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I blog @ FRIENDLY FIRE read my LATEST COLUMN FRIENDS' BLOGS CATHOLIC LINKS  mater dei, ora pro nobis contact: @ weinkopf.com (C) 2001, - 2007. All rights are reserved. 
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Friday, April 19, 2002
RUBUSH'S HAT TRICK Scott Rubush, over at the eponymous ScottRubush.com, has written three excellent commentaries dealing (some directly, some indirectly) with the Catholic Church's problems with priestly sex offenders. Among his insightful comments, this response to an obtuse Boston Phoenix editorial: It is not time “for a modern Reformation.” That’s the exact opposite of what’s needed here. The Catholic Church needs to speak with authority in condemning the acts of the predator priests. A “reformed,” decentralized Catholic Church will simply muddy the waters, as every armchair moralizer steps forward to offer his or her take on whether or not sexual abuse of minors is “wrong.” In fact, this decentralization is an Achilles Heel of mainline Protestantism. Under Martin Luther’s doctrine of the “Priesthood of All Believers” every Protestant, from the Pro-Castro National Council of Churches, to the Puritanical Jerry Falwell, is free to spout off whatever idiotic nonsense they want. ... With mixed messages like these, there’s obviously no moral clarity at all coming from today’s Protestant Churches. So, what does the Phoenix’s editorialist suggest? Learning from the mistakes of Protestants and avoiding measures that lead to confusion and uncertainty over key points of doctrine? “No, no, Rome needs to weaken its grip. Maybe then those good American Catholics can have a debate or, [God help us], a Dialogue® over pedophilia.” That’s Poppycock. Rome needs speak clearly, and speak with one voice in condemning these acts. Rubush, by the way, is not a Catholic (although his brother is), but he speaks with a clarity and understanding of the function and role of the Church that far exceeds that of too many Catholics in the Church today. The good news is that neither he, I, nor anybody else need worry about the Church up and revising its morality. The Holy Spirit won't allow it. Thursday, April 18, 2002
E-MAIL OF THE DAY: This from a friendly reader identifying himself only as "Fantastic Lover," with the subject line "Collborater": You obnoxious cracker, the truth will out. Just because you have your head so far up these murderous fascists {expletive}s doesnt mean we should abandon are common sense for this un-elected bucket of {expletive}. {EXPLETIVE} YOU AND PEOPLE LIKE YOU! He then sent this pleasant follow-up, subject line, "SPELLCHECK": yeah, I was in a hurry and mispelled words. I dont have time to check every response to dispicable garbage eating {expletive} like you. I reiterate.....{EXPLETIVE} YOU! Ah, the joys of being a columnist ... IS IT A FULL MOON? I made a big mistake this week by writing a column that debunked a conspiracy theory. This morning, my inbox was flooded with e-mail from the black-helicopter crowd, many citing stories from infowars.com. The following e-mail, sent to me by a reader this morning, is a case in point: Chris, I must write to ask you one question! Do you believe your government? The rep from Georgia, McKinney. She has alot of excellent points which you and the rest of the media should read before you write articles such as the one written and on the worldnetdaily site, April 18/02. The Bush family along with the Bin Laden family make millions off of defense and construction contracts...FACT. The list is too long and you more than likely do not care or believe anything not reported from the major media. I am sure you write great articles and some worth merit, but do not fool yourself. We are ruled by elites cloaked as politicians. Yes, that's me, stooge to the major media. I never disagree with the establishment press, or accuse it of bias. Please. The conspiracy theorists' big mistake is that they point to any instance of government incompetence, and there are many, as proof that something more than just ineptitude is going on. So, the fact the INS bungled some terrorists' visas doesn't mean that the INS is staffed with do-nothing ninnies, but that President Bush ordered his INS director, who sent the order down through multiple layers of bureaucracy, to do nothing. The "proof" for this, of course, is that Bush knows people in the defense industry, and obviously they could make a bundle if another war were to be fought. So, naturally, Bush would want to help his friends get richer at the expense of thousands of American lives. There is no evidence, there never is -- just loose ends tied together by deranged preconceptions. Conspiracy theorists begin with a pre-set narrative, then look for details that may support it, however loosely. The gaping holes in their logic and flat-out factual contradictions are just further proof that "the real truth" is being suppressed. So we are to believe that hundreds of federal bureaucrats -- a group hardly known for their professional diligence -- were able to come together to make 9/11 happen, without so much as leaving a trail. The truth may be out there, but rest assured, it's not coming from Cynthia McKinney. Wednesday, April 17, 2002
NUTTY IS AS NUTTY DOES Rep. Cynthia McKinney (D-Ga.) detects a vast right-wing conspiracy behind 9/11. In this week's FrontPage column, I detect a vapid left-wing politician. Monday, April 15, 2002
MORE ON THE WAR ON FAT As California's proposed soda tax indicates, the next Big Thing (no pun intended) in American politics will be a moralistic crusade against obesity and its causes. I wrote about this phenomenon three years ago in a FrontPage column, McTrial of the Century. OUR STUPID STATE This week's Daily News column deals with the soda tax and other inane ideas now under consideration in Sacramento. DON'T "MODERNIZE" THE CHURCH Scott Rubush does a nice job taking down the fallacious argument that the key to solving the Catholic Church's ongoing scandals is embracing modernity and the sexual revolution. |