A Rant

So Zube Girl, (pronounced to rhyme like boobie, although she is certainly not a boob) who you can find at http://zubegirl.blogspot.com, who I read every day and posts very cute pictures of her dog, got up on her soap box about abortion. While leaving a message for her, I nearly got up onto a box of my own, when I remembered that her blog is not the place to do that and I needed to go "home" before I started ranting. So here it is.

There was a discussion about a woman's right to choose and how there is a fear that with the current administration, Roe v. Wade could be overturned in a swoop by conservative politics. By people who believe that thier way is the only way. In my mind (and I could be wrong) these are the same people who think that the Ten Commandments should be displayed in public classrooms and that this is a Christian country.

I realize that this is all grey area. that it is all subject to interpretation. Murder is bad, so since you have to kill the fetus in order to abort, then abortion must be bad too. The Ten Commandments teach us the fundamental rules to life and therefore should be posted in classrooms so all children, regardless of faith can learn them. Our country was founded on Christian principals and is made up of a majority of Christians and therefore is a Christian country.
I don't know a society in history that truly believes that murder is ok, but it has always been a fundimental right for a woman to be pregnant or not. Whether it is herbal remedies passed along, or a surgical proceedure that ends the pregnancy, it can, and if nessesary, will, be ended if a woman so desires. The decision has, and always will be in the hands of the mother. (sorry dads. once the seed is planted, there isn't a whole lot you can do) For the government to take this away is an attempt to take a freedom that is inherent. Everyone doesn't have to agree to this, everyone doesn't have to take the option. But the option is there whether it is legal or not. Outlawing the proceedure will only make desperate women more desperate. As Zube said, she'd take her daughter to Canada. But not everyone can choose this. In my neighborhood, a woman would likely go to Mexico. and while there are a lot of great doctors there, I wouldn't want my daughter heading to Mexico for an abortion. It isn't safe for an American woman to walk the streets there.(this is not an attack on Mexicans or Mexico, it's the truth. I was assaulted my an American last time I was there) The part that amazed me, perhaps the most, in reading Zube's comments, was that there were some from other countries, namely England and South Africa who don't have this as a hot issue. England is a Monarchy. They don't claim to be "free". in fact, The United States won it's freedom from England. But the English government does not appear to take issue with abortion. It appears that they trust their subjects to make the right choice for them. I took a gander at the South African constitution, and all it said was that the people of South Africa have the right to live. That one, I think, is subject to interpretation (whether you believe that a fetus is a person at conception or not) but, according to the commenter, it's not a hotbed issue. Regardles of what you believe, I am pro choice. and I vote for people who are also pro choice. Not because I think I would be able to abort my child (although if I were raped, I don't know how strongly I would feel about that)but because I like to know that I can if I need to. Safely, without travelling to another country, so that I can go and heal among my family, in my own bed. A woman needs support through this difficult time. Not judgement. Outlawing this would not stop the abortions, it would make them more dangerous and damaging.
The Ten Commandments. I don't think that when God spoke unto Moses by the burning bush that he intened for humans to fight over these. It seemes to me that the Jewish people needed a set of rules, and this is what was provided to them. Are these rules outdated? Heck no! I also don't think that they are just for Christians (and Jews) I do think that they are so much a part of society that placing them in classrooms is redundant. Every faith has it's rules, mine says, Harm None. And for me, that covers it. Children should be taught right from wrong by their parents. If a parent needs further guidance from church, then by all means, that's what church is for. to guide the lost. Teachers shouldn't have to teach children to be moral, they should come to school already set with a baseline of values. From their parents. You want to lobby for something? Lets work on our economy so that more parents can choose to stay home with their children. By the way, have you ever heard a parent sent their kid off to school by saying, "Ok Sally, be a very bad girl today." Yeah, me either.
a Christian country. I really think that our country was based on freedom. Freedom to believe what we choose. If it were truly a Christian country, don't you think our forefathers would have declared a national religion? But they didn't. And just because there is a majority that believes one way, doesn't mean that we all do. If there was a poll, and we discovered, suddenly that the majority of the country followed the ways of Buhdda, do you think we would declare ourselves a Buhddist country? No. People would still insist otherwise. So I have an idea. If you are trying to inflict your religious beliefs into government policy, stop. This isn't about the Bible, it's about recognising the freedoms of everyone to believe as they choose, without infringement. You may not agree with my faith, but I am not asking you to. Please don't ask me to follow yours, it doesn't appeal to me. I tried going to church. I made a concious decision to follow the path I am on. Government policy will not change this. You will not change this. It is between me, and God. At the same time, I choose to skip the "under God" part of the pledge of allegence. I still recite it with pride. I place my right hand over my heart (ready, begin) but I leave that part out, not because I don't believe in God, but because it was added for political reaons back in the 50's. In God we Trust? if putting it on money means I will have more of it, then by all means. It spends the same no matter what you write on it. I can live without saying the pledge, I can't live without money. Well, I can. but I don't like it. Really, I recognise God as the same force no matter how you see it. Since I am neither Agnostic nor Atheist, when you say God, I translate the idea into my brain the way it makes sense. The way it is God to me. Does this mean that I am countering what I said about the pledge? no. I said I don't say "under God" for ploitical reasons, not religious. God doesn't care what you call it. Even an Agnostic recognises that there is something there, they just don't worship or call it anything. An Atheist has just as much right not to believe in anything, but they must understand (and I am sure most do) that those of faith sometimes need to be reminded of thier faith wherever they go. (see Hindu. They have pictures of thier gods EVERYWHERE!) And there are more people of faith than Agnostics. Crosses on hilltops don't hurt anyone, especially when they are donated (you know, because tax money didn't pay for them). On the flip side, I bet if I donated a ginormous pentical to be placed on my local mountain top, it would never make it to dedication. It's all about respect, people. Respect tat we are different. God made us this way for a reason. You can't make me be just like you.
My rant began with the intention to say that we, as a people, need to take our country back. We have become a country not for the people, but for the dollar and the lobbiest. The lobbiest with the most money gets laws passed. Our lawmakers can't make laws for us if they don't know what we want. So communicate with them. postage stamps aren't that expensive and an email works great. I have sent a few letters. one senetor worte me back. That was 10 years ago, I vote for her still. Vote not for your party, but for the candidates that support your issues. If you have to cross party lines, then do it, otherwise nothing will change and we will continue to have our lives run by special interest groups. we live in a democracy. While it can't be a perfect fit here for everyone, we do have the power to arrange for a more comfortable union. And if the vote doesn't go the way you want, at least you know that you tried. laying back and doing nothing never helped to change the world.

anyone still reading?