Ads on METRO #8: AIDS in Metro D.C.

The Whitman-Walker Clinic sponsors an ad depicting a white effeminate male:

D.C. has a higher HIV infection rate than many sub-Saharan African countries

According to WWC's statistics 49% of AIDS cases in Northern VA are causes by "men having sex with men" (MSM) compared with 16% being caused by heterosexual contact. Nationwide the stats are 47% and 17% respectively.

Clearly, homosexual conduct plays a large role in the spread of this deadly disease. When one considers the way HIV is transmitted, one can see that unprotected MSM with an infected person is very dangerous.

Furthermore, the WWC claims, "HIV is increasing especially among minority MSM" for the following reasons:

• Initial prevention efforts were produced by and focused on white gay men;
• African-American and Latino men are less likely to identify themselves as gay or bisexual, thereby hindering prevention practices or services from reaching these populations.

How self-identifying oneself as gay leads to a greater likelihood one will not engage in risky behavior remains unclear. Condoms are available to all men regardless of their embracing a gay identity. I find it hard to believe promiscuity among self-identified gays is less than those who have not come out of the closet.

WWC was "established by and for the gay and lesbian community" and provides counselling, medical care, a food bank and other community services. Is the WWC saying that one must "identify themselves as gay or bisexual" in order to receive WWC's services?

I do not want to diminish the good things WWC is doing for sick people. But, they seem to be encouraging people who may experience same-sex attractions to embrace the gay lifestyle. Christians should enourage those who suffer from homosexual desires to embrace chastity instead. Courage is a Catholic organization that does so. More on that later.

Ads on METRO #7: A Match Made in Purgatory

An ad for Bill Gates' new operating system boldly claims:

Prepare to welcome new opportunities for Federal Government with Microsoft Windows Vista

Yes, be prepared to give your IT people the oportunity work overtime.

With its new and enhanced features and functionality, Windows Vista has the power to improve efficiency, productivity and constituent services.

I don't know what is more laughable, the claim that Vista will improve efficiency or that federal bureaucracies actually care to improve productivity and services. Perhaps they are perfect for each other.

Chuckle chuckle (I couldn't resist).

Ads on METRO #6: CFFC - Part II

Catholics for a Free Choice put up this ad (63k PDF) at Washington, D.C. METRO stops. It proudly proclaims, "Nobody wants to need an abortion" (the fine print remains the same).

CFFC's contention breaks down the moment one recognizes that abortion does violence to a living human being. Imagine an ad that proclaims, "nobody wants to kill their next door neighbor."

The theory that abortion should be discouraged but remain legal is common in liberal circles. Well meaning Catholics who identify with most liberal causes (except abortion) are tempted to compromise on this central life issue. They think if abortion is prevented then it does not need be outlawed. I'm not sure they see how detestable that position is.

Imagine if CFFC's fine print read something like this:

Picture a world where safe and reliable sexual gratification is affordable and everyone uses it.

Where the decision to have sex is made responsibly.

Where men have easy access to prostitutes.

Where people have sexual fulfillment whether or not they have a job.

Where sex is both available and pleasurable.

In this world, rapes are not illegal. They're prevented. Isn't that the best choice of all?

Certainly such a world is no more likely to prevent rape than CFFC's world is likely to prevent abortion. One can easily see that substituting the word "rape" for "abortion" clearly highlights the folly of "preventing" abortion while keeping it legal.

Prevention is a good thing. I'm all for crisis pregnancy centers and other ways of prevention (except for contraception). Feminists for Life has some good ideas for supporting women who are faced with unplanned pregnancies. But, if society is to protect life, then it must do more than encourage people to not do violence to their children. It must take a moral stand by making such violence illegal.

Ads on METRO #5: CFFC - Part I

The paradoxically named "Catholics for a Free Choice" placed this ad (63k PDF) in several METRO stations. It boldly tells us "how to end the abortion wars."

The fine print gives CFFC's utopian solution. First, widely distribute contraception and encourage people to use it. Second, provide universal health care and child care. Third, prevent abortion, but keep it legal.

How implementing their socialist agenda will encourage the pro-life movement to give up the fight remains unclear.

Let me address CFFC's fine print one line at a time:

Picture a world where safe and reliable birth control is affordable and everybody uses it.

We already live in such a world. The safest and most reliable form of birth control is abstinence. It is already available for everybody to use and it is free. You can't get more affordable than that.

Where the decision to become a parent is made responsibly.

No disagreement here. The most responsible time to be a parent is in marriage. Everyone knows how one becomes a parent and we all know the most effective way of not being a parent (abstinence). The Church teaches chastity all over the world. Responsible people should listen.

Where parents have easy access to child care.

Parents could care for the child themselves. Of course some working parents are in the difficult position of not being able to be with their kids 24/7. They would certainly benefit from universal child care. CFFC's socialist agenda would have that service provided by the state. If the government raised poor children the way it educates poor children, the prospects are truly frightening for the kids who are most likely to need government care. Charitable organizations, or better yet, extended family, are best suited for this task. Besides, if a pregnant woman cannot afford child care and therefore decides she should not keep her baby, there is a long line of couples waiting to adopt.

Where people have health care whether or not they have a job.

Another noble ideal. However, socialized medicine has been a failure almost everywhere it has been implemented. We have an imperfect health care system to be sure, but CFFC's proposal will only make things worse. Besides, crisis pregnancy centers (which outnumber abortion clinics) offer free health care to pregnant mothers. The thousands of couples waiting to adopt are often willing to provide care to the mother during pregnancy, and will certainly provide care to the child after he or she is born.

Where sex is both serious and pleasurable

I fully agree. The Church teaches sex is not just serious, but sacred. Birth control distorts the sanctity of sex. By the way, according to Pope John Paul's II Theology of the Body, sex is definitely meant to be pleasurable. It is most fulfilling physically, emotionally and spiritually when it is practiced within the bonds of matrimony and open to life.

In this world, abortions aren’t illegal. They’re prevented.
Isn’t that the best choice of all?

This CFFC utopia would not prevent abortions. If it would, then why would abortion need to be legal? Aside from abstinence or surgically removing the sexual organs, no form of birth control is 100% effective. Further, many forms of contraception actually cause early abortions.

Birth control is not about preventing pregnancy or abortion. Abstinence can do that. Birth control is about allowing people to have sex whenever they want without the consequence of children. Abortion is the last line of defense against that unwanted consequence.

Pope John Paul II addresses this issue in EVANGELIUM VITAE:

It is frequently asserted that contraception, if made safe and available to all, is the most effective remedy against abortion. The Catholic Church is then accused of actually promoting abortion, because she obstinately continues to teach the moral unlawfulness of contraception. When looked at carefully, this objection is clearly unfounded. It may be that many people use contraception with a view to excluding the subsequent temptation of abortion. But the negative values inherent in the "contraceptive mentality"—which is very different from responsible parenthood, lived in respect for the full truth of the conjugal act—are such that they in fact strengthen this temptation when an unwanted life is conceived. Indeed, the pro-abortion culture is especially strong precisely where the Church's teaching on contraception is rejected.

Finally, opposing abortion by "preventing" it while advocating for keeping it legal is morally untenable position. More on that next week.

Ads on METRO #4: AAAS

The American Association for the Advancement of Science has offered its full support to fighting global warming. They’ve produced a short video that is heavy on emotion and light on science.

It begins with the president of AAAS, Dr. John Holdren summarily declaring, “Climate change is real. Humans are responsible for a substantial part of it. It’s taking us in dangerous directions.” There you have it. Case closed. And that’s about all of the science you will get from the film.

The rest of the movie tells the sad story of polar bears floating on broken ice and Eskimos losing their homes. I have deep sympathy for the people who are being displaced by the loss of their island habitat, but I have little reason to believe that global warming and/or carbon dioxide is responsible for it. The Earth’s climate is constantly changing. Sea levels have been rising for years (mostly due to tectonic activity). There is little evidence, outside of dubious computer models, to indicate that the present warming trend (less than a degree in half a century) is man made.

But, hard science doesn’t have as much emotional appeal as people (and polar bears) losing their homes. So those who want to convince you of the “crisis” of carbon dioxide would naturally focus on the human side of the story. Still, I expected more science from the publishers of “Science.”

For the record, I am all for conserving power and exploring alternative energy sources, but not at the expense of human progress and development. And I certainly object to the exploitation of tragedy masquerading as science.

St. Francis of Paola, pray for us.

Ads on METRO #3: Unrestricted Warfare

A few weeks ago I saw an ad for an Unrestricted Warfare Symposium. A bunch of smart people spent two days discussing ways to defend this country against the unrestricted threat.

Unrestricted warfare is a phrase coined by two Chinese colonels, Qiao Liang and Wang Xiangsui. They developed a strategy for defeating a vastly superior force (the USA). By abolishing traditional restrictions on warfare and attacking all aspects of a nation, a weaker country could successfully defeat a super-power. All forms of attack are on the table:


Osama Bin Laden and his accomplices may well have taken a page out of the unrestricted warfare playbook, but the threat does not stop with terrorism. In the late 90’s I read an article describing the efforts of a military aggressor team. These patriots attempt to defeat the security of critical networks in order to discover security vulnerabilities. Using Dell laptops and software downloaded off of the internet they managed to hack into the southern California power grid. With the click of a mouse, they could have shut it down. Who needs airplanes and bombs when some smart computer geeks with laptops can accomplish your enemy’s desired military effect?

Unrestricted warriors also use politics and the media in their efforts. Osama bin Laden declared that any state that voted for John Kerry in the 2004 presidential election would not be attacked. I suppose bin Laden has a vested interest in U.S. politics. Al Qaeda’s political ploy failed, but it is a simple example about how our enemies can attempt to manipulate our political process.

One of our nations biggest strengths can also be a weakness exploited by terrorists: the free press. They can use the American media to fuel their agenda. Excessively negative reporting of the war in Iraq certainly works to the benefit of our enemies. I am not accusing the mainstream media of being in collusion with terrorists. Most are just reporting the war the war through the lens of their own worldview. But, America often has to fight the war in the press as well as on the battlefield.

On another note, the war appropriations bill passed by the House and Senate gives me cause for concern. More on that later.

Ads on METRO #2: A Second Look

This ad inspired me to take a peek at The Second Look Project. It is a coordinated ad campaign to advise people of the reality of Roe v. Wade. Their slogan, “Have we gone too far?” challenges the “conventional wisdom” the abortion-on-demand movement has worked hard to engrain in the American psyche. Their Roe reality check debunks abortion myths with some straight facts. For example:

• Abortions are rarely done for maternal or fetal health problems, or in cases of rape or incest.
  
• Most American women do not support Roe v. Wade.
  
• Most abortions are done after the fetal heart has begun beating.
  
• Legalized abortion has made it easy for others to pressure women into having abortions.
  

What is more interesting is the response to the ads in the bay area. According to the San Francisco Chronicle, opponents of the ad campaign have responded by acts of vandalism and calls for censorship.

Fascists around the world would be proud. Why waste time engaging in a discussion with radical right-wingers the likes of the Diocese of San Francisco and the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops? The only way to deal with such religious zealotry is to tear down their propaganda and demand the local government censor their message. Never mind that most Americans agree with the pro-life movement on these matters. Why let facts get in the way of the abortion-on-demand agenda?

I wonder what the ACLU would say about the pro-aborts’ tactics?

Ads on METRO #1: The Light is On For You

I see interesting ads on my commute to work. Many of them have inspired blog ideas, so I've decided to start a regular post on the subject. This week's post is appropriate for the Lenten season.

The Archdiocese of Washington posted this ad on METRO cars. Their program, entitled "The Light is on for You", calls Catholics back to the faith with something truly innovative: the sacrament of reconciliation. That's right. No gimmicks, no frills, no support groups, nothing except the forgiveness of sins and the promise of eternal life.

On Wednesdays, from 7:00 pm to 8:30 pm, parishes across the Archdiocese offer confession. The program's website carries a pastoral letter and a step by step guide to the sacrament.

Will it work? I believe so. Nothing calls people home like forgiveness and salvation. I asked a local priest how it was going. He told me he's heard some very good confessions.

Bravo to the Archbishop of Washington for getting back to basics...and if you live in the D.C. area: