Phoenix Bishop admonishes Notre Dame President
On March 25, 2009, the Feast of the Annunciation, the Most Reverend Thomas J. Olmsted, Bishop of Phoenix, sent an email to Notre Dame President, John Jenkins, expressing his sadness and dismay over his decision to invite Barack Obama to speak at the university and to receive an honorary degree.
The Bishop authorized the Respect Life Office to release the contents of the email to the public.
The email to Fr. Jenkins makes the following statement:
I am saddened and heavy of heart about your decision to invite President Obama to speak at Notre Dame University and even to receive an honorary degree.
It is a public act of disobedience to the Bishops of the United States. Our USCCB June 2004 Statement "Catholics in Political Life" states: "The Catholic community and Catholic institutions should not honor those who act in defiance of our fundamental moral principles. They should not be given awards, honors or platforms which would suggest support for their actions." No one could not know of the public stands and actions of the president on key issues opposed to the vulnerable human beings (emphasis in original).
John Paul II said, "Above all, the common outcry, which is justly made on behalf of human rights -- for example, the right to health, to home, to work, to family, to culture -- is false and illusory if the right to life, the most basic and fundamental right and the condition for all other personal rights, is not defended with maximum determination." (emphasis in original)
I pray you will come to see the grave mistake of your decision, and how it undercuts the Church's proclamation of the Gospel of Life in our day.
Bishop Thomas J. Olmsted
Diocese of Phoenix
Mainstream Media ignores outrage by ND Alumni
Ignoring a story won't make it go away. But don't tell that to the mainstream media which continues to ignore the incredible backlash to the decision by Notre Dame university to invitng Barack Obama to speak at its commencement on May 17 and to honor him with a doctor of laws degree.
As of Tuesday morning, there have been over 50,000 signatures pleading with the university to withdraw the invitation.“This has done more to divide Catholics than just about anything I’ve seen in recent times,” Bill Donahue, president of the Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights, told CNSNews.com Monday. “It approaches the level of anger that the general public has with these Wall Street people who have been fleecing us and then asking us for bonuses. There is a lot of indignity out there.”
Bishop D'Arcy has indicated that he will not attend the graduation exercises in light of the decision to invite Obama. There are numerous online petitions and blogs being set up to channel the anger and outrage of the country's pro-life Catholics.
I urge you to call the President of the university, Fr. Jenkins, and politely ask him to reconsider his decision.
New Attacks on the First Amendment
The liberal media is so self righteous when it claims to be the defender of free speech in America. The press will defend strip club owners and pornographic movies and just about any deviant form of activity as "free speech" deserving of First Amendment protection.
EXCEPT Any activity which actually speaks to and in favor of the protection of innocent human life in the womb or against the continued exploitation of women by the abortion industry.
Latest case note"
the story of Walter HoyeToday the Rev. Walter Hoye of Berkeley, California, was ordered to serve 30 days in county jail by Judge Stuart Hing of the Alameda Superior Court. Rev. Hoye had been found guilty on January 15, 2009, of unlawfully approaching two persons entering an abortion clinic in Oakland. Judge Hing had also ordered him to stay one hundred yards away from the abortion clinic for three years. However, Rev. Hoye refused this term of probation and would not agree to a stay-away order. Therefore, the judge denied the defense motion to stay the sentence pending appeal. Mr. Hoye was taken into custody from the courtroom.
[read article] WeE applaud the efforts of
Life Legal Foundation in their defense of Pastor Hoye.
In some parts of America, it is no longer America.
As a friend always ends his email letters,
God save Our Republic.
Complicit Clergy
Those clergy who acted like apologists for Barack Obmana during the 2008 elections owe the American people and all the unborn an apology for misleading, manipulating and encouraging Christians to vote for this disaster.
Two months into his first term of office and the abortion president has nominated pro-abortion extremists to this cabinet, reversed pro-life protections for doctors and other health care providers, ended the ban on use of federal funds for destructive embryonic stem cell research, nominated people hostile to the First Amendment, especially when it deals with Free Speech for those who want to protect life, wants to unravel all laws restricting abortion with FOCA, -
and this is in the first two months. But then let me
quote one churchman who seems to understand - sadly -the cozy relationship going on here:
“Some Catholics in both political parties are deeply troubled by these issues. But too many Catholics just don’t really care. That’s the truth of it. If they cared, our political environment would be different. If 65 million Catholics really cared about their faith and cared about what it teaches, neither political party could ignore what we believe about justice for the poor, or the homeless, or immigrants, or the unborn child. If 65 million American Catholics really understood their faith, we wouldn’t need to waste each other’s time arguing about whether the legalized killing of an unborn child is somehow ‘balanced out’ or excused by three other good social policies.”
While he addressed Catholics, this critique applies to all who claim the title "Christian." He goes on to say
“Paul’s failure at the Areopagus is a good lesson for the times we face now in America.... When Catholics start leading their daily lives without a hunger for something higher than their own ambitions or appetites, or with the idea that they can create their own truth and then baptize it with an appeal to personal conscience, they become, in practice, agnostics in their personal lives, and Sophists in their public lives. In fact, people who openly reject God or dismiss Christianity as obsolete are sometimes far more honest and far less discouraging than Catholics who claim to be faithful to the Church but directly reject her guidance by their words and actions.”
But the Archbishop also had tough words for the press.
“We have to make ourselves stupid to believe some of the things American Catholics are now expected to accept. There’s nothing more empty-headed in a pluralist democracy than telling citizens to keep quiet about their beliefs. A healthy democracy requires exactly the opposite.”
The current
scandal at Notre Dame is further evidence of this complicity among much of the clergy.
Just for the Record
This blog moderates comments and while I normally publish all comments as long as they are not offensive, once and a while someone will write in with such a blatant lack of logic and reason that it would further insult them to publish their views. I can and do enjoy spirited conversation. However, attempting to ridicule the pro-life movement simply because we want to stop the killing of innocent children does not earn a spot on this site.
It is common sense to recognize that abortion kills children and must be stopped if one is to live in a free society. It is abortion and those who promote it that exploit women and destroy children.
Further those who excuse abortion and its continued legalization are collaborating with evil in a similar vein that those who did nothing during the holocaust in Europe during the 20th Century bear responsibility for the deaths of millions.
New disturbing trend in coerced abortions
The publication of a ghastly
story out of Florida reveals a new disturbing trend in coerced abortion - that of parents forcing their minor aged daughters to submit to abortions or attempting to have them take abortion pills in order to induce their abortion.
Locally I have been involved in providing advice to young women who call and ask if their parents or step-parents can force them to go to the abortion mill to undergo the abortion. Many of them have told me that if they do not submit, they will be thrown out of the house or turned over to juvenile detention authorities. One teen called me and told me that her mother tried to prevent her from eating the night before she was to have gone to he local abortion facility.
no one can force a women to commit and abortion. Any doctor, health care provider, or clinic that performs an abortion upon a woman who has not provided her consent violates the law. What is also disturbing is the willingness of the abortion industry to go along with the coercion.
It is interesting that this generation of survivors of abortion is now being further destroyed by their own parents who aborted their siblings. Once again it is a further reminder of the common sense rule that sexual intimacy should be reserved for marriage.
Archbishop Chaput tells it like it is
Over at
Big Blue Wave. there is a great poat quoting Archbishop Charles Chaput of Denver, who cuts through all the rhetoric and reminds us why abortion remains legal to this day. While very sobering, it is worth the read.
Notre Dame insults Catholic Pro-life Community
The decision by the University of Notre Dame to invite President Barack Obama to speak at its commencement exercises on May 17, 2009 is an insult to the pro-life Catholic community and signals a further attempt by this administration to fracture the Catholic church and the authority of the nation's bishops. The White House made the announcement on Friday evening stating that the president will receive an honorary doctor of laws degree and give the commencement address.
As reported in LifeSite News, in 2004, the United States of Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) approved a policy statement called "Catholics in Political Life," which says, with reference to pro-abortion politicians, "They should not be given awards, honors or platforms which would suggest support for their actions." This action by the university is a direct affront to such policy.
As word of the announcement swept through the blogosphere, anger from alumni was met with the frustration of those who have long given up on the nation's premier "Catholic" universities.
Parents who were considering Notre Dame for their children have now crossed it off their list.Deal Hudson of InsideCatholic.com reported that many Alumni were done financially supporting the school. Regrettably there are some who do not see this as a slap in the face of the Church because of the "office of the presidency." But the interesting thing will be to see how the school and the bishops react on Monday. I suspect that there will be an outcry by the Alumni. I predict that some prominent donor will rescind his planned contribution to the school. I can see organized protests by both student groups and outside organizations. and there will be pressure on the USCCB to respond to this latest slap in the face. I can also see the school hunkering down and trying to ride it out. After all for the school administration, it is access to power not the truth that they seek. Richard Rich sold out the truth to be attorney general of Wales. Notre Dame sold out for even less.
In times past when someone wanted to engage an opponent, one threw down the gauntlet or issued and insult by slapping the adversary across the face. The respondent was then obliged to do one of two things. He could accept the challenge as a man or he could walk away and in most cases be thought the coward. The Catholic Church over the last 40 years has been insulted, attacked, slapped in the face and otherwise humiliated by the prevailing leftist ideology in the press, media, entertainment industry, and academia. Many have called us to "turn the other cheek" and accept this as our lot for living the gospel message. Btu here comes a time when one must stand up and defend not just oneself but the truth. The truth is that abortion kills babies, exploits women and destroys families. If we do not think that is important enough to defend then there is not hope for this country or this world. There are bad people out there who want tot destroy our way of life. There are even worse people out there who want to destroy our souls in the process.
The USCCB must condemn this outrage and act appropriately. The local bishop must exercise his authority over the university and its administration. The people must rise up in one voice and rebuke the university for its callused behavior an its insult to the memory of all who have dies because of the American abortion holocaust.
Do not be silent. Let your voices ring out: We should not honor anyone who supports the killing of children.
May God have mercy on this nation.
The Human Experience
For the last two nights I have feasted upon a visual and and intellectual banquet asking the age old questions of who we are and why we are here through the eyes of four young men who traveled to the four corners of the world seeking answers to these questions. The result is
The Human Experience, a film that is part documentary film, part reality film, but one with a big heart and a lot of soul.
The musics is sweeping in its scope and yet at times sometimes very intimate. It complements the story line and joins with the visual effects to provide a truly sensuous encounter. The editing was excellent and at times you felt as if you were right there with the young men experiencing their fears as they confronted some very serious moments.
The film is currently in what is called post production pre-screening where private screenings are taking place throughout the country to generate interest in the film. The producers will then attempt to get someone to distribute the film or do it themselves. You can find out more about
Grassroots Films at their website.The movie is very tough in some sense. It asks the viewer to think about some very important questions. There are some powerful images invoked to compel this thinking. But it is something that we in this culture really need to do more often. We need to think about the higher things, the greater things, the things that ore not about us.
The movie is not preachy, yet it captures the heart and leads it to appreciate the importance of acknowledging the Creator of the universe.
The story starts out with two young men who are going on an adventure. They are joined later by two of their comrades. They are filmed as they "experience" some events which open their and the audience's eye to the beauty of the human person.
This film reflects John Paul II's writing about developing a culture that is "person centered rather than "thing" centered.
Finally - and this is most important - the film celebrates the joy of life, the sanctity of life and the uniqueness of every human person. It makes a pro-life statement without ever mentioning the word abortion. The film shows that every culture at its roots celebrates the wonder of the human person.
Look for the film to come to your community. Better yet contact them and arrange to bring
The Human Experience to your city or college campus. It will be well worth the effort.
Understanding group dynamics
Shelby Steele wrote an excellent
article in the Wall Street Journal yesterday. I want you to read the article. Then read it again. I will comment on it later but I really think those involved in the culture of life movement need to ponder what the article means and how it impacts on the pro-life and pro family movement.
St. Patrick and the Right to Life
Pro-abortion Irish-American politicians such as Senators Edward Kennedy, John Kerry and Vice President Joseph Biden scandalize their Irish roots and bring shame to those who have suffered so much in history to respect their Irish heritage. Indeed it is an embarrassment to the Irish and to Catholics that
so many are staunchly pro-abortion and will not respect the rights of the unborn.
Not only do they vote in favor of denying the unborn the basic right to life,they accept money from the abortion industry.What is even more disturbing is the cover that certain priests have given these pro-abortion officials over the years. The poison issuing forth from such enemies of life as Robert Drinan, S.J. now deceased. Further the hierarchy in Washington, D.C. has seemed less concerned about both the babies and the souls of these politicians than about staying out of the headlines of the Washington Post.
Let us be clear. St. Patrick had an abiding care for his flock. He was concerned about their immortal souls and their temporal lot in life. He was a champion for the human person and his legacy is one that cannot be reduced to green beer and marches down Fifth Avenue.
When the Irish came to America, the stories go, they were not wanted.
They were ignored and discriminated just for being Irish. According to popular Irish folk lore, there were signs in the stores saying "no Irish need apply." (
though some dispute the argument). So what is the difference between those human beings and the unborn in the womb. They are not wanted. They are ignored and discriminated against. NBC is so afraid of the unborn that
the television network would not allow a benign commercial extolling the potential of each human life.
The unborn are ignored and there is a sign in America's window that tells them they are not wanted and are better off not born.
Do we wonder that this nation is finding itself in economic difficulties?
When those whose heritage should give them a special appreciation for life, exact their revenge on the innocent, what is a just God to conclude?
When one looks at this nation, a nation of immigrants, of former slaves, of refugees, be they social or economic, of people who wanted a chance, an opportunity, how is it that we can be so callused so as to deny life to an innocent child?
What is so difficult for these politicians to understand?
Is it that they have turned their back on their heritage? Perhaps they are embarrassed by their own past.
It is good that finally
some bishops are speaking out in defense of life and recognizing the scandal of Catholic politicians who are pro-abortion. For the sake of the nation, for the sake of the Church and for the sake of the children, the truth must be spoken in authority and with love.That is something that would please St. Patrick.
Monday night musings
Some reflections on this Monday night - Tuesday morning before I turn in and get some much needed rest.
1. I saw
The Human Experience Monday night at the Valley Art in Tempe, Az. This pre-screening was arranged courtesy of some
local activists who want to test the market and provide support for the movie. The theater was sold out and after one could tell that those who attended were touched by the message. It isn't fair to speak of the specifics of the movie because as a viewer you will want to see it without any preconceived notions. The film has won a number of awards at various film festivals.
The lead actor and associate producer were on hand to field questions. Their sincerity and genuine passion for promoting the good in the human person was refreshing in this very sardonic and jaded society we find ourselves.
The showing tonight is downtown at the Herberger theater.
One may be able to still get tickets. Tonight's showing was sold out.
2. Live Action Films intends to release another set of undercover films on Tuesday March 17 showing the dark and rancid side of the abortion industry. Lila Rose, who joined us for our AZRTL Dinner on March 7, 2009 is fast becoming the number one nemesis of Planned Parenthood for her gutsy provocative videos exposing the lies and deceit of the world's largest purveyor of child killing in the world. We applaud Lila for her courage.
3. After a quick
"clarification' we have not heard much from Michael Steele following his very odd and almost deliberate statements to GQ Blog on
"choice" and abortion. What Michael does not realize is that we in the pro-life movement know the difference between supporting a state's rights amendment and a human life amendment. No true pro-lifer worth his salt wants a state's rights amendment. All that would do is create 50 battles. Some may allow for the Supreme Court to throw it back to the states when it reverses Roe. But for those of us who truly want the killing to end, the court must recognize the humanity of the child. There is no "choice" when it comes to protecting human life. We must protect the child. There is no "choice" when it comes to abortion. It is always wrong. Michael needs also to understand that we in the movement are no longer going to be used by the GOP and unless the party takes on the role of advocate for life, there is no reason to support them.
4. We still do not appreciate the power of ultrasound and its ability to strip away the curtain of disbelief. Please pray that the pro-life movement can raise the funds to put the window to the womb on television and in other mediums so that people can meet the child at risk. Perhaps if we as a nation see the child in the womb, we may not be so quick to see the child gone.
Michael Steele - Invasion of the Body Snatchers
This is getting a little frustrating for us ordinary, run of the mill, fly over country, conservative type folks. A guy talks the talk, walks the walk, gets up in the ranks and then takes a powder. Come on - what ever happened to principled leadership?
I thought the reason for taking on the role of leader was to provide real direction and restate the principles of the party in a way that both encouraged the base, energized those who have to do the heavy lifting and inspire the onlookers so as to attract those who could benefit from the collaboration.
Lets start by being candid and admitting full disclosure. I have known Mike Steele though the years and thought him to be a rising star. In a world that seemed punctuated by blandness, he offered an opportunity for the Republican Party to challenge certain stereotypes and to invite a new generation of Americans to explore the ideas of real independence, respect for the rule of law and most importantly in my book, respect for the sanctity of every human life.
So Michael Steele is elected to run the Republican Party after a very interesting race. My preferred candidate was another friend, Ken Blackwell, but when Steele seemed to have the momentum during the balloting, Blackwell apparently threw his support to Mike.
So Mike has his little exchange with Rush. OK, call it trying to assert his role. Not very bright in my book, but I will give him a pass. After all some of it was the press and some of it was inarticulate comments.
But the interview with
GQ reveals a very different Michael Steele than the one I knew and spoke with on different occasions Indeed if I did not know better, and perhaps this may be the heart of the problem, it would seem that someone took him into the back room and told him to box up all that pro-life rhetoric and respect for marriage lingo. Here is the new script. And being the political person he is....
Is that the case?
His comments are totally inconsistent what i always understood him to believe, with the party platform and with 28 years of what the grassroots have held to be a very important part of the reason for the modern existence of the party. Now I know that some fiscal conservatives and some national defense folks do not like to hear this but the Republican Party would never have been able to win the presidency over the last 28 years without the right to life. Yet the right to life has never been given the proper respect within the party and the media has always despised us for not being good little comrades and going quietly away after Roe v. Wade was decided. After all old Walter Cronkite and his cronies were the new philosopher kings, ready to join the elites in Washington to rule the country. Our duty was to pay the taxes, watch the junk on TV, buy the consumer goods, and shut up.
The problem is that we in the pro-life movement are never going away.
The Republican Party did not lose the last election because it mentioned the pro-life issue. It lost because it did not mention the issue enough. It lost because Republicans did not tell the American people how dangerously leftist this president would be. And Republicans failed to address the real underlying problems in American society that parents of every political stripe, race, and economic level are facing - the deterioration of the family, the failure of education, the loss of safety in the neighborhood. Republicans also failed to own up to their own responsibility in the bloated spending in Washington when they were in power. Even now Republicans are abandoning principles to bring home pork when the country is broke.
Economic uncertainty and the law of political averages were against John McCain in 2008. But with everything that the Democrats had going for them, a compliant media, a jittery economy, and a young attractive protagonist with a great organization, McCain was not blown out. Yet the Democrats were able to negate the hot button issues and have everyone believe that the 'hope and change' candidate would turn the country around.
Now we are seeing that his agenda is not about helping the country out of the economic mess created by our selfish narcissistic ways and government regulatory intervention. He intends to destroy what is left. Efforts continue to pit one group of Americans against another despite all the rhetoric about unity.
Against this backdrop the Republicans elect a young fresh face who should be able to articulate compassionately (I know it is a bad word in some circles) the real concerns that the Republican party is suppose to have toward all of the segments of society. However this concern must start with our respect for the dignity of the human person. It starts with respect for the right tot life.
Can you imagine him floating the idea of "choice" for any other evil in our history?
I have compassion for the women facing an unintended pregnancy. I have listened to and counseled countless women who found themselves pregnant and did not want to be.
But there can be no morally correct "choice" to kill another innocent human being.
People in favor of abortion, be they conservative or liberal on the political spectrum, seem to think that a person can make this decision. This mentality is quite similar to the mentality that supported the institution of slavery on this continent for 250 years. This mentality is responsible for the ghetto schools and barrio schools that plague our inner cities. This mentality is what perpetuates the stereotypes and the prejudice among the races and the classes.
No one wants to look at the scientific or medical evidence that screams humanity within the womb. No one wants to look at the unborn child lest they look in the mirror and see their own face.
NBC would not put on an innocuous commercial because they know it would affect the public's attitude on the subject.And now Michale Steele is embracing the word "choice." Was he trying to be cute or profound and say "I am for choice. I want the babies to have a choice." If so he missed an opportunity to explain why we have a platform position that wants to give every child a right to life.
Why is is so difficult for politicians to explain this position?
Are they really not that bright?
If the Republican Party intend to get out of the hole it has found itself, it can only do so in conjunction with the efforts of people who believe in respect for the human person. It is not about money and power. It is about the life principles upon which this country was founded. Unless it believes in the principles of limited government founded upon the integrity of the individual, its all over. The socialists who promised the selfish the world will end the freedom we have known and lay upon our children a burden too scary to describe.
As for Michael Steele, he needs to retract his statements immediately. Perhaps he was taking some bad advice. But this lapse in judgment is not good. He needs to look in the mirror and figure out whether the unborn children are a part of his vision. If not, he may need to step down so that someone who is able explain to the American people what it means to be pro-life can get in there and be the party chairman.
And I have not even touched upon the other hot button issue. But enough for one post.
AZ House passses Abortion Consent Act
By a vote of 36-19 the House passed the Abortion Consent Act this afternoon after a full debate on the House Floor. The bill now moves to the Senate for further action.
The measure corrects a loophole in the parental consent law previously passed by the Legislature and upheld by the Ninth Circuit. This loophole allowed the abortion clinic to accept a "consent" form the parent or guardian without evidence of proof that it was actually signed by the parent or guardian.
The bill also requires a 24 hour waiting period prior to the abortion.
The bill requires the woman be informed of the risks and alternatives as well as be allowed to view the ultrasound.
The bill protects the rights of conscience of health care workers, pharmacists and doctors.
Finally the bill prevents nurse practitioners or anyone other than a physician from performing abortions. T he bill does not authorize doctors to do them or recognize any right of the physician to perform an abortion but specifically prevents anyone else form being allowed to commit and abortion.
In Arizona the State Board of Nursing in an unparalleled usurpation of power refused to sanction a nurse practitioner for having performed abortions in Tucson for eight years.Instead the board concluded that committing an abortion was within the scope and practice of a nurse practitioner.
Considering that many abortion minded women are not provided with truthful information regarding the abortion procedure and the fact that the abortion will kill their unborn child, this legislation is something that will help women during these stressful situations.
This measure is simply common sense and will help women make informed decisions. Reports show that if a woman can see the beating heart of her unborn baby, she will be less likely to abort.
Considering the over two million couple wanting to adopt, can one even conceive of a legitimate reason to kill an innocent unborn child?
The bill is a example of what pro-life groups who work together can do to act at the local level to promote respect fr life.
Congratulations to Cathi Herrod of CAP and Ron Johnson of the ACC for their efforts.
Stay tuned as we will need your help to make sure that the bill does not get lost in the Senate amidst all the budget conversation.
Obama continues his path of destruction
Not content to destroy the American economy, Barack Obama lifted the restrictions on the federal funding of destructive embryonic stem cell research. In his
statement today the president insults the intelligence of those who have for the last eight years pointed out the utter failure of destructive embryonic stem cell research, disregards the moral sensibilities of the nation and those who oppose the use of tax dollars to fund research that kills human subjects, and misdirects limited federal dollars from that research which has not only shown promise but actually saved lives to blue sky maybes that will take dozens of years of government grants before they reveal their wastefulness.
Rather than repeat what others have said,
I refer you to the excellent work of the Bio-Ethics Defense Fund and their presentation of the effects of the president's action.Understand that the ability of research facilities and universities to commit to this research has never been limited by law or the government . The only thing that President Bush did was prevent the use of your tax dollars form being used to fund it. The reason the private sector will not fund this research is because they have found it leads them literally to a dead end.
So the private and university money has gone into ADULT stem cell research. And guess what? This research is saving lives NOW.
Read this story about the use of adult stem cells to have regenerate
bone mass.
This decision was political and designed to attack the pro-life movement and the religious community. And when Obama tells the country he is a "person of faith,"I want to remind him that his actions will be judged by Almighty God, the creator of heaven and earth. And that the blood of these children is on his head, along with all of those who acquiesce to the destruction of the innocent.
We wonder why this nation and the world are in economic troubles. We wonder why there is a constant stream of violence her at home and abroad. Then we ignore the only person who can show us the way. And his name sure is not Obama.
Az Right to Life Dinner a Success
Deal Hudson reinforced on the the founding principles of Arizona Right to Life. as a non partisan organization, we look forward to supporting authentic pro-life candidates from either party. And we urge members of either party to once again be a positive influence for good in the party, promoting pro-life principles in all we do.
The people in attendance appreciated his remarks along with the short address given my Lila Rose and the status report from Washington, D.C. given by our own Trent Franks.
Thanks to all who came to support our event.
Oppose Sebelius
The selection of Kathleen Sebelius to be Secretary of Health and Human Services continues to outrage pro-life and Catholic groups throughout the nation. Yet certain politicians are missing the moment to stand firm on the life issues according to various
sources. Some however are not going quietly into that good night and have decided that this is an important line to be drawn in the sand.
A website known as Catholics against Sebelius recently appeared urging people to stand up and be counted on this appointment. Its creator Deal Hudson will be speaking at
the Arizona Right to Life dinner on Saturday, March 7, 2009 in Scottsdale. Yesterday Archbishop Joseph Naumann continued his remarks calling Sebelius to repudiate her public position on abortion and embrace the cause of life. He told her she should refrain from receiving Holy communion until she makes a public statement and abandons her public pro-abortion position.
not surprisingly the Obama Quislings came out in support of Sebelius and blasted Hudson and other Catholics. these collaborators with the death peddlers set up their own
website and continue to sow seeds of dissent among Catholics. In essence they are the next generation of the infamous "Catholics for a Free Choice," a group once funded by playboy and planned parenthood and run by Frances Kissling.
As apologists for Obama they are the successors of the quislings and collaborators throughout history who sided with the oppressors of freedom and liberty. they would see dead children before they raise a hands against their masters. They will have to answer for the confusion they have created.
The abortion industry is relentless. Not content with plying its trade, it wants government to subsidize it. Not content with having own in the courts, it wants to force its acceptance upon the American people. The time for complacency is over. The time to protect our children is now.
Words still have meaning ...despite what some will tell you
Walking out of a meeting tonight, the conversation turned toward the meaning of marriage and why some people oppose extending the term to include people of the same sex. I gave them a simple answer. the word marriage is defined as "a compact entered into by an man and a woman to live together as husband and wife." The word marriage has a specific meaning. To call it anything else other than what it is, is to change the meaning of the word. If words do not have meaning, then we cannot communicate rationally.
We have seen the same "debate" in the abortion issue. I remember in law school citing the legal cases from the past 300 years that defined the "fetus" as an unborn child. I pointed out he legal term "infant in ventre sa mere" (L.Fr.in his mother's womb) as referring to the unborn child in the womb. I explained that courts of law had defined this term to refer to a child in the womb, who was a person in the law for all purposes that would benefit the child. I argued that life was the first and primary right that the child had.
The reaction was always the same. "You cannot argue that," they would cry, "That's your opinion." when I would pull out the medical texts to support the scientific evidence, they would have none of it. When I cited the case law, they would ignore the argument and begin the standard
ad hominum attack.
Has anything changed? Are people who have seen the incredible technology of
ultrasound suppose to ignore that reality just to hold on to their superstitions.for that is what the pro-abortion mentality is - mindless prattle. And when supposedly intelligent people spout off this idiocy, it is an insult to them and to us. If one is in favor of abortion, admit that kills a baby and in order to support abortion, babies have to die. That is at least intellectually honest. But to defend abortion without acknowledging the death of a child is like describing water without saying it is wet.
President Obama and his cabinet are all pro-abortion. They support a woman's power to kill her child in the womb.
Our former governor Janet Napolitano was so in favor of abortion that she allowed a 14 year old ward of the court to be flown to Kansas so that an abortion of 27 weeks could be performed. She and her kind wanted a dead baby.
The abortionist was George Tiller, the infamous killer of children who is on trail for performing illegal abortions. His close friend and supporter, Kathleen Sebelius, the newest candidate for Secretary of Health and Human Services. Here is someone who will not protect innocent little babies. Do you really think she is going to protect fragile old people who are using up too many resources.
What will happen is that the words will change and the meanings will change and what means "help" will mean "death."
George Orwell remarked that "If thought corrupts language, language can also corrupt thought." He also said that "Political language... is designed to make lies sound truthful and murder respectable, and to give an appearance of solidity to pure wind."
The left has mad abortion "sound"as if it is a good when it means the death of a child.
So it is we must remain vigilant in our defense of language and the true meanings of words. For if we cannot define our terms we cannot educate as to the
truth.
Bad decision
It is one thing to acknowledge the inevitable. It is another to applaud that which is wrong. Selecting Kathleen Sebelius to be secretary of HHS may have been unstoppable but applauding the appointment was wrong. So as is the case with any political person, when they make a mistake and I have the knowledge and awareness to call them on it, it will - even when they are a friend. Senator Brownback erred in applauding the appointment. She is going to do so much harm to the cause by putting into government positions people who do bot value human life.
Here is the deeper cut. He should know or have known that many of us oppose this selection. That it may happen is one thing, To embrace it is another.
This is going to be a long Lent.
Politics makes strange bedfellows
The choice to select Kansas governor Kathleen Sebelius to be the next secretary for Health and Human Services will give pro-life forces an opportunity to teach the nation about the extreme nature of Obama's cabinet selections. Yet unless something comes out during the committee hearings, the Senate will confirm her, making her the most pro-abortion secretary since Janet Napolitano was selected for homeland security. Of course the difference is the impact that an HHS secretary can have in wiping out the few areas of pro-life preference in HHS and restocking it with Planned Parenthood clones ready to advance the evil empire.
Why do I feel that we are in a bad Star Wars movie?
Yet ironically as in Arizona, Sebelius' departure may help advance some pro-life legislation and allow for pro-life groups to shine the light on the the insipid practices of Tiller and the abortion industry in Kansas. Further the Lt. Gov. Mark Parkinson is a former Republican who does not intend to run for governor in 2010. That seat is most likely to be sought by Senator Sam Brownback, who is not running for re-election. Pundits suspected that Sebelius would run for the Senate seat in 2010. That may explain why despite the outrage at her selection, both senators from Kansas expressed their congratulations. This gesture sparked rebukes for m many in pro-life circles.
In either case, the pro-life senators must make an example of her because of the sensitive post she may assume. she could cause so much heartache to pregnancy centers while giving preferential treatment to abortion proponents. But talking to Washington insiders, it was a question in their minds of whether one wanted her in Kansas and possibly the next U.S. senator or at HHS where she will wreck havoc for the next four years.One should also realize that the Kansas legislature may very well be happy she is gone, in a similar vein as was the Arizona legislature happy to see Janet pack her bags.
As for what to do, I think that the pro-life community must use the moment as a teaching on and expose her bloody hands to the nation and paint Obama and his administration as the abortion administration.
The hierarchy of the Catholic Chuck in Kaunas ought to publicly excommunicate her.
Once she is gone the Kansas legislature and executive branch should launch an investigation into her connections with Tiller who is under indictment for performing illegal late term abortions. Perhaps after she is out of Kansas and confirmed by the Senate, the "rest of the story" will emerge thus bringing her the disgrace (and perhaps a grace filled moment to cause her to repent) that will save the people of Kansas and the nation from her evil intentions.
Still I cannot but echo my disappointment in Senator Brownbacks' congratulations. He should have commented on the extreme pro-abortion position of Sebelius and the administration. Only Senator Coburn gets high marks from me for his comments that he will go to jail before surrendering his conscience to the fascist liberals now seeping into government.
Kansas and its history has always mirrored the nation. The people elected two pro-life Republican senators and then elected a vehement pro-abortion democrat governor. The Catholic bishops of Kansas are stellar yet the state boasts the most notorious abortionist in history. Now the confusion continues with the pro-life senators wishing her well as the state becomes an interesting theater for the most critical debate of our time.
The case against Sebelius - part II
Great
article by Clarke D. Forsythe and Denise M. Burke pointing out detailed information showing the blood she has on her hands and her connection not only with Tiller, the indicted abortionist who does third trimester abortions, but her connections with other corrupt and reprehensible abortionists in the Midwest.
Please continue to put pressure on the White House to pass on this most unqualified individual and choose someone who actually cares about the life and health of all Americans.
