The Final US Election Thread

**Lemur** · 12-01-2008, 01:03

Yet another Catholic pastor commands his flock to confess for the sin of not voting Republican. This is getting to be a trend ...

"If you are one of the 54 percent of Catholics who voted for a pro-abortion candidate, you were clear on his position and you knew the gravity of the question, I urge you to go to confession before receiving communion. Don't risk losing your state of grace by receiving sacrilegiously," the Rev. Joseph Illo, pastor of St. Joseph's, wrote in a letter dated Nov. 21.

The letter was sent to more than 15,000 members of the St. Joseph's parish. It is one of 34 parishes in the Stockton Diocese, which has more than 200,000 members in Stanislaus, San Joaquin and four other counties. [...]

A Greenville, S.C., priest told parishioners earlier this month that those who voted for Obama risked placing themselves "outside of the full communion of Christ's church" by their vote.

That priest's action was supported by his diocese, the Diocese of Charleston, S.C., which said the priest was simply asserting church teaching.

But the Most Rev. Stephen Blaire, bishop of the Stockton, Calif., Diocese, said he disagrees with Illo. He said Catholics should not feel compelled to disclose how they voted to their priest.

Blaire said Catholics who carefully weighed many issues and settled on a candidate, such as Obama, who was supportive of abortion rights, were not in need of confession. He said confession would be necessary "only if someone voted for a pro-abortion or pro-choice candidate -- if that's the reason you voted for them."

"Our position on pro-life is very important, but there are other issues," Blaire said. "No one candidate reflects everything that we stand for. I'm sure that most Catholics who voted were voting on economic issues.

"There were probably many priests, and I suspect many bishops, who voted for Obama."

**Lemur** · 12-01-2008, 15:11

Looks like the graphic design from the '08 U.S. election is getting ripped off by the French. Curse you, Gallic plagiarists!

**Marshal Murat** · 12-02-2008, 02:28

Lemur, what I want to know is why they create signs in English for a French general public?

**seireikhaan** · 12-02-2008, 02:59

Well, if you notice the fine print above the slogan, that is actually in French.

**Louis VI the Fat** · 12-02-2008, 12:32

I must repeat what I asked Vladimir about that French army blog. How on earth did you come by this?

Are you all reading French blogs nowadays?

Sarkozy may desperately wish he was American, but even he realises that a president using an English slogan has the political life span of a US senator admitting he's been having a homosexual affair with Hugo Chavez. Or of an Arkansas governor who's been photographed with the works of Darwin. Or of a British PM who uses anti-terror laws to intimidate his parliamentary opposition. (Wait...not the last one.

)

These 'Sarkobama' posters, as they have been dubbed, aren't official. They are quite the mystery!

They suddenly appeared all over Paris last week. Nobody has claimed them. The UMP was suspected at first, I myself suspect the Communist Party, both deny.
The slogans are leftist, environmentalist: 'Producing a clean ecological source of energy? Yes we can!', 'Create one million jobs? Yes we can!'
It is clearly a well-prepared and expensive campaign, not the work of a few students. Nobody has yet claimed responsibility. Does this mean there are more surprises in store then? Oh, the suspense of it all!!

**Hooahguy** · 12-02-2008, 13:18

well, today is the run-off in GA for senate. everyones very antsy here.....

**CountArach** · 12-02-2008, 13:40

Originally Posted by hooahguy

well, today is the run-off in GA for senate. everyones very antsy here.....

Chambliss is polling anywhere from 3-6 points in public polling and I expect that will hold steady. That said the Democrats have an enthusiasm advantage that may be tough to overcome (Run-off generally have a 25% or so turnout). Also Martin will probably struggle to overcome the huge slump in African-American turnout.

**CrossLOPER** · 12-02-2008, 04:12

Originally Posted by Marshal Murat

Lemur, what I want to know is why they create signs in English for a French general public?

1. It's an effective slogan, best kept as is.
2. Dar sum reeeedin' peepole.

**Louis VI the Fat** · 12-03-2008, 14:15

New revelations!

The British used enhanced interrogation techniques in a war on terror against.... Hussein Obama.

And what does this all mean for Guantanamo, US foreign policy, and British / American relations?

Barack Obama is no admirer of British colonialism, to judge from his writings, but the discovery that the British authorities tortured his grandfather may well deepen any animosity.

In his bestselling memoir, Dreams from My Father, Mr Obama does not conceal his disdain for British imperialism and his anger at what he sees as the brutality of colonial rule in Kenya. Almost every reference to Britain or the British is negative.

He briefly describes Hussein Onyango Obama’s detention by the British, but in a way that suggests he either did not know, or did not wish to reveal, the extent of his grandfather’s suffering at British hands.

Tale of family torture may strengthen Barack Obama’s animosity

**LittleGrizzly** · 12-03-2008, 15:49

I wouldn't imagine this would effect any relationship he would have with the british leader, though it might be nice to distance ourselves a bit anyway, fed up of britian being americas lackey...