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Karsten Aurich (* 27. Juni 1970 in Hamburg) ist ein deutscher Filmproduzent, Produktions- und Herstellungsleiter.

Leben und Wirken
Karsten Aurich studierte von 1998 bis 2003 an der Deutschen Film- und Fernsehakademie Berlin (dffb) im Studiengang "Film- und Fernsehproduktion". Seit 1999 ist er an der Produktion von Kino- und Fernsehfilmen beteiligt. Karsten Aurich ist Gründungsgesellschafter der sabotage films GmbH in Berlin und Mitglied der Deutschen Filmakademie.

Aurich realisierte mehrere abendfüllende Spielfilme als Produktions- und Herstellungsleiter, u. a. den im Wettbewerb des Filmfestivals von Cannes 2004 uraufgeführten Kinofilm Die fetten Jahre sind vorbei von Regisseur Hans Weingartner. Er verwirklichte 2005 als durchführender Produzent sein erstes Serienprojekt, die sechsteilige Miniserie Ijon Tichy: Raumpilot für das ZDF. Zudem war er 2006 ausführender Produzent in Hans Weingartners Kinofilmproduktion Free Rainer mit Moritz Bleibtreu in der Hauptrolle.

Zusammen mit dem Regisseur Hannes Stöhr produzierte er 2008 Berlin Calling, einen Film über den Techno-DJ Paul Kalkbrenner. Im Folgejahr 2009 übernahm er die Herstellungsleitung des preisgekrönten Films Die Fremde von Feo Aladag. Seitdem produzierte er verschiedene Dokumentarfilme sowie die Fortsetzung der ZDF-Serie Ijon Tichy: Raumpilot.

Seit 2015 ist Karsten Aurich vor allem als Produzent von Fernsehfilmen und Reihen für die Prime-Time von ARD und ZDF tätig. Karsten Aurich lehrt seit 2005 als Dozent für kaufmännische Filmproduktion an verschiedenen Filmhochschulen, Filmakademien und filmbezogenen Bildungseinrichtungen.

Filmographie
 2002: Detroit, Spielfilm, Regie: Ludwig & Glaser
 2003: Achtung, Fertig, Charlie!, Spielfilm, Regie: Mike Eschmann
 2004: Die fetten Jahre sind vorbei (Produktions- und Herstellungsleitung), Spielfilm, Regie: Hans Weingartner
 2004: Close, Spielfilm, Regie: Marcus Lenz
 2005: 3° Kälter ("3° Colder", "3° de moins"), Spielfilm, Regie: Florian Hoffmeister
 2005: Alias Alejandro, Dokumentarfilm, Regie: Alejandro Cardenas-Amelio
 2005: Berlin Ecke Volksbühne (Produktions- und Herstellungsleitung), Dokumentarfilm, Regie: Britta Wauer
 2006: Free Rainer (Reclaim Your Brain) (Ausführender Produzent), Spielfilm, Regie: Hans Weingartner
 2007: Ijon Tichy: Raumpilot (Koproduktion u. a. mit Kosmische Kollegen, ZDF, DFFB), 6tlg. Sci-Fi-Serie, Regie: Dennis Jacobsen, Oliver Jahn, Randa Chahoud
 2008: Berlin Calling, Spielfilm, Regie: Hannes Stöhr
 2008: Es geht um Alles, Dokumentarfilm, Regie: Nina Pourlak, Sebastian Lempe
 2009: Die Fremde (Herstellungsleitung für Independent Artists), Spielfilm, Regie: Feo Aladag
 2010: Das Schiff des Torjägers (Herstellungsleitung für teamWorx Television & Film), Dokumentarfilm, Regie: Heidi Specogna
 2011: Ijon Tichy: Raumpilot (2. Staffel) (Koproduktion mit Kosmische Kollegen), 8tlg. Sci-Fi-Serie im Auftrag des ZDF, Regie: Dennis Jacobsen, Oliver Jahn, Randa Chahoud
 2011: Im Himmel, unter der Erde (Herstellungsleitung für Britzka Film), Dokumentarfilm, Regie: Britta Wauer
 2012: Global Home, Dokumentarfilm, Regie: Eva Stotz
 2013: Global Player – Wo wir sind isch vorne, Spielfilm, Regie: Hannes Stöhr
 2014: Zwischen Welten (Herstellungsleitung für Independent Artists), Spielfilm, Regie: Feo Aladag
 2015: Nele in Berlin, Fernsehfilm im Auftrag des ZDF, Regie: Katinka Feistl
 2016: Drei Väter sind besser als keiner, Fernsehfilm im Auftrag der ARD-Degeto, Regie: Till Franzen
 2016: Rabbi Wolff (Herstellungsleitung für Britzka Film), Dokumentarfilm, Regie: Britta Wauer
 2016: Der Andere – eine Familiengeschichte (Herstellungsleitung für Independent Artists), Spielfilm, Regie: Feo Aladag
 2017: Hausbau mit Hindernissen, Fernsehfilm im Auftrag der ARD-Degeto, Regie: Till Franzen
 2018: Der Froschkönig, Fernsehfilm in der Reihe Herzkino.Märchen im Auftrag des ZDF, Regie: Jeanette Wagner
 2018: Schneeweißchen und Rosenrot, Fernsehfilm in der Reihe Herzkino.Märchen im Auftrag des ZDF, Regie: Seyhan Derin
 2019: Frau Holles Garten, Fernsehfilm in der Reihe Herzkino.Märchen im Auftrag des ZDF, Regie: Seyhan Derin
 2020: Schneewittchen am See, Fernsehfilm in der Reihe Herzkino.Märchen im Auftrag des ZDF, Regie: Alex Schmidt
 2021: Die Sterntaler des Glücks, Fernsehfilm in der Reihe Herzkino.Märchen im Auftrag des ZDF, Regie: Miriam Dehne

Quellen

 Sabotage Film
 Karsten Aurich bei der Deutschen Filmakademie

Einzelnachweise

Filmproduzent
Deutscher
Geboren 1970
Mann


Dr. Elaine Sierra-Rivera serves as the Scientific Review Officer for the Cancer Etiology (CE) Study Section.
CE reviews grant application related to the causal agents, processes, and cells involved in early events in carcinogenesis. The emphasis is on linking disciplines of chemistry and pathology to the etiology of cancer. After receiving her Ph.D. in cancer biology/radiation biology at the University of Iowa, Dr. Sierra-Rivera had postdoctoral training in the pathology department at Brown University. She then went to Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, where she was an assistant professor. Her initial research focused on the molecular response of GSH to oxidative stress in various tumor models and later on growth factor modulation of human mammary epithelium during oncogenic transformation. She was also involved in investigations to determine how TGF-ß and tie2 receptor tyrosine kinase modulate brain tumor cells survival.


Today is the last time I am going to write about Cathy Glasson.
There are certain rules and norms in politics. One of the biggest of those is, if you run in a primary, you buy into the outcome, and if you lose, you endorse the winner. That's not ideological - it's simply common courtesy.
But one of the more disturbing trends in the "Movement," for lack of a better term for the left edge of the Democratic coalition, has been the normalization of sore loser-ism. It began with Bernie Sanders' refusal to recognize simple math and his insistence that a nomination was still winnable long after that was possible, and his half-assed token "endorsement" of the woman who defeated him.
Fred Hubbell won an absolute majority in a five* way primary. John Norris, Andy McGuire, and Ross Wilburn immediately congratulated and endorsed him. (* The endorsement of the guy I voted for is not welcome.) That's how it's supposed to work.
But Glasson never said the appropriate words, and demanded speaking time at the Iowa Democratic convention. That was the moment the endorsement should have happened - yet it didn't. I grumbled that day, then set it aside for a bit.
A couple weeks back I got word that Glasson was speaking at the Iowa CCI convention, being held today. At that point I thought: "one more chance." It would be an awkward stage, sure, as Vote For Fred was not a message the CCI audience would want to hear. That made it even more important to say.
"Aside from those two lines," wrote Pat Rynard, "Glasson's address was pretty much no different than one of her campaign rally speeches." Later in the day, he added: "after November she plans on shifting to a focus on presidential candidates and pressing the 2020 hopefuls who come into the state on progressive policy ideas & messaging."
That plays into the theory floated by the Des Moines Register that the "campaign" was never really about electing Catherine R. Glasson as Governor of Iowa - but was it was an elaborate mailing list building operation to help SEIU be a player in the 2020 caucuses.
Later in the day keynoter Nina Turner, the high profile Sanders backer who has never won a contested election larger than a city council race, made this thinly veiled dig at Hubbell: "Folks are just flat out buying elections, even people who we like... We shouldn't support candidates who can buy the election"
True, Hubbell had the most money. But Glasson had the second most money of the candidates who finished the race (virtually all from the coffers of SEIU). She could not match Fred dollar for dollar, but unlike Norris and Wilburn, she had enough money to be visible and to make her case. And she made it well and she did so at the appropriate time.
And the voters rejected it.
Much has been made of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and her defeat of congressional incumbent Joe Crowley on a "socialist" message. But Iowa is not the Bronx. Just weeks before, Cathy Glasson ran a much better funded campaign on a very similar message - and lost 55-20%.
What do you do when you lose 55 to 20%? You congratulate and endorse the winner. Refusing to endorse is not only rude, it's an insult to the majority of the voters. Primary night? Strike one. State convention? Strike two. Today? You're out.
Cathy Glasson has instead thrown in with those who think an 85% good Democrat is worse than a 100% bad Republican. Fortunately, most Glasson supporters I know have moved on and are ready for Hubbell to defeat Kim Reynolds.
Glasson's lack of endorsement will not harm Hubbell. The only damage is to her own credibility.
So today is the last time I will write about Cathy Glasson. She had a big stage today. It was her last best chance to be a team player, and she refused.
Today is the last time I will write about Cathy Glasson - because through her own actions, she has made herself irrelevant to the 2018 general election.
Friendly advice from an election staffer: If you think you want to be part of a first day march to the polls on the first day of votingOctober 8, do NOT fill out a vote by mail request. Voiding out a vote by mail request slows down the line.
Don't panic on day three and get scared about your ballot being "lost," and don't expect to see a mailed ballot in your box till the end of that week at best.
And don't fill out an absentee request just to make the staffer or volunteer happy if you have no intention of actually voting it and are thinking "I'll just go to the polls." That also slows down the line.
Personally I think in person early voting is a safer option for people who can. Vote-doesn't-count kinds of mistakes are not common, but when they do happen they are almost always on mailed ballots.
Iowa Starting Line took a look at party registrations in the just finished primary election.
Here in Johnson County, the Democrats are up 2132 active registrations through the end of June. The peak was even higher but invariably we see some double switchers every primary.
By percentage, Dems jumped from 45.69% on May 4, the Friday before voting started, to a peak of 48.32% on June 14 when voter history was updated. That's just short of the all time Johnson County Democratic peak of 49.26% after the 2016 caucus and primary cycle. Double-switches and new registrations have dropped the Democrat's share to 48.15% as of Thursday June 18.
When there's not a caucus or primary going on, new registrations, especially from the Department of Transportation, tend to default to No Party. I cannot remember the last time I saw a registration come through from the DOT changing from No Party to a party, any party. DOT changes are ALWAYS the other way around - from parties to No Party.
Also, a pet peeve: The Secretary of State's stats including the statistical category "Other" - when there is only one thing in "Other," the Greens.


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You are here: HomenextThrough the DecadesnextThe War YearsnextWW IInextWartime MemoriesnextHilda Kiddell's Laindon War Memories
Hilda Kiddell's Laindon War Memories
We moved down to Laindon from London in 1929
Hilda Kiddell and her brother Brian at the Centenary of the Laindon Baptist Fellowship in 2009
My name is Hilda Kiddell, I am 81 years old. We moved down to Laindon from London in 1929 and lived where the Southfields is but they wanted to build West Mayne so we had a compulsory order put on our bungalow.
When the war started in September, I could not go to school for the first two months because Brentwood was considered a Military Area because of the barracks at Warley. When we did start back it was a cycle ride to school and just pick up
homework two days week.
During the war I worked in London and went by the old steam train to Fenchurch street. I think we had to get out at most of the stations along the route and go on by bus because the railway had been bombed.
I remember in particular after the big incendiary raid trying to get round St. Pauls about 11am. But when I did arrive at my office there was a notice 'Unexploded Bomb' so I had to go home again.
I also remember the one fatal casualty when a young girl named Penny was at the wardens post where Plotlands is now was killed by a bomb that hit the post.
The other big thing that happened was when a landmine dropped on Richards Farm which was at the top of King Edwards road it did not go off so the army had to come and detonate it. It made a huge crater but fortunately it was in a field.
Also we watched the Spitfires come from Hornchurch on the first day light raid on London it was terrifying.
When I was 18 I was called up and had to go to Hoffmann ball bearing factory at Chelmsford. There were many Americans who used to go to Chelmsford from the nearby airfields.
Whilst I was there they started planning for D-Day invasion and the A127 road was used as a parking place for all kinds of military vehicles.
We also saw the Gliders that were taking the Troops to Arnhem.
There was also a big prisoner of war camp at the top of Crown Hill, Langdon Hills most of the prisoners were German or Italian.
When VE day came my parents had taken my younger brother for a holiday at Walton-on-the-Naze. My sister, who was in the WAAF and I joined them. There were great celebrations and fireworks. I went on the Ferris wheel for the first and last time in my life.
But most of my thoughts were with my other brother who was on an Aircraft carrier which sailed in with American ships to Tokyo Bay to receive the Japanese surrender
© Copyright of content contributed to this Archive rests with the author.
Hilda Kiddell is the subject of an Article on the Centenary of the Laindon Baptist Fellowship where she unvailed the commemorative Plaque. It was felt therefore that it would be nice to provide a copy of her Laindon War Memories.
This article was published in 2005 and has been copied from "WW2 People's War is an online archive of wartime memories contributed by members of the public and gathered by the BBC. The archive can be found at www.bbc.co.uk/ww2peopleswar"
Is this Hilda Kiddell that lived in Dunton Drive, if so we lived at a bungalow across the road "Malvern".
By Mary Hawkins nee Pratt (26/05/2011)
Wartime Memories
A Laindon lad's memories of World War II
Another Wartime Journey
Early Life in Laindon 1940 to 1947. Part 1.
Hilda Bragg (née Harber) - Memories of Laindon and World War II
Hutted Camp (266)
Ivy Powell's War Memories
The Burton Family's War Years
Wartime Trains
William Diment's War Years
My War Years Memories

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


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Daily News for Commercial Real Estate & Business – November 22, 2010
To view the ULI Arizona Fall 2010 Report, click here.
To view the 4th Quarter 2010 RERC/CCIM Investment Trends Quarterly, click here.
ARIZONA BOARD OF REGENTS BUYS MILL AVENUE OFFICE BUILDING AT CENTERPOINT IN TEMPE The Arizona Board of Regents paid $11.4 million ($143.78 per foot) to purchase a 79,288-square-foot office building within the Centerpoint mixed-use project located along the west side of Mill Avenue and north of University Dive in Tempe. The seller was Centerpoint Holdings LLC, a company formed by DMB Associates Inc. in Scottsdale (Drew Brown, Mark Sklar, Bennett Dorrance, principals). The buyer paid cash to acquire the four-story building, which is located immediately west of the Arizona State University campus. The office structure, located at 660 S. Mill Avenue, is 82 percent leased. View article…
VENTURE PAYS $52 MILLION FOR CAMELBACK ROAD OFFICE PROJECT THAT WAS TO BE FORECLOSED A venture formed by Angelo, Gordon & Co. in New York City, N.Y. (John Angelo, Michael Gordon, partners) and Phoenix investor Dave Warren paid $52 million ($154.10 per foot) to buy the 337,450-square-foot Anchor Centre office complex located at the southeast corner of Camelback Road and 22nd Street in Phoenix. View article…
East Valley Tribune expanding offices into Tempe, Chandler The East Valley Tribune will expand its operations into Tempe and Chandler next year as part of its growth under new ownership. The Tribune will move from its current single location in Mesa to three sites in the first few months of 2011. View article…
Scottsdale OK's Lyle Anderson eco-resort A luxury eco-resort being developed by Lyle Anderson Cos. gained unanimous approval of the Scottsdale City Council. The project calls 324 resort units on the 219-acre site located between The Golf Club Scottsdale and the McDowell Sonoran Preserve. View article…
Cities craft rules on medical pot dispensaries Southeast Valley cities are working hard to have a say in where the medical marijuana dispensaries are located. Without ordinances setting limits on their location, cities risk getting them placed wherever an approved applicant desires, officials say. View article…
QuikTrip could be built near Avondale City Hall There likely will soon be a QuikTrip convenience store and gas station virtually across the street from Avondale City Hall. The Avondale City Council on Monday unanimously approved a conditional-use permit that paves the way for the QT, as the store is also called. Councilwoman Stephanie Karlin was absent. View article…
Craft building construction starts in Sun City Festival in Buckeye Construction has begun on an 8,700-square-foot craft building at Sun City Festival in Buckeye. View article…
Toy stores make comeback at Mesa malls After two years of no toy stores in Mesa malls, parents now have something to look forward to when they get a start on their holiday shopping this weekend. ToyZam opened a brightly-colored, 3,500-square-foot store Tuesday at Fiesta Mall. Toy Mart is expected to open next week at Superstition Springs Center. View article…
Gilbert Council approves deal for $10 million solar plant The Gilbert Town Council on Thursday discussed the following items. The council is scheduled to meet next in study session on Dec. 6, followed by a regular meeting on Dec. 9. A power-purchase agreement with California-based SPG Solar, which wants to build a $10 million solar plant at Gilbert's Neely Wastewater Reclamation Plant. View article…
Construction industry pulls down AZ GDP Arizona's economy shrunk by 3.9 percent in 2009, due in large part to weakness in the construction industry. The U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis released state-by-state data for 2009 on Thursday. View article…
AZ delinquencies mark slight decline The delinquency rate for mortgage loans on residential properties in Arizona declined slightly in the third quarter, but Arizona remains among the top states for late mortgage payments. View article…
CoreLogic Home Price Index Shows Decline for Second Straight Month Home prices in the United States have declined for two months in a row, according to CoreLogic's market index, after rising for the first seven months of the year. The latest CoreLogic Home Price Index (HPI) shows that national home prices, including distressed sales, declined 2.79 percent in September 2010 when compared to September 2009. That follows a drop of 1.08 percent in August 2010 from a year earlier. View article…
3 Banks Closed on Nov. 19 Federal and state banking regulators closed three banks on Friday, Nov. 19. These failures raise the total number of failed institutions to 171 so far in 2010. View article…
If you want a copy of the latest foreclosure spreadsheet, email me and I will send it to you.
Feel free to contact me regarding any of these stories, the current market, distressed commercial real estate opportunities or your property.


Why do modern nutritionists want to deprive us of sugar? Are they just mean? Who would "steal candy from a baby"?
Babies love sweets! Kids crave sweets. Lovers gift sweets to demonstrate their "sweet" love. Dieters cheat with sweets. Retired elders happily devour sweets. Stressed people seek solace in sweets. Doesn't everybody love sweets?
Humans have a built-in preference for sweet-tasting foods. Our ancestors learned that a sweet taste meant "safe." A bitter taste meant "poison." Our genetic radar always gives sweet foods the "green go-ahead light"!
Sweet foods often grew on trees or bushes in the late summer and early fall. Early humans eating sweet foods stocked up on what key survival substance? Fat!
Now fast-forward about 10,000 years to TODAY. Our genetic programming still "thinks" that high sugar consumption has those same survival advantages. Only now, the availability of sugar is not limited to one short period a year.
Recently medical experts in obesity are beginning to use a new term: "the obesogenic environment." This means there are food cues, food ads, food sales, fast food stores, convenience shops, vending machines, cheap snacks, Big Gulps, and processed foods/drinks…EVERYWHERE and ALWAYS—DAY and NIGHT in the western world.
Just for the record, no one wants to be fat. I repeat, no one wants to be fat!
PAIN. INFLAMMATION. MORE PAIN. DEPRESSION. EMOTIONAL PAIN. DIABETES. PAINFUL JOINTS. MYSTERIOUS "-ITIS" DISEASES. HEART ATTACKS. FATTY LIVER LEADING TO CIRRHOSIS SLEEP APNEA. CHRONIC FATIGUE. SOCIAL STIGMAS. EARLY DISABILITIES. HIGHER RISK OF CANCERS. MORE PAIN. EARLY DEATH.
No one wants to be fat. Most fat people don't really know WHY they are fat. They have tried and failed many times to lose their fat. They feel trapped in their overweight bodies.
Fat people are typically blamed for their condition: "You are a glutton and a sloth." Even trained doctors incorrectly believe that obesity is due to excessive calorie intake in conjunction with inadequate exercise.
Fortunately, science is finally revealing the common denominator to all obesity. It's literally the elephant in the living room, plain as day. Societally, we've refused to look the demon in the eye.
Sugar causes physical, personal, and societal pain on so many levels.
Overeat sugar -> candida yeast proliferates in the gut -> stomach ache ->irritable bowel ->leaky gut -> immune dysfunction -> neurotransmitter dysregulation ->depression ->profound fatigue ->disabilities -> inability to move -> overload in health care and social support systems ->national budget is overwhelmed by skyrocketing healthcare costs -> a vicious cycle locks in progressive obesity and inevitable pain.
Overeat sugar -> immune cells lose ability to phagocytize germs -> infections proliferated -> cytokines (cell-signaling peptides) escalate inflammatory response -> C-Reactive Protein goes up -> body produces more cortisol to counterbalance excessive inflammatory response -> Cushingoid response develops -> high blood sugar -> pot belly -> insulin resistance -> leptin resistance -> persistent cravings for more sugar -> a vicious cycle locks in progressive obesity and inevitable pain.
Overeat sugar -> the fructose component of sugar is sent to the liver -> fructose follows the same pathway as alcohol -> conversion to fat occurs -> fatty liver disease slowly develops -> fat builds up in the abdominal viscera -> pot belly syndrome escalates -> insulin resistance leads to metabolic syndrome -> high triglycerides and cholesterol -> high blood pressure -> high blood sugar -> a vicious cycle locks in progressive obesity and inevitable pain.
Because these consequences develop slowly; because the true cause is fundamentally a lifestyle choice (severely moderate sugar intake by gaining access to healthier food); because the overweight individual's character is blamed instead of pursuing the correction of the hormonal imbalances that result from insulin resistance; because the many levels of suffering and pain are not addressed the culprit—SUGAR—gets away with murder.
Good nutritionists don't give in to immoderate use of sugar.


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Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances
Chum by David L. Gunn, Jr.
Posted by davidlgunnjr under Abortion, Abortion & Religion, Abortion Advocates, Abortion Blog, Abortion Centers, Abortion Clinic, Abortion Discussion, Abortion Doctor, Abortion Doctor Murder, Abortion Escorts, Abortion Heroes, Abortion Information, Abortion Law, Abortion Medical, Abortion Terrorism, Abortion Violence, Abortion.com Facebook, Anti Choice - Anti Life Violence, Bombs, Christian Murder, Christian Murderers, Christian Terrorism, Church, David Gunn, David Gunn Jr., Doctor David Gunn, Escort, FACE Act, FACE law, Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances, Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act, Justifiable Homicide, Murder, NCAP, Paul Hill, Politics, Pro Life Deception, Pro Life Lies, Pro Life Terrorism, ProLife, Randall Terry, Susan Hill, Terrorism
Appearing on a nationally syndicated daytime talk show five days after losing a parent is not a good idea. Indeed, I am sure that nine of 10 grief counselors would agree that subjecting oneself to a live studio audience less than a week after your father has been murdered is most assuredly unhealthy. When you compound the death with a handgun murder, multiply it by a controversial subject such as abortion, and cube it by a guest list which includes someone who you know is anti-abortion, it can only yield pain. Not your typical blunt object to the gut pain but anguish that leaves you crying open mouthed with no sound.
I was ill-prepared to say the least.
I flew to New York City from Nashville the Sunday before the show aired, or it could have been that same Monday. I don't really remember. In fact, I have remarkably little recall of the show. I do remember meeting Phil Donohue. He was a fixture in my life since childhood. My mom watched his show daily when I was smaller—I'd say I was a child, but I was pretty much a child on that day though I thought I was so much more at the time. I guess everyone looks back on their past selves and says, "damn was I a dumbass." Perhaps not. I do it constantly.
In addition to Phil, I met the producers and the other guests. I do recall what they called the "green room," getting the hair and make-up treatment, someone saying "time will go by quickly," and thinking to myself, "you will not break." In fact, one of my most vivid memories of that day is parroting that simple phrase mantra like over and over again.
Honestly, from a choreography standpoint, the producers did an excellent job. The cast included the following players: Susan Hill, a strikingly beautiful Southern clinic owner and co-worker of my dad's; Ron Fitzsimmons, a tough but pragmatic lobbyist and head of NCAP (National Coalition of Abortion Providers); Tavey Crist, a no bullshit OB/GYN and abortion provider who chartered his own plane to get to New York to serve as a panelist and advocate for his fellow besieged doctors; and me, the open wound. Then there was the as yet unknown anti-abortion activist named Paul Hill. In fact, we almost appeared in that order left to right on the stage, but someone—I believe Dr. Crist—was strategically placed between Hill and I.
The choice side of the cast knew one another and had worked together for some time. I was new and had only recently talked to Susan—she was instrumental in convincing me to go on the show. No one knew Paul Hill, but we all knew he was decidedly of the anti-abortion persuasion likely (as many in the anti-abortion crowd had already done) to explain how unfortunate dad's killer's actions were and to placate those ready to label the anti-abortion crowd as zealots with passive qualifiers, half hearted indignancy, and self serving non apologies.
I knew Paul was there to speak for the other side—the producers told me an anti abortion spokesperson was on the panel prior–and wondered nervously how the show would go, how I'd hold up under Phil's and the audience's questions, and whether I'd keep my promise to remain solid.
When we went live, I blanked out. I have never had an out of body experience or amnesia of the non-drunken variety; however, I honestly have no memory of the show other than small slices. When Paul Hill uttered the soon to be famous words "justifiable homicide," though, I woke up from my somnolence and remembered why I agreed to go on the goddamned show in the first place.
My formative years were spent in abortion clinics. I visited my first clinic when I was 14, attended my first pro-choice rally at 15, witnessed protesters and their ever growing ire for the better part of my life, and lost my dad to a religious terrorist's gun, but I had never heard someone argue it was justifiable, and I was woefully emotionally unprepared for Paul Hill and his advocacy for what he claimed he wanted to prevent: murder.
When he uttered the phrase "justifiable homicide," it was as if Ross Perot's giant sucking sound removed all air from the room. We were in New York City with a predominately female New York City audience confronted by a Southern, Presbyterian minister openly advocating for the murder of a doctor.
Silence typically predicates an eruption, and most of the audience was aghast at Hill's remarks. He, though, seemed to relish the attention. My clearest memory of that day was his analogy about the "justifiable" actions of my dad's assassin. I'm paraphrasing, but he coldly explained that dad's assassin was no different than someone who, when confronted with a mad gunman picking children off at random in a playground, elects to kill the murderer in defense of innocent life. In his view, abortion providers deserved death and deserved it immediately, without remorse, and without consequence.
I did not break. Perhaps a combination of shock and exhaustion prevented the proverbial dam from bursting, but I did not break. I maintained my composure. I did not give in to anger and hate. I did not become Paul Hill.
I did realize, though, that Paul was right about one thing: If you believe abortion is murder, then you believe doctors are murders. If you believe in an eye for an eye type justice as most on his side do, it is only logical to conclude what Paul concluded and said on 15 March 1993: abortion is murder; abortion providers are murderers; murderers deserve death; hence doctors deserve to die. It is very simple syllogistic logic. It is terrifyingly simplistic. It is most assuredly absurd and fucked up logic, but to those of Hill's ilk, it makes perfect sense.
Maybe someone prior to Hill and dad's murder silently advocated for a doctor's murder? I certainly believe Michael Griffin—dad's assassin—did not suddenly become an anti-abortion murderer and terrorist. I think what Hill expressed that day on national television five days after the first abortion provider was murdered was said in private by many on his side for years; however, on that day, he let the genie loose. He had the appalling courage to say what many believed and were waiting to hear. In one hour of daytime drama, the bait blood clouded the water and a national spokesman was born.
Simultaneously, a palpable shift occurred in the audience. It was a man behind the curtain moment. They watched in person how the debate immediately changed, and they recoiled at Hill's arrogance. Doctor. Crist spoke forcefully on behalf of doctors. Susan and Ron remained calm but effective in their defense of clinic owners and staff as well as in their condemnation of Hill. I simply did not break.
I know I participated in the conversation. I have fleeting memories of telling dad's story, talking about the murder, peeling back the skin of the open wound, and allowing a small voyeuristic glimpse of my pain; yet, I did not break. As much as Donohue and the show's producers wanted the money shot, I did not weep. I was not provoked to hysterical anger.
I never viewed the show. I never will. It was the show that launched a murder epidemic which continues to this day. We did not know, nor could we predict, at the stage how serious Hill was and that he eventually murdered a doctor, his escort, and seriously wounded the escort's wife.. We do now, and his influence is as palpable today as it was 21 years ago.
As a result of my performance on the Donohue Show, I suddenly became abortion rights chum the antithesis of Hill's pro-murder anti-woman blood bait. He and I crossed paths many times over the next year while the sharks circled concentrically.
Throwing Chairs at Phil Donahue by David L Gunn, Jr.
Posted by davidlgunnjr under Abortion, Abortion & Religion, Abortion Advocates, Abortion Blog, Abortion Clinic, Abortion Discussion, Abortion Doctor, Abortion Doctor Murder, Abortion Heroes, Abortion Information, Abortion Rates, Abortion Terrorism, Abortion Violence, Abortion.com Facebook, Christian Murder, Christian Murderers, Christian Terrorism, David Gunn, David Gunn Jr., Doctor David Gunn, FACE Act, FACE law, Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances, Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act, Justifiable Homicide, Murder, Paul Hill, Pro Life Terrorism, Susan Hill, Terrorism
Looking back, the felicity with which the media tracked down victims in a pre-internet world was unsettling. After my Dad's assassination on March 10, 1993, my mom, sister, friends, and I huddled around the television watching news coverage of the killing, and it did not strike me as significantly odd when the phone started ringing with reporters on the other end. After all, there were phone books and news reports indicating Dad had family in Birmingham—how they knew our location is another mystery as they thought and reported, incorrectly, that we were from Pensacola for some time—and Gunn is a fairly uncommon name. So some persistent wrong dialing would eventually result in a match right?
Yet, when we finally worked out the details of the funeral and opted to bury Dad in Tennessee next to my matriarchal grandfather, we headed out to Winchester on March 11, and I assumed that moving northward would lessen the phone's incessant din and give us an opportunity to grieve before having to face any media additional media blitz.
The visitation was on Friday, March 12, and the funeral was scheduled for Saturday, March 13. Our planning was complicated by a familial dispute over where the actual funeral and burial would take place. Dad's family wanted him moved to Benton, Kentucky so he could be close to them; however, after the apocalyptic Thanksgiving just four months prior when Dad cut all ties with his patriarchal family, my sister and I a) did not envision an occasion that would bring us to Benton so a burial there meant we would not be able to visit dad in the future, and b) we felt it best to keep him with the family that did not abandon him and Winchester, we felt, was the best location.
Secondarily, but no less importantly, getting the body from Pensacola, Florida to Winchester, Tennessee while simultaneously getting us and our friends from Birmingham to Winchester proved hazardous given an approaching winter storm unlike any experienced in the South. In fact, were it not for the blizzard in Alabama and southern Tennessee, the funeral would have truly become a national media circus.
Alas, just as they did in Birmingham, the national media found us in Tennessee. People magazine had reporters on the ground asking for interviews as we tried to organize visitation and funeral services. In fact, they caught us on the steps of the funeral home, wanted to interview us on the spot, and quickly snapped some photos outside the picturesque antebellum home converted to funeral parlor and chapel. Similarly, the visitation was punctuated by reporters from everywhere, looking to talk with one or more of us family to get our personal reaction to recent events. In fact, I have vivid memories of talking with a reporter in the funeral home's basement breakroom while the visitation was ongoing. Having never experienced anything even remotely close to these requests, I tried to be accommodating and polite while silently wishing for some peace. I just wanted to be with my Dad.
The snow hit Winchester the night of the visitation after everyone staying with us made it back to my grandmother's house. We wondered if the funeral service could continue given the weather developments, and for a few moments the incessant phone ringing abated. While my friends and I toasted my Dad with bourbon and Coors Light we shared stories, laughed, and forgot about the real for a few moments.
On Saturday, March 13 we buried Dad in a snow covered cemetery in Winchester, Tennessee. Of course, media were on hand and they obtained a number of grieving money shots to litter their pages the next day. Some reporters wanted to talk and asked for comments, but it was cold, we were listless, tired, and veritable emotional vegetables so we finished at the graveside, said goodbyes, and huddled back to my grandmother's to eat, drink, and blunt ourselves so we could get some much needed mental and physical rest.
I've never attended anything but a Southern funeral so I do not know if the food avalanche which follows the graveside service is a regional thing or something which is region neutral, but we had a houseful of guests who all brought comfort food for the family. As on the previous night, my friends and I ate and then retired downstairs and engaged in some subdued grief laden mild debauchery. As the day progressed, alcohol flowed, pipes glowed, and I finally relaxed to an extent thinking the gadfly reporter circus moved on to the next American tragedy when the phone rang again.
Mimi's downstairs phone was one of those old Ma Bell wall mounted affairs with the eight foot spiraled cord and rotary dial. Someone yelled from upstairs where the adults had congregated since I was six and told me the phone was for me. I hesitated before answering, not wanting to answer another question about how it felt, how it feels, what would you say to Griffin, and other questions designed to draw a tear or presage a breakdown.
I answered the phone, leashed myself to the receiver, and walked into an adjoining bedroom closing the door which remained slightly ajar due to the umbilical tying the hand piece to the base. On the other end of the line was a warm sounding woman with a familiar southernish drawl. She introduced herself as Susan Hill and told me she knew Dad. She owned a number of abortion clinics and my father had worked at one or two of them over the years. Though we had never met, I had been in her clinics since I was 14.
She expressed her sympathy and explained how she and many others wanted to be at the funeral but were kept away by weather. She asked how I was holding up and I told her I was okay (lie) and waited to see what came next. In three days I learned when someone called to talk about the "tragic event" it typically meant some quid pro quo was coming. She then explained that a producer from the Donahue Show, a national talk show, had contacted her, requesting that she appear as a clinic owner, and asked if she knew how to reach someone from my family. She and I talked for quite some time about the benefits of going on the show, and I wondered privately and out loud if I would do my Dad, my family, and myself a disservice by continuing to publicize the event. She gave me the number for the producer, and I asked her to give me some time to think things over. Time, she explained, was an issue as they wanted to broadcast the show Monday—it was now Saturday night.
I spent the next few hours thinking and talking things through with friends and family. By this time, I heard my Dad's brother was booked on another morning talk show which caused considerable angst since I assuredly did not want him speaking on my Dad's behalf, or using his appearance to mystify and blur the lines about Dad's death.
I believe I spoke with Susan again later Saturday night and told her I was leaning toward attending the show. She seemed pleased and told me to call her if I wavered. I then tried to reach the producer to talk through the details.
When I reached her, I did not think to ask why they wanted me on the show, I asked who would be the other guests, and I almost said no when they said an anti-abortion representative would be on hand. I was angry. I blamed the entire anti-abortion community for what happened, was sick of hearing—what would ultimately become a mantra for the antis—"well, he wasn't a Christian," or "I'm pro-life and I don't support what he did," and "Michael Griffin doesn't represent all of us." As far as I was concerned, they could fuck all with their qualifying apologies and excuses, and I wondered if I had the emotional readiness and/or intelligence to appear on a nationally broadcast TV show with sensationalistic tendencies, five days after the worst day in my 22 year old life. Add to that the fact that I would have to sit beside someone whose beliefs I felt contributed to my father's death—even if in some small way. Had I known that Paul Hill was slated to be the anti-abortion co-guest, I would have turned down the invitation, but the producer was shrewd to withhold details of his ideology and plan prior to the show's taping two days later. You see, Paul Hill felt my father's murder was "justifiable homicide."
Ignorant as I was of the kick in the face to come, I agreed to do the show, and they made arrangements for me to fly from Nashville to New York on Sunday, March 14 to attend the show's taping/broadcast on Monday. I packed what I had, said goodbyes to my family, and headed out to Nashville to make my plane. Snow covered and lined the roads from Winchester to Nashville. What is typically at two and a half to three hour trip, seemed to take forever. While I drove, I wondered if I was doing the right thing, and I thought hard about what I would or could accomplish. From my perspective, few knew the absurd grief of politically motivated assassination, even fewer understood anti-abortion intolerance, hatred, and moral superiority, and slightly less knew the extent to which these people went to terrorize providers and their families. Ultimately, on that long snowy drive, I decided putting my personal grief on hold, to become the symbolic open wound, and to take advantage of the platform this tragic event proffered, I might actually help others like my Dad and our family. I knew Donahue reached a wide audience, and I thought perhaps we could reach some folks and change this insanity for the better.
On the other hand, though, I seriously wondered if I could maintain my composure, keep the tears and emotions at bay, and refrain from throwing chairs at Phil Donahue or the other guests. I certainly did not want to re-create the infamous Geraldo moment, and I seriously worried whether appearing on a daytime talk show would lessen the impact of Dad's assassination; moreover, given it was a mere five days after his murder, I felt guilty about the performance as though I was doing a disservice to Dad and taking advantage of his death. Finally, I valued my privacy. Having recently left a small town where everyone knew everything about everyone, I was selfishly reluctant to give that privacy up even if was only for 15 minutes of fame.
With all that in mind, I continued on to Nashville, then New York, and made my television debut on March 15, 1993 two days after saying my final goodbyes to my Dad and friend who died too early. I felt confident I could make some small contribution by telling his story, as long as I could restrain myself from tossing a chair Donahue's or Hill's way.
Posted by davidlgunnjr under Abortion, Abortion & Religion, Abortion Advocates, Abortion Blog, Abortion Clinic, Abortion Doctor, Abortion Doctor Murder, Abortion Heroes, Abortion Rights, Abortion Terrorism, Abortion Violence, Abortion.com Facebook, Anti Choice - Anti Life Violence, Christian Murder, Christian Murderers, Christian Terrorism, Church, David Gunn, David Gunn Jr., FACE Act, FACE law, Free Speech, Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances, Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act, Justifiable Homicide, Lies, Murder, NCAP, Politics, Pro Life Lies, Pro Life Terrorism, Susan Hill, Thanksgiving | Tags: Birmingham, Death, Death Care, Funeral, Funeral Services, Gunns, Tartarus, Winchester |
Open or closed? His question hung in my head, a mental metronome undulating. Open or closed? It did not serve as a mantra used to focus the mind. No, the attendant's question precluded focus and only intensified mental molestation as it required an answer. One would think we could agree upon an answer with relative ease. For me, though, still reeling at the thought of another funeral, the question hung weightless. I knew before asked I preferred closed; yet, there was my mother and sister to consider as well as those only a few months ago dad shunned after the nuclear Thanksgiving not yet four months past but who were certain to come, understandably, to bury their boy. Open or closed? After mom decided we would have a "proper" funeral, after struggling with the patriarchal Gunns on the funeral's location, and after, against my wishes, a cremation was vetoed, open or closed was the last pressing question. We already viewed the casket show room, kicked the tires if you will, and settled on a practical and accommodating model. We perused the menu of services and opted for the large chapel as we anticipated a crowd. Though dad was not religious, I did not object too harshly when my maternal grandmother offered up her preacher to perform the service. It was yet another peace offering of sorts to the other family who would most assuredly object to a more secular service. Open or closed, though, remained unsettled. My steadfast closed opinion was due to the ghost of funeral's past. I still remember the first time I touched a dead body, a husk of what was. I was seven or eight years old at my great-grandmother's funeral. I was intrigued by death as the too young often are, and my cousins and I dared each other to touch her one last time. I remember only cold. Over the intervening years, I attended other great aunt's, uncle's, grandparents, and eventually friends' funerals with some regularity. Coming from a small town as I do, when a teenager dies, you know them even if you don't, and you attend the funeral in any event as you would any other social or church function. There is no question. You go. When I was 15 a friend shot himself with a .22 caliber rifle ending his relatively young life—he was 22, coincidentally, I believe—and I vividly remember his lifeless body and how obviously different he looked. I cannot see his animated face for the memory of his death face and the obvious attempts to mask the bullet in the head. Four years later after other suicides and drunk driving tragedies, at another open casket affair after my 20 year old friend killed himself and his girlfriend in a drunken single car wreck, I watched his father wrench his carcass from the coffin attempting to shake him back from Tartarus or wherever. I was a pallbearer and even at 19 understood this father's grief at the loss of his son though I was unnerved by this large and strange man's sudden grief-epiphany. Closed. I am decidedly closed. My mom and sister both want to see dad, to say goodbyes, to grieve in their own way. I am sure others want the same. Who am I to selfishly deny others what may bring some peace? We reach a compromise. Visitation for family and close friends is open, but the funeral itself is closed. I attend the visitation, but my last vision of dad remains the day he left my apartment three days before his murder, and I never see him lifeless and still. Closed. The visitation and funeral itself could have been one like any other but for the facts of dad's death, the media frenzy which followed, and the freak southern blizzard of 1993 which significantly impeded what otherwise promised a SRO funeral. In fact, many people I later met and subsequently befriended told me they fully intended to come to Tennessee for the funeral but were snowed out. Before we even confronted the impish funeral director's open or closed query, the media landed, a harbinger of the coming real storm. Back in '93 I still had some fairly strong illusions of privacy, and we were amazed at the speed with which the press located us in Winchester, Tennessee when dad was killed in Pensacola, Florida, and my sister, mom, and I lived separately in Birmingham, Alabama. Yet, they sherlocked us down looking for the human interest angle to a controversial and promising long term story. They started calling, obviously, the day the assassination occurred. It did not relent as we prepared for a memorial and funeral. Open or closed, indeed. Press from all over the country flocked to the Moore-Cortner funeral home. People magazine grabbed mom, Wendy, and I for photos and an interview on the funeral home steps. Print reporters mingled with the visitors looking for us and others to quote hoping for bi-lines and copy. I do not recall video cameras at the visitation though I spoke with as many of them as I did friends and family or so it seemed. The media presence and my heightened stress at seeing the patriarchal Gunns lent a surreal air to the proceedings. As if out of ether, they were in the home. I spoke but do not remember what was said and whether it was comforting, remorseful, or cold. Now it seems I felt only a sense of sadness bordering on pity for the parents who lost a son twice before his time: once while alive after the prior fall's Thanksgiving fiasco and once more with violent finality this time. As the visitation spectacle continued, the family stress mounted, and weariness turned to exhaustion. A caravan of friends from Birmingham was staying at my grandmother's. We retreated to her house where the proper adults congregated upstairs and the "kids" (we were 22 and younger) hit the finished basement as we had on so many reunions in the past to comfort each other with our company and contraband, "Drink! for you know not whence you came, nor why: Drink! for you know not why you go, nor where…" Snow covered the new spring grass and fresh oak tendrils on the day we buried my dad. The freakish blizzard almost postponed the burial, but we soldiered on through the real and metaphorical storm inside and out, open and closed. I have almost no memory of the chapel service. Hollow words and "only God knows" pedestrian rationale from a holy man I did not know held no meaning for me whatsoever. All I knew was my dad was gone; the world as I knew it ended, and beyond there seemed nothing. My mom asked me to deliver a eulogy of sorts, but I was steadfastly closed and refused this request. It may be my one regret from those two days which seemed a lifetime. Of course, the carrion crow cameras flittered about as we were graveside. I laid a last rose on the coffin which was now firmly forever closed. We said graveside goodbyes to those who were not snowbound and stranded and returned to grandmothers for more comfort of one sort or another. In a paper somewhere is a photo of my then partner and I sharing a graveside embrace. The next morning I received a call from a woman I'd never met but who seemed warm enough. She explained she owned the clinic in Columbus, Georgia. This clinic was about sixty miles northeast of my second Alabama home town, dad worked there for years, and it was the first clinic I visited with him. That shared bond gave trust to the conversation. She explained how a friend of her and she were invited to appear on the Donahue show to discuss dad's murder. She relayed the producer's interest in having a family member attend as well. I had mixed emotions about discussing such a private matter in public, but also felt a responsibility, a naïve one perhaps, to share dad's story in hopes no other family would be forced to answer the riddle of open or closed as a result of anti-abortion hatred, fear, and moral superiority. On this point, I opted for open and an ending proved a beginning.
A Man Can Have a Fine Voice, but This Does not Keep Him from Making a Fine Corpse
Posted by davidlgunnjr under Abortion, Abortion & Religion, Abortion Advocates, Abortion Blog, Abortion Clinic, Abortion Discussion, Abortion Doctor, Abortion Doctor Murder, Abortion Heroes, Abortion Information, Abortion Late, Abortion Rights, Abortion Stigma, Abortion Terrorism, Abortion Violence, David Gunn, David Gunn Jr., Doctor David Gunn, Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances, Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act, Justifiable Homicide, Murder, Politics | Tags: Abortion, Abortion Pill |
God Hates
Dear M and S,
I do not ask for understanding, but comprehension. You both have questions. Some I've answered, insinuated, or obscured for the normal parental reasons. I owe you, though, the story as I remember it so you may understand through comprehension how dangerous it is, even in the 21st Century, to contradict and undermine conventional thinking. I hope our family's historical facts illustrate our ongoing obligation to confront fundamental Pentecostal thinking so we move forward, not backwards. I am now a mere four years younger than your grandfather when one blinded by fundamentalism and the hate it naturally engenders created a symbol of the man who you never knew.
I last saw my father on Sunday, 7 March 1993. We did not see each other often, but we talked with relative frequency and were repairing a fairly entrenched rift in our relationship that began 10 years prior when he left our family for another woman after moving us—your grandmother, aunt, and I—to a shit small hovel of an antiquated old southern town in Alabama split between the poles of old blue blood southern aristocratic antebellum money and dirt floor poverty. Dad came and stayed the weekend with me in Birmingham as he did infrequently. Three days before his visit, I'd had my wisdom teeth removed. He called, as he was want to do, late in the afternoon on Thursday or Friday and announced he was coming into town and would be staying with me. It was a conversation like any other and I don't recall any real detail other than he was coming.
I know he stayed over at least Saturday and Sunday 6 and 7 March 1993. I have no memories whatsoever of Saturday night; yet, I do vividly remember Sunday dinner, can still see the round wooden table and mismatched chairs I took from home when I moved away in 1989, and know we grilled cow protein of some form or another—it was probably a New York Strip as I'd not developed an appreciation for the rib eye yet. Due to the recent dental surgery, the steak, though cooked appropriately, was difficult to chew which made it more difficult to swallow. We enjoyed our meal, some more than others, while Billie Holliday gently but huskily sang in the background. Our conversation drifted from school, to my sister—she was 17 and in the final days of her senior year, to politics—President Clinton had just been inaugurated, to my progress in school, and to his work.
Dad explained the protesters were becoming ever more aggressive and confrontational. The few protesters I personally encountered a few years prior when I traveled the circuit with dad were the typical abortion porn sign holders and silent layers of hands. In my teen years, I found his weekly schedule nothing but normal though it took him from our small town hell to Columbus, Georgia then to Montgomery, Alabama, then to Mobile, Alabama, and finally to Pensacola, Florida only to resume anew the next week. Other kids' parents traveled so what was so different about his schedule? I did not figure out until much later that he made this circuit because no one else would. I certainly never took it a logical step further and deeper to ask why no other local doctor in Columbus, Montgomery, Mobile, and/or Pensacola serviced these clinics. It was my normal and I was 14 when I first started driving him on some of his trips; yet, as we discussed the present situation, I noticed he seemed preoccupied. We finished our meal, drained a few more beers, and awoke March 8 and said our goodbyes.
I was aware clinics were bombed in the past and even asked him once if he ever worried about one of the clinics he serviced getting attacked. He reassuringly told me it did not concern him, and he went on with his day. Over the weekend of his last visit, though, I thought about the heightened protests, and the ever increasing threats of violence; additionally I remembered my mom calling me one afternoon about a year before this final visit to tell me strangers were in town passing out wanted posters of dad which included his weekly schedule. When that incident occurred, he again brushed off our concern and said he was not preoccupied with the actions of some crazies.
That Monday morning, prior to seeing him off for the last time, I confronted him about the posters, the renewed threats, and told him I was scared for his safety. Dad finally told me he had been carrying a gun for a few years, that he suspected he was being followed frequently, and that a strange protester approached him that previous Friday (would have been 5 March) while he was in the car leaving the clinic in Pensacola heading my way. He said this man had an eerie look about him and spoke to dad through his car window while staring deeply at him with glazed long staring maniacal eyes. I remember asking when the stalking started, and he indicated it had been going on at least as long as the wanted poster's origination about a year or so earlier. I asked if he considered quitting the circuit and going back to less controversial OB/GYN care. He told me if he stopped, it would be difficult to find a replacement and he was committed to his patients. He left headed south, and for the first time I admitted to myself that he had a dangerous job and as anyone whose parent has a dangerous job, I wrapped myself in the warmth and security of "not mine", "not this time", and drank the Lethean water temporarily cooling my angst and trepidation.
I spoke with your grandfather again on 9 March 1993. We did not discuss anything specific. I was preparing for exams; he was in another of the endless line of hotel rooms and sounded lonely. Sadly, our terminal conversation was brief and unremarkable. He indicated he was well and heading to Pensacola, and I told him to be safe. In retrospect he seemed to hang on the line as though he did not want the conversation to end; yet, neither of us could find a way to carry it forward.
I drove to class the next morning on what was, otherwise, an exceedingly peaceful and beautiful spring day in Birmingham. I've always preferred living in Birmingham than other cities as it is big enough to provide some degree of needed anonymity; yet, small enough to retain remnants of its prior smallness which is both sides of the pole simultaneously. As I was studying for a Semantics class, dad was driving to work. As I got into my car to head home, he was very likely getting out of his for the last time.
You guys have never seen a real answering machine as far as I know since everyone has digital voicemail these days. In '93 you were lucky to have the kind with a microcassette (I'll explain that later) that was the size of a stereo component. I don't recall who checked the messages on the afternoon of 10 March—my at the time girlfriend or me—but I remember thinking it odd to get a message from my grandmother in the middle of the week in the middle of the day. It was an altogether cryptic but clear message. She simply said "call me when you get home." Both of you are still too young to know there are certain messages you don't want to return. I don't mean the messages from people you've left behind or don't want to talk with at that particular moment, but the messages from family purposely ambiguous so you are intrigued enough, but not too scared, to return the call as soon as you hear the message. Of course I sensed something was wrong, and, logically, I feared it involved dad.
Dad called me one night in January surprisingly upbeat and happy sounding. It was the night of the 20th anniversary of the Roe v. Wade decision (Supreme Court decision that guarantees a woman's right to an abortion as you may or may not know when you read this; I'll get to abortion proper later), and he actually to and was genuinely excited to share his day with me. First, he said someone from Rolling Stone magazine contacted him recently looking to do a profile on his experience as one of the few Southern abortion providers; secondly, he told me how he had finally had enough of the protesters and their bullshit. He then described how he sang "Happy Birthday to You" at the protesters outside one of the clinics in Montgomery and in the penultimate verse added, "happy birthday dear Roe v. Waaaade." He subsequently aimed a small boom box at those gathered outside the clinic and played Tom Petty's "I Won't Back Down" singing loudly along.
For some reason, I thought of this event as well as the suspicious protestor dad described over the weekend as I returned my grandmother's call. When she answered, I immediately knew what I suspected was true; yet, we had to play out the charade. I asked her why she called. She asked if I had seen the news. I told her I had been at school studying. She said good. I asked why. She then told me what I intuitively knew. "Your dad was shot," she said and I could hear her sadness as she said it. I asked if he was ok thinking people survive gun shots routinely. She told me he wasn't and that he died e route to the local hospital. She said she was sorry, that she loved me, and asked that I call my mom.
One day both of you will confront my mortality. Let's hope it is much longer than four years from now when I'll be 47 which is how old your grandfather was when he died. I know that seems old, but it is really very young, and when you hit forty, you'll both realize how young it is. My desire is you are prepared for it and it doesn't pounce on you from behind a corner while you're busy reading some goddamned semantics notes.
I drove to my mother's house where some friends and my sister had gathered. We hugged, cried, and watched cable news run the story of dad's death and label him "the first abortion doctor to be murdered" ad infinitum. You have to contextualize the nature of the event and times to truly understand. On one really used the internet, e-mail was barely in anyone's vocabulary, and few people had cell phones. CNN was the only 24 hour news source (it's hard to conceive of life without Fox, but it was pleasantly non-existent at the time). Abortion clinic violence was still considered fresh news and had not yet matured and then expired. In laymen's terms, your grandfather's assassination was a big fucking deal, and was the news for days, months, and years as more doctors and nurses in the abortion field died violently. Cable news still had some decency about the images they showed, or they were simply too late to get images of your grandfather's body. The image I recall from that spring day is a shot of his bloodstained glasses disfigured and broken in the grass where his body most assuredly fell.
Within hours of the killing, my mother's phone started an interminable ringing which would not abate for months. On the other end of the line was a New York Times reporter looking for comment. I considered whether or not we wanted to talk, I had mixed feelings of surprise and anger at being asked for comment on the day I found out my dad was dead, and I had no idea what to do given our family's life capsized, up righted, capsized, and sank in the span of a few hours that afternoon. We had large issues confronting us: burial, finances, familial relations, loss, and grief, and it was overwhelming to add media and politics into the mix. Initially, I wanted to simply hang up on the woman from the Times; yet, I remembered how joyful dad was when he thought someone was finally going to tell his story and write about the insane conditions under which he worked all at the hands of fundamentalists. I also remembered his calm happiness when he relayed the events of 22 January 2010 and how he joyously sang in defense of his profession and services. I made a decision, asked for the reporter's name and number, and said I'd call her back later as we had other pressing needs to address.
I always wondered if the protester dad described to me the weekend before he died was Michael Griffin, the man who assassinated your grandfather. If so, he looked into the eyes of his assassin five days before he struck, and it was the last time he looked into his eyes as Griffin attacked from behind too cowardly to face the person he hated, stalked, and still feels deserved to die. I am still convinced others were involved in dad's assassination. There was an organized protest in front of the clinic the day
Griffin struck, and the organizer of the protest had witnessed to Griffin in the weeks leading up to the assassination. This self styled minster had an effigy of your grandfather in his garage, and I do not doubt he influenced or seduced Griffin to take his violent action. I will tell you more about these events as I continue the story.
To this day I cannot forget the image of his glasses. I also continue to celebrate his fine voice which was inspiring to me personally and has proven inspirational to others. I am now the dad where I once was the son, and it is my obligation and duty to pass this history on to you so, perhaps, in some minor way, it helps you understand the essence and roots of hatred as well as how one fine voice can make all the difference if you simply sing out.
PS. The title was taken from Treblinka by Jean Francois Steiner
Judge's closure of Birmingham abortion clinic won't affect other Alabama abortion clinics (al.com)
Another Anniversary
Posted by Pat Richards under Abortion, Abortion Centers, Abortion Doctor, Abortion Information, Abortion Late, Abortion Law, Abortion Pill, Abortion Rights, FACE Act, FACE law, Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances, Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act, Methotrexate, Roe V Wade Anniversary, RU486 | Tags: Abortion, Abortion Choice, Dana Milbank, Freedom, Roe V Wade, Roe v Wade Anniversary, Supreme Court of the United States, Women's Rights |
Well, it's January 22nd, yet another anniversary of the Supreme Court decision in Roe v Wade which legalized abortion in this country and started a controversy that will never subside. Please note that I say the Court "legalized" abortion – I didn't say that they invented abortion.
I live about 8 miles south of Washington, D.C. and I've already noticed a number of buses pouring into town with their pro-life signs hanging from their sides. Indeed, as I write this tens of thousands of anti-abortion advocates are standing in the freezing rain listening to the same speeches that they've been listening to for years. They will hold their rallies then very soon start their march up Constitution Avenue to the U.S. Supreme Court. They'll be more rallies, bullhorns, prayer vigils, speak outs, women who all of a sudden "regret" their abortions. You name it, there's something for everyone.
Meanwhile, in much smaller numbers there will be the usual pro-choice "counter" events that are designed to make sure that in tomorrow's newspapers or tonight's news shows, there will be a pro-choice presence as well. Also, there will be the inevitable debate not about the issue but about how many people attended the rallies.
Around and around it goes, and for all of these years practically nothing has changed. The only thing for certain is that the number of abortions has gone down for a number of years and it is practically impossible to say why. Personally, I just have to believe that it's because women, particularly younger ones, are simply more educated when it comes to birth control. But, yes, another reason may be that there continues to be an abortion stigma and single parenthood seems more acceptable these days.
One thing that pro-choicers will cite is the constant legislative "attacks" on a woman's right to have an abortion. And, yes, the pro-lifers are taking advantage of the more conservative climate in many state legislatures but a lot of those laws deal with "informing" women of the "humanity" of the fetus, making them look at silly pictures. These laws do not seem to really have much of an impact. Then, there are a few clinics that have actually closed, mainly because as the number of patients decrease, some clinics are hurt and find they cannot pay the rent, equipment leases, and payroll. Like all businesses, they are affected by the number of "customers."
And then, as Washington Post columnist Dana Milbank recently pointed out, organizations on both sides continue their decades-long pursuit of dollars. It seems that both sides always feel a need to send out fundraising letters with large, red lettering and lots of exclamation points. The now famous "personhood bill" is a good example. We're gonna see the proposal in a number of states but, really folks, if it didn't pass in Mississippi, what state will pass the damn thing?
The bottom line is 39 years later, (less) women are still getting abortions and the clinics stand ready to serve them.
Formerly Pro-Choice Romney Attacks Roe V. Wade On 39th Anniversary (alan.com)
Why is it Always Men Advancing the Pro-Life Position? (galileounchained.com)
39 years of Roe v. Wade (feministconscience.wordpress.com)
Why is it Always Men Advancing the Pro-Life Position? (crossexaminedblog.com)
Conn. To Mark Anniversary Of Roe Vs. Wade Decision (connecticut.cbslocal.com)
Thanks, but…
Posted by Pat Richards under Abortion Crisis Pregnancy Centers, Abortion Information, Abortion lies, Abortion MisInformation, Abortion Pregnancy Centers, Abortion Terrorism, Abortion Violence, CPC Deception, CPC Misinformation, CPCs Criminal Activity, Crisis Pregnancy Centers (CPCS), FACE law, Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances, Life Dynamics' Lies, Pro Life Deception, Pro Life Lies | Tags: CPC Deception, Crisis pregnancy center, Crisis Pregnancy Center Deception |
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Crisis Pregnancy Center Deception, Lies, and Misinformation
For the last few days, we've been talking a lot about Crisis Pregnancy Centers (CPC).
If you are pro-life, these CPCs are establishments that seek to offer pregnant women (or non pregnant women, for that matter) information about their options. The staff people at these centers sit back and wait for the women to come in, they then sit them down in, in a non-judgmental environment, tell them all about adoption, childbirth and abortion. Yes, their bottom line is that they are against abortion but they really just want to make sure that woman is educated and knows what resources are available to her should she decide to give birth.
If you are pro-choice, these centers lure women into their facility under false pretenses, pretend that they are a medical office by offering ultrasounds and fill the women's heads with lies about how the perils, both emotional and physical, of this very easy procedure.
Coincidentally, in the wake of our discussions, legislation has been introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives and in the Senate called "Stop Deceptive Advertising in Women's Service's Act." In their press release, the authors of the bills brought attention to the bill's clever acronym: SDAWS.
Just kinda rolls off the tip of your tongue, doesn't it?
If the bill became law, the Federal Trade Commission would be required to issues rules declaring that it is an "unfair or deceptive act" for a CPC to advertise that they are "a provider of abortion services." The pro-choice groups are understandably elated and energized. One leader applauded the initiative and said "we should all agree that a woman should not be misled or manipulated when she's facing an unintended pregnancy." The troops are gearing up to storm the Congress to get this important legislation passed.
My initial reaction is that this is an incredible waste of time.
Now, I admit that I have not done a full-fledged review of every CPC in the country, but I would bet that house that hardly any of them actually advertise that they "provide abortion services." I mean, c'mon, even the sleaziest CPC staff person would never, with a straight face, say that. And if anyone can show me differently, I totally welcome the evidence and will offer a mea culpa.
Sure, many of them, if not most, say that they provide "abortion information," but, technically, that is true. They do offer "information" on abortion, albeit in many cases it is the wrong information. But it is "information" nonetheless.
So, to me, the big question is: why are these pro-choice Members of Congress and the pro-choice groups spending time and resources on trying to pass a bill that – in the unlikely event that it becomes law – will have practically NO impact? And, for argument's sake, let's say the FTC does find a totally whacky CPC director who says in their Yellow Page ad that they provide abortion services. The FTC will theoretically bring some kind of action against them and chances are that that CPC will just agree to not say it in the future. And if they refuse to change their ways, maybe they'll be shut down. Well, that leaves only THOUSANDS of more CPCs to go after! Way to go folks!
I certainly appreciate the energy of the authors of these bills and I am sure they will now get a nice donation from the pro-choice political action committees because they have shown they are pro-choice "leaders." Meanwhile, they've issued their press releases and are getting some attention on pro-choice blogs, websites, etc.
But, in the long run, ain't nothing gonna change.
And around and around we go….
It Sounds a Little Hypocritical to Me… (abortion.ws)
These Pictures Speak a Thousand Words (abortion.ws)
The Problem With The Abortion Debate (outofthegdwaye.wordpress.com)
Pro-choice activists rally for abortion providers to keep counselling role (guardian.co.uk)
Making Money From Abortion (abortion.ws)
The Escorts – The Day Nobody Came
Posted by Pat Richards under Abortion Escorts, Abortion Heroes, Abortion Information, Abortion Law, Abortion Pill, Abortion Rights, Abortion RU486, Abortion Terrorism, Crisis Pregnancy Centers (CPCS), Escort, FACE law, Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances, Pro Life Deception | Tags: Abortion, Abortion Clinic, Abortion Escorts, Abortion Pill, Escort, Late Term Abortion, Pro-choice, ru486 |
Abortion Escorts
Let's talk about escorts.
No, not the professional ones that you can track down on Craig's List. Get your mind out of the gutter for Gosh Sakes. I'm talking about the pro-choice escorts.
I can't remember when I first heard about these folks who were accompanying women into their local abortion clinic. But I know it was sometime in the early-1990's, when groups like Operation Rescue, the Lambs of Christ and others were getting hundreds of their followers to block the entrances to abortion clinics. It is hard to believe today, but I recall many demonstrations where anti-abortion folks would just plant themselves down in front of the door to the clinic and sit there. Amazingly, they would usually do this right in front of the local police. And, more amazingly, the police would often just let them sit there and chant and sing for hours, even though the protestors were clearly violating the trespass laws.
Somewhere around that time either the National Organization for Women or the Feminist Majority Foundation started to counter-attack. They began recruiting pro choice activists to help women access their medical services by escorting them through the crowd and into the clinic. Indeed, when the antis suggest that it was the doctors who were luring women into the clinics, I have to chuckle as I remember watching women desperately climbing over the protestors in an effort to get IN to the abortion facility.
So, working with the clinic administrator, the escorts would arrange to meet the patient at a certain spot and walk in with her, the woman often holding something over her head so as not to be identified. While it was a serious and often tense situation, I always had the sense that some of the escorts were really getting into this, that it really got their juices flowing. That was probably because, if I had to stereotype them, I would say many of them were baby boomers, perhaps waning for the days of the 60's and political causes. Still, whatever their motivation, they were generally most welcome.
At some point, however, things started to get a little strange. In 1994, I visited a clinic in Colorado because I had heard that Operation Rescue was going to be there in force that Saturday. I hadn't seen OR in action for a while, so – with the clinic's permission – I flew out to take a look. That Saturday, at 5:00 a.m., I got to the clinic and there were already about 15 escorts gathered in the front. Working with the clinic administrator, they started to put together their plan for the day. We were told that about 20 women were scheduled for the day, beginning at about 9:00. So, the escorts split up the list, walked outside and anxiously awaited for the antis to start pulling up to the clinic.
We waited – and waited – and waited.
At about 8:45, a car pulled into the parking lot and a young woman got out of the driver's seat. She was on her cell phone as she started to walk up the steps to the clinic. The escorts were perplexed. There were no screaming mobs of antis to climb over or through. Not one. Finally, the escort who was assigned to this particular woman walked up to her, introduced herself to the young lady and accompanied her up the steps, right into the waiting room.
It was totally bizarre.
Then more cars started coming in and the other escorts went through the drill with their assigned patients. They were all well-intentioned, of course, but I found the whole scene downright silly. Finally, when there was a lull, I got everyone together, including the clinic administrator and suggested that we just leave. "The women clearly don't need us today. Why don't we leave them alone?"
The escorts were horrified. They said it was their duty to escort the women, no matter what. But the administrator, who was a little more attuned to the mindset of her patients, agreed wholeheartedly with me. She thanked the escorts and politely asked them to leave. They got all huffy, threatened to never come out again and left.
In retrospect, I think the escorts got caught up in the anticipated and lost their focus on the women, who probably didn't want to see anybody that morning except the doctor.
The escorts meant well. And they still do. It was just interesting to me when there was a mixture of activists and medical people. Sometimes they didn't see eye to eye.
Are We Still Fighting the Abortion "War?" (abortion.ws)
Anti-Abortion Fanatic Sued By Government (lezgetreal.com)
It Sounds a Little Hypocritical to Me…
Posted by Pat Richards under Aborticentrism, Abortion, Abortion & Religion, Abortion Advocates, Abortion Blog, Abortion Candidates, Abortion Centers, Abortion Crisis Pregnancy Centers, Abortion Discussion, Abortion Doctor, Abortion Information, Abortion Late, Abortion Law, Abortion lies, Abortion Medical, Abortion Mifeprex, Abortion MisInformation, Abortion Rights, Abortion RU486, CPCs Criminal Activity, Free Speech, Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances, Liberal, Lies, Pro Life Deception, Pro Life Lies, Roe V Wade, Terrorism, The Future of Legal Abortion, Vote | Tags: Abortion, abortion clinics pill, Abortion Doctor, Abortion Pill, Abortion Providers, Abortion Rights, Abortion Terrorism, Abortion Violence, abortions, advocate, anti abortion, birth control, Comstock, Crisis Pregnancy Centers (CPCS), emergency contraception, Late Abortion, morning after pill, Pat Richards, politics, Roe V Wade, Vote |
Stop Bullying Women
For many years, anti-abortion activists have lobbied their state legislatures to pass laws that require abortion clinics to share certain information with their patients. These so-called "Right to Know" laws take many forms: giving the patient a brochure that shows the stages of fetal development, taking an ultrasound and showing it to the woman, reciting a script to the patient that is a litany of things that can go wrong with an abortion, etc., etc.
Although the pro-choice movement regularly opposes these laws, I have written in the past about how the affect of these laws on the woman is rather minimal. For example, most women casually look at the brochures, if at all, then toss them into
the garbage. I've been in the rooms with woman as they observed their ultrasound, asked questions about the fetus then proceeded to have the abortion. It's all a rather big waste of time if you ask me, but if the anti-abortion movement wants to spend their time on this kind of stuff, go for it. And, after all, it's all well-intentioned, isn't it? Sure, they would prefer to make that woman's act totally illegal, but since they can't do that they want to make sure that a woman is making an informed choice. How compassionate of them, huh?
Meanwhile, up in New York City, the City Council has taken a great interest in the activities of a number of "crisis pregnancy centers" that, according to testimony provided in a hearing, are engaging in "deceptive" practices designed to convince the woman that they are actually medical facilities. It seems that the staff in some of these cpcs a
Ultrasound Before Abortion Procedure
re doing some interesting things. For some reason, they are collecting personal and insurance information in the waiting room, the consultations are taking place on examination tables with the woman in the stirrups and "scrub suited consultants" are giving free pregnancy tests and ultrasounds. On its face, it sounds a little deceptive to me but I'm sure these reports are not accurate because we've been told so many times that cpcs do not engage in this kind of behavior.
Still, this crazy ole City Council is concerned about this alleged behavior so they passed a law requiring the cpcs to post signs saying they have no doctors on site and don't' give advice about abortions or birth control. Sounds kind of like the "Right to Know" laws that are being imposed on abortion clinics.
But, lo and behold, here comes the Alliance Defense Fund, a conservative Christian advocacy group, and they challenge the law, saying it would have violated the center's right to free speech. And, recently, a local judge agreed with them and slapped an injunction on the new law.
Putting aside all the legal mumbo-jumbo and the current status of the law, what I cannot sort out is why anti-abortion advocates want abortion clinics to inform women of everything but the kitchen sink, but when the NY City Council wants to ask them to give out just a little information about their centers, they balk at the idea?
Somebody help me here, please!
No One Cares About the Science (abortion.ws)
The Rape and Incest Exception – Trying to Have it Both Ways (abortion.ws)
Dem Governor Will Allow Missouri Anti-Abortion Bill To Become Law (huffingtonpost.com)
Abortion-rights activist plans Wichita clinic (sfgate.com)
New Missouri Anti-Abortion Law Eliminates "General Health Exception" (alan.com)
Mo. gov. lets late-term abortion bill become law (seattletimes.nwsource.com)
States more than double previous record for anti-abortion legislation in 2011 (dailykos.com)
Abortion-rights activist plans Wichita clinic (seattletimes.nwsource.com)
Shaking Things Up in Washington, D.C?
Posted by Pat Richards under Abortion, Abortion & Religion, Abortion Advocates, Abortion Blog, Abortion Candidates, Abortion Centers, Abortion Information, Abortion Law, Abortion lies, Abortion Medical, Abortion Mifeprex, Abortion Oval Office, Abortion Pill, Abortion Rights, Church, Congressman, Free Speech, Free Speech Constraints, Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances, history, Supreme Court, Terrorism, Uneducated | Tags: Abortion, Abortion Doctor, Abortion Pill, Abortion Providers, Abortion Rights, Abortion Violence, anti abortion, history, morning after pill, Pro-choice, ProLife, reproduction, reproductive rights, rights, Roe V Wade, Supreme Court, Vote |
I first want to apologize for being incommunicado for the last five days. My spouse and I slipped out of town to spend some "quality time" together. We actually had a wonderful time not talking about the kids or about our mortgage payment. Geez, I don't even recall having one serious argument!
And now I'm back in the Washington, D.C. area and all anyone is talking about here is the upcoming election. You just can't avoid all of the debates, the talking heads on the cable shows, the campaign commercials and the political predictions. Of course, the group that is probably getting the most attention is the now-famous "Tea Party." I've written about these folks before. I've talked about how I really have no idea what they want and what they would do if they got elected. All I can gather is that they are angry at everyone and they think it's time to "clean house." Well, that sounds all well and good and it is a very simple phrase that appeals to a lot of folks in this country who are too lazy to think about the real issues that confront our nation. Still, there are enough yahoos in the good ole USA that some of these Tea Party candidates actually have a chance of winning.
So, let's take a minute to think about what would happen if a "Tea Partyer" is sent to Congress in January.
The first thing that he will be asked to do is to vote for the Speaker of the House (the position currently held by Nancy Pelosi). There will be two people running for that position, one nominated by the Democratic Party and one by the Republican Party. There will not be a nominee from the Tea Party, so from the very beginning this new person will have to cast their lot with one of the established parties. And, of course, they're going to vote with the Republican Party.
Then they have to try to get on a committee that will be of great relevance to their district. If the Republican Party takes over the House of Representatives, as is predicted, the chairman of every committee will be a Republican. So, that young, brash Tea Party person, who may have spent some time during the election bashing both parties, will then have to make an appointment with the chairman of the committee they want to be on and perhaps have to explain to him why they spent the election season bashing his party. Now, won't that be interesting?
Then the Tea Partyer will start voting. One of the most important matters they vote on first is the budget. Generally speaking, Members of Congress get to vote on two versions of a budget – one offered by the Democrats and one by the Republicans. So, the new Tea Party person will have only two options. Oh, sure, he or she can put together their own budget on behalf of himself and the maybe 3 other Tea Partyers in the House. That budget might have suggestions like cutting all federal support for public education, eliminating the Medicare program and reducing the minimum wage. The final tally on that proposal would be in the neighborhood of 4 in favor and 431 against. Now, that is really shaking up Washington!
So, what it will come down to ultimately is that these Tea Party folks will
wind up voting with the Republican Party 95 percent of the time. Oh, sure, they'll go to the floor of the House and give a fiery speech about the "special interests" and the old ways of Washington that need to be changed. They will then make thousands of copies of that speech and mail it to their constituents to show how they are "fighting" for the common man. Their constituents won't know that when they gave the speech there was no one else on the floor or in the galleries except for an intern or two.
They will accomplish nothing. They will vote with the Republican Party. But their constituents will have no idea. They will just be thrilled that they sent a "fighter" to Washington, D.C. to shake things up!
Is this a great country or what?
Protecting the Rights of Anti-Abortion Protestors
Posted by Pat Richards under Abortion, Abortion & Religion, Abortion Advocates, Abortion Blog, Abortion Candidates, Abortion Doctor, Abortion Doctor Murder, Abortion Information, Abortion Medical, Abortion Pill, Abortion Rates, Abortion Rights, Abortion RU486, Abortion Terrorism, Abortion Violence, FACE law, Free Speech, Free Speech Constraints, Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances, Muslims, Terrorism | Tags: Abortion Terrorism, Abortion Violence, anti abortion, FACE law, Free Speech, Free Speech Constraints, Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances, Muslims, Terrorism |
Abortion Violence is wrong
As you probably know, a group of Muslims have indicated their interest in building a mosque a few blocks from the site of the World Trade Center. Understandably, folks are up in arms, screaming that it would be an insult to the memory of those who lost their lives on September 11, 2011. I totally understand their reaction. I can't imagine what it must be like to wake up every day only to think about the loved one who was killed on that day. But there is a bigger picture that opponents of the mosque are missing.
This country was founded on several basic freedoms, including the right to practice one's religion. And I would argue that that freedom extends to the desire to construct a site where your followers can congregate. This debate over the mosque reminds me of the debate over the right of anti-abortion protestors to express their views on the abortion issue. And, the pro-choicers may not like it, but I would generally defend the right of protestors to exercise their freedom of speech, including participating in some rather ugly activity.
Now, before you bust a gut, let me acknowledge that there is a limit to free speech and the fact is that most cities have laws that restrict certain activity. So, for example, most cities have noise ordinances that would restrict the use of bullhorns outside of an abortion clinic. Most cities have stalking laws that prohibit protestors from following someone and putting that person "in fear of bodily harm." Some cities have enacted laws creating "bubble zones" around an abortion clinic that protestors cannot enter. Meanwhile, however, many people allege that the protestors are "harassing" abortion clinic staff and patients, but "harassment" is much harder to prove. Generally, when the police get a call from a person claiming they were being "harassed," the police will go to the site and try to resolve the problem without making any arrests. Finally, on the federal level there is the FACE law ("Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances") which basically guarantees the right of a woman to walk into a clinic unimpeded.
So, there are a crap load of laws out there that can be enforced. And, as always, the police use them at their discretion.
But, back to the bigger picture.
I support the right of an anti-abortion protestor to stand in front of a clinic, as long as they are not trespassing. I support their right to hold up those very ugly aborted fetus signs. I support their right to scream at the top of their lungs as long as they don't violate the noise ordinances. I support their right to call the patient and/or the clinic staff "murderers." Indeed, in the mid-1990's, when the Congress was considering the FACE law referenced above, I worked with the pro-choice Members of Congress and insisted that we insert language in the bill that reaffirmed the protestor's right to free speech.
I don't like the fact that the anti-abortion protestors are out there in front of the clinics. I think it is mean spirited, not very Christian like. I think all they do is upset the women who are already in a somewhat emotional state. And the workers in the abortion clinic are understandably sensitive to the anti-abortion activity that is taking place in front of their very eyes.
But in this country, we need to think long term. As in the case of the mosque, we need to remember that the Constitution guarantees some very basic and important freedoms that should not be restricted to accommodate some short term political agenda.
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text:
Margaret Wintringham, född 1879, död 1955, var en brittisk politiker.

Hon var medlem i Brittiska underhuset 1921-1924, och den andra kvinnan där.

Referenser

Födda 1879
Avlidna 1955
Kvinnor
Brittiska politiker under 1900-talet

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia