www.byzcath.org Forums News & Events Church News A Catholic Look at California's Recall Election

Here's an article on Arnold and his pro-abortion, pro-homosexual stance:
http://www.catholic.net/beauty_and_truth/template_channel.phtml?channel_id=4

The article mentions Bill Simon as a better choice, unfortunately he pulled out of the race a couple of weeks ago. Does anyone know if Tom McLintock is pro-life? I haven't seen much on his platform. I did see an independent on the sample ballot, whose first comment in the candidate's statements is that he is pro-life... Will check tonight and post his name...

I have heard that he is pro life and if that is the case he has my vote.
I dont really care if the other candidates even claim that they can lay a dozen solid 24 ktgold eggs for everyperson in california, if they "aint"
pro life I "aint"voting for them.
Stephanos I

I wish the Church did more to evangelize California. I fear they are going to bring down the rest of the nation even lower (if that were possible). There are many in California that are pushing for things like mandatory health care for Gay partners and more federal money for Abortions in school and abroad. If it was up to D. Finstein (however you spell her name) there would be Free Abortions for 12 year olds and they would get an ice cream afterwards (SICK).

What the Church needs in California is a Good Cardinal who is not afraid to step on toes.

Dear Johan S,
What do you think we are doing here anyway?
Ever hear of hardness of heart and perversion?
Stephanos I

We Californians are JUST fine. Thank you very much!!

You are welcome, sir. You may have just hit the problem on the head! :p

Perhaps JUST fines aren't enough?

Maybe we need more jail sentences for those who perpetrate the toxic culture of California? :p

It would help if our 'esteemed' governor didn't claim to be Catholic while promoting and perpetrating these things.
AMEN to that! He can start by excommunicating Gray Davis!

Everyone,

Tom McLintock has a 100% pro-life voting record, and would definitely have my vote if I were a California resident. Davis, Arnold, and Cruz are all Catholic and pro-abortion. McLintock, a Baptist, is more in line with Catholic social teaching than are the "Catholic" candidates.

Personally, I am hoping that Arnold loses. Why? I have a confession to make: for many years I have been a huge fan of the action star, and "Conan the Barbarian" is one of my all time favorite films. I also believe that he is a genuinely nice, friendly guy. I would rather see him fail at politics and go back to making movies, so that 1) the blood of unborn infants won't be on his hands and 2) he will make the sequel to Conan that has been in the works for the past couple of years. I'd rather have King Conan than Gov. Arnold.

Anthony

Dear Anthony,

I think you've had enough barbarians for governors in your country of late, however . . .

Unfortunately, the only hopeful King you've had in recent years is now dead and enshrined in Graceland . . .

Alex

There was at least one sequel to "Conan" that I've seen and it wasn't very good. :-( I think it had Grace Slick in it?

I believe that would be Grace Jones!

With all due respect, there are many other issues when choosing (or not choosing) a candidate besides the abortion issue. I do not accept the idea that a politician is pro-life simply because he or she opposes abortion. Many canidates use anti-abortion organizations as a PR tool to get themselves elected. An anti-abortion group was allowed to enter a certain Catholic Church in my town and hand out pamphlets endorsing political candidates. I feel very uncomfortable when a group of people hand out pamphlets in church telling me how to vote. Those pamplets have a propper place, in the magazine rack next to the copy of the Catholic Worker. That way a person can make a truly informed choice!

I am not trying to get off topic, but our president is a good example of someone who claims to be pro-life but in actuality isn't. President Bush is anti-abortion but extremely pro-death penalty. His state led the nation in number of executions when he was governor of Texas. Even a mentally retarded individual was executed. President Bush has also engaged in a war in Iraq which is bound to increase persecution of Christians in the area, despite warnings from Orthodox and Catholic bishops including His Holiness Pope John Paul II. Furthermore, as a consequence of this war there is no longer a stable government in Iraq which means that, ironically, actual terrorist organizations are starting to operate out of Iraq.

I mention our country's president as an example because I've met many people who use his anti-abortion stance to try to prove that he is somehow morally superior when compared to either Democratic or Independent politicians. There are many, many factors which determine if a person would be a good public servant. I would strongly suggest that any voter do thorough research on a candidate and not just rely on a single issue before casting a vote in any election locally, statewide or nationally.

I apologize if this post is off topic or if I have offended anybody but sometimes we as Christians can be one dimensional in our thinking and, pardon the cliche, not see the whole picture.

St Herman

You certainly haven't said anything that offends me. I occasionally, while driving, tune into Christian radio broadcasts, and you'd be amazed to hear what some fundamentalists are saying about the president. If Bush ever signs the Partial Birth Abortion Ban into law, alot of these people will be in favor of giving him carte blanche to run the country as he pleases. Pretty frightening when you hear people lamenting our national moral decline one moment, then supporting the erosion of our constitutional liberties through the Patriot Act in the next.

St. Herman,

I agree with you in principle: a whole host of issues must be considered when choosing a candidate. However, I am of the opinion that the abortion issue is of such gravity that is must be given extreme weight. While capital punishment is (in most cases) injust, the taking of the life of an innocent child is an evil of even greater magnitude.

Abortion is out of control in this country, plain and simple. But how are we going to put an end to it? We can't take the route of extremists, and shoot abortionists. That is morally evil. The only way that we as a populace can put an end to this slaughter is through our vote. That's the only option that we have.

If all of the Christians (and other people of goodwill) would simply agree NEVER to vote for a politician who supports abortion, the issue would vanish. There are enough of us in this country that if we refused to ever vote for a pro-abortion candidate, they would not get elected. Unfortunately, we have for the most part compromised on this issue drastically.

I come from a long line of dyed in the wool Democrats. My grandfather was a Democratic committee man, and he taught me that "Republicans are for the rich, and Democrats are for the working man." I suppose that was true in his time. But today I think that it is a tragedy that most Catholics unhesitatingly vote for the Democratic party without first considering the moral magnitude of abortion. (A caveat is in order here: in some places there are still wonderful pro-life Democrats, in the tradition of the great Gov. Bob Casey)

I am in no way endorsing the Republican party. For the most part I don't trust them either. But I do take issue with Catholics who are single party voters, who will vote for any candidate with a (D) next to their name. If a single issue voter is bad, a single party voter is worse. I dare say it, but if Satan himself crawled out of the pits of hell and ran on the Democratic ticket, most Catholics would vote for him.

As for me, I refuse to vote for anyone who is pro-abortion. I may be naive, but that is what my conscience is telling me. And believe me, I will take a pro-life Democrat over a pro-abortion Republican any day.

Just my thoughts...
Anthony

Glory to Jesus Christ!

Dragani said: "We can't take the route of extremists, and shoot abortionists. That is morally evil."

Is it? I know this question is bound to take us off-topic, but I wonder if one can dismiss so easily those who defend human life by taking the life of murderers.

Say I'm walking down the street one day, and I see Hitler about to kill an old Jewish lady. I decide to intervene and plead with him not to do it. He refuses to hear my reasons. Instead, he points his gun at the old lady. At that moment, having failed to dissuade him by other non-violent means, I am forced to take out my own gun and shoot him.

Was I justified in doing what I did? I would agree that what I did was sinful, but only as a necessary evil.

Help me to understand the basis for the distinction between defending by force the lives of born human beings (acceptable) and defending by force the lives of unborn human beings (unacceptable). Is it the positive law and the fact that abortion is legal?

In Christ,
Theophilos

P.S. I don't actually own a gun.