Pro-Life

POSTED BY JHW22

I just read this article on the effects of a down economy on infant mortality. I feel sick and angry. Angry at the GOP for effectively defining what it means to be "pro" LIFE. Why the hell don't we, as liberal, progressive, bleeding-hearts take that word, LIFE, back. WE are the party that fights for the survival of the weakest among us.

Being Pro-Life should mean not turning your back on the struggling class in America. Being Pro-Life should mean dumping the B.S. of "personal responsibility" as a way to deny people survival and instead reclaiming the real Christian support of Pro-Life -- helping the poor rather than rhetorically and politically spitting on them.

I am Pro-Life: I support policies and funding of any program that will give a woman a healthy body, that will give a child a healthy and real chance at a full life. Pro-Life isn't about the abortion issue. It's about how you support the life of the person you think is lazy, worthless and looking for a handout. If you don't value their lives, don't call yourself Pro-Life just because you like to tell women what they can and can't do with their own bodies. Pro-Life means you will fight as hard for those outside the womb as those inside. I am Pro-Life and I am Pro-Choice because I value a woman enough to give her all the resources she needs to live the best life she can. And I want a child to have the chance to be the best he or she can be.

Pro-Life Clowns

Via GottaLaff:

In support of a bill that proposes banning abortions after the first heartbeat (something that can happen within eighteen days of conception), the anti-abortion group Faith2Action has scheduled a nine-week-old fetus to testify as a legislative witness before Ohio’s House Health Committee.

Look, I can completely understand being an advocate for one side or another, but stupid stunts like this make the pro-life advocates look idiotic. And these are most likely the same people that agree with tort reform because they believe medical malpractice suits are are a "frivolous" waste of taxpayer money. Well how much money is being wasted on this debacle of a hearing?

Barbara Bush is One Crazy Mamma Jamma

If this story is true, and it's from the horse's mouth so why should it be doubted, then it's the first time I feel sympathy for George W. Bush. From Decision Points:

George W. Bush’s pro-life stance solidified when he was a teenager in Texas—after his mother suffered a devastating miscarriage and showed him the fetus in a jar, the former president said in an extraordinary interview that airs tonight.  

“She said to her teenage kid, ‘Here’s the fetus,’ ” the shockingly candid Bush told NBC’s Matt Lauer, gesturing as if he were holding the jar during the TV chat, a DVD of which The Post exclusively obtained.

“There’s no question that affected me, a philosophy that we should respect life,” said the former president, who had to drive his distraught mother to the hospital at the time.

What kind of parent does that?

(H/T Balloon Juice)

Quote of the Day

"That's why people need to continue to go to the town halls, continue to melt the phone lines of their liberal members of Congress, and let them know, under no certain circumstances will I give the government control over my body and my health care decisions." -Michele Bachmann

Thanks for making the Pro-Choice argument, you Pro-Life twit.

Jon Stewart Getting Under Scarborough's Skin

Joe Scarborough loves to talk about civil discourse except when it is inconvenient for him:

[He] claims to be all about civil discourse -- not resorting to hyperbole or personal attacks. Except, of course, when he does it. All the time. This morning, for example, Joe thinks Jon Stewart is angry because he's short.

Maybe Jon Stewart should invite Scarborough on the Daily Show to "plug his book" and they can hash it all out. Of course, Scarborough would never do it because he's a fucking coward and will be afraid to be shown for the phony that he is, just like Jim Cramer was schooled.

What Does Joe Scarborough Stand For?

Here's Scarborough on Hardball last night. He can't seem to reconcile his own contradictory position while touting his book on being a self described libertarian.

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Joe's finally making some sense. You can't claim you're for smaller government and then want a nationwide ban on abortion and gay marriage. But when asked what side of the fence he's on, he says it doesn't matter what he thinks.

On one hand he is a pro-life and anti-gay marriage advocate but on the other hand, he thinks those are states rights issues and that it doesn't matter what he thinks personally. But it DOES matter because he has a vote. He doesn't seem to clue in on that fact. His vote counts. Especially when he was in office.

When Matthews presses him on it, he refuses to answer directly, jumping back and forth between states rights and federalism. The funny part is that he espouses some commom sense things regarding conservatism (small "c") but can't reconcile himself between the ideology of conservatism and political conservatism.

And by now, you'd think he would learn just to let the Stewart stuff roll off his back because Jon isn't going to let it go. But he can't because Scarborough reveals himself to be a short-fused, thin-skinned whiner whenever he gets into situations like this. Taking the high road is easier said than done.

(H/T Bob Cesca)

Rush Limbaugh Stands By His Convictions

NOT!

LIMBAUGH: If I could be convinced that Sonia Sotomayor might be the biggest hope for overturning Roe v. Wade down the line, then I might be persuaded to look at her nomination in a different light... She would be the sixth Catholic on the Supreme Court. … She’s a Catholic, a devout Catholic, she hasn’t got a record on [abortion] … I can see a possibility of supporting this nomination if I can be convinced that she does have a sensibility towards life.

This is the same Rush Limbaugh (ugh, imagine if there were more than one?) who called Sotomayor a racist, insisted that her nomination be withdrawn and called for GOP opposition.

Apparently in Limbaugh’s view, when judges allow their religious backgrounds to directly influence their rulings in ways conservatives view favorably, it’s blind justice. When judges remark that being a minority can give individuals perspective on the impact of their rulings, it’s racism.

Frank Schaeffer on Rachel Maddow

I sat around today thinking of the murder of Dr. George Tiller, about his pro-life murderer and how I felt about it. As I've said before, pro-life does not mean pro-abortion, but that nuance gets lost on many not so clear-minded thinkers (or non-thinkers as the case may be.) I didn't want to haphazardly put down some words in the heat of the moment as I tend to do on occasion. Not on this subject.

Then I caught Frank Schaeffer on The Rachel Maddow Show and I felt that he said what I feel better than I could have said it, so I'll let him have at it.

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By the way, Bill O'Reilly is some piece of work, huh? What an abhorrent human being.

The "I'm So Wrong, I Shouldn't Be Allowed To Speak" Quote of the Year

“Why would the Department of Homeland Security single out groups like pro-life supporters when they should be focusing on identifying and apprehending the real terrorists – like al-Qaeda – groups that have vowed to destroy America? This characterization is not only offensive to millions of Americans who hold constitutionally-protected views opposing abortion – but also raises serious concerns about the political agenda of an agency with a mandate to protect America.”

- Jay Sekulow, Chief Counsel of the Ameican Center for Law and Justice on the DHS issuing a right wing extremist report.

And the Winner of Obama/McCain III Is...

... Joe the plumber. Joe found out that under Obama's plans, he won't have his taxes raised (he makes less than $250,000 the year) and that Obama's health plan won't put him out of business. Joe the plumber should vote for Obama. But he probably won't.

I'm confused as to whether McCain's performance was his best or his worst of the three debates. His best line, "I'm not President Bush. If you wanted to run against President Bush you should have run four years ago" did score some points for about a minute before Obama retorted that if he confused McCain's policies with Bush's, it's because McCain supports W.'s policies so vigorously. Nevermind the fact that McCain DID run against George Bush four years ago and got his wrinkly ass kicked.

Obviously Obama won the night. All polls show that uncommitted voters (jeez, there are still uncommitteds out there?) and independents called it for Obama.

CBS Uncommitted Voters:
Obama 53%
McCain 22%
Tie 24%

CNN
Obama 58%
McCain31%

McCain cannot help himself. There is no question that he is a condescending curmudgeon and he is incapable of it. Perhaps this is the main reason he is lost every debate. I would like to think that it's because of his policies and his confusing arguments when trying to make his points, but the dumbing down of America has gotten to the crossroads of whether or not you "like" the person. Too many people vote for the likable person instead of the qualified person - luckily in this case, the likable person is the qualified person.

McCain subverting his own argument off the bat when describing William Ayers as not caring about "an old, washed up terrorist" didn't help him and abrogated the whole Ayers debate even before Obama responded, which he did succinctly along with the responding to the ridiculous ACORN scandal.

Where I feel McCain truly went off the rails was the abortion rights issue.

McCain: Just again, the example of the eloquence of Sen. Obama. He’s health for the mother. You know, that’s been stretched by the pro-abortion movement in America to mean almost anything.
That’s the extreme pro-abortion position, quote, “health.”

No, Senator McCain. Two points: first, there is no "pro-abortion" position in this country, it's called "Pro-Choice." I think you can pretty much guarantee that everyone who is pro-choice is is not "pro-abortion." Second, consideration of the health of the mother is not the "extreme" position. In fact, it's the Supreme Court's position. And again, if McCain wasn't so worried about throwing a bone to his evaporating base, he might not have said something so stupid. Trying to make the health of the mother a dance around a talking point on Obama's "eloquence" was a huge mistake when the majority of Americans are pro-choice.*

The drinking word of the night? Joe the plumber.
________________________________________
* Still researching the numbers.

Bristol Palin CHOOSES To Have Her Baby

1 - The McCainstream Media nor anyone other than the Palin family and the McCain campaign brought this up. Remember that when you hear the right wing attempt to make this about Bristol's right to privacy and accuse the Democrats of exploiting the issue.

Here is the statement:

"Our beautiful daughter Bristol came to us with news that as parents we knew would make her grow up faster than we had ever planned. We're proud of Bristol's decision to have her baby and even prouder to become grandparents," Sarah and Todd Palin said in the brief statement. "Bristol and the young man she will marry are going to realize very quickly the difficulties of raising a child, which is why they will have the love and support of our entire family," they added.

Barack Obama's statement:

Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama said on Monday the pregnancy of Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin’s daughter was not relevant to the campaign and reporters should back off of it...

“People’s families are off-limits and people’s children are especially off-limits,” Obama told reporters following a campaign event in Monroe, Michigan. “This shouldn’t be part of our politics. It has no relevance to Gov. Palin’s performance as a governor or potential performance as a vice president. So I would strongly urge people to back off these kinds of stories,” he added.

... A senior McCain campaign aide was quoted in the Reuters story as suggesting that Obama’s campaign was linked to the bloggers who were spreading the rumors.

“I am offended by that statement,” Obama said when asked about it by a reporter. “There is no evidence at all that any of this involved us. Our people were not involved in any way in this and they will not be,” he added. “And if I ever thought there was somebody in my campaign that was involved in something like that, they’d be fired.”

Subject closed.

2 - According to the Palin family statement, Bristol Palin made the "decision"? What decision? I thought Pro-Lifers didn't have a decision to make.

3 - Roe v. Wade protects PRIVACY, which is why this matter should be dropped and not politicized in terms of speaking about Bristol, but isn't it fair game to question Sarah Palin about her Pro-Life stance and ask, "Why is it okay for you or your daughter to CHOOSE to have a baby, but it's not okay to CHOOSE to have an abortion?"

It's called "Pro-Choice" not "Pro-Abortion." Abortion is not the issue. The right to have a CHOICE and the right to PRIVACY in making that choice are the issues.

UPDATE (9/2/08 9am):

A commenter named "Reality Based" on Jake Tapper's blog makes a very articulate point... a lot more articulate than I did late last night after a day of barbeque and beer:

You know, ordinarily I’d agree with the proposition that a candidate's children matters should be generally off limits. But in this case the McCain/Palin campaign has made it absolutely relevant by trumpeting Palin’s family life and “authenticity” as some sort of qualification to the vice-presidency, and thus the presidency. Palin rides shotgun on the fundie’s wet dreams of banning abortion and punishing premarital sex. Then her own teenage daughter has an unplanned pregnancy, and she “chooses” to keep the baby (a choice that Palin would deny MY daughter). It is not inappropriate to point out the arrogance and mean-spiritedness on display here.

Absofuckinlutely.