Wednesday, June 17, 2009

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Cristina Page: Higher Ground Top
The murder, just over two weeks ago, of abortion provider Dr. George Tiller has deeply wounded and enraged the pro-choice community while also, some would argue, providing it with further reason to mistrust anti-abortion activists. Perhaps a different kind of wound has been inflicted on the anti-abortion side, and in particular on those moderates who dislike abortion, but don't tolerate violence, which includes most of the pro-life movement and public. Now they are sometimes treated as if they, too, are extremists. And so, in the aftermath of this senseless attack we risk losing something else dear, the momentum of the growing common ground movement; the search for a different, more constructive way forward in the abortion debate. Shortly before Dr. Tiller's murder, President Obama had just begun to usher this movement through the White House doors. His appointees had started calling together leaders from both sides to sit at the same table. His argument has been that the two sides can disagree sharply on a fundamental issue and yet still find areas of agreement on which they can work together. The brutal murder of Dr. Tiller threatens to poison the nascent dialogue Obama initiated . More pervasively, it threatens to make cynicism about another's motives acceptable even rational. After such a heinous act it is easy to grow remote, to give up on efforts of understanding, to believe the worst of one another. The violence perpetrated against Dr. Tiller is an attack on common ground, too, whether intended or not. But, especially in the aftermath of the murder, a common ground movement must persist, and grow stronger. If not, we surrender reasoned and civil debate at gunpoint. If we retreat to our respective corners, we cede control of the dialogue to extremists, and with it any hope for a better and a different, more constructive way of reconciling, and living with differences. Obama is the first President to actually take steps to bring some diplomacy to this national conflict and invite us, together, to dream up a better process. We must take up the invitation. We need common ground more than ever. Improving the national dialogue is one way to prevent future acts of violence. The majority of Americans long for some progress on this most intransigent of issues. A recent Pew Research Center poll found two out of three want both sides of the abortion conflict to explore areas of common ground. And while a majority of Americans are unified behind the idea of common ground, many activists on both ends of this issue are justifiably critical and suspicious of it; suspecting these are code words for concession and compromise on deeply held and long-fought-for convictions. So it's important to be clear. Common ground isn't a panacea, and isn't supposed to be. Signing on to this experiment, and it is an experiment, doesn't mean we will stop working to protect legal abortion or overturn it, depending on where we stand. And yet, even if we will not resolve our fundamental disagreement, we should agree on ways to prevent unintended pregnancy and help reduce the need for women and girls to have to make the, often difficult, decisions that accompany it. In doing so, we are not searching for compromise. It's not an attempt to find the lowest common denominator. But as the organization The Search for Common Ground writes, an effort to locate a " 'highest common denominator.' Not having two sides meet in the middle, but having them identify something together that they can aspire to and are willing to work towards." Already there are some leaders on either side of this issue gathered together around the table and committed to finding areas of agreement. RHRealityCheck , the leading online source of news, commentary and community for reproductive health and rights, this week launched OnCommonGround , an online forum for those interested in exploring common ground. I am moderating that online discussion, selecting posts that I believe will help move the dialogue forward. This is an experiment that we know may not work. But, as President Obama advised, the only way it can is if we come to the conversation with "open hearts, open minds, fair-minded words." This will seem a too-lofty aspiration to some. And I've been told that. But I think of the last time I saw Dr. Tiller, just a few weeks before his murder, at the National Abortion Federation conference. He and about 120 providers and clinic staff came to a panel I helped organize on making adoption a more accessible choice for women confronting unintended pregnancy. Our session was wrapping up when Dr. Tiller rose and addressed the audience of abortion providers, saying "If you have not helped a woman place a baby for adoption, I encourage you to. It's the most powerful thing. It's just the most powerful thing. It's the most powerful thing." He went on to explain that several times he had patients who were too far along in their pregnancy to terminate but were unable to parent. He and his family took them in, provided them a home until the time of delivery. He said that helping these women come to terms with placing a child for adoption, then delivering their babies and helping them through to placement were some of the most emotional and, clearly, among the satisfying, experiences he had as a provider. He will always be identified with the abortion services he provided. To me, it seemed that Dr. Tiller was urging people to expand their own experiences and their own perspectives of the pro-choice movement. After hearing his impassioned speech about adoption, I wondered if reasonable pro-lifers and Dr. Tiller would have discovered some rich areas of common ground. The best answer to extremism and hateful murder of Dr. Tiller is for reasonable people on both sides to build a national conversation focused on progress, a national dialogue on common ground . If we each bring even a sliver of the passion to the search for common ground that we have dedicated to our causes, we can be hopeful about the possibilities.
 
Huff TV: Arianna Discusses Events In Iran, Obama's Agenda On Larry King Live (VIDEO) Top
Arianna appeared on Larry King Live tonight to discuss the events in Iran and whether or not Obama is being bold enough in pressing his agenda through Congress. Watch it below. Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 More on CNN
 
Iris Erlingsdottir: Iceland Independence Day: We Worship Our God (Mammon) And Die Top
Iceland's national anthem is pretty much unsingable, just like the American one, as Michael Kinsley recently pointed out in the Washington Post . Unless you have had a few years worth of voice lessons, it really is impossible to sing, not even after alcoholic fortification. The Icelandic anthem, "Ó Guð vors land" (Our Country's God), is actually a hymn (Iceland has a state church) and requires a vocal range of a minor fourteenth. Many Icelanders want to change the anthem to this song , "Ísland er land þitt," (Iceland is your land, sung here by studmeister Egill Ólafsson), a beautiful and popular song and much easier to sing. The choral version of the anthem is hauntingly beautiful though, and never fails to make me cry, but usually in a good way, as I listen to it at Christmas or New Years. Today however, on Iceland's Independence Day, the anthem has been a real tear jerker for me, evoking in me a sadness and heartache that my brain usually reserves for funerals. As my father drove me to the international airport in Keflavik last week, the rugged coast stretching out before me out the car window, I felt much the same way. Iceland is such a beautiful country, and I've always been proud when foreigners tell me how much they admire its magnificent nature, but it is only in recent years that I've really begun to appreciate the beauty and uniqueness of my home country. I suppose it is a part of getting older, but living abroad for long periods of time has also made me realize what a truly unique natural and geographical jewel Iceland is. In Iceland, nature is always just around the corner. My niece, Arnfríður Helgadóttir and son, Daníel Gunnar Lee, strolling around Vífilsstaðavatn, right outside of Reykjavík on a beautiful fall day. The lake is a popular (and clean) place to fish for delicious char and brown trout. Photo: ÍE I rarely missed Iceland in the past; I missed my family and friends, but now away from home, I truly yearn for the scent of birch and song of the plover in the spring, the wild blueberries in August, the steely blue and cold ocean waves on rainy fall evenings, and nights of insane winter storms that for hours shake the house off its foundation. As I watched the coast stretch out before me, I was filled with a sense of doom and loss. And I was angry. I thought of how much we have lost, how much we have frittered away through greed and stupidity and shortsightedness. I thought of Iceland's riches, its enormous natural resources and what a good life everyone in Iceland could have had, had that wealth been allowed to benefit the whole nation. Instead, through political machinations, it has ended up in the hands of a few families and been squandered away by hedonistic windbags. I thought of my parents, who have worked so hard all their lives - my mother who gave birth to seven children and suffered the loss of two, and worked outside the home as soon as the older kids were able to help at home, my father who worked three jobs to support his young family - now just recently retired, their pension funds raided, their golden years tarnished. We've lost our country, I thought. Nothing will ever be the same. I don't know what to do with this anger; it makes me want to fight, but for what? Every country has the government it deserves, and this is apparently what we deserved, at least what we wanted, what Icelanders have voted over themselves year after year, decade after decade. And apparently many of us are eager for more; last April, six months after Iceland collapsed, almost 40% of Icelanders gave their votes to the political parties that were the chief architects of the country's devastation. The writer, poet, and reverend Matthías Jochumsson, who wrote the words to the anthem in 1874 for the millenary anniversary of Iceland's settlement by Norwegian Vikings, was in many ways different from his fellow Icelandic writers and philosophers of the time. He worried about their scorn of religion and focus on materialism. Life had a sense of magic, he said, and there had to be a God. Pure materialism, he said, is sad, harmful, and unwise. The last three lines of the anthem's first verse make me wonder whether Matthías had a foreboding of the tribulations that were to befall Iceland's future generations: Iceland thousand years, :/: Eternity's blossom, with trembling tears That worships its God... and dies. That it wouldn't be Christ the nation worshiped, but that we'd squander our independence on the altar of Mammon. More on Iceland
 
Diane Tucker: Iranian Women: We Feel Cheated, Frustrated, And Betrayed Top
Look closely at the images of peaceful demonstrations taking place in Iran this week and you will see them: thousands of brave women taking to the streets to protest an election they say was stolen. "We feel cheated, frustrated and betrayed," said an Iranian woman in a message widely circulated on Facebook. For these wives, mothers, sisters and daughters, their march to oust Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has everything to do with their desire for equal rights. These women invested their hopes in Mir-Hossein Mousavi, the presidential candidate who pledged to reform laws that treat women unfairly. As it stands now, an Iranian woman's testimony in court carries only half the weight of a man's. Women do not have equal divorce, child custody, or inheritance rights either. That's why Mousavi is popular with many female voters. But his wife Zahra Rahnavard might have even more fans. Iran's top-ranking female professor is a crowd-pleaser at political events, where she is anything but invisible and not afraid to speak her mind. For example, when Ahmadinejad accused Rahnavard of skirting government rules to earn her advanced degrees (she has a masters in art, and a masters and a doctorate in political science), Rahnavard publicly reprimanded him. The Los Angeles Times reported her I won't back down rebuttal: Either [Ahmadinejad] cannot tolerate highly educated women, or he's discouraging women from playing an active role in society. Thousands of women have observed Rahnavard's call to climb up on their rooftops and chant " Allahu Akbar " -- a rallying cry of the 1979 Islamic Revolution. In this unforgettable video that captures the late-night chanting, the woman speaking is saying, "Take our phones, our internet...take all our communications away, but we are showing that by saying alloho akbar we can find each other." The regime in Iran obviously feels threatened by peaceful female activism. They branded as illegal the One Million Signatures Campaign initiated by women's rights groups in Iran that are demanding changes to discriminatory laws against women in their country. Dozens of women involved in the campaign have been harassed or jailed by the government. One of Iran's leading women's rights activists Sussan Tahmasebi told NPR that this election marks the first time women's rights have been addressed in such detail. "Candidates have moved beyond vague slogans that emphasize the high cultural and religious value placed on women, to addressing specifically the demands voiced by women's right activists. This shift demonstrates the importance and vitality of the Iranian women's movement and in particular the achievements of the One Million Signatures Campaign." Before today's government internet blackout, Iranian women were a force in the country's blogosphere -- the largest in the Middle East. This photo posted as a TwitPic on Twitter has already received more than 82,788 views on just one of the many, many sites it is posted on: The courage of these women to confront Iran's patriarchal theocracy (in which the morality police still prowl the streets looking for women wearing make-up) may have been "a big reason why the regime rigged the vote count -- and why supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was forced to make a show of ordering a probe of the fraud," said the editorial board of the Christian Science Monitor in their op/ed posted on Monday. "Eventually," said the editors, "Iran's women will not be denied." More on Iran
 
James Boyce: Matisyahu, K'naan, and (RED)Nights Hit Los Angeles Top
Last night in Los Angeles, I had a chance to go to my first (RED)NIGHTS show at the Wiltern Theatre. This particular date of the new concert series from (RED) featured performances by hasidic hip-hop/reggae star Matisyahu and recent up-and-comer K'naan, who enthralled the audience with plenty of positive and up tempo music, as well as reminding them exactly why they were there in the first place: to save lives. During a short break halfway through his set, Matisiyahu paused to thank the audience for contributing to (RED) by attending the show, explaining that a portion of each ticket sale helps people suffering from HIV in Africa get the medicine they need to stay alive. This action did not slip under the radar of the concertgoers in the room, as they cheered and applauded loudly the moment (RED) was mentioned. The (RED)NIGHTS shows are a part of an effort from (RED) to donate $130 million to The Global Fund, an organization that currently provides a quarter of all international financing for AIDS worldwide. In 2009 they will collaborate with artists such as Fall Out Boy, Katy Perry, The All-American Rejects and many more to turn 26 shows (RED). To find out where you can attend a (RED)NIGHT close to you, there is a list of upcoming shows here . Here I am backstage with Matisyahu and K'naan, as well as Spencer Kent who also works at Common Sense NMS . The show was great, and the atmosphere in the Wiltern was unreal. The crowd was physically responsive to all the performers who took the stage throughout the night, dancing and singing along to almost every song that was played. As the lights dimmed before each musician came on, the only light still visibly shining was the (RED)NIGHTS logo illuminated on the walls, a symbol that even amongst something as bleak and devastating like AIDS and HIV, there is still hope. More on HIV/AIDS
 
Hadi Ghaemi: Fears of a "Tehran Tiananmen" Growing as Iran Crisis Deepens Top
The post-election unrest and turbulence now sweeping Iran, following the presidential election of last Friday, did not figure into anyone's analysis and calculations. It took everyone by surprise, but so have the most momentous events of contemporary Iranian history. The 1979 Revolution was not on anyone's radar screens either until it was well underway. The root cause of such singular and unanticipated upheavals lies in the way fundamental tensions in Iran simmer for a long time below the surface and then suddenly explode into the fore. What is happening in these days is a reflection of two such long-running tensions. One is the differences within the ruling elite that have mushroomed into what appears to be a full-scale confrontation over the recent election results. The other underlying tension, which is unfolding daily in huge protests across the country, comes from the deep dissatisfaction of much of the population with social and political restrictions imposed on them by the state, coupled with failing economic policies. Let us not confuse these two trends. One is a political catfight within the regime, and the other is an outburst of popular demands for greater civil liberties and basic freedoms, and for effective economic policies. The former is serving as a vehicle for the latter. The huge participation of the electorate in Friday's election, over eighty percent, included many who had never before participated in the political process, but saw this as a unique opportunity to bring about positive change. The disillusionment caused by the strongly contested election result quickly translated to an outpouring of protests on the streets because many people felt their sense of honor and integrity has been insulted beyond limit. Meanwhile the political catfight continues to develop without any clear winner emerging. On one side of the equation are Ahmadinejad's government, the Revolutionary Guards commanders, and the Office of the Leader. The Leader, Ayatollah Khamanei, has clearly come out in support of this faction, although historically he had implied he acts only as an arbitrator of power, and is above factionalism. But this time his sympathies are squarely placed behind this camp, at least up to this point. It is of the utmost importance that none of the Grand Ayatollahs and clerics in Qom has come forward to endorse the election results or congratulate Ahmadinejad. The core political conflict appears to be expressing itself in a fissure between Ayatollah Khamanei and the rest of the traditional clerical establishment in Qom. Khamanei's legitimacy base lies in an assembly of such clerics, known as Assembly of Experts, who have blessed his position as the Leader. Now this legitimacy is under question. Rumors circulating in Tehran tell of attempts by Hashemi Rafsanjani, a supporter of the opposition candidate Moussavi and head of the Assembly of Experts, to convene a meeting and challenge Khamanei. With such a complex landscape and fast-moving developments on the ground, what should the international community's response be? Iran is situated in an already volatile region with most of its neighbors, including Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Iraq, undergoing their own crisis of historical proportions. The last thing we should encourage is the destabilization of Iran and having it join this pack of explosive and barely functioning states. The Iranian government's violent response to peaceful public protests should be harshly condemned around the world, but that is not to say we should take political sides. The political outcome must be determined within Iran and by Iranians. As long as the political dispute remains unresolved, foreign governments should withhold recognition of Ahmadinejad's government. But the government's actions in confronting its own people should be of concern to all of us. Iran must be told that its further reliance on violence, curtailment of civil liberties and basic freedoms, widespread arbitrary detentions and disappearances will not earn it public peace or international legitimacy. That message should be delivered by United Nations officials, particularly the Secretary General, Ban Ki-Moon, and the High Commissioner for Human Rights, Navi Pillay. Iran is closed to independent human rights observers including those of the UN. The government is rapidly moving to shut down communication channels amongst Iranians and with the outside world. There are serious fears of a "Tehran Tiananmen" in the coming days. The High Commissioner should move rapidly to send an envoy to Iran to prevent an all-out closure that could lead to serious violence and attacks on protestors undertaken with total impunity. There have already been at least a dozen fatalities due to government forces opening fire. The situation is tense and our responsibility is to ensure that it does not become more violent and unstable. The presence of UN envoys in Tehran and major cities would inhibit the government to contemplate resolving the conflict through the use of force; it would promote accountability and respect for international standards. President Obama is correct to stay that the US should not become part of the political fight in Iran. Ahmadinejad's government could eagerly use statements of support for the political opposition as a license to portray the conflict as instigated from abroad and justify its harsh measures. The US should not fall into that trap. At the same time, this is not the time to leave Iranian people on their own. The focus on Iran, now more than ever before, should be on human rights issues: restoration of civil liberties, release of political prisoners, withdrawal of police and Special Guards from the streets. If there are concerted and unified voices from the international community on this front, it will make a difference. It must be made clear, that voices from the international community are not aimed at picking a political favorite, but rather making sure that the political crisis is resolved in an environment free of violence and threats and coupled with respect for the Iranian people's fundamental rights. The Iranian people, particularly the energetic youth who represent seventy percent of the population, has made it abundantly clear they are not interested in revolutionary upheaval and violent change. For the past month, both before and after elections, the world has witnessed their peaceful rallies, numbering in the hundreds of thousands of participants. They are doing their best to convince the powers to be that peaceful change is unavoidable and urgent. They are doing their best to prevent chaos and violence from engulfing their country, while insisting on standing up for their rights. Let's do our best to support them, in ways that do not harm their ultimate goal of non-violent change. Hadi Ghaemi is the Director of the International Campaign for Human Rights in Iran (www.iranhumanrights.org ) More on Ahmadinejad
 
North Korea Chemical Weapons Threaten Region: Report Top
SEOUL (Reuters) - North Korea has several thousand tonnes of chemical weapons it can mount on missiles that could be used on a rapid strike against the South, said a report released on Thursday by the International Crisis Group (ICG). More on North Korea
 
Obama Boost: New Poll Shows 76% Support For Choice Of Public Plan Top
New poll numbers from NBC/Wall Street Journal produce two major and potentially conflicting story lines when it comes to the Obama administration's efforts for a health care overhaul. On the one hand, the American public overwhelmingly favors a choice between getting insurance coverage either through the private market or a government run option. Indeed, 76 percent of respondents said it was either "extremely" or "quite" important to "give people a choice of both a public plan administered by the federal government and a private plan for their health insurance." With the public option being such a lightning rod in the current health care debate, progressive activists are already emailing around these numbers as evidence that voters are way ahead of the politicians. Certainly, the findings provide a boost of sorts to President Obama, who has stood by the public plan even as Republican opposition has crystallized. That said, the president still has his work cut out for him. In the same NBC/WSJ poll, only 33 percent of respondents said they thought the president's health care plan, to the extent they knew of it, was a "good idea;" 32 percent said it was a bad idea. In short: the administration has yet to complete the sale. An additional 30 percent of the public had no opinion of Obama's proposal for reform. But when read a description of the general outline -- requiring insurance companies to cover pre-existing conditions, an employer mandate, tax credits for lower income families to buy coverage, and tax increases on wealthier Americans to pay for it - the number of respondents in support rose to 55 percent.
 
Tony Blair Knew Of Secret Policy On Terror Interrogations Top
Tony Blair was aware of the ­existence of a secret interrogation policy which ­effectively led to British citizens, and others, being ­tortured during ­counter-terrorism investigations, the Guardian can reveal. The policy, devised in the aftermath of the September 11 attacks, offered ­guidance to MI5 and MI6 officers ­questioning detainees in Afghanistan whom they knew were being mistreated by the US military.
 
Kim Jong-Il's Latest Weapon: Global Insurance Fraud, Reaping Millions Of Dollars Top
For Kim Jong Il's birthday, North Korean insurance managers prepared a special gift. In Singapore, they stuffed $20 million in cash into two heavy-duty bags and sent them, via Beijing, to their leader in Pyongyang, said Kim Kwang Jin, who worked as a manager for Korea National Insurance, a state-owned monopoly. More on North Korea
 
The Night Of The Living Neocons: Salon Top
Like Rasputin, the unhinged "Mad Monk" whom they sometimes seem to have adopted as an intellectual role model, the neoconservatives who brought us the Iraq war refuse to die. Although they have been figuratively stabbed, poisoned, shot, garroted and drowned, they somehow keep standing, still insisting that history will vindicate George W. Bush's glorious crusade. In a world governed by the Victorian moral code conservatives claim to uphold, they would be shunned, shamed and forbidden to appear on television or write Op-Ed columns. But because Beltway decorum apparently requires that disgraced pundits be given a permanent platform to bray their discredited theories, the rest of us are condemned to listen to their ravings. More on Barack Obama
 
Obama Ineffective On The Economy: NYT/CBS News Poll Top
A substantial majority of Americans say President Obama has not developed a strategy to deal with the budget deficit, according to the latest New York Times/CBS News poll, which also found that support for his plans to overhaul health care, rescue the auto industry and close the prison at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, falls well below his job approval ratings.
 
Lisa Madigan Meets With Obama About Senate Seat Top
CHICAGO (AP) -- A spokeswoman for Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan says the Democrat met with President Barack Obama and several of his senior aides late last week. Robyn Ziegler says Madigan and the president spoke at the White House about Obama's former U.S. Senate seat, currently held by Roland Burris. She says Madigan also talked with senior advisers Valerie Jarrett and David Axelrod, as well as Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel. Ziegler says Madigan hasn't made a decision on whether to run for the seat, but that she's "carefully weighing" the option and "talking to the president is an important part of that process." Christopher Kennedy, the son of the late Robert F. Kennedy, and Illinois Treasurer Alexi Giannoulias are also considering runs for the post. -ASSOCIATED PRESS More on Senate Races
 
PETA wishes Obama hadn't swatted that fly Top
WASHINGTON — The group People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals wants the flyswatter in chief to try taking a more humane attitude the next time he's bedeviled by a fly in the White House. PETA is sending President Barack Obama a Katcha Bug Humane Bug Catcher, a device that allows users to trap a house fly and then release it outside. "We support compassion even for the most curious, smallest and least sympathetic animals," PETA spokesman Bruce Friedrich said Wednesday. "We believe that people, where they can be compassionate, should be, for all animals." During an interview for CNBC at the White House on Tuesday, a fly intruded on Obama's conversation with correspondent John Harwood. "Get out of here," the president told the pesky insect. When it didn't, he waited for the fly to settle, put his hand up and then smacked it dead. "Now, where were we?" Obama asked Harwood. Then he added: "That was pretty impressive, wasn't it? I got the sucker." Friedrich said that PETA was pleased with Obama's voting record in the Senate on behalf of animal rights and noted that he has been outspoken against animal abuses. Still, "swatting a fly on TV indicates he's not perfect," Friedrich said, "and we're happy to say that we wish he hadn't." Deputy press secretary Josh Earnest said the White House has no comment on the matter.
 
O'Reilly Fight Against Porn Involves Showing Lots Of Porn (VIDEO) Top
Bill O'Reilly fancies himself a "crusader" in the "Culture Wars," which we presume is why he aired a segment tonight about the dangers posed to children by the shocking amount of pornography available on the popular video site YouTube. Now, we applaud the Fox News host's determination to keep pornography away from children, however it's puzzling why O'Reilly and his producers felt the need to show clips of porn from YouTube during his discussion of the dangers it poses. And not just a single clip, or a quick montage: O'Reilly aired extended montages of multiple YouTube porn clips. O'Reilly began the segment with a rather strange statement: "I know a lot of adults don't go to YouTube, but this is the rage among American children, children as young as six, seven years old." In fact, we're quite sure that YouTube is "the rage" among adults as well, but moving on. His guest was conservative columnist Amanda Carpenter, who started her analysis by explaining exactly what YouTube is. However, the camera quickly turned away from her and went full screen to YouTube porn videos, effectively turning Ms. Carpenter's description into a voice-over for a porn montage. The camera panned back to O'Reilly after Carpenter finished, and he settled on the two of them while he asked a question about the volume of porn available on YouTube. Carpenter begins her answer, and the camera quickly went back to the YouTube montage of various soft porn clips. Ms. Carpenter gets some real face time towards the end of the segment when she discussed some of the steps YouTube has taken to combat the accessibility of inappropriate videos to children, but by then the audience has likely had its fill of YouTube porn. And if not, well, O'Reilly just showed you the sheer diversity of the porn available on YouTube. We assume there was nothing cynical in O'Reilly's decision to titillate his audience with long porn montages while railing against the dangers of porn. Then again, Fox News does have a rich history in arousing its audience for ratings. Watch O'Reilly's warning below: More on Video
 
Cristina Page: Higher Ground Top
The murder, just over two weeks ago, of abortion provider Dr. George Tiller has deeply wounded and enraged the pro-choice community while also, some would argue, providing it with further reason to mistrust anti-abortion activists. Perhaps a different kind of wound has been inflicted on the anti-abortion side, and in particular on those moderates who dislike abortion, but don't tolerate violence, which includes most of the pro-life movement and public. Now they are sometimes treated as if they, too, are extremists. And so, in the aftermath of this senseless attack we risk losing something else dear, the momentum of the growing common ground movement; the search for a different, more constructive way forward in the abortion debate. Shortly before Dr. Tiller's murder, President Obama had just begun to usher this movement through the White House doors. His appointees had started calling together leaders from both sides to sit at the same table. His argument has been that the two sides can disagree sharply on a fundamental issue and yet still find areas of agreement on which they can work together. The brutal murder of Dr. Tiller threatens to poison the nascent dialogue Obama initiated . More pervasively, it threatens to make cynicism about another's motives acceptable even rational. After such a heinous act it is easy to grow remote, to give up on efforts of understanding, to believe the worst of one another. The violence perpetrated against Dr. Tiller is an attack on common ground, too, whether intended or not. But, especially in the aftermath of the murder, a common ground movement must persist, and grow stronger. If not, we surrender reasoned and civil debate at gunpoint. If we retreat to our respective corners, we cede control of the dialogue to extremists, and with it any hope for a better and a different, more constructive way of reconciling, and living with differences. Obama is the first President to actually take steps to bring some diplomacy to this national conflict and invite us, together, to dream up a better process. We must take up the invitation. We need common ground more than ever. Improving the national dialogue is one way to prevent future acts of violence. The majority of Americans long for some progress on this most intransigent of issues. A recent Pew Research Center poll found two out of three want both sides of the abortion conflict to explore areas of common ground. And while a majority of Americans are unified behind the idea of common ground, many activists on both ends of this issue are justifiably critical and suspicious of it; suspecting these are code words for concession and compromise on deeply held and long-fought-for convictions. So it's important to be clear. Common ground isn't a panacea, and isn't supposed to be. Signing on to this experiment, and it is an experiment, doesn't mean we will stop working to protect legal abortion or overturn it, depending on where we stand. And yet, even if we will not resolve our fundamental disagreement, we should agree on ways to prevent unintended pregnancy and help reduce the need for women and girls to have to make the, often difficult, decisions that accompany it. In doing so, we are not searching for compromise. It's not an attempt to find the lowest common denominator. But as the organization The Search for Common Ground writes, an effort to locate a " 'highest common denominator.' Not having two sides meet in the middle, but having them identify something together that they can aspire to and are willing to work towards." Already there are some leaders on either side of this issue gathered together around the table and committed to finding areas of agreement. RHRealityCheck , the leading online source of news, commentary and community for reproductive health and rights, this week launched OnCommonGround , an online forum for those interested in exploring common ground. I am moderating that online discussion, selecting posts that I believe will help move the dialogue forward. This is an experiment that we know may not work. But, as President Obama advised, the only way it can is if we come to the conversation with "open hearts, open minds, fair-minded words." This will seem a too-lofty aspiration to some. And I've been told that. But I think of the last time I saw Dr. Tiller, just a few weeks before his murder, at the National Abortion Federation conference. He and about 120 providers and clinic staff came to a panel I helped organize on making adoption a more accessible choice for women confronting unintended pregnancy. Our session was wrapping up when Dr. Tiller rose and addressed the audience of abortion providers, saying "If you have not helped a woman place a baby for adoption, I encourage you to. It's the most powerful thing. It's just the most powerful thing. It's the most powerful thing." He went on to explain that several times he had patients who were too far along in their pregnancy to terminate but were unable to parent. He and his family took them in, provided them a home until the time of delivery. He said that helping these women come to terms with placing a child for adoption, then delivering their babies and helping them through to placement were some of the most emotional and, clearly, among the satisfying, experiences he had as a provider. He will always be identified with the abortion services he provided. To me, it seemed that Dr. Tiller was urging people to expand their own experiences and their own perspectives of the pro-choice movement. After hearing his impassioned speech about adoption, I wondered if reasonable pro-lifers and Dr. Tiller would have discovered some rich areas of common ground. The best answer to extremism and hateful murder of Dr. Tiller is for reasonable people on both sides to build a national conversation focused on progress, a national dialogue on common ground . If we each bring even a sliver of the passion to the search for common ground that we have dedicated to our causes, we can be hopeful about the possibilities.
 

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