The Hope for Divorce Reform

The Hope of Divorce Reform

Many people can’t remember or even imagine a time when there were any limits on divorce in the United States.  No-fault divorce has become such a part of our culture that the notion of restrictions on the reasons people can be divorced seem totally foreign.

Yet there was a time when our culture viewed marriage not primarily as an institution for the gratification of adults, but as an institution for the sake of the protection of children.  The Church, of course, sees marriage as an institution for the well-being of children and the sanctification of those who are called to that vocation.

The prevalence of divorce and the epidemic of “deadbeat dads” have done more to destroy our society than any evil save abortion, in my opinion.  Without question there are women and men who have joined their children as victims of divorce – one spouse decides they are not compatible or that they no longer wish to remain in a marriage, and there’s nothing the other can do.  Many of these people display heroic efforts to be loving parents and safeguard their children’s well-being. 

It is people like these, as well as their children, that will be greatly served if the efforts for divorce reform progressing through some statehouses pass and spread.

In Georgia, HB 684 would require parents seeking a divorce to take a class on the effects of divorce on children.  They would then be given a “cooling-off” period before they could file, and the divorce would not be granted for a year. 

Similar bills have been introduced in Texas, and an even more stringent waiting-period bill recently stalled in North Carolina (which already requires a year’s delay), but hopefully will be revived.

There is no question that the scourge of divorce has affected and deformed multiple generations of young people, and caused immeasurable pains to both men and women who have seen their spouses walk away from vows they had taken seriously.

There is very little we need more desperately than serious divorce reform.

Prayer and Fasting for Peace

Prayer and Fasting for Peace

Pope Francis has called for a day of prayer and fasting this Saturday, September 7, for peace in Syria.  Please join our holy father and implore our Heavenly Father for a peaceful resolution to the crisis.

Should Republicans Try to Defund Obamacare?

Should Republicans Try to

Defund Obamacare?

There are a couple of things we can probably all agree on:  1) Obamacare is a bad law; 2) There are probably not many more chances to prevent its implementation.  Republicans are deciding now whether to try and defeat the law by blocking its funding.

Politically, it’s risky.  It may not be successful.  The Democratic narrative, dutifully promoted by the liberal media, will be that the health care bill provides services to poor people who would otherwise be uninsured.  (Indeed, Republicans must not give up on health care reform just because this bill is a mess.)  There will be a brilliant campaign against Republicans for trying to squash Mr. Obama’s signature domestic achievement.

So is it wise to engage in such a fight when Republicans hope to hold on to the House and possibly regain the Senate in the 2014 mid-term elections?

The answer, I think, is a resounding YES!  If there’s one thing our government does well, it is play politics.  And unfortunately Republicans have been cowed into submission on important issues before in the hopes of retaining power or not giving the Democrats and the media too much ammunition.

When this happens, we all lose.  What’s the point of gaining power if you have to compromise your values to keep it?  When a law comes around that is as bad as Obamacare, it is the duty of those who oppose it to do so vigorously, regardless of political consequences.

Senator Marco Rubio recently said in an interview that this may be the last chance to spare the country the negative effects of this bill.  If this isn’t worth fighting for, the senator asked, what is?

He’s right.  If this battle is not one that Republicans think it is prudent to fight, then they have become totally impotent in government.  There may be a time for political strategy, but there also comes a time to stand up and be counted, consequences be damned.

Link - The Fight Continues

Link – The Fight Continues

http://catholicexchange.com/no-it-wont-just-go-away-obamacare-and-ave-maria-university/

Obama's Real Syria Problem

Obama’s Real Syria Problem

Barack Obama is considering military action against Syria for apparently using chemical warfare against innocent civilians.  Any military action would not include boots on the ground, occupation, or have as its goal the overthrow of the Assad regime.  The objective would be to punish Syria and to drive home the point to all nations that the international community will enforce the norm against using chemical weapons.

But Mr. Obama has a credibility problem, and it does not just stem from the British Parliament’s vote against military action and the impossibility of getting the endorsement of the UN security council.  No, the heart of Mr. Obama’s credibility problem is that he has long been a strong supporter of chemical warfare against innocent civilians.

Millions of unborn children are aborted through chemical attacks in the United States, and Mr. Obama has been an outspoken supporter.  Not only that, he has opposed efforts at recognizing the pain caused to both the babies and their mothers, and he has forced taxpayers and even religious institutions to pay for the brutality, in contradiction to American law.

So when Mr. Obama gives a stern warning about the brutality of the Syrian attacks, their violation of international norms, and the punishment they merit, a reasonable person doesn’t know whether to laugh or to cry.

But the problem is not only Obama’s.  It’s one that has plagued our country since at least 1973.  We have heard, in recent years, the debate over whether the United States should be “the world’s policeman,” and whether we have the military capability to do so.  But a more fundamental question is whether a society that is increasingly built on the culture of death has any moral capability to be a leader at all, let alone enforce the values of human rights and human dignity.

A fundamental principle in philosophy is that one can not give what one does not possess.  As our culture no longer possesses justice and righteousness, there is no way we can give them to anyone else.  The use and proliferation of chemical weapons is something no one should want, but as we consider the need to deter Syria, we must first focus on repentance for ourselves.