Bill Kassel's Blog

Occasional reflections on religion, culture, politics, and anything else that comes into my mind...

bill kassel

Free Expression – II

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UPDATE ON MY NEW SHOW
FOR WRITERS & READERS

Getting bored with coronavirus lock-down? Looking for some mental stimulation to enliven those empty hours in quarantine?

Check out my radio series, “Free Expression with Bill Kassel.”

Produced by Good Shepherd Catholic Radio, the show is all about religious communication. I interview writers, publishers, book reviewers, and other folks active in bringing you engaging books and media that convey the Christian message and provide insights to help you on your faith journey.

We’ve set up an archive page where you can listen to the show online anytime…

https://goodshepherdcatholicradio.org/radio-show/free-expression/

It’s a work in progress at this point, but we’ve got four episodes posted so far…

[Read more…] about Free Expression – II

Kung-Flu

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A SOFTER, GENTLER DONALD
PRESSES ON AMID CRITICISM

At President Trump’s recent press update on government action to counter coronavirus, PBS White House correspondent Yamiche Alcindor claimed that some unidentified White House functionary referred to the pandemic flippantly as “kung-flu.”

Bringing this up was, of course, the latest in ongoing media efforts to keep painting the Trump Administration as fundamentally racist.

Actually, this clever expression is a perfect example of that great American ability to disarm fear with humor which has served us so well during many periods of crisis. So let’s get something straight…

Nobody … nobody … NOBODY believes that being ethnically Chinese makes you responsible for coronavirus.

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Shame on You, Joe!

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THE DEMS JUST KEEP
PLAYING POLITICS

Events have proven the truth of my own misjudgment. As I wrote recently…

“Drawing conclusions from early primary elections is always risky, because states vary. A candidate who flops in one region can perform impressively in another part of the country. And in politics a couple of months is an eternity.

“A lot can change.”

That has certainly been shown to be true, and I should have stopped there. Instead, I wrote…

“Nevertheless, after Iowa and New Hampshire, things aren’t looking good for Joe Biden. There’s enough of a geographic spread between those two states to give the impression that ‘momentum’ — the elusive sense people impute to a politician’s progress on the campaign trail — has abandoned him.”

And, wouldn’t you know it, now “good old Joe from Scranton” is the front-runner.

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Trumpvirus?

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PLAYING POLITICS
WITH PEOPLE’S LIVES

Okay, it’s like this…

If Trump should bring about the scary scenario that Democrats and Never-Trumpers have been touting, and he succeeds in setting up a true Fascist regime, don’t put me in charge of the purge that follows. Given the mood I’m in, I’d stand a whole lot of people up against the wall, and put a quick end to the sedition, obstructiveness, and general nay-saying that have accompanied The Donald’s every move.

First on my list would be the New York Times desk editor who headlined a piece by columnist Gail Collins…

Let’s Call It Trumpvirus

If you’re feeling awful, you know who to blame.

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Ash Wednesday — Revisited

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IT’S GOOD TO REMIND OURSELVES
OF OUR FLAWS AND FAILINGS

In acknowledgment of Ash Wednesday, here are some thoughts I’ve posted several times since they first appeared back in 2014…

____________

I have to confess that there are certain Catholic pious practices I don’t entirely get.

It probably reflects the fact that I’m an adult convert and wasn’t raised in the Church — or that I’ve made less progress on my spiritual journey than I like to assume.

One of the things I don’t get is fasting.

As I understand it, the Church advocates self-denial as a way of detaching ourselves from fleshly preoccupations. Yet I’m never more preoccupied with concerns of the flesh (that is to say, eating) than when I deny myself food.

Now admittedly, my self-denial is of limited duration — Ash Wednesday, Good Friday, and such selected occasions — so perhaps it’s a matter of not persisting long enough to build spiritual stamina.

I once knew a fellow who abstained from food entirely every Wednesday and Friday, and he was a veritable saint. Of course, the question presents itself:

Did maintaining this discipline make him virtuous, or did some fundamental saintly character give him the spiritual strength to perform such feats of devotional athleticism?

Another thing I don’t get is the remarkable appeal of Ash Wednesday.

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The Decline of Good Old Joe

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BIDEN’S FADING PROSPECTS
ARE A SIGN OF THE TIMES

Drawing conclusions from early primary elections is always risky, because states vary. A candidate who flops in one region can perform impressively in another part of the country. And in politics a couple of months is an eternity.

A lot can change.

Nevertheless, after Iowa and New Hampshire, things aren’t looking good for Joe Biden. There’s enough of a geographic spread between those two states to give the impression that “momentum” — the elusive sense people impute to a politician’s progress on the campaign trail — has abandoned him.

But, even allowing for the (increasingly remote) possibility of a recovery, the results of Biden’s sputtering effort would seem to imply more than just the winding down of his long career in public life. One recent incident is suggestive.

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Rush to Judgment

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GLEE ON THE LEFT ABOUT
RUSH LIMBAUGH’S CANCER

Tulsi Gabbard’s gracious tweet stands out in sharp contrast to a flood of invective that’s greeted Rush Limbaugh’s announcement of his lung cancer diagnosis. Indeed, social networks and news site comment pages have been buzzing with nasty tweets, memes and wisecracks.

Simple, direct and typical was…

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Free Expression

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MY NEW RADIO SHOW FOR
WRITERS AND READERS

This weekend will see the launch of my new radio series about communicating religious ideas.

Called “Free Expression with Bill Kassel,” the show is for writers, for readers, for anybody who loves books and who recognizes their importance in our faith walk.

It’s produced by Good Shepherd Catholic Radio, the south-central Michigan affiliate of EWTN Global Catholic Radio. And it’s available worldwide online at: goodshepherdcatholicradio.org (or gscr.org).

If you’re in the local broadcast area, you can listen on air:

FM-93.3 or AM-1510

The show is also downloadable as a podcast from the Good Shepherd website.

“Free Expression with Bill Kassel” is an easy-to-absorb half-hour in length. We’re starting slowly with a monthly schedule (each episode aired four times). Our plan is to increase the frequency as we refine our format, build an audience, and attract underwriters.

I’ve been working on this project for several months, speaking with interesting people involved in Catholic writing and publishing, and building a library of interviews. The first episode features talks with Doug Keck, host of EWTN’s “Bookmark” show, and author-reviewer Virginia Lieto.

Upcoming shows will feature scholar and author Anthony Esolen, Joe Wetterling, president of the Catholic Writers Guild, Joseph Pierce, editor of St. Austen Review, and many others.

What It’s About [Read more…] about Free Expression

Let Us Pray

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MY ONGOING PRAYER FOR PEACE
AMID OUR ONGOING TURMOIL

Once again I post my little variation on Franz Gruber’s Christmas classic, “Silent Night.”

I wrote these lines for the Christmas concerts presented by my 1980s music group, Company, which I’ve mentioned from time to time. Based in Colorado, Company was a forerunner of today’s Independent Catholic Music Movement. We did an annual benefit program for a regional charity called Christmas Unlimited. And the high point was always our rendition of “Silent Night” that included this insert…

Christmas prayers, warm and true
Hear us, Lord as we call to You
Hear our plea from ages past
Help the world know peace at last
Grant that love may be born
Grant that love may be born

We have hope, we believe
Hear our prayers on this Christmas Eve
Touch the hearts inside all men
Let us know Your joy again
So that love may be born
So that love may be born.*

May the peace of Christmas be a prayer in your heart — and a reality throughout the year to come.

Thanks for reading my blog. God bless you and your family.

Bill Kassel

 

*“Christmas Prayers” Copyright © 1979 by Bill Kassel

____________

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Reconsidering Charity

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BE A CHEERFUL GIVER WITH BOTH
DISCERNMENT AND GENEROSITY

(The current, stupid, controversy about the Salvation Army’s alleged rejection of “diversity” doesn’t dull the luster of an organization that has done heroic human service over the years. I refer to the SA in this post which appeared on American Thinker and than on my blog back in 2016. I believe these reflections are still relevant.)

Christmas has become a complete religious / commercial mash-up. From post-Thanksgiving “Black Friday,” it seems we’re in a virtual orgy of materialism.

But the Salvation Army bell ringers I’ve seen in front of Kroger over the last few weeks remind me that Yuletide highlights the spirit of generosity and a specific kind of gift giving that flows from it — namely, charitable sharing.

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