They were all recipients of a special honor in April—the Rock for Life Ventura County “You Can’t Be Christian and Pro-Abortion,” award presented by 60 local youths who waved signs and cheered as Kennedy, Reagan, Schwarzenegger and their well-armed escorts drove past while we picketed because they claim to be Christian but, in fact, they support the killing of unborn children.
One month earlier, while perusing the web, I had discovered that Sen. Ted Kennedy was going to be an honored guest at the Reagan Presidential Library, giving a speech on the Iraq war. “Hmm,” I thought, “but the Reagan Library is a monument to President Ronald Reagan’s philosophy. He said, ‘I know in my heart that man is good, that what is right will always eventually triumph and there is purpose and worth to each and every life.’ And Sen. Kennedy is going to lay a wreath at the grave of the man who stated that?”
Knowing that we could not let a choice opportunity like this pass, I contacted our entire list of Rock for Life Ventura County supporters and invited them for an afternoon of protest, California style. We gathered signs from American Life League, balloons for a festive touch and all the on-fire youths we could find.
The unusual suspects
However, our gentle and Christlike approach to speaking truth attracted the attention of the FBI and the local sheriff’s department. Therefore, the night before our demonstration, I was visited at home by a detective who wanted to know my intentions for the rally. But last time I had checked, the First Amendment was still in the Constitution.
The detective found internet blogging that disturbed the Secret Service, whose agents were going to be there with Nancy Reagan. He had the Rock for Life Ventura County chapter’s MySpace page in hand, as well as a local newspaper article that identified me as an “anti-abortion spokeswoman,” even though I had never spoken to the reporter.
After the detective discovered that I, the Rock for Life Ventura County chair, was a 16 year old who merely wanted to stand and assert Christian doctrine about life—after he found that our group was not responsible for the internet postings—he congratulated us and indicated he would be there and would protect us from any extreme people. So, what began as a disconcerting experience ended up as a good encounter.
A righteous ruckus
The day of the rally, we stood on the sidewalks in front of the Reagan Library entrance—the same entrance where thousands had laid wreaths following President Reagan’s death. Of the 60 pro-lifers in attendance, the majority were teenagers.
We held signs that proclaimed: “You Can’t Be Catholic and Pro-Abortion,” “Honk for Life,” and “Ted Kennedy, Are You Catholic or Pro-Abortion?”
One of the best parts of our rally was the students who went to the crosswalk. Each time the traffic light changed, they formed a human chain of signs and one of the groups counted down how long the others had to be in the street. It was a powerful visual sign for the busy intersection. The atmosphere, while remembering why we were there, really showed the new face of the pro-life movement— Christian joy, love for all, but speaking the truth loudly, boldly and with charity.
When Nancy Reagan, Gov. Schwarzenegger and Sen. Kennedy entered the library, we were not bothered by the police or the Secret Service.
Amazingly, there was very little negative response.
The positive response from passing cars was overwhelming; the honks continued as long as we stood there and they were loud for our cause. We hoped that the ruckus distracted people from Sen. Kennedy’s talk. It was also encouraging that a good portion of those attending the talk had honked and given us thumbs up.
A few reporters interviewed us at the event and took pictures for local newspapers and web sites. We have gotten local coverage at various protests, but by and large, it has been biased against us.
The much-quoted Edmund Burke phrase, “All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing,” certainly applied to that day. Many tried to discourage us from this rally, as they felt that it would be ineffectual or too confrontational. I’m glad we did not listen to those voices— I’m happy we could be a voice for the voiceless.
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