Issues

Sarah Palin’s pregnant daughter, UPDATE

Sarah Palin’s 17-year-old daughter is pregnant, and everybody’s making a big deal about it.  Barack Obama came out and said “leave the Palin’s family alone, especially the daughter” and he’s right.  And you know what?  I have not heard anyone attacking the daughter, even before Obama’s statement,  because this kind of stuff happens and people turn out fine if they have a good support structure.

But it does form a teachable moment about ‘abstinence-only’ sex education, doesn’t it?  Palin is on record opposing comprehensive sex education; she just wants kids to hear “don’t do it”.  If that’s all she told her daughters, and if she shielded them from real information, she sent them into young adulthood unprepared.  How to reduce teen pregnancies?  With comprehensive sex education.

UPDATE:

  • Maureen Johnson’s blog has a wonderful, very constructive take on poor Bristol’s predicament: Free Bristol Palin.  I will do a separate post on it later.
  • The Intersection has comparitive statistics on teen sex and pregnancy, but it isn’t exactly new data.
  • ABC News on the latest.
Posted by George on 09/01/08 at 08:45 PM
observations • Issues • (14) Comments • Link

Abortion protest ethics

Jeffrey Shallit at Recursivity points to a video of abortion protesters struggling to answer the simple question: “If abortion is made illegal, what should the punishment be for a woman who has one?” 

Surprising that they seem never to have thought about it after years of standing on the street with Joe Scheidler holding signs and yelling at passers by that abortion is murder. 
Hat tip to Lucas, whose shared items have been a gold mine

Posted by George on 08/06/08 at 08:53 PM
observations • Issues • (5) Comments • Link

Repeal the Second Amendment?  UPDATE

The Chicago Tribune editorializes; “Repeal the Second Amendment”.  My first reaction is quite negative - we’re talking about one of the rights guaranteed in the constitution here.  It’s late, and I’ll have more to say about this on Sunday but I’d love to hear what you think. 

As promised, below the fold are some updates on this subject.  The Chicago Tribune editorial had many, many comments and I will base my responses on those.  Many were slogans that we’ve all heard before, and they deserve a response:

Continued...

Posted by George on 06/27/08 at 11:16 PM
observations • Issues • (10) Comments • Link

Expensive Cheapening

I try to save being offended for things that matter.  Janet Jackson’s wardrobe didn’t malfunction enough as far as I’m concerned.  OK, I’m joking there - I can think of lots of wardrobes I’d like to see malfunction before that one.  But there’s a jewelry store here in town that has actually succeeded in offending me.  I had a view of this sign while eating breakfast last Friday:

Honestly, I can’t figure out who this sign is not insulting.  Women?  Shallow, and give out sexual favors based on expensive baubles.  There’s a word for that… can’t think of it just now.  Men?  Guys, treat your wives like, um… that word again.  It’s not about partnership, or relationship, it’s about manipulation and a fair medium of exchange.

Children?  Hey kids, see this sign?  Be sure to grow up into stereotypical consumers!  This is what adult relationships are about, manipulating your partner and enriching so-and-so’s jewelry!

The same jewelry store has a whole campaign based on this concept.  A diamond necklace; “Wife insurance”.  Ring with huge rock on it; “Hey, your daughter’s engagement ring is bigger than yours!”  A fabulous broach; “Apologize like you mean it”.  And many more. 

I know, I know, it’s commercialism. I guess no standard is too low… 

Posted by George on 03/17/08 at 07:02 PM
observations • Issues • (6) Comments • Link

But how do we draw “bright idea lightbulbs” over cartoon heads now?

I often change bulbs in LCD projectors.  The high-pressure bulbs run so hot they require elaborate cooling fans, yet still shorten the life of the rest of the projector.  Picture quality degrades as they near end-of-life, and a new bulb (often with less than 1,000 hours on it) costs $350.

Various LED arrays stacked with optical columnators come to mind, but here’s another idea I like a lot: the microwave lightbulb.  Far more efficient (and thus cooler-running) and it wouldn’t die. It would vastly improve the economical practicality of classroom projection systems.  It could even be used in other applications like room lighting. 

(from Pure Pedantry)

Posted by George on 06/21/07 at 07:00 PM
observations • Issues • (1) Comments • Link

Open thread: best way to “help The Poor”

The comments on the previous thread, “Line in the sand have veered off onto a tangent that I believe deserves its own thread.  The question is: “Supposing you do want to help the poor, HOW?”  What is the best way to go about it?  You can even knock Bush, defend Bush, remember Johnson, promote libertarianism - whatever you think contributes to the topic.  Don’t hold back!

I’ll check in on this thread in a few days to contribute a thought or two.

Posted by George on 07/18/06 at 11:03 AM
observations • Issues • (28) Comments • Link

What has changed since last Christmas?

At the store where my son works, corporate headquarters decided everyone should greet customers with the phrase; “Happy Holidays!”  There have been a few incidents of customers coming completely unglued, screaming at the poor clerks that they’re ruining Christmas because Jesus, something, blah-blah…

What has changed since I last wrote about this issue in a post entitled, Merry Christmas, Macy’s?

The “Christmas war” has been ramped up a little bit.  In his book, The War On Christmas,  author John Gibson complains that those awful secularists are trying to ruin Christmas by removing ‘any mention of Jesus’ from the public square.  But several things have not changed.

That uber-Pinhead, Bill O’Reilley, is still exploiting the issue for ratings and personal aggrandizement.  The ACLU is still not trying to remove Christmas from the marketplace, and they are still opposing tax-funded promotion of any one religion over another.  They have still not sued any private entity, store, or person for any expression of faith.  They are still being accused trying to destroy Christianity while defending the right to expression of faith.

Another thing that has not changed is that it is still extremely bad manners to take offense at a blessing or when no offense is intended.  If there are legal issues to address (such as if tax dollars are involved in the promotion of a religion), then address them.  But it is idiotic to harrass anyone for a friendly greeting.

I am an atheist - I don’t believe in your god.  I might be annoyed if you back me into a corner and start preaching to me.  But if you wish me a ‘Merry Christmas’, or a ‘Happy Holiday’, I’ll smile back and wish you the same.  Christmas is both a religious and secular holiday, enjoyed by people of all faiths and no faith whatever.  What could possibly be wrong with good wishes?

Merry Christmas, everyone!

Posted by George on 12/11/05 at 02:02 PM
Issues • News • (3) Comments • Link

Islamic Feminists

You have to admire the courage to take on a seemingly impossible task -  BBC News: Islam feminists urge gender jihad.

Organiser Abdennur Prado Pavon says the struggle for gender equality in Islamic countries involves refuting chauvinist interpretations of Muslim teachings.

I wish them luck.  If it has been an uphill battle in our culture…

 

Posted by George on 10/28/05 at 07:30 AM
News • Issues • (1) Comments • Link

Drop your daughter off here

Apparently jokes about sexual predation are still considered funny:

Stephanie Oberlander, The Pantagraph, 19 Aug 2005

Classy, very classy.  It’s Fall semester move-in time, and I’m sure the university appreciates the image these fine young men help project.

That reminds me; I’ve been meaning to write about Lynn Johnston’s comic strip, “For Better or Worse” and her treatment of a stalker/rapist.  She is a pioneer who introduced the first gay character to a mainstream newspaper comic and raised the realism of family life portrayal to a new level.  In a recent story line, she has written one of her main characters in danger from a co-worker:

To my knowledge this is the first portrayal of sexual violence in a mainstream comic.  There are so many levels on which the series illuminates the horror of such an attack; the main character is someone we readers have followed since childhood - in a sense she is daughter to each of us.  She is panicked, and her attacker is having a great time, totally oblivious to or even enjoying the pain he is causing.

Maybe it will make people think.  The next time someone says; “She said no, but I knew she meant…” the response will be hard opposition instead of silence.

Unfortunately Johnston is planning to retire soon because of a painful neck condition that interferes with her drawing.  But her writing is first-rate and I wish she could get someone else to draw.

Quote for the day:
“Men are afraid women are going to laugh at them.  Women are afraid men are going to kill them.”
Gavin DeBecker, author and security consultant

Notes:
1. This post was edited for clarity after its original posting. 

Posted by George on 08/19/05 at 07:47 PM
observations • Issues • News • (3) Comments • Link

What’s a filibuster good for?

Senate Republicans are bent out of shape at the Democrats’ use of a filibuster to block the worst of Bush’s judicial nominees.  They actually want to change the rules of Senate debate to get their way.

I remember similar blockage on Clinton’s nominees, but never mind that.  The important thing is, they could stop this filibuster with only a three-fifths majority.  Any nominee capable of bipartisan support could sail right on to a vote, and probably pass.  But these nominees are so obviously partisan they can’t get a single Democrat’s nod.

I’d feel pretty good about a judge who got votes from both sides of the aisle.

Same thing with line-item veto.  Everyone knows that spending lines are tacked onto “must-pass” legislation that have nothing to do with the primary purpose of the bill.  Fine; I have no problem with that.  A presidential line-item-veto holds those dubious items up to a higher standard that requires a supermajority (enough to strike down a presidential veto) to pass.

There’s the principle: dubious things should require a higher standard. 

Now on to the campaign to break the filibuster.  The Republicans claim that the Democrats are “trying to keep people of faith out of the judiciary.”  This is nonsense of course but it makes good press.  There are lots of people of faith in the judiciary, nominated by Democrats and passed with bipartisan support.

The Republicans appear to want “people-of-faith- who-agree-with-us- on-every-hot-button-issue.”  Well that’s a very different goal, and quite unhealthy from a constitutional perspective.

It doesn’t speak well for the credulity of religious voters that they don’t see how shamelessly they’re being maniupulated for political gain.  The bible has something like a dozen verses about homosexuality, and over two thousand about helping the poor.  Drunkenness is clearly condemned in the Bible, yet no one proposes making alcohol illegal because we dun’ tried that and it worked about as well as the war on marijuana.  The first four commandments are clearly sectarian and have no place in American law.  Abortion was common during biblical times, yet is never directly mentioned in the Bible.  There are even fake quotes from Thomas Jefferson and George Washington floating around that try to make them look like they wanted a Christian government.  It should raise serious concern when someone tries to (literally!) re-write history.

What’s an activist judge?  Pretty much any judge who does something you don’t like.  But often the judges (who are in a more secure position that any politician and thus more independent) are our only hope of anchor against the winds of political fashion.

Posted by George on 04/28/05 at 07:08 PM
Issues • (1) Comments • Link

Handy guide to killing

In the wake of Terri Schaivo’s killing, there seems to be a bit of confusion about when it is OK to kill a human being.  If you are involved in killing decisions, print out this handy guide:

Continued...

Posted by George on 04/03/05 at 08:43 AM
Issues • News • (4) Comments • Link

“We have to grow up”

Issues are like chemical elements; few stand alone.  In the periodic table, there are only a few “noble gasses” that won’t (usually) combine with other elements.  Oversimplification in commentary consists of pretending to separate out what is inextricably bound with another issue, and trying to address it in isolation.

So it is with Terri Schiavo.  I count eighteen issues wound together:

Continued...

Posted by George on 04/01/05 at 05:14 PM
Issues • News • (3) Comments • Link

Reasoned legal opinion

Of course, no judge has decided in the abstract that Terri Schiavo would be better off dead than alive. Rather, multiple court proceedings have found clear and convincing evidence that it would be her intention to be liberated from artificial life support.
-Steve Sanders, Reason and Liberty

Certainly no one has been able to demonstrate to the court(s) that Terri’s intention was for her brainless husk to be kept warm and twitching in a ghoulish excess of misguided medical intervention. 

For all the lawyer jokes we hear, it’s easy to forget that for every amoral, corporate tool sucking the life out of our society, there are a number of even-headed, worthwhile human beings at the bar who take the time to understand how things fit into the legal framework we call a stable society.  Steve is a law student on his way to becoming one of those people. I wouldn’t be surprised if he became a judge someday, and we’d be the beneficiaries if he does.

The quote above is from his post, Have the Schiavo parents crossed a dangerous line.  Here, Steve examines the intent of the supporters who have surrounded the Schindlers - activists who want to undermine trust in the judiciary.

Posted by George on 03/25/05 at 04:34 PM
Issues • News • (1) Comments • Link

Governor acting really scary

I had a lot of trouble coming up with a headline for this post.  It’s just too extreme, too hard to fathom, and words fail me -

BBC News Online: “A judge in the US state of Florida has rejected a bid by Governor Jeb Bush to become the legal guardian of brain-damaged woman Terri Schiavo.”

This simply boggles my mind.  Just when you thought it couldn’t get any friggin’ crazier…

Is there ANY MORE DOUBT these nutcase whackos want to invade every aspect of our personal lives?  Can we just explain it away anymore?  It’s like watching a train wreck - awful, but you can’t take your eyes off it.

Posted by George on 03/24/05 at 03:58 PM
Issues • News • (2) Comments • Link

Terri Schiavo updated post

I’ve been ignoring the Terri Schiavo case for a while now, but since the feeding tube was removed on Friday, it has come to a head.  Congress is holding a special session today - well, the Right wing of congress, anyway - to consider her case and try to get the feeding tube inserted. 

Continued...

Posted by George on 03/20/05 at 04:50 PM
Issues • News • (3) Comments • Link
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