hazmat: a material (as flammable or poisonous [emphasis added] material) that would be a danger to life or to the environment if released without precautions
Sometimes the obvious is not clear to those listening to or reading an item of interest. For example, facts can be presented in such a way that a topic's flip side is shrouded by glowing words and phrases.
But once one scratches beneath the surface of such topics, the real facts do present themselves clearly, and the result can often be upsetting, irritating or spiritually dangerous. Thus the title of this commentary. One can indeed jeopardize spiritual health by being naïve about the things of the world.
Or to put it another way, the frosting on the cake can mask deadly contents beneath.
Allow me to give you but a few examples.
Preimplantation Genetic Diagnosis sounds like a nebulous sort of scientific activity, but once you learn more about it, you find out that scientists and prenatal disease identification specialists can use this "simple" test to weed out those human embryos not yet chosen by their parents for implantation in their mother's womb. The test can identify the best of the "crop," while those possibly affected by disease or disability can meet a very early demise by being killed before they have a chance to mature in their mother's womb.
It might sound good to the uninformed listener who does not want to bear a child who might suffer from one disease or another, but the fact is that if the embryonic child's test fails to indicate perfection, he or she may be destined for destruction.
Here's another example:
Nobody from the major networks spoke to our friend Naomi Whittaker, an ALL supporter and senior neural biology and physiology major at Purdue University. So, the American public is perhaps unaware that St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Church, in Lafayette, Indiana, participated along with Planned Parenthood of Indiana in OUToberfest 2008, an event promoting the radical homosexual lifestyle. Though Bishop William Higi has not personally spoken out one way or the other, his spokesperson, Rev. Msgr. Robert L Sell said this:
The participation of the parish was in conjunction with other Christian Churches of the area who were reaching out in solidarity to homosexual persons as children of Our Loving God. He (the parish pastor) assured me that this effort was not condoning a particular lifestyle or choice, but was seeking to join other Christian Denominations who participated in the event in an effort to demonstrate to homosexual persons the outreach and concern that our Faith has for them.
Well, if it is true that perception is reality, then one can only surmise that far too many people in the Lafayette, Indiana area are going to get the distinct impression that Catholics have no problem with homosexuals flaunting their lifestyle in a rather public manner. Particularly since events similar to OUToberfest now occur in many communities around the country and more than a few people obviously know about them.
One has to wonder how many people of any or no faith will be misled by this blatant tacit endorsement of a practice that is itself, according to Catholic teaching, morally abhorrent.
Here is yet another example. One of the frightening things we are not hearing much about in these final days leading up to the ominous election is the fact that pro-life centers, where mothers and babies are actually protected from the abortion-minded culture, could be under renewed attack. In fact, Maryland's crisis pregnancy centers "recently defeated a legislative bill, Senate Bill 690, backed by NARAL (National Abortion Rights Action League) Pro-Choice Maryland, that would have forced them to tell clients that they were not required to provide factually accurate information."
What this sort of legislation would do is deny such centers the right to talk about what abortion does to a mother and the deadly result every abortion has on a child in utero! As the National Catholic Register explains,
"We've definitely seen an uptick in activity, starting in 2000 when NARAL put out a handbook that gave members a step-by-step guide to disparage and seek to shut down pregnancy centers," said Hansen. "The areas they hone in on are the abortion-risk information. They say we're lying about the potential risks and that we're tricking people into coming in by posing as an abortion clinic. When push comes to shove, NARAL and other groups can't point to examples where our advertising is misleading."
Tom Glessner, president of the National Institute for Family & Life Advocates, who provided legal testimony in the Maryland and Oregon hearings, said a smear campaign against the centers has been going on for 26 years – and more can be expected.
"There is so much hatred out there towards pro-life pregnancy centers; they want to destroy them," he said. "Abortion is a multimillion dollar industry and women who go to a pregnancy-resource center and choose life is lost income to the abortion industry."
This should set off alarms around the nation, for clearly such actions are unconstitutional. Then again, the average American hears that abortion is a "right," so the theme song the public is singing goes something like this: "Don't worry, be happy." Or to put it another way, the belligerent pro-abortion movement wants the public to believe that "those pregnancy centers are just lying when they say a baby dies during an abortion! We all know there's no real baby there!"
Finally, I bring you the pièce de résistance!
Today American Life League reports,
In the wake of the bombshell news that Planned Parenthood of San Diego and Riverside Counties in California overcharged the state by $5,213,645.92, American Life League's STOP Planned Parenthood project is calling on the attorneys general of all 50 states to investigate Planned Parenthood for fraud.
We have made it easy for you to make this request of your state's attorney general. Hopefully, if 50 attorneys general receive enormous amounts of e-mail, they will understand that citizens want to make sure that Planned Parenthood is not committing fraud in their state. And then hopefully, investigations will begin.
Go to www.stopp.org/fraud to e-mail your attorney general now!
We have to stop this fraud epidemic! Planned Parenthood is stealing our tax dollars and raking in money hand over fist while we stand by.
Make no mistake, Planned Parenthood is cheating us out of millions and using it to kill more preborn babies, sexualize our kids and spread its message of death.
It is this sort of activity, unknown to most Americans, that poisons minds, distracts from reality and mesmerizes consciences, thereby leaving people totally confused. And in this case, our tax dollars are funding it!
The next time you are driving on a highway and see a HAZMAT sign, think about the tragic reality that, while drivers get warnings about possible physical dangers, the very souls of our fellow Americans are jeopardized by poison every day.
