I saw this in my [soon to be extinct] Reader Feed:
Now, I’m from Minnesota so I’m accustomed to shameful defeat, but 23 years…?
No way.
Then I realized that we cheated and were stripped of our wins.
It’s hard being from Minnesota.
For me, the issue of abortion comes down to two things; life and liberty.
There is a clear difference between a collection of cells and of life. No reasonable person has any moral compunction about cutting a finger nail, removing hair or even taking a kidney; cells, even human cells, do not constitute life.
However, living human beings have a right to expect to liberty that is called out in the Declaration; The right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.
I have long suspected that 80-85% of Americans agree on this issue; we’re divided because of the extremists on either side. For example, when asked if abortion should be legal is the woman’s life is in danger 88% of people responded that it should be – 82% agreed that it should be if the health of the mother be in danger. And on the issue of victim of crime, 83% responded that it should be legal.
Further, I think that most people agree that there is a place and a time; support for abortion in the 2nd trimester falls by more than half when compared to abortion in the first trimester and by 75% when the pregnancy is in the 3rd trimester.
All this adds up to the fact that Americans are very aware of the issue and that two things matter:
The why, except for discretionary reasons, is straight forward. I suspect the when speaks to the beginning of life.
Personally, I do not believe that life, scientifically, begins at literal conception. I do not believe that a human being is present at the time the sperms fertilizes the egg. However, there is a time when that collection of cells becomes a human being. And at that time, that human being is entitled to natural rights.
All this is a lead up to the state of North Dakota defining life at that moment of conception; that time when an egg is fertilized by the sperm:
North Dakota lawmakers Friday completed action to outlaw almost all abortions, voting to define life as beginning at conception.
The Republican-dominated House also approved a so-called personhood amendment that asks voters to change the state’s constitution to recognize and protect “the inalienable right to life of every human being at any stage of development.”
Pretty far out there if ya ask me.
So, a long time ago I was working as a busboy at a hotel on campus at the University of Minnesota. Out of the blue, one of the waitresses says to me, “You are the strangest person I know.”
Huh.
For a long time I’ve been thinking about what the ramifications might be if when we legalize gay marriage. When we finally move from the old places to the new places. What will that mean practically.
What will the changing definitions and norms of the sexes mean in today’s culture. And I keep coming back to bathrooms and locker rooms.
Consider, for example, why we have different rest rooms for different sexes? Why is that? What is the reason for the segregation? I have no historical basis to go on, so I can only assume that it’s because women don’t want men seeing them in their most vulnerable and likewise don’t want men dropping trau in their presence.
Makes perfect sense.
Until you think it through. Stalls all around. And, being a long time man, I’ve never barged in on another guy in his “private time” to see, accidentally or not, anything that would make a nun blush.
Ever.
Yet the norm remains. Men in men’s rooms and women in ladies rooms. Why?
So, if we are now having fair and open discussion surrounding the fact that some people are straight and others are gay, and more importantly that that is okay, is there ever going to be a discussion surrounding potty etiquette? I’ve thought about it but never thought that I would start it.
Kavanagh’s [new amendment] prohibits a person from entering a “public restroom, bathroom, shower, bath, dressing room, or locker room” if the sex designation of that facility does not match the individual’s birth certificate.
So, I never went there, but it’s close.
If there is a case for separate restrooms based on sex, is there an equally strong argument for separate restrooms based on sexual preference. Now take it further, the YMCA or any other gym. If we decide to build and maintain separate showers for men and women, for what I think are obvious reasons, isn’t there at least as compelling reason to build separate facilities for gay and straight people? After all, if a woman doesn’t feel comfortable showering in front of a man who might be sexually attracted to her, don’t I have the same reasonable right to the same expectation?
Now, before anyone goes all crazy on me for being some looney wacko, understand that I’ve experienced this to a degree. I used to live in Seattle and have vacationed in the parks of Orcus Island. And one of those camps had a jacuzzi and sauna, co-ed, with an expectation of nudity. For the first 10-15 minutes it was out-of-this-world-strange. However, after that initial period of weirdness, things kinda gelled into normal and it was like nothing was odd at all.
So,now that I’m not the guy that started it I can wonder out loud in print.
The Youtube video is viral, you have to have seen it. I’ve seen it posted at least a dozen times. The one about wealth inequal — yeah, you saw the title.
Anyway, listen to what the narrator says at about minute 1:40 through 2:30
The money line is at 2:25
And let’s distribute it, among our 100 Americans. Well-here’s socialism; all the wealth of the country distributed equally.
Now, for a long time I’ve noticed that the left has critiqued the right for the incorrect use of the term “socialism”. And I’ve largely agreed with them that the term has been used incorrectly. The argument that they haven’t been able to identify a word that means “redistribution of wealth” doesn’t change the fact that socialism really means the state ownership of production.
But this is the first time I can remember an actor of the left using the term in the way someone from the right would.
Interesting.
I saw an article that democrats no longer feel that Obamacare can effectively be used against them as a weapon. In essence, the law is here to stay and it is what it is.
I wonder if folks working at CVS knew what was in store:
In the wake of the implementation of the Affordable Care Act, CVS is telling its employees they need to reveal their height, weight, body fat percent and other personal information for health insurance purposes.
The Rhode Island-based company, which employs around 200,000 individuals, is telling workers who use its health insurance they need to have a wellness review done — or pay up.
…
The idea is to incentivize healthy living. CVS says the idea is nothing new.
“The idea of an employee wellness plan is perfectly legal under the ADA. Courts held up these plans,” said Joshua Kersey, a Tampa labor attorney. He says with “Obamacare” looming in 2014, practices like this wellness review are likely to become more common, because a lot of employers are expecting to pay more for their workers’ health insurance.
“The more money it’s going to save the employer, the more incentive the employer has to affect these types of programs,” he said.
In CVS’s case, workers not comfortable getting the review done will have to pay a $600 annual penalty.
Subject yourself to the wellness plan or face $600 in penalties.
This is the face of “free” healthcare.
Last year France continued its tradition of insane statist ways by announcing intentions to ban homework in its schools. The reason?
The justification for this proposed ban? Inequality. According to a statement from an official at the French Embassy, “When it comes to homework, the President said it should be done during school hours rather than at home, in order to establish equal opportunities.” Homework favors the wealthy, Hollande argues, because they are more likely to have a good working environment at home, including parents with the time and energy to help them with their work.
Inequality.
Homework favors the wealthy.
My gawd!
At the time, I sent this to a buddy of mine and he mentioned, “Thank goodness that’ll never happen here in America.”
I pointed out that it does happen here in America, for example, take health care. To his credit he walked away 😉
But now it HAS happened in America:
IPSWICH, Mass. (MyFoxBoston.com) – An Ipswich principal is in hot water with some parents after he reportedly canceled the middle school’s Honors Night.
David Fabrizio, principal of Ipswich Middle School, notified parents of his plan to eliminate the school’s Honors Night last week.
“The Honors Night, which can be a great sense of pride for the recipients’ families, can also be devastating to a child who has worked extremely hard in a difficult class but who, despite growth, has not been able to maintain a high grade point average,” Fabrizio penned in his first letter to parents.
Fabrizio also said he decided to make the change because academic success can be influenced by the amount of support a student receives at home and not all students receive the same level of emotional and academic support at home.
Success is influenced by the amount of support a student receives at home…
Beware the French, before you know it they’ll teach us how to surrender.
Posted in Education, Idiots on Parade, States Behaving Badly
Tagged France, Homework, Massachusetts
I live in North Carolina and this surprised me. I would have thought the banning of weapons would have polled lower. The waiting periods and background checks…? I’m less surprised by. They are good ideas.
Compensation comes in many forms. For example, I enjoy a matching 401k. Additionally, I enjoy paid vacation. Others, I’m sure, enjoy discounted airline tickets, free soda or “beer Fridays”. There’s all kinds of way to compensate people.
One particularly attractive form of compensation would be freedom from evaluation. Which, of course, leads to freedom from being fired. This is part of the compensation package typically enjoyed by teachers compliments of the teacher’s unions backed by democrats. See, unions have a natural organization, forced enrollment and mandatory dues which are then funneled to the election of said democrats.
None of this is a secret or disputed.
Imagine my surprise when I saw this piece of legislation proposed by the democrats in Minnesota:
Minnesota’s Senate Education Committee is considering a bill to prohibit schools from placing a student in a classroom led by a teacher deemed unsatisfactory under state standards, if that student had one the previous year.
The hearing is scheduled for Thursday afternoon. Supporters argue that students in classes led by ineffective teachers are at greater risk of falling behind their peers. It’s the latest in a series of bills at the Capitol focused on teacher effectiveness.
Democrats are sponsoring the bill in both the Senate and House. That could improve its chances with Democrats in the majority, although bills that make big changes to policies affecting teachers often face heavy opposition.
Not perfect, to be sure. If I had my druthers, we’d fire poor performing teachers, hire more good ones and pay the best of them six figures.
Marriage. I think the word has two different meanings. One speaks to the personal and spiritual belief in the institution. The other is nothing more than a contract between two individuals as recognized by the state.
Independent of one’s view of the spiritual meaning of the act of marriage, it is clear to me that the institution as recognized by the sate should view the union only as a contract; independent of religion or sex.
To that end, a church in North Carolina, after seeing the state vote in favor of a constitutional amendment banning gay marriage by 61% of the vote, has decided that it will no longer perform marriage services for anyone until gay marriage is recognized by the state of North Carolina.
John Hinton/Winston-Salem Journal
Green Street United Methodist Church in Winston-Salem says it won’t conduct marriages for heterosexual couples until United Methodist pastors are allowed to officiate at marriages for same-sex couples.
The church’s 18-member leadership council is asking pastors to conduct relationship blessings rather than marriage ceremonies in the sanctuary until the United Methodist Church changes its policies, according to a statement by Equality NC, a statewide organization working to secure equal rights and justice for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender residents.
And the church isn’t just saying that they view the state recognize same sex marriages as legitimate contracts, rather they are going a step further:
In a statement on its website, church officials declared that committed same-sex relationships are “no less sacred” as heterosexual unions.
Good for them!
Yesterday I ran – and finished – the Tobacco Road Half Marathon here in Raleigh. Great times!
Last year I had hoped to run the full marathon but thought better of it. This year I signed up for the half.
Advice if you wanna run either a half or a full marathon:
1. Train
2. See #1
I’m pretty busy and I let the training slide almost completely. However, about 1-2 weeks before the race I started seeing behavior in my son that I wasn’t real keen on; not following through on goals, not competing at high levels and stuff like that. So I felt that in order to make a statement to this little dude, I should run, finish and sing the praises of the value of a “Finisher’s Medal”.
So, I crash trained for 5 days. The results were predictable.
Severe pain, agony and humiliation; a great number of people beat me who I had no business losing to. However, I did mange to crack a sub-3 hour time AND bring home the hardware. My son was duly impressed – we’ll see if it worked.
Anyway, bring on The City of Oaks!