Crazy Craze

The whole world seems to be falling apart.  The news is so bad.

Ferguson MO is on fire, a man who had sex with his step daughter since she was six, forced her to have an abortion at 13, armed robbery, men, women and children are being executed by ISIS, the President is partying, lawlessness and disrespect is all around us. These are just the tip of the iceberg.

It makes my head spin.  How can this be the world we live in?

There are good stories though and even in the bad stories there are often good endings.  My story started out so bad.  My mom was a young 15 year old who was brutally raped and thoroughly humiliated walking home from a date.  It was so bad she didn't speak of it for two years.  She'd rather let people think she was promiscuous than recount the event when she found out she was pregnant.

Under social pressure she married the boy, thinking it would get better, but it was worse.  They never laid down together normally.  After two years of being attacked and violated, she was pregnant again.  She told her mom that if she didn't take her in, she would kill herself. She had no thought that he would abuse small children.  He did unspeakable things to my sister and me for many years.

Then, when I was molested by an uncle from the other side of the family, I went off the deep end.  Trafficked for almost four years, beaten, kidnapped, raped, and involved in other criminal activity, I too got pregnant.  The man who bought me told me to abort or die.  I chose to lie.  I faked an abortion.  He believed I had don it and let me go.  Saving my baby saved my life.

I promised God that I would bring her up in the fear and admonition of the Lord. I did.  I married a wonderful man and we now have five grown children. All of whom have served in ministry of one sort or another. All are really great people.  They have their own lives.  They work.  They are respectful and kind.  They are small business owners and employees, a mom.  I have two grandchildren who are learning to be kind and respectful as well.

No life is easy.  Everyone has their stuff.  I thank God for all the things he brought me through.  I pray for those that are going through now.  The Scripture tells us that He will bring us through the fire and the flood.  Neither of those things are pleasant. Neither is easy.

I cannot even imagine being in the middle east right now, nor would I prefer Ferguson or the next place to implode.  I will scan the news and pray for the people going through and hope they make it to the other side. For the child of abuse, the trafficked, the tormented, the warn, those pursued and those drawn toward the death.  I pray.  God, in Your great mercy, please intervene. Please make Yourself known, rescue, restore and redeem, in the Most Holy Name of Jesus.

I will speak out.  I will help, when I can.  I will continue to promote peace. What will you do?

Speak Out Before it’s Too Late

As I travel today, enthralled in Michael Hyatt’s book, thoroughly enjoying the adventure, I was jarred back to the present.  I looked up and over my left shoulder to see the silhouette of a church steeple as the newly rising sun was brilliantly shining into the van.  We were entering the old city of Boston, Mass.  It was stunning.  A peace settled over me even though the van thumped every few seconds. 

It will be a fantastic day here for some. Somewhere, there is

extreme joy.  Somewhere, there are tears of desperate mourning. There are examples of every experience imaginable in between in a city like Boston.  The explosion of knowledge spoken of in the Book of Daniel is surely here.  I realize it hasn’t reached every corner of the earth yet, but it seems like it will soon. Story after story invades our every moment form various sources. 

In my position as director of a political action committee, I have the privilege of meeting many people.  I speak with legislators and candidates frequently.  “ProLife voters are not single issue voters.” I tell them, “We just want to make sure the first issue is on the table before we look at other things.”  Without the Right to Life, no other issues are important.  

I have a unique perspective to share.  Legislators are attacked by all sides, but few attackers are as nasty as those from the abortion industry.  The only people that get more venom from them are the sidewalk counselors.  

In spiteful tones, they declare the injustice of making women carry their babies to term and delivering them alive.  They often spit out, “What ifs?”

What if a 15 year old girl gets raped? 

You gonna make her carry a rapist’s child?

What if they’re going to live in terrible poverty?

What if they don’t get enough to eat every day?

What, what if the baby gets abused?

What if the child is a girl and is molested too?

What if she is sold into sex slavery at 14 years old?

What if she becomes a criminal, steeling cars, breaking into houses, vandalizing running drugs and such things?

What if she then gets pregnant as a result of trafficking?

They try to get the legislator to act according to emotion and jettison logic.  The logic is that if there is a pregnancy, there is a baby, a human being worthy of protection.  A moral society doesn’t kill people.  

The example above accurately describes my beginning.  I am that hard case. 

It is super important that we realize that poor beginnings don't necessitate poor ends. 

I am not suggesting that we value a life because of what it may or may not produce.  I am simply suggesting that we don’t kill people because of a bad beginning.  Whether it is a crisis pregnancy or an illness or a disability, let us return to the first issue.  We don’t kill people.

I speak out daily, to individuals, on social media, with my works of good will and by writing.  I believe the time is nearing when we might not be free to do so.

How do you speak out?

Distraction or Direction

We hear it all the time, “How are you?” “Oh, so busy” is most often the reply.

If you are like me, you like to be busy.  I often take on too much though.  I don’t leave enough margin in my calendar for things that come up.  There is invariably one or two unexpected interruptions in my week.  

I have a number of factors from my past that give me pause.  I have some alcoholism in my family ’s history and other addictive personalities that concern me.  It is not that I am overly worried about developing a neurosis, because I have a number of trustworthy people around me to keep me in line or at least let me know if they think I am off track. 

I just take time to do a little self evaluation on occasion.  Perhaps, everyone should. 

It is important to take inventory of goals, activities and what the calendar has actually revealed about how time is spent.  There are a number of goals that I have that require very specific actions.  Others, like making my husband happy are a bit nebulous, but I know what he cares about.

We plan to pay off all unsecured debt. This is a very attainable goal.  We have a plan.  I know what is required. If I don’t hit my mark one week, I can make it up the following.  When I know that there are upcoming expenses or days that I won’t be able to work, I can compensate.  

My evaluation moves from logistics to motives.  I can know what I am doing.  I can plan it perfectly, but there will always be things that come up unexpectedly.  Leaving open times will usually be enough to allow it to come together.

Motives are different. ‘Why?’ is super important to me.  

I work my job as a nurse for multiple reasons. I care about my clients.  I need a paycheck.  A decrease in hours for too long would require extra continuing education for me, if I wanted to start back up again. 

Volunteer work satisfies a need to be a net contributor.  It often restores my faith in humanity and always restores my faith in God. I meet many people in my capacity as a Board member of three different non-profits. I love people and work hard to make them feel valued and valuable.

A few of my friends and I travel and deliver speeches for much the same reasons, but there is a component of bringing awareness and justice when I speak. If there is one person in an audience that is healed or someone is moved to provide a solution, it’s a great accomplishment.

My attention to my home and family can suffer, if I am not careful though.  I only cook a few meals each week.  My children are grown.  So, we share the responsibility around the house. Our relationships are the most important thing.  Having real conversations is much more important than anything else. We work carefully to communicate often.

In what ways do you evaluate whether your time is used to be a distraction or spent in the direction of your goals?

Overwhelm the System

I don’t know very many people who can stand to investigate the news for too long.  It is incredibly overwhelming.  There are so many sources for information.  One can get generalized news or specifically look for news related to a particular issue or subject, a regain or a smattering from the whole world.

One can hardly keep up with the scandals the Federal Administration is involved in.  The wars and terrorist activities are all over the world.  Crime is everywhere.  Many people are experiencing sensory overload.  Families are struggling to maintain relationships among their other responsibilities.  The economic outlook is bleak. The illegal immigration is becoming another fiasco with potentially deadly consequences.

Few people can pull away to refresh and regroup. For those who do, the rewards are usually visible. During this season of vacations, many are choosing staycations to save money or avoid incurring more debt. The key to becoming peaceful is unplugging the barrage of media at times.  

Ask yourself a few questions before you indulge:

• Have I spent some time at rest this week?
• Will I have an opportunity to rest in the next day or two?
• Are there real concerns that I must be aware of in my geographical location?
• Will the news I see provide an opportunity for me to prepare for events?
• How will I respond/react to more tragic news today?
• Is my personal and family well-being impacted by news that I need to follow?
• Can I follow the pertinent stories without being dragged down?

We all need time to rest.  The Scriptures tell us to rest one full day every week.  In our modern hustle and bustle, that is often difficult to do.  I have found that with some diligence and careful control of my calendar, I can take short periods of time to reflect on God's love for me and really settle my soul.  

Your health, your relationships and your ability to live well is contingent on your self control.  It is a fruit that must be cultivated and nourished.  

Even if you are in a war zone, look for times when you can pull back for a few and rest.  Give your body the strength you need by bringing your thoughts under your intentional control and imagine peace.  You will create the chemicals that your body needs for healing and regaining strength.  

In what ways do you refresh?

Loving Life at the Park

Some ProLife Candidates will join forces with Savethe1 President, Rebecca Kiessling, and Vice President, Darlene Pawlik, to talk about how NH citizens can protect the Right to Life on Thursday, July 31st 2014.

The people of New Hampshire have a formidable foe in Planned Parenthood of Northern New England (PPNNE).  PPNNE receives well over a million dollars in State and Federal subsidies to use for marketing, administration and operating costs. This giant has killed untold numbers of NH citizens.

NH has no reporting requirements, thanks to efforts of abortion supporters.  NH has virtually no provisions that would protect women from deceptive practices, unsafe clinic conditions, fraud or coercion at all. NH's Legislature has been filled with supporters of the abortion industry for way too long.

We, the people, have a great opportunities to get to know our candidates.  There have already been a number of liberty groups around the state that have provided forums for candidates to share their views.  New Hampshire Right to Life is hosting, what I consider to be the most important issue forum, a gathering of ProLife candidates.

Without the Right to Life there can be no liberty, no pursuit of happiness and no potential for ingenuity or prosperity.

You and I can make a difference.  We can fill the House and Senate with people who respect the Right to Life and care about women enough to provide better choices for women who feel trapped by unplanned pregnancy.  Policy makers who respect the Right to Life will usually respect our other God given rights, such as the right to liberty, self protection and the right to property.  It follows logically.

According to the Declaration of Independence, "all men are created equal" and "we are endowed by our Creator with certain inalienable rights, among these are the Right to Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness"  that this includes everyone, regardless of age, size, location, socioeconomic status, level of development, degree of dependence or circumstance of their conception.

We all deserve a chance to live out our destiny.

Inconvenient Truths

When Norma McCorvey was approached, she agreed to the terms laid out by the lawyers; she would sign the documents they'd prepared.  Norma was Jane Roe of Roe v. Wade. 

The laws protected most preborn babies in Texas.  The lawyers challenged the law by claiming Roe was raped.  The child, having been conceived by rape, they insisted, was too much of a burden.  After all, who would force a woman to carry a baby conceived by rape? 

Please note; there is a baby.  A baby indistinguishable from a baby conceived by any other means.  A baby, just as valuable as one conceived with wine and roses.  A baby, fully human and most definitely alive.

Norma had her baby.  The case was for the rest of us.  It is a curious position to be in, to be designated as a classification of people who are legally killed.  Of course, it is for a limited time only.

The case, coupled with Doe v. Bolton, actually allowed abortion on demand for any reason at any time during pregnancy.  Roe was decided, in case of rape, but Bolton had provisions for health of the mother, including, but not limited to financial, medical, emotional or social.  Did I leave anything out?  I think not.

Rape was on the rise in the '60s & '70s.  There are reasons that would require a chapter of a book to explain.  Which I did in my book.   The important thing to note today is that rape is even more prevalent now.  

We live in a highly sexualized and increasingly violent culture.  Rape conception is not rare anymore. Savethe1 President, Rebecca Kiessling, has over a hundred people conceived by rape or born from rape in her contacts.  

Think about that for a moment.  Those are just the people who know they are conceived by rape and have made an effort to become a community.  How many more are there?

Since before the Roe Decision by the Supreme Court, there have been concerned people who actively worked to  create networks of people to combat the evil of abortion.  These activists banded together to strategize and protest abortion, to come up with solutions to crisis pregnancy and to educate the general public about the forthcoming tragedy.

In New England, Warren Goddard and Kathy Souza were among the forerunners and are still active today.  They gathered and fought the tide with a 100% ProLife stand. 

They are called ProLifers.  Sadly today, I am told, up to 60% of people who attest to being ProLife are ProLife with exceptions for rape, incest, fetal anomaly and life of the mother. That was the very basis of Roe in the first place!

Let's break it down; the baby is still a baby.  

• Even if he was conceived by force.  
• Even with fetal anomaly, she is still a child.  
• Even in rare cases wherein the lives of mother and child are mutually endangered, the doctor has two patients; doctors must do their best to save both.  If one is lost, it is sad, but we should not advocate the intentional killing of the baby in order to potentially save the mother.
• Every exception is a person.
• Every one deserves the Right to Life.
• Every one has inestimable value and potential that no one could possibly foretell. 

Norma changed her mind. She knows the truths above.
Sure, there are hard cases.  Life is messy, but we must take the high ground. 

We can provide positive, life affirming solutions for women that are in crisis situations.  Let's tackle the crisis. Find out what she really needs and provide materially, emotionally, finically or other. 

I thank God for so many who, get it. National Personhood Alliance gets it. Visit NPA No exceptions, no compromise groups insist on logic to prevail in the discussion about certain classes of people to whom the Right to Life applies.


Let's bring America back to Life is NPA's motto.  Do you think we can bring the US back to Life?

Responsibility

Critical Defense Institute, Manchester NH

My coach, nearly every time I am in class and sometimes when I am not, comments that I am a type A personality.  

“It’s ok.” he says, “I get you.  I am the same way.” He comments because I will think about the scenarios that might come about that would be a cause for me to use the moves he is teaching.  

He is trying to give me a general knowledge of specific tools to use for innumerable situations though.  He is teaching techniques for self defense in generic situations, but I need to visualize a circumstance in which that particular movement would be implemented.  In my mind, if I can visualize the attack, I can visualize the defense.

“I get a lot done.” is my response.  Sometimes I really get tied up in my responsibilities.  It keeps me up at night.  The To Do lists, the little boxes to check off after tasks have been completed, and the strikethroughs are dogging me.

What makes some people responsible?  Why is it that a volunteer position is a back burner, when I can get to it kind of thought for some people, but for others, the idea of responsibility is almost overwhelming.  When tasks do not get checked off the list, anxiety ensues.  

Responsible means able to be held accountable. It also means required to respond. 

I know people that take on responsibility with ease and dignity.  I know others who barely uphold their contractual obligations. I often wonder what makes the difference.  Why is it that two people can hold the same position at a company and one will always be finding innovative improvements, while another doesn’t even complete the tasks required?

The NH Legislature is basically volunteer. They receive a stipend, but not a regular paycheck.  They need to be very responsible people.  Either they have to be very disciplined and focused or they need a great support system in order to be a valued contributor.  

We really have a special relationship with our legislators here.  We have such a small state and so many in the House and Senate that we might see them in the grocery store or local restaurants.  Local control is what made the USA a great country.  People knew their Representatives.  So, they knew if they were a good representation of their values, goals and ethic. 

Do you know your legislator?  Are they truly representing you in Concord?  These people are making laws that govern your life and that of your community and the lives of the next generation.  They have enormous control over business, infrastructure and your rights as a citizen of the New Hampshire.

My motto as a teen was, “Ignorance is bliss.”  I thought that I could float through life and be free.  I was terribly wrong.  We are all connected. Degrees of separation are just that, degrees.  What you do today affects other people.  What I do does too.  We all have responsibility.  What we do with it, determines more than just our own future.  It could mean the difference between life and death for someone else too.  

Do you know your legislator? Why or why not?

The Next Step

Are you ready for the next step?

Is it a business change, a promotion opportunity or an additional  relationship?  Maybe it is a volunteer position that has opened.  You can do anything, right?

For most of us fear of the unknown or fear of loss keeps us from moving into the next level of life.

It's usually a bubble.

The bubble could be a real obstacle or it could be soap filled with air. Either way, you don't need to let it get in your way.  If you step out and try the new thing, there are only really two potential outcomes.  You might fulfill a need and bring an answer that only you can or you could fail and have to start over.

Bubbles are fascinating.  They are almost mesmerizing. Swirling rainbows, encircling an invisible globe of air float on invisible currents bringing joy to billions of people.

They have a magical quality, in that many people choose to intentionally burst them, while others avoid them, hoping to watch them lift into heaven.

This bubble is hovering over the next step.   Do you step on it?  Do you step beside it, hoping it will float aside, out of your way?

Hard Cases

I was staffing a table at the Women's Expo, here in NH this spring when  young girl approached the booth.  We had a nice assortment of prenatal models and gestational development information.  We also had some birth control brochures and a basket full of models of preborn babies that are the size and appearance of 11-12 weeks to give to people.  We all develop slightly differently, right?

The girl looked around and said we had a nice display.  She had a friendly demeanor and she was very well spoken.  I asked her if she had any questions.  She said she did not and that she was on a debate team in college.  She went on to say that she had taken the 'other' side.

"Oh," I said, "Why is that?"  "Well, I am prochoice in hard cases." she said. "Like, what kind of cases?" I asked. Then I listened.


If a woman is raped and the kid will grow up poor or in an abusive situation, then they should be aborted. She explained it in cold, perfectly reasonable terms. As she spoke about the tragic circumstances that a child might grow up in, I nodded and motioned with my hand for her to keep talking.

"So, you think I should be killed?" I asked, in a tone that was curious, not angry, but challenging. "I am that kid." I told her.

Why is it that people think it is ok to kill others, if their life will be hard?  No one I know has had everything easy.  "Everybody's got stuff." I say all the time.

I spoke with two candidates for office this week. Two candidates in one day told me that exceptions for rape and incest are irrelevant when I asked if they were 100% ProLife.  They are right, in a way.

NH has ZERO protection for any preborn babies.  Actually, there are no real protections for trafficked children, abused and coerced women in NH abortion clinics either.   There are no regulations, no licenses, no inspections of clinics, no required information for women before they submit to abortion.  The abortion vendors in NH have a free reign and supposedly monitor their business themselves.

"Are we going to debate Roe at the State House?" one of the candidates retorted.  I felt as if there is such an attitude of conclusion.  That NH will never protect our most vulnerable and it is preposterous to imagine a time when it would matter if they were actually 100% ProLife, no exceptions, no compromise.

The worst part is that the attitude is so pervasive throughout society.  Human life is so devalued, so trivial that children conspire to kill children.  We are so mixed up about the value of life that a person can go to prison for killing a dog, but others can kill babies right up until the moment of birth and be absolved of any blame.

I think it matters if you are 100% ProLife.

As resources contract and people are desperate, there may be others on the list of exceptions.  You may not kill another person, except in case of ...  You name it.

The category of people legally killed is currently limited to the preborn, those hidden from view.  Many cases of children with devastating diagnoses have been hidden away to be killed in hospitals already.  We know of cases where our elderly have been neglected and killed to save resources.

I believe a huge part of the problem of reduced resources is that fact that we have killed scores of millions of people who could have come up with cures, inventions, systems and all kinds of marvels that could have propelled the world into a prosperous future. Instead we have wounded women, men stripped of their legacy and a culture with little regard for other people.

Who's next?

Excuse Me, NH Senators

The auto response from the NH State Senators is hardly reasonable. Some presume to “face-palm” NH Constituents.  In anticipation of an upcoming vote to impose law on NH citizens, the response to email requesting representation is an impersonal snub.

For example: They auto respond that if you are not in their district, contact your own Senator.

This ought not be so.  Senators make their policy and voting records known during campaigning and while executing their terms.  They have the right to vote the way they want to. They were elected to office.  My issue is not, as much, how they vote, but how they vote without any accountability to particular pieces of legislation, unless the communicant is in their own voting district.

Of course, I expect responses to voters.  I also expect responses for those who will be impacted by a particular piece of legislation.  I deserve to be addressed and so do you.  

We adhere to the foundational premise of freedom in the US.  NH, in particular, has motto of: Live Free or Die. 

Yet our legislature passed a bill the infringes on our First Amendment Rights.  The right to assemble and the right to speak freely have been abridged by this 2014 legislature.

Senate Bill 319, also known as, the Buffer Zone Bill, forbids people to enter or gather on the public sidewalk in front of abortion clinics.  

We are not allowed to offer help to women.  We may not get close enough to allow a victim of an abusive situation to reach out for help before a coerced abortion.  We are not allowed to pray: to ask Almighty God to intervene in the lives of the people inside, to ask for his mercy on victims, to ask for His help to get out of bad situations, to ask for Him to send angels in to care for the souls of all, to be a ready hand in time of need.

Are they above reproach?  Some of these Senators believe they are too insulated to respond to us when we ask for their opposition to traitorous acts, such as the Buffer Zone.  An impersonal auto responder is ok for a stopgap, but NH Citizens should be acknowledged. If they are getting so much email that they cannot respond, perhaps it would be prudent to carefully consider whether they are on the right side, the side of the people.

When you think about who you are voting for, think about how they will represent you.  Do you really want Legislators who will enact legislation that impacts the whole state, but will only be held accountable by their own voting constituents?

Remembering Memorial Day

This is my Father-in-law's flag.  He was a sergeant in WWII.  I never had the chance to meet him.  He served our country with honor and dignity.

The Flag is woven. You can get a feel for how heavy it is by looking at the stars.  They are embroidered into the fabric. The material is thick and yet, you can almost make out the stripes behind the fold.  This flag has physical weight, but it has a greater weight, by far. It has significance.

I have a friend who currently serves as a special ops officer in the military.  He was visiting recently and another friend commented about how friendly he is.  Without skipping a beat and without actually thinking, I said, "He is one of the nicest people.  It is almost hard to believe he kills people for a living."  Of course, he does much more than that, but it is a part of his job.

Years ago, I was talking to a candidate for State Senate, here in NH.  There must have been  bill in progress that had something to do with Planned Parenthood. If I recall correctly, it was to disallow tax dollars to feed their business.  As I explained that they are the largest abortion vendor in the world, he said, "But they do so much good." I shook my head, tried to compose myself and walked away from him.

He followed me across the room.  "Friends don't walk away from each other." he rebuked.  I apologized.  "We can disagree." he told me, but when a legislator disagrees, they back that with the power of the law.  Do we really understand that they make laws?

Unlike my friend in the military, who does kill people during wartime as part of his job, the people at Planned Parenthood kill the most vulnerable and innocent of our society.  The people that do abortions may be nice people, but let us not lose sight of what they do in the clinics.  We need not hate them, but we must hate what they do.

As we seek to elect legislators, we must remember that they will make laws.  Those laws will be enforced with guns, prisons and fines and fees.

When I remember the brave men and women of World War II, I am struck silent by the thought of their utter and complete willingness to fight for freedom, especially for those who could not fight for themselves.

Elections are coming.  Please be informed.  Please be vigilant. Please remember the weak and vulnerable.  Please remember the valiant too.  May their sacrifice be held as the highest honor to the USA.

Dear Candidate

Dear Political Candidate,

My name is Darlene. We have not met.  I've been told that you are not ProLife.  You are listed as a Republican on the Republican ballot here in NH.

ProLife is a modern term that usually means anti-abortion to most people.  It means a great deal more than that to me.

I would venture to say that you are ProLife when it comes to your friends and family members.  It is very unlikely that you would be willing for someone to "make a choice" to pull your nephew's arms and legs off and crush his skull or to have digoxin injected into your co-workers heart, causing a heart attack so that she would die within a few hours from the excruciating pain and oxygen deprivation. These are two common abortion procedures.

I'm pretty sure you are a person that would not want a two-year old to be placed into a vat of poison that would burn her skin and mucous membranes causing a slow, painful death that would take anywhere from an hour to 3 days. This is another abortion procedure.

So, what age would it be appropriate to take such actions? Or is it that you don't personally have a connection to the people to whom these atrocities are being committed?

Should only those who are perfect and beautiful, productive and smart be provided protection under the law?  Who determines this criteria?

Wouldn't that exclude a huge swath of people? What about your grandmother or your great aunt?  When they are no longer providing a service to humanity, should they no longer be protected from imposed death?  What if they were ill or disabled?

As a candidate for public office, you are agreeing to take on enormous responsibilities.  If elected, you will have great influence.  You will have the ability to enact laws that either protect innocent life or protect those who would murder the most vulnerable of our society.

If only the person contracted to kill another can see the person being killed, does that make it ok?  Only the abortion facility staff ever see their victims. So, is that what makes it ok to kill the most vulnerable of our society?

Maybe it is ok to kill older people or the disabled, if we use their remains to power electric plants. Or in some other way, make a person deemed useless useful by taking their body parts after we kill them and using the for research or mulch.

If you believe that people should be protected from imposed death, then you are ProLife.  I hope you will think about the scenarios depicted herein.  This happens every day.

I would be very happy to meet with you or talk at any time about how you might be able to protect people from murder, so that we do not see a future like that of Nazi Germany.

You have a chance to be a tower of hope in a time of great importance.  Will you be lifted up above the base to protect people?

What would you say in response to this letter?

The Most Marginalized

Luke 15:4

What man of you, having an hundred sheep, if he lose one of them, doth not leave the ninety and nine in the wilderness, and go after that which is lost, until he find it?

Hear, Jesus alludes to a magnificent truth.  God cares for the one 

most marginalized: the one that wandered off, the one that didn't keep up, the one that wasn't like all the others, the one, perhaps, that no one else wanted. 

While I have been preparing for the first Board meeting for the newly formed Savethe1, I have been poring over the governing documents.  The foundational premiss of the group and its mission is to advocate for that one that is most marginalized.  We are that one.  

I love the vision of Jesus reaching out with his staff and as He reaches for that one afar off, He catches all as the curved staff brings the outlier in.

We are a group of people who were conceived and born as a result of rape or incest, or are women who have conceived by rape, or some who were born with fetal anomaly. We are used by the pro-abortion movement to prove the 'need' for abortion and we are used by the proLife movement as a concession or exception in an attempt to pass legislation that would presumably save some babies from abortion.  

Some even say 99% would be saved, because 1% of all abortions are committed in cases of rape, incest and fetal anomaly, including Down Syndrome. 

The biggest problem with this logic is that we are people, not exceptions.  We are no less human beings than someone conceived with wine and roses.  There is either a baby worth saving and protecting, or there is not.

Obviously, the pro-abortion crowd, knows this.  That is why they used the argument of the need for abortion in case of rape in Roe v Wade.  The fallacy of adding the trauma of abortion onto the trauma of rape as a means of helping the first victim is absurd.

When a woman conceives due to rape, there are two victims. Both need our care and neither should be punished, especially not by the death penalty.  

In what ways do you think Jesus would advocate for the 1%?

Teddy Bears and Tattletales

Teach your kids to talk.  No one likes a constant tattle tale, but silence is the enemy. 

There are so many problems that can be handled with some discussion.  Everyone develops at their own pace and by their own unique path.  It is amazing to me that when children don’t meet predetermined standards, they get labeled as slow, or ADD or ADHD or whatever.  

Communication is a very important part of development. Some kids are better at it than others.  Let’s face it, some adults are better at it than others.  I have five children and they are all different. My first spoke clearly articulated sentences at about a year old. My third child had a significant speech impediment and wouldn’t talk to non family members until she was five. 

Our family is all about talking it out.  When we had anything come up that was disturbing or exciting or even monotonous, we talked.  Whether we were hanging in the living room or sitting on the end of the bed at night there were targeted times to talk.  We talked when we got up in the morning, as we went through our day and every time something significant happened, we talked about the behavior we should choose, the implications for the future and the best perspective to have. 

We were very involved in our church when the kids were younger.  My husband and I taught Sunday School and worked with the youth among other stuff.  So, once when the kids had a dispute and parents took great offense.  We talked about the Biblical response.  We talked about the way various people perceived the situation and how they dealt with it.  We talked about the leadership style of the people involved and how they might handle each circumstance.

This should not be perceived as an absolute in our relationships. There were plenty of things I found out about years after they happened.  It was the general rule though and probably has a lot to do with that fact that people are amazed at the maturity of our children and what they have been able to accomplish.

Suffering in silence was the hallmark of my childhood.  We were taught how to keep the secrets of our abuse.  If you ask relatives, they will tell you I was sneaky.  I didn’t know any better.  Our abusers were adept at teaching us how to be quiet and not let on what was happening.  The training and terrible threats were very effective.  We became very covert too.  My sister and I acted out in different ways, but neither of us could talk about the abuse until well into our twenties and thirties.  There were other women too that told of his brutality.  Because we kept silent, he went on free to continue the reign of terror. 

There is a statute of limitations on child abuse, even child molestation.  Even when we could talk about it, nothing could be done.  So, teach your kids to talk.  "See something, Say something" is not a bad motto to have.  Hopefully, they never know any abuse, good communication is essential for success.  

How do you find ways to keep your kids talking?

A.C.T.

Over the weekend, I spoke at Connecticut Right to Life’s (CTRTL) Annual Convention.  I’d planned to tell my abbreviated life story. I’d be tying in aspects of the fact that I was conceived by rape and how that affected me. Then, that I was a trafficked child from my 14th birthday and some of what happened with that.  Then, how I was purchased by a man who would have forced me to have and abortion and how I faked an abortion to get away from him. 

Friday night, the President of CT RTL told me I’d be first. With that complicated, emotional and draining topic, how would the rest of the day look?

I’d run all day events with speakers and music and demonstration or protests in the past.  If people are going to be able to participate in an all day event, you can’t drain them by pulling all of their emotions out first thing.  That might work if your goal is to get them motivated to do something that day, but this was a room full of people expected to sit through an entire day of speakers. It was social and a nice lunch was provided.

So, I decided to be light and interactive.  With such heavy topics, it took a great deal of energy. I was given the floor for an hour.  The sound system at the hotel wasn’t working and the room, that could have held 150 people was set banquet style and held 80. 

How’d I do?

https://www.youtube.com/edit?video_id=Xtbw2hYph7Y

Sorry about the disorientation.

Trading Ideas

Port cities are fascinating.  Throughout history, even to the most ancient times.  Port cities entertain all kinds of people. 

As trade ports, many great business people with high moral standards necessarily frequent them.  Many conniving, traitorous and letcherous people also come to see who they might take advantage of. Many people live there, but many people just stop there to buy and sell.

In the same way as merchants, public office holders and political candidates must sell their ideas and policies.  Some in their own neighborhoods, some must travel to promote their message. 

Political ports are everywhere around the country for national candidates, but there are certain places that could be considered major.  Ohio, New Hampshire and the Carolinas are pretty high on the list of must visit places for presidential candidates. 

In New Hampshire, our local and state political candidates frequent the transfer stations. This is where they can meet people and talk about the issues that matter to them.  They also hold events at town halls and restaurants where they talk about issues important to the local audiences.

The job of constituents is to find out how the candidates will vote in the real world of legislation and regulations that affect people's lives.  Citizen advocacy groups are especially focused on finding out how candidates will vote.  This is an extremely important responsibility.  Candidates become office holders and they become lawmakers. 

When it comes to the right to life for New Hampshire citizens, I will be asking candidates where they stand, will you?  

More People, More Pie

Some people think that there are too many people in the world. There are some crowded places to be sure, but there are also plenty of wide open spaces. These same people believe that there are a limited amount of resources to be had. Further, many of them believe that people are a drain on the environment and that the environment should be protected, even if it is at the expense of people. 

The wealth of the world has increased with the increase of people.  There is more pie. The pie is not limited.  It increases by ingenuity and innovation, by creativity and work.  These are unique attributes of people.  People are so awesome. Everyone is unique.  Every one is important.

Consider that one of the trillions of individual cells in one human being is as complex as a skyscraper.  There are structures that screen for security, some enzymes are allowed and some are not. There are areas of permeability, like tiny windows.  There is a whole complex power supply station right inside, like is own micro generator.  Our cells produce electricity, chemicals, nutrient and waste products. Each one has rooms and compartments for the various components.  The blueprints for the entire structure are encapsulated in every single one.  

When a new person is created, the two individual cells become one, shedding some of their individuality and combining resources that increase and multiplying a a miraculous rate, they actually build a new person from a microscopic union.

People are producers by nature.  We love to build, to make things, create music, art, intrigue.  We plant, nurture and cook.  We gather and arrange.  We catalog and organize.  We are so amazing!  Because of people, we can get into a box on four wheels, turn a key and create a series of events that enable us to move at ridiculous speed and visit or serve other people. We can transport people or goods anywhere on the earth.  We can even communicate in real time with anyone anywhere without ever leaving the comfort of our couch.

People make these things happen.  People produce the technology.  People give us art, People help us appreciate the beauty around us.  People nourish dreams and cast visions.    

Of course, I recognize the other side of the coin.  There are bad people, those who hurt others, who destroy things and crush dreams.  We all have known them.  Some of us have been hurt by them, but those few do not represent the whole. Almost every person has value and or adds value in their own way.  Humans are not the problem.  Humans are the answer.

There are a lot of problems in this world, but it is people who have or will create the answer to each of those problems and lest you think I am too idealistic, I know that some people are the problem.  Their utter rejection of other, lesser people, is ludicrous. 

Elitists believe in reducing the population by any and all means possible. That is a notion that should be wholly rejected as an illogical solution to the world’s problems. We need people.

ProLife people understand the principle of more people means more pie. How are you see you fellow man?  Are they the problem or the answer?

First Issue First

Few people have not been used for something in their lives.  Perhaps a coworker frequently joins you for lunch and doesn't remember her wallet or a sibling with a habit of borrowing your vehicle and leaving the tank empty.  Of course there are the, so called, friends that borrow stuff never to be returned or that, all too familiar girlfriend or boyfriend who tells you they love you and then leaves your heart broken.

That is what ProLifers feel like during election seasons.  Politicians love to attend our events, talk about respect for life and even demand things must change.  Then when our people show up, pony up and stand up for them, they win. Too often, when they get into office they do not vote to protect the right to life. 

We were used.  Large contingents of people honestly care about life and the right to life for everyone, regardless of age, level of development, or degree of disability.  People are valuable because they are people.  They deserve protection under the law.  They deserve the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.  Thankfully, there are some willing to hold public office.




We have real treasure in our Founding Documents.  They established this country with just laws.  No one and nothing is ever going to be perfect, but America's original intent was pretty good.  The corruption of our laws is directly related to the corruption of our lawmakers.  They say one thing and do another.  Life is not the only issue for office holders to be concerned with, but it is the first issue.

Without the right to life, what is there?  A gravesite?  Let's be real.  Dead people don't care about jobs or taxes or welfare reform or corporate regulation.  We need lawmakers who have the first right in mind.  If a person respects another's right to life, they will probably respect other rights endowed by our Creator.

If a person is willing for others who are inconvenient or infirm to be killed, why would anyone think they were not willing to lie?  People who advocate for legal killing are not likely going to respect your property rights.  Consider for a moment how much money it saves to kill an ill person, who may cost thousands of dollars a day to treat and what about how much money is made by killing tiny people who are not seen by anyone except their executioners.  Much of that money is fueling the debate and paying for the campaigns. 

I urge you to carefully consider who you are supporting this year.  Think about whether or not we will have another opportunity to restore our country. NH is one of the worst places to be a pre-born baby.  Let's change that.  Let's put people in office who fear God enough to tell the truth, to protect His creation and to honor their pledges.

Are you paying attention?  How will you be helping to protect the rights of your countrymen?