January 18, 2010 – Turning Left

First, a word from the president … of the University of Notre Dame:

The Jan. 13 issue of the University of Notre Dame’s student newspaper The Observer included a cartoon that was inappropriate and offensive.

“The University denounces the implication that violence or expressions of hate toward any person or group of people is acceptable or a matter that should be taken lightly,” said Rev. John I. Jenkins, C.S.C., Notre Dame’s president.

In accordance with Notre Dame’s Spirit of Inclusion, a formal statement adopted by the officers of the University in 1997, at Notre Dame “we prize the uniqueness of all persons as God’s creatures” and welcome " all people, regardless of color, gender, religion, ethnicity, sexual orientation, social or economic class, and nationality."

Further, “we value gay and lesbian members of this community as we value all members of this community. We condemn harassment of any kind” and “we consciously create an environment of mutual respect, hospitality and warmth in which none are strangers and all may flourish.”

The University respects The Observer’s status as an independent, student-run newspaper and appreciates that the editorial staff has issued an apology in its January 15th issue and that the cartoon’s authors also have expressed their regret. Notre Dame administrators will work with the Observer staff, as they say in their editorial, to “move forward, and….to promote…a culture of acceptance and support for all.”

In the wake of the publication of this cartoon, which has been widely covered in the media, all I could think was "here we go again." Certainly Fr. Jenkins’ words are welcome, especially when he says, “we value gay and lesbian members of this community as we value all members of this community. We condemn harassment of any kind” and “we consciously create an environment of mutual respect, hospitality and warmth in which none are strangers and all may flourish.” But as a Catholic institution, Notre Dame can only go so far.

Face it.

Please understand, this is not a slam at Catholicism. I do not believe Catholicism is limited to the Vatican, which many in the media seem to believe. All religions is local, to paraphrase former Speaker of the House Thomas "Tip" O’Neil. Church is what happens when I go to my parish and worship with my community. Our Catholic parish is open to all.

But Notre Dame is a bit more "on the map" than my parish is in the south suburbs of Chicago. As a Domer, I appreciate Fr. Jenkins words, but he needs to go much further. What does that mean? For that, I defer to Tom O’Brien ‘86, Michael August ‘96, Steven Saftig ’03, and Liam Dacey ‘04, officers of the Gay and Lesbian Alumni/ae of Notre Dame and Saint Mary’s College (GALA-ND/SMC):

As officers of the Gay and Lesbian Alumni/ae of Notre Dame and Saint Mary’s College (GALA-ND/SMC) for the past two years, we have encountered people on campus who disagree with us on many issues. What we have not encountered from the student body, faculty, or administration is the lack of respect evidenced by the publication of this hateful cartoon from other members of the Notre Dame community.

This is not a question of free speech. If the editors weren’t concerned with community standards, they wouldn’t have rejected the first version of the cartoon. No, the decision to publish it demonstrates a serious lack of judgment and lack of commitment to the Catholic belief in human dignity and stance against violence.
We know that the cartoon does not reflect the feelings of a majority of the people on the ND campus; and we have been heartened by many of the responses appearing in the Observer. But this will hurt the university unless it is clear that Notre Dame does not tolerate violence against any members of its community.

The author and editors seem to have missed the point of a Catholic education if they cannot see that LGBT students, faculty, staff and alumni are indeed members of the Notre Dame and Saint Mary’s family and should be treated as such.

We make every attempt to share with people outside of campus the positive steps being made to improve the lives of the LGBT community at ND and SMC. Sometimes this takes convincing, even with our own membership. The publication of the cartoon is a prime example of why Notre Dame ranks first in The Princeton Review’s list of the most unwelcoming campuses for gay and lesbian students. The noise being generated by this will drown out any good news about the work being done by the students, faculty and Core Council. That’s not good news if you care about our university’s reputation.

The administration needs to take the lead in responding by holding panel discussions with the Observer, the faculty and the student body. GALA’s more-than-900 members are ready to join with the rest of the Notre Dame community in stating that the free flow of ideas can only occur if we respect each other.

Tom O’Brien ‘86, Michael August ‘96, Steven Saftig ’03, and Liam Dacey ‘04
GALA ND/SMC Officers

It’s time for Notre Dame to bring that respect to life. Fr. Jenkins and the University of Notre Dame Trustees need to step up.

Will County Businesses Love Todd Stroger

January 18, 2010 TL

Cook County Democratic News Economy Elections

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The Sun-Times puts an interesting twist on the Todd Stroger saga: Will County businesses love Todd because Cook County taxes drive shoppers over the border.

From the Sun-Times:

The real reason why Todd Stroger will fail to win another term as Cook County Board president won’t be because of a dynamic new candidate who emerges to capture the electorate.

Stroger will be shown the door in the Feb. 2 primary not because he was unsuccessful getting a key endorsement again from the Fifth Floor at Chicago City Hall or from a certain fellow from Hyde Park who now resides at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave.

No, the single biggest reason why Todd Stroger is about to be bounced from office after one term can be found at Kenwood Liquors in Homer Glen.

Whoever replaces Stroger should stock the victory party with champagne from the store to show the proper appreciation.

Stroger might not be smart enough to realize it, but he’s done wonders for the Will County economy by ramming through a 1 percent sales tax increase on behalf of his constituency a year ago. The Cook County Board banded together to roll back half of the tax starting July 1, but the effect already has been felt across county lines.

Who cares if every man, woman and child across all income brackets in Cook County hates paying an extra penny for every dollar they spend?

As if you needed another reason to vote for someone besides Todd Stroger on February 2.

I’m still considering Toni Preckwinkle. She makes a good first impression. I hope its lasting.

Conservatives Longing For More Of Ross Perot’s ‘You People’

January 18, 2010 TL

America Ethics Evangelicals Religion Republicans

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I chanced on a blog today written by a self-proclaimed "Concerned Christian Conservative." The Left – Watch What They Do, Not What They Say! appears to be a decenly-traficked site for a relative newcomer to the blogosphere. The author laments in a January 11 post the use of the term "African American," seeming nostalgic for the days when other terms were used instead. And, just in case you want to accuse the writer of being racist, he had black friends in the 60s, so let’s have none of that.

Mostly, the author is still hurting for Ross Perot, who took heat during the 1992 presidential campaign when he referred to African Americans as "you people." Yes, you see, Perot is the victim here.

From the post:

It seems that the American People have just about had it with the contrived leftist power technique of “Political Correctness.” Yes, power technique, the technique of changing a simple word and meaning to another and over and over again. Example, the word used to describe people from the African Continent. We first used the name “colored people” than to “negro” and on to “black” and now “African-American.” It’s funny, I specifically remember in the 60’s when my black friends in college insisted that I call them black instead of colored. That was fine with me, it made sense and it seemed they were happy about the new name. Then came the very political name in the 1980’s “African-American.” Now, that name was purposely issued direct from the Democrat National Committee to manipulate the majority of whites in America. It irritated many in America that the black population needed to change their name again. Many just came to the conclusion that the black population in America had an identity crisis. But the real reason was to have more ammunition and issues to attack the majority white population, who usually voted Republican. It’s simply manipulation and power control over a majority for which they cannot gain control in other ways. Anyone who didn’t conform was labeled racist, thus the political overtones and manipulation.

Ross Perot found that out in his attempt at the Presidency when he made an off handed comment referring to a group of black voters as “You People.” Boy, you would have thought he used the “N” word.

As a Christian, I really don’t get some of these so-called "Christians." What is anyone losing by calling our black brothers and sisters "African American?"

How dare any group decide for themselves what they should be called without asking white Americans first? Racism is about power, and the writer misses the power of those words.

Blessings to all on this day celebrating the memory of the Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. Blessings and peace to all.