Crossing the terminator into day . . .

A poetic title. Who can tell me where it comes from?

In any case, it is apropos. My wife found the following article;

This is a link. Click it, grasshopper, and you will be ENLIGHTENED.

For those of you with an aversion to clicking links, allow me to bottom-line it for you. There is a significant shift towards a pro-life stance by Americans. There are more people self-identifying as pro-life than pro-choice now, the first time such a thing has been since these questions were first asked.

Of course, a question must be asked - what does "pro-life" mean to the majority of people? Does it mean (as it should) "no abortions, no embryonic stem-cell research and no contraception"? No, it does not - this is a cafeteria style pro-life identifier. Still, this is a significant step - these are people who are saying, on balance, they support the life of a child more than they support the choice of a mother.

A good development, I think.

Associated polls (also available at the link above) suggest even more positive news; the number of people thinking abortion should be illegal in most or all circumstances is high - it is a figure which like the giant beanstalk in the eponymous tale of Jack has grown since we last looked. It appears we are exchanging sacred cows for some kind of useful magic bean.

That sentence really doesn't mean anything, it just sounds good.

So, all in all, a surprising poll result and one which I find encouraging. Is it the be-all and end-all of the situation? It is not - but this is how it begins. To belabour the metaphor (in fact, to drag it kicking and screaming and practically beat it to death) we have sold our sacred cow and bought magic beans. Now we need to climb the beanstalk and kill the giant who wants to grind our bones to make his bread.

Hey, this isn't actually a bad metaphor, now I look at it. Hi-ho-hi-ho, it's off to work I go . . .