Larry D. Lauer

Is the Supreme Court now out of step with the majority of Americans? Has it become just another political organization?

A friend, a retired OB-GYN, has a long list of when and why some pregnancies simply must be terminated.

His list ranges from life-threating complications of the mother and baby to a woman having to live with the mental trauma of incest or having been raped!

The potential for serious medical problems and personal moral issues are compelling reasons why a woman should be able to chose what is best for her own body.

When terminating a pregnancy becomes a political issue, well-meaning legislators too easily outlaw all abortions, ban contraception (including the morning-after pill), and thereby eliminate the personal rights of the mother and father to collaborate with counselors… and choose the kind of future they will face.

The digital media revolution has confused the marketplace of ideas, provided powerful communication tools to extremists, and established situations where repeated lies start to sound true.

In the case of terminating pregnancies, serious medical conditions and mental problems often result… and these can last a lifetime.

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Using his party’s script, a Republican Congressman from Texas repeated that instead of going after Trump again and again, Democrats should be discussing gas prices, inflation, the pandemic, the border and other issues.

Actually, all of us, including the news media, are discussing these issues every day, including criticisms of the current government. In addition to reporting these issues, the primetime hearing gave journalists all they will need to add their own investigations to their daily agenda.

Maybe we will even learn the names of those in Congress who asked for pardons while Trump was still President.

Will any Republican Party loyalists change their minds about Trump? Maybe only a few. But even if they don’t we all will come to know the truth. And those still in denial will be condemned to dishonor… and eventual political defeat.

This should not be a political issue. It’s a “preserving democracy” issue. Finding, reporting, and acting on the truth is what matters. Otherwise we risk living with an autocracy… or even a dictatorship.

The real heroes are those who choose our Constitution and Democracy over party loyalty!

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The United Kingdom is not perfect. As in the United States, the UK has many ethnic tribes threatening it. But the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee celebration appeared to pull the country together and reminded UK citizens what it really means to be British!

The Internet and social media have facilitated political polarization and tribal anger, and made it more difficult to find this kind of cultural commonality. Currently, tribal groups in the United States are trying to change the founding date, arguing that Columbus was not the first to discover America. Some want to tear down historical statures, arguing that many of our founders were tied too much to slavery. For these and other reasons many even want to rewrite our Constitution.

Whether you are black, brown, white, gay, straight, trans, Democrat, Republican, man, or woman, we must simply find a way to think more broadly about what it means to be an American. What really unites us?

July 4th is coming soon… and this year it could be our Jubilee!

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Here is a check list of initiatives to consider…

1. Require background checks.
2. “Red Flag” requirements to report dangerous and mentally ill people to law enforcement.
3. Required after-purchase training.
4. Include gun shows and buying-on-the-street in background check and training requirements.
5. Ban military-style weapons for citizen purchase.
6. Impose limits on ammunition purchase.
7. Voluntary buy-pack program (successful in Australia).
8. Increase minimum age for purchase.
9. As stated by the Atlantic victims of school mass shootings should refuse to return to school until effective national controls are approved.
10. As I stated in my previous post (Lesson 625) the news media should continue to report the gun control story long after news interest wanes.
11. Fight everyway you can for rational gun laws that continue to protect citizen gun rights.

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