Free Republic

Governor Donald Carcieri is the Governor of Rhode Island and a Catholic Christian. He spoke to Rhode Island Radio Station WPRO and local reporters last week. He is facing the wrath of the militant Homosexual Equivalency Movement in Rhode Island. The Governor spoke the truth, defended a Catholic Bishop and offered to pray for Congressman Patrick Kennedy. Referring to Congressman Patrick Kennedy’s choice to have a public dispute with the Catholic Church he told the Press that the Congressman had made “outrageous statements about the Catholic church” and that Bishop Tobin had “no choice except to come back and defend...

Bill O'Reilly Interviews Rhode Island Bishop Thomas J. Tobin, who told Patrick Kennedy, son of the late Ted Kennedy, that he may not receive communion - 11/24/09

News broke this week that Thomas Tobin, the Catho lic bishop of Providence, RI, had in 2007 asked Rep. Patrick Kennedy to refrain from receiving Communion because of the congressman's support for legalized abortion. The ensuing howls of protest almost universally missed the point. Some Catholic writers charged that Tobin was sowing division within the church and "politicizing" the sacrament. On the pro-choice left, Tobin was flayed for everything from "religious blackmail" to -- inexplicably -- violating the separation of church and state. Perhaps the strangest comment came from former New York Gov. Mario Cuomo, who predicted that if pols...

With the House debate on health care at its hottest, the U.S. Catholic bishops issued a stunning ultimatum: Impose an absolute ban on tax funds for abortions, or we call for defeat of the Pelosi bill. Message received. The Stupak Amendment, named for Bart Stupak of Michigan, was promptly passed, to the delight of pro-life Catholics and the astonished outrage of pro-abortion Democrats. No member was more upset than Patrick Kennedy of Rhode Island, son of Edward Kennedy, who proceeded to bash the Church for imperiling the greatest advance for human rights in a generation. Rhode Island Bishop Thomas Tobin...

Gerry Moniz didn't hesitate when asked what she thinks of the nationally publicized dispute between Providence Bishop Thomas J. Tobin and Patrick Kennedy over whether the congressman should refrain from taking Communion given his support for abortion rights. "I think Patrick Kennedy is wrong," Moniz, 56, said when asked to comment on Monday at an East Providence shopping plaza. A Catholic from West Greenwich, she added, "If he doesn't want to be Catholic, he should go to another church. The rules of the Catholic Church are, "We don't approve of abortion.' And he doesn't like that." At St. Francis Chapel...

In an effort that has produced heated public feuds as well as significant changes in proposed health care legislation, religious leaders are zeroing in on followers of their faith in Congress to make sure that taxpayer money will not be used to fund abortions.  The latest confrontation comes between Rep. Patrick Kennedy, D-R.I., an abortion-rights supporter, and Roman Catholic Bishop Thomas Tobin, who asked Kennedy not to receive Holy Communion if he maintained his position.  The tension is palpable as senators prepare to take up a version of legislation that pro-life leaders say does not provide the same assurances as...

Think about it: Did Savior Christ suffer severe mistreatment on the cross in order to share His body and blood with persons who slay children? I don’t think so.

Bishop: Patrick Kennedy Misrepresenting Letter on Communion, Abortion Washington, DC -- Congressman Patrick Kennedy, a pro-abortion member from Rhode Island, says Bishop Thomas Tobin has asked him to stop receiving communion because of his pro-abortion views. However, Tobin says the demand was merely a voluntary request that was issued two years ago and meant to be private. http://www.lifenews.com/state4590.html

On today's Morning Joe, Larry O'Donnell called the Roman Catholic bishop who barred Rep. Patrick Kennedy (D-R.I.) from taking communion a "political hack." Interestingly, Mika Brzezinski had a totally different take, arguing the controversy was not about the Church but about Kennedy publicizing the matter in a play to his base. Though Bishop Thomas Tobin sent his letter to Kennedy more than two years ago, its contents didn't come to light until Kennedy recently revealed them to a Rhode Island newspaper. View video here.

PROVIDENCE, RI (Catholic Online) - Senator Patrick Kennedy whose open defiance over the teaching of the Catholic Church concerning the inviolable dignity of every human life has resulted in a longstanding dialogue with his Bishop, reopened the public debate in an odd interview on Sunday. He gave a telephone interview to John E. Mulligan of the Providence Journal in which he told the reporter “...The bishop instructed me not to take Communion and said that he has instructed the diocesan priests not to give me Communion.� The telephone interview led to a Journal article entitled "Kennedy: Barred from Communion" which...

WITHOUT A DOUBTDear Congressman Kennedy BY BISHOP THOMAS J. TOBIN 11/12/09 12:00 am Since our recent correspondence has been rather public, I hope you don’t mind if I share a few reflections about your practice of the faith in this public forum. I usually wouldn’t do that – that is speak about someone’s faith in a public setting – but in our well-documented exchange of letters about health care and abortion, it has emerged as an issue. I also share these words publicly with the thought that they might be instructive to other Catholics, including those in prominent positions of...

WASHINGTON — Providence Bishop Thomas J. Tobin has forbidden Rep. Patrick J. Kennedy to receive the Roman Catholic sacrament of Holy Communion because of his advocacy of abortion rights, the Rhode Island Democrat said Friday. “The bishop instructed me not to take Communion and said that he has instructed the diocesan priests not to give me Communion,” Kennedy said in a telephone interview. Kennedy said the bishop had explained the penalty by telling him “that I am not a good practicing Catholic because of the positions that I’ve taken as a public official,” particularly on abortion. He declined to say...

Rhode Island's top Roman Catholic leader has asked Rep. Patrick Kennedy to stop taking Communion over his support for abortion rights, the diocese said Sunday. In a statement issued Sunday, Providence Bishop Thomas Tobin said he told Kennedy in February 2007 that it would be "inappropriate" for him to continue receiving the fundamental Catholic sacrament, "and I now ask respectfully that you refrain from doing so." Kennedy is the son of the late Massachusetts Sen. Edward Kennedy and a scion of the most prominent Catholic family in modern U.S. politics. The Roman Catholic Church strongly opposes abortion, which has been...

PROVIDENCE, R.I. — Rep. Patrick Kennedy says Roman Catholic Bishop Thomas Tobin has barred him from receiving communion because of his support of abortion rights. The Providence Journal reports on its Web site Sunday that Kennedy said in an interview that Tobin issued the order during discussions with the Democratic lawmaker, further escalating a simmering ideological dispute between the two men. Under church rules, Tobin can prevent Kennedy from receiving communion within his diocese, which covers Rhode Island. It’s unclear whether bishops outside Rhode Island will take the same path.

PROVIDENCE, R.I. - Roman Catholic Bishop Thomas Tobin has banned Rep. Patrick Kennedy from receiving Communion, the central sacrament of the church, in Rhode Island because of the congressman's support for abortion rights, Kennedy said in a newspaper interview published Sunday.The decision by the outspoken prelate, reported on The Providence Journal's Web site, significantly escalates a bitter dispute between Tobin, an ultra orthodox bishop, and Kennedy, a son of the nation's most famous Roman Catholic family."The bishop instructed me not to take Communion and said that he has instructed the diocesan priests not to give me Communion," Kennedy told the...

Congressman Patrick Kennedy has been barred from receiving Communion by his Bishop in Rhode Island. Bishop Thomas Tobin has barred Patrick, the son of the late Senator Edward Kennedy, because of his position on abortion rights.

PROVIDENCE, R.I. – Roman Catholic Bishop Thomas Tobin has banned Rep. Patrick Kennedy from receiving Communion, the central sacrament of the church, in Rhode Island because of the congressman's support for abortion rights, Kennedy said in a newspaper interview published Sunday. The decision by the outspoken prelate, reported on The Providence Journal's Web site, significantly escalates a bitter dispute between Tobin, an ultra orthodox bishop, and Kennedy, a son of the nation's most famous Roman Catholic family. "The bishop instructed me not to take Communion and said that he has instructed the diocesan priests not to give me Communion," Kennedy...

[Rep. Patrick Kennedy (D-R.I) told CNSNews.com that the Catholic Church is doing nothing but fanning “the flames of dissent and discord” by taking the position that it will oppose the health-care reform bill under consideration in Congress unless it is amended to explicitly prohibit funding of abortion.] Bishop Tobin's rejoinder: “Congressman Patrick Kennedy’s statement about the Catholic Church’s position on health care reform is irresponsible and ignorant of the facts. But the Congressman is correct in stating that “he can’t understand.” He got that part right. As I wrote to Congressman Kennedy and other members of the Rhode Island Congressional...

Patrick Kennedy talks to CNSNews and comes down on the side of a politician when asked about Catholic Bishop's concern of abortion being covered in the Health Care Bill...(Video)

Representative Patrick Kennedy (D-R.I.) warned of the dangers of “unconstrained opposition to the President’s policies.” “We don’t want to see a repeat of the 1960s when the same sort of vitriolic rhetoric led to the assassinations of my two uncles.” Kennedy urged we “put a damper on this type of rhetoric before we have cause to regret it.” Kennedy said that the kind of vitriolic rhetoric he feels has gone too far includes “statements implying that the President’s health care bill will lead to rationing of care or that federal deficits will lead to bankruptcy or tax increases.” “Just consider,...

Citing the assassinations of uncles John F. and Robert F. Kennedy, Rep. Patrick Kennedy accused grassroots conservatives of "very, very dangerous" behavior that could lead to violence against public officials. "When they go and stoop to the level of the vitriolic rhetoric that we've seen this debate turn up, it's very, I think, dangerous to the fabric of our country," the Rhode Island Democrat said according to The Providence Journal. Kennedy's remarks targeted Tea Party Patriots, 9-12 Project members, and other conservative activists. His comments came during a private forum on health care in Providence. His characterization of conservatives appeared...

"PROVIDENCE — U.S. Rep. Patrick J. Kennedy fears that supercharged passions fueling the national health-care debate may lead to violence. Drawing on his family’s violent past, the Democratic congressman told roughly 75 people gathered at a private health-care forum Saturday morning that opponents of Democrat-backed health-care legislation had gone too far. He cited, as an example, 10,000 signs distributed at a recent Washington protest that read, “Bury ObamaCare with Kennedy.” Patrick Kennedy is the last member of his storied family to hold federal office. His father, U.S. Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, died one month ago after battling a brain tumor....

People Can Opt Out of Listing STDs, Abortions in Gov't-Mandated Electronic Health Records, Patrick Kennedy Says Monday, September 28, 2009 By Nicholas Ballasy, Video Reporter   (CNSNews.com) - Rep. Patrick Kennedy (D.-R.I.) says people will be able to stop doctors from including records of sexually transmitted diseases and abortions in the new national system of Electronic Health Records that was mandated by the stimulus law enacted in February.   The law says that doctors, hospitals and other health care providers must create and Electronic Health Record (EHR) for every American by 2014 or else face deductions in their Medicare payments. The EHRs are supposed...

Associated Press story, go to link.

When one first looks at this article in The New Republic speculating about if Ted Kennedy's son, Patrick Kennedy, could grow into a great political leader, you wouldn't be blamed for thinking it was a satirical story written by either Scott Ott or some other humor columnist. However the name of the author is Jason Zengerle and he is being dead serious which actually makes it funnier than any intentionally satirical story could be. What makes Zengerle's article especially funny is that he provides absolutely no proof that Patrick Kennedy displays the slightest bit of political leadership. In fact, Zengerle...

PROVIDENCE, R.I. – Rep. Patrick Kennedy said Friday that his father, Massachusetts Sen. Edward Kennedy, has been "very frustrated" to be absent from Washington during the debate over health care reform. Kennedy, a Rhode Island Democrat, told The Associated Press that his father, who has made health care a core issue during his 47 years in the Senate, has a unique ability to read his colleagues and negotiate compromises. "Every other senator in that Senate knows that there have been very few senators like Ted Kennedy over the years that can bring both sides together and hammer out a deal...

headed to Davol Square on Tuesday to hear state Rep. Elizabeth M. “Betsy” Dennigan, D-East Providence, announce that she will be challenging U.S. Rep. James R. Langevin in a Democratic primary next year. And as I was picking my way through the crowd, past the banners, balloons and a three-piece band, I bumped into a congressional candidate shaking hands. Only it wasn’t Dennigan. Or even a Democrat. It was state Rep. John J. Loughlin II, R-Tiverton, the House minority whip who plans to challenge Democratic U.S. Rep. Patrick J. Kennedy next year. Was he there to launch a Republicans-for-Betsy organization?...

Rep. Patrick Kennedy has returned to the House to cast a vote on a major global warming bill. Discuss COMMENTS (0) Kennedy spokeswoman Kerrie Bennett said Friday the congressman had left the medical facility where he was receiving treatment because he wanted to vote on an issue he considers important for Rhode Island as well as the nation. Kennedy was expected to return to the undisclosed facility after the vote to continue his treatment.

Rep. Patrick Kennedy, who has struggled with depression, alcoholism and addiction for much of his life, said Friday that he has checked into a medical facility for treatment. The Rhode Island Democrat said in a statement that his recovery is a "lifelong process" and that he will do whatever it takes to preserve his health. "I have decided to temporarily step away from my normal routine to ensure that I am being as vigilant as possible in my recovery," Kennedy said. He did not disclose where he was being treated. Kennedy, who has wrestled with alcoholism, bipolar disorder, an addiction...

Son of Senator Ted Kennedy (D-MA) is returning to rehab for undisclosed Reasons. Patrick Kennedy (D-RI) will take a leave of absence from his congressional seat.

WASHINGTON—Rep. Patrick Kennedy, who has struggled with depression, alcoholism and addiction for much of his life, said Friday that he has checked into a medical facility for treatment. Discuss COMMENTS (17) The Rhode Island Democrat said in a statement that his recovery is a "lifelong process" and that he will do whatever it takes to preserve his health. "I have decided to temporarily step away from my normal routine to ensure that I am being as vigilant as possible in my recovery," Kennedy said. He did not disclose where he was being treated. Kennedy, who has wrestled with alcoholism, bipolar...

Enters rehab again.

Imagine it's a few days before the Dem convention. In a big—BIG—surprise, Barack Obama names Rhode Island congressman Patrick Kennedy his vice-presidential running mate. You're a partisan Republican. Do you?: * a. demand that Obama drop Kennedy from the ticket; or * b. sit back and enjoy the, uh, ride. I'm guessing the great majority of red-blooded Republicans would answer 'b.' Why wouldn't you want a weak link on the opposing ticket? So what kind of scare has Sarah Palin has put into the MSM that various of its members, like Jack Cafferty, are floating the notion that McCain should...

Two visiting US Congressmen announced after talks with Syrian leaders on Sunday that they had secured a pledge that jailed dissidents would be freed and said they saw scope for progress in the peace process with Israel. The upbeat note contrasted with that of US President George W. Bush earlier this month who ruled out direct talks with Damascus, saying: "My patience ran out on President (Bashar) al-Assad a long time ago." Senator Arlen Specter, a member of Bush's Republican Party, and Congressman Patrick Kennedy, a Democrat, held talks with both Assad and Foreign Minister Walid Muallem. Kennedy said that...

Two U.S. lawmakers scheduled to meet Thursday with former Pakastani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto and President Pervez Musharraf were advised to leave the country after Bhutto's assassination. Sen. Arlen Specter, R-Pa., said in a telephone interview from his Islamabad hotel room that he and Rep. Patrick Kennedy, D-R.I., were to dine with Musharraf and meet later in the night with Bhutto. He said he heard about the attack on Bhutto as he was dressing for the dinner with Musharraf. "Our foreign policy had relied on her presence as a stabilizing force," Specter said, emotionally describing her death as "a real,...

WASHINGTON - Two U.S. lawmakers scheduled to meet Thursday with former Pakastani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto and President Pervez Musharraf were advised to leave the country after Bhutto's assassination. Sen. Arlen Specter, R-Pa., said in a telephone interview from his Islamabad hotel room that he and Rep. Patrick Kennedy, D-R.I., were to dine with Musharraf and meet later in the night with Bhutto. He said he heard about the attack on Bhutto as he was dressing for the dinner with Musharraf. "Our foreign policy had relied on her presence as a stabilizing force," Specter said, emotionally describing her death as...

Rhode Island Rep. Patrick Kennedy said Tuesday he's not returning $6,600 in donations he got from Norman Hsu, a prominent Democratic donor whose criminal past was recently revealed. Several top Democrats, including 2008 presidential candidates Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama, Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry and Kennedy's father, Sen. Edward Kennedy, have said they will return Hsu's donations or give them to charity. Rep. Kennedy will keep the money because there is no indication that Hsu's contributions to him were illegal, according to his chief of staff, Adam Brand. "We are complying with all applicable (Federal Election Commission) rules and...

(Washington, DC) – Judicial Watch, the public interest group that investigates and prosecutes government corruption, today released its 2006 list of Washington’s “Ten Most Wanted Corrupt Politicians.” The list, in alphabetical order, includes: 1. Jack Abramoff, Former Lobbyist – 2. Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-NY) 3. Former Rep. Randy “Duke” Cunningham (R-CA) 4. Former Rep. Tom Delay (R-TX) 5. Former Rep. Mark Foley (R-FL) 6. Rep. Denny Hastert (R-IL) 7. Rep. Alcee Hastings (D-FL) 8. Rep. William “Dollar Bill” Jefferson (D-LA) 9. Former Rep. Bob Ney (R-OH) 10. Sen. Harry Reid (D-NV) 6 Dishonorable Mentions: 1. Rep. John Conyers (D-MI) 2....

NORTH PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- There's only one question Rep. Patrick Kennedy really answers this campaign. It came up at an ice cream social. It's raised on the street. He even hears it in bedrock Democratic neighborhoods. "How are you feeling?" asked a white-haired woman at a high-rise for the elderly. "I've never felt better," he said. "One day at a time." It's an answer some people - let alone politicians under intense media scrutiny - couldn't give after the year he's had: checking himself into a rehabilitation center, crashing his car at 3 a.m. into a security barrier outside the...

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., chats with U.S. Rep. Patrick Kennedy, D-R.I., right, before addressing a crowd on healthcare issues at Landmark Medical Center in Woonsocket, R.I., Friday, June 23, 2006. Pelosi appeared at the hospital, as a show of support, with Kennedy, a week after he was sentenced for driving under the influence of prescription drugs. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)

The only thing missing at Patches Kennedy’s press conference yesterday was his father’s post-Chappaquiddick neck brace. “I’ve always said,” the dim lad began, “I wanted to take full responsibility for my actions - ” Full responsibility - but no mug shot. Full responsibility amounted to a suspended license - wink, wink - and $350 in fines and court costs. Do you think Patches had to arrange a payment schedule with the probation office? “Today in court, I accepted the consequences of my actions.” Riiiight. That poor window-washer who iced the seagull high above Devonshire Street is looking at more time...

Rep. Patrick Kennedy (D-R.I.) pleaded guilty to driving under the influence of drugs as a part of an extensive agreement the lawmaker reached with the District of Columbia Office of the Attorney General. “I’ve always said that I wanted to take full responsibility for my actions. Today in court I did just that,” Kennedy said in a brief meeting with reporters after appearing before D.C. Superior Court Magistrate Judge Aida Melendez. “I accepted the consequences of my actions. I’ve cooperated fully with the Capitol Police and with the attorney general’s office. “I think they’ve done a fantastic job. … I...

WASHINGTON - Rep. Patrick Kennedy (news, bio, voting record) has reached a deal with prosecutors to plead guilty to a charge of driving under the influence of prescription drugs in connection with his middle-of-the-night car crash last month near the U.S. Capitol. Two additional charges of reckless driving and failure to exhibit a driving permit will be dismissed under the plea agreement. Announcing this, Kennedy's chief of staff, Sean Richardson, said the Rhode Island Democrat would appear in District of Columbia Superior Court Tuesday afternoon "to accept the consequences of his actions." "He is looking forward to closing this chapter,"...

"Rep. Patrick Kennedy has reached a deal with prosecutors to plead guilty to a charge of driving under the influence of prescription drugs... "

Rep. Patrick Kennedy, D-R.I., center, speaks to Rep. Sam Farr, D-Calif., left, during the House Appropriations Committee meeting on Capitol Hill, Tuesday, June 6, 2006, in Washington. Kennedy, the Rhode Island Democrat can expect the scrutiny to hit new levels as he seeks to put his personal life and political career back on track after crashing his car and spending nearly a month in drug treatment at the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota. Seated at the back is Rep. John Murtha, D-Penn. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)

Rhode Island Republicans have received piles of “hate mail” from supporters of U.S. Rep. Patrick J. Kennedy, angry that the GOP has called for the troubled six-term congressman to step down. “This has clearly hit a raw nerve somewhere,” Rhode Island GOP spokesman Chuck Newton told the Herald.“We’ve received mountains of hate mail from all over.” Most of the letters and emails include angry and in some cases obscene tirades blasting party leaders for pushing for Kennedy’s ouster as a result of his legal troubles, Newton said. Republicans initially called for Kennedy to step down the day after he slammed...

Fresh from rehab, Rep. Patrick Kennedy said yesterday he wants to be treated like an African-American from Washington if and when he gets charged for crashing his car on Capitol Hill. Denying that he was drunk and or that he asked the Capitol Police for preferential treatment, Kennedy, a Rhode Island congressman, said he's prepared "in terms of bookings, in terms of mug shots, fingerprints, whatever they might have me do." "It's what anyone else would have done to them if they were an African-American in Anacostia," Kennedy said in a shaky voice, referring to the mostly minority neighborhood in...

Patrick Kennedy, fresh from his second stint in drug rehab, yesterday said he's building recovery support networks .....and will continue to undergo treatment for his addiction to painkillers. ........ the younger son of Sen. Ted Kennedy - entered the drug and alcohol treatment at the Mayo Clinic May 5, a day after he slammed his Mustang into a security barrier near the U.S. Capitol. An admitted binge drinker and pain-pill abuser, Kennedy, 38, had been treated at the clinic over the Christmas holidays.........Kennedy told reporters, "I know that I am doing everything I need to do to succeed."

PROVIDENCE, R.I. — U.S. Rep. Patrick Kennedy said Monday he was feeling good after nearly a month in drug rehabilitation and was looking forward to getting back to work. "I can tell you today, I feel confident about my health, positive about my future, and passionate about my work representing the people of Rhode Island," the Rhode Island Democrat said in a speech at Brown University on the future of mental health care and addiction treatment. It was his first public appearance since being released Friday from the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn. The six-term congressman checked into the clinic...

Mentioned on Howie Carr show, and this is from the show's site: A Kennedy Sobriety Checkpoint. (I was in Rhode Island the other day and I drove confidently, knowing Patches was nowhere near there.)