Thursday, December 09, 2010

Abortion is Murder, 8-11, January, 2011

Formerly Stop the Killing of Young People (skyp) and soon, perhaps, Stop Killing Preemies

January, 2011 Vol. 8 No. 11
PO Box 7424, Reading, PA 19603
Phone – 484-706-4375
Email – johndunk@ptd.net
Web – skyp1.blogspot.com
Circulation – 109
John Dunkle, Editor

Abortion is Murder, a weak, pathetic response to baby murder, is sent out at least once a month. If the gestapo hasn’t jailed you for defending the innocent realistically, you either have to tell me you want it or go the website. Faxes and emails are free but snail-mail is free only for PFC’s, $1000 for others.
Because I believe we should use every legitimate means, including force, in our attempt to protect those being tortured to death, I want to hear from people who’ve been forceful. I’d also like to hear from those who disagree with me.

Prisoners for Christ:

1. Evans, Paul Ross 83230-180, USP McCreary, P.O. Box 3000, Pine Knot, KY 42635
2. Gibbons, Linda - Vanier WDC, 655 Martin St., P.O. Box 1040, Milton, ON, Canada L9T 5E6
3. Griffin, Michael 310249, Okaloosa Correctional Institution, Crestview FL 32539-6708 9/11
4. Jordi, Stephen 70309-004, FCI P.O. Box 33, Terre Haute IN 47802 6/30
5. Knight, Peter CRN 158589, Port Philip Prison, P.O. Box 376, Laverton, Victoria, Australia
6. Kopp, James 11761-055, USP Canaan, P.O. Box 300, 3057 Easton Tpk., Waymart, PA 18472
7. Little, David SJRCC, 930 Old Black River Road, Saint John, NB E2J 4T3
8. Moose, Justin – Piedmont Regional Jail, PO Drawer 388, Farmville, VA 23901 (new)
9. Richardson, Alonzo Lee 12898-021, PO Box 474701, Des Moines, IA 5094
10. Roeder, Scott P. 65192, PO Box 2, Lansing Kansas 66043 (new)
11. Ross, Michael, Custer County Jail, 1010 Main St., Miles City, Montana 59301
12. Rudolph, Eric 18282-058 US Pen. Max, Box 8500, Florence CO 81226-8500
13. Shannon, Rachelle 59755-065, FCI Waseca, Unit A, P.O. Box 1731, Waseca, MN 56093 3/31
14. Waagner, Clayton Lee 17258-039, United States Penitentiary, P.O. Box 1000, Lewisburg PA 17837 8/25


The Lord has asked people to make sacrifices related to opposing abortion which all but a handful have had too weak a heart to make. And they’ve looked for any pretense they could conjure up to claim that the sacrifice wasn’t required. They even deluded themselves, as people often do, into “believing” the pretense was real . . . When they get what they’ll get, they’ll fully deserve it. Peter Knight
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Dear John, I learned of Justin Moose's case thanks to your recent newsletter. He is being railroaded. The Government has pulled this stunt before, with the judge exceeding the plea agreement with a stiffer sentence. They pick on small fries and pressure them to sign agreements so they can make it look like they have the right to "convict" people of lawful activities. They tried to do the same thing with Joey Lo, but he was a lawyer and it backfired. It is critical for him to withdraw his guilty plea prior to his scheduled sentencing on March 2, 2011. Below is a copy of the letter I sent the Moose at the Alamance County Jail:
I have learned of your case from John Dunkle's newsletter Abortion is Murder. I have never been to law school, but I have contributed as a "jailhouse" lawyer to others, though I am not behind bars myself. I would like to make a few comments about your case.

ABSTRACT ADVOCACY OF ILLEGAL THINGS IS LEGALLY PROTECTED FREE SPEECH. See Brandenburg v. Ohio, 395 U. S. 444, 447-448 (1969) (per curiam); see also NAACP v. Claiborne Hardware Co., 458 U. S. 886, 928-929 (1982); see also United States v. Williams, 553 U. S. 285 (2008). In Williams, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that statements such as "I believe that child pornography should be legal" or even "I encourage you to obtain child pornography" constitute "abstract advocacy" and neither of them "promotes" illegal activity in and of itself. In your case, perhaps one could substitute "the necessary means to destroy abortion clinics" for "child pornography." Then the statements would read "I believe that the necessary means to destroy abortion clinics should be legal" or even "I encourage you to obtain the necessary means to destroy abortion clinics." Thus, if your statements only went so far as to make abstract advocacy of illegal things, then your speech rights are protected. Indeed, what sort of society would we live in if it was legal to advocate child pornography but not the protection of children?

YOU HAVE THE SAME RIGHT TO FREEDOM OF THE PRESS AS OTHER PUBLISHERS. In a landmark ruling in favor of freedom of the press for everyone, and not just for major players, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the lonely pamphleteer has the same right to freedom of the press under the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution as the large metropolitan publisher. See Branzburg v. Hayes, 408 U. S. 665 (1972), 704 ("liberty of the press is the right of the lonely pamphleteer ... just as much as of the large metropolitan publisher"). Today, Amazon.com offers copies of The Anarchist Cookbook, by William Powell (Ozark Press, LLC, 2002) for sale online, offering access by link (Kindle) and by U.S. Postal Service delivery. According to Wikipedia, "The Anarchist Cookbook, first published in 1971, is a book that contains instructions for the manufacture of explosives, rudimentary telecommunications phreaking devices, and other items." In Williams, supra, the U.S. Supreme Court found that the reputation of online retailer Amazon.com was sufficient to make it implausible for customers to believe that the material it distributes is illegal ("We think it implausible that a reputable distributor of Hollywood movies, such as Amazon.com, believes that one of these films contains actual children engaging in actual or simulated sex on camera; and even more implausible that Amazon.com would intend to make its customers believe such a thing.") Thus, it is legally implausible that the public would believe that instructions for the manufacture of explosives contained in The Anarchist Cookbook are illegal. Consequently, since you have the same right to freedom of the press as other publishers, the First Amendment gives you the right to publish your own versions of similar material, including online. Just the same as anyone can add a link to Amazon.com's webpage for The Anarchist Cookbook, you have a First Amendment right to add links to similar online material.
It sounds to me like you simply combined your First Amendment right to make abstract advocacy of illegal things with your First Amendment right to publish matter that is legal for large metropolitan publishers to publish. If so, YOU DID NOTHING ILLEGAL, no matter how enthusiastic you were. Your rights may have been violated, and YOU SHOULD WITHDRAW YOUR GUILTY PLEA at least until such a time as you are properly counseled on your rights. Sincerely, Cal
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Here’ the first of three letters Eric Rudolph recently wrote home. I feel helpless. I would like to hear from anyone who might have an idea about how we can help this prolife giant:

Dear Dan and Mother, I hope you have received my last three letters. The last one I got from you was dated Sept 19. If you have sent any letters since Sept 19, then it could only mean the prison is deliberately withholding them.
As I mentioned in my last letter, I’ve been confined to the Special Housing Unit (SHU) for the last three weeks. After being attacked on Sept. 28, I was transferred here. They have provided me no due process.. By policy inmates are given a hearing & brought before the DHO to receive sentence within two weeks of transfer to the S.H.U. I have received none of these safe guards. I am currently being housed on the same range with my attacker. Given the total disregard for policy the prison has shown in this matter, I wouldn’t be surprised if they were laying the ground work for another assault. If you hear that I’ve been harmed in any way, then it is not coincidental. Please inform Spitz & as many people as possible of my situation. The government may be planning my demise & I want no one to be fooled by the “official story.” Love you guys, Eric

Eric’s mom, you sent me two copies of the above and it is the only complete letter from Eric that you sent me. You also sent p. 2 of a second of his letters, and your beautiful letter of Oct. 25 to him. I hope you can send me what’s missing so I can put it in the next issue.
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No Longer an Ally: The New Anti-Catholicism
By Dr. Jeff Mirus

There has been a great deal of anti-Catholicism in various places and various periods of history, but I find particularly interesting the shifts in anti-Catholic prejudice over the past 100 years in America. In that period, we’ve gone from literally murderous hatred of Catholics in some regions, to heart-warmingly positive treatment in films and popular culture, to socio-political acceptance and encouragement, and now back to a vitriolic disdain in the mainstream media so common as to go unnoticed by equally prejudiced media consumers.
In the earliest part of this period, before around 1930, the intense hatred of priests in particular and Catholics in general which had been so common everywhere in the 19th century continued to be nurtured in the Fundamentalist and nativist South. This led to more than one unpunished cold-blooded murder. See again my review of Sharon Davies extraordinary book Rising Road (The Murder of a Priest).
This is all but forgotten, but most people today are at least somewhat familiar with the marked shift in sentiment that occurred after around 1930, at least outside the South, because they’ve seen or heard of the many Hollywood productions which made much of priests, nuns and their contributions to community life. Bing Crosby loomed large in these somewhat bland portrayals of Catholicism, which included such movies as Going My Way and its sequel The Bells of Saint Mary’s in the mid-1940s. Well into the 1950’s, Hollywood cast mainstream popular actors as priests, such as Crosby, Spencer Tracy, Frank Sinatra
At this time, the Church and her clergy were generally perceived as allies of American culture, interested in education, helping people deal with ordinary human problems, and generally expressing well the natural but rather generic American respect for God, faith and family. This would change as the culture shifted in the 1960’s and beyond, and especially as it became sex obsessed. In the 1970's and 1980's the lives of priests were much more likely to be explored from the point of view of passion or sexual deviance, as celibacy became increasingly difficult for the popular culture to understand.
At the same time, however, the treason of the Catholic intellectuals beginning in the 1960s made it appear that the Catholic Church was deeply supportive of many causes held dear by the American cultural elite. The Church had always been a strong force against racial prejudice and in favor of civil rights for racial minorities, of course, but now many of her professors, priests, and nuns became leaders in the movement to rethink morality to justify sexual “liberation”, to sacrifice doctrine for more “relevant” social action, and in general to justify rather than confront the new secularism that was sweeping America.
Here again the Church was generally seen as an ally by our cultural elite. The media was pleased to highlight stories which showed the Church in the vanguard of movements for what “everybody” believes or what “everybody” wants. The 1970’s and 1980’s were boom times for Catholic socio-political acceptance and encouragement. And when some bishops and priests attempted to make the real Catholic position known, nobody worried too much about it, because it was instinctively understood that this “old fashioned” vision of Catholicism posed no threat whatsoever.
In this context, I cannot fail to recall the enthusiasm with which “good Pope John” was greeted in secular circles as he “threw open the windows” and seemed, in his grandfatherly way, to want to make the Church “more like us”. Never was a Catholic pope so wildly popular in the media. But it would be naive to think it was his holiness that attracted the American media rather than the perception that he was a cultural ally. Later, after the “dark years” of Pope Paul VI (who had the temerity to condemn artificial contraception), I also recall the secular enthusiasm that greeted the election and brief pontificate of John Paul I, who was frequently commended for always smiling and for charmingly admitting that his favorite author was Mark Twain.
But since then, the long pontificate of John Paul II slowly and inexorably changed everything. While John Paul II was enormously popular and inspirational among committed Catholics (and his travels proved to innumerable weak local Catholic communities how many of these there still are), he created enormous problems for opinion makers in both the Church and the world, who could not stop talking about his provincial Polish myopia, so out of step with contemporary reality. But what had happened by the 1990’s, or at least by the 2000's, is that Pope John Paul II had managed to strengthen the episcopate and inspire a fresh generation of priests who know the difference between the mind of the culture and the mind of Christ.
This was a critical change. American (and I think European) elites realize once again that they can no longer count on the Church to endorse what “everybody” knows and to favor what “everybody” wants. The Church has ceased to be a reliable ally, and it is instinctively understood that this can only get worse—that the Catholic Church is slowly gearing up for a fight to take back its own.
Those of us who were in the trenches when the Church was loved by the culture have always known that pro-Catholic sentiment would change as soon as the Church became strong enough to be a cultural threat again. Well, now she is strong enough to be a threat—or strong enough, at least, to be a sign of contradiction. You can see the results. Everywhere she is misreported, mocked, dismissed and condemned. Once again, Catholics need not apply. But given what it signifies, this shift back to blatant anti-Catholicism is really a very good thing. It is enormously reassuring, and it inspires hope
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The Lahore High Court has ruled that Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari cannot pardon Asia Bibi, the 45-year-old Christian mother of five whose death sentence on blasphemy charges has provoked an international outcry. The president is disputing the ruling of the court, which determined that the president cannot issue a pardon while a case is under appeal.
Bibi, a resident of Ittanwali in the eastern province of Punjab, was working at a local farm when the Muslim women with whom she was working called her an infidel and urged her to convert to Islam. Bibi refused, saying that Christianity was the only true religion.
“The Muslim men working in nearby fields also gathered and attacked Asia Bibi on which she fled to village in her home,” the Pakistan Christian Postreported. “The angry Muslims followed her and took her out of home and started beating her. They tortured her children also, but meanwhile someone informed police.”
Bibi also says that her accusers raped her.
Police then arrested Bibi on blasphemy charges. Following a lengthy trial, she was sentenced to death.
Bibi is fearful she will be killed in prison; her family has gone into hiding.
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Not sentient? Not so fast...

Dr. Shirley Ward, a renowned Catholic doctor in Europe, points out the different ways in which pre-natal circumstances lead to psychological effects that may last a lifetime. One of her sources is a Canadian, Dr Feldmar, who, with researchers from Loyola University in Chicago, discovered that children who survived abortion attempts by their mothers suffered continued trauma even as adults. But that's not all. They studied persons with repeated or habitual suicide attempts, especially those repeated yearly or every several years at the same date or time of year, and discovered that the date corresponded not to a traumatic event in childhood or adolescence, but to the date their mothers attempted to abort them. In most cases, as well, the method of suicide corresponded to the method of the attempted abortion: suicide by overdose for chemical abortions, suicide by instruments for surgical.
If confirmed, this puts a gaping hole in the "not sentient" theory that pro-choicers use to deny the unborn personhood. It also proves they have more blood on their hands than previously thought: not only the blood of the aborted, but that of the would-be mothers who commit suicide because of abortions they had, and now these survivors who carry their scars of rejection until they become too much to bear. From The Commander
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Because of a miscommunication, you’ll have to go back to the July issue (#5) of AIM to see where I last posted Paul Ross Evans’ The Militant Christian. Here begins his chapter 6, “Moral Law and Assorted Laws of Theocracy”:


Moral laws within our government are established for many reasons. They establish a strong foundation which distinguishes us from the heathen, or the savage. They bind us together to uphold value systems which separate us from order-lacking animalistic destruction and chaos. Societies without moral foundations fail. Death, debauchery, and disorder are the inevitable traits which are held for the “future” of apathetic cultures.
Marriage and family, between man and woman, are the cornerstones of our society. In Genesis 1: 27, 29 and Genesis 2: 18, 24 descriptions for such a union and/or foundation are said to be “ordained by God.” This bond is the keystone of our future and as well should serve as the great source of happiness and joy for man and woman, for, together, they populate the earth – and grow/raise God’s people. The solid friendship between man/woman is a priceless gift from our Father in Heaven. The loyalty between those two persons is only completely understood by the Father, in speaking of a functional husband/wife relationship. It should be guarded with one’s life. Our God is a jealous God, and many modern gods presently compete for the allegiance of God’s people today. In many places all over the earth to truly follow the Christian faith means persecution and suffering. Our Messiah condemns externals thus in Matthew 23: 25 -- “Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For ye make clean the outside of the cup and of the platter, but within they are full of extortion and excess.” Self-indulgence is not allowed, and as Christians we should seek the awareness of our impurities.
Marriage is a bond to respect. Reverence should be shown in every matter concerning one’s partner, and a venerable approach should be taken for appropriateness, mannerisms, and friendships with the opposite sex (on either side).
Adultery is strictly forbidden. Exodus 20: 14 is a distinct command. In Deuteronomy 22: 20-25, the penalty for such behavior is prescribed. This behavior is strictly forbidden in any case. The bonds of marriage are made to be kept, and respected.
Rape, of any human being, is an abomination that God’s soldiers must punish immediately. Responsible parties of a sexual-predatory nature in which are committed acts of rape and molestation are to be punished by the sword. Care and consideration should be shown to the victim of such acts. These matters are covered in Deuteronomy 22: 25, 26.
A woman should behave and project herself in a certain manner. The whore can never be tolerated in a Christian society, and only labors to spread perversion, sickness, disease, and immoral corruption. If a woman turns from prostitution and a sodomite turns from the ways of sodomy, they shall be allowed inside of God’s house and admitted to His kingdom. But until they refrain from such evillness, they shall not be admitted. *Read Deuteronomy 23: 17. 18.
If they be the children of priests, or soldiers in God’s Army, their punishment is described in Lleviticus21: 9. They shall be burnt with fire. Leviticus 20: 13 is clear that the Christian society should never tolerate the practice of sodomy. There is a penalty of death mentioned for those who will not turn away from the sodomite lifestyle, and from committing sodomy. Exodus 22 :19 commands death for the act of bestiality.
Exodus 22: 16, 17 explains that seduction, on either part, is a sin. Restitution shall be set right, especially if the man be at fault, unable to control his desires. This is an abomination. Deuteronomy 22: 28, 29 further explains.
Leviticus 20: 11-21, and Deuteronomy 22: 30 explain to us the extent of the sins of incest, sodomy, as well as bestiality and all manner of perversion.
Marriage is the family unit of society, and the importance of such bonds is explained throughout this text. Genesis 1: 27, 28 as well as Genesis 2: 18, 24 are glaring examples of that importance. This relationship and bond is ordained of God and is to be respected eternally. Polygamy is forbidden and the Christian militant should look to verses such as I Corinthians 7:2 as well as I Timothy 3:2 for further explanations.
The Father has power over the child (see Numbers 30: 3-5) and may arrange for his sons to be married (Genesis 24:4). Children are to honor their parents (Exodus 20:12). Parents are to discipline their children and take great and diligent care in doing so (Ephesians 6:4). These are just the basics in terms of the family unit, and the distribution of authority.
The highest authority belongs to our Father. Worshiping other gods which are false (Exodus 20:1, Exodus 22:20), toleration of sorcerers and sorcery (Leviticus 20:27, Exodus 22:18), and using blasphemy against our Father (Leviticus 24:16) are all major forms of disrespect. We should pay close attention that we not only never engage in such behavior personally but as well that we never tolerate it among us, for this behavior brings forth serious punishments from our Father.
Defiance of the Laws of out Father (Numbers 15: 30, 31; Deuteronomy 17: 12, 13) is an act of rebellion to be guarded against, and as well put to a stop the immediately. Those who pervert of obstruct justice (Exodus 23: 1, 2, 6, 7; Deuteronomy 16: 19, 20) shall be dealt with among us, for that is what is expected of us – as upholders of God’s law.
We are, as God’s army, expected to uphold humane laws. Duties toward persons, mentioned in Leviticus 19: 9, 10, 13, 14, 33, and 34 which continues in Deuteronomy 24: 14, 15 and leads to Exodus 22: 22, 23, are not only extremely important because we are commanded to uphold this Law by God – but are as well a reflection of our overall long-term mission to secure peace and good nature. God Bless Those who make it their mission, and take it upon themselves, to secure such laws which are described in this text. Those who sacrifice in order to ensure such laws are upheld are securing a brighter future for their sons and daughters as well as preparing a place for themselves in our Eternity. May God be with them, surely.
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Shelley Shannon addressed the following to Abortion is Murder, P.O. Box 7424, Reading, PA 19603, and it was delivered! My return address stamp says skyp because I’d lost some mail addressed to Abortion is Murder to overzealous killers’ helpers. However, now it looks as if that danger is past:

Merry Christmas 2010!
It's hard to believe another year went by already. I still really like MN and hope I can stay here for the remainder of my sentence, which is about 7 more years and then 4-6 months in a half-way house.
As always, I look forward to the Christmas mail, especially everyone's Christmas letters and cards.
In 2010 I went to work at the UNICOR sewing factory in January and worked there for about six months. It was a terrible place to work -- very loud, including radio "music" every day, never on Christian channels. A few things happened while I was there that let me know the time wasn't spent in vain. I'll probably send a copy of part of my diary/notes about my going back to Horticulture. I really like my job again!
The prison diaries are still included in Dave Leach's Prayer and Action News each time.
Last winter I had so much fun here! They have snowshoes we can check out, and I hope to use those a lot again this year.
I will probably be losing all of my good Christian roommates. Two are almost through their sentences, and the other wants to do the dog program, which means she will have to move to the unit where that is. My prayer request is to get good roommates again and continuously for the rest of my sentence. It really helps. We not only have life easier, but we join together to pray, especially when someone comes to the room with problems. I hope you will pray. Thank you.
Have a very blessed holiday season.

Here are Shelley’s “The Diary/Notes:

Aug. 6, AD 2010: Today at work I went up to ask my boss about something, and while I was there, I asked her if there was a possibility I would be laid in (laid off) for a long time. She said there was. I mentioned the possibility I could go to Horticulture, and she seemed to think it was a good idea. I asked, if I didn't go to horticulture, would I just be laid in sometimes and work sometimes, and she said no, that it would be long and I'd be assigned a compound job. Compound jobs are facilities (plumbing and such) and some others that pay practically nothing. So it really seemed best to go to Horticulture. A nice lady went and got me a form, and I asked the boss if I could go at the 9:30 ten-minute-move to get the signature from the horticulture boss, and she let me. I found a horticulture lady, and she said the boss wasn't there (I forgot he's off on Fridays). As it happened, he was working center hall, so I found him and got the signature. Later I found out he only worked there for 2 hours, so that was quite a "coincidence." My sewing factory boss signed the form also and made a copy, after she had me add that I wished to retain my UNICOR status. At lunch I put it under my counselor's door, and asked him a little later when I saw him if I could have it for Monday. He said "maybe." At work things were rough. One lady was telling two others, right in front of me, that I had volunteered to be laid in. I told them no, I was changing jobs. Another said they would get laid in because of me, because now they wouldn't have enough work. That was ridiculous, because two of the elastic people finish early and could make up the slack if they need them to. The other elastic person also just got back from court, and they told her she wouldn't be needed. So she has to find a job, apparently. Also at work one said that the boss told me I was getting laid in, so I decided to go to horticulture (like I would be laid in now). That's close, but all she actually did was answer my questions, which helped me realize it was time for me to go there. There weren't any immediate plans to lay me in. In any case I hope I will soon be back in horticulture, though August isn't my favorite month to be outside. I may miss the money, but I don't mind sacrificing, as long as I have enough for whatever hygiene items and such I need to make sure I don't offend anyone. The change sheet did not have me on it, and I saw the counselor right before 4:00 count. He said maybe Tuesday, because he was waiting for a reply to his email to make sure I would retain my longevities and "prior UNICOR" status. The head of UNICOR already told me I would, and I did through horticulture before, but I guess I'm stuck at the sewing factory until Wednesday, most likely. I'm going to see if they will give me my 5 vacation days though, for the whole week. I'm eager to be back at horticulture, but imagine the timing will be perfect.

Aug. 9, AD 2010: I worked at the sewing factory today (Mon.), but tomorrow I go back to Horticulture. The boss from there called my counselor about it today. My ex-boss from UNICOR told me "good luck" when I left, so I figured it was in the computer.

Aug. 10, AD 2010: I'm on my lunch, which is now much longer, because I'm in Horticulture. I have a tremendous peace today. Wow. How did I ever survive 6 months in the factory? My roommate who still works there came rushing in over her lunch 25 min. break while I was listening to a song on Christian radio that said, "This is a day of new beginnings." Thank You, Lord Jesus. The program looks really great. It's very open, to do a great deal of whatever we want. There are about 15-20 categories, with certain hours in each category, but they allow us to choose what we want in each category. And a lot of the hours are propagation, planning gardens and preparing the soil and planting, lots of great stuff. Today I walked around with the lady who used to collect seeds with me, and looked at the various flower beds and greenhouses. A lot is different than last year. So far I love it. I'll be given a responsibility, like a greenhouse or something. There are two others in the program, and one is in charge of all of the perennials, which is quite a job. (A lot of people got laid off at the sewing factory shortly after this)

If you might be on my email list, please go to Corrlinks.com to see if you have mail from me, or to send to me; or go to info@corrlinks.com for info.

Greetings in Jesus, John! I hope it was a good year for you and yours and that 2011 will be even better. May God richly bless you. Love in Him, Shelley Thanks for Abortion is murder
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Iowa faces new abortion battle

Key Iowa Republicans are drafting legislation mirroring a new, more restrictive Nebraska abortion law in an attempt to derail plans of a Nebraska doctor to open a Council Bluffs clinic where late-term abortions would be performed.

A new law took effect Oct. 15 in Nebraska that bans abortions after 20 weeks of gestation, or roughly five months, except in cases in which the mother’s life is in jeopardy.

The law led Dr. LeRoy Carhart, a Nebraska abortion provider, to announce last month that he plans to open the Iowa clinic.
Iowa law prohibits abortions after the sixth month of pregnancy unless the woman’s doctor believes the procedure is needed to “preserve the life or health” of the woman.
Critics say the wording of Iowa’s law makes its ban on late-term abortions unenforceable, because the definition of health is left to a doctor’s discretion.
Several legislators who oppose abortions say they’re drafting a bill to close what they see as an immoral loophole. They’re motivated by Carhart’s announcement and growth in their allies. Republicans took control of the Iowa House in the November elections, and will have a 60-40 seat edge when the new legislative session convenes in January.
Rep. Matt Windschitl, R-Missouri Valley, a board member of Iowa Right to Life, said, “I’m taking on the fight of Dr. LeRoy Carhart to keep him out of my state.”
The hang-up could be in the Senate, where Democrats hold a slim majority and could block a bill.
Senate Majority Leader Michael Gronstal said Tuesday that it is too early to know whether the Senate would take action on such a bill. He said he would wait to see whether such a bill makes it through the legislative process.
He has previously expressed support for a woman’s right to choose.

Abortion-rights advocates question the constitutionality of Nebraska’s law.
It is based on the idea that fetuses can feel pain after 20 weeks. Research shows nerve endings that form early in development enable the fetus to feel pain.
The law departs from the standard of viability – generally considered to be between 22 and 24 weeks – established by the 1973 U.S. Supreme Court ruling in Roe vs. Wade.
The Nebraska law could set a national trend and lead to a Supreme Court battle, Windschitl and others acknowledged.
Officials from Planned Parenthood of the Heartland, which is based in Des Moines and serves parts of Nebraska, declined requests from the Register for interviews on the topic. However, the group has no plans to challenge the Nebraska law, according to an Oct. 15 article in the Omaha World-Herald.
Windschitl, who will be an assistant majority leader beginning with January’s legislative session, said he will push to craft legislation similar to Nebraska’s law.
“At the end of the day, my personal agenda, and if I had a magic wand, one of the things I would do is to stop abortion in the state of Iowa, but it is a step-by-step process,” Windschitl said.

Abortion-rights advocates contend any state law that changes the definition of viability raises constitutional questions.
Viability refers to when a fetus can survive outside the womb and marks the point when states can ban abortion.
Jordan Goldberg, the State Advocacy Counsel for the U.S. Legal Program at the Center for Reproductive Rights in Washington, D.C., said her group believes Nebraska’s law is unconstitutional. The group said it might challenge the law.
“While we don’t discuss our litigation strategy in the press, it is important to recognize that that law is unconstitutional, and if it were to be enacted elsewhere it would still be unconstitutional,” Goldberg said.

Carhart did not return a request for an interview Tuesday.
He told reporters in November that he intends to open clinics in Council Bluffs, Indianapolis and the suburbs of Washington, D.C. The Washington Post reported this week that about 300 protesters gathered Monday to protest Carhart’s first day at a Germantown, Md., abortion clinic.
“We don’t want Maryland to become the late-term abortion capital of America,” the Rev. Patrick Mahoney, director of the Christian Defense coalition, told the Post on Monday.

Gov.-elect Terry Branstad said Tuesday that he didn’t know anything about Carhart’s potential move to Iowa.
Branstad, a Republican, was active in his previous four terms in working to limit abortion. His administration, for example, fought a years-long battle to block the opening of a Planned Parenthood clinic in the Quad Cities. A federal court ultimately ruled against him.
“I really don’t know enough about that to comment,” Branstad told the Register on Tuesday.
Senate President Jack Kibbie, D-Emmetsburg, is personally opposed to late-term abortions but said he is unsure whether such a bill would be called up for debate.
“I don’t think we ought to have abortion clinics in Iowa for late-term abortions, but I also think there are a lot more important things we ought to address in the Legislature for middle-income Iowans,” Kibbie said.
House Republican leader Kraig Paulsen, R-Hiawatha, said he is aware that his members are putting together a bill that would mimic Nebraska’s law. House Republicans generally agree on the concept, and such a bill is likely to get close consideration, he said.

Windschitl is working with several Council Bluffs-area Republicans on the bill. Sen. David Johnson, R-Ocheyedan, said he will help House Republicans in any way he can to see that the bill advances.
“I’m concerned about the possibility of an expansion of late-term abortions being done in this state,” Johnson said. “That, to me, is an outrage.”

Dan Holman comments:

While an average of 4000 Americans a day are having their arms, legs, and heads ripped off of them, pro-lifers are arguing over which ones feel pain!
Fetal pain and viability are bogus arguments. 5 year old children are not “viable” as they cannot fend for themselves. What does pain and viability have to do with one’s Right to Life? They all feel pain, and none of them are viable. Nobody cares!
It is largely the fault of the pro-life movement that the battle lines against abortion are drawn where they are.

Bumbling, wrongheaded pro-lifers, taking their cues from Planned Parenthood, focus on what is best for the aborting mother, rather than on her baby.
Like the Charge of the Light Brigade, they charge the enemy with unwinnable nonsensical arguments, in a tragic comedy of errors.
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