Five Years Ago Today

First, watch this video:

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Now, I want to reflect upon my personal journey from when I first thought about abortion in 1992 to when I first watched this video in October 2017.

Where I Was in 1992

I was engaged to Karen.

I drank booze.

I was an idiot.

I supported Bill Clinton in 1992.

That's what I want to focus upon.

At the time, I worked at a telemarketing company called APAC in Cedar Rapids, IA. I vividly recall that on Election Day 1992, APAC had a contract to call either on behalf of then-President George Bush or on behalf of then-candidate Bill Clinton. At the time, I didn't like President George Bush for the dumbest of reasons: Steve Nall, my high school friend, was married to a woman named Teresa at the time that the Gulf War began in Winter 1991. Steve then bravely went to fight for America in the Gulf War in Iraq. Among the many literal casualties, there was also a casualty that hit me close to home: his marriage. I learned that Steve and Teresa were getting a divorce or, possibly, were already divorced by Fall 1992. Because of my unfounded belief that Steve and Teresa would have stayed married if Steve had not gone to the Gulf War, I didn't support President George Bush. THAT was why I believed Clinton would be better than Bush.

What I didn't realize was that Bill Clinton was pro-choice and President George Bush was pro-life. I didn't grasp the topic of abortion in any way, shape, or form. I wrote a song in July 1991 called "Keep Your Hands from my Body" as I drove from Cedar Rapids, IA, to a Writer's Workshop in Antioch, OH, because I saw a bumper sticker with that slogan. I didn't realize that the bumper sticker was, basically, a pro-choice bumper sticker because abortion was not on my radar.

Where I am in 2020

Abortion is murder.

Period.

What I am not doing with this post is making excuses for who I was in 1992. Rather, I'm documenting that I was an idiot in 1992 and I pray that I am not an idiot in 2022!

On April 3, 2020, COVID-19 was ravaging through America. Thousands were dying, just as they do from abortions, across the country. In April 2020, President Donald Trump was holding daily press briefings about the steps he was taking to help fight what he called at the time "a war against an invisible enemy." The press did not want to cover these press briefings. Here's a video by Sean Hannity, who was on Fox News at the time, talking about it:

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I don't know the future.

On April 3, 2020, I sincerely hope and pray that Joe Biden is not elected president in November 2020.

On April 3, 2020, I sincerely hope and pray that Donald Trump was re-elected in November 2020.

On April 3, 2020, I sincerely hope and pray that COVID-19 has a vaccine.

There's a lot of work to be done in the next 928 days!

Democrats are making abortion a purity test for their voters.

Democrats are making abortion a purity test for their voters.

Kids Are a Handful

Massie Exposes Abortion Doctor, Asks If She Would Abort Viable Fetus

This is shockingly terrible:

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Rep. Thomas Massie exposed an abortion doctor on Capitol Hill today as refused to answer his questions as to whether or not she would abort a fully viable fetus, said "abortion is moral", and said she would perform an abortion for "any reason". BONUS: BlazeTV's own Allie Beth Stuckey calls out the panel for saying there is any morally justifiable reason to abort a fully viable fetus.

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Important Enough to NOT Get Buried Elsewhere

I could have titled this post Confessions of a Political Junkie because as the Democrats consider whether to impeach President Donald Trump, I feel like I need to get this out of my head and into a clear and concise post about where I stand in the political arena.


As background, yes, my political philosophy was not always what it is today. A lot has changed for me over the years. As recently as 1992, I considered myself a Democrat. I start with the 1992 election because it is the first time I remember caring about politics. On the eve of the 1992 election, I worked at a telemarketing firm who had two contracts, one for each party, to make phone calls to potential voters. I was given the choice to call on behalf of the Republicans or on behalf of the Democrats. I chose to call on behalf of the Democrats. Until that point in time, I wasn't keenly aware of what each party represented, like I do now, and I fully admit that my perspective has changed since that night. I mainly called on behalf of Bill Clinton because my friend had enlisted in the Army after high school and had been sent to Iraq in 1991. I viewed President Bush as someone who put my friend in danger. I know now that my friend knew what he was signing up for when he joined the Army and I know that he was proud to serve his country. I am also proud that he did what I could never do. I didn't come to that realization overnight. That was what I thought in 1992.

What I think in 2019 is different. Today, I would never choose to call on behalf of the Democratic party. I see the Democratic party as being the "pro-abortion" party.

Today, I see the Republican party as being the "pro-life" party, though some prefer the phrase "anti-choice" which I think is a cop-out.

Abortion has so many facets and angles, but, to me, it comes down to when a mother is pregnant, she is carrying a life, and abortion is the act of killing that life. Now, I know that many people would respond with "What about the idea that men are telling women what to do with their bodies? Do we not live in a free country where you can do what you want?"

Certainly, yes, we do. We can do what we want - I can do what I want.

I don't have an easy answer for a woman who is pregnant with an unplanned pregnancy. I understand the logic of how such a pregnancy can be traumatic and I am sure it is pure devastation. I have read and I truly see their perspective.

On the other hand, though, none of that negates the truth: a pregnant woman has two lives - hers and her unborn child.

And because I view this issue as being the issue upon which all others are based, the idea of removing President Trump from office is terrifying to me. The idea of electing one of the following current 2020 candidates to the highest office in the country terrifies me. These are the 2020 candidates that I can think of off the top of my head:

1. Joe Biden
2. Elizabeth Warren
3. Bernie Sanders
4. Beto O'Rourke
5. Mayor Pete
6. Cory Booker
7. Kamala Harris
8. Andrew Yang

And this is why I don't want any of them to be elected President of the United States of America:

1. I shudder when I think about Biden not being a solid "think on his feet" leader.
2. I shudder when Warren says that she is going to go after big businesses.
3. I shudder when I think about Sanders and his history of declaring that "I" can have too much money and that "he" can decide how much money is too much and that "he" can then take the money above "his" limit and give it to someone else.
4. I shudder when I think about O'Rourke and his "Hell yes, we're going to take your AR-15s!" not because I think you should have an AR-15, but because if I owned an AR-15, I wouldn't want the government to take my property, and, frankly, the idea that the government is going to "buy back" guns, using tax payer money, truly rubs me the wrong way.
5. I shudder when I think about Mayor Pete declaring that if I don't agree with his immigration policies, which appear to be welcoming illegal immigrants, which he justifies under the pretense that because Jesus cared for strangers and illegal immigrants and, therefore, if I don't welcome illegal immigrants, I am a bad Christian. His judgment of me means nothing to me, frankly, because I think it's disingenuous to pick certain parts of the Bible that justify your point of view while ignoring other parts of the Bible that go against your point of view.
6. I shudder when I think about Cory Booker and his idea that I should pay ancestors of slaves money for atrocities I didn't do.
7. I shudder when I think about Harris bad-mouthing police officers one day and paying lip service to how she knows that being a police officer is hard work - I listen to her comments and think, "How does she look at herself in the mirror at night?"
8. I shudder when I hear Yang talk about how he can envision a United States in which I don't own a car as a method to curb global warming.

So, that's where I stand. The 2020 election is far off in the future - a whopping 410 days (1 year, 1 month, 2 weeks) away. I don't know what is going to happen.

Creepy Pete Buttigieg Is Obsessed with Murder

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Good Movie Despite Its Jarring Narrative Structure

Last night, after her parish council meeting, Karen came home with a plan for the night. Barb, one of our friends, had told us that she had purchased the movie Unplanned on DVD and when she walked in the door, Karen had the DVD in her hand. The movie tells the story of Abby Johnson, who was the youngest clinical director of a Planned Parenthood clinic in Texas. The movie reveals that, by her estimation, she was ultimately involved in 22,000 abortions during her tenure. During a flashback that goes back 8 years, we watched her development as a person. Eventually, she becomes a wife, a mother, and the Clinical Director.

It's an intriguing tale and one in which I felt invested. She doesn't set out to be in this role and her resistance to the realities she is facing at Planned Parenthood seem surreal. The movie ties her relationship to Planned Parenthood with another 2 year flashback, which seems jarring after the initial 8 year flashback. In the Big Picture, I understand why the movie didn't start out with a 10 year flashback and why it chose to jump back 8 years and then, almost immediately after jumping backwards 8 years, why it jumped back an additional 2 years. It does this to serve the story and to firmly establish her connection to Planned Parenthood. I cannot reveal any additional details about the relationship because I didn't warn you, at the top of this post, that it was going to include spoilers about the movie.

After the movie, I realized that the reaction to this movie was likely polarizing and, sure enough, when I looked at Rottentomatoes.com, I admit I was not super-duper surprised by the reaction of critics. As shown below, 42% of the critics didn't like it whereas 91% of the audience did like it.

At first, I wondered why there was nearly twice as many positive audience reviews as reviews by critics. As I started reading what the critics wrote, I realized their reaction of the movie was with merit. I reacted to the movie with emotion because I felt connected to Abby Johnson, as a person. My general impression is that the critics didn't like the movie because they likely felt they were watching a sermon about the evil of Planned Parenthood. This is the first review I read:
Unplanned will make you writhe in agony over how such an ugly, malicious and potentially dangerous piece of religious and political propaganda could have made its way into this world.


Honestly, I do not know what movie that critic was watching because it wasn't the movie I watched!

I sincerely think this is a movie that has to be seen to be understood. If you accept that the events that you see in the movie are factually accurate, which I did, you may find this a very disturbing movie.

I did. I went to bed almost immediately after the movie credits began and when I got to work this AM, writing this post was the first thing I did.

Does Democratic presidential candidate Beto O'Rourke Listen to the Words he Says

When I saw this headline - O'Rourke Supports Abortion on Day Before Birth - I thought it couldn't be true. My jaw dropped. He is a father and he uses fatherhood as a reason to compel voters to choose him; yet, he has such disrespect for human life!

Great Question

From Why Would Teachers Promote the Killing of Human Children?:

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“The NEA will include an assertion of our defense of a person’s right to control their own body, especially for women, youth, and sexually marginalized people. The NEA vigorously opposes all attacks on the right to choose and stands on the fundamental right to abortion under Roe v. Wade.”

The nation’s largest association of professional educators – individuals who have given their professional lives in service to the power and potential of young people – “stands on the fundamental right to” kill young people. It’s such a glaring and alarming inconsistency, it shocks the conscience.

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Ben Sasse did not hold back on the state of the pro-abortion movement

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Former Abortionist Dr. Levatino Destroys Pro-Choice Arguments

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Delusional

Women Aren't The Only People Who Get Abortions

TWD Universe News

Screw the Infant

REBUTTAL: The Left's EVIL Infanticide Agenda!

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What Irks Me

Happy Wednesday! Following the path laid out by New York, Democrats in Virginia [are] Push[ing] For Legalizing Abortion During Child Birth. What is this world coming to? Like, seriously? What irks me is how the Governor of NY is a Catholic. Why would a Christian support abortion?!?
Here's the text from the link:

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This really is unreal. Democrats in the Virginia House, led by Kathy Tran, wants to pass a bill that would make last minute, not just late term, abortions the law. It is actually infanticide. You don’t have to take my word for it. You can hear it from the sponsor of the legislation who admits her legislation would allow abortion even after dilation and delivery begin.

Democrats claim Donald Trump is a monster, but they keep showing how monstrous they really are.

Gabriella noted earlier that, once she was exposed, she deleted her Twitter account to avoid encountering outrage from Virginia voters. Under her proposed law, she could probably just abort them.

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Editor's Note: This is the link to what "Gabriella noted earlier" that was a link in the middle of a sentence, which is a detested practice on this blog.
Pro-Choice Virginia Delegate Member Deletes Twitter Account After Pushing Late-Term Abortion Bill

Classifying Beliefs of Many by One Trait

Classifying people as being 'this' or being 'that' based upon a single trait is dangerous and inaccurate. I just read these articles today, which alarm me:

1. 61% of Democrats Thinks the GOP is Racist  
2. Fans react as former One Direction star Zayn Malik says he no longer considers himself Muslim: 'So disappointed'.

I'll address what I think about "racist" and "GOP" being associated with each other first and then dip a little into stereotypes about musicians.

To me, if I say that "All [pick a nationality] are [pick a trait]," I'm making a judgment about a group of people based upon a single trait.

I think some racists are members of the GOP, but I do not believe that ALL members of the GOP are racists. I think judgments like that are dangerous.

My beliefs tend to align, politically, with the GOP on multiple issues, but I take pride that I can often see the counter argument to my beliefs in ways that surprise me sometimes. For example, I believe that America is a great country and that because of our greatness, we should not allow anyone to go to bed naked or hungry. We should be able to figure out how to help people who need help. There's a phrase that's been thrown around when discussing this - 'a hand up, not a hand out' - and that's where I sit.

At the same time, I strongly believe that abortion is murder. I marvel at how some can claim that a pregnant woman can choose to end their pregnancy and not be charged with murder. If a pregnant woman is murdered or in a car accident, I'm pretty sure I've seen there be double homicide charges brought against the accused. Why a double homicide if a woman can 'choose' to end her pregnancy? I'm a simpleton, really, when it comes to this. Does it really matter if a pregnancy is ended due to "fatally shooting a pregnant woman" or an abortion if "the pregnancy is ended" becomes the end result? Both acts result in a dead baby.

I also strongly believe that if I want to own a gun, I should be able to own a gun. I don't believe that one gun is 'more dangerous' over another - I just don't accept that logic. I think if a bullet pierces your aorta, then you have a problem, whether it was fired from a gun that has the ability to fire multiple bullets in one squeeze of the trigger or not. I think that if a gun is purchased legally, it does not mean that person is NEVER going to kill someone. I think it comes down to choice we, as humans, make. It's God's precious gift to me. If I own a gun, I have a choice to not shoot someone or to shoot someone. I don't own a gun. I make a choice. Thus, all legal gun owners are not murderers. There seems to be a belief that if you own a gun, you are not able to use it or to care for it properly. A sweeping generalization about gun owners has parallels to a sweeping generalization about members of the GOP being racists.

Then, there's fans of heavy metal music, like me. Over the years since becoming a fan of heavy metal music, I've heard statements like "All heavy metal drummers have no musical talent" or "All heavy metal fans worship Satan" - both are untrue. I never dispute that there are some heavy metal drummers have less musical talent than other drummers in other genres and I believe that some heavy metal fans worship Satan, but I do not believe ALL heavy metal fans do those two things. For example, I do not worship Satan - I am Catholic.

This just occurred to me. Tool's drummer, Danny Carey, is an amazing drummer, but he has different religious beliefs than I do, per Wikipedia. That does not make me judge his drumming in a negative light, though I recall reading an article, possibly, it could have been Modern Drummer magazine but it could just as easily have not been Modern Drummer magazine with feedback about the article including comments from readers saying that because of his beliefs, those readers with different views will no longer support Carey or his music. It's not just heavy music. I saw an example of some fans vacating support for a musician due to their spirituality. I am not grouping Tool with One Direction in the same group other than pointing out that after a musician stated that he no longer considers himself Muslim, fans are disappointed. Read the full article below.

My point to all of this?

As a society, we are stronger when we are united. If 61% of Democrats authentically believe that GOP is racist, that's not good.

Endorsement

I know Lonny as a good guy and as a sensible guy. It's interesting to me to see Lonny's endorsement for KK because our household has been inundated with mailers about him.

If he wasn't a member of the Democratic party, which as a party platform approves of abortion - the legal murder of a baby - I would vote for KK.

Definitions of Sad Can Vary (Apparently)

Look at the two comments - Lily Manzo-Vazquez & Wayne Novotony - for two different definitions of "sad"...

R W

Kellyanne Conway Claims Women Can Get Abortions With 'No Common Sense' Kellyanne Conway, an adviser to Donald Trump, said on Sunday that women could expect an assault on their reproductive rights after the confirmation of Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court.