https://www.ncronline.org/news/opinion/distinctly-catholic/has-ewtn-schism-begun
MGB: I would not call the reactionary bishops schismatic. They are simply heirs to those at Vatican II who opposed change. At the time, their hero was Karol Woijtila, now known as St. John Paul. While the Saint publicly supported the Council, his papacy was a counter revolutionary attempt to cop-opt it. He was only partially successful, as the election of Pope Francis shows. The counter revolutionaries are more Anachronistic than Traditionalist.
Anachronism is not new in the Church. It has always resisted democracy, loss of authority over Academy (both Catholic and non-Catholic) and the emergence of sexual teaching from its asexual bubble, which they call modernism. They have twice published a list of errors, supporting the encyclicals Qunata Cura and Pascendi Dominici Gregis. both of which are largely incoherent. The last the more so in constructing its modernistic straw man, whose main significance was a network of informants which lasted until Vatican II.
The Council largely dismantled the tools Pius put in, but the Anachronists put them back. Francis has cast them aside and they do not like it one bit, responding pubicly against him using all tools necessary, including reactionary web sites and EWTN.
What was condemned as Americanism was the fear that American democracy would create habits of mind that would demand accommodation in applying Catholic doctrine. It was an attempt to preserve Mirari Vos, Gregory XVI's attempt to fight Garibaldi and the end of the Papal States. Gregory failed at this. At the time, there was no desire for special treatment of the American Church, however democracy was contagious, as was the respect for individual rights, leading to the Council's Dignitas Humane and its anachronistic dissenters. The Church that had fought against evolution in Humanae Generis had surrendered to the idea that the Church should no longer claim a monopoly on truth.
The counter revolution, having lost on democracy shifted to sexuality. Modern society would have none of it and the attempts by the asexuals in the clergy (who are, like homosexual, not disordered, but simply different) have largely been rejected by people in the pews. This counter revolution will not end with a bang, but a whimper. They will simply die off, along with the racists who support Donald Trump (as if the groups are mutually exclusive). The inevitable removal of King Donald will mark their loss of power, but they will resist to the last man in their generation, while their children will become as irrelevant as the Libertarian Party.
The Anacrhronists are right about one thing. The Church's progress in accepting reality will result in what they most fear - and end to the Medievalism in the Church. It simply cannot be governed as it is now and they know if they do not nip progress at the bud, the hierarchy will lose its worldly powers and comforts. They are not wrong about that. However, like the humiliation of Piux IX, the loss of such power will improve the moral authority of the Church, which will renew itself as it always has.
Friday, August 31, 2018
Thursday, August 30, 2018
We need a check on raw politics and power in our church
https://www.ncronline.org/news/opinion/distinctly-catholic/we-need-check-raw-politics-and-power-our-church
MGB: `My goodness how theologians and ex-seminarians support the status quo. The Church was most beaitful in persecution. She was all tarted up when she became the consort of the emperor and became a Madam when the Roman Church peddled the lie that the Apostolic See was superior the Imperial See. Of course, she went crazy when Sacred Continence was established and she claimed, falsely, that Mary had only one child and that Christ was a celibate asexual, recreating God in her own image.
That a failed Nuncio crazily penned a false accusation against the Pope who sent him home is a minor footnote.He was consorting with brother bishops who were selling themselves to the Republican Party. Not even a footnote is George Weigel and his hero, St John Paul (who ranks with SS. Pius IX and X for their paranoia). EWTN et al will not even be mentioned. As for Twitter, it will go the way of Netscape and Wordperfect.
Like Jazz, the Church has not died, it just smells funny. Under Francis, the Church has a chance at healing itself under the care of the Council of Eight, which has begun the process of exorcising the Roman Curia and the Episcopacy of several devils that had taken residence in the aging Madam's soul. Let us hope that this exorcism includes Catholic University, especially before the Dignity of Slavery is discussed in her halls.
The answer to the Church is not congregationalism, which denies the reality of the Eucharist. Instituting modern democracy in the Church will not make her Protestant or Evangelical. See the opening paragraph about theologians and ex-sems. An organization overhaul is absolutely necessary. Hoping the Church will cure itself with spiritual conversion is like saying that sending pedophile priests to a retreat will make them ready to resume active ministry and contact with children, especially when their problem is their core sexuality, not just their behavior.
Francis stands with Christ, despite his own imperfections as his follower. So do I, despite my own. None of us loves perf3ectlyh, but we will never change by changing our attitudes. It is our actions which change us and there is much action needed to restore the Church to health.
MGB: `My goodness how theologians and ex-seminarians support the status quo. The Church was most beaitful in persecution. She was all tarted up when she became the consort of the emperor and became a Madam when the Roman Church peddled the lie that the Apostolic See was superior the Imperial See. Of course, she went crazy when Sacred Continence was established and she claimed, falsely, that Mary had only one child and that Christ was a celibate asexual, recreating God in her own image.
That a failed Nuncio crazily penned a false accusation against the Pope who sent him home is a minor footnote.He was consorting with brother bishops who were selling themselves to the Republican Party. Not even a footnote is George Weigel and his hero, St John Paul (who ranks with SS. Pius IX and X for their paranoia). EWTN et al will not even be mentioned. As for Twitter, it will go the way of Netscape and Wordperfect.
Like Jazz, the Church has not died, it just smells funny. Under Francis, the Church has a chance at healing itself under the care of the Council of Eight, which has begun the process of exorcising the Roman Curia and the Episcopacy of several devils that had taken residence in the aging Madam's soul. Let us hope that this exorcism includes Catholic University, especially before the Dignity of Slavery is discussed in her halls.
The answer to the Church is not congregationalism, which denies the reality of the Eucharist. Instituting modern democracy in the Church will not make her Protestant or Evangelical. See the opening paragraph about theologians and ex-sems. An organization overhaul is absolutely necessary. Hoping the Church will cure itself with spiritual conversion is like saying that sending pedophile priests to a retreat will make them ready to resume active ministry and contact with children, especially when their problem is their core sexuality, not just their behavior.
Francis stands with Christ, despite his own imperfections as his follower. So do I, despite my own. None of us loves perf3ectlyh, but we will never change by changing our attitudes. It is our actions which change us and there is much action needed to restore the Church to health.
Wednesday, August 29, 2018
Links for 8/29/18
https://www.ncronline.org/news/opinion/distinctly-catholic/links-82918
MGB: Bishops believe in collegiality before all. As long as they are self-appointing change will not happen to them and it may not happen at all if the local bishop can't be bothered, thinking his priests would never do that and that no public amends was needed if an alternate penance was available. Indulgences take care of the rest, in the view of the Anachronists. This is cheap grace. Maybe McCarrick had earned one, allowing Benedict to greet him warmly.
I suspect most are dead and retired. Unless you are willing to drop Medievalism in the Church, there is no point in rehashing past offences unless you are a money hungry lawyer or ambitious politician.
The answer to NFL protesting is to play Lift Every Voice after the Anthem. It will make the racists, even the casual ones, very uncomfortable for what it signifies, which is that the struggle is not in just the past.
Falwell's comments simply prove that he is more Republican than Christian, as are many of his sect. He is seeking honors in this world, not the next.
Trunp does not realize that his support brings out only his people. His endorses support him, not the GOP. Those left out will either stay home in November or vote for the Democrat. I would say "don't tell him" but if you did, he would call you a liar anyway.
Sadly, any country on any continent without a strong middle class is easy to exploit. Simply buy off the leaders and the peasants are yours to abuse.
MGB: Bishops believe in collegiality before all. As long as they are self-appointing change will not happen to them and it may not happen at all if the local bishop can't be bothered, thinking his priests would never do that and that no public amends was needed if an alternate penance was available. Indulgences take care of the rest, in the view of the Anachronists. This is cheap grace. Maybe McCarrick had earned one, allowing Benedict to greet him warmly.
I suspect most are dead and retired. Unless you are willing to drop Medievalism in the Church, there is no point in rehashing past offences unless you are a money hungry lawyer or ambitious politician.
The answer to NFL protesting is to play Lift Every Voice after the Anthem. It will make the racists, even the casual ones, very uncomfortable for what it signifies, which is that the struggle is not in just the past.
Falwell's comments simply prove that he is more Republican than Christian, as are many of his sect. He is seeking honors in this world, not the next.
Trunp does not realize that his support brings out only his people. His endorses support him, not the GOP. Those left out will either stay home in November or vote for the Democrat. I would say "don't tell him" but if you did, he would call you a liar anyway.
Sadly, any country on any continent without a strong middle class is easy to exploit. Simply buy off the leaders and the peasants are yours to abuse.
Tuesday, August 28, 2018
Archbishop Chaput sounds clueless in 'conservative' interviews
https://www.ncronline.org/news/opinion/distinctly-catholic/archbishop-chaput-sounds-clueless-conservative-interviews
MGB: This piece has nothing to do with the current discussions on child sexual abuse, which is probably a good thing. While the issues remain, most of the Bishops involved have either retired or died. What is left is how they respond to damage control. The US is actually ahead of the game in dealing with the issue, largely because of our free press forcing it into view. The recent Pennsylvania Grand Jury action is mostly ancient history. It would take a seance to get most of the facts, save those in the records, which may or may not be accurate.
As for Chaput, everyone knows he was a culture warrior. Denver knew it first. Rome certainly knows it and has acted accordingly in denying him a red hat. As Pence is a Christian Republican, I suspect that Chaput is a Republican Catholic, in that order. Sometimes, I am not sure whether his politics are his day job or just his moonlight, but they are certainly a distraction from his primary mission to be a witness to the Resurrection of Christ.
Jesus said nothing about gay marriage or abortion, although his and Joseph's example stands against the Law at time, which mandated an attempted abortion if it was thought a woman was pregnant with someone else's child, with the result being her execution if the attempt resulted in miscarriage. Jesus did speak out against leading children astray. The Church likes to say this is about bad teaching, but it is obviously about pederasty.
The Church is wrong about marriage equality, at least before the law and probably about their refusal to perform gay marriage. Marriage is the basic adult right - forming a family and discarding your family of birth. The ceremony simply marks a transition that will or has happened anyway. This is simply a matter of both reality and even natural law, which must reflect reality, not circular reason.
As for the Nones, it is not lack of indoctrination that makes Catholics go that route, it is some of the teachers that remain in Catholic Schools. Indeed, my nephew and Godson had such a teacher and it has convinced him that the Church's teachings do not make sense. Indeed, bad theology is worst than no theology. If Christ did mean that bad teaching that lead the young astray was his point, than many in the Church would be drowning now.
It is time for the Church to end its authoritarianism, especially in matters of reason and natural law, which should be the same thing. Prelates like Chaput are not just part of the problem, they are the problem. Sadly, they won't just go away, but bless Francis for not making this one a Cardinal.
MGB: This piece has nothing to do with the current discussions on child sexual abuse, which is probably a good thing. While the issues remain, most of the Bishops involved have either retired or died. What is left is how they respond to damage control. The US is actually ahead of the game in dealing with the issue, largely because of our free press forcing it into view. The recent Pennsylvania Grand Jury action is mostly ancient history. It would take a seance to get most of the facts, save those in the records, which may or may not be accurate.
As for Chaput, everyone knows he was a culture warrior. Denver knew it first. Rome certainly knows it and has acted accordingly in denying him a red hat. As Pence is a Christian Republican, I suspect that Chaput is a Republican Catholic, in that order. Sometimes, I am not sure whether his politics are his day job or just his moonlight, but they are certainly a distraction from his primary mission to be a witness to the Resurrection of Christ.
Jesus said nothing about gay marriage or abortion, although his and Joseph's example stands against the Law at time, which mandated an attempted abortion if it was thought a woman was pregnant with someone else's child, with the result being her execution if the attempt resulted in miscarriage. Jesus did speak out against leading children astray. The Church likes to say this is about bad teaching, but it is obviously about pederasty.
The Church is wrong about marriage equality, at least before the law and probably about their refusal to perform gay marriage. Marriage is the basic adult right - forming a family and discarding your family of birth. The ceremony simply marks a transition that will or has happened anyway. This is simply a matter of both reality and even natural law, which must reflect reality, not circular reason.
As for the Nones, it is not lack of indoctrination that makes Catholics go that route, it is some of the teachers that remain in Catholic Schools. Indeed, my nephew and Godson had such a teacher and it has convinced him that the Church's teachings do not make sense. Indeed, bad theology is worst than no theology. If Christ did mean that bad teaching that lead the young astray was his point, than many in the Church would be drowning now.
It is time for the Church to end its authoritarianism, especially in matters of reason and natural law, which should be the same thing. Prelates like Chaput are not just part of the problem, they are the problem. Sadly, they won't just go away, but bless Francis for not making this one a Cardinal.
Monday, August 27, 2018
Vigano letter exposes the putsch against Pope Francis
https://www.ncronline.org/news/accountability/distinctly-catholic/vigano-letter-exposes-putsch-against-pope-francis
MGB: If the Pope is to resign, than Vigano should seek life in a monestary or among the laity, for he had more to do with protecting bishops who protected bad priests than anyone else, as the article points out. He and others among the Anachronists in the Church seem to think that homosexuality causes abuse, even though most abusers have never come out or been identified as gay and are therefore considered heterosexual. What they are is unformed asexuals who lack the sexual formation necessary to govern themselves when desire hits them.
The anti-sexual caste has long held sway in the Church, back to when clerical sacred continence was created out of whole cloth and the Gospels reinterpreted with the insane idea that a first century Rabbi and Pharisee would be celibate or that his mother defaulted on her marriage vows and not given Joseph more children (scripture says otherwise). All of this because they were attempting to gain favor with Roman elites and their misogyny. Indeed, maintaining the belief that being with one's wife defiles one from celebrating the Eucharist give them away. Such is Vigano, as was Humanae Vitae intervener and ghost writer Ottoviani. The Church would be improved if they had joined the Dominicans or another order and taken a vow of silence. Francis has taken on what Jesus said in Luke 22:25 when he said "“The kings of the Gentiles lord it over them, and those in authority over them call themselves benefactors." Who are Vagano et al following?
MGB: If the Pope is to resign, than Vigano should seek life in a monestary or among the laity, for he had more to do with protecting bishops who protected bad priests than anyone else, as the article points out. He and others among the Anachronists in the Church seem to think that homosexuality causes abuse, even though most abusers have never come out or been identified as gay and are therefore considered heterosexual. What they are is unformed asexuals who lack the sexual formation necessary to govern themselves when desire hits them.
The anti-sexual caste has long held sway in the Church, back to when clerical sacred continence was created out of whole cloth and the Gospels reinterpreted with the insane idea that a first century Rabbi and Pharisee would be celibate or that his mother defaulted on her marriage vows and not given Joseph more children (scripture says otherwise). All of this because they were attempting to gain favor with Roman elites and their misogyny. Indeed, maintaining the belief that being with one's wife defiles one from celebrating the Eucharist give them away. Such is Vigano, as was Humanae Vitae intervener and ghost writer Ottoviani. The Church would be improved if they had joined the Dominicans or another order and taken a vow of silence. Francis has taken on what Jesus said in Luke 22:25 when he said "“The kings of the Gentiles lord it over them, and those in authority over them call themselves benefactors." Who are Vagano et al following?
Friday, August 24, 2018
Robert George's all-or-nothing take on the abuse crisis is wrong-headed
https://www.ncronline.org/news/accountability/distinctly-catholic/robert-georges-all-or-nothing-take-abuse-crisis-wrong-headed.
MGB: I wish we could ignore Robbie George and First Things, but I guess that is impossible, even though he offers no new ideas. We tried as a Church to enforce fidelity. St. Pius had a whole network of spies who assured that bishops and universities were loyal. That mess may have been what lead to the Second Vatican Council, where all of those measures were junked. No pass. If you want different behavior, we need changes in structure, not attitude.
The days of Medieval Lord Bishops should have been over a century ago. Even the Church recognizes the need to set up 501(c)(3)s for some purposes. We need many more - like each parish and diocesan organization, both controlled by laity through elected lay deacons (few vows) or by direct democracy. Indeed, for many things, the era of democracy needs to replace the era of hierarchy. Of course, the good people of southern Illinois might still elect Paprocky. They roll that way.
Dolan could never survive in New York if the people elected bishops unless he changed his roll. His pronouncements on sex come from his own obvious asexuality. Such a rare sexual orientation should not be making rules for what they are psychologically unable to understand. He has an likely will protect other asexuals, as have many bishops. The bad old days of this being common have passed. If priests are still abusing minors, they are not getting caught.
This debate is almost entirely reactive to ancient history. The cause of the lingering crisis was not fidelity, it was listening to the lawyers who told the bishops how to protect the Church rather than improve the Church. Like the concept of giving more money to families through the tax system, more democracy is a concept that is good on its own, even if it has the added benefits of reducing abortion.
Unless we wish to change structures, the current spasm of publicity is entirely unhelpful (except for the Pennsylvania prosecutor who thought empaneling a grand jury on old cases was a good idea). As to the example, priests should not be in bars where someone will pick them up or they will pick someone else up, even if we let them be openly gay and be married or female. There is a line between fidelity and not being stupid. Stupid people should not be priests or bishops, which eliminates Paprocky from the priesthood.
On divorce, it was almost easy for men. The innovation is that women are now allowed the same ease. That is not a crisis, except for men who want them to return to their subservience. Not a chance.
MGB: I wish we could ignore Robbie George and First Things, but I guess that is impossible, even though he offers no new ideas. We tried as a Church to enforce fidelity. St. Pius had a whole network of spies who assured that bishops and universities were loyal. That mess may have been what lead to the Second Vatican Council, where all of those measures were junked. No pass. If you want different behavior, we need changes in structure, not attitude.
The days of Medieval Lord Bishops should have been over a century ago. Even the Church recognizes the need to set up 501(c)(3)s for some purposes. We need many more - like each parish and diocesan organization, both controlled by laity through elected lay deacons (few vows) or by direct democracy. Indeed, for many things, the era of democracy needs to replace the era of hierarchy. Of course, the good people of southern Illinois might still elect Paprocky. They roll that way.
Dolan could never survive in New York if the people elected bishops unless he changed his roll. His pronouncements on sex come from his own obvious asexuality. Such a rare sexual orientation should not be making rules for what they are psychologically unable to understand. He has an likely will protect other asexuals, as have many bishops. The bad old days of this being common have passed. If priests are still abusing minors, they are not getting caught.
This debate is almost entirely reactive to ancient history. The cause of the lingering crisis was not fidelity, it was listening to the lawyers who told the bishops how to protect the Church rather than improve the Church. Like the concept of giving more money to families through the tax system, more democracy is a concept that is good on its own, even if it has the added benefits of reducing abortion.
Unless we wish to change structures, the current spasm of publicity is entirely unhelpful (except for the Pennsylvania prosecutor who thought empaneling a grand jury on old cases was a good idea). As to the example, priests should not be in bars where someone will pick them up or they will pick someone else up, even if we let them be openly gay and be married or female. There is a line between fidelity and not being stupid. Stupid people should not be priests or bishops, which eliminates Paprocky from the priesthood.
On divorce, it was almost easy for men. The innovation is that women are now allowed the same ease. That is not a crisis, except for men who want them to return to their subservience. Not a chance.
Thursday, August 23, 2018
Links for 8/23/18
https://www.ncronline.org/news/opinion/distinctly-catholic/links-82318
MGB: I suspect the right-wingers will criticize the book from the review rather than the book itself. This is probably what most people do. Bishops and priests will actually read it. Sadly, few others will, even those in marital crisis until divorce has already occurred. A spouse intent on leaving certainly won't and I am not sure she should have to.
Kavanaugh likely does believe Roe is settled law. He is a Kennedy protege and went to law school late enough to explain the logic of the decision as good 14th Amendment law. As I said at Georgetown two years ago at MSW's panel, there were 7 pro-Roe Justices on the Court. With Kavanaugh there will be eight. When Meier tried to get on the Court, the hue and cry from the right stopped the nomination when she was suspected of being pro-choice. That likely won't happen this time. It is time for the movement to give up the delusion that the Supreme Court will make any changes to the status quo. Then it can move on to what will work, congressional action to enforce the 14th Amendment, which will largely baptize the status quo.
It is good to see evidence of the Church and Labor starting to get along again, at least at the staff level.
There is more to sex than straight or gay. Asexuals are neither and are more likely to be sexually immature. The only way out of the mess on sex is to realize that we should probably not let them make sexual doctrine for the rest of us, as they don't really understand what they speak of.
I had not heard of Coffin nor do I wish to hear of him again. There are more worthy people of your attention on the left than on the right.
They say there is a blue wave coming. We will see if it reaches state assemblies, which are even more important than Congress on redistricting, although most states seek to placate their members of Congress because they are leaders in the local party.
Trump has bad views, but I suspect on speeches he is Stephen Miller's sock puppet, although he is probably the one keeping Miller on.
MGB: I suspect the right-wingers will criticize the book from the review rather than the book itself. This is probably what most people do. Bishops and priests will actually read it. Sadly, few others will, even those in marital crisis until divorce has already occurred. A spouse intent on leaving certainly won't and I am not sure she should have to.
Kavanaugh likely does believe Roe is settled law. He is a Kennedy protege and went to law school late enough to explain the logic of the decision as good 14th Amendment law. As I said at Georgetown two years ago at MSW's panel, there were 7 pro-Roe Justices on the Court. With Kavanaugh there will be eight. When Meier tried to get on the Court, the hue and cry from the right stopped the nomination when she was suspected of being pro-choice. That likely won't happen this time. It is time for the movement to give up the delusion that the Supreme Court will make any changes to the status quo. Then it can move on to what will work, congressional action to enforce the 14th Amendment, which will largely baptize the status quo.
It is good to see evidence of the Church and Labor starting to get along again, at least at the staff level.
There is more to sex than straight or gay. Asexuals are neither and are more likely to be sexually immature. The only way out of the mess on sex is to realize that we should probably not let them make sexual doctrine for the rest of us, as they don't really understand what they speak of.
I had not heard of Coffin nor do I wish to hear of him again. There are more worthy people of your attention on the left than on the right.
They say there is a blue wave coming. We will see if it reaches state assemblies, which are even more important than Congress on redistricting, although most states seek to placate their members of Congress because they are leaders in the local party.
Trump has bad views, but I suspect on speeches he is Stephen Miller's sock puppet, although he is probably the one keeping Miller on.
Wednesday, August 22, 2018
Critics wield grand jury report to advance anti-gay, anti-Francis agenda
https://www.ncronline.org/news/opinion/distinctly-catholic/critics-wield-grand-jury-report-advance-anti-gay-anti-francis
MGB: Their agenda is anti-gay in particular, but it is more anti-sexuality. I have no problem with gay or straight bishops or priests getting married, or in some of them being women. Indeed, in the early Church, the apostles (witnesses to the Resurrection) were married pairs and Paul also talks about bishops as being only once married. Conservatives should not wish for too much change in this regard. Liberals are even more ambitious.
I can see the point of getting younger bishops in charge, for they are not tainted by past abuse. Clearing out the entire St. John Paul cadre would be all right with me, but not because they are more conservative sexually. Indeed, a more liberal sexuality that does not feel that contact with a woman desecrates the Mass, which is what Sacred Continence is, is the first place to start and naturally leads to female ordination and allowable sexuality by clergy. Clericalism is simply a byproduct.
Certainly appointing those who would continue the asexual belief that their sexuality should be for all of the Church must be utterly stamped out and the doctrines associated with that repudiated. Their sexual ideal is not healthy for the rest of us and should not be imposed upon us. It is both misogynistic and Gnostic and must be rejected. Doing so will also take care of clerical culture. Francis is going nowhere. A wholesale sacking of the old guard will lead to spirit of Vatican II bishops. Go ahead, make my day.
As for the right-wing media like Hewitt, Dougherty, EWTN and especially Church Militant and the Remnant (I thought they had gone under long ago). Ignore them. They have nothing to say that will protect children. Their asexual comrades in the Church would make matters worse, for they are largely sexually unformed and uninformed, as their bloviations highlight. I would say that both should be silenced in another age, but asexuals are simply differently made, not objectively disordered (as they might have been called in another age) and conservatives have a right to talk, just not a right to be quoted or linked to (especially the Remnant).
I will save discussions of lay custodianship for Church property and personnel for another day, except to say that such concepts are ancient, practiced long before the current Medieval model, whose day should have been done long ago. I agree that Busch is not the model for lay involvement, but the nuts and granola crown at many parishes is in no danger of imposing conservatism.
MGB: Their agenda is anti-gay in particular, but it is more anti-sexuality. I have no problem with gay or straight bishops or priests getting married, or in some of them being women. Indeed, in the early Church, the apostles (witnesses to the Resurrection) were married pairs and Paul also talks about bishops as being only once married. Conservatives should not wish for too much change in this regard. Liberals are even more ambitious.
I can see the point of getting younger bishops in charge, for they are not tainted by past abuse. Clearing out the entire St. John Paul cadre would be all right with me, but not because they are more conservative sexually. Indeed, a more liberal sexuality that does not feel that contact with a woman desecrates the Mass, which is what Sacred Continence is, is the first place to start and naturally leads to female ordination and allowable sexuality by clergy. Clericalism is simply a byproduct.
Certainly appointing those who would continue the asexual belief that their sexuality should be for all of the Church must be utterly stamped out and the doctrines associated with that repudiated. Their sexual ideal is not healthy for the rest of us and should not be imposed upon us. It is both misogynistic and Gnostic and must be rejected. Doing so will also take care of clerical culture. Francis is going nowhere. A wholesale sacking of the old guard will lead to spirit of Vatican II bishops. Go ahead, make my day.
As for the right-wing media like Hewitt, Dougherty, EWTN and especially Church Militant and the Remnant (I thought they had gone under long ago). Ignore them. They have nothing to say that will protect children. Their asexual comrades in the Church would make matters worse, for they are largely sexually unformed and uninformed, as their bloviations highlight. I would say that both should be silenced in another age, but asexuals are simply differently made, not objectively disordered (as they might have been called in another age) and conservatives have a right to talk, just not a right to be quoted or linked to (especially the Remnant).
I will save discussions of lay custodianship for Church property and personnel for another day, except to say that such concepts are ancient, practiced long before the current Medieval model, whose day should have been done long ago. I agree that Busch is not the model for lay involvement, but the nuts and granola crown at many parishes is in no danger of imposing conservatism.
Tuesday, August 21, 2018
Links for 8/21/18
https://www.ncronline.org/news/opinion/distinctly-catholic/links-82118
MGB: Karen was on cable last night. We need more than uplifting sermons, as beautiful as they can be. We need the Spirit of Prophesy and profound self-criticism, just like in the early Church.
Morlino is still serving up the same idiotic counter-culture conservatism. It is mostly unformed asexuals who are abusers. Celibacy is not the problem, but those who gravitate toward it because human closeness scares them are more likely to surrender to urges they cannot understand. I'd rather an out and proud priest round my child than a profoundly confused one.
First Things is also an ideological rag. It is why I ignore it. It is hardly worth arguing with. If they think the Cardinals will gang up on Francis, they are truly unhinged and running out of time. Those that would are aging out of the electorate and any formal role in the Church aside from retired priest. As for capital punishment, for once I agree with them on the issue, but I care not what the Catechism says. Political theory is a much better gauge of the justice of that issue, as well as psychology.
Self-disclosure to both bishop and prosecutors must be a condition of absolution for anyone who abuses a child or young teen. Whether 17 year-olds should be considered too young for consent is a larger question, especially if they go into such a relationship with their eyes wide open.
Rudy was hack back when he was a federal prosecutor. I suggest that all of his convictions be reviewed.
The question is not how Trump voters will vote. The question is whether they will show up and whether the President's latest attempts to return to his message will attract or alienate them. I suspect that he has become an embarrassment to Republicans who are not his own reactionary voters, but don't tell him that.
MGB: Karen was on cable last night. We need more than uplifting sermons, as beautiful as they can be. We need the Spirit of Prophesy and profound self-criticism, just like in the early Church.
Morlino is still serving up the same idiotic counter-culture conservatism. It is mostly unformed asexuals who are abusers. Celibacy is not the problem, but those who gravitate toward it because human closeness scares them are more likely to surrender to urges they cannot understand. I'd rather an out and proud priest round my child than a profoundly confused one.
First Things is also an ideological rag. It is why I ignore it. It is hardly worth arguing with. If they think the Cardinals will gang up on Francis, they are truly unhinged and running out of time. Those that would are aging out of the electorate and any formal role in the Church aside from retired priest. As for capital punishment, for once I agree with them on the issue, but I care not what the Catechism says. Political theory is a much better gauge of the justice of that issue, as well as psychology.
Self-disclosure to both bishop and prosecutors must be a condition of absolution for anyone who abuses a child or young teen. Whether 17 year-olds should be considered too young for consent is a larger question, especially if they go into such a relationship with their eyes wide open.
Rudy was hack back when he was a federal prosecutor. I suggest that all of his convictions be reviewed.
The question is not how Trump voters will vote. The question is whether they will show up and whether the President's latest attempts to return to his message will attract or alienate them. I suspect that he has become an embarrassment to Republicans who are not his own reactionary voters, but don't tell him that.
Monday, August 20, 2018
Omarosa Manigault Newman says Trump has met his match -- her
https://www.ncronline.org/news/opinion/distinctly-catholic/omarosa-manigault-newman-says-trump-has-met-his-match-her
MGB: This essay is pure and well deserved schadenfreude, tearing down the Trump mystique. It may or may not lead anywhere. The evidence against Trump is enough for a reasonable Congress to impeach and try him, more likely convincing him to leave than convict him. Omarosa's tapes will not likely make a difference - but they might. Trump's remarks to Comey that he had better tapes has been turned on its head.
As far as Omarosa or some other celebrity, or worse, another billionaire CEO as President or Vice President? No. Just, no. Maybe a cooperativist non-billionaire might be the anti-Trump, but no one whose wealth is a result of the efforts of others. That is not success, that is taking advantage. Sadly, there those who would disagree. The Democrats will never get their votes and should not try to.
MGB: This essay is pure and well deserved schadenfreude, tearing down the Trump mystique. It may or may not lead anywhere. The evidence against Trump is enough for a reasonable Congress to impeach and try him, more likely convincing him to leave than convict him. Omarosa's tapes will not likely make a difference - but they might. Trump's remarks to Comey that he had better tapes has been turned on its head.
As far as Omarosa or some other celebrity, or worse, another billionaire CEO as President or Vice President? No. Just, no. Maybe a cooperativist non-billionaire might be the anti-Trump, but no one whose wealth is a result of the efforts of others. That is not success, that is taking advantage. Sadly, there those who would disagree. The Democrats will never get their votes and should not try to.
Friday, August 17, 2018
How can you, bishops?
https://www.ncronline.org/news/accountability/distinctly-catholic/how-can-you-bishops
MGB: I would say that for decades the priests have handled these cases out sight and once the lawyers approved settlements and money was distributed, out of mind as well. That has changed ever since the Boston Globe brought it back to our attention. It was reported earlier anecdotally, but not systematically, before then. Allegations are not new, they were simply disregarded.
The distinction between boys and girls and teens is also important and the sexual orientation of teen victims (or participants) is as important, as is the orientation of the perpetrators (or participants for consensual but illegal relations). Malformation is an issue, but that would generally be, especially for child rape, more relevant for asexuals than heterosexual or homosexual priests. Until we out the asexuals, both publicly and internally, we have no hope of getting this problem under control.
The problem is not with the bishops, it is the bishops and the lawyers who represented them, offering damage control rather than righteousness toward the victims (and the clergy) with an objective eye. Without asexual moral standards on sex, which must also change, the wrong people are caught for the wrong reasons.
The Church needs to lighten up, not to excuse some incidents, but to understand them. No out homosexual priest will ever be inappropriate with a teen (we will ignore the anti-evolutionary age of consent laws for now). The point is, these are people, not cases. Of course, people who can get a payout suddenly get into victim mode, even if they were the aggressors. Any attorney can tell you that, even if it is not politic to say so.
Life long celibacy is not really the issue. Indeed, voiding it would let us know who was gay, straight or asexual, depending on whether they marry within their lifestyle. While sick individuals will rape their children instead of the altar boys or choir members and is as tragic, if not more, continuing with the misogyny of sacred continence, which is misogynistic to the core, does not help matters, which about covers who gets to say Mass (again, ordain women, gays and marrieds - and combinations of the above).
The bishops will not solve this problem. Indeed, by taking their lawyers advice on the easy way out, they have shown themselves incapable of reform. The protestants and the Jews are correct, where possible, priests should marry (gay or straight and bishops too) and parish councils with lay deacons (no vows of chastity or obedience, except to the people) should control parish and diocesan assets and personnel, inviting priests rather than assigning them and electing bishops, along with the priests. Leave the Vatican out of it unless it consents to putting its financial and (bad) artistic assets at risk.
I was having breakfast with a friend. It is not only priests who are ashamed of the Church. It is all Catholics. We let them do this and did not unite to end Medievalism in Church governance. It is time for us to join SNAP and Voice of the Faithful in demanding basic structural change. Rituals are the easy way out. Anyone who has abused an altar boy or choir member before or after Mass cares little for how this relates to ritual. Again, I don't care what DiNardo says. He lost his right to talk about this. Investigating and using a senile ex-Cardinal as a scapegoat is not the answer either. We need to go back to ancient practice. Also, statements by the bishops from 2002 were not worth the paper used to cover them. The problem is not the use of episcopal authority, it is episcopal authority. The third party in this matter must be lay control, not some professional committee or expert. If they are responsible to the bishops, the problem is not solved.
I disagree with what much of Napa says. But I do not disagree with them about this, although I fear that they will not go far enough because libertarians still respect the authority of the strong over the weak. We cannot let that happen here. We need to see what clergy or bishops staff show up the Napa conference and make sure they are marginalized by the Vatican.
It is true that the bishops have taken over for the apostles in being the witnesses to the resurrection, not the Twelve, but all of those who saw the risen Lord, including the 500 whom Paul mentions who saw him at once. It is also true that the early Church quotes the Lord in saying that those who lead children astray should be thrown into the sea with a millstone around their necks. That would be extreme. Taking away the checkbook would be worse for some of these bishops and it is exactly what needs to happen. No complex studies are required and not public contrition enough. Change must be the order of the day.
MGB: I would say that for decades the priests have handled these cases out sight and once the lawyers approved settlements and money was distributed, out of mind as well. That has changed ever since the Boston Globe brought it back to our attention. It was reported earlier anecdotally, but not systematically, before then. Allegations are not new, they were simply disregarded.
The distinction between boys and girls and teens is also important and the sexual orientation of teen victims (or participants) is as important, as is the orientation of the perpetrators (or participants for consensual but illegal relations). Malformation is an issue, but that would generally be, especially for child rape, more relevant for asexuals than heterosexual or homosexual priests. Until we out the asexuals, both publicly and internally, we have no hope of getting this problem under control.
The problem is not with the bishops, it is the bishops and the lawyers who represented them, offering damage control rather than righteousness toward the victims (and the clergy) with an objective eye. Without asexual moral standards on sex, which must also change, the wrong people are caught for the wrong reasons.
The Church needs to lighten up, not to excuse some incidents, but to understand them. No out homosexual priest will ever be inappropriate with a teen (we will ignore the anti-evolutionary age of consent laws for now). The point is, these are people, not cases. Of course, people who can get a payout suddenly get into victim mode, even if they were the aggressors. Any attorney can tell you that, even if it is not politic to say so.
Life long celibacy is not really the issue. Indeed, voiding it would let us know who was gay, straight or asexual, depending on whether they marry within their lifestyle. While sick individuals will rape their children instead of the altar boys or choir members and is as tragic, if not more, continuing with the misogyny of sacred continence, which is misogynistic to the core, does not help matters, which about covers who gets to say Mass (again, ordain women, gays and marrieds - and combinations of the above).
The bishops will not solve this problem. Indeed, by taking their lawyers advice on the easy way out, they have shown themselves incapable of reform. The protestants and the Jews are correct, where possible, priests should marry (gay or straight and bishops too) and parish councils with lay deacons (no vows of chastity or obedience, except to the people) should control parish and diocesan assets and personnel, inviting priests rather than assigning them and electing bishops, along with the priests. Leave the Vatican out of it unless it consents to putting its financial and (bad) artistic assets at risk.
I was having breakfast with a friend. It is not only priests who are ashamed of the Church. It is all Catholics. We let them do this and did not unite to end Medievalism in Church governance. It is time for us to join SNAP and Voice of the Faithful in demanding basic structural change. Rituals are the easy way out. Anyone who has abused an altar boy or choir member before or after Mass cares little for how this relates to ritual. Again, I don't care what DiNardo says. He lost his right to talk about this. Investigating and using a senile ex-Cardinal as a scapegoat is not the answer either. We need to go back to ancient practice. Also, statements by the bishops from 2002 were not worth the paper used to cover them. The problem is not the use of episcopal authority, it is episcopal authority. The third party in this matter must be lay control, not some professional committee or expert. If they are responsible to the bishops, the problem is not solved.
I disagree with what much of Napa says. But I do not disagree with them about this, although I fear that they will not go far enough because libertarians still respect the authority of the strong over the weak. We cannot let that happen here. We need to see what clergy or bishops staff show up the Napa conference and make sure they are marginalized by the Vatican.
It is true that the bishops have taken over for the apostles in being the witnesses to the resurrection, not the Twelve, but all of those who saw the risen Lord, including the 500 whom Paul mentions who saw him at once. It is also true that the early Church quotes the Lord in saying that those who lead children astray should be thrown into the sea with a millstone around their necks. That would be extreme. Taking away the checkbook would be worse for some of these bishops and it is exactly what needs to happen. No complex studies are required and not public contrition enough. Change must be the order of the day.
Thursday, August 16, 2018
Links for 8/16/18
https://www.ncronline.org/news/opinion/distinctly-catholic/links-81618
MGB: The Court is pro-business because the law is pro-business. Most decisions on either administrative law or business law are 9-0. That is the case no matter who is on the court.
The Omarosa affair could be real or it could be a false flag operation to distract the planet from the Manafort trial. In Washington so much is theater that sometimes you cannot tell. It is not like Trump will ever get the non-racist vote anyway. He is hoping people get turned off rather than show up to vote him out - or he knows he is doomed and is trying to drag out his term so Sessions can work his magic.
I am sure that the relationship with Putin is one sided and the Putin has the same assessment of Trump as Tillerson. On the same vane, Trump probably thinks that the right-wing dictators in eastern Europe are just another form of Republican. I may be giving Trump too much credit here.
On MSW agreeing with Trump on issues, we are not surprised on either Israel or abortion. MSW is Trump's target audience. What Trump actually believes is a matter of convenience, except on race. Any Catholic must disagree with Trump on that - yet some do not.
MGB: The Court is pro-business because the law is pro-business. Most decisions on either administrative law or business law are 9-0. That is the case no matter who is on the court.
The Omarosa affair could be real or it could be a false flag operation to distract the planet from the Manafort trial. In Washington so much is theater that sometimes you cannot tell. It is not like Trump will ever get the non-racist vote anyway. He is hoping people get turned off rather than show up to vote him out - or he knows he is doomed and is trying to drag out his term so Sessions can work his magic.
I am sure that the relationship with Putin is one sided and the Putin has the same assessment of Trump as Tillerson. On the same vane, Trump probably thinks that the right-wing dictators in eastern Europe are just another form of Republican. I may be giving Trump too much credit here.
On MSW agreeing with Trump on issues, we are not surprised on either Israel or abortion. MSW is Trump's target audience. What Trump actually believes is a matter of convenience, except on race. Any Catholic must disagree with Trump on that - yet some do not.
Wednesday, August 15, 2018
Libertarianism, enemy of Catholic social thought, has no place in 'America'
https://www.ncronline.org/news/opinion/distinctly-catholic/libertarianism-enemy-catholic-social-thought-has-no-place-america
MGB: As my friend, Dr. Carl Milsted, Jr. demonstrates, there are degrees of libertarianism, from social libertarianism (which abuts social liberalism on his prior version of the Nolan Chart) to economic libertarianism to economic liberalism. Above the two libertarianism is the kind of libertarianism found in the Libertarian Party. Everyone but member of the party favor one type of libertarianism or another, rarely both. I personally am on the line between socially liberal and socially libertarian on his quiz. His new book has a newer version of the chart and should be reviewed.
Slade's article is an apologia for the views of the Party, not liberty as a whole. Social libertarians believe that the Sabbath is for man, not man for the Sabbath. Social authoritarians believe that morality serves the interests of God, not man, and we must comply with it to get to Heaven. I am sure we can all think of bishops and cardinals who hold that view, which is opposite to social libertarian, not adjacent to social liberalism. Social liberalism abuts economic authoritarianism - belief in a manged economy although not totalitarian just yet. The Republican Right (as in Unite the Right) are also social authoritarians who would ban sodomy and abortion and fight cannabis legalization tooth and nail. They also believe in the separation of races and oppose "political correctness."
Social libertarians would also believe in communitarianism, where cooperatives with a socialist bent would be the basic unit of society, taking on not only economic life but social services, such as education, as well, rather than resorting to the state to provide them. This is akin to Libertarian Socialism, which is the original form of libertarianism before the Austrian Economics of Hayek and von Mises put its finger on the scale to conflate libertarianism and economic libertarianism, which Corey Robin considers a key part of the The Reactionary Mind (which goes from Burke to Trump) and favor the wealthy as virtuous and deserving of societal support (through low taxes and regulation) so that economic booms and busts happen, demonstrating who is successful and who is fodder for the next cycle.
As I explained yesterday, social libertarianism is where Rousseau and his General Will meet Aquinas and his idea of Free Will extending from the Will seeking the Good as informed by the Intellect - which essentially guarantees free thought. The mixture justifies both democracy and individual rights, where society through legislatures and the courts decide the limits of both and the extent to which police power is required to meet those demands. A war on drugs, contraception or abortion or to impose racial apartheid (whether in the panhandle of Florida or the West Bank and Gaza) require more police or even military support for social authoritarianism, while more individual rights require fewer police (and possibly more social workers).
Social liberalism believes in Catholic social teaching, with systems of public welfare provided by the government to fill the gaps when private charities fail, or more importantly when the free market fails, for example when the goal is an adequate income for families with more than the average number of children. Catholic teaching is that one must not have to regulate family size just because one is not particularly economically valuable, although it has not understood that even Natural Family Planning is a concession to our broken economy. While Catholic social teaching favors unions, even unions are not sensitive to family size issues. Giving everyone a living wage still favors smaller families and penalizes larger ones. Pius XI's Casti Connubii, however, does explicitly favor family sensitive wages, even though his version of family life was quaint by the time it was written.
The solution to both is a combination of social liberalism and social libertarianism - cooperatives with government mandated support for larger families through tax policy. Tax policy could provide a family wage on its own, and the EITC and the Child Tax Credit attempt to do that, but they are not adequate to the task at current levels. Imagine WalMart as a world wide cooperative which included its entire Chinese supply chain and paid a family wage, supported by government tax cuts. It would certainly be more than Chesterton and his Distributism would imagine. It seems that Hollenbach was wrong. Society can solve class warfare, especially when the rich war with their workers and families.
As for why Fr. Malone published the Slade essay, the only way to have a free press is to own one (social libertarianism strikes again).. America likes to be provocative, as does the more consistently left wing NCR. This attracts comments and debate, mostly from the usual suspects, although sometimes the Vatican intrudes - which is never a good idea (social authoritarianism again, if not totalitarianism or despotism). Whether advertisers or contributors are part of America's reasoning, I do not know.
MGB: As my friend, Dr. Carl Milsted, Jr. demonstrates, there are degrees of libertarianism, from social libertarianism (which abuts social liberalism on his prior version of the Nolan Chart) to economic libertarianism to economic liberalism. Above the two libertarianism is the kind of libertarianism found in the Libertarian Party. Everyone but member of the party favor one type of libertarianism or another, rarely both. I personally am on the line between socially liberal and socially libertarian on his quiz. His new book has a newer version of the chart and should be reviewed.
Slade's article is an apologia for the views of the Party, not liberty as a whole. Social libertarians believe that the Sabbath is for man, not man for the Sabbath. Social authoritarians believe that morality serves the interests of God, not man, and we must comply with it to get to Heaven. I am sure we can all think of bishops and cardinals who hold that view, which is opposite to social libertarian, not adjacent to social liberalism. Social liberalism abuts economic authoritarianism - belief in a manged economy although not totalitarian just yet. The Republican Right (as in Unite the Right) are also social authoritarians who would ban sodomy and abortion and fight cannabis legalization tooth and nail. They also believe in the separation of races and oppose "political correctness."
Social libertarians would also believe in communitarianism, where cooperatives with a socialist bent would be the basic unit of society, taking on not only economic life but social services, such as education, as well, rather than resorting to the state to provide them. This is akin to Libertarian Socialism, which is the original form of libertarianism before the Austrian Economics of Hayek and von Mises put its finger on the scale to conflate libertarianism and economic libertarianism, which Corey Robin considers a key part of the The Reactionary Mind (which goes from Burke to Trump) and favor the wealthy as virtuous and deserving of societal support (through low taxes and regulation) so that economic booms and busts happen, demonstrating who is successful and who is fodder for the next cycle.
As I explained yesterday, social libertarianism is where Rousseau and his General Will meet Aquinas and his idea of Free Will extending from the Will seeking the Good as informed by the Intellect - which essentially guarantees free thought. The mixture justifies both democracy and individual rights, where society through legislatures and the courts decide the limits of both and the extent to which police power is required to meet those demands. A war on drugs, contraception or abortion or to impose racial apartheid (whether in the panhandle of Florida or the West Bank and Gaza) require more police or even military support for social authoritarianism, while more individual rights require fewer police (and possibly more social workers).
Social liberalism believes in Catholic social teaching, with systems of public welfare provided by the government to fill the gaps when private charities fail, or more importantly when the free market fails, for example when the goal is an adequate income for families with more than the average number of children. Catholic teaching is that one must not have to regulate family size just because one is not particularly economically valuable, although it has not understood that even Natural Family Planning is a concession to our broken economy. While Catholic social teaching favors unions, even unions are not sensitive to family size issues. Giving everyone a living wage still favors smaller families and penalizes larger ones. Pius XI's Casti Connubii, however, does explicitly favor family sensitive wages, even though his version of family life was quaint by the time it was written.
The solution to both is a combination of social liberalism and social libertarianism - cooperatives with government mandated support for larger families through tax policy. Tax policy could provide a family wage on its own, and the EITC and the Child Tax Credit attempt to do that, but they are not adequate to the task at current levels. Imagine WalMart as a world wide cooperative which included its entire Chinese supply chain and paid a family wage, supported by government tax cuts. It would certainly be more than Chesterton and his Distributism would imagine. It seems that Hollenbach was wrong. Society can solve class warfare, especially when the rich war with their workers and families.
As for why Fr. Malone published the Slade essay, the only way to have a free press is to own one (social libertarianism strikes again).. America likes to be provocative, as does the more consistently left wing NCR. This attracts comments and debate, mostly from the usual suspects, although sometimes the Vatican intrudes - which is never a good idea (social authoritarianism again, if not totalitarianism or despotism). Whether advertisers or contributors are part of America's reasoning, I do not know.
Tuesday, August 14, 2018
Links for 8/9/18
https://www.ncronline.org/news/opinion/distinctly-catholic/links-8918-0
MGB: The gay clergy is not a problem, especially if they are free to be out and proud. There is no danger from an out gay person (and not much from a closeted one). It is the asexuals we need to worry about. They should be outed to so that we can both protect our children from those with different enough sexual development to be dangerous and to take what they write about sex with the heavy grain of salt it deserves.
Right-wing survivors have an anti-gay agenda and misunderstand why people abuse (a lack of sexual formation). I give some survivors less of a wide swath. At some point, abuse was too long ago to demand penalties. Old people accusing other old people should be dealt with, but through some kind of truth and justice commission, not public flagellation.
I do not know how much say Cardinals still have in the elevation of bishops. I would not underestimate it, but I do trust McCarrick more than I trust Rigali, Burke or Law.
The only widespread voter fraud in this country comes from Secretaries of State who purge the voter rolls in a way that reflects race rather than non-voting in two federal elections (which is allowed under federal law and is to be encouraged in states with initiative and recall).
Trump is a racist and does not believe that Black lives (or poor lives) matter, except when servants are needed. He lies to promote his racism. Sadly, many in the public are ready to buy it. His garbage would not sell if no one was buying, including Catholics.
I am wondering why MSW has not replied to my essay on liberty, Rousseau and Aquinas. I got there first. Rousseau's general will is simply Aquinas' doctrines on free will applied to the polity. The extent to which you water down the general will is the extent to which you require a police state. This concept of the general will meeting free will gives you individual rights vis'-a-vis' legislative majorities from issues like the legalization of cannabis to gay marriage rights to abortion to the ability of Catholic Churches to not get firebombed in Alabama and eventually get money for hiring teachers at parochial schools.
Ingraham and Arroyo are propagandists, not religious thinkers. That they buy into Miller's abject racism is no surprise at all. EWTN has become FoxNews at prayer.
Change in the Democratic Party will accompany the collapse of the Republicans as the non-racist Republicans (the racists are no longer fringe in the party) flee and find common cause with the Clintonites. They will be as libertarian as any Socialist. What's the Matter with Kansas by Thomra Frank showed this long ago. The question of liberty will not matter to who becomes the majority. What will matter is how each group deals with race. Neither has earned the trust of the Obama-only voters.
There is little chance Trumpists will keep the House. Almost every time the GOP loses the House, it is because of corruption. Middle of the road voters will not stand for it and they won't stand for how the House is standing with Trump. The only way they can lose small, instead of big (and their margin is slim) is to shoot their own rabid dog and do so quickly - like by the end of September when most voters make up their minds.
MGB: The gay clergy is not a problem, especially if they are free to be out and proud. There is no danger from an out gay person (and not much from a closeted one). It is the asexuals we need to worry about. They should be outed to so that we can both protect our children from those with different enough sexual development to be dangerous and to take what they write about sex with the heavy grain of salt it deserves.
Right-wing survivors have an anti-gay agenda and misunderstand why people abuse (a lack of sexual formation). I give some survivors less of a wide swath. At some point, abuse was too long ago to demand penalties. Old people accusing other old people should be dealt with, but through some kind of truth and justice commission, not public flagellation.
I do not know how much say Cardinals still have in the elevation of bishops. I would not underestimate it, but I do trust McCarrick more than I trust Rigali, Burke or Law.
The only widespread voter fraud in this country comes from Secretaries of State who purge the voter rolls in a way that reflects race rather than non-voting in two federal elections (which is allowed under federal law and is to be encouraged in states with initiative and recall).
Trump is a racist and does not believe that Black lives (or poor lives) matter, except when servants are needed. He lies to promote his racism. Sadly, many in the public are ready to buy it. His garbage would not sell if no one was buying, including Catholics.
I am wondering why MSW has not replied to my essay on liberty, Rousseau and Aquinas. I got there first. Rousseau's general will is simply Aquinas' doctrines on free will applied to the polity. The extent to which you water down the general will is the extent to which you require a police state. This concept of the general will meeting free will gives you individual rights vis'-a-vis' legislative majorities from issues like the legalization of cannabis to gay marriage rights to abortion to the ability of Catholic Churches to not get firebombed in Alabama and eventually get money for hiring teachers at parochial schools.
Ingraham and Arroyo are propagandists, not religious thinkers. That they buy into Miller's abject racism is no surprise at all. EWTN has become FoxNews at prayer.
Change in the Democratic Party will accompany the collapse of the Republicans as the non-racist Republicans (the racists are no longer fringe in the party) flee and find common cause with the Clintonites. They will be as libertarian as any Socialist. What's the Matter with Kansas by Thomra Frank showed this long ago. The question of liberty will not matter to who becomes the majority. What will matter is how each group deals with race. Neither has earned the trust of the Obama-only voters.
There is little chance Trumpists will keep the House. Almost every time the GOP loses the House, it is because of corruption. Middle of the road voters will not stand for it and they won't stand for how the House is standing with Trump. The only way they can lose small, instead of big (and their margin is slim) is to shoot their own rabid dog and do so quickly - like by the end of September when most voters make up their minds.
Monday, August 13, 2018
Bishops' hierarchic culture needs accountability, transparency
https://www.ncronline.org/news/opinion/distinctly-catholic/bishops-hierarchic-culture-needs-accountability-transparency
MGB: By the time Ted McCarrick got to DC, he was past his cruising days. There was no way anyone here would have known about his past as a younger man. If he were an Anglican, he could be out and proud and no one would have paid any mind to it, save for the incident of the underage person, who is unidentified so we don't know how underage or whether he was gay or straight.
Perhaps it is time to drop the assumption that our bishops and priests are eunics and the myth than an asexual lifestyle is good for them or for gays or unmarried heterosexuals or married people not trying to conceive. The sexual revolution was not about making life one big orgy. It was about freeing women from their traditional roles. That was a good thing, the logical outcome being ending sacred continence for priests and ordaining women. These reforms are as essential as how we hold bishops accountable.
Bishops are hardly accountable to Rome. The ethic in Rome is that bishops are accountable to themselves. The culture is not a hierarchy, it is an organized despotism and the bishops are the despots. If Rome were accountable, it would drop the insistence that they cannot be made to backstop financial settlements to the victims of abuse. They won that battle and lost the war of accountability. The most important commandment to them is still the Eleventh. Thou Shalt Not Get Caught.
The office of bishop needs to be changed. Put parish property under the control of parish non-profits under the management of a lay deacon (no vows except to the community, but still ordained) and accountable to the parish, with the collection of lay deacons accountable for diocesan property and, along with the priests, to select the bishop and pastors. No more tiernas, recommendations by the nuncio or selection by the pope and congregation of bishops. No more medieval hierarchies. We live in a democratic age. The council of lay deacons should also approve any settlements. The money belongs to the people, not the bishops,
The old man and wife paradigm for bishops is outdated. Men and women are equal in marriage, including the ability to leave and the local Church having the power to give the bishop his or her walking papers, returning him to the priesthood. Divorce is not so bad. There is no freedom to be in a marriage without the freedom to leave it. This would have a much greater impact than simply imposing a vow of stability. I think the views of my youth are still better then MSW's.
The Congregation of Bishops needs to be disbanded. Their only gatherings should be national, synodal or a general council, the latter considering doctrinal matters, so that the Inquisition may be disbanded as well.
This scandal was as much about the Potemkin Sexuality of the clergy as it is about authority, Both should be dealt with. Whether Francis and his Council of Eight has the courage to propose a solution and present it to the Church in General Council is the real question of the day.
MGB: By the time Ted McCarrick got to DC, he was past his cruising days. There was no way anyone here would have known about his past as a younger man. If he were an Anglican, he could be out and proud and no one would have paid any mind to it, save for the incident of the underage person, who is unidentified so we don't know how underage or whether he was gay or straight.
Perhaps it is time to drop the assumption that our bishops and priests are eunics and the myth than an asexual lifestyle is good for them or for gays or unmarried heterosexuals or married people not trying to conceive. The sexual revolution was not about making life one big orgy. It was about freeing women from their traditional roles. That was a good thing, the logical outcome being ending sacred continence for priests and ordaining women. These reforms are as essential as how we hold bishops accountable.
Bishops are hardly accountable to Rome. The ethic in Rome is that bishops are accountable to themselves. The culture is not a hierarchy, it is an organized despotism and the bishops are the despots. If Rome were accountable, it would drop the insistence that they cannot be made to backstop financial settlements to the victims of abuse. They won that battle and lost the war of accountability. The most important commandment to them is still the Eleventh. Thou Shalt Not Get Caught.
The office of bishop needs to be changed. Put parish property under the control of parish non-profits under the management of a lay deacon (no vows except to the community, but still ordained) and accountable to the parish, with the collection of lay deacons accountable for diocesan property and, along with the priests, to select the bishop and pastors. No more tiernas, recommendations by the nuncio or selection by the pope and congregation of bishops. No more medieval hierarchies. We live in a democratic age. The council of lay deacons should also approve any settlements. The money belongs to the people, not the bishops,
The old man and wife paradigm for bishops is outdated. Men and women are equal in marriage, including the ability to leave and the local Church having the power to give the bishop his or her walking papers, returning him to the priesthood. Divorce is not so bad. There is no freedom to be in a marriage without the freedom to leave it. This would have a much greater impact than simply imposing a vow of stability. I think the views of my youth are still better then MSW's.
The Congregation of Bishops needs to be disbanded. Their only gatherings should be national, synodal or a general council, the latter considering doctrinal matters, so that the Inquisition may be disbanded as well.
This scandal was as much about the Potemkin Sexuality of the clergy as it is about authority, Both should be dealt with. Whether Francis and his Council of Eight has the courage to propose a solution and present it to the Church in General Council is the real question of the day.
Friday, August 10, 2018
Most Catholic commentaries on McCarrick either predictable or irresponsible
https://www.ncronline.org/news/opinion/distinctly-catholic/most-catholic-commentaries-mccarrick-either-predictable-or
MGB: First of all, while there are allegations of McCarrick's guilt, there are still procedures in place, which exist for any priest or bishop, to determine the truth of them. I had not heard that they were finished, if you wish to speak about irresponsible reportage.
Second, we need to look at whether openly gay priests might have a right to sexual expression, just as married priests do, within the rules of sacred continence and laicized priests should be reinstated if released for marriage (gay or straight). Sacred continence essentially propounds the belief that sexual contact with a woman renders one unclean to say Mass. That bit of garbage should have been taken out long ago for consecrated men and women, priests and bishops. I would rather trust my child to an openly gay sister than one in the closet.
Finally, we have a choice to make as a Church, we can go back to electing bishops or we can admit that they are papal employees and hold the Holy See responsible for their actions. The Medieval tradition that they are each lordlings responsible for themselves and each other, which is culturally called despotism, has no place in modern society. Seeking change is not a libertarian view, it is egalitarian or hierarchical (if the Vatican is responsible). There is a huge difference.
It is time to go beyond a distinctly catholic view of this issue and MSW was irresponsible by not mentioning my earlier comments. Their validity should be based on what was said, not who sponsors it.
MGB: First of all, while there are allegations of McCarrick's guilt, there are still procedures in place, which exist for any priest or bishop, to determine the truth of them. I had not heard that they were finished, if you wish to speak about irresponsible reportage.
Second, we need to look at whether openly gay priests might have a right to sexual expression, just as married priests do, within the rules of sacred continence and laicized priests should be reinstated if released for marriage (gay or straight). Sacred continence essentially propounds the belief that sexual contact with a woman renders one unclean to say Mass. That bit of garbage should have been taken out long ago for consecrated men and women, priests and bishops. I would rather trust my child to an openly gay sister than one in the closet.
Finally, we have a choice to make as a Church, we can go back to electing bishops or we can admit that they are papal employees and hold the Holy See responsible for their actions. The Medieval tradition that they are each lordlings responsible for themselves and each other, which is culturally called despotism, has no place in modern society. Seeking change is not a libertarian view, it is egalitarian or hierarchical (if the Vatican is responsible). There is a huge difference.
It is time to go beyond a distinctly catholic view of this issue and MSW was irresponsible by not mentioning my earlier comments. Their validity should be based on what was said, not who sponsors it.
Thursday, August 9, 2018
Links for 8/9/18
https://www.ncronline.org/news/opinion/distinctly-catholic/links-8918
MGB: The question on Sodano is whose jail? It also shows that the Holy See is culpable in the crisis and should therefore be financially reponsible. All those pictures that depict the Holy Family as caucasion could be sold to start the bidding.
Sanders candidates are Democratic Socialists. It is the mainstream that is for EMILYS list. While DSA candidates are certainly pro-choice, so are the rest. No one who believes doctors should be sanctioned for performing an abortion will ever win a Democratic primary, and probably not a Republican in the general election.
Going after big MO was a bridge to far for the anti-labor crowd. Hopefully the forces that pushed back can advance the other way.
After Sunday's Klan rally in DC, unless Trump keeps his mouth shut, they will resign again.
It is a political battle, probably next year, but what people are missing is the money laundering and bribery that even the crassest Republican Senator cannot ignore. If Trump can hold off on resigning until January 21, Pence can run for two additional terms, assuming that being a ferret face is not a bar to election.
We knew Abbott was an idiot and his staff reflected his level of competency (you can't be smarter than your boss. When I wrote speeches for Marion Barry, we would check each other's facts. Barry would catch me more than I would catch him. As for old Winnie, he was raised a colonialist and probably died that way. It came with the job. The length and breadth of that empire helped win that little war as well.
The New Yorker also sells calendars.
MGB: The question on Sodano is whose jail? It also shows that the Holy See is culpable in the crisis and should therefore be financially reponsible. All those pictures that depict the Holy Family as caucasion could be sold to start the bidding.
Sanders candidates are Democratic Socialists. It is the mainstream that is for EMILYS list. While DSA candidates are certainly pro-choice, so are the rest. No one who believes doctors should be sanctioned for performing an abortion will ever win a Democratic primary, and probably not a Republican in the general election.
Going after big MO was a bridge to far for the anti-labor crowd. Hopefully the forces that pushed back can advance the other way.
After Sunday's Klan rally in DC, unless Trump keeps his mouth shut, they will resign again.
It is a political battle, probably next year, but what people are missing is the money laundering and bribery that even the crassest Republican Senator cannot ignore. If Trump can hold off on resigning until January 21, Pence can run for two additional terms, assuming that being a ferret face is not a bar to election.
We knew Abbott was an idiot and his staff reflected his level of competency (you can't be smarter than your boss. When I wrote speeches for Marion Barry, we would check each other's facts. Barry would catch me more than I would catch him. As for old Winnie, he was raised a colonialist and probably died that way. It came with the job. The length and breadth of that empire helped win that little war as well.
The New Yorker also sells calendars.
Wednesday, August 8, 2018
Trump's new script makes case for 'collusion'
https://www.ncronline.org/news/opinion/distinctly-catholic/trumps-new-script-makes-case-collusion
MGB: Illegal behavior by the campaign merits a fine by the Federal Election Commission, which has plenty of money to pay it. This is a false flag operation to the obvious bribery case that arises from Trump helping money laundering by the oligarchs in exchange for doing Moscow's bidding on the Ukraine. Even obstruction can be dealt with by censure, but money laundering and bribery put Trump and his adult children by Ivana on the hook for criminal behavior and the seizure of all related assets, which troubles Trump more than probation or a small jail term. The Manafort and Cohen investigations point to the money laundering, not the campaign violations. Trump is tweeting because he knows the jig is up. He needs to disappear for a while, but he is not smart enough to do so. Last night's slim victory in the Ohio 12th is pretty clear evidence that Trump will lose the House. There will at least be an impeachment trial unless Trump resigns. Then it is up to Pence to not pardon Trump. If he remembers Ford, he won't/
MGB: Illegal behavior by the campaign merits a fine by the Federal Election Commission, which has plenty of money to pay it. This is a false flag operation to the obvious bribery case that arises from Trump helping money laundering by the oligarchs in exchange for doing Moscow's bidding on the Ukraine. Even obstruction can be dealt with by censure, but money laundering and bribery put Trump and his adult children by Ivana on the hook for criminal behavior and the seizure of all related assets, which troubles Trump more than probation or a small jail term. The Manafort and Cohen investigations point to the money laundering, not the campaign violations. Trump is tweeting because he knows the jig is up. He needs to disappear for a while, but he is not smart enough to do so. Last night's slim victory in the Ohio 12th is pretty clear evidence that Trump will lose the House. There will at least be an impeachment trial unless Trump resigns. Then it is up to Pence to not pardon Trump. If he remembers Ford, he won't/
Tuesday, August 7, 2018
Links for 8/7/18
https://www.ncronline.org/news/opinion/distinctly-catholic/links-8718
MGB: The Federalist article shows that conservatism is the province of angy old men and their baby boomer children - the kind of guys who, if they went to Vietnam were shot by their own men. They will not last long as a movement.
The Church is suffering from a crisis in sexuality, from asexuals who are not fully formed sexually and therefore likely to abuse and who idealize heterosexuality and from it develop unworkable sexual teaching with a strong current of misogyny.
The pressence of these four cardinals on an EWTN stage shows exactly what is wrong with the Church: collegiality over truth.
Democrats for Life has a place in the party as long as they renounce criminalizing abortion except when the fetus is recongized as a person, in which case the crime is infanticide. If their entire agenda is a greatly expanded refundable child tax credit, distributed with pay, then they are welcome.
Cupich is in line with the Church, however the answer to capital punishment is in the Catechim and in the political theories of Locke and Hobbes. The issue is danger, not justice. Black young men in Chicago will grow out of their gang activity, especially if drugs are legalized. Sociopaths will not.
LifeSiteNews is partisan, so they don't like anything Francis does. I hate to think I agree with them on anything, although they likely justify a death penalty on punishment. Mine is danger and more like euthanasia, which they would run screaming from.
Conservatives will deny climate change until the moment their beach front property washes into the sea, at which point they will demand government help.
In the long run, if not the short run, the Koch brothers will be dead. We have not heard whether there is another generation to keep their activities going. Liberty is not a bad thing except when it is used to cloak economic power. Then it is horrid. Otherwise, it limits the power of the government to act upon the demands of a self-righteous majority against a vulnerable minority. There are a great many things that are none of the majority's or the Church's business.
MGB: The Federalist article shows that conservatism is the province of angy old men and their baby boomer children - the kind of guys who, if they went to Vietnam were shot by their own men. They will not last long as a movement.
The Church is suffering from a crisis in sexuality, from asexuals who are not fully formed sexually and therefore likely to abuse and who idealize heterosexuality and from it develop unworkable sexual teaching with a strong current of misogyny.
The pressence of these four cardinals on an EWTN stage shows exactly what is wrong with the Church: collegiality over truth.
Democrats for Life has a place in the party as long as they renounce criminalizing abortion except when the fetus is recongized as a person, in which case the crime is infanticide. If their entire agenda is a greatly expanded refundable child tax credit, distributed with pay, then they are welcome.
Cupich is in line with the Church, however the answer to capital punishment is in the Catechim and in the political theories of Locke and Hobbes. The issue is danger, not justice. Black young men in Chicago will grow out of their gang activity, especially if drugs are legalized. Sociopaths will not.
LifeSiteNews is partisan, so they don't like anything Francis does. I hate to think I agree with them on anything, although they likely justify a death penalty on punishment. Mine is danger and more like euthanasia, which they would run screaming from.
Conservatives will deny climate change until the moment their beach front property washes into the sea, at which point they will demand government help.
In the long run, if not the short run, the Koch brothers will be dead. We have not heard whether there is another generation to keep their activities going. Liberty is not a bad thing except when it is used to cloak economic power. Then it is horrid. Otherwise, it limits the power of the government to act upon the demands of a self-righteous majority against a vulnerable minority. There are a great many things that are none of the majority's or the Church's business.
Monday, August 6, 2018
With death penalty change, Francis builds on John Paul II's teaching
https://www.ncronline.org/news/opinion/distinctly-catholic/death-penalty-change-francis-builds-john-paul-iis-teaching
MGB: The Catechism got it right. The question is not punishment or innocence for the death penalty (and for that matter, abortion), it is the danger posed by the an individual to others. At times, extreme measures are necessary. What Francis does not seem to reallize is that most convicts consider prison for life without parole to be a death sentence by slow torture, especially if spent in SuperMax.
While some murders, perhaps most, deserve reconsideration after a time, indeed after a time very soon after incarceration, others can never be rehabilitated because they are sociopaths or psychopaths. These are not mental illnesses, that is simply a way to say that the individuals are pathologically evil. They will kill their guards or their cellmates.
There is no question of their dignity, only their danger. If human dignity simply is a shorthand for divine sovereignty than Francis or Michael Sean is arguing from authority, a logical fallacy. The Cathecism was finally asking the right questions, however old habits die hard.
In olden days, it was up to the sovereign to protect life. Now we are all sovereign. It is our choice, not the Church's and if the Church is to advise our choice, it needs to go back to the standard of danger, including within the prison, and ask itself what is more cruel, euthanizing the sociopath or killing him by slow torture. Either way, the State will be the cause of his death.
This is also a very Eurocentric position. Europe and North America do have, in most cases, a superior penal system (some would say the American system is over used on the non-violent, but that is separate question). All nations don't have that luxury. Sometimes dangerous people, even children, cannot be cared for and deprogramed to be non-dangerous. I am thinking of Darfur and Boko Harram. To make innocents safe, dangerous people need to be killed, both in combat and upon capture. Anything else is an abrogation of sovereignty by whatever ruler exists.
Western political theory, more than western prison standards, can guide these decisions more accurately than Catholic Doctrine. Both Hobbes and Locke defined why the state exists and they were correct in doing so. Rousseau tried to give it a libertarian edge, which is fine if you are talking about gay marriage or drugs, but he was useless on both tax policy and executing the dangerous. Let us stick to what is useful. Life should not be a fetish if it puts others in danger. Piety is not a standard of governance nor should it be.
MGB: The Catechism got it right. The question is not punishment or innocence for the death penalty (and for that matter, abortion), it is the danger posed by the an individual to others. At times, extreme measures are necessary. What Francis does not seem to reallize is that most convicts consider prison for life without parole to be a death sentence by slow torture, especially if spent in SuperMax.
While some murders, perhaps most, deserve reconsideration after a time, indeed after a time very soon after incarceration, others can never be rehabilitated because they are sociopaths or psychopaths. These are not mental illnesses, that is simply a way to say that the individuals are pathologically evil. They will kill their guards or their cellmates.
There is no question of their dignity, only their danger. If human dignity simply is a shorthand for divine sovereignty than Francis or Michael Sean is arguing from authority, a logical fallacy. The Cathecism was finally asking the right questions, however old habits die hard.
In olden days, it was up to the sovereign to protect life. Now we are all sovereign. It is our choice, not the Church's and if the Church is to advise our choice, it needs to go back to the standard of danger, including within the prison, and ask itself what is more cruel, euthanizing the sociopath or killing him by slow torture. Either way, the State will be the cause of his death.
This is also a very Eurocentric position. Europe and North America do have, in most cases, a superior penal system (some would say the American system is over used on the non-violent, but that is separate question). All nations don't have that luxury. Sometimes dangerous people, even children, cannot be cared for and deprogramed to be non-dangerous. I am thinking of Darfur and Boko Harram. To make innocents safe, dangerous people need to be killed, both in combat and upon capture. Anything else is an abrogation of sovereignty by whatever ruler exists.
Western political theory, more than western prison standards, can guide these decisions more accurately than Catholic Doctrine. Both Hobbes and Locke defined why the state exists and they were correct in doing so. Rousseau tried to give it a libertarian edge, which is fine if you are talking about gay marriage or drugs, but he was useless on both tax policy and executing the dangerous. Let us stick to what is useful. Life should not be a fetish if it puts others in danger. Piety is not a standard of governance nor should it be.
Friday, August 3, 2018
Cameli shows that 'Amoris Laetitia' revolutionizes through formation
https://www.ncronline.org/news/opinion/distinctly-catholic/cameli-shows-amoris-laetitia-revolutionizes-through-formation
MGB: As good as Amoris and Cameli's reflection are doctrinally, they have a problem with point of view. It is still celibates idealizing marriage. While they have some experience in dealing with sexual beings in their pastoral work, they are not themselves sexually attracted to others (except the gay ones and the ones with mistresses, although such secret lives are not considered healthy sexuality). This teaching could have been supplemented by a committee of married and divorced laity, although the Church has been burned by using such a panel, not because the laity were wrong, but because they were right and that was seen as inconvenient. I am sure the documents has something to say in seeking holiness, but only if holiness is a step apart and has nothing to do with who takes out the trash (which is the ultimate test of holiness).
MGB: As good as Amoris and Cameli's reflection are doctrinally, they have a problem with point of view. It is still celibates idealizing marriage. While they have some experience in dealing with sexual beings in their pastoral work, they are not themselves sexually attracted to others (except the gay ones and the ones with mistresses, although such secret lives are not considered healthy sexuality). This teaching could have been supplemented by a committee of married and divorced laity, although the Church has been burned by using such a panel, not because the laity were wrong, but because they were right and that was seen as inconvenient. I am sure the documents has something to say in seeking holiness, but only if holiness is a step apart and has nothing to do with who takes out the trash (which is the ultimate test of holiness).
Thursday, August 2, 2018
Links for 8/2/18
https://www.ncronline.org/news/opinion/distinctly-catholic/links-8218
MGB: Trump is worried because he knows what is coming and its not collusion (which can be taken care of via an FEC fine) or even dealing with Russian mobsters (SEC fine). The money laundering with a quid pro quo about sanctions and the Ukraine is what will cost him the presidency, as well as all the money he earned from the oligarchs for laundering the money - the hardest cut of all.. You can't make that one go away using party loyalty (even obstruction can be dealt with via Censure).
The key factor in figuring out whether a true lefty can win the primary is the Sanders turnout in that district and the existence of a strong Democratic Socialist chapter. The only question is whether the neo-liberals and the DSA can exist in the same party, especially if the GOP neo-liberals try to join.
Democrats for Life need to make clear that they do not seek jail time or fines for either doctors or women. If that is not the case, they need to hang it up. Of course, Steyer says nothing about that in the Politico article, which is about Need to Impeach. Steyer is right and Pelosi is wrong. Thank Heaven that Steyer is putting his money where his mouth is.
On FDR's videos, it is good that history shows us what current events could not - a trick that no politician can pull off today. Of course, today no politician would want to hide his condition, he or she would wear it like a badge of honor, like Tammy Duckworth.
Some communities thrive on daily Mass, including on college campuses. Others like to sleep in. Mass as part of an evening meal could catch on, but the priesthood would not survive it.
There was no tag line for MSW. Did the entire column print?
MGB: Trump is worried because he knows what is coming and its not collusion (which can be taken care of via an FEC fine) or even dealing with Russian mobsters (SEC fine). The money laundering with a quid pro quo about sanctions and the Ukraine is what will cost him the presidency, as well as all the money he earned from the oligarchs for laundering the money - the hardest cut of all.. You can't make that one go away using party loyalty (even obstruction can be dealt with via Censure).
The key factor in figuring out whether a true lefty can win the primary is the Sanders turnout in that district and the existence of a strong Democratic Socialist chapter. The only question is whether the neo-liberals and the DSA can exist in the same party, especially if the GOP neo-liberals try to join.
Democrats for Life need to make clear that they do not seek jail time or fines for either doctors or women. If that is not the case, they need to hang it up. Of course, Steyer says nothing about that in the Politico article, which is about Need to Impeach. Steyer is right and Pelosi is wrong. Thank Heaven that Steyer is putting his money where his mouth is.
On FDR's videos, it is good that history shows us what current events could not - a trick that no politician can pull off today. Of course, today no politician would want to hide his condition, he or she would wear it like a badge of honor, like Tammy Duckworth.
Some communities thrive on daily Mass, including on college campuses. Others like to sleep in. Mass as part of an evening meal could catch on, but the priesthood would not survive it.
There was no tag line for MSW. Did the entire column print?
Wednesday, August 1, 2018
Many Catholic activists remain indifferent to unions
https://www.ncronline.org/news/opinion/distinctly-catholic/many-catholic-activists-remain-indifferent-unions
MGB: Opposing Kavenaugh because he will be the fifth justice to overturn Roe is simply untrue. Roberts and Alito are already on the record in Gonzalez as supporting Roe. I expect Kennedy proteges' Gorsuch and Kavenaugh to be vote the same way, leaving only one justice in support of overturning Roe, not on states' rights grounds but because the Court may have derivative authority from Congress to change when the unborn are recognized. Congress could do that too and there are likely seven votes to ratify that power.
Planned Parenthood, NARAL, AFSCME and especially the NEA will still claim Roe is in danger, however, because it is good for recruiting and fundraising. Their fundraising is good for the right to life side, who otherwise has no chance of success or even survival, save help from the Catholic Bishops. The bishops are reflexively anti-union for their own workers, especially teachers - with the excuse that an NEA link would conflict with their message on life, which is still based on the lie that Roe could be repealed.
Planned Parenthood is led by doctors, who are reflexively anti-nurse. Since they mostly operate as a cash business, they don't have the margin for unionized labor. Libertarianism has nothing to do with it.
Not shopping at anti-union establishments is a small step, but does that include not going to Catholic schools or Mass? I think not, so the rest falls apart. Catholic social teaching exists, and it is pro-union, so as to base unions on something other than Marxism. That is also a mistake. Without the Marxist logic of workers controlling both the means of production and the means of consumption (and schools are a thing consumed, as well as hotels and taxis), unionization is simply a pious hope.
Unions cannot exist as a countervailing force without a strong Democratic Party, but maybe that party must also ally itself with socialism and worker control. The bishops hate the idea of teacher controlled Catholic schools. Ironically, when the holy sisters controlled the schools, that is exactly what they had, as long as they let the pastor think he was in control. Parental input was much more important, both then and now.
If the parents worked for a single cooperative, such control would mean something and unions would not be in opposition to management, they would be part of it. Until unions embrace such a Marxist goal, they no longer deserve to exist.
MGB: Opposing Kavenaugh because he will be the fifth justice to overturn Roe is simply untrue. Roberts and Alito are already on the record in Gonzalez as supporting Roe. I expect Kennedy proteges' Gorsuch and Kavenaugh to be vote the same way, leaving only one justice in support of overturning Roe, not on states' rights grounds but because the Court may have derivative authority from Congress to change when the unborn are recognized. Congress could do that too and there are likely seven votes to ratify that power.
Planned Parenthood, NARAL, AFSCME and especially the NEA will still claim Roe is in danger, however, because it is good for recruiting and fundraising. Their fundraising is good for the right to life side, who otherwise has no chance of success or even survival, save help from the Catholic Bishops. The bishops are reflexively anti-union for their own workers, especially teachers - with the excuse that an NEA link would conflict with their message on life, which is still based on the lie that Roe could be repealed.
Planned Parenthood is led by doctors, who are reflexively anti-nurse. Since they mostly operate as a cash business, they don't have the margin for unionized labor. Libertarianism has nothing to do with it.
Not shopping at anti-union establishments is a small step, but does that include not going to Catholic schools or Mass? I think not, so the rest falls apart. Catholic social teaching exists, and it is pro-union, so as to base unions on something other than Marxism. That is also a mistake. Without the Marxist logic of workers controlling both the means of production and the means of consumption (and schools are a thing consumed, as well as hotels and taxis), unionization is simply a pious hope.
Unions cannot exist as a countervailing force without a strong Democratic Party, but maybe that party must also ally itself with socialism and worker control. The bishops hate the idea of teacher controlled Catholic schools. Ironically, when the holy sisters controlled the schools, that is exactly what they had, as long as they let the pastor think he was in control. Parental input was much more important, both then and now.
If the parents worked for a single cooperative, such control would mean something and unions would not be in opposition to management, they would be part of it. Until unions embrace such a Marxist goal, they no longer deserve to exist.
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