CMR lesson number one: If you’re going to do something stupid don’t do it in front of a video camera. If Paris Hilton has taught us anything it’s that.
We here at CMR do stupid things all the time. I mean severely stupid. (I’m not even talking about Patrick getting his head caught in the banister again) But thus far we’ve been able to narrowly avoid serious disgrace or the condemnation of polite society. Unfortunately, a South Carolina County Councilwoman did something very very worthy of the condemnation of polite society…ON VIDEO!
Democratic Councilwoman Laura Von Harten announced to all the world that her hatred for all things Catholic made her an unfit public servant. Von Harten announced (for absolutely no reason) at a public meeting that she would vehemently oppose a minor zoning change to allow St. Gregory the Great Catholic Church to expand slightly because of the Catholic Church’s position on abortion and female ordination. That makes sense. You can’t build an extension because I can’t be a priest -not that I want to anyway.
This charming member of the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Beaufort called the Catholic Church’s policy barring women from serving as priests “an affront to my dignity and all of womankind.”
Of course, there was a brouhaha raised and she was forced to apologize and Von Harten has agreed to abstain from any votes on St. Gregory’s rezoning, saying her “personal opinions are obviously going to get in the way of me making a fair decision.”
According to the Beaufort Gazette her apology said:
“I truly intended my remarks on human rights to pertain to the Catholic Church as a political entity, with a seat at the United Nations, but I acknowledge that I offended individuals in my own community,” she wrote.
“In no way did I intend to infringe on anyone’s freedom of religion. In no way did I intend to disparage any individual member of the Church. I respect the rights of all people to worship in the church of their choosing. Given the history of persecution endured by members of the Catholic Church, I regret my insensitivity on this matter.”
I’ve got to tell you. As insincere as the non-apology apology was, she at least didn’t announce she was going into Rehab or say she was still in shock from being beaten up by an altar boy the week before.
November 21, 2008 at 3:27 am
What is it with South Carolina? IIRC, it was a state official who made an idiotic pro-life comment regarding Sarah Palin during the election, right?
Imagine what would happen if Pope Benedict planned a visit…
November 21, 2008 at 3:38 am
She wants to be pope? Not just content with women’s ordination…jumping straight up to the big chair!
November 21, 2008 at 3:56 am
laura Con Harten is an affront to ME as a WOMAN. She’s an idiot – clearly she doesn’t know what she’s talking about even.
Yeah, we’re the haters.
Sad, sad, sad. I fear for the members of her community with her on the City Council.
Why is the expression “dumb as a sack of hair” come to mind?
November 21, 2008 at 4:17 am
“I don’t like the way they seek to control women’s uteruses”
If she wants to be so loving and inclusive why is she so exclusive of Catholic views? That is an inherent problem of blanket ‘inclusive’-ness, you have to accept rejection also.
November 21, 2008 at 6:01 am
Basically, what she did was typically Unitarian – “I want a church that has no requirements that conflict with what I want, one in which I am effectively my own god.” I hate to break it to you, Ms. von Harten, but religion isn’t about feeling good, it’s about doing right and loving God. And yes, that’s a pretty radical thing when you think about it, which is probably why we’ve been persecuted, and Uni-Unis haven’t. It’s very easy to criticise; it is much harder to live a Christian life.
It’s a good reminder to all of us to stay away from high horses – “One sees great things from the valley; only small things from the peak.” — G.K. Chesterton… gotta love GK. 😀
~Zee
November 21, 2008 at 10:50 am
Von Harten’s “apology” is nothing more than a sad attempt to deflect attention away from her bigotry. She has compounded her offense. She has shown no real sign of remorse. Her vile caricatures of Catholics and the Church should be met with considered and unrelenting requests for her to step down.
If she attempts to seek re-election, and she has still not shown any real remorse, then it would be useful to have this video reappear in a timely manner in order to remind the voters that a vote for Von Harten is a vote for intolerance.
November 21, 2008 at 2:28 pm
Her apology is as illogical as her statements. The Catholic Church doesn’t have a seat in at the UN. Vatican City has a seat at the UN. But Vatican City doesn’t have a priesthood, let alone one that discriminates against women. And, maybe a lawyer can help me here, but I don’t think Vatican City has any penal codes against abortion other than excommunication under canon law. Doesn’t it pretty much let Italy handle it’s civil law cases.
Speaking of law, given her comments that she plans to deny a zoning request solely because of the religious beliefs of the group making the request – if she does actually vote that way are there any anti-discrimination statutes that come into play?
November 21, 2008 at 2:30 pm
anyone remember the theme music from the vonnage commercials when they show people doing something stupid, I could hear it play in my head as she spoke, probably a fan of Roseann Barr to boot
November 21, 2008 at 2:53 pm
It is so easy to be an intolerant hating bigot like Von Harten, she represents the Unitarian religion so well. It is so much more more difficult to be disciple of Christ, doing His will even when we do not want to. Things like giving control of ourselves (including “women’s uteruses”) to Jesus (the Word of G_d – LOVE) is so foreign Unitarian belief.
If it was Jesus’s Will is to have women priest, bishop or popes then it would be, but history shows that He did establish His Church to be organized in that manner. His Church IS His Church, not the popes, priest or Von Harten’s. The ultimate definition of love if the life, death and resurrection of Jesus the Christ, His Will Be Done.
November 21, 2008 at 3:12 pm
I find it scary that she says those words so calmly. I expected a screaming lunatic.
November 21, 2008 at 3:54 pm
The calm ones are sometimes the scariest. Don’t you think?
November 21, 2008 at 4:47 pm
I find it scary that she says those words so calmly. I expected a screaming lunatic.
She wasn’t calm. Listen to the shakiness in her voice, she’s about two “oppressed women”s away from a total breakdown.
I know, on the issues I’m emotional about, I am able to suppress my emotions for so long before it wells over.
November 21, 2008 at 10:28 pm
@the Egyptian – you are thinking of a song called, appropriately, “Woo Hoo.” The version in the Vonage commercials is by a band called the 5, 6, 7, 8’s (they performed the song in “Kill Bill vol. 1”); the original is from the 50’s, by a band called the Rock-a-Teens.
[/trivia]
November 22, 2008 at 12:10 am
E Unum Pluribus
from the ONE, many
http://heyitsjustablogman.blogspot.com/2008/11/e-unum-pluribus.html
November 22, 2008 at 5:21 pm
Note that no one else in the room admonished her.
November 24, 2008 at 6:48 am
Why do Unitarians and Quakers so frequently rise to the top of the list of non-dogmatic groups with members who are dogmatically against the dogmatical?