Pastor's
Page By Fr. George Welzbacher July 12, 2009 "And He who sat upon the throne said. "Behold, I make all things new!" (Apocalypse 2l:5). These words from the next-to-last chapter in the very last book of the Bible might be adapted to describe the mission that President Obama seems to have selected for himself, namely to promote a program of CHANGE so massive that it could prompt this appraisal from Newsweek's Editor-at-large Evan Thomas: "He [Obama] stands so far above us-he is like God!" The proposed reconstruction of our entire system of health care; the unprecedented assumption of control over major banks and financial institutions, not to mention the government's taking over much of America's automotive industry; the proposed imposition of an oppressively heavy carbon pollution tax in the interests of climate moderation; the extraordinary accumulation of a staggering new burden of debt; the implicit repudiation of certain principles that used to govern our national foreign policy, with sweeping denunciations of the real or supposed blunders and the putative malfeasance of previous administrations; and the mounting of a campaign to transform America's thiinking (and ultimately America's laws) with respect, to what constitutes appropriate sexual behavior, with a looming redefinition of the nature of marriage-on all of these fronts a genuine revolution is gathering force, full speed ahead! Thus far the president's most explicit challenge to the Judaeo-Christian moral code that has shaped our nation's character lies in his endorsement of homosexual behavior and in his advocacy of taxpayer subsidies for the killing of the innocent unborn. That such advocacy and such endorsement involve the rejection of basic truths of the Christian faith should be clear at once to anyone who takes the trouble to consult the following Passages of Scripture: with respect to homosexuality, Romans 1: 24-32; 1 Corinthians 6: 9-1 1; I Timothy 1:9- 11; and with respect to the killing of the innocent, I John 3:15 as well as Proverbs 6: 16-19. Two recent reports from the electronic media shed light on the revolution that he is leading on the frontiers of public morality. These reports were issued on the last day of June, the month officially designated by President Obama as "Gay Pride Month". *
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Obama
Celebrates Stonewall Anniversary, Denounces 'Worn Arguments' of Gay
Rights OpponentsJune 30, 2009, Catholic World News Daily Celebrating the 40th anniversary of the riots that marked the birth of the Gay Rights movement, President Barack Obama hosted an LGBT (Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender) Pride Month Reception at the While House and told his guests-including [self-declared gay] Episcopal Church Bishop V. Eugene Robinson-that 'There are still fellow citizens, perhaps neighbors or even family members and loved ones, who STILL holdfast to worn [out] arguments and OLD attitudes; who fail to see your families like their families; and who would deny you the rights that most Americans take for granted. And I know this is painful and I know it can be heartbreaking." After reiterating his OPPOSITION to the Defense of Marriage Act, the "don't ask, don't tell' military policy, and "the discriminatory ban on entry to the United States based on HIV status," the president paid tribute to the birth of the Gay Rights movement: "Now, 40 years ago, in the heart of New York City at a place called the Stonewall Inn, a group of citizens, including a few who are here today, as I said, defied an unjust policy and awakened a nascent movement. "It was the middle of the night. The police stormed the bar, which was known for being one of the few spots where it was safe to be gay in New York. Now, raids like this were entirely ordinary. Because it was considered obscene and illegal to be gay, no establishments for gays and lesbians could get a license to operate. The nature of these businesses, combined with the vulnerability of the gay community itself, meant places like Stonewall, and patrons inside, were often the victims of corruption and blackmail. "Now, ordinarily, the raid would come and the customers would disperse. But on this night, something was different. There are many accounts of what happened, and most have been lost to history, but what we do know is this: People didn't leave. They stood their ground. And over the course of several nights they declared that they had seen enough injustice in their time. This was an outpouring against not just what they experienced that night, but what they had experienced - their whole lives. And as with so many movements, it was also something more: It was a defining moment that these folks who had been marginalized rose up to challenge not just how the world saw them, but also how they saw themselves. "As we've seen so many times in history, once that spirit takes hold there is little that can stand in its way. (Applause.) And the riots at Stonewall gave way to protests, and protests gave way to a movement, and the movement gave way to a transformation that continues to this day .... It continues in your work and in your activism, in your fight to freely live your lives to the fullest. "In one year after the protests, a few hundred gays and lesbians and their supporters gathered at the Stonewall Inn to lead a historic march for equality. But when they reached Central Park, the few hundred that began the march had swelled to 5,000. Something had changed, and it would never change back. "The truth is when these folks protested at Stonewall 40 years ago no one could have imagined that you-or, for that matter, I-(laughter)-would be standing here today. (Applause.) So we are all witnesses to monumental changes in this country. That should give us hope, but we cannot rest. We must continue to do OUR part to make PROGRESS-step by step, law by law, mind by changing mind. And I want you to know that in this task I will not only be your friend, I will continue to be an ally and a CHAMPION and a President who FIGHTS with you and for you. Thanks very much, everybody. God bless you. *
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Obama's New Budget for
D.C. Allows Taxpayer Funding for Abortions www.catholicnewsagency.com
Washington D.C., June 30, 2009 President Obama has issued a budget recommendation for the 2010 fiscal year that would ease the restrictions on the use of taxpayer funds for abortions in Washington D.C., a change that has drawn criticism from pro-life organizations across the nation. Unlike other U.S. states and territories, the budget for the District of Columbia is reviewed and modified by Congress and the President before it is approved. In its submission for the fiscal year 2010, the Obama administration has REVERSED the "Dornan Amendment," introduced in 1988 to prevent both federal and local tax dollars from funding abortions in the District of Columbia, except in cases of rape or "where the life of the mother would be endangered if the fetus were carried to term." The recommended change has raised strong concerns among pro-life groups. "The Dornan Amendment is commonsense policy that should be retained by Congress," said Marjorie Dannenfelser, President of the Susan B. Anthony List, a network dedicated to supporting pro-life women in the political process. Dannenfelser joined the House Pro-Life Women's Caucus in speaking out against the change at a news conference last week. "Women facing unplanned pregnancies deserve woman-centered solutions to help both mother and child, not abortion on demand, which pits mother AGAINST child in the most tragic of circumstances," she said. "We won't find reductions in abortion as long as we continue to subsidize and promote it at taxpayers' expense," she continued. "The Obama administration's promise to find ways to reduce abortion numbers rings hollow in such an environment...." .... today's step is to urge Congress to authorize the funding of abortion on demand in the nation's capital, with funds appropriated by Congress," said Doug Johnson, legislative director for the NRLC. "If Congress goes along with the Obama proposal, the predictable result will be tax funding of several thousand elective abortions annually, including roughly 1,000 abortions annually that would not otherwise occur," Johnson explained, pointing to studies showing that policies BARRING tax-funded abortions actually prevent at least one-third of the abortions that would OTHERWISE occur among given populations. Christa Lopiccolo, director of life issues for the Archdiocese of Washington, also responded to the news, saying, "MORE than 40 percent of all pregnancies in the District of Columbia ALREADY end in abortion. In fact, Washington DC has one of the HIGHEST abortion rates in the country. " Lopiccolo expressed her belief that increased funding will likely increase the number of abortions in Washington, DC and went on to say that instead of more abortion, women need more access to services that will help them support the lives of their children. Noting that national surveys show that the majority of taxpayers in the District of Columbia OPPOSE abortion, she said that "it is unconscionable that funds from taxpayers ... would be used to destroy human life".... |