Links: Cincinnati Men's Conference; fragmenting Trumpism; airport design award

Links: Cincinnati Men's Conference; fragmenting Trumpism; airport design award 

The Men's Conference simply proves P.T. Barnum's point.

The story of Protestantism likely led Mary Douglass to call egalitarianism sectarianism too. The radical fringe on the vaccine shows P.T. Barnum also owns the Internet. And the GOP.

The passage of the ACA was about exploiting the rules. Passing the CTC reforms needs to be both bipartisan and pro-life. We need Jesus, not Rahm Immanuel. Are Biden and Harris capable of thinking that far outside the box? So far, not yet.

National Airport also connects Terminal C to Metro. Also Tyson's Corner Mall. It's all about the walkways. Thank you, Minneapolis! 

Thanks to the Internet, we can all get Connecticut cheese. It is not just for crazy Republicans.

In 2021, it became obvious the US bishops and the pope are singing from different hymnals

In 2021, it became obvious the US bishops and the pope are singing from different hymnals 

The current majority at the USCCB (which includes retirees), learned Latin as altar boys and identified Ronald Reagan, St. John Paul, anti-communism, anti-sexual revolution and devotion to Our Lady as their essential creed. They likely believed arms for hostages was OK. Their major donors reflect their views. They are faced with an ECLAM pope who might even support Liberation Theology and is open to ordaining women as deacons. What could go wrong? 

Links: Puerto Rico's energy grid; loss of Desmond Tutu; rising number of clergy quitting

Links: Puerto Rico's energy grid; loss of Desmond Tutu; rising number of clergy quitting 

What people pay depends on how well their local electric monopoly is regulated. Also, the whole grid needs to be modernized, especially (but not only) in Texas.

May Tutu rest in blessed peace (as if there is any doubt).

Elaine is wrong. The majority of the items in the bill will require reconciliation to pass. The biggest piece, the child tax credit (along with childcare and the ACA reform), need to be paid for with a more broad based tax - preferable on employers rather than employees and passed as pro-life legislation. Biden will not do either. More's the pity.

It is not up to the Post to discuss theological implications. For that, you must do your own data analyses. The article is mainly about Protestant clergy (many of whom are not technically in the clerical state). Many are quitting (or at least taking a sabbatical) from medicine as well. They will be back.

The sad thing is that the Latin Mass boosters are turning the sacred into a Creative Anachronism.

At Midnight Mass, I sang along to Adeste, Fidelis in Latin for the first verse in memory of my father. 

In 2021, Biden's decency couldn't save democracy. The real test will come in 2022.

In 2021, Biden's decency couldn't save democracy. The real test will come in 2022. 

Biden saved us from tyranny by breathing. The Freedom Caucus is likely shivering in its booth. They may still think Trump can protect them, but the Select Committee is making it clear that this will not happen. Holding the treason caucus accountable will save democracy. 

As for the economy, that will take some luck and some time. Biden is making his own luck by the rumor of a tax increase. This is causing an asset sell-off, which decreases the chances of an economic downturn. If he waits a bit, supply chain issues will right themselves and prices will decline. The GOP won back the seats that went to Democrats because of Trump. Without Trump, we went back to a 50% nation. Until one side offers a vision, we will stay there. 

On abortion, Biden can let the Supreme Court defend Roe against state government power. Moving the line from viability to assisted viability or fetal nervous system development (the ability to react to  pain) won't do much either way. What will lead to less abortion is Build Back Better as a pro-life matter. 

Biden needs to risk a backlash by women by calling out the pro-life movement for not supporting the child tax credit on a bipartisan basis. (hint, there won't be one, feminists like measures that protect family economies). If conservatives resist, he can then explain why people think the pro-life movement is about sex - and he would be right. THAT would help democracy.

Links: Evil in conservativism; unions are good for all; parody of wokeism

Links: Evil in conservativism; unions are good for all; parody of wokeism 

The election will be won by letting inflation run its course and by the natural result of the Trump criminal enterprise being held to account. All pork is local.

The Left did not start the culture wars. They are as old as 1630 and the enslavement of John Punch and later the Salem witch trial. Also the Mexican War and sodomy laws. All of these things have protecting capitalism in common by conservatives finding an enemy to hate. To be woke is to call the right wing out on their bad behavior. As for young Mr. Rittenhouse, its complicated and its wrong to make him an icon. It does not help him to identify with conservative snake oil salesmen.

Hopefully the new retirees have good portfolios that are not based on Crypto. Their are lots of exit events, both the Great Recession and the Great Sequestration of 2011 led to retirement - the latter for me. The bright spot is that many people probably went back to school this year. Let's see what the enrollment numbers say.

Unions are essential, although they need to involve to facilitate worker ownership and their decision making. This was the goal of Leo, who did not approve of the right to strike. People forget that part. Also on the topic....teachers unions and the Church.

For Biden to go beyond the old politics, he needs to focus his attention on the family support portions of Build Back Better as an abortion issue and dare the conservative bishops to oppose him. Childcare and paid leave are important too. On climate change, Americans wait for consequences before acting. Until Florida starts to disappear, don't expect much.

The vast majority of people don't care about fundraising gimmicks from the woke. Again, fighting wokeness is as offensive as anything the woke do. In the Magnificat, Mary stands with the people who object to those who are woke and with the marginalized. What she preached remains radical, even to this day. The Church's turning her into an icon of sexual purity is another attempt to marginal her message. 

US bishops should help Latin Massgoers understand purpose of Francis' new restrictions

US bishops should help Latin Massgoers understand purpose of Francis' new restrictions 

January 6th demonstrates that the spirit of the civil rights movement does not live in certain hearts. The same can be said for Vatican II, especially among "John Paul priests." It is up to the Spirit to change hearts. If we wish to help, we need to show love, not firmness. That is the lesson we all need (including from those who do not like the reforms). 

Before we try to educate the people in the pews on Vatican II, let's start with clergy, especially the bishops. They also need training in gender theory, aka, queer theory. There is much they can learn about their own asexual orientation and why it should not be imposed on others. Dignitatis Humanae and its implications for the abortion debate must be added to the curriculum. 

On the Mass, offer the current Roman Missal in its Latin form, preferably at the early morning Mass on Sundays (but with readings in English). We might even do the offertory prayer in the original Hebrew. It is not so different.   Maybe the Mass could be too - and celebrated in households in the same way.  The consecration could be added for home worship. Wouldn't that be something. 

Links: Expanding the Supreme Court; the 'Four Freedoms'; vaccine mandates

Links: Expanding the Supreme Court; the 'Four Freedoms'; vaccine mandates 

All justices respect the law, which has a capitalist bias. Most of what the Court does has nothing to do with cultural issues and most of these are unanimous. McConnell obstruction on justices, however, makes catering to Manchin a necessity - not for preserving abortion rights - which will not get another case and the current one has been heard. 

Racial issues may be harder, but that is because the law does not make good sense - and won't until random selection is the solution. Also, Thomas is old, so the balance will again shift from 4-5 to 5-4. In reality, the balance is 3-3-3 - with Gorsuch, Roberts and Alito in the center - or it could be Kavanaugh.

The Insurrectionists don't like FDR and many think Nixon was railroaded. A To Do list will not change their minds.  Some Republicans also don't believe the Insurrection happened - so getting a mention in the Register is a good thing. Democracy is not in danger. The courts will strike down election interference when asked by the government. More importantly, the career leaders in the courts, the military and the civilian government are committed to the rule in law. Trump could never have succeeded. The authors are correct that the bad guys will get caught and prosecuted - especially those in Congress.

LULAC is correct, but ignores the fact that Latinx was always meant to describe the gender fluid. Those who want to use it widely (or think it was meant to) are intellectually lazy.

People with religious objections have forgotten their ethics classes - both in terms of remoteness and the double effect. Unless the fetus was aborted specifically as a source of genetic material, it is not unethical to use that tissue for a good act. I can see medical personnel not wanting to be vaccinated because they have already been sick and know that they won't die of a breakthrough infection. The vax helps against Delta and may prevent getting sick from Omicron - but Omicron is not severe unless you take immunosuppressive drugs or you fall out of bed reaching for a tissue and hit your head on the table. The Court will be in a quandary on free exercise when it does not differentiate between Churchmen attempting to use religious power under the label of religious freedom. Until they do that, wrong answers are inevitable on such questions as not firing gay marrieds from Catholic schools.

The best comedy is subtle. I love my Lucy. 

Fox and EWTN make truth a casualty of the culture war

Fox and EWTN make truth a casualty of the culture war 

Fox News was designed to tell Republican truth. It arose because Nixon got caught. Some Fox viewers may still think Nixon was innocent. This is is all you need to know. Bearing false witness is not lying, it is accusatory. For example, if I said (based on speculation) that Fox anchors were definitely part of the conspiracy that led to and planned the Insurrection, that would be false witness. If they were, however, this explains why they were nervous when it got ugly and are distancing themselves from it (or worse, denying it) now.

Inflation has the country on edge. Democrats need to find better ways to address it

Inflation has the country on edge. Democrats need to find better ways to address it. 

As long as the Fed does not repeat the mistakes of the late 70s in fighting inflation, we should be fine. Their recent rate cuts did not benefit us, they benefited Wall Street. I am glad they are stopping such nonsense. 

For now, as another round of COVID safety measures become necessary to slow production, many are still flush with cash - or think they are because they hold inflated stock and Crypto assets, prices will go up. 

Because Omicron is not severe, we have cleared the zone where hyperstagflation is a problem. The problem is inflated asset prices - and the Build Back Better tax proposals that increase capital gains tax rates are causing a slow sell-off. We may yet avoid another financial crash. 

Oil went up because Mulvaney, as acting director of the Consumer Financial Protection Authority, eviscerated new rules to prevent what is happening now in the oil futures market. The best way to fix this is quietly, just as the best way to fix inflation is to let supply catch demand. The moral imperative is to keep aid flowing to the poorest of families, rather than to the upper working class (many of whom bought speculative assets).  

The Child Tax Credit provisions from the American Recovery Plan Act need to be made permanent and this must be done as anti-abortion legislation. Biden needs to dare the Catholic bishops to support him in doing so. That some GOP pro-lifers won't is all you need to know about their movement (that it is anti-sex, not pro-child). 

Biden needs to focus on helping the victims of inflation rather than fighting it head on or deny it is happening.  He has already helped unblock the ports, just in time for Christmas. It is not the message that will save his poll numbers. It is results. He has been around long enough to know that, even if his staff has not.

Links: Trumpian propaganda; global inequality; Latino voters

Links: Trumpian propaganda; global inequality; Latino voters 

The issue is not religious freedom, it is the sacred right of employers as authoritarians the Court is bound to uphold. It is the bias in law.

People do not realize that their support for Trump is support for Putin and many won't believe they could ever be Soft on Putin - even as they decry Build Back Better as socialism.

The problem with inequality starts with bad math. When everyone gets the same percentage of wage increase, actual dollar differences grow until they are unmanageable. Worse than the financial inequality is the inequality of personhood in the workplace. Wealth is leverage to the enforce obedience of others. Don't call capitalists libertarian. They are authoritarian - and some employees like it that way or believe it is the only way. On the 10% number - the 1% own 77% of what the top 10% hold. And so on, and so on, and so on. That includes ownership of assets which hold Treasury bonds. Indeed, such ownership leverages capitalism itself. It was baked into our economy by Hamilton.

People who cite Plessy as evidence that Roe can be overturned and the matter sent back to the states are ignorant of the theory of law behind Plessy - which is that states were the final say on such issues. It is beyond Kafkaesque to cite the overturn of Plessy in order to bring it back. Give the Reactionaries this victory and they will use it to go after all the other civil rights guaranteed by the 14th Amendment (and with the full support of the Catholic bishops).

Hispanics are essentially multiracial, meaning they identify as White, Black and Indigenous and vote (or don't vote) accordingly. Many of the Indigenous are Adventists, which don't vote Democratic either (same for light skinned Catholic Hispanics - who vote like other Catholics). The gender divide is a more important predictor in these communities - yet Hillary still lost.

Wizards are very real. They are the celebrities of authoritarian capitalism. They have power because we let them.

Capitalists believe that when they pay benefits to their workers, they are giving them a gift. Mark has a point. This is why raising the minimum wage and channeling the child tax credit through employers as part of wages is the best way to deliver them - or through benefits for those who have no job. Even receiving benefits should be equated with pay if beneficiaries are receiving unemployment or some form of training or education. 

Baroque Advent and Christmas music makes it hard to understand that the true nature of the Divine is Humility (and not just Jesus himself). Worship should not be considered a gift to God, who needs no such thing. It is entirely for our sakes.

 

Opposition to Black icon at Catholic University ignores Christ's universality

Opposition to Black icon at Catholic University ignores Christ's universality 

YAF is for people who do not like College Republicans. They are a barometer for what privileged White kids think. So is the student body at CUA (where I stayed while an intern in Roger Jepsen's office - I had also been a CR). Sadly (or maybe gladly), they do reflect the biases of upper class Catholics, whose opinions are more cultural than Catholic. Universality in the Church is an ideal, not a practice or its history. We are good at finding Christ in ourselves. Finding the humility of Christ is hard. In the entire Godhead, much hearder, yet that is what we must do - by finding it in others.

Links: Cordileone rescheduled; Newsom's gun proposal; GOP shenanigans in Georgia

Links: Cordileone rescheduled; Newsom's gun proposal; GOP shenanigans in Georgia 

The Archbishop of Paris should have stood up against celibacy and sacred continence. The Archbishop of San Francisco is only standing up for Republican talking points. Sadly, some see no problem with that.

Meadows is refusing to testify because, if convicted of contempt, it will be a concurrent sentence. He could not stop the FBI from getting his materials. He is not alone. If the House wants to punish him, they need to remove his floor privileges for life. He won't be the only one among current and former members.

Republican primary voters love their celebrities. They hope that enough Democrats and Independents will too, despite the likelihood that 2022 will look like 1974. With 130 Republicans voting to go along with sedition after the fact, the term Soft of Putin needs to be said loud and often.

Olympic games should be spread over multiple permanent sites and spread throughout the summer and winter. Put distance running in Africa, swimming in the US, diving in China, skiing in Norway, speed skating in Denmark, etc. Give nations with dominant teams home field advantage.

Newsom has never been above the odd publicity stunt. Any gun ban should come from the government debarring any gun or ammo manufacturer that sells to the public. Standing questions will soon doom the Texas law. Plaintiffs and Defendants are needed to make this happen. The pro-life movement is as bad as Newsom in trying to look busy. We will see what happens with Dobbs v. Mississippi.

Redistricting efforts need to be challenged with lawsuits, although this is as likely to harm Democrats as Republicans in many states. Voter suppression will not stand. Even without pre-clearance, the Civil Rights Division of the Justice Department will sue to get the same result.

Imbelli and Francis have moved the needle, but we have a long way to go to acknowledge the Perfect Humility of the Blessed Trinity, the Crucifixion as reaching man rather than placating God and realizing that justice is a human concept - that claims that God is all just sell God short. It is not that he won't look upon evil. Instead, She simply does not see it when She sees us.

The best Advent music is O Come, O Come, Emmanuel. All else is ostentation. 

Biden's summit on democracy and how Catholic teaching can help

Biden's summit on democracy and how Catholic teaching can help

Fifty years ago, segregation and therefore autocracy, was the law - and not just in the South. Racism practiced officially is the very definition of autocracy. Sexism too. In 1948, Catholics were not strong promoters of democracy either, as they were still silencing John Courtney Murray for defending freedom of thought. A sizeable minority of the current bishop's conference is not totally on board, especially when it comes to sexism in all its forms (and not just including ordination).

Economic and social liberty both have their values and neither can exist on their own, human nature being what it is. The Church is still deficient in the latter. The right of conscience is not merely about applying morality, it is about forming it. No Catholic should speak about resisting identity politics while "Catholic Identity" is still considered a thing. Note the IRONY of the title of this essay.

The Catholic Church needs to love union so much that it lets them organize in all of their schools and universities. For it to be truly useful, it needs to draw a line in the sand about supporting the reauthorization of the Child Tax Credit in Build Back Better as must-pass scored pro-life legislation - as well as calling to make it both higher, adjusted for inflation and PERMANENT!

Defend religiously affiliated child care without igniting a culture war

Defend religiously affiliated child care without igniting a culture war 

I agree with Dolan on this one. Provisions denying funds to centers held in churches are unconstitutional and generally a bad idea. Also, location has no impact on indoctrination - and indoctrination in the tender years (before the age of reason) is not really possible anyway. Regardless, Espinoza v. Montana is now the law of the land. Let this controversy be a teaching moment so that the decision may be more widely known.

On the other hand, the Church should not use its rights to avoid its obligations to respect the rights of others, including their right to unionize, the rights of these unions to disagree with the Church's incorrect notions on abortion law and the marriage equality rights of their employees. There is a difference between religious freedom and religious power. Such a view is not toxic libertarianism, it is just truth. Moral scorn is not a right, it is bigotry.

Links: Tycoons' tax evasion, the 'smiling pope' and more Advent music

Links: Tycoons' tax evasion, the 'smiling pope' and more Advent music 

Taxing something makes it real. I don't concede the reality of speculation wealth unless sold. It is much better to tax value added at purchase, with IPO, option exercise and first sale after inheritance, gift and donation marked to market. Also, value added taxes on purchases cannot be evaded. Wealth taxes will be paid for by funds taken from everyone else. What seems fair to non-professionals may not be workable. The wealth tax is just such a thing.

Latinx is designed for non-binary people whom Latina and Latino don't work. Some in the media or politics are clueless, so they use the term. Anyone who is very much bothered with the term Latinx is likely not a potential Democratic voter.

Sainthood has become a very political thing of late, like the Meritorious Service Medal.

Maine has not yet gotten the memo that Espinoza v. Montana apply to them and that their Blaine Amendment is unconstitutional. The next hurdle is affirmative funding of accredited private schools. Let the Union in and act like their views on abortion do not matter toward its legality (they don't) and the teacher's unions will gladly go along.

Pope Francis evangelizes very differently than US conservatives

Pope Francis evangelizes very differently than US conservatives 

Francis is talking both about inspiration and education (bring out). He preaches the Good News. As a bishop, his chief role is to proclaim the Resurrection of the Lord. He speaks and acts as one of us, constantly praying and using words only when necessary. The bishops need to remember that they are to proclaim the Gospel of Christ, not the stoic ethics of St. Augustine, St. Anselm and Marcus Aurelius. 

If rationality is to be used, the proposition that the Father is perfect in Love (and the Spirit is the embodiment of Love) should be mixed with the philosophical certainty that God must be perfectly humble - not just Christ before the Father, but the entire Godhead. This is a concept that I am sure Abp Gomez would choke on.

Links: Cardinal Burke to celebrate Mass, Democrats need to talk economics, the New Right of American politics

Links: Cardinal Burke to celebrate Mass, Democrats need to talk economics, the New Right of American politics 

Quick correction. The Second Sunday of Advent was two days ago. This Sunday is Gaudete. Wearing rose colored vestments is indeed appropriate for a combined Holy Day. I wish the Cardinal well in his recovery from SARS-CoV-2. It sounds like he had a very bad case. Let him celebrate as he choses.

I look forward to seeing the Divine Miss M on the rebroadcast on PBS. Brava.

The Democrats need to quickly seize the issue of the Child Tax Credit extension as must-pass anti-abortion legislation. Senator Casey, call the USCCB!

Blame Phil Donahue for inventing the audience participation daytime talk show brand in Dayton, Ohio in the 1970s. Oprah made it her own, as did Jerry Springer. Seeing Doctor Oz trying to sell himself as a pro-lifer in a Pennsylvania Senate race is worth the price of admission.

The scary part of the cultural right (there is nothing new about them) is how quickly they combined the pro-life movement with Trump's racist and Putinist agendas. The saving grace is that Young Republicans blow with the wind. Once the term "Soft on Putinism" gains currency and the Insurrectionist planners start going to jail, the GOP will find a new flavor of the year.

Unionism pays when trained workers are scarce and taxes are about to go up. As the tax rate on capital gains approaches 28.8% (as agreed to for Build Back Better), the incentive to profit from wage theft marginally lessens. There is much yet to do in employee empowerment. Unions will have a place, but oppositionality is not a good long term look.

Luke's Gospel of John is very significant because a clear reading has John calling his cousin out as one of those among the pharisees. The traditional interpretation ignores this - and the true text makes it all the more powerful. They likely studied scripture together before taking separate paths. In this Gospel, Jesus is about to change directions, once the Christmas season ends. Jesus finding himself in the scriptures is more powerful than assuming that he miraculously had the script mapped out. The miracle is his faith.

Migrants were asked, 'Why did you leave your home?' Here's what they said.

Migrants were asked, 'Why did you leave your home?' Here's what they said. 

Poverty is not a reason to grant asylum or the world would be eligible. The problem of crime in Central America is a result of sending criminal aliens home rather than keeping them here. When they get home, they continue their behavior - which others are now fleeing from. The answer to criminality in these countries is to send the criminals back here for either incarceration or rehabilitation. It sounds counter-intuitive, but it is the best (and probably only) way to handle the crisis before us now.

Bigotry and cowardice in the GOP

Bigotry and cowardice in the GOP 

The irony is that Boebert, who is involved with the Insurrectionist caucus, may actually be is a terrorist. Taylor-Greene certainly is. The involvement of McCarthy is not yet known, but his caucus has a collective guilty conscience. The only way to heal it is to hold those responsible for the Insurrection accountable. The Select Committee is doing that and the GOP has reason to be very much afraid.

Links: Gerrymandering in Wisconsin, the Black Madonna at CUA, and Build Back Better health provisions

Links: Gerrymandering in Wisconsin, the Black Madonna at CUA, and Build Back Better health provisions 

The question in Ohio and Wisconsin is whether their state courts can be trusted. If not, things are worse than they always have been - but with a more authoritarian flavor.

If there are no cameras watching the lobby, there will be soon. I hope there are prints available. The image is as valuable as the original.

Dr. Oz thinks he is Hershel Walker. The question is whether local voters are still captivated by the cult of celebrity. If they are, it is time to fight fire with fire. Trump voters need to be faced with the fact that their hero is a Putinist, and continuing the cult makes them "soft on KGB Vlad." The prosecution of the Insurrection is accelerating. Remember the 1974 midterms.

The biggest gap in Obamacare was the middle class donut hole between the FICA cap and the ACA taxes. It needs to be filled in or replaced by a better way to tax both social insurance and asset capital gains and returns. For now, BBB is a nice backstop.

BBB will pass in some form. Someone needs to remind Manchin that his state may benefit the most from its provisions. 

The real meat would be a higher minimum wage. Back when $15 was suggested, the GOP counter-offer was $10. Schumer should have jumped at it. Red states cannot keep talent because, overall, their wage structures are too low - and kept low by the low minimum wage. While the eventual wage should be $18, reaching for $12 or $11 with a 32 hour week should be the interim goal (with built in COLAs).

On World AIDS Day, what that pandemic teaches us about COVID-19

On World AIDS Day, what that pandemic teaches us about COVID-19 

The problem today is not liberty, it is partisanship, including among certain Catholic bishops. The GOP needs a President like W. who had the moral strength to govern wisely. More wisely than his party, who trashed his immigration reforms. Clinton worked that way too, probably too much. Until the GOP nominates someone like Bush, we cannot have nice things.

Links: Republicans control state legislatures; Archbishop Gomez earns some praise

Links: Republicans control state legislatures; Archbishop Gomez earns some praise 

In Gonzalez v. Carhart, Kennedy, Alito and Roberts refused to overturn Roe when they had the chance. At least Gorsuch, if not Roberts as well, fit into that mode. Roe will not be falling, nor will the 5th Circuit decision be affirmed. Mississippi is seeking to obliterate the 14th Amendment supremacy over such issues. It should not happen, although the fact that it took three conferences to get four votes for Certiorari is troubling. The option no one is forecasting is a unanimous or near unanimous decision that firmly slams the door on state action to move the needle on viability. It would end the pro-life movement.

Define a pro-life feminist. How do such women (men don't count) feel about jailing women. If they don't think this is possible, they are simply ignorant on what making a non-viable fetus a legal person would automatically do.

For every Texas, you have a Maryland. Each state has a court system. Even if federal courts stay out of this arena, state courts will not.

Mothers are Santa in most houses. Men simply cannot wrap gifts well. A Black, Gay Santa will be a tradition in Black Gay households. They are rare, although my family has one.

Does Trump have enough of a war chest to share? Trump, share? Now that is funny. In bygone days, Trump had a Super PAC full of Russian money.That he did share. If Trump goes down, he won't go down alone.

When the Register praises you, it is time to dodge phone calls from the Nuncio or the Cardinal Advisor. That these five are not ostracized shows what is wrong with the Conference.

Book banners are a prime example of what is wrong with public education today. Bureaucracies put rules above common sense - and many principals are wannabe bureaucrats. In the Archdiocese of Washington, the education office has exactly five staff and parental boards, along with pastors, control the schools. Of course, pastors can be as careerist (and dense) as school administrators. Remember that the Roman Inquisition was a leading force in book banning, so those in glass cathedrals should not throw stones.

Meeting Jesus in the air is an individual enterprise. The universe will not end (nor mankind perish) in short order. There will be no restoration of the Golden Age of American Catholicism. As for the hymn, it is a tad too close to anti-Semitism for me to be comfortable with.

As Supreme Court considers abortion case, can we assume the best about our opponents?

As Supreme Court considers abortion case, can we assume the best about our opponents? 

The Court does not consider moral questions. They decide questions of authority and states cannot be allowed the final authority over abortion; just as they cannot have the last word on gay rights, birth control, funding the education of undocumented immigrants and Catholic school students. 

When NARAL, et al, talk about abortion rights, they need to focus on all civil rights. The key question here is the fact that Mississippi is the respondent, largely because the 5th Circuit ruled incorrectly. 

If Congress changed legal personhood from viability to some earlier point, the states could act. They cannot be allowed to act if Congress does not first grant personhood. That would open Pandora's Box. It is time for the Court to lock the box forever. The Center for Reproductive Rights should cede the point that Congress could lower the age where a fetus must be protected. If the Court agrees, the issue of state power will be ended. 

Mississippi is not in this fight for the unborn. They want to bring back the state power regime of Plessy. That kind of mob rule cannot be allowed. This is where the analysis must stop. I will not give tyranny the benefit of the doubt.

Links: An editorial on the bishops' Communion document, labor news, hymns for CELAM and Thanksgiving

Links: An editorial on the bishops' Communion document, labor news, hymns for CELAM and Thanksgiving 

The other NCR is a GOP rag funded by GOP operatives like Carl Anderson. It is best ignored. The only way to be unworthy of the Eucharist is to deny it to others.

The term Judeo-Christian is pandering to Evangelical Zionists who want to do to Israel what Luther did to my family. Western Christianity and Judaism are not so compatible. Catholics have too many sexual hangups and too much asexual self-justification.

The ultimate act of economic justice from the Church would be to endorse Build Back Better. Sadly, conservative Catholics would rather regulate female sexuality than make having children more affordable. The panel should have led with it - or have a second panel that does.

Kelloggs high starch products should be boycotted anyway. They ad girth without adding nutrition.

Safe districts allow for real ideology. The fly in that ointment is that most ideologies are left out and, if allowed to, conservatives pull the discussion down to cultural issues (which demand a woke response).

CELAM should have its own patriarch, which would elevate their Cardinal Advisor and provide a model for us all (including who is ordained).

I love Te Deum. Thanks.

Breidenbach's fertile research raises questions about history of religious liberty

Breidenbach's fertile research raises questions about history of religious liberty 

In most of New England, the Anglican Church was too Catholic for my Puritan ancestors. They considered it an impure faith (hence the name). Free exercise and establishment were the work of Jefferson, a Diest, who purified the Gospel to remove miracles from it, oddly making it a good facsimile for the Q Gospel. 

The loyalties of the Carroll family had nothing to do with the First Amendment. The question was whether to keep Maryland in the United States or persecute its Catholics.  Not admitting it as a state was not an option, nor was persecution, given the Deism of Madison and Jefferson.

This is not to say that suspicion of Rome was not justified. It was acting more like a government than a Church and stood firmly against both democracy and freemasonry (my generation is the first ever not to be part of a lodge), largely because of Italian politics. If there was a common civic religion at the founding, it was the universal brotherhood of the Lodge. (which is in no way sinful).

By justified I mean that it was reasonable to conclude that Rome was an overseas enemy, not that persecution was a good thing. Think about this concept when making justice an attribute of God. Justice is about reasons, not Truth.

As the recent controversy over Communion demonstrates, a belief in individual rights (especially for women), is not a core value in the hierarchy - despite the fact that Dignitatis Humanae made it doctrine.

Unless these themes are included in the nation's religious liberty, Breidenbach's research is incomplete at best and conservative propaganda at worst.

Links: The Rittenhouse verdict; Catholic Worker reaction to Archbishop Gomez; Bosnia on the verge of breakup

Links: The Rittenhouse verdict; Catholic Worker reaction to Archbishop Gomez; Bosnia on the verge of breakup 

The sad irony of the Rittenhouse case is that the people he killed were likely right-wing Boogaloo Bois in a false flag operation (as in other cities). This shows why AR-15s are nasty. A handgun would have likely not killed them, so they could have been questioned on why they were there.

Build Back Better needs to be sold by Catholics as must-pass pro-life legislation. It is time to drive a wedge between Catholics and the Republican Party.

Gomez is pandering to his GOP allies, rather than being a faithful shepherd.  He also does not understand what being woke means. Wokeness is a rejection of fascist attitudes on sex, rather than using them as a cultural warrior tool in a matter akin to fascism.  On the 10 signs of fascism, he seems to click all the boxes. This is why it is important to be woke in the face of capitalism. Wokeness is not optional.

Miamonodies would have likely thought that Praeger was a putz not worthy of mention. He speaks as a Republican, not a Jew.

American division is as much ethnic as sexual as anything else, especially from the right-wing. This is not unique to Serbia. Again, it is endemic to fascism and reactionary support of Capitalism; a feature, not a flaw. Part of the response must be Wokeness.

Indentured servants of both races came to the Jamestown colony in 1619. They were only slaves in 1630, when John Punch was sold as chattel. Like being offended by the 3/5ths compromise (which was designed to decrease slave power - abolitionists did not want slaves counted at all), objecting when the details are wrong is seen as insensitive. People who do projects do not like criticism (or waiting until 1630). Correction must come with sympathy and the suggestion that a 1630 project be created as well. The reaction to the project as a whole ignores the fact that, yet again, being Woke is necessary to fight fascism and capitalism. 

Ave Maria professor's book sees roots of religious liberty in Catholicism

Ave Maria professor's book sees roots of religious liberty in Catholicism 

I am interested in whether the author mentions Garibaldi and Mirare Vos. The situation in the U.S. did not grow out of mere bigotry. Even now, members of the Conference would rather not acknowledge the existence of Dignitatis Humanae. In the war between tradition and liberty, liberty won at St. John's Council.

US bishops lost about how to engage a culture they don't understand

US bishops lost about how to engage a culture they don't understand 

The bishops in question have no understanding of the perfect humility of God (all 3 persons of the Blessed Trinity). God does not need them to reach us. She (the Holy Spirit, aka Shekinah) encourages us to reach them. The bishops in question have no understanding of either U.S. constitutional law (or pretend not to on TV) or sexual morality. Again, we need to teach them. 

They are blind to their own asexuality, thinking it is a sign of holiness rather than simply a deviation from the normal. They have no business teaching the rest of us anything.

What is most troubling is that the bishops seem quite willing to use authoritarian (if not fascist) means to enforce their will. They are at a loss on how much we simply ignore them. Gone are the days when obedience to the Church was a mandate for being a Catholic.

To hold a Eucharistic revival, they need to change how they view the cross. Being empty seems to be the natural state of man. No further emptying is required. God empties Himself to reach us - and he uses Communion to fill that emptiness. No consultant will help them discern this (unless they wish to throw a few hundred thousand my way). 

Links: Democrats' midterm prospects; Cardinal Dolan interviews Bill Donohue

Links: Democrats' midterm prospects; Cardinal Dolan interviews Bill Donohue 

In Washington, Cardinal Wilton would never fire a teacher who married someone of the same ses. Even so, it is hoped that your classmate, as a layperson, would share that acceptance of the moral decisions of others.

Inflation is out of the Democrats control, and hopefully the Federal will restrain itself from restraining the economy. The pandemic will end and the supply chain will be restored - probably sooner than later. It is the GOP who is panicking. With every witness that goes to the Select Committee, their future becomes darker - and that is not including what the FBI will find. The Select Committee is a bright, shiny object to cover for the real investigation. Set your calendar to 1974.

Kalorama is for the New Rich in DC. The real wealth is in Woodland-Normanstone. Bezos  and Theil are probably using money borrowed from their ownership shares. They are not as wealthy as it seems.

Flynn is mainly a danger to himself, especially if he thinks he serious.

The anti-Catholicism comes from the fact that Rome is not cleaning up after those it appointed. Local Churches should not be paying for their mistakes. Let the money flow out of the Vatican museum like a river. The bishops also need to fire the law firms that advised them to make deals in the dark. Again, their shame is earned. As for Donohue, he belongs with Flynn on the list of unserious people best ignored. The proximate cause of the abuse is not gay priests, it is unmatured asexual ones who deny their own sexuality. The Cardinal is one of those who needs to open his mind to this reality.

Rebuilding a ship that sank does not sound smart. I won't be booking passage.

 

No explosion but plenty of simmering differences on Day 2 of bishops' meeting

No explosion but plenty of simmering differences on Day 2 of bishops' meeting 

The Nuncio eyeing Gomez? Wow! Francis is listening and made sure Gomez knew it. As for abortion, we need more than solidarity, especially from the Nuncio. Families need money, including those that are not broken. Build Back Better! As for the elections, personality is often before principle in the Conference. Paprocki is an embarrassment to the Church. Treasurers, however, need to be able to raise money. The day sounds mundane, which is refreshing. Our bishops our organization men, but they will likely be replaced by pastors. Francis is not going away anytime soon.

Observations from Day One at the US bishops' meeting

Observations from Day One at the US bishops' meeting 

Republican catholic protestors are only singing to their own choir. Such demonstrations are an activity for their own sake. Lepanto must look busy. So do the Republican bishops who know that their careers are over if Francis is at hand to accept their retirement requests. Make no mistake on this statement, it is aimed at voters, not Biden or candidates. It is saying nothing new and won't dissuade certain bishops from repeating their lie next October - nor will any voters change their minds because of them.

Links: Flynn wants one US religion; Cavadini on love of the poor; Dionne's political advice

Links: Flynn wants one US religion; Cavadini on love of the poor; Dionne's political advice 

Some of the conservative moral values can twist into Reaction at best and Fascism at worst. See my analysis from last week at http://xianleft.blogspot.com/2021/11/fascist-catholic-bishops.html

The truest way to encounter Christ is in the eyes of the poor. Any God worth its salt is perfectly humble, not perfectly triumphant. Who are we to ignore the poor?

It is hard to know if Flynn is really a insane or is playing to the Trump crowd. Given some of his actions, I suspect the former. His braying is not worth mentioning.

Build Back Better needs to be sold as pro-life, must-pass legislation. He should have someone in Baltimore this week saying this, loud and clear.

The Lincoln Project went after Trump, not the GOP as a whole. That they were effective in 2020 is obvious. On the bright side, all of the at-play seats have turned. The prosecution of the Insurrection will be to the GOP what 1974 was. If the GOP were smart, they would take the lead in cleaning up their mess. They are not smart.

Humility is self-knowledge and unselfish love. We are incapable with this without God. The era is saved when we call upon Her. If not, hold on tight.

The irony is that Iceland was originally tied to the Nordic Gods. They actually were considered Meta.

Sadly, the US bishops' conference is a ghost of its former self

Sadly, the US bishops' conference is a ghost of its former self 

The intervention stopped what would have been attack on all Catholic politicians and voters, with the rush being the 2022 election. This was not truly about Biden at all. The reality is that Democratic voters and politicians ignore such nonsense anyway. Hopefully, Biden will take this opportunity to engage the Bishops, specifically the Office of Pro-Life Activities on the state of constitutional law on abortion (both Roe and Casey). 

He should invite them to join the campaign to Build Back Better, particularly the child tax credit and childcare provisions (along with supporting a $10 to $12 minimum wage). It is time for them to challenge their allies to consider these matters must-pass right to life legislation.

I would suggest to the Republican bishops (let us not mince words) that they should not try the patience of the Holy Father. If anyone needs counsel on the abortion, it is Catholic business owners and stockholders who do not pay employees a sufficient wage to raise their families. They are materially cooperating with the act itself. That would raise eyebrows.

If Republican business owners and Democrat pro-choice voters are all told to avoid Eucharist, who will be left to receive it? We need the unity of the Sacrament much more than usual in this divided society. The bishops could truly contribute to that. 

More unity should also include more involvement by the laity. They need to create their own Tierna when a bishop is to be appointed (or transfered). In the Mass of institution, the assembly makes a show of accepting the new bishop, but like the washing of the feet, it is an empty gesture.

A decent document on the Eucharist, as well as a necessary action of the Conference, would be to correct this lack. Building collegiality is weak tea. I am not holding my breath for either.

Also last week, I penned a blog post on the fascism of some of the conference. I dare someone to share it in Baltimore this week. You can find it at http://xianleft.blogspot.com/2021/11/fascist-catholic-bishops.html

New survey raises concerns about increasingly conservative clergy

New survey raises concerns about increasingly conservative clergy 

All of us have not decided that all survey data demands skepticism, rather how it is done should always be a concern. Without more detail on how the sample frame was constructed (meaning, how random - and therefore generalizable) and what the cross-tabulations look like, I cannot judge how good a survey is. While good methodology is science, the art is in the interpretation. The interpretation is largely dependent on the audience - especially who is paying for the survey. 

Campaign polling meant only for the team just before the election is very accurate. The reason McAuliffe ended his after-party early is because he probably already knew he had lost before the first in-person vote had even been cast on election day. Other surveys are for public consumption, meaning they are presented in such a way as to show the election is up for grabs. This is good for the media and for the candidates because it brings people out to the polls. 

Some surveys are designed to make your candidate or party look better than they really are. Some Republican outfits are notorious for that, so much so that their results are discounted by a few points by the other side. 2021 showed that this is not always true. They sure caught me off guard.

For ecclesial research, the question is also who the audience is. If it is other academics, the paper must be controversial enough to be published, but is not vital for the life of the Church. Academic theology papers can, indeed, be taken with a grain of salt. 

Accuracy is more important if the stakes are higher, depending on your views on who should (or could) be in charge. There, the key question is whether the clergy serves at our pleasure or do we worship at theirs. A related question is how the people of God should organize itself and who gets to say.

If priests elect bishops (or, as in ancient days, pastors are the bishops), their attitudes matter in relations to that. If the local laity elects the bishop/pastor or hires the priest, their attitudes matter more. In either case, the attitudes of the selected reflect the attitudes of the selectors. As such, who becomes a priest (or decides to say) depends on the local bishop. Who the local bishop is depends on the Pope who appointed him. The general attitude of the Church also determines the character of the priesthood and the bishops.

Even without seeing the crosstabs, it is safe to assume that this sample contains quite a few "John Paul priests." The survey reflects their current dominance. Nothing in the Church is forever, however. The bark of Peter turns slowly, but it still turns. Pope Francis has not been giving red hats to John Paul priests. Careerists will pivot accordingly, true believers on the left and the right will not. 

That there were enough Vatican II devotees to call on is a blessing for the Church. At present, it will not change how priests are selected (or their gender) but Shekinah can only work as fast as hearts are willing to open to Her.

This survey is important to diagnose the state of the Church today. By looking at priests, we also look at bishops. Unless one is paying attention to who Francis appoints, it would be easy to be discouraged. The results are still a wakeup call. Early this morning, I was looking at a You Tube video on fascism. It is mainly about politics - especially in reference to the last four years and the state of the GOP. It is also  essential viewing for anyone interested in ecclesiology. I explain how here.

Links: Honoring veterans; Chris Sununu's decision; Bishop Stowe on the church and politics

Links: Honoring veterans; Chris Sununu's decision; Bishop Stowe on the church and politics

If Sununu takes the GOP away from its Trumpster fire, it will save the Democrats. They would never survive without sniping by reactionaries, although the nation and the Church could do without crypto-Republican bishops. If they want to really get political, they should disclose their loyalties. To claim bipartisanship, they need to endorse increasing the child tax credit to what Biden proposed and then double it, as must-pass pro-life legislation. Any hope Stowe would go that way? Answer in the comments.

Cruz is indulging in gallows humor. His participation in the Insurrection conspiracy will not go unnoticed.

Eugene has it right on Wokeness. As long as reactionaries use wedge issues, progressives need to highlight the need for inclusive politics, although we need to explain why this is important more clearly. Cultural conservatives need to examine their objections and get off the fence.

Spending multi-generational fortunes is better than using them as leverage against the working class. High end caterers and florists have to eat, especially given the forced austerity of the pandemic.

Biden has won big on infrastructure; now he needs to sell it

Biden has won big on infrastructure; now he needs to sell it 

It takes years to get roads designed and built and in the intervening period, members of Congress, including Republicans, will work with state and federal governments to get projects done. Each member has a staff member whose main job is to help the government spend money so that he or she can claim credit.

Biden's numbers are taking because of hyperstagflation - meaning that the economy has been deliberately idled because of the pandemic and the Great Resignation while prices are going through the roof. In time, it will run its course. Short of deploying the military to move goods to market, there is nothing that can be done. Jimmy Carter tried to fight inflation with monetary policy and cutting spending. It did not work well for him.

What will work in 2022 for the Democrats is for them to run against anyone involved in planning the Insurrection or voting in sympathy with its aims. They should start now. Biden should not meddle in the Justice Department's work, however. That would also look bad. 

The sad fact of the matter is that the things that impact the success of most presidencies have nothing to do with the cards they deal. It is the cards that are dealt to them - and sometimes they get really bad hands.

There is one thing Biden can do to shake things up. Fight to increase the child tax credit, calling it a pro-life measure. He can't do that now, however, because it would make the economy worse at this particular moment. He should talk about it anyway. Raising the minimum wage too.

Links: A defense of EWTN; post-election blame game; threats to school board members

Links: A defense of EWTN; post-election blame game; threats to school board members 

EWTN was a creature of the time of its founding, when St. John Paul dialed back those reforms of Vatican II that he fought against as a theologian. The current network is living in that past, as are its fans and supporting bishops.

Getting Jackson its pipes would have been an earmark in the past. Not so much now, although EPA will have some say on where the money goes. They fund clean water projects.

2020 rebalanced the House and the Senate GOP cadre has some real whack jobs running in 2022. If Trumpism becomes identified with Putinism, as it should, some voters will drop the GOP like a rock. Others may stay home. Quite a few Trump voters will age out of voting...in some cases all the way out.

McAuley lost because he did not address the school board issue. He should have suggested Non-binary bathrooms as a way to quiet the noise. Usually Trans students have more to fear from CIS males than other Transpeople. The question is now whether Youngkin will be a Trump or a Romney. Let's hope for the latter.

Congressional candidates should be made to identify which presidential candidate they support, with that being how nominees are chosen. There should be a national primary so that a few smoked filled rooms winnow out fringe candidates, like Trump.

Studies have shown that WalMart employees get a better deal than do those who work at Starbucks. If the corporate culture had any brains, you could still get House Decaf and Verona Decaf rather than Pike Place. Would Starbucks survive a world of employee-ownership, with unions voting worker proxies? Possibly. It would certainly be more responsive to customers by being responsive to workers. Despite this, there are Baristas who know how their regulars like their drinks - as any good bartender does.

Instead of embracing John XXIII's hope, Archbishop Gomez projects doom

Instead of embracing John XXIII's hope, Archbishop Gomez projects doom 

Were it not for the fact that he has a large flock, Gomez is not worth mentioning. If he continues down his Republican road, they won't have to suffer him much longer. Francis may have stopped using the royal We, but that does not mean he won't remove a politicized priest.

Democrats best not hit snooze after elections provided wake-up call

Democrats best not hit snooze after elections provided wake-up call 

Most voters know that lifting the SALT cap will bring back the Alternate Minimum Tax, which mutes the effectiveness of ending the cap. 

In Virginia, sane Republicans came home to vote for Youngkin, just as they voted for Republicans in 2020 but voted against Trump. With the loss of the House of Delegates in Virginia, the current gerrymander will remain. This may hurt a few incumbents in Virginia if non-Trump Republicans show up. It is as likely that 2022 will be like 1974 as the hammer falls on Trump and his cronies in Congress - some of whom will be expelled after the Select Committee finishes its report.

McAuliffe's main problem is that he let Youngkin's lies go unanswered, especially the one about the FBI gong after parents. The anti-Trump ads showed that Mac thinks nationally, rather than locally. This is always a big mistake in Virginia. He should have changed his ad buy appropriately and gone hard responding to Youngkin's shading of the truth. Think Kerry's lack of response to the Swift Boat Veterans for the Truth. Candidates who don't call out obvious lies deserve to lose.

Links: Cardinal Cupich on the Latin Mass; QAnon craziness; and 'Dirty Jobs'

Links: Cardinal Cupich on the Latin Mass; QAnon craziness; and 'Dirty Jobs' 

Good St. John started undoing some of the abuses and triumphalism of Trent. The work continues with Francis. Cardinal Blase is being nice to St. John Paul, which has the added benefit of condemning those who reject the Council, especially under the banner of the prior rite.

The Fools for Q are living proof of the wisdom of P.T. Barnum. There is grace in being laughed at for moral courage. There is none for being stupid.

Conservative white women decided it was OK to be unwook in the voting booth, buying GOP hyperbole about critical race theory. Mothers who have experienced the tyranny of the test (which Terry removed) did not turn out to counter them. Including Latino women, especially those who could not fit voting into their schedules.

Taxing transactions, from the purchase of goods to the purchase of liquid assets, get more money than taxing financial position. No one should be able to write off their losses and avoid taxes by using borrowed money to fund their excesses. I am not down for piling on Elon. He and his people put everything at risk and they share in these rewards. Those who go after the new billionaires (the ones who pay better wages and have flatter management structures) may have other agendas than equality.

Undercover Bosses showed the work that women do, but it had too much of a feel good - Daddy Warbucks vibe. It is harder to do a Dirty Jobs that women do because no one wants to see what nurses face and human trafficking is hard to cover on the Discovery Channel. And then you have parenthood - which is done by women and increasingly by men. Lots of dirty diapers, dirty faces and puke, but infinite rewards when your kid is playing peek-a-boo. Kids have no memories of these times, but we do.

YouTube has lots of videos of interesting maps. They also jobs women do and have lots of funny pictures of laughing babies. The latter is tonic for the soul.

US bishops to choose culture war or communion in Baltimore

US bishops to choose culture war or communion in Baltimore 

The issue with the proposed letter is not culture, it is raw party politics. It's timing has nothing to do with Biden or even members of Congress and state legislators. It has to do with guilting Catholic voters. To their dismay, most Catholic pro-choice voters ignore them.

The abortion question will be solved by election day next year. The comments of Justices Kavanaugh and Coney-Barrett seem to indicate that, in the law, both abortion and federal supremacy on such issues is inviolate. At some point, the pro-life movement needs to shift to supporting a more robust child tax credit (ending its association with the GOP). There will be no other option if they really care about the unborn rather than sex negativity and controlling women's bodies.

100 years ago, the Cardinals had an oversize influence in the Conference. If only that were true today. The committed Republicans are not getting red hats and seem to be indulging in sour grapes - seeking Conference leadership to salve their wounded pride. They are undoubtedly hoping to outlast this Pope and be rewarded by a conservative pontiff. This is not very likely, given the appointments made by Francis. If they really want to be fringe, they will advance Paprocki. I would be disappointed, but not surprised.

100 years from now, the Church will look back at the Church of Pius IX, St. Pius X and St. John Paul and wonder what (more likely if) they were thinking. By that time, many of the clergy will be married or female or open about their sexuality. As it is now, the asexuals in the Episcopacy are not even out to themselves about their toxic asexuality. It is toxic because it is unexamined, as it has been since Augustine.

Links: Big Pharma fearmongering; Mark Zuckerberg's Meta; antisemitism on the left

Links: Big Pharma fearmongering; Mark Zuckerberg's Meta; antisemitism on the left 

DC Comics is about Meta-Humans. Zuckerberg is no Meta-Human.

Ugly buildings are an environmental issue, with Capitalism being their driving force.

Campaign contributions and lobbying jobs are PhARMA's carrots. The reality is that more meds are available under Medicare if negotiations are mandated. The lower the price, the more likely the drug is on the formulary for the health plan.

Global leaders need to write checks to PhARMA to cover the planet with free vaccines in the same way their own citizens are covered. When you encounter Jesus in poor people, give him first class medical coverage and feed him steak.

It is easy to get your head around the Register/EWTN resistance to COP26. They are funded, in part by and are associated with people in fossil fuels and the usual climate deniers. There really is a vast, right-wing conspiracy. Hillary was correct about that.

A looming crisis gets no attention. Humans don't attack until bad things start, and a bad hurricane season is not enough to get people moving. Like solvency for Social Security, the responsible projection and the realistic projection are not the same thing. Until rich people feel the pain, there will be no preparedness. Remove flood insurance protection from beachfront condos and houses and people will notice. Good luck with that, because the same people who stop action on warming won't let this happen. The problem is capitalism.

The Christian Left, me in particular (I am also ethnically Jewish), align ourselves with the Jewish Left, aka the Peace Movement in Israel. For too long, anti-Semitism has been used to give the Israeli government a free pass - sadly aided by the U.S. Government. This is not surprising, given the even greater slaughter of our own indigenous tribes.

Higher refundable child tax credits give workers freedom to strike, which is why the wealthy are pushing back against them. A higher minimum wage is also necessary, so no one is living off of their children's subsidies. The higher the wage, the less likely scabs are available. 

Pay people to become as literate as they can be, or as skilled as they must be, to end the conversation about higher wages leading to unemployment. That would take moral courage - including the willingness to pressure donors and the pro-life movement to go along with this. 

Any business owner who does not pay enough to force his workers to use birth control or resort to abortion is a party to these acts. Say it. 

Excommunicate someone who cares about being excommunicated (Donors).

Virginia governor's race could be a wake-up call for Democrats

Virginia governor's race could be a wake-up call for Democrats 

Youngkin was leading because 528 includes polls that should be excluded. Why does it do that? Because not doing so may depress McAuliffe turnout. This is a turnout election, not a unity election. Trump is the best thing for Democratic numbers, with the Texas abortion law a close second. 

What the Dems need to do in the future is spend more time explaining why abortion should not be banned (because it would bring back state sovereignty and make every pregnancy loss a public event) and why the GOP approach to education was a bad thing (teaching to the test), designed to punish teachers and fail students. Any parent who dealt with the old testing regime will support Terry, especially Latinos.

Biden's revealing of the pope's words on Communion was impolitic, but forgivable

Biden's revealing of the pope's words on Communion was impolitic, but forgivable

Given the conduct if Gomez and Company, they were entirely appropriate. Thus is not about Biden. It affects all Catholic Democrats.

Time to scrutinize Facebook's algorithms — and what social media do to us

Time to scrutinize Facebook's algorithms — and what social media do to us 

A few decades ago, historians were worried that few wrote letters or kept diaries in the modern era so that future historians would not be able to see what people thought. Then came social media. As to algorithms, they only matter if you read your newsfeed and react to it. This is all done in the open. The question is how it links to advertising, so the Federal Trade Commission may have cause to look at how the algorithms work, except to the extent that trade secrets are involved. Such secrets cannot simply be laid bare because Nervous Nellies want to see them. Usually to view such secrets, there must be cause related to unfair activity. It's a hard sell. 

While terrorists, both foreign and domestic, use Facebook groups to communicate, the insurrectionists mainly used Parler. Parler no longer exists and its entire content was captured and is being used to find bad actors. The Insurrectionists  also had a nasty habit of getting into debates on Twitter. My feed from early January includes a discussion with one of these fools that laid out there strategy, including their view that Trump could declare martial law under, ironically enough, the Insurrection Act, in order to stay in power. 

These people were none too wise. They had no understanding of the 12th Amendment, which sets out how Electoral Votes are counted and who wins. There is no magic number. It changes with the number of votes that are eligible. Even if the congressional side of the conspiracy succeeded, Biden would still have won with 232 electoral votes to Trump's 208. The sole arbiter of what the total is is the Speaker of the House and her majority. 

I told my interlocutor that there was no hope - but desperation thrives on hope. By the way, all conspirators are responsible for the crimes of other conspirators, so there will be members of Congress going to jail. The irony is that the whole thing was designed for Trump to take advantage of some imaginary immunity that he really did not have, although the media still says otherwise and prosecutors did not push the point. This was malpractice in both cases. Neither is capable of even understanding Facebook's algorithms, let alone regulating them.

To look at Facebook's trade secrets, there must be a civil suit or criminal prosecution to force either discovery or investigation. Finding a legitimate cause for either is a tough sell. Facebook is likely cooperating with the FBI on domestic terrorism (but neither will ever confirm this, for obvious reasons). Even filing a civil suit is an even tougher sell - and it would involve one user suing another user or users for what is said in voluntary,semi-public communication. If such communication is harmful, it can be shut off by logging out. 

It is up to parents to take away devices and block websites in cases of Internet bullying. Sensitive children who can be bullied online are also susceptible to the in person kind. Looking at Facebook's algorithms won't suddenly make such children emotionally resilient. We have not yet cracked the code in how to do this generally.

Bottom line, regulating Facebook is about as likely as protecting the unborn through the criminal law. It is simply not a thing that can be done. Theologians should not try to do it. What is more likely is Facebook suing NCR for the graphic accompanying this article as a trademark violation. They could not win because it is part of protected speech. What is sauce for the goose, is sauce for the gander.

Links: Francis channels his predecessors; fact checking political ads; supply chain problems

Links: Francis channels his predecessors; fact checking political ads; supply chain problems 

Francis calls us to real faith, not to focus on The Faith (in the organization). Faith calls us to Love and Hope - all of which are gifts of the Spirit.

I saw Oprah's adaptation of Beloved. It is a very dark story. I would not assign it to high schools students. Youngkin's education ad is as freaky, referring to GOP boilerplate conspiracies on the FBI investigating school board attendees (that may or may not have been parents) because they threatened violence. Very scary.

Ortega is taking a page out of Putin's playbook. Trump would have followed it if he could have gotten away with it. Cheney did get away with it in the name of national security, rather than electoral politics. In the end, it doomed the GOP for long enough to get health care passed.

Prices going up while people stay home, either because they can afford to or because they are made to is an invitation to hyperstagflation. The GOP is not wrong to worry about this. Biden should be worried too. Given an inflated asset market (both liquid and real), we are a hairs breath away from another depression.

A third of a pound burger cooks down to four ounces of protein and fat when cooked. It is a reasonable size for a burger. Not too big, not too small.

When Biden meets with Francis, some heads will explode

When Biden meets with Francis, some heads will explode 

MSW, unless you want to make abortion illegal, you are pro-choice. Biden, like Cuomo, is absolutely correct about the pluralistic view of abortion. It derives from Dignitatis Humanae. The Americanist heresy has become doctrine. I dearly hope that Biden, or a surrogate, explains what the GOP is up to in wanting to ban abortion by turning the matter over to the states. Doing so would upend American constitutional law in a return to the state power regime of Plessy. 

Roe v. Wade is the law of the land, regardless of popular support. Biden supports women not being turned into criminals, or at least suspects, when they lose a pregnancy. Everyone should be for that. That many pro-lifers regard increasing the child tax credit as socialism or paying women to have babies - or sex - shows that they really do want to control women's bodies.

Once Francis is made to understand this, heads will really explode - or they will simply roll. (How do you roll and exploded head?) Build Back Better is pro-life legislation. The Child Tax Credit changes passing for just one year should be both permanent and bipartisan (not requiring reconciliation) and the Catholic Bishops should make that happen.

Both Biden and Francis are heads of state and both are woke, although Biden more so regarding women. Hopefully, Joe does not give the Pope the Johnson treatment. He tends to speak with people from a distance of only a few inches. Luckily, he has good breath.

Links: Latino voters in Virginia; Missouri's MAGA warrior; flying on French-fry fuel

Links: Latino voters in Virginia; Missouri's MAGA warrior; flying on French-fry fuel 

Until the Church has an epiphany on abortion promotion v. abortion rights and commits to adequate family income (read median income) as the way to decrease abortion, it will not truly make peace with labor, especially the teachers unions (which it should also allow in its schools).

This election is about getting out the vote, not changing people's minds. I suspect that many ads that tag Youngkin as a Trump loyalists will bring out Trump voters. The most unhinged thing said this year is repeating the GOP trope that Garland is going after parents for speaking their minds on criminal race theory and using pronouns. The FBI is looking for White Supremacists who make threats. That is their job, but it is not going after dissenting voices.

In Missouri and elsewhere, being tagged as a Trumper may either win or lose votes. If Trumpism is equated with being Soft on Putin, Trumpism will disappear.

Biodiesel is trendy, but I am more interested in seeing if cryogenic hydrogen can be used in airplanes, particularly military aircraft. Aircraft manufacturers usually use government design contracts to prove out new technology before implementing it in their civilian fleets.

Reconstructionism is a good idea if we can find compromise without first finding a common enemy. We cannot do so without Grace. People are not willing to seek this quite yet. If we start talking about Christ as Humanist and the Perfect Humility of God, (not Jesus before God, but God Themselves), we  we will be getting closer.

The gay rights movement is egalitarian/sectarian. Such cultural groups are not known for a sense of humor. They have been kicked in the face one too many times to let down their guard just yet. This is why I love Andrew. He brings wit to the party. 

Archbishop Chaput calls Pope Francis a liar

Archbishop Chaput calls Pope Francis a liar 

Chaput disagreed with an off the cuff remark by Francis that was not meant to be reported. EWTN, as a whole, provides the best live coverage of Church events in the American media. Should Rome officially take notice if Arroyo? Probably. However, that is not the way Francis operates.

Wave of worker strikes resurrects our call to solidarity

Wave of worker strikes resurrects our call to solidarity 

People do not strike because they fear that they are replaceable. A shortage of willing workers has mitigated that fear. A job that cannot attract workers will not attract scabs. It is easy to find safety in numbers when you know that no one else wants your job.

In the South, authoritarian culture predominates. There is support for the kind of capitalism that recognizes the right of management to expect obedience. In such a culture, a strike is almost unthinkable. I suspect that this is true, even now. A culture of solidarity can bring workers out of that culture at work, but it is a hard ask. A society that mocks wokeness finds solidarity amongst itself hard.

If the Church now recognizes the right to strike, it is news to me. It was not in Rerum Novarum. The Church will only stray so far against Authoritarianism.

Links: "Maid" and working, single moms; sustainable energy; our neighbors in Latin America

Links: "Maid" and working, single moms; sustainable energy; our neighbors in Latin America 

Mnuchin and Pelosi negotiated the bailout, which did not have time for new efforts. The task was to keep the lights on right away by keeping existing plants running.  Build Back Better is the venue for change. We need one or two Republicans to get such a thing passed.

Texas is an example of why localized grids are a bad idea.

Childcare should be funded through employer paid taxes (with credits counting against the tax) and include onsite daycare for both healthy and sick children - as well as clinics for employees. Small firms would purchase services from their office buildings.

Biden's speech also demonstrates the need for accountability against runaway leaders. From what I hear, this is coming sooner than later. Have I mentioned that Oleg Daripaska's homes were raided and that Igor Fruman is pleading guilty (and cooperating) in early December? Trump supporters, especially the pro-lifers, need to realize that by supporting a Putinist and by continuing to do so they are soft on Vlad.

The best thing that Latin America can do is what the U.S. did in 1787, at which time they can tel the U.S. to take a hike.

Small d democracy has no place deciding on individual rights. Justices and judges learn on the job. Look at Souter and O'Connor - and likely Gorsuch. Roberts certainly. In recent history, there have always been 3 factions on the Court of relatively equal strength - progressives, moderate conservatives and the right wing. Like supermajorities in the Senate (especially on Judges), be careful of how you tinker with what mostly works.

Pope Francis targets 'post-truth' media and culture in speech to social movements

Pope Francis targets 'post-truth' media and culture in speech to social movements 

The key to speaking with moral clarity is speaking in humility. Francis does that well. It is not only in the imitation of Christ, but also of the Father - or Abba. The Divinity needs nothing from us. They are whole and complete and perfectly loving and happy. Their entire concern is our welfare - as such, it is humanist. Morality must be humanist. Economy must be humanist. Humanism implies equality, so that the children of workers and the children of executives have equal opportunities, services, decent housing, security and food. 

In a way, consumerism is not bad because it gives workers a better life than poverty. It is a gilded cage. Consumer economies are not revolutionary economies. Even China knows that in its authoritarian state capitalism. For the revolution to occur, there must be unity. Division by race or morals is the tool of the economically powerful to divide the workers. Even vaccine hesitancy is proded by NewsCorp (Fox News), oddly under the banner of fighting big PhARMA profiteering.

Militarize policing, including misuse of Border Control Agents under the prior regime was designed to be divisive. Calls to defund the police and fund community organizing are not helpful, however. They are mocked, even by MSW, as wokeness (which is the new way to denigrate social equality). The option to muscular policing is medical intervention and mental healthcare. This must include options for robust custodial care, plus its funding. 

Immediate danger is too weak a standard. Likely danger must be the standard for release from care. Additionally, criminals who were impaired, feeding an addiction or mentally ill should be allowed to plea guilty by reason of insanity, to be committed for care for their minimum sentence and until successful treatment, whichever is longer.

Social division is why we have never been able to achieve socialism at the ballot box. Social Democracy is also a gilded cage. It has limited shop floor democracy and allocates social goods and often profits, but true ownership is denied to workers and CEOs still expect some level of obedience.

Capitalism in production, consumption and finance needs to be replaced with cooperation - not by government entities but by a transition to ownership. Shifting employer taxes from profit to all value added with all revenue going to child subsidies, childcare and healthcare. Firms could either pay the tax or provide the funds and services to employees - who would also be paid a higher minimum wage. 

Shifting ownership is possible by taxing asset transactions including dividend, interest payments, rent at distribution or receipt (capital income) or capital gains. Value taxed will be marked to market at IPO, option exercise, short sale and the first sale after inheritance, donation or gift. The tax would be zero rated for sales to a qualified broad-based Employee Stock Ownership Plan or Cooperative (which is an ESOP with everyone having one vote and additional property interest in the form of preferred shares).

Cooperatives and ESOPs would force CEOs and middle management to bid in open auction, with the bottom two bidders standing for election - aka a free market. They would provide payroll lines of credit for consumer purchases and mortgages. Cash would be replaced with standard labor hour based currency. Consumers would control the means of consumption - with make-buy decisions on each type of product or service, including education, health, housing, clothing, food and vacation travel and lodging.

In the interim, or as some would say, back to reality, the Holy Father must get cooperation from the bishops in supporting the family support and educational provisions of the Build Back Better Act. It is a pro-life measure and should be scored as such. The pro-life movement would rather not have such subsidies, which they feel would not be needed if abortion were criminalized. This shows their true colors - because they do not want to reward sexuality. In other words, they really do want to control women's bodies.

Trumpian Truth is supported by the pro-life movement because he and McConnell delivered judges, especially on the Circuit Courts. Cases that should have been ruled under precedents are being heard by the Supreme Court so that they must hear the case (or rule per Curiam) to reverse these judges.

Trump himself is headed for jail due to his support from and of Vladimir Putin. Yesterday's raids of Oleg Daripaska's residences indicate where the case against Trump is headed. The question is, at what point will supporters, especially Catholics, realize that supporting Trump means being soft on Putin. My guess is fairly quickly. Igor Fruman pleads guilty in early December. He is the lynch pin of the money flow between Putin, Trump, his Super PAC and those members of Congress and the Senate who took Trump money.

Links: Vaccine mandate exemptions; Supreme Court changes; ideology run amok

Links: Vaccine mandate exemptions; Supreme Court changes; ideology run amok 

Trump fanatics believe that he is sent by God to save either the White race or the unborn. We cannot change the minds of the true believers, we can only arrest the violent ones and show Trump to be poor, therefore lacking God's favor.

The problem is not the Court, it's the Senate - which responds to the problems of the House. Open rules for debate in the House will lead to comity in the Senate and no extremists on the Court. God will do the rest. Justices Thomas and Breyer are getting long in tooth. The meme on partisan justices is only half right. On some issues, especially in dissent, less conservative justices (and they are all conservative) strive for justice over law. 

We must balance both - and no, Roe is not going to overturned. The most the Court will do is extend legal protection for those unborn who respond to painful stimuli. Settling second trimester issues ends the debate. Congress should consider how to do it before the Court does. Recognizing it can also ends the debate. Civil rights law is a mess because the Senate is broken and because, unless lotteries are recognized as the best affirmative action, there is no good solution where no one feels cheated.

The biggest question for vaccine hesitancy is whether people who have had the disease can be counted as immune. Those in that boat have suspicions about profiteering by drug companies. The key issue for the moment is that children are no longer immune like they were a year ago. Isolating them was not a good idea. Now they must have the vaccine to be safe.

The Carroll schools incident shows why strong central administration in education is a lousy idea. Let every school have a board made up of people who now serve on the PTA. Smaller scale discussions will stop systemic insanity.

Law schools are a way to make sure Associates can be worked to death because of their educational debt. Like medical residency, doing law is the best way to learn it. Law school politics is training for what happens when older lawyers run for Congress. As for Yale, they need to give Senator Josh Hawley his money back. He seems to have forgotten basic Con-Law.

Florida voting depends on who dies and who moves down to retire. Global warming also has a say in the matter. The state is a good argument for district level voting in the Electoral College, with the two votes for Senators going to whomever wins the popular vote. The South is the reason why an independent judiciary is needed to restrain democracy. It is too easy for elites, like Catholic bishops, to put their moral agendas over the rights of individuals.

I am all for women working, especially in high paying jobs. Whomever makes the least amount should be the stay at home parent /golfer. It is time to escape the bonds of evolution that require men to work. I would hope that Ms. Nooyi does stand up for Build Back Better - as well as the Child Tax Credit's expansion. She, and Biden, should shame the bishops into joining them.

Bill Donohue's criticism of Biden pick for Vatican ambassador shows only his own narrowness

Bill Donohue's criticism of Biden pick for Vatican ambassador shows only his own narrowness 

Bill and company are best ignored, but they are correct on what constitutes being pro-life as their side sees it. Democrats who call themselves pro-life need to be honest on whether they would ban abortion or neither side will trust them (nor should they). It is the role of the ambassador to the Holy See to communicate the views of the United States, not American conservative Catholics. 

It is about time we had an ambassador who will call out the bishops Rome appoints for their partisanship. This is especially the case when a politician is denied Communion for acting in accordance with the Constitution. The word for doing so is sedition. It becomes a diplomatic issue when the seditious person is appointed by a head of government. It is ironic that the objections to Catholicism leveled against Catholics of a prior generation have been realized in conservative bishop's attacks against other Catholics.

'Pro-lifers' make suicide pact with anti-vaxxers

'Pro-lifers' make suicide pact with anti-vaxxers 

It is sad when bishops and the Bioethics Center that they support don't remember the principle of the double effect from their undergraduate ethics classes. That they do this to pander to the Republican Catholics (note word order) is even worse (especially if they do remember their classwork. Then they are truly lying. 

Their vax knowledge is as inaccurate as their biology regarding birth control, which prevents gastrulation - the first point where the soul is present - at least the materialistic soul which prevents entropy and stops at death. I am leery of birth control for economic reasons (including NFP), because the Church needs to bare witness to the economic rights of women and families.

Texas Republicans give Florida Republicans a run for their money on the race to Crazytown.

Links: Palm oil corruption; the blue-collar struggle for social justice

Links: Palm oil corruption; the blue-collar struggle for social justice 

Sadly, palm oil companies are not that much worse than other industries in that part of the world. If they were the worst of the worse, no one would work there. Consumerism drives this. If it were more cooperative, along with cooperative labor, no industry could get away with this stuff. They could also not offshore jobs or use race and sex to divide workers.

Cooperative purchasing and work should also be better for the environment, especially because it should do better urban planning and land use than the free market can. Or government, which responds to disaster more than thinking ahead (especially on water).

The moral clarity of the bloody shirt was great for winning elections. The Dixiecrats have now switched parties, but are still up to their usual tricks. To reiterate, they are the shock troops of capitalism.

The problem with the Bioethics Center is the bishops who support their astroturf. They are the problem, not the solution.

Dignitatis Humanae carried with it not only democracy but the God given nature of individual rights. The Curia and its counter-revolutionary popes did not want to see this. This pope is only beginning to see it and it is the heart of why the Bishops are mistaken when they seek a criminal solution to abortion. The drive to ordain women and let sexual teaching evolve dates from that era, although it took the abuse crisis for us to realize that Medieval ecclesiology is neither necessary or desirable.

Platitudes on wood carving trivializes the self-inflicted wounds of Zionism, which also claims to advance American ideals. Given the treatment of Tribal Nations, they learned the wrong lesson. If anyone is locked out of rights, they are not really inviolate for anyone. This is before we consider abuse of the alien (in their own land) as taught in Torah.

Follow Pope Francis' call to be a listening church — but from a 45-degree angle

Follow Pope Francis' call to be a listening church — but from a 45-degree angle 

I agree with the Pope, especially regarding Catholic business owners. No employee's children should live in poverty. No employee should have to pay for an abortion for their wife, daughter or partner because their pay is too low. Indeed, an argument can be made that there is no excuse for the children of the workers to receive any less than the children of owners. If that is not possible in the firm, then owners must campaign for laws which provide such benefits to his family and those of his or her workers. 

The key in dealing with sin is that you look at your own first, not those of your neighbors or parishioners, which of course is at odds with the paragraph above. What kind of justice does the Church fight for, a God of personal perfection or perfect love of others. One of these produces happiness. If one is in doubt, find a spiritual director. If he is in doubt, ask a she.

This is where the Church must listen and learn. The most profound sexual sins in the Church today are scruples and misogyny. Clergy must examine their own sexuallity before rendering judgement on anyone else's. Much is to be learned, but will the Church listen?

Links: New priests; Democratic voter divide; uneven economic recovery

Links: New priests; Democratic voter divide; uneven economic recovery 

Parish ministry has much to offer our society, especially in charity and education. White, elitte elementary and high schools have lost this. As for the priests and other clergy, there is much work to be done in the area of gender theory, especially around demi-sexuality for the laity and asexuality for the clergy. We are unconscious of both as natural phenomenon, so we are plagued with the perceived holiness of what is simply fitting for asexual priests that are struggling with their own identities. Although the gay priests have a head start. The stone that the builders rejected...

The analysis of campaign volunteers and professionals is not entirely true. The Bernie corps, which hang out in Democratic Socialists of America (pushing us oldsters out) would have been better educated by seeking precinct, county and state level Democratic Committee memberships. This is the best education in what rank and file party members think. The GOP campaigners, especially the MAGA crowd, know this - which is a profound problem for the Republicans. They key to both groups, however, is the desire to win. All politics is local.

The key issue for the working class is how the wealthy use gender and race issues to divide it. This is not a new thing. It goes back to Burke and further in response to universal male suffrage. The best thing the Democrats can do is stress how supporting the child care provisions in Building Back Better are a pro-life thing - and that the feminists are right when they say that abortion is about controlling women's bodies. In the pro-life movement, there is resistance to family support because it is seen as subsidizing sexuality. QED

The GOP Party line is that social welfare is keeping people from going back to work. People have been saving their stimulus payments. When these are spent, people will likely return to the labor force. The key to building back better is to raise the minimum wage. This will stimulate growth and jobs. We cannot go back to the old two-tier economy.

Let us not forget the Stacey Abrams factor in supporting the ethical behavior by the Georgia Secretary of State - who would have likely done the right thing. He is no Katherine Harris. The Trumpists need to be tagged with Trump's support for Putin. Note to Dems: call them Soft on Putinism and then prove such links exist. It is not hard, especially when Igor Fruman pleads out in December.

Federal support for states in the area of social welfare and college education is not a new thing and it has nothing to do with elections. On the Texas case, the narrative is faulty. There is literally no way to deal with defending Roe until after cases deal with standing questions. The first task is to seek the state of Texas' exclusion from the current case. If they are immune from suit, they cannot be allowed to defend the law. Gomez v. Braid does not explicitly address standing, but the local court will, unless the counter-suit in federal court get the law first. So far, no hearing dates have been set.

New report on Midwest 'factory towns' shakes up the way we look at politics

New report on Midwest 'factory towns' shakes up the way we look at politics 

The reason factory towns have worse health is because their residents are older. The younger people who stay are more likely to parrot their parent's politics or have come back from overseas wars. A lot of the younger, smarter people have moved to cities or suburbs, especially the gay ones. Only my youngest brother, who inherited the family home, stayed in Iowa. Of the four of us that left, three have graduate degrees and one of the latter is an MD. None of us are going back. Ever.

That they do not focus on age or religion makes the 21st Century Democrats results problematic. Older and more conservative voters are not exactly experts in biology or constitutional law. They don't know that Roe is not doomed and that, if they don't stand up for very liberal solutions on family income, the unborn will also be doomed. Including in Factory Towns. 

The answer to dealing with these towns is brutal honesty. Start using the term Soft on Putin for Trump supporters, especially candidates. Then frame economic justice as a pro-life issue. Don't be afraid of offending feminists when you do - although few feminists will disagree with more money for families.