Mitt Romney on Abortion

Here's Mitt Romney on abortion in 2002 in a gubernatorial debate against Democrat Shannon O'Brien:

"I will preserve and protect a woman's right to choose and am devoted and dedicated to honoring my word in that regard. I will not change any provisions of Massachusetts's pro-choice laws and with regards to this issue of age of consent it is currently 18-years old. If one wants to have an abortion younger than that, one must have the permission of one parent and if a parent doesn't go along one can go to a judge or justice and get that permission. And so far, in Massachusetts history when a young woman has gone to a judge, not one single time has there been a denial of that permission. And so I am in favor of retaining or current law which is the age of consent remaining at 18 and I will preserve and protect a woman's right to choose." 

Romney vehemently denied that he had accepted the endorsement of Massachusetts Citizens for Life in his 1994 senate race against Ted Kennedy. According to Romney, the group endorsed him without his knowledge and he would not own that endorsement (though O'Brien claimed his campaign spokesperson confirmed the endorsement). She quoted Ted Kennedy who said of Romney,

"He's not pro-choice, he's not anti-choice, he's multiple choice."

Toward the end to the debate his opponent, who was accusing him of not being pro-choice enough, while Romney kept insisting he was the every bit as pro-choice as she was, finally said, 

"You don't have a record, it's one of waffling." 

The more things change, the more they stay the same. Romney proves he is a masterful and convincing debater. He uses the same bullying and avoidance techniques he used against Rick Perry in the recent GOP debates. I'm certainly convinced that in this debate he's pro-abortion and would "defend a woman's right to choose." After all, the 2002 gubernatorial election was riding on it. 


Of course, Romney has since changed his position on abortion and will now just as convincingly argue for the pro-life position and any other conservative position that will win him this election. Again, he's a masterful debater. 


But that's what's troubling. With so many "waffles" and flip-flops on major policy issues - major conservative policy issues - how do we know when Romney is debating for sport to win an election and when he is debating out of heartfelt conviction? If we're seeing the former in these debates and this is merely a contest to be won, on election day Zorro will drop his mask and we'll find out if we get Romney 1.0, Romney 2.0, or some morph of the two. I fear it will be something really bad like that new Coke. (If you're under 30 you'll have to click on the link you understand the dated cultural reference.) Beware the backlash. 

Caylee's Murder: 3000 Times Every Day

The verdict is in.  A jury found Casey Anthony not guilty of murdering her daughter, 2-year-old Caylee.  People from every spectrum of life are outraged, feeling like she got away with murder. A quick glance at what's trending on Twitter shows a plethora of impassioned responses; people are shocked and incredulous:

S_Ayrelle - S A P H I R E =) Casey didn't win . She has a dead daughter , a guilt conscience , a society that hates her , and a date with the devil. 

SerenSnow Seren Snow Mike Vick can kill dogs and do time but Casey Anthony can kill a child and get away free? #caseyanthonyverdict

JustaPyt Just a PYT #caseyanthonyverdict is a prime example of why r country resorts 2 violence since US judicial system brings forth no justice 4 the innocent.

OhMyNickJay karen ❁◕‿◕❁ I'm still so frustrated. I can'


t believe Casey Anthoney was found INNOCENT. I can't even... #caseyanthonyverdict

taramedina823 Tara Medina Proof that life isn't fair... ppl get away w/ murder and innocent babies pay the price for eff'd up parents. #shameonyou 

"People get away with murder and innocent babies pay the price...

" Every single day in this country,  3000 preborn Caylees are killed at the hands of doctors, with the consent of the mothers (and sometimes fathers).  They also enjoy the approval of the State.  There are approximately 1.2 million legal abortions per year - 33,000 of them in the state of Ohio alone.  

It's ironic that people have been so fascinated with the case of Caylee Anthony, whose decomposing body was found stuffed in a trash bag and dumped in the woods. The media made a huge circus of the case, televising daily updates, live courtroom drama, and hour-long specials.  The image of the precious, beautiful baby captured the hearts of Americans and made her name a household word. 

Most of these same people who are crying out for justice for little Caylee never give a thought to the thousands of mothers in their own neighborhoods surgically murdering their babies in a sterile clinic funded by the government. 

Wayne Grudem, in his book, Politics according to the Bible,  explains the potential consequences of our country's near-unlimited legal abortion:

"The Old Testament contains sober warnings to a nation that allowed people to put their children to death. In imitation of the practices of other nations, some of the people of Israel had begun "to burn their sons and daughters in the fire (Jer. 7:31), which referred to putting their live children into a fire to sacrifice them to Molech and other pagan gods. For allowing this practice to continue, God issued a severe warning of judgment through the prophet Jeremiah: 

"For the sons of Judah have done evil in my sight, declares the Lord...And they have built the high places of Topheth, which is in the Valley of the Son of Hinnom, to burn their sons and their daughters in the fire, which I did not command, nor did it come into my mind.

Therefore, behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when it will no more be called Topheth, or the Valley of the Son of Hinnom, but the Valley of Slaughter; for they will bury in Topheth, because there is no room elsewhere. And the dead bodies of this people will be food for the birds of the air, and for the beasts of the earth, and none will frighten them away. And I will silence in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem the voice of mirth and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride, for the land shall become a waste" (Jer. 7:30-34).

God, forgive us for allowing this evil practice to continue. May we strengthen our resolve to fight for justice for babies like Caylee and for the millions of unborn children whose precious faces we'll never see on television. 

Planned Parenthood caught lying about Indiana healthcare

Those hip and brainy kids over at Live Action have released their latest sting video, exposing more lies and deception at Planned Parenthood.  Recently, Indiana, in effect, defunded Planned Parenthood, cutting off funds to abortion providers that receive state funds.  

The Obama Fed Thug Machine rolled in and threatened to defund ALL the the Medicaid clinics in the ENTIRE STATE to assure that the abortion mills wouldn't stop. 

Abortion pushers howled, whining that Planned Parenthood is the only place that women can receive well checks, birth control, mammograms, and STD testing.

Turns out, that's not even close to being slightly true.  The truth is, Planned Parenthood only accounts for 1% of Medicaid clinics. Undercover phone calls by Live Aid found time after time after time that Planned Parenthood clinics were able to refer women to nearby clinics that provide the exact, same services, sans abortion:

Don't miss that the Obama Fed Thug Machine is willing to shut down every Medicaid provider in the state of Indiana to keep the 1% that offer abortions open.  Now that's some shared sacrifice, isn't it? 

Ohio House Passes "Heartbeat Bill"

After months of dithering, the Republican-controlled Ohio House finally brought the “Heartbeat Bill,” HB 125,  to a vote on the House floor.  Introduced by Rep. Lynn Watchmann (R-Napoleon) and with 48 co-sponsors, House members approved the bill with a 54-43 vote today.   The bill, which could be the most restrictive abortion law in the nation, would ban abortions after a fetal heartbeat can be detected.  Doctors would be required to perform an ultrasound before an abortion is performed and if a fetal heartbeat is detected (usually around 6-7 weeks of gestation) the physician would be required to cancel the abortion.  The penalty for violating the law could be charged with a fifth degree felony and loss of the right to practice medicine in Ohio (no penalties for the mother).

(E)(1) Except as provided in division (E)(2) or (3) of this section, no person shall knowingly perform an abortion on a pregnant woman with the specific intent of causing or abetting the termination of the life of the unborn human individual that the pregnant woman is carrying and whose fetal heartbeat has been detected according to the requirements of division (C) of this section.

The law does not ban the use of the abortion pill and there is an exception to save the life of the mother or for abortions performed to prevent "substantial and irreversible" impairment of a major bodily function.  In a first for the Ohio legislature (and possibly any legislature), during a House sub-committee meeting in March, two unborn babies “testified.” Two pregnant mothers were given ultrasounds and committee members were able to “see” and hear the fetal heartbeats.

In addition to the heartbeat language, the bill also has a strong affirmation of the personhood of the unborn:

(10) “Unborn human individual” means an individual organism of the species homo sapiens from fertilization until live birth.

The bill faces a steeper challenge in the 23-10 GOP-controlled senate and pro-life governor John Kasich has not said if he will sign the bill if it reaches his desk.

Still, this is a significant step.  It has overcome opposition from Ohio Right To Life Executive Director Mike Gonidakis, who has opposed several members of his own board, including Julie Busby and Dr. Jack Willke (founder of National Right to Life), fearing that court challenges to the Heartbeat Bill will overturn other pro-life protections in the state.

If this becomes law in Ohio, court challenges will follow.  Of course, the appellate process could take years and no one can predict what the make up of the Supreme Court will be.  It is a worthwhile effort and a risk worth taking to protect the unborn. Time to go on the offensive.

Thank you to House Speaker William Batchelder (R-Medina) for bringing this bill to the House floor for a vote!


Updated 7/1/11

Down Syndrome in 2011

Girl with Down syndrome named prom queen at Missouri school

 

Students at Fair Oak High School in Missouri elected a 19-year-old fellow student as their prom queen.  Two other girls who were in the running for queen convinced other students to instead vote for Maisie Garoutte:

Maisie has been at the school since kindergarten, and is extremely popular among the students in her year, many of whom who have known her since she was five.

Mrs O’Dell (Maisie’s teacher and mentor) said: ‘‘They all know her really well, they all help her when she needs it. The vote was pretty much unanimous’ 

Describing her as ‘the sweetest person’, Mrs O’Dell said Maisie has won the hearts of everyone at school as the morning greeter, high-fiving the students as they walk in the door. She also volunteers at the school, rolling the teachers’ cutlery every morning and delivering the mail to staff."

A couple months ago our family was having lunch at a restaurant and a family with a Down syndrome daughter sat at a table near us.  I realized that I couldn't remember the last time I had seen a DS child.   This is probably because in our "enlightened" society, we kill 92% of these children before they take their first breath.  Little girls like Maisie are not given the opportunity to bless the lives of others because they're considered a burden - an inconvenience. 


Pornographer Larry Flynt, in a disturbing rant about Sarah Palin [warning: pornographic content alert] puts into words the implications of the deeds done in the sterile abortion clinics:

"Sarah Palin is the dumbest thing. ... She did a disservice to every woman in America. She knew from the first month of pregnancy that kid was going to be Down's Syndrome. It's brain dead. A virtual vegetable. She carries it to all these different political events against abortion, she did it just because she didn't want to say she'd had an abortion. How long is it going to live? Another 12, 15 years? Doesn't even know it's in this world. So what kind of compassionate conservative is she? I don't think anybody will want her near the White House."

Somehow, Flynt misses the irony of his own physical condition. The Independent's Johann Hari describes him as, "lolling almost lifelessly in a chair. His head is barely able to look up at mine, and his hand is barely able to reach up to shake mine. He speaks in a very slow, strangulated gargle."

Let's see...if I had the choice to spend a day with that pervert Larry Flynt or this precious boy....

No contest. 

 Props to the kids in Missouri who see value in their friend Maisie and sent a message to the vile and cynical Larry Flynt's of the world. 

April 27, 2011

The Gospel is preached on MSNBC

It's clear that MSNBC's Lawrence O'Donnell (who calls himself a Socialist)  was attempting to show that Franklin Graham was some kind of  GOP tool for his positive statements about Donald Trump as a presidential candidate.  While I'm certainly baffled by Graham's positive statements about Trump, who is clearly no conservative, social or otherwise, the statements certainly did not rise to the level of "semi-endorsement" as O'Donnell claimed.  

They then moved on to the subject of whether or not President Obama is a Christian.  O'Donnell surely thought he was being clever and that he would "get" Graham with his carefully chosen proof-text verse, ripped out of context.   A fascinating discussion ensued about what it means to be a Christian.  To O'Donnel, it means saying you're a Christian and making an appearance at church now and then.  To Graham, it is receiving forgiveness for your sins by trusting in the work of Christ on the cross.  

I happen to be a bit of a cable news junkie and have seen Franklin Graham do these brief interviews dozens of times.  WITHOUT EXCEPTION, the man finds a way to get a short gospel presentation into the interview.  And this interview was no exception.  In fact, I think it was exceptional - Graham, I thought, was especially earnest.  He came out swinging with the Gospel and ended the interview with this:

"God loves us and he wants us to be saved from Hell. There is a Hell and there is a punishment for those who reject God. And there is salvation in Jesus Christ and for me as a minister the most important thing is not who's going to be president, or who is trying to run for president. The most important thing is, is a person ready to stand before Almighty God? Are they ready to have that time face-to-face with God and answer to him, because God's going to ask you, "What did you do about my Son? I sent my Son to take your sins. Did you accept him or did you reject him?"

~~~~~

Speaking of Donald Trump, conservative columnist and intellectual Thomas Sowell warns the GOP about the dangers of a Trump candidacy in an excellent piece at Town Hall.  Aside from Trump's inconsistency on a number of issues, which Sowell calls his "versatility of viewpoints,"  he says this: 

"Donald Trump is dangerous in at least two senses. If, by some tragic miracle, he should become the Republicans' candidate for president in 2012, that would be the closest thing to an iron-clad guarantee of a second term in the White House for Barack Obama. 

That would be a huge setback for the Republicans-- and, far more important-- a historic catastrophe for this country. 

What seems more likely is that Donald Trump as a candidate for the Republican nomination would use his superior articulation skills-- not to mention brash irresponsibility-- to trash all the other Republican candidates for that nomination, leaving them damaged goods in the eyes of the public, and therefore less able to gather the votes needed to prevent the reelection of Obama."

We can all hope that Trump-as-Presidential-Candidate would follow Reagan's 11th Commandment and never publicly criticize another Republican, but Sowell is right, Trump will do and say anything to promote the Trump Brand.  In fact, he has already started trashing the GOP by going after Paul Ryan and his budget plan:

"I'm very concerned about doing anything that's going to tinker too much with Medicare. I protect the senior citizens. Senior citizens are protected. They are lifeblood, as far as I'm concerned. I think Paul Ryan is too far out front with this issue. I think he ought to sit back and relax."

~~~~~

I'm no libertarian, but I do agree with many of their principals.  This video clip about the influence of tax money on education makes some good points.  In particular, I agree with him when he says that "school choice" isn't really "choice" when the government is involved.  For example, charter schools are closed when they don't meet government standards even though the parents may feel that it's a good school and their children are learning and in an environment that best suits their needs.  So their "choice" becomes a victim of government accountability. 

I think at this point government involvement in education is so entrenched that it would take something cataclysmic to get the toothpaste back into the tube, but the more we can think and work outside the box and try innovative solutions, the better. 

~~~~~

Earth Day Ends Obama's 53,300 Gallon Trip - Washington Whispers (usnews.com): 

"President Obama declared today's 41st annual Earth Day proof of America's ecological and conservation spirit—then completed a three-day campaign-style trip logging 10,666 miles on Air Force One, eating up some 53,300 gallons at a cost of about $180,000. And that doesn't include the fuel consumption of his helicopter, limo, or the 29 other vehicles that travel with that car."

Meanwhile, the Green Police are coming after Google, Facebook, and other companies that rely on cloud computing:

Cloud computing and Internet use suck energy, emit CO2, says Greenpeace | Technology | Los Angeles Times:

"Computer servers in data centers account for about 2% of global energy demand, growing about 12% a year, according to the group.  The servers, Greenpeace said, can suck up as much power as 50,000 average U.S. homes.

But most of what powers the cloud comes from coal and nuclear energy rather than renewable sources such as wind and solar, according to Greenpeace. Clusters of data centers are emerging in places like the Midwest, where coal-powered electricity is cheap and plentiful, the group said.

In its report, the organization zeroed in on 10 major tech companies, including Apple, Twitter and Amazon. Recently, the group has waged a feisty fight against Facebook, which relies on coal for 53.2% of its electricity, according to Greenpeace."

But wait, electric is good, right?  These are the same people who are pushing the electric cars, aren't they?  I'm so confused.   If these people get their way, the internet of the future will be solar and wind-powered server farms.  Instead of "HTTP error 504" we're going to start seeing "NWT Error - No Wind Today."  

~~~~~

 Pro-Choice Vandals Desecrate Cemetery of the Innocents Display - Students for Life: 

"In a breathtaking public display of anti-Christian and anti-Life motivations, 350 crosses were pulled up and re-inserted in inverted fashion, a well-known anti-Christian symbol. Additionally, red paint was splattered on crosses and signs. Even eerier was the mock bloody footprints of an infant painted in front of the display...

 ...Last week was Clarion Students for Life’s annual “Life Week”. Each year the group organizes a Cemetery of the Innocents Display in the middle of campus. They have 350 crosses and two signs explaining that each cross represents 10 children aborted every day.

Every year Clarion SFL experiences some sort of vandalism – broken crosses or knocked over crosses – during their Life Week, but this year the opposition on campus has taken its vandalism to a whole new level. Members of Clarion’s Students for Life group see an anti-Life motivation to this vandalism, but also an anti-Christian motivation as well. The inverted cross has long been a symbol of anti-Christian and anti-religious sentiments."

 

 ~~~~~

Republican Study Committee (RSC) - Ensuring Pay for Our Military Act of 2011: 

"Washington, Mar 31 - Reps. Jack Kingston and Louie Gohmert introduced the “Ensuring Pay for Our Military Act of 2011” to authorize the Secretary of Defense to continue to provide pay and allowances without interruption to members of the Army, Navy, Air Force and Marine Corps who perform service during any funding gap. Without action on the measure such funds could be delayed or withheld. During the government shutdown in 1995, soldiers were paid because the Defense Department had already been funded through the year; the current funding for the Defense Department is set to expire on April 8."

Let's hope they can get this passed and take military pay off the table when it comes to these budget negotiations.  Our men and women in uniform should never be used as human shields in the budget wars.  Would any legislator dare to vote against this?

~~~~~

And just for fun....

April 21, 2011

Roe v. Wade: Is it still the law of the land? - By Dahlia Lithwick - Slate Magazine:

Abortion opponents are on the offensive and the pro-abortion crowd is getting nervous:

"Opponents and supporters of abortion appear to have taken the position that Roe v. Wade is no longer the law of the land. 

Since the start of this year, 916 measures seeking to regulate reproductive health have been introduced in 49 states. According to the Guttmacher Institute, by the end of March, 15 laws had been enacted in seven states."

The strategy of chipping away at Roe v. Wade appears to be working:

"Gone are the days in which legislatures at least attempted to ensure state regulations conformed to the broadest interpretation of the Roe constraints. The new game lies in expressly violating Roe and Casey, at the state level, in the hopes of either forcing the issue at the Supreme Court or making abortion unobtainable as a matter of fact. Either way, abortion opponents believe they will win—and here pro-abortion rights groups may actually agree."

Terry O'Neill, president of the National Organization for [liberal] Women even thinks the chipping away has led to a de facto overturning of Roe:

 "[T]he fear that Justice Samuel Alito would vote to overturn Roe is so deep that reproductive rights groups may be opting to leave the state bans in place. And, as she conceded in that interview, wherever unconstitutional state abortion bans go unchallenged, they become law."

D.A. Kolodenko wrote:

 "This is a dangerous Catch-22. In order to keep in place the existing federal law protecting a woman's right to choose, pro-choice organizations are limited in what they can do about the spate of new anti-abortion laws being passed in states dominated by anti-choice conservatives. What we're witnessing is a stealth campaign to make an abortion illegal or as difficult to obtain as possible in as many states as possible, and it's working."

It's working.  This is why states must continue to enact laws to protect the unborn, including Ohio's Heartbeat Bill, which would ban abortion after a fetal heartbeat is detected.  Ohio Right to Life says the bill would violate Roe v. Wade and therefore would be struck down by the Supreme Court.  Terry O'Neill from NOW disagrees. 

~~~~~

The College Republicans at University of California - Mercid tried to get their fellow students to sign a petition asking the university to redistribute G.P.A.'s.  After all,  most of these students believe the government should tax the rich more, so it's only right that the top students should "share" their G.P.A.'s with students who are less fortunate...those who come from disadvantaged backgrounds or who have to work part-time to pay for school.

Not so much....

~~~~~

Costs of policing protests tops $3 million - JSOnline: 

"Madison — Law enforcement agencies ran up more than $3.27 million in pay, overtime, mileage, food and hotels while providing security during weeks of protests at the state Capitol, according to preliminary numbers compiled by the Journal Sentinel."

WI still tallying up various protest costs - JSOnline: 

"For many days on end, there were hundreds of law enforcement officers on duty inside and outside the building. The cost of policing is already in the millions of dollars....

...The spokeswoman provided some details on two contracts. One involved a contract worth as much as $2 million to provide miscellaneous services, including food, to county and municipal law enforcement and support staff.

That contract called for providing ear buds for officers' radios because of all the noise inside the Capitol. Also, a health-care provider was brought in for on-site health checks for officers who worked long periods of time.

The second contract was with a private security agency to provide security for the parking lots where police officers parked their vehicles while they were at the Capitol. That contract was worth as much as $98,784."

Protesting Teachers Cost WI Taxpayers $3 Million a Day | MacIver Institute
The chart below represents about a third of the districts that closed.

 

~~~~~

Janet Napolitano: 6-Year-Old Groped Professionally | The Daily Caller: 

“Nobody likes to see those kinds of things [...] even though it was done professionally according to the protocols,” she said. “But, what TSA is doing is reexamining those protocols all the time. It’s all in relation to threat – what is the threat? And one of the things we do see is if you categorically remove a group from any type of screening, well those who seek to do us harm will then exploit that group. So you have to be very careful on how you do it.”

Napolitano said they are working on identifying frequent travelers as well as biometric cards to streamline the airport screening process.  Apparently, in Janet's world, those people would not possibly fall into her hypothetical group of "those who seek to do us harm [and] will then exploit that group." But the 6-year-old blond girl on her way to Disneyland....let's just say the parents had better not leave her unattended or allow another traveler to carry her while in the airport lest someone call the bomb squad. 

April 7, 2011

Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI) cuts through the rhetoric and makes the case for his Path to Prosperity

Rep. Mike Pence (R-IN) "It's time to pick a fight!"


Rep. Mike Pence, sounding more presidential than any of the names being bandied about as presidential contenders, gave a lively speech to a group from Americans for Prosperity yesterday:

 "And if liberals in the Senate would rather play political games and force a government shutdown instead of accepting a modest down payment on fiscal discipline and reform, I say, ‘Shut it down.’ [crowd: 'Shut it down! Shut it down!...]...

...Republicans must show that we’re worthy of this moment, that we’re equal to this crisis, that we’re willing to face this sea of red ink, to stop and turn and square down on behalf of the American people the liberal establishment in Washington, D.C.

...So let’s put the political establishment on notice on this historic hill: Your days of dominance in our nation’s capital are coming to an end. The American people are back in charge. With their help and with God's help we will face this crisis with courage and determination. We will take a small step toward fiscal responsibility and reform and we will cut spending now to preserve this last, best hope on earth for future generations."

Pence has said that he will not run for president.  All the more reason I wish he would.  He has an 'above-the-fray' way of attacking issues and not people that sets him apart from others in the race.  He is also well known for sticking to his principals even if that means voting against his party.  All indications are that he will run for governor of Indiana.  Ah, well...maybe 2016...

~~~~~

More state bills are targeting abortion - USATODAY.com: 

"Legislatures in more than 30 states are weighing — and in some cases passing — many fast-moving bills to restrict abortion rights in a blitz that could prompt the Supreme Court to revisit the issue...

...NARAL Pro-Choice America is monitoring 362 abortion bills in this legislative session; in 2010, 174 bills were tracked. Some bills would block public or private insurance coverage for abortions, others would ban most abortions 20 weeks after conception, and others would require pregnant women to have ultrasounds before having abortions."

~~~~~

If you're prone to worrying or obsessing about all the terrible things happening in the world, don't click on the links to these "incident" maps:


GlobalIncidentMap.com Amber-Alert Map HAZMAT Situations Map Forest Fires Map Disease Outbreaks

Gang Activity Map Border Security Issues Presidential Threat Map Terrorism Event Predictions Quakes Map

Drug Interdictions Map Non-Terror Aviation Incidents NEW - Food/Medicine Incidents NEW - Human Trafficking




You need to have a paid subscription for some of the data, but you can learn plenty without subscribing. 

Things I learned from these maps:  The plague is alive and well and living in Indonesia.  Alaska experiences more than its fair share of earthquakes - and Japan is still quaking. There is a spot in the middle of the U.S. that either has almost no drug activity or drug laws aren't enforced.  I no longer believe those people who tell me how safe air travel is.  Every day there are dozens of "incidents" involving aircraft of various sizes.  

~~~~~

Today was a harrowing day in the eagle's nest in Decorah, Iowa.  For much of the day, one parent was absent from the nest and food was in short supply.  I was concerned that something had happened to the missing parent.  When I got home tonight I was happy to see that not only had the missing parent returned with a fish for dinner, but the third eaglet had hatched (see video below).  I'm not all that optimistic about #3's survival.  It's siblings have several days on him it's not unheard of for siblings to kill the weaker nestlings.  

Wired Science has some interesting facts about the tech side of the eagle cam:

"The eagle family is filmed from two cameras positioned near their nest 80 feet up a tree near the Decorah Fish Hatchery. [Bob] Anderson, [director of the Raptor Resource Center], remotely points, zooms and pans one camera from a nearby shed.

The other camera runs automatically 24/7 and switches to infrared at night, picking up the eagles’ body heat and converting it to a black-and-white image. The view can look like there’s a spotlight shining on the nest, but the eagles are completely in the dark.

“We would never put a spotlight on an eagle nest,” Anderson said, and added that he’s been getting angry phone calls in the middle of the night demanding that he turn off the lights.

“It’s kind of an insult to my research and my conservation work. People don’t understand,” he said. “I wish they would trust me for my life’s work with conservation, and do a little bit of research. We have many infrared cameras out there in wildlife, and we would never put a spotlight on an eagle.”

Still, he said, “for every crank I get we have 2,000 thank yous. I’m really happy we have such great video and audio going out to the internet.”

I love the indignant tone when defending his "life's work."  Having done a lot of public animal education programs I completely understand.  People sometimes ask really insulting questions (i.e. 'Does that owl live in the verikennel all the time?'....'Is that snake going to suffocate in that pillow case?').  It's never the children who ask these questions, always the adults.  Just read the comments from the article above.  At least two people are squawking because they didn't actually read the article and they think they're putting spotlights on the eagles at night.  Maddening, really!