Living in a purple area in a generally Blue State, I found our priest's election message interesting. Generally, he hasn't said much about the election. Today, all he said was "please vote," and expressed being sick of the whole process. I think at this stage, that may sum up how many of us feel.

Nonetheless, the next four years and more than likely the direction of this century, lies in what happens on Tuesday. So a little perseverance is necessary.

The archright/Rambo Catholics, etc, have sought to hijack the consciences of Catholics by badgering them into voting single issue on a candidates stand on the legality of abortion. The point is that single issue votes just do not make common sense in advancing the culture of life.

-why would you fight for a life for its first 9 months and then abandon it for the remaining four-score and ten?
-do these archright-ers not want clean air, pollutant-free water for their babies and children? Environmental issues are life issues too.
-do these people not want affordable healthcare for their children and grandchildren?
-do these people not want a solid fiscal environment so that their children grow up in a world that is stable and not on the verge of financial collapse?
-do these people not want a far-sighted sensible foreign policy that restores our leadership in the world and reclaims our allies? This means everthing in terms of the world that our babies are born into, i.e., will it be peaceful, will it be stable, it will be safe, it will respect human rights
-do these people not want a policy of peace and not war, especially illegal and unjust wars such as the Iraq war, responsible for the the death of 100,000 and the injuring and maiming of 100,000?
-do these people not want an energy policy that respects th environment, advances science, and reduces our dependency on Mideast oil?
-do these people not want a just society in which the criminal justice system does not put innocent men to death?
-do these people not want a world in which we all can dream again and humanity can hope together?

Gaudium et Spes, the crowing document of Vatican II, said a lot of revolutionary things. One very important contribution was that it defined human essence as not simple just having a will and intellect, but as being essentially in community. What that means is that human life CANNOT be understood, much less treated, as an isolated solipsistic entity, unrelated to the context of a community around it. The fight for life is a fight for an interrelated set of values. The archright argues that abortion is the sole and foundational issue that must be voted on. We argue that that is misguided. But even it that were the case. A foundation is inconceivable without the building it is grounding. You don't build a foundation for the heck of it. You build a foundation after you decided what type of house you want to build. You have to hold the whole of the culture of life in view, if you are going to fight for it.

The point is that even the idea of a foundation is locked in a complex of interrelated concerns. Jesus in Luke's gospel gives the example of someone who wants to build a house and builds the foundation, but then is stuck because he didn't have enough to complete the job. You have to understand the whole and then seek the whole through the part or else, the part becomes useless. The conservatives who vote on the abortion issue solely would be commendeded if in so voting, they were doing so in view of the whole culture of life. But that simply is not the case, because their votes and their concerns end with the birth of the child. They do not follow through for the lifetime of life issue of that human being. In fact, their votes militate against a culture of life post-birth. The archright has gotten so mired in their anger that they have lost sight of the whole, which is the dignity of the human life.

A vote for George Bush, does nothing definitely postive for the pro-life cause. We do know, though, that besides his tepid support for anti-choice ideas, his policies are a disaster for the culture of life. On the other hand, John Kerry offers a definite and positive choice for those concerned with creating a culture of life. With John Kerry, we can truly and authentically pursue the whole through the parts. We can look forward to the promise of healthcare, solving the poverty and social concerns, we can look forward to strengthening ourselves both at home and abroad, we can look for environmental progress, and yes, we can look for a reduction in the rates of abortion without endangering the lives and dignity of women.

John Kerry is a man that Catholics can trust to bring common sense Catholic values to the White House everyday he is offie. George Bush does not resonate with Catholic values, John Kerry does. John Kerry is the unequivocal choice for Catholics in this election.