(Tim) Thomas makes second political statement (Stands With Catholics)

The 37-year-old goaltender only just recently rode out the storm created by his decision to skip a White House visit with his Bruins teammates several weeks ago. But on Wednesday he decided to weigh in on a political issue via his Facebook page.

Thomas won’t be getting the start against the Buffalo Sabres on Wednesday night at the First Niagara Center, so perhaps he had some extra free time to surf the web and update his social media pages. Thomas wrote out a quick Facebook message hitting on a hot-button political, including an ominous quote from a survivor of Nazi Germany:

"In Germany they came first for the Communists, and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a Communist. Then they came for the Jews, and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a Jew. Then they came for the trade unionists, and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a trade unionist. Then they came for the Catholics, and I didn't speak up because I was a Protestant. Then they came for me, and by that time no one was left to speak up."

-- by Martin Niemöller, prominent German anti-Nazi theologian and Lutheran pastor, best known as the author of the poem First they came....

Boston has a lot of championships under its belt.

I didn't mean it in that sense, but I do agree that Boston has a good amount of championships, especially recently.

Average person here knows a hell of a lot about sports.

This is more what I meant--the city's passion for sports. Don't get me wrong, Boston is one of the better cities for sports passion, but a lot of people and media outlets (such as ESPN) act like it is the absolute best. That's pushing it a bit, since Boston's biggest weakness as far as sports fans go is football, which is the biggest sport in America.

To be nice, I'll point out that I think the sports city most overrated and not just overrated, but even bad is New York.

From Salvation's list:

Archbishop of San Francisco says Obama ruling strikes at religious freedom

THE ARCHDIOCESE OF SAN FRANCISCO
OFFICE OF THE ARCHBISHOP
ONE PETER YORKE WAY, SAN FRANCISCO CA 94109-6602 • PHONE (415) 614-5500

February 6, 2012

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ:

I write to you concerning an alarming and serious matter that negatively impacts the Church in the United States directly, and that strikes at the fundamental right to religious liberty for all citizens of any faith.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services promulgated a new and radical interpretation of religious freedom last week when it announced new regulations regarding health insurance coverage of reproductive services which will be mandatory for employers in the United States.

For the first time in federal law, the government has determined that religious institutions such as Catholic hospitals, Catholic Charities and Catholic Relief Services are not truly religious employers because they do not have as their primary purpose “the inculcation of religious values” and do not primarily limit their services to those of their own faith.

In other words, the religious activities of our Catholic hospitals, our social services to the poor, and our outreach to the hurting and the marginalized in our society are not truly religious activities protected by the first amendment because they enshrine the Catholic belief -- shared by virtually every religious community in the United States -- that religious communities are called to reach out to feed the poor, shelter the homeless, and heal the sick precisely as a religious activity.

The implications of this insidious new legal and policy principle, if allowed to stand, are chilling. Once it is accepted that religious institutions that serve the poor, the sick and the elderly do not enjoy the full protections of religious liberty, future administrations could compel religious hospitals and service organization to pay for insurance and other policies that mandate abortion or euthanasia. In addition, such a principle would likely create crises of conscience for religious institutions of virtually every faith, so that over time they would be forced out of the mainstream of the social fabric.

We cannot – we will not – accept this unjust redrafting of the principle of religious liberty which our Founders so rightly saw as an inalienable gift of God. People of faith cannot be made second class citizens. And faith based service to those in need in our society cannot be classified as non-religious by our national government. We are already joined by our brothers and sisters of many other faiths as well as others of good will in this important effort to regain our religious freedom. Indeed, many journalists across the political spectrum, both supporters and opponents of the present administration, have called for a reversal of this policy.

Therefore, I ask for your help. Please email or write the White House and your representative in congress to call for a reversal of this new regulation. The addresses are listed below. Finally, please join me in prayer for our Church and for the wider religious community engaged in this struggle.

May God bless you and your family, and keep you always in His loving care.

Sincerely yours in Christ,

Most Reverend George Niederauer
Archbishop of San Francisco

From January 2007, Open Leter to Nancy Pelosi

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.