SF Chron: Ignore the Anti-Abortion Protestors

In good Denialism blog form, the San Francisco Chronicle's C. W. Nevius has urged readers to just ignore this week's anti-abortion protest in San Francisco. He makes a good point:

This is the fifth year in San Francisco for the "Walk for Life." Bolstered by supporters who are bused in from all over - this year's bus schedule lists departures from Yuba City, Bakersfield, Fresno, Reno, Clovis and Chico, among other cities - the anti-abortion group stages a march in liberal San Francisco and then expresses shock and disappointment when they are jeered and booed.

It's a scam and a setup. Nothing gets media attention like two groups facing off against each other. And, frankly, on the 36th anniversary of Roe vs. Wade, the anti-abortion groups are becoming a tired story. They claim huge numbers for this walk - their estimate last year was 25,000 walkers, although The Chronicle story had the total at 10,000 - but there isn't much of a news hook unless there's some controversy. They'd probably get more people if they marched in Indiana, but in San Francisco they can garner much more publicity.

Amen! Stay inside on this Bay Area rainy day!

A blog note: I apologize for the sparse blogging on Denialism Blog. The semester has just started for me, and I am teaching a new course that is taking a huge amount of time. MarkH is flying around the country interviewing. This week he was in San Francisco, where instead of blogging, we ate at Chapeau and the Slanted Door, and went to the gun show. Yes, the gun show. It was hilarious. We bought beef jerky there, considered getting a crossbow to shoot some Ligers, and stocked up on dental tools and compasses for survival post apocalypse.

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Moar poast.

Personally, I think the answer is for the counter-protest to show up with signs that say "Can we talk about this?" and "I disagree with you, but support your right to free speech", and "Thank you for traveling here and spending your tourist dollars!" and "I will pray for you to gain understanding!"

Perhapse a stand giving free lemonade and cookies to the protestors would be too much?

Um, why dental tools? My survival skill is simple: Be able to cook anything and make it taste good. Are you expecting a lack of toothpaste?

By JustaTech (not verified) on 26 Jan 2009 #permalink

"They'd probably get more people if they marched in Indiana..."

Hey, leave off us Hoosiers. We even voted for Obama this election.

Perhaps you should re-draw your "red neck" stereotype map and move the "Mason-Dipshit" line a bit farther south. Like maybe Alabama.

"we ate at Chapeau and the Slanted Door, and went to the gun show"
Perhaps I'm just being archetypically British, but I can't quite imagine what is meant by a "gun show". I have a vague idea of something like a model railway exhibition, but with firearms. For some reason that doesn't seem right.

I truely hope that the beef jerky references are for comic effect only and that you guys didn't actually *eat* the stuff.And in SF of all places yet!

By Denice Walter (not verified) on 27 Jan 2009 #permalink

Teresa, all your ideas are wonderful! It's much harder for them to play the persecuted victims if we are respectful to them, which we should be anyway. Maybe they will even be respectful back (although I won't hold my breath), or at least they will look the stubborn, petulant children that they are.

Catgirl,

When I see anti-life baby murderers protesting on the news - I notice that most of these women are so unattractive that they shouldn't be concerned about getting pregnant...at least not by men with sight.

By Texas Thought (not verified) on 08 Feb 2009 #permalink

Oh! Snap! Nice paraphrase of Carlin's "Most women who are against abortion are women you wouldn't want to fuck in the first place" quote! That's real effective. Wow. Sure made me think... that you're an ass.

By LanceR, JSG (not verified) on 09 Feb 2009 #permalink

You guys are some major knobs.

Wow. Such witty repartee. We're "such major knobs". Totally convincing.

By LanceR, JSG (not verified) on 09 Feb 2009 #permalink

I think itâs a great time for pedophiles in this country. They can have their way with infants still in the womb all they want with no chance of recourse. Since children have no rights while in the womb, why not? Countless mothers-to -be are already talking about cashing in on their freedom of choice to pimp out their unborn children as a side income just before they terminate at 9 months. Ahhh the âland of the free.â

By CanYouHandleDaTruth (not verified) on 03 Jun 2009 #permalink