Rape Abortions

Here's the problem now with the abortion issue: Rape is the new, trendy, go-to argument for the liberals.

As they continue to lose ground in the abortion issue, as the laws continue to make it more restrictive, and it becomes tougher and tougher to justify, the rape aspect of it is their last bastion of hope.

Problem is, it's a trap. It's a trick-question, with its sole purpose nothing more than attempting to trap someone who's anti-abortion into saying that, somehow, they support it.

You see, most statistics show that the percentage of abortions tied to rape is about 1% of the overall number. And even if that stat is higher because so many rapes go unreported, its still a relatively small percentage. So, problem #1 is that, any way you look at it, rape is the least of the abortion problems. So, when someone claims to be anti-abortion, rape is the least determining factor that leads them to that decision.

Problem #2 is the misguided assertion that someone who is anti-abortion would somehow support a crime as heinous as rape. I am unequivocally opposed to abortion, and equally as opposed to rape. Not only do I abhor the crime, I think anyone who sexually forces themselves onto someone else against that person's will ought to have their genitals removed publically in the town square.

But the conundrum is this, by example: Murder is against the law. As a society, while we generally agree with that premise, we have no problem with someone who shoots and kills an intruder in their home, or someone who kills someone else in self-defense. We abhor the killing of someone else, but see its justification in extreme circumstances.

Breaking the speed limit is against the law, but generally, someone would get a pass for doing so if they were driving a heart attack victim to the hospital, or, ironically, a female about to give birth.

As an anti-abortionist, I'm against abortion in general practice, but cannot in good faith say that I would condemn someone from having one in the aftermath of a rape. That DOES NOT mean I support abortion. It means that I can see the law being bent in extreme cases. I think any right-minded pro-lifer would admit the same.

But that brings us to Problem #3. How many abortions can really be attributed to rape, and how many are simply sought under that banner to merely justify it? That's probably an impossible question to answer, but the reality is that most times when a liberal asks someone how they feel about abortions in cases of rape, what they are not doing is trying to protect women who are viciously raped. Rather, more often than not, they are merely trying to open a loophole through which anybody who wants one can have an abortion for any reason.

Worse -- as I believe the current situation with Richard Mourdock to be -- it is a political ploy to trap someone who they already know is against it into saying they somehow support it. The goofball who asked Mourdock his views on abortion in cases of rape;

1) wasn't trying to champion women's rights.
2) already knows Mourdock's position on abortion.
3) couldn't care less about Mourdock's view because he isn't voting for him anyway.
4) simply wants to twist Mourdock's words so they can be used against him in a campaign.

My friend Bryce said today that noone who heard what Mourdock had to say could actually believe he -- or God, for that matter -- somehow thinks rape is OK. And Bryce is right: no right-minded individual would walk away with that belief. But that wasn't the point. Wait for it... you'll see a political ad soon that somehow tries to portray Mourdock as a rape-supporter. And that was precisely the point of the question.

A trap.

Let's remember, the baby didn't choose to be created. Even in the event of something as horrifying as a rape, it's not the baby's fault he was conceived. So while I may be in no position to condemn the victim, I certainly don't believe anyone has the right to arbitrarily end that innocent life. But that's just me.

However, if liberals are so bent on protecting a woman's right to an abortion in cases of rape, then I have a solution. First, why does abortion have to be an all-inclusive law? Again, murder is against the law in this country, but there are also laws in place that justify it in cases of self-defense. Why can't this be done with abortion? Since this seems to be the liberal justification for abortion, then I propose the following:

In order to receive an abortion because of a rape, the woman must file a police report alleging a rape. And when a perpetrator is caught, the woman must file charges. If the perp is not apprehended until after the abortion, should the woman decide by then to not file charges, then she should be charged and fined for filing a false police report.

Look, I know there's bigger issues that involve women being afraid to report rape, and even further, women who fear facing their attackers. I get it, and understand its a problem. But we can't fix everything with one full stroke. One step at a time, as it were. But if liberals are going to insist on flying the abortion banner under the issue of rape, then by all means, to the best of our ability, there should be some rules put into place ensuring the woman was actually raped.

I don't think that's too much to ask.

Day 10... Time to go home.

Day 10...

We go home today.

I'm thankful I've had the chance to write. I've missed it.

Thanks for reading.

The end.

Day 9... Dolphins and South Beach

Day 9...

Today is Cody's birthday.

This trip wasn't planned for him, but seeing as how it was planned over the boys' new 2-week fall break, and that break coincided with Cody's birthday, then a few special things were planned. What he did request was a dinner at Hooters, being the dog he is, and so we fulfilled that a couple nights ago. He also wanted to go to Miami.

So, it was down to Miami for our last full day here, which is about an hour from us. We all trouped up in a newly rented Suburban (nice!) and made the trip all the way down to the Miami Seaquarium. Now, while it was indeed Cody's request to go to Miami on his birthday, Ginger was the one who guided us to the Seaquarium. Because they have dolphins.

And if there's dolphins nearby, Ginger wants to see 'em.

And the Miami Seaquarium has lots of 'em, not the least of which is the World Famous Flipper, although I suspect the one they introduced as Flipper is probably not the original, but I don't think anyone cares. And one of the dolphins in the Flipper show was claimed to be the son of the dolphin, Snowflake, from Ace Venture fame, so there's that.

We had a really nice time, with some cool pictures, highlighted by Ginger's Mom's generosity that allowed us to all to get to pet and have our picture taken with one of the dolphins, much to the delight of the little girl inside Ginger. The Seaquarium is a very cool place and if you get the chance to go, you should go.

From there it was off to South Beach.

The beaches of South Miami are very big, and as such, I assume, ripe for loads of people. As we got there later in the afternoon, our hunger dictated that we eat first. So we chose a place called Finnegans and by the time we were done, it was too late to catch some of the finer South Beach ambience -- if you know what I mean. But we had a good time anyway.

Driving down Ocean Boulevard on South Beach, it appears that the fare and vibe of that beach lends itself to a slightly more adult clientele, than, say, Panama Beach, which is a haven for teenagers and young adults. I'm sure South Beach gets its fair share of young beach-goers, but the shops and restaurants seem to appeal to an older -- and dare I say -- more sophisticated customer. Just my impression.

But I can tell you this... I'm not sure I'd want to spend a lot of time there as that beach filled up. It's huge, and as I look out over the balcony now from where we are staying, I'll take the beach here at Delray anyday. We're here in the offseason, I know, and so I'm sure even the beach here can get pretty full at times, but I suspect South Beach is full all the time. No thanks.

I'm gonna miss it here. We hit a home run with the weather, as its been spectacular from the get go, and its been a great time of relaxing, reflecting, and renewal. Everybody needs a chance to reset from time to time, and I'm the first to admit that not every vacation offers that chance. That's my fault, mostly. Most of the time, when I leave for a vacation, I want to see and do, but this time, I just wanted to relax. There were many days we just sat around the house until the afternoon, all of us just reading in silence. I think we all needed that.

There will come a day -- very soon, I suspect -- that I will yearn badly to come back here, and there's lots of stuff I want to see and do while I'm here, but this time, I'm just thankful I had the chance to reset.

I'd be lying if I said I'm ready to go home. I'm never ready to leave a vacation. I'm ready to see my friends, and our puppies, but I'm not ready to leave. But I'm thankful -- very much so -- for the time I've gotten here to relax.

Oh, one more thing... wherever I go, I have my family with me. My boys and my beautiful wife. So every place is a good place to be.

It's important I don't forget that.

Day 6 & 7... Alligator Hunting

Days 6 & 7...

I'm writing this after I wrote Day 8, and because I haven't written in a coupla days. But mainly because since I've started chronicalling our vacation in South Florida, I sorta feel obligated to cover the whole thing, at least for me.

So I combined two days. Big deal, right?

We went alligator hunting on Friday. And lest you think most of this vacation has revolved around Cody, we did so because Cory wanted to see alligators. Cory has a fascination with alligators and sea turtles. Several years ago, Cory's grandfather and uncle began regailing him with stories of wild alligators they see regularly at their vacation home in Hilton Head. After several trips there ourselves, we have yet to see the same. In fact, for the most part, and to Cory's chagrin, our alligator sightings have been limited to visits to a place called the Crab Shack on Tybee Island, which not only sports maybe the best outdoor ambience of any restaurant I've ever visited, but also a bevy of captive alligators, which can be fed by the restaurant-goers. It's a must-visit for Cory.

So, being as we are so close to the Everglades, we went alligator hunting, the term "hunting" being used here lightly, as it consisted of us paying an airboat operation to take us and several other tourists less than a mile into the glades to see the wildlife.

To make a long story short, we REALLY enjoyed the experience, and we REALLY got to see some wild gators, to Cory's delight. But the alligator "wrangling" demonstration we got to see at the end as part of the package was really the coolest part, as a young, volunteer, bare-footed female did indeed wrangle a gator that was equal to, or even slightly bigger than, she was. When she started off her presentation by asking the on-lookers if we wanted her to wrestle a more calmer and experienced gator, or the more feisty, rambunctious gator, we, of course, cheered for the rambunctious choice, me thinking, "OK, she has to ask that to make it more interesting." Well, I can only believe that either she's telling the truth -- that indeed some were more tamer than others -- or that they're ALL feisty, and she just makes the comment for effect, because this was one grumpy gator.

And while she did all the same gator-wrangling tricks one often sees that seem somewhat hokey on TV, I can tell you that this particular gator was NOT interested in being wrangled. The small, young lady was in the pit by herself, with all of the other gators looking on, and she truly wrangled into submission this gator who was more interested in getting in the water. When you see some big bruiser climbing on the back of some gator and he gets his head chomped on, you're sorta pulling for the gator. But I found myself definitely rooting for the girl in this exchange, and I really enjoyed the show.

Later, at Cody's request (surprise) we went to Hooters in Ft. Lauderdale for his "birthday" dinner. (It's not until Monday.) I have to admit, for a restaurant, the ambience at Hooters isn't bad either. {Said the author, without a hint of sarcasm!}

That night, me and the boys went to see the new movie Argo. If you have not already, and you're sorta into political thrillers, go see this one. A very good movie revolving around the Iranian hostage crisis.

Yesterday, things got downright exciting as Campaign Romney has rolled into town. Turns out, Monday's presidential debate is just a few miles up the coast from us in Boca Raton, and Mitt and his team have arrived to prepare, and word is he is staying in the Marriott hotel which is literally one block away from us. US Coast Guard gun boats have been patrolling the shore line right in front of us since yesterday morning, intercepting any boats they deem are too close to the shoreline and ushering them further out to sea. Talk on the sidewalk last night was of the secret service snipers now perched on top of the hotel. We've seen the motorcade go by a couple of times. Kinda cool, really, except that I was planning to visit the roof of our own building before we left, and now I believe that excursion might be ill-advised. I will update you if I get to see the man I hope will be the next President of the United States.

Otherwise, we've been trekking out to get something to eat, and I can tell you the local community is very quaint and laid back. Delray Beach seems to get less attention than say, Boca Raton to the south and Boynton and Palm Beaches to the north, which makes it a nice place to hang out without huge amounts of people. The shops are small and reasonably priced, and within just a few miles, you'll find more of the national chains of shops and restaurants if that's what gets you going.

We leave in just a couple of days. It's gonna be hard to go. A guy could get used to a place like this.

Day 8... The Sunrise

Day 8

My wife and I got up together to watch the sunrise this morning.

We've been together, Ginger and I, for over 25 years now and I think that's the first time we've ever watched a sunrise together.

I wouldn't be surprised if Ginger remembers another time that I don't, because that happens quite a bit. I like to consider myself somewhat of a romantic, insomuch as I am helplessly in love with my wife, but my memory isn't always the greatest, so there's every possibility that I've let a previous sunrise with my wife slip my mind. But her sheer love of sleeping certainly has prevented us from seeing most, what with her being in bed and all, and not outside.

In any regard, they've been few and far between, if they've been at all, and I suggest you grab your sweetie the first chance you get and watch one together. It was very nice.

And of course, watching the sunrise here over the ocean is different from watching it, say, from over the Wal-Mart in Heartland Crossing, which is where it would be if I could actually see it from my house, which I can't. (The sunrise, that is.) For me to see a sunrise from my house, it has to rise over the trees east of about 4 houses down from us. I can't imagine that would be as pretty as it is here, but I can't honestly say, because I don't think I've ever made a point to head out of my house and specifically watch it, to my detrement.

How many times have I been driving -- anywhere -- and seen the sun come up and not be moved by it like I am here. Often, I'm annoyed because my eyes really don't do well out in the sun, especially looking right into it.

Shame.

Because every day the sun comes up is a good day. As Tom Hanks says in Cast Away, "I gotta keep breathing. Because tomorrow the sun will rise. Who knows what the tide could bring?" That hits home here more, when you see just how spectacular a sunrise really is.

But there's one more thing... I got to watch it with the most beautiful girl in the world. As gorgeous as the sunrise is, there is nothing more gorgeous than Ginger. If God gets an A for the sunrise, He gets and A+ for the girl I get to watch it with. Because she is the reason getting up in the morning to watch a sunrise is worthwhile.

So for me, I guess it's not the sunrise after all. It's who I got to watch it with.

Day 5... Hooping and Hollaring

Day 5...

After lounging much of the morning, I decided it was time to once again get in the ocean. The wind has calmed considerably since our first days here, and consequently the surf has done the same. Ginger, who is still recovering from the surgery on her head, had a little pain this morning, so she went back to nap and me and the boys ventured out.

Gone was the seaweed and the other junk that was stirred up in the water from the wind-blown days. The ocean on this day was much more clear, and even though it is calmer, the surf is still breaking right at the beach line pretty stout.

We weren't in five minutes when Cory got bit by something. Not sure what, but he had two little teeth marks at the base of his foot. His day in the water was over, save wondering around at beach line and letting the surf roll around his feet.

But Cody was the highlight. If you know my youngest son, he is the excitable sort. Adventurous and loves to have fun. To explain what he did today, I have to tell a story from several years ago.

When he was 5 or 6, I found a deal on Priceline one weekend, and just he and I flew out to Los Angelas for a coupla days. We'd never seen the Pacific Ocean. We rented a car and just drove for a day or so looking around. But he wanted to get in the ocean. He'd never seen an ocean, much less get into one. It was Springtime, so it was pretty chilly. But he didn't care. After getting over the scare of the first wave hitting him, he sat down in the edge of the surf, freezing, and just hooped and hollared as wave after wave came and crashed in on him. He had a blast, and it was so much fun sitting there, not only watching him, but listening to his obvious enjoyment.

He did that again yesterday. Yes, he's almost 15 now, but he sat at the beach line and yelled and screamed like he was a little boy as the waves would blast him up on the beach and then roll him back out in the water. I laughed for half an hour just listening to him. Later, he sat in the sand as the surf rolled in and out until his swimsuit literally bulged with sand. He had to get into the ocean and remove his trunks to let the sand out just so he could walk back.

As bad as I felt for Cory for the bite on his foot, Cody made it up for both of us as we laughed at him the whole time.

Just as we started to leave, a young lady came jogging by. Appealing as she was, we were forced to linger a bit, and Cody was very tempted to follow her in a jog. His better judgment prevailed and we headed back.

As it started to rain later and on into the evening, we stayed in and watched movies and ate in the house.

This is the reason we never left our kids behind when we went on vacation. I'm in no position to judge others, but Ginger and I NEVER went on vacation without our boys. We had a family so we could do things as a family, and I never understood others who can leave their kids behind when they want to go have some fun. Just never made sense to me.

There will come a time, very soon, as it turns out, when our boys will be out on their own, and we'll have plenty of time to ourselves. And I absolutely love the opportunities Ginger and I have to be alone when they arrive, but our time with our children is becoming very fleeting, and I never wanted to miss the chance to be with them and enjoy their company.

Yesterday reminded me of why.

Day 4... The Mall

Day 4...

We went to the mall yesterday.

I could probably just say "Nuff Said," and be done with it, but really, there is more to it than that. My wife wanted to lay out (which I'm all for, because she puts on a swim suit and gets tan) and the boys and I just weren't into it.

So we left to explore. Drove up the costal roadway from Delray, which, quite frankly, should feature a lot more ocean scenery than it does, the view being mostly blocked by trees and expensive homes and such. Searched and found a music store in Boynton Beach, which is really just another beachfront community on the east coast of Florida, but is sorta fun to say.

Turns out, there's not a lot of music stores in this area, which is kind of a bummer, but the one we found did have a few left-handed guitars, which is rare to any music store. They still weren't high-end models, but oh well. They never are, but I digress.

That led us to the mall right behind the music store. Pretty standard, really, but nice. Once again, however, after I leave, I'm struck by the irony that I have traveled to south Florida to visit a mall that virtually featured everything as do the malls in Indiana, including the oriental food we ate. Cory did buy us some Popeye's Chicken biscuits, though, so there's that.

Since we couldn't find anymore music stores, we decided instead to seek out pawn shops. Exciting stuff, yeah? We found a few, and with the exception of two teenage boys in charge of one who were watching Big Bang Theory on a big screen in the shop, they left a little to be desired, pawn shop-wise.

So what's the moral? I'm left to understand that, more or less, we are all creatures of habit. We all, I think, basically live and play in places that make us comfortable. We move when we become so uncomfortable we can't take it anymore. And when we leave home -- wherever home may be -- we eventually tend to seek out those things with which we are familiar. I'm trying to change that up a bit while I'm here, but I think there's something to be said for the fact that I'm waking up everyday in a gorgeous beach front home, with the Atlantic Ocean within arms reach, and I went to a mall.

On the other hand, I got to spend some time with my boys. And that ain't so bad.

Day 3... Just Being

Day 3...

I got in the ocean yesterday, which is saying something, because the flags on the beach were red, meaning that it's a little dangerous, one is to suppose. The waves were breaking at about three or four feet, after several days of very high winds here in the area.

I've been in the ocean before, lots of times, but as I get older, I understand what Jerry Seinfeld meant when he said that really, mankind spends a lot of time trying to get into the ocean, and that the ocean is just always trying to throw us out. Seeing as I seemed to be the only guy in eyesight who was willing to venture out as far as I did, I figured that maybe I ought to heed that warning. So Ginger and I sat down on the beach right at the edge of the surf until our suits filled up with sand.

I realized as I sat down and started to write down my thoughts that I didn't have any real insightful message to pass on. No deep, emotional thoughts, or meaningful knowledge good for the universe. As such, I think I instead felt the importance of what it feels like to just be. Lots of Neil Diamond songs come to mind, like "I Am, I Said" and "Be."

To just be, to exist, to be a part of the carriage ride that is our everyday life. I'm no more important here in South Florida than I am in Central Indiana, but somehow, it just feels that way. Something about the power of the ocean, the salt in the air and the wind in my face makes me feel that my existence is more potent in some way. That by being, I really do matter.

Of course, maybe I'm just enjoying myself so much that I've gone nuts. Maybe I'll look back on this post someday and think, "What in the freak was I talking about?"

On the other hand, we did go to a mexican restaurant that did NOT serve queso, AND wasn't spicy. It was very good, but they didn't have melted cheese, and I didn't have to set my face on fire to enjoy the food. Have you ever been to a mexican restaurant that didn't offer queso with their chips? Or a genuine mexican place that didn't set every dish ablaze before serving? That's gotta mean something deep, right?

Oh yeah, and I remembered that the sight of my wife in a bathing suit still turns me on.

Day 2... Vegging Out

Day 2

I woke up this morning and took a walk on the beach. It was, of course, beautiful. Even though there were clouds this morning that blocked the view of the actual sunrise, I still think I got some nice pictures of the sun streaking through, finally breaking free about a half hour later.

Yesterday, we vegged. As Julia Roberts says in Pretty Woman: "Be still like vegetables. Lay like broccoli." That's pretty much what we did all day. We never left the condo. Ate inside all day and watched TV. Which means we must be the only nerds in the world who left the cold weather in Indiana to come to Florida and stay inside all day.

In our defense, it was pretty windy outside, and even though the temps are in the 80's, there was a riptide warning on the beach, and the waves were crashing pretty high, so it was probably in our best interest to not test it, being lifelong landlubbers and all. Plus, the wind can really jack with Ginger's head and cause all kinds of ear aches and so forth. So she doesn't like to be out in the wind much.

But there's something to be said for just relaxing. Usually, on vacation, I'm the one who wants to be on the go, all the time, much to the chagrin of my wife. I like to do all the things on vacation that I can't do at home. Ginger likes to lay on the beach. She's resolved herself all these years to just follow me around on vacation, God bless her, and she often remarks how she comes home more worn out than before we left.

But for some reason, I've really been looking forward to just relaxing on this one. Just taking some time to rest and soak it all in. I suppose we all need to do that sometimes. Just "lay like broccoli," as it were, and rest while the rest of the world floats by. I think I need that right now.

So I walked on the beach this morning, while everybody else slept (except for Cody, who decided to go for a jog even before I got up, and promptly got lost trying to make it back to the condo.) I walked, and I prayed, and I watched a guy fish, and another guy throw the frisbee to himself. He really did! He would throw it up into the wind, and then chase it down as it blew back his way. I watched little birds (I really don't know what kind they are) pick at the sand when the water would recede, and then run away as the tide chased them back.

After a few, I sat down on a beach chair and just watched the sun break through the clouds. I called my Mom and told her I loved her.

And as I sat there, I wondered to myself: Do the people who live here all the time ever get used to this?

God's Beauty from Delray

Day 1

I'm sitting here on the patio on my first morning here in Delray. It's not my first time seeing the Atlantic Ocean but it is my first time here in this part of Florida.
 

As is always the case with the ocean, the view in the morning sun here is breathtaking and I'm reminded once again of the beauty of Gods creation. This is a place I think I could get used to and a place a person would want to make time for.
 

My wife says she loves palm trees. Says the sight of them just makes her happy. That makes me happy, because she deserves to feel that way and so I'm glad she's blessed with the chance to see one.

 

As pretty as it is though, I wonder why we always have to leave on a vacation and go away from our home to be reminded of the beauty of God and His creation. As I sit here and think about it, I see His beauty everyday in my normal life.
 

I wake up every morning next to His most beautiful creation. She's still asleep right now in the back bedroom, missing seeing the palm trees bending over in the morning wind off the surf. But she's the most beautiful thing I've ever seen, whether she's asleep or awake, here in Florida or back home again in Indiana.
 

The colors of the trees back home are beautiful right now. I think my yard is pretty. Especially after it's mowed. I have a cool yard. It's green, with the texture of clover and crab grass, and in the spring it's mixed with the colors of yellow and white of the dandelions and in the fall with the color of the falling leaves. Sometimes, we get lucky and those little purple patches of flowers just crop up all over the yard. Some people have boring yards, with no color or texture. Just green grass. I like mine better because all those pretty things come from God without any help from me at all.
 

Sometimes, I wake up and my two dogs are curled around me and my wife. Most times, actually. And occasionally my dog KC curls up with me and let's me hold him like a teddy bear. We'll sleep that way, he and I. I think that's beautiful.
 

I could go on, but the truth is, God's beauty is around us everywhere we go, no matter where we end up. And I suppose if there's anything I can take away from my time relaxing here, I want to remember that I don't have to leave home to experience God.
 

He's all around us, all the time.