Catholic Politicians.Org

Resources for
Catholic Americans/American Catholics
who love their country and their faith

"For we have in our hearts a law written by God. To obey
it is the very dignity of the human person; according to it we
will be judged" (Vatican II Documents: Gaudium et spes).

John E. Schwarz

To: VATICAN2@LISTMAIL.TEMPLE.EDU
Date: Fri, 17 Sep 2004 17:07:11 -0400
Subject: Re: How to vote

I have been mostly "lurking" here on Vat2 for the last couple of years, since the time when I fairly regularly contributed.  But I am quite upset at some of the things I am reading on this "thread," and really need to say something on this issue; and I hope I will be forgiven for my immoderate tone on a matter that many people clearly have strong feelings about.

When I see people wondering whether they can in conscience vote for Kerry because of his (rather moderate and unstressed, as a matter of fact) position on abortion, I am greatly reminded of the Jesus-saying about "straining out gnats while swallowing camels." Point one (overruling all others) MUST be that NOT to vote for Kerry is essentially to make a choice to will and acquiesce in and take responsibility for Bush being re-elected, and for his continuing, for the next 4 years, to be a disaster for almost everything that OUGHT to be of fundamental concern to Christians.

This is not a normal election.  Bush and his "team" constitute the most extremist administration (of either liberal or conservative persuasion) in memory -- eclipsing even the disaster of the Reagan years.  This what William James called a "forced" decision.  One cannot escape it -- because to avoid choosing is in effect to choose.  It is not Bush or Kerry (or some other choice).  It is Bush or non-Bush.  (Cf. James, "Will To Believe")

I assume no one needs any detailed recitation of what is at stake:  untold thousands of lives lost and lives destroyed in a war that was (as many of us said from the start) totally unnecessary (and was then incompetently pursued with no thought for the consequences, resulting in further unnecessary suffering, still continuing); the evolving destruction of our public education system through its reduction to teaching kids nothing but how to pass tests, and then its drastic cutting of funds; the attack on free speech and civil liberties; most importantly, the relentless attempt to destroy (or remove funding from) any programs which could effectively help the poor and or respond to human need; the attacks on all worker protections, on all environmental standards, etc etc., even on safety standards for the food we eat, the air we breathe and the water we drink -- in short, an administration single-mindedly dedicated to the furthering of the interests only of the most wealthy and to removing even the most modest existing limits on the predations of the corporate world, to the detriment of all other segments of society and the very Earth itself (for which we supposedly believe that we humans have been given stewardship).  AND, in terms of the economy, it is already clear that, if the Bush people are able to make permanent and extend their massively expensive tax cuts on unearned income (benefiting almost entirely the wealthy), while pursuing ambitious military adventures abroad, the resulting deficits will require (even from an administration presently in denial) the drastic curtailing of almost all federal programs that have any impact on poverty or meet human need in our society, and will shift a burden to the states which will force a similar decimation even of the non-federal programs that help the most needy and deprived in our society.

AND SO, in the face of all this (and of the additional 10 pages or so that I COULD have written!!) we are seriously agonizing over whether we can, in good conscience vote against all this, all because Kerry has some positions we do not like on -- ABORTION!!!!???

Give me a break!  I must say, out of fairness, that I myself am generally opposed to legal restrictions on abortion, and fundamentally disagree with most of the "pro-life" moral analysis of the abortion issue (for reasons which I have discussed at length in this forum some time ago, and will not further burden you all with now).  And I DO understand, and respect, that many people have extremely strong moral feelings on this issue.

BUT, that said, even if I did share a "pro-life" or "seamless garment" (or similar) perspective, surely there HAS to be some sort of perspective.  Surely, at some point, the sheer cumulative death, social injustice, and utter human misery -- to people living and suffering in the world AFTER birth -- that is caused now (and promised in still greater measure for the future!!) by the Bush agenda MUST outweigh the single-minded concentration on this one issue.

Some Catholic Bishops have sold their souls to the devil for the sake of the abortion issue -- sacrificing all but lip-service to other more pressing social justice concerns in their abortion-driven embrace of the Republican Party.  This, despite the fact that the Gospels (which we claim to follow) are FUNDAMENTALLY about (what we call) social justice issues and doing good to others and relieving misery -- all of which are at stake in this election -- while the issue of abortion (and the absolute protection of life at all stages), for which we propose to sacrifice all other Gospel values in this election, is not even mentioned.

Kerry is not my ideal candidate.  And I wish he were more bold, and had many other positions. But I (who generally despise partisan election-type political activity) plan on spending most of the next few weeks doing whatever little I can to help get rid of this plague on our society and our world, namely, Bush and the rule of Conservative Republicanism.  I would almost BEG any Catholic (or anyone else of good will, come to that) who has any concern whatever for REAL Christian, Gospel values to do whatever is necessary (including holding your moral nose on the Democratic abortion position, if that is what it takes) -- and to vote and work to defeat Bush.  Our concern must not be for the "moral purity" of our vote, but for the misery of the millions who will suffer if we fail to vote to protect their interests.

Peace, John

John E. Schwarz, Reston, VA