the mellow tigger's musings

Yesterday, I took the bus to Robbinsdale, the city northwest of me. That's where I visited the CVS pharmacy to get the Novavax vaccination. Afterwards, I walked to my small town bank to deposit a refund check that I got 2 months ago. I've been to Robbinsdale many times over the years, but I've never spent so much time outdoors walking around "Birdtown", the local nickname for it. I had the strange thought, "This place reminds me of downtown Lamesa."

That's a weird thought, since I haven't been there in about 4 decades. As their Chamber Of Commerce describes the city, Lamesa is "the epitome of a small, West Texas town." I agree. The only reason anyone would have to go there is to visit family, which is what we did. That's where my mother's mother lived, until she died in 1981. I certainly didn't remember her street address this morning, but I knew enough details (northern Lamesa, near a high school, at a street corner) that it was easy to use Google maps street view to roam around until I spotted the house. I probably shouldn't have done that. I was disappointed to see that all of the rose bushes and apricot trees were gone, memories that I associate with my grandma, since her watering them is the only reason such plants could exist in the West Texas desert. The cinder block fence I climbed on as a child was still there, but it has seen better days. We've all aged nearly half a century more since those days (and I'm feeling my spine's arthritis more than usual today), so I should expect some wear and tear.

Then I remotely roamed along Main street to find downtown. Here is Lamesa TX. Yes, it does seem similar to downtown Robbinsdale. Maybe it's the bricks in the road that makes the association. Here is Robbinsdale MN where I walked yesterday. Close enough. Maybe it's not so weird that the thought popped into my head when I looked at that small town's street corner.

It was a rough weekend here in the #WarzoneInMinneapolis, but perhaps I'll write more on that topic next week. Recent news from Texas takes precedence on this Moody Monday.

I already said in 2022 everything that needs to be said, so I'll let someone else speak about the politics behind this recurring tragedy, where one witness described a victim who had no face left after the assault weapons carnage.

The collapse of USA society continues, surprising nobody (free archive copy, because it's such an important point).

Today's "Moody Monday" post puts me at risk of a US$10,000 fine in Texas, maybe even prison.  I think incarceration applies only to abortion providers, not information providers, but I'm not certain.  Either way, it's a good reason to never set foot there.  (Reminder: Get out.)  Indeed, Facebook and Instagram are already censoring abortion information online.  Google says it will delete location history for abortion centers, but that may still not help people who search the topic.  You could search on computers at your local library, but safety depends on if your library follows recommended practice.  Eventually a VPN may be necessary to protect yourself and to access region-restricted websites.


People are sharing their experiences in abortion care, both receiving and providing it.  They offer a lot to consider.  From the woman with a detached placenta to the doctors delaying life-saving care like this woman who miscarried but couldn't get medical help, also the 10-year-old rape victim whose young body is required by her current Ohio state law to carry to term the fetus of that criminal, and even the coroner stories of botched abortions before legalization in Canada.

• Abortion.cafe is a website with useful links for anyone seeking an abortion.
• Tech Workers Coalition also has a good list of resources.
• TheNib.com provides an educational comic that explains (with citations at the end) the abortion pills misoprostol and mifepristone.
• If/When/How includes a legal helpline.
• SkepChick has some thoughts for how supportive third parties can help.
• U.S. Department Of Defense will still continue abortion care at their bases, even in states that prohibit it.
• As for the mood here in Minnesota, we seem to be setting up as a safe harbor, both allowing abortions and preventing cooperation in prosecution from regressive territories.  We're expecting an influx of visitors from other states, and one North Dakota clinic is already seeking funds to move across the state border to join us.  But avoid the anti-abortion "pregnancy crisis" centers.
• If pills aren't for you, then there is the possibility of IUDs or getting snipped to prevent pregnancy.

I advocate letting people control their own bodies as they wish, however complex those decisions are for them.  One justification sometimes presented is the idea (more complicated than just a single variable) that allowing abortions nationwide with the Roe v. Wade court decision led to fewer "unwanted children" in high poverty populations, leading to a reduction in crime many years later.  Personally, I don't really need that justification for legalization.  I'm firmly in the camp that believes, as the meme says about baby Molly, that an embryo is simply not a person.  Similarly, I can't believe a fetus is a person until it's at least developed enough biologically to no longer remain a parasite, then we can start discussing the difficult definitions.  Plenty of mainstream religious traditions share this idea and allow abortion.  Even without abortion, some 40% of all pregnancies end in miscarriage naturally, which certainly doesn't make these women slaughterers for failing to deliver, as the new laws insist.  The idea is insanity and can actually prevent babies from being born to families who need IVF to conceive.  It's also already endangering non-abortion medical care by its sheer stupidity.

Let's end this post, however, by noting the central hypocrisy (both Betty Bowers and George Carlin elaborate well on this topic) that got us here.

Welcome to Amurrika.  The line forms here for your pelvic exam.