Jason Kenney and Absolute Truths

A CULTURE OF DEFIANCE: History of the Reform-Conservative Party of Canada

"Jesus talked about faith as the leaven that raises up the whole loaf; the light from the mountain that illuminates the valley below ... a treasure that one discovers through constant searching; a gift from a God who invites all especially the poor and sinners to a banquet of rich foods and fine wines. This is the faith to which we witness. Jesus, in our tradition, found this faith more deeply rooted in the hearts of sinners , prostitutes, tax collectors, and shepherds than in hearts of the religious and the self-righteous. He encouraged us not to separate wheat from chaff, but to take care of the fields entrusted to our care and leave judgments to God." Jesuit Fr. Stephen A. Privett

In 2000, Jason Kenney was invited to speak at his Alma Mater, the University of San Francisco, to a group of young Republicans. What he told them when asked about his success in persuading others to his side was: "I did not persuade them, the truth did. I used the political strategy I gained at USF when I campaigned for student government. I took the truth and I built a pluralistic coalition around it." (1)

The "truth" for him was the orthodoxy of the Catholic church. Normally when writing about a public figure you factor in all of their life experiences, that led them to who they were. But in the case of fundamentalists or those who follow an orthodox form of religion, there is only one place to draw from. And despite all of his life experiences, everything that now shapes Jason Kenney's thinking can be found at St. Ignatius in the mid to late 1980's. It was there that he found his "truth".

He has said on numerous occasions that he was "converted" while there, which I found a little puzzling. After all, Kenney's father was the president of a Catholic college, the same college that Jason graduated from. Was he not Catholic then?

However, what I've discovered is that his conversion may have actually been to the "church", the absolute "truth", as espoused by three controversial theologians: Rev. Joseph Fessio, the founder of the school; Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, now Pope Benedict XVI, the influence for the school, and Fr. Cornelius M. Buckley, whose liturgies based on Catholic orthodoxy, were said to have inspired a "cult like" following.

In 1987, when Jason Kenney abruptly left his studies, both Fessio and Buckley had been fired from their positions at the university, not only for their refusal to conform to the modern teachings of the church, but because they were constantly locking horns with the Jesuit hierarchy, and encouraging their students to do the same.

One graduate from St. Ignatius puts it this way:

I began my undergraduate life in 1980 at University of San Francisco. While there, I witnessed a virtual war between orthodox Jesuits and Jesuits of a different stripe. Jesuits who I regarded as good and holy men, were silenced when they didn’t toe the Jesuit party line. Fr. Cornelius Buckley, S.J., a professor of history, was silenced and sent to work at a small hospital in Duarte, California, where he remained for many years, obedient to his order, even though many in his order are flagrantly disobedient.

The St. Ignatius Institute, under the guidance of Fr. Joseph Fessio, S.J., operated a classical Catholic curriculum within the larger confines of the university and it attracted many students ... It took the Jesuits over twenty years to shut the Institute down, which they finally did a few years ago by firing its director and hiring new professors who would teach the "new" theology. The Institute now exists in name only. It doesn’t teach the same things ... Both Fr. Fessio and Fr. Buckley are two orthodox priests, who when they objected to much of what was going on on campus, did not endear themselves to their fellow Jesuits. (2)

One of the things that they objected strenuously to, was the acceptance of homosexuality.

Our 'Greatest Canadian' Tommy Douglas, when studying to become a pastor, told a story of how a straight laced preacher had visited his home and how his mother was mortified, when his father offered the teetotaller a beer. He decided on that day that if he was going to be a minister, he would be "one who would accept a glass of beer at a parishioner's home, who would accept his parishioners as he found them and would strive to be one of them." (3)

In the testimonial of the St. Ignatius graduate above, he states that "It took the Jesuits over twenty years to shut the Institute down, which they finally did a few years ago by firing its director and hiring new professors who would teach the "new" theology." This purge was accomplished by Fr. Stephen A. Privett, who in the opening quote says that "Jesus, in our tradition, found this faith more deeply rooted in the hearts of sinners , prostitutes, tax collectors, and shepherds than in hearts of the religious and the self-righteous. He encouraged us not to separate wheat from chaff, but to take care of the fields entrusted to our care and leave judgments to God." (4)

Privett understood what Douglas understood. You take care of what was entrusted to you and leave the judgements to God. By sharing a glass of beer or reaching out to the gay community, even if you personally disapproved of such things, you reached the hearts of "sinners".

Since Marci McDonald's The Armageddon Factor* hit the shelves, there are many defending the enormous power of the Religious Right on the Harper government, by stating that Tommy Douglas also promoted what have been referred to as "Christian values". But there is a vast difference.

Several years ago, in an interview, Douglas was asked: It has been suggested that you emphasize religion in politics in the manner of Aberhart and Manning. As I recall, you set yourself firmly against doing this, did you not? To which he responded:

"Yes. I've always been strongly opposed to using religion as a gimmick for gaining political support. I believe in applying Christian principles to politics and to government. But I think one must remember that in a political party there are people of all religious beliefs, just as in every church there are people of different political points of view." (5)

He often spoke out against William Aberhart and Ernest Manning using their radio Bible shows to promote their political agenda, and I think he would be quite troubled to see what is happening in our country today.

Because this movement does not reach out to "sinners", but passes judgement, something that should be left to their god.

I'm not a religious person, but I'm not an atheist either. I believe that everyone has a right to their own beliefs, so long as they don't try to "force" them on others. And I don't think that homosexuality is a "sin", or that you need to be a Christian to have "values".

When Jason Kenney excluded gay rights from our citizenship guide, it was not an oversight. It was part of his "pluralistic coalition": that he had built around his "truth".

When he was attending St. Ignatius, "... he made headlines in California trying to ban abortion groups from the university and fighting against gay rights in San Francisco." (6) In fact, "Jason was a leader of a group of students that sued USF for false representation. USF claimed to be Catholic yet failed to espouse the teachings of the Catholic Church. Kenney, who converted while at USF, was able to see the contradiction. USF began to fund campus organizations, which undermined the teachings of the Catholic Church." (1)

Jason Kenney went to enormous lengths to oppose abortion and homosexuality, even suing a university. He told the Western Catholic Reporter in 2003 that he felt that "Political activity is "a necessary form of charity in the promotion of the Gospel"." (6) Or more precisely from the Young Republicans:

Kenney was initially opposed to the life of politics, believing that morality and politics are mutually exclusive. His life was changed when he read the Holy Father's encyclical, Evangelicum Vitae. Seeing that the Holy Father's notion of politics was a form of charity changed Kenney's perspective. "I felt compelled to enter politics as a vocation. I was called to politics, not qua politics, but as a form of charity as a promotion of the message of the Gospel of life". (1)

Our political leaders are not there to fulfil a "vocation" of spreading the Gospel, and we are not a "charity". The majority of Canadians are very accepting of the people that Kenney deems to be "sinners", and if he's not, then he clearly needs to find a new "vocation."

Footnotes:

*The Armageddon Factor: The Rise of Christian Nationalism in Canada, By: Marci McDonald, Random House Canada, 2010, ISBN: 978-0-307-35646-8

Sources:

1. A Mix of Morality and Politics, USF Grad Shakes Up Canadian Political Scene, By Rich Kunz, San Francisco Faith, June 2000

2. Why I No Longer Support the Jesuits, by American Phoenix, July 13, 2006

3. Tommy Douglas: Building the New Society, By Dave Margoshes, XYZ Publishing, 1999, ISBN: 0-9683601-4-9

4. Response by Stephen A. Privett, S.J., President of the University of San Francisco, to the charges made on the website of Friends of the St. Ignatius Institute, February 8, 2001

5. The Making of a Socialist: The Recollections of T.C. Douglas, Edited By Lewis H. Thomas, The University of Alberta Press, 1982, ISBN: 0-88864-070-7, Pg. 82

6. Promote human dignity - Kenney: Politician says faith and politics do mix, By Ramon Gonzalezwcr, Western Catholic Reporter, June 2, 2003

Jason Kenney Finds His Calling Through Incarnation

A CULTURE OF DEFIANCE: History of the Reform-Conservative Party of Canada

"The only good thing that we owe to Plato and Aristotle is that they brought forward many arguments which we can use against the heretics. Yet they and other philosophers are now in hell." Girolamo Savonarola, Italian Dominican friar (1452 - 1498)

When Reform Party MP Rob Ringma suggested that business owners should be allowed to demand that gays and ethnics move to the back of the store, if it meant that they could lose business otherwise; Canadians were appalled.

At about the same time, Reform MP Dave Chatters suggested that schools should be allowed to fire gay teachers, there was more public outcry. But when Reform MP Art Hangar planned a trip to Singapore to investigate 'caning' as a form of youth punishment, enough was enough.

One of the few moderates in the party, Jan Brown, publicly spoke out against the rampant racism of the 'God squad' and the fact that Preston Manning refused to put an end to it.

What was telling was that when Ringma attended the next caucus meeting, he repeated his comment and received a standing ovation, and while Manning was under pressure to temporarily suspend him, he also suspended Brown. Instead, she quit. (1)

For the 1997 election a young man was plucked from the Fraser Institute to run under the Reform Party banner for her seat in Calgary Southeast. This would be the beginning of the political career of Jason Kenney.

Kenney had already earned a reputation as a defender of ancient religious tradition, and the Edmonton Journal suggested that Kenney had "finally found his pulpit" (2), and the Alberta Report would later refer to him as the "new Savonarola." (3)

Jason Kenney and the Incarnation of Girolamo Savonarola

"It would be good for religion if many books that seem useful were destroyed. When there were not so many books and not so many arguments and disputes, religion grew more quickly than it has since." Girolama Savonarola

Comparing Jason Kenney to Savonarola was an astute observation. The fifteenth century friar was a fierce defender of ancient tradition, and staunchly opposed relativism, much like Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger (now Pope Benedict XVI), who influenced the teaching at St. Ignatius in San Fransicso when Jason Kenney was a student.

Savonarola was known for his book burning, destruction of what he considered immoral art, and hostility to the Renaissance. Hostility to change. He would later be executed, but even today has many followers, who would prefer that religious teaching would stick to a perceived "truth" and not be open to interpretation or debate. The infallibility of the Bible.

This was the climate at St. Ignatius in San Francisco when Jason Kenney was studying "humanities". In fact the school was started in protest to the Second Vatican Council, which was an attempt to modernize the church's teachings, to adapt to a changing world.

When the new president, Rev. Stephen Privett, took over the Jesuit-run school in 2001, he dismissed the two directors of the institute, and began to clean up some of the radical teachings, that were creating so much controversy.

"Since its founding 25 years ago, the institute has functioned as an enclave of strict orthodoxy at the relatively liberal university [of San Francisco] ... Privett accused Fessio and other institute lobbyists of "McCarthyite" tactics." (4)

It was also referred to as a "cult". They were militantly anti-abortion and anti-homosexuality. In fact according to the Western Catholic Reporter, Jason Kenney, "... as a university student leader made headlines in California trying to ban abortion groups from the university and fighting against gay rights in San Francisco." (5)

It was probably because of incidents like this that the University of San Francisco began looking at the teachings of the separate St. Ignatius, operating on their campus. Hence the arrival of Privett. But the orthodox Catholic students, were not going down without a fight:

Conservative Catholics upset over a bitter shake-up at the University of San Francisco say they may soon have the pope on their side. The Rev. Joseph Fessio, founder of the conservative St. Ignatius Institute, said he has met in Rome with Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, the Vatican's chief guardian of orthodoxy, and his concerns have been passed on to Pope John Paul II.

"The Holy Father is aware of what has happened and is watching closely," Fessio said. (4)

However Privett said he "... checked with his Jesuit superiors and found no indications that Rome has intervened in the bitter theological dispute" and Fessio was exiled by the church.(6)

To go to such lengths, Rome and the Jesuit hierarchy must have discovered disturbing evidence. But it does give us some insight in Kenney's narrow minded thinking. It may have been an indoctrination, because he is not a man who challenges himself, and allows no challenges to his thinking.

St. Ignatius during his time not only fought new ideas, but fought the clergy who promoted new ideas. When Kenney went against Pope Paul's denouncing of the Iraq War, he said that:

"... the determination of whether a particular war is just lies exclusively with the responsible public authority, not priests or bishops. In this case "the responsible public authority would be President Bush and me ..."

"So I take issue with those bishops who made what sounded like magisterial pronouncements about the legitimacy of that conflict," Kenney said in response to a question. "They did not have the authority to make such a declaration. They can offer an opinion which I would take very seriously but ultimately I am called upon by the Church itself as a responsible public authority to make a credential decision." (5)

Jason Kenney's Catholic beliefs even trump the Pope. Religious arrogance at it's most profound. One might argue that he was challenging religious doctrine, but he was clearly on the wrong side of the debate.

Next: Jason Kenney Broadens the Tent

Sources:

1. Hard Right Turn: The New Face of Neo-Conservatism in Canada, Brooke Jeffrey, Harper-Collins, 1999, ISBN: 0-00 255762-2

2. Jason Kenney Has Found His Pulpit, By Lawrence Martin, Edmonton Journal, March 11, 1999

3. Requiem for a Lightweight: Stockwell Day and Image Politics, By Trevor Harrison, Black Rose Books, 2002, ISBN: 1-55164-206-9, Pg. 47

4. Pope's Help Sought in Theology Clash at USF: School protests over orthodox institute, By Don Lattin, Elizabeth Fernandez, Chronicle Staff Writers, March 28, 2001

5. Promote human dignity - Kenney: Politician says faith and politics do mix, By Ramon Gonzalezwcr, Wetern Catholic Reporter, June 3, 2003

6. Fessio Exiled: Jesuits Shun Invitation to Support New College, By Christopher Zehnder, San Francisco Faith, May 2002

Educating Jason Kenney: Between Life and Death

A CULTURE OF DEFIANCE: History of the Reform-Conservative Party of Canada

“A Catholic would be guilty of formal cooperation in evil, and so unworthy to present himself for holy Communion, if he were to deliberately vote for a candidate precisely because of the candidate's permissive stand on abortion and/or euthanasia. When a Catholic does not share a candidate's stand in favor of abortion and/or euthanasia, but votes for that candidate for other reasons, it is considered remote material cooperation, which can be permitted in the presence of proportionate reasons.” Cardinal Ratzinger, Pope Benedict XVI

By the reasoning then, if you are a Catholic and you don't disapprove of abortion, but choose a candidate not based on that criteria, you're OK.

Jason Kenney clearly is a candidate who disapproves of abortion, and has never suggested otherwise. I guess I have to respect that, so long as he doesn't suggest that he's "pro-life", because he was a staunch supporter of the War in Iraq, which would make him "pro-death".

Church documents make it clear, he said, that in certain instances "lethal violence can be used in the defence of life." And he said the determination of whether a particular war is just lies exclusively with the responsible public authority, not priests or bishops. In this case "the responsible public authority would be President Bush and me," he explained.

"So I take issue with those bishops who made what sounded like magisterial pronouncements about the legitimacy of that conflict," Kenney said in response to a question. "They did not have the authority to make such a declaration. They can offer an opinion which I would take very seriously but ultimately I am called upon by the Church itself as a responsible public authority to make a credential decision."

Added Kenney: "I believe in prudence that there was an obligation, ultimately, eventually to use limited, proportional force to remove one of the world's most dangerous fascist dictators . . . who used chemical and biological weapons against his on people." (1)

What on earth makes him believe that George Bush used "limited, proportional force"? There is some thought that Pope Benedict XVI will move the Catholic church to the right, supporting Dr. Robert Wesolowski suggestion that there is:

"... a sizable minority of Christians and Catholics associated with neoconservatism who are sometimes referred to as "theocons" . The neocons are serious about a global religious war with Islam which would lead modern Americans back to medieval times and ideas with the Pope as king. That may help explain some of George Bush’s ideas that God wants America to do battle with the world of Islam. But do Americans really want to return to the medieval society? I don’t think we want that society today or in the future. " (2)

I'm learning a lot about Kenney's education at St. Ignatius Jesuit College, based on the current attempt to modernize teaching, and rid the college of those notions, returning to the basic principles of humanity. Too late for Jason Kenney, I suppose, though I'm sure his father, a devout Catholic, may have chosen this Jesuit College because at the time they adhered to pre-Second Vatican Council doctrine. True Theocon/Neocon philosophy.

The new president of St. Ignatius, while suggesting that abortion is wrong, also supports the late Rev. Robert Drinan, who it is said " did more than anyone else to convince Catholic legislators that the settled teaching of the Church on the grave immorality of abortion had no bearing on their legislative work." .... after being elected to Congress in 1970, Father Drinan wrote in support of Roe v. Wade and Clinton's veto of the ban against partial-birth abortion. After being forced by John Paul II to leave Congress in 1981, Father Drinan continued as a pro-abortion lobbyist both within the Democratic Party and as head of Americans for Democratic Action. (2)

Kenney would definitely not want to attend this school now.

It's a very twisted ideology that many pro-lifers have. They will fervently denounce abortion as "murder" but just as fervently support the murder of those who don't share their faith. Or I should say those whose faith is seen as a threat to their own.

However, Pope Benedict has clearly stated that "Abortion is a crime of aggression not only against the unborn, but also against society", so I suppose the late Father Drinan will never be canonized.

Benedict also says of Islam: "Show me just what Muhammad brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." Oh, my.

Next: Jason Kenney and the Pyramid Scheme

Sources:

1. Promote human dignity - Kenney: Politician says faith and politics do mix, By Ramon Gonzalez, WCR Staff Writer, Edmonton, June 2, 2003

2. Jesuit University President Attacks George Weigel, by Deal W. Hudson, Inside Catholic, March 19, 2008

Educating Jason Kenney: St. Ignatius Institute

A CULTURE OF DEFIANCE: History of the Reform-Conservative Party of Canada

St. Ignatius Institute at the University of San Francisco, was founded by Jesuit Fr. Joseph Fessio in 1976, in reaction to the liberalizing influences of the Second Vatican Council, which was an attempt to modernize the church's teachings, to adapt to a changing world.

The final doctrine was approved by Pope Paul VI, on December 8, 1965, and presented "... a church that is primarily a worshiping and serving community open to various points of view and religious traditions." (1)

Not everyone liked this move away from long held traditions, and Fr. Fessio sought to offer an alternative to this new 'enlightenment'.

Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger (now Pope Benedict XVI)

What traditionalists like Fr. Fessio feared, was not just relativism, that questioned truth, but also that liberalization would lead to the spread of communism, and for answers he turned to the teachings of Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger.

"In the '80s, the theology of liberation in its radical forms seemed to be the most urgent challenge for the faith of the church. It was a challenge that required both a response and a clarification because it proposed a new, plausible and at the same time practical response to the fundamental question of Christianity: namely, the problem of redemption."(2)

What Ratzinger proposed was an active involvement in politics, as the only way to stop the spread of communism, that would mean the end of religion.

We experience a world that does not correspond to a good God. Poverty, oppression, all kinds of unjust domination, the suffering of the just and the innocent constitute the signs of the times and of all times.(2)

Since Marxism was providing alternatives to oppression and promised an end to poverty, through collective efforts, there needed to be a move toward individual freedom, because only through individual freedom could one achieve redemption.

The fall of the European governmental systems based on Marxism turned out to be a kind of twilight of the gods for that theology of redeeming political praxis. Precisely in those places where the Marxist liberating ideology had been applied consistently, a radical lack of freedom had been produced, the horror of which now appeared out in the open before the eyes of world public opinion. (2)

So if political custom was to take care of the people, that custom had to be changed to support the notion that a person should take care of themselves, or risk being lured into the horror of communism.

The fact is that when politics want to bring redemption, they promise too much. When they presume to do God's work, they do not become divine but diabolical.(2)

And this was the theory adhered to at St. Ignatius when Jason Kenney showed up at their door. A divine mission to destroy the welfare state.

This was why libertarians embraced theoconservatism, because both had the same ultimate goal. Then adding the neoconservative doctrine of Leo Strauss, that was bred in Nazi Germany, resulted in the creation of the destructive and inhumane movement, known as the Religious Right, who should have listened to Cardinal Ratzinger when he said that "When they presume to do God's work, they do not become divine but diabolical."

I think diabolical is the best word to describe this new brand of Conservatism.

In 2001, a new administration moved in, attempting to clean up the mess, but not before a generation of Jason Kenneys was unleashed on an unsuspecting public.

Next: Educating Jason Kenney: Between Life and Death

Sources:

1. Second Vatican Council, General Information, By Richard P. Mcbrien

2. RELATIVISM: THE CENTRAL PROBLEM FOR FAITH TODAY, Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, address during the meeting of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith with the presidents of the Doctrinal Commissions of the Bishops' Conferences of Latin America, held in Guadalajara, Mexico, in May 1996

Hero or Villain: Understanding Jason Kenney

A CULTURE OF DEFIANCE: History of the Reform-Conservative Party of Canada

In an attempt to figure out Jason Kenney, who is an anomaly to say the least; I thought I'd go back to the beginning and work my way up, rather than the other way round. There's not a lot of information about his past, but I think there's enough.

So this is the start of what will eventually be edited into at least one chapter of my e-book.

The Early Years

What we know is that he was born May 30, 1968 in Oakville, Ontario, and from there moved to Winnipeg, Manitoba. At the age of six, his father accepted a position as President of Athol Murray College of Notre Dame, in the small community of Wilmox, Saskatchewan. The schools' founder, Pere Athol Murray, had passed away the year before, and the school's finances were in a shambles.

However, Mr. Kenney was able to raise enough funds to save the school and turned it into a highly respected academic institution.

"He was always an impressive man ... [former colleague] Ryan said. "When he walked in a room, everyone knew he was there. He had an aura about him. When he took over, Notre Dame was a struggling enterprise. He got it back on its feet."(1)

He also developed an excellent athletics program that included a competitive junior hockey team, that churned out the likes of Wendell Clark, Curtis Joseph and Brind'Amour. Highly respected Mr. Kenney passed away in April of this year. (1)

Despite how I feel about Jason Kenney's actions, he does have an excellent work ethic, and he obviously came by that naturally.

Jason's mother Lynn is still living, as are two brothers; Martin Jr*. and David.

Kenney attended his father's school, which according to their literature: is a "... safe, rural environment ... a unique setting for personal growth with minimal distractions." Perhaps it were those "minimal distractions" that account for his narrow minded views today, though I suspect it was his post-secondary education that had more of an impact.

St. Ignatius Institute

After graduating from Athol Murray, Jason Kenney headed to San Francisco, where he enrolled in the humanities program at St. Ignatius Insitute. According to author Trevor Harrison, it was "where he came under the influence of some of America's leading neoconservative theorists." (2)

Indeed the college was a hotbead for neoconservative ideals at the time, and was described as a "... lightning rod of controversy ... [the] traditionalist approach itself provoked controversy. Some members of the university criticized what one scholar called a "parti pris" approach to education with a narrow Catholic — mostly papal — perspective and their chaplain, Fr. Cornelius M. Buckley was criticized for fostering "...a cult-like following".**

Next: Educating Jason Kenney: St. Ignatius Institute

Footnotes:

*Martin may have run in the provincial election in 1991, for the riding of Qu’Appelle-Lumsden, finishing third to NDP Suzanne Murray (Suzanne Murray NDP 4907, Dawn Garner Lib 2827, Martin Kenney PC 2426)

**Wikipedia

Sources:

1. Former Athol Murray College of Notre Dame president Martin Kenney dies at 78, By IAN HAMILTON, Leader-Post, April 14, 2010

2. Requiem for a Lightweight: Stockwell Day and Image Politics, By Trevor Harrison, Black Rose Books, 2002, ISBN: 1-55164-206-9, Pg. 47