Something else I thought I'd never hear myself say

Let's be up front here. You can't pay me to listen to the Coast to Coast radio show. I grew up around people who believe space aliens are the determining factor in mankind's future, and if I never hear another word about UFOs, etc., it will be too soon.

And so, if you had asked me up until this afternoon what the chances were that I'd write a post thanking Art Bell (a major UFO cheerleader) for anything I'd have said none. No chance whatsoever. End of story.

Allow me to eat a very small crow, here. A friend of mine who does listen to the show, I hope for entertainment purposes, told me that Art Bell waxed eloquently pro-life on his show last night, at some length. It seems Mr. Bell and his wife recently discovered that she was pregnant, and before taking an airplane trip they went in for a medical check-up. Mr. Bell was, I'm told, astonished by what he saw on the ultrasound. He had no idea you could see a heartbeat so early...

I guess he stated emphatically that no one was ever going to be able to convince him now that life doesn't begin at conception.

Gotta love those ultrasounds.

My friend says that some of Mr. Bell's callers were urging him to pick up the banner and lead the pro-life movement. Heaven spare us. (Not that any one person or group can "lead" a movement as big and broad as the pro-life movement.) On the other hand, he's definitely in a position to reach a few thousand people who otherwise might never hear a word in favor of treating unborn babies as fully human and worthy of protection.

The universe moves in strange ways.

Thank you, Mr. Bell, for standing up for the most defenseless among us. I'll bet you saved a young life or two last night, just by making some people stop and take a fresh look at what pregnancy means. Here's hoping that particular seed you planted grows in a few hearts over the years to come.