This is a completely false talking point used by the anti-immigration crowd to incite us. Here is the truth - the only way a non citizen (or anyone without health insurance for that matter) gets free health care is if they are critically ill or dying. By law, hospitals may not turn away patients who are critically ill or at risk of death. This includes women in labor. But no way can a pregnant woman get an abortion in any state without paying for it. Your tax dollars are not being used to finance the health care of massive numbers of undocumented workers, or to pay for their abortions.

Great song, Jim. I think it's your best yet.

I don't believe you do understand what I'm trying to say in the song.

George (Washington) and Abe (Lincoln), Ted (Roosevelt) and Tom (Jefferson) they look out upon this land. Hello? Mt. Rushmore is in South Dakota. Get it? Sorry I didn't spell it out for you. I tried to leave a little intellectual content and intrigue. I guess it went over your head. Tom (Jefferson) is shedding a tear (metaphorically, of course, because he's dead, or he's just a stone carving on a mountain, just in case you didn't get that part) because of what the religious right is doing to this country.

There is only ONE topic in this song. That's why you have to pay attention. Each verse changes the meaning of what the South Dakota Wind chilling souls to the bone means. The first verse might imply simply that she is working poor, the second that she is alone, which are both true and important to the setup as well as part of the point, but the real topic, the real point of the song, is what happens in the bridge and the tragic results of which are brought home in the final verse and chorus.

I agree that the song is a bit too long, but there aren't any parts to cut out. I could make the bridge shorter instrumentally, I guess, but all the words are critical to the story. Originally I didn't go to the chorus before the bridge, but it just seemed to work right, since the meaning of the chorus is constantly shifting. I could cut out the first chorus, I suppose, and jump right into the first verse. That might tighten it up a bit. I'll try that.

I know that this song will never make it in Nashville, for reasons of length as well as content, but I could give a shit. If it makes people think, then I have all that I ever wanted from it, or any of my songs, for that matter. Hopefully I've made you think, Larry. About geography, history, and the necessity of a woman having the option of safely and legally ending an unwanted pregnancy. Would it be fair to those two kids of her's, that she rarely sees, to bring another mouth to feed into their home? No. Abortions need to be legal, safe, and rare. That doesn't come about through prayer and abstinence only education, let me tell you. No matter what lies the right wing propaganda machine might spew. Keep your laws of my body, and my daughter's body, and all her friend's bodies. The government has no business outlawing such an intensely private medical procedure. Where are the "smaller government" shills when it comes to writing laws that invade people's medical privacy? Who do the fat cat MALE lawmakers think they are making private medical decisions for women? If your daughter was raped, and ended up pregnant, and she lived in South Dakota, she would be forced to bear that bastard child, and every time she looked at that child, she would be reminded of that rape. That's a real f***ing compassionate law, now isn't it?

Thanks for the feedback. It's been fun. :-)