Blog roundup

I can't see that anybody can post responses, but The Absurdist has some interesting reflections on a dream he had -- a dream that he was pregnant. The post is too well-written for me to want to touch it and dissect it here. Do go read it.

Ken at EarthForum seems to be asserting that the "culture war" is a construct by malevolent politicians to keep from being voted out of office. While I do agree that politicians on the right as well as on the left use the culture war to scare voters, I think it's also pretty clear that there's a divide here. Read James Davison Hunter's "Culture Wars" and "Before the Shooting Begins." There's a real tug-of-war between what can best be described as "progressives" and "traditionalists." And I think "culture war" is a valid way to describe it.

uaci1187 wonders why scientists are searching so hard for a single string of DNA on Mars that they can hold up and identify as "life," when human fetuses targeted for brain-sucking abortions are somehow not identified as "life." Good question.

AHSIRTat Things That Make You Go Hmmmmm muses about opposition to the "Morning After Pill." She's a pharmacist so she has some professional credibility here. To AHSIRT: Opposition to Plan B comes from the fact that the life of the new human being starts before he or she implants. Plan B doesn't prevent pregnancy if it prevents implantation; it prevents the pregnant woman's body from nurturing the embryo the way it's designed to. It's one thing to try to head off the egg before the sperm get to it. It's another thing to try to head off the embryo before it can implant. And yet another to know that the embryo's there and deliberately bring about its death. That's why you're getting mixed messages from folks who oppose abortion. Plan B and the Pill are problematic because they are neither one thing nor another. They're intended as contraception, but can inadvertently kill. That's a moral quagmire that it's disturbing to watch people take lightly.

And ampersand at Alas, a blog has a great blog roundup that I'm just linking to rather than rebuilding.