Editorial: Disagreeing with Doug Kmiec One More Time

Catholic Online ^ | 6/19/08 | Deacon Keith Fournier

[tcg]

...My response is to assert another hierarchy for Doug to consider, one which is of logical derivation, a hierarchy that reflects our obligation to restrain the effects of the evil upon the persons injured. The severity of the consequences of our failure to defend the victims is obviously different. To borrow from an old adage of negligence law attributed to Justice Cardozo, of which my colleague is familiar, the “risk to be perceived defines the duty to be obeyed”.

Yes Doug, you are accurate, both abortion and racism are intrinsic evils and both must be categorically exposed and opposed as such. Perhaps they are not capable of the same kind of ranking in a hierarchy of values as Bishop Marzio demonstrated in his explanation of the distinction of issues and the exercise of our prudential judgment. However, that does not mean that one cannot apply any "ranking" in considering between their immediate effects and our positive moral and civil obligations.

The victims of racism suffer grave harm and we should do all that we can to prevent that harm by helping them. However, in most instances, in the United States at least, they still have their lives, a right to redress the grievance and an opportunity to be compensated for the injury.

The victims of abortion can never defend themselves against the offense committed against them without our help in the first instance and can do nothing afterwards because they are dead. The abortion is an evil act committed against them. Their voice is not heard because it is muffled by the wall of the womb of their mother, once the safest place for any human person.

[tcg]

Doug Kmiec was one of thirty religious leaders to recently meet with Senator Barack Obama. He wrote an exclusive article on the meeting with assertions which must be addressed.

[the invisib1e hand]

does come right out and say that anyone who opposes obama goes to hell?

[Tax-chick]

... does come right out and say that anyone who opposes obama goes to hell?

No, but he seems to be saying that anyone who opposes Osama is racist:

Doug continues “ ... as I listened to Senator Obama speak with powerful empathy for those less advantaged of all races and ethnicities in our land, I thought of the many people who say in hushed voices that America is not prepared to vote for a black man. This is inconceivable to me and many, and yet, how are we to respond when political analysts proffer the Senator’s race as the explanation for his lopsided primary defeats in places like West Virginia, Ohio, and Pennsylvania?”

Well, Doug, I'd respond that you seem to have a bad case of Liberal Guilt. If Obama were white (wait a minute - isn't he just as white as he is black? well, anyway) or Chinese or Russian or from Proxima Centauri, he'd still be an anti-American, death-eating Marxist, and I won't vote for him for dog catcher.

[montag813]

Doug Kmiec was one of thirty religious leaders to recently meet with Senator Barack Obama. He wrote an exclusive article on the meeting with assertions which must be addressed.

Why should Kmiec assertions be addressed? He is an idiot. Obama is the most radical pro-abortion presidential candidate in history, and Kmiec, who falsely claims to be pro-life, supports him. Kmiec has also spouted liberal line on climate change, "Big Oil" and Iraq, and is therefore clearly a conservative fraud, and not worth any more attention or acknowledgment. Why give Kmiec any more press with threads such as this.

[tcg]

Because if we do not, many, many more people will de deluded. The shrill old taunts and the charged language are not doing much. In addition, placing the right to life on the same level as climate issues is also a mistake. there are many who defend the right to life and do not tow the conservative line on some of these other issues.Obama is gaining support even from even “conservative” ranks. Frankly, the days of “conservative-good”, “liberal-bad” are over. We need effective issue discussions or Obama will win and the Democrats will sweep both houses. After all, the alternative candidate is not the strongest the Republicans could have nominated.

[roses of sharon]

Kmiec watches to much Oprah, he is in love with an exotic candidate......and believes if he supports him, slavery will somehow be paid for.

LOL, just another dingleberry of a man!

[Salvation]

Anyone who supports Obama supports abortion and the Catholic Church has strict guidelines about that. This guy has excommunicated himself.

[Salvation]

1:

CCC Search Result - Paragraph # 2271  (618 bytes )  preview document matches 1 Since the first century the Church has affirmed the moral evil of every procured abortion. This teaching has not changed and remains unchangeable. Direct abortion, URL: http://www.scborromeo.org/ccc/para/2271.htm

97%

2:

CCC Search Result - Paragraph # 2272  (580 bytes )  preview document matches 2 Formal cooperation in an abortion constitutes a grave offense. The Church attaches the canonical penalty of excommunication to this crime against human life. "A URL: http://www.scborromeo.org/ccc/para/2272.htm

96%

3:

CCC Search Result - Paragraph # 2322  (290 bytes )  preview document matches 2 From its conception, the child has the right to life. Direct abortion, that is, abortion willed as an end or as a means, is a "criminal" practice (GS 27 § 3), URL: http://www.scborromeo.org/ccc/para/2322.htm

96%

4:	CCC Search Result - Paragraph # 2274  (554 bytes )  preview document matches gravely opposed to the moral law when this is done with the thought of possibly inducing an abortion, depending upon the results: a diagnosis must not be the equivalent URL: http://www.scborromeo.org/ccc/para/2274.htm

[CharlesWayneCT]

He can be addressed trivially.

His argument on abortion was that McCain wants to empower the state to stop abortions, and Obama wants to give the woman the power to stop her own abortion, and that Obama may have the better position because it appeals to the basest interaction, that of the individual.

Which shows his stupidity, because McCain’s allowance for state action does not PRECLUDE the woman’s action. It instead EMPOWERS the woman to do the right thing, by decreasing the societal pressure to do the wrong thing.

In other words, while abortion is legal, it increases the pressure on women to have abortions. Society says it’s OK, and that allows her husband, friends, parents, to push her into making the wrong decision.

But make it illegal, and the ONLY pressure left is that of her own selfish desire. A powerful adversary to overcome, but still more easily defeated.

Anyway, since Doug couldn’t even see that McCain’s approach is EVERYTHING Obama offers, PLUS more, his remaining argument is useless and should be dismissed as the rantings of a person stricken by daftness.

[Salvation]

Catholicis CANNOT vote for Obama!

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[mimaw]

Depends on what kind of Catholic you are. Kmiec must be a Jesuit Catholic like Russert and Matthews. I heard Matthews on hardball remark about the Jesuit Church the Russert funeral was held at. He said the only things that counted as sin with the Jesuits was nuclear war and racism.

[tcg]

Good reply. You should submit an article to the site which posted his.