I Struggle To Even Title This Entry

As most of my regular readers know, I'm hardly ever fully serious. I generally like to sprinkle at least a little dry wit in to every piece of writing I submit here. It's simply my style, and partially my personality.

Allow me to be completely serious this morning. No images. No snarky comments. Business.

I preface this by saying it doesn't matter what my personal viewpoint on the underlying debate is, and I don't particularly care what your viewpoint is either. The underlying debate is merely a catalyst for the complete and utter bullshit I've witnessed entirely too long now.

For a couple of years now, I've seen a bunch of assholes standing on the side of the road. Based upon a quick internet search, I'm going to say it's the Pro-Life Action League (and because of my outrage I'm not going to link to them, they don't deserve it. I struggled to actually name them, but if you are as outraged as me, it'd be nice to know where to send the hate mail). Apparently, in their particular lexicon, "action" is a synonym for "let's be completely morally reprehensible." Like I said...I am not here this morning to speak about the underlying debate of pro-live vs. pro-choice. But the tactics these people are using make my blood boil. I truly hope you haven't seen these people on the side of the road. I doubly hope that those of you with small children haven't seen these people on the side of the road.

Why?

Because they engage in shock and awe tactics, the original variety before that phrase was recently co-opted. They stand with large signs showing graphic and disturbing pictures of aborted babies to shock anybody who sees them.

I get it. Like I said, it's a shock and awe tactic designed to get people to, very heavily, think twice about getting an abortion. That's their agenda (to get people to think twice about abortions), and their basic agenda is not the debate here.

But it is morally reprehensible (I can't use that phrase enough about this) to stand on the side of a public road with large signage with disturbing imagery in order to carry out their agenda. They can not control who sees this, and that's part of the point...they know what they're doing, and to even think that it's an overall good idea makes them bereft of good judgment, common sense and a sense of decency.

The first time I saw this, a couple years ago, my first thought was "That's sick...children could see that and be scarred for life!" I voiced my indignation to others, but let it go. I've seen them since. It's usually around this time every year (which means that not only do they do this very much on purpose with full knowledge, they plan it, and based off what I briefly saw on the Pro-Life Action Leagues site they actually tour this crap). But yesterday, Jessie, my pregnant wife, saw these people for the first time in a different location. It disturbed her, an adult, so much, that she couldn't stop crying.

Pardon my french, but what the fuck do you think it'd do to a small child if it causes this reaction in a grown woman?

I told her that I've seen these people before, and said basically some of the same things I've said already about how I feel about the practice. Especially since I've seen clergy involved, which made me want to stop my car and tell them they should know better. You can't stand on the side of the street holding pictures of two people screwing to protest porn, or of people shot in the face to protest lack of gun control...and this is no different in my book.

So I shouldn't have been surprised when I saw them along the same stretch of road I see them around this time every year on the way to work. Today, though, I had to fight the urge to lean on my car horn, and drift towards the shoulder to make them scatter, hopefully getting them to drop their signage so I could run them over and ruin them.

Now look, don't get me wrong, I do not oppose their right to express their points of view. I simply call in to deep question their methodology. It's, for lack of a better term, complete and utter bullshit, for them to be allowed to stand on road sides with graphically disturbing imagery that anybody can and will see, including small children who could forever have their psyches damaged by seeing these images. It's irresponsible, and they have to know that, which makes it even more bullshit. Especially because I'm willing to bet the vast majority of these people think they're doing nothing wrong.

Handing out pamphlets with these images is one thing. You can control who you hand them to, you can have a warning on the cover about the graphic imagery. But to wave around very large signage? You're an asshole. Simple as that. You. Are. An. Asshole.

If any of you engage in this activity, I strongly recommend you do not tell me you do. Because I have no qualms about my own moral reprehensibility: I will punch you in the face for participating in these activities. Because I'm also pro-life in the sense that I'm very protective of my wife and I'm going to be even more protective of Erin...and if she ever is disturbed, even for a second, by seeing any of your vile bullshit tactics...you will wish I was never born. And wouldn't that be deliciously ironic in its own way?

I'm sorry, I guess with that last line I did insert some of my dry wit. However, the presence of the wit was not an indication that I am, or was, even remotely joking about this. If my daughter is affected by your tactics it...will...be...on.

Get off the streets, assholes. Learn to protest in a decent and humane manner. If you have such an esteem for life, try and remember that while you believe life starts at conception, that still means that life continues until death, and you're dealing with real live human beings out there.

Scarring untold numerous children for their lives...is it really worth getting your message across to maybe a couple hundred people a cycle? I'm willing to bet you think it is, which is why you are a bunch of morally rephresnsible assholes who are a discredit to their own cause.

Put the signs away. Talk to people, use civil discourse. Get off the damn streets.

This is one step above the idiots who bomb abortion clinics. Showing an appreciation for life means showing an appreciation for all life. You'd think these people only care about life from conception to birth by how they carry themselves.

I now step off my soapbox. I really hope you agree with me. Because to disagree with me means you think they're doing nothing wrong...and that means I have a major problem with how you think. And right now, I'm so upset that I don't care how that might effect any number of friendships and acquaintances this post might change.

Edit: Jessie sent me this link which shows how our own government condones this activity, which makes me even more upset.

Another edit: Smarmoofus mentioned something about not being near clinics and therefore lucky enough to not have to subjected to this. This reminds me of another reason to loathe and detest this practice...They aren't doing it around clinics. They purposefully choose high traffic areas for maximum exposure. The places I've seen them around here, and heard of them being around here, are not around clinics, but they are definitely in high traffic areas. Not that doing it around the clinics makes it any better, but purposefully placing themselves in high traffic zones sure makes it worse.