Lincoln, in the first debate, said, “My first impulse would be to free all the slaves, and send them to Liberia,-to their own native land.” He did not foresee the resolution of slavery. Jefferson had envisioned deportation too. The tug of war over them is misplaced.

I never meant to imply that Lincoln was an abolitionist (though he progressed in this direction during his presidency). My point was to show that Thompson’s position more closely aligned with a states-rights Democrat than the first Republican president. I think the comparison is valid.

*I* think we should overlook, just for example, this…

Ephesians 6:5: Slaves, obey your earthly masters with fear and trembling, with a sincere heart, as you would Christ,

… and call slavery wrong.

But why would *you* would overlook it?

I wouldn’t overlook it. First of all, that verse doesn’t condone slavery — it gives guidance for the actions of Christian slaves. In the very next verse, Paul tells them to whom they are truly slaves (same term is used, the Greek “doulos”) is due: Christ. This passage no more condones slavery than does Romans 13:1-7 condone the Roman government’s antagonism towards Christianity. These passages suspend judgment for oppressive behaviors in exchange focusing on the behavior of individual Christians. To read the Apostle Paul pleading for the freedom of a slave, take a look at the book of Philemon.

How do you know a fetus is a person?

A fetus is uniquely a human being, and nothing else. Sure, a fetus consists of any number of infinite molecules, but so do you and I. As for the tricky classification of “personhood,” it need not be a Peter Singer-style arbitrary classification. Simply put, “personhood” is God-given a dignity, given to us when we become human beings. As we are humans when we are uniquely human, this occurs at conception.

Where does the Fourteenth amendment protect them?

“No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.” Alas, so far the courts haven’t seen this, thus the need for an amendment clarifying this.

I will add that the Constitution need not enumerate this for it to be an “unalienable right.” The Constitution is not comprehensive, which is why it allowed for itself to be amended by the people.

What penalty should a woman face if she has an abortion?

If abortion were to be made a crime, the doctor who performs the abortion should be prosecuted, not the woman. I largely agree with the authors of this symposium on the topic, who say it better than I could in this brief space.

First, his credentials on economic issues are a major liability.

Second, to quote Hugh Hewitt, “A Vote for Huckabee is a Vote for Giuliani.” There are a lot of reasons for this, which Hugh explains better than I can. See the Townhall.com blog post for Nov 9.

Like it or not, there are only two viable trains right now: Giuliani’s or Romney’s. And only one of those has it right on the Federal Marriage Amendment and the Human Life Amendment.

Right or wrong, it is quite possible that the states will get the right to choose. This could be more than just a change of venue though: Some state might do something with its choice that led to a resolution. Don’t laugh, resolution is possible, though hard to imagine.

Lincoln, in the first debate, said, “My first impulse would be to free all the slaves, and send them to Liberia,-to their own native land.” He did not foresee the resolution of slavery. Jefferson had envisioned deportation too. The tug of war over them is misplaced.

Some (tough?) questions for you:

*I* think we should overlook, just for example, this…

Ephesians 6:5: Slaves, obey your earthly masters with fear and trembling, with a sincere heart, as you would Christ,

… and call slavery wrong.

But why would *you* would overlook it?

How do you know a fetus is a person?

Where does the Fourteenth amendment protect them?

What penalty should a woman face if she has an abortion?