Townhall.com, Where Your Opinion Counts
Talk Radio:   Bill Bennett   Mike Gallagher   Dennis Prager   Michael Medved   Hugh Hewitt   
BREAKING NEWS  LeftArrow - Townhall.com : Conservative, Political, Republican   RightArrow - Townhall.com : Conservative, Political, Republican  
Columns, funnies & more in your inbox!
Login | What's Hot
Friday, April 11, 2008
John McCaslin :: Townhall.com Columnist
Pope's Left Turn
by John McCaslin
Forward Print Share Single Page
Vote on It:
Average Vote:
[+] Text [-]
 
 
Poll
Who won Tuesday's presidential debate?


We're just days away from the arrival of Pope Benedict XVI, whose busy schedule includes a conversation with President Bush and celebrating both Mass and his 81st birthday.

Rep. Thaddeus McCotter, Michigan Republican, says he's been hearing too many "inane questions" about how the pope will be received by the American people. He counters that Americans of every faith understand the pope's role and the purpose of his visit, especially during these "trying times."

"You know, I remember back when I was growing up there was a movie," he says, "called 'A Hard Day's Night.' This was at the height of Beatlemania, and the Beatles had obviously been wildly popular and well-received when they first hit our shores. And yet in the movie, there is a scene where a reporter, seemingly unaware of this, asked John Lennon a question.

"And the question was this: 'How did you find America?'

"And Lennon said, 'I turned left at Greenland.' "

Radio platforms

That was former Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney guest-hosting yesterday for radio legend Paul Harvey, whose broadcasts are heard locally on NewsTalk 630 WMAL.

"You know, Ronald Reagan did a radio show after losing the nomination to Gerald Ford," WMAL president and general manager Chris Berry reminds Inside the Beltway.

Indeed, between his 1975 campaign against Mr. Ford and his victory over President Jimmy Carter in 1980, Mr. Reagan delivered more than 1,000 three-minute radio broadcasts, most of which he wrote himself.

As for Mr. Romney's on-air talent?

"Governor Romney is a natural, and I think he did a terrific job filling in for Paul," Mr. Berry says. "His delivery of the news was very easygoing and polished, and based on what I'm hearing, he really connected with our audience."

Lost and found

Good news from the U.S. Postal Service: After two weeks of being lost in the registered mail, the cremated remains of Thomas R. DeKay have been found, but not before his internment with U.S. military honors was postponed last Friday at Quantico National Cemetery. Continued...
1 2
| Full Article & Comments | Next >
Share:
Forward Print Single Page
Vote on It:
Average Vote:
 
About The Author

John McCaslin is a contributing columnist on Townhall.com and author of Inside The Beltway: Offbeat Stories, Scoops, and Shenanigans from around the Nation's Capital .

Be the first to read John McCaslin's column. Sign up today and receive Townhall.com delivered each morning to your inbox.

Join The Debate!

Post Your Comment
(20 comments so Far)
View in ascending order     View in descending order
Reply # 1
Date: Apr 14, 2008 - 1:47 AM EST
Subject: To Rich D ...
Catholics in the US are much more successful, economically, than WASPs. Very patriotic, too. South American countries have had much less trouble with fully-integrating descendants of African slaves into their societies because, in Catholic theology, the soul of the slave is entitled to a higher place in heaven than the soul of the master. Whereas in the US's protestant-based social ethos, the slave was considered only 'property'... no soul involved. Further, abortion is outlawed in Catholic countries in South & Central America, which may result in economic constraint to a degree. But whether a higher standard-of-living built on the 'freedom' of women to abort for economic reasons is 'progress' remains to be seen. Most western societies are not replacing themselves demographically.
I have visited & lived in 'Catholic' countries. One thing I notice... the folks are much happier than the average American.
Flag as Offensive

Reply # 2
Date: Apr 13, 2008 - 4:03 PM EST
Re: Rich D
Sorry for the delay, soometimes it takes a while for me to come up with an answer that has meaning.

You asked, "What do you mean by imposing? In countries where RC is the preponderant and dominant religion, liberty is scarce and economic conditions are quite substandard."

My reply, the Vatican has the most highly educated people in the world, are facing problems everywhere in the world, and I am confident they will eventually figure it out. I don't ever argue hypotheticals. The statements I write have power because they are real events in our society of which everybody is aware and nobody can deny. Use them or lose them.

Why do countries like Mexico refuse to extradite prisoners to the US, accused of murder, unless we remove the possibility of capital punishment from the prosecution? Mexico has always had capital punishment for murderers.

If this moral cowardise is because they now have a misguided notion that it is unchristian to go to war, or execute murderers, or impose religion on all the sudents in all the schools, or to have my Italian Roman Catholic grandfather's paternalism over his wife and children, then it will be impossible for them to change these things and it will be a future generation that fixes it, and all you can do is honor the martyrs.

I can speak more to our situation in the US than the rest of the world. Let me ask this question. Do we have the problem of too much religion being imposed or too little religion imposed? My answer is more young people know he ingrediients of the Big Mac than know the Ten Commandments. We have too little traditional religion and morality imposed, and this is due to us expecting too much liberty. It will result in tribalism like our college mascots for the successful and street gangs for the losers.
Flag as Offensive
Sign Up to Post Your CommentsSign Up to Post Your Comments
If you are already registered, click here to login. Otherwise, please take a few seconds to register with Townhall.com. Once you sign up, you’ll be able to post your comments immediately, use the action center, get podcasts, and more!
Note: Fields marked with a red asterisk (*) are required.
Salutation:
First Name:
*
Last Name:
*
Email:
*
Nickname:
*
Note: Nick name will be shown when you post comments.
Address 1:
*
Address 2:
City:
 *
State:
 *
Zip:
 *
Phone:
       
Your daily dose of conservative columns, editorial cartoons, talk radio, news, and more!
(Bi-Weekly) We highlight the best opportunities from our partners for surveys, action items and more.