Plug This! The Donegal Express

In the last few months, I've been a regular on the comboxes of a faction within the Catholic blogosphere known as "The League of Evil Traditionalists." Now, a Catholic traditionalist is generally identified as one who favors the sacred liturgy of the Roman Rite as it was conducted prior to Vatican II, but that can vary from a simple preference to my-way-or-the-highway(-to-hell, as it were). This group's members tend to lean toward the more strident position. Anyway, as a liturgical counter-reformist, I agree with them about some things, if not all. (I prefer to follow live Popes over dead ones, all other things being equal. But hey, that's just me.) They are quite adept at serious debate, and provide for excellent sport for intellectual rigor -- unlike some of those yahoos who follow every little old lady in tennis shoes who has an apple fall on her head and thinks she's hearing Jesus in one ear and the Blessed Mother in the other. (More on that curious phenomenon later.)

Among this elite group is one fine gentleman, identified only as "Der Tommissar" (or to this writer as "Tommy Boy"), who gets the nod in this segment for his weblog entitled The Donegal Express:

http://www.donegalexpress.net

This weblog broke into the Catholic blogosphere with a vengeance, as a finalist in three categories for the most recent annual Catholic Blog Awards. We won't hold that against him, though. In fact, it made him a vanguard of the trend away from the usual author-lecturer profile -- the "professional Catholic," if you will -- that has dominated the winning entries in years past.

All part of what he has referred to as "the plan." Hmmm...

Most of the Evil Trads are mainly concerned with matters of the Faith, particularly various bones of contention. This fellow covers other areas such as culture and politics, as seen through the eyes of one of similar mind. The entries typically begin with off-the-wall quotations such as "Baptism! You two are just dumber than a bag of hammers. - Ulysses Everett McGill," followed by a rant that is, well, perhaps marginally related to the quotation. But who cares, I'm laughing my @$$ off before it's over. Here's a segment of the aforementioned:

Subject: Inclusive language for the Trinity

Dear Mr Chase:

It is with great interest that I read the news of your Assembly’s decision about additional versions of the invocation of the Trinity.

I’d like to take this time to congratulate the Presbyterian Church (USA) for this bold move. After all, the letter of the law is death, but it is the spirit that brings life. Or something...

As part of your outreach to contemporary people, may I suggest using "Paper, Scissor, Rock" as a valid invocation of the Trinity? After all, Christ does cover us in a new garment when we experience him in our hearts, much like paper. And of course, the Holy Spirit cuts through us to our deepest being...

It's possible to devise an entire theology out of this, and convince the gullible of one's sincerity. Therein lies the trap. Ouch!

Typically, and perhaps to soften the blow for the rhetorically-challenged, the entry is concluded by a favorite picture of a kitty-cat. But that doesn't soften his motto, which is: "The opinions expressed are really your opinions as well. You just refuse to admit it to yourself."

Obviously an arrogant cuss. Sort of like... well, moi!



[UPDATE: Upon reflection, it would only be fitting to end this post with a cat picture of our own, found via Irish Elk. Go, cat, go!]