A number of
years ago, I attended the farewell dinner for a pastor who was leaving the
area.I had asked him, “What will you
miss about your city?And you can’t say ‘the
people.’’That’s too easy and too obvious.It is for me, too.
So, what will I
miss about living in Novi and in Michigan in general?
I will miss Greenfield
Village at the Henry Ford.We had a membership
there for years, including the all-you-can-ride package.So, in addition, I will miss the Model-T rides
we took as often as we could.
I will miss going
to Frankenmuth, walking through Bronner’s Christmas Wonderland, and having a
large German meal at the Bavarian Inn.Sauerbraten was my meal of choice, along with a mandatory side order of
Bavarian red cabbage.Those meals did
not happen often, but they were always glorious!
Honorable
mention on the German meal was Metzger’s in Ann Arbor.Also very good.
I will miss
going into downtown Detroit to enjoy some world-class architecture.The Guardian Building and the Fisher Building
are amazing.I will miss the Detroit Institute
of Arts.I wish I could have gotten downtown
more often to enjoy more of it.We never
did get to the restored train station or to the Book Tower.We got to the Riverwalk a few times.There were also many restaurants and pubs
that would have been nice to get to, but time and money stood in the way.
I will miss
attending concerts by the Detroit Symphony Orchestra and productions at the
Fisher and Fox Theaters.
I will miss Mexican
meals at Border Cantina (although, they closed a few months before we left).I will miss Saturday morning breakfast at the
Early Bird restaurant in Northville, only recently discovered by us.I will miss Tim Hortons and Guernsey’s ice
cream.
I will miss Meijer
being only two miles down the road.I
will miss the dedication of the people at Firestone on Haggerty Road in Northville.(When they know you by name when you walk in,
is that bad or good?At least they did
not have my phone number memorized.)
I will miss the
Michigan state parks.I will miss
Traverse City, Sleeping Bear Dunes, and the Mackinac Bridge.I will miss Laura’s and my recent end-of-summer
trips to Port Huron where we watched Great Lakes freighters float under the Blue
Water Bridge.
Although I will miss many things about Michigan, I am looking forward to discovering many things to love about Lake City and Minnesota. Of course, it will be the people that I will learn to love the most. And that is easy and obvious to say.
This may stretch the definition of "local," but a week or so ago, the Local Tourist and the Mrs. went for a few days to visit Marshall, Michigan. We enjoyed the downtown with its historic buildings. While one particular restaurant boasts of its historic significance, we chose not to dine there.
We stopped in The Stagecoach Inn where we stumbled across Karaoke night. We did not perform, but we got to enjoy a few brave souls who sang their hearts out, including one spirited by tone-deaf version of "Once Bitten, Twice Shy."
On the next day, we ate lunch at Mike's Place, a little bar and grill in town that boasts "Last Call" is never before 2 AM. We did not stay to confirm that. After we enjoyed the riverwalk, we had supper at a Mexican place called El Tajin. We got there shortly before they locked up for the night, but they still treated us well.
Here are some photos from Marshall.
This was my favorite part of being in Marshall--time with the Mrs. Photo taken at Mike's Place.
Photo from El Tajin.
If it had been darker, this would have been a really pretty photo of Main Street.
On Monday, February 17, the pastors and teachers of the southeast conference of the Michigan District of the WELS met at St. John's Evangelical Lutheran Church in Westland, Michigan. I failed to take a photo of the inside, but you can find additional photos on the St. John's webpage.
We were able to skip town after Christmas for a short run to Wisconsin. For the sake of the scenic view, we went over the top of Lake Michigan. We stay in Mackinaw City. Not surprisingly, it was pretty dead. There were perhaps two hotels open and restaurants were limited. Nevertheless, we enjoyed seeing the main street all lit up, as well as the Mackinac Bridge.
From there, we drove down the east side of Wisconsin to see family in Fond du Lac, including my mother who just turned 90. We had some nice family time with her and with my brother and his family before making the trip back. Time to get back to planning for Sunday and beyond.
After a wedding which had us staying overnight in Bay City, Mrs. Local Tourist and I walked to the Beatles and Beans Coffee Emporium. The place is small, but PACKED with Beatles memorabilia. I asked how long they had been collecting, and it probably goes back to the 60's. I asked where they find all this stuff, and it was reserved as a carefully guarded secret. Fear not, Beatles and Beans people. I will not rival you for Beatles stuff. But I enjoyed your collection!
Grand Rapids is about two hours away from us, so I think it may exceed "local" for the Local Tourist. But it was the last free day before the school year began for Laura, so we decided to finally make the trip to the Frederik Meijer Gardens in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
We were told by one of the workers there to make sure we toured the English Gardens and Japanese Gardens. We decided not to walk through the entire sculpture garden, although that seemed pretty expansive. We were sure not to miss the sculpture "American Horse," a 24-foot tall horse based on drawings by Leonardo da Vinci. Finally, we stopped in the conservatory to see tropical and desert plants.
It is great to see continued improvements to Detroit.
For example, the Detroit Riverwalk has been voted the best riverfront in America (again!). Yes, Detroit. People from other communities are actually coming to Detroit to see what they've done to produce such an amazing riverfront. You read that correctly: they are coming to Detroit to see how they can duplicate it. Yes, Detroit.
Now, a new release is talking about the soon-to-be reopened Book Tower in downtown Detroit. Like so many buildings in Detroit, this was a gem that fell into disrepair for a long time. Conventional wisdom would have suggested to knock it down because it was a monument to urban blight. Developer, Dan Gilbert, saw it differently--or, rather, correctly. He invested about $300 million to renovate and restore it to its former glory. It will be opening again this year.
I doubt I will be able to afford the rate to enjoy a room there, and I have no need to lease an apartment there, but I sure hope I will find an opportunity to walk in. It looks amazing.
On Monday, February 20, the pastors and teachers from the Southeast Conference of the Michigan District met at Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church of Monroe, Michigan. On Tuesday, February 21, the pastors continued their meeting in the morning. Here are some photos of Zion. Note: The screen was set up for the presentation, not for the Divine Service which opened the conference.
NOTE: I offer some new thoughts. This is updated from an earlier post (update 10/23/22).
The State of Michigan (among others) will give voters the opportunity to add an amendment to the state constitution which would establish and protect the "right" of a woman to get an abortion and of medical professionals to provide them, known as Proposal 3. The verbiage of Proposal 3 is below in black; my comments are in red. The verbiage which voters will see when they get their ballots on November 8 is all the way at the bottom.
If you don't want to read all of this, here is the short version: Vote NO on Proposal 3; it is evil and promotes evil.
Or you can check out this video.
CAVEAT: I am not a lawyer, so there may be some legalese which I may not fully recognize or understand, such as all of point 5 below.
First, an initial thought regarding a constitutional amendment: This should be hard. Constitutions should not be so easy to have amendments attached to them. Even if Proposal 3 were adopted (God forbid), it could simply be passed as a law, not forever ensconced in the state constitution. The fact that people yearn so much to see abortion protected as a basic human right is an abomination. One would think that a child in the womb has some basic rights. This Proposal, if passed, denies that.
It also seems to me that Proposal 3 excuses men who father children from any responsibility or accountability for their actions. I fear that many men would love this kind of "freedom," and certainly not to the benefit of the women they impregnate.
FULL TEXT OF PROPOSAL 3
AMENDMENT TO THE MICHIGAN CONSTITUTION
Article 1, Section 28 Right to
Reproductive Freedom
(1) Every individual has a
fundamental right to reproductive freedom, which entails the right to make and
effectuate decisions about all matters relating to pregnancy, including but not
limited to prenatal care, childbirth, postpartum care, contraception, sterilization,
abortion care, miscarriage management, and infertility care.
This "freedom" is a myth from the start. Many women long to get pregnant and to have a child. For reasons known only to God, he occasionally withholds that blessing.
In the list of "including but not limited to," sterilization and abortion care stand out as markedly different than the other items listed. These are not the same. While sterilization may--almost certainly does--have several moral issues associated with it (e.g., rejection of God's gift of children), abortion is murder of a baby in the mother's womb. In a place where it should be safe, it becomes most vulnerable to a vacuum, knife, or saline treatment that burns it to death. Where are the rights of the child?
This phrase is also alarming: "Every individual has a fundamental right to ... sterilization." What age are we talking about? And the ensuing paragraph makes it even more disturbing that this individual's right "shall not be denied, burdened, nor infringed upon." Does that mean a parent has no say if their twelve-year-old wants to be sterilized? Parental rights matter, as children are not to be entrusted with such life-altering decisions. That's why they are minors.
There may also be some issue with "infertility care," but I will pass by that for now. The fact is that this bill is about abortion more than anything.
An individual’s right to reproductive freedom shall not be
denied, burdened, nor infringed upon unless justified by a compelling state
interest achieved by the least restrictive means.
The phrase "compelling state interest": What could that be????
Notwithstanding the above, the state may regulate the
provision of abortion care after fetal viability, provided that in no
circumstance shall the state prohibit an abortion that, in the professional
judgment of an attending health care professional, is medically indicated to
protect the life or physical or mental health of the pregnant individual.
If a baby in the womb threatens the life of the mother, the death of the mother would likely result in the death of the baby as well. This would result in a gut-wrenching decision to preserve the mother's life at the expense of her baby. Such decisions produce great angst, and probably also great guilt. These cases are worthy of our prayers for God's mercy. Odds are, however, that the baby can be taken early and that both lives could be spared. One would hope that this is the most sought after solution rather than abortion.
Does this clause mean that abortions would be legal right up to the moment of birth? It sure seems to allow for it.
The phrase "physical or mental health of the pregnant individual" (you can say "woman" right? that is the only biological choice, isn't it?) seems to open the door to abortion for any reason. Can a woman claim, "This pregnancy is stressing me out" and have that be a mental health issue which is sufficient reason for abortion? Can just the uncomfortableness of a pregnancy be a sufficient health issue to terminate a pregnancy? Or maybe even, "I don't want to get fat"? Based on the zeal to defend and protect abortion, I would guess so.
Who qualifies as "an attending health care professional"?
(2) The state shall not discriminate in the protection or
enforcement of this fundamental right.
"Fundamental" right? Based on what? Who has decreed it fundamental?
"Shall not discriminate"? No age limit at all? What about a 4-year-old getting sterilized or receiving treatments for transitioning from boy to girl or vice versa? That seems to me to be child abuse, not a fundamental right. And this is protected?!?!
(3) The state shall not penalize, prosecute, or otherwise take
adverse action against an individual based on their actual, potential,
perceived, or alleged pregnancy outcomes, including but not limited to
miscarriage, stillbirth, or abortion. Nor shall the state penalize, prosecute,
or otherwise take adverse action against someone for aiding or assisting a
pregnant individual in exercising their right to reproductive freedom with
their voluntary consent.
The fact that "miscarriage, stillbirth, or abortion" are placed in succession would suggest that they are viewed as equal events. A miscarriage and a stillbirth happen beyond the mother's control. [Full disclosure: My wife and I have experienced both.] An abortion is sought out to intentionally kill the baby.
The state shall not "penalize, prosecute, or otherwise take adverse action against someone for aiding or assisting a pregnant individual" from getting an abortion? So, parents can be kept in the dark about a mid-teen-aged child getting an abortion with the assistance of someone else? Do the parents play any role in their children's lives, or are they viewed as a danger to their own children? Is "reproductive freedom" the highest good, and is the government's decree to be stronger than a parent's role?
(4) For the purposes of this section:
A state interest is “compelling” only if it is for the
limited purpose of protecting the health of an individual seeking care,
consistent with accepted clinical standards of practice and evidence-based
medicine, and does not infringe on that individual’s autonomous
decision-making.
You will have to pardon me if I consider the phrase "evidence-based medicine" a disingenuous phrase. Ultrasounds have produced undeniable evidence that the fetus is a human being, and that an abortion kills that human being. In every other context, that is known as murder. It certainly is not a "fundamental right."
For the woman who gets an abortion. Status on your way into the abortion clinic: You have a baby growing in your uterus. Status after the abortion: You do not have a baby growing in your uterus. It has been forcefully, violently, grotesquely removed. That is evidence-based medicine.
“Fetal viability” means: the point in pregnancy when, in the
professional judgment of an attending health care professional and based on the
particular facts of the case, there is a significant likelihood of the fetus’s
sustained survival outside the uterus without the application of extraordinary
medical measures.
"Extraordinary medical measures" -- Does this include NICU?
(5) This section shall be self-executing. Any provision of
this section held invalid shall be severable from the remaining portions of
this section.
There are numerous other sources which raise issues about Proposal 3. One example is here. It is a bad law. It is supporting and legalizing the butchering of babies in the womb. It is an assault on fatherhood and motherhood. It is an offense before God. Vote NO on Proposal 3; it is evil and promotes evil.
= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
This is what you will see on the ballot:
Proposal 3 – Reproductive Freedom for All
"Proposal 22-3
A proposal to amend the state constitution to establish new individual right to reproductive freedom, including right to make all decisions about pregnancy; allow state to prohibit abortion in some cases; and forbid prosecution of individuals exercising established right
This proposed constitutional amendment would:
Establish new individual right to reproductive freedom, including right to make and carry out all decisions about pregnancy, such as prenatal care, childbirth, postpartum care, contraception, sterilization, abortion, miscarriage management, and infertility;
Allow state to prohibit abortion after fetal viability unless needed to protect a patient’s life or physical or mental health;
Forbid state discrimination in enforcement of this right; prohibit prosecution of an individual, or a person helping a pregnant individual, for exercising rights established by this amendment; and invalidate all state laws that conflict with this amendment.
Laura's and my 30th wedding anniversary is coming up soon. The kids have made a big deal out of this for us for the past six months. We also wanted to make a big deal out of this celebration in a get together with our children. We have Dan & Mary L. to thank for the generous use of their up north place. I hope we left it in good shape for them.
While we were not able to get all the kids there at the same time, they all managed to be there at some time during our week.
Early in the week, Nathanael, Caleb, Faith, and I got in 27 holes of golf (only 9 holes for Faith). In our first trip, Nathanael's GPS guided us right to a house tucked off the road and into the woods. Recalibrating.... Oh, THERE'S the golf course, only four miles north. (I still prefer paper maps.)
On a blistery 90+ degree day, Nathanael, Caleb, Peter, and I trekked to the Rifle River to float on innertubes for a few hours.
Nathanael and Caleb bugged out, and Andrew & Vanessa and Philip showed up. Later, Caleb returned with Caitlin, giving us most of the family for the weekend. A few trips to the beach, a lot of reading, video games for the kids, and some card games (but we need more euchre players in the family!) rounded out the weekend.
The kids also presented us with their final anniversary gift--the large novelty check for $30.30. They gave us that amount through Venmo, but I wonder if the giant check cost more than $30.30.
Some photos from the week.
This must be between games. No one is yelling.
A game of spoons, before the chaos of grabbing spoons began.
The Schroeders were on the road a week ago in Owosso, Michigan. Owosso boasts that it has a castle which was built by resident and author James Curwood (1876-1927). The Curwood Castle was built along the bank of the Shiawassee River for the sole purpose of being a writing studio. While not large, it is unique. The rooms are small, but the living room is very nice. I suspect that Curwood came here to escape as much as to write. He ended up writing dozens of books, most (if not all) western themed.
