Romney does not understand the term "pro-life"
I listened to a portion of the Mitt Romney interview on the
Hugh Hewitt show this evening. As many of you know the former governor form Massachusetts has been courting conservatives and especially pro-lifers since making his announcement to seek the Republican nomination for president. Romney has some baggage on the right to life issue. When he ran against Ted Kennedy in 1994, he presented himself as very "pro-choice" and said that if elected he would support a "woman's right to choose." In 2002 he also stated that he was pro-choice in his run for governor. AS governor he has not had a very stellar record in support of pro-life measures and he incurred the wrath of the Massachusetts Citizens for Life Since announcing his candidacy, Romney has been tauting his "conversion" and raising the name of Ronald Reagan who while governor of California made the colossus error of signing a liberal abortions bill into law - a move he would later regret and attempt to make amends be endorsing a Human Life Amendment to the Constitution when he ran against Gerald Ford in 1976. He has hired certain prominent pro-life lawyers to be on his advisory committee. He has a very polished script and one could get the impression that his conversion is sincere.
Until you listen to the Hewitt interview.
Romney does not get it at all.
Abortion kills babies. It is not acceptable from the pro-life perspective to simply want to "return to the states" and let the states decide.
Decide what ?
Whether it is to be legal to kill children in the womb?
Whether it should be legal to kill them at 12 weeks or 20 weeks or because they are not "perfect."
Now don't get me wrong. There are some very dedicated pro-lifers who think the "states' strategy is the best way to end abortion in the land. They will argue that the movement is stronger at the local level and can get more accomplished once Roe v. Wade is overturned. These individuals would continue the battle until the scourge of abortion is driven from the land.
But Romney did not say that during the interview. He spoke of how each state should be able to decide, how one size does not fit all.
Excuse me? but what does he mean ?
Does he not understand the concept of equal protection under the law? Remarks like this indicate to me that he does not get it. He does not understand that we in the pro-life movement are very serious when it comes to giving our support for the right candidate. We do not need to get burned again when it comes to politicians who will say anything to get elected. Lest anyone think that this was a mere slip of the tongue, Romney's comments regarding the Terri Schiavo tragedy point out his lack of understanding of that matter as well. He does not know the meaning of the term pro-life. He has no business calling himself pro-life when he is unwilling to stand up and protect ALL human life. Those who are shilling for him should be aware that he does not have a true understanding of the situation.
And a final note. When Reagan made his mistake, it was 1970. When George Herbert Walker Bush sat down with Jack Wilke to view the slides, it was 1980. Both Reagan and Bush then embraced the notion that the nation needed a Human Life Amendment to the U.S. Constitution to end the nightmare. Mitt Romney has had the benefit of watching and listening to the pro-life movement and these previous presidents for the last 34 years. Mitt Romney has had the opportunity to view the latest in 4D ultrasound. Mitt Romney can go over to
Youtube and see the unborn child. So why does he wait until he decides to run for president to 'find the light."
I will spare you the analysis of what he did or did not do in Massachusetts for another time.
Brownback continues to impress voters
Sam Brownback took his message of compassionate conservatism to New Hampshire and impressed both the audience and the news reporters with his candor, consistency and concern for the plight of Americans and people throughout the world. Boldly proclaiming himself pro-life and whole life, Brownback told listeners that America must respect the right to life of all persons and promote respect for life throughout the world by taking very concrete steps to help those who are starving due to famine and political unrest.
His message is very attractive to the next generation of voters.His campaign continues to focus on the grassroots and it will be interesting to see when he moves into the top tier as Giuliani, McCain and Romney continue to slug it out.
Steve Benson and Senator John McCain
Leave it to Steve Benson, editorial cartoonist for the Arizona Republic, to attack Senator John McCain for being pro-life.
In a recent editorial cartoon, Benson does just that claiming that the good senator wants to throw women "overboard" by supporting the reversal of
Roe v. Wade.Of course it is
Roe v. Wade that has been throwing women overboard for the last 34 years by treating them as objects and property rather than the persons they were created to be.
The abortion industry has long exploited the economic and social pressures that an unintended pregnancy may cause a woman. And for a fee, the abortionists have all been very willing to "take care" of the "problem" so that the woman could continue her life uninterrupted. Except that for the vast majority of women, the "interruption of a pregnancy" and its subsequent destruction never leaves the woman. She will remember this event for the rest of her life. And the event will color her relationships with everyone she knows or will know in the future.
The real "lifesavers" who throw out the "lifeline" to the mother in distress are the emergency pregnancy services and the right to life movement as a whole. These organizations offer real hope and healing to women in distress. Rather than try to sweep the reality under the table, the pro-life side addresses real problems and offers real long term life affirming solutions. Senator McCain knows this and that explains in part why he supports the efforts of the pro-life movement.
The real tragedy is the downward slide of Steve Benson from being someone who defended the innocent and the helpless to a cold calloused individual who just doesn't care anymore. What led him to his own embrace of the culture of death cannot be a lack of knowledge. Steve and I were friends at one time. He spoke at right to life functions showing his cartoons where he mocked the proprietors of the abortion industry and their political minions who kissed up to these purveyors of death. He and Chuck Assay, another cartoonist, would do a slide presentation ( this was in the late 1980s) and speak about the unborn child and the mother and how we all needed to be involved in some way. He was funny; he was sharp; he was passionate.
I still have some of his cartoons, one where he blasts Planned Parenthood for suggesting Mrs. Beethoven have an abortion, another where he compares the abortion mills to the crematoriums in Nazi Germany. He entitled it "Reich to Choose." The box cars leading to the crematoriums had "PP" on the side. But one of my favorite cartoons shows a Planned Parenthood office and a crisis pregnancy center side by side. Through the window of the Planned Parenthood office is the employee waving her hand at a teen age girl, screaming, "What?!!? Good heavens, girl, you don't want to go next door! They'll just manipulate you into not having the abortion we're trying to talk you into!"
What happened to Steve Benson is most likely tied to a number of things we will never know.
But in my last conversation with him years ago, he could not answer my questions. Perhaps the desire to get along with a more liberal environment, coupled with events in his family and church life, and a mid-life crisis, explains his abandonment of these pro-life principles. That is something that he will have to discuss in the depths of his heart with God.
Giuliani and the pro-life vote
There are those pundits and writers who are making the effort to build up Rudy Giuliani in an effort to force him onto conservatives by claiming that he is the only one who can defeat Hillary Clinton. These arguments ask pro-lifers to put aside their deeply held beliefs that only a candidate who hold life sacred can be considered qualified for public office. Claiming that Giuliani has the credentials to fight the war on terror, these apologists for the former New York mayor claim that if he agrees to appoint conservative judges, pro-lifers should not demand that he adhere to a pro-life position.
A recent article in the March 12, 2007 Weekly Standard by Noemie Emery makes this argument. However the argument is flawed for a number of reasons. Emery gets the history wrong as well in discussing the 1976 and 1980 elections, but that is a side issue.
Pro-life candidates who were not wimpy, squeamish or flip-floppers have traditionally done well against pro-abortion candidates all things being equal. There is no reason for any Republican to apologize for being a protector and defender of women and children. There is no reason for any Republican to fear taking a pro-life position. Ronald Reagan took a strong pro-life position and won two elections. The press hated Reagan and his entire agenda. No matter, the people wanted someone who took the view that America was a shining city on a hill. Yet even though in 1980 Reagan won and right to life knocked off ten pro-abortion U.S. senators, the consultants and the pundits refused to give the movement any credit and moved immediately to marginalize the successes we had brought to the table. Indeed the pro-life leadership was not even allowed to sit at the table. And so the incremental; approach was devised.
Years have passed and the Republican leadership in the House and Senate ( Gingrich included) have failed to deliver on the promises made to the right to life movement. There have been some efforts due to the courageous work of Chris Smith, Henry Hyde and lately Sam Brownback. But the failure to eliminate funding to Planned Parenthood, the failure to get more judges appointed to the courts, and the failure to enact legislation to prevent foreign aid from being used to promote pro-abortion policies abroad, offset the various successes over the last many years.
As for Rudy Giuliani, he tells us he thinks abortion is bad. BUT, he thinks it should be legal.
Lets substitute some other issues and repeat the sentence:
He tells us prostitution is bad, but he thinks it should be legal.
He tells us slavery is bad, but he thinks that it should remain legal.
Is there a problem here?
So what is the difference between him and Hillary, or Obama or john Kerry, or John Edwards on the abortion issue?
As long as abortion is legal, babies die.
As long as abortion is legal, women are victimized, coerced, assaulted and injured.
And this guy wants to be president.
Any candidate who thinks it is permissible to allow for the killing of children in the womb does not understand the principles of the Declaration of Independence and U.S. Constitution. Both documents acknowledge that each one of us has a right to life. The Constitution speaks about a process that must be followed if government is to take away that right to life.
Now why would any true blue conservative who honestly respects the right to life of every human being join the Giuliani camp?
Why should they be willing to trust a person who will not protect a little child?
Why should they be willing to trust someone who thinks so little of the institution of marriage?
Why should they think that this guy could beat someone who he was afraid to run against in New York for the U.S. Senate?
It is not enough for Rudy Giuliani to say he will appoint justices to the Supreme Court like Alito and Roberts. The same kind of people arguing that one should trust Giuliani put up the Sandra Day O’Connor and David Souter.
If Rudy Giuliani wants to be taken seriously, then he needs to do one very serious thing. He needs to get right with the Truth. He needs to sit down with someone like Fr. Frank Pavone, Mark Crutcher, Joe Scheidler, Jack Wilke and see for himself the evil that abortion is. He needs to publicly admit that he was wrong do penance for the public scandal he has caused. Then and only then can he consider running for public office. Is it too much to ask? I think that the American people should demand from their politicians some integrity for change. Of course the truth is that we generally get the politicians we deserve. After all they come from our ranks. Yet deep down I think we all want some honesty and straight talk that goes beyond simple slogans. We live in a very dangerous world. The United States has some serious enemies. We need leaders in Washington who appreciate what is at stake. Yet it is only when one has a sense of the core values of this Republic, the ideals that have always been the soul of this nation, that one can be trusted to do what is needed.
Respect for the right to life. Essential.
Anything less. Not acceptable.
Mr. Giulani, unless you realize that every human being from the moment of conception has a right to life, you have no business asking anyone to support your bid for public office. Unless you embrace a pro-life position, no self-respecting pro-lifer will vote for you, no matter what the straw polls say. As for the pundits, they do not understand the depth of this movement or the next generation getting ready to take the reins.
Gala - a great success
To all those who joined us for our Annual Arizona Right to Life GALA this past Saturday, thank you for making it a very successful evening.
We honored a wonderful young lady, Sheila Riely, for her 20 years of life saving work in the pro-life movement.
We heard from Congressman Trent Franks who reminded us of the marvels of creation and the importance of applying our wonder at creation to the protection of all persons.
We listened to Melanie Welsch count all the ways that Arizona Right to Life is making an impact throughout the state.
And we celebrated the fellowship of comrades who recommitted themselves to the work before us.
AZRTL can always use the best and the brightest to expand its presence in the state.
So consider the idea of spending some of your time and money saving lives. .... Can you think of a better use of your time?
No, I can't either.
Give us a call. You'll be glad you did.
CPAC - get with the program
So now we have the results in form the latest
CPAC convention and guess what - the attendees think that the life and family issues actually matter. Even though the powers that be would like to avoid talking about abortion and marriage, the conservatives throughout the country, the so-called 'values voters,' still rank these issues as paramount.
This is why
so many of them have become involved in politics.
The truth is that most of us would prefer to be with our families, our spouses and our children. We sacrifice our time out of a genuine love for this country and the future. so I am most distressed when I see the professional pundits and consultants attempt to brush off the concerns of so many in this nation.
The ramifications of 34 years of legal abortion have yet to be considered. It is interesting that studies are done on so many random things, from the amount of
caffeine in the diet to whether people get enough sleep at night. But when it comes to abortion and the effects it has had and will have on the society, there is an eerie
silence - as if no one is permitted to discuss it.
A friend of mine mentioned how he
brought up the subject during a dinner conversation
among a group he thought would be sympathetic and the silence was deafening.
Let us be clear. The Pro-life
movement is not going away. No matter how much we are ignored, no matter how much we are derided, no matter how much we are attacked, we shall continue until we prevail in restoring legal protection to the unborn and until we stop the senseless killing of the elderly. Yet every day we are delayed means more who will die - whether it be in the abortion mills or in the hospice and hospitals. The tragic irony is that those who gave us abortion on demand may soon be the ones who are killed by legal euthanasia unless we stop it.
This country - a noble experiment in freedom - may find itself unable to protect itself from those forces both within and without who would strip us of that very freedom. Unless we stand up now and demand protection for all persons, we are hardly in the position to ask God's blessings and protection upon this nation. So beg for His mercy and work to end
this modern day holocaust.
As for the political forces who seek to strangle the movement, it will not happen. While I see those who would make an effort to divide the leadership and confuse the rank and file, they will be exposed for the treachery that they would cause. And by
God's mercy and grace, a leader will
emerge who will sound the clarion call for a new birth in freedom,
echoing the words of Abraham Lincoln, that these dead shall not have died in vain.
Obama's hypocrisy
Ba
rack Obama was in Selma, Alabama trying to claim the mantle of the civil rights movement. He tried to give credit to the "Moseses" of the movement and said that he was standing on the shoulders of giants as one of the new "Joshuas." All of this was happening in a church so the use of the analogy was not particularly unusual.
What was a little unusual was his reference to fathers being fathers. As he condemned the cycle of poverty, he reminded his audience that they too were responsible for its continuation. He said.
"We have too many children in poverty in this country and everybody should be ashamed, but don't tell me it doesn't have a little to do with the fact that we got too many daddies not acting like daddies. Don’t think that fatherhood ends at conception. I know something about that because my father wasn't around when I was young and I struggled."
So guess what?
Barack Obama knows that human life begins at conception. I guess when he is speaking to a audience in church, he knows better than to claim ignorance on the subject.
So here is the million dollar question?
If human life begins at conception, why are
you, Barack Obama, in league with those who terminate - dare I say kill - the lives of - hundreds of thousands of African-American babies through abortion?
How can you, Barack Obama, claim the mantle of the civil rights movement when you will not even recognize the smallest members of our human family?
And you think that you are qualified to run for president?
Wake up and realize that every human being has a right to life, be they the children of African-Americans, Latinos, Native Americans, or those whose ancestors are from Europe, Asia, Australia, Africa or the Middle East.
Abortion kills a human being. Abortion hurts women It has no place in civilized society.
and remember that it was moses who brought down the commandments of God and one of them said - THOU SHALT NOT KILL.
That includes unborn babies.
