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I love Austin, Texas. Growing up with two parents who held bachelor college degrees from the University of Texas, I know all about burnt orange, and Bevo. The University of Texas is, and has always been, one of the best universities in Texas, and has also been rated one of the best in the nation, as a public research-intensive university. Austin native Red Wassenich accidentally invented the phrase \”Keep Austin Weird\” in 2000.
It has since become the unofficial city motto. Another interesting fact, is that while Austin\’s music heritage traces back to frontier days, it was not until 1991 that blues musician Lillian Standfield, returning from a gig in Houston, saw a city limits sign and thought the City needed a slogan to promote music. She approached the City\’s Music Commission and offered the idea of Austin becoming the \”Music Capital of the USA.\” However, City staff research found that Austin had more live music venues per capita than such music Mecca’s as Nashville, Los Angeles, Memphis, Las Vegas or New York City.
It would be more than just a slogan. Music is a driver of the \”creative economy\” that translates into millions of dollars annually for Austin. Austin City government recognized that music would be one of the things that made Austin special. Therefore, a Council Member suggested that Austin become the “Live Music Capital of the Universe.” A compromise was reached, and “Live Music Capital of the World” became the City’s official slogan. It has also become the home of various celebrities including Matthew McConaughey and Sandra Bullock.
And even more recently, Austin became the national focus of the always-heated subject of abortion. Unless you have been living under a rock, you know that State Senator Wendy Davis (D-Ft. Worth) succeeded late on a Tuesday night (06/25/13) in her effort to kill Senate Bill 5, a measure that would have made it illegal in Texas to terminate a pregnancy after 20 weeks. As time was ticking away toward the end of the special legislative session, Davis’s filibuster, and the chaos that it unleashed in the gallery of the senate chamber, delayed passage and signing of the bill past the midnight end of the legislative session, rendering its passage invalid.
However, Governor Rick Perry lost no time in calling a second special legislative session that began July 1 for the express purpose of making another attempt to pass the bill. Besides banning late-term abortions, the bill also requires all abortion clinics to meet the same health and safety regulations as an ambulatory surgical center, requires a doctor providing abortions to secure admitting privileges at a nearby hospital, and lastly, requires a doctor to personally administer the abortion-inducing drugs to the patient.
It has since then, passed both the Senate and House, and is currently awaiting the Governor’s signature. Talking heads on the left were quick to hail Davis for her, “courage” and her “hard work and dedication to Texans.” NARAL Pro Choice America, the euphemized name for the group that used to call itself the “National Association for the Repeal of Abortion Laws,” was quick to jump on Gov. Perry. In a release dated June 26, the headline states,” At Taxpayer’s Expense, Gov. Perry Doubles Down on His Threats to Women’s Health.”
The last sentence of the release reads, \”We, along with our affiliate, NARAL Pro-Choice Texas, will remain vigilant in the fight to keep meddling politicians out of our private health decisions.\” But no matter what your feelings are about abortion, you cannot legitimately make the argument that abortion is a “women’s health” issue. The women’s health angle is a misconception. It is a convoluted attempt to twist the language intended to make what many consider to be murder sound less offensive.
The fact is, you don’t “come down” with pregnancy like it’s a cold. Except in the case of rape, pregnancy results from a woman’s conscious decision to have sex with a man. Couching opposition to Senate Bill 5 as a “health” issue would have ignored the fact that a baby 19-weeks in-utero has fully formed arms, legs, fingers, toes and facial features, and has also started growing hair. He or she can suck its thumb, dream, move on its own, yawn, stretch and make faces.
Yet under the measure that Davis’s filibuster succeeded in squashing in June, it would have still been legal in Texas to abort that baby. And while it should offend you to do so, I ask you to set aside for the moment the arguments of those that believe that life begins at the moment of conception. Only for the sake of discussion, allow that it is okay to terminate a pregnancy in its very early stages. With that being said, I believe that it’s fair to say that somewhere after the moment of conception but before the moment of full-term delivery of a living human being, there is a line at which the termination of a pregnancy constitutes infanticide.
Twenty weeks–half of a normal pregnancy–seems to me like a very liberal placement of that line. Obviously Davis and her supporters disagree. So I say to them, where do you folks draw the line?
When, by your account, does a pregnancy stop being about “women’s health” and start being about an unborn child? More pointedly, is it ever about the baby?
My ten-year-old daughter and I made the three-hour trip from South Houston to Austin on July 1 in support of the bill. I am the pro-life coordinator at our local parish so I thought it only appropriate that we be present at such an important event. And while I had prepared her in advance that there would be people there who were on the opposing side, but even I was shocked at the hate that was palpable on Capitol Hill.
We witnessed obscene signs, people being spit upon, and while singing “Amazing Grace,” competed with the chanting of “Hail Satan” from pro-aborts. I was relieved that we were staying only two days and one night at this point, as I wasn’t sure I was up to staying the entire month of July among such debauchery, and God bless the people that did, and that commit their entire lives to doing pro-life work, and for trying to undue all of the damage done since Roe vs. Wade made abortion legal nationwide 40 years ago.
The final moment of ‘weirdness’ came as we were on our way home and stopped at a Super Wal-Mart to purchase a few items. I thought it was strange when the lady at the check-out counter in the pharmacy department handed me a receipt, but did not place my items in a bag. So as I was leaving, I noticed many thick paper bags, and bags made of cloth at the various registers, and as I picked one up, an employee approached me and said, “I’m sorry Mam, but you have to purchase those bags.” I looked at her quite strangely and said, “So let me get this straight. I have to buy the bag to put in the items I bought here?” She said, “Yes Mam. Austin passed a law a few months ago that states there are to be no more plastic bags.”
I simply told her, “Okay…never mind.” Baffled, items in hand, I left and after a quick Google-search, I discovered that Austin, being on the cutting edge of the “sustainability” movement, passed an ordinance that started in March 2013. Because of the possibility of E. coli poisoning and other potential problems, it states that all retail stores in Austin will not be allowed to provide single-use paper or plastic bags, and all customers will be required to supply their own if they want to bag their purchases.
“Wow,” I thought, and said to my daughter, “Pass a law that bans plastic bags with little fan-fare, but try to pass a law that places some much-needed restrictions on abortion, and all Hell breaks loose.” I love Austin, but I was glad to leave. It can keep its weirdness.
© 2013. Robbe Lyn Sebesta. All Rights Reserved.
21 thoughts on “Austin, Texas You Can Keep Your Weirdness”
It disturbs me to see how passionately you fight for social issues, but not for making Jesus’ grace known to all peoples. As Christians, we don’t have a Republican agenda, but have a biblical call to ” owe no one anything but love” (Romans 16:14) and to make disciples of every nation (Matthew 28:18-20). We’re not called to hate people who don’t know Christ and therefore will not act in accordance with Scripture. How ignorant can we be to expect that?
Also, how can we pass judgement on these people without examining ourselves first? We’re not called to judge others outside the faith. “For what have I to do with judging outsiders? Is it not those inside the church[a] whom you are to judge?” 1 Corinthians 5:12.
Please use wisdom when casting judgement on others who are outside of the faith. Also, don’t do anything to make yourself seem better to God or people (Matthew 6:1). Jesus atoned for your sins by grace through faith (Ephesians 2:8-9) and only He is good (Mark 10:18).
Nick, I am glad that you are reading articles here at Catholic Stand. I find your comments a little bit vague though.
Since the subject of this article is abut a political fight over abortion and I am not sure how well you know the author, I don’t see how you can JUDGE her to be somehow un-Christian for not writing on some other subject instead. I would like to know your understanding of the meanings of “discernment” and “judging”.
Are you saying that social issues are a Republican agenda? I am not a registered Republican yet I am very concerned about abortion. Do you mean to say that we should not take part in voting or debating issues? Seems un-American and un-biblical to me.
I am not quite sure were you get an impression of “hate” from.
Kinda rambling and unfocused Nick.
I know this is an old article but,
South of Austin we have our own saying
Keep San Antonio Lame – an we’re dang proud of it.
Robbe you’re for real. Thank you for your honesty in all your reflections.
Thank you Jeff! If I’m anything, I think it’s authentic…haha…sometimes too much for some, but I appreciate your kind words.
Interesting that you are claiming that abortion is NOT about women’s health when the justification for the measures were the “health” of the pregnant woman.
More religious right wing hypocrisy. Nothing to see here.
Your arguments cminca are usually pretty feeble, this one is a real loser.
And yet you never seem to be able to answer them…..
I can try. You are arguing that when your mother was pregnant with you she was diseased and needed heath care in the form of premature cminca removal, but chose not to.
No–I was arguing that the legislation was presented as necessary in order to protect the health of the pregnant woman (requiring stricter standards of care, etc.) yet the blogger is coming clean that the law was an attempt to limit the number of abortions–not protect the health of the mother.
And I pointed out that it is more right wing religious lies.
I didn’t say anything about my mother being diseased.
Howard–I realize religion has rotted your brain to the point you can only comprehend what some guy in a dress tells you to believe, but try reading for comprehension once in a while…..
“..you are claiming that abortion is NOT about women’s health”
Read your own text. Abortion is not about health, it is about selfishness.
The protections in the bill, well reported, will help safeguard women against the sloppy practices of the abortion business and well as take a needed step towards protecting the unborn, as you once were.
Of course abortion is not health care – both sides know that. The pro-aborts are the ones up in arms about making it a health issue, so the people that see the truth see that these clinics that are being shut down should never have been there to begin with. Unless you think so called doctors like Kermit Gosnell do a fine job, I would think you would be glad to see the remaining sites that provide abortion (unfortunately) are at least up to speed with the new requirements. And resorting to lame insults just shows your lack of valid argument.
Abortion is not health care, you’re right. But the measures taken were about the health of women who were getting substandard care at best. Would you want any of the women you love to be treated in those conditions? The only hypocrisy here is when pro-aborts claim to be pro-woman. And I need no religion to tell me killing an innocent human is wrong, do you?
I remember a music show on PBS called, “Austin City Limits”. I always thought that was catchy. Love Texas. It was always a favorite place to visit for us, but I can’t remember but passing through Austin on the way to somewhere else. State capitals are like that.
I have spent a lot of time in Texas and have loved it. It feels like home. I drove to Austin once. All I remember is that it was scorching hot.
Some of my favorite Texas memories are when we passed though a small town (a few thousand) and stopped at the local Dairy Queen. Usually the local hangout for non-drinkers .
Texas has two temperatures: Hot and Hotter….lol! And we get a cold snap for about 10 minutes around January….I love Texas too though Jeff, thanks!
Funny you mentioned “Austin City Limits” Howard. I recently attended a concert there and was very impressed with the vicinity. I just dislike the outward display of “weirdness” like I described. There’s a fine line between being “original” and “offensive just because I can be.” But like you said, it’s the capital, and it has many layers. Thank you for your response!
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You see why Round Rock folks have adopted the motto
Sorry I’m just now getting around to responding, but it’s been a long summer!! And yes, Guy, I do see why you want to keep Round Rock normal…haha! Indeed, do not misunderstand….I think Austin is fabulous, but it’s liberal side has just gotten to be a bit much to take in my opinion! 🙂