If you've seen the movie Dirty Dancing, you might recall a subplot that one of hired professional dancers secretly aborts a pregnancy with the "help" of a friend, using rusty old medical tools and without the care of a trained physician. As one might predict - it is the movies after all - the girl becomes ill to the point where a doctor/party guest has to be called in to save her from a life-threatening infection. Fortunately for her, the doctor was nearby.
The girl has the abortion to protect the reputation of one of the guests, who may have paid her off. I would presume that most women would not make the same choice, but it's the movies and the decision moved the plot forward towards the climax. In reality, there could be many reasons for wanting an abortion.
In the top tier I include pregnancies that result from rape or incest, and fetal developmental problems that pose a significant risk to the baby's or mother's life and quality of life. In the bottom tier I put teenage pregnancy, poverty, and other social and emotional reasons. Some might consider the top tier as a different moral ground than the bottom tier and attempt to draw a line in the sand to distinguish between the two. It is worthy of discussion, and of course it has been discussed in great detail over the course of centuries in practically every culture that has existed on Earth.
So why now, in 2011 AD (5771 per the Jewish calender), are so many people who were voted into power taking such a hard line on abortion? Why are these people unwilling to engage in public discourse with those who elected them? Why are they shoving their ideologies in our face the way orangutans sling crap at zoo visitors? There are several reasons for this abuse of power, of course, some of which I am probably not aware.
Greed. The Republicans are greedy for campaign dollars, and they know that completing a checklist will mean deeper coffers and more power. The checklist includes curtailing abortion rights, voting rights, and collective bargaining rights. How many Republican-controlled States have recently passed (or attempted to pass) restrictive legislation for all three items on the list? Count 'em. We're looking at a half dozen States or more, and counting. These are the top three items on the agenda of the big (and I mean BIG) wallets that are funding Republican campaigns.
To Be Continued...
Wednesday, July 6, 2011
Monday, July 4, 2011
Yellowstone River Catastrophe
Yet another tragic blow to America's most treasured habitats from the oil industry's negligence. Just like with the Deep Water Horizon rig, there were a lot of warnings from regulators that the oil company did not take seriously, presumably because proper rectification of the findings would have been costly and disruptive to the flow of oil and profits. Just like the Gulf of Mexico, disaster, the oil company's first response is to deny and lie about the scope of the matter.
When is this going to end? When are we going to stop using taxpayer dollars to line the coffers of oil companies that want only to make a profit, companies that show little regard for protecting the environment until AFTER a trajedy like this happens?
Of course, in the aftermath there is talk of new regulation, just as with the Deep Water Horizon incident. But have the regulations changed anything? The answer is no. More Gulf drilling permits are being given, even though a fix to the problem has not been found. In fact, permits are being given at a faster rate, for deeper drilling, and the issuance of permits has since been made private. This is extremely shady maneuvering by the oil companies, and it is only a matter of time before another - perhaps worse - disaster occurs.
If we the taxpayers have to part with the money that's subsidizing the energy industry, the money should be invested in the creation of new energy technologies so that America can compete with other countries that have beaten us to the punch.
This is not rocket science, nor is it "liberal thinking" as some may try to label it. This is just sound policy resulting from the current state of affairs that are afflicting our country.
When is this going to end? When are we going to stop using taxpayer dollars to line the coffers of oil companies that want only to make a profit, companies that show little regard for protecting the environment until AFTER a trajedy like this happens?
Of course, in the aftermath there is talk of new regulation, just as with the Deep Water Horizon incident. But have the regulations changed anything? The answer is no. More Gulf drilling permits are being given, even though a fix to the problem has not been found. In fact, permits are being given at a faster rate, for deeper drilling, and the issuance of permits has since been made private. This is extremely shady maneuvering by the oil companies, and it is only a matter of time before another - perhaps worse - disaster occurs.
If we the taxpayers have to part with the money that's subsidizing the energy industry, the money should be invested in the creation of new energy technologies so that America can compete with other countries that have beaten us to the punch.
This is not rocket science, nor is it "liberal thinking" as some may try to label it. This is just sound policy resulting from the current state of affairs that are afflicting our country.
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