Thursday, January 29, 2009

Photo of the Week

Blagojevich Kicked to the Curb

Tuesday, January 20, 2009

Where Were You When Barack Obama Became President?

I was sitting on the loveseat in my living room. I had a late breakfast and was eating it in front of the television. I was holding the rosary that my friend gave me as a graduation gift and a small American flag. When he was sworn in, I stood up. Everything seemed so surreal. I was so excited when I saw President Obama and Mr. Bush walking out together; I kept thinking Mr. Bush is now the former president of the United States. I laughed as people that were there sang "Na na na na, na na na na, hey hey hey GOODBYE" as Mr. Bush did his final flyover Washington. I ran to my computer so I could see the White House webpage updated with our new president's image and agenda.

Where were you?

Friday, January 16, 2009

Being Pro-Life v. Pro-Fetus

I am pro-life, however, I don’t associate with the mainstream pro-life movement. The reason being that a startling percentage of the people I encounter are not really pro-life, they are pro-fetus. Yes, Virginia, there is a difference. Someone that is pro-fetus angrily protests against abortion, yet with that same voice they condemn the same woman postpartum for being a single mother. A pro-fetus person is against government-sponsored programs that help said mother take care of that child because the mother "shouldn't have kids she can't afford." They preach about adoption, yet take no interest in petitioning for more oversight for foster homes so that these children aren't abused. And whenever some of these children have the chance to be adopted, a pro-fetus person is more concerned with whether or not the couple can buy a wedding cake topper at Wal-Mart than whether or not the couple can give that child a safe, happy home. A pro-fetus person will get on a jury and let a rapist go back out into the world to forcibly impregnate other women because “boys will be boys” and the woman “should have known better” or should “get over it,” with the caveat that if she was really raped, then she wouldn't have kept the child so she must have tried to trap him and it backfired. And if that isn't bad enough, they also support the idea that the rapist should have visitation rights. I have even encountered pro-fetus people that believe that if the father didn't want the child, then he shouldn't have to pay child support.

My faith teaches that life begins at the moment of conception, but I also subscribe to this crazy idea that the life doesn't end after the umbilical cord is cut. I now realize that there are pro-life people and pro-fetus people. A pro-fetus person's concern ends after the child is born.

A pro-life person doesn't mind tax dollars being used for programs that provide prenatal care. They support programs that help train these mothers for jobs. They completely support any programs that provide counseling for pregnancy-via-rape (and hopefully they are vehemently against cities where victims are charged for their rape kits). A pro-life person doesn’t feel like he/she is being robbed when one of these parents gets assistance to feed this child. They don't complain about tax dollars going to public schools or daycare—yes, I have actually heard people complain about tax dollars going to public schools. They also don't mind government grants and loans being available to that child once they grow up so that he/she can go to college. A pro-life person opposes legislation such as the Texas law (signed by so-called pro-life Gov. George W. Bush) that allows hospitals to take people off life support after 30 days without the consent of family, such was the case of 4-month-old Sun Hudson, whose mother lost the court battle to save her infant son's life while everyone else was paying attention to Terry Shiavo. A pro-life person doesn't demand that people stop taking communion because that person believes that reason trumps rage.

So that is what separates pro-life from pro-fetus: the idea that the concern doesn’t end after the mother has walked away from a clinic. That love and charity are more effective than anger and shock tactics. A pro-life person cares about that life (both of them) from the very beginning to the very end.

Thankfully, I now belong to an organization that shares those same beliefs.

Friday, January 02, 2009

Yes, I'm THAT bored




You Are Upper Class



Class isn't always about money, and you've at least got the brains, manners, and interests of an upper class person.

You don't have a trashy bone in your body, and you don't pretend to be someone you're not.

You're comfortable with your station in life, and class issues don't really bother you.

The finest things in life are within your reach, and you're comfortable enjoying them.

You may end up: A business leader, corporate lawyer, or philanthropist

Other people who share your class: Bill Gates, Oprah, former world leaders like Bill Clinton, and those reclusive billionaires no one ever talks about.