Who you lookin’ at? Don’t mess with me, boy.

So the Republican-controlled House of Representatives — with the help of a couple of Democrats — has voted to defund ObamaCare. In response, President Obama, declaring that the Republicans are “trying to mess with me,” has accused the House of trying to shut down the government.

But the government will only shut down if Obama vetoes the budget that comes to his desk. The House budget funds everything except for implementation of the Affordable Care Act better known as ObamaCare. In truth, by refusing even to negotiate with the House leadership and threatening to veto a budget that doesn’t fit his own specifications, it is Obama, not the House of Representatives, who is putting the country at risk of a government shutdown.

Adds the writer, Glenn H. Reynolds of Instapundit fame: “It’s also sadly typical that Obama sees this debate as being all about him.” The “mess with me” part, yes.

Where would we be without them?

In this helpful item, Marty features a Boston College professor’s comments in the Wall St. Journal about the Pope’s broadening U.S. bishops’ agenda, not “cutting it out.”

Marty speaks of changing “triads” of hot issues for Christian leaders, from the Trinity to “Liberté, égalité, and fraternité” to today’s “sex, sex, sex” — more specifically abortion, birth control, and gaiety — with

understandably giddy responses from one set of Catholics, understandably cautious responses from another, and understandably complex responses from the majority. All with good reasons.

Fair enough, but in each case it was in response to the spirit of the world Christians lived in. All with good reasons for the latest triad, to which we must also add “violence” in all its forms.

As commenter Margaret put it,

Catholics would not be focusing on abortion and homosexuality except that they are being shoved down our throats by a hostile culture; neither issue was much discussed — except in private confessions — until abortion was legalized and until homosexual “rights” were introduced into public consciousness. Most decent people would prefer never to have to think about either topic.

She adds a zinger:

The Pope is old enough to know this so his response is disingenuous.

Ouch or touche to that. I had this other thought: Talking to Jesuits, he let his hair down even more than usual, which I like in him. But if he’s going to be relaxed about it, then his flock will be also. Fine. The bully pulpit suits him, and it’s better that than incomprehensible church talk.