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Home Front: Politix
Penguins Don't have All the Answers
2005-10-03
Sometimes Washington just doesn't know when to leave a good thing alone.

So it is that both sides of the political aisle have tried monopolizing on the success of the hit documentary "March of the Penguins." The film, which was the surprise hit of the summer, details the fascinating and difficult lives of penguins in Antarctica. A boring, yet somehoe riveting movie. Go see it!
Within weeks, conservative Christian organizations cited the film - and the lives of the penguins that it details - as proof of nature's innate bias toward family values. They also said the film spoke powerfully against abortion and suggested that Darwinism was simply, well, for the birds.

In a column on WorldNetDaily.com, Jill Stanek, an anti-abortion crusader, said, "I remembered last year's March for Women's Lives in Washington, D.C. when pro-aborts gathered to bolster their right to kill babies. I thought maybe a penguin movie analogy would help people understand."

Other have countered conservative arguments by noting that penguins may not be the picture of values that many conservative Christians would like them to be. Yes, penguins are monogamous, but for one year only. Then they move on to someone else. In addition, the mother and father spend virtually the entire year away from each other, as one gathers food while they other stays with the egg. Scientists also have observed gay male penguins.

Surely, we don't need to look all the way to animals living in Antarctica for moral lessons for us humans. Though it may be hard to imagine such a scenario here in Washington (where even the political implications of rain clouds are seriously weighed), it would be nice if, just for once, the warring camps didn't politicize each and every little thing. Some things - especially nature - should just be enjoyed
Posted by:Bobby

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