The Big Fat Beam in My Eye
I always get a kick out of it when someone who is not a regular reader of this blog - and who, therefore, is unfamiliar with all that I've written on a given subject matter - makes assumptions about where I stand on said subject matter on the basis of one blog post.
This response to my recent post taking the Obama Catholics to task for "baptizing" Obama's abortion position is a case in point:
Sure Jay, this must be similar to McCain Catholics who baptize the holiness of human experimentation such as "embryonic stem cell research." Or the belief in the sacredness of torture. Be careful what you say. The Big Fat Beam in the Republican Party may make you stumble.The assumption being made, of course, is that I am some sort of blind supporter of John McCain, which makes me a hypocrite for criticizing the Obama Catholics. The commenter might have had a point if I were, indeed, a McCain supporter. Or a Republican. Or had excused McCain's support for ESCR. Or had not been critical of those Catholics who enthusiastically support McCain while glossing over his record on ESCR.
Unfortunately for her argument, none of those things happen to be the case. In fact, I have been extremely critical of McCain on this blog, ESPECIALLY regarding his support for ESCR (and I have said that I can't support him unless and until he reverses course). I have also been outspoken in taking Catholic McCain supporters - including Sam Brownback, Austin Ruse, Deal Hudson, and the editors of National Catholic Register - to task for their cheerleading on behalf of McCain.
As for torture, I will give McCain the credit he deserves for standing up against the Bush Administration and condemning torture in no uncertain terms. So, I'm not sure what our commenter's argument there is all about.
At any rate, I will continue to call them as I see them when it comes to Catholics sacrificing the teachings of their Faith in order to promote the agenda of any politician, right or left. And I'll do so without regard to whether I might "stumble" over some Big Fat Beam not of my own making.
Labels: Democrats, Elections, McCain, Moloch Obamessiah, Pro-Life, Republicans, The Catholic Vote, Voting Your Values
posted by Pro Ecclesia 12:31 PM
5 comments
5 Comments:
Jay, when are you going to stop being a shill for the Republicans! Take a lesson from Radical Catholic Mom and her colleagues at Vox Nova and be apolitical and even-handed!
Tongue no longer in cheek. This outburst from RCM does surprise me. I always thought of her as being one of the more level-headed of the Vox Novniks. The comment about torture in regard to McCain as risible. If there has been a member of Congress more outspoken as to anything smacking of torture against captured terrorists, I am unaware of such a member.
"McCain as risible" should have been "McCain is risible".
Good grief. I've never gotten the impression from reading your blog that you are crazy about McCain. The one thing I remember you writing that was positive about McCain is that he has spoken out against torture and that his position on that topic was similar to the Church's.
I agree with you on Obama. How can a person who is prolife support him? He is for infanticide for goodness sakes and has a 100 percent rating from NARAL.
Just an aside: Anybody who read one post on my blog would probably think I am some kind of pinko-Commie. I would satirize abortion a lot more if I could find ways to do it that wouldn't totally be offensive/dark.
Maureen
There's a conviction out there in some quarters that one gets extra bonus virtue points for taking the "pox on both their houses" approach to politics. It's appealing at times, because goodness knows there are enough things to excoriate the Republicans for as well as the Democrats, but at the same time electoral choices in the US are generally between two alternatives.
I will probably vote for McCain in the general election -- unless his VP pick or his campaigning make it clear that he's throwing the pro-life movement entirely under the bus -- simply because he would, while flawed, be better than Obama.
I can respect those (while thinking them highly misguided) who imagine that Obama will somehow be the better of the two alternatives.
But what I cannot respect (and what I think you've done a good job of highlighting) is the attempt to baptize either Obama's support for abortion and infanticide (and ESCR and "theraputic cloning" and gay marriage and graphic sex education and giving out birth control and funding abortions overseas and so on and so on) or McCain's support for ESCR.
That's the huge problem with Prof Kmiec and some of VN's over the edge posters -- that they insist that the "pro-choice" position is somehow acceptable from a Catholic point of view and makes Obama _more_ pro-life than McCain.
Someone like MZ who despises Obama's abortion position but thinks he may be the lesser of two evils I can respect -- someone like Gerald who argues that Obama's position is pro-life is despicable.
I always thought of her as being one of the more level-headed of the Vox Novniks.
So she's among the more dry of the fish in the lake?
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