The Never-Ceasing Mike from Chicago

codefro · #1 Mar 29, '12, 8:29 am

Anyone else know who I am talking about? He called about 4 times when Jimmy was on with a speech written trying to assert that the Catholic Church claims that the Eucharist can remove free will from the Catholic and provide assurances pretty much all across the board and also how that is false due to converting Catholics who leave the Church. He never calls with a question, and Patrick forces him to ask a question and then he says "Ok, how do you reconcile that..." and Jimmy had to say "I am not under the same impression." Mike throws out numbers that Jimmy sees as false as he cannot find the numbers anywhere. Calls back everytime doing the same thing. On Tuesday's broadcast, he calls again to argue that basically every early brach of Catholic (Roman, Byzantine, and African) could not reach concensus on the Old Testament Canon. Fr. Fessio and Patrick both quickly give the evidence that this is wrong... THE DUDE GOES ON AS IF HE DIDN'T HEAR WHAT THEY SAID! Again, he has a speech written, Patrick says he lets ask a question, and he says "Ok, how do you reconcile that..." He doesn't hear a word they say and keeps bringing up points that are not relevant and talking around the guests. They asked Mike a question he refused to answer and kept asking different questions back, but would not answer so they ended the call. I wonder if they ever wonder of the value of continuing to take this guy's call...

nickybr38 · #2 Mar 30, '12, 2:24 pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by codefro

Anyone else know who I am talking about? He called about 4 times when Jimmy was on with a speech written trying to assert that the Catholic Church claims that the Eucharist can remove free will from the Catholic and provide assurances pretty much all across the board and also how that is false due to converting Catholics who leave the Church. He never calls with a question, and Patrick forces him to ask a question and then he says "Ok, how do you reconcile that..." and Jimmy had to say "I am not under the same impression." Mike throws out numbers that Jimmy sees as false as he cannot find the numbers anywhere. Calls back everytime doing the same thing. On Tuesday's broadcast, he calls again to argue that basically every early brach of Catholic (Roman, Byzantine, and African) could not reach concensus on the Old Testament Canon. Fr. Fessio and Patrick both quickly give the evidence that this is wrong... THE DUDE GOES ON AS IF HE DIDN'T HEAR WHAT THEY SAID! Again, he has a speech written, Patrick says he lets ask a question, and he says "Ok, how do you reconcile that..." He doesn't hear a word they say and keeps bringing up points that are not relevant and talking around the guests. They asked Mike a question he refused to answer and kept asking different questions back, but would not answer so they ended the call. I wonder if they ever wonder of the value of continuing to take this guy's call...

Maybe they're hoping he'll listen to reason one day...

He IS persistent though. i had noticed his unending calls. C'mon Mike. Start listening. Put the script aside!

George Stegmeir · #3 Mar 30, '12, 2:38 pm

Either the caller has an severe anti-Catholic agenda, or he is a fanatical nut ! Either way, he prooves a paraphrase on an old saying: "You can correct ignorance, but you can't argue with a fanatic."

kslat · #4 Apr 9, '12, 9:21 pm

If he starts by calling for the wrong reasons, maybe some day he'll be calling for the right reasons...

nickybr38 · #5 Apr 11, '12, 8:45 am

Quote:

Originally Posted by backerman7

I wonder if they ever wonder of the value of continuing to take this guy's call...

He usually gets cut off. In a way it's good because they can address some pretty common anti-Catholic rhetoric...

codefro · #6 Apr 11, '12, 4:35 pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by nickybr38

He usually gets cut off. In a way it's good because they can address some pretty common anti-Catholic rhetoric...

At first I felt like they shouldn't be taking his calls, but then I reconsidered that. I really feel that they are trying to give this guy some grace to keep inquiring (even if his intentions aren't pure) because hey, if he can't fire off with the best how many of the poor one's can he snag from the church? It is so obvious how flawed his thinking is that there isn't much danger in his words on the air.

xixxvmcm85 · #7 Apr 11, '12, 6:45 pm

Yeah, I know who you're talking about, and I generally share your opinions. But to be honest, I was a bit disappointed in how Fr. Fessio and Patrick answered this particular call. They just asserted that Mike's premise was false, which it isn't. It's a fact that the Orthodox have an even larger OT canon than the Catholic Church (though despite the truth of Mike's premise I don't see how its truth naturally follows to his implied conclusion that the Protestants' removing of the entirety is no different than this).

codefro · #8 Apr 12, '12, 7:09 am

Quote:

Originally Posted by xixxvmcm85

Yeah, I know who you're talking about, and I generally share your opinions. But to be honest, I was a bit disappointed in how Fr. Fessio and Patrick answered this particular call. They just asserted that Mike's premise was false, which it isn't. It's a fact that the Orthodox have an even larger OT canon than the Catholic Church (though despite the truth of Mike's premise I don't see how its truth naturally follows to his implied conclusion that the Protestants' removing of the entirety is no different than this).

Mike knew he was beat in the end though when he refused to answer their final question.

xixxvmcm85 · #9 Apr 12, '12, 3:58 pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by codefro

Mike knew he was beat in the end though when he refused to answer their final question.

I can't remember, what was their final question?

codefro · #10 Apr 12, '12, 10:07 pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by xixxvmcm85

I can't remember, what was their final question?

Unfortunately I don't have the recording right now, so I can't search for it.

dmyrtle · #11 Apr 18, '12, 9:42 pm

Has anyone noticed a number of callers in to EWTN in the past few days who sound very much the same, use the same phraseology, and generally espouse an atheist viewpoint?

They rarely listen to an answer, just talk about religious people being indoctrinated, etc, etc, and change the question in order to avoid a logical rebuttal. Patrick commented on it during the show with Fr. Serpa today, and I swear the same guy called the Open Line show with Father Pacwa that aired in Buffalo this evening. I'm wondering if it is the same person or there's been some seminar where people were urged to call Catholic radio with the same questions. Anyone?

TarkanAttila · #12 Apr 19, '12, 7:45 am

Quote:

Originally Posted by dmyrtle

Has anyone noticed a number of callers in to EWTN in the past few days who sound very much the same, use the same phraseology, and generally espouse an atheist viewpoint?

They rarely listen to an answer, just talk about religious people being indoctrinated, etc, etc, and change the question in order to avoid a logical rebuttal. Patrick commented on it during the show with Fr. Serpa today, and I swear the same guy called the Open Line show with Father Pacwa that aired in Buffalo this evening. I'm wondering if it is the same person or there's been some seminar where people were urged to call Catholic radio with the same questions. Anyone?

Rick? He called two days ago, too, I believe.

I wonder if he's some seed from richarddawkins.net or somesuchthing. :-/

It concerns me that they think this kind of an attack on Catholicism is a rational and mature way to attack religion. :-/

DlandFan06 · #13 Apr 23, '12, 12:05 pm

Quote:

Originally Posted by dmyrtle

Has anyone noticed a number of callers in to EWTN in the past few days who sound very much the same, use the same phraseology, and generally espouse an atheist viewpoint?

They rarely listen to an answer, just talk about religious people being indoctrinated, etc, etc, and change the question in order to avoid a logical rebuttal. Patrick commented on it during the show with Fr. Serpa today, and I swear the same guy called the Open Line show with Father Pacwa that aired in Buffalo this evening. I'm wondering if it is the same person or there's been some seminar where people were urged to call Catholic radio with the same questions. Anyone?

If the latter is the case then that's a seminar caller. Talk Radio gets these kinds of calls all the time. The hosts just cut them off and then say why the caller is wrong. It would also help to have a more thorough screening of callers before they're let on the air.

dmyrtle · #14 Apr 24, '12, 6:48 am

Quote:

Originally Posted by DlandFan06

If the latter is the case then that's a seminar caller. Talk Radio gets these kinds of calls all the time. The hosts just cut them off and then say why the caller is wrong. It would also help to have a more thorough screening of callers before they're let on the air.

So that really happens....I can't think it'd be easy to be a call screener. Glad it's not my job.

codefro · #15 Apr 25, '12, 12:52 pm

Mike was on again on the recent Tim Staples Non-Catholic Show. He was caller number one. Asking about how Eastern Catholic Priests who were married we're not allowed to preside in the US til 1964... Tim nor Patrick really understood he reason or the question for that matter. Mike is running out of material I guess.