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| Oct. 18, 2004 | ||
A symbol for the working classThe now-famous Democratic donkey was first associated with Andrew Jackson's 1828 presidential campaign. His opponents called him a donkey and Jackson decided to use the donkey image on campaign posters. Later, cartoonist Thomas Nast used the donkey in an 1870 Harper's Weekly cartoon to represent the "Copperhead Press" kicking a dead lion, symbolizing Lincoln's secretary of state, Edward Stanton, who had recently died. Nast intended the donkey to represent an anti-war faction with whom he disagreed, but the symbol caught on with the public and Nast continued to use it to indicate some Democratic editors and newspapers. By 1880, the donkey was established as a mascot for the Democratic Party. Historically, the Democratic Party stands for labor, and was formed to support the working class of America. At the time the Democratic Party was formed, the donkey was the mainstay of labor – it was used in mining, railroad construction and many other industries. It was the backbone of the country and did the work done today by trucks of all sizes. The donkey is a loyal animal, working from sunrise to sunset, and for those qualities, was chosen as the symbol of the Democratic Party - the party of the working class, the party representing families and the living wage. The world in arms "Every gun that is made, every warship launched, every rocket fired signifies, in the final scene, a theft from those who hunger and are not fed, those who are cold and are not clothed. "This world in arms is not spending money alone. It is spending the sweat of its laborers, the genius of its scientists, the hopes of its children . . . "This is not a way of life in any true sense. Under the cloud of threatening war, it is humanity hanging from a cross of iron." – Dwight D. Eisenhower, in a speech written for him by Malcolm Moos, former president of the University of Minnesota. Patriotism "Patriotism is supporting your country all the time, and the government when it deserves it." – Mark Twain (1835-1910) The death penalty The present district attorney for the U.S. government in this Bush administration seeks to expand the death penalty when it comes to federal crimes, and to encourage more aggressive use of the death penalty in all of the states. I don't support this government when it doesn't deserve it (in the words of Mark Twain). "In the context of respect for life, we have to place the problem of the death penalty. In the church and in most civil societies, there is a growing tendency to apply it in a very limited way or to abolish it completely. This problem should be viewed in the context of a penal justice ever more in line with the dignity of the human person and God's plan for humanity and society. "The violation of personal and societal rights must be adequately punished as a condition for the offender to regain the exercise of his or her freedom. In this way, the public order is defended, public safety is ensured, and the offender is offered an incentive to change and be rehabilitated. "The nature and extent of the punishment ought not to go to the extreme of executing the offender, except in cases of absolute necessity: in other words, when it would not be possible otherwise to defend society. Today, however, as a result of steady improvement in the organization of the penal system, such cases are very rare, if not practically nonexistent." – Pope John Paul II "The Gospel of Life" What can we do about abortion? "Above all, the gospel must be proclaimed by witness. Take a Christian, or a handful of Christians who, in the midst of their own community, show their own capacity for understanding and acceptance, their sharing of life and destiny wth other people, their solidarity with the efforts of all for whatever is noble and good. "Let us suppose that, in addition, they radiate in an altogether simple and unaffected way their faith in values that go beyond current values, and their hope in something that is not seen and that no one would dare to imagine." – Pope Paul VI in "Evangelization in the Modern World" Palestinians, Haitians, Iraqis, and the common good "The solidarity which binds all men together as members of a common family makes it impossible for wealthy nations to look with indifference upon the hunger, misery and poverty of other nations whose citizens are unable to enjoy even elementary human rights. "The nations of the world are becoming more and more dependent on one another, and it will not be possible to preserve a lasting peace so long as glaring economic and social imbalances persist." – Pope John XXIII, "Mater et Magister" |
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