Minutemen have rule of law on their side

By: DAN NOVAL - Commentary

This newspaper's two commentaries of July 11, "Fallbrook protest taps anti-Catholic bias," by Bill Donohue, and "Rendering unto Caesar," by Joe Sheffo, require an unemotional and reasoned response.

Once again, the illegal immigration controversy in both articles has been couched in inflammatory terms to tap into the reader's emotion. A concerned American citizen exercising his or her First Amendment right by protesting the day labor hiring site at St. Peter's Catholic Church in Fallbrook is portrayed as "disgraceful," and, of course, the ever-effective "succumbing to anti-Catholic bigotry." Who could ever listen to what a bigot has to say? Indeed, the tactic is as old as politics itself: Smear the messenger and the message becomes at best invalid or at worst an outright lie.

To manipulate and inflame public opinion, those with a political agenda speak in hyperbole, and so any generally innocuous activity can be hyped into outrageous intolerance, nativism, racism and every other sort of morally bankrupt position one can hold. This emotion-baiting cleverly takes the focus off of the reason for the protests ---- the arrogant disregard for established law.


What is occurring at St. Peter's Catholic Church in Fallbrook is a confrontation between the rule of law and the flouting of the law ---- a steppingstone toward anarchy. It appears that the administration of St. Peter's is interpreting our nation's immigration law through the lens of what it sees as a higher moral mandate under the umbrella of helping the poor and disadvantaged. This of course is a core tenet of Christianity, but there is a world of difference between giving temporary, loving charity and facilitating the systematic, flagrant violation of established law.

If St. Peter's has a system in place whereby they can confirm the legal status of those individuals who congregate on their property seeking work, fine. If not, the law of averages guarantees they are aiding and abetting criminal activity. As a moral guidepost within the community, St. Peter's should lean to the side of caution and not do anything that may jeopardize its integrity and adherence to the law. This would be true of any house of worship, be it Catholic, Protestant, Jewish, Islamic, Hindu or Buddhist. The protests occurring at St. Peter's Church are not motivated by Catholic bias but by a desire to see the laws of our nation adhered to by all people.

A newspaper can paint a concerned American citizen who loves their country as a bigot very easily, but they can't look into the heart. Only God can do that. Speaking of God, it may be helpful for Father Edward Kaicher, Bill Donohue and Joe Sheffo to remember the biblical admonition from Romans 13:1-2, "Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God and the authorities that exist are appointed by God. Therefore whoever resists the ordinance of God, and those who resist will bring judgment on themselves."

In this case, there is a clear distinction between Christian charity and lawlessness.

Oceanside resident Dan Noval is a retired deputy with 23 years of service for the Orange County Sheriff's Department.

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