Date: 2008-12-01 09:01 Subject: Former Denver Archbishop Has Glue Sniffing Addiction. Security: Public Location: Talking out my butt Mood: crappy Tags: american politics, anti life, apocalyptic, barack obama, j. francis stafford, pro-choice, roe v wade, roman catholic church

Catholic Cleric must be sniffing glue. That is the only logical explanation.

I am flabbergasted! I have been mulling over a statement made recently by the former Archbishop of Denver, J. Francis Stafford, that the election of Barack Obama signals a time of trial for the United States. I have attempted several responses over the past week only to send them to the recycle bin on my laptop. In case Fr. Stafford has been sleeping off a long bender somewhere his colleagues should explain to him that the United States is already in a time of trial. We have been in this situation for several years now.

The erstwhile Archbishop claims that Obama is apocalyptic! But, what he is basing that on? I have no idea. If you want to lay an accusation of this magnitude on someone’s doorstep lets place it at George W. Bush’s and those that share with him the neo conservative ideology that have helped get our country in the mess it is in today.

According to Stafford, Obama is aggressive, disruptive and apocalyptic. I almost made an appointment with my eye doctor after reading this as I was certain he was talking about Bush. After slapping myself in the face a few times I reread and saw, indeed, he was talking about Obama. The Catholic Cleric seems confused.

Typical of conservative religious minds the entirety of Stafford’s political thought is based entirely on one issue alone, Roe v. Wade. The Supreme Court ruling which legalized abortion in 1973 occurred when our president elect was a mere school boy of 12 years of age.

I am fond of saying that being pro-choice does not make one pro-abortion. It just makes us pro-choice. In other words we believe that the individual, not the state, not some August religious body, must make the moral choices regarding ones reproductive rights.

The president is not responsible for this decision other than the appointing of Supreme Court justices who go through an incredible vetting process before they are approved. Retirement, death or resignation are the only times Obama would be in a position to effect the Supreme Court.

Stafford would also do well to remember that due to the separation of powers the executive branch cannot mandate anything to the judicial branch. The justices make decisions independently of the White House.

Accusing Obama of having extremist anti-life platform is to ignore that past eight years of Bush Administration blunders and arrogance. The religious right and Catholic Church also oppose stem cell research which could save and improve the quality of lives of countless.

Let’s also remember that over half of the world’s Catholics live in Mexico, South America and Africa which have some of the worst forms of poverty, disease and economic destitution in the world. Yet, contraception is a sin! Apparently while it is a sin to terminate a clump of freshly fertilized cells it is quite okay to birth children into a world where suffering and misery will be their lot. Who cares if their parents can’t take care of themselves – the more the merrier.

In AIDS ravaged countries Catholic clerics have been found discouraging the use of condoms.

The Catholic Church has no business accusing others of being anti-life when there very policies and practices can be interpreted to be anti-life as well. Their continued discrimination against women and gays including blaming them for the clerical sex abuse problems, while not outright can be seen in their statements regarding gay priests and their increasing threats of excommunication. All of these show a continued anti-life and anti-liberty stance to life.

The leaders of the Catholic Church are in no position to cast moral judgments on the world when their own world is still entrenched in fraud, deceit and moral bankruptcy.