Links: Great obituary for a great priest

Links: Great obituary for a great priest 

First Things is best ignored, except as a barometer of how wrong the bishops who have sold their offices to the Republican Party are.

Gohmert is a barometer of crazy in the GOP. He also does not know that Pence certifies only Vice Presidential Elector votes. Corruptly calling himself the winner is more then even Pence would do.

May Fr. Foster's memory be a blessing.

After this year, we need a good laugh. It is wonderful graffiti.

Trump loyalists, when compelled to testify, will face the decision to fall on their swords by not testifying, lying or telling the truth. Two out of three are after pardon crimes. Regardless, punishing Trump criminally is not as much fun as his creditors picking over the bones of Trumpworld, with the SDNY taking the rest. Nothing is ignored as surely as financial failure.

If all of high Church Christianity gets one selection, the Cathedral tops the list. I used to live across from the Cathedral and would sit on my stoup and watch it catch the evening light. It holds Mass every week and Ecumenical Patriarch Melios recognizes Canterbury as having valid orders, regardless of the objections of the Western Patriarch. Wanting an explicitly Catholic site is simply identity politics. The Catholic site I would add to the list is the Mission Church with the miracle spiral staircase. It exists with no external support. No one ever caught the name of the carpenter who built it, but it is reputed to be someone named Joseph.

Sadly for the heroes of 1991, Russia has descended into an autocracy led by a KGB colonel. Trump wants to be him. I suspect that Vlad will lose patience with the Donald because the sanctions are still in place and cannot be lifted unilaterally.

Looking back at 2020 in the life of the church in the US

Looking back at 2020 in the life of the church in the US  

The Catholic News Agency, which is fringe, is not to be confused with the Catholic News Service, which is the official propaganda arm of the USCCB. That they sew confusion deliberately with a similar name is all one needs to know about them. The Knights have also become Republican Fringe. God bless Cardinal Wilton Gregory for rebuking their allegiance to Trump's authoritarianism. 

Bishops who spoke out against Biden on abortion are either partisan or ignorant of American constitutional law. They feel they have nothing to lose and are retired in grade unless they can hold out longer than the Holy Father. It is now up to Biden to speak for all Catholic Democrats by educating, and if necessary, rebuking them on this issue. 

Cardinal Advisor Sean O'Malley should have words with them as well for their partisanship, which Francis has mourned. The Pope's answer to the renegades is not to utter condemnations, it is subtly ending the very concept of the Magisterium. This is in keeping with a true natural law approach - one that does not commit the fallacy of appeal to authority.No wonder the Stoics, who seek certainty, are perturbed. 

Links: Governors response to coronavirus, Trump's last-minute deals, cancel culture

Links: Governors response to coronavirus, Trump's last-minute deals, cancel culture 

Larry Hogan is not your stereotypical Republican Governor. There are plenty of bad apples in his party with an affinity for libertarian money.

The Saudi deal is the carrot for joining the movement to screw over Palestinians.

The Puritans prospered less in Plymouth than in the Netherlands. Their religious concern was the trend toward Catholic worship styles in the Anglican Church. Once you start equating your opponents with the devil, all kinds of strange things happen. 

The Cancel Culture is alive and well on the right, both among neo-conservative zionists and the pro-life/states rights movement.

Praise God that neither Chaput nor Vigano' were not named Catholic newsmaker of the year, but not for lack of trying.

American political triangulates between ethnic voters, the white working class and the upper-middle class and the wealthy. Two out of three wins elections. Unless Biden can do something about wealth distribution among Whites, they will ignore any attempt at social democracy, however lame.

The Nativity story sets the stage for Mary's role in our Lord's passion and death. It also shows how the Church has never met a holiday it has not tried to coopt, although the commercial class has done its part too. Better stuff keeps revolutionaries (like me) at bay.

A look back at 2020 in politics

A look back at 2020 in politics 

The tragedy of 2020 is that it was about Trump. Had Schumer & Company really wanted Trump out, they would have followed the money straight from Putin through the Trump Super PAC to Senate campaign committees. Trump would have been pushed to resign, not tried by the Senate. Instead, it was hoped that embarrassing Trump would cause a Blue Wave. It did not. The Lincoln Project got Trump, but not the GOP as a whole. 

A White House staff that was interested in governing rather than pleasing Trump and focussing on the CDC message may have looked more critically at the medical issues. The CDC ignored cold or "allergy" symptoms and now it is too late to stop the spread. Anyone vulnerable has been exposed and many more will die. As for shutdowns, Trump has no authority in that area. States with no virus were encouraged to shutdown. This was also a huge mistake that any other White House would have caught.

Defunding the police is a bad slogan to do anything but unite the Left, which had been racially balkanized. There no Black Bernie Bros. Only time will tell if unity is durable. As a policy matter, until we face the need to force people into longer term mental health and addiction care, with automatic rehospitalization for treatment non-compliance, the police are not going anywhere.

Biden won the nomination based on his relationships, not money, organization or strategy. Iowa and New Hampshire are too into the new and different. Their events have outlived their usefulness. Just ask President Huckabee. It took Joe being VP to master this lesson. Let us see if Kamala does.

The only thing that will separate Trump from his supporters is his upcoming financial failure. Then we will have Trump amnesia in the GOP. Let us hope that Trump's failures cure the nation of its fascination with business success. Unless Biden can radicalize the White working class to reject capitalism, it won't happen. It is not his style.

Pope Francis' great Christmas gift to us all

Pope Francis' great Christmas gift to us all 

Christmas is all about fellowship. It is why we sing carols at Mass on Christmas Eve and during the Octave. It is also about standing with each other, and Christ, against the darkness of Midwinter. Just because the Church co-opted Yule the need for merriment has not ended with an hour or two of Liturgy. Francis gives us that, as well as the social message of the Magnificat. I may need to add a few copies for self, friends and family. His words harken back to St. Paul VI, if you want peace - work for justice. That is what is needed for all sides in our current broken-hearted polity. Francis reminds us that if we want justice, we must seek peace. They are two sides of the same coin.

Links: Homelessness, Georgia runoff elections, vaccines and zealots

Links: Homelessness, Georgia runoff elections, vaccines and zealots 

The bill has been passed. The problem for some families is that they thought a moratorium was forgiveness, not a debt to be paid later. That said, the bill passed because landlords were feeling the heat, especially Mnuchin.

In person voting in the Atlanta area needs to match the decline in mail-in voting. Hopefully this means that the pandemic is less of a problem in Georgia. People are likely focusing on either Christmas or the pandemic right now. Elections will wait until after Christmas.

In secret ballot on energy policy, lobbyists get a vote. They don't vote for AOC.

That eastern German police officers spout NAZI garbage is not news. ANTIFA sounds not so fringe anymore.

Fetal tissue is often donated post-miscarriage, not just post-abortion. The scruples of the pro-life movement are for consistency, as in some of these bishops are consistently GOP.

Too bad, when they come back to work, that cinema employees cannot unionize. AMC is very top heavy on payroll. We need to get more high school students into the union movement. McDonalds too.

May I suggest Chartreuse as a marinade and basting solution for roast Christmas lamb? Oh God, most good, most great!

COVID-19 and Christmas: Have a pro-life Christmas

COVID-19 and Christmas: Have a pro-life Christmas 

The Cardinal was correct in asserting his right to open Churches. He did not abuse that right. Mass is available by reservation only in my parish. It will be interesting to see people who don't pay attention to Catholic media show up and find they cannot get in. Expect arguments. Mass without music is familiar to those who are accustomed to alter boys and weekend restaurant workers. Welcome to our world. 

Believing in science is code for believing in scientists. Sadly, when government scientists are wrong, they are loathe to implement new research in fashioning recommendations and modern health systems always follow CDC guidance. This is grating on people who resist arbitrary government action. They have a point. Those of us who have had the virus should be allowed to not get a vaccine for society to reopen. We have immunity.

Whether someone has had COVID is indicated by extreme fatigue symptoms. Many who have had bronchitis may not notice them. If they were proceeded by a week of no symptoms following a week of seasonal allergies, then MSW had the virus and need not fear it or waste a dose of vaccine that could go to others. Not wanting to believe one has had COVID is a matter of psychology, not biology. Having COVID is seen as being stricken by God. Attributing early nasal symptoms to seasonal allergies is part of that reaction. The CDC did not want to minimize the virus by calling it a cold.  It is why hundreds of thousands of people are dying nationwide (not because they did not wear masks.

Christmas is celebrated at Yule to Catholicize the bacchanalia associated with the natural reaction to the dark. Midnight Mass often includes more than a few drinks afterwards. This year, people will be drinking alone. Online AA marathons are there for those who wish to avoid this. Newcomers are always welcome, even after a few drinks. AA is in the phone book and online at aa.org, with links to both online meetings and local groups.

Will Republicans work with Biden? Probably not.

Will Republicans work with Biden? Probably not. 

Republicans love to grandstand. All Senators do, especially Chuck Schumer. For Biden to succeed in passing his program, he needs leaders in both parties who want to use the Senate for something other than seeking electoral advantage. The House can be taken for granted because there is no benefit from Pelosi and the White House agreeing on issue. 

The action will be between the White House and the Republican leader. The next House would be the Greek Chorus in our national drama. Expect transition in leadership in the next few years.

Will McConnell have the moral courage to do deals with Biden or continue to obstruct. Why did he obstruct Obama? Was it partisanship or personal animus (or both)? Will he be able to deliver his own caucus to any deal with Biden? We will know soon, although it may be better to have Senator Thune become the voice of the Republican Senators. They need a new look.

Links: 'Deep state' heroes, Trump still whining, identity politics

Links: 'Deep state' heroes, Trump still whining, identity politics 

Government is where science meets order. Of course, the person who developed the model for that vaccine was considered an outcast, not a member of the team. She is profiled on CNN today. Government science missed the whole "seasonal allergies" vehicle for spread. Solidarity as an organizational form is different, not better or worse,depending on people unwilling to go with the flow.

Trump believes in solidarity, as long as it is around him. He is correct about the fact that he has become the movement. Thanks to the Never-Trumpers, he will soon be out of our hair.

Black identity and Catholic identity are a matter of perspective, although Catholic identity does not really exist anymore. There is no distinctly Catholic vote. Our success in assimilation ends our group cohesion. White working class identification is as strong as any other - all it takes is a sense of grievance. Until the grievance is aimed at Capital, it will win. Being rich is an identity all its own.

It used to be that the Bishops were the masters of Catholic identity. Gratefully, those days are over. Especially for Burke and Chaput.

Sometimes Gov. Granholm be a bit too partisan. It will be interesting to see how she fits in her new role.

The GOP is not broken, only bruised. It will heal when it becomes clear that what is reported about him is not "Fake News." The line will then be "Donald, who?"  for all but the crazy few.

Burke is one of the crazy few. I wonder what he really thinks of Pope Emeritus Benedict's economics? It is not so different that what Bernie Sanders advocates. Both are essentially social democrats. Materialism gets a bad rap. It simply means that faith is a community thing, not an object of science. The Church, on the other hand, is correctly examined using the tools of social theory.

The evangelical-Catholic alliance becomes a conspiracy theory carnival

The evangelical-Catholic alliance becomes a conspiracy theory carnival 

This was the last hurrah for Donald Trump and his supporters and the organizing moment of the opposition to our new President. This movement will be as strong as its donors, who fear higher taxes more than God. That the fight to keep the presidency will most likely fund Trump's lifestyle will not go unnoticed. Much of it will likely go to pay Trump's fines and asset seizures. I wonder what the marchers will think of that?

Links: Democracy in the church, race and politics, Beethoven's 250th birthday

Links: Democracy in the church, race and politics, Beethoven's 250th birthday 

There is laity and there is laity. Married Deacons with vows of obedience to their parish, of either gender and any gender identity and no promise of continence or celibacy could, along with pastors, elect bishops, who would elect Metropolitans, who elect Patriarchs, who elect the Ecumenical Patriarch at Washington would replicate the democracy of the early Church. Until then, I trust our Cardinal Advisor more than the Nuncio.

There has been much criticism of the recent spate of executions. Whether this is because of the upcoming transition or a policy process at DOJ will be known when the history of this administration is written. There are political theory reasons to execute the dangerous. Theology has no business in this area.

Two districts that did not go as expected is normal variance for 435 districts. Race does have to do with gerrymandering. It will also have an effect on boundaries drawn by non-partisan commissions which respect political boundaries. Class is as important as race - and racial divisions damage class identity among workers.

I would add judges to the list. Most are technocrats, not ideologues. There is also more comity behind the scenes in Congress than the public sees, although they do put on a good show (or a bad one). Schumer, Nadler and Schiff took a dive on impeachment. There was plenty of evidence of a financial trail from Moscow to the Trump Super PAC. It was deliberately left out - mostly because having Pence as President was not seen as an improvement. For all we know, he may have been pulling the strings the entire presidency. This is also something we will not know until the history books are written.

The real lesson history teaches about authoritarianism is that it cannot last, especially when a middle class is created. It will eventually start to grow tired of Communist rule in China. Russia too.

Trump acolytes are desperate enough to want a billionaire to save them. They are also very partisan. A bit of "cultural conservatism" also lurks below the surface. The white working class does not seek government help, at least not the men. The alternative for them is more cooperation rather than more government. Better cash and prizes work where radicalization will not,

We have had working second ladies before. Marilyn Quayle was a high powered lawyer. She likely still is. Hopefully the new team will get the same treatment.

Rediscovering expectancy this Advent

Rediscovering expectancy this Advent 

The Jews were expecting an end to tyranny, while their leaders were cooperating with it. All I wanted for Christmas was the same thing. It is fitting that today, the electoral college votes and the votes are counted on Epiphany. Consumption is the antidote for capitalism. The workers spend some of their money making up for the tyranny of the workplace. 

Unless Congress steps in, many won't even have that this Christmas. Those of us who already had the virus have something to be grateful for this year. The vaccine provides hope for those who have not. Francis is a gift as well. When he talks about we and our, he is speaking to and with us - not of himself. 

Many who have recovered from addiction will have dark days this year, because we are under quarantine and many in-person recovery meetings have moved to Zoom. Whether remote recovery helps or hurts newcomers is yet to be seen. The darkness affects all. We all need a bit of merriment this time of year to overcome it. 

Christ is the light for believers, but mainly because we celebrate together. That will be harder when Mass requires advance registration and we cannot zoom in. Finding Christ will be an individual adventure this year. Until then, we must keep the Yule fires burning and be that light for each other. That should be the plan anyway.

It's time to end the Electoral College

It's time to end the Electoral College 

No, it's not. It's time to end the Curia and papal appointment of bishops. Ending the Electoral College means ending the Senate and the Presidency, letting the Speaker become head of state and government. Keeping the presidency without the Senate is like the French system. 

Dispensing with the presidency means being Britain.  Pelosi would be our current leader. We would have just ended the Paul Ryan administration. Before that, Boehner. Hastert shut down all minority rights to create a coalition of the minority and a portion of the majority outside leadership. The word you are looking for is tyranny,

This nation had government by Speaker in the late nineteenth century. What started as the Republicans turned into government by Wall Street. The Senate existed as an industrial house, because industries would essential buy Senators by contributing to state legislative campaigns.

Our real problem is that the nation is too big to govern. The White House staff, when functioning other than a collection of court jesters, has an out sized influence on anything the President is not working. Our incompetent President with a collection of jesters, including the Vice President, is an aberration. When I was an undergraduate taking Civil Liberties, I learned the standard phrase. Hard cases make bad law. This is one of those cases.

Regional government is a better answer than ending the EC and Senate. To avoid large state domination, a Senate and Electoral College selecting regional vice presidents would be an essential feature. Regions would run all domestic large government functions like highways, water quality, domestic military bases (but not the missile sites), retirement security, etc. Civil and workers rights, aviation safety, environmental enforcement, printing money, economic analysis, space exploration, diplomacy and strategic and overseas military affairs would remain national. 

If regions want more government, they could pay higher taxes. If they want less, they pay lower taxes. The bread basket would be its own region - from Washington to Wisconsin in the north to Kansas and Missouri in the south. There is more detail and a map if you are interested in a model. Nothing less would cure what ails us. 

The only constitutional amendments required would be allowing a regional value added tax and having regions elect their own RVP. Ultimately, the RVPs and each regional house and senate would each have a vote to elect the President and Vice President. We would need an amendment for that too. Donald Trump would have never have been elected. The main Trump dysfunction, however, was that Vice President Pence has no moral courage. 

Trumpism, however, will not last. Once his creditors make it clear that his wealth was a mirage, his voters will flee and forget they ever knew him. In the end, his administration will be a footnote in American history. It will hardly merit a page, maybe two. Look in current books about the Harding Administration. History does not say much about failures, which is a pity. It is why we relive it every so often. Even today, the Texas case does not get top billing on SCOTUS Blog. 

Links 2: The Crisis of American Democracy

This essay continues today's link to Fr. Drew Christiansen's essay, The Crisis of American Democracy.

The biggest missing in Christian's essay is not saying the word "capitalism." It includes the progressive and radical roots of the Grand Old Party. His essay merits an independent review. 

Any examination of Catholic education must also address both the Catholic ghetto, the golden years of Catholic supremacy in culture and the reaction of women to a Church that would not change to include them. The review also glosses over the fact that the goal of public education was to not educate non-whites so that they can remain a servant class. Welfare reform seems to have the same goal. 

I cannot argue with condemning reality TV. It was a reprise of the sexual revolution. We are now back in the world of the variety show.Trump is a Reagan redux, without the intelligence of Reagan, but with all the flawed economics. Purging the myth that speculation is investment is job one in defeating the neo-liberalism which infects both parties. The GND is just a social democratic band-aid. 

Voter suppression goes back to reconstruction Until White and Brown people find common ground, capitalism will use differences - especially those on sexuality and race - to forestall reform. This trend goes back to Edmund Burke. Oddly, voter suppression measures allow Congress to target states outside of the South for a new list of states requiring prior review of all procedural changes. Citizens United is a powerful tool in the hands of capitalists - it will also be one in the hands of cooperatives to defeat capitalism. Let us not be hasty in abandoning a useful tool against authority and patriarchy.

The current constitutional problem is the ineptitude of McConnell. The job of Majority Leader is to find compromise, not stop action. One of the great debates in the political science profession is whether this brake is a feature or a flaw. The Senate is a must to have a President, otherwise the Speaker could be head of state and government. The problem is the size of the nation. Regional governance demands bicameralism, lest California, Texas and New York dominate their regions,

The elections were a mixed bag. Schumer overplayed his hand. He would probably be as bad as Reid and McConnell in avoiding compromise. The big takeaway is that the Never-Trumpers won. I'll take it. Mitch is his own worst enemy. Three members could pull a Specter if he does not behave. Also, God may have something to do with it. There are two older Senators who have Democratic Governors and one is from Kentucky.

Once Trump is broke - and the writing is on the wall, the GOP will drop the Trump family like they dropped the Bushes. The saddest reality for them is that Mitt chose 2012 to run, rather than 2016. The prosperity gospel GOP would pick him over Trump any day and twice on Sunday.

Surveys show that American voters have a rather dim view of the basic rights of their fellows. Some of these are priests and bishops. We still have the federal courts. Most of the judges are professional, not partisan. Legislators go both ways. Fear of the Koch brothers (one of whom is gone) dominated the GOP. Their influence has waned in the age of Trump.

Links: Going big on climate change, going bonkers on Trump

Links: Going big on climate change, going bonkers on Trump 

The crisis is showing the cracks in the economy. There are lessons to be learned, but first people need to pay their rent (and not blow their rent money on other things because there is a moratorium. There is massive inequality and the pandemic rubbed our faces in it. Will we remember? Good question. Will we even listen to new solutions? Better question and less likely. A carbon tax will not fix everything. Reform must be bigger than that. Green-washing capitalism does not remove its stink.

Of late, I have seen conservatives on Twitter including their Parler IDs. Mostly, they are parlor pinks.

Trump's attempts to overturn the election never had hope, but they are a tremendous opportunity to grift. White Evangelicals falling for grifters is a centuries old phenomenon in the United States. Advent and revelation, however, are two sides of the same story - that the world will change in the Lord, but to make all things new, we must become the new creation. Simply purple-washing at Advent is not the same thing.

Universities harbor fringe on both sides. I lived at CUA and used the library, but I was never a student there. For every Dennis Coyle you have to deal with a George Weigel. Dennis can explain why the cultural biases on why some resist the administrative state - as well as how culture has impacted the response to the pandemic (from both sides). 

Solidarity is not enough to overcome a flawed model of how the disease progresses and is spread and calls for solidarity always trigger the libertarian gag reflex. A balanced society, and to be healthy there must be balance, requires the existence of both of these cultures. Until we can merge community with liberty - hierarchy and CEO despotism will win.

The GOP's Trump problem is borne of the desperation of the White working class and their inability to find common ground with people who do not look or love like them. Trump was their savior. They wanted to be like him. It will take a lot for them to realize that the Trumps are two bit grifters whose brand is not based in reality. Once Trump's creditors, the SDNY, NYS and NYC get done picking over the bones of the Trump organization, most Republicans will say "Donald who?" 

The essence of our new advent must be to bring about a future for the woke and the unwoke - one that both sides can own rather than depend on. We need cooperation. Solidarity and liberty must exist in equal measure.

The biggest missing in Christian's essay is not saying the word "capitalism." It includes the progressive and radical roots of the Grand Old Party. His essay merits an independent review. See part 2 of today's column.

American Viganò: Archbishop Chaput divides episcopacy even in retirement

 American Viganò: Archbishop Chaput divides episcopacy even in retirement

If Joe Biden were an avid pro-lifer and sought to ban abortion, he could do no more than Trump did. This is not a question for politicians. Abortion will never be considered infanticide, because to do so, the government must investigate and punish it in the same way. Selective enforcement would violate the due process rights of doctors and women. Empowering the police to investigate is a bridge the pro-life movement will not cross - which means they are pro-choice as well. 

The Court cannot "kick the matter back to the states" because doing so would kick all such matters back to the states - resulting in tyranny of the majority. The Court will not do that. 

Give up the nightmare of police power against women. 

Police power against women would be the same thing as using it against both slaves and freemen, as well as opponents of slavery and segregation.Indeed, before Roe, those who believed in legal abortion were persecuted for their beliefs. This is also tyranny. It was also the 1950s heyday of Church power. This was not a golden age. It was conformity, not faith.

The hierarchy cannot complain. Dignitatis Humanae implies that civil government, in either Catholic or non-Catholic nations, cannot force doctrine on the polity. As appointees of the Vatican, bishops using Communion to impose unconstitutional doctrine on Catholic politicians amounts to sedition. It is not a crime under law, but it is still reality. Biden owes it to us all to note that fact to the Nuncio. It is not Biden who must conform his conduct to canon law. It is the bishops who must.

I am not sure which is worse, the bishops offering a constitutional theory that is simply wrong due to ignorance or due to partisanship. The latter is calumny against all Democratic politicians. Holding a correct view of constitutional law cannot be a sin. Period. What is a sin is prostituting the Church to the Republican Party. As for Chaput and Vigano', they are best ignored. Their views are only important if reported on. Don't give them the satisfaction.

Links: Happy feast, Scrooge, inviting them in

Links: Happy feast, Scrooge, inviting them in 

McConnell is about to bow to the inevitable. Too much of his caucus has gotten on board behind the moderates. Now the challenge is to fashion a majority that can override a Trump veto. Sooner is better than later, because a pocket veto could be an issue if they wait too long.

It is a good idea to stop calling people out of instances of impurity from the past. This type of thing undid Al Franken. It is counter-productive. I wrote a column last January about focusing on White privilege as counter-productive in bringing out a rejection of the excesses of capitalism, rather than using Trumpists as useful idiots to keep economic privilege in place. Of course, talking about white privilege at Smith would lead to blank stares, so the irony is thick.

The election showed that suburban Republicans have rejected Trumpism, but not Republican ideology as a whole. This is why the GOP did well down-ballot. Usually when polls go wrong, it is because they underestimate the effect of income distribution and beliefs. This was especially true this year. 

On astrology v. astronomy - astrology is about human relationships, not cosmology. Paganism uses human archetypes to create the gods. It did not go the other way. The myth that the shifting the Latino vote will protect the Democrats from their neo-liberalism is akin the corrupting paganism by adding fidelity to the Emperor.

Tataryn is attacking right-wing populism. It is an easy position to take, especially from the cheap seats in the Great White North. Trump is a caricature and COVID is not out of control because reality is being denied by the masses. Rather, it is because the medical model of how the virus spreads is flawed. It spreads like a cold, not like Ebola.

I could not care less about Florentine soccer stadiums. I am more concerned in how clubs are owned by plutocrats. Giving cities a piece of the action on every team would solve the issue.

MSW should re-read Chapp's column. Quoting a column which begins with Medieval fairy tales while poo-pooing astrology is strange indeed. That Chapp cites the Register should be dead give-away that things were going to do down from the there. He contends that abuse was caused by Vatican II and gay clergy. The reality is that the rot in the Church started with its acceptance of the asexual ideal in the fourth century. Ordaining women would solve this. I don't think Chapp would agree. 

Act V of the Trump presidency is not pretty

Act V of the Trump presidency is not pretty 

Mike Pence is still the sin eater for President Trump, as are those pro-life Catholics who followed Trump down into the rabbit hole - and the bishops who goaded them to do it. Tragedy sullies all.

Ideologues on the court threaten the nation's health

Ideologues on the court threaten the nation's health 

This is a decision on who gets to decide about the Church opening it's doors wider. It is in line with the principles of Hosana-Tabor. In for a penny, in for a pound. 

Had the decision been about whether the doors were open and Mass attendance were mandated, I would go the other way. This decision allows the diocese and the faithful to decide the issue for themselves. Civil authorities were treating Churches as more dangerous than other gathering. There was no rational basis for doing so. 

COVID fear should not give government power over institutions where spread is unlikely. It does not mandate allowing someone with symptoms to go to Mass, no matter what. That would be taking liberty too far. 

Asymptomatic spread, in reality, happens after someone has already been sick with nasal symptoms. No one is going to die because of this ruling. They are dying because the CDC got the spread model wrong. That would not be in the competence of the Court to decide. Individuals should still be able to. Mandating fear over science is also a bridge too far.

How this case affects a future Title VII case is unclear. The Civil Rights Act has language about religious accommodations. Expanding those to allow the Church to continue firing teachers is a grant of religious power. That would be unacceptable, as would a decision to allow the Church to dismiss an employee from using contraception. 

In the long-term, President Biden will likely be replacing Justice Thomas in this term. Ideological balance forever is not an issue. 

Links: Profiles in courage, pornography floods Parler

Links: Profiles in courage, pornography floods Parler 

The Occam's Razor answer is right in front of us on McConnell. He actually believes in what Trump stands for. Remember, he obstructed Obama, probably for the same reason.

Porn at Parlor? I needed a good laugh this morning.

Obama playing to the Center? Who would have guessed? No one has said the obvious about defund the police. To make it work, mandatory long-term treatment for mental illness and addiction needs to come back. The police would not mind losing mental health from their mission. Right now, they have no choice. Adequate mental health facilities cost more than jail.

Melania may have had a moment of impatience. She does more on policy than has been widely reported. It is in bad taste for Stephanie to report her words.

MAD has not been policy since the bishops convinced Reagan not to target civilians with nuclear weapons. Star Wars budget requirement brought down the Soviets. The ABM Treaty has been dead for a while.

Kids who go to Ivy League schools often have connects anyway. The ability to make them is a much needed skill. It is why extracurricular activities are important in any college experience. Connections only get you so far. Of course, I went to a ranked graduate school in my field, so I cannot say it did not help at first - but what mattered was what I learned, not my internship.

The ultimate connection is reputation. It is how we get on TV and radio.

Pope Francis challenges the Catholic left

Pope Francis challenges the Catholic left 

and the Catholic left challenges Francis. The spirit of prophesy is not found in community. It is an encounter of the individual with the Spirit. A voice crying out in the wilderness. The Pope's remarks were directed at all forms of partisanship, including the EWTN and Opus Dei wings of the Church. The essence of a Catholic Church is universality of belief, meaning it agrees on what it believes when all it has is belief. Divergence from common belief is non-Catholic. It does not claim to be common belief. It is an individual expression of the faith of the writer. Whether it catches on is a question for the Spirit. 

Dissent from those things that can be known, such as sexuality, is not a loss of common faith but is an objection to the Church's visible and vincible errors, such as sacred continence and worries about sexual pleasure. The left does not want just tolerance of gay marriage, we want the whole of the Church to celebrate such unions. Hiding behind tradition to practice intolerance is not the way of Christ. Tolerating heterosexual civil marriage and not gay marriage in personnel decisions must be denounced as bigotry, not as protecting tradition.

The belief that law enforcement can protect the unborn comes from either misunderstanding of law at best and fraud in the name of partisanship at worst. The belief that economic justice will do what police power cannot is an expression of both faith and religion. No one in the Catholic left opposes it. Zero population growth is a secular belief, not a Catholic one.

Social science (which includes theology) is about understanding. Faith is a response to the Spirit. Loyalty to religion is a human thing. Marxist analysis looks at how power is manifested through money, often corruptly. Gender theory is about power in sexual relations. They are no more or less about sentimentality than using "saving the babies" or opposing  the transgendered as a populist issue. The noise on both of these issues comes from the right-wing, it did not start on the left.

No one on the left wants management on a capitalist model. God forbid! We want a return to the democracy of the early church, where Bishop really meant Pastor (not local lordling), and even these were elected. Lest we forget, we still elect popes and there is no reason for them to be seen as monarchs. 

The tone of Fratelli Tutti is the most radical thing about it. Gone are the absolutes of Vatican I and Veritatis Splendor. It is entirely pastoral. A homily for the faithful from the world's parish priest, not an infallible teaching from the throne (which is the height of papal relativism - putting authority before truth).

Francis' talk was a warning to those he consecrates and creates not to be as partisan as their predecessors. He wants to be a pastor, not a movement.

The litany of issues cited in the article are the usual statement of MSW's pet peeves with those he sees as the left. They have little to do with what Francis wrote.  If he has a particular leftist in mind, he should name names, not stand on euphemism. The reality of the Catholic left is that there is no one form of it. There are Maryknolls, Catholic Workers and Franciscans, as well as liberal bloggers and theologians. We are not all one thing. Do we have our share of nutty people? Definitely. Life would be no fun without them. They are fools for Christ.

Links: Trump and Latinos, religious liberty and conservatives, Jesuit liturgists

Links: Trump and Latinos, religious liberty and conservatives, Jesuit liturgists 

The title is almost the whole post Indeed, on the NCR Facebook page, it is enough to draw comments without reading, much less reading the links.

Last minute memos from the desk of Donald Trump are not policy changes (but don't tell him that). Miller may not even know. I suspect he has not had an invitation to Shabbat dinner for quite some time. This is a harsher penalty than excommunication.

Funding formulae can change. They need not be linked to appropriations. To change apportionment would require a constitutional amendment.  Trump is incoherent. He would cut the legislative power of states with migrants, especially the Red States in the South. National proportional representation in the House would kill the influence of small states. In the Senate? We would not need a Senate. Larger states could enact proportional representation now. It is entirely up to them. Of course, doing so has everyone vote. This may or may not be good for the left. The White working class are not frequent voters.

The current debate is not about religious liberty, it is about religious power. It always has been. The bishops want to assert power over the faithful. No honest definition of liberty allows such bad behavior.

In 2018, a vote for Democrats was a vote against Trump. In 2020, Republicans could vote party while voting against Trump directly. Ethnicity has nothing to do with it.

We can have Eucharist without having a priest caste. It can be a part of Shabbat dinner, especially if we focus on the real body of Christ - us. There is no holy priesthood without idolatry.  Nor can Communion be used as a public weapon. If MSW likes candles and incense, every decent grocery has both scented candles and matzos.  I don't expect the priests to negotiate the point, which makes ignoring them all the more legitimate.