They're Only Catholic on Paper -- They're True God is $$$$ -- They Are Simply too Morally Disingenuous to Admit it . . . .

The Gadfly does not believe that it can be denied that it is a steadily shrinking circle of wagons that the hard-core conservatives and their ideology appear to be entrenched behind when they find themselves attacking the religious leader of their own faith.

Fox's Sean Hannity: "The Pope Sounds Like He Is Against Capitalism"
Hannity: "I, As A Catholic, Agree With Rush" Limbaugh

http://mediamatters.org/video/2013/12/17/foxs-sean-hannity-the-pope-sounds-like-he-is-ag/197303


Not that it matters a whit, or that people of Hannity's mindset would even want to hear it, but Pope Francis' message was not a universal condemnation of capitalism.  In fact, The Pope even acknowledged that capitalism could be a force for much good in the world.

What the Pope was criticizing was the "idolatry of money" and the relentless, uncaring greed that has fostered an unprecedented wealth inequality gap, not just here in America, but around the world, and as a result, is adversely impacting people's fundamental rights, including access to capital, services, educational resources, health care and technology.  And his warning was not that Marxism was a preferable socio-economic system over capitalism, but that capitalism, when practiced at the hands of powerful, callous and greedy human beings is not a system worthy of praise, and in fact, should be a warning signal that it is time to rethink our models of economic development and to temper lifestyles.

However if you were to try and have that rational conversation with the Hannitys and Limbaughs of the world, you would only be inviting their snide vitriol along with the obligatory accusations of communist appeasement upon yourself.  That is how narrow-minded the world that these people have withdrawn themselves into has become.

Even though he is taking some right wing flak for it right now, The Gadfly happens to agree completely with President Obama's new economic adviser John Podesta when he stated in an interview from a few months ago that the Obama administration had better wise up to the reality that they are "facing a second term against a cult worthy of Jonestown in charge of one of the houses of Congress."  And if you are old enough to know anything about Jonestown, then you should be able to see the parallels between that tragedy and the reactionary, uncompromising and selfish behaviorism which symbolizes the Hannity/Limbaugh/Tea Party crowd, who quite clearly, wield a great amount of influence within the Republican party these days.

But getting back to Pope Francis -- Far be it for The Gadfly to advise self-professed Catholics like Fox's Sean Hannity and Stuart Varney and AM radio propagandist Rush Limbaugh on matters related to their chosen religion, but it seems conceivable to The Gadfly that the man "chosen" to be the intermediary spokesperson between God Almighty and the followers of that faith, might be deserving of a bit more respect than some schmuck sitting on a bar stool that you find yourself in an inebriated state of verbal fisticuffs with over politics.

Just saying . . . . .



----TFG