Post-Obama speech panel

soundoff (3 Responses)

1. Penelope D
   

   What was CNN thinking in keeping the 2 talking heads doing blah blah blah, when the audience, clearly interested in the entire experience of the Notre Dame graduation watched the valedictorian and other speakers with no audio? Please ... enough of the media ego ... give the viewers the story, not the story sifted through perfectly banal opinions?

   May 17, 2009 at 8:01 pm |
2. Sara
   

   When the students became upset with the heckler, I appreciated Obama's comment, "It's okay, it’s okay...We're not going to shy away from things that are uncomfortable sometimes.”
   As a Pro-Choice woman, that means I can no longer avoid Pro-Life advocates just because I disagree with them. I can look at their pictures of aborted fetuses, listen to their religious beliefs with an open mind, and whatever else they care to show me. I can ask them to explain specifically what the term "life" actually means to them. Ever since I was a child, I have naturally and authentically listened to the teachings of the church with disbelief in my heart. Any notions that I have about a higher intelligence have no ties to any church. It has always been my character to doubt religious teachings, so if Pro-Life advocates approach me with only religious explanations and nothing else, it’s doubtful that my Pro-Choice convictions will change. But I am willing to listen.
   In return, if the Pro-Life advocates want to have an honest and respectful dialogue, I expect them to listen to the true stories of women who've had abortions (including late-term emergency abortions), to better understand their circumstances. I especially want them to understand why shaming the women who have had abortions, serves no useful purpose. Indeed, the deliberate and abusive shaming of these women for having abortions is often more harmful to their lives than the circumstances surrounding their abortion.
   I expect them to objectively and fearlessly look at the medically accurate information, and to study the research on women and children in societies where abortion is criminalized. I expect them to look at our ecology on this earth, and the future effects that human overpopulation will have on our quality of life.
   Obama also spoke of using "fair minded words". To me that means I can't call them "religious-right-republican-misogynist-hypocristians" anymore – "Pro-Life" is the name. The flip side is that the angry blogger, 4 Freedom Fighter, will need to stop calling me a "commie-pinko-fascist". I'm "Pro-Choice", thank you very much.

   May 18, 2009 at 12:12 am |
3. US SOLDIER J
   

   I'm a us a soldier I don't have anything against Muslims . If that is there religion fine. I'm baptist I believe in Christ but I don't kill other inocent people because they don't believe or live a certain way. These Muslims are making the whole world hate them ,by killing and hurting inocent people. I was out raged when I heard about the soldiers getting shot in Arkansas.These young men didn't do anything to that young muslim man. It's young Muslim men like this who make the muslim community and religion appear as a threat for terrorist acts there by causing everyone to set them out as dangerous people. The times we live in no one wants to live in fear. Muslim people if you want peace like you so call proclaim stop being murderers.

   June 5, 2009 at 8:39 am |