The Hateful March for Life

[Matt Hummel]

A few thoughts:

One- at least a decade or so ago, Charles was invited personally and directly by me to witness the March for Life- to see the Lutherans for Life, and other groups. Invitation declined. I am sure for good reasons.

Two- when folks like NPR and the Democrats, etc., start talking about "Women's Healthcare" let us be honest with one another and say they mean abortion. Like when folks like the Democrats were insistent upon Property Rights in defense of chattel slavery, or States Rights in defense of Racism. It's like when they use "Gun Violence" because they cannot speak the truth that what they mean is young black men shooting other young black men.

Listen to one of the standard bearers of "women's healthcare- HRC- "Today should have been the 50th anniversary of Roe v. Wade.  We know MAGA Republicans won't stop until abortion is banned nationwide. So we can't stop fighting for reproductive freedom everywhere."

I am dedicated to the total end of abortion. I am not a MAGA Republican. SO how does this help? Reproductive freedom means freedom to kill.

[peter_speckhard]

Peter:
The complaint was that the hosts seemed incredulous. Your response did not address that complaint in the slightest, but simply gave a play-by-play of what the show said.
Me:
No, I reported their words and ask how does that make them sound incredulous their words were brief, and did not indicate any particular emotion.

Peter:
My speculation, as you know in your heart but are too partisan to admit, is correct-- the people who report on pro-life issues for the mainstream press are overwhelmingly pro-choice themselves.
Me:
BS. You have no idea what's in my heart. And if people who report on those issues are pro-choice, then they must take extra pains to make sure that what they report is balanced. The report cited was balanced, but someone heard it and claimed it wasn't. But go ahead. Wallow in your "speculation."

Peter:
But to respond to my speculation that you know to be true by pointing out it is speculation is simply to waste time. 
Me:
How is the name of Aunt Gertie's  goat Would I know that your wild speculation is true? For you to comment on what you think is truly "in my heart" is beyond ridiculous, and beyond a waste of time.

If you honestly, in your heart of hearts, do not agree that the vast majority of people who report on pro-life issues for the mainstream media are pro-choice themselves, then just say so. You'll be wrong, but at least you'll have said something. The problem is you know it is true as well as I know it is true. 

[Donald_Kirchner]

You have no idea what's in my heart.

Ah, but we do, Charles, time and time again. Your posts manifest what is in your heart.

"For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lewdness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness. All these evil things come from within and defile a man."

[peter_speckhard]

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2023/jan/22/roe-v-wade-abortion-rights-50th-anniversary

This take on the Roe anniversary is refreshingly honest about the real pro-choice mindset.

...Roe changed American life dramatically. Abortion became a routine part of life, a resource people planned their lives around having. In contrast to its political controversy, abortion in the Roe era was – as it is now – aggressively common.

...For most, abortions were not tragedies to be whispered about, or life-altering moments of shame, but banalities, choices to which they were unquestionably entitled, and from which they could move unconflictedly on.

...But it is less easy to discuss the sense of dignity that Roe gave to American women, the way that the freedom to control when and whether they would have children endowed American women, for the first time, with something like the gravitas of adults. Roe opened a door for women into dignity, into self-determination, into the still wild and incendiary idea that they, like men, might be endowed with the prerogatives of citizenship, and entitled to chart the course of their own lives.

This is clear-- we aren't talking about tragic exceptional cases, we're talking about a lifestyle. Abortion is something that elevates women to the status of adults. Consider:

Roe offered a promise: that women's lives need not be circumscribed by so-called "biological destiny"; that gender – its relations, performances, and obligations – might not be something that is imposed on women, but something that they take up and discard on their own terms. In the Roe era, this frank entitlement by women to determine the courses of their own lives was the decision's greatest legacy. Individual women's distinction and determination, or their conflictedness and confusion, or their ambivalence and exploration: once, before Roe, these parts of a woman's personality almost didn't matter; they were incidental eccentricities along the inevitable road to motherhood. Roe made it more possible for women's lives to be determined by their characters, not merely by their bodies.

[James S. Rustad]

TV ad offers an oil for an affliction called "the leading cause of dry skin." No. The leading cause of dry skin is towels.

Thanks for the highly accurate medical information. 

According to the Mayo Clinic, the causes of dry skin are:

Dry skin is due to water loss from the outer layer of skin. It might be caused by:

• Heat. Central heating, wood-burning stoves, space heaters and fireplaces all reduce humidity.
• Environment. Living in cold, windy conditions or low-humidity climates.
• Too much bathing or scrubbing. Taking long, hot showers or baths or scrubbing your skin too much can dry your skin. Bathing more than once a day can remove the natural oils from your skin too.
• Harsh soaps and detergents. Many popular soaps, detergents and shampoos strip moisture from your skin because they are formulated to remove oil.
• Other skin conditions. People with skin conditions such as atopic dermatitis (eczema) or psoriasis are more likely to have dry skin.
• Medical treatments. Some people develop dry, thick skin after undergoing treatment for cancer, receiving dialysis or taking certain medications.
• Aging. As people age, the skin thins and produces less of the oils needed for the skin to retain water.

I'm betting towels have nothing to do with dry skin - it's what comes before the towel that does it.

And, gee, they recommend trying over-the-counter products to alleviate dry skin.  I bet that includes what the TV ad is hawking.

[Matt Hummel]

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2023/jan/22/roe-v-wade-abortion-rights-50th-anniversary

This take on the Roe anniversary is refreshingly honest about the real pro-choice mindset.

...Roe changed American life dramatically. Abortion became a routine part of life, a resource people planned their lives around having. In contrast to its political controversy, abortion in the Roe era was – as it is now – aggressively common.

...For most, abortions were not tragedies to be whispered about, or life-altering moments of shame, but banalities, choices to which they were unquestionably entitled, and from which they could move unconflictedly on.

...But it is less easy to discuss the sense of dignity that Roe gave to American women, the way that the freedom to control when and whether they would have children endowed American women, for the first time, with something like the gravitas of adults. Roe opened a door for women into dignity, into self-determination, into the still wild and incendiary idea that they, like men, might be endowed with the prerogatives of citizenship, and entitled to chart the course of their own lives.

This is clear-- we aren't talking about tragic exceptional cases, we're talking about a lifestyle. Abortion is something that elevates women to the status of adults. Consider:

Roe offered a promise: that women's lives need not be circumscribed by so-called "biological destiny"; that gender – its relations, performances, and obligations – might not be something that is imposed on women, but something that they take up and discard on their own terms. In the Roe era, this frank entitlement by women to determine the courses of their own lives was the decision's greatest legacy. Individual women's distinction and determination, or their conflictedness and confusion, or their ambivalence and exploration: once, before Roe, these parts of a woman's personality almost didn't matter; they were incidental eccentricities along the inevitable road to motherhood. Roe made it more possible for women's lives to be determined by their characters, not merely by their bodies.

We have abortion in this country because of self-loathing gynophobes like Ms. Donegan and the piggish "Bro"-Choice culture that absolves men of their responsibilities if they foot the bill for the baby's death. And in fact, believe that their responsibilities end there. Look at the corporations that will uber you tothe abortionist. And compare their maternity plans and advancement tracks for woman who choose life.

[Charles Austin]

For heavens sake, Mr. Rustad,  my tagline is a joke, not a comment on a medical product. Good grief!

[Terry W Culler]

TV ad offers an oil for an affliction called "the leading cause of dry skin." No. The leading cause of dry skin is towels.

Thanks for the highly accurate medical information. 

According to the Mayo Clinic, the causes of dry skin are:

Dry skin is due to water loss from the outer layer of skin. It might be caused by:

• Heat. Central heating, wood-burning stoves, space heaters and fireplaces all reduce humidity.
• Environment. Living in cold, windy conditions or low-humidity climates.
• Too much bathing or scrubbing. Taking long, hot showers or baths or scrubbing your skin too much can dry your skin. Bathing more than once a day can remove the natural oils from your skin too.
• Harsh soaps and detergents. Many popular soaps, detergents and shampoos strip moisture from your skin because they are formulated to remove oil.
• Other skin conditions. People with skin conditions such as atopic dermatitis (eczema) or psoriasis are more likely to have dry skin.
• Medical treatments. Some people develop dry, thick skin after undergoing treatment for cancer, receiving dialysis or taking certain medications.
• Aging. As people age, the skin thins and produces less of the oils needed for the skin to retain water.

I'm betting towels have nothing to do with dry skin - it's what comes before the towel that does it.

And, gee, they recommend trying over-the-counter products to alleviate dry skin.  I bet that includes what the TV ad is hawking.

Don't get all worked up about a somewhat amusing joke.

[MaddogLutheran]

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2023/jan/22/roe-v-wade-abortion-rights-50th-anniversary

This take on the Roe anniversary is refreshingly honest about the real pro-choice mindset.

...Roe changed American life dramatically. Abortion became a routine part of life, a resource people planned their lives around having. In contrast to its political controversy, abortion in the Roe era was – as it is now – aggressively common.

...For most, abortions were not tragedies to be whispered about, or life-altering moments of shame, but banalities, choices to which they were unquestionably entitled, and from which they could move unconflictedly on.

...But it is less easy to discuss the sense of dignity that Roe gave to American women, the way that the freedom to control when and whether they would have children endowed American women, for the first time, with something like the gravitas of adults. Roe opened a door for women into dignity, into self-determination, into the still wild and incendiary idea that they, like men, might be endowed with the prerogatives of citizenship, and entitled to chart the course of their own lives.

This is clear-- we aren't talking about tragic exceptional cases, we're talking about a lifestyle. Abortion is something that elevates women to the status of adults. Consider:

Roe offered a promise: that women's lives need not be circumscribed by so-called "biological destiny"; that gender – its relations, performances, and obligations – might not be something that is imposed on women, but something that they take up and discard on their own terms. In the Roe era, this frank entitlement by women to determine the courses of their own lives was the decision's greatest legacy. Individual women's distinction and determination, or their conflictedness and confusion, or their ambivalence and exploration: once, before Roe, these parts of a woman's personality almost didn't matter; they were incidental eccentricities along the inevitable road to motherhood. Roe made it more possible for women's lives to be determined by their characters, not merely by their bodies.

The trend of this discussion, and particularly this quoted piece, reminds me of an episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation -- The Measure of a Man

Quick synopsis:  a one-of-a-kind sentient android/robot, Lt. Commander Data, even though he has a Starfleet commission, is at risk for losing is autonomy, being declared the property of the Federation, because a scientist wants to experiment on him.  And not just out of scientific curiosity, but to potentially create many copies of him.  He's literally fighting for his life in a tribunal to decide this.  Because the experimentation might lead to his demise.

Prepping for that defense, Captain Picard (Patrick Stewart) has this exchange with Guinan (ironically, or not, played by Whoopi Goldberg)...

Guinan: Consider that in the history of many worlds there have always been disposable creatures. They do the dirty work. They do the work that no one else wants to do, because it's too difficult or too hazardous. And an army of Datas, all disposable? You don't have to think about their welfare; you don't think about how they feel. Whole generations of disposable people.
Picard: You're talking about slavery.
Guinan: I think that's a little harsh.
Picard: I don't think that's a little harsh, I think that's the truth. But that's a truth that we have obscured behind a... comfortable, easy euphemism. 'Property'. But that's not the issue at all, is it?

Disposable people.  It's not exactly the same context here, slavery has nothing in common with abortion...or does it?

[Jeremy_Loesch]

Thanks Charles, for calling me to task. I should have used Sarah's name, but it is pretty hard to do after what she did to my family in the name of journalism. But I should be more mature and should not have resorted to a form of dead-naming. I used to be fairly close with Sarah and when we'd go out with Lakshmi Sing, Tamara Keith, and Aisha Roscoe for cocktails, the laughs were hale and hearty. Oh man, Tamara has moves like Jagger. But now, well, it brings a tear to my eye and I feel badly over the tension that exists now when we go out and Sarah and Robin Young walk into the same bar as us. It's my issue and not theirs. In God's time Sarah and I will patch things up.

Jeremy

[James S. Rustad]

For heavens sake, Mr. Rustad,  my tagline is a joke, not a comment on a medical product. Good grief!

As was my entire post.  Your whimsy detector needs a tune-up.

[peter_speckhard]

https://pjmedia.com/news-and-politics/rick-moran/2023/01/29/minnesota-legislature-passes-barbaric-bill-to-legalize-abortions-up-until-birth-n1666028

This is simply symbolic extremism taken to a demonic degree and made mainstream in a political party. Even if it would never actually happen that someone in Minnesota would abort their fully formed baby days before birth, it is disgusting that people would seek to enshrine it into law that they could if they wanted to do. The whole purpose of the law seems to be to proclaim that there is no such thing as a right to life and that preborn babies are absolutely discardable. The fact that it passed 34-33 shows how important state level races are. It was a strict party line vote, showing that the entire Democrat party marches in lockstep with the most extreme fringe element within it, as this one of the most extreme laws on the books anywhere in the world. Republicans proposed several ways to soften, mitigate, or carve out exceptions, but all were rejected, even simply providing anesthesia when it is a scientific fact that at nine months the fetus feels pain just like a newborn. Every Democrat felt that a baby about to be intentionally dismembered should not get the benefit of painkillers. 

[Tom Eckstein]

https://pjmedia.com/news-and-politics/rick-moran/2023/01/29/minnesota-legislature-passes-barbaric-bill-to-legalize-abortions-up-until-birth-n1666028

This is simply symbolic extremism taken to a demonic degree and made mainstream in a political party. Even if it would never actually happen that someone in Minnesota would abort their fully formed baby days before birth, it is disgusting that people would seek to enshrine it into law that they could if they wanted to do. The whole purpose of the law seems to be to proclaim that there is no such thing as a right to life and that preborn babies are absolutely discardable. The fact that it passed 34-33 shows how important state level races are. It was a strict party line vote, showing that the entire Democrat party marches in lockstep with the most extreme fringe element within it, as this one of the most extreme laws on the books anywhere in the world. Republicans proposed several ways to soften, mitigate, or carve out exceptions, but all were rejected, even simply providing anesthesia when it is a scientific fact that at nine months the fetus feels pain just like a newborn. Every Democrat felt that a baby about to be intentionally dismembered should not get the benefit of painkillers.

North Dakota, which borders Minnesota, has made abortion illegal except for *life of mother, *rape or *incest.  But this is only because we have a Republican majority at the state level.

[Charles Austin]

Tom Eckstein writes:
North Dakota, which borders Minnesota, has made abortion illegal except for *life of mother, *rape or *incest.  But this is only because we have a Republican majority at the state level.

I muse:
You have a Republican majority of elected law-makers. Whether what they do accurately reflects what the Republican electorate really believes can be discussed.

[Terry W Culler]

Tom Eckstein writes:
North Dakota, which borders Minnesota, has made abortion illegal except for *life of mother, *rape or *incest.  But this is only because we have a Republican majority at the state level.

I muse:
You have a Republican majority of elected law-makers. Whether what they do accurately reflects what the Republican electorate really believes can be discussed.

It would maybe be true that states allowing abortion up to birth are passing laws that do not accurately reflect the views of their electorate (at least one would hope so)