I have to say, I like this sentiment. In an age of endless complaining, whining and psycho-analysis of how hard our lives are, sometimes it’s just nice to hear someone say:

I can’t stand whining,” Clinton told Marie Claire. “I can’t stand the kind of paralysis that some people fall into because they’re not happy with the choices they’ve made. You live in a time when there are endless choices. … Money certainly helps, and having that kind of financial privilege goes a long way, but you don’t even have to have money for it. But you have to work on yourself. … Do something!”

Carpe diem, my friends. No time for whining.

I get a steady stream of interesting articles from friends and readers (thank you, keep ’em coming). One friend sends me a whole lot of what might fall into the “Christian hypocrisy” file. Though I don’t know his faith, I’m going to guess by what he sends me that he thinks Christians are a bunch of naive, hypocritical fools. The “Christian hypocrite” storyline goes something like this: You preach certain values and standards. Then you don’t live up to those values and standards. Bam (ergo)–you are a hypocrite.

That’s not quite how I see things. I believe that there is no such thing as the perfect Christian. I believe we can preach and learn about an absolute standard, while failing to live up to that standard. Possibly the only form of hypocrisy would be if a church-going Christian knew the rules but claimed “they don’t apply to me.” Those people are out there, but happily, I don’t meet them too often.

This it not a confessional, tell-all post so don’t get too excited, but suffice to say, I preach standards I have not lived up to at one time or another, for example, today. And yesterday. And tomorrow.

Anyway, these ruminations are the result of stumbling across this post. Christians in churches are having abortions. No one is immune to making mistakes and it would be foolish if we thought we were. Healthy churches know this. I just think it’s worth remembering because all pro-lifers, many of whom are practicing Christians, need to figure out how to be in these situations with others who have had abortions when the faith is pretty clear on “thou shalt not kill.”

It actually shouldn’t be any harder than being with other Christians stumbling through life on a great array of difficult topics. (Shouldn’t be any harder, which is to say, it is very hard. Where is the line between being encouraging and being pedantic or patronizing? How do we choose our tone? When do we speak versus not speak? How do we, in moments, conceal our shock? How do you cope with the news that someone you love has made a terrible, huge mistake? Am I brave enough to risk losing a friend to stake out truth? When I lose a friend, is it my fault? Please join me in my world of sleepless nights, people.)

PS I found the linked article sad, because it would be heartbreaking to learn you “should have been an Auntie” in that fashion.

(h/t)

A good, light read. Lots of good one liners in this article about Obama and Romney at a charity dinner in New York City. My fave:

Mr. Romney, speaking first, said Mr. Obama, who wants to increase taxes on the wealthy to help fund government programs, must have had some thoughts as he looked out at the crowd of wealthy people at the dinner. “You have to wonder what he’s thinking: So little time, so much to redistribute,” he said.

Guess I haven’t followed American politics closely enough, but I find it surprising that if Mitt Romney is elected, Ann will be the first pro-life First Lady.

Vote Yes! Ontario (OHIP) should defund abortion by clicking here, scrolling down and looking at the right hand side.

Why? Because abortion is not medically necessary.

Remember, pro-choicers have taught us that abortion is a woman’s choice. But I don’t choose medical treatments when they are necessary. They can’t have it both ways. That’s your pro-life talking point/question: asking people if things that are truly medically necessary are usually framed as the patient’s choice, or between a woman and God, or as a right. Not generally, they aren’t.

Defund, defund, defund. It’s private. It’s personal. It’s a choice. Fine. Don’t make me pay for your choice.

Now this is easy spoof terrain. Come on. If. You. Can’t. Wear. Clothes. In. Public…Why Should I trust YOU with my country??? Why. oh Why. Oh why??? (insert shrug.) Enjoy.

[youtube:http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=XeY6gGQZ5_E]

Settle back and watch this. Been a while since I posted such a tear jerker. On how babies with Down Syndrome can change their “perfect” parents for the better.

[youtube:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q4foXehDmWs&feature=youtube_gdata_player]

I didn’t get to watch the presidential debate last night but apparently President Obama defended Planned Parenthood for all the good work they do in women’s health care.

Meanwhile, I am reading Planned Bullyhood, which is by Karen Handel, who left Komen when Komen flip-flopped on granting money to Planned Parenthood. Handel was roundly criticized as “politicizing the issue of women’s health” because she is pro-life.

From reading her book I have learned that Komen had discussed removing funding from Planned Parenthood for many years, because their mission did not fit in with Komen’s mission and because Planned Parenthood’s political actions were tarnishing Komen.

But the kicker is this: Komen’s grant to Planned Parenthood was, if I recall correctly, less than one percent of Planned Parenthood’s operating budget. Furthermore, Komen and Planned Parenthood had a “gentlewomen’s agreement” that the defunding, so inconsequential to both of them, would not be publicized. It would simply happen and no one would even know. That was the deal until Planned Parenthood went to the press with the whole thing, and made it into a huge scandal, resulting in Komen continuing to fund Planned Parenthood the inconsequential amount of money and Karen Handel leaving the organization. Dirty.

More info here. Sign up for good times! It’s this Friday, tickets are 50 bucks, includes your meal and entertainment and lots of cool auction items. Last year I got a massage. No, don’t thank me–it’s just what I’m prepared to do for a good cause. (I should add, I won a massage in the bidding. No one there gave me a massage, which would be creepy, not cool. Depending on who, of course…I digress.)

The response of the pro-choice audience to a pro-life argument appears to have gone down a little less than smoothly over at the New Statesman:

It slowly dawned on me, at about 5pm on Sunday evening, that no matter how politely, gently and sensitively the anti-abortion case is expressed in the future, people on the ‘pro-choice’ liberal-left will never want to hear it.

No, they won’t. The mainstay of their argument is there is no argument to be had. This is why debating abortion is so hard: Because so few people who are ardently in support of abortion will stand up and make any cogent arguments in favour of it that actually address the humanity angle.