I walked away from the 40 Days for Life kickoff.

As is obvious to any who has read this blog or my posts on social media, I am adamantly pro-life. I have spoken out on a number of life issues - unjust war, the death penalty, economic injustice, the environment, etc. - but most clearly and consistently about abortion.

I have taken part in marches - including the March for Life - rallies, the 40 Days for Life campaign, and prayer vigils, including on an almost weekly basis outside Planned Parenthood.

A couple of weeks ago I was asked to play some music for the 40 Days for Life kickoff tonight. I prepared songs, practiced, got everything I needed, and even though I'm not feeling well, went to the place where we were supposed to meet.

We got there to find lots of counter-protesters, and plenty of police. That I can handle, and was ready to join with the pro-life contingent.

The counter-protesters were yelling, chanting, spouting misinformation and falsehoods, and using some foul language and anti-religious slogans. I've encountered that before, so that didn't phase me. I stood there, holding my sign (LOVE WILL END ABORTION) and praying for them.

One of the things about 40 Days is that we have consistently avoided negative signs - especially ones of aborted babies. I consider such signs violent - yes, I know some pro-lifers believe they are effective, but I am not among them. I'm a Franciscan. I believe we should not use any form of violence unless it is absolutely necessary - such as thwarting a physical assault on someone. I do not support the use of verbal or pictorial violence in pro-life protests. We may face violence from the other side, but we are to respond only will love, and, if necessary, nonviolently absorb the anger, even the attacks. To respond with violence only hardens hearts and escalates the situation.

My policy when such signs have turned up at other events is to ask the people to put them away, and if they don't, to leave.

Unfortunately, a woman prominent in the local pro-life movement brought out such a sign tonight, potentially adding fuel to an already volatile situation. I went over to her and asked her to please put it away. She snapped at me almost disdainfully, "No."

I went back to where I had been standing and said to a friend I was going to leave. He went over to the woman to see if he could persuade her. No luck. I then when to one of the 40 Days leaders, and said I thought we were not supposed to have violent signs. He said that she was doing it separately from 40 Days.

No. This was the 40 Days kickoff, and she was there as part of it.

I retrieved my guitar from when I had left it, got in my car, and left. They will have to do without music.

I will still take part in the 40 Days campaign, going down to Planned Parenthood to pray for some shifts, but I could not remain for the rest of the kickoff.

I will not be party to responding to violence with violence.

Pax et bonum

Outside the clinic

outside the clinic
unmothered mothers slowly
walk to waiting cars

Over the years I've written a number of haiku or quasi-haiku related to abortion - generally observations as we pray for the victims of abortion - the women and the babies - and for those who provide/support abortion.

Here are some gathered together ( of uneven quality, admittedly)

another due date
brutally cancelled –
Planned Parenthood

she left the clinic

pregnant with years of regret,
loss, and denial

clinic escort

puts in her ear buds so she
can’t hear our prayers

clinic escort puts in her ear buds so she can't hear our prayersclinic escort puts in her ear buds so she can't hear our prayersclinic escort puts in her ear buds so she can't hear our prayersclinic escort puts in her ear buds so she can't hear our prayersclinic escort puts in her ear buds so she can't hear our prayersoutside the clinic
a crocus emerges
from the snow

woman gives finger
to group saying rosary -
who's more violent?

Jesus crucified -

the nails are driven daily
at Planned Parenthood

abortion vigil -

Hillary backer gives us
finger as we pray

nurse avoids looking

in garbage pail she empties –
abortion clinic

praying pro-lifers –

girl entering the clinic
avoids eye contact

Mass for Life –

tearful woman prays for
child she did not have

Holy Saturday –

praying at Planned Parenthood
for the emptied wombs

at Planned Parenthood
prolifers are told, "There's no God."
they keep on praying
Pax et bonum

It's not my posts that bother you ...

Pax et bonum

Ulp

Okay, we are putting together the nominations for Fraternity Council - the election is in October - and people suggested me for several offices. When called about it, I said whatever the Fraternity decides.

So last night at our Fraternity meeting the nominations were announced. I'm up for multiple offices, including Minister. The current Minister, who, if she got 75% of the votes could be elected to a third term, said she was planning to vote for me and hoped others would do so as well.

Ulp.

I've avoided this before - I even turned down offices in the past. But I finally thought if I'm called I need to serve the Fraternity, so I let it all go through this time. But Minister? I don't like being the person in charge. I prefer being the one to open the door, gets extra chairs, watch or walk people to their cars when it's dark.

I mentioned to the Minister after the meeting that I thought she should be the Minister again, in part because I would not be able to do all those service tasks I like to do. She acknowledged that I would not be able to do them.

Delegating? Sigh.

What would be funny is if I lose every office!

Pax et bonum

No womb no say? Why men have the right to talk about abortion.

Pax et bonum

The Seven Sorrows of Mary & The Promises to Those Who Meditate Upon Them Daily | ChurchPOP

The Seven Sorrows of Mary & The Promises to Those Who Meditate Upon Them Daily | ChurchPOP: What a beautiful devotion!

Pax et bonum

Pro-Abortion Activist Gets Prison, Sent Pro-Lifers Death Threats

I was among the folks he threatened, though I was not part of this specific case.

He did not seem to know where I lived, and I felt secure enough that he would not suddenly appear at my door. I saved some of his written threats, though.

From the LifeNews account (May 11, 2012)

A pro-abortion activist who sent death threats to a number of pro-life leaders pleaded guilty in Manhattan Federal Court Thursday to posting online death threats against at least two pro-life leaders.

Theodore Shulman, 51, could be headed to prison for at least 51 months for threatening pro-life Princeton University professor Robert George and Father Frank Pavone, the national director of Priests for Life. He was arrested in February 2011 and has been held without bail ever since.

The threats against the pro-life advocates, made on the web site of a conservative magazine, said Pavone and George would be killed if the killer of late-term abortion practitioner George Tiller was acquitted.

Pavone told LifeNews late Thursday, “I was informed today that Theodore Shulman pleaded guilty to the charges of threatening pro-life leaders, myself included. I hope that his acceptance of personal responsibility for what he did, and his readiness to serve jail time for it, is for him the beginning of a road of conversion and repentance that will reach even to the point of renouncing his position in favor of legal abortion. Violence against me and other leaders is wrong for the same reason that violence against children in the womb is wrong. Both must be rejected.”

“I’m grateful to the detectives and other law enforcement personnel who have worked with me and Priests for Life throughout this case to gather and track the threats that I have received. The NYPD, the FBI, the Joint Terrorist Task Force, and the Department of Justice have done an exemplary and professional job,” he continued.

Pavone added, “From the point of view of my work as a pro-life leader, I also take this opportunity to point out that violence and threats of violence against pro-life activists are far more common, yet far less visible in the media, than violence and threats of violence against abortionists and abortion supporters. In fact, the latter have used a handful of violent acts by people disconnected from the pro-life movement to try to tar the reputation of the entire movement, and those tactics should have no more place in the public debate over abortion than should violence itself.”

Pavone told LifeNews he offers Shulman his “prayers and personal forgiveness” and said he maintains close relationships with pro-abortion activists in order to show them the goodness of pro-life people and, ultimately, win their hearts and minds for the pro-life perspective.

“Civil debate is possible; people who disagree deeply on fundamental issues can still respect one another. My own friendship with abortion-rights pioneer Bill Baird, and the frequent pleas we have made together over the years for mutual respect among pro-life advocates and abortion-rights advocates demonstrate the path we can follow as a society. Ultimately, ‘respect for life’ means respect for the unborn and the born, for those who agree with us and those who don’t,” he said.

Officials with the pro-life group Operation Rescue and the Life Legal Defense Fund have been on the receiving end of Shulman’s threats as well.

In addition to the two victims listed in the federal complaint against Shulman when he was arrested, George and Pavone, Operation Rescue’s two full-time staffers, Troy Newman and Cheryl Sullenger, as well as pro-life blogger Jill Stanek have been targets of the pro-abortion activist’s threats. Shulman hounded Operation Rescue’s Sullenger, in particular, over a two year time-span as he ran a pro-abortion blog site called Operation Counterstrike that Sullenger said “fomented hatred and attempted to encourage ‘pro-choice’ supporters to murder pro-lifer activists.”

“This is a huge relief to us that Ted Shulman is behind bars where he belongs,” said Sullenger in a statement to LifeNews at the time of his arrest.

Bryan Kemper, the founder of Stand True, the pro-life group that sponsors the red tape day for students to stand up in silent solidarity for unborn children at their schools, also reportedly received death threats from Shulman.

Meanwhile, in 2009, Shulman left a threatening voice mail message with LLDF Legal Director, Catherine Short.

Here's the link -

Pro-Abortion Activist Gets Prison, Sent Pro-Lifers Death Threats: A pro-abortion activist who sent death threats to a number of pro-life leaders pleaded guilty in Manhattan Federal Court Thursday to posting online death threat ...

Pax et bonum