Dear Friends,
The Texas Leadership Coalition was organized in San Antonio with the mission to evangelize and educate our brethren, especially fellow Catholics in our community, by promoting and defending authentic Christian moral principles, and, during critically important election years, to help inform Catholic voters to integrate their faith with their civic responsibilities. We believe our mission as faithful Catholics is in accord with what Pope Benedict XVI has called the laity to do: to “provide disinterested service to the cause of the common good, in order to create a just ordering of society and the State.”
(Pope Affirms Catholic Action Movement 5/6/2008, Vatican Information Service)
We all know how much is at stake in this year’s general election. The Texas Leadership Coalition Board began the process of vetting political candidates earlier this year and provided a voter guide with candidate endorsements for the primary election on May 29th and the primary runoff election on July 31st. We have vetted candidates, specifically those candidates from the major political parties running for federal, state, county, and local offices this year who are currently on the Bexar County ballot. To review TLC’s vetting process, please go to the second page of TLC’s Voter Guide.
A few months ago I wrote about the Stonewall Democrats of San Antonio. The Stonewall Democrats of San Antonio (SDSA) is a relatively small group of homosexual activists in San Antonio with a membership of 150 who have formed a political action committee. Their purpose is to “to conduct endorsements of candidates, make campaign contributions”. Their objective is to help elect candidates who support their national and local agenda. Paramount to their mission is to force society to embrace their immoral and deviant lifestyle, to clamor for the complete redefinition of marriage and to accomplish this goal by lobbying and agitating for the overhaul of federal and state laws throughout America to legitimize homosexual “marriage”.
The SDSA sponsors forums “for the purpose of inviting candidates to speak to SDSA members about where they stand on LGBT issues prior to the members voting on endorsements.” According to the SDSA website, “Stonewall members become very active during election cycles and give of their volunteer time and money to support candidates who stand with our community.” The Stonewall Democrats only endorse candidates whom they have vetted, candidates who request the Stonewall Democrats’ endorsement, who pledge that their values and views about same sex “marriage” are in accord with the goals of their membership. The SDSA members vote to endorse specific candidates (only Democrats need apply).
It is disheartening to read that the SDSA homosexual activist organization’s 2012 Endorsement List includes many Catholic candidates. TLC has disqualified all these candidates from our endorsement list because they have aligned themselves with the homosexual movement. The full list of SDSA endorsed candidates on the Bexar County ballot are as follows:
Barack Obama, Joe Biden, Paul Sadler, Joaquin Castro, Candace Duval, Lloyd Doggett, Michele Petty, Keith Hampton, Marisa Perez, Rebecca Bell-Metereau, John Courage, Leticia Van De Putte, Trey Martinez Fischer, Joe Farias, Roland Gutierrez, Ruth McClendon, Mike Villareal, Justin Rodriguez, Patricia Alvarez, Luz Chapa, David Towler, Rebecca Martinez, Michael Mery, Antonia Arteaga, David Canales, John Gabriel, Laura Salinas, Mary Roman, Ron Rangel, Stephen Smith, Ray Olivarri, Karen Pozza, Larry Noll, Gloria Saldana, Amadeo Ortiz, Sergio Rodriguez, Roberto Vasquez, Ruben Tejeda, Val Flores, Edward Coleman, Robert Blount.
Why do Catholic politicians like Joaquin Castro (and his twin brother, Mayor Julian Castro) align themselves with the homosexual and pro-abortion movements? The answer may be quite simple and straightforward: To gain popularity and ascend the ladder of political power in the Democratic Party of 2012, one must be in alignment with foundational tenets of the Democratic Party platform – support legalized abortion through all nine months without exception and embrace homosexual “marriage”. “For they preferred human praise to the glory of God.” (Jn. 12:43)
Pray for Catholic politicians who put their eternal souls in grave peril by coveting worldly praise above the laws of God. We cannot vote for them. According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church, “Scandal can be provoked by laws or institutions… Therefore they are guilty of scandal who establish laws or social structures leading to the decline of morals and the corruption of religious practice… Anyone who uses the power at his disposal in such a way that it leads others to do wrong becomes guilty of scandal and responsible for the evil that he has directly or indirectly encouraged.” (CCC, 2286-2287)
Dear Catholics, vote with the mind of the Church and pass along the TLC Voter Guide to your friends, family, and circle of influence. Viva Cristo Rey!
+ + +
Don’t Forget! Come to the October 6th Stand Up/Solidarity Rally next Saturday
at Downtown San Antonio Main Plaza
Click picture for downloadable flyer.
+ + +
St. Luke’s Parish Explains Partisan Flyer Endorsing Democratic Party candidates
+ + +
ERRATUM
In our last posted article published September 27th, we referred to a diocesan priest at Julian and Joaquin Castro’s political party held at St Paul’s Community Center on September 1st. The correct spelling of his name is Fr. Jimmy Drennan.