Safe Haven

I definitely agree that much of his rhetoric was extreme, a bit Trump-like. I also think his foreign policy as articulated was dangerously naive. I think he vacillates between rage-monster, and a less-endearing Ned Flanders. To say that I didn't prefer him is a massive understatement. But I would have held my nose, and done it. In the end, with a smile. Because I know that on the issues social conservatives care about, Ted Cruz is with us. I wouldn't have to wonder if he's better than Hillary, because I know he is. Most of the time, there is great wisdom in falling in line after a spirited primary. Not this time. And good for Ted in not doing so. See you in four years, Senator Cruz. Hopefully in happier days.

I thought I would outline my way of thinking through political issues and engagement these days. I am by no means able to discourse dispassionately all the time, by any stretch. Yet as I have more fully embraced Catholic social doctrine, I have begun to observe that the process for arriving at a conclusion on any particular matter is more involved than a particular instance of political discussion--often more accurately characterized as combat--would lead us to believe. So, here is a sample of the kinds of questions I am now asking: What is the common good, and what aspects of the common good may be served (or not) by a proposed solution? Is a proposed solution to a problem intrinsically evil, that is, evil irrespective of circumstances, or good intentions? Are there other principles related to the common good or to the intrinsic dignity of the human person (e.g. justice, solidarity, subsidiarity, etc.) that I need to be aware of? Does a proposed solution seem to violate any of t...

I made some of you cringe. Good. You're now reading my blog, which was of course my plan all along. But I didn't intend to scare you with the alleged "spirit of Vatican II." No. I just want to tell you it was raining buckets on the way back from Mass today. And that's wonderful, of course. Though it is potentially far less wonderful in a wheelchair. A power wheelchair. I wouldn't expect any electrical danger, but of course the more significant risk is that the chair stops working. They plan for rain when building them, but still. My Quickie P-222 SE came through like a champ. Seriously though, if you're going to be a cripple caught in a downpour, get a Quickie. Pretty sure you can't buy my specific chair from the company anymore, but I'm sure the countless middlemen still carry it. Maybe you'll like this James Taylor classic instead.

You can't actually coherently say Christian ecclesiology, doctrine, and practice is wrong, and be a reformer. You can say it was never right. But no Protestant really wants to say that. So everyone in that position lives inconsistently on that point. That's why I'm Catholic. That's the reason. We wouldn't need to profess new dogmas, if the motivation was moral reform. It wasn't. Tim Dukeman, you need to read more.