Links: The Latino vote; conservative wokeism; giant wind turbines

Links: The Latino vote; conservative wokeism; giant wind turbines 

The revolution is impossible to vote in because capitalists create wedge issues, like race and abortion. There is nothing that can be done about abortion criminally, which is why it is the perfect wedge issue. It will also lead to a gender gap among Latinos. If NARAL would tell the truth on the issue (that there is no moving the constitutional needle), it would hurt the Democrats ability to use this as a wedge issue.

Conservatives are not being woke, they are being opportunistic. Such posturing shows who is running for President. Neither have a chance. Hawley's involvement in the Insurrection will prevent him from holding office. The question for Haley is whether she was aware of Trump's unique relationship with Putin. She may be sharing a cell with the Kraken.

Fascism has no ideology, especially not in China. An electoral revolution will not bring real socialism. It will take changing the economics on the ground.

Until Catholicism reaches into the humility and humanism of Jesus, the atheists will have a foothold. Modern atheists are the prophets of this age. The meme of spiritual but not religious was stolen from people in recovery who have switched their higher power from a punishing God to one who is gentle and humble of heart. Newsflash: Jesus really does not care what we call him in prayer. Wanting to think he does is a religious concept best explained with sociology. Religion makes sacred architecture possible.

If all politics is local, Biden's approval ratings should bounce back

If all politics is local, Biden's approval ratings should bounce back 

Kabul's 15 minutes of fame are almost up. Once Delta burns through states which had not had serious outbreaks before, it will become a memory. If children get vaccinated before another variant, the issue goes away. In a short amount of time, attention will shift back to the plot leading to the Insurrection and whether Trump was a Russian asset (or agent). 

Politics is local because it is personal (which is usually a local thing). This is why people love their congressmen but hate Congress. People like Joe, although his honeymoon boost is over.  YouGov is not a valid poll. There is no random sampling. The question for 2024 is whether they like Kamala.

Links: Jason Berry, the scientific method and the California recall

Links: Jason Berry, the scientific method and the California recall 

If only the coverage of the scandal made use of gender theory to explain how priestly asexuality (not celibacy) leads to abuse. Still, congrats to JB.

The scientific establishment missed vital details in dealing with the illness and how it spreads. Laura missed them too - even though they are hiding in plain sight. She is a war criminal in the epidemic and the Insurrection.

I did not see the article on the web page. Joanna Morehead's article looks like a must read. I would do so if registration were not required to do so. Other than a personal attack on Carroll, what is there to say about Root and Branch? James would have been a great priest in the long term were it not for the need to cooperate with evil.The delicious irony about MSW dissing Jim is that Jim agrees with Michael about clericalism.

His heartfelt book missed one of the main details of how the Church got to where it is today. Catholic sexual morality really does need to be yanked out root and branch. Ordaining married lesbians would certainly do what is required (if we look at the Church's problems scientifically).

Initiative, referendum and recall bow to what is essential political mob rule. One of the reasons politicians don't like pruning their voter rolls is that doing so makes such nonsense harder. Democrats need to hold a convention to pick a consensus candidate to short circuit the process, even while supporting Newsome. Walking and chewing gum is essential when the rules are crazy.

My daily routine includes watching You Tube videos on the volcano. Gutn Tog is the best channel for this coverage. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nEnIICJzwe0

The Southern Baptists may not have liked McIntyre, but they followed his playbook. The Catholic Church has still not recovered from such self-promoting nonsense.

The architecture and urban planning of the 1950s was a disaster that helped keep racism firmly in place. Much of it needs to be removed, root and branch, to rebuild community and grow smarter.

If US church is to become synodal, we have a lot of work to do

If US church is to become synodal, we have a lot of work to do 

The original conference was pushing back against Rome and followed the lead of the Cardinals among them. The current one is divided, with St. John Paul bishops hoping that they can resist the current pope for only a short time before they get a pope more to their liking. This is not to say that division in the Conference is a bad thing. People like it when their own side is dominant, but debate is good. It keeps matters from being swept under the rug. To pretend that the conference is not like any other group of human beings is idealistic ecclesiology, not reality. 

There is one sure way to strengthen the Conference (or any group of people). Give them an opposing force to argue with (rather than seeking imagined enemies in the White House). The bishops like the status quo. To change it, elevate the Cardinal Advisors to the level of national or continental patriarch on the Orthodox model. This will both temper the actions of dissidents while giving them a reason for engagement.

Rethinking sex, especially the sexuality of the priesthood, would be to actually face the reality of how warped Catholic theology is. Complementarity is a hopeless concept. Priests (those who are not gay) need to realize they are the A in LGBTQIA (asexual) and quit acting like they are superior rather than different. Relating to the fact that their dreams of holiness are simply deviance from the norm would give them the necessary humility to deal with those of us who fall closer to sexual normality. Let the Conference chew on that issue for a while and leave Democratic voters alone for a bit.

Links: Critical race theory, culture wars and dog cuddling

Links: Critical race theory, culture wars and dog cuddling 

The pro-life hysteria is showing its irrelevancy. They are trying to look busy and children are dying because of it. It is good that she hinted at the principle of the double effect.

I hope that the AFL-CIO can get buy-in from the bishops on the President's proposals on the Child Tax Credit. Expanding the credit is the only pro-life solution that will actually work.

New York will be able to mange sea level change. The entire state of Florida will simply go away. There is simply nowhere that they can shunt the water to. They have no lower or higher ground.

Dogs are an emotional support animal for a reason. They also make you take a walk when you are old.

I would say that we have made progress, but in much of the world, religion is still blood sport. That includes enforcing atheism. People pick gods that resemble themselves and most people are nasty. That includes 4th Century Christians - whose personal sexual issues have been a burden to the Church for 16 centuries.

That cultural leaders capitalize on the desire for violence (whether it be Mao or Trump) is endemic. Sometimes, of course, it is the leaders who are particularly blood thirsty. They merely strike a chord. 

Fights over education (and as importantly, the color of who their children date) are endemic in America. These serve the interest of those who seek to divide the working class. As long as there have been conservatives, this has been a thing.

Pandering over abortion rights shows how much sex is a driving force in politics. Political contests have zero impact on the legality of abortion. We do not vote on civil rights. No one will say that, because that would involve giving up free money and motivated volunteers. 

As AFL-CIO charts its future, alliance with Catholic Church is vital

As AFL-CIO charts its future, alliance with Catholic Church is vital 

Trumka was very tolerant of the Church's foibles, especially with regard to the teacher's union, the insane ignorance of constitutional law and its doctrinal opposition to the right to strike. Would that the Church would learn such tolerance.  

The AFL-CIO needs to make peace with white collars. It can reach out to onsite government contractors, who can be fired at will be government agencies where they work. The right to fire at will is a feature, not a flaw, and it is a justification for not hiring people as staff. More importantly, it needs to branch out to employee-owned firms (which, ironically, need board representation, not the right to strike). The value of any relationship is the ability to grow together. May both the union movement and the Church realize that they each have room to grow.

Social issues are not something "over there." Their use by conservatives to divide workers is endemic, especially on gender and race.  Church needs to make its peace with our Constitution (which is the essence of the enlightenment). Many thought it already had in promulgating Dignitatis Humanae. Of course, this was before Roe. The principle behind individual rights is to accept others when you don't like their choices. Even abortion. 

Historically, just as the Unions ignored abortion rights, the Evangelicals did as well (for them, it was not an issue). This all changed when racism in education lost its tax breaks and its acceptability. The Catholics made a devil's bargain when it let itself be led into the GOP at the behest of White Evangelicals. It is an abuse relationship the Church much leave if it is serious about opposing Authoritarian Capitalism (there is nothing libertarian about it). Sadly, the Church likes authoritarianism, or at least the hierarchy does. They will need to change this to be of any help to labor.

The Church can start by making voting for the President's economic stimulus bill, which makes refundable child tax credits permanent, must pass pro-life education. Call it a show of good faith.

National Catholic Bioethics Center still wishy-washy on vaccine mandates

National Catholic Bioethics Center still wishy-washy on vaccine mandates 

The NCBC was the pet project of Bernard Law, then moved to Philly to become the project of Chaput. One quick look at its website tells you all you need to know about its (lack of) relevance. It has a newsletter, has received staff letters from two previous (and not the current) popes and holds annual conferences for the usual bishops. None of their ethicists are medical doctors. It's location is currently for sale. Nice house.

The official voice of the Church on bioethics is the  Catholic Association of the United States. They have a real office in DC in an actual office building. Their annual gatherings are huge and their COVID work is for real. Their ethical concerns page talks about real issues, like when to shut ventilators off. I am sure the NCBC would have a conniption, except no one would care.

Links: Trump and the Taliban; Ben and Jerry’s; and RIP Thomas Levergood

Links: Trump and the Taliban; Ben and Jerry’s; and RIP Thomas Levergood 

The infrastructure bill was just funding deferred maintenance. The same people who get road construction money now will keep getting it. Some businesses may expand, but there likely will be no new ones. The other bill, however, is profoundly pro-life. To call it anything else is to undersell it. Someone call the Dicastery for Laity, the Family and Life to get into the debate.

People will simply forget Afghanistan. If I were Trump, I would be very worried about how the news cycle is about to change.

The virus is mostly survivable for people who know how to deal with asthma. It is not about strength. The family should have gotten the shot. For the record, the four virus orphans will have their educations paid for. It comes with being poor, provided they stay out of "the system" and have some relative take care of them.

I used to think that corporate participation helped reform in problematic countries, like South Africa and Israel. Then the boycotts helped in the former. The connection is apt. I am not for the two state solution. Palestinians and Israeli Arabs should have the same rights to full citizenship as Jews - and without commitment to a Jewish state.

Opinions on architecture are like opinions on sexuality. People like what they like and abhor what they don't - irregardless of the underlying reality.

Haiti and Afghanistan: Twin tragedies demonstrate mystery of original sin

Haiti and Afghanistan: Twin tragedies demonstrate mystery of original sin 

Haiti has not been a going concern since France began reparations for itself over the nation. This was absolutely perverse and we did nothing. While calling Catholic Relief is helpful, much more is needed and France should pay for it - with interest. Can the nation survive? Should it? Maybe the best option is mass migration out. The other is to bring education in. It is the only way out of poverty.

Afghanistan needs to be given to Iran to deal with, at least to the Pashtunistan border. Pakistan should meet them there. Barring that, we must have hope that the Taliban's agenda was getting the U.S. out rather than imposing Wahibbism. This is where faith comes in. The nation fell to the Taliban as effectively as it fell for us. The real power is with tribal leaders. We must trust them too. After Bin Laden's body was dumped into the ocean, we should have declared victory an left. Hindsight is 20-20.

The failed doctrine of original sin, which is so misogynistic it could have been concocted by the Taliban of Mullah Omar (also dead), has little to do with these twin tragedies, or how to fix them.

Links: Afghan 'arrangements'; a hopeful climate story; bring back Catholic labor schools

Links: Afghan 'arrangements'; a hopeful climate story; bring back Catholic labor schools 

No one controls all of Afghanistan. They have subsidiarity down to a science. Their best hope was if we had signaled to Iran to take over all the way to the Pashtun border, with the Pakistani taking Pashtun and Uzbekistan and Tajikistan taking their enclaves.

Blame Capitalism for the decline in the White population. Also bad math in giving people raises. If everyone gets an equal percentage raise, prices chase the middle class and the poor get poorer. End welfare as we know it and the White birthrate plummets.

Wilkinson is telling people what they want to hear.The natural ecology of California is incapable of sustaining a population that size. The silliest idea ever is living in a forest that is likely to burn.

Like forests, fire is necessary in politics to burn out the deadwood. Texas on fire is the solution, not the problem.

Catholic labor schools had one flaw: Catholic doctrine does not support the right to strike. Oops. If they bring them back, they should start with training Catholic school teachers. Oops again. Doing this would force an examination of the rights of Church workers to support the right to choose and marry a spouse of the same sex. Triple oops. The Church simply cannot handle the truth. It interferes with organizational values and cohesion.

The age of the founders is a lesson in not counting out Bernie's Millenials in current politics. Long live the Squad.

Art is always a part of cultural criticism, like apocalyptic prophesy and other forms of comedy.

Traditional Latin Mass advocates prove Pope Francis was right to suppress the old rite

Traditional Latin Mass advocates prove Pope Francis was right to suppress the old rite 

The noise from the usual suspects is irrelevant. The irony is that they would give no quarter to dissension from the Catholic Left. So much for not believing in Karma. I do not begrudge them their right to make noise, even though their hypocrisy escapes them. Their main error is their love of pageantry, which ignores the key fact of the Divinity, their profound and total Humility. God has no need of our worship, nor the obsequious language in current Roman right. Jesus would certainly not want his flesh and blood treated as an idol. Mass is based on Shabbat and Seder, not pagan Roman worship. We could actually go further in that direction, although I would prefer Pita to modern Passover matzos.

Regarding the Magisterium, Francis no longer speaks that language.

Infrastructure bill's passage a big win for Biden, a big loss for Trump

Infrastructure bill's passage a big win for Biden, a big loss for Trump 

The big victory was for moderates, which include Biden. What he did behind the scenes is unknown - however I bet that Schumer and McConnell also tacitly encouraged a compromise that they could not openly endorse until it was done. Donald Trump, a few dozen progressive activists, commentators on both MSNBC and Fox News are entertainment - perhaps even astroturf. 

At the end of the day, such entertainment means little to the policy process for all but the most cynical of members of Congress. A few weeks in a congressional office mail room shows exactly how much influence astroturf rabble rousing has. Their only impact was the fact that Trump was a Fox News devotee while president. Rookie mistake. 

I am currently editing my book on The National Debt as Class Warfare. I have tables on who pays how much in tax by class. One third of filers pay not tax at all and another third pay a pittance. There are better ways to extract money (while still holding the poor harmless). Like most astroturfers, no one is listening to me either. Or MSW.

There are two ways to get money from the people who have money. You can tax them or you can borrow from them. People who pay no taxes will not pay back much of the debt - which is allowed to balloon because we have a stable income tax. In the long run, paying the interest on the debt is the out of control item. The people who pay it actually own the bonds. The only problem with this is that this bond ownership backstops capitalism. The source of inequality is bad math. We give percentage raises rather than equal dollar raises. In 50 years, this has consequences - almost entirely unintentional. 

Links: Jennifer Hudson on Aretha Franklin; more Latin Mass; Rozanski on immigration

Links: Jennifer Hudson on Aretha Franklin; more Latin Mass; Rozanski on immigration 

We need to vaccinate all children (including migrant children). If the mother getting the shot does not damage the unborn child, it should not hurt infants, daycare and elementary school students. In the interim, asthma meds will stave off symptoms (including inhalers, decongestants and steroids).

Massimo agrees with both MSW and MGB. Just look at who squaks with Ross to see how ideological their position is. I would not lump Amy Welborn with the usual suspects. Read her gender page. Also, she has as much right to an opinion as professionally trained theologians or church historians.  Nice touch on naming Pius X a reactionary. He still has his devotees. 

I remember seeing the Queen at the Clinton concert event on the Mall. I hope this makes it into the movie. I am glad that the tradition of American Olympic swimmers is going strong. The dynasty continues.

Catholic Bioethics Center chooses culture war over Catholicism

Catholic Bioethics Center chooses culture war over Catholicism 

The National Capital Bioethics Center is no stranger to the fringe.It is also Astroturf. Its prior director ignored traditional ethics on when life begins (until after twinning, aka gastrulation) and extraordinary measures for premature (and surviving aborted) infants and at the end of life (both feeding and intubation). He had the ear of St. John Paul II, essentially writing Evangeliium Vitae. 

The new director seems to have been asleep in Ethics class when the principle of the double effect was discussed. Unless an abortion was procured in order to extract the cell lines, which would be evil, using such cells to create treatments and vaccines is not unethical because these uses were not the intent of the current laboratories. Francis is right to ignore him.

Links: Class warfare; 'common good' economics; Ivereigh on Biden and Communion

Links: Class warfare; 'common good' economics; Ivereigh on Biden and Communion 

Brooks have turned the Bobos into the new Jews. A kind of cultural elite, but without Miles Davis. Of course, some of us still listen to Miles. So what? Bobos shop at Kraemer Books.

Bobos are a reaction to Authoritarian Capitalism, which Hawley defends with all his being - including those tuckuses that he kisses.

Not all Catholic Bobos go to brunch on Sunday instead of going to Mass. We are more likely to tell the inconvenient truth to authoritarian bishops who do not want to hear it. We prefer thought to tradition and logic to loyalty.

Hopefully the 65% in Israel also support full Arab/Palestinian rights. There may be hope on the horizon.

The best way to find a person on Grindr is to subscribe and lay in wait. I doubt this was a Meta-data thing. The real scandal is still the priest not becoming woke to the plight of other gay priests and any man or woman, gay or straight, married or asexual, who would celebrate Mass for their fellows.

Other countries are building high speed rail and denying access to freight. Transportation for Bobos.

Cultural, rather than political, theory is best to examine COVID responses. Some people do not trust authority. Others only obey people who they consider to be their authorities. There are more followers of authority than liberty in places like Texas. Bobos get the shot.

A tribute to Trumka, a Catholic whose work we must carry on

A tribute to Trumka, a Catholic whose work we must carry on 

The question on capitalism is not liberty or autonomy, but autonomy for who. CEOs with autonomy at the expense of their employees is called authoritarianism. Bishops taking a stance against the latter would have been inconvenient. The genius of Trumka was the ability to seek solidarity beyond differences, even when such differences are profound. 

This effort ignored the issues presented by the NEA's relationship with the bishops (who are wrong on all counts in both fighting unionization and blaming support for constitutional reality for doing so). Sadly, this challenge remains, largely because of the partisanship of the bishops.