You know what it takes for federal policy to change?
Prayer. At least if you’re a God-fearing American citizen!
Right to Life of the Central Coast’s prayers were answered by the U.S. Supreme Court’s recent ruling upholding a Mississippi abortion law and overturning Roe v. Wade.
“In a country founded on the truth that we are all endowed by our creator with unalienable rights, including the right to life, Roe’s stripping the right to life from the unborn was a travesty of justice,” a press release praising the decision explained.
That organization’s release left out the fact that women do not in fact get “unalienable rights,” because women aren’t explicitly mentioned in the Constitution—and “unborn babies” aren’t mentioned in the constitution, either—and honestly, neither are “men.” So who gets all these rights the Constitution outlines? “Persons” and “people.”
Hows’ that for specificity? And depending on whether the squeaky wheel of political opinion believes that you qualify as part of the “persons” and “people” club, you get rights! Isn’t that grand? As for Right to Life? Well, it seems to believe an embryo is more of a club member than the woman who’s carrying that embryo.
“The decision overturning Roe is an answer to prayer,” the organization states.
But it’s only an answer to those who were praying to overturn what Right to Life calls a “heinous decision.” Everyone else? God doesn’t listen to you, you sinners!
Separation of church and state, anyone? Only when it benefits the Christian right. Freedoms? Only when it benefits the Christian right. Government-supported family planning? Nope! Give mom some diapers and send her on her way.
You know what might not need diapers soon? Santa Maria’s Downtown Specific Plan. Looks like it’s heading out of its long-term infancy and on the road to becoming a toddler.
A developer wants to turn the long-empty building that once held Mervyn’s and the short-lived Fallas Discount Store into a three-story building full of apartments designed to comply with this specific plan.
“The pre-application that we’re currently working on now for Fallas is really the very first project to come in, to start revitalizing this area,” Santa Maria Planning Division Manager Dana Eady told the Downtown Revitalization Committee in June.
It’s the pre-pre phase of phase 1 of turning the empty eyesores around the mall into the downtown everyone has been dreaming of for forever.
Well, hopefully that giant 72,000 square-foot building that caused so much of an uproar when Fallas opened can finally bring some hope to the area. Young professionals will move in, paying rents they can’t afford, and buying lattes they really shouldn’t buy. Cute little boutique stores and hot new foodie spots will populate the first stories of all of these future, matching, multi-use buildings, and people won’t hang out in the Chic-fil-A line anymore on Friday nights.
They’ll just head downstairs and spend their Fridays in the downtown crowds alongside the tourists.
It’s a nice vision, isn’t it?
Santa Maria City Councilmember Gloria Soto was trying not to rain on everyone’s parade when she mentioned the cost of living and questioned whether young professionals would be able to afford these future apartments.
Maybe we can pray about it?
The Canary favors the state over the church. Send comments to canary@santamariasun.com.
This article appears in Jul 7-14, 2022.
