About That Atheism...

Let me say up front - I realize the comments below are an oversimplification, and maybe a bit unfair.  But frankly I am tired of being berated and falsely accused. 

Atheists routinely characterize persons of faith as ignorant or anti-intellectual.  They blithely blame good people who believe in God for all the wars and atrocities of history.  They sarcastically ridicule anyone who has the audacity to defy their assertion of the non-existence of God.  Their sense of self-importance is beyond reason. 

I believe that God exists, and that he makes himself known to anyone who hasn’t actively shut him out.  But do you know what I do not believe in?  I actively reject any arrogance so great and any ethos so inflexible that every person who does not share the same opinion must be mocked, scorned, and denigrated.

 Just this once, I felt like tossing the grenade back into the other foxhole.

Gryphem

The Enduring Legacy of President John F. Kennedy

In this 50^th year since his election, and on this 48^th anniversary of his death, I would like to share a few thoughts with you about President John F. Kennedy.

First, see the results of this presidential popularity poll from December 2010:

“Nearly fifty years after he was assassinated, President John F. Kennedy remains the highest rated modern president, according to a new Gallup Poll.  Kennedy earned an 85 percent retrospective job approval rating, the highest among the nine U.S. presidents who have served in the past 50 years.”

http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2010/12/06/kennedy-remains-most-popular-modern-president/?hpt=Sbin

Now add this follow-up, from September 2011:

“There is no question who the most beloved president of the last half century is: John F. Kennedy. 74% of American voters have a favorable opinion of Kennedy, and only 15% an unfavorable one.”

http://www.publicpolicypolling.com/main/2011/09/jfk-reagan-clinton-most-popular-recent-ex-presidents.html

No doubt about it.  For all his flaws, John Kennedy was and is loved and respected.

It is easy to understand why people idolized President Kennedy in his own time, and in the years following.  He was young, optimistic, and embodied the hope and vigor of a new generation.  He had a storybook life until it was stolen away.  After his death, things went far wrong.  First there was the extraordinary escalation of the Vietnam War in the late 1960s, under the leadership of JFK’s Vice President and successor Lyndon Johnson.  Then there was the Watergate Scandal of the early 1970s, under the leadership of JFK’s political rival and second successor Richard Nixon.  It was easy, right up until the 1980s, to think of the Kennedy administration as the last of the “good times” in America.

I was surprised, though, to find that JFK still tops this list today.  It has been a half century since he was elected, and I did not expect that JFK’s charisma and the charm of “Camelot” would reach so far into the future.  President Kennedy certainly had some amazing characteristics and accomplishments; I just had my doubts about whether Americans today would remember them.

My next comments may surprise you, coming from this conservative-leaning moderate, but I concur wholeheartedly.  John Kennedy was indeed one of the greatest presidents of the past century.  Personally, I would rank President Kennedy behind only Ronald Reagan among great presidents of the past 50 years.  (Reagan ranked second in both quoted polls.)

Contrary to what you may hear from a small but vocal group of naysayers, John Kennedy was a president of amazing character, ability, and accomplishment.  Consider what President Kennedy was able to do in three short years.  He inspired a generation to love America and to get involved.  He launched the U.S. space program, ultimately reaching the moon in 1969.  He stood up to racism and started the process of reform that after his death became the Civil Rights Act of 1964.  He pulled together Democrats and Republicans, liberals and conservatives, New Englanders and Texans and Californians and people from all parts of the nation, and inspired them to work together for the good of America.  He made friends for America around the world, and enhanced the image of the nation abroad.  He founded the Peace Corps.  These are only a few of his accomplishments as President, and do not include his accomplishments as an author or as a war hero in the U.S. Navy during World War II.

As impressive as all that is, I have yet to mention President Kennedy’s greatest achievement.  Even though it is impossible to prove the conviction I am about to share, I confidently believe that if a lesser man had been in the White House in 1962, we would have experienced the greatest disaster of modern human history.  In October 1962, President Kennedy adeptly navigated the perils of the Cuban Missile Crisis.  His quick thinking, keen insight, and statesmanship prevented the one thing we feared more than any other: a war with atomic weapons.  If generals had been allowed to make the decisions, if Richard Nixon had won the election in 1960, if Kennedy had given in to the pressure to strike first…  Words cannot describe the tragedy that would have come upon us.  Sometimes we have to remember great leaders not only for what they do, but also for what they prevent.

The death of John Kennedy was the first public event I remember.  At the time I was too young to understand much.  But I understand now.  I am privileged, all these years later, to be able to share my gratitude for the man who may have done more than any other person in my lifetime to ensure the survival of my world, the world in which I was able to grow up, the world in which I still live.

It’s hard to argue against the man who just might have saved the world, isn’t it?

Gryphem

“My fellow Americans, ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country.” 

Maybe today we should think once more about the wisdom in these words from President Kennedy.

P.S. If you want a very good portrayal of how the Cuban Missile Crisis looked from the White House Situation Room, and exactly how President Kennedy stared down the atomic threat without plunging the world into a radioactive World War III, check out the movie Thirteen Days, a tense and historically accurate portrayal with the tagline, “You’ll never believe how close we came.”

The Sad Case of the Stuck Submarine

I recently revisited this article from about a year ago, and thought it might be worth recalling.  Seems a British submarine ran aground as it was conducting sea trials off the western coast of Scotland near the Isle of Skye. 

You can still read the article at the web address following.  It should come as no surprise that the best sentence in the entire story, as I read and copied it a year ago, has been removed.
http://www.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/europe/10/22/britain.submarine/index.html?hpt=P1&iref=NS1

Here’s an excerpt, with thanks to CNN.  See if you can identify the most interesting comment.

British nuclear sub gets stuck off Scottish coast

By the CNN Wire Staff / October 22, 2010

London, England (CNN) -- A recently-christened British submarine foundered off the coast of a Scottish island when it got caught in rocks, the Ministry of Defense said Friday.

"We are aware of an incident involving one of our submarines off the Isle of Skye," a spokesman told CNN. "We are responding to the incident and can confirm that there... is no indication of any environmental impact."

The sub is HMS Astute, described by the ministry as Britain's "most powerful attack submarine."

The submarine was undertaking sea trials when it ran aground. People were transported out of the craft. The ministry emphasized that only a part of the submarine was stuck.

The part about the people being transported out of the submarine was fairly interesting.  I wonder where they went.  I have always wanted to go to the Isle of Skye, but I never considered arriving by submarine.  Until I read this, of course.  Now, on to the main point… for those of you who are able to continue onward…

Did you notice the disclaimer?  Apparently only “part” of the submarine was stuck.  The Ministry of Defense “emphasized” that point.  How astute and significant a comment!  I am certain that the good people of Britain were relieved to learn that only part of the submarine was stuck, rather than the whole thing.  This does raise a question.  Were those parts of the sub which were not stuck able to continue the transit, or did they remain with the stuck part?

Sometimes, in the attempt to excuse or downplay a mistake, accident, error or mishap, people make themselves look fairly goofy.



“That’s not what I meant when I said to

make her fast!” – Captain of HMS Astute



Epilogue:  You might also be interested in knowing that during the rescue operation that followed, there was a collision between the sub and the towing vessel.  As any sailor can tell you, a collision at sea can ruin your whole day.  Especially when it comes right after a grounding.

For those of you who are worried, HMS Astute did finally limp into port under her own power, no one was seriously injured, and the submarine has been fully repaired.  I’m not so sure that is the case with regard to the career of the captain or navigator.

Gryphem

Coach Joe Paterno - Still a Hero

My father was a high school football coach.  Although I never played myself, I picked up from him a lot of knowledge about the game, and an appreciation for the qualities that make a winning team.  My father was also a very practical, down-to-earth man, not much impressed by fame or position.  The people he most admired and emulated were people he knew, either personally or by reputation, not the ‘superstars’ that impressed most people. 

My father also was a man of great principle.  He did not care much for people who achieved success at the price of more important things in life – like education, family, or integrity.  One of the few national-level sports figures that I ever heard my father admire was Coach Joe Paterno.  What impressed my father about Coach Paterno were not only his talents as a coach.  I think it also had something to do with the fact that my father recognized that Coach Paterno was, like himself, a man of honor and integrity.

Even as a young head coach in the late 1960s, Paterno was top notch, fast on his way to becoming the icon of excellence that he has been for decades.  He built a football program at Penn State that is legendary.  He stands alone among coaches in 2011, a human monument to quality, perseverance, and accomplishment. 

Beyond all the winning seasons, championships, all the gridiron greatness, Joe Paterno was a man of principle who always kept his feet on the ground and his priorities in line.  Five undefeated seasons, 35 finishes in the top 25, two national championships, and 350 former players in the NFL are impressive.  So it the fact that Coach Paterno’s players graduate at rates much higher than in other comparable programs.  Coach Paterno has always emphasized the importance of academics and social responsibility to his players.  On the field and off, Coach Joe Paterno made his people better.  He showed us how a real leader can keep the big picture, live according to right priorities, and make everyone around him better in the process.

Joe Paterno came to Penn State in 1950 as an assistant coach and never left.  He served as an assistant for 16 years until Coach Engle, his predecessor, retired.  Could he have made more money in a bigger market, or with an NFL team?  Sure.  He chose not to leave, because Penn State was his place, his home, where he found his joy coaching college football.   He showed us that a man of principle doesn’t need to chase big money or notoriety or accolades.  He showed us that a man who has found his right place in the world can change the world, a little bit at a time, from wherever he has been planted.  And for Coach Paterno, his place since 1950 has been in State College, Pennsylvania.  Coach Paterno showed us firsthand that it is important to be loyal.  He showed us that a winning lifestyle is not about living extravagantly, but about living well.

Coach Paterno has been a role model for countless people: his players, the Penn State student body, fans and admirers across the country.  He showed us that if you believe in yourself and your team, if you accept responsibility for your own situation, if you make the best of what you have and work hard, if you remain true to your cause, then victory will come.  He inspired us.

Coach Paterno’s legacy is so much bigger than the injustice and pettiness at the end.  In defense of this man of honor, I am obliged to speak up in his defense.  Someone committed a terrible crime and deserves to be punished.  That person was not Joe Paterno.  Coach Paterno, when he had reason to suspect that a crime had been committed (although not proof), reported his suspicions to the leadership of the university.  What more the leaders of Penn State expected from him is unclear.  Apparently they believe that Coach Paterno was or should have been omniscient.  Apparently they believe that the Coach somehow shares guilt with the perpetrator, even though he did no wrong, because they worked together.  How illogical!  Joe Paterno did no crime, and the crimes of Jerry Sandusky are his alone to atone.

The fact that an innocent man has been tainted by association, fired for something done by another, says the leadership of Penn State understands nothing about justice.  Shocked by the crimes, they wanted a scapegoat.  Instead of assigning responsibility to the perpetrator, they sought others to share blame.  So, in accordance with their perverse sense of retribution, or perhaps in cowardly response to public demands for action, they flung their vengeance at the most respectable and well-known man in the immediate vicinity.  What they have done is not justice but vengeance, misdirected at that. 

The firing of Joe Paterno is morally indefensible.  It was spurred by the need to inflict speedy punishment for crimes, even if that punishment had to be inflicted on the wrong person.  The implication that Paterno had anything at all to do with these crimes is profane.  It is the betrayal of six decades of high standards and loyalty.  It is the sacrifice of an upright man of honor on the alter of public anger in a pitiful attempt to appear virtuous.  What the Penn State leadership has done is add another victim to this series of crimes.  It is an abomination. 

Ironically, in one news story I saw a photo of young man holding a sign which stated, “Paterno is not the victim.”  The article went on to state, “…people should be less concerned about the legacy of football coach Joe Paterno, and more concerned about getting some help for some kids…”  The author seems to think the pursuit of justice is an ‘either-or’ proposition.  No one would disagree that the victims of Sandusky deserve our compassion and help.  What I cannot understand is how the author and the sign holder make the leap of logic from “there are victims who were more traumatized,” to “we should not help anyone else but them.”  Concern for one victim (or group of victims) should not blind us to injustice perpetrated against another.  Our goal should not be justice for the most aggrieved, but justice for all.  By accepting “lesser” injustices, we  devalue the concept of justice.  By refusing to repudiate injustice in any form, we empower and validate the concept of the scapegoat.  Personally, I do not see how accepting or perpetuating injustice on an innocent person helps in any way. 

Obviously the guilty one should be punished, to the maximum extent of the law.  The leadership of Penn State should have the wherewithal to realize that the guilty one is not Joe Paterno.   Do they fail to understand that he did nothing wrong?  Does his record of 61 unblemished years at Penn State count for nothing?  How could they have turned on him so suddenly, so dramatically, and with so little reason? 

Faced with the injustice and inherent disrespect of his firing, Joe Paterno reacted with the integrity that has always been his trademark.  He did not complain, although he had a right to.  He absorbed the blow with moral fortitude that would be beyond most people.  Despite the undeserved insult, Coach Paterno stayed true to form.  His character came through once again.  Although he had fulfilled his legal obligation in the wake of Sandusky’s offenses, with compassion he admitted that he wished he had done more.   With courage, he showed us that decency, compassion, and honor are more important to him than even his position at Penn State.  He remains, until the end, a man of integrity.

Like my father, Coach Joe Paterno is a great man.  That is true no matter how little the leaders of Pennsylvania State University appreciate him.  Even if the university to which he gave so much has failed to do right by him, many of us want him to know that he continues to have our appreciation and respect. 

I never had the privilege to meet Coach Joe Paterno.  If I ever do, I will count it a great honor to shake his hand and say, “Thanks, Coach.” 

Gryphem

Witness The New Violent Occupation of America

Warning:  This post is a bit more edgy than you may be used to on the Gryphem blog.  The EXTREME nature of recent incidents demands a response.  Proceed with caution.

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Introduction:  Two weeks ago, I wrote a blog piece in which I called the “Occupy Wall Street” (OWS) protesters immature, ungrateful, and clueless.  In a sense, those terms still apply.  But over the course of two weeks, the Occupiers have been permitted to disregard law and common decency more and more.

Because leadership has been timid in its response to their criminal activities, the Occupiers have learned to thumb their noses at the law and the public, and have come to expect that there will be no consequences for their behavior.  It should be surprising to no one that their behaviors have grown more anti-social and more violent over this period of time. 

The OWS movement has begun to morph into something far more insidious.  The anarchist philosophy seems to be ascendant, as the movement has transformed itself into a series of mob events that feature escalating orgies of anger, disrespect, and bullying. 

Contrary to what you might conclude from mainstream media and pandering politicians, popular support for the movement is not growing, and the “99%” mantra is looking more and more foolish.  What is growing is the number of lawbreakers involved in meaningless acts of defiance and intimidation, morally weak people seduced by the thrill of living lawlessly without consequence. 

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Have you heard about the criminal violence of any “Occupy Wall Street” mobs recently?  If not, you should ask why not.

In Washington, DC last Friday, an angry, vulgar, out-of-control mob attempted to disrupt an orderly gathering of the group “Americans for Prosperity.” They blocked streets, taunted police, chanted profanities, forced their way into the hall in an attempt to disrupt the peaceful conference, and physically assaulted some of those who were attending.  They put their ugliness and anti-social behavior on display for all to see.

My first question is, why would they do that?  They are certainly not motivated by a desire for ‘fairness’ or ‘equality’ as their political and media apologists say.  Seems to me like they were motivated by hate.  Or maybe the thrill of breaking the law and intimidating others.

The fact is, under the guise of their own freedom of expression and assembly, the OWS crowd routinely denies those rights to others.  In fact, they are becoming quite comfortable in the role of determining who gets to speak (or not) and who gets to move about freely (or not).  Demanding compliance from everyone else, they assert their own 'freedom' to break the law with impunity.

The Occupy crowd will tell you they are pursuing some noble goal, but people who seek the moral high ground do not behave like these thugs.  Occupy Wall Street is not pursuing any noble cause.  Motivated by greed, non-specific rage, and narcissism, the Occupiers are pursuing self-gratification.  This may take the form of screaming obscenities at a decent man because he happens to be driving a Mercedes.  It may mean preventing ordinary people from getting where they need to go for the simple cruel joy of saying to them, “You aren’t in control here.”  It may mean demanding free food from a restaurant, and trashing the place if demands are not met.  You get the idea.  A bunch of cruel adolescents gone wild.

My second question is, why haven’t the network media given this story the coverage it deserves?

In early 2010 someone at a Tea Party rally (who might not have been affiliated with the Tea Party, anyway) shouted some derogatory words at passers-by.  It was headline news for days, even weeks.  Subsequently, Tea Party members said that the shouters were not a part of the group, Tea Party leadership explicitly denounced the comments and reaffirmed its opposition to racism, and several minority members of the Tea Party movement spoke up to defend the group and deny any racist agenda.  Even so, political opponents used the isolated incident to condemn the Tea Party, branded the whole movement racist, and repeated the story in an attempt to discredit the movement and everyone associated with it.  The media cooperated willingly.

Now we have an unruly OWS mob attacking a peaceful gathering.  They scream obscenities, they curse at children, they stand shoulder to shoulder to prevent access to the public event, they refuse to follow direction from police, they accuse reporters who are doing nothing but silently videotaping of ‘spinning’ the story, they block a ramp to prevent a woman in a wheelchair from leaving, they knock an elderly woman to the ground and injure her in the process.

Unlike the alleged racists of the Tea Party, these people openly identify themselves as part of the Occupy Wall Street movement.  Unlike the alleged racist incident involving the Tea Party, these events are caught on camera in great detail.  Unlike Tea Party gatherings which have been overwhelmingly peaceful and law-abiding, this mob actually threatened law enforcement and physically assaulted citizens.

Where’s the outrage?  Where’s the story?

I do not claim to be a Tea Party member myself, although I support the Tea Party objective of fiscal responsibility.  But it doesn’t take a partisan perspective to see the double standard in play here, by media and public officials alike.  The Tea Party has been demonized routinely for the slightest unproven politically incorrect comments.  This violent mob is largely overlooked, given a pass, excused for their criminal behavior if not explicitly then at least by omission from the headlines. 

Let’s get this myth out of the way right now.  The Occupy movement is NOT just a left-wing Tea Party.  Regardless of political persuasion, any rational person will admit that the behaviors of the Tea Party and  the Occupiers are as different as night and day.  And the difference is not flattering to OWS or its supporters.

They brought anarchy to the streets of the nation’s capital, attempted to deny the rights of assembly and free speech to those with whom they disagreed, screamed obscenities at passers-by, and assaulted innocent children and elderly ladies.

Friday night in Washington was only one instance of the growing militancy of the Occupy movement.  Oakland has been traumatized for more than a week now, as rioters forced a shutdown of the port and set fires in the streets more than once.  Occupiers in San Diego rioted, destroyed the carts of street vendors, and made death threats because the vendors refused to give them free food.  Sexual assaults have been reported in OWS camps in Dallas, Cleveland, and New York.  Criminal assaults have been reported in nearly every OWS camp, and vandalism seems to be a popular hobby.  If Occupy Wall Street ever did have any claim to legitimacy, that legitimacy vanished when the movement turned destructive and unleashed an incipient culture of violence in the streets of American cities.

I am astonished that anyone with a shred of decency or respectability would offer support to this angry, undisciplined, treasonous movement whose goals appear to be mob rule and the destruction of American society. 

The Occupiers are criminals who seek to satisfy their greed and envy by taking or destroying the property of others.  They vent their antisocial tendencies by bullying the innocent and their feelings of insignificance and impotence by shouting down anyone who has an opinion that differs from their own.  Their behavior is vile and their hypocrisy, flagrant. 

Do not underestimate the power of an angry mob.  You want historical context?  Read about the French Revolution or the Russian Revolution.  Don’t misunderstand this to imply that the Occupiers have that kind of power, because they don’t.  The comparison is meant to shed light on their potential for violence and their immorality, not their power.  The Occupy Wall Street crowd is too small, with too many self-contradicting demands, self-destructive behaviors, and competing egos involved to take over anything significant.   But in isolated times and places - such as downtown Washington, DC last Friday night - they can inflict a great deal of pain and damage on those they hate… or anyone who happens to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Perhaps a better analogy would be the pogroms of medieval Europe.  Study them to see what an irrational mob filled with hatred is capable of doing.  Because if OWS is not stopped by us, the American people who believe in freedom and rule of law, then a pogrom is inevitable.  It may or may not be directed at Jews, as the pogroms of medieval Europe were.  Maybe it will be directed at anyone who has a job.  Maybe it will be directed at anyone who does not join in the rioting.  Maybe it will be directed at anyone who is in the wrong place at the wrong time, driving the wrong car or wearing the wrong clothing.  However the details shape up, if we do nothing an OWS pogrom will happen and it will be destructive and deadly.

Be wary of OWS, work to stop them, but do not fear them, because they have no chance of succeeding.  They are incoherent, disorganized, uncooperative amongst themselves, and out of touch with American history, American values, and the American people.  They are, however, capable of hurting a great many people in the process of throwing their infantile mass tantrums in the streets.  Fortunately, more and more Americans are beginning to notice their bad behavior, and are beginning to realize the danger of endorsing, validating, or ignoring their mob mentality.

New advice to the decent people of the United States:  Disavow, then disempower this petty movement toward tyranny, which pretends to care about fairness and individual rights but is in reality an incoherent movement that cares nothing about anything except the rage of the moment, a meaningless mass attempt to gratify the baser urges of an undisciplined, envious, and pathological mob.

New advice to the OWS mob participants:  You have crossed the line from nuisance to hazard.  The American people are not going to stand by and allow you to brutalize our fellow citizens.  Lest you have any delusions of grandeur, let me assure you…  this is not “Rebel Without a Cause” and you are not James Dean.  So don’t flatter yourselves.  To those of you who advocate violence as a means to achieve your self-indulgent goals, a warning: Do not think that you will be able to use violence indiscriminately or without consequence.  That’s not how we do things here in the United States.  Once more I advise you to Go Home – while that is still an option for you.



Tyranny from a mob here at home is

no less tyranny than despotism

imposed from a foreign power.

This Occupy crowd is a group of social misfits and malcontents whose misbehavior was born of envy and continues for the illicit thrill of defying, taking, and bullying, and getting away with it.  Americans of all classes and ethnicities, we have allowed these criminals to harass and intimidate our innocent fellow citizens long enough.  It’s time to counteract the threat.  It's time to stop the stupidity.  It’s time to END THE OCCUPATION. 

Gryphem

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Postscript:

The organization which was attacked last Friday, Americans for Prosperity, has made available several videos of the “Occupy” mob at work.  I cannot recommend them for children because they are angry, antisocial, and filled with profanity.  I urge adults who doubt the ugly truth about the “Occupy” movement, who want to understand what this group looks like on the street, to view one or more of these videos at http://americansforprosperity.org/110811-videos-violent-occupy-protesters-attacking-defending-american-dream-summit?tr=y&auid=9827543.

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The Abortion Dialogue

A news story from Mississippi about a proposed anti-abortion amendment has provoked the usual responses from the extreme partisans.  The radicals on the one side are mostly well-intentioned, but persist in branding anyone who disagrees with them as evil.  Their error is mirrored by the radicals on the other side, who persist in branding anyone who disagrees with them as either ignorant hicks or conspiracy-minded control freaks.  Those of us in the middle have mostly stopped talking about this issue because the radicals from both sides tend to attack first and ask questions later. 

No, correct that.  They attack, pat themselves on the back, and never ask questions.  Asking questions might imply that they care what someone else thinks, and that is absolutely not true.

Although the intolerance is rampant, and unacceptable, on both sides, I do find more fault with one side than the other.  Despite the rhetoric, most pro-life people are genuinely concerned for the welfare of the unborn, whom they consider real persons unable to defend themselves.  Their motives are honorable, whatever you may think of their conclusions. 

I have at various times in my life been on both sides of the abortion issue, although my present (and final) position should not be difficult to determine given the preceding remark.  At this time I am not arguing whether abortion-on-demand should or should not be legal.  I am arguing for civility in the discussion, for open-mindedness, for a cooperative effort to understand each other.  I do not say that we must reach complete agreement immediately, because that will not be possible.  Our short term objective should be to listen to each other, to communicate, to restore a respectful public dialogue that understands the beliefs of both sides.  This is a necessary prerequisite to any long-term progress toward resolution of this ongoing controversy.

While I have criticized radicals of both extremes, I do find the radicals in favor of abortion-rights generally tend to be less willing to listen to those who may have a different opinion.  I find them more intolerant, more eager to shout down the opposition, and more demeaning toward other persons of good faith who may not share their political position.

Most abortion rights radicals seem unwilling or unable to grasp the idea that pro-life people have a genuine humanitarian concern for the unborn.  They consistently refuse to acknowledge the beliefs that motivate their political opponents, choosing instead to cast the controversy as a fight against oppression and for the rights of women.  They never allow the possibility that those who oppose abortion might also understand their struggle as a fight against oppression, against genocide even, and for the rights of a different group of persons.

It is my experience that most extreme pro-life supporters would be willing, given the opportunity, to sit down with an abortion-rights supporter to explain his or her position.  Most pro-life supporters would be happy to help the abortion-rights supporter understand why they feel they must oppose abortion-on-demand.  Most pro-life supporters would welcome that opportunity to persuade.  Most extreme abortion-rights supporters would not. 

It should be possible for a reasonable person, even one who honestly supports abortion rights, to understand the motivation of pro-life people who are convinced that they are working to save innocent lives.  But that is not what we see or hear.  Most extreme abortion-right supporters have such disdain for their opponents that they scoff at the idea of a civil conversation with them.  In most cases they would rather silence the opposition than have an honest discussion.  It appears to the objective observer (and I once was an objective observer) that they are afraid of an open examination of fact, afraid to allow their opponents to speak.  So they shout down, impugn motives, and demean those who disagree with them.  They seem to prefer character assassination to honest dialogue.  They seem, to this once-objective observer, to be afraid of the truth.

I understand that this issue inspires extraordinary emotion, that it does represent a debate about basic freedoms, that it is a matter of life-or-death.  In no way would I want to stifle those feelings.  I do say that if we are to move forward together, then we need to stop screaming and try to understand each other.  Would you rather silence the opposition, or convert your fellow citizen?  We need to develop a dialogue that is respectful, intelligent, and civil, or the screaming will continue.

These are my observations and opinions.  They are honestly held, and presented without anger or ridicule.  I close with a comment that appeared following the news story: 

     “Why do so many abortion rights supporters hate and slander?  Is it

     possible for you to understand that, quite apart from my denomination

     or political party that I believe an embryo is a real person?  Is it reasonable

     that IF I believe that embryo is a real person that I might want to keep him

     or her from being destroyed?  Trying to save a helpless and innocent human

     life is not something that should be ridiculed.  You don't have to agree with

     me, but you should respect the legitimacy of my opinion and stop the hate.”

Offered with respect and compassion for all.

Gryphem

I made a castle for you...

I made a castle for you...

Courtesy of www.explodingdog.com - quirky

enough to capture the complexity of human emotion so

well that we can see the comedy and tragedy at the same time.

I made a castle for you, but you didn't want it...

This may seem silly to some of you, but really it isn't.  It is dedicated to someone I care about who is tough on the outside but who has loved, at least once, too well.

Gryphem

Signs of a Migraine

Found headline:  ‘17 Signs You're Having a Migraine'

Do we really need a list?  Who really needs a list of 17 signs?

From what I've seen of them, one sign is probably enough for anyone suffering from a migraine.

I didn't read the article under the headline because I have never in my life met anyone who was having a migraine and didn't know it.  Think about it.  When was the last time you heard anyone say, "What a wonderful, lovely morning!  The sun is shining, the birds are singing.  If only some kind doctor or enlightened journalist would tell me how to be sure I’m not having a migraine, life would be perfect."

But obviously someone thinks specifying a bunch of characteristics that seem obvious to us ordinary slobs is important.  It was important to the persons who wrote and published this article.  Maybe they are smarter than we are.

So in the interest of broadening our understanding of a plethora of interrelated symptomatic minutia, I decided to dispense with the article and give you my own list of signs you’re having a migraine.  To save you time, I have condensed the list from 17 signs to 10, which should be plenty for anyone.

SIGNS YOU'RE HAVING A MIGRAINE
1. Your head hurts.
2. Your head hurts really really bad.
3. Light makes you hurt.
4. Sound makes you hurt.
5. You hurt so bad, you are nauseous
6. Your hair, teeth, or bones hurt.
7. You hurt so bad, you pray to fall into a coma until it stops.
8. Breathing makes you hurt.
9. Your heartbeat makes you hurt.
10. You hurt so much, you can’t remember your name.

That, friends and aspiring medical students, is how you know you have a migraine.  Now go back to your dark room and recover.  You can thank me later.

Gryphem