Comment

Comment by Patricia M. McBride on March 3, 2012 at 6:53am

Amanda, someone apparently went out in the area around Georgetown University (tuition to this school is 41,000 and room and board is 13,000 and then, we have books and other requirements on top of that which pales the 3,000 the young lady spoke about before congress), and what they found was that there are several places in close proximity to the school that offer totally free contraceptives which would eliminate the $3,000 expense for the 4 years this young lady was complaining about and wanting the catholic church to pay for against their beliefs.  So, this is not about contraceptives, this is about violating someone's religious freedom.

Comment by Patricia M. McBride on February 21, 2012 at 4:53pm

John, quite seriously, so do I.  We should not be forced to buy anything period, but most especially something we have religious objections to (I know that isn't what you said, so please don't correct me, because I do agree with you but I would expand what you have said personally).

I don't think the federal government should be doing even half of what they are trying to do and that goes back to before this president, but almost everything this president has done really falls upon the states to nullify!

Comment by Patricia M. McBride on February 21, 2012 at 2:12pm

Your examples are not good ones Amanda (and I mean it in a kind way).  First of all, we have a constitution which anyone who comes here knows is the law of the land, and the last time I checked, DOMA was still the law (no matter what Obama has done; he does not have power to impose or write enforceable law; only congress can do that), the bit about Kosher food won't fly, because Jewish people do eat Kosher food and have their own suppliers and some food suppliers decide on their own to process and and have thier foods certified as Kosher (I don't remember hearing the Jewish people were trying to or ever have tried to force thier food requirements on anyone else unlike Muslims who would in a Chicago heartbeat along with everything else).  We don't allow our children to be mutilated against their own free will, but somehow, I have a hard time putting that up against forcing Catholics to pay for birth control, day after abortion pills and the like which is a mortal sin for them...........I am thinking about by degree and significance.  One is a human rights issue and the other basically not one and certainly birth control is readily available in many places and therefore does not require forcing someone to commit a mortal sin for them specifically to provide it.  You have to be very careful what you use for examples as clearly some of the examples you are using do not really violate the first amendment and forcing Catholics to pay for and provide the birth control clearly does violate the first amendment and there is no argument you can make that will make it otherwise.  It is what it is.  The Catholics have had these tenets since WAY before this country was founded and the first amendment does clearly say "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting the free exercise thereof............"  In the case of the Jewish people, we don't, in the case of the Muslims (who are totally exempt from the health care law because it violates their religion to buy insurance....hmmm isn't that pretty similiar but they got exempted), and as far as the things you are talking about for Mormons and the mutilation, do you really believe it doesn't happen?  I have heard Muslims do it anyway or take their young girls over to the middle east and have it done.  In the case of the Muslims, about the only country that has them classified as what they are is Italy who does not give them any religious wavers or consideration; they classify them as a political group with religious elements which is what they are, but we have a president who was raised as a Muslim (and is still one in his heart), so they will be allowed what others are not allowed (and that has to do with this president who believes as they do because he was raised in their mosques).

Comment by amanda choate on February 21, 2012 at 1:09pm

Catholics are not being persecuted. They receive over 300 million a year in donations that are received tax free. If that is persecution, I want some of it. And for the very same reasons that Sharia does not usurp US law Catholic rules do not usurp US laws. We do not allow female circumcision in this country, a Muslim ritual, we do not allow polygomy, a Mormon ritual, we do not require all food be kosher, Jewish. So there are many times when religions are required to modify their rules to enjoy the many other freedoms provided by this country. Plus they hire individuals who they know may not share their beliefs and to require them to follow tenets of the Catholic church would soon relegate the care or education they provide second class.

Our country places the individual ahead of the institution. And I support that.