Font Rants on Many Subjects

Tonight, a story from Florida to ponder. When you can't make choices for yourself, if you have only a limited self-identity; who makes the choices about your life? I'm really uncomfortable anytime deeply personal decisions get made by a judge. What should a pro-choice person think when the woman isn't the one making the choice.

Three questions to ponder:

1. Assuming the woman can't make a decision for herself due to her disability; is it right for her mother to make that decision?
In support of this concept we can consider our families the closest extension of ourselves, and therefore the ones most likely to make a decision in our interests. Consider an alchoholic who needs an intervention; who better than our family to tell us what is right; when we can't make a decision for ourselves. On the otherhand; is our familymembers may have their own interests as they are individuals unto themselves. In fact the famlial bond may bias the decision. And who can hurt us worse than our own family?
2. What are the implications of the woman carrying the child to term? Pregnancy isn'trisk free, in fact 1600 women die every day from childbirth. On the other hand the risk is pretty small in the US, and this woman would probably be under 24x7 medical care. Lets assume the risks to her are greater of being hit by a car, suffering a household trama (e.g. falling in the shower). So it can't be a medical decision. Then again what are the prospects for the child, born motherless; perhaps to be adopted; perhaps not. Of course given the celebrity of the case we will assume probably there will be many offers for an adoption.
3. What about the mother. How do you explain to a 4 year old what is happening to them? How to do explain what you are taking from them; when you take their child away? What if they decide they want to care for the child?

In conclusion we live in a real world; and tough decisions have to be made all the time. Why is it that right wing idiots are fine about making these decisions when it involves getting our hands dirty going to war; or picking who gets to rule a far away country in order to defend our-selves; but they suddenly try to find some moral high ground as soon as the decision involves some poor woman in Florida who's at her wits end about what to do about her helpless daughter who has to deal with being raped, pregnant, and mentally disabled.

Tom Delay, winner of this weeks Louis XIV mad with power award.

Today I've been thinking of our new plan to destablize Iran with its gangs that arrest women for wearring the wrong thing, and fundementalist leaders. Iraq we are taking awaythe guns from otherwise law abiding citizens. Shouldn't the Iraqi's be able to defend themselves from rampant lawlessness, rioters, looting? Where's the NRA; are they asleep at their desk in the Oval Office.

We can't find Saddam, Uday, Osama, Zawahiri, or any of the other evil doers. North Korea is building nukes. The Taliban are back. I'm sick and tired of our current leadership; but there's nothing we can do about it because they've built a national political machine with $400 million dollars already raised for '04. The only solace I have is that our leaders are a bunch of work until the job is half done and go home at 6 dudes. Seriously, what happened to the old conservative adage of "a job ain't worth doing unless it's done right." What happened to the idea of working until the job is done?

Since every other Democrat has suggestions for what the party should do, I offer my own. The theme of the next election should be how the Democrats will bring security, prosperity and victory through hardwork, honorable leadership, and sacrafice. Rebuild America from within, with a comprehensive economic strategy that re-stores our industrial base; expands our technology leadership; and creates new markets for our agricultural products. Secure the nation by protecting our infrastructure and the people who live and work there. Honor our commitments abroad in Iraq and Afghanistan; work to build strong moderate governments that will create a strong middle class based on property ownership, the rule of law, and the end of tribalism.