Today's Posts

Will Sotamayor Be Worse than Souter?

Now, Bite Down Hard: Another Adult Stem Cell Success

Troubled Thetans, Indeed: Scientology Can't Stand Scrutiny

Anti-Israel Christians Joining Radical Muslims to Stir Up Serious Trouble

The Press Covers for Obama In a Most Unusual Way

"Thank You For Telling People What's Right"

From the Ever-Expanding "It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World" File

Will Sotamayor Be Worse than Souter?

Confused about just what Sonia Sotamayor might mean for the country if she makes it to the Supreme Court? Don't be. This terrific source page from Americans United for Life (regularly updated as more info comes in -- and it is!) will give you all the help you need.

And, by all means, pass it on then. Americans need to know.

Now, Bite Down Hard: Another Adult Stem Cell Success

No, I'm not a regular reader of the Journal of Oral Implantology.

But probably after hearing (for the first time in my life) the term "periodontal pocket" last week at the dentist, I was primed to notice a news item which led me to this story about adult stem cells providing "a more thorough regeneration of periodontal tissue around dental implants."

Those amazing adult stem cells are at it again!

Indeed, with each passing month, they are providing new discoveries, new treatments, new hope for progess in practical health. And that's not to mention the tremendous service provided over many years now of well-established practices using adult stem cells to save lives and restore well-being for millions of people.

Meanwhile, for all the the media hype, the political infatuation, and the billions of dollars spent on embryonic stem cell, we have in practical results...absolutely nothing.

Troubled Thetans, Indeed: Scientology Can't Stand Scrutiny

Gina Dalfonzo from The Point wonders if this detailed, compelling exposé of Scientology's "culture of intimidation and violence" developed by Joe Childs and Thomas C. Tobin for the St. Petersburg Times might be the beginning of the end for this weird religious cult.

One can hope...and pray.

Anti-Israel Christians Joining Radical Muslims to Stir Up Serious Trouble

Dr. Greg Gardner over in Birmingham (England, not Alabama) alerts us to a Melanie Phillips article I had missed from back in March -- one dealing with the alarming momentum of anti-Semitism flowing from a bizarre new alliance between anti-Israel Christians and radical Muslims.

Sadly, the months since the publication of this Spectator article have proven her argument still further.

Check it out here.

The Press Covers for Obama In a Most Unusual Way

Kevin O'Brien in the Cleveland Plain Dealer notes an especially bothersome element of the MSM's double standard in political coverage.

I find it striking (and strikingly consistent) that any criticism leveled at Obama and his minions is met not with a defense that what Obama is doing is right, but with the implication that since Bush did something they considered wrong, Obama must be allowed to commit the same offense.

"What about Bush?" is not a valid answer to questions raised about Obama's policies or activities...

Doesn't it seem odd that the alleged misdeeds of a president whom the left despised have turned into precedents to shield from criticism a president the left adores? How is it that something classified as a grievous offense by Bush is rendered pure and inoffensive when Obama repeats it?...

The day may come when some of Obama's apologists will begin to judge what he says and does objectively, on the merits, rather than subjectively, on the basis of their personal affection for him and their personal loathing for his predecessor. But I see no sign of its dawning anytime soon.

Instead, for Obama and his policy aims, the gift of Bush keeps on giving, in the form of a reflexive, unreasoning hatred that continues to focus a sizable segment of Americans on an administration that's over with.

The administration in place today, thriving on a strategy of misdirection and distraction, undoubtedly is delighted.

"Thank You For Telling People What's Right"

Yesterday morning as we gathered in the CPC parking lot to pray (prior to walking down to begin sidewalk counseling at the Bellevue abortion clinic), a young man in a truck pulled up alongside us. He got out, threw down his cigarette and rather haltingly approached us.

"Are you the people who are usually out here? The people against abortion?"

"Yes," I said. "At least we're the ones that are here on Monday mornings. Can we be of any service to you?"

The young man didn't answer at once. And when he did, he stumbled over his words a little. Finally, he got out his story -- his marriage had been in some trouble and, without his knowledge (let alone consent) his wife had come in the week earlier and had an abortion. He said he just wanted to thank us for being here. "This is the right thing to do. And I just wanted to come and tell you that. And to thank you for trying to tell people what's right."

I spoke to him about the various services (including post-abortion) offered by A Woman's Touch and the AAA Center in Omaha and encouraged him to pursue them. We also explained we would be praying for him and reminded him of the power and grace available in Jesus Christ.

It was, as you can imagine, a most significant way to begin our witness at an abortion clinic.

From the Ever-Expanding "It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World" File

* The American President finally finds an international crisis he really cares about -- supporting the illegal claims of a left wing dictator in Honduras. In doing so, Barack Obama falls in line with Fidel Castro and Hugo Chavez.

* The U.S. Congress votes to approve legislation that would have the most cataclysmic economic, cultural and political effects on the whole of society -- and not a single member even read the thing!

* There are reports that as many as a dozen worshipers of Michael Jackson have committed suicide following news of the singer's death. Camera-loving Jesse Jackson, who has been acting as the Jackson family spokesman, shows up on a You Tube video clip appealing to MJ's fans to "create futures, not funerals to make Michael happy."

* In the White House East Room, President Obama hosts a event for 300 people to "honor" the 40th anniversary of the Stonewall Riots in New York, the event which is regarded as the beginning of the homosexual rights movement.

* A local oldies radio station here staged a live promotion a few days ago for a company which has opened a new laboratory testing place. The on-air interview featured the company's manager bragging about how a person could be tested for cholesterol, STDs, drugs, paternity and on and on. He was especially keen to point out that they offered a fidelity test, one in which you could find out if your lover is cheating on you by bringing in their underwear. Good grief.

* At the end of 2008, America's net international investment position was minus $3.47 trillion, the Commerce Department reported Friday. That represents the difference between the value of U.S. assets owned by foreigners ($23.36 trillion) and the value of foreign assets owned by Americans ($19.89 trillion)...

Foreigners now hold nearly 50 percent of the federal government's publicly held debt. If foreign investors significantly reduce their purchase of future U.S. Treasury debt securities, without even dumping their current holdings, U.S. interest rates could soar and the dollar could collapse, analysts fear.

At minus $3.47 trillion, America's net debtor status with foreigners represents nearly 25 percent of U.S. gross domestic product, the highest level in history. (Washington Times, June 27)

Today's Posts

"This Is Arbitrary Government Rammed Down Our Throats."

While Obama Whines, Cavuto Clarifies

Worshiping the Creation Instead of the Creator: Scientism Leaps Over the Edge

Senator for Sale: Feinstein Embarrassed When Lobbyist Tells It Like It Is

Conyers' Conflict of Interest Ignored...Just As He's Decided to Ignore ACORN

Are These Robots Guilty of Portraying Negative Racial Stereotypes?

I'll Be Back in a Minute, Hon.

"This Is Arbitrary Government Rammed Down Our Throats."

From Rick Pearcey over at Pro-Existence --

Moreover, the Democratic Senate Majority Leader "will not commit to giving senators and the public a full week to read and review the final version of a health-care reform bill before he holds a final vote on it," reports CNSNews.com.

This is arbitrary government rammed down our throats. This, in effect, is legislation without representation. If our elected "leaders" don't have the time to read legislation imposed upon the people of this nation, perhaps we the people will not have time to obey its unread demands upon our daily lives.

This hubris at the heart of the Washington-centric establishment is beneath the dignity of a free people created in the image of God and endowed by our Creator with unalienable rights.

Perhaps we need a new set of Founders to restore the foundations of this nation, to put a halt to the abridgments of freedom enacted daily upon us by an oppressive federal establishment, and to provide a sure hope for human dignity in a land growing increasingly disturbed by the darkness of secularism.

While Obama Whines, Cavuto Clarifies

Worshiping the Creation Instead of the Creator: Scientism Leaps Over the Edge

Gimme That Spacetime Religion is Regis Nicoll's striking review of modern Scientism over in Salvo Magazine. Check it out.

...The late Carl Sagan insisted that modern science could engender the same awe and wonder as religious faith. He went on to predict the popular acceptance of science-based religion. Years earlier, Sir Julian Huxley similarly envisioned a day when science would be the foundation for any viable religion.

Today, judging by the number of television specials and news articles on string theory, climate change, black holes, and the latest fossil finds, it is clear that both the media and the public are enraptured with the Delphic postulations of scientists. Even the oracles themselves have fallen under the spell of their own imaginings.

For instance, remarking on a recent theory that neutrinos—wraith-like, subatomic particles—were the first products of the Big Bang, one scientist fancied, “We’re descended from neutrinos! They’re our parents.” Another researcher rhapsodized, “Neutrinos may tell us why we exist.”

But no one expresses the religious dimension of science more fervently than Carolyn Porco, research scientist for the Cassini project. Dr. Porco acknowledges that religion is an inextricable part of human culture—a part that science can equally, if not better, fulfill: "From energy to matter, from fundamental particles to DNA, from microbes to Homo sapiens, from the singularity of the Big Bang to the immensity of the universe . . . ours is the greatest story ever told."

I don’t know about the greatest story ever told, but her venerated materialism is certainly the tallest tale ever spun. Dr. Porco continues: “We find gods in the nucleus of every atom, in the structure of space/time, in the counter-intuitive mechanisms of electromagnetism. What richness! What consummate beauty!” Whatever.

Welcome to scientism, a belief system founded on the conviction that everything from neutrinos to supernovae to conscious beings who marvel at such things are reducible to material processes explicable through science. It is a conviction based on neither observed fact nor experimental evidence, but rather on dogmatic faith in naturalistic science. In scientism, nature is God, science is revelation, and scientists are the new exegetes...

Dr. Porco envisions a “Church of Latter Day Scientists” with a full complement of ceremonies, rituals, missionaries, and apostles. She dreams of particle accelerators and observatories as sacred sites, with museums, planetaria, and lecture halls serving as worship centers, while evangelists spread the “word” by praising the genius of Darwin. Her religion would even include church services: "Imagine congregations raising their voices in tribute to gravity, the force that binds us all to the Earth, and the Earth to the Sun, and the Sun to the Milky Way. . . . Can’t you just hear the hymns sung to the antiquity of the universe? . . .'Hallelujah!' they will sing. 'May the force be with you!'"...

Senator for Sale: Feinstein Embarrassed When Lobbyist Tells It Like It Is

Sen. Dianne Feinstein, chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, abruptly canceled a campaign fundraising lunch scheduled for Wednesday after the Washington lobbyist helping to organize the event suggested in an invitation that the committee's work would be served as the "first course."

Mrs. Feinstein, California Democrat, bowed Monday to concerns that the fundraising solicitation could be misinterpreted. The Senate panel she chairs has long prided itself on staying above the political fray because of the sensitive nature of its work...

Washington lobbyist Heather Podesta mentioned the intelligence committee in an e-mail invitation attached to a formal notice of the event, saying that the lunch at the upscale Charlie Palmer steakhouse in Washington would begin at noon. In the e-mail, she said donors who gave between $1,000 and $2,500 could order up "the Select Committee on Intelligence for the first course."

With a check "payable to Feinstein for Senate," the e-mail said other courses include "your choice of Appropriations, Judiciary or Rules committees," other panels on which she serves. The invitation also suggested that the recipients forward it to "others that might be interested in attending or contributing."...

The now-canceled fundraiser was scheduled to take place despite President Obama's campaign promise that the days of lobbyists setting the agenda in the nation's capital are over. He had called for a new "transparency in government."

Melanie Sloan, executive director of the watchdog group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW), called the invitation "audacious, but legal."

"By correlating a fixed-price menu with Sen. Feinstein's committee assignments, Podesta does what most of Washington assiduously seeks to avoid -- makes clear that members of Congress are for sale," she said...

A formal invitation was attached to the e-mail and included the name of her husband, Tony, also a Washington lobbyist. Paid for by the Feinstein for Senate Committee, the attached invitation does not list any of the committees but asked potential contributors to "join" the senator for lunch.

Mrs. Podesta opened the office in January 2007 to provide "strategic advice to companies, nonprofits and individuals on how to make Washington, D.C., work for them." In the first quarter of this year, her firm has been paid $1.63 million in lobbying income, according to the Center for Responsive Politics. The firm received $4.75 million in fees last year, the center said...

Mrs. Podesta is a well-known lobbyist in Washington, and her client list includes powerful special interests with big financial stakes on issues pending in Congress. Mr. Podesta founded the Podesta Group, a lobbying and public-affairs firm based in Washington, in 1988.

(Not surprisingly, this story has no legs except those of the Washington Times. Here it is.)

Conyers' Conflict of Interest Ignored...Just As He's Decided to Ignore ACORN

Democrat Congressman John Conyers (Detroit) chairs the House Judiciary Committee and is therefore responsible for oversight of the Justice Department -- the same Justice department that is engaged in plea bargaining with Conyers' wife, Detroit City Councilwoman Monica Conyers, who is under investigation in a big money bribery deal.

But no one seems to be bothered about this obvious conflict of interest. Not Democrats. Not Republicans. And not the press which, as it usually does with Democrats, has kept a lid on the whole smelly matter.

And one more thing -- about Conyers' promises to investigate that whole host of corruption and fraud charges against ACORN? He's suddenly, inexplicably dropped the whole thing.

He told the Washington Times reporter, "The powers that be decided against it."

Huh? A veteran Congressman, a powerhouse in his own right, doing a duck and cover because of some shadowy powers that be?

This, ladies and gentleman, is the kind of thing that will keep you awake nights. And well it should.

Are These Robots Guilty of Portraying Negative Racial Stereotypes?

Dolts are always offended at the wrong things.

I'll Be Back in a Minute, Hon.

See more Lisa Benson cartoons here.

Today's Posts

The Weirdness of Modern Culture

"As Fathers, We Need to Be Involved in our Children's Lives, Not Just When it's Convenient or Easy." (Pro-Abortion Barack Obama on Fatherhood)

The Obama/ABC Health Care Infomercial

Barney Frank Reprises His Funniest Role in "Stuck on Stupid II"

Hugo Chavez Fans the Flames of Anti-Semitism

Having Gone AWOL From His Most Basic Responsibilities, It's Time for Mark Sanford to Go Home

The Weirdness of Modern Culture

Irrationality reigns in what was once the noble, spiritual and enlightened Western Civilization.

Case in Point 1) Planned Parenthood and their partners (i.e. MTV, the Kaiser Family Foundation, a gang of pop culture celebrities), as a part of their recent (and very extensive) "Get Yourself Tested" campaign claimed, " The only way to “know for sure” if you or anyone else has an STD is to get tested."

Hmm. Can no one in the room think of another way to be absolutely positive that they're not carrying gonorrhea or chlamydia or genital warts or AIDS? Like...gee, I know it's a stretch but...what about not having sex until you marry?

Case in Point 2) St. Jude Children's Hospital was founded by entertainer Danny Thomas on the premise that "No child should die in the dawn of life." That slogan was prominently featured in television ads during the PGA's St. Jude Classic a couple of weeks ago. I wonder how many viewers nodded in sympathy with that most worthy ideal but who wouldn't think of connecting it to abortion, let alone to have it serve as a rallying point against that barbaric practice which unjustly, unnecessarily and most inhumanely kills more children "in the dawn of life" than all diseases combined.

Of course, among those who refuse to make the connection are Danny Thomas' own daughter, actress Marlo Thomas who was also featured in those same TV spots. Thomas, a lapsed Catholic (who is married to another lapsed Catholic, Phil Donahue) has been a vocal supporter of abortion, once proudly declaring at a pro-abortion rally, ''To those pontificators who relegated our movement to the ash-heap of post-feminism, I say, eat your heart out. The feminist generation that supports a woman's right to choose an abortion has reproduced!'' (That isn't exactly true of Thomas, however, for she herself has not "reproduced." She was accompanied at that rally by one of her step-daughters.)

Case in point 3) From the Register (U.K.) comes Lester Haines' take on the shocking scandal that Disney films are promoting...gulp..."heteronormativity." (You can't make this stuff up, guys.)

Parents who'd rather hoped that sticking their brats in front of a Disney film would result in nothing more serious than whining demands for associated merchandising will be horrified to learn that such movies are punting strictly heterosexual values to impressionable minds.

That's according to Emily Kazyak and Karin Martin, who probed top-grossing G-rated films and discovered that, contrary to "the notion that such movies are without sexual content", they actually "send a memorable message to impressionable young viewers that heterosexual love is not only the norm, but that it is also exceptional, powerful, transformative and magical".

To arrive at this shock conclusion, Kazyak and Martin "analyzed all G-rated movies released, or rereleased, between 1990 and 2005 that grossed more than $100m in the United States".

Three trained operatives "extracted story lines, images, scenes, songs and dialogue that addressed anything about sexuality, including depictions of bodies, kissing, jokes, romance, weddings, dating, love, where babies come from, and pregnancy."

Then, mercifully offering a much-needed IT angle, "the text describing this material was inductively coded using a qualitative software program".

The researchers explain in the journal Gender & Society: "Characters in love are surrounded by music, flowers, candles, magic, fire, balloons, fancy dresses, dim lights, dancing and elaborate dinners. Fireflies, butterflies, sunsets, wind and the beauty and power of nature often provide the setting for - and a link to the naturalness of - hetero-romantic love."

And if that's not enough, heterosexuality is "construed through depictions of overtly feminized women and masculine males, with the male characters spending much of their time longingly gazing at the former".

The message is further rammed home when "toys and other products tied to the films later reinforce the images".

The upshot of all this is that kids' entertainment is doing little to promote gay awareness and "continues to perpetuate a less inclusive message". The researchers conclude: "Both ordinary and exceptional constructions of heterosexuality work to normalize its status because it becomes difficult to imagine anything other than this form of social relationship or anyone outside of these bonds."

"As Fathers, We Need to Be Involved in our Children's Lives, Not Just When it's Convenient or Easy." (Pro-Abortion Barack Obama on Fatherhood)

From the National Right to Life site comes these observations from (I think) Dave Andrusko.

A friend was kind enough to forward pro-abortion President Barack Obama's Father's Day Reflections which ran in Parade magazine over the weekend. I had not seen it until late yesterday, and perhaps you haven't either. It's worth reading and thinking about.

The obvious inconsistency [inconsistent, that is, if you are as militantly anti-life as Obama is] is his statement, "That is why we need fathers to step up, to realize that their job does not end at conception; that what makes you a man is not the ability to have a child but the courage to raise one." Tacitly, at least, there is the acknowledgement that a father's job begins at the beginning of his child's life which is at conception.

But what really caught my attention began in the next sentence:

"As fathers, we need to be involved in our children's lives not just when it's convenient or easy, and not just when they're doing well--but when it's difficult and thankless, and they're struggling. That is when they need us most."

Obama has eloquently written of what he went through when abandoned by his own father, the price that he paid. Without the selfless involvement of his maternal grandparents, the young Barack Obama would never have had the advantages that made it possible for him someday to become President.

But the point of his essay in Parade--made over and over--is that fathers matter, and that they matter most of all when times are tough.

At the risk of stating the obvious, there are fewer more difficult times than when the father of the baby (often, but by no means always, not married to the mother) learns she is carrying their baby.

As men we must never let ourself, or any other guy, off with the "society tells us" slogan/excuse. Sure, there are a million ways the message is conveyed that in such a crisis pregnancy situation, the decision is exclusively the woman's. But, deep down, all men know otherwise...

Men can wash their hands of decision-making responsibility--they can abandon the girl/woman-- but not erase their moral and ethical obligations. They can tell themselves that "it's a woman's body," but not quiet the still small voice that tugs at their heart.

I have often thought that, politics aside, Obama really ought to know better. (I know "politics aside" is a non-starter for Obama, but…)

And, in fact, he probably does know better. He simply chose expediency (Democrats nominate only pro-abortionists for President) over principle. [He knows] that we ought to recognize unborn babies' unalienable right to life. In his heart Obama knows he is very lucky not to have been just another abortion statistic...

The Obama/ABC Health Care Infomercial

Last night I started reading Jeff Shaara's The Rising Tide and was enjoying it very much when suddenly I realized I had completely forgotten to watch the universal health care infomercial sponsored by ABC News and starring President Obama!

Shame on me.

But in case you missed it too, don't worry. Here are the basic points: Obama's plan is 1) extremely expensive; 2) quite unfair; 3) monstrously ineffective; but 4) because it increases by giant strides the power of government over the economy, business and your life, he's going to shove it down your craw anyhow.

But here's Rory Cooper over at The Foundry to complete the picture.

Barney Frank Reprises His Funniest Role in "Stuck on Stupid II"

Back when the housing mania was taking off, Massachusetts Congressman Barney Frank famously said he wanted Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to "roll the dice" in the name of affordable housing. That didn't turn out so well, but Mr. Frank has since only accumulated more power. And now he is returning to the scene of the calamity -- with your money. He and New York Representative Anthony Weiner have sent a letter to the heads of Fannie and Freddie exhorting them to lower lending standards for condo buyers.

You read that right. After two years of telling us how lax lending standards drove up the market and led to loans that should never have been made, Mr. Frank wants Fannie and Freddie to take more risk in condo developments with high percentages of unsold units, high delinquency rates or high concentrations of ownership within the development...

Read the rest of this Wall Street Journal editorial here.

Hugo Chavez Fans the Flames of Anti-Semitism

From the beginning of his rule in Venezuela, Hugo Chavez has stridently criticized Israel. In recent months, Chavez has found a more vulnerable target: the Jewish population inside Venezuela.

Last week, an angry mob broke out in Miranda, Venezuela’s second largest state. Reports indicate that the Mayor of Miranda’s capital city incited an angry group of Chavez supporters to paint Nazi swastikas on the home of an anti-Chavez Jewish politician, Governor Henrique Capriles Radonski. “We are showing Capriles that …people are opposed to his continuous attacks against the initiatives and socialist projects of president Chávez,” explained Los Teques Mayor Alirio Mendoza. Governor Radonski is a charismatic Chavez opponent, and has spent time in jail for a minor role in Venezuela’s failed coup of 2004. Further, since he is perhaps the only well-known Jewish politician in the country, it is easy to understand why he has become a prime target for irate Chavistas...

These incidents follow a trend of anti-Semitic behavior that has strikingly worsened since the beginning of the year. In January 2009, Chavez accused Israel of attempting to carry out “genocide” against the Palestinian people and expelled Israel’s ambassador. Soon thereafter, a pro-Chavez columnist named Emilio Silva posted on a pro-government website urging Venezuelans to “publicly challenge every Jew that you find in the street, shopping center or park, shouting slogans in favor of Palestine and against that abortion: Israel.” A week later, a group of at least a dozen men raided the aforementioned Tiferet Israel Synagogue, vandalizing property and spraying the words ‘Jews, get out!’ on the walls. In February, someone threw a hand grenade at another synagogue, damaging it...

While most would agree that the rise in anti-Semitism is driven by Chavez’s need to scapegoat a minority group for his own disappointing record of achievement in power, a secondary motive is his desire to ingratiate himself with his most important international ally, Iran. As Forbes’ Venezuelan commentators note in a piece on this topic, “Chavez and Iran speak with one voice about the Jews.” Lacking positive results to show their people, both autocratic regimes benefit from a coordinated effort of propaganda that blames Jews for domestic issues and foments anti-Semitic violence and vandalism...

(Tim Mak, New Majority.com post, June 24)

Having Gone AWOL From His Most Basic Responsibilities, It's Time for Mark Sanford to Go Home

Mark Sanford (Eagle Scout, MBA, successful businessman, Episcopalian, father of four boys, popular politician) has lost an awful lot because of his extramarital adventure but the damage now extends to many, many others -- his family, the family of his Argentinian consort (she also was married), his staff, his party, and the people of South Carolina.

Indeed, society as a whole is injured by yet another high profile example of a farcical, philandering hypocrite, one who turns his back on his wife, his children, his friends, his vows, his responsibilities, and his own best interests to chase the tawdry (and oh-so-temporary) thrills of adultery.

If there's one thing America doesn't need, it's another deadbeat dad on the front cover of the newspaper, especially one who is twisting, excusing and finagling in order to get away with it.

I have no desire to pile on to Governor Sanford's troubles but I do have a desire that he not damage the cause of conservative government any further than he already has. And so I've sent along a brief e-mail to that effect. I hope you do the same.

Dear Governor Sanford,

Your recent actions have most certainly disqualified you for your job. Your immoral actions (not to mention the costly and comically inept attempt to cover them up) have lost you the trust of the citizens of your state. For crying out loud, you've even lost the affection and trust of your own family and staff. Don't drag this ugly thing out any more. Please do the right thing finally -- resign and concentrate on rebuilding your own home life.

More sincerely than you can imagine,

Denny Hartford

Today's Posts

Scandalous Behavior: Why Is a Catholic Organization Funding Abortion Groups? And Why Are the Bishops Letting Them Do It?

Your Tax Dollars At Work: PBS Show Glorifies Late-Term Abortionists, Casts All Pro-Lifers as Terrorists

"Vehicle Discrimination" by the UAW (And What the Sign Doesn't Say About the State of the American Auto Industry)

The Left's New Symbol? A Bulldozer!

California Liberals Take Steps to Penalize Academic Achievement: Too Many Asians in the University System

Your Wednesday Tea Break

Scandalous Behavior: Why Is a Catholic Organization Funding Abortion Groups? And Why Are the Bishops Letting Them Do It?

Being an evangelical, I'm not up to speed with all of the scandalous behavior of renegade Catholics (with cats like Campolo, Wallis, and the gang of hyped-up prosperity preachers on TV, we've got plenty of our own albatrosses to deal with). But I did come across this compelling video clip yesterday which is of importance to all pro-lifers. It details a truly outlandish scandal involving the promotion of abortion by the Canadian Catholic organization, Development & Peace, as well as a really sad tangle of lies, cover ups, hypocrisy, and, worst of all, what certainly appears to be cowardice and complicity from the powers that be.

The clip is about 8 and 1/2 minutes (only video, no audio commentary) but it's of importance.

Then after watching it, you may want to send a note to express your opinions on the issues it raises. Like perhaps, an e-mail to the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops who continue to deny D&P's contributions to abortion organizations despite the mountain of evidence.

Your Tax Dollars At Work: PBS Show Glorifies Late-Term Abortionists, Casts All Pro-Lifers as Terrorists

Despite the occasional bone that PBS throws to the values of my generation (Lawrence Welk, concerts with former pop music stars), the government-funded network is heartily, continually determined to promote the liberal agenda. Whether its politics, ethics, science, business, it doesn't matter -- PBS veers left on all issues and refuses to give other views a fair hearing.

If you can take it, here's a case in point. Brent Bozell reviews a recent Bill Moyers/PBS puff piece on late-term abortionists Warren Hern and Leroy Carhart, a program in which the most insidious lies and incendiary accusations of these murderers were trumpeted but, you guessed it, with no appropriate opportunity for pro-life advocates to respond.

Sure, PBS (and it's ultra-liberal, drunk-driving chaplain, Bill Moyers) are infamous for displaying the most outrageous bias. But this program was remarkable even for them.

"Vehicle Discrimination" by the UAW (And What the Sign Doesn't Say About the State of the American Auto Industry)

Dr. Mark J. Perry is a professor of economics and finance at the University of Michigan. At his blog site, Carpe Diem, he posted this photo as well as the cogent (and very interesting) comments.

I took this picture this afternoon about a mile from my office, at the parking lot of UAW Local 599 in Flint, on the edge of Buick City, which employed 28,000 GM workers in the 1980s and was demolished in 2002.

1. First of all, is that really legal in the U.S. to engage in such blatant "vehicle discrimination/vehicle profiling" based on a car's national origin? Is there really much difference between a sign that says "No Mexicans allowed on our property" and the sign above that essentially says "No cars built by Mexicans allowed on our property"?

2. Second, what about cars built by the Canadian UAW brothers and sisters 60 miles away in Windsor, Ontario, and at other locations in Canada? Those wouldn't technically qualify as "American-Union Made Automobiles," would they?

Below is a list of vehicles from the UAW website ("Support union jobs in the U.S. and Canada") that are built by the CAW (Canadian Auto Workers); would Local 599 really tow these union-made vehicles from Canada?

Buick Lacrosse
Chevrolet Camaro
Chevrolet Impala
Chrysler 300
Dodge Challenger
Dodge Charger
Ford Crown Victoria
Lincoln Town Car
Mercury Grand Marquis
Chevrolet Equinox
Ford Edge
Ford Flex
Lincoln MKT
Lincoln MKX
Pontiac Torrent

3. Also listed on the UAW website are these 2009 model vehicles built in the U.S. for foreign automakers by UAW workers, would they be "American-Union Made Automobiles" or not?

Mazda6
Mitsubishi Eclipse
Mitsubishi Eclipse Spyder
Mitsubishi Galant
Toyota Corolla
Mazda B-Series
Toyota Tacoma
Mitsubishi Endeavor

4. For the Ford F-Series Pickup Truck, some 2009 models are assembled in Venezuela and Brazil, so some of those can't qualify as "American-Union Made" can they?

5. Some of the GMC Sierras and Chevy Silverados are assembled in Canada and some in the U.S. Are only those assembled in the U.S. allowed in the Local 599 parking lot?

6. What about the Volkswagen Routan, a rebadged variant of the Chrysler RT platform, built by the CAW?

7. What about the Chevrolet Aveo (built in S. Korea) or a Cadillac Catera (built in Germany from 1997-2001)? Would Local 599 really tow a Chevy or Cadillac out of its parking lot?

The Left's New Symbol? A Bulldozer!

Progress to a Progressive, like President Obama, has come to mean something entirely different these days. It's now about bulldozing blighted areas of cities rather than revitalizing them. It's actually a big white flag raised over the bloating corpse of liberal tax, regulation and urban policies.

It's called "Shrink to Survive." The Left is billing the failure and decline of towns and cities, principally in the Northeast and Rust Belt, as inevitable. Nothing can be done to reverse the trend, they say, so go with it. Manage it smartly. And, oh, by the way, don't blame us...

Read more of J. Robert Smith's "Brother, Can You Spare a Bulldozer" over here at American Thinker.

California Liberals Take Steps to Penalize Academic Achievement: Too Many Asians in the University System

Walter Williams read this article by former University of California Regent Ward Connerly and then reviews it in his syndicated column. Here are excerpts:

Mr. Connerly tells of a conversation he had with a high-ranking UC administrator about a proposal that the administrator was developing to increase campus diversity. Connerly asked the administrator why he considered it important to tinker with admissions instead of just letting the chips fall where they may. His response was that that unless the university took steps to "guide" admissions decisions, the University of California campuses would be dominated by Asians. When Connerly asked, "What would be wrong with that?", the UC administrator told him that Asians are "too dull -- they study, study, study." Then he said to Connerly, "If you ever say I said this, I will have to deny it." Connerly did not reveal the administrator's name. It would not have done any good because it's part of a diversity vision shared by most college administrators.

With the enactment of California's Proposition 209 in 1996, outlawing racial discrimination in college admissions, Asian enrollment at UC campuses has skyrocketed. UC Berkeley student body is 42 percent Asian students; UC Irvine 55 percent; UC Riverside 43 percent; and UCLA 38 percent. Asian student enrollment on all nine UC campuses is over 40 percent. That's in a state where the Asian population is about 13 percent. When there are policies that emphasize and reward academic achievement, Asians excel. College officials and others who are proponents of "diversity" and equal representation find that outcome offensive.

To deal with the Asian "menace," the UC Regents have proposed, starting in 2010, that no longer will the top 12.5 percent of students based on statewide performance be automatically admitted. Students won't have to take SAT subject matter tests. Grades and test scores will no longer weigh so heavily in admission decisions. This is simply gross racial discrimination against those "dull" Asian students who "study, study, study" in favor of "interesting" black, white and Hispanic students who don't "study, study, study."

This is truly evil and would be readily condemned as such if applied to other areas lacking in diversity...

Ward Connerly ends his article saying, "There is one truth that is universally applicable in the era of 'diversity,' especially in American universities: an absolute unwillingness to accept the verdict of colorblind policies." Hypocrisy is part and parcel of the liberal academic elite. But the American people, who fund universities either as parents, donors or taxpayers, should not accept this evilness and there's a good way to stop it -- cut off the funding to racially discriminating colleges and universities.

Your Wednesday Tea Break

Laurence Oliver and Kenneth Branagh have nothing on this young Boy Scout who gives Shakespeare's version of Henry V's speech before the Battle of Agincourt. Great stuff and given here with remarkable verve and understanding. Good job, kid.

Today's Posts

A Monday Miracle

Just A Little More Time

Robert Bork: What a Gem We Could Have Had On the Court

Sexual Deviants in Government Praised by President Obama: He Promises More "Federal Benefits" for the LGB&T

Walpin-Gate Becomes a More Precarious Problem for Obama By the Day

Will Christian Teaching on Sexuality Become Illegal in Great Britain?

Obama Disbands Council on Bioethics

Double Standard Report #114: MSM Derided President Bush for Playing Golf -- But President Obama's Golf Games Get High Praise.

Assisted Suicide as Treatment for Crohn's Disease, Arthritis, AIDS?

A Monday Miracle

Last Friday, my Mom was taken by the Rescue Squad to the hospital. We had taken her to the doctor's earlier that day (about the 5th time in two weeks) because she had become terribly weak, shaky and more disoriented than usual. (In addition to several serious health problems, my 84-year old Mom has frontal lobe dementia.) In recent days, she had become dehydrated and was way down in her potassium levels.

But while talking to her on the phone later that afternoon, she suddenly went silent. Claire called on the cell phone to the nurses' station (my Mom lives at an assisted-living facility) and told them what was happening. They got up there immediately and determined Mom should be taken ASAP to the ER at Immanuel Hospital.

We beat the ambulance to the hospital by a few minutes but were soon allowed to see her in the ER. We ended up being there for several hours and then they admitted her -- the key issue being those low potassium levels. Throughout the weekend, though, she remained lethargic and very weak. The potassium remained low even though she was getting steady IV packages of the stuff. In fact, her reading was 2.8 when she was admitted but when they checked on Sunday morning, it had actually dropped a point!

We had our quarterly board meeting for Vital Signs Ministries Saturday morning and I had to preach on Sunday morning. Otherwise our time was spent at the hospital. When we left at 9 on Sunday night, we were pretty worried.

But it seems like God's plan is going in a different direction than our worries. For when we checked in with the hospital on our way back from Bellevue yesterday morning (see post below), we were told that Mom's potassium levels had not only increased, at 3.7 they were back to normal! The nurses had even had her up a bit but it remained to be seen what the doctors would decide about keeping her in for awhile longer, sending her elsewhere in the hospital or to a nursing home for therapy, or what. I zipped up there to hang out until the decision was reached.

The short end to the story? And a remarkably, wonderfully unexpected end at that? When Mom did a few excercises for the PT, then lapped the ward with her rollator walker (while the assisted living nurse manager observed), then got approval from her regular doctor who stopped in to check on her, Mom was cleared to go home! And, by 4:30 yesterday afternoon, she was at her usual table at the Courtyard and eating dinner with her pals.

God, thank you. Thank you a bunch.

Just A Little More Time

My apologies for being absent from yesterday's Vital Signs Blog but, as you know, that happens rather frequently because our sidewalk counseling ministry at the Bellevue abortion clinic on Monday mornings shrinks the day quite a bit.

It was a tough day. There are federal marshals still hanging round (I wonder how many have been directed to guard military recruiters?) but they're not really much of a distraction. Nor are the occasional taunts from the street, blasphemies from the abortion workers, or even physical threats from clients. After all, we have been in this a long, long time and we are very careful to depend upon the peace and power of the Holy Spirit. So, yes; our toleration levels are pretty high.

But not so high as to still have our hearts break over what is happening inside such places.

Thus yesterday, when we watched a little girl (maybe four years old) clutching her dolly in one hand while poignantly stretching out the other towards her mother who was scurrying towards the door of the abortuary, we realized anew the wicked horror and demented brutality which is abortion.

We offered the woman our help. We reminded her that the child she carried in utero was every bit as wonderful, every bit as lovely as the little girl chasing after her. "Your baby only needs a little time...just a little time. In a few months, you can be holding that precious child and rejoicing that you decided not to go inside this terrible place. Please reconsider and let us help you. Please...just a little time."

But neither she (nor her husband) responded to our appeal. And she went on in to have the abortion.

So did 10 or 11 other moms.

And so we continue to pray, as I know you do also, "How long, O Lord? How long?"

Robert Bork: What a Gem We Could Have Had On the Court

America missed a very good thing indeed when a corrupt Senate refused to approve Robert Bork as a Supreme Court Justice. As evidence, note the common sense, courage and straightforward legal acumen that emerges in a recent interview with Newsweek. Here's a few excerpts:

President Obama has spoken of empathy as his key standard for choosing judicial nominees. What do you think of that approach?

I don't know exactly what empathy means. I suppose at a minimum it means you want a judge who will depart from the meaning of the constitution when a sympathetic case arises. It does seem to raise a warning that we're talking about a judge who does not follow the law.

And I take it that you don't approve?

You are quite correct.

What are your thoughts about Judge Sotomayor's nomination?

I think it was a bad mistake. Her comments about the wise Latina suggest identity-group jurisprudence. She also has a reputation for bullying counsel. And her record is not particularly distinguished. Far from it. And it is unusual to nominate somebody who states flatly that she was the beneficiary of affirmative action. But I can't believe she will be any worse than some recent white male appointees.

Anyone you'd care to name?

I could, but you don't want the estate of these people suing me, do you?

As it's currently composed, this is sometimes called a conservative court.

I don't see it at all. It's a very left-leaning, liberal court.

Could you elaborate? Compared to what?

Well, compared to what the Constitution actually says. They tend to enact the agenda or the preferences of a group that thinks of itself as the intellectual elite.

How have you been struck by Chief Justice Roberts and Justice Alito since they were appointed?

My general impression of them is quite good. The justice up there who I most admire is Clarence Thomas. I notice that when he and Scalia differ—it's not that often, but when they do—I tend to agree with Thomas.

What's the responsible approach for Senate Republicans now to take if they share some of the concerns you've expressed about Judge Sotomayor?

I don't think they ought to filibuster. That would be very bad press for them. But I don't think deferring to the president is always a good idea. I would suggest that they air the issue so that people understand what the objection is. And then vote against, which will not affect anything. Or, if they air the issue thoroughly, some could even vote in favor of confirmation. But you've got to be clear what the problem is.

Any particular issues or cases come to mind?

No. I've read them, but I no longer worry about those things, because I don't teach it anymore. In fact I refuse to teach constitutional law, because it's so obviously politics and not law. The incoherence of some of those opinions is astounding. If you want to know what the constitution means, you will not learn it from the court.

Can you describe your judicial philosophy?

Well what it is is originalism. Which means you try to interpret the Constitution according to the principles as they were originally understood by the people who drafted it, by the people who voted for it. And that's neither conservative or liberal. But the court has moved so far to the left that any correction back to the proper central position would look like conservative activism to some people.

Is there a principled definition of what judicial activism is?

Sure. A judge is an activist when he announces principles or reaches results that cannot plausibly be related to the actual Constitution.

On another front, the court has decided three cases against the Bush administration on Guantanamo, the most recent one giving habeas corpus rights to supposed enemy combatants. What do you make of that whole line of cases?

It strikes me as preposterous to begin to extend rights to enemy combatants that we never extended to captured Germans, Italians and Japanese in World War II. It's also dangerous once we begin to judicialize the conduct of a war. It can only make our forces less effective. But something has changed in the attitude. I think it was the invasion of Grenada, when a commanding officer refused to let the press come to the front lines, and a reporter said "in World War II we were allowed in the front lines," and the commander said "in World War II you were on our side."

Your own confirmation hearing in 1987 is often called a watershed for the process.

It wouldn't have been but for the fact that I looked like the fifth vote to overrule Roe v. Wade. And in modern politics, that is a subject that raises hysteria.

Would you have been the fifth vote to overturn Roe v. Wade?

Oh, of course. It's one of the most corrupt decisions I've ever seen.

Was it your view that the law on abortion should be left totally to the democratic process?

I oppose abortion. But an amazing number of people thought that I would outlaw abortion. They didn't understand that not only did I have no desire to do that, but I had no power to do it. If you overrule Roe v. Wade, abortion does not become illegal. State legislatures take on the subject. The abortion issue has produced divisions and bitterness in our politics that countries don't have where abortion is decided by legislatures. And both sides go home, after a compromise, and attempt to try again next year. And as a result, it's not nearly the explosive issue as it is here where the court has grabbed it and taken it away from the voters...

Sexual Deviants in Government Praised by President Obama: He Promises More "Federal Benefits" for the LGB&T

Just in case you missed it (and that's altogether likely since the mainstream media tries to mute coverage of the more outlandish of Barack Obama's actions, those that might hurt his popularity were they to be honestly reported), here's the White House's own transcript of President Obama's remarks last week against the Defense of Marriage Act and in favor of "federal benefits" for the "hard-working, dedicated, and patriotic LGBT Americans serving in our Federal Government."

I wonder how this kind of action (like Obama's decision to require American taxpayers to finance international abortion organizations as well as embryo-destroying experimentation) sits with those soft-headed evangelicals and Catholics who voted for this guy.

Will they recognize the tragic error they made and begin now to work against the immoral policies of this administration?

Or will they continue to ignore the Bible's clear and unequivocal teachings on these matters, bringing greater shame to the Church and greater judgment on our nation?

Walpin-Gate Becomes a More Precarious Problem for Obama By the Day

President Obama's excuses for firing AmeriCorps Inspector General Gerald Walpin look weaker every day. The FBI has opened an investigation into a Sacramento program formerly run by a close ally of President Obama's, giving credence to the IG's work.

The president fired Mr. Walpin June 11 after Mr. Walpin filed two reports critical of Obama friends. The highest-profile of the two reports focused on misuse of funds at Sacramento's St. Hope Academy, then run by former NBA star Kevin Johnson before Mr. Johnson was elected Sacramento's mayor in November. Mr. Johnson was a frequent stump speaker for Mr. Obama during last year's campaign and has claimed in TV interviews to be particularly good friends with first lady Michelle Obama.

The inspector general detailed numerous irregularities in St. Hope's use of AmeriCorps funds, including AmeriCorps grantees being used to wash Mr. Johnson's car. Mr. Walpin complained vociferously, though, that acting U.S. Attorney Lawrence G. Brown had negotiated far too lenient a settlement of the charges against Mayor Johnson and St. Hope.

In turn, the U.S. attorney filed a complaint against Mr. Walpin, charging him with unethical behavior throughout the investigation. The White House fired Mr. Walpin long before the relevant committee would have finished its assessment of the U.S. attorney's complaint.

As The Washington Times reported in a previous editorial, U.S. Attorney Brown's complaint included at least two major, easily discernible errors of fact. Many other complaints against Mr. Walpin, both by Mr. Brown and by other AmeriCorps officials, were strangely petty in nature.

Now here is where the story gets really interesting. On the very same day that the president fired Mr. Walpin, St. Hope's executive director, Rick Maya, left his job at St. Hope. He did not go quietly. His resignation letter charged Mr. Johnson and several St. Hope board members with numerous ethical violations. Most explosively, he charged that a board member improperly deleted e-mails of Mr. Johnson's that already were under a federal subpoena.

Suddenly, the problems at St. Hope begin to look as severe as Mr. Walpin had charged rather than being minor infractions.

On Wednesday, the Sacramento Bee reported that Mr. Maya's allegations have been deemed serious enough that the FBI is investigating potential obstruction of justice at St. Hope. In that light, the firing of Mr. Walpin, who properly blew the whistle on mismanagement and possible corruption, looks ill-considered...

Uh, I guess so. Here's the rest of this Washington Times' editorial.

Will Christian Teaching on Sexuality Become Illegal in Great Britain?

...Andrea Minichiello Williams, barrister and founder of the Christian Legal Centre, says few Christian leaders or individuals realize that buried deep within the Coroners and Justice Bill is a clause which could prevent any Christian openly stating what the Bible says, and Christians have believed for 2,000 years, about issues such as homosexual conduct or even marriage.

She said: “No-one would imagine that a Bill to do with Coroners could contain anything about free speech and with all the media attention on MP expenses, this vital issue is going unreported by the media. If it got through as it stands, it would have devastating consequences for Christian witness and integrity in the UK. Church leaders and individuals Christians answering questions about their faith could well find themselves the subject of a police investigation and arrest just for speaking and living according to the Bible’s teaching on sexuality and marriage.”

Members of the House of Lords are likely to debate the clause on 23rd June (unless date gets pushed back due to pressures of parliamentary timetable), and Mrs Williams urges Christians across all denominations to log on to the Life and Liberty Petition and act immediately.

Here's more -- "Civil Registrar Warns Peers of Loss of Liberty"

Obama Disbands Council on Bioethics

Back in March, the majority of the18 members of the President’s Council on Bioethics dared to question Barack Obama's new policies on embryonic stem cell research. But you just can't do that with the Left; toleration to them means doing things their way. So, it's hardly a surprise that Obama ended up getting rid of the whole lot. The Council has been disbanded and plans are underway to create a new Obama-tailored advisory group.

And that means more aggressive action in the promotion of surgical and chemical abortion, more embryo-destructive research (that citizen taxes will pay for), cloning, free rein genetic engineering, restriction of freedom of conscience, etc.

Here's more from BioEdge.

Double Standard Report #114: MSM Derided President Bush for Playing Golf -- But President Obama's Golf Games Get High Praise.

Penny Starr, has a very interesting story here on CNS News about how dramatically different is the press treatment of the golf games of the respective presidents.

As unprofessional and even irrational as was the MSM's hatred of George W. Bush, the media's love affair with Barack Obama is even more eerie, more weird...and much more dangerous to a free society.

Assisted Suicide as Treatment for Crohn's Disease, Arthritis, AIDS?

That the Swiss "suicide clinic" Dignitas has been involved in the deaths of many who could have lived long, meaningful lives has been known for quite awhile. For instance, the Journal of Medical Ethics revealed last year that over 21.% of those whose lives were ended there had a non-fatal illness.

Now the Guardian has found out that, among the 115 Britons who have died with Dignitas' help since 2002, several had such non-fatal conditions as Crohn's disease, rheumatoid arthritis, and kidney disease.

The culture of death just keeps expanding.

Professor Steve Field, chairman of the Royal College of General Practitioners, said: "I'm horrified by this list. While I appreciate that some patients with conditions like these experience great suffering and misery, I'm concerned because I know that many of the conditions outlined are conditions patients live with and can live with for many years and continue to have productive and meaningful lives."

While most of the conditions could contribute to a patient's death, equally people with many of them – such as Aids, cancer and tetraplegia – could, with the right treatment, lead fulfilling lives, added Field. NHS palliative care was too often "rather patchy", said Field, who was "worried" that not all the 114 patients may have been aware of treatments that could have prolonged their lives. Dr John Saunders, chair of the Royal College of Physicians' ethics committee, said: "The conditions are so varied that it suggests that Dignitas is not undertaking the adequate medical assessment [of patients seeking its help] that might be expected. The list does suggest that Dignitas is cavalier in arranging for people to end their lives."

Dr Tony Calland, chairman of the ethics committee at the British Medical Association, the doctors' union, said: "This list raises considerable concern. There are some conditions such as Crohn's disease and rheumatoid arthritis that, whilst extremely unpleasant, are eminently treatable and many of the symptoms can be relieved. To go off and commit suicide simply on the basis of these conditions would be premature and unreasonable."

Today's Posts

Obama's Medical Fix Denounced...by Obama's Doctor!

Where's the Media, Government Outcry Over Christin Gilbert's Death?

The Bow Is Bad Enough, Brian: But the Schoolgirl Adulation Is Really Too Much!

Where's Al Gore?

Obama Headache: An Inspector General Who "Goes Not Gently Into That Dark Night"

Civil Rights Commission to Obama Administration: Not So Fast on Dismissing Voter Intimidation Case

Dana Summers Sees a Double Standard. Do You?

Obama's Shameful Temerity on Iran

Obama's Medical Fix Denounced...by Obama's Doctor!

...Scheiner, 71, was Obama's doctor from 1987 until he entered the White House; he vouched for the then-candidate's "excellent health" in a letter last year. He's still an enthusiastic Obama supporter, but he worries about whether the health care legislation currently making its way through Congress will actually do any good, particularly for doctors like himself who practice general medicine. "I'm not sure he really understands what we face in primary care," Scheiner says.

Scheiner takes a few other shots too. Looking at Obama's team of health advisors, Scheiner doesn't see anyone who's actually in the trenches. "I have a suspicion they pick people from the top echelon of medicine, people who write about it but haven't been struggling in it," he says.

Scheiner is critical of Obama's pick for Health and Human Services secretary--Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius, who used to work as the chief lobbyist for her state's trial lawyers association.

"He doesn't see all the pain, it's so tragic out here," he says. "Obama's wonderful, but on this one I'm not sure if he's getting the right input."...

Scheiner says he never thought it was appropriate to talk about health policy with Obama, especially once he became a U.S. Senator. The one exception was medical malpractice reform. "I once briefly talked to him about malpractice, and he took the lawyers' position," he says..

(From David Whelan's article in Forbes, "Obama's Doctor Knocks ObamaCare")

Where's the Media, Government Outcry Over Christin Gilbert's Death?

Bonnie Chernin Rogoff at Intellectual Conservative brings some very uncomfortable facts to the fore:

One month ago, if you had asked the average American who abortionist George Tiller was, he or she would not know. Today, everyone knows that George Tiller was a late-term abortion doctor, a brave and silent unsung hero and a saver of women's lives who bravely operated his business out of his clinic in Wichita, Kansas. So said the liberal press.

One month ago, if you had asked the average American who Christin Gilbert was, that individual would say they don't know. Today, he or she would still not know.

The reason for this discrepancy has to do with the importance the mainstream media assigns to truth when reporting a story. When the subject matter provides legitimacy to a law they like – no matter how barbaric or dangerous the results of that law may be – the news is plastered on the front page of every newspaper and on every blog and website. What's more, the news will be doctored (pun intended) to bring credibility to their side of the issue, and make the opposing viewpoint – no matter how sane and logical – appear dangerous...

Christin Gilbert was a pregnant 19-year-old woman with Down's Syndrome, and one of at least two women aborted and killed by George Tiller. Christin had been sexually assaulted, and brought to Women's Health Care Services when she was 28 weeks pregnant. She died following a botched third trimester abortion procedure, in which two injections of digoxin were administered to the unborn baby's heart. Christin was supposed to deliver the dead baby in a hotel room, but she developed complications that resulted in sepsis, cardiac arrest and systemic organ failure. She was transported to a local hospital emergency room where she died on January 13, 2005. As of this writing, there are over 21 million search results on Google for "George Tiller" and only 3,520 for Christin Gilbert.

There were at least nine ambulance runs from Tiller's clinic in recent years, with Tiller's victims taken to the local hospital because they were seriously injured at his clinic. Six of those runs took place on the following dates: October 12, 2002, January 23, 2004, June 4, 2004, September 2, 2004, February 17, 2005 and May 11, 2005. To the keen observer, it is evident that four of these botched abortions occurred prior to the death of Christin Gilbert. On March 12, 2009 a young girl was transported from George Tiller's mill to the local hospital emergency room, hemorrhaging so badly the clinic staff could not stop the bleeding. This begs the following question: Why was George Tiller still performing abortions after all these documented injuries and deaths at his clinic?

The answer has to do with "ProKanDo," the political action committee (PAC) founded by Tiller and supported by numerous lobbyists. From this PAC, tens of thousands of dollars in campaign contributions were donated to the election campaigns of former Kansas Governor Kathleen Sibelius. Twice, she vetoed legislation that would have placed minimal regulations on abortion clinics in Kansas – and would have made abortions safer for women. ProKanDo also sent over $210,000 in contributions to the 2002 race to elect Tiller's choice for Attorney General, pro-abortion Paul Morrison, who ended up winning the race. Eventually, George Tiller was indicted on 30 counts of illegal late-term abortions. Phil Kline, the former pro-life attorney general, had appointed a special prosecutor to investigate the case but he was promptly fired by Morrison when he took office as Attorney General. That's why Tiller was never convicted...

Actually, the abortionist in this terribly tragic case appears to Leroy Carhart who was working for Tiller at the time. Here's a very detailed look at the situation from the Operation Rescue archives.