The archbishop and the governor

[Photo of Joseph Naumann from Catholic.org]

Once again, in recent days, we have seen a Roman Catholic archbishop flex his godly muscles in an attempt to extort piety from one of the Roman Catholic faithful.

First of all, we should note that according to the most recent polls, Catholics by and large, view things like abortion, birth control, homosexuality, sex outside of marriage, gambling, etc., in a more liberal fashion than their non-Catholic neighbors.

Secondly, it is important to reiterate that studies have shown at least 25% of Roman Catholic priests/seminarians are homosexuals, and some insist the figure is probably closer to 50%, in spite of the fact that the Church considers homosexuality a "disorder," and believes homosexuals should not be priests.

Thirdly, we cannot forget that literally thousands of Roman Catholic priests have abused little children, both boys and girls, for decades. The Roman Catholic bishops and other poohbahs have known all about this abuse, but instead of reporting it to the authorities, they deliberately covered it up, and then fought every attempt to bring it to light and take appropriate action.
They didn't even remove these pedophile priests from the ministry. What they did do was move them from one parish to another, without informing the parish leaders or telling them that they should watch their children as they had a predator priest in their midst.


With those three points before us, we can now consider the case of the Archbishop of the Kansas City, Kansas, archdiocese, one Joseph Naumann.

Naumann is pissed off at the governor of Kansas, Kathleen Sebelius, who is a member of the Roman Catholic Church. Sebelius, you recall, has been nominated by President Obama to head up the Department of Health and Human Services.

[Rightwingnuts everywhere are up in arms about Sebelius and have innundated our Senators with dire warnings of disaster to come if they dare vote in her favor!]

The reason? Abortion, of course. Sebelius is pro-choice and thinks women should be able to choose relative to abortion without government interference or priestly dictates. Thus, she has seen fit to veto at least a couple of bills which would restrict abortion rights in Kansas.


The Archbishop is unhappy because Sebelius won't kiss his ring on this issue. According to Joshua Holland at Alternet, the archbishop was interviewed by Catholics for Faith and Family. In this intervew he explains his efforts to get Sebelius to toe the party line.

For example, the Archbishop conducted a "long dialogue" with Sibelius after which he wrote her a letter telling her she must not partake of the magical cracker. She did it anyway, and some dipshit priest tattled on her to the Archbishop.

So Naumann "went public," and told the whole world that the governor had been banned from the altar until she accepted the RC teaching on abortion.


I don't know that Governor Sebelius intends to do. Probably the same thing that John Kerry and Joe Biden do - ignor the rantings of the hyper hierarchical keepers of the keys to the Kingdom.

Also, consider this: Forty percent of American Catholics reject the official Catholic teaching on abortion! They simply don't hear the rantings of their skirted pontificators of piety, having recognized long ago that many of them don't have a clue as to what real life is all about.

What is especially poignant about all this is the fact that an archbishop of the Roman Church, in spite of the fact that 25-50% of the priests of the Church are in flagrant disobedience of the church's teaching on homosexuality, and in spite of the fact that the church has disobeyed the law and its own teachings by protecting thousands of pedophile priests, believes he has some moral authority to exert over the governor of Kansas or anybody else.

In his view, Governor Sebelius is unworthy to take Communion at the altar of a Roman Catholic Church where the odds are about even the priest is a homosexual, or in some cases, a pedophile, because she rejects the right of a church run by celibate (more or less) men to tell women what to do with their bodies.

There's something radically wrong with that picture.

Maybe there are too many archbishopricks in the Roman Church.

Magic, the devil, and Fr. Thomas Euteneuer

The devil, demons and magic are big in the Roman Catholic Church. Always have been.

That's why the RC Church "authorizes" certain priestly types to conduct rituals which, through the use of magic, will exorcise the devil and demons from people an places.

One such authoritzed exorcist is Father Thomas Euteneuer, president of an outfit called "Human Life International." According to an article in The Bulletin, Father Euteneuer "is an exorcist authorized to perform exorcisms in several states."

Wow!

The Rev. Euteneuer was a speaker at a recent luncheon of In His Sign Network (IHS). Some of the folks attending brought salt with them so that Father could bless them to ward off demons. Which he did.

Father Euteneuer believes that the devil is behind and in and through the "abortion industry." I wonder if the abortion industry is anything like the magic religion industry? Anyway, Father Euteneuer told The Bulletin:

"Abortion is a demonic industry. Abortion is blood sacrifice of innocent blood to the devil. The clinics are like temples, the doctors are like priests, the medical table is their altar. It's a ritualized sacrifice. They have a dogma called choice, a hierarchy called Planned Parenthood, and guardian angels in the form of police guards that will arrest you if you try to stop them."

Whew!

Wait. Father also said that some abortionists have called abortion their "sacrament."

[I think that's bullshit!]

Would a priest lie? You betcha!


How to deal with this terrible demonic industry which is just like the Catholic Church except for the object of its affections?

'Tis a spiritual evil, says Father Euteneuer, so we gotta pray. We can't fight the devil by political means alone, we've gotta use our spiritual weapons. Pray, pray, pray ... "you need a massive amount of prayer."

Yup. And lots of magic.


You can read the entire article here. The IHS site is here.

Obama and abortion

Let's start here: the right wingnuts seldom, if ever, let facts get in the way of their delusions. Thus, Congressman Mike Pence, a Repugnican from Indiana insists that no matter what Obama does or doesn't do regarding abortion, "life is winning in America."

Pence believes (has faith) that "It is accurate to say life is losing in Washington, DC -- both in our judiciary [and] among a pro-abortion majority in the House and Senate, and now with the election of a pro-abortion president of the United States."

But is he worried? Nah. "But let me say with confidence," saith Pence confidently, " ... I believe life is winning in America. Despite the best efforts of the pro-abortion movement to defend abortion on demand, more Americans embrace the sanctity of life today than ever before -- especially younger Americans."

If only it were true, dear Mr. Pence. But it isn't. In fact, in a Time poll conducted between July 31 and August 4, 2008, fully 86 percent of those polled said abortion should be always legal or legal in some circumstances. Another university poll about the same time, indicated that 63 percent of Americans agreed with Roe v. Wade. In other words, a majority of Americans continue to favor a woman's right to choose and that abortion should be legal in this country.


President Obama made the following statement with regard to abortion while anti-abortion groups gathered around the country to pray God would change his mind and while, at the same time, pro-choice groups celebrated:

"On the 36th anniversary of Roe v. Wade, we are reminded that this decision not only protects women's health and reproductive freedom, but stands for a broader principle: that government should not intrude on our most private family matters. I remain committed to protecting a woman's right to choose.

"While this is a sensitive and often divisive issue, no matter what our views, we are united in our determination to prevent unintended pregnancies, reduce the need for abortion, and support women and families in the choices they make. To accomplish these goals, we must work to find common ground to expand access to affordable contraception, accurate health information, and preventative services.

"On this anniversary, we must also recommit ourselves more broadly to ensuring that our daughters have the same rights and opportunities as our sons: the chance to attain a world-class education; to have fulfilling careers in any industry; to be treated fairly and paid equally for their work; and to have no limits on their dreams. That is what I want to women everywhere."


Notice that Obama is not "pro-abortion," just as most people are not pro-abortion. But, unlike the christianist wingnuts, he realizes that the government has no business in women's business. It is fascinating to note that so many of the same people who always decry "big" government and government interference, strive desperately to enable means for the government to interfere with a woman's right to choose.

It is such a wonderful change to have a man in the White House who is not only moral and ethical, but understands the constitutional mandates under which he is called to carry out his responsibilities.

If only people like Pence understood their constitutional mandates!

The lies of Bill Donohue

Bill Donohue is the right-wing fruitcake, stuck in the Middle Ages, who heads up the Catholic League, an organization ready to take the Roman Church back to the good old days when heretics were burned at the stake, God was in heaven, Galileo was denounced, and the Pope's word was law for all.

The Catholic League is up in arms these days because "More than 60 organizations have issued a 55-page report advising the incoming Obama administration on the need to provide more money for abortion-related services. ... Significantly, it endorses the Freedom of Choice Act, the most radical abortion-rights bill ever proposed."

Oh boy. Those bad pro-choice people are persecuting Christians right and left!

Donohue is irate. My God, this is an "assault on religious liberty." Donohue says "From the very beginning, the pro-abortion industry has not only opposed any religion which is pro-life, it has adopted a confrontational approach."

The "pro-abortion industry"? Sounds like the Mafia. But Donohue, being a "good" Catholic would probably have less problem with the Mafia, cf. "The Godfather."

Donohue goes on to attack those "religions" which support a woman's right to choose: Reform Judaism, Unitarian/Universalists, and "an anti-Catholic front group, Catholics for Choice," all of which have signed on in support of the Freedom of Choice Act.

The "passion for abortion rights" among these groups, says Donohue, "is so extreme that it eclipses any interest in the religious liberty rights of others."


In other words, Donohue and his cohorts believe they have the right to impose their particular religious beliefs (re: abortion) on the population as a whole. That "right" is what "religious liberty" means. If they are denied their "right" to write the laws for all the rest of us, that is to deny them their religious liberty.

How screwed is that?


Donohue, the Catholic League and all the rest of the extremist anti-abortion groups can believe any damn thing they want. THAT is their "religious liberty"! They do not, however, have the "right" to impose their beliefs on the nation as a whole. That is religious totalitarianism!

Oh yeah, Donohue is also a homophobe, hates all things he thinks impinge negatively on his Catholic conscience, and goes crazy if the Eucharist Host is "desecrated."

Media Matters has more: Donohue says "People don't trust Muslims when it comes to liberty." The gay lifestyle is a lifestyle of death and the gay community should "apologize to straight people for all the damage they have done." Catholics who voted for John Kerry because they agreed with him on abortion have cooperated "in evil." "Hollywood is controlled by secular Jews who hate Christianity in general and Catholicism in particular. ... Hollywood likes anal sex. They like to see the public square without nativity scenes. ... They like abortions."

Read the entire Media Matters' article here.

Another take on Donohue at Take Action here.


Meanwhile, go jump, Donohue!

Planned Parenthood gift certificates

Priests for Life is an ultra-conservative Roman Catholic organization "dedicated to ending abortion and euthanasia." Mostly it's about ending abortion.

The niece of the late Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Dr. Alveda King, is a "Pastoral Associate" of Priests for Life. She figures prominently in the "African American outreach" of Priests for Life.

According to Wikipedia, King "is currently a Senior Fellow at the Alexis de Tocqueville Institution, a conservative 'think-tank' in Washington, D.C. She is a former member of the Georgia House of Representatives and the founder of King for America.

To better understand Dr. Alveda King, note that she received her doctorate degree from Saint Anselm College. Saint Anselm is a Benedictine school and is classified by the Princeton Review as one of the "Colleges with a Conscience." She travels the country speaking at Pro-Life rallies, and endorsed the mossback, Sam Brownback, for the 2008 Republican nomination.


Dr. Alveda King is momentarily furious. She is specifically pissed at the Planned Parenthood organization. The Indiana branch of Planned Parenthood is selling gift certificates in $25 increments. According to PP of Indiana, these gift certificates "can be used for everything from birth control to $58 examinations that include breast exams and pap tests. Men who receive healthcare at Planned Parenthood can use them too."

Planned Parenthood offers men screenings for sexually transmitted diseases, as well as HIV tests and general prostate exams.

When asked if these gift certificates could be used for abortions, PP said yes, but that isn't their purpose. Chrystal Struben-Hall, Vice President of Planned Parenthood of Indiana, said "They are really intended for preventative healthcare. We decided not to put restrictions on the gift certificates so it's for whatever people feel they need the services for most."

Sounds reasonable and helpful.


Not to Alveda King. "To give someone a gift card from the nation's largest abortion business is to give death for Christmas," said Alveda. "Planned Parenthood really should call these 'King Herod certificates' after the Roman ruler who slaughtered tiny babies in his vain attempt to kill the baby Jesus."

Well, Alveda obviously isn't aware that Herod did no such thing, but that's a minor point. I guess when you've decided that abortion for any reason is bad, bad, bad, and have concluded that god is on your side, you can stretch the truth a little bit.

And Alveda, certain of her righteousness, is decimating the truth when she claims Planned Parenthood "is defiling the celebration of our Savior's birth."


It's this kind of rhetoric that, being so hateful, ends up so harmful. Even though most scientists and a majority of people in this country believe life begins at birth, there should be room for disagreement and discussion. To call abortion "murder" begs the question and shuts the door to engagement.

And to imply that Planned Parenthood is giving gift certificates to be used for abortions is to color the truth with King's particular prejudice.


The truth is it's a wonderful thing what the Indiana branch of Planned Parenthood is doing. There are many "newly unemployed and uninsured Hoosiers" who will find the certificates a "practical gift option."

As Struben-Hall said, "People are making really tough decisions about putting gas in their car and food on their table, so we know that many women especially put healthcare at the bottom of their list to do."

Planned Parenthood is trying to help. Before Alveda King sticks her self-righteous neck into the mix, she needs to be willing to accept and raise every single baby born into a situation where its basic needs cannot be provided.

Until then, Dr. King, shut up!


Planned Parenthood of Indiana is here.

Cardinal accuses Obama of being "Aggressive, Disruptive and Apocalyptic

Where do these guys come from?

And he dares claim the title of "His Eminence." James Francis Cardinal Stafford, in a speech at Catholic University of America, accused President-elect Barack Obama of being "aggressive, disruptive and apocalyptic" and that his campaign was "extremist" and "anti-life."

The Roman Catholic prelate wasn't done, though. He referenced Jesus' suffering in the Garden of Gethsemane and compared that with what "true" Roman Catholics will be in for during the Oama administration: "For the next few years, Gethsemane will not be marginal. We will know that garden. On November 4, 2008, America suffered a cultural earthquake."

It's all about abortion, of course. These elderly celibates dressed up as women think nothing else is equal in importance! Supreme Court decisions upholding the right of a woman to choose, said the Cardinal, have uprooted respect for human life in the United States.

Not only so, but this pious representative of Roman orthodoxy would ban all forms of contraception, in spite of the fact that the great majority of Catholics in this country flaunt his predeliction to undermine their ability to plan their families. Elizabeth Grden, writing in The Tower Newspaper, said Stafford claims that "the truest reflection of the love between the believer and God is that of the relationship between husband and wife, and that contraceptive use does not fit anywhere within that framework."

One wonders if the Cardinal realizes in saying that he has admitted to the world that a priest, by virtue of his celibacy, is unable to experience "the truest reflection of the love between the believer and God"?


We do not take issue with the Cardinal's right to believe whatever religious nonsense he wishes to believe, no matter how contradictory. We do not take issue with his right to express those beliefs.

But we also do not renounce our right to say he's full of pious claptrap. We also claim the right to accuse him of monumental hypocrisy. He can tell the faithful what they must believe to be good Catholics. Whether they follow his advice or not is up to them.

What he cannot do is claim the right to insinuate his beliefs into the laws of this most secular nation and force non-Catholics to obey Roman Catholic mandates!

The hypocrisy comes when the Cardinal takes our President-elect to task for his pro-choice views; when he accuses our President-elect of being "aggressive, disruptive and apocalyptic." Those accusations don't play well when the Cardinal's skirts are dragging through the muck stirred up by thousands of his priests molesting thousands of innocent little children!

And if he's really concerned about killing, he should be on the front lines bolstering Obama's efforts to bring the war in Iraq to a close. He should be standing with those in front of our prisons crying for a halt to capital punishment! He should be clamoring for public policy that feeds the starving and provides health care to those who are dying for lack of it!


Finally, what the hell does he mean by accusing Obama of being "apocalyptic." The word refers to a "prophetic revelation."

Methinks he's a bit pissed that so many Catholics blew off the hysterical rants of their skirted poohbahs on November 4th.

He, like the rest of the Roman hierarchy, have become irrelevant in the 21st century. The faithful will continue to go to Mass and will continue to believe, but they no longer take their marching orders, especially with regard to sex and family, from aged celibates who are still living in the Middle Ages.

Note: Stafford is "an American Cardinal and Major Penitentiary of the Apostolic Penitentiary for the Tribunal of the Holy See." Get that? In other words, he's part of the Roman Curia.

A priestly hell

According to one so-called "man of god," a Roman Catholic priest in South Carolina, Catholics who voted for Barack Obama are going to hell and should not receive communion unless "they are reconciled to God in the Sacrament of Penance, lest they eat and drink their own condemnation."

When word of what this priest said got to heaven, Jesus Christ, sitting at the right hand of the Father, who is himself, next to the Holy Ghost, who is also himself, said loudly to the angel Gabriel, who was seated in front of the trinitarian One, "Jesus Christ! These people are idiots! Did they not ever listen to what I said? Bring me a martini, Gabe, straight-up, shaken, not stirred."

"Aye, aye, Sirs," said Gabe, who straight-away went to find a bar. There's one on every corner in heaven, you know.

"Now, settle down, Jeez," said the Father who is Jeez and the Holy Ghost. "No sense getting your robe in a knot. They'll never learn. We made a serious mistake with that vision you cooked up for the faux rabbi, Paul! Who knew he'd screw everything up so badly?"

"Hey," chimed in the Holy Ghost who is Jeez and the Father. "I could do one of my numbers on that priest and make him disappear when he's putting on his alb in the sacristy. Presto! I could turn him into sacramental wine. He'd be gone."

"Ah, phooey," said Jeez. "That wouldn't solve the problem. Those damn bishops are making all kinds of noise about this abortion thing, too. God, you'd think they'd have better things to do!"

"Yup!" said the father.

"You know we worked hard to get Obama in the White House," said the Holy Ghost. "All those damn prayer warriors whining about that goofball cheerleader from Alaska! Give me a break!"

"That was a pain," said Jeez. "They just about shut down our whole system for a month! Wait until I get my hands on that Muthee character and that Dobson nut out in Colorado Springs! Muthee's gonna do about a million years with the witch of Endor. That oughta shut him up! And Dobson, well, when I get through with him, he'll be begging me to toss him off the top of Pike's Peak!"

"So, what now?" asked the Father.

"I don't know," the Trinity cried in unison. "We've fought these self-righteous bastards for 2,000 years and what have we got to show for it? Benedict XVI, John Hagee, Dobson, Ted Haggard, Pat Robertson, Joel's Army, Pentecostalism ... I'm about ready to throw in the towel."

"Nah, we can't do that," said Jeez. "We've got too much invested. Boy, I sure wish we'd had better biblical editors. They really screwed things up. Nobody knows what to believe and the ones who think they know are making the situation worse."

"All right, I'm about ready for my nap," said the Father as Jesus and the Holy Ghost suddenly became very tired. "We gave these idiots free will and we can't go back on our word. But we can change our reward system, 'cause they really don't know what we've got planned. I'd suggest that a special hell be set up where all those who claim to have the Truth will go when they die. It will involve horrible torture and I expect there will be lots of pain and screaming. But we'll let the Devil deal with that."

Jesus and the Holy Ghost, almost asleep now, asked groggily, "What the hell are you talking about, Dad?" They never call the Father, Dad, unless they're very tired and of course being One they already knew what he was talking about.

"We're going to make them listen to Sarah Palin speeches over and over again for seven million years!"

"Oh, my God!" they exclaimed in a unified trinitarian cry.

And then, the three of them, as one, took a nap.

But that South Carolina priest has no idea what he's in for!

Catholic bishops to oppose...

[AP photo]

The Roman Catholic bishops in the United States, are, as we all know, paragons of wisdom and spokespersons for god and the pope. How could they err? How could they possibly be wrong?

I've just finished reading James Carroll's book, Constantine's Sword - The Church and the Jews. It's a fascinating treatise, detailing the relationship of the Roman Church to the Jews from the early days of Christianity to the present.

Carroll is an ex-priest of the Jesuit persuasion, however, and can't let go. The Roman church has him caught in its clutches -- probably until he dies.

For example, in this very excellent book, he stresses over and over again that there were occasionally individuals and popes who sort of did the right thing toward the Jews. But ultimately, that fact is completely overwhelmed by the Church's 2,000-year history of unremitting hatred, persecution and torture of the Jews.

For anyone who still believes that the Roman church and/or its prelates cannot err or change, this book should be required reading.

Today, the Roman church has tried to make nice with the Jews, except for the current pope, Benedict XVI. He's not too concerned with reconciliation. Never has been. He was one of those vociferously opposed to Vatican II as well as the excision of the anti-Semitic passages from the Good Friday liturgy.


But the Church has its "new" foe, anyway - abortion. The Roman bishops in the United States believe that abortion is always wrong and should be illegal. They intend to fight President-elect Obama on this issue and they have raised their battle flags.

There isn't any question that the Roman bishops can believe anything they want about anything. They can believe their pope is the repository of god's grace and is the vicar of Christ on earth. They can believe god is three people in one. They can believe wine turns to blood and crackers turn to flesh. They can establish their own schools and teach all of this to their young 'uns.

And they can believe that abortion is evil.

What they can't do is impose their beliefs on the rest of us.

But the Roman church has always assumed that they have that right. And in every single instance where the Roman church has gained enough political power, they have tried to enforce their belief system on everyone.


There are good people who believe all abortions are wrong. There are good people who believe women should be allowed the right to choose what to do with their own bodies. President-elect Obama believes abortion should never be taken lightly, but that women should have the right to choose.

Let's tell the good bishops to shut up about abortion and put their energy into opposing the war in Iraq, and capital punishment. Let's tell them to go back to their palaces and sacristies and try to ferret out their priests who are molesting children. And let's tell the good bishops when they find such priests to toss them out of the church instead of moving them to another parish where they can molest still more children.

Let's tell the good bishops that they have NO authority over the rest of us, and they need to keep their damn noses out of political arena. Furthermore, whatever moral authority they might have claimed in the past is long gone. The Roman collar has become a symbol of repression, reluctance to do what's right, and blindness to truth.

The word, "abortion," is quite often used as a synonym for something very bad. The attempt of the Roman Catholic bishops to impose their religious beliefs on the nation as a whole is an "abortion"!

No Christian can vote for Obama says Xtian right extremist

[Photo of the "godly" Ms. Porter]


Janet Porter is intimately acquainted with god. Or so she thinks.

And god has told her, through his "word," that one cannot be a Christian and vote for Senator Barack Obama.

In an October 28th article at Worldnetdaily.com, Ms. Porter, erstwhile defender of the deity, said:

"To all those who name the name of Christ who plan to willfully disobey Him by voting for Obama, take warning. Not only is our nation in grave danger, according to the Word of God, so are you."

Uh, oh! Watch out! God's gonna get ya!


Why would Ms. Porter say this about a fellow Christian believer?

It's all about abortion, naturally. If that bad man, Obama, is elected, he will sign the Freedom of Choice Act and that will signify the end of the world so far as Ms. Porter is concerned! Now this is soooooo serious that Ms. Porter offers up "God's voter guide" which you absolutely must read before you go to the polls. Here it is:

"I call heaven and earth as witnesses today against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life [her emphasis], that both you and your descendants may live (Deuteronomy 30:19)."

I'm always amused by the way fundy Christians take the Bible and bend it to support their particular viewpoints. The passage she cites has absolutely NOTHING to do with abortion. This kind of biblical manipulation is essentially disrespectful of the book she pretends to hold so dear.

Then she quotes Exodus 20:13 - You shall not murder.

And John 14:15 - If you love me, keep My commandments.

Barack, she says, may claim to be Christian, but it is obvious from reading Isaiah 29:13, that he is not.

So, says Porter: "Obama-Biden are pro-death. McCain-Palin are pro-life.

"Now choose life that you and your children may live."


Oh, yes, "...this election is not about race. It's not about the economy. It's about obeying God."

Jeez, I didn't know that! Wow. Thanks, Janet, for setting me straight. And the liars and character-assassinators, McCain and Palin, are God's favorites! Holy crap!


Ms. Porter isn't done, though. "Obama," she says, "will use your tax dollars to kill innocent children, and then he'll take your paycheck and use it to 'spread the wealth around.' ...

"Be forewarned: If you willfully disobey God on life and marriage because of race or false hope for the economy, you will usher in the kind of change that brought the Soviet Union to collapse."

I didn't know that, either! What kind of change was that? Ms. Porter doesn't say. Perhaps she's not sure. She should check with Ms. Palin who can see Russia from Alaska. Is Ms. Porter saying that Obama's a commie? Sounds kinda that way.

For certain, though, according to Ms. Porter, voting for Obama will bring the nation crashing down!

Her final word:

"If the word of God matters more to you than your perception of personal gain ... "Then obey Him in the voting booth and out of it. If not, do us all a favor and quit calling yourself a Christian."


Nothing like a little godly hate to start or end your day!

If you want to punish yourself, you can read her entire article here.

Catholic bishop warns faithful about Obama

The bishop is Robert J. Hermann, Archdiocesan Administrator of the Archdiocese of St. Louis. He is solidly in the McCain camp.

The election on November 4 may be "Judgment Day," says the pious preacher of the "good news" of god.

Voters have to decide whether to follow the teachings of the Roman Catholic Church (i.e. God), or go with the devil. And that decision will determine where a voter will spend eternity. Your immortal soul is in peril.

Bishop Hermann explains it this way: "If I value the good of the economy and my current lifestyle more than I do the right to life itself, then I am in trouble. ... My desire for a good economy cannot justify my voting to remove all current restrictions on abortion. My desire to end the war in Iraq cannot justify my voting to remove all current restrictions on abortion."

Abortion, for the Bishop and other Roman Catholic hierarchs, is THE deciding issue. For support of that position, he refers to "the writings of Pope Benedict XVI, that the issue of life is the most basic issue and must be given priority over the issue of the economy, the issue of war or any other issue. These same teachings," says Hermann, "inform us that when both candidates permit the right to abortion, but unequally so, we must choose to mitigage the evil by choosing the candidate who is less permissive of abortion."


Notice that the Bishop did not mention Obama's name. That would have been a no-no, and illegal, to boot. But, he didn't have to. There is absolutely no question as to how he thinks the "faithful" should vote.

But the bishop fails to make his case. One cannot merely quote papal writings or cite the teachings of the RC church. Too often, both have been seriously wrong and umitigated evil has resulted.

It would be helpful, though, and give credence to the bishop's pious pronouncement, if he would recognize that the economy often has a direct connection to abortion. Many abortions occur because those involved are caught in an economic situation that does not allow them to give birth and care properly for a child (or another child!).

It would also be helpful if the bishop took just as seriously the matter of war, which he dismissed as not comparable to abortion. In Iraq, over 4,000 of our own men and women have been killed for no good reason whatsoever. Perhaps a million more Iraqis, including innocent women and children have also had life crushed from their bodies.

What about capital punishment? Does the bishop defend the taking of life by the state as a means of punishment or revenge?

As with so many "pro-life" people, pro-life is circumscribed by the "unborn." Death rears its ugly head in many manifestations in our world, but for Bishop Hermann and other prelates of the Roman persuasion, compared to abortion, those deaths are not politically worthy.

We might carry this a step further and speak of psychological "death." How many people have come forward to charge their priests and bishops "killed" them psychologically through physical and sexual molestation? Their lives were "aborted" in a very real sense as for years they lived with the psychic pain and shame of these priestly attacks, which ruined their basic self-definition and left them in pyschological limbo.


Unfortunately, the hierarchy of the Roman church lives in a world foreign to most of us, even to those prayerful parishioners who still show up for Mass. It is a world of incense and smoke, the befogging numbness of celibacy, and the mystifying nonsense that truth and salvation derive from believing what the hierarchs say about ancient, tribal writings that have no relationship to anything we experience as reality today.

If you really think that Obama's position on abortion, which is anti-abortion, but pro-choice -- a position that treats women with respect and as equals -- will send you to an eternal fate of hellfire and damnation, then vote for McCain, the warmonger and his know-nothing, self-righteous, fundamentalist Christian sidekick.

On the other hand, if you think woman should be responsible for their own persons and not the government or a moribund and outdated religious institution which after 2,000 years still refuses to grant that women are the equal of men, then forget Bishop Hermann's dire predictions. He doesn't know what the hell he's talking about anyway (and I mean that literally!).

Vote for Obama!

When is an archbishop not an archbishop?

An archbishop is not an archbishop when he wants to talk against abortion and pro-choice Catholic politicians.

That's a neat trick if you can do it.

Charles J. Chaput (rhymes with kaput) is the archbishop of the Denver archdiocese. On Friday evening, October 17, Chaput spoke at a Catholic women's dinner. Guess what? He doesn't like Obama.

Chaput said that Obama's the "most committed" abortion-rights candidate from a major party since the Roe v. Wade Supreme Court decision. Bad, bad, Obama!

Then he took after a Catholic law professor named Douglas Kmiec who wrote a book suggesting that "good" Catholics could vote for Obama. Eric Gorski, AP religion writer put it this way: "He argues the Obama campaign is premised on Catholic social teaching like care for working families and the poor and foreign policy premised on peace over war. Democratic efforts to tackle social and economic factors that contribute to abortion hold more promise ... than Republican efforts to criminalize it."

Hmmm. In other words, while Obama upholds the right of women to choose, he also believes abortions are a serious matter. But Obama respects women and the right of women to choose in this most personal of matters. Furthermore, Obama's policies would actually result in fewer abortions than would a policy of banning all abortions, which is, of course, the Roman Catholic position.

The archbishop of Denver did not want to hear that. Oh no. Catholics who would vote for Obama "seek to contextualize, demote and then counterbalance the evil of abortion with other important but less foundational social issues," preached the archybishoprick.

What does this really mean? Roman Catholics like archbishop Chaput cannot see beyond their own noses, number one. Number two, it really comes down to control. The Catholic church does not respect women! The Roman church has always been about control and through the abortion issue it controls the women of the church.

The fact is that Obama's approach leads to less abortions. That should be a good thing. But it would mean the church would lose control of the women and that would never do, so Obama's gotta go.


Pro-life always refers to abortion. Pro-lifers are often the most adamant supporters of capital punishment and war. Pro-lifers are often not pro-life at all, they are merely anti-abortion. Someone once castigated the Roman Catholic bishops for not speaking out against the bombing of women and children in North Vietnam. He said that if U.S. planes were dropping condoms, the bishops would be screaming in protest. Bombs that killed innocent people were okay.


And then, one final, important question arises:

How can this archbishop speaking to a group of Catholic women address a political issue and suggest that Catholics cannot, in good conscience, vote for Barack Obama and Joe Biden, or for any Catholic politician who fails to follow to the letter the church's rule regarding abortion?

Does this not violate the law? Well, in fact, it does. But that has never bothered Roman Catholic poohbahs, either, for they believe they are the representatives of the one, true Church, which is the representative of God on earth.

And, said the archbishop, he wasn't speaking as a clergyman person, he was speaking as a private citizen. Ha, ha, ha.

He stands there in his clerical garb, addressing a Catholic women's dinner as the archbishop of Denver and he says he spoke as a "private citizen."

It just ain't that easy, archybishop. You broke the law.

It's official - it's now the Christian Republican Party!

The Christian right dictates to the Republican Party the planks in their platform, and tells the Republican presidential nominee which person to choose as his vice presidential running mate. The Republican presidential nominee bows to their orders because he knows he cannot possibly win without the wingnuts on his side.

Thus, ever so gradually, but surely, over the past 25-30 years, the party known formerly as the Republican Party has become the Christian Republican Party.

And the Christian fundamentalists who control things are gloating.


The problem for the nation is this: The Christian Republican Party does not put "Country First," in spite of all the banners waving over the heads of the delegates at the RNC. In fact, the Christian Republican Party doesn't really care about much of anything except maintaining the status quo for the rich and powerful and ensuring that their very specific credos are front and center.

Front and center and the most important issue for the Christian Republican Party is abortion. Next comes homosexuality, especially same-sex marriage. Then there's abstinence education. Then creationism. Then maintaining the sanctity of the Pledge of Allegiance, i.e., keeping the words, "under God." Next is the extreme importance of posting copies of the Ten Commandments in courthouses and schools. Then there is the issue of vouchers so parents can use taxpayer dollars to send their kiddos to private (religious) schools where they won't be subjected to satanism and other perversions. Then there's the matter of public prayer--in schools, military institutions and government agencies...

I probably forgot a couple of things.

But the headliner, the banner issue is abortion. That is absolutely all that matters. And that's why the Christian Republican Party is crazy for Sarah Palin. They don't give a damn whether she's qualified or not to be vice president or president! They make that clear over and over again. What makes her "perfect" for the job is that she is "pro-life."


From the president of the Susan B. Anthony List, a right-wing, pro-life group, dedicated to electing pro-life candidates all across the country.

"John McCain has cemented his role as the one true, authentically pro-life choice for President. ... His words, on the heels of his choice of pro-life heroine Sarah Palin for VP, are exactly what the pro-life voters needed to hear. The enthusiasm of values voters shown this week for the McCain-Palin ticket drives home the saliency of the abortion issue in this election."

Heroine?

Oh, and Ms. Marjorie Dannenfelser, the Susan B. Anthony prez, a damn liar, went on to say that Senator Obama "thinks babies that survive abortions should be left on the table to die." It's incredible that such a person would claim to have any "values" at all!


From the editor of Charisma magazine. This gentleman, a self-professed Christian, is also a damn liar! One reason Charisma won't support Obama, he says, is "his lack of experience. He does not have one major accomplishment to his name in his life as a public servant."

How does a so-called follower of Jesus justify such bullshit?

But then we come to the real problem - Obama's views on the "sanctity of life." Obama is pro-abortion, he says. Another lie!

Thirdly, and almost as important as abortion is Obama's "sympathy toward those who are attempting to legitimize homosexuality."

The final big lie is this: "McCain is for limited government, and Obama sees government as the solution to all major problems in society."

Simplistic and stupid.

There's much more. If you have a strong stomach, you can read it here.


From CBN News: The reaction of the evangelical community to John McCain's selection of Sarah Palin as his running mate has been "EXTREMELY POSITIVE."

Tony Perkins of the right-wing Family Research Council says that "Sarah Palin clearly addresses the issues so many conservatives are concerned about."

Matt Staver, of the right-wing Liberty Counsel, says Palin was an "Absolutely brilliant choice. ... She [Palin] is attractive, articulate, conservative, pro-family, pro-life, and pro-marriage. John McCain hit this one out of the ballpark."

Dr. Richard Land, the Southern Baptist flake: "Governor Palin will delight the Republican base. She is pro-life. She is an avid hunter and member of The National Rifle Association ..."


The accolades continue in this same vein. Notice there is nothing about the great issues that we face as a nation. Nothing about the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Nothing about nuclear proliferation. Nothing about peace between Israel and Palestine. Nothing about a failing economy, stinking lousy health care, the growing number of poor among us, the lack of medical treatment for our returning wounded veterans, our decaying infrastructure, the tax burden that has been shifted from the wealthy to the middle class, the corporate ownership of the political process, the intense lobbying that so often negates legislation beneficial to the people of the country, the need to improve our educational system, the decaying inner cities, the flight of jobs overseas...well, we could go on and on.

Amazingly, these lovers of Jesus don't give a rat's ass about any of those critical issues. They've turned an entire political party into an ultra-right, Christian fundamentalist institution.


Maybe there really is a hell!