Another 'Souper' Candidate? By Daniel P. Coyne
So
strong was the Catholic faith in Ireland at the time that many starved to death
rather than selling their souls.
During
the Great Irish Potato Famine in the mid-1800's, anti-Catholic zealots would occasionally
bring large kettles of soup to Irish villages. The soup was free, but there was
a catch. Before a starving Irishman could have even a sip of the soup, he would
first have to renounce his Catholic faith.
So
strong was the Catholic faith in Ireland at the time that many starved to death
rather than selling their souls. However, a few did drink the soup. They became
known as "soupers" — a derisive label that would stick to their
families for generations.
Today,
we are witnessing a similar reallife morality play. Only this one doesn't
involve Irish farmers starving for food. This one involves ambitious
politicians starving for power. The soup these politicians are being asked to
drink is a concoction of lies and distortions brewed up by the radical
feminists and abortion profiteers who now control the Democratic Party. The
reward for drinking this soup of death is the right to run for president as a
Democrat.
Perhaps
not surprisingly, Teddy Kennedy was among those first in line for a taste of the
soup. In a 1971 letter, the then pro-life Teddy Kennedy wrote, "The
legalization of abortion on demand is not in accordance with the value which
our civilization places on human life. Wanted or unwanted, I believe that human
life, even at its earliest stages, has certain rights which must be recognized
— the right to be born, the right to love, the right to grow old."
By 1980, Teddy had sipped the soup and was running for President as an
outspoken supporter of abortion.
Likewise
Jesse Jackson, before deciding to run for president, called abortion
"black genocide." In 1977, Jackson wrote an article for National
Right to Life News and stated: "It takes three to make a baby: a man, a
woman and the Holy Spirit. What happens to the mind of a person, and the moral
fabric of a nation, that accepts the aborting of the life of a baby without a
pang of conscience? What kind of a person and what kind of a society will we
have 20 years hence if life can be taken so casually?" By 1988, Jackson
had also sipped the soup and was running for President as an outspoken
supporter of abortion.
Al
Gore and Dick Gephardt are two more former pro-lifers who indulged in the soup
and discarded their support for the unborn in preparation for a run for the
presidency. And of course, few have gulped down the soup of death with the
gusto of Bill Clinton, a man well known for his insatiable appetites. In a 1986
letter to Arkansas Right to Life, Clinton wrote: "I am opposed to abortion
and to government funding of abortions. We should not spend state funds on
abortions because so many people believe abortion is wrong." As we all
know, Clinton went on to become the most radically pro-abortion President in
our nation's history.
56-year-old
Congressman Dennis Kucinich appears to be the latest addition to the Democratic
Souper Club. Over a long political career, Kucinich 'Souper' Candidate
maintained a near perfect pro-life voting record. As recently as last May,
Kucinich press secretary, Kathie Scarrah, stated: "He absolutely believes
in the sanctity of life and that life begins at conception." Then Kucinich
began to think about running for President. It was time for some soup.
Less
than a week after announcing his decision to explore the possibility of running
for president, Kucinich wrote a letter to his local newspaper, The Cleveland
Plain Dealer, wherein he publicly renounced his long held pro-life position:
"I don't believe in abortion; few do. I do, however, believe in
choice." In an interview with the San Francisco Chronicle, Kucinich goes
even further; not ruling out his support for publicly funded free abortions for
poor women. "I am going to continue to take a thoughtful approach, and
that doesn't preclude the poor from having the government support their right
to choose."
Amazingly,
Kucinich has been trying to make the argument that his position on this
fundamental issue has not really changed. "The position I'm taking now is
an expansion; it's not a reversal," Kucinich told Tim Russert on Meet the
Press.
So
let's get this straight. Less than a year ago, Kucinich believed that life
begins at conception and that this unborn life is sacred. Now that he is
running for president, Kucinich believes that the 51% of Americans who believe
that abortion is homicide should be compelled to pay for free abortions for
poor women. So much for "choice," Americans, you are going to pay for
other people's free abortions even if you think they are committing homicide.
To
confound matters further, Kucinich also says he wants to promote policies that
will reduce the number of abortions. But of course, free abortions for poor
women are not going to decrease the number of abortions.
What's
next? Free cigarettes for the poor in an effort to reduce smoking? In truth, if
Kucinich seriously wanted to promote life while leaving Roe v Wade in place,
there is much that could be done. Indeed, what would be necessary is a
government funded educational campaign unprecedented in size and scope.
This
campaign would use the latest and best medical evidence and technological
advancements to call for tolerance, compassion, and mercy toward the least of
our brothers and sisters, the unborn. Focused on fetology and the humanity of
the unborn, such a campaign would include public service announcements on
television and radio as well as billboards throughout the country with a
particular focus on inner city neighborhoods where the abortion rate is at
epidemic proportions. This information would also be brought into classrooms
across the country.
We
know that up to ninety percent of women considering abortion choose life if
they are permitted to view the child on an ultrasound. Bring these ultrasound
videos into our public schools and make our unborn children the stars of
scientific and factual public service announcements.
An
ambitious public education campaign focused on the humanity of the unborn child
is the least we should expect from a committed progressive like Kucinich, who
has not yet renounced his belief that life begins at conception. But sadly,
Kucinich is no longer permitted to promote life. Instead, he strictly abides by
Democratic protocol and uses the callous euphemism "choice" to
describe the mass destruction of what he believes to be sacred human lives. He
has suddenly and not unexpectedly stopped mentioning that life is sacred and
begins at conception.
There
will come a day in history when our society as a whole awakens and unanimously
recognizes the horror of abortion. When that day comes, historians will look
back at our time trying to figure out how such a national tragedy could have
occurred. These historians will read our newspapers, pore over our
correspondence, view our news programs, and examine our voting records. And
just as today's historians look back at Nazi Germany concerned solely as to
whether or not individuals bravely fought for life or silently consented to a
regime of death, historians in the future will be solely concerned with whether
or not we spoke up for our unborn brothers and sisters or silently consented to
a Culture of Death.
As
life-affirming generations in the future look back at us, few will be treated
more harshly than the modern soupers. Highly educated, outspoken, and
passionate, they could have made a difference. They knew the truth. And, for a
short time, they were willing to speak out for the unborn. But then the price
got too high. They became cowards. Starved for power, they each drank the soup
of death. May God have mercy on their souls.
Reprinted
with permission. Daniel P. Coyne is the President of Cleveland Right to Life,
and can be reached at: danielpcoyne@aol.com .
Tell
Dan you read his article here at FaithfulVoice.com
Or
Date Sat, 6 Sep 2003
21:36:55 -0700
From Mary Dillon To Comments@FaithfulVoice.com
Subject Soupers live in Golden State too!
Dear
Faithful Voice friends,
I
read your post of Mr. Coyne's article with great interest. As we
approach
the recall election day here in California on October 7,
2003
Feast of our Lady of the Rosary (so much for separation of
Church
and State!), we have our own Golden State version of the
"Souper
Candidate" mentality. Democratic "prochoice
Catholic"
candidates include current Gov. Davis (the reason for the recall),
Lt.
Gov. Bustamante, another Democratic "prochoice Catholic" and the
leading
back-up candidate if Davis is recalled, and Republican
candidate
and "prochoice Catholic", Arnold Schwarzenegger.
Californian
Republicans are being drawn in by the same "false aroma"
Mr.
Coyne so aptly describes. "Souper" Republicans out here want all
to
back Schwarzenegger for Governor, stating Arnold has the best
chance
to win. Principles, integrity, respect for human life don't
matter-just
get a Republican in office. These same Republican
"soupers"
want to drop the prolife position from the Republican
platform
entirely.
There
is one candidate here in California, however, who is not a
"souper".
He is well qualified for the Governor of California in all
respects
and is prolife- the only prolife candidate running in the
recall
election-Sen.Tom McClintock[ Republican ]. (And not getting the media
attention
as one might guess!)
Thanks
to Mr. Coyne for an informative and eye-opening article.
Thanks
for posting it. I hope it is made widely available for many to
read.
Mary
Dillon