From: Dan Mark, of the Catholic Underground

 Subject: Poor Taste: Catholic Bashing Post (Bartcop)

 Dear MWO and Bartcop,

 I am writing this to express my disappointment in Bartcop's Issue 878,
 

 Dan, ...can I call you Dan?
 I'm glad you wrote. I so enjoy a battle.
 I hope you're specific in your criticism.
 

 Because of the two sites close association, I felt both sites shared responsibility.
 Bartcop published the below posting:

 Whoa!
 I don't proofread what they write, and they don't answer for what I write.
 Tell me, in school, were you the hall monitor?
 What you're doing, at first glance, seems like "tattling."
 

 Bart Wrote:

> "Catholics
> I'm trying to throttle back the Catholic-bashing, but it's hard, y'know?
> It's like cutting back on the Bush criticisms, when a new outrage hits every day.

> This time, according to yesterday's USA Today, the Boston Herald reports the Boston Diocese
> is claiming "We can't afford to pay all our rape victims," but they've failed to mention the
> $160M in unused property they own in the Boston area.

> That's unused property.  Koresh knows how many billions they are using to raise more money,
> but this is unused property.  It reminds me of a husband who was caught cheating on his wife,
> she files for divorce, he claims he's penniless but then her lawyer finds that $160M he stashed away.

> Why is the church hiding assets and claiming they can't afford to pay their victims?
> Why do they think lying and cheating is the way to atone for their serial rapes?

> The Catholic Church needs a serious infusion of ethics. "
 
 

 Hey, that all looks pretty black-and-white to me.
 Which part did you have a problem with?
 
 

 How does this square with the recent posting in MWO?:

> MWO in the news again
> Atwater, McCarthy, Irvine Comparisons
> Any Fun Left Has Really Sign Of Envy

> ....Shafer further suggests that liberals are limited in their capacity for "fun" commentary
> because of a steadfast refusal to make gays, blacks, Jews, women the subject of ridicule
> for being gays, blacks, Jews, and women:

> A Nation writer who, say, wants to use humor or wit to make his point mustn't abuse gays,
> blacks, Jews, Hispanics, Ralph Nader, foreigners, women, the infirm, working stiffs, Indians,
> Mohammed (but Jesus is fair game), whales, or any cultural stereotype. This leaves him just one
> angle from which to compose his point: Stupid White Men. Such is the state of left journalism
> that Michael Moore has made a career out of painting and repainting this mono-mural.

> Au contraire.  We liberals love abusing corrupt corporate executives, demented terrorist-sympathizing
> pundits, corrupt power-abusing Republicans, and religious fundies of all races, sexes, sexual orientations,
> social classes, religions, nationalities, and species.  The difference is that liberals find what conservatives
> do and think hysterically funny, not what color they are. . .  ."
 

 Dude, you ask the most difficult question:
 How does what I wrote square with what MWO wrote?
 Hell, I don't know.
 Why should either of us be required to "square" anything?
 In what universe (even the Catholic universe) does one person speak for another?
 I'm responsible for  bartcop.com  others are responsible for MWO.
 

 Bartcop's posting pretty much makes a seering indictment of all Catholics.

 I'm only indicting the guilty and those who assist the guilty.
 Funny we'd be on different sides in that fight.
 

 Bartcop uses the words "Catholic Bashing."  What is the difference between that and "Jew Bashing?"

 ha ha
 Stop it.
 If rabbis were covering up hundreds of rapes,
 do you think I'd be too shy to mention it?
 It's so sad - Catholics have always had ineffective spokesmen.

 Many Catholics are angry and embarrassed by recent stain on the Church.
 We are trying to fight the abuse of power by the Catholic hierarchy.

 Oh, really?
 You're fighting the abuse of power by complaining about websites that point out
 that Boston's biggest paper caught your side cheating?  What are you, nuts?

 If you dispute the charge, that's one thing - show us your evidence.
 But you seem to not want anybody talking about the Church's dirty little secret.

 By the way, I was hoping you might forward to me your multiple letters of outrage to each
 of your local parishes DEMANDING that the guilty be identified, tried and punished.
 You do want these rapists punished, right?
 Or is this most-horrible of sins between the sinner and God, to be handled in the afterlife?

 I gotta tell ya, you're not scoring a lot of points.
 

 Read the recent issue of the New Yorker.  The Church has a wide and diverse culture.

 Dude, don't explain Catholics to me, OK?
 

 Many of us cling to the ideals represented by the Jesuits, Sister Teresa and Dorothy Day.

 Yeah, and many of you don't.
 And many of your higher-ups have systematically organized escape tunnels for these rapists.
 What the hell are you doing coming after me while families are waiting for justice?
 Wouldn't your energy serve you better going after the guilty instead of me?
 

 This type of posting only gives ammunition to your opposition
 and alienates many sympathetic Catholics to your cause.

 My opposition?
 Who would fight the guy speaking out against child rapists?
 The pro-rape Catholics?
 I don't want them on my side - and neither should you..
 

 I believe this posting requires an apology.

 ha ha
 You guys believe a lot of crazy things.
 

 We have no problem with postings that attack specific institutions or people who abuse their power.

 Well, hey, welcome to the team!
 I'm attacking Catholic rapists, those who cover for them and allow them to escape, and the rank-and-file
 regulars who'd rather attack an undiscovered web site instead of the problem. Are you in that group?
 

 Thank you,

 The Catholic Underground
 

 Seriously, I should've been a lot harder on you.