I have not followed much of the exultation of Teddy Kennedy the last several days. He’s no hero. Length of service and a last name do not equate to fawning over the man as the cable networks seem to have. Shoot, even in New Jersey Governor Corzine ordered the American flag lowered to half staff. Unbelievable! I suppose Massachusetts will return the favor when Senator Lautenberg kicks off. Will we also lower it when Byrd, a man who has served longer than Kennedy, dies?
Anyhow, my mother described a scene I was unfamiliar with. It seems that one of Kennedy’s grandchildren asked the congregation to pray for universal healthcare to be a fundamental right.
This lad looks to be a nice child. He did not invent this prayer; someone put him up to it. We’ll forget the appropriateness of using children as political props in this discussion. What I want to know is what are my obligations and choices had I been a parishioner in attendance?
You see, I do not hold that helathcare is a fundamental right. I can read after all, and the Constitution is quite clear on the matter. Fundamental rights are delegated to the federal government in the Constitution. Healthcare is not delegated and any bastardization of the commerce and Necessary and Proper clauses does not make it so.
So little grandson gets up there and implores the congregation to pray for something the law does not stipulate. Had I been there, what could I have done? Do I have the right as a Catholic to pick and choose what I pray for? Am I permitted to pray for some things and not others?
What if grandson had asked us to pray for jihad against the United States? What about absolution for killing Mary Jo Kopechne? Does the subject matter?
It is uncomfortable to be part of a captive audience. We used to hold that there should be no politics from the pulpit. That seems to have changed during my lifetime. For those of us who attend church to hear the word of God and learn the teachings of Christ, dealing with political speech is off topic!
The advice my mother used to share with me is that my father could cheat on her once. There is nothing she could do if he did. He could not do it twice because after the first time, she would be gone . . . presumably with the children.
I know I shared that with one girlfriend over the years. It seems a no-brainer. How could one possibly trust his spouse after infidelity?
Yet, as a Christian, I suppose I would owe it to my marriage to work on things and offer forgiveness, despite the pain, hurt, and extreme strength it would take. That, regardless of any children, is what we agree to upon taking our vows.
When Jim “I’m a Gay American” McGreevey came out, Dina was by his side. Gov. Sphincter had his spouse beside him when he stepped down. Hillary stood by her man in the famous CBS interview during the 1992 campaign. It appears that is the political play as politician after politician has an affair.
Today, South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford revealed that he has had an affair with a woman from Argentina. Scum.
Noticeably absent from his mea culpa was Mrs. Sanford. She offered her own statement. Tammy Wynette is not on Mrs. Sanford’s speed dial.
I would like to start by saying I love my husband and I believe I have put forth every effort possible to be the best wife I can be during our almost twenty years of marriage.
As well, for the last fifteen years my husband has been fully engaged in public service to the citizens and taxpayers of this state and I have faithfully supported him in those efforts to the best of my ability.
I have been and remain proud of his accomplishments and his service to this state.
I personally believe that the greatest legacy I will leave behind in this world is not the job I held on Wall Street, or the campaigns I managed for Mark, or the work I have done as First Lady or even the philanthropic activities in which I have been routinely engaged.
Instead, the greatest legacy I will leave in this world is the character of the children I, or we, leave behind. It is for that reason that I deeply regret the recent actions of my husband Mark, and their potential damage to our children.
I believe wholeheartedly in the sanctity, dignity and importance of the institution of marriage. I believe that has been consistently reflected in my actions. When I found out about my husband’s infidelity I worked immediately to first seek reconciliation through forgiveness, and then to work diligently to repair our marriage.
We reached a point where I felt it was important to look my sons in the eyes and maintain my dignity, self-respect, and my basic sense of right and wrong. I therefore asked my husband to leave two weeks ago.
This trial separation was agreed to with the goal of ultimately strengthening our marriage. During this short separation it was agreed that Mark would not contact us. I kept this separation quiet out of respect of his public office and reputation, and in hopes of keeping our children from just this type of public exposure.
Because of this separation, I did not know where he was in the past week.
But Mrs. Sanford is a Christian. Despite her husband’s betrayal, she remains committed to her marriage vows, a sacrament.
I believe enduring love is primarily a commitment and an act of will, and for a marriage to be successful, that commitment must be reciprocal. I believe Mark has earned a chance to resurrect our marriage.
Psalm 127 states that sons are a gift from the Lord and children a reward from Him. I will continue to pour my energy into raising our sons to be honorable young men. I remain willing to forgive Mark completely for his indiscretions and to welcome him back, in time, if he continues to work toward reconciliation with a true spirit of humility and repentance.
This is a very painful time for us and I would humbly request now that members of the media respect the privacy of my boys and me as we struggle together to continue on with our lives and as I seek the wisdom of Solomon, the strength and patience of Job and the grace of God in helping to heal my family.
President Obama’s abortion agenda took a step forward with his announcement of Kathleen Sebelius as his latest HHS nominee. She’ll pass the Senate’s test. Unfortunately, she does not pass the Pope’s. Sebelius claims to be a Catholic, yet she openly supports abortion. More so, she has run interference for Dr. Tiller, who is performing partial-birth abortions. He’s going to trial in a couple weeks for his actions. She even vetoed a bill once that would have required doctors who perform partial-birth abortions to write a reason for performing the procedure.
This is no Catholic. The archbishop of her diocese has informed her not to present herself for communion. After the smackdown Pope Benedict gave Pelosi a few weeks ago, I would love to see Sebelius ex-communicated.
