TFP Student Action Road Tour Against Obamacare Kicks Off

By William Stover

On the morning of February 28, thirteen TFP Student Action volunteers piled into a van, ready and willing to defend the rights of the Catholic Church.

Our mission: to visit dozens of locations, in three states, to publicly and vocally decry the socialist Obamacare system, and its brutal attack on morality and true freedom. Our thirteen-foot banner sums it up well: "God's Law comes first. Repeal socialist Obamacare!"

After a preliminary drive of several hours, we alighted at our first stop, a busy intersection at Robinson Mall near Pittsburgh, Penn. The initial response on the part of the public was overwhelmingly positive. Our "Honk to free America from Obamacare" signs were very well-received and elicited thousands of supporting honks.

"I'm very happy that you are here. This is amazing!" said a college student who pulled off the road to greet us and take in the sound of all the honking. "I just can't believe it," he said with a broad smile. "Thank you! Thank you!"

After several hours of campaigning and distributing hundreds of TFP flyers, Confronting Religious Persecution in American, we retired for the day and made plans to continue the good fight on the morrow.

Visiting the University of Pittsburgh

February 29

Undaunted by rain and wind, we arose early and prepared for what we knew would be an intense campaign. Coats on, five bagpipes playing, and fliers in hand, we set up our campaign directly in front of the famed Cathedral of Learning at the University of Pittsburgh. Very soon the crosswalks and bus stops were teeming with people, mostly college students, affording us the opportunity to hand out a huge numbers of fliers.

As classes let out, the number of pedestrians only increased. At one point, it was hard for us to see each other through the crowds, even though we were only a few yards apart.

Most of the students were extremely receptive to our message, though a few stopped to argue. "Well, I totally agree with them," insisted a bus driver to a co-worker. "I've seen the double standard on this campus. Muslims gather and use university buildings for religious services, but if Christians teach the Bible in those same places, you get shut down," he said.

After a long campaign and hundreds of fliers distributed, we moved on. A short drive brought us to our next stop: Duquesne University, a Catholic institution. Once again, the flier was a great success among the students. However, as Mr. Charles Sulzen said "reject socialist healthcare," one student shot back: "I support communism." Not one to remain quit, Mr. Sulzen continued: "Did you know that Pope Pius XI taught that you can't profess to be Catholic while supporting socialism or communism?" The self-proclaimed communist still refused the TFP flier, though right on his heels were other students who expressed absolute agreement, took fliers, and thanked us for our presence.

At our lunch break at Panera Bread, our volunteers were peppered with questions: "who are you and what are you doing?" This sparked more friendly discussions. One gentleman, who was having lunch with his wife, approached each of our tables and said, "Strength and honor to you! Keep doing what you are doing."

Our next destination will be Columbus, Ohio.

Please pray for us.