As my daughter would say.
Yesterday I posted in Facebook that I was happy about President Obama's statement that he would be willing to negotiate something more "flexible" in the issue of insurance that Catholic institutions would be mandated to provide their employees. I thank my friends Bev and Janka for gently guiding me out of the Doubting Castle into which I had wandered. And Gail Collins, who always sets me forward if not entirely straight.
I've confessed before to being almost pathologically non-confrontational. Even before this story broke this week I wrote about change and how most of us don't like it, even when it's good for us.
In my defense, I will maintain that I was thinking primarily of some of the provisions that I heard might contribute to helping to pay for some part of abortion services, the morning after pill, and a few other things that I could see would be major sticking points for the Catholic hierarchy and, likely, for some of its adherents as well.
I thought it likely that contraception would be an exception, something that the institutions involved could be talked into providing without bunching their undergarments too uncomfortably.
Then it turns out, if one is to believe the headlines (silly me, I know, nevertheless) that contraception itself is very much a part of the issue.
AND (the voice of reason fighting its way through some other dense material) I also realized that, contrary to the fears of some, there isn't a Catholic university or hospital in the country that is going to close its doors in high dudgeon. They will kick and scream and cry foul, and Fox News will have a lovely time with its latest bone to gnaw in not so silent fury, but the Fighting Irish will continue to battle and Mother Theresa will continue to smile down upon the (now paying because they can afford the insurance) poor she was so unable, even unwilling, to help before.
And all those Catholics who would now, purported by the voices of fear to whom I temporarily succumbed, flock eagerly to the Republican banner? Upon sober reflection, I realize that those who were already agin' us will remain agin' us. Those who were with us may not speak out in congregation, but on election day they will mark their ballots for President Barack Obama. And as soon as that ballot is dropped in the mail, they could likely toddle off to their nearest pharmacy. For that contraceptive prescription refill.