We Must be Talking

The Grievance Culture      Gerry O'Shea The Senate hearings for the confirmation of Judge Brett Kavanaugh started on September 4th last year. Early on in Mr. Kavanaugh's testimony, he accused his opponents of "a calculated and orchestrated political hit" motivated by people seeking revenge "on behalf of the Clintons." President Trump supported his nominee's assertion by adding that the liberal billionaire, George Soros, was orchestrating the opposition, including paying the protesters. Senator Charles Grassley, the hearings committee chairman, warned that "we will not be bullied by the screams of paid protesters." It is difficult to believe that at this stage in our mature democracy these bombastic accusations were given credence during confirmation hearings for a justice of the Supreme Court. The outcries by Kavanaugh, Grassley and Trump have all the marks of a grievance culture, of men convinced, it would seem, that Democrats wou...

The Sexual Abuse Crisis in the Catholic Church       Gerry O'Shea 2018 was a disastrous year for the Catholic Church. The publication of clerical sex abuse reports by state attorneys general combined with widespread stories of cover-ups by bishops and religious order superiors plus revelations about the disgraceful behavior of two cardinals, both child abusers, led to Pope Francis calling a special synod of church leaders which will be held in the Vatican from February 21st to the 24th. Many Catholics will question whether such a consultative conference in Rome, involving a few hundred elderly males, is the optimum arrangement for solving a massive crisis in a church with more than a billion members. What credibility will the synod recommendations, which will be voted on by male celibate prelates only, have with   Catholics in the pews? The 500th anniversary of the last great crisis in the Christian Church, the Reformation, was commemorated wit...

Joe Biden for the White House?                       Gerry O'Shea Joe Biden ran unsuccessfully twice for the Democratic presidential nomination. Now, at age 76, he is seriously contemplating another campaign to represent his party in the 2020 White House election. Some recent polls place him well ahead of the field at around 30% while, apart from Bernie Sanders who registers about ten points behind, none of the other presumed candidates exceed single figures in these early indications of support. Of course, the election is almost two years away and any poll at this stage should be taken with a big grain of salt. Two years before the last presidential election Gallup had Jeb Bush close to the top in the crowded Republican race, and he is still bewildered by the collapse of his well-funded campaign when faced with Trump mockery in the early debates. Still the Biden team...

The Seventh Generation Principle                          Gerry O'Shea The Seventh Generation Principle conveys a core belief of Native Americans. It states that in every serious decision we make at all levels of society, we should give priority to considering how it will impact our descendants, seven generations into the future. The Republican 2018 budget involved massive tax breaks that almost entirely benefited corporations and rich people. It was sold to the public on the bogus assertion that the huge advantages for the rich would gradually trickle down to help ordinary workers and the poor. Who would pay for this massive budgetary giveaway as well as for increased military spending of around 750 billion dollars?   Steven Mnuchin, the Treasury Secretary, assured the nation that "not only will this tax cut pay for itself but it will pay down the de...

Nationalism in Dublin and Paris             Gerry O'Shea The recent rugby match in Dublin between the All Blacks and Ireland provided a vibrant example of one dimension of Irish nationalism. All 52,000 seats in the Aviva Stadium were sold out well in advance. The game was billed as a titanic struggle between the legendary New Zealanders, number one in the world and never beaten in all their previous visits to Dublin, against a promising and ambitious all-Ireland national team, captained by a charismatic Belfast man and rated number two internationally. It was a ferocious game of rugby played at breathtaking speed and   with fierce intensity, and the Irish crowd, indeed the whole nation, aided by the excellent television coverage, cheered every move by the men in green shirts. With twelve minutes remaining the Irish were deservedly ahead by seven points, 16 to 9. Still the vaunted visitors were pressing and everybod...

The Two Popes                       Gerry O'Shea Shortly after taking over from Pope Benedict in March, 2013, Francis was asked his opinion on homosexuality and, in particular, on gay priests. He responded with a rhetorical question: "Who am I to judge?" This answer reflected a popular sentiment because most people are comfortable with a live-and-let-live approach to life and are often resentful of individuals or institutions - including the Vatican - that endeavor to instruct them how to behave. However, his response did not find favor with a strong rump of conservative clerics and lay people who felt that the pope's job is precisely to make moral judgments and to   provide direction especially on controversial issues. His predecessor, Benedict, left no doubt about his belief that homosexuality is an intrinsic moral evil, an objective disorder that is incompatible wit...

Just Imagine!            Gerry O'Shea Join me in a trip to la-la land. Dream with me that instead of the Electoral College our president is elected by popular vote and Hillary Clinton is in the White House. Imagine what the Republican leaders would be saying if she was complaining   every day about the media, dubbing it the enemy of the people, a mischievous trope suggesting that CNN and reputable newspapers like the New York Times are trying to thwart the wishes of the majority of the people. Would these Republican leaders allow her to assert her innocence of any culpability when one of her extremist followers sends a pipe bomb to the offices of CNN? Think for a moment of the loud guffaws from Mitch McConnell and Lindsey Graham if any Democratic president stated publicly that she "fell   in love" with the North Korean tyrant Kim Jong Un, boasting that Kim had written her "a beautiful letter." Just imagine the cond...