by Fletcher Armstrong

Continuing our See you in the funny papers series (explanation), this one from the Grand Valley State University Lanthorn.

No Name:  How dare they compare abortion to the Holocaust. Nothing should every be compared to the Holocaust. … You can’t compare abortion to genocide.  They are two completely different things and trying to do so invalidates people who have survived through genocide or are going through it right now.  Also, the pictures that they put on display can be triggering for many students, faculty, and families who are touring the school.

CBR Response:  No Name, Martin Luther King, Jr. often compared racial injustice in America to the Holocaust.  Rev. Jesse Jackson later extended the comparison to abortion.  Both of them cited some of the same factors that we highlight in our display, including denial of personhood, dehumanization of the victims, etc.  They didn’t “invalidate” anybody when they made these comparisons.  They merely pointed out common themes.

BTW, this talk about “triggering” is nothing more than a plea for censorship.  You say that you think it’s OK for us to voice our opinions, but you think it goes too far when we provide evidence which proves our claim that abortion decapitates and dismembers little human beings.

Why do you want this evidence covered up?  How can it be that it is OK to decapitate and dismember little human beings, but not OK to show a picture of the result?

Brandon Hambrick (orange sweater) joined the UTK Pro-Life Collegians after seeing abortion photos on his campus.

by Jacqueline Hawkins

Adam Lovejoy is an all-star pro-lifer at the University of Tennessee (UT).  In December, we had encouraged Adam to join the Pro-Life Collegians at UT.  A few weeks later, he was made co-president!  His first priority was to invite CBR to bring GAP back to UT.

GAP at UT is always fun.  By that we mean froth with protest.  This time, they set up just on the other side of the sidewalk, which actually pushed the passersby over toward our display as they walked to and from class.

Pro-life students came out of the woodwork to thank us and even help.  Pro-life senior Federico Di Luzio was so impressed by our work that he signed up for the PLC, attended the meeting that night, and showed up the next morning to help set up.  Brandon Hambrick was there from the start, with his gentle but strong presence.  Solid as a rock in his Christian faith, he was an example to all his male peers.

Media:

• Pro-life display sparks controversy with UT students
• U.T. Students protest abortion display on campus

You have to laugh as WVLT-TV falls all over themselves to say abortion is too horrific even to see.  It would be funny if it weren’t so tragic.  Abortion is so insidious because it actually hides behind its own horror.

Jacqueline Hawkins is a CBR Project Director and a regular FAB contributor.

Jane Bullington explains that abortion decapitates and dismembers its preborn victims.

by Jacqueline Hawkins

It had been 4 years since we visited East Tennessee State University (ETSU).  In 2012, it was a successful Choice Chain.  This time, it was our full Genocide Awareness Project (GAP).  We couldn’t think of a better way to spend Holy Week than work to save the “least of these brothers and sisters” of our Lord (Matthew 25:40).

One young pro-life woman was emboldened by our presence and went head to head with a pro-abort teacher’s assistant (TA).  The TA had brought her class to watch her confront and defeat (she hoped) CBR’s Fletcher Armstrong in a battle of wits.  Unfortunately for this poor TA, she came to the battle unarmed.

The pro-life student was a senior with a husband and daughter.  She knew a lot more about life than the typical college student.  It was awesome to see her in action, using her life-experience to confront the selfish naive notions of those who really didn’t understand the glories of motherhood.

At the end of the second day two students held protest signs in their lap as they lounged on the steps of the library.  They offered no compelling argument to justify decapitating and dismembering little human beings.  If somebody could only offer such an argument, it would save us all a lot of trouble.

It was a successful two days.  Things didn’t get too rowdy, so it was a perfect school to warm up for the more intense encounters to come.

Jacqueline Hawkins is a CBR Project Director and a regular FAB contributor.

by Jacqueline Hawkins

Based on what I heard at Mizzou and elsewhere, I’m starting to realize there are two kinds of racism.

Hard racism is the obvious, in-your-face, “We hate black people.  Lynch them!  Enslave them!  ARGH!!!” kind of racism.  This racism is typical of cultural elites like Margret Sanger, KKK members, and neo-nazi skinheads.

But there is another kind of racism: soft racism.  Instead of being fueled by hatred, it seems to come from a pseudo-compassion for the plight of a lesser species.  It’s like the soft spot a pet owner might have for animals.

Mixed with the abortion/population control movement, soft racism has become more dangerous than the harder kind.  It lulls black people into a false sense of security, even as they annihilate their own race, one black baby at a time.  Meanwhile, soft-racist white people feel a sense of accomplishment, because it shows they “care” for the poor, downtrodden blacks.

Take a look at a few choice statements I’ve heard during our campus visits:

p My college roommate, in a gentle, sweet voice drenching with concern about the rate of illegitimate births in the black community, “They don’t know how to use birth control.”

In other words:  Blacks are apparently too stupid to figure out how to take a pill everyday.  (I’m not advocating usage of the pill nor premarital “safe” sex for any race, but the principle of taking a pill everyday is not that hard to wrap your mind around.)

p “I agree we shouldn’t kill children. But not everyone is equipped to take care of a baby.  Minorities need this option,” said a protester during Created Equal’s University of North Florida outreach.

In other words:  While killing children is bad, black people are so bad off that slaughtering their own children is the best option.

p Presidential candidate Bernie Sanders said, “When you’re white, you don’t know what it’s like to be living in a ghetto. … You don’t know what it’s like to be poor.”

Implication:  A double whammy.  Black people only know a life of poverty, but white people eat caviar at the country club.

p As reported in a recent story about microaggressions at Mizzou, white students at the University of Missouri said, “We don’t like that you’re tokenizing minorities!”  And, “You shouldn’t use minorities to further your agenda!”

In other words:  Blacks are too stupid to know their own minds, so their views must be assigned to them by their white benefactors.

p And finally, at the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill, a young white man repeatedly berated me for being token who had betrayed her own race.

In other words:  Blacks who don’t accept their assigned thoughts, words, and/or deeds must be put back in their places.

When I think about these comments, I feel like I’m in the Twilight Zone.  It’s patronizing.  It’s insulting.  These folks are not entirely without concern and empathy, but it’s not the compassion you might feel it for someone you see as an equal.  Some of these folks seem to see us as lesser beings.  They take pride in shouldering the white man’s burden.

Jacqueline Hawkins is a CBR Project Director and a regular FAB contributor.

by Fletcher Armstrong

Continuing our See you in the funny papers series (explanation), this one from the Grand Valley State University Lanthorn.

Science Student:  You can play with words all you want, but your side will ultimately lose this argument.  It’s inevitable as older generations of voters die-off.

CBR Response:  In other words, if society allows you to decapitate and dismember, then you win the argument and you are perfectly justified in committing the act.  Might makes right.  You say, “We can kill, so we will, and you will lose.”  Gee, where have we heard that before?

I cannot say which view will prevail.  For many years, the pro-slavery view prevailed.  That doesn’t mean it was morally acceptable to enslave another person.

Pastor Clenard Childress waited in vain for law school deans and black student activists to come out  and defend their threats against Madison Gesiotto.

by Jacqueline Hawkins

We hoped the Ohio State University (OSU) Law School Dean would pick on somebody his own size.  He dared not do it.  Instead, he cowered in his office.

It all started when OSU law student (and Miss Ohio USA 2014) Madison Gesiotto wrote a compelling article in the Washington Times entitled, “The number one killer of black Americans.”  That killer is abortion.

To some of her peers, this was more than they could tolerate.  A few black students were enraged that a white woman would write about black abortion.  A white student threatened violence.  Concerned about her safety, Gesiotto went to OSU law school deans to seek counsel and help in addressing the potential danger.

But instead of helping her, the deans persecuted her for expressing disfavored opinions, even making thinly-veiled threats to sabotage her career.  Read more here and here.

The OSU Law School may not care to defend Gesiotto, but CBR will.  To push back against bullying, CBR took its ALL Black Lives Matter (ABLM) campaign to the Law School’s front door.  ABLM is a variation of of our Genocide Awareness Project that focuses on abortion in the Black community.

The ABLM display doesn’t pull punches. One panel features a Confederate battle flag, along with the question, “Which is more hateful, evil done to us, or evil done by us?” Another explains how Planned Parenthood suppresses the Black vote more than the KKK ever could.

Some black students did not want Gesiotto to speak because of her skin color, but we took that canard off the table by teaming with Black pro-lifers from the Life Education and Resource Network (LEARN).

We invited deans and members of the Black Law Students Association to come out and defend their threats and bullying.  Of course, none of them showed up.

It was a great day.  Gesiotto later told us that our presence had made an important contribution to free speech at OSU.  Students who had been neutral on abortion (which is another way of being pro-abortion) were now reconsidering their view.  Furthermore, pro-life students who had been afraid to express disfavored viewpoints were now finding the courage to speak up.

This is a lesson for all of us.  The best response to bullies is to stand up to them.

BTW, don’t let anyone tell you that pro-lifers are just a bunch of old white men and brainwashed housewives.  We come in all flavors.  One of us is an ice-skating law student that moonlights as a beauty queen and writes for the Washington Times!

Jacqueline Hawkins is a CBR Project Director and a regular FAB contributor.

Lincoln Brandenburg, CBR Project Director, Georgia

by Lincoln Brandenburg:

I’ve debated posting my thoughts on the Orlando terrorist attack.  Like many, I was outraged and deeply saddened on Sunday morning to hear of such a senseless, cowardly act of hate.

Like many, I have strong opinions on how we should respond to such disregard for the lives of others.  There are questions and exhortations to be had in terms of public policy, ideology and (not mentioned often enough) personal responsibility.

I may hash some of those opinions out in the days to come.  But in the meantime, I’ll leave it with this:

I don’t care if you’re different than me.  I don’t care if we disagree with each other’s lifestyles, politics or religion.  You are a valuable human being with dignity.  Your life matters, simply because you are a fellow human.  And I like to think that, given the chance, I would stand up for you if your life were in danger.

When Christ reiterated the greatest commandment, “Love your neighbor,” he was asked by a sly lawyer, “and who is my neighbor?”  Christ proceeded to tell the well-known story of the Good Samaritan.  In doing so, he placed two people who were culturally, racially and religiously very different side-by-side as neighbors.  The implications are obvious.

Sadly, Mr. Mateen was devoid of this kind of love for others.  Whether you want to blame radical Islam or guns for this horrible tragedy, one thing is clear: Mr. Mateen was filled with hate for others.  By all means, let’s hash out the tough issues.  But as we do so, let’s not stoop to the level of this coward.  Let’s advocate for our positions.  But let’s also listen to each other without demonizing each other.

Lincoln Brandenburg is a Project Director for CBR and regular contributor to FAB. 

Mr. Fortissimo’s wrath was extinguished by a few kind words and an offering of friendship.

by Jacqueline Hawkins

There are times when the goal in a conversation needs to be defusing, instead of debating.  I learned this at Mizzou.

“This looks delicious!  It looks like sushi!” he said angrily.

We get that all the time.  Mostly from men.  They are trying to provoke us to anger.  This young man however, had a lot of rage be hind his eyes and in his voice.  One of my co-workers said he looked like he wanted to eat someone’s soul.  The tattoos, piercings, and mohawk supported that notion.

He stalked around the display.  Seasoned GAP staffers didn’t try to engage him, but as I saw him move towards the young and less experienced volunteers, I knew I had to cut in so they wouldn’t unwittingly find themselves in an escalating fight they couldn’t handle.

My heart was pounding as I made my way over to their side of the display.  Instead of engaging him in a debate, I wanted to try something different.  Would it work?  I didn’t know.

“This looks like f***ing sushi!  It looks delicious!” he said again.

I laughed and casually leaned against the barricade.  I replied,“You remind me so much of someone I knew in middle school.”

“I don’t give a f***,” he spat.  He gave me and angry, questioning look.  He obviously didn’t expect me to go from that angle.

“Well that’s fine.  I’m just saying that you remind me of someone I used to know . We called him the Cube.  You remind me of the Cube.”  (I really did know a boy who was referred to as The Cube in middle school.)

“Whatever.  This looks like gummy bears!”

“Now hold on, sir.  Wait a minute.  You just said it looked like sushi.  They can’t look like two kinds of food at the same time.”

He clarified. “This picture looks like gummy bears.  The other picture looks like sushi.”

“Oh!  I see.  Okay.  We’ll we’re just showing folks what abortion is.”

“I say kill them all.”

I frowned thoughtfully and shrugged deciding to inject a least a little pro-life rhetoric into the conversation.  “Kill the Jews, enslave the niggers, kill the babies.  It’s kind of all the same thing,” I said nonchalantly.

He didn’t respond to my statement.  Instead he replied: “I’d like to kill myself and take some people with me.”

He couldn’t see preborn children as valuable (nor me nor anyone else, for that matter), because he didn’t see himself as valuable.

Whoa.  “I see…Well, I would seriously have to discourage killing yourself and your classmates.  That wouldn’t be good,” I said with ease.

A pro-life student I had been speaking with earlier chimed in, seeming to sense that I was diffusing and not debating.

“Look bro, if you ever want to hang out and talk, look me up.  My name’s Jason,” the pro-life student said offering his hand.

“F*** off,” he muttered.

“Come on, dude!” I exclaimed with a bit of lightheartedness.  “He’s just being nice.  I would have given anything to have someone say that to me when I was in college.  I didn’t have friends when I was in school.”

“There’s probably a reason for that,” he spat, trying to egg me on.

“There was!” I agreed.  “I was a total introvert.  I just hung out by myself which made college lonely and miserable.  So I know what it’s like.  You shouldn’t have to go through that.”

He didn’t reply.

“By the way, I like your tattoo,” I said, pointing to the ff musical sign behind his ear.  “Forte, forte right?”

“Actually it’s fortissimo,” he corrected, but without any venom.

“Oh yeah, that’s right!  I used play music in school but it’s been a while.  Fortissimo. Awesome.”

He shrugged and I continued:  “But look sir, regardless of how you feel about babies or your classmates, you shouldn’t have to feel like you’re better off dead.  I strongly suggest you see the school counselor so you can feel better.  And while you’re at it make some friends so you don’t have to be alone.”

“Yeah, definitely look me up and we’ll hang out and be friends.  My name is Jason,” he said offering his hand.

Mr. Fortissimo gave Jason’s hand a side glance and said pointedly, but without any hostility, “I’d rather stay anonymous.”

“Hey, that’s cool, but at least you know you’ve got a friend,” I said.

He was silent for a few moments.  I could tell all the wind had been blown out of his sails and he was much calmer.  He came there for a fight but got something completely different.  The crazy pro-life lady (me) took all of his  venomous barbs and turned them into points of friendly conservation.  The clean cut, bright-eyed, pro-life student offered to be his friend and hang out with him.  It probably wasn’t at all what he expected, but he certainly wasn’t going to be all hugs and giggles in response.

“I gotta go take a s***,” he said simply.  No anger, no ire, no venom.  But still some shock factor.

“Okay! I hope all goes well with that.  It was nice talking to you!” I said with a smile.

The young man who looked like he was going to eat someone’s soul walked away without anger and without venom, but with a whole lot to think about.  He probably had a reputation for being crazy and on the edge.  Plenty of people probably told him to get help.  But how many people told him to get help so that he would feel better?  Because he deserved more than living a miserable lonely life?  He’ll never forget the pictures, and I hope he’ll never forget that he was told that he deserved to feel peace in his life.  I especially hope that he and Jason do in fact become pro-life friends and hang out.

Jacqueline Hawkins is a CBR Project Director and a regular FAB contributor.

by Fletcher Armstrong

Continuing our See you in the funny papers series (explanation), this one from the Grand Valley State University Lanthorn.

Observer:  People on both sides of the issue spent half their time trash talking people who opposed them instead of keeping it to the issue.  The pro-lifers compared the pro-choicers to Germans who ignored the Holocaust, while pro-choicers compared pro-lifers to racists who fought to keep public schools segregated.  This constant mud-slinging contest is exactly why people don’t like talking about important issues.

CBR Response:   Observer, thanks for your comment.  We did not invent the comparison of abortion to the Holocaust and slavery.  Martin Luther King, Jr. often compared racial injustice in America to the Holocaust.  Rev. Jesse Jackson later extended the comparison to abortion.  Both of them cited some of the same factors that we highlight in our display, including denial of personhood, dehumanization of the victims, etc.  But it would be wrong to accuse them of “trash-talking”.

It isn’t trash-talking to point out that perpetrators of genocide always redefine personhood in terms that exclude the intended victim class.  Our Supreme Court declared preborn children to be non-persons in the 1973 Roe v Wade decision, applying a developmental criteria (trimesters).  The Court did the same thing in 1857, by declaring Black men and women to be “subordinate and inferior” beings.  The Nazi court declared Jews to be non-persons in 1936.

Another common theme is the language used to dehumanize the intended victims.  For example, Nazis called their victims rats, pigs, vermin, and untermensch (subhuman).  We all know the language used to dehumanize Black men and women in this country.  So what do we call preborn children.  A wanted preborn child is called a “baby” — “look at the ultrasound of my baby” — but an unwanted preborn child is never a baby, but is often referred to as a “parasite”, “blob of cells”, “products of conception”, etc.

These are all true historical facts.  Stating facts is not mud-slinging.

Of course, these facts have relevance only if the preborn child is a living human being, but science tells us that the preborn child is both human (not a pig, cow, or horse) and alive (not dead, but growing).  So can anyone tell us why it OK to decapitate and dismember some human beings and not others?  And what criteria is appropriate to decide which human beings may be decapitated and dismembered and which may not?

by Jacqueline Hawkins

A group of scrappy, industrious pro-life students did their own ALL Black Lives Matter campaign at Purdue.  In February, the Purdue Students for Life (PSFL) posted fliers that focused on abortion in the black community.  Their intentions were in the right place, but their fliers stated opinions instead of facts (though their message was completely truthful).  There was an intense and vicious backlash from radical elements of the student body.  There were even Facebook attacks from a Purdue staff member.

We went to Purdue to convey three messages:

1. ALL Black Lives Matter, including every preborn child.
2. Every abortion is a savage act of violence.
3. Leftist pro-aborts don’t get to decide who may speak, nor what may be said.

Pastor Clenard Childress and his Life Education and Resource Network (LEARN) helped us create a racially diverse team, ready and willing to take on all comers.

The first day was filled with turmoil.  Several BLM activists resorted to hysteric theatrics to make their point, only to make themselves look like ridiculous caricatures.  It was hard for them to play the race card with so many blacks behind the barricades.  On the second day, the BLM activists disappeared, but a small group of LGBTWXYZers protested.  Or maybe they were LGBTTQQFAGPBDSMers — not too sure about that.  Anyway, …

They laid out blankets on the grass and lounged about the whole day.  No chants, no jeers, just lounging.  By the third day, most of the crazies had disappeared.  Except for one angry, loud student, we were visited by a diverse array of inquisitive, thoughtful, and calm students.

The PSFL were amazing.  There were smart, bold, and strong.  They had been knocked down, but instead of cowering in the closet, they regrouped, strategized, and came out swinging for the sake of children — specifically black children.  They worked together as a team and welcomed collaboration.  At CBR, we oppose human cloning, but in the case of PSFL, we might make an exception!

Jacqueline Hawkins is a CBR Project Director and a regular FAB contributor.

Pro-aborts can’t censor or intimidate us at Purdue University.

Mrs. Shanley stand in prime location where she can see the ‘stealth appreciation’.

Here is what volunteer Patti Shanley had to say about the pro-life students who had practically taken their life-affirming sentiment underground:

 We know we’re in a hostile environment when our friends are afraid to be seen with us.  It happened to me at least a dozen or more times at the UNC Greensboro and North Carolina State.

I’m talking about stealth appreciation.  It’s a lightning-quick “thank you” that almost no one else can discern.  The person might stop for a moment, or just glide by with a bit of eye contact and a quick nod or thumbs up.  They don’t take our brochure.  They barely speak.  They just quickly say “thanks” and move on.  But they never, ever, want anyone to know they agree with us.

I understand.  It’s a dangerous world when accusatory social media posts target anyone considered an enemy and the gang of bullies descends.  Social circles are fragile and academic success is unsure when we swim against the current.  Who could have predicted that the tolerance crowd wouldn’t tolerate dissent?

At least one student at UNC Greensboro wasn’t afraid.  In full view of the pro-aborts, she told me she was really glad GAP came, and offered me a hug.  “God bless you,” I whispered in her ear.

We must teach the next generation to be better than this.  The anti-American Left has coopted public resources and institutions to advance their own agenda at taxpayer expense.  They are not bold; they are bullies.  They say we have no right to speak, and their President says we should sit in the back of the bus (his exact words).  Unfortunately, too many pro-lifers, conservatives, and Christians are cowering in the closet.  That is not a recipe for victory.  We will have to fight for our country or we will lose it.

That is why CBR and GAP are so important.  We are fighting.

You can fight, too.  Be sure to join us here.

Jacqueline Hawkins is a CBR Project Director and a regular FAB contributor.

by Fletcher Armstrong

Continuing our See you in the funny papers series (explanation), this one from the Grand Valley State University Lanthorn.

Science Student:  Your “movement” implies that those who have had abortions are “murderers” and compares them to those who oversaw the holocaust [i.e. “Nazis”].

CBR Response:  We explicitly state that women who have had abortions may not be compared to Nazis.  In fact, aborting mothers are often more victim than perpetrator.  They’ve been lied to.  Many face enormous pressure and even threats of abandonment (or worse) by irresponsible or predatory males who should be supporting them.  Some “choice.”

We compare abortion to the Holocaust because in both cases, (1) the victims are denied rights of personhood, (2) perpetrators use dehumanizing terms to describe the people they intend to kill, etc.  But we also compare slavery to the Holocaust, for all the same reasons.  Does that mean that we believe George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and William Clark were as evil as Nazis, because they owned slaves?  Of course not.  These men are personal heroes of mine, but they were very wrong about a grave moral issue.  They grew up in a society in which slavery was an accepted part of daily life.

Perpetrators of genocide almost always discount the humanity of their victims.

God let it rain on Day 1, but …

by Jacqueline Hawkins

On the rainy Monday at the UNC Greensboro, a young man with a markedly deadpan attitude gloated, “You all came to start a fire on campus, but look. It’s raining. Where’s your fire now?”

The young man was a member of the the campus Christian group that originally committed to bring GAP but later backed out.  Unfortunately, Christians often have little regard for the sanctity of commitment, which is why we generally avoid depending on such groups.  As it turns out, the College Republicans are much more likely to keep their commitments.  Just sayin’.  Anyway, …

When the young man saw no students around the GAP display, he concluded that the rain and lack of response was a sign from God that GAP did not belong.  God was drowning out the “fire” CBR wanted to start.

He asserted that GAP was not the kind of loving thing that Jesus would do, but GAP volunteer Debbie Picarello pointed out that Jesus was full of both grace and truth.  We show the truth of abortion, but following the example of Jesus, we are gracious, loving, and peaceful in our conversations with students.

Debbie then reminded the young man that Jesus did not hide from controversy.  Jesus told people the truth about their sin and called them to repent, knowing they would crucify Him.  As Christians, we share the Gospel with them, even if it means persecution.  At CBR, we share the truth about abortion with them, knowing they don’t want to see it.

… He gave us a firestorm on Day 2.

He may have thought God was dousing the flame, but he needed only wait one more day.  Our Day 2 was beautiful and a massive crowd of people gathered.  This confused Christian could gloat no more, because God gave us the very firestorm he assumed had been washed away.

Jacqueline Hawkins is a CBR Project Director and a regular FAB contributor.