Back Pedaling and Wimping Out

I had this one boss who it was easy to freak out. He would know what was correct to do in a situation, and then totally backpedal his way out when the going got tough. It seems like a lot of people are doing that these days.

Arnold: The Governator recently said we should “close the borders” and control who comes in to the country. Well, the Austrian said “close” instead of “secure”, which the liberal intelligencer infer means he said he wants to stop all immigration. Instead of calling the liberals morons and laughing at them, he quickly backpedals and apologizes. Yikes. Get a little backbone and call them retarded.

RINOs: The Republicans In Name Only crowd is starting to back away from a real tough prick in the House, Tom DeLay. Yes, he’s an A-Hole. We need an A-Hole to get the $h!t out, don’t we? So this guy plays tough with people and pushes a successful agenda in congress. Well, we can’t have that! Progress in congress?!?! So the Dems explain how he paid his wife and daughter $500k through a PAC (Political Action Committee, dumb-ass) to work on his campaigns. He also flew to different places with special interest people on their dime. What does that mean?

Well, it means he did things that if you look at logically, were just fine. Over 5 years he paid his wife and daughter $500k. That means, if they both earned the same amount, they each made $50k a year. Wow, they are in the money! Yikes…I would not work full time (probably 80 hours a week knowing how those campaigns go) for a crappy wage like that. They are both college graduates (Masters) for crying out loud. They could easily make more, but they’re helping out the family.

What about those trips? Well, when someone wants to bring a situation to your attention about AIDS in Africa or inner city decay in Detroit and you are not from that area but represent a large legislative team, these interest groups will pay for your flight and stay in the area to ensure you can get there and see what’s going on. And what happens if his trip results in a better piece of legislation, or even helps a group of people that need it?

BTW: Not that this is an excuse, but both are common practices in the House. Ask Nancy Pelosi if she ever did either and see what the reaction is.

Cafeteria Catholics: So I’m watching the Cable News Shows and this one clown is concerned about the picking of the new Pope, Benedict XVI (or PBXVI for sake of brevity and cool abbreviation-ness). This guy whines that PBXVI will not like priests getting married of female priests or gay marriage or anal sex or abortion. The whiner continues by saying that the church needs to change to keep up with the times.

What?

Hey, dumb-ass, this isn’t a TV show or a novel, it’s a religion. There are two parts to Catholicism: Bible rules and doctrine. When Bible says you are not supposed to lay with other men and have relations as you would with a wife, then YOU DON’T. It is unacceptable, and considered a sin. Murder is also a sin, according to the Bible and the fifth commandment. That extends to euthanasia and abortion. Write me back if you want to lose that debate. I won’t dwell on it now.

Now, I have sinned. What I do is think it over, realize I was wrong, and I ask for forgiveness. I also never do it again, or try hard not to do it again. Can we say the same for those who abort a child or commit sodomy with someone of the same sex? I hope so, but sometimes these are habits and we do not want to embrace our mistakes and do something about them.

Doctrine, on the other hand, can change. Maybe it will, and married men will become priests. There are already two exceptions to the rule now. First, if you are a married Protestant Priest and you convert to Catholicism, you can continue to be a priest and stay married. Also, if you are a widower, you can become a priest. Maybe women can too someday with a change of doctrine. But the real issues aren’t with doctrine. There with the Church not bending in the wind about gays and loose sex and the aftermath sins of depression, suicide, abortion, drug abuse, etc.

Cafeteria Catholics like to go to the moral buffet and pick what they want to believe. That’s not the deal in Catholicism. You’re either in for every course or you don’t get dessert.

I know one guy who said to me “Yep. I’m Catholic. But I think abortion is all right. And I do not believe I have to do what the Pope says regarding moral issues.”

I responded “Well, if you don’t believe in those things, how can you claim to be Catholic? There is no Catholic Light. There is no Catholic democracy. These are things that are wrong and you must do your best to stop, through deeds and advice to friends.”

“You can’t tell me I cannot be Catholic.”

“I didn’t. I said you are not Catholic if you believe abortion is fine and you do not have to listen to Papal Edicts. You can call yourself ‘Catholic’. Hell, I can call myself ‘King’. That doesn’t mean I am. That doesn’t mean you are Catholic, either. Perhaps a discussion with your priest in a confessional would help, slick.”

“How dare you judge me!”

“Well, I dare because I know what I’m talking about and you are lacking. You should be judged and I can do that since I know what I’m talking about. You are not a practicing Catholic. You are a guy who sits in the aisles and eats a wafer every Sunday, but does not embrace the grace of God through his sacrifice. He calls to you to sacrifice and structure yourself according to teachings. You refuse. That wafer is only a wafer, not the Eucharist, not the covenant between you and God.”

The guy walks away.


Oh well…can’t win them all over.

I can, however, judge the morally weak and the wimpy and the back pedaling bastards that betray their original intent because things get uncomfortable. The right way is seldom the easy way. Stop being a wimp and try being something more!