An Open Letter to the Voters of the State of Texas

My fellow Texans,

In light of recent events in the State of Texas, it is my duty as a citizen to stand up and speak out against the government.  We must no longer stand for the tyrannical abuse of power run amok in our state.  Our state, and country, were founded on the ideas of people starting new lives, moving out West to be who they are, knowing they were safe, wrapped in the freedoms and rights given to our citizens.  Our Founding Fathers left persecution to seek a new beginnings, free from the judgment and intrusive control of the ruling powers.  Somewhere right after the Founding Fathers left, as Dr. Phil would say, we drove this off into the ditch.

Texas Governor Rick Perry (a.k.a. Governor Zoolander, Governor Good Hair, et al.) has called another special session in the Texas Legislature to push through his ideologically based abortion legislation (herein referred to as TXSB5) under the translucent veil of being beneficial to women's health.  Even after Wendy Davis (State Senator - Ft. Worth) filibustered for nearly 11 hours to voice her well based, educated, informed opposition to the bill, the governor knows better and calls a special session.  (I must have missed when the Governor graduated from Harvard Law.)  After hundreds of people line up to protest the bill, Governor knows best.

And all of this over four weeks.  The Supreme Court gives a woman the right to an abortion up to 24 weeks (when a fetus is viable outside of the womb).  TXSB5 will limit that to 20 weeks.  The Republicans backing this bill are arguing for no exceptions, not even in rape and incest cases.  Republican Jodie Laubenberg showed yesterday she has never seen an episode of Law and Order: SVU with her statement "In the emergency room they have what’s called rape kits, where a woman can get cleaned out."  Not only is this statement utterly offensive prima facially, but it's an absolute untruth.  How do these people get elected to "represent" us?  With today's technology, we should be holding our representatives to a higher standard.  There is absolutely no reason a member of the government cannot use Google.  Furthermore, there is no excuse for not being informed.  If our legislature was informed, they would know a poll from ThinkProgress.com shows 80% of Texans do not want the legislature considering this bill in a special session and 63% of Texans believe the state already has enough anti-abortion laws on the books.  But Governor knows best.

This bill, if passed, will not only limit the time of abortion to 20 weeks, it will also limit the availability of women's healthcare to the women of the state who need it, essentially killing women of the state by denying them access to preventative care they cannot afford on their own.  The bill, if passed, will close 37 of 42 abortion clinics in the state, leaving clinics in only Dallas, Austin, San Antonio and two in Houston for all women in the state of Texas.  Something tells me the Governor and Lt. Governor wouldn't have to go that far for Viagra.

The Governor needs to be calling a special session to help the children in this state who are here, living and breathing citizens of our state.  According to www.feedingamerica.org, seven states exhibited statistically significant higher household food insecurity rates than the U.S. national average of 14.7%:  Mississippi was first on the list with 19.2%.  Coming in second, the first loser, was our great state of Texas with 18.5%. According to the Texas Food Bank Network, the USDA defines food insecurity as meaning “consistent access to adequate food is limited by a lack of money and other resources at times during the year.”  This means there are men, women and children in our communities who are going hungry every single night.  Why doesn't the Governor care about the children who are here?

On the day in which the Governor called this second special session to take up his women's health issues, Texas murdered their 500th inmate since 1982.  Her name was Kimberly McCarthy.  She was pronounced dead at 6:37 p.m. Kimberly McCarthy was a black female.  She was tried, and convicted, by a jury of 11 whites (and one not).  When McCarthy's attorneys raised the issue during appeals, the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals ruled she should have brought her claims to light sooner.  And with that, our state murdered a woman.

In recent weeks, with all these events taking place in our state, the Governor has been out trolling the East coast, delivering a message of prominence in Texas.  He is selling how our state is great for making money, how are state has a reasonable cost of living.  The Governor is on the East coast talking about how wonderful our state is...and he is leaving out everything else: the truth, the real image of what's going on in our state.  Our state is restricting the rights of its citizens.  If the Governor was being honest, no one would want to move here.  Move to Texas, where you can make a lot of money and we'll give you a gun, but for that, you must give up all of your rights.  You must conform, you musn't be different.  If you're a freethinker, a pot smoker, an atheist, sexually active and/or gay, don't move to Texas.

Which brings me nicely to my point, our image to the nation as the State of Texas is one of extreme conservatives who like their guns and like executin' people.  Our image must change.  We must purge the system of the status quo and raise the bar.  Instead of regressing into history, our state should be paving the progression of modern history.

After all, we did put man on the moon.

Always in love,

CC


Sources:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/hundreds-protest-proposed-abortion-restrictions-as-texas-lawmakers-take-key-vote/2013/06/23/75d538aa-dc75-11e2-a484-7b7f79cd66a1_story.html

http://www.policymic.com/articles/50909/senate-bill-5-if-you-re-looking-for-passionate-pro-choice-advocates-try-texas

http://tfbn.org/food-insecurity/

http://feedingamerica.org/hunger-in-america/hunger-facts/child-hunger-facts.aspx

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/06/24/jodie-laubenberg-texas-rape_n_3493220.html

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-201_162-57591241/texas-carries-out-500th-execution-with-kimberly-mccarthy/

Notes from the Metro: 11-5-12

So for those who don't know, I live in Sugar Land and work in downtown Houston. Let me tell you: that drive is not something to be f-cked with. Unless you have 1.5 hours each way (give or take) to spend in your car, staring at other drivers (who will inevitably be labeled a moron or jackass before the trip is over), and seeing no reason for the traffic jam you're sitting in, I would suggest you hop a Metro into town.
I have been taking the Park and Ride to and from work for a month now and I absolutely love it. I love not driving, just riding. One would be amazed the amount of stress and energy burned from sitting in traffic.
All of these benefits and positives being said, when the f-ck did it become socially acceptable to talk on your cell phone on the bus?! Ok. So maybe I haven't been on a bus since I turned 16 and that was a school bus but somewhere I thought there was a list of generally accepted practices regulating behavior in public. For example: Holding A door for someone; saying thank you for someone holding a door. What happened to social etiquette? What happened to common courtesy? No. I do not care why you're on your phone. Hang up. No one else on this bus cares either. I promise.
But I can't just write this, pissing and moaning, without offering up a solution. Solution: Speakerphone. Hey. You wanna talk on your phone, I don't want to hear just half of the conversation. I wanna hear the whole thing. You've made us all parties to the conversation by having it in public. You have no expectation of privacy on the city bus. Speakerphone that call please. Thank you.

November 3, 2012

      So after a long pause, I have decided to resume my blogging.  I was informed on a comment from Facebook that I apparently "needed" a blog, and then proceeded to comment that I, in fact, had a blog, just never updated it... Well, that sounds just about stupid... So I guess I have found myself motivated to resume my blogging... I write these entries as not only my virtual soapbox, to spout off about the random injustices going on in the world as I see them, but also as my escape, my place to vent, my journal.  I hope you all enjoy and I welcome all feedback, both for and against.
     That being said, the phrase "both for and against": I am well aware my opinion is just that, my opinion.  If you don't like what you read on these pages and posts, then click off my page.  We are all lucky enough to live in a country where the Founding Fathers created a system to account for people speaking out and giving their feedback to the country, the people, and the legislature.  Not only can we give them our feedback, but our right to speak out is covered by the Bill of Rights.
     Warmly wrapped in the Constitution and the Bill of Rights* (*as I interpret them), I share my thoughts, opinions and feelings on the current state of affairs, both locally and nationally.  My goal with this blog is nothing other than to share my experiences and unite people in knowing they are not alone in their lives, feelings, thoughts, beliefs, and opinions.  It only takes one. -CC

Teenage Pregnancy & Me

I come home earlier and after going through my usual “home-from-work” routine, I settle in to read and maybe watch a little television.  After flipping through the guide, I find a 20/20 on “Kids having Kids.”  I guess it is time for me to voice my opinion on this issue as this episode has ruffled my feathers.

During this episode, the reporter and his crew visited two schools in two parts of the country to discuss and document their respective sexual education classes. 

In Massachusetts, students were taught a “comprehensive sexual education.”  This included everything.  Students were taught the proper way to put on, and take off, a condom.  The casual nature of the setting and conversations between teacher and student allowed for the students to let their guards down, asking questions and participating in a class which usually just returns blushed cheeks and giggles to a teachers question.  During the course, the students played a game in which they had to line up in the twelve steps of properly putting on and removing a condom. (Yes. 12. Right!) 

In Texas, we take a different, more 1950’s era approach.  Our teachers preach abstinence.  Yes.  Still.  They teach waiting to have sex until marriage.  With the national rate of 41.5 girls/1,000 girls (girls ages 15-19) becoming pregnant every year*, clearly this approach is not working.  Texas has a rate of 60 girls/1,000 girls*.  Six percent of girls ages 15-19 in the state of Texas will get pregnant.  That is 1.5 million girls, based on the 2010 Census population estimate for Texas.  So. 1.5 million girls get pregnant every year yet year in and year out, schools continue to teach abstinence.  How is this working for us?  Massachusetts on the other hand, only has 20% of their girls becoming pregnant.  That is roughly 131,000 girls.  It is time we took a different approach to this problem because the approach we have been using is not working. {*Statistics courtesy of the Center for Disease Control.}

With a reported nearly 40% of people studied saying marriage is becoming obsolete*, using marriage as a point of reference for when it is ok or acceptable to have sex is ludicrous.  Children are entering the strange, unforgiving world of puberty even earlier in life now, as compared to 20 years ago.  I hit puberty when I was 13, along with the majority of girls around me.  There are reports of girls now having their first period at the age of 9, 10, 11.  {Courtesy of USA Today article.}

With such a complex problem, and such an innocent and life changing result at stake, something must be done.  Now.  Look at what is on TV, in movies, in lyrics to songs, everywhere.  Sex sells.  Everyone knows it.  It is time to stop acting like the problem will go away if society wills it so.  We should be educating children about sex.  About everything about sex.  Mentally, physically, emotionally.  How to deal with it.  Birth control methods.  We should be assisting in them knowing and understanding their sexuality, not shunning them for having natural feelings.  We should be helping them to get birth control when they ask for it.  If (read: when) these young adults choose to have sex, they should be able to make a responsible decision. 

When I start to look back and get down about decisions I have made in my life, my parents remind me I make the best decisions I can with the information I have at the time (I make the decision).  We need to be giving these teens all the information we can, so when they make a decision, it can be an informed, educated, responsible decision.  

The Traffic Rant

Pretty self explanatory. I've got a bone to pick with the general masses of people I encounter on a daily basis in my travels of this beautiful state of ours.

*When did the left lane become the slow lane? I pass signs all the time that say "Slower traffic keep right". Why are you in the left lane doing 55? Huh? And why do I get a look when I pass you doing the speed limit? You are the one in the wrong place. Move. When like 15 cars pass you, and the old lady in the Buick gives you the bird, it's time to move to the right, a la derecha, of all other traffic.

*Moving to the right brings me to my next point. MERGE. If you look this up in the dictionary, it's listed as a verb. A verb is an ACTION word. This means there is something that has to be done. MERGE means to combine two things together... so here's the deal. Car A wants on the freeway, which is flowing nicely at 65.... Car B sees Car A... Car B accommodates a SPEED INCREASING Car A who nicely inserts themselves into traffic and everyone continues on down the freeway. Yay. What you DO NOT want to do, I repeat DO NOT DO THE FOLLOWING! DO NOT try and enter the freeway while hitting your brakes. If you are slowing down, you are already jacking the flow of traffic. DO NOT enter the freeway doing 45 and cut someone off. ESPECIALLY if they have their blinker on. That little blinky light implies they want in the lane you're in. See MERGE.

*YIELD SIGN ≠ STOP SIGN. See GEOMETRY 101. TRIANGLE v. OCTAGON.

**If aforementioned yield sign is present, and you are turning right, and the straight traffic has a green light, you don't have to stop. :)

***Another note about this Yield Sign/Stop Sign miscommunication. If you don't see a difference in the four letter word STOP, and the five letter word, YIELD, please also retake English 101 and Math 101 because a four letter word does not equal a five letter word.

*Finally, if you are on a side street and there is a lane that I'm not in, and I'm going fast, turn into that lane. Better yet, wait until I pass. Please don't turn in front of me, into my lane, and then give me the "Go to hell" look when I change lanes to avoid bump drafting your back bumper for pulling out into oncoming traffic.

Please take note, and implement changes immediately. Thx! :) CC

Post 1.2

So what do you do when you're in a "relationship" with someone and you're the only one trying? Personally, I want to yell at this person for being a total narcicist. Then again, that could just be my anger at not being important enough or high enough on the priority list. So what do you do when you're being shown you're not important enough? I'm choosing to be done. I'm choosing to end this relationship and stop worrying about it. They are obviously moving on and I'm obviously not important enough to them so why should I worry about it? I'm not going to anymore. Done. I am an amazing friend. Too bad this person should know it, and doesn't appear to. Oh well. I guess if you snooze you lose right?

Post 1.1

So I went home to Houston this past weekend.... It was so sad to see Rachel all laid out in her casket. It was a beautiful ceremony but so hard to watch. Her parents were so distraught, and rightfully, understandably, so. I held my composure until I saw her parents pushing her casket down the aisle of the church and then I couldn't take it anymore. Such a tragedy. Someone at 24 shouldn't be dead. We should be yelling at her for wrecking her car, not wiping away tears thinking of her smile and laughter. It was interesting to watch the funeral though. Although I do not believe in God, I respect others beliefs and their rights to those beliefs. The funeral left me reflecting on my life. It left me thinking about what if I wasn't here tomorrow? We (as people, as a whole) seem to always take life for granted. We are not guaranteed tomorrow, or tonight, or even today. We should be thankful and happy for what we have... Rejoice in ourselves and what we have accomplished, individually. But we should also be proud of the marks we leave on the world. I try to do one great thing for someone else every day, along with learning something new every day. Life is so precious and we only get one. I'm so happy mine is a great one.