Reader Comments
Issue 138 - August 26, 2009

Editor: Thank you for your article, entitled "Papal Freedom Regression?" It clearly laid out how the Pope's "third way" is possible and appropriate if understood properly. I thought I was in total agreement (maybe not upon review) of everything written until your ending, which understands "freedom unambiguously as the central element in human social life, subject only to the equally free gifts of love and truth." Without doubt, freedom, although essential, is not on a par with “love in truth” for Pope Benedict. It's clear from his writings and grounded in tradition that love or charity is the “form” of the virtues. It is a metaphysical principle for him, meaning it guides or forms his (“the”) whole discourse on freedom and justice...it fulfills them as themselves. Pope Benedict's "third way" is just that, the fundamental and structural way of love, which must be realized in freedom, of course, but must be understood to govern, from the outset (b/c God loved us first), the whole of creation and human activity. My claim is that freedom could only be "equal" to love and truth in social activity to the extent that it could be coined another name for God, as love and truth are (principally love). My concern is that your trenchant critique of George Weigel, finally, in the end, structurally capitulates to his neo-liberal tendencies, to his own way, as though it were actually Papa Bene's. Thank you for writing a wonderful article though. If you wish to respond and/or clarify, I would be grateful. Otherwise, God blessings to you, Tobias Nathe

Editor: Regarding “Papal Freedom Regression?” and its concerns about the welfare state remember the moral "If you give a man a fish, you've fed him for a day. Teach him to fish, and you've fed him for a lifetime." We have a problem now. Those who have been fishing (working) find the Game Warden wanting to keep more and more of what they catch. Some of those who have been fishing, but with little success, are being encouraged to STOP FISHING, and instead rely on the Game Warden to supply their needs. Those who never cared for fishing are finding more and more reasons not to bother. No more satisfaction from doing a good job, just a handout. And those who are fishing still are being hit with all kinds of new rules and procedures and regulations designed to make it hard to continue. Meanwhile, other countries freely encourage their citizens to keep fishing, and teach others. They do not make it hard on those who want to keep on. We are in trouble! EM

Editor: The Pope united two contradictory elements once again and “Papal Freedom Regression?” shuts one eye and ignores the errors and problems in his new encyclical. Such self delusion is common in pro-faith Catholics. It was neither free market nor full communism but once again a miss-mash of third way thinking. How else do you place his call for a world body to oversee financial institutions, or his championing Paul VI's progressive piece of nonsense? Be deluded all you want to hold on dearly to your faith. Tu Ne Cede Malis demands a complete break with all falsehood. There is no third way. Craig J. Townsend

[Editor replies: Then why was there no delusion when we criticed Paul’s Populorum Progressio in 1978? Why not complete the Mises motto as he does with “and to proceed ever more boldly against it,” recognizing movement away from malis rather than its complete elimination, which is utopian and the greatest malis of all.]

Editor: I totally agree with Fiona Kobusingye’s article “No African Witchdoctors.”
How can we expose Al Gore and the other energy gluttons who want the common man to suffer so they can have more, more, more! Barbara Keats

Editor: Fiona Kobusingye’s article should be on the front page of every newspaper in the world! Excellent, June Angstadt

Editor: Fiona Kobusingye’s article “No African Witchdoctors” is wonderful.  I only wish it were possible to make sure every American get this and could realize just how this "Global Warming" myth is really just that - I call it a scam.  Those like Al Gore who are and will definitely continue to profit, big time, will fight to the teeth, but eventually truth will win, I pray. By then, we will all be in the same poverty as Uganda.  God help us all!! Thank You, Marilyn England

Editor: Fiona Kobusingye’s “No African Witchdoctors” is excellent.  I too for years have said this is a powerful propaganda scheme - much as they are push-pushing Cap & Trade--which is nothing but a TAX- and excuse for Al Gore and Soros (GE) to make more millions and billions. I wish her luck- I hope the word gets out. I will post it on Facebook. Janet Carney, Scottsdale

Editor: Dear Fiona Kobusingye, Bravo!!!  Thank you, Mike Hatch

Editor: I agree with Tom Pauken's ideas in “Tax Spending, Not Jobs.”  I would like to know whether he is aware of the "Fair Tax" bill in Congress which would do away with Income Taxes, FICA, Inheritance Tax, and in fact the IRS.  It seems to be broader than he suggests and I'd like to know his opinion about it. Pete Rushworth

Editor: Not only should Paulson be held accountable as John Berlau proposes in his “Hold Paulson Accountable,” but he should be prosecuted for violating the law!  He has NO lawful authority to dictate to anyone on any terms.  Neither did Obama have any authority to fire Rick Waggoner, or strip stockholders of their GM stock and give it to the UAW bosses.  Their authority is limited and proscribed by law, and cannot issue an edict or threaten harmful action. He can only "execute" his limited authority pursuant to the law that grants it.  This is true for any Federal Agency, whether it is the FBI, DEA, FDA, Treasury, or whatever.  It is outrageous that agencies practice this sort of tyranny towards the free market.  Bad enough that they are regulated to death and robbed by a "government" meant to protect the regular flow of commerce.  This should not stop at Paulson, every "regulator" should be prosecuted for this abuse! Crev Carrillo

Editor: Regarding John Berlau’s “Hold Paulson Accountable,” forget Paulson for now. At present, we have bigger fish to fry. That Obama is in the White House is evidence enough, if we needed any, that President Bush was a domestic policy disaster and bipartisan-loving Republican members of Congress were willing to go along. We need to focus, not on "bipartisan" anything, but rather on restoring conservatism as the dominant force in the Republican Party and re-creating our former image of the sensible voice in government for maintaining individual liberties and reeling in government spending and intrusion in the lives of our population. Chasing a dead horse like Paulson and elevating people like Cuomo in the process, won't achieve that. Republicans/Conservatives need to distance themselves as far from the Democrat Party as possible and have nothing whatever to do with them. We need to talk directly to the people, without any Democrat voice, concession, nod or amiability, and force those Democrats to follow us because, in so doing, as we have seen in the past, the people will follow us. We must totally ignore Democrats and have the mental attitude that they don't exist. We have nothing to lose at this point, whereas during the Bush years, we had everything to lose -- and lost it. Chasing Paulson now is a distraction we can't afford. Jeff Dover, Scottsdale, AZ

Editor: Regarding Alex Castellanos’ “Obama Will turn Right,” Obama is a much more ideological leftist than Clinton was. Obama has really dug himself in deep on the proposed (but impossible to focus on) health "reforms." He actually means to wreck 1/7th of our economy. Obama can, if he wants to, wait for the Congressional Democrats to send him botched legislation and he then can send it right back to them and tell them they haven't done their job properly.  He would gain enormous support across the board if he told the Democrat-controlled Congress to write the bill the way he wants it and dug in his feet. There is time for Obama to "heroically" insist that he won't take no for an answer. This would be a fantastically bold move. Congress could buckle under these circumstances. In fact, Congress would buckle if the President stood over them and took a few whacks at their behinds. Congress, taken as a whole, is one of the most unpopular institutions in American public life. I don't know if Obama is the sort of guy who would insist that Congress "go all the way" for him.  My guess is that he is young enough, inexperienced enough, and so determined to carry out a leftish ideology that he might give Congress a good whipping and tell them to get back to work and give him what he wants. Didn't Andrew Jackson do something like that to Congress? If I recall, he finally tamed Congress and they finally did what he wanted - abolish the second United States Bank. A President who is willing to point out Congress's massive failures and take them to the woodshed could become a really popular president. Tim Hunter

Editor: Regarding the Alex Castellanos article predicting that Mr. Obama will be reelected in 2012 by pretending to turn right on spending, it could happen. The "gap" between what he says and what he does goes mostly unreported. And the so called leaders of the Republican Party seem unwilling to point out the deeds of Mr. Obama and his fellow Marxists. Are they intimidated by Acorn or just suffering from "beltway blur?" I offer a simple observation for Chairman Michael Steele and other like minded thinkers in the Republican Party.  Mr. Obama WILL NOT be defeated by silence. STAND UP, SPEAK-UP and help THROW THE THUGS OUT of office. If you do not, YOU will BE HANGING from that rope you seem to want to give them. This TYRANNY will not be defeated by your silence. It must be opposed EACH and EVERY DAY!  Only by doing so, will OBAMA and his THUG NATION be exposed. WAKE UP before it is too late. Phillip Thompson

Editor: Regarding Doug Edelman’s “Tea Party Activism,” I attended a Tea Party in Omaha Nebraska on July 4th. Many people asked me what they could DO in light of every thing going on. Many commented on how they wrote letters and made calls, only to wonder was their letter read or the phone system was overloaded.  I informed the crowd of yet another avenue of approach they might add to their activities.  I let them know they could write and call the financial supporters of elected officials.  The information on these individuals and companies is readily available on the internet and that if enough people wrote and called then perhaps the CEO's would put in a word directly to the politician.  I can say this because I am a politician, newly elected to the Nebraska State Legislature.  Just think of what happened to the Tuna industry with regards to dolphins!  Does anybody realize Omaha Steaks is a HUGE supporter of Liberal Causes? So I offer this to you and your readers. Senator Scott Price

Editor: Thank you for your editorials. Pamela Mikkelsen

Editor: It would be helpful if you would provide links for us so that we can post these articles to Facebook, Twitter, etc. Thanks, Todd A. Dierdorff, Placerville, CA

[Editor responds: Great idea. We have started adding a Facebook link and will investigate the others. Thanks for the suggestion.]