Amy Coney Barrett

[What?]

A virtual high five to my hero for the day Ronaldo! Well said!!

[What?]

One ? for the crowd to ponder- how would you respond if/when the next Democratic SC nominee happens to be a practicing Muslim woman?
Seriously?
Will she be faced with claims that she will have to ask her husband to proof her opinions? Will she face claims that she hates the LGBTQ community just because, well, Muslims still routinely KILL homosexuals?
Think about it.

[bevinpiphi]

Two of my aunts are Southern, Catholic, and KD (sisters twice!) - on opposite ends of the political spectrum - they are both pleased to see a KD sister nominated, but one has had personal experience with the nominee's church and that colors her view of the nomination and ACB as a potential justice. The other is a lawyer and has been encouraging family on both ends of the spectrum to look into her actual ruling history and legal writings, before deciding she'll either be a boon to conservative causes or demonizing her as the end to all rights.


I didn't find out that one of my sorority sisters was a homophobe until I came out as bi - the murky underside didn't reveal itself until after we had graduated. If she ran for high public office, I'd sure be speaking against her character.

[AnchorAlum]

Originally Posted by Iota_JWH

Rhodes has a very lovely campus and the sororities have little chapter "houses" that actually do not house anyone. (I think the term is Lodge.)

I find it interesting that another extremely conservative female Republican, Sen. Kelly Loeffler of North Carolina is also a KD.

Interestingly enough, Senator Loeffler represents the State of Georgia, but Beyond that, I'm curious as to what else is interesting about that?

[AnchorAlum]

Originally Posted by Ronaldo9

So we're left with two possibilities ...

(a) ACB is a bizarre lifeform who simply materialized out of the primordial ooze in the drainage swamp behind the Rhodes College main campus, or,

(b) your friend is bereft of any intellectual curiosity and made a conscious decision to surround herself only with those whose views and behavior mirror her own; she has insulated her mind into an echo chamber of repetition and self-affirmation

Congrats. Your humor made me laugh, and you succeeded in making your points. Let's remember we all retain the right to do so in an atmosphere of respect.

[AnchorAlum]

Originally Posted by TXDG

Of course “good Greeks” cover for their brothers and sisters as they have for 150 years. Wouldn’t want to hurt little Timmy’s chances of making partner at the firm, deacon at the church or losing out on a political appointment. Seriously this is why our Greek system has a target on it’s back.

I adore my sisterhood and have been a dues-paying, gifting, involved alumna & volunteer for 20+ years. But DG is not more important than my family, my country or my morals & religious beliefs. And if a DG were about to go trample everything I hold dear - say, if Ann Coulter were nominated for this seat - I would not sit silently and cover for her in the bonds of sisterhood.

Since we're sisters ITB I'd just add that I respect your viewpoint and would vigorously defend your right to say it. My family comes first as well, as I imagine it does with everyone participating in this discussion, regardless of which group they are affiliated with.
Greek Letter Organizations have had targets of various sizes and shapes on their backs off and on and at varying levels of intensity for all of those 150 years. I hope that we're careful not to add those targets ourselves because we have different political viewpoints. I'm not sure I'd sit silently if Ann Coulter were nominated either, but I doubt she'd miss our endorsement much either way. She sure seems to have little trouble being "out there" regardless (LOL)

[Titchou]

Originally Posted by Ronaldo9

So we're left with two possibilities ...

(a) ACB is a bizarre lifeform who simply materialized out of the primordial ooze in the drainage swamp behind the Rhodes College main campus, or,

(b) your friend is bereft of any intellectual curiosity and made a conscious decision to surround herself only with those whose views and behavior mirror her own; she has insulated her mind into an echo chamber of repetition and self-affirmation

Nothing like taking things to an extreme. Though I do not support her nomination, I do not support your item (a). As for (b), a valid description of my friend - and former mentor - would be the opposite of this as well. She is very well known in the educational community and has been Head of School in the US and overseas.

Also, as a former Catholic I have the same concerns about the sub group to which she belongs as others on here have stated.

[AnchorAlum]

Originally Posted by Titchou

Nothing like taking things to an extreme. Though I do not support her nomination, I do not support your item (a). As for (b), a valid description of my friend - and former mentor - would be the opposite of this as well. She is very well known in the educational community and has been Head of School in the US and overseas.

Also, as a former Catholic I have the same concerns about the sub group to which she belongs as others on here have stated.

I'm Catholic as well, albeit not a very observant one. I had some concerns as well about this community of faith, that upon further review seems to be a Christian group comprised of more than just Catholics. They sound very evangelistic or fundamentalist, which is not really your "average" Catholic who in my world doesn't identify that way at all.
As I said in my first post in this thread my first choice was Justice Lagoa, and it was for that very reason. I understand why ACB was chosen,though- expediency and a fairly recent vetting resulting in a somewhat bipartisan confirmation. Time is of the essence here, because of the election.
Given the increased likelihood that some issues regarding this election may well end up in the SCOTUS, it is very important that the risk of a 4-4 deadlock be avoided.

[QueenD]

I don’t post here very often, but I read posts here a LOT. Including every single word of this thread.

You know who it’s hard to be right now?

The PR department at KD.
And the National Council members of KD.

And you know what?
It’s not so hard because of ACBs views or nomination.

It’s because people have completely forgotten how to disagree without being disagreeable.

People are justifying acting like a$$holes because we think our brand of bad behavior isn’t NEARLY as bad as the behavior of the person we complain about. And yet, all this vitriol, even that which purports to be in the name of inclusion, equal rights or other things that the loudest voices deem virtuous, is ruining us.

Tonight, I texted my chapter sister (and grand-big) who is on KD National Council. My goal? To offer her support in the middle of what is a hot mess. She’s looking at every single angle she can to be fair and respectful, whether she agrees with political views or not, and there’s just no way to win. Please, KDs, if you know someone involved in this, please text the leader and wish them well and thank them for serving....whether you agree with them or not.

And if you are in another sorority and have similar struggles going on - also thank your leaders for trying to do the right thing.

Ta Kala Diokomen,
(Which means let us strive for that which is honorable, beautiful, and highest)

QueenD

[Titchou]

Ranaldo: I'm not going to argue with you as we each have the right to our opinions. I do not believe ACB has a enough of a body of judicial work for us to know how she might vote - that and her personal beliefs concern me. I live in Alabama and, should SCOTUS send abortion rights back to the states, it will be devastating for the women who will have to search out illegal abortions as we did before Roe. And yes, as a woman of 74 years of age who has lived thru legal gender discrimination for decades, I am concerned.

[Benzgirl]

Originally Posted by AnchorAlum

Interestingly enough, Senator Loeffler represents the State of Georgia, but Beyond that, I'm curious as to what else is interesting about that?

There is so much about Kelly Loeffler that doesn't support Alpha Gamma Delta's values. If I were voting in Georgia, I would campaign against her.
She inherited a vacant seat and was appointed by Gov.Greg Kemp (I could on on at length about him) based on financial connections. Loeffler had deep pockets and Trump put intense pressure on Kemp to appoint her to the open seat.

Loeffler's husband, Jeffrey Sprecher, is Chairman of the New York Stock Exchange and CEO of the Intercontinental Exchange. In March, the public release of federal financial-disclosure documents revealed that Sprecher and his wife, interim U.S. Senator Kelly Loeffler, sold millions of dollars of stock the couple owned in companies vulnerable to the COVID-19 pandemic. The sales began the same day Loeffler and other senators received a private briefing from federal officials about the looming crisis. The documents also showed that the couple purchased stock in a company that would potentially benefit from the shelter-in-place orders that have since been implemented throughout the United States to prevent the spread of the virus. Insider information? Yes!

Additionally, Loeffler is minority owner of the WNBA Atlanta Dream and has stated her objection to the Black Lives Matter Movement. Her comments led some WNBA players to call for her removal from ownership. There are many other personal views where I differ with her but I will stick with the facts of the problems with her seat as to what is "interesting".

Loeffler is up for reelection in November. In August, members of the Dream came out in support of her opponent. So yes, there is a lot of interesting facts about Kelly Loeffler's very short political career which are not honorable nor just.

[honeychile]

Originally Posted by QueenD

I don’t post here very often, but I read posts here a LOT. Including every single word of this thread.

You know who it’s hard to be right now?

The PR department at KD.
And the National Council members of KD.

And you know what?
It’s not so hard because of ACBs views or nomination.

It’s because people have completely forgotten how to disagree without being disagreeable.

People are justifying acting like a$$holes because we think our brand of bad behavior isn’t NEARLY as bad as the behavior of the person we complain about. And yet, all this vitriol, even that which purports to be in the name of inclusion, equal rights or other things that the loudest voices deem virtuous, is ruining us.

Tonight, I texted my chapter sister (and grand-big) who is on KD National Council. My goal? To offer her support in the middle of what is a hot mess. She’s looking at every single angle she can to be fair and respectful, whether she agrees with political views or not, and there’s just no way to win. Please, KDs, if you know someone involved in this, please text the leader and wish them well and thank them for serving....whether you agree with them or not.

And if you are in another sorority and have similar struggles going on - also thank your leaders for trying to do the right thing.

Ta Kala Diokomen,
(Which means let us strive for that which is honorable, beautiful, and highest)

QueenD

I want to thank you for your exemplary example of sisterhood.

[Benzgirl]

My cousin, also a member of my sorority, is a very devout Roman Catholic. She was raised in a Catholic household, attended Catholic schools k-12 and a Catholic college. That said, she has come out strongly against ACB because of her faith. I have another cousin who is a less devout Catholic and a KD who is also against her appointment. Not that any of this matters to those who will review her appointment, but I'm giving my two cents.

The statements from my 2 cousins piqued my interest so I researched the Catholic Group, People of Praise, of which ACB and her husband are part. First and foremost, People of Praise subjugates women. They are a religious community based in charismatic Catholicism, a movement that grew out of the influence of Pentecostalism, which emphasizes a personal relationship with Jesus and can include baptism in the Holy Spirit and speaking in tongues.

ACB’s family are deeply connected with the organization. As recently as 2017 ACB served as a trustee at the People of Praise-affiliated Trinity Schools Inc. Barrett’s father has served as the principal leader of People of Praise’s New Orleans branch and was on the group’s all-male Board of Governors as recently as 2017. Her mother has served in the branch as a “handmaid,” a female leader assigned to help guide other women.

The group has been portrayed by some former members, and in books, blogs and news reports, as hierarchical, authoritarian and controlling, where men dominate their wives, leaders dictate members’ life choices and those who leave are shunned. A former member has been indicated her mother saying a wife could never deny sex to her husband because it was his right and duty. She also recalled People of Praise meetings held in her parents’ living room where members prayed in tongues to cast out demons from a person writhing on the floor, rituals she described as exorcisms.

People of Praise has roughly 1,800 adult members nationwide, with branches and schools in 22 cities across the United States, Canada and the Caribbean. It was founded in South Bend in 1971.

[Benzgirl]

Originally Posted by Titchou

Ranaldo: I'm not going to argue with you as we each have the right to our opinions. I do not believe ACB has a enough of a body of judicial work for us to know how she might vote - that and her personal beliefs concern me. I live in Alabama and, should SCOTUS send abortion rights back to the states, it will be devastating for the women who will have to search out illegal abortions as we did before Roe. And yes, as a woman of 74 years of age who has lived thru legal gender discrimination for decades, I am concerned.

Agreed. Three years is not enough.

[Benzgirl]

Originally Posted by Kevin

Something a lot of folks don't understand about Catholicism is that beliefs within the whole of Catholicism are as diverse as they are within Protestantism.

That's an understatement! If you ever read the book about Robert Hanssen, a former FBI agent who spied for Soviet and Russian intelligence services against the United States, you will read of his family's involvement in the Opus Dei movement of the Catholic church. The name of the book slips my mind but I'm sure you can find it on Amazon.

Opus Dei is a controversial orthodox form of Catholocism. It shares the doctrines of the Catholic Church and has "no other teaching than the teaching of the Magisterium of the Holy See", as per the founder, Josemaría Escrivá de Balaguer.

Criticism of Opus Dei has centered on allegations of secretiveness, controversial and aggressive recruiting methods, strict rules governing members, elitism and misogyny, and support of or participation in authoritarian or right-wing governments. Critics allege that Opus Dei maintains an extremely high degree of control over its members—for instance, requiring numeraries to submit their incoming and outgoing mail to their superiors for inspection, and members are forbidden to read certain books without permission from their superiors. Critics charge that Opus Dei pressures numeraries to sever contact with non-members, including their own families.

Opus Dei received international attention due to the novel The Da Vinci Code and its film version of 2006.

While Robert Hanssen was active in Opus Dei, attended mass daily and recruited members for the organization, he regularly frequented strip clubs, shared recordings of he and his wife having sex and had a relationship with a stripper for whom he purchaed jewelry and a Mercedes Benz.