Chris Abraham » sacrifices

Reverend Joseph Lowery Inauguration Benediction Transcript

Chris Abraham — Wed, 21 Jan 2009 20:31:28 +0000

I was amazed and impressed by Reverend Joseph Lowery’s Inauguration Benediction from yesterday, the2009 inauguration of Barack Obama, so I asked the Twitterverse for a link to a transcript of the speech and@raygunner came back with a link to the Chicago Sun-Times with the goods. Thanks, man!

Reverend Joseph Lowery Inauguration Benediction Transcript
God of our weary years, God of our silent tears, thou who has brought us thus far along the way, thou who has by thy might led us into the light, keep us forever in the path, we pray, lest our feet stray from the places, our God, where we met thee, lest our hearts, drunk with the wine of the world, we forget thee. Shadowed beneath thy hand may we forever stand — true to thee, O God, and true to our native land.
We truly give thanks for the glorious experience we’ve shared this day. We pray now, O Lord, for your blessing upon thy servant, Barack Obama, the 44th president of these United States, his family and his administration. He has come to this high office at a low moment in the national and, indeed, the global fiscal climate. But because we know you got the whole world in your hand, we pray for not only our nation, but for the community of nations. Our faith does not shrink, though pressed by the flood of mortal ills.
For we know that, Lord, you’re able and you’re willing to work through faithful leadership to restore stability, mend our brokenness, heal our wounds and deliver us from the exploitation of the poor or the least of these and from favoritism toward the rich, the elite of these.
We thank you for the empowering of thy servant, our 44th president, to inspire our nation to believe that, yes, we can work together to achieve a more perfect union. And while we have sown the seeds of greed — the wind of greed and corruption, and even as we reap the whirlwind of social and economic disruption, we seek forgiveness and we come in a spirit of unity and solidarity to commit our support to our president by our willingness to make sacrifices, to respect your creation, to turn to each other and not on each other.
And now, Lord, in the complex arena of human relations, help us to make choices on the side of love, not hate; on the side of inclusion, not exclusion; tolerance, not intolerance.
And as we leave this mountaintop, help us to hold on to the spirit of fellowship and the oneness of our family. Let us take that power back to our homes, our workplaces, our churches, our temples, our mosques, or wherever we seek your will.
Bless President Barack, First Lady Michelle. Look over our little, angelic Sasha and Malia.
We go now to walk together, children, pledging that we won’t get weary in the difficult days ahead. We know you will not leave us alone, with your hands of power and your heart of love.
Help us then, now, Lord, to work for that day when nation shall not lift up sword against nation, when tanks will be beaten into tractors, when every man and every woman shall sit under his or her own vine and fig tree, and none shall be afraid; when justice will roll down like waters and righteousness as a mighty stream.
Lord, in the memory of all the saints who from their labors rest, and in the joy of a new beginning, we ask you to help us work for that day when black will not be asked to get back, when brown can stick around — (laughter) — when yellow will be mellow — (laughter) — when the red man can get ahead, man — (laughter) — and when white will embrace what is right.
Let all those who do justice and love mercy say amen.
AUDIENCE: Amen!
REV. LOWERY: Say amen –
AUDIENCE: Amen!
REV. LOWERY: — and amen.
AUDIENCE: Amen! (Cheers, applause.)
END.

Full text of President Obama’s Inauguration Speech 2009

Chris Abraham — Tue, 20 Jan 2009 17:54:50 +0000

This is the full text of President Barack Obama’s 2009 inauguration speech, courtesy of NowPublic, KansasCity.com, thanks to a link from @Aisle7

Full text of President Obama’s Inauguration Speech 2009
My fellow citizens:
I stand here today humbled by the task before us, grateful for the trust you have bestowed, mindful of the sacrifices borne by our ancestors. I thank President Bush for his service to our nation, as well as the generosity and cooperation he has shown throughout this transition.
Forty-four Americans have now taken the presidential oath. The words have been spoken during rising tides of prosperity and the still waters of peace. Yet, every so often the oath is taken amidst gathering clouds and raging storms. At these moments, America has carried on not simply because of the skill or vision of those in high office, but because We the People have remained faithful to the ideals of our forbearers, and true to our founding documents.
So it has been. So it must be with this generation of Americans.
That we are in the midst of crisis is now well understood. Our nation is at war, against a far-reaching network of violence and hatred. Our economy is badly weakened, a consequence of greed and irresponsibility on the part of some, but also our collective failure to make hard choices and prepare the nation for a new age. Homes have been lost; jobs shed; businesses shuttered. Our health care is too costly; our schools fail too many; and each day brings further evidence that the ways we use energy strengthen our adversaries and threaten our planet.
These are the indicators of crisis, subject to data and statistics. Less measurable but no less profound is a sapping of confidence across our land – a nagging fear that America’s decline is inevitable, and that the next generation must lower its sights.
Today I say to you that the challenges we face are real. They are serious and they are many. They will not be met easily or in a short span of time. But know this, America – they will be met.
On this day, we gather because we have chosen hope over fear, unity of purpose over conflict and discord.
On this day, we come to proclaim an end to the petty grievances and false promises, the recriminations and worn out dogmas, that for far too long have strangled our politics.
We remain a young nation, but in the words of Scripture, the time has come to set aside childish things.
The time has come to reaffirm our enduring spirit; to choose our better history; to carry forward that precious gift, that noble idea, passed on from generation to generation: the God-given promise that all are equal, all are free, and all deserve a chance to pursue their full measure of happiness.
In reaffirming the greatness of our nation, we understand that greatness is never a given. It must be earned. Our journey has never been one of short-cuts or settling for less. It has not been the path for the faint-hearted – for those who prefer leisure over work, or seek only the pleasures of riches and fame. Rather, it has been the risk-takers, the doers, the makers of things – some celebrated but more often men and women obscure in their labor, who have carried us up the long, rugged path towards prosperity and freedom.
For us, they packed up their few worldly possessions and traveled across oceans in search of a new life. For us, they toiled in sweatshops and settled the West; endured the lash of the whip and plowed the hard earth.
For us, they fought and died, in places like Concord and Gettysburg; Normandy and Khe Sahn. Time and again these men and women struggled and sacrificed and worked till their hands were raw so that we might live a better life. They saw America as bigger than the sum of our individual ambitions; greater than all the differences of birth or wealth or faction.
This is the journey we continue today. We remain the most prosperous, powerful nation on Earth. Our workers are no less productive than when this crisis began. Our minds are no less inventive, our goods and services no less needed than they were last week or last month or last year. Our capacity remains undiminished. But our time of standing pat, of protecting narrow interests and putting off unpleasant decisions – that time has surely passed. Starting today, we must pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off, and begin again the work of remaking America.
For everywhere we look, there is work to be done. The state of the economy calls for action, bold and swift, and we will act – not only to create new jobs, but to lay a new foundation for growth. We will build the roads and bridges, the electric grids and digital lines that feed our commerce and bind us together. We will restore science to its rightful place, and wield technology’s wonders to raise health care’s quality and lower its cost. We will harness the sun and the winds and the soil to fuel our cars and run our factories. And we will transform our schools and colleges and universities to meet the demands of a new age. All this we can do. And all this we will do.
Now, there are some who question the scale of our ambitions – who suggest that our system cannot tolerate too many big plans. Their memories are short. For they have forgotten what this country has already done; what free men and women can achieve when imagination is joined to common purpose, and necessity to courage.
What the cynics fail to understand is that the ground has shifted beneath them – that the stale political arguments that have consumed us for so long no longer apply. The question we ask today is not whether our government is too big or too small, but whether it works – whether it helps families find jobs at a decent wage, care they can afford, a retirement that is dignified. Where the answer is yes, we intend to move forward. Where the answer is no, programs will end. And those of us who manage the public’s dollars will be held to account – to spend wisely, reform bad habits, and do our business in the light of day – because only then can we restore the vital trust between a people and their government.
Nor is the question before us whether the market is a force for good or ill. Its power to generate wealth and expand freedom is unmatched, but this crisis has reminded us that without a watchful eye, the market can spin out of control – and that a nation cannot prosper long when it favors only the prosperous.
The success of our economy has always depended not just on the size of our Gross Domestic Product, but on the reach of our prosperity; on our ability to extend opportunity to every willing heart – not out of charity, but because it is the surest route to our common good.
As for our common defense, we reject as false the choice between our safety and our ideals. Our Founding Fathers, faced with perils we can scarcely imagine, drafted a charter to assure the rule of law and the rights of man, a charter expanded by the blood of generations. Those ideals still light the world, and we will not give them up for expedience’s sake.
And so to all other peoples and governments who are watching today, from the grandest capitals to the small village where my father was born: know that America is a friend of each nation and every man, woman, and child who seeks a future of peace and dignity, and that we are ready to lead once more. Recall that earlier generations faced down fascism and communism not just with missiles and tanks, but with sturdy alliances and enduring convictions. They understood that our power alone cannot protect us, nor does it entitle us to do as we please. Instead, they knew that our power grows through its prudent use; our security emanates from the justness of our cause, the force of our example, the tempering qualities of humility and restraint.
We are the keepers of this legacy. Guided by these principles once more, we can meet those new threats that demand even greater effort – even greater cooperation and understanding between nations. We will begin to responsibly leave Iraq to its people, and forge a hard-earned peace in Afghanistan. With old friends and former foes, we will work tirelessly to lessen the nuclear threat, and roll back the specter of a warming planet. We will not apologize for our way of life, nor will we waver in its defense, and for those who seek to advance their aims by inducing terror and slaughtering innocents, we say to you now that our spirit is stronger and cannot be broken; you cannot outlast us, and we will defeat you.
For we know that our patchwork heritage is a strength, not a weakness. We are a nation of Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus – and non-believers. We are shaped by every language and culture, drawn from every end of this Earth; and because we have tasted the bitter swill of civil war and segregation, and emerged from that dark chapter stronger and more united, we cannot help but believe that the old hatreds shall someday pass; that the lines of tribe shall soon dissolve; that as the world grows smaller, our common humanity shall reveal itself; and that America must play its role in ushering in a new era of peace.
To the Muslim world, we seek a new way forward, based on mutual interest and mutual respect. To those leaders around the globe who seek to sow conflict, or blame their society’s ills on the West – know that your people will judge you on what you can build, not what you destroy. To those who cling to power through corruption and deceit and the silencing of dissent, know that you are on the wrong side of history; but that we will extend a hand if you are willing to unclench your fist.
To the people of poor nations, we pledge to work alongside you to make your farms flourish and let clean waters flow; to nourish starved bodies and feed hungry minds. And to those nations like ours that enjoy relative plenty, we say we can no longer afford indifference to suffering outside our borders; nor can we consume the world’s resources without regard to effect. For the world has changed, and we must change with it.
As we consider the road that unfolds before us, we remember with humble gratitude those brave Americans who, at this very hour, patrol far-off deserts and distant mountains. They have something to tell us today, just as the fallen heroes who lie in Arlington whisper through the ages. We honor them not only because they are guardians of our liberty, but because they embody the spirit of service; a willingness to find meaning in something greater than themselves. And yet, at this moment – a moment that will define a generation – it is precisely this spirit that must inhabit us all.
For as much as government can do and must do, it is ultimately the faith and determination of the American people upon which this nation relies. It is the kindness to take in a stranger when the levees break, the selflessness of workers who would rather cut their hours than see a friend lose their job which sees us through our darkest hours. It is the firefighter’s courage to storm a stairway filled with smoke, but also a parent’s willingness to nurture a child, that finally decides our fate.
Our challenges may be new. The instruments with which we meet them may be new. But those values upon which our success depends – hard work and honesty, courage and fair play, tolerance and curiosity, loyalty and patriotism – these things are old. These things are true. They have been the quiet force of progress throughout our history. What is demanded then is a return to these truths. What is required of us now is a new era of responsibility – a recognition, on the part of every American, that we have duties to ourselves, our nation, and the world, duties that we do not grudgingly accept but rather seize gladly, firm in the knowledge that there is nothing so satisfying to the spirit, so defining of our character, than giving our all to a difficult task.
This is the price and the promise of citizenship.
This is the source of our confidence – the knowledge that God calls on us to shape an uncertain destiny.
This is the meaning of our liberty and our creed – why men and women and children of every race and every faith can join in celebration across this magnificent mall, and why a man whose father less than sixty years ago might not have been served at a local restaurant can now stand before you to take a most sacred oath.
So let us mark this day with remembrance, of who we are and how far we have traveled. In the year of America’s birth, in the coldest of months, a small band of patriots huddled by dying campfires on the shores of an icy river. The capital was abandoned. The enemy was advancing. The snow was stained with blood. At a moment when the outcome of our revolution was most in doubt, the father of our nation ordered these words be read to the people:
“Let it be told to the future world…that in the depth of winter, when nothing but hope and virtue could survive…that the city and the country, alarmed at one common danger, came forth to meet [it].”
America. In the face of our common dangers, in this winter of our hardship, let us remember these timeless words. With hope and virtue, let us brave once more the icy currents, and endure what storms may come. Let it be said by our children’s children that when we were tested we refused to let this journey end, that we did not turn back nor did we falter; and with eyes fixed on the horizon and God’s grace upon us, we carried forth that great gift of freedom and delivered it safely to future generations.

Thank You Operation Survivor Bloggers Encore

Chris Abraham — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 11:37:41 +0000

While I have already thanked all of the wonderful, generous bloggers who have blogged about Operation Survivor since Labor Day, there has been a countinued outpouring of support. As a result, I have added all of the new posts, banners, Twitters in addition to the initial posts — as of 25 November, this is everyone.

5 Minutes Around the World via 5 Minutes for Mom.
Banner via A Disgruntled Republican.
Survivor Corps Program-Help! via Swimming Against the Red Tide.
Survivor Corps: Founds Operation Survivor Project to Assist U.S. Military Combat Veterans in Transitioning to Civilian Life via A DC Observer.
Survivor Corps. Rise Above. Give Back via All 4 My Gals.
Banner via American and Proud.
Support ‘Survivor Corps’ this Veterans Day via American Thinker.
Support ‘Survivor Corps’ this Veterans Day via Americanthinker.
Returning Troops…a Noble Cause via Dodgeblogium.
Indigenist News Items for: 11-14-2008 via Inteligentaindigena Novajoservo.
They don’t go away when Veterans Day ends via Around the Island.
Survivor Corps via Assoluta Tranquillita.
Survivor Corps via Jake’s Life.
Banner via Bearing Drift.
Vast Write Wing via Be Logical.
Survivor Corps Operation Survivor: A Worthwhile Cause to Consider via Mount Virtus.
Someone alerted me to the good work that Survivor Corps via Big Bark.
Standing up for Max Cleland on Veteran’s Day via Big Bark.
Twittered via How to Change the World.
Do Not Abandon Our Vets via understanding the effects of unresolved abandonment issues.
Help Our Troops This Veterans Day via Locust Fork Blog.
Soldiers Angels Web Surfing via MySpace: Kathie’s Soldiers Angels Account.
Banner via Blog Mommas.
An Appeal via Don Surber’s blog.
Survivor Corps: Help a veteran break the cycle of violence via Hormone-Colored Days.
Support the Survivor Corps via Burbsblogs.
Veterans Day via Bodhi Baby.
Supporting Our Troops via Booker Rising.
Operation Survivor via Britannica.
As Per Request via Budget Nomad – US Ex – Pat on the Move.
Per a Request via Budget Nomad – US Ex – Pat on the Move.
Help veterans through Survivor Corps via South by Southwest.
Remembrance Day via Around the World in beautiful Shoes.
Veteran’s Day via Danny Fisher.
Survivor Corps via Charming Just Charming.
Veterans Day via Chip’s Quips.
Please Help Me Support Our Troops on Veteran’s Day via Chris Abraham.
I Will Not Be Broken via For the Heck of It.
Ray via Notes from the Cookie Jar.
Survivor Corps Helps Injured Vets Cope via Connecticut Bob.
Help Our Troops This Veteran’s Day via Culture11.
Supporting Our Troops: Operation Survivor via Culture Kitchen.
Supporting Our Troops: Operation Survivor via The Daily Gotham.
Donate to help our Troops via Make it Happen.
Survivor Corp-Returning Troops via What’s Delmer Look Like?.
Banner via Popcorn and Sushi.
Banner via Supercozy WorldHome.
Supporting Returning Troops via Donklephant.
Operation Survivor-Survivor Corps and TroopTube via Where the Hell Am I?.
In Their Boots via Holly’s Fight for Justice.
In Their Boots via Holly’s Fight to Stop Violence.
Banner via Gapers Block.
Banner via Gary Presley.
Operation Survivor via The Political Junkie.
Veterans Day via On the Fringe.
Survivor Corps Supports Returning Troops and Their Families via GoMekong.com.
Support Our Troops NOW via MamaBugs…Homeschooling Where the Air Force Sends Us!.
Soldiers Angels Web Surfing via Hooah Wife & Friends.
Breaking the Cycle of Violence via Another Opinion.
New Book from the founder of Survivor Corps via The IAVA Blog.
Some Odds and Ends of the Election via The Liberal Life of a Navy Wife .
cross-post via Personal Injury and Social Security Disability Blog.
Banner via Iraq The Model.
In Honor of Veterans’ Day via James Kotecki.
Survivorcorps.org via Jelly Mom.
Banner via Into the Woods, Living Deliberately.
Survivor Corps via A Leg Up.
Standing up for Max Cleland on Veteran’s Day via Informed Comment.
Helping Veterans (a day late) via Just Enjoy Him: Ramblings of a Mid-Life Mom.
Soldiers Angels Web Surfing via Mail Call! Supporting the Troops.
Survivor Corps via Kung Fu Monkey.
Banner via Kim Stagliano.
Survivor Corps via Knee Deep in the Hooah.
Banner via Kentucky Progress.
Courage via Last One Speaks.
Banner via Leucadia Blog.
Iraq snapshot (The Common Ills) via Like Maria Said Paz.
Banner via Lisa’s Cookbook.
For a Good Cause via The Local Crank.
Banner via LooneyBin4Sure.
Tis the season to help our troops via Manatee’s Military Moms.
Thoughts of a conservative mind: A worthwhile charity via A different kind of Conservative Blog.
Banner via Married to the Army.
Veterans Day via State of Ohio Blogger Alliance.
Veteran’s Day via Weapons of Mass Discussion.
Operation Survivor via Big Blueberry Eyes.
Survivor Corps offers peer support to injured vets via Media Dis&Dat.
Survivor Corps via Tanker Bothers – Soldiers in the War on Terror.
Survivor Corps via Tanker Brothers.
Miss Beths Victory Dance via Miss Beth’s Victory Dance.
Survivor Corps via Miss Cellania Blog.
side bar Banner via Mommy Bytes.
Survivor Corps. Help for Surviving Troops via Mommy Does it All.
Operation Survivor via My American-Iraq Life.
Banner via Myrtus.
Mine removal personal ambition for Missouri State instructor via News-Release.com.
Survivor Corps: Support for returning heroes via News Blaze.
Veterans Deserve Your Help via New Zeal.
Supporting Returning Troops via Northloop Neighborhood.
Read Terrance D.C. via Oh Boy it Never Ends.
Banner via only red head in taiwan.
Banner via On the Upside.
Banner via Papamoka Straight Talk.
Banner via Pardon Me For Asking.
Survivors of War via Ponderings on a Faith Journey.
posted link on blogroll via Political Grind.
Survivor Corps: Operation Survivor via Political Reps.
A Day To Honor Those Who Have Served Their Country via Political Vindication.
Banner via Praise and Coffee.
Banner via Preemptive Karma.
Survivor Corps Supports Returning Troops and their Families! via Progressive Independent.
cross post via Quick Quotes Online.
In Banner Rotation via Redline.
Veteran’s deserve not just a word, but also a hand: Operation Survivor via Rich Kirkpatrick.
Survivor Corps Supports Returning Troops and their Families! via Right Michigan.
Banner via Rightwingchamp.
Katrina Vanden Heuvel is an Idiot via Ruth’s Report.
Katrina vanden Heuvel is an idiot via Ruth’s Report.
Survivor Corps via Sanbans Lymphorama.
Helping the Walking Wounded on November 11 via Serge the concierge.
Banner via Seven Wheelchairs.
palin, survivor corps, heroes and more via Sex and Politics and Creeds and Attitudes.
Links, Awards and Other Good Blogishness via She Lives.
Peace, be still. It’s Armistice Day. via Short Woman.
Sick of It via SICKOFITRADLZ.
posted Banner and review of I will not be broken via Writing in FaithWriting in Faith: Previews and Reviews.
Banner via Socialism.
Survivor Corps – Electronic Media News Releases via Soldiers Angels Network.
Survivor Corps via Soldiers Angels New York.
Survivor Corps via Soldiers’ Angels New York.
Need a little Inspiration? via My Life As A Military Spouse.
Banner via Stepping Right Up!.
Survivor Corps via Straight, Not Narrow.
Veterans Day via The Adventures of Super Mommy & Spitup Boy.
Support ‘Survivor Corps’ this Veterans Day – American Thinker via Survivor.
Operation Survivor – excerpt from website via Arthriticyoungthing.
posted Banner via Screw Politically Correct B.S..
Banner via The Political Jungle.
Survivor Corps via Tao of Katie.
Help veterans through Survivor Corps via The Reaction.
The bridge, the sacrifice, more via The Common Ills.
Banner via The Inside Dope.
A Belated Veterans (Day) Post via The Moderate Voice.
A Belated Veterans (Day) Post via Funny Blog.
Veterans and PTSD via Where There’s a Will There’s a Way.
Tuesday, November 11. 2008. via This French Life.
we posted? via This Fucking War.
Survivor Corps Website via Untreatable Online.
cross post via News Updated Frequently.
Survivor Corps via Unveal Blues.
Banner via VDog and Little Man.
Banner via Virginia Left Wing.
cross post via Today on Vot3r.
Banner via mikesmercurialmaddness.
As Long as We’re Bailing Out CEOs… via World-O-Crap.
Wake Up Americans via Wake Up America.
Survivor Corps via Wake Up America.
Xyence via The Xyience Diet Resource.
Please Help the Veterans via Yaw and Mog.
Survivor Corps Supports Returning Troops and their Families! via Young Philly Politics.
Survivor Corps Supports Returning Vets and Their Families! via Zimbio.
Mojo Mom says thank you to military families via Mojo Mom.

I daresay we’ll be get more so there might very well be another thank you email. Again, both Abraham Harrison and Survivor Corps thank you very much for all of your continued generosity and support!

Thank You Operation Survivor Bloggers!

Chris Abraham — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 17:10:01 +0000

Veteran’s Day this year is especially poignant since it has been 5 years since the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan began. Thank you to everyone who helped Survivor Corps get the message out about Operation Survivor and all the amazing work that Survivor Corps does for vets, for returning troops, and for their families. Here’s a list of all of your fine work:

Please Help Me Support Our Troops on Veteran’s Day via Chris Abraham.
banner via On the Upside.
Veterans and PTSD via Where There’s a Will There’s a Way.
Support Our Troops NOW via MamaBugs…Homeschooling Where the Air Force Sends Us!.
Peace be still. It?s Armistice Day. via Short Woman.
Do Not Abandon Our Vets via understanding the effects of unresolved abandonment issues.
Helping the Walking Wounded on November 11 via Serge the concierge.
Support ‘Survivor Corps’ this Veterans Day via Americanthinker.
Veterans Day via Bodhi Baby.
Veterans Day via The Adventures of Super Mommy & Spitup Boy.
Operation Survivor via Britannica.
Veteran’s Day via Danny Fisher.
Donate to help our Troops via Make it Happen.
Remembrance Day via Around the World in beautiful Shoes.
Operation Survivor via Big Blueberry Eyes.
In Their Boots via Holly’s Fight for Justice.
In Their Boots via Holly’s Fight to Stop Violence.
Veterans Day via Chip’s Quips.
Help Our Troops This Veterans Day via Locust Fork Blog.
Banner via Socialism.
In Banner Rotation via Redline.
Veteran’s Day via Weapons of Mass Discussion.
Help Our Troops This Veteran’s Day via Culture11.
side bar banner via Mommy Bytes.
Veteran’s deserve not just a word but also a hand: Operation Survivor via Rich Kirkpatrick.
Survivor Corps: Help a veteran break the cycle of violence via Hormone-Colored Days.
Veterans Day via On the Fringe.
The bridge the sacrifice more via The Common Ills.
Someone alerted me to the good work that Survivor Corps via Big Bark.
Survivor Corps Supports Returning Troops and Their Families via GoMekong.com.
Support ‘Survivor Corps’ this Veterans Day – American Thinker via Survivor.
Helping Veterans (a day late) via Just Enjoy Him: Ramblings of a Mid-Life Mom.
Survivor Corps: Operation Survivor via Political Reps.
Survivor Corps Website via Untreatable Online.
Survivor Corps Operation Survivor: A Worthwhile Cause to Consider via Mount Virtus.
Veterans Day via State of Ohio Blogger Alliance.
A Day To Honor Those Who Have Served Their Country via Political Vindication.
Courage via Last One Speaks.
banner via A Disgruntled Republican.
An Appeal via Don Surber’s blog.
Mojo Mom says thank you to military families via Mojo Mom.
Survivor Corps via Miss Cellania Blog.
For a Good Cause via The Local Crank.
Operation Survivor-Survivor Corps and TroopTube via Where the Hell Am I?.
In Honor of Veterans’ Day via James Kotecki.
banner” via Into the Woods Living Deliberately.
Survivor Corps Supports Returning Vets and Their Families! via Zimbio.
Please Help the Veterans via Yaw and Mog.
posted banner and review of I will not be broken” via Writing in FaithWriting in Faith: Previews and Reviews.
banner’ via Pardon Me For Asking.
Veterans Deserve Your Help via New Zeal.
I Will Not Be Broken via For the Heck of It.
Per a Request via Budget Nomad – US Ex – Pat on the Move.
banner’ via Blog Mommas.
banner via Myrtus.
banner via Married to the Army.
Survivor Corps. Rise Above. Give Back via All 4 My Gals.
Re: Vast Write Wing – November 2008 via Be Logical.
Survivor Corps. Help for Surviving Troops via Mommy Does it All.
Survivor Corps Supports Returning Troops and their Families! via Right Michigan.
Indigenist News Items for: 11-14-2008 via Inteligentaindigena Novajoservo.
banner via Gary Presley.
banner via Seven Wheelchairs.
Operation Survivor via The Political Junkie.
Need a little Inspiration? via My Life As A Military Spouse.
Banner via Preemptive Karma.
Operation Survivor – excerpt from website via Arthriticyoungthing.
banner via Rightwingchamp.
Survivor Corp-Returning Troops via What’s Delmer Look Like?.
posted banner via Screw Politically Correct B.S..
palin survivor corps heroes and more via Sex and Politics and Creeds and Attitudes.
banner via Bearing Drift.
banner via Kentucky Progress.
Supporting Returning Troops via Donklephant.
banner via Gapers Block.
Katrina vanden Heuvel is an idiot via Ruth’s Report.
Supporting Our Troops via Book Errising.
Survivor Corps – Electronic Media News Releases via Soldiers Angels Network.
A Belated Veterans (Day) Post via The Moderate Voice.
posted link on blogroll via Political Grind.
They don’t go away when Veterans Day ends via Around the Island.
Survivor Corps offers peer support to injured vets via Media Dis&Dat.
Survivor Corps via A Leg Up.
Supporting Our Troops: Operation Survivor via The Daily Gotham.
Survivor Corps: Founds Operation Survivor Project to Assist U.S. Military Combat Veterans in Transitioning to Civilian Life via A DC Observer.
banner via Iraq The Model.
Survivor Corps Supports Returning Troops and their Families! via Young Philly Politics.
banner via The Inside Dope.
Survivors of War via Ponderings on a Faith Journey.
Survivor Corps via Charming Just Charming.
Survivor Corps via Knee Deep in the Hooah.
Tis the season to help our troops via Manatee’s Military Moms.
A Belated Veterans (Day) Post via Funny Blog.
Support ‘Survivor Corps’ this Veterans Day via American Thinker.
Supporting Returning Troops via Northloop Neighborhood.
As Per Request via Budget Nomad – US Ex – Pat on the Move.
Some Odds and Ends of the Election via The Liberal Life of a Navy Wife .
Returning Troops…A Noble Cause via Dodgeblogium.
Survivor Corps Website via Untreatable Online.
Standing up for Max Cleland on Veteran’s Day via Informed Comment.
Standing up for Max Cleland on Veteran’s Day via Big Bark.
Read Terrance D.C. via Oh Boy it Never Ends.
Katrina Vanden Heuvel is an Idiot via Ruth’s Report.
Iraq snapshot (The Common Ills) via Like Maria Said Paz.
Tuesday November 11. 2008. via This French Life.
Survivor Corps Program-Help! via Swimming Against the Red Tide.
Survivor Corps via Kung Fu Monkey.
banner via Leucadia Blog.
banner via Bearing Drift.

You have done an amazing thing for the vets and also for the mission of Survivor Corps domestically and around the world. Thank you for your posts and for your banner placement. Never hesitate to contact me personally or my team at Abraham Harrison. Also, always please feel free to contact the entire Survivor Corps team.

The American Revolution of Overcoming by Jerry White

Chris Abraham — Fri, 04 Jul 2008 02:51:00 +0000

This is an op-ed written by Jerry White, founder of Survivor Corps and author of I Will Not Be Broken: Five Steps to Overcoming a Life Crisis, on the Fourth of July, 2008:

My first wish is to see this plague of mankind, war, banished from the earth.” These are not the words of a pacifist or peacenik. General George Washington, the canny military strategist and first leader of the American army, recognized that war is a horror. While we bask in our independence today, let us also recognize the price paid by those—then and now—who fight for it. After the Revolution, 25,000 Americans lay dead. About 25,000 more were seriously wounded or disabled. That is a high price, indeed, for our freedom. Since 1776, the world has fought more than 300 wars, and nearly 40 conflicts still rage. The cost remains steep.
Today, 1.6 million Americans have served in Afghanistan and Iraq. Over 4,000 are dead. Those who return are missing limbs, are disfigured, are coping with traumatic brain injuries. Still others have less visible wounds. Over 300,000 now exhibit symptoms of post-traumatic stress and alienation here at home. They have broken marriages, unchecked anger, thoughts of suicide. Their military service may be over, but they and their families (including over two million children) remain profoundly affected. The costs related to stress and depressive disorders may reach $6 billion over the next two years, according to a recent study by Rand.
And that’s where we, as civilians, must activate. We must commit ourselves as everyday people to reach out to these wounded warriors to help them overcome. Because I am here to tell you, nobody survives trauma alone.
I have spent the past twelve years building a global network of people helping each other overcome the terrible cost of war—helping “victims” become “survivors.” In over 116,000 peer visits across the war-torn regions of the world, we have learned a few things about what separates those who lie down and embrace their suffering, and those who rise above, rebuild their lives, and rejoin their communities.
Survivors who successfully overcome traumatic injuries follow five basic steps. First, they Face Facts. These people don’t run from the truth of what’s happened to them. They don’t deny injuries, or disfigurement, or anger. They look at them, and incorporate them into their lives.
Second, they consciously Choose Life. It is crucial to remind ourselves and each other why life is worth living. Rising suicide rates must be addressed head on, because most of these individuals don’t want to die as much as they want their pain and despair to end.
Third, true survivors Reach Out. They reject isolation and divisiveness. They know that, to move out of a war victim mentality and onto the path of positive survivorship, they must drop their shell of anger and resentment.
Fourth, survivors have to Get Moving. Those traumatized by war, whatever the condition of their bodies, must get active. We all must take responsibility to do what it takes to “get in shape” for whatever the future may hold.
The fifth—and perhaps most crucial key to resilience and recovery—is to Give Back. Survivors recognize that it’s better to be a benefactor, not just a beneficiary. Everyone can have a role to play and contribute in big and small ways to our families and neighborhoods. To the veterans who served in war, I say learn to serve again. Become active members of your communities. Show your strength, creativity and work ethic to your friends and neighbors. You may look different, you may feel different, but you can still contribute.
And to the United States, as we struggle to recover from the war trauma we experience as a nation, I offer the same practical advice: Face Facts. Choose Life. Reach Out. Get Moving. Give Back. Families and citizens remain divided over whether we should have gone into Iraq in the first place. The Revolutionary War was no different—many wanted to avoid war or align with England. (Benjamin Franklin’s own son, William, the Governor of New Jersey, remained loyal to Britain throughout the war, as did nearly 20% of the colonists.) But at the end of the war, then as now, we emerge as Americans.

When we can admit our imperfections and share our strength as survivors, as Americans, we are united. Certainly, as victims of war we have pain. We know loss and sacrifice. But we are still strong. Because it is more than just pain that unites us. It is our shared hope for humanity—our ability to overcome—that binds us together.
I am convinced that within each human being lies an inextinguishable flame, an irrepressible voice whose refrain is unmistakable: I choose freedom. I will not choose to hate, to wallow in self-pity, to retaliate. I instead choose to live, to thrive. I believe that this is the American way. Some say we are becoming less resilient and more cynical as a nation. And, if we keep making excuses and pushing our responsibilities to each other away, that is the path we will be on. But, I think we are better than that. I believe strength and generosity can be found within each and every one of us.
So, let’s honor our Day of Independence by uniting in empathy and support for families struggling with fresh wounds. In our mutual survivorship, there is no “us” and “them”—no civilian versus military, democrat versus republican, victim versus survivor. We are united in our commitment to one another. Choose resilience and optimism. Choose to reach out to those who are suffering. Let our lost loved ones, and their memories, cheer us onward and upward. And as fireworks explode behind the Washington Monument this July 4^th, let it commemorate and shout out America’s characteristic optimism and can-do confidence that we can and will overcome this “plague of mankind.”

The Webb GI Bill Finally Signed Into Law

Chris Abraham — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 15:34:40 +0000

I am very pleased that Senator Jim Webb was able to get his Bill, the Webb GI Bill, signed into law because I have been ashamed of the way our government shows its appreciation to our vets of foreign wars, including the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Senator Webb is right, some of the most important minds of the greatest generation took advantage of the very generous resources offered to World War II veterans in the form of the GI Bill. So, here is the news release from the office of Senator Jim Webb (D-Va.). Thanks to my mom, another big fan of Senator Jim Webb, for sending me the below content.

WEBB GI BILL SIGNED INTO LAW
Monday, June 30, 2008
On Monday, June 30, President Bush signed into law landmark legislation introduced by Senator Jim Webb (D-Va.) to provide post-9/11 veterans with comprehensive educational benefits. Last week, the legislation was overwhelmingly passed by both the House of Representatives and Senate.
Senator Jim Webb introduced this bill eighteen months ago on his first day in office. The bipartisan measure– principally cosponsored by Sens. Chuck Hagel (R-NE), Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ), and John Warner (R-VA), has unprecedented support from all major veterans’ organizations, in addition to strong bipartisan support in Congress, with a House vote of 416 to 12, and a Senate vote of 92 to 6.
The following is a statement from Senator Webb:
“This is a great day for our veterans. This bill properly provides a modern and fair educational benefit to address the needs of those who answered the call of duty to our country–those who moved toward the sound of the guns–often at great sacrifice.
“Eighteen months ago, we began with the simple concept that those who have been serving since 9/11 should have the same opportunity for a first class educational future as those who served during World War II. Today, we have accomplished that goal.
“I would like to emphasize that this is not simply an expansion of veterans’ educational benefits. This is a new program, a deserved program. It has now been nearly seven years since 9/11 — seven years since those who have been serving in our military began earning the right for a proper wartime GI Bill.
“We have delivered this new, robust GI Bill with a great deal of collaboration and cooperation among members of the Senate, members of the House, and with the guidance and support of all of our nation’s leading veterans’ groups.
“It also gives me confidence and renewed hope that the Congress can begin working more effectively across party lines to do the work of the people.”
To read The Washington Post’s lead editorial, “What the GIs Deserve,” on Senator Webb’s efforts to pass a new GI Bill, please click here »
Please feel free to forward this newsletter to friends and family and invite them to do the same!
Jim Webb’s Website | Constituent Services | Newsroom | Photos | Contact | Subscribe | Unsubscribe

I Hope a Whale Beaches Itself On You

Chris Abraham — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 17:23:20 +0000

My friend Momotaro, the fellow who created the banner for Memes.org, was so amused by the first comment that someone posted onto my blog post, Don’t Save the Whales and Don’t Save the Rainforest Either, that he created the following anthology of really intelligent put-downs, I Hope a Whale Beaches Itself On You — it is bloody brilliant!

Here’s the content of the book — the manuscript if you will — and here’s the source:

1. jenn wrote:
  i think you are a fucked up person considering you dont care about anything but your self i hope a whale beaches it self on you
  Thursday, January 3, 2008 at 6:46 pm #
2. Saul wrote:
  One thing is true if you are an extremist you are off balance. If you are a fundamentalist in any direction you are off balance. All this needs is a holistic approach. Make money, but don’t sacrifice your children for it. Save whales but make sure to not be depressed by the fact that you might not. Fucked up is what happens when you forget what is most important to your existence and your families existence – which is in the here and now.
  Thursday, January 3, 2008 at 7:14 pm #
3. johndoe@aol.com wrote:
  blow me, bitch! you need a brain.
  Tuesday, January 15, 2008 at 4:04 am #
4. Chris wrote:
  johndoe@aol.com »
  Charming.
  Tuesday, January 15, 2008 at 5:06 am #
5. Jessie wrote:
  I just happened to come across this essay because I was looking for an animal to write about for English class. I clicked on the logo because I am absolutely terrified of whales. I think your writing is very good, and I do agree that one should not focus on one single cause, forgetting about one’s loved ones. However, there are a large host of people who manage to care very deeply about vital causes such as hunger or poverty, and still put much devotion into family and personal life. I think I am going to traverse your writings, Chris.
  Thursday, January 31, 2008 at 10:38 pm #
6. taylor wrote:
  u r sick and u should not be so cruel u selfish thing!
  Tuesday, February 5, 2008 at 10:17 am #
7. John wrote:
  Good job! A+
  Friday, February 8, 2008 at 6:19 pm #
8. noneyabuisness wrote:
  YOUR STUPID. YOU MUST BE AN ANIMAL HATER YOU FACKOO. how can you not feel bad for them? your such a…gosh
  P.S. (save the polar bears) wolfs are awesome!
  Tuesday, February 12, 2008 at 3:00 am #
9. logan wrote:
  save the d*** whales this guy dosen’t now what he is talking about the dumb A** what the H**l is your prob. beach a whale on him.
  Tuesday, February 12, 2008 at 6:57 pm #
10. logan wrote:
  jhon shut the heck up you dumb A** gosh!
  Tuesday, February 12, 2008 at 6:58 pm #
11. logan wrote:
  jessie you shut up to what is your guyzes problem save whales
  Tuesday, February 12, 2008 at 7:00 pm #
12. Jennifer wrote:
  WAT DA HELL IS UR FUKIN PROBLEM U DUMASS UR SICK AND STUPID!!! HOW DO U NOT FEEL BAD FOR THEM, U DON’T HAVE A FUKIN HEART AND AND UR SELFISH SO GO TO HELL!!! IT’S FOR PEOPLE LIKE YOU THAT WHALES ARE IN DANGER
  GO SUCK A DICK!!!!!
  Sunday, February 24, 2008 at 10:53 pm #
13. Saul wrote:
  Jennifer – you really made me laugh. You are so eloquent in your deep discussion of a relevant topic. What have you done for the whales today?
  Monday, February 25, 2008 at 8:48 am #
14. Chelsea wrote:
  I think you are the biggest low life i have ever heard of the Whales and the rainforests deserve to be saved. how dare you write that appalling colunm it’s disgusting!!!!!!! I’m 13 and i think thats saying something
  Monday, March 3, 2008 at 8:12 am #
15. Chris wrote:
  Chelsea »
  Cheslea, did you read the article?
  Monday, March 3, 2008 at 10:00 am #
16. Emiily Scott wrote:
  Hey you need to seriously sort ya self out! Why the hell don’t you care about anything but yourself! I hope you sometime need a transplant and dont get one and then ypu need someone but nooo we shouldn’t SAVE YOU!
  Wednesday, March 5, 2008 at 3:00 pm #
17. Nancy wrote:
  YOUUUUUUUUUU ARE GAYYYYYY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
  Wednesday, March 5, 2008 at 3:01 pm #
18. Abe wrote:
  BAHHHH HUMBUG!!!
  SAVE THE WHALES!
  NOT YOU!
  YA STUPID WITCH
  Wednesday, March 5, 2008 at 3:02 pm #
19. Ben wrote:
  Not that i agree with him, but he has every right to express his opinion on the subject, he does have some good points, but…
  Thursday, March 6, 2008 at 12:51 am #
20. Sydney wrote:
  KILL THE CHRIS!! KILL THE CHRIS!! cMON EVERYBODY, DONT SAVE THE CHRIS ABRAHAMS!!! considering he doesnt care about anything but himself. hes gonna ruin the world!!!!!!!!!!!!!! YOU SUCK!!!!!!!!!!!!
  Saturday, March 8, 2008 at 1:42 pm #
21. Sydney wrote:
  SCREW U TOO BEN!!
  Saturday, March 8, 2008 at 1:42 pm #
22. Chris wrote:
  Sydney, you mean “Kill the Humans,” right? I never named any particular whale, such as Shamu or Willy, right?
  Saturday, March 8, 2008 at 6:19 pm #
23. Chris wrote:
  Oh, and I should also add, “Don’t Save the Humans,” either.
  Saturday, March 8, 2008 at 6:19 pm #
24. Cecily wrote:
  I AGREE WITH JENIFER!!! WHOO-HOO! I SAY EVERTHING SHE SAYS!!!
  Saturday, March 8, 2008 at 9:00 pm #
25. sydney wrote:
  u r a total psycho!!! If u dont want to help save the wonderful, beautiful, gorgeous planet god gave u to live on, u have mental issues!! U shouldbe locked up somewhere in SOLITARY DETENTION!!!!! SAVE THE WHALES!!!!!!!! and dont listen to this stupid idiot fag chris abraham, who says “kill the children!!” u were a kid once, how would u feel if u were a kid browsing the web, and came cross a site saying ‘kill the children’?? Whats wrong with you?? ur momma musta dropped u on ur head or something when u were a kid. peace!!
  Saturday, March 8, 2008 at 9:22 pm #
26. korney wrote:
  ur a fag it is porple like u that kill the world off!! if someone to have there world stay around for awhile then that is there buisness dont tell them how to live there life so go kill ur self
  Sunday, March 9, 2008 at 12:01 am #
27. Tookie wrote:
  i think that u should have a heart for creatures lives and u should balance it out with ur family. whales and other animals have lives just like us and have families too but r being hunted and seperated from them. u can do simple things at home too u know. by the way, why did u bring this subject up anyway sam? is it something related to u?
  Sunday, March 9, 2008 at 8:40 am #
28. Tookie wrote:
  hey jerks! leave him alone! mhe can freely express himself. i dont agree with but dont put him down for his personal opion!
  Sunday, March 9, 2008 at 8:55 am #
29. Bobby wrote:
  Tookie, we are not jerks, WE are just freely expressing ourselves, and i think that when Chris was a baby his momma dropped him on his head, fed him stupid juice, and then sucked his brain out with a vaccum. TO CHRIS: YOU ARE A STUPID RETARDED A** H***!!! I hope one day, you need serious help, but the people say “No we are using that to save the whales.” Than ‘technically’ we are not sayng “KILL THE CHRIS” But we are still killing you. Go to hell. I agree with anyone who says chris is a dick.
  Sunday, March 9, 2008 at 3:59 pm #
30. Thomas wrote:
  I agree with Bobby, if he means a DIRTY dick.
  Sunday, March 9, 2008 at 5:23 pm #
31. Andrew wrote:
  You are a FART, SHIT
  Monday, March 10, 2008 at 8:21 am #
32. and wrote:
  You DA BIAN
  Monday, March 10, 2008 at 8:22 am #
33. Chris wrote:
  I call all you crazy 14-year-olds the Whale-Qaeda!
  Monday, March 10, 2008 at 12:10 pm #
34. Melissa wrote:
  okay i think there needs to be a balance. You should be able to spend the majority of your time in your life, but also take the time to help others, including the whales. Yes, the theme of saving yourself first and the world will follow suit, is a popular one, and if you think about it, it makes sense. You can do your best and until you can be your best, and that includes home life.
  so i agree with you Chris (guys don’t freak out on me), but maybe you could have said this in a less offending and extreme way.
  Save the whales, but save yourself and the people in your life too, is what i think you’re trying to say.
  okay i’m done ahha
  Wednesday, March 12, 2008 at 8:36 pm #
35. Sydney’s BFF wrote:
  Whatever Chris you’re a jerk. There’s a difference between expressing your opinion gently and then there’s just insanity. You’re nowhere in between, you’re a psycho person. In your quest to kill off the children and whales and all things beautiful just because you’re not, you have proved to everyone who visits this psycho site that you actually do care by attracting more attention to the cause. Thanks Chris, for helping save the whales, but you still belong in a strait jacket somewhere until you see a poor whale being harpooned and you’ll see what it’s really like. Until then, read all these messages people leave you and PLEASE, PLEASE reconsider you opinion. Suppose someone was looking for a house in your neighborhood and shot and killed you because they wanted your house to be yours. Well that’s what it’s like to be harpooned by some jerk-off fishermen
  SERIOUSLY DUDE TAKE SOME DEEP THINKING TIME FOR YOURSELF AND RECONSIDER. SAVE THE WHALES!!!!!!!!!!!!!
  Wednesday, March 12, 2008 at 11:55 pm #
36. Sydney’s BFF wrote:
  Oh and in my previous message I meant to say they wanted your house to be theirs.
  Wednesday, March 12, 2008 at 11:56 pm #
37. Lasse wrote:
  wow, thats what i call a discussion! @ all you radical americans talking about saving the world while driving huge ass cars to the next steak house drive-in; whales are just animals and they deserve to live and than to be eaten like any pig and cow you guys have for breakfast. enjoy everybody
  Friday, March 14, 2008 at 4:49 pm #
38. elly wrote:
  ur an ass.fuck u
  Sunday, March 16, 2008 at 9:14 pm #
39. Chris wrote:
  What does “ur” mean and what is “u?” Fuck University? What are you trying to say to me, Elly?
  Monday, March 17, 2008 at 12:04 am #
40. fsdasjkfsdfjk@hotmai wrote:
  thats rite dont save those bastards
  Monday, March 17, 2008 at 2:51 am #
41. Sydney wrote:
  “ur” is an abbreviation of youre and “u” is an abbreviation of you. idiot.
  Friday, March 21, 2008 at 5:04 pm #
42. Chris wrote:
  Duh.
  Friday, March 21, 2008 at 7:16 pm #
43. What the hell wrote:
  u sicko how could you be so fucking fucked up in the head. whales deserve a right to live, unlike you. fuck you
  Saturday, March 22, 2008 at 10:33 am #
44. Chris wrote:
  You did not read the article, did you? Can you read? I am beginning to think that we need to save the children, save the teens, and work on sub-literacy and illiteracy in the US, Australia, and other English-speaking nations that suffer under the weight of such ignorant activists.
  Saturday, March 22, 2008 at 12:31 pm #
45. Syzmatomtia wrote:
  98% of all species on earth have fallen to extinction, without the help of man. The other 2% will eventually face extinction as well. It is indeed a natural progression of any ecosystem for old species to pass away and new species to be born.
  Saturday, March 22, 2008 at 4:17 pm #
46. Ashley wrote:
  U R A ass hole 4 not saving the whales u should be more caring. U need to get a life and a personality.&&&&&&U should go and fuck yourself…………….
  ……………………
  THANK 4 NOT CARING ABOUT ANYTHING BUT YOURSELF (((((NOT))))
  Sunday, March 23, 2008 at 2:48 am #
47. J. Miller wrote:
  Request permission to use the image ‘don’t save the whales’ for a university newsletter cover with theme ‘taboo’. Please.
  Wednesday, March 26, 2008 at 4:34 am #
48. Chris wrote:
  Yes, please use it as often and as freely as you like!
  Wednesday, March 26, 2008 at 10:46 am #
49. Lila wrote:
  People’s pathedic lives are not half as important as that of the whales, rainforests, and etc. Go fuck yourself and save the fucking whales you cock sucker
  Friday, March 28, 2008 at 12:04 am #
50. Monica wrote:
  Is this a social experiment?
  Friday, March 28, 2008 at 12:16 am #
51. sarah wrote:
  Dude, love the whales and stop being a hater. How would you feel if people took you out of your home and killed you?! It wouldn’t feel good would it?
  Friday, March 28, 2008 at 5:10 pm #
52. Chris wrote:
  sarah »
  That was a very persuasive argument.
  Friday, March 28, 2008 at 5:50 pm #
53. Ashely wrote:
  WHAT THE SAM HELL R U THINKING DUMBO IF U WANNA THREAT THOSE ENDANGERED CREATURES U’LL HAVE TO GO THROUGH ME AND THE OTHER PEOPLE THAT WROTE ABOUT UR STUPID PARAGRAPH AND JUST SO U KNOW WHALES R MY FAVORITE ANIMALS SO INSTEAD OF NOT SAVING THE WHALES LET’S KICK U OFF OF EARTH AND NOT SAVE U!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!U SHOULD DO A WEBSITE CALLED http://WWW.CHECK OUT HOW STUPID I AM.COM U SHOULD REALLY DO THAT U WILL NEVER WIN
  Wednesday, April 2, 2008 at 12:08 am #
54. Chris wrote:
  Did you read the article? Do you know how to spell? Can you take your finger off the shift key, please?
  Wednesday, April 2, 2008 at 8:58 am #
55. Smilee wrote:
  rele have u got nuffin better to do wiv ur life than write horrible stuff about whales. if u hate whales so much y not keep it 2 urself?? anyways i love whales and i dont kno how any1 can want them 2 b killed … so plz stop writin horrible stuff!!!
  Monday, April 7, 2008 at 5:25 pm #
56. alley wrote:
  You are a sick person. Don’t save whales? How cruel. You should think twice.
  Sunday, April 13, 2008 at 2:15 am #
57. Aman wrote:
  Chris Abraham kill that bicth.
  Wednesday, April 16, 2008 at 3:24 pm #
58. Aman wrote:
  Theres a bicth named Chris Abraham
  He should die
  Wednesday, April 16, 2008 at 3:25 pm #
59. Aman wrote:
  Chris Abraham does not have the right to live.
  Wednesday, April 16, 2008 at 3:28 pm #
60. Chris wrote:
  Whale-Qaeda!
  Wednesday, April 16, 2008 at 4:32 pm #
61. nunyabusiness wrote:
  Chris, I understand the ability to express your feelings, but maybe you should do it in a better way. I AM A CHILD, AND WHAT YOU JUST SAID SICKENS ME!!! I also feel the need to say that whales are my favorite animals, and this is so out of line and wrong. They are part of our ecosystem and you should be ashamed of yourself. What people are doing is taking mothers away from their babies, or taking away a wife or husband. Do you have a wife? A kid? A mom? How would you feel if someone shot one of them? Not to good, huh? I think that you should really reconsider and think about how whales are one of the smartest mamals and have feelings and families too before you write such things.
  Sunday, April 20, 2008 at 3:49 pm #
62. nunyabusiness wrote:
  oh, by the way, I’m not the same “NONEYABUSINESS” as one of the earlier ones, I didn’t see that one. By the way, I also agree with sarah.
  Sunday, April 20, 2008 at 3:52 pm #
63. Chris wrote:
  What you you mean by child? 8? That is the age of a child.
  Sunday, April 20, 2008 at 10:30 pm #
64. nunyabusiness wrote:
  actually, I’m seven. so think of how smart i am— unlike you. i was looking for whales because i like them, and i found this.
  Tuesday, April 22, 2008 at 11:46 pm #
65. nunyabusiness wrote:
  oh, and you also, you must have no come back because all you said was the child thing.
  Tuesday, April 22, 2008 at 11:47 pm #
66. chris abraham wrote:
  It was not a come back. 7 is very young and you are brilliant. No, I would not want my family to be shot. And, if you’ll read the article I wrote, I never said one thing about hurting whales. I sort of said, “don’t let your family get shot before you save the whales.” My blog is too sophisticated for someone your age. I am pretty sure my site is blocked by the net nanny software your parents should be using.
  Wednesday, April 23, 2008 at 9:11 am #
67. bree wrote:
  wow ur fucked up whales are the best and its because of ass holes like you that our animals are becoming endangered and extinct
  Sunday, April 27, 2008 at 12:11 am #
68. Dannii wrote:
  You are so mean, and i hope u rot in hell bcoz u r so mean n u dont vcare about anyone but yourself bcoz ur so selfish!!!!
  Sunday, April 27, 2008 at 11:04 am #
69. Kaitlyn and McKenna wrote:
  CRAP YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
  Monday, April 28, 2008 at 8:02 pm #
70. Chris wrote:
  Crap me?
  Monday, April 28, 2008 at 9:26 pm #
71. shmo wrote:
  YES U!!!! WHAT DO U THINK!! U ARE SOOOOOO RETARDEDLY STUPID!! I WISH I COULD MEET U IN PERSON WIT SOME OF THE PEOPLE THAT HATE YOU SO WE COULD SERIOUSLY DAMAGE UR FACE!!!!!
  Thursday, May 1, 2008 at 10:23 pm #
72. SHMO wrote:
  good job nonyebussiness, i spelled that wrong. its good that young people are taking an intrest in saving our world!! keep it up!
  Thursday, May 1, 2008 at 10:25 pm #
73. shmo wrote:
  hey anyone who hates chris lets almost kill him to see howq he likes it them feed him to the whales!!!! that will show him!!!
  Thursday, May 1, 2008 at 10:30 pm #
74. Chris wrote:
  Yes. That would be fantastic, you Whale-Qaeda!
  Thursday, May 1, 2008 at 11:52 pm #
75. Chris wrote:
  Shmo, you amuse me.
  Thursday, May 1, 2008 at 11:54 pm #
76. shmo wrote:
  glad i do cause i will be writing stuff quite often. FYI!!!
  P.S. what does Whale-Qaeda mean?
  Friday, May 2, 2008 at 12:04 am #
77. shmo wrote:
  ugh.. u piss me off soooo much!!!! u arogant, retarded, stupid fool!!!!
  Friday, May 2, 2008 at 12:05 am #
78. Chris wrote:
  
  Friday, May 2, 2008 at 12:35 am #
79. wafflez wrote:
  i cant believe that u would make a website based on not saving the whales…u wanna kill whales? u might as well just fuckin kill me! better yet, kill urself! the world doesnt need bastards like u here to ruin it! ppl wanna help keep the world a better place and help the enviornment!
  Friday, May 2, 2008 at 12:44 am #
80. SHMO!!!! wrote:
  WOO HOO!!!! I LOVE U WAFFELZ! ( THATS ONLY CAUSE I KNOW U!) WE SAID! WE DONT NEED TO CHRIS, GO DIE IN A HOLE. AND I AM VERY LITERATE THANK U VERY MUCH!
  Friday, May 2, 2008 at 1:33 am #
81. SHMO wrote:
  ooops! spelling errors. it says well said.
  and we dont need u chris
  Friday, May 2, 2008 at 2:05 am #
82. Cola wrote:
  you are one fucked up person. people like you should be extinct. i’d much rather have whales, rhinos, manatees, pandas, koalas, tigers, dolphins, elephants, ect. than assholes like you!
  Friday, May 2, 2008 at 2:58 am #
83. LOEN! wrote:
  seriously.. where does all this hate cum from? answer that!! ugh u r so fukin retarded! GO TO REHAB!!!!!
  Friday, May 2, 2008 at 3:02 am #
84. I LOVE WHALES!!! wrote:
  Friday, May 2, 2008 at 3:15 am #
85. I LOVE WHALES!!! wrote:
  [IMG]http://i261.photobucket.com/albums/ii46/xoxlucylou11xox/my%20sayings/whales-1.gif[/IMG]
  Friday, May 2, 2008 at 3:18 am #
86. I LOVE WHALES!!! wrote:
  Friday, May 2, 2008 at 3:18 am #
87. SHMO!!! wrote:
  GO TO THIS AND READ IT!!!! IT TOTALLY APPLIES!!!
  Friday, May 2, 2008 at 3:19 am #
88. I LOVE WHALES!!! wrote:
  GO TO HELL!!!
  Friday, May 2, 2008 at 3:22 am #
89. I LOVE WHALES!!! wrote:
  CLICK ON MY NAME AND READ IT U BASTARD!
  Friday, May 2, 2008 at 3:22 am #
90. I LOVE WHALES!!! wrote:
  Click on this! how does that make you feel? what if you were a whale? do u want me to HARPOON u?! huh?!
  http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.all-creatures.org/anex/whales-sl-06_small.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.all-creatures.org/anex/whales.html&h=273&w=200&sz=9&hl=en&start=46&tbnid=Ea4oBdMsazeAsM:&tbnh=113&tbnw=83&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dkilling%2Bof%2Bwhales%26start%3D40%26gbv%3D2%26ndsp%3D20%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DN
  Saturday, May 3, 2008 at 1:50 am #
91. Queso wrote:
  you are a fucking dick hole and you need to go die in hell!!!!!!!! how would you feel if i came to your house and used all your fat for oil ( the world would never run out) so wat we cant save our own problems ( im 14 i dont have a family so if i want to save the world nothing is stopping me) go to HELL FAG
  Saturday, May 3, 2008 at 2:01 am #
92. SHMO!! wrote:
  WOO HOO!!!! U SAID IT QUESO! ugh!! chris u r such an asshole!! i f dont care about this planet, then y dont u die!!! cause noone would miss u and its people like u killing the world, while my frends and i are trying to save it!!
  Saturday, May 3, 2008 at 3:19 am #
93. kerryraine@yahoo.com wrote:
  you are pathetic, and i was not going to respond at all, you are one person, on this planet, you are just a protazoa, a germ, and most of all insignifficant , do you honestly thibk that what you say means anything to anyone.
  Saturday, May 3, 2008 at 10:10 am #
94. Chris wrote:
  No, Kerry, I don’t.
  Saturday, May 3, 2008 at 5:23 pm #
95. Chris wrote:
  You guys make me crazy but I just laugh. Please, read the article.
  Saturday, May 3, 2008 at 5:57 pm #
96. Phillip J Rhoades wrote:
  I LOVE WHALES!!!, those photos make me hungry. I only eat dolphin aggressive tuna.
  Queso and SHMO!!, the world doesn’t need your saving. Get over your sense of human importance. Get over the idea that extinction isn’t natural. It is natural. We are natural superpredators and it is our purpose to cause extinction. 98% of every life form that has ever been on this planet has become extinct, even before we arrived.
  yes Kerry, we are all unimportant, so is the whale in the ocean, and the sea turtle, and the great bald eagle. They are just species waiting for the natural end, and that end is extinction. It will come with or without us.
  Death is normal. Creatures attacking and eating other creatures is natural. This is life. This is nature. And as part of nature this is also what we do.
  Saturday, May 3, 2008 at 9:09 pm #
97. Queso wrote:
  we make a choice to kill or not so if i want to save the world I WILL AND I CAN so you can go fuck chris abraham! you are perfect for each other! how can whales and dolphins taste good? they are blubber…you are a disgusting pig!
  Saturday, May 3, 2008 at 10:08 pm #
98. I LOVE WHALES!!! wrote:
  are you kidding me?! THOSE PICTURES MADE ME GO FUCKING VEGETARIAN YOU FAT CANIBLE! YOU MIGHT AS WELL GO EAT YOUR DOG OR YOUR MOM! AFTER SEEING THAT MEAT IS DISGUSTING AND I REGRET EVER EATING IT! OMFG YOU MOTHER FUCKER DICK SUCKERS ARE SO GROSS!
  Saturday, May 3, 2008 at 10:12 pm #
99. SHMO!!! wrote:
  WHAT THE HELL IS UR FUCKIN PROBLEM PHILIP!!! YES EXTINCTION IS NATURAL, BUT THE REASON THAT THE WHALES ARE GOING EXCTINCT, IS BECAUSE OF FUCKIN DICK SUCKERS LIKE YOU THAT EAT THEM!! THAT IS WHAT WE ARE TRYING TO PREVENT! WITHOUT ASS HOLES LIKE YOU!, THERE WOULD BE NO PROBLEM!! YEA… U AND CHRIS SHOULD GO OUT, ITS PERFECT. UGH!!! U PEOPLE ARE SO FUCKIN SCREWED UP!! GO DIE IN A HOLE U ASS HOLES!!
  Sunday, May 4, 2008 at 1:05 am #
100. Chris wrote:
  Mark, is that you? Mark, are you SHMO? You’re SHMO, right? Come on, you can tell me. It’s so good! You almost had be fooled. Good one!
  Sunday, May 4, 2008 at 2:46 am #
101. Shmo! wrote:
  WHAT THE HELL U RETARD?!?!? MY NAME IS NOT MARK! I SWEAR TO THE WHALES THAT WE ARE TRYING TO SAVE!
  I’M NOT MARK
  Sunday, May 4, 2008 at 2:59 am #
102. Phillip J Rhoades wrote:
  We are natural too. It doesn’t matter if we’re the cause for extinction or not, because all species meet extinction at some point or another. It is normal and natural for species to become extinct.
  Also, I (like two thirds of the world) have no problem eating dog meat. A dog is just another beast and just more food for me.
  The world doesn’t need saving, because the world will continue without you, without whales, without any of what is now. All that is now will fade away. All that is now will move on into non-existence. It is normal. It is natural for what is to pass away, to give way to what comes after.
  Let me say this one more time:
  Extinction is natural.
  We are natural.
  We are a natural cause of natural extinction.
  It is okay for things to die and species to end.
  Sunday, May 4, 2008 at 7:50 am #
103. Phillip J Rhoades wrote:
  It is only the human ego that makes us believe we are the caretakers or destroyers of the world. We are not so important.
  Sunday, May 4, 2008 at 8:03 am #
104. Queso wrote:
  God made us to be the caretakes of the world he did not want us to be the destroyers of this wonderful world we have made into a a living HELL for every thing that we think is not as smart as us so yes it is up to us to save animals from dum fucking dicks like you all.Phillip, if your so hungry why i dont come HARPOON you and your family so then you all and have a nice big dinner! how would that make you feel! oh you would be ded so i guess that would not matter!!!!! and i would feel just fine!!!
  Sunday, May 4, 2008 at 2:23 pm #
105. shmo! wrote:
  Phillip, it is niot our ego that wants to save the world, we simply want to preserve it! becuase of retards like u and chris, the world and many of it animals are going to die, NOT IN A NATURAL WAY!!! THEY ARE DIYING BECAUSE OF PEOPLE LKE YOU THAT WANT TO EAT THE WHALES! WITHOUT PEOPLE LIKE YOU IN THIS WORLD… THERE WOULD BE NO PROBLEM!! get it? or is that to confuzing for your stupid little head? u r such a fuckin pig!! u need help if u want to eat ur dog. yea y dont we just cum harpoon u and chris and them feed u to the whales?? HUH??? how does that sound?
  and dont talk to us like we are five! we are very intellegent teenagers THAT ARE TRYING TO PRESERVE OUR WORLD UNLIKE DICK SUCKER LIKE U!!!
  Sunday, May 4, 2008 at 4:22 pm #
106. penny wrote:
  so u Kill the Manatees, Kill the Children, Kill the Tigers, Kill the Dolphins, Kill the Bay, Kill the World, Kill the Koala, Kill the Pandas, Kill the Rhinos, Kill the Elephant or Kill the Whales. Y???? if u kill them, then u will die too! ever thought of that smart ass? yea cause even if we loose plankton, our whole ecosystem will be screwed up!! so if u kill all those animals then u will die and go to hell! God would not want u to be in his kingdom later for u to screw that up to.
  Sunday, May 4, 2008 at 5:08 pm #
107. penny wrote:
  so u Kill the Manatees, Kill the Children, Kill the Tigers, Kill the Dolphins, Kill the Bay, Kill the World, Kill the Koala, Kill the Pandas, Kill the Rhinos, Kill the Elephant and Kill the Whales. Y???? if u kill them, then u will die too! ever thought of that smart ass? yea cause even if we loose plankton, our whole ecosystem will be screwed up!! so if u kill all those animals then u will die and go to hell! God would not want u to be in his kingdom later for u to screw that up to.
  Sunday, May 4, 2008 at 5:09 pm #
108. Phillip J Rhoades wrote:
  It does not matter if humanity becomes extinct. We are also a natural creature and that is an end we must face. So, no I don’t care if the current world passes away. There is no problem. People cause extinction, like any dominant animal in an ecosystem it will cause a hardship on the other creatures. This is normal and natural. We are natural creatures and eating and killing other creatures is natural behavior for human beings. Stasis is not natural. The world changes. Life forms and species pass away and new species are born from what is left behind. The survival of any species currently on this planet (including the human species) is not of paramount importance. The ecosystem will recover. It will change into something new, with life forms that have never existed before. Species die out and it is normal and natural. When they die out from us (a natural creature just like any other creature) it is also normal and natural. When we meet our own extinction it will be normal and natural. Life on this planet does not need us and will continue despite what we do to the current set of plants and animals on this planet. The worst we can do is end what is, but that does not end the future of life on this planet. Life has survived ice ages, meteors, volcanic ash laden skies, and more. This world will survive us. the individual species that exist now do not matter. Their fate, our fate, it is of no consequence. The world will simply change and grow, old will pass away and new will thrive. Weak will become extinct and strong will evolve. What you lack is a full vision of the world, of life, of the universe.
  Humanity is a natural creature.
  Extinction is natural.
  Extinction caused by a natural creature (such as humanity) is natural, normal, and okay.
  The extinction of the human species (or any species) is of no great importance in the world.
  The continuation of the human species (or any species) is of no great importance either.
  Sunday, May 4, 2008 at 7:25 pm #
109. shmo wrote:
  SHUT THE HELL UP!! O my god.. yes it is natural, but the way that the whales and other animals are dyeing is NOT! so shut up! idc if its natural, th whales and other marine animals cannot go extinct if we want our ecosystem to survive without major issues. stop acting like a smart ass!
  Sunday, May 4, 2008 at 7:59 pm #
110. Phillip J Rhoades wrote:
  The current ecosystem will simply be replaced by a new one. The whales may not be a part of it, we may not be a part of it. That does not matter. Change is normal. Extinction is part of that natural change. We are part of the natural order. That which we do is natural.
  The way the whales are dying is in fact natural. It is caused by the natural creature that is humanity.
  Species dying out is normal, natural, and okay. It is the way things have always been. It was this way before the human creature arrived, and will be this way long after we depart.
  The mistake in your thinking, is the idea that humanity is somehow not a natural creature. The idea that humanity is somehow outside of nature. That is simply untrue. WE are a natural product of the ecosystem. We are a natural result of what came before. What we do is part of nature.
  Sunday, May 4, 2008 at 8:19 pm #
111. shmo! wrote:
  there is no dounght in my mind that we are natural, but they way that the whales are dying IS NOT NATURAL!without us, they would be fine! how do u not c this? yes things die and new things replace them, but in this case when a certain species hat is sellfish becuase they want to eat an endangered aimals, this is not natural. WHY ARE U THE ONLY ONE THAT DOES NOT SEE THIS?
  Sunday, May 4, 2008 at 9:07 pm #
112. shmo wrote:
  How old r u any way? cause u act like u r some old smart fart! but ur not!
  Sunday, May 4, 2008 at 9:08 pm #
113. Phillip J Rhoades wrote:
  Without us they would simply die off from some other reason or creature. Species eat and decimate other species. It is in fact natural for one species to obliterate other species. Why are there so few who realize this? The reason would be the mass media propagation of the idea that ecological stasis is the norm. In fact, ecological stasis is neither normal or natural.
  Ecological change, disaster, and rebirth are normal.
  Sunday, May 4, 2008 at 9:15 pm #
114. shmo wrote:
  so u get it? that without the humans they would not by extinct right now? o finally ur stupid liitle brain takes in some sense. that i what i have been trying to say, that yes the whales would have died without us, but the fact of the matter is that they are dying right now! yes all creatures eat eachother, but the human race is way to universal and we eat creatures that we dont need to eat, and that are supposed to live longer. GET IT YET??? if not i will be back later!!
  Monday, May 5, 2008 at 2:08 am #
115. Phillip J Rhoades wrote:
  The point being, it does not matter if humans are the cause or a meteor or some other creature. Extinction is normal and natural. Human beings are a natural creature leading to the natural extinction of other creatures. We are not outside of the ecosystem. We are part of the ecosystem. Nothing that we do is unnatural. Everything that we do is a natural extension of the ecological system. If we’re causing an extinction or many extinctions that is only a normal and natural progression of life and evolution. We are not above nature, and what we do is a part of the natural cycle.
  It is completely and totally okay in the grand and massive scheme of life on this planet for creatures to become extinct. yes, it’s even okay for a natural creature, like humans, to cause the extinction of other creatures. It is the norm. It is the way it has always been. It doesn’t matter if it’s us or something else. Everything meets extinction eventually.
  Monday, May 5, 2008 at 4:14 am #
116. somebody wrote:
  This is awfull. of course we must save the whales!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
  Monday, May 5, 2008 at 6:32 am #
117. no name wrote:
  SAVE THE WHALES!!! I am with shmo we HAVE 2 HELP THEM I MEAN WITHOUT THE HUMANS WHALES WOULD BE FINE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
  Monday, May 5, 2008 at 6:35 am #
118. Will Litchfield wrote:
  Don’t save the whales?
  What the hell is wrong with you, jesus christ. If whales are the devils servants then you are the devil!
  Monday, May 5, 2008 at 3:38 pm #
119. Chris wrote:
  Will Litchfield » What does that even mean? And, please don’t call me Jesus Christ.
  Monday, May 5, 2008 at 7:44 pm #
120. Chris wrote:
  somebody » How are you saving the whales today?
  Monday, May 5, 2008 at 7:44 pm #
121. shmo! wrote:
  thank you no name! as to you phillip… i dont inderstand why you need to wirte such long blogs, its really qite annoying! we need to save the whales becuase someone said before even if we loose plankton, you know those tiny miniscule things in our ocean, we willl be in big trouble. so imagine what would happen if we lost the whales or the manatees, or penguins, polor bears, etc. get my onsomble?
  Chris will litchfield is just a name it doesnt mean anything, dont be a wise ass. and i bet “somebody” is figuring out what to do, you cant expect everyone to just start something right away!
  Monday, May 5, 2008 at 9:43 pm #
122. 36987 wrote:
  wow! that was insightful!
  Monday, May 5, 2008 at 10:32 pm #
123. shmo wrote:
  ok i think that was a waste of time and space if i do say so myself
  Tuesday, May 6, 2008 at 2:21 am #
124. Chris wrote:
  shmo! » That logic doesn’t work, Shmo. The lower the order the more important the species is: plankton and coral are essential ingredients of undersea life while whales and manatees; penguins and polar bears, higher up in the chain, are really less essential. Losing bees is a big deal, losing man isn’t. Losing algae is a big deal, losing the blue whale isn’t. That said, as we have been discussing via email, I am not a proponent of whale-killing and am in fact more of a green freak now that I have ever been. I moved to Europe, gave up a car, ride by bike, go to the green grocers and buy veggies without plastic bags and carry them home in a reusable cotton bag. When I need to go far, I choose the train, when I need to go close, I take the subway or mount my bike. My footprint is low and I am active in my community.
  What have you done for he whales or for the environment lately — besides attacking me?
  Tuesday, May 6, 2008 at 6:46 am #
125. Chris wrote:
  shmo » Well, I am some old smart fart! I am 38! 38 is old!
  Tuesday, May 6, 2008 at 6:48 am #
126. shmo wrote:
  geeezz!! what the heck! someones angry today?! thats good and i am gld that u are doing that. it doesnt madder where on the food chain the whales are. they obviously had a purpose on this earth, or they would not be here. why is that so hard for people to understand?? it doesnt madder where they are they are here and important, maybe not as important as other species, but they are still. After reading ur “posts” my friends were very alarmedd, and so we have been making flyers, that we are actually going to give out at school today! what do u think about that? huh? public awarness? we arent adults, so we cannot do as much, but we ARE DOING ALL THAT WE CAN WITH WHAT WE ARE GIVEN!!!!
  O and by the way, about my last six blogs were not directed to you, they were to Phillip! but thank you for telling me ur age, becuase i was wondering about that!
  Tuesday, May 6, 2008 at 12:47 pm #
127. Chris wrote:
  shmo » I appreciate you for engaging with me and for opening yourself up to this conversation and for calling me out on being controversial — really, the title of my article has very little to do with the whales or the rain forests, it has to do with family, but I knew that “Don’t Save the Whales” and the graphic would get a lot of attention. How old are you?
  Tuesday, May 6, 2008 at 1:53 pm #
128. shmo wrote:
  it doesnt madder what the objective is, you diplayed this on the iternet,and now you have to live with the consequences.
  I don not need to reveal my age, that is of no importance.
  Tuesday, May 6, 2008 at 5:53 pm #
129. Chris wrote:
  shmo » Well, je ne regret rien.
  Tuesday, May 6, 2008 at 10:33 pm #
130. shmo wrote:
  what the heck does that mean?
  Tuesday, May 6, 2008 at 10:40 pm #
131. Chris wrote:
  shmo » “je ne regret rien” means, “I regret nothing.” In French.
  Wednesday, May 7, 2008 at 2:31 pm #
132. shmo wrote:
  and how do u think that i would know that?
  well ok then, becuase u better be prepared for people to continue hating you for what you have said and posted, especially if the whale situation becomes worse.
  Wednesday, May 7, 2008 at 10:04 pm #
133. Chris wrote:
  shmo » Well, I do expect illiterate and ignorant people to continue to write poorly-written sub-literate comments full of swearing and very little thought, that’s for sure. It has been happening for well over 3 years.
  Thursday, May 8, 2008 at 8:16 am #
134. shmo wrote:
  i think that the people that write on here are very literate, intellegent, and that swearing is common, becuase of the posts that u have posted. just shut up… u write on here too!
  Thursday, May 8, 2008 at 1:00 pm #
135. shmo wrote:
  and there is a lot of thought that goes into writing, i should think that u know that… but maybe not!
  Thursday, May 8, 2008 at 1:00 pm #
136. Chris wrote:
  shmo » There is no literacy or intelligence. The English and grammar is appalling — including your grammar and spelling. You should be ashamed. I hope you get into college.
  Thursday, May 8, 2008 at 3:06 pm #
137. shmo wrote:
  what the heck! this is only cause it doesnt madder! if i was turning in a paper for a grade then it would be good. when people are on here we dont care if the spelling is wrong!
  I’m not ashamed! idc.
  and i will get into college. there is still thought that goes into it, whether u believe it or not!
  Thursday, May 8, 2008 at 11:39 pm #
138. kevin wrote:
  BLOW ME!!!!!!………. A BUBLE!!! I AGREE WITH EVERYTHING THAT SHMO HAS SAID! THERE IS THOUGHT THAT GOES INTO THESE (WELL NOT REALY MINE) BUT WIT EVERYONE ELSES! AND YES I AM NOT USING GOOD LANGUAGE, BECUASE I DONT CARE WHAT U THINK! U NEED TO RECONSIDER UR IDEAS AND HOW U DISPLAY THEM!
  Friday, May 9, 2008 at 3:21 am #
139. shmo wrote:
  well thank u for ur agreeing, but ur words did not really prove my point. but thats ok! thanks! i think so too!
  Friday, May 9, 2008 at 3:22 am #
140. Chris wrote:
  shmo » You undermine all of your arguments because you communicate sub-literally… it really does madder (sic) — all the time. There is never a time when it doesn’t madder (sic). The entire world will dismiss comments like these — dismissing you as poorly-versed and poorly-informed. Ignorant, really, although I know you aren’t, Shmo.
  Friday, May 9, 2008 at 7:04 am #
141. shmo wrote:
  shut up!! therea re times where u can use akranims and poor spelling ( like i just did) cause it
  Friday, May 9, 2008 at 9:43 pm #
142. shmo wrote:
  noone cares!i am not poorly literate! infact i love to write and english is one of my best subjects. i will admit that i am a bad speller, but thats ok, cause WHEN I CARE ABOUT IT… i will fix it and re-read my work, but on here, iam not going to waste my time! get it?
  Friday, May 9, 2008 at 9:46 pm #
143. shmo wrote:
  no one cares!i am not poorly literate! infact i love to write and english is one of my best subjects. i will admit that i am a bad speller, but thats ok, cause WHEN I CARE ABOUT IT… i will fix it and re-read my work, but on here, iam not going to waste my time! get it?
  Friday, May 9, 2008 at 9:46 pm #
144. lizzy wrote:
  well, i would first like to say that i have borwsed this web all over and have read every blog, so that chris could not call my uninfromed.
  Now, why would you evoke such an image on the web if ur point was totally different? i guess for attention- public awarness- but dont complain now.
  My family is complete. i have two wonderful children, i live in australia where i am a marine biologist, and my husband studies mamal existence. so why should we not save the world? even if my family was messed up, i would still save the world, becuase i care. all the “stupid wahle queadas” as u say are doing the same thing, but in smaller picture, as they cannot do as much as us adults. i do not agree that you descriminate against them, becuase they are trying to make our future bright and becuase they care. if we dont trust them… then who will? and who will fix our previous mistakes?
  as i have read these blogs, i can agree with both sides. not the family issues, but if we should get involved. as few have said, god has made us care takers of this world, but is it our job to fix it? i mean there are two sides, a) that god has everything planned out that we fix what has been odne, or b) that he has the future organized that we dont need to help. now to decide which one to go with, you need to follow what you believe, and stick with it, dont give up.
  as to the teenagers, keep up your commitment to our planet and follow you dreams, they will come true.
  Chris, i would appreciate if you would stop bashing my fututre and yours. they are literate and i see shmos point of how puncuation and speeling doesnt madder, i dont care right now either.
  Phillip~ i have to agree that you have some excelletn points! but then again i am back to my spiritual ways of believe what you believe.
  chris i must say that your arrogance is very… excentutating. it shows that you will commit to what you have started, and that is good even though you get so much grief. i do believe however that the grief you get is very apprehensive and undersatndable.
  thank you for reading my long speil, feel free to blog back to me for info and advice of how you can help.
  Saturday, May 10, 2008 at 4:02 am #
145. shmo wrote:
  wow! lizzy i am so glad that you have said that! you are seriously living my dream, i mean australia, thats my goal! well thank you, i am glad that adults see us as a bright beacon for them in the future! and that some think we contribute a lot! thank you
  Saturday, May 10, 2008 at 4:04 am #
146. Chris wrote:
  lizzy » How can you be an adult woman with children and a scientist husband and be able to write like this, “My family is complete. i have two wonderful children, i live in australia where i am a marine biologist, and my husband studies mamal (sic) existence. so why should we not save the world?” Mammal! Mammal! The job your husband does every day is studying Mammals, with two els. Besides, “excentutating” isn’t even a word, so I don’t even know what my arrogance is! Egad! The future is ruined if the entire island of Australia is subliterate, even the wives of marine biologists! Good lord! Please tell me that you’re a 14-year-old girl just pretending to be a mom and wife because otherwise you’ll make my cry.
  Saturday, May 10, 2008 at 7:28 am #
147. Chris wrote:
  shmo » What is an “akranims?”
  Saturday, May 10, 2008 at 7:29 am #
148. shmo wrote:
  see like i said, i am bad at spelling. like a.k.a. or t.t.y.l how they satnd for stuff. c’mon use some common sense and sound it out.
  Saturday, May 10, 2008 at 1:33 pm #
149. lizzy wrote:
  i hope you do cry, i am speaking like this to prove a point. i’m not going to say what it is, or you would never have to find out. we also have differnet ways of speaking, learn that you bone head!
  Saturday, May 10, 2008 at 1:36 pm #
150. cody wrote:
  yes, why try and save the world. After all it is the only planet in the solar system capable of supporting life!
  Sunday, May 11, 2008 at 12:51 am #
151. shmo wrote:
  thank you! exactly! well… actually so far! but thats still so true!
  Sunday, May 11, 2008 at 1:48 am #
152. Chris wrote:
  lizzy » There may be different ways of speaking but there is a dictionary for a reason and when speaking English, mammal is always spelled mammal and never mamal, especially when that personal supposedly has a husband who studies aquatic mammals. So, you’re just plain wrong, sub-literate, and — to be frank — either lazy or wrong.
  Sunday, May 11, 2008 at 12:59 pm #
153. Chris wrote:
  shmo » I will use common sense next time if you spend the little bit of time trying to sort out what I am trying to say, too. Meet me half-way.
  Sunday, May 11, 2008 at 12:59 pm #
154. shmo wrote:
  no! ok i am done trying to undertand what is wrong with you.
  to everyone that reads these, dont listen to chris abraham, do as much as you can to help our world and dont let anyone stear you away from what you believe.
  Sunday, May 11, 2008 at 7:14 pm #
155. Chris wrote:
  shmo » Oh, egad!
  Sunday, May 11, 2008 at 10:49 pm #
156. lizzy wrote:
  i am with shmo, there is no point in this website. afternoon chap! good bye!
  Monday, May 12, 2008 at 1:58 am #
157. Chris wrote:
  lizzy » I appreciate it. Thanks for coming.
  Tuesday, May 13, 2008 at 2:35 pm #

Save Yourself then Save the Whales

Chris Abraham — Sat, 23 Feb 2008 03:31:20 +0000

There is no cause so noble that you should sacrifice your children to its altar. Shame on you.

After 15-years in DC, I have noticed that those noble activists who are saving the world have yet to save themselves, their marriages, their families, and their children.

The children of many of the founders of these organizations are a mess, with boys and girls as scared and abandoned as the children of their more celebrated Hollywood celebrities and New York robber barons. They are cared for by nannies and oftentimes never see their parents for weeks at a time.

All because one or more of their parents are making sacrifices for a higher, nobler cause: saving the whales. Or some similar cause celebre.

The illusion of nobility associated with saving pagan babies, the rain forest, the whales, or the trees is pure distraction from the things that matter most in this life which is saving yourself, protecting and loving your children, your spouse, your parents, your family, and your community.

If you have all of your ducks in a row, if your children are happy and well-adjusted, if your health is good and you get enough sleep and exercise, if you still chase your spouse around the bed pretty regularly, and you call your mother, with energy to spare for yourself, then you have the right to save the whales.

Otherwise, you are chasing phantoms, you are wasting your time, and you had better still yourself enough to remember why you got married, why you had children, and whether the whales really matter to you any more or if you’re just used to saving the whales.

Otherwise, let the whales fend for themselves for a little while while you get yourself together.

If you disrespect your own family enough to abandon them for your noble cause then the whales are better off without you. Resign from your save the whales campaign immediately, move to New York, and settle in to a life on Wall Street.

If you’re going to be ignoble, you might as well do it for money. The entire order cetacea recognize hypocrisy when they see it and they don’t want any of your filthy lucre anyway.

Note: This article was previously named Don’t Save the Whales but the title was so polarizing that noone ever read the article so I am hoping and wondering if a new title will benefit the message of the article itself

My Selfish Attitude to Life on Whales

Chris Abraham — Sat, 18 Aug 2007 22:29:24 +0000

Check out this loving comment in response to Don’t Save the Whales,

“i’m not sure of what your point is?! whats wrong with trying to save the whales, or any animal for that matter? why are you saying that only whales shouldn’t be saved? why not all other endangered species? i think you are wrong as i know many do, but i do not see your selfish view as to be right, yes you can look after your family or whatever your trying to say, but why not doing things for other people or animals other than yourself? please enlighten me with your selfish attitude to life.”

Don’t Save the Whales

There is no cause so noble that you should sacrifice your children to its altar. Shame on you.

After 15-years in DC, I have noticed that those noble activists who are saving the world have yet to save themselves, their marriages, their families, and their children.

All because one or more of their parents are making sacrifices for a higher, nobler cause: saving the whales. Or some similar cause celebre.

Otherwise, let the whales fend for themselves for a little while while you get yourself together.

If you’re going to be ignoble, you might as well do it for money. The entire order cetacea recognize hypocrisy when they see it and they don’t want any of your filthy lucre anyway.

(Special Thanks to Paul Roberts of P.R.A.D.E. (Paul Roberts Amateur Design Enthusiast The blog for the untrained but discriminating design eye) — the Photoshop God — who hooked me up with the Don’t Save the Whales graphic)

Some great comments follow:

Comments

Understandable sentiment, and an easy crutch for our own apathy, but life is not so black and white.

To continue with a racial theme and abuse an overused metaphor, would you have had Dr. King abandon his quest for civil rights in favor of couples therapy?

Granted, whales and trees are not sentient beings like the African Americans who were fire-hosed in Selma, but it’s naieve to write off noble ambitions because one’s self is not already enlightened.

In many of the great religious traditions service is actually means to personal salvation. Through serving others, we can learn to help ourselves and our families.

It is a shame that such impulses are not instinctual (hence the reason why airlines have to remind to you put on your oxygen mask before assisting your neighbor), but we are contradictory beings.

Accept the ambiguity and respect both service to others and our quests for personal virtue. They go hand in hand.

Posted by: David Gelles | April 11, 2005 10:32 AM

There is no apathy in my life. And there are also many distractions. I have spent years dancing with dolphins and whales as a SCUBA diver and know them more than many and for this I am grateful.

What is more noble than the ambition of saving oneself?

Doctor King was a whale, if you will. He was saving himself, his family, and his community. I am surprised that you overlooked that.

So, maybe I am not so naive.

And the most valuable lessons are in fact gleaned from serving others, but try to keep it local. As in your spouse, your children, your parents, your family, your friends, your community. If you have energy left over, then spend it along the same vein.

The nature of the world is not really as it seems. Try to only serve others you can touch, see, feel, help, interact with, and live with.

Posted by: Chris Abraham | April 11, 2005 10:47 AM

Dr. King was a philanderer saint.

Beethoven was an abusive genius.

Ghandi…well, he was all good.

The point is that we can’t put our life’s work on hold to get in the zen of changing diapers.

I know you’re neither naieve nor apathetic, so don’t come off like it by saying, “saving pagan babies, the rain forest, the whales, or the trees is pure distraction from the things that matter most in this life which is saving yourself, protecting and loving your children, your spouse, your parents, your family, and your community.”

If people don’t save the trees there will be no more familes to save.

Posted by: David Gelles | April 11, 2005 10:57 AM

As for one’s life’s work, it makes more than more sense to me now that Roman Catholic priests are celibate. There are fewer distractions.

I am not saying that one should not perform one’s life’s work. But not to the harm of what really matters.

And I am not talking about one’s life’s work, nor am I talking about destiny. What I am saying is that no matter how noble one’s life’s work may seem and no matter how important one’s destiny is, it is not remotely as important as serving your spouse, your children, your family, and your community.

There is nothing as modest, as honest, as life-affirming, and life-changing as that.

There is more harm done by a man who has a destiny, a noble aim, a a life’s work than anything else.

You mentioned Dr. King, Beethoven, and Ghandi.

I will mention some other men who have had life’s work and noble aims who lost site of themselves, their children, their family, and their community:

Adolf Hitler, Joseph Stalin, Idi Amin, Hideki Tojo, Kim Il-Sung, Chiang Kai-Shek, Moammar Al Qadhafi, Pol Pot, Francisco Franco, and Mao Zedong.

All men who didn’t put their “life’s work on hold to get in the zen of changing diapers.”

To take it one step further, these men, Adolf Hitler, Joseph Stalin, Idi Amin, Hideki Tojo, Kim Il-Sung, Chiang Kai-Shek, Moammar Al Qadhafi, Pol Pot, Francisco Franco, and Mao Zedong, might have turned out differently if their mom, dad, family, and friends where better parents to them.

Posted by: Chris Abraham | April 11, 2005 11:34 AM

cop out.

Posted by: David Gelles | April 11, 2005 11:56 AM

There are many highly-gifted people in the world who have been treated like the young Gautama.

They are coddled, protected, and spoiled so that they may be allowed to focus on their destiny.

They distiny is as likely to be that of a surgeon, a scientist, a lawyer, a competitive skater, an athelete, a beauty queen, a pianist, a painter, a poet, or a priest as it is the King of the Whales.

There needs to be balance in all things. And what is the saddest part of this entire conversations is that the same man who said, “The point is that we can’t put our life’s work on hold to get in the zen of changing diapers” is also the man who spent months living in India.

I have never focused this on not saving the whales or not saving the forests but rather how much easier it is to forgive the distraction from the truth if that distraction is in fact popular or noble.

It’s neither nuclear family and Wall $treet, nor domestic abuse and whales.

There are countless great parents who are plenty involved with money, and plenty of awful parents who do invaluable work for their communities but are awful husbands and wives, who are awful parents to their children, and who are able to rationalize their entire failure because they have done some things that really don’t matter too much at the end of life really anyway.

There is another black and white annoyance: that money equals bad and activism equals good.

Sometimes entropy isn’t death. very often, it isn’t. Sometimes to struggle so hard for something that is so far removed and so not part of one’s life is like struggling in quicksand.

Not only is it a waste of energy, but the unintended consequence — sinking faster and being alienated from a helping hand — is worse than anything you could ever imagine.

Posted by: Chris Abraham | April 11, 2005 1:16 PM

there will always be that group of people bordering on lunacy who are dependent on a false sense of altruism to prop up their self-esteem, which suffers from things like failing to take care of their families or failing to succeed in relationships. it’s a shame, really.

Posted by: sam | April 12, 2005 8:30 AM

Sam, that’s the perfect way of saying it. And I can even make it more generic to better support my point, if you don’t mind, “there will always be that group of people bordering on lunacy who are dependent on a false sense of destiny to prop up their self-esteem.” The same stuff that makes the chairman of GE great and successful is the stuff that makes up the chairman of WWF as well.

My concern — and the reason I wrote the piece — is that the chairman of GE doesn’t suffer from the “noble aim” aspect, which might make the avarice and work ethic and profit motive more authentic and honest.

And is that better than a false sense of altruism?

Posted by: Chris Abraham | April 12, 2005 9:32 AM

Yes, the avarice and work ethic may be honest and authentic, but avarice is a product of disappointment toward selfless service. Avarice and profit are easy. They come naturally, but so does the violence instinct. It is the mark of a civilized human to control such instincts.

Take each point in this discussion to the extreme. If tomorrow you woke up and walked outside to a world composed of either selfless service or “avarice and work ethic and profit motive”, which would you prefer?

Posted by: Bryan | April 12, 2005 9:49 AM

Chris, Dickens had the same reservations as you about what he termed Telescopic Philanthropy. You’re not alone!

Posted by: Mike | April 12, 2005 10:38 AM

In their purest form, I would choose service. I have a dear friend who is Mormon and she told me that service is the most important thing to the LDS. But when it comes to service, nobody is a professional and the service is inclusive of the family.

I like that. That makes sense to me.

I am also not saying that there is anything wrong with an obsessive workaholic president of Save the Whales.

I mean, there needs to be sacrifice in life and pain in order to grow and evolve.

But when a child is involved — when a family is being made — then things indeed should change.

Take each point in this discussion to the extreme. If tomorrow you woke up and walked outside to a world in which you would have to choose between saving all the whales and saving one child, which would you choose?

Posted by: Chris Abraham | April 12, 2005 11:05 AM

With regards to Telescopic Philanthropy, I see the same thing with Mr. Margaret Thatcher. The thing is, with spouses, there is a certain level of conscious or unconscious choice in the matter.

With children, there is no choice in the matter. Although the subsumed spouse might become toxic and bitter — or not — at the loss of self to the shining qualities of Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, there is still no less of a choice, really, in the matter.

It boils down to, if you’re unhappy, leave.

But choosing to have children is an entirely different matter.

Having children can either be the most generous or the most selfish act in the entire world.

An additional note is that psychologically-speaking, the same people who end up in a role such as Mrs Jellyby’s or Mrs Thatcher’s tend also to have narcissistic qualities.

And narcissists are the most compelling mates and the most incapable of being partners and parents. Funny how that works.

Posted by: Chris Abraham | April 12, 2005 11:16 AM

Without reading each entry and assimilating them all to produce a cogent statement (because I’m busy at work), let me make the following observations and then close with the greatest quote ever spoken.

1) There are causes noble enough that you should sacrifice your children. Chief among them is service to your nation in a time where its existence is threatened. As Abraham Lincoln once said to women grieving the loss of their children during the civil war,

“I cannot refrain from tendering to you the thanks of the Republic they died to save. I pray that our heavenly father may assuage the anguish of your bereavements and leave you only the cherished memories of the loved and the lost and the solemn pride that must be yours to have made so costly a sacrifice upon the alter of freedom.”

2) Nobody (worth hearing) is suggesting that saving the whales is more important, or equally important, to tending to our social fabric. What they are saying, if you listen with a carefully bent ear, is that through fostering care for things other than ourselves we create a society that by virtue of its interest in things besides itself, takes good care of itself. Without a strong social network, these other less paramount causes could garner no attention.

“It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs and comes short again and again; because there is no effort without error and shortcomings; who does actually strive to do the deed; who knows the great enthusiasm, the great devotion; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat.”

Theodore Roosevelt (26th U.S. president (1901-09), 1858-1919)

Posted by: Justin | April 12, 2005 12:44 PM

could we change “whales” to “the unborn”?

Posted by: max solon | April 12, 2005 12:48 PM

I fully agree with you, but isn’t that called duty? And isn’t that the choice of the child? The child is not being sacrificed for the parent but rather the child is sacrificing his own life. That soldier is a whale. That soldier is sacrificing his life for his spouse, his children, his family, his friends, his community, and his country.

Entirely different, in my opinion, but important none-the-less.

Posted by: Chris Abraham | April 12, 2005 3:56 PM

Yea. I see the problem.

We should take control of our families and sort out all our family problems.

What about taking them to the ocean? We could all look for the whales together!

No, waste of time. What if we don’t sort out our problems when we’re there? We might all get lost in some sadly transient awe at the beauty of the whales – or probably just the idea of whales. For precious moments we’d forget the problems we went there to sort.
My family is not weak!
And who’s driving?

And if all the whales are gone anyway because of whalers, or depleted fish stocks from crazy fishing, or deafening submarine engines interfering in their songs, we’re only going to get frustrated at humanity’s impotence in the face of these vital industries.
I can do without that.
And they have no rhythm as far as I can tell.

Let’s relax with the tv newstoons and a healthy tuna salad, and save up the money from work for a good holiday one day. Disney? Hope we don’t use it all up on therapy first.
Or they grow up.

Forget the whales. You only live once.

Posted by: Hugh Whiting | April 12, 2005 9:48 PM

I think you’ve got your focus slightly wrong here, because you’re centering on “activists” when you should be thinking of all parents.

I know several handfuls of people who were scared and abandoned children, and the few who were raised by nannies were the lucky ones. Some of those abandoned children had parents at home, but they were so involved in business that they never saw their kids. It’s not about “activism,” it’s about abandoning your family for anything, and we shouldn’t confuse the two.

All the actual activists I’ve known share their activism with their families (I used to work for the Sierra Club, so I’ve known a few).

P.S., and this is a note for everybody, because this is the third time I’ve seen the error today: IT’S SPELLED “GANDHI.” G. A. N. D. H. I.

Posted by: Rika Youngblood | April 12, 2005 10:28 PM

i disagree with your assessment that the whales can fend for themselves .. they have no chance at all when their home is polluted, their food depleted, and their migration paths are congested with oil tankers .. what’s worst, we have the power to wipe out the planet (not just a single species) with just a push of the button (in 2002, we were just seven minutes away from midnight on the doomsday clock).

i have yet to run into children of the green movement who “are a mess”. on the contrary, having attended an ultra-liberal college of a progressive town [santa cruz], i have met and befriended many of these second-generation hippies who continue to uphold the various -ISMs (re: liberalism, idealism, etc) and values of their parents. what a wonderful gifts these hippies of yesteryears have given to their children.

this legacy echoes the teachings of the wisdom keepers of the mohawk nation, who teach their people to respect the land, and that “… everything they do affects the Seventh Generation and we must think of the unborn faces looking up from beneath Mother Earth”.

though my parents were not part of the green movement, i do believe in it .. and i will save the whales for the both of us.

Posted by: nam lamore | April 13, 2005 4:20 PM

Hugh, the entire time I read your comment I thought of the dolphins from Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy! — thanks for that. But I have to tell you that I don’t really give a rat’s twat what you get up to.

Posted by: Chris Abraham | April 13, 2005 8:23 PM

What absolute twaddle.

Where is your evidence to back up the existence of these orphans of ecology? Don’t you think that there are people that put work before their family in all walks of life?

You’re being deliberately provocative. Get a life. Spend some time with your own family and friends instead of wasting your time attempting to bait people on the internet for your own pathetic amusement.

Posted by: Vilnius Terence | April 14, 2005 10:59 AM

I think you are bang out of order the people that save the whales are good people and are doing good. I am sure 9 out of ten would not neglected there families because of it and the ones that do are yes in the wrong when I was a little girl saving the whales was my dream
whales are mammals just like we are they are getting killed by there own species which is not right you are saying we should be stopping the robberies and the murders but by killing the whales you are doing the same to them you are murdering them and robbing them of a family something’s need looking after and at least there are SOME descent people out there that will do it not everyone sees life in the same way you do. if you had a pet dog for example and someone was trying to kill it you would do everything you could to save it because it is part of the family some people see whales in that way. How would you feel if you were just sitting at home with your family and someone shot a harpoon at you? Well that’s what it is like for them.
just imagine(I don’t no if you have kids) that you were sitting at home with your kids and someone captured you or killed you just think about what it would do to your kids but at least they would have other family or they would have the opinion of foster care or adoption. but those poor whales probably don’t have help like that they would be all alone and maybe too young to know how to survive on their own so I think in the future instead of being lost in your own little world and think its the saving the whales that is doing it think again because they need as much help as we do. And if you are so bovered about the community I hope you are out there doing something for it. Infact why don’t you go out there and do something now instead of wasting your time writing this web site moaning about there whale savers and do something for the community yours sincerely jess

Posted by: jess | May 13, 2005 9:31 AM

this is sick we can save ourslevs we have a voice of our own but the whales dont so if they cant speak to stick up for themslves who will? because it is clear u wont. i would and that is a fact u mybe should listen because it is your people that is causing the problem with the whales.

Posted by: stephanie | May 23, 2005 4:41 AM

If the vast majority of people who aren’t inclined towards saving the whales and such, were instead spending their free time trying to truly take care of their families, spouses & communities I might see validity to your argument…as it is this post just looks like liberal-baiting to me.

Whatever. You guys are right. We suck. Money is king. Whatever.

Posted by: Cary | June 21, 2005 2:53 PM

You can always catch a liberal if you use a whale as bait!

Posted by: Chris Abraham | June 21, 2005 4:44 PM

what a stupid article.

Posted by: Urb | June 21, 2005 9:05 PM

Your argument is astonishing to me. If you can honestly re-read it two times and not see the mile-wide holes in your reasoning you might need to take some time to think things over. Really.

Suffice to say that if this is the way you feel then I’m thinking that you have some learning to do about what a relationship is, what a marriage is and what raising a child is. Let’s set your gloss on activism == children raised by nannies aside. That is a deep issue with a whole spectra of situations that you are lumping into the most negative terminus.

You don’t raise a child by commiting yourself to voluntary servitude to him or her — nor do you ‘make a family’ by staying home and staring at them 24/7. Strong people with strong convictions raise children that share these traits. Strong marriages are not made by two people who spend all their time on each other. The best thing you can do for a child is to inspire her by setting an example of what a person can do in this world.

To hold the opinions that you express within the context of your personal mores is one thing, but to insult *activism* at large and to call people who give a damn and are doing somehting about it bad parents bullshit on stilts.

Posted by: anon | June 22, 2005 12:09 PM

You have the honor of missing my point entirely. I think you might be suffering from some sort of deep-seated guilt.

Posted by: Chris Abraham | June 22, 2005 1:29 PM

we as humans have a responsibilty to care for all living creatures of this earth as they all have a right to live and we are the ones who have destroyed their homes and species. So it is a responsibility of ours to try protect those species in danger because of the selfish act of others.

Posted by: Amy | July 9, 2005 1:47 AM

you obviously is idiot, u must be someone who cares only about urself. please open u eyes and see what people like u are doing to animals. IDIOT

Posted by: lin jia yi | July 11, 2005 8:13 AM

first of all Mr.Abraham does make a point, if your life isn’t well put together you shouldn’t particate in any other extra curricular activities. However,he fails to mention other activities people particate in that aren’t for the environment,anmails/endangered species,or other worthwhile cause that never the less can disrrupt homes,childhoods,& break families such as:homeless, needy, abuse, disabiled, & feed the children. but these aren’t mentioned, why . . .?

Posted by: integra | July 11, 2005 4:14 PM

Mr.Abraham I must say you speak of neglected children,& husbands. can you prove anything you say? And if you can tell us how many people are neglected because of their parents jobs, hobbies, and everyday life who aren’t rooted in some cause and are just living in a regular town, would you? There are problems in life & marriage due to nothing but their own faults, to not think so & live in a perfect world is denial.I suggest you open your eyes.

Posted by: integra | July 11, 2005 4:35 PM

Mr.Abraham,I respect other people’s opinions.You do not.That I refuse to respect,the lives of others & how the are lived are not yours to dictate to.You probley have a nice apt. in a upscale N.Y. neighborhood. Must be nice. You’ve had everything handed to you in a silver spoon. I don’t discriminate agianst the rich even though i am not. But for the poor who live in the wild or country nature is greatly loved,respected,&cared for.

Posted by: integra | July 11, 2005 4:49 PM

Mr.Abraham, you must watch your views & how you express them because you can offend many people,I was very offended by your statements and took it personally.It hurt,and I thought of all the others you’ve hurt by this. I suggest you apologize to the envirnmental community.I don’t apphreciate your calling Dr.King a “philanderer saint” and suggest you appologize to the black community as well.One day you may wake up and see how precious our world is.

Posted by: integra | July 11, 2005 5:01 PM

Mr.Abraham, this is my last post.I know your thinking “thank god”. But in short i will speak a quote of love ,honesty,& truth. ” The wonderous world under sea & land, in the big scheme of things one life may seem insugnifficant but it’s the greatest gift we know and we cannot let this world of light, love ,and beauty perish.”

Posted by: integra | July 11, 2005 5:09 PM

Mr Abraham, YOU ARE A CRAZY, CRAZY TOOL.

Posted by: Mad Anne Bonney | July 11, 2005 10:20 PM

Mr Abraham, YOU ARE A FREAKY FREAKY FREAK.

Posted by: Mad Anne Bonney | July 11, 2005 10:21 PM

My ex long ago abandoned our son for native american/worker/prison issues. The worst part is my 18-yr-old son who was dragged to the W.T.O. when he was 13(although it makes for a good story to say he’s been teargassed)-my son only sees the hypocrisy in the hardcore activists–thinking of them as angry and sad without any stability or truth.

Posted by: christina | July 12, 2005 7:19 PM

Your thoughts are disturbing because if you cannot enjoy the utter beauty we have in our world you are really disturbed. This page is sick and unfortunatly I visited this sight BLAH….SAVE THE WHALES

Posted by: Crystal | July 12, 2005 8:22 PM

Save the Earth, KILL YER SELF!!!!

Posted by: Martin Jones | July 26, 2005 4:17 PM

love animals keep them safe. would if u were a whale oh yeah lets just 4get u. u r nothing.GOD put thing here 4 a reson life is a leason. u will get whats coming.SAVE WHALES,CARE 4 THEM.

Posted by: ryah | July 26, 2005 8:59 PM

i have only 1 thing 2 say about ur article

“THE HELL”

Posted by: emman | July 27, 2005 5:32 AM

i have only 1 thing 2 say about ur artical

“THE HELL”

Posted by: emman | July 27, 2005 9:50 AM

Sorry I don’t think like you At ALL!!!

Posted by: Bobbie | August 1, 2005 3:48 AM

You are really twisted aren’t you. so you think we should focus on other things no we shouldn’t im 13 and i am trying to save the animals from people like you. Sick people who are self centered and don’t care for others. You need to get your head out of your *** and open your eyes. You wouldn’t like for someone to kill you without question and make lipstick or shampoo out of you would you??? Animals that live in the water are being killed for your convience so you can have shampoo. i don’t think so buddy. I bet you go out there and kill them so you can be satified. Well you know what we’ll stop people like you from hurting the animals we love. Without or with out your help. So when all the animals are gone we’ll start making shampoo and lipstick out of people like you so you know what it fells like to be them. So you know how much pain people put tem through. Woould you like a harpoon explosive shot into your brain and blow up and kill you then hit you repeatedly with an axe. So you need to get your head out of your***

Posted by: Cayla Rene | January 31, 2007 12:50 PM

You are really crule huh? dude you have to save the whales. they are killing the whales just so they can make soap to rub all over your body .well i am 13 and i am trying to save the whales . so people like yuo dont get to kill them. you are really wrong and dont care one bit about the animals under the sea. well you should.whales , orcas , sharks and other mammals die just to make new and stupid improved products. you are a *** and you need to care about the animals they have dont nothing to you and you want to kill them well dont. cause me and my friends cayla will beat your ***
you need to care. well would you want to die just to make lipstick and shampoo.

write back and i will tell you more abourt the animals you need to car eabout what they do for you there are only a hundred remaining in the world .soon there will be no more and then it will make you happy huh well you need to get your head out of the gutter . when all the animals are gone what are u gonna do we are gonna blame you!!!!!!!!!

Posted by: ALexa RAe | January 31, 2007 12:50 PM

you might think that whales dont matter but your wrong. ya you need to take care of your family but we also need to save are world. all of you that sont think that the whales arent important than you SUCK.

Posted by: chalsea | February 15, 2007 6:44 PM

What are you talking about> Yes its important to have a stable life at home for your family and children, but if the enviroment itself isn’t saved by these noble people an other people around the world then that home you are trying to stabilze and love will not exists and the ones you love will suffer, because people like you thought it was unimportant to save the whales!!! So if we dont start repairing our enviroment now we will end up suffering for it later on!!! So wake up and save the Whales ASSHOLE

Posted by: Someone | February 20, 2007 8:53 PM

Dont blame the whales or conservationists for human frailities and faults.

I have a great husband and marriage, great kids with whom i spend alot of my tme, I also support Whale conservation with time and money i have availiable. Get a grip!! Its not the Whales fault thatthey are being slaughtered… It is HUMAN GREED and arrogance. It is not the whales fault the people lose sight of everything but their cause….It is HUMAN STUPIDITY and again arrogance. Dont blame the whales and their plight for human faults after all it happens with more than just save the whales.

Miri Furlong
Graphic Artist
design@ethnic-aotearoa.co.nz
www.ethnic-aotearoa.co.nz

Posted by: Miri Furlong | February 21, 2007 2:21 AM

you are so self centered!! how would you feel if some body wanted to kill you!!!! don’t even try to say you wouldn’t care!! I’m elizabeth christian and i think everyone should help save the whales!!! LOSER!! FREAK!! WEIRDO!!

Posted by: Elizabeth Christian | February 28, 2007 1:59 PM

you are the biggest idiot on the face of the earth!!! you don’t understand the value of life its self!!! tou are so retarted!!!!!!!

YOU IDIOT!!

Posted by: Elizabeth | February 28, 2007 2:02 PM

YOU ARE SO RETARDED!! hope you choke on a piece of beef jerky!!

Posted by: elizabeth | February 28, 2007 2:20 PM

your stupid!!!
dont say dont save the whales because you need to save yourself first. i love whales and im trying t save whales and im only 17 i have loving parents who are also trying to save whales and were not disfunctional or falling apart or any thing you said were just fine and to generalize that all people who try and save our planet are neglecting their families is BULL. your just pissed that you cant save the world and you probably cant fix your own family.

Posted by: Zayna | May 18, 2007 8:00 PM

You are very stupid. No more comments.

Posted by: Gabriel | May 28, 2007 9:07 AM

I may well be stupid, but I am not alone. Thanks for joining me.

Posted by: Chris Abraham | May 28, 2007 12:22 PM

SAVE THE WORLD! SAVE THE WHALES!

Posted by: Mauricio J. Solórzano | June 6, 2007 12:27 PM

God Agrees with Chris Abraham That We Should not Save the Whales (well, at least Paul does… but then, he’s a rabid homophobe and a chauvinist pig, so…)

In any case, it’s in the scriptures, so it’s right.

1 Timothy 3

This saying is trustworthy: “If anyone aspires to be a leader of his community, he desires a noble work.” Such a leader, therefore, must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, self-controlled, sensible, respectable, hospitable, an able teacher, not addicted to wine, not a bully but gentle, not quarrelsome, not greedy; one who manages his own household competently, having his children under control with all dignity. (If anyone does not know how to manage his own household, how will he take care of God’s house?) He must not be a new convert, or he might become conceited and fall into the condemnation of the Devil. Furthermore, he must have a good reputation among outsiders, so that he does not fall into disgrace and the Devil’s trap.

Posted by: Mark Harrison | August 13, 2007 7:13 AM

I am surely and indeed a Godly man. Fuck the whales.

Posted by: Chris Abraham | August 14, 2007 11:19 PM

i’m not sure of what your point is?! whats wrong with trying to save the whales, or any animal for that matter? why are you saying that only whales shouldn’t be saved? why not all other endangered species? i think you are wrong as i know many do, but i do not see your selfish view as to be right, yes you can look after your family or whatever your trying to say, but why not doing things for other people or animals other than yourself? please enlighten me with your selfish attitude to life

Posted by: Save The Whales | August 17, 2007 1:06 PM

Don’t Save the Planet

Chris Abraham — Mon, 02 Apr 2007 09:10:58 +0000

There is no cause so noble that you should sacrifice your children to its altar. Shame on you.

After 15-years in DC, I have noticed that those noble activists who are saving the world have yet to save themselves, their marriages, their families, and their children.

All because one or more of their parents are making sacrifices for a higher, nobler cause: saving the planet. Or some similar cause célèbre.

The illusion of nobility associated with saving pagan babies, the rain forest, the planet, or the trees is pure distraction from the things that matter most in this life which is saving yourself, protecting and loving your children, your spouse, your parents, your family, and your community.

If you have all of your ducks in a row, if your children are happy and well-adjusted, if your health is good and you get enough sleep and exercise, if you still chase your spouse around the bed pretty regularly, and you call your mother, with energy to spare for yourself, then you have the right to save the planet.

Otherwise, you are chasing phantoms, you are wasting your time, and you had better still yourself enough to remember why you got married, why you had children, and whether the planet really matters to you any more or if you’re just used to saving the planet.

Otherwise, let the planet fend for itself for a little while while you get yourself together.

If you disrespect your own family enough to abandon them for your noble cause then the planet is better off without you. Resign from your save the planet campaign immediately, move to New York, and settle in to a life on Wall Street.

If you’re going to be ignoble, you might as well do it for money. TMother earth recognizes hypocrisy when she sees it and she doesn’t want any of your filthy lucre anyway.

(via Don’t Save the Whales with a little search-and-replace for this new cause célèbre)