Oh boy, the fun we’ll have in the next couple of years trying to figure out whither conservatism. I continue to maintain that so-called conservative parties ought to be – at least somewhat – conservative. The same way NDPers ought to be, well, NDPesque (Liberals can continue to be for themselves; they’re the only ones who really care). As this little gem of reasonable argumentation explains, “It’s obvious that, whatever face Harper presents to Canadians, his dark grass roots will always be showing.”
Though to be fair, Ms. Zerbisias has a point. (Really. I looked.)
Conservatives, social or otherwise, will continue to press for their agenda, the same way public-sector unions or artists or auto workers or nurses push for theirs. That’s just life, no matter how some columnists dislike it (and no matter how much I dislike public-sector unions). And yes, conservatives, especially the social kind, and putting pressure on the leadership of the so-called “Conservative” party to move in their preferred direction. What else they gonna do? Push in the opposite direction? Suddenly turn around and say, you know, we’ve always been completely wrong, let’s advocate for even more abortions?
The more Stephen Harper tries to distance himself from what the grassroots of his party really want, the more dishonest he looks. And the more annoyed grassroots conservatives get. That is what people used to describe as a “lose-lose” situation. If you’re going to be accused of having a hidden agenda no matter what, why not pay some attention to what the folks in your own party are saying? Engage them, argue with them, fine. But at least do it out in the open instead of trying to pretend there ain’t no grassroots.
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Hey, Brigitte — forgot to mention that the South Carolina Legislature found a creative way to honor the people’s will despite a long and protracted court battle. Long story short, the Legislature mandated that any (legitimate) group — if it could raise enough money and interest to meet a threshold — would be eligible in our state to have a license plate w/ a portion of fees going to its particular cause. This way, pro-abortion advocates could not silence our voices. Cheers on South Carolina. Here’s the story:
South Carolina Agency Approves Choose Life License Plates, Ceremony Wed
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by Steven Ertelt
LifeNews.com Editor
May 26, 2008
Columbia, SC (LifeNews.com) — The South Carolina Department of Motor Vehicles has approved the Choose Life license plate for Palmetto State motorists. The decision comes after years of legal wrangling that led all the way to the Supreme Court.
The official design of the tag will be unveiled at a ceremony Wednesday at the state capitol.
“This is a particularly sweet victory for pro-life supporters,” Holly Gatling, the director of South Carolina Citizens for Life told LifeNews.com. “It has taken seven long years of very hard work to bring this Choose Life tag into being.”
The South Carolina legislature originally approved the Choose Life plates, the sales of which benefit pregnancy centers that help women with unplanned pregnancies, but Planned Parenthood took the plates to court in a 2001 lawsuit.
“Planned Parenthood is the largest abortion provider in the United State with a corner on one quarter of the abortion market,” Gatling said.
“Planned Parenthood receives $336 million in tax dollars and does a one billion dollar annual business. Is it possible Planned Parenthood is afraid that positive message ‘Choose Life’ on car tags might kill its business?” she asked.
The lawsuit went to the nation’s highest court and the abortion business eventually won its suit in a federal appeals court claiming the plates were discriminatory.
In 2004, the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled the plates were unconstitutional because they limited a public forum of speech to pro-life advocates because there are no pro-abortion license plates.
To allow the plates to proceed, the legislature, in 2006, passed another law permitting non-profit organizations such as South Carolina Citizens for Life to apply directly to the Department of Motor Vehicles for a revenue-producing specialty license plate.
Although SCCL complied with the stringent DMV requirements, the department asked Attorney General Henry McMaster to issue a specific ruling on whether SCCL qualified to have a specialized plate.
In his opinion, McMaster said if SCCL met the DMV’s requirements for speciality license plate, then the DMV “may not, consistent with the First Amendment, deny issuance of the speciality plate.”
The plates may go into production as early as September.
Ultimately, the Choose Life plates across the nation have raised over $8.7 million and over 400,000 plates have been sold or renewed in the 17 state that currently have the plate available.
Related web sites:
South Carolina Citizens for Life – http://www.sclife.org
Choose Life plate effort – http://www.choose-life.org