Links for 4/30/20

Links for 4/30/20
The call should not have been leaked, but you cannot hang up on the President, even when he is an idiot.

The only way this election is a nightmare is if Biden handles abortion as a women's rights issue without pointing out that the GOP would never raise the child tax credit to minum wage levels and make it refundable.

Bush v. Gore was about how citizens not having a constitutional right to a plebiscite. Gore conceded because the prospect of a GOP controlled legislature choosing electors would have been ruinous.

Also on the constitutional law front, the President does not have the authority to lock down states or impose martial law. Only governors can. Sadly, social distancing, even on a good day, will not keep the elderly with poor immune systems from dying. Its purpose is to not overwhelm hospitals.

Libertarians take votes away from Republicans. This will even happen if Pence is the nominee. Virginia's primary results show never Trumpers crossing party lines. Ask Steve Kornaki or Rachel Bitecofer. Only Warren on the ticket will make the election close. Too many of her supporters believe the words of the Internationale. Ironically, DSA quit the organization because too many of its members were too conservative.

Viganò and the third secret of Fatima: What could go wrong?

Viganò and the third secret of Fatima: What could go wrong?
Using Olmsted as a character witness is an admission of right wing nuttiness. As for Fatima, St. John Paul made a pilgrimage there in gratitude for his life being spared and said the magic words. Russia collapsed. It is why he was canonized so quickly. As for the Secret, it tracks with St. Malachy closely enough to be considered credible. I just hope that it is some future antipope who dies after a Roman earthquake rather than our beloved Francis.

Links for 4/28/20

Links for 4/28/20
The key to understanding any tragedy is the role fear plays in it. The fear meter is currently through the roof, with more to come. Stoking such fear is the heart of the Cheney legacy. With Trump as their current savior, many of Liz's colleagues are feeling the fear. GOP governors too. Only Pence can end this and he does not have the moral courage to do it. The media should also have the courage to ignore Trump. It is cheap to poke the old man with a stick on a daily basis. Where is Helen Thomas when we need her?

Voting is an act of courage in the face of fear. So is making sure the votes are correctly counted.

Making May Day an alternative holiday is like celebrating Jesus's birthday in winter or trying to prevent revelry by making New Year's a holy day. Until we start reasserting our right to elect bishops, I will be playing the Internationale on May Day.

The president and the prelates: parody or parable?

The president and the prelates: parody or parable?
This should have been the April 1st column. You had me going. Perhaps believing this too quickly is an examination of conscience going the other way.  The Cardinal mentioning paycheck protection is merely being gracious. It will do nothing to mitigate the perception that Trump is an oaf. Anything Arroyo says is unworthy of mention and will not stop the GOP from a sudden attack of sanity if it were to dump Trump.

Paycheck protection may move the needle on the Blaine Amendment discussions, although a lawsuit challenging them directly would be necessary to overturn them. Until the matter of NEA representation is dealt with (and the recognition that their position on Roe is immaterial to the legality of abortion), the question of direct funding will likely stay moot. Indeed, until the GOP gets being increasing taxes to extend such funding, they are merely paying lip service to the issue. The issue is the GOP as a whole, Trump is simply the extreme example.

Review: Cathleen Kaveny's book 'Ethics at the Edges of Law'

Review: Cathleen Kaveny's book 'Ethics at the Edges of Law,' Part 1
The Cultural Bias (Grid/Group) Theory of Mary Douglass and Aaron Wildavsky, and the work within that theory in the area of religion by Elaine Pagels, would also be useful in this analysis.

There is more than one cultural perspective to look at Christian ethics, American law and their intersection. The four basic cultures are authority (rules over individuals), liberty (individuals over rules), hierarchy (rules over groups) and equality (groups over rules). The law must balance them all. Reviewing this volume in terms of the cultural biases of both the theologians and the law would be a useful exercise.

Authoritarian ethics are taught, not reasoned, with a single and unchangeable truth. Libertarians teach a right of conscience in both formation and application of ethics. Egalitarians see truth as pastoral and Church as the People of God. Hierarchist morality is divined by experts and is legalistic.

American law has a capitalist bias, which is part of an overall authoritarian bias. Even the most liberal judge and certainly all Supreme Court Justices, rule on economic questions within the capitalistic bias. Thus will continue until this bias is laid bare.

Over the last 65 years, the authoritarian and hierarchist social bias has given way to an egalitarian bias favoring individual rights. Shifting from authority to rights is implicit in the question of who makes these decisions.

State governance has an authoritarian bias and majoritarian bias. The national arena is able to hold local authority in check. There is no going back, especially when these biases are understood.  Questions between group rights and individual rights are still in flux, especially if questions of past and current authoritarianism are ignored. Ignoring bias is where conflict becomes impossible to breach.

Part 2

Hauerwas and Barth's Covenant is with the group. Covenants are an agreement rather than an imposition, which make them egalitarian. Calling them commandments is hierarchist unless we believe Jesus is both God an friend, as he said in his last discourse. Which approach to follow is up to us and our belief about the Church. Such questions also give background to look at Stout and MacIntyre  What it cannot be is authoritarian because it is about all of us.

Legal and moral theories which rescue a victim from authoritarian are the bread and butter of egalitarianism.  This gives us perspective in Outka and Farley. 

The law is about authority and process. It is something that advocates from both sides do not understand, which is why they are not taken seriously by legal analysts while allowing them to fundraise in good conscience. Only the advocates know how much they know about the nature of law, which is the difference between ignorance and fraud. In ethics, this is called invincible v. vincible ignorance. It is up to those who know to make this clear, especially in dealing with the USCCB Office of Pro-Life Activities.

Ramsey seems to be speaking to and for authoritarians in the Church. Where you see moral decisions based on fear, it means an Ogre is watching - either Ecclesial or Divine. The God we believe in is a reflection of ourselves. 

The law as pedagogy depends on what is being protected; authority or individuals. The law can be a blunt tool until this question is connected. Identity is the same kind of tool. It can be an egalitarian feature to affirm the group against authority. When it becomes hierarchist by asserting rules, it may or not be bad. 

Life in the days of SARS-CoVid-2, a egalitarian sense that we are all in this together enables hierarchy to help us with danger. It is when hierarchies put authority over truth that things begin to go wrong. 

Do we criminalize suicide because we can use this to require mental healthcare or because we fear the punishment of God? Again, it becomes a question of theology, which has more to do with how bishops and theologians see their authority than God (whom they hide behind). Culture lays this bare. Consumerism concerns are a consideration of equality. Sometimes, however, equality demands individual autonomy in the face of authority by clergy and doctors.

Consumerism is the safety valve of capitalists to protect the system (both personal authoritarians or professionalist hierarchs). It benefits individual consumers and workers as a class. In modern times, it is the capitalist bulwark against unionization and overproduction.

Divorce and remarriage raise the same concerns about authority. Are rules against remarriage designed to protect divorce as harm or do they continue the hurt of a harmful marriage? Kaspar, et al,  are close to the right question and its answer, but do not get there. 

Kaveny comes close to finding the right questions, but would benefit from using the tools Mary Douglass offers.

Links for 4/23/20

Links for 4/23/20
There are real reasons to argue with how this pandemic is being handled. Fox News being stupid casts doubts on any real concerns. Sadly, the Fox viewers like Laura's smug tones. She is a parody of herself. That the Susan B. Anthony Fund joins the stupidity is not shocking.

It is apocalyptic to not use apocalyptic language in some corners of the Church. How will they keep the peasants in line? Or their money?

That Trump punishes the poor and rewards the rich is no shock either. Nor is the abuse of women workers. Only donors get favors. Maybe now is the time for a different brand of apocalyptic language.

Crisis gives Biden his campaign theme: Champion the workers

Crisis gives Biden his campaign theme: Champion the workers
The key to winning is negative partisanship. Hitting Trump on his stupidity. Using his own words whenever possible, is the current message. This may work too well; so well that Pence is the nominee. A run against Pence is where to play the worker card. Protecting the middle class is already a main theme on his web page.

Links for 4/21/20

Links for 4/21/20
Trump likes to be the story. He is stupid enough to think it helps him. The decent thing would be to never ask him questions.

Trump's base likes to think they will not get sick and die of SARS-2. We need rest
antibody testing to see. Fauci is stalling. He is also wrong about building immunity when we are not sick. Trump voters are reacting to the implicit hierarchical tone of the experts. Part of cultural bias is that it is reflexive.

Rebuilding the economy requires senators more than vice presidents. If Trump does not make it until November, never-Trumpers go back to Pence; also pro-life Midwesterners.

Cuomo is a DINO on economics. He and Bill agree in pelvic issues. Rich people are getting richer, thanks to the labor of essential workers. It is the nature of Capitalism. The reactionary rich are not clueless; they simply don't care. They vote for Cuomo. Her Majesty does care (much more than James II).

Is the Francis pontificate in crisis? A response to Faggioli

Is the Francis pontificate in crisis? A response to Faggioli
Sarah is not yet 80 and Francis knows he will not live forever. He can only go so far so fast, especially when national conferences still lean toward reaction and obstruction. As for bringing in theologians, maybe. An outside voice would also be helpful. I am sure there is a Jesuit somewhere who fits the bill.

How to defeat Donald Trump? Be smart

How to defeat Donald Trump? Be smart
If Trump is still President after Trump v. Vance, which is before the Court on May 12th, then the only qualification required of Madam Vice President is a pulse. If Pence is the nominee, Warren is a non-starter with Republicans for Joe. He said he would also prefer someone who ran for president. If Pence is the nominee, Amy is the best choice. Kamala is too vocally pro-choice to keep the Blue Wall of 278 electoral votes intact. The Biden war room needs a Pence scenario. Not removing Trump makes Pence his sin eater
 This tactic kills two elephants with one stone. This race is likely all over but the ads.

Links for 4/16/20

Links for 4/16/20
Consumer culture exists to provide a better cage to stop workers from revolting against capitalists. Read more Marx. Whether social distancing helps or kicks the can down the road depends on whether carriers evolve into carriers if immunity. In that case, the unselfish action us to get sick, quarentine and recover.

How do you put Trump's name on an electronic deposit? No one who gets a hard check will vote for Trump, if they vote at all (especially if checks come late).

Corday's musings discount the incentive to stay home until minimum wages go up to exceed benefit levels. He also ignores (as do most economists) the very real possibility if profound inflation as more money chases a shrinking pool of goods and services.

Francis has not slowed down curial reform and the enhanced role of the Council of 8. Mire radical reform needs to wait until God uses SARS-2 (the little noticed new name of COVID-19) to thin the ranks of the St. John Paul bishops. He has already had and recovered from it.

Picking Abrams would be like picking Palin. Picking Warren would too. It would alienate the never-Trumpers who are not never-Pencers.  If the Midwest is important, Amy cuts off Pence at the knees. If Trump does make it through to the election, he cannot win. In that case, Kamala, a long-time friend of Joe, is the obvious choice.

Late-term abortion and trans bathrooms are settled issues and should be portrayed as such, thus showing why attention from the right is crass. The hard core social conservatives are hierarchists who will only vote for Trump unless SARS 2 gets them first. They also would never vote for a ticket with a woman on it.

In praise of bureaucracies -- in the government and church

In praise of bureaucracies -- in the government and church
Trump is an authoritarian, not a libertarian. He wants compliance. This gives permission to hierarchist to operate unchecked. Hierarchists speak with one voice, even when members believe the voice is wrong.

Hierarchies ignore facts and defend the authority of the leaders. Scaring medical personnel, who have likely acquired immunity, to keep wearing PPE, is part of that. So is holding back on antibody testing when doing so would end the authority to impose social distancing. Members who know better face group pressure and risk punishment if they tell the truth.

Eucharist is a celebration of unity in the community and between the individual and God. It's original practice in "the Way" was based on Shabatt and Seder, both of which were family, not priestly practice. The counterargument against going back to this practice, or not ordaining women, is an excuse, not a reason.  Punishing priests who argue is the same organizational pathology.

Arguing from authority is a logical fallacy. Defending the organization is about what is licit, not what is valid or necessary. At home Eucharist would be a good thing in the time of SARS-2 (nee COVID 19). For the Church, ordaining women is a good thing for the group. Leadership objections based in self protection do not negate this.

Links for 4/14/20

Links for 4/14/20
Sandel is mixing his meritocratic experts, like Fauci, with the uber speculators who get ahead by taking advantage rather than merit. His egalitarian impulse is spot on. Hopefully Biden will remember he is of Main Street, not Wall Street. If he bans Larry Summers from the White House, we have a chance. In the short term, we will need a higher minimum wage to get people back to work. In the long term, employee ownership is both necessary and inevitable. We need more than just European social democracy, which simply gives workers a nicer cage.

Putting Warren on the ticket risks losing the Midwest by running two Easterners. She would keep the Never-Trumpers, who are already with Joe, home. Also, her staff are true believers who don't listen to outside ideas. The NTs will support Pence if Trump is shown the door to save the GOP from oblivion.

Jacobson only applies if a SARS vaccine is engineered. So far, no luck. The best immunity is still getting sick and recovering.

If Trump is still on the ballot, even voter suppression cannot help him. About now, Putin's hands are too full as COVID flourishes in his country to manipulate ours. Governors, even GOP governors, will remember in November.

The advantage of increased UI is continued liquidity. The problem is the risk of hyperinflation. If it starts here, it will become a contagion everywhere.

From darkness to light when all is dark

From darkness to light when all is dark
MSW is correct, Jesus did have it coming. He had been told by his mother of the miracles surrounding his birth (and she cherished all these memories and held them in her heart).

He had done everything right. He had even forgiven his torturers. All day, people had been mocking him, saying he should be able to save himself. Some part of him must have hoped that the Father would, in fact, save him from death. At the end, he rejected his own origins in giving care if his mother to John, his nephew (son of Mary Salome, wife of Zebedee and his sister), putting a dagger through her heart.

He gave up his mission and hope of resurrection. He said nothing about having John get the band back together, that he would return and establish his kingdom. At this point, he was empty. His faith in himself was gone and, like Job, he rages at God. Even then,  when he said he was thirsty for the wine that he promised not to drink, some thought God would save him. God did not, but in an act of faith, he drank the wine, commended his spirit to God, quit resisting his torture and died.

In the end, only the Centurion, whose daughter Jesus had raised from the dead and whose words we recite when we take communion, believed that Jesus was the son of God. Later, his men witnessed, but never witnessed to, the resurrection. Had they done so, Rome might have fled. He could have appeared to Pilate. He did not. In the end, Rome won, destroying Jerusalem, coopting the Church and adding its male asexual ideal to our morality, further ruining it.

His disciples believed he would restore Israel as he was about to ascend to his Father. Paul thought he would return at any moment and John of Patmos thought Israel would be restored with Christ at the head.

Every generation has thought Jesus returning any day now. We are out of Popes on Malachy's list (which many in the Curia put faith in), so now must be the time. Evangelicals and Trads for Trump believe he will be used by Christ to bring forward the new era. So far, no Rapture.

In these times, doctors and nurses endeavor to save every COVID patient, seeing their death as a loss. They are not resurrection people.

We are the witnesses, even in a Church where darkness still reigns in its treatment of women, whom Richard Dawkins continues to mock.

Still, we believe in the victory of Christ over his death, our own and the victims of COVID/SARS. On Easter, we boldly sing that we believe our redeemed lives and on the last day, we shall rise again. This is the song that moves me to tears. May we all be able to sing it before the season ends.

Good Friday: Look and see if there be any sorrow like unto my sorrow!

Good Friday: Look and see if there be any sorrow like unto my sorrow!
The cross is not a punishment, it is a bridge to our existing suffering and an example that has been emulated through the ages by the Holy Martyrs. It is a statement of the humility of the Godhead. God has no needs from us. It is we who have need of God. The humble majesty of God is that He has no need for our worship. This is what makes the Trinity worthy of worship. By giving himself to us without reservation, Jesus removes the tragedy from death and from the self-obsession so common in our faith life. His heart is humble, as is the heart of the Father. That we resist this is the tragedy of the age.

Holy Thursday during a pandemic

Holy Thursday during a pandemic
Fauci wants to abolish shaking hands as the new normal. Like the Church, he is overstepping.

Eucharist started within the context of Seder and Shabbat. Rabbis are not required. Perhaps we should begin to ignore the ban on doing as he did in our own homes; excommunication or not. We can still wash each other's feet. If priests truly appreciated the symbolism of the act, there could be no hierarchical clergy. We can certainly sing religious songs.

The Last Discourse could certainly be read in homes. In doing so, we may come to an even more radical conclusion: that the obedience God seeks from us is not the condemnation of personal sin, especially sins by others, but the propogation of Love in terms of accepting others as they are. This would be more radical than a DIY Eucharistic Prayer.

Links for 4/7/20

Links for 4/7/20
Reactionaries always speak to populist resentment against change. They are waning because they won the last round. They will go stale without change to resist. This is why Marxism never wins at the ballot box. Workers are never woke.  On the other side, Reno is a germ best ignored. Also reactionary bishops.

Germany us whistling in the dark. The only cure for COVID is to get sick and survive.

If Cozier does not retire, he will get a star come January. Also expect a minimum wage hike. Both things will fire up the reactionaries.

Time for the Dems to earn the hatred of the wealthy and connected

Time for the Dems to earn the hatred of the wealthy and connected
Jackson and Wilson were real ogres. Being woke is the penance of the Democrats. FDR triangulated the socialists into the fringes by embracing social democracy. The rich objected publicly but went along because real control of industry by workers was becoming popular. The latter will never be imposed publicly. It must win, company by company.

$100,000 a year is not rich. It is not even upper middle class. Being rich, which means living off of assets more than labor, takes an income of $500,000 a year.  Enacting an asset value added tax is the way to bring about socialism by zero rating sales to ESOPs and COOPs. This will only happen if the rich see something in it for them. They will if they realize that their kids will pay for the lost revenue the GOP has engineered.

If Joe goes with tax reform, his never-Trump supporters will go along. Ideally, SALT will stay repealed in a stripped-down salary surtax, if only because state income taxes will go away entirely. The rich and upper-middle are leaving the GOP in record numbers because it has embraced the racism of Wilson and the unwokeness of Limbaugh. Let it die. Any Sanders break away social populist wing will also be woke. Being woke is now the main stream.

History warns us: Crises like COVID-19 can give rise to great evil

History warns us: Crises like COVID-19 can give rise to great evil
Nothing is more dangerous than a mono-culture based on fear. When egalitarians, who enforce compliance by excommunication, become accepting of despots and hierarchs, those libertarians who resist can quickly be demonized. It is enough to not wear a mask to be considered evil.

Fear does not yield to truth easily. The latest fear is that there may be no immunity, that like every other Coronavirus (which includes rhinovirus - the commin cold), COVID 19 will not leave others immune. That the person cautioning us that immunity is possible is usually seen as an idiot does not help matters.

Worse, now that people are getting money to buy an ever-decreasing supply of goods and labor, hyperinflation could result, keeping fear alive. Unless the medical hierarchs get behind the concept that people getting well is a good thing, the ride could get very bumpy. Hierarchs, who compare COVID to Ebola, don't like to admit error. Not a good thing.

Links for 4/2/20

Links for 4/2/20
Despotic/Authoritarian culture is endemic in science deniers. Opposing them takes courage in some quarters of the Church. So is using humor. Jesus was good at humor, although Scripture rarely conveys his sense of irony. Despots have no sense of humor, so self-criticism is beyond them. The best way to deal with despots is to ignore them. They hate that (especially Trump and Rev. Jerry, Jr.). Sadly, their followers keep them happy in exchange for not having to face their fears.  They do not see that the joke is on them.

Pandemic crisis reveals impoverished understanding of solidarity

Pandemic crisis reveals impoverished understanding of solidarity
Ideology is the poster child for culture. I wrote about the culture of Covid-19 a few weeks ago. Libertarians are not all bad. They will even bankroll the cure, although getting sick is still the best one. Hiding old people prior to the virus would also help. Warehousing them has made their immune systems fragile.

There is better way to tax dividends and capital gains. An asset value added tax would be paid using after tax money. In combination with a salary tax in one side and an invoice tax in the other, a fairly high effective rate could be achieved.

The key to enacting this is to convince rich people that it is their children who are going to pay their debt to the nation. Having them do so is not just to raise money for better social democracy. It is preventing them from looting worker paychecks to earn that bonus. If the government taxes away the bonus, wages will be higher for everyone.

A higher unemployment payment means a higher wage later. It may also lead to hyperinflation now, as more money seeks a decreasing supply of goods and labor. Finding a cure fast, or at least not caving in to the new morality of social distancing, may prevent something worse than the consequences of making old people immunologically fragile. That imposed fragility is why they are dying. It is too late to help them now.

The ultimate solidarity is everyone getting sick so that they will all get well, but the doctors will never accept it. Knowing why is what makes culture a better study than ideology or theology.