And you're a Nazi!

Human Life International has a staff; it's not just a one-man operation. So I can't think of any excuse for this open letter from HLI President Fr. Thomas J. Euteneuer to Democratic Leader of the House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi appearing in public.

Thank you for clarifying for all U.S. Catholics the meaning of the word "apostasy"....

You have lost your faith. Just admit it....

I will hear your confession. But get ready to do some serious penance.

These are the words of what is technically known as a "first draft." The purpose of a first draft is to put down in words the bitterness, snideness, and invective with which one reacts to someone one finds viscerally offensive.

After the first draft is written, one sets it aside, then returns to it later with a cooler head. The sneers, insults, and junior high school taunts are all removed, though some attempt may be made to replace them with more objective expressions. Arguments that at first seemed airtight and demanding assent from all but lunatics are revisited, their glaring inadequacies patched up as best as possible. The result is a "second draft."

This draft (or perhaps the third draft) is then circulated among the staff (where a staff exists) for feedback, which is incorporated into the document to produce (after a round or two of polishing) the "final draft." The final draft is what is made public.

For Fr. Euteneuer to publish this Usenet-quality "Personal Letter to the 48 Apostate Catholics" as it stands is an embarrassment to Human Life International.

[Link via Curt Jester, who got it from Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam.]

Link | 0 comments | Tweet

---