Speaking of Nuns

JImmy Akin has some interesting analysis of the apparent turnabout of the Catholic Health Association and Sister Keehan, their spokesnun. I'm intrigued by his concern that a too-detailed analysis of how the Administration can achieve it's immoral aims could be immoral itself (enabling). And the mention that late Friday news is ignored by the MMS, when convenient. Give it a read and see what you think.

A closer look at Sr. Carol Keehan's turnabout...:

The move is momentous because Keehan famously broke with the U.S. bishops to endorse the original passage of the administration's Affordable Care Act ("Obamacare") and then broke with them again to endorse the Department of Health and Human Services abortion drug and contraception mandate, providing political cover for the administration. Both acts were widely criticized, and it appeared to many that Sr. Keehan was a willing tool of the administration's "divide and conquer" strategy for dealing with the Catholic community--playing the role of an alternative Catholic authority that could be pitted against and thus neutralize the voice of he bishops.

Read the whole thing.

(Via New Advent.)

In Memoriam

With Mike Wallace's recent passing here is an opportunity for a two-fer: a remembrance of Mike Wallace and of Margaret Sanger:

Mike Wallace's classic interview with Margaret Sanger makes the rounds after Wallace's death...:

Margaret Sanger was many things admirable: a vibrant personality, a brilliant organizer, a canny reader of the temperature of the times, a woman who built powerful institutions in a man’s world. But she was also many things ugly and even despicable: an egotist who frequently clashed with others; a free-love advocate who had a dizzying number of affairs and who hurt many men as a result; and a eugenicist who argued that “birth control is nothing more or less than the facilitation of the process of weeding out the unfit, of preventing the birth of defectives or of those who will become defective.”

Read the whole thing.

(Via New Advent World Watch.)

Speak the Truth

Here's an articulate discussion of the HHS mandate, contraception and gender in the light of the Catholic Faith by (gasp!) a Catholic laywoman:

The HHS Mandate gets Pwned:

Here’s how you fight it:

Don’t just call it an attack on religious liberty: make it clear that contraception is *morally wrong*, and don’t let people think it’s just ritually impure like eating pork.

And do it in the confidence that this is a winning issue for the Church and a losing issue for Obama. Don’t back down. Resist the Tyrant!

Read the whole thing.

(Via Catholic and Enjoying It!.)

Philosophy is Hard

Especially when you have a cold. Nonetheless Professor Beckwith cites four pdf documents of some of his arguments against a Rawlsian view of democracy and law. They are worth reading and pondering, though I did burn out by the last one:

President Obama: Ex-Liberal:

President Barack Obama has abandoned liberalism. What I mean by liberalism is not the political philosophy that we typically associate with left-of-center politicians and candidates. The president, of course, remains unabashedly in that camp. What I am referring to is a particular posture concerning moral questions, which the preside.

Read the whole thing.

(Via New Advent World Watch.)

What He Said

(Well, isn't that what most of my posts say?)

Reaping the Whirlwind:

Zac Alstin on how Nazi thinking became our own.

In what sense did we win World War II?

(Via Catholic and Enjoying It!.)

Read # 2

This one from Amy Welborn:

Alternative Reality: There is a lot of discussion in these here comboxes as well as all over the ‘net about the “failure” of the pro-life movement’s strategy over the past 35 years and the need for a new “strategy.”
Sometimes this assertion is made of the pro-life movement in general, other times of the Catholic bishops’ approach to [...]

Read the whole thing.

(Via Charlotte was Both.)

The notion that the effort to overturn Roe v. Wade has failed and should be replaced is at the heart of some "I'm personally pro-life, but I'm voting for a pro-abortion candidate" Catholics. That the effort has failed isn't the least bit obvious to me. That it has taken a long time and may well take a lot longer seems obvious enough, however.

How does the fact that it has taken 35 years to get to where we are justify abandoning the effort now?

Technorati Tags:
Catholicism, Life Issues, Politics, Bioethics, Debate

In the Interests of Fair Comment

Here's an alternative view to that of Steven Greydanus from our own Mark Shea:

A bit of musing on the two party predicament of prolifers...:

Since I'm being barraged with charges of irresponsibility for my refusal to engage in the GOP's faux prolife kabuki this year, I thought I'd talk a little about this whole "responsibility" gig.

Suppose, in the middle of a plague, a scientist develops a cure for the disease.



Read the rest...

(Via Catholic and Enjoying It!.)

Technorati Tags:
Politics, Life Issues,Ethics,Catholicism

What He Said

I wasn't nearly as artistic. I just drew a line through all the boxes and wrote "No Pro-Live Candidate" in a white space as recommended by Campaign Life Coalition. Pacheco does it much better:

A disenfranchised conservative: "

I opened up my ballot and put a large ‘X’ through all of the names.

Then I turned it over and made my own ballot:

 

It’s the first time that I have spoiled my ballot.  Frankly, I didn’t like to do it much.

But the Conservative Party, Stephen Harper, John Baird and the remainder of the political establishment didn’t leave me much choice.

So I voted for the unborn victim who is voiceless.

Millions of unborn babies have been slaughtered since abortion has been legalized in this country.  We won’t forget them and we won’t forget those who traded in their flesh to further their own selfish political interests.

Today, these politicians can ignore the unborn for a short time.  At their judgement and for all eternity, they will never be able to forget it. Ever.

"

(Via SoCon Or Bust.)

Pro-Life 101

Here you get the freshman introduction to the key points in the abortion controversy. There will be a test:

A pro-life defense from a black man’s perspective: "

This is about the best ten-minute defense of the pro-life position. As a black man he also takes on Barack Obama and other pro-abortion black politicians who support the abortion industry, which has killed 11 million black babies under the philosophy and inspiration of the racist eugenicist Margaret Sanger, founder of Planned Parenthood. But he also says so much more.

Del.icio.us This |
Digg This

"

(Via Bettnet.com - Musings of Domenico Bettinelli.)

LIfeChain redux

The wife mentioned a home-made sign she liked:

Abortion doesn't make you unpregnant, it makes you the mother of a dead child.

Ouch!

LifeChain 2008

So we did our annual witness with the LifeChain today. Less abuse than usual, though there's never been a lot. A couple of pointed disagreements in passing: a flipped bird and a thumb down, chanting the name of an unpopular hockey ref (bull-something-or-other). There were many horn honkings that seemed to indicate agreement. The lady just up the sidewalk from me was a holding a sign in Chinese characters. A van-load of Orientals were waving enthusiastically as they passed her.

Being a pair a old fuddy-duddies, the wife and I chose our usual signs: "Abortion kills Children" for me and "Abortion Hurts Women" for her. There were some other interesting signs, some of which I have seen before: "Jesus Heals and Forgives", "Adoption is a Loving Alternative" and my favourite "Abortion Hurts Everyone".

Here's Suzanne's take from the other side of Canada:

LifeChain 2008: A big success: "I came back from Life Chain today at the corner of Montreal Road and St-Laurent in Ottawa. It was a very good turnout. There were about 40 people there. There were many students.

What was different..."

(Via BIG BLUE WAVE.)

That Seals the Deal

I have been unhappy with the Conservatives since the Same Sex Marriage fiasco. Now my suspicions are confirmed: Steven Harper is a Liberal in Conservatives clothing.

The legal protection of innocent human life is the sine qua non of political activity: without it the rest of the law makes little sense. Given this priority, I cannot vote for a candidate or party that refuse to uphold this most basic of human rights. Alas, there are no alternatives in my riding.

So for the first time in my adult life, I will probably end up spoiling my ballot. The borderline CHP doesn't have a candidate in this riding and the independents aren't pro-life. Anyone want to start a party?

New Opportunities Abound For Harper: "Oh Yeah!

Just think what floodgates of support and acceptance have been opened up with Harper's straightforward revelation that he supports killing off 100,000 Canadian babies a year. He may get calls to appear on 'The View' ! He can now be interviewed by Jane and Peter as 'friendlies'.! Where's his 'Order of Canada'? Get the man a new suit!

I'm sure it was worth it. Really. I mean, afterall,"

(Via island breezes.)