January
9
2012
Tony Blankley passed away yesterday at the age of 63. He will be greatly missed. He had a wonderful way of criticizing policies and ideas without coming across as strident or belittling–a wonderful trait in a pundit, especially in a world where emotions seem to reign far more readily than reason.
Tony Blankley, dead at 63, R.I.P.
December
22
2011
Celebrities are, well, celebrities. They are actors, singers, musical artists and they are, for the most part, not Rhodes scholars. Maybe I should rethink that inference, Bill Clinton was a Rhodes scholar and so was Rachel Maddow. Mmmm, ’nuff said.
When celebrities say they support something and the groups advocating those issues add them to their various ad campaigns, it’s not because these celebrities have thought through the issue, hold a Ph.D. or have worked on the issue for ten years. They are called upon to add their name to a list of supporters strictly because they have name recognition—it’s because they are famous not brainy. But they are, sadly, very influential.
Kristen Walker, vice-president of New Wave Feminists, wrote a series of articles that have been reprinted by LifeNews.com. In them, she lists celebrities she supports and those she boycotts. I have done personal boycotts before and sometimes it feels like I’m spinning my wheels because I don’t know if I’m having any kind of impact. But I have to remind myself that I may not have a huge impact, and that’s not the point. The point is that I do have control over my participation in moral or immoral acts.
Kristen has a point. I can choose to support actors and actresses I know are pro-life and I can choose to avoid supporting actors or actresses I disagree with over abortion. I do that with my music, why shouldn’t I do that with the movies and television shows I choose watch?
To see her lists, start with Five Pro-Abortion Women Celebrities Pro-Lifers Should Boycott, move on to Five Pro-Abortion Male Celebrities Pro-Lifers Should Boycott and, before you get too depressed, quickly move on to the Five Male Celebrities Who are Pro-Life on Abortion. You’ll be glad you did 
December
13
2011
In a wonderful gloves-off approach, Bill McGurn highlights the issues surrounding the administration’s policies regarding healthcare, contraception, abortion.
He notes that while Health and Human Services (HHS) did not back the FDA’s recent recommendation to offer Plan B (the brand name for the morning after pill) over the counter (which would give young girls access to the drug without a parent’s knowledge or a doctor’s prescription), this does not mean that Kathleen Sebelius, the head of HHS, has thrown in the towel on this administration’s liberal agenda.
McGurn writes:
…the great untold story remains the intolerance so beloved of self-styled progressives. In this Mrs. Sebelius has proved herself one of the administration’s most faithful practitioners: here watering down conscience protections for nurses and doctors who don’t want to participate in abortions; there yanking funding for a top-rated program for victims of sexual trafficking run by the Catholic bishops, because they will not sign on to the NARAL agenda; soon to impose a new HHS mandate that will require health-insurance plans to cover contraception, sterilization and drugs known to induce abortion.
The Catholic church opposes abortion and contraception but many well-known Catholics supported health care reform and supported this president during the primary. And to some degree it makes sense because this is the church that has developed social justice into an art form. If there were issues regarding abortion, individual Catholics argued that it was a mistake or that it could negotiated after the election.
But there were many voices arguing on the other side that health care reform would lead to mandates and rationing but these concerns were glossed over, over-simplified or critics vilified by the candidate and his election team.
The end result is an administration that sees its role as patriarchal– as in “we are taking care of the little people”– the way we think they need to be.
And that means whether we like it or not.
See McGurn’s article at the Wall Street Journal.
October
24
2011
On Friday’s “Morning Joe,” Carl Bernstein, who is now a contributing editor at Vanity Fair, argued that the pro-life “litmus test” in the Republican party really should go.
The Washington Examiner noted Bernstein’s comments:
“What I’m trying to say is that our politics has been overwhelmed by this issue [for] far too long,” Bernstein said during a Friday appearance on Morning Joe. “We’ve got huge problems in this country [and] the idea that our debate is still going on over abortion, that this is the great issue for this one [Republican] party, is absurd.”
In response to Bernstein, I give you the following, “Five Reasons the Pro-Life Plank Should Stay”:
1. If we believe human life is unique and precious then we must put words into action.
2. The pro-life plank in the platform establishes a guiding principle for the party.
3. Supreme Court appointments are made using a pro-life or pro-choice litmus test depending on the party. The distinction is quite clear based on the current political climate. (For future Republican policy wonks: What’s the point of saying you are different if you don’t offer anything significantly different from the other party?)
4. Dropping the plank would cause the party to lose single-issue voters who are often big on social justice but when it comes to voting they vote on this single issue. In election after election, this is a provable advantage for the pro-life candidate.
5. This issue affects the following: end-of-life issues such as palliative care and assisted suicide, it affects disability rights (both for the born and the unborn) Obama’s healthcare plan, taxes, welfare, stem cell research, cloning, fetal pain legislation, foreign policy and bioethics– to name just a few. All of these issues are directly affected by laws and opinion on abortion and/or the right-to-life.
So Mr. Bernstein, now you know. The plank has to stay.
October
19
2011
On October 13, the U.S. House passed the Protect Life Act which is designed to counter the many pro-abortion provisions in the ObamaCare plan.
According to National Right to Life’s press release:
On October 5, Secretary of Health and Human Services Kathleen Sebelius vehemently defended the 2010 health care law in a speech to a NARAL Pro-Choice America fundraiser, saying ‘we are in a war’ with critics of the law. On October 12, the White House issued a formal veto threat against the Protect Life Act. “President Obama won enactment of ObamaCare in 2010 partly by pretending that the bill did not expand abortion — but now the mask is coming off,” said NRLC Legislative Director Douglas Johnson.
Looking back, I remember hearing from all of the “pro-lifers” who argued that Barack Obama was not as pro-abortion as we in the pro-life movement painted him. Sadly, it took mental blindness and a dogged determination to believe in a fairy tale for people to think that he was pro-life– but they did and they voted for him.
However, as Paul Harvey used to say, “Now you know the rest of the story.”
August
28
2011
I haven’t looked through these yet. I begin teaching tomorrow so I’m still getting ready for school and haven’t had a chance to look at the proposed regulations.
These were released by the Virginia Department of Health on Friday and are proposed regulations to be reviewed and decided on in September. You’ll find the regulations here beginning on page 25.
August
16
2011
Oklahomans for Life won its lawsuit to protect its membership list and other internal communications.
In their attempts to overturn a law that was passed in 2010, lawyers for pro-abortion groups obtained a subpoena asking for lists, internal communications and e-mails from Oklahomans for Life. The lawsuit seeks to overturn a law that gives pregnant women–who are thinking about having an abortion–the right to view ultrasound images of their babies.
This is a great win for the pro-life movement. If the lawyers for the abortion groups had won, pro-abortion groups would have been successful in obtaining the names of donors to a pro-life group. This would have opened up private citizens to the possibility of threats and intimidation.
See more at LifeNews.com
August
16
2011
It always seems like the press is ten steps behind the trends. This article in Elle purports to highlight the “new” conservative women who are bucking the trend of traditional feminism. I’d like to know what the editors at Elle were doing in the 90s when many of us in the next generation of conservative women were providing commentary on television and taking on the old guard of feminism.
We were piggy-backing off the influence of Reagan and our role models were the Maggie Thatcher’s who came before us. We were bucking the trend a long time ago.
August
10
2011
In Oklahoma, a law passed in 2010 gives women contemplating abortions a chance to see their unborn babies through ultrasound. The law is currently not in force because of a court order blocking the law until a lawsuit filed by pro-abortion sympathizers is finalized.
Because of the lawsuit, lawyers for the abortion supporters have file subpoenas asking for internal documents, e-mails, communications and even mailing lists for supporters. Tony Lauinger, the director of Oklahomans for Life said, “The subpoena was not issued by a judge, but by a lawyer for the abortion industry in their lawsuit against the State of Oklahoma. Oklahoma abortion facilities are trying to overturn our Ultrasound law enacted in 2010. If Oklahomans For Life is not successful in fighting this subpoena, we could be forced to give vital private information to the abortion industry, and if we left something out, we could be subject to fines or even jail.”
Tony is concerned about the impact this lawsuit could have if Oklahomans for Life fails to win. He said, “The abortion industry knows who the effective pro-life advocates in Oklahoma are, and they have singled out Oklahomans For Life as their advocacy-group target. The abortion industry could use any information they would get through the subpoena to harass pro-life citizens, not only in Oklahoma, but in other parts of the country, as well. If we stop them in court now, they are less likely to export this tactic to other states.”
This tactic is commonly used by pro-abortion groups. If they lose a battle through the democratic process, they take to the courts. They frequently do lose in the legislatures and resort to filing lawsuits in an effort to win. Unfortunately, decisions regarding such legal challenges are often made by a single judge and, from that point onward, the result can be a costly legal battle to uphold and defend a piece of legislation.
A state law is defended by the state in which the law was passed (the role of the attorney general and his/her office) and the costs involved in taking the battle to the state supreme court and upwards to federal or even the U.S. Supreme Court can be astronomical.
For more information, visit Oklahomans for Life website.
August
9
2011
Today, the remains of soldiers killed in the helicopter crash in Afghanistan are arriving in Delaware. Thirty U.S. troops were killed and many were apparently members of the Navy’s SEAL Team Six. Members of the same unit were responsible for the raid the killed terrorist Osama bin Laden several months ago.
To the families of these brave souls– we are praying for you. Your loved one is a hero and will be honored as such but we know that our tributes will do little to ease the loss of your loved one. I can only say thank you for your sacrifice and our prayers are for you and with you. God bless you.
August
9
2011
I finished the two master’s classes I started earlier this summer. I got an “A” in one class and a “B” in the other. The hardest part was bouncing back and forth between MLA and APA styles. I adapted to the APA style faster so my Creative Writing class suffered more at the beginning because I was taking too long trying to figure out the style differences. One paper really suffered because I spent too long on the creative aspects and not enough on the analytical.
What have I learned?
No matter how fast of a writer I think I am, I need to double how much time I think I need to write a paper for a class. Inevitably, I either get interrupted or can’t find the book I need. In my Philosophy of Education class, the questions at the end of the chapters didn’t seem that bad but then I discovered that it was only the first ten that weren’t that bad–the other 30 were horrible and lengthy. Oh, and to top it all off, I wrote down the wrong due date and had to frantically finish the project by dropping everything else that day.
In my Creative Writing class, I learned that the MLA style is a little more complicated than I anticipated and that I’ve gotten lazy with my commas (most people are comma-happy, I tend to cut them). Also, I am more creative than I thought.
But both classes are done and I’m please with the results. I learned a lot about the material covered in the classes and I learned a lot about myself.
Now I have to pay the school bill.
July
11
2011
I haven’t forgotten about my blog and I apologize to everyone who has been checking for updates for the last few weeks. I did start my Master’s in English Education in June. My biggest adjustment has been adapting to the two different style guides needed for the two different classes. I’m taking Philosophy of Education and that class uses the APA style guide and I’m taking Creative Writing which uses the MLA guide. I used Chicago when I worked at National Right to Life so getting confused seems to be my biggest challenge. Switching back and forth between the two styles is mind-numbing! Most of the points I lost on a Creative Writing assignment last week were because I accidentally cited page numbers using the APA style guide instead of MLA.
In addition, shortly after school ended, I was one of the “counselors” in a school-sponsored speech and music camp. Completing some assignments became twice as difficult. My grades early on in Creative Writing suffered because I was trying to do too much and going above and beyond the call of duty at work. Argh!
Speaking of doing too much, I plan on finishing a book this fall and self-publishing it as an e-book. I’ll also be teaching three classes and taking one class toward my master’s degree. I also plan to continue writing and updating this blog more frequently.
My summer classes end in about three weeks and I’ll have a few weeks before I pick up the reins again–look for more posts then.
June
4
2011
There is something ironic about the man dubbed “Dr. Death” finally grasping the clammy hand of Death himself.
Jack Kevorkian coldly ushered over 130 people to their deaths and, contrary to the media reports, the coroner reports showed that not all of his victims were terminally ill or even ill at all.
Kevorkian defied the law and courts and, in the end, was lauded by members of the media and Hollywood. (That’s not surprising.) Now, he must answer to a much Higher Authority.
Jack Kevorkian, dead at 83.
May
30
2011
Today, we honor those who have served our country in times of war and peace. More importantly, we remember those who have given the ultimate sacrifice to protect our freedoms.
My maternal grandfather was a Japanese POW during WWII. He didn’t talk about what happened to him when he returned and even though it has been a few years since his death, we still do not know the full extent of what he went through. We know he had several health problems including the complete loss of his teeth as a result of his time and torture as a POW.
His sacrifice, along with the sacrifices of so many others, often go unremarked. Today, we honor all who have given so much. Thank you for everything–for giving your all under difficult circumstances. Thank you for your courage in the face of overwhelming circumstances and thank you for standing your ground when every fiber of your being said the flee.
We honor you and your sacrifice.
May
29
2011
Except I’m not sure if it should be “here I come” or “come and get me.” I start my M.Ed. tomorrow but I don’t know if I can say I feel ready. At this point, I am more nervous than excited.
My registration didn’t become finalized until Thursday night and even then it was only because I called and left a message to the effect that because my registration was still up in the air I felt it would be wiser to postpone my admittance into the program until the fall. The admissions officer handling my case called back that afternoon and finalized everything including registering me for classes but I still don’t have login information for the Blackboard and I haven’t seen the syllabi for either class.
I e-mailed both of the professors as well as my advisor but I don’t want to sound like a whiner so I limited my comments to the most basic about lack of access. But, after working at NRLC as a spokesperson, I don’t feel prepared unless I have a plan and a backup to my plan. Starting class without having read through any material is leaving me feeling unprepared and I hate that feeling. It’s not a great way to start. I’ve taught college level courses and I know how hard it is to catch up just a few days if you start late.
I’m hoping I can get access by tomorrow so I can at least be “there” the first day of class.
May
20
2011
Groups like Planned Parenthood push for a global “right” to abortion with such frequency it feels never-ending. But the arguments they put forth such as “abortion is safer than pregnancy” are misleading. Abortion isn’t safe in Third-World countries because of the lack of access to health care, basic nutrition and running water.
A report released in Geneva yesterday, analyzed data from a variety of well-known and respected resources to conclude that maternal deaths are not prevented through abortions but rather through improved health care.
From the press release:
“We have known for decades that most maternal deaths can be prevented with adequate nutrition, basic health care, and good obstetric care throughout pregnancy, at delivery, and postpartum,” said Jeanne Head, R.N., National Right to Life vice-president for international affairs and UN representative. “Yet some in the international community have focused their resources primarily on legalizing abortion at the expense of women’s lives.”
“Our analysis presents clear, factual evidence to repudiate the claim that legalized abortion reduces maternal mortality,” said MCCL Global Outreach Executive Director Scott Fischbach.
The analysis, “Why Legalized Abortion Is Not Good for Women’s Health,” compares the impact of improved medical care and legalized abortion on maternal mortality rates in several countries. Maternal deaths declined sharply in the United States, England and Wales through the 1930s and 1940s, for example, coinciding with advancements in maternal health care, obstetric techniques, antibiotics and in the general health status of women. This occurred long before the widespread legalization of abortion. Chile sharply reduced its maternal mortality rate even after its prohibition of abortion in 1989, and now has the lowest maternal mortality rate in Latin America. Of the four countries that reduced their maternal mortality rate the most from 1990-2008, three have maintained bans on abortion.
Look for more at www.nrlc.org
May
16
2011
Donald Trump announced today that he will not run for president in 2012. This is probably a good thing. He’s hard to read and some of his positions on issues seem out of sync with the Republican base.
Apparently, Mike Huckabee is not running either.
So far, I haven’t been overly excited by anyone who has announced that they are considering a run. The Republican Party needs a dynamic go-get-’em candidate who is sure of the issues and doesn’t carry a lot of baggage. I may strongly disagree with this president on just about everything but he has been faithfully married to his wife for years, has two daughters and seems the quintessential family man. We cannot put someone in the race who is working on his third wife or who had a very public affair, etc.
This election needs to be about the issues: job creation, the economy, concerns of parents, morality, etc.
The GOP candidate also needs to have strong ethos or believability. Without that, the election is over before it has begun and we will have four more years of spend, spend, spend, pro-abortion policies and the implementation of a healthcare plan that will jeopardize the lives of vulnerable Americans. Another four years of this will be the death knell for the U.S. having any economic superiority ever again.
May
16
2011
I found the problem. It was a widget that sounded great a few months ago but apparently the owners of the company that owns it have a glitch or they have decided to aggressively promote their web ranking products. Regardless, I’ve removed the offending widget and my website appears to be restored.
Whew!
May
16
2011
My website appears to have been hijacked. If you are able to read this fast enough, I am working on finding out what has happened and how it is being forwarded to a third-party site without my authorization.
Bear with me!
May
10
2011
Well, it’s official. I am an applicant for a master’s degree. I must be a glutton for punishment but I intend to pursue it this summer. The degree would be in English Education which would allow me to teach on the college level. Personally, I will benefit from the additional writing and research.
Of course, after finishing the master’s, I would like to pursue a Ph.D. in Communications. Learning is never done!
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