The Grinches at Catholics United

Hope your Christmas day was filled with joy, laughter, love and the presence of our newborn King.    We had a great day here at Camp McKinley.      I don't know about you, but I'm not psyched up for this 'blizzard'.   I don't know how to operate my snowblower.  :O)    Guess today's the day I'm going to learn!

Meanwhile, here's something to warm the cockles of your heart...

I somehow missed this, but apparently Chris Korzen and James Salt of Katholycs United responded to Bishop Olmsted's stripping of Catholic status and excommunication over the abortion at St. Joseph's Hospital by asking him to reverse his decision and saying he's too much of a hardliner and out of touch with many Catholics.

In a nutshell, they do a convoluted jig around the 'moral analysis' relied upon to perform the abortion.   The teaching of the Church is that it is never permissible to perform an abortion no matter what the circumstances, even when the abortion would improve the health of the mother.   If a pregnant woman is in a health crisis, medications, operations, procedures that will improve her health are permissible, even if those procedures risk the life of her unborn child, but never an abortion.

It's a tough teaching in the circumstances these individuals were in, but it is the teaching.     The administrator of the Catholic Hospital was there to uphold the teaching.  You tell her we'll do what we can to stabilize the situation until the baby can survive outside of the womb, give her the best medical care available, get the prayers and novena's going.  If the pregnant mother of four made the choice to pursue an abortion, we don't chain people to their hospital beds and she has the option of arranging a transfer to a non-Catholic hospital.

This is why you see a dance around calling the procedure an abortion in their 'moral analysis', as in this Condomweal piece here.

 “ “The procedure performed at St. Joseph’s Hospital and Medical Center on November 5, 2009, cannot properly be described as an abortion. The act, per its moral object, must accurately be described as saving the life of the mother. The death of the fetus was, at maximum, nondirect and praeter intentionem. More likely, the fetus was already dying due to the pathological situation prior to the intervention; as such, it is inaccurate to understand the death of the fetus as an accessory consequence to the intervention.”

There are numerous flaws in this analysis.  The procedure was an abortion with the direct intention of killing the child.   The child in utero was not dying and saying 'more likely' that it was is 100% conjecture.  But the most compelling observance of their moral poverty was their description of the 'death of the fetus as an accessory consequence to the intervention".

When dilating the woman's cervix, inserting the vacuum to the living child within her womb and tearing the child into small enough pieces to go through the tubes and into the jar, they approached the procedure with the intention of permitting the child to live.  In the course of this medical intervention, the dead child was an unintended accessory consequence and therefore, it is 'bogus' (as Korzen calls it) to describe the procedure as an abortion.

The hospital has the support of the Catholic Health Association, the U.S. Catholic community foremost healthcare authority, Catholics United says. Gotta love that.    (They also have the support of the reliable contradictors of Catholic teaching .  The crew at the National Catholic Reporter.   James Martin conveniently gathers the links of the people adrift from One Holy Catholic Apostolic Church at Condomweal here.  Vox Nova here.)


Taking a quick glimpse at other press releases at "Catholics United", it's quite a peculiar focus for a Catholic group.  In fact, I couldn't find anything that actually defended Catholic teaching.  When they "unite", they "unite" behind people people who procure and legislate abortion or pour ants over the Catholic Crucifix to blame Catholic teaching for the HIV caused by irresponsible sex.

I doubt they were edified with Bishop Olmsted's response --

The Phoenix Diocese issued the following statement: "Unfortunately, St. Joseph's hospital and 'Catholic's United are not in union with Bishop Olmsted and have no claim to being considered authentically Catholic, nor do they speak for the church in any way."

Why don't they just use the take away the right of "Catholics United", the "National Catholic Reporter" and the "Catholic Health Association" to use the name "Catholic" to set up an alternate 'magisterium'?  

Take the ax to the root.

Catholics United, Catholics in Alliance, Catholic Democrats: Front for Proabortion Politicians

Father Z has a post up on a great article outlining how the Proabortion Politicians and Organizations set up phony organizations to hijack Catholics who have been misled by unfaithful priests.

Misleading “Catholic” organizations such as Catholics United and Catholics in Alliance for the Common Good operated as an arm for pro-abortion Democrats in 2008 and now enjoy an important role in the Obama administration.

By Anne Hendershott

Self-described “progressive” Catholic organizations, such as Catholics in Alliance for the Common Good, Catholics United, Catholic Democrats, and Voice of the Faithful, have successfully manipulated long-standing divisions among Catholics. In 2008, President Obama, with the help of misleading propaganda from these groups, won a majority of the Catholic vote.

Now these organizations are playing an important role in his administration

The article has uncovered several layers of the political whores of the proabortion politicians that infiltrate Catholic circles and spread propaganda to confuse the teachings of the Church.

Kelley teamed with Catholics United’s leaders, James Salt and Chris Korzen, in the 2008 campaign to neutralize the abortion issue by casting it in pro-Democratic Party terms. Salt and Korzen have plenty of political experience, as well. Salt’s political work has involved overseeing the Kansas Democratic Party’s dubious “faith outreach” efforts, including what he calls “messaging work” for the pro-abortion Kathleen Sebelius and the development of “faith-based messaging resources.”

“EDGY WORK”

On its website, Catholics United describes itself as “a non-profit, non-partisan organization dedicated to promoting the message of justice and the common good found at the heart of the Catholic Social Tradition.” But in a September 12, 2008 radio interview heard at soundauthors.com, Korzen disclosed that at Catholics United “we do a little bit more edgy work…we can do lobbying and political work unlike your traditional non-profits.”

Prior to helping to found Catholics United, Korzen served as co-founder and director of the Catholic Voting Project in 2004, after working as an organizer with the Service Employees International Union. Korzen is a frequent contributor to the left-wing website The Huffington Post, where he often publishes pieces in support of the Democratic Party.

There is another hierarchy in this pyramid that involved Nancy Pelosi, the Clintons, the Governor Ted Strickland and jailbird Eric McFadden. This wing of the political machine is more sinister and treacherous. Readers of my blog will remember Kelly, Korzen, Salt and McFadden actually physically went to Churches to threaten and intimidate pro-lifers with the full consent and participation of unfaithful pastors. McFadden posted pictures of Kelly's organized trips to Churches on his blog. (McFadden took his blog down - but I believe I have them somewhere in the archives of this blog and tucked them away for safe keeping)

Experts in “messaging,” Catholics United and Catholics in Alliance for the Common Good have achieved tremendous success in convincing Catholic voters to focus on “social justice” issues like poverty as the way to reduce abortion rates without restricting abortion rights. Refusing to hold politicians like President Obama and Kathleen Sebelius accountable for their votes in favor of partial birth abortion and taxpayer funded abortion here and abroad, and against parental notification requirements, these progressive organizations maintain a consistent message of the “common good,” which they identify with electing Democrats.

Rather than focusing on the “divisive” issues surrounding abortion (like abortion restrictions), Catholics, they say, should elect candidates who would address the “root causes” of abortion.

Korzen and Company need a lesson in the birds and the bees. The "root causes" of 99% of abortions are falling to the temptation of sleeping with somebody who isn't your husband/wife and then the "men" involved (and I use that term loosely) pressure the woman into having abortions. There are numerous reasons why somebody would elect to kill the child they conceived that I don't have time to elaborate upon in this post - but the idea that poverty stricken women are lining up to abort their own children they conceived with their husbands and cannot afford is hogwash. There's plenty of things that can happen to a family that impact finances after children are born - even in the best of circumstances - and killing the children involved actually happens quite infrequently.

Reviewing the 2007 IRS 990 forms for both Catholics in Alliance for the Common Good and Catholics United raises some questions, because Chris Korzen is listed as having received compensation from Catholics in Alliance on the group’s 990 Form—even though the Catholics United website claimed he was the director there during the same time period. Still, Statement 6 of the Catholics in Alliance 990 form submitted to the IRS in 2007 clearly shows that Chris Korzen was compensated with a salary of $84,821 for working 40 hours per week for Catholics in Alliance for the Common Good. The relationship remains unclear.

What is clear is that in their 2007 IRS 990 form Catholics in Alliance reported a total of $1,119,368 in income from gifts, grants, and contributions, with another $9,819 in income from unrelated business activities, for a total of $1,129,187 in total support. In contrast, Catholics United, filing the EZ form because their income was so low, reported only $38,270.39 in total revenue. James Salt, listed as the organizing director at Catholics United, is the only paid employee with a salary of $9,800 per year. Chris Korzen is listed as the executive director, but according to the 2007 990 form received no salary from Catholics United.

Of course, the political whores of abortion are paid by names we all recognize:

Despite their inability to engage in extensive lobbying, Catholics in Alliance has been extremely successful in attracting large donors. In fact, Catholics in Alliance has enjoyed the financial support of some of the biggest donors to progressive causes. Never a friend to the Catholic Church, George Soros, one of the earliest donors, contributed $50,000 to Catholics in Alliance in 2005 and another $100,000 in 2006 through his Open Society Institute. Likewise, Smith Bagley, a major Democratic donor and fundraiser, whose wife, Elizabeth Frawley Bagley, is Chairman of the Board of Catholics in Alliance, came close to matching Soros with grants from his family’s Arca Foundation. With a long history of supporting progressive organizations like ACORN, the Gamaliel Foundation, People for the American Way, and Planned Parenthood, Arca contributed $50,000 to Catholics in Alliance in 2007 and another $75,000 in 2008.

This is one of my favorite lines in the article:

In an interview earlier this year, Chris Korzen claimed that at Catholics United “we follow Church teachings to the letter.” Yet in that same interview, Korzen stated, “I believe that one can pursue policies beyond criminalization of abortion that make that teaching present in the world.”

Amazingly, these same individuals are now focused on nothing but the absence of abortion coverage in the healthcare bill. I guess they were the one issue katholics all along.



***UPDATE

As I've said before, I'm on the fence about the Stupak Amendment. I have a load of concerns about the government takeover of healthcare, the bankruptcy it will send the country into, the rationing of healthcare to the sick and terminating life of seniors by withholding treatments or outright euthanasia -- and I'm full force against the government takeover of healthcare. In terms of how the Bill would affect the efficacy of exploiting the poor by convincing women to kill their own flesh and blood, I'm still on the fence about Stupak. It seems a step in the right direction to me. Nowhere near enough to get me on board, but a step in the right direction.

Speaking of the Bishop's approval of the Stupak, Chris Korzen and the George Soros "Catholics in Alliance" - here's a little piece of fun:

In a November 8 article titled “House votes for ban on abortion subsidies,” the Los Angeles Times quoted a statement from the pro-Obama group Catholics United attributing it to the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB).

The article in the LA Times, which remained uncorrected on Thursday evening, covered the final vote on the House health care bill and the previous passage of the Stupak amendment.

"The amendment, offered just prior to the vote on the healthcare bill, passed 240 to 194,” wrote LA Times’ reporter Kim Geiger.

Geiger then added: “The compromise won immediate support from the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, which urged Catholics to ‘lend their full-throated support’ to the Democrats' healthcare bill.”

“‘The bishops' stamp of approval means that this bill is unambiguously pro-life and we will vigorously oppose those who suggest otherwise,’ the conference said in a statement Saturday,” Geiger added in the story.

Nevertheless, the words attributed by the LA Times to the USCCB actually belong to a statement released by Chris Korzen, Executive Director of the independent, pro-Obama group Catholics United, which has supported the president’s health care bill even when the U.S. bishops where opposing it before the Stupak Amendment passed in the House.

The quote mistakenly attributed by the LA Times to the USCCB is taken from the fifth paragraph of Korzen's statement, which was released late on Saturday.

You know...I thought this was weird, even for the USCCB:

“‘The bishops' stamp of approval means that this bill is unambiguously pro-life and we will vigorously oppose those who suggest otherwise,’ the conference said in a statement Saturday,” Geiger added in the story.

You never know what way the wind will blow with the USCCB but I believe the leadership under Cardinal George to be sincere. With all the flaws left in healthcare 'reform', the statement was out of sync. The Bishops never put any stamp of approval on Stupak according to CNA.

The only dissenting voice came from the pro-Obama "Catholics United," whose executive director, Chris Korzen said that "the bishops' stamp of approval means that this bill is unambiguously pro-life, and we will vigorously oppose those who suggest otherwise."

However, a staff member of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) currently working on the Hill to prevent health care from including an abortion mandate, quickly dismissed Korzen's claim.

Speaking for background to CNA, the USCCB staff member said that "there is stamp no of approval from the bishops whatsoever. Someone here has been either extremely naive or extremely partisan."

The bill will now be debated and voted upon in the Senate.

This one makes more sense:

The true USCCB statement, released on Monday, November 9, a day after the original LA Times story was published, was laudatory of the Stupak Amendment, but much less enthusiastic than Catholic United's on the health care bill.

In the USCCB statement, Cardinal Francis George said the bishops were thankful that “the Representatives honored President Obama’s commitment to the Congress and the nation that health care reform would not become a vehicle for expanding abortion funding or mandates.” But the USCCB president also warned that “the Conference will remain vigilant and involved throughout this entire process to assure that these essential provisions are maintained and included in the final legislation.”

“We remain deeply concerned about other aspects of health care reform as the debate now moves to the Senate, especially as it affects the poor and vulnerable, and those at the beginning and end of life. We will continue to insist that health care reform legislation must protect conscience rights. We support measures to make health care more affordable for low-income people and the uninsured. We remain deeply concerned that immigrants be treated fairly and not lose the health care coverage that they now have,” Cardinal George stated.

Soros' lizard is getting a little carried away, don't ya think??

Catholic Proabort Politicians are Despondent; Petition/Counter Petition

With the illumination that Pro-Life Catholics desire to give momentum to Catholic Politicians faithful to the tenets of our religion, abortion advocating Catholic politicians are despondent at the shocking news that they're betraying their faith.

They have never heard this insulting revelation before from the rock they're under.

And, they're dismayed that people are fundraising to accomplish their political aspirations.

Where in America has this ever been done before.

Senator Kerry is whimpering in the corner with a spokesperson who doesn't have her Bernadin seamless garment talking points memorized

“At a time when the whole cloth of Catholic teachings demands we work together to find answers for so many who are suffering in this world, it’s disappointing to see incendiary political fundraising rather than good-faith efforts to promote the common good and work together to reduce the number of abortions,” Kerry spokeswoman Whitney Smith wrote in an e-mail."

You know...the whole cloth.

The whole nine yards.

The whichamacall it.........The cloth without the holes.

In a good-faith effort to promote the whole common good cloth, Catholics United is circulating a petition on behalf of the catatonic Catholic proaborts.


I can trump this cartoon.

United Catholics Circulate Counter-Petition to President Barack Obama
to denounce divisive tactics of Catholics United.

Calls for return of money for inappropriate use of of government agencies
and unfaithful Catholic periodicals to ambush faithful Roman Catholics

Dear President Obama;

Once again, operatives with strong partisan ties are misusing faith to achieve their political ends.

Today, the unfaithful organization Catholics United run by an official of your campaign, Elizabeth Frawley Bagley was limping along trying to get traction out of a story that Roman Catholics are tired of leadership misrepresenting dogma in the public square and are fundraising to give momentum to politicians who embrace our ideals to give us a voice on Capitol Hill.

I know what you're thinking: It's as crazy for faithful Catholics to have taxation and want representation on Capitol Hill as it is AfroAmericans. Yet, as a wise man once said, we have dreams too, that someday folks will judge Catholics by the content of our character. We shall not be deterred. We will not be intimidated. Our political dreams, of course, are deflated by a 2000 year history of martyrdom - but oddly, the gravitas of evangelizing in the public square only gets more zealous. Go figure.

Considering the divisive tactics this rat pack initiative has participated in , our feelings are hurt. In fact, we're so paralyzed and depressed we are being spoon-fed soup.

You have officially stated that you reject divisive politics and that's a good first step but more needs to be done, especially if their grassroots adviser God O Thunder gets out of jail. Together with our friends in the Roman Curia, can you send us 76.9 million applications for the witness protection program? All people of faith have reason to be offended by Catholics United divisive tone.

We are calling on President Obama to 1) clarify to all those who are stalked and threatened that he does not support these attacks on the Catholic faith and 2) ask Elizabeth Frawley Bagley to return all the funds raised by this campaign or put them to good use in this time of economic crisis by donating them to Catholic Advocate.

Please sign my petition and ask President Obama to help right the wrongs of these degrading tactics.

United Catholics is a group of hundreds of thousands Catholics.

Catholics United Parish Protection Program

-----Original Message-----
From: cmmckinley@aol.com
To: ckorzen@catholics-united.org
Cc: jsalt@catholics-united.org; parishprotection@catholics-united.org
Sent: Sun, 1 Feb 2009 1:29 pm
Subject: Catholics United Parish Protection Program

Dear Chris and Jim,

I'm preparing a story (and some actions) relative to your "parish protection" program in November of 2008. I appears that the Bishops and priests who gave your group permission to threaten and intimidate with a sexual psychopath (who then posted pictures and accounts of your group's activities) may actually be in some hot water.

It is my understanding that Mr. McFadden was on your payroll at the time of your executed "parish protections", a year and a half after I blew the whistle on this pervert and predator.

Do you care to confirm or deny on the record?

Sincerely,

Carol McKinley

Blast E-Mail from James Salt of Catholics United, 10/30/08

On Thu, 10/30/08, James Salt, Catholics United <parishprotection@catholics-united.org> wrote:

From: James Salt, Catholics United <parishprotection@catholics-united.org>

Subject: Help Protect Catholic Churches from Political Manipulation

To:

Date: Thursday, October 30, 2008, 2:56 PM

Help Protect Catholic Churches from Political Manipulation

Dear ___,

With less than a week to go until Election Day, things are getting ugly. In a final act of desperation, the religious far right is calling on its activists to defy the U.S. Catholic Bishops' order to keep unapproved election materials from church property by doing a "literature drop" at parishes across the country. The goal of this activity is to convince Catholics that it's immoral to vote for candidates who don't subscribe to the right's narrow agenda.

It's true. On Monday the partisan group Priests for Life held a teleseminar to train some 3,300 activists nationwide on how to place divisive political literature on the windshield of every churchgoing Catholic's car this Saturday and Sunday.

Click Here to listen to Priests for Life explain how to distribute partisan literature on Catholic Church property.

Catholics United is spearheading an effort to put the brakes on the religious right's plans in as many parishes as possible. Here's what you can do to help:
* Call your pastor and encourage him to instruct the ushers to monitor the church parking lot during the worship service. This sample script lists some ways that parishes can protect themselves from undue political influence.
* Sign up for our parish protection program and join volunteers across the20country who will be working to put a stop to the religious right's efforts this weekend. We'll then provide you with detailed information on how you can protect churches in your neighborhood.
* Print copies of our values voter guide and "Pro-Life Means All Life" flyer and pass them out at community and political events in your area. Please consult with your pastor before distributing these materials on church property.

The extreme right will stop at nothing to distort church teaching for political gain. It's time to say that enough is enough. Catholics are tired of our faith being used as a political weapon.

Sincerely,

James and Chris
The Catholics United Team

(some of McFadden's links and photos)

http://eamon-matthew25.blogspot.com/2008/11/mccain-campaign-volunteers-trespass-at.html#links

http://eamon-matthew25.blogspot.com/2008/11/mccain-campaign-volunteers-invade-and.html#links

http://eamon-matthew25.blogspot.com/2008/11/mccain-campaign-politicking-at-st.html#links

Letter from Fr. Frank Pavone to Catholics United, 10/31/08

James, Chris, and Team,

I received a copy o f the email you sent out (below). I don’t know if you attempted to speak with me before sending this out, but we would welcome such an approach in the future.

Please inform those to whom you communicate that they might also want to alert their pastors that a large number of people are ready to file lawsuits against any individual or institution who tries to intimidate or prevent citizens from fostering the electoral process or informing their fellow citizens about the candidates.

While we are not initiating any such activity, many people have told us they are ready to do so depending on what happens this weekend.
Pastors and dioceses want to avoid “legal entanglements,” and the activity you recommend here will get them entangled far faster than mine will.

Obviously, an email like the one you sent below would implicate you in such entanglements as well.

Best regards,

Fr. Frank Pavone

PS -- Thanks for the extra publicity! Please be sure to register for the November 5 teleseminar as well.

For the record, McFadden, the criminal sex offender is now behind bars on a $750,000 dollar bond to protect the witness from McFadden's intimidation and coercion.

Catholics United used McFadden to take photographs of people's license plates in the Church parking lot. I think the victims have a decent civil suit against Catholics United, especially since I've got the paper trail on the whistleblowing over a year before the execution of this day of bullying.

More news on this story later.

Authenticity of Catholics United and Catholics for Common Good is being scrutinized

Cardinal George is taking on Catholics United and Catholics for the Common Good?

Catholics in Alliance for the Common Good is an organization whose purpose is convincing Catholics to vote for pro-choice Democrats. The sleight of hand they employ in this task is to claim that such candidates align so well across the board with Catholic teaching on the common good, that their support for legalized abortion can be fairly overlooked. In fact, the group does not even call for the repeal of the Roe regime and is constantly critical of those who do, preferring to praise those pro-choice politicians who claim to reduce abortions by adjustments in social policy.

Cardinal George attacks that notion today in a letter posted to the Archdiocese of Chicago website (excerpt):

"The unborn child, who is alive and is a member of the human family, cannot defend himself or herself. Good law defends the defenseless. Our present laws permit unborn children to be privately killed. Laws that place unborn children outside the protection of law destroy both the children killed and the common good, which is the controlling principle of Catholic social teaching. One cannot favor the legal status quo on abortion and also be working for the common good."

Cardinal George does not call out Catholics in Alliance by name, but he has previously banned their deceptive material from parishes in his diocese.

The post goes on to say that Ray Flynn was asked to be part of their initiative to spin their pro-abortion platform as "reduction in abortions platform", and he declined.

Eradicating slavery is the only acceptable platform. A platform supporting it with a pretense you'll assist slavemasters to help keep slavery to a minimum isn't a cogent argument. It's intolerable, dishonest and just plain dumb. Same goes for a platform endorsing killing people for some of us.

James Salt and Chris Korzen are now frantically doing damage control by way of accusing their detractors of lying.

"Jack- James Salt here. Your reporting is factually inaccurate. I know this is a blog, but what you claim is not true and should be edited"

and on another blog here.

you blatantly misrepresent our organization when you suggest that we favor the legal status of abortion. We do not. See http://catholics-united.org/?q=node/201 for more information. I believe Alexia would have similar words to say about Catholics in Alliance.

Finally, neither Alexia nor I publicly support Senator Obama or any other candidates for public office. I would appreciate if you would correct these factual inconsistencies immediately....

...I'm frankly a bit concerned that you keep getting the facts wrong about our groups. I have no problem with you disagreeing with us on the substance of our arguments, but please, at least tell the truth about who we are. I'm happy to speak with you in advance of future writings to avoid any further misrepresentations.

Like Oprah, Catholics United believes in Democracy, so long as everybody unwilling to accept their platform isn't in it.

It's not surprising, then, they get bitter, they cling to guns or religion or antipathy to people who aren't like them or anti-immigrant sentiment or anti-trade sentiment as a way to explain their frustrations. Barack Obama