(xposted from BluePalmSpringsBoyz’ blog on www.mydesert.com)
According to AMERICAblog.comand STLtoday.com, the online edition of the St. Louis Post Dispatch, the regressive arm of the Roman Catholic Church in the form of the Archbishop of St. Louis, Raymond Burke, has met his match. Burke is the pompous member of the regressive Catholic hierarchy who determined in a self-gratuitous manner during the Presidential campaign in 2004 to withhold communion from Sen. John Kerry due to Kerry’s views on a woman’s right to choose and related issues.
Roll forward to the Presidential campaign of 2008, and we find that the men’s basketball coach of St. Louis University, Rick Majerus, supports Sen. Hillary Clinton in her Presidential bid, a woman’s right to choose, and stem cell research. Now, the sanctimonious Burke wants to deny to Majerus his freedom of speech and freedom of assembly under the U.S. Constitution, and the coach has had it.
More below the flip…
Majerus took a typically defiant stand in an interview published Thursday in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
“These beliefs are ingrained in me,” Majerus told the paper. “And my First Amendment right to free speech supersedes anything that the archbishop would order me to do. My dad fought on Okinawa in World War II. My uncle died in World War II. I had classmates die in Vietnam. And it was to preserve our way of life, so people like me could have an opinion.”
Burke indicated that it is not possible to be Catholic and hold positions in favor of a woman’s right to choose and in favor of stem cell research. Funny, that, since many of the members of my family who are Catholic do support a woman’s right to choose as well as stem cell research. Perhaps it is the regressive Catholic Church that does not belong to its members in this country. And, lest we forget, during the Election 1960, Sen. John F. Kennedy clearly stated that he would not be controlled by Rome.
Nevertheless, in the case of St. Louis University, in 2007, the academic institution won a legal case which affirmed that the regressive Catholic Church could not assert an oppressive control over the institution of higher learning. In a 6-1 decision, the Missouri Supreme Court ruled that St. Louis University “is not controlled by a religious creed.” Seems that Burke shot himself in the satin slipper on that one. Humiliating ouch from the free society.
Majerus, born in Wisconsin, is one of the winningest coaches in the NCAA. He was assistant coach under the fabled Coach Al Maguire at Marquette, another non-tax-paying Catholic institution of higher learning, from 1965-77 and under Coach Hank Reynolds from 1977-83. Majerus then served as head coach at Marquette from 1983-86 with a 56-35 record. He coached Ball State University from 1987-89 with a 43-17 record. Majerus was head coach at the University of Utah from 1989-2004 but resigned due to heart problems. He had lead the University of Utah men’s basketball team to the NCAA Final Four in 1994.
Burke, like Majerus, was born in Wisconsin, but is known as one of the most regressive Catholic leaders. Prior to his appointment as Archbishop of the St. Louis, Burke was Bishop of La Crosse from 1994-2003.
Burke appears to be a media hound, insinuating himself into many controversies through the years. According to Wikipedia, a few peers in La Crosse found him to be controversial and problematic. Burke has also regularly made news regarding his purported opposition to the political actions of moderate Catholics who hold public office (seems that Burke fails to recognize separation of Church and State). Furthermore, he initiated disputes with the St. Stanislaus Kostka Church in St. Louis. In December 2005, Burke declared the parish’s board members excommunicated and announced his intention to repress the parish as part of the Roman Catholic Church. However, the church continues to this day as a not-for-profit corporation run by church parishioners.
Majerus became head coach at St. Louis University 27 April 2007. According toWikipedia), Majerus is a fan favorite and somewhat quirky. You just godda love that! Seems that Burke has not gotten off on the right satin slipper with Majerus.
Burke has not only forgotten that there really is a separation of Church and State in the U.S.A., but also has forgotten that at colleges and universities across the country, NCAA men’s basketball is the deity. Burke had better back up on that one. Politicians may cower before the regressive Roman Catholic Church, but regarding men’s basketball, forgeddabouddit!