[Peace-discuss] Re: [Peace] Re: Memorial in Champaign-Urbana

[E. Wayne Johnson]

Consistent or inconsistent depends upon whether or not one is operating 
from first principles.

I agree that it is inconsistent to be anti-abortion and also pro-war.

It is also inconsistent to be anti-war and pro-abortion by the same 
appeal to principles.

The majority of Americans are opposed to war.
The majority of Americans are opposed to abortion.
The intersection of these two sets is at minimum 25% of the population 
if the
variables are independent, and could be more than that if there is 
positive correlation
between the variables.

The absence of this >25% from the political structure is explained by 
the nature
of politics.  The zeal for action and the stomach for politics doesnt 
appear to be
evenly distributed across the population.


On 6/3/2009 7:03 AM, Neil Parthun wrote:
> Carl et al.
>
> There is a significant difference.
>
> Dr. Tiller's procedures were done for certain situations:
> -the fetus was dead in the womb and it would ridiculous for the woman 
> to carry it to term
> -the woman found out she had a disease (i.e. cancer) late in the 
> pregnancy and having the child may kill her
> -the woman was a victim of rape/incest -- I've had the opportunity to 
> hear from some doctors who worked with him who discussed a 10 and 11 
> year old child who was raped by a family member.  He performed the 
> procedure so they could have the opportunity for a normal life.
>
> These were done for documented medical reasons that are widely 
> considered to be valid when one looks at the facts rather than the 
> hysteria of "Tiller the Baby Killer".
>
> The usage of US forces, as documented many times by Carl himself, in 
> the name of empire is the use of intimidation and violence to achieve 
> geo-political goals for the service of a nation state.
>
> Such fundamental differences are glossed over here.  I understand the 
> consistent life ethic from people like Fr. Berrigan, but this position 
> is almost non-existent in today's political structure.
>
> Today's "pro-life" movement has many inconsistencies (i.e. for the 
> birth of children, but for the death penalty, for the wars in 
> Iraq/Afghanistan/Pakistan, etc.) and as such, there are significant 
> difficulties in equating the two deaths and the issue of war/abortion 
> here.
>
>
> Solidarity,
>   -N.
>
> Neil Parthun
>   Sports/politics writer, UC-IMC
> "There are many victories worse than a defeat." - George Eliot
>
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>
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