Fairweather Protests
I pass by an abortion clinic every morning on my way to work. I know this because of the placard-bearers that stand outside, keeping an appropriate and no doubt court-ordered distance from the front door. They are never there when it rains.

To me, this seems like a very convenient way of trying to enact change. "I will evangelize and demonstrate, but only from April to October, and only when it's sunny outside." Oh puh-leeze. How can anybody respect that kind of namby-pamby commitment?

This is an issue that upsets many people (abortion, not weather). I am staunchly pro-choice. I believe that a woman should be able to do what she wants with her body, in most circumstances. I do not believe that a woman should exclude her partner from any decision-making process, however. I consult with Mr. Crabby about whether or not to make curry for dinner, and I would consult with him if I felt I would like to have an abortion. He might well say "yuck, no thanks" to a curry dinner, but I doubt he would forbid me to have an abortion.

Religion does not factor into this decision for me. Nor does the legal issue of "do fetuses have rights." Yet for the protestors and activists, it's always about God and babies. Both of these subjects bore me.

Mr. Crabby and I just finished reading the Left Behind series of novels. We read them for interest, not because we are right wing Christians. We were raised in religious households, and know more than the average Catholic about the traditions and history of our religion. However, we are no longer participating in our religion. These novels were super saturated with fire and brimstone, and we both thumbed over hundreds of pages of nonstop yadda yadda straight from the bible. No wonder the subject of God bores me. The books were badly written.

That said, I do believe in God and Jesus, in a passive Judeo-Christian, "thou shalt not kill" way. Sometimes, I pray the rosary, and find it very comforting. I am not religious, but I believe in religion and in the mysticism of religious traditions. And I hold true to those beliefs whether it's raining or not.