What Would Dr. King Say?

Unfortunately, finding that common ground -- recognizing that our fates are tied up, as Dr. King said, in a "single garment of destiny" -- is not easy. And part of the problem, of course, lies in the imperfections of man -- our selfishness, our pride, our stubbornness, our acquisitiveness, our insecurities, our egos; all the cruelties large and small that those of us in the Christian tradition understand to be rooted in original sin. We too often seek advantage over others. We cling to outworn prejudice and fear those who are unfamiliar. Too many of us view life only through the lens of immediate self-interest and crass materialism; in which the world is necessarily a zero-sum game. The strong too often dominate the weak, and too many of those with wealth and with power find all manner of justification for their own privilege in the face of poverty and injustice.  

President Barack Obama, University of Notre Dame, May 17, 2009.

I find it incredulous that an African American man who has attained the highest office in this country can quote Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and have such a convoluted idea of civil rights. The abortion issue is all about civil rights. The most fundamental right of all is the right to life. What does it say about a man who benefited from the actions of those that stood up for a cause 50 plus years ago and ignores the weakest of our society? Who when confronted with a question about when life begins he replies, "That is above my pay grade."

The civil rights activists of the 50's and 60's took to the streets to protest the injustice of prejudice. They endured beatings, public embarrassment, incarceration, threats to self and family, and murder. Why did they endure these things? Because there are some things worth taking a public stand against. There are still some things in this world that are so evil that those of us with the courage of our convictions must stand against. Nobody can say it better than Dr. King.

How does one determine whether a law is just or unjust? A just law is a man made code that squares with the moral law or the law of God. An unjust law is a code that is out of harmony with the moral law. To put it in the terms of St. Thomas Aquinas: An unjust law is a human law that is not rooted in eternal law and natural law. Any law that uplifts human personality is just. Any law that degrades human personality is unjust. 

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Letter from a Birmingham Jail, April 16, 1963

So, no, President Obama. I am not going to agree to disagree. I don't care a wit if we "just get along" or not. A child being ripped apart in a womb doesn't get a vote but I do. A child in the womb doesn't have a voice but I do. I will not go quietly into the night. I will not turn my back on those that are defenseless against you and those like you. We will be in your face about this issue until it is resolved on the side of goodness and life. Just like Dr. King did so that you could be president some day.

Schism in the Church

Quoting from the English translation of the Catechism of the Roman Catholic Church, copyright 1994 paragraph 2087 on “Faith”: Our moral life has its source in faith in God who reveals his love to us. St. Paul speaks of the “obedience of faith” as our first obligation. He shows that “ignorance of God” is the principle and explanation of all moral deviations. Our duty toward God is to believe in him and to bear witness to him.

Paragraph 2088: The first commandment requires us to nourish and protect our faith with prudence and vigilance, and to reject everything that is opposed to it. There are various ways of sinning against faith:

Paragraph 2089: Incredulity is the neglect of revealed truth or the willful refusal to assent to it. “schism is the refusal of submission to the Roman Pontiff or of communion with the members of the Church subject to him.”

President Barack Hussein Obama is to be the featured speaker at this year’s commencement ceremonies at Notre Dame University as well as receive an honorary degree. One of the leading and probably the most visible Roman Catholic institutions of higher learning not just in North America but the world. Take a moment and examine President Obama’s record over the first one hundred days and where it stands in opposition to the Roman Catholic Church. 

First was the rescinding of the Mexico City policy which forbid the use of United States foreign aid to fund abortions. Then the endless number of appointments of individuals absolutely opposed to the teachings of the Church on the matter of abortion. Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton within the last week affirmed her unabashed support of “women’s reproductive health care”. Secretary of Homeland Security, Janet Napolitano labeled “anti abortion groups” as domestic terrorists. (This would include the Roman Catholic Church in this group, by the way.) Additionally, the Vatican has rebuffed three, not one, not two but three candidates to be the Ambassador to the Holy See because of their weakness on pro life issues. Secretary of Health and Human Services appointee Kathleen Sebelius, Governor of the State of Kansas, accepted tens of thousands of dollars directly from George Tiller who is quite possibly the most notorious baby killer since Josef Mengele of Auschwitz infamy. She also received money from his political action committee, ProKanDo PAC to further fund her campaigns.

This is a president devoted to removing the last vestige of protection for the unborn. When pressed during a Q&A prior to his election about when he thought life began, his response was, “That’s way above my pay grade.” Well that begs the question that if there is any question about when life begins then maybe we should err on the side of life. Does that make sense to anybody else but me? But I digress.

Fr. John Jenkins in conjunction with the board of trustees at Notre Dame has obstinately defied the guidance of the Holy See and the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. In so doing Fr. Jenkins is leading the souls of many faithful into tacit support of grave evil. His actions have created a “schism” within the faithful of the United States. It is high time that our Bishops hold these rogue priests accountable. A nationwide boycott of Notre Dame by all catholics should be held until Fr. Jenkins publicly apologizes or is removed from his position. We don’t want excuses as to why he was invited or what it really represents. We don’t care what his reasoning was because it was flawed and irresponsible. If he disagrees with the Church maybe he should look into a new vocation like, say, social work. Fr. Jenkins  profanes his position by his disobedience to the Church.

Judicial Activism and the Complicit Media

The unprecedented overreaching by the Kansas Supreme Court in silencing a custodian of records from a criminal investigation and preventing that same custodian from testifying in a court of law, has dragged due process into the sewer. The testimony of a custodian of records in a court of law establishes the veracity and content of said records. This is a necessary step in establishing evidential foundation. By gagging the custodian without statue or precedent is judicial activism at the highest level.

The records stem from an investigation into George Tiller's abortion mill in Wichita, KS and Planned Parenthood in Johnson County, KS. Judge Anderson was appointed custodian of these records in 2004 by the same Kansas Supreme Court. The gag order was sought by Attorney General Steve Six.

Attorney General Six is an appointee of Democrat Governor Kathleen Sebelius. Gov. Sebelius makes no apologies for the largess donations from a PAC whose major contributors are George Tiller and Planned Parenthood. Bleeding Kansas is taking on whole new meanings in our present day. The web of money, appointees, and cronyism is nauseatingly apparent. From the court appointed justices to the appointment of the current Attorney General.

Where is the media in all of this? If the records exonerated Tiller and Planned Parenthood would the custodian be allowed to testify? Ladies and gentleman, this is a slippery slope we are currently on. If the courts can dictate who will testify and who will not testify in a court of law what good are the laws that we have on the books now? What use is our legislature and the voting power of the public at this point?

I call for the media to get off of their collective butts and do their job to investigate this travesty of justice and shed some light of day on our courts. Impeachable offenses have occurred and these offenses need to be pursued to their judicial end!

Scott