Prejean vs. Prejean: A Comparison
Everyone from Keith Olbermann to Sarah Palin has commented on Carrie Prejean, but none have compared her to that other famous Prejean, anti-death penalty advocate and Dead Man Walking inspiration Sister Helen — until now.
Sure, some differences are obvious, like the fact that Carrie Prejean posed for racy photos, while Sister Helen Prejean is a nun — but let’s look at how this right-wing darling and left-wing activist stack [sorry] up in other ways.
Hair (because this is obviously an important issue):
Carrie — long flowing blond mane
Sister Helen — a serviceable grey bowl cut
Interests:
Carrie — “Running on the beach, playing sports, shopping, relaxing, reading a good book, and spending time with her big Italian family;” her alma mater unfortunately describes her charity work as “her passion for young women”
Sister Helen — abolishing capital punishment, writing
Played onscreen by:
Carrie — perhaps this could be Heidi Montag’s movie debut?
Sister Helen — Susan Sarandon
Views on freedom:
Carrie — “We live in a land where you can choose same-sex marriage or opposite marriage. And you know what? I think in my country, in my family, I think that I believe that a marriage should be between a man and a woman. No offense to anybody out there, but that’s how I was raised.”
Sister Helen — “[…] there are basic human rights I believe that every human being has. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights in the United Nations says it for me. And it says there are two basic rights that can’t be negotiated that government doesn’t give for good behavior and doesn’t take away for bad behavior. And it’s the right not to be tortured and not to be killed.”
Views on religion:
Carrie — “I felt as though Satan was trying to tempt me in asking me this question [about gay marriage]. And then God was in my head and in my heart saying, “Do not compromise this. You need to stand up for me and you need to share with all these people . . . you need to witness to them and you need to show that you’re not willing to compromise that for this title of Miss USA.”
Sister Helen — “[…] I know that in the Bible there are many, many references to very harsh punishments but the Bible was written over 2000 years, a lot it comes out of the Mosaic Code where people didn’t have alternatives. By the time you get to Jesus Christ the thrust of his life and his message is not to return hate for hate. I don’t believe in that kind of God and I personally believe that’s a monster God who wants pain for pain and suffering and suffering like we do. I think that’s making God in our own image. And I disagree with that image of God.”
Testimonials:
Carrie — “I respect Carrie for standing strong and staying true to herself, and for not letting those who disagree with her deny her protection under the nation’s First Amendment Rights. […] Our Constitution protects us all – not just those who agree with the far left.” – Sarah Palin
“The violent reaction to Prejean’s remarks illustrates once again not only the intrinsically violent character of homosexual activism — it rallies around a sexual act that violates nature, after all — but also its deep fear of fertile, heterosexual women.” – George Neumayr for The American Spectator
“In some cases the pictures were lovely.” – Donald Trump
Sister Helen — “Her arguments against capital punishment are well known but preached with passion: The death penalty is racist, barbaric, and doesn’t deter crime; innocent people get killed, etc. But her real brief lies in the grim details of execution, both in the degradation of the long weeks of waiting and in the torture of the execution itself—which involves, says Prejean, extreme physical and mental pain” – Kirkus Reviews
“Sister Helen Prejean remains the preeminent witness to our most persistent barbarism. Her eloquent testimony on behalf of the condemned and the wrongly convicted–and the example of her fellowship–can inspire all Americans to find a better way” – Ted Conover
Sister Helen Prejean Interview [PBS]
Helen Prejean [Official Site]
Dead Man Walking
The Death of Innocents [Random House]
Carrie Prejean: ‘Satan Was Trying To Tempt Me,’ Plus New Pics With Michael Phelps [Huffington Post]
Sarah Palin backs, relates to, Miss California [Politico]
Anti-gay beauty queen Carrie Prejean keeps her tiara [Times of London]
Timeline of the Carrie Prejean Controversy [FOX]
Carrie Prejean [San Diego Christian College]
Carrie Prejean [Miss California USA]
My Left Breast: The Carrie Prejean Story [The American Spectator]