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PC militants silence speech they don't like
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Cursed are those who don’t worship the beliefs of the Gods of Political Correctness.
The latest damnation of someone who dares to live differently was directed at Sister John Paul Bauer.
Her sin? The 60-year-old Catholic nun is a hunter. And by all indications she’s a very decent and thoughtful hunter.
That was enough to plunge Sister Bauer and the Erie Diocese of Pennsylvania into Facebook hell.
A photo posted on the diocese’s Facebook page showed Sister Bauer wearing her nun’s habit by a pickup truck holding her 10-point trophy buck by the antlers. Most of the initial comments of the page that ultimately had almost 1.5 million viewers were positive. There was also a splattering of posts that took exception to hunting and even questioned how a nun could possibly kill another living thing. But then something very 1984ish started taking place. Militant animal rights activities and hardcore anti-hunting posters started in. They weren’t willing to have a dialogue about hunting. Instead they unleashed vulgar tirades, typed obscenities in comments, and even went as far as posting an obscene photograph.
So the Catholic Diocese did exactly what the PC goon squads that roam the Internet wanted them to do — they took down the page that celebrated something they objected to, namely hunting.
The world is not richer for their vulgar actions. Dissent is one thing. Toxic Texas Chainsaw Massacre inspired dialogues that are just as brutal behavior as the animal rights activists contend hunting can be is something else.
Hunting in the part of blue collar Pennsylvania where Sister Bauer teaches theology at a parochial school is part of the fabric of community life. (Gee, that gives her three strikes in the eyes of the PC crowd — blue collar, Catholic, and a hunter to boot.) She bagged the 200-pound buck on Nov. 30. Sister Bauer enlisted the help of the landowner as well as a fellow nun Sister Jacinta Conklin — who was out hunting solo — to help retrieve the buck. Deer hunting is a tradition for nuns at the monastery in the community of St. Mary’s just as it is with others that live there. The former nurse bought her first rifle shortly after arriving at the monastery. She hasn’t missed an opening day of deer season for 15 years.
In past years she’s also bagged two deer and a 200-pound bear. Much of the venison from her trophy deer last month went to feed two local families.
Sister Bauer took time on the Facebook page to explain the importance of conservation by using hunting to strike a balance needed to maintain a deer population that can feed naturally off the land. Too many deer and they starve. Overhunt, and their ranks are depleted. It’s pretty straightforward.
During interviews, Sister Bauer noted as a Benedictine nun, she believes that Christ is in everything. “You don’t hunt for the sake of killing. You are part of nature. You’re part of a cycle. You’re part of creation.”
There is nothing sacrilegious about hunting or man eating meat. Depending upon your view of the overall picture it is either as God or nature intended.
Browbeating others into silence is a trademark move of the PC police. Why engage in a civilized exchange when you can get a quick victory by vile postings prompting the pulling of the plug on speech that you don’t like?
The militant PC movement is well versed in using the sharp edge of words to hammer into submission those that dare to think differently. And when calling those they oppose “racists” and such doesn’t work, going into expletive overdrive usually does the trick.

This column is the opinion of Dennis Wyatt, and does not necessarily represent the opinion of The Journal or Morris Newspaper Corp. of CA.  He can be contacted at dwyatt@mantecabulletin.com or 209.249.3519.