By DAVID CRARY
The Associated Press
Saturday, May 16, 2009 2:23 AM
NEW YORK -- A Gallup Poll released Friday found that 51 percent of Americans now call themselves pro-life rather than pro-choice on the issue of abortion, the first time a majority gave that answer in the 15 years that Gallup has asked the question.
The findings, obtained in an annual survey on values and beliefs conducted May 7-10, marked a significant shift from a year ago. A year ago, 50 percent said they were pro-choice and 44 percent pro-life--in the new poll, 42 percent said they were pro-choice . . .
CNN/Opinion Research Corp., a for-profit organization has (essentially) stopped one out of every 350,000 people walking down the street and asked their opinion on an issue where opinion doesn't matter. Law matters and law seldom follows the whim of a thousand nameless respondents.
Releasing the result of the poll a day ahead of President Obama's Notre Dame commencement speech does matter, in that the sign-carriers will now be up all night, perfecting their protest technique. That carries over to media coverage and thus the meaningless becomes meaningful. Mob rule. The Rev. Richard Land, president of the Southern Baptist Convention's Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission, is nearly ejaculatory in his enthusiasm for this "vibrant, growing, youthful movement."
More vibrant, growing and youthful than what? Than the comotose, shrinking and aged one out of every 350,000 dial-a-dudes distracted between making dinner and sitting down to TV fifteen years ago?
(the) new poll showed an increase in the pro-life position across Christian religious affiliations, including an eight-point gain among Protestants and a seven-point gain among Catholics. It also reported a 10-point shift toward the pro-life category among Republicans but said there was no significant change among Democrats.Amazing. Seven points here, eight there, a ten point shift, all of it gleaned from telephone interviews on a hot button issue most people won't even discuss, much less with honesty, to a stranger on the phone.
Dropped into my Saturday Washington Post by coincidence the day before a presidential commencement address at a Catholic university the Catholic Bishops of the United States called upon to be canceled.
Thank God for a free and biased press, along with CNN.
