Fortnight for Freedom, 1

A few days ago, the wonderful wife and I sent a letter to our bishop:

Hello, Bishop Loverde--

We don't view the implementation of the Affordable Care Act as the serious threat to religious freedom that you and your brother bishops apparently do; with all due respect, we think that your fears and those of your brothers are greatly overblown and that the “fortnight for freedom” is an astonishing overreaction. Therefore, we will not support it.

Indeed, if we learn of an organized protest against the “fortnight,” we will join in enthusiastically. In any event, we will not be attending mass at Our Lady Queen of Peace during the three Sundays of the fortnight (counting the 17^th when parishes are supposed to distribute a bulletin insert promoting the “fortnight”), and the $135 we would have contributed to the church during that period will instead be sent elsewhere – perhaps to the LCWR. We realize that this tiny drop in collections will have no significant impact on the diocese's finances, but it is the only way we can emphasize how strongly we feel.

We hope that someday that you and your brothers will call for fortnight-like protests against deportations, war, and capital punishment (to name just a few of the government policies that, by our lights, are contrary to the gospel and to church teaching). And that you will do so regardless of which political party's ox is to be gored. If so, you can count on our strong support. Who knows? Such protests might even convince us to give you the benefit of the doubt the next time you ask us to join in a cause we are less incensed about.

May God bless us all.

/signed/