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Of Straw Men And “Toxic Commentators”

October 20, 2016 Frontpage Comments Off on Of Straw Men And “Toxic Commentators”

By JAMES K. FITZPATRICK The term “a straw man” is a useful figure of speech. It points to a tactic used by commentators to create an unfair or overly simplistic caricature of an opponent or opposition point of view. It is done to carry the day in a debate by casting the opposition’s ideas in the worst light — to make them as easy to cut apart as a child’s straw doll. Everyone — on the left and on the right — agrees it is a cheap shot to use the tactic. But only in theory. Journalists and politicians — and the folks around the water cooler — do it all the time when it is useful for them. What…Continue Reading

Will Trump’s Towering Inferno Of Public Outrage Prevail Over Hillary?

October 19, 2016 Frontpage Comments Off on Will Trump’s Towering Inferno Of Public Outrage Prevail Over Hillary?

By DEXTER DUGGAN Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump tweets attention-getting remarks, but one of his comments on October 11 was so sadly, obviously true, it was boring. With the exception of Bernie Sanders being cheated of this year’s Democratic presidential nomination, Trump tweeted, “the Dems have always proven to be far more loyal to each other than the Republicans!” Exactly. No matter how outrageous a Democrat candidate’s record or life, party members unify and lock arms in his defense, but Republican officials scatter and run for cover or collapse if hostile media say bad things about a GOP hopeful. Of course, these media are a lot less likely to attack their Democrat pals than assault Republicans, so Democrats know they…Continue Reading

Catholics Must Hold Hillary Accountable

October 18, 2016 Frontpage Comments Off on Catholics Must Hold Hillary Accountable

By REY FLORES My friend Brian Burch who heads CatholicVote.org has launched an ongoing campaign this election season which I encourage us all to take part in until Hillary Clinton’s campaign realizes that they messed with the wrong tribe. In an email sent out October 12 by Catholic Vote.org, Burch starts out with this message; “Two words Hillary Clinton should use at her morning staff meeting: ‘You’re fired!’,” referring to Clinton staff caught demeaning Catholics and evangelicals in recently released hacked emails by Wiki Leaks. Of course the likelihood of Clinton firing any of her crooked campaign staff is nil, particularly for insulting Catholics. We’re more likely to see Clinton reward that kind of misbehavior. Burch goes on to explain in…Continue Reading

Foes Of Columbus Day . . . Should Open Themselves To Discover Its Social Riches

October 17, 2016 Frontpage Comments Off on Foes Of Columbus Day . . . Should Open Themselves To Discover Its Social Riches

By DEXTER DUGGAN PHOENIX — Those old enough to have been in Catholic elementary school back in the mid-20th century probably remember October’s Columbus Day being celebrated with an added religious perspective. Like the larger U.S. society, the school kids observed the advent of what was regarded as the gift of the beginning of Western, Christian civilization on North American shores. But they also knew that heroic Italian explorer Christopher Columbus, acting for the Spanish crown, and the vanguard he represented meant the arrival of Catholicism to a pagan people. Not anti-religious people, but ones with an incomplete, pagan religious understanding of a limited place in the cosmos. The Cross was planted in a part of the world that wasn’t…Continue Reading

Fr. Pavone . . . Analyzes Presidential Debate Remarks About Court Vacancies

October 16, 2016 Frontpage Comments Off on Fr. Pavone . . . Analyzes Presidential Debate Remarks About Court Vacancies

By DEXTER DUGGAN The Wanderer asked Fr. Frank Pavone, national director of the New York-based Priests for Life, to comment on remarks by the two major-party presidential candidates about filling U.S. Supreme Court vacancies. Pavone replied that he would comment only in his capacity as a private citizen. Q. In the October 9 St. Louis presidential debate, Hillary Clinton specifically cited Roe v. Wade and “marriage equality” as what she wants to protect with her Supreme Court appointments, but Donald Trump cited neither, instead holding up Justice Antonin Scalia as a positive example. At best, this is inferential support for conservatives. Republican candidates often never mention the actual babies and moms to be saved from abortion, which fails to help…Continue Reading

In Light of all the Latest Praise of Martin Luther . . .

October 15, 2016 Frontpage Comments Off on In Light of all the Latest Praise of Martin Luther . . .

The Wanderer is pleased to announce it will be featuring a series of videos on Martin Luther by our popular columnist Raymond de Souza, KM. Each week we will feature a segment which you will be able to revisit in our Catholic Faith Section. The Catholic Faith section is an excellent collection of catechetics and Catholic commentary from the last two years in the pages of The Wanderer. Simply click the Our Catholic Faith icon found in the middle of our home page to peruse the many resources. If you are interested in Raymond speaking at your local parish or event, please email us at   generalinfo@thewandererpress.com  

Avoiding A Moral Precipice

October 15, 2016 Frontpage Comments Off on Avoiding A Moral Precipice

By LAWRENCE P. GRAYSON The coming election may be the last opportunity to turn back the transforming of America into an irreligious society. The advance of militant secularism poses a grave threat to the Catholic faith and to the nation. Today, government policies and secularist actions are impeding the public recognition of God and expressions of faith, limiting apostolic works, restricting religious freedom, and coercing individual consciences, while supporting abortion, euthanasia, various aberrations of gender, and the redefinition of marriage and the family. This societal movement is in direct opposition to the principles upon which this nation was founded. Our forefathers began this country with an appeal to God for its independence, and adopted a constitution that guarantees the free…Continue Reading

The Same Old, Same Old

October 14, 2016 Frontpage Comments Off on The Same Old, Same Old

By JAMES K. FITZPATRICK I can’t remember exactly which educational reform was involved in the discussion I had with the principal in the public school in a suburb of New York City where I used to teach. I can’t even recall exactly when it took place. If I had to guess it would be somewhere in the mid-1980s. But the authorities in Albany that year were proposing new standards to raise the level of achievement of the high school students in the state. The guidelines sent to the local schools stressed that students would no longer be promoted if they did not demonstrate competency in their classwork. I can remember leaving a meeting where the new standards had been introduced…Continue Reading

Casting Your Ballot: A Moral Act

October 13, 2016 Frontpage Comments Off on Casting Your Ballot: A Moral Act

By LAWRENCE P. GRAYSON Next month, we will have the opportunity to vote for the people who will lead this nation. The outcome will significantly affect our lives — and those of our children and grandchildren — for decades. The challenges before the nation are serious and emotion laden. They range from abortion to immigration, from redefining marriage to adequate health care, from freedom of conscience to the national debt. All have profound moral implications. Thus, as Catholics, each of us has an obligation to cast our ballot with a faith-formed conscience, aware of the teachings of our Church and of the views of those who seek to represent us. We must evaluate the candidates’ promises, policy positions, and party…Continue Reading

Philanthropist Simon . . . Speaks On Research Findings About Helping Catholic Life Thrive

October 12, 2016 Frontpage Comments Off on Philanthropist Simon . . . Speaks On Research Findings About Helping Catholic Life Thrive

By DEXTER DUGGAN Eucharistic adoration is a simple but powerful instrument to invigorate a parish, Catholic philanthropist, businessman, and educator William E. Simon Jr. told an audience at the conservative Heritage Foundation think tank in Washington, D.C. “When the pastor introduced Perpetual Adoration . . . attendance skyrockets and spirituality grows,” Simon said on September 30 as he discussed findings in his recently released book, Great Catholic Parishes: How Four Essential Practices Make Them Thrive (Ave Maria Press, $17.95, paperback). This finding “really warmed my heart,” said Simon, explaining that a parish doesn’t “need a big budget to do it, you don’t need a lot of people to do it. There’s no reason you can’t do it….You can just announce…Continue Reading