A personal note: This memo may be one of the most important that I have written in 19 years.
Today, Pope Francis spoke at the White House, showing a dignity and purpose that should be admired by all.
As you may know, some Americans believe the Pope is too liberal in his worldview.
Last night, Talking Points addressed that. The memo is posted on BillOReilly.com.
Tonight, let's address what the Pope and President Obama said.
Because the Pope speaks in heavily accented English, I will quote him.
"Mr. President, together with their fellow citizens, American Catholics are committed to building a society which is truly tolerant and inclusive, to safeguarding the rights of individuals and communities, and to rejecting every form of unjust discrimination. With countless other people of good will, they are likewise concerned that efforts to build a just and wisely ordered society respect their deepest concerns and their right to religious liberty."
That is a shot at Barack Obama and his belief that Americans should be forced to fund abortions and to perform services against their religious beliefs.
The gay marriage controversy comes to mind.
The Pope did this very gently. But that point was directed at Mr. Obama himself.
Pope Francis continued,
"I would like all men and women of good will in this great nation to support the efforts of the international community to protect the vulnerable in our world and to stimulate integral and inclusive models of development, so that our brothers and sisters everywhere may know the blessings of peace and prosperity, which God wills for all his children."
That is a challenge to all Americans to help the downtrodden.
But how to help them is the issue. Most Americans are very generous, but we must be careful not to make problems worse in the name of compassion.
Let's take Obamacare for example. It certainly helps poor people who cannot afford health insurance. There is no doubt the intention of the entitlement program is noble.
But by forcing subsidized health insurance payments on businesses, President Obama has made it more difficult to create full-time jobs in this country.
Thus, while some of the poor benefit, other Americans are punished because the job market is smaller and salaries are lower.
It is well documented that many American businesses have cut back the hours of their employees, citing the cost of Obamacare.
The truth is there is a better way to deliver health services to the poor than a massive government program. Insurance competition and direct subsidies to the destitute on a case-by-case basis is the answer.
Now onto President Obama's remarks today.
First he addressed the Pope directly.
OBAMA: “You remind us that in the eyes of God our measure as individuals, and as societies, is not determined by wealth or power or station or celebrity, but by how well we hew to scripture's call to lift up the poor and the marginalized, to stand up for justice and against inequality, and to ensure that every human being is able to live in dignity because we are all made in the image of God.”
The key words there are “every human being is able to live in dignity because we are all made in the image of God.”
So Mr. President, are aborted fetuses able to live in dignity?
They are not able to live at all, are they?
The Pope may not know this, but last Friday 177 Democrats voted against a House bill that would require doctors to keep babies born alive during an abortion process from dying.
One-hundred-seventy-seven American elected officials voted for infanticide.
We have posted their names on BillOReilly.com.
That is barbaric and President Obama said nothing about it. Nothing.
But Vice President Biden did make an interesting comment about life.
BIDEN: “I'm prepared to accept that at the moment of conception there's human life and being. ((EDIT)) Abortion is always wrong, but there's a debate. ((EDIT)) I'm not prepared to impose doctrine that I'm prepared to accept on the rest of them. And I actually had that discussion with Pope Benedict.”
Well how about leading Mr. Vice President? How about using your power to persuade?
If you truly believe life begins at conception, why don't you make that widely known? Why don't you condemn partial-birth abortion and Planned Parenthood selling baby body parts?
I await your answer.
President Obama continued at the White House, saying this to the Pope:
OBAMA: “We thank you for your passionate voice against the deadly conflicts that ravage the lives of so many men, women and children; and your call for nations to resist the sirens of war and resolve disputes through diplomacy.”
Diplomacy is good and we should always try to use it, but when diplomatic efforts fail concrete actions must be taken to protect the helpless.
Yesterday, former CIA Chief David Petraeus scorched President Obama while testifying in front of a Senate committee.
PETRAEUS: “If America is ineffective or absent in the face of the most egregious violations of the most basic principles of the international order that we have championed, our commitment to that order is inevitably questioned and further challenges to it are invited.”
As David Petraeus well knows, Mr. Obama's abdication from Iraq, and his failure to confront the killer tyrant Assad in Syria has led to catastrophe -- hundreds of thousands of poor people murdered or driven from their homes.
As Pope Francis surely knows, it is not enough to give peace a chance when innocent civilians are being murdered and their entire lives uprooted.
When that happens, action must be taken.
But President Obama has failed to take action and now we have a colossal migrant crisis and hundreds of thousands of dead bodies.
Finally the president said this:
OBAMA: “Holy Father, you remind us that we have a sacred obligation to protect our planet - God's magnificent gift to us. We support your call to all world leaders to support the communities most vulnerable to a changing climate and to come together to preserve our precious world for future generations.”
Now I have no problem with that statement. None.
I believe all nations on this earth should promote the cleanest environment possible.
We in the United States have made great strides in that.
I do not believe that poor people should be harmed in the process, however.
Again, like the healthcare situation, we can find a solution to pollution by using common sense.
The technology is there, but we cannot impose programs that would harm working people and the poor by allowing skyrocketing energy costs and taxes.
Summing up, both Pope Francis and President Obama are not confrontational men but there were many messages sent today in both speeches.
Tomorrow, the Pope addresses Congress. I will again analyze what he says and we will hash it all out.
And that's the memo. |