Pro-lifers against Buffett-Gates alliance

[deadparrot]

NEW YORK - Warren Buffett's new philanthropic alliance with fellow billionaire Bill Gates won widespread praise this week, but anti-abortion activists did not join in, instead assailing the two donors for their longtime support of Planned Parenthood and international birth-control programs.

The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, to which Buffett has pledged the bulk of his $44-billion fortune, devotes the vast majority of its funding to combating disease and poverty in developing countries. Less than 1 percent has gone to Planned Parenthood over the years.

"The merger of Gates and Buffett may spell doom for the families of the developing world," said the Rev. Thomas Euteneuer, a Roman Catholic priest who is president of Human Life International.

Referring to Josef Mengele, the infamous Nazi death camp doctor, Euteneuer said Buffett "will be known as the Dr. Mengele of philanthropy unless he repents."

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060629/ap_on_re_us/billionaires_abortion

[mconvente]

1. unfucking-believable...

Wow - the level these assholes drop to keeps heading down an endless spiral...

[Jersey Ginny]

9. I agree with your sentiments and I like your RU logo!

I'm CC '85. Went to the Insight bowl last season!

[pooja]

2. Can nobody understand that it might be better for these

children to be aborted before living and dying in deplorable conditions.. or to be raped or mutilated, starved to death, become part of a slave trade for work or sex. What don't these people understand that it might be better for these children not to be born.. when they start supporting the children and humanitarian rights for all people, then they can go on and on all day about abortion and condoms.

[xenu]

20. You are so right

However, what would be even better is if more people used birth control. Then we wouldn't have to deal with so many abortions to begin with!

[Dulcinea]

32. We have a winner! ding*ding*

Smaller families in developing countries means a better quality of life for those societies as a whole. Why do the fundies hate these people?

[keroro gunsou]

39. because

*hushed whisper of sarcasm* they're brown people

that why they don't care.

that and they are pissed off they aren't getting to feed at the trough.

one of my friends from high works at Microsoft and has actually met Bill Gates, and yes, he is a geek, but he's a geek with his heart in the right place. bravo to him for his good works...

now about those operating systems and spyware issues i've got...

[Marnieworld]

36. I love your username

:hi:

[OregonBlue]

41. All of the earth's major problems are due to overpopulation.

Not enough oil, food, clean water, etc. When will these people wake up and realize that we are litterally killing the planet? They are so wrong, so stupid, so immoral!!

[depakid]

3. These people never cease to amaze me

Their views are beyond ignorant- they border on the suicidal.

[KAZ]

10. Suicidal? I pray for that every night...

Different species, in my book. I am sick of them.

[IndianaGreen]

4. Fr. Euteneuer, the world's greatest drama queen!

and my nominee for Keith Olbermann's worst person in the world!

[DesEtoiles]

5. Dear "Rev" Euteneuer, you are FULL OF SHIT. Shut up, psycho.

[Bill McBlueState]

6. yet again,

the secular world needs to help a priest understand basic issues of morality and social justice.

[pinto]

7. Eh...The Gates Foundation's endowment is the big wheel here.

The billions of dollars involved will drive progress in world health care. With all due respect to the Reverend, his spin is nothing more than a sidebar.

(ed for clarity)

[Erika]

8. Buffet/Gates are working to end poverty and disease

in third world countries. One way is to introduce birth control and rape drugs and make them accessible.

This is an honorable goal and only the twisted minds of bigots would see anything else.

[xenu]

21. Poor people don't use enough birth control

Or rape drugs, for that matter!

[Hekate]

30. They do when it is available, affordable, & given with factual information

~ When "abstinence only" is taught
~ when people are told that condoms don't work anyhow
~ when people are hammered with "morality" talk instead of facts
~ when women are disempowered and disrespected, yet told it is ALL their responsibility to not get pregnant or get AIDS
~ when pharmacists can refuse to fill prescriptions
~ when people are told that birth control pills, IUDs, and Plan B (the Morning After pill) are exactly the same as an abortion
~ when the doctor is expensive, and the prescriptions are too

Well, then, goddam right "the poor" don't use enough birth control! To quote an adage over a century old: "The rich get richer and the poor get children." Wonder why that is?

Who does it serve to keep conditions like this?

Planned Parenthood, and now Gates and Buffet, are doing the Goddess's work if they help the powerless to become empowered, and the most powerless people on the planet are women with no education, no money, and no social or legal standing to control their own bodies.

Hekate

[DuaneBidoux]

58. By rape drug you mean morning after pill? Good way to "frame" it!

Also i suppose ru-486

[drhilarius]

11. A cathoklic priest? Go figure...

always need more poor and ignorant pew fodder.

[Jersey Ginny]

12. Somehow I don't think Buffett and Gates really care

They've dealt with more heat than this. While I am always leary of big business when I heard that Buffett said that money obtained from society should be given back to society, I felt pretty good about this massive "new" foundation.

[spooky3]

34. I'd go a step farther--this isn't "heat" to them. Why would the super-

wealthy who are giving THEIR OWN MONEY and time to support causes they believe in, care ONE IOTA about what anyone else (particularly a nut job) thinks?

They are not elected officials. It is their own money. They have no responsibility to please these wingnuts.

[ninkasi]

13. Aside from the fact

that birth control would prevent abortions, their pro-life feelings end the moment the baby leaves the birth canal. After that, forget about any concerns about food, medicine, clothing, clean water, and adequate housing. Once the babies are born, they are on their own. These people trigger my gag reflex.

[TheFarseer]

19. To people this crazy

condoms, birth control pills and even the rhythm method (I'm not kidding) is a SIN and God will smite you just as surely as if you had an abortion. Ending abortion is only the first step for these psychopaths.

[54anickel]

14. I've heard the old "See, Gates IS the anti-christ" BS going around

because of this. Then there are others who say this alliance is like Pinky and the Brain - somehow they're plotting to take over the world. :eyes:

I can't believe they still get the label "pro-life".

[Mind_your_head]

27. Yes, they are....and I think you know it!

somehow they're plotting to take over the world.

[Lorien]

15. It's time for humanity to wake up to the realities of overpopulation

Overpopulation not only spells doom for families in the developing world, it spells doom for all life on earth. The planet can comfortably sustain 2 billion people, but 6.5 of us are here now. In twenty years there will be 13 billion souls. 26 billion in thirty years. If the thought of that doesn't terrify you, I don't know what can. The RW "solution" seems to be war, lack of health care and an overabundance of food which can cause disease (High fructose corn syrup, for instance). Empowering women world wide, educating all peoples and allowing everyone access to birth control would be far more effective in the long run....but avoiding suffering IS NOT part of the Right Wing agenda.

[Jo March]

57. but but but - John Stossel says that overpopulation is a myth!

It's not real. It's just something that the looney left made up! Surely overpopulation doesn't exist!!!

:sarcasm:

[Tellurian]

16. Euteneuer should do something about the "quality" of life extolled

by the Church to the thousands of children his brothers have abused.

Never mind criticizing humanitarian efforts spearheaded by private citizens using their own money for the good and welfare helping other human beings out of poverty.

[TheFarseer]

17. That's an unfair comparison

Comparing people willing to devote their lives and fortunes to combating disease and poverty to Nazis who did sick demented experiments on innocent people. I'm willing to go on record and say that.

[xenu]

18. This is an Associated Press story

It should be attributed as such.

Just a small quibble.

[Erika]

24. What is wrong with AP?

The only ones I've ever heard criticize are ultra right wingers?

Do you know of a problem with AP?

Thanks.

[skids]

56. AP is a lackey just like the rest.

For a more recent example:

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2006/6/25/1275/80239

However I think that the complaint was just that we should attribute news articles, not necessarily a slam on the AP.

[GOPNotForMe]

22. These people should just down themselves.

They are making me increasingly hostile toward religion. How morally bankrupt can they be? Jesus, I hope they drown themselves.

[Gregorian]

23. And yet they love Bush.

I guess they can't see the forest for the trees.

How can anyone be so fucking stupid that they could waste their energy on something so obscure, and benevolent for that matter, and yet miss the very murderous fascists that are destroying the world around them? It's a sickness. There is no other explanation. Well, they could just be very stupid.

[Miss Chybil]

25. Yes and America's tolerance of gays is why soldiers are dying in Iraq.

I'm very agnostic, but these types push me more towards atheism every day. I cannot believe any god would let ignorant, selfish, maniacal, self-centered, egotistical, tyrannical, boorish, hate-filled, non-thinking people like this walk the earth. And, that such a god would put one of these types of people in charge of our country, makes me further believe their "religion" is all bullshit.

AUGGGGGHHHH!!!!

Anything for publicity.

[Earth_First]

26. Personally, I'm surprised it took this long for some sort of opposition...

from the fundamentalist faction to speak up about this...

[tblue37]

28. These are the same sort of people who are against the HPV

vaccine that can prevent cervical cancer. They are so friggin' predictable.

[rpannier]

29. My question to euteneuer...

He'll be known as "the Dr. Mengele of philanthropy" to whom? To you????? To your pathetic, small minded little group? 100 years from now when people talk of the good philanthropists do, your name and you cause will be conspicuous by its absence.

[Canuckistanian]

31. The Reverend Eukanuba should get a life

Put down that copy of "The Turner Diaries" and re-read the Beatitudes.

[AX10]

33. Again, why I left the Catholic "Church".

:eyes:

[Tesha]

35. How tragic for the "pro-lifers". And not a damned thing they can do. (NT)

[JerseygirlCT]

37. Yes. Better to prevent women from controlling their own bodies than

to save millions of lives.

Oh I totally see where they're coming from.

/sarcasm.

[The Stranger]

38. Euteneuer is defaming people -- how so very typical of them.

Yet they tell us how wonderful and loving they are as "Christians."

It is a mindfuck.

[anotherdrew]

40. who cares what these dickheads think? stop giving them free publicity

as for buffet and gates, they can kiss my ass too.

[Vidar]

42. They're not pro-life; they're anti-choice. Sick of accepting their

milabelling.

[mom cat]

43. Actually, attitudes like the one expressed in the OP will have the

Roman Catholic Church accused of mindlessly forcing overpopulation, causing famine, starvatipn, privation, developmental stunting, disease and lives filled with undue hardship and misery.I doubt that Jesus wanted his followers' children, or any other children, coming garbage dumps for food or dying because of insane theological positions that defy all reality.

[MissMillie]

44. Do these people even THINK?

"The merger of Gates and Buffett may spell doom for the families of the developing world," said the Rev. Thomas Euteneuer, a Roman Catholic priest who is president of Human Life International.

Yeah, because what the poor, underfed, homeless families in Africa really need are lots and lots of babies.

[Sgent]

45. Buffett's Wife's foundation is much worse

Its a 3.5 Billion dollar foundation (1/3 the size of the Ford Foundation) for the express purpose of population/birth control.

She was very active in this area.

[54anickel]

47. We need to abolish the "death tax"! Look, rich people with brains

are setting up charitable foundations simply to avoid paying taxes - and why just LOOK at what those foundations are up to! If you get enough of them rich "lib-rls" doing this - well, who knows what they might be able to fund! :sarcasm:

[ldf]

46. gee. you think these people fall into

the evangelical category?

you know, the ones who's asses obama, et al, thinks we need to kiss?

not to start any flame wars, just askin'.

:shrug:

"i think, therefore i need to be arrested and shot as a traitor. no conviction required."
me

[jwirr]

52. You mean evangelicals like Martin Luther King? or Julian Bond?

There are many black Christians who are evangelicals and good Democrats? When are you people going to get educated?

[zreosumgame]

48. translation:

Guve US all the money WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!

[Helga Scow Stern]

49. LOVE your sig line, deadparrot. n/t

[deadparrot]

60. Thank you!

:hi:

[jwirr]

50. Yes, because that does not fit with their strict "Dobson" father

family model of the world. According the George Lakeoff's book "Don't Think of an Elephant" their view of family values does not allow for compassion or concern for others. They see the helping of AIDS victims or providing computers to libraries or education the poor people as enabling people who should be left to learn the hard way.

When Buffett and Gates do not see it their way they are appalled because these two rich men were only blessed with money because they followed God's way. And God, in conservative opinion, blesses only those who follow the pug way.

Unlike the pugs I like to think that these two men have sometime in their life read this Bible verse: "I did not comfort you so that you might be comforted but that you might comfort others."

[WinkyDink]

51. Don't you mean "Anti-Choicers against...."?

[Lars39]

53. That is the correct framing,

but by LBN rules, the actual title of the article has to be used in the subject line.

[tinfoil tiaras]

54. The "pro-life" (or as I like to call it, anti-choice) movement

isn't about saving the fetuses. It's about control. I seriously doubt most of them give a flying fuck about some 1 week old embryo (especially if the mother isn't white). They pretend to care because they want to control what women do with their bodies, etc. They figure if a teenage girl gets pregnant and has a baby, she'll never go to college and just stay home for the rest of her life <<-what they think all women should do.

I hope y'all understand where I'm coming from.

Sorry if I sound bitter or harsh, but people like this just piss me off. Especially men (in the anti-choice movement). They'll never get pregnant so they should just shut their mouths. They think adoption is just as easy as selling puppies or kittens your pet just had. But it isn't. Because there are 500,000 children out there waiting to be adopted. Wanna know why most of those children aren't adopted? Because their older than the age of 3, not white or have some sort of disability (by the way, I applaud you if you are thinking about or have adopted a older child that isn't the same race as you or has a disability). That's just one issue with the whole "well, why don't you give it up for adoption". I've never had children (duh, because I'm 14), but judging from most parents say, you get attached to your child and it would be really hard to give him/her up.

And i think it's really sick and hypocritical that these people are so adamantly against birth control. Morons. Good birth control will prevent abortions, ANTI CHOICE assholes. I refuse to call you "pro-life" because you are the exact opposite of it. You're ANTI CHOICE, facist assholes.

[KingFlorez]

55. It's his money, you jackasses

He can do what he wants with it, so get over. Family planning will continue and you palookas can't stop it.

[OnionPatch]

59. Isn't it hilarious how they defend

the possession of private wealth and will vigorously defend a person's right to spend it as they choose......until they don't like the way someone else spends theirs.

Can you spell HYPOCRITE?

[Ian David]

61. Untold trillions of the tiny babies that live inside sperm will die...

just so those condom-using mass-murderers can avoid infecting mothers and fathers with AIDS, or avoid having more children than they can feed.

Please... someone... think about the sperm!

[keroro gunsou]

63. *cues the monty python singers*

every sperm is sacred....
every sperm is great....
if one sperm is wasted....
god gets quite irate.

[muryan]

62. I have nothing but the utmost

respect for both Buffet and Gates for their charitable contributions, the fact that people who probably haven't given a dime in their life can find a way to criticize them is just disgusting to me.

[CBHagman]

64. Preventable diseases kill thousands each day.

I've read in more than one source that 3,000 to 4,000 people die each day from preventable illness, things that could be treated by, say, addressing dehydration, or stopped altogether through access to immunizations. I forget whether that figure applies ONLY to children, or whether it's all ages.

Some months back The New York Times science section published a feature on doctors, researchers, and other pursuing what appeared to be Quixotic goals, things that were neglected and/or seemingly impossible to overcome. To the human race's everlasting shame, one such issue was preventing the deaths by common illnesses. One doctor lamented that it was the equivalent of having the death toll the September 11th attacks every single day of the year. That amounts to over a million yearly!

Part of the problem is that there are huge obstacles to achieving universal immunization, oral rehydration therapy, etc. It requires investment on many levels, plus the right strategies and effective teams of researchers, health care workers, government officials, et al.

It is not pro-life to oppose abortion and then provide no health care, fail to address maternal deaths, and basically leave people struggling to survive in what is surely one of the most pernicious forms of social Darwinism.

I bring all this up because Gates and Buffett have made preventable illnesses one of their target areas. Surely they will keep many, many more people alive than the donors who came before them, laudable though those people are.


See the links below for more thoughts on these matters.

http://archives.seattletimes.nwsource.com/cgi-bin/texis.cgi/web/vortex/display?slug=jesse27&date=20060627


http://www.thenewstribune.com/news/nationworld/story/5878228p-5211530c.html