First of all, this is not to offend anyone. Secondly, this isn’t exactly intended to be a Pro-Life piece, though that is the greatest example I have of seemingly futile shows of civil disobedience.
Earlier today I was on the phone with a gentleman who is a member of several Pro-Life organizations, in this part of the state. Apparently the anniversary of Roe V. Wade is coming soon, and they intend to protest across the street from the Womens’ Clinic, here in Fayetteville. Now, those of you who know me know that I am a very ardent Pro-Lifer who believes that life begins from the moment of conception. So you would probably assume that I’m totally in support of this action, but I’m not. I don’t see the point in it. I don’t see the point of any demonstration where protesters hold up signs with quippy little slogans that ask drivers by to “Honk For Life,” and so on. I don’t see what good it does other than waste time when you could actually be working to help those at whom you’re quite possibly yelling vulgar comments. It certainly does little to promote your cause, I think.
A certain church group up here has spent days on end protesting outside the clinic, and what did it do? Nothing. Women are still going in for abortions. I don’t know their reasons for doing so, I don’t really need to. I do think that we should work harder to provide and promote options other than abortion. We should not condemn these people, but help them with prayer and suppor; spiritual, emotional, physical, monetary, and whatever else. We should let them know that there are real choices other than abortion. I don’t know how many people there are who would love to raise babies but can’t have their own, but I’m fairly certain there are more than you would imagine. Possibly we should make it easier to adopt babies here, in the United States so those families don’t necessarily have to look elsewhere, like China.
I don’t have all the answers, but I would rather actually try to do something rather than just talk about it. A charity close to my heart are the Arkansas Baptist Children’s Homes. I will offer my money and my prayers there any day before I’ll make a show of protest. That’s all protesting really is, you know, a show. I have no use for empty shows, and it’s come to my attention over the past almost twenty-nine years that those who brag the most about things are those who are overcompensating for how things really are. Those who wear their faith or beliefs literally on their sleeves almost constantly often don’t carry that same faith or those beliefs truly in their hearts. How is that different than those who bomb abortion clinics supposedly in the name of Christ or that church whose members hold horrible signs at the funerals of fallen soldiers? I don’t understand that one at all
Beyond those who protest abortion, what good do any protesters do? What good does a group in Fayetteville Arkansas, holding signs against violence and war, do for the people who live in Israel, the Gaza Strip, Iraq, or anywhere else? How do those signs help anyone? Would it not be more prudent to send actual aid to those ravaged places? So you don’t like the President, does holding a sign outside the White House change his decisions? Does chaining yourself to a tree in North America save a tree in the rainforest?
I had a professor in college ask one of my classes, “Why doesn’t your generation protest things more?” I don’t know about everyone else, but I would rather work to change the things I do not like rather than just talk about it, waiting on others to do the changing for me. It just seems useless and fruitless to me. What do you think? Please vote in the poll and leave a comment.
Currently playing in iTunes: They Bring Me to You by Joshua Radin
First of all, there has to be something terribly wrong with a bill that 67% of Republicans and 40% of Democrats in the House voted against this bailout bill. Personally, I have several qualms with the entire situation.
First of all, I don’t believe that I nor any other taxpayer should have to bail out every person who was stupid enough to have a mortgage they could never afford to begin with. The entire problem that started this entire economic mess was that starting around 1999, government offices were forcing banks to make these outlandish loans to people who had no business getting loans for such large amounts of money. This also caused the general prices of real estate to balloon to extraordinary proportions, thus setting this entire cycle into motion. We might as well have bought a bunch of penny stocks.
Secondly, I would very much like for Nancy Pelosi to stick a sock in it and stop trying to blame the Republicans for her stupid bills not passing and for the entire mess. THIS CHAIN OF EVENTS STARTED DURING THE CLINTON ADMINISTRATION! FORGET THAT THE REPUBLICANS TRIED TO GET LEGISLATION TO FIX FREDDIE MAC AND FANNIE MAE THREE AND FOUR YEARS AGO! Also, don’t call someone “unpatriotic” for not attending a meeting when you don’t invite them to said meeting.
I wish that the media would SHUT UP as well. Seriously, they have no idea what they’re talking of. They’re only agenda right now is to get Obama elected president. If I have to hear one more pundit tell me whom he/she believes I’ll vote for come November, I may just have to put a moratorium on television until after the election.
Here’s the kicker, no matter how much the media tells me that I’m hurting because of the failing economy, I’m not. It hasn’t touched my daily life. We still pay all of our bills early. We pay our mortgage. We’re in the process of paying off our car, which we’ve only owned for a little over a year. We buy the same things we always have. Heck, we bought a Wii two weeks ago to give to my sister’s family for Christmas. All of this, and we’re still saving a very decent amount every month. Right now, I’m not hurting. It’s hurting our retirement momentarily, but hopefully in the end, we’ll see huge gains from this.
Here’s another kicker, there’s nothing that can happen or be said by anyone that will sway my vote from McCain / Palin. Personally, I can never vote for someone who is Pro-Choice, but I can’t also vote for an a pair of idiots. Obama believes that there are apparently 57 or 58 states. Biden thinks that Roosevelt was President in 1929, and spoke on television after the crash. I don’t want to hear ANY MORE jokes about Palin and Russia being close to Alaska.
This time of year, I always think of my Dad. Last Thursday marked the 18′th anniversary of his passing. My Dad was a fairly ardent Democrat, back in the 80’s. He was the president of the local chapter of the United Transportation Union, and believed in the Union so much that he was somewhat afraid the Republicans would put an end to organized labor. I don’t agree with unions as they are now, but I have to admit that because of the UTU, I spent my growing up years secure, living off of his Railroad Retirement.
My father always was a God-fearing man who loved to hunt. I don’t imagine that this year he would have been able to cast his vote for a man who doesn’t like how men like my Father cling to their “guns and religion.” I don’t know how we can elect people who have so little understanding of Middle America. I don’t know how people can’t understand that it’s the Do-Nothing Congress, most of whom share in this lack of understanding, who can’t seem to get past politics and adding pork-barrel spending to fix this situation with the economy. But hey, wouldn’t we rather just be Communists?
I was feeling pretty nervous last Friday while waiting for John McCain’s announcement of his running-mate. I feared the worst, Joe Lieberman or even Mike Huckabee. I thought that I wanted Mitt Romney, as he was my vote in the Arkansas primary for President. I was outright terrified when the media started announcing that it was a woman I had never heard of. I didn’t want him to choose a woman just to gain Hillary’s dejected supporters. Thankfully, oh so thankfully, I’m sure he made the best decision possible in picking Alaska Governor, Sarah Palin.
After reading her profile on Wikipedia, I can’t help but admire this woman tremendously. First of all, she doesn’t seem to put up with any crap. Instead of playing politics as usual, she has always stood her ground and worked to clean up politics in Alaska. When she doesn’t agree with something, she doesn’t just talk about it, she does something about it. That, in itself is admirable.
What makes me admire her the most though is that though doctors advised her to abort her fifth child, Trig, when it was discovered that he would be born with Downs Syndrome, she had him because he was perfect to her. Yesterday it was announced that her oldest daughter is seventeen and pregnant. Well, everyone makes mistakes in their lives, but I admire that the daughter is having the baby and that they doesn’t see it as punishment like Barak Obama would and has called it, but sees it as both the obstacle and blessing that it is.
So you see, my heart leapt with joy at this announcement. I believe that John McCain made an incredible decision, and I don’t believe that she is too inexperienced for the job. I have dreamed of seeing a conservative, pro-life woman rise to this level, and it is my heartfelt prayer that she be elected Vice President of the United States in November. I wasn’t entirely sure of McCain in the recent past, as you’ll see in previous blogs, but I’m beginning to trust him more and more, as are more people. Just Friday, I heard several people say that this decision cinched their vote for McCain, when they were either unsure, wavering toward Obama just because of the sheer lovefest the media has with him, or not going to vote at all. Well, done Senator McCain!
Busy Nothings
