Letter to the Editor: Cardinal Stafford Right on Obama’s Abortion Views

I was surprised to read Prof. Kmiec’s editorial about Cardinal Stafford’s recent speech at CUA where he discussed Barack Obama’s views on abortion. In his letter, Kmiec attempts to refute those, like Stafford, who would insist that the president-elect is “anti-life.”  Kmiec states, “He [Obama] is not; the new President merely intends to use compassion and assistance, not condemnation and prohibition to promote human life.”

If one were to agree with Kmiec, one would need to assume that Obama takes a truly “pro-choice” stance on abortion, neither attempting to prohibit nor promote the practice, but instead uses compassion to lower the number of abortions by his support for women in crisis pregnancies.  But the facts simply don’t support this premise. Here are a few facts regarding Obama’s abortion views:

1)      Obama has promised to promote and sign the Freedom of Choice Act, a bill which would reverse virtually all existing laws that attempt to place any common sense restrictions on abortion.  Such laws include parental notification and consent laws, partial-birth abortion bans, as well as prohibitions on the domestic funding of abortions.

2)      The president-elect is also expected to immediately reverse the Mexico City Policy, which prohibits our UN funding from going to organizations that perform or promote abortions overseas.  Reversing this policy means that the US will once again (as it was in the Clinton Administration) be an active force in the funding and promotion of abortion world-wide.

3)      The new president is also expected to immediately reverse the embryonic stem cell policy of the Bush Administration.  This policy limited the federal funding of embryonic stem cell research to already existing stem cell lines. Reversing this policy will open the floodgates of this type of research, which will not only degrade human life but will also start a market for human eggs, which are needed for embryonic stem cell experimentation.  This market will result in the exploitation of poor women who will be financially enticed to donate their own eggs (a dangerous and painful procedure).

4)      Obama has also just announced that his communications director will be Ellen Moran, the current executive director of Emily’s List, an organization which raises funds for pro-choice candidates to public office. One might ask how anything “pro-life” could be communicated by this president’s administration with such an individual in this position.

5)      The new president’s attitude on life in the womb is also telling. In a campaign discussion about sex education, he hypothetically discussed a situation in which one of his daughters might find themselves pregnant.  Defending a possible abortion option for his daughters, he stated, “I don’t want them punished with a baby.” An unbiased observer can only conclude that Obama, must at least sometimes consider the gift of life in the womb as a “punishment.”

6)      One would also expect this proposed compassionate approach, which Kmiec believes Obama has, to manifest itself in the support of Crisis Pregnancy Centers and other organizations which assist poor pregnant women.  However, there is no evidence of such compassionate support by Obama.

In short, I understand that many Catholics have voted for Barack Obama on the basis of issues other than abortion. The problem is that many of them, in their enthusiasm for their candidate, seek to whitewash his abysmal policies on abortion. However, these attempts show Kmiec and others of his ilk to be either ignorant of the facts, or at best, naïve.  But as the above facts show, Cardinal Stafford’s views were accurate: Barack Obama is probably the most pro-abortion president that this nation has ever seen.

Dennis Di Mauro is Secretary of the National Pro-Life Religious Council, President of Northern VA Lutherans for Life and a doctoral student in Theology and Religious Studies at CUA.

Letter to the Editor: Student Association Discusses Bill of Rights

The 21 November Tower carried an article, “Student Association Discusses Bill of Rights….” Based on the article, I concluded that a proposed change to the Student Handbook to limit Catholic University’s Department of Public Safety’s off-campus jurisdiction vis-à-vis students won preliminary (first reading) approval.

As an alumnus living in the nearby neighborhood since graduating in 1979, a former member of the now defunct Student Judiciary when Terry McAuliffe was Judicial VP, and a civic leader who has testified at city council to show requisite public support for the revenue bonds needed to build the Millennium and Opus dormitories and who has heard over many years the neighborhood’s permanent residents report rowdy, dangerous, threatening student behavior and witnessed some examples personally, I would like to offer you a perspective you might not otherwise hear about “CUA’s enforcement of policies off campus [being] inconsistent. ‘There are kids [actually, are all adults] that live in Maryland and Virginia. Is DPS going to go out there?’”

Private universities under D.C. zoning are private businesses. They may locate in the downtown business district as “matter-of-right” (e.g., Georgetown Law School). When, however, they locate in residential areas, they must seek a zoning waiver. A special kind of zoning waiver has been devised, a “Campus Plan,” renewable every 10 years following zoning commission review. In order for a campus plan to be approved, the university must show that its operations are “not likely to be objectionable to the surrounding residential area”. As a rule-of-thumb, the zoning commission considers a radius one-mile out from the campus boundaries to be the primary area of impact, but at least theoretically, although rarely if ever in fact, impacts could be farther out.

Students living off campus have been determined to be an impact of a university’s operation because they would be unlikely to be living where they are but for attending the university. The university, construed as a kind of business or commercial operation for zoning purposes, is what is attracting the students. Consequently, student behavior which adversely impacts the neighborhood, e.g., rowdy parties; drunk, dangerous driving; overcrowded houses; dancing au lingerine in the street for initiation rites [this actually happenned in 1999, was filmed, and ended up on national tv]; etc are behaviors the university has to have an effective method of deterring, preventing, and punishing if they occur because their occurrence can result in the university “becoming objectionable to the surrounding residential area” and losing its legal right to operate. Because the University could lose its right to operate, the University’s Department of Public Safety needs to assert off-campus jurisdiction vis-à-vis students.

This is consistent w/ regulation more generally. For example, neighbors may challenge a liquor license because of adverse impact on “neighborhood peace, order, and quiet” arising from patrons’ rowdiness when they leave the establishment’s premises. Even if counter-intuitive, because student off-campus rowdiness could cause a university to lose its legal right to operate, the University’s Department of Public Safety is acting reasonably when it asserts off-campus jurisdiction vis-à-vis students.

Conversely and also counter-intuitively, because student off-campus rowdiness could cause a university to lose its legal right to operate, the University has an interest in addressing off-campus misbehavior proactively, before it becomes a police matter, because once it becomes a police matter, something “objectionable to the surrounding residential area” has happened. If enough happenings “objectionable to the surrounding residential area” occur, the University is in peril of losing its right to operate. However, if the University’s Department of Public Safety can address or deter something “objectionable to the surrounding residential area” beforehand and prevent it from happening, the University protects its right to operate.

Conversely, in another sense, because student on-campus rowdiness does NOT jeopardize a university’s legal right to operate, a compelling case could be made for universities to be more tolerant of on-campus misbehavior than of off-campus misbehavior. I am sure this explains some of the thinking underlying so many university rectors signing onto the Amythest Initiative to return the legal drinking age to 18 because it would return the student misbehavior onto campus and lessen it out in the neighborhood. Although I have personally registered as an Amythest Initiative supporter, as yet I would personally hesitate to press President O’Connell to do likewis.

- Dino Drudi, ‘79

Letter to the Editor: Thoughts on Gay Students at CUA

Kelly Wilson, CUA Graduate Student

It was good to see the Tower address homosexuality on campus.  As a second year graduate student, this is the first time I have seen the CUA community publicly acknowledge homosexuality on campus.  It leads me to wonder if CUA is as hospitable as the article suggested.

Don’t get me wrong, I am pleased to hear that many gay students feel welcomed here at Catholic University; let’s be honest, anything less than that would be despicable and dare I say unchristian.

But I wonder about the gay students who do not feel welcomed on campus.

What about the freshman who feels alone during his/her first year and they don’t know who is safe to talk to?  What about the student who is struggling with their sexual orientation?  What about the student who is in the closet and fears coming out?  What about the student who is contemplating suicide because they do not know how to reconcile their orientation with their faith (studies show that 1/3 teen suicides is related to sexual orientation)?  What about the student who has experienced the brunt of anti-gay slurs and other forms of discrimination?

We must not gloss over the issue and suggest that since some people (who were interviewed) say they feel welcomed here, then CUA is a hospitable place for homosexuals.  That is tantamount to saying that since we have elected a black president, then racism in America has been eradicated.

Perhaps it is time to for the OLSGR (Organization for Lesbian and Gay Student Rights) or an Ally group (Gay/Straight Alliance) to give it another shot.  Apparently, people were semi-open to it 20 years ago.

Unless we are regressing as a community, it would seem not only plausible but appropriate to have such a group on campus.  This group could help educate the community about the issues facing LGBT people and work to dissolve common stereotypes and misconceptions.  It could serve as a safe and hospitable place for students to share their experiences and know they are not alone.  It could be a place where the dignity of the human person honored, as both gay and straight students support one another in love.

Let us heed the call of the Catholic Bishops in their letter 17 years ago on Human Sexuality, “We call on all Christians and citizens of good will to confront their own fears about homosexuality and to curb the humor and discrimination that offend homosexual persons.

We understand that having a homosexual orientation brings with it enough anxiety, pain and issues related to self-acceptance without society bringing additional prejudicial treatment” (Human Sexuality: A Catholic Perspective for Education and Lifelong Learning, 1991, p. 55).  How can we do this if other students feel that CUA operates under a “Don’t ask, Don’t tell” policy?

Prof. Doug Kmiec on Cardinal Stafford’s Obama Comments

Professor Doug Kmiec comments to the Tower on Cardinal Stafford’s controversial remarks on Barack Obama:

The Cardinal is a great churchmen and defender of the Faith, but sometimes all of us — even the wisest among us – are given to speak not from personal knowledge but from that which has been portrayed as true, but is really a caricature. Political partisans from the conservative ranks portray the President-elect as anti-life. He is not; the new President merely intends to use compassion and assistance, not condemnation and prohibition to promote human life. The Cardinal I believe is reacting to a false portrayal that has obscured this fact. When the Cardinal comes to know the new President better, he will readily see that President Obama has far more in common with our great faith tradition than any political administration in recent memory. Quite obviously, and quite sincerely, President Obama shares with our Church a concern for the most vulnerable and the poor, the average family, health care as a human right, bringing to an end an unjust war, welcoming the stranger in a reformed immigration system, treasuring the environment. All this suggests to me that the Holy See and the Barack Obama administration will be working more closely together in the service to others than any other administration in modern memory. With all due respect, it is my expectation that when the Cardinal comes to know the new president better, he will see the extent to which his initial impression was more the product of GOP distortion than truth. In short, he will find himself not in the Garden of Gethsemane but in the company of a fellow Christian apostle, who, like the Cardinal himself, seeks only to carry forward, with as much charity toward each other as can be manifest, Christ’s transformative mission of here on earth. The secret yet to be revealed: the “change” President Obama speaks of is the same transformation of culture that the Cardinal has worked for all his life in Christ’s name.

- Douglas Kmiec, Former Dean of the Columbus School of Law

Clinton’s Stint as Secretary

Senator Hillary Clinton has been rumored to be selected to the position of Secretary of State for President-elect Barack Obama.

The rumors have been swirling around for close to a week, but no formal invitation has been officially announced by Obama just yet, however with all of this speculation, many have thought about what might Sen. Clinton bring to the position or even to Obama’s cabinet.

First off, she brings a significant amount of experience, experience that can be accredited to her work while she was First-Lady. Sen. Clinton also brings a great track record coming from her seat in the Senate as she represented New York.

Most importantly, the nomination would vastly improve what seems to be of crucial importance for President-elect Obama to make. Adding Sen. Clinton, along with a few other Democrats and Republicans will allow changes to be made for our country, changes that the American people obviously want when they elected Obama. If the analogy can be made between this pick and a fantasy sports draft; you had the first pick and went with the Senator from Illinois, Barack Obama, you then need to surround him with people that will help accomplish the goals that have been set.

Your next couple of picks need to be smart ones, but ones that also will keep satisfying those needs of the expectations. If and when President-elect Obama selects Sen. Clinton, that will be a very smart pick.

He has many options out there to pick, Sen. John Kerry is one pick that has been speculated for months now. But by selecting Sen. Clinton, a smart pick, one that allows Obama to bring an arch-rival aboard and to bring her supporters on the side of Obama’s.

Working as one will help the success of this administration. Everything that Sen. Clinton stood for while running for President she will use to help our country towards getting back on the right track.

Economy Crunches Students

Katie Callahan, Sophomore, Media Studies

Have you noticed that you do not seem to have enough money to go out to the bar or on those “well deserved” shopping trips as often as you did last year? If so, it is not just in your imagination; costs for college students are undoubtedly on the rise! A recent report from the College Board indicates that college students and their families are paying between $108 and $1,398 (depending on the type of college) more in tuition and other school related fees this year than last year.

In addition to higher tuition costs, students are also hit with increased costs for other amenities that they typically spend their limited pocket change on.

Data from the Health and Nutrition Strategist indicates that restaurant visits dropped by 10% between 2006 and 2008. While trying to combat a significant decrease in customer frequency, the restaurant industry faces rising food and energy costs.

The American Bureau of Labor and Statistics reports that the price of food has increased by 9.6% in the past year, and energy costs have skyrocketed by 32.9% in this same period. Logically, the only way that many restaurants can stay afloat is to slam the customers that they still have, which includes us desperate college students looking to escape the horrors of cafeteria food once in a while, with more expensive menu rates.

To make matters worse, students who commute or have a vehicle that they pay to keep on campus or at their off-campus residence are burdened with high gas prices. Although gas prices have been declining in the past few weeks, the average cost of regular gas in Washington D.C. today is still extremely costly, at $2.381 a gallon (AAA Daily Fuel Gage Report). In conjunction with several companies cutting back on employment and the recent mortgage crisis, the afore-mentioned financial strains are also weighing on your parents. That sadly translates in to less monetary donations from mom and dad. Now more than ever, it is important to budget your money. Sorry guys, but that probably means a few less trips to Kays and the Nest.

On Christian Democracy: World Youth Day 2008

By Robert Christian

Pope John Paul II will go down as one of the most important and charismatic popes in history. Perhaps, nothing symbolizes the man more than his creation of World Youth Day. World Youth Day shocked secularists who thought religion was disappearing by uniting and showcasing hundreds of thousands of devout, energetic, serious young believers. Pope John Paul II with his flair for the dramatic, natural connection with young people, and outstanding leadership was the ideal pope to lead this movement.

When Pope Benedict XVI took over, one thing nearly no one questioned was his first rate mind and the breadth and depth of his knowledge. In the modern world where religion is assaulted by secular fundamentalists and anti-Catholicism gets more than a few free passes, having a brilliant pope, who is often simply on a higher intellectual plane than critics, is a tremendous asset for the Church.

However, beyond his intellect, Pope Benedict has revealed himself to be a deeply humble, thoughtful, and compassionate Holy Father. The question remained, though, could he generate excitement among young Catholics as Pope John Paul II had?

At World Youth Day 2008 in Sydney, Pope Benedict showed that he could. The cerebral and shy Holy Father did not try to fire up the crowds, but he did inspire them and his presence sent energy and excitement surging though the crowds. Unlike in Germany in 2005 where many felt the Pope had been embarrassed by the excitement of the crowd, in Sydney, the Pope embraced the energy of the young Catholics, welcoming their enthusiasm with a warm smile and transparent joy.

His words, however, were also powerful. World Youth Day 2008 witnessed a collection of some of the most brilliant young minds in the world, who are dedicated to virtue and the Catholic faith. They were not to be disappointed by the visionary message of Pope Benedict.

In the course of the 20th century, many people rejected religion and embraced secular humanism. They embraced idealism without virtue: hope that personally ends in our annihilation at death, love that serves one’s own interest, and wisdom without transcendent truth. Pope Benedict noted, “In so many of our societies, side by side with material prosperity, a spiritual desert is spreading: an interior emptiness, an unnamed fear, a quiet sense of despair.”

Pope Benedict called on the younger generation to halt the degeneration of culture and restore progress. He did not propose a restoration of the old world, a return to the good old days. He proposed “a new age in which love is not greedy or self-seeking, but pure, faithful and genuinely free, open to others, respectful of their dignity, seeking their good, radiating joy and beauty.”

The Holy Father gave young Catholics a radical challenge for the 21st century: be countercultural figures that transform the world. Pope Benedict condemned the glory of egocentrism; the grandeur of a life seeking fulfillment in greed, power, and lust; and the life of compassionless enlightened self-interest. He promoted “a new age in which hope liberates us from the shallowness, apathy and self-absorption which deaden our souls and poison our relationships,” where individuals are called to “work for the triumph of the civilization of love.”

In rejecting both nihilism and secular humanism, Pope Benedict offered a dynamic vision of Christian humanism for young Catholics. He let them know their idealism is not a delusion of youth, but the foundation of a world transformed.

Pope Benedict spoke about the need to cherish and respect life. Protecting life should not be about following rules in a legalistic religion, but about embracing the gift of life and using it to joyfully fill the world with love and justice. One’s gifts are not lucky draws in a world without meaning. They are tools to be used for service, which is the source of meaning and joy. Service is not to be based on compulsion, nor out of the delusion that we can create our own morality and heaven on earth, but out of love.

His message was that religion is not a one hour a week task, where mass attendance is checked off by St. Peter, but rather, that one’s faith must be integrated into all of one’s actions for the salvation of one’s soul, one’s full personal development, and the transformation of human society, with the goal of making the world fully reflect the goodness of God’s creation and the glory of God.

It is a vision of hope and love that demands courage, temperance, and wisdom. It is a plan for justice in the 21st century, which can genuinely bring increased joy and fulfillment. It is a true manifestation of a faith whose foundation is the commandment of love. This message of Christian humanism is the perfect response to the grave threats of religious and atheist fundamentalism. It is our greatest hope for a world transformed.

At CUA, You are Being Watched

Brendan Leddy, Senior, Architecture

Catholic University of America has been an institution in Washington D.C. since 1887. According to the school’s website, of 2008 the number of students attending the university is 6,440 with 3,326 of those students being undergraduate.

Many of those students have undergone some type of disciplinary action or have had some type of connection to one. Disciplinary actions usually occur when a student has acted in violation student handbook, most of the time it is underage drinking or had a visitor past visiting hours. Disciplinary action is expected when one breaks the rules of a certain university on their property. The debate is whether or not C.U.A. extends it’s jurisdiction past a reasonable length.

Many students have found themselves scrambling across the Brookland neighborhood in search for housing.

It is understandable that the university is becoming more and more popular and that on-campus student housing is becoming more scarce; but it is not fair that when students pay their rent to a landlord with no connection to C.U.A. and live under the laws of the District of Columbia, that they are still under constant surveillance of the university.

If a certain residence was offering alcohol or drugs to under age students, it is the Metro Police Department’s job to step in. Catholic University Department of Public Safety vehicles have been known to drive by certain student houses while there are so called “parties,” going on. Not only is there no hard evidence that Catholic Students are in attendance, but the D.P.S. is patrolling an area outside of their very limited jurisdiction.

There is an image that the university would like to uphold, but the image can only go so far before invading privacy. I have never been to a “party,” where the host has invited D.P.S. or any school official, but they have shown up.

What is even more appalling is that according to the Student Life Expectations for Student Off-Campus Behavior and Living, the university reserves the right to extend the designation of a “Disciplined Property,” even after the students have left the residence and new students have moved in. This may also be proof as to why some of the school officials have targeted certain houses this year.

Whether a student is working their way through college or they are lucky enough to have help from their family, they do not pay for the university to act as an overprotective parent.

In no way do any of the residences off campus directly represent the university, so there is no need for them to apply their rules to another property. The school’s security would be much more helpful if it refrained from worrying about parties and kept their on campus officers awake enough to notice the numerous damages that occur to vehicles parked on the property.

Wanted: Educated Eggs

John J. Selinger, CUA Student

While searching on Craig’s List the other day I came across an interesting advertisement for college women and women with college degrees. In various cities fertility clinics are offering thousands of dollars for eggs from women who have graduated college or are currently enrolled in degree programs.

With the barren job market and the credit world in a flux, these clinics should be able to find a variety of women to choose from.

Some clinics narrowed their requirements to certain women, for example one advertisement offered $50,000 to women that were 100% Jewish. So why is the payment so high, there is a chance of liver failure for the donor and the probability of ovarian cancer rises. So while the payment looks great on the surface, when one digs deeper there are complications that may arise.

At first glance the majority of the women I surveyed said that they would absolutely donate to this cause for $10,000. However, after informing them of risks that accompanied this process their answers changed drastically.

Some said that they would still go through with the process since the payment was so high, but would need to do more research on the particular clinic they donated to.

Obviously there are no moral objections that arose, one woman in particular mentioned to me that if she had never intended to have children she would absolutely donate even with the risks.

The ones that said that they would still donate even with the risks that are involved said that the probability of cancer is still low and that donating eggs goes to a good cause and to couples that want to have a family but can’t. They all agreed that they would stay anonymous as well, that disrupting a family is something that they would never feel comfortable doing. While genetically the child would be tied to the egg, the connection to the birth mother was much more important that the genetic connection.

When I originally came across this ad on Craig’s List, I must say I was a little appalled by how much money was being thrown at these women.

When I dug a little deeper and found out the risks that were involved I understood the reasons behind the large figures. Women risk their own lives and health just to help out couples that can not conceive on their own. Not every woman receives $10,000 for their donation, however the payment is still significant.

When I embarked on surveying women about this I believed there would be moral objections, but there were none.

I have been converted by the compassion of these women to give something up and go through a procedure that could be very painful in the long run.

What I’m Thankful for This Season

Michael Haigis, CUA Senior

It’s almost Thanksgiving, and the Catholic University student body is already starting to pack its bags for home. First, let’s take a quick look at the past few months and give thanks where it is due.

Thanks, Catholic University of America (CUA) Athletics. As I write this article, the banner hanging in the Pryzbyla Center displays a combined sixty-one wins for all Catholic sports teams, both men and women. Students often complain about a lack of school spirit, at times even filling the pages of this prestigious newspaper with pleas for more school spirit.

Thank you CUA sports, for giving us a program to rally behind (even if few of us actually did). We apologize for the turnout, but assure you that your presence has been sorely missed and we are glad that you are back.

Thank you Program Board, for bringing an act which students had actually heard of. Although I’m sure that the last show we had here, “The Ataris,” could really rock the house, I’m not sure that anyone was there to see it. However, we appreciated this year’s performance by B.J. Novak, which filled the Pryzbyla Center great room and generated a buzz that was positively pope-esque.

Well, maybe not pope-esque but at least Mr. Belding-esque for sure. Also, a quick nod to BJ for treating us to a show that was well worth the twelve dollars.

Thank you United States Democratic Process. In this election year, you treated us to a never-ending well of engaging discussion (impassioned screaming matches) and delightful political media coverage (impassioned screaming matches between TV blowhards), culminating in one of the most historic and exciting events of our lives.

Granted, by the end of election night most McCain supporters walked our campus like the living dead, but as time goes on everyone will surely (hopefully) look back on this moment favorably. This brings us to the next point….

Thank you, change we can believe in. You’ve been away longer than CUA sports! Good to have you back bud.

Thank you, Philadelphia Phillies, for winning this year’s World Series. The rest of us no longer have to hear about Philadelphia’s championship drought, which of course is nice. Besides, be happy for our CUA peers from Philly… That city’s sports fans have been sporting the “Young Republicans after McCain conceded” face for years now.

Thank you to this newspaper, for featuring a few solid pieces of investigative reporting this year. Chiefly, two extensive articles about the role of the Department of Public Safety off campus (Thanks, but no thanks, DPS: you can keep the long arm of the student handbook where it belongs please. Generally, Campus Police polices campus, but what would I know – I live off campus).

Finally, thanks to the CUA community for making this year a successful one (so far). Now, let’s all go home and binge on Turkey until our BTC (Blood-tryptophan-Content) rival that of the average Blood Alcohol Content at The Library on Friday nights.

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