Posts Tagged ‘planned parenthood’

Planned Parenthood, stimulating the underground economy

Posted: February 2, 2010 by datechguy in local stuff, opinion/news
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A long time ago Fitchburg was a manufacturing hub. The Italian and French communities here came for the jobs in the mills and the factories.

Today not so much is made in Fitchburg anymore (Although the Hersey Custom Shoe Company does make shoes here) however we have become a hub for two things in the area…drugs and the social services that the drug trade brings.

People don’t like to talk about this. It has happened pretty fast 1 to 1 1/2 generations. It makes it pretty hard to attract business when you have these social problems on your plate.

Which brings us to Planned Parenthood…

…maybe it’s because I’m just too sheltered but when I mentioned it casually to someone he talked about what he seen in Worcester for years.

In his experience the birth control pills and condoms distributed do not solely end up in the hands of the people who get them. They get re-sold. There are plenty of kids who don’t want to be seen going into Planned Parenthood, those kids will pay a premium for what Planned Parenthood offers.

The person who gets this stuff is going to make some good money, that can be spent on everything from shoes to drugs. She also gains status among her peers. She become the “cool” kid.

I have to confess I felt like an idiot when I was told this story. It never occurred to me, that’s embarrassing. He wasn’t surprised: “The obvious never occurs to people.”

What will be end result be? Another layer made between kids and their parents. If you think that the teenage girl who gets her pills from PP might not take them as given, how much less will the teenage girl who gets her pills from another teenage girl or from her boyfriend buying them from another teen.

And remember it’s not like someone stealing your prescription that you might notice. This will all be done under the cloak of anonymity to protect your child from your opprobrium.

There are some on the city counsel who argue that we should welcome any business that comes to Fitchburg and contributes to our economy. They just might not be aware that the economy they stimulate is an underground one.

Well this story might make things interesting tomorrow

Posted: February 1, 2010 by datechguy in catholic, opinion/news
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I wonder if they will have any comment on this at the meeting tomorrow?

According to a police report filed at the scene, supported by several witnesses, the following interaction took place between Miss Rose and the uniformed Planned Parenthood escort:

Rose, from the public sidewalk: “Sir, are you familiar with the abortion procedure?”
Escort approaches Rose rapidly from Planned Parenthood parking lot, says, “You idiot. You’ve caused so much trouble. You piece of crap.”
Rose offers to show Escort a picture: “Can I show you a picture of what it really does to a baby?”
The Escort strikes Miss Rose’s hand, knocking literature and Bible to the ground. Rose steps further back on sidewalk, Escort steps towards Rose.
Escort, visibly shaking, says, “It’s a woman’s choice!”
Rose says, “What about the baby’s choice?”
Escort says, “It’s not a baby!” Escort turns around and walks away.

Police were called and interviewed the victim and several witnesses. Rose sustained no injuries from the attack. Charges of assault and battery are pending. There have been no apologies.

I guess he didn’t have an answer to the “cut to the chase” either.

Now the assault took place back in December but more interesting than the assault is the response by Planned Parenthood, as Cassy Fiano reports:

I was asked by Live Action to try to contact Planned Parenthood and get a response from them about this incident. I genuinely wanted to know their side of the story. Have they done their own investigation into this? Is the escort, a Gerard Nordley, still working with Planned Parenthood? Do they have a statement? Will they issue an apology?

I called their public relations department repeatedly for over a month. I left message after message. I never received a single phone call to follow up about this incident, or a single e-mail. This leads me to believe that Lila Rose’s statement is indeed accurate, and that Planned Parenthood is trying to keep this quiet. I understand the role of escorts for abortion clinics, and approaching the abortion protesters is not in the job description. Assaulting them is definitely not. Lila wasn’t hurt, thankfully, but what happens next time? If this man wasn’t even disciplined for his actions, what will keep him from taking it a step further with someone else?

That’s a great question. I wonder if anyone will be asking it tomorrow night, and what the answer will be? Would their response time for such an event be better than 6 weeks?

The “Coincidence” of the 3 year mass cycle

Posted: January 31, 2010 by datechguy in catholic, local stuff
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As you likely don’t know if you aren’t Catholic, (and you may not know if you are). There is a 3 year cycle that scripture reading at a Catholic Mass are on. Each year we do a different one of the synoptic Gospels, on the “Mark” years we mix in John (because Mark is so short) and John is also used on major feasts and heavily during Lent.

What this means is over a 3 year period we complete all of Paul’s letters, all of the Gospels and a good chunk of the rest of the New Testament and large chunks of the old.

Now as you know the big news around here is the Planned Parenthood stuff.

So what do you think happens to be the first reading today?

The word of the LORD came to me thus:
5
1 Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I dedicated you, a prophet to the nations I appointed you.

17
But do you gird your loins; stand up and tell them all that I command you. Be not crushed on their account, as though I would leave you crushed before them;
18
For it is I this day who have made you a fortified city, A pillar of iron, a wall of brass, against the whole land: Against Judah’s kings and princes, against its priests and people.
19
They will fight against you, but not prevail over you, for I am with you to deliver you, says the LORD. Jeremiah 1:4,5,17-19

And of course this is only two days before the big city counsel meeting. So what does Father Bob do? Does he play it safe and go with the Bishop’s letter talking about Penance, or does he challenge the congregation as Christ does in today’s gospel?

Well if you’ve been reading about Fr. Bruso you know the answer.

Today’s sermon was a direct challenge to get involved, going over each argument and leaving Planned Parenthood’s arguments in the dust of logic. This big argument was the encouragement of the separation of the decision making process from the parent since teenagers are so good at making decisions without parents, but the ironic line was his final point, which went something like this:

Let’s assume that disagree with every argument I’ve already made. Think a sec, when your teens had regular prescriptions, have they taken their pills without be reminded by a parent? Why would anyone think they would be any more responsible with no parents helping them?

There is a reason why teenage pregnancy rates don’t drop when Planned Parenthood arrives.

He asked the congregation to call their city counselors and the Mayor’s office noting that both the Mayor and the president of the city counsel were supporters of Planned Parenthood move to Fitchburg.

What will the result be? We will find out in two days.

The cut to the chase business on Abortion.

Posted: January 29, 2010 by datechguy in opinion/news
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Yesterday I was listening to the pro-choice argument of a person I knew, the whole: “I don’t like abortion but I think I don’t have a right to forbid someone from having one.” argument. The gentleman who volunteered his thoughts sounding so reasonable so tolerant, asked my opinion on the subject.

I had been talking about covering the protest downtown and hadn’t specified my own position on the matter. So I answered him directly that I was pro life.

He asked me in return if I felt I had the right to forbid a woman from having an abortion? My answer was equally blunt: Yes.

Although throughout history that would not be a controversial answer, today it is positively anathema. The type of answer one doesn’t give in polite company.

As he recovered from his surprise, not only from my answer but from the matter of fact way I gave it, I asked the bottom line question: “Is abortion the killing of a human life?”

That is when the gentleman started to hem and haw about when life began and when it should be protected, hen it has value. I pointed out that the government had no problem protecting a bald eagle’s egg unhatched, why not a human?

This is the cut to the chase, the argument that we have ceded to the determent of millions for the sake of politeness and inoffensiveness.

Bottom line: If abortion does not end a unique human life then there is no reason to forbid, restrict or even consider it the least bit of controversial. The filming of it would not be an issue the sight of the “bodies” should be no more odd than a trip to the butcher shop and psychologically it should be no more traumatic than any other simple surgery. There would be no reason to want to reduce abortion, after all it’s just another same day operation, in fact we would want to encourage it for the monetary savings to the public.

When people talk about abortion as a “tragedy“, as something that should be “safe, legal and rare” as something we all “want to reduce” they reveal that they know the truth behind it, that we are talking about human life. We are ending a human life for the sake of convince, hardship or panic. We are willing to let it go, discarding it like any other piece of unwanted property, just so long as we don’t have to talk about it.

Like a town the day after a lynch mob strikes or a person at a party of a plantation owner who visits the slave quarters in the evening, we know something is wrong, but we don’t want to embarrass our neighbors and friends by saying a word.

Because once we say that word, we acknowledge reality instead of feigning ignorance. Once we KNOW then we are committed to make our choice. Do we stay silent and hope it goes away or do we act when that action will make others uncomfortable to the point where you are the target? In a society where being “judgmental” is the highest sin that takes more bravery than many people think they have.

It is for that reason why Planned Parenthood opening a office in a small city with a high unemployment rate, an action that should gather no attention at all gains national coverage and protesters. It is why as many people turned out on a snowy day on short notice in Fitchburg (pop 40k)to oppose Planned Parenthood as did in the entire city of San Francisco (pop 744k) to support abortion a mere week ago.

Within sight of the parking garage where the pro-life protesters held their signs. Less than a block away sits a monument to Captain Ebenezer Bridge and the forty-two men who when confronted with an uncomfortable reality on the 19th of April in 1775 made a decision to march putting their lives and reputation against one of the greatest powers in the world.

I’ll wager almost none of the protesters know Ebenezer Bridge’s name, but unbeknown to them, they are his successors carrying on that same Fitchburg tradition of confronting an uncomfortable reality for the sake of their children.

Update: A double thanks to Adrienne’s (Catholics) Corner for both the link and the donation to the CPAC/I’ll do it myself Tucker fund.

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