Books I Read in 2022, Vol. XV

 

AS THE CROW FLIES: A Walt Longmire Mystery
Craig Johnson

Embarking on his eighth adventure, Wyoming Sheriff Walt Longmire doesn't have time for cowboys and criminals. His daughter, Cady, is getting married in two weeks, and the wedding locale arrangements have just gone up in smoke signals. Fearing Cady's wrath, Walt and his old friend Henry Standing Bear set out for the Cheyenne Reservation to find a new site for the nuptials. But their expedition ends in horror as they witness a young Crow woman plummeting from Painted Warrior's majestic cliffs. Is it a suicide, or something more sinister? It's not Walt's turf, but he's coerced into the investigation by Lolo Long, the beautiful new tribal police chief.

Another Longmire novel, another satisfying reading experience. I should do some research on when the television show started in relation to the release dates for the books. I'm wondering, because there's a paragraph in this book where Walt is imagining the Hollywood ending of his current predicament and he thinks his part would be played by Robert Taylor...which is the name of the actor who portrays Longmire in the TV show. (Though I'm guessing the book is actually referring to the much older Robert Taylor who starred in Quo Vadis and other movies in the 40s and 50s.)

First Line: "I wanna know what Katrina Walks Nice did to get kicked out of a joint like this for sixty-one days."

Page 56/Sentence 5: "No."

Last Line: I turned to my friend and the world, and the words poured from me like a fervent prayer: "E-hestana Na-he-stonahonotse."

Depressed About Choice

 

I am just...just...I don't know...weary, I guess. Weary of the constant barrage of political ads telling me how people who are against abortion are on the verge of ruining our way of life in Minnesota.

I am saddened by medical professionals talking about how important it is for their patients to be able to make their own medical decisions concerning the "right" to choose whether or not to continue a pregnancy.

To get an idea of how these ads affect me, do a little word association.

Every time you hear the phrase "what to do with her own body" or "reproduction rights," insert the words "kill babies."

I know, I know...that sounds so harsh, but just do it.

"If I am elected, I will fight for a woman's right to decide what to do with her own body" becomes "If I am elected, I will fight for a woman's right to decide to kill babies."

"Our reproduction rights are at risk" turns into "Our right to kill babies is at risk."

Because the unborn entity ("fetus", "glob of cells", "embryo", "under-developed human being", "child that has yet to be born") is not "her own body." He or she has his or her own unique fingerprints, heartbeat, brainwaves, and DNA. And while it sounds American to say that a woman has a right to choose what to do with her own body, it has always been true that my right to swing my arms about ends at the tip of someone else's nose. My right to do what I want with my own body does not include causing harm to someone else.

And the unborn entity is someone else.

For more nuanced and empathetic discussions about all this, you are invited to check out the posts about abortion that I've made on the "Truth Is..." blog. (Click here)

P.S.  It also saddens me that, here in Minnesota at least, the upcoming election seems to be focusing on this one issue, forcing us to decide, "If you are in favor of abortions, you must vote for Democrats and if you are against abortions, you must vote for Republicans." That saddens me because almost everything else the Republican party has been doing for the last several years goes against my grain, sticks in my craw, makes me throw up a little, etc.