Courtney McGrailDear Editor, Your correspondent from America, Michael W. Higgins, makes some extraordinary statements (IC 19/02/2015) from the point of view of anyone who sees President Obama first and foremost as a champion of abortion right up to birth, who not only defends his position when and where called for, but forces others not so minded to fund through their taxes his policy of so-called choice.
How odd of Higgins to be surprised that Obama is not “the favourite of Republican Catholics”.
Given the curtailment of freedom of conscience in Obama’s America, of Catholics and others opposed to abortion and same-sex marriage, it is equally odd that he is surprised or at least struck by the “war like state of Catholic discourse”. He appears not to have heard of the Church militant or that moral embattlement is the general stance of the Church through history.
He has the crass impudence to tell us that under Obama no religion “feels excluded”. Possibly true in the sense that none is excluded from the new liberal, secular intolerance over which Obama presides.
Obama, the “Hamlet of the Potomac”? Higgins should not dignify this morally “slight man” (again Shakespeare) in the world’s highest political office by comparisons with Shakespeare’s morally anguished hero.
If he wants a comparison from the Bard I would suggest he opt for Mark Anthony, a shallow, manipulative, self-serving, unctuous demagogue.
Yours etc.,
Margaret Hickey,
Blarney,
Co. Cork.