The poet William Stafford set himself the task of writing a poem a day. When someone asked him what he would do when his poem-of-the-day wasn't very good, he replied "I simply lower my standards." In order to increase output, the bar here is set at a low level - the point of this is to have some fun with current events and politics. I welcome contributions and comments. Now you can also follow Doggerelo on Twitter (@doggerelo). Because of continuing medical problems, I'm no longer able to post a poem-a-day. I'll continue to post poems, but at a reduced frequency, so please stay tuned.

Wednesday, June 6, 2012

Bishop Compares Obama to Hitler, Stalin


Bishop Daniel R. Jenky of Illinois compared President Obama to Hitler and Stalin in an April sermon.  He declared, “Hitler and Stalin … would not tolerate any competition with the state in education, social services, and health care. In clear violation of our First Amendment rights, Barack Obama – with his radical, pro-abortion and extreme secularist agenda, now seems intent on following a similar path.” He called on parishioners to “vote their Catholic consciences”, which, given the context, could only mean to vote against Obama.  The Internal Revenue Service, however, forbids churches and other non-profit organizations from making statements promoting, or opposing, candidates for public office.  An organization, Americans United for Separation of Church and State, has called for an investigation. 

Obama’s like Hitler, says good Bishop Jenky,
And maybe he’s like Stalin too
He’s making the Church provide free contraceptives
It’s a terrible thing to do.

And not only that, the Bishop continued,
A vote for Obama would strike
At the Church’s good works and its organizations
Just like in the Third Reich.

Now this kind of talk might make you upset
But the Bishop is taking naught back
And some folks have said that it’s all justified
By Obama’s relentless attack

On Catholic teachings on sex and its pleasures:
It helps us to procreate.
So we ban contraceptives and sterilization
To increase the Catholic birth rate.

Now the Bishop has called for a resolute army
Of Catholic men brave and true
To fight the good fight on behalf of the Lord
And the forces of evil subdue.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Bishops should be careful with statements like "vote their Catholic consciences", it could guarantee Obama’s reelection, considering that over 80% of Catholics support contraceptives. I think what the good Bishop was actually saying was "vote my conscience", which is stuck back in the church teachings of the middle ages.

So who is the church? It appears not to be those sitting in the pews for weekly mass, but instead it is a bunch of old, white males who think that allowing the Mass to be said in English some 50 years ago is enough change for now.

Finally, the Bishops get real upset when about government intrusion into what they consider is a church business regarding contraception, yet my owner remembers reading in the Boston Globe a couple of years ago that the Bishop in Maine instructed all Maine parishes to take up a collection which was going to be donated to a political cause to defeat a ballot initiative in Maine on gay marriages. If they want separation of church and state, perhaps they should practice what they preach. After reading that article, the only Mass my owners have attended have been for weddings.

-Nessie