Dems’ POW Flags Still AWOL
If Friday was National Vietnam Veterans Day, Democrats had a funny way of celebrating it.
If Friday was National Vietnam Veterans Day, Democrats had a funny way of celebrating it. While the Defense Department and other agencies stopped to honor the nine million Americans who served, liberal congressmen, apparently, couldn’t be bothered. They were too busy pulling the POW/MIA flags out of their stands to make room for the baby blue and pink banner of the transgender movement. It’s “Transgender Visibility Week,” some tried to explain. But when it comes to Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s (D-Calif.) party, isn’t every week?
Thanks to the Washington Free Beacon, who first noticed the swap, Americans got another good look at the Democrats’ utter disregard for our troops. When FRC’s government affairs team was on the Hill for meetings last week, they were astounded at just how many hallways were littered with the pastel-colored displays. According to the National Center for Transgender Equality, the flags were delivered to “EVERY member of the Congress, from every party.” Some members, like California’s Linda Sanchez (D), tacked them over the doorways, so that visitors almost had to duck to miss them. But now that the media is running with the story, ducking the message liberals are sending will be even harder.
When word leaked out that everyone from Pelosi to Rep. Kim Schrier (D-Wash.), Pete Aguilar (D-Calif.), and Tim Ryan (D-Ohio) were more concerned about showing pride in a radical sexual fringe than our missing men and women, the American Legion didn’t pull any punches. In a blistering statement, Commander Brett Reistad had this to say about LGBT fanaticism replacing the sacrifice of our troops.
“According to several media reports, some members of Congress replaced POW/MIA flags that were displayed outside their Capitol Hill offices with Transgender Equality banners. We take no issue with members of Congress honoring additional groups, but it should be in addition to rather than instead of our heroes, many of whom made the ultimate sacrifice for our country. These servicemen and servicewomen went missing while defending all Americans. Their flags should not go missing as well. The American Legion urges that every member of Congress honor these heroes by ensuring the POW/MIA flag is properly and permanently displayed outside their offices.”
The message from the Democratic Party is even more offensive when you consider that taxpayers have already wasted almost $8 million “treating” troops who identify as transgender — while our veterans die waiting for something as simple as a colonoscopy. While we prioritize the care of the military’s tiny LGBT population, America’s heroes still face “months-long delays” to see a doctor. If they wanted faster care, I suppose they should have identified as transgender. After all, that demographic has had no trouble getting the government to finance 161 surgical procedures, 9,321 prescriptions for hormones, and 22,992 psychotherapy visits since 2016.
It’s a sad commentary on our country when gender confusion entitles you to better care than most of the people who served. But then, that’s the preference of most progressives these days. Look at the 2020 Democratic candidates. Four of them lined up to publicly salute “Transgender Visibility Day,” proving to everyone where their true allegiance lies. “Being yourself takes bravery,” Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) tweeted. Then in a gratuitous swipe at the president’s transgender military policy (which the majority of troops happen to support), she went on, “Serving your country takes bravery. Demeaning and discriminating against trans Americans — including service members and students — is just cowardice. Trans rights are human rights. We will defend them as such.”
Fellow hopefuls Senators Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), and Kamala Harris (D-Calif.) laid it on just as thick. Yet not one of them could spare 240 characters on Friday for a tweet about Vietnam Veterans Day. (Although Harris did make time to lobby for a ban on talk therapy for people struggling with their sexuality and Gillibrand found room for a post about the ridiculousness of protecting unborn life.)
If you want a snapshot of the Democrats’ priorities, there isn’t a better one. By June’s LGBT Pride Month, who knows? They might just take down Old Glory altogether.
For more on the rationale behind the president’s transgender policy, check out Peter Sprigg’s detailed papers: “Should Individuals Who Serve as Transgender Be Permitted to Serve in the Military?” and an in-depth look at the Pentagon’s research, “Department of Defense on Why Those with Gender Dysphoria’ Are Disqualified from Military Service.”
Originally published here.
The Unplanned Censorship of the Abby Johnson Story
It had to stare down a media blackout, an R-rating, even a suspended Twitter account, but the pro-life movie Unplanned still defied all the odds. On opening weekend, the true story about former Planned Parenthood director Abby Johnson stunned Hollywood by climbing to number five on the box office charts and doubling projections with $6 million dollars in ticket sales.
“We are thrilled, gratified, and humbled,” co-directors Cary Solomon and Chuck Konzelman said Sunday. “We are so pleased that the American people have responded with such an enormous outpouring of support at the box office… [W]e look forward to seeing what happens in the weeks ahead.” Like Gosnell, the movie had a tough time getting visibility in the mainstream press. Several TV networks refused to sell advertising time to the project, while the Motion Picture Association of America tried to dissuade audiences with a Restricted rating.
But never underestimate pro-lifers. An outpouring of support helped Unplanned break through all of the obstacles, even earning a rare A+ from CinemaScore in the process. For the film’s distributor, Pure Flix, it was the second-best start ever — coming in just slightly behind God’s Not Dead 2. For lead actress Ashley Bratcher, whose own story took a surprising twist when she got the job, the response is overwhelming. “I am blown away by the public response to Unplanned, as well as the box office numbers,” she said. “Not only is it beyond my wildest dreams, but it has surpassed the expectations of critics across the country. Despite biased critic reviews written more like op-eds, the audience has spoken.” Still, she pointed out, “the most rewarding thing about this weekend’s opening is the flood of messages I’ve received from people experiencing healing and a change of heart.”
That’s exactly what social media giants like Twitter must be afraid of. After a blockbuster weekend for the film’s social media page, the Unplanned account was mysteriously suspended — just as followers jumped to 100,000. Coincidence? Investor Mike Lindell doesn’t think so. “They don’t want you to see this movie!” the My Pillow founder tweeted. “Make your voices heard and tell your friends to go see the movie this weekend!”
Frustrated, co-director Konzelman spoke out. “It’s a sad state of affairs when the right to free speech gets shut down with the flick of a switch… Whether this was an executive decision by Twitter, or a reaction by Twitter to complaints from those opposed to the pro-life viewpoint, either reason is unacceptable.” Actress Bratcher piled on. “If Twitter is committed to helping increase the ‘openness and civility of public conversation’ and to hold themselves ‘accountable towards progress,’ then what’s with the censorship of a differentiating opinion?”
Fortunately, after a groundswell of protest started hitting Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey’s account, the page was suddenly live again. The social media giant insisted the suspension was an accident. Even so, the Unplanned account seems to be locked in a see-saw battle for followers, since tens of thousands seem to keep vanishing. PJ Media’s Tyler O'Neil was one of the many people who tried — unsuccessfully — to follow the film’s page and got an error message instead.
Of course, it’s no mystery why social media would want to keep the movie quiet. Like most of the liberal platforms in America, they know how powerful the truth about abortion can be. That’s why they’ve spent years hiding the violent reality of what happens behind Planned Parenthood’s closed doors.
But this is one of those rare moments in time — like Gosnell, like New York’s abortion law — when the pro-life movement has the opportunity to break through to the hearts and minds of millions of Americans. So what can you do? Go see the movie! Take your church group, your family, or your Bible study. If your local theater isn’t playing the movie, call them up and demand it. Then have your friends do the same. Can a handful of movie tickets change the debate? Buy some and let’s find out!
Originally published here.
Love and Hate in Verona
Verona, Italy — famous as the setting of Shakespeare’s fictional Romeo and Juliet — dubs itself “The City of Love.” This past weekend, it was the love of the natural family that was celebrated, as Verona played host to the 13th World Congress of Families (WCF), drawing together representatives of pro-family groups from around the globe. The event drew controversy, with one liberal dubbing the organizers’ beliefs “medieval” — criticisms that Congress chairman Antonio Brandi lamented amounted to a “witch hunt.”
Nevertheless, government leaders from the city of Verona (whose city council and mayor, Federico Sboarina, have declared it a “pro-life city”), and from its province of Veneto, stood by their decision to welcome the WCF. And despite criticisms even from partners in the current governing coalition, Italy’s Deputy Premier Matteo Salvini and cabinet ministers Marco Bussetti (for Education) and Lorenzo Fontana (for Family and Disabilities) braved protesters to address the Congress.
Senior Fellow Peter Sprigg represented Family Research Council at the event, participating in a panel on “Legal and Ethical Challenges Facing the Natural Family” and making a presentation titled “Sexual Orientation Can Change: The Myth of ‘Immutability,’” based on his just-released Issue Analysis. Peter’s ethical challenge to participants was for all sides in the culture war to use honest social science and research — not to promote their agenda using myths like the discredited idea that “sexual orientation can never change.” (Ironically, Peter’s may have been the only presentation at the entire event that explicitly addressed sexual orientation. But these days, merely celebrating families headed by a mother and a father is enough for headline writers to deem an event “anti-LGBT.”)
The event ended with a March for the Family through the streets of Verona, and the European premiere of the new pro-life film Unplanned. As the organizers had declared, “the wind of change” is blowing through Europe — for the future belongs to those who embrace the natural birth of children and the natural family.
Originally published here.
This is a publication of the Family Research Council. Mr. Perkins is president of FRC.
