Puffs

It’s funny how things work out!

I’ve always had a desire to travel to Canada and tour the country. No special reason, just thought it would be enjoyable to see it.

Well, I’ve gotten to the point where I was sure I’d never see it.

However, last week, Canada came to visit me and millions of others throughout the American mid-west in the form of smoke from forest or prairie fires in the northwest part of that country.

Frankly, I could have done without the opportunity. Tuesday, we had appointments in Hastings and when we left Lawrence, the sky was a nice blue, but by the time we got to Hastings, we had trouble seeing a mile ahead.

We have often had smoke from Kansas and California, but this was new. It stayed around for the week and I’m not sure if it’s gone now, but it’s still just smoke.

Reminded me of the present Canadian government, just a lot of smoke, but still doing a great deal of harm with their liberal, socialistic policies.

A O

If you are following what is going on in the Nebraska Legislature this session, you have to be enjoying the battles taking place there.

Pro-Life senators tried to limit abortions to only the first six weeks of the life of the baby. That proposal was defeated . . . by one vote.

Seemed the effort was killed for this year, until a change was made to limit abortions after 12 weeks rather than six weeks. It was added on to an effort to help protect youngsters under 19 years of age from getting surgeries, or medicine, in an effort to determine a gender identity.

Well, the amendment was approved and the whole bill was passed into law with the governor scheduled to sign the bill on Monday.

Simple enough ? ? ?

Well, not quite.

Seems there was quite an uproar in the legislature during the debate and voting. It got so bad all the spectators were cleared from the visiting area, only to have them gather in the lobby area and make themselves heard.

Yup, most all of them were Liberals against both items of interest: abortion limits and gender identity methods for young people.

Seems in the Nebraska Legislature 33 votes are needed to insure an issue cannot be stopped. The effort was passed by 33 votes.

The liberals, mostly it seems Democrats, vow to take their efforts to stop what happened to the courts. Stay tuned, seems the battle is not over yet.

A couple of observations:

1: Abortions: I hated to see abortions limited to only the first 12 weeks of life, rather than the six weeks first tried for. However, 12 weeks is better than the 20 week limit formerly in law.

2: Gender Identity: Seems that until the law was changed last week if parents wanted to, they could have their child take drugs, or have surgeries that might attempt to change their gender. (All the while knowing a change is impossible.)

The law limits any such efforts for anyone legally called a minor and also puts more responsibility on doctors.

This thing people have with gender identity is interesting. It is similar to abortions where, for example, a women is raped and become pregnant, the answer is to kill the baby. That gives justice or satisfaction to the women and punishes the man guilty of the rape?

Doesn’t make sense.

I have trouble understanding a young person having trouble deciding which gender they belong to. However, I also understand it does happen.

I’ve read reports that of the few this does happen to, therapy seems to help over 85 percent of the youth to understand what is happening. Many a doctor, and I’m sorry to say, many a parent of the few youth that therapy does not help are quick to use drugs, and surgeries to change the child’s physical shape.

I just read a short article from someone more qualified than I about this subject. He asked: if there was a young person suffering from xxxxxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxx, (thinking they are fat or obese while being so thin or malnourished they are not healthy) and they wanted to have surgery to help them lose even more weight, would you do it.

The answer would be a simple no.

Why did we ever think it would be OK to allow surgeries for one instance and not for the other?

The following quote is from a book I just finished reading and maybe applies in this day and age more than we think.

“When it comes to kids, parents are all instinct and hope. Rules and laws fly straight out the window.”

Maybe too simple of an idea? I’m not sure we’re any better with all the laws we do have today. We have the responsibility to protect children, but maybe the liberals have gone a little too far? And, maybe the conservatives have not done enough?

A O

Interesting reading . . .

Sunday’s Lincoln Journal-Star newspaper reports a lot of the good and the bad in its pages of news. However, Sunday I was a bit confused.

The first report was on the U. S. Department of Agriculture’s recent estimate on the 2023 food production.

Seems that whoever compiled the report expected a giant production effort this year with a resulting drop in the price to farmers for the crop.

I wondered about it a bit considering the drought the American mid-west seems to be experiencing.

However several pages later another report seemed to make the first one I read questionable. This report started out with the line: “It’s so dry in Kansas that wheat plants are turning blue.”

I could identify with that line as I’ve seen the wheat crop around southcentral Nebraska very short this year to where I’m not sure it would support a head of wheat. I also heard farmers in the area are already reporting their wheat crops to their insurance for possible losses.

I thought about each report for a little and finally realized the difference. The one from the USDA came from a source far removed (Washington DC) from where the action was taking place.

The report on the poor wheat crop in Kansas was written from a local source in recent days.

Both reported on what they thought was accurate, but one had to go through the government system and somehow just doesn’t ring true considering what we see in the area.

AO