Lt. Cmdr. John Sharpe’s Naval Career Unjustly Assaulted — Hate Profiteers at SPLC to Blame

“The anti-Catholic, anti-Christian-social-order forces are very active,” said Brother André Marie, Prior of Saint Benedict Center. “Virulently standing up for Catholic doctrine and the Rule of Christ the King are becoming hate crimes now and Catholic men should not stand for that one bit,” he added.

He concluded: “In the not-too-distant future, we may well be openly attacked in a bloody persecution, but until the time comes for such a show of fortitude and endurance, we must make another show of these virtues — and that is a free and open resistance to the irreligious death-spiral afflicting our American society, which can only be saved by Jesus Christ and His Church.”

The words were in reaction to a defamatory report in the Navy Times concerning an investigation of Lt. Cmdr. John Sharpe, a talented Catholic publisher and Saint Benedict Center Conference speaker. The temporary relieving of Mr. Sharpe from duty as public affairs officer for the aircraft carrier Carl Vinson is the latest fallout of an attack against traditionalist Catholics by the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC). It was a journalistic inquiry based upon the SPLC’s report that led to the actions against Mr. Sharpe.

Brother André Marie sent the following letter to the Navy Times.


Editor,

I am writing to register a strong complaint against the article “Carrier PAO relieved pending investigation,” concerning the unjust defaming of Lt. Cmdr. John Sharpe. I know John to be a fine Christian man, not a “supremacist” or “anti-Semite” by any stretch of a rational man’s imagination. My personal estimation of this worthy officer and Catholic gentleman is not likely relevant to you. But what I most take issue with are the low journalistic standards you employ in this article, as well as the prejudiced statement of Mr. Jim Brantley, which you had the poor judgment to quote: “Evidently he’s affiliated with an anti-Semitic group, and that’s illegal in the U.S. Navy… .” If the illegal activity is so “evident,” why the need for an investigation? Just hang him and get it over with. The statement seems like libel to me, but I’m no lawyer. If it’s not libel, it certainly is prejudice in the literal sense of that word, as Mr. Sharpe is publicly proclaimed “evidently” guilty of a charge which has not yet been investigated.

How exceedingly unprofessional of a Naval spokesman. One would hope that a public representative of Fleet Forces Command would be more cautious in commenting on such an investigation, or, at the very least, that he would know what “evidently” means.

The link to the malign article in Southern Poverty Law Center’s (SPLC) web site is quite over the top. This well-endowed lefty organization is notorious for profiteering off hate hype of its own manufacture. Numerous articles in reputable publications have documented the mercenary fund raising techniques of what poses as a civil rights organization. Mr. Sharpe is but one of many who have been defamed in order to make Morris Dees and his liberal lieutenants richer. To give one instance of the SPLC’s inept hate-mongering, I will point out this winner in their piece against Lt. Cmdr. Sharpe: “…Sharpe sold his two-volume set Neo-CONNED!, which has several articles by racists and anti-Semites.” None of these alleged anti-Semites are named. Perhaps the author has in mind the conservative Catholic patriot Patrick J. Buchanan, who was a contributor to the books. I can’t be sure. I happen to have the two volumes of Neo-CONNED! on the shelf next to me at the moment. A perusal of the table of contents reveals articles by Noam Chomsky, Naomi Klein, Paul Gottfried, Immanuel Wallerstein, and Jeff Steinberg — Jews all. Are we to believe that these collaborators of Mr. Sharp’s are anti-Semites? And are we to assume that such Jewish intelligentsia are so stupid or self-hating that they would ally themselves with a “supremacist” who hates their kind?

If the SPCL wants to insult the intelligence of its own credulous readership, that’s bad enough, but a paper that is supposed to inform the men of one of our nation’s most distinguished discipline institutions should have the discernment not to assist them in their crass huckstering.

Sincerely in Christ,
Brother André Marie, M.I.C.M.
Richmond, New Hampshire