Posted on 11/07/2012 8:26:03 AM PST by annalex
These are a few thoughts that I have, as a Catholic layman and American nationalist. I am also a monarchist, and so I recognize the basic futility of a democratic political process in a culturally divided electorate: the country has been for the past several election cycles largely ungovernable because it has lost a common ethical consensus. However, even in this predicament, elections serve a useful purpose. That is because regardless of the efficacy of the democratic process, politics remain one tool available to us to forestall a national collapse, and, possibly, cause a cultural revival and reunification. These two are our fundamental political objectives. More precisely, a Catholic Conservative should, I think, espouse these medium-term commitments:
There is nothing a monarchist would change with respect of these goals. We, monarchists, understand that a monarchy can only happen as an organic development in the political life of a unified nation under God. I believe that given American political culture with its respect for self-government and property rights, a form of new feudalism will evolve constitutionally, and the new feudalism will give rise to a monarchy when this nation is sufficiently unified around our unique national idea.
Did the re-election of Obama set back these goals?
I believe that our goals were set back not last Tuesday but during the primary process. Governor Romney was perhaps, most “presidential” of the field of candidates, but even so, he structured his campaign on several false propositions: he avoided social issues and failed to propose an economic agenda that would captivate the American middle class. He correctly identified Obamacare as most odious feature of Obama’s policies, but he failed to link it to its impact on the religious freedom, which was its most vulnerable element. Having instituted something at least vaguely similar to Obamacare in Massachusetts, he was in no position to attack Obamacare’s central premise of government takeover of the medical industry.
I further believe that had Romney been elected, the conservative goals would have been set back worse than they are set back now. That is because a Romney’s victory would have vindicated the idea that the Republican Party can win elections without the social conservatives and without the conservative libertarians such as Dr. Ron Paul. Let us hope that the GOP learns the lessons of this year:
In the meanwhile, we are left with what the collective wisdom of the American people gave us: four more years of divided and therefore bounded by its partisan divisions federal government. This is, I believe, the best we could have hoped for. Let us use these years to grow the Tea Party, make it a better-rounded political force by engaging it more fully in our culture war, and be firm and brave defending our glorious Church from the enemies on the Left.
People who go against Church teaching that murdering your children with contraceptives is still murder just like abortion will care about being called thieves?
Come on, the Catholic Church has to face the fact that these people are no longer Catholic. The Catholic Church is at best a family tradition or part of their "ethnic heritage" to them.
They worship their Self, just like the majority of non-Catholics who claim to be Christian do. The majority of the population in this country will murder their own children to avoid economic burdens, but they'll spend every cent they have and can borrow to keep their "naughty bits" exercised.
When when the remaining faithful are so few in number that no one can claim they won without the intervention of the Lord, that's when He will intervene and turn things around. Unless, of course, they're not supposed to turn around because the murder of nearly sixty million infants has to be punished in kind.
Because I respect you both, I will take what you have said under advisement. I will pray about it. Thanks.
We really all need to examine our consciences and turn back to God. God’s vote isn’t counted yet — read that thread.
Also we need to get to our local city and county governments and start electing pro-lifers and Christians there. Then the principle of subsidiarity, which everyone seemed to dismiss when Paul Ryan discussed it, can take effect.
What is subsidiarity for those of you who may be unfamiliar with the word?
It is letting the smalles government or organization take care of the problem. (Not big government!!!)
And it seems not only Catholics, but many others lost their sense of solidarity in voting — solidarity is just plain common sense.
I am also interested in the numbers of freeloaders on food stamps, reduced mortgages, free lunches, etc. who voted for Obama and have asked Alex Murphy to check into it.
smallest government
Are also considering renouncing your citizenship and leaving the country?
No, and Thank You for putting that in perspective. I guess my frustration is overwhelming my logic today.
The coward “bishop” of Wilmington, where Biden currently resides, has specifically refused to ban the anti-Christ’s room-temperature-IQ pet from the Blessed Sacrament.
http://archive.lifenews.com/state3635.html
It is the now-retired bishop of Scranton who banned Biden, but since Biden is no longer part of that diocese, it has little practical effect. Bishop Martino retired at a rather young age - 63 - not long after the 2008 election, during which he reiterated his ban on pro-abortion politicians.
As well, the current archbishop of San Francisco has declined to ban Nazi Pelosi from Holy Communion, as well.
Much of the voting behavior of the laity is the fault of the bishops, corporately. It is the fault of the laity, as well, for failing to take seriously the teachings of the Church, but the bishops are supposed to be modeled after the Good Shepherd. Most of them act like the hired hands of whom Jesus spoke.
sitetest
Good. I meant to ask him to check into me, too :)
The country may be at a point, or close to a point, when subsidiarity is plain impossible unless we wangle ourselves some kind of relic status like the Amish. Observe:
An inward closure may not be an option for the American Catholics.
It's particularly bitter that the bishops refuse to follow Canon Law (Canon 915) almost to a man; and then they expect us to defend their Constitutional right to the "free exercise" of a religious integrity they do not preach, and expect neither their institutions nor their people to practice.
While the bishops bear much of the blame for the condition of American Catholicism, equal blame goes to the Republican (I don’t expect anything from the Democrats) politicians. It was the job of the political class to explain how, for example, the contraception mandate is a violation of basic American civics. Change in the arena of civil rights won’t occur until our political culture improves. We still don’t have a cadre of front-row politicians who can make a coherent argument for their own faith, let alone for the rights of other believers. Santorum was a happy exception, let’s hope others take it where he left off.
100% of the blame goes to the bishops.
But have no fear. This isn't a zero-sum game. There's plenty of blame to go around.
100% of the blame also goes to laity who didn't vote for Gov. Romney. The Kenyan anti-Christ is just that bad.
A special 100% of the blame goes to Catholics who actually permanently disfigured their souls by voting FOR the anti-Christ.
Another 100% of the blame can be allotted to anti-Catholic bigots who have persuaded low-IQ Catholics that they need to be less Catholic to be more American.
For good measure, I'll grant you, annalex, 100% of the blame to the Republican Party, which seemed to run as hard from social issues as it could, thus alienating a large part of its base.
But ultimately, we must, in all fairness, give credit where credit is due, and award the bishops ANOTHER 100% of the blame for their abject moral failures over the past decades.
sitetest
I did not vote for Romney. In the past several elections I wrote in constitution Party and this time I wrote in Ron Paul. As much as my heart wanted Obama to be defeated, it was more important for the country that the Republican party learns its lessons and stops nominating GHW Bushes, Doles, McCains, Romneys. Romney elected would have been an end of conservative politics for the foreseeable future. I am glad that peril, at least, was avoided.
Then you are 100% to blame for all the ill that befalls us as a result of the anti-Christ getting a second term.
You are now responsible for Obamacare. For the HHS mandate. For strangling our energy industry. For strangling our economy with high taxes and burdensome regulations. For taxpayer-funded abortions. For Supreme Court justices that will confirm Roe into the next century. For ever abortion committed from now until Roe is finally overturned. For the coming persecution of Christians, especially Catholics. For the existing persecutions of Christians in parts of the world where the anti-Christ has enabled Christian-killers to come to power.
Thank you for your thoughtful actions.
sitetest
I do believe every evil is permitted by the Lord for the sake of salvation. The only way evils can be seen is if they come to the surface and can be examined and repented from.
We are in a state of spiritual warfare in this country. I now live in the reddest of red states (the buckle of the Bible belt) and have found happiness. In my community, we put the kingdom of God first and work to bring heaven to earth through charity to the neighbor.
I saw these qualities in several primary candidates -- Perry, Cain and Santorum but quickly realized the evil enabling media will never allow a person of faith near the White House again. They are too concerned with their 'rights' and losing them. By the end of the election, Obama's people totally exposed what they were -- liars and thieves -- and were still elected.
We saw in 2010 what was possible at a grass roots level. Santorum had some of that going but he had to fight the left wing media and the GOP-e. Soon, money will be devalued to the point that a real conservative can emerge that can defeat the hate machine. We aren't there yet. Meantime for me, I'll focus my efforts on things I can touch - Church, neighbors, family and community. The federal government I look to nothing for.
Not at all. I did the best corrective action I could so that Romney and future GOP candidates like him would not take us to the same place Obama is taking us, slower.
You know the story about the frog, right?
That is not entirely true. Or at least it is not true so far that we can know. Leaving aside the fact that neither of the three looked quite prepared for the task, the role of the mainstream media should not have been a surprise. The GOP could have embraced a religious candidate such as any of these three with a passion and could have waged an organized campaign against the very media, treating the media as a condensed Democrat candidate. Instead the GOP decided to place all its bets on the economy, which, inconveniently, is not quite dead yet, and play to the undecided voter by appearing undecided themselves. They avoided the fight and now they have been defeated because of that. Let's hope they learned something.
An inward closure may not be an option for the American Catholics."
What the government would do doesn't really matter. The majority of Catholics and all other Christians in this country had already made it clear they'd rather hang separately than yield enough personal sovereignty to hang together with anyone for any reason.
(sitetest) Then you are 100% to blame for all the ill that befalls us as a result of the anti-Christ getting a second term.
Knock it off sitetest, and take a hard, sobering look at the voting percentages in each of the "blue" states. There was simply no way that Romney could have won any of them even if all of the third party votes had gone to him instead. The combined totals of Romney votes and third party votes never came close to 50% of the voting public in the blue states.
There is no parallel to the 1992 vote, wherein Perot siphoned off enough votes that Clinton received a majority but still failed to reach 50% of the popular vote. Third party votes didn't make Romney lose, they only made him lose by a larger percentage. Obama got more than 51% of the popular vote in every single one of the blue states.
“...seething with anger...” Brother, I hear you loud and clear. Righteous anger is not sinful, but our fallen nature makes it very difficult to stay within bounds. Anger is dangerous to the soul. That is one important reason that I very seldom enter a church where the novus ordo (”ordinary form”) Mass is offered, especially a famous or beautiful church, even as a tourist. The thought of the church being desecrated...the sacrileges...you understand. Just being there is bad for the soul.
That is because the economic reality hasn’t sunk in yet. It usually takes a generation. People think that the industrial base will come back somehow by itself and that the deficit will somehow shrink by itself, that the fab weirdos in San Francisco and New York are not going to demand anything of them, that the welfare class will somehow get on with their lives without burning down their neighborhoods, that we can all get along as soon as we master some Spanish, — middle class lethargy, in short.
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