In Michelle Buckman’s novel, that is precisely the kind of society America has become in 2042, when it has been absorbed into a worldwide government called the “Unified Order of the World”. The fundamental right to live is turned into a duty to kill “for the good of the nation, for the good of the world.” Decades of programming, dehumanizing the weak and deliberate obliteration of the family, and its primordial role in reproduction, has paid off for the leaders of the regime, which has gained absolute control of a populace that follows orders to kill the unfit and experiment on the ill. The leaders of the Unified Order, led by Axyl Houston, are about to implement their version of ‘The Final Solution,’ the extermination of the inhabitants of the Cloistered Dominion, the Christian ghetto, who pose the last threat to the complete takeover of the human heart.

The Death Panels, like its predecessor, Aldous Huxley’s prophetic Brave New World in the 1930’s, is a clarion call to those whose consciences have fallen asleep in a nation once considered the pinnacle of civilization and beacon of freedom to the world. GK Chesterton said that Brave New World was a revolt against Utopianism, rejecting materialism and loss of individuality, sexual promiscuity, and was written about America.

The Death Panels was written about the America towards which we are heading if good people do nothing to stop it. It’s our last warning.

The Death Panels is a compelling read, despite how fiercely the atrocities of this brave new America assault our sensibilities.  Although offended, we are tempted to proclaim that we are above such outrages in America, yet, in the absolute control the state has over health care, we are eerily reminded of certain legislation which was just rammed through Congress.

Today’s politicians have decided what is “for the good of the nation, for the good of the world,” despite the will of the American public. The legislation has provisions for the same type of Death Panels we find in the Unified Order where those with genetic defects are eliminated as too expensive to receive care. Today, in 2010, it is accomplished by a voluntary 90% abortion rate; in 2042 it is accomplished by “dumping” whereby each birthing center has a drawer, where a defective newborn is strapped in, the drawer pushed in, and a button pressed, which gasses the newborn to death, and, in a coldly efficient manner, his corpse unceremoniously dumped into a waste bin.

This is too much for David Rudder, an outcast who, because of his refusal to abandon his Catholic faith, lives in the Dominion, a penal colony of Catholics carved out of the wasteland of Detroit’s inner cities. Even though he is a physician, his wife Elizabeth and newborn daughter Bethany languished and died for lack of updated medical equipment, which the government denied the Dominion in an attempt to slowly extinguish the remnants of the population resistant to indoctrination.

David came to mainstream America seeking solace from his grief, determined to do some good and make contact with the Christian Underground when after assisting at a birth, a child with Down syndrome is born, and he encounters the horrific process of “dumping.” Rudder rebels, and along with obstetrician Markus Holmes, whose disgust at the outrage gives him a burst of courage, they run with newborn baby, Frankie, in a desperate quest to save his life. These reluctant heroes have no idea that their bold actions will bring about upheaval in a nation which seems to be sleeping. They inspire Jessica Main, who has been secretly yearning for a family of her own. She contacts members of the Christian Underground, who have been waiting to capitalize on such an opportunity to expose the heinous experiments conducted on sick children donated to the State in the Gift of Life foundation. In The Death Panels one small act of rebellion from a reluctant hero touches off a mass awakening which threatens the hold that the totalitarian regime has over its somnolent citizenry.

The tragedy is that in America in 2010, this downturn is already far advanced, and we as a nation are too blind to see how far down the slippery slope our apathy has allowed us to slide. The Death Panels may be our last chance to see the terrifying consequences of deeming one member of the human family ‘life unworthy of life,’ and thereby degrading the value of all life. This fast-paced, powerfully written novel may be the wake up call we have been seeking.

Larry: Why, thank you very much.

Leticia: What appealed to you about that story?

Larry: Well, you know, I was so touched by this community, and the ability to offer absolute and immediate forgiveness in light of the tragedy that they suffered. It was almost inconceivable to me. And it was in the learning of the story and knowing more about it that I thought, this is just a fabulous potential movie because of the message that it has.

As a Catholic boy, I have been praying “forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us”. I realized that I’ve been talking the talk, but I didn’t even know what it meant, these people actually walked the walk and really evidenced their deep spiritual understanding of what the Lord’s Prayer is, and what’s required of us.

The movie’s not set out to tell everybody what they should do with their life, that if your child is killed  you should immediately forgive the killer, we’re not preaching that’s what you should do, but we are showing you that these people did do it, and maybe offer some inspiration and hope to where it gets people to think.

Leticia: There’s nothing like the power of a true witness. Steve Greydanus, the film critic at National Catholic Register took the message very much to heart, and did apply it to his life.

Larry: That’s wonderful!

Leticia: Did you know that 40% of your audience of “Amish Grace” was Catholic?

Larry: No, I did not know that! I do know that it was the highest rated, most watched movie in the history of the network.

Leticia: I hope that you are going to build on your success by producing similar faith based films?

Larry: You know its interesting that you should mention that, I had lunch yesterday with Sr Rose Pacette (Daughters of St Paul who have an apostolate in the media) at their convent. She’s just absolutely wonderful, and she invited me to lunch over at their convent. And the network was so pleased by the results of this particular movie, they said, “OK Larry, next Palm Sunday is yours”.

Do you know I’ve been looking and looking and I can’t find a movie. I thought I had found it with the movie based on the book called “The Shack” and actually,  I tried to get the rights to it, but it’s mired in a lot of legal problems, and I wasn’t able to do it. But I’m looking for the next movie that’s faith based. I’m looking everyday for stories for this.

Leticia: I think we all learned a lesson from the meteoric success of “The Passion” about the size of the Christian audience.

Larry: Well, you know, Leticia, I haven’t been one who’s been interested in making faith-based movies, I’ve been a very commercial producer and representative of talent my whole career, this is just a story that I saw and loved, and it was very difficult to sell it, it was very difficult to write, it was 13 drafts, it was difficult once it was finished being written, to convince the network they should air it because they were concerned that it was too sad, it was too depressing. I kept saying, “its not about the tragedy, its about the aftermath”, and that’s esoteric terms in Hollywood.

Its not like if you go to church on Sunday, in Chicago or New Orleans, but it is when you are pitching to Hollywood, because they don’t get it. Once they saw the film, oh, it was their idea, and even when it was about to air, they wouldn’t air it on Lifetime, they aired it on Lifetime Movie Network, and they didn’t want to give us a full budget, they gave us a smaller budget, because they just didn’t know. They just didn’t know, it wasn’t like their normal fare.

Of course, what happens? We get the word out, through groups like you and the Catholics who see it, and understand it, and spread the word, and then the movie has a life of its own on the air, most watched, highest rated original movie in the history of the Network.

Leticia: You mentioned “rage” in your book Shine, which gives advice on achieving your professional goals, you say it takes “talent, team, luck and rage”. Tell me more about channeling rage and who does it well.

Larry: I use ‘rage’ meaning its beyond that you hope something happens, or that you wish something to happen, or even if you have a passion for it to happen, if you really want to succeed, you really have, in your mind, have a maniacal tunnel vision, buy a one way ticket to where you’re going. You can’t have options.

Leticia: You’re talking about drive?

Larry: Yes, and Mel Gibson, in the making of “The Passion of the Christ”. He had that level of rage.

Leticia: Oh, he had that, but he’s having a difficult time channeling that rage lately.

Larry: You know, isn’t that true, but, you also have to separate the man from the talent, and the talent from the passion, just because he’s flawed, as we all are, doesn’t mean his intent and his passion for his message wasn’t pure.

I made “Amish Grace” and I think it’s a wonderful message for the world to enjoy, but I certainly don’t claim to be perfect, by any means,  I’m learning myself from my own movies.

Leticia: I’m sure that passionate, talented people are very difficult to live with.

Larry: Right now, in the management division of my company, I represent stars from Joan Rivers to David Hasselhof, and William Shatner. I say to my wife some mornings, I say, “It’s only 9 o’clock, heck, I’ve already talked with William Shatner, Joan Rivers, and David Hasselhof”. I mean that’s not a day at the beach.

Leticia: No I’m sure its not.

Larry: But these are driven, talented, gifted people, who have there own charms, talents, toils, and demons and everything else, but to reach a level of success or to penetrate the consciousness, you have to have a level of commitment, everybody wants it but few people are willing to pay the price.

Leticia: That’s right.

Larry: And that’s what ‘rage’ is about, somebody who doesn’t have a choice and doesn’t see it as rage actually its just who they are and what they do.

Leticia: Or an inner passion for what they do

Larry: Exactly.

Leticia: Who do you think is the funniest person on TV?

Larry: You know the young kid who is on “The Big Bang Theory”? Jim Parsons, is that his name? He’s very funny. My humor is a little edgier than prime time television, I just finished doing a Comedy Central roast of David Hasselhof. This fall you’re going to be seeing William Shatner on a new series called. “Bleep, My Dad Said”. I think it’s very funny.

Leticia: Tell us bout your TV biopic of Oprah.

Larry: Actually I just got off the phone on that, that’s what I’m into as we speak. I think Oprah is probably one of the most fascinating people on planet earth and being from Mississippi myself which is where she’s from, I find it remarkable to go from a African American little girl in a rural Delta to the world stage as Oprah, that’s a fascinating journey.

Leticia: It sure is, why do you think she’s so popular with American women?

Larry: I think that she speaks a lot of truth to them and I think she’s gained their confidence and its interesting that 25 years later she’s coming to the end of her show as we know it, and I thought that this movie would be a three dimensional telling of her story and celebration of her life and something I think a lot of people would be interested in. Again she’s not a perfect person either.

Leticia: Yes, I believe she had suffered abuse in her family and she overcame that and I think that’s one of the reasons women love her.

Larry: Oh I think so too, I think they see her as an early victim who overcame many challenges.

Leticia: Can you hint at who’s playing Oprah?
Larry: No, I don’t know that myself yet. I’m open not only to recognizable stars, but I’m also thinking in terms of an unknown.

Leticia: Your book division is an interesting, how did you get involved in that?

Larry: Well, you know when you have an idea and sometimes you think it’s a movie and you find out its not, maybe its TV movie maybe it’s a feature film maybe it’s a book or an album, you never know. The ideas we have and the projects that interest us sort of take a life of their own and we follow that to where you can get it distributed, it’s all about distribution. If you have a great idea and no one to finance or to buy it you don’t have anything.

Leticia: And that’s where you come in.

Larry: Yeah that’s what I do. We’re sorta like water, when you turn over a bucket of water, and  it just go wherever it’ll go, and we have to follow it sometimes.

Leticia: That’s right, you follow it to see what’s ahead, and you have such a good reputation I’m sure if you back something it would sell.

Larry: Well we try; I mean you do this long enough that you start to sense a pattern of what you think people will buy. I’ve done 23 movies and every time I sell or pitch the next idea, on one hand they are counting on me to pitch up something that’s going to get a high rating or have a big box office, however, it’s a very fickle public, and  it’s very difficult.  There are so many factors that none of us control. But you know what? The truth of the matter is that if it’s a great story the water will find an outlet, and it’ll reach the public.

Leticia: What do you think are the elements of a great story?

Larry: I think it’s a story in which the viewer can relate to in some way to their own life. The telling of a story has to be historically from people sitting around a campfire and telling a story to going to see movies like Avatar, its all about storytelling its all about people listening to other people’s adventures or experiences and being able to extract from the story the emotional journey the characters went through and apply it to their own life. We will never as an individual, experience all the things that all the characters went through in all the stories we’ve ever seen, but by absorbing and witnessing their story and adventure and emotional life we are enriched, we are prepared, and it enlightens us to who we are as people and who we are as a civilization and as human beings. I think a good story does that. If the story doesn’t allow the viewer to be entertained, to  learn and get lost within the characters it’s not doing its job.

Leticia: Well you know who else was a good story teller? Jesus.

Larry: He was the best.

Leticia:  He recognized the power of a good story.

Larry: It’s interesting that you say that because He used a parable to tell His story, and a movie is a parable.

Leticia: And I think Catholics are essentially gifted at that because we acknowledge that the faith is shown not explained.  Some of the Protestant movies are a little bit talky; movies made by Catholics are more symbolic like The Passion.

Larry: Exactly right. My gosh, you are quite a student of this!

Leticia: I have been working on a script of my own and trying to understand what makes a good story. You show your point; if you can’t make your point through characters and storyline forget it!

Larry: Exactly.

Leticia: I’m used to a tough audience as a classroom teacher, if you don’t reach your audience in the first five minutes, you’re dead!

Larry: (laughs) it’s truly a pleasure, I mean it!

[This movie was released on DVD on September 14.]

This is the situation that Brady McDaniels (Jeffrey Johnston) finds himself in when he takes over the route of a fellow letter carrier on leave.  More troublesome still, his supervisor Les (Dennis Neal) suggests he keep them. He brings them with him to show them to his old Commanding Officer, now a bartender at his nightly watering hole, who suggests they belong in a church. Hesitantly Brady walks up the aisle of the local church, hoping to leave the letters there, and escape unnoticed. He feels uncomfortable, suspecting that his drunkenness will not go over well. He is startled by the pastor, who  suggests that Brady has been given a mission by God, and that the letters from his brain cancer-ridden parishioner, 8 year old Tyler (Tanner McGuire) were meant for him.

What could the chatty letters full of details of Tyler Doherty’s life and childish questions have to do with a life where, as Brady describes it, “everything I touch turns to dust?” After he was caught driving drunk with his son in the car, Brady lost custody of him to his ex-wife. He misses his son, yet knows that, as a drunk, he is a bad example to him. His life is a lonely one, and it isn’t long before the letters draw Brady into the loving attitude of Tyler’s family and finds himself involved in their lives.

Maddy Doherty (Robyn Lively) is at the end of her rope. Her husband’s sudden death last year left her a single mom of two growing boys. On the night she prepares to return to her nursing job at the hospital, she burns the meatloaf. Only the calm reassurance of her mother Olivia (Maree Cheatham) enables Maddie to keep it together as she hugs Tyler goodbye and leaves for work. Tyler is the light of her life, and though his doctor has warned her not to get her hopes up, she can’t help hoping that his cancer will be cured. What she can’t cure is her teenager Ben’s (Michael Bolten) negative attitude towards his family. He feels that his mother has forgotten him in her focus on his sick brother. The tragic loss of his father has injured his faith in God and Ben sullenly hides in his room, playing his guitar and pushing everyone away.

Letters to God is not a typical sick child story. Missing the self-absorption and the scientists rushing to find a cure, we are left with an eight year old boy whose contagious hope buoys up everyone he meets. Tyler sits out on the roof of the house at night talking to God in his letters. “I miss Mom’s laugh.” “Can you see the stars from there, God? My father told me you made them”. Tyler isn’t afraid of going to heaven, as he tell God, “I already know two people there” and he isn’t afraid of sharing the reason for his hope: Tyler is best friends with God.

Letters to God is based on a true story written by Patrick Doughtie, the father of a little boy who died of cancer and whose letters had a powerful effect on those who read them, inspiring them to write their own letters to God. Anyone who has lost a loved one to the slow painful death from cancer knows the importance of a relationship with God in a crisis. Yet Tyler’s faith isn’t the foxhole faith of a dying boy; it’s the easy friendship of a life long walk in the company of Jesus, molded in His image. Tyler doesn’t beg to live longer, he asks for faith for those he loves, and for someone to care for his lonely mother. When the Grandpa of Tyler’s friend Samantha, the irascible Cornelius Pennyfield (Ralph Waite) tells him that he has been handed the role of his life, to be a warrior for God, Tyler takes on the challenge with gusto. His courageous example inspires Samantha (Bailee Madison) who ferociously defends him at school, to look into the hearts of those who are cruel and offer forgiveness.  Tyler is an inspiration to his classmates; to his brother Ben, who composes a song for him; and for his mother, who finds strength in his example. Soon, the influence of one little boy’s faith inspires a movement of outreach and faith. Letters to God is a moving tribute to a life well-lived and a mission accomplished.

A compelling performance by Tanner McGuire as Tyler is the hub of this emotional drama and compliments the theatrical  magic of Ralph Waite. Jeffrey Johnston is believable as Brady McDaniels, renegade turned father, and the film, though slow in places, finishes with a powerful impact, as real life testimonies to the real Tyler are shown during the credits.

David Nixon, director of Letters to God sat down with this author to discuss making Christian-themed films with a “Hollywood look.”

Velasquez : How is your company related to the church in Georgia?

Nixon: About six years ago, we got a divine appointment with that church, Sherwood Baptist in Albany, [Georgia]. I’ve been in production for about 30 years, doing secular productions: commercials, documentaries and things — they knew of my production company. They wanted to make Christian films, so they called me and said, “Will you come and help us make our next movie; give us a Hollywood look.” That was Facing the Giants.

They had made Flywheel themselves in the church, and they couldn’t get a Hollywood look, so they called me, and I drove my crew from Orlando and we kind of elevated their production level to give them a Hollywood look. At that point, we didn’t think they were going to get a theatrical deal. We didn’t think we could get that back then, but that was when The Passion was getting about $600 million.

We were at the right place at the right time. And SONY picked it up, and put it in theatres and the rest is history.

Velasquez: Where did you get the story for Letters to God?

Nixon: About three years ago, we were putting a film deal together after we finished Facing the Giants and we were gearing up to make Fireproof.  The distributor said, “Can you do any more of these God films?”  I told him that the church could only do one about every three years, but Possibility Pictures could do it. That was SONY, who is the distributor. It’s an amazing thing that Hollywood wants these movies. And so I was looking for scripts.

I have a friend in Orlando, a writer, who said he was just working with the father of a little cancer boy up in Nashville who’d written this story Letters to God. He asked if I wanted to see it, and I said, “Definitely.” As soon as I read it, it just touched me and I got on a plane and I flew to Nashville. I met with Patrick Doughty the father, and I said, “We’ve got to make this movie; it’s just a wonderful sweet little story, and it has all the components of a great film.” That was about three years ago. We went out and raised the money, made the film, and here we are.

Sony originally said they would fund it, but I went back to Orlando, and I asked my Christian friends, “Should we really let Hollywood pay for it?” and they said “No, no, we can raise the money. If Hollywood pays for it, they’ll control the content, and they’ll water down the message. Why don’t you let us raise the money here in Orlando, and we can make sure the content doesn’t get watered down, and the Christian message doesn’t get taken out of the movie.”

Velasquez: That really is the secret to the success.

Nixon: Exactly.  That’s really our model, my company, Possibility Pictures funds the movies.

Velasquez: What do you think sets this film apart from other films about sick children, like, Extraordinary Measures? What is the difference in perspective?

Nixon: Well, really it’s the story. It’s a true story, and it goes beyond just the typical cancer idea with the letters component. We wanted to make a movie with a lesson, but we didn’t want to be preachy, to hit you over the head. I loved this idea of a little eight year old, writing these simple letters to his best friend, God, and putting them in the mail, because that’s a way to get across a message without it being overbearing, without it being preachy, and that’s what makes the difference. You’re so compelled by this little eight year old, and his faith, and the characters portrayed up on screen that you become part of the family. That’s so real that it’s not hitting you over the head with the message; you just get it. The faith of this little boy changed all of the lives around him.

Velasquez: It was the father who wrote the story, and yet there is no father in the story; why?

Nixon: He changed the story because it was so difficult for him. After his son passed, he went through about two years of depression. He came out of that and God put it on his heart to write the story, but he had to change that because it was so close to him. He changed it to be a single mom instead of a single father, and he added a few characters. He changed it enough so that it wasn’t too difficult for him when he was writing the story.

Velasquez: He wrote himself out of the story?

Nixon: Yes (laughs).

Velasquez: Was the mailman part of the original story? It’s very poignant, his being an absentee father. So many kids are going through fatherlessness.

Nixon: The mailman was fictional, but the father (Patrick Doughty) thought, ‘Let’s add this guy who’s had his own demons, who’s going through his own struggles, being alcoholic and we can really see his character change, through the movie.” And I thought Jess Johnson just played such a wonderful role, and really pulled that character off. You really feel for this guy.

Velasquez: I appreciate the fact that in the beginning, the audience is led to think, “what kind of a loser is this guy?’ then as the story unfolds, you begin to feel sympathy for him.

Nixon: The screenplay came first, the book was written after the screenplay, the novelization was written after we’d actually made the movie. It was Patrick’s story of his little boy Tyler that he wrote into a screenplay, and that was the original idea.  We took that screenplay and polished it. I had my writer, Sandy Thrift, whose been my partner for about 20 years, polish the script.  She added the magic; she added the characters which gave the neighborhood the wonderful charm, like magic.

Velasquez: Where did you find your actors?

Nixon: We did a casting in LA and most of the actors were actors in LA who have done television and some movies. We just put the normal casting call out; we didn’t think we would get high-caliber actors. This isn’t a high-budget movie. We couldn’t offer them much in terms of compensation. We were amazed at how many actors came and said, “We love the screenplay; we don’t get enough of these kinds of screenplays; we would love to play this role.” Especially Ralph Waite (Pa Walton in The Waltons). He blew us away when he came to the casting. He said to us in the casting, “You know, this movie is very close to my heart, I lost a child to cancer 30 years ago, so I wanted to play this role.“

Velasquez: Did you use the words from Tyler’s original letters?

Nixon: Exactly, that is true to life, that Patrick wrote down the same dialogue and the same things that happened with him and his son are true to life in the story.

Velasquez: What do you hope is the message that audiences take away from the film?

Nixon: The bottom line is what Tyler says at the end of the movie, “I just want everybody to believe.” The reason why we make these movies is that we want people to know that you can have a connection with God. If this little eight-yea-old boy, going through the worst time of his life, can write these sweet little letters, to his best friend, to God, and he has this connection, then any of us can have that hope, and that connection. I hope that people will be inspired by the movie, and maybe they’ll start writing their own letters to God, but at least have some kind of connection with God that wants to be a part of their lives.

Velasquez: What’s your next project?

Nixon: We have two films we’re shooting this summer. One is a Christian comedy called Saving Livingston which is a wonderful little story we came up with, and another true life story about a girl in Orlando which is called, To Write Love on Her Arm. We’re shooting both of those this summer and they’ll be out next year in theatres.

Velasquez: You sound like you’re getting busier.

Nixon: Oh, yeah, it’s non-stop. While we’ve got this door open to theatrical release, we’re going to run right through that.

Our formula is in the three million dollar range, so we can have paid actors and paid crew in these movies, we’re staying to that formula, we’re not increasing it from movie to movie. We’ve gone out and raised enough money to make each one of these movies for about that, It works pretty well, you know the distributor has to make money, so you can’t be spending a hundred million dollars on a movie, in this genre, you’re not going to make your money back.

Velasquez: Do you have any romantic films coming? Is To Write Love on Her Arm romantic?

Nixon: Not really, To Write Love on Her Arm is a true story about a teenage girl who went through depression became an alcoholic and became addicted to cutting.

Velasquez: That’s becoming a frighteningly common trend.

Nixon: Terrible. That’s what that’s about; we wanted to tell that true story about a girl in Orlando who went through that. We wanted to tell that story to save some kids. There are kids who are committing suicide because of this. That’s a pretty heavy dramatic film. Saving Livingston is a comedy but it has a pretty romantic side to it. That will be a little lighter fare.

Velasquez: Can you do an anti-Twilight film?

Nixon: (Laughs.) That’s the plan.  Really, that’s To Write Love on Her Arms; that’s the anti-Twilight film.

David Nixon was the producer of Facing the Giants and Fireproof and is the director of Letters to God which is coming out Friday, April. 8. This moving film will become a standard in many a family DVD collection.  No nudity or profanity.  Brief violence related to drunkenness, and a mature theme have earned this film a PG rating. Highly recommended for children Tyler’s age (8) and up.

[Copyright CatholicExchange.com 2010, originally published April 10, 2010]

Rights for men and poverty for women. Sadly it’s a familiar story from my days as a Social Worker at Catholic Charities in New York. One case stands out from 25 years ago: the wife of a cardiologist, living in a mansion without heat, where she and three small children were reduced to living in the living room heated by a kerosene heater, keeping warm under quilts, came to me seeking food for her family for Christmas Day. The not- so-good doctor had fled to warmer climes with his girlfriend, emptying the bank accounts, leaving his wife with nothing but a Bloomingdale’s credit card. You can’t buy food at Bloomies, so her children were well-dressed, and hungry. His lawyer settled the child support while he was on medical leave for an operation, and without income. The doctor had NO obligation to support his children. According to Family Court, two years later, while touring his hospital, the same doctor boasted about his large donations to charity. Bound by confidentiality, I replied icily, “Charity begins at home, pal!” Both this man and Kristin’s ex-husband planned the abandonment of their famlies by cleaning out the joint bank accounts. When their wives fought for support, they discovered that their husbands could afford better lawyers.

Addressing this widespread problem though her personal crisis, Kristin speaks in a colloquial voice as she describes her situation, and takes the reader back to her childhood as an only child of adoptive parents. She tells the story of her troubled marriage to a narcissistic sociopath with candor and without self pity. Far from the latest blame-my-mother book, 11 On My Own is set apart by Kristin’s humble admission of own her role in her disastrous marriages. This as well as the frequent references to Canon Law, Papal Encyclicals, and The Catechism of the Catholic Church, makes 11 On My Own somewhat akin to Confessions of St Augustine, one of two saints to whom she dedicates the book.

St Augustine said:

“I came to You late, O Beauty so ancient and new. I came to love You late …  You were with me but I was not with You. You called me, You shouted to me, You wrapped me in Your Splendor, You broke past my deafness, You bathed me in Your Light. . . You touched me, and I burned to know Your Peace.

Kristin says;

In my past, I had chosen several times to follow Jesus’ path without fully knowing why: I had my babies baptized in the Church and gave my mother a proper burial before I was a practicing Catholic.

Yes, I had also chosen sin through many foolish and poor life decisions. My parents believed in God, yet they didn’t take me to His Church. I had the benefit of graces received in Baptism, but had no idea how to channel them. I am sure that my devout Babci (Polish for grandma) praying in the Church triumphant for my soul was a means of shaping my destiny to begin making the right choices.

There is hope for me, thank God. No sin of mine (or anyone’s) is greater than God’s love. No matter what your past has been, we can begin anew.”

Despite disturbing descriptions of abuse suffered, and intolerable legal injustice, ultimately 11 On My Own is a tale of hope. Hope that the poor sinner reading this book can learn from the hardships that Kristin endured as a result of her own sin and that of her husband. Hope that readers will then take advantage of the graces bestowed on them through Baptism, and make good confessions in order to live in the grace of God. It’s never too late. If ever there were an important message to a world with a 50% divorce rate, wounded from sin, it’s this one.

Highly recommended for adults and mature teens, due to a sprinkling of four letter words, and sexual references. This may be just the book your son or daughter needs to read before heading into a disastrous life decision.

In the interests of full disclosure, I must tell you that I am the Leticia whom Kristin mentions in the last line of her book, and who wrote the blurb on the book’s back cover.

I came to know Kristin within the past year, through our daughters’ friendship. I was impressed at the purity and holiness of her children, as well as her determination that she would remain faithful to God and not surrender to bitterness, despite the terrible events she and her children have endured. It was the witness of her beautiful family and the enormity of the injustice she has borne at the hands of the courts which prompted me to support her book. May it be a blessing to you.

[Help support Catholic Exchange by getting this important and moving book from our online store.]

The Perfect Game is all about miracles, it is based the true story of the 1957 Little League World Series, in which a rag-tag group of poor Mexican boys from the metal forge town of Monterrey cut a swathe of victory through the United States — to the admiration of American children and the chagrin of racists. Their meteoric rise to fame captured the attention of America and will capture your heart.

How did boys who didn’t speak English, had no field or fancy equipment, and weighed 50 pounds less on average than their opponents win so many games?  The diminutive athletes have two secret weapons: Their coach Cesar (Clifton Collins Jr.), a former employee of the St. Louis Cardinals gave them each a role model in a Major League Baseball star. And their pastor gave them his blessing. With the support of these men, hard work and heartfelt faith, the Monterrey Industrials went out to make history.

The story follows the tight knit band of amigos from their simple homes in Mexico all the way to the Little League championship in Williamsport, PA. But their unlikely championship does more than impress the hometown folks; they managed to change hearts and inspire those they met. In Mexico, they bravely faced the scorn of the wealthy Mexico City team, yet the boys were not prepared for the harsh realities of segregation in the South of the 1950’s. Separate bathrooms were new to them, and it angered the boys when one of the American team members ate alone at the diner because he was black. They forged a kinship with a black Protestant Pastor Clarence (John Cothran Jr.) who pinch hit as team chaplain for Padre Esteban and they forged the common bond as underdogs who refuse to let hatred win.

The unique and memorable characters of the teammates are what make the film a winner.  Jake T. Austin has an incredible range of emotions as Angel Macias, the pitcher who strove to pitch a perfect game. Moises Arias, is adorable as Mario, the shortest teammate famous for his charm with the ladies. The feisty yet humble personalities of the little boys captured the hearts of the teenage audience who viewed the film with me. They recognized the actors from Disney Channel, and were charmed by their characters in the film, cheering them on as they wowed America onscreen.

When Cheech Marin was asked by Brian Kilmeade of Fox and Friends how it was that he played the role of Padre Esteban so convincingly, he recalled his childhood in the Church where he was an altar boy. “I imitated the priest,” he said. In his childhood, Cheech was also a big fan of the Monterrey Industrials, “I had a lot in common with them. Perhaps that’s why he successfully embodied the Padre whose heartfelt prayer for a means of giving the boys hope began the story. Soon after his prayer, a baseball saying “Property of St Louis” was found next to an abandoned church by Angel Macias, and the boys took it as a sign from God that they were meant to play baseball. They convinced Cesar to be their coach, cleared the abandoned church plaza for a field, and began to play ball.

Soon the relationship between the team and down-on-his-luck Cesar took on the warmth of a friendship as the boys assisted his budding romance with the beautiful Maria (Patricia Manterola).  Cesar, an unkempt drunk, finds himself spellbound in the presence of a Maria as the two meet at the market. The boys convince him that she can be found at Sunday Mass, where Cesar stands out like a sore thumb. The involvement of the entire team in Maria and Cesar’s romance is part of the film’s charm, making it an excellent date flick.

The theme of father son relationship is central to the film, where the tension is thick between pitcher Angel Macias and his father, Umberto (Carlos Gomez). Umberto is angrily mourning the loss of Angel’s big brother Pedro. Angel somehow manages to excel as a pitcher, despite his father’s insistence that he will never fill Pedro’s shoes and his utter lack of interest in Angel’s playing. Yet, in the end, the film underscores the crucial importance of a father’s approval to a growing son.

The authentically Mexican flair of the soundtrack and unique cinematography, blending newsreel footage of the actual team and the film itself, enhance the feeling of being witness to history.

This is a film which will be soon added to the family collection, to be played and replayed, along with director William Dear’s other baseball classic, Angels in the Outfield. Its not often that at film comes along which baseball is merely a vehicle to inspire hope and not an end in itself. The boys’ faith, dogged perseverance and winning personalities will make you laugh, cry and cheer for them. The Perfect Game is an example of what sports can do for a group of children with a good adult role model to guide them.

No nudity (little boys in underwear, a verbal reference to jock straps), no sexual innuendos, an appropriately negative portrayal of drunkenness and a scene where stealing is correctly called ‘sinful’ make this film an outstanding family film, suitable for all ages. I give this film my highest recommendation. If you only go to see one film this year, go see The Perfect Game.

This is the situation that Brady McDaniels (Jeffrey Johnston) finds himself in when he takes over the route of a fellow letter carrier on leave.  More troublesome still, his supervisor Les (Dennis Neal) suggests he keep them. He brings them with him to show them to his old Commanding Officer, now a bartender at his nightly watering hole, who suggests they belong in a church. Hesitantly Brady walks up the aisle of the local church, hoping to leave the letters there, and escape unnoticed. He feels uncomfortable, suspecting that his drunkenness will not go over well. He is startled by the pastor, who  suggests that Brady has been given a mission by God, and that the letters from his brain cancer-ridden parishioner, 8 year old Tyler (Tanner McGuire) were meant for him.

What could the chatty letters full of details of Tyler Doherty’s life and childish questions have to do with a life where, as Brady describes it, “everything I touch turns to dust?” After he was caught driving drunk with his son in the car, Brady lost custody of him to his ex-wife. He misses his son, yet knows that, as a drunk, he is a bad example to him. His life is a lonely one, and it isn’t long before the letters draw Brady into the loving attitude of Tyler’s family and finds himself involved in their lives.

Maddy Doherty (Robyn Lively) is at the end of her rope. Her husband’s sudden death last year left her a single mom of two growing boys. On the night she prepares to return to her nursing job at the hospital, she burns the meatloaf. Only the calm reassurance of her mother Olivia (Maree Cheatham) enables Maddie to keep it together as she hugs Tyler goodbye and leaves for work. Tyler is the light of her life, and though his doctor has warned her not to get her hopes up, she can’t help hoping that his cancer will be cured. What she can’t cure is her teenager Ben’s (Michael Bolten) negative attitude towards his family. He feels that his mother has forgotten him in her focus on his sick brother. The tragic loss of his father has injured his faith in God and Ben sullenly hides in his room, playing his guitar and pushing everyone away.

Letters to God is not a typical sick child story. Missing the self-absorption and the scientists rushing to find a cure, we are left with an eight year old boy whose contagious hope buoys up everyone he meets. Tyler sits out on the roof of the house at night talking to God in his letters. “I miss Mom’s laugh.” “Can you see the stars from there, God? My father told me you made them”. Tyler isn’t afraid of going to heaven, as he tell God, “I already know two people there” and he isn’t afraid of sharing the reason for his hope: Tyler is best friends with God.

Letters to God is based on a true story written by Patrick Doughtie, the father of a little boy who died of cancer and whose letters had a powerful effect on those who read them, inspiring them to write their own letters to God. Anyone who has lost a loved one to the slow painful death from cancer knows the importance of a relationship with God in a crisis. Yet Tyler’s faith isn’t the foxhole faith of a dying boy; it’s the easy friendship of a life long walk in the company of Jesus, molded in His image. Tyler doesn’t beg to live longer, he asks for faith for those he loves, and for someone to care for his lonely mother. When the Grandpa of Tyler’s friend Samantha, the irascible Cornelius Pennyfield (Ralph Waite) tells him that he has been handed the role of his life, to be a warrior for God, Tyler takes on the challenge with gusto. His courageous example inspires Samantha (Bailee Madison) who ferociously defends him at school, to look into the hearts of those who are cruel and offer forgiveness.  Tyler is an inspiration to his classmates; to his brother Ben, who composes a song for him; and for his mother, who finds strength in his example. Soon, the influence of one little boy’s faith inspires a movement of outreach and faith. Letters to God is a moving tribute to a life well-lived and a mission accomplished.

A compelling performance by Tanner McGuire as Tyler is the hub of this emotional drama and compliments the theatrical  magic of Ralph Waite. Jeffrey Johnston is believable as Brady McDaniels, renegade turned father, and the film, though slow in places, finishes with a powerful impact, as real life testimonies to the real Tyler are shown during the credits.

David Nixon, director of Letters to God sat down with this author to discuss making Christian-themed films with a “Hollywood look.”

Velasquez : How is your company related to the church in Georgia?

Nixon: About six years ago, we got a divine appointment with that church, Sherwood Baptist in Albany, [Georgia]. I’ve been in production for about 30 years, doing secular productions: commercials, documentaries and things — they knew of my production company. They wanted to make Christian films, so they called me and said, “Will you come and help us make our next movie; give us a Hollywood look.” That was Facing the Giants.

They had made Flywheel themselves in the church, and they couldn’t get a Hollywood look, so they called me, and I drove my crew from Orlando and we kind of elevated their production level to give them a Hollywood look. At that point, we didn’t think they were going to get a theatrical deal. We didn’t think we could get that back then, but that was when The Passion was getting about $600 million.

We were at the right place at the right time. And SONY picked it up, and put it in theatres and the rest is history.

Velasquez: Where did you get the story for Letters to God?

Nixon: About three years ago, we were putting a film deal together after we finished Facing the Giants and we were gearing up to make Fireproof.  The distributor said, “Can you do any more of these God films?”  I told him that the church could only do one about every three years, but Possibility Pictures could do it. That was SONY, who is the distributor. It’s an amazing thing that Hollywood wants these movies. And so I was looking for scripts.

I have a friend in Orlando, a writer, who said he was just working with the father of a little cancer boy up in Nashville who’d written this story Letters to God. He asked if I wanted to see it, and I said, “Definitely.” As soon as I read it, it just touched me and I got on a plane and I flew to Nashville. I met with Patrick Doughty the father, and I said, “We’ve got to make this movie; it’s just a wonderful sweet little story, and it has all the components of a great film.” That was about three years ago. We went out and raised the money, made the film, and here we are.

Sony originally said they would fund it, but I went back to Orlando, and I asked my Christian friends, “Should we really let Hollywood pay for it?” and they said “No, no, we can raise the money. If Hollywood pays for it, they’ll control the content, and they’ll water down the message. Why don’t you let us raise the money here in Orlando, and we can make sure the content doesn’t get watered down, and the Christian message doesn’t get taken out of the movie.”

Velasquez: That really is the secret to the success.

Nixon: Exactly.  That’s really our model, my company, Possibility Pictures funds the movies.

Velasquez: What do you think sets this film apart from other films about sick children, like, Extraordinary Measures? What is the difference in perspective?

Nixon: Well, really it’s the story. It’s a true story, and it goes beyond just the typical cancer idea with the letters component. We wanted to make a movie with a lesson, but we didn’t want to be preachy, to hit you over the head. I loved this idea of a little eight year old, writing these simple letters to his best friend, God, and putting them in the mail, because that’s a way to get across a message without it being overbearing, without it being preachy, and that’s what makes the difference. You’re so compelled by this little eight year old, and his faith, and the characters portrayed up on screen that you become part of the family. That’s so real that it’s not hitting you over the head with the message; you just get it. The faith of this little boy changed all of the lives around him.

Velasquez: It was the father who wrote the story, and yet there is no father in the story; why?

Nixon: He changed the story because it was so difficult for him. After his son passed, he went through about two years of depression. He came out of that and God put it on his heart to write the story, but he had to change that because it was so close to him. He changed it to be a single mom instead of a single father, and he added a few characters. He changed it enough so that it wasn’t too difficult for him when he was writing the story.

Velasquez: He wrote himself out of the story?

Nixon: Yes (laughs).

Velasquez: Was the mailman part of the original story? It’s very poignant, his being an absentee father. So many kids are going through fatherlessness.

Nixon: The mailman was fictional, but the father (Patrick Doughty) thought, ‘Let’s add this guy who’s had his own demons, who’s going through his own struggles, being alcoholic and we can really see his character change, through the movie.” And I thought Jess Johnson just played such a wonderful role, and really pulled that character off. You really feel for this guy.

Velasquez: I appreciate the fact that in the beginning, the audience is led to think, “what kind of a loser is this guy?’ then as the story unfolds, you begin to feel sympathy for him.

Nixon: The screenplay came first, the book was written after the screenplay, the novelization was written after we’d actually made the movie. It was Patrick’s story of his little boy Tyler that he wrote into a screenplay, and that was the original idea.  We took that screenplay and polished it. I had my writer, Sandy Thrift, whose been my partner for about 20 years, polish the script.  She added the magic; she added the characters which gave the neighborhood the wonderful charm, like magic.

Velasquez: Where did you find your actors?

Nixon: We did a casting in LA and most of the actors were actors in LA who have done television and some movies. We just put the normal casting call out; we didn’t think we would get high-caliber actors. This isn’t a high-budget movie. We couldn’t offer them much in terms of compensation. We were amazed at how many actors came and said, “We love the screenplay; we don’t get enough of these kinds of screenplays; we would love to play this role.” Especially Ralph Waite (Pa Walton in The Waltons). He blew us away when he came to the casting. He said to us in the casting, “You know, this movie is very close to my heart, I lost a child to cancer 30 years ago, so I wanted to play this role.“

Velasquez: Did you use the words from Tyler’s original letters?

Nixon: Exactly, that is true to life, that Patrick wrote down the same dialogue and the same things that happened with him and his son are true to life in the story.

Velasquez: What do you hope is the message that audiences take away from the film?

Nixon: The bottom line is what Tyler says at the end of the movie, “I just want everybody to believe.” The reason why we make these movies is that we want people to know that you can have a connection with God. If this little eight-yea-old boy, going through the worst time of his life, can write these sweet little letters, to his best friend, to God, and he has this connection, then any of us can have that hope, and that connection. I hope that people will be inspired by the movie, and maybe they’ll start writing their own letters to God, but at least have some kind of connection with God that wants to be a part of their lives.

Velasquez: What’s your next project?

Nixon: We have two films we’re shooting this summer. One is a Christian comedy called Saving Livingston which is a wonderful little story we came up with, and another true life story about a girl in Orlando which is called, To Write Love on Her Arm. We’re shooting both of those this summer and they’ll be out next year in theatres.

Velasquez: You sound like you’re getting busier.

Nixon: Oh, yeah, it’s non-stop. While we’ve got this door open to theatrical release, we’re going to run right through that.

Our formula is in the three million dollar range, so we can have paid actors and paid crew in these movies, we’re staying to that formula, we’re not increasing it from movie to movie. We’ve gone out and raised enough money to make each one of these movies for about that, It works pretty well, you know the distributor has to make money, so you can’t be spending a hundred million dollars on a movie, in this genre, you’re not going to make your money back.

Velasquez: Do you have any romantic films coming? Is To Write Love on Her Arm romantic?

Nixon: Not really, To Write Love on Her Arm is a true story about a teenage girl who went through depression became an alcoholic and became addicted to cutting.

Velasquez: That’s becoming a frighteningly common trend.

Nixon: Terrible. That’s what that’s about; we wanted to tell that true story about a girl in Orlando who went through that. We wanted to tell that story to save some kids. There are kids who are committing suicide because of this. That’s a pretty heavy dramatic film. Saving Livingston is a comedy but it has a pretty romantic side to it. That will be a little lighter fare.

Velasquez: Can you do an anti-Twilight film?

Nixon: (Laughs.) That’s the plan.  Really, that’s To Write Love on Her Arms; that’s the anti-Twilight film.

David Nixon was the producer of Facing the Giants and Fireproof and is the director of Letters to God which is coming out Friday, April. 8. This moving film will become a standard in many a family DVD collection.  No nudity or profanity.  Brief violence related to drunkenness, and a mature theme have earned this film a PG rating. Highly recommended for children Tyler’s age (8) and up.

[Copyright CatholicExchange.com 2010]

We Catholic Moms are confronted with a culture which considers us at best, quaint, and we long for acceptance and a sisterly arm about our shoulders. Lisa Hendey, the woman behind the popular internet gathering spot, Catholic Mom, has given us just that in her book The Handbook for Catholic Moms.

For more than ten years, CatholicMom.com has provided Catholic women with a place for friendship and counsel, wit and wisdom. Now Lisa has organized the insights of her talented cadre of seasoned Catholic writers into several important themes to form a book to reach the mom in the trenches of laundry, dishes, teens and potty training with the message that they are not alone. They are part of a blessed sisterhood.

Lisa does not see herself as a Mom-guru, giving advice from on high, instead her attitude throughout the book is “I found some great ideas on this subject from a friend, come and see”, or “here’s how I struggled with this problem.” I enjoyed reading about her experiences as a young mother moving to a new parish with a husband working long hours, and the story of her stirring victory over breast cancer.

The Handbook has sound, balanced advice on matters practical as well as spiritual, and the topics are so diverse, that any mom is bound to find a personally relevant section. The two which stood out to me were the nutrition and fitness sections; these are two areas where my husband and doctor have been trying to motivate me. Lisa’s upbeat, affirming words have helped me take another look at how I care for my body. She has helped convince me that my health is worth taking time out of my schedule, and that taking care of me is an act of love for my family. Encouragement is her particular gift and she uses it well throughout this book.

Lisa is a natural cheerleader, and when it comes to sharing her faith, her enthusiasm is contagious, yet she doesn’t get too theoretical. For example, in her section on prayer, she acknowledges the difficulty most mothers have maintaining an active prayer life and proposes practical solutions:

The demands of our motherly vocation, couple with an ever-increasing societal “noise” level and the busyness of the schedules we keep, leave our spiritual reserves running on empty. In this chapter, we look at different types of prayer and how busy moms have succeeded in prioritizing prayer in their lives.

Hands-on strategies, heartfelt sharing of triumphs and tragedies, and authentically Catholic advice based on Scripture, the saints, and the Catechism are what make The Handbook for Catholic Moms an essential resource, you will consult frequently. As Lisa says, in her section on creativity:

When we take time to tap into our creative abilities, we acknowledge the God who placed them within us, and who crafted us, just so, knowing every aspect of us and loving every hair on our heads.

The Handbook for Catholic Moms reflects both the creativity of its author and the love of the God who made us.

The innocence of the girls Charlie shot and his own admission that he was a sexual predator with intent to abuse again, held the world in the grip of horror. This was the third school shooting that first week of October 2006; however it stood apart from the others by its diabolical nature. The shooter had deliberately targeted the pacifist Amish community because their lack of technology meant that they were more vulnerable.  He knew this because for years he had driven a milk truck, collecting milk from their farms. They trusted him and he betrayed their trust by shooting their girls in a premeditated assault because as he stated in his suicide note, Charlie was mad at God for taking his newborn daughter who died 10 years earlier.

Rather than recoiling further from ‘the English’, the Nickel Mines Amish community visited the home of Charlie Robert  the afternoon after the murders, offering his widow Amy their condolences and telling her that they forgave her husband. It was an unprecedented act of mercy that left the local news team flummoxed.  In the movie, a reporter for the local news station is sent to cover the story and becomes involved in the life of Ida Graber, an Amish woman who is struggling to forgive her 14-year-old daughter’s killer. At first she is curious about the true motives behind the extraordinary act of kindness on the part of the community elders which include Gideon, Ida’s husband. Because Ida has trouble accepting their actions, she suspects that they do not represent the wishes of the entire community, and that they are imposing the impossible upon their members. Ida has come to the end of her rope, and begs to be driven to her sister Emma’s home in Philadelphia, ending her marriage (since her husband will shun her, as her sister was shunned when she left the community to marry a non-Amish husband). She forms a friendship with Ida, offering her a way out of the Amish community. Kimberly Williams-Paisley is Ida Graber, the Amish mother whose crisis of faith is less than believable, a case of Hollywood trying to make sense out of a culture which mystifies them. Let the mystery stand, the Amish have their own reasons for remaining apart from the world, and the film does an admirable job revealing the true nature of the Amish.

Tammy Blanchard is passionate as Amy Roberts the widow of the murderer Charlie who was conducting a prayer meeting while her husband was shooting school children. She is s a good wife and mother, who is devastated by her husband’s crimes. She is profoundly moved by the compassionate visit of the Amish on the very day of the murder/suicide, and becomes a distant friend of the community as they rebuild the New Hope schoolhouse.

In the opening scene, the Amish community gathers for a Sunday service and the Deacon says than an English man asked him why they keep themselves separate. He explains, “We are separate, so that we do not stray. Someone who boasts that he is a Christian must walk in the path of Christ. Then he said to me, ‘Can you not walk In path of Christ and watch television too?’ (laughs) I said, well, that would be quite the trick. How can we keep our minds on God if we are distracted by worldly pursuits? We cannot.  We keep our lives simple so that our path to Heaven will be wide open for us. Let us lift our voices now in expectation in arrival in our true home”.

The Heavenly-mindedness of the Amish is the inspiring theme of Amish Grace, and even the faith of a practicing Christian like Amy Roberts pales in comparison to the glowing example of faith in God and unquestioning obedience to His will seen in the Amish community. In the season of Lent when we examine ourselves to see where the world has crept into our hearts, comparison of our own willingness to forgive to that of the Amish community could be a moment of grace. Amish grace.

No direct violence, nudity or strong language. Highly recommended for the whole family, since the shootings are not portrayed in the film and sexual abuse is not mentioned, however the discussion of murder may be frightening for younger children.

Amish Grace airs on Palm Sunday, March 28, at 8pmET/5pmPT on LMN. Check local listings for reruns during April and May.

Over half the marchers were under 37, so they were there to protest a decision which could have cost them their lives. They are survivors of Roe v Wade. Over 50 million of their peers have lost their lives to that decision, literally a third of the generation which  surged past the Capitol Building  to stand in protest before the Supreme Court. A living tsunami, they held signs like “All Politics are Local; they begin in the Womb”. They listened in silence to Dr Alveda King, niece of Dr Martin Luther King Jr., express regret over her two abortions, and assure them that her uncle was indeed pro-life. But there were very few members of the press present.

Deep in the crowd, there were dissenters. A tiny band of counter protesters, about a dozen in number, circled tightly in front of the cameras with their blue “Keep Abortion Legal” signs. They were members of another generation, the legacy of Planned Parenthood founder Margaret Sanger, women who had burned their bras with Gloria Steinem, and they were there to celebrate “choice.” One of their members doggedly walked against the swell of humanity climbing Capitol Hill, looking like a salmon swimming against the spring freshet to spawn. Except that her message was one of sterility, inundated by the tide of fecundity. Did she catch the irony?

This year’s March for Life, following on the heels of Democrat electoral upsets in Massachusetts, New Jersey and Virginia, was the largest ever. It occurred in the year when polls reflect a sea change of opinion against abortion, yet the mainstream media either blacked out or downplayed the event. No news cameras besides Fox and EWTN were visible, and no photographers took aerial shots of the Mall full of marchers, the way they had during the Inauguration, when “even the seagulls were impressed at the crowds.”  Comments were muted and photographs were of individuals, not crowds. Both the NARAL huddle and the sea of humanity were given equal play on the mainstream media, like Krista Gesamen’s “Who’s missing at the March for Life; young women.” CNN anchor, Rick Sanchez, openly wondered which group was larger.  Jill Stanek writing for Breitbart’s Big Journalism, took Gesaman to task for her characterization of March for Life participants as geriatric. Young women were present in the hundreds of thousands. Only the Washington Post columnist Robert McCartney, admittedly pro-abortion, stated that the crowds were young (much to his chagrin) in his piece, “Young activists adding fuel to anti-abortion side.”

The left must suppress the truth — that the pro-life movement is on the march and that they have hundreds of thousands of reinforcements — in order to preserve their chances for big gains under the most pro-abortion president in US history. They just missed a chance for a health care reform bills that would have enshrined Planned Parenthood within the federal government, and their future looks pretty grim now that the next generation has arrived. Are they aware how tenuous is ther hold over the information which reaches the American public? It’s the quiet before the tsunami. Generation Life is coming, and they use the New Media — blogs, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube — to spead the word that Americans are majority pro-life and we are going to end abortion someday soon.