Catholics Beware!

Ed Klein, Peoria, IL

I recently received a Catholic Opinion Research Survey from an organization called CatholicVote.com. According to their literature, this is a national survey of 5 million Catholics concerning the role of religion in American life. The purpose of the survey is “1) to send a strong and clear message to politicians in Washington that America’s Catholics are dismayed at how our government (for the past half-century) has been waging an all-out war on the traditional moral and religious values that made America great; and 2) to help us identify and mobilize millions of Catholics to make their views known to President Obama and Congress that we want an end to the packing of America’s courts with extreme anti-Christian, anti-family, ACLU style judges and an immediate end to the blatantly anti-Christian policies that have been cascading out of the Obama administration.”

Obamacare, they keep maintaining, forces pro-life Catholics to pay for abortions. They apparently choose to ignore the fact that the law has been amended making that no longer true. I suppose that by ignoring the changes that have been made gives them what they feel is a strong case against the “anti-religious” president.

Next, they tell us that the Hate Crime Bill signed by the president is one of the biggest threats to religious freedom in America. The law, they inform us, should be called “The War on Christianity Law” because it could make traditional Christian teachings on homosexuality a de-facto “hate crime.” Of course, they place the blame for this on the “radical Homosexual Lobby.” And here’s something that should make you shudder in fear: “Even passages in the Bible calling homosexuality a sin could be considered illegal hate literature!” The overwhelming majority of Catholics, they say, are dismayed at how this law will surely be used by the ACLU and anti-Christian prosecutors and judges to silence Christians and effectively outlaw criticism of the radical homosexual agenda. Further, the FCC will be used to outlaw Christian radio stations.

In fact, a major priority of Obama’s second term is to silence Christian broadcaster’s doctrine.

All that, and more is proclaimed in a letter from Brian Burch, President of CatholicVote.com. He ends his letter with this “bon mot” intended to really freak us out: “The America you knew is disappearing before your very eyes and will soon be gone forever unless good Catholic Americans like you take immediate united action.”

Burch reminds me of Don Quixote leveling his lance at windmills. Only, unlike Don Quixote, Mr. Burch and his cohorts’ lances are tipped with the venom of paranoia based on what they think will turn their target of 5 million Catholics into Obama haters … all based on lies, misrepresentations, and outright poison … a poison that could provide a reason … a trigger … for some rabid and misguided person to load up his or her AR 15, and in a haze of self-righteous zeal, do the unthinkable.

A Recommended Historic Tour

by Dolores M. Klein, Peoria, IL

Black and Women’s History months both began with a day and then with a week. Having been ignored for so long, they both are being acknowledged now throughout the year.

Representative Aaron Schock has hopefully benefited from the tour he made with Congressman Lewis to Selma and two other Civil Rights era sites, when he faces pertinent legislation.

I recommend that he tour sites that are important to the ongoing Women’s Liberation Movement.

Seneca Falls is the most famous site of the Conferences where women were merely asking for equality in their homes. Then Frederick Douglas dared to raise the subject of Votes for women! “Pay Equity” was not spoken of yet, but Sojourner Truth, at one gathering, spoke of exactly that concept.

He could visit the birthplace of Alice Paul who first introduced the Equal Rights Amendment in 1923, soon after she had been jailed and force-fed, bringing to conclusion the long struggle for Suffrage. (see the movie “Iron Jawed Angels.”)

Finally, he could visit the Rotunda in Springfield. A group of religious women fasted (at that time) in a longer Public Fast than had Ghandi in India!

Schock intends to move on into higher public office. He did not vote for the Equal Pay Act in the President’s first term. Previously, he had answered NO when asked if he supported the Equal Rights Amendment. Let’s hope he could seek to become more enlightened.