Good-bye, Bart, and Good Riddance!

Bart Stupak has announced his plans to resign from Congress and the turncoat's exit is no loss. Like other "pro-life" candidates before him, he proved that his love for unborn children wasn't even skin deep. He sold them out cheap. Did he really think he could get away with it? With the tea party activists raising hundreds of thousands to unseat him, he made their job easily by picking up his ball and going home. Perhaps his name is providential, the same as the nasty sniveling little cartoon juvenile with the integrity of a turnip. But I suppose one shouldn't insult turnips that way.

I hope anyone reading this will pray for Bart Stupak. Oftentimes, it is adversity that teaches us humility. Stupak wasn't fit for the halls of Congress where bribes and chicanery are the rule rather than the exception. Only those truly grounded in God's truth can survive such a poisonous environment. Which reminds me of Hilaire Belloc's famous quote when he was running for Parliament and attacked for being a devout Catholic:

This is a rosary. As far as possible, I kneel down and tell these beads every day. If you reject me for this I shall thank God that he has spared me the ignominy of representing you in Parliament.

Belloc only remained in Parliament for four years when he decided he could more effectively bring about reform by working as a journalist. His writing, like Chesterton's, survives and is as timely today as when he picked up his pen.

Politicians, as Belloc implies, need to spend significant time on their knees before they stand on their feet in the halls of government. Otherwise, their time in the halls of power is likely to be the prelude to a very hot hall in a very low place. Consider all the politicians that Dante met in The Inferno. God help these men and women if they betray the public trust or treat it lightly.

When you pray the intercessions at Mass for our political leaders, please really mean it.

Kathleen Parker Nails Stupak

Columnist Kathleen Parker nailed Stupak as a deceiver in a March 23rd column. Stupak "dropped the baby" at the crucial moment when he could have been a hero, she said. She goes on: "Ultimately, he was weak and overwhelmed by raw political power. History is no stranger to such moments, but this one needs to be understood for what it was. A deception." He knew the executive order was phony and he "Stupaked" health care reform and the pro-life movement.

The final few paragraphs of Parker's article expose Stupak for the coward and hypocrite he is:

Stupak, too, knew that the executive order was merely political cover for him and his pro-life colleagues. He knew it because several members of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops explained it to him, according to sources. The only way to prevent public funding for abortion was for his amendment to be added to the Senate bill.

Clearly, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and the president didn't want that. What they did want was the abortion funding that the Senate bill allowed.

Thus, the health care bill passed because of a mutually understood deception — a pretense masquerading as virtue. No wonder Stupak locked his doors and turned off his phones Sunday, according to several pro-life lobbyists who camped outside his office.

Stupak's fall from grace is a lesson in human frailty. In a matter of hours, he went from representing the majority of Americans who don't want public money spent on abortion to leading the army on the other side. Already he has lost a speaking invitation to the Illinois Catholic Prayer Breakfast next month.  [He also lost a speaking invitation from Catholic Vote and an award from a pro-life group.]

After the Sunday vote, a group of Democrats, including Stupak, gathered in a pub to celebrate. In a biblical moment, New York Rep. Anthony Weiner was spotted planting a big kiss on Stupak's cheek.

To a Catholic man well versed in the Gospel, this is not a comforting gesture.

See the full column at the Chicago Tribune.

Bart Stupak: One More Betrayal by a Catholic Politician

If the health care debate has proved anything it's showing clearly that there is no such thing as a pro-life democrat. Oh, they can talk a good game, but when the rubber mets the road they all chose dismembered babies instead of standing up to the Madame DeFarge of Congress, Nancy Pelosi. The only thing she lacks are the knitting needles.

It's hard to imagine that Bart Stupak can actually believe that the executive order promised by Obama will mean a thing. The health bill is the biggest advancement of abortion since Roe v. Wade.

A friend who runs a watchdog group that follows politicians who are members of the Catholic fraternal organization, the Knights of Columbus, just sent me a message saying Bart Stupak is a Knight. This makes his betrayal even more tragic. Think of the image of the Knight, vowed to serve his Lord, in this case Jesus Christ.

Stupak reminds me of Richard Rich in A Man for All Seasons who betrayed Thomas More and perjured himself to gain the office of Attorney General for Wales. The question is what did Stupak get for selling out? One thing at least: two days before the vote Stupak got an FAA grant of $750,000 for three airports in his district. What he lost was his integrity and hopefully his seat come November.

Surprise: Bart Stupak Traded Babies Lives for Obama's Empty Piece of Paper

Well, what can you expect from a Democrat? Notice the last three letters of the word.

Is Bart Stupak really so stupid that he believes Obama's executive order means a single thing? Of course not. It just gives him a little cover to play the game. But did Stupak ever intend to let the pro-life issue be the overriding element for his vote? A YouTube video from a town hall in Cheboygan, MI shows exactly where Stupak was going all along. Af the end of the day, he said, if abortion remained in the bill and he had had his say he would vote for it anyway. Hey, that's how government works. Nothing is non-negotiable (except the salary, perks, and privileges of politicians).

Let's face it. Stupak was a fake from the beginning. His amendment had exceptions for rape, incest, and the life of the mother. As things stand, there is no way abortion will not be funded by this evil bill. There is no way medical personnel will be protected from being coerced into participating in moral evil. There is no way the elderly will not suffer.

No matter what happens, it's still not over, but evil is having a heyday. Keep your rosary in your hands and never give up. The revolution is just beginning.