Chai's Analysis

Welcome back, Chai. Abortion rights? What are you talking about?

Man, I think Mango is a Republican operative. I wrote this long and angry post about the South Dakota ban on abortion and when I was looking to link to more eloquent bloggers who wrote about this issue, my computer just froze on me. Mango! What the hell? I think it's mad at me cause I ate a green mango today and it was YUMMY, you heard me Mango, YUMMY.

Anyway, come over here and step away from that above paragraph madness. I need to tell you a story. Come here baby. Sit down right next to me. No no, I'm fine with my chai. Thank you baby. Come here. Ah yes. I wanted to share with you some stories of my childhood. Something that I wanted to you know. You may not appreciate this story now, but you will when you are a bit older.

Back when I was growing up, ohhh baby, we walked to school. No, my amma never dropped us off. She couldn't. You see, back then, people drove to work in their petroleum powered cars. We were well-off, baby, not poor. But, it didn't matter. My mom couldn't drive me to junior high and then to work. It would take too long. Great grandpa? Well, he couldn't either cause he was the vice president of a company. So, I took the public bus. Yeah, baby. Hey, did I see you rolling your eyes? No, this isn't a lecture of how you should walk to school instead of using your jet-pack. This is just to share with you different times.

And it is also to show you how many similarities we have. For example, I know you are in ninth grade right now. And even though you don't go to public school cause the state doesn't pay for it anymore, I went to public school. And I know ninth grade is when everyone starts dating everyone. Did I? Haha, no, your grandma didn't. But your grandpa started noticing me when he was in ninth grade. Why are you laughing? Oh stop it child!

Hand me that napkin. You are making me sweat with your giddiness. Thank you baby. So, I know in ninth grade, people start doing things.....you know physical things. What do you mean "what do you I mean," child? You know what I am talking about. Don't make your grandma say it. Fine, they start having sex. Stop giggling! You are making my blood pressure go up. No, no, it's okay...just listen.

So, my close friend in high school was raped. Yeah, it was pretty scary cause she was unsure what happened, but she blamed herself for it. Luckily she didn't get pregnant. But, you know, if she did get pregnant, she could have gotten an abortion. Unlike now, we were allowed to get abortions without telling our parents cause the legal people knew that teens don't like to talk to parents about this stuff. And then my senior year, a close friend got pregnant. No, this was another friend. And she ended up getting an abortion. It was probably the biggest event in her life up to that point. However, she was 18 and she went to a local Planned Parenthood to get a free abortion. Of course she was sad, baby, what do you think? But, she realized that she was not ready to have a child. And she hasn't regretted that decision since. Yeah, even now.

Oh child, please stop asking me these incessant questions about my friends. Its none of your business what their names are and if I talk to them. Come on, I don't want you to lose focus on the moral of my story.

Remember that times were different when I was growing up. We, females, women, ladies, girls, had rights when it came to our body. We had choice and I am sorry that you and your girlfriends don't. I hope you know what this means. Yes. Exactly. You must change the law and make it written in blood that your life is more valuable than anyone else's "life." And also, never forget to use protection. It is your responsibility too.

posted by Chai at 10:57 PM | 0 people analyzed.

NPR makes me SMART

The public broadcasting radio station in my area recently had a membership drive. I wanted to give but really (unfortunately) couldn't afford it. But the announcer said, "Every time you hear something interesting on public radio, it's worth at least a dime. By the end of the year you will have so many dimes, that you might as well donate now." Well, I took him up on his challenge and am going to donate 10cents in my 'Support Public Broadcasting" jar (used to contain salsa), and donate it at the end of the year.

Here are a few stories that got me thinking:

::Small businesses are LOST:: I know that this is true just from looking at my neighborhood shops that are closing down. In the world of internet, scheduling play dates for kids, and weddings two years in advance, going to a local corner shop just aint going to happen. Going to a local bookstore won't happen either. So, what can we do? I suggest supporting these shops in any way possible. Whether it's purchasing their merchandise, informing other people (via blogs!), talking to city council members about tax breaks and property issues, I think anything can help. Plus, getting to know your grocer really helps build a community.

::Need more dough, yo!:: Yeah, we all need more money. Even though Biggie warns us "Mo Money, Mo Problems, " I still want to make more money to donate, to buy sustainable clothes, greener cars, and sweatfree baby clothes for my cutie neice and BFF's son. This story tells us how to ask for a raise! RAISE up. (Hey, if it works, donate some to ME. HA.)

::Putting a price on life:: Now, this is what pisses me off with anti-choicers. They berate pro-choicers about chosing CHOICE over a innocent "person's" life. YET, I never hear conservative, religious groups going after companies who find cures to AIDS (fine, it's cause those who have it are sinful) or cancer? Why aren't they going and sending those people anthrax? Why aren't they having vigils in front of the corporate headquarters and yelling at those who go in and out of the headquarter's doors? WHY? Aren't innocent lives being hurt because of greed?

Wait, there is a freakin' cure to cancer? Yeah, that was a shock to me. Genentech, earlier this week, released reports that they have found a drug that can fight cancer. Not just fight cancer, but kick the living crap out of it. That's awesome, but guess what? Genetech wants the price tag to be $100,000/year for the drug. No, not to generic companies who buy the formula. That is what a person w/cancer must pay to use the drug. The story does a really good job (much better than me) in summarizing my feelings towards this issue.

If you don't hate corporate America and you are an anti-choicer because of innocent lives are being lost, then aren't you choosing between the two?

[Marketplace has not published the link yet because the day ain't over in other parts of this beautiful country.]

Price= $0.30

posted by Chai at 6:22 PM | 0 people analyzed.