Great column at First Things

Another Coloradoan, Suann Therese Maier, has a great column on the First Things "On the Square" blog today. It is entitled "A Vote for Sarah Palin." A great snip:

I will vote for Sarah Palin because she is intelligent, tenacious and talented. Nobody made her rise easy, and no one is making it easy now. And—is it only moms who notice this?—unlike Senator Biden, she does seem to act consistently on her beliefs about the sanctity of life, at considerable personal cost.

FYI: Suann Maier has a slightly higher profile than the bio on First Things would lead you to believe. In 2005, she and her husband Francis received "induction into the papal knightly Order of St. Gregory the Great as dames and knights," according to the January 26, 2005 issue of The Denver Catholic Register. Here is what that same article had to say about them:

The Maiers
Both 56 and married 34 years, Suann and Francis Maier are the parents of four children, one adopted and one with Down syndrome. Archbishop Chaput described them as “a model of Catholic family love for children with special needs.”
A teacher for 24 years, 20 in Catholic schools, Suann has been active in Catholic and public service volunteer causes for decades as a catechist, coach, board president of a school for children with special needs and a pro-life activist, the archbishop indicated. She has served as an emergency pregnancy counselor, raised the funds for and helped found pro-life clinics, recruited pro-life volunteers, and served in a variety of pro-life leadership positions, including president of the Right to Life League of Southern California, one of the largest pro-life education and service provider networks in the nation.
Currently archdiocesan chancellor and special assistant to the archbishop, Francis X. Maier has served the Denver Archdiocese for 11 years, beginning as communications secretary for Archbishop, now Cardinal, J. Francis Stafford. Former editor of the National Catholic Register, he has provided extensive policy counsel and support to the bishops and vicars general of the archdiocese since 1993, the archbishop indicated. He was the primary staff support in the development of the 1998 U.S. bishops’ pastoral letter, “Living the Gospel of Life.”
Suann Maier recalled that she was dismissing her fourth-graders from a parish school in Manhattan when a parent told her abortion on demand had been made legal. Pregnant with her first child at the time, she said she immediately understood that “abortion was going to be one of the gravest evils of our time, that God was asking us to walk the talk, and that this would be a defining work of our marriage.”
“To get an honor like this is beyond what we could ever have expected or hoped for,” she said. “It’s a beautiful recognition that our contribution is valuable.”

Representative Democracy

A few days ago, I saw a comment on a fairly prominent conservative blog lamenting that (paraphrase), "A major party ticket won't be able to have two white guys on it anymore" because of the Palin/Obama effect this year. While I'm not a big supporter of such things as race or gender-based preferences in hiring, I just can't get myself worked up too much about this. Sure, it will probably be the trendy thing to do for a few election cycles to have a woman or minority on the ticket, but so what? I believe these politicians are supposed to be in Washington to represent the people, and I don't think it's wrong to include consideration of race or gender in that idea of representation (even if it should be far from the most important consideration).

That being said, I don't think what has the elite level of the mainstream media, the Democratic Party leadership, and the "Beltway insiders" in such a tizzy is Sarah Palin's gender or even her conservative views on matters such as abortion. Rather, I think it's mostly something that Laura Ingraham touched on during Fox News Channel's rundown of yesterday's RNC highlights: a lot of people (probably including some of the old guard in the Republican Party) can't stand the fact that Gov. Palin went to the University of Idaho and not an Ivy League school, that her parents were public school employees and not governors or senators. A lot of people have questioned whether either Palin or Obama would be where they are now if they were white men...well, where would George W. Bush be if his father hadn't been President? Would Kathleen Sebelius be a blue governor of a red state if she weren't part of a political dynasty? Would Bob Casey, Jr. have any cred as a "pro-life Democrat" if his father hadn't been a political martyr for that cause?

I'm just saying that the part of the Sarah Palin selection that could change American politics the most is not so much that she is a woman, but that she is one of us: she ran off and married her high school sweetheart, she's had some trouble with her in-laws, and her kids haven't always made the best decisions. We can relate to that...and it scares the heck out of the Washington insiders!

"It's like Peyton Place around here!"

To be honest, I'm too young to really know what exactly my mom is referring to when she says this sometimes, but I get the impression that it was basically Melrose Place v1.0: attractive, yet disturbed and/or morally bankrupt people live in (too) close proximity, melodrama ensues.

While that description fits for some of the small towns I've been around, too, the town named Peyton has been in Colorado--and to some extent, national--news lately...and not because life there is like a soap-opera (as far as I know). It's a teeny-tiny town near Colorado Springs that is in some ways similar to the rural Colorado community I grew up in. So I thought it was a little bit intriguing to see it cropping up in two independent stories with national implications. First, Adam Brickley, a 21-year-old from Peyton who is now interning in DC, received a lot of credit for building the "buzz" around Sarah Palin with the blog I linked to here last week, "Draft Sarah Palin for Vice President."

Also, there is Kristi Burton, the 20-year-old law student from Peyton who wrote the "Colorado Personhood Amendment" (which would define personhood as legally starting at conception) and is serving as an at-large delegate to the GOP convention this week. I imagine these two "kids" are probably the talk of their hometown this month, and it warms the cockles of my heart a little bit to see rural Coloradoans out there on the national stage.

And McCain's VP pick is...Sarah Palin!

It feels so weird for something in the world of politics to go just as I'd like it to (so far) that I'm not really sure what to say. I am so, so glad that Senator McCain chose a pro-life candidate, though!

I will say that I have been moved by Governor Palin's personal witness for life when it comes to her fifth child, Trig. Palin's son, born this April, was diagnosed with Down's Syndrome in utero, but Palin says she never considered "terminating" her pregnancy. Upon Trig's birth, the family issued a statement which reads, in part:

"Trig is beautiful and already adored by us. We knew through early testing he would face special challenges, and we feel privileged that God would entrust us with this gift and allow us unspeakable joy as he entered our lives. We have faith that every baby is created for good purpose and has potential to make this world a better place. We are truly blessed."

For more on this part of the story, you might want to check out a good op-ed piece by Nat Hentoff (which I didn't stumble upon until today) here.

Now, for the peace of my family, a break from politics for a few days! ;-)

VP blogs to check out

I'm becoming a nuisance to myself and all those around me with my current presidential race obsession, but here are a couple of blogs having to do with the so-called "veepstakes."

First, the Dems: I've really been enjoying reading "Catholics Against Joe Biden." I'll admit the name makes me a little antsy; I'm sure he has some lovely traits, and I feel for some of the personal tragedy he's experienced...but I just can't stand the thought of someone so blatantly spitting in the Church's collective face with regard to abortion.

On the other side of the aisle, the idea of Alaska governor Sarah Palin for Vice President seems like it could be a real wild-card in this election, especially given the relatively broad dissatisfaction among women with the way the Barack Obama/Hillary Clinton relationship has played out. I'm especially impressed that she is a member of Feminists for Life.

Anyway, take my opinion for what it's worth... but, again, the thought of a pro-choice Catholic Vice President is getting me all riled up.

PS: Finally got someone to look at the house's little foundation "issue" today and it looks like it's a lot less serious (and costly) than I was afraid it would be... what a relief!

Go Chaput, Go Chaput, Go!

I realize that lots of people watch stuff like "The Hills" to avoid thinking about politics and religion and the stuff like that, but right now I'm trying really hard to think about politics in order to stop obsessing about foundation repair (waiting all weekend for insurance and construction people to come back to work is making me CRAZY!).

Anyway, I just wanted to point out how proud of the leadership in our archdiocese I am. Archbishop Charles Chaput now seems to officially the go-to-guy for quotes on Catholic politicians, at least visavi the issue of pro-choice candidates receiving communion. Here's what he told the AP:

Chaput, one of the nation's most outspoken bishops on Catholic political responsibility, said Catholics who disagree with the church on "serious, sanctity of life issues" separate themselves from communion with the church and should not present themselves for the Eucharist.

Biden "has admirable qualities to his public service," Chaput said in his statement. "But his record of support for so-called abortion 'rights,' while mixed at times, is seriously wrong. I certainly presume his good will and integrity — and I presume that his integrity will lead him to refrain from presenting himself for Communion, if he supports a false 'right' to abortion."

Chaput added that he looks forward to speaking with Biden privately.

So, among the things to be thankful for today is: an archbishop with cojones. ;-)

"Choice of Biden...

...Re-Opens Catholic Wound"

Biden's own bishop, Bishop Michael Saltarelli of Wilmington, Del., has said that the issues pertaining to the sanctity of human life are the "great civil rights issues of this generation."

Bishop Saltarelli denounced the notion that politicians can 'personally oppose' abortion, but refuse to pass laws protecting the unborn.

"No one today would accept this statement from any public servant: 'I am personally opposed to human slavery and racism but will not impose my personal conviction in the legislative arena.' Likewise, none of us should accept this statement from any public servant: "I am personally opposed to abortion but will not impose my personal conviction in the legislative arena," said Bishop Saltarelli.

John McCain: please, please, please choose a strongly pro-life running mate. I honestly think pro-life Catholics are going to be the difference in this election.

Things are about to get interesting in the "religion and politics" realm!

BTW: I'm obviously back from self-imposed exile. Got a lot of household stuff done, but in the process found where a bunch of water had run under our foundation. Next comes insurance adjustors, quotes from contractors, and me trying not to lose it. *sigh*

Oh, and MM and the girls got home safely last night, thanks be to God!

"No we can't!"

As luck would have it, on the same day I posted about Archbishop Chaput's new book he was posting some great thoughts about religion and politics on the First Things "On the Square" blog. Here's my favorite snippet:

Our leaders should inspire us; they should stir our hearts and call us to live the ideals that make America great. But sometimes the answer to the realities we face is not “yes, we can,” but “no, we can’t.” No, we can’t spend money like hedonists and outrun our debts forever. No, we can’t ignore the poor of the Third World and expect to be loved abroad. No, we can’t allow the killing of roughly one million unborn children a year and then posture ourselves as a moral society. No, we can’t make wicked things right by spinning them in a clever way.

So, in that spirit, I'm really going to try to say "No, I can't blog for a couple of days." MM and the girls are out of town on a suicide canning mission, so I (not to mention MM) feel it's important for me to get some home-improvement-type work done while they're gone. The only exception I foresee is a quick comment on the Democratic VP nominee if he or she really is announced before the convention starts. After all, four of the names floating around--Sen. Biden of DE, Sen. Reed of RI, Gov. Kaine of VA, and Gov. Sebelius of KS--are all pro-choice Catholics...and I may not be able to resist!

religion and politics

There's an old story about when GK Chesterton was first offered a newspaper column. Supposedly his publisher told him he was free to write about anything he wanted, as long as it wasn't religion or politics. Chesterton is said to have responded, "There is nothing else worth writing about!"

I'm really looking forward to reading Archbishop Chaput's new book, Render Unto Caesar, because its subtitle "Serving the Nation by Living Our Catholic Beliefs in Political Life" has been somewhat of an obsession of mine for some time now.

As such, the last couple of days have been pretty interesting for me. First, of course, there was the forum involving Senators Obama and McCain at Saddleback Church. I won't go into it much here, but the First Things blog has an interesting comparison of four world-class medical doctors' (from such places as the Mayo Clinic and Harvard Medical School) answers to Pastor Warren's question of when human life begins--they all say at conception--with Obama's response, "Well, I think that whether you are looking at it from a theological perspective or a scientific perspective, answering that question with specificity, you know, is above my pay grade."

Then, this morning, The Denver Post ran a pretty interesting column about faith-based initiatives by Jim Towey, who ran the White House office that deals with these from 2002-2006. It's worth a read, but I'm still kind of unsure about exactly how I feel about the government funding faith-based groups that provide community services. I don't think there's necessarily a separation of church and state issue involved, but I worry about the strings that might come attached to such aid. The old rule of thumb, "With government money comes government control" has a lot of truth to it, and I worry that some groups will lose what makes them effective--the fact that they're based on something beyond self-interest--while others will be forced to get out of areas still needing service because the state forces them to violate their beliefs (see, for example, Catholic Charities of Boston's response to state mandates requiring them to allow homosexuals to adopt children).

I talked a while back to our local state senator, whose kids are all homeschooled, about potentially providing vouchers for homeschooling parents. He strongly felt that tax credits would be a much better system because, frankly, he doesn't trust the government not to tie too many strings to money given more directly to parents. This, coming from a state senator, really gave me something to think about.