CRISIS Magazine - e-Letter - Kerry, again...

Received earlier:

April 23
Dear Friend,

He's at it again. Senator John Kerry, that is.

Look, I don't want this to become the John Kerry e-Letter. And I'm genuinely getting tired of talking about him. But since he's making a huge show about being THE Catholic presidential candidate, and since I publish CRISIS Magazine (which covers politics and the Church), he's an important subject.

Which brings us to his latest outrage...

This morning, Kerry addressed NARAL Pro-Choice America at their rally leading up to Sunday's pro-abortion "March for Women's Lives" here in DC. Imagine, just a few short days after meeting with Cardinal McCarrick and trumpeting the fact that he's a Catholic "in good standing" who received the Eucharist at Easter, he's now a major speaker at the largest gathering of abortion activists this year.

Of course, Kerry's pro-abortion position isn't news. But this really takes the cake. Bill Clinton, certainly no friend to the pro-life cause, never once addressed an abortion rally in all his years as president. If Clinton wouldn't even attend these events, what does it say that Kerry will?

Whatever McCarrick and Kerry discussed in their private meeting a few days ago, it's clear that the senator isn't paying any heed to the dictates of his Faith. His rejection of Church teaching is both clear and public. And his speech at the rally -- just a few days after meeting with McCarrick -- is a real slap in the face of the cardinal.

McCarrick and the rest of the bishops who are considering how to handle the issue of Catholic politicians just received another challenge -- not just to themselves, but to our Catholic Faith. It remains to be seen how they'll choose to respond.

As for the March for Women's Lives, if you haven't heard about it already, it's a pro-abortion rally taking place here this Sunday. The first march of its kind since 1992, the event is being sponsored by groups like Planned Parenthood, NOW, NARAL Pro-Choice America, and the ACLU. Their hope is that, by combining forces, they could present a more unified front in support of abortion rights.

The media (surprise!) has been acting as the unofficial PR department for the march. Articles highlighting march organizers, activists, and participants have been appearing in all the major outlets this week. And I'm sure we can expect a complete run-down of the event in the papers on Monday. (Compare this to the near silence that greets the mammoth March For Life each year.)

The marchers originally anticipated a huge turnout -- several hundreds of thousands of people -- but it's beginning to look like the reality might be more modest. In fact, in spite of the extensive media coverage and the self-assurance of the event planners, there's apparently some worry now that the numbers might be smaller than predicted.

It's certainly not for lack of trying. Dozens of groups have been tapped to participate in the march as event planners became more desperate for support. Even CRISIS was called on to participate -- talk about not knowing your audience! The representative who contacted us explained that they are hoping to garner support from religious groups, like Catholics for a Free Choice and the religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice... both of which will be marching this weekend.

March organizers have even widened the parameters of the event. In order to make sure the march numbers match expectations, event organizers are now encouraging the anti-globalization groups who will be in town for the annual World Bank/International Monetary Fund protest to attend the march as well. These protestors in particular have a reputation for violence and destructive behavior at their events, and there's significant concern that their presence will only further incite confrontation.

Several pro-life groups plan on presenting a counter-protest during the march, positioning themselves at various points along the path of the pro-abortion rally. Radical contingents of the pro-abortion march have already stated their intention of heckling pro-lifers in attendance -- the Radical Cheerleaders of DC, for instance, told their members that those who have "a strong affinity for property destruction and/or confrontation" should consider "channeling [their] efforts in creative ways." They go on to explain that "confronting [anti-abortion protestors] is useless because they are irrational and will not listen to you" and that "a thick layer of paint could really compliment a bloody fetus picture."

Right -- the creative debate tactic of destroying property. It's a far cry from the spirit of the March for Life -- an event, I might add, that never has to inflate its numbers for the press.

If this kind of violence does break out on Sunday, you can bet event organizers will try to claim that pro-lifers somehow instigated the confrontation. It'll be interesting to see how things pan out this weekend... and how the media will choose to cover it.

One other interesting event to watch is Tuesday's Senate Republican primary in Pennsylvania. If you aren't familiar with the situation there, incumbent Arlen Specter -- a Republican who has managed to be on the wrong side of almost every major life issue throughout his long career -- is being challenged by Representative Pat Toomey, a solidly pro-life Catholic. Early predictions had Specter in a landslide, but recent polls show that Toomey has closed the gap and now only trails by a few percentage points.

If reelected, Specter would be up for the chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee. Having already proven himself willing to vote down pro-life judges -- he infamously voted against Robert Bork's nomination to the Supreme Court -- he would be a disaster for any future pro-life judicial appointments.

Add to that his ardent support of Roe v. Wade, his voting against the Partial Birth Abortion ban, and his opposition to a federal marriage amendment... well, the list goes on.

Definitely, a race to keep your eye on. We'll keep you updated.

Have a great weekend,

Deal