Well, for a guy who regularly "snarks" on pious people ... particuarly women, this column signs hope. Maybe those smell-fertile, holy women - having their kids, tending their marriages, praying instead of snarking - suggest a path through Lent you could recommend to the immanencies of Rayne and Franz, if they might consider what a faithful woman has to model.

the regnant battle cry for many Catholics is that it IS all about preaching the Gospel - the spiritual and corporal works of mercy are irrelevant and that includes hospitals and other traditional forms of Catholic evangelization to the larger community. The civilization and culture built and sustained by the Church has also been cast aside because it's all about preaching the Gospel and culture doesn't matter.

So here we are. No culture, no civilization (other than a thin, generic sort of Christianity that isn't worthy of the name) and a bunch of people who are out proclaiming the Gospel, but making no impact.

Well. Now I am worried.Have the voices in my head become audible or has Mr. Zmirak developed mind reading skills in his spare time? A good read and something to ponder this Lent.

Not too interesting, John. Two whiners complaining about stuff?

Read Thomas Mann's "Death in Venice." If I remember correctly, Gustav von Aschenbach decides to leave his study for a break after a lot of work; he's riding in a street car and notices a strange looking man, turns away for a second, and then when he turns back to look again, the man is no longer there.

Write a story where Catholics begin cooperating with evil and thereby advance their careers, or have problems go away. Have basically decent people go along to get along. Have good people, who are fighting the evil, end up harming some of the people they are trying to help!

"Meanwhile, the former "majority" in the country is going to end up like the white farmers in Zimbabwe."

Who will protect us from the brown hordes? Who will protect me from having to learn to speak another language! Yes, hand me that .45 right now!

I hear that Mexicans are like bears - they're more scared of you than you are of them.

I am usually the one to discourage people from reading racism into everything (that chimp cartoon, for example), but that line from the article definitely sounded racist to me. Also, this one-- "...while the liberal groups were busy trying to hire people to wipe the corners of their mouths while they faded out of existence?" reeks of disrespect for the elderly/disabled and sounds like the speaker would rather have them euthanized.

(Not accusing Mr Zmirak of anything, obviously, as he's just sharing what others said. This is the kind of conversation that I sometimes overhear between people who share my religion or politics, and always makes me cringe...)

I don't know whether to laugh or be completely disgusted at the style the conversation part of the article is written. I think I feel both humor and disgust. It definitely wasn't racist...just insensitive which can be confused with racism.

I have no idea whose side Zmirak is on here, but let me add my voice to those who reject a religion that consists of nothing more than Quaker-ish personal piety. "Me-and-God" individualism is utterly foreign to both the Hebrew prophets and the Catholic Church Jesus founded---and it's utterly without impact or influence. As soon as our catholic christians emerged from the catacombs and were granted religious freedom, they began constructing a society that was based on justice and Christian values. They created a more civil and just society than anything the Romans and Greeks had known. But with the breakup of the Protestant Reformation, Christendom is severely weakened. Christians are no longer the ones making key decisions that affect us all and direct society towards the common good.

For sure, true righteousness means standing against evil practices and people while constructing a godly society for the sake of your family, Church, and nation. I understand why the Franz of this article is dispirited, but at least Benedict XVI is leading the way by speaking out against evil, trying to unite the various forces for good, and putting forth a vision of the future for all people of good will.

A lot of us feel the exact same way John. Keep telling yourself "sufficient unto the day are the troubles thereof" and drinking good beer. Works OK for me.

Boy, do I ever identify with Franz!

And boy do I pity him...

Oh please. At least try to understand the context of what is being said before playing the Race Card. I'll admit that I had no frame of reference for the "white farmers in Zimbabwe," but then I realized I was participating in the Magical Land of the Internets. Long story short, white farmers are being stripped of their land by the government, which has been economically disastrous. Whether that is right or wrong, it at least gives context to the rhetoric.

Did you just see the word "white" in there and assume John was being racist?

He specifically referred to "the former majority in this country", not property owners in general. That means white people, or if you like, people of Western European descent.

Of course, I'm sure there are those who don't conceive of their own fear and loathing of brown people to be genuinely "racist", but a perfectly rational concern for the future of their country. After all, I'm sure he's not burning crosses in anyone's front lawn. And that's sufficient to be cleared of any and all charges of racial bias, isn't it?

Dear Joe H:
I suggest you read Pope John Paul's comments on the value of Polish nationalism (in Memory and Identity) before you conclude that anyone who doesn't wish his own culture to be dispossessed by a foreign one is guilt of the serious sin of racial hatred.

I'm Irish/Croatian. Those are my "races." I would be appalled if millions of high school dropouts from Croatia were entering the country, forcing cash-strapped public schools to teach them in Croatian, rejecting assimilation to America, and insisting that from now on we would live in a bicultural nation. Ditto Gaelic.

So it's not about race. Sorry to deprive you of your cheap rhetorical weapon. Go craft a better one.

No, I don't think Americans should HAVE to learn Spanish (or Croatian, or Gaelic) to live in America. Sue me.

If were in Canada, you actually could.

If it isn't about "race", then why the reference to the "majority"?

Cultures come and go. Get over it.

That last comment was uncharitable. I'm not supposed to be arguing, of course, so let me just say this.

Whenever someone suggests racism might be present in an opinion, the person accused almost always reacts as you do - "why are you trying to distort my argument by accusing me of racism"?

Here's the thing: I don't want you to be a racist. It brings me no pleasure or joy to see it or point it out for the sake of making you look like a bad man. I just saw what I saw, and called it like I saw it.

Your culture does not need to be the dominant one, the one in the majority to a) exist and b) thrive. We are all created in God's image and in this particular case we all belong to the same universal Church. Cultures have been mixing and assimilating since the dawn of time. Comparing your situation to that of the white farmers in Zimbabwe doesn't merely suggest a cultural shift but rather a siege mentality that is as misplaced and anti-Christian as it is pitiful.

Your "character" says he "chokes down" the Beatitudes for the sake of the Crusades as well. Whether or not racism is involved in some covert way, or not at all, in your argument is really irrelevant next to this. Never mind the Beatitudes - his account of the final judgment has only to do with one thing: how we treat the least of our brothers. That includes immigrants, whether or not they have their papers. There are no special exceptions to this rule and this judgment.

Myself, I'm Lebanese and Anglo, and so English is as much "my language" as anyone else's. I'm sorry if I am insensitive to regional cultures, including the dominant one, but I only identify as Catholic. Having to learn a different language, hearing different music playing on my street, seeing signs with funny spelling or letters - all of this means nothing to me. My Mass is in Latin. I don't mind my neighbors speaking in Spanish.

So Joe H, all cultures(and their cultural practices) are equally good? The Aztec and the Incan cultures were just as good as the Ibernian's? Worshiping trees per the Druids was the same as worshiping God as the Franks did? It's all good? Nothing about our way of life is worth hanging on to in your opinion? Just curious. And by the way, it really is possible to use the word "majority" in a nonracist way.For example: The "majority" of Americans do not like illegal immigration. Or: The "majority" of Mexicans have a low incidence of skin cancer. I saw nothing remotely racist about anything in this piece and neither did the "majority" of commentors.Oops- there is is again. Sometimes racism, like beauty, is only in the mind of the beholder.

"So Joe H, all cultures(and their cultural practices) are equally good?"

I don't see why tolerating other cultures is the equivalent of saying they are equally good. That's the knee-jerk rightist assumption.

"Nothing about our way of life is worth hanging on to in your opinion?"

What is "our way of life"? America's way of life is excessive consumption and self-gratification, and more than one Pope has noted it. That isn't worth hanging onto.

"And by the way, it really is possible to use the word "majority" in a nonracist way."

Thanks for the update. But I know how to read Pamela. Funny how one person says "put it in context" - as if I didn't - and another person takes the word in isolation, where of course it is not racist. Read the sentence, would you? He said "the former "majority"", which means white people, who have been the majority since the country's founding but will only remain so for another 10-40 years or so.

Now I have to add this to my confession. But its my own fault. I won't be back until the day after Easter from here on. See you then, and truly, sincerely, no hard feelings. Even if I do sense a whiff of racism, its still a free country and its still your right to hold that opinion, and I don't hate anyone for it, even if I think it is misguided. Please stop confusing me with the PC thought-police.

Oh Joe H even though you are abstaining ,I had to answer you.
"I don't see why tolerating other cultures is the equivilent of saying they are equally good.That's the knee-jerk rightist assumption"
Thanks for putting me in my political place.Your response is not a knee-jerk leftist assumption? So you're saying Aztec human sacrifice should have been accepted by the Spanish Conquistadors in the name of toleration? I'm sure not. Bad things are bad things.No need to assume racism when the majority culture prefers their own way of doing things.Someones values will always prevail.

What I mean by "our way of life" is the constitutional guarantees of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. If our culture has been so awful at accomplishing this, why does everyone want to come here?Why isn't there as long a line at the Brazilian border if their culture is as attractive as our own? Since you mention your Lebanese ancestory ,I will mention my Palestinian connection. It was HARD to get US citizenship . It took six years, piles of paperwork and the fullfillment of many other requirements. But that was 25 years ago and worth every second it took to accomplish. The day we took the oath of citizenship was a day to remember. Some of us know by experience what happens when there is no just and equitable application of the law-where the strongest and most violent prevail.By the way, have you been to Lebanon lately? I have. Many wonderful people, scarey political climate.

All the instances of my use of 'majority" could have been taken in a racist sense if one were inclined to do so. That's my point.My daughter has been stopped at many airports because of her name. So have I and my husband. We don't care.If that is what it takes to keep some nut job from blowing us up, we are more than happy to oblige. Of course in the name of PCdom, the six luggageless Pakastani male teenagers are always allowed to board unchecked before we are, but nevermind that. Was that racist?

Bottom line dear Joe H is I don't think Mr. Zmirak or anyone posting here cares what language their neighbor speaks or what they do in their own home. But I for one want the same rules for everyone. Let everyone who wants to live in this culture follow the laws,work, pay for their children, their living expenses and not demand others accomadate their personal preferences and life choices. That's been the American way Joe H for 200+ years and it's worked well. Why exchange that for other peoples' ways?Whose values do you want to prevail? Peace dear Joe H and many wishes for a blessed Easter.

I found the post interesting. Thank you, but I'm really here because I see there are at least two of us named Pamela posting at IC now. And Joe H probably thinks we are one in the same, as I have recently enjoyed a rather lively debate with him on socialism and the Church.

I guess from now on, I'll have to sign as Pamela W.

Sorry Pamela for the confusion! I'll sign mine Pamela K from now on. I don't post very often, but Joe H hit a nerve. I fear that if we as Catholics and citizens don't fight for the good things in our society now, we are in for a very unpleasant future.