Why Is Catholic Business Network Of Montgomery County MD Planning To Honor Pro-Abort Ike Leggett? Must We Picket?

Let me briefly rehash some of 14-year-old county history.  Around that time, NARAL implemented a strategy whereby they would force pro-life pregnancy centers to denounce themselves as inferior to abortion providers.  This happened throughout the country.

It happened in Montgomery County MD as well.  Given the heavily pro-abortion Democratic makeup of the county council, it sailed right through, although not without considerable pro-life opposition.  However, it was passed and Ike Leggett, then County Executive, gleefully signed it into law.  Fortunately, local pro-life pregnancy centers filed suit and the measure went down in flames.  It should be noted that Leggett, along with many other council members, were touted by NARAL as "partners of choice".

So why, oh why, does the Catholic Business Network see fit to give this man an award at their December 1st gala?  The purpose of this gala is to fund scholarships for needy students.  How many would-be students were aborted, thanks to Leggett and his cronies, throughout the years in Montgomery County MD?

The address for this thing is not on their website.  However, we do know that this gala will happen Friday, December 1, at the Bethesda North Marriott Hotel and Conference Center.  The address is 5701 Mannelli Road in Rockville.

Their phone number is not on their website (Gee!  I wonder why!)  But there is a "contact us" page where you can leave comments.  Moreover, the president's email is listed.   Please ask them to rescind that ill-advised invitation.  Otherwise, we will most likely picket this gathering.  Please advise, via comments if you'd be interested in joining a picket, if that be the case.

Another From the "Strange Bedfellows" Department

These weird "social justice" conferences do reveal the strangest of associations.  On Saturday, Februrary 13, at the Shrine of the Most Blessed Sacrament (on Western Avenue in NW DC) the "Second Annual Conference on Faith, Deafness and Disabilities" will occur.  Chuck Short is slated to give a presentation.  Several years ago, he was Secretary of Justice and Service at the Archdiocese of Washington; he retired from that position in December 2005.

So what's Mr. Short doing now?  Why, take a look at the above link and you'll see that he is currently "Special Assistant to Montgomery County Executive Ike Leggett".  Yes, that's the same Ike Leggett who NARAL proudly touts as a "partner of choice", and who will undoubtedly ratify that pregnancy center stifle-bill passed by the other "partners of choice" who occupy Montgomery County Council seats.

What is Mr. Short doing there?  Will he use his position to thwart pro-abortion malfeasance on the part of Leggett?  What did he have to do to garner that plum position?  These are just a few questions that buzzed through my brain as I read this announcement in the most rcent Catholic Standard.

Montgomery County Council Votes to Stifle Pro-Life Pregnancy Centers

Today the County Council issued a press release announcing that it voted to pass the superficially-amended assault on the county's four pro-life pregnancy centers.  Seven of the nine council members voted for it; Phil Andrews and Mike Knapp opposed it.  (Please thank them)

To be honest, I knew this would probably happen since most of the council openly supports MD NARAL and lent their names to the NARAL program.  Oh, by the way!  In earlier posts, I provided a link to the MD Democrat site that had posted that program so you could see it for yourselves.  Well, by golly, it has...disappeared!!!   Aren't these strange and mysterious times in which we live?   My, my!  Fortunately a columnist at Newsbusters, Ken Shepherd, listed them: Trachtenberg, Berliner, Navarro, Ervin and Leventhal are the 5 councilmembers who sponsored NARAL.  Since County Executive Ike Leggett also sponsored NARAL, he most certainly will affix his signature.

Folks, November 2010 will soon be here!

A Squabble That Will Be Fun To Watch!

It seems that the Democrats, at least those in Montgomery County, MD, might be having cannabalistic attitudes towards one another's positions; at least, that what this week's Gazette indicates.  One set of contests might actually be meaningful to watch.  Mike Knapp, County Councilmember of Councilmanic 2 is eying Ike Leggett's seat.  Recall the county council vote a few months ago regarding the pregnancy centers; Knapp did oppose that bill.  Meanwhile, others are eying his current seat.  I suspect NARAL may have him and Phil Andrews in their crosshairs since they dared to defy them on that vote.

Otherwise, I say "Let the blood-sports begin!"

Protect Montgomery County Pregnancy Centers! Act Now!

Our efforts to save the pregnancy centers of Montgomery County MD from a draconian attack by pro-abortion members of the County Council are underway.  We will need the fullest participation and cooperation possible from every pro-life person in order to succeed.

The text of the bill has been updated slightly, so please read this; of course we would expect amendments throughout the process.   The Maryland Citizens for Responsible Government, who led last year's fight against granting special rights to "transgendered" individuals, has developed an excellent, two-sided flyer that you can use to educate your friends about this imporant matter.  Download it, print it, email it to your contact list, distribute it - just get the word out.

Let's not put our heads in the sand when it comes to stating quite plainly that the Montgomery County Council is composed of rabid pro-abortion afficiandos.  Maryland NARAL conducts its annual fundraiser in October in Rockville.  In its 2009 List of Sponsors, five of the nine councilmembers are listed; see for yourselves (by the way - Ike Leggett is there, too).   Duchy Trachtenberg, who introduced the bill, is up to her eyeballs in her entanglements with the National Organization of Women (NOW).  This past June, Terry O'Neill, Tractenberg's Chief of Staff, was elected national president of NOW  Upon her election, O'Neill did resign her position with Trachtenberg.  By the way - while O'Neill apparently saw a contradiction in occupying both positions, such compunctions didn't seem to bother Trachtenberg - at least if I read this NOW webpage correctly.  It states that in January 2007, Trachtenberg was both the at-large Councilperson AND president of Maryland NOW!  We now examine this article, written by Dana Beyer, a current staff member of Trachtenberg's; in it, Dr Beyer denigrates good people (us) who dared to exercise our rights as citizens to combat the transgender-rights bill.  It looks like I learned something new.  Whereas I was quite aware of Beyer's affiliation with Equality Maryland, I was unaware, until a few minutes ago, that the good doctor was "Maryland NOW Action Vice President."  Like I said, the entanglements are many and dense.

I could go on and on, but I think we can see that most of the council has vested interests in seeing this bill passed.  Their duplicity is plain.  Even the Washington Post, a newspaper that can usually be counted upon to jump on the pro-abortion bandwagon, took issue with this bill and made plain its opinion that it should be defeated.  The Post takes issue with the inherent duplicity of the bill when it writes, "the proposed disclosure is too cryptic to be an effective alarm bell for many women and yet is suspect because it singles out pregnancy centers while absolving abortion clinics of any disclosure requirements regarding adoption or parenting options."  They've got that right!

Again, please distribute that flyer.  Contact the council (we'd suggest doing so by addressing Phil Andrews, the Council president; all communications to him will be diseminated to the other councilmembers).  Attend the hearings on December 1st; and consider testifying.  Write letters to the editors of newspapers.  And above all, please pray!  We'll keep you posted.

Duchy Tractenberg's Lame Attempt to Justify Vendetta Against CPCs

As most followers of this blog and/or citizens of Montgomery County MD know, several months ago Montgomery County followed Baltimore City in legalized persecution of pro-life pregnancy centers.  In Montgomery County, the thinly-disguised vendetta was led by Councilwoman Duchy Tractenberg.  I wrote to her at least a month ago, and just today received her reply in my email box.  I reproduce it word for word below, in green color.

Dear Resident:

Thank you for your letter regarding Resolution 16-1252, which passed on February 2, 2010. The amended resolution requires that all Montgomery County pregnancy centers that do not have a licensed medical professional on staff must notify clients of this fact by posting at least one sign in their waiting room.
During the consideration of this regulation, widely disparate views were heard and fully considered. I understand that reproductive health issues resonate deeply with people and that we did not agree on this particular issue. However, I am sure that we can both agree that protecting the health and well being of women in Montgomery County is important. And providing optimal information on reproductive health in a timely manner defines a more favorable health outcome for every woman.
Thank you again for your letter. I welcome all input from county residents and appreciate your taking the time to tell me how you feel on this issue. If you have any further questions or comments, please feel free to contact my office directly.
Sincerely,
Duchy Trachtenberg
Councilmember

So there you have it.  The hearing to which she alludes was held on December 1st.  I attended and recorded it.  Various pieces of it, along with commentary, appear throughout this blog.  Now generally, these hearings are archived on the County's official website, and they are available for viewing.  However, oddly enough (ahem!), this hearing remains "unavailable" after over three months have lapsed!  My, my!  I wonder why!  Surely it can't be because most of the council behaved like biased buffoons now, can it?  Just for giggles, here's the link.  http://stream02.montgomerycountymd.gov:8080/mgasp/mcg/VideoPlayer.asp?VideoID=517  Make sure that the date is set to December 1, 2009 and that the segment is set to "15".  When the thing finally (if ever it does) becomes available, please advise me via comments. 

Meanwhile, I invite you to review past postings and commentaries.  I'll reiterate that Duchy Trachtenberg is a past MD president of NOW.  One of her office aides, in June, was elected to the national presidency of NOW.  Most of the councilmembers lent their names to NARAL in the latter's October fundraiser, allowing themselves to be designated "champions of choice" (Ike Leggett did that, too).  One more time I whisper a phrase in your electronic ears: "CONFLICT OF INTEREST".

I've no bones saying this, although some knickers will be knotted.  Forcing pro-life pregnancy centers to post those signs simply because they're pro-life is akin to the Nazis forcing Jews to wear those yellow stars simply because they were Jews.

The good news is that every one of these folks is up for election this coming November.  We can send them packing.

Support Chick-Fil-A Day

Well, I tried to buy dinner at the Germantown MD Chick-Fil-A!  But by the time I broke away from the office and drove to Germantown, it was apparent that I'd be waiting at least an hour before getting through the door.  But it was a heartening sight to see, especially in the Liberal-La-La-Land known as Montgomery County MD.  I imagine that Ike Leggett, the County Council and all their progressive money-bags must be shaking their heads and fists, but I digress!

So that you too can see signs of common sense and decency in Montgomery County MD, I share with you now what I saw in Germantown a few hours ago.  It is a sight that was (probably still is in the western time zones) common across the USA at Chick-Fil-A's.  Enjoy!  Click here if you can't see embedded video.

Tonight's Dog-And-Pony Show

My blogging colleague An Archdiocese of Washington Catholic commented on the forum for the Montgomery County Executive candidates being held as I write this.  He's right.  The areas of focus are "soft-ball" matters.  The "Justice and Advocacy Council of Montgomery County" (an arm of the Archdiocese of Washington, I believe) refuse to allow discussion of issues that have real moral substance.

Interestingly enough, the flyer that appeared in the parish bulletins didn't even list the names of the four candidates.  There is a reason.  First, pro-abortion "katholyc" Doug Duncan is running again.  Second, pro-abortion Ike Leggett, who helped ram through the bill four years ago that was designed to cripple pro-life pregnancy centers is also running.  Phil Andrews is also pro-choice, although to his credit, he opposed that pregnancy center gag bill.  The GOP candidate, Jim Shalleck, is pro-life (I believe).  So there you have it: this "council" did not want faithful Catholics to know that they were providing rabid pro-abortion candidates a platform (St Jude's in Rockville, to be precise) so that they could come off smelling like roses, given the namby-pamby subject matter being spoon-fed to them.

I was at a similar forum four years ago (at St Jane de Chantal).  It was a complete waste of time.  Again there were the morally-neutral issues being bandied about.  There was no opportunity for audience questioning or input.  All they wanted were warm bodies in the audience so that they could brag about the "valuable service" they were affording to Catholic voters.  Tonight I decided I was not going to waste my time just so I could increase their "body count".  I certainly hope the attendance was paltry.  Maybe then the Archdiocese of Washington will learn that faithful Catholics will not be stage props to aid and abet their kiss-ups to the progressive pols that do dominate Montgomery County.