After requiring religious organizations to cover their employees’ contraceptive costs under Obamacare, and just hours before President Barack Obama trampled on the Second Amendment through 23 executive orders, the White House released an official statement, naming January 16,2013 “Religious Freedom Day” and touting the President’s respect for religious and constitutional rights.
The statement, released this morning and signed by Obama, reads in part:
“As we observe Religious Freedom Day, let us remember the legacy of faith and independence we have inherited, and let us honor it by forever upholding our right to exercise our beliefs free from prejudice or persecution.”
The White House should have added,“Except from your own government.”
Recall the contraception mandate in Obamacare, which requires religious organizations to provide access to free contraceptives through health insurance plans, even if it is against their religious beliefs. The White House later announced that third-party insurers would cover those costs, but realistically, the insurance companies will just pass those extra costs back on to the religious organizations – either way the other religious organizations will still be footing the bill. The exceptions also failed to cover private companies, and their owners’ religious beliefs. How concerned about religious freedom was Obama then?
While freedom of religion is a crucial part of the Constitution, and respect and tolerance for differing beliefs is a good thing, the Obama administration’s press release today should be a wake-up call to Americans: The President likes to pick and choose which parts of the Constitution are important, depending on the contents of his latest political agenda.
The timing of the release is ironic. It came just hours ahead of Obama’s announcement on new gun control measures, in which the President, issued 23 new executive orders and promised to send legislation to Congress next week seeking a ban on assault rifles, a requirement for universal background checks and a ban on magazines above 10 rounds.
“What’s more important,” Obama said, “getting an ‘A’ grade from the gun lobby, or giving parents peace of mind when they drop their kids off for first grade?”
Obama also claimed that those criticizing him, based on constitutional arguments, are only trying to “gin up fear.”
At one point, Obama seemed to put a socialist spin on the intent of the Founding Fathers, saying, “This is the land of the free, and it always will be. As Americans, we are endowed by our Creator with certain inalienable rights that no man or government can take away from us. But we’ve also long recognized, as our Founders recognized, that with rights come responsibilities.
“Along with our freedom to live our lives as we will comes an obligation to allow others to do the same. We don’t live in isolation. We live in a society, a government of, and by, and for the people. We are responsible for each other,” Obama said.
In perhaps the most offensive part of his speech, as if to justify his infringement upon the Constitution, Obama cited the victims of shootings.
“That most fundamental set of rights to life and liberty and the pursuit of happiness — fundamental rights that were denied to college students at Virginia Tech, and high school students at Columbine, and elementary school students in Newtown…”.
Apparently to this president, two wrongs make it all right. And right and rights are determined by the governments.
