First, come watch history being made tonight in the Carey Center, when our men’s squad tries to be the first men's basketball team to go an entire season undefeated at home since records have been kept. This is one fun team to watch – they have won 12 straight and the last home game they played was two Saturdays ago before a packed Carey Center crowd when they won a thriller. Tonight they will be tested by a tough Grove City team.

If you haven’t made it to a game this year, you are missing out on a lot of excitement. Mary and the kids and I love going to the games and we will be there tonight to enjoy this year’s finale. The Bearcat pep band, the cheerleaders, and the dance team all add to the experience and our men have the best record in the President’s Athletic Conference. DP, Kenny, and staff have done a great job and can be proud of this club that keeps pulling off close victories against all odds.

The men’s game starts at 8 pm, and the women’s basketball team has a game at 6 pm, so come early and watch their game, too - they are just as much fun to watch and have shown steady improvement all season. I hope to see you there tonight – your student ID is all you need to get into the Carey Center. A nice turn out tonight would be a great send off to our seniors who will be playing their final game so come be a part of Bearcat sports history and enjoy the fun.

I probably do not need to remind you that this Friday is the last day of classes before Spring Break. It will be an active one for many of you. Over twenty of you will be going to Brazil to work in an orphanage and AIDS center there, and Fr. Vincent will be accompanying the group. There also will be a large group going to New Orleans for a Habitat for Humanity build to help Katrina families. Some Bearcat sports teams (tennis, baseball, and more) will be heading south for competition and a change in climate.

I am writing this blog en route from Southwest Florida where it was 84° yesterday. When I was growing up in Florida, in Jacksonville, I used to laugh at the people who would come from the North and go the beach and get burned to a crisp. Now that I number among this migratory group, I understand perfectly why they fried in the sun and let their skin sizzle. I did it over the weekend and it felt great and my red bald head looks like a display on global warming. I hope that if you head to a beach somewhere and vegetate that you are more prudent than I was and that you use some sunscreen – I sat out for less than an hour and that was all it took to turn pasty white into a display of the Sunburn State.

While in Florida these days I had wonderful meetings with Saint Vincent alums who winter down here. Last evening I spoke at the First Presbyterian Church in Bonita Springs at their “Bonita Christian Forum.”

After my talk I returned to my hotel room and turned on the TV and caught the victory speech of Senator Barack Obama. It was my first opportunity to hear him speak at length – he appeared at a wildly enthusiastic rally in Houston, and he spoke for about 50 minutes.

I was impressed. He has a marvelous presence and is a gifted orator. I had seen clips of him speaking on other occasions and as a Democrat myself, I was curious about him. When I worked at the White House I had met with many Senators, including on several occasions with Mrs. Clinton, but never with Senator Obama. After hearing him last night, I could see why he clearly is connecting with Americans from all walks of life. I love how he claps back at the audience at the conclusion of his remarks when they are applauding him. His speech laid out a very ambitious plan. It will be interesting to see if he emerges as the Democratic nominee. 

Unfortunately, he did not speak out in defense of the rights of the unborn, the most defenseless and poor of all. As a pro-life Democrat, I am accustomed to this from our national candidates, and one can only hope that as the presidential campaign winds to its conclusion in November, there will be a discussion about this important issue and how we in America can build a culture of life. Such a culture does not involve only life in the womb.

Prior to working at the White House, I founded an advocacy organization that focuses on the other end of life – how we care for those who face serious illness and are dying. I founded the organization in response to Dr. Jack Kevorkian’s efforts to accelerate the deaths of the dying. Last night I spoke about these issues to an audience largely comprised of elder citizens, and they know well the stakes of this debate. There are states today contemplating the legalization of assisted suicide, and Oregon already has such a scheme in place. Proponents of assisted suicide call it the “right to die” movement.

I will make a prediction: many members of the baby boom generation, as they hit retirement age, are going to want maximum control over the dying process and the freedom to “play God” and choose when to end their lives or those of their loved ones. They will lobby for a change in the law to allow assisted suicide or euthanasia, but of course the law they want will apply to groups other than the well-off and well-connected and those who have doctors and lawyers. These laws will affect the elderly poor, the chronically disabled, and those with dementia who know well that it is always easier to kill someone than care for them.

These vulnerable Americans will feel pressure to “do the right thing and die.” This is what happens when we treat the weak as a burden to others rather than a gift from God.

So in my opinion, the right to die is a right the poor will get unless your generation and others stand up in defense of the rights of the disabled and dying, and also cherish the inherent God-given dignity of all of our elders.

Fortunately, many of you are doing something right now to support the right to age with dignity. I am thrilled that so many of you go over to Green Meadows retirement home on our campus and visit the men and women who live there and are in danger of being forgotten. Many students in December went and sketched portraits of some of the residents there and they loved it.

Those little acts of love build a culture of life. So do Habitat for Humanity builds and orphanage visits and the many other service projects that are a part of Saint Vincent College life.

Have a great Spring Break wherever you go – see you in March, and hope to see you in the Carey Center tonight!