Bill Kassel's Blog

Occasional reflections on things that come into my mind — plus links to episodes of my radio show / podcast, “Free Expression”

Faith & Religion

God’s Country

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WE NEED TO PROCLAIM
OUR TRUE CHARACTER

The Supreme Court decision negating Roe v. Wade has breathed new life into an old canard, namely that people are being forced into submitting to Christian doctrine.

All the familiar clichés associated with the abortion issue are, more or less, based on that premise: the silly cry of “Keep your Bible off my ovaries!” … those stupid red robes and cone-shaped bonnets from “The Handmaid’s Tale” … and the rest.

You needn’t be particularly concerned with abortion, either. I encounter self-proclaimed atheists and agnostics who seem to live in terror of being rousted out of bed in the middle of the night by agents of a new Christian Inquisition. Maybe as kids they all had really scary Sunday schools teachers, but the mere existence of churches taps into some primal fear of compulsory devotion.

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Radio Days

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A PIPELINE FOR TRUTH
AND A DEFENSE OF RIGHTS

I hope that you, dear readers, can forgive my laxity in tending this blog.

Since my radio show, “Free Expression,” moved from a monthly to a weekly schedule, my days are kept pretty full arranging, conducting, and editing interviews, then compiling episodes.

A definite shift in my priorities has taken place. But the way things are going in post-Trump America, I think my energies are directed usefully.

This country has entered a very uneasy period in its history.

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High Anxiety

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CATHOLIC BUSINESSES SENSE
THE CANCEL-CULTURE DANGER

Assessing opinions among any group can be difficult.

Even if that group has a common characteristic — such as religious identity — there can still be wide variations in awareness and sentiment from individual to individual.

Sometimes, however, you get a strong feeling about the overall direction of their current thinking, collectively. Such an occasion was my recent involvement in the Catholic Marketing Network’s “Momentum” industry expo event.

CMN is the trade association of Catholic bookstore operators, publishers, and vendors of religious items. A wide array of apostolates and specialized faith ministries also participate in the organization. And as technology plays an ever-larger role in religious communication, so do broadcasters, video producers, and online media developers.

I was at this year’s CMN event representing Good Shepherd Catholic Radio, producer / distributer of my weekly talk show, “Free Expression” (for which I obtained a number of interviews while I was there). I also chaired a panel discussion on a timely topic: resisting censorship, cancelation, and de-platforming.

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Praying in Brotherhood

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THE UNITY WE NEED NOW
FACES A POSSIBLE THREAT

Social Networks are abuzz with speculation that Pope Francis plans to impose restrictions on where, when, or under what circumstances the Traditional Latin Mass can be offered. While the specifics remain unknown, TLM devotees are bracing themselves for a serious blow to their spiritual lives.

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Remembering Once Again

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MY SONG ABOUT
THE LAST SUPPER

The first of my original song lyrics I posted after starting this blog focused on a key event of the Easter Triduum: the Last Supper. (I have reposted it in years since.)

The song was bit of conjecture about what one of the apostles (perhaps John?) might have thought looking back from a few years after. I wrote it as an Easter meditation piece, and have performed it many times at Holy Thursday services.

Give the lyrics a read, and have a blessed Easter…

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My Skeptical Friend

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PEOPLE MUST RECOGNIZE
THAT CENSORSHIP IS REAL

A dear friend, someone with whom I go way back, and who comments frequently on my blog posts, recently expressed skepticism about my remarks addressing online censorship.

He’s a very imaginative writer himself, whose creativity I respect (and with whom I’ve collaborated in the past). But we have — How shall I put it? — different worldviews. And so he dismissed my concerns as a “food fight,” and asked, “Who is banning books?”

I understand that the media which this friend (and many other people) follow aren’t inclined to pay close attention to the cancelling of works by rightward thinkers. So I shouldn’t assume that everybody is aware of the censorship issue, even though it’s certainly not made up.

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The Bottom Line

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FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION IS
OUR MOST BASIC LIBERTY

My last post — about the Dr. Seuss controversy — stirred considerable interest. Quite a few people followed my link, from Facebook in particular, and then shared their thoughts (some of which I included under that post).

An air of absurdity has gathered around this situation, compounded by criticisms of Pepé Le Pew, Speedy Gonzales, the Muppets, Mr. Potato Head, and other characters once considered kid-friendly and downright lovable.

For the most part, reader comments reflect a general skepticism about the assertion that stories and drawings enjoyed by children for generations should now be considered offensive.

The meme above, currently circulating on social media, captures an irony to which I alluded when I compared the Dr. Seuss objections with protests of a raunchy ’80s TV show, “Married…with Children.”

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Focusing on Freedom

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MY BLOG & RADIO SHOW NOW
HAVE A SPECIAL EMPHASIS

It’s been fascinating to watch Leftists move from championing free speech back in the ’60s, to their self-anointing as gatekeepers of acceptable opinion. The consequence of this evolution, of course, has been marginalizing views that don’t comport fully with Progressivist theories and politics.

People who seek a variety of opinions to ponder in making up their own minds have to work at finding information sources that aren’t all in leftward lockstep. Much to their surprise, a lot of these folks have discovered that Catholic Radio is one such source.

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