Posted on 03/17/2010 4:32:51 PM PDT by Kaslin
One of the tragedies of the viciously politicized battle over health care reform is the defection of the nation's Roman Catholic bishops from a cause they have championed for decades.
Indifferent to political fashions, the bishops were the strongest voices in support of universal health coverage, a position rooted in Catholic social thought that calls for a special solicitude toward the poor.
Yet on the make-or-break roll call that will determine the fate of health care reform, bishops are urging that the bill be voted down. They are doing so on the basis of a highly tendentious reading of the abortion provisions in the Senate measure. If health reform is defeated, the bishops will have played a major role in its demise.
The provisions they dislike were written by two Democratic senators strongly opposed to abortion, Ben Nelson of Nebraska and Bob Casey of Pennsylvania. Pro-choice groups condemned the Nelson-Casey language from the start.
Nancy Keenan, president of NARAL Pro-Choice America, called their amendment "anti-choice," "outrageous" and "inexplicable." Planned Parenthood and the National Organization for Women were equally critical.
But the Nelson-Casey language still didn't go far enough for the bishops. Earlier this week, Cardinal Francis George of Chicago, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, claimed that the flaws and loopholes in the bill's abortion section were "so fundamental that they vitiate the good that the bill intends to promote." As a result, he said, "the Catholic bishops regretfully hold that it must be opposed."
Fortunately, major Catholic leaders — most of them women in religious orders — have picked up the flag of social justice discarded by a bishops conference under increasing right-wing influence.
(Excerpt) Read more at investors.com ...
Which if so explains a lot why their only problem seems to be the abortion language in the Senate bill. If there is a side effect of losing half the doctors in the country, greatly compromising the availability of competent health care for all, no problemo!
“Nuns” speak for Protestants and the host of other Christians religious denominations....don’t think so.
Or, when you tire of guessing and speculation you can check to see what the Catholic Church actually says about the issues. From the Catechism of the Catholic Church: 2425 - The Church has rejected the totalitarian and atheistic ideologies associated in modem times with "communism" or "socialism." She has likewise refused to accept, in the practice of "capitalism," individualism and the absolute primacy of the law of the marketplace over human labor. Regulating the economy solely by centralized planning perverts the basis of social bonds; regulating it solely by the law of the marketplace fails social justice, for "there are many human needs which cannot be satisfied by the market." Reasonable regulation of the marketplace and economic initiatives, in keeping with a just hierarchy of values and a view to the common good, is to be commended.
The Religious Sisters of Mercy HATED Communism. There were endless lectures about the evil things going on in Communist Russia, where women had to work at jobs and their children were raised in state daycare. How the people had no say in government and how the press could only print lies. This was mostly pre-Vatican II and then all the young nuns in my high school went hippie and defied their order. Many left, but the old gourd stood fast and worked harder to make sure that the teenaged girls in their care were protected and educated. It was a strange time, but I am so glad for those sour old nuns and the sense of purpose they instilled in me. Funny, I would get a withering look and an big fat F for this post!
Another useless fact, nuns LOVE LOVE LOVE baseball. We always listened to the World Series on transistor radio in class. It was always the highlight of the year. Boy, do I miss those days.
Excommunicate them and fire them.
This is from a 2007 contact list of congressional aides. Some might not be there any longer, but worth a try.
Contact congressional aides.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1857768/posts
U.S. Senate switchboard: (202) 224-3121
U.S. House switchboard: (202) 225-3121
White House comments: (202) 456-1111
Find your House Rep.: http://www.house.gov/writerep
Find your US Senators: http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm
Toll free to the US Senate:
1-800-882-2005. (Spanish number)
1-800-417-7666. (English number)
Courtesy of a pro-amnesty group, no less!!
Defeat Obamacare call list: List now contains the new MAYBES culled from FR posts. Be sure to call KNOWN RINOS too.THEY ARE ANSWERING THEIR LOCAL NUMBERS
Here is one of the ones Rush gave out on the radio that I’m calling. So far it’s been busy but I’m going to burn it up till I get to tell my congress critter to vote NO!
Join me?..... 1-877-762-8762
KEEP THE CALLS UP! DC OFFICE LOCAL OFFICE
CODE RED Contact list http://www.nrcc.org/CodeRed/targets/
Remember they are all being offered BRIBES for their votes. Ask them how much their bribe price is.
The National Republican Congressional Committee has published a target list on health care. In addition to continuing to contact the five Tennessee Democrat Congressmen, you can go http://www.votervoice.net/link/clickthrough/ext/94697.aspx to contact some of these targets. Much of the talk following Obama’s announcement has focused on how to defeat this second bill through reconciliation, but that is misleading because the first step to defeating Obamacare is not by concentrating on defeating the “fixer” bill but by defeating the Senate bill in the House when it goes to the floor for an up-or-down vote on Thursday, March 18th.
New FLIPPERS
Dennis Kucinish, Lakewood 216)228-8850, Fax (216)228-6465,
Parma. 440)845-2707, Fax (440)845-2743, DC (202)225-5871
Fax (202)225-5745
James Oberstar (202) 225-6211, Duluth (218) 727-7474, Chisholm (218) 254-5761, Brainerd (218) 828-4400, North Branch, (651) 277-1234
Rep. Lincoln Davis 202-225-6831 Columbia office: 931-490-8699
Rep. Jim Cooper 202-225-4311 Nashville office: 615-736-5295
Rep. Bart Gordon 202-225-4231 Murfreesboro office: 615-896-1986
John Tanner (202) 225-4714, Union City, (731) 885-7070, Jackson Phone: (731) 423-4848, Millington (901) 873-5690 TN (MAYBE)
Rep. Steve Cohen 202-225-3265 Memphis office: 901-544-4131
Harry Mitchell (202) 225-2190 (480) 946-2411 AZ 5th District
Gabrielle Giffords (202) 225-2542 (520) 881-3588 AZ 8th District
Ann Kirkpatrick (202) 225-2315 (928) 226-6914 AZ 1st District
Jerry McNerney (202) 225-1947 925-833-0643 CA 11th District
John Salazar 202-225-4761 970-245-7107 CO 3rd District
Jim Himes (202) 225-5541 (866) 453-0028 CT 4th District
Alan Grayson (202) 225-2176 (407) 841-1757 FL 8th District
Bill Foster (202) 225-2976 630-406-1114 IL 14th District
Baron Hill 202 225 5315 812 288 3999 IN 9th District
Mark Schauer (202) 225-6276 (517) 780-9075 MI 7th District
Gary Peters (202) 225-5802 (248) 273-4227 MI 9th District
Dina Titus (202) 225-3252 702-256-DINA (3462) NV 3rd District
Carol Shea-Porter (202) 225-5456 (603) 743-4813 NH 1st District
Tim Bishop (202) 225-3826 (631) 696-6500 NY 1st District
John Hall (202) 225-5441 (845) 225-3641 x49371 NY 19th District
Bill Owens (202) 225-4611 (315) 782-3150 NY 23rd District
James Matheson Toll-Free Number 1 (877) 677-9743 (202) 225-3011Mike Arcuri (202)225-3665 (315)793-8146 NY 24th District
Dan Maffei (202) 225-3701 (315) 423-5657 NY 25th District
Earl Pomeroy (202) 225-2611 (701) 224-0355 ND At-Large District
Steven Driehaus (202) 225-2216 (513) 684-2723 OH 1st District
Mary Jo Kilroy (202) 225-2015 (614) 294-2196 OH 15th District
Zach Space (202) 225-6265 (330) 364-4300 OH 18th District
Kathy Dahlkemper (202) 225-5406 (814) 456-2038 PA 3rd District
Patrick Murphy (202) 225-4276 (215) 826-1963 PA 8th District
Christopher Carney (202) 225-3731 (570) 585-9988 PA 10th District
Paul Kanjorski (202) 225-6511 (570) 825-2200 PA 11th District
John Spratt (202) 225-5501 (803)327-1114 SC 5th District
Tom Perriello (202) 225-4711 (276) 656-2291 VA 5th District
Alan Mollohan (202) 225-4172 (304) 623-4422 WVA 1st District
Nick Rahall (202) 225-3452 (304) 252-5000 WVA 3rd District
Steve Kagen (202) 225-5665 (920) 437-1954 WI 8th District
Bart Stupak (202) 225 4735 MI (MAYBE)
Brian Baird (202) 225-3536, Vancouver, (360) 695-6292. Olympia, (360) 352-9768, (MAYBE)
senator mark begich (202) 224-3004 toll free. (877) 501 - 6275 just became a MAYBE
Jason Altmire 202-225-2565, Aliquippa, 724-378-0928,
Natrona Heights, 724-226-1304 (MAYBE)
On the Bubble (Major developments from the “yes” and “no” columns in the House)
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/2467046/posts
Congressional Dems on Twitter
http://www.arrghpaine.com/congressional-dems-on-twitter
And here are toll-free numbers we can use to call any Senators or Reps.
At the first number below you must wait through a tape recording urging you to tell your Rep or Senator to vote “yes” for the health care bill. Just hang on and when the recording is over, you will get the Capitol operator. Just ask for your Rep or Senator’s office. Then you will either talk to an aid or have the chance to leave a message for him/her to vote NO on the health care bill.
When you use the second number and the Capitol operator comes on, just ask for your Rep or Senator’s office. Every time I use this number I get the Rep or Senator’s answer machine, so it may be set up that way all the time...to go to their answer machine. Either way you can leave a message to vote NO on the health care bill!
We need to use these toll free numbers that have been set up for the health care/ BO supporters and illegals to use! After all they are FREE!
1-866-220-0044, 1-866-338-1015, 877-851-6437, 877-210-5351
If these are the nuns in the polyester suits, I wouldn’t even listen to them in regards to religion.
That sounds great, but doesn’t do a lot of good if the influential bishops that speak out don’t bother to factor it into what they say.
Or to look at it from another angle, Nat, are you telling me this piece of the catechism means it’s OK that the bishops’ only stated beef is with the Senate language vs. the Stupak language? Do I misremember a haunting phrase being used only a few weeks ago by the bishops — “needed health care reform” — to refer to what Obamacare would be if it only had the Stupak language?
P.S. I can just sense that someone is going to come forward and treat this as a bash on the Roman Catholic Church, quite missing the points I am talking about.
Why is it that almost everytime the Catholic Nuns or Bishops give their opinion about something, I wish they would shut their f’ing mouths. It would be different if they had ever held a job in the real world, but when you’ve lived your entire life on the backs of working people, as the Nuns and Bishops have, you are an expert on creating Utopia.
Health care reform is an empty canvas onto which everyone paints their concerns and desires. If you poll the American people you will find near unanimous agreement that something about our health care system could use some reforming. That does not mean that everyone wo desires some change, which includes the Catholic Bishops, wants the entire system torn down and replaced with a socialist or communist system.
Asking and questioning in a legitimate desire to learn is never bashing.
A church should spread the GOSPEL of salvation not the fake gospel of political socialism. Jesus said “My kingdom is not of this world”. If he wanted a socialist utopia he wouldn’t have died on the cross but he would have become a politician instead.
Nuns......., no sense of humor.
So E.J.....should we “listen to nuns” who call aboriton murder and ban the practice?
Nut job in every group (nuns included)
geez, who really cares about the liberal lesbian Catholic vote?
Don’t be silly, those opinions don’t count.
((no sense of humor quote from Highlander, the motion picture))
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