Eternal rest grant unto his soul oh Lord and may thy perpetual light shine upon him. May he rest in peace with all the souls of the faithfully departed. Amen..
Saturday, June 12, 2004
Wednesday, June 09, 2004
On the UN and Their Latest Abomination:
(Musings of your humble servant at Rerum Novarum)
The moral bankruptcy of the UN is something that has hardly been a secret to those who have been paying attention the past four odd decades. I will save on noting here a litany of UN failures in the past sixty years to achieve anything of note in the area of world peace. That is not to say that they are completely worthless but it is "kicking against the goad" in my view to argue against the proposition that their value has steadily declined since at least the early 1970's.
Despite many failings nonetheless, the popes have sought to allow for some degree of UN involvement in the world affairs -in part because the UN was viewed as integral to the post WWII community of nations.{1}
Despite these noble intentions however, the events in recent decades have gradually snowballed to the point that even the Vatican is beginning to have second thoughts about the UN's usefulness.{2} In the abstract of course, it works fine but reality is what must be focused on. And surely this latest charade against the Catholic Church will provide more ammunition for those who want the UN torpedoed and replaced.{3}
Nonetheless, The Curt One astutely remarked upon blogging on this subject that [t]his is the same tactic Margaret Sanger used. For her "Negro Project" she got liberal black pastors to preach the message of birth control. That the UNFPA can publish a report like this just shows you what the culture of the UN is like. Frankly, I can find nothing of disagreement there.
Jeff continued by asking if we [c]ould...imagine the outcry if a Vatican document was uncovered that planned to subvert UN programs to promote the moral views of the Catholic Church? I am reminded of some emails I wrote to a private discussion list in recent days on the subject of hypocrisy. Certainly Jeff is right to note that it applies here and in spades at that.
He finally notes that [t]his document should provoke anger by all, but I wouldn't hold my breath. Admittedly I am not outraged by this. However, that is because I suspected this kind of stuff all along. I have hope that with the availability of information now compared to past years{4} that notifications of this kind of crap is more easily circulatable to the masses. Certainly at Rerum Novarum we will do our part by noting it here. My request is for those who want to rip down the UN completely is to have a viable alternative in mind. As at the very least it is obvious that a thorough reform of the UN is needed, in that vein the questions I have are as follows:
---Can enough of a groundswell be generated to bring such a proposal to fruition???
---Is there an individual or group out there who can take this on as their pet cause behind which the masses of people (such as those of us who favour such an approach) can rally???
As the old saying goes "inquiring minds want to know..."
Notes:
{1} And in part because it provided a structure for potentially integrating Catholic social teachings into the world consciousness.
{2} Including Pope John Paul II calling for a new international arrangement of sorts earlier this year.
{3} And of course the conspiracy theorists who think the UN is responsible for everything except bad breath will have more ammunition too. However, their lack of a serious alternative renders their views easily dismissible - a position that I remind you is coming from a former conspiracy theorist at that.
{4} Such as the internet and (of course) the blogosphere.
(Musings of your humble servant at Rerum Novarum)
The moral bankruptcy of the UN is something that has hardly been a secret to those who have been paying attention the past four odd decades. I will save on noting here a litany of UN failures in the past sixty years to achieve anything of note in the area of world peace. That is not to say that they are completely worthless but it is "kicking against the goad" in my view to argue against the proposition that their value has steadily declined since at least the early 1970's.
Despite many failings nonetheless, the popes have sought to allow for some degree of UN involvement in the world affairs -in part because the UN was viewed as integral to the post WWII community of nations.{1}
Despite these noble intentions however, the events in recent decades have gradually snowballed to the point that even the Vatican is beginning to have second thoughts about the UN's usefulness.{2} In the abstract of course, it works fine but reality is what must be focused on. And surely this latest charade against the Catholic Church will provide more ammunition for those who want the UN torpedoed and replaced.{3}
Nonetheless, The Curt One astutely remarked upon blogging on this subject that [t]his is the same tactic Margaret Sanger used. For her "Negro Project" she got liberal black pastors to preach the message of birth control. That the UNFPA can publish a report like this just shows you what the culture of the UN is like. Frankly, I can find nothing of disagreement there.
Jeff continued by asking if we [c]ould...imagine the outcry if a Vatican document was uncovered that planned to subvert UN programs to promote the moral views of the Catholic Church? I am reminded of some emails I wrote to a private discussion list in recent days on the subject of hypocrisy. Certainly Jeff is right to note that it applies here and in spades at that.
He finally notes that [t]his document should provoke anger by all, but I wouldn't hold my breath. Admittedly I am not outraged by this. However, that is because I suspected this kind of stuff all along. I have hope that with the availability of information now compared to past years{4} that notifications of this kind of crap is more easily circulatable to the masses. Certainly at Rerum Novarum we will do our part by noting it here. My request is for those who want to rip down the UN completely is to have a viable alternative in mind. As at the very least it is obvious that a thorough reform of the UN is needed, in that vein the questions I have are as follows:
---Can enough of a groundswell be generated to bring such a proposal to fruition???
---Is there an individual or group out there who can take this on as their pet cause behind which the masses of people (such as those of us who favour such an approach) can rally???
As the old saying goes "inquiring minds want to know..."
Notes:
{1} And in part because it provided a structure for potentially integrating Catholic social teachings into the world consciousness.
{2} Including Pope John Paul II calling for a new international arrangement of sorts earlier this year.
{3} And of course the conspiracy theorists who think the UN is responsible for everything except bad breath will have more ammunition too. However, their lack of a serious alternative renders their views easily dismissible - a position that I remind you is coming from a former conspiracy theorist at that.
{4} Such as the internet and (of course) the blogosphere.
Tuesday, June 08, 2004
More on the Passing of President Reagan:
Shawn:
Hello Greg.
I see that you blogged my message to you the other day about the passing of President Reagan.
Yes, I did.
I also noticed that you didn't blog what I said about Reagan being the closest (or at least one of the closest) thing America has ever had to a real Catholic president, his being non-Catholic notwithstanding.
I was in a rush at the time and had to be selective in what I blogged. The omission was not because I disagreed with that assessment mind you.
When one studies "Reaganomics" and its practical effects, we could charge Reagan with plagarizing Leo XIII and Pius XI's social encyclicals and get a conviction even from the O.J. jury (ok, expecting a conviction from the O.J. jury may be stretching it a bit may be stretching it a bit, but you get the point).
You omitted mention of John XXIII's social encyclical Pacem et Terris which (as you know) is heavily suffused with not only the thought of John XXIII but also Pius XII.{1}
The central facet of "Reaganomics" was that economics could not viewed through the lense of a "Wall Street v. Main Street" dichotomy. Catholic condemnation of this kind of class warfare goes back as least as far as Pope Clement I:
"The strong must take care of the weak; the weak must look up to the strong. The rich must provide for the poor.The poor must thank God for giving him someone to meet his needs.(Letter to the Corinthians A.D. 96 #38)"
Heck, we could take this back to at least St. Paul if not earlier:
I charge you to keep the commandment unstained and free from reproach until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ; and this will be made manifest at the proper time by the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords, who alone has immortality and dwells in unapproachable light, whom no man has ever seen or can see. To him be honor and eternal dominion. Amen. As for the rich in this world, charge them not to be haughty, nor to set their hopes on uncertain riches but on God who richly furnishes us with everything to enjoy. They are to do good, to be rich in good deeds, liberal and generous, thus laying up for themselves a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of the life which is life indeed. O Timothy, guard what has been entrusted to you. Avoid the godless chatter and contradictions of what is falsely called knowledge, for by professing it some have missed the mark as regards the faith. Grace be with you. [1 Timothy vi,14-21]
I need not surely point out the Scriptural exhortations against greed which can apply to the poor as much as to the rich.{3}With regards to the rich "giving generously", need we point out that charitable contributions during the 1980's were significantly higher than they were in the 1970's??? A good reason for this is that people keeping more of their own money had more with which to give to others. That is part and parcel to supply-side economics: a subject that I once defended before a class of mostly liberal students (and a liberal teacher) in college interestingly enough.{2} But I digress.
Ronald Reagan is often called an optimist. But he was more than just an optimist. He was a realist.
Precisely.
He was the kind of realist that not only saw the glass as half full, but half empty as well. He understood better than anybody the dangers we faced and the grave risks entailed in confronting those dangers. But, laboring under his fundamental understanding of good vs. evil and that the good would ultimately win out, he had a positive view of that reality.
Agreed. Indeed though I have confuted the idea before that George W. Bush is another Reagan, in one respect they have a common ground. That is, just as Reagan saw communism for what it really was,{4} President Bush understands the true nature of the enemy we are currently facing in the war on terror. May the Lord grant to President Reagan an abundance of mercy and bring him into the perpetual light. I have a feeling that Reagan's departure at this time will be a benefit to the war on terror -hopefully as an intercessor from beyond time and space.
That's all for now.
Yes but I intend to revisit these themes later on.
Notes:
{1} Indeed I am of the view that Pacem et Terris would not have been possible without recourse to numerous allocutions and other magisterial pronouncements of Pope Pius XII.
{2} The college itself was like a mini-Kremlin in some respects. With regards to the defense, interestingly enough, by the end of it I had won the bulk of the class (and the teacher) over to the concept of supply-side economics. Only then did I mention that it was the backbone of the Reagan economic approach :)
{3} Blessed [are] the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. lessed [are] they that mourn: for they shall be comforted. lessed [are] the meek: for they shall inherit the earth. Blessed [are] they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.Blessed [are] the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy. Blessed [are] the pure in heart: for they shall see God. Blessed [are] the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God. Blessed [are] they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. [Matthew: v,3-10]
{4} And Reagan took a lot of flak for it from the communist sympathizers and appeasers in Congress and the major media in doing so I might add.
Shawn:
Hello Greg.
I see that you blogged my message to you the other day about the passing of President Reagan.
Yes, I did.
I also noticed that you didn't blog what I said about Reagan being the closest (or at least one of the closest) thing America has ever had to a real Catholic president, his being non-Catholic notwithstanding.
I was in a rush at the time and had to be selective in what I blogged. The omission was not because I disagreed with that assessment mind you.
When one studies "Reaganomics" and its practical effects, we could charge Reagan with plagarizing Leo XIII and Pius XI's social encyclicals and get a conviction even from the O.J. jury (ok, expecting a conviction from the O.J. jury may be stretching it a bit may be stretching it a bit, but you get the point).
You omitted mention of John XXIII's social encyclical Pacem et Terris which (as you know) is heavily suffused with not only the thought of John XXIII but also Pius XII.{1}
The central facet of "Reaganomics" was that economics could not viewed through the lense of a "Wall Street v. Main Street" dichotomy. Catholic condemnation of this kind of class warfare goes back as least as far as Pope Clement I:
"The strong must take care of the weak; the weak must look up to the strong. The rich must provide for the poor.The poor must thank God for giving him someone to meet his needs.(Letter to the Corinthians A.D. 96 #38)"
Heck, we could take this back to at least St. Paul if not earlier:
I charge you to keep the commandment unstained and free from reproach until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ; and this will be made manifest at the proper time by the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords, who alone has immortality and dwells in unapproachable light, whom no man has ever seen or can see. To him be honor and eternal dominion. Amen. As for the rich in this world, charge them not to be haughty, nor to set their hopes on uncertain riches but on God who richly furnishes us with everything to enjoy. They are to do good, to be rich in good deeds, liberal and generous, thus laying up for themselves a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of the life which is life indeed. O Timothy, guard what has been entrusted to you. Avoid the godless chatter and contradictions of what is falsely called knowledge, for by professing it some have missed the mark as regards the faith. Grace be with you. [1 Timothy vi,14-21]
I need not surely point out the Scriptural exhortations against greed which can apply to the poor as much as to the rich.{3}With regards to the rich "giving generously", need we point out that charitable contributions during the 1980's were significantly higher than they were in the 1970's??? A good reason for this is that people keeping more of their own money had more with which to give to others. That is part and parcel to supply-side economics: a subject that I once defended before a class of mostly liberal students (and a liberal teacher) in college interestingly enough.{2} But I digress.
Ronald Reagan is often called an optimist. But he was more than just an optimist. He was a realist.
Precisely.
He was the kind of realist that not only saw the glass as half full, but half empty as well. He understood better than anybody the dangers we faced and the grave risks entailed in confronting those dangers. But, laboring under his fundamental understanding of good vs. evil and that the good would ultimately win out, he had a positive view of that reality.
Agreed. Indeed though I have confuted the idea before that George W. Bush is another Reagan, in one respect they have a common ground. That is, just as Reagan saw communism for what it really was,{4} President Bush understands the true nature of the enemy we are currently facing in the war on terror. May the Lord grant to President Reagan an abundance of mercy and bring him into the perpetual light. I have a feeling that Reagan's departure at this time will be a benefit to the war on terror -hopefully as an intercessor from beyond time and space.
That's all for now.
Yes but I intend to revisit these themes later on.
Notes:
{1} Indeed I am of the view that Pacem et Terris would not have been possible without recourse to numerous allocutions and other magisterial pronouncements of Pope Pius XII.
{2} The college itself was like a mini-Kremlin in some respects. With regards to the defense, interestingly enough, by the end of it I had won the bulk of the class (and the teacher) over to the concept of supply-side economics. Only then did I mention that it was the backbone of the Reagan economic approach :)
{3} Blessed [are] the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. lessed [are] they that mourn: for they shall be comforted. lessed [are] the meek: for they shall inherit the earth. Blessed [are] they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.Blessed [are] the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy. Blessed [are] the pure in heart: for they shall see God. Blessed [are] the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God. Blessed [are] they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. [Matthew: v,3-10]
{4} And Reagan took a lot of flak for it from the communist sympathizers and appeasers in Congress and the major media in doing so I might add.
Monday, June 07, 2004
Another Anniversary:
(And a Quick Shameless Plug As Well)
Today is the fourth anniversary of the debut on the weeb of my treatise A Prescription Against 'Traditionalism'.{1} The date coincides with the 60th Anniversary of D-Day not by accident: a situation which gives me an opportunity to speak on that subject. I will probably later in the week blog more on that issue as time allows.{2} Right now, to deal with two birds with on e post so to speak, I direct you to the late President Reagan's speech at Omaha Beach on the 40th Anniversary of D-Day. May that great president (and the heroic men who lost their lives on that day) rest in peace.
Notes:
{1} Tomorrow will (of course) be the fourth anniversary of certain so-called "traditionalists" trashing the piece before they even read it. And for those who wonder about this, I will simply note at this time that yes, I happen to know some of the parties involved in that kind of behaviour who later tried to pretend to my face that they were "interested" in the very work they were trashing unread behind my back. (Literally within hours of the work's release.) But I digress.
{2} Right now though, thoughts of Ronald Wilson Reagan (one of my earliest intellectual mentors viz. politics) and his recent passing is heavily on my mind. (That is another subject I will blog on in the coming weeks.))
(And a Quick Shameless Plug As Well)
Today is the fourth anniversary of the debut on the weeb of my treatise A Prescription Against 'Traditionalism'.{1} The date coincides with the 60th Anniversary of D-Day not by accident: a situation which gives me an opportunity to speak on that subject. I will probably later in the week blog more on that issue as time allows.{2} Right now, to deal with two birds with on e post so to speak, I direct you to the late President Reagan's speech at Omaha Beach on the 40th Anniversary of D-Day. May that great president (and the heroic men who lost their lives on that day) rest in peace.
Notes:
{1} Tomorrow will (of course) be the fourth anniversary of certain so-called "traditionalists" trashing the piece before they even read it. And for those who wonder about this, I will simply note at this time that yes, I happen to know some of the parties involved in that kind of behaviour who later tried to pretend to my face that they were "interested" in the very work they were trashing unread behind my back. (Literally within hours of the work's release.) But I digress.
{2} Right now though, thoughts of Ronald Wilson Reagan (one of my earliest intellectual mentors viz. politics) and his recent passing is heavily on my mind. (That is another subject I will blog on in the coming weeks.))
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