Personal Aside: “Who, Me?” Catholic Citizens Calls for Boycott of Radical ACORN Funding Group…Whom Would You Name to the Senate if You were Blago?

Who, Me?

Chicago’s Catholic Citizens of Illinois is calling for a contributors’ boycott against the radical Catholic Campaign for Human Development—for which collectors’ plates will be passed next Sunday in every archdiocesan parish Mass. The baskets will be passed notwithstanding that for many years, CCHD has been either openly or surreptitiously cooperating in supporting programs that are deleterious to true Catholic social policies including right-to-life.

The CCHD nationally has been a supporter of ACORN which is the far-left wing of the Democratic party. In line with the age old duplicitous nature of left-wingers in the church (notably the late Msgr. John Egan, called a saint by the unknowing but who cooperated with Saul Alinsky and was one of those who launched “Call to Action,” a group that often has been engaged in vocal heretical practice vis-à-vis church teaching). The usual technique is that money is conferred to hostile, pro-abort groups and when called to account, a representative of the bishops says “huh? Aw gee, we’re sorry!’ Sort of like the way Fr. Scott Donohue (a great “who, me?” actor) did after pro-abort Hillary Clinton was invited to speak in behalf of the Mercy School for Boys & Girls while she was a Democratic presidential candidate.

The first stage of “who, me?” was for Donohue to say he didn’t invite Clinton at all—it was a committee of supporters. When the committee of supporters said that they voted for Clinton to come, all right but it was Donohue who invited her, he said, “What? Who, me?” The cardinal signed off on it.

Then the cardinal’s people said, “no he didn’t.” “Yes, he did.” Following which they correct themselves, “well, he was told about it too late so what could he do, poor man!.” That same kind of indirection, Machiavellian strategy, really has guided the CCHD in its support of radical groups for many years. “Who, me?” In the meantime, the collections go on. And many of those in the pews either doze on or forget.

The CCI Statement.

Mrs. Mary Anne Hackett, president of Catholic Citizens of Illinois, a group of authenticist Catholics which is not affiliated with the bishops, Sunday called upon all Catholics to boycott the CCHD. She can be reached at (708) 354-5373. A portion of her statement follows:

“The CCHD was sold to Catholic parishioners with a slogan of ‘a hand up instead of a handout’ but instead, CCHD has heavily invested in the political organizing techniques of Saul Alinsky, a Marxist organizer from Chicago who founded the nationwide Industrial Areas Foundation which in Chicago is known as United Power. United Power has been financed by various mainline Protestant churches and has made great inroads into the Catholic church in Chicago, recruiting parish ministers and receiving funding from various parishes through dues and contributions. For all practical purposes, United Power is an extension of the far-left wing of the Democratic party.

“In a November 4 report in the ‘Washington Times,’ the U. S. Conference of Catholic Bishops has announced it has hired forensic accounting specialists to investigate more than $1 million in church funding to voter-registration group ACORN suspecting that the money may have been spent in criminal acts that would negatively impact the tax exempt status of the Church.

“The CCD has given more than $7.3 million to ACORN over the past decade for about 320 projects, including $900,000 in 2008 and $1,110,000 in 2007. In June of this year, the Catholic church allegedly froze a $1.2 million grant for 38 ACORN chapters after the community-organizing group was accused of voter fraud in 15 states. Critics of CCHD have clallenged the USCCB to provide evidence of the freeze and confirm that no paymengs have been made to ACORN in 2008.”

President Hackett added, “It is well known that ACORN played a major role in the current financial crisis by intimidating banks through public rallies, invasion of bank lobbies with large groups of ACORN activists and picketing bank executives’ homes. ACORN bullied banks into making loans to people who could not repay them. To avoid vilification as racist, local banks were forced to make loans to unqualified borrowers even allowing them to use food stamps as collateral for the loans.”

End of Hackett statement.

ACORN Sprouts Vile Weeds.

ACORN (Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now) claims to have more than 350,000 members and more than 850 chapters in more than100 cities across the U. S. It endorsed Barack Obama during the 2008 presidential primary (Obama along with other lawyers had represented the group in a 1995 lawsuit). Since then it has been prominently listed as a front for the Obama campaign and Justice department and FBI agents are scouring the group’s records in response to citizen complaints of militant extra-political action.

The archdiocese of Chicago has approved the collections scheduled for this coming Sunday at every Mass.

It will be indeed interesting to see if…and how…the Chicago area media will cover news of the boycott before the collections are taken up this Sunday.

Whom Would You Name to the Senate?

Understand, Blago is bent on self-destruction. But also he’s a man of surprise. If you were Blago, what would you do?

The easiest thing to do is to name that old buzzard Emil Jones. He’d fit right in with Ted Stevens (too bad Stevens won’t be around). But Emil would find a fast friend with Bobby Byrd the ex-Klansman. They’d put race aside to grovel in earmarks up to their armpits. No, that would be too predictable for Blago to do.

Blago’s prime enemy is U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald. So name Fitzgerald to the Senate to get him out of the way. Naw. Fitzgerald is too canny to take the job.

Another irritant may be U. S. Rep. Jesse Jackson, Jr. who is hustling the media and everyone else to get named to the job. In fact, he has transgressed the line of decorum…is absolutely slobbering over the job. What would you do if you were Blago and you wanted to have some fun? Name Sandi Jackson, Jackson’s wife and alderman, a lawyer in her own right, to the job and watch the fur fly. They’d arrive in Domestic Relations Court in short order.

You are Blago and you worry about Lisa Madigan running against you in 2010. Name her to the Senate. She probably wouldn’t take it. Her poppa would forbid it, saving her to run for governor. Then name poppa. No good. Although Mike Madigan would be the most laconic lawmaker since Blind Tom O’Brien served in the House.

How about that burr under Blago’s saddle Pat Quinn? Now HE’D TAKE IT. You betcha. Quinn has been salivating for higher office since he and his brother started that misnomer the “Coalition for Political Honesty” which under the duplicitous rubric that it would reduce numbers in the House set up the Big 4 leadership and made everyone else mushrooms. Do you know how holy he looks when he lies—which is just about all the time? Look at his eyes when he’s rolling them…saying that “the peeepul” have to get this and that? Those sanctimonious eyes look like they’re going to pop out of his head when he’s straining, the veins standing out on his forehead to affect sincerity. But there’s also a look of guilt in them: some still residual in that old con. He seems in pain when he lies. Looks like that statue of Saint Sebastian in the Vatican basement shot full of arrows, gritting his teeth and suffering—offering it up.

Suppose he would name Michelle Obama? That’d be a true Blago whacked out decision. Take everyone by surprise. He’d get the blacks back with that.

Name Mike Flannery of Channel 2. He’s earned it and he’d take it and he’d be so happy to vote straight party-line to support Barack. A better choice would be Eric Zorn who’s earned it too…but he’d bore the hell out of us by making distinctions. Also he’d have to bring Mary Schmich along to help him sort out the variegated ethical niceties…the kind without absolutes, of course.

A public service to public television would be to name Joel Weisman—getting him out of WTTW…thus creating a Jewish seat—the first in state history. He’d take it too. One thing: you’d have a grinner there—a grimacer, actually…in contradistinction to Durbin who’s a frowner to make believe he’s engaged in such tiring hard work that is the people’s business.

Name Carol Marin of the “Sun-Times,” Channel 5 and Channel 11 whose earned it as well in a lifetime of hemophiliac service to liberal causes with never a break in lefty regularity. She too would take it in a minute. Can you imagine her in the Senate, its Mother Superior? Looking reproachfully at her colleagues…taking the floor to pronounce “icky poo” on pragmatism and shaking a manicured forefinger to those who are cutting deals?

Republicans should hope he names Neil Steinberg. Brash, loud, anti-Catholic, erratic. Obnoxious who’d tell everybody how he stopped drinking. He’d take it and as such even the moribund GOP would have a chance against him.

Too bad Andy Greeley is sick. He’d be a natural choice. He’d take it in spades and become the best wheeler-dealer there age 80 or not, immaculate in his black suit and roman collar. A true Cardinal Richelieu. No, Wolsey? Maybe. Naw—Archbishop Cranmer more appropriately. Chuck Schumer would have a devil of a time getting to the TV cameras as Andy stepped between them and the sage of New York. Andy’d have great fun in service of dissent. The Pope said priests should not hold public office which even got Fr. Drinan to quit. Not Andy. (I pray for Andy every day at Mass…did so even when he was well. Or appeared to be well).