FREE TO CHOOSE ABORTION, NOT FREE TO CHOOSE YOUR HEALTH CARE: OBAMA'S OBSESSION WITH DEATH

Image by Ted Abbott via Flickr

by Kathy Barkulis


What will it take for ordinary Americans and politicians to wake up to the cold reality of nationalized health care as proposed by President Obama? Will it take a medical crisis in your own family? Will it take a medical crisis in your own personal life? Will it take an anonymous board of people appointed by the government deciding whether you can have life saving medicine or surgery? What has to happen to you before you say "ENOUGH"? It is easy to close your eyes when you and your family are healthy, but are you sure this will always be the case? And why is it that the choices Obama wants us all to have, are choices of death, and not choices of life?

So far, President Obama has not told the American people how he will pay for his grand experiment. They hinted at a national VAT tax, adding 20% on to the cost of goods at the manufacturing level, which will be passed down to consumers. They also hinted at taxes on soft drinks, beer, wine, cigarettes, etc., none of which will cover the entire cost of this plan, but will surely increase the cost of living to middle class Americans. This is the group Obama promised would have no new taxes. While I don't believe you can put a price tag on your healthcare, and easy access to it, I do believe we need to be told how it will be paid for.

But the most egregious aspect of Obama's "Medicare For All" plan is the federally appointed "health board" that will make decisions for the health care of Americans. Obama has insisted that citizens can choose to take the government plan or keep their own private insurance. But did you know that Obama plans to force private insurers to adopt the decisions of the federal health board, or face steep tax consequences? The reality of that situation will be that private insurance companies will not be able to provide health care at any cost, and employers will gladly hand over the responsibility to the government. Only the very rich will be able to afford effective and all inclusive health care. There will be no ability for insurance companies to compete with a "free" government plan. Before you can say "Pap Smear," the whole country will be under the umbrella of a nationalized system that rations out health care like a short order cook rations out hash. The rich will always get the health care they want under Obama's plan, and the rest of us will just get the health care Obama thinks we "need."

It's ironic that the Democrats, and Obama, shout from the rooftops about a woman's right to choose abortion, but none of them want Americans to have the right to choose their health care. Oh they say you'll have the right to choose your health care, but when you read their plan, there will be no choice for you and your family. They are planning to game the system so that you will have no choice left but to take the government plan. In the eyes of President Obama and Nancy Pelosi, it is better for all Americans to have a generic and highly bureaucratized health plan, than for some to have no health plan. Yet, even that argument is a lie. Right now, hospitals cannot refuse medical care to an American brought into their hospital for emergency treatment. And often they don't refuse care to non-Americans either. Just walk into any hospital emergency room in the country on any given day and look at how many people are qued up for treatment. The taxpayers already pay for that privilege, but we will pay far more under Obama's plan.

So I ask you again. What will it take for you to stand up and protest a nationalized health care system where a federal health board will decide what kind of medical treatment you get? Will it be your down syndrome child who needs a new heart valve? Will it be your mother who needs a hip replacement? Will it be your husband who needs an experimental drug for a rare disease? And will it take a federal health board to refuse that treatment for your family members? If so, it will be too late by then to do anything about it.

YOU MUST SPEAK OUT NOW. You can start by calling the four Republicans who plan on voting yes for Obama's health care plan. They are:

Chuck Grassley 202-224-3744
Olympia Snowe 202-224-5344
Orrin Hatch 202-224-5251
Susan Collins 202-224-2523

CALL THEM NOW and voice your opposition. CALL THEM EVERY DAY. Send their names and phone numbers to everyone you know.

Then, send them letters voicing your opposition using email and snail mail.

Second, write letters to the editors of your local newspapers. Send those letters repeatedly until they get published. Tell everyone you know to do the same.

Third, call radio talk shows and make your opinion known.

Fourth, and most important, call and fax members of Congress voicing your opposition. Crash their switchboards. You can go on-line and get phone numbers of Senators and Congressmen on http://www.realclearpolitics.com/ and many other websites, such as C-span.

Talk to your friends and relatives about this issue, and urge them to take action. Start the conversation by asking them this question: IF I FOUND OUT I HAD A RARE FORM OF CANCER THAT A GOVERNMENT HEALTH CARE PLAN REFUSED TO TREAT, WOULD YOU BE WILLING TO SELL YOUR HOME TO RAISE MONEY FOR ME TO SAVE MY LIFE? During the silence that occurs after you ask that question, ask them instead to speak out in opposition of this plan by calling Congressmen and Senators. Ask them to write letters.

Apathy is not an option anymore. Our lives, and that of our families are on the line.

PRESIDENT OBAMA CAN'T HAVE CONTROL OF OUR HEALTHCARE UNLESS WE GIVE IT TO HIM WITHOUT A FIGHT.






Link: http://smartgirlpolitics.ning.com/profiles/blogs/free-to-choose-abortion-not

Single Issue Voters are Ignorant--or are they?

Anonymous said...
I hate to say this as I will surely be accused of being a troll, but the Republican party has become the political action wing for big corporations, right wing zealots, and deep pocketed fanatics. Fox News on the other hand is the media relations firm for these same groups.

The actions of this group [Smart Girl Politics] has thus far been nothing but insulting to conservatives, and their values. And when I say conservatives, I do NOT consider right wing zealots of Christianity (one topic voters are idiots), racists (how the hell did they get such a big voice in the party), and rich white men (who are either trying to make more money, or keep the money they have) conservatives.

As a liberal, as an American, and heck as a human being - the current incarnation of the Republican party both sickens and scares the crap out of me.

Please take it back.


April 15, 2009 12:06 AM

The above is a comment I received in response to my posting of a letter to the RNC Chairman, Michael Steele. I was inspired to address the “single-issue voter” hatred in this country, by those who seem to have forgotten what it truly means to be one. Single-issue voters and politicians really have a bad wrap in this country. I should know, I’m one of those crazy, right-wing, Christian zealots who vehemently opposes abortion—above all other political issues. Sure I want our country to be financially stable. Of course I want us to have good foreign relations. I want our citizens to have access to good schools and great health care. But am I able to turn a blind eye when murder of one faction of our population has become widespread and accepted? I’d have to say an emphatic NO. Thank you for whatever terms you may have just labeled me; I’ll wear them proudly. I can no more idly sit by and bite my tongue as an unborn child is murdered than I could if I were passing someone on the street who was killing another person in front of me.

I am proud to say that I am in great company as a single-issue voter, though. Our country was founded by single-issue voters. Above, and forsaking all other issues, the Pilgrims came to this country to avoid religious persecution. They loathed it so much that they fled their homeland, in search of a more righteous place. Their mindset was such that they would, today, be lumped together with us “ignorant single-issue voters.”

Abraham Lincoln was another “single-issue voter.” His hot button was slavery. That darned slavery…if he had just sat back and minded his own business, this world would be a better place…we could all just live and let live…the government wouldn’t be able to come down on people who try to own other people. Wait a minute…Back up…that doesn’t make sense, does it? No, this nation would not have been better off if Lincoln had ignored the issue of slavery. Certainly he could have focused more on other issues and chose to just let those slave owners keep buying and selling HUMAN BEINGS, but thank God he didn’t. He knew that it was the right thing to do, his critics be damned. When we’re talking about an issue like slavery, it is easy to look back and realize that this was an entire population of humans who were being oppressed and brutalized, and it is blatantly clear that it was DEAD WRONG. It is a disgusting portion of our history. And you can thank a determined single-issue voter for closing that chapter. Maybe, as he predicted, you have forgotten Lincoln’s words at Gettysburg:

The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never
forget what they did here. It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here
to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly
advanced. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining
before us—that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause
for which they gave the last full measure of devotion—that we here highly
resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain—that this nation, under God,
shall have a new birth of freedom—and that government : of the people, by
the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.
~Abraham Lincoln, The Gettysburg Address

Maybe you’ll notice that Lincoln wasn’t only referring to the able-bodied people, or the rich people, or the white people, or the male people, or even the BORN people. There is a little clue in there glaring back at all of us that so many like to sweep under the rug. I’ll give you a hint, it is the fact that he was fighting for this nation, under GOD.

There is another very famous and beloved single-issue voter from our history. He would likely still be here with us if he weren’t so hell-bent on pushing for that single issue. This man was Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. His hot topic was civil liberties for everyone, namely African Americans. He was killed for holding the unpopular, at the time, view that black people were just that…PEOPLE. We can all look back and see how vile and ignorant so many of our countrymen were. They literally didn’t consider one segment of our population to be as human as they themselves were. They considered them “less than,” sub-human, if you will. Thank God that enough people stood up to say that they too were “single-issue voters” and that they were unapologetic in that stance. Our country is most definitely a better place because of their determined pressure on society. We are no longer “separate but equal,” now we are just “We the People.”

Now I am aware that so many have denigrated us “single-issue voters” and we make great fodder for the MSM’s evening news. But there was one country where there was not an overabundance of “single-issue voters.” You probably know it as Nazi Germany. Hitler campaigned on promises to make Germany be well respected by the world, to give them financial stability and power. Many people thought that he was crazy for his views regarding the Jews, but they kept quiet about that because: Hey, that man kept his other campaign promises. It was unfortunate that he was slaughtering an entire segment of their countrymen, but for the most part, as a whole, their country was thriving. Don’t you realize that when you tell a “single-issue voter” to be more “open” and to look at “all” of the issues equally to make decisions that you are asking them to be like the complacent German Christians? They didn’t agree with Hitler’s treatment of the Jews, they knew they were going missing, but because the rest of life was ok for them under his control, they remained silent. They weren’t directly kill anyone themselves, but their silence made them equally responsible for the Holocaust.

You see, Mr./Mrs. Anonymous Liberal, we cannot simply sit back and look the other way while babies are being slaughtered with no one to defend them. We owe them more than that. There are some issues that transcend the importance of all others. I do care about taxes and foreign policy, but if I find out that even the best and most fair politician, will not stand up for the lives of those most vulnerable in our population, then I cannot, and I will not support them. Pastor Martin Niemueller was arrested in Nazi Germany for preaching the Bible, and speaking against Hitler, consequently he was one of only a handful of German Christian leaders who did speak out. A Lutheran chaplain visited him in jail and asked him, “My brother, what did you do? Why are you here?” To which Niemueller replied, “My brother, given what is happening in our country, why aren’t you here?" It isn’t those of us who are “single-issue voters” who should be chastised and criticized. Instead, I think it is those who would dismiss such overwhelmingly important issues, in favor of other less meaningful things, who should be asking themselves why they are not standing up beside US.

And now, on to MY hot button issue, Abortion.

What have you heard said about it and in defense of it? A woman has a right to choose? It is a necessary evil? I would never have one, but I can’t tell another woman she can’t have an abortion? I don’t agree with abortion but it is not my place to judge what someone else does?

What happens if you are sitting in your house and you hear screams and violent thuds from the house next door? You run outside to see a young mother with a bloody knife in her hands and find out later that her six month old child was lying dead in the house in a pool of blood.

It’s not really your business, I suppose. I guess if we’re continuing with this façade of “political correctness” one could say, “I wouldn’t kill my child, but I don’t know what her life circumstances are, maybe she made the right choice for herself and her family.”

But let’s get real here. You’re anonymous on the internet; no one knows you’re reading this. You won’t give me a report on your thoughts when you’re finished. You can respond in your heart honestly. What would you think in this instance? And more importantly, what would you expect our government’s role to be? I know that not a single one of you would respond that you think the mother made a choice and it was her choice, and that the government should respect her choice. You aren’t about to tell me that while you wouldn’t stab your baby, you aren’t going to tell another mother she doesn’t have that right. I mean, after all, maybe she’s just overwhelmed with her finances and wants to go back to school? Maybe she’s got a terminal illness and it is just too hard on her body to keep caring for the baby? Maybe she is even mentally ill and did not have a clue that what she did was wrong. But you are still not going to tell me that you think the government should butt out and allow the woman the freedom to make that choice. It is not just a choice; it is the choice to commit murder. Someone who has an abortion is killing their baby. If you’re “pro-choice” you’re going to argue that if you don’t acknowledge that the baby is “living” in the womb, then there is no way to “kill” that child.

Merriam-Webster defines kill as: “to deprive one of life.” I would say that fits even for those of you who claim that an unborn child is not a living human, but the “potential” for life. Terminating a pregnancy deprives the baby of life, even the potential for it, if that’s your next flawed argument. It is only "just a choice" if you can remove yourself from the situation. If you can just hear the word abortion but block out any images of what an abortion actually is, what it looks like, what it sounds like, and what it truly accomplishes--death. It is not an unfortunate tragedy, that is just a pretty package to wrap it in. It's just you and me here, don't kid yourself.

I'm constantly reminded, by people like you, Mr./Mrs. Anonymous Liberal, that I am just a sheep who has been guided by someone else with an ulterior motive of money or power. I have to say to you, when no one is looking, when no one can hear, do you really think that an abortion is really "just a choice?" If you answered yes, I'm going to have to surmise that you are one of those who wildly protests if someone dares to attempt to show you a video or photos of a dismembered baby who has been aborted, I mean who's mother has made a choice. You try to spin it so that the person trying to open your eyes is somehow some zealot who is crazy and trying to save babies and everything.

Again, I ask you, "Why aren't you here?"

Passion of the Christ and American Politics

Happy Easter! When we hear that, if we're adults (and Christian) we know on some level that this is meant to be a time to reflect on Christ's choice to give his life for our salvation. We know that it is to represent His resurrection 3 days later. But if we're all being honest, I think most all of us would say that when we think of Easter we think of bunnies and little girls with frilly dresses and kids hunting for colored eggs. And kids: they just see the candy. I'm guilty myself.
My family and I sat down to watch The Passion of the Christ this Easter Sunday. I had seen it, and I had been moved before. But our pastor mentioned it in church that morning, and my 9 year old asked if we had it and could watch it. Before we left church, we visited an exhibit that they had there of museum quality displays of items from Christ's crusifixion. They had a true crown of thorns that we were able to hold in our hands and truly take in. Like all of the other kids, my 9 year old kept touching the thorns and poking himself and freaking out at how sharp they were. There was a life size cross that we could touch. They had a "cat of nine tails" whip, complete with shards of bone and metal for all of us to hold and feel the tips, imagining what damage was done to our Saviour with such an instrument. The robe and the dice were there. The bread and wine was there, and finally, they had a velvet pouch of silver coins. It should be noted that the pouch with the coins in it wasn't a big favorite amongst the kids. It looked kind of boring, I think. Who wants a few pieces of silver when there are weapons or sharp things to look at? Granted, they did take note of what the sign said about it being 30 pieces of silver, but it didn't get any of the oohs and aahs the other displays got.

Fast forward to a few hours later when we were sitting on the couch watching the crusifixion story unfold before our eyes. If you've seen the movie, you will remember it has subtitles. My 9 year old was afraid that he would miss something if he had to read it himself, so he asked me to read the words aloud for him. I highly suggest you try that. Reading of what happened to Christ is extremely moving, but saying those things out loud to a child touches you on a level that I didn't know existed. As each item from the exhibit came to light, a deeper understanding of the reality of the situation shone on my son's face. He saw the pouch of silver and grew visibly outraged with Judas, even calling him names and saying how stupid he was for doing such a horrible thing, "FOR THAT???" When Jesus was "chastized" with the cat of nine tails, among other things, it was not some theoretical event for this 9 year old. He had held and touched one the same morning. When the crown of thorns was rammed into Jesus' scalp, that too, was "real" for Zackary. He had just been holding one a short while before, and I think he could still feel the pricks in his own fingers.

All of us were taught as children, that "sticks and stones may break our bones, but words will never hurt us." We probably teach it to our own children as well. But I must tell you, that what disturbed Zackary the most about the mistreatment of Jesus was the laughing and mocking of the Roman soldiers and the followers of Jesus who didn't say anything until it was too late. "Why don't they stop?" he kept asking. And I think then and there, it became clear to me that words and the smallest of actions, DO HURT. And a lack of words hurts just as bad. I look around at society today and everything from gay marriage to abortion is touted as being "ok" by even men and women who claim to be, "of the cloth." I was told by a female pastor who I went to grade school with that, "the Bible doesn't reference abortion, so it doesn't take a stance either way." Sure, she said that any abortion was a tragedy, but still thinks that any woman who wants one should be allowed to have one. She blogs about and supports gay marriage, I presume "in the name of God." I am unfairly picking on her at this point, but she is not an abstract media source, she is someone I knew once upon a time. I don't think that she is alone in the least. Far too many "Christians" claim to love God, but when we see things that spit in the face of our Saviour in society, in politics, and in the media, we mutter something to ourselves and then steer clear of those people. Why don't we stand up against it? Why do we allow it to continue to go on? We have allowed those in the media to literally laugh at and mock Jesus, just as those Roman soldiers did so many years ago. America, God love her, just elected a president who used as a campaign line, that people, "cling to guns or religion." In my opinion, and in my heart of hearts, every vote for Obama, after such a statement, was someone spitting in the face of a bleeding and battered Christ, who was knowingly and willingly walking for miles to die for the same people's salvation.

Why, as a society, do we think it ok for our elected leaders or those in power to look down on our clinging to religion in one breath, and then claiming to be religious persons themselves, in another breath. These people, in my observation, are wearing their religion like a sweater. When the winds change, they easily remove that sweater because it isn't convenient to them. And if they feel a nip in the air by way of poll numbers, they call upon the designer of the sweater, trying to remind everyone that they are still card-carrying Christians, even if everything that they publicly support goes against Christianity. I am not trying to be judgemental here. I am truly concerned for our future. I feel sick to my stomach when I think of how Jesus must feel when our citizens mock him and those who follow him. He told us that it would happen, so I shouldn't be surprised. I am just sad that more of us don't stand up against it, that's all. It wouldn't take much. There are people willing to run for office who do stand for Christian values, and if we Christians would push more, there would be an incentive for them to put themselves out there for us.

Protecting Animals is good, Protecting Babies is Extremist?

by Natalie

This is an article about the proposal to outlaw sex with animals in certain states where it is not expressly prohibited. Good. I am all in favor of outlawing sex with animals. You may be wondering how I'm drawing a comparison between this and abortion. I'll assure you, most things can be made to draw a comparison with abortion because if you strip everything away and look at the simple facts, we as a society ignore the plight of unborn babies. I just read about the Dept of Homeland Security issuing warnings on domestic terrorists, and specifically stating that people or groups who pick out one issue (like abortion) are in a category that is likely to be a domestic terrorist. This got me to thinking. I wonder if the members of PETA are in that group too?

This article is stating that some animals have been injured so badly in their sexual abuse that they have died. Some are just injured and maimed. Some of the offenders have a higher incidence of already being or becoming a sexual predator of humans. All of these are great reasons to outlaw the practice. But what about one other reason? What about the fact that it is forbidden in the Bible? There is another thing there that is forbidden, it's called murder. We, as a society, have decided to negate murder if it was due to a mother's choice. If the same baby is murdered, in utero, by someone else, against the mother's will, a murder charge can be brought in some states--depending on the state of gestation. But if dear old mom decides she wishes to "terminate the pregnancy" then she is well within her rights, and we seem to think this is socially acceptable. Sure, we pretty it up by stating that it is not ideal, and that we would rather it not happen, but we do not punish it. How can this be?

I have just included an article for you to read which shows that most states, and now some others, will punish a person for choosing to have sexual relations with an unwilling animal. The article even states, "The act of forcing a living creature to engage in a sexual activity without the ability of consent cannot simply be viewed as a personal choice — no more than forcing a child or an impaired adult would be." Don't get me wrong, I'm an animal lover, and a rational person, so I whole-heartedly agree with this statement. But then, as a rational society with any standard of morals, how can we apply this line of thinking to animals, but not to unborn HUMAN babies? Sure this proposed law is discussing unwanted sexual activity, and I'm talking about murder. Maybe it's apples and oranges. I certainly think that animals and unborn human children are apples and oranges. In this instance though, one would think that we might give a little bit more credence to the fruit of the human variety. I also think it's important to note here that, while an animal could never consent to sex with a human, that animal is not entirely defenseless. At the very minimum, he/she can bare his/her teeth in protest, at most he/she can do some real damage with those teeth. On the converse, a babe in the womb can do nothing. Depending on the type of abortion being performed, there is no warning, no sense of impending danger, and most certainly no chance to outrun his/her attacker. God created animals, and they are beautiful. But why must we, as the supposed more intelligent species, place our young beneath that of animals? I'm sure most people have seen a "save the polar bears" sign during the election recently. Good. I'm proud of those people in exercising their right to free speech. But I am disgusted by the fact that most, if not all, who displayed those signs think that our unborn children don't deserve the same protections and defense of life.

I am so sick of hearing pro-choice supporters say that it is a woman's choice, and we can't infringe upon that. If this is true when we're talking about human babies, how does the same not apply to animals and humans? Why is a man not able to just "choose" to engage in sex with his dog/horse/goat, at will? Why does the thought of such a thing turn our stomachs, as a whole, but the thought of abortion is just a necessary evil? If we're not able to infringe on a mother's right not to mother, then why does it stop after said baby is born? Why do we punish a new mother who drowns her child? Shouldn't she get some credit for her choice too? Maybe she decided she just couldn't handle it, or it wasn't working out with her romantic relationship, or she wanted to go back to school and make a future for herself and any future children? Oh right, I forget, we've got to argue about whether "it" is actually a baby or some alien being living and growing inside "its" mother's womb.

Maybe I'm the deluded one, but I'm thinking that might not be the case. I continually argue that it is a case of semantics which has been conjured up to make the supporters of abortion better able to sleep at night. I've heard too many times, "I would never have an abortion, but I would never tell another woman she couldn't have one." Well, I for one would never shoot my child, and yet I still have no qualms about telling another mother that she can't do the same! Why? Because it is just wrong! We, as a civilized people, are not allowed to kill our own species. Heck, we're not even entitled to kill a dog, lest we be charged with animal cruelty (something I entirely support). But when the victim is a child who hasn't yet escaped the womb, all bets are off.

Please Allow Me to Vent...Obama & Abortion

Abortion is not a topic that I ever thought I would discuss. I am pro-life, but I have always felt that every argument on both sides had probably already been made. It is hard to change people's minds on this subject. Most of us have an opinion and hold on to it.

However.....After listening to Senator Obama last night during the Saddleback Church Forum, I was angry. That doesn't happen alot. Even as passionate as I am about energy, taxes, etc., I have never really been angry. So please allow me this one post and one post only to vent.

Both candidates last night were asked a series of questions, the same questions. Each was asked the following: At what point does a baby get human rights?

John McCain quickly stated, "At conception."

Barack Obama responded, "Whether you are looking at it from a theological perspective or a scientific perspective, answering that question with specificity, you know, is above my pay grade."

I am angered on so many levels. What exactly does he mean above his pay grade? If you are unable to answer this question, regardless of your stance, you do not deserve to be President. Here is my vent.

Why do so many people put their first sonogram picture on their refrigerators? The baby is only usually 8 weeks old. Ask someone who miscarries at 6 or 8 weeks, whether they lost a baby or not? Ask a woman who sits in a NICU praying for a baby who was born 26, 28, 32 weeks, whether it's a baby or not. Ask those mothers who try desperately to have a baby for years what they would do to be pregnant?

Barack Obama voted against the Born -Alive Infant Protection Act which would give rights to a baby that was born alive after surviving an abortion. They allow the baby to die without any medical attention. It's disgusting. I don't care it you are pro-choice, this should repulse you.

In a visit to Johnstown, Pennsylvania, Senator Obama had this to say about babies.

"I’ve got two daughters; 9 years old and 6 years old,” Obama said. “I am going to teach them first of all about values and morals. But if they make a mistake, I don’t want them punished with baby."

I'm sorry, but babies are anything, but a punishment regardless of how they were conceived or brought into this world. He continues to amaze me in his level of ignorance.

I believe in a woman's right to choose. I believe women have the right to choose whether to have sex or not. I believe women have the right to decide who to have sex with. I believe women have a right to choose their birth control. I believe that women have a right to keep their baby or give it up for adoption. We have many choices in life. You have many choices before and after conception without considering abortion as a choice.

Regardless of your party, or even your stance on abortion, we should be suspicious of a man who has such little respect for human life. At the very least, he should be man enough to state his position.