For those unfamiliar with Chris Royse, he ran an unsuccessful campaign against Frank Principi for the vacated Woodbridge Supervisor seat during the 2007 election. (This video shows him addressing the BOCS on 7-10-07). In this letter to the editor he perhaps purposely misrepresents Principi’s pro-life stance. One needs to ask themselves Royse’s motivation for doing so. Presumably he wants to keep his name in the public domain because he anticipates another candidacy for public office. In short, a blatant attack on elected officials masked as a ‘christian’ holiday greeting is in extremely poor taste and should be remembered as such for a long time to come.
Here’s the letter:
This time of year is special to Christians as Christmas is the celebration of the birth of our savior Jesus Christ.
Birth and life are very important concepts to Christians, and in particular Catholics.
We are commanded by the Pope to love and protect the unborn since God sent his only son to be born, raised and crucified among us.
This year, shortly after Christmas, we will inaugurate President-elect Obama who has publicly referred to pregnancy as “punishment,” and we will see his local followers, Congressman-elect Gerry
Connolly and Woodbridge Supervisor Frank Principi — both Catholics who support pro-choice agendas in direct violation of the Church’s teachings — continue on their path of supporting the destruction of
human life.This holiday season, a season which includes the celebration of birth, I request that leaders throughout the Arlington Diocese call on Connolly and Principi to stop their hypocrisy and to consider denying them communion until they realign themselves with the teachings of our church.
As Jesus taught us in Matthew 23:12 “and whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted,” Christmas is the perfect time for the humble unborn to be exalted and
those local “leaders” who exalt themselves by publicly defying their own faith to be humbled.Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays and Happy New Year.
CHRIS ROYSE
Woodbridge
Nothing like using the holidays as an excuse for an anti-choice screed…
What a sore loser. Do we remember Chris Royse? He was that Pillsbury Dough Boy who showed up at Citizens’ Time each of the last 10 BOCS meetings before his pathetic showing in the 2007 election. He would always give the same nitwit campaign speech. Always the same! County staffers used to mouth the words to make fun of him.
I won’t even respond to the argument that people of any particular religion should be restricted to any particular political party. Obviously the consecutive defeats were too much for Dough Boy to take, and he’s lost any sense of pride he had left.
My, my, my. It has been many years since Christians persecuted one another simply because they had another point of view. It is un-Christian. In fact it clearly has nothing at all to do with religious faith of any kind.
This is zero percent about religions faith and 100 percent about politics.
Chris Royse looks at the calendar and sees the birthday of Jesus Christ is around the corner and what does he do? He announces that this is a good time to use religion as a political weapon to attack people?
It reminds me of a cheap shot taken by our BOCS Chairman at the V.O.I.C.E. event.
The religious community had organized against anti-immigrant political maneuvering. In fact, we are repulsed by frauds like Chris Royse and Corey Stewart who see no worth to any issue unless it divides people and invites lost souls to turn their fear and frustration into hatred.
It appears that Mr. Royse is just trying to keep that old Rep. “wedge issue” alive for the next election cycle.
“Judge not, and you shall not be judged: condemn not, and you shall not be condemned: forgive, and you shall be forgiven.” –Luke 6:37
Chris Royse, I know you are disappointed, but it is time to forgive Frank Principi for Barack Obama’s victory. In case you didn’t notice, Mr. Principi was not the only American who voted for him.
Chris Royse, this is the holidays. There is no election coming up. Why are you practicing politics at attacking a fellow Catholic?
Chris Royse, if you really want to be a politician when you grow up, I suggest you come up with something to say besides “here is a good reason to hate.” Whether it be immigration or abortion, there is more to politics than judgment, resentment, and hate.
Chris Royse, you need to come to terms with the fact that voters in Virginia are no longer foolish enough to be led by the nose by your “wedge issues.” National security, the economy, education, health care and many other issues are more important.
The comments section for that article are running 10 to 1 against the guy(Royse).
That letter was over the top. Actually, it really has nothing to do with someone being pro-choice. Mr. Principi is pro-life and has stated so even back during his campaign. (see link) What Royse is saying, in essence is, that if you don’t vote democrat then you lose communion. That really isn’t up to him to say.
There is one Catholic church in the nation that has come up with the same plan.
http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles_of_faith/2008/11/priest_says_no.html
I suspiciously am thinking that someone who shall go unnamed is giving Mr. Royse some real bad campaign advice. There is no way he can win in PWC once the voters find out he thinks he can report people in order to make them lose their communion privileges. That is just supreme arrogance. There is only one person who puts a spin on things that badly……….(fade to gray)
Witness Too,
You nailed it! Yes, this is un-Christian like behavior at it’s worst.
A true Christian would’ve wrote their thoughts on the reason for the season and left it at that. I guess when you have a case of what appears to be sour grapes, you resort to penning such letters.
I’m not Catholic, and I don’t think it’s Mr. Royse’s place to call on religious leaders to deny communion to those that which he(Mr. R) disagrees with.
I was very disappointed to read this in the paper the other. I read the actual paper, and don’t read online. However, after all this I will have to go there and take peek.
Oh, I will be using Lafayette on this thread. I have no desire to have my name confused with the “other boy Chris Royse”
corr: I have no desire to have my name confused with the “other Chris (boy)Royse”
I don’t think anyone’s learning anything new that Lafayette is Chris(poster on this blog)
The Bible isn’t particularly anti-abortion. It makes great pains to explicitly condemn the eating of shrimp (http://www.thebricktestament.com/the_law/what_not_to_eat/lv11_03.html) and to tell you how much to pay a woman’s father after you rape her (http://www.thebricktestament.com/the_law/rape/dt22_23a.html) but nothing really on abortion.
Believing in the Bible in the first place is idiocy, believing in your own idiosynchratic interpretation of it is double idiocy. Being Catholic is I think a third form of idiocy.
Man, I’d forgotten who it was that Frank Principi spanked in the 2007 election. What a loser. This is how he puts himself back in the public eye?
Being that I’m a big fan of Frank Principi, I’d be happy to see Royse run again, except that Royse’s campaign would be so dirty and ugly that it would open up fissures in the community that I hope will have closed up by then.
But from a political standpoint, I’d love to see the Republican party nominate clowns like Chris Royse again and again. Meanwhile the Democratic party will continue nominating competent, intelligent, reasonable, and practical public servants in the future. Where did you find Chris Royse, Corey Stewart? Please, send us more demagogues for sound spanking in odd-year elections!
Robert Duecaster takes exception with Royse too.
I guess the Dough Boy Ploy has backfired.
I must say this does not surprise me coming from Mr. Duecaster. This was one of the more sane comments I read when I visited the newspaper,and he’s also, posted there.
I agree with his second sentence completely
I didn’t realize that the newspaper comments section had the nastiness seen on blogs. I should’ve known the ugliness has spread to all public forums. I can only imagine what someone that’s not from around here must think when the visit the Messenger for local news and read some of those comments. They must think this is one anger community.
corr: ANGRY communitiy.
“They must think this is one anger community.”
It sure as F@#* is, out where the common people live.
Lafayette, you don’t have to change your tag name, LOL!
Chris Royse has disgraced himself, not all people named Chris!
To explain: “Chris” announced above that she was changing her moniker to “Lafayette” because she didn’t want to be confused with Chris Royse.
The bible doesn’t mention abortion at all. One must interpret.
However, Mr. Principi’s position is clear. Royse has one hell of a nerve questioning his word.
That is a real slime ball way of getting your name in the paper. I would liken it to putting plastic dog barf in a Christmas card. NC!
Rick,
I live amongst the common people. There’s nothing elite about WestGate, trust me.
Agreed there are still some angry in the community, but I do not think the entire community as a whole is as angry as the things I read. As things continue to improve within the communities the anger will fade. There will always be those that are angry about something.
NotGL.,
Thanks, for the laugh it’s much needed 🙂
I just can NOT be confused with this man’s opinion on this issue. Well, I’m an Independent, and do not want to be accused of being a Republican or a Democrat.
Principi fights for the rights of his constituents to kill chickens in their backyard … Royce cries for the unborn because he thinks the Pope told him to … do I have a third option here?
I see. If you had posted as “Chris” on this thread, people might have thought it was Dough Boy coming on here to do damage control.
I wish he would.
Where are you, Dough Boy? Too scared to exchange a few words with people who can answer you uncensored?
NotGL,
Thank you, and you are right.
Maybe, he’s like all those others that love to chant “I don’t blog. I only read”. Yeah, effing right! I don’t think most if any buy that BS line for one minute. imho.
I think Royse might be the last person you would bump in to around these parts.
Oh I don’t know….stranger things have happened.
I think the Catholic Church (and all religious groups who dabble in politics attempting to make doctrine law and influence elections) should lose their tax exempt status.
I believe everyone is free to believe what they want; however, once they cross the line and attempt influence political outcomes as well as attempt to legislate doctrine into law they should lose their “free ride” on the public dime.
Chris Royse is off my Christmas (make that Holiday) card list for good!
I will send Chris Royse a lifesize cutout of Frank Principi this christmas.
Reminder, the Chris Royse spells his name with an “s” not a “c” like the car.
Meanwhile, here is a video where you can see who we’re talking about:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=db62JchGgOc
Rick Bentley said:
I hope you were joking when you said this, Rick.
The two Board members who are not afraid to stand up to Corey Stewart’s bullying, snarling, and manipulating are both Catholic: Frank Principi and Maureen Caddigan.
I am thankful that Catholics are known to speak their mind. Catholics have contributed much to our democracy over the centuries. Whether I agree with them or not on certain issues, I think that a religious person should have the same right as anyone else to speak their mind.
The only place where I am uncomfortable with religious people voicing their opinion is when they start to get intolerant like Chris Royse sounds in his letter.
It is just frightening for me when people try to use religion in an intolerant way for political purposes because if you look at world history and current events, it can often happen that a charismatic religious leader can lead people down some pretty dark paths. Intolerance is always the first step down that that path. Shame on Chris Royse!
Mackie,
LOL!! Good one!!
Now, see isn’t that better than posting a youtube. 😉
“I think that a religious person should have the same right as anyone else to speak their mind.”
Absolutely. I am not trying to curtail freedom of speech.
But I’m serious about finding it (religion, catholicism) completely idiotic and unapolegetically saying so.
If grown adults went around believing in Santa Claus or the Tooth Fairy, am I not supposed to say anything about it that makes them feel silly? Well that’s how I feel about Catholicism, Mormonism, Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, Judaism, Scientology, etc.
Rick Bentley, are you Christopher Hitchens in disguise? (=
So Duecaster is disgusted by Chris Royse humiliating himself.
Corey Stewart, who is Chris Royse’s master, is silent on the issue so far. But let’s recall what Stewart said in the Washington Post about religion and politics:
So of the three most notorious right wing extremists in Prince William County, that leaves only Greg Letiecq to defend him, and defend him he is.
How do you like that for a fracture within a fracture of a faction of the Republican party. Two of the three most notorious right wing extremists in PWC disagree with Chris Royse’s desperate act of sour grapes/hate politics. And only Greg Letiecq, the most disgraced, most humiliated, and most discredited politician in the land is willing to defend him.
Nice going Dough Boy.
No, and I’m not a big fan of his, but I see the similarity, thanks. I read one of his books, a ranting screed about the Clintons, and it was hard not to be entertained by his invective. I can only produce it in small doses.
Rick, do you feel the same way when religion is called upon to justify prejudice toward gays and lesbians?
I read Hitchens’ book “The Trial of Henry Kissinger” and it was great!
Rick, I do agree with you that there is too much “faith-based” thinking in political decisions like how we vote or what issues we advocate for. I can’t for the life of me understand how, in a time when there are two wars and and an economic crisis verging on depression, people want to spend their time and money and votes on social issues like gay rights or abortion.
Hating gays or targeting pro-choice people is not going to solve any of the problems we face as a country, or as a county. What’s the point if the only impact someone like Chris Royse is going to have is injected more hate into an already tense and unhappy landscape?
Yes. Or even when it’s used to justify not eating meat on Fridays. Or even when it’s used in more cheery and positive ways.
The use of fairy tales is having a negative effect on the human race. No one thinks that naything bad can happen, the polar caps are melting, and we ruined the ozone layer in part for the sake of hair spray. Let’s stop teaching kids that some God is going to fix it all if we just pray to him/her hard enough.
This is wrong on so many levels and since I am a Catholic I will recuse myself from this discussion except to say that this is the first time I have actually witnessed one Catholic making a public judgement regarding a sacrement on another Catholic since Jackie Kennedy married Aristotle Onassis…… But that was because she violated the re-marriage aspect of divorce. Do you think Mr. Royse condems all Catholics who violate church teachings or just the ones he likes. As someone said somewhere, accepting all the teachings of a religion is mighty difficult. It is so much easier to pick and choose. But faith is not supposed to be easy – if it was people wouldn’t die for it.
I think MH summed it up quite nicely but not as directly as I will. Clearly Greg is losing his control in the community and this is an pathetic attempt find new people to control. Greg’s hatred of Gerry Connolly is well documented along with his hatred of Principi. Sooo…. Greg, if this is the best you can do, you are slipping man. Even Advocator bailed on this one……. Marshall and Royse, now there’s a winning team for Virginia.
“I can’t for the life of me understand how, in a time when there are two wars and and an economic crisis verging on depression, people want to spend their time and money and votes on social issues like gay rights or abortion.”
I’ve thought about this a lot. i thought about it a lot after watching the 2004 election, slack-jawed at what happened and at the re-election of Bush.
I believe we are at such a level of comfort and decadence that many of us have a luxury our ancestors didn’t. We don’t have to care so much any more about what’s real. we can live in myths and vote based on myths, and it’ll still probably work out okay for us.
The Iraq occupation had little in it for the average Bush voter, but they clung to myths almost desperately (Iraq had WMD, Kerry will cut-and-run, bush is a strong leader). I believe that the myth sold here was “we are good people who will sacrifice for good over evil, like the ‘Great generation’ did in World war II” and that the American people cared more about that myth and about feeling like heroes than they did any semblance of reality. it meant even more to them than their own economic security.
And let me get this in – I said it on the other board, and think it quite nice – perhaps it’ll turn up in bartlett’s quotes someday –
Combining politics and religion is, to me, like mixing feces and urine in a bucket … they both get arguably worse …
I’ve never notice bvbl being the great defender of Catholics, let alone like the thread today. Hmm. I’ve seen many nasty comments about All Saints Catholic Church on bvbl. Any ideas what may have caused such a change of heart?
Rick
I don’t pray to a God to fix things. Free will and all. I do pray to a God for guidance and strength. Anything else is a myth, I agree. Religion is the opium of the people when it follows the myth route.
Church is an outward sign of religion, the way you live is an outward sign of faith/spirtiuality. There is a huge difference. Showing public community involvment is one very very small aspect, how you live, how you treat people this is faith or spiritualilty or morality and is really all that is important.
It is easy to spot the ones who believe in the big show on Sunday, but can’t carry it past the church foyer on the way out.
Laf
No heart involved. See my post at 15.50
Rick and Juturna, you both have represented your view well. Thank you.
Juturna, this one takes the cake:
Yes! They are seeking new people to control. Corey Stewart did the same when he grasped at the abortion straw recently. Greg Letiecq and his followers are seeking new people to control.
When you allow someone to make you hate, you give your power away. You allow liars like Corey Stewart and Chris Royse to control you.
I think there are very few people who are so willing to give their power away. If hate and resentment are the motivation, then the cause is never worth giving your power away.
Its not like they are going to outlaw abortion in PWC so what is the point other than anger
We call angry religious zealots terrorists don’t we?
Juturna,
What about “send them back with love”?
Are you saying that didn’t come from the heart? 😉
I don’t know about anyone else, but reading all of this, I am starting to feel sorry for Mr. Letiecq. It’s hard to believe that this is what he’s been reduced to. He once had platform and the respect of a lot of people. Now he’s lost both. In fact, he is now the opposite of both. That must feel really awful.
At least Chris Royse never achieved any influence. He doesn’t have to cope with or try to explain what led to a precipitous fall.
That was a despicable use of religion. In fact that tape reviewed by a few behaviour analysts was verra telling.
Who reviewed what tape? Behavioral analysts and what?
ShellyB,
Here’s the tape in case you aren’t familiar with it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tpAWEMOgAJw
I’m too am intrigued by Juturna’s post.