Always Distinguish(ed).

One of the more popular arguments I hear from those who think a “certain segment of the Catholic population” has gone off the deep end for opposing the Notre Dame invite/honors to President Obama goes along these lines:

Jeremy is a 12-year old boy in the 7th grade.  He and his friends like to smoke cigarettes after school, and his mother, who has told him repeatedly how she wants him never to smoke, suspects it to be the case since she can sometimes smell the smoke in his clothes when she washes them.  His friend, Johnny, gets the cigarettes from his dad, who doesn’t seem to mind when they smoke in the backyard while he is in the den reading the paper.  But, one day Jeremy comes home and forgets to change before he goes down for dinner.  His mother smells the smoke and erupts with anger and surprise, “Jeremy!  Have you been smoking!?  I told you not to smoke, ever!”  Jeremy replies, “Mom, Johnny’s dad doesn’t care if we smoke, so why does it matter?”  She replies, “Well, I am your mother and I told you I don’t want you smoking!”  Jeremy chimes in like any good pre-teen: “But, Mom, when Anthony [his older brother] smoked you didn’t care!  And, after all, you smoked when you were a kid!“

Or, maybe it’s like this:

Jeremy is a 17-year old Junior in high school.  He smokes a lot, even in front of his mother, whom he knows does not approve.  But, when she sees him doing it, she won’t tell him to stop.  She can’t understand why after all the years of raising him not to smoke or do drugs or drink, he is a heavy smoker.  One evening, as she is in the kitchen preparing dinner, Jeremy comes downstairs and lights up in front of her.  She snaps and grabs the cigarette from his mouth and throws it in the sink.  She yells, “I don’t want you to smoke ever again!  This is bad for you Jeremy!  Didn’t I raise you better than this!?”  Jeremy, like any good teenager replies, “Mom, I’ve been smoking since I was 13, you’ve never said a word about it. What’s the deal?  If you were so upset, why didn’t you say something before?“

Now, I have to ask you… is this any kind of argument at all?  Really?  Do any of the real facts that Jeremy points out change what Jeremy did or justify his disobeying the clear prohibition of his mother?