Palestinian boy said used as human shield. Arik Ascherman is the director of Rabbis for Human Rights.
Lots of bloggers are writing about abortion and choice. My heathen girlfriend, who is well-read if allergic regarding politics, remarked that she'd quickly become radicalized if her reproductive choices were limited. My step mother, who is director of a regional ACLU office, invited her to the march this week-end [note - my step mother and I do have disagreements - about religion]. "You can donate money to help someone else go, if you can't yourself." Jane was going away so she couldn't.
Being pro-choice is a matter of public policy - not actually about private morality. I'm in solid agreement with conservatives that this culture doesn't like children. But I think of abortion as a symptom rather than a cause.
More importantly, women who do insist on terminating a prenancy should not have their own lives put at risk. These might be two evil choices [the mother or the child] - and policy makes a bet regarding which is less evil. Unfortunately, we are in a culture where spending money on children is less important than spending money on weapons. Let us use our public purse for comprehensive pre- and antenatal care and we'd see a decline in the number of terminated pregnancies.
I think that technological advances, however, will make most surgical terminations irrelevant. I firmly believe that the FDA must be depoliticized and above the culture war and approve any technology that is useful and medically safe.
As far as Kerry goes, if he really believes in the separation of Church and State, and wants to take communion, he should become an Anglican. He can follow his duties as a leader who has responsibility to the country AND he can follow his conscience. The Episcopal church respects that sometimes politicians make imperfect choices, and would rather transform the soul rather than refuse a gift.
Normally I wouldn't suggest conversion. I would suggest conversion only if the Roman Catholic church politicizes the sacraments.
I was just thinking the same about Kerry the other day. He believes in things that go against Catholic doctrine, and if he doesn't want to change his beliefs then maybe the Catholic church isn't right for him. But that sort of logic has little chance of prevailing in an election year.
Posted by: Steve Bogner | Apr 25, 2004 at 04:35 AM
Well, since this country was a predominantly protestant culture, church and state were recognized as separate. Now the culture has become divided into Catholic, Mainline, Evangelical and secular.
Posted by: John | Apr 25, 2004 at 09:11 AM
Isn't it amasing that everyone talks about the ONE time use by IDF, intended for defense only, When they do NOT shoot behind the shield...
But NO ONE talks about the long time use by Palestinian groups or official Al Aqsa Brigade (under Fatah-Palestinian Authority), when these users, do SHOOT behind these kids...
Disposable Children
Palestinian Violence
Stop Palestinian Child Abuse
Human Shields
Photos like these in Reuters Document the Long time Palestinain use of their kids as shields
Palestinians Again Use Children for Terror Against Israel
Human Bombs Huamn Shields
Israeli lives take precedence over those of "terror shields"
Clarity
Again Palestinians use children as Human Bombs
http://www.haaretz.co.il/hasite/images/printed/P120204/a.0.1202.20.2.9.jpg
Posted by: Tina | Oct 30, 2005 at 09:36 AM