A Hollywood Heart Softens
by American Phoenix | February 1, 2009
I have no idea who Gary Graham is. He’s someone in Hollywood and he writes for a blog. He’s also written one of the most compelling pieces I’ve ever read about abortion:
I saw my daughter’s ultrasound when she was at four weeks. All I saw was this little pulsating cylinder about the size of my little fingernail. Each little vibration was a heartbeat. Yes, a heart barely formed; cells still differentiating into form and function…but her little heart was just wailing away. I burst into tears. And I realized… I was beholding an utter miracle. The miracle of life. And I also realized that from the very first merger of cell into cell, and the first divisions…that the whole miracle of life was from that point on struggling against all odds to become a fully-realised human being.
I don’t mean to preach. I’m just telling you what I have come to know, and that I know that I know. The unborn fetus is a baby in development…and to end that life prematurely is to murder that life.
I truly wish that I had had this conviction way back when…when I was only concerned about my selfish convenience of the day. But I didn’t want to know, I didn’t want to think about it. It was inconvenient to think about it.
How ironic that the ‘Love’ Generation should spawn such a culturally accepted abomination as abortion.
Topics: Abortion, Culture of Death | No Comments »
If You Object, You Will Never See Your Grandchildren Again
by American Phoenix | January 30, 2009
Two Scottish children have been taken away from their grandparents, who have raised them almost since birth, and are about to be adopted by two homosexual men. The grandparents, who are 46 and 59, were declared to be too old to raise the children themselves. Huh? I am in my mid-40s, my husband is in his late 50s, and our adopted child is 6. We’re not going to have any problem getting our child to adulthood, despite being older parents.
Their mother is a recovering heroin addict. The grandparents, who could not afford to continue the expensive legal process, ultimately agreed to put the children up for adoption, on the condition that the new adoptive parents would be a mother and a father. Now, however, they have been told by social workers that two homosexual men are about to adopt the children, even though several heterosexual couples were also approved. When the grandparents objected, they were threatened:
But the grandfather was forced to cease his protests, being told by social workers that, “You can either accept it, and there’s a chance you’ll see the children twice a year, or you can take that stance and never see them again.”
The social workers said that they would “certainly look” into allowing the grandparents to see their grandchildren “when you are able to come back with an open mind on the issues.”
“If you couldn’t support the children [in the homosexual adoption], if you were having contact and couldn’t support the children, and were showing negative feelings, it wouldn’t be in their best interests for contact to take place,” added the social worker.
Homosexual Men Given Custody of Children Rather than Own Grandparents, LifeSiteNews.com, January 29, 2009
Even the children’s mother doesn’t want them placed with homosexual men:
But the children’s mother, who is a recovering heroin addict, has come out against the decision.
She said: “I did not under any circumstances want my children to be placed with gay men. I wanted them to have a mum and a dad.
“I have nothing against gay people. I’ve got gay friends, but children need a mum and a dad.”
Edinburgh Council May Be Probed Over Gay Adoption, The Christian Institute, January 30, 2009
The social workers may also have had concerns about their health as the grandmother has diabetes and the grandfather has angina. However, as one journalist puts it:
The 59-year-old grandfather has angina and his 46-year-old wife has diabetes.
So what? Angina hasn’t stopped him holding down a job as a farm labourer.
And if the department of health is to be believed, half the country is suffering from diabetes.
Are they suggesting that anyone with either ailment should have their children taken into care?
What Kind of Selfish Couple Would Want to Adopt These ‘Stolen’ Children?, Mail Online, January 30, 2009
Frankly, if granddad has made it through this legal morass without a heart attack, how bad could his angina be? I have a chronic health condition as well, but it’s under control and I’m not about to keel over any time soon. And, to answer the title question above, the same kind of selfish couple that would consider depriving children of a mother or a father and ripping this family apart.
Now that this story has reached the media, the grandparents have apparently been told that they will never be allowed to see their grandchildren again.
Reports today claimed the mother of the two children said she had been told by a social worker that the grandparents will never see the youngsters again because they had spoken out in the press about the case.
The grandparents said they had previously been told they might be able to see the children twice a year.
But today’s reports claim the social worker told the mother the family would pay for bringing the case into the public eye.
…
The grandparents are opposed to the idea of the children being adopted by anyone other than themselves. But they felt forced to abandon a battle for custody of their grandchildren as court costs mounted and the proceedings dragged on.
They claim they were bullied into agreeing to adoption and warned they would be barred from seeing the children again unless they dropped their opposition to the children being adopted by the two men.
The Evening News, Gay Adoption Set To Be Blocked, January 30, 2008
Scotland legalized homosexual adoption in 2006, despite the overwhelming opposition of its population.
An overwhelming majority of those involved in a consultation on adoption by same-sex couples in Scotland are opposed to the move – 89% according to Scotland’s Catholic prelate, Cardinal Keith O’Brien. Despite the opposition, lawmakers there plan to go ahead with the measure anyway.
That decision has prompted the Cardinal to threaten to opt out of the consultation process. “What is the point of all this consultation process continuing if it is going to be ignored?” he said in an interview with Vatican Radio.
Scotland Parliament Plans to Go Ahead with Gay Adoption Despite 89% Opposition, LifesiteNews.com, May 18, 2006
Apparently, the homosexual men are planning for the adoption to be finalized.
The Edinburgh-based couple have already had a number of visits from the children at their home, with the youngsters set to get their own rooms.
The girl’s room is understood to include a “princess” bedspread and the kids have also been shown the Wellington boots which are waiting for them when they move in.
Gay Adoption Set to be Blocked, Evening News, January 30, 2009.
Is a pair of Wellies and a “princess” bedspread now supposed to be a sufficient replacement for a mother? How are they going to explain to these two children, when they reach adolesence, how they took them from their mother and grandparents against the wishes of their family?
Social services are reported to have asked the mother to meet the gay couple despite having, reportedly, told the children that their mother has been in South America for the last few months.
Ibid.
The social workers lied about the mother’s whereabouts? These children are old enough to understand that mom had some problems and that’s bad enough. Lying to them about their mother isn’t going to make things any better.
Further, I think the mother - and the grandparents - have made their wishes abundantly clear. They don’t want their children adopted by homosexuals. Period. One has to wonder what part of “No” Scottish social services doesn’t understand.
It has been reported that Scottish law requires the children’s religion to be taken into account. It has also been reported that the grandparents are devout Christians, were presumably raising these children as Christians, and that they do not agree with the practice of homosexuality as their faith teaches them. How does placing the children for adoption in a homosexual household take that into account? It doesn’t.
By far, the best commentary I have seen on this story can be found here:
It’s been difficult piecing together this story, because it has all been carried in secret to ‘protect’ the children.
The truth is that it’s been kept secret to protect the identities of the social workers involved and conceal the extent of their wickedness.
This has only come to light because the grandfather had the courage to speak out.
And now he’s been told that because he spoke to the Daily Mail, he may never see his grandchildren again.
That was the same threat used against him if he didn’t drop his opposition to them being adopted by homosexuals.
He was branded a bigot and a ‘homophobe’, simply because he believes children should be raised by a man and a woman.
And unless he recanted, his punishment was to be excommunicated from his grandchildren for life.
I deliberately use this religious analogy, because official Britain and the homosexual lobby rigidly enforces the gay ‘rights’ agenda with a righteous zeal not seen since the Spanish Inquisition.
For what it’s worth, I’ve always supported equality for gays in terms of housing, employment and civil partnerships. But when it comes to adoption, children should be placed with a man and a woman.
And in this case, there were plenty of heterosexual couples in Edinburgh willing to offer a loving, secure home.The children’s own mother wanted them raised by a proper mum and dad, ideally her own parents.
Just because she’s a recovering addict, it doesn’t mean her views should be ignored in such callous fashion.But the social workers were motivated by ideology and, almost certainly, by deliberate policy.
They will have a quota of gay adoptive parents to meet.These unfortunate children gave them a golden opportunity to tick another box and flaunt their doctrinaire ‘diversity’ credentials. They may even have been rewarded with a nice little bonus in their wage packets.
Job done. And to hell with the consequences and the human misery inflicted.
Were it not for the grandfather speaking to the Mail, they’d have got away with it.
Actually, they will still get away with it, which only serves to compound the scandal.
These simple grandparents are powerless against the sadistic, Stalinist might of the social services system and the family courts.
But there’s another aspect of this appalling human horror story which has not been explored.
That’s the role of the couple being given the children.
We don’t know anything about them — how old they are, how long they’ve been together, whether they’ve got any medical conditions.
What makes them better prospective parents than any other heterosexual couples on the list?
More to the point, what kind of selfish individuals would even consider acceptingfor adoption children who don’t want to be adopted and who would rather live with their own natural grandparents, who are perfectly willing and able to offer them a loving home?
They would have to be familiar with the background.
If they weren’t, they are now. If they had a shred of decency they would tell Edinburgh social services: thanks, but no thanks.
As for anonymity, does anyone really think that two gay men, living together in an Edinburgh suburb, who suddenly start playing Happy Families with a five-year-old boy and a four-year-old girl, are going to go unnoticed?
Coincidentally, this story emerged in the week in which details were revealed of the millions spent in the search for little Maddie McCann, who was abducted almost two years ago and is still missing.
On the face of it, the cases have nothing in common.
But stolen children are at the heart of both.
Does it matter whether your child or grandchild has been taken by a complete stranger or by social workers?
Topics: Adoption, Christianity, Culture of Death, Family, Homosexuality, Law, Politics, Religion | 1 Comment »
This Is the First Day of the Rest of My Life
by American Phoenix | January 28, 2009
Last night, hubby and I signed up for Team in Training. We’re planning to do the Yosemite hike to Half Dome on June 20, 2009. Diet, exercise and conditioning begin today!
I’m not one to run marathons and, in any event, I’m not fit enough for that. The brain tumor and the Achilles tendonitis in 2005 combined to do a number on my body. The drugs that made me hungry, the drugs that made me sleepy, and having my foot in a brace/cast for the better part of a year contributed to a 30 pound weight gain in one year. It’s time for the extra pounds to go!
So when I heard that Team in Training had a hike program and that this year’s hike options were the Grand Canyon or Yosemite, I decided to do it. It has always been a dream of mine to hike the John Muir Trail. So why not do this? Lose weight, get in shape, raise money for a good cause and fulfill a dream! Half Dome could be fun too.
The hard part: convincing my hubby to do it with me. He was skeptical at first, but agreed to go to the information meeting last night. We both listened to the presentation, asked questions, and then sat down to discuss how to handle the second most difficult aspect of this challenge: child care. After making a plan, we then discussed our commitments. Clearly his enthusiasm was building. I wanted a commitment from hubby that he would stick to a diet and track his weight, calories and exercise every day with me. (The cafeteria at work is a little too good.) He agreed. We’ll be doing that using The Daily Plate, a Livestrong site. There will be evening workouts and weekend conditioning hikes for both of us. He wanted me to do all the fundraising and make sure that I don’t wind up on crutches again. I agreed. We signed up.
Half Dome, here we come!
Topics: Family, Sports | No Comments »
Terrorist Invited to Speak at St. Mary’s College
by American Phoenix | January 26, 2009
On January 28 Weather Underground founder, Marxist and terrorist Bill Ayers will be speaking at St. Mary’s College in Moraga, CA at 7:30 PM. Throughout the day Ayers is being given access to student groups with which to meet and spread his hate-filled ideology.
Though St. Mary’s is a Catholic college they are representing Ayers as an exponent of “social justice:”
Bill Ayers is a Professor of Education at the University of Illinois at Chicago and has just released the Handbook of Social Justice in Education. He is noted for his work in education reform and also for his controversial history as a founder of the Weather Underground. He will discuss his life and work and their inevitable intersection in the pursuit of social justice.
Bill Ayers is an exponent of social justice? What about the 25 million Americans that Ayers advocated killing? The following videos show Larry Grathwohl, the FBI agent who went undercover with the Weather Underground
A protest will be held on campus. Larry Grathwohl will be speaking. More information on the protest is available online.
St. Mary’s is a Catholic college, run by the Christian Brothers who were founded by St. John Baptist de La Salle. Acts of the Apostasy notes:
I did some research on St John Baptist de la Salle, and while he is the patron saint of teachers, I couldn’t find anything where he supported blowing up buildings.
It boggles the mind that any university, especially a Catholic university, would invite such a person to speak, let alone hire such a person to be on their faculty! If Canada can reject Bill Ayers visit, then why not St. Mary’s?
This suggests that St. Mary’s is a college that is losing, or has already lost, it’s Catholic identity. Parents with children approaching college age should take note of this. Fr. Frank Pavone noted the challenge to the Catholic identity of schools today:
Catholic schools, of every educational level, face many challenges to maintain their Catholic identity. Ironically, sometimes those challenges come from the members of their own faculty. Sometimes these individuals simply do not believe what the Church teaches or refuse to accept the demands of the moral law.
There’s an old saying, “Nobody can give what he does not have.” Catholic schools exist to impart the Catholic faith and to form strong disciples of Christ. If a faculty member objects to some particular demand of the faith, it makes no sense for them to be in a position in which they are expected to pass it on to our children.
Topics: California, Catholic, Politics, Religion, Terrorism | No Comments »
At the 2009 Walk for Life West Coast
by American Phoenix | January 25, 2009
January 24, 2009 was a blustery day in San Francisco. The skies were laden with gray clouds, which occasionally delivered sprinkles to the assembled multitudes. The crowd was roughly a third stronger than last year, numbering over 30,000 strong. (Click on the thumbnail below for a larger view of the crowd at Justin Herman Plaza.)
The walk was held a day after President Obama rescinded the “Mexico City” policy, clearing the way to use taxpayer dollars to fund abortion in foreign countries. At that time, President Obama also stated his intention to work with Congress to restart funding of the United National Population Fund. Funding was withdrawn from the UNFP after evidence that American dollars were being used to fund coerced abortions and sterilizations in China and elsewhere.
Rev. Clenard Childress, the founder of LEARN, had some hard words for our new President. “President Obama is the fulfillment of what the abortion industry always wanted and that was a black face to validate abortion.” Former NARAL member and African-American Karen Shablin, the founder of Feminists for Life, also spoke at the event, pointing out that 37 percent of abortions are performed on black women, who make up only 13 percent of the population. An undercover investigation in February 2008, revealed that Planned Parenthood in seven different states were willing to accept donations for the express purpose of aborting black babies. Planned Parenthood’s founder, Margaret Sanger, was an unapologetic advocate of eugenics.
After the speeches were given, we walked onto the Embarcadero and were on our way. (Click on the thumbnail below for a larger view of the pro-life marchers.)
There were small bands of pro-abortion protesters scattered along the route. The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence made their usual appearance replete with condoms. Just the thing for a pro-abortion position as 60% of all abortions in the United States occur because contraception failed. Planned Parenthood vs. Casey settled that question when it admitted the connection:
…for two decades of economic and social developments, people have organized intimate relationships and made choices that define their views of themselves and their places in society, in reliance on the availability of abortion in the event that contraception should fail.
There was also the usual sign equating Christians and fascism. Another year, another reminder that that fascism was never Christian, has in fact been condemned by Christianity, because it is a form of atheist statism related to communism. 47 million dead babies surpasses Hitler and Mussolini (though not Stalin or Mao). Perhaps I should have recommended Liberal Fascism by Jonah Goldberg for this gentleman’s edification?
By far the funniest moment of the day came when my adopted child, walking with me, looked at this motley band of protesters and then said to me, “They don’t play music very good.” They were trying to play very loudly - and very badly - in what could only have been a poor attempt at drowning out our voices. Good luck! They actually reminded me of Stanford University’s band.
The walk continued along the Embarcadero until we reached the Maritime Museum, at which point the walk route turned left in front of the largest group of protesters which numbered about 500 people - if there were even that many. Hmmm… over 30,000 vs. 500. And the pro-life side appears to be a lot younger. (Click on the thumbnail below for a larger view of the pro-death group.)
After that corner there was another small group of women holding signs. The “My Body My Choice” proves that these women don’t understand that this is the biggest human rights issue of our time, precisely because it’s not her body. Babies have distinct bodies with distinct DNA. The “Women Deserve Better Than Forced Childbearing,” while trying to play on a pro-life slogan similarly fails because no one holds a gun to a woman’s head when she has sex and risks a pregnancy. As for the “No Wire Hangars Ever” sign, I simply refer you to one of my commenters last year who put it best:
Waving the coathanger is about the most brainless thing. Exactly WHO, pray tell, was supposedly wielding the coathangers pre-Roe, and would supposedly wield them post-Roe? I’ll tell you who: PROCHOICERS! If you don’t want women to die from coathanger abortions, LEAVE THE FREAKING COATHANGER IN THE CLOSET. Duh.
Inclement weather did not keep pro-life demonstrators away and it was a family affair as in years past. Bands played music, both during the walk and at the Marina Green, where the walk ended. Children played touch football and flew kites. I thought of all the women affected by abortion, including friends and former roommates, who may not be so fortunate as I am to have a child. I hoped for their healing and that they might someday be reconciled with their aborted children in the life to follow this one. There is always hope!
The local legacy media covered this event in typically spotty fashion:
- KRON - Channel 4 had no coverage.
- KPIX - Channel 5 had good coverage with raw footage of the march (although about two thirds of the raw footage was shot of the anti-life protesters) and a story on the news.
- KGO - Channel 7 had a small article about the San Francisco march, a small article about similar marches across the United States, and another on the Washington DC march.
- San Francisco Chronicle delivered a typically pro-death editorial.
The new media did a much better job:
- EWTN, however, had great coverage of the event, featuring Fr. Joseph Fessio, S.J. and Fr. Frank Pavone, among others.
- Walk for Life West Coast 2009!!!!!!, A Shepherd’s Voice
- 30,000 participate in Walk for Life West Coast, Insight Scoop
- Walk For Life West Coast: San Francisco CA. January 24, 2009, Diakonia
- Walk For Life, Windshield Rosary
- Over 30,000 Join 5th Walk for Life West Coast, Christian Post
Topics: Abortion, California, Catholic, Christianity, Contraception, Culture of Death, Euthanasia, Family, Homosexuality, Law, Medicine, Politics | 1 Comment »
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