Freedom for All
[Planned Parenthood] is not just a social or medical service agency. It is part of a cause, a movement. One of the principles of Planned Parenthood is that reproductive freedom is indivisible. You either have it or not. Everybody has it or none has it." Don Weintraub, V.P. for Int’l Affairs, PPFA, Madison, Mar. 12, 1985
Yes, true freedom is indivisible, and I submit to you that...
This will not truly be the Land of the Free and the Home of the Brave
until freedom reaches every unborn child
and life becomes the first and fundamental right
of every human life, of every citizen in these United States.
In the words of the motto of Christians for life, "every life counts."
The quest for freedom is ever before us. The cause of freedom is ongoing, it must be protected and defended, or it will be lost.
America my friends is in the process of being divided. The indivisible nation spoken of in our pledge is being transformed into a divided nation where certain classes of humans:
are losing their most fundamental freedom - that of life itself.
May you and I live to see the day when freedom is restored for every American.
The Pledge of Allegiance
I pledge allegiance to the flag
of the United States of America
and to the Republic for which it stands,
One nation, under God, indivisible
with Liberty and Justice for all.
Are these the words of your heart?
Will you live them with your life?
Oh how important is the cause of freedom!
The Pledge of Allegiance has undergone numerous changes though the years. What follows is an excerpt from an article about the changes that were made to the pledge in 1954:
On Flag Day June 14, 1954, the words “under God” were added.
The last change in the Pledge of Allegiance occurred on June 14 (Flag Day), 1954 when President Dwight D. Eisenhower approved adding the words "under God". As he authorized this change he said: "In this way we are reaffirming the transcendence of religious faith in America's heritage and future; in this way we shall constantly strengthen those spiritual weapons which forever will be our country's most powerful resource in peace and war."
This was the last change made to the Pledge of Allegiance. The 23 words that had been initially penned for a Columbus Day celebration now comprised a thirty-one word profession of loyalty and devotion to not only a flag, but to a way of life....the American ideal (emphasis added). Those words now read:
“I pledge allegiance to the Flag
of the United States of America
and to the Republic for which it stands,
one nation under God, indivisible,
with liberty and justice for all.”
For additional information and to view the article in it’s entirety visit:
http://www.flagday.org/Pages/StoryofPledge.html
Randy Hall
Randy and Dave’s Excellent Adventure
It all started out yesterday when I was praying and the next thing I knew the Lord was speaking to me; No not in an audible voice, but in his own quiet way. He suggested to me how I might make use of the day after Independence Day.
It seemed that what the Lord had in mind was that July 5, 2005 would be Independence Day a second time; it would be Independence Day for the Unborn. The Fourth of July had been a day my family and I spent visiting with church friends, eating, laughing and enjoying fireworks; a day of freedom - celebrating freedom. We were free to go where we pleased and free to do what we pleased. And so at the invitation of friends, we had joined with others and together enjoyed the national holiday that honors the freedom we as a nation have valued, cherished and have been willing to defend, no matter what the cost.
So on July the 5th I told my friend David Owen of my plans for the day and he volunteered to travel with me to visit Kansas City and the Planned Parenthood facility at 4401 West 109th in the suburb of Overland Park, Kansas. I had been there before, when a group called “Bound 4 Life” had carried out a Prayer Siege for over 20 days. During that event pro-life advocates for the pre-born had gathered together and prayed on behalf of the innocent lives that are needlessly taken through abortion. Planned Parenthood, as you know, is a Non-Profit agency that distributes birth control and performs abortions under the auspices of “family planning services.” Not all Planned Parenthood sites are equipped for abortions – but the one we visited is.
It wasn’t long after our arrival that David and I were noticed and greeted. When you visit an abortion clinic – not as a client – but as a protester you must understand and abide by the rules of engagement. You will limit yourself to staying in the area between the road and including the public sidewalk on the perimeter of the property. You will not at any time, at the threat of being jailed, trespass onto the facility’s parking lot or area surrounding the building. There are plentiful signs posted about the premises to remind you of this. But I digress; the greeting we received was given by a tall, massive, kaki clad security officer who leered at us and pulled out his night-stick, tapping it repeatedly in the palm of his hand. He made sure we saw him as he locked eyes with us. Not long after that a female associate, who was dressed in similar garb, walked over to a car parked in the lot and pulled out of the trunk a pistol in its holster. Welcome to Planned Parenthood! I’m fifty-one years old, I’ve been at times: a student, a husband, a father, a salesman, a pastor and in all my years I’ve never once received such a greeting.
David and I had prayed in the car long before we had come anywhere near the clinic. Because of that I don’t think the guard’s actions had their intended effect. Despite their threatening gestures, David and I took up our stations on the sidewalk; we didn't cower or run away. Seeing this, the guard, a Goliath of a man who outweighed David and myself together with perhaps a third small person’s weight to spare, made his next move. He came up to me and explained what the rules of engagement were. You will limit yourself to the parking and the sidewalk and make sure you don’t block the driveway. I assured him we had no intentions of blocking the driveway. With that – he turned and went back to his post near the entrance to the building. With this our greeting was complete, for now.
At this point you may be asking yourself why David and I were visiting Planned Parenthood. Years ago I visited the World Prayer Center located next to New Life Church in Colorado Springs, Colorado. While visiting the Prayer Center I had toured the various prayer stations that were set up inside the main area. One of the stations was an empty crib that symbolized the plight of the unborn and the issue of abortion. While gazing at the empty crib God grabbed my heart and gave me a burden for the unborn that I have carried in my heart, my mind and my soul ever since. The Lord pierced my heart sharing with me his broken heart for “the least of these.” In Matthew 18:14 scripture tells us, “So it is not the will of your Father in heaven that one of these little ones should be lost” (NRSV). I can’t help it – my cheeks are covered with tears and my nose gets soggy as I write this. The bible also talks about carrying your cross and following the master. The Lord has given me this brokenness - it is mine to carry. I have prayed for years that God would give me his heart and mind. The Lord’s response to that prayer came in the form of a heart broken for the unwanted, the rejected, in short - the ones who were in the way.
David and I witnessed many things during our time at the Planned Parenthood Clinic. We personally witnessed:
· Three cars with two women
· Five cars containing a man and a woman
· Four cars containing just a woman
· One car with two women and one man
· One car with 4 teenage girls
We didn’t include in our count automobiles or individuals who seemed to be employees, that entered the grounds of the clinic and entered the employees entrance.
The car with four young teenage girls was particularly upsetting. The girls were dressed in tight fitting, revealing clothing. They were laughing and giggling as they tried to go in the employees entrance to the building. At least one of the girls returned to the car to retrieve something and went back into the clinic. They were only in the clinic less than ten minutes and then returned to their car. Were they there to pick up birth control? I don’t know for sure.
I wish that same group of girls had stayed at the clinic long enough to witness the expressions on the faces of the ladies who had gone in earlier and then exited the building an hour or two later. The look on one woman’s face in particular is etched in my mind. As the car she was riding in approached the driveway to exit - she was slumped down in the front passenger seat of the car.
She passed right in front of me – and since I was standing near the driveway – I could clearly see the pained expression on her face and her troubled eyes, filled with a strange emptiness words can barely express. There was a knowing in her gaze of something terrible. If only the young girls I mentioned before could have seen this woman’s face I’m sure it would have caused them to rethink their sexuality and its expression in more realistic terms.
A number of vendor vehicles came and went while we stood in front of the clinic:
· Labcorp, a sign on the truck gave a web-site; www.labcorp.com
· DHL, dropped off or picked up a package
· E.R.S. of Newton, KS pulled up in a large city-delivery size truck. This company is a medical waste disposal company that is a division of Deffenbaugh Disposal.
· Shred-it of Lenexa, KS parked in the lot while the driver went inside to make his pick-up. Shred it has a web site: www.shredit.com
As vendors to Planned Parenthood these companies – with the possible exception of DHL if they were making a drop off, support the taking of innocent human lives through abortion. These companies may count among their accounts receivable dollars monies paid to secure the death of innocent children in the womb. Do they think of these profits as blood money? Do they pause and consider at what price their bottom line has gained a few more dollars? Maybe some of these companies have national contracts and serve Planned Parenthood facilities across the United States. Maybe we’re talking multiple thousands upon thousands of dollars in sales revenue. No matter how much or how little, it’s still blood money.
During our hours of praying, observing and occasionally talking to people coming or going in cars, we were waved at in a supportive way a number of times. More often than not – the people we most wanted to talk with – wouldn’t even look at us as they drove in or out of the clinic parking lot. It was like we weren’t there. Maybe that’s how they cope with those who stand against abortion – by just pretending those people don’t exist.
Our presence made a difference however, even to “ignore” us required effort. Some people noticeably speeded up to get past us a little quicker in their coming and going. I noticed more than one furtive glance from the patrons entering and leaving the building. Because we stood there, abortion was seen in a different light. It was seen as something not everyone agrees with. The whole atmosphere of the clinic was different because we were there. The guard took a more active role in assisting people to and from their cars as they came and went from the clinic.
How about you? What does your life say about abortion? Does your silence on the issue say that it’s ok? Do the people around you know how you feel about the needless taking of millions of innocent lives? Have you taken the time to think through the moral implications it carries? If the beginning of life isn’t consistently treated in manner that confirms the value and dignity of human life – then is it any surprise that our society is beginning to compromise the value of life at its end? My life will never be the same after spending just one day at an abortion clinic. That time transformed what is for some just an issue, into the visible reality of individual lives transformed by the ugly grim reaper of abortion.
One more thing I must share. As the cars came and went I noticed something odd. Car after car had temporary tags in the window. No license plate, just a paper tag in the window. Is it common to trade cars before heading to Planned Parenthood, or were these people trying to conceal their identity? If so – were their efforts to conceal their identity just an extension of the deception they had already entered into – hiding from the child carried in the wombs of the mothers?
Planned Parenthood is a place some women turn to because they think it’s their only hope. It’s the way that seems right under the circumstances. The bible says if the light that is in you is darkness, then how great is that darkness. I don’t condemn the people I witnessed at Planned Parenthood. Why not? I am a forgiven sinner. There but for the grace of God and a different set of circumstances – might go I. But by the grace of God, I know better. Not because I’m wiser – but because I believe the words of God in the bible, and the words of Jesus in the New Testament. I long to tell those caught in sin, go and sin no more. I don’t know when or how abortion will end.
But I do know one day it will end, Praise God.
Update, January 16, 2007
As I load this article onto our new web site it occurs to me that the trip David and I made to Kansas City took place exactly one year before David would lose his life - in July of 2006. He was at that time in the midst of ministering to the homeless in his own unique way. His life was taken as he tried to pursuade a group of the homeless to reconnect with their families. While some might rightly take issue with his methods of ministry; David's life will always be a testimony of a passionate man, unwilling to sit on the sidelines in the face of human suffering.
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