“Issues like segregated schools and housing, lack of jobs and opportunity — symbols of history that are a source of pride for some and pain for others — these are not tangential to peace; they’re essential to it,” Mr. Obama said.
“If towns remain divided — if Catholics have their schools and buildings, and Protestants have theirs — if we can’t see ourselves in one another, if fear and resentment are allowed to harden, that encourages division. It discourages cooperation,” he said.
The President made these comments in Ireland last Monday.
Say you have a town and there is a Catholic School and a Protestant School, according to Obama this means there is division within the community. This is how President Obama views different educational opportunities.
Here in America we spend serious money to send our children to Catholic schools. The Catholic church is well known for its academic and spiritual prowess. We aren't fighting each other in the streets because of religious education, not yet anyway. Here in the states if we want our kids to go to Catholic school we have to pay out of pocket, and dearly, while still paying significant tax dollars for public school. Very few states have charter schools and/or school vouchers, proven to be superior to our union driven public school system.
Some say the Catholic Far Right is just picking a fight. I say that if President Obama didn't want to provoke a fight, he wouldn't have stirred this pot.
As a catholic school alum for the first 17 years of my life I would like to thank all my Sisters of Charity and my Dominican Sisters for a job well done.
By JG
© 2013 BiGWand. All rights reserved.
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