The great and powerful Oz has spoken, ‘negotiation’ time is over, time for you to ditch your silly religious beliefs and do what we say.
Obama chief of staff: No more compromise, contraceptive rule is done deal
Despite renewed statements of concern by Catholic leaders, the Obama administration is done negotiating and will finalize its plan requiring insurance companies to provide free contraception to women working and studying at religious institutions, President Obama’s chief of staff said Sunday.
Jacob Lew told “Fox News Sunday” that the compromise offered last week to address objections by the Catholic Church is clear and consistent with the president’s “very deep belief that a woman has a right to all forms of preventive health care, including contraception.”
“We have set out our policy,” Lew said. “We are going to finalize it in the final rules, but I think what the president announced on Friday is a balanced approach that meets the concerns raised both in terms of access to health care and in terms of protecting religious liberties, and we think that’s the right approach.”
For all you Catholic liberals out there, this is how the Marxists you elected do ‘dialogue.’ I would say I told you so but…actually…
I told you so.
The only, ONLY answer is the complete destruction of the mandate and Obamacare. There is no other way.
February 12, 2012 at 7:44 pm
They will have to deal with a joining together and uprising of all denominations who care for religious freedom and Constitutional rights in America!
February 12, 2012 at 8:05 pm
I can hardly wait to see a million people on the mall.
February 12, 2012 at 8:13 pm
The president's "very deep belief" trump the very deep beliefs of other Americans?
Isn't it about time the bishops united against ObamaCare?
February 12, 2012 at 8:41 pm
Absolutely, not just the overturn of the mandate, all of Obamacare needs to be oveturned, ALL of it
February 12, 2012 at 9:15 pm
Where was the conscience of Catholics in the pulpit and the laity when they supported Obama in the first place, despite ample evidence that he was hardcore anti-life, even FIGHTING to ensure that born alive babies who survived abortion would never know a moment of comfort, love or care, and that instead, these innocent born alive babies would be left alone in a closet or a dark corner to suffer, cold, hungry, alone, unloved, and in pain for the duration of their brief lives? Huh, Catholics, where was your conscience THEN? Where was their conscience when it was abundantly clear that Obamacare would force doctors and nurses to participate in abortions against their will and when it was abundantly clear that taxpayers would be forced to fund abortions and contraceptives whether they found it morally repugnant or not? WHERE WAS YOUR CONSCIENCE, THEN, CATHOLICS??? Oh yeah, NOW they are worried about their "conscience" when it is TOO LATE to do much about it rather than when they were warned REPEATEDLY that this is exactly where we'd end up and they supported the evil anyway. Liberal Catholics in the pulpit and the pews have soiled themselves disgracefully and their lack of diligence when it would have counted is causing the crap to get smeared all over the rest of us.
February 12, 2012 at 9:39 pm
Totally agree with you Zilla and Joe Potillor. The irony here is that Obama and Sebilius may have doomed their case in the Supreme Court. I'm pretty sure that the conservatives and liberals were going to split and that Kennedy would be the swing vote. But how in the world can Kennedy look at the HHS mandate as anything but an assault on the First Amendment? And what power does the Congress or Executive have in determining what is protected religious expression. The law basically grants the Sec HHS sole power to determine religious activity.
I wouldn't be surprised to see Ginsburg or Breyer attempt to sever the HHS Sec's plenary power to determine what constitutes religious liberty as a means of trying to save the legislation. But in the end, these folks may have overplayed their cards.
February 12, 2012 at 9:41 pm
It seems that any employer who objects to providing such insurance will have to drop it and pay the "conscience tax".
February 12, 2012 at 10:05 pm
It was a sin to vote for Obama in 2008. It will be even more grievously sinful to vote for him in 2012.
To support the Democrat Party is sinful.
The evidence abounds.
February 12, 2012 at 11:30 pm
I/m confident that any of the four Republican candidates will attempt to kill Obamacare if elected….problem is – who has the best chance of beating the boy king?
February 12, 2012 at 11:31 pm
EXTORTION: Buy insurance to protect you from the penalty of not buying insurance. Obamacare is extortion. Religion is man’s response to the gift of Faith from God. Religion therefore, is a relationship between a man and God. The sovereign person constitutes government to protect his freedom to relate to God in thought, word,(speech, press) and peaceable assembly. When the General Assembly meets to extort our tax money for Obamacare, this is not PEACEABLE. If Obamacare wants to change any part of our freedom, the change must be ratified by two-thirds of the states. Congress makes laws not Obama. Is it wrong for some to accept what is extorted from others? The issue of fairness is being brought into Obamacare. Possession of stolen property is against the law. Right out in the open for all to see, Obamacare extorts the money to be used to fund Obamacare. It is a crime for Obamacare to extort money in premiums and penalties against a free man’s conscience. It is wrong for others to accept stolen and extorted money and goods. See you in the gulag. What is that funny bootmark on your neck?
February 12, 2012 at 11:32 pm
Arguments for a "religious employer" exemption have gone from wrong to ridiculous.
Those demanding such an exemption initially worked themselves into a lather with the false claim that the law forced employers to provide their employees with health care plans offering services the employers considered immoral. The fact is that employers have the option of not providing any such plans and instead simply paying assessments to the government. Unless one supposes that the employers' religion forbids payments of money to the government (all of us should enjoy such a religion), then the law's requirement to pay assessments does not compel those employers to act contrary to their beliefs. Problem solved–except perhaps for an employer who really desires not just to avoid a moral bind, but rather wants to retain control of his employees' health plans, limit their choices to conform to the employer's religious beliefs, and avoid paying the assessments that otherwise would be owed. For that, an employer would need an exemption from the law.
Indeed, some continued clamoring for just such an exemption, complaining that by paying assessments they would be paying for the very things they opposed. They seemingly missed that that is not a moral dilemma justifying an exemption to avoid being forced to act contrary to one's beliefs, but rather is a gripe common to most taxpayers–who don't much like paying taxes and who object to this or that action the government may take with the benefit of their tax dollars. Should each of us be exempted from paying our taxes so we aren't thereby "forced" to pay for a war, health care, or whatever else each of us may consider wrong or even immoral?
In any event, they put up enough of a stink that the government relented and announced that religious employers would be free to provide health plans with provisions to their liking and not be required to pay the assessments otherwise required. Problem solved–again, even more.
Nonetheless, some continue to complain. They fret that somehow religious employers ultimately will pay for the services they oppose. They argue that if insurers (or, by the same logic, anyone, e.g., employees) pay for such services, those costs will somehow, someday be passed on to the employers in the form of demands for higher insurance premiums or higher wages. They counter what they call the government's "accounting gimmick" with one of their own: the "Catholic dollar." These dollars remain true to an employer's religious beliefs, it seems, even after paid by the employer to others, e.g., insurers or employees, in that they can be used only for things the religious employer would approve. The religious employers' aim, we are assured, is not to thereby control the actions of others, oh no, but rather is merely to assure that the employers themselves do not somehow act contrary to their own beliefs by loosing "their" dollars into hands that would use them for things no self-respecting religious employer would himself buy. Their religious liberty, they say, requires not only that they be exempted from the law, but further that anyone to whom they pay money also be exempted and thus "free" to act according to their desires.
I wonder what they would think of their follow-the-dollar theory if they realized they had some of my "atheist dollars" in their wallets that can be used only for ungodly purposes, lest I suffer the indignity of paying for things I disbelieve.
February 12, 2012 at 11:33 pm
Totally agree with anonymous above! Obama must go! God save us from Obama's socialistic policies! God save America! We must pray for deliverance and forgiveness of the grievious sin of abortion! and pray for our religious freedom!
Rick Santorum is a Godly man and would be a wonderful replacement of Obama in the White House…pray for Rick and his campaign.
February 12, 2012 at 11:40 pm
King Herod killed twenty five innocnent babies trying to kill Jesus, the newborn King. Obama is trying to uncreate GOD. Obie, as I live and breathe, take a powder. Oh you may kill some of us. Herod rotted to death. Are you ready? Obiecare isn't going to save you.
February 12, 2012 at 11:51 pm
I'm just going to say it…..this is laid directly at the feet of our Bishops. Even knowing Obama's horrendous support of abortion and unwillingness to grant personhood to those born alive during an abortion, even knowing this, they applauded and promoted Obamacare. They weren't above forcing the rest of us to buy a product that should be our choice until THEY have to buy a product they find morally repugnant. Where was the public correction of those Catholic Democrats who participate in the evil of abortion by legislating its legality? Why Is Pelosi, Sebelius, Biden, etc allowed to continue to lead Catholics down the wrong path. I am a faithful Catholic, but make no mistake….the reason we are in this situation is because our Shepherds did not do their job. Now the shoe is on the other foot and they are crying "foul". I am praying it is not too late.
February 12, 2012 at 11:54 pm
What makes the arguments for an exception silly is that the Feds have now tried to control what the constitution says they may not. They are acting outside the law, as they have done for a long time. The question is, how far will we let them go?
February 13, 2012 at 12:00 am
@Doug Indeap: As a self-admmitted atheist you of course would want the freedom to change your mind as this is a man's prerogative, changing one's mind. Human sacrifce and the worship of the devil is abortion, and fornication. Do atheists believe in the devil? The Supreme Sovereign Being IS BEING, EXISTENCE ITSELF. Do you believe in your own existence? There would be no atheists if there weren't any God. GKC. If you do not like our founding principles go somewhere else.
February 13, 2012 at 12:26 am
It's ridiculously stereotypical street thug "insurance" racketeering on steroids. Youse katoliks needs to pay your "premiums". We woulnt wanna see anyting baf happenin to yuz.
February 13, 2012 at 12:35 am
Actually the Bishops were the first to say "we will not negotiate". But they have no choice. This is not negotiable. We will simply en masse disregard the illegal edict. It has no force in law since it is illegal. In fact obama et al shouls be criminally charged with extortion for threatening harm if one does not buy their "insurance". It's clearly criminal activity.
February 13, 2012 at 12:59 am
All Catholic institutions need to put a stop to offering all benefits…simple solution!
February 13, 2012 at 1:09 am
The obama "compromise" was merely another ruse because on the same day the compromise was being pitched, Friday, 2-10-12, the original HHS mandate was codified into law by the obama administration. Read all about it here:
"Squid Ink: HHS Mandate is Already Law"
http://www.punditandpundette.com/2012/02/squid-ink-hhs-mandate-is-already-law.html
"Here is the health care mandate's claw:
The bottom line is this: “Accordingly, the amendment to the interim final rule with comment period amending 45 CFR 147.130(a)(1)(iv) which was published in the Federal Register at 76 FR 46621-46626 on August 3, 2011, is adopted as a final rule without change.” [Emphasis added.]
Translation: The Obama administration Friday afternoon put into federal law the very regulation that drew objections from almost 200 Catholic bishops, some 50 religiously affiliated colleges and universities, 65 North American bishops of Orthodox churches, numerous other Jewish, Evangelical and Lutheran leaders, and even some liberals — and without changing so much as a comma"
P.S. I don't recall hearing that the Bishops have yet gone to bat yet for every individual citizen, not just those involved in religious institutions, but for all of us, because obamacare bloodies ALL our hands if we participate. The Church militant better get up to speed, and leave the Bishops behind. They are compromised beyond repair. Especially Cardinal designate Timothy Dolan, who so kindly "negotiated " with obama in order to exempt religious institutions, the heck with the rest of us. Any one of them, who by omission or comission heaped the burning coals of obamacare on our heads in unfit for Office.