Recently in politics & elections Category

Our Holy Father sent President Obama a telegram on the occasion of his inauguration. It reads:

The Honorable Barack Obama President of the United States of America The White House Washington, D.C.

On the occasion of your inauguration as the Forty-fourth president of the United States of America I offer cordial good wishes, together with the assurance of my prayers that the Almighty God will grant you unfailing wisdom and strength in the exercise of your high responsibilities.

Under your leadership may the American people continue to find in their impressive religious and political heritage the spiritual values and ethical principles needed to cooperate in the building of a truly just and free society, marked by respect for the dignity, equality and rights of each of its members, especially the poor, the outcast and those who have no voice.

At a time when so many of our brothers and sisters throughout the world yearn for liberation from the scourge of poverty, hunger and violence, I pray that you will be confirmed in your resolve to promote understanding, cooperation and peace among the nations, so that all may share in the banquet of life which God wills to set for the whole human family (cf. Isaiah 25:6-7). Upon you and your family, and upon all the American people, I willingly invoke the Lord's blessings of joy and peace.

Let us continue to pray for the President, particularly when he talks about the "God-given promise that all are equal, all are free and all deserve a chance to pursue their full measure of happiness." May he realizes that there are countless unborn denied that very chance.

Whether you voted for him or not, we have a new president and as Catholics, we are called to pray for him and support him, as we can. I disagree with him in a number of key areas but I must admit that I am proud that the US has elected its first man of color. I only pray that Obama's fight for equality extends to the fundamental right to life.

Here is a prayer from Catholic.org.

Prayer for Government Leader
God of power and might, wisdom and justice,
through you authority is rightly administered,
laws are enacted, and judgment is decreed.
Assist with your spirit of counsel and fortitude
the President and other government leaders of these United States.
May they always seek the ways of righteousness, justice and mercy.
Grant that they may be enabled by your powerful protection
to lead our country with honesty and integrity.
We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen

UPDATE: Trisha said this in her blog on 11/06/08:

Today I was also reminded that we are in the year of St. Paul. He was a man who zealously persecuted Christians because he believed with his whole heart that this was the truth. It wasn't until he encountered Christ on the road to Damascus that he realized he was in error. St. Paul, pray for Obama and our nation.

I love that idea! Each night we will be asking St. Paul to intercede and pray for Obama's conversion.

Don't foget to VOTE!

And then get your freebies as listed here. (The link is from my sis in DC but the chains such as Starbucks, Krispy Kremes and Ben & Jerry's is nationwide.)

UPDATE: In order to avoid anything illegal, Starbucks spokeswoman Tara Darrow says, "To ensure we are in compliance with election law, we are extending our offer to all customers who request a tall brewed coffee."

And then...continue to pray. I expect to be disappointed Nov. 5th by the outcome of certain offices and props but I know that whatever trials are ahead, God is still in charge and we just have to work harder. No man in political office will ever be a Savior.

Fr. Corapi produced a half hour video entitled Eleventh Hour Election Alert.

If you haven't already received this email, here is the info for the Election Novena that is to start TODAY! (If you can't do the whole rosary, at least pray one decade a day.)

A Call for A Rosary Novena

Among the most important titles we have in the Catholic Church for the Blessed Virgin Mary are Our Lady of Victory and Our Lady of the Rosary. These titles can be traced back to one of the most decisive times in the history of the world and Christendom. The Battle of Lepanto took place on October 7 (date of feast of Our Lady of Rosary), 1571. This proved to be the most crucial battle for the Christian forces against the radical Muslim navy of Turkey. Pope Pius V led a procession around St. Peter's Square in Vatican City praying the Rosary. He showed true pastoral leadership in recognizing the danger posed to Christendom by the radical Muslim forces, and in using the means necessary to defeat it. Spiritual battles require spiritual weapons, and this more than anything was a battle that had its origins in the spiritual order--a true battle between good and evil.

Today we have a similar spiritual battle in progress--a battle between the forces of good and evil, light and darkness, truth and lies, life and death. If we do not soon stop the genocide of abortion in the United States, we shall run the course of all those that prove by their actions that they are enemies of God--total collapse, economic, social, and national. The moral demise of a nation results in the ultimate demise of a nation. God is not a disinterested spectator to the affairs of man. Life begins at conception. This is an unalterable formal teaching of the Catholic Church. If you do not accept this you are a heretic in plain English. A single abortion is homicide. The more than 48,000,000 abortions since Roe v. Wade in the United States constitute genocide by definition. The group singled out for death--unwanted, unborn children.

No other issue, not all other issues taken together, can constitute a proportionate reason for voting for candidates that intend to preserve and defend this holocaust of innocent human life that is abortion.

I strongly urge every one of you to make a Novena and pray the Rosary to Our Lady of Victory between October 27th and Election Day, November 4th. Pray that God's will be done and the most innocent and utterly vulnerable of our brothers and sisters will be protected from this barbaric and grossly sinful blight on society that is abortion. No woman, and no man, has the right to choose to murder an innocent human being.

May God grant us the wisdom, knowledge, understanding, and counsel to form our conscience in accordance with authentic Catholic teaching, and then vote that well-formed Catholic conscience.

God Bless You

Fr. John Corapi

UPDATE: A friend emailed me the Litany of Our Lady of Victory. You can read it here:

This is an interesting article in light of Prop 8.

First Graders Taken to San Francisco City Hall For Gay Wedding

SAN FRANCISCO, October 11 /Christian Newswire/ -- In the same week that the No on 8 campaign launched an ad that labeled as "lies" claims that same-sex marriage would be taught in schools to young children, a first grade class took a school-sponsored trip to a gay wedding. Eighteen first graders traveled to San Francisco City Hall Friday for the wedding of their teacher and her lesbian partner, The San Francisco Chronicle reported. The school sponsored the trip for the students, ages 5 and 6, taking them away from their studies for the same-sex wedding. According to the Yes on 8 campaign, the public school field trip demonstrates that the California Supreme Court's decision to legal same-sex marriage has real consequences.

Continue Reading...

Wow, this is a surprising development in the political race:

John McCain Selects Pro-Life Champion Sarah Palin for Vice Presidential Slot

Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- In a decision that's sure to unite the pro-life advocates behind his campaign, presidential candidate John McCain selected pro-life champion Sarah Palin as his pick for vice president. Palin, the 44-year-old governor of Alaska, takes a strong pro-life position on both abortion and bioethics issues.

Palin is the youngest and first female governor in the state of Alaska and she brings the same kind of reform-minded attitude to the governor's office that McCain has brought to the U.S. Senate. She won election to the gubernatorial seat in 2006 by defeating the incumbent governor and then defeating a former Democratic governor in the general election. (Continued...)

The article listed Palin as having 4 children ages 18, 17, 13, 7. They did not mention that she recently had a fifth child, a son born with Down Syndrome. Two weeks ago Times did an interview with her before she was announced as VP choice. She says of her children and new baby:

Question: You have five children. You must be incredibly busy.

Palin: I'm just very blessed. My husband loves being a dad as much as I love being a mom. I've got great help there. But also my immediate family and my extended family, for the most part, are Alaskans, they're here, helping with a network, a support system. I got a couple of aunts outside in Washington state too who are very, very helpful to me. So logistically speaking it's not impossible what I'm doing. I've got great assistance. And having big kids in addition to the little ones... the big kids help out so much with the little one.

I have a 19 year old who's getting ready to be deployed to Iraq. His striker brigade leaves on September 11 of this year. He's 19 and he'll be gone for a year. [And so] on a personal level, when I talk about the plan for the war, let's make sure we have a plan here. And respecting McCain's position on that too, though. And I have a daughter who will be 18 here shortly, another daughter 14, another daughter 7. My daughter just walked into my office. [Sound of child whispering. "I'm not eight till next year."]

And I have a baby who is three months old. Trig was just born recently, And he's just an awesome sweet baby. Trig was born with Down Syndrome so this was a whole new ballgame for us, just understanding this very, very special child, who's such an awesome fit in our lives right now. It's just very nice and full life that we have right now...I knew while I was pregnant that he would be born with Down Syndrome. So I was as prepared as one could be.

Read the whole transcript here.

In response to Nancy Pelosi's comments on Meet the Press, here is a statement from His Eminence, Edward Cardinal Egan.

Like many other citizens of this nation, I was shocked to learn that the Speaker of the House of Representatives of the United States of America would make the kind of statements that were made to Mr. Tom Brokaw of NBC-TV on Sunday, August 24, 2008. What the Speaker had to say about theologians and their positions regarding abortion was not only misinformed; it was also, and especially, utterly incredible in this day and age.

We are blessed in the 21st century with crystal-clear photographs and action films of the living realities within their pregnant mothers. No one with the slightest measure of integrity or honor could fail to know what these marvelous beings manifestly, clearly, and obviously are, as they smile and wave into the world outside the womb. In simplest terms, they are human beings with an inalienable right to live, a right that the Speaker of the House of Representatives is bound to defend at all costs for the most basic of ethical reasons. They are not parts of their mothers, and what they are depends not at all upon the opinions of theologians of any faith. Anyone who dares to defend that they may be legitimately killed because another human being "chooses" to do so or for any other equally ridiculous reason should not be providing leadership in a civilized democracy worthy of the name.

Edward Cardinal Egan
Archbishop of New York
August 26, 2008

You have probably already heard all about Nancy Pelosi's comments on Meet the Press regarding the beginning of life, abortion and the Catholic Church. If you haven't, here's a sample.

BROKAW: Senator Obama saying the question of when life begins is above his pay grade, whether you're looking at it scientifically or theologically. If he were to come to you and say, "Help me out here, Madame Speaker. When does life begin?" what would you tell him?

PELOSI: I would say that as an ardent, practicing Catholic, this is an issue that I have studied for a long time. And what I know is, over the centuries, the doctors of the church have not been able to make that definition. And Senator-St. Augustine said at three months. We don't know. The point is, is that it shouldn't have an impact on the woman's right to choose. Roe v. Wade talks about very clear definitions of when the child-first trimester, certain considerations; second trimester; not so third trimester. There's very clear distinctions. This isn't about abortion on demand, it's about a careful, careful consideration of all factors and-to-that a woman has to make with her doctor and her god. And so I don't think anybody can tell you when life begins, human life begins. As I say, the Catholic Church for centuries has been discussing this, and there are those who've decided...

BROKAW: The Catholic Church at the moment feels very strongly that it...

PELOSI: I understand that.

BROKAW: ...begins at the point of conception.

PELOSI: I understand. And this is like maybe 50 years or something like that. So again, over the history of the church, this is an issue of controversy. But it is, it is also true that God has given us, each of us, a free will and a responsibility to answer for our actions. And we want abortions to be safe, rare, and reduce the number of abortions. That's why we have this fight in Congress over contraception. My Republican colleagues do not support contraception. If you want to reduce the number of abortions, and we all do, we must-it would behoove you to support family planning and, and contraception, you would think. But that is not the case. So we have to take-you know, we have to handle this as respectfully-this is sacred ground. We have to handle it very respectfully and not politicize it, as it has been-and I'm not saying Rick Warren did, because I don't think he did, but others will try to.

Read the full transcript here: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26377338/page/3

Hello? Did she say, "As an ardent, practicing Catholic..."
Yeah.
And as a militant vegan, my steak lunch needs a bit more A1 sauce.

It's one thing to oppose the harassment of gays, it's another thing to promote the lifestyle.

Legislature Passes Bill for "Gay Day" Celebrations in California Public Schools

For my fellow Californians, make sure to read up on Prop 8 before the upcoming election. Below is run down from ProtectMarriage.com (A broad-based coalition of California families, community leaders, religious leaders, pro-family organizations and individuals from all walks of life who have joined together to support Proposition 8.)

The Issue

California voters passed Proposition 22 in 2000 by more than 61%, saying that a marriage in California is between a man and a woman. Earlier this year, four activist judges based in San Francisco wrongly overturned the people's vote, legalizing same-sex marriage.

The Consequences

The Supreme Court's decision to legalize same-sex marriage did not just overturn the will of California voters; it also redefined marriage for the rest of society, without ever asking the people themselves to accept this decision. This decision has far-reaching consequences. For example, because public schools are already required to teach the role of marriage in society as part of the curriculum, schools will now be required to teach students that gay marriage is the same as traditional marriage, starting with kindergarteners. By saying that a marriage is between "any two persons" rather than between a man and a woman, the Court decision has opened the door to any kind of "marriage." This undermines the value of marriage altogether at a time when we should be restoring marriage, not undermining it.

The Solution

Vote YES on Proposition 8 to overturn the outrageous Supreme Court decision and restore the definition of marriage that was approved by over 61% of voters. Proposition 8 is NOT an attack on gay couples and does not take away the rights that same-sex couples already have under California's domestic partner law. California law already grants domestic partners all the rights that a state can grant to a married couple. Gays have a right to their private lives, but not to change the definition of marriage for everyone else.

For Catholic Californians, you can also check out CatholicsforProtectMarriage.com.

Here are some articles worth reading concerning Obama and his radically pro-abortion, pro-same sex agenda.

Obama's Abortion Bombshell: Unrestricted Abortion Over Wishes of Individual States a Priority for Presidency

Top 10 reasons Obama voted against the Illinois Born Alive Infant Protection Act

Obama Supports Sex-Education in Kindergarten