Obama at Notre Dame

Here's Obama sending off the graduates at Notre Dame with a message of tolerance and respect for diverging beliefs:



How do we work together to reduce unintended pregnancies without discouraging pre-marital sex, by the way? Anyway, contrast that to Obama's words at the 100 day rally in St. Louis talking about diverging beliefs in regards to protests over his spending policies:



The Notre Dame speech was probably a decent Obama speech since he excels at delivering forward-thinking and inspirational messages full of hope. But as he said during the campaign, words do have meaning, so let's throw caution to the wind and parse a few of those phrases in a search for the true meaning of his words. Start with this:

Your generation must decide how to save God’s creation from a changing climate that threatens to destroy it.

Sounds like a modern comparison to Noah. But what exactly is he suggesting will be destroyed, the climate or the generation? Either way it's rather draconian and melodramatic, since there's not a computer model in existence showing a "destroyed" climate over the next century and it's doubtful global warming would eliminate or destroy the graduating class of 2009.

And, since he didn't directly blame the climate change on the graduates or their parents, how does he propose this generation should affect any change on the weather of earth, which makes up climate?

Here's a comment that presumably targets terrorists and tinpots:

Your generation must seek peace at a time when there are those who will stop at nothing to do us harm, and when weapons in the hands of a few can destroy the many.

Indeed, but if the harm-doers will 'stop at nothing' then how does he propose we 'seek peace' with those people?

In short, we must find a way to live together as one human family.

Through world government? Because otherwise, the radical Muslims have their own view of a world family and in theirs we are basically slaves. Minor clarification needed.

Next he moved into the goal of changing human nature itself (don't accuse him of being soft on goal-setting):

The strong too often dominate the weak, and too many of those with wealth and with power find all manner of justification for their own privilege in the face of poverty and injustice.

Those on the atheist side usually refer to it as Darwinism or natural selection but Obama did mention original sin. But even Christ said the poor will always be present. One could use their imagination and connote another attack on the AIG bonus recipients too, something Limbaugh might have fun with.

Next, the One did the two-step around abortion, taking both sides. He's good at that:

Each side will continue to make its case to the public with passion and conviction. But surely we can do so without reducing those with differing views to caricature.

Like naming a dog Miss California? Or making gestures of waving tea bags? Or using the handicapped as a joke prop? Or Rush Limbaugh? Or Hannity? Or Joe the Plumber? Surely caricatures like Jeanine Garofolo, Bill Maher, Perez Hilton, and Keith Olbermann will clarify all this soon.

MORE 5/18/09

Other views. Debbie points out some hypocrisy. Is she reducing things to caricature or being an intolerant bigot? Politico reminds us of Obama's pay grade.