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	Is It Either/Or for Roman Catholics? By Samuel Heath The Weedpatch Gazette July 17, 2007 http://www.tehachapinews.com/home/Blog/samheath/12093 Los Angeles [CA] — In 1957 Walt Kelly gave his opinion of writing for TV. Albert reads something Bear has written and tells him "Stuff like that on the TEEVY will make you a million." To which Bear replies, "NO! NO! I can always rob graves." Walt's low opinion of writing for TV was shared by many of us who read books and were of the radio generation. In fact, many of the comic books and strips of the 30s and 40s evidenced a literacy and command of the English language long since forgotten. These days, it seems children are seldom told to "look it up" referring to a dictionary. In fact, where is the vocabulary being used now that challenges anyone to "look it up." Whether in literature or journalism classes, writing to a target audience of readers is a necessity. The concept is to communicate, not obfuscate. But over the past few decades the standards have been lowered so abysmally it would appear the "target audience" is considered very nearly illiterate whether in the print or electronic media, confirming the criticism and concerns of those like Walt Kelly, Ray Bradbury, and Harper Lee. Those with a few decades of experience reading newspapers have noted the decline in writing ability and vocabulary. Even a friend of many years that used to write book reviews for the Wall Street Journal finally quit in disgust. It wasn't that his own standards of literacy were so high; it was the standards for the WSJ were being increasingly lowered. Knowing this to be true, my question became where the bottom of such a thing was to be found? Of this we were both knowledgeable from the early 60s: Proper writing was no longer being taught in the universities and their product schools of America. Adding to the woes of an increasingly illiterate America is the escalating poor quality of reporting the news in both print and electronic media. But at least the print media has this going for it; there is no mind-numbing noise accompanying too many news channels that seem to be vying with Hollywood productions in which it is assumed that without such noise rivaling rock stars that would sterilize frogs and salamanders at a far distance they can't get the attention of viewers. Then, there is the matter of America being held captive to political correctness resulting in a dumbing down of the truth in the print media as effectively as any amount of noxious, even injurious noise to be found on TV. And in some cases, Jack Nicholson's "You can't handle the truth" has its place. I used to have a friend at the L.A. Times that did not seem able to handle the truth concerning his church. As the magnitude of perversion in the Roman Church in Los Angeles continues to unfold, I'm reminded of the friendly relationship and correspondence I used to enjoy with a prominent L.A. Times columnist until I brought up the subject of priests molesting children. At the time the problem was getting a lot of press due to exposing this back east, but I cautioned this man that in all probability it would be discovered his own Cardinal Mahony would also be exposed in due course. Having been so deeply involved with the research into cases of molested children for years, and knowing the Roman Church so well personally by experience I knew the L.A. Archdiocese had to be harboring a large number of molesting priests. From the L.A. Times: Parishioners across the sprawling Los Angeles Archdiocese responded with relief, support and a measure of worry Sunday to news that the church will pay $660 million to victims of clergy sexual abuse, the largest payout to date in the nationwide Roman Catholic molestation crisis. But some also angrily blamed Cardinal Roger M. Mahony for failing to reach a settlement in the local cases years earlier... "I'm furious," said Robert Sotelo, a retired West Covina electrician, after hearing Mahony celebrate Mass at the downtown Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels. "Why did he take so long?" But Bigay also said he believed the church and its leadership had been at fault for years in attempting to hide the growing abuse problem by quietly moving troubled priests from one parish to another. "I hope they learned their lesson," he said. "Now we know that it's out in the open." I'm not naÎve to the fact there is no way the L.A. Times will demand the ouster of the pervert-enabling and pervert-shielding Mahony. "Why did he take so long?" The problem of pervert priests in the Roman Church molesting children has a history of centuries, and it isn't as though it were some recently discovered phenomenon. That the various popes of the church including the present one have not taken the needed action against this pernicious and most heinous of acts against children that has been a persistent and growing problem throughout the world speaks volumes about the attitude of the Roman Church concerning such a thing. I found myself asking time and again; where are the excommunications of such monsters preying on children? They were conspicuous by the absence of such action being taken. On the contrary, as is now being publicized such molesting monsters are "traditionally" sent off to other churches where they continue to prey on children. Hospitals get rid of bad doctors by giving them glowing recommendations with the proviso they go elsewhere. Schools get rid of bad administrators, and in many cases bad teachers, by the same mechanism. And the Roman Church operates in such insular secrecy, much as that of hospitals and schools, that the magnitude of the crimes against children is never really known. We the People are acutely aware our entire government from the top down including many federal and state agencies operates in the same manner of secrecy and "taking care of their own" as the Roman Church, hospitals, and schools. As to the universities of America, the various "secret societies" and intelligence agencies pale by comparison when it comes to operating in secret. And the utter lack of any accountability on the part of universities enables them to continue operating in secrecy, successfully stifling any voices within the ranks raised in opposition. And just as the Roman Church is infamous for harboring its perverted priests, in the same manner the universities harbor their own perverts and all those opposed to any standards of moral behavior and speech. It is no wonder the ACLU is the handmaiden to the universities, being itself a product of the universities. Many will find it curious, at the least, why so many millions continue supporting the Roman Church when their offerings and donations by the hundreds of millions of dollars are not being used for the intended purpose, but going to the victims of perverted priests of the church. One reason is the utter naivetÈ of those like the parishioner quoted "I hope they learned their lesson... Now we know that it's out in the open." The naivetÈ of such a statement is obvious. The Roman Church will continue to do "business as usual" as it has for centuries so long as it is supported by those who believe their church is the right church. Years ago as I was discussing the subject of evolution and creation with a colleague who was a biology professor he paused and said, "If I could only believe as I once did." He went on to explain how he missed the mysteries, the candles and incense, the liturgies and prayers, the confessional, all of which comprised the comfort he used to find in such things. While I did not mention it at the time, these were the things Sinclair Lewis had Frank Shallard asking for. But the priest denied these to Frank unless he would accept all the teachings of the church as well, something Frank found he was unable to do. And because he could not accept such teachings, he was denied the consolations religion would otherwise offer him. But does it have to amount to this, that Roman Catholics must accept perversion among the priests of the church in order to have their religion? But if our own government has so little concern for children it refuses to make children a national priority, providing children substantive protection by federal law with national application, the Roman Church certainly cannot be expected to change its ways. There is a certain kind of evil, a seeming inevitability of such evil perpetrated against children that finds a safe harbor in too many of the institutions of men, whether political or religious.
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