Much Ado About Texas

At a Glance: The TXU Deal

Dallas-based TXU has agreed to be acquired by an investment group led by private-equity firms Texas Pacific Group and Kohlberg Kravis Roberts.

[...]In order to win regulatory approval, TXU's new ownership has promised to scrap eight of the 11 coal-fired electric power plants that the utility had planned to build. The private-equity firms worked with the Environmental Defense Fund and the Natural Resources Defense Council in order to gain their endorsements.

The cancellation of eight coal-fired power plants will prevent additional annual carbon emissions of 56 million tons, according to TXU's statement.

TXU is also pledging to support a mandatory cap and trade program aimed at regulating carbon emissions.

This is a big win for environmentalists, a big win in the fight against global warming, and a big win for everyone who wants to continue living on earth.

Texas families file lawsuit to block governor's order requiring cervical cancer vaccine

AUSTIN, Texas – A group of families has sued in an attempt to block Gov. Rick Perry's executive order requiring schoolgirls to be vaccinated against the virus that causes cervical cancer.

I've written about this issue before (in October 2006), and I am so IRATE that there are people out there who are so crazy that they still oppose this. Here is some of what I wrote last time:

The Pro-Death Religious Right

Before the FDA approved the Gardasil (another HPV vaccine, Cervarix, is still going through the approval process), some crazy Religious Right conservatives expressed concerns about HPV vaccines. Now what kind of person would be against a vaccine that prevents cancer? A Pro-Death Religious Right conservative.

These Pro-Death Religious Right conservatives initially opposed FDA approval of Gardasil. They would have rather had women die from cervical cancer than be vaccinated against HPV. Why? Because they have this insane idea that if you vaccinate a girl against one of many STDs in the world, she will become sexually promiscuous. They do not seem to realize that there are still plenty of other STDs to worry about or that there are many other emotional and psychological reasons for why people choose not to be promiscuous.

[...]There is a lot of research going into potential HIV vaccines, and we don't know whether this one or any other will be successful in ending HIV and AIDS. However, let me say this to any religious nutcase who might try to oppose a preventative or therapeutic HIV vaccine:

Don't. Don't try to stop medical advances. Don't try to stop vaccines. Don't try to stop stem-cell research. Leave the rest of us alone. If you want to refuse a vaccine or stem-cell treatment for yourself for whatever crazy reason you can think up, fine. However, if you choose to prevent any life-saving medical treatment for your children, then I consider that a form of child abuse or, at least, child negligence.

Don't force your religious beliefs onto me, my health, or the health of my friends and family.

I do not know what more I can add too that. I guess I am not going to convince these crazy people that they are crazy. If they are so out of it that they are willing to endanger the health of their own children for their warped sense of morality, they are, in my opinion, insane, immoral, and incapable of being responsible parents.

We punish parents who endanger their child by not using a carseat, and likewise, we should punish any parent who refuses this vaccine for their child.

My parents were responsible parents. They made sure that I was vaccinated against many diseases like measles, mumps, rubella, diphtheria, pertussis, and tetanus, and if, when I was a child, there was a vaccine that would prevent a specific type of cancer or STD, I am sure that they would have made certain that I had that as well. However, if that was not the case, I would hope that my country would have had the common sense and decency to protect me from such neglect and abuse.

I do not know how anyone could be against that, and it upsets me so much that some people are. It seems so obvious to me that mandatory vaccination is the right answer, but I feel the same way about abolition of slavery, yet slavery still exists in our world. I guess I should not be surprised that people are against things that I consider to be axioms, but it is still so very disappointing.