In Memoriam

In Memory...

Of a person I never met,

In honor of a life barely lived,

May we never forget

The value of forty-five minutes.

He was born alive, despite all efforts to accomplish the opposite. He was breathing, but only for a very short time. He was a fighter, but there was just too much for him to overcome. I did not know him. His own parents did not know him. No one knew him, except for one woman, a nurse, who made sure that for those precious forty-five minutes, he was not alone. I learned about him while reading an article about Barack Obama’s complete and unwavering support for abortion—any and all abortions. Within the article was that nurse’s testimony of one abortion that did not quite go as expected, and it had a profound effect on me that I was not expecting. In fact, when I came across this one short phrase, I started crying:

“…an aborted Down Syndrome baby…”

I can picture in my mind many sweet, precious faces – some I know personally, some I’ve seen in magazines and on TV – sweet, precious people, who happen to have Down Syndrome.  They smile, they laugh, they love – and they bring joy to everyone around them.

Why was this baby, who happened to have Down Syndrome, not given a chance to live? For several reasons. First of all, pre-natal testing can tell expectant parents that their baby might have Down Syndrome, and for some people, a Down Syndrome baby is an “unwanted” baby. Secondly, our country has taken away any legal restraint to protect the lives of the “unwanted’s”. Therefore, those who do not realize that all life is valuable and sacred - even when it is not exactly what we had expected; those who consider a precious child with Down Syndrome something to be thrown out with the trash—well, they are free to end the lives of their very own children.

This Down Syndrome baby, had he been given the chance to live, would have smiled, laughed, loved, and brought such joy to his parents. But instead, he was pulled prematurely from the womb with the intent to end his life.  And when he survived that horrible process, his parents rejected him again – they would not even hold him.  Without the compassion of that nurse, he would have been left to die alone – in what sounded to me like the equivalent of a dirty laundry hamper.

But he did die – he was “an aborted Down Syndrome baby”.  How many Down Syndrome babies have been aborted?  I can hardly bear to think about it. And it will not stop there. As the pre-natal testing gets more and more sophisticated, how many babies with other handicaps or diseases will be aborted?  How many babies with a gene that pre-disposes them to a certain kind of disease will be aborted?  How many brown-eyed babies will be aborted, because the parents are just desperate for a blue-eyed child?

The proponents of abortion want it to be safe, legal, and rare.  Well, it is legal all right – but safe?  For the tiny lives being destroyed – it is anything but safe.  For the women going through the abortion – they claim it is safe, but is that true?  What is the truth about the long-term physical and emotional, not to mention spiritual effects, of abortion on women?  If anyone knows, they are certainly not telling. And has making it legal made it rare?  Absolutely not – the numbers of lives lost through abortion is astounding, and scientific advances are making it possible to label more and more pre-born babies “unwanted”.  And since killing “unwanted” babies is legal – killing “unwanted” babies is done.

“…an aborted Down Syndrome baby…”

I do not know who he was.  I do not know who he would have been.  But I know where he is now.  He is in the kingdom of heaven, and he is with Jesus. His short, forty-five minute life has touched my heart - so much so that I want to speak out against the society that allowed him to be so terribly mistreated, so cruelly destroyed.  And I want to speak up in his defense, to say that he did not deserve what he received. No one deserves that.

I will not forget him.  For me, he will represent all of the millions of lives that have been lost through this horrible procedure.  Sometimes, the numbers are just so huge that you can only look at the problem from a distance, without it reaching your heart.  Sometimes, you need to hear just one person’s story.  Sometimes, your heart needs to hear something like...

“…an aborted Down Syndrome baby…”

I do not think I have ever cried over abortion before.

I am ashamed that it has taken me this long.



To that unnamed little boy, that “...aborted Down Syndrome baby…”:

You may have only lived for forty-five minutes, and your life was not valued or protected by those who were supposed to take care of you—but that forty-five minutes has had a profound effect on me, and many others, I’m sure. Oh, yes indeed, little boy—your time here on earth, as short as it was, had much value. You have completely changed my heart about abortion—it used to be just an issue, now it is about you. And the love, grief, sorrow, and loss that I feel for you needs to be multiplied by the millions—and if that happens, I will be a little bit closer to understanding the heart of God and how much it must grieve Him to see what we have allowed to be done to you and all the others, and how much He must abhor this scourge, this evil, this atrocity that we dare to call a “right” - abortion.

Thank you, little boy. You rest now. Your work is done. It is time for those of us still here—to get busy.

Blue Jays and Benghazi

Just playing around with some pictures - love the blue jays!  It's very good for the soul to "create" with these pictures of God's creation...very healing, very soothing.

Benghazi "whistleblowers" hearings today - watched the whole thing, with some of the kids.  Extremely interesting, and so good to finally hear from someone who was there, but is it enough?  They're going to just sweep it under the rug again...are there others who could come forward, and tell the truth?  Just so tired of lies. 

I keep going back to Psalm 37 ---

"Do not fret because of evildoers,
Be not envious toward wrongdoers.
For they will wither quickly like the grass
And fade like the green herb.
Trust in the Lord and do good;
Dwell in the land and cultivate faithfulness.
Delight yourself in the Lord;
And He will give you the desires of your heart.
Commit your way to the Lord,
Trust also in Him, and He will do it.
He will bring forth your righteousness as the light
And your judgment as the noonday."

Father, help me not to fret.  Remind me not to fret, but to trust in You.  I pray for truth, for justice, and that You would bring forth righteousness as the light, and judgment as the noonday.  Father, may Your righteousness be known, and Your glory be revealed in this land.  In Jesus precious' name I pray, Amen.

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I wrote the above just a few hours ago.  In the meantime, someone asked me this question - "What "truth" do you think hasn't been told (about Benghazi)?"  This is how I responded, and it's messy cause I did it quick, but I wanted to list it all out here, too.  There's a lot of truth that needs to be told.

Here's my list -

1. Why did the State Dept. deny requests for more security? Why did they, in fact, take away from what they had, which was not enough in the first place? Is it truly funding? Ms. Lamb testified earlier that money was not the issue, and Hillary C. had discretion about where she appropriated her funds. Something else could have been cut, something less deadly. It doesn't add up. Why did the State Dept. deny requests for more security?

2. Where was President Obama when all of this was happening? He's the Commander in Chief - what was he doing, how was he carrying out that duty that night? Sec of Def (at that time) Panetta testified that after he spoke to Pres Obama (at a previously scheduled meeting) at the beginning of the attack, that the Pres never spoke to him again during that whole night! Why? Why didn't Pres Obama attend his Presidential Daily Briefing the morning after the attacks? And the next morning? No one knew whether or not more violence was on the horizon. And I know they say he reads them - but that's not the same as talking to the people who are experts, asking questions, making sure you understand. And why did he go to a fund raiser hours after those men were killed? If he really was sincere about finding out what happened, and protecting our country and our people from further attacks, why didn't he stay at the White House and do his job? Where was he when those men were dying?

3. This one is my most important - after all the excuses, all the explanations, all the condescending oh you just don't understand the military or the situation...I don't buy it. Why did we not send help?! SecDef Panetta's 1st excuse - too dangerous, not enough info or intel. Hogwash! That's what the military does! Here is what he said in an Oct 26, 2012 report from ABC "Panetta said the US military had responded quickly by deploying forces to the region. “We had FAST platoons in the region. We had ships that we had deployed off of Libya. And we were prepared to respond to any contingency. And certainly had forces in place to do that.” But Panetta said the “basic principle is that you don’t deploy forces into harm’s way without knowing what’s going on; without having some real-time information about what’s taking place.”

His next excuse - there just wasn't time to get troops there. That contradicts the first excuse, and it doesn't even make sense! In real time, they didn't know how long it was going to last, they didn't know anything, according to his first excuse, so how could they possibly know if they could get there "in time"? In time for what? They didn't know when it would end! I just saw a CBS report about this subject, and they interviewed Mr. Panetta. Incredible. He said the nearest help would have come from Italy, but they didn't have tankers in the area to fuel the planes. Why? They played a tape of him testifying that there was no imminent threat at that time. Hogwash again! The consulate had been attacked already, there was a hole in the wall! The British and the Red Cross had already packed up and left because of the danger. And it was the anniversary of 9/11! What do they want - an announcement in the mail? The statement was also made that the two attacks were separated by 6 hours, and if they had known another attack was coming, they would have acted differently. What?! That's the point - they didn't know - so why didn't they send the military in there so they would be prepared for anything?! It just doesn't make sense!

3a. Why in the world did they not mobilize the FEST response team? Mr. Thompson testified today that he was told it wasn't the "right time" for that. FEST - "The United States Foreign Emergency Support Team (FEST) is a rapid-response unit designed to respond to terrorist attacks against U.S. interests overseas." It was exactly what was needed!! How could it possibly not be the right time?!

3b. Why was Lt. Colonel Gibson told not to board the C-130 that he was about to get on and go help in Benghazi? Mr. Hicks testified that they had every reason to believe that US personnel were still in danger at that time. Mr. Hicks then realized, they were on their own. Who gave that order, and why? Why were military not even authorized to help rescue and evacuate all the Americans? Why did the diplomatic personnel have to do that on their own? Shameful!

3c. Mr. Hicks spoke of the 6-man team that drove off 60 attackers in the first wave - saving many lives. That team included Tyrone Woods. It was reported back in the fall that he also was told to "stand down" when the cried for help came from the mission. There's a pattern here.

Why did we not respond with military help? Why were they left on their own? Why?

4. It's clear as day - there was no protest over a video. No one from Libya reported a protest over a video. It was a terrorist attack and everybody knew it. Why did the administration lie? Was it just to win the election? Or was another reason? Why?

These are all truths that have not been told.

If enough people ask, they're going to have to start talking.

A Foundation of Lies

So Jesus was saying to those Jews who had believed Him, "If you continue in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine; and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free."  (John 8:31-32)

When President Obama was asked about the Gosnell abortion trial, he declined to comment specifically, but he did say he agreed with former President Bill Clinton that abortion should be safe, legal, and rare.

In America, since the legalization of abortion in 1973 until 2011, there have been 54,559,615 abortions.  Let that sink in a minute.  There have been over 54 million abortions.  Over 54 million people (American people) are not here on this earth that should have been.  Legalizing abortion didn't make it rare - it opened the floodgates!  These numbers could actually be even higher, because there is no law or regulation that compels abortion clinics to report their statistics.  It's completely voluntary.  But according to the data available, 22% of all US pregnancies end in abortion.  One in every five babies are killed.  Abortion is not rare.

A safe abortion is an oxymoron, an impossibility.  Abortion is a procedure that by its very nature is "un-safe" for babies.  At the beginning of the procedure there are two lives; at the end, there is only one.  And that one, that woman who may have believed the lie that "it's just a clump of tissue", will for the rest of her life have to deal with the scars and the consequences, physical, emotional and spiritual, of her "choice".  Abortion is not safe.

When I first started reading about the Gosnell case, I was, like everyone else, appalled and sickened by what went on in that "clinic".  I still am.  But what I'm coming to see, as I keep reading, is that this is not an aberration at all.  This kind of stuff goes on all the time, and it has got to stop!  Thank God, the authorities raided that clinic for illegal use of prescription drugs, because that is how the despicable abortion mill that he was running came to light.  We've got to keep the light on it, and bring to light all the others out there, the whole abortion industry, in fact.  Because they claim to be all about women's health, and say they are on the woman's side, but they're not.  They're all about the money.  They don't care about women - they use women, for profit. 

There is so much deception surrounding abortion. There's no doubt but the father of lies, Satan, is behind this heinous practice. In fact, legalized abortion in America was "birthed" through lies and deceit. We know this because of the incredible life of Dr. Bernard Nathanson.

In the 1960's and early 1970's, Dr. Nathanson was an ardent, zealous, advocate of legalized abortion.  He became an abortionist himself, and was responsible for over 75,000 abortions - over 5,000 with his own hands (one of which was his own child), the others he presided over as an instructor, or as the Director of the Center for Reproductive and Sexual Health.  He was one of the founders of NARAL, which at first stood for National Association for the Repeal of Abortion Laws. (Later it was changed to National Abortion Rights Action League, and is now NARAL Pro-Choice America.) He worked tirelessly to make abortion legal in the United States.

Once Roe v Wade was the law of the land, though, he began to have doubts about all that he had believed about abortion. When ultrasound technology became available, the image of the baby in the womb  reinforced his change of heart, and he became an ardent advocate - for life! He wrote about all of this in his autobiography, The Hand of God. He also made the film "The Silent Scream" which showed the abortion of a baby at 12 weeks gestation. President Ronald Reagan, himself a convert from pro-abortion to pro-life, showed that video at the White House. Dr. Nathanson was very upfront about his former actions in support of abortion, and in an article he wrote that is included in a collection of works about abortion, he detailed the strategy he and his co-laborers had used to convince the country that abortion needed to be legal. Bottom line - they lied!

The first thing they did was get the media on their side.  They convinced the media that abortion was forward-thinking, progressive, enlightened; that abortion was good for women, and necessary for the health of women.  They turned the perception of pregnancy from a beautiful, natural part of a woman's life...to a disease.  They knew full well that the majority of Americans opposed abortion.  So they lied.  They told the media that they had polled the American people, and 60% of Americans supported legalized abortion.  They just completely made it up.  The media took it and ran with it.  Americans heard that 60% of their fellow citizens supported abortion, so if they opposed it, they were in the minority.

At that time, late 60's/early 70's, the number of illegal abortions performed in America per year averaged about 98,000.  They told the media, who dutifully reported it, that the annual average of illegal abortions in America was 1,000,000 - over 10 times the actual amount.  The average amount of deaths from illegal abortions per year was 200-250.  They said it was 10,000.  Although over 90% of illegal abortions were performed by doctors, the perception was given that they were mostly done by back-alley abortionists.  They grossly inflated the numbers to achieve their desired ends.  They just kept repeating these lies, until everyone accepted them as truth. They also fabricated the idea that legalizing abortion would merely give those women who were already having illegal abortions a safe way to do so. In other words, legalizing abortion wouldn't increase the numbers of women having them.

And where are we now, forty years later?  We've gone from 98,000 abortions per year when it was illegal, to over 1,000,000 abortions per year - over 54,559,615 abortions since legalization.  We bought the lies, and the lies became the truth.

Why do women have abortions today?  Well over 75% have abortions for one of these reasons:

• a baby would interfere with work, school, or other responsibilities
• cannot afford a baby
• don't want to be a single parent, or trouble in the relationship with the father

The percentage of women who have abortion for health reasons (and there's a very broad definition of "health" - we're not talking about the life of the mother being in danger) is 12%.  And the percentage of those who have abortions because of rape or incest is less than 2%.  Abortion is clearly being used as birth control, and it has increased exponentially over these past 40 years.

Women are herded through these abortion clinics like they're on an assembly line.  They are given a gown, given some medicine, told to lay down on the table, their baby is sucked out of them with a high-powered vacuum that tears the tiny thing into pieces...the doctor may chit chat with the nurse as all of this happens...it's all done very quickly...then he's gone on to the next "patient".  You get dressed, and you go home.  Empty - in more ways than one.

The lies have to be exposed.  We have to speak the truth in love, speak up for the babies, and speak up for women.  Dr. Nathanson said it was truth that finally got his attention - the truth that from conception on, there is life.  Life worthy of protection, life worthy of living.



Open your mouth for the mute,
For the rights of all the unfortunate.
Open your mouth, judge righteously,
And defend the rights of the afflicted and needy.
(Proverbs 31:8-9)