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The best music I ever heard in a Catholic Church was at my parish in Kansas City. The back of the church was filled with the choir, women AND men. Three sections for both, i.e. 1st sop, 2nd sop, alto and men bass baritone and tenor. We sang serious music and some really amazing american stuff/ spirituals.
When I got to know people I found out that a large percentage of them were Lutheran and Baptist converts!
There is a book “Why Catholics can’t sing” and it talks about the Irish roots of the US Catholic church. The Irish practiced their faith surrepticiously for big stretches of their history, when it was prohibited by the British, and never developed an musical tradition, which obviously can be HEARD. The ancient order of the Hibernians (the Catholic group that runs the St. Patrick Day Parade) purpose for existance is to protect the rights of Catholics to observe their faith.
“However, we in the US are completely unwilling to examine our own behavior in our many wars, including the barbaric assault on Hiroshima/Nagasaki, what biff mentions above, and all the minor brutalities on civilian populations in the Iraq wars I & II. That sort of conversation is impossible as long as we have jingo-istic conservatives telling us that any criticism of our conduct is ‘self-hate’ and unpatriotic.”
I understand that Lechacal is trying to have an academic debate here. However, I’m in no mood for it – I’ll admit it- because I reject the basic premise of these discussions.
If anyone wants to have an honest recounting of the mistakes the US has made as a nation, bring it on. However, that is not the point of alot of the comments above, and CMU’s comment that I quote above is yet another demonstration of it.
There is an anti-Americanism that flourishes on the Left that I totally reject, and will do all that I can to defeat. Its basic premise is that the US has no moral authority in the international arena. Not only does the Left reject the notion that the US has often been a force for good during the Pax Americana, but rather, it has been a malevolent force. All judgments regarding the US are made in a vacuum. Other nations can be judged by some sort of flexible standard, but the US is not afforded that privilege. Same thing applies to our domestic affairs.
CMU’s comments above about Hirsohima and Nagasaki are typical of this line of thinking. Certainly reasoned arguments can be made about whether or not it was wise to drop those bombs. However, I reject comments that start from the premise that the US is a force for evil, as CMU just made. Is anyone aware of the tremendous toll in casualties that were involved (on BOTH SIDES) when the US took over just the relatively small island of Okinawa? The Japanese convinced over 100,000 civiians to jump to their death at the concusion of that battle, brainwashing them that a US conquest would be a fate worse than death. After the ferocity shown in Okinanwa, it was estimated that we would lose 1,000,000 in taking over the mainland.
I regret the loss of any life, but if it’s the choice between 1,000,000 of our soldiers and bombing two of their cities in a declared war (that THEY started), I know where I stand, especially since my dad was almost killed by a kamikaze in the Battle of Okinawa.
Of course, none of this context is supplied in CMU’s remarks. No, the bomming of Hirsohima and Nagasaki were just “barbaric assults”. Gee, how did the Japanese ever go on to be our close allies?
I’ll say it again: the Left in this country is on its way to marginalizing itself with this kind of fever-swamp thinking. Don’t take my word for it – stick around for a couple of weeks.
I’m sure it would make me more popular if I were to just debate these points, as Lech did above. However, I have come to the point where I reject the premise of the discussion – and I don’t think I’m alone in that thinking.
The best music I ever heard in a Catholic Church was at my parish in Kansas City. The back of the church was filled with the choir, women AND men. Three sections for both, i.e. 1st sop, 2nd sop, alto and men bass baritone and tenor. We sang serious music and some really amazing american stuff/ spirituals.
When I got to know people I found out that a large percentage of them were Lutheran and Baptist converts!
There is a book “Why Catholics can’t sing” and it talks about the Irish roots of the US Catholic church. The Irish practiced their faith surrepticiously for big stretches of their history, when it was prohibited by the British, and never developed an musical tradition, which obviously can be HEARD. The ancient order of the Hibernians (the Catholic group that runs the St. Patrick Day Parade) purpose for existance is to protect the rights of Catholics to observe their faith.
DH – do you like Corrosion of Conformity?
I remember I loved their song “Albatross” and I downloaded it just now
Chicken soup is not a proper appetizer to lasagna. Ask benson.
(and I see I’m not leaving a moment too soon! ACK! It’s a benson bomb!)
Yeah, me too, I’ve got more cooking to do. Making chicken soup with rice, and a lasagna.
“However, we in the US are completely unwilling to examine our own behavior in our many wars, including the barbaric assault on Hiroshima/Nagasaki, what biff mentions above, and all the minor brutalities on civilian populations in the Iraq wars I & II. That sort of conversation is impossible as long as we have jingo-istic conservatives telling us that any criticism of our conduct is ‘self-hate’ and unpatriotic.”
I understand that Lechacal is trying to have an academic debate here. However, I’m in no mood for it – I’ll admit it- because I reject the basic premise of these discussions.
If anyone wants to have an honest recounting of the mistakes the US has made as a nation, bring it on. However, that is not the point of alot of the comments above, and CMU’s comment that I quote above is yet another demonstration of it.
There is an anti-Americanism that flourishes on the Left that I totally reject, and will do all that I can to defeat. Its basic premise is that the US has no moral authority in the international arena. Not only does the Left reject the notion that the US has often been a force for good during the Pax Americana, but rather, it has been a malevolent force. All judgments regarding the US are made in a vacuum. Other nations can be judged by some sort of flexible standard, but the US is not afforded that privilege. Same thing applies to our domestic affairs.
CMU’s comments above about Hirsohima and Nagasaki are typical of this line of thinking. Certainly reasoned arguments can be made about whether or not it was wise to drop those bombs. However, I reject comments that start from the premise that the US is a force for evil, as CMU just made. Is anyone aware of the tremendous toll in casualties that were involved (on BOTH SIDES) when the US took over just the relatively small island of Okinawa? The Japanese convinced over 100,000 civiians to jump to their death at the concusion of that battle, brainwashing them that a US conquest would be a fate worse than death. After the ferocity shown in Okinanwa, it was estimated that we would lose 1,000,000 in taking over the mainland.
I regret the loss of any life, but if it’s the choice between 1,000,000 of our soldiers and bombing two of their cities in a declared war (that THEY started), I know where I stand, especially since my dad was almost killed by a kamikaze in the Battle of Okinawa.
Of course, none of this context is supplied in CMU’s remarks. No, the bomming of Hirsohima and Nagasaki were just “barbaric assults”. Gee, how did the Japanese ever go on to be our close allies?
I’ll say it again: the Left in this country is on its way to marginalizing itself with this kind of fever-swamp thinking. Don’t take my word for it – stick around for a couple of weeks.
I’m sure it would make me more popular if I were to just debate these points, as Lech did above. However, I have come to the point where I reject the premise of the discussion – and I don’t think I’m alone in that thinking.
“you’ll be able to access BHB from your work computer”
Ah, so I will, M4L! Excellent! And I can create another mischievous login! LOL!
I gotta run. If my account is still working, I’ll see you all later 🙂
Ciao
I have a friend who was attending high school in Grenada when the US invaded the island.