I think only those of us who are old enough to remember the papacies of John XXIII and Paul VI can truly appreciate just how radically far to the right the Roman Catholic Church lurched under John Paul II (and remained under Benedict XVI). JPII’s reign was so long that it is easy to forget that there was a time before him that really was different.
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Great piece…To bad this wasn’t written and delivered special D to Colin Powell the night before his lying piece of crap cartoon picture speech to the UN endorsing the illegal invasion of Iraq and causing the death of millions of innocent people. Can you imaging if Powell had stood up during his speech and declared… “This is total BS and I am resigning as Secretary of state because my superiors are lying the asses off in order to legitimize killing innocent men women and children”! And don’t for one minute believe that Powell believed the nonsense he spewed that day! Just imagine!!!
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Scalia…Alito…and Thomas all catholic snub their spiritual leader …hmmm
James Carroll: “The supposed divide between idealism and realism continues to undergird the economic, military, political and environmental status quo, as if the so-called realists have not been, again and again, catastrophically wrong.”
A powerful statement that, in my opinion, points to our greatest failing as citizens: letting these “so-called realists” “the possessors of ‘information and expertise’” win the day, every damn day. It’s high time these emperors of public discourse and decision-making be seen as the intellectually bankrupt, morally naked people they are. I say we vote every war-cheering, rancor-spewing, dialogue-preventing “realist” out of office and elect and follow the peacemakers for a change.
Oh Boy.
This brings me back to my relationship with my father, a military man of 21 years, and to my loathing of the military mindset and social structure. It is an ultimately servile existence, chain of command: one salutes the guy above you and fully expects to be saluted by the one below. And the world view is group-think and ideologically driven. And worst of all, an arrogance is bred; an arrogance which makes men believe they can actually predict the future.
At his core he was a good and thoroughly honest man. But the authoritarian overlays made him unbearable and ultimately clouded both his thinking and feeling.
I doubt many American politicians took to heart anything Pope Francis said. Their corruption is much to easy,and profitable to ever consider giving it up.
Thank you, Mr. Carroll for your honesty and eloquence. Well, said, sir.