Increasingly isolated and out of touch, the rulers of this land continue their legislative moral train wreck right off the cliff of rationality and into the abyss of self- destruction. Attacking the right to life, conscience protection, and religious beliefs is “ wickedness” on the part of those elected to serve the people.
But it isn’t enough that they destroy themselves; they want to take everybody else with them. And the tone is being set at the top, with continued official support for anti- Catholic bigotry in the White House Advisory Council on Faith- Based and Neighborhood Partnerships and more abortion funding in the latest presidential proposal for national health care.
Is Harry Knox, a member of that White House advisory council, an anti- Catholic bigot as has been claimed in recent days by at least congressman? Let’s begin with the definition of bigotry:
— noun; plural — ries. 1. stubborn and complete intolerance of any creed, belief, or opinion that differs from one’s own. 2. the actions, beliefs, prejudices, etc., of a bigot. — Synonyms: 1. narrowmindedness, bias, discrimination.
Let’s now apply this definition to Knox: 1. Knox is narrow- minded: His brain is wrapped tightly around the desire to enshrine a particular unnatural sex act or acts in glorified approval, demanding such approval even of those who disagree with him. 2. Knox is biased: Any attempt by the Holy Father, the Church or Catholics to engender respect for the marital act restricted to one manhusband and one woman- wife is opposed for any reason, such as cloaking such an agenda in a supposed desire to eradicate AIDS in Africa. 3. Knox discriminates: He engages in ad hominem, that is, personal attacks against the Pope and others by name rather than engaging in the reasoned and candid exchange of views as called for and exemplified by the Pope and others of like mind.
So, what conclusion do you reach after this exercise? Does it sound to you like official support for anti- Catholic bigotry begins right at the top?
As for the latest and greatest health care plan rolled out recently by President Obama in advance of the health care summit? Another abortion “ Trojan horse.” As LifeNews. com reports, the new plan “ violates [ Obama’s] pledge to Congress and the American people that his version of health care reform would not force taxpayers to fund abortions.” Obama made that pledge last September. This is a violation of the Obama pledge for several reasons, also according to LifeNews. com: “ Under the Senate health care bill that will be the main bill Obama and Democrats push through Congress, there is no ban on abortion funding. While some states can opt out of funding abortions under the plan, taxpayers in other states will be forced to pay for them.
“ But the bill contains other pro- abortion problems that are concerns for pro- life advocates.
“ The bill requires that at least one health care plan be promoted across the country that pays for abortions, more abortion funding would come via the affordability credits, and many of the so- called limits on abortion funding in the Senate bill are temporary and could expire or be overturned at a later date.
“ The Senate health care bill also pays for abortions under the Indian Health Service program.
“And it contains the Mikulski amendment that would allow the Obama administration to define abortion as preventive care and force insurance plans to pay for abortions.
“ Finally, the Senate bill does not contain language needed to offer full conscience protection for pro- life medical workers and facilities.”
We must “ cry out full throated and unsparingly,” continuing to use every means available to us for demanding full and equal respect for the religious beliefs and rights of everyone, including Catholics, among those who represent us in Washington and across this nation. We must continue to fight for the fundamental principle of justice in the right to life for all with no exceptions and for conscience rights for all believers. The Lord demands justice and calls for us in Lent and always to be agents of peace through the works of justice: “ releasing those bound unjustly, untying the thongs of the yoke; Setting free the oppressed, breaking every yoke; Sharing your bread with the hungry, sheltering the oppressed and the homeless; Clothing the naked when you see them, and not turning your back on your own” ( Isaiah 58: 1- 9a).
Who is bound more unjustly than the unborn child when the laws of this land say that her life may be snuffed out with impunity? Who is more oppressed than the child whose life can be ended under legal protection while yet in the womb? Let us never turn our back on our own!
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This column by Father Cusick appeared in the 4 March 2010 edition of The Wanderer Catholic Newspaper. To subscribe to the on-line or print editions of The Wanderer, visit the paper's web site here.
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