Fundamentalist Catholic Church Bishops Right Wing Agenda Political, Republican

After watching the Republican Party marginalized by an extremist religious right agenda, noticeably devoid of public policy solutions, the bishops decided to march straight off the cliff with the loonies of that movement. This authoritarian and infallible religion has shown itself to be quite human. It all started when a Bishop sought division and confrontation against a president elect seeking peace and reconciliation. Go figure.

Faced with an incoming president who promised to sign the Freedom of Choice Act, an expansion of abortion rights, the nation's Catholic bishops are drawing a line in the sand. According to a list of points president Cardinal George of Chicago put together: "Aggressively pro-abortion policies and legislation will permanently alienate tens of millions of Americans and would be interpreted by many Catholics as an attack on the church."

I wrote at the time:

After so many years of legal abortions, suddenly the Catholic Church feels Democrats are about to attack their religion on the abortion issue. These elitist authoritarian crusaders of God not only look like crazy right wingers, but have decided that their religion sure would make a nice political party. I hope this whole issue of abortion finally forces its members to say enough is enough, we’re outa’ here.

Going one step further, one Catholic Bishop in Scranton, PA has decided to boot out their school districts teachers union, the sworn enemy of conservative Republicans everywhere, because he wanted to.



Bishop Joseph Martino consolidated the district into one school, and did away with the union, surprising many in the community since the Catholic Church championed workers rights and unionization. Martino's response was typical after having many question his authority, "I have made a decision...it's final." He even whined about the "rhetoric" he had to endure.

What I found just as interesting were the conditions the teachers had to endure over the many years, settling for low pay and little help in the classroom. As one person explains, after 30 years of sitting in broken chairs and spending their own money on classroom supplies, removing the union was the last straw.

I think it says an awful lot about private education based on profits. If they cut corners there, what's to prevent them from doing the same to the students?