It’s been 60 years since America elected a Catholic President. Joe Biden will be the second. Despite the fact that I am also a Catholic, Biden’s religion doesn’t really matter to me. I voted for Barack Obama in 2012, but if he had lost, I would have thought, “Hey, that’s kinda cool. In consecutive contests, America elected a black guy and then a Mormon.”
Someday in the not-too-distant future, we will have our first Jewish President. But after I die, they’re going to have to cut off my head, freeze it, put it on a shelf next to Ted Williams, and then thaw it out in 400 years or so in order for me to see America’s first Muslim President.
In the election of 1960, one of the main arguments against John F. Kennedy was born of straight-up religious bigotry. If Kennedy were elected, or so it went, he would be a pawn of the Vatican and take his orders directly from the Pope. If that way of thinking even exists anymore these days, it has faded well into the background. But that doesn’t mean that Biden isn’t facing criticism because of his religion. He is, and it’s coming from Catholics who think that Biden just isn’t Catholic enough.
I always wanted to be a straight-A student in school, but if I get into Heaven with a B-minus, I’ll be cool with that. I have always tried to be the best Catholic I can be, but, believe me, there is an endless supply of mega-Catholics who are all too willing to tell me where I am falling short. All I know is that I’m as Catholic as I can be and, at this stage of my life, there’s no chance that I’m somehow going to enhance my Catholic-iosity.
For certain, I’m not looking to join some cultish offshoot of my church (Like the one to which Supreme Court nominee Amy Coney Barrett belongs) where my wife is a called a handmaid and I damn sure don’t want any part of a group where women are told, “It is important for you to verbalize your commitment to submission…. Tell him what you think about things, make your input, but let him make the decisions, and support them once they are made.” (That comes from the People of Praise’s magazine, Vine and Branches.)
Sadly, a certain number of Catholics are single-issue voters, casting their ballots for anybody who claims to be anti-abortion, no matter how vile or un-Christian the candidate’s other stances might be. When I was young, based on the gospels I heard in church, I always thought that Jesus was a liberal. He cared about the sick and the poor, two groups that rarely get mentioned in the official party platform at the Republican National Convention. Priests were warriors for social justice. But somewhere along the line, things got hijacked by right-wingers, who then went on to form the ultimate unholy alliance with politicians, leaving many Catholics to wonder what the hell was going on.
In 2009, some members of the US Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), a group who used to fight for social justice, joined with conservative Protestants in signing the Manhattan Declaration, a promise to fight against abortion and gay marriage. After they lost on the latter, they went all in on the former, supporting one crackpot politician after another. That includes Donald Trump, who only “became” anti-abortion after he decided to run as a Republican. (Odds are that he has actually paid for an abortion or two in his lifetime.)
In its voter guide, the USCCB argues that the fight against abortion is a “pre-eminent priority” (it isn’t). Then, the USCCB declined to add a message from the Pope himself that says “the lives of the poor, those already born, the destitute, the abandoned (are) equally sacred as (those of the) innocent unborn.” I don’t know, but if I were the Pope, I’d be doing some serious Bish-slapping about now.
The Church explicitly instructs its clergy not to tell the faithful how to vote. (Besides the obvious, it could also threaten the Church’s tax-exempt status.) But that isn’t stopping some tRump-licking members of the clergy. For example:
• The Bishop of Providence tweeted out “First time in a while that the Democratic ticket hasn’t had a Catholic on it. Sad.”
• A bishop in Tyler, Texas voiced his support for a vile video made by a priest in Wisconsin that tells Catholic Democrats to “repent your support of that party or face the fires of hell.” As Robert Wuhl would say, not much gray area there.
And, of course, the Great Satanist himself, Donald Trump (who literally doesn’t even know which end of the Bible is up), said of Joe Biden, “…no religion, no anything, hurt the Bible, hurt God.” (He speech funny.)
People shouldn’t vote for Joe Biden because he’s a practicing Catholic, and neither should they vote against him for that reason. Voting for him simply because he’s not Donald Trump is enough.
This article appears in Oct 15-21, 2020.
One on the long held truths in in this world is that in order to solve a problem you must first come to the realize that a problem exists. Danehy has come as close to realizing his problem as he ever will.
“Voting for him simply because he’s not Donald Trump is enough.”
Danehy doesn’t give a crap about the present or future America. The democrats could run a pumpkin and a corn stalk and he would advocate for and vote for them.
And sadly my friends, that’s true of a lot of people one the left. The worst pandemic we have in the United States is Trump Derangement Syndrome. Or more simply stated, HATRED!!!
I guess love your neighbor as yourself went out the window with your Catholicism. With Tom’s attitude a Muslim IS next. So sad.
Biden has enriched himself at our expense and Trump has donated his salary to charity. Catholics today would kill Martin Luther. Time for another Reformation.
don b! Man, you are so confused! I have no idea where to begin. What makes you sock-puppeting fucknuts waste your time trying to own the librards on the TW site? I guess that you got nothing else to do between shitting your drawers and staring outside the window until the orderly arrives to clean you. Pathetic to the nth degree. I’m talking captain arizona pathetic. Lord have mercy.
I enjoy the diverse opinions. That’s what America is all about. Nobody is right or wrong all the time. Let’s not become Twitter and censor speech. It all has a place at the table.
Full of supposition such as: (Odds are that he has actually paid for an abortion or two in his lifetime.). Not only cant you prove that, you have already worked it up in your mind that he did. This is why liberalism fails. As a Catholic and a conservative and someone who identifies as being gay I dont see any issue with the Churches stances. Im against abortion personally but Im not a woman so as any good Catholic would state, its not for me to judge nor dictate to anyone what they need to do. Its between them, their conscience and God. I disagree with gay marriage. Not merely for the fact that its mind-numbing liberal homogenization, but for the fact the gay community is rife with problems such as alcoholism, drug abuse, homelessness and still a non-cure for HIV/AIDS which currently medication could be rendered obsolete should it mutate – then were all back to 1980. The glaring similarity between Biden and Kennedy are their criminal associations. Joe Kennedy was a bootlegger and associated with the mob, just as Biden associates with mobs from different countries – one of which released the current virus we have today. This race isnt about religion its about two imperfect men: One who wants to see our country stand up for itself and have some semblance of self-worth for its people and one who want a to take us down a path of wholesale socialist anarchy. My vote is for Trump.
I look at this from the opposite standpoint. If abortion were not a political position what would be the democrats platform based on? I see the way they treat women and minorities otherwise. Just listen to the way Nancy Pelosi spoke to our beloved Wolff Blitzer. She told him she is feeding the poor and when he says that he sees them on the street begging for food, that “he should be feeding them.”
They really have come to the end of a legislative fanfest and find themselves nearly irrelevant.
For this reason I must vote against them as too much good has happened in the last four years to allow riots and racist cries supported by democrats to rule the country.
They are no longer fit. Sorry Tom.
Why are all republicans blaming democrats for trump’s America and his failures?
I guess they’re not the party of personal responsibility anymore.
Then, the last republican to take responsibility was Nixon, on the day he resigned.
As to Biden, until he ran for the White House he was considered one of the most
honest and decent people to ever serve by members of both parties. In his 36 years
in the Senate, he never owned a single share of stock, rode Amtrak to work every day,
lived in a modest house in a middle class neighborhood in Delaware
and was the poorest or next to poorest Senator every year. The only ‘big money’ he’s
made has been since he left the White House and sold 2 books and did some speaking
tours, like every other President or VP since Nixon.
Anyone who calls him corrupt is just plain lying or ideologically blind.
We will know the truth if the blind computer repairman that found these emails dies next week.
God protect him. Please. Trump has these people on the run.
Funny that you mentioned blind Kenneth.
This is a great “middle of the road” explanation of Biden’s problems.
https://www.chicagotribune.com/columns/john-kass/ct-joe-biden-ukraine-kass-20201015-5bholabkvrbtvmwbdd5zcyposu-story.html
Sorry @D Easton there is no longer a middle of the road with the Bidens. Another email was just shown in which Hunter told his daughter that Pop “takes half his pay.”
I can’t wait to hear that one explain away. Did Hunter get a paper route?
Has Biden cancelled his town hall tonight? If he is not asked it is career suicide for the host.
And , let’s all remember who said this:
The only ‘big money’ he’s
made has been since he left the White House and sold 2 books and did some speaking
tours, like every other President or VP since Nixon.
Anyone who calls him corrupt is just plain lying or ideologically blind.”
Shame, shame, shame Sgt Carter
As long as we are replaying the best of Biden, who could forget this hit from the 70s?
Even in the case of a story that garners Biden enormous and deserved sympathy — the loss of his wife and young daughter in a 1972 car accident — he edits the truth, and not in an innocent way. For many years he presented them as victims of a drunk driver. There was no evidence that the other driver was drunk; he wasn’t even at fault. That driver’s daughter wrote to Biden in 2001 to ask him to stop denigrating her late father, and he wrote a conciliatory note back. In 2007, during Biden’s second presidential campaign, he told the false story again. He apologized for it in 2009.
UNBELIEVABLE! Building his base of support with MADD victims. That’s just precious.
Jessie 85746 wrote:
Even in the case of a story that garners Biden enormous and deserved sympathy the loss of his wife and young daughter in a 1972 car accident he edits the truth, and not in an innocent way. For many years he presented them as victims of a drunk driver. There was no evidence that the other driver was drunk; he wasnt even at fault.
Bingo. He has sharp elbows and doesnt care who gets in his way, even if it is an innocent victim (the driver of the truck) as long as it gets him to the top.
Kenneth Groves wrote: “As to Biden, until he ran for the White House he was considered one of the most
honest and decent people to ever serve by members of both parties.”
That is a straight up lie. Just do a little Google search and you will easily find that when Biden was running for president in the late 80’s all of the major media outlets, The New York Times, The Washington Post, CBS, NBC, ABC and others were all over his lies.
Then when he ran again for president in 2008 all of his past lies came up again. During the campaign the Obama campaign dropped a dime on him to the press to bring up his past lies. Meanwhile, the Biden campaign was fined for improperly accepting discounted private plane flights and accepting donations from individuals above the legal limit.
Here is a short list of Joe Biden lies about his life:
Joe Biden 1987:
“I think I have a much higher IQ than you, I suspect. I went to law school on a full academic scholarship — the only one in my class to have a full academic scholarship. The first year in law school, I decided I didn’t want to be in law school and ended up in the bottom two-thirds of my class. And then decided I wanted to stay and went back to law school and, in fact, ended up in the top half of my class. I won the international moot court competition. I was the outstanding student in the political science department at the end of my year. I graduated with three degrees from undergraduate school and 165 credits; you only needed 123 credits. I would be delighted to sit down and compare my IQ to yours, Frank.”
Joe Biden didn’t attend law school on a full academic scholarship (He was on half scholarship for financial aid). He didn’t graduate in the top half of his class (76th out of 85), He didn’t win an award for moot court competition (It is not in any of his resumes or academic records, nor is there any other evidence of such). He did not win the award for outstanding student in the political science department (He later claimed he was only put up for the award). He didn’t not graduate with three degrees (He only graduated with one degree). Other than those lies, his statement is mostly true.
Joe Biden 2007:
Joe Biden claimed to have gone to Kunar province in Afghanistan and pinned the Silver Star on a Navy Captain. Joe Biden has never been to Kunar province nor pinned a Silver Star on a Navy Captain.
Joe Biden plagiarisms:
In 1987 Joe Biden lifted large portions of a speech from British politician Neal Kinnock without attribution which would have been difficult since Joe Biden stole Neal Kinnock’s life story and claimed it was his.
When people started checking into Joe Biden’s speeches after that found that he had plagiarized Hubert Humphrey, John and Robert Kennedy as well.
Joe Biden failed a class in law school because of plagiarism.
Joe Biden 1987:
In the Neal Kinnock speech and throughout his career to support his bona fides that he is just “regular middle class Joe” has claimed to be the first in his family to attend college. When he was eventually confronted with the lie Joe Biden finally admitted that he had plenty of ancestors who attended college.
Joe Biden 1972 and beyond:
The death of Joe Biden’s first wife: Joe Biden has never been shy about using personal tragedy to gain sympathy to advance his career even if he had to destroy the reputation of others.
For many years he told the apocryphal story about how his wife had been killed by a drunken driver. The truth is his wife was at fault for the accident and the driver of the truck was not drunk. What kind of sick individual uses the tragedy of his family and then defames another to advance his career?
Joe Biden 2020:
“The Boilermakers overwhelmingly endorse me, okay, so the Boilermakers Union has endorsed me because I sat down with them and went into great detail earlier to show their leadership exactly what I would do,”
Actually the Boilermakers Local #154 which represents boilermakers in Pennsylvania, West Virginia, and Ohio have endorsed President Trump. The International Brotherhood of Boilermakers has not endorsed anyone.
Kenneth Groves wrote: Why are all republicans blaming democrats for trump’s America and his failures?
I guess they’re not the party of personal responsibility anymore.
First. What failures? be specific.
Who is responsible for the riots and looting in cities like Portland, Seattle, Milwaukee and others?
President Trump?
If you say he is at fault you are like the husband who beats his wife and then blames her because she didnt do his laundry, cook his meals, wash the dishes, and make his coffee in the morning.
Kenneth Groves wrote: (Joe Biden) “lived in a modest house in a middle class neighborhood in Delaware”
Not really.
Joe Biden bought his house in a Wilmington Delaware suburb in 1996 for $396,000. It is 6,800 sq.ft.
Is there anyone here who considers a $396k (in 1996 dollars), 6,800 sq.ft. house modest?
You can Google the house and look at the neighborhood and see that it is anything but modest.
Just another lie from Kevin Groves.
I can understand why Kevin Groves has an affinity for Joe Biden.
They are both serial liars.
I have seen many of his posts and he lies with impunity about things that are easily re-searchable and things that are easily knowable.
So the question becomes, is Kevin Groves stupid, or a liar?
AZ/DC! wrote: What makes you sock-puppeting fucknuts . you got nothing else to do between shitting your drawers and staring outside the window until the orderly arrives to clean you.
If you really wrote that and believe that then you are a really bad human being.
tctw Writes: “For many years he told the apocryphal story about how his wife had been killed by a drunken driver. The truth is his wife was at fault for the accident and the driver of the truck was not drunk. What kind of sick individual uses the tragedy of his family and then defames another to advance his career?”
I think that his wife found out about his affair and decided to kill herself and the kids in order to punish him and ruin his career. She drove in front of that truck on purpose, perhaps while under the influence of alcohol.
“So the question becomes, is Kevin Groves stupid, or a liar?”
Yes
Lute writes: “I enjoy the diverse opinions. That’s what America is all about. Nobody is right or wrong all the time. Let’s not become Twitter and censor speech. It all has a place at the table.”
I used to think that but as I’ve gotten older and wiser I now realize that Democrats are wrong all of the time. Disgustingly so.
The Pope said:
“the lives of the poor, those already born, the destitute, the abandoned (are) equally sacred as (those of the) innocent unborn.”
So Lying Catholic Tom Danehy, do you agree or disagree? Are the unborn as equally sacred as those already born?
It is an easy question.
The Democrats always talk about how they are all about protecting people from cradle to grave.
In the Democrat universe the only problem is making it to the cradle.
That is the real struggle.
Thy shall not kill. (except unborn children).
Tom, we are Pro-Life, not anti-abortion. You are Anti-Life! Its funny how all the people for abortion are already born.
To: S P :
To outlaw an action is not the same thing as ending it. Prohibition proved that, so did the War on Drugs, laws against gambling, prostitution, murder, rape, etc. Abortion will NOT go away as long as people need it.
If politicians outlaw abortion, all that will happen is that a lot more women and girls will die or be maimed and suffer needless trauma in order to please the re-election whims of rich white guys in expensive suits in Washington. Of course when the daughters or granddaughters of these legislators become inconveniently pregnant (Note that I said WHEN, not IF.), the rich white guys will pay for the first-class airfare to fly their family member to a place where abortion is legal and safe. This will not be the case for those less affluent or less powerful.
If we allow people like those to make uninformed medical decisions for others, we can only refer to them truthfully as “anti-choice”, NOT “pro-life”. Nobody who is “pro-life” should want to see the poverty-stricken die while those of privilege undergo safe and routine medical care for the identical condition.
BTW, anybody remember when the anti-choice mob all parted their moorings during the unfortunate Terri Schiavo disgrace? Remember when Senate leader and, of course, Republican, Bill Frist, M.D., looked at a TV clip of her and “diagnosed” her as having a sentient and functioning brain? Remember when her autopsy showed conclusively that Frist and the rest of the anti-choice loons were 100% wrong? I do.
This is not another moral argument about how many angels can boogie on the head of a pin but instead a comparison of whether laws from the 15th century hurt and kill people without any reason.
As it said in the close of my first paragraph, abortion is NOT going to go away. Fetuses WILL continue to be aborted. Anti-choicers WILL continue to lie that “late-term abortions” are a threat to humanity. “Late term abortion” is a POLITICAL term, not a medical one. It simply means a pregnancy termination during the second trimester, in complete accordance with Supreme Court guidance.
Funny how the anti-choicers are all in favor of more dead women.
South Jersey Doc
Again, I apologize for any poor layout. Possible tech issue. I don’t know enough to guess.