Friday, March 29, AD 2024 2:46am

Speak Loudly and Carry No Stick

 

 

 

Obama, the anti-Theodore Roosevelt:

U.S. and Russian negotiators reached an agreement Saturday calling for an  inventory of Syria’s chemical weapons program and seizing all of its components  within a year. The plan includes imposing penalties if Syrian President Bashar  Assad’s government fails to turn over its stockpile.

Mr. Obama called it “an important step” toward ridding the world of chemical  weapons. But critics in Congress said the deal was toothless because the  administration agreed to withdraw from a proposed U.N. resolution the threat of  military action if Syria fails to comply.

“It’s not a matter of trust. It’s a matter of whether it will be enforced or  not,” Sen. John McCain, Arizona Republican, said on NBC’s “Meet the Press.”  “[Russia] will not agree to the use of force no matter what Bashar Assad  does.”

Rep. Mike Rogers, Michigan Republican and chairman of the House Permanent  Select Committee on Intelligence, said the U.S. gave up an important bargaining  chip.

“Not one ounce of chemical weapons came off the battlefield, but we’ve given  up every ounce of our leverage when it comes to trying to solve the broader  Syrian problem, because we’ve taken away a credible military threat,” the Mr.  Rogers said on CNN.

Go here to read the rest at The Washington Times.  So let’s get this straight.  Obama was willing to go to war because Assad used chemical weapons on his own people and because Assad is a butcher.  Now, Obama is satisfied with a promise that Assad will relinquish his chemical weapons in a year, and there is no more talk of a military strike.  I oppose intervention in Syria because the main factions opposing Assad are no improvement on him.  However, Obama thought differently and put American prestige on the line to remove Assad.  He did this without making any attempt to ensure that Congress or the American people were behind his policy.  In the face of opposition he has grasped on to this “face-saving” fig-leaf proffered by the Russians.  All this fig leaf does is to ensure that our enemies know they have nothing to fear from this administration and our friends know that they can rely on the US at most until the next press cycle or poll.  American weakness sends a clear message to every bad actor in the world that now is the time to act.  This brings to mind what Churchill said after Munich:

 

I do not grudge our loyal, brave people, who were ready to do their duty no matter what the cost, who never flinched under the strain of last week. I do not grudge them the natural, spontaneous outburst of joy and relief when they learned that the hard ordeal would no longer be required of them at the moment; but they should know the truth. They should know that there has been gross neglect and deficiency in our defences; they should know that we have sustained a defeat without a war, the consequences of which will travel far with us along our road; they should know that we have passed an awful milestone in our history, when the whole equilibrium of Europe has been deranged, and that the terrible words have for the time being been pronounced against the Western democracies.

“Thou are weighed in the balance and found wanting.”
 

And do not suppose that this is the end. This is only the beginning of the reckoning.This is only the first sip, the first foretaste of a bitter cup which will be proffered to us year by year unless by a supreme recovery of moral health and martial vigour, we arise again and take our stand for freedom as in the olden time.
Folly and weakness are always paid for in the end, and this episode will be paid for in some new crisis where our enemies, having taken the measure of Obama, assume that they can be safe in making any attack, any outrage.

 

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Paul W Primavera
Monday, September 16, AD 2013 1:36pm

“Thou are weighed in the balance and found wanting.”

Daniel chapter 5 well applies to Barack Hussein Obama, today’s King Belshazzar:

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=daniel%205&version=RSVCE

“Mene, mene, tekel, parsin.”

Pat
Pat
Monday, September 16, AD 2013 8:04pm

Churchill mentions a first foretaste of the bitter cup to be offered year by year.
” … unless by a supreme recovery of moral health and … ”

This idea of moral health has been trashed by people in education, entertainment, politics, government, finance, journalism, and art.

Jamey Brown
Jamey Brown
Tuesday, September 17, AD 2013 7:55am

Thank our good God for answering the prayers of countless thousands and bringing about this first step towards peace in Syria.

While it doesn’t end the violence, the cessation of the threat of US military intervention, which most religious leaders in the region–including Muslim–say would lead to further bloodshed to all and even more Christian persecution, is nothing short of a miracle.

Thank you Pope Francis for leading the Prayer Warriors and bringing it to the world’s attention. God Bless you. God Bless all who prayed.

Anzlyne
Anzlyne
Tuesday, September 17, AD 2013 9:53am

Don’t we have to admit that we ARE already in a war and that it is multifaceted, and not against nations or factions but against an evil ideology that seeks our destruction. If we morally oppose Assad and seek justice in Syria but do not want to intervene because his opposition in Syria is no better than him, is that giving up—acquiescence of a sort on our part? Too many layers of evil for us to go against? Shouldn’t we find a way to actively oppose them both? perhaps one at a time, like the war against the Axis (actually divided into different war “theaters” followed by the cold war. I admit I am way out of my league here thinking of solutions on the world stage- but – those are my questions.
I think about W. Churchill saying something about we will fight them on the beaches…etc.

Jamey Brown
Jamey Brown
Tuesday, September 17, AD 2013 6:51pm

Donald R. McClarey

To say that a prayer of thanksgiving for Pope Francis and the world’s prayer efforts that helped prevent the US from getting militarily involved in the Syrian civil war is “rubbish” says a lot about a man’s character and his soul. That “there is nothing to celebrate” about the US not bombing the garbanzos out of President Assad –an effort which we had no authority to do—I heartily disagree. It is a great day to say a prayer of thanks.

US intervention would have only brought about more bloodshed as Bishop Antoine Audo of Aleppo, the Patriarch of Constantinople Bartholomew I, the Grand Mufti of Damascus Ahmad Badreddin Hassoun, the USCCB and the Canadian Bishops have all pleaded. You said that you didn’t support US military involvement but you didn’t like the US losing face in the global chess game. While I am absolutely not a supporter of Abortion President Obama I think it is better to lose face if it saves a single life—worth the whole universe.

Then you dredge up Churchill’s criticism of the Munich Pact. That is absurd. Let me assure the readers that these circumstances have none of the gravity whatsoever of 1938. The fate of Europe, or the world, is not in the balance. There are no Panzer divisions or Stuka squadrons poised to go into Poland or in today’s setting Israel. Every time the US decides not to blow the barley seeds out of some tinhorn dictator some writer drags out the old Churchill/Chamberlain comparison

Then you say that in “two years’ time the rebels will probably win.” I defer to Pulitzer Prize winning writer Charles Krauthammer who in his last two articles in Human Events says that Russian President Putin is pretty much in the driver’s seat and will keep Assad in power to keep the Russian naval base and other assets in Syria intact.

And I say once again, “Praise be to the good Lord and Pope Francis for leading the world in prayer that helped keep the US out of Syria. May there be Peace there.” If you think such a prayer is “rubbish,” sir, what do you value?

Dante alighieri
Admin
Tuesday, September 17, AD 2013 10:13pm

FWIW, my piece in the Catholic Stand.

I opposed intervention in Syria, but to celebrate the lack of American involvement as a great victory for peace is awfully myopic.

Jamey Brown
Jamey Brown
Wednesday, September 18, AD 2013 1:53am

Comment:
If it saves one human life–which is worth the entire universe–and I am certain that it does, it is a cause for celebration.

Jamey Brown
Jamey Brown
Wednesday, September 18, AD 2013 1:58am

Donald R. McClarey:
Comment:

“Who would give us that authority?”

Yes, who would? Who would give us the authority to bomb another country? On the other side of the world? Right in Russia’s backyard? The Congress didn’t. Britain opted out. I guess Obama would give himself the authority. And why? Because we’re bigger and stronger? And because we can? Bullying is prohibited in the schoolyard and much of the international community condemns it on a global scale.

“The USCCB and the Canadian Bishops know zip about the Assad regime and its long history of brutality against the Syrian people”

Says who? You? By your authority? I hate to interrupt your rant with a few facts. Perhaps you should Google some of the Catholic publications, but the Bishops and everyone in Christendom and anyone who has seen an iota of news has been talking about this for months.
Apparently you think you are the sole informed person breaking this earth shattering story. Who gives you the authority to cavalierly dismiss all these people as ignorant of your special knowledge? I guess you do—much like Obama.

And Catholic Chaldean Bishop Antoine Audo is in Aleppo right in the heart of the bloodshed. He told the National Catholic Register, “That the only road to peace is through dialogue…not a new charge of hatred.” Sounds like he was addressing this to you. But I guess he doesn’t know as much as you do, right? By your authority? Wow, such hubris.

“With non-intervention the Civil War will grind on and on and the men you cite are completely clueless as to any realistic plan to bring the Civil War to an end.”

Obama has a realistic plan? Of course not. Your argument is untenable. You support non-intervention but then rant that it will only prolong the war. Did you forget to type in a few clarifying sentences? It doesn’t connect. It seems you just like to rant that nobody knows what to do but you. But then you don’t say what to do except “peace through strength.”

I do know that the Muslim Brotherhood/Al Qaeda rebels have persecuted the Christians and a victory by them would lead to further persecution. A US strike on Assad would embolden them. That it looks like we won’t is a cause for celebration. And deep gratitude to our good Lord, also to Pope Francis.

“Yeah it’s only Syrians being killed. It’s not as if we know these people, right?” Please leave the high school debating tactics in high school. The main thrust of your article was the Churchill quote on the Munich Pact implying that the fate of the world was in the balance today, much like 1938 when Hitler coveted Sudetenland, poised to strike Czechoslovakia and Poland. Give me a break. A reader who couldn’t find Syria or Russia, for that matter, on a map might believe this distortion but most would see right through it. I greatly admire Churchill but he would not have committed a single Tommy soldier or Manchester bomber to the madness of Syria. Assad can barely keep the rebels out of his bathroom and Putin can’t even quiet down the gays in Moscow.

“Weakness inspires war. Even a cursory study of history reveals that.”

But a deeper study of history reveals that, in the words of Pope Francis, “Only dialogue brings peace.” Bishop Aleppo echoes this and the Catholic Church has been saying this over and over for decades. Practically every speech or letter by the Popes or Bishops says this. Cardinal Dolan head of the USCCB– who “know zip,” by your royal decree—in his letter to President Obama asks him not to send financial or military aid to the rebels.

It is a dreadfully tragic situation. 100,000 lives lost for nothing. But once again I am divinely thankful that the US did not get involved which would have made it even worse.

Dante alighieri
Admin
Wednesday, September 18, AD 2013 6:46am

If it saves one human life–which is worth the entire universe–and I am certain that it does, it is a cause for celebration.

Bumper sticker jingoism does nothing to alter the reality of what is happening in Syria or elsewhere for that matter.

Jamey Brown
Jamey Brown
Wednesday, September 18, AD 2013 11:35am

Paul Zummo:
You’re using the word “jingoism” incorrectly unless the country you think I’m touting is the Vatican State in which case you would be correct.
I do think that one human life is worth the whole universe.

Jamey Brown
Jamey Brown
Wednesday, September 18, AD 2013 11:38am

Comment:

“Who would give us that authority?”

Yes, who would? Who would give us the authority to bomb another country? On the other side of the world? Right in Russia’s backyard? The Congress didn’t. Britain opted out. I guess Obama would give himself the authority. And why? Because we’re bigger and stronger? And because we can? Bullying is prohibited in the schoolyard and much of the international community condemns it on a global scale.

“The USCCB and the Canadian Bishops know zip about the Assad regime and its long history of brutality against the Syrian people”

Says who? You? By your authority? I hate to interrupt your rant with a few facts. Perhaps you should Google some of the Catholic publications, but the Bishops and everyone in Christendom and anyone who has seen an iota of news has been talking about this for months.
Apparently you think you are the sole informed person breaking this earth shattering story. Who gives you the authority to cavalierly dismiss all these people as ignorant of your special knowledge? I guess you do—much like Obama.

And Catholic Chaldean Bishop Antoine Audo is in Aleppo right in the heart of the bloodshed. He told the National Catholic Register, “That the only road to peace is through dialogue…not a new charge of hatred.” Sounds like he was addressing this to you. But I guess he doesn’t know as much as you do, right? By your authority? Wow, such hubris.

“With non-intervention the Civil War will grind on and on and the men you cite are completely clueless as to any realistic plan to bring the Civil War to an end.”

Obama has a realistic plan? Of course not. Your argument is untenable. You support non-intervention but then rant that it will only prolong the war. Did you forget to type in a few clarifying sentences? It doesn’t connect. It seems you just like to rant that nobody knows what to do but you. But then you don’t say what to do except “peace through strength.”

I do know that the Muslim Brotherhood/Al Qaeda rebels have persecuted the Christians and a victory by them would lead to further persecution. A US strike on Assad would embolden them. That it looks like we won’t is a cause for celebration. And deep gratitude to our good Lord, also to Pope Francis.

“Yeah it’s only Syrians being killed. It’s not as if we know these people, right?” Please leave the high school debating tactics in high school. The main thrust of your article was the Churchill quote on the Munich Pact implying that the fate of the world was in the balance today, much like 1938 when Hitler coveted Sudetenland, poised to strike Czechoslovakia and Poland. Give me a break. A reader who couldn’t find Syria or Russia, for that matter, on a map might believe this distortion but most would see right through it. I greatly admire Churchill but he would not have committed a single Tommy soldier or Manchester bomber to the madness of Syria. Assad can barely keep the rebels out of his bathroom and Putin can’t even quiet down the gays in Moscow.

“Weakness inspires war. Even a cursory study of history reveals that.”

But a deeper study of history reveals that, in the words of Pope Francis, “Only dialogue brings peace.” Bishop Aleppo echoes this and the Catholic Church has been saying this over and over for decades. Practically every speech or letter by the Popes or Bishops says this. Cardinal Dolan head of the USCCB– who “know zip,” by your profound royal decree—in his letter to President Obama asks him not to send Donald R. McClarey:

“You have a rather expansive view of Russia”

Russia has a naval base at Tartus, Syria. That might give them concern wouldn’t you say? And it’s certainly on the other side of the world from us.

“I trust you really are not that foolish. The “international community” you celebrate was ever content to their on its hands while tyrants have turned large segments into fertilizer. The simple truth is that most people are not really bothered by other people being slaughtered somewhere far away until whoever is doing the slaughtering turns their attention to them. That is an odd standard to raise as a moral guide.”

Pope Francis is head of the Vatican State, an influential country that you seem to ignore. He decries the violence in Syria every single day with speeches, letters to the G-20, meetings with political and religious leaders and of course his Global Day of Fasting and Prayer –the mere mention of which seems to inflame you and incite you to hurl insults of “rubbish on stilts” when I write about it. I think you would do well to heed Bl. Pope John Paul II’s remark that, “Prayer when united with fasting is the most powerful weapon in the history of mankind.” Or is he another one of those Bishops that “knows zip” about foreign policy? He was the Bishop of Krakow before he became Pope.

The US and the western world and freedom loving countries everywhere decry every act of violence or barbarism or terrorism. Don’t you read the papers?

It’s curious that you speak negatively of every religious leader and you write for “The American Catholic.” Maybe for those articles you should change the banner to “catholic” with a small “c” or call it “The American Gnostic,” because you write under the premise that no one in the world knows all the secret information that you alone know.

“The Bishops are reflexively against military intervention anywhere under any form. They know as much about Syria as a group as they do about military tactics and strategy, which is close to nil.”

Please see above comment.

“Now even making allowance for the Bishop living in a country where if you criticize the government you can quickly find yourself dead that is pretty sickening stuff.”

He is being diplomatic and accommodating and probably trying to save his head. Cardinal Dolan head of USCCB said on TV this week that “President Obama has done some good things. We might have disagreements…” Now Cardinal Dolan totally disagrees with Obama on abortion and military and financial intervention in Syria but he’s being diplomatic. He came away from a meeting with abortion monger Gov. Cuomo and said something to the affect that the Governor was very open to our discussion and we had a good exchange of ideas. And I know that Cardinal Dolan is absolutely opposed to abortion.

And back to Bishop Assad he is right in the heat of the battle and he says, “The only road to peace is dialogue…not new charges of hatred,” directed at armchair generals in Illinois who know far more than him.

“No, what I actually wrote was that intervention will not work in this case due to the fact that the major contending factions are all bad, and that is a sad reality and not something to celebrate. Reading comprehension truly is not your forte is it?”

Apparently memory of what you wrote is not your forte. I was commenting on your statement “Weakness only inspires war.” Yes I paraphrase you. When your argument is weak you criticize the other guy for not quoting correctly. Pretty soon you’ll be criticizing my grammar and punctuation.

“Rubbish. You are the one hailing non-intervention as some grand victory for peace. As far as you are concerned the Syrians could continue killing each other from now to doomsday, as long as the US is not involved.”
You say in another article that “Flight of the Bumblebee” is your favorite song. Maybe you should turn it off for a while and listen to some Gregorian chant to calm your frenzy and maybe read what you are criticizing before you erroneously publish it to the whole world and make a fool of yourself.
I have said repeated that I pray for peace and thank Pope Francis for his Global Day of Fasting and Prayer and all of his efforts to end the violence. Curiously you have not mentioned “pray” or “God” or any religious words in this “Catholic” article. Wonder why? Did you pray and fast on that day? I did.
“Actually Churchill as Secretary of State for War and Air after World War I was instrumental in establishing the boundaries of the Middle East and the British Empire was involved in the Middle East throughout his lifetime with constant interventions. Of course, once again you ignore why I raised the Munich debacle.”
Churchill actually opposed Gandhi and his quest for Indian independence so he could be wrong at times. But I’m sure that he would not get involved in the Syrian chaos, the same stance that Britain takes today.
No I got your “deep thought” that Obama gave away his bargaining chip of the threat of military intervention. Did you get that from Charles Krauthammer? He wrote about it a week before. So if Obama came on TV every night still threatening to blow up every cotton field and fig grove in Syria, even though he wasn’t going, would that make our Gnostic genius who-knows-everything happy?

“Not really. What peace we have on this Earth is almost always a result of war, from the flags we salute, the boundaries of the nations we live in, the laws we follow, the languages we speak, whether our churches are persecuted. Pacifists and semi-pacifists may abhor this, but that is the fact. In the present case, who rules in Syria will be determined on the battlefields of Syria and not through negotiations.”
“The languages that we speak?” Maybe you should take a day trip into the city sometime. Here in NY Spanish is spoken everywhere and that is because of immigration not war. Please, please, don’t bring up Davey Crockett and the Alamo and the Mexican War.
“The laws that we make?” Our laws are made by Congress and Legislatures and there may be some dirty battles there but I wouldn’t call them wars.
“Whether our churches are persecuted?” In the US religious freedom came through dialogue and study. Jefferson, who got many of his ideas from St. Thomas Bellarmine, dialogued and argued and came to an agreement with the others. Please don’t say that without the Revolutionary War there would have been no dialogue and therefore no religious freedom. For the most part Britain was not curtailing religious freedom in the colonies.
Did the computer you work on come from war? Or the Star Trek shows that you love—created by agnostic Gene Roddenberry—or the science fiction books written by Atheist Isaac Asimov that you quote come from war? I wish that you would quote from a Catholic once in a while, maybe a saint or a theologian or a snippet of a prayer. It might be refreshing on a “Catholic” website. You think you could try it?

Jamey Brown
Jamey Brown
Wednesday, September 18, AD 2013 11:54am

(Very sorry my last post merged it with my former)

Donald R. McClarey:

“You have a rather expansive view of Russia”

Russia has a naval base at Tartus, Syria. That might give them concern wouldn’t you say? And it’s certainly on the other side of the world from us.

“I trust you really are not that foolish. The “international community” you celebrate was ever content to their on its hands while tyrants have turned large segments into fertilizer. The simple truth is that most people are not really bothered by other people being slaughtered somewhere far away until whoever is doing the slaughtering turns their attention to them. That is an odd standard to raise as a moral guide.”

Pope Francis is head of the Vatican State, an influential country that you seem to ignore. He decries the violence in Syria every single day with speeches, letters to the G-20, meetings with political and religious leaders and of course his Global Day of Fasting and Prayer –the mere mention of which seems to inflame you and incite you to hurl insults of “rubbish on stilts” when I write about it. I think you would do well to heed Bl. Pope John Paul II’s remark that, “Prayer when united with fasting is the most powerful weapon in the history of mankind.” Or is he another one of those Bishops that “knows zip” about foreign policy? He was the Bishop of Krakow before he became Pope.

The US and the western world and freedom loving countries everywhere decry every act of violence or barbarism or terrorism. Don’t you read the papers?

It’s curious that you speak negatively of every religious leader and you write for “The American Catholic.” Maybe for those articles you should change the banner to “catholic” with a small “c” or call it “The American Gnostic,” because you write under the premise that no one in the world knows all the secret information that you alone know.

“The Bishops are reflexively against military intervention anywhere under any form. They know as much about Syria as a group as they do about military tactics and strategy, which is close to nil.”

Please see above comment.

“Now even making allowance for the Bishop living in a country where if you criticize the government you can quickly find yourself dead that is pretty sickening stuff.”

He is being diplomatic and accommodating and probably trying to save his head. Cardinal Dolan head of USCCB said on TV this week that “President Obama has done some good things. We might have disagreements…” Now Cardinal Dolan totally disagrees with Obama on abortion and military and financial intervention in Syria but he’s being diplomatic. He came away from a meeting with abortion monger Gov. Cuomo and said something to the affect that the Governor was very open to our discussion and we had a good exchange of ideas. And I know that Cardinal Dolan is absolutely opposed to abortion.

And back to Bishop Assad he is right in the heat of the battle and he says, “The only road to peace is dialogue…not new charges of hatred,” directed at armchair generals in Illinois who know far more than him.

“No, what I actually wrote was that intervention will not work in this case due to the fact that the major contending factions are all bad, and that is a sad reality and not something to celebrate. Reading comprehension truly is not your forte is it?”

Apparently memory of what you wrote is not your forte. I was commenting on your statement “Weakness only inspires war.” Yes I paraphrase you. When your argument is weak you criticize the other guy for not quoting correctly. Pretty soon you’ll be criticizing my grammar and punctuation.

“Rubbish. You are the one hailing non-intervention as some grand victory for peace. As far as you are concerned the Syrians could continue killing each other from now to doomsday, as long as the US is not involved.”
You say in another article that “Flight of the Bumblebee” is your favorite song. Maybe you should turn it off for a while and listen to some Gregorian chant to calm your frenzy and maybe read what you are criticizing before you erroneously publish it to the whole world and make a fool of yourself.
I have said repeated that I pray for peace and thank Pope Francis for his Global Day of Fasting and Prayer and all of his efforts to end the violence. Curiously you have not mentioned “pray” or “God” or any religious words in this “Catholic” article. Wonder why? Did you pray and fast on that day? I did.
“Actually Churchill as Secretary of State for War and Air after World War I was instrumental in establishing the boundaries of the Middle East and the British Empire was involved in the Middle East throughout his lifetime with constant interventions. Of course, once again you ignore why I raised the Munich debacle.”
Churchill actually opposed Gandhi and his quest for Indian independence so he could be wrong at times. But I’m sure that he would not get involved in the Syrian chaos, the same stance that Britain takes today.
No I got your “deep thought” that Obama gave away his bargaining chip of the threat of military intervention. Did you get that from Charles Krauthammer? He wrote about it a week before. So if Obama came on TV every night still threatening to blow up every cotton field and fig grove in Syria, even though he wasn’t going to, would that make our Gnostic genius who-knows-everything happy?

“Not really. What peace we have on this Earth is almost always a result of war, from the flags we salute, the boundaries of the nations we live in, the laws we follow, the languages we speak, whether our churches are persecuted. Pacifists and semi-pacifists may abhor this, but that is the fact. In the present case, who rules in Syria will be determined on the battlefields of Syria and not through negotiations.”
“The languages that we speak?” Maybe you should take a day trip into the city sometime. Here in NY Spanish is spoken everywhere and that is because of immigration not war. Please, please, don’t bring up Davey Crockett and the Alamo and the Mexican War.
“The laws that we make?” Our laws are made by Congress and Legislatures and there may be some dirty battles there but I wouldn’t call them wars.
“Whether our churches are persecuted?” In the US religious freedom came through dialogue and study. Jefferson who got many of his ideas from St. Thomas Bellarmine dialogued and argued and came to an agreement with the others. Please don’t say that without the Revolutionary War there would have been no dialogue and therefore no religious freedom. For the most part Britain was not curtailing religious freedom on the colonies.
Did the computer you work on come from war? Or the Star Trek shows that you love—created by agnostic Gene Roddenberry—or the science fiction books written by Atheist Isaac Asimov that you quote come from war? I wish that you would quote from a Catholic once in a while, maybe a saint or a theologian or a snippet of a prayer. It might be refreshing on a “Catholic” website. You think you could try it?

Dante alighieri
Admin
Wednesday, September 18, AD 2013 1:18pm

I do think that one human life is worth the whole universe.

Except, evidently, for the ones slaughtered by dictators. They merit nothing but a polite yawn.

Mike Petrik
Mike Petrik
Wednesday, September 18, AD 2013 1:39pm

I’m pleased that the US will not likely intervene militarily, though the realites of continued bloodshed and Putin’s strengthened hand are odd things to celebrate or lay at God’s doorstep. This is a tragic situation to be celebrated only by the callous. The fact that prudence suggests that we are unable to effectively assist the innocent in this case is not good news for the innocent.

Dante alighieri
Admin
Wednesday, September 18, AD 2013 1:50pm

Bingo, Mike. There is nothing to celebrate about this situation.

Jamey Brown
Jamey Brown
Wednesday, September 18, AD 2013 3:09pm

The Catholic Church has a policy of incremental reduction of evil. In regards to abortion the Church is supporting legislation that prevents late term abortions. While the evil of abortion still exists at least the late term abortions can be stopped. This is the case in NY State and Cardinal Dolan has put great pressure on the Legislators and Governor here. The late term abortion bill was recently defeated. Hallelujah! Is that a cause for celebration? Yes. Do we still mourn the fact that abortions still go on? Yes, of course.

In regards to Syria the US turning back militarily will save many lives. Many, many prayers were answered. That is a cause for gratitude and celebration. That the violence is still going on is a cause for mourning and continued prayer and action.

Great Thurber story. You should check out Wikiquotes: GK Chesterton, (particularly “The Everlasting Man”) St. Francis, St. John Vianney, C.S. Lewis, and St. Augustine. Would really jazz up the site.

Jamey Brown
Jamey Brown
Wednesday, September 18, AD 2013 4:39pm

Donald R. McClarey:

“Sophistry. We would not be speaking English but for a whole host of wars fought down through the centuries. The Mexicans would not be speaking Spanish but for the conquest of the Aztecs by Cortez.”

Were it not for Emperor Constantine’s Edict of Milan in 313 A.D. granting religious freedom to the Christians there would be no Western Civilization. The Christian Church sanctified the Roman Empire and the Empire continued to spread its culture and now with the holy teachings of the Faith to the whole Empire. And how was this conversion of Rome brought about? By war? No but by Christians living and teaching the Faith. The monks even continued to civilize even the barbarians. With force? No by applying the teachings of our good Lord of kindness, forgiveness and patience.

“And we wouldn’t have a Congress or our system of government but for victory in the American Revolution.”

All of the states had Charters before the Revolution such as the Virginia Charter that the Constitution was modeled after. These contained varieties of religious freedoms.

“You might try reading my post on John Paul II and the Constitution yesterday. You obviously have read little that I have written on this site in the almost five years it has been in existence. Here is a quote to you from a saint:”

What do you think of the Bl. John Paul II quotes: “War, never again war.” This was echoed by Pope Francis this week. Or “Prayer when united with sacrifice, is the most powerful weapon in the history of mankind.”
You just said in another post that “(Prayer) will accomplish absolutely nothing in stopping the Civil War in Syria.” Whew! Sounds hypocritical. You say in one sentence to read JPII then in the next you say prayer will not work here. If you said that to JPII he’d march you right off to confessional. And you have the nerve to call yours a “Catholic” site. Why don’t you be honest and label it “The Militaristic Catholic?” Every other word is “war, war” or “military this or that.” The one saint you quote is the warrior saint Joan of Arc.

There’s more in life, more in the news, than Syria. I sent in a short prayer of thanks that lives would be saved as a result of Pope Francis’ Global Day of Fasting and Prayer and the prayers of countless people of good will around the world –which you called “rubbish” then, and you continue to say that “prayer will accomplish nothing in the
“Syrian Civil,” and it’s become a 3-day battle. How can I deal with someone who denies one of the basic tenets of the Faith? Do you also deny the Cardinal Virtues of Faith, Hope and Love? You’d probably say, “But not without military action.”

Couldn’t we change the subject? Let’s talk about something we have in common such as that evil Dawkins. I just heard on Al Kresta’s Show on Catholic radio that Dawkins had been a supporter of eugenics in keeping the races from mixing. Could be a column for you.

Jamey Brown
Jamey Brown
Wednesday, September 18, AD 2013 5:00pm

Donald R. McClarey:

“Only if many means zero. A quick dumping of Assad would probably save many lives short term and a strong US intervention would accomplish that. The problem is what the rebels would do long term which is why I oppose intervention.”

I basically agree with you. I would go in to stop the monster Assad except that it would cause greater harm in the long run enabling the rebels to finally win. I am not a pacifist.
Our disagreement seems to be on how many lives would be saved by the US standing down and I think it would be some, particularly Christians.
I am not happy about the US losing power over this. I didn’t like Obama stopping the missile defense shield in Eastern Europe. I am totally against Communism. I have been opposed to practically everything Obama has done foreign or domestic. Except for quitting smoking—it has made him even more angry and hateful of the Church.

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