Notre Dame alums receive anti-abortion mailings

[antigop]

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5j6Yrs9MYliOAhf5vv1pShKraTJSQD97SDHQ80

Thousands of University of Notre Dame alumni have received letters by an anti-abortion group urging them to demand the university cancel President Barack Obama's upcoming commencement appearance.

Operation Rescue founder Randall Terry said Wednesday his group sent letters to 50,000 alumni using an alumni directory provided by a Notre Dame graduate. Terry declined to identify the graduate.

The university has received more than two dozen calls or e-mails from graduates unhappy about the mailings, said Charles F. Lennon, executive director of the school's alumni association. Other campus offices also have received complaints, he said.

Lennon said Notre Dame has a strict privacy policy and doesn't provide alumni mailing lists to outside organizations. The university plans to deliver a cease-and-desist order to Terry's group, he said.

The hand-addressed envelopes, with no return address, began arriving last week.

I feel sorry for the graduating class of Notre Dame that has to deal with this circus.

[FightingIrish]

1. Based upon what I've seen of Persident Obama so far, I believe

he is going to turn his visit to Notre Dame into a huge plus for his presidency and his agenda. Lately he has been swatting away his detractors like pesky gnats. I think they will regret trying to make his commencement appearance such a circus. What they have succeeded in doing is tying a number of prominent Catholic bishops to some very disreputable extremists like Randall Terry. That's not a good PR move when your numbers are declining as fast as the Republican Party.

From the Observer

"I would like to call your attention to an offensive mailing that many alumni received in the last few days. It is from Randall Terry and his organization, StopObamaNotreDame.com. This mailing contains a four-page letter, a visually explicit postcard and a donation request. This mailing asks its recipient to convince the University to stop President Obama's appearance at Commencement and remove Fr. Jenkins from office.

The University cannot turn a blind eye to efforts by outside organizations claiming to "protect" the University. The University must also question how this organization was given access to millions of alumni names. It is time for Notre Dame to publicly condemn Mr. Terry, his organization and this mailing. The appearance of President Obama should encourage an intelligent debate about modern-day Catholicism and politics and not an unsolicited, hateful call to action. The University cannot stand by in silence while Mr. Terry moves his organization forward. The University should be ashamed that this issue has spiraled so far out of control.

Maria Mirto

alumna

Class of 1978"

April 27

http://media.www.ndsmcobserver.com/media/storage/paper660/news/2009/04/29/Viewpoint/Condemn.Randall.Terry-3729973.shtml

[antigop]

2. I think you are correct. The anti-abortion crowd is really ticking people off.

http://www.usnews.com/blogs/god-and-country/2009/3/26/leading-the-charge-against-notre-dame-randall-terry-has-his-own-bishop-problems.html

Wow! How bad is it when even Burke has to distance himself???

[Larkspur]

3. I got one of those mailings

I'm ND class of 1983. Don't remember where I tossed it. Was going to use their envelope to send a pro-choice reply.

[FightingIrish]

4. I didn't get one but I don't feel left out.

I'm Class of '66 and that may be too ancient for whoever compromised alumni records. If had received one, I would have felt violated.