Len Munsil and PRO-PAC
I was waiting to see what my good friend Len Munsil would do now that the election was over. and the wait was not very long. Len is setting up a Political Action Committee to do what he does best - advocate for those principles and values that best serve the human person, the family and the culture. I look forward to working with him as those of us in the pro-life and pro-family movements continue our efforts to restore protection to the unborn, protect and solidify laws that respect marriage, and influence government and society to embrace a culture of life.
What is exciting about Len's effort is that it will complement the work of groups like Arizona Right to Life and the Center for Arizona Policy. Just as CAP has been a leader these many years under the guidance of Len Munsil and Cathi Herrod in the pro-family arena, so now we can look forward to standing shoulder to shoulder with Len in promoting those issues that respect and protect the human person.
Len Munsil is a man with an optimistic vision for our state. Join me in wishing him the best on this new endeavor.
Amazing Grace - amazing movie
On Friday night I accepted an invite from a friend to join him, his wife and others to see the new movie, Amazing Grace, the story of William Wilberforce and his efforts to end the practice of the slave trade in the British empire. Alas, by the time we got to the theater, the tickets had all sold for that performance. We checked other theaters but the time and location did not allow for us to see the show immediately. We returned home debating whether to go to the later showing. When my daughter and her boyfriend came over and agreed to join us for the 9;30 pm show, we decided to go to see the movie.
It was definitely worth it.
I am not one for going to movies when they first come out. If I see a film in a theater, it is generally at the $2 cinemas. But I was very impressed with Amazing Grace and can heartily recommend it to all.
First off the story is compelling and even though most know that the slave trade was banned sometime in the 1800s, not many know how it was banned and in what way. The story of a man of principles and perseverance is one that needs telling, especially in our present world where the concept of fighting evil is to be avoided at all costs.
The director does an excellent job of moving us back and forth in time as we come to know the protagonist and his work. We view his struggles and those in his life who give him courage and counsel. There is a refreshing acknowledgement of the role God plays in William's life and how his faith in Christ is what has him to continue when all would have quit.
The acting is wonderful and the actor playing William captures the desires and frustrations of a political activist and a man seeking to serve God in this world. Albert Finney gives a tremendous performance as John Newton, the former captain of the slave ship who lives with the 20,000 ghosts and the chains that bound them in the bellies of those ships he sailed from Africa to the West Indies. The settings take you back to an England that has just finished the American Revolution and is fearful of what may taker place in France. The mood set by the music and the lighting is excellent.
The romantic interlude is done very well. The relationship between them is fresh and though-provoking. there is also humor which is very much needed to counterbalance the serious topic in the film.
This is a movie to take your older children (10 and up) to see and then discuss. The parallels to the pro-life movement and the struggle to end abortion are compelling. But the recurring theme in the film is the effect that one man can have when he puts his life in the service of the Lord. That one human being can make a difference, reminds us today that we cannot ever give up that noble cause to restore legal protection to the unborn, that we have a duty to protect the disabled, the dependent and the elderly, and that we can never underestimate the call that everyone of us has to protect human life.
You can make a difference. you can be a catalyst for change. Your involvement in the cause can save lives. What you do will have an effect that will last for eternity.
Take a chance. Get involved.
And don't forget the
AZRTL Gala this Saturday March 3, 2007 at the Chaparral Suites in Scottsdale. Tickets are still on sale. Call 602-285-0063 or go to
azrtl.org to register online.
Recognizing the obvious
Anchor Charles Gibson teased: "A tiny miracle that raises big questions in the debate over abortion." Setting up his top story, Gibson acknowledged the impact on the abortion debate: "The fact that she has survived and grown to more than four pounds, and is about to go home, is a miracle, yes, but a miracle that may have an effect on the debate over abortion. And it may change what people think about life..."
Has it taken this long for someone in the media to recognize the obvious?
Or is it still the exception to note that life refuses to be ignored.
When I first became involved in pro-life work many years ago, we used a pamphlet called "Life and Death."The graphic pictures of the dead unborn children were matched by a picture of a premature child born at 19 weeks. The actual picture showed the baby with a wedding ring around his arm. He was 23 weeks old from conception. I would use that picture in debates with pro-abortion advocates. They all hated it when I would ask them about the children in the pictures, if their lives were worth living, if they were really human, if they were part of the human family. Abortionists are amazing in their ability to ignore the obvious and spout some drivel they had branded into their brains. Their blindness to the reality of the humanity of the child seems propelled by an inner madness. There seems at times to be such a hatred for the human being that this hatred must be fed by the blood of the unborn.
So it is with some curiosity that we should watch and see if there will be any move by the press and the media in the future to report accurately the incredible truth surrounding the miracle not just of this birth, but of the mystery of life in the womb.
In the meantime it remains our duty to tell the truth every day - in every way possible. for we never know when our words or actions will not be used to save the life of one of these precious little ones.
the Quality of the Man
Senator Sam Brownback was in Phoenix on Wednesday night for a quick visit following a day down on the border. He spoke of the current issues of the day, Iraq, immigration, the need to control spending in Washington, the importance of staying true to principles.
His position of the life issues is well known. He has been a leader in advocating protection for the unborn, in defending the rights of the dependent and disabled, and in opposing efforts to spend federal tax dollars on destructive embryonic stem cell research. He believes in the sanctity of marriage and supports efforts to protect marriage from the current assault by those who advocate its destruction.
He has declared himself a candidate for the Republican race for president. Now the Washington pundits have not given him much time or attention. it does not matter now so early in the race.
What Sam Brownback can do though is meet the people of this great country and offer himself as a man of honesty and integrity, someone with the knowledge and the courage to do what is right, and someone who understands the sacred trust that politicians have when they are placed in high office.
Those of us in the pro-life movement have a champion in Senator Sam Brownback. We would all do well to get to know this gentleman from the state of Kansas.
Reserve you seats for the AZRTL Gala
It is that time of the year again when we at AZRTL sponsor our annual Gala to raise money for Arizona Right to Life . This year Life Educational Corporation is co-sponsoring the event. Our guest speaker will be U. S. Congressman Trent Franks, who is well known for his life long dedication to the pro-life cause.
The event is MARCH 3, 2007 at the CHAPARRAL SUITES in Scottsdale, AZ.The event will have a western theme - sort of a black tie and boots affair. There will be a silent auction throughout the night and the evening will conclude with dancing.
Our special honoree this year - the recipient of the Dr. Carolyn Gerster award - is Sheila Riely, the director of the life Choices Woman's Clinic. Sheila has been an active participant in the pro-life struggles since she was a young lass. Her activism has saved many a life over the last 20 years. I remember when she and her cousins first arrived in Phoenix and got involved in the pro-life effort. They brought a dedication, a zeal and a humility to the fight for life. The enemy has long attempted to silence Sheila without success. She has been instrumental in proving the purpose of the movement - to save lives and to show real love for the mother and her baby.
Finally we hope to have a surprise visit from one of the producers of the movie "Bella."
Please show your support for our work and honor Sheila Riely. Not only will you have a wonderful evening celebrating life, but your presence will remind others that we can make a difference - every one of us - one life at a time.
check us out at
www.azrtl.orgor call 602-285-0063
Defining Pro-Life for the 2008 Election
Already we see the candidates lining up, announcing their exploratory committees or declaring their intention to run for president.
For the Democrats, the announced candidates are falling all over themselves to ingratiate themselves with the hard left. Hillary wants to pull a Hugo Chavez on the oil companies and they all oppose the war. As for abortion, they would make it a sacrament except that they dare not use a religious term. Come 2008, democrats who want to support a pro-life candidate will not find anyone of the kind running for the Democratic nomination.
Actually that is too bad. A strong pro-life Democrat could probably win in Iowa just as Jimmy carter did in 1976 when he told the Iowa caucus that he was the only pro-life candidate in the race. They then flipped once he had the nomination and he had to kiss up to the pro-abortion extremists in the party. For you history buffs, that was the convention where the Democrats adopted a pro-abortion plank to the part platform. Over 10,000 pro-life activists protested the convention held at Madison Square Garden in New York City in the summer of ’76. I know because I was there protesting. It was that same summer I re-registered as a Republican.
It was the pro-life plank and the pro-life position that attracted me and millions of Democrats to the Republican party. The social conservatives that swelled the ranks of the GOP were for the most part disaffected Catholics and Evangelicals who found that their Democrat party had been hijacked by whacked out extremists from the 60s. In order to get the nomination in the Republican Party and win the White House, one must have the support of the pro-life voter. And so we see the dance that now begins along with the effort by some to cloud the issue.
Rudy Giuliani announced this week that he is running for president. On Hannity and Combs, he tried to explain that he is against abortion but would not change the law. He believes in the right to choose. Well Rudy, if you think it is permissible for someone to kill the child in the womb, then you are in favor of allowing child killing. If your think it should remain legal, then you are NOT pro-life. Any so-called pro-life activist who supports Giuliani is a traitor to the pro-life cause. He and others like him have sold out the children for an empty pot of fool’s gold and the desire for power.
Then there is this fellow called Mitt Romney who in the years past when running for the Senate claimed to be very much in favor of keeping abortion legal. He told the audience in on speech that he can Kennedy would have similar voting records if he was elected. Now I don’t want to discount his conversion. But I find it just a little coincidental that he starts to sound pro-life because he is seeking the presidential nomination. Further it is a sign of his inept so-called leadership that it was under his watch the that marriage in Massachusetts began to endorse perverted lifestyles.
He wants to be president, yet he cannot handle a court hostile to marriage. As the governor he should have encouraged the legislative branch to begin impeachment proceedings against the court. He should have declared their decision contrary to the state constitution and prevented the executive branch from acting out the law. It would have been messy but it would have shown some guts in a gutless world.
So Giuliani fails the test. Romney has a past that reveals him to be pro-abortion. (Again if his conversion is genuine, then he needs to show evidence of pro-life convictions. There are far too many politicians who have given the pro-life movement a line and then reneged on their promise.
Now a lot of conservatives do not like McCain. But give the fellow credit for a strong pro-life voting record. Two bad votes and McCain-Feingold do not help him, but compared with Romney and Giuliani, he has the credentials to argue that he is pro-life.
Nevertheless, McCain does have to stand aside and give Senator Sam Brownback the award for consistent and courageous defense of the pro-life cause. He has been a stalwart in the Senate, sponsoring bills, making sure that the bills get a hearing. He is not afraid of the issue. Unlike john McCain and others who skirt the pro-life message, Sam Brownback embraces the whole agenda. He actually believes that the law should be changed. And he is not afraid to go on record and explain the reasonableness and integrity of the pro-life philosophy as applied to government.
The other candidates simply do not have the name identification or the financial ability to see through a long race. These are the candidates to consider. If you are pro-life, then Brownback is your first choice of the four. McCain can claim the pro-life sticker, but the more engaging and attractive candidate for the movement is Sam Brownback of Kansas. And those are the facts.
