An Open Letter to Barack Obama

Dear Senator Obama,

While some abortion advocates have seen your act of voting “Present” rather than “Yes” as being “soft” on abortion rights, you have probably the most “pro-choice” voting record of any senator. You have even (unfairly I think) been accused of being “for” infanticide. In the last debate you had this to say:

“With respect to partial-birth abortion, I am completely supportive of a ban on late-term abortions, partial-birth or otherwise, as long as there’s an exception for the mother’s health and life…”

So one might arguably say that you are at least willing to consider “the other side” of the abortion issue. Because of statements like this, and social-justice policies, many christians are supporting you. Unfortunately your own words elsewhere suggest a different story. In the very same debate you made this statement, which I found horrifying:

“I think that the Constitution has a right to privacy in it that shouldn’t be subject to state referendum, any more than our First Amendment rights are subject to state referendum, any more than many of the other rights that we have should be subject to popular vote.”

And here is where you and I, I’m afraid, part ways forever. As much as I am in full support of your economic policies, your proposed healthcare reboot and your foreign policies (Iraq war, diplomatic talks, etc.) — I have decided to withdraw my support for you because of your views on abortion. To suggest that states should not have the right to decide this matter by referendum goes against everything I believe. I may be extreme in my own view that as many matters as possible should be decided on by direct majority vote. Like other historical issues, abortion should be voted on state-by-state until a majority consensus is reached — at which point an Amendment to the Constitution could be considered. To throw this option away is a terrible error in judgment on your part.

Add to that your pledge to Planned Parenthood that you would sign the Freedom of Choice Act (FOCA) into law and my conscience can no longer bear the thought of voting for you. FOCA says, in summary:

“[FOCA] declares — it is the policy of the United States that every woman has the fundamental right to choose to: (1) bear a child; (2) terminate a pregnancy prior to fetal viability; or (3) terminate a pregnancy after fetal viability when necessary to protect her life or her health.

Prohibits a federal, state, or local governmental entity from: (1) denying or interfering with a woman’s right to exercise such choices; or (2) discriminating against the exercise of those rights in the regulation or provision of benefits, facilities, services, or information. Provides that such prohibition shall apply retroactively.

Authorizes an individual aggrieved by a violation of this Act to obtain appropriate relief, including relief against a governmental entity, in a civil action.”

Prohibiting states from regulation? Really? I’m speechless.

In conclusion, I agree with you on 99% of everything. But this is too much. I would even be willing to vote for you if you dropped support of FOCA, but as that seems highly unlikely at this point, I’m afraid I must withdraw my support (and my car magnet) — you can keep the $20.

Best Regards,
Dan Baker, Milwaukee, WI

p.s. Don’t worry, I’m not voting for McCain. I’m still a socialist at heart, but I’m a pro-life socialist.

Happy Halloween from Jack Chick!

Yes, kids do love them. 13 spooky ways to distribute Chick tracts this Halloween.

The Market is god

For many conservatives, the Market has a capital M. It is all-powerful. We’ve seen the great god Market take a real hit recently and there’s no shortage of interpretations about all of this. Here’s one from professor Mark Trueman, and he hopes it will give those christians that are secretly worshipping Market some food for thought. “We are not victims in this [Market failure]… we all at best hapless dupes and at worst active perpetrators.” Trueman goes on to note that “there will be no Market in heaven”, which is probably more insightful than it initially sounds, and that Market itself results in amoral behaviour from his followers on the best of days, and downright immoral behaviour on most days.

I’ve already broken up with capitalism (although we’re still friends). Will the recent debacle on Wall Street change anything about the veneration many Americans exhibit towards it?

Case Against God Thrown Out

A lawsuit against God was thrown out of court due to the fact that He could not be located to serve papers.

The Arts, Education and Poverty

With the recent furor over the possible merger of the Tippecanoe School for the Arts and Humanities (a K-8 Milwaukee Public School with an arts focus) with Dover School (a traditional MPS) I’ve been thinking a bit about the role the arts play in childhood education.

According to the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) report on the Arts in education (1997), over half of all kids in school were involved in regular (at least 3 or 4 times per week) art classes and most kids made artwork on their own outside of school. Over the last decade I’m afraid to see where this number has gone (the new study will be released in January 2009).

Recent testimony by the Wisconsin Task Force for Arts and Creativity in Education notes that “…students exposed to rich arts education can make connections across disciplines, pay attention to detail and generate multiple solutions to a problem.” And a report from the National Assembly of State Arts Agencies finds “[m]ore than 65 distinct relationships between the arts and academic and social outcomes: visual arts instruction and reading readiness; dramatic enactment and conflict resolution skills; traditional dance and nonverbal reasoning; and learning piano and mathematics proficiency.” Meanwhile study after study sees positive academic achievement from low-income kids that are enrolled in regular arts programs.

The bad news is that low-income school districts, rural and urban, are removing art from the system because of budget cuts. Community organizations step in sometimes, offering free or reduced-price admission to visual and performance arts programs, but for the most parts kids are left with little or no options for creative expression. Here in Milwaukee most of the Art classes that I grew up with (ie. you go to Art class once or twice a week with an Art teacher) have been cut from the public school system. At Escuela Vieau there is no art program; the teachers try to integrate art into the regular curriculum. Same for music. So we’re looking at a generation of inner city kids raised without an Arts education.

As we think about new ways to fight poverty, let’s not forget the place that the arts plays in the equation. So whether that means volunteering for an after-school program or lobbying for more local arts funding, think about how you can contribute to the creative health of low-income kids in your community.