Who am I to judge?

I normally don't watch "political" tv, speeches, debates, etc. I figure I vote, I can't do much else to change what they do once they get to DC. One little letter doesn't speak much anymore in my opinion. I love our country with all my heart, but understand its not what it was meant to be when laid out by the founding fathers. That said, I don't exactly see eye to with our President. On a lot of things. I don't know if any of you saw coverage on his Notre Dame commencement speech on 5-17, but I found some very disturbing parts to the speech.

First of all, he should have stuck with congrats and good luck. No, he spends the majority of his speech on the abortion debate. I understand that not everyone who attends ND is a devout Catholic, but that's not what I would want to hear on my graduation day. He pretty much said Let's agree to disagree, "So let's work together to reduce the number of women seeking abortions by reducing unintended pregnancies, and making adoption more available, and providing care and support for women who do carry their child to term. Let's honor the conscience of those who disagree with abortion...and make sure that all of our health care policies are grounded in clear ethics and sound science, as well as respect for the equality of women." Glad you're not one of those Sir. He says he will make some good things happen, but words are not actions.

Second, at the beginning of his speech he talks about the changing world and times. "Your class has come of age at a moment of great consequence for our nation and the world - a rare inflection point in history where the size and scope of the challenges before us require that we remake our world to renew its promise; that we align our deepest values and commitments to the demands of a new age."

ALIGN –verb (used with object)

1.	to arrange in a straight line; adjust according to a line.

2.	to bring into a line or alignment.

3.	to bring into cooperation or agreement with a particular group, party, cause, etc.

Ok Mr. President, you want these students to adjust (conform, make suitable) our "deepest values and commitments" to the current world, which is always changing, so really you want our "deepest values and commitments" to be exactly the opposite. Our values and commiments should be flexible and maleable to what society tells us it they should be...ok...

IN THE SAME SPEECH, just a little later - "In this world of competing claims about what is right and what is true, have confidence in the values with which you've been raised and educated. Be unafraid to speak your mind when those values are at stake. Hold firm to your faith and allow it to guide you on your journey. Stand as a lighthouse."

?

I'll let you form your own opinions on that.

Third, in the speech he refers to Christian practices and teachings; "I said a prayer that night," "I was brought to Christ," "remember the lessons of Cardinal Bernardin, of Father Hesburgh," "Open hearts. Open minds," (First United Methodist slogan is open hearts, open minds, open doors) "Part of the problem, of course, lies in the imperfections of man - our selfishness, our pride, our stubbornness, our acquisitiveness, our insecurities, our egos; all the cruelties large and small that those of us in the Christian tradition understand to be rooted in original sin." Fine and dandy I suppose when you are speaking at a traditionally Catholic University. But wait..

IN THE SAME SPEECH - just a little later - "But remember too that the ultimate irony of faith is that it necessarily admits doubt...this doubt should remind us to persuade through reason, through an appeal whenever we can to universal rather than parochial principles..."

FAITH–noun

1.	confidence or trust in a person or thing

2.	unquestioning belief that is not based on proof

I'm pretty sure that's the opposite of doubt, but if any of you have any thoughts on that first line, let me know.

Now if universal means "applicable everywhere in all cases" and parochial means "of or pertaining to parochial schools or the education they provide, very limited or narrow in scope or outlook" and according to the dictionary, they do...the students are not to remember the lessons of their Catholic seniority and take the pansy way out and agree with everyone. I wonder what these Catholics are thinking now...