We all know of the fine man Jeff who writes to Senators to complain and also finds me news. Jeff is a good friend and a holy warrior for Christ.
Well, now we have Greg! Greg also writes to Senators to complain about their support of FOCA and abortion and other immoral practices. Greg is also in the fine State of Michigan, and so he wrote to Sen. Debbie Stabenow. Read below the reply Greg got back (my comments are in the fine color red);
Thank you . . .
. . for contacting me to express your views on the issue of abortion.
The issue of abortion is unquestionably the most difficult issue I have had to deal with during my years of service. I have struggled with all sides of the issue to determine not only what I personally believe, but, more important, what I should do as a legislator representing a diverse state of people who hold many different religious, moral and personal beliefs.
Abortion is a serious issue that has divided many sincere and honest people. Many believe that abortion is either absolutely right or absolutely wrong, (three of those people who thinks it would be wrong would be GOD, Senator!) while others feel it is acceptable only under certain limited conditions. Unfortunately, when the issue of abortion is debated in legislatures and in the Congress, representatives are often forced into choosing an absolute pro-abortion or anti-abortion stand. However, the questions I must decide as your Senator are not whether I am for or against abortion, but rather, what is the appropriate role of the government, and should government be making decisions about this intensely personal family matter.
Because of the diversity of perspectives and the intense personal nature of the abortion issue, I have taken the position that the choice of abortion is not a decision government should make or deny. (How do you square this with allowing abortions? Isn't that making a decision? Or do you just think it is the responsibility of government to allow people to do whatever they like to whomever they like?)
I also feel strongly that although it is not the proper role of government to decide whether abortion is right or wrong for individual families, the government does have some critical and important responsibilities as it relates to this issue. As a Senator and a mother, I have a personal and public commitment to those policies that support and sustain children in healthy and loving families.
As a country, we must do everything we can to provide support and encouragement to women who are pregnant and to promote responsible family planning when a woman does not want a child. ("Responsible" family planning is not having sex. Irresponsible family planning is murdering a child which already exists) Support services need to be available for pregnant teenagers and single mothers so they do not feel abortion is their only choice. We also need to provide better prenatal care, nutrition services, childcare, adoption programs, and economic opportunities for women. I believe that many women would not choose abortion if other help was available. (Is this why you have consistently supported legislation which makes it harder to get other help, Senator?)
I know that our country will continue to struggle and debate the abortion issue in the years ahead. As this debate goes on, I will continue to listen to and respect the views of others. I am hopeful that those who are divided by this issue can focus on areas of mutual agreement, because only by working together can we effectively strengthen and improve the lives of children and their families.
Thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts and concerns with me.
Sincerely,
Debbie Stabenow
United States Senator
So, the upshot of Senator Stabenow's position? "Hey, it's not the government's job to decide what people should or should not do!" Wow, I thought you were a Democrat, not an arch-libertarian, Senator? Is that D in the title D-MI short for "dashed-extreme-libertarian"? Or is is perhaps that you just got the little scrabble letters in the wrong order and it should read DIM?
It's not the government's job to decide whether or not a woman should kill her child? So, is it the government's job to decide if I should pay my taxes? Or wear clothes in public? Or shoot people with red hair in the face?
Hey, I like this idea of government - well, not really, but hear me out. Basically, Sen. Stab-em-now (and suck out their brains . . .) seems to be saying that the role of government is not to govern. Given that the very name "government" means "that which governs" this means she is saying her job is obsolete! How much does a Senator earn? More than me, I'll bet!
Hey, hey! Debbie says her job isn't necessary! You know, in these harsh economic times, everyone is wanting to streamline! So, let's fire Debbie! She admitted her job isn't necessary - it isn't her place to make laws!
I think that if we fired her we should distribute the money saved to everyone who reads this fine blog! And with that money, people could subscribe to RealCatholicTV.com! And that would be awesome, because they would get access to literally hundreds of hours of high-quality Catholic video whenever they want it!
Fire Debbie! Subscribe now!
Saturday, March 21, 2009
Thursday, March 19, 2009
A simple explanation
(Before I get into today's little missive, I wish to mention that Natasha Richardson died yesterday. She was the wife of Liam Neeson, a man who played the mentor to two of my heroes - Obi-Wan Kenobi and Bruce Wayne - and who was also, I learned yesterday, a Catholic raising his children in the faith. I really don't know how much of a Catholic any of the Neeson family is, but if everyone who reads this can say a prayer for Natasha's soul and for the poor family left behind, I would be grateful).
Alright, on with the expose!
Today I learned news which is much less surprising than the death of Natasha Richardson; the United Way has now removed a policy relating to providing money to pro-abortion groups. To wit, the United Way now allows money to go to groups which provide abortions, but that money may not be used for abortions.
Check out the article concerning this matter here.
There isn't much to be said here, basically, this is a charitable group folding and collapsing when faced with a loss of donor money. It shows a lack of spine, of guts, of a couple of other parts of the human anatomy. The United Way have, it seems, rolled over and played dead.
So, the United Way is now providing funding to Planned Parenthood for services other than abortions. I want to make that very clear - because I am certain the UW is; they are not giving money which will be used for abortions, and they will only be giving money for services such as education, information etc. etc.
Sounds alright, doesn't it? I mean - okay, they are giving money to someone who is providing abortions, but they aren't paying for the abortions, right?
Right ... and it's still wrong.
Let me break this down to you by means of an example. Consider two people - Alice and Bob. Bob is person addicted to some kind of vile and illegal drug - and Alice knows this. And Bob is begging, he is begging for money. Now, Alice is wise and clever - she doesn't want to give him money and have him spend it on drugs. So, instead, she gives him money and makes him promise that he won't spend it on drugs.
And, you know what? Bob is very honest. Bob puts Alice $10 in his pocket and swears he won't spend it on drugs.
Clive comes along. Bob begs Clive for money, and because Clive doesn't care about people using drugs he gives him $10. Now Bob has $20. Clive never said Bob shouldn't spend the money on drugs, and so Bob goes and buys $10 worth of food using Alice's donation, and spends Clive's donation on drugs.
Do we understand my little ABC morality play here?
Donating money to provide for additional services which are not abortion simply frees up funds FOR abortions! And precisely WHAT is an "abortion related cost"? PP is silent on this, I note. If they pay for an office, is that abortion related because abortions go on there? Or not because other things do to? What about advertising - advertising doesn't kill anyone, right? What about "education" - precisely what are you educating people about?
Giving money to someone who murders, even if that money will never be spent on a knife, is immoral and wrong and should absolutely be stopped. United Way - shame on you for allowing a desire for money to get the better of you. Shame on you, shame on the horse you rode in on, and shame on the little girl who feeds it apples!
Alright, on with the expose!
Today I learned news which is much less surprising than the death of Natasha Richardson; the United Way has now removed a policy relating to providing money to pro-abortion groups. To wit, the United Way now allows money to go to groups which provide abortions, but that money may not be used for abortions.
Check out the article concerning this matter here.
There isn't much to be said here, basically, this is a charitable group folding and collapsing when faced with a loss of donor money. It shows a lack of spine, of guts, of a couple of other parts of the human anatomy. The United Way have, it seems, rolled over and played dead.
So, the United Way is now providing funding to Planned Parenthood for services other than abortions. I want to make that very clear - because I am certain the UW is; they are not giving money which will be used for abortions, and they will only be giving money for services such as education, information etc. etc.
Sounds alright, doesn't it? I mean - okay, they are giving money to someone who is providing abortions, but they aren't paying for the abortions, right?
Right ... and it's still wrong.
Let me break this down to you by means of an example. Consider two people - Alice and Bob. Bob is person addicted to some kind of vile and illegal drug - and Alice knows this. And Bob is begging, he is begging for money. Now, Alice is wise and clever - she doesn't want to give him money and have him spend it on drugs. So, instead, she gives him money and makes him promise that he won't spend it on drugs.
And, you know what? Bob is very honest. Bob puts Alice $10 in his pocket and swears he won't spend it on drugs.
Clive comes along. Bob begs Clive for money, and because Clive doesn't care about people using drugs he gives him $10. Now Bob has $20. Clive never said Bob shouldn't spend the money on drugs, and so Bob goes and buys $10 worth of food using Alice's donation, and spends Clive's donation on drugs.
Do we understand my little ABC morality play here?
Donating money to provide for additional services which are not abortion simply frees up funds FOR abortions! And precisely WHAT is an "abortion related cost"? PP is silent on this, I note. If they pay for an office, is that abortion related because abortions go on there? Or not because other things do to? What about advertising - advertising doesn't kill anyone, right? What about "education" - precisely what are you educating people about?
Giving money to someone who murders, even if that money will never be spent on a knife, is immoral and wrong and should absolutely be stopped. United Way - shame on you for allowing a desire for money to get the better of you. Shame on you, shame on the horse you rode in on, and shame on the little girl who feeds it apples!
Wednesday, March 18, 2009
Yet more from Jeff
As frequent readers of this fine blog will know, my mate Jeff often finds cool things for me. He doesn't write these things himself per se, but rather finds something from someone else.
Anyway, I reproduce the latest from Jeff - a list of pro-abortion actions taken by President Barack Obama before and after his election. This list is from LifeNews.com, and I reproduce it here because it really speaks to the heart of what we are talking about on the P.O.'ed blog - President Barack "Never Knowingly Telling the Truth" Obama says he wants to reduce abortions. Well, in the immortal words of Elvis Presley "A little less talk and a lot more action!"
If you want to reduce abortions, Mister President, then stop signing bills and taking other steps which promote them!
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- The following is a compilation of bill signings, speeches, appointments and other actions that President Barack Obama has engaged in that have promoted abortion before and during his presidency. While Obama has promised to reduce abortions and some of his supporters believe that will happen, this long list proves his only agenda is promoting more abortions.
Post-Election / Pre-Inauguration
November 5, 2008 - Obama selects pro-abortion Rep. Rahm Emanuel as his White House Chief of Staff. Emanuel has a 0% pro-life voting record according to National Right to Life.
November 19, 2008 - Obama picks pro-abortion former Sen. Tom Daschle as his Health and Human Services Secretary. Daschle has a long pro-abortion voting record according to National Right to Life.
November 20, 2008 - Obama chooses former NARAL legal director Dawn Johnsen to serve as a member of his Department of Justice Review Team. Later, he finalizes her appointment as the Assistant Attorney General for the Office of the Legal Counsel in the Obama administration.
November 24, 2008 - Obama appoints Ellen Moran, the former director of the pro-abortion group Emily's List as his White House communications director. Emily's List only supported candidates who favored taxpayer funded abortions and opposed a partial-birth abortion ban.
November 24, 2008 - Obama puts former Emily's List board member Melody Barnes in place as his director of the Domestic Policy Council.
November 30, 2008 - Obama named pro-abortion Sen. Hillary Clinton as the Secretary of State. Clinton has an unblemished pro-abortion voting record and has supported making unlimited abortions an international right.
December 10, 2008 - Obama selects pro-abortion former Clinton administration official Jeanne Lambrew to become the deputy director of the White House Office of Health Reform. Planned Parenthood is "excited" about the selection.
December 10, 2008 - Obama transition team publishes memo from dozens of pro-abortion groups listing their laundry list of pro-abortions actions they want him to take.
Pro-Abortion Presidential Record - 2009
January 5, 2009 - Obama picks pro-abortion Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine as the chairman of the Democratic Party.
January 6, 2009 - Obama chooses Thomas Perrelli, the lawyer who represented Terri Schiavo’s husband Michael in his efforts to kill his disabled wife, as the third highest attorney in the Justice Department.
January 22, 2009 - Releases statement restating support for Roe v. Wade decision that allowed virtually unlimited abortions and has resulted in at least 50 million abortions since 1973.
January 23, 2009 - Forces taxpayers to fund pro-abortion groups that either promote or perform abortions in other nations. Decison to overturn Mexico City Policy sends part of $457 million to pro-abortion organizations.
January 26, 2009 - Obama nominee for Deputy Secretary of State, James B. Steinberg, tells members of the Senate that taxpayers should be forced to fund abortions. Nominee erroneously says limits on abortion funding are unconstitutional.
January 29, 2009 - President Obama nominates pro-abortion David Ogden as Deputy Attorney General.
February 12, 2009 - Obama nominates pro-abortion Elena Kagan to serve as Solicitor General.
February 27, 2009 - Starts the process of overturning pro-life conscience protections President Bush put in place to make sure medical staff and centers are not forced to do abortions.
February 28, 2009 - Barack Obama nominates pro-abortion Kathleen Sebelius to become Secretary of Health and Human Services.
March 5, 2009 - The Obama administration shut out pro-life groups from attending a White House-sponsored health care summit. Planned Parenthood, the nation's largest abortion business, made the invitation list as did other pro-abortion groups.
March 9, 2009 - President Barack Obama signed an executive order forcing taxpayer funding of embryonic stem cell research.
March 10, 2009 - Obama announces the creation of a new foreign policy position to focus on women's issues. He names Melanne Verveer, an abortion advocate, to occupy the post.
March 10, 2009 - Reverses an executive order to press for more research into ways of obtaining embryonic stem cells without harming human life. The order Obama scrapped would have promoted new forms of stem cell research.
March 11, 2009 - Obama signed an executive order establishing a new agency within his administration known as the White House Council on Women and Girls. Obama's director of public liaison at the White House, Tina Tchen, an abortion advocate, became director of it.
So, there you have it - in black and white (or, rather, two shades of blue) what President Obama has done to reduce abortion. Absolutely nothing.
Make sure that you continue to follow all the pro-life and abortion news, together with all the other news that is printed to fit, on RealCatholicTV.com. You can register for free and get daily updates. For only $10 a month, you can get all the premium programs as well - literally hundreds of hours of video!
Don't delay! Subscribe today!
Anyway, I reproduce the latest from Jeff - a list of pro-abortion actions taken by President Barack Obama before and after his election. This list is from LifeNews.com, and I reproduce it here because it really speaks to the heart of what we are talking about on the P.O.'ed blog - President Barack "Never Knowingly Telling the Truth" Obama says he wants to reduce abortions. Well, in the immortal words of Elvis Presley "A little less talk and a lot more action!"
If you want to reduce abortions, Mister President, then stop signing bills and taking other steps which promote them!
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- The following is a compilation of bill signings, speeches, appointments and other actions that President Barack Obama has engaged in that have promoted abortion before and during his presidency. While Obama has promised to reduce abortions and some of his supporters believe that will happen, this long list proves his only agenda is promoting more abortions.
Post-Election / Pre-Inauguration
November 5, 2008 - Obama selects pro-abortion Rep. Rahm Emanuel as his White House Chief of Staff. Emanuel has a 0% pro-life voting record according to National Right to Life.
November 19, 2008 - Obama picks pro-abortion former Sen. Tom Daschle as his Health and Human Services Secretary. Daschle has a long pro-abortion voting record according to National Right to Life.
November 20, 2008 - Obama chooses former NARAL legal director Dawn Johnsen to serve as a member of his Department of Justice Review Team. Later, he finalizes her appointment as the Assistant Attorney General for the Office of the Legal Counsel in the Obama administration.
November 24, 2008 - Obama appoints Ellen Moran, the former director of the pro-abortion group Emily's List as his White House communications director. Emily's List only supported candidates who favored taxpayer funded abortions and opposed a partial-birth abortion ban.
November 24, 2008 - Obama puts former Emily's List board member Melody Barnes in place as his director of the Domestic Policy Council.
November 30, 2008 - Obama named pro-abortion Sen. Hillary Clinton as the Secretary of State. Clinton has an unblemished pro-abortion voting record and has supported making unlimited abortions an international right.
December 10, 2008 - Obama selects pro-abortion former Clinton administration official Jeanne Lambrew to become the deputy director of the White House Office of Health Reform. Planned Parenthood is "excited" about the selection.
December 10, 2008 - Obama transition team publishes memo from dozens of pro-abortion groups listing their laundry list of pro-abortions actions they want him to take.
Pro-Abortion Presidential Record - 2009
January 5, 2009 - Obama picks pro-abortion Virginia Gov. Tim Kaine as the chairman of the Democratic Party.
January 6, 2009 - Obama chooses Thomas Perrelli, the lawyer who represented Terri Schiavo’s husband Michael in his efforts to kill his disabled wife, as the third highest attorney in the Justice Department.
January 22, 2009 - Releases statement restating support for Roe v. Wade decision that allowed virtually unlimited abortions and has resulted in at least 50 million abortions since 1973.
January 23, 2009 - Forces taxpayers to fund pro-abortion groups that either promote or perform abortions in other nations. Decison to overturn Mexico City Policy sends part of $457 million to pro-abortion organizations.
January 26, 2009 - Obama nominee for Deputy Secretary of State, James B. Steinberg, tells members of the Senate that taxpayers should be forced to fund abortions. Nominee erroneously says limits on abortion funding are unconstitutional.
January 29, 2009 - President Obama nominates pro-abortion David Ogden as Deputy Attorney General.
February 12, 2009 - Obama nominates pro-abortion Elena Kagan to serve as Solicitor General.
February 27, 2009 - Starts the process of overturning pro-life conscience protections President Bush put in place to make sure medical staff and centers are not forced to do abortions.
February 28, 2009 - Barack Obama nominates pro-abortion Kathleen Sebelius to become Secretary of Health and Human Services.
March 5, 2009 - The Obama administration shut out pro-life groups from attending a White House-sponsored health care summit. Planned Parenthood, the nation's largest abortion business, made the invitation list as did other pro-abortion groups.
March 9, 2009 - President Barack Obama signed an executive order forcing taxpayer funding of embryonic stem cell research.
March 10, 2009 - Obama announces the creation of a new foreign policy position to focus on women's issues. He names Melanne Verveer, an abortion advocate, to occupy the post.
March 10, 2009 - Reverses an executive order to press for more research into ways of obtaining embryonic stem cells without harming human life. The order Obama scrapped would have promoted new forms of stem cell research.
March 11, 2009 - Obama signed an executive order establishing a new agency within his administration known as the White House Council on Women and Girls. Obama's director of public liaison at the White House, Tina Tchen, an abortion advocate, became director of it.
So, there you have it - in black and white (or, rather, two shades of blue) what President Obama has done to reduce abortion. Absolutely nothing.
Make sure that you continue to follow all the pro-life and abortion news, together with all the other news that is printed to fit, on RealCatholicTV.com. You can register for free and get daily updates. For only $10 a month, you can get all the premium programs as well - literally hundreds of hours of video!
Don't delay! Subscribe today!
Monday, March 2, 2009
Touchdown!
No, not a football reference (did I mention that I always liked American Football, even before I came to the USA? And even before I was an atheist teenager old enough to notice the pretty girls shaking their pom-poms?) - but rather a reference to the fact that Michael Voris has just returned from a conference in Denver (hence, "touching down on the tarmac at the airport") where he was speaking.
And I've only now found time to make a blog entry, because I was so busy last week with making stuff for Michael to take and sell (yes, you can buy copies of our DVDs and so forth - go to our awesome online store for the purposes of purchasing and supporting us in the worst recession this news cycle). But it is a shame I didn't get to post some stuff last week, because loads of things happened.
(Big shout out to Diane of the De Teum blog, for finding a lot of this story).
Bishop Martino of Scranton, PA has issued a second letter to Sen. Bob Casey. I consider this to be i) awesome and ii) a bit naive (really, Bishop? What makes you think a Democrat Senator can actually read?)
Anyway, when I am not being sarcastic, this story is a classic example of everything that we need in the Church today - Bishop Martino is not just saying something from the pulpit and in general pastoral letters; he is getting right in the evil, baby-killing faces of these "people" and telling them the way it needs to be. Bishop Martino sent one letter (as discussed elsewhere in this fine blog) which the Senator appears to have ignored. So, the Bishop has sent another letter which is firmer than the first - and has also issued very clear orders about who is to be given Communion and who is to be denied Communion.
Taken together, these two documents (read all about them here) make it very clear indeed that Sen. Cassey will not be recieving the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ in Scranton until he changes his support for murder.
Good on Bishop Martino!
Expect further updates on the pro-life front, as well as some crazy rationalization, later on today!
Remember, keep up to date with all the news that's printed to fit - wait, that came out wrong. All the news Catholics need to hear! By going to RealCatholicTV.com and subscribing - it's free to get the news, and for only $10 a month you can subscribe to the Premium Channel which gives you literally hundreds of hours of video each week!
And I've only now found time to make a blog entry, because I was so busy last week with making stuff for Michael to take and sell (yes, you can buy copies of our DVDs and so forth - go to our awesome online store for the purposes of purchasing and supporting us in the worst recession this news cycle). But it is a shame I didn't get to post some stuff last week, because loads of things happened.
(Big shout out to Diane of the De Teum blog, for finding a lot of this story).
Bishop Martino of Scranton, PA has issued a second letter to Sen. Bob Casey. I consider this to be i) awesome and ii) a bit naive (really, Bishop? What makes you think a Democrat Senator can actually read?)
Anyway, when I am not being sarcastic, this story is a classic example of everything that we need in the Church today - Bishop Martino is not just saying something from the pulpit and in general pastoral letters; he is getting right in the evil, baby-killing faces of these "people" and telling them the way it needs to be. Bishop Martino sent one letter (as discussed elsewhere in this fine blog) which the Senator appears to have ignored. So, the Bishop has sent another letter which is firmer than the first - and has also issued very clear orders about who is to be given Communion and who is to be denied Communion.
Taken together, these two documents (read all about them here) make it very clear indeed that Sen. Cassey will not be recieving the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ in Scranton until he changes his support for murder.
Good on Bishop Martino!
Expect further updates on the pro-life front, as well as some crazy rationalization, later on today!
Remember, keep up to date with all the news that's printed to fit - wait, that came out wrong. All the news Catholics need to hear! By going to RealCatholicTV.com and subscribing - it's free to get the news, and for only $10 a month you can subscribe to the Premium Channel which gives you literally hundreds of hours of video each week!
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
Release the Press!
Behold our awesome press-release!
Cool, huh? We broke a story concerning the abortion issue. We have arrived.
Anyway, Mike did a Vortex about this today on RealCatholicTV.com - you can check it out here, but why not subscribe and then you can check out all the stuff yourself? It is free or, for merely $10 a month, you can get the cool premium access programming which is literally hundreds of hours of high-quality Catholic video.
In other Nancy Pelosi related news, she and the Pope "did not see eye to eye". Quelle suprise, there . . . .
You know what? I would talk about this - about how Sen. Pelosi needs to get with the program, about how she is ignoring the pastoral letters, about how she lied about Catholic teaching and / or being familiar with it, about how she has obfuscated and hidden the agenda, about how she hides behind the "personally opposed but ..." mantra. There would be a lot to talk about.
But I can't be bothered - I have a taping of The One True Faith to get ready for tonight (hey, if you want FREE TICKETS TO A REAL LIVE TV SHOW!!!!1oneone click here to get them) and my time is valuable. So, it boils down to this;
Nancy (and all the rest of you pro-aborts); get with the program. ONE program. Just one - don't sit on that fence. Get with ONE program. Either be Catholic with all that entails, or be a pro-abort. Don't try to be both.
You sit on that fence too long, you'll get some splinters in some very nasty places.
Cool, huh? We broke a story concerning the abortion issue. We have arrived.
Anyway, Mike did a Vortex about this today on RealCatholicTV.com - you can check it out here, but why not subscribe and then you can check out all the stuff yourself? It is free or, for merely $10 a month, you can get the cool premium access programming which is literally hundreds of hours of high-quality Catholic video.
In other Nancy Pelosi related news, she and the Pope "did not see eye to eye". Quelle suprise, there . . . .
You know what? I would talk about this - about how Sen. Pelosi needs to get with the program, about how she is ignoring the pastoral letters, about how she lied about Catholic teaching and / or being familiar with it, about how she has obfuscated and hidden the agenda, about how she hides behind the "personally opposed but ..." mantra. There would be a lot to talk about.
But I can't be bothered - I have a taping of The One True Faith to get ready for tonight (hey, if you want FREE TICKETS TO A REAL LIVE TV SHOW!!!!1oneone click here to get them) and my time is valuable. So, it boils down to this;
Nancy (and all the rest of you pro-aborts); get with the program. ONE program. Just one - don't sit on that fence. Get with ONE program. Either be Catholic with all that entails, or be a pro-abort. Don't try to be both.
You sit on that fence too long, you'll get some splinters in some very nasty places.
Way Out West ....
Well, not really way out West for those of you west of the Mississippi, and certainly not way out West for those of your in the Mountains. In fact, east for those of you living in the moral horror of the Left Coast.
But, for us chaps over here in the Midwest and on the Eastern Seaboard (and, to be fair, pretty much everywhere else in the world) what happens in North Dakota and Arizona is way out West.
I absolutely love "the West", as a completely pointless aside. I really do. My dad raised me (an Englishman!) on both kinds of music (Country and Western) and I have always loved the cowboy image. Okay, it's a parody and a cliche idea - but I do have family in Arizona. And here is a picture of me in Scottsdale sporting my stylish Western duds.
Total dude ranch, I know.
Where was I? Oh, yes - The Dakotan Personhood Amendment. As covered in our sister blog, the North Dakotans love RealCatholicTV.com. Why? Because people from North Dakota are awesome, obviously. They are awesome because they pass stuff like this personhood amendment - and that awesomeness leads them to like the best Catholic video site EVER, which is us.
So, the legislature of the Roughrider State has passed this bill - or, rather, it has passed the Lower House and is moving into the Senate in a couple of weeks - which defines a child in the womb as a human being. This gives said child the legal protections normally afforded to humans. In case you missed the point of this; it is generally considered illegal to burn a human being alive with saline or drag his dead body about after sucking out his brains. You can read a lot more about the amendment here at this website the guys and gals from ND have set up.
It still has to clear the Senate - so if you are are North Dakotan, take time out from being cool and write to your State Senator and urge him or her to pass this thing, please!
Good news there on the pro-life front.
And in other news from way out West, there is a cause to publicly demonstrate in Phoenix, AZ about President Obama's policies to kill as many babies as humanly possible (I'm getting editorial, sorry). If you are in Arizona and you can spare the time from just hanging out and enjoying the fantastic beauty of the State, why not go and demonstrate? It should be nice in Phoenix right now.
So, that is my pro-life news update. Dakota and Arizona, two favorite States of mine. Normally, what with distance and everything, I don't get to see them as much as I would like. But, when they are in the pro-life news - hey, everyone is a winner.
And Arizona is the setting for next week's NCIS, which I think is great. The trailer for next week's episode suggests it features Ziva on a horse (always good) and - even more awesome - Gibbs shooting down a helicopter with a lever-action rifle.
That is awesome. But not even close to the North Dakotan Personhood Amendment. If Gibbs was from North Dakota, he wouldn't even need the rifle.
But, for us chaps over here in the Midwest and on the Eastern Seaboard (and, to be fair, pretty much everywhere else in the world) what happens in North Dakota and Arizona is way out West.
I absolutely love "the West", as a completely pointless aside. I really do. My dad raised me (an Englishman!) on both kinds of music (Country and Western) and I have always loved the cowboy image. Okay, it's a parody and a cliche idea - but I do have family in Arizona. And here is a picture of me in Scottsdale sporting my stylish Western duds.
Total dude ranch, I know.
Where was I? Oh, yes - The Dakotan Personhood Amendment. As covered in our sister blog, the North Dakotans love RealCatholicTV.com. Why? Because people from North Dakota are awesome, obviously. They are awesome because they pass stuff like this personhood amendment - and that awesomeness leads them to like the best Catholic video site EVER, which is us.
So, the legislature of the Roughrider State has passed this bill - or, rather, it has passed the Lower House and is moving into the Senate in a couple of weeks - which defines a child in the womb as a human being. This gives said child the legal protections normally afforded to humans. In case you missed the point of this; it is generally considered illegal to burn a human being alive with saline or drag his dead body about after sucking out his brains. You can read a lot more about the amendment here at this website the guys and gals from ND have set up.
It still has to clear the Senate - so if you are are North Dakotan, take time out from being cool and write to your State Senator and urge him or her to pass this thing, please!
Good news there on the pro-life front.
And in other news from way out West, there is a cause to publicly demonstrate in Phoenix, AZ about President Obama's policies to kill as many babies as humanly possible (I'm getting editorial, sorry). If you are in Arizona and you can spare the time from just hanging out and enjoying the fantastic beauty of the State, why not go and demonstrate? It should be nice in Phoenix right now.
So, that is my pro-life news update. Dakota and Arizona, two favorite States of mine. Normally, what with distance and everything, I don't get to see them as much as I would like. But, when they are in the pro-life news - hey, everyone is a winner.
And Arizona is the setting for next week's NCIS, which I think is great. The trailer for next week's episode suggests it features Ziva on a horse (always good) and - even more awesome - Gibbs shooting down a helicopter with a lever-action rifle.
That is awesome. But not even close to the North Dakotan Personhood Amendment. If Gibbs was from North Dakota, he wouldn't even need the rifle.
Monday, February 16, 2009
Whatever Happened To The Heroes?
On my personal blog (whose URL I won't share, as it is really just for my close friends and family) I posted a post today about the lack of heroes in the world. I was inspired by this post by events which happened to me on the internet, but it then struck me this topic was very relevant for this blog, and so please allow me to expand on it.
When I talk about heroes, I refer to people who have courage. And I mean moral courage - physical courage is, of course, valuable but it stems from moral courage. Moral courage is the most important thing - can we do what is right, even when it is difficult?
(As an aside, I riff on this theme in this podcast I did once.)
This realization was inspired by a number of people I met on the internet who were being excessively cruel to someone else - telling him to kill himself at the extreme level. And practically no-one spoke up about it but me. And I got vilified for it and have spent a lot of time writing to people and trying to explain my actions, and trying to persuade them that bullying is wrong.
Anyway, this issue struck me as being not only symptomatic of the general malaise in our world today, but also particularly applicable to the issue of abortion.
Surveys always show that the majority of Americans do NOT agree with the current status of abortion laws. Many people say that the majority of Americans are pro-life, but this is not quite the case (the majority of Americans feel that abortion should be legal in some sort of situation). However, the majority of Americans do not hold the pro-abortion views currently enshrined in our laws.
So, why is abortion on the books?
Answer - because there are no heroes any more.
In the same way as people won't speak up on the internet when someone is bullied, or the way people won't interfere if they see a girl being hit in a bar, or whatever - people don't seem to be willing to stand up for what they believe in. Maybe they think they will be hurt or ridiculed or fired or whatever. Maybe they just don't want to be socially different from the "norm".
But at the core of all these reasons is fear - I dare not speak out. I dare not speak up.
And because of this, evil goes unchecked. People who are personally opposed (and are REALLY personally opposed, not just saying they are) might think no-one should have an abortion, but they never do anything about it. They don't speak out against it, they don't tell anyone it's wrong.
And so it continues.
What is my point here? It's pretty simple - but it might be hard to listen to. If we (as people who are GENUINELY personally opposed to abortion) don't actually DO anything, then how are we different from those who just SAY they are personally opposed? What is the practical difference?
Sure - we might know the truth deep down in our hearts, but if we don't act on it? What then?
And, most importantly, if we don't do anything . . . . is it REALLY true in our hearts?
When I talk about heroes, I refer to people who have courage. And I mean moral courage - physical courage is, of course, valuable but it stems from moral courage. Moral courage is the most important thing - can we do what is right, even when it is difficult?
(As an aside, I riff on this theme in this podcast I did once.)
This realization was inspired by a number of people I met on the internet who were being excessively cruel to someone else - telling him to kill himself at the extreme level. And practically no-one spoke up about it but me. And I got vilified for it and have spent a lot of time writing to people and trying to explain my actions, and trying to persuade them that bullying is wrong.
Anyway, this issue struck me as being not only symptomatic of the general malaise in our world today, but also particularly applicable to the issue of abortion.
Surveys always show that the majority of Americans do NOT agree with the current status of abortion laws. Many people say that the majority of Americans are pro-life, but this is not quite the case (the majority of Americans feel that abortion should be legal in some sort of situation). However, the majority of Americans do not hold the pro-abortion views currently enshrined in our laws.
So, why is abortion on the books?
Answer - because there are no heroes any more.
In the same way as people won't speak up on the internet when someone is bullied, or the way people won't interfere if they see a girl being hit in a bar, or whatever - people don't seem to be willing to stand up for what they believe in. Maybe they think they will be hurt or ridiculed or fired or whatever. Maybe they just don't want to be socially different from the "norm".
But at the core of all these reasons is fear - I dare not speak out. I dare not speak up.
And because of this, evil goes unchecked. People who are personally opposed (and are REALLY personally opposed, not just saying they are) might think no-one should have an abortion, but they never do anything about it. They don't speak out against it, they don't tell anyone it's wrong.
And so it continues.
What is my point here? It's pretty simple - but it might be hard to listen to. If we (as people who are GENUINELY personally opposed to abortion) don't actually DO anything, then how are we different from those who just SAY they are personally opposed? What is the practical difference?
Sure - we might know the truth deep down in our hearts, but if we don't act on it? What then?
And, most importantly, if we don't do anything . . . . is it REALLY true in our hearts?
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