Post the Twelfth - Abortion

From Brian McClaren’s blog: Why I am voting for Barack Obama Reason #5

Some of my friends and relatives have been reading my reasons for voting for Barack Obama, but the issue of abortion is a major roadblock for them. They believe that a vote for Obama is a vote for abortion, and a vote for McCain is a vote against abortion. They are surprised to learn that I believe an Obama presidency could actually take us farther in reducing abortion than a McCain presidency, and it could do so through a wiser, less-divisive, more effective strategy. Here’s why.

Again and again over the last 30 years, Republican presidents and other politicians have used the issue of abortion to get elected and raise funds, but then, once in office, they have said little about abortion and done even less. Some say that their silence doesn’t matter, because the only way abortion can be reduced is by electing presidents who will appoint Supreme Court justices who will overturn Roe vs. Wade. This strategy is being quietly pursued, they say, so the plan is working. But there are good reasons to question this logic.

First, even if McCain were to win the election and appoint Supreme Court justices who would in fact overturn Roe vs. Wade, this move will not outlaw abortion, contrary to what many believe. It will only return the decision to the states, which raises this question: how many states lean toward criminalization? The answer: only sixteen states have at least 45% support for criminalizing abortion.

What would the impact of criminalization be in these sixteen states? Only ten percent of abortions occur in these states, and women desiring abortions would still be able to travel easily to a nearby state for an abortion. So even with a best-case scenario, there would be less than a ten percent reduction in abortions nationwide, not counting the likelihood of abortions still being performed illegally in the sixteen states in question.

Would sincere and intelligent Evangelical and Catholic Christians have given such extraordinary and largely uncritical political loyalty to Religious Right/Republican leaders for all these years if they had been told from the start that their efforts would eventually achieve only a ten percent reduction in abortion? How would they respond to the knowledge that we could likely achieve more than a ten percent reduction in abortions by providing increased economic assistance and social support for pregnant women who are poor, since women in poverty have abortions at four times the rate of higher-income women?

The chosen strategy of the anti-abortion movement, in this light, depends on an untested assumption: that criminalizing abortion is the best way to reduce abortion rates. If we look at other nations, this assumption is highly questionable.

For example, Western European nations, where abortion is legal and available, have the lowest abortion rates in the free world, with less than 10 abortions per 1000 women of reproductive age. In contrast, in Africa, Latin America, and the Caribbean, there are between 29 and 31 abortions per 1000 women of reproductive age – in spite of the fact that abortion laws are highly restrictive there. So it’s clear that in free societies, poverty and a lack of services are more likely to lead to high abortion rates than whether or not abortion is legal.

The issue isn’t simply whether people are for or against abortion, because even among people labeled “pro-choice,” most would agree that abortion is a sad, even tragic, moral choice. The real issue is whether criminalization is the best way to reduce the number of abortions.

When I share these facts and reflections with my friends, many are surprised. For over thirty years, they’ve been told that voting Republican means voting out abortion. Many begin to wonder if we Christians have been manipulated by clever but cynical political operatives who have used the issue of abortion to win elections, without ever really intending to make a significant difference.

Some anti-abortion voters have told me that they agree with me in this diagnosis, but they feel their vote for McCain is a symbolic protest against the generally low moral conditions in our society. I respect their desire to cast their vote on the side of morality and family values. But it's clear - from both positive and negative examples in both parties - that neither party can lay claim to being the exclusive champion of strong marriages and dedicated parenting. In this election, voters have in Barack Obama and Joe Biden faithful husbands and dedicated fathers who exemplify in their marriages and families exactly the personal family values we hope more people will follow. If voters are truly looking for a symbolic affirmation of strong families, Obama and Biden can't be eliminated for partisan reasons.

In my book Everything Must Change, I shared my personal belief that a high abortion rate is a symptom of a deeper and complex societal disease. It is one expression of what I call the "covert curriculum" - a "framing story" that also fuels the current economic crisis, environmental crisis, and security crisis that together threaten our future. Until we unite to acknowledge and address that deeper disease and dysfunction, thus dealing with our symptoms in a systemic way, we will stay stuck in polarized paralysis, fighting divisive and ineffective culture wars while our moral health continues to deteriorate.

In this light, if we really care about seeing fewer pregnancies ending in abortion, a greater concern for "the least of these" - demonstrated through better health care, more vigorous job creation, better education, and other needed initiatives for people in poverty - could bring us greater results than a strategy of criminalization. And Senator Obama is the stronger candidate in these areas.

During this election, more and more of us who consider life sacred are losing confidence in the simplistic one-or-two issue voting habits that some vocal religious leaders and broadcasters have urged upon us for decades. We are beginning to see through the unhelpfully-framed arguments that have dominated both our religious and political discourse for too long. We’re looking for wiser and better means to wiser and better ends.

We aren’t so naïve as to believe that electing Barack Obama will solve all of our problems. But in regards to abortion along with many other issues, we are convinced – firmly, thoughtfully, and enthusiastically convinced – that casting our vote for Obama is a step in the right direction, fully consistent with our desire to celebrate the sacredness of life and improve the moral health of our nation and world.

[For more information, see Matthew 25.org. See the Guttmacher Institute, "An Overview of Abortion in The United States" and "An Overview of Abortion in The United States." See also the Catholics United study "Reducing Abortion in America: Beyond Roe v. Wade,” and Joseph Wright and Michael Bailey, "Reducing Abortion in America : The Effect of Economic and Social Supports."]
catholics-united.org

Post the Eleventh

http://www.newsweek.com/id/180037

A Fence Can’t Stop the Future

America can either flourish or fade in the new global economy. It all depends on what we do about the fastest-growing segment of the country's population.

By Henry Cisneros | NEWSWEEK

Published Jan 17, 2009

From the magazine issue dated Jan 26, 2009

America has long been the envy of the rest of the world, and for good reason. Over the past century, the United States has harnessed its economic, scientific, cultural and educational resources to produce remarkable achievements in every field of human endeavor. But with nations like China and India emerging as major powers, many argue that U.S. dominance will soon be eclipsed, and what is known as the American Century will soon be over. Our fate is far from sealed, though. Whether America surmounts its challenges or slides to the middle of the pack will likely depend on its fastest-growing segment: the Latino community.

If demographics is destiny, consider this: there are roughly eight Latino births for every death, whereas white births and deaths are nearly even. While more-homogenous developed countries like Japan, Italy, France and Germany are aging rapidly, this Latino baby boom could be a major engine of growth for the United States. Young Latinos could bolster our workforce, increase the size of our markets, support Social Security and revitalize our communities. According to the most recent Census Bureau projections, about 60 percent of total U.S. growth will come from the Latino population — that's almost 100 million additional people. One in four Americans will be Latino. This holds true even if the border fence that Congress and the Bush administration authorized proves impenetrable—which is highly unlikely.

The law of large numbers guarantees that Latinos will move the national averages in almost every measurable area of American life. The question is how. If current trends continue, Latino growthcould actually speed our national decline. Need a cautionary tale? In California, the underperformance of Latino students has pushed the state to the bottom of the heap—45th among 50 states in educational attainment. On the other hand, if we investin services that lift Latinos into the middle class, they could become the dynamic heart of a continuing American success story.

Even during the 1950s, when U.S. industry was a powerhouse, progressive policies were what spurred the expansion of the middle class—through the GI Bill, commitment to homeownership and the passage of the minimum wage. Those same initiatives created a more just society, which in turn helped foster the civil-rights movement, the women's movement and the environmental movement. America's future vibrancy depends on renewing those commitments for Latinos.

There's much work to be done. Adult Latinos often wait years to be admitted to English classes. Services in America's cities—where the bulk of Latinos live, work and spend their money—have deteriorated over the past eight years. Local governments will be even more hamstrung by the current economic crisis. The new administration will need to focus on chipping away at these roadblocks to the middle class.

Of course, Latinos must also take advantage of the opportunities that do exist, and invest in American society. Immigrants must do whatever they can to master English. They must prepare themselves to succeed in the workplace, and to guide their children through the school system. They must save to buy their own homes, and work to provide their families with a health plan, retirement plan and savings account. They should participate enthusiastically in civic, community and religious activities. And they should strive for full citizenship.

It's important to remember we can do all this without losing our heritage. We can learn English without forgetting Spanish, adopt American social practices in the workplace without having to denigrate our native traditions, and follow American laws without ignoring our obligations to family and community. In fact, being bilingual and bicultural are competitive advantages that will only be more important in the future.

America's Latinos on the whole are a community of strivers. We understand that striving is at the core of American culture. And we know that the American Dream, while far from foolproof, represents the right to strive with the best chance of reward. This is the basis for a hopeful America whose best days are still ahead. If Latinos succeed, so will America.

Cisneros, Former secretary of Housing and Urban Development and mayor of San Antonio, is editor of “Latinos and the Nation’s Future,” published this month by Arte Público Press of the University of Houston.

© 2009

Post the Tenth

What not to wear...

I can't think of a show I dislike more than TLC's What Not To Wear.

Stacy and Clinton are pretty brutal when it comes to critiquing people's fashion styles. For one thing, is it just me or does Clinton seem to wear a variation of the same outfit on every single episode of the show? Fitted white dress shirt with sweater vest and slim grey or black dress pants. And Stacy...she dresses beautifully but does anyone ever get the idea that they don't dress themselves, but that the wardrobe people who work for the show pick out their outfits to make sure they don't look retarded giving fashion advice on television?

So maybe they do dress themselves and maybe they do have their own show on how to dress people but c'monnnnnnnnnnnnnn they're BRUTAL!!!!!

If I was ever on What Not To Wear, I'd punch both of them out if it weren't for the $5,000 I get from hearing them talk smack about my style. Maybe that's why no one else does what I swear I'd do...because of the $5,000 dollars.

Post the Depressing Ninth

I know why people tend to act fake or superficial.

Sure, we can reason that it's a result of our own insecurities and a refusal to acknowledge any inadequacies in gusty persona, but seriously...people act fake because other people like it more.

Sometimes we might bicker, I might bicker, about someone acting fluffy toward me but why should I complain? The truth is, no one wants to be around a grumpy, depressed, angry, mood-kill type person. I mean...DO YOU? It's more fun to be around bubbly people, even if it means they really think that vintage skirt of yours is absolutely hideous. So don't act mad or depressed even if you are because PEOPLE DON'T CARE. They just want you to stop ruining the happy atmosphere. And even if they seem like they care, it's only because they want you to stop ruining the happy atmosphere.

In other words, if it's going to save others the torment of your own imposed, awkward vibe...save it for your corner and slap a big smile on your face. It makes the world a better place.