On a frigid Monday evening in Denver before today's Colorado Republican caucus, 300 of Senator Rick Santorum's closest allies and friends in the neighborhood assembled to hear him speak at University of Denver's Cable Center.
His speech was short and to the point. This honorable man of faith-freedom-family all presently under seige from the Obama adminstration, asked a simple question: can this country survive four more years of an administration that censures faith groups, increases government control at the expense of individual freedom and imperils the sanctity of family? From the audience resounded a thunderous NO!
On the subject of faith, Santorum pointed to the current mandate from our federal government and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), that forces Catholic hospitals, schools and other charities to provide health insurance that covers free contraception, including abortifacient drugs to their employees. To adhere to this mandate would totally violate the moral conscience and belief of the Catholic Church. Furthermore, if the Catholic groups refuse to comply, they will face prohibitive penalties. 150 plus Catholic bishops around the country have spoken out against this mandate in recent weeks. This past week, Archbishop Timothy Broglio, in charge of Catholic military chaplains, sent out a letter to their outposts around the world to be read on Sunday services challenging the governmental mandate. However, the Catholic chaplains around the globe were "forbidden" from reading this letter. Why? The Army's Chief of Chaplains sent out a bulletin that read, "by reading the letter...it would encourage civil disobedience and could be read as seditious against the Commander-in Chief." The letter was censured and subsequently watered-down by our own United States government.
On the subject of freedom, Santorum cited ObamaCare, federal bailouts and cap and trade, Obama's trifecta for revolutionary change that emboldens government and decreases individual liberties. As we all know by now, ObamaCare is about as popular in the country as a root canal for various reasons. As Santorum noted, the same Bishops that are now raising holy hell against the HHS mandate, stupidly and regrettably supported ObamaCare including contraception in 2008. In fact, Santorum stated that the Bishops were so enamored with ObamaCare, that Obama gave a rousing commencement address at the "not-so-Catholic-anymore" University of Notre Dame in 2009, when Obama said: "Let's honor the conscience of those who disagree wth abortion and draft a sensible conscience clause." Seems like Obama changed his mind about accomodating conscience since his duplicitous speech at Notre Dame. Santorum warned the bishops then and reminds them now, "...be careful who you lie in bed with." The chagrined bishops learned the hard way.
On the subject of family, Santorum cited the sanctity of marriage between one man and one woman and warned against the present day assault on the sacredness of that sacrament from the gay and lesbian block. Santorum must have known something was up to bring this topic to the fore. The day after his speech, "the 9th US Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco ruled that Proposition 8 of 2008, voter-approved ban on same sex marriages is unconstitutional because it violates the 14th Amendment of equal protection under the law." The voters voted YES for the ban on same sex marriages in 2008. The court in San Francisco ruled 2-1 NO against the ban in 2012 and overruled the vote of the people. An appeal to the US Supreme Court is now imminent. Major showdown a-comin' next year.
After noting the differences between himself and Governor Romney, who Santorum said, "is uniquely unqualified to take on Obama over the issue of ObamaCare because of RomneyCare which is the very template used for ObamaCare", he asked one final question of all of us in the hall: "how much are you willing to fight for this country and for freedom?" He answered his own rhetorical question quoting from the final sentence of the Declaration of Independence of 1776, "And the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence, we mutually pledge our Lives, our Fortunes, and our sacred Honor."
This honest man from Pennsylvania came to Denver last night, spoke with clarity of conviction, a faith based compassion for others, with honor, with integrity and an authentic sense of what is right and what is wrong. He has not wavered and not capitulated in his convictions over time. Love him or hate him, he is the truest conservative left standing in this complex and confusing race.
Finally, he challenged all of us in the hall last night with a generational call to action in preserving our freedom and rights as protected in the Constitution and Bill of Rights. "Our country needs us now", he bellowed. Suggesting, if we don't act with honor, freedom as we have known it, is in peril for us and for our children.
Think about that when you're inside the voting booth or by absentee ballot in November.
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