Obama calls for 'common ground' on abortion at Notre Dame (There is no common ground)

cnn ^ | 5/17/2009 | cnn

[tobyhill]

President Obama delved into the abortion debate in a controversial Notre Dame commencement address Sunday, calling for a search for common ground on one of the most divisive issues in American politics.

Addressing a sharply divided audience at the storied Catholic university, Obama conceded that no matter how much Americans "may want to fudge it ... at some level the views of the two camps are irreconcilable."

"Each side will continue to make its case to the public with passion and conviction," he said. "But surely we can do so without reducing those with differing views to caricature."

The commencement ceremony was boycotted by a number of graduates dismayed by the university's decision both to tap Obama as its commencement speaker and to give him an honorary degree. The president is a supporter of abortion rights and federally-funded embryonic stem-cell research -- positions that are anathema to traditional Catholic teachings.

[zerosix]

"Obama calls for 'common ground' on abortion at Notre Dame"

One side is for life the other side is for death, does "common ground" mean that a person (in this case a pre-born baby) only half-dead?

[Nachum]

The list, ping

[jesseam]

There can be no common ground with abortion/infantacide/murder. Only liberals and obamanuts see no problem with that.

[ofwaihhbtn]

Excerpts from Obama's Speech at Notre Dame

The question then is how do we work through these conflicts? Is it possible for us to join hands in common effort? The citizens of a vibrant and varied democracy, how do we engage in vigorous debate? How does each of us remain firm in our principles and fight for what we consider right, without, as Fr. John says, demonizing those with just as strongly held convictions on the other side?

That's when we begin to say maybe we won't agree on abortion, but we can still agree that this heart-wrenching decision for any woman is not made casually. It has both moral and spiritual dimensions. So let us work together to reduce the number of women seeking abortions. Let's reduce unintended pregnancies. Let's make adoption more available. Let's provide care and support for women who do carry their children to term.

Understand class of 2009, I do not suggest that the debate surrounding abortion can or should go away, because no matter how much we may want to fudge it, indeed while we know that the views of most Americans on the subject are complex and even contradictory, the fact is that at some level the views of the two camps are irreconcilable. Each side will continue to make its case to the public with passion and conviction but surely we can do so without reducing those with differing views to caricature. Open hearts. Open minds. Fair minded words.

Sounds very reasonable, doesn't it? Is it really? Let's see how reasonable the last two paragraphs would sound if we applied the statements to another issue the root cause of which was bigotry:

That's when we begin to say maybe we won't agree on slavery, but we can still agree that this heart-wrenching decision for any plantation owner is not made casually. It has both moral and spiritual dimensions. So let us work together to reduce shortages of cheap labor. Let's reduce the unintended causes of cheap labor shortages. Let's make cheap labor more available. Let's provide care and support for plantation owners who do decide to set free and pay a wage to their laborers.

Understand class of 1859, I do not suggest that the debate surrounding slavery can or should go away, because no matter how much we may want to fudge it, indeed while we know that the views of most Americans on the subject are complex and even contradictory, the fact is that at some level the views of the two camps are irreconcilable. Each side will continue to make its case to the public with passion and conviction but surely we can do so without reducing those with differing views to caricature. Open hearts. Open minds. Fair minded words.

Obama's statement, "Let's provide care and support for women who do carry their children to term." is very revealing. Carry their children to term? They are carrying children? Not the 'products of conception'? Or a 'mass of tissue'? They have a child within them? He understands that abortion takes the life of an innocent human being? It is one thing to be afflicted with bigotry towards the child in the womb, it is quite another to to acknowledge the humanity of the child and still support the "right" to take his or her life.

I agree with him that we should offer care and support for women who carry their children to term and that we should make adoption more available. No problem with him there. The problem is that he acknowledges the humanity of the child in the womb and still believes taking the life of that innocent human being is a legitimate "solution" to life's difficulties. And what will his "final solution" be?

[upchuck]

If “common ground” is the best he can do, why did nobama show up at all? Common ground is not promotable. It doesn’t exist. Something, a baby for example, is either alive or dead. There’s no half alive or half dead.

Only an idiot would promote something that cannot exist. nobama... but I repeat myself.

[MOgirl]

Hello,

Outstanding post. Thank you and I can only hope that talk radio hosts, both local and national, can make these points as well as you have.

MOgirl

[TomasUSMC]

Obama asking for common ground on abortion is like............
/////////

Like Hitler asking for common ground on gassing Jews.

[TomasUSMC]

There should be a boycott of all things Notre Damned. Boycott the football and basketball games and see how the administration responds. Stop sending money to ND, instead send 2 cents worth

[doug from upland]

[skinkinthegrass]

How did he ever make it through college, let alone Law School?

We know the answer.
Affirmative Action. :(

"When buying and selling are controlled by legislation, the first things to be bought and sold are legislators." - P. J. O'Rourke
“The problem with socialism is that you eventually, run out of other people’s money.” - Margaret Thatcher
"There are two sets of rules. One set for the rulers and another for the rest of us." —Richard Yancey, former IRS tax collector

[doug from upland]

HERE, NOTRE DAME --- shove this!

HERE'S THE GLORIOUS VIDEO

Nov. 30, 1974
No. 6 USC 55, No. 5 Notre Dame 24
The Coliseum
"The Comeback."

USC trailed 24-0 late in the first half against the nation's top-ranked defense. But with 10 seconds remaining before halftime, Anthony Davis scored on a 7-yard pass from Pat Haden. The two-point conversion failed, and the Trojans trailed 24-6 at the half. Davis took the opening kick of the second half 102 yards to open the floodgates for USC, which scored 35 points in the third quarter. Davis scored twice on short runs and Haden threw TD passes of 18 and 45 yards to Johnny McKay. Less than two minutes into the fourth quarter, the Trojans scored twice more on a 16-yard pass from Haden to Shelton Diggs and a Charles Phillips' 58-yard interception return for a touchdown.

[TomasUSMC]

that we align our deepest values and commitments to the demands of a new age
WE SHOULD NEVER ALIGN OUR VALUES BUT KEEP THEM STRAIGHT AND TRUE.

We must decide how to save God’s creation from a changing climate that threatens to destroy it.
(Global warming crap)

our ever-shrinking world with its ever-growing diversity - diversity of thought, of culture, and of belief.
(No, there are less different religions today because obambis moslems have killed off so many)

They do not recognize borders.
(Not when obambi keeps them open of course not)

those of us in the Christian tradition
(Its a religion not a tradition Mr. obumbi)

the Golden Rule - the call to treat one another as we wish to be treated. (Unless they are an unborn baby, then obambi says you have the choice to murder it anytime anywhere for any stinking reason)

NO COMMON GROUND WITH BABY KILLERS EVER.

[topher]

See:

Obama Honor Puts Notre Dame's Catholic Standing at Risk

This is a Fox News article excerpted on FreeRepublic.

In the last paragraph, it talks of a diehard family that used to support Notre Dame. They are burning their Notre Dame apparel, according to the article.

Just as there are tea parties, then perhaps there could be Notre Dame apparel burning parties... And send pictures of the fires and the shirts being burned to President Jenkins...

[SamuraiScot]

Observant Catholic voters who attend religious services about once a week said by a 49 to 43 percent margin that Notre Dame should keep Obama on the program.

STATISTICAL LIE ALERT: Someone who says he attends "religious services about once a week" is not an "observant Catholic," because people who don't go every week are in, um, mortal sin. As a group, they tend to be more casual about all moral matters. That's why they don't go every week—they don't want to hear what they're doing wrong.

If you statistically mix "about once a week" people with weekly Mass-goers, it's because you're trying to mute the flaming contrast between practicing and non-practicing Catholics—so you can suggest that all categories of Catholics agree that Obama is NOT a pathetic apologist for pure evil.

[Lexinom]

Okay Mr. President. A few questions. #1 How will you objectively measure your efforts to curtail abortion in America?

#2 What is your plan to call remembrance for the 50 million Americans violently executed through surgical and chemical abortions, and to assuage the mothers' concomitant psychological scars? A national day of mourning? A national cemetery?

#3 would you apply the same arguments for choice in abortion to choice in other activities, and if not, why not?

These are serious questions.