Remember a couple of weeks ago the House Democrats literally hid from a gallery packed to the brim with voters expressing their desire to protect innocent human life?  At issue was Senate Bill 776, a ban on Partial Birth Abortion with language the Supreme Court (the big fancy national one) has already approved.  The Senate moved the ban all the way back on January 22 and it's languished in committee for the last four months.

All this with an almost overwhelmingly "pro-life" House of Representatives featuring handfuls of Democrats, including Speaker Andy Dillon, who break with their State Party leadership on the issue... at least on paper.  

Well God bless the House Republicans.  They haven't taken this one lying down and today they did their best to move the language again... the result?  Speaker Pro Tem Mike Sak, a Grand Rapids Democrat and a man who claims to be pro-life gaveled down a ban on partial birth abortion not once, not twice, not three, four, five or even six times.  SEVEN times the supposed right-to-lifer hammered the gavel using an old parliamentary trick to avoid taking a vote.

Republicans attempted to tie bar SB 776 to House Bills 4532, 4887, 4926, 4927 and to add substitute language to House Concurent Resolutions 80, 81, 82.

Each time they asked for support, and there was plenty in the room, Sak swung that lumber immediately, claiming there was none.

The GOP caucus?  They weren't happy and they let Mike and the other so-called-pro-life Democrats know it, voicing their displeasure rather emphatically on the House floor.  

"Unfortunately today, the so-called pro-life House Democrats agreed to allow a practice near infanticide to remain legal," said House Republican Leader Craig DeRoche afterwards. "The House Democrats today took a blatant step in ignoring the rights of the unborn and the right-to-life majority in the House. Because of the action by Speaker Dillon and every House democrat, this procedure remains legal and practiced in Michigan."

Conventional political wisdom in Lansing holds that Dillon cut a deal with his pro-abortion caucus, vowing to block any abortion related legislation in order to grab the leadership position at the beginning of 2007.  Apparently Sak's in the same boat.  Together they're blocking overwhelmingly bi-partisan legislation supported by two thirds of their chamber and three-quarters of the voters in the state of Michigan.  

Any other potential endgame is still unknown.  What IS known?  This horrific procedure is able to snuff out lives right here in Michigan because men who claim to support life would rather play political games than defend the innocent from barbarism.  Oh, and Dillon and Sak should probably turn in their Right to Life membership cards.  That's become pretty apparent too.