Happy Fourth of July!

Macy's 4th of July fireworks

(WNBC screen grab)

Take a Lesson from Operation Rescue

AP

This action from Operation Rescue of Wichita, Kan. and the statement from Operation Rescue president Troy Newman are absolutely brilliant (and I assure you I say this in all sincerity):

WICHITA, Kan. – An anti-abortion group is asking the U.S. Justice Department to investigate what it says are death threats against abortion opponents after the killing of Dr. George Tiller in Kansas.

Operation Rescue of Wichita, Kan., on Thursday released audio recordings and e-mails containing threats, including one that says it's "time to start killing Bible-thumping morons."

Tiller, an abortion provier, was gunned down May 31 while attending his church in Wichita. Abortion opponent Scott Roeder is charged with first-degree murder and aggravated assault in the case.

Operation Rescue president Troy Newman says the Justice Department dispatches federal marshals to protect abortion providers but ignores threats against abortion opponents.

The Justice Department declined comment.

Dr. Tiller's Assassin Advocates for More Killings of Ob/Gyns

Dr. Tiller's accused assassin has been quite the busy bee domestic terrorist since his arrest. He's been mailing pamphlets, from his jail cell, justifying the assassination of physicians who provide needed medical care to pregnant women. The pamphlets advocating the killing of Ob/Gyns as a justifiable act had been sent to Dr. Tiller's assassin by Army of God's Rev. Donald Spitz.

And in a totally surprising development, Dr. Tiller's assassin sent a pamphlet to one of the people he's been corresponding with, Linda Wolfe, an Oregon activist who has been jailed about 50 times for anti-abortion activities and who is close friends with [Rachelle Shelley Shannon,] a woman convicted of shooting Tiller in the arms in 1993. (link mine)

Vatican to Investigate American Nuns

Photo by kevindooley

Looks like American nuns have become a tad uppity so the Vatican is unleashing an "Apostolic Visitation" and a doctrinal assessment on their ecclesiastical work force little heads:

The Vatican is quietly conducting two sweeping investigations of American nuns, a development that has startled and dismayed nuns who fear they are the targets of a doctrinal inquisition.

...

The more extensive of the two investigations is called an “Apostolic Visitation,” and the Vatican has provided only a vague rationale for it: to “look into the quality of the life” of women’s religious institutes. The visitation is being conducted by Mother Mary Clare Millea, an apple-cheeked American with a black habit and smiling eyes, who is the superior general of her order, the Apostles of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, and lives in Rome.

...

Church historians said that the Vatican usually ordered an apostolic visitation when a particular institution had gone seriously astray. In the wake of the priest sexual-abuse scandal, the Vatican ordered a visitation of American seminaries. It is now conducting a visitation of the Legionaries of Christ, a men’s order whose founder, the Rev. Marcial Maciel Degollado, sexually abused young seminarians, fathered a child and was accused of financial improprieties. He died in 2008.

But the investigation of American nuns surprised many because there was no obvious precipitating cause.

And, for pure comic relief:

Besides these two investigations, another decree that affected some nuns was issued in March by the Committee on Doctrine of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. The bishops said that Catholics should stop practicing Reiki, a healing therapy that is used in some Catholic hospitals and retreat centers, and which was enthusiastically adopted by many nuns. The bishops said Reiki is both unscientific and non-Christian.

'Cause you know how practicing the woo-woo Reiki cuts into the time to be devoted to the scientific study of transubstantiation and virgin birth.

Afghanistan War, YouTube Version

If you want to gain some insight into our foreign military policy, the war in Afghanistan in particular, I strongly recommend you spend some time on YouTube.

Take this clip, for example, Lost in Translation. Is it any wonder that some Afghan people are reluctant to cooperate with our troops?

Given the stunning incompetence of our politicians, it's quite remarkable that the military is able to function at all.

RIP Mollie Sugden

The iconic Mollie Sugden has died.

Dog Zen

Rule of Dog has a bunch of adorable sleepy head puppies to brighten your Monday.

World Exclusive: St. Louis Post-Dispatch Interviews Boulder Abortion!

If you've ever wondered what an abortion has to say about, well, abortion the St. Louis Post-Dispatch has the exclusive for you.

Abortion thinks that "This is not about abortion,"..."This is about power." As to the abortion "debate", it says it's not a debate at all, but rather "This is a civil war,"..."These people are using bullets and bombs. That is not a debate."

This gem of a Freudian slip would be amusing if it weren't for:

- The recent assassination of Dr. Tiller.

- The need for bulletproof glass at a medical clinic.

- 24 hours a day federal marshals protection just so Ob/Gyns can properly care for their patients.

- Clinic signs instructing patients that "For your safety, do not open this door for anyone who has not accompanied you."


Also, note to the St. Louis Post-Dispatch: If, according to Dr. Hern, he's performed 17,000 procedures over ~34 years, that means we're talking about ~12 procedures/wk (10 @ 15-26 wks, and 2 @ >26 wks).

Incidentally, according to the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment*, in 2007 there were 11,336 reported induced terminations, with 7,687 (68.1%) @ 8wks or less; 1,683 (14.9%) @ 9-10 wks; 840 (7.4%) @ 11-12 wks; 666 (5.9%) @ 13-15 wks; 312 (2.8%) @ 16-20 wks; 98 (0.9%) @ 21+ wks; and 350 (3.1%) EGA not stated.

*from the Director, Vital Statistics Unit, Health Statistics Section, CHEIS-HS-A1 Colorado Department of Public Health & Environment (personal communication 6/5/09)

Viagra Behind-the-Counter in the UK

If only female patients had a brain, agency, and a male reproductive tract....

LONDON (AFP) – Men will be able to buy Viagra on the High Street for the first time instead of going to a doctor after Boots launched a nationwide scheme on Friday.

Stores across the country will sell the erectile dysfunction drugs to men after they undergo a private half-hour consultation with a pharmacist.

Pharmacists will conduct a pre-screening questionnaire, take a medical history and conduct a series of blood tests, including checking glucose, blood pressure and cholesterol levels to rule out a more serious health problem.

...

Pharmacist James Longden, who led the trial, said men had travelled from around the country to buy the small blue pills.

"We had men coming not just from the North West but from all over.

"They were really positive about it. Sometimes it can be a bit of an embarrassing subject to talk about and many didn't know where to turn to for help," Longden said.

...

Patricia Lohr, medical director of the sexual healthcare charity BPAS, said women should also have the convenience of buying drugs from their chemist rather than seeing a doctor.

"It's fine that men will be able to pick up Viagra alongside their shaving foam at their local pharmacist.

"But why can't women access effective contraception by the same easy means? The contraceptive pill is safe, effective and used by millions of women worldwide - many more than men who use Viagra.

"A pharmacist can't even provide a woman with a repeat prescription for the pill - she has to return to the doctor's surgery time and again."

Dog Zen

Get a jump on your Monday morning puppy smile at Rule of Dog.