In lieu of the so called " Moral Values" arguments circling around the nation it is always interesting to look back in our history on the thoughts of others about the issues and the leading provacetur of this argument, namely the church and it's various sects.
In 1921 Margaret Sanger spoke in front of a crowd at the Park Theatre, NY about the morality of birth control. A few excerpts from a time when abortion was not legal;
" The church has ever opposed the progress of woman on the ground that her freedom would lead to immorality. We ask the church to have more confidence in women. We ask the opponents of this movement to reverse the methods of the church, which aims to keep women moral by keeping them in fear and in ignorance, and to inculcate into them a higher and truer morality based upon knowledge. If we cannot trust women with the knowledge of her own body, then I claim two thousand years of Christian teaching has been a failure."
Now here we are in the 21st century where this thought has been grudgingly accepted and the stifling ignorance Ms. Sanger is railing against has been filtered down to the extreme elements of society. Unfortunately these extreme elements have captured a large enough piece of the pie in the mixed media to make the fear of the extreme yet again palatable. Another excerpt from Ms. Sanger's speech really brings home what we in this time are dealing with, the attitude of a few lording over the many.
" We stand on the principle that Birth Control should be available to every adult man and woman. We believe that every adult man and woman should be taught the responsibility and the right use of knowledge. We claim that woman should have the right over her own body and to say if she shall see or if she shall not be a mother, as she sees fit. We further claim that the first right of a child is to be desired. While the second right is that it should be conceived in love, and the third, that it should have a heritage of sound health."
Amen sister, and yet here we are again fighting for the right for women to choose. Even more ridiculous we are fighting for the right for birth control methods. We are fighting for the right for a woman who is raped to be able to stop the possibility of becoming impregnated from the scum bag who committed this heinous act. Ms. Sanger spoke to power.
The Sadducees are here, cramming their view points down our throats as we sit passively by. The phenomenon is not new this happened back in the day when the first Colonists were hamfisting ideas down indigenous peoples throats. At first the ideas were passed on by a firm prodding, little did the tribes know this was a formality, they were actually being given the opportunity to hand over their lands, freedom etc in a bloodless coup. Deny the colonists and more forceful means would be employed as history has proven out. In 1805 Chief Red Jacket of the Seneca spoke at a gathering with the
Colonists ,the takeover complete , nothing left but to wipe out the tribal spirituality;
" You say that you are sent to instruct us how to worship the Great Spirit agreeably to his mind. And if we do not take hold of the religion which you white people teach, we shall be unhappy hereafter. You say that you are right, and we are lost. How do you know this to be true? We understand that your religion is written in a book. If it was intended for us as well as for you, why has not the Great Spirit given it to us, and not only to us, but why did he not give to our forefathers knowledge of that book, with the means of understanding it rightly? We only know what you tell us about it. How shall we know when to believe, being so often deceieved by the white man?"
Chief Red Jacket follows these questions which hits right to the bone of any Evangelist in the mold of Pat Robertson or James Dobson that being" What makes you so right?" Red Jacket continues;
" Brother you say there is but one way to worship and serve the Great Spirit. If there is but one religion, why do you white people differ so much about it? Why not all agreed, as you can all read the book?"
Last but not least in light of the Pres. flaunting his so called conversations with God making legitimate in some eyes his spying, killing and bankrupting philosophies JFK as he so usually did puts things into perspective.
" I would not look with favor upon a President working to subvert the first amendment's guarantees of religious liberty; nor would our system of checks and balances permit him to do so. And neither do I look with favor upon those who would work to subvert Article IV of the Constituition by requiring a religious test, even by indirection. For if they disagree with that safeguard, they should be openly working to repeal it. I want a Chief Executive whose public acts are responsible to all and obligated to none, who can attend any ceremony, service, or dinner his office may appropriately require of him to fulfill; and whose fulfillment of his Presidential office is not limited or conditioned by any religious oath, ritual, or obligation."
