Matthews is shredding that dipshit Bishop from Rhode Island.

[Drunken Irishman]

[jillan]

1. Watching. Asking the Bishop why he is trying to be involved in lawmaking.

Excellent.

[virgogal]

4. From what I read in The Boston Globe he is against Cong. Kennedy

calling himself a Catholic and voting for something that the Cath. Church does no approve of.

Kennedy should leave the Roman Catholic Church,as I did,then he won't have to listen to any of the Bishops.

Problem solved.

[jillan]

8. Biden gets this crap all of the time and he is a deeply religious man that doesn't

believe that the Catholic Church has any right to tell a woman what to do with their bodies.
John Kerry gets the same thing too - infact, if I remember correctly, he was denied communion during his campaign for the same reason.

[virgogal]

11. Then they should find themselves another church, Simple.

[GMA]

6. No religious advocates?

Just asked this on another thread: if you have a religious affiliation, you lose the right to debate? Does that mean that a bishop or pastor or reverend or whatever has less standing than a citizen who has no religious affiliation? That sounds like bigotry to me.

[MadMaddie]

12. It's a fine line isn't it?

What gives one religion priority over another to dictate what happens in American citizens lives?

This Bishop is not debating Kennedy he is mandating that he not abide by the law that makes it a different ball game doesn't it?

Yes, debate is critical but when debate gets skipped and Dr. Tiller gets murdered then what? This is where we are in this country.

The Bishop his church and other organizaed don't believe in birth control and they don't believe in abortion, andthey don't care about population control, the health of women or STDs they want it all their way.

This is about controlling women through their reproduction systems it's really that simple. They don't care about the child once it is born into an abusive home, poverty, thrown into a dumpster, abandoned or murdered. They don't care if the children end up in the Social service loop. They are hypocrits of the highest magnitude.

[mrbarber]

They can debate all they want.

And just like every other citizen, if they want to run a political organization or get involved with politics, they can pay taxes.

[K8-EEE]

17. Yes, I want to give them the RIGHT to pay some taxes!!

Damn straight! Why should relgiions get all this special privilige?

[BlueIdaho]

14. Of course not.

But this Bishop has denied congressman Kennedy the right to take holy communion. He has denied him a right to participate fully in his chosen faith. The Bishop's very human grudge and his very real Catholic power allows him to take Congressman Kennedy's full exercise of his faith away from him. He has decided to use his station to exact a personal vendetta to leverage a political outcome. How exactly is that fair?

I think its more than fair for Tweety to shine a light on this little thug.

[intheflow]

21. Not bigotry.

It's respecting the separation between church and state. Basically the Bishop is blackmailing Kennedy in an attempt to make US law in keeping with Catholic law. No one is making a stink about a Catholic Bishop condemning abortion, that's old news and expected. But this guy is trying to dictate how a US lawmaker should govern, by threatening to withhold a sacrament from him. This is expressly what Patrick Kennedy's uncle John promised the American people would not happen should he become president: he would not take his marching orders from the Pope, and he would govern from US law, not from Papal decree.

I believe in an America where the separation of church and state is absolute; where no Catholic prelate would tell the President -- should he be Catholic -- how to act, and no Protestant minister would tell his parishioners for whom to vote; where no church or church school is granted any public funds or political preference, and where no man is denied public office merely because his religion differs from the President who might appoint him, or the people who might elect him.

...

I do not speak for my church on public matters; and the church does not speak for me. Whatever issue may come before me as President, if I should be elected, on birth control, divorce, censorship, gambling or any other subject, I will make my decision in accordance with these views -- in accordance with what my conscience tells me to be in the national interest, and without regard to outside religious pressure or dictates. And no power or threat of punishment could cause me to decide otherwise.
...

http://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/jfkhoustonministers.html

[LiberalFighter]

22. It should be explained to the pompous assholes that

as a U.S. Senator or U.S. Representative they are suppose to represent all the people. Not Catholics, not Christians, not Muslims, etc. And definitely not Catholic leaders.

They don't get to dictate to political leaders like they use to in the Middle Ages. They don't get to determine who will be the President of the USA or most other countries.

[GMA]

24. I'm seeing this from a different viewpoint, I guess.

I'm not Catholic, and don't know much about Catholic theology. I will stick my neck out enough to say that if Senator Kennedy chose not to live by the tenants of his religion, why should theology bend for him, or any other person? As a senator he was free to advocate for his constituents. As a person, he was accountable to either accept and live by his chosen church's theology or separate himself from it. That sounds harsh, and I do not agree with Catholic doctrine about birth control or abortion. So I'm not Catholic.

[tblue]

2. No way. Really?

Tweety's been pissing me off lately.

[CTyankee]

13. He was totally fabulous with the Bishop. Tore him apart (nicely).

Wow. Just wow!

[rubberducky]

3. WOW!!!!!!

Chris`s arguments were right on!

[lamp_shade]

5. HOLY COW CHRIS. That was one wicked smack down. Great job.

[polichick]

7. Especially interesting, since Chris grew up Catholic. Wow! nt

[Wanet]

9. Isn't Matthews Catholic?

If he's not careful, he'll be next on the excommunication list.

[vaberella]

20. It doesn't work like that. Some of the US Catholics are more extreme than homebase.

He won't be excommunicated, you have to do a lot to be excommunicated and he's done nothing wrong.

[chieftain]

10. That is one of the best things I have seen onTV. n/t.

[Diamonique]

16. I hate that I missed it.

I'll have to watch the re-airing.

[K8-EEE]

19. Oh yeah I'm def catching it later, thanks for the heads up guys n/t

[tularetom]

15. Wonder what the church has to say about guys having vasectomies?

Seems like there are a lot of catholics who should be refused communion. Let's see, how about any catholic who favors the death penalty for starters? Or has been married divorced and remarried?

The selective emphasis on abortion seems rather hypocritical

And what about those perv priests? Do they get to take communion?

Good for Mathews, it's about time somebody slapped the shit out of these puffed up asswipes.

[vaberella]

18. Send me link to video. n/t

[tridim]

23. I don't understand why the Kennedy's don't just leave the church?

It's not that hard.

[Clio the Leo]

25. I'm surprised he didn't bring up the lobbying bishops....

.... (or did he?)

But he's been fired up ever since he heard about that (the reps of the bishops who came to Capitol Hill to lobby in favor of Stupak.)

lol, Tweety brought that man on so he could argue with him for his own personal enjoyment ..... he's so funny.

[Diamonique]

26. Just watched it.

Wow! Good on you, Chris!