TUE 7/5

G.O.M.E.R. *

* Grumpy Old Men & Their Elucidating Rants

I'm getting really, really fed up with the way the drive-by media & our government officials are ranting & railing about the SCOTUS decision to overturn Roe v. Wade. Also, really, really fed up with all the lies & misinformation being peddled. Ectopic pregnancies being forbidden? Our country's freedoms being threatened? Let's pack the SCOTUS? All false news & propaganda. I'm doing my best to ignore the fallacious comments showing up on FB, especially those posted by those who should know better, but I keep trying to bite my tongue & refuse to engage on fruitless conversations & debates. Now that I've got that out of my system . . . 

THE RISKS OF ABORTION

"In the loud, raucous Roe v. Wade debate, we've heard a lot about the overreaching sacrifices women can face when having unwanted babies & about their rights to control their own bodies through abortion. Sympathy is widespread, while other, less-discussed issues need equal attention, such as the especially high rate of abortions affecting Black Americans with approval, encouragement & help from many White Americans.

"Abortion, we should keep in mind, is not a one-way proposition. While we should respect pregnant women, what an abortion gets rid of is not just gobs of tissue. We are talking about unborn children with wondrous possibilities in this world & the same natural rights as the mothers. Extinguishing the helpless & adorable without defensible purposes, such as serious maternal health issues, is not what one should expect from humane sensibilities." Column by Jay Ambrose in Norfolk Daily News, 6/29

PERSECUTION OF CHRISTIANS

"In my 25 years practicing immigration law, Iv'e handled a lot of asylum cases. But the ones that cause me the largest number of sleepless nights are the ones that involve religious persecution . . . Somehow, these stories rarely make it up through the media magma, the dense layers of preference that the people who run the newspapers & cable networks impose on the rest of us. The fact that someone thinks she was assauted by Bill Cosby in 1975 is more interesting, they think, than the stories of missionaries being kidnaped in Haiti. People Magazine will give its cover over to the juicy details of Meghan Markle's latest grievance, while the massacred bodies of churchgoers go to page 5 of the Washington Post.

"The truth is uncomfortable, but it's still the truth. The vast majority of Christians persecuted for religious reasons are killed by non-Christians, including Muslims, Hindus & Chinese atheists. The statistics are quite clear on this, even though Amnesty International will try & avoid naming names . . . 

"Instead of cracking jokes about  how misogynistic, bigoted & backwards Christians are, it might be a better idea to notice the bleeding bodies." Column by Christine Flowers in NDN, 6/23

GAMBLING FOR RECREATION

"When someone tells me they gamble for fun or recreation, my first thought is they're crazy--crazy enough to think they'll actually come out ahead. I mean, you might see a news story once in a while about someone winning big money in a casino, but that almost never happens . . . Think, too, about how much cash those folks flushed down the toilet previously while gambling. In reality, there's a strong chance they didn't really 'win' anything. They probably just recouped a small portion of their previous, substantial losses.

"I know, all this probably makes me sound old & out of touch. But I just don't get the concept of gambling 'for fun.' I don't find it thrilling or exciting to lose money I've worked hard to earn, even though there are flashing lights & a party going on. Don't get me wrong, my wife & I include fun money' in our budget every month & do things we enjoy. But, to each his own, I guess.

"Still, my advice would be don't waste your time & money on that stuff. One way or another, the house always wins. It's your money, & you can do what you want with it . . . But think about this. Why do most of the folks sitting at slot machines & card tables look like they can't afford to lose money? The majority look desperate, some even angry, & that's sad. I don't know, maybe it's the lighting or some other strange coincidence. Yeah, I don't think so." Column by Dave Ramsey in NDN, 6/27

COMMENT:  I've served on the Nebraska Gamblers Assistance Commission for quite some time. Our primary duty is to fund therapists who provide help for problem gamblers. We receive almost all our funds from the state lottery & casinos. This seems ironic to me; also that the state invests heavily in gambling enterprises, yet recognizes that problem gambling is rampant & provides funds for us.