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The Cowardice of Catholics
By Salam Abbo :: 5586 Views
:: Article Rating :: Living & Lifestyle, Opinion and Editorials

“For the Catholic there is no room for cowardice," says Frank Dado.  “Cowardice is the opposite of the moral virtue of fortitude.  Cowards are weak in difficult times and inconsistent in the pursuit of good.  They are unable to resist temptation and easily succumb to sin.  They fear death, trials, and persecutions.  It is from either pride or cowardice that sin takes hold and grows.  A Catholic coward will quickly become a Judas and sell-out his faith, his church, and his people.” 

Most Chaldeans are secure about their faith.  A legacy of courage in the throngs of tragic trials and persecution has proven Chaldeans do not break easy.  “Evil has tried to penetrate the church walls of Chaldeans since the early formation of the church.  The walls remain.  Our church leaders are assassinated, thinking the flock will scatter.  We do not,” says Dado defiantly.   “Evil has now changed its strategy.  It can not break Chaldeans, so it is trying to melt us.”

Dado refers to the slow burn Chaldeans endure in the West.  “Forced to flee Iraq, rather than convert from their faith, Chaldeans now have to contend with the steady fire of Western sin.”  Western society and culture continues to promote forbidden deeds as trendy, modern, progressive, or hip.  Dado says Chaldeans are afraid to take action against what they know is immoral and evil.  “Instead children call their parents boaters and misguidedly run into the arms of evil thinking it is cool or that they will be accepted.”

The pressure to remain silent or tolerate evil is real.  Schools and college campuses have long used humiliation and shame to force Catholics and other pious groups into silence.  This is why Dado considers them cowards.  He says the cowards have been frightened into obeying what they know to be wrong. 

They make excuses as to why they should not get involved.  Dado says they say things like it does not matter or it’s useless to object.  “Those that truly believe in their faith, defend their faith,” Dado says. 

“As Catholics we need to be firm and un-wavering in our beliefs. We believe what we believe because we know its true.  If is sad, but true that people with such strong convictions are looked upon with jealousy, envy, anger, and hatred.  Catholics are the target of discrimination and hateful attacks.  That is how you know evil is guiding the Catholic bashers and attackers.  If it were goodness guiding them, they would look upon those they belive to be misguided with compassion, empathy, and assistance.  Instead it is with mockery, anger, and hatred.  The fingerprints of evil.”  

A significant majority of American’s feels the media and entertainment industry is biased and unwilling to allow opposing views to the liberal culture that encourages deviant and bad behavior.  Research and many studies confirm the sentiments of what most Americans feel.  However, the same respondents feel that they are too busy, powerless, or cowardly to do anything to fight back.   

Dado reminds Chaldeans that the legacy of Chaldeans is to defend against evil. “In Iraq we lived meekly and protected one another.  In America we must be vigilant and unafraid to speak truth to evil.  The wise say, we do not remember the words and deeds of our enemies, but the silence of our friends.  Chaldeans and other Catholics should be frequently reminded it is of these occasions that our faith’s heroes or cowards are revealed.”

 
Syndicate  

What Transparency Should Look Like at the MEDC (but Doesn't)
<p>By James M. Hohman. </p>The award of a $9.1 million tax credit to a convicted embezzler has raised serious concerns about the&nbsp;lack of transparency at the Michigan Economic Development Corporation. The concerns could be alleviated by two transparency/due diligence&nbsp;reforms that would protect the state (and taxpayers) from fraud. However, the real issue is not whether the occasional criminal wins an "incentive" deal, but the lack of transparency that characterizes this entire operation. This is the measure by which the responses of politicians and economic development bureaucrats to this embarrassment should assessed.</P> http://www.mackinac.org/12358

Legislature's Most Persistent Targeted-Incentives Booster to Run Hearings on Embezzler's Tax-Break Deal
<p>By Jack McHugh. </p><p>In the wake of the news that the Michigan Economic Growth Authority&nbsp;awarded a $9 million tax break/subsidy deal to what appears to be a "shell" company created by a convicted embezzler, Sen. Jason Allen, R-Traverse City, has been assigned the task of managing Senate hearings on the vetting procedures used by MEGA and its parent agency, the Michigan Economic Development Corp. During his 11 years in the Legislature,&nbsp;Allen has become perhaps the most ardent&nbsp;promoter and defender of selective tax breaks and subsidies for particular firms and industries. Since 2001, Allen has introduced at least 60 bills in this category, many of them thinly disguised favors benefiting specific companies. Here are concise descriptions of a selection of these bills, from <a href="http://www.michiganvotes.org/">MichiganVotes.org</a>:</p> http://www.mackinac.org/12357

Center Scholar Tapped to Help Warren With Budget Crisis
<p><a href="http://www.mackinac.org/bio.aspx?ID=139"><span style="color: #003399;">Lou Schimmel</span></a>, former director of municipal finance and an adjunct scholar with the Center, has been tapped for his expertise to solve the city of Warren's $10 million overspending crisis.</p> http://www.mackinac.org/12356

The Right Choice
<p>By Joseph G. Lehman. </p>School choice is good for students and the state budget. http://www.mackinac.org/12334

Climate Change Panel Examines the 'Changing Debate'
<p>Henry Payne, editorial cartoonist for The Detroit News, writes about the Mackinac Center's climate change panel, in which he participated, at <a href="http://planetgore.nationalreview.com/post/?q=ZjZjNjJkZDg3MGZlNDVjYmU1OTE4MzQzMWM3NGVlMzY="><span style="color: #003399;">National Review Online</span></a>.</p> <p>You can watch the event <a href="http://www.michiganliveevents.com/mppi-live032010.html"><span style="color: #003399;">here</span></a>.</p> http://www.mackinac.org/12352

Legislators Should Look Closer to Home to Cut Spending
<p>A <a href="http://www.detnews.com/article/20100318/OPINION01/3180341/1008/Editorial--Drop-gimmicky-plan-to-link-salaries-of-teachers-and-school-superintendents-to-those-of-lawmakers"><span style="color: #003399;">Detroit News</span></a> editorial today calls a plan to cap salaries of public school superintendents and teachers based on what politicians are paid, "gimmicky," and cites <a href="http://www.mackinac.org/12288"><span style="color: #003399;">this commentary</span></a> by Mike Van Beek, director of education policy, which states that only 1 percent of school expenses go toward superintendent pay and benefits.</p> <p>James Hohman, fiscal policy analyst, does have a suggestion in this <a href="http://downriversundaytimes.com/2010/03/12/legislative-pay-evidence-of-a-larger-problem"><span style="color: #003399;">Dearborn Times-Herald Op-Ed</span></a> about what legislators should focus on if they really want to cut spending.</p> http://www.mackinac.org/12351

Solving the Wrong Problem
<p>By James M. Hohman. </p>Expanding Michigan's sales tax a bad idea. http://www.mackinac.org/12328

No Checkbook Left Behind
<p>More Michigan public school districts are posting their checkbook registers online as a way for taxpayers to see exactly how their money is spent, but most districts get a failing grade when it comes to transparency.</p> http://www.mackinac.org/12350

MEGA Jobs Announcements Symbolic Drop in the Bucket
<p>By James M. Hohman. </p><p>The Michigan Economic Growth Authority <a href="/12345">yesterday</a> approved its latest batch of tax credits to lure large business projects to Michigan. </p> <p>Despite the press release, these big business projects are just not that consequential to Michigan's total economy. </p> http://www.mackinac.org/12347

Stealing the Spotlight
<p>By Michael D. LaFaive & Michael D. LaFaive. </p>Convicted embezzler's business wins high-profile state subsidy. http://www.mackinac.org/12345

More Schools Post Spending
Kent County districts, others, report checkbooks now online. http://www.mackinac.org/12346

Climate Panel Video
Did you miss the lively discussion? Watch it <a href="http://www.michiganliveevents.com/mppi-live032010.html">here</a>. http://www.michiganliveevents.com/mppi-live032010.html

Teacher Contracts: An Analysis
<p>By Michael Van Beek. </p><p>Nearly every aspect of a teacher's job falls under the rules of a union contract. The following is a synopsis of just one of those agreements in Michigan.</p> http://www.mackinac.org/12336

Union Corruption Update
<p>By Paul Kersey. </p><p>Recent charges and guilty pleas involving union officials.</p> http://www.mackinac.org/12329

MED March 16, 2010
New 'No Child,' concessions, reading scores. http://www.educationreport.org/12331

Climate Extremes
<p>By Paul Chesser. </p>MichiganScience looks at Climategate. http://www.mackinac.org/12265

Rejecting State Employee Raise
<p>The <a href="http://www.mirsnews.com/welcome.php"><span style="color: #003399;">Michigan Information &amp; Research Service</span></a> (subscription required) reprinted <a href="http://www.mackinac.org/12281"><span style="color: #003399;">this</span></a> blog post by Paul Kersey, labor policy director, explaining why it would not be a violation of labor law for the Legislature to reject a 3 percent raise for state employees as some lawmakers claimed.</p> http://www.mackinac.org/12314

Evaluations of Early Education
<p>By Michael Van Beek. </p>http://www.mackinac.org/12327

Pledging Regulatory Reform
<p>By Russ Harding. </p>http://www.mackinac.org/12326

Take a Number
<p>By Jarrett Skorup. </p>Dealing with government agencies. http://www.mackinac.org/12318

Superintendent, Teacher Pay
<p>By Michael Van Beek. </p><p><a href="http://www.michiganvotes.org/Legislation.aspx?ID=113946"><span style="color: #003399;">Senate Bill 1148</span></a>, introduced recently by Sen. Bruce Patterson, R-Canton, would limit the total compensation of public school superintendents to 75 percent of what the governor is paid and prohibit districts from paying any teacher more than what a state legislator makes.</p> http://www.mackinac.org/12288
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