Gotta Better Suggestion?

Recently on one of the Catholic email lists I belong to, one member has gotten a bit upset over a reference to relief over John Kerry not winning the last election, given the recent Supreme Court move to uphold the Partial Birth Abortion ban. (The gist being, had Kerry been the nominator of two new justices, we would likely not have seen this ban upheld.)

Now, I am married to a devout Republican. And you can ask my dear hubby if I am strongly partisan and he will tell you I am not. I don't particularly like the whole political scene, as such. I do not feel that I can throw my whole weight behind any party that I know of right now, despite having worked for several Republicans in past races.

There are some Republicans I would probably work against, if I could.

I firmly and actively believe that certain values are worth standing for in the political arena, and the right to life stands preeminent. Presidents and all elected officials don't exclusively shape the course of the right to life in this country, for sure. But the role that judicial nominees, veto powers, and the legislative branch plays is not to be dismissed lightly in the struggle to defend life.

This cyber friend in question stated that perhaps the war in Iraq would have stopped by now if Kerry had been elected. (Tacit implication: it would have made up for Partial Birth Abortion becoming ensconced in American law thanks to Kerry nominees). Does the war have moral problems, complexities? I think so. But thanks to Cindy's blog I can tell you that since the war started, 5,284,465 American babies have been killed by abortion. How many times do you hear that number on the evening news? It is staggering. We need to get our priorities straight. No killing is right, but to support the killing of five million (plus) and claim to be a protector of life simply makes no sense whatsoever.

At the same time, it is frustrating that our Supreme Court should be at the "whim" of our elected President. In saner days, would not rational thought prevail among those trained in law and the Constitution to realize that the right to be born is basic to human liberty?!

But we aren't in saner days. So, what about the next election? I'm sure that in cyberspace and in my own little community I will hear Catholics defending candidates (possibly from both parties) who I cannot support. It would be great if we could simply form a leader by taking all of the best bits and incorporating them in one creature. Unfortunately, we have to elect human beings, and we can only select from among those who choose to run.

So, if it is offensive for Catholics to speak in favor of "the lesser of two evils," I have to ask -- do you have a better suggestion? A Catholic party? Maybe. Nationwide repentance and conversion? The best. Fly-over country seceding from the Union? Hmmm... that would be interesting. Prayer and fasting? I'm thinking we'd better start long before 11-4-08.