The Latest in Protest Styles

 

Birmingham, UK is the latest jurisdiction to promote a wonderful new style of witness and protest. In the latest in a string of such arrests in the UK, Isabel Vaughn-Spruce was ripped from her daily constitutional and accused of praying silently outside of an abortion clinic.

Now, it is very good practice to pray when passing an abortion clinic. Nothing draws demons like mothers killing their children, unless it is medical personnel talking them into it and helping them in the commission of the atrocity. It’s probably a slippery slope thing for Birmingham. If people pray silently, they might discourage the demons that infest these places, spilling out everywhere, and send them to the foot of the Cross to be dealt with. Birmingham politicians have a huge stake in keeping the abortion mills running and the demons in bad spirits to encourage the butchery they call “women’s health care.” Nothing says evil like a mother killing her own child. Unless it is a Birmingham cop arresting a woman for disturbing the pandaemonium. Bonnie King Charles must be very proud.

For my part, I have used the occasion to step up my protest game, praying silent prayers for Isabel, for the appalling oafs that make the arrests, for the pathetic mothers beyond all decency and moral compass, for the medical staffs that betray millennia of medical ethics and divine revelation. Praying for the politicians that have erected the whole diabolical house of cards. Praying several times a day, wherever I am, as the spirit moves me. And these sad, impotent tyrants in places like Birmingham lack the slightest power to stop me, or the One I pray to.

Prayers have no effect, you say? The UK has been beclowning itself with these depraved antics for a while. It draws attention to the abortion clinics. And the ever-increasing mountain of corpses.

May the Lord bless you and guide your steps, Isabel, as you cast a stark light on the darkness. Amen.

Published in Politics
Tags:

This post was promoted to the Main Feed by a Ricochet Editor at the recommendation of Ricochet members. Like this post? Want to comment? Join Ricochet’s community of conservatives and be part of the conversation. Join Ricochet for Free.

There are 41 comments.

Become a member to join the conversation. Or sign in if you're already a member.
  1. Manny Coolidge
    Manny
    @Manny

    Jerry Giordano (Arizona Patrio… (View Comment):

    Western Chauvinist (View Comment):

    GrannyDude (View Comment):
    This episode isn’t actually about abortion. It’s about freedom of speech.

    It’s about freedom of “non”-speech. Which makes it even more alarming. She was silent. It was her thinking that was a criminal act.

    But, yes, it was also about the state-approved sacrament of abortion. Both/and, as we Catholics like to say.

    This probably isn’t quite right, WC. I suspect that it was her actions during her silent prayer. There are gestures common to praying, in the way that we hold our hands and bow our heads, for example. Or kneeling, or looking up.

    This distinction doesn’t make the actions of the English authorities right. They are serving the Evil One.

    From what I read there weren’t any. She was just standing there and when the police walked up to her and asked what she was doing she admitted to silently praying. That’s when the arrested her. That’s my understanding of the episode. 

    • #31
  2. Manny Coolidge
    Manny
    @Manny

    Sisyphus (View Comment):

    The hidden irony of this post is that it was written on the first day I lost my voice with the latest bug. A respectable fever, asthma inhaler at full intensity, and coughing lungs up day and night. I have a regular set of daily prayers that are to be vocalized, not just prayed silently, and that has not even been possible. But the silent prayers have been going out almost constantly in the breach. Some for Isabel, some for GLW with her awful vision trials, some for the people, and the Christmas communions I have missed. And for some friends who keep a regular prayer date at an abortion clinic during the week when I have to work. And, of course, for the students and their parents of the K-2 down the street whose principal has welcomed Satan as an after-school tenant. I will have more on that story when I am doing better.

    Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night.

    I’ll say a prayer for your health: “Lord, restore Sisyphus to full health.  Through your Son. Amen.”

    • #32
  3. Manny Coolidge
    Manny
    @Manny

    Apparently the police exchange was videotaped. 

    • #33
  4. Western Chauvinist Member
    Western Chauvinist
    @WesternChauvinist

    Manny (View Comment):

    Apparently the police exchange was videotaped.

    “Antisocial behavior.” Praying in your head is “antisocial behavior,” but killing babies isn’t. Right, governor. Understood.

    • #34
  5. Western Chauvinist Member
    Western Chauvinist
    @WesternChauvinist

    Is China any worse than Britain at policing “antisocial behavior?” Just wondering. . .

    • #35
  6. Manny Coolidge
    Manny
    @Manny

    Here is her own explanation of what happened. 

    • #36
  7. Percival Thatcher
    Percival
    @Percival

    Manny (View Comment):

    Here is her own explanation of what happened.

    Thank you, Manny.

    • #37
  8. Sisyphus Member
    Sisyphus
    @Sisyphus

    Manny (View Comment):

    Here is her own explanation of what happened.

    The process is the punishment. She gives a very full account of the harassment to which she was and is being subjected. There are no jolly British bobbies in this story. Well worth the listen. This is the extent to which the West has fallen. Thanks for finding this, @manny!

    • #38
  9. Sisyphus Member
    Sisyphus
    @Sisyphus

    And here we have the Birmingham Mail’s soulless litany of due process associated with the censorship (they prefer “exclusion”) zone around the BPAS Robert Abattoir (they prefer “Clinic”). The censorship zone was enacted to prevent harassment, but appears to serve as an excuse for harassment. 

    • #39
  10. Sisyphus Member
    Sisyphus
    @Sisyphus

    On further research, Isabel is a leader of 40 Days for Life, a pro-life organization. In November, she wrote this piece for the Critic. In her article, she details the slanderous doublespeak of her adversaries:

    40 Days for Life Birmingham have been supported by the Christian Legal Centre to take up a legal challenge to the imposition of this PSPO. My concern is that the PSPO has redefined the meaning of words to suit individual’s own agenda. As it stands the offer of a leaflet of help is now branded as “harassment”, prayer is branded as “protest” and mere presence is said to be “intimidation”.

    For over 10 years, during the period of Lent and again in Autumn, we have been peacefully praying in groups of 2 or 3 outside an abortion centre in Birmingham and offering leaflets of help to those considering abortion. We have no posters outside the abortion centre but simply offer a leaflet which has been checked by a doctor to confirm it is factually correct. Every volunteer who joins us must first sign a statement of peace to declare that they agree to behave peacefully and lovingly. Many of our volunteers have themselves had abortions or even multiple abortions and want to ensure that no woman feels the pressure that they did to abort and really does have an alternative if this is their wish. This PSPO in Birmingham prevents us from being there for women at the hour when they need us the most. 

    At first, I thought this had been a spontaneous act and was concerned that Isabel might shrink from the challenge facing her. It is now apparent that the Lord, too, has His soldiers deployed in the field. Thank you, Isabel, my prayers go with you.

    • #40
  11. TBA Coolidge
    TBA
    @RobtGilsdorf

    Sisyphus (View Comment):

    On further research, Isabel is a leader of 40 Days for Life, a pro-life organization. In November, she wrote this piece for the Critic. In her article, she details the slanderous doublespeak of her adversaries:

    40 Days for Life Birmingham have been supported by the Christian Legal Centre to take up a legal challenge to the imposition of this PSPO. My concern is that the PSPO has redefined the meaning of words to suit individual’s own agenda. As it stands the offer of a leaflet of help is now branded as “harassment”, prayer is branded as “protest” and mere presence is said to be “intimidation”.

    For over 10 years, during the period of Lent and again in Autumn, we have been peacefully praying in groups of 2 or 3 outside an abortion centre in Birmingham and offering leaflets of help to those considering abortion. We have no posters outside the abortion centre but simply offer a leaflet which has been checked by a doctor to confirm it is factually correct. Every volunteer who joins us must first sign a statement of peace to declare that they agree to behave peacefully and lovingly. Many of our volunteers have themselves had abortions or even multiple abortions and want to ensure that no woman feels the pressure that they did to abort and really does have an alternative if this is their wish. This PSPO in Birmingham prevents us from being there for women at the hour when they need us the most.

    At first, I thought this had been a spontaneous act and was concerned that Isabel might shrink from the challenge facing her. It is now apparent that the Lord, too, has His soldiers deployed in the field. Thank you, Isabel, my prayers go with you.

    Let me start out by saying that I am wholly on her side. 

    They probably arrested her for being annoying as much as anything else. She has likely been probing the edges of this ‘law’ for quite some time. 

    She was pushing it – and rightly so. 

    • #41
Become a member to join the conversation. Or sign in if you're already a member.