Syte Reitz

The hand that rocks the cradle rules the world…….

Browsing Posts tagged Obama

Dave & Jill & familiy

Dave & Jill & familiy

My friends Jill and Dave, and their beautiful family, have just been gouged by ObamaCare.
Jill just posted on Face book:

 

“You will be able to keep your current health insurance” Wasn’t that the promise that he made to us? Unfortunately, we can’t afford to keep it anymore. Rate increase thanks to Obama Care. Look below for our new rate contained in the letter we received in September to see why. The letter stated, “Getting enrolled in this new, ACA-compliant health plan will be an easy, no-hassle experience for you. We understand that the health insurance market is confusing. That’s why we’ll take care of getting you enrolled in your new health plan. You don’t need to take any action.”

They were wrong. We did need to take action; we had to pick jaws off the floor after restarting our hearts upon reading the new rates.
Today, November 5, we received a new update on our rates which goes into effect in January 2016. Take a look at our new rates below. Here’s a brief summary: our current rate is $941.74. In December, that goes up to $1692.30. January 1, 2016, it goes up to $2455.38!! Our current policy has a $6000 family deductible, and the new policies have a $7,200 annual family deductible; we’re not even on a HMO plan!

Thank you, President Obama, for the UnAffordable Care Act!
Please SHARE to get the word out!                  -Jill

 

ObamaCare Premiums


Families like Jill and Dave’s are now finding out what Obama has done to our health care.
It’s inexcusable.

Priests Face Arrest for Offering Sacraments During Shutdown

or

Obama’s Gone Off the Deep End

(Click image for story at CNS News):

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How Mad Is Obama?
He Not Only Takes Away Our Liberty Literally, But Also Figuratively:

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Click to read more:

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Tomorrow’s Headline: Head of Free World Shuts Down Liberty to Spite His Electorate for Rejecting Socialized Medicine

Doubt Obama realizes either the irony or the material for comedy and ridicule in this latest decision of his to shut down the Statue of Liberty.
The press should have a field day. That is, those who are not his lackies.

How Has Obama Shut Down Liberty in the United States?
Let me count the ways…

 

See also:

obama angry2 gss-131001-shutdown-closed-01.grid-5x2

Obama: Roll Over and Do What I Ask

[pro-player width=’640′ height=’360′ type=’video’ image=’http://mrc-tv.s3.amazonaws.com/sites/default/files/video_thumbs/119639/119639_0001.jpg’]http://mrc-tv.s3.amazonaws.com/sites/default/files/videos/converted/119639.mp4[/pro-player]

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Video from Media Research Center

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Roll Over and Do What I Ask!

 

“You Didn’t Build That”

Great clip from American Crossroads:

 

 

See also The Best of Obama’s “You Didn’t Build That.”

Who is Barack Obama?  The Movie: 2016

Opening in Houston July 16, 2012

A very compelling, yet disturbing portrait of Barack Obama, based on his own autobiography, Dreams From My Father:

Obama’s America: 2016
Love Him, Hate Him, You Don’t Know Him

Springing from Barack Obama’s own biography, Dreams From My Father, this movie offers an extremely disturbing theory explaining Barack Obama’s sometimes very puzzling priorities, such as ObamaCare and abortion over economy and jobs. Click image at left for movie credits.

The movie presents Barack Obama as a very complex man with complex resentments and complex goals, which even America’s radical Democrats like Nancy Pelosi and Joe Biden do not understand or share.

It is not a movie to be dismissed.  It cannot be discarded as lies or as politics.  Obama condemns and betrays himself in his own words, painting a disturbing portrait of a man driven by an ideology that his constituents do not share.

Trailer for the Movie 2016:

Interview with George Obama, Barack Obama’s brother, who stars in the movie:

Barack Obama reading from his own book, Dreams From My Father:

Auspicious! Awesome. Amazing.
ObamaCare Has Been Approved By the Supreme Court.

or

What, Are You Crazy, Syte?

 

We Knew Something Was Coming

We knew something was coming.
June, 2012 promised to be a momentous month.
We were in the third act of a great national drama, in which the definitions of fundamental human rights and liberties could be redefined.
Can an American President Mandate? Can he mandate socialized medicine? Can he mandate that all citizens must pay for abortion?
What’s in a Mandate?
For those of us with Faith and Hope, we were praying for an Auspicious month.

Unprecedented Prayer

The Bishops of the United States, realizing that freedom, and especially religious freedom, were in the balance, organized an unprecedented two weeks of prayer and fasting, a nation-wide program known as Fortnight for Freedom.
In Madison,  Fortnight for Freedom started with hundreds of people praying 15 decades of the rosary on the Wisconsin State Capitol steps. This prayer and fasting program continues as we speak.
An unprecedented call for prayer that has been joined by many non-Catholics.
Reminiscent of Jonah’s appeal to Nineveh.

Hope Does Not Disappoint

Bishop Morlino's Coat of Arms

When it comes to God,  Hope does not disappoint (Romans 5:5).
Same as Bishop Morlino’s Coat of Arms motto, The Vision does not disappoint (Habakkuk 2:3).
In Latin, Visus Non Mentietur:

For the vision is a witness for the appointed time,
a testimony to the end; it will not disappoint.
If it delays, wait for it,
it will surely come, it will not be late. – Habakkuk 2:3  

So, Where Are We?

So far, this June we have had:

  • The authority of the people of Wisconsin was upheld in the Governor recall election, with a larger margin of approval for the Governor Walker than he had in the original election.  The only Governor of Wisconsin to be elected twice in one term!
  • Same wonderful reaffirmation of democracy and responsibility with Lieutenant-Governor Rebecca Kleefisch of Wisconsin.
  • Successful national launching of Fortnight for Freedom; American Catholics gathering for public prayer across the nation, with other faiths joining them in prayer.
  • Supreme Court upholding the right of Arizona to enforce law.
  • Democrats abandoning partisanship to acknowledge that even the head of the Justice Department in the United States (Holder) is accountable to truth and to law.
  • A Federal Judge upholding Florida’s right to remove non-citizens from the state’s voting rolls.
    and…
  • ObamaCare approved by the Supreme Court!?!

How Can You Still Say Auspicious, Amazing and Awesome?

This is where faith and hope come in.
God does seem to work this way.
When others give up in despair, we of Faith know that God has something up His sleeve.
The vision will not disappoint.
And it’s likely to be miraculous, something we could not plan and arrange for ourselves.
Abraham did not lose faith in God under duress.
Moses did not lose faith in God with the Pharaoh’s troops at his heels.
I will spare you recounting the numerous times in my life when God stepped in with unpredictable solutions just when things were looking grim.

Moses parting the Red Sea

Hope Does Not Disappoint

Other than this astounding Supreme Court decision, things are not looking bleak at all– back to the list of victories above!
Options still exist for reversing ObamaCare, including the November election.
Some say that the upholding of ObamaCare by the Supreme Court will motivate Americans,  the vast majority of whom oppose ObamaCare, to get rid of President Obama in November:

Obama might have his law, but the GOP has a cause,” said veteran campaign adviser Terry Holt. “This promises to galvanize Republican support around a repeal of what could well be called the largest tax increase in American history.  – Associated Press

More to Look Forward to, in June and Beyond

We can still look forward to many victories before the ultimate victory we seek in November 2012:

  • Today, we still have Eric Holder, the nation’s top law enforcement official and right hand man of President Obama, facing a bipartisan contempt of Congress vote over Fast and Furious documents.  Holder is a big part of the Obama problem; Holder is responsible for not enforcing immigration policies at the Arizona border, for suing Arizona when Arizona tried to do the job themselves, for suing Florida for their attempts to remove illegitimate voters from the rolls, and for many other challenges to United States law and to our freedoms.
  • Prayer and fasting by concerned Christians and Jews continues right up to the November election. We are in the midst of Fortnight for Freedom right now.  In Madison, weekly Capitol Rosary Rallies will be held through November 1st. There is one today.  See you there at 7 PM, State Street steps!
  • The Movie 2016, based on the NYTimes best seller by Dinesh D’Souza and produced by Gerald Molen, producer of Schindler’s List, which projects the devastating effects of President Obama’s economic policies on America, and documents Barack Obama’s anti-American anti-colonialist philosophy, will be released this summer. America will get a remarkable new perspective on Barack Obama, and what his (until now) baffling agenda might actually reflect.
  • The two conventions, Republican and Democrat, and the General Election are still coming.  Stay tuned!

‘No Leader in the World is Powerful Enough to Thwart God’s Purposes’

Back to Bishop Morlino, and the wisdom of his Laetare Sunday message:  just before Easter: Difficult week?  Rejoice!

No leader in the world is powerful enough to thwart God’s ProvidenceBishop Robert C. Morlino.

So we’ve had a difficult morning with the Supreme Court (BTW, wasn’t Justice Kagan supposed to recuse herself on this one?)
Small setback, which might even work in our favor, according to some.
We continue to fast, to pray, to work and to hope.
Hope will not disappoint.
I fully expect something akin to the parting of the Red Sea. Equally huge, and equally unpredictable. In 2012, that would translate into something that we did not expect and which stops the marauding Pharaoh and his czars in their tracks.
(Forgive the mixed metaphor, I know that Pharoah did not have czars.  Tyrants, all of them, just the same.

Perhaps the Red Sea that will swallow up the new Pharaoh and his troops might be the new Democrat mutiny that appears to be surfacing, driven by the desire for votes, which cannot ignore the will of the people and the new surge in conservatism reflected in movements such as the Tea Party.  We certainly did not plan on or count on that. A Democrat mutiny. What do you know! Who could have predicted that?

Or, it might be something completely different. God’s plans can be more surprising than even the Supreme Court’s.

Our Job

Our job is to continue in faith and hope, to fast, pray, remain politically engaged, and VOTE.
Come, join Catholics at the Capitol Rosary Rally at the Wisconsin State Capitol today!
7 PM, State Street steps.
See you there!
It’s 98 degrees; the heat will be magnifying our prayers!

Some photos, now that we’re back from the Capitol Rosary Rally:

Capitol Rosary Rally at the Wisconsin State Capitol, 6-28-12

 

Kneeling to pray 15 decades at the Capitol following the Supreme Court Decision on ObamaCareHundreds gathered to pray the rosary on a 98 degree day.

 

Hundreds gathered to pray the rosary on a 98 degree day.

 

 


 

 

 

 

 

What’s in a Mandate?

 

Defending Freedom Online

In the spirit of defending our nation’s religious freedoms, I’ve been participating in some online discussions on the subjects of Obama Administration’s Health and Human Services HHS Mandate, often erroneously labeled the “Contraceptive Mandate,” and on the Fortnight for Freedom prayer effort organized by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), which began on June 21, 2012.

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Typical Radical Catholic’s Argument

One Wall Street Journal discussion participant typified the arguments of radical Catholic supporters of the HHS Mandate, or the Obama Mandate, as I like to call it.

Response to Radical Arguments

Here are his comments and my reply:

CR wrote:

As a practicing Catholic, I’m still waiting for the day when the Catholic bishops organize a “Fortnight for Poverty,” a “Fortnight for Homelessness”, a “Fortnight for Healthcare”, or anything else with an underlying religion-based opinion on that doesn’t focus on women’s health and reproductive issues like this “Fortnight for Freedom”. Easy to tell what the bishops care about…

Syte’s response:

For a “practicing Catholic,” you have a pretty resentful attitude toward the Catholic bishops.
Hard to imagine why you participate in the institution headed by them.
Seems like you have mislabeled yourself- it’s not “practicing Catholic,” it’s more like “cafeteria Catholic” at best, and “heretic Catholic” (i.e., not Catholic at all) at worst, depending on what you are thinking.

Also hard to imagine that you don’t understand that ALL opinions, priorities and agendas, including the ones you mentioned, rely on having the freedom to pursue them.

Finally, hard to imagine that you are unaware that Catholic institutions DO already serve the poor, the homeless, and those who need healthcare, more so than any other societal group, including government. Catholic institutions lead in this area in the U.S. and around the world.

Obama Mandates

If you could just see past the “contraceptive” label that liberals have purposely associated with this mandate, you would see that the conflict actually includes THREE very important issues:

• Mandates. Does the President of the U.S. have the authority to declare (mandate) what is right and what is wrong without consulting the American people, the legislature, the Supreme Court, or moral and religious experts?
• Killing (abortifacients). And yes, forcing Catholics to pay for the killing of human beings IS a bigger issue than the ones you mentioned.
• Shutting down Catholic institutions financially with penalties — first, by law, require Catholics do something they cannot morally do, then, when they violate the law which violates their religious beliefs and religious liberty, penalize them financially in such a way that Catholic institutions become bankrupt within two years.

THIS is what the “Contraceptive Mandate” is really about.

It’s not really a “Contraceptive Mandate,” but is more like:

• “Let’s Establish a New Power for President Obama: He Can Declare (He Can Mandate) What is Right and What is Wrong Mandate”
• “Let’s Force Everyone to Pay for Other People’s Abortion Mandate”
• “Let’s Bankrupt Catholic Institutions which Oppose Obama’s Abortion Agenda Mandate”
• “Let’s Close Catholic Institutions so the Obama Administration Can Take Over Several More Segments of the Economy and Control More Hospitals, Universities and Other Service Institutions Mandate”
• “Let’s Allow President Obama, Not Americans or Their Religious Leaders, to Declare What is Right and What is Wrong Mandate”
• “President Obama Will Decree What is Right and What is Wrong, and Heads Will Roll if Anyone Disagrees Mandate”
• “Didn’t Henry VIII Do that to Sir Thomas More (Whose Feast Day Was Yesterday) Mandate?” Do What? “Declare What is Right and Wrong, then Behead Those Who Disagree With the King Mandate”

Me helping Henry VIII with his Mandates (and I'm a "practicing Catholic!")

 Hope you do not pretend to impose your amateur opinions on other experts in your life, like your doctors, your lawyers, your professors, your police officers, etc., etc., as you seem comfortable imposing your amateur opinions on the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops.

You’ve given me an idea — I should declare myself an Anglican and start telling the Queen of England what the Anglican Church should teach….
…But that’s why America was founded, to get away from Royal Mandates, wasn’t it?
How about we ask women (of whom I am one) what THEY want instead of having Obama MANdate what is “good” for women? What a novel idea, in a democratic nation, asking the women what they want, instead of telling them! 

 What IS in the Mandate?

Some AUDIO resources for those who are interested in understanding what is in the Mandate and why the Catholic Church is concerned:

Soggy Solstice?

 

While the President of the United States in on the verge of  a scandal equivalent to Nixon’s Watergate,
…..and…..
the Supreme Court of the United States is on the verge of a historical decision on ObamaCare that will redefine the powers and balance of government in the United States,
…..and…..
the Catholic Church, the largest religious denomination in the United States is calling for prayer for liberty  “in this decisive hour in the history of our nation,”

what do you think made the front page of MSNBC news?
The Soggy Solstice.
Newsflash: It rained in England.

The 0.1 of 1% of Americans who are pagans will be very happy to know.
The rest of us, 100% Americans, 80% Christians, and 25% Catholics, can find the real news elsewhere.

P.S. For the 80% Christians: Come to the Fortnight for Freedom tonight; 7 PM July 21st, 2012, at the Wisconsin State Capitol, on the State Street steps.

Americans Pray for Freedom Across the Nation

Or

Fortnight For Freedom

Or

Come and Join Us!

 (Fortnight for Freedom, 7PM July 21st, 2012, at the Wisconsin State Capitol, on the State Street steps.) 

Background

The First Amendment

President Obama’s Contraceptive Mandate has violated the First Amendment, depriving Catholics in the United States of their freedom of religion and freedom of conscience, by forcing Catholics institutions to provide abortifacient pills to employees of Catholic institutions, forcing Catholics by law to do something Catholics believe to be morally wrong.

Women’s Issue?

This is not a “women’s health” issue, because the pills are as affordable as aspirin, tissues, and other medical supplies which have often been considered “over-the-counter,” and which have frequently not been covered by insurance policies in the past.  In fact, women use numerous products that are not, and are not likely ever to be covered by insurance, including cosmetics, lotions and sanitary products.  All of the “services” covered by the “Contraceptive Mandate” are extremely affordable, and any woman who can afford aspirin or a meal at McDonald’s can afford to pay for these items herself.

By choosing to mandate (to require by law) the free provision of abortifacient pills, the Obama administration is not trying to help women.  The administration is trying to place financial strain on the Catholic Church, which is one of the largest and strongest opponents of the Obama administration’s “social” agenda.  If Obama succeeds in pushing through ObamaCare and the Contraceptive Mandate, Catholic institutions will be forced by their conscience, like Saint Thomas More, to break the law.  Cathoilics will be forced into civil disobedience, into not providing abortifacient services, and then into paying $2,000 yearly penalties per employee, which are estimated to bankrupt most Catholic institutions within two years. Goodbye Catholic universities, Catholic High Schools, Catholic Grammar Schools, Catholic hospitals, Catholic soup kitchens, Catholic adoption agencies, etc., etc.  Goodbye the role that Catholics and their institutions have played in our national life since the birth of this nation.

Hello, one more segment of the economy that the Obama administration can take over, in addition to health care and General Motors.  Also, a blow to the Catholic Church, the largest (25% of Americans are Catholic), most organized and strongest institution involved in opposing the Obama administration’s “social” agenda, particularly abortion.  Two birds with one stone.  Isn’t the Obama administration wickedly clever!?

Obama’s strategy

The Obama administration’s biggest agenda, both nationally and worldwide, is abortion.  But they have realized from recent polls that Americans are increasingly opposed to abortion, and now a majority of Americans cannot be relied upon to support Obama’s, Hillary’s and Sebelius’ national and global abortion agenda.  To understand why abortion is so important to these people, see Abortion: a Much Bigger Deal Than You Think.

Since Americans are no longer likely to support the abortion agenda, the abortion agenda must be sneaked in under a less controversial issue, such as contraception. By sneaking in abortifacients under the phrase “Contraceptive Mandate,” the Obama administration hopes to get the support of the American majority against the Catholic Church.  It also hopes to divide the Catholic Church, and thus to reduce the power of the Catholic Church, rendering it less able to oppose Obama’s “social” (translated: moral) issues, such as abortion, gay marriage, and government funding of numerous medical strategies that facilitate promiscuity and discourage or demote traditional family life. Divide and conquer.  Isn’t the Obama administration wickedly clever!?

So Now, What’s Happening?

Americans Are Praying

So what do we do when the wicked set snares for us?

People praying the the Wisconsin State Capitol on Corpus Christi Sunday, June 10, 2012

Good Christians pray for God’s help:

For my eyes are upon you, O Lord,
in you I take refuge; do not take away my soul.
Guard me from the trap they have set before me,
From the snares of evildoers.
Let the wicked fall into their own nets,
While only I pass over them safely.
– Psalm 141:8-10

When and Where?

Starting Tomorrow!

The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) has organized a national 2-week prayer effort, the Fortnight for Freedom, which starts tomorrow, June 21st, 2012.  It begins on the feasts of St. Thomas More  and St. John Fisher, who gave their lives for religious freedom. The Fortnight for Freedom ends on July 4th, our American Independence Day.

The bishops have called us to focus “all the energies the Catholic community can muster” for religious liberty during this time.
Special prayers, novenas, Masses, rosaries, and concerted ringing of Church bells, are planned.  Friday, June 28th, the Priestly Ordination Mass will be dedicated to Religious Freedom through Fortnight for Freedom:

Diocese of Madison, WI announcements, events and details (click).

USCCB National announcements, events and details (click).

What’s Going On in Madison?

In Madison, this begins with a Capitol Rosary Rally on Thursday, June 21st, 2012, at the Wisconsin State Capitol at 7:00 PM, on the State Street Steps of the Capitol Building.
Madison’s Bishop Morlino will join the first rosary event.

Rosary rallies will be held at the Madison Capitol every Thursday at 7 PM, through November 1st, 2012, until the General election.

Come and Join Us!

Come to help us Catholics pray, or come to watch, or come just to lend Catholics moral support.  You don’t have to pray the rosary to attend; you only have to be in support of religious freedom for all Americans, and be willing to ask God’s help.  Catholics happen to be the largest religious denomination in the United States, and are thus able to organize, but all who support religious freedom are welcome to attend.

Why Pray? Why the Rosary?

Catholics have found the Rosary to be a particularly powerful form of prayer throughout the ages.  The victory of Christian forces which prevented the Islamic invasion of Europe at the Battle of Lepanto in 1571 was attributed to Pope Pius V’s call for all of Europe to pray the rosary.  The Christian fleet was at a material disadvantage, and the Turkish fleet had superior numbers, yet the Christian fleet won.

At the hour of victory, Pope Pius V, who was hundreds of miles away at the Vatican, is said to have gotten up from a meeting, went over to a window, and exclaimed with supernatural radiance: “The Christian fleet is victorious!” and shed tears of thanksgiving to God.  – EWTN library 

The Battle of Lepanto was first celebrated liturgically as “Our Lady of Victory,” and was later renamed “Our Lady of the Rosary.”

Aside: to address some of the misinformation out there about Catholics, Catholics do not worship or deify Mary, the mother of Jesus Christ.  They simply ask her assistance in pleading with her Son Christ, much as a child might ask their mother’s intercession when they ask their father for something.  Catholics presume that Christ has a soft spot in His heart for his Mother.

Isn’t the Rosary a repetitive prayer condemned by the Bible?

Pope John Paul II: “The rosary, though clearly Marian in character, is at a heart a Christ-centered prayer. It has all the depth of the gospel message in its entirety. "

No, the Rosary is not simply a repetitive prayer.  It is a complex form of meditation, in which many of the events of Christ’s life and passages from the New Testament are contemplated.  The Rosary is a prayer that gives structure to the complex series of meditations that are going on in the hearts and minds of those who are reciting the rosary.

The Bible passage most often quoted by those who object to the rosary is Matthew 6:7, which objects to “empty phrases” and to “vain repetitions.” Neither of these applies to the rosary, which is neither empty nor vain.  Jesus Christ Himself used serious repetitive prayer during the Agony in the Garden (Matthew 26:39-44) and Christ instructed people to be persistent in their prayer (Luke 18:1-8).  More information.

Americans Have Been Praying
Before this Most Recent Effort

Americans have been praying for our government for quite some time now.  Many denominations are organizing and praying; please send in prayer programs and references if you want them added to this list.  Most of my references are Catholic, since that is what I know best.

Stand Up For Religious Freedom Rallies across the U.S.

March 23, 2012 Stand Up For Religious Freedom Rally, also Madison’s Stand Up For Religious Freedom Rally

Madison’s novena prior to the June 8, 2012 Stand Up for Religious Freedom Rally

National headcount for June 8, 2012 Stand Up for Religious Freedom Rallies

Interfaith Novena:  – 9 days of interfaith prayer leading up to the June 8, 2012 Stand Up For Religious Freedom rally.

When will the media do their job, report on these national grass roots events, and give poor me a vacation from trying to compensate for their news blackouts?

Hey, Wisconsin State Journal (and all the rest of the media out there): I searched your site for “Stand Up for Religious Freedom Rally” and it came up with Your search did not yield any results.
Really. Not surprised.
We’ll include some prayers for conscientious reporting by the U.S. media tomorrow, too.

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Hat’s off to some media who do have articles on the Stand Up For Religious Freedom Rallies or Fortnight For Freedom this week:

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Catholic Free Press
National Catholic Reporter
Family Institute of Connecticut Blog
Colorado Catholic Herald
AfricanAmreicanConservatives
TheCatholic Commentator……
added : WALL STREET JOURNAL just covered Fortnight for Freedom
added: CNS News covers Forthnight for Freedom

…. mostly religious, small and/or conservative organizations.

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Boo to ABC, CBS, NBC and CNN; 160,000 people have been rallying in 161 cities across the US for religious freedom, and ABC, CBS, NBC and CNN gave us a news blackout.

Expecting a media blackout again for Fortnight for Freedom, but God plans to listen.

 

 Remember: Come to the Fortnight For Freedom, 7PM Thursday, June 21st, 2012, on the State Street steps of Wisconsin’s Capitol Building in Madison!

 

Added after the event: Some AUDIO resources for those who are interested in understanding what is in the Mandate and why the Catholic Church is concerned:

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