Norma McCorvey (Jane Roe) Arrested At ND Protest

Here are some excerpts from the AP coverage of the events at Notre Dame yesterday & my comments:

At least 39 people were taken into custody on trespassing charges, police Sgt. Bill Redman said. Among those arrested were Norma McCorvey, the plaintiff identified as "Roe" in the Roe v. Wade Supreme Court decision that legalized abortion. She now opposes abortion.

How many people besides me get the irony of this? Norma McCorvey was used to legalize abortion. She has since realized it was wrong. She is now a practicing Catholic & speaks out loud & clear about why abortion is wrong.

In his introduction for Obama, Jenkins (ND president Fr. John Jenkins) reiterated the school's support for the church's teaching on the sanctity of human life but applauded Obama for coming to the school.

GAG!!!!!! This reeks of hypocracy. After reading what Obama said in his speech, (Obama Confronts Abortion Debate) all I can say is what ND did was basicly give Obama a platform to promote the "culture of death" & undermine, not support Catholic teaching. There was no dialog, no debate, just honoring a man who is so anti-Catholic in his views that to honor him is to say abortion is OK, embryonic stem cell research is OK. We don't care if our example will result in the eternal damnation of your soul, we don't care if we dihonor Mary, Jesus & God, we just care about our own honor & glory.

In reading the so-called call by Obama for common ground I again gagged. While his call for civil debate sounds good on the surface, his actions belie his words. He has refused debate, he has been uncivil & arrogant. He said: "Each side will continue to make its case to the public with passion and conviction. But surely we can do so without reducing those with differing views to caricature." Isn't that exactly how the Pro-aborts operate, aided & abeted by Homeland Security (OK, they may have withdrawn the document from the public, that doesn't mean anything has changed. Just they are being more stealthy abou it.) treat the Pro-life side? Pro-life is labeled as anti-woman, violent, angry, bitter. IMHO, based on my experiences with the Pro-aborts & how they behave, what they are doing is projecting their own actions onto the Pro-lifers.

Another line from Obama's speech that got me was: " the fact is that at some level, the views of the two camps are irreconcilable". Some level?????????????? How about almost every, if not all levels?

(Back to the AP article) Some students who paricipated in the ceremony used that as a platform to express their disapproval, the big thing was wearing mortarboards adorned with a graphic of the cross and babies' feet. & a few did get vocal. However, most protested elsewhere.

Hundreds of people attended an outdoor Mass and rally on campus, while students who decided not to attend the commencement went elsewhere on campus for prayer. Students opposing the Obama invitation had urged peaceful protests.

I am surprized that the media even mentioned the call for peaceful protest.

Victor Saenz, a philosophy graduate from Mexicali, Mexico, said attending the ceremony "was something I just couldn't do" because he believed Obama's invitation violated a 2004 statement adopted by U.S. bishops saying Catholic institutions should not honor those who don't adhere to church teachings.

It is a shame that what should be 1 of the proudest moments of his life was destroyed by Jenkins & ND's betrayal of Catholic teaching.

Bishop John D'Arcy, whose diocese includes Notre Dame, joined the rally and called students "heroes" for expressing their anger over the invitation to Obama.

The Bishop is right, they are heroes. What went unsaid is that by calling those at the rally heroes is what those who welcomed Obama were. IMHO traitors is 1 term, betrayers another.

Some students who attended the rally carried signs declaring "Shame on Notre Dame" and "Stop Abortion Now." Many wore anti-abortion T-shirts, one of which depicted a leprechaun throwing a baby into a trash can and the words "May 17, 2009, The day the dome was forever tarnished," which referred to the school's famed golden dome.

I have to point out that here we see more evidence of media bias. The article says theprotestors wore anti-abortion T-shirts rather than calling the shirts Pro-life as they probably were.

& while they did mention 1 student & Bishop D'Arcy, more space was given to the pro-abortion side in the article.

Sunsara Taylor, a New York City resident and a member of the abortion-rights group Abortion on Demand, said outside the school's gates that "there was a voice missing" in the controversy over Obama's visit.
"If women don't have a right to decide if they have a child, women aren't free," she said. "We need to expand abortion access and abortion rights and lift the stigma. Fetuses are not babies and women are not incubators."

Does she not see the flaws in her logic. 1st she says a woman should have the right to decide to have a child, then she denies that that is even a child by saying a fetus isn't a baby. Then what is it? She knows full well it is a child. & the term "incubator" is downright disgusting. To say that that is the only function of the womb & pregnancy is to demean women who do want to have children. Besides, it again shows the flaw in her logic that fetuses are not babies.

Also, how can she say a voice was missing? Isn't Obama the voice for the things she said there was no voice?

Kathleen Hession, a graduate from Iowa City, Iowa, said after the ceremony that the protests have overshadowed the students' academic achievements.
"This is our graduation, and it's neither the time nor the place to stage something like that," she said. "I respect their beliefs, but it's not the right platform."

I wonder if my fellow Iowan would have been upset had the reverse been true & someone she opposed politically was speaking. I can't say for sure, but I highly suspect she would have been applauding, not criticizing the protestors. I have to admit that a part of why I say that is based on the fact that Iowa City is the most politically liberal, leftist leaning, pro-abortion city in Iowa.

The 1 truth in her statement is the fact that the students acheivements should have been the centerpiece of the ceremony. But she was wrong to blame the protestors. It belongs on the administration who did it by inviting Obama in the 1st place.

Sadly, the administration has done huge damage to Notre Dame. I won't say that it is irreperable. It depends on where things go from here.

All I can say is that it has done a lot of harm to those who dearly love Notre Dame. Obviously to the alumni who were once proud of their alma mater. Then there are all of us Catholics who once say Notre Dame as THE Catholic College in the USA. I was on the campus for a couple of events back in 76 & 78. At the time I was impressed with the Catholic atmosphere that pervaded the Campus. Sadly, that Catholic ID had been at least gravely damaged, if not now completely thrown out by this. It is the apex of a trend by people like Fr. Hessburg & Fr. McBrien to undermine & destroy the efforts of many good Catholics on the faculty & staff to continue the heritage of ND as the premiere Catholic College. & yes, there are plenty of faithful Catholics on the faculty & staff that Fr. Jenkins has betrayed as much as he has the alumni & the rest of us. Knute Rockne must be turning over in his grave.

Source: Nearly 40 protesters arrested at Notre Dame