Some days, I am just ashamed.
The debate over abortion, at a fever pitch since the epic Roe v. Wade Supreme Court decision in 1973, finds many people of good will and sincere convictions on opposite sides of the struggle.
Opponents of the current law of the land -- which guarantees women safe access to medical services regarding termination of their pregnancies -- speak justifiably and passionately about protecting the rights of unborn children. Supporters of the law speak just as passionately about the rights a woman has to the use of her own body. Among the terms used to describe these two points-of-view, the most common seem to be "pro-life" and "pro-choice."
One of the most intense points of conflict in the whole discussion revolves around the "special circumstances" of rape and incest. Should a woman be required to carry to term a child that was produced by an act of violence or familial abuse?
"Pro-lifers" vary on their response to this question, but the most avid among them assert that there is never an instance in which a woman and/or her medical caregivers should terminate a pregnancy. This position almost always carries with it some form of injunction invoking the name of God and phrases such as, "All life is precious."
Personally, I find compelling arguments on both sides of this debate -- though I must admit that I cannot truly understand forcing a woman to bear a child produced by such an act of aggression and evil. Two wrongs still don't make a right, even when egg meets sperm.
But a true low, in my opinion, was reached this week in the Kansas state legislature, where one of the nation's most restrictive abortion bills was passed and sent to the desk of Gov. Sam Brownback for his signature. I wholeheartedly support the right of the citizens of Kansas, through their elected representatives, to pass such legislation.
After all, if I were a citizen of Kansas and I didn't like it, I could move somewhere else, right?
Rather, it is an exchange from the floor of the Kansas House of Representatives, reported by the Associated Press (read the story here) that has turned my stomach and caused me to hang my head lower than Tom Dooley's.
Here are the words of Reps. Barbara Bollier and Pete DeGraaf:
Rep. Barbara Bollier, a Mission Hills Republican who supports abortion rights, questioned whether women would buy abortion-only policies long before they have crisis or unwanted pregnancies or are rape victims.
During the House's debate, Rep. Pete DeGraaf, a Mulvane Republican who supports the bill, told her: "We do need to plan ahead, don't we, in life?"
Bollier asked him, "And so women need to plan ahead for issues that they have no control over with a pregnancy?"
DeGraaf drew groans of protest from some House members when he responded, "I have a spare tire on my car."
"I also have life insurance," he added. "I have a lot of things that I plan ahead for."
DeGraaf is not only an avid pro-life supporter, he is reportedly an associate pastor at a Kansas church. I wonder if he will preach a sermon soon entitled, "Planning Ahead for Life's Little Uncertainties -- LIKE RAPE!"
May God have mercy on the victims of sexual conquest and abuse in all places and at all times.
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
Thursday, May 19, 2011
Is Jesus Coming Again On May 21?
I saw the billboard on a westward swing through Phoenix, Arizona in March: "Jesus is Coming on May 21, 2011."
Simple. Direct. To the Point. Good ad, I guess...
I remember thinking, "Who in the heck paid for that?" closely followed by, "They must be nuts!" As the date is now about 48 hours from the time I am sitting down to write this, I guess I'm stopping to examine that second part. What if the guy behind all of this isn't nuts?
Harold Camping is 89 years old, a retired engineer (the mathematical kind, not the kind that drives trains.) At the tender young age of 74, he predicted that Jesus would come again on September 27, 1994 --and caused a fair amount of stir as hundreds of people sold their belongings and traveled to California to join him in waiting for the big event. The Messiah was a no-show, and Camping said, "Apparently, that was incorrect."
The man has a gift for cutting to the chase. (read the coverage from 1994 here, if you'd like)
Since 1958, Mr. Camping has been building a network of radio stations around the world under the rubric of Family Radio. He's done a pretty good job, as they have an estimated worth today of around $166 million. I have no idea how much cash flows through their coffers, but they bill themselves as "listener supported."
A quick visit to their website (familyradio.com) delivers a sort of "God Housekeeping Seal of Approval" on the May 21, 2011 prediction. "The Bible Guarantees It" -- thus saith Brother Camping.
Now, as end-of-the-world prophets go, Mr. Camping seems to be fairly gentle and his followers strike me as nothing but sincere, dedicated and heart-felt in their faith. He is not really asking anybody to drink the Kool-aid in a Jim Jonesian sense of the word, certainly.
But talk about cryptic! Here's a little sample of his reasoning for the certainty of the date:
...certain numbers repeat in the Bible along with particular themes. The number five means atonement. Ten means completeness. Seventeen is heaven.Christ hung on the cross April 1, 33 A.D. Now go to April 1 of 2011 A.D., and that's 1,978 years. If you multiply that number by 365.2422 -- the number of days in the solar calendar -- it equals 722,449. And if you add 51 (the number of days between April 1 and May 21) to that number, it equals 722,500. Multiply five by ten by 17 to equal 850, and multiply 850 by 850 and the result is the same: 722,500.
I didn't check it, but I'm betting that his math is correct. What it all means is another story.
There has been much more ado over the prediction of the Mayan Long Count Calendar and its December 21, 2012 "end of the age." That date even got its own movie, which is way cooler than radio. But Mr. Camping and his followers are making up for what they lack in technology with good, old-fashioned "take it to the streets" proselytizing.
(A well-written and respectful report by Jaweed Kaleem can be found here.)
I love reading the Bible, and I'm not ashamed to be called a follower of Jesus. I happen to believe that, one day, Jesus is indeed going to come again and cleanse the earth -- that, in and of itself, will be a heavenly time.
I'm not too sure about this whole May 21, 2011 thing...maybe Mr. Camping got it right this time. One thing you can say about it all, though.
We'll know in a coupla' days!
Simple. Direct. To the Point. Good ad, I guess...
I remember thinking, "Who in the heck paid for that?" closely followed by, "They must be nuts!" As the date is now about 48 hours from the time I am sitting down to write this, I guess I'm stopping to examine that second part. What if the guy behind all of this isn't nuts?
Harold Camping is 89 years old, a retired engineer (the mathematical kind, not the kind that drives trains.) At the tender young age of 74, he predicted that Jesus would come again on September 27, 1994 --and caused a fair amount of stir as hundreds of people sold their belongings and traveled to California to join him in waiting for the big event. The Messiah was a no-show, and Camping said, "Apparently, that was incorrect."
The man has a gift for cutting to the chase. (read the coverage from 1994 here, if you'd like)
Since 1958, Mr. Camping has been building a network of radio stations around the world under the rubric of Family Radio. He's done a pretty good job, as they have an estimated worth today of around $166 million. I have no idea how much cash flows through their coffers, but they bill themselves as "listener supported."
A quick visit to their website (familyradio.com) delivers a sort of "God Housekeeping Seal of Approval" on the May 21, 2011 prediction. "The Bible Guarantees It" -- thus saith Brother Camping.
Now, as end-of-the-world prophets go, Mr. Camping seems to be fairly gentle and his followers strike me as nothing but sincere, dedicated and heart-felt in their faith. He is not really asking anybody to drink the Kool-aid in a Jim Jonesian sense of the word, certainly.
But talk about cryptic! Here's a little sample of his reasoning for the certainty of the date:
...certain numbers repeat in the Bible along with particular themes. The number five means atonement. Ten means completeness. Seventeen is heaven.Christ hung on the cross April 1, 33 A.D. Now go to April 1 of 2011 A.D., and that's 1,978 years. If you multiply that number by 365.2422 -- the number of days in the solar calendar -- it equals 722,449. And if you add 51 (the number of days between April 1 and May 21) to that number, it equals 722,500. Multiply five by ten by 17 to equal 850, and multiply 850 by 850 and the result is the same: 722,500.
I didn't check it, but I'm betting that his math is correct. What it all means is another story.
There has been much more ado over the prediction of the Mayan Long Count Calendar and its December 21, 2012 "end of the age." That date even got its own movie, which is way cooler than radio. But Mr. Camping and his followers are making up for what they lack in technology with good, old-fashioned "take it to the streets" proselytizing.
(A well-written and respectful report by Jaweed Kaleem can be found here.)
I love reading the Bible, and I'm not ashamed to be called a follower of Jesus. I happen to believe that, one day, Jesus is indeed going to come again and cleanse the earth -- that, in and of itself, will be a heavenly time.
I'm not too sure about this whole May 21, 2011 thing...maybe Mr. Camping got it right this time. One thing you can say about it all, though.
We'll know in a coupla' days!
Wednesday, May 11, 2011
It's the Voter Fraud, Stupid!
Well, we all know that the Great Recession of 2008 has been bad. Most of us have been hit right where it hurts -- in our pockets.
Much ado was made in the purported "Tea/Republican Party Revolution" of 2010, when record numbers of incumbents were shown the exits in Washington and in state capitals around the nation. Voters were mad as hell, and just weren't going to take it anymore! And there were pledges of action on our top priorities as a nation.
So, as many state legislatures are winding up their current sessions and the US Congress prepares to depart for the hazy, lazy days of summer, we get the news that one of the main priorities on the minds of the people has, in fact, been firmly and thoroughly dealt with. We can all breathe a sigh of relief. No more worried days or sleepless nights.
It's voter fraud.
That's right...the "best and brightest" minds in the halls of our capitals have worked late into the night, burning the midnight oil in order to deal with that harbinger of gloom and doom: voter fraud.
The clearest example may be right here in my "home" (not) state of Florida, where our governor is expected to sign into law the bill party-lined through the legislature that places multiple restrictions on who can vote and when. It was hailed as "the most significant achievement" of Gov. Rick Scott's first legislative session.
Now, I know that Florida doesn't have the most sparkling reputation for electoral efficiency. But, according to "gubmint" records, there were an entire 31 cases of alleged voter fraud referred by the Florida Department of State over the last 3 years. My God...31 cases in a population of 18,537,000 people (give or take a few snowbirds.) No wonder the citizens were rioting in the streets to have this travesty overturned!
Or, as another class act governor has put it (I speak of none other than the Hon. Scott Walker of Wisconsin): "Wisconsin is broke" and some serious money has got to be saved. So, his legislature is considering a Voter ID bill that will cost (that's not a typo) taxpayers an additional $5.7 million per year. Holy Union Dues, Batman!
They're almost as bad in Wisconsin as the folks down in Florida; Attorney General Van Hollen found that a staggering 0.00003% of Wisconsin voters committed voter fraud. Yes, that’s about the same percentage as one has getting struck by lightning and greater than the chance to win the Lottery.
No need for me to drone on ad infinitum, ad nauseam.... you catch my drift, right?
Former President Bill Clinton was credited with perhaps the most micro-focused campaign strategy ever invented when, in unseating popular first-term President George H.W. Bush, he coined the phrase: "It's the economy, stupid!"
O, Slick Willy, where are you when we need you?
Much ado was made in the purported "Tea/Republican Party Revolution" of 2010, when record numbers of incumbents were shown the exits in Washington and in state capitals around the nation. Voters were mad as hell, and just weren't going to take it anymore! And there were pledges of action on our top priorities as a nation.
So, as many state legislatures are winding up their current sessions and the US Congress prepares to depart for the hazy, lazy days of summer, we get the news that one of the main priorities on the minds of the people has, in fact, been firmly and thoroughly dealt with. We can all breathe a sigh of relief. No more worried days or sleepless nights.
It's voter fraud.
That's right...the "best and brightest" minds in the halls of our capitals have worked late into the night, burning the midnight oil in order to deal with that harbinger of gloom and doom: voter fraud.
The clearest example may be right here in my "home" (not) state of Florida, where our governor is expected to sign into law the bill party-lined through the legislature that places multiple restrictions on who can vote and when. It was hailed as "the most significant achievement" of Gov. Rick Scott's first legislative session.
Now, I know that Florida doesn't have the most sparkling reputation for electoral efficiency. But, according to "gubmint" records, there were an entire 31 cases of alleged voter fraud referred by the Florida Department of State over the last 3 years. My God...31 cases in a population of 18,537,000 people (give or take a few snowbirds.) No wonder the citizens were rioting in the streets to have this travesty overturned!
Or, as another class act governor has put it (I speak of none other than the Hon. Scott Walker of Wisconsin): "Wisconsin is broke" and some serious money has got to be saved. So, his legislature is considering a Voter ID bill that will cost (that's not a typo) taxpayers an additional $5.7 million per year. Holy Union Dues, Batman!
They're almost as bad in Wisconsin as the folks down in Florida; Attorney General Van Hollen found that a staggering 0.00003% of Wisconsin voters committed voter fraud. Yes, that’s about the same percentage as one has getting struck by lightning and greater than the chance to win the Lottery.
No need for me to drone on ad infinitum, ad nauseam.... you catch my drift, right?
Former President Bill Clinton was credited with perhaps the most micro-focused campaign strategy ever invented when, in unseating popular first-term President George H.W. Bush, he coined the phrase: "It's the economy, stupid!"
O, Slick Willy, where are you when we need you?
Monday, May 2, 2011
Osama, Obama and the Stealers Wheel
I'm stuck in the middle with you,
And I'm wondering what it is I should do,
It's so hard to keep this smile from my face,
Losing control, yeah, I'm all over the place...
Clowns to the left of me,
Jokers to the right,
Here I am stuck in the middle with you.
Child of the 70's that I am, this was the oddly disconcerting melody that kept coming into my brain as I tried to sort out my feelings at the news of the death of Osama bin Laden.
On the one hand, with Americans and lovers of peace all over the world, I rejoiced at the demise of this generation's most visible terrorist. I have wept, grieved, fussed and fumed over the tragedy that was 9/11 and our country's seeming inability to bring the perpetrators to justice. Osama taunted, the world listened, and we felt impotent.
That ain't good.
So the news, when it came, opened a floodgate of raw emotion that has understandably erupted in everything from wild celebration to a little terrorist-baiting of our own. Suddenly, it seems as if the US is superior once again -- right and might are on the same side for once. The skinny Arab rich boy can hide no longer. He's dead (and evidently, according to multiple Facebook postings I have seen, sharing a warm spot in hell with Adolf Hitler.)
Cue the funky chords from Stealers Wheel:
Well I don't know why I came here tonight,
I got the feeling that something ain't right...
A post from a good friend of mine said it pretty well --(thank you, Janet)
But I can see it makes no sense at all...
Clowns to the left of me,
Jokers to the right,
Here I am stuck in the middle with you. (words by Gerry Rafferty and Joe Egan)
And I'm wondering what it is I should do,
It's so hard to keep this smile from my face,
Losing control, yeah, I'm all over the place...
Clowns to the left of me,
Jokers to the right,
Here I am stuck in the middle with you.
Child of the 70's that I am, this was the oddly disconcerting melody that kept coming into my brain as I tried to sort out my feelings at the news of the death of Osama bin Laden.
On the one hand, with Americans and lovers of peace all over the world, I rejoiced at the demise of this generation's most visible terrorist. I have wept, grieved, fussed and fumed over the tragedy that was 9/11 and our country's seeming inability to bring the perpetrators to justice. Osama taunted, the world listened, and we felt impotent.
That ain't good.
So the news, when it came, opened a floodgate of raw emotion that has understandably erupted in everything from wild celebration to a little terrorist-baiting of our own. Suddenly, it seems as if the US is superior once again -- right and might are on the same side for once. The skinny Arab rich boy can hide no longer. He's dead (and evidently, according to multiple Facebook postings I have seen, sharing a warm spot in hell with Adolf Hitler.)
Cue the funky chords from Stealers Wheel:
Well I don't know why I came here tonight,
I got the feeling that something ain't right...
A post from a good friend of mine said it pretty well --(thank you, Janet)
Tryin' to make some since of it all,
But I can see it makes no sense at all...
Clowns to the left of me,
Jokers to the right,
Here I am stuck in the middle with you. (words by Gerry Rafferty and Joe Egan)
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