"people who have never had children will never understand, and every honest person knows that." To a certain degree I completely agree with that statement. I, like so many of my generation, gave away, destroyed the chance to be a mother. Stupidly... self-centeredly and most important... regrettably. But I am aware of and believe I fully understand that we need to protect the coming generations. I've been saying for some time that I have no "skin in the game" and maybe 20 to 25 years left in this world. Why do I care so much about the direction this country heads? Especially when I see people with children and grandchildren who just shrug their shoulders go on about their lives. Why should I invest so much of myself: time, money, intellectual energy, passion and other resources when I don't even have children or even nieces and nephews who will benefit from my efforts?
Because I must. My conscience won't let me do otherwise.
It's also becoming glaringly apparent that you can't really cure or reform many of those infected by "the woke mind virus". I'd say you and Amala E. are the exceptions, not the rule. The real pandemic was "the woke mind virus" and not Covid. And it's not an infection, it's a cancer.
Sadly, to cure someone with cancer, you gave to cut it out or poison them to get rid of it. And then if you aren't vigilant it returns.
And just as a point of clarification, I didn't want children because I thought I would damage them because I was so much like my father. And when I did end up pregnant, it was inconvenient... I had plans. Then I met my husband and we tried to have a family for many years, but it didn't happen. I ended up wanting 6 children. I wanted to be The Waltons. Now I'm just the pain in the neck old lady
on a homestead.
I only hope they and God can forgive me because I can't forgive myself.
Thank you for sharing your journey from left to right. While I've never called myself anything other than Independent until 2020, I am now proudly Conservative and a Registered Republican.
We only have approximately 9 more years till we turn, according to Strauss and Howe. Let's hope we survive!!
God bless you and grant you the grace to know that you are forgiven. It is an awful thing to look back and see what could have and should have been and grieve for what gifts were unrecognized and lost. But God loves us and accepts us and best of all knows who we are. He is still with you, and you are his voice for our future.
Thank you very, very much USMCVet. I "know" that God loves and forgives me... but in my heart, I cannot forgive myself. I have tried. I have resigned myself to whatever befalls me for the evil I have done.
I know there is something about arrogance and not forgiving yourself... but I can't. Someday soon I will have to face them, my lost children and God, and atone for my sins in his kingdom.
P.B., even though I am a man, I share your grief and guilt, and for the same reason.. you are not alone in your suffering, there are many of us. I have no easy answer for the profound sense of guilt that you feel (or for my own), only the hope that redemption is possible for all of us, somehow, someway.
Thank you Pacificus. Those are brave and kind words to share. I know intellectually that there are some men who feel this way. And many women of course. I think I am working on the guilt and redemption and forgiveness. I don't know your spiritual path, but I found the story of Paul to be profound for me. This website explains it all well, at least for me. I pray you find some comfort in it.
OMG, PB, just found out that you are a nurse! You may consider yourself redeemed and forgiven as a result of every bed pan that you have changed, every bit of pain that you relieved, every dying hand that you held, etc etc etc. Whatever negative karma you may have accumulated has been balanced by the work you have done. Yes, we are all sinners, but not all of us are healers. Go in peace.
All of us who are honest with ourselves know that we have taken paths that we shouldn't have and recognize that some of those decisions caused hurt and damage to ourselves and others. I was in combat and saw men killed around me - I grieved for those young guys of ours who lost their lives and didn't feel even slightly sorry for those that we killed - after all, they were trying to kill us. Yet they had families who grieved for them, and it took all these years to teach myself to pray for them and their families too.
Our Lord loves us, and we will always need to learn to listen to Him. He does forgive us completely and even though you are feeling that you should be punished - we all do - He has the final word.
Yes, USMCVet, you are saying the truest words I know. After your comment and my reply, I was compelled to face this issue and did some research and praying. I found that in all honesty, my "inability to forgive myself" is likely manifest from several factors. Those are related to my feelings of lack of worthiness, most are likely from not fully accepting the gospel and God's grace. And some is thinking I can flagellate myself spiritually by not forgiving myself. I haven't sorted it all out, but I am focusing on the Gospel and God's grace first. He does have the final word. He died for my sins. I am a sinner and continue to sin.
I am so grateful for your kindness and support. You are an angel.
I won't say the thing that many people say and thank you for your service. I know it makes me uncomfortable when they tell me the same thing. I pray that someday mankind will learn to resolve their problems without violence... and save us from having to face what you have to face. God Bless you sir.
I am a flawed Catholic (show me one who isn’t!). My understanding of forgiveness of sins, as you allude to, is that we’re not authorized to do so; it’s Jesus’s authority to forgive sins. I am a fan of Saint Mary Magdalene. She just had her feast day on 22July. She was as a woman and a sinner and yet was one of the first Jesus visited when he resurrected. He loved her far beyond our ability to understand; as he does all of us.
The thought of the guy on the cross next to Jesus occurred to me. He had been a thief, but he saw something in Jesus and wanted that. He said, "Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom." Jesus didn't say, "You're a thief, you must continue to pay for your crimes." He said, "Today you will be with me in Paradise."
But then Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross ceases to mean anything at all if we can’t live free and with Joy. I have made some grave mistakes in my life and every day through some new window I see where my life was supposed to have been in that moment and how God had been working all along to put me there, but I kept interfering with his hand and it’s now out of my reach. That hurts deeply. I have a very hard time forgiving myself every day. The truth is my lack of forgiving myself has been given more power over my life than God forgiving me. Why am I doing that? It is a brand new mistake that I am making in this current season of my life. I don’t want to look back 10 years from now and regret this mistake too. I don’t have the answer for how to change that as I’m in the middle of trying to figure it out myself, but I wanted you to know I relate to you and understand, and you are not alone. Different reasons, same story.
I think your comment was very well written and moving. I have not often thought or been sensitive to the experience you describe and for which I now understand many have had.
I've thought about how to reply to this very carefully. First, it impressed me that you would take the time and make the effort to share that very personal insight. Second it moved me in a subtle but profound way. One doesn't often think of oneself as having an impact on others. I am very humbled by you and others in this section of the comments. Thank you Libertarian. Thank you very much.
The Woke Mind Virus. Attend, all. And being a chemo survivor entitles a visceral appreciation of such an affliction's tenacity. No wonder cures are so rare.
Thank you, Kyra, for asking such a good question. In my experience, albeit narrow, men as a rule don't "want" to bring children into the world. If you ask any teenage boy from my generation (saddle Boomer/GenX) that thought (bringing children into the world) would NEVER have been on their mind, until much, later, if ever. While girls of my cohort spent their teen and young adult years fantasizing about their wedding and what they would name their children. That is my experience. So, I don't have a "name" to call men who don't want children. They are just men. Being men. I'm okay with that.
Not wanting to have children or not attending to the concept of family and duty as opposed to not taking care of them are two entirely different things. Most men I know love their children and are glad they are alive, but never would have "wanted" them in the same way women want them. That was then. Can't speak to now.
As far as being insulted by what Mr. Vance said in 2021, well, no, because I don't consider myself part of the demographic he is speaking about. People who find it insulting identify in some part with the phrase otherwise it wouldn't matter to them at all.
Do I think it was prudent to call a large group of people by a title "childless cat ladies who are miserable with their lives and the choices that they've made". Maybe not. But it doesn't change the fact that many of the people who promote the family destroying policies are not in fact, parents. Whether they are miserable or not is not something I can weigh in on. I live in a small state predominated by childless people. They have many issues too numerous to go into here and who likely themselves don't consider them issues but the foremost is -guilt driven politics.
So, in the end, I don't think what Mr. Vance stated was untrue. All generalizations are inherently faulty. Doesn't change the fact.
Do I have numbers to back that up, I do not. It would be interesting to find out though, wouldn't it? I hope that answers your question. I tried to be as honest as I am able.
PB, your thoughts are what I need to hear and so many others should ponder. I am dying, my body giving out but my mind is still reasonably functional. Once I was told there is nothing that can medically be done, I was overwhelmed by all the things I have done "wrong". We had my tubes tied at 22 so we couldn't have children because we decided to play God to prevent having diabetic children. Total BS. We were just too selfish. Maybe we would not have been "good" parents until we were older but I so regret knowing that what I have accomplished will be dust in the wind in a year or two. No one is going to use the knowledge I could have shared with my kids. The family tree ends with me. Not a waste of time but so much less than it could and should have been. We all need to support those who support the values and actions to build families and a decent country for them to live in. Hopefully hearing the stories like yours will give the young pause to consider the implications of their choices
Greg, my prayers for you. We do need to support families and a decent country. For in the biggest picture, that is all that is important. Everything else falls by the wayside. Not all families are great. Not all children are great. Not all parents are great. But the act of building and caring for a family is the greatest accomplishment humans can strive for. And if that is not a possibility for you then supporting others who are, is a noble and spiritual endeavor. No one will remember me when I'm gone. But I may have offered comfort, knowledge or love to someone in my life that made a difference for them. God loves you Greg. He will always love you. Seek him out if you haven't already and find the path home. My sincerest and warmest virtual hug to you.
I actually didn't grow up fantasizing about having children and marriage. However, when I really fell in love in my mid 30's then I got maternal. . .but it wasn't meant to be. I don't see it as making my life any less meaningful than anyone else's. Thank you again for sharing.
Kyra, I'm not sure I understand what you mean by "making my life any less meaningful than anyone else's." Can you clarify what you mean? I truly want to understand. Thank you as well for engaging.
Well written all the way through PB. My heart aches with you and I sympathize with where you are at. It is inspiring to see someone be so humbled and honest about what has already happened in our country and how it really affected people. Most won’t come forward and reveal those truths, but they are more widespread than the Left or the MSM want anyone to believe. Our country needs you and more people like you. Where one shows the courage to speak up, it gives others the freedom to do so too. Those freedoms are being taken away by our media so we deeply need people like you to speak up all the more.
I especially liked how well worded this was: “The real pandemic was "the woke mind virus" and not Covid. And it's not an infection, it's a cancer.
Sadly, to cure someone with cancer, you gave to cut it out or poison them to get rid of it. And then if you aren't vigilant it returns.” Bingo.
The Democrat Party is now a Marxist\Communist\Fascist Death Cult. They are running on everything that proves it, and people are voting for it, because the mainstream media assists and abets it and are telling them they are the good guys for thinking the same things and pushing it. It's brainwashing on a maximum, far-reaching, undeniably dangerous scale. As much as you think you hate the modern mainstream media, it isn't enough.
Due diligence is reading/perusing their (the left’s) social media and - awful as it is - MSM. They say EXACTLY the same thing about the right. Not an issue for an old fart like me but the indoctrination on young folks…it used to blow my mind but it really doesn’t anymore - Sasha’s article provides excellent lenses. The problem I see is that few will open their eyes.
"Childless cat ladies who are miserable in their own lives" is just another way of saying "bat-shit crazy progressive women." We all know what he's talking about.
Watching JD appear on the radar and immediately receive “the treatment” has shown me all I need to know. The Left wing propaganda complex is a sight to behold.
I didn’t realize JD Vance’s comment was an old one.
He is right. Trump has made the Democrat party the party of wealthy white people in upscale urban and suburban neighborhoods. They are unconcerned about safe or failing schools, because they do not have children or their children attend pricey private schools. This group sets policies that they are insulated from experiencing.
Hey Greg, LBJ doomed black families in 1964 when he required no father in the house to get welfare. That effectively removed fathers from millions of homes and broke the nuclear family. Dems followed that with further welfare crutches that undermine black communities; lax on crime resulting in huge black on black violence, DEI hiring resulting in widespread belief that they only got the job bc of their skin color, public school teacher unions resulting in over 70% of black children failing grade level proficiency tests, grade inflation resulting in inaccurate and misleading expectations about how well the student competes internationally, abortions resulting in much higher rates of abortions in black communities, etc.
Judging by the "outrage," feigned or otherwise, sounds like Vance struck a nerve with the harridan left. Time to acknowledge it as the distraction that it is and keep the pedal-to-the-metal focus on the disasterous record of Harris.
he didn't cause the quote is old. they dug it up so it's on them. It's a stupid thing to say but he didn't say it as a VP pick. The idea is to create illusion it's a new quote but people are so tired of cancel culture that outside of the bubble it has no impact.
Exactly. It is an old, throwaway quote from before Vance held any elected office. His goal at the time was to win an Ohio senate race, which he did. He was speaking to the audience he wanted to help him win—families.
what about CHILDREN. Men produce oil for diesel trucks. CHILDREN in Africa are slave labored to produce lithium for electric vehicles demoncraps want to force on everyone. Tens of Thousands of CHILDREN have gone missing thanks to biden/harris open borders sex/drug/ trafficking operations. Why isn't that being discussed by any of those glamorous hollyweird folks?
Ben, you may still be a Dem (as I was for decades), you just may not be aware of what they have now become and now stand for. Never too late to change!
Democrat party founded on protecting & increasing enslavement, create policies resulting in suffering, dependency, death. their tax/reg policies strip working people of their $$ to create dependency to buy votes into power. results are abuse, rising crime, failing schools & most harmful to the most vulnerable Dem legislators proudly remind us that 12 year-olds can get abortions, birth control, medical treatment for intimate-partner violence w/o mommy and daddy finding out, because it’s very progressive for middle school students to take a lover who might occasionally hurt them: https://x.com/scott_wiener/status/1484560885364396036
If sterilizing kids under the guise of “gender affirming care” suggests that democrat PHILOSOPHY cares about kids, then ya - continue to vote that way. I can’t stand Harris. I can’t stand Trump even more. But I can tell you that I can’t stand disguised care about kids the most.
you are with limited vigilance perhaps, singling out the stupidest and craziest dems to say we are all like that. If you read about a trans kid going under the knife, and their psycho or missing parents, you are talking about very small numbers. You know what is much larger numbers? (and one has no choice in the matter): Those crazy Vance red team-ers who want a bossy religion-based government telling everyone to follow their religion by law or be punished. On News-Nation the other day, it was some Oklahoman, crowing about the 10 Commandments in all the classrooms, and decrying the lack of real Bible history taught in schools (and that he would like to make further laws). history, huh? like the 2 of every animal species on a large wooden boat, and virgin birth and a tower so high God got scared that it would reach heaven through the planets and a man living in a fish and all those other stories. as history. and no abortions even for rape, incest, or to save the mother. NONE. Who is the extremist who doesn't like children? red team nuts, that's who, by a large margin.!
the issue is which small number of people- issue person is being chosen for VP, innit? Do you really think Shapiro or the Arizona astronaut, etc., is going to say 'yes, of course, pre-puberty kids have a right to demand the genital knife, without their parents knowing.' Of course not. Yet, that is by analogy, who Trump chose.
want to say one more thing about a female presidential candidate. The red team doesn't like it much, do they? did you know even conservative macho Mexico had a female pres? Taiwan. Even catholic Ireland, Israel, The Philippines, India, Germany, ... is it ALWAYS dei to suggest a female as leader? oh, that's right. the nuttiest religion/in government people would say 'of course.' Right, Jim?
So let's get this straight: Kamala lies to us every day for three-plus years about Joe's cognitive abilities, but the feminist cat ladies among us save their outrage for something Vance said in an interview three years ago... kind of proves JD's point, does it not?
It’s a huge leap (but not for Democrats) to suggest that JD was talking about women who would like to have children, but can’t. Obviously, he was talking about women who put power and control over raising families,
This is all too reminiscent of the faux flap the Left generated over Dan Quayle’s comment that the Murphy Brown TV show was promoting husbandless, fatherless homes.
It is dishonest to equate someone who would like to have a family but for physical or situational reasons can’t, with those who eschew families as impediments to their quests for power and control.
“Two days after the attempted assassination of Donald Trump, 11 out of the 18 people I spoke to would’ve been happy if Donald Trump was assassinated.”
Ami Horowitz in NYC. Why do so many people feel this way? Because for the past 8 years the democrats and their media have demonized Trump as “another Hitler!” They’ve gained many supporters with this strategy but it’s been a Pyrrhic victory since it has shredded the social fabric of the country they now rule. This is obviously unsustainable. America is no longer a functional and sustainable society. This is just not working at all.
“Does the Left Support the Assassination of Trump?” (3 min)
What a great piece. Vance is right and today I think it is possible that the Leftist media wall has been pierced and weakened enough for real information to flow.
Megyn is right, where the hell are you Jen when it comes to women's actual suffrage? In a way I feel bad as they haven't had the blessings of children, but then I don't as they work to destroy our foundations.
The lady of my life and I have three kids(two daughters) and you don't want to know what I would do to anyone that would harm them.
"Trump is hitting the right tone by focusing only on the policies that the American people care about. He should leave the culture war jabs to others, preferably other women."
I agree. Today, though not exclusively, I also stand behind Megyn Kelly and the people who wrote for Black Lives Matter.
Oh. I will also add Dr. Ben Carson's mother. (Tucker Carlson's interview: "Dr. Ben Carson: The Left’s Cringing Worship of Kamala Harris")
Thank you for saying this out loud. I respect your courage. I have never understood the celebratory atmosphere around the abortion issue. While women/couples may need or choose to make that decision, it’s tragic and personal, not a time to party. It’s hard, sad, traumatic and haunting. We should discuss it with the seriousness and respect for women and children’s health that is required. Instead it’s become this rally cry- like hey have one or more-no big deal- like it’s a facial or spa treatment.
It’s a sad state of affairs and not good for anyone. As a woman, and mother I’m offended by the constant casual, irresponsible reference to it.
And oh by the way, what we should be demanding is better male contraception. Share the responsibility fellas. Instead-since Roe- we now have a wide variety of male enhancement meds.
Of course Vance's comments will be used against him. He certainly would have phrased his thoughts differently in the context of a presidential campaign, but that does not change the fact that he is essentially right.
The single biggest problem facing our society today -- the underlying cause for so many of our social ills -- is the denial of the simple fact that men and women are fundamentally different and that raising children is and will be the most important and satisfying thing that most women will do in their lives.
Telling little girls that there is really no difference between boys and girls and denigrating women who would prefer to stay home and raise a family, has led to the dramatic rise in anxiety and depression of young women and contributed to the alarming rise in the number of girls who have been convinced that they are really boys.
Modern feminism is the most anti-feminine force in our culture today. It consistently tells women that their only value is measured by how well they compete against men in typically male dominated fields. Thus we have the nonsensical goals of having 30 percent of Secret Service agents be women regardless of their ability to do the job. It denigrates the extremely valuable feminine characteristics of caring and nurturing. Girls who do not wish to compete against men are denigrated as being traitors to their sex.
The ability to give birth to a new life is miraculous. A culture that treats the ability to create life as little more than a nuisance with the results of the creation of life as nothing more than a clump of cells that can be discarded on a whim is toxic.
It is not anti-woman to tell girls that having children will bring them the greatest joy in their lives. Millions of women who have denied their innate desires to become mothers and delayed having children until they find it is too late, will regret this decision for the rest of their lives.
I am the proud grandfather of beautiful baby boy and there is nothing in life that gives me greater happiness than seeing my daughter care for the new life that she brought into this world. We need to stop lying to girls by telling them that they can be just like men and tell them the truth of how wonderful being a mother can be.
We have to show children how important they are to society but telling them having more children is the most important thing you can do reduces people no better than basic animal instincts.
No, telling them that having children is the most important thing they will ever do is the simple truth. It is not true for everybody of course. There are always exceptions. But if you ask most people what gives their life the most meaning and joy, their children and grandchildren will usually come out on top. This is especially true for women. Telling girls that success in the workforce can somehow replace the desire to have children is a lie. It is a lie that is causing deep dysfunction in our society. It is poisoning relationships between men and women and is tearing the fabric of our culture apart.
Tell children to make the most of their lives is the important thing you can tell and guide them to do. Making them feel procreating is the most important thing makes us no better than base animals. You want to have children sharing your ambitions dreams and love vs the base animal instinct to have them.
You can say that the desire for children results from a "base animal instinct", or you can say it's the result of evolutionary biology, or you could say it's a response to the command to "be fruitful and multiply". I'm not going to settle that argument. But the fact remains that having children is vitally important to the satisfaction and sense of meaning that people feel in life. To deny this is to deny reality. The result of this denial is unhappiness and dysfunction.
Nothing is vital to satisfaction and sense of meaning you are once mingling prime instincts with the subject matter. Having sex and procreating is a basic animal instinct.
So now what?? Here we are again, stuck with Moochelle My Belle and her Marxist pig husband Barry Obama. Who can never get the hell out of anyone's life!! I seriously do not know what it's going to take for the damned nation to realize that this man and his Ilk are never going to go away. He is hell bent on destroying this nation...just like he said he would!! No gas, no insurance, no fracking, electric cars, no Military, all for the good of China. Because we know he loves China and Iran...pallets of cash! You'll be paying for every damned stupid dumbed downed illegal, their kids and all their damned free shit that they want when they come here, and you've got, BARRY LAND!! Hell, we're doing that now. From the looks of it we won't have a pot to piss in with her and Barry's agendas. Sound familiar. We dealt with this when he was in office for 8 miserable years!! And I sure as hell don't wanna go back to anything these two are trying to push on the nation.
I'm of mixed heritage, and I have never had a desire to even listen or look at a damned Democrat!! They're pathetic liars, and we are dangling by a thread right now because of the democrats agendas...Wake up America!!! She is just another Barry surrogate so he can continue to have as many terms as he wants!! I'm so sick of these two idiots!! Wanna Stay Broke Vote Democrat!!!
Sure, having children and grandchildren to be concerned about provides more intensity to one's concern about the future, but the notion that people who do not have children are not concerned about the future is ridiculous. Some people are not concerned about the future, including some parents who don't even care about their own kids let alone anybody else's kids. Some people are very concerned about the future, and they might or might not have children of their own.
"people who have never had children will never understand, and every honest person knows that." To a certain degree I completely agree with that statement. I, like so many of my generation, gave away, destroyed the chance to be a mother. Stupidly... self-centeredly and most important... regrettably. But I am aware of and believe I fully understand that we need to protect the coming generations. I've been saying for some time that I have no "skin in the game" and maybe 20 to 25 years left in this world. Why do I care so much about the direction this country heads? Especially when I see people with children and grandchildren who just shrug their shoulders go on about their lives. Why should I invest so much of myself: time, money, intellectual energy, passion and other resources when I don't even have children or even nieces and nephews who will benefit from my efforts?
Because I must. My conscience won't let me do otherwise.
It's also becoming glaringly apparent that you can't really cure or reform many of those infected by "the woke mind virus". I'd say you and Amala E. are the exceptions, not the rule. The real pandemic was "the woke mind virus" and not Covid. And it's not an infection, it's a cancer.
Sadly, to cure someone with cancer, you gave to cut it out or poison them to get rid of it. And then if you aren't vigilant it returns.
And just as a point of clarification, I didn't want children because I thought I would damage them because I was so much like my father. And when I did end up pregnant, it was inconvenient... I had plans. Then I met my husband and we tried to have a family for many years, but it didn't happen. I ended up wanting 6 children. I wanted to be The Waltons. Now I'm just the pain in the neck old lady
on a homestead.
I only hope they and God can forgive me because I can't forgive myself.
Thank you for sharing your journey from left to right. While I've never called myself anything other than Independent until 2020, I am now proudly Conservative and a Registered Republican.
We only have approximately 9 more years till we turn, according to Strauss and Howe. Let's hope we survive!!
God bless you and grant you the grace to know that you are forgiven. It is an awful thing to look back and see what could have and should have been and grieve for what gifts were unrecognized and lost. But God loves us and accepts us and best of all knows who we are. He is still with you, and you are his voice for our future.
Thank you very, very much USMCVet. I "know" that God loves and forgives me... but in my heart, I cannot forgive myself. I have tried. I have resigned myself to whatever befalls me for the evil I have done.
I know there is something about arrogance and not forgiving yourself... but I can't. Someday soon I will have to face them, my lost children and God, and atone for my sins in his kingdom.
P.B., even though I am a man, I share your grief and guilt, and for the same reason.. you are not alone in your suffering, there are many of us. I have no easy answer for the profound sense of guilt that you feel (or for my own), only the hope that redemption is possible for all of us, somehow, someway.
Thank you Pacificus. Those are brave and kind words to share. I know intellectually that there are some men who feel this way. And many women of course. I think I am working on the guilt and redemption and forgiveness. I don't know your spiritual path, but I found the story of Paul to be profound for me. This website explains it all well, at least for me. I pray you find some comfort in it.
https://www.gotquestions.org/forgiving-yourself.html
OMG, PB, just found out that you are a nurse! You may consider yourself redeemed and forgiven as a result of every bed pan that you have changed, every bit of pain that you relieved, every dying hand that you held, etc etc etc. Whatever negative karma you may have accumulated has been balanced by the work you have done. Yes, we are all sinners, but not all of us are healers. Go in peace.
Bonus points for working during COVID. OOOXXX
All of us who are honest with ourselves know that we have taken paths that we shouldn't have and recognize that some of those decisions caused hurt and damage to ourselves and others. I was in combat and saw men killed around me - I grieved for those young guys of ours who lost their lives and didn't feel even slightly sorry for those that we killed - after all, they were trying to kill us. Yet they had families who grieved for them, and it took all these years to teach myself to pray for them and their families too.
Our Lord loves us, and we will always need to learn to listen to Him. He does forgive us completely and even though you are feeling that you should be punished - we all do - He has the final word.
Yes, USMCVet, you are saying the truest words I know. After your comment and my reply, I was compelled to face this issue and did some research and praying. I found that in all honesty, my "inability to forgive myself" is likely manifest from several factors. Those are related to my feelings of lack of worthiness, most are likely from not fully accepting the gospel and God's grace. And some is thinking I can flagellate myself spiritually by not forgiving myself. I haven't sorted it all out, but I am focusing on the Gospel and God's grace first. He does have the final word. He died for my sins. I am a sinner and continue to sin.
I am so grateful for your kindness and support. You are an angel.
I won't say the thing that many people say and thank you for your service. I know it makes me uncomfortable when they tell me the same thing. I pray that someday mankind will learn to resolve their problems without violence... and save us from having to face what you have to face. God Bless you sir.
I am a flawed Catholic (show me one who isn’t!). My understanding of forgiveness of sins, as you allude to, is that we’re not authorized to do so; it’s Jesus’s authority to forgive sins. I am a fan of Saint Mary Magdalene. She just had her feast day on 22July. She was as a woman and a sinner and yet was one of the first Jesus visited when he resurrected. He loved her far beyond our ability to understand; as he does all of us.
Libertarian, you make a strong point. Thank you for your wise words.
The thought of the guy on the cross next to Jesus occurred to me. He had been a thief, but he saw something in Jesus and wanted that. He said, "Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom." Jesus didn't say, "You're a thief, you must continue to pay for your crimes." He said, "Today you will be with me in Paradise."
God bless you and keep you in His loving hands.
USMCVet, you are another one whose service and sacrifice is beyond the ability for most of us civilians to even imagine. With Respect and Affection
Thank you, Buddy...
Semper Fi.
But then Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross ceases to mean anything at all if we can’t live free and with Joy. I have made some grave mistakes in my life and every day through some new window I see where my life was supposed to have been in that moment and how God had been working all along to put me there, but I kept interfering with his hand and it’s now out of my reach. That hurts deeply. I have a very hard time forgiving myself every day. The truth is my lack of forgiving myself has been given more power over my life than God forgiving me. Why am I doing that? It is a brand new mistake that I am making in this current season of my life. I don’t want to look back 10 years from now and regret this mistake too. I don’t have the answer for how to change that as I’m in the middle of trying to figure it out myself, but I wanted you to know I relate to you and understand, and you are not alone. Different reasons, same story.
Good point Juju. And a lovely testimony on your continued progress. Your story resonates with me as well. ❤️🩹
I think your comment was very well written and moving. I have not often thought or been sensitive to the experience you describe and for which I now understand many have had.
I've thought about how to reply to this very carefully. First, it impressed me that you would take the time and make the effort to share that very personal insight. Second it moved me in a subtle but profound way. One doesn't often think of oneself as having an impact on others. I am very humbled by you and others in this section of the comments. Thank you Libertarian. Thank you very much.
The Woke Mind Virus. Attend, all. And being a chemo survivor entitles a visceral appreciation of such an affliction's tenacity. No wonder cures are so rare.
Well Spoke.
Thank you Casey Jones.
Honored, ma'am!
What a lovely, heartfelt comment, PB!
Thank you for your comment, it "warmed the cockles of me heart!"❤️
Thank you for your comments, I agree with so much you said, but how can you not speak out about what he said as being wrong and insulting.
What about men that never wanted to bring children into the world? What do we call them? Or is that different?
Thank you, Kyra, for asking such a good question. In my experience, albeit narrow, men as a rule don't "want" to bring children into the world. If you ask any teenage boy from my generation (saddle Boomer/GenX) that thought (bringing children into the world) would NEVER have been on their mind, until much, later, if ever. While girls of my cohort spent their teen and young adult years fantasizing about their wedding and what they would name their children. That is my experience. So, I don't have a "name" to call men who don't want children. They are just men. Being men. I'm okay with that.
Not wanting to have children or not attending to the concept of family and duty as opposed to not taking care of them are two entirely different things. Most men I know love their children and are glad they are alive, but never would have "wanted" them in the same way women want them. That was then. Can't speak to now.
As far as being insulted by what Mr. Vance said in 2021, well, no, because I don't consider myself part of the demographic he is speaking about. People who find it insulting identify in some part with the phrase otherwise it wouldn't matter to them at all.
Do I think it was prudent to call a large group of people by a title "childless cat ladies who are miserable with their lives and the choices that they've made". Maybe not. But it doesn't change the fact that many of the people who promote the family destroying policies are not in fact, parents. Whether they are miserable or not is not something I can weigh in on. I live in a small state predominated by childless people. They have many issues too numerous to go into here and who likely themselves don't consider them issues but the foremost is -guilt driven politics.
So, in the end, I don't think what Mr. Vance stated was untrue. All generalizations are inherently faulty. Doesn't change the fact.
Do I have numbers to back that up, I do not. It would be interesting to find out though, wouldn't it? I hope that answers your question. I tried to be as honest as I am able.
Wow, PB, bring it on! Your eloquence is powerful.
You are far too kind Pacificus. Thank you.
PB, your thoughts are what I need to hear and so many others should ponder. I am dying, my body giving out but my mind is still reasonably functional. Once I was told there is nothing that can medically be done, I was overwhelmed by all the things I have done "wrong". We had my tubes tied at 22 so we couldn't have children because we decided to play God to prevent having diabetic children. Total BS. We were just too selfish. Maybe we would not have been "good" parents until we were older but I so regret knowing that what I have accomplished will be dust in the wind in a year or two. No one is going to use the knowledge I could have shared with my kids. The family tree ends with me. Not a waste of time but so much less than it could and should have been. We all need to support those who support the values and actions to build families and a decent country for them to live in. Hopefully hearing the stories like yours will give the young pause to consider the implications of their choices
Greg, my prayers for you. We do need to support families and a decent country. For in the biggest picture, that is all that is important. Everything else falls by the wayside. Not all families are great. Not all children are great. Not all parents are great. But the act of building and caring for a family is the greatest accomplishment humans can strive for. And if that is not a possibility for you then supporting others who are, is a noble and spiritual endeavor. No one will remember me when I'm gone. But I may have offered comfort, knowledge or love to someone in my life that made a difference for them. God loves you Greg. He will always love you. Seek him out if you haven't already and find the path home. My sincerest and warmest virtual hug to you.
I actually didn't grow up fantasizing about having children and marriage. However, when I really fell in love in my mid 30's then I got maternal. . .but it wasn't meant to be. I don't see it as making my life any less meaningful than anyone else's. Thank you again for sharing.
Kyra, I'm not sure I understand what you mean by "making my life any less meaningful than anyone else's." Can you clarify what you mean? I truly want to understand. Thank you as well for engaging.
Well written all the way through PB. My heart aches with you and I sympathize with where you are at. It is inspiring to see someone be so humbled and honest about what has already happened in our country and how it really affected people. Most won’t come forward and reveal those truths, but they are more widespread than the Left or the MSM want anyone to believe. Our country needs you and more people like you. Where one shows the courage to speak up, it gives others the freedom to do so too. Those freedoms are being taken away by our media so we deeply need people like you to speak up all the more.
I especially liked how well worded this was: “The real pandemic was "the woke mind virus" and not Covid. And it's not an infection, it's a cancer.
Sadly, to cure someone with cancer, you gave to cut it out or poison them to get rid of it. And then if you aren't vigilant it returns.” Bingo.
Thank you. I am humbled by your kind and generous words.
Watch a lovely and heartfelt comment, PB!
The Democrat Party is now a Marxist\Communist\Fascist Death Cult. They are running on everything that proves it, and people are voting for it, because the mainstream media assists and abets it and are telling them they are the good guys for thinking the same things and pushing it. It's brainwashing on a maximum, far-reaching, undeniably dangerous scale. As much as you think you hate the modern mainstream media, it isn't enough.
"There is something wrong with a regime that requires a pyramid of corpses every few years."
George Orwell Quotes - letter to Humphry House, April 11, 1940
That epitomizes the communazi left perfectly.
Well said
Due diligence is reading/perusing their (the left’s) social media and - awful as it is - MSM. They say EXACTLY the same thing about the right. Not an issue for an old fart like me but the indoctrination on young folks…it used to blow my mind but it really doesn’t anymore - Sasha’s article provides excellent lenses. The problem I see is that few will open their eyes.
as rhetoric with hyperbole, speaking to power, fine. the media suqs, of course. but Not very accurate specifically though.
btw, was waiting on Sasha to shed some light on 'Brat' Girl summer by Charli XCX and ...falling out of a coconut tree, was it?
"Childless cat ladies who are miserable in their own lives" is just another way of saying "bat-shit crazy progressive women." We all know what he's talking about.
Amen
Proving GOP dont give a fuck about their own affairs never did but expect Democrats to care.
Not counting "childless cat ladies who are miserable in their own lives". They know who they are ...
Watching JD appear on the radar and immediately receive “the treatment” has shown me all I need to know. The Left wing propaganda complex is a sight to behold.
Yes
Advertising, branding, marketing is all done because it works.
Nowhere in my comment did I mention or defend Right wing media.
I didn’t realize JD Vance’s comment was an old one.
He is right. Trump has made the Democrat party the party of wealthy white people in upscale urban and suburban neighborhoods. They are unconcerned about safe or failing schools, because they do not have children or their children attend pricey private schools. This group sets policies that they are insulated from experiencing.
Hey Greg, LBJ doomed black families in 1964 when he required no father in the house to get welfare. That effectively removed fathers from millions of homes and broke the nuclear family. Dems followed that with further welfare crutches that undermine black communities; lax on crime resulting in huge black on black violence, DEI hiring resulting in widespread belief that they only got the job bc of their skin color, public school teacher unions resulting in over 70% of black children failing grade level proficiency tests, grade inflation resulting in inaccurate and misleading expectations about how well the student competes internationally, abortions resulting in much higher rates of abortions in black communities, etc.
Age has no meaning for a narrative-supporting quote.
Judging by the "outrage," feigned or otherwise, sounds like Vance struck a nerve with the harridan left. Time to acknowledge it as the distraction that it is and keep the pedal-to-the-metal focus on the disasterous record of Harris.
he didn't cause the quote is old. they dug it up so it's on them. It's a stupid thing to say but he didn't say it as a VP pick. The idea is to create illusion it's a new quote but people are so tired of cancel culture that outside of the bubble it has no impact.
Vader, hate to tell you, while Vance's comments hit a nerve, there is more than a little truth to them. Impolitic, perhaps, but nonetheless true.
Excellent points.
Exactly. It is an old, throwaway quote from before Vance held any elected office. His goal at the time was to win an Ohio senate race, which he did. He was speaking to the audience he wanted to help him win—families.
checks!
what about CHILDREN. Men produce oil for diesel trucks. CHILDREN in Africa are slave labored to produce lithium for electric vehicles demoncraps want to force on everyone. Tens of Thousands of CHILDREN have gone missing thanks to biden/harris open borders sex/drug/ trafficking operations. Why isn't that being discussed by any of those glamorous hollyweird folks?
Democrats don't really like children.
I am still registered thusly, and I like children.
I think Nicola is talking about the "leaders" you support
Ben, you may still be a Dem (as I was for decades), you just may not be aware of what they have now become and now stand for. Never too late to change!
Democrat party founded on protecting & increasing enslavement, create policies resulting in suffering, dependency, death. their tax/reg policies strip working people of their $$ to create dependency to buy votes into power. results are abuse, rising crime, failing schools & most harmful to the most vulnerable Dem legislators proudly remind us that 12 year-olds can get abortions, birth control, medical treatment for intimate-partner violence w/o mommy and daddy finding out, because it’s very progressive for middle school students to take a lover who might occasionally hurt them: https://x.com/scott_wiener/status/1484560885364396036
If sterilizing kids under the guise of “gender affirming care” suggests that democrat PHILOSOPHY cares about kids, then ya - continue to vote that way. I can’t stand Harris. I can’t stand Trump even more. But I can tell you that I can’t stand disguised care about kids the most.
you are with limited vigilance perhaps, singling out the stupidest and craziest dems to say we are all like that. If you read about a trans kid going under the knife, and their psycho or missing parents, you are talking about very small numbers. You know what is much larger numbers? (and one has no choice in the matter): Those crazy Vance red team-ers who want a bossy religion-based government telling everyone to follow their religion by law or be punished. On News-Nation the other day, it was some Oklahoman, crowing about the 10 Commandments in all the classrooms, and decrying the lack of real Bible history taught in schools (and that he would like to make further laws). history, huh? like the 2 of every animal species on a large wooden boat, and virgin birth and a tower so high God got scared that it would reach heaven through the planets and a man living in a fish and all those other stories. as history. and no abortions even for rape, incest, or to save the mother. NONE. Who is the extremist who doesn't like children? red team nuts, that's who, by a large margin.!
So you make your first statement about small numbers of democrats then generalize to others? You just negated your own logic. Weird.
the issue is which small number of people- issue person is being chosen for VP, innit? Do you really think Shapiro or the Arizona astronaut, etc., is going to say 'yes, of course, pre-puberty kids have a right to demand the genital knife, without their parents knowing.' Of course not. Yet, that is by analogy, who Trump chose.
want to say one more thing about a female presidential candidate. The red team doesn't like it much, do they? did you know even conservative macho Mexico had a female pres? Taiwan. Even catholic Ireland, Israel, The Philippines, India, Germany, ... is it ALWAYS dei to suggest a female as leader? oh, that's right. the nuttiest religion/in government people would say 'of course.' Right, Jim?
Apparently you haven’t seen the latest law Newsome pulled - but you make no sense so clearly you need to head back to the pasture, Ben.
So let's get this straight: Kamala lies to us every day for three-plus years about Joe's cognitive abilities, but the feminist cat ladies among us save their outrage for something Vance said in an interview three years ago... kind of proves JD's point, does it not?
Nailed it
Saw a great meme today: “I don’t care how cool your cat is. You have a box of shit in your house.”
It’s a huge leap (but not for Democrats) to suggest that JD was talking about women who would like to have children, but can’t. Obviously, he was talking about women who put power and control over raising families,
This is all too reminiscent of the faux flap the Left generated over Dan Quayle’s comment that the Murphy Brown TV show was promoting husbandless, fatherless homes.
It is dishonest to equate someone who would like to have a family but for physical or situational reasons can’t, with those who eschew families as impediments to their quests for power and control.
Spot on, JT. Yes, that is The Big Lie at the heart of this faux kerfuffle.
Sadly that gets debunked because many people still have those viewpoints see Tucker Carlson and Elon Musk.
“Two days after the attempted assassination of Donald Trump, 11 out of the 18 people I spoke to would’ve been happy if Donald Trump was assassinated.”
Ami Horowitz in NYC. Why do so many people feel this way? Because for the past 8 years the democrats and their media have demonized Trump as “another Hitler!” They’ve gained many supporters with this strategy but it’s been a Pyrrhic victory since it has shredded the social fabric of the country they now rule. This is obviously unsustainable. America is no longer a functional and sustainable society. This is just not working at all.
“Does the Left Support the Assassination of Trump?” (3 min)
Ami Horowitz. July 25, 2024
https://youtu.be/b3X68UOmrwo?si=26GzQnq3PElMZ92j
What a great piece. Vance is right and today I think it is possible that the Leftist media wall has been pierced and weakened enough for real information to flow.
Megyn is right, where the hell are you Jen when it comes to women's actual suffrage? In a way I feel bad as they haven't had the blessings of children, but then I don't as they work to destroy our foundations.
The lady of my life and I have three kids(two daughters) and you don't want to know what I would do to anyone that would harm them.
"Trump is hitting the right tone by focusing only on the policies that the American people care about. He should leave the culture war jabs to others, preferably other women."
I agree. Today, though not exclusively, I also stand behind Megyn Kelly and the people who wrote for Black Lives Matter.
Oh. I will also add Dr. Ben Carson's mother. (Tucker Carlson's interview: "Dr. Ben Carson: The Left’s Cringing Worship of Kamala Harris")
I watched the whole video. It was very good. He sure has a good understanding of what’s happening to our society.
Yes. I agree 100%. Incredibly difficult background, but a great deadpan sense of humor:
About his brother: "He became the rocket scientist, and I became the brain surgeon."
Thank you for saying this out loud. I respect your courage. I have never understood the celebratory atmosphere around the abortion issue. While women/couples may need or choose to make that decision, it’s tragic and personal, not a time to party. It’s hard, sad, traumatic and haunting. We should discuss it with the seriousness and respect for women and children’s health that is required. Instead it’s become this rally cry- like hey have one or more-no big deal- like it’s a facial or spa treatment.
It’s a sad state of affairs and not good for anyone. As a woman, and mother I’m offended by the constant casual, irresponsible reference to it.
And oh by the way, what we should be demanding is better male contraception. Share the responsibility fellas. Instead-since Roe- we now have a wide variety of male enhancement meds.
Of course Vance's comments will be used against him. He certainly would have phrased his thoughts differently in the context of a presidential campaign, but that does not change the fact that he is essentially right.
The single biggest problem facing our society today -- the underlying cause for so many of our social ills -- is the denial of the simple fact that men and women are fundamentally different and that raising children is and will be the most important and satisfying thing that most women will do in their lives.
Telling little girls that there is really no difference between boys and girls and denigrating women who would prefer to stay home and raise a family, has led to the dramatic rise in anxiety and depression of young women and contributed to the alarming rise in the number of girls who have been convinced that they are really boys.
Modern feminism is the most anti-feminine force in our culture today. It consistently tells women that their only value is measured by how well they compete against men in typically male dominated fields. Thus we have the nonsensical goals of having 30 percent of Secret Service agents be women regardless of their ability to do the job. It denigrates the extremely valuable feminine characteristics of caring and nurturing. Girls who do not wish to compete against men are denigrated as being traitors to their sex.
The ability to give birth to a new life is miraculous. A culture that treats the ability to create life as little more than a nuisance with the results of the creation of life as nothing more than a clump of cells that can be discarded on a whim is toxic.
It is not anti-woman to tell girls that having children will bring them the greatest joy in their lives. Millions of women who have denied their innate desires to become mothers and delayed having children until they find it is too late, will regret this decision for the rest of their lives.
I am the proud grandfather of beautiful baby boy and there is nothing in life that gives me greater happiness than seeing my daughter care for the new life that she brought into this world. We need to stop lying to girls by telling them that they can be just like men and tell them the truth of how wonderful being a mother can be.
Agree
We have to show children how important they are to society but telling them having more children is the most important thing you can do reduces people no better than basic animal instincts.
No, telling them that having children is the most important thing they will ever do is the simple truth. It is not true for everybody of course. There are always exceptions. But if you ask most people what gives their life the most meaning and joy, their children and grandchildren will usually come out on top. This is especially true for women. Telling girls that success in the workforce can somehow replace the desire to have children is a lie. It is a lie that is causing deep dysfunction in our society. It is poisoning relationships between men and women and is tearing the fabric of our culture apart.
Agree again!
Spot on, gsharper.
Tell children to make the most of their lives is the important thing you can tell and guide them to do. Making them feel procreating is the most important thing makes us no better than base animals. You want to have children sharing your ambitions dreams and love vs the base animal instinct to have them.
You can say that the desire for children results from a "base animal instinct", or you can say it's the result of evolutionary biology, or you could say it's a response to the command to "be fruitful and multiply". I'm not going to settle that argument. But the fact remains that having children is vitally important to the satisfaction and sense of meaning that people feel in life. To deny this is to deny reality. The result of this denial is unhappiness and dysfunction.
Nothing is vital to satisfaction and sense of meaning you are once mingling prime instincts with the subject matter. Having sex and procreating is a basic animal instinct.
He made the comment three years ago, not in the context of a presidential campaign.
Yes, I'm aware of that. I said I think he would have phrased it differently if he was making a statement in a presidential campaign.
So now what?? Here we are again, stuck with Moochelle My Belle and her Marxist pig husband Barry Obama. Who can never get the hell out of anyone's life!! I seriously do not know what it's going to take for the damned nation to realize that this man and his Ilk are never going to go away. He is hell bent on destroying this nation...just like he said he would!! No gas, no insurance, no fracking, electric cars, no Military, all for the good of China. Because we know he loves China and Iran...pallets of cash! You'll be paying for every damned stupid dumbed downed illegal, their kids and all their damned free shit that they want when they come here, and you've got, BARRY LAND!! Hell, we're doing that now. From the looks of it we won't have a pot to piss in with her and Barry's agendas. Sound familiar. We dealt with this when he was in office for 8 miserable years!! And I sure as hell don't wanna go back to anything these two are trying to push on the nation.
I'm of mixed heritage, and I have never had a desire to even listen or look at a damned Democrat!! They're pathetic liars, and we are dangling by a thread right now because of the democrats agendas...Wake up America!!! She is just another Barry surrogate so he can continue to have as many terms as he wants!! I'm so sick of these two idiots!! Wanna Stay Broke Vote Democrat!!!
Absofuckinglutely 100% agree!
Are we throwing out any disguise regarding how much we outright hate each other now?
Sure, having children and grandchildren to be concerned about provides more intensity to one's concern about the future, but the notion that people who do not have children are not concerned about the future is ridiculous. Some people are not concerned about the future, including some parents who don't even care about their own kids let alone anybody else's kids. Some people are very concerned about the future, and they might or might not have children of their own.
Thanks for reminding us of this, Susan.