Editorials
CONTENTS Volume CXX, Number 10 COMMONWEAL Correspondence 2 Editorials 3 Editor's notebook:...
...5 Tom Dooley's many lives: James T. Fisher6 Between Dracula & Bovary: John Garrev 7 Capitalism with soul?: E.J...
...argue) revere the icons of a society that views you with con4: 21 May 1993 Commonweal...
...Others think of it lidity or its necessity is not an adequate rebuttal...
...That limps...
...is Up serve to deepen bias and provide ammunition to bigots...
...I think that's what Carlin means by "the gay harm but benefit society-simple reassertion of the norm's varights ideology" [Correspondence, May 71...
...In our view, New York's comRome Reborn: Robert L. Spaeth 26 menting class gave the archdiocese a bum rap for doing so, but we also think a serious Liberal Nationalism: David McCabe 28 error in judgment was made, one that raises question about the degree of politically knowledgeable advice the archdiocese seeks or hears...
...Such an ideology exists...
...But all these judgments...
...What the letter writers say is false and counterproductive...
...The Use of Memory: Gerald O'Collins 20 Witness the relationship forged by the Archdiocese of New York Lure and Loathing: Don Wvcliff 22 with Pat Robertson's Christian Coalition...
...ent from one another as straights, and are as likely (or as unno Monsignor Woolsey was needed to make alliances...
...It thinks of homosexuality as a communicable dismarriage and the family as institutions...
...nevertheless real and impressive people...
...It sees homosexual lovemaking as perverted, a denial of gument, as a couple of letter writers point out in this issue, is nature and a defiance of God...
...Dionne, Jr...
...some would like to have, or do have, chilpeople in their normal political coalitions would organize and dren under their care...
...April are many New Yorkers who think that sex is the sole focus of 9; May 71 bear witness to the first point...
...But other opponents are bigots, people who enjoy hating and are pleased that gay-bashing has social acceptance n my initial reading of David R. Cadin, Jr.'s April 9 in some circles...
...false and dangerous...
...Working with the Christian pushing an ideological agenda that includes free-for-all sexuCoalition simply confirms that misperception...
...Bulletin or pulpit announcements, where made, seemed simply to have encouraged people to vote...
...Telephone: (212) 732-0800...
...gin and the family as institution, aren't themselves promiscuous The archdiocese would have done better to follow the prac- but faithful, and would like their own unions regarded under tice of the Diocese of Brooklyn in trusting that Catholic lay the rubric of family...
...Some of the people who don't object to far more importantly-because it does not address the core issue...
...04106 (207) 799- provide a separate one, was made, according to a rather disingenuous explanation of4387, classified advertising correspondence to 15 fered by the cardinal (Catholic New York, May 6,1993 ), by his "good friend," Monsignor Dutch St POSTMASTER Send address changes to Commonweal, 15 Dutch St...
...Display advertising correspondence should be sent to Ruth E. Taylor, But more must be said...
...But those that have something to do with sex...
...knowledge of "ordinary" homosexuals or their agenda, but Well, yes, a little...
...New York, N Y. 10038 John G. Woolsey, head of the Family Life/Respect Life Office...
...What the archdiocese and the coaltion do have in cornCommonweal 21 May' 1993: 3 mon is a conviction about abortion, HIV/AIDS education, and Some of the letters we've published, in this and previous isteaching about gays and lesbians in the public schools...
...The decision to distribute the coalition's guide, rather than I I Graffam Rd., So Portland, Me...
...were said during the campaign: That the guide violated separation of church and state...
...in my judgment they THE AGENDA OF REAL-LIFE GAYS represent the gay/lesbian mainstream...
...This I felt he made a large leap when he listed the rising so- kind of opposition-abundantly in evidence in anti-gay camcial acceptance of gays and lesbians along with the paigns in Oregon and Colorado-is visceral...
...The cardinal should understand confirms what I've already come to grasp...
...Commonweal welcomes letters on subjects All components factored in, the archdiocese made a large mistake...
...Ditto questions asked in the guide...
...And no likely) as straights to be honest citizens, good workers, dutiful Brooklyn Catholic had to choose between voting for good can- sons and daughters, brave and competent soldiers and sailors...
...support candidates able and willing to raise these questions...
...I think it's the predictable (which doesn't mean forness...
...First, not more excuse...
...John O'Connor...
...It's unfortunate that some of the antics of groups like Actis present in but not confined to the gay rights movement...
...The Catholic church did not enAdvertising Manager: Ruth E. Taylor dorse any candidate, nor did the guide itself, nor, for that matter, did the Christian Publisher: Edward S. Skillin Coalition...
...The Christian treated in its pages...
...Paul Baumann education...
...Staff: Harriette Balsky, Carmen Alava, Pamela Quatse But what constitutional principle was violated...
...There sues [Correspondence, January 29...
...9 Poetry: Dixie Partridge 12 When the spark is gone: Joseph Hvnes 14 BOOKS Alliance for regress Curriculum Vitae: Eli,abeth Beverly 13 Thinking Out Loud: aking the enemy of my enemy my friend is an old political tempKenneth L. Woodward 17 tation-one that is not without its complications and drawbacks...
...Why (such rebels might minded concern for marriage and the family...
...It images gays and prevalence of divorce, premarital sex, out-of-wedlock lesbians as predatory, as attracted to any and all bodies simibabies, absent fathers as a significant cause of the decline of larly shaped...
...But does such behavior go with the homosexual all gay supporters of gay rights are apostles of normless- territory...
...The other five questions concerned basic education skills, parental inspecProduction Editor: Jacqueline Dowdell tion of instructional materials, school decentralization and funding, and voluntary school Senior Writer: Robert G. Hoyt prayer...
...And still others are simply and more or less incolumn on gays in the military ["Searching for the Soap"], nocently biased (as who isn't, in one respect or another...
...On behalf of this conclusion many silly things Columnists: John Garvey, J. Bryan Hehir...
...the homosexual "life style" are people who have little respect Acceptance of homosexuality is indeed like, say, tolerance of for any of our inherited social and ethical norms, particularly easy divorce in that it is a departure from an existing norm...
...groups and ideas that are at odds with much of Catholic social teaching and certainly with parts of its theology...
...didates and against bad alliances...
...as liberal individualism gone amok...
...Such people don't when serious people challenge a traditional standard of conunderstand family as institution, think we all should do our own duct-giving reasons for questioning its continuing legitimasexual thing ("as long as it doesn't hurt anyone else"), and rank cy, contending that social enforcement of the norm impinges intolerance, very broadly defined, as the worst of social and unfairly on their lives, arguing that revising the code will not personal evils...
...The motive, we are told, was to save money...
...aberrations he lists because it too undermines sexual norms that Carlin's argument fails, in short, because it doesn't evidence are needed to preserve and strengthen familyhood...
...Second, not all opponents of gay rights are moved by high- givable) consequence of pariahhood...
...The gays and lesthat the public, including Catholics, will not believe that this bians I know best are people who respect their families of orialliance was forged merely to save printing costs...
...On the second point: Beyond question, some opponents of gay rights have arrived at their convictions out of study and due reflection...
...He and his coalition have political links to chance of being published...
...Abigail McCarthy, David R. Carlin, Jr...
...10038...
...February 12 and 26...
...their writers aren't the Catholic church's social teaching...
...Business Manager: Richard Haas The archdiocese's decision to distribute the guide clinched media opinion that the Design: Emil Antonucci Screen: Richard Alleva Catholic church is now solidly located on the religious Right-the certainty of the Stage: Gerald Weales conclusion unfortunately being in inverse proportion to media familiarity with real Poetry: Rosemary Deen live persons from the religious Right...
...The Christian Coalition's voter guide was typical of the genre, asking and reportSTAFF ing the responses of school board candidates to eight questions...
...The archdiocese agreed Paul VI: Raymond A. Schroth 23 to distribute the coalition's voter guide through New York parishA Suitable Boy: Robert Worth 25 es for a hotly contested local school board election...
...Showing contempt for the Eucharist just gives gay-bashers one But the situation is messier than Carlin portrays it...
...My personal experience, along with second-hand knowledge Such voices were heard in Brooklyn during the controversy over gained from books and the media, says that gays are as differthe Rainbow Curriculum and during the school board campaign...
...In this they are like the homosexuals I saw interviewed during the April 25 march on Washington, who may have been carefully selected by sympathizers in the media, but who were IS IT IDEOLOGY...
...but they are not anticommunitarian ideAN EDITOR'S NOTEBOOK ologues...
...argued earlier [February 261, are either disprovable or suffiSince then I've come to see the link: For Carlin, acceptance of ciently debatable that they can't properly be used to justify dishomosexual liaisons is like unto tolerance of the heterosexual criminatory policy...
...Letters of not more than Coalition is organized under the auspices of Pat Robertson, who holds a distinct ide250 or 300 words natural//• have a better ological position in one political party...
...CONTENTS Volume CXX, Number 10 COMMONWEAL Correspondence 2 Editorials 3 Editor's notebook: Robert G. Hovt 4 Enforcing the law: Edward Mc•Glnn Gaffnev, Jr...
...A problem with that ar- ease...
...Three questions conEditor: Margaret O'Brien Steinfels Managing Editor: Patrick Jordan cerned the Rainbow Curriculum (see editorial, January 15, 1993) and HIV/AIDS Associate Editor...
...as I've that it's not gays but straights that cause these other social evils...
...The symbolism ality and/or disdains family values...
...The real-life gays of my acquaintance want gay rights, including social acceptance...
...And for what it's worth: statements made in other churchCommonweal, [ISSN 0010-3330] A Review of es, including remarks from the pulpit of Riverside Church by its pastor, the Reverend Public Affairs, Religion, Literature, and the Arts, is published biweekly except Christmas/New Year's: James Forbes, had they been uttered at Saint Patrick's Cathedral would have brought and monthly July and August, by Commonweal the wrath of First Amendment hawks and the press down upon the head of Cardinal Foundation, 15 Dutch St., New York...
...Ditto distribution of the guide in Catholic parishes...
Vol. 120 • May 1993 • No. 10
