Palin Pick

As a proud mother of four, I just wanted to thank you for the opinion piece on Gov. Sarah Palin that you ran a few months ago (“2 Ways of Seeing Babies,” May 25).

It inspired me to call the McCain campaign in Virginia a few weeks ago and suggest that Palin was a strong candidate for the vice-presidential spot. As a battleground state, I hoped that my opinion would matter.

I found it quite interesting that in recent days some of the pompous media types admitted that they knew nothing about Sarah Palin.

So, what made me so knowledgeable about her? Your paper!

Of course, with energy being such an important issue to our economic and national security, how these so-called political experts did not know about her amazes me. We are talking about the governor of Alaska, after all.

Perhaps you should run the piece again.

Roann Lewis

Charlottesville, Virginia

God-given Potential

“Palin Refused to Choose” (Sept. 7), but many others do the opposite. Other than being a woman, I don’t have much in common with Hillary Clinton or the feminist movement of today. The liberal women of today have taken women’s rights too far. They are proud to protect the right of women to kill their own children. What kind of society do we live in?

At the Democratic National Convention, Hillary Clinton claimed to want to strengthen our nation by “helping every child live up to their God-given potential.” However, one-quarter of the children God gives to this nation are aborted. How will they ever live up to their God-given potential if they aren’t even born? What about the potential of the woman? Will she ever achieve her personal fulfillment by refusing to work with God’s natural order?

Hillary Clinton claims she and her party have compassion for families in America, especially women and children. But take a look at the website for the Silent No More Awareness Campaign, and you will see how the destruction of a child causes immense pain and regret for many men and women. It is better to have no choice than the option to make a bad choice.

Hillary and Barack Obama, you may have the support of today’s feminist movement, but you do not represent the people in America who believe life is sacred. A woman’s dignity is magnified when God calls on her help in the creation of life. No job or career is nobler, and none will have as big an impact on our nation for generations to come. Our nation is suffering from the loss of 25% of its citizens. Every generation, age 35 and under, has been affected by legalized abortion.

America has been sold a lie: Abortion does not liberate a woman from an unwanted pregnancy; it robs her of her greatest dignity and leaves our nation barren — by choice.

Laura Jones

Yorba Linda, California

Choosing Life Over Death

Barack Obama, during his acceptance speech on Aug. 28 in Denver, proclaimed proudly how his mother taught him principles and life guidelines as a child that have molded his adult life and inspired him as a human being and as leader.

Unfortunately, he did not learn the main lesson she tried to teach him with her love and concern for him (“Obama’s ‘Born-Alive’ Problem,” Aug. 31). The lesson was that she chose life for him and did not abort him like a piece of meat, and that thanks to her and her love for him in the womb, he now is who he is.

This young man, who “inspires” our youth and dazzles people with his oratory and words, is just another false prophet, promoting deceit and death for America. Furthermore, and to add insult to injury, his V.P. choice is Joe Biden, another radical pro-abortionist who has the guts to call himself “Catholic.”

So, are we Christians going to choose economic issues over life? Material concerns over moral principles? Charming personality over life-and-death issues? Are we going again to falter and ignore what our Catholic Church and other Christian churches teach, that there is no other issue more important for us than the respect for life: the most precious gift given to us by God and transmitted to the human race by our mothers, who have chosen life over death throughout human history?

America is a great country, but we are now facing major decisions in the political arena that have life-and-death implications for our children and grandchildren. Let’s vote for life in the local, state and national political contests.

Aldolfo G. Bagnarello

Gillette, Wyoming

Worthy Reception

The Aug. 31 editorial “Joe Biden and Communion” was well written and to the point.

We have heard some bishops exhort Catholic politicians to not present themselves for Communion because of their public support for abortion. This is good, because of Pope Benedict’s (then Cardinal Ratzinger) words to Cardinal McCarrick that bishops have the responsibility of “... informing him [the Catholic politician] that he is not to present himself for holy Communion until he brings to an end the objective situation of sin, and warning him that he will otherwise be denied the Eucharist.”

My question to the bishops has to do with the last part of this sentence, since I am not aware that the bishops have denied any Catholic politician Communion. This seems pertinent since Nancy Pelosi said in a recent interview with C-Span, “I think some of it is regional. It depends on the bishop of a certain region and, fortunately for me, Communion has not been withheld and I’m a regular communicant, so that would be a severe blow to me if that were the case.”

As if the Church isn’t universal.

It would seem that she doesn’t take the warning too seriously — and neither do other Catholics, since no action appears to have been taken in this regard. It is a source of scandal for the entire Church and doesn’t speak well to the population at large. As an unhappy footnote, we all observed our Catholic, pro-abortion politicians receiving holy Communion at the papal Mass in Washington this past spring.

Scandalous indeed!

W.J. Martin

Fort Collins, Colorado

Catholic Accountability

While our Church is steadfast in support of human life, many Catholics continue to reward those politicians responsible for promoting and defending the culture of death, which is devastating our country (“Biden’s Legacy,” Sept. 7).

If you doubt this statement, ask yourself these two questions: First, which states have the largest proportion of Catholic residents? Second, which states send the highest proportion of pro-abortion politicians to Washington?

Comparing the answers will astound you.

Today’s buzzword is accountability. Isn’t it time we admitted that we Catholics are a large part of the cultural problems we condemn?

Recognizing a problem is the first step toward its solution. The most important step is doing something about it.

Joseph Costa

Glen Mills, Pennsylvania

Prayers of Reparation

Regarding James Muir’s letter in the Aug. 31 edition, his conclusions in reference to the desecration of a consecrated host by PZ Myers are incomprehensible to me.  In Mr. Muir’s letter, he states that others may be “unwittingly awakened” to Our Lord’s real presence following Myers’ actions, thus receiving Our Lord “with a new vitality and reverence.”

As for my own heart, mind and soul, I acknowledge that as long as I am on this earth I may never fully appreciate the holy mystery of receiving Our Savior’s body, blood, soul and divinity each day. However, one thing I do know unequivocally: my spiritual appreciation will never be enhanced by the knowledge of others’ filth in their desecration of Our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament. May the prayers of reparation for the sacrileges committed against Our Lord be most fervently and frequently said by all of us for actions such as these.

Rebecca Reeder

Leesburg, Virginia 

Affirming Articles

As a wife and mother of five, thank you so much for the two-part series on teenagers (“Teenagerism Not So Inevitable …,” July 27 and “Teenagerism: The Unnecessary Rebellion,” Aug. 10) for us parents. It was well researched and easy to read.

Thank you, also, for articles for our teenagers and college students, such as the one on Tim Tebow (“Heisman Winner Declines Playboy Spot,” Aug. 10). 

I really like being able to lay this paper down on the kitchen table and have our three teenage boys glance through the articles. 

Roberta Johnson
Moorhead, Minnesota

Uplifting Movie

I read the “shallow” review of Henry Poole Is Here and was disappointed in Steven Greydanus’ assessment (“Diving in the Shallow End,” Aug. 31). He wanted the movie to be more philosophical? More satisfyingly engaging of the vagaries of life? Unlike modern Hollywood productions that curse loudly and aren’t ashamed to tell all, this movie requires you to think for yourself. The beauty of this movie is its truly Catholic treatment of Henry’s life in Anytown.

It is both laughable and sorrowful to watch him wrestle with his emotions and the workings of Providence in his life. The main characters even have names like Esperanza (which means “hope” in Spanish), Dawn and Patience. Esperanza is a beautiful Catholic woman who cares about Henry’s humanity and, more importantly, cares for his eternal soul. Her parish priest even manages to say all the right things about the apparition on Henry’s house.

I was eager to recommend this movie to my friends because there was no priest-bashing or anti-Catholic rhetoric, and I will continue to do so.

Candise Leonard-Schmidling

St. Joseph, Missouri