Beyond Bitter Over Buffett

In a week where philanthropy was redefined and we bore witness to one of the greatest acts -- investments -- in the health and well being of people challenged by poverty and disease, comes this Reckless Rhetoric from Human Life International:

"Warren Buffett's money has gone to fund the deadly abortion-causing drug RU-486, the production and distribution of portable suction-abortion devices in the developing world, organizations that push abortion on developing countries, and many other radical organizations," Father Euteneuer said. He added that the Gates Foundation, to which Buffett will now make a record donation, has also "given millions of dollars to organizations pushing abortion around the world. Rather than lauding his philanthropy, Father Euteneuer decried Buffett's sense of priorities. "Warren Buffett's philanthropy," he said, "aims at killing preborn children, not curing childhood disease; eliminating the poor, not poverty; and destroying the developing world, not aiding development."

But this quote deserves a box all its own, so representative of the problem with ideological distortions of reality is it:

“Warren Buffett will be known as the Dr. Mengele of philanthropy unless he repents and ceases using tax deductible donations to promote a culture of death and desolation." Fr. Euteneuer.

I'm not sure you want to start a discussion of tax deducitble donations, Father.

In a week where philanthropy was redefined and we bore witness to one of the greatest acts — investments — in the health and well being of people challenged by poverty and disease, comes this Reckless Rhetoric from Human Life International:

"Warren Buffett's money has gone to fund the deadly abortion-causing drug RU-486, the production and distribution of portable suction-abortion devices in the developing world, organizations that push abortion on developing countries, and many other radical organizations," Father Euteneuer said. He added that the Gates Foundation, to which Buffett will now make a record donation, has also "given millions of dollars to organizations pushing abortion around the world. Rather than lauding his philanthropy, Father Euteneuer decried Buffett's sense of priorities. "Warren Buffett's philanthropy," he said, "aims at killing preborn children, not curing childhood disease; eliminating the poor, not poverty; and destroying the developing world, not aiding development."

But this quote deserves a box all its own, so representative of the problem with ideological distortions of reality is it:

“Warren Buffett will be known as the Dr. Mengele of philanthropy unless he repents and ceases using tax deductible donations to promote a culture of death and desolation." Fr. Euteneuer.

I'm not sure you want to start a discussion of tax deducitble donations, Father.

Contrast Father Euteneur's vitriol with Warren Buffett's comment when asked what his children had done not to deserve his inheritance (none of them are starving by the way, each with their own foundation), and with respect to the estate tax, "It's in keeping with the idea of equality of opportunity in this country, not giving incredible head starts to certain people who were very selective about the womb from which they emerged."

Vitriolic condemnation of philanthorpy vs. talk of equal opportunity and beneficiance … which one is the Holy man?

From lifesite.org a complaint that these men who earned their wealth have been, "giving large sums of money to groups that advocate abortion, contraception and sterilization, usually in the name of stopping AIDS or poverty." What, lifesite.org wants to promote AIDS and poverty?

And from another favorite source for good material, "American Life League president, Judie Brown, has long sought a personal meeting with Bill and Melinda Gates to explain the nature of Planned Parenthood’s work and why American Life League considers their foundation’s support of Planned Parenthood to be ill-conceived and wrong."

Um, Judie, I think they know what the organizations they support do, its just a hunch. Could it be that what those organizations do has a broader health related mission than you credit them for, and that reasonable, intelligent and thoughtful people, like the Gates and the Buffetts see through your Reckless Rhetoric? Again, just a hunch.