Obama at Notre Dame: Another protest

Just when you think you have given away all the fruit cakes during the holidays, you always find one more in the cupboard.

"Harvard University law professor Mary Ann Glendon explains in a letter to Notre Dame's president that giving Obama an honorary degree violates the U.S. bishops' 2004 statement that Catholic institutions shouldn't honor people whose actions conflict with the church's moral principles."
---

Yeah, and they also think it's ok for Catholic priests to sexually abuse little boys.

What a bunch of fracking hypocrites!

Those individuals are entitled to their opinions and to refuse the honors, if they so chose. Just as those men and women who differ with their opinion are entitled to theirs !! The Catholic Church is an ancient institution that better join the 21st century, if it wishes to remain a viable institution. They found it prudent to reject the Inquisitions methods and attitudes, when they were discovered and I think they should, now, allow men and women of good conscience to decide for themselves, what matters in their lives. I think it is high time, for the Church to quit treating adults, as though they were children. They are capable of deciding moral issues, without the threat of eternal damnation. Where are those voices when war breaks out, or poverty rears its ugly head. I don't hear their protests then !! I wonder if the ambassador was protesting at the latest capital punishment spectacle !! I didn't think so !! How about the slaughter in Baghdad !!? I didn't think so !!
SUPPORT OUR TROOPS, BRING THEM HOME, ALIVE AND WHOLE. NOW.

The Catholic church and their moral principles. What a joke.
The leadership of the Catholic church is infested with hypocrites and bigots who misrepresent the Good Book everyday of the year.
If this Mr. D'Arcy wants to talk about the destruction of innocent human life, he should look no further than the death and destruction caused by the previous administration in Iraq.

I'm supposed to take the ethical concerns of someone who officially represented the Bush Administration, the adminstration of an unjust war and torture seriously? Ms. Glendon woiuld have defiled the stage with her very presence. The Notre Dame community should be pleased that this supporter of crimes against humanity will not be at their event.

"Harvard University law professor Mary Ann Glendon explains in a letter to Notre Dame's president that giving Obama an honorary degree violates the U.S. bishops' 2004 statement that Catholic institutions shouldn't honor people whose actions conflict with the church's moral principles."

Other church "moral" principles:

Against the death penalty.
Against the war in Iraq. (And yes, I know Bush's speech at ND was before 9/11 and the Iraq war, just making a point.)
In favor of universal health care.
In favor of amnesty for illegal aliens.

Oh, but Bush's honorary degree was o.k. Ms. Glendon, your hypocrisy is astounding.

BTW, ALL these "honorary degrees" are just silly anyway, regardless of political party.

Just hope The Obam team doesn't try to cover the religious symbols like they did at Georgetown..

Watching the Republican Party die off by virtual suicide is fun for me. They are accomplishing this while still getting the msm to bend over and allow their spurious attitudes, views that garner such miniscule support, to be half of most debates. Pretty unjustifiably so. They lied about torture for 7 years and now think it's peachy. They held up to 95% innocents at Gitmo.

They tortured POWs in Iraq to prove false "facts" that they believed or claimed they believed.

The most immoral administartion possibly ever and this Ambassador to the VAtican thinks of just one pet issue.

I can't wait for the Repblican Party to die, we need a real opposition party, one that makes sense and believes in rational alternatives. Not these useless regurgitating anachronistic right-wing Republicans stuck somewhere back in the middle ages. Well, the middle ages with assault weapons added in for fun sake. I am sure the Vatican loves no gun control, right? And destabilizing war in Iraq.

Morals? Too bad Republicans really don't have any, in fact.

Inky,

The standard protocol is that when the president is conducting official business, religious symbols should not be in the background. The event at Notre Dame is not official business, but university business.

Frankly, I think Obama should tell Notre Dame "Thanks, but no thanks," as it has served as a symbolic event the religious zealots could use in their attempt to rally supporters around their goal to establish a christian theocracy and impose their sectarian doctrine on the entire nation.

Inky,
The standard protocol is that when the president is conducting official business, religious symbols should not be in the background. The event at Notre Dame is not official business, but university business.
Frankly, I think Obama should tell Notre Dame "Thanks, but no thanks," as it has served as a symbolic event the religious zealots could use in their attempt to rally supporters around their goal to establish a christian theocracy and impose their sectarian doctrine on the entire nation.
Posted by: Larry-T | April 27, 2009 4:53 P

Larry- agree with you all the way on "thanks but No Thanks"

Ambassador Glenden is not worthy of the honor from Notre Dame. Not having the humility to say that publicly but having the moral stature to not take what she does not deserve, she has framed it in these lofty terms. I agree with Ms Glendon, there are several reasons for her not to share the stage with the president. We will all be better off for her action.

Open letter to Mary Ann Glendon,

Dear Ms. Glendon,

Your level of hypocracy betrays you claims to honest and concern for life. Under George W. Bush you were perfectly fine with the whole scale murder of hundreds of thousands of Iraqi and Afghani peoples. When it comes to bombing living human beings with families, the poor, the elderly, orphaned children and the handicap with 5,000 bombs being dropped out of the tail end of transport planes, you are a supporter of mass murder.

Your claims to righteousness are false and an embarrassment to any thoughtful catholic.

Would you please explain "honor those who act in defiance of our fundamental moral principles" in relation to the church's position in publically humiliating and excommuicating a 9 year old girl and her family in Brazil for their decision to all the 9 year old girl who had been raped by her step-father and let pregant with twins that would have killed her if she decided against the abortion. The cardinal in Brazil publically tortured this family in front of the whole country rather than offer them comfort and support during a very difficult decision.

Perhaps your self righteous notion of "honor those who act in defiance of our fundamental moral principles" would be more open to going back to those good old days when girls in my neighborhood had to us coat-hangers to perform abortions on themselves in public restrooms or crossing boarders to get abortions in Tia Juana by untrained men pretending to be doctors, leaving some young teenaged girls damaged for life or even dead from the infections or from hemoraging from internal wounds.

This medal needs to be awarded to those of greater moral principles than your own. And Notre Dame should be ashamed of offer it to someone such as yourself. YOU DON"T DESERVE IT. So thanks for turning it down.

Open letter to Mary Ann Glendon,

Dear Ms. Glendon,

Your level of hypocracy betrays you claims to honest concern for life. Under George W. Bush you were perfectly fine with the whole scale murder of hundreds of thousands of Iraqi and Afghani peoples. When it comes to bombing living human beings with families, the poor, the elderly, orphaned children and the handicap with 5,000 ton bombs being dropped out of transport planes, you are a supporter of mass murder.

Your claims to righteousness are false and an embarrassment to any thoughtful catholic.

Would you please explain "honor those who act in defiance of our fundamental moral principles" in relation to the church's position of publically humiliating and excommuicating a 9 year old girl and her family in Brazil for their decision to allow the 9 year old girl who had been raped by her step-father and left pregant with twins that would have killed her if she decided against the abortion? The cardinal in Brazil publically tortured this family in front of the whole country rather than offer them comfort and support during a very difficult decision.

Perhaps your self righteous notion of "honor those who act in defiance of our fundamental moral principles" would be more open to going back to those good old days when girls in my neighborhood had to use coat-hangers to perform abortions on themselves in public restrooms or cross borders to get abortions in Tia Juana by untrained men pretending to be doctors, leaving some young teenaged girls damaged for life or even dead from the infections or from hemoraging from internal wounds.

This medal needs to be awarded to those of greater moral principles than your own. And Notre Dame should be ashamed of offering it to someone such as yourself. YOU DON"T DESERVE IT. So thanks for turning it down.

A devout Catholic and church employee

Something tells me this is not going to be a happy occasion for anyone involved, this commencement day.

White House needs some depth on the protocol and scheduling bench.

Don't do another Bitberg.

This is really sad. Conservative Catholics (I'm one of them) should remember that people judge us by our actions. By turning on President Obama, certain members of the Church portray us as some kind of exclusive club. I have to believe that Christ would sit down at a meal with Obama while some bishop would have a fit over the event. We extend the hand of friendship, but sinners should not touch it.

On a different web site, I read the person's entire letter, which provides a much different picture than presented here. She was awarded this honor months and months ago and was very honored by it. She wasn't crazy about the Obama DEGREE, not him speaking, because conferring the degree means a catholic university is honoring a position it finds abhorrent. I'm pro-choice and I absolutely don't understand ND giving Obama an honorary degree, given his positions. Having him speak is different than giving him a degree. Then, she found out people -- including ND itself -- were starting to treat her as the counter balance to Obama and she said, no way. Graduation isn't point/counterpoint.

In any case, her letter is extremely thoughtful and sane. At the end, she says she'd release the entire letter, but wouldn't comment any further than that. She's not a crazy, but many of the people responding here are.

Beth, tell us again how supporting the unjust war in Iraq and the use of torture is in line with the traditions and teachings of the Catholic Church. Ms. Glendon is as unfit to recieve an honor from ND as Obama is on that basis.

Beth, next time, why don't you take the extra 10 seconds and post the link to your arguement. I make a simple claim that the fact that she is a practicing catholic makes her a crazy and a hypocrat no matter what she writes. I think ND is a relic as well with their policies. Anyone that goes to church better wake up and quite being sheeple.

All catholics ought to applaud the lady for her stance. The liberal academies ought to remember the edicts of the church they preresent. honoring someone, Obama, who besides his personal veiw influences so many other with his pro-muder of the unborn agenda.

Xcellentform -- I was in a hurry. Sorry. Now I'll have to find a copy! Will try to do so later.

I'm not saying I agree with Glendon -- I was just trying to point out that her position was a little more thoughtful and nuanced (a favorite Obama word/position!) than I thought was presented here.

She has a right to refuse that award. She has a right to express her opinion. I am getting concerned on matters of free speech. I am a liberal and proud of it. I will not bully or vilify anyone for rights that we have long fought for. Since when did we become the bullies? Two women have expressed opinions that I do not agree with, but I treasure their right to do so.

This is all about politics, isn't it? Ms. Glendon was a George W. Bush appointee to the Vatican -- that means that she donated money or services to his campaign and identified with his administration. It also means that she supported the Iraq war (which Catholic bishops and the Pope denounced). Perhaps Notre Dame can find someone who personifies all of the Catholic teachings rather than just the politically convenient ones in today's environment.

Pat, there's no need to be concerned over free speech. The First Amendment right to freedom of speech refers to the government; the government can't prevent you from saying what you want. The rest of us are free to disagree with whatever anyone says; doing so isn't a violation of free speech. The Swamp doesn't have to post every comment; just ask John D. Notre Dame is free to invite, or disinvite, whoever it wants. That high school in the western suburbs doesn't have to give a forum to Bill Ayers. If your speech embarrasses your employer, he doesn't have to keep you on. And on and on.

What a very hateful bunch of comments! Pretty sad!

Lots of coolaid drinking going on here. Will you ever learn that you can't force your beliefs or lack therof on other people. Oh well guess you Nazis will take the nation anyway.
Freedom of speech means you said something and didn't get arrested for it.

For decades the anti-choice mob has been destroying the Catholic Church with their narrow-minded obsession with one political issue that can never be resolved through force. Whether or not to terminate a pregnancy is by its very nature, a private issue. If the Church would do a better job of instilling young women with a wider range of involvement and value in the church, and more focus on spirituality instead of politics, then abortion would be a non-issue. There was a time when Catholicism stood for compassion, anti-materialism, and spirituality. Co-opting dogma in support of a narrow political agenda is dividing the Church and pushing people away from it. I deeply resent the loss of the Church I once was proud to belong to.

Will waterboard to save a
baby. Would go to Iraq to
free them of Sadam Hussein
And again, will waterboard
to save a baby, any day. Iraq was
fought to save lives. Babies
are killed for kids to go
party some more. Get it
you morons?