Thursday, October 16, 2008

Annual Al Smith Memorial Dinner


I don't have a vote, and have only lived here for nine years, so I don't really understand the inner machinations of Church and State here in the Land of the Free. Call me naive, but is it not a little strange to greet unctuously and warmly the most anti-life candidate the US has ever produced at a Catholic dinner hosted by the Cardinal Archbishop of New York? That, of course, would never have happened in Germany in the 1930's. I suppose I am just not sophisticated enough to understand.

11 comments:

gemoftheocean said...

I thought so too. I only caught a bit of it, but some of that bit included that prat, aka Cardinal Egan. Steer well clear of him.

I thought his "Gracious" remarks to NObama were obnoxious. If you have to smooze with a****** to get money, it's not worth prostituting your values.

His remarks about Obama made me want to vomit.

Robert said...

Is this site taking sides in the US election. As an Englishman, and an English Conservative, Obama seems the Catholic choice as he is closer to Catholic social teaching.

the owl of the remove said...

Robert - this site is not "taking sides" - Obama is, without question, the most pro-abortion Presidential candidate ever seen in the USA - which is why more than 60 Bishops have actually been forced into teaching the Catholic Faith during this election.

Anonymous said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
GOR said...

In the 19th century the Catholic Church in the US was viewed as the church of poor immigrants (Irish, Italian etc.) and was looked down upon by the 'rich and powerful' WASPs and others in the Establishment.

In the 20th century the US Catholic Church sought to 'gain respectability and credibility' by cozying up to the rich and powerful (Spellman, Egan, McCarrick, Mahony - among others). Some of the current hierarchy still see this as the way to go.

The culmination of this was seen in the election of a Catholic - John F. Kennedy - in 1960. A further sign of 'success' was the election of Jesuit Fr. Robert Drinan to Congress in 1971.

The Catholic Church had arrived in the US! We were accepted! We were part of the rich and powerful!!!

I think we were better off and truer to the Gospel when we were a 'Pilgrim Church'.

the owl of the remove said...

Tibot - my picture of Bishops with Nazis should speak for itself - corrupt closeness to distasteful politicians by the Church is nothing new! I was genuinely scandalized by Egan - Obama's position is SO serious - his promise to, as his "first act" overturn FOCA - including even getting rid of the conscience cause for medical workers - overturn parental notification - makes him the most pro-abortion politicican EVER to run for President - scary!

ladybug said...

The problem is too few priests, bishops, and cardinals are willing to preach authentic church teaching. Their fear of offending is greater than their fear of God.

Anonymous said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
gemoftheocean said...

Tib: Make no mistake, if Nobama gets in he will try and take freedom of conscience away from doctors not to do abortions, abortion referrals etc. He will put in activist judges that rule not on the law, but what these "liberal" fascists WANT the law to be. ALREADY "gay marriage" has literally been shoved down our throats OVER the wishes of the people at the ballot box and in the legislation. They WILL try and stomp on 1st admendment rights of the "fairness doctrine" -- Nobama's people have already sued people sponsoring ads which merely repeat the truth of what this guy is all about. He's a Marxist, playing the race card. He's a Manchurian candidate, an Alinsky wanna be. If you loved Clintons arkancide thugs, you'll love these wolves in empty suits.

Liz said...

The Church is not teaching that we must leave Iraq immediately (since that would do more harm by destabilizing the situation). We can have different ideas on what the appropriate positions are on the continued conflict in Iraq,the economy, health care, etc., but abortion is different. To vote for a candidate who would immediately enact into law a bill which would allow any and all abortions and would not treat any babies born alive after a failed abortion up to the 9th month, is to vote for someone who stands completely opposed to traditional Christian teaching on the most important issue of all. He has wholeheartedly embraced the culture of death. The other issues are simply not proportionate, especially since we don't know what effect the stance of either candidate would actually have on the economy etc. We only know that voting for Sen. Obama means supporting someone who while he says abortion should be rare,will do everything in his power to make it more easily accessible, and who does not think it a moral wrong. I strongly suspect that under an Obama administration not only will health care works face job loss if they don't participate in abortions, but that opposing abortion will quickly come under hate speech legislation.

I disagree with John McCain on many issues, but given Sen. Obama's stated intent relative to FOCA I can't possibly vote for him in good conscience. I would suggest that if you can't vote for Sen. Mc Cain in good conscience that you find a third party candidate whom you can and leave Sen. Obama to the secular crowd.

As far as the dinner is concerned, I grew up in this country, but I grew up fundamentalist Pentecostal, so I really don't understand the culture of the Catholic hierarchy. I wouldn't have invited him, or any of the pro-choice Catholic politicians if it had been me, but perhaps the bishops have a different point of view that I simply don't understand. Of course the German bishops had a different point of view under Hitler as well...

Dymphna said...

I guess I'm not sophisticated enough either.