A primer in Immigration education

Someone - and I don't know who - seems to have forgotten a little about what we should think of when we think of Immigration and what it means to come to America.  But before continuing, please view the following for a refresher about America's right to be a country with an identity:

I will not politically exploit human suffering

I will not politically exploit human suffering.  I just need to say it, to remind myself.

Attention Gun Control Activists

My request is very simple.  If you are going to rush to the cameras and papers every time there is a shooting to push for gun control, then I want two things. 

First, show me an actual proposal that would prevent the actual shooting you are referencing.  Not just saying we need this, or more of that.  I want you to say 'this is exactly how that shooting happened, and this is exactly how we would prevent that shooting.'  Not just standing on the shooting to propose legislation that wouldn't have changed a thing.  If you want that, then don't use shootings that wouldn't be impacted.  If you are going to use a shooting, then tell me exactly what you propose and exactly how it would have prevented it.

Second, show me how it will prevent the shooting while also assuring me that innocent, law abiding citizens will not be hindered or put in harm's way.  If you aren't using the latest media focused shooting, then you can speak in more general terms, that's fine.  You still have to show me that it will actually solve the problem (which can, admittedly, be tough to say if we haven't tried it yet), and also assure me that the law abiding citizens won't be harmed. 

Other considerations are there of course.  I would appreciate it if we looked at the numbers, the demographics, who is doing the shootings, mental health, and other things like exactly who the number one killers of black Americans actually are.  Things like that would build goodwill and suggest that you actually want to end gun violence, and aren't just exploiting it to advance agendas and political control of our culture.  

Do those things, and I am open to talk.  Continue to avoid doing those things, and I see no reason to trust you or believe you care about anything but advancing preconceived agendas. 

Liberals, Pope Francis and the Torture Debate

So we have another article reflecting the Left's understanding of Pope Francis and how he will ultimately change the Catholic Faith.  Again, most are no longer imagining that Pope Francis will stand on high and personally overthrow Catholic Doctrine.  But they are becoming aware of a Catholic principal that has been crucial to the Catholic Blogosphere and those who defend the here and now of awesomeness without trashing the history of the Church.

Remember the Torture Debates.  This was a major, and I mean major, debate about torture in light of the whole Waterboarding controversies of the Bush administration.  For my part, torture is wrong.  It's what the bad guys do.  Just like removing offensive facts  from the public forum and erasing them from our collective memories.  It's what the Nazis, the Communists, the Indians (yeah, really), the Vietcong and all those other baddies did.  It's not what we should ever have done.

So I was against torture.  But I enjoyed the Catholic debates.  Those Catholics who, for whatever reason, were trying to argue for the Bush policies often looked back to the darker periods of Church history when, to be honest, people were tortured by Church command.  How many were tortured is tough to say.  But one person tortured in the name of Christ by Holy Mother Church is a travesty.  If you want to believe millions were, go ahead.  Given Catholics on the blogosphere who believe the worst about the US or Western Civilization, I'm more willing to accept the inflated numbers.  But that's irrelevant.  People were tortured by the Church.  It's a fact. Let's move on.

And yet opponents of the practice were quick to point out the Church never actually officially doctrinally proclaimed a dogma about torturing people.  Therefore, you can't say the Church actually taught it was OK.  What the Church did was irrelevant to what the Church actually, officially, doctrinally taught.

See where this is going?  The fact that the Church raised armies, launched wars, slaughtered heretical sects, tortured people to death was irrelevant.  That it happened over the course of centuries was irrelevant.  That was just the times.  The Church - Official Church Doctrine - never changed.

Explain how that brings comfort to anyone who died at the hands of the Church during those years.  Tell that to anti-Catholics who bring that back at the Church time and again.  It doesn't matter.  Because if in the old dusty law books, the Church still taught turn the other cheek, in all the world that Catholics and the human race knew, you defended Christendom with the sword.

And that, children, is just what a growing number of liberals are expecting.  Pope Francis won't change Church Doctrine.  Just like the Medieval Church didn't officially alter the whole 'Love your neighbor as yourself' teaching.  It redefined it.  It rethought it.  It turned it on its head to allow armies and inquisitors to do the unthinkable for countless centuries.  And just like that, the growing liberal conclusion is that Pope Francis will do the same.  God will forever have declared that a man should leave his parents and cleave unto this wife and the two shall become one flesh.  But in the day to day living of Catholic life?  In the new understanding of who is awesome, and who simply isn't keeping with the times of where Beautiful Catholics should be? That sign proclaiming the old teaching about marriage between a man and woman will hang right above Ted and Ted as they tie the knot in the corner Parish and Commons.

This growing number of liberals might be wrong.  But we're waiting for some clear indicators from Pope Francis to make it obvious that they are wrong.  And at least as of now, not seeing them.

One reason I still visit Catholic and Enjoying it

Is because of the phenomenal quality that several of the regular readers bring to discussions.  TMLutas still hangs out, bringing economic sense to discussions on the evils of Capitalism.  And in this little piece, in which Mark once again says 'evil gun cult, we must do anything, if you disagree with my non-solutions then Gun Cult!', several great commenters step in to bring sense, reality, and facts to the table.

Particularly compelling is Mike Flynn's point that if you look at certain metropolitan areas in Canada and the US near the Canadian border, it's amazing how the homicide rate fluctuates.  Sometimes, the rates in Canadian cities exceed their US counterparts.  It's amazing.  We're brainwashed by the media and the Left to think that the US is this giant homogeneous thing, where murders are everywhere, white cops are killing everyone, guns are everywhere killing everyone, and all you need to do to avoid this horror is step into any place in any other place in the world and it's John Lennon songs and flowers in the hair.

Such might be Mark's view, though his contribution to the debate is about as incoherent as they come.  It might be I'm just not clever enough to get his solutions, but when he increasingly raves about things outside of actual Catholic doctrine like gun control, it's like some bizarre version of 'You're stupid about guns because Frankenstein never scared me!'  Huh?  That's what I feel like reading Mark's contributions, especially when set in juxtaposition to Mike's, Pete the Greek's, and Stu's contributions to the subject.

Pushing the liberal line Catholic style

Again, it's difficult to look at the Catholic Church, c. 2015, and not see that it is lurching, however awkwardly, toward accepting as many as possible of the ideals and values of the post-Christian, Secular Left.  

Pope Francis has been a lightening rod in this movement, as he seems almost joyful in his disregard for things once held in high esteem by traditional Catholics, and equally joyful in reaching out and celebrating and embracing values and perspectives associated with even the more radical elements of the Leftist movement.  

So for instance, yet another children's book aimed at proclaiming the gospel of Gay Normality to kiddies.  It's caused quite a stir in Italy.  Even leading to it being banned.  So what does the Vatican, in the name of Pope Francis do?  Sends a letter to the author of the book - praising the gift of the book.  That's right.  Not just saying that the Church opposes censorship or something like that.  Not just saying 'we're praying for you.'  Nope.  It praises the giving of the book as a gift (remember the Communist Crucifix kerfuffle a while back?). 

Sure, there is still the obligatory 'but the Church still teaches....' part of the release.  But you know what?  As far as I know, the Church still teaches that crossbows are a wicked weapon.  Not that anyone cares.  And more and more, those on the Left who love Francis seem to believe that he is going to do for sins associated with Liberal values what the Church did for crossbow bans: make them entirely irrelevant.  Sure, in some dusty old law book, somewhere in the Vatican archives, it will still say you can't technically be a sexually active homosexual.  

But just like the same dusty book saying that crossbows are a sinful device of the devil, it will be tossed aside and forgotten about when it comes to looking at what defines a beautiful, devout and celebrated Catholic.  Those liberals loving Francis, and I, could be wrong.  But so far, I've seen nothing to suggest so.  

The problem with Conservatives

Is that they are, as often as not, merely yesterday's liberals.  So not quite two decades ago, Conservatives then were shocked at the defenses being made on behalf of Bill Clinton.  The defenders of Clinton, once the truth was known, were reduced to telling us that it didn't matter.  So what if he lied?  It was for sex   So what if he committed perjury in the high court?  It was for sex.  So what if he had an affair?  So what if he played the media, falsely accused his opponents, manipulated the American public?  Everyone does it anyway.  Plus, he gave us the greatest economy in the history of the universe.  What does it matter?  Do values, ethics, and character even matter?  No!

So what are Trump's defenders doing?  Conservatives defending Trump?  Why, sounding just like those who were defending Clinton all those years ago.  Who cares about Trump's background?  His recent past support of liberalism and Democrats?  His voting record?  His character and values?  Who cares period!  It doesn't matter.  He's taking on the press.  He's a rebel.  He speaks his mind.  He's got tons of money and is successful.  That, children, is all that matters.  Do values, ethics, and character even matter?  No!

The problem with Conservatives is that they are, as often as not, merely yesterday's liberals.

Japan to war victims

It's time to move on.  We can't blame future generations for past atrocities.  Mark that opinion well folks.  It's worth noting that most of the hatred, rage, anger and refusal to forgive over the atomic bombings comes not from Japan, but from Americans, Europeans, and others who pretty much hate and despise the US anyway.  Japan, perhaps out of a sense of reality, a sense of honor, or because it doesn't want to stir up too many old memories from others, seems pretty content with trying to learn actual lessons while letting bygones be bygones.  Lessons we can all use, but are only valuable if we learn them all, rather than cherry pick the ones that help advance this agenda or that ideology.

To that end, here is a little piece by a Catholic from a different view on VJ day, and how we've come so far and still don't know the extent to the carnage of those horrible dozen plus years.  With that in mind, I can't conceive of the actual joy and relief felt on that day.  All these years later, it's all just academic and a topic worth debating by a generation whose prime accomplishment is watching the civilization it inherited slowly sink into oblivion.

Almost ancient history at this point

A reminder for all those liberal defenders of Planned Parenthood's alleged slaughter for profit operation

America's past as many defenders of Planned Parenthood
see it.  The irony is obvious. 

Remember Donald Sterling?  Yeah, him.  In order to keep racial tensions alive during Obama's presidency, the press has had to push some pretty shaky boundaries of ethical behavior to their limits.  So most media commentators admitted that a woman baiting an old man into a racist rant, then secretly recording him and releasing the recording to the paparazzi in order to destroy him, seemed kinda nasty.  Perhaps even wrong.  There were even some suggesting that this could be a serious threat to freedom of speech.  All of these objections were noted.

But here's the thing.  Almost every commentator at that time said ultimately it didn't matter; what really mattered was the man's allegedly racist tirade.  And we didn't even just focus on Sterling and what Sterling said.  Before we knew the facts, it was the very racism that defines America and makes such racism possible that should also be our focus.

Fair enough.  Now, we have a series of videos, admittedly obtained in sting-like circumstances, that allegedly show something so potentially horrible that it surpass almost anything liberals can dredge up in America's past.  It would't be so bad if such a terrifyingly, worse-than-Isis level of unbelievable human slaughter was uncovered and immediately condemned if true.  Then it would be bad that it happened, or perhaps that as a country we have come so far that such a thing could happen in our day and age.

But since a huge swath of our nation, our society, including celebrities, politicians, religious leaders, and the always reliable Propaganda Machine is actually defending what could turn out to be a house of baby-butchering-horrors-for-profit without waiting for facts, it shows just how close to the edge of Babylon we've come.  If we haven't already passed the line.

That should, following the Sterling Principle, be the focus.  But no.  Along with some reliable Catholics struggling to keep focus on the lying film makers, the media is all about saying 'not so fast, let's zero in on the videos and the way the videos were obtained!'  They're not even condemning Planned Parenthood.  At least that would be like only condemning Sterling but not trying to link it to racism in America in general.  

Instead, the media is discussing this in a sort of 'we have to cover it, sort of looks bad, but let's not forget the way the videos were obtained (unlike the Sterling Principle)....blah, blah, blah.'  And for a nation of lazy, stupid, drugged up, sexed up idiots, that will probably suffice.

I realize that in our post-modern, secularized age, consistency is a lot to ask.  But it would be nice if those who reminded us to keep our priorities with Sterling did the same now.  Assuming, of course, that they aren't actually keeping their priorities.  Which I hope, for the sake of the soul of our nation, they aren't.

Woe to the city of blood,

full of lies,

full of plunder,

never without victims!

                                                                                             Nahum 3.1

Defending America

And the West.  Good to see.  Mark threw out a little dig at Jews who aren't on board with Pope Francis, though admittedly in a way that seems - to my eyes that aren't part of that culture - a bit strange.  But since I'm sure my culture seems strange to others who aren't in mine, I tend to be slow on judging the strangeness of other cultures.

Anyway, one of his regular readers jumped in pretty quickly and asked how we can see a difference between Israel's treatment of the Palestinians versus Europeans' treatment of Native Americans.  Seemed like bait, since most liberals will immediately say there is no difference.  In each case it is a vile and contemptible race of evil imperialists assaulting the lands of beautiful, godlike beings.  

But wait.  The strangely anonymous 'Guest' appears with what is stacking up to be some pretty sane, well thought out and penetrating wisdom and logic.  Guest reminds us that Native American (a rather artificial label I'm not altogether fond of) is a vague term that doesn't take into account the thousands of years and thousands of people groups who lived, fought and died here long before the first Europeans arrived.  I second the notion. 

H. Garrett, whose hatred of America and the West is well known and admitted, chastised me, reminding me that it is still a story of beautiful people being cast off their lands by the forces of Evil.  I had neither the time nor desire to get pulled into another long, pointless debate about that, but didn't have to.  Pete the Greek, who I don't always agree with but appreciate his candor, jumped in and literally smashed Garrett's mythical Multi-Cultural fantasy world.  

It's good to see there are still the sane out there who don't embrace the bigotry, hatred and prejudice against the Anglo-European Christian Culture that is so popular among the liberal Multi-Cultural crowd, as well as those who embrace it for their own purposes.  Nice to see some still realize sin and evil are universal, and not everything that came out of the West, or even America, is worthy of condemnation.  That is why I can forgive Native Americans for slaughtering innocent immigrants from Europe, but I can also forgive Columbus and what he did, as well as US citizens who live along our border today for being worried about illegal immigration, while also sympathizing with those coming for a better life.  See how it works?  It's almost like we're all the same after all. 

Anyway, well done Pete.  

Historical Note: The picture is, of course, typical liberal bilge.  The actual pilgrims were guilty of none of those things, or at least no more so than the American Indians with which they were dealing. Only the modern acceptable racism, which condemns all people of a certain skin color because of that done by others of the same color, would suggest so.  

Carly Fiorina is the only women in the GOP field of candidates

The only woman.  I thought I'd mention it, since that is her official title.  At least according to the media.  She is the only woman, the only woman, the only woman.  Now the number of women in the Democrat's field of presidential contenders is, by comparison, one.  But that's different.  Which is why Hillary is never, ever referred to as the only woman in the Democrat field of candidates.   I know, it could be argued that because there are so many GOP candidates, her being the only woman necessitates it.  And perhaps if women  presidents were common, it might be unusual to see only one in a party's field of candidates.  But given that we can count on one hand the number of women on the national level tickets in our history, I don't see the reason to point it out every time her name is mentioned.  Oh wait.  Yeah I do.  Lest a major plank for the liberal propaganda machine be removed.  

Always remember that Liberalism hates the Western Tradition

And everything to do with it.  The Christian heritage.  Western Civilization.   Anything to do with the United States.  It hates - and I mean hates - these things.  These are the singular cause of all human suffering in the world.  Any other culture either did nothing that could objectively be called evil, or it learned its evils as a result of those things associated with the West.  And that includes the always beloved Communism, which while suffering from some unfortunate occurrences, only had such bad things happen because of - you guessed it - the West.

With that little acknowledgement, please read this editorial in Newsweek.  Yes, it's Newsweek, radical pseudo-Communist, secularist, anti-Western publication that doesn't worry about little things like truth and accuracy.  Knowing that, can you tell if the article is a parody? Or is it real.  One of the problems with the emergent Left is that you just never know if it's actually happening, or if it might just be a great, big joke we'll all laugh about in years to come.  Let's pray it's the second option.

The power of propaganda is in the weak minded

And the willing minded.  Propaganda won't work without those two groups. People ill-informed or ill-educated who believe the unbelievable.  And people who are smart, intelligent, informed or educated who know it's BS, but promote it anyway because it serves its purpose.

So, based on the popular liberal narrative, the narrative assumed by our media establishment, the following is true:

This is the party of old, gray haired, close minded and like thinking bigoted, backward looking, white men:

And this is the party of youthful, inclusive, diverse and open minded politicians all about the future and welcoming different views:

See how that works?  The evidence is clear that the GOP has, once again, fielded a spectacularly diverse field, filled with a variety of ages, genders, races and viewpoints.  The Democrats have, once again, fielded a group of individuals like thinking on almost every major issue, whose average age (65.5 years)  rivals the oldest GOP candidates of the past who were subtly attacked because of their advanced years, and except for Hillary (almost as old as Reagan when he ran in 1980 and Democrats said he was too old), a bunch of gray haired white guys (O'Malley being the youngster at 52 years old).  And yet, the basic unspoken assumption is that the Democrats are the real party of the future and inclusion and diversity, the GOP the homogeneous party of old white guys all about the past. 

Propaganda.  It's used because it works.  And it works because of the weak, and the willing, minded.  Hence, informed and highly educated people in a very advanced nation could see this:

And still believe this:

Sort of makes you wonder how many actually believed it.  Truth be told, I wonder how many people today actually believe what we're told we must believe.  

Stupidity of modern America

Is best demonstrated by the fact that people get upset when someone says all lives matter, and our media elites won't call it for what it is.  Enough said.

Why so many liberals love the Beatles

Now we know!

Yes, it's a sad and frightening spectacle.  You'd think no matter how the evidence was obtained, the outrage and horrifyingly repulsive and sickening display of what goes on behind Planned Parenthood doors would have turned society upside down.  I don't expect people born and baptized in the pool of narcissism and hedonism to turn on a dime and renounce abortion. But I thought the overall response would be immediate disgust, and the demands to punish PP for such a grave assault on the dignity of the human being.  

But no.  Far from it.  It's been defend, defend, and defend.  And as can be expected, the liberal branch of American politics is the primary defender of such callous and deliberate disregard for human life that one has to reach through the wire fences of Auschwitz to find a similar example.  Of course not just the Democrats.  As can always be expected, the proper number of Republicans will jump ship and support Hell rather than fight it in the hopes that lucrative political careers and champagne luncheons are maintained.  

Where am I?

Busy, that's where.  But a good busy.  I landed a supervisor position at a healthcare company. Yeah, the bad guys.  But I worked in a healthcare company back in the day while I served smaller churches as a pastor and needed more income.  I learned enough then to at least understand the main problem with healthcare costs and why Obama's grand plan, while righting some of the smaller issues, failed to address the primary problem people understand about their healthcare coverage. 

Meanwhile, in a strange twist of fate, my wife begins Monday doing the job I just left.  Really.  She's taking over my position.  Which will be nice.  They're actually hiring her at a senior level position (which the job warranted).  Had they done that with me, I wouldn't have left!  

In any event, we will - for the first time in almost seven years - have more money than we need.  Not tons more, but more.  And just seeing a plus sign at the end of the monthly budgets will itself be worth gold and then some.  

Nonetheless, getting ready, adjusting, trying to shift around for our boys' homeschooling, has made it tough to keep up with things.  I know there is much to think about and talk about, but I prefer to have time to mull things over and think them through before I just post.  Otherwise, I might end up doing something like this.

So when things slow down, and things settle, I'll have a chance to get back to things.  In the meantime, I appreciate the articles and emails, even if I don't have time right now to comment on them.  Keep them coming!  I'll be back soon.