And for those who are jubilant, do you really believe that your church's opinions trump those of every other religious institution and individual women's legal right to choose about her own health and welfare?
I cannot imagine how excruciatingly difficult it must be for girls and women who have come to the conclusion to end a pregnancy. It burns me up hearing self-righteous old men proclaiming that they can tell all women when and if they may terminate their pregnancies. As if they're Ambassadors of God, spreading the news. Go away. Go play golf.
If your Liberty depends on your ability to apply your rules against her body, you are barking up the wrong libertree. If your belief is that abortion is wrong, don't ever have one. We are all free to speak our truth. This only works if we can hold in check our tendency to self-righteousness, i.e., seeking yet another scapegoat so that you can be sure to hold onto your spot on the totem-pole.
One of the many reasons that I was so captivated by the people I met, and, in particular, I noticed that my new Dutch friends who were ten or more years older than I shared a perspective simply by having gone through the Occupation by Germany. They remembered the Hunger Winter when a nation went hungry as the Nazis procured any- and everything from the people.
Entering into conversation with a Survivor of the Holocaust, whether or not WWII's the topic of conversation, can become a profound experience. Each person I spoke with had, by the early 70's when I was having these conversations, quite naturally turned their memories into stories, some shorter, some longer. To be brought to your knees, headed toward starvation and to have to see all whom you know and love going through the very same degradation, this changes your perspective in profound ways.
Now, a simple braid:
ONE: In listening radically to Survivors' stories, I hear about a way that powerful elements of a national identity can be born. I also hear so powerfully what evil was wrought by the Fascists. And I see, hear and feel the kind of "Welcome! Come be yourself" open invitation from all the good people I met in Amsterdam. This is way beyond tolerance. Another reason for a party!
TWO: The minefield of coming court cases in which, despite Justice AliONo's assurances that this case is only about the requirement of including contraceptive coverage in women's work-offered health plans when the boss man don't like it, self-righteous people of all kinds of stripes are reportedly already in high gear to take this MyGod=OurLaws to the next level.
My religion is the truth, as reported by scientists and wizards, not the truth of a religion or cult or business or corporation. Because of my leanings and because she is AWESOME, I watch Rachel Maddow. I appreciate her way of speaking to us, having her viewers not only feel smarter, but if you attend, you'll be a bit smarter. I thank you, Rachel, for helping us to better understand the world we live in.
Let us ALL celebrate America's independence. And let us converse with one another, even as we play and cheer and barbecue together, about what our independence and liberty are all about.