A friend sent me this. It’s good. It explains a lot.
The Angry Man
For all the interest group pandering that shapes modern American politics, the group that may well have decided the election has come down to the demographic of “The Angry Man.”
The Angry Man is difficult to stereotype. He comes from all economic backgrounds, from dirt-poor to filthy rich. He represents all geographic areas in America , from sophisticated urbanite to rural redneck, Deep South to Yankee North, Left Coast to Eastern Seaboard.
No matter where he’s from, Angry Men share many common traits; they aren’t asking for anything from anyone other than the promise to be able to make their own way on a level playing field. In many cases, they are independent businessmen and employ several people. They pay more than their share of taxes and they work hard. Damn hard, for what they have and intend to keep.
He’s used to picking up the tab, whether it’s the Christmas party for the employees at his company, three sets of braces, college educations or a beautiful wedding or two. Not because he was forced to, but because it’s the right thing to do.
The Angry Man believes the Constitution should be interpreted as it was written. It is not as a “living document” open to the whims and vagaries of appointed judges and political winds.
The Angry Man owns firearms, and he’s willing to pick up a gun and use it in defense of his home, his country and his family. He is willing to lay down his life to defend the freedom and safety of others, and the thought of killing someone if necessary to achieve those goals gives him only momentary pause.
The Angry Man is not, and never will be, a victim. Nobody like him drowned in Hurricane Katrina. He got his people together and got the hell out. Then, he went back in to rescue those who needed help or were too stupid to help themselves in the first place. He was selfless in this, just as often a civilian as a police officer, a National Guard soldier or a volunteer firefighter. Victimhood syndrome buzzwords; “disenfranchised,” “marginalized” and “voiceless” don’t resonate with The Angry Man. “Press ‘one’ for English” is a curse-word to him.
His last name, his race and his religion don’t matter. His ancestry might be Italian, English, African, Polish, German, Slavic, Irish, Russian, Hispanic or any of a hundred others. What does matter is that he considers himself in every way to be an American. He is proud of this country and thinks that if you aren’t, you are whole-heartedly encouraged to find one that suits you and move there.
The Angry Man is usually a man’s man. The kind of guy who likes to play poker, watch football, go hunting, play golf, maintain his own vehicles and build things. He coaches kid’s baseball, soccer and football and doesn’t ask for a penny. He’s the kind of guy who can put an addition on his house with a couple of friends, drill an oil well, design a factory or work the land. He can fill a train with 100,000 tons of coal and get it to the power plant so that you can keep the lights on while never knowing everything it took to do that. The Angry Man is the backbone of this country.
He’s not racist, but is truly disappointed and annoyed, when people exhibit behavior that typifies the worst stereotypes of their ethnicity. He’s willing to give everybody a fair chance if they’re willing to work hard and play by the rules. He expects other people to do the same. Above all, he has integrity in everything he does.
The Angry Man votes, and he loathes the dysfunction now rampant in government. It’s the victim groups being pandered to and the “poor me” attitude that they represent. The inability of politicians to give a straight answer to an honest question. The tax dollars that are given to people who simply don’t want to do anything for themselves. The fact that, because of very real consequences, he must stay within a budget but for some obscure reason the government he finances doesn’t. Mostly, it’s the blatantly arrogant attitude displayed implying that we are too stupid to run our own lives and only people in government are smart enough to do that.
The Angry Man has reached his limit. When a social justice agitator goes on TV, leading some rally for Black Lives Matter, safe spaces or other such nonsense, he may bite his tongue but, he remembers. When a child gets charged with carrying a concealed weapon for mistakenly bringing a penknife to school, he takes note of who the local idiots are in education and law enforcement.
But when government officials are repeatedly caught red-handed breaking the law and getting off scot-free, The Angry Man balls-up his fists and readies himself for the coming fight. He knows that this fight, will be a live or die situation, so he prepares fully. Make no mistake, this is a fight in which he is not willing to lose and he will never give up.Obama calls him a Clinger
Hillary Calls him Deplorable
Bill calls him Redneck
BLM calls him a Racist
Feminists calls him Sexist
ISIS calls him an Infidel
Donald Trump calls him an American
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I’m definitely forwarding this to as many people as I can.
HUZZAH
And C. S. Lewis called him the “Big Ghost,” who didn’t want any bleeding mercy.
…he keeps his powder dry, and has lots of powder.
Clear and well said.
A brighter light than I might apply their self to rendering a description of the justifiably angry Roman Catholic.
But then, it appears common sense is not so easily recognized these days on the banks of the Tiber.
From Trumped-up, trickle-down outrage, in The New Criterion, December 2016:
What they fear and loathe is not Donald Trump, who—whatever his primary rhetoric—has proposed a reasonable platform of pro-growth and pro-American reforms. What they fear is a bogeyman of their own manufacture. At least since the Sixties, the left-liberal consensus in America has worked to undermine traditional notions of decency, order, merit, and achievement. So monolithic was that consensus that a sudden reversion to normality came as a terrifying disillusionment. Hence the surreal, paranoid, and tantrum-filled response of the coddled beneficiaries of our society. We think of a mot often attributed to Teddy Roosevelt: “To anger a conservative, lie to him. To anger a liberal, tell him the truth.”
The angry man. Maybe. The Forgotten Man, yes. What the liberals fear most is that this man has remembered his voice and has about had it up to here with being duped and used by everyone. They are mad because the man is speaking out the truth, and their duplicity cannot hide from the light. They are being seen for what they are… cons and frauds.
I wonder how he felt about the changes brought about by Vatican II?
True enough, he represents some Americans. The angry man is in for the ride of his life with this administration driving this bus. (Has anyone heard a peep about Trump’s pro-life agenda as he’s picking cabinet, btw? Or, at all?)
Oorah! You never disappoint, Father.
Just so ‘The Angry Man’ doesn’t worry that he stands alone or unappreciated, we wives and mom’s of current and future “Angry Men” are proud to stand behind them and love them. Every time I read of some course at some lefty university or see videos by some ‘entertainment’ hacks attacking ‘toxic masculinity’, ‘white maleness’ or ‘privilege’, or see the latest commercial or sitcom that always has the ‘moron dad’ or buffoonish male boss, with the smart and sensible daughter/mom/homosexual friend/female coworker who has to save the day, I look at my teenage son and become the ‘Angry Mom’. I know I’m not the only one.
pannw (or might I say, ‘Mater Irata’?),
When I see reports (for instance) about how many women voted for President-Elect Trump, and citations and posts about why, I suspect if this were translated into Latin the ‘Angry Man’ might often appear as ‘Homo Iratus’ (and so include ‘Femina Irata’) rather than ‘Vir Iratus’.
(I also wonder how often ‘Beatus Vir’ is also nonetheless and quite properly ‘Iratus Vir’?)
I don’t see what has happened as a result of anger. The leftists want to marginalize people by saying, oh, they are angry. The conservatives are doing nothing to stop the radicals from defining everything and casually explaining it away. Desiring to live a godly life is not anger.
Allow me to disagree. This is from the 2017 Erasmus Lecture by Russell Moore, president of the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention. Previous speakers of this lecture include Archbishop Dolan and Cardinal Ratzinger.
I believe that it is fine to be an Angry man. But one can be a faithful Catholic without being one. One does not need to own guns, if male be “a man’s man”, and one can even criticize law enforcement for some things. In fact, one may even be a victim and be a faithful Catholic. Or press two for Spanish.
With respect Fr. Z., this is all off-topic from a Catholic perspective (except for the Supreme Court). It is your blog and you can post whatever you like, but is this a Catholic blog or a GOP/Trump blog?
I am the Angry Man.
I began loathing Trump. I have always found him personally distasteful. Of course I considered Clinton reprehensible and she would never, ever have been an option or choice for me. Trump was in the right party, but he seemed to be doing all the wrong things. His campaign was full of ugly mud-slinging. He is wrong on immigration and I stand by that opinion; the USCCB has spoken clearly and I always choose the Republican who is softest on immigration to support that position.
I had many conversations with friends about Trump. I also had online interactions and when I said I wouldn’t vote for either one I was attacked viciously, maligned, ridiculed, and marginalized. I felt if these were Trump supporters I didn’t want to be one.
But somewhere, somehow, I had a change of heart. One opinion that really mattered to me was when a friend said “If he surrounds himself with the right people and pursues the right policies then he’s got my vote”. I began to think of Trump not as a person but a means to an end. It was hugely encouraging when he appointed his 34-member Catholic Advisory Group with Rick Santorum as #1. I have always been a huge Santorum supporter and I was heartened to see he would have skin in the game. There were other big names on the list. I still wasn’t sold.
It came down to a conversation with a Brother Knight, my trusted right-hand-man and best friend, in an In-N-Out Burger one day very close to the election. I confessed I wouldn’t vote for Trump and sought his advice. And I can’t remember exactly what was said, but I figured if my best friend was supporting Trump then why was I resisting so much?
Another instance that put me over the top was when my liberal Obama-worshipping feminist kneels-before-Ginsburg cousin said she approved my decision not to vote. She also posted some news (fake probably) that indicated Arizona could swing to blue this year. I said “ENOUGH!” and vowed to counteract this horrible agenda by casting my vote where it mattered.
At one point I was even going to write in McMullin or Hoefling, but decided not to throw my vote away. I voted Trump and now I am fully on board with the administration. His Cabinet and advisory appointments have been wonderful news to me, exciting and encouraging just as much as they frightened and annoyed hardcore liberals like my mother and cousin. I think this will be a great 4 years. I realize one man can’t make all the difference, and these USA are truly headed down a toilet in the worst way, but Trump’s presidency will, at least, stem the tide for a little bit and give us some good news and allow us to grow in the Christian virtue of hope rather than tumbling further and further into despair.
I am the Angry Man.
I am the lucky man who was with Donald Trump since June 16 2015. He won and will turn the direction of this great Nation around. We sing praises to God for giving US, the working men (and women), another chance without FoodStamps or handouts.
Elizium, if you need Donald Trump (!) to “allow you to grow in the Christian virtue of hope” then I’d suggest you’ve got it all wrong. Until Catholics realize that they need neither government allowance nor approval to “grow in the virtue of hope” then they’ll be captive to this world. You should be firmly focused on the cause of such hope, on Christ, and not on the many “saviors” the world tries to prop up and slather in the intoxicating aroma of political power. If you fix your gaze on Christ and not the rulers (including Trump) who in various ways resist his sovereignty, you’ll be just fine whether we have a President Clinton or a President Trump.
Relatedly, this Angry Man shtick reads like a self-patodying ode to the Marlboro Man. I can only hope that it is just that and nothing more.
Marlboro Man?
Obviously in jest?
Any male who has issues with the Marlboro Man, needs to get their estrogen levels checked. Not just America, but the world, is plagued by effeminate men. They are a scourge. In better times they were culled by natural selection. Today they are allowed to pollute, and dilute the ranks of the male populace. They owe their existence to the Marxists. Pray that our Lord will deliver us from them and allow us to remove them from our midst.
All hail to the Marlboro Man!
Chris R, I’m with you. People are putting their trust in things of this world. I also wouldn’t make any remarks about effeminate men, being a Catholic and all.
Well Chris,
These are the men whom built the “worldly” church that you may attend, though donations and sweat. They are the ones that the pastor turns to, privately during a financial crisis. They are the ones, usually quietly, that are the real foundation of your parish.
Regards.
This was a depressing read for the beginning of the Christmas season. To turn it around – I thought about our local Catholic faith community and what we are angry about. We are angry that our county has a homeless shelter for cats and dogs but no permanent shelter and help for human beings. We are angry that talk of funding for a homeless shelter solicits letters to the editor that the homeless want to be homeless and are too lazy to get a job and find a home. So, we are working these past four years with a a group of 32 other faith communities to establish a homeless shelter that Catholic Charities has agreed to manage; brick by brick we are making progress. We are angry that the mosque of our local Imam was subject to an arson attack. So we invited him and his community to join us at our annual interfaith Thanksgiving prayer service to pray for understanding among fellow religious people. We are angry at the Florida death penalty process that has produced 26 exonerations off of death row – the largest US state ratio to actual executions accomplished since 1976.. So, at every schedules execution we go to the Florida state prison which houses death row and pray for an end to the death penalty and pray for victims of violence and for the murder and families. We invited Sr. Helen Prejean (Dead Man Walking) to address our community on her work against the death penalty. Brick by brick we’re working to change the minds of state legislators and are making progress.
In our pastor’s homily this Christmas he talked about what some people identify as Christmas traditions: gifts, lights, trees, etc. But in the Gospel of Luke, he zeroed in on Christ not finding room at the inn. And with a play on words, he challenged us to let Christ “in” our lives. But when we do, it’s messy and our world is turned upside down. I mean – love your enemies, do good to those who hate you? You’ve got to be kidding.
He ended with this thought: Perhaps instead of all the bumper stickers telling us to keep Christ in Christmas we ought to concentrate on keeping Christ in Christians.
A Blessed and Happy New Year to all.
Amen Markus! When I came home from high school to tell him one of the Sisters of (No) Mercy was inveighing against the pollution and social injustice of the steel mills of Chicago (all now defunct) my USS steel worker Daddy asked me to remind her who and what paid his 2 daughters’ tuition to their schools.
I loved the article and what resonated with this single, deplorable, independent, hard working woman the most was the following as it equally applied to my beloved Daddy 40 years ago and to me now:
“The tax dollars that are given to people who simply don’t want to do anything for themselves. The fact that, because of very real consequences, he must stay within a budget but for some obscure reason the government he finances doesn’t. Mostly, it’s the blatantly arrogant attitude displayed implying that we are too stupid to run our own lives and only people in government are smart enough to do that.”
Forgive my typos. I meant “at every scheduled execution we ….pray for the murderers and families”
“This was a depressing read for the beginning of the Christmas season. To turn it around – I thought about our local Catholic faith community and what we are angry about. We are angry that our county has a homeless shelter for cats and dogs but no permanent shelter and help for human beings. We are angry that talk of funding for a homeless shelter solicits letters to the editor that the homeless want to be homeless and are too lazy to get a job and find a home. So, we are working these past four years with a a group of 32 other faith communities to establish a homeless shelter that Catholic Charities has agreed to manage; brick by brick we are making progress. We are angry that the mosque of our local Imam was subject to an arson attack. So we invited him and his community to join us at our annual interfaith Thanksgiving prayer service to pray for understanding among fellow religious people. We are angry at the Florida death penalty process that has produced 26 exonerations off of death row – the largest US state ratio to actual executions accomplished since 1976.. So, at every schedules execution we go to the Florida state prison which houses death row and pray for an end to the death penalty and pray for victims of violence and for the murder and families. We invited Sr. Helen Prejean (Dead Man Walking) to address our community on her work against the death penalty. Brick by brick we’re working to change the minds of state legislators and are making progress.”
Our Lord told Pilate that His Kingdom is “not of this world.”
Your little parish kingdom, it would seem, is only of this world, not of the next.
Every parish has certain financial benefactors. But it’s a rare parish indeed who’s benefactor saved “stupid” people during Hurricane Katrina, plays poker, football, golf, who hunts, can drill an oil well, can load a train with 100k tons of coal, runs an independent business, and is a literalist about the Constitution to boot. Whew. What would the world do without that guy, that 21st Century John Bunyan?
Oh, and the foundation of my parish is, in fact, the Mass, and not Rural Batman’s prolific gifts to the parish.
joekstl, I hope I can find a parish like yours, that is outward looking and not a country club like my former one, where they tell people to get out if they look like they don’t belong or if nobody recognizes them.
Chris, I give money. I also slice, dice, and julienne. I’m a giving-matic!
Markus, the real foundation of my parish is the Trinity. Then women, who do the majority of the work and much of the ministry. If we ran out of money and the church buildings closed, that would still be true.
Well, realizing how we will be judged according to Matthew, chapter 25, we try to take care of the least among us in this world so as not to be those on the left of the just judge.
“Markus, the real foundation of my parish is the Trinity. Then women, who do the majority of the work and much of the ministry. If we ran out of money and the church buildings closed, that would still be true.”
Speaking honestly, what portion of your average Sunday attendance is male?
In my experience, the more liberal a parish’s liturgy, the more heterodox its preaching, and the more worldly are the objects of its undertakings, the fewer men will come anywhere near the place. In one notoriously-liberal diocese in which I resided many years ago, at least 75% of the attendees at any given Sunday Mass at the Cathedral were female.
“Well, realizing how we will be judged according to Matthew, chapter 25, we try to take care of the least among us in this world so as not to be those on the left of the just judge.”
If you think that turning your Parish into a sort of local NGO and dedicating your efforts to the nebulous (and highly dubious) cause of “social justice” is going to get you a free pass at the judgment seat, then think again. You must love God with your entire heart, soul and strength, which means that first of all you must render Him due worship, observe His commandments and laws (notwithstanding that you may consider them “mean”) and serve Him.
The entrepreneur who is able to accumulate capital and is willing to risk it does far more to lift the material lot of the so-called “marginalised” than a thousand of the crypto-Marxist-inspired programs so beloved of the “catholic” left. Such individuals are typically (though not always) “angry men.”
I started as you as anti-Trump but continued in that stance and voted Democratic. Then after the election thought that, although I think Trump is totally unqualified to be president, perhaps he will surround himself with a capable cabinet. Unlike you I believe the proposed cabinet is a disaster. We have as his senior adviser a man who openly identifies with white nationalists; his National Security Advisor has close ties with Russia, thinks Hillary was involved with a child sex ring, thinks Shariah law is being promoted in Texas and Florida, and thinks Islam is not a religion. His head for HUD has stated he is not qualified to run a Federal Agency. His Education Secretary doesn’t think much of public education (see Michigan’s public school situation). And now Trump has said let’s have an arms race.
Frankly we should be scared. I am terrified.
The angry man can also be a woman!
And let’s qualify the ‘angry’ as in fed-up, not as in consumed with rage. The latter is the province of the loonies on the left.
You obviously don’t know our Catholic faith community. We draw our strength from our weekly Eucharistic celebration. Our parish mission statement is: “Loving the God we cannot see by loving the neighbor we can.” So if our St. Vincent de Paul Society’s program to feed the hungry and homeless; and our Right to life Committee’s services to young and desperate pregnant women are NGO activities on your opinion – we plead guilty.
Joekstl,
Sounds great. After all, there was only one test used to separate the sheep and the goats.
Some people wouldn’t be caught dead serving people who are not just like them.
Joekstl, yours is obviously a Gospel centered parish.
“You obviously don’t know our Catholic faith community. We draw our strength from our weekly Eucharistic celebration. Our parish mission statement is: “Loving the God we cannot see by loving the neighbor we can.” So if our St. Vincent de Paul Society’s program to feed the hungry and homeless; and our Right to life Committee’s services to young and desperate pregnant women are NGO activities on your opinion – we plead guilty”
Be sure to mention to Our Lord that you have a cute mission statement when he enquires as to how you have fulfilled the First Commandment. As for the rest of your virtue-signalling activities, you have cited nothing that couldn’t be done by a band of Buddhists or secular agnostics.
When you say that you “draw strength from our weekly Eucharistic celebration” do you have any idea what you even mean by that phrase? Do you seek to render Him his due, or is it really more about your self-labelled “Catholic” Faith Community, which seems to be indistinguishable from a Democrat-affiliated social club?
The rest of your response shows that you simply miss the point entirely. You don’t get it. That’s the most charitable way I can admonish you.
“Joekstl, yours is obviously a Gospel centered parish.”
Perhaps, if your Gospel is the one in which Our Lord said: “Seek ye first the kingdom of man, and his material needs and comforts…”
Nothing like twisting and redefining words. Seems to be the practice du jour these days.
Christ is the keystone (do we know what a keystone is?) of the RCC. I was referring to the organization of the parish. Not the Church. Not worship. The behind the scene realities.
The pastor is the center of “parish” life. They come and go. The foundation of the PARISH is the above described “angry man (& woman)”.
As with any good Catholic marriage, the wife is co-benefactor and they are a team. In certain situations, specialized expertise is required from the “angry man (& woman)” and he/she silently complies. Their roofing company repairs leaks at no charge. The plumber fixes the rectory drain, the insurance agent that writes the best policy with no commission. The wife brings lunch…I’ve seen it all happen for many years.
You will not see their names in the weekly bulletin. You will not see their names on all the shiny donation plaques scattered throughout the church.
Many of the history illiterate do not know that previous presidential administrations had supported and passed liability laws (with the IRS) to require parishes to carry outrageous insurance for volunteer workers, nationally. Parishes could not afford the premiums so most (if not all) volunteer labor from the “angry man (&woman)” all but ceased in parishes. The Pres. Bush administration changed the law and set limits to liability and thus made the premiums affordable again. Reemerge the “angry man(&woman)” volunteer.
This is the foundation I am speaking of.
Gross…
I’m still in my twenties, finishing a Ph.D. in theology, already have three children, attend the Extraordinary Form of the Mass as often as I can, and think that every Catholic college should teach an entire course on the errors of modernism… and yet I can’t stand this pseudo-patriotic garbage that screams from the rooftops that western democratic capitalism is the be-all-end-all of political systems and that Donald Trump will be the one to save us.
I can understand some of the arguments for voting for Trump, and I would have no ill will towards anyone who did so in the hopes that he would appoint some competent people in spite of himself. Trump may be the president-elect, but he is an uneducated and despicable human being who, unfortunately, absolutely embodies what it means to be an American. Machiavelli would be proud. As far as I’m concerned, the West will continue its rapid descent…
accidental, a thousand times yes. Put not your trust in things of this world.
I’m curious as to what political system you’d prefer, as opposed to democratic capitalism, accidental.
I don’t think most reasonable people think that democratic capitalism is the be-all and end-all of political systems. But I do think that capitalism, in particular, is the best system we currently *have*. It has to be guided by moral principles, as St. John Paul II said, but I can’t think of any other system
that has been proven to work as well as it does, most of the time.
Accidental,
How do you support your three kids if you are still in school? Also, I second what capchoirgirl asked.
To Y2Y – We may be in the same Church but, boy, are we singing from totally different hymn books! I don’t know which part of Matthew 25 you don’t get: Jesus says what you do for the least of these you do to me. Jesus is present in those we serve: poor, naked, homeless, prisoners. By serving these least ones we are seeing Jesus himself present. That’s what our parish mission statement comes out of and is inspired by. And by the way, the statement “serving the God we cannot see by serving the neighbor we can” is, indeed “cute.” We’re proud of it.
So, perhaps the best way I can charitably admonish you is to suggest that you use a technique from the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius. Meditate on the parable of the Good Samaritan; place yourself in the story; identify the characters and what they are doing and see how you would like to respond. Based on your comments so far, do you see the Samaritan as an NGO agent? Do you rather identify with the Levite, or the priest and go about putting your emphasis on the First Commandment and leaving the poor victim in the ditch? Your call.
EVERYONE: Think and breathe deeply before hitting the POST key. Otherwise, I’ll shut this down and put people on permanent moderation.
joekstl, lol, but that would be too hard!
Gilbert, yes, Mt 25:44-45. Those who cannot see Christ in the beggar outside the church door will not see Him in the chalice.
Great post Fr. Z. That last paragraph is classic and does indeed explain a lot.
Sadly, our president-elect models and endorses rudeness. Americans will run rampant with that… and sorry to say, Catholic aren’t immune. (Sigh.)
Y2Y, I took a sentimental journey back to all the parishes I’ve been part of. I can’t say any of them were more heavily attended by women than men.
To address several other comments in this thread:
In my current parish, I know of several women who are heavily financing the parish. Men aren’t the only benefactors of our Church.
The parishes I’ve belonged to have had many flavors–face the people, face the tabernacle; organ hymns, contemporary music; Communion in the hand, Communion on the tongue. Orthodox has to do with teaching and supporting all the teachings of the church, right?
If an emphasis on social justice isn’t orthodox, I don’t know what is. It’s straight out of the Gospels and Tradition. The emphasis here on orthodox and liberal is terribly divisive, because of the generalizations made. I can be an American and support gun control. I can be a Democrat and be pro-life. I can be a committed Catholic and find the Sign of Peace meaningful. So much judgement and a lot of wasted energy it consumes… that could be used for good–like befriending a prisoner or homeless person.
Anntherese, you are a breath of fresh air. You can also mention the old saw that if you are above a certain age then you probably are not a faithful Catholic. I’m between parishes now partly because of the kind of smugness that you note. The former parish was simply in denial, claiming to be something they were not. They felt free to abuse and slander people while claiming to be Christian. Unfortunately, the pastor was the leader of all this. We are supposed to imitate Christ.
Anntherese, you mention women heavily financing the parish. this can come from never married professionals like me. my former parish forgot to take that into account when they decided to force me out. lotsa luck, i say.
pannw, Elizium23, Sonshine135 et al: Good points.
AnnTherese wrote: “If an emphasis on social justice isn’t orthodox, I don’t know what is.”
Michael O’Brien, in his novel Father Elijah, wrote about parishes and Protestant denominations who built their foundation on the sand of social justice. Most “social justice” clergy and laity lined up with politicians who deplored those Catholics who “clung” to “patriarchal” religion. Then that book really got interesting.
Fr. Maximillian Kolbe of Auschwitz would have us emphasize caritas at the personal level, rather than support a totalitarian social justice system like the National Socialists. Fr. and Bishop Karol Wojtyla in Poland would have us emphasize the Sacraments, resistance to evil, and sanctity of the family against a social justice system like the Communists. Today, Dec. 29, we also commemorate St. Thomas of Canterbury.
Have a pleasant day.
AnnTherese,
How can one be a Democrat and pro-life when the party platform is pro-abortion?
Well, CrimsonCatholic, I guess you can call me a “cafeteria Democrat.” I’m am against abortion, and I am also against capitol punishment, citizens toting guns, war, and euthanasia– also pro-life issues, some part of the Republican platform. There is far more on the Democratic platform that is worth supporting, as a Christian: care for poor, immigrants, and marginalized people and care for our earth, at the top of the list. There’s really nothing on the Republican platform I support– except the anti-abortion stance. The thing is, there hasn’t been a Republican president who’s been able to end abortions; Democrats are trying to work at the underlying issues that contribute to abortions. And let’s be honest, when Trump goes to name Supreme Court nominees, he’s not going to be thinking about women or unborn children. He’ll be thinking of one person: himself, and, his interests/wealth.
joekstl: Regarding your comment in which you express high concern for Gen. Flynn as the new NSA: A reading of Gen. Flynn’s and Michael Ledeen’s July 2016 book “Field of Fight” should alleviate those concerns. Cheers.
Actually, “citizens toting guns” is very pro-life. No victims here.
Ann Therese said:
“And let’s be honest, when Trump goes to name Supreme Court nominees, he’s not going to be thinking about women or unborn children. He’ll be thinking of one person: himself, and, his interests/wealth.”
Trump has already indicated the list from which he will choose his nominee from.
Do you have a problem with any of them?
Along with serving the interests of Planned Parenthood and the proponents of total acceptance of ssm by all no matter what their faith teaches, I would suggest that Hillary would appoint judges thinking of her own interests/wealth.
She and Bill have a history.
http://www.nytimes.com/2015/04/24/us/cash-flowed-to-clinton-foundation-as-russians-pressed-for-control-of-uranium-company.html?_r=0
Every election it’s “throw the bums out.” So they are all bums. The other side of the coin (sorta) is, “he may be a @#$%# but he’s OUR @#$#.”
Well un-ionized, I wish it were that simple.
It’s a humorous observation, not a treatise.