abortion

All my life I've struggled with the idea of the government allowing or disallowing abortion. But that is because I'm dealing with two issues- how I feel about human rights and how I feel about the law. I don't support public or private clinics that perform abortions. The argument that if we allow abortion legally, we have to subsidize it seems wrong to me. I realize people of means will have access to it if its private only, but so what? Thats what being of means means. That is the American dream- to have doors open up to you that others do not- and oddly, many of those new doors are shady.

I've heard how we'd be back in the age of coat hangers and mothers would die. But bad decisions can be fatal. Do we stop tobacco from being sold because it causes cancer? No. Do we create government agencies to produce it and give it out? No. I think you can put regulations on abortion- no late term abortions, no improper procedures that endanger women to save money, and hospitals may choose to perform some without charge when they choose as they do with other operations. Hospitals may also choose not to do any abortions. Insurance companies could choose to cover them or not cover them. Its their choice. But"insurance companies' doesn't include a state and its healthcare programs which cover basic needs paid for by taxpayers.

Abortion is caused by self-defeating behaviors and I have no obligation to make pregnancy appear reversable for others with my taxes. It is wrong to force me to support abortion financially. And perhaps I won't work for, buy from or buy stock in a company that is tied with privatized abortion, and I have that choice. That is all I feel I'm entitled to when it comes to my will for others- to not support.

My moral points hinge on questions like: Will there will be many more births when abortion is not easily available? I don't think so. Because women won't think of it as an option down the road if they aren't vigilent with birth control. Everone will need to take childbirth seriously before having sex. I believe the exception is rape- the government should provide the choice to a woman to have an early term abortion when she has the courage to face her situation and file a police report, regardless of her income. To me this is the balanced choice where I can uphold the constitution and the human rights it protects and not deviate from my own moral choices by supporting things I don't support.

The issue isn't whether I believe in abortion or not. The issue is, who pays for it? And the deciding factor is that it is a choice, not a right. I am entitled to my own beliefs and so are others. It does not make me a demorcrat or liberal or republican or conservative. I am an american taxpayer. I am entitled to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness by the legacy I inherited. And so is the poorest most unfortunate young woman who makes a decision to have unprotected or even semi-protected sex. If you can't afford birth control, you can still get it, and if you can't get it, you aren't entitled to "babyless sex" from your fellow americans. People who want to have sex will find a way, poor or not- and some of them will have babies and some will find a way to get birth control- but one way or another, I do not have to support others not putting thought into the real possibility of pregnancy. To do that would be support a lack of education and that leads to a lack of good judgement. Why would i do that?

But as a choice, I do not support a government ban on abortion by a turning over Roe v. Wade- which oddly makes me 'pro-choice.' Well I'm always pro-choice. If something is a choice, I am for it- meaning I am against the interference of the government. Americans should all be "pro-choice" about anything. And that is the whole point here. No matter what my beliefs are, I will always be pro-choice and that does not cause a dilemma for me.

In the end, what the government does or does not do with my taxes comes down to a process that should be democratic within the state I live in. If today my tax dollars are used to provide abortions I have a choice to initiate ballot measures, to go around making speeches, to move to another state or country or perhaps the most lazy, to blog about it. I can try to pursuade others that this is not a just use of government. But I can only give and live by my opinion- I can't force it on anyone else. As an American I accept that fact even when it bothers me to see what the majority rule does. Besides, majority rule does evolve as we evolve- as long as we partake in the process.

Dead Air

I haven't written any more because to my knowledge it wasn't read. If the articles I wrote didn't spur anyone into agreeing or disagreeing (save the one person who wrote and left, presumably not seeing or caring for my rebuttle) then why bother? I'm not saying I don't want to write again- but I was hoping to have a dialog and a reason beyond my own practice to write here. I do appreciate the friends and family who stopped by at my request and in some cases provided me with feedback privately. That alone made it worthwhile to give it a try. One question I have for anyone who needs an opening to talk here is WHAT ARE you thinking about? That's a loaded question but I don't exactly have to sift through responses- may as well see if anyone's out there.

Beyond 861

The article below and its comments called "taxes" was an actual
discussion, yea. That was cool because for effectiveness in one-sided
editorials, I'd reach more people mumbling to myself on the bus. Hey
maybe thats what those people are are ex-bloggers trying something
else. ; )

861 is like a recipe in a diabetic cookbook with a disclaimer
that its for borderline diabetics only and uses some honey and to skip
it if that's not you... the point of the cookbook is cooking without
sugars yet you're telling your friends they can all have cupcakes if
they use honey becuase you found a honey recipe in a no-sugar
cookbook. That's what I think... but as the Founding Fathers ROLL
watching me pay 40% taxes I don't want you to just shrug and say ok.
Come back with that cupcake and tell me if I can have some sugar.

Now I liked the link I pointed to because it also showed the court
rulings for those folks who lost and they seemed consistant with the
writer's opinion in the point that 861 is inside a section of code
dealing with people whose income wasn't earned obviously totally here.
Thats the title of the ..er.. cookbook. But that was a
counterpoint and I'm hoping you can address it like I said. Besides,
Isn't there more to the whole unconstitutional income tax controversy
than 861 anyway? 861 stuff is all I've seen so you'd be making me
read and good stuff like that...

I was published ! http://www.synd.org

My article "No 'Contingent Patriotism' " was just published! It's not
on my blog because of the exclusive rules of the site. I added a links
area for this reason on the right. I don't have email through my
blog yet but if you read this particular article they do provide a web
link to write me. Articles which are published on my blog and
elsewhere will have italic notes under the title. Thanks!

Are Black Problems our Nation’s “Elephant in the Living Room?”

This will be the featured article in the Social Issues Category of http://www.articlewarehouse.com/ in August

I’ve recently awakened to a creepy question: Why don’t I read or see
news about the horrible state of affairs for black people in Portland
Oregon, and on a national level? I should hear about it all the time-
it’s a crazy problem!

I grew up with an average of 2 black students in school at any given
time who had a little bit of celebrity status, and a slightly harder
time breaking in as the new kids. I lived in the border between
Suburbia & The Country that was connected by Seven-Eleven stores.
High School was half of my life ago and then, Portland Oregon didn't
have gangs yet. We were just starting to get black neighborhoods in bad
areas. I never saw any of it happen because NE Portland had no relation
to Middle Class Country Suburbia (MCCS I'll call it) where the few
black kids seemed just like everyone else. My biggest whispering around
them was that we secretly wanted to figure out their hair.

I know there are a lot of black people who grew up like those kids in
my school. They have no ties to slums, not much to Africa, and they'll
stay the hell out of NE Portland too. But unless they went right into
MCCS as adults, they might have made connections in the military, at
Portland State University, or at a community church, even listening to
R&B stations ... and suddenly NE Portland has a connection to them,
and MCCS feels a little less comfortable.

Most of our gangs aren't black here. And most of the shootings on
blacks seem to be cop errors. Our cops used to have to go to college,
but now its pretty easy to be a stereotypical bully and get a gun with
a license to shoot at human beings and make up a cover story with no
consequences. I bet it makes good cops want to leave Portland. Still,
even with all that going on I am quite removed. And I just realized how
weird that is.

I wondered how in the heck it was possible that all this is going on
with the bad police shootings, the slums, the gangs, the
socio-economical traps set up in the hearts of cities... and its all so
quiet from out over here in MCCS. It's been a long time since blacks
couldn't vote. (Amendment 15, 1870: The right of citizens of the United
States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or
by any state on account of race, color, or previous condition of
servitude.) That came 50 years before women's turn (Amendment 19, 1920:
The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied
or abridged by the United States or by any state on account of sex.)
Shouldn't black males be 50 years ahead of white women in the pursuit
of equality? They are not. (Don't think pay rates, think prisons,
shootings and lack of media coverage)

I've heard reason after reason as to why there are bad black
neighborhoods in cities or rather, why we can't fix it. Any reason a
person can give me is just part of the history of learned excuses for
why we haven't even tried to fix this. These "reasons" aren't any
different than "reasons" for spousal abuse. There is no good reason for
black people to be more at risk of having a horrid life. So please
encourage your friends not to feel a need to justify it. Who are we
protecting by not thinking its ridiculous?

We've heard blanket statements from our parents/teachers/role-models
that it's nearly impossible to change. Of course it's possible! There
is no natural or genetic significant difference separating us. It's
just groups and who is in power. They are we, save culture and some
pigment. And you can break the cycle by just not saying it anymore. Try
saying: "Its an abomination that we have a discernable disadvantage to
black people in America in 2004 and its hardly mentioned in our main
media."

I can at least say we don't try in Portland-metro Oregon. You'll know
when we try when you see it as a regular topic on the front page of the
local papers.... % prisoners are black, % black people were detained
but not charged with a crime, % college students are black, % soldiers
are black, % business owners are black. Nationally "107 African
Americans in total have taken their place in United States history as
Congressional leaders" according to the Congressional Black Caucus
Foundation site http://cbcfinc.org/History.html. In Oregon where I live
we have Jim Hill who has been in the House and Senate and is our
Treasurer... but I found Mr. Hill as the only Black Congressman ever in
Oregon. Can that really be true?
http://politicalgraveyard.com/geo/OR/black.html had the most direct
answer to that question I found. Can someone validate/invalidate that
for me please?

So here's the solution to having this elephant in the living room: See
it and talk about it, don't ignore it. Think of it, like I said, like
spousal abuse. We had to talk about THAT and get it out of the open
first before it became socially unacceptable. We used to be afraid to
do that but that was because we got ahead of ourselves and denied the
problem simply because we didn't want to face a change or serious
challenge. We are not ready to solve this problem until we call it out.
The easiest thing to do is expect your local news to mention
significant things relating to black neighborhoods and to not just
ignore them. Once you see the elephant, you'll see how creepily ignored
it is.

Where is the "how to think" class in school?

I'd like kids to be taught to think, so later when I deal with them as adults I roll my eyes less when listening to others' snap-conclusions on just about anything.

For instance, the Scientific Method should show you how hard it is to really draw a conclusion, and how very difficult it is to find a correlation and know the cause. Or in eastern philosophies, could children learn that things are not always as they seem and that its likely you'll seem to know very much about something and then find you have only an illusion to guide you toward reality? Take heart, it's still good information even if its not "the TRUTH." Truth for humankind evolves as we do.

A useful illusion, or oversimplification is a model. Models help us continue to learn the truth but never necessarily to the point of comprehension. Newton, then Einstein, now Quantum Mechanics, and someday all to be outdone by Superstring-like theories where we learn more and more about what we see, while comprehending less and less. It expands your mind making you skeptical in a positive way.

In media and advertising, America has rules about what lies or half-truths and manipulations can be shown and how. Do we know them? I know one thing... that hyper buff guy didn't get his abs just from that silly product he sells.

We also have rules in journalism to keep news reporters unbiased for example, but television journalists are not encouraged to present facts to let us draw a conclusion. For example, maybe in the news I saw more gang activity say in August than three months ago. Did we also learn that it was raining most of June and graffiti and loitering are kind of a dry-weather thing? Or was I just told the gangs are getting worse or schools should go 12 months with a few intermittent breaks. I can't imagine the end of a news story about increased gang activity ending with, "then again, it could just be better weather for gangs to be out causing trouble this month". What we see isn't necessarily news at all, but magazine-like articles with spins on information.

You can tell if someone is lying or remembering by which way their eyes roll when pausing to think of the next sentence- or if they are afraid by their pupils dilating. Maybe we should teach kids that before watching a public speech or when being pushed around by other kids, and not just save it for later when college kids are learning about professional poker players.

I'd spend time giving a "math is really used" class before kids even have choices on taking math classes. They'd learn the basics and when they stopped believing it's necessary, (groan "why do i need this!?" ) we give them a much needed break of actually doing math and instead spend a year learning how helpful it can be. It's out there when you need it. What a great beginning to learning math as an older person who learns because it makes he or she more educated. There should be some kind of a passage for a student in his or her school experience. This wouldn't be accounting and story problems. This would be a holistic class with a lot of trips and short books and videos so there is no doubt that people find advantages in life with math.

Knowing what you can look up is great. We could talk about how to surf the Web and get real information, and why not to believe everything you read until you judge the writer's credibility and motivation... show how the voter's pamphlet prints exactly who pays for what ads on every argument for or against when reading the support and opposition.... (no you can't just count the for and against and decide that way. some people do that. Its often just one rich group and the group is actually a band of companies who have an ulterior motive!)

Has a kid ever checked a book's bibliography to know if the author cites real experts or just other opinionated writers who are dingbats themselves? The only thing I was taught about bibliographies was a librarian fetish about what is italicized.

I'm frustrated because recently I've run into too many people who don't have he the thinking skills needed to draw conclusions, let alone make a good argument for them. The only thing they know how to do is not change their minds, and not let other ideas in. Parents may have to make their own classes to guide kids through school like guidance counselors and be ready to validate and invalidate things the kids pick up from their teachers and peers after a day of being inundated with logic errors. http://www.datanation.com/fallacies/index.htm Copyright © Stephen Downes, 1995,1998 is a good start. I'd take a not-so-good newspaper or even a pretty biased leaflet and find any blanket "proven" statement and see where the fallacy is as a game. Where's that class in public schools? It would make teachers have to do a lot of homework after the kids knew how to ask questions for sure. And the thing about learning how to think is, you never forget it. Once you learn to take care of yourself, you won't allow yourself to be fooled.

taxes

OK. Here's my first reader's comment. We need a new topic for this called taxes, but I do appreciate the first line for my discussion on political parties, "Yup! It's all a big joke.....Demo-Publican-Liberal-Tarian....makes no real difference." And then I'm going to comment on your post which is about taxes and is now right HERE:
<<<<<<<<<<<<
Yup! It's all a big joke.....Demo-Publican-Liberal-Tarian....makes no real difference....the real control comes from who we borrow money from, to opporate the govt! The USA is bankrupt, and the bankers own us. Just sit quietly and be a slave, thinking your free. Then look at the income taxes you pay that the Law says we don't owe.....but if you refuse to pay your owners, they will figure out a way to spank you!

Wanna change it....quit being the "Statis-Quo"
>>>>>>>>>>>>>
thanks, reader/poster.

Political Parties aren't politics- they're clubs.

I can define which people will choose which party- I think Republian versus Democrat is a question of personality type more than beliefs. In support of this theory, Libertarians and others who have attempted to define parties by well-defined beliefs are gaining constituents.

Republicans tend to have the answers ahead of the questions. It gives them an advantage in debating and a disadvantage in weighing choices. A Republican is more likely to rally behind a Republican president even if the President is not acting in accordance with his or her expectations. All it takes is a quick change of personal beliefs on the matter and it's all water under the bridge. Faced with the same scenario, a Democrat acknowledges differences in beliefs between he or she and a Democrat President and decides that whatever the issue, it is not important and continues to support the President generally.

It's not about politics. It's about belonging to a group and making sure it stays powerful enough to represent you. Bipartisanship impedes our ability to make good choices together as a nation because we must first be loyal to a party or have no voice. I'd take out the parties if I could. I'd choose a leader who tended to have the priorities I have, and if after 4 years I didn't like the result, I'd choose a different leader. At the very least, I'd make the party system less important if possible because they are just clubs we belong to, not the entirety of our political system.... or should be anyway.

Now this is just my opinion. Don't blast me. Just tell me your point of view please. That's the tone I want established- a civilized discussion for people who are interested in like and different ideas. Thank you.

How we play

Thanks for reading. I'm not an experienced blogger. But I do have a theme: Keep on point. I'd like to make observations and see comments from others who have a point or counterpoint that is something for all of us to think on. If you know the answer before reading then you need a blog of your own. I'll help draw that line if possible.

That said, please feel free to suggest a topic in a comment, I'll try to respond to your suggestion in my own posting, and it will be up to posters to make clear what thread(s) they are commenting on.