The author of the Pro Ecclesia blog not only manages find something genuinely praiseworthy about Cdl. Mahony, he even coins Anderson's Corollary to Godwin's Law and gets himself in the Washington Times as a result.
For them what don't know, Godwin's Law states that "As an online discussion grows longer, the probability of a comparison involving Nazis or Hitler approaches one." Common netiquette derives from this the common law rule of thumb that the first person to compare something or somebody to Hitler or the Nazis automatically forfeits the argument. This cheap rhetorical strategy (commonly known as the "reductio ad Hitlerum") has gained new life in the form of the Sean Hannity-tested-and-approved "reductio ad pedophilium" argument which proceeds as follows:
Sean: "I think that Church teachings I don't happen to like such as rejection of artificial contraception and torture, are a lot of crap!"
Serious Catholic: "Then you probably shouldn't go around boasting about how you are a serious faithful Catholic."
Sean: "Oh yeah? Well, priests are a bunch of perverts or pervert-enablers! How can I be wrong about just war, prisoner abuse, and contraception when it is a documented fact that priests have abused children! Why are you judging me when by your very argument you are helping to destroy the lives of innocent little children!"
The argumentum ad pedophilium was a popular sophistry for several years, but the appearance of Anderson's Corollary indicates that this particular cheap shot is getting a bit threadbare and is losing the power to shame and intimidate Catholics into silence--even when a loudmouth bully like Hannity tries it.
H/T to Dale.
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