Thompson’s Powerful Pro-Life Endorsement

Chelsea2008 Election, Politics, Right to Life2 Comments

ThompsonThompson’s National Right to Life endorsement has been major news in the pro-life world this week, following other major endorsements (Robertson of Giuliani, Brownback of McCain). Today NRLC issued another statement on their endorsement after getting a chilly and sometimes hostile response from the pro-life community. One of the major criticisms is that Thompson does not support the Human Life Amendment, to which NRL responded:

The Republican Party’s platform calls for a Human Life Amendment to the Constitution. An HLA is one tool to win protection for unborn babies. But it would require a 2/3rds vote in the Senate and the House and ratification by 3/4ths of the states, a formidable task.

Between 25 and 30 senators would need to be replaced to reach that 2/3rds figure, not something that is likely to take place for some time. And if an HLA were to be passed out of Congress and ratified by 3/4rds of the states, unborn babies would not automatically be protected. Protective legislation would have to be passed in each state. Ratification of an HLA is a long-term NRLC goal.

But babies are dying in the here and now. NRLC’s emphasis, like Thompson’s, is on what the next President can accomplish. Thompson has made clear that the only way Roe v. Wade is likely to be overturned in the foreseeable future is by the confirmation of justices who do not believe there are parts of the Constitution written in invisible ink—where Blackmun discovered the “right” to abortion. Thompson says he would nominate justices who interpret the Constitution according to its actual text.

Whatever. Sadly this endorsement, like all the others, doesn’t impress me or have any impact on me whatsoever. It’s not that I question the judgment of NRL or oppose Thompson for any particular reason. I just don’t care. I have not been able to muster up enthusiasm for any of the candidates and I don’t see that changing over the course of the next year.

Bella’s Still Truckin’

ChelseaMedia, Pro Life2 Comments

Despite the big name movies that were released last weekend, Bella remained in the top 20 grossing movies, bringing in another $1,006,000 over the weekend and $3,644 per theater. This is great news for Bella and for Metanoia Films. It’s also good news for all of us who enjoy having decent movies to see in the theater. It is opening up in another 200 theaters this weekend and, depending on a fourth successful week, could see an even wider release for Thanksgiving.

Find a theater near you. I am still trying to get it picked up in my area. There is a lot of support for it here, but it all depends on the theater’s willingness to carry it. Wish us luck!

Colbert on ESC Research

ChelseaStem Cell Research, video2 Comments

nullI love this! H/T the Happy Catholic – Watch this video of Stephen Colbert interviewing bioethicist Lee Silver and discussing stem cell research. The man (Lee) says some pretty stupid things during the whole interview, but the stupidest is when he tells Colbert that the cells on his arm are human life in the same way that embryos are. To which Stephen responds, “If I let my arm go for a while and didn’t wash it, you’re saying I’d have babies on my arm?” Too funny!

Vid tip: maybe it’s just me, but the video won’t play when I’m on Firefox. I have to switch to Internet Explorer to watch it.

Cloning Goes Bananas

ChelseaCloningLeave a Comment

Scientists have allegedly been able to clone a number of monkey embryos and even extract embryonic stem cells from some of them. What I find particularly interesting upon browsing through various news articles is that there is no shortage of the words “cloning” or “embryo” – words typically avoided when talking about the same process using human cells.

I’m not in favor of people being deceptive or breaking the law, but I’m kind of hoping this little “breakthrough” is as fraudulent as the 2004 human cloning fabrication in South Korea. What this probably means is that the cloning of human embryos is a step closer to becoming a reality.

I really love how any advancements in cloning/ESC research, while never benefiting a single patient, make it all over the news, meanwhile real patients being treated with adult stem cells get the silent treatment.

MO Cloning Ban Update

Chelsea2008 Election, Cloning, PoliticsLeave a Comment

I haven’t heard much about the cloning ban lately until I got a few news alerts in my email today and yesterday. All of them come from the Pathway from the Missouri Baptist Convention:

Article one:

JEFFERSON CITY—The case of Cures Without Cloning (CWC) v. Missouri Secretary of State Robin Carnahan and Missouri State Auditor Susan Montee is likely to debut in November or December in Cole County Circuit Court.

To me, this means that it may be a very long time before we can begin to collect signatures, which may hurt our chances for an appearance on next year’s November ballot.

Article two:

OSAGE BEACH—The Missouri Baptist Convention (MBC) Executive Board on Oct. 31 authorized a recommendation from the Audit/Finance Work Group of the Support Services Committee that $200,000 from reserves be given to the Christian Life Commission (CLC) for the battle against human cloning.

We’re going to need all the money we can get once this thing gets going. They came at us with over $30 mil last time. It may get even uglier this time.

Article three:

Count IV of the complaint filed Oct. 19 in Cole County Circuit Court by Cures Without Cloning alleges that Missouri Secretary of State Robin Carnahan and Missouri State Auditor Susan Montee violated five sections of the Missouri Constitution in writing the ballot summary, fiscal note and fiscal note summary for an initiatiave proposal concerning embryonic stem cell research. Those alleged violations are in Article I, Sections 2, 3, 8 and 25, and in Article III, Section 49. Here is that portion of the complaint: Read the rest

There’s no doubt that the language the SOS approved is not just deceptive, but it is downright criminal.

We are going to need lots of spiritual help for this one. It’s time to restart the Rosary Crusade to Safeguard Embryonic Human Life.

On a related note, voters in NJ rejected a measure that would borrow $450 million for human cloning and stem cell research. I’m not quite sure if that reflects the voters fiscal or ethical views, but it’s a plus just the same.

Rush Reviews Bella!

ChelseaMedia, Pro Life1 Comment

El RushboA message from your Lovable Little Fuzzball:

RUSH: I want to tell you about a movie I saw recently. I flew out to Las Vegas, I guess, when was it, last Friday — was it last Friday? Boy, I’ll tell you, the time, the days are just running together. I think it was, it was last Friday, flew out, whenever it was, last Friday or two Fridays ago, flew out of Las Vegas, and I got a promotional copy of this movie that’s in a small number of theaters right now, and it’s just doing overwhelmingly well. It’s called Bella. But it’s strange. Well, not strange. We see stories continuously, ladies and gentlemen, about how Hollywood is not making its nut at the box office, that movies are just not selling. Here’s one that is, and nobody’s talking about it because it is about life. It’s about abortion. It is about life and how there are alternatives to abortion with people who have ethics and morality. This is a movie that you don’t see come out of Hollywood much because it reinforces the sanctity and the importance of the life issue. It’s not preachy and it’s built right into the plot, and the dialogue is not controversial in any way.

These kinds of movies used to get made a long time ago, but not anymore. These are the kind nullof movies that the public would love to see. It’s going to be opening, I think, in 30 more markets over the weekend. The way to contrast this would be Million Dollar Baby. Did you guys ever see that? I did not see Million Dollar Baby. I’ve got it on my Kaleidescape system, but I haven’t watched it, but I do know in that movie, Hilary Swank, the female boxer, becomes paralyzed, and asks her manager, Clint Eastwood, to help her end her life. There was an uproar over that because it seemed to glorify the courage of euthanasia. This is just the opposite. It takes a situation, a woman becoming impregnated, where in most cases in the country the first thought is, “Ah, I gotta abort. I didn’t want this to happen.” Two people deal with this in a rational way. It’s breaking box office records. There hasn’t been a whole lot of screens. It hasn’t been in a lot of markets, but where it has been playing, it’s been breaking records. You probably haven’t heard about it. The Drive-Bys are not writing about the movie…

I remember when it started, “Oh, boy, this is awfully slow,” because it was raved about to me, and I said, “This is starting off a little slow here,” but for some reason I stuck with it, not because I knew what was coming, but just because I was compelled to stay with it. So if Bella is in your market and you are upset over fourth graders being taught about conscientious objectors on Veterans Day and that kind of stuff happening in the country, this is a movie that you’ll like and you’ll applaud and it will warm your heart. So keep a sharp eye out for it. I was frankly surprised. I really was.

Yes, go see it! Find a theater near you. I am working on trying to get it into my hometown theater, hopefully in time for the holidays. Wish me luck!

Related posts:
Instead of Fred Claus
The Swell Bella Fellas, on a Mission for God

All People are God’s Children

ChelseaPro Life, ReligionLeave a Comment

I don’t normally read this, but today I opened up the “One Bread, One Body” book of reflections on the day’s Mass readings and today’s reflection seems to correspond nicely to what I have been talking about recently. The readings for today are from Romans 14:7-12 and Luke 15:1-10. I haven’t been to Mass yet today, so this will give me an excellent meditation when I’m there:

    “ALL IN THE FAMILY”

“But you, how can you sit in judgment on your brother? Or you, how can you look down on your brother?” —Romans 14:10

Many of you have heard the old joke: “When is a door not a door?” The answer to this riddle is: “When it is ‘ajar.’ ” In conversations all over the world today, people will ask a similar question: “When is a person not a person?” In many cases, the answer will be: “When it is a rapist, a murderer, a bum, a fetus, dying in a nursing home, homeless, a prostitute, etc.”

In today’s Gospel parables, Jesus talks about a lost sheep and a lost silver piece. In both situations, it is obvious to all that the lost article still has worth and value. Moreover, the sheep and the coin are consistently referred to as “sheep” and “silver piece,” whether they are in a state of being lost or in their rightful place.

Luke follows today’s parables with the parable of the prodigal son (Lk 15:11-32). This time, a person is lost. Now that people are involved, there is suddenly a colossal identity crisis. It’s no longer obvious that the lost person has any more worth. The younger son no longer sees himself as son, but as slave (Lk 15:18-19). The elder brother calls the lost person “his father’s son” (see Lk 15:30) rather than “my brother”; he also forgets his own identity and calls himself a slave rather than a son (Lk 15:29). Only the father sees the true relationships. He calls both boys “sons” (Lk 15:24, 31) and tells them that they are “brothers” (Lk 15:32).

Jesus is telling us that just as a coin and a sheep do not cease being coins and sheep no matter what their state in life, so people are still God’s precious children no matter what their status. “Dearly beloved, we are God’s children now” (1 Jn 3:2).

Prayer: Abba, thank you for adopting me. I love being Your child, and I will love all of Your children (1 Jn 5:1).
Promise: “Both in life and in death we are the Lord’s.” —Rm 14:8

From One Bread, One Body, by Presentation Ministries

Instead of Fred Claus…

ChelseaMedia, Pro LifeLeave a Comment

nullWhy not go see Bella this weekend, encourage others to go, or bring new people to see it with you for a second time? Yes I am still in “Bella mode,” trying to help promote the film. It has done incredibly well so far. Last weeks numbers were probably even more impressive as it was up against two big budget films “American Gangster” and “Bee Movie.” Despite that potential drawback, Bella held the third highest per screen rating and managed to be the only film in the top 20 that was showing on less than 300 theaters (ranked 17).

“But this will be the busiest movie-going season in the history of movies,” Howard Cohen, co-president of the movie’s distribution company, Roadside Attrations, told the Orange County Register newspaper. ” ‘Bella’ is going to have to have a rabid fan base. It’s got to have its own steam.”

This will be a big test for Bella. Not only are there new movies coming out with even bigger names, such as “Lions for Lambs,” which features Tom Cruise, Robert Redford and Meryl Streep and the Vince Vaughn comedy “Fred Claus,” but the two top grossing movies from last week will still be in theaters.

If you want to see more quality, positive and life affirming movies in the future, movies like Bella need your help. The beautiful people behind this movie have a desire to make more movies such as that in the future, but a lot of that depends on the continued success of Bella. They have sacrificed a lot for this vision of theirs and do it all for the glory of God. They aren’t after awards or fortune, but “living Oscars;” those people for whom the movie has a life changing impact. Find a theater near you, or adopt one in your area. I am trying to do the latter.

Previous posts:
The Swell Bella Fellas, on a Mission for God
Bella Does Wella

More:
video interview with director Alejandro Monteverde
Life Site News interview with Eduardo Verastegui and Leo Severino

Love the Suffering

ChelseaAbortion, Cloning, Disabled, Embryonic Stem Cell Research, Family, Love, Religion, Suffering2 Comments

My post yesterday, and further reflection on the movie Bella, got me thinking about the importance of loving those who are suffering. How do we know the love of Christ on earth except through the love of others?

Owe nothing to anyone, except to love one another; for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law. The commandments, “You shall not commit adultery; you shall not kill; you shall not steal; you shall not covet,” and whatever other commandment there may be, are summed up in this saying, (namely) “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” Love does no evil to the neighbor; hence, love is the fulfillment of the law (Romans 13:8-10).

Loving others is our duty on earth. This was the commandment Christ gave us before he died, “love one another as I love you.” Like the parents of Terri Schiavo, we must show unconditional love and support for those who suffer from disease or disability. Our society portrays such individuals as having lives not worth living. Either they must be allowed to end their worthless lives with “dignity” (or be starved to death by family members) or we are somehow incomplete human beings, whose only hope for a “normal” and fulfilling life lies in supporting research which destroys days old human life.

We must show society that this is not the case! By loving our own suffering friends and family members in a way that affirms their dignity as human beings, we can show society that these individuals do in face have life worthy of life. Moreover, we will help those who are suffering to realize that there is more to life than physical ability.

Likewise, the Nina’s of the world are often suffering terribly, finding themselves in a seemingly impossible situation – a crisis pregnancy – and would take a loving hand if it were offered out to them.

Even if we never find ourselves in a position to physically offer ourselves in love to another who is suffering, we can do so spiritually by accepting our own sufferings and offering them to our Lord for others:

Being unwanted, unloved, uncared for, forgotten by everybody, I think that is a much greater hunger, a much greater poverty than the person who has nothing to eat (Mother Teresa).

Love begets love and translates into a culture of life.

Related:
Including Children with Disabilities in Life – another post by Mark Pickup

The Value of Human Suffering

ChelseaSufferingLeave a Comment

A culture that respects human life must have a joyful acceptance of human suffering. This is something I learned early in life and a message I hope to communicate to others by accepting my own crosses in life. As we saw with the starvation of Terri Schiavo and many cases like hers, our society has a great disdain for human suffering which leads to the tragic death and outright murder of people whose lives are considered worthless. But what is so great about human suffering? How can we accept it joyfully? Mark Pickup has a very moving post on human suffering based on an encounter he had at a local hospital:

I saw a man at a hospital visiting his son of about two years of age who was suffering from some sort of respiratory ailment. The small child sat wheezing inside a plastic tent. The father was so agonized to see his tiny son in distress that he had crawled inside the tent and was cradling the child.

I suspect it was probably against hospital policy but to me passing the room, the scene was touching. When I passed the room again, the father was sitting the bedside, outside the tent, in silent vigil; his child slept with labored breathing in the mist tent. Had nurses ordered the father out?

The look on the man’s face spoke volumes: I’m sure he would have traded places with his son in a heartbeat and taken the child’s grief on to himself — if that was possible. To me the imagery was rather analogous to Christ’s response to hurting humanity. We are sick — steeped in sin and cut off from our heavenly Father.

The analogy quickly breaks down because, unlike the father of the small child in the hospital room, it was possible for Christ to suffer in our place to reunite us to the Father.


Read more and keep an eye on Mark’s blog, for more inspiring posts. This isn’t the first time I have linked to his beautiful writing, and I’m sure it won’t be the last.

But he was pierced for our offenses, crushed for our sins, Upon him was the chastisement that makes us whole, by his stripes we were healed (Isaiah 53:5).