I hereby announce that I will no longer be maintaining the Opinions Canada blog aggregator.
I have too many responsibilities to keep up with it.
Not to mention that the free news gathering service that powered it shut down.
I am very sorry for any inconvenience this may cause.
I would like to recommend Blogging Canadians as an alternative to Opinions Canada. It serves much the same function. And you can vote on the blogs.
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
40 Days for Life...Why we are there
I was poking around the blogs, when I came upon this poor-choice blogpost that begins by focusing on the story of a lone vigiller at Warren Hern's abortion clinic in Boulder, Colorado.
The columnist denounces 40 Days for Life as some kind of potentially violent effort.
Then I came upon this blogpost from the blog of 40 Days for Life in Boulder (Although it did not necessarily occur there!). A man was very frustrated because his unborn child was killed, in spite of his wishes.
Three of us sat down beside him -- all men -- and cried with him. Eventually, he began to talk. He was probably in his very early twenties. He told us that his girlfriend did not want to keep the child because she feared they would not be able to provide for him. He asked her how she could destroy a life based on a hunch. He told her this child had a heartbeat and a soul and deserved to live. He even tried to convince her to, at the very least, put the child up for adoption. I was struck by the fact that this young man knew all this simply because his heart told him it was true. He was wise well beyond his years and he was hurting terribly. I was struck by the clear reality that fathers have so little to do with whether their own children live or die. I also couldn't help but notice that despite the high volume of Planned Parenthood volunteers around, none of them approached him.
They're there to protect a women's "choice" to go have an abortion.
Everyone else can go to hell.
Now, some might feel really bad about his feelings.
But would anyone really validate his experience if they didn't believe that the fetus being killed was an equal human being with a right to life?
So there you are folks. The jaundiced feminist perception, and the reality of 40 Days for Life.
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Another example of why pro-choice really is pro-abortion
In an article about a pro-life event held at McGill University, one poor-choicer said:
But what if you support legal abortion and you happen to think it's shameful to kill a fetus? If you publicize your opinion, and attempt to discourage abortions, are you still pro-choice?
Or is the only acceptable pro-choice position is to never question any woman's decision to abort, no matter how callous it may appear?
I know what the feminist answer is.
This is why pro-choice really is pro-abortion.
“I am deeply disturbed...that someone might walk to class and encounter signs that target a difficult decision that they had to make.... Whether they are made to feel ashamed for a minute or for the rest of the year, it’s not okay,” they said.
But what if you support legal abortion and you happen to think it's shameful to kill a fetus? If you publicize your opinion, and attempt to discourage abortions, are you still pro-choice?
Or is the only acceptable pro-choice position is to never question any woman's decision to abort, no matter how callous it may appear?
I know what the feminist answer is.
This is why pro-choice really is pro-abortion.
French Study says what pro-lifers have always known: contraception does NOT reduce abortions
According this report, the Institut national d’études démographiques recently published a study showing that more and more French women are using contraception, but that the number of abortions remain stable. The study explains this phenomenon by saying that those women who use contraception are more determined to control their fertility, so that when an unwanted pregnancy happens, they are more likely to abort.
It only makes sense. As it is, about half the women who head to the abortion clinic were using contraception at the time. Their contraception did not stop the unwanted pregnancy. It deepened their belief that they cannot get pregnant-- which is an illusion. There is always a risk of getting pregnant, even with contraception.
It also said that 40% of French women would have an abortion in their lifetime.
I suspect that this was a statistical extrapolation. I'm a little suspicious of those. I've heard the same numbers quoted for the US and Canada.
It only makes sense. As it is, about half the women who head to the abortion clinic were using contraception at the time. Their contraception did not stop the unwanted pregnancy. It deepened their belief that they cannot get pregnant-- which is an illusion. There is always a risk of getting pregnant, even with contraception.
It also said that 40% of French women would have an abortion in their lifetime.
I suspect that this was a statistical extrapolation. I'm a little suspicious of those. I've heard the same numbers quoted for the US and Canada.
Catholics want Church Doctors, Not Spin Doctors
My latest at No Apologies.
An excerpt:
An excerpt:
The bland, unchallenging, barely supernatural, easy-listening Catholicism that the church elites have been peddling does not convert souls, does not inspire faith, does not bring salvation and in fact in not requiring anything of anyone and leaves people adrift, to come and go in the church, without ever having to make a personal commitment to God or the Church;
Monday, September 28, 2009
40 Days for Life Halifax gets pro-active
They go door-to-door to invite people to the vigil:
Saturday afternoon, five vigil participants went door-to-door in the area, letting residents know about the 40 Days vigil and inviting them to pray with us. Most people are a little surprised at such a request, and most are polite (probably thinking that if they are nice, we will leave quickly). And we leave them with a little fact sheet about 40 Days for Life with some facts about abortion that they may not know. This went much better than I anticipated and some of us are willing to do this again. I think we covered around 80 houses on Saturday and we will try to do this a few more times. No one I met had even heard of the vigil or noticed it, so this really is a way to raise community awareness of the prayer vigil and to bring the neglected issue of abortion before the public.
That's what I call "guts".
Sunday, September 27, 2009
Neat Pro-Life Vigil Idea
40 Days for Life Indianapolis will be reading Pope John Paul II's encyclical Evangelium Vitae in front of the abortion clinic in four different sessions.
That's a little different. I kind of like the idea.
That's a little different. I kind of like the idea.
An anarchist reflects on riotous protests
This article gives a lot of insight into the minds of the people who start riots at G-20 summits. Progressives are supposed to be so peaceful and non-violent. And some are-- don't get me wrong. Yet they seem unwilling to acknowledge the violence amongst themselves, even though they expect pro-lifers to do the same.
And you just woke up to that, huh?
Do you ever feel like some leftists live in a parallel universe?
And you just came to realize that, huh? You mean you thought there was a point to breaking shop windows and throwing rocks at the cops?
Next time anarchists crash your pro-life witness, just remember that a lot of them are clueless.
Are We Addicted to Rioting?
(...)
I have been around the bloc a few times. (...) In Miami in 2003, I heard the explosion of "less-lethal" weapons and heard a loud pop next to me. As I turned, a middle-aged woman was starting to run away with blood literally pouring out of her mouth. She had been hit in the face with a rubber bullet.
After that incident I began a long reflective process, one that started in the bloodstained streets of Miami and hasn't stopped yet, hopefully it never will. Something clicked when the blood poured out of this woman's mouth; this is for real. I am really here and we are really getting the *** kicked out of us. What before seemed sort of fun, sort of therapeutic, sort of educational, now seemed totally dangerous, serious, and life-threatening.
And you just woke up to that, huh?
Do you ever feel like some leftists live in a parallel universe?
It also became clear that our actions in the streets were not usually connected to any real strategy to achieve change, no goals that we could attain, no real meaning for being there at that time, besides to ruin the party for the bigwigs.
And you just came to realize that, huh? You mean you thought there was a point to breaking shop windows and throwing rocks at the cops?
That's how winning movements think. Those are the critical questions to ask, among others. Unfortunately, I never experienced a single anarchist group that considered any of this. We just went out and did the craziest stuff, had a few parties/events in the next few months, and started the next round of last-minute militant protest organizing, building for our next street-fantasy, the omnipresent and mythological "next Seattle". We were chasing a high that we didn't even understand.
Next time anarchists crash your pro-life witness, just remember that a lot of them are clueless.
The untold truth about women and work
Margaret Wente:
In other words, it's pointless to try to get women to make up 50% of the paid workforce of every profession. Women will never make up 50% of CEO's.
Did feminists ever bother asking women what they wanted? And by that, I mean all kinds of women, not just kindred spirits?
And that has an effect on salaries/profit. And men decide to go into another profession that is more profitable. That's one reason why becoming a family doctor isn't as appealing as it once was.
I never really set out to be a stay-at-home mom. But once I understood what raising children really required, and the consequences of having a stranger raise them, I decided I was going to do it myself.
I think that's the same with a lot of women. They go to university not really sure what the future will bring, using their degree as a safety net, but once marriage and children come along, they prefer to make that the priority in their lives.
H/T: Choice for Childcare
Catherine Hakim, a senior research fellow at the London School of Economics, has been studying gender and work trends for decades. “The most misleading feminist myth is that women are united in their goals and priorities,” she wrote in the journal Public Policy Review. “The myth that all or most women would be just as careerist as men, if only they were given the opportunity, has been exploded.”
In other words, it's pointless to try to get women to make up 50% of the paid workforce of every profession. Women will never make up 50% of CEO's.
The research flatly contradicts the prevailing notion that part-time jobs (which are mostly held by women) are a bad thing. The truth is that part-time work suits many women's family needs. It debunks the so-called wage gap between the sexes, which results from different work choices, not discrimination.
Did feminists ever bother asking women what they wanted? And by that, I mean all kinds of women, not just kindred spirits?
When women enter a male profession en masse, they don't become more like men. It's the profession that changes. Take medicine, where gruelling hours have always been the norm. At first, it was simply assumed that women (who now form the majority in medical schools) would practise just like men. They don't. They scale back their hours when they have families, which means we need to train a lot more doctors than we thought we did.
And that has an effect on salaries/profit. And men decide to go into another profession that is more profitable. That's one reason why becoming a family doctor isn't as appealing as it once was.
I never really set out to be a stay-at-home mom. But once I understood what raising children really required, and the consequences of having a stranger raise them, I decided I was going to do it myself.
I think that's the same with a lot of women. They go to university not really sure what the future will bring, using their degree as a safety net, but once marriage and children come along, they prefer to make that the priority in their lives.
H/T: Choice for Childcare
Bible Gateway's Verse of the Day: Matthew 6:33
Matthew 6:33 - “But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.”
God provides for those who seek his will. Don't let worldly concerns stop you from obtaining the most important thing: union with God. You are not alone in your quest. God will help you. He called you, he will help you.
VIDEO: Fr. Steve Scheier on Mother Angelica Live-- Hell exists, so does God's mercy
I'm not able to embed this video, so please follow this link. Fr. Steve Scheier talks about his near-death experience in which he is saved from condemnation to hell by the Blessed Mother. It's a long video-- 40 minutes, but worth it. Very moving.
40 Days for Life-- What it's all about
Stand Your Ground:
Let's not forget that every surgical abortion that takes place in a clinic or a hospital, is always preceded by a spiritual abortion; one that takes place in a woman's heart. Before a woman (or one of her family members) picks up the phone and schedules an appointment in a facility like Morgentaler's, a woman and whoever convinces her to abort, must make the decision in their mind, must get comfortable with the thought that their baby will not be allowed to see daylight. And that's what we're confronting with our prayer.
That's also why we're there even if the "clinic" is closed. After all - those who actually consider having an abortion, they too, might be there, driving around to memorize directions, or checking the business hours. They too, can notice our vigil, notice that even if there aren't that many of us - we're there all the time. And, eventually, they may reconsider. Sure, we'll never know if they do. We walk by faith, not by sight. That's what the prayer vigil is all about.
Saturday, September 26, 2009
Interesting question re: surrogate motherhood
A poster at feminists for life live journal asks:
Or should the woman who changes her mind be made to carry out this forced pregnancy?
What if a couple purposely decides to use a surrogate; is the s-mother is free to get an abortion without the bio parents' consent?
Or should the woman who changes her mind be made to carry out this forced pregnancy?
Friday, September 25, 2009
Actual common sense from a feminist
Feminists can't be wrong all of the time.
It seems that some environmentalists want to make population control a means of fighting climate change. Some feminists are uncomfortable with that.
Ann of Feministing writes:
Under Richard Nixon and Henry Kissinger, the US had a policy of promoting population control in the Third World to preserve its superpower status.
The overpopulation argument is a fraud. It's about not wanting the poor, uneducated "burdensome" people of the world to not have children.
It's about killing babies so that we can keep our standard of living. When India, China and other developing countries have "too many" children, they put Western wealth and status at risk.
Well Western Civilization, it's your own damned fault. People who love children and have them will succeed those civilizations that don't. It's a basic fact.
It seems that some environmentalists want to make population control a means of fighting climate change. Some feminists are uncomfortable with that.
Ann of Feministing writes:
As Claire, guest-blogging at Feministe recently, asked, "Has science ever actually defined the number of people the world and it's resources can support, or is this fear of a "population bomb" about something else, more to do with which babies are being born than how many are being born?" (Emphasis mine.) Which is why I reject the "population control" frame altogether.
Under Richard Nixon and Henry Kissinger, the US had a policy of promoting population control in the Third World to preserve its superpower status.
The overpopulation argument is a fraud. It's about not wanting the poor, uneducated "burdensome" people of the world to not have children.
It's about killing babies so that we can keep our standard of living. When India, China and other developing countries have "too many" children, they put Western wealth and status at risk.
Well Western Civilization, it's your own damned fault. People who love children and have them will succeed those civilizations that don't. It's a basic fact.
VIDEO: Lisa's Baby Died Here/SILENT NO MORE
Lisa Johnson had an abortion at age 14 and it was one of the worst experiences of her life.
Here's the filmaker's intro:
Here's the filmaker's intro:
Thursday, September 24, 2009
Kneeslapper of the day: Richard Warman is being investigated by the CHRC for hate speech!
Read all about it at Ezra Levant's blog.
It sounds like a bad April Fool's joke.
But I suspect that the CHRC is trying to throw Warman overboard because his behaviour has been a liability to that institution. If they're seen as being "even-handed", I think they figure that the public will have more sympathy for them.
I also wonder if this is for real. Will it go to tribunal? Will they actually extract money from Richard Warman?
Poetic justice. I love it. I wonder how Warman feels about having to pay for lawyer expenses out of his own pocket.
It sounds like a bad April Fool's joke.
But I suspect that the CHRC is trying to throw Warman overboard because his behaviour has been a liability to that institution. If they're seen as being "even-handed", I think they figure that the public will have more sympathy for them.
I also wonder if this is for real. Will it go to tribunal? Will they actually extract money from Richard Warman?
Poetic justice. I love it. I wonder how Warman feels about having to pay for lawyer expenses out of his own pocket.
About time someone said it: Women are responsible beings (or should be!)
Pursuing Holiness has a post about women who get drunk, have sex, and then accuse their sex partners of rape. But the sentiment is just as applicable to the abortion issue.
EXACTLY.
The abortion lobby infantilizes women because they say women need abortion-- they're desperate, they can't help themselves. They're too weak, too immature, etc.
They make abortion sound like a "smart" choice. But in reality, it's a choice that helps women (and men!) escape responsibility.
The abortion lobby says that if a woman doesn't have access to legal abortion, she will have recourse to lethal methods (as if abortion doesn't kill, but whatever).
But let's face reality: should society have to cater to women's stupid choices? I don't care if they are out of desperation and that that's what the woman saw as her only way out. It's still stupid. Sticking a coathanger up your crotch is not a brilliant choice. Drinking Drano isn't either.
If you don't want to die of an illegal abortion then don't have one!
The unborn child, of course, is a non-issue. His welfare is of no consequence. It can't be. It would get in the way of making people accountable for his existence and living up to their responsibilities.
If women were responsible for their unborn children, that would be unfair to the woman.
Never mind that abortion is unfair to the unborn child.
And as for drunkenness:
And in the same way, declaring that it's unfair to carry an unplanned pregnancy is an invitation. If I were some slimeball out to catch me some tail, I'd go looking for this type of woman, too.
It is cruel not to teach that abortion kills an unborn child and that they should live up to their responsibilities.
h/t: Wintry Knight
We’ve come to this weird place in our history where women become babies instead of have them. It’s all about choices – but not about consequences. Rights, but not responsibilities.
EXACTLY.
The abortion lobby infantilizes women because they say women need abortion-- they're desperate, they can't help themselves. They're too weak, too immature, etc.
They make abortion sound like a "smart" choice. But in reality, it's a choice that helps women (and men!) escape responsibility.
The abortion lobby says that if a woman doesn't have access to legal abortion, she will have recourse to lethal methods (as if abortion doesn't kill, but whatever).
But let's face reality: should society have to cater to women's stupid choices? I don't care if they are out of desperation and that that's what the woman saw as her only way out. It's still stupid. Sticking a coathanger up your crotch is not a brilliant choice. Drinking Drano isn't either.
If you don't want to die of an illegal abortion then don't have one!
The unborn child, of course, is a non-issue. His welfare is of no consequence. It can't be. It would get in the way of making people accountable for his existence and living up to their responsibilities.
If women were responsible for their unborn children, that would be unfair to the woman.
Never mind that abortion is unfair to the unborn child.
And as for drunkenness:
But will declaring that the world has got to know that drunk people don’t deserve to be murdered do anything to keep them safe? It’s an invitation. If I were a criminal, I’d be looking for you, drunk co-ed.
And in the same way, declaring that it's unfair to carry an unplanned pregnancy is an invitation. If I were some slimeball out to catch me some tail, I'd go looking for this type of woman, too.
No one deserves to be murdered or raped. But that fact does not overcome the reality that people are murdered and raped every day, and that criminals normally choose victims who are easy marks. It is unkind to tell that to a crime victim after the fact. But it is cruel not to teach it to young women before the fact.
It is cruel not to teach that abortion kills an unborn child and that they should live up to their responsibilities.
How about this declaration? Young women have got to know that when you get fall down drunk, you may make stupid choices for which you should still be held responsible, just as a drunk driver would rightly be held responsible for events occurring after he chose to get drunk and do stupid, dangerous things.
You want freedom, choice, and rights? Then earn it by taking responsibility for yourselves.
h/t: Wintry Knight
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
VIDEO: 40 Days for Life Ottawa Kickoff Rally-- John Pacheco's Speech
Sorry for some of the camera work...my arms were hurting. I also had to do some editting because the original footage was too dark.
VIDEO: 40 Days for Life Ottawa KickOff Rally --Dr. Mary O'Connor
This video is valuable testimony of a family doctor whose opposition to opposition morphed into a true pro-life mentality.
CTV Ottawa Noon time show intereviews Paul Lauzon of Campaign Life
I'm pleasantly surprised.
Go here. Look underneath the video player. The title is "Paul Lauzon discusses Campaign Life Rally".
I think the interviews scroll off as they add more interviews.
We also got a 5-second report on the 11 o'clock news.
Go here. Look underneath the video player. The title is "Paul Lauzon discusses Campaign Life Rally".
I think the interviews scroll off as they add more interviews.
We also got a 5-second report on the 11 o'clock news.
40 Days for Life Ottawa Kick Off Rally Took Place Tonight
It was awesome. It wasn't full of rah-rah like at the March for Life. It was so peaceful and joyous. In fact, when our group marched in procession to the abortion clinic and prayed there, you literally could hear the crickets. It was that quiet (and that warm!)
The music was very upbeat. Thanks Guy Dacquais!
I'd say there were easily 200 people there, probably more, maybe three or four hundred. The turnout was excellent, and very representative of the pro-life movement: young, old, (and middle-aged!), laypeople and clergy.
It was a beautiful night. Just so prayerful.
Thanks for John Pacheco and the folks at Campaign Life in organizing this gathering. It was spiritually sumptuous.
The music was very upbeat. Thanks Guy Dacquais!
I'd say there were easily 200 people there, probably more, maybe three or four hundred. The turnout was excellent, and very representative of the pro-life movement: young, old, (and middle-aged!), laypeople and clergy.
It was a beautiful night. Just so prayerful.
Thanks for John Pacheco and the folks at Campaign Life in organizing this gathering. It was spiritually sumptuous.
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
VIDEO: 40 Days for Life Ottawa Kick Off Rally -- Song "The Kingdom Has Come"
I'm not actually sure of the title of this song. But very catchy!
VIDEO: 40 Days for Life Ottawa Kickoff Rally-- Speech by Rebecca Richmond
Of Ottawa Students for Life...
VIDEO: 40 Days for Life Ottawa Kickoff Rally-- Opening Prayer
By Bruce Clemenger, President of the Evangelical Fellowship of Canada.
Sorry about some of the camera work. My arms got tired.
Sorry about some of the camera work. My arms got tired.
Monday, September 21, 2009
The problem with the doctrine of the Canadian Church elites
SoCon or Bust has underscored in a long post the problem with the doctrine of the church elites by casting light on ichard Gaillardetz, a theologian who will speak at the upcoming Catholic Bishops' plenary session.
The posts is full of details of his positions.
But one of his most troubling positions to me is his stance that it is linguistically impossible to draw up an infallible proposition.
To me, this idea is an outflow of the philosophical trend to deny that our language can communicate philosophical ideas effectively.
This is dangerous.
Because it undermines such central beliefs of the faith as the ability of man to know God and the moral law through reason alone, and ultimately to know Jesus through one's personal investigation.
If the Church can't adequately express divine revelation, what's to say that the Sacred Authors of the Bible could do it, either?
It's madness.
The Church has always understood language to be adequate, and indeed, in our everyday communications it it.
These theologians are trying to split hairs to conform to the times.
But the church elites gloss over these fundamental mistakes. They allow free reign to any idea, as crazy as it is, and graduate seminarians and theologians who believe these things.
Then they wonder why their ability has gone down the toilet.
All the communication strategy in the world is not going to cover up for this serious neglect of duty.
The posts is full of details of his positions.
But one of his most troubling positions to me is his stance that it is linguistically impossible to draw up an infallible proposition.
To me, this idea is an outflow of the philosophical trend to deny that our language can communicate philosophical ideas effectively.
This is dangerous.
Because it undermines such central beliefs of the faith as the ability of man to know God and the moral law through reason alone, and ultimately to know Jesus through one's personal investigation.
If the Church can't adequately express divine revelation, what's to say that the Sacred Authors of the Bible could do it, either?
It's madness.
The Church has always understood language to be adequate, and indeed, in our everyday communications it it.
These theologians are trying to split hairs to conform to the times.
But the church elites gloss over these fundamental mistakes. They allow free reign to any idea, as crazy as it is, and graduate seminarians and theologians who believe these things.
Then they wonder why their ability has gone down the toilet.
All the communication strategy in the world is not going to cover up for this serious neglect of duty.
Pro-Life Advocate Attacked Outside City Hall in Arizona While Protesting Abortion
Flagstaff, Arizona (LifeNews.com) -- Just one week after a pro-life advocate was shot and killed while protesting abortion in Michigan, a pro-life advocate was assaulted by two pro-abortion women in Arizona. A man who is a regular fixture on Route 66 in front of City Hall, was attacked by two women during the day on Friday. According to information from the Flagstaff Police Department the Arizona Daily Sun obtained, the 69-year-old victim was standing in front of City Hall with a graphic sign of a baby killed in an abortion when he was approached by the two women. According to witnesses, the two women began to yell profanities at the victim. One woman kicked the sign and tried to take it. The victim tried to protect the sign and he and the woman fell to the ground as she went after it. While the two were on the ground fighting, the second woman joined the fray and tried to take the sign. The victim had to fight the other woman off as well. Paramedics arrived on scene to treat minor injuries. The two women, both 48, were cited and released on misdemeanor charges of disorderly conduct and criminal damage. The charges will be heard by a Flagstaff Magistrate Court judge.
I can just hear the poor-choicers say: he had it coming.
Sunday, September 20, 2009
VIDEO: Anti-Christian Hatred at Rockford Abortuary
Another episode of abortion is a shady business.
They hang signs like that outside their window? Don't they have any sense of professionalism? Even if you agreed with those sentiments, it's just so adolescent to do that.
Hm, adolescent poor-choicers, where have I seen that before?
Aren't liberal Christians offended?
H/T Creative Minority Report
They hang signs like that outside their window? Don't they have any sense of professionalism? Even if you agreed with those sentiments, it's just so adolescent to do that.
Hm, adolescent poor-choicers, where have I seen that before?
Aren't liberal Christians offended?
H/T Creative Minority Report
Saturday, September 19, 2009
Gotta love this blurb from NOW
From their website:NOW affirms that reproductive rights are issues of life and death for women, not mere matters of choice.
You know the abortion side is losing when it has to use pro-life rhetoric to get its point across.
Issues of life and death of able-bodied women with resources and power take precedence over issues of life and death of voiceless, vulnerable and dependent unborn children.
That's what feminist supremacy is all about.
How abortion disempowers women
Richard Smith:
When a woman opts for the culture of life, in effect, she is closing herself off to a large number of prospective partners.
This is the difficulty of choosing abstinence.
While I agree that women should be responsible, the reality is that adolescent girls are hungry for opposite-sex affection, especially those who grow up in dysfunctional situations, and they are rather vulnerable to forego their principles in the name of intimacy.
It's not that abstinence is not the best choice. It's that in order for abstinence to be achievable, decision-making cannot be based on the the adolescent (or adult's!) willpower alone.
Because willpower has a funny way of succumbing to emotion and passion.
I am for abstinence education, but abstinence education without the cultural back up of parental supervision and social structures that encourage it will lead to abortion.
This is why I disagree with this statement:
It is precisely because contraception is available and accepted that women feel the need for abortion. Contraception DID change that dynamic. Because contraception gives the impression that there is such a thing as sex without consequences.
And when you discover that you're pregnant and that's not true, you need back-up to erase the undesired consequences.
But here's a point I really relate to:
I have an autistic daughter, yet I chose to have a third child.
Who do you suppose people are going to "blame" if my third child turns out to be autistic?
After all, I'm monitoring the third child with tax-funded and charity-funded resources (not to mention my own money).
That's money that could have been used for some other baby who was "innocently" conceived, i.e. the parents could not have suspected autism.
My daughter is "taking up" precious resources that could have gone to someone else who needed it more badly.
And considering that there is going to be a prenatal test for autism sometimes down the line, the pressure is going to be greater for women who do give birth to an autistic child down the road.
Now autism isn't a fatal disease, and occasionally, it can offer a few advantages. But generally speaking, it's a pain in the butt to raise a child who has profound developmental issues.
What do you suppose people are going to say if I vent about the difficulties?
Well it's your own fault for having an autistic kid. If you didn't want to have a hard life, you should have aborted her!
(I just cringed reading that sentence-- the idea that any of my daughters should have been aborted angers me to no end-- not withstanding the challenges that I face).
I can anticipate the reactions: how dare you bring a defective child into this world. How dare you not consider other people's needs and wants before giving birth? How dare you make a child suffer by letting him be born with a neurological condition? (As if abortion is less cruel!)
This is analogical to my four-year-old daughter's ideas on sharing. "Mom, sharing is really good. You should always share. Now give some cookies to me!"
It's the same thing with that self-serving mindset that castigates you for bringing another "defective" child into this world. "Our earth and its resources are precious. We're so very lucky to have them. But you, little baby, are a threat to those resources (and my share of them!)"
So, the woman, in the end, bears the blame for her decision to keep the baby.
I know that feminists will tout "choice"-- as if it's all about my body, my choice.
It's not all about that. Because those choices have intellectual and social ramifications. There's more to it than a woman's body. Female autonomy does not exist in a vaccuum.
That is, the presence in the sexual marketplace of women willing to have an abortion reduces an individual woman’s bargaining power. As a result, in order not to lose her guy, she may be pressured into doing precisely what she doesn't want to do: have unprotected sex, then an unwanted pregnancy, then the abortion she had all along been trying to avoid. Even though her abortion in this case is not literally forced, it would be, in an important sense, imposed on her. And, far from alleviating her overall situation, it would merely return her to the same sexual pressures, made worse by a new assurance to her boyfriend that she is willing to take care of a pregnancy.
(...)
Easy access to abortion has increased the expectation and frequency of sexual intercourse (including unprotected intercourse) among young people, making it more difficult for a woman to deny herself to a man without losing him, thus increasing pregnancies and sexually transmitted infections.
When a woman opts for the culture of life, in effect, she is closing herself off to a large number of prospective partners.
This is the difficulty of choosing abstinence.
While I agree that women should be responsible, the reality is that adolescent girls are hungry for opposite-sex affection, especially those who grow up in dysfunctional situations, and they are rather vulnerable to forego their principles in the name of intimacy.
It's not that abstinence is not the best choice. It's that in order for abstinence to be achievable, decision-making cannot be based on the the adolescent (or adult's!) willpower alone.
Because willpower has a funny way of succumbing to emotion and passion.
I am for abstinence education, but abstinence education without the cultural back up of parental supervision and social structures that encourage it will lead to abortion.
This is why I disagree with this statement:
Throughout human history, children have been the consequence of natural sexual relations between men and women. Both sexes knew they were equally responsible for their children, and society had somehow to facilitate their upbringing. Even the advent of birth control did not fundamentally change this dynamic, for all forms of contraception are fallible.
It is precisely because contraception is available and accepted that women feel the need for abortion. Contraception DID change that dynamic. Because contraception gives the impression that there is such a thing as sex without consequences.
And when you discover that you're pregnant and that's not true, you need back-up to erase the undesired consequences.
But here's a point I really relate to:
It is she alone who finally decides whether the child comes into the world. She is the responsible one. For the first time in history, the father and the doctor and the health-insurance actuary can point a finger at her as the person who allowed an inconvenient human being to come into the world.
I have an autistic daughter, yet I chose to have a third child.
Who do you suppose people are going to "blame" if my third child turns out to be autistic?
After all, I'm monitoring the third child with tax-funded and charity-funded resources (not to mention my own money).
That's money that could have been used for some other baby who was "innocently" conceived, i.e. the parents could not have suspected autism.
My daughter is "taking up" precious resources that could have gone to someone else who needed it more badly.
And considering that there is going to be a prenatal test for autism sometimes down the line, the pressure is going to be greater for women who do give birth to an autistic child down the road.
Now autism isn't a fatal disease, and occasionally, it can offer a few advantages. But generally speaking, it's a pain in the butt to raise a child who has profound developmental issues.
What do you suppose people are going to say if I vent about the difficulties?
Well it's your own fault for having an autistic kid. If you didn't want to have a hard life, you should have aborted her!
(I just cringed reading that sentence-- the idea that any of my daughters should have been aborted angers me to no end-- not withstanding the challenges that I face).
I can anticipate the reactions: how dare you bring a defective child into this world. How dare you not consider other people's needs and wants before giving birth? How dare you make a child suffer by letting him be born with a neurological condition? (As if abortion is less cruel!)
This is analogical to my four-year-old daughter's ideas on sharing. "Mom, sharing is really good. You should always share. Now give some cookies to me!"
It's the same thing with that self-serving mindset that castigates you for bringing another "defective" child into this world. "Our earth and its resources are precious. We're so very lucky to have them. But you, little baby, are a threat to those resources (and my share of them!)"
So, the woman, in the end, bears the blame for her decision to keep the baby.
I know that feminists will tout "choice"-- as if it's all about my body, my choice.
It's not all about that. Because those choices have intellectual and social ramifications. There's more to it than a woman's body. Female autonomy does not exist in a vaccuum.
Another face of embryo adoption
In this age of IVF, many couples who resort to that procedure wonder what to do with the embryos who are not transferred into the mother's womb.Donating these embryos for adoption is one possibility:
These adoptions can range from completely confidential to fully disclosed, meaning the biological parents are able to keep in touch with the adoptive family. Some sites allow you to choose the parents. Others let you specify your requirements, religion, size of family, et cetera.
Wouldn't open adoption be weird, though? You were created by one couple-- your biological sibling got chosen, but you were a reject...
And consider this: You're an adopting couple. You want to know the "quality" of the product you're getting.
So you look over the sibling who was implanted and made it to term.
It's somewhat dehumanizing to accept a child only on the basis of whether or not he is genetically acceptable.
Friday, September 18, 2009
VIDEO: Autistic man draws perfect sketch of the City of Rome after seeing it only once
This just blew me away:
Just a note: most autistic people don't have such abilities.
Just a note: most autistic people don't have such abilities.
Message to the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops re: The closed-door session on blogs
Socon or Bust:
Your graces, your authority is only as good as your fidelity to the Magisterium. Your credibility is only as good as your willingness to back it up with deeds, both in terms of political action and disciplining those who brazenly flout Church teaching.
EXACTLY.
You dance around the issues. I watch a Quebec clergyman get interviewed on t.v., it takes him 50 words to answer "yes" or "no". It doesn't take a genius to figure out why. 1) The clergyman in question doesn't really believe in Catholic teaching; 2) He doesn't want to offend.
Just tell it like it is. Why are you so afraid to state the way it's stated in the Catechism? Why are you so afraid of 20 centuries of Tradition?
The Church doesn't exist to please non-believers or the lukewarm. We try to convert them, but if they don't like what we have to say, then just let them deal with it.
All us bloggers we should get together with the bishops. We should have an honest argument instead of doing this piecemeal.
I resent that the bishops seem to have it in for us, for stating Catholic teaching, but do so very little about all the dissidents in their own back yards. If I do something wrong, I'm not mad if I get nailed for it, but there are people doing far worse than I, but we're the ones getting the crap when we want the Church to be faithful to her laws and doctrines.
This is not about "self-righteousness". This is about what the Magisterium teaches, what canon law says, and what the bishops do.
Anyone can make a mistake. But with the bishops and the elites, it's not a matter of oversight or of being in error. This is about a systematic neglect of plainly stating Church doctrine, ignoring Canon Law and the Tradition of the Church.
It's gotta come to an end bishops. You have got to stand up and plainly state Catholic teaching so that everyone understands. We have to put an end to the pope and the Vatican stating one thing, and the Canadian bishops say another. It leads to the confusion that we are now experiencing in the Church. If canon law says grave sinners should be denied communion-- deny communion! If the Church says that intriniscly evil acts are never to be sanctioned (like contraception), then don't sanction them.
You have to state Catholic doctrine plainly, then back it up. It's not a difficult concept.
Why is this so controversial? This should be pretty straight forward.
Do not deceive yourselves into thinking that a mere administrative framework to “imprimatur” Catholic blogs will help you gain the credibility you demand, nor, for that matter, will a cheap declaration which says that only the Bishops teach in the Name of Christ.
We understand your authority comes from Christ. We know the drill.
If you are not defending the Faith and instead making it a mockery among the nations, don’t expect us to take you too seriously on Life Issues, and don’t expect our credibility to lessen and yours to increase because you merely will it to be so.
When you walk the talk and take the hit, then we’ll take you seriously. Otherwise, it’s just more holy hot air.
Your graces, your authority is only as good as your fidelity to the Magisterium. Your credibility is only as good as your willingness to back it up with deeds, both in terms of political action and disciplining those who brazenly flout Church teaching.
Catholic Bloggers wouldn’t be needed to explain and defend the Faith in these situations, and you wouldn’t perceive us as a threat (which we are most certainly not), if you were faithful to your vocation as Father and Teacher.
EXACTLY.
You dance around the issues. I watch a Quebec clergyman get interviewed on t.v., it takes him 50 words to answer "yes" or "no". It doesn't take a genius to figure out why. 1) The clergyman in question doesn't really believe in Catholic teaching; 2) He doesn't want to offend.
Just tell it like it is. Why are you so afraid to state the way it's stated in the Catechism? Why are you so afraid of 20 centuries of Tradition?
The Church doesn't exist to please non-believers or the lukewarm. We try to convert them, but if they don't like what we have to say, then just let them deal with it.
All us bloggers we should get together with the bishops. We should have an honest argument instead of doing this piecemeal.
I resent that the bishops seem to have it in for us, for stating Catholic teaching, but do so very little about all the dissidents in their own back yards. If I do something wrong, I'm not mad if I get nailed for it, but there are people doing far worse than I, but we're the ones getting the crap when we want the Church to be faithful to her laws and doctrines.
This is not about "self-righteousness". This is about what the Magisterium teaches, what canon law says, and what the bishops do.
Anyone can make a mistake. But with the bishops and the elites, it's not a matter of oversight or of being in error. This is about a systematic neglect of plainly stating Church doctrine, ignoring Canon Law and the Tradition of the Church.
It's gotta come to an end bishops. You have got to stand up and plainly state Catholic teaching so that everyone understands. We have to put an end to the pope and the Vatican stating one thing, and the Canadian bishops say another. It leads to the confusion that we are now experiencing in the Church. If canon law says grave sinners should be denied communion-- deny communion! If the Church says that intriniscly evil acts are never to be sanctioned (like contraception), then don't sanction them.
You have to state Catholic doctrine plainly, then back it up. It's not a difficult concept.
Why is this so controversial? This should be pretty straight forward.
Thursday, September 17, 2009
On Catholic Crowd-Pleasers
The Heresy Hunter:
What's next? Will the Church have public, laudatory funerals for Mafia figures, now? After all, they are sometimes very generous with their ill-gotten gains. Doesn't that count?
Isn't this like the left, which says "hey, Hamas does a lot of good for the Palestinians", blatantly overlooking all the terrorism they commit and abet?
There's a very good reason why Ted Kennedy was allowed to be eulogized: because support for legal abortion is politically correct, and unborn children are lesser victims than those killed by terrorism or the Mafia or any other kind of killing.
I'm in favour of dialogue and restraining one's words when necessary.
But sometimes, being nicey-nicey is just being a useful idiot.
VI. What Fr. Rosica really means by the phrase “civility, charity, mercy and politeness” is a kind of pantywaist political correctness, void of testicular fortitude, that is so afraid to identify and call out blatant evil in the public square. Why? Because he wants to be held in respect, to be loved by his peers, he wants to be everything for everyone. He does not want to be labelled as “one of them”, as one of those “religious fanatics”. For you see Fr. Rosica has become quite the celebrity in recent years. He is head honcho at Canada’s Salt + Life television network, a copycat version of EWTN, started by the excellent Mother Angelica. But excellent Salt + Light is not, and this is best explained because Fr. Rosica is on it alot. Salt + Light broadcasts a wishy–washy, easy–listening, borderline–dwelling Catholicism. But make no mistake: enemies of the Catholic Church have been positively portrayed on this network. One example would be David Suzuki, a fanatical environmentalist, nature worshipper and known rabid anti–Catholic.[4]
What's next? Will the Church have public, laudatory funerals for Mafia figures, now? After all, they are sometimes very generous with their ill-gotten gains. Doesn't that count?
Isn't this like the left, which says "hey, Hamas does a lot of good for the Palestinians", blatantly overlooking all the terrorism they commit and abet?
There's a very good reason why Ted Kennedy was allowed to be eulogized: because support for legal abortion is politically correct, and unborn children are lesser victims than those killed by terrorism or the Mafia or any other kind of killing.
I'm in favour of dialogue and restraining one's words when necessary.
But sometimes, being nicey-nicey is just being a useful idiot.
I'd like to start a new women's movement. Sort of.
I make no secret of my hatred of feminism.
I am sick and tired of the feminist claim that they represent women; the implicit message that they speak for all women and know what's best for them.
I'd like to start a movement called "free women".
Free women oppose feminism, because as far as the West is concerned, women are free.
The point of this movement would be to call feminists on their claims that uphold "the truth" about women. Feminists like to conflate their movement with women, and their ideology with what women want or need.
So you have feminists like Antonia Zerbisias who are mad at Stephen Harper for dismissing "women" as a left-wing fringe group.
We know that's a load of BS.
Harper has no problem with women.
Harper has a problem with feminists.
But feminists think that their movement and "women" are synonymous-- or should be.
If you don't belong to it, or don't want to, you are not treated as a "real" woman.
I am personally sick of it.
And the media just eats this all up, never questioning that a heck of a lot of women reject feminism and don't want to be represented by it.
The basic premise of this "movement" would be that women have a right to the same ideological diversity as men.
Therefore there is no special interest group called "women".
Men are not a special interest group. Men are not a "gender". Men don't go around demanding justice, trying to claim that there is only one way of thinking among men, or that if you don't think a certain way, you're a man-hater.
I want that same ideological diversity for women.
I want it to be assumed by this culture and by the government feminist group represent themselves not women.
Because women are free, and as free women, they have a right to their opinion, and the right to have that face represented in the culture.
In other words, the culture and the government have no right to assume that feminists speak for all women, or are the only holders of truth on women, or that women all want the same thing.
Just the same as men.
The problem that I have with this movement, as I conceive it, is that it's not really a movement as we typically understand it. Being an ideologically diverse lot, I don't anticipate national organizations or free women's studies' programs in universities.
I see it as a current of expression that I want to see filter up into the government and eventually reflect social policy.
To organize a new women's movement around a new ideology would defeat the purpose of what this is about. We are NOT united by any one vision, except to say that we are free to be ideologically diverse and not have the government treat feminism as the women's monopoly.
Perhaps free women might get together to denounce feminism.
But I don't see free women being a monolithic group at all, and it shouldn't be.
So that's my utopianism for the day.
I am sick and tired of the feminist claim that they represent women; the implicit message that they speak for all women and know what's best for them.
I'd like to start a movement called "free women".
Free women oppose feminism, because as far as the West is concerned, women are free.
The point of this movement would be to call feminists on their claims that uphold "the truth" about women. Feminists like to conflate their movement with women, and their ideology with what women want or need.
So you have feminists like Antonia Zerbisias who are mad at Stephen Harper for dismissing "women" as a left-wing fringe group.
We know that's a load of BS.
Harper has no problem with women.
Harper has a problem with feminists.
But feminists think that their movement and "women" are synonymous-- or should be.
If you don't belong to it, or don't want to, you are not treated as a "real" woman.
I am personally sick of it.
And the media just eats this all up, never questioning that a heck of a lot of women reject feminism and don't want to be represented by it.
The basic premise of this "movement" would be that women have a right to the same ideological diversity as men.
Therefore there is no special interest group called "women".
Men are not a special interest group. Men are not a "gender". Men don't go around demanding justice, trying to claim that there is only one way of thinking among men, or that if you don't think a certain way, you're a man-hater.
I want that same ideological diversity for women.
I want it to be assumed by this culture and by the government feminist group represent themselves not women.
Because women are free, and as free women, they have a right to their opinion, and the right to have that face represented in the culture.
In other words, the culture and the government have no right to assume that feminists speak for all women, or are the only holders of truth on women, or that women all want the same thing.
Just the same as men.
The problem that I have with this movement, as I conceive it, is that it's not really a movement as we typically understand it. Being an ideologically diverse lot, I don't anticipate national organizations or free women's studies' programs in universities.
I see it as a current of expression that I want to see filter up into the government and eventually reflect social policy.
To organize a new women's movement around a new ideology would defeat the purpose of what this is about. We are NOT united by any one vision, except to say that we are free to be ideologically diverse and not have the government treat feminism as the women's monopoly.
Perhaps free women might get together to denounce feminism.
But I don't see free women being a monolithic group at all, and it shouldn't be.
So that's my utopianism for the day.
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
Screwtape comments on the Fr. Rosica scandal
From SoCon or Bust:
These people, (the laity) these peasants really, do not quite understand that although they were taught that protecting innocent life is a fundamental belief of the Church, the only pass one needs to be celebrated with all the pomp and circumstance of a ceremony of one’s life is simply power and social connections. You made this message quite clear.
You have taught us, Father, that we can be at odds with the Church, we can publicly disavow a fundamental teaching and we will be no worse off. Indeed, with enough money and the right connections, we can be celebrated in death to the extent that we defied the Church in life.
Operation Rescue President Says AP Story Won't Stop Abortion Opposition
Happy to burst the poor-choice bubble.
Liberal media: wrong again.
"The Associated Press attempted to paint a dark and ugly future for Operation Rescue, but the truth is that Operation Rescue has been in ministry for over 20 years and will stay in the fight against abortion until every child is protected under law," he said.
Newman explained that the downturn in funding is partly seasonal and partly as a result of the slowed economy.
"Our faithful supporters responded to that letter, and we are back on track," Newman said, but he noted the "left wing media seized on a letter sent to our supporters, and blew it out of proportion
Liberal media: wrong again.
The reality about the rhetoric on violence
Killing of abortion foe should change how sides are viewed
Jim Pouillon was not a violent man. Jim Pouillon sat peacefully presenting his message on a street corner. He was like the vast majority of pro-lifers.
But feminists willfully ignore the majority to focus on those who commit violent acts to tar the whole movement and score cheap rhetorical points.
So what do these people say now that we have a self-confessed hater of anti-abortion advocates allegedly killing Pouillon and one other man while searching for a third when apprehended? Do they finally concede it’s possible to find fringe-group and lone-wolf nutcases on all sides of virtually every issue?
Legitimately enough, they can point out that there have been more violent incidents at the hands of those on the anti-abortion side. But the numbers are still small and that doesn’t let them off the hook for suggesting you can sum up a totality by reference to a minute fraction of it.
Jim Pouillon was not a violent man. Jim Pouillon sat peacefully presenting his message on a street corner. He was like the vast majority of pro-lifers.
But feminists willfully ignore the majority to focus on those who commit violent acts to tar the whole movement and score cheap rhetorical points.
A sick attempt at capital punishment
Gross:
If they just kept him alive, in jail, the United States would be no less safe. I'm all for law and order and punishing criminals. But we don't need to kill to protect society.
A death row prisoner was driven to trying to insert lethal injection needles into his own arms after executioners spent more than two hours failing to find suitable veins.
Romell Broom was seen sobbing as executioners at the Southern Ohio Correctional Facility in the United States repeatedly botched attempts to attach the IV tubes that deliver three lethal chemicals into the blood stream.
If they just kept him alive, in jail, the United States would be no less safe. I'm all for law and order and punishing criminals. But we don't need to kill to protect society.
Lotteries: a tax on the gullible
The Toronto Sun:
Why are governments in the business of running lotteries in the first place?
Yes, it is a money maker, and the money does provide cash for health and schools, but is that the government's job?
Isn't it, in a roundabout way, a form of wealth re-distribution? Except that the people who play these games tend to be on the lower end of the socio-economic spectrum...
And yes, they do give their money away voluntarily...but should governments be in the business of routinely taking money people's money for a non-tangible, dubious benefit, i.e. a chance at winning a jackpot?
In Canada, one of the first government-sponsored lotteries was sponsored by Mayor Drapeau of Montreal to help pay for Expo 67.
I can see the wisdom of holding a project-by-project draw to fund projects.
But that should be a function of the revenue department, on an as-needed basis.
Government shouldn't be in the gambling business.
Gambling fuels all kinds of unrealistic thoughts and behaviour. As nice as it would be to win the 14 million dollar jackpot, the prospect of winning it is pretty slim, and selling the dream is a bit of a rip off. You don't have to pay money to dream about it.
But people buy into it.
If people want to buy into it, that's their affair.
But governments shouldn't be involved in what amounts to a mass swindle.
The launch of Lotto Max -- the first new national lottery since Super 7 was launched 15 years ago -- has been about three years in the making, a coast-to-coast effort between the provincial lottery corporations.
Why are governments in the business of running lotteries in the first place?
Yes, it is a money maker, and the money does provide cash for health and schools, but is that the government's job?
Isn't it, in a roundabout way, a form of wealth re-distribution? Except that the people who play these games tend to be on the lower end of the socio-economic spectrum...
And yes, they do give their money away voluntarily...but should governments be in the business of routinely taking money people's money for a non-tangible, dubious benefit, i.e. a chance at winning a jackpot?
In Canada, one of the first government-sponsored lotteries was sponsored by Mayor Drapeau of Montreal to help pay for Expo 67.
I can see the wisdom of holding a project-by-project draw to fund projects.
But that should be a function of the revenue department, on an as-needed basis.
Government shouldn't be in the gambling business.
Gambling fuels all kinds of unrealistic thoughts and behaviour. As nice as it would be to win the 14 million dollar jackpot, the prospect of winning it is pretty slim, and selling the dream is a bit of a rip off. You don't have to pay money to dream about it.
But people buy into it.
If people want to buy into it, that's their affair.
But governments shouldn't be involved in what amounts to a mass swindle.
The Tory malady: pussyfoot conservatism
George Jonas:
If people vote for you, it's because they chose what you have to offer over the others.
Remember that.
The Tory story rarely varies. Whenever the centre-right wins an election, the centre-left allows that its opponents have the office, but denies they have the mandate. They can govern for a term, yes, but only by consensus, not according to their own lights. They may steer the bus to a mutually agreed destination. Driving it along a route of their choice is out of the question.
Majority isn't the issue. The centre-left reminds the centre-right of its inherent lack of mandate as soon as the votes are counted, whether the centre-right's win is a squeak or a landslide. This is especially true in Canada. The amazing thing isn't that the centre-left makes this declaration -- why shouldn't it? -- but that the centre-right often believes it, or acts as if it did. Majority or minority, Tories tend to govern apologetically, as if they were caretaker governments, probationary constables, relief politicians holding the fort until the real politicians catch their breath and return for the next spell of legitimate centre-left governance.
(...)
The Harper regime suffers from a case of fulminating pussyfoot-conservatism, explained if not excused by electoral verdicts that twice denied Harper a majority. Would winning a majority cure the Tory pussyfoot, or at least provide symptomatic relief? Ignatieff's folly may give us a chance to find out.
If people vote for you, it's because they chose what you have to offer over the others.
Remember that.
Let the Counter-Revolution Begin
My Chocolate Heart:
Unless we give sexual intercourse its due reverence, we'll never give human life its due reverence. The two can never be separated, as Pope Paul VI tried to tell the world in his prophetic encyclical, Humanae Vitae. If we don't regard all life as sacred -- and thus the creative act of sex -- then we will always find ways to rationalize and justify the murder of a child as a "right."
(...)
One criticism I hear often from people is that I and other Pro-Life folks ignore the real cause of abortions: unexpected/unwanted pregnancies. What needs to be addressed, they say, is the "tragedy of unexpected and unwanted pregnancies." Do you see what I mean? Pregnancy is a "tragedy" - not a miracle of life. There's that poisonous shift in our thinking. The creation of a new human being is a tragedy if we didn't expect it or want it. The tragedy isn't the new life; it's our self-centered, warped perspective.
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
Another ex-abortion worker comes forward with accusations against the Carhart clinic
And that makes for who have submitted a sworn statement.
Add another item to the abortion is a shady business file.
The latest former abortion worker to come forward left her job voluntarily. She told Operation Rescue that she had no medical background but routinely assisted with surgeries, started IVs, and dispensed medication without the proper credentials. She also indicated that she believed that Carhart was, at times, chemically impaired while on duty.
Add another item to the abortion is a shady business file.
Dammit Janet: the mud-slinging continues
It seems that the mud-slinging duo at Dammit Janet continue to engage in rash judgement, all the while denouncing pro-life "propaganda". They're pretty tone deft on the irony.
It seems that they object to my likening Jim Pouillon's death to abortion because he could not run away.
What a far-fetched idea! Two human beings of different ages who are like each other because in a life-threatening situation, they can't escape. Hoo, takes a lot of mental energy to process that one.
Does anyone else see the irony here, this coming from feminists-- for them it's: the woman, and ONLY the woman, and if another human being has to die because of feminists ideology, oh well. As Joyce Arthur says "fetuses are not that important."
Let's all remember what fern hill and Dbo are advocating here:
Being able to choose this is tantamount to woman's power. In their minds, if she cannot choose this, she cannot be free.
What a sad, irresponsible belief.
They insinuate that because I said it would be profitable to investigate the possibility that he could be canonized.
Profitable as in-- spiritually profitable.
But hey, they have no problem making up lies in their rash judgement of others, and then accusing others of lying.
What you project on others says a whole lot about you.
And by the way, I'm sure Jim Pouillon would be thrilled at the prospect of his canonization for having been martyred for the pro-life cause. But I guess that just doesn't occur to them that that is what he would have wanted. THEY manipulate Jim Pouillon for their ideology, then turn around accuse ME of doing the same, when chances are Jim Pouillon would have been happy to have had someone suggest he might be eligible for sainthood.
Jim Pouillon was not "matyrized". He is a martyr. Because some people cannot stand others telling the truth.
See, the mud-flinging duo at Dammit Janet want to make this about me, not abortion.
They don't want to talk about abortion. Abortion is gross. Abortion is no dig deal for them. The actual act is just so banal. Who cares if a fetus dies, right? It's just an unwanted human being inside a woman's body. The woman has no responsibility toward that other life if she doesn't want it.
They never address the issues. It's all about SHRIEEEKING and zygote zealots, foetus fetishists, lying liars lying their lies and other adolescent cliches.
They're fifty-year-old women acting like they're seventeen and they think it's oh-so-clever.
If fern hill and Dbo were doing this in a school yard, it would be the equivalent of bullying, i.e. spreading false gossip about others. But that doesn't stop them sleeping at night.
And one last thing. Fern hill says:
Yeah, so much less mud-flinging there. I guess certain posters are incapable of having a calm discussion about the actual issues, instead of engaging in yellow blogging. And again, the echo chamber thing is untrue, but they don't really about the truth right? As long as it smears their opponents, being the lying liars lying their lies is fine with them.
It seems that they object to my likening Jim Pouillon's death to abortion because he could not run away.
Right. So an adult man in a wheelchair is said to be like a fetus because of his disability.
What a far-fetched idea! Two human beings of different ages who are like each other because in a life-threatening situation, they can't escape. Hoo, takes a lot of mental energy to process that one.
The Fetus©™ fetishists. It's always about The Fetus©™ and only The Fetus©™ -
Does anyone else see the irony here, this coming from feminists-- for them it's: the woman, and ONLY the woman, and if another human being has to die because of feminists ideology, oh well. As Joyce Arthur says "fetuses are not that important."
Let's all remember what fern hill and Dbo are advocating here:
Being able to choose this is tantamount to woman's power. In their minds, if she cannot choose this, she cannot be free.
What a sad, irresponsible belief.
The Fetus©™ - because even an adult can be profitably re-purposed, martyrized, foetishized and canonized.
They insinuate that because I said it would be profitable to investigate the possibility that he could be canonized.
Profitable as in-- spiritually profitable.
But hey, they have no problem making up lies in their rash judgement of others, and then accusing others of lying.
What you project on others says a whole lot about you.
And by the way, I'm sure Jim Pouillon would be thrilled at the prospect of his canonization for having been martyred for the pro-life cause. But I guess that just doesn't occur to them that that is what he would have wanted. THEY manipulate Jim Pouillon for their ideology, then turn around accuse ME of doing the same, when chances are Jim Pouillon would have been happy to have had someone suggest he might be eligible for sainthood.
Jim Pouillon was not "matyrized". He is a martyr. Because some people cannot stand others telling the truth.
See, the mud-flinging duo at Dammit Janet want to make this about me, not abortion.
They don't want to talk about abortion. Abortion is gross. Abortion is no dig deal for them. The actual act is just so banal. Who cares if a fetus dies, right? It's just an unwanted human being inside a woman's body. The woman has no responsibility toward that other life if she doesn't want it.
They never address the issues. It's all about SHRIEEEKING and zygote zealots, foetus fetishists, lying liars lying their lies and other adolescent cliches.
They're fifty-year-old women acting like they're seventeen and they think it's oh-so-clever.
If fern hill and Dbo were doing this in a school yard, it would be the equivalent of bullying, i.e. spreading false gossip about others. But that doesn't stop them sleeping at night.
And one last thing. Fern hill says:
BTW, it's been pretty tumble-weedy over there lately. Since SHE turned moderation on and turned the joint into an echo chamber, a lot of people -- like moi -- have quit commenting.
Yeah, so much less mud-flinging there. I guess certain posters are incapable of having a calm discussion about the actual issues, instead of engaging in yellow blogging. And again, the echo chamber thing is untrue, but they don't really about the truth right? As long as it smears their opponents, being the lying liars lying their lies is fine with them.
The Catholic Church's Salvation: Tell it Like It Is
My latest from No Apologies:
Magisterial Catholics should keep on blogging and letting the higher-ups know what we think. Not out of a spirit of acrimony, but in the interest of having the Church speak the Truth so that there is no confusion among the laity.
Monday, September 14, 2009
Jim Pouillon's Murder Likened to Abortion
Terri Palmquist at the memorial service for Jim Pouillon:
"Jim had no way to run from this attack, just like the babies in the womb,"
"Jim had no way to run from this attack, just like the babies in the womb,"
Sunday, September 13, 2009
On received wisdom
Kathy Shaidle:
I've found this to be true time and again. I majored in history in university, and I continue to hold an interest in it, and I have found that our brains are not wired to remember the nuances and details of history, so what we derive and transmit from a given episode or evolution is a nutshell, devoid of context and the background story, that gets passed on and sometimes distorted. (Which is not to say that it's always wrong!)
Kathy Shaidle spoke of the issue of the purge of the Birchers from the conservative movement. I'm not familiar with that particular episode. But I've seen it in various narratives of history, particularly in Catholic Church history.
We tend to blame anti-Catholics for getting it wrong, and making stuff up. Faithful Catholics sometimes do it too- not maliciously, of course. It has to do with how we remember and transmit history in the vernacular. It's not a conspiracy. It's not an attempt at deception. It's just that we can't remember the whole story, particular in this day and age when we don't have oral history, and we downplay rote memorization.
The Spanish Inquisition is a topic I've read a good deal about. But don't ask me to recall the finer points of Henry Kamen's book on the subject. I know the facts that I like to bring up in debates on the issue, but I really couldn't give you a precise rundown on the historiography. We tend to forget what we learn because we're not made to remember huge amounts of interconnected facts on a large number of topics. Maybe some individuals have photographic memory, but those are the exceptions.
This is why I sometimes remain silent on salient points of the day. Does abortion lead to breast cancer? I'm inclined to believe it, but I can't say. Is Islam inherently violent? I can't say. Is climate change a fact, and is it man-made? Beats me.
Who has time to settle all these debates. In my world, whether abortion causes breast cancer, whether Islam is inherently violent, whether climate change is man-made is just not relevant.
I'm comfortable with not the truth, or even an opinion, on everything.
There are only so many hours in a day. It might be nice to have an ideology that tells you what to think on everything, but I just don't operate that way. When I have an opinion, it's because I feel sufficiently confident of the basis for it. And even then, some opinions with more conviction than others.
In other words, folks left and right need to be very careful when uttering truisms: "Kitty Genovese died because her neighbors didn't care..." "DDT is lethal..." "Women only earn X% of what men do..."
Again and again, these truisms prove to be untrue, but only after they've caused decades' worth of harm.
Unexamined received wisdom can operate like an undetected tumor.
Question everything you think you know. It's not only something we should be telling leftists to do, either.
I've found this to be true time and again. I majored in history in university, and I continue to hold an interest in it, and I have found that our brains are not wired to remember the nuances and details of history, so what we derive and transmit from a given episode or evolution is a nutshell, devoid of context and the background story, that gets passed on and sometimes distorted. (Which is not to say that it's always wrong!)
Kathy Shaidle spoke of the issue of the purge of the Birchers from the conservative movement. I'm not familiar with that particular episode. But I've seen it in various narratives of history, particularly in Catholic Church history.
We tend to blame anti-Catholics for getting it wrong, and making stuff up. Faithful Catholics sometimes do it too- not maliciously, of course. It has to do with how we remember and transmit history in the vernacular. It's not a conspiracy. It's not an attempt at deception. It's just that we can't remember the whole story, particular in this day and age when we don't have oral history, and we downplay rote memorization.
The Spanish Inquisition is a topic I've read a good deal about. But don't ask me to recall the finer points of Henry Kamen's book on the subject. I know the facts that I like to bring up in debates on the issue, but I really couldn't give you a precise rundown on the historiography. We tend to forget what we learn because we're not made to remember huge amounts of interconnected facts on a large number of topics. Maybe some individuals have photographic memory, but those are the exceptions.
This is why I sometimes remain silent on salient points of the day. Does abortion lead to breast cancer? I'm inclined to believe it, but I can't say. Is Islam inherently violent? I can't say. Is climate change a fact, and is it man-made? Beats me.
Who has time to settle all these debates. In my world, whether abortion causes breast cancer, whether Islam is inherently violent, whether climate change is man-made is just not relevant.
I'm comfortable with not the truth, or even an opinion, on everything.
There are only so many hours in a day. It might be nice to have an ideology that tells you what to think on everything, but I just don't operate that way. When I have an opinion, it's because I feel sufficiently confident of the basis for it. And even then, some opinions with more conviction than others.
Saturday, September 12, 2009
Murdered Pro-Life Activist was a Catholic-- Is He Worthy of Canonization?
OWOSSO, Michigan, September 12, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) - Fr. John Fain, the pastor of St. Paul Catholic Church in Owosso Michigan has expressed his sadness at the murder of his parishioner James Pouillon who he described as "a good Christian and a faithful Catholic." In a message to LifeSiteNews.com, Fr. Fain said Pouillon "was deliberately targeted for his fervent pro-life beliefs."
I wonder: did Jim Pouillon live a life of heroic virtue, i.e. is he worthy of canonization? On the surface of it, it looks like he might have. Consider this: he faithfully protested injustice, in spite of ephysema. He responded to violence with blessings. He stood up for his faith in the face of difficult circumstances, and ultimately died for speaking the truth.
I think it would be very inspiring if he were to be canonized. I like the idea of a genuine pro-life activist saint-- not necessarily one of the elites of the pro-life movement (although I can sense that some of them may be worthy of canonization, too) but he was an average schlub, by the looks of things, except for his disability.
Of course, I don't actually know him, but it might be profitable to investigate the possibility.
Abortion murder suspect Drake cuts arm in jail
And oh yeah:
Meanwhile authorities are investigating Pouillon’s murder as a possible hate crime.
If they charged him with a hate crime, I would laugh so hard. Somehow I doubt it, but it would be a good comeuppance.
I thought this might be a case of a guy who's depressed who wanted to settle some scores before doing himself in.
Meanwhile authorities are investigating Pouillon’s murder as a possible hate crime.
If they charged him with a hate crime, I would laugh so hard. Somehow I doubt it, but it would be a good comeuppance.
I thought this might be a case of a guy who's depressed who wanted to settle some scores before doing himself in.
The State and the Catholic Church
Brian Lilley:
And although arrangements have been made now and again, the Church has never ceded to the principal that she controls her own affairs, not the state.
When it comes to doctrine, canon law or personnel-- the Church does what she wants. And if the state doesn't like it, it can make martyrs out of us: we're not giving an inch.
That's why people left Europe. To run away from governments that thought they had the right to dictate to the people the doctrines and ethics of their churches.
The separation of church and state goes back long before Thomas Jefferson’s Letter to Danbury Baptists or to U.S. Supreme Court decisions banning school prayer in the United States. It goes back long before Canadians decided to large numbers to stop filling the pews of the local church and began viewing religion as something purely private matter. The truth of the matter is it was developed over centuries going back to medieval princes trying to secure control of local churches in Europe, hoping to make the seat of the bishop something they controlled along with the riches of the church.
And although arrangements have been made now and again, the Church has never ceded to the principal that she controls her own affairs, not the state.
When it comes to doctrine, canon law or personnel-- the Church does what she wants. And if the state doesn't like it, it can make martyrs out of us: we're not giving an inch.
That's why people left Europe. To run away from governments that thought they had the right to dictate to the people the doctrines and ethics of their churches.
The Politics of the Cross: Socialism and Capitalism
Craig Carter has an insightful post on the differences between capitalism and socialism-- and highlights why I really like his blog.
A lot of socialists seem to imagine that flaws invalidate the capitalist system but that flaws in the socialist system don't invalidate the socialist system. Why? Because socialism is rational and capitalism is pure evil, which means that my father's business was "pure evil." You have to be very highly educated (i.e. indoctrinated) in order to believe this level of nonsense.
Harlan Drake didn't think that kids should have to look at pictures of dismembered fetuses
But apparently he was okay with letting them watch a pro-life protester die in the flesh.
There's gotta be more to this story.
I wonder if Harlan Drake had an encounter with abortion in his life. I hope somebody involved in the investigation bothers to ask that question.
I understand that the day Jim Pouillon was killed, he wasn't displaying a graphic sign, but a sign with the picture of an infant with the word "life" over it.
There's gotta be more to this story.
I wonder if Harlan Drake had an encounter with abortion in his life. I hope somebody involved in the investigation bothers to ask that question.
I understand that the day Jim Pouillon was killed, he wasn't displaying a graphic sign, but a sign with the picture of an infant with the word "life" over it.
The Bishop of Peterborough speaks to his flock about the Human Rights Complaint
Says Bishop De Angelis:
And what's going to happen if the Human Rights Tribunal Rules against him? I hope he holds the line!
I fail to understand how secular powers and government agencies should think they are in a position to tell the Church that she is wrong in her internal rules and regulations, even though these have directed and shaped the life of the Church during the last 2000 years. However, this is what we face today. If the Human Rights Tribunal should choose to interfere with the Church's governance, this will be most shocking. The Tribunal has no authority to place itself as an arbiter of canonical precepts.
And what's going to happen if the Human Rights Tribunal Rules against him? I hope he holds the line!
Friday, September 11, 2009
"UPDATE: Officials say the shooter was offended by Pouillon's message and signs."
Interesting, interesting.
I can't wait to read more. I will definitively continue to follow the story.
How long will it take before the poor-choicers say anything?
Like it makes that big a difference. They should have just said "We reject the use of violence, we hope the culprit is caught and jailed" regardless of the motive.
Is that so hard?
From NPR:
I can't wait to read more. I will definitively continue to follow the story.
How long will it take before the poor-choicers say anything?
While pro-life advocates are hailing Pouillon as a martyr for the pro-life movement, pro-choice advocates say, it's too early to tell.
Like it makes that big a difference. They should have just said "We reject the use of violence, we hope the culprit is caught and jailed" regardless of the motive.
Is that so hard?
From NPR:
Harlan James Drake, 33, was charged Friday with first-degree murder in the deaths of James Pouillon, 63, and Mike Fuoss, 61, said Shiawassee County Prosecutor Randy Colbry.
"The defendant had ill will toward these three individuals — not for the same reason necessarily, but had a grudge," Colbry said.
(...)
Owosso Police Chief Michael Compeau said he also believed Pouillon was targeted.
"He was out protesting right across the street from the high school ... and there (were) multiple people around there and that person was targeted," Compeau said.
Feminists are a fringe group--A correction for Antonia Zerbisias
I'm thinking of making T-shirts: "Proud to be a member of that `left-wing fringe group' called`Women.'feminists"
Thank you for finally admitting that your government shut down the Court Challenges program in 2006 not just because, as then-Heritage Minister Bev Oda claim- ed in Parliament, you "recognize the importance of women" but because you believe that thatwomen'sfeminist rights are "left-wing fringe" rights.
That's better.
It's time that feminists stop conflating their ideology with the word "women".
Finally, thank you for revealing your nasty, petty and vindictive side, the one that you batten down when you know the cameras are on you.
But feminists are never nasty, petty or vindictive evuh.
Because it's okay when they do it.
Pro-Life Advocate Murdered Outside Michigan School While Protesting Abortion
I just want to say---
We don't know the motive, yet.
But it looks suspicious.
I ask myself: Why?
Why this person? Why at that time?
I hope this does not scare any pro-lifers from protesting.
Myself, I will not be deterred. Beat me up, shoot me-- I don't care. I will continue to speak up for the unborn, and should I suffer violence, I will offer my sufferings for the conversion of all involved in the abortion and for the recognition of the rights of the unborn.
Update at 12:51 pm--
This story just gets worse:
Update at 1:27 pm:
Dammit Janet:
Because that would be payback!
If not, tough luck, anti-choice pig! Good riddance! Our hands are clean!
UPDATE at 2:00 pm
From Worth Reading:
Update at 3:08 pm
Hours After Shooting of Elderly Pro-Life Man, Key Abortion Advocates Silent
We don't know the motive, yet.
But it looks suspicious.
I ask myself: Why?
Why this person? Why at that time?
I hope this does not scare any pro-lifers from protesting.
Myself, I will not be deterred. Beat me up, shoot me-- I don't care. I will continue to speak up for the unborn, and should I suffer violence, I will offer my sufferings for the conversion of all involved in the abortion and for the recognition of the rights of the unborn.
Update at 12:51 pm--
This story just gets worse:
Judy Climer, president of Flint Right to Life, described Pouillon to the Flint Journal newspaper as "just a nice, elderly gentleman who was disabled, used an oxygen tank and wore leg braces."
Climber said he would regularly visit abortion businesses in Flint and Saginaw to pray and hold pro-life signs.
"I knew him very well. He told me one time God put in his heart a passion for the little babies that have the right to be born and they were being denied that right," said Climer. "He even told me once he'd be willing to die for that belief. That's what I hear him saying right now."
Update at 1:27 pm:
Dammit Janet:
So, you know this is going to be spun as Just Exactly the Same as the decades-long harassment, stalking, vandalizing, wounding, and finally murder of Dr. George Tiller.
Because that would be payback!
This pro-choice advocate will condemn the shooting IF the accused is found to have acted on pro-choice beliefs.
If not, tough luck, anti-choice pig! Good riddance! Our hands are clean!
UPDATE at 2:00 pm
From Worth Reading:
If it turns out the killer was a pro-choice wacko, watch how fast this story disappears from the media’s radar screen. Alternatively, liberals will change the subject and launch into another screed for more gun control and/or Obamacare, so people “who need mental-health services can get them without going bankrupt.”
Update at 3:08 pm
Hours After Shooting of Elderly Pro-Life Man, Key Abortion Advocates Silent
Some six hours after the shooting, large pro-abortion organizations like NARAL, Planned Parenthood, NOW and Emily's List, which swiftly attacked pro-life advocates in the wake of the Tiller shooting, have yet to speak publicly about Pouillon's death.
Thursday, September 10, 2009
It's Suicide Prevention Week - Except for Old, Ill and Physically Disabled People
Their lives are too miserable and should be extinguished:
The reason I don't expect any complaints from suicide prevention organizations is that - to me, at least - they've made it pretty clear that they've written off the lives of old, ill and physically disabled people as "acceptable losses." I specify "physically disabled," because having a label of psychiatric disability too often leads to indefinite terms of forced institutional treatment - with or without a wish to commit suicide. But it's one thing to have concerns about excesses in the name of "prevention" and another thing to embrace the facilitation of suicides for select groups in the population.
Specifically, there is an appalling lack of voiced concern over the promotion of suicide in the populations of old, ill and physically disabled people. For the first few months of this year, there was nationwide coverage of the Final Exit Network - an organization that supports and facilitates the suicides of people with nonterminal disabilities and chronic conditions. Over the course of many months, stories appearing in countless outlets included the URL for the Final Exit Network in their stories. The website provided information on obtaining suicide instructional materials and how to get involved with the Final Exit Network. Most of the articles treated the Network and its "work" sympathetically.
In case you're wondering, suicide prevention groups do get involved in media issues. The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention and the Suicide and Mental Health Association International both have sections devoted to media issues. Except for a brief mention of suicide increases related to publication of Derek Humphry's book, Final Exit, there is no acknowledgment that the suicides of old, ill and physically disabled people are being facilitated and then covered in a way that legitimizes them in the press.
Suicide is a choice. People for the prevention of suicide try to talk some out of their choices, but not others.
And this isn't just about the legal issue of assisted suicide. It's about the culture that makes death the means to cut the Gordion knot of our problems.
The Left's Bogus Self-Image
Oz Conservative:
They form the elite in the hallowed halls of education. When you do not repeat their dogmas, you are uneducated. It doesn't matter that your brain is as knowledgeable and mentally agile as theirs-- if you do not accept their dogmas, you're essentially brain dead. I have noticed a trend among the left to never give an ounce of credit to their political opponents. To do so would put their status at risk.
Left-liberals like to imagine themselves as being dissenting outsiders battling a privileged establishment. The reality is that left-liberals themselves form an entrenched wing of the political establishment. The self-image is bogus.
They form the elite in the hallowed halls of education. When you do not repeat their dogmas, you are uneducated. It doesn't matter that your brain is as knowledgeable and mentally agile as theirs-- if you do not accept their dogmas, you're essentially brain dead. I have noticed a trend among the left to never give an ounce of credit to their political opponents. To do so would put their status at risk.
What's the matter with fetal models?
The fact is, they're effective.
It’s hard to argue that abortion simply destroys a blob of tissue, when you see an image of a being with eyes staring back at you. It’s difficult to claim that the fetus is a non-person, when a model of that entity looks a great deal like yourself at a younger and more innocent age.
That's why the now standard response from feminists is that these fetuses are depicted apart from the mother.
The feminists want the woman to not be forgotten because they think that if the woman is out of the picture, people will support fetal rights. But if the woman is in the picture, they will choose to support legal abortion.
I don't think that follows. I think most people will support the rights of the unborn even if the woman is in the picture.
My dream is to answer the criticism by developing some kind of model whereby the fetus and the mother are depicted in the most life-like fashion possible. It would be pretty difficult since the size of the fetus during the first trimester abortion ranges between the size of a grape and the size of a kiwi. If I were some kind of artist, I'd love to tackle that project.
Wednesday, September 09, 2009
Tuesday, September 08, 2009
Quotation on the Blessed Virgin Mary on the Feast of Her Nativity
When she approaches Her divine Son's throne, as Advocate She begs, as Handmaid She prays, but as Mother She commands.
- Pius IX, Tanto studio, February 19, 1805
Taken from the archives of Keys of Peter, a site of papal quotations.
Reasons Australian Women Don't Want Kids
Economic concerns were raised by more than 60 percent of Australian women who took part in a survey that sought the factors involved in their decision to delay having children.
Next came a woman's career being "too important to me right now" (40 percent), not having found the right partner (37 percent) and concerns about baby delivering a "loss of freedom" (31 percent).
I wonder: what is the fertility rate of rich Australian women?
I think the financial reason is often just another way of saying: "I'd rather do something else with my money." It's just more politically correct to say "I don't have enough money."
H/T: Semper Vita
Attorney general hears allegations against abortion biz
From that bulging abortion is a shady business file:
OR President Troy Newman said, "For the first time, we have sworn statements from women who have admitted that they were instructed to commit illegal activity at Carhart's abortion clinic in Bellevue, Nebraska. That makes their allegations compelling and convincing.
"These women came forward on their own to blow the whistle on Carhart out of concern for the safety and well-being of women. These are not pro-life activists by any stretch of the imagination," he said.
(...)
Among other allegations: Illegal post-viability abortions were performed, drugs went missing, there were unclean conditions and poor hygiene and Carhart himself was chemically impaired on duty.
(...)
The newspaper also reported it interviewed some of the former workers in confidence, getting the same allegations as Operation Rescue.
"Two of the women said they routinely started IVs at Carhart's clinic though they weren't registered nurses or certified licensed practical nurses, as required in Nebraska," the report said.
Another worker "said she frequently administered medication intravenously although she wasn't a certified LPN," the newspaper confirmed.
The newspaper also reported several of the witnesses it interviewed have drug convictions, including two who had criminal records before they were hired.
The 100 most popular bible verses on BibleGateway.com
For anyone who's ever had to engage in biblical apologetics, BibleGateway.com has become an essential tool on the internet. It has compiled a list of the 100 most popular bible verses from its website. As it explains, it's not a straight count, because it would have to include whole chapters. Rather, it lists according to searches of 3 lines or less.
1. John 3:16: For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
2. Jer 29:11: For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.
3. Rom 8:28: And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.
4. Phil 4:13: I can do everything through him who gives me strength.
5. Gen 1:1: In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
6. Prov 3:5: Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding.
7. Prov 3:6: in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.
8. Rom 12:2: Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.
9. Phil 4:6: Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.
10. Matt 28:19: Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
11. Eph 2:8: For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—
12. Gal 5:22: But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
13. Rom 12:1: Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship.
14. John 10:10: The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.
15. Acts 18:10: For I am with you, and no one is going to attack and harm you, because I have many people in this city.”
16. Acts 18:9: One night the Lord spoke to Paul in a vision: “Do not be afraid; keep on speaking, do not be silent.
17. Acts 18:11: So Paul stayed for a year and a half, teaching them the word of God.
18. Gal 2:20: I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.
19. 1 John 1:9: If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.
20. Rom 3:23: for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
21. John 14:6: Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
22. Matt 28:20: and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
23. Rom 5:8: But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
24. Phil 4:8: Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.
25. Phil 4:7: And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
26. Josh 1:9: Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.”
27. Isa 40:31: but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.
28. Eph 2:9: not by works, so that no one can boast.
29. Rom 6:23: For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
30. Gal 5:23: gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.
31. Isa 53:5: But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed.
32. 1 Pet 3:15: But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect,
33. 2 Tim 3:16: All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness,
34. Matt 6:33: But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.
35. Heb 12:2: Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
36. 1 Pet 5:7: Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.
37. Eph 2:10: For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
38. 1 Cor 10:13: No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.
39. Matt 11:28: “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.
40. Heb 11:1: Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.
41. 2 Cor 5:17: Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!
42. Heb 13:5: Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.”
43. 2 Cor 12:9: But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.
44. Rom 10:9: That if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.
45. Isa 41:10: So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.
46. Gen 1:26: Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.”
47. Matt 11:29: Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.
48. John 16:33: “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”
49. Acts 1:8: But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
50. 2 Tim 1:7: For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline.
51. Isa 53:4: Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows, yet we considered him stricken by God, smitten by him, and afflicted.
52. 2 Cor 5:21: God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
53. Rom 15:13: May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
54. John 11:25: Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies;
55. Heb 11:6: And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.
56. John 5:24: “I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life.
57. Jas 1:2: Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds,
58. Isa 53:6: We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all.
59. Acts 2:38: Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
60. Eph 3:20: Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us,
61. Matt 11:30: For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”
62. Gen 1:27: So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.
63. Col 3:12: Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.
64. Heb 12:1: Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.
65. Jas 5:16: Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.
66. Acts 17:11: Now the Bereans were of more noble character than the Thessalonians, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true.
67. Phil 4:19: And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus.
68. John 1:1: In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
69. 1 Cor 6:19: Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own;
70. 1 John 3:16: This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers.
71. Ps 133:1: How good and pleasant it is when brothers live together in unity!
72. John 14:27: Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.
73. Heb 4:12: For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.
74. John 15:13: Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.
75. Mic 6:8: He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.
76. Rom 10:17: Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ.
77. John 1:12: Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God—
78. Jas 1:12: Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him.
79. Jas 1:3: because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance.
80. Rom 8:38: For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers,
81. Rom 8:39: neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
82. Heb 10:25: Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.
83. 2 Pet 1:4: Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.
84. Phil 1:6: being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.
85. Ps 133:3: It is as if the dew of Hermon were falling on Mount Zion. For there the LORD bestows his blessing, even life forevermore.
86. Heb 4:16: Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.
87. Ps 37:4: Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart.
88. John 3:17: For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.
89. Acts 4:12: Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.”
90. Isa 26:3: You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in you.
91. 1 Pet 2:24: He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed.
92. Josh 1:8: Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful.
93. Matt 28:18: Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.
94. Col 3:23: Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men,
95. Matt 22:37: Jesus replied: ” ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’
96. Ps 133:2: It is like precious oil poured on the head, running down on the beard, running down on Aaron’s beard, down upon the collar of his robes.
97. Matt 5:16: In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.
98. Isa 55:8: “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the LORD.
99. Heb 4:15: For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet was without sin.
100. John 13:35: By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”
1. John 3:16: For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
2. Jer 29:11: For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.
3. Rom 8:28: And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.
4. Phil 4:13: I can do everything through him who gives me strength.
5. Gen 1:1: In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
6. Prov 3:5: Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding.
7. Prov 3:6: in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.
8. Rom 12:2: Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.
9. Phil 4:6: Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.
10. Matt 28:19: Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
11. Eph 2:8: For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—
12. Gal 5:22: But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
13. Rom 12:1: Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship.
14. John 10:10: The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.
15. Acts 18:10: For I am with you, and no one is going to attack and harm you, because I have many people in this city.”
16. Acts 18:9: One night the Lord spoke to Paul in a vision: “Do not be afraid; keep on speaking, do not be silent.
17. Acts 18:11: So Paul stayed for a year and a half, teaching them the word of God.
18. Gal 2:20: I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.
19. 1 John 1:9: If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.
20. Rom 3:23: for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
21. John 14:6: Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
22. Matt 28:20: and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
23. Rom 5:8: But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
24. Phil 4:8: Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.
25. Phil 4:7: And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
26. Josh 1:9: Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.”
27. Isa 40:31: but those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.
28. Eph 2:9: not by works, so that no one can boast.
29. Rom 6:23: For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
30. Gal 5:23: gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.
31. Isa 53:5: But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed.
32. 1 Pet 3:15: But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect,
33. 2 Tim 3:16: All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness,
34. Matt 6:33: But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.
35. Heb 12:2: Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
36. 1 Pet 5:7: Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you.
37. Eph 2:10: For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.
38. 1 Cor 10:13: No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.
39. Matt 11:28: “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.
40. Heb 11:1: Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.
41. 2 Cor 5:17: Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!
42. Heb 13:5: Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.”
43. 2 Cor 12:9: But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.
44. Rom 10:9: That if you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.
45. Isa 41:10: So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.
46. Gen 1:26: Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.”
47. Matt 11:29: Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.
48. John 16:33: “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”
49. Acts 1:8: But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
50. 2 Tim 1:7: For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline.
51. Isa 53:4: Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows, yet we considered him stricken by God, smitten by him, and afflicted.
52. 2 Cor 5:21: God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
53. Rom 15:13: May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
54. John 11:25: Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies;
55. Heb 11:6: And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.
56. John 5:24: “I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned; he has crossed over from death to life.
57. Jas 1:2: Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds,
58. Isa 53:6: We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all.
59. Acts 2:38: Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
60. Eph 3:20: Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us,
61. Matt 11:30: For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”
62. Gen 1:27: So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.
63. Col 3:12: Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.
64. Heb 12:1: Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.
65. Jas 5:16: Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.
66. Acts 17:11: Now the Bereans were of more noble character than the Thessalonians, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true.
67. Phil 4:19: And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus.
68. John 1:1: In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
69. 1 Cor 6:19: Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own;
70. 1 John 3:16: This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers.
71. Ps 133:1: How good and pleasant it is when brothers live together in unity!
72. John 14:27: Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.
73. Heb 4:12: For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.
74. John 15:13: Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.
75. Mic 6:8: He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.
76. Rom 10:17: Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ.
77. John 1:12: Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God—
78. Jas 1:12: Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him.
79. Jas 1:3: because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance.
80. Rom 8:38: For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers,
81. Rom 8:39: neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
82. Heb 10:25: Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.
83. 2 Pet 1:4: Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.
84. Phil 1:6: being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.
85. Ps 133:3: It is as if the dew of Hermon were falling on Mount Zion. For there the LORD bestows his blessing, even life forevermore.
86. Heb 4:16: Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.
87. Ps 37:4: Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart.
88. John 3:17: For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.
89. Acts 4:12: Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.”
90. Isa 26:3: You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in you.
91. 1 Pet 2:24: He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed.
92. Josh 1:8: Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful.
93. Matt 28:18: Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.
94. Col 3:23: Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men,
95. Matt 22:37: Jesus replied: ” ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’
96. Ps 133:2: It is like precious oil poured on the head, running down on the beard, running down on Aaron’s beard, down upon the collar of his robes.
97. Matt 5:16: In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.
98. Isa 55:8: “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” declares the LORD.
99. Heb 4:15: For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet was without sin.
100. John 13:35: By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”
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