That mother of nine was right: being anti-abortion is not being pro-life. If a person is serious about peace, a consistent life ethic that is patiently, lovingly and respectfully promoted is not hypocritical. Someone who truly believes in the consistent life ethic emphasizes solutions, not slogans, and speaks with as many people who will listen, no matter what their belief system or opinion is. Radicals either in power or trying to gain power want to divide people into warring camps. Those who believe in a consistent life ethic want to bring people together to solve problems. Let's work on solving the problems of hatred, greed, poverty and despair.

BTW, did anybody hear Bill O'Reilly talk about regulating guns? I was in shock. After the VT massacre he was talking to some psychiatrist about links between psychotic behavior and background checks and then he kinda concluded that there has to be some control on the sale of guns.

Some angry conservatives wrote to him immediately protesting his stance and he still was defending his stance. I was in shock!

Bush and his ilk rule by fear. ARESGODetc (gee, not too fond of ourselves, are we?) and all Bush supporters of his bent are basically scared little men who need someone they idolize to think for them. Despite their puffed-up rhetoric to the contrary, they have already surrended to the terrorists they so fear by signing on to the anti-American, unconstitutional, and flat-out criminal deceits of GWB and his incompetent minions. Ideology trumps intelligence with them, and we all lose.

Siouxrose,

Islamo fascism is a terrible threat, but how can Bush effectively defeat it when his own agenda is Christian fascism? A sane strategist would never have invaded Iraq, but concentrated on hunting down Osama bin Laden. A sane religionist would promote family planning clinics, not oppose them. Bush is a corporate sponsored religious nutcase lusting after "Armageddon" ala Pat Robertson - and it may be by God's grace that we survive him, if we do.

A genuine "Culture of Life" is a goal worth achieving, but remember: too much of any good thing turns it bad. How many people can our living Earth support before it collapses under the crush of multi-billions of people and mega-tons of industrial and human waste? The Bush Administration doesn't want to know. From their corporate viewpoint the economy and its population must grow forever, onward to the stars, hunting for more living planets to conquer and devour, exactly like a cancer.

The way to stop it, in my opinion, is first to give women the right to decide if and when to birth how many or few children, with the help of family planning clinics in every nation. That way the human population would return to its natural balance with the environment, because very few women want to birth 6,7,8,9 or 10 children, some want none at all, but most only 1,2 or 3. It is only greedy, macho men who dream of family empires that demand a tribe of children they can exploit for ever greater wealth and power.

Then devolve to continental networks of eco-tech villages that surround themselves with miles of healthy wilderness, using whatever technology is helpful. Thus, the people would be truly free to farm, manufacture and trade for family and community without interference from the "Market" or federal bureacracies.

Yet, it seems my words go largely unnoticed here, since there is no mechanism for notification and debate.

Is there an upside to our civilizational spasms of violence? One possible upside is a closer inquiry into what violence might be? Consider the viewpoint that the spasmodic violence of war is the inevitable outgrowth of ongoing economic warfare....are the practices most consider buisness as usual inherently violent....I think the evidence for this is overwhelming.The casino royale which is our economy is on closer inspection an absurd game-but no matter what the crisis is....most of us play along cause at the end of the day-T.I.N.A. rules...by the way hows your stock portfolio?

the economic religion we are governed by is- unsustainable

I am glad that opposing view points are commenting here. It's one of the things that make our country so great and so worth protecting.

Unfortunately when people resort to name calling it tends to be counter productive to their point and quite frankly makes them look stupid.

In the midst of the recent tragedy at Virginia Tech it's to be expected that gun control issues will reemerge. My question is why do gun control opponents think gun control laws will take away their guns? Gun control laws are only there to take away guns from people who shouldn't have them in the first place; people like convicted criminals and people with mental illnesses who may be a danger to themselves or others.

I am a veteran of the military; my brother is in the marine reserves and is a police officer. Neither of us are against gun ownership just better control to help prevent unnecessary injury and death.

People need to stop doing the bidding of pro gun manufacture organizations such as the NRA, whose real interest is increasing profits from gun sales not the safety of people, and start thinking for themselves.

Fear and paranoia has always been a tactic used to control peoples thoughts. Remove the fear and the facts become much clearer. Ask yourself, what is the NRA's real motive in ensuring everyone who wants a gun can easily get one? What is Bush's real reason for trying to make you think that everyone who might worship differently then you is out to kill you? You might find the answer is the same.

St John: thank you for the heads up. I do not think the people "in charge" are "teachable." I aim to touch the minds of children, to help promote a world with new models that our fragile planet with its stock piled weapons and far too much chanting to promote "ism divisions" will fade away and give rise to a more unified vision. The circle has no sides, and like King Arthur's knights, it provides a forum for many voices. The present model, interesting that the maniac on here uses ARESWARGOD as his screen name, and he completely embodies the MARS principle. But Mars is a destroyer, and life requires engagement, the dance of intercourse, a union between VENUS/Yin and MARS/yang. There can BE no life without that dance, or as the poet said, "THE CENTER CANNOT HOLD." I find it more than coincidental that earth mother is expressing paroxysms of overkill as a response to the world becoming the killing fields under such brutally misguided "leadership." Yogananda actually addressed the UN in l949 and spoke about the relationship between ecological calamity and what people do. We have been taught by education and its "separation of the disciplines" to see phenomena as unrelated; but EVERYTHING is connected, and the mystics, poets and true philosophers understand that. To see self in other is to probably not choose to kill or torture them. This model belongs to the barbarians and we are SUPPOSED to be civilized now.

Gun ownership has absolutely NOTHING to do with preserving democracy.

It is:

Strong democtatic institutions and traditions;

A civicly-engaged people; and,

A soclal wage that provides the economic security for the poeple to participate in demoracy...

That are the things that guarantee the continuation of democracy.

The Unites States has none of these things anymore - except for some amendments, it has always had a fundamentally flawed constitution. People are too exhausted from either low wage work and long hours, or high wage work and long hours, long commutes isolated in their rolling soundproof boxes, to further isolation on their cul-de-sacs, coupled to insane consumption, to engage in their communities.

"I was surprised when Bush didn't take the Vtech incident to talk about banning arms."

The notion that dictators must ban arms to conslidate their rule, and that a well-armed citezenry somehow guarantees democratic rule is just some kind of creation of the NRA that is at odds with real historical reality. Saddam Hussein either encouraged or required every Iraqi household to own at least one AK-47 and ammunition. Was his rule ever threatened by the citizenry?

Meanwhile, Ceauchescu of Romania, the east German regime, the former Czechoslavakia, Poland, the Argentine Junta and other dictiators were brought down by a mobilizations of completely unarmed citizenry, and in most cases not a single shot being fired.

But what about Prague Spring and Hungary? Would a well-armed rebellion changed the outcome? It should be obvoious that if the protestors had bee armed, it would have merely escalated the situation, led to a Russian slaughter of much greater proportions, and maybe even escalated to a global nuclear war.

Draw your own conclusions.

Dichterfreund and Mellor,

Good comments! The bells at the Catholic church in my neighborhood pealed out the "Marine Corps Fight Song" on the afternoon of Sept 11, and every evening after the Iraq war started.

I called the priest at the church several times to compliain, but was told to get lost.

Our local Bishop Wuerl, who promoted it, as since been appointed to Cardinal of Washington DC.

Bush was nvited and accepted the invitation to speak at the commencement at St. Vincents College (Benedictine) in Latrobe, PA on May 11.

Please write President Jim Towey and Arch-Abbot Douglas R. Nowicki (yes, Bush was invited by a monk!) and give them your thoughts:

president@stvincent.edu

archabbot@stvincent.edu

And, anyone in the area should plan on getting out there on May 11.

I meant (Evangelium Vitae, I believe).

What a selective, opportunistic bit of rhetoric! "Culture of life" is from the writings of Pope John Paul II (Evangelium Vitae,) I believe, to refer to what Catholics had long referred to as a "consistent life ethic." That means opposition not only to killing embryos but to killing convicts, killing civilians in wartime, and waging war outside the strict limits of what constitutes a just war (and that means no pre-emptive war). Mr. Bush's "ethic of life" is anything but consistent. He's just trying to convince Catholics (and anyone else who will listen) that God is on his side.

I don't know much about the US Constitution, but I believe it recognizes the right of the people, a militia, to bear arms just in case the government gets out of hand and acts against the people's will and welfare. This is one of the most important safeguards in a democracy, and I truly cherish that.

Having said that, since Bush has been acting against the popular demand in many instances, and we, the people have failed to use our guns for what they were intended by our 4-fathers, they might just as well ban all guns, and I'm all for it.

I was surprised when Bush didn't take the Vtech incident to talk about banning arms. Remember, criminals hate courts—in this case the World Court—and despotic governments fear their subjects who are armed.

I'm surprised that shrub wants us to have guns, maybe it will ease his guilt when his "private mercenary Army" comes after us. At least we will have a fighting chance!

Forget about it folks. In a gun culture you can never solve this problem. Just get used to this crap happening over and over. You can talk about it with all due seriousness, but it is not going to change. The gun control advocates don't have a clue and the pro-gun lobby doesn't give a sh*t. That's your choice. A bunch of politicos being "for or against" is meaningless at this point. My belief is that we have become so sick as a society that the more this kind of stuff happens the LESS likely we are to do anything about it.

Go buy a big screen TV. That's all you need to worry about drones.

Dear Citizens of Planet Earth,
I have a modest proposal, inspired by the submissions of Steve Osborn, 4/19/07 3:47PM and Siouxrose, 4:02PM. They touch me with their clarity and relevance to what is occuring on this very day and this very week. What I propose is that each of you who is also moved by these messages copy them in some way,(I cut and pasted to a Word document) and send them in your format of choice, email, fax or snail mail, to GWB, Dick Cheney, all your local and national representatives, newspapers, online media and any others you feel may be moved by these messages. I include your churches, synagogues, mosques and other religious centers and gathering places in the list. Though some won't take the time to read them, or will never even know they were sent(Very important people with screeners, if you know what I mean), there is an energy that is extended in this process that will touch the hearts and minds of many. This is not one of those, "...if you don't forward this, you will have a tragedy befall you" communications. It is just a suggestion that I feel can make a difference.

I'd like to hear your feedback on this forum.
Peace,
st john

remember carla tucker.........

On&on as the blood flows faster...

Maybe we should think of every death in lraq as a fourth trimester abortion...-

An excellent primer on the interpretation of shrub-speech: "Mars Attacks".

The only way I can make sense of common words under the Bush Reich is to understand them to mean just the opposite of their old meaning. Life means death, peace means war, democracy means plutocracy, freedom means US domination, diplomacy means the gunboats are on the way. It's really quite simple.

Isn't the psychology of gun ownership basically that one buys a gun in order to feel good about oneself? It's the fascist Will-to-Power thing.

Look at me! I've got a gun! Look at me! I've got a big new car!

Look at me! I've got a new designer [whatever]!

Look at me! I've got a new gun!

More of the same, wretched vile egoism....

Society is not meeting people's basic emotional needs, particularly in the lower middle classes, so they are turning to fascism for emotional relief.

One other thing regarding the Pope. Never trust a guy with a $3,000,000 hat.

"Bush pushed for a voluntary war in Iraq, which was also opposed by the pope."

The Pope opposed the war? How did he oppose the war? He prayed for peace?

Saying you oppose something doesn't mean anything unless you act on it. Here is the leader of millions of people around the world. How about excommunicating all the Catholic
politicians that supported it.

The Pope's a fraud.

Hard to agree with brat, but encouraged that he has at least read the article and the comments.He has hordes on his side but few of them would be reading and writing in return.

Interestingly, Armybrat's brief comments have given us a perfect mirror on the culture of death and the twisted logic of BushCo and his followers - guns don't kill people and any attempt to regulate them threatens his manhood, use of religious symbolism to further his point, and either hurried misquote a la Bush or blatant death threat a la Cho to those who don't agree with his blast-away bent. Thanks for proving our point, brat.

One of my dearest friends, a Catholic mother of nine, told a group of far-right Catholics, "Just being against abortion does not make you pro-life." She was shunned.

As an unjust war involve massive civilian deaths & torture both in Iraq & at black sites around the world coninued without the FundaCatholics saying word one about it, they feverishly descended on Florida to declare that a woman with a liquified brain & no cognitive functions had to have her bodily functions continued artificially, because the sanctity of life demanded it.

Asked why he doesn't uphold the Church's teaching on war & the death penalty, the opportunist leader of pro-life Catholics, Fr. Pavone, laconically says "That's not my apostolate." He has never spoken a single word against war, against violations of prisoner's rights in this country or abroad. There have always been on-the-make priests who find that a crusade is easier to pursue than the whole of the social teaching of the Church.

The people who abolished habeas corpus without so much as a hiccup have no right to pretend they are 'building a culture of life.'

"Culture of life?" Some ideas on this are valid. But the Bush-Cheney gang will be remembered for all the death and destruction they have brought upon the world.

Deaths and terrible injuries to US troops and innocent Iraqi civilian, including children, and torture of suspects ... a bloodbath of horror from the Bush-Cheney chicken hawks, warmongers, neocons and war profiteers.

Food for thought at:

"Events at home and overseas trouble our souls: New directions provide opportunities"

PopulistAmerica.com
October 13, 2006

http://www.populistamerica.com/events_at_home_and_overseas_trouble_our_souls

I have not noticed any of those right wingers adopt the fetuses they so dearly love. Once they are born, the right washes their hands of any responsibility to educate them, feed them or house and clothe them. Then once the are 18 years old, they can go off to fight in their oil and resource wars.
I'd like to see them foot the bills for an anecephalitic(sp?) child for just the few days it will live(?) or survive. Also for those severely handicapped ones who's birth killed their mothers.

"What is this really saying? That poor women get free health care only if they are pregnant. But if they miscarry, they are no longer cared for."

What good is a poor woman to PNAC if she's not producing children that can become members of the U.S. global military to advance their agenda?

Steve: thank you for sharing the quote. (That's what I like about this forum, people contribute interesting pieces of often relevant and key information not readily found elsewhere.) The problem is that when human behavior demonstrates the same fundamental flaws, the "experts" say the flaws are intrinsic to our natures. Think "Lord of the Flies," but I argue that societies that cultivate violence and meanwhile cower to religious philosophies that hold minds hostage to past behaviors and traditions of war and conflict ultimately forge ideological feedback loops that DO guarantee the same results. When religions teach that one way is right and another wrong, that only insiders/believers are due for God's justice, they set up very vile and vicious bases for division and divisiveness. This then becomes history. Sure, the economics play into it all big time, but the fundaments of human nature have been distorted by centuries of negative programmming. It's like a mass need to fly over THE CUCKOO'S NEST, and I think the really optimistic aspect of this is seen in persons who gather from all over the world for the World Social Forum, with its mantra, Another World IS possible. It begins with realizing that like the ape, we can pick ourselves up and at last stand upright with our minds drawn toward the possible, not what was. Of course the fundamentalists (a/k/a authoritarians) have our country by the genitals, literally and this callous bunch is as much anti-pleasure as it is anti-life, afraid of sensuality, art, culture, differences, the human family, at large... its concept of God an angry father who is only too glad to punish members of the flock that stray. And people, millions, still believe this bunk? When I lived in the Bible belt a prominent Baptist church put a white cross on the lawn to signify every child killed by abortion. Another time it had a marquis that said "If you think it's hot here, try Hell." And I think, for decades of public education, for science, The Enlightenment, at least SOME good television programming... they can still believe this crap? MILLIONS do. I think some who proclaim themselves atheists are really just sane people recovering from their RELIGIOUS training, which all too often has nothing to do with God. Any who show the hubris to speak for the Infinite from the ranks of their finite mortality are electing blasphemy. And the church has quite a record for KILLING any who beg to differ with its self-proclaimed rants of authority. Inquisitions, slavery with churches out front, the holocaust, the rape of indigenous lands, the burning of women as witches. THE CHURCH has blood on its hands and a lot to answer for, so little wonder IT is the driving force (the Evangelical base that gives Bush his deluded sense of authority to kill now) behind this debacle and the killing fields of the holy land. Talk about insanity coming full circle!

This article is _entirely_ too kind on Bush. According to the Geneva and UN conventions, Bush is a war criminal and, while speaking of his "culture of life", actually has the blood of somewhere close to a million Iraqis and Afghans on his filthy hands. This man/monster quite literally, physically sickens me (loss of appetite, nausea, IBS, diahreea with no medical cause).

And, the absense of some kind of supernatural force to make Bush choke to death on his vile hypocracy is the best proof of the non-existence of God yet produced.

But, boy-oh-boy, I dearly wish to believe in the existence of Hell for those like Bush...

Bush's anything but compassionate record as governor of Texas presiding over far too many state-sanctioned executions was chilling enough, but when he took the stage after 911 and turned the event into some kind of cowboy-Indian, "we're gonna smoke the enemy" out vengeance MASKED as justice, I knew things were going to get a lot worse. The Ancient Chinese I ching speaks of the nature of evil, in kua (hexagram) 43 (incidentally, and probably not by random, that is Bush's number as president. Minds as good as the best of today's modern intellectuals then, too, studied the nature of evil. They concluded that evil can never be fought directly because to do so means the party identified with "a good cause" will be forced to take up evil's own ends. How apt. How Iraq, and let us pray how NOT Iran. The I ching's wisdom conveys that the only thing one can do in the face of evil is turn from it and build alternatives... work on the good, turn the other cheek, cast thy net to the other side, build new mental equivalents (Emmet Fox). Imagine if all that money, lives and treasure squandered on this "pursuit of evil" were actually used for things that bettered our nation and mankind? It would dry the swamp of that which breeds contempt, and then terrorism. But Bush doesn't believe in (spiritual) cause or effect, either. Remember, this guy is PR all the way. As if Karen Hughs and her PR firm can dress up REALITY on the ground. Imagine their contempt for thinking persons as they arrange the deck chairs again and again on their self-made moral Titanic?

Ron,

It is comforting to imagine war crimes trials but I am not holding my breath. I don't remember war crimes trials for Vietnam, do you? It is an incomplete statement that "only those on the losing side in war face war crimes trials." It really is that only the totally vanquished and powerless face war crimes trials.

But just as many are calling that deceased disturbed little man in Virginia a "pathetic loser," in order to discourage copycat behavior from others, we can at least do our best to label Bush and Cheney as "pathetic losers" to try to discourage that sort of behavior. We should spread that meme to the extent possible. People should not be afraid to shame them for the rest of their lives.

Give Bush a break. He obviously misspoke. He meant "a culture of lies." And he has done his utmost to create a culture of lies. You have to admit that.

Give Bush another break while you're at it. Most of the members of Congress could easily be convicted of war crimes - the Iraq war is a crime against humanity and that simple, obvious fact cannot go forever ignored. It is the 800 pound gorilla in the room. We have a criminal administration and a majority criminal Congress. Taking impeachment "off the table" is an act of complicity in war crimes. The failure to pull the financial plug on the war is a war crime as well. There is no statute of limitations on murder, and many of us are going to see to it that war crime trials are held. We will not torture the defendants and they may have full legal counsel of their own choosing. We will give them the rights they so freely denied their hundreds of thousands of victims.

The "culture of life" occupant has shown his true colors:
- Mocking Karla Faye Tucker
- "Bring 'em on" so we can kill them (whoops they have guns and IEDs)
- "Smoke him out"
- Assault guns for all

His brother Jeb has provided the most honest assessment, the man is a bully.

The "Culture of Killing" is a more apt description

Sadly or horrifyingly, Cho's purchase of the guns turns out not to be legal. Because he was involuntarily hospitalized for mental illness in 2005, he should have been reported to Virginia's database, prohibiting him from purchasing those guns.