SEPTEMBER 20, 2024 ABORTION

 SEPTEMBER 20, 2024 - ABORTION (???)

If there is one issue dividing America this election year, it is abortion.

Scenario 1  (year 1989)

Paula and Neil were in high school.  Paula is 17, and Neil is 18. Paula was an honor student, one of the top students in the senior class, and already had scholarship opportunities at three colleges.  Neil is a good student but also a star basketball player and was actively being recruited by several colleges.  

They have been dating for a year and a half.  They have kissed, petted, and done almost everything - except intercourse.  Their future as a couple and as students is uncertain, the parents their parents like them.  

They've been to a movie in September of their senior year and are returning to Paula’s house.  Her parents are gone for the weekend to the funeral of her great-uncle George in Wisconsin.  As they sit on the sofa making out, without any forethought, Paula is down to her bra and panties, and Neil is down to his underwear.  They just can’t stop there.  They both are so excited sexually, and, well, one thing leads to another, and they are having intercourse.  

[Aside - this story might be once or multiple times].  The result is that after a month, Paula realizes she is pregnant.  What to do - they have their future ahead of them.  They don’t know what to do.

Paula has heard of a free clinic and gets an appointment for after school on Wednesday.  She (and Neil) went to the appointment, and yes, she was pregnant.  

She CAN’T be pregnant—she can’t have a baby at 17!! It would ruin everything—her scholarships and her dreams of becoming an engineer or architect.  

It isn’t so dire for Neil.  He can still play basketball and have his life.  They agonize over their choices, and they arrange for Paula to get an abortion in eight days when she turns 18. They have the funds. 

*****

It is tough on Paula.  Her family is strongly pro-life.  Her church is pro-life.  How can she get an abortion? But having a baby would affect everything.  

Paula gets the abortion - but almost every day of her life, she thinks of the baby she didn’t have.

(And, in college, they both fall in love with others, and they split up)

*****

Scenario 2: (2024)

After leaving her second job at Taco Bell, Suzanne was walking home to her cheap apartment when she was stopped on the streets. She’s a black woman working to support her two children by working two jobs. She’s almost done with her associate degree in nursing and can soon quit her Taco Bell job to become an LVN and make more than her two jobs combined. It is three black men. She thinks she might have seen one or two at Taco Bell before.  

Before she knows it, she is pushed onto the back seat of a car, and one of the men is pumping her full of his sperm.  She tried to fight, to scream, but the knives they carried stopped her.  And, adding insult to injury, the other two also “have her.”  

She is pregnant.  She has terrible morning sickness, misses her morning job at an IHOP restaurant - and gets fired.  She misses classes and doesn’t graduate on time.  She can’t get an abortion - the laws in Texas wouldn’t allow it.  (Laws made by white men wearing suits in the state legislature).  She can’t afford a trip to Colorado where she could get a legal abortion, and soon, with almost no money left, she has three children, one low-paying job at Taco Bell, and no future.  

*****

Scenario 3 (1955)

Tammy’s one goal in life is to “catch” a husband.  She keeps playing up to Tommy in her college class.  She gets Tommy a little drunk (two beers?) and gets Tommy to have intercourse with her - hoping she will get pregnant.  When she is, she tells Tommy he has to marry her.  Six years later, she wishes she hadn’t done that.  Tommy is a lousy husband, abusive to her and their child (or children).  She got her “MRS” degree - but it wasn’t what she wanted.

*****

Discussion (2024)

I guess that NO woman knowingly has sex - hoping she can get pregnant and hoping she can have an abortion.   

Heidi is excited - she is pregnant, and oh boy, she can get another abortion!!!  

*****

There is a joke that a woman should carry an aspirin with her - and put it between her knees - AND KEEP IT THERE.  

Maybe all unmarried women should get free birth control pills (or vaccination).  Maybe all unmarried men should get reversible vasectomies. 

Sex education tried to focus on abstinence - and intercourse still happened.  It is a passion that males and females enjoy.  A couple is failing in love, and <zip> before either really stops and counts to one hundred and has an intellectual discussion about it, it has happened.  

Okay - unsubstantiated folly.  Men will brag in the locker room - that they had sex with their girlfriends.  I don’t know if that happens in women’s locker rooms - I doubt it.   Men will brag about their conquests - I <vulgar term> Susie.  And, men get off free - they don’t get pregnant.  

*****

Yes, the discussion is on morality - and we all seem to have slightly different morality.  It is “killing” an unborn child, but going to war and killing an enemy soldier is somehow acceptable.  

There are other arguments - that access to abortion is generally decided by white men in state legislatures making rules and regulations. Let women have the ability to decide for themselves if they want an abortion - it is her life - and her womb.  

Maybe we can take a “Brave New World” approach, collecting and fertilizing eggs in extensive medical facilities. Then, we can deny oxygen to embryos for a period of time to create people with lower intelligence to be janitors and laborers and give extra nutrients to other embryos to make them smarter.

*****

I've heard a clergyman (and it was an unmarried man) say in a religious service that the only issue in this election is abortion - and urged (told/instructed) people to vote only for pro-life candidates. 

*****

Karen adds: I don’t know the best solution - but I know this issue is tearing us apart as a society.  The pro-life groups HATES the abortion group, and the abortion group HATES the pro-life group.  We don’t talk to each other, we have forgotten how to love, how to love, and how to love.  

I wish couples who are not ready for children to take appropriate birth control measures and couples that are ready for children to be open to the gift of children.  

*****

Eventually . . . 

LOVE WINS

LOVE TRANSFORMS

Karen Anne White, September 20, 2024

(At age 77 and a transgender woman, I will not be having any more children.  I love my two children and five grandchildren dearly.  I want children born to be loved, cherished, educated, and appreciated and to have stable environments. But, somehow, legislating morality doesn’t work.) 

 WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 18, 2024 ROMANTIC

I was “forced” (not really to acknowledge that I am a romantic.  

Over the weekend, I listened to an updated Beauty and the Beast story audiobook.

The “beast” in this story was one of the wealthiest people in the world. The father built a vast empire, which she inherited.  

But, a tragic fire accident left her terribly scarred. She thought she was hideous- and built a castle in the mountains- and bought up most of the land around her. She became a recluse, with security guards and servants protecting her privacy. Drones and helicopters fly over the castle to get a photo of the wealthy recluse (and she hid from all people). 

But she wanted a woman in her life. The last remaining property near her had a father and a beautiful daughter. She wanted the daughter and manipulated things, so the daughter and father depended on her. She sent the father away to manage an import vessel and tried to woo the girl.  

They clashed from the beginning, as the girl said (my term) that love wins, while the beast insisted that love doesn’t ever win, only money.

Of course, by the end of the book, the girl has shown love and affection to the rich woman, who realizes that love does win and that money isn’t all there is in life.

***

Aside from that, the previous audiobook could have been more uplifting. The lady and her husband are just “friends” anymore, so the lady finds a lover in a shoe store. I stopped listening about ¼ of the way through it. Y, it might have a happy ending, but I didn’t want to crawl through the mud to get there.

*****

I cry at movies and plays, and I love classical romantic music. A friend directs community plays. The last play, when two of the characters hug and make up, did leave me with happy tears.

I’ve been watching videos on the Internet - happy videos (like Princess Diaries, Parent Trap, and others - yes - Pollyanna-type videos.

Some artwork appeals to me - sunny days, sweet scenes, and things that touch my heart and mind. 

I’ve been listening to Shostakovich’s Festive Overture (my community symphony is playing that at our next concert) and the finale of Shostakovich’s Fifth Symphony (I’d love to play the tympani on that piece).  

By definition, a romantic is a person who thinks a lot about love and does and says things that show strong feelings of love for someone.  

But my romantic thoughts are more extensive than loving someone; I want to think they affect my whole existence. 

I like the (rarely used ) word “Elan,” which refers to energy, style, and enthusiasm. It may be “passion.” Enthusiasm for life, reverence for life, and Godly LOVE for life.

*****

Yes, I fail - yes, I trip and fall. But, my brain is so wired to love life, God, and infinitely.

That may be why I rarely watch television (and especially television news). T expression “The world is going to hell in a handbasket” seems to be the mantra for televised news. The economy is bad, and the immigrant problem is bad (only drug dealers and criminal syndicates want to get into the USA). We are voting for XYZ to make the world better.  

*****

Can you person make the world better? Can one person cry happy tears in movies and in plays? Can books brighten my thoughts?

Can you have a brighter day? Can you (we) love, humor, jokes, and life exist as compared to hate, lust, and greed?

Yes, let’s focus on LOVE winning!!!

Love also transforms hearts and minds!!

Karen Anne White
September 18, 2024

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 16, 2024

 Monday, September 16, 2024 faith works

In many Churches yesterday, one of the readings was from James 2.  The following is from a contemporary version:

“Dear friends, do you think you’ll get anywhere in this if you learn all the right words but never do anything? Does merely talking about faith indicate that a person really has it? For instance, you come upon an old friend dressed in rags and half-starved and say, “Good morning, friend! Be clothed in Christ! Be filled with the Holy Spirit!” and walk off without providing so much as a coat or a cup of soup—where does that get you? Isn’t it obvious that God-talk without God-acts is outrageous nonsense?”

‭‭James‬ ‭2‬:‭14‬-‭17‬ ‭MSG‬‬

I have driven and supported a Georgetown Texas program called “Faith in Action”.  Volunteers drive senior citizens to their appointments.  Two closest friends started with me as Faith in Action ladies who needed rides. 

The concept is that giving rides to appointments is more than just being nice. It’s a mandate. Love your neighbors as yourself—hmmm—I love having food in my kitchen, clothes, and friends. Just because a person no longer drives doesn’t mean they can be ignored.  

We also went out to eat, enjoying each other's company. I talk about love wins, but I also have to DO love wins.  

Talk the talk AND walk the walk!  

Taking action to reduce hate and promote love is LOVE WINS.

And acts of love TRANSFORMS US!!

Karen Anne White

September 16, 2024

SUNDAY FUNDAY - SEPTEMBER 15, 2024

 SUNDAY FUNDAY SEPTEMBER 15 

Tricky questions (but you’ve seen many of these before):

1. How many letters are in the alphabet?
11. (“The alphabet.”)

2. If you build a fort, drive a Ford and fill out a form, then what do you eat soup with?
A spoon.

3. You have two coins that equal 30 cents, and one of them is not a quarter. Which coins do you have?
A quarter and a nickel. (The nickel is the one that isn’t a quarter.)

4. A man once said he went 35 days without sleep. How is that possible?
He slept at night. (My father bragged he could get by on 4 hours of sleep a night.  But, then he added - as long as I get another four hours during the day).

5. What thrives when you feed it but dies when you give it something to drink?
A fire.

6. What kind of button can’t be unbuttoned?
A belly button.

7. What is the answer to this question?
“What.”  (I had a friend who would ask “Guess What?”.  I would answer “What”, and he would say “You got it”!!)

8. If Mrs. Smith’s rooster lays an egg in Mr. Brown’s yard, who owns the egg?
No one. Roosters don’t lay eggs.

9. Ted is the father of Sam, but Sam is not the son of Ted. How is that possible?
Sam is not a boy - but Samantha.

10. What can run but never walks, has a mouth but never talks, and is often found between banks?
A river.

11. The more of this there is, the less you see. What is it?
Darkness.

12. A deli worker in a grocery store is described as being 6’1″ and wearing size 10 shoes and a medium-sized shirt. What does the deli worker weigh?
Lunch meat.

13. A suspected burglar is brought in for questioning for a robbery that happened on the 4th of July. He tells the police he has an alibi, as he was home at the time of the robbery. A mailman verifies that he saw the suspect at home at the time of the robbery while on his mail route. The police, however, immediately know the mailman is lying. How?
The mail doesn’t run on the 4th of July, so there’s no way the mailman could have seen the suspect on his mail route.

14. What babbles but never talks?
A brook.

15. What’s something that has teeth but can’t chew?
A comb.

16. If the assistant captain of a sports team were to die, who would lead the team?
The captain.

17. What’s something that always wants an answer but doesn’t have a question?
A phone.

18. You can catch me, but I can’t be thrown. What am I?
A cold.

19. A woman quickly realizes there is no air in her driver’s-side tire, but she finds something else in the tire instead. What is it?
A hole.

20. What’s something that gets wetter the more it dries?
A towel.

21. When you put your socks on, why are you sure to make a mistake?
Because you put your foot in it.

22. Let’s say you have to lift a hippo with one finger. How would you do it?
You wouldn’t because you can’t find a one-fingered hippo.

23. What happens when you throw a blue rock into the Red Sea?
It sinks to the bottom.

24. How can you drop a glass vase on a concrete floor and not crack it?
Concrete floors are hard to crack.

25. Which word in the dictionary has an odd spelling?
“Odd.”  (I would question my students about a word - “What word is always pronounced ‘WRONG’ - the answer is “WRONG”)

26. What’s something that copies your looks but not your sounds?
A mirror.

27. I wave, even if you don’t say hello. What am I?
A flag.

28. Bill fell from a 30-foot ladder but didn’t get hurt. How is that possible?
He fell from the bottom rung.

29. What word becomes longer after you add two letters to it?
“Long.”  (Or the other form - “What word becomes shorter when you add ‘er’ to it?” - Shorter)

30. What’s something that has a lot of holes in it but can still hold water?
A sponge.

31. A train pulls up to the station. You notice that one car is full of people, but there isn’t a single person on board. How can that be?
Everyone in that train car is married. There is a similar one - a man buys a drink in a bar and gives the bartender a five, the bartender says “Sorry, I can’t take that, this is a singles bar”

32. Sandy claims she saw an ocean without water, and it turns out, she was being honest. How is that possible?
She was looking at a map.

33. What’s something you can break but can’t put back together?
A promise.

34. How many times can you cut a cake in half?
Technically, only once.

35. What’s something that gets warmer the more it cools?
An air conditioner.

36. What are two things you can’t eat for dinner?
Breakfast and lunch.  (Actually, not quite right.  Occasionally I have eggs for dinner - and eggs are generally for breakfast)

35. What’s something that has a lot of problems not many people are eager to solve?
A math book.

38. If you were in a race and passed the person in third place, what place would you be in?
Third place.

39. A woman goes into the forest and sees 10 trees. She then proceeds to snap all their branches at once. How is this possible?
She took a picture of the trees.

40. What was the president’s name in 1990?
The same as it is today.  “The President”

*****

From Friends:  

Where do bad rainbow go?  To prism!!  It is a light sentence, but it gives them time to reflect!!!  (So Cute)

What do you get when a hen lays an egg on the roof of a barn?  An egg roll!!

Why did the tomato blush?  Because it say the salad ‘dressing’.

What did the grape say when it got stepped on?  Nothing, it just let out a little “wine” (whine)

What is the one room in a house a ghost doesn’t need?  The ‘Living Room’!!!

What o clouds wear under their shorts?  “Thunder” pants.

Hey - are you registered to vote?  There is an election coming.  You can go to https://www.wilcotx.gov/294/Voter-Registration to check.  If you have moved, you should still update your information (the poll workers can do that, but that delays the voting process).

NEXT TIME - FALL 

LOVE WINS!!

Karen White, September 15, 2024