Letters to the Editor

February 05, 2003
Opinion
Roe vs. Wade To the Editor:Another anniversary of Roe vs. Wade has been celebrated by the various women’s groups. I find the thought of celebrating the destruction of more than 1 million unborn children since the last anniversary more than a little ghoulish. However the various “feminist” groups would say that they actually celebrate “a woman’s right over her own body” and “personal freedom.” The price in lives does not appear to be a relevant issue.The truth of abortion needs to be confronted on three levels: personal, legal and moral.On the personal level the issue is one of responsibility and convenience. A woman and her partner have a duty to make responsible sexual decisions. First, they need to decide whether or not it is appropriate to have sex. Then to either exercise birth control or engage in a type of intimacy that will not result in pregnancy. Since a woman can only be made pregnant a handful of days per month perhaps they could decide to abstain from sex during the period of fertility. Because these decisions are often “inconvenient” the partners take the “easy” and irresponsible course. This succession of irresponsible behavior then leads to the “inconvenient” pregnancy. At this point the woman (perhaps the couple) takes the next irresponsible but convenient step, the destruction of the unborn being within her womb. So the pattern continues and more than 3,000 “inconvenient” babies pay the ultimate price - every day.At the legal level it would seem that five Supreme Court Justices have decided that the Constitution contains the right to an abortion in the 4th Amendment. For 200 years no other generation of Supreme Court Justices had interpreted the Constitution in this fashion. However, the Supreme Court has a long history of “interpreting” the Constitution based on their personal beliefs and ideologic whimsy rather than honoring their oath to uphold the Constitution. Rather than being clarified, the Constitution has been distorted and subverted so that now little remains of the Founding Father’s original intent.It is clear that, under the penumbra of the 4th Amendment, there is some right to privacy but that is not absolute. For instance, a woman’s “right to her own body” is certainly not inviolate. A woman may be prevented from selling her body for sex, she may not ingest illegal drugs, she must wear a seat belt in a car, she is mandated to wear a motorcycle or bicycle helmet and she is not even permitted to live in a house that the Government deems unsafe or unsanitary. So much for the “absolute” right to her own body. However, for personal ideologic reasons five members of the Supreme Court have decided that the right to destroy the unborn is protected, but not a woman’s right to not wear her seat belt. The “rule of law” is indeed mysterious.Finally, the question of morality. Many people and I expect, most “feminists” believe there is no “absolute morality” and therefore no God. They believe that right and wrong - good and evil are subjective and are subject to the caprice of an opinion poll. They feel that they have evolved beyond the need for God and are the masters of their own “relative” morality. Being so, there is no need for a moral compass that indicates an absolute moral authority. It’s all about “me” and “now.”If they desire to maintain the charade of believing in God they usually blather something about “God is whatever I perceive him to be. He’s my personal God.” Or something equally “New Age.” It seems the old God’s rules were just too inconvenient for a lot of people.Is it just a few of us or don’t we all know - once we strip away the layers of selfish rationalization and listen to the whispers in our soul - that killing the unborn is wrong and that it brings sadness to the eyes of God?Richard SchaeferSanta PaulaDemocracyat workTo the Editor:I would like to thank our City Council, City Manager, City Attorney, and the exceptional Josie Herrera for spending a beautiful Saturday inside the Council Chambers working on Goals and Objectives for Santa Paula. I was honored to take part in the democratic process and present to the Council a vision I have for our fair city. I appreciate the Council’s attention to all the speakers who were present. I wish the Council and City good luck in attaining the goals they have set for Santa Paula.Heather Poehler MillerSanta PaulaShop Santa Paula for health careTo the Editor:Months ago, when Community Memorial Hospital opened a hospital center in Santa Paula I was upset. I even toyed with the idea of writing a letter to the CEO at Community Memorial Hospital. I wanted to tell him not to take patients from a small hospital that was struggling. I didn’t do it and I should have!Now months later, Santa Paula Memorial Hospital is in serious trouble and I put a lot of the blame on that CEO. They have announced a building program for their hospital, to almost double the size. They are doing it at the expense of Santa Paula Memorial.At a joint meeting of city councils from Santa Paula, Fillmore and Piru last week, one of the speakers mentioned that 20 million dollars has gone to Community Memorial from Santa Paula and Fillmore during 2002. Now we can see where the money came from for their expansion. With just 2 or 3 million of that amount Santa Paula Memorial could survive!As a member of the Santa Paula Memorial Hospital Auxiliary, I am appealing to the Community Memorial CEO and the doctors who are sending patients to that hospital instead of Santa Paula Memorial, please do what you can to help us keep our hospital open! Send Santa Paula, Fillmore and Piru citizens to Santa Paula Memorial Hospital!Alice MensingSanta PaulaLatino Town HallTo the Editor:Last week a letter appeared in the Santa Paula Times inviting new members to join the Santa Paula Latino Town Hall. I want to follow up with a contact name and phone number and the date, time and location of our meetings. We welcome new members whether or not one is Latino. The organization was formed to offer a forum for positive dialogue and action in order to better the economic, social, and political conditions within the community for all residents. I invite you to call me at 525-3716 and join us on the second Wednesday of every month at 6:30 p.m. We meet in the Services United office at 951 E. Main Street. In addition to annual dues, members volunteer a minimum of three hours per month on a community service project of their choice.One area where the membership has been actively involved in civic engagement was last Saturday’s City of Santa Paula goal setting workshop. The following suggested goals were submitted by the membership to the City Council.Goal #1 City-Wide Visioning ProcessObjectives1. To have a model citizen participation plan that is inclusive, accessible, and encourages not only input but also meaningful decision-making opportunities for our residents.
2. To allocate adequate funding to ensure that we communicate with and engage neighborhoods and individuals who are typically under-represented in public dialogue.3. To complete a visioning process that will lead to a city strategic plan including policy statements and an action plan focused on job creation, education, housing, parks, reinvestment in the downtown, sustainable and environmentally sound growth with updated zoning and annexation guidelines.Goal #2 Economic DevelopmentObjectives1. To support the expansion of Ventura Community College in Santa Paula to provide a state of the art educational campus, which will include job training, commercial, residential and childcare services. This regional center will service the entire Santa Clara Valley and provide a much-needed link to the promotion of business clusters for the region.2. To develop a large scale mixed use project downtown to include commercial, residential and cultural uses with assistance from a professional firm experienced in securing large capital investors and anchor businesses.3. To assist existing downtown merchants with loans, grants and other technical assistance that will improve appearances of exteriors and provide modest funding for business improvements.Goal #3 Education Master PlanObjectives1. To explore efforts to consolidate the high school and elementary school districts.2. To help facilitate expansion of the Ventura Community College Campus on a fast track mode.3. To support tutorial and after school programs and literacy programs that target young students and adults at risk of not reaching their educational goals.Goal #4 Televise City Council and Planning Commission MeetingsObjectives1. To provide bilingual translation of local government actions.2. To increase civic participation.3. To strengthen community and public official’s relationships through unfiltered and unbiased media coverage.Goal #5 Implement a Housing Production PlanObjectives1. To develop and preserve a mix of quality housing types that is available, affordable, meets current needs, and promotes future sustainable growth with an oversight committee to ensure completion within appropriate time frames.2. The plan should include a mix of densities, unit sizes, styles, and ownership and rental opportunities.3. To adopt a Relocation Ordinance and Inclusionary Housing Ordinance.Goal #6 Promote Art and Cultural EventsObjectives1. To provide a funding source for cultural events such as the annual De Colores Art Exhibit.2. To foster a “path of engagement” to other forms of civic participation.3. To increase appreciation for other cultures and the arts in order to bridge differences and celebrate diversity.Robert Borrego,PresidentLatino Town HallSanta Paula



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