Catholic values in a hostile political climate

Yesterday I attended a presentation by Scott Klusendorf one of the leading pro life speakers in the Country today.  Scott has debated many pro choice people and his speech yesterday was centered on the differences in thought between the opposing sides in this ongoing controversy.

Scott’s explanation as to why this debate continues to rage is because of our society’s indifference to truth. We tend to accept relativism instead of a definite truth. Instead of seeking what is true, we accept some middle ground that allows us to do what we would not do if we knew the truth.

If we truly believed that an embryo was human, we would not permit it to be destroyed.

Scott started his talk by outlining a few of the points his opponents make in their argument for a woman’s right to choose abortion.

1. Pro life people do not have the right to impose their opinion on others
2. Every person has the right to “choose”
3. Abortion is a choice between a woman and her doctor. No one else’s business.
4. Restricting abortion for the poor who cannot afford more children is unfair.
5. Women should have the right to abort their pregnancy at any time though out the nine months of pregnancy.
6. Women should not be required to give birth to an unwanted child that may be subjected to abuse, poverty, or illness.
7. Abortion should be permitted in all cases of rape or incest.

Scott surprises his opponent and his audience by agreeing with these arguments. He agrees with every aspect of their arguments; IF, the fetus is not human.

Scott’s point is that the whole controversy boils down to “is the fetus human?” Virtually no one would use any of these arguments to kill a 2 year old toddler. So, the question really is, “is the fetus human?” If the fetus is not human then all of the pro choice people are correct and we pro life people concede the right of a woman to have an abortion. The reason however, that we continue to oppose abortion is that all scientific evidence supports the fact that the fetus is human.  If we were however, to concede for arguments sake that we do not know when the fetus becomes human; does that alone permit us to morally kill the fetus? If there is a doubt should we assume the fetus is human or assume it is not human? To illustrate this point, Scott uses the analogy of hunting with a friend and you see a bush rustling, and you are not sure if it is the deer you have been pursuing or your hunting partner, do shoot hoping it is the deer, or do you not shoot until you know it is a deer?

The pro choice people seem to take the position that since they do not know if the fetus is human or not, It is okay to accept this as an unknown and an excuse to do what is convenient. The fact that they do not know does not mean there is no truth or correct answer. There was a time when people were not sure if slavery was right or if the world was flat or round, but there always was a correct answer, as there is for this question.  We should always error on the side of morality.

Some pro choice people like to make this an argument about religion. Religion has nothing to do with if we have the right to kill another human being. The most devout atheist does not believe we have the right to kill another human being. The religion argument is nothing but an attempt to change the subject and not face the real issue.

Some pro choice people like to use the argument that the fetus is not fully human by using the well known argument of the laboratory fire. This argument goes like this; you are in a laboratory that is on fire, in one corner are several frozen embryos, in another corner is a 2 year old toddler, you have time to save only the embryos or the toddler, which do you save? Because most people would choose the toddler, the pro choice argument is that even you pro life people do not believe that the embryos are human. Scott’s rebuttal is that emotional feelings do not change the fact of what is human and what is not. His example was if his 8 year old daughter was in the auditorium with us and a fire broke out and he had the choice of saving his daughter or all of us, we would all be “toast”; this does not prove that none of us were human.

Over the years of dialog I have had with those supporting the right to “choose” I have always been intrigued by the fact that they, almost without exception, have not watched, and refuse to watch any picture, video, or image of an actual abortion.  Of course the excuse is always, “I refuse to watch such gory pictures” because they are offensive to me. Interestingly, these same individuals will pay good money to go to a movie which contains more graphic images then the abortion images. So, what is the real reason they do not want to see the images of an abortion; maybe, because they don’t want to subject themselves to the reality of abortion?

This link will take you to a short video of not an actual abortion but the after math; if you have not seen these images, you need to see them at least once, once will be enough. If these images do not convince you that the fetus was human, I don’t think anything will.

Abortion after math Video

It is a poverty to decide that a child must die

so that you may live as you wish.

~Blessed Mother Teresa of Calcutta

Many Catholic groups have come out and supported a government sponsored health care program that meets all requirements of Catholic teaching, namely health care for all human life from conception to natural death.

Groups such as the Saint Vincent DePaul Society, Catholic Charities, and even the USCCB have recently announced support for such a government program.

While this sounds like a viable thing we all could and should get behind and support. There are a couple of problems with this.

Number one, the current administration has clearly demonstrated their willingness to say one thing and do another. Even if by some change in their approach to this subject they agree to ALL of the requirements of Church teaching to get approval of a government controlled national health care plan, their track record tells us that they will not live up to any such agreement and our Children and Grandchildren will be saddled with a health care plan that funds abortions, does not provide for health care of an unborn human, and will deny health care to old or terminally ill patients.

Number two, the current administration will (as they already have) start spouting advertisements that the Catholic Church, St. Vincent DePaul, and Catholic charities supports the currently proposed health care plan which clearly provides for all of the issues listed above.

I believe the best course of action now, is the one many Americans are taking. Get Vocal, attend town meetings, write your representatives and let them know we do not trust them for obvious reasons and because of this we will not support ANY health care plan sponsored by this anti life pro death culture administration…

2 Timothy 4: 1 – 5
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Matthew 5: 13 – 16
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For 50 years our society has been turning away from classifying individuals by race, religion, and ethnic background. Martin Luther King and many others gave their lives for this worthy vision. We now have a President and administration that is working feverishly to reestablish a society based on classes. The only difference is that he would like to reorder the classes to his own ideology.

It appears that he would like to turn the previous classes upside down and have the classes that were the underdogs in the old class system be the superior class in his new system and vice versa. This is not entirely the case because there seems to be some exceptions to a complete reversal. It seems that he would like former minorities to become the new upper class and the old white majority to be the lower class; however, he also appears to want to create a new super elite class of those who would rule the rest of us and would have (as they do now) different (and better) health care and retirement plans then the unwashed masses.

What leads me to this conclusion? Several things; for one the appointment of a individual to the supreme court that has openly and frequently expressed opinions that amounts to favoritism for certain classes of people. Obama has expressed and demonstrated his bias against the very young (abortion) and the very old (limited health care).

His current health care plan and his recent comments appear to favor reducing medical care for the elderly (they should accept old age and the aches, pains, and illnesses that go with it and quit seeking expensive health care and medications) and increase provision for tax payer provided abortions.

People such as myself are being told we should be more compassionate and give up the benefits we have paid for all our lives to those who have not paid anything into these government controlled Medicare and Social Security systems. Those of us who have built this country, who have paid income taxes to local, state and federal governments, paid taxes on our homes, sales taxes on all purchases, paid into Medicare and Social Security, and numerous other taxes through cost of goods and services that were taxed by various government agencies on the producers of these goods and services, are expected to fade quietly into the sunset.

The ironic part of this whole government fiasco is that people such as myself have been more responsible and more compassionate than those currently in power. We retired people that are under attack by this administration; have provided for our own families, for our own retirement, and also have donated generously to charitable organizations and causes. Many of us provide volunteer services to the needy of our area. Yet, this administration which has not done anything to advance our society, but has done much to devalue and dehumanize human life places themselves at a superior level and attempts to tell us that they know better than us and better then our creator what we should do.

Why, we ask ourselves is this happening? The answer, I fear is that they are not concerned about us or any class that they seek power over; this is all a ploy to gain and keep power and to establish for themselves a powerbase that cannot be destroyed or eliminated by anyone or anything. This is not new in our world we have seen it all before. Fortunately, we have not seen it before in our beloved America and I pray that they are not successful in their attempts to implement it here now. However, if we are alert and paying attention, all of the signs are here.

1. Already they are attempting to gain control over census taking and redistricting to control voting and voters.
2. They have established organizations (such as ACORN) to interfere with the free election systems.
3. They are already taking steps to eliminate or modify the 22^nd amendment which limits presidential terms.
4. They are attempting to gain voting rights for illegal aliens who they can coerce into voting for them.
5. Once they gain sufficient power they can (as they already are in some areas) enact, delete, and modify laws to their own benefit.
6. They are now asking private citizens to inform on other citizens and tell the Whitehouse if they get emails with negative statements about their healthcare plan.
7. They have zero tolerance for any opposing opinion contrary to their own.
8. They claim all individuals will be able to keep their own current healthcare insurance knowing that their healthcare system will force these providers out of business.   
9. They have successfully recruited most of the old mainstream media into their camp to the point that these old mainstream media outlets no longer engage in journalism, they now spend all their time aiding and abetting the power structure of this ideology. Apparently, they expect to be part of the ruling class elite in the new order.

     10.  They are showing complete contempt for the constituents that have erroneously placed them in   power. They call anyone who  dares express their God given right to free speech and disagree with them, angry and unruly mobs or hateful right wing nut jobs. This is a common trait among those who do not want to debate issues with logic and common sense. Attack their character and marginalize your opposition so you do not have to face them honestly. 

Ask your representative; “If I were the same age as Senator Kennedy and was diagnosed with the same condition; under the proposed healthcare plan, would I receive the same treatment?” If your representative answers yes, watch and see if his or her nose is growing.

They are supporting the special interest trial lawyer groups which are primarily responsible for our sky rocketing healthcare cost. Malpractice insurance is ridiculously expensive because of millions of lawyers on TV begging people who have lost loved ones or had a bad outcome from medical care to “allow” them to sue in your behalf. If they can gouge millions from the Doctors and insurance companies they can pay for millions more TV ads to do it all over again. If by some quirk of fate they get an honest judge and are unable to collect, no big deal, it cost you nothing; we will have better luck the next time.

It is time to wake up America, now is the time to join the millions of other true Americans that are beginning to mobilize against this move to socialism. I suggest joining in with the peaceful demonstrations, writing not just emails to your non-representing representatives but good old fashioned letter writing. Support the failing government run post office and load the representatives up with paper, it is harder to get rid of then emails. Maybe just maybe if enough of us write and get vocal they might just think we mean it this time. If we are successful in convincing them that we are on this and will not get off of it until they start listening and start representing US, then they will begin to do our bidding instead of the power hungry leaders they have in congress. And once they quit listening to their power hungry leaders in congress, their power hungry leaders will start to lose their power. Sound like a plan? Let’s do it.

“If the world hates you, you know that it has hated Me before it hated you.”

John 15:18

Too soon old, to late smart……….

When evil days are upon us and the worker of malice gains power, we must attend to our own souls and seek to know the ways of the Lord. In those times reverential fear and perseverance will sustain our faith, and we will find need of forbearance and self-restraint as well. Provided that we hold fast to these virtues and look to the Lord, then wisdom, understanding, knowledge and insight will make joyous company with them.

Why should Congress be exempt from all of the benefits of a national healthcare system? Why should they have their own golden system providing them with unlimited benefits and stick us with a controlled system like Canada has and have us pay for both systems?

Are you fed up with Congress enough to sign this petition stating that we want Congress to have the same healthcare they impose on everyone else?

Maybe if they are subject to the same healthcare as everyone else, they will be a little more conscious about the terms of that healthcare system.   

Watch Newt Gingrich talk about this resolution

Watch Congressman Fleming discuss government run healthcare

Sign the petition

The question is rhetorical, it is obvious why they do this, they are constantly attempting to place themselves on high moral ground regardless of the immorality of most of their actions.

The Pope’s encyclical “Caritas in Veritate”, was hardly released before they jumped on the Pope’s comments expressing the need for workers rights and the need to insure that workers are treated fairly. They then interpret this to mean all workers should be represented by a union. And that their attempts to shove a union down the throats of all workers regardless if they want or need one.

The left ignores 75% of what the Pope says, ridicules 20%, and twists the remaining 5% to support their positions.

The left takes the labor union issue as their own, they sell the lie that only they care about the workers (the little guy), when in fact the opposite is true. The conservative does not outright oppose labor unions; the conservative is for the success of everyone including the working class. By using the Pope’s comments to force a union down the throats of Wal-Mart workers, is not to do what the Pope endorses. The people pushing this unionization of Walmart workers do not have the welfare of the Wal-Mart worker in mind. The Pope does not endorse big labor unions that get fat off of the common worker, and this I am afraid is what the big labor unions have become in this country. Keep in mind the Pope is not talking specifically about the USA or the Chicago labor unions in particular, but is speaking about a world stage. Every right thinking individual wants a fair wage for all workers and there are indeed places where a labor union which is for the workers and not for its fat cat leaders are necessary. The unions formed in Poland under Pope John Paul II’s encouragement are classic examples of necessary unions. The mobster run unions from Chicago are examples of not only unnecessary but undesirable labor unions. These unions will bleed the worker and the employer to the point they will both be hurt. All one needs to do is look at the automotive industry in the USA to see a classic example of this. We certainly do not need the same thing happening to Wal-Mart and other employers in the USA.

We see liberals doing the same thing with the global warming issue. The Pope rightly expresses concern for the environment and they immediately claim he is on their side in this debate. Again, all right thinking people agree with the need to protect the environment to any “reasonable” extent. However, when some individuals attempt to blow this issue all out of any reasonable proportion and then set themselves up to get rich off of selling carbon credits and continue to be the largest polluters of the environment while demanding that everyone else conserve is not only dishonest, it is a travesty of justice. These same individuals continually accuse their opposition of fear mongering on social issues; this global warming issue they push for their own enrichment and power over people is the biggest scare mongering scam in history.

I wonder how they reconcile the fact the Pope is so right about labor unions and so wrong about contraception and abortion?

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Many anti religious people on the left frequently blame religion for wars and dissention between various factions of race and religion. We often hear the claim that most wars and conflicts are caused by religion. One of the more famous people who promoted this philosophy was the late John Lennon.

The words of John Lennon’s song “Imagine”

Imagine there’s no Heaven
It’s easy if you try
No hell below us
Above us only sky
Imagine all the people
Living for today

Imagine there’s no countries
It isn’t hard to do
Nothing to kill or die for
And no religion too
Imagine all the people
Living life in peace

The lyrics of this song have long disturbed me. This was probably John Lennon’s most popular song; it certainly lives on today long after John’s death.

What is wrong with this song and its philosophy and why do so many people buy into it? It seems to me that the problem is the same as people blaming the whole Catholic Church for the mis-conduct of a few priests. This philosophy makes no sense what-so-ever; blaming all religion for the human failings of some members of those religions. Does the Catholic Church teach that pedophilia is alright? Does any legitimate religion you know of teach or promote war or violence? The problem is not religion; the problem is the misuse of religion by misguided or evil people. The cases of religion being the “cause” of dissention can always be traced back to corrupt humans using religion to gain power or control over others. Those accepting this philosophy find it a convenient method of writing off religion as a necessary part of their lives. It frees them up to do their own thing and convince their own consciences that they are doing the “right” thing regardless of how immoral it may be. Because God has written on every human heart the indelible moral (or natural) law. It becomes impossible to ignore it; one must resort to trickery to fool our consciences so we can continue to live with our actions. We have to “feel” like what we do is right and just even if it isn’t.

John Lennon’s words may seem nice and fuzzy on surface, however, scratch below the surface and it does not work. Let’s take a brief look at John Lennon’s own life; how did this philosophy work for him? He wrote religion off, claimed to be more popular then Jesus, tried to go it alone without Christ in his life. He died at a young age after bouts with divorce, drugs, and being one of the first antiwar activists without understanding what the war in Viet Nam was all about.

I have always been dumbstruck by celebrities that somehow think that being a celebrity makes them somehow all knowing and wise. The sad thing is that because so many idolize these people, their influence is much greater than their wisdom. They totally ignore the fact that good and evil will always conflict and as long as good and evil exist, wars are inevitable. What they do not understand (because they are not religious) is that this world is not our home; perfect happiness is not possible here. We are here so our souls can mature and become ready for our final home where perfect happiness is not only possible but guaranteed. They totally miss the fact that our brave soldiers in Viet Nam and other just wars were smeared with their actions; and the evil forces they were fighting were encouraged and supported by their dissention. They ignore the fact that over 2 ½ million people died as a direct result of the US pull out in Viet Nam; because of the success of their anti war activism. Thousands of brave American men died needlessly and thousands more suffered indignities at home because of fighting war that was not finished. The people of Viet Nam still suffer today as a result of the lost war. A war lost not because of our military but because of the cowardice of our US congress and the thousands of antiwar protesters who did not understand the difference between good and evil.

The most dangerous thing now is that the majority of our government leaders now subscribe to this warped philosophy.

Pray the rosary every day…. Ask our Lady to intercede for us…..     

George W. Bush

I have believed since George Bush’s early days in office that his detractors literally hated him because of his out spoken Christianity.  Whether or not George W. Bush follows Christ’s example in all matters is not the point. The fact that he dared to mention the name Jesus that causes such uncomfortable guilt feelings in so many, is reason enough to destroy him. The easiest way to do this is to magnify and exploit his faults and deny and downplay his good deeds. Regardless of your politics, religion, or feeling toward George W. Bush, if you are honest with yourself, you must admit that his political enemies have done an outstanding job in both of these areas.

Can there be any doubt in anyone’s mind that our country has been on the road of moral decline for many years. Up until the last election, I believe this decline has been slow and unrecognized by many in our American culture. Many Christians and others of good faith have been lax in their faith and have sat back and silently accepted the gradual decline of moral or natural law. We started back in the sixties by accepting small amounts of sex and violence in Hollywood’s big screen productions. Remember when many Catholic publications used to rate movies as “condemned” and not fit for any audience? What happened to that? Now we see children in their pre-teens subjected to far worse movies and television shows then what was “condemned” for anyone 50 years ago. Unfortunately many consider this progress. Yet we question what went wrong with an individual who “suddenly” goes berserk and shoots everyone in sight in a high school, college, or mall.

Then in the seventy’s we accepted contraception and abortion. Yes, we have slid a long way down the wrong road in the past 50 years in small steps. Now, however, I fear that our slide has increased exponentially. We seem to have dropped all pretense of being a moral society; our President who during his campaign clearly stated his desire to overturn virtually every George W. Bush policy and approve embryonic stem cell acquisition by killing fetuses, signing into law FOCA which would abolish virtually every restriction on abortion, and make our country more like atheistic Europe, was elected easily over the pro life candidate. This is a very sad commentary on how far our society has fallen. When one reads of the history of the Roman Empire, the Egyptian civilization and virtually all great civilizations of the past and realizes that we are following in their example, one must tremble for our future. We must pray that the people of the world and especially the United States will soon wake up and realize we are being lead to our destruction.

If for no other reason than to stop the hocking of our children and grand children’s future, we must stop the insanity being imposed by those in power who have no regard for us or our descendants. Their only concern is that they obtain and retain power over us. We still have the power to stop this if we will only wake up and realize what is happening.