Sorry for the lack of posting the last couple of days – yours truly’s laptop caught quite the virus and rendered itself inoperable for a while; I shall try to make up for missing Thanksgiving postings!
This was one of those posts that I missed putting up on time! Thanksgiving can be a contentious time at the table – Mom was never happy with me during the holidays. I remember growing up and through my college years when we all went over one of the aunt or uncles’ homes – and given that she had been one of 8, there were a TON of people around (easily 50 – 100 folks at such a gathering). It always seemed that I was having an argument with one of my Uncles during those times – a stalwart Democrat for the sole reason that FDR’s policies had allowed him to get through college. Sure, he allowed, there were a lot of problems other than that, and the longer than necessary Depression probably was FDR’s fault, and that Dems had failings since, but he’d always pull the level for the Dems.
I always got "that look" from Mom – she hated it when I merely smiled back.
Steve had it right on the Dems with their cheat sheets but they weren’t the only ones pushing their supporters to push their agenda. Welcome to the Turkey table (like it or not!), the talking points of the unborn baby killers.
I’m betting that our senior US Senator, Jeanne Shaheen, is in full agreement with these talking points. After all, even after the democratically elected Executive Council (who the people of NH changed from a Democrat majority to a Republican supermajority) voted to not fund PPNE, she had the Feds go around that decision and fund PPNE directly.
Really, Jeanne? Do you have so little regard of the peoples’ votes? Oh, that’s right – Progressives believe that people are just too stupid to govern and decide for themselves.
After all, you did such a bangup job of "straightening up" our healthcare insurance marketplace here in NH, you chased all but 2 large companies out of the state…
But I digress – back PP’s talking points:
You just gotta love the starting point:
The holidays are upon us! Going home or getting together with relatives for the holidays is always a stressful time, but if your family members are the type who regularly protest outside the local Planned Parenthood, you know that this holiday is going to be a doozy.
Luckily, we have some tips for surviving those awkward conversations. So read on, and bring some diplomacy and understanding to the table along with that pumpkin pie.
Right off the bat, the PPers paint those that oppose abortions as the crazy, cold-hearted ones. After all, those of us who value life are so not able to be "understanding".
1. Avoid bumper speak talk. A slogan might work for a poster or a button, but in a conversation it just leads to a heated back and forth. Try to steer clear of catchall phrases—they very rarely lead to common ground or change anyone’s mind.
Would that include "fundies!", "Bible Thumpers", and "you just want poor womyn to die!"? After all, any kind of limitation on abortion reproductive rights, even for 12 or 13 year olds by not telling their parents, is just beyond the pale! SO unreasonable, these neanderthalic social conservatives can be.
2. Remember the big picture. Debating when life begins or whether or not abortion is federally funded may get you nowhere. Instead focus on your shared values and the big picture—for instance, talk about how you believe everyone should be able to afford to go to the doctor, or how the decision about when and whether to become a parent is a personal one. You never know, you just may find yourself actually agreeing with your relatives.
Sorry, there is no middle ground between "alive" and "aborted". And not everyone believes in Obamacare either.
3. Know your facts, but keep the conversation more global. It’s good to clarify misinformation—for example, the misconception that emergency contraception ends a pregnancy—but staying there can cause a fight. Instead, try to clarify, and then transition back to the underlying value of why you believe what you do.
If the implantation of the zygote into the uterine wall has happened, yes, it does end a pregnancy. You know, how can you argue in point #1 that becoming a parent is "personal", yet try to argue that point as being "more global"?
4. Create a space for the listener. Ambivalence is normal. Reproductive health is not a black and white issue, and there is no one right or wrong way to feel. Be open and accepting of other people’s personal views, and instead focus on the distinction between your personal beliefs, and what should or shouldn’t be imposed on others. For example, “I might not personally choose to get an abortion, but I could never decide for another woman whether or not she was ready to become a parent.”
If the issue truly was "reproductive health", then we wouldn’t be talking about abortion, would we. Once again, we see the Left trying to recalibrate the language (that’s why "gay" no longer means "keenly alive and happy") and cannot be straightforward in the topic being discussed. And yes, they only succeed by assuming and reinforcing a relative moralism "no one right or wrong way") – for if there are no absolutes, anything can be rationalized.
And as for that last quote, that’s exactly what PP is trying to do – force their belief that abortion is peachy keen on the rest of us.
5. Learn to diffuse. There are some debates you’re just never going to win, and not all questions are created equal—in fact many are designed to start a fight. Instead of getting caught in the weeds, try to recognize when a question isn’t a real question, and transition back to what you feel is the bigger picture:
Question: “I don’t want my tax dollars going toward abortions.”
Response: “Actually, because of the Hyde Amendment, tax dollars can’t go toward supporting abortion. But I do believe that everyone deserves access to basic, preventive reproductive care, and that it’s important we support those services. No one should ever have to choose between paying rent and buying birth control.”
The problem is that with PP, money is fungible – if they were not receiving taxpayer monies for the "health" stuff, they couldn’t spend what they do on providing abortions. And Obamacare is shredding the spirit (and the letter) of the Hyde Amendment. And as far as deciding between rent and birth control? Tell me, HOW the heck do you compare buying a box of condoms, the Pill, and paying rent????
There are a few more – they are not hard to skewer. Hopefully, for your amusement, one of your misguided relatives or friends tried some of these TPs and you were able to set them straight.
(H/T: Hot Air)
