Darrell Castle talks about religion and politics which are front and center in the Senate confirmation hearings of Judge Amy Coney Barrett as an associate justice of the United States Supreme Court.

Transcription / Notes

RELIGION AND POLITICS

Hello this is Darrell Castle with today’s Castle Report. Today is Friday the 16th day of October in the year 2020 and so far, this month the Castle family is doing well. We have beautiful fall weather here in Memphis with warm days and cool nights. The leaves are just starting to fall as the colors begin to change. The geese are on the wing more often now although they are not coming down the Mississippi River fly way yet. That happens when cold weather hits Minnesota and Canada.

Today I am going to talk to you about the two subjects we are taught from childhood to never discuss in public, religion, and politics. I will discuss those things at the same time since they are front and center in the Senate confirmation hearings of Judge Amy Coney Barrett as an associate justice of the United States Supreme Court. There may be some problems with judge Barrett’s confirmation because she is catholic, but when you take away religion as a legitimate target of attack what is left.

The hearings are finished now, and the Senate Judiciary Committee has a vote scheduled for next Thursday the 22nd of October. This time it has been different since Judge Barrett has proven herself more than a match for any senator in the room and probably all of them collectively. Seeing the senators attempt to match wits with her reminds me of a famous quote attributed to General Eisenhower when he was appointed commander of the North African invasion.  He said, “I have been given the task of invading North Africa against Rommel and the Africa Corps so its Huckleberry Finn against Alexander the Great.”

My point is that she is intellectually superior to every one of them and they quickly came to realize it. They try to ask her questions they think will embarrass her concerning her attitude about sex, etc. but the questions have not worked. The Democrats find it hard not to admit that this woman is different from anyone they have ruined in the past. They are embarrassed about attacking her Catholic faith as well they should be, as their attacks on Catholicism ring hollow with believing Catholics. Only the unbelieving Catholics and the Pope seem to appreciate them, yet he said her faith should be “respected.”

The issue of a person being disqualified from public office because of religion has come up before and I remember the time very well. When John Kennedy ran against Richard Nixon in 1960 Kennedy was from an Irish Catholic family in Boston and we had never thought of a Catholic in the office of president before. Now, we are happy if the candidate is not a member of a Jihadist group or an avowed communist, but in 1960 Catholicism was a big deal. The fear seemed to be that he would consult the pope in Rome before deciding something for the American people, in other words misguided and divided loyalties.

The issue refused to go away and in fact, it grew bigger as the campaign went on so on September 12, 1960, he went to Houston to address a group of protestant ministers at the Greater Houston Ministerial Association. I have a transcript of his speech so I would like to quote a few words from it.

“While the so-called religious issue is necessarily and properly the chief topic here tonight, I want to emphasize from the outset that we have far more critical issues to face in the 1960 election: the spread of Communist influence, until it now festers 90 miles off the coast of Florida; the humiliating treatment of our president and vice president by those who no longer respect our power; the hungry children I saw in West Virginia; the old people who cannot pay their doctor bills; the families forced to give up their farms; an America with too many slums, with too few schools,