Catholic Justice(s)

Let me push this envelope a bit further than most pundits are willing to go. I don't believe that the Court's decision on ObamaCare will reflect any belated reaction to the President's unprecedented snub of the Court at his 2010 State of the Union presentation to Congress. I also don't think that the justices will be intimidated by his inappropriate and erroneous demagoging of the Courts rights and obligations - or that they will over-react in the opposite direction. (Do read Leon Wolf's posting on Red State.) But I do believe that the members are not blank sheets upon which Truth is projected.

Background item I. The March 27-29 hearing on ObamaCare in which Justices Roberts, Scalia, and Kennedy unsuccessfully sought to find, under the administration's theory, if there were any limits on the power of the federal government relative to the individual if the individual mandate were allowed to stand. Even many liberals were disappointed by Solicitor General Verrilli's inability to provide an answer. A theoretical question? Perhaps not.

Background item II. The January pronouncement by HHS Secretary Sebelius that the mandatory insurance to be provided by all employers must include "free" contraceptives, sterilization, and morning after (abortion) pills. If we are to have mandatory insurance, we need clear definitions of what must be covered. If the administration's decision to re-neg on commitments to Congressman Stupak and others to exclude abortion from the legislation results in a mandate which offends Catholic employers - or any employer for that matter - they need to get over it.

And who are these members of the Supreme Court in this center-right country where the most visible religious group are the Protestant evangelicals? Three Jews (Ginsberg; Breyer; Kagan) and six Catholics (Roberts; Scalia; Kennedy; Thomas; Alito; and Sotomayor.) Coincidence? Not really. Presidents Reagan (Scalia; Kennedy), HW Bush (Thomas), and GW Bush (Roberts; Alito) have chosen to not re-fight Roe v Wade in their Senate confirmation hearings. Observant Catholics were equally conservative and more acceptable than observant Protestants, and - in the eyes of Republican presidents - less controversial.

So President Obama finds himself arguing to expand the power of the state, overriding both the conservative view of the constitution's importance and the Catholic Church's moral objections. And he gets a Supreme Court full of Catholics. This is not to say that the majority of the Court agrees with the Catholic Church's teachings on abortion or any other matter. It is to say that they understand more personally and profoundly than most the significance of allowing the federal government to force individuals as well as institutions to compromise their moral beliefs.

This didn't come about by accident, and the political implications may favor Obama. He may well lose the guts of his major legislative accomplishment, but he seems to have outmaneuvered the Republicans (with the help of Rush Limbaugh) by letting the issue of Sibelius' regulations be viewed as an assault on women rather than the unnecessary imposition of offensive requirements on those with religious or ethical objections. He is now setting the stage for an election theme that Republican control of the presidency and the Senate will result in locking in a disasterous conservative Supreme Court. It is ironic that Rick Santorum is not the candidate who would be using the prospect of overturning Roe v Wade in the 2012 election - Obama will be.

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Here's a quick take of a recent House vote on a 2013 budget proposal - not Paul Ryan's which passed 228-191, but President Obama's which failed 409 to 0. I would offer a comparison with the Senate vote, but once again there is none.

bill bowen - 4/6/12

Comments

[Bill McCormick]

BRING EM HOME-- had dinner tonight with a warrior from the US Marines headed back for his 2nd tour in Afghanistan. At 22 with his long time girlfriend there he is already well beyond his years in wisdom. I remember well giving him a hug and thanking him 3.5 years ago when he enlisted and headed off to war. All he could talk about tonight was his last 7 months of service and getting home to his girl friend and a new life. He acknowledged that the US economy was not going to make life easy. He thought about reenlisting but then told us that the Marines were in his view falling apart with budget cuts and the discharge of 40,000 warriors. So I thought I wonder how hard he'll fight the next 5 months. Will he just find a hole and sit it out? Try to survive? But, I know these Marines they fight and die for each other. What is Afghanistan to him? So I thought I'd ask. He said well we can't walk the roads any longer there are too many IUD's so we walk through the poppy fields. Poppy fields? Hmmmm-America is fighting to save the poppy fields? Do the Taliban get the poppy crop and take it out of the country to sell for drug money? "Some", he said but "mostly the poor farmers try to turn it into drugs to sell to make a living". But, "then the Taliban take the profits and turn it into guns and bombs. Farmers just try to survive and we just try to help them survive. If you grow mariuana in your basement in the US we send you to jail unless of course you live in California where mariuana is a medicine. So, our 22 year olds die protecting poppy fields in Afghanistan but in America ----??? Anyone beginning to get the feeling we have seen this film before? Any of my classmates remember the sacrifice of our friends in a war that made no sense? Wasn't it General Powell who said "We learned the lessons of Vietnam: have a clear objective and an exit strategy or don't go to war"? Powell supported Obama--where are you now , General? A time line is not an exit strategy it is an excuse for not achieving the objective.And, so it is with a CIC who has no exectutive experience. In war or peace.

Someone who might be able to make a difference asked me a few years ago when Obama was looking for a strategy-- what to do? My answer was an alternative choice:

1. if you are going to nation build you must find an alternative for the poppy crop. If you are not willing to do that and commit long term--forget it.
2. The alternative is to announce to the world that you will destroy terrorist organizations, training bases and outposts anywhere in the world that you find them using drones,air strikes and special forces and be willing to do it but withdraw from Afghanistan and Pakistan.
You cannot have it both ways. But, for political expediency this President has tried and it is failing. I hope and pray that this kid and all the rest come home safe. The mission has not been defined and therefore it is over. In the meantime our lack of commitment to a winning strategy has lead to an Iran who plays games. A Syria wh kills thousands and a North Korea who lies and defies. I suspect North Korea will be better at detonating a nuclear bomb underground than they were at launching a missile--this time. But, stay tuned.

[Bill McCormick]

AN AMAZING MESS----

Most of us thought that having a black President would bring America closer together and reduce the claims of unfairness between the races. But, instead it appears to have simply messed things up. The Presidency seems to have become a place from which to attack different segments of American society. The rich for failure to pay enough taxes. The corporations for failure to create jobs at home. The police for failure to arrest someone quickly enough. The people who challenge the global warming data. The oil companies for accidents, gas prices, pipeline threats, tax deductions, etc. The states for balancing their budgets by cutting public employee benefits. Conservative seniors for lobbying for their benefits. The Republican House for passing a budget proposal different from one the President proposed that received 0 votes and has not even been given a vote in the Senate. The religious faith of the Republican Morman candidate. The Catholic church for being against forced payment of contraceptives and the morning after pill. And, this is only the beginning of the divisions being fostered by this President. It is truly a mess as has been his Presidency.

February and March were both nearly $200B in deficits--records. At midpoint of this FY the Fed stands at a deficit of $700B. We march on under this President with no budget for the 4th straight year. No controls on spending. No plan. No address of social security or Medicare insolvency. Iran, North Korea and Syria--all international nobodies thumbing their noses at us. Isreal on hold. An economy struggling to make headway. Baby boomers unable to retire. 20 million Americans out of work or under worked. The change we were looking for?

[Bill McCormick]

A LOOK AT THINGS NOW:

OPPOSITION: Romney finally closes in.

The "I" man: Taking on the court in public. Claiming dubious credit for oil pipeline reversal, oil development,oil shale technology, expanded offshore drilling, and small business support.

Syria: Continues to slaughter it's people. Thumbing nose at US and allies.

Russia,China,India: Defies the US on Syria and Iran.

The economy: weakening once again as jobs numbers stay weak, consumers withdraw and housing struggles. Exactly the same pattern as 2010 preelection performance.

Women: President openly promoting a war on women by Republicans as an election strategy. Using the Catholic church as the bad guy in his good guy approach.

Pubic workers: President promoting a scare tactic on public unions that Republicans will devastate their ranks and benefits in his election strategy.

Gas prices: Now the fault of the depreciation allowance given big oil companies. No mention that the Oklahoma pipeline reversal is being paid for by private funds.

The DEBT: The debt and deficits continue out of control. While Europe struggles to reduce their deficits the administration turns away from spending cuts.

Iran: Marches on while Isreal watches the last ditch effort of the US to negotiate a diplomatic solution. While Obama begs for time.

North Korea: Defies the US and builds a long range missile.

Foreign Policy: President begs for delay until after the election on all significant issues.

Forclosure: Still riding at a record rate with a giant commercial real estate bubble unaddressed as major retailers downsize stores.

Infrastructure: In steep decline as states have little money for investment capital and no idea from the feds as entitlements, unaddressed, continue to require more borrowing.

It is remarkable that this President has any approval votes at all.

[DickG]

DISMANTLEING THE OBAMA 'BOB WEAVE & DISTORT' STRATEGY; Research an 'inch thick' and dillineation of facts; supported with individual testimony would be a start. Many members of the Black & Latino Communities are aware of the destructiveness this has caused and people like Texas Pastor Bryant would come forward.
Hopefully the Romney supporting PACS will be totally accurrate.
(Negative adds which are also questionable are disasterous.)
FACTS FACTS & MORE FACTS with no 'Holds Bard" this time; will have to be the case. Why, after all of the violations of Office this President has committed; not even a 'Sensure' has been proposed in the House.
Those of us with past service should remember our OATHS to Country & Constitution and remind those in Government service . They take an OATH to COUNTRY & CONSTITUTION not to a 'Temporary Socialist Radical Regime' made up of Incompetant Frauds'!
It's also time Bill Clinton gives a complete litany of actions taken on behalf of the 'Obama' Campaign in 2008. Maybe a statement
aiding the Country is what he owes all of us.