The Women's March: Episode II

There were several sides to the Women's March that took place this past Saturday in NYC. Perhaps an unnoticed side was the prophetic one. For one of the signs provided a perfect response to Trump's tweet that attempted to co-opt the March. Trump's tweet said:

 Note how Trump tried to market the March as an exhibition of support for his performance and agenda. In reality, nothing could be farther from the truth. And one does not have to rely on fake news to understand Trump's empty boasting. For one of the signs pre-emptively responded to Trump's claim:

Another side of the march concerns itself with what is "pro-life" doing at the Women's March. After all, don't many of the participants sometimes chant: 'My body, my choice.' We "pro-lifers" should note that there is a significant amount of truth in that statement. But that should not cause us back away from the issue of the human status of the unborn child. For if the unborn child is human, then the pregnant woman's body is not the only body, and thus choice, involved. And while the results of an abortion are serious for the woman, they are far more serious for the unborn child. And instead of depicting each other as being only evil and ourselves as righteous, we should constantly try to discuss what criteria are we using to determine the human status of the unborn child, the rights of a pregnant woman, and the rights of the unborn child if it is a human being. In addition, if we "pro-lifers" were honest about our moniker, we would include life threatening issues that pertain to those who are born as well. And if we were honest enough to admit that, we would also admit that both of our major political parties have mixed records when it comes to advancing a true pro-life cause.

And yet another issue is whether we can stand in solidarity with those with whom we have only partial agreement. For abortion and voting in Democrats were two issues on which I strongly differ with the views of many of the March's participants and the purpose of the March. But equality for women, immigrant rights, putting science in its rightful place in both education and our nation's decision making processes, and the desire to count people as being more important than things were causes and views with which I fully agreed with those in the March.

The final side of the March to which I would like to point is this: How we talk about our opponents, whether in chants or on signs or with each other during protests, is of vital concern for the causes we support. We share a nation with many who disagree. And if we must demonize each other while exalting ourselves because of political views held or opposed, we will find that our nation will forever be experiencing an  eternal kind of domestic war. For we will forever be looking to conquer each other. And society will look like an everlasting kind-of-the-hill battle for control with not enough energy to spare on how we can collaborate, cooperate, and share power. And who has the upper hand in this king-of-the-hill battle will be largely determined by whether the nation is content with the public's economic well-being. Thus, this makes our nation vulnerable to many different kinds of Presidents provided that they promise us the material goodies that we want. And that is how we got into our current mess in the first place.