老澳门开奖结果

In the upside-down, through-the looking-glass world we often find ourselves in, in our nation鈥檚 capital, today the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform held a hearing 鈥渋nvestigating鈥� why Catholic organizations only received from the Department of Health and Human Services over the last three years, instead of $650 million and change. Never mind that under this administration, as noted, Catholic groups have gotten $100 million more than under Bush. What brought on this investigation? A several million dollar grant to provide services for human trafficking victims that the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops bid on, but did not receive. The bishops and their political allies are crying discrimination. As noted this morning, I鈥檓 sure a lot of people would like to be discriminated against like that.

In explaining why this show-trial was a good use of congressional time, , making a special guest appearance, said that there has been an 鈥渦nconscionable abuse of power.鈥� On that, we couldn鈥檛 agree more.

Trafficking victims are often kidnapped and held against their will 鈥� an unconscionable abuse of power. Trafficking victims are often raped, beaten, and forced into prostitution 鈥� an unconscionable abuse of power. Trafficking victims are denied by their traffickers access to health care and the ability to make their own decisions 鈥� an unconscionable abuse of power.

And then, after all that they鈥檝e suffered, they turn to social service agencies for help, only to be told that the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops has tied service providers鈥� hands 鈥� taking government money meant to aid these victims and putting their own ideological restrictions on it, forbidding service providers from using the grant to help victims access contraception and abortion services when they ask for them. At least, that was the case under a grant awarded to the bishops by the Bush Administration.

That grant expired in October, and when HHS took applications for the new grant cycle, they rightly expressed a preference for contractors who wouldn鈥檛 prohibit victims from getting the reproductive health services they need.

On the other side of the looking glass, HHS might be commended for doing the right thing. But today in the House Oversight Committee, asking those who bid on government grants to do the job they鈥檙e paid to do gets lambasted as an unconscionable abuse of power.

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