Wednesday, May 30, 2012

Earn Good Grades, Hold Down Two Jobs, Get Thrown in Jail

America's government schools and courts don't always cooperate to punish good students. In this case, though, I can see why a judge wanted to make an example of this 'criminal.'

Honor Student: A Threat to the System

I suppose Judge Lanny Moriarty is just doing his job, protecting the citizens of Houston, Texas, from an 11th-grade honor student. Her behavior is, arguably, a threat to America's education establishment.

This honor student showed shocking lack of respect for America's government schools. She skipped classes! Deliberately!

Her excuse is that, in addition to earning remarkably good grades - she has two jobs, earning money to support herself and her two brothers.

In a way, I can see Judge Moriarty's point. If he lets one student hold down two jobs to support a family, while still earning the grades it takes to be an honor student: other students in Houston might start viewing academic achievement and economic responsibility as acceptable traits.

If anti-establishment ideas like that spread: there's no telling what might happen.

The Establishment Ain't What it Used to Be

In my youth, 'the establishment' was almost entirely white, male, conservative, and seemingly obsessed by fear of commies and rock music. That was then, this is now, and the establishment has changed. A lot.

There's going to be an 'establishment:' folks with the position and power to decide what sort of rules the rest of us follow, and how those rules are enforced. I don't have a problem with that. What aggravates me is when folks in 'the establishment' seem to have lost touch with what the rest of us think is important. (September 15, 2011, January 26, 2010)

Honor Student Jailed for Supporting Family

Like I said, I can almost see Judge Moriarty's point. This honor student's behavior, if unpunished, might encourage other students to get good grades while holding down jobs.

Left unchecked, that sort of energy, responsibility, and achievement, might undermine dependence on the establishment.

"Group raises more than $70G for Texas honor student jailed for truancy"
Cristina Corbin, FoxNews.com (May 30, 2012)

"A Louisiana group has raised more than $70,000 for a 17-year-old Texas honor student jailed for missing too much school because she worked two jobs to support her siblings.

"Diane Tran, an 11th-grade honor student at Willis High School near Houston, was sent to jail for 24 hours last week by Judge Lanny Moriarty and ordered to pay a $100 fine for excessive truancy.

"...Judge Moriarty told KHOU 11 News that he intended to make an example of Tran by placing her in jail.

" 'If you let one run loose, what are you going to do with the rest of them? Let them go, too?' Moriarty told the station...."
I put a longer excerpt from that article at the end of this post.1

Home Schooling isn't For Everyone

My wife and I have home schooled our kids for seventh through 12th grades. It worked for us, and worked very well.

Not everybody is in our position, though. Diane Tran's parents separated, her mother moved away: and apparently she's the one left with the ability and responsibility of supporting herself and her siblings.

It isn't an ideal situation, but I don't think throwing her in jail will improve Diane Tran's domestic situation.

There's quite a lot going on here: judicial foolishness; family problems; and economic issues. I think those are serious issues.

I'm going to focus on America's government schools, and a sane alternative.

Home Schooling Can Work For Many

My wife and I had to deal with a school administration that, understandably, didn't want us to deprive the system of warm bodies. School funding is based on enrollment, and fewer bodies means that the school administrator gets less money from the state.

My wife and I researched what State of Minnesota regulations actually said, filled out the forms that were needed, ignored the rest, and went ahead with teaching our kids.

The 'teaching' part isn't as hard as it may sound. Maybe this list will answer some questions:
  • Does a home schooling family have to
    • Build a classroom?
      • No
    • Run the student(s) between rooms at 50-minute intervals?
      • No
  • Home schooling is only for
    • Geniuses
      • No
    • People who hate science
      • No
I've posted about home schooling, what it really is, and some of the weird ideas about it, before.

Related posts:
Background (from September 17, 2011):

1 Excerpt from the news:
"Group raises more than $70G for Texas honor student jailed for truancy"
Cristina Corbin, FoxNews.com (May 30, 2012)

"A Louisiana group has raised more than $70,000 for a 17-year-old Texas honor student jailed for missing too much school because she worked two jobs to support her siblings.

"Diane Tran, an 11th-grade honor student at Willis High School near Houston, was sent to jail for 24 hours last week by Judge Lanny Moriarty and ordered to pay a $100 fine for excessive truancy.

"It's unclear how many days Tran missed, but state law reportedly permits only 10 absences in a six-month period.

"Tran, who works full-time at a dry-cleaning business and part-time for a wedding planner, has been supporting her brother and sister since her parents separated and her mother moved away.

"Houston Councilman Al Hoang and others have roundly criticized the judge, saying he should have used some discretion in the honor student's case....

"...Since the girl's story went viral, hundreds of people have rallied to raise money for the teen, including one group, Louisiana Children's Education Alliance, which said Wednesday it had raised more than $70,000 for Tran.

"The group, which created a website called HelpDianeTran.com, has received donations from 47 states and 13 foreign countries for the girl.

" 'I think this story of a student who's obviously working so hard and is being taken advantage of by the system just touches your heart strings and it affects a lot of people, the group's president, Charlie Davis, said Wednesday in an interview with Fox News.

" 'I think Diane unfortunately is at the center of two failed systems in America -- our public education system and our judicial system,' he said. ...

"...Judge Moriarty told KHOU 11 News that he intended to make an example of Tran by placing her in jail.

" 'If you let one run loose, what are you going to do with the rest of them? Let them go, too?' Moriarty told the station...."

Change, Love, and Mass Murder

My weekly schedule has me writing a 'Bible and 'Catechism' post for today. Last week's was "Sin, Freedom, and Toy Monkeys." This week I was going to get started on Catechism, 388-389. I'd started a post about original sin, Catholic style, when I read this:
"Breivik 'cut contact with friends' in run-up to attacks"
BBC News (May 29, 2012)

"Anders Behring Breivik cut himself off from friends in the years leading up to his deadly attacks, according to the testimony of a former friend.

"He became 'more serious and less social' and had 'lost the spark of life', the witness told the court.

"Another former friend told the court Breivik worried about his looks and had a nose job to look more 'Aryan'.

"Four former friends are giving evidence at Breivik's trial for the 22 July attacks, in which 77 people died...."
The trial isn't to determine if Anders Behring Breivik killed several dozen folks. He says he did. The trial will decide whether he's legally responsible for the crimes: or is legally nuts.

The BBC News article brought up some points that matter for Americans: or anybody else who lives in today's world. My opinion.

Coping with Change, Decisions, and Mass Murder

Change is, arguably, one of the few things a person can count on in this world. That's not a new idea:
"Nothing endures but change."
(Heraclitus, 540 BC - 480 BC)
Each human being alive today has free will. I posted about that last week. (May 23, 2012)

We can't always control what happens to us, to the people we know, and the places we call home. But we decide what we think about those events: and how we respond to them. Even 'going along with the crowd,' or letting emotions direct our thoughts are decisions of a sort.

I think it's important to remember that:
  • Change
    • Happens
    • Hurts
    • Can be
      • Good
      • Bad
      • Simply change
  • People
    • Aren't all alike
    • Come in a wide variety of
      • Personalities
      • Abilities
    • Form many different
      • Cultures
      • Ethnic groups
    • Aren't supposed to be all alike
I think I can understand why someone might be upset about new folks moving into a familiar neighborhood. I can even sympathize, a little. But killing innocent people is wrong. (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2258)

Judgmental as this may sound, not liking the way new neighbors look or act does not justify murder.

Change Happens

The America I live in today isn't the one I grew up in. I might be more nostalgic about the 'good old days,' if I didn't remember what America was like in my youth. (November 10, 2010)

Things are supposed to change:
"...The universe was created 'in a state of journeying'...."
(Catechism of the Catholic Church, 302)
Sometimes change can be good, or at least feel good. My children have changed since their birth, growing and learning. I think this is a good thing: and would have been very concerned if these changes weren't happening.

Other sorts of change are, I think, bad: at least in the short term. Getting sick is a 'change' from being healthy: but I don't see it as an improvement. What a person can do with unpleasant circumstances can be good - and that's another topic.

Sometime change is - just change. Again, in the short run. A few days ago it was hot and muggy, today was cool and pleasant here in Sauk Centre. A few days from now, conditions will be different.

Weather changes from day to day: but aesthetics and comfort aside, I don't see it as 'good' or 'bad.' It's just what happens. There are theological and philosophical aspects to weather, but that's yet another topic. Topics.

People: Individuals and the Common Good

As a practicing Catholic, I have to see individuals as important:
"Being in the image of God the human individual possesses the dignity of a person, who is not just something, but someone...."
(Catechism, 357)
But we're not just isolated individuals. Human beings are social creatures:
"In keeping with the social nature of man, the good of each individual is necessarily related to the common good, which in turn can be defined only in reference to the human person:
"Do not live entirely isolated, having retreated into yourselves, as if you were already justified, but gather instead to seek the common good together.25"
(Catechism, 1905)
The "common good," Catholic style, is "the sum total of social conditions which allow people, either as groups or as individuals, to reach their fulfillment more fully and more easily." (Catechism, 1906-1907) I posted about that earlier this month. (May 13, 2012)

Neighbors and Rules

Like I've said before, fairly often, rules in the Catholic Church boil down to a few very simple ideas:
I said "simple," not "easy." Even if - or maybe particularly since - the sort of "love" involved is an act of the will, not feeling all warm and fuzzy. (Catechism, 1766) I've been over that before. (May 14, 2012)

Race; Idolatry; and Love, Catholic Style

Love, Catholic style, is supposed to affect the way we think and act:
"The equality of men rests essentially on their dignity as persons and the rights that flow from it:
"Every form of social or cultural discrimination in fundamental personal rights on the grounds of sex, race, color, social conditions, language, or religion must be curbed and eradicated as incompatible with God's design.40"
(Catechism, 1935)

"Idolatry not only refers to false pagan worship. It remains a constant temptation to faith. Idolatry consists in divinizing what is not God. Man commits idolatry whenever he honors and reveres a creature in place of God, whether this be gods or demons (for example, satanism), power, pleasure, race, ancestors, the state, money, etc. Jesus says, 'You cannot serve God and mammon.' 44 Many martyrs died for not adoring 'the Beast' 45 refusing even to simulate such worship. Idolatry rejects the unique Lordship of God; it is therefore incompatible with communion with God.46"
(Catechism, 2113) [emphasis mine]
I've known a few bigots who are also Catholics. Maybe you have, too. That doesn't change what the Church teaches.

Catholics aren't expected to be perfect. But we're told what "perfect" is: and part of our job is working toward being perfect. (Catechism, 2842) Our work isn't just 'self improvement.' We're expected to make a difference in the world:
"...Consider how [Jesus Christ] teaches us to be humble, by making us see that our virtue does not depend on our work alone but on grace from on high. He commands each of the faithful who prays to do so universally, for the whole world. For he did not say 'thy will be done in me or in us,' but 'on earth,' the whole earth, so that error may be banished from it, truth take root in it, all vice be destroyed on it, virtue flourish on it, and earth no longer differ from heaven.107"
(Catechism, 2825)

Surrounded by Blonde Giants

I grew up in a part of America that was, at the time, almost entirely Scandinavian- or German-American. I was accustomed to facing other young men eye-to-chin. Years later, I learned that I was very close to the American average for male height: and had grown up surrounded by blond giants.

On the other hand, I lived about two blocks from a college campus: and had gotten used to rubbing elbows with folks who didn't look at all Norwegian.

For that matter, my mother didn't 'look Norwegian.' She was five-foot-nothing, with black hair: but was as ekte norsk as you're ever likely to find. She really didn't like it when someone said, 'you don't look Norwegian.'

America, Norway, Ethnicity, and Statistics

America is not even close to being as ethnically or culturally uniform as Norway is:
  • Norway (2007 estimate)
    • Norwegian 94.4%
      • Includes Sami, about 60,000
    • Other European 3.6%
    • Other 2%
  • United States (2007 estimate)
    • White 79.96%
    • Black 12.85%
    • Asian 4.43%
    • Amerindian and Alaska native 0.97%
    • Native Hawaiian and other Pacific islander 0.18%
    • Two or more races 1.61%
    • Hispanic about 15.1%
      • Including
        • Mexican
        • Cuban
        • Puerto Rican
        • Dominican Republic
        • Spanish
        • Central or South American
      • Of "any race or ethnic group"
        • White
        • Black
        • Asian
        • Whatever
    ("Norway" (last updated April 23, 2012), "United States" (last updated May 9, 2012), CIA World Factbook)
I think America's increasingly broad variety of people is a good thing, but not everybody feels that way.

Two Millennia of Diversity - and Unity

It's not the main reason I converted to Catholicism, but I was attracted to the Church because it's literally καθολικός, universal:
"They were astounded, and in amazement they asked, 'Are not all these people who are speaking Galileans?

"Then how does each of us hear them in his own native language? We are Parthians, Medes, and Elamites, inhabitants of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia,

"Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the districts of Libya near Cyrene, as well as travelers from Rome,

"both Jews and converts to Judaism, Cretans and Arabs, yet we hear them speaking in our own tongues of the mighty acts of God.' "
(Acts 2:7-11)
I suppose I could take Collossians 3:11 and Galatians 3:28, and claim that I'm a generic human being; not a man who lives in America, speaks English, and has ancestral roots in Norway, Ireland, and Scotland. I could, but I think that would be silly.

I didn't stop being the unique individual I am when I became Catholic. I took what I have, what I am, and began adding to that package. By conforming my will to that of my Lord, I'm becoming more distinctly 'myself.'

Unity and Diversity

The Catholic Church is, literally, universal. For two thousand years we've been working to teach folks about unity: that everybody is my neighbor. We are trying to achieve world unity: and I suspect that's what some folks don't like about us. (March 25, 2012)

An archbishop discussed the ideas of national unity, cultural diversity, and individuality, in a more positive way:
"...'Our efforts at national unity often depend upon bringing peoples' diversity into something of an artificial harmony that seeks to minimize the uniqueness and distinctiveness of people. The Catholic Church on the contrary focuses upon what we all share in common which is our faith and our oneness in Christ,' Archbishop Gregory said.

" 'To be a Catholic one need not abandon one's individuality. In fact, the Catholic Church is most perfectly herself when all of her children display that rich diversity that God has fashioned into the very heart of humanity,' the archbishop said. 'We are most Catholic when we reflect our oneness of faith and worship that is achieved in response to our rich mixture of human variety through the grace of the Holy Spirit.'..."
("Atlanta Archbishop delivers homily at Catholic Cultural Diversity Convocation," USCCB News Release, United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (May 10, 2010))
[emphasis mine]

Feet, Ears, and Getting a Grip

"Diversity" isn't just about ethnicity and culture. People have a wonderful array of abilities, like the "spiritual gifts" discussed in 1 Corinthians 12:
"If a foot should say, 'Because I am not a hand I do not belong to the body,' it does not for this reason belong any less to the body.

"Or if an ear should say, 'Because I am not an eye I do not belong to the body,' it does not for this reason belong any less to the body.

"If the whole body were an eye, where would the hearing be? If the whole body were hearing, where would the sense of smell be?" (1 Corinthians 12:15-17)
And that's - what else? - yet again another topic.

Related posts:

Monday, May 28, 2012

Building the World of Tomorrow - Make that Worlds


More posts about "Caritas in Veritate" (Charity in Truth)
"Caritas in Veritate"

Here's that "post about making the world better" I planned to write. (May 27, 2012) Don't expect a step-by-step description for building 'the world of tomorrow.'

I'm still working my way through "Caritas in Veritate" (2009), Pope Benedict XVI doesn't have a blueprint for the 'perfect society,' either.

What the encyclical letter does have is a detailed discussion of the principles we need to consider when planning for tomorrow: and deciding what gets started today.

Section 35 is another part of "Caritas in Veritate" that might look "purposefully vague," from some points of view. Like I've said before, I don't see it that way, but I've got a different perspective. (May 14, 2012)

Three Kinds of Justice

"In a climate of mutual trust, the market is the economic institution that permits encounter between persons, inasmuch as they are economic subjects who make use of contracts to regulate their relations as they exchange goods and services of equivalent value between them, in order to satisfy their needs and desires...."
("Caritas in Veritate," 35)
So far, that excerpt reads like rather wordy and technical-sounding praise for market economies. I suppose someone could assume that the rest of "Caritas in Veritate" is going to be an unequivocal affirmation of free trade, laissez-faire economics, and the American way.

Very 'conservative' stuff, right? Here's what comes next:
"...The market is subject to the principles of so-called commutative justice, which regulates the relations of giving and receiving between parties to a transaction. But the social doctrine of the Church has unceasingly highlighted the importance of distributive justice and social justice for the market economy, not only because it belongs within a broader social and political context...."
("Caritas in Veritate," 35)
Maybe my hypothetical - and now confused - reader isn't familiar with terms like "commutative justice" and "distributive justice," but "social justice" would very likely be familiar.

Justice, Assumptions, and Definitions

Depending on who you ask, when someone supports social justice, one of the 'obvious' assumptions is that the person is:
  • Dedicated to the liberation of oppressed classes
  • A bleeding-heart idiot liberal
I'm a practicing Catholic, so I can't make that sort of assumption. Here's a very brief look at what those sorts of justice mean, from my point of view:
"Contracts are subject to commutative justice which regulates exchanges between persons and between institutions in accordance with a strict respect for their rights. Commutative justice obliges strictly; it requires safeguarding property rights, paying debts, and fulfilling obligations freely contracted. Without commutative justice, no other form of justice is possible.
"One distinguishes commutative justice from legal justice which concerns what the citizen owes in fairness to the community, and from distributive justice which regulates what the community owes its citizens in proportion to their contributions and needs."
(Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2411) [emphasis mine]

"Society ensures social justice by providing the conditions that allow associations and individuals to obtain their due.

"Respect for the human person considers the other 'another self.' It presupposes respect for the fundamental rights that flow from the dignity intrinsic of the person."
(Catechism, 1943-1944) [emphasis mine]

Under Ideal Conditions - - -

Getting back to the market, people, and justice: if the market is supposed to let folks exchange goods and services in a mutually satisfactory way, how come things don't work like that?

The 'ideal' market described at the start of section 35 depends on mutual trust:
"...Without internal forms of solidarity and mutual trust, the market cannot completely fulfil its proper economic function. And today it is this trust which has ceased to exist, and the loss of trust is a grave loss."
("Caritas in Veritate," 35)
Benedict XVI mentions Paul VI's "Populorum Progressio," noting that an economy can exist with poor people can help an economy. Which isn't the same as saying that capitalistic oppressors steal bread from the bleeding lips of the proletariat.

No wonder that fellow thought Benedict XVI was being "purposefully vague."

"Vague," No: Catholic, Yes

I don't see it that way, but I'm a Catholic who understands his faith: and knows that rich people and poor people are - people:
"...The poor are not to be considered a 'burden'[91], but a resource, even from the purely economic point of view. It is nevertheless erroneous to hold that the market economy has an inbuilt need for a quota of poverty and underdevelopment in order to function at its best...."
("Caritas in Veritate," 35)
I think it's very easy to misunderstand what - and who - "poor people" are. I've yet to find something in Catholic teaching that says it's wrong to be rich: or poor. What seems to matter isn't how much we have, but what we do with it.

It also looks like we're not all alike: and that this is the way it's supposed to be. (May 2, 2012, August 26, 2010)

Getting back to wealth and poverty, I gather that owning private property is a right. (2403) On the other hand, there's the "original gift of the earth to the whole of mankind:" which means that we're supposed to help each other, and that the right to property isn't the top priority. (Catechism, 2402-2406)

Again, no wonder Catholic teachings can seem "vague."

"Wage Slaves," People Pleasers, and Me

I've been a "wage slave," along with quite a few other Americans. I didn't resent my boss making more money than I did: I've done management, and folks who do that job well earn the extra pay.

I'd much rather do technical work, and let someone else juggle schedules, deadlines, and more-or-less-willing employee roster.

I also wanted the owner of the company to be stinking rich. That wasn't altruism. I knew who signed my check, and didn't want that source of income to wither away.

Before getting back on-topic, I ran into an entertaining, if not entirely kindly, list of folks managers probably don't enjoy dealing with:
  • A hardcore bully
  • An ego-centered princess;
  • A passive-aggressive
  • A baby
  • Negative Ned or Nancy
  • A people pleaser
  • A non-player
    (Dr. Marilyn Manning )

"Burger Flippers," and Getting Started

This is my personal opinion, but I don't think it's wrong for some jobs to have pay that won't support a comfortable American-level lifestyle. Particularly here in America.

When I was getting started, I never literally 'flipped burgers,' but I've had my share of entry-level and sub-entry-level jobs. I hoped that I'd be doing something different, when I could. Which is what happened, at distressingly-frequent intervals.

Eventually, I worked my way up to a lower-middle-class income, and that's another topic:
Not everybody's like me, thank God. I learned how to be a fair to middling delivery guy, radio disk jockey, beet chopper, and so on. I also had family and friends who helped get by when the income I earned wasn't nearly enough to make ends meet. Again, not everybody's in that position.

My point is that without those 'menial,' 'degrading' jobs, I wouldn't have developed job skills that helped me get other jobs. Few of which were 'meaningful, rewarding careers:' but which added up to a means of supporting my family. Eventually.

Back to "Caritas in Veritate."

Looking Past the Market

This part of "Caritas in Veritate" ends on a familiar note. I think it's reasonable to summarize it by saying that the market is important, but it's a tool: the "moral energies," the goals and motives, must come from another source.
"...It is in the interests of the market to promote emancipation, but in order to do so effectively, it cannot rely only on itself, because it is not able to produce by itself something that lies outside its competence. It must draw its moral energies from other subjects that are capable of generating them."
("Caritas in Veritate," 35)
I've posted about the idea that ethical behavior 'pays off' before. (May 7, 2012)

Like I said at the start of this post, "Caritas in Veritate" discusses the principles we need to consider when making economic and political decisions. It doesn't tell Catholics to vote for for a particular party, or how to regulate interstate commerce.

I've discussed government, subsidiarity, and the exercise of power, before. Also the idea that there isn't one 'correct' form of government. (March 12, 2011)

Believing that there isn't a single 'one size fits all' political and economic system for all people, in all times, isn't being "vague," in my opinion. It's common sense. It's a big world, and where diversity isn't a problem: it's a blessing. (August 26, 2010)

Related posts:
More:

Sunday, May 27, 2012

Love, Hate, and Lady Gaga

I'm a Catholic, and I take my faith seriously. Which means that I'm not allowed to act like this lot:


(Reuters photo, via FoxNews.com, used w/o permission)

In some circles 'everybody knows' what practicing Catholics and other religious people are like: and 'everybody' is wrong. In a way, I don't blame folks living in America for having odd notions about the Catholic Church, and I've posted about that before:
I also don't think that attending Lady Gaga's live shows is a good idea. But I am at least as concerned about the way a few folks in Indonesia expressed their concerns:

"Lady Gaga?!"

Folks don't always use a 'stage name' when they start a career in entertainment, but some do. Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta decided to follow that tradition: and now this New Yorker is called Lady Gaga.

Aside from using a professional pseudonym, Lady Gaga isn't particularly 'traditional.' Those things in her hair seem to be empty pop-top cans.

I think that wearing soft drink cans in one's hair is silly, but don't see any harm in it. Lady Gaga's outfit is, even by American standards, a bit on the immodest side, and I've posted about that sort of thing before. (August 16, 2009)

(Back to the list of headings)

Having Standards, Getting a Grip

I suspect that some of a common American perception of 'those religious people' comes from burning crosses.

Not all American Protestants gather around a burning cross to pray, or use it as a warning against someone whose ancestors came from the 'wrong' place, but some did.

I think the connection between burning crosses and dead bodies made it easy for some Americans to assume that all crosses represent hatred. This isn't, in my considered opinion, a good thing. (April 7, 2011)

I also think that there's a huge difference between thinking that human sexuality is a good thing, which can be used or misused: and telling people who don't act the way I would to go to Hell. Which brings me back to Lady Gaga. And Indonesia.

(Back to the list of headings)

"Go To Hell, Lady Gaga" - Not a Loving Statement

I'm not a fan of Lady Gaga. Like I said, I think her wardrobe is often immodest. Even by contemporary American standards. I also gather that her live shows involve expressions of sexuality that do not reflect the dignity and value of the person.

But carrying a sign that says "Go to Hell, Lady Gaga" - and threatening violence is she performs in a nearby city? I think that's a really bad idea: for me, or anybody.

In a few decades, maybe less, I get some serious one-to-one time with my Lord: a sort of final evaluation. (August 8, 2010) I've already got enough to deal with then, without adding more deliberate violations.

Telling someone to go to Hell isn't a particularly loving thing to do: and my Lord is pretty specific about how we're supposed to behave:
I gather that the folks in that photo are Muslims, not Christians, and that's another topic. Several, actually. I'll get back to that later. Some of it, at least.

(Back to the list of headings)

"Tone Things Down" - or No Concert Permit

Here's what got me started: "Lady Gaga cancels Indonesian show after threats"
Associated Press, via FoxNews.com (May 27, 2012)

"...The Islamic Defenders Front said Lady Gaga's sexy clothes and provocative dance moves would corrupt youth in the world's most populous Muslim country.

"The group said supporters had bought tickets to the concert and planned to enter and force it to be stopped. It also threatened that thousands of protesters would confront the singer on her way from the airport.

"Police had said they would only issue the required permits for the concert if Lady Gaga agreed to tone things down. Instead, she pulled the plug on the show, which had sold out with more than 50,000 tickets...."
I think that concerns about 'corrupting the youth' can be legitimate. One of my four surviving children is still a "youth," and I'd be concerned about his buying a ticket to a Lady Gaga concert. But I'd be much more concerned about why he decided to buy the ticket in the first place.

(Back to the list of headings)

A Parent's Job

Trying to shut down a public performance because teens want to see it strikes me as a case of locking the barn door after the horse is gone.

By the time kids are likely to get interested in Lady Gaga, parents and neighbors have had maybe a dozen years to show by word and example what's a good idea: and what isn't. If they still think that watching a Lady Gaga show is sensible: I'm not at all convinced that attacking the performer is going to change the kids' minds.

Part of a parent's job is educating children, teaching ethics, values, and mutual respect; as well as skills. (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1601, 1652-1653, 2206, 2372) I think that education gets easier after kids reach the age of reason, and that's yet another topic.1

Early in their teen years, our children started looking a bit like adults: and my wife and I started treating them that way.

We didn't 'let them do anything they wanted to.' But we did let them know that they could make reasoned decisions now: and that we expected them to do so. There are still 'house rules,' which we all follow, and that's yet again more topics.

The sort of heavy-handed 'NO DAUGHTER OF MINE WILL WEAR PANTS' approach of some American parents didn't work in the '60s. (September 26, 2009) I think it's likely folks in Indonesia will discover that The Islamic Defenders Front's actions will produce unintended consequences, too.

Not that Indonesia in 2012 is Alabama in 1966.

(Back to the list of headings)

Lady Gaga and Indonesia: There's a Lesson Here

What's the harm in putting "go to Hell, Lady Gaga" on a banner, or screaming insults at "transvestites, atheists and others" whose decisions I don't like?

I've mentioned the personal consequences before. (August 8, 2010)

There's also the effect of that sort of emotional outburst on others: and on whatever I am associated with.

Back to Lady Gaga and Indonesia:
"...'This is not only about Lady Gaga's security, but extends to those who will be watching her.' [Minola Sebayang, a lawyer for concert promoter Big Daddy]

"Indonesia, a secular nation of 240 million people, is often held up by the U.S. and others in the West as example of how Islam and democracy can coexist.

"Ninety percent of the population is Muslim, but most practice a moderate, tolerant form of the faith.

"A small, extremist fringe, has gotten more vocal - and violent - in recent years, however, sometimes attacking Christians and members of other religious minorities with clubs and machetes.

"They also targeted transvestites, atheists and others considered 'blasphemous.'..."
(Associated Press, via FoxNews.com)
I think it's important to remember that the "go to Hell, Lady Gaga" faction is almost certainly a "small, extremist fringe" of Indonesia's Muslims. I also think it's important to avoid acting like the "God hates you" folks here in America.

It's hard, when my faith is attacked, to keep from hating the attacker. I've had a few opportunities to practice the self-discipline needed to act according to the 'love God, love your neighbor' principle: and could have done worse, or better.

That's a consecrated Host with a nail pushed through it, by the way: an example of academic freedom from the University of Minnesota, Morris, a few years back.


(from PZ Myers, Pharyngula (July 24, 2008), used w/o permission)

(Back to the list of headings)

Love: No Matter What

As a practicing Catholic, I'm not allowed to hate anyone. (Catechism, 1033) I'm also supposed to "stop judging" others. (Matthew 7:1-5) That isn't the same as lacking good judgment. (October 12, 2011, September 4, 2011)

More importantly, I'm supposed to love. When someone asked Jesus what the most important commandment was, my Lord said: 'love God, love your neighbor.' I don't think what my Lord had in mind was the sort of misty feel-good 'love' that's been popular off and on for the last half-century: and that's still another topic.

(Back to the list of headings)

Related posts:

1 Human beings are, generally, able to tell the difference between right and wrong by the time we're seven years old. It's called the "age of reason:"
  • "The Eucharist and Children"
    Cardinal Dario Castrillon, Prefect of the Congregation for the Clergy, Pontifical Society of the Holy Childhood (January 8, 2005)
  • "Age of reason"
    Free Online Law Dictionary

Being Catholic on Memorial Day Weekend


Remember.

It's Memorial Day Weekend here in America. Among other things, this is the unofficial start of the summer vacation season; a time for remembrance, and a patriotic holiday.

Patriotism, Citizenship

According to a dictionary, "patriotic" means "inspired by love for your country." (Princeton's WordNet) I think it's possible to have a rational love of country, one that recognizes the faults and virtues of someone's homeland.

Another sort of 'patriotism,' one that involves hatred of folks who are different, has given the term a bad reputation in some circles. That sort of 'patriotism' is, I think, anything but rational. It's also contrary to what the Catholic Church says.

As a practicing Catholic, I'm not allowed to hate people: any people. It's simply not an option. (December 9, 2010)

On a more positive note, the Catholic Church says that I have to be a good citizen.
"It is the duty of citizens to contribute along with the civil authorities to the good of society in a spirit of truth, justice, solidarity, and freedom. The love and service of one's country follow from the duty of gratitude and belong to the order of charity. Submission to legitimate authorities and service of the common good require citizens to fulfill their roles in the life of the political community."
(Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2239)
That "submission to legitimate authorities and service of the common good" does not mean that Catholics are supposed to blindly follow whatever daft order the nearest leader gives. We've got brains, and are expected to use them. (March 12, 2012)

The '60s, War, and Memorial Day

I spent my teens in the '60s, when quite a few Americans had gotten extremely upset about what was happening in Indochina. A few decades later, magazines for managers and executives used Washington's blunders in Vietnam as an example of why micromanagement is a really bad idea: and that's another topic.

Memorial Day started as a day to remember soldiers who died during the War Between the States/Civil War. The purpose and nature of the holiday has shifted since then, but the military roots remain.

When 'Being Nice' Doesn't Work

It would be nice if war never happened. Sadly, there are some folks who are very not-nice: and sometimes they decide to hurt other people on a grand scale. When that happens, the Church has guidelines for how to respond:
"The strict conditions for legitimate defense by military force require rigorous consideration. The gravity of such a decision makes it subject to rigorous conditions of moral legitimacy. At one and the same time:
  • "the damage inflicted by the aggressor on the nation or community of nations must be lasting, grave, and certain;
  • "all other means of putting an end to it must have been shown to be impractical or ineffective;
  • "there must be serious prospects of success;
  • "the use of arms must not produce evils and disorders graver than the evil to be eliminated. The power of modern means of destruction weighs very heavily in evaluating this condition.
"These are the traditional elements enumerated in what is called the 'just war' doctrine.

"The evaluation of these conditions for moral legitimacy belongs to the prudential judgment of those who have responsibility for the common good."
(Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2309)

Building a Better World

Maybe someday there will be a an "international authority with the necessary competence and power" to keep people who want to start wars from acting on that desire. (Catechism, 2308) We don't have that now, so national leaders are responsible for keeping their subjects safe.

Building a world where wars don't happen is going to take a lot of work, but I think it's worth the effort. I plan to be back tomorrow, with another post about making the world better.

Related posts:

Saturday, May 26, 2012

The Man Who is Truth

Readings for May 26, Vigil Mass for Pentecost Sunday 2012:

Pentecost 2012

Deacon Lawrence N. Kaas
from Homiletic and Pastoral Review
April 27, 2012

No one likes to be lied to. Even when the truth is inconvenient or uncomfortable, we still want it, on some level. The truth has a charm of its own; all the more, when we are speaking of the truth about the whole meaning of human life and existence, the truth of Jesus Christ.

Jesus promised to St. Peter, and the Apostles, that he would send them the Holy Spirit to guide them into all truth. This stable gift of Jesus to his Church is not a thing, but a Person: the Holy Spirit himself. He proceeds from the Father and the Son. He is their eternal, mutual love. He knows the Father and the Son perfectly, and so he alone is able to guide the Church into the full truth.

What is the truth to which the Holy Spirit testifies? Certainly, we acknowledge all the creeds and teachings of the Church to be directed by the Holy Spirit. But we are not looking for just a collection of truths but all truth, that is, truth itself. In fact, Jesus Christ is himself the truth which we seek, the one to whom the Holy Spirit bears witness. All the individual truths of the Catholic faith, then, are not merely individual facts. Rather, they are aspects of the truth about Jesus Christ. When we study the Church's teaching, we are getting to know Jesus.

Since Christ promised to St. Peter, and the Apostles, that he would send them the Holy Spirit to guide them into all truth; and since Christ has kept this promise throughout the ages to the Holy Father, and the Bishops, in union with him; why has the world not yet been converted? Why do we still find so much error and confusion? The only answer to be found is the hardness of human hearts, and our own sluggishness and fear. It's not that God is not doing enough; it's that we don't always cooperate with him. The Holy Spirit is not lying down on the job; we are failing to bear witness as we ought.

There are so many ways that we shy away from our Catholic identity. We sometimes fail to do the simplest things to bear witness to the truth. How often have we been too self-conscious to pray grace before meals in a restaurant? Are we embarrassed about some of the Church's teachings, or do we find ourselves ignorant of them? Do we make an honest effort to study and to learn the basics of the faith? If we ought to be willing to give up our lives in testimony to the truth of the Gospel, we must learn also how to testify in each and every aspect of our lives, in every corner of our minds and hearts.

Christ makes us his witnesses to the world, in our family, in political life, in our workplace. Christ also gives us the power to carry out this mission. He knows our weakness, our spirit of indifference and cowardice, and he gives us the most perfect remedy: The Spirit of the living God: Fire, Charity. He, the Holy Spirit, brings with him his sacred seven gifts. He gives us his divine strength to fulfill Christ's divine command.

In baptism, we received the Holy Spirit with his gifts, but our Lord, knowing so well our human nature, and the depth of our fear and weakness, has given us - through the Apostles and their successors, the Bishops - the great sacrament of confirmation. Confirmation, like baptism and holy orders, imprints a spiritual character on the soul. This character is a permanent mark. It is a firm, spiritual power that cannot be taken away. Through the sacrament of confirmation, the Holy Spirit increases the strength of his gifts and the virtues in us.

Those of us who have been confirmed, have been changed forever. We have received a special spiritual power that enables us to testify to the eternal truth in this world that is passing away. We can call upon the Holy Spirit to bring us spiritual life, to warm our frozen hearts, to overcome our fear with the strength of his love. The character that has been impressed on our souls is a guarantee that he will act when we call upon him.

If the Holy Spirit is with us, then we have all that we need. Let us never forget to call upon him, to act in our lives, and to increase in us, the sacred gifts we have received through baptism and confirmation.

'Thank you' to Deacon Kaas, for letting me post his reflection here.

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Marian Apparition: Champion, Wisconsin

Background:Posts in this blog: In the news:

What's That Doing in a Nice Catholic Blog?

From time to time, a service that I use will display links to - odd - services and retailers.

I block a few of the more obvious dubious advertisers.

For example: psychic anything, numerology, mediums, and related practices are on the no-no list for Catholics. It has to do with the Church's stand on divination. I try to block those ads.

Sometime regrettable advertisements get through, anyway.

Bottom line? What that service displays reflects the local culture's norms, - not Catholic teaching.