What’s in a Name?- Saul Alinsky

What do John F. Kennedy, Martin Luther King, Sargent Shriver, Saul Alinsky, Dorothy Day, Mother Teresa, Desmond Tutu and Lech Walesa have in common?  All of them had a passion to change the world in which they lived to a more just, more peaceful, more equal society. All did their share to alleviate poverty, injustice, and inequality. And all of them and several Bishops, priests, and politicians from around the world were awarded the Pacem in Terris Award.  The description of this award from Wikipedia is:

"The Pacem in Terris Peace and Freedom Award is a Catholic peace award which has been given annually since 1964, in commemoration of the 1963 encyclical letter "Pacem in Terris" (Peace on Earth) of Pope John XXIII. It is awarded "to honor a person for their achievements in peace and justice, not only in their country but in the world."[1]
The award was begun, in 1963, by the Davenport Catholic Interracial Council[2] of the Diocese of Davenport in the U.S. state of Iowa. Since 1976, the award has been presented each year by the Quad Cities Pacem in Terris Coalition. In 2010, sponsors of the award were the Diocese of Davenport, St. Ambrose University, Augustana College, Churches United of the Quad-Cities, Pax Christi, The Catholic Messenger, the Congregation of the Humility of Mary, the Sisters of St. Benedict, the Muslim Community of the Quad Cities, and the Sisters of St. Francis.[3]"

So when Catholic Newt Gingrich rails against President Barack Obama for being a follower of Saul Alinsky's radical politics, I would urge the Speaker to learn and know that a strong contingent of Catholics, from Iowa of all places, has awarded Mr. Alinsky, a Jewish man, this prestigious award, and he should also know that the President was only 10 when Alinsky died, and hardly a follower of him. Probably, many of the policies that President Obama has put into play and wishes to enact would also be in line with what the Pacem in Terris awards committee deems meritorious and worthy of award. So why not call President Obama a Pacem in Terris radical? Probably because just the name Saul Alinsky sounds so foreign and a little scary for a name, sort of like Barak Hussein Obama (or even Newt Gingrich.)