Links for 02/02/16 | National Catholic Reporter

Links for 02/02/16 | National Catholic Reporter by MSW. MGB: That is good advertising in Flint for the plumbers, who stand to gain big from a crash program to swap out all lead pipe from mains to meters.  This should actually be done everywhere and be funded both by disaster money and bonds to be redeemed with future water bills over a long period of time.  Sometimes solidarity must meet good public finance.  OK, all the time.



That there is really no issue to be dealt with on abortion is where journalism has abrogated its responsibility.  Roe is going nowhere.  Of the three justices that might be replaced soon, two are of the opinion that Roe should be overturned - the other seven won't do so.  Abortion is, therefore, a general election issue only - and the only issue there is whether something can be done to add some time limits to the nascent partial birth abortion ban (now there is a story - a SCOTUS decision and not one prosecution since) and to apply the same hard limits to other procedures - using the proper 14th Amendment language to justify it.  Of course, all of that would bring a real end to the issue (the recent Trap Law cases will likely be reversed by the Court under the undue burdens test - proving the entire recent abortion effort was about looking busy for the movement).  Obama actually promised to deal with this issue.  Now that he has no more elections ahead of him, perhaps he will - although the Right to Lifers will run away quickly - since settlement hurts their fundraising.



I am sorry, but adding Eucharistic piety simply confuses the discussion on climate change.  Indeed, it is one step away from asking God to fix what we have broken - which we can and can't do.  God is not going to work a natural miracle here - what He will do is to give us the strength to work together through Him in the Eucharist.  Of course, we seek God's help for our common work for the environment OUTSIDE the Eucharist as well, since more than the the Church is needed for this effort.  I have no problem with God providing inspiration to an atheist to help the common work, even without seeking the conversion of that atheist, who can make up his own mind and demonstrate his Love (which comes from God, even if he does not know it) through his actions.