Criticism Over Obama Invitation Mounts at Notre Dame

Hold on to your Rosary Beads



Graduation time rolls around and a whole host of dignitaries are invited by universities to speak at commencement ceremonies. Enter President Barack Obama, and a time honored invitation, the tradition to have new Presidents speak at graduation exercises at Notre Dame continues, or does it?

Well it seems the powers that be right here on planet Notre Dame do not want President Obama to come and speak for reasons that seem a bit hypocritical, and hide a deeper, darker side of criticism from Catholics there.

Reason Number One: Students fearing their commencement ceremony will turn into a circus. Thus causing a distraction.

Really? Because making this press statement will throw your hat into the political arena and most certainly open up a can of 'distractions.'



Reason Number Two: Many Catholics are angered by Obama's planned appearance at the May 17 ceremony because of his decisions to provide federal funding for embryonic stem cell research and international family planning groups that provide abortions or educate about the procedure.

There we have it. This is the real issue, right in a nutshell.

Catholic activism from the pulpit, to which any Catholic University has the right to their opinion. But couldn't they have thought of this before they extended the invitation. But alas, it seems the decisions made by a few at Notre Dame are forced onto the the many.....which is a consistent theme of the entire history of the Roman Catholic Church, when you do the math.

I know we the American taxpayer, will send Notre Dame the ENTIRE BILL for the cost of protection of President Obama while he comes to the university to speak. That should get their attention.



So who do we see front and center at this not so welcome, welcome mat? Bishop Thomas J. Olmsted and Bishop John D'Arcy. The Phoenix Diocese on Wednesday called Obama's selection a "public act of disobedience" and "a grave mistake." On Tuesday, Bishop John D'Arcy of the Fort Wayne-South Bend Diocese, which includes Notre Dame, said he would not attend the ceremony because of Obama's policies.

So what to does a University with 'this secret agenda' go from here? We can't have a bunch of angry Catholics running around Notre Dame on their special day.

I know let's ask the students themselves and the alumni to see just where the fires of hell are coming from.

The consensus Thursday on campus was that any president should be welcomed at Notre Dame. However 70 percent of the alumni letters opposed having Obama giving the speech, while 73 percent of student letters supported his appearance. Among the 95 seniors who wrote letters, 97 percent supported the president's invitation.

"People are definitely entitled to their outrage, but I think the main thing is to see that it's an honor to have the President of the United States come to speak here whether you agree with him or not," said Katie Woodward, a political science junior from Philadelphia.

Justin Mack, a senior film major from Dallas, agreed.

"I didn't vote for him and there are a lot of things I don't agree with him or support. But I feel like for this event people need to put that aside," said Mack, a senior film major from Dallas. "My hope is that doesn't distract too much from what the weekend is about, which is the graduation."

Let me get this straight, you hope the President of The United States doesn't distract from your graduation by giving you snot nose children a nice well prepared commencement speech. A historical one at that.

Oh you narcissistic spoiled babies, grow up! Better you learn now that the world is not going to agree with you most of the time, and that compromise is one of the biggest things you will learn in life.

University spokesman Dennis Brown says Notre Dame does not plan to rescind the invitation. Anyone associated with the university can recommend a commencement speaker, he said, and the president consults with university officers to see who would be most appropriate.

Bob Reish, the student body president and a graduating senior, said there is a "general excitement" about Obama's visit, although he is aware there are people on both sides of the issue.

"He shouldn't be giving the commencement address because of his policies, but once you invite him you can't dis-invite him," one student said. "That would be rude."

Rude?....at this point your worried about appearing rude?

"We can't just forgive his viewpoints, we can't just let it go without expressing our thoughts on it," said Thomas Heitker, a freshman biology major from Columbus, Ohio. "But he's only speaking at three universities this year and to be one out of so many is something we should be proud about."

In the future kiddos, break with tradition and don't invite a president again. Save the taxpayers a great deal of money.

I also offer one more lesson you must have missed in your freshman American government class. The United States does not bow down to Rome, EVER.


You can always invite Former President George Bush back, I hear he doesn't get out much since leaving the White House. He spends his day trying to figure out which comic books to put in his Presidential library. What with the Universities in Texas recently fighting not to build his library on their campuses. I suspect he could use a field trip.


Congratulations Notre Dame Class of 2009. Now go get a job.