I can guarantee this issue will not go away, and I can't see the U.S. bishops caving on any aspect of it, not as long as Cardinal Dolan's in charge. The below video is of Cardinal Dolan's appearance on Bill O'Reilly's Factor show in late March. As you might expect, O'Reilly doesn't fully understand the basis of the controversy and apparently thinks the Church and its bishops want to ban contraception.
Showing posts with label health care. Show all posts
Showing posts with label health care. Show all posts
Wednesday, May 16, 2012
Cardinal Dolan on Religious Freedom
Cardinal Timothy Dolan of New York is my latest hero. He's been leading the Church's charge against the Obama administration's attack on religious freedom in general and on the Catholic Church in particular. The president has been trying to present the controversy to the public as if it were solely a dispute over contraception, which of course it isn't. Although Church teaching is clear in its condemnation of artificial contraception, the bishops are not at all seeking to ban contraception. Indeed, the controversy isn't about banning anything. No, Cardinal Dolan and his brother bishops object to the administration's attempt to force the Catholic Church and its institutions to provide contraception, sterilization, and abortifacients in the health care plans it offers to its employees.
I can guarantee this issue will not go away, and I can't see the U.S. bishops caving on any aspect of it, not as long as Cardinal Dolan's in charge. The below video is of Cardinal Dolan's appearance on Bill O'Reilly's Factor show in late March. As you might expect, O'Reilly doesn't fully understand the basis of the controversy and apparently thinks the Church and its bishops want to ban contraception.
I can guarantee this issue will not go away, and I can't see the U.S. bishops caving on any aspect of it, not as long as Cardinal Dolan's in charge. The below video is of Cardinal Dolan's appearance on Bill O'Reilly's Factor show in late March. As you might expect, O'Reilly doesn't fully understand the basis of the controversy and apparently thinks the Church and its bishops want to ban contraception.
Tuesday, October 11, 2011
God and Ears, Noses and Throats
I had two, that's right, two doctors' appointments today. This is very unusual for me, one who rarely visits doctors under the wise assumption that such visits lead only to further visits, more discomfiting tests, and worries that something might actually be wrong with me. I often go years without seeing a doctor, feeling wonderful the entire time. But not long ago I made the mistake of mentioning a few minor afflictions in the presence of Dear Diane. This proved to be the catalyst that began the current reaction, a seemingly never-ending series of consults and referrals that will undoubtedly lead to absolutely nothing. So, when your health insurance costs soar through the roof next year, you'll know who to blame (other than the president).
Today's first appointment was with my internist, a pleasant man near my age, who discussed the results of a recent MRI of my gimpy shoulder. I especially like him because he didn't simply refer me to a orthopedic surgeon who would no doubt meet me at the door of his practice with a scalpel or laser in his hand, a wild look in his eyes, and singing ala Monday Night Football, "Are you ready for some surgery?" No, my good doctor suggested that before agreeing to anything drastic, I might want to spend a few months doing some daily therapeutic exercises which he demonstrated for me in his office. I promised I would and will begin in the morning...too tired tonight.
He also informed me, very gently, that my bad cholesterol is too high and my good cholesterol too low. He then handed me a sheet listing all the foods I should eat and those I should avoid. For some reason bananas are okay but banana cream pie isn't. Go figure. And then he set up another appointment as well as another visit to the lab. Do you see what I mean? It never stops. And yet, he seems reasonably sensible and so I like him.
Unfortunately for me, this doctor has decided to take a new position in a nearby clinic that serves only the uninsured. That's the sort of man he is. I will miss hm and do not relish the idea of trying to find another primary care physician.
Today's second appointment was with a young ear, nose and throat specialist who examined me with the kind of strange instruments ENT doctors use. Finally, after speaking to his nurse in a technical language I could not understand, he informed me that I seemed to be fine, and then promptly declared I needed more tests to be sure. So now I must have a special X-ray of my throat next week, followed by, you guessed it, a follow-up appointment with the ENT doctor.
One appointment with my internist a month ago has now resulted in two lab visits, an MRI, a "special" X-ray, and four additional doctor visits. And I'm actually pretty healthy. Makes you wonder how the really sick people manage to squeeze in a normal life amidst all the medical stuff.
Enough! The really interesting experience occurred while I spent about thirty minutes sitting in the ENT examining room waiting for the doctor to arrive. Waiting patiently as one must, my attention was drawn to a poster taped to the wall next to my chair. It was really quite elaborate, a pictorial poster showing all the major and minor parts of the human ear, nose and throat. It was one of those Superman-like, X-ray vision posters in which you can see beneath the skin's surface and view all the little parts and pieces that you and I really don't want to see.
But it was fascinating, and I spent most of the half-hour looking at the human ear, nose and throat, examining each system, and captivated by the wonder of it all. I came away convinced that such complicated perfection could not come about by chance. These few micro-systems join hundreds of others and form a miraculous interconnected whole that we call the human body. And as I tossed these thoughts about in my even more miraculous brain, I overheard a doctor and nurse speaking in the hallway, discussing the kind of treatment a patient should receive. It was then I realized no chance collection of atoms could ever form out of the chaos of the universe and eventually think such thoughts and communicate them with another chance collection of atoms in a hallway of a building designed and built by yet another chance collection. For me, just that few minutes sitting in a chair in a young doctor's office was enough to convince me that we have a God who has done miraculous things to show us how great is His Love.
Toss that thought around in your miraculous mind the next time you visit the doctor.
God's peace...
Today's first appointment was with my internist, a pleasant man near my age, who discussed the results of a recent MRI of my gimpy shoulder. I especially like him because he didn't simply refer me to a orthopedic surgeon who would no doubt meet me at the door of his practice with a scalpel or laser in his hand, a wild look in his eyes, and singing ala Monday Night Football, "Are you ready for some surgery?" No, my good doctor suggested that before agreeing to anything drastic, I might want to spend a few months doing some daily therapeutic exercises which he demonstrated for me in his office. I promised I would and will begin in the morning...too tired tonight.
He also informed me, very gently, that my bad cholesterol is too high and my good cholesterol too low. He then handed me a sheet listing all the foods I should eat and those I should avoid. For some reason bananas are okay but banana cream pie isn't. Go figure. And then he set up another appointment as well as another visit to the lab. Do you see what I mean? It never stops. And yet, he seems reasonably sensible and so I like him.
Unfortunately for me, this doctor has decided to take a new position in a nearby clinic that serves only the uninsured. That's the sort of man he is. I will miss hm and do not relish the idea of trying to find another primary care physician.
Today's second appointment was with a young ear, nose and throat specialist who examined me with the kind of strange instruments ENT doctors use. Finally, after speaking to his nurse in a technical language I could not understand, he informed me that I seemed to be fine, and then promptly declared I needed more tests to be sure. So now I must have a special X-ray of my throat next week, followed by, you guessed it, a follow-up appointment with the ENT doctor.
One appointment with my internist a month ago has now resulted in two lab visits, an MRI, a "special" X-ray, and four additional doctor visits. And I'm actually pretty healthy. Makes you wonder how the really sick people manage to squeeze in a normal life amidst all the medical stuff.
Enough! The really interesting experience occurred while I spent about thirty minutes sitting in the ENT examining room waiting for the doctor to arrive. Waiting patiently as one must, my attention was drawn to a poster taped to the wall next to my chair. It was really quite elaborate, a pictorial poster showing all the major and minor parts of the human ear, nose and throat. It was one of those Superman-like, X-ray vision posters in which you can see beneath the skin's surface and view all the little parts and pieces that you and I really don't want to see.
But it was fascinating, and I spent most of the half-hour looking at the human ear, nose and throat, examining each system, and captivated by the wonder of it all. I came away convinced that such complicated perfection could not come about by chance. These few micro-systems join hundreds of others and form a miraculous interconnected whole that we call the human body. And as I tossed these thoughts about in my even more miraculous brain, I overheard a doctor and nurse speaking in the hallway, discussing the kind of treatment a patient should receive. It was then I realized no chance collection of atoms could ever form out of the chaos of the universe and eventually think such thoughts and communicate them with another chance collection of atoms in a hallway of a building designed and built by yet another chance collection. For me, just that few minutes sitting in a chair in a young doctor's office was enough to convince me that we have a God who has done miraculous things to show us how great is His Love.
Toss that thought around in your miraculous mind the next time you visit the doctor.
God's peace...
Wednesday, April 7, 2010
Government Employees at "Work"
The video I've embedded below is of a Bach concert conducted in one of my favorite places in Rome, the Pantheon. Apparently the concert was scheduled to conclude at 6:15 p.m., but the Pantheon employees (who work for the Italian government) normally stop working at 6 p.m. Since this was a scheduled concert, one would think the employees would be willing to stick around for the extra 15 minutes, but, no, they force the musicians to stop the concert, turn off the lights and try to get everyone to leave. Naturally, the concert attendees wanted to stay and hear the remainder of the concert. If you understand Italian you will hear some of the comments from the crowd, "Vergognatevi, vergognatevi..." (Shame, shame...)
Hey, the way the feds are creating all those new government jobs, pretty soon this is how things will be run in our country as well.
And speaking of government programs, Diane and I got our first taste of Obamacare this morning. Diane, who suffers from severe back pain, has been receiving a specific treatment from a Pain Management doctor in Gainesville for several years. This is the only treatment that has ever worked for her and involves using RF energy to "burn" nerve endings in her spine. It's usually good for six months to a year, and has always been covered by our Tricare military retirement insurance. But this week we received a notice that it is now considered "experimental" and will no longer be covered. They went on to approve four visits to this doctor over the next 12 months, but no treatment! A lot of good that will do. Our doctor indicated that this has been happening more frequently in recent weeks and expects to see more of it, especially when it affects seniors. After all, why waste government funds on "old people"?
Fortunately we have a 90 day window to appeal and Diane's doctor said he will do so, and include all the relevant documentation showing that the treatment is proven and effective and hardly experimental. He also intends to take legal action if they don't accept his appeal. Way to go, Doc!
Get ready for Obamacare, folks; you're going to love it.
Hey, the way the feds are creating all those new government jobs, pretty soon this is how things will be run in our country as well.
And speaking of government programs, Diane and I got our first taste of Obamacare this morning. Diane, who suffers from severe back pain, has been receiving a specific treatment from a Pain Management doctor in Gainesville for several years. This is the only treatment that has ever worked for her and involves using RF energy to "burn" nerve endings in her spine. It's usually good for six months to a year, and has always been covered by our Tricare military retirement insurance. But this week we received a notice that it is now considered "experimental" and will no longer be covered. They went on to approve four visits to this doctor over the next 12 months, but no treatment! A lot of good that will do. Our doctor indicated that this has been happening more frequently in recent weeks and expects to see more of it, especially when it affects seniors. After all, why waste government funds on "old people"?
Fortunately we have a 90 day window to appeal and Diane's doctor said he will do so, and include all the relevant documentation showing that the treatment is proven and effective and hardly experimental. He also intends to take legal action if they don't accept his appeal. Way to go, Doc!
Get ready for Obamacare, folks; you're going to love it.
Saturday, March 20, 2010
Coming Home
Diane and I leave for home tomorrow...finally. We've had a wonderful time visiting with our children. We sent my brother, Jeff, home to his Father. And we welcomed the latest addition to the family, Veronica Lynn. All wonderful things. But I'm once again tired of being up here in the Peoples Republic of Massachusetts. Every visit only reinforces our decision six years ago to move south.
I haven't paid a lot of attention to international or national news during our trip, preferring instead to take a vacation from the world. But today it's been hard to avoid all the craziness about healthcare. It seems our pro-death president and his congressional flunkies will likely get their way and give us a healthcare bill that has little to do with healthcare and a lot to do with increasing the federal government's power over the lives of its citizens. The bill is blatantly pro-abortion and will lead only to the deaths of millions of innocent, unborn children.
Ironically -- given that our president is African American -- abortion has been the leading cause of death in the African American community since the US Supreme Court's Roe v. Wade decision in 1973. Over 13 million black babies have been murdered in this country since abortion was made llegal. Although African Americans represent only 12% of the population of the United States, they account for 35% of the abortions performed in this country. Don't believe it? Well, you should, because these figures come from the US Government's Center for Disease Control. Abortion is decimating the African American family in the US. It is truly a form of genocide, and it's supported by virtuallly all African American "leaders." To my knowledge this is the world's first instance of a genocide supported by its victims. And so, all those folks who wax eloquently about our president's great intellect should ponder this fact. I have, and have come to the conclusion that this man is either insane or a complete fool.
Ah, well, when a people abdicates its sovereignty (and remember, we Americans have always held that the people, not the government, are sovereign) they get the kind of leadership they deserve. A people foolish enough to cede its rights to those it has placed in power will soon find themselves enslaved by corrupt, power-mad leaders.
How did Thomas Jefferson put it? “Periodic revolution...at least once every 20 years...[was] a medicine necessary for the sound health of government.” It would seem we're long overdue.
I haven't paid a lot of attention to international or national news during our trip, preferring instead to take a vacation from the world. But today it's been hard to avoid all the craziness about healthcare. It seems our pro-death president and his congressional flunkies will likely get their way and give us a healthcare bill that has little to do with healthcare and a lot to do with increasing the federal government's power over the lives of its citizens. The bill is blatantly pro-abortion and will lead only to the deaths of millions of innocent, unborn children.
Ironically -- given that our president is African American -- abortion has been the leading cause of death in the African American community since the US Supreme Court's Roe v. Wade decision in 1973. Over 13 million black babies have been murdered in this country since abortion was made llegal. Although African Americans represent only 12% of the population of the United States, they account for 35% of the abortions performed in this country. Don't believe it? Well, you should, because these figures come from the US Government's Center for Disease Control. Abortion is decimating the African American family in the US. It is truly a form of genocide, and it's supported by virtuallly all African American "leaders." To my knowledge this is the world's first instance of a genocide supported by its victims. And so, all those folks who wax eloquently about our president's great intellect should ponder this fact. I have, and have come to the conclusion that this man is either insane or a complete fool.
Ah, well, when a people abdicates its sovereignty (and remember, we Americans have always held that the people, not the government, are sovereign) they get the kind of leadership they deserve. A people foolish enough to cede its rights to those it has placed in power will soon find themselves enslaved by corrupt, power-mad leaders.
How did Thomas Jefferson put it? “Periodic revolution...at least once every 20 years...[was] a medicine necessary for the sound health of government.” It would seem we're long overdue.
Sunday, December 20, 2009
The "Fruits" of Abortion
Surprise, surprise! Today Sen. Ben Nelson (D-Neb) caved in under the pressure exerted by the Senate Democrat leadership and will now support the Senate's "health care bill" even though it does not explicitly prohibit government funding of abortions. Of course I and all my pro-life friends hoped that he would remain committed to the principles and values he supposedly holds so dear. How naive of us. We should have known that Senator Nelson is, first and foremost, a politician. Accordingly, he, like all career politicians, will do whatever is necessary to protect his political career. In this instance the senator sold his vote (and his soul) for $45 million of federal funds. Of course, there are undoubtedly other goodies, as yet not public, heading the senator's way for hopping aboard Harry Reid's train to political oblivion. I will step out on a limb here and predict that the people of Nebraska will toss Nelson out of office in 2012.
That being said, we can now forget about Senator Nelson. For a while he was a shining star, a man of principle who apparently refused to compromise on the right to life. But, by joining the other 59 Senators who will support this ridiculous, monstrous, deficit busting bill, he has made himself irrelevant. He is just another unprincipled, opportunistic politician among many others.
The evil fruits of abortion, however, can also be found well beyond the halls of the Capitol. The following opinion piece by Deacon Keith Fournier (written on December 16 before Senator Nelson's capitulation) tells another story. It's worth a read. (Deacon Fournier's columns are published by Catholic Online.)
________________________________________
Abortion is America’s Shame: Dead Baby under the Christmas Tree
By Deacon Keith Fournier
12/16/2009
Catholic Online12/16/2009
'Apparently they cleaned up the fetus and they placed it inside a gift box under the Christmas tree’. (San Juan Police Chief Juan Gonzalez)
WASHINGTON, D.C. (Catholic Online) – All US News reports are fixated on efforts to push a “Heath Care Reform” package through the Senate before Christmas. The threat by Senator Joe Lieberman to hold the legislation hostage unless the so called ‘public option” is removed has now given way. He has backed down. The President held one more “persuasion” session with Democratic Senators Tuesday to keep the pressure on. From most insiders playbooks it looks like some form of legislation will clear the Senate before the Nation pauses to remember a baby born in a manger.
Senator Ben Nelson, who fought hard to amend the legislation to ensure that no tax dollars would be used to pay for abortions, is under extreme pressure to fold his cards. Rumors are circulating that he will vote with those who want such a barbaric practice to be funded with tax dollars. I do not believe it. I pray that he has the courage to withstand the increasing pressure.
Some “inside” sources claimed on Tuesday that he is being threatened with closure of an air force base and others that he is being offered a “blank check” in the way of funds to bring home to his constituents. Are these claims true? No one knows for sure. However, that is how the game is played in Washington, DC. After all, children in the womb are not recognized as having a Right to Life in this Nation. That is so even though the American founders insisted that such a right was endowed by a Creator and inalienable.
While the myriad of talking heads on television news shows crow on saying nothing in so many words, a shocking story out of San Juan Texas puts the entire deadly affair in perspective. The Associated Press reported on Tuesday, December 15, 2009:
Fetus found in gift box, Texas couple charged
“Authorities allege a south Texas couple put an aborted 7-month-old fetus in a gift box under a Christmas tree after trying to flush the remains down a toilet. Thirty-one-year-old Ruby Lee Medina and 37-year-old Javier Gonzalez are jailed on abuse of corpse and tampering with evidence charges. Bond is set at $20,000 each. A woman at the San Juan city jail says she can't say whether either has retained an attorney. San Juan Police Chief Juan Gonzalez says police found the fetus inside the woman's trailer home Thursday after an anonymous tip. Gonzalez says police believe the woman used pills to induce an abortion, then called an ambulance and said she didn't know where the fetus was. Gonzalez says the couple first tried to flush the fetus, then cleaned it up and put in the gift box….”
The horror of this act brought me back to May 8, 2006 when a mother named Tammy Skinner of Suffolk, Virginia killed her own child with a gun and was set free by a Judge. On Feb. 23, 2006 she called police from a car dealership and told them that she had been shot in the stomach and pushed out of her car. Police found blood in Skinner’s red compact car, and a gun. Tammy was carrying her baby within her; a little girl who was to be delivered that very day. Later, Tammy changed her story, claiming that the father of Baby Girl Skinner had killed her. Finally, she told the authorities the truth - she had shot herself in the abdomen with the intention of killing her baby.
Tammy had two other daughters. However, she simply did not want this one. So, she killed her with a gun. She was charged with inducing an abortion. However, since she actually fired the gun herself, Judge James A. Moore decided that she could not be so charged because abortion is legal in America throughout all nine months under the holding of Roe v. Wade. Her lawyer, known for his “civil rights” work- and for his representation of the People for the Ethical treatment of Animals (PETA)- argued at a preliminary hearing that the charge of inducing an abortion or miscarriage is intended for use against a third party and did not apply to a mother who shoots herself to commit an abortion.
In the United States Baby Girl Skinner had no rights; mother Tammy had them all. She also had a “right” to kill. Given the state of the law, the other human person involved, the one who died as a direct result of the gunshot, Baby Girl Skinner, had no voice and no legal standing. She, along with all children in the first home of the human race, their mothers’ womb, had been reduced to the status of property. The charge of inducing an abortion was dismissed. Tammy Skinner had also been charged with using a firearm in a felony. However, that charge was not prosecuted because it must occur during the commission of a specific felony in Virginia. Tammy’s intentional killing of Baby Girl Skinner was not a felony. It was viewed as an extension of her “right” to take the life of her own child as long as the baby was still in the womb. She was convicted of filing a false police report and ordered to pay the cost of the police investigation, $750.
If someone else had shot Tammy Skinner and her daughter on the day she was to have delivered, they could have been prosecuted. However, Virginia’s fetal homicide law did not apply to the mother. It referred to killing “the fetus of another.” One of the Commonwealth’s Attorneys, Phil Ferguson, said: “We are dealing with a woman who, by her own hands, killed her child on the day of its birth…This was a nine-month fetus, clearly in the realm of viability. Whether it meets legal tests to constitute criminal conduct – we’re reviewing and exploring our options.” Tammy Skinner’s attorney, who recognizes the civil rights of animals and fish, did not concern himself with the preeminent natural and human right to life of Baby Girl Skinner. He said he was happy with the decision stating: “It was clear to me, and clear to the judge, that you cannot convict when an expectant mother does this,”
Now, 31 year-old Ruby Lee Medina and her 37-year-old accomplice Javier Gonzalez are being held on “abuse of corpse and tampering with evidence” charges in Texas. Let’s see what happens. The case is no different than the Skinner case. The “super right” to decide whether to kill a child in the womb seems to trump every other true right such as the Right to Life. Cases such as these two reveal the fangs on the evil face of legal abortion on demand in our Nation. The Senate will soon pass legislation which, in the name of “health care”, will allow our tax dollars to fund the killing of children in the womb through surgical dismemberment and chemical destruction. Every procured abortion is the taking of an innocent human life, the killing of our neighbor in the first home of the whole human race.
As we prepare to celebrate the birth of a child who was born in a manger because there was no room for Him in the Inn, another child was killed before he or she could join us for Christmas. This killing was willful and intentional. It was done by his/her mother through a self ingested deadly chemical weapon which she swallowed. This little baby was delivered dead, wrapped in a box and placed under a Christmas tree. When we hear or read of such horrors we still react. That is because there is still some shred of conscience left in us. If we begin to fund this practice with tax dollars, perhaps even that last remaining shred will disappear.
Abortion has become America’s Shame. We have allowed the growth of a culture which views human persons as products - commodities to be disposed of if inconvenient. We have put in place a legal and political system which promotes and protects the evil. The Dead Baby under the Christmas tree cries out for justice and mercy. Abortion is not health care because killing is not healing.
__________________________________
What will become of our country?
Pray, brothers and sisters...pray!
God's peace....
Friday, October 30, 2009
US Bishops Call for Massive Mobilization Against Anti-Life Health-Care Reform
The Pro-Life Activities Secretariat of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops has sent out an urgent email in an effort to mobilize every parish in the United States on the urgent matter of public policy concerning the fundamental and foundational human right to life as it relates to health-care reform. The email follows:
___________________
From: Tom Grenchik, Secretariat of Pro-Life Activities
To: Diocesan Pro-Life Directors & State Catholic Conference Director
Re: URGENT: Nationwide USCCB Bulletin Insert on Health Care Reform
Attached [see below], please find an Urgent Memorandum highlighting USCCB plans and requests for diocesan and parish based activation on health care reform.
The President of the Conference and the Chairmen of the three major USCCB committees engaged in health care reform have written all the bishops and asked that the attached USCCB Nationwide Bulletin Insert on health care reform be printed or hand-stuffed in every parish bulletin and/or distributed in pews or at church entrances as soon as possible.
Congressional votes may take place as soon as early November. If your Arch/bishop is not in agreement with disseminating the bulletin insert, you will be hearing from his office immediately. You may wish to check with his office ASAP to see how you may be of assistance in distributing the Bulletin Insert, far and wide.
Tomorrow, the USCCB will be e-mailing these same materials to a large number of parishes across the country, already on a USCCB contact list. The parish list is incomplete, so we will still have to rely on diocesan e-mail systems to reach EVERY parish. Thank you for your great help with this.
Also included are suggested Pulpit Announcements and a Prayer Petition.
There is also a copy of a newly-released ad for the Catholic press, which may be printed as flyers for the vestibule or copied on the flip-side of the Bulletin Insert. The flyer/ad directs readers to www.usccb.org/action where they may send their pre-written e-mails to Congress through NCHLA’s Grassroots Action Center. If you wish to sponsor the ad in your local Catholic paper and need a different size, please contact Deirdre McQuade at dmcquade@usccb.org.
Please encourage parishioners to pray for this effort as well. More information can be found at www.usccb.org/healthcare.
Thank you for your urgent actions and prayers on behalf of this nationwide effort!
___________________
The email included a number of attachments, including bulletin inserts, a flyer, pulpit announcements and prayer, etc. They are availble at the bishops' website: http://www.usccb.org/healthca/index.shtml but I have also included individual links here:
1) HC Cover Note to Leaders, Final.doc (a digital version of the email above)
2) HC Bulletin Insert 10-23-09 Final.pdf (the one-stop nationwide parish bulletin insert)
3) HC Pulpit Announcement & Prayer, Final 1.doc (a how-to for distributing the materials)
4) HC Ad Saving_Lives_Flyer_FINAL.pdf (a flyer to be placed on bulletin boards, etc.)
I trust all US parishes will act on this.
Blessings...
___________________
From: Tom Grenchik, Secretariat of Pro-Life Activities
To: Diocesan Pro-Life Directors & State Catholic Conference Director
Re: URGENT: Nationwide USCCB Bulletin Insert on Health Care Reform
Attached [see below], please find an Urgent Memorandum highlighting USCCB plans and requests for diocesan and parish based activation on health care reform.
The President of the Conference and the Chairmen of the three major USCCB committees engaged in health care reform have written all the bishops and asked that the attached USCCB Nationwide Bulletin Insert on health care reform be printed or hand-stuffed in every parish bulletin and/or distributed in pews or at church entrances as soon as possible.
Congressional votes may take place as soon as early November. If your Arch/bishop is not in agreement with disseminating the bulletin insert, you will be hearing from his office immediately. You may wish to check with his office ASAP to see how you may be of assistance in distributing the Bulletin Insert, far and wide.
Tomorrow, the USCCB will be e-mailing these same materials to a large number of parishes across the country, already on a USCCB contact list. The parish list is incomplete, so we will still have to rely on diocesan e-mail systems to reach EVERY parish. Thank you for your great help with this.
Also included are suggested Pulpit Announcements and a Prayer Petition.
There is also a copy of a newly-released ad for the Catholic press, which may be printed as flyers for the vestibule or copied on the flip-side of the Bulletin Insert. The flyer/ad directs readers to www.usccb.org/action where they may send their pre-written e-mails to Congress through NCHLA’s Grassroots Action Center. If you wish to sponsor the ad in your local Catholic paper and need a different size, please contact Deirdre McQuade at dmcquade@usccb.org.
Please encourage parishioners to pray for this effort as well. More information can be found at www.usccb.org/healthcare.
Thank you for your urgent actions and prayers on behalf of this nationwide effort!
___________________
The email included a number of attachments, including bulletin inserts, a flyer, pulpit announcements and prayer, etc. They are availble at the bishops' website: http://www.usccb.org/healthca/index.shtml but I have also included individual links here:
1) HC Cover Note to Leaders, Final.doc (a digital version of the email above)
2) HC Bulletin Insert 10-23-09 Final.pdf (the one-stop nationwide parish bulletin insert)
3) HC Pulpit Announcement & Prayer, Final 1.doc (a how-to for distributing the materials)
4) HC Ad Saving_Lives_Flyer_FINAL.pdf (a flyer to be placed on bulletin boards, etc.)
I trust all US parishes will act on this.
Blessings...
Thursday, October 29, 2009
Kennedys, Rhode Island, Massachusetts...Ugh
Every so often I experience one of those increasingly frequent senior moments and forget why I left the great Commonwealth of Massachusetts for sunnier and decidedly warmer Florida. And then one of the Kennedys opens his or her mouth...
Now before I continue, I have to say that Sean Cardinal O'Malley is my favorite bishop; after all, he ordained me. And I also realize that Cardinal Sean believes that Ted Kennedy, and presumably the Kennedy clan in general, espoused many policies and programs to the benefit of millions. The cardinal believes that these programs were motivated by, or at least reflect, Catholic social teaching. And this fact was apparently enough to offset the late senator's dismal 100% pro-abortion voting record and lead the cardinal to take part in Senator Kennedy's funeral. Although I'm not a moral theologian, I would think abortion might fall somewhere under the banner of "Catholic social teaching" and that the millions who were helped by all those programs pale in comparison to the millions who lost their lives though abortion. But, as I say, I'm no moral theologian and I trust that Cardinal Sean weighed all this in making his decision, a pastoral decision I fully respect even though I don't fully understand it. And I certainly don't object to the cardinal taking part in the funeral. My objection centers more on the nature of the funeral itself. It seemed more like a campaign event than a Catholic funeral. But hey, what do I know? Cardinal Sean's an archbishop...and I'm just a deacon, and not a particularly smart one either.
All that, of course, is in the past. The late senator has received his reward and for the first time in decades no member of the Kennedy clan holds elected office in Massachusetts. But a Kennedy still serves the people, and although he does so in neighboring Rhode Island, Representative Patrick Kennedy is the political clone of his father, and also votes solidly pro-abortion.
Apparently this voting record hasn't hurt Rep. Kennedy politically even though the state's population includes the highest percentage of Catholics in the nation. Indeed, I can't recall hearing that his bishop ever openly criticized him for his support of abortion...until now. (If I'm wrong here, my apologies to Bishop Tobin.)
It would also seem that the real catalyst for the current dispute between Patrick Kennedy and his bishop was not the representative's voting record but his public comments criticizing the US bishops for not supporting the Democrats' health care legislation. Kennedy charged that in their opposition to any health-care reform that included abortion funding the American bishops were only fanning the "flames of dissent and discord." He went on to say, "I can't understand for the life of me how the Catholic Church could be against the biggest social justice issue of our time..." I've included the video (below) of Rep. Kennedy's full interview with Catholic News Service in which he made these comments.
The fact that Representative Kennedy doesn't understand the Catholic Church's teaching on abortion is no surprise given his voting record and his family's virtually solid pro-abortion views. It's also an interesting commentary on the quality of the Catholic education he received at Providence College. I worked at PC for a few years and know that the core undergraduate curriculum includes at least six hours of theology...so it makes me wonder what was taught in those courses, or whether the future US representative slept through them and simply rode the curve to a comfortable C.
And so, as a result of Kennedy's uninformed comments, Providence Bishop Thomas Tobin took him to task: “Congressman Patrick Kennedy’s statement about the Catholic Church’s position on health care reform is irresponsible and ignorant of the facts. As I wrote to Congressman Kennedy and other members of the Rhode Island Congressional Delegation recently, the Bishops of the United States are indeed in favor of comprehensive health care reform and have been for many years. But we are adamantly opposed to health care legislation that threatens the life of unborn children, requires taxpayers to pay for abortion, rations health care, or compromises the conscience of individuals." Bishop Tobin then let loose with all his guns and added, "Congressman Kennedy continues to be a disappointment to the Catholic Church and to the citizens of the State of Rhode Island. I believe the Congressman owes us an apology for his irresponsible comments. It is my fervent hope and prayer that he will find a way to provide more effective and morally responsible leadership for our state.”
One-and-a-half cheers for Bishop Tobin. Since then he has sent a letter to the congressman asking for a meeting so he can explain the church's "clear and consistent" support for health care reform. I would rather he asked for a meeting to discuss Representative Kennedy's abysmal record on abortion and other issues. But maybe the subject will come up during their conversation.
...meanwhile they keep killing the innocents.
Pray for life and peace.
Now before I continue, I have to say that Sean Cardinal O'Malley is my favorite bishop; after all, he ordained me. And I also realize that Cardinal Sean believes that Ted Kennedy, and presumably the Kennedy clan in general, espoused many policies and programs to the benefit of millions. The cardinal believes that these programs were motivated by, or at least reflect, Catholic social teaching. And this fact was apparently enough to offset the late senator's dismal 100% pro-abortion voting record and lead the cardinal to take part in Senator Kennedy's funeral. Although I'm not a moral theologian, I would think abortion might fall somewhere under the banner of "Catholic social teaching" and that the millions who were helped by all those programs pale in comparison to the millions who lost their lives though abortion. But, as I say, I'm no moral theologian and I trust that Cardinal Sean weighed all this in making his decision, a pastoral decision I fully respect even though I don't fully understand it. And I certainly don't object to the cardinal taking part in the funeral. My objection centers more on the nature of the funeral itself. It seemed more like a campaign event than a Catholic funeral. But hey, what do I know? Cardinal Sean's an archbishop...and I'm just a deacon, and not a particularly smart one either.
All that, of course, is in the past. The late senator has received his reward and for the first time in decades no member of the Kennedy clan holds elected office in Massachusetts. But a Kennedy still serves the people, and although he does so in neighboring Rhode Island, Representative Patrick Kennedy is the political clone of his father, and also votes solidly pro-abortion.
Apparently this voting record hasn't hurt Rep. Kennedy politically even though the state's population includes the highest percentage of Catholics in the nation. Indeed, I can't recall hearing that his bishop ever openly criticized him for his support of abortion...until now. (If I'm wrong here, my apologies to Bishop Tobin.)
It would also seem that the real catalyst for the current dispute between Patrick Kennedy and his bishop was not the representative's voting record but his public comments criticizing the US bishops for not supporting the Democrats' health care legislation. Kennedy charged that in their opposition to any health-care reform that included abortion funding the American bishops were only fanning the "flames of dissent and discord." He went on to say, "I can't understand for the life of me how the Catholic Church could be against the biggest social justice issue of our time..." I've included the video (below) of Rep. Kennedy's full interview with Catholic News Service in which he made these comments.
The fact that Representative Kennedy doesn't understand the Catholic Church's teaching on abortion is no surprise given his voting record and his family's virtually solid pro-abortion views. It's also an interesting commentary on the quality of the Catholic education he received at Providence College. I worked at PC for a few years and know that the core undergraduate curriculum includes at least six hours of theology...so it makes me wonder what was taught in those courses, or whether the future US representative slept through them and simply rode the curve to a comfortable C.
And so, as a result of Kennedy's uninformed comments, Providence Bishop Thomas Tobin took him to task: “Congressman Patrick Kennedy’s statement about the Catholic Church’s position on health care reform is irresponsible and ignorant of the facts. As I wrote to Congressman Kennedy and other members of the Rhode Island Congressional Delegation recently, the Bishops of the United States are indeed in favor of comprehensive health care reform and have been for many years. But we are adamantly opposed to health care legislation that threatens the life of unborn children, requires taxpayers to pay for abortion, rations health care, or compromises the conscience of individuals." Bishop Tobin then let loose with all his guns and added, "Congressman Kennedy continues to be a disappointment to the Catholic Church and to the citizens of the State of Rhode Island. I believe the Congressman owes us an apology for his irresponsible comments. It is my fervent hope and prayer that he will find a way to provide more effective and morally responsible leadership for our state.”
One-and-a-half cheers for Bishop Tobin. Since then he has sent a letter to the congressman asking for a meeting so he can explain the church's "clear and consistent" support for health care reform. I would rather he asked for a meeting to discuss Representative Kennedy's abysmal record on abortion and other issues. But maybe the subject will come up during their conversation.
...meanwhile they keep killing the innocents.
Pray for life and peace.
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
The President Strikes Again...At Life
In case you missed it, President Obama made some interesting comments during his Town Meeting last week. One, in particular, struck me since it gives us a preview of how an Obama-inspired government-run health care system would likely decide about life and death issues.
While discussing possible ways to limit health care costs, the president suggested we stop giving dying people expensive treatments that will probably not extend their lives. His actual words were that families should be discouraged from approving "additional tests or additional drugs that the evidence shows is not necessarily going to improve care." He then went on to say, "Maybe you're better off not having the surgery, but taking the painkiller." After all, it would be so less expensive and, anyway, most of those really sick people are old, too old to contribute much to society. And think of the money we'll save on their social security.
Don't you just love the compassion that oozes out of the pores of liberals? Of course there's something else wrong with his comments. Under a government health care system it won't be the families who will make such decisions; and it won't even be the attending physician. No, based on similar systems in other countries, and on what the president has already suggested, decisions about what tests or drugs or procedures to offer will be made by bureaucrats in Washington.
And, as Jonathan Goldberg has already noted, the president's desire to limit a person's freedom to choose when it comes to health care is strangely at odds with his oft-stated belief that a woman has an inviolate freedom to choose when it comes to aborting her child.
To read the full LA Times story, click here.
While discussing possible ways to limit health care costs, the president suggested we stop giving dying people expensive treatments that will probably not extend their lives. His actual words were that families should be discouraged from approving "additional tests or additional drugs that the evidence shows is not necessarily going to improve care." He then went on to say, "Maybe you're better off not having the surgery, but taking the painkiller." After all, it would be so less expensive and, anyway, most of those really sick people are old, too old to contribute much to society. And think of the money we'll save on their social security.
Don't you just love the compassion that oozes out of the pores of liberals? Of course there's something else wrong with his comments. Under a government health care system it won't be the families who will make such decisions; and it won't even be the attending physician. No, based on similar systems in other countries, and on what the president has already suggested, decisions about what tests or drugs or procedures to offer will be made by bureaucrats in Washington.
And, as Jonathan Goldberg has already noted, the president's desire to limit a person's freedom to choose when it comes to health care is strangely at odds with his oft-stated belief that a woman has an inviolate freedom to choose when it comes to aborting her child.
To read the full LA Times story, click here.
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