Last week I challenged abortion opponents to be practical for once. It turns out their situation is even worse than I thought. The future of pregnancy termination is in abortifacient drugs, not surgery. Pills that can be ordered discreetly online. As John Stonestreet recently pointed out, this removes the two greatest weapons in the anti-abortion arsenal: Clinic protests (to the point of blockades) and public shaming of doctors who perform abortions (shaming that sometimes comes at the barrel of a smoking gun). So much for "pro-life".

The anti-abortion cause is lost. There's no way various state bans can put a stop to it, and there's no way a nationwide ban can be achieved. My advice to them is, find something useful to do. Help people-- really help them-- who are already here. There's more that needs to be done than can possibly be done. Rediscover the Catholic Church's historic concern for the less fortunate, before that was abandoned for sexual politics. And stop supporting politicians who work to help the rich and burden the poor. If there's anything the Bible condemns, it's that. Repeatedly. It doesn't address abortion at all. (I've heard all the out-of-context quotes-- both of them-- so spare me.)

Sincerely,

Stephen Van Eck, Rushville, PA

As I sit down to enjoy my latest edition of the Transcript, the first photograph on the front page brings both pride and sadness. Your "Day Of Remembering In Susquehanna" article on the front page lists the many dignitaries that spoke and the thanks to the various organizations that made the day possible. The photographs show many citizens of Susquehanna showing up to honor those that gave the ultimate sacrifice for their country. The high school band, the parade and most importantly, the Community Veterans Service Board. These photographs display the pride mentioned earlier.

The service board is where the sadness cuts deepest. Many of my family members are memorialized on that wall, including a Grandfather and many uncles. There are so many on the wall that are no longer with us. Sadness comes not only for the names on the wall but what the wall represents to my family. The stone and concrete construction of that wall was completed by a veteran and his son. A veteran that served his country and contributed his time is glaringly missing from any recognition for his service and labor for his community. My father, Walter David Fisk, Jr. was a WWII veteran and along with his son, Leo worked many hours to contribute to the memorializing of his fellow veterans via the service board, yet many years later, his name is still absent. Never once did I ever hear my dad complain over this omission. He was, obviously a veteran at the time of construction. My family is in possession of his military records to prove this fact.

So, as the dignitaries give themselves a collective pat on the back, it seems they have lost sight of the purpose of a service board. In order to properly honor our veterans, it should be all inclusive.  I have been informed the American Legion Post 86 maintains the wall. If this is the case, please do proper due diligence and make certain all names are included, our veterans deserve no less.

Sincerely,

Barbara Fisk-Dor, Houston, TX

Poor Melissa Gates. She has a bee in her bonnet over women being outpaced by men: "It's incredibly disappointing to watch how few women-led businesses are getting funded," said the despondent zillionaire in a recent Fortune interview. And the cause of this disparity? "The white guy in a hoodie." Ahh, yes. It's that bullying subdivision of homo sapiens, white men.

Well, let's take a politically incorrect look at this oppressive species. Our starting point will be at the beginning of our republic.

On July 4, 1776, the Declaration of Independence proclaimed that the thirteen colonies were now a sovereign, independent nation christened the United States of America, and was no longer a part of the British Empire. It was a declaration of a hopelessly unwinnable war.

Fifty-six (white) men signed that document. If the British won, their signatures would seal their deaths. If the new nation was victorious, they could only hope to retain that which they already had.

But the Revolution War had the most improbable outcome: the rebels won. But it cost half of the signers grievously. Five were captured, tortured and executed; 13 had their homes burned, property confiscated and died in poverty; two lost sons fighting the British, and nine died from wounds in the conflict.

Paid for by sacrifices of these (white) men, a nascent nation arose to become the freest and most prosperous country to have ever graced the Earth. And of particular interest to Melissa Gates, one in which women were shown the highest respect and deference.

When a man encounters a woman he will doff his hat, something a woman would never do; he would stand if a woman entered a room, but women would remain seated; rude or coarse language was not permitted in the presence of a woman. Nor would a man presume to extend his hand to a woman but if offered would grasp her hand gently.

In introductions, it was the man who was introduced to a woman as the higher is to the lesser. Doors were opened, burdens are borne, protection is given and help promptly offered by (white) men to women who seemed in need. And it was always women first in theaters, restaurants, or lifeboats.

This deference was not constrained by a sense of duty or of obedience to an imagined chivalric code, but out of genuine care and concern for a woman's welfare.

The passing of many of these customs has left us the poorer for it.

But Melinda Gates has an answer for at least some of what, to her is women's victimization by white men: "I think real change can occur when the VC community starts to demand that the people it invests in have diversity, the right values, and the right behavior."

Heading the Gates Foundation with her husband, Bill, she has the means to do it. The Foundation has already donated $28 billion to philanthropic causes, a few million to the "VC community" could promote a degree of equality.

But first, what is the "VC community"?

VC stands for venture capital. They are almost exclusively (white) men who are willing to finance a business, invention, or product that might be successful and profitable to all.

VC investors don't care a fig about Melinda's "diversity," "right values," or "right behavior." Their interests are purely selfish: they only want to make a buck. But ironically, their selfish interests are in the best interests of all who would benefit from their companies, whether employees or consumers.

However, Melinda has a different approach.

Melinda is against "over-indexing." Over-indexing is code for affirmative action, which is code for quotas on hiring (white) men to favor women and minorities.

Just a thought, Melinda: If your husband's company had followed your approach would his start-up company, Microsoft have become just another shut-down venture? Clearly, it would be in the best interest of all to hire the best regardless of race or sex.

Face it, Melinda, you can't fix what isn't broken no matter how much you try---there isn't anything wrong with women. Women are as accomplished in their feminine way as men are in their masculine way. But the sexes are anything but equal; they are radically different.

The brains of men and women are inherently different in size and constitution. Slice a male and female brain length-wide, and one can see that the difference is not only a male's greater volume but in the actual internal structure of the organ.

Different brains explain why the sexes are profoundly distinct: they have different drives, desires, motives, talents, ad infinitum.

Wouldn't we all be better off if people like Melinda would stop trying to construct barriers against a biological determinant with money?

And for Pete's sake, Melinda, stop looking to men as the standard to which women should aspire; that is demeaning and irrelevant. Women, like men, inhabit their own universe and are doing just fine, thank you.

Sincerely,

Bob Scroggins, New Milford, PA