Here is a portion of how I began my “President’s Desk” essay in the December 2008 edition of Catalyst.
“We have been in the throes of a culture war for the past half-century, but never has it been more imperative to buckle your seat belts until now. Quite frankly, the culture war is about to explode.
“The culture war pits traditionalists against modernists. To be more specific, it pits those who ascribe to the timeless values that inhere in faith, family and country against those who reject faith and family—traditionally understood—and who equate patriotism with jingoism.
“Who are these people who comprise the ranks of the modernists? They are people so thoroughly secularist that they literally loathe religion.
“Where do we find such persons? Many work in Hollywood, the media, the universities, the arts and in the non-profit sectors of the economy.
“We’re in for it. Why? Because the modernists feel emboldened after the November election. Please don’t misunderstand me—I am not blaming Barack Obama for all of what is about to happen. I am blaming many of those in the occupations I cited who see in his victory a golden opportunity to wage war on traditionalists. They are already revving it up; just wait until they kick it into high gear.”
Substitute Joe Biden for Barack Obama, and it’s déjà vu all over again. Only worse.
How could it be worse? Because those who are coming to work for Biden are coming in a fit of rage. This was not true of Obama’s supporters. To be sure, Biden may not be filled with hate, but many of those drawn to him certainly are. Inspired by the “Squad,” these AOC-America haters are coming to revolutionize, not reform.
We at the Catholic League will keep our eyes on three cabinet posts: the Department of Education, the Department of Justice, and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). Look for school choice reforms to die a quick death. Look for religious liberty to come under attack. Look for Catholic hospitals and non-profits to be weighed down under aggressive litigation.
It is what Biden symbolizes, and galvanizes, beyond the Beltway that should also concern people of faith. The most bigoted anti-Catholics in the nation are about to go on a tear.
Just consider what we are dealing with now, at a time when the current administration is staffed largely by traditionalists.
As this issue of Catalyst notes, the education establishment denied the Catholic League the opportunity to pay for a pro-Christmas message. Cartoon shows like “Family Guy” treat Catholics like dirt. The Supreme Court is hearing a challenge to the right of Catholic foster care programs to abide by Catholic strictures. Watch for issues like these to escalate.
The hatred that we saw spill into the streets this past spring, summer and fall is not going away. If anything, the thugs are emboldened. They started with tearing down statues of iconic Americans, and now they will try to tear down our institutions. For all the talk about unity, left-wing activists are masters of sowing distrust and disharmony. It’s who they are.
Crippling the family has always been the dream of those who have set their sights on our Judeo-Christian heritage. Why? Those on the left live for one reason: power. They want to control our thinking and our behavior. They cannot do so if we pay homage to our family, not the state. For the same reason, they go after religion, and in this country, the bulls eye is the Catholic Church.
How bad will it get? Under Obama-Biden, they attacked the Little Sisters of the Poor and other Catholic non-profits. Now the goal will be the Equality Act. If enacted, it would gut religious autonomy, making religious institutions subservient to the state. In effect, it would complete the secularization of society, allowing us to pray in church, and not much more.
Regarding this last point, the masters of intolerance, who always finger people of faith as the intolerant ones, like to brag how magnanimous they are in allowing us to pray. They say they will not interfere with this right. Of course, they are giving us nothing. Our rights are enshrined in the Declaration of Independence: they come from God, not politicians. Besides, how would they stop us from praying anyway?
I am not a pessimist, although these days it is a struggle to be optimistic. Yes, the country is deeply divided, but there are signs from the election results that many Americans are just as fed up as you and I are. They’ve had it with the violence, the hatred, the lies, the political correctness, and the assaults on our customs and traditions.
The good news is that there are no iron laws of history: the status quo is reversible. We are not impotent. Moreover, our side, that of the traditionalists, is as big and as energized as the other side.
The Catholic League will not disappoint you. We’re in it for keeps. So buckle your seat belts—again.
Merry Christmas!
