Another Reason You Can't Trust the Blue Dogs

Another reason you can't trust any "compromise" coming out of this Congress.

Abortion measure passes, then fails, in House

WASHINGTON — An anti-abortion amendment to a sweeping health overhaul bill was voted down in a House committee late Thursday — a dramatic reversal just hours after the measure initially was approved.

The amendment said health care legislation moving through Congress may not impose requirements for coverage of abortion, except in limited cases. It was approved in the Energy and Commerce Committee after conservative Democrats joined Republicans to support it.

But committee Chairman Henry Waxman, D-Calif., invoked House rules that allowed him to bring up the amendment for a second vote, despite Republican objections.

This time, one conservative Democrat — Rep. Bart Gordon of Tennessee — changed his vote from "yes" to "no." And a second conservative Democrat who hadn't voted the first time — Rep. Zack Space of Ohio — voted "no."

It was enough to take down the amendment on a 30-29 vote.

How can you call Gordon and Space "conservative" when they voted to keep the abortion provisions in the health care legislation?

Yes, I know they identify themselves as Blue Dog Democrats, alleged conservatives, but if you support taxpayer funded abortions you really cannot call yourself a conservative. Not even a fiscal conservative.

Do not be fooled by these "Blue Dogs." They are not nearly as conservative as they pretend to be. They are stealth votes for the Progressive agenda. Their very presence in Congress keeps Nancy Pelosi, Henry Waxman, Barney Frank, and their ilk in power.

If the Blue Dogs won't work with conservative Republicans to stop taxpayer funded abortions, how hard will they work at anything else?

Will ObamaCare Include Abortion Coverage?

A fascinating question of the ObamaCare debate is whether abortion will be included as one of the covered services in universal health care. Will taxpayers foot the bill for abortions?

We could actually find ourselves in a situation where a 60-year-old woman would be denied treatment for uterine cancer under the rationale that the costs would outweigh the potential benefits to society. But if she became pregnant at that age the government would be more than willing to approve her for an abortion.

Liberals who champion abortion often do so proclaiming that society, through government laws, has no right to interfere with a woman's body. It's okay if that government interference includes money for the procedure. Universal health care, with employer-employee mandates, higher taxes and bureaucratic panels determining who gets what is most certainly government interfering with the bodies of men and women.

And yet liberals-progressives apparently have no problem with that.

It's not hypocrisy so much as it is insanity.

Justice Ginsburg on Thinning the Population of Undesirables

In an upcoming interview with The New York Times Magazine, sitting Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg will opine -- unwisely, I think -- on the nomination of Sonia Sotomayor and has an odd thing to say about the need for more abortions.

Frankly I had thought that at the time Roe was decided, there was concern about population growth and particularly growth in populations that we don’t want to have too many of. So that Roe was going to be then set up for Medicaid funding for abortion. Which some people felt would risk coercing women into having abortions when they didn’t really want them. But when the court decided McRae, the case came out the other way. And then I realized that my perception of it had been altogether wrong.

What kind of populations don't we want to have too many of, Justice Ginsberg?

Eugenicists, abortionists, and liberal jurists: Fellow travelers on the rocky road to hell.

Tiller Family to Close His Clinic

From the WE Blog (Wichita Eagle):

Today the survivors of George Tiller announced their decision to close his Women’s Health Care Services permanently and not be involved in any similar clinic. That was their decision to make. The impact is profound on Wichita, however. It means that area women will be forced to travel three hours or more to seek abortions. The nearest clinics are in Overland Park. Any woman in a position to seek a late-term abortion will have to travel farther. Unless or until Wichita gains another abortion provider, the decision also will end the community’s run as the epicenter of the abortion fight.

The post was captioned, "Wichita the 'abortion capital' no more'

Wichita has a lot of things it can be proud of, like it's aviation industry. Residents will probably feel relief eventually that the nation's abortion fight will be on other turf.

Tiller's Killer Advances the Cause of Violence

Someone shot and killed George Tiller this morning, and that's about the worst thing that could have happened.

Tiller was world famous as the abortionist who "invented" the procedure known as "partial birth." You probably know how it works. It's basically infanticide masquerading as a medical procedure, its legality hanging on the slender threads of permissibility granted by the U.S. Supreme Court.

Tiller would all but deliver a child into the world, leaving only the head inside the mother, then would use scissors to kill the child, vacuum suction to eradicate the brains, and forceps to crush the skull, the remainder then evacuated.

It was, and is, a particularly heinous way to kill unwanted children who, in many if not most cases, would probably survive outside the womb. It's a very, very "late" term abortion.

I didn't care much for George Tiller. I thought he belonged in a prison cell. Unfortunately the State of Kansas brought a particularly weak prosecution against him earlier this year -- no real surprise there, given Tiller's generous political contributions to people like former Gov. Kathleen Sebelius. Tiller was absolved in that case, pretty much ruling out any further legal action against him.

Miscarriage of justice? Probably, but these things happen in a free society. It's the price we pay for making sure that no group or government ever runs roughshod over everyone else.

Most pro-life people understand this. They also understand that the real fight against abortion is not in the court systems or the legislatures. It's a spiritual battle against Satan and his minions. Our weapon of choice is prayer, and it's much more powerful than injunctions, subpoenas, indictments.

Or guns.

Someone took it upon themselves to circumvent all of us, pro-choicers and pro-lifers. Acting as judge, jury and executioner, they gunned Tiller down as he was doing his duty as an usher inside a church. (A church, for the love of God!)

By doing so, they became part of the very evil they probably sought to stop. Killing is not the antidote to killing.

By doing so, they denied George Tiller the possibility that in this life he might come to regret his actions and repent. Other abortionists have done so. With time and much prayer, perhaps Tiller himself could have been saved.

By doing so, they make it much more likely that government actions will be taken to strengthen and protect abortion. The entire pro-life movement will pay a price for this evil. This death will make Tiller a martyr for the cause of killing more babies in the name of reproductive freedom, and it will make our legitimate, peaceful cause much more difficult to achieve. This event will be used as an excuse to tar and feather the pro-life movement, especially if the gunman claims to be a Christian.

More than likely someone will step up to replace Tiller at his "practice," and so the killing of innocents will not abate for long, if at all. It merely cements attitudes and makes it that much more difficult to convert hard hearts.

The shooter has been caught, although no details have been released about this person. They will be tried. I hope that not a penny of pro-life money goes to defend him (or her), for that would not be proper. Let them use a public defender, or pay for their own attorney. Let justice be done. The only certainty is that they will be treated better than they themselves treated George Tiller. And better than Tiller treated the unborn who came to his clinics.

This is a tragedy, and there is no way to put a happy face on any facet of it.

Another Cosmic Coincidence?

It could be a cosmic coincidence.

On Friday, April 24, the Mexican government officially announced it was dealing with the new "Swine" flu.

On April 24, 2007, abortion was official legalized in Mexico City.

I don't believe in coincidences.

You can believe what you wish.

That Sign of Trouble in OKC

The motorist who was detained in Oklahoma City for displaying a sign that read: "Abort Obama, Not the Unborn" has garnered national attention, especially since he also was paid a visit by the Secret Service.

I don't think there's much doubt that the officers who stopped Chip Harrison were over-reacting. It's interesting that the officers' story changed somewhat from this morning to tonight, as they are now claiming that they were just trying to protect Harrison from trouble with the president's protective detail. Since Harrison is talking "attorney" it's CYA time. No surprise there.

I have no idea how many people are displaying identically-worded signs, but I've seen one such vehicle a few days ago, and I have to tell you, reading it made me very uncomfortable.

Now I am as pro-life as I feel a man can be, but I do not like the wording of the sign. I also acknowledge that no one needs my approval as this should be easily covered under the First Amendment. What I am saying, I suppose, is that I can see how a peace officer might "interpret" the word abort to mean exactly what it means in the context of abortion, to end a life. However, Harrison

told the officers that in his opinion the words "Abort Obama" meant to impeach him. He told the officers he does not believe in abortion because he is a Christian.

I doubt many people would equate abort with impeach. This response is too clever.

Which brings me to my point. Stick to your convictions, and if you must make bold statements, by all means stand by them. But a pro-life advocate should try to steer clear of statements that might provoke a violent reaction. That is not the way to changing hearts and minds, and it's a potential betrayal of the cause itself.

Would Jesus say, "Abort Obama." Not likely. No doubt He'd have plenty to say, and I would imagine there would be a call to repent involved at some point. But it would be done with love out of true concern for the spiritual welfare of the president.

How extremely difficult it is to follow the footsteps of the Christ, and how often I fail to do so, and thus give false witness of my own Christian faith.