The American Spectator

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Suspension of Belief

10.1.07 @ 12:01AM

TOO MUCH INFORMATION?
Re: Pia de Solenni's Hooked for Life:

Please accept my gratitude for this wonderful article. Yes, the original was TMI. But hopefully it got a few people thinking.

I am a USMC Vietnam vet and now serve as a chaplain trainee in the VA. I can recall the debate pre-Roe v. Wade. I can recall my mother, a woman with a Harvard Master's in Education, being soundly vilified by the left as an "alarmist" for suggesting that if Roe V. Wade were allowed to pass, we would be facing "abortions by the thousands every year." Sad to report -- as a prognosticator mom was a failure; by several orders of magnitude. We are now upwards of a million a year. That is more than disgusting; it is evil. And extremely short-sighted. Looking at it with a pragmatic lens, and completely ignoring any philosophical, spiritual, or political views; had we not killed 45,000,000 in the last 35 years, we wouldn't be needing the 12, 18, or 24 million illegal alien immigrants.

As a chaplain I hear tragic stories on a regular basis of people in their 20s, 30s, 40s, 50s, and even 60s and 70s, who have had their marriages (or shack-ups) wrecked by an abortion. In many instances that is one of their first self-disclosures. In other cases it comes out only after many sessions of pastoral counseling.

Chaplains have been called "Cardiac specialists of a sort; we listen for 'heart murmurs.'" There is more than just a murmur out there. There is a full-throated, broken-hearted, blood-curdling scream.
-- Kevin Coughlin
aka ''cap MarineTet68' on Lucianne.com

Interesting article. But, my question is as follows: Who, with a third grade education and beyond, reads the New York Times? The NYT, in my opinion, ceased reporting the news just before Clinton became president. Since then, it has become no more than a screecher for the left-wing loonies. In my opinion of course. Having said that, the paper is a fantastic wrap during fishing season.
-- Jim L
East Sandwich, Massachusetts

Maybe if the inevitable second thoughts were given more emphases before the procedure, there would be fewer abortions. To me, this article in the Times shows the writer's remorse by using her former boyfriend's reactions to shield her own regrets.
-- L. Lenox

TAKE IT THE BANK
Re: Jennifer Rubin's Going Where the Voters Are:

Jennifer Rubin suggests that Republicans keep in mind Willie Sutton's advice to rob banks because "that's where the money is." However prolific Willie was, he had the brains to not jump the fence at Fort Knox. Doubtless Ms. Rubin would thus characterize Willie a bit on the cautious side.

White male Republicans do not show up at NAACP or equivalent gatherings because the attendees have been historically hostile, impolite and only provide video and sound bites for the opposition. American blacks are by far the most monolithic voting block in the country, almost inevitably going 95% Democrat. And it's politics, not race, as proven by the failed candidacies in 2006 of Michael Steele in Maryland and Kenneth Blackwell in Ohio (see
Washington Post article). Their minds are closed; there is nothing positive to be gained by approaching them, and more than a little to lose.

As to many other Democratic core constituencies, visits by Republican Conservatives to national gatherings can only have similar results: hostility, impoliteness and video and sound bites for CBS, NBC, ABC, CNN, PBS, NPR, etc. If there is any hope for engineering a change in attitudes, it has to be done at the lowest level, more likely in churches than any other venue, and give people something to think about, a few dozen at a time.
-- Frank Natoli
Newton, New Jersey

Jennifer Rubin is correct that our candidates and other party members need to get out more. Our core beliefs in right to life, lower taxes, less intrusive government and national security, including the recognition that as a country we are on the side of freedom and doing the right thing need to be openly discussed with more people. In order to reach them you have to face your political enemies in the press and broadcasting because like it or not they still have a large following. Sometimes I think Republicans actually start to believe the nonsense the press continues to spout about being mean-spirited, skinflints that want to mold America into a place only Ebenezer Scrooge could love. What happened to having confidence and pride in basic or core beliefs that guide a person's life?
-- Roger Ross
Tomahawk, Wisconsin

Jennifer, once again you are wrong. First, the GOP is not going to get the black vote no matter how much they allow them to attack us. Second, Tim Russert does not have a huge audience unless you compare it to other MSNBC show and CNN. Fox news and the top Radio talk shows both top him. Third, Hillary was on Tim's show because he is not that hard on her. So give me a break that she face tough questions.

Finally, I do not think we are losing out because we, conservatives, are not going on their shows. It is because the polls are slanted as usual and that Republicans lost their way with regards to fiscal policy. They fix that and stop trying to appease the left and people will come back.
-- Joseph D'Ambrosia

Jennifer Rubin is flat out wrong in her analysis. The only blacks who consistently (and in small numbers) vote for GOP candidates are those who consider pro-life and anti-gay marriage issues as primary to them. The rest like sheep pull the donkey's lever even though the evidence is potent that the ills of the major cities in the lammunity have been poorly served by decades of black leadership. They continue to reelect the very people whose policies keep them in poverty. No debate presence is going to change that. The MSM (synonymn for liberal Dems) will merely take quotes out of context by GOP candidates in order to damage them and their image in front of America. Do you think it similarly hurt Dem candidates when they boycotted a Fox News debate? Debates are mostly watched by political junkies and pundits. Most Americans haven't begun to pay attention yet. They are too busy earning a living and raising their kids.
-- Doug and Sue Boyer

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