It's a tradition for each sitting prez to do at least one ND commencement.
Have they had to lock up the priests before to stop them from protesting?
Yes, they HAVE locked up priests to stop them from protesting. Remember, many were (are) involved in nuclear nonproliferation, anti-war, all that. Those protestors were locked up all the time.
There's such a thing as an appropriate time and place for this kind of protest. If they are going to disrupt a special event like a commencement, then they need to be dragged off to jail, regardless of what they are protesting. This wasn't a political event, it was an academic one and they were ruining things for the kids and families. If they want to protest in front of the Whitehouse, they are welcome to do it. I wouldn't want a bunch of antivaccination people screaming and yelling at my white coat ceremony.
Yup .. that 80 year old priest was a crazy man wasn't he.
An event run for kids and families ... ironic, as the protesters saw this as an issue about kids and families and those lives that would never be a part of a family.
The thing is the priests were protesting because Obama came to their neighborhood and they didn't like it - it wasn't an issue with them going to DC and protesting.
I agree, protesters were not going to be respectable to the graduating class.
Like I said, I don't really care for pompou$ Notre Dame alumni or graduates or the hypocritical Catholic elite.
Maybe Obama should have come some other time then to Notre Dame and gave his enlightening speech instead of graduation after is had been office for 3 months. Was Obama trying to address a moral issue here or did it just happen this way?
It is something that the Catholics have to work out anyway - how can you be a devout Catholic and believe in abortion?
I for one am pro life - I think that everyone should have the right to make that terrible and hard decision on life and death for themselves. I don't want the govt or religion to tell me what to do. I still don't think that the powers that be at Notre Dame thought this one out and I hope it will shake their very foundations.
If the protestors hadn't made it the issue of the day, he might well have delivered a typical graduation address like, "Congratulations, good luck, knock 'em dead, don't die of alcohol poisoning tonight," etc.
You described a pro-CHOICE point of view, the only reasonable position unless you want the government running reproduction (think Nancy Pelosi, Barney Frank, Rick Santorum, etc planning YOUR family for you and you will see my point.)
Big_T
Why did Obama have to speak at Notre Dame. Will he go speak at TCU or Holy Cross?
I'm sure that many will say ... why shouldn't he.
I guess he has lot's of free time on his hands since he isn't doing much in running the country ... does he.
There were cheers cuz the Nazis took the protesting priests away yesterday.
I am not much of a fan of Notre Dame or the Catholic church .... but why is this president doing this?