SMU Stifles Discussion *update*

Saint Mary's University, Halifax, has joined the ranks of 'higher ' education institutions that disallow intelligent discussion of 'certain' subjects.
Dartmouth Soundsystem:

"We can never be sure that the opinion we are endeavoring to stifle is a false opinion; and if we were sure, stifling it would be an evil still."

A few nights ago a group of SMU students gathered to hear a speaker talk about abortion. This was not a debate or protest, and it did not affect any SMU students or faculty in a negative manner. Students and interested non-students gathered to hear the speaker. He gave his introduction and invited questions to be asked at the end...
....There's a good old quote that states that while I may not agree with your opinion, I will fight to the death to preserve your right to have it and express it. Beyond the topic of abortion, this incident is terrifying in that one group completely silenced the other by chanting for over 45 minutes. I am saddened that university-educated students don't realize that the tactics they're employing have always been favoured by fascists. If our universities don't support open discourse on "uncomfortable" topics like this, then who will?...

(video of event disruption)

Kudos to the students who held their tempers in the face of injustice and intolerance. The event was closed down by SMU 'conflict resolution(?)' officials, and moved off campus . Lesson learned by young facists in the making? Be loud and obnoxious. The university will support your intolerance.


*More at:
NovaScotiaScott.

American Papist

Related : Holocaust Analogy IS Appropriate

Bloggers Battle For Free Speech In Norway

Bloggers have taken up the cause and are prepared to persevere. Where is the traditional media in the battle to prevent gov't curtailment of free speech?

IslamInEurope:

...So how did the Norwegian press respond to having freedom of speech curtailed because it can cause conflicts, and that Norwegian law should be changed because some immigrant groups don't tolerate it like sturdy, Christian and ethnic Norwegians? With almost total silence," writes journalist Jon Hustad in Dag og Tid in his article "fear of criticism of religion", which was published Jan. 22.

One of the few things you could read about the case in the mainstream media was a report from news agency NTB that "the government wants to remove the blasphemy article." the report was reprinted in various media, including TV2, Nettavisen and DagenMagazinet. Then it was quiet.

But it was completely different on the net. The same day that the press release was published, the Islam-critical and conservative site document.no and the net version of Fri Tanke, the Humanist Association newspaper, features big posts.

The next week, the debate raged in blogger newspapers and several bloggers wrote about the case almost daily. The most active was undoubtedly Hans Rudstad, editor of document.no.

"The proposal came like a bomb. But it would take a long time before the bomb exploded," says Rustad to Dagbladet.no.

It took almost a month before the big newspapers and broadcast media took up the case. By then the law had already been described as an attack on democracy in Danish newspapers....

An LC Priest Anwers Questions (updated)

OurSundayVisitor:

I asked Legion of Christ Father Thomas Williams, an American who has held various leadership positions in Rome for his order, including as dean of theology for its pontifical university, to comment on the future direction of the Legion in the wake of its recent admission of unspecified failings on the part of its founder, Father Marcial Maciel.
Father Williams is familiar to many American television viewers as an analyst for CBS and formerly for NBC. He's also authored a number of theology books.

Here are his responses via email this morning....

A Letter Written In Front Of The Eucharist
(from Fr. Alvaro to Regnum Christi)

Interview with Pete Vere(canon lawyer)

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Obama's "Trojan Horse"

Obama's new 'Family Planning' condom distribution program adds up as an abortion industry bail-out.

Creative Minority:

...liberals so love condoms that one of the first things President Obama did as President was to force American taxpayers to ship condoms to everyone outside the United States -and in case that didn't work there's always abortion.

So now that the United States will be throwing enough money to cover every other country in the whole world in synthetic rubber, I'm guessing the liberals began feeling a little jealous and wondering what they could do to increase the supply of domestic condoms.

The answer came today. Obama is hijacking George W. Bush's Office of Faith Based Programs, renaming it, and tweaking their mission just a wee bit so that their main job will be doling out condoms right here in the good old U.S. of A. And guess what they're labeling it - abortion reduction!

Note to newly renamed Faith Based Office of whatever - contraception leads to more extra-marital sex which leads to unwanted babies which leads to more abortions. It's really not that difficult. But they don't really care about truth. Their obsession with condoms doesn't allow for truth...

Yep. That's our Family Guy. President Obama, Condom Czar.

More Commentary at The Canadian Republic
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Blunt Reality Check

This guy tells it plainly enough for EVERYONE to get!

Dwayne Reaves:

Get mad if you want, I don't care.

This story on CNN is one of those stories where you just have to wonder what people actually think they are doing in the first place. A brief summary here,

1 A woman, or the government pays to have abortion
2 Doctor not present and baby comes out naturally after woman was dialated.
3 Doctor not present to smash babies head or suck it up in vacuum cleaner
4 Nurses do not know where hammer to smash babies head or forcepts to squeeze life out of it are at.
5 Baby laying there breathing after it is born.
6 Nurses throw living baby in bag and put it in dumpster.
7 Woman sues doctor and staff for killing baby, although that is what she hired them to do.


With the exception of the doctor not being there, is there any of you that actually think that something different goes on when you have an abortion? No matter how you look at it, you are taking a life. You may be able to live with it a little better because you cannot actually see these acts taking place, but they are taking place my friend.

Now I would like to know how come someone has not been charged with murder. I don't care how many times the Supreme Court say that abortion is legal, once that baby is outside a woman's body, no one has the right to take that childs life. And everyone that watched and said nothing about it should be charged with an accessory to murder...

Florida Has Problems...

LifeSiteNews:

Just days after the Vatican announced that Pope Benedict XVI has ordered an apostolic visitation of all non-contemplative women’s religious orders in the United States, LifeSiteNews has learned that a notorious Catholic dissenter, known for her promotion of goddess-worship and “eco-spirituality,” is scheduled to speak at the Miami Archdiocese’s Saint Thomas University...

Announced in the diocesan bulletin no less! Miami is in trouble, and its not the only diocese in Florida to have a Bishop that at the very least is seen to be supportive of dissenters to the faith. We have travelled through Florida twice a year for several years, and I have yet to find a parish I'd like to return to! Each visit to a Catholic church has been at least saddening, sometimes shocking in its liturgical abuses and warping of Catholic theology. Dissent.

Although we(G.Cayman) are closer geographically to Miami, I am ever so grateful that our 'missio' parish is 'attached' to Detroit!

*disclaimer* I know that there are many faithful Catholics and Catholic clergy in Florida. I pray for their perseverance. If anyone wants to send me some suggestions of faithful parishes in Tampa, Orlando, and north on the I95, I'd be grateful!

Holocaust Analogy IS Appropriate

Here's why.

In WWII the world saw the result of dehumanizing disregard for the inherent and equal value of every human life. Millions died cruelly because they were not 'human' in the eyes of their assassins.

Today, 4000 children are murdered daily in the US alone.They die cruelly, and are disposed of as if they were farm refuse. They are not considered to be 'human' by law or by their assassins.

Apparently the lesson has not been learned. If comparing these two atrocities is to be considered in 'bad taste' or inappropriate, is it because we have accepted the assassins' viewpoint? Do we not consider these human lives as valuable as any others? Are we following a 'rubric of human value' that places those with power at the top, and those who are vulnerable and , yes, dependant, at the bottom?

If this is the case, in what way have we progressed from the callous indifference of the western world to the terrible persecution of the Jews and others in WWII? In what way are we any better than the SS?

The analogy, ugly as it is, IS justified and appropriate. We deserve to have it put in our faces over and over until we GET IT!!

As long as we are comfortable to do nothing about this TODAY holocaust, we should be bombarded with the truth of our moral cowardice and laziness until we RISE UP in defense of life, or expire with the guilt of millions of deaths on our souls.

Here is a group doing something, with courage and perseverance in the face of opposition from the perpetrators of unjust deaths themselves and the squeamish cowards who stand by doing nothing good:

U-News

A pro-life activist who equates abortion with the Holocaust will bring his controversial message to Halifax.

Jose Ruba is co-founder of the pro-life Canadian Centre for Bio-Ethical Reform and former executive director of the National Campus Life Network, two groups fighting to bring the anti-abortion message to campuses across Canada.

Ruba's lecture, entitled "Echoes of the Holocaust," will be held Thursday at 6 p.m. at Saint Mary's University in the Burke building...

...Saint Mary's student Joseph Westin is one of the organizers of Thursday's event.

The founder of the group Saint Mary's Students for Life, doesn't equate one "atrocity" with another, but says he does see similarities between abortion and the Holocaust.

"They're targeting a section of society, which happens to be unborn babies and they're eradicating them," he says. "They're saying they're not people and it's legal, just as it was in [Nazi] Germany."

And yes, Joseph is my son. We're very pleased that he's a STAND UP guy!

LinkTV - TV Without A Moral Compass

Catholic League draws our attention to a malicious and deliberate attack on the Catholic church, perpetrated by LinkTV and partially funded by tax dollars:

...This video first aired last summer, right after a professor from the University of Minnesota intentionally desecrated the Eucharist. Now it’s being shown again. At first we thought this was just another loony attack, but then we found out that Link TV is funded by foundations that support anti-Catholicism. To wit: the Ford Foundation, the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, the Wallace Global Fund and George Soros’ Open Society Institute all fund Link TV, and all are generous contributors to Catholics for Choice, a notoriously anti-Catholic front group. Worse, of the three co-producers of the video, one of them—ITVS—is funded by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, a public entity.

So here we have the urbane bigots in the foundation world, and a taxpayer-funded organization, underwriting anti-Catholicism....

If LinkTV had a moral compass, they would not be mocking individual religions in a hurtful and deliberate way. Would they?


I checked out their list of Board members and founders and there seems to be an underlying 'save the world' theme. 'Save the world' is often translatable to 'kill off the poor worldwide' which is a special project of the UNPF. Is this where hate is coming from?

A battle of cultures is definitely in full swing.

Culture of Life vs Culture of Death

Good vs Evil

(h/t patrickmadrid)


(UPDATE) The video has been removed from LinkTV. It can still be found on YouTube.
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EU and Human Rights

Here's one for the history books. The EU Human Rights Court has decided that Portugal contravened 'article 10' by refusing to allow the 'floating abortuary' to enter its harbours in 2004 - when abortion was illegal in Portugal.

... Abortionist and foundress of the "Women on Waves" project, Rebecca Gomperts, said she is delighted with the finding. "We shall use the judgment for new campaigns outside Europe," she said.

In 2004, the abortion ship was denied access to Portuguese ports by politicians and the courts. Portuguese officials ordered two naval vessels out to ensure that it would not enter Portugal's sovereign waters. At that time, Portugal had some of the strongest legal protections for unborn children anywhere in Europe.

The Court unanimously decided that there was a breach of Article 10 of the European Convention on Human Rights. The court ruled that in seeking to prevent disorder and protect public health, the Portuguese authorities could have resorted to other means that were less restrictive of "Women on Waves'' human rights. Article 10 is the section of the Convention dealing with "expression"...

How did the group instituted after WWII to prevent further human rights calamities become so separated from reality? A floating baby killing business has human rights? Talk about depreciating the value of a human right!

Can't wait to see whose sovereignty "Women on Waves - Baby Assassins" attacks next!! (Any bets as to who this group gets big funding from??)

What's In It For Morales?

Watching the Bolivian President 'ratchet up' the tension between the government and the Church, one wonders about the underlying motivation. Relationships between government and Church have historically been tenuous. Why the increase in hostility?

I think it's the company Morales is keeping. He wants to institute repressive measures that increase his power and diminish the voice of the people. This will allow him a free reign to institute new laws which the people would object to....for example, those promoting homosexuality and abortion.( Any guesses where that idea comes from? THE UN!!) What is he getting out of this betrayal of the people? POWER AND MONEY. Unfortunately for him, the Catholic Church insists on continuously pointing out what he's up to, and what the Catholic Church's moral teachings are, just as they did with previous governments. Funny how similarly repressive gov't from the far left and gov't from the far right are. I guess if the main goal is POWER AND MONEY, repression is a given! Fronts for the spread of communism like the 'World Social Forum' are seeing the current economic crisis as an opportunity to gain power throughout South America. They would have an easier time, if they could just shut up those darn Bishops!

Evo Morales sees the Church as a major impediment to the reforms he seeks to institute. (Not the promised land reforms that got him elected...the undemocratic 'repress opposition' and the immoral 'kill off the poor' reforms.)So much so, that he is calling for the 'institution' of a new 'church'. (Sounds a lot like communist China, doesn't it?)

This must be quite a problem for the President of the United States. He personally believes in homosexuality and abortion . He wants to be everybody's friend. Yet, it's obvious that the South American countries flirting with communism are not governed by democracy loving men. How to control the outcome without interfering? How to protect the UN mission to reduce the populations of poor people worldwide through abortion and homosexuality, without increasing the power of uncomfortably close neighbours who are tyrants that hate the US?

Tough one.

Ah, The Rest of The Story!

Now that the media has had their fun tearing apart the 'irresponsibility' of the mother who gave birth to octuplets, accusing her of everything from being inspired by greed to a selfish act sure to result in child neglect, more details emerge...

LifeSiteNews:

...Some questioned the ethics of allowing Suleman to undergo treatment again after already having six children, which was billed as the climax of an alleged obsession with children. Yet her mother said Suleman had merely implanted the children already conceived as excess products from her previous treatments. "She doesn't have any more (frozen embryos), so it's over now," she said.

Another controversy erupted from ethicists who criticized Suleman's anonymous doctor for implanting eight embryos at a time. However, according to her parents, Suleman was expecting one more child to result from her remaining embryos, which they say numbered far fewer than eight. The eight would have resulted from some of the embryos splitting into twins or triplets.

Typical IVF treatments implant as many as four embryos at a time, with the expectation that some will naturally miscarry or, if they continue to grow, will be killed in a standard procedure known as "selective reduction of pregnancy."

Many criticized the mother for deviating from the norm of IVF treatment by refusing to abort some of the babies despite the risk to her health on top of her apparent money troubles. In an ABC interview, endocrinology expert Dr. Richard Paulson said that so many children at once are a problem to be avoided at all costs. "Patients who conceive octuplets would routinely be offered - even advised - selective reduction," said Paulson. "I have to assume that in this case, the patients decided to try and carry to viability, and they were lucky, plus they got some really good doctors."

Angela Suleman said that was not an option for Nadya. "What do you suggest she should have done? She refused to have them killed," the grandmother said. "That is a very painful thing."...

With the added details Fox News managed to overcome their scandalized sensibilities (apparently they had problems with how many embryos were implanted, in spite of not actually knowing)and Judge Napolitano had this to say:

"Life is superior to non-life. Human souls are eternal. Every human life is of potentially infinite value. The God who gave us life reflects His glory through each one of us."

Finally, an informed intelligent voice rises above the babble of talking heads.

FOCA ,Mini FOCA, Faux FOCA...

Watch out for the 'death by a thousand cuts' approach to removing every barrier to abortion on demand.

NCR:

Pro-abortion activists are making plans to pass FOCA in bits and pieces, buried in other bills where it will be unnoticed (and give cover to pro-abortion Catholics afraid of getting called on it). We need to find a moniker to flag these attempts, and draw the full wrath of the anti-FOCA movement to bear against each one.

FOCA fake-outs? FOCA feigns?

Whatever the name, NCHLA.org provides a new e-mail campaign that your whole family can participate in....

Good Response To Bad News

Deacon Keith Fournier writes a very responsible article on the Father Maciel revelations, at Catholic Online:

...."After having attentively studied the results of the investigation, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, under the guidance of the new prefect, Cardinal William Joseph Levada, decided - bearing in mind Fr. Maciel's advanced age and his delicate health - to forgo a canonical hearing and to invite the father to a reserved life of penitence and prayer, relinquishing any form of public ministry. The Holy Father approved these decisions.”

Father Marciel Marcel followed the direction of the Church. He lived the remainder of his life as a penitent. He died on January 30, 2008 at the age of 87. However, the Religious community and lay movement he founded continued their many apostolic endeavors. Both have produced some wonderful work in and for the Church. Certainly its lay members, its priests and all who recognize the good which they have all done - and, hopefully will continue to do - were shocked by these new reports.

Here they are. The influential, deceased founder of the Legionaries of Christ and Regnum Christi, Fr. Marcial Maciel, a consecrated celibate priest, is alleged to have had a mistress, fathered at least one child and lived a double life. I will use the summary set forth in the recent article on “American Papist” written by Thomas Peters. It appears to be the most comprehensive, up to date and substantive. It is based upon numerous reports including sources within the community itself:

“1) Maciel fathered a child who is now in her early 20's;
“2) Maciel offered some money illicitly to his own family;
“3) The current head, Alvaro Corcuera, entertaining his own suspicions, demanded that the case be reopened several years ago;
“4) The health of the Legion depends on denouncing him as founder and moving on.
“I have heard more details in addition (a second child, etc), but in this situation, I tend to think we've already learned enough to make an evaluation. Anything further is simply prurient interest.”

One of the fruits of the work of the Legionaries has been the National Catholic Register which is owned by the community. The editor of the paper is Tom Hoopes. He commented on the matter: "All I want to say is, I’m sorry. I want to say it here, because I defended Fr. Maciel here, and I need to be on the record regarding that defense: I’m sorry, to the victims, who were victims twice, the second time by calumny. I’m sorry, to the Church, which has been damaged. I’m sorry, to those I’ve misled. I did it unwittingly, but this isn’t a time for excuses. The Church gave me great, great good in Regnum Christi. The Church did bring justice, and did penalize this man. Thank God for the Church. I seek repentance and forgiveness, and I leave it at that."

We ask all of the readers of Catholic Online throughout the world to pray for those hurt by this behavior. Pray for the members of the Legionaries of Christ and Regnum Christi. I have known Legionary Priests and lay members of Regnum Christi. They have all been wonderful Catholics and good people, deeply in love with the Lord and His holy Church. My heart breaks for them in this time of struggle and disappointment. We also ask our readers to pray for the Catholic Church which, in the midst of this very difficult time of history, will now also have to bear with what will be a fierce season of reaction to this latest tragedy....

My personal experience with the Legionaries of Christ has been all good. I have faith that they will be able to overcome this devastating news, and continue their important work around the world. God wins always.

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R.I.P.

Catholic father and husband of Catholic blogger Amy Welborn, Michael Dubruiel died suddenly February 3 . Our prayers will include him and his family.

Cathedral Fire

A fire at Holy Name Cathedral, Chicago, early this morning, puts the Cathedral back to 'square one' with their renovations.

Breaking News:

...Jimmy Lago, chancellor of the archdiocese, called the damage "awful."

"It's a tragedy just to see it," he said. "...My heart goes out to the parishioners and those who worship here."

The five red, broad-brimmed cardinals' hats, or galeros, suspended from the ceiling, were soaked, Lago said. Each of those hats was raised to the ceiling on a cardinal's death.

The fire may have been related to some renovation. Lago noted that work was being done on pillars in the cathedral and on some deteriorating wood high in the rafters. He said a worker was present at the time the fire broke out, but didn't know if he was working in the area where the fire started. (Earlier, Lago said no workers were present.)

The fire was under control at 7:30 a.m., but fire officials said they still would make larger holes in the roof to pour in more water...

Catholic Carnival #210

Put together by Joe at HoKaiPaulos,this week's carnival is a collection with the theme of "Harden Not Your Hearts". Poetry, quick quotes, fave links, book lists, prayer, St. Paul,Mary, sacrifice and celibacy round out a virtual panacea of catholic culture. Indulge!
(pic by LOL Saints)

U. of Calgary - Circus School

The administration of the University of Calgary has decided to sic the police on some young women students for expressing unapproved thoughts on campus. Well, it is a university after all - you can't go around letting students think for themselves! They are paying good money to be trained like seals!!

Ezra Levant (ticked off alumnus of U of C) weighs in:

...This is part of a disturbing trend of censorship on Canadian campuses. Just weeks ago, Queen's University announced roving squads of conversation "monitors" -- busybodies who would butt into private conversations to lecture students who said anything politically incorrect.

U of C goes straight for the cops.

In my travels, from time to time I find myself rebutting stereotypical perceptions of Calgary and Alberta. I point out that, in fact, our city has the highest rate of post-secondary education in the country; that we are very multicultural; that we are enlightened, and educated and open-minded, and I always have a half-dozen proof points.

But it's going to be tough to make the case now that the city's university sends cops after young women to bully them into ceasing their political discussions.

I'm glad to read that the Canadian Constitution Foundation has caught notice of the case; the Canadian Civil Liberties Association should intervene, too.

I think a pre-emptive lawsuit against U of C is in order (in addition to defending the students against the trespass charges). And -- far more effective -- a boycott on donations by alumni is in order, as well....

That's right. We're Canadian. You have to make it personal before we pay attention. (i.e. hit us where it hurts - the pocketbook!)

Where The UN Is Coming From

United Nations Population Fund Leader Says Family Breakdown is a Triumph for Human Rights

LifeSiteNews:

...A leader in the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) has declared that the breakdown of traditional families, far from being a “crisis,” is actually a triumph for human rights.

Speaking at a colloquium held last month at Colegio Mexico in Mexico City, UNFPA representative Arie Hoekman denounced the idea that high rates of divorce and out-of-wedlock births represent a social crisis, claiming that they represent instead the triumph of “human rights” against “patriarchy.”

"In the eyes of conservative forces, these changes mean that the family is in crisis," he said. "In crisis? More than a crisis, we are in the presence of a weakening of the patriarchal structure, as a result of the disappearance of the economic base that sustains it and because of the rise of new values centered in the recognition of fundamental human rights."...

These are the people President Barack Obama made it a priority to fund with tax dollars. People who consider it a 'victory' for human rights that the family is breaking down, that children don't have parents, that children are subjected to sex indoctrination at earlier and earlier ages, that fewer children exist on this planet. People who believe 'family' is a 'bad word' loved only by conservatives!

Could the hypocrisy be any more obvious? Barack Obama is in no way, shape or form, a supporter of family life as most Americans understand it. He likes HIS family. He wishes there were fewer 'other' families, and he's willing to use your money to see that there are.

"LOL Saints"

My favourite so far at the new Catholic 'humour' site, LOL Saints! Check out their 'capshun' contest (with an actual prize!)

Death By Dehydration

LifeSiteNews:

Eluana Englaro, who is often referred to as “Italy’s Terri Schiavo,” was transferred late Tuesday night to a hospital that has agreed to participate in her killing by removal of her food and hydration tube. Television news coverage showed a group of pro-life activists gathered outside the clinic in Eluana’s home town of Lecco at about 1:30am, as an ambulance took her away, some shouting “Eluana, wake up!” and “Don’t kill her!”

Eluana Englaro, 38, suffered brain damage in a car accident in 1992 and has since been in a state of diminished consciousness. Eluana’s father, Beppino Englaro, who has been petitioning the courts for over a decade to euthanize his daughter, said her transfer to the new facility is “the first step... towards the liberation of my daughter. It seems we have finally succeeded.”

Beppino Englaro’s lawyer told media that La Quiete, a private clinic in the north eastern town of Undine, had agree to participate in her killing. Welfare Minister Maurizio Sacconi said the government is searching for a new way to prevent her death. The removal of Eluana’s food and hydration tube is set to be carried out in three days.

Death by dehydration has been described by medical authorities as “horrible” and “agonizing.” It was a common form of torture used by totalitarian states, including in well-documented cases by the Nazis in their death camps.

In cases of severe dehydration, toxins build up in the body and the body's chemical balances are disrupted. This disrupts the electrical system that triggers the action of muscles, including the heart. The tongue and lips crack and bleed. The eyes recede into their orbits. The skin becomes so sensitive it peels off upon firm contact. The lining of the nose can crack and bleed. Dried brain cells can cause convulsions. The mouth becomes dry and saliva thick, and there is cracking of the mucous membranes of the mouth and lips. The blood thickens, increasing the risk of stroke. As fluid decreases in the body, blood pressure drops and the heart rate increases, possibly causing shock and heart attack...

Or as the BBC news ticker puts it, Eluana is being 'let to die'. Its quite a world we live in, where a father strives for years for the opportunity to 'let' his daughter die in this horrible and inhuman way.

"Obama and the Culture of Death"

Miguel Guanipa has posted an excellent article at American Thinker:

...With the magic stroke of his executive pen, Obama has declared his intentions that no ground will be given and no prisoners spared.

Yet he appears strangely confident that his decision will serve as a catalyst for reconciliation between two fiercely opposing sides.

But the fact that he expects only one side, namely pro-life advocates, to either stop voicing their resistance altogether, or assume sole responsibility for paving a viable forum for civil discourse with their adversaries, reflects the extreme contempt with which he regards those who do not hold to his worldview. His expectations of extinguishing any further debate on the issue by signing back into law a measure that literally forces the opposition to subsidize that which they have historically repudiated signals an appalling kind of arrogance from a man who presumably covets the mantle of unifier.

Obama's cavalier dismissal of the enduring national discussion on abortion as a trifling wedge issue that has only helped to create an interminable polemic between two irreconcilable extremes also reveals a glaring indifference and profound disrespect of those who stand for the protection of innocent human life. It may behoove him to remember that what he and his supporters view as a fundamental right of every woman often involves the arbitrary destruction of that which science has universally recognized as a human life. For those in the pro-life movement, it is recognition of the utter vulnerability and supreme innocence of that life which fuels and sustains their dedication to a perpetual stance in its defense.

In light of this unprovoked, but not wholly unexpected offensive, pro-life advocates should remain fiercely captive to their convictions. They should welcome this militant ploy to frustrate their honorable efforts as an opportunity to find renewed strength, and rekindle the flame of commitment to their cause. They should continue unabated in exposing the silent genocide that has been taking place for decades in this country against the most vulnerable members of society, as they also lay bare the myriad fabrications that have been advanced by those from the pro-death camp -- later exposed by even some of its own proponents -- in defense of their misguided cause.

They must, in short, make clear to President Barack Obama, that if he believes his decision will magically engender harmony between those who have never sought any compromise, and those who rightfully view the killing of innocent human life in any civilized society as an intolerable state of affairs, then he is in for a very rude awakening.

But above all, they must pray for success, since our very democracy hinges upon their unqualified victory in this epic struggle against the culture of death....