Dannie’s Two Millstones

Sometime back we posted an article entitled Playing the “Victim” (aka “The Blame Game”). (Click here.)  And in it, we talked about SGG’s failing HVAC system and its failing school.  Well, here we are again: “déjà vu”!  Just recently, SGG’s HVAC woes came up again, after which Pistrina posted an article about it (click here).  And, as for the “school,” lately that’s been very much in the news as well.  Nary a week goes by when Dannie is not promoting it in his Bishop’s(?) Corner. 

That being said, we think that it’s particularly apropos right now that we revisit both of these items.  Recently, Dannie has been frantically promoting his “school” (to increase its embarrassingly anemic enrollment) in an effort to justify its existence.  So far, it has been both a huge financial drain on SGG’s resources (because of the principal’s “salary”) and a huge flop (because of the school’s sorry “academics”); and, as we noted earlier, Dannie has also been mentioning what has become a recurring nightmare: fixing (or replacing) SGG’s failing air-conditioners.

In our aforementioned article, this is what we had reported about SGG’s HVAC problems:

In his Bishop's Corner of May 2, 2015, Dannie mentioned that the church sanctuary’s HVAC unit had been hit by lightening (and was thus supposedly malfunctioning).  He then added, “Here the story becomes impossibly complicated, all caught up with big brother regulations and smoke detectors which never worked correctly in the first place, and companies gouging churches for great quantities of wasted money, backed up by the government oversight. Much patience and a cool head is required to navigate these waters.”

Apparently, “big brother” is unjustly imposing “regulations” on SGG and “gouging” them for “great quantities of wasted money, backed up by government oversight” [whatever that means!]. Apparently, too, the “smoke detectors that never worked correctly in the first place” are the fault of “big brother” as well.  Did it ever occur to Dannie that they didn't work properly because they were not installed properly?  How, we may ask, can “big brother” and his regulations be the cause of smoke detectors not “working correctly”?!  Stripped of Dannie’s confusing rhetoric and false logic, what it all means is that he is probably getting ready to soak the culties again for MONEY to meet these “unjust” expenses.  He has to portray himself as “victim” so that the culties can cough up the money for these “meanies” who are “responsible” for it all.

And this is some of what we had to say about the “school”:

The principal’s salary (and that of his family members who are on the payroll) represents a huge financial millstone around Dannie’s neck, and he wants desperately to be relieved of that burden – but he can’t (see Pistrina article).  And the sad thing (especially for the culties) is that it’s such an unnecessary burden, because the school has a total of twenty-five students in all, K through 12.   We wonder how the parishioners would feel if they knew that the lion’s share of their weekly donations was going to provide twenty-five kids a substandard education.

Firstly (as we had also pointed out in that article), the HVAC problems were as much the result of poor workmanship as they were of any “lightening strike” (or of “big brother”); and secondly, if the system was insured (which it should have been), the “lightening strike” damage should have been covered by said insurance.  (And, actually, with proper “surge protection” up front – which there also should have been -- the lightening damage would have never occurred in the first place.)  And, as for the “school,” Dannie cannot get rid of it – or, rather, get rid of it’s principal (for reasons that are a mystery to everyone but him and Dannie).  And so, the superfluous “principal” remains -- and the Gerties continue to foot the bill for having him around.   

But, so far, Dannie has “gotten away” with this.  And whenever Dannie wants any “extra” money from his Gerties, he simply dreams up some “crisis” (along with appropriate “villains,” such as “big brother”), and then taps his Gerties for the expenses – which usually end up being used not for whatever the “crisis” was, but for funding another one of his boondoggles to some exotic location.  Well, this year it’s no different: in spite of all the HVAC expenses that SGG has staring it in its face, Dannie and Tony managed to go on another “getaway”:  In SGG’s August 27, 2017 ’Corner, written this time by “Lurch” (Charlie McGuire), it was reported that Dannie and Tony both were “away on a much needed vacation (I figure it has been at least two years since their last one).”

Well, if one doesn’t count boondoggle “apostolates” to sunny Latin America as vacations, we suppose Lurch is right.  (This one was billed as a bona fide vacation, not as an “apostolate.”)  However, to help justify this vacation, Dannie later mentioned that it was to Chimayo -- “America’s Lourdes,” as he calls it (to make it look like an "apostolate").  But if one looks at the map, Chimayo is a stone’s throw from Santa Fe (Dannie’s favorite vacation spot).  But why, we may ask, did Dannie and Tony go to Santa Fe again – and at a time when SGG is strapped for cash to fix its failing HVAC systems?² 

Shouldn’t they be conserving their cash, in case another one of their AC units bites the dust – or for other “unforeseen expenses”?  (SGG’s physical facility, for instance -- from its parking lot to its leaky roof to its critter infestations -- is in sorry shape.  It’s only a matter of time before “something else” happens.)  And, again, what about the ongoing cost of that other millstone around their necks: the “school” – especially with attendance in a downward death spiral¹?  Lately, Dannie’s promotion of the “school” has been nothing short of frantic.  As Pistrina reported in a recent article, Dannie has even concocted a pretentious “teacher’s prayer” (click here for article) to drum up support for this ongoing failure.  But it’s all to no avail: attendance continues to dwindle.

So, it seems that Dannie’s old problems – SGG’s crumbling infrastructure and its “school” -- are still there – and not likely to go away.  The former will continue to (prematurely) decay -- because it was never built right to begin with.  And as for SGG’s so-called “school,” it will continue to be a liability; and, as we’ve already noted, Dannie can (apparently) do nothing about it:  he must incomprehensively tolerate the “principal” -- a financial burden that the Gerties must continue to bear (and which must be a source of continuing frustration for them).  That being so, it is only a matter of time before they will start asking why – and demanding answers.

And when they do, they’ll inevitably stop swallowing this malarkey about Dannie and Tony being “victims” (and blaming everyone else for their troubles), and find out that Dannie and Tony are not victims but victimizers, and that it is they, the parishioners, who are the real victims – that Dannie and Tony are the two millstones around their necks.  And when that happens, Dannie and Tony will, at long last, have no place to hide – and will finally reap what they have sown.

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¹Attendance at the “school” was twenty-five in 2015 (see SGG’s April 26, 2015 bulletin), and nineteen in school year 2016.  (See SGG’s School: Still a Bad Bargain.)  What’s it going to be in 2017?

² And speaking of HVAC systems, why – in lieu of going to Santa Fe -- couldn’t Dannie and Tony (as they’ve always exhorted their parishioners to do) have “offered it up” and foregone their trip to buy heating and AC equipment for the church’s vestibule, where SGG’s mothers and their small infants are still shivering in winter and sweating in summer? 

You Don’t Have To Be a Theologian…

One of the recurring complaints we get at Lay Pulpit (from defenders of Dannie Dolan’s SGG cult) is that we are not very knowledgeable when it comes to “ecclesiastics.”  In a recent article, for instance, we reported how one dissenting commenter stated, “Clearly, the author(s) of this blog are not very familiar with most traditionalists and the FSSP in particular.”¹  Well, we entirely agree with that statement.  We certainly don’t know all there is to know about the FSSP (or the SSPX, or Traddieland in general, or any particular group) – nor do we wish to.

The inference in that aforesaid comment, of course, was that, since we are not “ecclesiastic” (or “theological”) experts, how can anything that we say about the SGG and MHT cult-masters be trusted as “credible” (since they are “clerics” and we are not).  Well, it’s simple: one doesn’t need to be a theologian to be an “expert” on Dannie and Tony, or rather, to point out the evil that they have done.  True, unlike our colleagues at Pistrina Liturgica, we are not Latinists, nor is our knowledge of theology or any other related “ecclesiastical subjects” anywhere close to Pistrina’s.  They are clearly far superior to us in all of those respects – and we gladly acknowledge it (and applaud them for it).

To be sure, Pistrina’s superior knowledge has enabled them to expose Dannie and Tony in so many ways for the charlatans they are – especially for their deplorable lack of knowledge in everything from Latin to liturgy to theology (moral or otherwise).  (And, we might add, they have also been thoroughly successful in dismantling the arguments of those “armchair theologians” who have tried to defend the cult-masters.)  Because of Pistrina’s efforts, Tony’s reputation as a “scholar” (and Dannie’s as a “liturgist”) have been thoroughly demolished, and their abysmal ignorance unmasked.²   

But, again, that is not to say that exposing Dannie’s and Tony’s incompetence is the exclusive province of “theologians.”  One does not have to be a “theologian” (or at least much of one) to prove that the cult-masters are bad men – and that they are imposters.  One doesn’t have to be a “theologian,” for instance, to point out the obvious fallacy (and depravity) of what Cekada said about Schiavo.  Anyone with an ounce of common sense can figure out that dehydrating Terri Schiavo to death was murder, pure and simple.

And one does not have to be a theologian to figure out that the dismissing of the SGG school principal’s sons" watching porn as “boys will be boys” is morally reprehensible.  Nor does it take a theologian to determine that expropriating a chapel’s $123,000+ building fund amounts to theft.³  The list of Dannie’s and Tony’s malfeasance is a long litany indeed; and, when one looks at what they have done, it doesn’t take a theologian to decipher that these two are simply con men looking for material gain at the expense of others.

At both SGG and MHT, there has been a total disconnect between what is good for souls and what is good for the cult-masters.  Get a girl pregnant?  No problem!  As long as you’re a good organist, we’ll overlook that “detail.”  Like to watch porn and animal torture videos?  No problem!  As long as you’re a good server (or can carry a processional cross or a candlestick in one of Dannie’s “pontifical parades”), “you’re good to go!”  It’s not about doing what’s right, but about looking right – and getting the rubrics right.  It’s not about “doing unto others as you would have them do unto you,” but about how often one attends “the show.”  It’s not about how holy one is, but about how holy one looks.  As always, it’s not about substance, but about cosmetics. 

And, again, it doesn’t take  “theological expertise” to figure any of this out.  But, we might add, it does take theological expertise to prove that the cult-masters themselves are not theologians, which – as we mentioned earlier -- Pistrina has done.  And this is important, because there are those who, despite the cult-masters’ deplorable lack of moral fiber, might “respect” them simply for their “theological” or “ecclesiastical” prowess (if they had any), and hence might try to “justify” these imposters on such grounds.  So, it is imperative that the myth of their “expertise” first be dispelled, in order to ensure that they are not legitimized by anyone, using that as a pretext.  And, again, Pistrina has done this. 

So, along with of the “high tech” help of Pistrina, we “non-theologians” have been able to play what we see as a supporting role in exposing the cult-masters, and to make it plain to everyone by now that Dannie, Tony, and Big Don are not “theologians” or “scholars,” but simply opportunistic hucksters – unscrupulous, self-serving predators, who dream up spurious “theological arguments” and invent new “dogmas” to get gullible people to follow them (and to empty their wallets for them).  And because they are unscrupulous, one can always count on them to continue taking the morally wrong path, thus exposing themselves again and again -- and continuing to provide us with new evidence to use against them.

To be sure, enough to date has already been said about these predators to ensure that no new victims ought to fall prey to them.  But again, there are still plenty of unsuspecting victims out there who might fall for their sales pitch.  And because there are, count on Dannie and Tony to continue doing their mischief.  In the end, such behavior will gain them nothing.  They will inevitably destroy themselves; and this will have the beneficial effect of eliminating them as a threat.  But, during that time, whom will they take with them?  How much “collateral damage” will they do?  That is the problem.  And that’s why we’re here: to keep that “collateral damage” to a minimum.

And, just as we have not had to be “theologians” to show the cult-masters for what they are, neither should anyone else have to be.  With what is already known about them, it should be obvious to anyone that they are not in the business of saving souls, but of exploitation – for material gain at the expense of others.  That is why we urge everyone to “get the word out” to others about these predators, so that together we can put them “out of business.”  As we continue to do our part, we ask you to do your part, so that you don’t become their unwitting “accomplices,” and thereby enable these lepers to continue their victimization of the unsuspecting innocent.  You can help stop them, then, by spreading the word, and, of course, by withdrawing your financial support.  So, keep your cash in your wallet, and…

Starve the Beast!

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¹ Some may feel that our comments to date about the FSSP constitute a blanket endorsement of them.  They do not.  All we’re saying is that the FSSP clergy we’ve met so far have checked out “okay” (and were definitely superior to the trash at the cult centers).  And all we claimed is that no one (other than a pope) has the authority or jurisdiction to rule on anyone’s validity (including theirs); and, since no pope has as yet decided, no one can positively claim that the FSSP are invalid. But that’s as far as we can go.  An FSSP priest, like any other priest, should be first “checked out” for his orthodoxy, etc.  And if one still feels “iffy” about them, then he should go somewhere else.  But if the only “somewhere else” available is SGG or MHT, then we suggest that he stay home.

² Not only is Pistrina “world class” in its mastery of Latin, but they are thoroughly proficient in ancient Greek as well – both of which have enabled them to expose not only Tony’s woeful ignorance of Latin and Latin grammar and his numerous blunders in translation, but also those of whomever wrote SGG’s laughable “Ordo” and its “liturgical calendar.”  Indeed, Tony’s claim to be a “Latinist” (as well as a “scholar” and a “theologian”) is now a totally debunked myth.

And Pistrina’s efforts in this regard cannot be overestimated.  Indeed, no one but they in TradWorld had both the superior knowledge and the will to take on such a task.  But for their diligence and tireless efforts, TradWorld might still be wallowing in the misconception that Dannie and Tony really know what they’re talking about.  And not only has Pistrina done so, but in a most thorough and decisive way.  One must also realize that it took a yeoman effort on their part, for which, unlike the cult-masters, they received no financial compensation.

³ Dannie and Tony took not only the chapel’s building fund ($123,664), but their operating fund as well ($19,330), and then sold the congregation’s chapel out from under them, pocketing the proceeds ($320,000).  And this, of course, is just one of the known examples of their thievery.

A Woman For All Seasons

In his Bishop’s(?) Corner for August 20, 2017, Daniel Dolan happened to mention that “Tomorrow is Sr. Jeanne Marie’s feast day, and we wish Sister a blessed one, with many prayers for a speedy and secure recovery. God keep her, and all of our shut in in His loving care.”  Oh, how thoughtful of Dannie – if he had only meant it!  Dannie, Tradistan’s master of affectation, loves to name-drop and to drop “F-bombs”¹ (Flattery, that is) whenever he can – token praise for his groveling cult slaves who toil for him, and who credulously swallow his weekly doses of candy-coated insincerity.

But Dannie doesn’t stop there.  His favorite use of flattery and name-dropping is for eulogizing the deceased – especially those whose memory is revered by the Gerties (and hence do him the greatest material good) – Bernie Brueggemann, for instance.  Bernie was SGG’s all-time biggest benefactor, both spiritually and materially; and hence Dannie has used every opportunity he can to resurrect his memory for “public relations” reasons.  He knows that Bernie is still remembered and revered by most of his Gerties, and that he can still get a lot of “mileage” out of using his name.

We too have invoked Bernie’s name – but not for the same reasons.  Rather, we have reported about how he was taken advantage of by Dannie, and then discarded after Dannie had drained him of his last bit of cash.  We have eulogized Bernie several times, dubbing him (in one of our articles) “a man for all seasons.”  (Click here for article.)  Well, we’d like to take this opportunity to do the same for someone else – only this time, a “woman for all seasons”: Sister Gerard Vincent.  “Sister Gerard” (as she was commonly called) was an older nun who had taken her vows long before Vatican II, but who had left her order after the “changes,” and who eventually ended up at SGG.

Sister Gerard was the one bright spot in SGG’s otherwise dreary landscape, a real nun “from the old school.”  She was, as they say, “the genuine article,” not one of Dannie’s “new creations” (i.e., a “newly minted nun” from one of the fake “orders” that he invented).  Sister Gerard, too (unlike her younger counterparts) was well versed in the old Faith, and -- “old school” nun that she was --  was suited for any task, especially teaching.  A native New Yorker (from Brooklyn), she was “no-nonsense,” but also a jovial and gentle soul, always with a cheerful smile -- and who always had a kind word (and a joke to tell) for everyone.  Her only “weakness” was that, being an older nun separated from her former order (and therefore bereft of its material benefits), she was entirely dependent on Dannie and Tony for her daily sustenance (and, indeed, for all things “material”) – a vulnerable (and thus bad) situation in which to be.

And being the obedient, conscientious, trusting soul that she was, she soon found herself being exploited by Dannie  – because that’s what Dannie does: he takes advantage of people – especially the good ones; and when he can no longer “profit” by them, he discards them (as he did Bernie).  And it was no different with Sr. Gerard.  While she was “productive,” she not only taught, but helped out with SGG social functions (and everything else).  But, with age, she inevitably “slowed down.”  And as this happened, so too "did her star fall” at SGG: the younger nuns – especially the “game-players,” i.e., those who “sucked up” to Dannie, got preferential treatment, while Sr. Gerard became, by degrees, a “non-entity.”

Once having her pick of the most comfortable quarters, she was gradually relegated to smaller and smaller ones, until she ended up In a “postage-stamp” sized bedroom (that had to “double” as an office).  Her one pleasure – her pet cat – she had to give up because one of the younger nuns – one of Dannie’s “favorites” -- was “allergic” to it.²  (Yes, Dannie, who had three cats of his own, made her get rid of hers!)  The cat was taken away, and placed with a new owner.  But the cat, believe it or not, found its way back to the convent; and, climbing a tree in the convent’s front yard, it re-entered through her bedroom window.  But Dannie, when he found out, ordered it removed again.  Sr. Gerard was heartbroken; but, being the obedient soul that she was, she submitted to the mitered maggot’s will – to this impolitic act of cruelty that was so deplorably, but oh so quintessentially, so predictably “Dannie.”

Sr. Gerard, as we said, was an older nun when she came to SGG – so much older that she was, in fact, due to celebrate there her golden jubilee (fifty years) of being a nun, when she fell and broke a bone in her hip – an injury that required her to go into “rehab” for a while.  Because of that, her jubilee celebration (which was to be held in SGG’s “social hall”) was “postponed.” ³  But the celebration never came to pass.  Claiming that she was needed back at SGG, Dannie cut her recuperation short and “pressed her back into service” prematurely, whereupon she fell again.  This time, she didn’t recover.  Shortly afterward, she died.  Dannie, however, did not waste the funds earmarked for her celebration: he spent them on a party for one of those aforementioned “newly minted nuns.”  (This nun, by the way – after much mistreatment by Dannie -- later left the religious life, and returned to the lay state.)

And not only did His Expediency take advantage of Sr. Gerard’s passing to “recycle” her jubilee money for another purpose, but he also exploited it in other ways.  Because Sr. Gerard, for instance, was (as was Bernie Brueggemann) so well liked by all of SGG’s parishioners, Dannie has – you guessed it -- often invoked her memory to his advantage.  On one occasion (in his Nov. 23, 2014 ’Corner), Dannie quipped, “Only 22 years ago dear Sr. Gerard suggested we should have a parish dinner for St Gertrude’s Day, and did most of the cooking herself!  What wonderful memories, what great examples, what an enduring cause for thanks!”  [Yeah, Dannie – it’s too bad that you didn’t give her a dinner!]  And some months earlier (in his June 8, 2014 ’Corner), Dannie oozed this: “God reward the clergy, religious (Sr. Gerard Vincent especially), and laity who so generously gave of themselves in the hour of need for what needed to be done in those early days of the Catholic restoration.” 

May God indeed reward “Sr. Gerard Vincent especially” – but we can’t predict the same for Dannie!  He, so saccharine and sweet in his praise for her after her decease, yet so cruelly abusive to her during her life – but what else could one expect from His Malevolency?  That’s Dannie’s modus operandi.  That’s what he does: he uses and abuses people while they’re living -- and then, after their death, he invokes their memory for whatever advantage he can derive from it.

Did Sr. Gerard realize that Dannie was a scoundrel?  Yes indeed!  But like many, she was at first “taken in” by Dannie’s unctuous charm.  Gradually, however, she came to see him for the scoundrel that he is – and that his “mousy grin” was more that of a malevolent rat.  Certainly by the time of his cruel mistreatment of her, she knew “what was what.”  But by that time, it was too late: old and infirm, she had nowhere else to go.  Some say that, because of her cruel mistreatment, she “died of a broken heart.”  Well, it certainly saddened her.  But, being the true Catholic that she was, she realized that this world’s “vale of tears” is a transient thing, and that she would find eternal joy in the next.  She therefore resigned herself to God’s will, and died at peace with her Maker.  And we’re sure that when she met her Maker, it wasn’t long afterward that she partook of that joy.  We wish we could say the same for Dannie – but we doubt if that will be the case.

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¹ Not to be confused with the kind of “F-bombs” that a certain “door mouse” used to drop (back in his seminary days in Écône).

² This younger nun, along with another nun (and a lay helper as well), did a lot of “sacristan” work for Dannie.  One of her jobs was to procure “altar flowers” and other items for Dannie’s “show.”  But, since she didn’t have a car of her own, she regularly used a parishioner woman’s car to drive to the florist (as well as to run other errands).  This parishioner says that “sister” usually returned the car with an empty tank (and, of course, with no reimbursement for the gas used) – and all strewn with flower petals.  (This parishioner also bought some of the “items” that sister got – also with no reimbursement.  It was simply “expected” of her.)

This nun, who had some “emotional issues” to begin with, eventually had some sort of “breakdown” (no doubt, too, from being overworked by Dannie), and left SGG.  She also left the religious life.  Oddly enough, however, we hear that she has since returned to SGG, but as a lay person.

³ It is interesting to note that Sr. Gerard’s golden (50-year) jubilee was set to be held in SGG’s “social hall,” i.e., SGG’s school lunchroom (with catered “sandwich” fare), while Dannie’s and Tony’s silver (25-year) jubilees were held at Cincinnati’s most prestigious venue, the Palm Court in downtown Cincinnati’s Netherland Hilton Plaza.  Note also that, though Sr. Gerard’s rehab was cut short, Dannie’s “rehab” from a sinus operation wasn’t.  After this unnecessary (and ultimately unsuccessful) operation, Dannie was given “all the time needed” for an expensive (and also unnecessary) “recuperation” at the Bishop’s Lodge in sunny Santa Fe, New Mexico.  Now you know where the cult center’s “priorities” were!

Armchair Theologians

Editor’s Note:  As we did last year around this time, we will be posting weekly (instead of bi-weekly) while Pistrina Liturgica is away.  Then, after their return, we’ll be taking a “hiatus” ourselves.  After our last weekly posting, we’ll let our readers know how long that “hiatus” will be.

Our May 20 article, But What About SSPX and FSSP, got several comments dissenting with our attitude toward both the SSPX and FSSP – and some of which had “links” to websites with derogatory information about them.  We also got comments accusing us of not being knowledgeable about the SSPX and FSSP – especially the FSSP.  One commenter wrote: “Clearly, the author(s) of this blog are not very familiar with most traditionalists and the FSSP in particular.”  Well, that commenter is absolutely right: we don’t have a thorough, in-depth knowledge about the FSSP – nor did we ever profess to have.

But what we can assert is that, until proven otherwise, their Mass and sacraments must be assumed to be valid – and, regardless of how many “links” that the dissenters post to give the impression that the majority of FSSP clergy are liberals and radicals, that is simply not the case.  By and large, these clergy detest what Bergoglio is doing.  And what’s more, most are decent men, not money-grubbing charlatans like the SGG and MHT cult-masters.  Have we personally “checked out” each and every one of them?  Of course not!  (Nor have we personally “checked out” each and every “traddie” priest.)  It is not our business to check out each and every priest to certify whether he is “good” or “bad.”  We only claim that there are good and bad clergy in any camp, and that anyone with normal discernment can sort out which is which.  And if they “check out” okay, then go with them.  It’s as simple as that.

The dissenting commenters who flooded us with their “links” about errant FSSP or SSPX priests would have us believe that they’re all “reprobates” and heretics.  No, that’s not the case – just as showing what charlatans the SGG and MHT cult-masters are does not mean that all traditional clergy are trash.  And, in the same vein, these commenters have no business pronouncing on the validity of any SSPX or FSSP clergy (or any other clergy, for that matter).  To those who questioned the validity of these orders – especially those of the FSSP – let us ask them in return: who among you has the authority to rule on the validity of their orders?  And under whose jurisdiction do you make such a claim? 

The answer to those two questions is: under no one’s authority or jurisdiction – no one, that is, except a pope.  For Traddieland’s “armchair theologians,” let us repeat that: no one except a pope can make such a judgment.  Therefore, until a pope rules that they are invalid, we must assume their orders to be valid.  And, along with that, one must also assume that their sacraments are valid.  And, since none of us is pope, none of us can say that one cannot go to one of their priests for Mass or the sacraments.  These commenters can rant and rave all they want; but their views are only that: their views, i.e., mere opinions, carrying no weight or juridical force whatsoever.   

To these armchair theologians who, like their cult-master idols, try to pass off their private opinions as “articles of faith,” (and who try to force them on the rest of us) we have this to say: keep your opinions to yourselves.  And to these same hair-splitters who dissect every word to find fault and/or to willfully misconstrue everything one says, we also invite them to act with at least equal scrutiny toward their cult-masters heroes.  It is simply amazing how such pious Pecksniffs can ignore hard, factual evidence about bagworms such as Dannie, Tony, and Big Don, yet resort to using conjecture and baseless assertions to denounce and disqualify everyone else.

It is also amazing how all these people who have never experienced being personally victimized by the cult-masters, can rule on the testimony of those who have been victimized. All the “Robert Rawhides” and “Sal Monelas” of the world who crawl out of the woodwork to question everyone else, yet defend Dannie and Tony’s depraved justification of Terri Schiavo’s murder, for example: how can they do that, and still look at themselves in the mirror every day?  How can these men, who call themselves “Catholic,” take such a position – and still call themselves “Catholic”?  What kind of “sick puppies” are they that they can stoop to such irrational rationalizations? 

What’s more, what motivates them?  What kind of contentment or satisfaction do they get out of supporting men such as Dolan, Cekada, and Sanborn?  It must take a special breed of person to support these moral lepers, and to categorically deny the truth about them.  Perhaps if they “sign up” and join one of the cults’ leper colonies and experience firsthand what its previous victims have endured, they might gain some “perspective” – and we heartily invite them to do so.  Perhaps then, if any of their close friends or relatives ends up in the same predicament as Terri Schiavo, they can come to Dannie or Tony for “advice” on how to “cost-effectively” deal with it.

No doubt, for reiterating our position about the SSPX and FSSP, we will get another flurry of dissident “fan mail.”  And, depending on how “disruptive” they are, they’ll either be answered, or go into the “spam” file.  (And, yes, we’ll try to answer them – until they get to the point where they are being disruptive simply for disruption’s sake.)  But one thing that these disruptive efforts prove is that our efforts are working – that they’re having an effect -- and that people’s attitudes about the cult-masters are changing (regarding Schiavo, for instance).²   

People are listening, and steering clear of the cult centers.  They are no longer blindly following these imposters and swallowing their swill.  People are starting to wake up and think for themselves.  The cult centers are dying: their ranks are shrinking, and their coffers are dwindling – and that’s a good thing.  In time, leper colonies like SGG and MHT will be a thing of the past.  We urge all those who are there to wake up as well, and to hurry that process along.  Do what so many others before you have done: start by voting with your pocketbooks; and then, “with your feet”: leave the leper colony!  Either way,

Starve the beast!

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¹ For one thing, one can count on an SSPX or FSSP priest to be better formed, with real moral (and theological) expertise – and someone you can count on to render real moral judgments.  To repeat what we said in our original article, “one gets real Catholic morality, not some counterfeit, make-it-up-as you-go-along claptrap from one of Tradistan’s tinhorn ‘theologians.’  And that’s because their clergy are properly formed, with a real education at a real, accredited seminary – not some janitor-in-training apprenticeship from one of Tradistan’s trade schools.  And, because the SSPX and FSSP are part of the institutional Church – and thus answerable to a hierarchy – they must be fiscally accountable, and not use the collection basket as their own personal bank account, as the answerable-to-nobody cult-masters do.  They will not fleece their sheep for money to go on ‘apostolates’ to posh destinations, nor will they solicit “donations” for questionable ‘improvements.’  In short, they will ‘play by the rules’ – and not make up their own.”

² The email traffic at Pistrina confirms this.  (We at Lay Pulpit are not set up to receive email.)  People who, for instance, heretofore agreed with Phony Tony about Schiavo (or at least remained acquiescently silent about it) are now speaking out; and more and more are sharing stories of their own personal experiences of abuses suffered at the hands of Dannie, Tony, and Big Don.  People’s attitudes are changing, and they are coming to the realization that the cult-masters are nothing more than self-seeking, self-serving hucksters.