The Gadfly “To persuade and reproach� - Socrates, The Apology
Vol. XI, Iss. II September 22, 2009
Free Your Mind Whether we admit it or not, most of us have been manipulated by propaganda, coercion and fear to adopt certain attitudes deemed appropriate by the "liberal intelligentsia". If we submit to these ideas and attitudes we are considered politically correct. If we refuse, we are politically incorrect. Chances are that if you are not willfully resisting the strong current of political correctness, you are living according to its mandates. Its influences are strong like the rapids of a river; only those who resist it will not be
swept up. This is not to say that many do not willfully adopt the attitudes of political correctness, but it is to say that it is the "spirit of the times", or the "default position." Political correctness is an offense against truth. It pressures us through fear to say what is clearly untrue, or to avoid saying what clearly is true. This intimidation is perhaps nowhere so full grown as in the classrooms of most universities. In Dinesh D'Souzas book, Letters to a Young Conservative, he gives
three major issues that are dominated by the fear and pressure of political correctness, namely issues of race, feminism, and homosexuality. For example, many college students are taught by there professors that America must still be a racist nation because a disproportionate number of young black males are in trouble with the law than young white males. If a student was to suggest that perhaps this is so because young black males commit more violent crimes than young white males, (Continued on page 4)
A Higher Calling I know that men studying for the priesthood are already pretty hard core, but I would like to ask them to consider adding a greater sacrifice to their vocation. I ask them to consider becoming a military chaplain. Before you ask if I moonlight as a recruiter, let me just say that the American Armed Forces are experiencing a dearth of priests at this moment, especially the Air Force. Right now, there are only 40 priests in the entire U.S Air Force. This is in a community of 327,452! In fact, there are few to no priests in stateside bases. Almost all of them are
deployed in overseas assignments, many of them downrange. At my home base of Ramstein in Germany, we have two priests, one of whom is usually deployed to Iraq, serving four parishes. Our soldiers in combat zones are especially suffering from this lack of priests. Many airmen have gone three months without hearing Mass or receiving the Eucharist, let alone confession. Can you imagine being in a life or death situation without having heard Mass in three months? When my father served in Sarajevo, he went to Mass at a Croatian monastery. Soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan do not have this option.
Many of us here at Franciscan claim to be anti-war, and maybe joining the military would be contrary to your values. But frankly everyone is anti-war, especially soldiers, and they need the Sacraments just like you. When you become a priest, your bishop has to okay your joining the military, so this is not entirely your decision. But please consider the military and ask your bishop about it when you become ordained. Just remember to join the Air Force. You want to be with the smart people, don’t you? ~G.L.
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St. Clare, pray for us!
Staff: Michael J. Ruszala (M.R.) Amanda LaMuro (A.M.) Tony Leccecce (T.L.) Emilyn Haremza (E.H.) Liz Norton (D.T.A.) Layout Editor: Rosalie Doudna (R.D.) Business Manager: Charles Pobee-Mensah (C.P.M.) Editor in Chief: Gillian LaMuro (G.L.) ** Please note that the views held in the individual articles do not necessarily express the views of the whole staff. **
Interested in joining our staff? Email us at notestothegadfly@gmail.com
~Mission Statement~ The Gadfly is an attempt to “bite the sleeping horse” in the spirit of Socrates. It is a student publication whose purpose is to facilitate discussion concerning campus and cultural issues as they pertain to students of Franciscan University. It aims to be a forum for open, well-thought out, and honest discussion towards the end of knowing and loving truth in its most robust sense.
Advisor: Dr. John White Advisor Extraordinaire
Look, here’s the thing The way the world works today is very, very wrong. We all know that. To paraphrase that notable sage, Noel Gallagher: we all know life is terrible; there is no reason to keep singing about it. But what do we do to change this miserable world? Well, little grasshopper, there are two paths before you. Only one of these paths can be the right one for you and only you can choose. Path A: You can complain about it. You can take the Radiohead path and whine about the injustices in the world and annoy the pants off those around you. Path B: You can write funny articles about it! Yes, this is a possibility! You can write funny articles about it and send it to the Gadfly for all the student body to read.
Okay, so you won’t dry up and turn into a skeleton if you do, as we say in the old country, “choose poorly,” but you will receive many nasty glares from a certain literary notable. Think of it as the parable of the talents. One man did nothing with his talents (i.e. complain about campus, but never, ever write to the Gadfly) and he was dealt with rather roughly. Something about wailing and gnashing of teeth, if I remember correctly. And then there was the one who used his talents well, (ie wrote for the Gadfly), and was well rewarded by a certain somebody. So basically what I am trying to say is: write for the Gadfly…or go to hell. Enjoy!
Embracing the Game System: How Catholicism Introduced Me to My Geeky Side Every day, I walk past Christ the King Chapel, cross myself, and smile. No, I’m not going in. I don’t have time. Class is over for the day. Time to go blow something up. No, no, not literally. I rather like this campus, and I don’t wish to be forcibly removed from it. At least not for improper use of explosives. Maybe for something else, something even more epic. But that is not this day. This day, I Brawl. For I am a female gamer: one of the valiant souls who dares brave the depths of Francis Hall, climb to its summit, and battle against the elite, all to the triumphant (and of-
ten bemused) proclamation of “Lady in the hall.” The ironic thing is, I never even saw it coming. Sure, in high school a lot of people called me a geek. But I didn’t think of myself that way. No, I was an intellectual. I didn’t play Dungeons and Dragons. I thought otaku was some kind of food. Heck, I had never even held a game controller. I was 100 percent n00b and I knew it. Then, somewhere along the line, I converted to Catholicism and wound up here: Franciscan University of Why-Did-I-Choose-ThisSchool-Over-Harvard. And I was transformed. Continued on page 7
St. Martha, pray for us!
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Catholic Conscience in the Public Square Here at Franciscan, cars are plastered with evangelistic and Pro-Life bumper stickers – and an occasional papal flag. Cars outside Franciscan are not always so fortunate. I recall one in particular languishing under an array of uncouth and misguided messages – stickers like this: “Church plus State equals Taliban,” “The Spanish Inquisition was a faith based initiative,” and “Let's keep theocracy out of our democracy.” Faith and politics is an important and heated topic. Whereas President Obama argues in Audacity to Hope that religion should not be allowed to seep into politics, Pope Benedict teaches in Caritas in Veritate that “adhering to the values of Christianity is not merely useful but essential for building a good society and for true integral human development” (no. 4). Perhaps at Franciscan, the idea that faith can speak to politics is not a hard sell. But perhaps we could use a better and clearer understanding of it. Begun in the days of Constantine and reinforced by Charlemagne, the Christendom project of church and state unity ultimately failed because of the frailty of human nature. Whereas the two were intended to freely govern in their own respective realms – spiritual and temporal (see John Laux's Church History) – in effect the one dominated the other, and the direction largely depended on force of personality or resources. After the Enlightenment, democracies in the West tended to emphasize the separation of church and state. Up to the mid 19th century, popes such as Gregory XVI looked unfavorably on
democracy partly because of its association with the bloody and irreligious French Revolution as well as because of the danger of placing truth on the same level with error for public vote. But by the late 19th century, Pope Leo XIII, taking principles from St. Thomas, taught that any form of government given the consent of the governed – even the French Republic – was to be considered a legitimate authority. He even encouraged French Catholics to become patriotic towards their new Republican government. Here in America, the Founding Fathers, in adopting the First Amendment prohibiting the U.S. Government from “respecting the establishment of religion, or forbidding the free exercise thereof,” did not intend a godless state, but simply one without an official religion. After all, the whole argument of the Declaration of Independence is unequivocally rooted in God as guarantor of
The Catholic Church today, in the development of thought on the freedom and the formation of conscience through Vatican II, does not so much desire a unity of church and state as it does a rise of lay Catholic politicians forming public policy through rational principles informed by a Christian conscience – conscience being a dictate of practical (moral) reason (see Vatican II's Dignitatis Humanae, Gaudium et Spes, and St. Thomas). There are three levels of action in the Church. The first is direct action of the hierarchy, which may rightly (Continued on next page)
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Have your say.
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Professor Quotes of the Week:
“Caesar having eaten his Wheaties, the soldiers were elated.” ~Dr. Joseph Almeda, on participles
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St. Radegunde, pray for us!
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he would be in grave danger of being called a racist and his comment would be dismissed as a stereotype, even though there is much evidence to support this claim. Thus, many students would be scared to even suggest it. Also, during class discussions on women in the military, it would be difficult for someone to bring up the relevant fact that women are not as physically strong as men, without being demonized as a sexist. During a dis-
cussion on AIDS, it would be very risky for someone in a liberal classroom to bring up the fact that it is much more prevalent among homosexuals. He would be considered of course a homophobe. Anyone who loves the truth and believes in the liberty to pursue the truth even if people get "offended" along the way, can see the danger in political correctness. No one ought to ever pressure us away from pursuing the truth. We must resist with all
that we have. We also ought not believe that because we are Catholic we are immune from political correctness. Sometimes our misguided desires to "love" and be "compassionate" can cause us to look away from the obvious inequalities and evils of certain groups so as to not offend anyone. We must love all men, but we must love them in the truth, for in truth we can love them properly. This is what Political correctness destroys. ~T.L
Pop Culture Seminar Quote:
“All those moments will be lost in time… like tears in the rain…” Blade Runner 1982
Did you hear about the black bear on campus this summer?
No, what about it?
It just appeared on the hill one day. It was Whoa, that’s huge! People pretty scary! saw it all over!
Yeah, but one day it just ran away. Almost Weird. I like something wonder what happened. chased it off.
“Tripod, Legendary Guardian of Our Campus”
-KCK
notestothegadfly@gmail.com
St. John, pray for us!
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Dear Emmie, Dear Readers, Another school year is upon us, summer is coming to an end, classes are starting, and the guys and gals of Franciscan are giddy with the possibility of finding their new flame this semester. So as I watch a bunch of you aimlessly wander around looking for Mr./Mrs. Right, I wish to provide you with some pearls of wisdom I believe will help on this endeavor. And pay attention because I’m pretty sure I’m about to correct some myths on campus. 1) Guys don’t be afraid to and make sure you use the word DATE. Saying “Hey you wanna watch a movie?” is NOT I repeat NOT asking a girl on a date. What if you’re already friends with her. Think about what will be going through her head. Does he like me, does he not like me, what does watch a movie mean? There seems to be a myth in the male community that women are scared by the word date. This is false. If a woman wants to date, the word does not scare her. And trust me, once a girl has reached a certain age, date isn’t even one of the scariest words she’ll hear. So guys repeat after me. “Would you like to go out on a date?” 2) Ladies, PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE, don’t be afraid to say
no. You are not going to kill him, he is not going to become a priest because of you, you are not going be the girl he hates for the rest of his life. IF YOU DO IT RIGHT. There’s never any reason to be cruel to anyone. And let’s face it, if you feel called to marriage, and are dating, there are going to be men who ask you out that you have no interest in whatsoever. So don’t freak out, a nice smile and a “No Thank You” is just fine. Every woman knows it’s easier said than done, but once you say no you are that much closer to finding the man you were really meant to be with. But remember Let your yes mean yes and your no no, so don’t gripe when he finds someone else. This is one of those things in life which is so much harder to say than do, but take it from someone who knows, saying no is a lot better than looking back and going “what was I thinking!?” 3) Guys, unless you are some sort of starving under-classesman PAY FOR A DATE. It’s not that hard and for goodness sakes let the girl see some effort! If she’s in college chances are good that she’s already been on a couple of dates, WHERE THE GUY PAID! And do you really wanna be the man that took her to the EXC!TE function? She’ll be all over that.
When she stops to ask herself the questions all smart Christian women ask themselves about the man they are dating I’m sure you’ll do just fine. “Will he be a good provider for me and my children? Well, he did take me to that free on-campus event.” Yeah. Men, you wanna win over a girl? Show some effort. 4) Ladies, and this is very important, STOP OBSESSING! I feel I cannot reiterate this enough on behalf of the men on campus. Your focus right now should be being a student and not who you may or may not end up marrying and when you’ll find him. The older you get the more you’ll realize you’re not on you’re own time table, you’re on God’s. There is nothing that will scare a man away quicker than a women who is desperate. And think about it, how many women do you know who ended up marrying some guy they never expected to be there future husband. So in honor of the wonderful Catholic parents who helped you get to this University, STOP WORRYING ABOUT GETTING MARRIED AND DO YOUR SCHOOL WORK!!!! Do you have a dating/ relationship question for Emmie? Major gripe with what she says? Email her at EHaremza001@ student.franciscan.edu
WRITE! WRITE! WRITE! WRITE! WRITE! Tell us wha t you think by emailing: notestothe gadfly@gmail.com
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be called an action of the Church, as may the second, which involves the action of lay people directly supervised by the hierarchy. But the third type of action is simply that of a Catholic acting according to the principles of his Catholic conscience. This is not really an action of the Church – but this is exactly the type of action the Church calls Catholics in the public square to perform (Fogarty, Christian Democracy). Looking back to Leo XIII's social doctrine in Rerum Novarum, which was largely rooted in the natural law philosophy of St. Thomas, and to the Holy Father's call for Catholics to engage for perhaps the first time in the debate in the democratic public square, a group of lay Catholics in Europe founded the Union of Christian Democrats. This political party, clearly distinguished from the Roman Catholic Church since it was simply formed through individual Catholic consciences, was open to other Christians and people of good will with the particular aim of approaching politics with a Christian conscience. The party cut across the
St. Thomas Aquinas, pray for us!
distinctions we are used to in America as it was socially conservative in upholding tradition and morality but fiscally progressive to further social justice (Wikipedia). Standing on a foundation of natural law philosophy and human dignity and responsibility, the party opposed the radical right wing Nazi party on one hand and the radical left wing Communist party on the other, and assisted greatly with the rebuilding of Europe and its political and social structures after World War II (Time). Unfortunately, Europe largely fell prey to the opposition from the side of atheistic socialists and secularists. But interestingly, in Germany, which is much more secular and pluralistic than America, the only two parties successful at nominating chancellors have been the Christian Democrats and the Socialists (Wikipedia). In fact, the current chancellor, Angela Merkel, is a Christian Democrat. If a pluralistic society chooses to elect a politician who claims to operate with a kind of Christian conscience in office, what should prevent them from doing so? In America, thanks to a re
liance on lay consciences informed by philosophical truths, Catholics have also been successful in making dialogue in the public square. Evangelical Protestant writer Joel Belz notes in World that Catholics – such as Chief Justice Roberts – have largely been more successful than Protestants in advocating the Pro-Life cause in the public square precisely because while Protestants refer to the Bible, Catholics are ready to argue primarily from rational principles of an informed conscience – something aided by philosophy and checked by faith and the magisterium. In conclusion, while the Catholic Church does not necessarily look to restore the unity of church and state because of the circumstances of our fallen world and the contemporary social environment, she does call upon lay Catholics to rise up, drink deeply from the Church's doctrine on man and society, study its philosophical foundations for dialogue with nonChristians, and engage sympathetically but rigorously in debate in the public square to further the spread of God's kingdom. ~M.J.R.
Why limit yourself to the ordinary when you could experience the extraordinary? Immerse yourself in centuries of tradition this Sunday, 4 p.m. in Christ the King Chapel, for the Extraordinary Form High Mass!
St. Teresa of Avila, pray for us!
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Extra Credit A woodchuck would chuck only one less than half of what he should chuck. However, he could chuck four more than the sum of what he would and should chuck. If he wanted, he could chuck two less than twice what he should chuck. How much wood would the woodchuck chuck? Answer: w = 4
Yeah, I was transformed by Christ and all that, but that’s not what I’m talking about. By the end of my freshman year, I had become an Omnigeek. And it wasn’t a gradual change, either. It was abrupt and downright scary, like a second puberty coupled with a serious drug addiction. I was hooked and hormonal before I even realized it. So how did such a conservative campus take one bookworm and produce a die-casting, stealthhammering, Pocky-eating mutant like me? It’s simple, really. Take a look at our student population. Look at ten members of the student body. Any ten. I’d predict that at least six or seven were homeschooled. Eight probably have more than one sibling. And more than half are probably geeks, even if they haven’t “come out of the basement” yet. Why do these statistics matter? Because geeks require acceptance (that means other geeks or geek sympathizers) to thrive. And large, tight-knit families provide that better than any after-school game session ever will. The very nature of the family units that raised our student body predisposed this “geeksplosion.” And those who
are not yet geeks will eventually become so under the influence of those who were raised that way. But don’t panic. This may sound like a description of the impending zombie apocalypse (for which we geeks have more than one contingency plan, never fear), but I believe it’s actually a good thing. Why? Because geeks make better Christians. I mean it. Talk all you will about the potential evils of geekdom: the atheism and heathenism rampant in alternate worlds, the dangers of obsession, and even the lack of hygiene. The benefits greatly outweigh the negative aspects. Geeks are naturally chivalrous and passionate people who believe what they believe strongly and stubbornly. Geeks don’t back down, but choose their battles wisely. And geeks are very, very persuasive. Isn’t that exactly the kind of person you want in your church? I thought so. I would explain further, but I’ve got to run. I just discovered a new web comic and I have to read through five years of archives so I can be up to date. God bless! ~D.T.A.
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g{x _táà jÉÜw ÉÇAAA Christian Dating for Men (part 1) It doesn’t take much for us to notice that the dating scene on our campus is… well… special. On the one hand we should be proud of this fact. On a Christian campus we really don’t want our dating to look like it does on most secular campuses. We hope to see couples who are chaste, prayerful and who consider marriage to be a real possibility in their futures, if not a specific calling that they are responding too. Most of us, however, also recognize the awkward and rocky starts to all of the flirting, courting, and dating that will happen on campus. In addressing the men on campus I would like to offer some thoughts and ideas on dating that, for some, may prove to be a big help when deciding to take steps toward a relationship. Those of us who are familiar with John Eldredge’s hit book “Wild at Heart” may remember feeling like he understood the Christian male problem perfectly, especially when he addresses the lies that Christian men often believe. In his book he states, “The problem with men, we are told, is that they don’t know how to keep their promises, be spiritual leaders, talk to their wives, or raise their children. But, if they will try real hard they can reach the lofty summit of becoming... a nice guy” (Italics added). Eldredge goes on to produce a wonderful report on how Christian men often are trying to become what pretty much amounts to being a pansy like Jesus, rather than being a warrior like Jesus. Eldredge correctly identified this as a mistake. I find that when you apply this concept to the dating scene at Franciscan, where there are a lot of men trying to be like Jesus but few who have been well-formed and know how to do it properly, you
begin to understand some of the social despair at this school. In addition, having a low ratio of men on campus will sometimes leave even the well-formed women on campus either confused or in despair. The smartest commentators on Christian dating will tell you that men have to be leaders. They recognize that fathers are the main vein in the family and that this mirrors God’s relationship in the trinity as well as Christ’s relationship with the Church. As leaders, or perhaps leaders in training, men at Franciscan also need to be leaders when initiating relationships. I remember being shocked when I began hearing many beautiful, well-formed women on campus who desire and feel called toward marriage tell me about how they have never been asked out on a date at Franciscan. Furthermore I often hear of couples who only become so because they’ve been spending so much time together that people start accusing them of being a couple and then they somehow awkwardly slide into a relationship. While entering into a relationship in this way does sometimes work out in the end, many girls will find themselves hurt, confused, or mislead when a man doesn’t state things clearly, and take a decisive role in initiating things. The hard truth is that many of us can at times be unsure of how we feel, afraid of rejection, unsure of how the other person feels, or even unsure of how to say what it is that we want. We as men need to be deliberate about our actions. By simply asking a girl out with clear and direct language we are engaging in a form of leadership that every woman on campus can appreciate. Understand that if the woman is properly formed then she
expects you to lead with this type of clarity. Think about it. The clearer you are about how you feel, the more direct of an answer you will get from the girl. We open ourselves up to rejection and acceptance equally by taking a change and admitting how we feel. That is what Christ did when he became incarnate, and he was both accepted and rejected during his time on Earth. Perhaps you simply want to go on an innocent coffee date just to get to know one another better. Maybe you’d like to pursue a boyfriendgirlfriend relationship with someone that you suspect feels the same. Whatever the case, the task of stating it clearly to the woman forces you to ponder just what it is that you want. It forces you to take action as a leader and put yourself up for rejection just as Christ did. It forces you to be a leader and a man just a little bit more. And it also forces her to give you a clear answer so that the both of you can avoid the relationship limbo of Franciscan University and get on with zeroing in on you vocations. If you want to ask a woman out on a date, then use the word “date” when you do it; if you don’t, then don’t spend tons of time with her or give her special attention. You could easily lead girls on without knowing it or give other guys the impression that you’re interested in her while they mistakenly back off. The negative repercussions could be vast, but it’s ultimately in our hands as men and leaders, to keep our words and actions crisp and clear, so that woman can feel safe and confident knowing that there are real men on campus who are not afraid to let her know that he’s noticed her. Happy dating. ~C.P.M.