Where Do Democrats Stand on The Value of Human Life?
I found it interesting today to read an article on presidential hopeful Elizabeth Warren. According to the article, Warren said we should all value Human Life. Yet, she supports abortion.
What Human Life was she referring to? Was she referring to the illegal immigrants coming across our border? She certainly was not talking about Human Life inside the womb.
I remember sitting in college in a BioEthics class and the topic was abortion. I sat there frozen. I could not participate. I had never really thought about the issue very much. But the more I hear the Democrats and the Left talk about abortion. the more it drives me to the conclusion that aborting a fetus is wrong.
A Human Life is started when there is a hear beat detected in the womb. That heart beat deserves protection and that child has a right to live.
It does not make sense to me where people like Warren can talk about the value of Human Life but yet support abortion. Do people like her actually listen to themselves? They are quick to defend people coming across our borders illegally. They talk about the inhumane conditions at the border. Yet, they are quick to support destroying a fetus with a Human heart beat. The illegal aliens coming across our border made a conscious decision to break our laws except for the children that have been drug a long so the illegal aliens could stay in our country. The child with a heart beat inside the mother's womb did not make a conscious decision to be here and cannot speak for himself/herself.
Once this child has a heart beat, he/she deserves the right to life. The more I hear the Democrats and the Left talk, the more I believe this to be true.
All Human Life deserves to be protected. Even the illegal aliens coming across our border should be protected and housed in humane conditions. But that does not give the right to stay in our country just that their lives should be protected while they are here.
Through My Eyes
Saturday, August 17, 2019
Saturday, December 13, 2014
Kids Face Racism Too
Kids Face Racism Too
Gary A. House
The
recent talk about racism in America has caused resurging memories that have
been tucked away in the back of my mind.
Kids too face racism.
I
have coached many youth teams and many kids in my 25 years of coaching. A few incidents have stood out in how kids
were treated.
One
season I coached a team comprised of five blacks, six whites and one Hispanic. I did my best to give each kid an equal
opportunity to excel. Some players
simply have more talent than others.
One
black player was a very gifted athlete but had never played baseball
before. Since he had a canon strapped to
his shoulder and was left-handed, I taught him how to pitch. Pitching is a craft that takes time to
develop. But this kid was catching on
very fast.
One
game I put this black southpaw on the mound and I penciled in another good
athlete who happened to be black in the lineup at first base. Upon seeing the lineup on the field, a
prominent person in our community approached me and told me that the black
players should be in the outfield and the white players should be on the
infield and pitching. I was shocked at
this statement. It did not take me much
time to respond to this gentleman. I
said “Sir, I am going to put the players in the positions that give us the best
opportunity to win.” I am certain that
he was not satisfied with my explanation but he walked away.
After
the recreation director told me that he did not expect us to win a game that
year, we won six and came in third place in a five team league. It came time to pick the All-Star team. Knowing that I would get no more than two
players on the team, I nominated my best two players. One was a white pitcher; the other was a
black shortstop and catcher. The white
pitcher made the team with no questions asked.
Even though we played each team in the league at least twice, the other
coaches had no idea who the black kid was.
I still wonder to this day how this kid was not noticed. He was a great defensive player and was my
second best hitter. This kid deserved to
be on this All-Star team but, in my opinion, he was left off because he was black. All other teams except mine placed two or
more players on the team.
In
another year, I was coaching an All-Star team and the best athlete and arguably
the best player that I had was black. In
one game, this player’s arm was sore so I started him at first base to limit
the number of hard throws he would have to make. A parent came to me and said “Why is that expletive
even playing. He can’t throw.” I said “Sir, I am going to put the players in
the positions on the field that gives us the best opportunity to win.” He walked away. The truth is we had to have this kid’s
athletic ability with his legs, glove and bat in the lineup to have a chance to
win.
But
racism in our youth athletics goes both ways.
I remember watching a white girl play her heart out in a recreational
softball program. When it came time to
pick the All-Star team, the black coach selected a black girl who had not hit
the ball all year to be on the team leaving the white girl wondering what she
had done wrong.
I
also remember a few white girls playing on a recreational basketball team. Even with their team in the lead and the
score doubled on the other team, the black coach did not enter the white girls
into the county championship game until 30 seconds left in the game. With such a large lead, those girls deserved
more than 30 seconds.
Racism
works both ways when it should not exist at all. We need to be color blind when dealing with
our neighbors and fellow Americans.
Until that happens, racism will run rampant in our lives and the lives
of our children. We can pretend like it
is not there but it is. It is time for
America to grow up and treat everyone equally whether it is a boy on a baseball
team, a girl on a basketball team, or a person applying for a job.
Racism
in America is kind of like the Hatfield’s and McCoy’s. We do not know why we are fighting.
Let’s
set an example for our children and get along.
Wednesday, December 10, 2014
Race Relations in Rural NC
Race Relations in Rural NC
Gary A. House
I am 48 years old. I grew up in the outskirts of Fayetteville
and Hope Mills, N.C. I would guess that
the schools that I attended were 60-70% white, 25% black, and the rest Native
American, Asian and Hispanic.
Being in the classroom and
playing sports allowed me to have interaction with all of the represented
ethnicities. I never remember having
issues between any segments of the population.
I always felt like we were brothers and sisters.
Being on the ball field
allows you to get past color barriers and allows you to see people for they
really are. Playing sports allowed us to
build camaraderie and to learn how to accept those who may not be exactly like
us.
I have very fond memories
on the fields of Cumberland County.
Those memories are not segregated in black and white. They are simply memories. Those memories would not exist if it were not
for people like Gerald McDowell who is black, Ernie Privette who is Native
American and Mike Thompson who is white.
My adolescent years were
formed by people of all races. In the
area I grew up in, there may have been an occasional fight but we were always
friends afterwards.
I simply do not remember
race wars or being scared to go to school.
Upon graduating, I
attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. I found much of the same experiences
there. Everyone got along. It did not matter what you looked like.
The only time I felt
uncomfortable at UNC was when Arnold Franklin, a huge football player, hosted a
small party in dorm room below mine and he turned up the stereo as loud as it
would go and played “Burning Down the House.”
Once I realized they were just having fun and the dorm was not going up
in flames, everything was alright.
I was exposed to
absolutely no racial tension in college or school.
However, I could see racial
tendencies in the generation before me.
I always thought that as time went by, racial tendencies would become
diluted and even though we may not look exactly alike, equality would
prevail. Racism would simply die out at
some point in the future.
I have never really
visited the inner city in some of our huge Metropolitan areas even though I got
lost in a car in the inner city of Orlando and Atlanta. I cannot speak for people in those areas.
I was disappointed in the
reaction in Ferguson, Missouri. It is
unfortunate that Michael Brown lost his life.
I do think Officer Darren Wilson felt his life was in danger. Officer Wilson had never fired his gun in the
line of duty which shows he was not a rogue cop who shot at anyone who
moved. The Grand Jury reviewed the
evidence and chose not to indict him.
Now, I have no way of
knowing whether they saw all the evidence or heard all of the witnesses. I do know three of the jurors were black and nine
were white. Was that a fair
breakdown? I don’t know based on the
demographics of the area. I do believe
anyone who sits on a Grand Jury knows how serious the task at hand is. I still believe in the inherent goodness of
people including the Grand Jurors and Officer Wilson.
Even if Officer Wilson
made a grave mistake, burning down the property of innocent people and looting
innocent businesses is not the way to protest.
Americans should be beyond that.
Yes, I said Americans not Black Americans. It is time to stop with the labels and just
be Americans where we care about each other.
It tears me up to see the
violence in my home country. I want to return
to the days of my youth when we were all friends. The day that I can get an assist to Tony McKoy,
throw a touchdown to Michael Foster, or compete with Gerald McDowell and we all
be friends afterwards.
All of us need to open our
hearts and be friends like in the days of my youth. Opportunities need to exist for every
one. We need equality in America.
Dear God, bring back the
path that I was on in the days of my youth and spread it across American soil
and beyond. Let us be like Rural NC.
Wednesday, December 3, 2014
The Plight of Michael Brown and Officer Darren Wilson
The Plight
of Michael Brown and Officer Darren Wilson
By Gary A. House
Michael
Brown. Officer Darren Wilson.
There
is not too much that can be said about these guys from Ferguson, Missouri that
has not already been said.
The
media and social media have sensationalized this story about a black teen-ager
and a white police officer so much that we may never know the truth.
I
am not here to judge Michael Brown or Officer Darren Wilson. I do not know all that happened just like you
do not know.
I
have read every article that I could find on this subject. I have not read the grand jury report.
Michael
Brown reminds me of another black teen-ager Michael Oher, who now plays for the
Tennessee Titans. When Oher was a
teen-ager, he was basically on his own.
His mother was strung out on drugs and alcohol. Oher was a good kid. One night Leigh Anne Tuohy, who was white,
came across Oher on the street and asked him if he had a place to stay. Oher was going to stay in the gym that
night. Tuohy along with her husband
Sean brought Oher back to their home for the night. Oher moved in with the Tuohy’s. I am certain friends of the Tuohy’s were
judgmental of a large black teen-ager living in the white Tuohy’s house along
with the Tuohy’s teen-age daughter and young son.
That
did not matter to the Tuohy’s. There
were obviously color blind and saw Oher simply as just Big Mike. Oher with the Tuohy’s encouragement later
earned a college scholarship and now plays professional football.
I
am in no way comparing Michael Brown and Michael Oher. I know neither of them. The path Oher could have ended up on without
the Tuohy’s intervention shows that with the right influences Brown could have
been a productive citizen in society. I
do not know whether Brown’s mother and stepfather provided the influences Brown
needed or not. They very well may have.
I
am not certain Brown robbed that convenience store, beat Officer Wilson in his
car, reached for his gun, refused to get out of the street, and charged at
Officer Wilson like a football player. I
guess none of us will know for sure.
We
have to rely on the grand jury looking at the evidence and doing its job
correctly. Personally, I have witnessed
some cases in court where the judge/judges, in my mind, ruled the wrong
way. I am not saying the grand jury that
was made up of citizens made the right or wrong decision. But they reviewed the evidence and I did not.
I
am sure we all have run into the small minority of law enforcement officers who
are arrogant and power hungry even on routine traffic stops. I do not know if Officer Wilson falls into
that small category or not. However, I
believe that Officer Wilson used his handgun for the first time in the line of
duty and he was not a rookie cop. That
tells me that he was not a rogue officer who goes around firing at anything
that is black and is moving.
I
am sure Officer Wilson is tore up about taking the life of another human
being. Whether he shot Brown twelve
times, I do not know. I do know Brown
was a very large teen-ager. If Brown was
coming at Officer Wilson, it could have taken multiple shots to bring him down. Once Brown reached the 8 to 10 foot distance
from Officer Wilson, he entered the kill zone.
If he entered the kill zone, Officer Wilson would have shot to kill as
he was trained to do. I have not studied
any of the forensic data and do not know if he was in the kill zone.
I
know events like this happen fast with a lot of stimuli in the
environment. That causes memories to be
fuzzy, with things remembered differently than they occurred. That is true for the witnesses and the police
officer.
It
is a shame that a life was taken. Lives
are taken every day that should never be.
I
do not believe that white police officers feel they have the right to shoot
black citizens without cause like I do not believe that black police officers
feel they have the right to shoot white citizens without cause. The fact is people of all races kill people
of all races including their own, which must stop.
We
do need more black and Hispanic officers on our police forces. The problem at least in my home county is the
large majority of law enforcement graduates are white. We have very little minorities to choose from. I do not know but I bet Ferguson, Missouri is
in the same boat.
My
point to this blog is that we are Americans first. Race should not matter. We need to treat everyone with respect.
Perhaps
we should follow the lead of Leigh Anne Tuohy and her family and become color
blind.
Only
when we all become color blind will there be forgiveness in our hearts, racism
goes out the door, and we will be accepted into heaven.
Tuesday, December 2, 2014
Tommy Burns is Gone
Tommy Burns is Gone
By Gary A. House
I was the deciding vote to bring Tommy Burns to Harnett
County as County Manager.
Mr. Burns was simply the most qualified candidate that
made the final two cut.
Commissioner Jim Burgin had talked for many months about
bringing Mr. Burns in as county manager when and if Scott Sauer left. After Mr. Sauer was terminated, Mr. Burns
still appeared to be Burgin’s man.
In the month prior to the Board actually picking a
replacement, Commissioner Burgin started making subtle hints that he may want
Interim County Manager Joseph Jeffries to be the new county manager. I think the world of Mr. Jeffries and I
personally do not know anyone else that does not feel the same way.
When it came to picking the new county manager, it was
clear that Mr. Jeffries may not have enough votes. Commissioner Springle chimed in and said that
education does not matter. Mr. Burns has
advanced education in public administration.
Mr. Jeffries does not. That
seemed like an effort to persuade the Board to Mr. Jeffries and away from Mr.
Burns.
Commissioner Burgin then chimed in and said that Mr.
Jeffries had three months of county manager experience and Mr. Burns did not
have any. Mr. Burns had been the town
manager in three municipalities in his career.
Mr. Jeffries was a planning director and interim county manager for
three months. There was no question in
my mind that at this time in their careers, Mr. Burns was more qualified.
After seeing that Mr. Jeffries did not have the votes,
Commissioners Springle and Burgin voted for Mr. Burns in open session.
Even after Mr. Burns was hired, he often told me that
Springle and Burgin did not have much to do with him. They most often called Joseph Jeffries, our
new deputy county manager. Commissioner
Burgin talked our Board into creating this position for Mr. Jeffries to give
him some experience in management before our other deputy county manager, Tony
Wilder, retired.
Mr. Burns came to me several weeks back and told me he
had a job offer in Wayne County as Assistant County Manager. I hated to lose Mr. Burns in Harnett
County. But Mr. Burns had been hearing
the same rumors that many of us had been hearing for the last year. He feared that he would be terminated when
the new Board took over in December of 2014.
Knowing that Mr. Burns had not been treated quite like a county manager
should be treated by two commissioners and they would have even more power when
the new Board took over, I told Mr. Burns that he had to do what was best for
him and his family. I know that it is a
terrible feeling not having job security and being anxious about going to work
every morning.
Eventually Mr. Burns decided to take the job opportunity
in Wayne County. I often used Wayne
County as a benchmark to Harnett County because of its similar size to Harnett
County. It does have more of a commercial
and industrial base than Harnett. Mr.
Burns is stepping into a good position in Wayne County. The County Manager there will retire in a few
years and Mr. Burns should be groomed to step in without missing a beat.
Soon after announcing his plans to go to Wayne County,
the old Harnett County politics kicked in and someone made a call to a
Commissioner in Wayne County telling the Commissioner that Mr. Burns had
insulted Representative David Lewis at a recent Harnett County Board
meeting. Mr. Burns did in fact call
Representative Lewis a coward for trying to hide House Bill 1108 from Harnett
County when it affected Harnett County.
Representative Lewis tried to slip the bill through the General Assembly
without telling us. The Commissioner in
Wayne County apparently demanded that Mr. Burns apologize to Representative
Lewis. It seems ironic that Springle and
Burgin showed up at Mr. Burns’ office a few months before making the same
demand.
If any apologies should be made, Representative Lewis
should apologize to the County Board and School Board for trying to slip a bill
through in such a clandestine manner.
Seven of the ten members of the county board and school board opposed
Harnett County being included in House Bill 1108---The ones who supported it
were Bill Morris, Burgin and Springle.
My point is Mr. Burns stood up and said something that
needed to be said and no one else had the guts to say it. Because he took a stand, someone in Harnett
County is trying to punish him in Wayne County before his first day of work. I guess you see how Harnett County politics
work. If you stand up, they go after
you.
I called the folks in Wayne County and told them they
were getting a good man in Tommy Burns.
The County Manager said “I know.
I checked him out thoroughly.”
Wayne County is getting a terrific, intelligent
manager. And Harnett County is losing
the future I prayed we would have.
Tommy you have my upmost respect and I wish you well my
brother. I am sorry it did not work out
for you here in Harnett County. You are
our loss.
Yesterday the new Board of Commissioners again made
Joseph Jeffries interim county manager.
Even though he has stated that he has no interest in being manager, I
believe there is a distinct possibility that the new Board will force him to
become manager by eliminating the deputy county manager job that he now holds.
I expect the new Board to make massive cuts. Yes, those rumors have been going around
too. The Board could save over $100,000
by eliminating the deputy manager position.
Even if it is not eliminated, I
expect there will be a massive reorganization but there is no way that the
rumored amount of cuts would ever be possible.
The county budget has been balanced on the backs of the
employees for several years. There are
massive needs in the school system that some do not appear to recognize. There is a property tax revaluation coming up
soon which may not increase the property values, which may mean no more
property tax revenue.
I ask that you watch what happens in Harnett County in
the next few years and make sure you have the representatives in place that
will work for your interests, not their own interests or the interests of
others.
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