Coincidence or correlation?
Kentucky, Tennessee, Missouri, Arkansas, Mississippi, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Texas. What do these states have in common? Each of them has passed “trigger” laws, such that, if Roe v. Wade is overturned, abortion automatically becomes illegal in that state. What else do the states have in common? Each of them was a slave state.
I’m no statistician, but something suggests to me that this is not pure coincidence, that perhaps some correlation exists. And so, in search of where the overlap may lie, I contemplate the overriding ethos of the anti-abortion platform: “the right to life.” But try as I may, I cannot find any logical coherence with the idea of a right to life and the practice of owning other human beings and their offspring. Perhaps someone better versed in the philosophy of enslavement could enlighten me.
In the meantime, what else might these eight states have in common? They all went for Donald Trump in both 2016 and 2020. Now, anyone who observes Trump, probably including a 15-week-old fetus, would easily conclude that the man cares about no one but himself, and certainly not about the unborn. So what explains the link between Trump states and trigger states?
The overriding ethos of the Trump movement is “Make America Great Again.” If we look here, things begin to fall into place. That word “Again” points us backward, into the past, perhaps as far as the 1860s. Could it be that what masquerades as support for “the right to life” is really a smokescreen to support white supremacy? Could it be that voter support for right to life candidates is actually support for a white supremacist agenda, without the voter having to admit to others, or, more importantly, themselves, that they want a white supremacist future?
Clearly, there are people (like my brother, an evangelical pastor who earned his doctorate of divinity in homiletics as practiced in the Black church) who hold deeply spiritual beliefs about the sanctity of life, while at the same time wanting a multicultural and diverse future for America. But Donald Trump is so clearly not one of those people, nor are many of his supporters.
This is something we have to be honest about. Otherwise, the great America that awaits us might be one in which Black people are not people at all, women are only half-people and only white men and fetuses are full people.
Tony Alcántara
Carbondale
Thanks RFOV!
The Carbondale Age-Friendly Community Initiative — CAFCI — would like to offer our appreciation to Roaring Fork Outdoor Volunteers (RFOV) for designing their media with “all ages, abilities and backgrounds in mind.” Take a look at their website and their activities. All of their events are described with the following six characteristics: physically easy, physically moderate, physically difficult, family-friendly, accessible-to-all and overnight. Each designation has a color-coded icon, enabling everyone to plan their day and support RFOV stewardship. We hope other organizations will follow their lead and help make Carbondale even more friendly to all.
Niki Delson
CAFCI
Gratitude to TRUU
I am grateful to Two Rivers Unitarian Universalist (TRUU) for the gracious opportunity for me to share some thoughts on my journey in environmentalism at Sunday’s service. TRUU’s Social Justice Committee is intention in motion.
In their deeds, the TRUU congregation manifests their benevolent thoughts into actions. The Crystal Valley Environmental Protection Association (CVEPA) thanks TRUU for their generous donation toward the environmental defense of our valley.
John Armstrong
CVEPA