Obama, Georgetown, and Jesus

I think it's really quite simple.

If a politician chooses to make a speech from a Catholic institution or any other religious institution, the building and its contents should not have to be modified to please the politician.

When Obama went to Georgetown to deliver his economic speech on Tuesday, the White House wanted to control the environment. The letters "IHS," signifying Jesus, had to be covered up.

From Julia Duin, the Washington Times' BeliefBlog:

When President Obama gave his economics speech at Georgetown University on Tuesday, several folks noticed something was missing.

That "something" was an ancient monogram -- the letters IHS -- that symbolizes the name of Jesus. It was missing from a wooden archway above the dais in Gaston Hall where the president delivered his 45-minute speech.

The gold-lettered monogram appeared near a painting of three female figures -- symbolizing morality, faith and patriotism -- and decorative edging along the wall that spelled out the Jesuit motto "Ad majorem Dei gloriam"—"To the greater glory of God." Georgetown was founded by the Jesuits.

Some of them may have been turning in their graves in the cemetery across campus at the sight of the missing monogram which looked like a blacked-out space above a blue backdrop and a row of American flags flanking the nation's chief executive. Was Georgetown selling short its Catholic heritage, we wondered.

...Julie Bataille from the university's press office e-mailed me that the White House had asked that all university signage and symbols behind the stage in Gaston Hall be covered.

"The White House wanted a simple backdrop of flags and pipe and drape for the speech, consistent with what they've done for other policy speeches," she wrote. "Frankly, the pipe and drape wasn't high enough by itself to fully cover the IHS and cross above the GU seal and it seemed most respectful to have them covered so as not to be seen out of context."

WHAT?

I think this was the completely wrong reaction.

Obama chose to give his address from Georgetown. If he didn't like the religious symbols, then why did he go there?

Georgetown should not have caved like this.

...I called the Rev. Thomas Reese, a senior fellow at the Woodstock Institute at Georgetown University, who was at the speech, as to what he thought.

"It is more for camera quality than anything else," he surmised. "They don't want distractions that would make the eye wander. I don't think this is motivated by theology, but by communications strategy."

Camera quality?

Give me a break.

This was about religion.

Covering up "IHS" was a mistake even if there was no anti-Catholic, anti-Christian motive on the part of the White House.

At the very least, it's a White House and Georgetown PR blunder.

Rev. Reese's excuse that the White House probably didn't want "distractions that would make the eye wander" is pathetic.

How could anyone be distracted when the god-like Obama is in view and speaking?

Georgetown should never have agreed to do what it did.

Obama should have been told to deal with the space as is. If he didn't like it, he should have been asked to take his crew elsewhere.

I am really ticked off at these Catholic schools willing to compromise their identity and values.
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VIDEO: The B-Cast

From The Brody File: "White House to Brody File: No Georgetown Coverup… Cross or otherwise"