Patricia...You posted in your article this...

Is the life of a high school student worth less than the life of an embryo?  Anti-abortion activists will do everything in their power to save the life of an unwanted child, that will probably grow up abused by a parent that does not want a baby in their life, yet you never here anything louder than a whisper when it comes to teenagers dying at the hands of another teen.

At last, someone other than a very few others who sees being pro life as "from womb to tomb", regardless of who they are, where they come from.  Sadly, "pro life" in this country has been confined to political diversion and divisiveness.  To be honest with you Patricia, I don't think that "anti abortion activists" give a damned about any life except the life of their ideology dressed up in good governance and religion.  We can see that in the contridictions in thier stances.  Yes, they will give protest against pre natal elective abortion, but also cry out against poor mothers who need pre natal care.  They will pass laws to deny or limit choices of women here in America,  then trade, hug and tarry with those who oppose women's rights as a rule of law in other countries.

Pro Life, and it's soapboxers are a hypocracy in this country.  The get the microphone and the camera to distract us from talking about real issues.  This is thier purpose.  We don't talk about how gas prices are affecting us, or education, or the housing market mess.  We don't talk about our dependance on other for our energy needs.  We don't talk about the defict, or the loss of jobs.  Most sadly,  we definately have forgotten about our kids fighting in Iraq and Afganistan.  This issue, and homosexuality are simply diversions. 

We will stop the madness when we destroy the ideology, disquised as virtue, and expose it's wicked nature vieled as righteousness.  Not just the men, but undermine the evil by waking up from the sleep of fear.

Just the fact that this happened, one kid killing another is proof of what we as a nation have ignored so long.  Maybe it is a sign of the times, our kids learning through us, it is OK to resort to violence as a first option.  It is OK to hate people and kill "them" because they are not like us.  Patricia...what do we tell our children when they look around them and see what is called righteous is bannered in blood and rhetoric of hatred?

Thank you for your comment.

Not so sure that it's a matter of not giving a damn Zan, I think it's just another example where education on the subject is lacking.  What you don't see, you don't care about. 

How many news organizations picked up the story of the gunned down teen?

There have been many subtle changes in healthcare payments for women since the Bush administration but the one I found to be the most depressing was the change that made it impossible for a female in our military to obtain an abortion, even if she was raped.  (I hope I stated that correctly as the change was made several years ago).

The US has turned into a supercop and instead of arresting the violators and allowing a jury of their peers to determine guilt or innocence, we simply pull out the big guns and start shooting.  Is it any wonder our children commit violent acts?

You wrote:

Patricia...what do we tell our children when they look around them and see what is called righteous is bannered in blood and rhetoric of hatred?

What we tell them is that is an isolated instance that couldn't possibly happen in their schools because there are so many safeguards in place - knowing full well that it could happen any day of the week.

P.

Patricia,

It is all about education and focus

However, without a basic and fundamental respect for Life, there can ultimately be no Liberty or Happines.

First let's seperate abortion from a necessary medical procedure and a form of birth control.
This is IMHO, where education has failed us and allowed this to be politicized.

NO ONE should be denied appropriate medical procedures.

The government should protect ALL Life of its citizens.
The Founding Fathers said that there are fundamentsl rights in which the government should protect and they listed Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness specifically.

If we do not have a fundamental respect for Life, then really what matters...

Let's face it, both the Red TEAM and Blue TEAM support birth control, it it self-evident in their actions.

If we do not care less about the life of an embryo, who will NEVER grow to be anything but a larger human being, then why SHOULD we care about teens killing teens.

If we are willing to PAY to have OUR ARMY go and Blitzkrieg Afghanistan and Oilraq and kill perhaps a million innocent men, women and children, then why SHOULD we care about teens killing teens.

We do to educate about the value of Life....

It should be more, MUCH more than just a political PAWN.

2 cents...

You wrote this in your response to me...

Actually Zan, you couldn't be more wrong, in your assumption. I give a damn!  I am "pro life", and I believe women should act responsibly.  I care about all children.  People who abuse or murder children should be prosecuted to the max. Can you say that?

I will comment on your second sentance first.  I can't possibly argue with your personal concern for children.  The post I made was not specifically to you, or any other individual.  I agree with you 100% on this statement, except it seems that we somehow justify some deaths of children as collateral damage, and others as victims.  This judgement based on who does the killing.  We do this within the context of war mostly, but other ideological conflicts as well.  In other words, in ideological think..."we kill them for thier own good".  To me, the Neo conservative movement is one of these ideologies. 

Now, your first sentance.  To me, the definition of "pro life" is different than that of "anti abortion".  It is a purposely deceptive, creative phrase, much like "intelligent design".  Pro life to me is respect for all human life,  from womb to tomb, no matter who they are, or where they are from,  and respect and stewardship for that which is needed to sustain that life.  The anti abortion movement is simply a political movement designed to divert us from the real issues that concern us, and to divide Americans.  It is easier to pillage our rights, privilages, and privacy when we are pitted against one another, under fear of being condemned by a power we can't possibly question, such as God.

2 cents...you also posted this...

When you say we are against the poor and we oppose womens rights, you're telling me you don't know what your talking about. In your country there are no rights, so you come here and think that anything goes since we do have rights.  Wrong 

Firstly...I am an AMERICAN and live in AMERICA.  This is my country, maybe not by birth, but definatly by choice.  Secondly, we are talking about AMERICA, not another country.  In a democracy like ours, it is a DUTY to question our leaders, and speak out when we feel they are not representing us, or rights, and our privacies guarunteed in the documents that found this great nation.  Thirdly we are not talking about me, or you specifically, we are responding to an article and posting our views on the article.  Now that we have that out of the way....I ment to say that I have never hugged a leader, or held his hand who oppresses the rights of women by rule of law.  I have never shaken the hand of a dictator who has used oppression and even chemical weapons against his own citizens.  This was MY point.  You can't say on the one hand that you support human rights, and on the other hand consult with, eat with, shake hands with and hug those leaders who oppress thier own citizens.  It is contridictory to the meaning of "pro life".  Of course, you and me both know that "pro life" as it is used in America is creative phrasing, and is simply a political movement disquised in the rhetoric of ideology.

2 cents...who is protesting "abortion rights" here?  My belief on this...if you must know...this is a decision between the woman and the father of the pre natal child, the respective families,  the doctors and other health professionals that they choose to involve,  Thier culture,  and a spiritual leader, if they so choose.  It is not a decision of me, you,  the government, ideology they don't subscribe to, or politicans.  I take  the context of "pro life" the way I understand it to mean.  All life, every life, from womb to tomb...and those things needed to sustain it.  This includes, but not limited to pre natal life, and post natal life, including our highschoolers that the writer of this article was drawing attention to.  I haven't commented on the politcal ideology, or chosen a side based on the political meaning...except to say it is a diversion tactic. 

To Patricia...

You said...

Not so sure that it's a matter of not giving a damn Zan, I think it's just another example where education on the subject is lacking.  What you don't see, you don't care about.

Maybe it is a sign the lack of interest in our society.  The media is all about making a buck...to get the advertisers who will promte thier soap, or thier cars or other products on thier outlets.  Maybe you are old enough to remember when you watched advertisements that told you why you should try brand "X" over brand "Y".  If it were a soap product, they would use phrasing in context with the intent of the product, such as it gets whites whiter than the other brand.  Now, our media is advertising policy disquised as virtue, good, and caring.  Look at those who advertise on national media, such as the "national news" or a sports programme that has national attention like the Super Bowl.  Ask yourself when the last time you were in the market for a commercial aircraft, or an oil rig, or a how a department store treats thier employees. Now ask yourself this...if someone was paying alot of money to advertise thier products, goods or counteracting a negative image of a company, or promoting a political or ideological policy, would you want to see the world around you as it is?  You would not want to report, for example that a department store pays it's workers low wages, or harrasses them for promoting a certian cnadidate if they pay your media outlet millions of dollars to promote a positive image of them.  So, we are left with smiling faces, what hollywood star can't keep thier clothing on, or who can't hold thier liquor,  spin doctors, and hate of the month club leaders. 

To me Patricia, this is why our media did not report the shooting.  Not enough story behind it. No gangs, no drugs, no threats to blow up the school, no Muslims, no people with Arabic names involved.  It doesn't sell the cars, or the soap, or credit cards.   It is sad really, we have 24/7 news, and learn nothing about the world as it really is.  My husband says..."200 more channels, just more of nothing on".

Patricia it is sad to lose someone so young, my thoughts go out to the family.

 I stopped watching the national news because of exactly what you are writing about. I could care less about anti abortion activists and their need for national press, celebrities adopting kids, what famous bimbo was arrested for drunk driving. National and World news should be about what could affect the lives of millions, war, natural disaster or a comet hitting the earth or just plain old global chaos.

I don't believe a student being shot in Tennessee should be a national news story but a local news story. Promoting these young gagsters nationally just creates more of the same.

My last thought is.. It is no ones business if someone wants to have an abortion. If there were more abortions being done maybe there wouldn't be so many kids out there trying to kill each other. Hell you have kids killing kids because they want their fancy tennis shoes. I think all men and women should be fixed at birth so they are unable to have children until they can prove they are capable and responsible enough to raise a child. You don't have to be rich to have children but you do have be able to make the commitment to it There are to many children in one parent households, I believe it takes a mom and a dad to raise a child.

You must have a driver’s license to drive a car. Why not have some kinds of test to bring a new person into the arena of life?