Abortion is Infanticide

Religious, pro-life Mississippi voted down a ballot initiative that would have declared personhood for a fetus at the time of conception.  We are conflicted on the issue of abortion.

Herman Cain had a rough time explaining his abortion stance a few weeks back and has come under some pretty stiff criticism from all sides. He earned it with his one-man verbal ping pong match and inarticulate crab walk followed up by blatant pandering and backpedaling.

However, his cognitive incoherence and apparent contradictory beliefs speak for a broad section of America. Fellow Coloradoan Ross Kaminsky explains…

As heretical as this will sound to the GOP faithful, Herman Cain's true position, as I read the man, is perhaps the best possible position for a candidate in an American presidential election. […]

...although Americans respond that they are pro-choice and pro-life in roughly equal proportions, there is a large subset of both groups -- but a larger subset of pro-life -- whose position is supportive of allowing abortion in certain cases. […] 

Putting all this together: A statistically significant 12 percent more of the American adult population believes abortion is morally wrong than believe it is morally acceptable. Yet Americans also believe by an enormous 3-to-1 margin that abortion should be legal at least sometimes.
 
In other words, Americans, including a majority of those who call themselves pro-life, have an essentially libertarian view on abortion: it may be undesirable or wrong, but it is not the government's role to enforce what most American believe to be a particular moral view rather than murder.

Kaminsky also points out that Cain can hardly be accused of being soft on abortion. He has spent one-million dollars of his own money on anti-abortion causes. Has Bachmann or Santorum done that?

I’m not quite so libertarian on this issue. I believe taking an innocent life is wrong. A fetus in a mother’s womb is an innocent life; therefore abortion is wrong. If this were a private issue between a woman and her doctor, it would be no one else’s business, least of all the state’s, but that’s not the case. Planned Parenthood runs for-profit abortion mills with taxpayer dollars, and I have a big problem with that.

Abortion is infanticide

(Reuters) - Two employees of a Philadelphia abortion clinic where live, viable babies were allegedly killed and a patient died after being given on overdose of painkillers pleaded guilty on Thursday to murder.

Seven more defendants face charges in the case, including Gosnell, who a grand jury in January said, "killed babies and endangered women. What we mean is that he regularly and illegally delivered live, viable babies in the third trimester of pregnancy -- and then murdered these newborns by severing their spinal cords with scissors."

These gruesome acts in that Philadelphia charnel house did not just happen. Our society conditioned these murderers to view a baby in the womb as just a piece of tissue. Indeed, we codified into law the rights of the killer over those of the victim. What they did to those babies once they were out of the womb was just a logical extension of what a sick society already told them was OK.

A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words

This is the difference between good photography and great photography...

Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi adjusts his tie in anticipation of the G-12 Summit photo, as Argentina President Cristina Kirchner looks on.

Or...

Multi-billionaire horn dog gears up to invite one of the world's sexiest female politicians to his Villa Festiva, as the unsuspecting Argentine beauty looks on.

The leering lecherous lethoso from Legorno may be on his way out, if Italy doesn't collapse around him first.



Speaking of collapses, is Herman Cain's campaign on the brink of collapse?

I think Herman Cain is done. Unless you're a democrat, you just can't survive something like this, no matter the veracity of the charges or the credibility of the accusers.

This is a "he said, she said," with no way to verify what really happened. A little less so for the two incidents where the women received settlements, since the association could publish a redacted copy of the reports and allow us to judge for ourselves.

The incident involving the woman that just came forward can never be verified. We are left to rely on  character witnesses for both sides and examining other parts of their lives for a history of  unsavoriness or other similar incidents.

I question Mr. Cain's judgment if he indeed placed himself in a position where he was with a woman alone.   A powerful person who is prudent never does that.  According to Mr. Cain and others, the two incidents that resulted in the settlements happened in public, not private.

I also question why this woman didn't go to the police. This was not some caddish behavior; she is alleging an assault. Not fighting evil is to countenance and nurture it. Leaving a predator free makes you complicit in his subsequent attacks.

Edmund Burke Strikes Again

Joe paterno and his star quarterback turned assistant coach will find that out if they haven't woken up already. It strains credulity that they didn't know what that vile pervert was up to.

John Cardinal Law, who was supposed to lead his flock and protect it, instead knowingly unleased pedophiles upon it, leading to the bankruptcy (moral and financial) of his diocese. Instead of being clapped into prison, he was given a plum assignment in Rome and feted with lavish parties. He was just one of many, and the church (and more importantly the victims) have never fully recovered from its countenanced criminality. Had good men stood up, it would be a much different story.

Is Herman Cain a 21st Century Ronald Reagan?

Herman Cain is surging in the polls and gaining the attention of more Americans, perhaps even garnering vaunted "first tier candidate" status.
  



And why not?  He's a brilliant, articulate man with executive experience.  He knows how to lead and manage and he has the successful track record to back it up.

Fred Barnes has written a thumbnail sketch profile of Herman Cain based upon his review of Cain's autobio:  This is Herman Cain! My Journey to the White House.  Barnes' article, Raising Cain, is well worth five minutes of your time.  He compares and contrasts Cain's background with that of the current White House occupant.

Unlike Obama, Cain's upbringing was stereotypically American and one shared by millions of blacks in this country.  Both parents worked, his father had three jobs, they were discriminated against, and they went to Church on Sunday.  Despite the hardships, Herman's parents taught him to love his country, love his fellow man, and to work hard and believe in himself.

This particular paragraph in Barnes' article stopped me in my tracks...

His upbringing may explain his gift for delivering a conservative message with a friendly face, as Ronald Reagan did. “I also like to smile, laugh, and have fun with people,” he says.

Of all the candidates in the field, Cain is perhaps the most Reaganesque. Folksy and eternally sunny, he has a talent for delivering a serious message with a smile and good humor. You can just tell he has a love and respect for his fellow man, and that he enjoys the give and take of the campaign trail. He has a lifetime of experience and he has spent years writing and talking about the great issues facing America.

Herman Cain could once again put a friendly face on American conservatism.

Do Muslims have the Same Rights as Christians?

Herman Cain Stumbles over the Constitution

Just a Conservative Girl over at Potluck scolded presidential candidate Herman Cain for siding with the Murfreesburo, Tennessee group that wants to prevent a mosque from being built in their town. She rightly points out that Cain’s position runs afoul of the US Constitution.

Republican presidential candidate Herman Cain said Sunday that communities have a right to ban Islamic mosques.

"Let's go back to the fundamental issue that the people are basically saying that they are objecting to," Cain said. "They are objecting to the fact that Islam is both religion and (a) set of laws, Shariah law. That's the difference between any one of our other traditional religions where it's just about religious purposes. (Sacbee – Herman Cain)

Cain’s reasoning is tenuous and tendentious as best. I understand the distinction he is making between religious islam and political islam, but it still does not pass constitutional muster. What’s to stop communities from banning Catholic Churches because that faith’s canon law does not jive with civil law on the subject of divorce? As gay marriage fever sweeps the nation, can states outlaw Baptist Churches because they refuse to bless such ceremonies?

Religious law that is voluntary, respectful of human rights, and not in violation of civil law is a good thing

Muslims have a right to their Sharia law, so long as it’s practice does not conflict with our civil law, and it does not impinge on the rights of the rest of us. It’s called religious freedom. More importantly, certain abhorrent practices aside, Sharia law is a code for Muslims to live by, and it provides a way for them to guide their lives and solve problems without getting government involved.

Indeed, the concept of solving problems at the lowest level has been snuffed by progressivism. Catholics call this concept of solving problems at the lowest level, subsidiarity, but they didn’t invent it. It goes back to the time of Moses, and our founding fathers wrote a constitution and built a nation upon the concept. National civil society starts with personal morality. Problems must first be addressed within the family, next the larger community, and so on. We’ve forgotten how to solve our own problems without government intervention.

If we are to stay true to our constitutional principles, we cannot be singling out certain religions for especial opprobrium or holding them to extraordinary standards. So long as the Murfreesburo Muslims obey the law, seek no special favors from the government and refrain from dictating their laws to non-Muslim citizens, what’s the problem?

Liberal Lunacy

A Few Observations on the Loony Left...

Why do so many inhabitants of Left Blogistan sound so nutty?  Perhaps it's because “credible” jornolists on the “intellectual” left churn out absolute crap like this, and the gullible readers lap it up and barf it back out on the rest of us:

Cain wants to be taken seriously in this race. He has said some very unserious things -- his proposal to build a moat between the U.S. and Mexico and fill it with alligators comes to mind (Liberal Jornolist Jeffrey Goldberg)

Goldberg’s defense would probably be that he was being tongue in cheek, but he knows much of his slobbering readership is not into subtleties, and it is evidenced by the nutroots who fell for it and echoed this cheap lie across the blogisphere like the gaggle of cawing boobies and hooting loonies they are.

I found the statement hard to believe so I googled “Herman Cain moats alligators,” and I got a bunch of leftwing wackadoo sites seriously claiming Herman Cain had proposed a great wall of China between the US and Mexico, as well as a moat with alligators. Of course, Cain was playfully joking on Obama’s comments, but they can’t let a few facts stand in the way of the progressive long march.

Climate Change:  I love it when liberals stumble over the painful truth and don’t even notice... 

Here’s a telling line from a typically liberal NY Times piece.

“The failure of cap and trade notwithstanding, the recession itself helped cut carbon dioxide emissions in 2009 through reduced economy activity…” (NY Times)

Get that?  Cripple the economy and we can cut carbon dioxide output, nevermind that we throw millions out of work in the process. Liberals do occasionally tell the truth, if only by accident.

And finally, to balance out this liberal lunacy, some wisdom from Thomas Sowell... 

He praises the record of Tim Pawlenty, while also arguing against those who lament the lack of excitement in the GOP field. Whether you like Pawlenty or not, Dr. Sowell’s larger point is still valid:

Some fear that Governor Pawlenty doesn't have the charisma and fireworks rhetoric that they would like to see in a candidate. Charisma and rhetoric are what gave us the current disastrous administration in Washington. Charisma and rhetoric gave people in other countries even bigger disasters, up to and including Hitler. (Thomas Sowell – Is Pawlenty Plenty?)

Herman Cain for President

OK, I'm not officially endorsing Mr. Cain.  It's too early and the primaries haven't even started yet.  I just needed a good headline.  I do consider him a serious candidate and he is the one that I will measure others against.


Reaganite Republican, in the throes of supporting Donald Trump, chided me for mentioning Herman Cain.  I responded that Politics as Team Sports is what got us into this mess.  Hero worshipers hoot and catcall when their hero is up and somebody else's is down.  We're in serious trouble, and we need a serious president.

Herman Cain is a serious man, but I wanted to investigate further.  Anytime someone comes out of the blue and sounds really good, you just know there's something cringe-worthy or worse in their background.  It's all going great and then the candidate casually mentions how the government is spying on you through your toaster, or something kooky like that.  So I've done some investigating, and I have yet to find anything damning. I also watch the YouTube videos. It's easy for people to start pandering to their crowd and end up doing or saying something irresponsible. Herman Cain has not indulged in any of that.

I'm not a big YouTube pusher, but I invite you to watch this, or any Herman Cain video and judge for yourself. He says the right things, not because someone coached him, but because he has life experiences that are relevant to the office of president.

It's about a half-hour long, so you may want to let it load up and just skip through it. 

Facts about Herman Cain:
- Still married to his first wife, the love of his life
- Bachelors degree in mathematics
- 6 years as a mathematician for the Department of the Navy
- Masters degree in Computer Science
- Executive, Coca-cola
- Executive, and eventually a Vice President of Pillsbury
- Took a "step down" to run a failing Burger King region, turning it into a top performer
- CEO, Godfathers Pizza
- Chairman, National Restaurant Association
- Board member and later chairman of the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City

This is a man who understands America and our founding principles.  He knows how business works, how money works and he has a deep understanding of economic issues.  His only blind spot is foreign policy, but his background suggests he knows how to hire the right people and make good decisions.

Two factors give me pause:  He supported TARP, and he was a FED governor.  He's said he supported TARP at the beginning, but they abused it, and his FED role actually means he probably has a better understanding than the average bear of money and finance. I want to know more about where he stands on auditing the FED and if that organization's role should be dialed back or even eliminated.

Nobody's perfect.  On balance, Herman Cain is in my top tier.   

Herman Cain's Website
Herman Cain Defends Bank Bailouts
Herman Cain Supported Tarp