CLEARING MY MIND...

A few things that have been clogging my mind.

A clogged mind needs to be purged.

Purging now…

Abortion

Pro-choice means to me that we don’t legislate against the procedure which terminates a pregnancy. It means that women who become pregnant are free to legally seek advice and medical help with any complications or concerns and are free to make their own decisions in the first trimester. After month three, I’m not so firm on it still being a choice, so I draw the line there. That is my own line, my own level of acceptance for freedom to choose to carry or abort. I do not see why anyone else should have a say, except the man who impregnated said woman and only then if it is not the result of rape, whether incest or not. In those cases, no rights to the man at all. I do believe the sperm donor, if by consensual sex, has rights. Those rights being to take the child at birth and have full custody. Of course, he must also support the woman financially throughout her pregnancy and follow up care.

Pro-life…To me, this term is bandied around without the full understanding of the connotations of being pro-life. I’ve heard people choose to say “pro-birth” and that is more appropriate if one is anti-abortion, but not pro-food stamps, medical care and housing programs for the mother. The child, once born must also be provided with a home, food and medical care and we cannot expect this mother that we forced to give birth will be able to do all of that on her own. If we are pro-life we must also be pro-child welfare. The welfare of these unplanned and many unwanted children is our responsibility if we remove abortion from the mother’s choice list. Seems only logical. Then again, I believe we are our brother’s (and sister’s) keepers. We are morally responsible for helping who we are able to help when we are able to do so. It’s simply the right thing to do. Where the government fits into all of that is that the government is us. We provide the provider. We pay taxes to provide for those who cannot provide for themselves. Ultimately, those collectors must become the providers. If the welfare system is working correctly, the recipients are able to gain a skill and earn full time livable expenses in time. Michigan is a good example of how that can work. I believe the welfare system there is pretty near right. You collect and you go to school or work part time and you make a better life for yourself and your children. You work to break the welfare cycle. Pro-life means we have to try. Pro-birth means we make woman carry full term and either give up or raise the child on her own. A recipe for disaster.

And I have a problem with the standard biblical backing and the abortion is murder argument. I have been pregnant. I didn’t “know” my child at a minute from conception nor at the two month mark, but I wanted my babies and by three months, no movement nor heartbeat detectible, I “knew” my babies. I wanted them and I loved them. That is how it is when babies are wanted, but when they aren’t planned nor wanted, I’m sure it’s quite different. I’m sure there is sorrow and sadness and doubt. I’m certain that woman who was accidentally impregnated is not loving and planning, but rather crying and fretting about her future and how and what she could possibly do for an unloved child. How her life will be changed for the next 9 months AND even if she gives the baby up, for the rest of her life. A woman never forgets an abortion. It changes everything much like having an unwanted child except without the extra person suffering for her mistakes. I don’t pretend to know how one lives with that decision, to end a healthy pregnancy, but I do know that some woman have no other reasonable choice and will have one whether legal or not. Whether her life is at risk or not, she will end the pregnancy before to her mind, it is a child. I am not judging. I am not deciding for anyone except myself. For me, it would not have been a choice. But I won’t make that choice for anyone else.

Planned Parenthood

None of the Federal or State funds in the planned parenthood budget are spent on abortions. None. And less than 3% of their patients are seeking or getting abortions.

The centers are the only free medical care for many women in poor and under poverty level worker homes. Homeless women can get care from them, nowhere else. Women’s unique medical needs are met there without lectures. 

They will be sorely missed in small communities where they are the only free clinic. The only birth control providers at small or no fees. They are important. Shutting them down or defunded them is atrocious. It is inhumane. We must take care to protect our women who have no place else to go.

Also feels wrong to me that the same people who are anti-abortion are also anti-planned parenthood. No birth control might lead to a much bigger abortion tally, no?

Gay Marriage

It has been sanctioned by the Supreme Court. It is legal in all 50 states. No churches are being forced to provide weddings that are not welcomed in their church. It has not, nor will it ever affect the sanctity of traditional marriage. It is two of God’s creatures who fell in love being given the legal rights they deserve. 

The Bible teaches man and woman. Not man and man nor woman and woman. Really? It also teaches multiple wives. We don’t recognize that as legal. We don’t stone nor otherwise kill adulterers, yet the Bible teaches that. The New Testament, the books written after Jesus has come, those books are filled with lessons of love and acceptance. Full of Jesus teaching us to love our enemies as our neighbors and if we ignore the least of mankind, we ignore God. He is in each of his children, not just the Christian-church-goers. 

God makes all kinds of humans. Lots of colors, lots of builds, lots of people from many countries where values and religion are much different than here in the U.S. But somehow, the right wingers think only the Christians are the saved and valued ones. How can that be? Why would that be any more credible than, say, the Jewish faith? Jesus was a Jew, no? He was likely not a white Jew. He was dark skinned. Many of our good Christian brothers today would shut the door in His face in a heartbeat, were he to come begging at their door. He would leave bewildered and saddened. He loved all of God’s children and He begged and commanded us to do the same. The people He made gay, He made gay. Period. Did He make a mistake? I don’t think so, just another of the many differences He created. Since I never chose to be straight, I have to assume my gay friends and family never chose to be gay, they may, however have chosen to try to act straight because it was easier. Since gay people seem to know from childhood that they are attracted to their own sex, I cannot believe it is anything other than God given. The lesson here is that God made us all and we all must love each other if we are going to call ourselves Christians. We can’t pull out a few things we want to believe from the Book and hang our hats on that. We have to take it all or leave it all. I think it’s fair to say that Evangelicals have for the most part, created a very judgmental arena. One where they teach their children to be careful with whom they mix. Be careful who’s fight they take on because you will be judged by the company you keep. The Lord doesn’t want you to take up with a thief, after all.

I pray all the time that somehow the sadness of this world will soon be enlightened. We are all His children and we all need the same things. We need acceptance. We need love. We need to be able to live our lives in freedom as long as that freedom doesn’t infringe on someone else’s rights. Gay marriage is an excellent example of that. Saying it is sinful and wrong and that they don't deserve nor should they be given rights of opposite sex marriages, infringes on their rights. Their marriage infringes on no one. It is their right and their legal marriages give them the same rights the man-woman marriages have had for many years. It’s the right thing to do.

Accepting all people for who and what they are should be our goal. No need to judge. Understanding and compassion and respect are grossly missing in this world where we live today. I am so disheartened by all the Christianity I hear and see that causes pain to innocent people who also are loved by and love God. 

If you remember that calling homosexuality a sin and that they are condemned to Hell for being who they were born to be, does hurt them. Saying that you love them, but don't want them to be married, that hurts them. It makes them less important than you. It causes pain to people who mean no pain or heartache to you. It does nothing good, it only hurts.

You cannot love someone, but believe they are not quite as good or pure as you are, that isn't love.

Racists and Prejudice

Sick to my stomach over both. The color of your skin or your heritage is just that. Nothing more. It isn’t who you are. I am sick of hearing blacks tell us that we don’t know because we’re white and have white privilege. Okay, not arguing, but ya know what? Most of those out screaming that we don’t know, don’t know either. They have lived only in their black communities and been fed black speak about whities and crackers and how all of us hate them and want to keep them down. How about we all just take a step back and consider what is really true.

Some white people are horribly racist. Dislike all blacks for no other reason than that they are black. Hate all Asians because they are not white. Hate all Jews because, Jews. Muslims, add them to the list now, too. Yes, indeed these people exist. Sadly they also have children and teach them the same. This will continue until it becomes unacceptable by everyone. Once these people cannot function in our world and cannot gain new members, they will cease. So let’s stop giving them power. Let’s stop being afraid of them or pushing them aside. Let’s just ignore their hate and if we find they are among our circles, let’s not allow them to foster their beliefs any where near us and instead insist they respect all of God’s children or leave our group and then pray for their souls because they are doomed, they need prayer.

But having said all of that, most of us crackers are not concerned with your skin color but do find your unintelligible speech difficult to understand. We do find the underwear showing scuffling around with attitude off putting. Why? Because it you think you are showing us how cool you are, in fact, you are just showing lack of class and lack of education. Stop that. Walk like a man. Talk like you have been educated. Act like a man. A man of color with pride. Be respectful to your friends and co-workers and show respect for elders and if you’re a man, show respect to women. Your skin color is not the issue, your behavior is. Don’t believe that? Talk to some of your own friends or family who have not fallen into the ghetto style and who have probably many less incidents with white people treating them “like scum”. 

This world is full of so many people who are not white. Being white is a minority if you look world-wide so if there has become a society of entitled white people, how did that happen? It’s been 50 years since the riots. In that 50 years have you taken advantage of all the rights your grandparents fought for? Have you studied hard to get scholarships for which you had preferential treatment? Did you better yourself or wallow in pity? I am not accusing, just asking. I know just as many white people, Asian people and Indian people who are not living to their potential, but they aren’t whining that they can’t. They just won’t. I’m a believer in working hard and earning your way and if you do that and are still beaten down, then you have a bitch. Then you can cry “racial card being played here” and it would be legit. And if that happens. take action because that is illegal.

Police

The thin blue line. Like any profession, there are are some badass police that should never have passed the academy nor should they ever have a gun. True, no question. However, for each of them there are hundreds of good dedicated officers trying to serve and protect. Trying to take care of you. Keeping your neighborhoods safe. This requires you be honest with them when questioned. This requires you tell what you saw or know. If you don’t you are the problem. If your neighborhood is frightening and you won’t tell what you saw or what you know about the problems, don’t expect any help from officers who are putting their lives on the line just to answer your call for help when you don’t answer their call for help. You want safe neighborhoods? Keep your eyes and ears open and when there is trouble HELP the police get to the root of the issues. Help them get criminals out of your neighborhood. Yes, it really is up to you to keep your babies alive..

Get stopped and mistreated? How much is your fault? Did you show respect? Were you forthcoming with info the officer needs to protect himself? Did you have an attitude because you were innocent? Was it really racial profiling or did you break a law and didn’t see the cop? Not to say it is always the driver’s fault, but I’ve seen a good number of videoed stops where I see nothing but disrespect toward the officer and then screaming when someone dies in a situation that did not need to happen. Sometimes it is the victim’s fault. Sometimes it’s the officer’s over-reaction. Sometimes it isn’t a black person, but you won’t likely see those videos. They don’t seem to be of interest.

Donald J. Trump

Never did I think I would have such a strong opinion about a man I once admired. I admired his ability to create skyscrapers and fancy casinos and apartment buildings for the wealthy in New York and around the world. I admired his blunt speech and his obvious wealth. His foreign and beautiful model women, (three of whom he married!) intrigued me. The Celebrity Apprentice show was my first look into who he really is and I didn’t like that person. I was not impressed with his narcissism and his mean spirit. I stopped watching about half way through the first season. Never looked in on it again.

I will admit to laughing and being excited when he said he was running for President. Not because I thought he would be good, but because I looked forward to seeing him humbled by the rejection I was certain he would face once voting began. I was looking forward to seeing how he blamed stupid American’s for his loses. I never, ever thought he’d win one primary let alone now 15, I think. I am no longer entertained, I am frightened beyond description. I have listened to hours of his speeches. I have read everything I can find on how he is succeeding. I am baffled that my country is filled with such voters who will actually try to give him the power over our foreign relationships, the nuclear weapons, the healthcare, the tax department. This man disrespects women regularly,  even at his campaign stops! He disrespects latinos and muslims…not some, not a lot, all of them. Fascist? Racist? Probably both, but add to that list war monger because he is all about “bombing them all; bombing the shit out of all of ‘em”. He insists you bomb the oil and the homes and you win. He’s all about winning. He is winning. He has such a following that I’m not sure anyone can stop him at this point from becoming the Republican candidate, but even worse, if he isn’t the Republican candidate, I believe he will run anyway. He is going to be President, in his mind, regardless and doesn’t really need the parties support. I’m not sure he’s wrong.

I do believe with his ego, his mouth and his complete lack of class, which money cannot buy, he would bring the war to our shores in no time at all. He will piss off enough foreign leaders to bring bombs to us. I am petrified to think about how many of our allies will jump ship. Putin will be his friend and I don’t know what that might lead to. 

All in all, he has offended everyone except white straight men. Yet his crowds are growing daily.

I don't know how I feel about any of this. Honestly. I am afraid of him. I am unsure of him. I am sometimes even in agreement  with him. That scares me, too.

That's a little bit better...I mean writing things out does help. But I am so unsure about so many things right now, which does not make me mellow. I like mellow. I need to settle a few things, one way or the other.

Anyone else? Anyone else looking for answers? Clarification?