Dead end: U.S. drops demand for Israeli settlement freeze in ongoing peace talks
Surprise.
Could be the end of this latest futile round of the peace process, with the next futile round to begin at a date as yet undetermined. Sometime in The One’s second term, perhaps? The surprise announcement came nearly a month after Netanyahu and US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton agreed in principle on 90-day settlement […]
41 Republicans Demand President Obama Issue A Correction Of Speech Omitting ‘In God We Trust’ Motto
On November 10, President Obama addressed a crowd at the University of Indonesia about a “shared humanity” in the face the deep tension between the U.S. and Muslim communities. “In an age of rapid change and colliding cultures, what we share as human beings can sometimes be lost,” he said. “But I believe that the history of both America and Indonesia should give us hope. It is a story written into our national mottos. In the United States, our motto is E pluribus unum — out of many, one. Bhinneka Tunggal Ika — unity in diversity…our nations show that hundreds of millions who hold different beliefs can be united in freedom under one flag.”
More than shared humanity or diversity, the big takeaway from this speech for the Congressional Prayer Caucus was Obama’s choice of motto. Yesterday, in a letter obtained by Minnesota Independent, 41 Republicans — including Reps. Michele Bachmann (MN) and Mike Pence (IN) — and lone Democrat Mike McIntyre (NC) took to their bully pulpit to lambast Obama for forsaking the official U.S. motto “In God We Trust” in favor of E pluribus unum. Finding a “pattern” of subversive omittances among Obama’s speeches, the outraged lawmakers slammed Obama’s “disservice to the people you represent” and demanded Obama “issue a correction” to his speech:
E pluribus unum is not our national motto.[…]
As President of the United States, you are our representative to the rest of the world. By misrepresenting things as foundational as the Declaration of Independence and our national motto, you are not only doing a disservice to the people you represent you are casting aside an integral part of American society.
John Adams said, “It is religion and morality alone, which can establish the principles upon which freedom can securely stand.” If Adams was right, by making these kinds of statements to the rest of the world, you are removing one of the cornerstones of our secure freedom. If we pull the threat of religious conviction out of the marketplace of ideas, we unravel the tapestry of freedom that birthed America.[…]
We respectively request that you issue a correction to the speech you gave, as it does not accurately reflect America and serve to undercut an important part of our history. We are willing to meet with you to discuss this further if you would like. As President Ronald Reagan warned, “if we ever forgot that we’re one nation under God, then we will be a nation gone under.
To bolster their own view, these lawmakers blatantly ignore Obama’s repeated references to God in his speeches. In fact, they pointedly ignore his multiple references to God in the very same Indonesia speech in which Obama shows no sign of trying to avoid the subject.
In blasting his choice of U.S. motto, these lawmakers also insinuate that the motto E pluribus unum “does not accurately reflect America.” But while “In God We Trust” has been the nation’s official motto since 1956, E pluribus unum, or “out of many, one,” is the motto on the Seal of the United States and was the nation’s original “de facto motto” until 1956. Ironically, John Adams — a founding father who signed his name to the idea that the U.S. “is not in any sense founded on the Christian religion” — suggested E pluribus unum as the young nation’s motto in 1776.
In fact, only when “the nation was suffering through the height of the cold war, and the McCarthy communist witch hunt” did Congress, desiring to differentiate between communism and Western capitalistic democracies, replace that motto with “In God we Trust.” And while some among the Congressional Prayer Caucus have no problem with Senator Joe McCarthy’s methods, most try to avoid the comparison.
View full letter here:
National_Motto_Letter_to_President –
FCC commissioners demand authority over campaign financing, free Internet
The insult to private property.
Here’s your FCC at work, ensuring that freedom of speech and property rights are defended on America’s airwaves. Just kidding! The Blaze and Naked Emperor News has two clips of FCC commissioners demanding unprecedented authority over prior restraint of speech and seizure of private property in order to satisfy their ideas of — you guessed […]
22 Sitting Senators Demand Right to Provide Advice and Consent on New START
On Thursday, twenty-two sitting U.S. senators sent a letter to the Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) demanding their constitutionally ordained power to provide advice and consent on the New START treaty. They believe the current actions of the Senate Democratic leadership and the White House are undermining this important constitutional function of the Senate:
We take the advice and consent powers granted to the Senate by the founding fathers very seriously. Rushing a matter of this magnitude through the Senate is not what they had in mind when they established this very important check on the executive branch.
The senators note that despite multiple requests, the Obama administration has still refused to provide the negotiating record to the Senate. Without these important documents, the Senate is unable to fully understand the implications of the treaty. This Administration’s denial is tantamount to refusing the Senate an honest debate and undermines the Senate’s role in providing advice and consent. For many on the Left, however, the lack of debate is not a problem, since the virtues of arms control are assumed and any debate of New START’s implications on broader U.S. security is viewed as divisive partisanship. But Senators and the American people should not accept this misunderstanding of the Senate’s function. Policy arguments are not disruptive to the legislative process; informed debate is essential to deliberation.
At this point, however, even if the negotiating record is provided, these 22 Senators believe there is insufficient time in the “lame duck” session to fully consider the terms and possible amendments to the treaty before a vote on ratification. At stake is not just the future of the New START treaty, but the broader understanding of the Senate’s “advice and consent” role in making treaties.
The Foundry: Conservative Policy News.
Pilots at Three Airlines Demand Fair Deals
Pilots at three airlines are demanding that they be treated with respect and that management negotiate a fair deal with them. The pilots for Continental Airlines and United Airlines, which merged last month, are conducting informational pickets to inform passengers of management plans to expand the practice of outsourcing flying to other airlines.
The pilots, members of the Air Line Pilots (ALPA), plan to picket tomorrow in Chicago, home of United. Last week they held informational pickets in Newark, N.J., and Houston, two of Continental’s major hubs. The pilots, who are in contract negotiations with the newly merged airline, say management wants to use outsourced 70-seat jets and nonunion pilots on some regional flights from Continental hubs, a practice the union believes violates the Continental pilots’ current contract.
“The pilots of Continental and United are unified on the issue of protecting the jobs of our pilots, and to stop the outsourcing of our flying,” said Capt. Jay Pierce, chairman of ALPA’s Continental pilots unit.
We would hope management isn’t attempting to circumvent the bargaining process. It would serve the new United well to establish a productive labor-management relationship, and concentrate on reaching an agreement…rather than willingly violate our existing contract by introducing regional jets to markets where Continental pilots should be flying.
Capt. Wendy Morse, chairman of the United unit of ALPA, says:
Management’s concept [of using] outsourcing…is based on outdated business models that simply fail to recognize that the business of an airline is to fly—not to outsource flying to the lowest bidder or to merely act as a ticket agent.
Meanwhile, the crew members at Evergreen Airlines finally are running out of patience and will begin voting Dec. 1 on whether to authorize a strike if talks are not successful. The workers have been locked in negotiations over a new contract for six years. They overwhelmingly rejected a tentative agreement in August. The crew members have not had a pay raise in six years and no per diem increase since the early 1990s.
“We certainly want a contract, not a strike,” said professional flight engineer William Fink, chairman of the Evergreen ALPA unit.
That has been our goal since day one more than six years ago—but the new agreement must provide our members with industry-standard wages, work rules and benefits. We deserve no less.
Evergreen crew members operate a fleet of Boeing 747s and specialize in charter and contract freighter operations around the globe from their hub cities of New York and Travis Air Force Base, Calif.
The Demand for Dollars
(cc photo by LateNightTaskForce)
The trouble in Europe seems to be getting worse, with debt fears spreading somewhat beyond even Spain to Belgium and Italy.
This is something people need to keep in mind when they think about QE2 and the fact that the real problem with current monetary policy is that it’s not loose enough. One thing you’re seeing as all this plays out in Europe is that the Euro is declining in value relative to the dollar. The dollar could go up for two kinds of reasons. One would be that foreigners are increasing their demand for US-made goods and services. They could be saying “I don’t want these Italian financial assets, I’m going to go buy a Boeing jet.” But obviously that’s not what’s happening here. Instead people are concerned about the increasingly rickety-looking European monetary system and want to get their hands on dollars as such.
The right response to this is for the Fed to be doing monetary stimulus—printing more money. This can take a number of forms. Buying longer-dated Treasuries seems to be what the FOMC is most comfortable with, but in a lot of ways I think it would be better to just create the money and send it to people. There are some questions about exactly how you would organize such a “helicopter drop” but I’m confident it could be worked out. And working those problems out would, among other things, have the advantage of improving the politics of monetary stimulus. Cut the banks out of the transmission mechanism and illustrate the fact that the point is to increase the amount of money that people have.
Pakistani backers of Mumbai jihadists told them to take as many hostages as possible, and demand Islamic state
The ultimate goal of jihad in all its forms is the imposition of Islamic law. This is the common thread in numerous, bloody wars being fought in places far removed from one another, including Thailand, Mindanao in the Philippines, Afghanistan and Pakistan, Somalia, and Chechnya.
“‘Demand Muslim state, terrorists were told’,” by Shibu Thomas for the Times of India, November 19 (thanks to Twostellas):
MUMBAI: The Pakistani handlers, who were instructing the 26/11 terrorists, had asked them to take as many hostages as possible and demand a “separate state for Muslims”.
Special public prosecutor Ujjwal Nikam told the HC that the terrorists were given Indian identities to make it seem as if locals were behind the attacks. Nikam said that the charge of ”waging war against the country” on which Pakistani gunman Ajmal Amir Kasab was convicted was justified.
”Kasab and his associate, Abu Ismael, were headed towards Malabar Hill (where VIPs such as high court judges, ministers and the governor reside) to hold VIPs as hostages to fulfill their demands,” Nikam said.
Besides a Muslim state, The terrorists were asked to seek liberation of Kashmir and release of militants. The handlers’ telephonic conversations were intercepted during the attacks. Nikam pointed out that Kasab had confessed that Abu Ismael had the knowledge as to why they were going to Malabar Hill. Kasab was to be told the plans only after reaching Malabar Hill, said Nikam, referring to the confession statement.
Global Unions Demand Rights for Migrant Workers
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Many countries around the world, including the United States, depend on immigrant labor to boost economic development, but do not protect the rights of their immigrant workers. Trade union representatives at the Global Forum on Migration and Development (GFMD) meeting in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, last week called on the world’s governments to respect and protect the rights of migrant workers.
In a statement, the global unions said governments must be vigilant in fighting against racism and xenophobia, which are on the rise in several countries. They also urged countries to ratify the International Labor Organization (ILO) conventions on migrant workers, eliminate abusive guest worker programs and assure the rights of domestic workers.
Says Ambet Yuson, general secretary of the Geneva-based Building and Wood Workers International:
Migrant workers contribute to the economic and social development; however, they are consistently marginalized, exploited, and abused. It is the fundamental responsibility of all governments to protect the rights of migrant workers.
While each country has its own particular experiences with migration, several common themes emerged at the conference. For example, nearly all the union representatives told of efforts to defend domestic workers from human rights abuses. In June 2010, the ILO took a giant step forward in the struggle to create workplace justice for the millions of housekeepers, nannies and other domestic workers around the world, by beginning the process to establish a first-ever international standard (“convention”) to protect the rights of domestic workers. If the convention is passed at the ILO’s meeting in 2011, it would require governments that ratify it to ensure domestic workers are covered by the fundamental rights and principles of the ILO, which include the freedom to form unions, elimination of forced labor, abolition of child labor and the elimination of discrimination.
Migrant workers face horrific treatment ranging from rape to torture, Ana Avendaño, assistant to AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka, said in an interview with Frontera Norte Sur, a publication of the Center for Latin American and Border Studies at New Mexico State University.
The AFL-CIO and its affiliated unions are working to protect migrant workers by helping them join unions and fighting for their rights under the law, Avendaño said. The AFL-CIO is actively supporting an international campaign to ratify the new convention on domestic workers.
“Domestic work is a particular kind of work, not just because it takes place in the household, but also because of its fundamental importance in the very fabric of society,” according to a statement by RESPECT, a European network of domestic worker groups and supporters.
Without provision for child care, care for the elderly, cooking and cleaning, society simply couldn’t function.
In the United States, New York State recently enacted a law that gives basic labor rights to domestic workers. Nationally, the AFL-CIO is supporting independent domestic worker efforts to form unions, Avendaño added, as well as a new initiative called the Excluded Workers Congress that brings together domestic workers, day laborers, taxi drivers, farm workers, unemployable ex-felons and other people at the margins of the economy.
To read the Global Unions’ statement click here.
Global Unions Demand Rights for Migrant Workers
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Many countries around the world, including the United States, depend on immigrant labor to boost economic development, but do not protect the rights of their immigrant workers. Trade union representatives at the Global Forum on Migration and Development (GFMD) meeting in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, last week called on the world’s governments to respect and protect the rights of migrant workers.
In a statement, the global unions said governments must be vigilant in fighting against racism and xenophobia, which are on the rise in several countries. They also urged countries to ratify the International Labor Organization (ILO) conventions on migrant workers, eliminate abusive guest worker programs and assure the rights of domestic workers.
Says Ambet Yuson, general secretary of the Geneva-based Building and Wood Workers International:
Migrant workers contribute to the economic and social development; however, they are consistently marginalized, exploited, and abused. It is the fundamental responsibility of all governments to protect the rights of migrant workers.
While each country has its own particular experiences with migration, several common themes emerged at the conference. For example, nearly all the union representatives told of efforts to defend domestic workers from human rights abuses. In June 2010, the ILO took a giant step forward in the struggle to create workplace justice for the millions of housekeepers, nannies and other domestic workers around the world, by beginning the process to establish a first-ever international standard (“convention”) to protect the rights of domestic workers. If the convention is passed at the ILO’s meeting in 2011, it would require governments that ratify it to ensure domestic workers are covered by the fundamental rights and principles of the ILO, which include the freedom to form unions, elimination of forced labor, abolition of child labor and the elimination of discrimination.
Migrant workers face horrific treatment ranging from rape to torture, Ana Avendaño, assistant to AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka, said in an interview with Frontera Norte Sur, a publication of the Center for Latin American and Border Studies at New Mexico State University.
The AFL-CIO and its affiliated unions are working to protect migrant workers by helping them join unions and fighting for their rights under the law, Avendaño said. The AFL-CIO is actively supporting an international campaign to ratify the new convention on domestic workers.
“Domestic work is a particular kind of work, not just because it takes place in the household, but also because of its fundamental importance in the very fabric of society,” according to a statement by RESPECT, a European network of domestic worker groups and supporters.
Without provision for child care, care for the elderly, cooking and cleaning, society simply couldn’t function.
In the United States, New York State recently enacted a law that gives basic labor rights to domestic workers. Nationally, the AFL-CIO is supporting independent domestic worker efforts to form unions, Avendaño added, as well as a new initiative called the Excluded Workers Congress that brings together domestic workers, day laborers, taxi drivers, farm workers, unemployable ex-felons and other people at the margins of the economy.
To read the Global Unions’ statement click here.
UK: Jihadists demand release of Omar Bakri, vow “The black flag of Islam will fly above Downing Street”
As the now-jailed Bakri himself declared while he was still in Britain a few years back. “We’ll Fly Black Flag Of Islam From No10: Hate Mob In Threat Over Jailed Cleric,” by Keir Mudie for the Daily Star, November 16 (thanks to Weasel Zippers):
HATE-filled Muslim extremists vowed: “The black flag of Islam will fly above Downing Street.”
The protesters, supporters of jailed cleric Omar Bakri Mohammed, made the threat while demanding his release from a life sentence in Lebanon.
Abu Saalihah, a student of Bakri’s, said: “We will not rest until the black flag of Islam is flown over the White House and 10 Downing Street.” Bakri, who was banned from Britain in 2006, was sentenced in his absence to life for training and fundraising for al-Qaida. He was then detained at gunpoint by Lebanese security services after refusing to recognise the court.
The 52-year-old has referred to the hijackers behind the 9/11 attacks as the “Magnificent 19″.
At the demonstration outside the Lebanese embassy in London, supporters clutched placards reading: “Release all Muslim prisoners” and used a megaphone to chant: “Lebanese burn in hell.”…
DEVELOPING: 13 GetEQUAL Activists Chain Themselves To White House Fence To Demand DADT Repeal
Editorial note:
This is a developing story. Stay tuned for updates throughout the day. See updates below.
At 2:00 PM, right on schedule, thirteen GetEQUAL activists chained themselves to the White House’s fence to protest “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” and to demand the Senate vote to repeal the unconstitutional law.
Via GetEQUAL’s press release:
The 13 veterans and repeal advocates arrested today include:
* Five veterans (Lt. Dan Choi, Petty Officer Autumn Sandeen, Cpl. Evelyn Thomas, and Cadet Mara Boyd) who were arrested back in March during the GetEQUAL organized “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” act of civil disobedience at the White House fence demanding President Obama show leadership on repeal.
* Robin McGehee, co-founder and director of GetEQUAL, and Dan Fotou, action strategist for GetEQUAL.
* Former U.S. Army Staff Sergeant Miriam Ben-Shalom, who was discharged in 1976 for declaring and admitting she was a lesbian. She became the first-ever LGBT servicemember reinstated to her position in the U.S. Military, by a U.S. Federal District Court. On July 30th, 1993, Miriam and 26 other protesters were arrested at the White House fence for protesting then-President Bill Clinton’s broken promise to repeal the gay ban – instead signing the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” bill into law.
* Former U.S. Marine Corps Sergeant Justin Elzie who, in 1993, became the first Marine ever investigated and discharged under the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” law. Elzie was also the first soldier to be discharged under “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” to fight his discharge and win – resulting in his service as a Marine for four years as an openly gay man.
* Former U.S. Army Arabic Linguist Ian Finkenbinder, who was discharged from the Army in December 2004 after announcing to his superiors that he was gay. Finkenbinder is an Iraq war veteran and was about to return for a second tour of duty when he was discharged.
* U.S. Army Veteran and Repeal Advocate Rob Smith, who was deployed to both Iraq and Kuwait before being honorably discharged after deciding not to re-enlist in the U.S. Army due to the added pressure of living under the “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” law.
* Father Geoff Farrow, a Catholic priest who spoke out against the church’s official stance in support of California’s Proposition 8, removing the rights of same-sex couples to marry. Because of his courageous stance against Prop 8, Father Geoff Farrow was removed as pastor of St. Paul’s by his bishop and suspended as a priest.
* Scott Wooledge, a New York-based LGBT civil rights advocate and blogger who has written extensively on the movement to repeal “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” at Daily Kos and Pam’s House Blend.
* Michael Bedwell, long-time LGBT civil rights advocate, close friend of Leonard Matlovich, and administrator of the site www.leonardmatlovich.com.
UPDATED:
2:27: PM: Joe Sudbay at AmericaBlog has photos.
2:39 PM: GetEQUAL reports via Facebook, “Police gave first warning – we will not be moved!! Shouting, “WE WILL NOT BE MOVED!”
2:43 PM: GetEQUAL tweets, “Those on the fence are chanting “President Obama, do the right thing!” while Secret Service give multiple warnings #getequal #speechadvice”
3:01: PM GetEQUAL tweets, “Those on the fence are chanting the names of Robin’s kids, the reason she’s doing this work #getequal #speechadvice”
3:05 PM: Robin McGehee, others, reportedly taken off fence and into custody.
3:14 PM: Reports coming that all protestors have now been removed from the fence. Stay tuned for more details.
3:20: Following photos courtesy of Brad Luna
3:25: Video of Lt.Dan Choi, other activists:
3:44: Lez Get Real, and Edge, D.C. report all 13 have been arrested.
Image at top: Chris Geidner.
Also, visit Talk About Equality for more photos.
Related posts:
- Exclusive Photos: Dan Choi, GetEQUAL LGBT Vets Hold DADT Repeal Vigil At Sgt. Leonard Matlovich’s Grave
- BREAKING: Six Gay Vets Chain Themselves To White House In DADT Protest
- BREAKING: Senator Harry Reid Aide: “White House Has Not Been Engaged” On Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell Repeal
Gay rights protesters demand Obama help end ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’
Washington (CNN) – Thirteen gay rights activists handcuffed themselves to the White House fence Monday afternoon, calling for President Barack Obama to work harder for repeal of the “don’t ask, don’t tell” ban on gay service-members serving openly.
Former Army Lt. Dan Choi, the Iraq war veteran and West Point graduate who has become the face of the movement to remove the ban, led the midday protest on the opening day of the lame-duck session of Congress, to put pressure on Democrats and the president to jettison the law before January.
Uncertainty and Aggregate Demand
I agree with much of what Kevin Drum has to say about the notion that the economy is being held back by a mysterious increase in “uncertainty.”
But a deeper lancing of this particular boil starts with the observation that it’s totally unclear what’s supposed to make this different from the standard Keynesian diagnosis. Indeed, Keynes himself put uncertainty front and center in his diagnosis of the business cycle and more modern “Keynesian” accounts tend to leave it out because it’s (a) hard to model and (b) not clear what difference it makes (see Brian Weatherson, “Keynes, Uncertainty, and Interest Rates” [PDF]).
Policymakers can’t make it cease to be the case that the future is uncertain. Policymakers can observe, however, that if economic actors’ level of uncertainty about the future increases that would manifest itself as an increased demand for money. Increased demand for money is a funny beast. Normally if demand for one kind of good or service falls, demand for other goods or services has to rise. But if what people demand is money itself then we find ourselves mired in a general glut, a shortfall of aggregate demand. Which is to say you’d be in just the normal Keynesian situation and you’d want to get out of it in just the normal Keynesian way—looser monetary and fiscal policy to bolster aggregate demand, soak up the excess capacity, and return us to a low-idleness equilibrium.
So if for whatever reason businessmen or politicians or media figures or anyone else feels more comfortable expressing the situation as one caused by “uncertainty” that’s fine. But the name of the game is still fiscal and monetary expansion. But instead the proposed cure typically seems to be “shift public policy in a more rightwing direction.” That wouldn’t do anything about uncertainty or a shortfall in aggregate demand. It’s just a faux-sophisticated way of saying “I’m a rich businessman who wants politicians to cater to my interests more.”
Print In Demand
A reader writes:
Can I say how disappointed I was not to be able to hand a copy of The Cannabis Closet book to my non-smoking, straight-laced, California sister before the Prop 19 vote? I hope that you'll publish that volume in time for the rematch.
We will be publishing it in time for the holidays.
The Daily Dish | By Andrew Sullivan
Pro-Aborts Demand Privacy Unless Bragging About Abortions on Twitter
Pro-abortionists love to give lip service to the “right” to privacy, especially when it concerns fancy wombs. Except for when they wish to take to Twitter and boast about their abortions publicly, apparently. This week, they did just that using the hashtag #ihadanabortion. The alleged reasoning behind such a campaign was to promote empowerment and to take the “stigma” out of, you know, the killing of unborn children. Because, wing nuts won the elections. And The Patriarchy ™. Or something. Never mind that elections themselves are, by definition, all about choice. Facts are hard.
Facts are hard for the press, too, who are ever ready to toe the pro-abortion lefty line. The Washington Post furthered the “OMG, radical extremists who hate lady bits were elected!!!111″ narrative with their article “#Ihadanabortion: Tweeting abortion after the election.” Their bias was clear from the first two paragraphs:
With Tuesday’s sweep of antiabortion candidates into Congress (including a handful of ‘hardliners‘ who say they would outlaw the procedure in all circumstances), some pro-abortion rights activists took to Twitter under the hashtag #Ihadanabortion.
Salon reported that the campaign began with a tweet Wednesday morning by @IAmDrTiller: ‘Time for us to come out. Who’s had an abortion? Show antis we’re not intimidated by scare tactics. Use: #ihadanabortion.’
Oh, yes, people were forced to boast about their abortions due to a sweep of hardliners threatening them. Apparently super scarily threatening them with the fact that abortion is legal in this country. Sigh.
Hey, what about the hardliner who started this “campaign”? What kind of extremist does one have to be to choose Dr. Tiller as their idol? A man who killed thousands and thousands of unborn babies and harmed thousands and thousands of women.
Salon‘s Broadsheet also made mention of the elections in their article “Tweeting your abortion.” Tracy Clark-Flory wrote “Political slogans are not about nuance, and after Tuesday’s election we’re especially in need of some bold rhetoric.” This is typical of Tracy Clark-Flory, of course. When Angie Jackson disgustingly live-tweeted her abortion, Tracy Clark-Flory not only applauded it, but said that women should thank her. Thank her. First, she quoted Angie Jackson’s vile “It’s not that bad… It’s basically like a miscarriage.” Um. Except you are killing the baby on purpose. And, by the way, a miscarriage isn’t such a cavalier thing to most people who are neither heartless nor soulless. It hurts. You grieve for the life lost. You never, ever forget it. She went on to grossly say:
there is something reassuring about how she matter-of-factly walks us, and herself, through the whole process. It’s as though she’s live-tweeting the aftermath of a routine medical procedure, like a wisdom tooth extraction.
That exemplifies the second absurd narrative they are trying to promote with this campaign. Abortion needs to be out in the open and not stigmatized. Abortion should be no big whoop! It’s just like eating a cheeseburger. Wait, bad example. Eating cheeseburgers should be stigmatized, according to the Left. But not killing the unborn – hence the need for “bold rhetoric.” Here is some of the “bold rhetoric” Clark-Flory, for one, rejoices in:
Almost half my life ago, #ihadanabortion. I’m not sorry. I’ve never been sorry. I will never be sorry. Just very, very grateful.
Those who are ANTI-choice shd B glad #ihadanabortion. I went on to finish college, support myself, marry … have 2 honor students. Nice, huh?
Pregnancy or a child doesn’t stop you from being able to attend class or, you know, read. Unless these “empowered” feminists are claiming that a pregnant woman is somehow non-functional, incapable of thought and disabled to the point where she can’t attend college while pregnant – or even after having a child.
bgiacomazzo: I’m GLAD that most people are coming out in SUPPORT of #ihadanabortion — I guess there’s hope after all. You women are so brave. Godspeed.
AmandaMarcotte: Good on the folks at the #ihadanabortion hashtag. I haven’t, but it’s incredibly common. No need to feel alone.
Too bad that they wish women who have been harmed by abortion, who have been traumatized by it, remain feeling alone. They deny their very existence.
EmilyWherever: Sometimes twitter is so inspiring. The #ihadanabortion hashtag is beautiful to see. Yeah ladies!
“Yeah ladies! Good on you for killing your unborn children! w00t! You totally pwnd that baby!”
JenGStarr: @Quod_Erat More selfish and damaging to bring a child into the world without the means to care for or provide for them.
Of course, a baby is better off dead than being poor! I mean, what if that baby won’t have its own swanky pants and oh-so-hip iPod? What if it, egads, has to eat store brand food? The Left is constantly talking about welfare and food stamps and “free” health care for all, yet they evidently don’t think anyone actually avails themselves of such things. Instead, just kill the baby.
What never enters their empty heads and heartless bodies either is the fact that no baby is unwanted. We have this thing called adoption. Perhaps that is too complex an idea for the soulless.
AmandaMarcotte: Also, screw the people who tell you you’re wrong at #ihadanabortion. Most of them would be pissed if the thread was #ihadsexoncewhilefemale
JenGStarr: @AmandaMarcotte It’s not so much about life with them, more about punishing female sexuality.
Typical narrative from modern day feminists; try to paint anyone who doesn’t share your beliefs — about anything — as some sort of puritanical prude. Bring it around to sex, as always, natch. Because, prudes. You see, that’s the reason we don’t want babies to be killed: Because we hate sex. Or something.
This vile campaign promotes only one thing to me. It proves that the Left uses women only. They are preying on them and convincing them that they should brag shamelessly about the killing of unborn children. They want abortion not safe, legal and not rare. Not only not rare, but something to boast about and rejoice over.
They seek to encourage abortion for convenience, they seek to encourage the killing of an unborn child who isn’t timely. They deny the very real trauma that abortion causes women. They deny the deep pain and guilt these women suffer from. But they encourage its celebration.
It is not “empowering.” It is heinous.
