Joseph Hippolito compares Mark Shea and Ezra Pound

Joe and I have argued on the web before, and one thing I think everyone can agree on is that the man brings a lot of passion to all the subjects on which he writes. That's why it is impressive to me that he can be so thoughtful and measured in his FrontPageMag critique of Mark Shea, a man who has baited him and made fun of him for years. Here's an excerpt:

In “6 B.S. Myths You Probably Believe About America’s ‘Enemies,’” Cracked.com’s Mark Hill wrote that 1) Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s comment about obliterating Israel was mistranslated and taken out of context 2) Iran has a smaller military budget than either Greece or Australia and 3) Ahmadinejad can be overruled by his superiors and has no significant power.

“It’s sad when the writers of Cracked,” Shea wrote, “know more about the Imminent Threat that is not Iran than the warmongers of the Right and the combox cowards who…defend their rhetoric in favor of cold-blooded murder of innocent human beings.”

Shea ended by asserting that “all the panic about Ahmadinejad with his finger on the button is pure provincial ignorance…using his stupid blather as a justification for praising cold-blooded murder of civilians as ‘wonderful’ is both ignorant and evil.”

However, the German newspaper Die Welt reported in May 2011 that Iran was building bases in Venezuela for intermediate-range missiles, complete with anti-aircraft batteries and commando facilities. Engineers from a firm owned by Iran’s Revolutionary Guard visited the site three months earlier.

The purpose, reported Die Welt, was to attack Iranian enemies — likely the United States — if Iran itself was attacked.

Since Shea’s post, the Washington Post reported on Jan. 31 that “Iran is prepared to launch terrorist attacks inside the United States,” according to intelligence officials testifying before Congress. On Feb. 24, the International Atomic Energy Agency reported on Iran’s accelerated production of enriched uranium that could be converted easily into weapons-grade stock.

The Revolutionary Guard’s own news service published an article on Feb. 4 by Alireza Forghani, a strategic analyst who advises Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran’s supreme leader. Forghani called Israel “this corrupting material” and stated that “it is a ‘jurisprudential justification’ to kill all the Jews and annihilate Israel, and in that, the Islamic government of Iran must take the helm.”

It is sort of amazing that Mark Shea gets a paycheck from EWTN for his uninformed rants. You can email them at viewer@ewtn.com, or use this page to tell NC Register what you think.

Pope B16 and the Clamor of "Relevance"

Here's an excerpt from Samuel Gregg's latest article in Crisis about the Pope's and the Church's perceived geopolitical relevance.

Whenever one encounters such assertions, it’s never quite clear what’s meant by “relevance.” On one reading, it involves comparisons with Benedict’s heroic predecessor, who played an indispensible role in demolishing the Communist thug-ocracies that once brutalized much of Europe. But it’s also a fair bet that “relevance” is understood here in terms of the Church’s capacity to shape immediate policy-debates or exert political influence in various spheres.

Such things have their own importance. Indeed, many of Benedict’s writings are charged with content which shatters the post-Enlightenment half-truths about the nature of freedom, equality, and progress that sharply constrict modern Western political thinking. But Benedict’s entire life as a priest, theologian, bishop, senior curial official and pope also reflects his core conviction that the Church’s primary focus is not first-and-foremost “the world,” let alone politics.

Rather, Benedict’s view has always been that the Church’s main responsibility is to come to know better — and then make known — the Person of Jesus Christ. Why? Because like any orthodox Christian, he believes that herein is found the summit and fullness of Truth and meaning for every human being. Moreover, Benedict insists the only way we can fully comprehend Christ is through His Church – the ecclesia of the saints, living and dead.

Maybe we should have a index that shows daily fluctuations in the church's relevance. Sort of like the DJI. That would be a really relevant measure of... something.

Reaction of a Sensible Georgetown Woman

Read the whole thing here. Excerpt:

Sandra, I hope you take to heart our school’s motto of “Cura Personalis” — care of the whole person. You are so much more than your reproductive organs. Please, have some self-respect and take responsibility for your choices instead of having to beg the government for help. The government should not be able to force a religious institution — like the one we attend — to pay for the things they don’t believe in. That is pretty clear in the first amendment. But since you missed the ten commandments I can’t expect you to read the Bill of Rights either.

I believe in Georgetown. I love this school. And I know that we are so, so much better than what Sandra Fluke would make us out to be.

Nothing to add to that.

Good illustration of my problem with Rick Santorum's "preaching"

Here's a good illustration of why I'm tired of Rick Santorum talking about the Catholic Church's views on marriage and contraception. The guest host filling in for Dennis Prager today--not sure who it is--just stated this and I'm paraphrasing:

Rick Santorum believes that if you have sexual relations with your spouse without an accompanying desire to conceive a child then that somehow diminishes your relationship with your spouse. And I have a problem with that.

First of all, regardless of whether this misrepresented anything that the former Senator from Pennsylvania said, what the talk show host stated definitely misrepresented the teaching of the Catholic Church. The church doesn't teach that you always have to be desiring a child when having intercourse. Otherwise what is having sex while using NFP? or while the woman is already pregnant? The Church teaches that married couples should be open to life, not that they possess a desire for pregnancy each time they engage in sexual relations. Father Pavone has often stated that it is more important to have welcomed children than wanted children, so that is another way to make the distinction.

So here's my problem with Santorum bringing all this up. It doesn't matter if Santorum said exactly that or whether he said something which better represented the teaching of the Catholic Church. Whatever he did say is now out there in the echo chamber and is being reacted to by people who understand and by those who misunderstand, by those who agree and by those who disagree. And this Presidential election is not about contraception at all. It's about the economy, it's about the size of government, it's about the role of government, it's about individual freedom. Et cetera. I don't think the HHS Mandate and that whole battle is really even about contraception either, nor sterilization nor even abortion. It's about freedom of conscience and the rights of religious institutions which are under attack.

Sure, I think it's great to spread what Pope John Paul II called the Gospel of Life, and there is no shortage of material available for anyone who wants to study and discuss it. The Roman Catholic Church has been incredibly careful to elucidate its teachings about human sexuality. A presidential campaign is a terrible venue in which to promote these easily misunderstood doctrines, and Santorum's off-the-cuff style doesn't help. Public figures who are Roman Catholic should be content to allow their strong, and sometimes large, Catholic families be a silent witness to their acceptance of Church teachings. They should certainly avoid looking like street preacher wanna-bes.

Good email product for parents

Thought I throw this out there as some free advertising for one of my favorite companies. I've been using Zoobuh for my kids' email addresses for a year now and I really like it. You do have to pay for it, it's not advertiser supported like some services. But it allows the parent to monitor emails their kids get AND ones they send out. So I highly recommend it for parents who want to allow their kids to use technology but who are conscious of the possible abuses and dangers.

It's especially nice for our kids to have email accounts because my mother-in-law who is widowed likes to send the kids emails. She lives out-of-state and doesn't drive except locally, so it's a good way to brighten her day.

You can't make this up

What an amazing story. Let me tell it "Pauli-style".

There are a bunch of really scary people out there. They are called "Islamophobes". They actually think that those nice Muslim people are a bunch of wife-beaters or even killers. Can you believe that?

So along comes an investment banker named Muzzammil Hassan. He is living the American dream, living in upstate New York and rolling in the dough. All those horrible Islamophobes are probably jealous of his success in business. And good old Mr. Hassan, prompted by his lovely wife, decides to help set the record straight on Muslims by starting a television network....

Bridges TV, a pioneering television network that seeks to challenge stereotypes of Muslims and create understanding between Muslims and non-Muslims.

Now, sadly, Verizon has decided to drop Bridges TV. Maybe it's because those vicious Islamophobic Americans threatened them. I'll bet that's it! Or... maybe it's because...

Last year, [Muzzammil] Hassan was convicted of murdering and beheading his wife in 2009, six days after she had filed for divorce.

During the trial, Hassan claimed he was a battered spouse and the victim of rumors spread by his estranged wife. Jurors, however, convicted him in less than an hour; a judge sentenced him to 25 years to life in prison.

Either way, it is very sad that this happened since it will only serve to reinforce negative stereotypes about Islam and Muslims. Perhaps the jury was Islamophobic and did not understand Mr. Hassan's customs and traditions.

Catholic dude pwns pathetic Democrat, Kathy Hochul

I've heard Act of Valor is great, and I want to go see it. Why? Because Navy Seal kick some Islamist ASS. And that is always a beautiful thing.

And here is another great ass-kicking by a man telling the Obamacare suck-up Kathy Hochul that the rhetoric on HHS Mandate is insulting gibberish.



Note how she just lamely ignores everything he just said and goes into her blah, blah, blah. Apologizing for starting late. Nice way to change the subject.

Rise up, children.

Obama delenda est.

"What I'm trying to say is, what I'm trying to say is..."

Listen to this idiot, Democratic congresswoman Kathy Hochul, talk about the HHS mandate.



They think we're stupid. Well, listen: maybe we are. Maybe we need to stand pounding on these people night and day, pounding their phones, pounding their mailboxes, their email boxes, and filming them every chance we get like these people did.

I've just about had it. I feel like Obama is trying to make us mad for some reason, so he can play the victim. Or maybe he just knows he's probably going to get flushed down in November and he's just trying to throw all his shit up against the wall while he can to see how much of it sticks.