And yet again . . .

Michelle Malkin continues to make herself look silly. She simply can’t let it go. She references this piece from the Wall Street Journal:

Our point, evidently missed by the Congressman, was that the U.S. Catholic Church has traditionally been an immigrant church, helping to settle and assimilate generations of Irish, Polish and Italian newcomers. The pope made a similar argument during his visit last week in separate remarks to U.S. educators. “Countless dedicated religious sisters, brothers and priests together with selfless parents have, through Catholic schools, helped generations of immigrants to rise from poverty and take their place in mainstream society,” he said.

To Lou Dobbs, another Tancredo-like compulsive, all of this amounted to the pope “insulting our country.” The CNN anchor said, “I really don’t appreciate the bad manners of a guest telling me in this country and my fellow citizens what to do.” You know the restrictionists have gone head-first into the fever swamps when they denounce a Christian religious leader for sounding like a Christian.

The pope welcomes immigrants because he’s Catholic, not because they are. He isn’t “marketing” his faith. He’s practicing it.

Of course, Malkin has left the real work to her mob of commentators. Here’s a gem from one of them:

I appreciate the Catholic churches stance on the value of life, but they have truly missed the mark with the compassion for lawbreakers.

I know I’ve said this half-a-dozen times here and on comboxes elsewhere, but let me finally quote verbatim from Christ:

I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not clothe me, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.

Notice that bolded part. And notice what Jesus didn’t say. He didn’t say, “I was innocent and in prison.” Compassion isn’t only for the innocent. What the hell is wrong with these people? Saying things like this?

I used to be a Catholic, and one of the reason I left the church was it’s stance on illegal immigration.

That’s one of the saddest reasons I’ve ever read or heard for one abandoning the Church that Christ founded. It gets better.

Why doesn’t the Pope go to mexicant (sic) and tell them how to keep their own damn people in their own damn country!

and, perfectly:

I am becoming unhinged!

Perhaps he should read my blog more often.

Politics . . . confuse me

I’ve noticed that I’ve gotten tons of traffic these last few days due to my remarks about Michelle Malkin. I suppose I’m grateful for more readers (why blog if you don’t care?), but I really wish it were due to topics that truly interest me. Politics, in the past, used to be a passion of mine. Now it’s more like a sick obsession.

The problem, of course, is that I’ve come to a place where I’m neither Republican, Democrat, Constitution Party, Libertarian, etc. I simply can’t fit a mold. Therefore I get angry reading the comments over at Michelle Malkin’s blog just as often as I do when reading VoxNova. Politically, I’m a peculiar pilgrim (as it should be).

I’m a fan of McCain, but I’m not a fan of the war in Iraq. Obama is exciting, but only in that I’m-tired-of-the-status-quo-so-let’s-vote-for-something-’new’ and oh-my-God-what-have-I-just-done kind of way. Hilary is a Clinton. ‘Nuff said.

I guess what I’m trying to say is – I wish I could keep all these new readers by focusing more on politics, but it’s impossible. It’s not in me.

Michelle Malkin does it again

Perhaps I was wrong about Michelle Malkin. In my last post I accused her of being “Catholic-when-convenient”. However, she has replied to those of us (I’m not presuming she read my criticism – there were many others) who wrote about her lack of charity and reading comprehension. In her “No, I’m not Bill Maher” post, Malkin writes,

I was raised Catholic. I benefited immensely from my Catholic high school education. I have deep respect for many Catholic leaders and intellectual leading lights. I continue to be inspired by Catholic pro-life activists.

This reads, to me, like “I used to be Catholic . . . ” If this is the case, then my criticism of her is entirely misdirected. If true, it only makes the situation sadder (infinitely). Of course, the blog she linked to (which she accused of calling her anti-Catholic) has responded. I urge you to read the update found here.

Of course the combox inanities continue. Malkin’s commentators (many of whom I’m sure show up at HotAir as well) do not disappoint.

I also encourage you, the reader, to read The Anchoress’ response as well.

Michelle Malkin and the Catholics-when-convenient crowd

You can read the post by Michelle Malkin here. What bothers me most about Michelle and and her band of merry followers is their willingness to sell everything for the movement. Forget her Catholicism . . . she’ll sell the Pope down the river, call him an elitist, if, God-forbid, he expresses a desire to care for those who do immigrate to America (yes, illegally!). She’ll allow atheist bloggers and commentators on her sites (HotAir is a perfect example) to constantly mock the Catholic faith, the Catholic Church, and never a peep from her.

Malkin, Ingraham, Hannity, and many more Republican strategists have sold their souls to the movement. Congratulations. I’ll never forget (perhaps I’ll forgive – one day) how I was told, no drilled, to believe that Guiliani was a legitimate candidate for President because he understood the big issues of our day. Or how Mitt was the savior of the Republican party. Are you kidding me? Two of the biggest liberals to ever put an ‘R’ by their names on a ballot – and I’m supposed to give up my standards for them? Yet, McCain was an untouchable? Hypocrites – the lot of them.

Excuse me while I filter my politics through my faith rather than the converse.

UPDATE:

Great post to be found here.  Can’t vouch for the remainder of the site, but he/she says it better than I did above.

Great post on growing up in the racist South

Check it out.

I’m not quite as old as the author of the post linked to above.  I do, however, remember well growing up in a very similar environment.  I can still recall the day I called a black classmate nigger simply because I thought this is what they were.  I quickly learned from that situation that that word was uttered safely away from the ears of African Americans.  I consider myself a funny enough person, but I can’t remember a joke well enough to tell it coherently.  Yet, I can remember many of the racist jokes that were told to me in all kinds of places – including the places of worship that I attended as a child.

I can remember the first time I saw a black man walk into church on Sunday morning.  You could breathe the tension in the room.  I remember my first boss telling me that the black guy he had hired was an exception, because he usually didn’t hire them.  This was in the early 1990’s.

Whatever we do in this debate about Obama’s pastor and what was said and what Obama knew, etc. etc. – let’s not pretend the issue of racism magically disappeared.  There are real hurts, real chasms of generational proportions.  God knows I’m guilty of my own racial prejudices in the past.  I hope and pray that God is healing me of them every day.

Vox Nova – bad for Lent

Among other things I gave up this Lenten season, I should have included Vox Nova. It’s a decidedly leftist leaning blog with several posting members who openly support Obama. From all that I can gather, this support isn’t truly based on his record (which is quite explicitly anti-life) but upon some wispy hope that he will make a difference – “Yes, he can!” They’ve bought into the hype, and damn anyone who disagrees with them. Say you support McCain, and you’re presented with a litany of wrongs he’s supposedly supported – including research on embryonic stem cells. But I’ve never read a McCain supporter on a Catholic blog whitewash his record. Never. Can these VoxNovians not see how distorted and dangerous their stances really are? Apparently not.

We’ve recently been graced with this post. Wow. How inspiring. And on the day that the Pope has declared Fr. McGivney venerable. I myself am a proud American. I am a proud Catholic. I am a proud Knight of Columbus. I am ashamed that even stumbled upon the trash that is currently being offered up at Vox Nova.

No, I didn’t give up reading Vox Nova for Lent. But I have the rest of my life to rectify that. See you later, guys.

Updated: I’m not going to approve your comments here. Keep your trash on your own site, brother. You know who you are.