The Road to Hell . . .

 . . .is paved with good intentions. And it has been my intention since I began this blog to not pollute it with too much political ugliness. If one were to care to read my random blathering with even the slightest attention, I'm sure that I haven't exactly hid my political views--but this was never to be a place to rant--at least in that arena.

So rant I won't, and be original, I'm not at all, but I am in this strange place of simultaneous sadness and frustration. So I think it best that rather than take-out my funk on my unsuspecting children, one of  whom, tangentally, made me crack-up today because he told me that I "misunderheard" him, I shall write a bit.

 If anyone were to care to know, I would call myself a solid Democrat. But today I am saddened by the legislation that tramples a bit on the separation of church and state. By this I am referring to the health care reform bill that requires Catholic churches, hospitals, et al to provide within the dictates of their insurance policies, coverage for birth control and abortions, etc. This isn't because I am completely anti-birth control--I have at times in my life, run counter to my Catholicism in this--and I would still advocate for its mindful use in certain ways. And I believe that Catholics have the personal responsibility to decide for themselves which part of their insurance coverage that they are or are not going to use--which is what all of us Catholics who are currently covered by insurance plans that already provide for this kind of coverage must do. Instead, I am saddened that this legislation forces the hand of private instituions to provide something that is against their beliefs. If said institutions are accepting government funding, then yes, I understand they are under the government's hand in regards to such legalities--but if they aren't? Then what?

So, no ranting here--more just some disappointment that my beloved party that is so often accused of over-reaching is actually guilty this time. I don't believe that Obama or his health care team has an agenda against the Catholic Church--as the loaded language surrounding this issue might suggest--but I do think that this decision has larger ramifications than what was originally intended.

This recent development is not enough to make me jump ship--or parties however. I deeply value the sanctity of life--and for me, this also includes being anti-death penalty, involves heavy gun control laws, and thinking deeply and spiritually about the build-up of military power. All-told, this keeps me a Democrat--just a grumpy one right now.