I guess that would make slavery a slave-holders issue, right?
John J. Simmins | Homepage | 08.22.05 - 8:33 am | #

Raving. When I get a bit bigger like say 8 mos preggie come down for a visit and walk through the mall with me and my 5 other children. I get comments worse than that. One lady even asked me if I knew what abortion was for. IN FRONT OF MY KIDS.. OMG. And another lady asked how much I got in food stamps. I got food stamps for a total of 3 months and that was when I had 2. My husband in a programming specialist and was out of work for those 3 months due to his asthma and his companys insistance on remodeling and not letting him tellecommute.

They think all those things about me and more. Not only am I too dumb to use BC I am also a slave to my hubby (I dont work outside the home) and Im probably a childabuser because I homeschool. Ive been threatened with a phone call to DHS if I didnt take my kids to school right then and there and enrol them. The nice people at the Zoo had to reassure the nutcase that homeschooling was in fact legal and alot of families used the Zoo for both recreation and studying the animals.


They, when nobody is there, have great amounts of time to explain the animals to the kids. Its great. I assure though, if you asked my husband who wears the pants in this family he wouldnt puff up his chest and name himself. He would starve without me and he knows it.
PreggieJose | Homepage | 08.22.05 - 9:34 am | #

PreggieJose: As I said here, "[a]nyone who makes the decision to homeschool her children earns my instant respect." Keep up the great work!
The Raving Atheist | Homepage | 08.22.05 - 10:25 am | #

PreggieJose:

Holy Crap! How disrespectful, moronic, and downright ignorant can people be? For people so damned concern about some sort of "right to privacy" and "choice" garbage, they sure do like to interject their opinions alot... I guess its natural when your entire movement is nothing but a power trip veiled under "rights" and "choice".

Next time someone says something like "don't you know what abortion is for", you could retort with "Yes, too bad your momma didn't "excercise her choice" so I wouldn't have to deal with your rudeness in front of my children."

That should get the pompous morons to quiet swiftly, or at least be left with a priceless stunned look so that you go about your business, hopefully without further interruptions or rudeness.

Speaking as someone who was homeschooled through highschool I can attest that I have not become a mindless dogma drone. If fact, since I wasn't exposed to the whole BS line that inhabits highschool "popular culture" I'm probably better off for it.

Already got my Associates Degree, going off to get my Bachelors and maybe an MBA after that.

Keep up the good work.
Brian K | 08.22.05 - 10:39 am | #

Comments I have recieved while out with my wife and 5 children:
Don't you know what birth control is?
Don't you know where babies come from?
Are you sure they're all yours (to me, in front of my wife)?
It's people like you who are ruining the planet.
How could you do this to your wife?
There is probably more, but I forget them.
John J. Simmins | Homepage | 08.22.05 - 11:04 am | #

I normally agree when someone like Emily Post counsels taking the high road, when people make moronic, intrusive comments. In situations like these described here, I disagree; a swift zinger is needed and one painful enough to be remembered. I am just not very good at them. I am more the "excuse me, what business is it of yours?" sort. Aren't there books (1001 insults?) that one could buy to learn a few good ones?
Colleen | 08.22.05 - 11:41 am | #

Actually I just remind them that I exercised my choice to bear children and not use BC. And then, if they are still there, I ask them why everyone who wants to keep my rosaries out of thier ovaries and the GOV outta thier bedroom are so willing to get right up in my vagina and then demand I act a certain way in my bedroom.. A few have said things to the effect that "that wasnt what choice was about" and a couple have told me I was being a bad steward with my husbands money(this happened at a church during thier prayer of Jabez fad) and many have told me that if I was intelligent enough to homeschool then I should be in the workforce. Ohh well cant win 'em all.

Raving,

Thanks for the encouragment. This might sound funny but its nice to hear it from a non-christian. Kinda like having family visit from "home". If that makes any sense.
josephine | Homepage | 08.22.05 - 12:04 pm | #

John,

Its funny because whenever I go out its when Im shopping for clothes for the kids and hubby is at the computer store that I get these comments. He has actually had the opposite reaction. Older men telling him how blessed he is. One really old fellow stopped us and asked if they were ours and I thaught here we go Hubbys gonna get a nasty comment. He just said "your so lucky to have her. My wife wanted 3 and had 2 then divorced me." He was so sad. You could see the hurt from wanting more children and no doubt the pain from having been removed from the 2 he had.
josephine | Homepage | 08.22.05 - 12:09 pm | #

Josephine,

Oh, we definitely get good comments, especial in our (Catholic) church. My wife, especially, gets comments from women who can't have any more children because their husbands would have to give up the Lexus SUV, country club dues and season Redskins tickets. If I only had two children, I could have those, too. But you see, it's not about me. It's about 1 - Jesus, 2 - my wife, 3 - my children, 4 - my country, 5 - the rest of the world. If there is anything left over, it's mine.
"Saying there are too many children is like saying there are too many flowers." -- Mother Theresa
John J. Simmins | Homepage | 08.22.05 - 12:36 pm | #

John:

If somoene were crass and inconsiderate enough to ask me "How could you do this to your wife?", I'd answer "You see, when a man and a woman really love each other..."

Yes, I was a fan of Al Jaffee's "Snappy Answers To Stupid Questions" (of Mad magazine fame). Why do you ask? :o)
AWG | Homepage | 08.22.05 - 12:55 pm | #

Oh, TRA, what a treat to see you guestblogging here! I have a lovely shot for across that sanctimonious Ms. Valenti's bow, regarding her bodacious claim that "...leaders in anti-choice groups are overwhelmingly men (insanely misogynist men, I should add)..."

Back in April 2004 at least, I did that research when I saw a sign at the March for Choice in DC reading “77% of anti-abortion leaders are white men…”

Posted this and the set of links here, but here's the whole truth:

Serrin Foster at FFL

Georgette and Janet at SNMAC (Georgette also is National Director of the National Organization of Episcopalians for Life

and Janet’s also Associate Director of Priests for Life; I don’t think we can have a woman be President of THAT group, now....)

Wanda Franz, President of the National Right to Life Committee

American Life League has Judie Brown (President) as well as Scarlett Clark and Mildred F. Jefferson, M.D....

...who is also president of Right to Life Crusade, Inc.

Kristen Day, Executive Director of Democrats For Life (with 6 women out of 11 directors on the board)

Bonnie Chernin Rogoff, Founder of Jews For Life

Mrs. Terry Schlossberg, Executive Director of Presbyterians Pro-Life

Doris Gordon at Libertarians for Life

Roe No More Ministry, founded by the former “Jane Roe,” Norma McCorvey

Carla (Grace4All), Executive Director of Safehaven Ministries...

...and VP of Ramah International


I think those 13 women leaders (or associate leaders) of about 14 major groups would beg to differ.

For the men, there’s 5 in the major groups; Joe Scheidler, Pro-Life Action League. Dr. David Reardon, Director of the Elliot Institute. J. C. Willke, MD, President of Life Issues Institute. Mark Crutcher, Life Dynamics. Rev. Philip L. (Flip) Benham, Director, Operation Save America.

So the tally, at least at this point, REALLY, is about 26% of leaders of anti-abortion groups are white men (19 groups, 5 men). And 74% of those leaders are WOMEN. Almost the reverse of what the signs said.

(There are others where it HAS to be a man so how can you honestly count it? Rev. Thomas J. Euteneuer, President of Human Life International (a Catholic pro-life missionary training organization), Priests For Life’s Fr. Frank Pavone, and others like them.)
Annie B. | Homepage | 08.22.05 - 1:03 pm | #

I re-add these links for anyone interested: this is TRA's pro-life announcement, and he posted this with my permission, FWIW.

Also, FYI, there are other prolife atheists/agnostics on my Purposeful Dreamer blog, in the sidebar under "NON-RELIGIOUS FOLK."
Annie B. | Homepage | 08.22.05 - 1:19 pm | #

Snappy answers to stupid questions....I read that in high school. Thanks for reminding me.
John J. Simmins | Homepage | 08.22.05 - 5:01 pm | #