This alone is enough to stuff him into a prison in the deepest dungeon on the island of Malta.
"..justices on the Supreme Court: Amy Coney Barrett, Brett Kavanaugh, Neil Gorsuch, Sam Alito, and John Roberts. A sixth, Clarence Thomas, is one of his closest friends.."
Here am I, born into an Irish Catholic family wherein two of my father's brothers and one of his sisters had devoted their lives to god via holy orders, my eldest sister spent 17 years in a convent. my cousin and two seconds were priests .. But we're talking Oz, after all; and you don't get to be a knight of malta here. When Opus Dei finally reared its ugly head Downunder it had missed a shitload of years of power ..
And now, like so many of this country's one-time left-footers, we despair of all religiously-influenced folk, knowing them to be victims of people here who are pale reflections of Leonard Leo. Because where (ugh !) religion takes hold, and especially catholicism, there you find loathesome god-botherers like him - power-hungry just like pollies.
As a cancerian, I could wish for a less clever title for this essay, Greg .. ;)
OK, so maybe I'm starting a conspiracy theory here, but maybe not: Leo seems to have been the main architect keeping Merrick Garland off the SCOTUS. I also just found out this week during his confirmation hearing that Garland is Jewish, which I hadn't known before because things like that seldom occur to me. Is it going too far to say that Garland's Jewishness was one of the main reasons for Leo's objection to him? Would another SCOTUS nominee have been scuttled like Garland was; say, a Catholic or another Christian?
Ugh! People like this are never satisfied parading around their religion and trying desperately to mix it in with the government. They want both the power of god AND the power of man -- oh, and of course, all the money too, what with the tailoring and the wine. Revolting.
I was raised a devout Catholic in the midwest. My family members, at the cost of logic or facts would double down on this article if I were able to force them to read it. Heretics, like Leonard Leo have so bastardized "Jesus" (no pun intended) that his fellow heretics like Leo, Thomas, Kavanaugh, Ginni nutcase Thomas, Coulter, Pirro, and so many who have influence over members of the Catholic church have a special place in hell, I 'pray'! They've exploited religion for power and money-that's it and that's all. What a perfect scheme! The same as Evangelical leaders like Olsteen whose followers give him a big "you deserve" his $325,000 Ferrari! Michael Cohen in his book Disloyal talks about the day that religious leaders embraced Trump for their own malignant gain. He, like them, later told MC, "can you believe that bullshit?". The Jesus I learned about from my grandmother (written off by my family as senile because she was a Democrat) was a good and descent, albeit 'fairytale' who I try to live my life everyday in his 'image'.
My Irish Catholic grandmother and my Scottish Presbyterian grandfather did not meet in the middle. They met somewhere in outer space and became Mormons. Oy!
JFC these zealots have blood on their hands and treat it as a badge of honor. Christ on a Cracker we have got to get them out of our government. Masterwork.
You nailed it, Greg. Chicago ex seminarian here. Like you, I have "smelled the stink" of LL and the DC Opus opportunists. Their behavior is heretical! I'm a Vatican II kid (now nearly 80 yrs), schooled personally by my then parish priest, the then very young and amazing sociologist and author, Fr Andrew Greeley. Those of us so fortunate have gone on to make a difference in the World for the better of mankind. I have always considered this LL crowd as "the ushers who smoke and joke in the vestibule, ignoring the sacraments, but display their contrived piety like peacocks. The ultimate judgdemental and imperious crowd. The Pope should kick them all out of the Church!
Outstanding piece, Greg. I appreciate perspective of people like you who were raised in a post Vatican II church/school. As for me, I still recall all too well the intolerance and terror the Church promulgated. Sheer terror of committing "sin" or getting caught leaning on the back of the pew while kneeling. Reading your piece has triggered memories of the childhood oppression and fear that invaded my bones in those years and took years to recognize and deal with.
Thank you, Greg.
This alone is enough to stuff him into a prison in the deepest dungeon on the island of Malta.
"..justices on the Supreme Court: Amy Coney Barrett, Brett Kavanaugh, Neil Gorsuch, Sam Alito, and John Roberts. A sixth, Clarence Thomas, is one of his closest friends.."
btw, as a request, I'd be curious to know what Barr knew before the 6 Jan treasonous insurrection.
Theocracy is the goal. Very disturbing.
So glad I’ve been watching “A Handmaids Tale” so uplifting... sarcasm intended.
Outstanding, ass-scorching column, Greg.
Jesus H. Christ !
Here am I, born into an Irish Catholic family wherein two of my father's brothers and one of his sisters had devoted their lives to god via holy orders, my eldest sister spent 17 years in a convent. my cousin and two seconds were priests .. But we're talking Oz, after all; and you don't get to be a knight of malta here. When Opus Dei finally reared its ugly head Downunder it had missed a shitload of years of power ..
And now, like so many of this country's one-time left-footers, we despair of all religiously-influenced folk, knowing them to be victims of people here who are pale reflections of Leonard Leo. Because where (ugh !) religion takes hold, and especially catholicism, there you find loathesome god-botherers like him - power-hungry just like pollies.
As a cancerian, I could wish for a less clever title for this essay, Greg .. ;)
OK, so maybe I'm starting a conspiracy theory here, but maybe not: Leo seems to have been the main architect keeping Merrick Garland off the SCOTUS. I also just found out this week during his confirmation hearing that Garland is Jewish, which I hadn't known before because things like that seldom occur to me. Is it going too far to say that Garland's Jewishness was one of the main reasons for Leo's objection to him? Would another SCOTUS nominee have been scuttled like Garland was; say, a Catholic or another Christian?
Ugh! People like this are never satisfied parading around their religion and trying desperately to mix it in with the government. They want both the power of god AND the power of man -- oh, and of course, all the money too, what with the tailoring and the wine. Revolting.
I was raised a devout Catholic in the midwest. My family members, at the cost of logic or facts would double down on this article if I were able to force them to read it. Heretics, like Leonard Leo have so bastardized "Jesus" (no pun intended) that his fellow heretics like Leo, Thomas, Kavanaugh, Ginni nutcase Thomas, Coulter, Pirro, and so many who have influence over members of the Catholic church have a special place in hell, I 'pray'! They've exploited religion for power and money-that's it and that's all. What a perfect scheme! The same as Evangelical leaders like Olsteen whose followers give him a big "you deserve" his $325,000 Ferrari! Michael Cohen in his book Disloyal talks about the day that religious leaders embraced Trump for their own malignant gain. He, like them, later told MC, "can you believe that bullshit?". The Jesus I learned about from my grandmother (written off by my family as senile because she was a Democrat) was a good and descent, albeit 'fairytale' who I try to live my life everyday in his 'image'.
Once again, a tour de force, Greg. Everything old is new again.
My Irish Catholic grandmother and my Scottish Presbyterian grandfather did not meet in the middle. They met somewhere in outer space and became Mormons. Oy!
Wow, wow, wow. This is the bomb, as they used to say. I believe every word.
JFC these zealots have blood on their hands and treat it as a badge of honor. Christ on a Cracker we have got to get them out of our government. Masterwork.
Whew!
You nailed it, Greg. Chicago ex seminarian here. Like you, I have "smelled the stink" of LL and the DC Opus opportunists. Their behavior is heretical! I'm a Vatican II kid (now nearly 80 yrs), schooled personally by my then parish priest, the then very young and amazing sociologist and author, Fr Andrew Greeley. Those of us so fortunate have gone on to make a difference in the World for the better of mankind. I have always considered this LL crowd as "the ushers who smoke and joke in the vestibule, ignoring the sacraments, but display their contrived piety like peacocks. The ultimate judgdemental and imperious crowd. The Pope should kick them all out of the Church!
mredweber@gmail.com
Outstanding piece, Greg. I appreciate perspective of people like you who were raised in a post Vatican II church/school. As for me, I still recall all too well the intolerance and terror the Church promulgated. Sheer terror of committing "sin" or getting caught leaning on the back of the pew while kneeling. Reading your piece has triggered memories of the childhood oppression and fear that invaded my bones in those years and took years to recognize and deal with.
Yowzers.