Category: Politics

I met Deacon Fournier several years ago, and he is the embodiment of graciousness and enthusiasm. He has done great work for the Church in the public sphere, and his career shows his love of Christ and the Gospel.
Because there are so many good aspects of the article Sal mentions, I hesitate to disagree with any of it. However, there are some statements in the article with which I would quibble.
First, I do not share the contemporary distaste for retributive justice. Deacon Fournier says “Vengeance is never ours,” and that is true: private individuals do not have the right to mete out justice privately. However, the state does have that right: Saint Paul made it very clear that the power of the sword, wielded by the state, is delegated by God, and therefore takes on a supernatural meaning. Earthly justice is neither perfect nor final, but it is not on the same level as a blood feud. The state can and must punish criminals, not simply to deter other evil men, but because it is right to deprive criminals of some personal good because they have acted to harm the public good.
Second, and more grievously, it’s “Alex P. Keaton,” not “Alex B Keaton.” I was a big fan of Michael J. Fox’s unapologetically conservative character on “Family Ties,” and I cannot let the misspelling pass.
Third, there are entirely! too many! exclamation points!
Back to the serious stuff: there is no way that you could characterize the American economy as Darwinian. Governments at all levels comprise a third of the economy, and the vast majority of that spending goes to “human needs,” not defense or law enforcement. Social spending comprises an ever-growing portion of the government, and has for the last century. That will not change, no matter who wins in November.
The article’s last sentence is a cop-out: “However, God is not a Republican, nor is he a Democrat…and neither am I.” If Deacon Fournier declines to align himself with a political party, then that is his right. He must follow his conscience just like the rest of us.
But his words seem to imply — and I am not at all sure he means to say this — that to choose a political party is therefore ungodly. I have the same problem with this as the whole “What Would Jesus Do?” fad. That’s the wrong question. It should be, “What does Jesus want me to do?”
I do not think that Christians are called to stand aloof from history, or that it is contrary to the Gospel to take sides in great and significant national debates. Just as Jesus Christ entered history through the Incarnation, and continues to work in history through the Holy Spirit, we are called to work for God’s justice on earth.
No political party holds a monopoly on Truth. Not even Holy Mother Church can claim that. We must discern the best way to live the truth, and then form allies and fight for the good. We, the laity, have that weighty responsibility. When Christ comes again, he will want to see some progress toward a more just world. Let’s get cracking.

DNC’S NEW RELIGION ADVISOR WANTS “UNDER GOD” OUT OF THE PLEDGE
DNC’S RELIGION ADVISOR SAYS: “LOVE THY NEIGHBOR” MEANS PAYING TAXES
William Donahue, President of the Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights, say the DNC’s new Senior Advisor for Religious Outreach is “a person who believes that ‘paying taxes is a way of loving your neighbor.’” Donahue cuts to the chase, “Maybe she’ll persuade Teresa Heinz Kerry to tell us how much she pays in taxes so we can get a handle on just how much the billionaire loves her neighbor.”

“What does it mean when people are huddled in blankets in the cold, sleeping in Lafayette Park on the doorstep of the White House itself,” Senator John Kerry asked in his acceptance speech.
Most days, I work in an office building that’s about 50 yards from Lafayette Park, so I pass by it frequently. I even go on walks through it with my co-workers. Only rarely are homeless people sleeping on benches, and if they’re huddled in blankets, they’re nuts, because in D.C. it’s usually 80 freakin’ degrees by 8 a.m. in July.
The homeless people usually sleep near the steam grates on 15th Street, south of the White House and next to the Ellipse, but I guess that doesn’t sound good in a speech. And even if they were sleeping in Lafayette Park, “what does it mean”? I guess it means that the park benches are comfy….

I hereby declare that since Senator John Fightingman Kerry did make no reference to abortion, overt or oblique, in his acceptance speech, I lost the wager I made with Alison Schieber. I have already asked her for her address so I can send her a check.
There is one more opportunity to take $5 from me: I will bet that none of the pro-abortion Republicans will mention abortion in their convention speeches.
I don’t envy John Kerry having to face the NARAL harpies’ wrath, when they realize he neglected to mention the Feminist High Sacrament.

This post is for all the left-leaning Catholics that arrive here at CL.
What’s the difference between charity and social work? What’s different between Mother Teresa bringing in lepers off the streets of Calcutta and the Fairfax County Homeless Shelter?
One word: Jesus.
Social Work happens because people care about the community, the people in the community, their health, welfare and quality of life. It provides temporary aid and comfort to those in need. In some cases, it gets people through a tough time so they no longer need assistance.
Charity happens because people are touched by the one living and true God who came down to earth to teach us how to love one another. Each act of charity is grounded in eternity: it’s not just relief from the cold, it’s an act of love that means we confess with our hearts, minds and lips that Jesus is love and we should live out our lives as an example of his love for us.
Charity points to heaven. Social work points to the here and now.
The government, being a secular instituation, can’t engage in true charitable work.
And if you are one of those Catholics who thinks the Democrats have the Republicans beat on “social issues” then you misunderstand where the efforts, energy and earnings of Christians are best spent.