I'm a big fan of free speech. There's not another era, nor nation, that has ever existed where a guy like me can say whatever he damn well pleases on his own pundit, with pretty much no consequences other than being called a dumbarse by other people exercising their free speech rights as well. The same goes with protests. If people want to picket, bitch, etc. even if I despise their cause, in my opinion they have the right to speak their minds (diseased as they may be) as long as they don't interfere with people on a physical level (IE: blocking areas off, clogging traffic like those die-in assholes in he streets, etc.). I used to feel that way about abortion protests as well, but a year ago I started leaning the other way, and I'll tell you why.
November 7th, 2002, my son was born at Swedish American Hospital, in Rockford, Illinois (Happy B-day Trevor me boy!). He had trouble breathing and ended up in the neo-natal intensive care unit (NICU). Anyway, he was born with an infection of some sort, had to be on IV antibiotics for about a week, but was otherwise fine except for some problems with his eyes (will probably post about that some other time). My older son, 5 years old at the time, was scared to death his little brother was going to die.
Fast forward 3 days, taking my eldest to see his little brother. Out on the sidewalk in front of the hospital are 15 or so screaming anti-abortionists waving full color 3' x 5' posters of scrambled babies. It seems that one of the only OB-GYN's in the area that performed abortions also did regular rounds at the hospital. No abortions were performed at the hospital. Ever. But these assholes decided to wave dead baby pictures in front of a hospital where parents and siblings of very sick infants, some terminally, have to pass by their display to visit the babies in that intensive care ward.
My older son was looking at some construction equipment on the other side of the road, and didn't notice them. If he had, and had been traumatized in the least (after already being near tears most of that week thinking his new brother was going to possibly die), I would still be in prison for multiple 2nd degree murders. Being that close to a medical facility would not have saved them.
I came back the next day without my son and after my murderous rage had subsided, to have a civil chat with them about why waving those pictures at that particular place was not a good idea, but they were gone.
If there are any people out there reading this who participate in that kind of protest, just use a little common fucking sense, will ya?
This concludes my blogging about abortion. We now return to our regularly scheduled foul-mouthed cursing about religions
November 7th, 2002, my son was born at Swedish American Hospital, in Rockford, Illinois (Happy B-day Trevor me boy!). He had trouble breathing and ended up in the neo-natal intensive care unit (NICU). Anyway, he was born with an infection of some sort, had to be on IV antibiotics for about a week, but was otherwise fine except for some problems with his eyes (will probably post about that some other time). My older son, 5 years old at the time, was scared to death his little brother was going to die.
Fast forward 3 days, taking my eldest to see his little brother. Out on the sidewalk in front of the hospital are 15 or so screaming anti-abortionists waving full color 3' x 5' posters of scrambled babies. It seems that one of the only OB-GYN's in the area that performed abortions also did regular rounds at the hospital. No abortions were performed at the hospital. Ever. But these assholes decided to wave dead baby pictures in front of a hospital where parents and siblings of very sick infants, some terminally, have to pass by their display to visit the babies in that intensive care ward.
My older son was looking at some construction equipment on the other side of the road, and didn't notice them. If he had, and had been traumatized in the least (after already being near tears most of that week thinking his new brother was going to possibly die), I would still be in prison for multiple 2nd degree murders. Being that close to a medical facility would not have saved them.
I came back the next day without my son and after my murderous rage had subsided, to have a civil chat with them about why waving those pictures at that particular place was not a good idea, but they were gone.
If there are any people out there reading this who participate in that kind of protest, just use a little common fucking sense, will ya?
This concludes my blogging about abortion. We now return to our regularly scheduled foul-mouthed cursing about religions
