Easter Cartoons

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Video- Catholic group pushes back on abortion claims

Where the hell have they been all this time?

Christian leaders to Congress: Ignore misinformation on abortion, pass health reform

By GottaLaff

(click on image to enlarge)

The other day on the Rachel Maddow Show, Nancy Pelosi made a point of telling Rachel that health care reform was not just about abortion, it was about saving lives, money, and providing care to millions.

She repeated the positives of the plan and steered Rachel away from concentrating too hard on something that shouldn't be an issue (mainly because Bart Stupak is spreading misinformation; abortion will not be being funded by the government).

Pelosi is one of the few that has insisted on clarifying and laying out the benefits of the bill. Anthony Weiner is another. Their consistent message of what health care reform offers, rather than getting sidetracked by GOP talking points, is something that's been sorely missing over the past year.

Meanwhile, a group of "pro-life" Christian leaders has come out in support of the plan. They're darn pretty clear, too.

Think Progress takes it from there:

Underscoring this point, this week, a group of 25 “pro-life Catholic theologians and Evangelical leaders” sent a letter to Congress urging them to look past the misinformation on abortion and pass health care reform. From their letter:

As Christians committed to a consistent ethic of life, and deeply concerned with the health and well-being of all people, we want to see health care reform enacted. [...]

We are writing because of our concern about the lack of clear and accurate information regarding abortion provisions in the health care reform bill passed by the Senate on December 24, 2009.

Reforming our health care system is necessarily complex, and the provisions related to abortion, or any other issue, require careful examination of the facts as they exist in the legislative language. We believe that the provisions below provide extensive evidence that longstanding restrictions on federal funding of abortion have been maintained. Furthermore, this bill provides new and important supports for vulnerable pregnant women.

The Catholic Health Association also sent a letter (see image above) to Congress urging passage of the Senate bill. They pointed out that millions of Americans would benefit.

Imagine that.

Cartoon of the Day

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Catholic Group Supports Senate on Abortion Aid

By GottaLaff

What's that I hear? A crack in the Catholic position on abortion rights as they apply to health care reform?

In an apparent split with Roman Catholic bishops over the abortion-financing provisions of the proposed health care overhaul, the nation’s Catholic hospitals have signaled that they back the Senate’s compromise on the issue, raising hopes of breaking an impasse in Congress and stirring controversy within the church.

Cr-r-rack!

Catholic scholars say their statement reflects a different application of church teachings against “cooperation with evil,” a calculus that the legislation offers a way to extend health insurance to millions of Americans. For the Catholic hospitals, that it is both a moral and financial imperative, since like other hospitals they stand to gain from reducing the number of uninsured patients.

And in practical political terms, some Democrats — including some opponents of abortion rights — say that the Catholic hospitals’ relative openness to a compromise could play a pivotal role by providing political cover for Democrats who oppose abortion to support the health bill. Democrats and liberal groups quickly disseminated the association’s endorsement along with others from the nuns’ group, other Catholics and evangelicals.

There is much more "for and against" here.

VIDEO Countdown- Dr Patrick Walen on the Obama commencement "controversy"

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

I've seen this guy out and about (even on Fox) and he's good. Measured and sober, a big difference from some of the stone crazies advocating for the other side. Here is their site.

Muslims, Jews, and Catholics Are Obama's Biggest Fans

Wow, he even does pretty good with the Mormons.

• 85: Percentage of Muslims who approve of the job Obama's doing as president
• 7: Percentage of Muslims who disapprove
• 79: Percentage of Jews who approve
• 16: Percentage of Jews who disapprove
• 67: Percentage of Catholics who approve
• 22: Percentage of Catholics who disapprove
• 58: Percentage of Protestants who approve
• 30: Percentage of Protestants who disapprove
• 45: Percentage of Mormons who approve
• 40: Percentage of Mormons who disapprove

The Notre Dame Commencement Controversy

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

I want to note that if you go to the graph at the link (not good enough quality to put up here properly), half of those polled didn't even know there was a controversy.

A just released Pew poll on the Obama/Notre Dame controversy finds that about half of Roman Catholics support the university's invitation to the president, while only 25 percent oppose it. Among white, weekly attending Catholics, however—among whom Obama did much better than expected last November—about half oppose Notre Dame's invite, while just a third support it.

This poll speaks to the importance of seeing Catholics, who constitute about a quarter of the country, as a population that is a part of multiple political constituencies, rather than as a single voting bloc.

So while most Catholics don't think there's a problem, Randall Terry is using an illegally gotten copy of the Notre Dame Alumni Directory to harass people and Bush's Ambassador to the Vatican is stomping her feet and won't attend to receive an honor. Bunch of bull.

AAUP, Notre Dame faculty senate back Obama invitation

Suck on that bigots. Guess some people believe in academic freedom over hysteria.

The American Association of University Professors has issued a statement applauding the University of Notre Dame’s president, the Rev. John I. Jenkins, for standing firm in his decision to invite President Barack Obama as this year’s commencement speaker.

And Notre Dame’s faculty senate, an elected body, adopted a resolution supporting Jenkins’ decision to invite Obama and present him with an honorary degree.

AAUP praises Jenkins “for exemplifying by his actions the words of his predecessor, Rev. Theodore M. Hesburgh, who stated unequivocally that ‘the Catholic university must have true autonomy and academic freedom in the face of authority of whatever kind, lay or clerical, external to the academic community itself,' ” said the written statement released Thursday.

Poll-itics: Catholics Similar to Mainstream on Abortion, Stem Cells

By GottaLaff

Notre Dame boycotters, are you listening?

Despite the Roman Catholic Church's official opposition to abortion and embryonic stem-cell research, a Gallup analysis finds almost no difference between rank-and-file American Catholics and American non-Catholics in terms of finding the two issues morally acceptable.

I'm trying really hard to suppress a giggle.



::Snicker::



Oops. My bad.

Pro-life group wants Notre Dame to rescind Obama invitation

By GottaLaff

Anti-choicers' rescinding invitations is the new hottt trend in Rushpublicland. Next thing you know, they'll be selling "Shun [fill in name here]!" tee shirts and mugs, because, you see, nobody should ever have an opposing viewpoint. Not ever. Marching in lockstep is a must. Rushbots are a members-only club; location: Stepford. Independent thinkers need not apply.

As you may recall, Michael Steele got shunned by a Roman Catholic bishop for daring to hint at a pro-choice view. Now the National Right to Life Committee is going after President Obama:

The National Right to Life Committee is calling on the University of Notre Dame to rescind its invitation to President Obama to speak at the university's May commencement.

In a letter sent to Notre Dame's president, Rev. John I. Jenkins, the pro-life group called President Obama the "Abortion president," and that the school's invite "is a betrayal of the University's mission and an affront to all who believe in the sanctity and dignity of human life."

Indeed. Just the other day, President Obama made that speech in which he displayed a huge tally board of abortions, hoping to encourage more women to get them so he could add to his numbers. He's such an evil life-hater. Impeach him now!

Incidentally, how are his pro-choice views relevant to what he might *choose* to speak about?

The National Right to Life Committee isn't the only Catholic group raising objections over the university's invitation.

The conservative Cardinal Newman Society has launched notredamescandal.com, a website opposing Notre Dame's decision to honor President Obama in South Bend, Indiana. As of Tuesday, over 50,000 conservative Catholics have signed the online petition protesting the invite.

The Catholic vote is important, but freedom of choice is more important.

UPDATE From Paddy- I called Rev Jenkins' office earlier and made a point of telling them that not all Catholics want to stiffle speech, and that a vibrant institution of higher learning listens to all voices. The lady who answered the phone seemed almost achingly grateful, so if you have a minute give Rev Jenkin's office (574-631-8261) a call or drop them an email note here. Don't let the crazies rule the day.

Outrage Over Obama's Appearance at Notre Dame

I'm pretty eh over the "outrage". These are the same people who have conniption fits every spring over the Vagina Monologues and pretend like little Josh and Jen O'Malley save themselves for marriage. You want to be treated like a serious institution of higher learning, you've got to start acting like one.

The White House announcement on Friday that President Obama will deliver the commencement address at the University of Notre Dame has triggered a firestorm among conservative Catholics. They're miffed over the prestigious Catholic school's invitation to Obama because his stances on abortion rights, gay rights, and embryonic stem cell research are at odds with church teaching.

The Cardinal Newman Society, dedicated to promoting orthodoxy on Catholic campuses, has launched the website notredamescandal.com to protest the school's invitation. Its petition drive netted more than 13,000 signatures over the weekend. The school has apparently been flooded with phone calls from angry Catholics. And the conservative Catholic blogosphere is aflame with criticism of Notre Dame's administration.

(snip)

From a political perspective, the big question for the coming days is who is more discredited by the protest: a president eager to promote the Democratic Party's faith-friendly ways or the Catholics who are looking to deny the leader of the free world—and a popular one, at that—a college commencement address.

Considering how totally out of touch the Roman Catholic Church has been lately, I'm putting my money on President Obama.

Catholic Church Excommunicates 9-Year-Old Who Had Abortion... But Not The Father Who Raped Her

By GottaLaff

Haven't had enough religious derangement yet? Via Oliver Willis, here's another example of the latest lunacy:

A senior Vatican cleric has defended the excommunication of the mother and doctors of a nine-year-old girl who had an abortion in Brazil after being raped.

Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, head of the Catholic church’s Congregation for Bishops, told the daily La Stampa on Saturday that the twins the girl had been carrying had a right to live.

‘It is a sad case but the real problem is that the twins conceived were two innocent persons, who had the right to live and could not be eliminated,’ he said.

…

The regional archbishop, Jose Cardoso Sobrinho, pronounced excommunication for the mother for authorising the operation and doctors who carried it out for fear that the slim girl would not survive carrying the foetuses to term.

“God’s law is above any human law. So when a human law … is contrary to God’s law, this human law has no value,” Cardoso had said.

He also said the accused stepfather would not be expelled from the church. Although the man allegedly committed “a heinous crime … the abortion - the elimination of an innocent life - was more serious”.

That should go a long way in rebuilding that poor little girl's emotional stability, whatever there might be left of it. How reassuring. Her belief system will surely stay intact now, what with the church comforting her with those big open arms of theirs.

Then again, the fetus must certainly be feeling all kinds of grateful, basking in the warmth of its nine-year-old mother's womb and the impenetrable protective armor of the Vatican cleric.

And don't even start me on Daddy Dearest...

Catholics Urge High-Tech Fast for Lent

If this is what the Catholic Church considers "modernization", they should stick to clearing their ranks of distasteful priests. How many people depend on tech for a living?

Roman Catholic bishops in Italy are urging the faithful to go on a high-tech fast for Lent, switching off modern appliances from cars to iPods and abstaining from surfing the Web or text messaging until Easter.

The suggestion goes far beyond no-meat Fridays, giving a modern twist to traditional forms of abstinence in the five-week period Christians set aside for fasting and prayer ahead of Easter.

New Catholics United VS John McCain Ad

I like this very much- it sticks their bullshit "sanctity of life" meme right back in their faces.

Paging, Party Of One Your Table Is Ready

Oh great huffy puffy purveyor of all morals that are catholicy Bill Of The Donahue** is winding up his faux outrage wurlizter again.

Over 120 blogs have been credentialed as members of the media for the Democratic National Convention; those who have received credentials are allowed to cover the Convention at the Pepsi Center. While most of them offer legitimate commentary, some do not.

Catholic League president Bill Donohue is protesting two of the blogs:

“The list of credentialed blogs include radical sites like The Daily Kos. Worse are blogs that feature anti-Catholic and obscene material. The two most offensive are Bitch Ph.D. and Towleroad."

Which my sensitive ears heard as "Burp, months no attention, belch blat, me and the Virgin Mary are annnnnngggrrrry!!! Growl.... need media exposure to pay for holy water fountain at the manse!!"

Funny, the RNC doesn't have it's list of credentialed blogs up on the site. Hmmmm.

**Soon to be appearing on a FAUX show in your area!!!

Notre Dame grads launch Catholic Obama web site

By Paddy


From my backyard. This kind of innovation from supporters is what's going to elect Obama president.

A trio of young University of Notre Dame graduates recently launched "10,000 Catholics for Obama," a Web site for Roman Catholics supporting Barack Obama for president.

The site is: http://10000.catholics4obama.com.

The site is intended to increase support for Obama among people of faith by educating the public about the Illinois Democratic senator’s commitment to Catholic principles, including universal health care, peace and justice, and family values, site co-founder Peter Kralovec, a 2006 Notre Dame graduate, said in a telephone interview.


"Barack Obama’s biography and his vision resonate deeply with me as a Catholic," said Kralovec, 24, who lives in New York. A former co-president of the Notre Dame College Democrats, he’s a volunteer for the Obama campaign.

The Web site is intended to push discussion beyond divisive politics and dispel myths about Obama, he said.

The group schedules barbecue gatherings for Obama supporters around the country, and may plan some events for Notre Dame, Saint Mary’s College and Holy Cross College students before the November election, he said.

Obama, McCain Tied Among Catholics

By Paddy


Not good news for McCain.

A new Time poll of Catholic voters that reveals that Sen. Barack Obama has pulled even with Sen. John McCain among that constituency -- Obama now polls 44% to McCain's 45%.

The poll "confirmed that a majority of Catholics (59%) can be broadly defined as pro-life (opposing abortion except to protect a woman's life or health or in cases of rape or incest). But these pro-life Catholics are actually split into two voting camps: conservative Catholics who consider abortion to be a determining factor, and Catholics who feel that social issues can be trumped in times of economic and national insecurity."