I totally agree the Catholic Church is waaaaay too involved in global
politics and often appears to believe more in politics than the words of
Jesus Christ. Please don't take that component of the message as the
primary idea. The primary idea is that society is abandoning civil
behaviors and proper etiquette in our increasingly diverse society.
While our society probably isn't much less diverse than many other
before it; the media and other factors put our idiosyncrasies under a
microscope.
It looks like our etiquette "du jour" has become a cultural power play.
The WAR on drugs, WAR on poverty, WAR on Christmas and every other
stupid WAR under the sun is representative of our societal
predisposition to hostility. I'm not saying hostility doesn't exist
everywhere. I'm just saying we need to "take the log out of our own eye,
before discussing the sliver in our opponent." I see Americans AND Arabs
smiling while making a stink. So what! I'm so proud.
Personally, this list seems a model for the world. Could it be more
diverse? I can hardly imagine it. Despite our many disagreements, we
share a common vision of smaller government. We all share deep distaste
for the current administration(s). We share a deep distrust of the
political establishment. Some might agree more or less with one or more
aspects but we are all way off center from the mainstream. I like that.
It would be great if we were able to move society in our direction. But
if the only result is the pleasure of interacting with you all, that
would be enough for me.
Good comments Ron and all...
Mike