BLB_Oregon:
In other words, getting abortion made illegal will not stop abortions. That doesn’t mean it isn’t a start, but that what it will be: a start.
Mr. Bush leaves a lot to be desired. In spite of the number of our brothers and sisters who seem to think he walks on water and stems the rate of abortion, he isn’t going to cause a stampede of believers out of the Democratic party.
The stampede has begun-look at the Catholic support of Bush last election as compared to previous elections.
I am glad you acknowledge your error and now understand that the Governor of Texas has no power to commute a death sentence to a life sentence. And as we found out with Bush’s Fathers appointments to the Supreme Court appointng someone to a postion in no way assures they will do your bidding.
I am perplexed that you keep trying to convince me the death penatly is wrong. Unlike you I am so passionate in my oppostion to it I actually try and do something about it. It is obvious , however, that your oppostion to the death penatly begins and end with you oppostion to George Bush. It is a common postion. When Bush became Governor we were amazed at how many new people were showing up for vigils at executions-people who evidently werent nearly as concerned about the death Penalty when Democrat Ann Richards was in office.
One of the problems of those of us oppose the death penalty run into is the insincerity of so many of those who purport to support the cause. For instance it was a real zoo the night they executed Gary Graham. Instead of a dozen or so standing in silent protest we had celebrity night! 100s in attendance and speeches by Jesse Jackson, Bianca Jagger and a host of other celebrities and celebrity wanna be’s. And boy did Bush take a beating.
A week later, at the execution of a Hispanic who had killed a drug dealer in a drug deal gone bad we were back to the dozen or so in silent protest-this mans life did matter much becuase they couldnt use his death for political purposes. It is all so interesing to note that there was never much publicity and absolutely no national criticism when Ann Richards was the Governor.
As I said I suspect you fall into that categoery of those who’s oppostion to the Death penalty begins and ends with your opposition to George bush. It is rather obvious from your posts-your ignorance of the laws of Texas was a sure tip off-you were regurgitatng the Democrat talking points from the last two elections. But the real tip off is you claim that you oppose Republicans becuase they support the death Penatly while praising a Party who’s last three candidates also supported the death penalty! In fact there is very little oppostion to the Death penatly in the Democrat party.
I am, BTW, very aware that Bush would not have stopped the executions if he could have. I said I was disapointed in him for that-in fact that is my biggest bone to pick with the Republican party. However the number of executions in minsicule comapred to number of abortion and more importantly to me my Church allows for the death penalty.
Which brings us to the biggest errors in your posts - your contention that the Church opposes the death penatly. I wish they did but to contend so or even hint it is so is a flat out lie that needs to be corrected.
5 years ago at a reception for a friend of mines Ordination I cornered Archbishop Fiorenza and confronted him with some of the same quotes you used. He patiently explained to me that one would be correct in assumeing that John Paul II opposed the death penatly as it was practiced in the US. He said one could also correctly assume that that was the position of the American Bishops. However, he explained, it was wroing to read into that that the Church’s teachings condemned the death penalty as pracitced in the US. He told me the Church was very careful NOT to comment on the practices in the US-that is they had stated no official opinion as to whether the death penalty in the US fullfilled the requiremts laid out in the Catechism-he told me it was important to remember this becuase if the Pope wanted to he could chage the catechism with a stroke of a pen. He chose not to.
To be totally honest, unlike many in the movement, I have very little sympathy for those who are executed. Most, like Gary Graham, are the scum of the earth. I didn’t even buy into the fact Karla Faye Tucker deserved comutation becuase she had been born again-i couldnt get the vision of the pick axe she stuck in her victims head out of my mind. However I beleive that these people are under lock and key moral thing to do is to let them rot in jail.
We should all note, when preparing to vote, that our Church unequivocably condemns politicians who support abortion… There is no such statement concerning politicians who support the death penalty.
