I stood at the “four corners” in Danville, Ohio, last night holding an abortion protest sign that said: Stop the Real War! Abortion kills 3,600 babies a day in America! Afterward, Liz and I gave a talk to a prayer group at St. Luke’s Church here. I said America has just passed the 50 million abortion mark. And I noted that during the Holocaust in Nazi Germany, six million people were killed. “We’re living in a modern day Holocaust unparalleled in the history of the world,” I continued. And to end abortion, pro-life people need to take to the streets with a tremendously high level of sustained energy to match the pervasive evil that is permeating our culture. Standing by myself on the street corner last night, I was reminded of a proverb I recently heard. A lone butterfly fluttering it’s wings in one part of the world, can set in motion atmospheric events that, ultimately, can cause hurricane force winds in another part of the world.
Amish
I spent part of the morning chopping wood and this afternoon the boys and I worked with a neighboring family bailing hay and putting it up in their barn. Good, clean work. The bailing machine was pulled by plow horses. The Amish father and his four sons worked side-by-side totally in unison. This evening we had homemade ice cream at their place. The interior was hardwood floors, a few chairs and a black board for homeschooling. It exuded simplicity. Without the distraction of television or radio, the conversation was, for the most part, focused, meaningful and at a slow leisurely pace. Everyone was dressed modestly. You know… many people today look at the Amish culture as, well, charming but somewhat antiquated. What we should be looking at it as is: a model — of how many of us should be living.
“How about Chinese?”
President Obama and his wife recently flew to New York for dinner and a show. He took his obligatory entourage with him. I’m guessing the whole thing, with everyone in tow, cost easily: $100,000, or more. Now correct me if I’m wrong, but isn’t this the same man who who wants to cut government spending and got irate with corporate CEOs, etc., who were getting “golden parachutes?” I mean wouldn’t common sense in these times be: “Hey Michelle, do you want to order out for Chinese or something?”
abortion
I recently talked with a man who had attended the graduation ceremonies at Notre Dame with his daughter last month. He said that while President Obama was talking inside the stadium, Catholic priests with Rosaries in hand, were being arrested outside the stadium for protesting. What a juxtaposition for a Catholic University, huh. This man noted that some 80 U.S. Catholic Bishops protested giving Obama an honorary degree because of his stance on abortion. That Obama talked (and received an honorary degree) helped galvanize this protest. And in my opinion, that’s good. That is, so many in the pro-Life movement need to adamantly engage the other side in public debate way more. And they need to be courageous enough to undertake consistent (and dramatic) on-the-street protest — like what it took to end Segregation in the South. If this doesn’t happen, well, abortion will continue to go on, and on, and… And for those of you waiting for the next Supreme Court Justice nominee to tip the court in favor of pro-Life issues — that won’t be any time soon.
no TV
We entertained an Amish woman from Sugar Creek, Ohio, last night. She commented on us not having a television in our home. (We’ve done that intentionally). She said she believed this paves the way for children to tap in to way more of their imagination. What’s more, we’ve noticed with our children that they are tremendously interested in, say, talking to adults for extended periods of time — because they haven’t been over-stimulated by television. My wife Liz told the Bryan Times in Northwest Ohio during one of our campaign swings, that kids listening to storytelling, as opposed to watching television, have to exercise the brain much more in regard to following plot lines, picturing characters and scenes, and so on.
Memorial Day
For Memorial Day I talked with a Vietnam veteran at length. He did two tours of duty. On the second tour, he was out in the field with his platoon. A 10-year-old North Vietnamese girl approached. He said he sensed danger, but “gave her the benefit of the doubt.” She pulled out a pistol and shot him in the head. She died seconds later in a hail of gun fire. He was in a coma for five weeks, came out of it and eventually recuperated. He said of the girl that he could understand. That is, they were an “occupying” force and there was a good possibility she had watched her parents, brothers, sisters, relatives… killed. “She was probably numb to life at that point,” he said. This man came back to the states and for 10 years lived under a bridge in Cleveland, year round. He had developed an extreme case of Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome. Like the girl, he had become numb to life. When they say: “War is Hell,” it is. And that we’re not doing more to stop it through way more sacrifice and tremendously increased worldwide humanitarian aid is, well, a monumental social justice tragedy each of us will have to account for some day. (Read: at Judgement). Meanwhile many of us head off to the next Memorial Day picnic with the hot dogs, the frisbees and hardly a second thought about what the day is really about. Note: We are trying to raise donations for our next tour: Schriner Presidential Election Committee, 2100 W. 38th St., Cleveland, Ohio 44113.
Jamaica on $2 a day
At St. Patrick’s Church in Cleveland yesterday a missionary priest described the abject poverty in Jamaica. He said in the real Jamaica, not the resort Jamaica, some 74% of the people live on less than $2 a day. There are scores of slums with tiny shacks, no running water, no electricity… and worse. Yet the priest said Americans will think nothing of spending 10 bucks on a couple “Happy Meals” at McDonalds, or $50 on dinner out and a movie, or, well, whatever it takes to satisfy our “wants” — while little children go hungry all over the world. Question: If I continue on in all the comfort of my American lifestyle knowing people are starving to death elsewhere (24,000 every day), how “pro-Life” am I really? Note: We spent three weeks on a farm in mid-Ohio where I never once heard a police siren. And when we got back to the city, I didn’t here a siren either — for the first 10 minutes. There was, however, a police helicopter hovering above the neighborhood as we pulled up. “Green Acres is the place to be…” Note 2: Have I mentioned we’re trying to raise donations? We need $3,000 for our next tour so a voice so badly needed in this society can continue to reach as many people as possible. Thanks. Schriner Presidential Election Committee, 2100 W. 38th St., Cleveland, Ohio 44113.
less cars?
While driving back up to Cleveland today on I-71, we stopped for gas near Lodi, Ohio. After fueling, our campaign vehicle (emblazoned with Vote Joe for President signage) wouldn’t start. It was the battery. I took out the jumper cables and headed out to ask for a jump. The first man I approached said he’d help. When he got to our vehicle, he read the side. “I’ll help, but I want a Cabinet post,” he smiled. Speaking of vehicles… The car companies are starting to cut back significantly. If global warming is real — which I believe it is — wouldn’t common sense indicate that less cars is actually a good thing? Note: We are trying to raise campaign donations for a tour: Schriner Presidential Election Committee, 2100 W. 38th St., Cleveland, Ohio 44113. Thanks.
tune ups…
I just got done changing the spark plugs and the oil on our campaign vehicle. A dubious sort of “average Joe” distinction in relation to, oh, probably many other presidential candidates… We are readying for a multi-state campaign tour, our first of Campaign 2012, and we are trying to raise donations as soon as possible: Schriner Presidential Election Committee, 2100 W. 38th St., Cleveland, Ohio 44113. Thanks. Note: Earlier in the day, I had a discussion with an Amish farmer up the street. He said most Amish farmers grow organically and rotate their crops to not damage the soil because they believe God calls them to be good stewards of the land. So how one farms is a moral issue for them, as it should be for all farmers. For more on our agriculture position paper…
Obama at Notre Dame
The Holocaust took some six million lives. Abortion in America has taken some 50 million lives. You do the math on this one. Barack Obama stands for abortion. The Catholic Church says abortion is always an “intrinsic evil.” Notre Dame is a Catholic university. You do the moral theology on this one. From my vantage, Notre Dame gave an “honorary degree” to someone who is a major player in an ongoing genocide.