What I don't trust

People who go off emotionally half cocked over a bad experience and become the biggest cheerleaders against what they once embraced.  I give you:

I knew little of Steve Skojec, except the occasional online references.  And those were often from folks on the Left railing against him for his supposed frothing at the mouth zealotry on behalf of traditional Catholicism.  

Then something happened.  I've never gotten exactly what, though it seems to revolve around the ill treatment of one of his children at the hands of a Catholic Traditionalist leaning priest.  Which isn't hard to believe.  I don't think Traditional Catholics are immune to bad behavior any more than any other group.

But what has happened since has been a complete 180 reversal as Mr. Skojec has become everything anyone who hates Catholic Traditionalism ever hoped for.   For non-Catholics, non-Christians, and those Catholics who have cheered Pope Francis's assault on Traditional Catholicism, Mr. Skojec has become as quoted as Shakespeare.    

It puts me in mind of Rod Dreher, another who I see like a Thomas Paine character.  A man who makes good points, but can't be counted on to keep things in perspective over the long haul or when the going gets tough.  

So for years Dreher raged against the growing assault on religious liberty by the Left.  Fair call.  But when Covid hit, he embraced the mass hysteria, all but calling on any and all jack-booted thugs possible to kick down doors and drag away those reprobates gathering to worship God when our expert class strictly forbad such affronts to our wellbeing.  Yes, he later conceded that there were serious problems with how Covid was handled.  But as far as I know, he never came out and fully apologized and owned up to the part he played in that same oppression and persecution of dissenters. 

Folks like this never quite settle for me.  With Mr. S, how do I know that something else won't set him off with the latest group he now identifies with, only to see him turn on them?  And with Dreher, who knows?   He's too wild in his deviations far too often to rely on him beyond acknowledging when he makes a valid point.  When ISIS managed to down a plane some years ago, Dreher came off as almost giddy because he insisted it proved Trump hadn't 'eradicated ISIS', the multiple deaths being an additional lament tacked on to his triumphant slam against Trump.  A little loss of priority there, IMHO. 

I know.  Some might say 'But Dave, if someone was a Nazi or a porn star or a terrorist cultist, you would celebrate them leaving it and renouncing everything to do with it.'  That is true.  Because I consider those objectively evil things that are born of Hell and any who can escape their grasp are to be celebrated and prayed for and helped.  

I don't, however, put people gathering to worship God or preferring the Latin Mass in that category.  Something in other days, both Dreher and Skojec would have agreed with and fought bitterly against any suggestion otherwise.  But then, something happened and they snapped, and became everything they once condemned in order to attack the very things they once cherished.  And for me, that's just too unstable and fickle for my likes.  They might, and do, make good points sometimes, but I'll look to others to ultimately stand up for the cause of Good when the time is ripe.