Glenn Melancon

Texans for a Brighter Tomorrow

Straight Talk About Life Choices

Some straight talk from a friend. I didn’t ID her. Life issues tend to bring out the worst in conservatives from verbal abuse to outright violent threats. Ironic no?

When I look at the abortion debate, I think of several things:
1. No woman in the United States has ever been forced to have an abortion. [I’ll add that neither has any man been forced to have one.]
2. Abortion did not start in 1973 with Roe v Wade.
3. Prior to Roe v Wade, women who found themselves pregnant outside of marriage were treated like dirt. There was no assistance for them. No one offered any support. Instead, they were shunned by churches and polite society.
4. Young girls were sent away and after they had the baby, it was given up and when they returned, no one spoke of “the unfortunate incident.” There was no emotional support for a young woman who had been forced to give up her child. People whispered about them and said hateful, hurtful things because they were “immoral”.
5. Abortions occurred. They took place later in the pregnancy because the young women had to find a place to have the abortion. Young women tried to abort themselves with coat hangers. They went to people who had no training, in hidden places and the abortions were performed with ice picks and other assorted devices. Nothing was sterile.
6. Young women died of sepsis and bleeding. Many times, they became sterile afterwards because of the infections.
7. There were no statistics because it was considered a criminal act and the young woman as well as the abortionist faced the legal system if it was reported.
8. The Sunday after Roe v Wade, I remember the priest saying that people were going to have to find another way to deal with pregnant women if we wanted to prevent abortion. I remember him saying we would “have to be kinder to women who found themselves with an unwanted pregnancy”.
9. Repeal of Roe v Wade will not end abortion. It will re-criminalize women as they return to back alley abortionists.

We need positive steps to reduce the number of abortions. No expectant mother should feel alone and compelled to terminate a pregnancy. Every pregnant woman should have access to health care before and after her child is born. Women also need to know that Congress is working to improve job opportunities — more than 20% of women in the United States who have an abortion do so because they can’t afford a baby. To give them an alternative, we should work to remove the restrictions to adoption and to improve the foster care system. In Texas this system is on the verge of collapse because conservatives refuse to fund it. Congress must make sure low income mothers have access to child care so they can work and take care of their families. When women feel part of a community, they will be less likely to turn to abortion as a form of birth control.

Real birth control needs to be readily available to prevent unwanted pregnancies. While conservatives may complain about the “sin” of birth control, the success of reducing the number of abortions is real. Look at Colorado..

“They did in a big way, and the results were startling. The birthrate among teenagers across the state plunged by 40 percent from 2009 to 2013, while their rate of abortions fell by 42 percent, according to the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment.”

We can either address our problems as Americans together. Or remained locked in an endless name calling match.

“America is great because it is good.”

Dealing with reality is an essential part of growing up.  A wise person can weigh risks and benefits before making a decision.  At Sunday night’s debate, we saw two different portraits of America.  Secretary Hillary Clinton said repeatedly, “America is great because it is good.”  Donald Trump recited a list of evil things about Modern America and claimed he would “Make America Great Again.”  The voters have a clear choice between these two descriptions of reality.

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Real Security Requires Real Risk Assessment

Conservatives prefer addressing fake threats to real threats.

Crass, vulgar, Stupidity

Humanism

Conservative politicians and pundits understand that they cannot succeed unless they create an “other” separate from humanity. “Mexican rapist.” “Muslim extremist.” “Thug” “Welfare Queen” “Drug Addict”

Hence, conservative politicians and pundits target the Humanities at universities with vicious attacks that de-legitimize these fields of study. Renaissance humanism opened the door to the Modern World. We better learn real history or our children will descend into a period of tribalism and barbarism.

“no institutional racism”?

Don’t worry folks. Mike Pence told us there is no institutional racism in the American Justice System. These are not the droids you’re looking for.

Under Texas law, a jury cannot sentence a defendant to death unless it unanimously concludes he poses a future danger. During the sentencing phase of the trial, Duane Buck’s own lawyer put psychologist Walter Quijano on the witness stand. Quijano testified that statistically Buck was more likely to commit violent crimes because he is black. The prosecution then drove that point home during cross-examination, asking Quijano, “You have determined that … the race factor, black, increases the future dangerousness for various complicated reasons; is that correct?”

Don’t Accept False Choices

“Israeli settlements, explained in 8 minutes” Vox

Real Patriotism Doesn’t Rest On Lies

This real picture was the start of a horrible lie.

It was used to de-legitimize Barrack Obama as a candidate. It circulated falsely claiming Sen. Obama refused to put his hand over his heart for the pledge. In fact the image was taken during the National Anthem.

Obama was simply following the custom from our youth by standing for the Anthem with his hands down. After 9/11 the custom changed to hand over the heart like the pledge. It was an informal change. Some people deny the change and claim that the practice always existed.

This manufactured controversy was reignited at the Olympics. A young medal winner, Gabby Douglas, did not put her hand on her heart.

I had been searching for a way to document this change in custom. I found it in old medal ceremonies. The athletes did not place their hand over the heart and there was no outrage.

Watch for yourself.

Mind the Facts