Freedom of Speech? Yeah, right!

I was trying not to let this get me riled up, but I couldn't take it anymore.

I was perusing a distasteful blog the other day, abortiongang.org, to get some sense of what the "other side" of the abortion issue thinks (i.e., the pro-abortionists), when I spotted a post that left a more-sour-than-usual taste in my mouth. It is titled Hey A--holes: Stop Using the Holocaust as a Metaphor for Abortion. My first thought was: "Thanks, Abortion Gang, you just did what you accuse us emotional, Christian pro-lifers of doing". (Now they'll really convince me of the truth of their stance, right? Just after calling me an a--hole?) Then I started reading the actual thing.

Boy, is it insipid. And ludicrous.

I got so fed up with the cockeyed arguments that I decided to post a rather lengthy comment, attempting to refute all the assertions and claims the author made in her post. (May I add that, from what I can see of who makes up the "Abortion Gang", they're all women. It's so opposite of being sexist that it's sexist.)

When I posted the comment, and saw that it was awaiting moderation, I was suspicious that my comment would be deleted. Forgive me for being obviously biased, but that's what I thought. But then I told myself, "No, of course they won't delete my comment. They'll enjoy arguing a pro-lifer's stance. After all, it's not like I was cynical or illogical in my comment." So I waited for my comment to appear, checking back rather routinely because I was eager to see if they had answered my argument.

Would you believe it, my comment got deleted.

I tried to give them the benefit of the doubt; I really did. But I guess they didn't want any opposing arguments on their website in case some doubting Thomas (or Thomasina) who was questioning the morality of abortion would happen upon it and be converted. After all, why should life be hard to figure out? Why should we question things?

Again giving the Gang the benefit of the doubt (although I was quite skeptical), I assumed that something had gone wrong with the computer or the Internet and again posted the comment.

Needless to say, my comment was once more deleted.

It takes two to tango. I don't know if this post will in any way reach the Gang, but I want to show anybody who reads this the absurdity of the Gang's post, and also my reply, since I was prevented from publishing my thoughts elsewhere.

Obviously the Abortion Gang don't believe in free speech. That should be a no-brainer, I suppose, since they quite blatantly disregard the right to life.

It's as if a candidate in a Presidential debate duct-taped the mouth of the other candidate in order to make himself look smart. It's unethical, unconstitutional, and unsuccessful.

This is directly from abortiongang.org. All boldings are my addition, for the sake of pointing out the ridiculous.

"Abortion is not like the Jews and the Nazis, and it’s not like genocide, and it’s not like slavery. Abortion is not like any of those things. This should be obvious to anyone with half a brain, but apparently, it’s not. Here are some very basic, seemingly obvious reasons why abortion is not like the Holocaust, genocide, or slavery:

1) Whether you think the fetus is a person with a soul or a collection of tissues, the vast majority of abortions occur at a time when the fetus could not survive outside the womb. In the case of the holocaust and genocide, those being killed were human beings surviving without physical dependence on another person’s body.

2) Those killed in the Holocaust, and in various world-wide genocides, were fully developed human beings with histories, families, and relationships. Abortion does not end relationships in this way, it prevents them from occurring.

3) Slavery! Abortion is not like slavery. Slavery is the ownership and exploitation of a person’s life. Abortion is preventing a life that does not yet exist from becoming one that does."

And here is my reply:

You are right, in one sense, by saying that the Holocaust is overused as a comparison to abortion. Kind of like how people use Hitler as a comparison to pretty much any criminal nowadays. But allow me to answer your three objections, point by point:
1) "Whether you think the fetus is a person with a soul or a collection of tissues, the vast majority of abortions occur at a time when the fetus could not survive outside the womb." By making this statement, you are basically saying that, 1: whether or not the fetus is a real, human being makes no difference; and 2: the fetus couldn't possibly survive on its own and thus taking its life is not such a big deal. So suppose the fetus is a real, human being? When you accept this as a possible scientific fact (which I believe it logically is, but that's an argument for another time), does it not make you pause, even for one moment, to consider that 50 million human beings have been killed since the legalization of abortion? And supposing that the fetus is a human being, does the question of whether or not it can survive on its own bear any weight here? A newborn baby or a 2 year old toddler cannot survive on his own, so by your reasoning, if an infant gets to be too much trouble for a mother, she is justified in killing that infant because she cannot handle a child at the moment. Of course, if you believe that a fetus is merely a bunch of cells (which you apparently do), then this argument will not bear much weight. But supposing that the fetus is not a human being; what is it then? By the time a fetus is 7 weeks old (around the time most abortions are performed, I believe), it already has a heartbeat. Does this not qualify it as a living creature, if not a human being?
2) "Those killed in the Holocaust, and in various world-wide genocides, were fully developed human beings with histories, families, and relationships. Abortion does not end relationships in this way, it prevents them from occurring." I find this argument to be the most inconsequential of them all. The words "fully developed human beings" imply that you regard unborn fetuses as "under-developed human beings", which they are, scientifically. Would you then consider "under-developed" and "not fully-developed" (or “inferiorly developed”) to be the same thing? If so, your argument justifies the killing of developmentally disabled people, because their brains and nervous systems aren't as "fully-developed" as the average person; at least, they are developed to a different degree, or to a different level. Many people would no doubt label mentally handicapped people as "inferiorly developed", because they can’t do everything the average person can do, and because they often cannot take care of themselves properly. Many people would say "Why not put disabled people out of their misery? After all, they have a low quality of life. That's unfair." I consider this one of the most inhumane statements I have heard people say. Handicapped people do not have an inferior quality of life, but a different quality of life. Although they seem “stupid” on the outside, oftentimes they are incredibly smart, many times smarter than the average person. They bring many unlooked-for joys and happy surprises to their families, their friends, and their caretakers. Anybody who has spent time with mentally handicapped people would agree with me.
3) "Abortion is not like slavery. Slavery is the ownership and exploitation of a person’s life. Abortion is preventing a life that does not yet exist from becoming one that does." With regards to slavery, abortion is more like slavery than you would suppose. An unborn fetus is, biologically and scientifically (and some would say spiritually) a human being. At the very least, a fetus is a potential human being. (And at what point, anyway, can we say that human life begins? Logically, it must begin at conception. Any other time during the pregnancy just has no scientific evidence to back its validity.) So if a fetus is a human being (or a potential human being with potential rights), why are the rights of that human being disregarded? The mother has the right to choose whether to keep her baby or not, and I do realize that it is always, always a hard choice. But never does a human being have the right to kill another innocent human being. A child is not the property of the mother – a child is the RESPONSIBILITY of the mother. There is a huge difference. Sort of like the difference between a slave and a hired servant.
With regards to “preventing a life that does not yet exist” – whenever a pro-lifer tries to refute a statement like this, inevitably a pro-abortionist will bring up Hitler or Osama bin Laden as an example of a life that, through abortion or some such killing, could have been prevented from causing so much pain and suffering. All I can say in response is: we don't know, and never can know, who a human being will become. If Hitler hadn't done it, maybe someone even worse would have taken over a susceptible, war-ridden Germany and gone even farther than he had with evils committed. If Osama bin Laden hadn't existed, perhaps some other terrorist would have organized an attack against the United States; perhaps it would have been a more horrible, more tragic attack. We just don't know. On the other hand, if all the children who were born in bad or hard circumstances had been aborted, we wouldn't have Muhammad, Beethoven, Buck Brannaman, Helen Keller, or John Lennon, to name a few. Who knows how many other potentially great or influential men and women have been legally aborted since 1973.
By the way, I object very strongly to being called an a--hole.

--

I am so convinced of the truth and logical arguments of these pro-abortionists' stance. Aren't you?

Forgive me if I come across as being oober-cynical, but I am understandably peeved.

-Clare

What if?

"Child," said Aslan, "did I not explain to you once before that no one is ever told what would have happened?" - C.S. Lewis, The Voyage of the Dawn Treader


Have you ever wondered what life would be like if you were not who you are?

In other words, what would life be like if you were not raised the way your parents raised you, if your faith was not what it is now, if the schooling you had was different from what you have had?

For me, it would be quite a change. One of my best friends and I were thinking about this the other day. What would life be like for us if we were not homeschooled, not Christian, and devoid of the morals we have from our upbringing?

If I were public-schooled, an atheist, and a "free-thinking" rebel, or just totally different from what I am now, I decided that I would be...a hippie. I would be really into New Age thinking (for instance, yoga would be my "meditation" instead of prayer), I would be anorexic, wear bellbottoms, have really long hair, and be all for "peace". All that jazz. Oh, and I would write steampunk novels. Probably would write a lot of romance too.

I say this because I think I have a little bit of the hippie, the steampunk, and the New Age in me. Actually, I think I have a little bit of everything in my personality. I'm a psychological mutt. I'm actually not a big fan of steampunk as a genre, but I find elements of steampunk intriguing and simpatico with elements of my personality. And one of my favorite Japanese anime movies by famed filmmaker Hayao Miyazaki is steampunk, Howl's Moving Castle. I also don't enjoy the political/moral mindset of hippies, but I think they can have cool styles. And as for New Age...I only say that I have a bit of New Age in me because I enjoy yoga as an exercise, and I listen to Enya. (Enya is technically considered New Age.)

To present evidence that my personality is all over the place and unable to be categorized, here are some photos of myself and my room:


This is a prime example right here. These are the books I am reading/am going to read. From L to R: a book about music therapy, a Star Wars book, "The Once and Future King", a book about God, and a book on writing by E.B. White.



Another classic example. Here we have juxtaposed a "Hellboy" poster and a poster of a cute little foal.



Two of my three bookshelves. I don't know if you can really see what's there, but among the medley are Beowulf, Plato, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Oscar Wilde, The Complete Sherlock Holmes, St. Thomas Aquinas, The Red Flag: A History of Communism, and numerous collections of fairy tales.




I will let this picture explain itself.



Yes, this is a sword. So I have a Japanese katana by my bed. What? Don't you?



These last two are me with two things I love but which, I think, don't normally go together. I actually have more than one pipe (I have three, to be exact), and their names are Archimedes, Oscar, and Clive. This is Clive...


...and this is J.S. BB-gun. Named after J.S. Bach.



That's me and my personality in a prolix nutshell! If you were to examine who you are now, who do you think you would be?

What if?

Pax,
Clare

We have arrived; will we survive?

The year was 2012. The first day of the new year was bundled in by flurries of urgent snow, and hovering dark clouds sympathized with the grim and despondent hearts of the people. The joy of a new beginning was shadowed by the threat of an ancient prophecy....

Sounds like the beginning of a book people might take seriously, doesn't it? With all the dire predictions revolving around the ominous year 2012, it's amazing people haven't started to panic. I suppose most people don't take the Mayan calendar that seriously. I don't myself, but I can't help wondering if something big will happen in 2012, even if it's not the end of the world. I don't believe that the Mayans truly knew when the end of the world would be, for only God the Father knows -- as Jesus Christ said Himself. But the Mayans were great scientists and could predict, through knowledge and research, many other things, so perhaps there will be some big event that happens this year. Perhaps it will be something readily observable, like a large earthquake, or something not as visible to the common person, like the death of a few stars. Who knows? But I believe in my heart that no one knows -- nor can know -- the hour of the End, and therefore we must constantly be ready.

My New Year's resolution is to keep on living as I have before, only better. I want to love more, laugh more, sing more, dance more, read more, write more, be more silent and caring, and ultimately grow closer to God. That is my goal. I don't care when the End comes; I just want to be ready to meet my Maker.

Here is a silly poem I wrote awhile ago:

"Dabbling in Drowsy"

So does genius run its course,
And when the mind has cried "Enough!"
I can't but muse that all this stuff
Is merely just a bit of fluff.

But give me room to plead my case,
To sleep upon my puzzled face --
And when the moon has lost its race
I'll bet upon another horse.

Whistling doesn't clear my brains,
It rather blends them all as sand --
Label me a one-man band,
With blarney scribbled o'er my hand.

Should I weep for what is not?
Like apples shared or gone to rot,
I'd rather stay in the frying pot --
When it pours, it never rains.

--
When I graduate from high school this year, I'm going to make a shirt that says "Class of 2012 -- We survived!"

Unless the End comes before then. Only God knows.

"The best way to prepare for death is to spend every day of life as though it were the last." -St. Philip Neri

Happy New Year!

Pax,
Clare

Merry Christmas from Peter Jackson and me

It's coming, it's really coming!!!



I recommend watching in 720p HD and in full screen for the best effect.

Just in time for Christmas.....

---

May the newborn Christ Child bless you and fill your hearts with His peace, His joy, His light, and His innocence.
Enjoy this Christmas as a child.

Pax Christi,
Clare

Dear Chico...

This is Chico.

We've had Chico for almost 11 years; my brother and I got him for our birthdays (He was turning 9 on November 29 and I was turning 7 on December 2 so we got Chico on December 5, I think it was). I almost can't remember a time when we didn't have Chico.

Chico died yesterday. He was almost 12 years old. I miss him so much...




Dear Chico,

It's hard to imagine that you're gone. You have always been such a solid part of my childhood -- a fixed and stable family member that always was there to listen even when you didn't understand. But your death is just another event to remind me that even friends don't last forever.

I will always remember every little part of your lovable personality: the way you chased Scruffy (our Maltese) up and down the dining room, the way you hung your head as if you were always afraid of being guilty, the way you wrestled with Seamus (our terrier), the way you hated to wear red ribbons at Christmastime but never complained, the way you rarely complained about anything, even in your last terrible days when you were so sick, the way you sat on Scruffy's tail and made him scream, the way my brother and I had to get our two friends to help us hang on to you when we were little and you wanted to chase after a dog, the way your tail waved like a flag when you were wandering in the backyard, the way your soulful brown eyes sparkled, the way you begged and shook hands and played dead on command, the way you loved carrots, the way you howled when someone prompted you by howling, the way you hated anyone to touch your stomach because you were so fat, the way you made beds out of random pieces of cloth lying on the floor...



Life will never be the same without you. I will always miss you because you were my puppy.



I love you, buddy.

-Clare

Save the Whales?

I tend to stay away from current events in my blog, because they generally annoy or depress me so much. I also like to spare any readers of my blog similar discomfort. But this story, which I read in today's paper, just couldn't go by without a sarcastic comment from me.

"PETA accuses SeaWorld of enslaving orcas"
(follow this link if you'd like to read the whole story)

Here's the scoop: Some folks from PETA, concerned over the health conditions of some orcas at SeaWorld, got together and began forming a lawsuit against SeaWorld. They worked on this suit for 18 months. Why it took them that long, I don't know. Did it take folks that long to come up with the simple bumper sticker slogan "Save the whales?" At any rate, it took them 18 months -- probably because they were scrabbling for any scrap of legal law/document (like the 13th amendment) that could somehow be applied to whales instead of humans. But more on this later. For right now, suffice it to say that SeaWorld replied that PETA's suit was "baseless" -- an understandable remark, as any average pet owner with a little bit of common sense knows. (Although there seems to be a considerable lack thereof, so maybe we should call it "unusual sense"?)

As if this wasn't bad enough, read this statement from Jeff Kerr, PETA's general counsel:

"By any definition, these orcas are slaves — kidnapped from their homes, kept confined, denied everything that's natural to them and forced to perform tricks for SeaWorld's profit."

Kerr's beginning statement, By any definition, fascinates me. Interesting choice of words, wouldn't you say? I was compelled to look up the actual definition of the word "slave", as it's not a word that I've ever had to look up before. Until now, every English-speaking person seemed to agree unconsciously on the exact meaning of "slave". So here's what I found:

1. a person who is the property of and wholly subject to another; a bond servant.
2. a person entirely under the domination of some influence or person

"Person" seems to be the key word here. According to Kerr, an orca is a person. And if an orca is a person, then any animal is a person.

Quick, let's rally to the cause of the poor little house flies! These helpless persons are being trapped and enslaved in the webs of the nasty, mean old spiders!! But wait a minute -- these spiders have rights too! They're persons, after all! Stop stepping on all the spiders, you evil human beings, because they're people just as much as you are!

Enough of that. Moving on, let's look at PETA's claim regarding the 13th amendment. According to tbo.com:

"People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals is accusing the SeaWorld parks of keeping five star-performer whales in conditions that violate the 13th Amendment ban on slavery. The suit...hinges on the fact that the 13th Amendment, while prohibiting slavery and involuntary servitude, does not specify that only humans can be victims."

This also intrigued me, so I decided to look up the 13th Amendment as well and see how PETA could get evidence for their claim from this integral part of our constitution. They are right on one point, that the Amendment indeed does not specify that only humans can be victims. (I'm sure Abraham Lincoln did not feel that such detail was necessary.) It does, however, say that "Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude" shall continue in the United States. Involuntary, hmm. Do whales really have the will to make voluntary choices?

In case you're wondering, here is the meaning of the word "voluntary":

1. done, made, brought about, undertaken, etc., of one's own accord or by free choice
2. of, pertaining to, or acting in accord with the will

"Free choice", "in accord with the will" -- these seem to imply that slavery is only slavery when the person (or maybe PETA would say the creature) involved would choose to do otherwise than what he is currently doing but is forcefully prevented from doing so.

Sure, the whales would immediately swim for the open ocean if they were given the opportunity. But is this not merely the act of instinct? Could you really imagine the whale keeper standing in front of the whales with a bucket of fish and saying to them in a reasonable tone, "Now you can choose between freedom and food; which would you like to have?"

The point is, WHALES DO NOT HAVE FREE WILL, because they do not have sophisticated intellects like humans do. They do not have reason. They can't look at the whale keeper's bucket of fish and say, "Oh, that looks really tasty, and the open ocean is too dangerous, so I think I'll stay here." (On a more spiritual level, they also do not have immortal souls, but that's beside the point.)

Perhaps I am getting too wound up about this. But it's hard to see something like this going on, and know that millions of unborn babies have been murdered because they do not have rights. It's also hard to see fellow Americans disrespect the dignity and sacredness of our Constitution by lowering it to the level of mindless beasts.

This is not to say that I don't love whales. I think they are beautiful creatures, but please don't ask me to treat them like human beings. This is just taking "Save the whales" a step too far. Instead of "Save the whales" it should be "Save my sanity" -- please!

Lady Clare

The True Woman

Currently reading: "Les Miserables" by Victor Hugo
Most recently watched movie: "Clue"
Current favorite quote: "Being a tiger just isn't all it's cracked up to be." -Calvin from Calvin and Hobbes

--

Just a few words I wrote down one time while in prayer...


The True Woman

Let me be as the woman at the well, and allow You to read my heart.

Let me be as the adulteress, and accept from You a pure heart.

Let me be as Magdalen, and give my all to wash Your feet.

Let me be as Martha, and serve You with my life.

Let me be as Mary, and make my heart Your listening spouse of silence.

Let me be as Elizabeth, and recognize Your hiddenness in others.

Let me, O Jesus, be as Queen, accepting Your Church with the love of a mother, waiting at the foot of the Cross, loving You even when my soul is lost in dark night, because these are the moments when You are closest to me.


--
Pax,
Lady Clare