The Hound Of Ulster

…the crass commercialization and distribution of birth control is demeaning to women, degrading of human sexuality and adverse to human health and happiness.

What a great quote.

Where does it come from? From the website for A Woman’s Concern, “a nonprofit group based in Dorchester, Mass.” that “supports sexual abstinence until marriage, opposes contraception and does not distribute information promoting birth control at its six centers in eastern Massachusetts.”

Why is that interesting, other than the fact that it’s a great quote?

Because their medical director, Dr. Eric Keroack, was just NAMED Deputy Assistant Secretary for Population Affairs by Bush - which means that he will “advise Secretary Mike Leavitt on matters such as reproductive health and adolescent pregnancy. He will oversee $283 million in annual family-planning grants that, according to HHS, are ‘designed to provide access to contraceptive supplies and information to all who want and need them with priority given to low-income persons.’”

I disagree with most of the stuff from Podhoretz in this POST, but I agree with his characterization of the move.

The only thing better would be to appoint a vegan activist to the job of Chief Meat Inspector.

Funny.

Only it’s not quite fair. Keroack’s opinions might not match up well with what Podhoretz thinks and believes on the matter of contraception. And they might not be a great fit for “providing access to contraceptive supplies and information to all who want and need them,” but they seem perfectly valid when it comes to the “advise on matters of reproductive health and adolescent pregnancy” side of things.

I’m having a great time thinking about how the NOWish folks will react to the appointment of a man who made a presentation at the 2002 Right to Life CONVENTION - a presentation about the “Effectiveness of Ultrasound in Pregnancy Decision Making,” in fact.

Luckily, a cameraman was present when Kim Gandy first heard the news. He was able to capture the moment on tape for posterity. I was fortunate enough to get my hands on a copy, and have made it available to you here. Just another little “scoop” for all the faithful Hound readers. Here’s Ms. Gandy:

A quick GOOGLE search on the good doctor’s name turned up a large number of similar reactions from the left. THIS one was particularly helpful in assuring me that Dr. Keroack was indeed one of us - though I have serious doubts as to whether that was its intended effect.

Be warned, though. Much of the reactions from that search are not family-friendly. And I mean that is nearly every way possible. This is about the nicest way I’ve seen it put so far. Can you imagine being part of a group that is angered by the things listed here?

The Keroack appointment angered many family-planning advocates, who noted that A Woman’s Concern supports sexual abstinence until marriage, opposes contraception and does not distribute information promoting birth control at its six centers in eastern Massachusetts.

(Please ignore the fact that “family-planning” can apparently only mean one thing. I don’t want to have anyone replicating Ms. Gandy’s reaction. I’m talking to you in particular, Lenor. Be careful. Let it slide.)

White House spokeswoman Dana Perino says that “the president has said we will look to reach common ground where we can find it. However, he’s not going to compromise on his principles.”

Oh, and the appointment does not require Senate confirmation. It’s a done deal. Just as I think I have Bush figured out - for better or worse - something like this happens. I’m about to give up.  But first I’ll throw a bit of water on my own fire: that’s not his quote.  It’s the organization’s.  That makes a bit of difference, though I think it’s a small (and mostly a logical) distinction.

(HT: DOM)

When I went to see Father today (Friday) the physical therapists were helping him to stand. He is still being fed with a feeding tube but it is now going directly into his stomach, which is an improvement and is much more comfortable for him. Father’s nephew is here now and is spending a lot of time with Father, who recognized him immediately and asked about his wife and children by name. As I announced yesterday, Father will be moved to a convalescent hospital on Monday, I believe. When we know for sure where he will be, I will let everyone know. I am not sure I will continue daily email updates. I will let Father’s condition determine this. If you don’t hear from me or from someone else, you should assume it is because things are the same or are getting better. Please continue to keep Father and his caregivers in your prayers—in particular, that Father recover to some degree from the debilitating effects of the stroke.

Wonderful. Sounds like we’re transitioning from praying for Father’s final hours to praying for his speedy (and as complete as possible) recovery. Wow.

That title could mean a couple of different things, I know. But THIS is the one I’m getting at:

Nomar Garciaparra’s desire to continue to report for work at Chavez Ravine has eroded reluctance within the Dodgers front office to the point that he is expected to agree to a multiyear contract as soon as today, baseball sources said. – Los Angeles Times

Blue Notes has my REACTION, pretty much.

I like Nomar. He’s fun to watch, much better at first than I expected, and a fine hitter when healthy. But that last part is very problematic. And that means it’s hard for me to get completely behind this. It had better not be Ned’s “big bat,” because I need my big bat to last for more than 120 games.

There was a bit of global warning talk floating around today. First off, there was THIS one, which scored highly on the “unintentionally ironic” scale.

Prominent scientists, among them a Nobel laureate, said a layer of pollution deliberately spewed into the atmosphere could act as a “shade” from the sun’s rays and help cool the planet.

Reaction to the proposal here at the annual U.N. conference on climate change is a mix of caution, curiosity and some resignation to such “massive and drastic” operations, as the chief U.N. climatologist describes them.

…

Wigley ran scenarios of stratospheric sulfate injection — on the scale of Pinatubo’s estimated 10 million tons of sulfur — through supercomputer models of the climate, and reported that Crutzen’s idea would, indeed, seem to work. Even half that amount per year would help, he wrote.

A massive dissemination of pollutants would be needed every year or two, as the sulfates precipitate from the atmosphere in acid rain.

The American scientist said a temporary shield would give political leaders more time to reduce human dependence on fossil fuels — main source of greenhouse gases. He said experts must more closely study the feasibility of the idea and its possible effects on stratospheric chemistry.

Doomsday is nearly upon us, it would appear. And McCain JOINS in.

“I think we’ve reached a tipping point in this debate, long overdue,” McCain said at a forum on energy and the environment. “I think there’s great urgency … and the scientific evidence continues to accumulate.”

Nice to see Inhofe hasn’t lost his head yet.

Speaking of crazy folks, THIS might take the cake:

There was a buzz in the lobby yesterday of the general managers meetings, that free agent Alfonso Soriano’s price could reach almost $20 million annually and that J.D. Drew’s price tag is four years, $56 million. There’s no question the Red Sox and Scott Boras have had multiple discussions on Drew, but Boras has shopped him and the Cubs are seriously interested. – Boston Globe

$14M-per-year would be a 20% pay raise, or something like that. No wonder Boras opted out.

OK, I was wrong. The Drew deal isn’t the height of today’s craziness. THIS is.

The Karlsruhe-based federal appeals court ruled on Tuesday that the doctor must pay his former patient, now a mother of a 3-year-old boy, 600 euros ($769) a month because she became pregnant after he implanted her with a contraceptive device. “A child as a case for damages — this perverse idea has now been confirmed by one of Germany’s highest courts,” conservative Die Welt daily newspaper wrote in an editorial on Wednesday.

Nice to see the German media taking the ruling to task, but what about that court? How does anyone (or anything) get so off-track? And even if you avoid the moral questions, a ruling like this is terribly, terribly impractical. Good luck ever getting another German doctor to practice family medicine. Can you imagine the medical malpractice insurance costs for something like this?

And somehow, this comes as no surprise:

The parents, who had known each other six months at the time of the conception, were no longer together, the court said, ruling that the father should also be compensated for the maintenance he was paying towards the child.

Sad. What a tough life that kid will have.