The following comes from an Aug. 27 story by Ruben Navarette in the Sacramento Bee.
Many Latino lawmakers have nicknames. In California, we continue the tradition. Often times, we call them “defendant.”
In a state where Latinos make up more than 38 percent of the population, it’s shameful to see Latino legislators act as if the rules don’t apply to them. With reckless ways and questionable behavior, it’s no surprise that some wind up booked and fingerprinted.
The newest member of that club is state Sen. Ben Hueso, who was arrested on suspicion of drunken driving last week near the state Capitol in Sacramento. California Highway Patrol officers said they saw the Democrat from San Diego driving a state vehicle the wrong way down a one-way street. The legislator showed “objective signs and symptoms” of being under the influence of alcohol, was given a field sobriety test and got booked into the county jail at about 3:30 a.m.
You would think that those called to lead would have the common sense to call a taxi.
Hueso doesn’t drink alone. A few hours earlier, he was photographed, shirt untucked, on a balcony in the Capitol reveling with four other Democratic members of the Latino Caucus. All the merry men appear to be singing and have drinks in hand. One of them – Assemblyman V. Manuel Pérez – told a newspaper they were drinking tequila.
Naturally. If you’re going to make a fool of yourself, and embarrass your community, you should stay true to your culture.
Mind you, this was only the after-party. Earlier, the Latino legislators and another two dozen of their colleagues from the Latino Caucus had feasted on what Pérez called a “nice dinner” at an Italian restaurant, where – according to another photo – wine was served with the meal.
What’s with all the pictures? Are these lawmakers proud of behaving like college kids?
And why were the legislators celebrating to begin with? Did they just write and pass some important piece of legislation to serve Latino constituents by improving education, expanding health care, preserving the environment or creating jobs?
No, that would be too much work – and bear too much of a resemblance to leadership. The caucus was celebrating because it was time to say goodbye to departing members, including Pérez.
At least one caucus member might be saying goodbye for a long time. In February, state Sen. Ron Calderon was handed a 24-count federal indictment. Calderon allegedly accepted $100,000 worth of bribes, trips and cushy jobs for his children in exchange for pushing legislation that benefited a hospital engaged in billing fraud and participated in a film industry tax scheme that was really an FBI sting. Calderon, who has denied wrongdoing and refused to resign, was suspended in March.
I’ve written about Latino lawmakers for a quarter-century, not only in California but also in Texas and Arizona. And stories like these still disappoint me.
The legislators usually wind up far removed from the constituency they’re supposed to represent. The chasm is made wider by their arrogance, the feeling that they’re something special. Many seem astonished that they’ve gotten this far in life. So, as with many other elected officials, the goal becomes simply to get re-elected. This means steering away from controversial subjects and not challenging the powerful, and so they rarely get anything done. One day, they’ll retire, and no one will remember them.
Here’s what people shouldn’t forget. Latinos no longer have the luxury of putting up with misbehavior and mediocrity from those they elect to represent them. Under siege over immigration, underserved by both parties, and underwater when it comes to educational attainment, economic prosperity and political power, America’s largest minority needs serious leadership provided by serious people. Those who aren’t serious ought to be bounced from office.
When he was released from jail, Hueso initially told reporters that he planned to “pursue (his) innocence.” Less than an hour later, he issued a statement apologizing for “unacceptably poor personal judgment” and taking “complete personal responsibility for my actions.”
Speaking of poor judgment, there is one more actor in this telenovela. It was Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez, who took the photo of the five amigos – including Hueso – drinking and singing on the Capitol balcony. She then proudly posted the photo on Twitter at 11:19 p.m., with the caption: “Loving my Latino Caucus boys.” The next morning, after word got out that Hueso had been arrested, the love was gone – and the photo deleted from the legislator’s Twitter account. Gonzalez spent the rest of the day ducking reporters.
To read original Navarette story, click here
To read Aug. 22 story in San Diego Reader where Gonzalez tweet first reported, click here.
To see Hueso’s hosting of Planned Parenthood event, click here.
To see Planned Parenthood event for Lorena Gonzalez, click here.
To see Manuel Perez’s and Ron Calderon’s 100% rating from Planned Parenthood, click here.
Catholic politicians who support the intrinsic evils of: Abortion, Euthanasia, Contraception, same-sex marriage, contraception, and cloning are not only embarrassing to Faithful Catholics, but help send Souls to Hell.
The embarrassment to the Latino Community should be the complete failures of their legislators to act against abortion, homosexual marriage, unlawful immigration, and related insults to America. Instead, Latinos are almost always “born again Democrats” that cannot do enough to act against the Catholic Church (or the evangelical sect to which many of them belong), and the fortunes of their own people. Yet, you Latino voters keep sending these morally offensive people to represent you. Why? Ultimately, you get what you pay for, so the sympathy levels are pretty low here on Olympus.
May I suggest that “the complete failures of their legislators to act…” results from the fact that we give minorities handouts and various other forms of special treatment without any accountability or any incentive to use the help they get to climb out of their dependency and become self-sufficient productive people. That leads to bad things. One of the bad things is that the recipients soon come to think they are “entitled” to what they get. That explains why people have been on welfare for decades. Another bad thing is that the tax-payers get tired of paying ever higher taxes to support these handouts and seeing no results – in fact seeing the situation get worse.
Democrat party policy is to promote welfare and other schemes that create dependencies, “give them stull” so that democrat politicians will be re-elected and continue to “represent” their dependents, meanwhile enjoying the good life as depicted in the article above.
All that is bad enough. But what riles all responsible Catholics even more is that the Catholic bishops of California fully support these hair-brained schemes and handouts. Not only that. They are willing to let pro-abortion “Catholic” politicians off the hook and never challenge them to be pro life so long as said politicians will vote for more and more funding for their “social gospel” undertakings. The bishops’ failure to challenge those rabidly pro-abortion, pro-euthanasia, pro-every perversion you could mention is scandalous. It is demoralizing in the extreme to faithful Catholics.
Our bishops must realize that charity today is not simply doling out money to everyone who has less of it than what we would consider adequate. It also involves challenging the recipients to use the help they get responsibly.
Many years ago, Father Malachi Martin told me personally that the Catholic Church is dying, and that there would be an underground remnant. The figures cannot lie: Catholic institutions are closing and disappearing rapidly. The town where I live has four Catholic Churches. Each one in the past had at least two priests, and all four parishes had Catholic grade schools with nuns teaching all the students. Every Sunday there was standing room only at all the Masses. There even was a Catholic high school. That has closed, there are two priests who serve all four churches, only one grammar school, and one ‘sister’ who thinks she is a deaconess. The majority of the population was Catholic, and from Poland. Today, the people with Polish surnames are no longer Catholic, and know nothing about Christianity, let alone Catholicism. There are some people moving here from the Philippines, but the vast majority have abandoned Holy Mother Church as soon as they reached the United States. The same is true about the Latinos who are coming here from Mexico and Central/South America. Is it no wonder why most of these immigrants are pro abortion? Look at Nancy P, J Brown and other California elected officials. Since the Church has never criticized their pro-death and anti marriage stance, why should other Catholics not share the same heretical view. As Catholics we were all once united. We believed all the Church taught, and practiced our faith with love and devotion.This has all changed. When the past bishops of this diocese told Catholics they should go to Protestant services on Sunday, and invited the non-Catholics to attend Mass and receive Holy Communion, this showed the people that there was NO difference between Catholics and Protestants.
Those bishops should not have done that.
Father Karl, please pray especially the Rosary and Eucharistic Adoration. The Chaplet of Mercy, also.
Invite your parishioners and all you come in contact with to do so also. Pass rosaries out and rosary booklets. Some Catholics do not even know how to say it.
I am not trying to tell you what to do. I just know that these things turned around my parish, the neighboring parishes and the whole diocese.
Pray for your brother priests. Pray for vocations. The other thing is Marian consecration. Just keep praying and say very little and watch the miracles come. Leave it to Our Lady.
We may end up as a small church with only few dedicated believers. We may end up underground. It does not matter.
Are you allowed to travel? or take vacation? The Church is like that in certain areas but it is growing like a mustard seed elsewhere.
The Lord has placed you where you are for a reason. You are the salt of the earth, you are the light of the world. Be a faithful priest in all things and you will bear fruit as long as you stay connected to the Vine.
Father Karl, there are many Catholic churches in our area. We have everything from the traditional approved Latin Mass, more traditional newer Mass in the vernacular and those with Extraordinary minsters. The more traditional churches, whether older or newer, are the ones that teach Natural Family Planning for those who must use it for good reason. In the more liberal Catholic churches, I suspect, there is wider use of the birth control pill and more deaths or medical problems from female cancers. Also, there are more affairs among Catholics outside the church in such an environment and people stay out because of a divorce, or to find a partner in another church. Let’s be honest here. There has always been a lot of “church hopping” among denominations to find a new partner after a divorce. I have known and heard of more Catholics all of a sudden going to other churches after they get a divorce and settling on the one where they found their new wife or husband. That is something many people do not want to discuss. Sounds cynical, but at my age I have seen and heard just about it all.
“…When the past bishops of this diocese told Catholics they should go to Protestant services on Sunday, and invited the non-Catholics to attend Mass and receive Holy Communion, this showed the people that there was NO difference between Catholics and Protestants.”
A chain is only as strong as its weakest link and, sadly, the weak links have often been those in leadership positions. Betrayal from the top down. And much like children, people will follow the example they see, not just what is written or ‘said’ to be true. But the Church is imitating Christ in His passion yes?
God bless you, Fr. Karl!
Father Karl, you are exactly right on everything you said. The last 5 + decades have seen the erosion of the Catholic faith here in California and throughout the world. As Pope Paul VI, famously stated, the smoke of Satan has entered the Sanctuary. We are seeing diabolical horrors, especially in regards to the heretical novelties in the liturgy. The “ecu-mania” the post V-II modernists are so enamored with has done nothing but undermine centuries of sound Catholic teaching and doctrine. As for this article, the same Latino politicians highlighted are the same ones the bishops cozy up to despite decades of anti-Catholic positions vis a vis abortion, contraception, homo-unions and “social justice”. Domine miserere nobis. +JMJ+
as a young person growing up in Compton, Ca.,us Catholics had many tackle football games against non-catholics…we were constantly being ridiculed about our faith…we stuck together…stood up for our CATHOLIC FAITH…..
There is a new book out that tells about research done on why people left the church: YOUNG CATHOLIC AMERICA: EMERGING ADULTS IN, OUT OF, AND GONE FROM THE CHURCH
By Christian Smith, Kyle Longest, Jonathan Hill and Kari Christofferson
Published by Oxford University Press, $29.95. You and others may find it interesting. Other research (done years ago) showed that the average age of growing churches needs to be 34 years old, or the parish will die. I look around each Sunday and notice that people 35 and younger are a big minority. The place is full of old people. At least one person who post here on a regular basis can’t wait for the old people to die off so that the church can return to the old ways. The problem is that when we are all gone there will be no one to replace us. We need to get to the young people Fr. Karl. Whatever we are doing now doesn’t seem to be working very well.
I continue to be pleasantly surprised at the teens, and young families attending the EF (Latin) Mass. All receiving the Body and Blood of our Lord on the tongue while kneeling. dressed modestly, etc.
And the girls are wearing mantillas.
The FSSP Priests are young also.
God bless them all.
“Good for him. I would have no sense of judgment on him. God bless ya. The same Bible that tells us, that teaches us about the virtues of chastity and the virtue of fidelity and marriage also tells us not to judge people. So, I would say, ‘Bravo.'”
I guess that means we can stop spending billions for the justice system, empty our jails and prisons, fire all the judges. Heaven! All those lawyers would be out of business because there would be no one to defend. The “stop judging” mantra started around the same time as Vatican II. I do not blame that Council which only reaffirmed our Sacred Doctrines, but the people, lay and priests, who took the opportunity to push their own agenda-the smoke of Satan. We cannot judge the state of one’s soul, but we must judge behavior that is morally wrong. Being on the taxpayer dole makes one responsible to his constituents to pass just laws. And yes, it is time for Hispanic bishops and priests to begin teaching the truth to immigrants: The Democratic party espouses abortion as a “right.” Also, schedule confessions frequently, every day, as some Faithful priests have done. Teach the TRUTH on marriage, and chastity before marriage, NFP after. Teach “theology of the body” especially to teens, who are too willing to engage in sex and end up in abortion clinics or raising children alone.
REGARDING JESUS’s words on JUDGING –
Please re-read the Bible rather than quoting errors from others.
Regarding “judging” JESUS said: ” Do not judge by appearances, but judge with right judgment”. Jn 7:24.
JESUS also said to take the log out of our own eye and THEN you will see clearly to taking the speck out of our neighbor’s eye; and that we will be judged by the measure with which we are judged. Lk 6:37-42; and Mt 7:1-5.
JESUS told us to get our own lives in order FIRST. He never told us not to make judgments. God did not make us mindless idiots.
Misquoting JESUS’s words is a peeve of mine.
Allie, perhaps some people do have their own lives in order and are not just judging by appearances. Perhaps some people have seen this kind of behavior over and over again, and the train wreck it has caused in some children’s lives.
And Allie, I do not know if these particular politicians are having affairs but plenty of Californian men do. That is why they are so gung ho for abortion — to get rid of any evidence left. I do know one thing. That is if some female politician were to call my husband one of her boys while partying with them, I would be offended.
Anne T., mine was in response to the error re “not judging” in another’s post.
This is me. Allie is the name I go by.
Cindy, I am not sure, but I think Juergensen is joking or wrote it “tongue in check” as he wrote the exact “Do not judge” post in quotations on another article, and he has approved making just judgments at times in his other posts. . Perhaps he can inform us as to what he means by his “Do not judge post” if he sees this. Also, see my apology to you yesterday at 5:55 pm.
My apologies, Allie. I mislead some of your post. Your post is right. I failed to read the last lines correctly. My glasses give me a problem at times when I look out of them a certain way.
Is this what now passes for “manhood” in the Latino community? Sorry, I think the bishops should already have their hands full trying to reform those already here and have no business encouraging the current illegal influx..
It seems as if these “gentlemen” are quite a bit like their boss, President Obama. While Rome burns Nero fiddles. They will not even notice anything until the barbarians are at the gates to take away all the goodies — sports, wine and women among them. It looks to me by some of their behavior that some of the women will gladly go with some of the “barbarians” since they are Lorena Gonzalez’s boys not their wives”s. After all, the Eastern icons look more like a Jesus carpenter than some Catholic ones do.
My apologies, I really should not have expressed the last two sentences of my previous post in that matter. What Lorena Gonzalez said was tacky to say the least, though.
Ruben Navarette writes, “Naturally. If you’re going to make a fool of yourself, and embarrass your community, you should stay true to your culture.”
Mr. Navarette, these politicians embarrass themselves and ANYONE who was foolish enough to vote for them! What do you mean by “your community”? Does not state Senator Ben Hueso represent ALL Californians? Wouldn’t you think that if someone in, let’s say Ohio heard about the low life behavior amongst some of California’s representatives, he would say something like, “Californian’s get what they vote for!”?
What do you mean by, “you should stay true to your culture”? Are you referring to one of the corrupt cultures like those of Mexico, Guatemala, Columbia, or China? If this is what you are referring to, then it seems to me that Mr. Hueso and his corrupt cohorts ARE staying ‘true’ to one of those various cultures.
If we Californians wish to feel proud, then we should start by electing virtuous representatives. Virtue is an attribute of the soul, not the genes.
No Catholic should support any politician because of his or her race, ancestory, color or language.
This is discrimination. Discrimination is a sin. CCC #1935.
Catholics may not vote for any politician/candidate who supports any of the INTRINSIC EVILs of:
Abortion, Euthanasia, Contraception, Same-sex marriage, Embryonic Stem Cell Research, or Cloning.
In fact, you may not be able to receive HOLY COMMUNION if you do.
“Worthiness to Receive Holy Communion – General Principles” – Cardinal Ratzinger (Pope Benedict)
https://www.priestsforlife.org/magisterium/bishops/04-07ratzingerommunion.htm
There is nothing proportionate in the USA today to the murder of approx. 1 Million innocents annually.
Abortion + Sodomy = Two Sacraments of the Democratic Party
All Bishops in the USA have to learn that regardless of national origin, very few will remain Catholic without proper catechesis over one or two generations.
1. – Does anyone know why most US Bishops refuse to encourage literate persons within their Diocese to read both the Bible and the ‘Catechism of the Catholic Church, Second Edition’ at home ?
Both are available in many languages.
“….the CATECHISM has raised throughout the world, even among non-Christians, and confirms its purpose of being presented as a full, complete exposition of Catholic doctrine, enabling everyone to know what the Church professes, celebrates, lives, and prays in her daily life.” – Pope John Paul II (CCC pg xiv)
“….. let us ask ourselves if we have actually taken a few steps to get to know Christ and the truths of faith more, by reading and meditating on the Scriptures, studying the Catechism, steadily approaching the Sacraments.” Pope Francis, May 15, 2013.
2. – Why do these Bishops ignore the teaching of our Faith – which is their prime responsibility ?
3. Is this lack of teaching the Faith as determined by the Magisterium a Mortal Sin ?
https://www.churchmilitant.tv/daily/?today=2014-08-29
Bob One, in the 60’s, when the Catholic Church was updating herself by getting rid of centuries old practices, we saw many young people leaving the Church and joining the Buddhist and Hindu religions, as well as other pagan beliefs including the hippie movement. Despite what modernists say, people are attracted to the mystery of the Catholic Church., and that is why, when much of the mystery was taken away, people went in search of things that could only be believed by faith. When religion is watered down, and made so simple that even a nursery school child could understand, people leave. Our young adults want to be challenged and to be able to find a contrast between what happens at Mass, and what takes place in mall, factories and city streets. When we look at the traditional movement, it is mostly young people with families who attend the TLM. The older generation, one that is often called the ‘burned out hippies’ craves novelty, innovation, and the avantgarde, and detests the pre-counciliar Church. As you pointed out, when the older generation dies out, hopefully more traditional practices will resume in the Church, and fill in the hiatus that has been responsible for vast numbers of Catholics leaving Holy Mother Church.
Yes Father, but we will go kicking and screaming! People didn’t leave the church because the mystery was gone. They left because of the mystery. I was there. Salvation does not come from rituals that are mysteries, from incense or fancy costumes. It comes from a belief so simple that is so simple that even a nursery school child could understand. Jesus died for my sins. If I live a sinless life I will go to heaven. If I believe in Jesus Christ and believe that he is my savior, present in the elements at Mass, I will go to heaven. Some think that I will have to take a detour along the path, but I will still make it. Why complicate redemption? The Pope says that we should be a church that welcomes people in, not build walls to keep them out.
“…They left because of the mystery. I was there.” So were many others, Bob One. And, from my experience, you’re wrong for a great many people.
That could be, however, because some approach mystery in different ways. Some when confronted with a mystery, just leave it alone, rejecting anything that requires time, study, contemplation, etc. They have no taste for the spiritual or the quest to understand. They want Reader’s Digest condensed for they have no patience for the whole book. And if only offered the book, they deride the story so as to deflect from their own unwillingness to read it. Much of what you dismiss, however, has meaning that young folks are just learning about and appreciating.
Embracing the fullness of the mystery of Faith, including that which can only be contemplated for it is so perpetually challenging that it can never be fully grasped by purely natural means, is not building walls. It’s being honest. And it is just such depth and beauty that keeps folks learning, trying, praying etc because the mystery is ongoing and calls to our higher nature. Even a child can grasp the necessity of showing respect for one’s parent instead of treating them like a peer.
Father Karl, I did notice many years ago that when chant, meditation and such things as the Rosary and Jesus Prayer were discourage in some Catholic churches, many Catholic young people did turn to Buddhist chant and so forth. I said to one traditionalist lady a few years ago, “When Gregorian chant went out the front door, Buddhist chant came in the back door.” Gregorian chant from what I have heard also originally came to us by way of the Jewish Temple. It has a lot of similarity to the chants that the Lord and his apostles used in the temple, and when they chanted Psalms in such places as the Upper Room. Only our chant is in Latin, but it has the middle eastern tone. I once heard Catholic chanting in Laotian, and it sounded so much like Gregorian chant.
Also, a few years ago a Gregorian chant tape by some Catholic monks was on the top of the charts in the secular world. I think I still have it. Chant is now on CDs.