From and California Catholic Daily and Sancte Pater where WDTPRS’s photoshopper Vincenzo holds forth, we have news of this stunningly dopey move on the part of a member of the US Senate.
Sen. Barbara Boxer holds up resolution welcoming Benedict XVI because of objections to pro-life content
California Catholic Daily – U.S. Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-California, temporarily blocked approval of a resolution welcoming Pope Benedict XVI to the U.S. because she disapproved of a passage referring to the pope’s respect “for each and every human life,” the online political journal Politico reports. [Apparently the Senator from California does not respect each and every human life.]Boxer and other Democrats objected because they saw the phrase as a reference to abortion. [And perhaps a guilty conscience? At least I hope so.] “Three Senate Republican aides involved in the issue say that Boxer objected to the ‘life’ language, [death language is preferable, perhaps. this is a GREAT example of what Pope Benedict spoke of yesterday to young people in NY!] which Democrats see as an implicit reference to the Catholic church’s opposition to abortion,” said Politico. “Senate Democratic leadership offices declined to comment but referred questions to Boxer’s office.”
Boxer spokeswoman Natalie Ravitz told Politico in an email message after the controversy was resolved, "We are very pleased we were able to reach an agreement with Senator Brownback to remove the political language and pass this resolution welcoming Pope Benedict." [Look what happened! "Life" language is political language! Superb example of Benedict’s points.]
The resolution welcoming the pope later passed the Senate on a voice vote, but only after its sponsor, Sen. Sam Brownback, R-Kansas, agreed to remove any reference to "human life." Politico reported that Brownback, “a devout Catholic,” agreed to drop the language because he “did not want a high profile fight over the resolution.” [It might have been worse to force the issue and have the resolution fail, but it is really too bad they couldn’t fight it out.]
In fact, reported Politico, the Kansas senator, while attending a papal Mass at Nationals Park, used a hand-held messaging device to communicate to his staff that it was ok to delete the language to which Boxer and other Democrats objected.
"There was some politics involved here, [D’YA THINK?!?] and the objectionable language has been withdrawn," a senior Democratic Senate aide told Politico.
This is the language to which Boxer objected and which was later removed from the resolution at her insistence: "Pope Benedict XVI has spoken out for the weak and vulnerable, witnessing to the value of each and every human life." [Pretty bad. That sort of language, life language, should be kept private, right? Can’t have that in a chamber where elected officials uphold the Constitution!]
