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(Pro-life article): A 'Culture First' Strategy
insidecatholic.com ^ | 11/13/08 | David R. Carlin

Posted on 11/15/2008 10:37:08 AM PST by Publius804

A 'Culture First' Strategy

by David R. Carlin

11/13/08

One of the great strengths of the Roman Republic was its courageous realism. When Hannibal defeated the Romans in the first great encounter between the two armies, a battle in northern Italy, the leaders of the city called the people together to give them the news, and the opening words of the announcement were these: "We have suffered a tremendous defeat." In their heyday, the Romans obviously did not believe in sugar-coating bad news.

Those of us in the pro-life movement need to imitate the old Romans. No sugar-coating. Our movement suffered a great defeat in the November election. The pro-life candidate, Sen. John McCain, was decisively defeated by the pro-choice candidate, Sen. Barack Obama. Further, America's pro-choice political party, the Democrats, won a definite majority in the United States Senate and a lopsided majority in the House of Representative. Not only that, but three state referendums that had been put on ballots by pro-lifers were defeated -- one in California, a second in South Dakota, and a third in Colorado.

This is the worst political defeat for the pro-life movement since the election in 1992 of Bill Clinton and a Democratic Senate and House; indeed, it is probably worse even than that defeat. For Obama has a "mandate," while Clinton, who won less than 50 percent of the popular vote, did not. Further, Obama has much larger Democratic margins in the House and Senate than Clinton had. Again, Obama, though no more intelligent than Clinton (it's not easy to be more intelligent than Mr. Clinton), very probably has a capacity that Clinton lacked, namely a capacity for avoiding stupid blunders. When Obama sets out to do something in Washington, the odds are that he'll succeed.

(Excerpt) Read more at insidecatholic.com ...


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Editorial; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: abortion; prolife; roevwade

1 posted on 11/15/2008 10:37:10 AM PST by Publius804
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To: Publius804

Of course, he will succeed.

There are more lemmings than not.


2 posted on 11/15/2008 10:39:52 AM PST by JaneNC (I)
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To: Publius804
The Right needs to adopt Saul Alinsky's tactics and begin a slow march through society's institutions. Winning elections is useless unless the culture is on our side. We stand a far better chance of preserving the things we cherish when we have the people. Otherwise it is all for naught.

"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." - Manuel II Palelologus

3 posted on 11/15/2008 12:03:54 PM PST by goldstategop (In Memory Of A Dearly Beloved Friend Who Lives In My Heart Forever)
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To: goldstategop
The Right needs to adopt Saul Alinsky's tactics and begin a slow march through society's institutions.

This will be difficult for the Right to do today, much more so than it was for the left forty years ago. Back then academia, the media, and government agencies were much more pluralistic and meritocratic. Now that the Left controls them all, one-party tyranny reigns. The left knows the aspects of democracy which allowed them to seize power. They consider them to be weaknesses and mistakes that are not to be repeated.

4 posted on 11/15/2008 12:38:59 PM PST by rogue yam
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To: Cacique

Bump for later


5 posted on 11/15/2008 4:24:56 PM PST by Cacique (quos Deus vult perdere, prius dementat ( Islamia Delenda Est ))
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To: Publius804

I don’t know how US stats compare to those in this story but I’d think we need to be more like Italy in regards to abortion. I think this ties into the thought that this is a cultural issue.

Excerpts:

” Nearly 70 percent of Italian gynecologists now refuse to perform abortions on moral grounds and the number is increasing, a report by the country’s ministry of health said Tuesday.

Abortion was legalised in 1978 in Italy but pressure from the Vatican — which is strongly opposed to abortion — enabled doctors to claim a “conscientious objection” clause and refuse to carry out terminations.

Between 2003 and 2007 the number of gynecologists claiming the conscience clause to avoid carrying out abortions rose from 58.7 percent to 69.2 percent, according to the report.

...

“In the south, this increase is even more pronounced and in certain areas the rate has almost doubled,” the report adds. In Campania, the region around Naples, the proportion of gynecologists refusing to carry out the procedure reached 83 percent, and in Sicily 84.2 percent.

Meanwhile, the number of abortions has dropped slightly. Between 2006 and 2007 it fell from 131,018 to 127,038, a decrease of three percent.

Illegal abortions are also declining, according to the ministry, and stand at around 15,000 a year.

“Abortion law is in danger”, with the option to have a termination “more and more resembling an obstacle course,” Milan gynecologist and pro-choice advocate Silvio Viale told ANSA news agency.

....”

http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=080422192609.lcpkej77&show_article=1


6 posted on 11/15/2008 7:37:29 PM PST by RGPII (Stand your ground!)
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To: rogue yam
forty years ago . . . academia, the media, and government agencies were much more pluralistic and meritocratic.

Not really. Re-read The 7-Storey Mountain. They've been heavily influenced by Communist mores since the 1930s and before. In the 1920s, you could get in trouble for being a pacifist at a university, but that culture has been tainted for a long time.

The university culture can be infiltrated. Starting with boards of trustees who get gradually turned, and then pick a good president, who then controls faculty hiring and other policies. It's already happened at some schools, and will keep happening as the model is duplicated.

7 posted on 11/15/2008 8:57:15 PM PST by SamuraiScot
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To: SamuraiScot

but that doesn’t have beans to do with the pro-life movement.


8 posted on 11/15/2008 9:06:04 PM PST by RGPII (Stand your ground!)
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To: Publius804

Politics and culture are intertwined, so the best approach is to fight for both simultaneously and unreservedly.


9 posted on 11/15/2008 10:02:45 PM PST by TheFourthMagi
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To: Publius804
Pinged from Terri Dailies


10 posted on 11/16/2008 11:17:40 AM PST by wagglebee ("A political party cannot be all things to all people." -- Ronald Reagan, 3/1/75)
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