Political Polliwogs & Partisan Pygmies

Conservatives have hit the "big time" in labels...

I guess being called a "political polliwog" or a "partisan pygmy" is a step up from "radical racist right-wing terrorist Nazi bitter clinger." And who pray tell has decided to hang even more labels on people who believe it is not the job of government to interfere and attempt to control every aspect of their lives? Why, that would be the editor and communication director of the Idaho Catholic Register, Mr. Michael K. Brown.

In his opinion/commentary piece in the latest issue of the official newspaper of both the Diocese of Boise and of our bishop, Michael P. Driscoll entitled, "Partisan Hardliners Send Students the Wrong Message", he starts out by saying:

"During the last few weeks, the tenor of political debate in this country has become shrill and uncharitable. Partisanship at its worst threatens to poison the political environment and calmer voices must prevail."

I'm going to have to assume from this opener that he considers himself a calmer voice. Mr. Brown then proceeds to lambaste any parent who objected to Obama's school speech. It didn't sound very calm to me when he said:

"If the political polliwogs worked so persistently to shut down a message from the president to millions of young Americans, how nefarious are the forces at work to destroy or poison the attempts to pass universal health care?

"Nefarious" and "poison" are pretty strong words, Mr. Brown. They make it quite clear that you, sir, are the one who is partisan.

Moving on to another article in the paper, picked up from the Catholic News Service and written by Effie Caldarola, this one is disingenuously titled, "Ensuring Universal Health Care is Our Religious Duty." Quoted is the same old MSM-endorsed statistic of 46.3 million people without health insurance. It's a number that has not only been proven over and over to be misleading, but just flat wrong. She also claims that the USCCB (United States Conference of Catholic Bishops) endorses cradle-to-grave health care, as long as it doesn't include abortion. Well guess what, Effie, it does contain abortion and you and I will be paying for it.

In her article, Mrs. Caldarola quotes Bishop William F. Murphy of Rockville Centre, N.Y., chairman of the bishop's Committee on Domestic Justice and Human Development (emphasis mine):

"Genuine health care reform that protects the life and dignity of all is a moral imperative and a vital national obligation."

In another publication Bishop Murphy noted (emphasis mine):

“We strongly oppose inclusion of abortion as part of a national health care benefit.” But then he emphasized the priority the church placed on coverage for the poor, calling health care “not a privilege but a right." source

And yet we have other bishops saying:

“The Catholic Church does not teach that government should directly provide health care,” Bishop Nickless of Sioux City wrote, adding, “Any legislation that undermines the vitality of the private sector is suspect.”

The USCCB does not speak for me as a Catholic, since they have funded an untold number of organizations over the years that promote or provide abortion and contraception or are communistic front groups. In the past ten years the USCCB has given approximately 7 million dollars to ACORN.

Mark in Spokane reported a few days ago on this development when he wrote:

"Read all about it here, and prepare to throw up. Not only has the Catholic Campaign for Human Development, the "social justice" project set by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, been funding ACORN to the tune of millions of dollars, it has been funneling money to organizations that support abortion rights, same-sex "marriage," and artificial contraception."

And then today we have this from Mark:

The Catholic Church's version of ACORN? Is that what the Catholic Campaign for Human Development has become?

LarryD over at Acts of Apostasy, has this to say:

[...]
"I think it's high time the bishops' conferences, both here in the US and in Canada, disband. Voluntarily, forcibly...either way is fine with me. Despite any good they might promote - which is arguable - time and time again they make decisions that defy understanding." read the restIt is quite clear that the Idaho Catholic Register has an agenda. It shamefully supports a president who is aggressively pro-death. This is the same president who has stocked his cabinet and "czar" positions with the most disreputable of cafeteria Catholics, and refused to speak at Georgetown University until the symbol for Jesus was covered.

I'd give you links to the articles from the Idaho Catholic Register but since their website hasn't been updated since around 2007, that will be impossible. Instead the resources (can you say money?) of this diocese have been used to purchase post-it notes for folks to write out their ideas for a diocesan pastoral plan, "All at the Table," that has been TWO years in the making.

As my readers are well aware I tend to shy away from criticizing priests and bishops. After reading the newspaper yesterday, I told my husband to throw it away. He slyly put it on my desk realizing that after a day or two of stewing over this, I would finally write something.

Let me conclude to any and all Catholics or Christians reading this:

• It is not your "religious duty" to support universal health care
• Health care is not a vital national obligation
• Health care is not a right
  
• You can still go to heaven if you don't give money to the annual Campaign for Human Development
• The USCCB is a organization that has about as much credibility as the United Nations.
• ...and most importantly, the Holy Spirit will always protect the Church, even against the onslaught of bishops that are overly invested in the concept of social justice instead of doing the real work of a bishop.
  

Question:

How many other Catholics are being misled by their diocesan newspapers? Any feedback you could give would be much appreciated...