Guys!
We're all beating our heads against a brick wall here. Does anyone ,including myself, think that any arguments that we come up with is going to change anyone's opinion? How do I know this? Because I've been on the front lines for 13 years after I retired from plumbing on the other side of fundamental Christians and I've heard all the auguments both pro and con.
I'm going to share a piece of my life with you to show you how I came to the above conclusion.
I retired as a construction foreman in 1988. I used to drive by the Sarasota Women's Health Clinic and see 50 to 75 protesters with signs and gross pictures ganging up on a single female as she attempted to enter the clinic compound.
One day I stopped and listened to what they were shouting at the girls. "Whore! slut! murderer! were just a few of the nasty things that were heaped on them as they walked in. They were throwing tiny plastic dolls dipped in red fingernail polish in open car windows as they drove into the parking lot.
When I volunteered as a escort the next day I had no idea it would last for thirteen years and that I would end up working with our local police and be responsible for sending a lot of the protesters to jail. In 1993 when the "lifers" begain killing doctors and escorts, the clinic owner put me on staff as head of security and chief escort for the four clinics that he owned.
In my job I have gone head to head with most of the heavy hitters in abortion protesting. Randel Terry of Operation Rescue, Flip Benham of Rescue America, Joe Scheidler of The Pro-Life Action League, Tom and Linda McGlade of Missionaries for Life to name a few. All used guilt as a club and religion as a threat. I'll not go into the insults, the threats, the stalking of both are patients and staff members, except to say the threats, intimidation, guilt and physical violence were just some of the weapons used against clinic staff and patients.
In my job I have been attacked three times, shot at twice, went through four bomb scares and had two anthrax letters come to our office, one of which we opened and got white powder on myself and the office manager. The letter inside the envelope condemed abortion and informed us we had just been exposed to anthrax and were going to die. It took three days for Hazmat to analyze the substance and report it was harmless. Have you any idea the terror involved in not knowing if you would live or die?
In my capacity as head of security, I have sent many protesters to jail and spent a lot of free time in court testifying against them. Some for violent action but most for harassment and trespass after warning. I kept at my job because I believe in women's rights. For far too long they were second class citizens, not being able to vote, own property or have control over their own bodies.
Women have fought too long and hard, have suffered too many hardships attaining these rights to have even one of them taken from them.
I'm retired again. I've run my race and looking back on it, remembering the hundreds of frightened girls I've escorted past screaming whackos, I can feel proud that in my small way I have helped keep women's rights where they belong. With women, and not with some middle-aged white man shouting threats and insults outside a clinic.
So when I say that all the lodgic and reason in the world isn't going to change a believers mind I know what I'm talking about. They have a right to their beliefs and opinions and this right should be defended at all costs. They just don't have the right to force their religious beliefs in the school system under the guise of science. I'm with the poster that wanted religion taught in the school system, but not in a science or biology class. I would like to see all religions taught as a separate subject and not snuck in under the fence as warmed over creationism. I have the utmost respect for believers, they are happy with the church fellowship and the feeling that they are being watched over and at times I envy them. But my opinions were formed many years ago and I'm too old to change them now. I apologize if I've ruffled any feathers by this post but I think this thread should be dropped and I've given my reasons. My warmest thoughts to my fellow experts on this Thanksgiving Day. Tom
