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Pro-life Obama
Because some Catholics have been led to believe that it would be a grave sin to vote for a pro-choice candidate, I, as a Catholic Sister, want people to know that in a June 2004 memo to US Bishops, Cardinal Ratzinger (now Pope Benedict XVI) wrote:
“When a Catholic does not share a candidate’s stand in favor of abortion and/or euthanasia, but votes for that candidate for other reasons, it can be permitted in the presence of proportionate reasons.”
In November 2007, the US Catholic bishops wrote: “There may be times when a Catholic who rejects a candidate’s unacceptable position may decide to vote for that candidate for other morally grave reasons.”
A recent survey of women who obtained abortions showed that nearly 75 percent cited economic hardship as a reason for obtaining an abortion. Another study of the effects of public policy on abortion rates during the past two decades shows that providing social and economic supports for women and families contributes to a significant reduction in abortions.
I believe any candidate who wants to provide such supports in order to reduce abortion is pro-life.
Penelope McMullen
Santa Fe
‘Palin’ around
Great letter from Amanda Carpenter [Letters, Oct 8] regarding the pathetic (but polished) showing of Sarah Palin at the only vice presidential debate. There are still naive or stupid Palin supporters who think she is qualified to be vice president based on ONE debate! She was COACHED; she CRAMMED for the EXAM; she MEMORIZED some key points! The real Sarah is the deer-in-the-headlights interviewee to whom Katie Couric spoke a few weeks back. After that debacle, how can ANYONE with a brain think she can run our country?
The real issue is not how qualified Palin is for vice president, it’s how qualified she is to be president if McCain falls ill or dies. Somehow the two leaders on the other ticket, one with experience and the other with more years of experience, seem to be a more comfortable, sane and less terrifying choice than a philandering old man and a gun-toting, baby-animal killing, beauty queen-turned-governor.
Also, Democratic Hillary supporters switching to vote Republican: You should be ashamed! Could race be your issue and not gender? This country is in a mess, here and abroad, due to eight years of Bush’s reign, and you want four more with the same (or worse) policies? You betcha! Scary, very scary indeed.
Joyce Bond
Santa Fe
Gates of Hell
Thank you for scooping so many of the scandals concerning PRC candidate Jerome Block Jr. [see “Blockgate”].
Recap: On June 2, Block wins primary on daddy’s name with a whopping 23 percent. Summer and fall, there’s urinationgate, drunk drivinggate, failure to appear in courtgate, equivalent of an associate degreegate, gang-violence connectionsgate, all sorts of conflicts of interestgate, fear to debategate, refusal to answer questionnairesgate, constantly lying to the pressgate and now we discover that Block paid a top election official/band leader with taxpayer money and he seems to have paid someone at the Attorney General’s Office—also in a questionable way.
Block’s candidacy is preposterous, but he could still end up determining the size of our utility and insurance bills if not enough of us vote for Voting Matters founder Rick Lass. He has already been endorsed by a slew of newspapers and organizations because he has a long history of working for the people of northern New Mexico. The Green Party’s Lass is also much more accessible than his opponent. Lass has agreed to attend every candidate debate, forum or question session that anybody ever wanted to organize, while Block agreed early on to one, a $25-a-seat forum (credit card up-front, please!) with six questions provided to the candidates in advance of the 7:30 am meeting (great time for working families, wouldn’t you say?)!
Please vote for Rick and, if you would like to help out, an easy way to get involved is to sign up at the campaign Web site: ricklass.net.
Nate Downey
Santa Fe
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