Nixon tapes

Roe v Wade, the landmark supreme court decision of January 22, 1973, was not the banner headline of its day. The death of Lyndon Johnson lead the news, and the subject of abortion was not considered very controversial. Today some 30,000 pages of transcripts and hundreds of hours of tapes from January and Febrary of 1973 were released, , among them discussion of the Roe decision.

Richard Nixon is a fascinating character. He dedicated himself to integrity and honor, yet is remembered for neither. Nina Totenberg reported on the contents of the tapes, specifically on Nixon's reaction to the Roe decision. We think you will find it both enlightening and disturbing. Take a listen. I don't think Mr. Nixon would be pleased with our baby, or with the whole of the Cape Verdean population for that matter.

Be careful about becoming a one-issue voter. Keep in mind that all issues flip flop between parties and that constancy belongs to God alone. All great presidents fail, and all failed presidents have their greatness.

Bringing our baby into a world at war?

North Korea is a nuclear power. This power has been tested and pushed lately in the form of tests, the latest of which will head toward our shores. Hawaii, Japan, and Guam (a US territory) are the proposed targets. This story was a small one on today's news, but it sure got my attention. This is deeply disturbing news. We all need to pray very fervently, and pay attention to the news stories about this international threat.

Childbirth Class

Tyrone and I attended our first childbirth class. It was extremely basic. We heard instruction like this...

"The female body has ribs and lungs, the male body has ribs and lungs too."

"The female body has three holes, the urethra, the vagina, and the anus."

We learned some good positions for comforting during contractions, but I was hoping for more detail. We'll see how next week goes. We'll get a tour of the hospital and see the environment.