Obama's attack on religion "playing with high explosives"

Some of Walt's American readers may not know who Conrad Black is. He's the author of a couple of surprise best-sellers: Franklin Delano Roosevelt: Champion of Freedom and Richard M. Nixon: A Life in Full, and the recently-released A Matter of Principle. The last is quite personal, a memoir of his fall from the lofty heights -- he used to be Lord Black of Cross Harbour, a British peer -- to a small but agreeable Florida prison.

At one time, "Lord Tubby" (as he was affectionately known) was a well-to-do businessman and investor, also the proprietor of several notable newspapers including the Daily Telegraph and Jerusalem Post. Some would say that he bought the newspapers to have a forum for his writings, but to be honest, Black is a formidable writer, especially on matters political and ideological. These days you'll find his columns in the National Review and Canada's National Post, which he also used to own.

This weekend the National Post is featuring Mr Black's thoughts on the Obama misgovernment's campaign against the Roman Catholic Church and Christianity in general. The piece is called "Church, state and Barack Obama". It's not easy to précis Conrad Black, so please accept that I'm not being lazy when I recommend that you read the entire piece. Here's the concluding paragraph.

In trying to subordinate and marginalize America’s religious institutions, the Obama administration is playing with high explosives. It is a bad, dangerous, and devious encroachment on constitutional liberty, and could undermine one of the greatest pillars of American national success. The balance between faith and reason is for the determination of each individual, and of the people as a whole, not of unauthorized government officials uttering impious humbug as they arbitrarily do so.

Walt might have said it more succinctly, but couldn't have said it better.

PS: On the CatholicCulture website, Phil Lawler makes the point that the Obama campaign against religion attacks not just corporations like Chick-fil-A, but the freedom of individuals to hold and express "politically incorrect" opinions and beliefs. In "The Obama argument: only churches--not individuals--can claim religious freedom", Mr. Lawler shows how the Obama administration is pressing its argument that religious freedom applies only to Church institutions. Worth reading!