Tuesday, March 30, 2004
Elections and Terrorism. Not what you think.
You Wouldn't Even Ask
-- Fr. Frank Pavone, National Director, Priests for Life
If a candidate who supported terrorism asked for your vote, would you say,
"I disagree with you on terrorism, but where do you stand on other
issues?"
I doubt it.
In fact, if a terrorism sympathizer presented him/herself for your
vote, you would immediately know that such a position disqualifies the
candidate for public office no matter how good he or she may be on other
issues. The horror of terrorism dwarfs whatever good might be found in the
candidate's plan for housing, education, or health care. Regarding those
plans, you wouldn't even ask. So why do so many people say, "This
candidate favors legal abortion. I disagree. But I'm voting for this
person because she has good ideas about health care (or some other
issue)."
Such a position makes no sense whatsoever, unless one is completely blind
to the violence of abortion. That, of course, is the problem. But we need
only see what abortion looks like, or read descriptions from the
abortionists themselves, and the evidence is clear. (USA Today refused to
sell me space for an ad that quoted abortionists describing their work
because the readers would be traumatized just by the words!)
Abortion is no less violent than terrorism. Any candidate who says
Abortion should be kept legal disqualifies him/herself from public
service. We need look no further, we need pay no attention to what that
candidate says on other issues. Support for abortion is enough for us to
decide not to vote for such a person.
Pope John Paul II put it this way: "Above all, the common outcry, which Is
justly made on behalf of human rights -- for example, the right to health,
to home, to work, to family, to culture -- is false and illusory if the
right to life, the most basic and fundamental right and the condition for
all other personal rights, is not defended with maximum
determination"(Christifideles Laici, 1988).
False and illusory. Those are strong and clear words that call for our
further reflection.
"I stand for adequate and comprehensive health care." So far, so good. But
as soon as you say that a procedure that tears the arms off of little
babies is part of "health care," then your understanding of the term
"health care" is obviously quite different from the actual meaning of the
words. In short, you lose credibility. Your claim to health care is
"illusory." It sounds good, but is in fact destructive, because it masks
an act of violence.
"My plan for adequate housing will succeed." Fine. But what are houses
for, if not for people to live in them? If you allow the killing of the
children who would otherwise live in those houses, how am I supposed to
get excited by your housing project?
It's easy to get confused by all the arguments in an election year. But If
you start by asking where candidates stand on abortion, you can eliminate
a lot of other questions you needn't even ask.
For more election related articles and information, visit
www.priestsforliferg/elections
For all the but . . . Catholics.
-- Fr. Frank Pavone, National Director, Priests for Life
If a candidate who supported terrorism asked for your vote, would you say,
"I disagree with you on terrorism, but where do you stand on other
issues?"
I doubt it.
In fact, if a terrorism sympathizer presented him/herself for your
vote, you would immediately know that such a position disqualifies the
candidate for public office no matter how good he or she may be on other
issues. The horror of terrorism dwarfs whatever good might be found in the
candidate's plan for housing, education, or health care. Regarding those
plans, you wouldn't even ask. So why do so many people say, "This
candidate favors legal abortion. I disagree. But I'm voting for this
person because she has good ideas about health care (or some other
issue)."
Such a position makes no sense whatsoever, unless one is completely blind
to the violence of abortion. That, of course, is the problem. But we need
only see what abortion looks like, or read descriptions from the
abortionists themselves, and the evidence is clear. (USA Today refused to
sell me space for an ad that quoted abortionists describing their work
because the readers would be traumatized just by the words!)
Abortion is no less violent than terrorism. Any candidate who says
Abortion should be kept legal disqualifies him/herself from public
service. We need look no further, we need pay no attention to what that
candidate says on other issues. Support for abortion is enough for us to
decide not to vote for such a person.
Pope John Paul II put it this way: "Above all, the common outcry, which Is
justly made on behalf of human rights -- for example, the right to health,
to home, to work, to family, to culture -- is false and illusory if the
right to life, the most basic and fundamental right and the condition for
all other personal rights, is not defended with maximum
determination"(Christifideles Laici, 1988).
False and illusory. Those are strong and clear words that call for our
further reflection.
"I stand for adequate and comprehensive health care." So far, so good. But
as soon as you say that a procedure that tears the arms off of little
babies is part of "health care," then your understanding of the term
"health care" is obviously quite different from the actual meaning of the
words. In short, you lose credibility. Your claim to health care is
"illusory." It sounds good, but is in fact destructive, because it masks
an act of violence.
"My plan for adequate housing will succeed." Fine. But what are houses
for, if not for people to live in them? If you allow the killing of the
children who would otherwise live in those houses, how am I supposed to
get excited by your housing project?
It's easy to get confused by all the arguments in an election year. But If
you start by asking where candidates stand on abortion, you can eliminate
a lot of other questions you needn't even ask.
For more election related articles and information, visit
www.priestsforliferg/elections
For all the but . . . Catholics.
