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When Liberals Get to Defending Abortion:
To understand the passionate defense of abortion, you need to understand its importance to the ideology of Progressivism.
Progressives change their name a lot, but you can use any of them—Marxism, Socialism, Progressivism, Liberalism—and you still end up with a belief system that has, at its center, the State.
And the State, to gain and retain absolute control (which is crucial to the ideology, as people will not willingly remain in it once it reaches its full powers if there is not absolute control) there can be no division of loyalties. This means the State has to trump both family and religion.
Abortion does both of these things. You cannot believe in God and the rights and wrongs taught by religion and still kill your helpless child. And certainly when you weaken the bond between a mother and her child by teaching her that the child can simply be eliminated from her life if it is inconvenient, you undermine family ties.
Abortion has the result of getting people to accept the idea that human life has no intrinsic value, but that the value of another life can be, under some circumstances, determined by someone else—even for self-serving reasons. When you can convince a population that it is moral and good and acceptable for parents to kill their offspring for any reason whatsoever, you introduce a moral relativity that can be manipulated in many ways. All we have to do to see the escalation of this moral relativity regarding the worth of a human life is to examine the curve of acceptability, regarding when an unborn child could be “morally” disposed of. Within just a decade or two that curve has gone from within the first trimester to the end of the second trimester to up to the moment of birth as long as the child has not taken a breath to a fully formed, autonomous, breathing baby outside the womb. That’s a pretty dramatic decline of what some find morally acceptable, so that now the American people have actually elected as their president a man who defends the “right” of a woman to place her child in a box in a cold room to die, alone and cold and hungry, just because she feels like it.
But this is good for Progressives, because it corrodes the family unit, it creates a distance between people and God, and it places the State at the center of life. The State becomes the arbiter of right and wrong, the definer of good and evil, the declarer of morality, the source of support and sustenance, the family and the church.
Original posted by:
Amazona
March 15, 2010
October 26th, 2009
NY-23: Pawlenty Endorses Hoffman
Tim Pawlenty is endorsing Conservative Party nominee Doug Hoffman in the Nov. 3 special election for New York's 23rd District...
"We cannot send more politicians to Washington who wear the Republican jersey on the campaign trail, but then vote like Democrats in Congress on issues like card check and taxes," Pawlenty said in a statement to RedState. "After reviewing the candidates' positions [and seeing all those TEA leaves], I'm endorsing Doug Hoffman in New York's special election...
Hoffman has previously been endorsed by former Alaska governor Sarah Palin ... a poll today showing Hoffman in the lead.
"What makes this stand out even more than the Palin endorsement is that Pawlenty has not been seen as diverging with the Republican establishment," wrote RedState's Erick Erickson. "He's not seen as the maverick that Palin is. But Pawlenty has a huge amount of stature inside the Republican establishment, more so than Palin. That he is now willing to come out in favor of Hoffman is going to resonate among the Republican establishment in ways Palin's endorsement will not."
For years the stadium decayed before the city decided to commence demolition last year and the outfield bleachers came tumbling down, providing an open window into the stadium from I-75. Unyielding to the last, the preservationists leaned on the city council (a more foolish and criminal element would be difficult to find, though that is another story) to halt the inevitable. The council ceased demolition provided the stadium-savers generate private money for a sensible purpose. They failed. The stadium would finally be coming down. At last one of the city's eyesores would finally be removed.
But in January, Teleprompter Jesus raised his hand and called for stimulus. Sen. Carl Levin, ensconced in the upper chamber since the Carter administration, became aroused.
In the Senate version of the omnibus spending bill a provision allots $3.8 million for "preservation and redevelopment of a public park and related business activities in the Corktown neighborhood." This earmark was inserted by Sen. Levin aimed directly at saving what is left of Tiger Stadium. When challenged by Sen. Tom Coburn, Sen. Levin actually argued during a Senate session that this money would help bring much-needed jobs to the area. A more laughable statement would be difficult to construct. But the provision remained. Sen. Levin won and the stadium is still standing, harsh against a steel-gray March sky, with no novel coda in sight or even on the table. In the meantime, the median home sale price in Detroit in December was $7,500.
Sen. Levin may well indeed wish to preserve something of Tiger Stadium. He has spoken movingly on its importance in his own life, growing up a Jew in Detroit and watching with pride and awe as Hank Greenberg was lifted up as a hero of the city, so much so that after one important game the Detroit Free Press ran a headline wishing him a happy Jewish new year in Hebrew. Nobody wishes to diminish the personal significance Tiger Stadium holds for Sen. Levin, as it does for countless Detroiters. But he is an influential man, no? Could he not lead or organize a private effort that could raise double the earmarked funds? Or would it not be time to stiffen up a bit and acknowledge that nothing lasts forever?
But no. Sen. Levin's plea on the Senate floor for an earmark to try and preserve a half-demolished relic is perfect, really. It is the perfect summation of the mindset and actions threatening to turn the nation into a giant Detroit. Here is the power-mad, lordly Senator-from-on-high arguing for the necessity of further tax confiscation in a boondoggle spending bill to save a building that was last barely useful at the end of the previous century. The disfigured stadium remains as but the freshest gaping wound on a clinically dead patient. Such an earmark passed through with nary a thought, least of all from the president - the same man who vowed to eliminate such provisions with his exacting scalpel. And there it stands.
Take a good look, fellow citizens. If you like what you see on the corner of Michigan and Trumbull, you will love the landscape of Obama's America.
For years the stadium decayed before the city decided to commence demolition last year and the outfield bleachers came tumbling down, providing an open window into the stadium from I-75. Unyielding to the last, the preservationists leaned on the city council (a more foolish and criminal element would be difficult to find, though that is another story) to halt the inevitable. The council ceased demolition provided the stadium-savers generate private money for a sensible purpose. They failed. The stadium would finally be coming down. At last one of the city's eyesores would finally be removed.
But in January, Teleprompter Jesus raised his hand and called for stimulus. Sen. Carl Levin, ensconced in the upper chamber since the Carter administration, became aroused.
In the Senate version of the omnibus spending bill a provision allots $3.8 million for "preservation and redevelopment of a public park and related business activities in the Corktown neighborhood." This earmark was inserted by Sen. Levin aimed directly at saving what is left of Tiger Stadium. When challenged by Sen. Tom Coburn, Sen. Levin actually argued during a Senate session that this money would help bring much-needed jobs to the area. A more laughable statement would be difficult to construct. But the provision remained. Sen. Levin won and the stadium is still standing, harsh against a steel-gray March sky, with no novel coda in sight or even on the table. In the meantime, the median home sale price in Detroit in December was $7,500.
Sen. Levin may well indeed wish to preserve something of Tiger Stadium. He has spoken movingly on its importance in his own life, growing up a Jew in Detroit and watching with pride and awe as Hank Greenberg was lifted up as a hero of the city, so much so that after one important game the Detroit Free Press ran a headline wishing him a happy Jewish new year in Hebrew. Nobody wishes to diminish the personal significance Tiger Stadium holds for Sen. Levin, as it does for countless Detroiters. But he is an influential man, no? Could he not lead or organize a private effort that could raise double the earmarked funds? Or would it not be time to stiffen up a bit and acknowledge that nothing lasts forever?
But no. Sen. Levin's plea on the Senate floor for an earmark to try and preserve a half-demolished relic is perfect, really. It is the perfect summation of the mindset and actions threatening to turn the nation into a giant Detroit. Here is the power-mad, lordly Senator-from-on-high arguing for the necessity of further tax confiscation in a boondoggle spending bill to save a building that was last barely useful at the end of the previous century. The disfigured stadium remains as but the freshest gaping wound on a clinically dead patient. Such an earmark passed through with nary a thought, least of all from the president - the same man who vowed to eliminate such provisions with his exacting scalpel. And there it stands.
Take a good look, fellow citizens. If you like what you see on the corner of Michigan and Trumbull, you will love the landscape of Obama's America.
Associated Press, March 14, 2009...
MOSCOW - A Russian Air Force chief said Saturday that Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has offered an island as a temporary base for strategic Russian bombers, the Interfax news agency reported.
The chief of staff of Russia's long range aviation, Maj. Gen. Anatoly Zhikharev, also said Cuba could be used to base the aircraft, Interfax reported.
Zhikharev said Chavez had offered "a whole island with an airdrome, which we can use as a temporary base for strategic bombers," the agency reported. "If there is a corresponding political decision, then the use of the island ... by the Russian Air Force is possible."
"Mark my words. It will not be six months before the world tests Barack Obama ... Remember I said it standing here if you don't remember anything else I said. Watch, we're gonna have an international crisis, a generated crisis, to test the mettle of this guy. ... I promise you it will occur. ... I guarantee you it's gonna happen. ...it's not gonna be apparent that we're right. ...They may emanate from Russia..."
Does anyone know what the equivalent cost of Obama's multi-trillion dollar giveaway will be to each taxpayer or each family?
Putting it differently, how much would each person or family receive if all that money were distributed directly to the people? ...Allowing the people to pour the stimulus money directly into the economy.
I've heard figures all over the spectrum, from $10,000 to $25,000 to $35,000 to as much as $250,000, depending on whether it's per individual or per family, and whether it includes only taxpayers who actually pay taxes or everyone (in the name of fairness!).
AAR
Update...
Cost So Far of Financial Bailout...
The New York Times did some taxpayer-bailout number crunching and found that through March 2, the government has made commitments of $9 trillion (that's $9,000,000,000,000) to support the struggling financial system, and actually so far spent $2.1 trillion (that's $2,100,000,000,000), on investments (purchases of assets), loans and insurance or guarantees.
...FOX Business’ Team Washington finds that the U.S. has spent $18,584 per household to shore up the financial system, and has committed a total of $79,646 per household. (What else would your share of the bailout buy?) ... We're sure the average belly-upped subprime borrower had all intentions of repaying his or her loan, too.
In addition to this spending to cure what ails the finance sector, the U.S. is planning to spend $6,965 per household to stimulate the economy.
3 years of tuition and fees at the average private college, according to the College Board: $75,429
A Mercedes CLS550 Coupe:$70,700
A 995 sq. ft. 2-bedroom, 2-bathroom home in Cleveland, OH:$78,900
A used 2004 Kolb Sport 600 float plane:$75,000
1 share of Berkshire Hathaway:$73,221
1,680 barrels of oil:$79,077
6 (six) 2009 Chevy Aveo sedans:$75,750
Does anyone think a concerted e-mail campaign could be used effectively by Conservatives and the GOP?AAR
If so, how might it be done?
By whom?
"...some inside the White House don't think that President Barack Obama hit a home run with his first national press conference... It looked scripted beyond the scripted part ... this one was pretty ham-handed."
...the White House is looking to install a small video or computer screen into the podium ... [to] make it easier for the comms guys to pass along information without being obvious about it" ... The screen would indicate whom to call on, seat placement for journalists, pass along notes or points to hit, and so forth
...Using a screen is nothing new for Obama; almost nothing he said in supposedly unscripted townhall events during the presidential campaign was unscripted, down to many of the questions and the answers to those questions. ... not only his opening remarks, but also statistics and information he could use to answer questions.
Obama had a teleprompter set up for his remarks last week ...but the White House couldn't use the teleprompter for anything but the remarks, because the journalists were so close to the screens. ...
