Saturday, February 07, 2009

Oh the Irony!

I'm about two weeks behind in posting this, so I apologize for the somewhat old news articles, but that's just the way things have been for me lately. So here we go ...

Every day I check my bloglines account to see what blogs have been updated and check my news and weather feeds. During the last week of January I watched my news feed to see if CNN (the only major news feed I currently subscribe to) would post anything about the March for Life on January 22. On that day I happened to see an article titled: Amid Protests, Obama backs 'right to choose'. This article mentioned briefly that there was a "protest" in D.C. that day of anti-abortion proponents, but focused instead on our new President's support for abortion. Actually, in skimming through the article real quick just now, I don't think the article even calls the "protest" the March for Life. Interesting ...

As a side note: have you ever noticed that CNN and other major media outlets never use the term pro-life. It's always anti-abortion and pro-choice. Why not pro-life? Maybe it's because if they used pro-life they may have to use the opposite term for the opposing side, i.e. anti-life? Or pro-death? I guess that makes the other side too uncomfortable.

So, did you know that about 200,000 people were in D.C. for the March for Life. Maybe more. Okay, it isn't as many as were there for the inauguration just two days earlier, but still ... 200,000 people! That's' a lot! AND there were actually other marches around the country that same day. Not everyone can go to D.C. but we can still stand up for life where we are.

Second news article that caught my attention was the very next day. On Friday, the day after the March for Life, the President reversed the Mexico City Policy. This allows the U.S. to provide funding to clinics in other countries who provide abortions. So now our tax money is helping to provide abortions not only in this country but around the world.

And we're getting ready to borrow around $800 billion in order to help stimulate our economy? Yes, borrow!! Do you really think the U.S. has that kind of money laying around; we've had a national deficit since ... well, almost forever! That's something to think about.

Speaking of the so-called stimulus bill, thank goodness Nancy Pelosi didn't get her money in there for contraception. Did anyone see or read part of her interview with George Stephanopoulos which also happened about the same time that all this other stuff was going on? I don't have a link available on this one (sorry) but I read part of her interview with him where he asks her how contraception will stimulate the economy. Apparently, by pushing more contraception on all of us citizens, we can have less children and thus less money needs to go towards health care for us and for our children and less funding is needed for educating those children, because they won't be here.

I thought Pelosi was Catholic?? Thankfully that aspect of the stimulus bill was eliminated. Let's hope her priest or bishop has a few words with her.

But where is the irony in all this? Well, two things:

First of all in regard to Pelosi's initial contraception proposal. I guess it never occurred to her that in the long run, the children who she is trying to get us not to have will need clothes and food and other essentials. That means parents (consumers) have to purchase those things. As those children get older they will need other things. And yes, they will need health care and their education. But then they will become consumers themselves. It's definitely something to think about.

Second, and the real reason for me writing this, on Monday January 26 (four days after the March for Life and three days after Pres. Obama reversed the "Mexico City Policy") I found this article: Worker's Urged: Go Home and Multiply.

So, in Japan, the birthrate is currently at 1.34, meaning they are not even replacing their population. You need to have at least a 2.0 to replace the population. So some companies are urging their workers to go home and try having more kids. The country needs more children!!

So while many of us here in the U.S. fight to get rid of abortion and a large percentage of the population here is either ambivalent or thinks abortion is a good thing for women, Japan is beginning to see a problem from the lack of children. Do we see the irony?? By the way, do you know what the U.S. birthrate currently is? Well, I don't have the exact figure but it isn't much above the 2.0. Something like 2.3. Oh, and most of Europe is at or below 2.0 as well.

We have people in our government who think that we need contraception to help reduce our population to help save costs, which is kind of ironic in and of itself. And with declining birthrates all over the world, we're losing consumers!! No wonder the economy is failing.

It really is sad how little life is valued in this country. I hope the articles above and my thoughts have given you some food for thought yourselves.

Thursday, February 05, 2009

Horrible News Story

Someone I know posted this new story on Facebook and I was so horrified after reading it that I thought it was important to alert others to the horrors of abortion.

Many people I know are also as horrified by the act of abortion as I am. Others may be ambivalent about it. Read this article and see just how brutal a practice this is. Go now and read about the pending lawsuit against an aboriton clinic in Florida:
Florida Clinic Botched Abortion, Threw Out Live Baby.

The baby in this case was 23 weeks along. My baby died after 22 weeks and received a proper funeral and burial. Any child that dies in the womb or after deserves the same, not to be thrown out like a piece of trash.

Please pray for all mothers and all the unborn.

Sunday, February 01, 2009

Newsweek article on Stillbirth

A friend of mine posted this article to her Facebook page. It struck me immediately due to my recent experience with stillbirth. The focus in the article is on the organization Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep. The group takes photographs for free of parents and their children. The photos provide a wonderful remembrance of the child.

We were fortunate that there are some volunteer photographers from this group in our area and our hospital called one of them to come in when we lost our son. I haven't received the pictures yet, but I am looking forward to seeing my baby again once I do.

I hope no one I know ever has to go through this. It is one of the worst feelings in the world to be anticipating the birth of your child only to lose him too early. But I encourage everyone to read the article and hear the stories of other women who have lost a child. One day I'll be able to write more about my own story, just not ready quite yet.

Here's the link: http://www.newsweek.com/id/182572/page/1

25 Randon Things Redux

This "25 Randon Things About Me" post is circulating over Facebook. I posted this last week on there but decided that my friends not on Facebook might like to see it as well. On FB you also had to tag 25 people who then had to post a list of 25 random things about themselves on there FB page and tag 25 more people. I've already done that so won't be doing it again. If you are reading this and would like to participate, post your 25 things on your blog and then leave a comment here to let me know so I can check it out.

(For those reading this on Facebook who might be confused why I'm posting this again, it's because all my blog posts are automatically posted to FB as well. So unfortunatley this list will be on FB twice.)

1. My favorite person in the world is my husband. I love him so much and the trials in our marriage so far have only stregthened that love.

2. I have two children who are now in heaven. Casey Marie was lost to miscarriage on March 31, 2008. We lost Zachary Thomas at 22 weeks on January 11, 2009. They are now my little saints!

3. I have always wanted to be a writer, but have never written anything I like. I think I have good ideas, but as a former professor once told me, I'm not a wordsmith! I think I need a new medium and am starting to consider the theater.

4. I have performed as a soloist in a concert in Italy!! It was indeed a once-in-a-lifetime experience and will never happen again.

5. I also sang in a choir on the same Italy trip (see above) during a daily mass at the Vatican (no the Pope was not presiding). By the way, I'm a horrible singer and they insisted I sing with them anyway. It was a fantastic experience.

6. I've been out of the country twice in my life: Italy in 2004 and Vancouver, Canada in 2005.

7. My favorite animated Disney movie is Sleeping Beauty! You can't beat any of the classics.

8. I have been involved in theater only three times: performed in Camelot in HS (pit orchestra), worked lights and curtain once for some other small production, and performed in Swing Time Canteen several years ago here in Lexington. Swing Time was fun, I was a musician but we were on stage, so I had to be in "character" still; it was an interesting experience. But despite my small experience, I love attending theater and now know several local actors!

9. I have lived in 6 states: Massachusetts (twice), Maryland, New York, Georgia, South Carolina, and Kentucky.

10. I never expected to be in KY longer than five years and never thought I would be in librarianship as a long-term career. It was only supposed to be a step toward moving on to a PhD program and a career as a musicology professor one day.

11. I do not regret not moving on to my PhD. I like being a librarian, but only as long as I can be a MUSIC librarian.

12. I am pro-life. I've lost two children and I can't fathom how anyone could think that the life of another individual can be considered simply a "choice." Think about it!!

13. I am currently the principle clarinetist in the Central Kentucky Concert Band, though I'm on a temporary hiatus since I have a professional conflict with the next concert, but it's come at a good time.

14. I have difficulty playing music when going through tough times. Like right now. I also can't sing in church, I start crying.

15. I love being Catholic! I love the tradition, the Catechism, the Eucharist, the Mass, the clear apostolic tradition from St. Peter all the way to Benedict XVI, and so much more!

16. My confirmation name is Mary, but at the time I did not pick it for any particular Saint Mary. However, I have found myself feeling a closeness more and more to the Virgin Mary and am starting to consider her my patron saint.

17. My favorite foods are Italian and seafood. Any pasta with a red sauce is awesome. Favorite seafoods are salmon, shrimp, and scallops.

18. I hate cooking. I tell my husband that I married him because he loves to cook.

19. I really, really want to learn to knit. I've taught myself a little, but really need to take a class/lessons.

20. I'm currently off from work recovering from my last pregnancy and stillbirth. I'm scared to death of trying to go back to work and a "normal" life. I'm not sure what my normal life is any more.

21. My favorite artist is Mary Cassatt. I've never been able to name a favorite composer, so don't ask!

22. I love football, especially college: Go cocks! Since getting married I don't watch nearly as much football as I used to. But hey, he does cook!!

23. I am incredibly shy. Many people I have met since moving to KY would disagree, but if you've known me longer than that, this is not a surprise.

24. I love HGTV!! I actually have a secret desire to be a home stager!!

25. I love chocolate and can't believe I waited until #25 to remember to add that in!! My favorite is dark chocolate, especially with mint. York Peppermint patties are my weakness!!