PEORIA -- Has the national obsession with TV/sports/Facebook/etc. totally addled the brains of otherwise sensible people, including some so-called liberals?
If not, how explain the rush to defend the Catholic bishops' attack on the Obama administration for requiring all hospitals and schools, whatever their religious sponsorship, to include contraceptives in their insurance packages for employees?
It's unconstitutional and violates freedom of conscience, bray the opponents.
Say what? No it's not.
What if these clergy decide they don't want to serve blacks or gays, because that violates their conscience!
That's discrimination, and illegal. But to refuse to provide contraceptives discriminates against women and their health care needs.
These institutions get tax dollars, paid by all of us.
We have no choice in paying for war or other things we dislike through our taxes, so the argument that we shouldn't have to pay for what violates the conscience of a small group of Catholic clergy is ridiculous.
If you think contraceptives are wrong, don't use them. But leave that decision up to women; 98 percent of Catholics use them, incidentally.
And 80 percent of the public supports the Obama decision on the contraceptive issue, according to Rachel Maddow on Meet the Press today. She was one of the few sane voices on that show.
If you think abortion is wrong, don't have one. Again leave that decision up to women, not the male clergy who want to control women by keeping them barefoot and pregnant with so many children they can't pursue a career or leave an abusive husband.
As for the Komen foundation debacle, that's just another naked power grab by Republicans trying to get votes by mollifying their right wing anti-abortion base. Bush operative Ari Fleischer was behind it.
It's GAGGaF again -- gays, abortion, guns, god and the flag, perfect distractions from the harsh economic realities of Republican sponsored 'vulture capitalism.'
These are known as 'wedge issues' that wedge the public from their brains. They seem to work better on liberal TV commentators such as Chris Matthews and Mark Shields.
Real liberals should start thinking seriously about these issues, and stop falling for the discredited catholic/evangelical clergy line, that even the public does not support.
Elaine Hopkins
UPDATE 2/7/12: Here's a terrific article on the Komen foundation, a GOP front group.
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Posted by: Career information | February 07, 2012 at 06:03 AM