Did We Pay For This?

"Participants who rated higher in disgust sensitivity were more likely to oppose gay marriage and abortion."

That's what the fine scholars at Cornell University discovered from their comprehensive surveys of 272 people.

Having learned absolutely nothing of any significant value as a result of said study, the researchers plan to soon return to their primary activity of filling out grant applications.

The Fighting Irish

President Obama has been scheduled to speak during the commencement ceremony at Notre Dame. I first saw an article about it on Newsmax.com yesterday. I forwarded it to a devout Catholic friend who I knew would get riled up, but decided not to blog about it. Today the story hit the mainstream (and here) and I will throw in my two cents.

At issue is whether or not President Obama is an appropriate selection for the most recognizable Catholic university in the country given his positions on topics such as abortion and stem cell research. Some say the university should lay aside its grievances with "the man" Obama and welcome the honor of having the "head of state" Obama speak to them. Others, tens of thousands of others, are content to wait until 2013 to invite the next President. 

I say to my Catholic friends, if you're not willing to stand up for your convictions, who will?

I'm certain Notre Dame would not have invited the likes of Adolf Hitler, Robert Mugabe or Fidel Castro to speak at its ceremony, yet they also were heads of state. The title of "President of the United States" should not trump who Obama is as a man and what he represents. No, I'm not claiming that Obama is similar to any of the people I just mentioned, except that all, at one time or another, are/were the "leader" of their respective countries. What I am saying is despite the fact that Obama won the popular vote on election day and that many Catholics undoubtedly voted for him, Notre Dame, as an icon of the Catholic church, must disassociate itself from "the man" Obama whose policies cut at the very center of core Catholic beliefs - namely, the value placed on human life. 

The President will only speak at three universities this year, Notre Dame being among them. That is quite an honor. But it is much more honorable to be true to one's self.

Stand up and be counted, Notre Dame. 

Obortion

This is old news now, but I'm trying to get rid of my backlog of time-sensitive half-written blog posts.

Brief summary: In one of his first acts as POTUS, President Obama, by executive order, removed the ban that states federal funds cannot in any way be used to support abortion internationally.

I only have two issues with this story:

1) The way it was promoted in the media was that this was a direct shot at President Bush, Jr.; that this act somehow made right the great evil that had transpired under the prior administration. The fact is, as you can read in the full text, the policy dates back to President Reagan. The policy was continued under President Bush, Sr., then lifted with President Clinton, only to be reestablished again with President Bush, Jr. Odds are the ban will be enforced once again in 2013. There's no story here - it is now a Presidential tradition.

2) The part that most upsets me about this story is that our tax dollars are being used to fund ANYTHING in other countries, let alone something so controversial as abortion. I'm certainly not calling for a ban on foreign aid or disaster relief. But abortion funding hardly fits either of those bills. Are we running such a surplus that we can afford to give money to other countries for planned parenthood?

Enjoy this educational video about where some of that "family planning" money ends up.