Tag Archive for: pro-life

Feds Charge Man With Firebombing Pro-Life Group’s Office After Dobbs Decision Leak

A Wisconsin man was arrested Tuesday in connection with an attack on a pro-life organization’s office just days after the leak of the Supreme Court opinion overturning Roe v. Wade, the Department of Justice (DOJ) announced.

Authorities identified the man, Hridindu Sankar Roychowdhury, as responsible for a May 8 firebombing of the Wisconsin Family Action office based on DNA samples recovered from a partially eaten burrito that matched those found at the scene, according to the court filing obtained by Reuters. Roychowdhury was arrested at a Boston airport Tuesday and will appear today in the U.S. District Court in Boston, according to the Department of Justice (DOJ).

Wisconsin Family Action’s office was damaged after Molotov cocktails were thrown into the building, a fire was started, and the building was painted with the message, “If abortions aren’t safe, then you aren’t either.”

“According to the complaint, Mr. Roychowdhury used an incendiary device in violation of federal law in connection with his efforts to terrorize and intimidate a private organization,” Assistant Attorney General Matthew G. Olsen said in a press release. “I commend the commitment and professionalism of law enforcement personnel who worked exhaustively to ensure that justice is served.”

The leaked Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization decision, which found “no constitutional right to abortion,” was published by Politico on May 2.

Roychowdhury was identified earlier as a suspect for graffiti painted on Wisconsin State Capitol grounds during a Jan. 21 protest, which read “We will get revenge,” according to court documents. He faces a minimum of five years and a maximum of 20 years in prison if convicted.

“This group of local and federal law enforcement officers has worked, with the federal prosecutors, diligently and creatively to move the investigation forward,” said U.S. Attorney Timothy M. O’Shea for the Western District of Wisconsin in a DOJ news release. “This case is an example of the results law enforcement can achieve when local and federal law investigators work as a team.”

In January, the DOJ indicted two suspects in vandalisms that occurred at three Florida pro-life pregnancy centers following the overturn of Roe v. Wade last June, Catholic News Agency reported. The indictments were the first known since the string of attacks on pro-life clinics, churches, and organizations, which the Family Research Council records have reached over 100, began last summer.

Wisconsin Family Action did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

AUTHOR

KATELYNN RICHARDSON

Contributor.

RELATED ARTICEL: Pro-Life Group Alleges The FBI Is Spying On Its Operations

EDITORS NOTE: This Daily Caller column is republished with permission. ©All rights reserved.


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Is Harvard hopelessly woke? What Harvard is really like

Like most things, Harvard is what one makes of it — and this can include experiences rooted in faith and friendship. 

Harvard is often seen as the archetypal American university, offering a model that many others seek to emulate. So, as a new school year and new application season begin, it seems fitting to ask: what is this storied institution really like anyway? Is it home to heroes or heretics? Maker of gods… or the godless? My response is quite simple: neither extreme is accurate. Harvard is not as heavenly as some think; fortunately, it’s not as bad either.

My college decision was practically effortless. Harvard, I was told, offered everything a motivated, book-smart student could want: challenging courses; fabulous research opportunities; world-class professors; and, most importantly, insightful, intrepid, intellectually curious peers.

I envisioned a campus alive with students who genuinely loved learning, who asked big questions and pursued them to their limits, who discussed Dostoyevsky at lunch and astrophysics at dinner, and who would challenge, shape, and inspire me over the course of our college journey.

Needless to say, this vision wasn’t entirely accurate. Arriving on campus last fall, I was surprised to find that many of my peers did not choose Harvard out of a deep, reverent hunger for veritas. Rather, their motives were primarily mercenary: they had enrolled for the degree and the connections. Almost every Harvard student I know really is a smart, accomplished individual; test scores and ambition, however, are not necessarily synonymous with intellectual curiosity.

Lowered standards, heightened biases  

Critics of Harvard tend to focus on academic standards and political bias. In terms of academics, it is telling that Harvard’s two most popular concentrations are economics and government. Read: wealth and power. Students with these two goals are incentivised to take easy courses whenever possible: between grade inflation and the competitive nature of consulting applications, a B from a fabulous but challenging professor just won’t do.

As such, students offset rigorous concentration requirements with “gems,” pleasant, untaxing courses in which A’s are guaranteed and learning is optional. Last fall alone, over 800 students enrolled in a gen-ed course fittingly entitled “Sleep,” though how many attended more than one lecture remains unclear.

Administrators, meanwhile, do little to counter this trend. Notorious gems (“Sleep” excepted) are occasionally identified and restructured, but with tuition-paying customers to please and a reputation to maintain, addressing lowered standards will be essentially impossible.

The real tragedy is not the proliferation of easy A’s but the slow suffocation of liberal arts education. In lieu of a robust core is a smattering of “distributional requirements” easily satisfied by niche, fringe, or downright non-substantive courses. In other words, “Sleep” might be the only science course a Harvard student ever takes.

Thus, it’s possible to graduate from Harvard without challenging one’s prejudices, without genuinely exploring different disciplines, and without ever diverting one’s gaze from the holy trinity of law, finance, and consulting. Alas, the utilitarian ethos prevails; it was never about veritas anyway.

Harvard critics’ true concern, however, is not academic standards but politics — just how radical is the “Kremlin on the Charles”? According to the numbers, very. While 82 percent of Harvard faculty identify as liberal or very liberal, a mere 1 percent identify as conservative, and none identify as very conservative. The student body, luckily, boasts slightly more ideological diversity: conservative or very conservative individuals made up 6 percent of the Class of 2022, and nearly 70 percent were progressive or very progressive.

Can academic freedom, civil discourse, or mere open-mindedness thrive in such an environment? Here are a few illustrative examples that make it tempting to view Harvard as a powerful brainwashing machine:

First, my hallmates and I attended a mandatory, dorm-wide meeting at the start of the academic year to discuss the hookup culture. We were tasked with creating explanatory posters exploring the hookup culture in its various dimensions. One group of students crafted a suitably vague definition of “hookup” for their poster, while another brainstormed adjectives to describe hookups (highlights include “exciting” and “experimental”). Not once were other approaches to sex and dating, let alone inconvenient biological realities (sex not infrequently makes babies), ever mentioned.

Second, this past semester I watched a trembling professor issue a formal apology at the behest of her outraged students and teaching staff. Her crime: reading aloud a passage from Invisible Man — a novel advocating civil rights and equality — that contained a racial epithet. Although this incident had occurred during a discussion section before a small subset of enrollees, critics swiftly and loudly demanded that she ask the entire class for forgiveness. Pressuring a professor to apologise for her language threatens academic freedom. Critics certainly deserve a voice, but not at the expense of their professor’s.

Finally, I saw a formerly well-liked friend ostracised by her residential housemates during her last month at Harvard. This jovial, whip-smart senior was a Latina Democrat; she volunteered regularly at a youth homeless shelter, vocally advocated racial justice, and actively disliked Trump. Just participating in two pro-life rallies, it turns out, was enough to outweigh all of that.

Faith, friendship, and signs of hope

While such everyday occurrences make it tempting to believe that Harvard is a lost cause, there are two important limiting factors that suggest otherwise. First, because Harvard is a very large institution — with twelve graduate and professional schools, fifty concentrations in the undergraduate college, and an extensive array of administrative offices — centralised or consistent strategic communication is next to impossible. Having many supervisors, counterintuitively, leads to little supervision — within this large bureaucratic institution are many conservative niches, ranging from a controversial pseudonymous publication to a philosophical debating society to a growing pro-life presence on campus.

The second limiting factor is Harvard’s inherent elitism. Prestige and influence require class distinctions; in a truly equitable world, Harvard does not exist. Thus, Harvard will continue to champion progressivism — but never enough to endanger its own future. Harvard students of all political stripes perceive this hypocrisy; if anything, they graduate not more liberal but more cynical. So much for the formidable brainwashing machine.

In addition to these two limiting factors, my first year — which was hands-down my happiest in a decade — suggests that Harvard is not a lost cause. I learned to read ancient Greek, solved triple integrals, and wrote an essay on Fredrick Douglass’s conception of the human soul. I kayaked on the Charles, explored Boston’s fabulous art museums, and attended a weeklong seminar in Oxford. I befriended the dining hall workers, learned how to swing dance, and performed Schumann with my chamber ensemble.

Despite the prevalence of secularism and credentialism at Harvard, faith and friendship were central to my joyful first year. In fact, Christianity, particularly Catholicism, is alive at Harvard. Every morning, a dozen students attend daily Mass before eating breakfast together in a nearby dining hall. Weekly talks at the Harvard Catholic Center precede solemn adoration accompanied by a student band. And this past Easter alone, thirty-one members of the Harvard community were fully initiated into the Catholic Church.

Outside of the Catholic and Christian communities, Harvard students are very respectful of religion. Talking openly about my Catholic faith elicits not smirks and grimaces but genuine curiosity and the occasional request to join me at Mass. Although I attended Catholic school all my life, my faith life has never thrived as at Harvard.

Nor have I ever been blessed with such strong, beautiful friendships. Just one week into freshman year, I had already found a group of kind, intelligent friends. Yes, our everyday conversations are less intellectual than anticipated; yes, our educational goals differ significantly. But far more important is character. My friends at Harvard are truly virtuous and generous people.

What’s more, my experience is hardly singular. Personality is an important factor in Harvard’s admissions process — so while many admitted students are indeed ambitious and career-oriented, they are for the most part essentially decent people. This emphasis on personability combined with its unique housing system, active extracurricular life, and countless study abroad and fellowship opportunities means that Harvard intentionally and successfully fosters friendship.

One year into my Harvard career, I can report that no stereotype of the university is entirely accurate. By no means is Harvard an immaculate place: intellectual curiosity often suffers at the expense of utility, classes and administrators can be overly political, and students with unpopular views are often frightened into silence. Still, I have great hope for Harvard.

While it’s true that students can avoid Homer, Shakespeare, or Tolstoy if they wish, it is equally true that those fascinated by such literary giants will encounter first editions of their texts in the rare books library and brilliant professors eager to elucidate them.

Though Harvard students can graduate without having explored questions about God, morality, and the meaning of life, those brave enough to ask can consult prominent theologians and learned priests, travel to Jerusalem on Harvard’s dime, or simply walk down Bow Street to pray in magnificent St. Paul’s.

In the end, Harvard, like most things, is what one makes of it. It can never be perfect; what it can be is a haven for faith, friendship, and the pursuit of veritas.

This article has been republished with permission from The Public Discourse

AUTHOR

Olivia Glunz

EDITORS NOTE: This MercatorNet column is republished with permission. All rights reserved.

A Video Message from Phyllis Schlafly

Phyllis Schlafly gives an update on the status and upcoming events of Eagle Forum. Among other things Schlafly speaks about the upcoming GOP convention, her new book and Republican “king makers.”

Schlafly quotes former Senator Everett Dirksen of Illinois, who at the 1953 Republican National Convention, took to the floor and accused the king makers of leading the Republicans “down the road to defeat.” Dirksen received mixed boos and cheers rang out from the delegates.

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When will the killing in Florida ever stop?

The title of my column comes from the March 9th front page featured story from the Palm Beach Post concerning the loss of forty children in 2013 who were under the control of the Florida Department of Children & Families. Losing forty innocent children in 2013 is forty lives that could have been saved, especially when you see the negligent ways these innocent children lost their lives while under the state of Florida’s care. My heart goes out to each and every one of them and I pray that the Florida Department of Children & Families does a better job protecting the innocent in 2014.

Now, let’s look at another topic that is near and dear to my heart. One that has been “killing” since January 22nd, 1973. One that has killed over 56 million babies in our country – ABORTION

In Palm Beach County alone 5,808 children were aborted in 2013. In the state of Florida there were 71,503 abortions in 2013. Once again, not to take away from the importance of the “forty” lives that were lost in the same year in Florida through the Department of Children & Families – how can one even begin to compare “forty” deaths to 71,503?

It doesn’t even come close. Just think about that for one minute. Same state, same year. While the article on these “forty” lives was rightfully featured on the front page of the Palm Beach Post – when are we ever going to see that 71,503 figure on any front page in any newspaper in our beloved state let alone the country?

Over 71,000 babies butchered in Florida this past year and not a word is spoken or written about it. How about a daily death count of the “56 million” who have been murdered in America since that now infamous Roe v. Wade decision 41 years ago? Their deaths will probably never see ink wasted to remember them or tell their stories.

danielsacks

Dr. Daniel N. Sacks

Only because we live in a “culture of death” and we have a liberal President in the White House who embraces it, endorses it, promotes it, and funds it. So, it is up to “Pro-Lifers” to go out during these “40 Days for Life” to pray at these abortion clinics and to demonstrate at abortionist’s offices like that of Dr. Daniel N. Sacks of Palm Beach-Wellington Women’s Care.

Who out there is going to join the Pro-Lifers tomorrow or on any of these 40 days? Who out there really even cares? Who out there has just given up and says “there’s nothing I can do to stop abortion?” Who out there claims to be Christian and just turns a blind eye and a deaf ear to these intrinsic evils that attack our beloved communities every single day? Who out there is just going through the motions each and every day and is more worried about whether it is going to rain tomorrow for the Marlins game at Roger Dean or whether they will be able to get to their favorite restaurant this evening in time to catch the “early bird” special”?

With more and more “selfies” taken on an hourly basis in our country – that is what our vain society has come to – SELFIES – as in SELFISHNESS. All about me. I guess that is the “thing to do” today. Take a picture of yourself with your own “self”-phone and send it to everybody you know – and hope it goes viral. Wow! That’s real meaningful. So productive and self righteous. With Facebook, Twitter and all these other annoying ways to entertain ourselves – we have forgotten about others and it’s all about “OURSELVES” – the evil foundation of the “selfie”.

What ever happened to the word “groupie”? That was big in the 60’s & 70’s with all the rock bands. I kinda wish that word would come back. I prefer the term “groupies” over “selfies” any day. But, only if those groupies are doing something constructive and Christian-like – as in praying in groups in front of abortion clinics and demonstrating in groups with our “Pro-Life” signs in front of abortionist’s offices. Put your “self-phone” away – delete all your “selfies”, skip an early bird special this Lent – and HAVE THE COURAGE TO PROTECT THE UNBORN!!

RELATED VIDEOS:

The first half of this is overlaid with good music and the second half is a talk by a scientist who explains that the complexity by which the instructions for human development are coded into our DNA and carried out by the mother are beyond all mathematical and human comprehension.

[youtube]http://youtu.be/FF4uR0MRGxA[/youtube]



This video is not secular but its short, heart-warming, and powerful.  It has an audio track of a young child singing and talking to his/her mother who aborted them letting her know how much they love her and want to be with her while they are safe and being loved in Heaven. THIS IS A VERY TOUCHING VIDEO…

[youtube]http://youtu.be/8GzjO14Yetc[/youtube]

 

This video is from a business called “Baby Center” that has its own website and other related videos as well.  The video is good but short.  They have three more that I am aware of on their YouTube site that cover the remaining weeks of gestation.

[youtube]http://youtu.be/4l9GE_eaMSs[/youtube]

 

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Conn. High School Blocks Pro-Life Student Group From Handing Out Information
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EDITORS NOTE: The featured image is by Miss Monica Elizabeth and is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license.

Scheduled: 18 Pro-Life Events Across Florida in January 2014

The Florida Family Policy Council has sent a list of 18 scheduled Pro-Life events taking place in Florida to protest Roe v. Wade. Below are those confirmed pro-life events by county with links and contact information:

Brevard County- Merritt Island- Celebration of Life Sunday, 1/26/14 at 10:30am, at First Baptist Church Merritt Island, 140 Magnolia Avenue.  For more information contact 321-454-9853

Broward County- Dania Beach- Together for Life concert, 1/24/14, featuring Mark Schultz and Joyce Bartholomew. $13 general admission, doors open at 6, Sheridan Hills Baptist Church, 3751 Sheridan Street, Hollywood, 33021. Proceeds benefit local pregnancy center. http://www.friendsofhope.com

Citrus County- Inverness- Roe vs. Wade Memorial Service, 1/22/14, Noon, on the North lawn of the Historic Citrus County Courthouse, 1 Courthouse Square. Citrus County Right to Life website and Facebook Group

Clay County- Orange Park- Rose Procession & Mass for Life, 1/22/14 at 7:00pm, at St. Catherine Parish 1649 Kingsley Ave. All are invited to the reception following. For more information contact Mary Hartwell at 904-264-1904.

Duval County – Jacksonville- Stand for Life, 1/22/14, Noon – 1PM at the Federal Courthouse. Can park at Prime Osborn then ride the tram and get off at the Hemming Plaza exit.

Duval County – Jacksonville- March for Life, 1/22/14, 12pm at the U.S. Federal Courthouse in downtown Jacksonville, corner of Hogan St. and Monroe. Jacksonville March for Life

Escambia County- Pensacola- Mass for Life, 1/22/14 at 7pm, at Little Flower Catholic Church 6495 Lillian Hwy. Light refreshments provided after, all are invited. 850- 455-5641

Escambia County- Pensacola- Presentation by Dr. Lyle, 1/23/14, 11:30am-1pm, Pensacola City Hall. Dr. William Lyle is a board certified doctor of obstetrics and gynecology. He uses visual technology of modern obstetrics to reveal the personhood of the unborn. Free and open to the public.

Indian River County- Vero Beach– 8th Annual “Stand for Life” Chain, 1/19/14 at 2 pm, on Route 60 between 20th and 31st Ave. For more information contact Marie Ferretti at772-473-9269.

Lake County- Lady Lake- Annual Mass and Prayer Rally, 1/22/14, Mass at 11am, immediately followed by a prayer rally at the flag pole. St. Timothy Catholic Church, 1351 Paige Place.

Lake County- Eustis- Sanctity of Human Life Service, 1/19/14 at 10AM, at River Church 796 Hooks Street Clermont Florida 34711.  For more information 352-242-0257 (South Lake Pregnancy and Family Care Center).

Lee County- Fort Myers- 1/16/14, 9-12pm Prayer Vigil at Planned Parenthood Clinic 8595 College Parkway #250, corner of College Parkway and Winker Road. For more information contact Sean James at 239-992-1143.

Leon County- Tallahassee- Prayer Gathering, 1/22/14 at 12-1pm, at the Florida Supreme Court (Tallahassee). Our stand is not a protest, but a silent prayer meeting. With LIFE tape on our mouths, we make our appeal to the Judge of the earth and ask Him for speedy justice to be released. Communion will be taken after prayer time. Please come take a stand with us for the life of the unborn.  For more information 850-906-9170.Bound 4 Life TLH

Orange County- Orlando- Memorial Prayer Vigil, 1/22/14, 10:30-11:30pm, at Planned Parenthood, 726 S. Tampa Ave. Then head to Orange County Courthouse, 425 N. Orange Ave. for a Memorial and remembrance service from 12-1pm. For more information call407-230-2557.

Sarasota County- Sarasota- 16th Annual Mass and Prayer Walk, 1/24/14 at 8:30am – 2pm at St. Martha Catholic Church. After mass, we will take shuttle busses to Planned Parenthood Regional & State Headquarters, 736 Central Ave Sarasota, FL. St. Martha Catholic Church, 200 N. Orange Ave. For more information contact Jeanne Berdeaux 941-441-1101.

St. Johns County – St. Augustine- Post Abortion Healing Workshop, 1/17/14, 6:45pm,  this is a workshop led by Dr. Theresa Burke, founder of Rachel’s Vineyard, for those suffering the loss of abortion and those interested in ministering. Registration is requested, but not required. Prince of Peace Votive Church, 101 San Marco Ave., St. Augustine, 32084 Registration here: Post-Abortion Workshop

St. Johns County – St. Augustine- March for Life, 1/18/14, 10am, live music and booths at Mission Nombre de Dios. 11am Speakers and peaceful procession down St. George St. ending at the Public Plaza. Keynote speakers are Dr. Theresa Burke, Rachel Burgin, and Missy Martinez. Click here for a schedule of March for Life St. Augustine.

St. Lucie- Fort Pierce- March for Life: Treasure Coast, 1/18/14 at 11:30am, at A Woman’s World Medical Center, 503 S. 12th Street (the abortion clinic at the SW corner of Delaware Avenue and 12th Street in Fort Pierce). Participants will be able to visit tables with literature about local pro-life ministries. The marchers will step off at noon for the short march (less than 1 mile) to the Fort Pierce City Hall (100 N. US1) where participants will witness and listen to pro-life speakers until 2:00 p.m. Participants will then be shuttled back to their vehicles. Individuals and groups are encouraged to bring their own signs representing their church or organization and there will be other signs available on a first-come, first-serve basis. Parking is available at the starting point and and transportation will be available to shuttle marchers back to their vehicles. Parking is also available in the parking garage at City Hall for those who don’t care to march. March for Life Treasure Coast

FFPC LOGOABOUT THE FLORIDA FAMILY POLICY COUNCIL

The Florida Family Policy Council (FFPC) is one of 38 other state based policy council around the country which are associated with Focus on the Family. Many of these organizations are the leading pro-life, pro-family organizations in their respective states.

The FFPC is a 501c3 non-profit corporation under the IRS tax code. We have an independent board of directors and are responsible for raising our own financial support.
Our motto: “For Life, Marriage, Family and Liberty…”

Our Mission Statement: “Our mission is to strengthen Florida’s families through public policy education, issue research, and grassroots advocacy.”
History: In 2004, the organization both registered as a state not-for-profit corporation in Florida and obtained its federal 501c3 status with the IRS. In 2005, the organization began its official public launch and was formally associated with Focus on the Family out of Colorado Springs, Colorado. John Stemberger was the group’s founding President and remains the organizations CEO and General Counsel to this day. For a more in depth and detailed history of the organization Click Here.