Adventure is worthwhile - Aesop

Joe Opens the Door
by Hal_10000

And the abortion-centric faction of the GOP blunders right into it:

Joe Biden told Meet the Press yesterday that he was “prepared as a matter of faith to accept that life begins at conception,” a strange statement with a number of implications — most of them ugly and a few monstrous. Kate Phillips at the New York Times puts this in its proper perspective; Biden faces a suddenly popular foe in Sarah Palin, and has to find ways to curtail her advantage. Biden understands that Palin’s own commitment to life makes it difficult to enter into an abortion debate with her, and perhaps wants to eliminate that as a topic:

...

However, if Biden believes it does, then what does that say about the value he places on human life? Or for anything else other than Biden’s own self? It strongly suggests that Biden values his political career much more. In his record, he talks about subordinating this belief to his “political responsibilities”. Well, ethics are a personal belief as well, and no one dies when they get bent or broken. How much does he value his “political responsibilities” over those?

And Malkin of course:

And so, I wonder, is he also prepared to accept his culpability in perpetuating the mass destruction of millions of those unborn lives that began at the moment of conception?

I generally avoid the A-word in my posts. Lee and I never talked about it, but I suspect he avoids it for the same reason I do—people are too entrenched and emotional on the subject. But surely, we can acknowledge that someone can believe something as a matter of faith but not want to impose that belief on the nation? Surely we can agree that one can personally oppose abortion while not wanting to outlaw it? That one could, for example, think drinking is a vile sin but not support prohibition? No? I should have guessed not. Much more fun to call someone a cold-blooded murderer, as Malkin does.

Posted by Hal_10000 on 09/08/08 at 05:32 AM (Discuss this in the forums)

Comments

Posted by on 09/08/08 at 07:02 AM from

It’s not a matter of “fun”, Hal. It’s a real, complete (and “potential” in the case of the convenient “choice” crowd) human life (or millions of them) for the pro-life crowd. Why is it so difficult for some to get their mind around this concept?

Posted by on 09/08/08 at 07:31 AM from

Why is it so difficult for some to get their mind around this concept?

It isn’t difficult at all. We just think she is wrong and silly for saying it. Joe Biden never performed an abortion, nor, I assume given his gender, has he had one. He is not a murderer.

Why is it so difficult for some to get their mind around this concept?

Posted by on 09/08/08 at 08:14 AM from

If Joe Biden truly believes life begins at conception, he has supported a party and policies that have killed millions of lives. It’s really quite simple, and the argument Hal describes is a complete cop out. What it does prove is that Biden is too much of a coward to accept the consequences of his convictions. I thought we want leaders who are principled and act on those principles, not ones who avoid the responsibility that accompanies their beliefs. What a d-bag.

Posted by Thrill on 09/08/08 at 08:49 AM from

Lee and I never talked about it, but I suspect he avoids it for the same reason I do—people are too entrenched and emotional on the subject.

No, you guys just piss all over everyone’s deeply held religious beliefs every chance you get; which is somehow different. Go figure.

Posted by on 09/08/08 at 09:48 AM from

I don’t see how any politician would want to get into an argument over the A-word these days. It just skims off votes. Obama can’t exactly go around saying people should have the right to abort kids like Palin’s. That’s just grotesque.

Posted by on 09/08/08 at 11:21 AM from

Why is it so difficult for some to get their mind around this concept?

It isn’t difficult at all. We just think she is wrong and silly for saying it. Joe Biden never performed an abortion, nor, I assume given his gender, has he had one. He is not a murderer.

Why is it so difficult for some to get their mind around this concept?

Uhhh....so believing that an actual infanticide takes place during a legal abortion and doing nothing within your legistlative power about it is a “concept”? Nice....... You must be proud of Biden, then?

Posted by on 09/08/08 at 01:56 PM from

Funny how liberals never apply that same mode of thinking to the death penalty…

Posted by on 09/08/08 at 02:03 PM from

Uhhh....so believing that an actual infanticide takes place during a legal abortion and doing nothing within your legistlative power about it is a “concept”?

I guess you didn’t notice I just copied the earlier line. The concept is that Joe Biden is not a murderer.

It is not unheard of for someone to think that life begins at conception but a woman still has a right to decide what to do about it. I really don’t give a shit if you don’t understand it ...

Posted by on 09/08/08 at 02:51 PM from

It is not unheard of for someone to think that life begins at conception but a woman still has a right to decide what to do about it.

To me, though, this is trying to have it both ways. If it’s a human life, then destroying it is murder. If it’s not a human life, then destroying it isn’t really much of anything. Biden sounds like he’s saying “I believe it’s human life, but someone else can murder it if she wants.”

Personally, I tend to lean toward Phil Hendrie’s opinion: “Look at the ultrasound. If it looks like a baby, you can’t abort it. If it looks like something you’d find on the seafood shelf at Ralph’s, then you can.”

Posted by on 09/08/08 at 03:57 PM from

It’s alive, but human? It has the potential to be a person at some point, but it isn’t one now. For the most part an abortion is pretty much the same as removing a wart or a skin tag. Is has human DNA, and is alive, but so what?

Most of this goes back to the concept that they have a “soul” upon conception. Of course, nobody has ever seen a soul, or measured one in any way, or even really defined one what is, but at some point the pope issued an opinion on when heaven issued them, and that made them people.

Posted by on 09/08/08 at 09:03 PM from

I’m an atheist who thinks some abortion should be legal (I like the Phil Hendrie opinion above), but HAL your criticism is wrong. The words “life begins” when talking about conception means a separate human life. Saying that you believe this but think that abortion should be left to personal choice is no different in this situation than saying infanticide should be left to personal choice.

Pro-choice Catholics are suffering from a delusion. In their belief system, being pro choice is condoning murder. Being a pro-choice politician is abetting murder on a vast scale. According to their church doctrine, pro-choice Catholics will burn in hell forever.

Posted by on 09/08/08 at 10:37 PM from

Meh, most catholics I’ve met in my life don’t really seem to give much thought to a lot of church doctrine. Must be why so many of them become “non-practicing"…

Commenting is not available in this weblog entry.

Next entry: Fisking Sullivan

Previous entry: Not Your Average Gun Grabber