This, That, and the Other

Suze, over at Obsolete Childhood has introduced a new prompt called “Answer Me This.” Suze says it’s weekly alternative to the WordPress Daily Prompt, which she characterized as “ones that totally suck and are focused upon the young people here.

Her prompt question today is this:

What values are fundamental to you and why?

I suppose that, within the framework of what is legal, what is ethical, and what most people would say is moral, my fundamental values are the rights and freedoms that enable me to be me, to be who I am.

I realize that some of the definitions of what is legal, what is ethical, and what is moral are subject to change over time. For example, I used to smoke pot when it was very illegal to do so. And even today, the purchase and use of cannabis for recreational purposes, which is perfectly legal in my state, is still illegal at the federal level and remains illegal in half of America’s 50 states.

And up until the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022, abortions were legal in all 50 states. But since then, 25 states have banned abortion or tightened restrictions. But 25 states and Washington, DC have maintained or strengthened abortion rights. I live in a state that supports a woman’s right to manage her own healthcare.

As to what is ethical and moral, Donald Trump is the most unethical and immoral (and amoral) person who has ever been POTUS. Now, with half of the population ready to vote him back in the White House, it seems that we are now free to each come up with our own definitions of what is ethical and what is moral.

So, as a liberal atheist who is free to express his views on sex, religion, and politics without fear of reprisals or arrest and imprisonment, I’m a happy camper. As an American, I have been taking these rights and freedoms for granted my entire life. But in what may become the “new Trumpian America,” I fear that these rights and freedoms are at risk.

And that is something every Americans should be seriously concerned about. In my liberal atheist opinion, anyway.