information.
There is no alliance between the Catholics and Fundamentalists, that is a function of the reactionaries in each camp, although more Fundy's are reactionary as a percentage of their total than Catholics, which is the cause of friction within the Church. Whether they are Neo-Cons has to do with their attitudes on Israel. If they agree with Peter Berkowitz, like MSW, they are Neo-Cons.
Matthew 25 is as much a parable about poverty as it is about justification. When you give to the poor, imagine you are giving food or money to Jesus. Are you going to give Jesus beans and rice or a steak? Put another way, what do you want to spend Eternity eating?
MGB: Ryan's politics cry to Heaven for vengeance, both in regard to poor families (and the aborted because of poverty) and the working man. Someone should warn him by excommunicating him, but his Ordinary back home is almost as conservative as he is.
To be clear, Fr. Conroy resigned when requested, rather than letting Ryan cool off or admonishing him. That Conroy thinks Ryan is too far gone to admonish speaks volumes about the Speaker, who like any reactionary, cannot handle conflicting information.
There is no alliance between the Catholics and Fundamentalists, that is a function of the reactionaries in each camp, although more Fundy's are reactionary as a percentage of their total than Catholics, which is the cause of friction within the Church. Whether they are Neo-Cons has to do with their attitudes on Israel. If they agree with Peter Berkowitz, like MSW, they are Neo-Cons.
Matthew 25 is as much a parable about poverty as it is about justification. When you give to the poor, imagine you are giving food or money to Jesus. Are you going to give Jesus beans and rice or a steak? Put another way, what do you want to spend Eternity eating?
Tuesday, May 1, 2018
Links for 5/1/18
https://www.ncronline.org/news/opinion/distinctly-catholic/links-5118
MGB: Seidel is all wrong and the bishops are idiots for supporting him. This is another case of putting loyalty and tradition above truth. Human sexual behavior is always culturally bound and any marriage between two people is sacred and should be both respected and blessed, as well as being a constitutional right that cannot be revoked by statute. The only justice that thought differently is long buried and the new one will make the Court unanimous. The pernicious thing is that this bill will never pass. It is merely a device for fundraising money from idiots who believe his siren song.
I suspect that high school civics classes teach about the abortion debate, including the logic behind Roe and privacy rights (not secrecy, but the right to be left alone). The religious ramifications of this don't even come into play for most people. They have been overshadowed by the reverse simony of the Catholic bishops at the Republican altar.
The leadership of Catholic University of America has joined the plutocracy. No wonder Napa likes them so. Sadly, their football team is not good enough to justify those numbers. George Mason students are at least conscious enough to sue, although a little research shows exactly how the Koch's are related to the school. Maybe they need a tuition refund.
I would call the Glendon award more of an Anachronist convention than a Republican one. The GOP would have thrown Maciel under the bus at the first sign of trouble. I recently reviewed Evangelium on both my website and in a book on Papal Anachronists. It was not as well done as Saint John Paul sycophants think it was, so the naming is apt. Of course, the encyclical does play right into the GOP conspiracy to snag Catholic voters for causes they have no hope of winning, so maybe it was a Republican event.
Disagree with Newman. The Heartland can only be taken by the Democrats if they jettison People of Color and sexual minorities (actually, women are the majority). If Rosanne had a guess whose coming to dinner moment where a character brings over a gay or ethnic paramour, then you would see how that question really plays out. Of course, that show has been done other places and the Heartland does not watch it. Is there a way out? Occupy Capitalism so that working class America and ethnic America finally see the common interest that the Capitalists are trying to disrupt. That will take jobs, not television.
MGB: Seidel is all wrong and the bishops are idiots for supporting him. This is another case of putting loyalty and tradition above truth. Human sexual behavior is always culturally bound and any marriage between two people is sacred and should be both respected and blessed, as well as being a constitutional right that cannot be revoked by statute. The only justice that thought differently is long buried and the new one will make the Court unanimous. The pernicious thing is that this bill will never pass. It is merely a device for fundraising money from idiots who believe his siren song.
I suspect that high school civics classes teach about the abortion debate, including the logic behind Roe and privacy rights (not secrecy, but the right to be left alone). The religious ramifications of this don't even come into play for most people. They have been overshadowed by the reverse simony of the Catholic bishops at the Republican altar.
The leadership of Catholic University of America has joined the plutocracy. No wonder Napa likes them so. Sadly, their football team is not good enough to justify those numbers. George Mason students are at least conscious enough to sue, although a little research shows exactly how the Koch's are related to the school. Maybe they need a tuition refund.
I would call the Glendon award more of an Anachronist convention than a Republican one. The GOP would have thrown Maciel under the bus at the first sign of trouble. I recently reviewed Evangelium on both my website and in a book on Papal Anachronists. It was not as well done as Saint John Paul sycophants think it was, so the naming is apt. Of course, the encyclical does play right into the GOP conspiracy to snag Catholic voters for causes they have no hope of winning, so maybe it was a Republican event.
Disagree with Newman. The Heartland can only be taken by the Democrats if they jettison People of Color and sexual minorities (actually, women are the majority). If Rosanne had a guess whose coming to dinner moment where a character brings over a gay or ethnic paramour, then you would see how that question really plays out. Of course, that show has been done other places and the Heartland does not watch it. Is there a way out? Occupy Capitalism so that working class America and ethnic America finally see the common interest that the Capitalists are trying to disrupt. That will take jobs, not television.
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