The Entanglements of Getting Along: Pro-Life Versus Union Contracts

 

New York archdiocese has been reluctantly paying for employee contraception coverage

The issue for “affordable health care” has been selling Catholics out by our larger institutions, and we have been looking the other way for too long.  The tax exempt status, Alinsky type community organizing and support of big government solutions that drive us more deeply into the welfare state is depriving us of the land of opportunity even in providing services in our Catholic institutions that truly reflect the Gospel. The Bishops in their corporate attitudes need to examine themselves and start making some hard choices about their diocese and then their regions and the country.  Pope Francis appears to be trying to show them by example to bring it home and play it right according to the road to Calvary. Unfortunately, with their widespread support for a nationalized healthcare (before being double-crossed on conscience clauses and prolife issues) and the mega illegal immigration amnesty bill that will not fix anything but encourage more of the same, they do not seem to be getting the memo from Rome.

You can find a second story about the situation in the Archdiocese of New York in the American Spectator. http://spectator.org/blog/2013/05/28/dolan-admits-to-archdiocese-ab

Stephanie Block Continues Excellent Coverage of Catholic Campaign for Human Development and Why You Should Not Support It at the Collection Box

No permanent allies for 'community organizers'

PICO (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PICO_National_Network)  is big in our Diocese of San Jose through the cooperation of PACT/PIO (http://www.valleycatholiconline.com/viewnews.php?newsid=2502&id=57).  You can find that PACT is in fact part of the PICO Network.  The Diocese of San Jose fully embraces the idea of a socialistic society with its support of the PICO philosophy and is an excellent Exhibit A for Block’s continuing reports about the Campaign for Human Development.  Too bad the Diocese does not realize that it is discouraging the hands that feed its pet programs, because the cost of business especially in the Silicon Valley is going through the rood. The taxpayer families are expected to pull much more than their weight.
The person in the pew needs to continue to pray for a change of heart in the powers that be in order to form the people in pew with the faith and leave the activism to the laity being properly formed to make the necessary prudential decision without the interference of these very offensive grants.  You can view an excellent discussion regarding such prudential issues and different approaches towards solving them, which is in the arena of civics.
Visit the PICO website here: http://www.piconetwork.org/

Sustainability Ideology Invented A Stagnant California Dream — California Political Review

 

Sustainability Ideology Invented A Stagnant California Dream — California Political Review

READ IT!

Weigel: The Church and the End of the Welfare State | First Things

 

The Church and the End of the Welfare State | First Things

George Weigel is not always my favorite commentator, but I agree completely with what he states in this article.  In the arena of public policy, it is not about the good people who provide care in a fundamentally flawed system, it is about that flawed system. The Bishops as a group of lobbyists fail to take responsibility in their support of such a system.  That their voice in lobbying for how tax dollars are spent speaks louder over those who put the dollars in the collection box shows a disconnect.  Rather, the Bishops are first and foremost teachers and the direct giver of care with the dollars they have stewardship responsibilities for.  As a private citizens, they have a right to send their personal dollars towards a lobbying approach of their own liking. Their teaching should be reflected in the actions of the Catholic in the pew.  Attacking Paul Ryan for his budget priorities because he is not a liberation theology embracer seems to underscore what is wrong with their approach.  Paul Ryan has boldly tried to change what is harmful in the harmful bureaucracy and bring it back to a responsible approach that will thrive and meet the needs of those who truly qualify for government services.  The Bishops should not be about supporting bad bureaucracy, but about the changes in the hearts of people to work towards a society that respects both solidarity and subsidiarity reflected in healthy economic and social policy.

And here is an example of bad policy pushed by community organizing groups in California, “Sustainability Ideology Invented A Stagnant California Dream”, an excellent article from California Political Review,  that has led to so much bad policy. The Bishops need to examine the bubbles they helped to form with all the do-good programs that are fundamentally flawed.

Must Read: Andrew Breitbart: Righteous Indignation: Excuse Me While I Save the World!

Amazon.com: Righteous Indignation: Excuse Me While I Save the World! (9780446572828): Andrew Breitbart: Books

In this time of all sorts of high flying reaction to such subjects like the contraceptive mandate, the ridiculous Fluke testimony, Presidential primary and the California top two runoff in the wings, we will see the Right stupidly fall for the Alinsky farting treatment in the popular culture.  If you don’t know what I mean by that last statement, read Andrew Breitbart’s (may his soul rest in peace) masterpiece, Righteous Indignation: Excuse Me While I Save the World!    I have been reading it on my Kindle while traveling and I have a hard time putting it down.  It is a book for those who want to get a handle on what needs to be done, and for the scared-who-want-to-play-it-safe conservatives to get a dose of reality.  Read it, and think about it and pass it on to someone else.  When you hear a liberal say something stupid, play the man with the truth one bit at a time.  Make sure it is earshot of someone else and find your niche in the new media of Facebook, Twitter and blogs. If you stop talking, they win. Be a leader, not a serf. Start asking questions.  If the emperor is butt naked, say “THAT MAN HAS NO CLOTHES” and describe how you can tell one fact at a time.

The Failure of Liberal Catholicism An examination of its claims - the first of a two-part series. By James Hitchcock

 

The Failure of Liberal Catholicism: Catholic World Report

A well-written essay that summarizes the plight of faithful Catholics who have had to endure the unfaithful interpretation of Vatican II. Vatican II was about what John Paul II referred to as the "New Evangelization" of the truth of the Gospel from the beginning of time and not about the realignment of truth for Catholics of and for their chance at the Enlightenment.

Alinsky loving groups are not going away anytime soon.

The Social Action Summer Institute Program Peacebuilding for the 21st Century will feature our local bishop.  Sadly, it appears to be yet another booster shot to the community organizing bug for political action and lobbying....including CCHD, PICO, and Catholic Charities.  Nice to know our diocese will be paying for the social.
Instead of building a new world order or utopia, it would be nice to see Catholics building an army of the New Evangelization to catechise poorly catechised Catholics and new Catholics.  For all the outreach programs for immigrants, why aren't our Catholic Churches in California overflowing with Catholics in the pew?  Why aren't our CCD (don't correct my reference...that is how we all know what to call them and the name works) programs operating morning, noon and night?  Why aren't they the best financed programs of the dioceses and parishes?  Where are our priorities?  Are we existing to be a huge lobbying program for more collectivist programs or are we here to propogate the faith to any and all who are interested.  Why are we still trying to push the 70's model that seems to lead people to the impression that you just have to be a nice person instead of a believing person who demonstrates it in every conscious act?  Why do our parishes and their schools worry about being too Catholic as if that is a bad thing?  Wouldn't it be nice if PACT actually stood for People Attending Church Today and lobbied for more people to attend daily Mass or People Attending Confession Today to encourage more Catholic to grow stronger in the faith through the Sacrament of Reconciliation?  Just think how that would recharge the community spirit when the faith would flourish when people would again "grow where they are planted".  "Oh, but that is too Pollyanna, that would never work," is the suspected response we would get from the community organizers.  No, they by their actions say we need the action of the state to get that kind of response.  One would suspect that they thing Rome and its faithful with their clarion call for the New Evangelization are well-meaning, but naive.  One would suppose that is how the wider society felt about the Apostles in the newly born Church.  Bring on the New Evangelization movements.  We need them.

The American Spectator : ACORN's Catholic Guardian

The American Spectator : ACORN's Catholic Guardian:

What a great line! That says it like it is. This article is thorough.

"There's a reason CCHD is mocked as the 'Catholic Campaign to Help Democrats.'"

"Main Problem for CCHD--Community Organizing Involves Lying"

"Main Problem for CCHD--Community Organizing Involves Lying"

I love A Shepherd's Voice Blog that I follow regularly. If you want to know how community organizing is done, read this entry and the link that it directs you towards as it is completely accurate and something many of us have experienced. It is not about building community, it is about building a steamrolling mob structure. Read on and draw your own conclusions.

ACORN's California Makeover

ACORN's California Makeover OK, they have not gone away, they have just reconstituted from the same address according to this article.