Obama Wins One For the Gipper
Notre Dame, South Bend...
It wasn't exactly the miracle of the wedding feast of Cana. President Obama did not change water into wine.
But he almost did. Instead, Obama changed what protesters tried to make an ugly scene about abortion into a triumphant message about faith-based politics.
Here, in the Joyce Center, graduates and their families gave Obama a raucous welcome, greeting him like a rock star. In so doing, they rejected those small-minds from outside the university who protested Obama's appearance on a Catholic campus just because he happens to be pro-choice.
Proving that crackpots never disappear, the protests were organized by perennial loser Alan Keyes, who is still looking for a political race he can win, and Randall Terry, who admitted he only joined the Notre Dame protest in order to breathe new life into his moribund organization, "Operation Rescue." Sadly, they were able to persuade 74 American Catholic bishops to join them.
But they were all outgunned by Notre Dame President John Jenkins, who invited Obama in the first place, and then refused to back down. After all, Jenkins pointed out, every president since FDR has either received an honorary degree from Notre Dame or addressed commencement ceremonies, or both. They were invited, not because Catholic authorities agreed with them on every issue, but out of respect for the office of president.
Besides, Jenkins understands, even if those 74 narrow-minded bishops don't, that abortion isn't the only issue important to Catholics. The Catholic Church also opposes the death penalty and unjust wars. So why didn't those same bishops speak out when warmonger and death penalty cheerleader George W. Bush came to campus? Bishops, too, can be hypocrites.
Given all the controversy, it would have been easy for President Obama to duck this debate. Instead, he chose to meet it head-on. Making his critics, the Catholic bishops, look small by comparison, Obama said he came to campus in the spirit of any great university - "honest, thoughtful dialogue" - and in the spirit of Christianity - "finding common ground."
Even on the thorny issue of abortion, Obama dared suggest, common ground was possible: "Maybe we won't agree on abortion, but we can still agree that this is a heart-wrenching decision for any woman to make, with both moral and spiritual dimensions."
And on that issue, too, Obama called for honest, thoughtful, faith-based debate: "Each side will continue to make its case to the public with passion and conviction. But surely we can do so without reducing those with differing views to caricature."
One by one, even as Obama was urging people of different opinions to reason together, three lone protestors stood and tried to disrupt his remarks, shouting "Abortion is murder." But they were themselves shouted down by the audience, and all three white males were escorted out of the arena.
In the end, 2009 Commencement Exercises at Notre Dame ended up making a great day for America, a great day for the University of Notre Dame, but a sad day for the Catholic Church.
How ironic. In the end, it took a non-Catholic to tell Catholic bishops what their faith is all about.
Abortion clouds Obama's Notre Dame speech - USATODAY.com
Obama's Notre Dame Visit Draws Catholic Backing - The Caucus Blog ...
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When does life begin? Does anyone have the answer?
What about the egg and sperm that start the process of forming a baby but by virtue of changes that occur in the womb as the resulf of birth control this ball of cells that form the basis of life is flushed out as soon as the mother suspends the pill for 7 days.
Is this the same as an abortion? I say yes. And based on 'my' definition all the so called pro-life crew who approve of the pill need to come over to the pro choice side.
Many pro-lifers (including my mother) don't have a problem with contraception, emergency contraception (e.g, the day-after pill) or even standard abortion up to a certain point. The main problem that many pro-lifers have with abortion is in proceedures where a fetus that is near-term, or even fully developed, is aborted (some might call this "live-birth or "partial birth" abortion). Bush supported abortion along these lines, but prohibited "partial birth" abortion. Obama wants to rescind that (perhaps he already has?) and also put legal ramifications in place for doctors that choose not to perform abortions based on their own code of ethics. That's what has the majority of pro-lifers upset.
To be fair, the reason she's pro-life is probably due to the fact that she works in a clinic that provides emotional support for women who are unable to come to terms with their abortion. Those who get themselves locked into thinking about the potential child that was ended before it began, and start to regret their actions, tend to take it pretty hard.
Anti-abortionist are not about saving the baby, they're about insisting that their narrow point of view is right. If they were really about saving babies, they'd also be against the death penalty, they'll be for amnesty for poor illegal immigrants, they'll be for universal health care, and for gun control. But are they? Nope. 'cuz their passion doesn't stem from compassion but rather from egotism and narrowmindedness.
It is telling that throughout history it is always men making rules to control women?
From genital mutilation (a blatant and cruel attempt to control a woman's sexuality) to abortion where some scrawny little man thinks that he knows what's best for a woman for reason other than that he's a man.
Feh.
To all those anti-choice people (they are not pro-life) I just have one question:
How many unwanted children have you adopted?
Hypocrites.
We could always just match up unwanted children with newly-married homosexual couples. Win-win, eh?
Bingo!
I watched the whole speech, what a great speech and he did not read anything, unbelievable. Obama is setting a trend that may not be matched by future presidents. What a man!
As a proud ex-Catholic ("proud" because I'm an EX-Catholic), I continue to be baffled by intelligent people like Chris Matthews and all the Irish Ds, apologists who wear their religion on their sleeve at any occasion. The hypocrisy surrounding the Catholic Church is stunning. When is the first time these bishops ever ordered priests to refuse communion for Catholic politicians who support the death penalty? Remember the 1995 Evangelium Vitae? No, probably not that part.
As for those bishops, they should go home and watch the Academy Award nominated documentary, "Deliver us from Evil" to see their church leaders at work covering up the molestation of boys and girls in the church and the subsequent pay-offs to keep people quiet.
In short, I couldn't care less what the "Church" thinks about Obama since at least for now, we're not yet a theocracy. It is refreshing to see INDIVIDUAL American Catholics refusing to play ball with the hypocrites among their leaders, but I can't understand why they don't look in the mirror and ask themselves this question: If this is the only religion that I embrace, why do I not doubt that if I were born in India, I would almost certainly be a Hindu or Muslim?.... (unless you were from Goa, where Portugal ruled long enough to get the Christian meme passed on from generation to generation.)
Since I am I guy, it is none of my business to tell a woman what to do when it concerns her own body even if I agree with the decison or not.
That is because I do not want anybody telling me what Medical procedure to do when it concerns my body.
Why is it always middle-aged white men who are the most vocal anti-abortion protestors? I'm just wondering.
And the anti abortion females are usually white, married to them and don't work outside the home. (generally speaking, I know it's not all).
Probably because they are worried that most women who abort are white women and that the white population will be a minority if they continue aborting their babies.
God Bless the students of Notre Dame. God Bless President Obama. What a wonderful, thoughtful, speech. Respect, tolerance, and kindness to each other, so simple but so powerful.
Pray in your closet!!! Pluck the mote from your own eye!!! Do priests wear religious garb because they don't have wings!!! Is anyone holier than tho? does God need our help or do we need her help?
Judge not yet ye be judged. look in the mirror, change that person.
The phrase about judging actually reads, "Judge not lest ye be judged by the same judgement." It means that those who sit in judgement of others must accept that they themselves will be held to the same standards with which they judge others. If one does not wish to be judged harshly then he or she should not judge others harshly. Those who seek mercy and forgiveness for themselves must be willing to give it to others.
Bill...
I was raised a Catholic. Today, I consider myself "Catholic Lite". Having said that, I thought the speech on Sunday, and I watched the whole thing live on CNN, was one of the best the President every gave. It all brought back why I voted for the man in the first place......his calm demeanor, the attitude he takes while he is being heckled, and that speech, -- I cried on Sunday, that speech touched me that much.
During the N.H. Primaries, Obama was heckled from a balcony in one of those halls he spoke out during those crazy days, and I watched how he handled the shout-outs and disruptions at that time, and I wished at the time, I would be able to control myself in my own office when I get into it with a co-worker as well as he does in a huge crowd.
what are Catholics whining and crying about? There are 3 male catholics on the US Supreme Court. Damn! Any more and the court will be wearing red.
We need, as always, to have protection from that church.
we need protection from all religions. you can keep your fairy tale in texas, with your fairy tale believing gov.
It isn't a question of when life begins, it's a question of conflicting rights. Those who are against abortion place the rights of the unborn ahead of the rights of the women whose bodies they occupy. I disagree. Most telling to me is that constitutional rights begin at birth not conception.
Then there's the problem of what you do with women who have abortions if abortions are illegal. Abortions won't end just because a law makes them illegal, they'll simply move to the back streets and dirty coat hangers.
I'd be a bit more comfortable with the "no abortion, no how" stance if those who embrace it were willing to provide cheap, reliable birth control to women who can't afford it on their own.
As long as our society places viagra above birth control we aren't going to get anywhere on eliminating the need for abortion.
Mr. Press, I remember you since you were debating Pat Buchanan in the old days. I had wondered where you'd gone until a little over a year ago. You are among the best, thoughtful spokesman the Democrats have ever had.
In this article, I loved it when you stuck it to the Bishops who said nothing about the death penalty and a war of choice.
That's the kind of thing that turned me off to religion in the first place. Inconsistency, hypocrisy, and thugs like Randall Terry.
Kudos on your appearance discussing the Biblical passages from the Pentagon too.
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