Posted on 10/14/2004 11:09:48 AM PDT by Jerrybob
Pardon me while I do a little grandstanding from my soapbox.
Several years ago I put together a grapic that showed American War Casualties. Source: 1997 World Almanac.
Number killed in: Civil War -- 498,332 World War I -- 116,708 World War II -- 407,316 Korean War -- 54,246 Vietnam War -- 58,655 War against the Unborn -- 28,000,000
That is correct: as of 1997, 28 million unborn babies have had their lives ended before they could see the light of day.
Now fast forward to 2004 and the Town Hall debate between John Kerry and George W. Bush just one week ago.
Near the end of the debate, a questioner asked John Kerry the following:
Suppose you were speaking with a voter who believed abortion is murder; and the voter asked for reassurance that his or her tax dollars would not go to support abortion. What would you say to that person?
The following is his answer and the president's answer:
SENATOR KERRY: I would say to that person exactly what I will say to you right now.
First of all, I cannot tell you how deeply I respect the belief about life and when it begins. I’m a Catholic; raised a Catholic, I was an altar boy; religion has been a huge part of my life; it helped me through a war, it leads me today.
But I can’t take what is an article of faith for me and legislate for someone who doesn’t share that article of faith – whether they be agnostic, atheist, Jew or protestant – whatever. I can’t do that.
But I can counsel people; I can talk reasonably about life and about responsibility. I can talk to people – as my wife, Teresa, does, about making other choices; about abstinence, about all thse other things that we ought to do as a responsible society.
But as a president, I have to represent all the people in the nation; and I have to make that judgment.
Now I believe that you can take that position and not be pro-abortion; but you have to afford people their constitutional rights; and that means being smart about allowing people to be fully educated; to know what their options are in life, and making certain that you don’t deny a poor person the right to be able to have whatever the Constitution affords them if they can’t afford it otherwise.
That’s why I think it’s important – that’s why I think it’s important for the United States, for instance, not to have this rigid, ideological restriction on helping families around the world to be able to make a smart decision about family planning. You’ll help prevent AIDS, you’ll help prevent unwanted pregnancies; you’ll actually do a better job, I think, of passing on the moral responsibility that is expressed in your question, and I truly respect it.
CHARLIE GIBSON: Mr. President, a minute and a half.
PRESIDENT BUSH: I’m trying to decipher that. My answer is: we’re not going to spend taxpayer money on abortions. This is an issue that divides America; but certainly reasonable people can agree on how to reduce abortions in America.
I signed the ban on partial-birth abortions. It’s a brutal practice. One way to help reduce abortions. My opponent voted against the ban.
I think there ought to be parental notification laws; he’s against them.
I signed a bill called the Unborn Victims of Violence Act. In other words, if you’re a mom and you’re pregnant and you get killed, the murderer gets tried for two cases, not just one. My opponent was against that.
These are reasonable ways to help promote a culture of life in America. I think it is a worthy goal to have every child protected by law and welcomed in life. I think also we ought to have good adoption laws as an alternative to abortion; and we need to promote maternity group homes which my administration has done.
A culture of life is really important for a country to have if it’s going to be a hospitable society.
I know how I am going to vote.
Tied up in all such issues is the nomination of Federal Judges. Who among us would want the likes of Ted Kennedy selecting federal judges? Vote Bush and for a significant Republican majority!!!
Surely this is what is driving the catholic surge to Bush.
I am more worried about whether or not Islamists are going to kill my children than whether or not liberals are going to kill their own.
Illegal immigration.
Abortion is no where near the top.
I disagree with you.
I think the war on terror is the main issue of the day.
If we lose, we lose everything: our country, our religion, our way of life.
"I am more worried about whether or not Islamists are going to kill my children than whether or not liberals are going to kill their own."
True, but that is like saying you are more concerned about your spouse abusing you than about your neighbor sexually abusing her/his child. It is wrong in both cases.
ANYONE -- even a Presbyterian like myself -- who cares about the most vulnerable among us, would, I think, have no doubt about which of the two major candidates to vote for.
Very good... I agree with both issues... You will never change the Pro-choicers but there should be alternatives and non of it should be tax dollar funded. I am not paying for someone elses irresponsibility... anyway on the issue of our children... Even if Islamist militants seized control of elementary schools in the US and raped and burned our children this would not pass Kerry's test to respond to the country that sponsored the terror.. he would go to the UN and ask for resolutions... as our kids suffered. The UN had too many last chances for my liking. We did exactly what we needed to do in Iraq and I am glad we are there. War is hell but in the end we are safer for it.. Liberty and Freedom strike at the root cause of the evil.. Oppresion and Dictatorship was the spawn of terrorism in the first place only by attacking the root of the problem can we truly fix it... It was never a nuisance ... tell 3000 family's that they died because of a nuisance ... unless you kill the root terrorism will never be a nuisance. The next time we get attacked it will be a complete and utter failure of our government to protect us...
I am glad I am not so narrow minded, to vote only on one issue otherwise I would have to vote for the phoney, fraudulent, two faced, gutless flip floper Kerry.
As, in one sense, we should be . . ..
But you remind me of my own first callous reaction back in '71 when Roe v Wade was decided: Fine with me--that'll mean fewer OF them.
It's so much more significant than that puerile (referring to my own) response. Bush defines it rather simply, even simplisticly with "hospitable society." At the moment, the right to abortion is the ethics-check we ignore at not just the unborn's, but our own, peril--not to mention that it's abominably weak, fallacious, and improperly adjudicated LAW.
Yes, it's every bit as important as defending ourselves against terrorists. Exactly the same ethic is at stake: the right not to be killed supercedes all other rights; or no other rights--like freedom--have meaning.
I can think of nothing more significant to base one's vote for president upon than the issue of abortion.
I disagree. I think that the War on Terror is more important an issue for the present election than abortion. Saying "but both are worth paying attention to" is beside the point.
I agree. Although I must say that the Catholics have been in the forefront on the abortion issue from way back. Judie Brown comes to mind.
I would be hard pressed to say what one issue is the most important. For me, they are (in no particular order): Terrorism, immigration, abortion, and preserving the Constitution.
Memo to SKerry: Show me where in our Constitution it gives the right to abortion. Sign Form 180 to release your military records if you have nothing to hide. Refute the Swifties' claims with evidence.
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I'm not sure Kerry answered the question. It's not rather someone is pro-choice or pro-life. The question was about tax dollars supporting abortion. I'm not sure why anyone's tax dollars should support abortion and what that has to do with constitutional rights.
Roman Catholics -- and the Roman Catholic Church -- have been in the forwfront of the abortion issue from way back.
Still, there are many non-Catholics (some of whom, like myself, are members of denominations that actually support abortion) who pray and work hard for the day when abortion will be a thing of the past. It always somewhat pains me to see abortion portrayed only as a Catholic issue. It isn't. But that is not to say that those of us who are pro-life do not owe a great deal to the Roman Catholic Church and to members of that church.
And we also agree one the four major issues in this campaign.
One more thing -- I love your "fish"!
>>>>It always somewhat pains me to see abortion portrayed only as a Catholic issue. It isn't. But that is not to say that those of us who are pro-life do not owe a great deal to the Roman Catholic Church and to members of that church.<<<<
True. (BTW, you are very articulate, if I may say so.)
For the record, I was raised Roman Catholic, but am now a Christian who attends three churches on a regular basis (a church hopper! *GASP*): Baptist, First Assembly, and Calvary (non-denom).
"My" fish loves you, too!!
Romans 5:5-8
God Bless America and God Bless our beloved Swifties!
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Main issue:
President Bush would rather DIE than LIE to WIN.
sinator sKerry would rather LIE and have YOU DIE to WIN.
Bush should use the line "Do Americans feel safer fighting the terrorist threat with the military or with trial lawyers?"
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