Barack Obama’s presence at Catholic Al Smith dinner is called ‘insulting’

The cardinal didn't invite me either. Perhaps because my deceased Mother was a Protestant whom the nuns would tell my sisters classmates to pray that my Mother would turn catholic so she wouldn't burn in hell. Ah, the memories of a catholic education 1941 to 1948. Guess what folks, I don't believe in the cardinal. I was even toll not to associate with Protestant when I attended catholic hs for four years. I told one christian brother that woudl be impossible as my Mother was Protestant. So, how many of you good people still think if your not catholic when you die, you'll go to hell?

It's not only the cost of contraception and related medical care to the family, BrianO; it's also the cost to the NATION! From NY Times about the recent Peipert study: "When price wasn't an issue, women flocked to the most effective contraceptives —-the implanted options, which typically cost hundreds of dollars up-front to insert. These women experienced far fewer unintended pregnancies as a result, reported Dr. Jeffrey Peipert of Washington Univ in St. Louis.... The effect on teen pregnancy was striking: There were 6.3 births per 1,000 teenagers in the study. Compare that to a national rate of 34 births per 1,000 teens in 2010. There also were substantially lower rates of abortion, when compared with women in the metro area and nationally: 4.4 to 7.5 abortions per 1,000 women in the study, compared with 13.4 to 17 abortions per 1,000 women overall in the St. Louis region.... That's lower than the national rate, too, which is almost 20 abortions per 1,000 women." Half the nation's pregnancies are unintended, and 43 percent end in abortion. The HHS mandate is the most morally responsible approach to this problem we've ever had & save$ billion$.

We are ashamed of what the Cardinal did. You don't play 'footsie' with you know who. Let us hope he learned his lesson and will take these decisions to prayer first. We know he wants to be popular and keep everyone happy, but he sure stirred up a hornet's nest here in the U.S.

BrianO dude I read your stuff. You are dumber than a sack of hammers, man. "Insurance is for big ticket items." whatever that means. Hey folks if you break a leg, need a flu shot, eye exam. Wait. Pay cash. Your insurance is only for $300,000 stuff like brain (or Brian) tumors, stuff like that. I know; Imy costs for multiple brain surgeries wwere $300,000 in '07. So I guess that is a Brian O "big ticket" item. The other stuff -not so much the man says ! What right does any employer have to dictate individual insurance coverage. It is between the employee/patient and the insurance company once he receives the benefit as a condition of employment. It would be no different than employer who as mater of conscience will not allow a paycheck to be spent on pork because he is a Jew or Muslim. Know, you have CEOS telling employees that if they don't vote for Romney they will be laid off ? When does the control of individuals' lives end in this right wing bizzaroworld ? Henry Ford used to have the Ford Motor Company Department of Sociology. He made sure that his staff of spies reported on who stopped off for a beer, didn't go right home after work, etc. The right wing nuts want this kind of social control over the complete lives of individuals as a kind of Christian Taliban.

Insurance is for big ticket items. That is so lost on these controllers. Contraceptives are cheap. You get insurance on your car so that if something happens you can fix or buy a new car, you don't buy insurance to fix a bicycle tire.

maggiepoo, the new lawsuits have already lost. Judgment in the O'Brien case is thoroughly grounded in existing constitutional and federal law. Note that O'Brien's company health insurance currently covers contraceptives, so the ACA will make no difference to his 87 employees' insurance (p. 5 of the dismissal order 9/28/12). The court dismissed the case because Judge Jackson found no "substantial burden" imposed on O'Brien's company nor violation of his Constitutional rights. O'Brien remains free to exercise his religion "by not using contraceptives and by discouraging employees from using contraceptives." Even if O'Brien helps pay for the insurance that pays for contraceptives, his religious exercise is unburdened. Protection of religious liberty "is not a means to force one's religious practices upon others," particularly "individuals who hold religious beliefs that differ from one's own" (12). The ACA ends discrimination: "in general women of childbearing age spend 68 percent more in out-of-pocket health care costs than men.... This fundamental inequity in the current syste is dangerous and discriminatory...." (14). This reasoning will prevail in the many other suits inspired by the USCCB.

Could that "insult: happen because Obama is black, American or Christian????

Good one, BrianO. Thanks for the laugh. ;)

Looking at the picture all I can think of is Obama being held at bay by the cross, I imagine there is garlic and a wooden stake their too, Nice Halloween imagery IC.

Dolan has more important things to worry about including the $20,000 payoffs to the pedophile priests.

What a phony he is. A little Irish lore: My Irish ancestors were all Democrats in New York until the Democrats rejected Al Smith because of his Irishness or his Catholicism or both!(That's what they said.) My father told me many years ago that his family "men" were active Democrats and switched to Republican because of that. Do the Irish hold a grudge? You bet. I voted for Catholic Kennedy on behalf of my ancestors. I'm a Republican.

"Let he who is without sin cast the first stone." It is well known that Dolan was involved with the cover up of the pedophile priests and not with helping the victim children and their families. Regardless of this, it is the presidents responsibility to help all Americans, not just the rich. The religious leaders should concentrate on tending their own flock and promote whatever doctrine that the men in the church have decided is best for them. The church "rules" in the Catholic Church and some other religious sects are against women and designed to maintain men in a superior position. What a crock !!! These rules were made by men. The refusal to permit women to become priests is an example of a rule that the men of the church have maintained by using religious arguments against women. The translations were done of course by men in a times that men dominated and women were merely "slaves" and the Catholic Church hierarchy is trying to live in the past so they can maintain control and live the life of the rich and famous. The women of the Catholic Church need to rise up and let their voice be heard for it is often their influence that determines if their children will follow the Roman Catholic religion. The declining numbers of the Roman Catholic religion is a very telling indicator that the "men of the Roman Catholic Church" are not doing a good job. Get rid of the pedophile priests and pedophile protectors like Dolan and revamp the church to reflect today. Give the nuns control and see how many of the pedophile priests would be protected. ( Perhaps all pedophile priests and their protectors should be put in a dark room with the victims and their relatives and let justice prevail) Sorry I got away from the main subject. The bottom line is that the church and state should not be in bed together. The government should make laws and policies that treat everyone equal and the church should do the same within their flock.

odubs - how about respect for the unborn? Also,helpful hint those who post painfully long posts - nobody reads them.

Odubslaine - How about "common sense and respect for the unborn or is evil on the rise again"? Something to think hard about.

Let me please make one more comment - Ryan, a catholic sworn to protecting life - he wants to abolish not just Obama care, but medicaid and medicare, and give people voouchers..................there are many like me, older, and though I look 10 years younger then my real age - 71, I have everything from low kidney function (not yet critical) a damaged heart valve , and have had multiple breast biopsied, all negative thank God............No insurance company would touch me without a govt mandate, and if that existed the premiums would be horrendous and unafordable...............Ryan is to catholics like me the Anti Christ in person. Meanwhile I was told this by my daughter there- while Gov Romney was campaigning in OHIO, Bain took over a manufacturing company with 830 jobs. Almost all of them are being sent to red china, and we can expect Bain to get several million for its dirty work..........Also we wshould thank Obama for what he did to bring us back from the edge of econommic disaster like 1929 (the year my dad graduated college - I know the whole story)......It was the collapse of the world economy in Europe that led to the election of a madman, and WWii by people so desperate they bought into the worst lies in history.............Further more, early in the current congress it was eighther Boehner or Cantor who said their goal was to "make Obama a wone term president. They are pandoring to there sothern religious base of evangelicals - southern baptists - wwho are still fighting the civil war and Obama is their nightmare come true= a black president.............Shame on the repubs - I was once one and long ago confessed to the terrible mistake I made.