Bourgeois Catholics

From the Associated Press:
"WASHINGTON – President Barack Obama ventures to America's foremost Roman Catholic university, where the country's deep divisions over abortion and stem-cell research have moved to the forefront in a time of war and recession."

Aside from the controversy which he has stirred, Rev. John Jenkins, the President of Notre Dame University, is thrilled to be receiving the first black president to the Notre Dame campus today. And, why not? According to the honorary degree that will bestowed upon President Obama today, he has done wonders to heal the rifts of racism, open dialogue with opposing camps and heal the nation...

The term 'social justice' that permeates the Catholic elite today is actually the source of all of this controversy. It could not have been contrived any better by Madison Avenue joining forces with Mario Cuomo and Ted Kennedy to come up with a single term that gives Catholics good conscience to vote for politicians that legislate and appoint judges that undermine our most treasured doctrines.

Firstly, Social justice presupposes, and without debate, that the ideas and the programs of the left do a better job of serving the underclass than, say, capitalism, freedom and responsibility. Never mind that since the beginning of 'social justice' movement of the left we have destroyed the very values that made this country an honor to God (family, decency, patriotism, hard-work, responsibility). But, we can debate economic policy later...

Social justice allows Catholics to vote for the candidate who supports abortion, supports testing on aborted human embryo's, supports human cloning, euthanasia, supports gay marriage and carries the water for hollywood and the entire pornography industry. That's social justice!! Put all those cherished issues on one side of the scale and put social justice on the other...and somehow social justice weighs out favorably.

On the night of the inevitable election of Barack Obama, many of us could not sleep. We knew from his rhetoric and his party's platform what his plans were for America. The pro-lifers, the hard-nosed Catholics knew that this would not be a good four years to be Catholic. Apparently, according to Fr. Jenkins, we are Bourgeois and narrowly focused. We can't see the big picture.

Thank you Fr. Jenkins for giving President Obama a prominent Catholic platform to help make his case that social justice is more important than LIFE. We can show the world that progressive tax policies are more important than MARRIAGE.

In the words of an ND friend of mine..."my idea of war (with Obama's policies) is apparently different than the Catholic Church's idea of war!"

I pray that something good comes of out this. We can rest in comfort that the Patron Saint of the United States is Our Lady herself. We cannot ask for better than that.

Submitted by D. B. Jackson

JACK KEMP "TRUE BELIEVER"

As I was turning off the television last weekend, having just watched the Boston Celtics defeat the Chicago Bulls, I heard that Jack Kemp had died. I was surprised by the news, I had not heard about his cancer. But I was mostly surprised because I had always remembered Jack Kemp as a picture of health and a source of energy. His energy helped to invigorate the Republican Party in the 1980's and 90's.

I wondered how this football player - and a very good football player - had come to believe what he did. He was one of the few that, just prior to Reagan emerging as the leader of the conservative movement, that went against the forces of liberalism and enthusiastically supported an agenda of low taxes and growth. (And we know, in the time of Pelosi and Obama, how hard it is to go against the tide). He could have easily jumped on the bandwagon and won a house seat as a Democrat in the strongly Democratic New York district where he won and served as a conservative Republican.

My question for Mr. Kemp..."how did you know?" He knew what conservatives take for granted today. How did he arrive at his beliefs? Did he read the great authors; Ayn Rand, Adam Smith, Milton Friedman? Did he listen to the speeches of Goldwater and Reagan? Did he study economics or the policies of the great depression? I didn't learn the answer during the brief bio's on the networks this week.

I did learn that he was an important person in the modern conservative movement, perhaps second only to Reagan. He believed that low taxes, entrepreneurship and smaller government were the keys to prosperity. He was a capitalist. He was pro-life. He was a man of integrity. Jack Kemp was cool.

His words from 1993, as Clinton was trying to do what Obama 'is' doing today, are more relevant than ever.

April 27, 1993
JACK KEMP
All Republicans, indeed all Americans, should commend Sen. Bob Dole and Senate Republicans for blocking President Clinton's so-called stimulus package, a pork-barrel spending plan that deserved defeat regardless of the economy's health or the size of the deficit.

Republicans now have an opportunity to defeat the Clinton tax increases and to go to the American people with a superior agenda for real jobs, real economic growth and renewed American leadership in the global economy.

The first order of business must be debunking the Democrats' notion that higher taxes will lead to a more prosperous America.

These words should be shouted from the tallest housetop, even as Pelosi, Reid and Obama take the country one hundred and eighty degrees in the other direction.

Peggy Noonan identified the source of his strength. His happiness. Leave it to Peggy to nail it !! The link is below.

Jack Kemp - Rest in Peace !!


http://online.wsj.com/article/declarations.html


Submitted by D.B. Jackson