Posts Tagged ‘religion’

Today’s first reading at Mass made me think of Robert Stacy McCain…

Posted: September 20, 2009 by datechguy in catholic, internet/free speech
Tags: , , , ,

…and his troubles with Charles Johnson

The wicked say: Let us beset the just one, because he is obnoxious to us; he sets himself against our doings, reproaches us for transgressions of the law and charges us with violations of our training.

Let us see whether his words be true; let us find out what will happen to him. For if the just one be the son of God, God will defend him and deliver him from the hand of his foes.

With revilement and torture let us put the just one to the test that we may have proof of his gentleness and try his patience.

Let us condemn him to a shameful death; for according to his own words. God will take care of him (Wisdom 2:12, 17-20)

This is ironic as Robert keeps bringing up the following meme when referring to Charles:

how’s that “praying to Nothing” working out for you?

Meanwhile Johnson standard answer:

white supremacist blogger

This is why Robert Stacy has and will keep the upper hand in this fight. When Charles gets hit he has to deal with it as an attack.

When Robert Stacy gets hit, as a Christian he considers it just part of the job description.

BTW As Robert Stacy is a protestant it is unlikely that his church recognizes the book of wisdom as most protestant churches removed it from their bibles post reformation but the verse fits. He would likely be more comfortable with this one.

The Pope, the Prez and the PhD

Posted: September 20, 2009 by datechguy in catholic, internet/free speech, opinion/news
Tags: , , , , , , ,

Although his Papacy and his faith were very powerful, practically a renaissance for Catholics Pope John Paul the II had one weakness that I believe affected his ability to deal with the Pedophile scandal among primarily gay priests in the US.

Although the Catechism of the Catholic Church released and confirmed by John Paul II says the following:

The number of men and women who have deep-seated homosexual tendencies is not negligible. This inclination, which is objectively disordered, constitutes for most of them a trial. They must be accepted with respect, compassion, and sensitivity. Every sign of unjust discrimination in their regard should be avoided. These persons are called to fulfill God’s will in their lives and, if they are Christians, to unite to the sacrifice of the Lord’s Cross the difficulties they may encounter from their condition.

…he grew up in an era where Homosexuality was considered scandalous, not just in terms of sin but in terms of society as a whole.

Now consider living 35 years in such an era under Communist Rule. False personal scandal was (and is) a basic weapon used to discredit foes of the state under communist rule. I’m sure over the years he saw it many times.

That experience that stood him in good stead when his actions combined with Reagan and Thatcher helped speed the demise of the soviet block but it left a blind spot when the scandals broke.

Consider Boston, the papers were hitting the church long before the scandals, and the pols were claiming to be Catholic while acting and voting nothing of the sort. When this stuff came out and was pushed by the Boston Globe of all places it must have sounded all too familar. It is significant that Pope Benedict has been much more effective in this situation.

And on that note we turn to today’s news and Jimmy Carter and Bill Cosbey…

Carter was born the same year as my mother (1924) he grew up in the Jim Crow South of the Talmadges and Russell the great defenders of segregation. Any pol in the mid 50’s who wanted to have a future in Georgia was unlikely to be too loud in his opposition to segregation.

But no matter what he actually believed his views concerning racism were shaped by those days and it that perspective that he brings to the table.

In the same way Bill Cosby born 13 years later than Carter has those same memories and naturally has the same reaction. That should not surprise anyone as he dealt with this same thing but what my fellow conservatives forget it’s for that very same reason and the pre-great society strength and independence of the black family that and his memory of it that causes him to preach the gospel of self reliance and personal responsibility.

As a person who was brought up by parents born in the 20’s this is more viable to me than perhaps most. My upbringing would have been typical for someone born in the 40’s and 50’s like my brothers and sisters but my experiences were shaped by the culture of the 70’s and 80’s where I grew up and I can tell Mr. Carter and Mr. Cosby that this just isn’t the way most people in their 50’s or earlier think.

I’m reminded of a comment in a thread at Riehl’s world view that was deleted along with others in that thread. LGF had a screen capture of it and it encapsulates this argument perfectly.

I was beat up numerous times as a kid in the 70s and 80s for no other reason than for being white,it made me a racist. I hate black people for the most part.

Posted by: jimmy | Tuesday, September 15, 2009 at 04:16 PM

Reading that quote one can certainly understand Jimmy’s admitted racism, but just because one understands it doesn’t make it right or excusable.

As Jonah Goldberg would undoubtedly remember Spock addressed this very thing in A taste of Armageddon to quote:

Kirk is visibly horrified, but Spock notes that there is “a certain scientific logic” about the whole thing. “I’m glad you approve,” Anan 7 says, but Spock quickly corrects him: “I do not approve. I understand.” Anan 7 goes on to say that as a valid target, the Enterprise had been attacked by Vendikar—and classified as destroyed.

The full episode is here if you want to see the clip it is at about 12:20.

Part of growth is to be able to reach beyond limits. On this topic President Carter and Dr. Cosby have not, but there is a difference.

In Dr. Cosby’s case like Pope John Paul II it is a fault living in a long distinguished positive effect on. In Jimmy Carter’s case it is one more stone he has placed in the shoe of America.

Johnson/McCain Round 4 the mid round attack begins

Posted: September 17, 2009 by datechguy in catholic, internet/free speech, opinion/news
Tags: , , , , ,

Round 4 starts late with assorted light jabs in comments by Johnson and friends, but McCain comes out swinging sensing a momentum shift. The first blow seems to miss high. (It certainly went right over my head until the final sentence). But the second punch is delivered square:

Charles Johnson deserves nothing but the same two-word response from any conservative. His conduct for the past two years has been, in a word, dishonorable.

“No linkies for him,” indeed! As if any honest man need fear such a miserable coward as Charles Johnson.

I am not a gentleman of the south, my grandparents came from the Island of Sicily. They taught me the importance of honor and one’s name. I’ve passed this as best I can to my teenage sons in a 21st century Massachusetts with a big assist from my soon to be 85 year old mother. I can’t speak for Charles but speaking for myself I can’t see how anyone could let that stand unanswered.

But Robert Stacy is just getting warmed up as he is setting up the next blow:

when I came under attack from LGF, my response may have struck some readers as an expression arrogance:

Charles Johnson will regret it but once,
and that will be continuously

Because I am a professional journalist, this was not a threat, but a statement of objective fact.

and then:

However, because he refused to admit or recant his error, he committed himself to a path of unjust vengeance against the innocent. In the process, he revealed himself to be a creature of unscrupulous cruelty, an immoral monster who can never expect anything but contempt from civilized people.

Another haymaker but is Johnson vulnerable to this line of attack?

McCain’s final blow covers dangerous ground, but not for Johnson:

There is a God in heaven, and the man who spitefully chooses to pursue unrighteousness will ultimately destroy himself. Therefore, wise men observe the madness of King Charles and shake their heads sadly, knowing what the final outcome must be.

Charles Johnson is already in a very deep hole and, at the frantic pace he’s digging now, can be expected to reach the fiery pit of hell no later than next Thursday.

This same God that he refers to is also a God of redemption, the bigger the sin the bigger the potential forgiveness re: Tim McVeigh . Robert Stacy invoking of the almighty in this way might set himself up for a huge counterblow; to wit:

I would remind all Christians of this little prayer that you likely pray every day:

Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as in heaven. Give us today our daily bread and forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors; and do not subject us to the final test, but deliver us from the evil one. Matt 6:9-13 emphasis mine

The next two verses are even more blunt:

If you forgive others their transgressions, your heavenly Father will forgive you. But if you do not forgive others, neither will your Father forgive your transgressions. Matt 6:14,15

Every time you say the Our Father (of you prefer the term The Lord’s Prayer) and you choose not to forgive you are condemning yourself. Christ was very explicit here. He meant to be. This is not an optional doctrine. These are the rules.

McCain has already said he is praying for Johnson so it is also possible that there is a different meaning here.

As I am not staying up for the end of the Round (I’ll update the post with any counter Charles puts up in the morning as he is on the west coast and I have a busy day tomorrow) so I’ll give my color commentary now.

DaTechguy’s roundup of Round 4

The attacks on Johnson’s honor may or may not have been effective depending on the store that Charles set on honor, but I think the big attack is still yet to come and might have been telegraphed, my theory is this:

Johnson excels at web search, his background in tech gives him a big head up on things and produces results, however Robert Stacy McCain is an ACTUAL REPORTER. This means that he is used to building stories over time. His tactic would be to use the reporters art to investigate Charles the old fashioned journalistic way, not by web searches alone, but by interviews and writing a story backed up by sources that could lead to a solid knockout.

Since a good story needs checking and background it likely wouldn’t be ready right away, it would take perhaps a week say next Thursday?

Now if there is no there there then such an effort would likely be as successful as the Nixon White House’s attempt to get dirt on Peter Rodino, (See O’Neill’s Man of the House.) but if there is something to find at the moment Robert Stacy is highly motivated to find it.

If I am correct then sometime before the 24th would be the proper time for each man’s seconds to meet to see if the matter can be resolved with honor. It is my nature to hope for such an ending. If not then I don’t think it will go 15 rounds, I think it will be bare knuckles a la John L. Sullivan and will go 75 rounds or more unless we see a knockout.

Stay Tuned.

Update: No counterpunches for Johnson; McCain wins that round 10-9 39-38 after 4.

The Kielbasa gets em in; The Holy Spirit can do the rest

Posted: August 30, 2009 by datechguy in catholic, personal
Tags: ,

Well I found out the best way to get parishioners to the end of the month after mass breakfasts at St. Anthony di Padua.

The secret is to start frying the kielbasa during the mass. The scent goes up the stairs to the main church “a fragrant aroma” (Philippians 4:18b). And when that “sweet smelling” (Numbers 15:7b) odor hits the parishioners who haven’t yet had breakfast, when mass ends they pour down the stairs to the church hall where…

“They all ate and were satisfied.” (Mark 6:42)

One funny story, a fine woman who I’ve known since grammar school was at mass as always with her 4 kids. Her husband never comes to church. The kids suggested that since there are free pancakes and Kielbasa maybe they can get him to go at least once a month.

It’s a good plan. Maybe it will work on the Christmas and Easter crowd. The Kielbasa can get them in the doors and and The Holy Spirit can do the rest.

Ironically today’s Gospel was Mark chapter 7.

Older Entries
Newer Entries