Church condones crimes against humanity

Dear Editor:I was shocked to read The New York Times article “Group of bishops using influence to oppose Kerry.” As a Catholic, I understand the Church’s position with respect to Mr. Kerry, but I do not believe we can ignore the evils of the Bush administration. In my view, when the bishops speak out against Mr. Kerry, they must also speak out against Mr. Bush!Who, without visceral horror, can look at the photograph of the hooded Abu Ghraib prisoner, “crucified” on a chain link fence, his arms blackened from the distress of being handcuffed in a stretched-out position and the resulting loss of blood circulation … how long had that poor soul been chained there, were his arms as permanently damaged as they appeared to be, was he even alive? This torture, condoned by the Bush administration, is most definitely a monstrous crime against humanity!It feels like the bishops are saying that it doesn’t matter that Mr. Bush and his administration are arrogant, greedy, slanderous and dishonest, that they lie to the nation and to the world, that they have taken our country and our young troops into unjustifiable war (another monstrous crime against humanity!), that they have killed thousands of people, including Iraqi children (another monstrous crime against humanity!), that they recommended torture of prisoners which resulted in abuse and death (another monstrous crime against humanity!), that they have generated historic proportions of worldwide hatred instead of charity, spending billions of dollars on killing instead of feeding the poor (another monstrous crime against humanity!) – as long as they say they are anti-abortion!That they say they are anti-abortion does not even guarantee that they will succeed in changing a single abortion law.No amount of labeling the abortion issue as “foundational” can possibly diminish the horrors of the sins of the Bush administration.Most people reading the NYT article think the bishops are saying we can not in good conscience vote for Mr. Kerry, but that it is all right to vote for Mr. Bush … are they really saying this?I know I cannot tolerate the Bush administration’s criminal record. I can not in good conscience vote for Bush. I don’t see how anyone can. With a sincere wish for world peace …Mary JanssAspen