Friday, March 29, AD 2024 2:29am

Tell Us How You Really Feel Dale!

Priests check the firearms of Marines who will be sent to Basilan province in southern Philippines during the 110th founding anniversary of the Philippine Navy in Manila

 

My friend Dale Price writes insightful posts at his blog Dyspeptic Mutterings.  I stop by there regularly to steal borrow blog ideas.  Dale is always very good, but when he lets himself go he is magnificent.  Herewith is his post on the scape goating anti-NRA hysteria that some on Saint Blogs have been participating in:

Being marginalized in the culture war.

 
This is not directed at the people of good faith who I have spoken with about firearms since Sandy Hook. Hopefully, you know who you are. But I do have to unburden myself, and unfortunately in a burdensomely-verbose manner.
It doesn’t matter, but I didn’t sleep for s–t in the ten days after the Sandy Hook massacre. I was up until at least 1 am every night, trying to distract myself from the horror of the butchery committed by that evil garbage. It’s not much, but my wife made sure to send a card to the Newtown priests facing the horror. When I started talking about the issue, I expressed my interest in solutions like smaller magazine capacity, biometric safes and trigger locks and the like. Productive, civil conversations. Or so it seemed.
As it turned out, none of that mattered. The tone changed from one of wanting to prevent another Sandy Hook into a two-months hate against gun ownership in general and NRA members in particular. Solutions fell by the wayside, and de-legitimization began in earnest.
You see, I’m an NRA member. I do not own a Bushmaster, or any other semi-automatic weapon. As is my wife. I–and Heather–collectively own several firearms. Including–as will be set forth below–a completely-legal, bona-fide military weapon currently used by our military right now. Unlike what [damnatio memoriae] used at Newtown.
Nevertheless, because of our membership in Satan’s Own Rifles, prominent people of culture hope we get shot. Hope really hard! [Which strikes me as an odd spin on the Hope™ being offered in 2008, but I digress for the first time.]
Go here to read the brilliant, scathing rest.

 

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Paul W Primavera
Wednesday, January 30, AD 2013 2:54pm

It’s people like a certain self-appointed blog meister in the Catholic blogosphere whom Dale talks about and who are the worst of the lot. Hypocrites and sanctimoniously “pious” idiots without the brains to realize that Obama is trying to disarm all of us the same as his forefathers Stalin, Plutarco Calles and Hitler did before him, but they certainly have the biggest mouths of any of the primates. Maybe somebody should remind such people of gelatinous girth that mad dictators like Calles persecuted the Church to the point where the faithful had to defend themselves with guns, and that Scriptural precedence with swords has already been established in 1st Maccabees chapters 1 and 2.

Robert A. Rowland
Robert A. Rowland
Wednesday, January 30, AD 2013 4:31pm

Leaving only socialists and other criminals armed with assault rifles and large magazines is virtually insane. Only a tyrant would propose it.

Foxfier
Admin
Wednesday, January 30, AD 2013 8:04pm

Try over at Ricochet, where some well-meaning folks are sure that Catholics aren’t allowed to own guns.

It’s “church teaching,” you see.

They know because a site with “Catholic” in the title interviewed the disarmament expert for the Peace and Justice whatever at the Vatican, and found a couple of foot-notes in USCCB documents.

Jay Anderson
Wednesday, January 30, AD 2013 8:08pm

As usual, an excellent post by Dale. However, I think he lets Mark off the hook WAY too easily. At some point, he should be held accountable for his own intellectually dishonest use of strawmen and hyperbole to marginalize, delegitimize, and dehumanize those with whom he disagrees.

Last night, Paul Zummo compiled a list of Mark’s more choice remarks about some gun advocates he had falsely accused of hectoring and heckling a grieving Sandy Hook parent:

http://www.patheos.com/blogs/markshea/2013/01/meanwhile-the-gun-lobby-continues-to-impress.html/comment-page-1#comment-145211

Of course, all Mark could manage in response was to falsely accuse Paul of running the torture-advocacy blog “The Coalition for Fog” in one of the more bizarre and out-of-the-blue examples of ad hominem argumentation that I’ve read in quite a while.

It’s crap like that from prominent Catholics in the Catholic blogosphere that have turned me off of blogging … probably for good.

Suz
Suz
Wednesday, January 30, AD 2013 8:40pm

Dale Price is telling it like it is, and showing a good deal of restraint (compared to the less-than-charitable thoughts that have been appearing in my mind since these attacks on the Constitution/Catechism/CommonHorseSense began). Slander is afoot; Socialist panties are showing. The political left making hay from tragedy, whodathunkit, and the usual suspects all tumbling over themselves to fall into line. Bah.

T. Shaw
T. Shaw
Wednesday, January 30, AD 2013 9:19pm

Jay,

One question: Mark who?

Just kidding. I still pray for the man.

PS: I am now a criminal in the state of NY. Thanks to new gun laws and hysterics like Mark: Me and tens of thousands of New Yorkers.

DarwinCatholic
DarwinCatholic
Thursday, January 31, AD 2013 8:49am

I still find myself reading maybe one in four Mark Shea posts, because I see them pop up on Facebook, but honestly, it’s gotten to where that blog is mostly about emotional grandstanding and constant demonization of the Enemy Of The Hour. It’s too bad. I hear Mark himself is not a bad guy, and he’s an orthodox writer with a love for the Church, but as a blogger he’s gotten downright painful to read.

Paul W Primavera
Thursday, January 31, AD 2013 8:53am

Mark Shea, in having received many compliments for being an orthodox writer with a love for the Church has let that go to his head and now thinks he is some sort of Magisterium in the American Catholic blogosphere with the authority to make pronouncements on the Faithful. And when it comes to issues like the right to keep and bear arms, he is definitely wrong and won’t even hear much less coutnenance reasoning to the contrary. That’s what happens with receiving too much fame for the books he sells. 🙁

dominic1955
dominic1955
Thursday, January 31, AD 2013 9:35am

That isn’t a wholly unheard of phenomenon, of course. Who was that blogger a few years back who was a convert and a darling of the conservative/neo-con blogosphere and then went whole hog anti-Catholic. Last I knew, his blog went private and he got into soft-porn photography or some nonsense. Pity.

Cliched movie line, but with great power comes great responsibility. Its not hard to write theologically orthodox books or blog posts. However, at this stage of the game where there are still so much silliness in the parishes that some folks eat up anything orthodox wherever they can find it and set up those folks on pedestals-with the resultant ballooned egos and unassailable correctness of position.

Save for the grace of God there go I, granted, but I wore the cassock/collar as a seminarian for a couple years and witnessed the same phenomenon. Some folks will take any hare brained, half baked, whiskey soaked mental diarrhea that falls out of your face as Absolute Truth if they’ve decided that other more sane things you’ve written or said or your external trappings have made you a rock of orthodoxy in their minds. Personally, that taught me to shut my trap and think a lot more before going off half cocked…

Dante alighieri
Admin
Thursday, January 31, AD 2013 10:02am

You are referring to Gerald Naus, dominic. It was a rather sad case indeed.

Darwin
Darwin
Thursday, January 31, AD 2013 10:34am

I’m not sure it’s exactly a case of too much fame — I have to think the fame and other forms or remuneration for writing books for the Catholic market is sadly pretty small — but just that once you get into the downward spiral of mainlining on snark and srawmanning, it’s pretty hard to turn back.

I suspect one of the things that feeds Mark’s over the top behavior is that being over the top himself, he tends to attract pretty over the top readers, both those who agree with him and those who disagree. One you’ve got a self selected group of readers who either think that we all need to climb down into the catacombs with assault rifles before the gay brownshirts come for us, or else think that anyone who claims The Thing That Used To Be Conservatism is a raving survivalist maniac who tortures Palestinians in his spare time, there’s not really much of a lifeline back to sanity.

Pinky
Pinky
Thursday, January 31, AD 2013 10:40am

Dominic, I think it’s the other side of the demonization coin. We assign white hats the same way we assign black hats.

I’ve seen it happen in the traditionalist movement. A bishop allows an indult Mass, and he becomes Good. But someone else heard that something bad happened in his diocese, so he’s designated Bad. It must have been his auxiliary bishop who’s Good. The auxiliary moves to a new diocese and a month later a sex scandal breaks. OK, then the old auxiliary must be Bad, and it was the first bishop who was Good all along. If a seminarian in his diocese says something unflattering about the diocese, he must be one of those modernists.

Two examples spring to mind. Cardinal Schonborn of Vienna changes perceived sides faster than a bottom-of-the-card wrestler. The other example, outside religion, is the wildly fluctuating responses to Chris Christie. I suppose it’s a healthy thing that we want to have someone to look up to; we’re not always seeking to tear people down. But if you fall in love easily you get your heart broken a lot.

Dante alighieri
Admin
Thursday, January 31, AD 2013 10:48am

I suspect one of the things that feeds Mark’s over the top behavior is that being over the top himself, he tends to attract pretty over the top readers, both those who agree with him and those who disagree. One you’ve got a self selected group of readers who either think that we all need to climb down into the catacombs with assault rifles before the gay brownshirts come for us, or else think that anyone who claims The Thing That Used To Be Conservatism is a raving survivalist maniac who tortures Palestinians in his spare time, there’s not really much of a lifeline back to sanity.

Ding ding ding.

I’m sure Mark Shea gets some very, err, interesting hate mail. It’s a natural tendency in all humans to double down when confronted with vituperative feedback, and that just perpetuates the cycle. That doesn’t excuse Mark at all – far from it, as he invites it upon his head. But I can see where the negative feedback loop doesn’t help.

And of course I haven’t always been Mr. Charitable when it comes to Mr. Shea, so I’ll shut my fat trap now.

philip
philip
Thursday, January 31, AD 2013 5:11pm

This thread is interesting. Mark Shea may be inflated. Many good Catholics have slid back a few steps, and the old foe is trying us all.
It’s what he does best. Just ask Fr. Coropi.
Satan wants to do harm to those especially gifted and talented to lead souls to Christ.
All the more armor needed to defend his attacks.
Paul. W. P…..fame is a weapon in Satan’s arsenal, and I believe your spot on with Mark Shea’s position on arms.

Paul W. Primavera
Thursday, January 31, AD 2013 5:21pm

Thanks, Philip. I would rather be wrong. Before the 2008 election I had not had a gun in my hand since my Navy days some three decades ago. But after that election I bought a mini-14 specifically because of what people like Obama have always done in the past. Obviously I can make no difference as a mere individual, but having a weapon (even if I rarely use it and then only at the rifle range) is simply my way to protest against that evil son of a snake. Oh yes, many say he doesn’t rate that high, being nothing more than a Chicago gangster. Well, gangsters are evil and I don’t want a gangster running the government. And this gangster legitimatizes the infanticide of the unborn and sanctifies the filth of homosexual sodomy. Evil. Pure and simple evil.

Mary De Voe
Thursday, January 31, AD 2013 5:29pm

Mom always said: “Don’t get your halo on too tight.” Loved the writing and especially the title.

“We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.”

The Preamble to the U.S. Constitution sets forth the purpose and responsibility of our founding principles. Here I am concerned with the phrase,” provide for the common defence“ and those who would remove certain firearms and guns from “the common defence”. The U.S. Constitution may not be altered or changed without 2/3 of the states ratifying the change. The Preamble cannot change without dissolving the United States of America.

Gun control advocates may not change the Constitution without the ratifying two/thirds of the states and they still must prove that a particular gun is not going to be used to “provide for the common defence.” The Preamble does not change, unless 2/3 of the states ratify it, and the Preamble states “provide for the common defence” Common people provide for the common defence. And what part of “WE”, “the people” does not include every person?

My own experience with guns, with bullet holes in my door and window, the hunters refused to leave. Begging and pleading and even the police failed. I stood on the back steps and announced that if their bullets wouldn’t hit me, my bullets wouldn’t hit them. The hunters left. I think I had a rifle in my hands. (Sometimes a demonstration works)

philip
philip
Thursday, January 31, AD 2013 6:03pm

Moslem Brotherhood welcomed here.
All Religions are equal.
Bible is just mans viewpoint on God.
Life is not sacred.
Marriage is need of new definitions.
Guns kill people, not cars, knives, tired surgeons or fascist regimes.
Paul. Welcome to Virtual Reality on steroids.
I hunt whitetail deer in the beautiful north.
If my home or family was under serious threat of harm I will not hesitate to protect us.
God help us in this day of corruption.
God guide us and protect us.
“He who gives testimony on my behalf, I will give to them before my Father in Heaven.”
Jesus is Lord. He and only He saves us from our sins. No other Gods shall we believe in. None. Especially self proclaimed godbamma.

philip
philip
Thursday, January 31, AD 2013 6:32pm

Mary DeVoe,
I wasn’t our clan at your door.
You did get your point across though.
Sometimes it takes a strong stand.
If only to protect ourselves from rouge regimes, gangsters or stupid Hunters we must not cave in on this right. Regardless of the weapon or its clip size.
Egypt and fighter jets, and the Big Concern is gun control in our Nation?
Excuse me while I rant in private…..

Mary De Voe
Thursday, January 31, AD 2013 7:50pm

Philip: No, it was not your clan at the door. Your rant is valid and thank God. Keep ranting.

Paul W. Primavera
Thursday, January 31, AD 2013 8:51pm

Ditto to Mary De Voe’s last comment!

Mary De Voe
Friday, February 1, AD 2013 8:18pm

Paul: It is the duty of every citizen to keep his mouth open. One Ave Maria

Paul W. Primavera
Friday, February 1, AD 2013 8:54pm

Tibi gratias, Maria de Voe!

Avē Marīa, grātiā plēna,
Dominus tēcum.
Benedicta tū in mulieribus,
et benedictus frūctus ventris tuī, Iēsus.
Sāncta Marīa, Māter Deī,
ōrā prō nōbīs peccātōribus,
nunc et in hōrā mortis nostrae.
Āmēn.

exNOAAman
exNOAAman
Saturday, February 2, AD 2013 12:26pm

From “don’t get your halo on too tight”…
…to…”I think I had a rifle in my hands”

More than a few times I have thanked our Lord for the wisdom he has granted to Mary De Voe.

Mary, I’m sorry.
One Hail Mary from me too. (In Latin of course)

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