On Saturday, Maggie Haberman and Luke Broadwater of the New York Times reported that yet another right-wing lawyer was urging former president Trump to overturn the election in late 2020.
After my second miscarriage, which ended in a hospital emergency department, I did not see a doctor for two weeks (my choice). By the time I did he sent me to the hospital immediately with a severe infection for en emergency D&C, which saved my life. This was forty years ago. This is another way women will now die, or be disabled, due to the overthrow of Roe. Those six “justices” have blood on their hands.
As does the entire Republican Party, without whose concerted efforts over 5 decades Roe would still stand. The Federalist Society should be designated a terrorist organization.
As should Opus Dei, the secret Roman Catholic organization to which some members of the Supreme Court belong. And, by the way, FBI Director Wray is a member of The Federalist Society as is his former schoolmate ... wait for it ... Brett Kavanaugh. See a pattern here?
Women are allowed to be members of the Federalist Society. Amy Comey Barrett, for example, was a member. There are fewer women in the Federalist Society than men, probably because women in general are more enlightened.
Am not sure enlightened is the correct term. Less amenable to consistently toeing the line while in law school is a better way to put it.
Amy Coney Barrett was a perfect pick for the Federalist Society because of the particular Catholic cult she was raised and lives in. She was already "A Handmaiden."
Thank you for this information. It has been reported that there is a lot of Catholic "dark money" in the Society. Given the RC presence and influence, I wondered if women would even been admitted. By the way, I have renamed Amy to Amy Commie Barrett.
This is happening now. Same as during the pandemic. Patient Privacy laws make reporting these very personal and private tragedies public knowledge. As the son of a doctor and nurse, women are at risk in the red and swing states. This will only continue to get worse and worse. The Supreme Court has failed all.
Yes, Ted, and thank you. That is the thing it so hard to grasp--this is now and it is real and you are certainly right. It can only get worse. Women are going to start dying in numbers--mostly poor women, mostly black and brown women, mostly women who have no options. It is easy, even with everything that is screaming at us, to look away, to think it can't really be this bad, somebody will come up with a plan. There was an article in the Washington Post in the last few days explaining how much good the new governor here in Virginia is doing for parents by allotting money for model schools. He ran on a platform of giving parents the right to get the teaching of critical race theory (i.e. history) out of the classroom. The article was written by one of the leading lights of the evangelical/Trump crew. No background provided. Thank goodness, the comments section lost its collective mind! Even I have trouble believing in organizations like Opus Dei and the Federalist Society. But they aren't a bad dream.
And let me put in a word for my favorite, and often overlooked monster, Mike Pence, member in good standing of the FS, bankrolled by the remaining Koch brother (who has renounced Trump but not his policies), a history of supporting conversion camps for gay teens and, unfortunately, presentable.
I have been out of the country for several weeks and I feel like I have returned to a nightmare. The more I think about and absorb the implications of overturning Roe the more sick to my stomach I become. No one has the right to force a pregnant person to bear an unwanted child. No one. I'm adopted and I am fully aware that I might not be here if abortion had been legal in 1951. Roe is about choice and every pregnant person should have the right to choose whether or not to bear a child. Evangelical Christians and right-wing Catholics have no right to impose their beliefs on the rest of us. These are ancient battles and it is discouraging to have to fight them again. This is also an attack on the poor who are already overburdened. This is simply wrong.
It is wrong at every level, I agree, but Christianity has a long history of imposing itself, swiftly and violently, on a lot of folks over the centuries. And if anyone needs a cover story for a blatant power move, some group of Christians usually volunteers. I am a cradle Episcopalian and have ranted and raved about all this for years. Only recently have I finally thrown in the towel. At the core of the repeal of Roe and of more to come--all of which is going to involve bloodshed in one way or another--is the strike at the principle of the separation of church and state. The people at the helm in the Roe decision believe there should be no separation, that American should be a Christian nation, governed by a minority of its citizens who are not only Christians but the most right wing Christians. They are, in my opinion--and I don't use words like this very often--evil people. You can probably divide them into two groups--the true believers and the simply power mad. Some, no doubt, are both. Bill Barr comes to mind.
An inexcusably long ramble here, and I wish I could offer encouragement on your re-entry but my belief is that your instinct is right on--you have returned to a nightmare and it doesn't look like getting anything but worse.
I think the best we can do at this point--way beyond too late--is to finally acknowledge what's happening. There are still those among us feckless liberals who think it isn't so bad; it will work out; we'll win the mid-terms; Trump's people aren't always getting elected. That kind of willful denial will rob us of any chance at all and, in fact, that reluctance to look clearly at reality is partly responsible for where we are.
So, welcome home, Susan. Put on your heavy boots. We are surrounded by mud in all directions.
Thank you for that. The first thing I read when I got home was the recent edition of The Humanist, which I subscribed to along with lots of other publications after Trump was elected. I did so because I'm a good reader and he isn't, so I read, read, and read as a personal form of protest. As the Religious Right got more and more vociferous, I got more and more turned off by Christianity altogether, which isn't easy to say. Remember Gandhi--"I like your Christ. He is so unlike your Christians." Anyway, reading The Humanist seemed so balanced, hopeful, and ethical by comparison. Wandering around Florence and looking at all those patriarchs was eye-opening. Women do not want to go back to that. Nor do other marginalized people.
We have a rescue dog named Farley who is one of the most aware beings I've ever had the good fortune to meet. Someone described him as "assertive without being aggressive" which is why they thought he got on so well with other beings. Farley was dumped over a fence at two months of age and left to die. He was one day away from being euthanized when a friend of my husband rescued him and eventually gave him to us.
One day I heard Farley barking furiously and came to find a neighbor threatening to kill him with a 2 x 4 if he didn't stop. The neighbor is afraid of dogs and Farley sensed that. He also sensed that he was in danger and all that barking was his way of saying "I'm not going over that fence again." Heavy boots in hand and ready to do what's necessary to get us through the mud.
More important that WE care. I’m very much in favor of this option: “A small contingent of Democrats is floating the idea of taking a rare and dramatic step in the aftermath of the Supreme Court decision to overturn the landmark 1973 ruling in Roe v. Wade: impeaching justices who ruled to strike down the constitutional right to abortions.
The radically extreme justices are throwing out precedents left and right. That means that no decision is settled, and the next court can throw out what this court has done (great idea!). They are creating chaos and uncertainty, and people will die, not from a “back alley” abortion but because of denial of care for treatable conditions like miscarriages and ectopic pregnancies.
They aren’t “originalists.” They pick and choose pieces they want. The word word “woman” isn’t even in the Constitution—until the 19th Amendment—so women have no enumerated rights which the conservative justices "forgot" to include in their decision.
Alioto didn’t just strip women of their right of privacy/make their own medical decisions as men have—he set precedent to strip all women of all rights—except the right to vote. Which they will lose if felons for aiding & abetting or obtaining abortions—you heard it here first.
The fence around the SCOTUS building isn’t in the Constitution either. Take it down. Only the “pro-life” crowd is violent. Pack the court for fair Enlightenment decisions. The current situation is untenable and worse.
Definitely would have to win back the Senate to do that. plus, where does it stop? Frankly I'm not sure I understand their mandate. Is it to make laws or determine the constitutionality of them? If Congress didn't specifically make Roe a Right then it should. If making abortion illegal was unconstitutional by one Court is it their job to decide that a Court ruling is unconstitutional? So confusing! If a court ruling is unconstitutional then of course it should be overturned. But in this case the fox is guarding the hen house! Also, do I understand correctly that it wasn't illegal anywhere until after the Civil War. So the founding fathers didn't care? So the question, I guess, is should states have the right to decide if something is illegal without a federal law? My dad always said, "you can't legislate morals." Belief, religious or otherwise, should never be the basis of law making. In this case, is it the belief that a six week fetus is a person guaranteed protection under the constitution (which has no logical, legal, or medical support) the driving reason behind all this uproar. Of course they declared corporations are people because it is comprised of people (stock holders). Not to be confused with employees!
One of my brothers like to throw the statement about not being able to legislate morals into any argument he wasn't winning. I loved to take the air out of his bags by pointing out that legislating morals wasn't the point. The point is that we can and do legislate behavior. Morals may become part of the argument, but the case is won or lost by proving wrongful behavior. We're trying.
And yes, no state had laws relating to abortion in the year before mid 1850s (corrected typo). It was up to women whether or not to get an abortion until the takeover of health care by male physicians, who began to stake out markers in the mid-50s.
And that is what this (and schools and corporations and all the rest of the "issues" being thrown at us, and the rights we're being told aren't rights are all about. Power. Control.
We're seeing it all laid out in the Jan 6th Committee Hearings. Yes, that's about the insurrection. But it is mostly about power and who gets to wield it. The good news is that the Republicans are running out of targets and are starting to tear at each other. Hope, hope, hope, hope.
This is so cruel and so wrong. And so terribly arrogant and sad. To make ordinary people suffer for your personal ideology should not be permitted. No sane person would subscribe to imposing preventable suffering on others. This is the work of mad men and women who have no hearts.
They do indeed and that they did this to support "Christian Values" sickens me. it's about choice. It's about healthcare. It's about time to get rid of these creeps.
Heartbreaking indeed. I've been pregnant four times and I cannot imagine the pain of knowing your unborn child has died and being forced to carry it to term anyway. This is beyond the pale. These people are monsters.
They had a booth at our state Democrat convention this last weekend. Everyone was buying a T-shirt and making contributions! Me included! I’ve been following on the Facebook page for a while. Everyone says they’re getting great feedback from the shirts! People are saying things like it’s good to know I’m not alone!
Beto was inspiring and I believe he’s going to be our next Governor! 💙
If you mean the MAGA reference, it originally was the acronym for tfg’s motto: Make America Great Again. The Mothers Against Greg Abbott now have the same acronym (MAGA) but with an entirely different meaning and objective.
Yes,I agree and say more power to Mothers Against Greg Abbott. These extremists in Texas and other red states including my state of Ohio are really vigilantes against women. Trying to keep women from crossing state lines is preposterous. I don’t know where it all will end but women everywhere are hopping mad and I am hoping this translates to votes at the polls. I attended a rally after Roe was overturned in a small town near me and was so impressed with the turnout, especially of fiery young women.These Republican zealots have got to go and it is going to have to be women who give them the boot.
Seems like it’s more than just about control over women. From here in Texas it looks a bit more like white supremacy/white nationalism. The roots are deep, as I’m learning, going back to the founders and even before them.
Oh, of course it is white supremacy—that is the foundation of our country that needs to be reconciled with, finally. And it is women that appear are going to lead that fight. That is the foundation they do not want you to know about. This is 1930's Germany against decency and democracy. They have been planning this war against good people, seriously, for totalitarian/corporatocracy for more than 40 years. We really need to stand up and be heard.
Not just for a totalitarian/corporatocracy but for a Theocracy.
Let’s not forget General Flynn’s slip when he let everyone know what’s behind the twisted extremism of the far Right Christian Republicans by publicly declaring the USA should be a One Religion Nation.
Republicans are following what Orban did in Hungary. If it’s not too late already it will be once the SCOTUS rules in favor of the “independent state legislature doctrine” thus giving Rethuglican State Legislators the right to overturn the votes in their state and decide what candidate gets their electoral votes regardless of who won the popular vote.
Once this happens we will “ look” like a democracy but will be anything but a democracy.
Should the Court validate that doctrine, they would become vulnerable to impeachment IF Democrats take the House and overwhelmingly take the Senate. Possible, with that decision coming after the reversal of Roe. But only possible if all responsible voters actually vote!
If the SCOTUS validates that doctrine Democrats won’t be able to take the house and senate much less impeach anyone. The whole point of them validating that doctrine is to guarantee Republicans win no matter what the vote count.
If it’s validate it’ll be game over. Republicans will rule (yes rule) democracy will be dead.
Exactly how Lincoln framed slavery. It was and was not about color. It was Oligarchy, classism, about manipulation, exploitation, control over others for material gain. To be able to deny women equal access to HC, there is now no limit on control laws over all.
Definitely! But this time everyone is turning on Abbott! And Mike Collier has a great shot at AG! Paxton has to go!
Please check to make sure you are registered to vote because Republicans have purged voters from the lists. You can check at Vote411. And make sure you vote on every race down the ballot. You can no longer hit one button to vote Democrat down the entire list. And we have great Democrat candidates all the way to the bottom! Some races it’s the first time they’ve got a Democrat challenger! Beto is not accepting corporate funds and he’s out raised Abbott by $3 million. Get everyone you know to vote! We have to make this happen!
Go Blue? The Republicans have run rings around the current leadership of the Democratic party, even to the point where they have changed the name to the Democrat Party. They have packed the Supreme Court while the Democrats have been totally ineffective at protecting Majority rule. Go Corey Booker for Senate Majority Leader. Go AOC for House Majority Leader. Go home all the octogenarians!
Jeri, I highly respect your astute and perceptive comments. Please explain to me why Pelosi has not done more to investigate and expose the "treasonous" Republicans in the House who have clearly disobeyed their oath of office. One committee investigating Jan 6 and Trump is insufficient and does not come close to exposing the breadth and depth of the Republican attack on democracy.
And why stop there? Why doesn't Pelosi investigate the six justices on the Supreme Court who have betrayed their oaths of service? Vet them like they should have been vetted by the Senate Judiciary committee. The history as succinctly described by HCR should be brought to the attention of the American People by Constitutional scholars. And, how is Thomas allowed to still sit on the Supreme Court?
Republicans keep shouting "witch hunt" - the least Democrats can do is oblige them. Witch hunts in politics are effective - ask any Republican - ask Hillary, ask Holder! Cripes all mighty, Republicans are already talking about impeaching Biden!! They don't have a leg to stand on but that doesn't stop them, and they may even succeed if they get control of the House and Senate.
You want some rhetoric that will rankle Republicans and blow this up to the significance it deserves - start charging Republicans with crimes against humanity and plaster the news media with examples. They indeed have blood on their hands and that is only going to increase in the weeks and months ahead. The Republican position is indefensible - for faux FOX, and for every Republican acolyte. Well at least it should be if pressed with facts and evidence. We need more "Politics Girls" taking the fight to the gates of hell!! Pelosi is not up to this task in my view.
Leadership in the House, Senate, and Democratic National Committee could learn from a fight I saw in high school. A bully had been picking on another kid, the quiet type, for days. Everyone has known a bully like this guy: fast-talking loudmouth full of himself.
One day the bully humiliated the quiet kid with taunts. A crowd gathered. There was some pushing and shoving. The quiet kid was going to back down or take a beating. No question. Then, in an instant, the kid grabbed the bully's t-shirt and yanked it up and over his head. Several quick punches and the bully was sprawled on the ground, wind knocked out of him and nose bloodied.
Yea! What makes me so angry is that Republicans know, to the point of assuming, that Democrats will never stand up to them. Time and time again, Republicans have bullied to get their way or get their guy in power. McConnell is the biggest bully of the bunch. Democrats always back down and make excuses. They never have taken on the bully even though the majority of Americans are on their side and have their back.
I don't know about you Michael but I'm tired of backing a party that won't stand up for their constituents. Old cliches are true today just as before - if you live by the sword, be prepared to die by the sword. I take that to mean, you can't win if you aren't willing to go down trying.
We are bombarded daily by fundraising pleas based on a pledge/threat to do something when at this point no one really believes that Democrats can get their act together to make it happen. Here's a novel idea - do something that deserves my support.
They could start by canning feckless Jamie Harrison and hiring Leigh McGowan (Politics Girl.)
Maybe a better analogy than the high school fight is someone trapped in an alley, facing off with thugs intent on robbing and hurting their prey. In that situation, you do everything in your power to survive. So what if it's not the way you typically behave or like being perceived? I always carry a large, sharp pocket knife. Damn right I would use it in this scenario, though I find this kind of violence abhorrent.
Anyone who thinks this isn't a life-and-death struggle for democracy and what we see as an essential way of life is naive or deluded.
The party desperately needs a youth movement — people who understand the stakes and are willing to fight accordingly.
Schumer is a hack. Look how he got on the bandwagon to move the US Embassy to Jerusalem.He was there when soldiers gunned down unarmed protesters; while Putin personally led a convoy into Crimea the same day.
The Democratic Party should be more worried about losing traditional liberal/progressive voters because they compromised to court cross-over 'Republican' voters. And, isn't it ironic that the Republican Party is willing to lose traditional Republican voters in exchange for tapping the enthusiasm and loyalty of white nationalists and Evangelicals. At this point everyone knows what the Republican Party stands for. The same cannot be said for the Democratic Party. That is a huge problem!
I agree. It takes great faith to be a Democrat, because they are so very good at snatching defeat from the jaws of victory--which they're not even close to this year.
I've spent too many decades watching the Democratic Party being unable to find their rear ends with both hands, while at the same time shooting themselves in the feet ("burn, baby, burn" to "defund the police"). But I've been a single issue voter since Hubert Humphrey ran against Nixon--women's reproductive rights. Women's reproductive freedom was in the Republican platform that year, but who could trust Nixon?
There are a lot of single-issue voters who may win the fight only to lose the war. Roe v. Wade is a case in point. Better to win the war and the fight.
Now the war is to turn every Republican out of all offices I can vote for. And work to turn the "R's" nearby out of office. I live in a very blue state, with some red districts--that's where I'm working
If her constituents have chosen her to represent them, great.
What do I think of her as Chair of the Progressive Caucus? I think her holding Biden's first major plan hostage for over a month was a grave mistake--she/Progressives wanted the whole package passed rather than break it into the easily-passed infrastructure bill and the impossible to pass domestic bill. All she did was stop all momentum, hurt centrist/purple district representatives, make the party look like it's held hostage to its leftist fringe, and make the Democrats look like they couldn't get anything done even having a majority. And her Progressive caucus got nothing in return for the damage she caused the Biden Administration and Democratic Party as a whole.
The Democratic Party has always been a coalition party, which is why it's so good at snatching defeat from the jaws of victory. This is a perfect example of how it happens.
MOTHERS AGAINST and WOMEN AGAINST need to become groups all across the US. If anyone here wants to create a group with me, let me know. It would be so easy. We would pick a topic. Each of you would create a video with your phone and send it to me. I would create a video project and post it on Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn. Any women who want to can email me at gaileegailee@gmail.com We can meet via ZOOM to discuss what we wish to be our first project and develop a script if you wish.
Please note that this is a political PAC so no deduction for donations. But they have t-shirts and yards signs, and are working to oust the authoritarian regime that has taken hold in Texas and elsewhere. Can’t think of a better use of my few spare extra dollars than sending Abbott and company packing. We The People! All of us this time!
Go Blue or go Jewish. Judaism talks about first breath. Until first breath the fetus and the mother are one entity and the life of the mother takes precedent. Then we can sue them on the grounds of Religious Freedom
Aleluya! You are mad at being played by a con man? At being treated as gullible and while your friends are being sent to jail he is still living the life and collecting donations in Mar O Lago? At being the army of an old man who can pronounce “yesterday” ?Better late than never
Thank you for such a succinct and eloquent recap of what the heck. It’s pretty grim. I have to say, at the risk of getting kneecapped again, this is so surreal a time in history - is this really America?
And yes, of course it is. In all its glory and thanks to 45, its vainglorious and vulgar, and perhaps dying gasps of our beautiful experiment this Repulic of ours.
Once I set foot on American soil and I tasted the heady freedom that I had NEVER experienced before (I was ten), I am sad to say that I remember exactly what it felt like to be a child before my beautiful coming to America.
We’re in trouble folks. We’re in some pretty deep sheep dip.
Yes, you are correct. Garland must act now before Trump declares his candidacy for POTUS. If he doesn't and Trump declares, Trump will sue saying a political candidate is immune to prosecution or some such hogwash and then this will be mucked up in the courts. Garland must do his job or be replaced by someone who will. I , for one, am sick and tired of dicking around with Trump. If he is guilty or not , he must be given his day in court. This has gone on far too long.
I don't think treason against America protects someone running for POTUS. How could they have a right via our democracy when they are anti-democracy? Not happening in this country. Go Merrick, after Thursday, show us some muscle against authoritarianism.
Trump is betting it will. He’s shown us how toothless our “laws and norms” really are. Everything is ok for rich white men. Again, no action has stopped him, nor his ilk. He knew we would dissolve into a navel-gazing puddle trying to hold him accountable. That’s his joy. And the frenzied joy of his supporters. “Owning the Libs!” They just laugh and laugh. Democracy? What Democracy? Who need Democracy when it’s YOUR strongman in charge?
Mucking things up in the courts is his greatest joy and he is good at it, if he can still find a lawyer to work for him ( no pay). 2024 will come and go with many court actions still pending.
Sheep dip explains it well. And all because of the tail end of the rattler. An entitled and angry mob boss, ugliest man alive who attracted an army of vultures
I have to disagree, Jeri, that is it all because of the mob boss, this takeover and coup has been in the making for decades. The rethugs have been planning and installing their people in all our systems of government for a long time. Securing the SCOTUS was their final moment to strike and take over. The mob boss coming along was their lucky moment to have a dancing monkey out front literally on stage whilst they did their evil behind the red curtain. And that might be more than one red curtain...We still have not heard about the rethugs and putin from J6. I would say there was an army of vultures who attracted the perfect mob boss who made all the noise and chaos (rattler) they needed to strike against America. Us.
The rhetoric from the extreme right shows how long and how deeply they have hated the federal government. 45 was a perfect front for their strategy, while his strings are pulled from domestic and foreign terrorists and Bannon, et al. The deep state is them.
With Nixon, the cancer was in the White House. Dirty tricks and petty crimes, and obstruction of juctice should have put him in jail. The cancer came back with Ronald R. who should have been impeached for Iran Contra. GHWB pardoned the the Iran Contra felons and those responsible for the savings and loan crisis. Clinton was acquitted for lying under oath. GWB lied us into war and brought in contractors who did despicable things against the Geneva Convention without consequence to his or their reputation and power. We are now seeing how sparing the rod spoiled democracy.
I refer the blame to Mitch. He’s the one that put together all the ingredients to make this mess. He never held 45 accountable. I hope his party goes down the drain.
Very excited to see someone fighting back here in Florida, and on First Amendment, religious grounds:
“In a lawsuit against the Florida government, Congregation L’Dor Va-Dor of Boynton Beach says that the state's pending abortion law, which prohibits abortion after 15 weeks with few exceptions, violates the Jewish teaching that abortion "’is required if necessary to protect the health, mental or physical well-being of the woman.’ Citing the constitutional right to freedom of religion, the lawsuit states that the act ‘prohibits Jewish women from practicing their faith free of government intrusion and this violates their privacy rights and religious freedom.’
“ Advocating for abortion access is not the religious argument we usually hear, but it is on equal footing with religious arguments against it. (It's worth pointing out that Governor Ron DeSantis signed the Florida abortion act into law not at his office, but rather at a church.)
“ The synagogue's lawsuit raises the question of which religion takes precedence when it comes to legislation. It also highlights the difference between ‘This is against my religion, therefore no one can do it’ and ‘This is part of my religious tradition, therefore I legally have a right to access it.’ The former really has no place in U.S. law, as it violates the traditional separation of church and state, and the latter is a prime example of the purpose of the First Amendment right to freedom of religion.”
“The United States has now officially moved on from the ‘culture wars,’ as they were quaintly named. There is no other way to describe what is happening in Florida. A religious cohort that has captured the Republican Party has set the law of abortion, and another religious cohort has a legal argument to attack that law based on the state RFRA. It’s just plain religion vs. religion with none of the mediating governing institutions and principles needed to direct public policy away from religious wars toward the larger public good. Public policy is in the hands of theocrats and unaccountable judges.”
The Republican Party is already formally taking the position that the part of the First Amendment addressing religion only means that Christian rights MUST be explicitly recognized by law (including - or especially - the right to discriminate), that other religions may be left alone but fundamentally don't have any other rights, and that no one has the right to be an atheist. They believe that the Founders wanted the country to be officially Christian.
The only thing more disturbing than this is the Republican version of Christianity, which bears NO resemblance to the teachings of the actual Christ.
These people do not know the history of this country, either of its founding or its colonial period. From Mount Vernon Magazine, Fall 2021:
“The plight of Baptists, Quakers, Catholics, and other religious minorities clearly excited Washington’s sympathy, as he recognized the bigotry and persecution they had endured, and he used correspondence with these communities to calm deep-rooted fears that religious minorities would be excluded from civic life and the project of nation-building.
“In a missive to the United Baptist Churches of Virginia, he reaffirmed that ‘every man, conducting himself as a good citizen, and being accountable to God alone for his religious opinions, ought to be protected in worshipping the Deity according to the dictates of his own conscience.’ Writing a few months before Congress drafted the First Amendment, the new president reassured the Baptists that, if the Constitution ‘might possibly endanger the religious rights of any ecclesiastical Society’ or if the national ‘Government might ever be so administered as to render the liberty of conscience insecure,’ he would labor zealously “‘to establish effectual barriers against the horrors of spiritual tyranny, and every species of religious persecution.’ The imagery of ‘effectual barriers’ prefigured Thomas Jefferson’s more famous ‘wall of separation between church and state,’ erected in an 1802 letter to the Baptist Association of Danbury, Connecticut.”
“Roman Catholics, who had borne the brunt of bitter discrimination in the colonies, had reason to hope for a promising future when Washington reassured them that all citizens are ‘equally entitled to the protection of civil Government.’
“Washington’s commitment to religious liberty was not limited to Christians. In Washington, American Jews found a sincere friend. In a 1790 missive to the Hebrew Congregation in Newport, Rhode Island, perhaps his most eloquent and certainly his most famous pronouncement on religious liberty, he assured his correspondents that Jews in America enjoyed all the rights and privileges of citizenship, including ‘liberty of conscience.’
“More important, his letter described a distinctively American principle of religious liberty. ‘The Citizens of the United States of America,’ he began, ‘have a right to applaud themselves for having given to mankind examples of an enlarged and liberal policy: a policy worthy of imitation. All possess alike liberty of conscience and immunities of citizenship. It is now no more that toleration is spoken of, as if it was by the indulgence of one class of people, that another enjoyed the exercise of their inherent natural rights.’ He then continued with the letter’s most famous line, echoing words the Jews had conveyed to him: ‘For happily the Government of the United States, which gives to bigotry no sanction, to persecution no assistance requires only that they who live under its protection should demean themselves as good citizens, in giving it on all occasions their effectual support.’” http://magazine.mountvernon.org/2021/Fall/Believe-it-or-not.html
“Prior to the Revolution, many religious groups had been subject to persecution, both in Europe and the colonies. In colonial Virginia, only the Anglican Church received official sanction and was supported by taxes and the force of law. Dissenters had no political rights and could be fined, punished, and imprisoned for offenses against the church and for unsanctioned religious activities. As an officer of the Crown and a magistrate in colonial Virginia, Washington was required to take an anti-Catholic oath, renouncing the pope, and affirming the Anglican establishment. The new United States would not require such religious ‘tests’ for public servants.” http://magazine.mountvernon.org/2021/Fall/index.html
Suzanne Crockett, what you have published here must be produced in courts of law, must be taught in schools, must be broadcast from mountaintops and from rooftops.
Yet, it is unfortunately probable that neither Washington's words nor their implications will be understood by MAGA cultists who would more likely want to shoot Washington if he were to return wearing a grey suit and tie.
Mind you, the same goes for Jesus, for Abraham and Moses, for every great religious figure...
How did that passage go in Isaiah 6:10?
"Make their hearts calloused; make their ears dull and close their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears..."
Amen and amen. The Mount Vernon Ladies Association (MVLA) is doing their best. “For more than 150 years, the Mount Vernon Ladies’ Association has protected and preserved the home of the Father of Our Country.
“We are proud that Mount Vernon does not accept government funding. We are a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization and rely solely upon patriotic individuals, foundations, and corporations to help preserve George Washington’s home and to educate visitors from all over the world.” https://www.mountvernon.org/donate/mount-vernon-preservation-needs/
And why does the Anglican Church exist? Henry the 8th wanted to marry his lover. He of course then murders her, and goes on to another woman, and another, etc, once he controlled the “religious narrative”. Ahhhh christianity! So “wholesome”. So worthy of autocracy. So perverse in the needs of civil society. It was always a rat’s nest. And always will be. It’s about power, pure and simple.
Well... How about all the weird and wonderful interpretations those very learned jurists have made of the US Constitution?
It's hard to say what's worse when it comes to misinterpreting a text like the Gospel or the Constitution, the confusion of the totally ignorant, the political slant put on spiritual teachings by Emperors and Popes, religious distortions in the reading of basic law at the behest of failed politicians who found material success and an obedient flock by dressing up as priests and pastors...
Any connection between Christ's teachings and what is taught in too many churches is purely fortuitous.
Yet... there's an incredible treasure chest buried under that dunghill... with all those wretched people standing on it moaning and complaining, when they're not spouting hate and toting semi-automatics...
As for the Constitution, one could add to the Litany something like:
From the learned opinions of clever fools and rogues, Good Lord deliver us.
THE STATE OF FLORIDA; RON DeSANTIS, in his official capacity as Governor of the State of Florida, JACK CAMPBELL, in his official capacity as State Attorney for the Second Judicial Circuit of Florida; DAVID A. ARONBERG, in his official capacity as State Attorney for the Fifteenth Judicial district of Fla, FLORIDA DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH, JOSEPH LADAPO, M.D. in his official capacity as Secretary of Health for the State of Florida, FLORIDA BOARD OF MEDICINE; DAVID DIAMOND, M.D. in his official capacity as Chair of the Florida Board of Medicine; FLORIDA BOARD OF OSTEOPATHIC MEDICINE; SANDRA SCHWEMMER, D.O. in her official capacity as Chair of the Florida Board of Osteopathic medicine; FLORIDA BOARD OF NURSING, MAGGIE HANSSEN, M.H.S, R.N. in her official capacity as Chair of the Florida Board of Nursing; FLORIDA AGENCY FOR HEALTH CARE ADMINISTRATION, SIMONE MARSTILLER, J.D. in her official capacity as Secretary of the Florida Agency for Health Care Administration, and ASHLEY MOODY, in her official capacity as ATTORNEY GENERAL for the State of Florida.
The Congregation also directly raises Florida's express right of privacy in the Florida State Constitution. California has such express right of Privacy as well. Article1. Section 7.
This “loss of potential” concern seems to stop at birth. The forced-birthers have had fifty years to create a society that was just and supportive of children and women. The “lost potential” of the already born children living in economically-depressed zip codes bears this out. The “lost potential” of children living in environmentally dangerous places being exposed to carcinogenic air, soil, and food additives. The “lost potential” of kids living in cities with poisonous lead in their drinking water. The “lost potential” of kids whose parents must work two-three jobs to try to make ends meet because a living wage and healthcare are not a “privilege they deserve”. Address THAT and maybe they will hold some credibility in their self-righteous agrrogance. Jeri, Thank You for the “Zygote Warrior” statement!
My spouse and I concur with the Jewish view on when life begins and ends. We have already seen the damage that this ruling has done and it will only get worse.
The overturning of Roe completed the bond between the Church, the Supreme Court, and the Republican legislators. Now, they are fearless in their assault on democracy.
The deconstruction of the administrative state goes on. Today Betsy Devos called for closing the Department of Education.
DeVos is just an inadequate rich white woman who knows how to inflict chaos and pain to youth. She is a non-entity, as far as I am concerned. It’s her brother who I worry about.
Agree. The media loves to dig up these trumpers to scare people and get clicks. So sick of it. We have important work to do! Don't be distracted by this game of the media posting scary stuff to get clicks!
My relatives (on my mother's side) come from the Grand Rapids area of Michigan. I was well aware of the kind of person Betsy De Vos was long before she became part of the T**** nightmare. A more racist, tight-fisted, hateful part of Michigan you cannot find.
My mother was born in Grand Rapids and my grandparents ended up in Conklin (in an apartment over a tavern which belong to a relative) to the west of Grand Rapids. I went to Kalamazoo College and in the town of Kalamazoo, no hard liquor was available except in private clubs. So this part of Michigan also took and probably takes much pride in their rigid Christianity. My uncle grew up in Muskegon. They were all Rs and racist as heck. My spouse and I were visiting my grandmother and watching the 1968 D convention and riots around that. My grandmother mostly napped, but she awoke long enough to announce...."It's those damn n----rs." We were astounded having just returned from three years in the Peace Corps in Sierra Leone. We also watched Buckley call Vidal a fag on TV. I remember growing up in Elkhart, IN, and hearing lots of causal racism which no one gave any thought to. I was fortunate to have some adult friends (she had been my teacher in grade school) who countered a lot of this.
Oh, I do remember Buckley doing that to Vidal! The man had a vocabulary no one can match but he was an inglorious bigot to the hilt. Glad you escaped your family’s “dynamics” and made peace with your beliefs.
As long as my father was alive, there was no peace around politics. Every time I visited, we had an argument. I also belonged to the teacher's union which was a no-no despite my telling him why it was necessary. I mean we got, among other things, a half hour duty free lunch....before that it was duty with sandwich in hand. He also announced to me, a history major, that history doesn't matter. I often wonder what he would think now. I have to say that for the most part my family were decent people, but accepting of lots of racial talk and other prejudices. For example, I had a younger friend with me and my father referred to a brazil nut by the old name. She had a fit, but I told her you don't change people in their 80s who had grown up with phrases like this.
I was raised in a predominately Southern Baptist town in NC. Unfortunately, the words were used quite often but definitely not in my household. I couldn’t stand it.
We looked up George Taylor and he was the in country director 1965-1967 when we were there. We lived upcountry, so we seldom saw any of the administration except for the doctors. He had quite the illustrious career.
Hi Michele, I am just seeing this! Yes, it is the in country director I had in mind. I was in the Peace Corps in Guyana from 1968-70 and George Taylor was our in country Director. He was a good guy, always supportive and was well respected by volunteers and Guyanese. I had remembered he was previously in Sierra Leone, so thought you might know him.
C. A. DeVos’s calling for the closing of the Dept. Of Education reminds me of Lynne Cheney more than a generation ago. She had been chair of the National Endowment for the Humanities, where she had done some pretty good things. A few years later, when the NEH ‘displeased’ her, she aggressively sought its abolition. Sick birds of the same feather seem to stick together.
Jeri Lynne Cheney’s husband, heavily involved in the disastrous 2003 Iraq invasion, was nicknamed ‘the big Dick’, which was not a compliment.
Devos’s younger brother is Eric Prince. His former company, Blackwater, was a private army of mercenaries who, for a few years, worked for CIA and the State Department. In Iraq some of his employees shot Iraqi citizens in cold blood. Subsequently he has been involved in shady arms and airplane deals.
He just happened to meet a top Russian in the Seychelles in January, 2017. {In fact he had been briefed on this guy and this seemed an effort to establish a back door connection to Trump.) He denied this and later seemed to diss his denial.
As for his personal character: while his first wife was dying, he had an affair with her nurse.
He and his sister benefitted from a billionaire father. DeVos/Prince and Dick/Lynne Cheney deserve a special spot in hell. There may be judicial actions pending against Eric Prince for his highly questionable shenanigans.
And all because Nixon wanted an issue that would continue the divide that civil rights rent in our social fabric. Betsy will do it if chump back to oversee the final nail in the coffin of democracy
We are at a moment in time where none of these people should be ignored. They should be called out for as anti-Americans. Nazis/White Supremacists/Corporatists against America.
I very much resist the sky is falling approach. Then we will be running from one nut head to another being given a voice. Giving full credence to everyone dilutes our focus and renders us wrapped in fear. What I assess is how much immediate power this person has. At this moment DeVos is toothless. Keep her on the radar if she is signaling the intent of the Republicans but the overall goal is going after those actively running for office at this time.
No, she doesn't have much direct influence now, but it is the organizations that she belongs to that make her dangerous. She is indeed carryoing the message of the GOP and the Church. These are the people who drive the right-wing message.
Council for National Policy:
…A Handful Of Men And Women, Individuals Of Character, Had A Vision. A Vision
To See The Return Of Righteousness, Justice, And Truth To Our Great Nation.”
Ronald Reagan, Remarks to CNP’s 10th Anniversary Celebration
Conservative Action Project.
These are the people leading the charge against democracy. The insurrection is not over. It has been in the works since Reagan, at least. All the flashy things going on in the public sphere are pretty serious, but it serves to keep us from looking into the source of funding for all these groups. The people who always remain in a position of plausible deniability.
In West Michigan the DeVos family ARE the gop. They are not toothless. Unwise, self-righteous, bigoted, overbearing, and undermining of democracy, yes.
I am a very optimistic person and I think we will, in the very longrun, prevail. But right now, chicken little, the sky is falling on America and democracy, and we need to be incredibly vigilant and pro-active and our Justice systems need to work.
I love this improved MAGA (Mothers Against Greg Abbott). Other possibilities? Manchin Again Games America; Motivated Authoritarians Gain Adherents; Motivated Americans Ghost Authoritarians.
This Letter reads like one more Orwellian nightmare. Yet it is the United States in real time.
Is it more frightening that there necessitates a reason to have the organization, Mother's against Abbott or that it actually exists?
My elderly friend from Germany mentioned last week that as the news unfolds everyday , she wishes she were younger to be able to leave here for "safer ground". The unavoidable future terrifies her.
How sad that my friend has to feel that leaving the land of opportunity at her age is even a fleeting thought.
Jeri. She's not wrong. I'm watching Biden falter in the polls more so everyday and I don't see even the misty outline of an alternative candidate stepping forward. The GOP is locked and loaded with a gameplan. The midterms are all but here and we sat back and watched the GOP rig the game.
Linda, There are more examples of fighting back against those robbing us of our rights, our wealth and our voices.
'Doctor in 10-year-old’s abortion case takes 1st legal step against Indiana AG'
'Attorneys for the Indianapolis doctor who helped a 10-year-old Ohio rape victim obtain an abortion took the first legal step on Tuesday in a possible defamation lawsuit against Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita (R) for his comments in a story that has captured international attention.’
‘Kathleen DeLaney filed a notice of tort claim against Rokita on behalf of her client, Caitlin Bernard, for “false and misleading statements” about the OB/GYN in the days after she shared how she helped the 10-year-old, who traveled to Indiana for an abortion.’
“Mr. Rokita’s false and misleading statements about alleged misconduct by Dr. Bernard in her profession constitute defamation per se. The statements have been and continue to be published by or on behalf of Mr. Rokita and the Office of the Attorney General,” the claim reads. “To the extent that these statements exceed the general scope of Mr. Rokita’s authority as Indiana’s Attorney General, the statement forms the basis of an actionable defamation claim against Mr. Rokita individually.” (WAPO) Link below. Sorry no gifting option available.
Fern, no question. But will they bear fruit? I hope so. We need as much coverage as possible. 24/7 to drown out the GOP. People don't remember the content of a headline after 24 hours because of the firehose quantity of news at our disposal. We have to just keep the news feeds on our side and keep it coming.
We are seeing not just the result of Republican bad faith, but of the mainstream Democratic Party’s willingness to trust the liars and traitors on the right. Assuming everyone is as fair minded as you stops being praiseworthy when you are repeatedly cheated.
I agree 1000%. I can hardly respond as of late. Within a couple comments on this forum, Gen Merrick Garland will be blamed and maligned. And this is after the former went through how many appointments within the Department of Justice? To be able to thumb his nose at the rule of law? Somehow Garland, appointed by President Biden is to blame for the continued attack on Democracy which was carefully crafted over decades.
“Canceling” Garland by Democrats just makes me squirm thinking how Repubs are rubbing their hands with glee.
My emphasis is that we keep the laser focus of dissent squarely on Republicans and the former and his minions.
All I see is treason against democracy and the rule of law.
What they are doing in the name of religion is repeated over and over and over in history. And now we must deal with the vicious snake of white supremacy.
You go, girl! Christine, you have articulated what I've been struggling with recently. We need to keep the major focus on tRump and his thugs rather than what the DOJ is doing. The rethuglicans have democracy, as we know it in their sights. We need to expose them all as traitors and fools.
Can't we do both Christine? I am all for Party loyalty and have even been called out for my undue loyalty to Biden in these comments. I believe we can support Garland as United States Attorney General and still urge him to take action. Isn't this what we are fighting for? Democracy in action? I hesitate to assign the label "cancelling" to people such as Glenn Kirschner and even the January 6 Committee who are calling for action from Garland.
Here is what Kirschner has said:
"Attorney General Merrick Garland has "probable cause on steroids" to indict former President Donald Trump, said legal analyst Glenn Kirschner....Kirschner, during an appearance on The Dean Obeidallah Show, said he believes the Justice Department's response to the select committee's investigation has been "beyond frustrating."
"And right now, I feel like Merrick Garland is not doing his damn job because he has probable cause on steroids for Donald Trump, for crime after crime after crime after crime," he said. "And he leaves him out holding rallies and continuing to push the big lie on people."
He said that as long as Trump is not facing an indictment, he is continuing to "radicalize people" and "endanger the health of our democracy."
Christine we really have no idea what Garland is doing at this point. I don't feel it's nothing. I do feel he will do whatever he can. It may not be what we want when all is said and done, but I know it will be as far as he can go with what he has. This will be his biggest case yet.
Agree. And then perhaps move on to Supreme Court when expanded. I am keeping visión strong for Democracy and insistent that our voices say the strong, proactive assertions and affirmations that we believe in and preserve.
Jim, one minor detail is that the January 6th Committee has not turned over the findings for his consideration to proceed as yet. These investigations are on going.
As Terri Kanefield repeatedly points out, what it takes to win a conviction in court is much more than what it takes to believe with very good reason that a person is guilty. It's easy enough to say Garland 'should' have indicted Trump by now, and for all I know that could be true, but it is equally likely that the DOJ is building a no-leaks case that will be very effective when it is brought.
In addition, while I agree that proper consequences for Trump's assault on democracy are important, let's not make the mistake of expecting any one thing to rescue us.
What say ye to my reply to your original comment of ..."mainstream Democratic Party’s willingness to trust the liars and traitors on the right" Once again who on the list I mentioned is trusting the Republicans' lies? The January 6 Committee? Barack Obama? AOC?
Barack Obama, definitely. He came in committed to an outmoded ideal of bipartisanship and when that didn't work, he stuck with it far too long. The blocking of Merrick Garland was a four-alarm fire for democracy. When it became clear that the Repugs were going to focus on hurting us, which was evident from the moment Mitch McConnell said his focus was on making Obama a one-term president. Once McConnell started blocking Garland, any counter measure based on institutional norms was off the table. Institutional norms were gone, yet Obama and many Democrats continued to behave as if there was some good faith left. So we stood appalled but ineffective.
Why? Because we didn't grasp the hard lesson of Game Theory: when your opponent operates in bad faith, punish them any way you can until they come back into line.
Hi lin. I always find your comments interesting and informative, but I think it is a mistake to be too ready to accuse fellow Democrats of coming "very close to dismissing Republican abuses to focus on blaming the Democrats."
Manchin and Sinema are surely blameworthy and are DINOs. Schumer has failed to get the most import parts of Biden's progressive economic/social agenda through the Senate, despite his 23 years of experience there, and there has been no progress towards guaranteeing the free and fair elections we will need to have a chance against the GOP's 40-year minority rule project, which instead is coming to fruition with each passing day.
There is nothing to be done with the GOP but kick their asses in the mid-terms. If it takes some Democratic infighting to get us there, so be it.
The Democratic Party led by Biden and Schumer may not have what it takes, so we should be prepared to take some risks, even show a little pride in being lefties, as the present course will surely lead us into authoritarian subjugation by the Trumpian minority.
What have we got to lose? The Earth is roasting, for God's sake!
It does not serve the Democratic Party, or the Democratic voters to let them off scot free. They need to stop treating the GOP as if it is acting in good faith. It isn't, and it hasn't been for decades. The Democrats in Congress repeatedly give the GOP a pass, and worse, they let their own Senator, Manchin, walk all over them. They haven't changed their tactics OR their messaging to reflect the fact that the Republican Party is breaking the Senate (with the help of Manchin and Sinema). They need to fight back, with everything they have. I'm not seeing that happen.
The fact is that even the Democrats in Congress and the other Democratic organizations aren't consistently blaming the Republicans. They should be doing this every time they appear in front of a microphone. Instead, we get "my esteemed colleague" this, and "my old friend" that. The time for revering civility over action is long gone. And it's up to us to make sure they understand that.
Yes. So much this. Democrats, being fair-minded people, don't like to talk about revenge but revenge is what's needed now. Much of the Republicans' impunity comes from our reluctance to step out of institutional norms and focus on hurting them back.
I don't get it. Did their strategy just happen or did Newt Gingrich engineer it? If we keep applying the same defensive messaging, explanatory rhetoric and fear of taking the fight to the enemy's camp, what do we expect to achieve?
There are those who believe that the Democratic Party prefers to be an opposition Party, rather than a proactive Party. Part of the evidence for this is that they are far more likely to introduce "radical" change in gigantic far-reaching bills that have absolutely no hope of passage, but when they have clear majorities, they either avoid anything major, or introduce small bills that have no clear value to voters (like renaming post offices), or large bills that favor corporate interests over those of the people - like the ACA, which was 11 years ago, and what have they done for us lately?
But when they're in the minority, they get to complain and rail against Republicans, in the sure knowledge that they can't be expected to get anything done.
And when put on the spot, what's their answer to EVERY demand from the voters? Vote. "Vote blue no matter who." And when we do, and we elect Democrats, what do we get? Small, unhelpful renaming bills, or excessively large bills that go nowhere. Lather, rinse, repeat.
Indeed. While the horror of the Republican Party haunts my waking thoughts, what keeps me sleepless at night is the knowledge that the Democratic politicians insist on treating the GOP as if it acts in good faith. Every time someone like Biden refers to "my friend" Mitch McConnell, I want to spew on his shoes.
..."Democratic Party’s willingness to trust the liars and traitors on the right." Please give examples. Frankly I hadn't noticed the January 6 Committee, Beto O'Rourke, Nancy Pelosi, Joe Biden, AOC, Cory Booker, Ilhan Omar, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Rashida Tlaib, Ayanna Pressley, Gretchen Whitmer, Andy Beshear, Michelle Obama, Barack Obama, Bernie Sanders, and thousands of Democratic Party politicians, millions of Democratic voters and even commenters in these Letters from an American doing that.
Oh, there is no shortage of Democratic hand-wringing. I grant you that. Every fundraising email I get says, "The awful Republicans took my lunch money! Please send $5 so I can buy a baloney sandwich!"
But where are the brutally effective counter measures? January 6th? From what I've seen, that was mostly Liz Cheney's brainchild. She saw the need to make the hearings an emotional gut punch and package each takeaway for the evening news.
Polonius was a fool but Shakespeare put some great advice in his mouth. Here's a relevant bit:
Beware of entrance to a quarrel, but being in,
Bear’t that the opposed may beware of thee.
In other words, when your opponent leaves you no choice but to hit back hard, spare no effort to leave them leaking. What have we, the Democrats done as a party to make Republicans beware of us?
IMO, The Jan 6 hearings are one of the best things out of DC in a long time. Cheney has been fabulous in her role. But now I see some Democrats calling for a not-Biden ticket in 2024 with Cheney as VP. For "unity." OMG. First of all, the GOP now hates her, so much for unity. Second, she's about as hard right as it gets without going alt. She voted with Trump 93% of the time.
This is another problem with Democrats: as soon as a Republican does the right thing, the legal thing, the expected thing, Democrats fall all over themselves with praise and even start saying things like "I'd vote for _____." Democrats need to have higher standards for the Party. No wonder Republicans have no respect for us. Our bar for them is way too low, and they know it.
I can't find the WaPo article, but it said that Cheney looked at things that made past hearings less effective: long testimony, complex questions and dead air and made a point of packaging the current hearings to avoid that.
A most excellent letter tonight! The news today on the issue of reproductive rights includes several horrific examples of where the reversal of Roe v Wade leaves us. Not content with this reversal, Republican legislators across the country insist on piling on with state after state adopting ever stricter prohibitions against any abortion under any circumstance regardless of the health needs of the pregnant woman. A huge majority of Americans - wives, mothers, sisters, daughters, nieces and granddaughters-and the men who love them - could suffer the horrors reported to date since the Roe reversal. Surely, the time has come for all who want to put an end to this madness to go to the polls in November to vote the Republicans out of office!
But will voting them out be enough? Think of all the places they now infest, and not always elected. Many who are inflicting evil on us are appointed, and at all levels, local on up. We MUST vote, but we must also do more. I just wish I had other ideas of what that “more” is, and how to go about it.
I agree, the slime has infiltrated every nook and cranny and cleaning it up is going to take more than voting. "People" like Steve Bannon were never elected, never had any official government job - he was a "trump whisperer". Like *ucker Carlson, he takes to the airwaves spewing vitriol soundbites and lies (never presents any solutions to improve peoples' lives), literally rallies armed followers and cozies up to dictatorships with the full intention and goal to end democracy. Every day we look more and more like 1930's Germany - an industrialized country that got sucked into following pure evil. As with our own Civil War, the rise of Hitler and Nazi Germany has been studied inside and out so we "don't forget" and yet here we are. And, unlike the 1930's, we now have the overlay of the global nuclear component and climate change!
We are clearly on the path to disaster and I shudder to think of how bad it will get if republicans finish overthrowing the government.
Love love love Mothers Against Greg Abbott! Living in Florida, we desperately need Mothers Against Ron Desantis to warn the nation and the world about Desantis’ Christofascist intentions, his willful refusal for mask mandates in schools that caused the deaths of untold numbers, his purposeful repudiation of the rights of LGBTQ people in our state, his attempts to re-write Civics education and to intimidate educators at all levels, and more.
These radical ideas have been lurking in the GOP for a long time and were released by the 2016 election. The 62% ( and growing ) have the power to stop this . Politics as usual does not fit the times we are in and I hope enough people realize it.
'...on Friday, by a 4-to-1 margin, delegates to the Republican Party convention in Idaho rejected an amendment to their platform that would have permitted an abortion to save the life of the mother.' (Letter)
As we work to protect Democracy in America and to protect one another the fact that our lives are at stake becomes clearer every day.
Back in the day, I voted for Senators Packwood and Hatfield from Oregon (both Republicans). I haven’t voted for one since. Packwood resigned after showing he was an “ass grabber” (unwanted butt fondling of a female staffer IIRC), and Ron Wyden was subsequently elected. I never did vote for Gordon Smith (who I believe replaced Hatfield when he retired) although he and Wyden worked closely together.
Yes, there does seem to be a dearth of decent Republicans these days. As I read somewhere, people are (rightly) castigating Manchin, but do not forget at the same time that NO Republicans are voting for anything the Biden administration proposes either. Yes, Manchin & Sinema are our party's "Benedict Arnolds", but they are accompanied by 50 Senate Republicans too. They are ALL every bit as culpable for tanking any- and everything proposed by Democrats. "The Party of Lincoln" ceased to exist long ago. They ALL outliers as far as I'm concerned.
The politicians voting for these cruel anti-abortion laws should be sued for practicing medicine without a license. Medicine is complicated. Look at the chaos these laws are having on medical practice even beyond reproductive health. All the unintended consequences of these thoughtless uncaring laws. Pharmacies not selling drugs for Lupus and Cancer because they might be used for an abortion! Doctors having to get permission from the hospital lawyers to proceed with saving lives. The lawyers don't have licenses to practice medicine either. Of course, neither do Extreme Court Justices. No Republican will get my vote ever again. I'm holding the entire Republican Party accountable. The Mothers against Greg Abbott certainly have my wholehearted (yes, I have a heart) support and I'm ready to fight with them. My Ninth Amendment rights (the ones the People enumerate like Women's Reproductive Rights) shall not be abridged.
Cathy, the one edit in my mind would be, 'All the INTENTED consequences...' Did the Justices, governors and legislators consult with women, doctors and refer to medical history when abortion was illegal before overturning abortion laws? Did they do that before passing whatever anti-abortion laws the state would allow? They are threatening the health and lives of women and it's what they intend to do.
Yes, I almost wrote intended rather than unintended although I suspect they don't have enough of a brain between them to understand all the ramifications of what they have done/are doing. They see it as a triumph.
YES! And where are the indictments for Stephen Miller and that Keebler elf?? But hey, we can’t even get AR-15’s and pistols out of our children’s hands!
Get votes that is their intention. Manipulate the people's emotions, without concern for their wellbeing and then get their votes. How much more does this harm, minorities and poor women? That's okay -- who were those minorities going vote for?
They don't respect laws when they pass them either.......what was it that trump called soldiers going to war.....loosers and suckers. We are all soldiers now. The rules are for the others who are "fool enough" to respect them and assume that they were passed in good faith and with true intent.
They certainly consulted a few of men. When Simone Veil, then Minister of Health fought the 1974 parliamentary battle to obtain the right to abortion in France her opposition was a totally male membership of the National Assembly.
Hello and good morning, Stuart! It always takes a woman to do “a man’s job”. Simone made her point. We made ours in ‘73 only to see it trampled upon by white men in 2022. I, personally, would like to see women grab these guys by their scrotum and not let go. I guess all of us should grow our nails long, sharpen them up like spears, and get ready to do battle.
Marlene, We know that all white men are not the same. Justice Stephen G. Breyer voted to uphold Roe v. Wade and Justices Clarence Thomas and Amy Coney Barrett voted to overturn it.
The following excerpts from articles serve to provide an overview of the experiences and opinions of Black Americans concerning abortion.
‘A Gallup survey conducted between 2017 and 2020 found that 46 percent of Black Americans said that abortion was “morally acceptable” — up from 31 percent who said the same between 2001 and 2007; non-Black racial groups that Gallup surveyed reported a slight change in how they felt about abortion (41 percent from 2001 to 2007, to 43 percent from 2017 to 2020).
And another poll from the Pew Research Center published in May found that a greater share of Black adults (67 percent) than Hispanic and white adults (58 and 57 percent, respectively) thought abortion should be legal in all or most cases..
‘But abortion access in Black communities isn’t just tied to health outcomes; it’s often tied to things like the quality of schools in predominately Black areas, racial disparities in health care or even the criminal justice system. That February PerryUndem survey found, for example, that Black voters connected abortion rights and access to control over one’s body (72 percent), women’s rights (72 percent) and health care (67 percent). A plurality of Black respondents — 47 percent — tied abortion access to racial justice, more than any other demographic group surveyed. And, of course, underlying the debate regarding Roe is the question of what banning abortions means for Black children. Rallying cries for change such as “Black Lives Matter,” a motto and movement created to highlight the abuses that Black people face at the hands of police officers, confronts difficult questions about the safety of both Black people and the children they may be forced to conceive.’
“At its core, this issue for voters is about power and control over one’s own body. Given our nation’s history, I think Black voters across political ideology are more attuned than white people to threats to bodily autonomy,” Undem said. She added that her research has found that Black voters and people of color are more likely to see systemic factors affecting abortion access — because abortion access is about access to resources and opportunities to raise healthy children. As Undem told me, Black voters and people of color often see a lack of abortion access as “forcing people to have children, but not providing access to resources that are required, like affordable childcare.”
‘That Dobbs originates in Mississippi, the poorest state in the country, twists this fairy tale into a cruel joke. In Mississippi, nearly half of women-led households live in poverty, almost twice the national average; twelve per cent of women in the state lack health insurance, compared with eight per cent nationally. Barrett’s blithe suggestion that pregnant women simply “go fifteen, sixteen weeks more” ignores, among many burdens, that pregnant women in Mississippi die at higher rates than their peers in most states, including Louisiana and Georgia. And because this case is no longer just about Mississippi, it also ignores the fact that Black women are three to four times more at risk of dying in childbirth than white women.’
‘Abortion is a contentious issue in the African American community, especially since many religious Black Americans hold the same beliefs about fetal personhood as White evangelicals. But one group has consistently advocated for the importance of abortion rights for Black people: Black feminists. Why? Because they have long seen the right to abortion as part of broader racial and reproductive justice goals.’
‘Thirty-one states allowed forcible sterilization at some point during the 20th century. These policies often disproportionately affected people of color, especially Black people.’
‘In 1961, civil rights activist Fannie Lee Hamer was sterilized without her consent by a White doctor who was performing surgery to remove a uterine tumor. These forced sterilizations were so common at one time that they were dubbed “Mississippi appendectomies.”
‘Even in the 1980s and 1990s, birth control, often semi-permanent forms like implants or injections, became a condition to receive public assistance in many states.’
‘But despite this history of abuse, Black feminists still fiercely advocated for the right to abortion because they understood the importance of bodily autonomy, especially when it comes to reproduction.’
‘Why? Because abortion had long been a strategy of survival and resistance for Black women. Historians have revealed that abortion even enabled some semblance of self-determination during slavery. Enslaved women could thwart enslavers’ ability to use their children as chattel to generate profit with birth control and abortion.’
Hi Stuart. Good to see you. I've emailed a Liz & Bernie bundle. It will spark no fires of anticipation, although, I believe Bernie may wake up a few Democrats and hopefully a large number of slumbering voters.
Rachel Maddow tonite showed a memorandum from Merrick Garland dated 8 Weeks ago advising all DOJ employers to consider the sensitivity of election time prosecutions. Perhaps Trump has seen this, which refers to Barr's notice while he was director that the DOJ should not investigate those campaigning.
Appearing dilatory could rather be he is slowly, deliberately and meticulously building a case. Let everyone think he is uncertain and them slam tfg and buddies with indictments.
The memo said they should be sensitive to appearances around elections and should not undertake any criminal investigations against candidates or their advisors without first obtaining written permission from higher level personnel at the Justice Department. So they need written permission, but the investigations are not prohibited.
My understanding is that if DOJ is going to investigate a candidate for president or vice-president, then the probe has to be approved by the attorney general. Seems reasonable to me, considering the sensitivity.
There's no prohibition against investigating someone who is campaigning, though investigations would be briefly suspended around Election Day. This isn't new policy, just a continuation of what previous attorneys general have followed.
I think Rachel made a bigger deal out of this than warranted.
Former federal and state prosecutor Elie Honig wrote a "note" back in May about the timeline for charging tfg. I'm not sure if this "pause to prosecute" applies even if he were to announce his intention today to run for president in 2024.
"Midterm elections are on November 8th. The Justice Department has a longstanding policy against announcing new criminal charges or taking overt investigative steps (such as executing a search warrant) shortly before an election. There’s no formal provision on the books, but AGs of both parties over the past several administrations have issued Department-wide memos reminding prosecutors to abide by this blackout practice, which applies either 60 days or 90 days before an election, depending who you ask. (I always understood the blackout period to be 60 days, but other DOJ alums place the line of demarcation 90 days out.) "
Huh. Sure didn't stop FBI Director Comey from announcing in October 2016 that he was looking into Clinton's emails. Garland needs to leave the 19th and 20th Centuries. We are in desperate times.
I read the article, Lynell. It is very discouraging, really. I do, however see a comparison of the hare and the turtle, Garland being the latter. Maybe he will prevail (here’s hoping 🙏).
Yes, I find it discouraging, too, Marlene. Article was written back in May, when I thought there was still hope. Now, two months later, and nothing, nada, zip. I have been in his corner all this time but now feel he really needs to get a move on!
Remember way back in 2020 when other than COVID all we had to contend with was getting 45 out of the WH? How quaint those days were!😵💫
“As usual, Trump’s feral instincts are right. Per a report by Rachel Maddow on Monday evening, Garland has issued two memos telling DOJ prosecutors that they must exercise special caution in indicting political figures near elections. And Garland specifically re-authorized Bill Barr’s guidance that no indictment of a presidential candidate can made without clearance from Garland himself. The purpose of these cautionary guidelines is “to safeguard the reputation of the Department of Justice.” See letter from Merrick Garland to “All Department Employees,” here: Attorney General Memorandum - Election Year Sensitivities
Garland has always valued the reputation of the Department of Justice over the actual pursuit of justice. But the converse should be true: in every conceivable instance, the “reputation” of the DOJ is secondary to the pursuit of justice—especially where a coup-plotter is concerned.”
Garland is capitulating to Trump and his openly fascist political party. Garland will go down in history as the equal of Neville Chamberlain, who tried to appease Hitler in the Munich Agreement... also known as the Munich Betrayal. I think we can name this incident the Garland Betrayal.
Somewhere in the federal government, there must be a memo that outlines next steps should a state like Idaho defy a federal court order.
I'm ready for the feds to put these states in their place. For example, take away federal tax revenue until they comply. This entire states-rights chest-thumping show might please the locals, but they might not talk so tough in the face of extreme consequences.
Already in place, but in danger of not being applied.
Article VI, Paragraph 2 of the U.S. Constitution is commonly referred to as the Supremacy Clause. It establishes that the federal constitution, and federal law generally, take precedence over state laws, and even state constitutions. https://www.law.cornell.edu/wex/supremacy_clause
And
McCulloch v. Maryland (1819)
Issue: Can Congress establish a national bank, and if so, can a state tax this bank?
Result: The Court held that Congress had implied powers to establish a national bank under the "necessary and proper" clause of the U.S. Constitution. The Court also determined that United States laws trump state laws and consequently, a state could not tax the national bank.
It worked during the 1973 oil crisis:: “The Emergency Highway Energy Conservation Act was a bill in the U.S. Congress that included the National Maximum Speed Limit [55]. States had to agree to the limit if they desired to receive federal funding for highway repair.”: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Maximum_Speed_Law
My question isn't about the well-established authority. It's about how the federal government enforces violations of the Supremacy Clause. So the feds sue a state like Idaho, and it wins a favorable judgment (though I wonder what this extreme right-wing Supreme Court would do). But Idaho persists in its defiance.
What's the enforcement mechanism then? Is there a precedent — beyond the Civil War?
Withhold federal funds? Just very quick search, old data from 2013, bet they can’t do w/out a third of their budget. “In 2013 Idaho got $2.6 billion dollars from the federal government, which is 34.4% of its total revenue.” https://www.nationalpriorities.org/smart/idaho/constructor/
Lots of talk of fear today in these comments. The media has done its job well. Blinders work well in ignoring the calls for fear. I just don't click on the fear mongering for money junk.
After my second miscarriage, which ended in a hospital emergency department, I did not see a doctor for two weeks (my choice). By the time I did he sent me to the hospital immediately with a severe infection for en emergency D&C, which saved my life. This was forty years ago. This is another way women will now die, or be disabled, due to the overthrow of Roe. Those six “justices” have blood on their hands.
As does the entire Republican Party, without whose concerted efforts over 5 decades Roe would still stand. The Federalist Society should be designated a terrorist organization.
As should Opus Dei, the secret Roman Catholic organization to which some members of the Supreme Court belong. And, by the way, FBI Director Wray is a member of The Federalist Society as is his former schoolmate ... wait for it ... Brett Kavanaugh. See a pattern here?
Every Republican judge on SCOTUS is (or was) a member of the Federalist Society.
Since Law School. Talk about grooming!
I see a pattern forming
Exactly.
I believe women Justices, or women period, are not allowed into the Society
Women are allowed to be members of the Federalist Society. Amy Comey Barrett, for example, was a member. There are fewer women in the Federalist Society than men, probably because women in general are more enlightened.
Am not sure enlightened is the correct term. Less amenable to consistently toeing the line while in law school is a better way to put it.
Amy Coney Barrett was a perfect pick for the Federalist Society because of the particular Catholic cult she was raised and lives in. She was already "A Handmaiden."
Thank you for this information. It has been reported that there is a lot of Catholic "dark money" in the Society. Given the RC presence and influence, I wondered if women would even been admitted. By the way, I have renamed Amy to Amy Commie Barrett.
That is reprehensable. Barr is also Opus Dei.
Which is, apparently, funded by more dark money than God has.
Nice one!
OH!
100%.
Yes. Terrorists All.
This is happening now. Same as during the pandemic. Patient Privacy laws make reporting these very personal and private tragedies public knowledge. As the son of a doctor and nurse, women are at risk in the red and swing states. This will only continue to get worse and worse. The Supreme Court has failed all.
Yes, Ted, and thank you. That is the thing it so hard to grasp--this is now and it is real and you are certainly right. It can only get worse. Women are going to start dying in numbers--mostly poor women, mostly black and brown women, mostly women who have no options. It is easy, even with everything that is screaming at us, to look away, to think it can't really be this bad, somebody will come up with a plan. There was an article in the Washington Post in the last few days explaining how much good the new governor here in Virginia is doing for parents by allotting money for model schools. He ran on a platform of giving parents the right to get the teaching of critical race theory (i.e. history) out of the classroom. The article was written by one of the leading lights of the evangelical/Trump crew. No background provided. Thank goodness, the comments section lost its collective mind! Even I have trouble believing in organizations like Opus Dei and the Federalist Society. But they aren't a bad dream.
And let me put in a word for my favorite, and often overlooked monster, Mike Pence, member in good standing of the FS, bankrolled by the remaining Koch brother (who has renounced Trump but not his policies), a history of supporting conversion camps for gay teens and, unfortunately, presentable.
I have been out of the country for several weeks and I feel like I have returned to a nightmare. The more I think about and absorb the implications of overturning Roe the more sick to my stomach I become. No one has the right to force a pregnant person to bear an unwanted child. No one. I'm adopted and I am fully aware that I might not be here if abortion had been legal in 1951. Roe is about choice and every pregnant person should have the right to choose whether or not to bear a child. Evangelical Christians and right-wing Catholics have no right to impose their beliefs on the rest of us. These are ancient battles and it is discouraging to have to fight them again. This is also an attack on the poor who are already overburdened. This is simply wrong.
It is wrong at every level, I agree, but Christianity has a long history of imposing itself, swiftly and violently, on a lot of folks over the centuries. And if anyone needs a cover story for a blatant power move, some group of Christians usually volunteers. I am a cradle Episcopalian and have ranted and raved about all this for years. Only recently have I finally thrown in the towel. At the core of the repeal of Roe and of more to come--all of which is going to involve bloodshed in one way or another--is the strike at the principle of the separation of church and state. The people at the helm in the Roe decision believe there should be no separation, that American should be a Christian nation, governed by a minority of its citizens who are not only Christians but the most right wing Christians. They are, in my opinion--and I don't use words like this very often--evil people. You can probably divide them into two groups--the true believers and the simply power mad. Some, no doubt, are both. Bill Barr comes to mind.
An inexcusably long ramble here, and I wish I could offer encouragement on your re-entry but my belief is that your instinct is right on--you have returned to a nightmare and it doesn't look like getting anything but worse.
I think the best we can do at this point--way beyond too late--is to finally acknowledge what's happening. There are still those among us feckless liberals who think it isn't so bad; it will work out; we'll win the mid-terms; Trump's people aren't always getting elected. That kind of willful denial will rob us of any chance at all and, in fact, that reluctance to look clearly at reality is partly responsible for where we are.
So, welcome home, Susan. Put on your heavy boots. We are surrounded by mud in all directions.
Thank you for that. The first thing I read when I got home was the recent edition of The Humanist, which I subscribed to along with lots of other publications after Trump was elected. I did so because I'm a good reader and he isn't, so I read, read, and read as a personal form of protest. As the Religious Right got more and more vociferous, I got more and more turned off by Christianity altogether, which isn't easy to say. Remember Gandhi--"I like your Christ. He is so unlike your Christians." Anyway, reading The Humanist seemed so balanced, hopeful, and ethical by comparison. Wandering around Florence and looking at all those patriarchs was eye-opening. Women do not want to go back to that. Nor do other marginalized people.
We have a rescue dog named Farley who is one of the most aware beings I've ever had the good fortune to meet. Someone described him as "assertive without being aggressive" which is why they thought he got on so well with other beings. Farley was dumped over a fence at two months of age and left to die. He was one day away from being euthanized when a friend of my husband rescued him and eventually gave him to us.
One day I heard Farley barking furiously and came to find a neighbor threatening to kill him with a 2 x 4 if he didn't stop. The neighbor is afraid of dogs and Farley sensed that. He also sensed that he was in danger and all that barking was his way of saying "I'm not going over that fence again." Heavy boots in hand and ready to do what's necessary to get us through the mud.
:’-(
Wish they or any Repub cult nut cared
More important that WE care. I’m very much in favor of this option: “A small contingent of Democrats is floating the idea of taking a rare and dramatic step in the aftermath of the Supreme Court decision to overturn the landmark 1973 ruling in Roe v. Wade: impeaching justices who ruled to strike down the constitutional right to abortions.
“The grounds for impeachment? Democrats say that some Trump-appointed justices lied when they previously said in their confirmation hearings that they wouldn’t overturn court precedent.” https://www.usnews.com/news/politics/articles/2022-06-29/could-democrats-impeach-supreme-court-justices-for-lying-in-the-wake-of-roe
The radically extreme justices are throwing out precedents left and right. That means that no decision is settled, and the next court can throw out what this court has done (great idea!). They are creating chaos and uncertainty, and people will die, not from a “back alley” abortion but because of denial of care for treatable conditions like miscarriages and ectopic pregnancies.
Increase the number of justices to make these "originalists" a minority.
They aren’t “originalists.” They pick and choose pieces they want. The word word “woman” isn’t even in the Constitution—until the 19th Amendment—so women have no enumerated rights which the conservative justices "forgot" to include in their decision.
Alioto didn’t just strip women of their right of privacy/make their own medical decisions as men have—he set precedent to strip all women of all rights—except the right to vote. Which they will lose if felons for aiding & abetting or obtaining abortions—you heard it here first.
The fence around the SCOTUS building isn’t in the Constitution either. Take it down. Only the “pro-life” crowd is violent. Pack the court for fair Enlightenment decisions. The current situation is untenable and worse.
13!
Definitely would have to win back the Senate to do that. plus, where does it stop? Frankly I'm not sure I understand their mandate. Is it to make laws or determine the constitutionality of them? If Congress didn't specifically make Roe a Right then it should. If making abortion illegal was unconstitutional by one Court is it their job to decide that a Court ruling is unconstitutional? So confusing! If a court ruling is unconstitutional then of course it should be overturned. But in this case the fox is guarding the hen house! Also, do I understand correctly that it wasn't illegal anywhere until after the Civil War. So the founding fathers didn't care? So the question, I guess, is should states have the right to decide if something is illegal without a federal law? My dad always said, "you can't legislate morals." Belief, religious or otherwise, should never be the basis of law making. In this case, is it the belief that a six week fetus is a person guaranteed protection under the constitution (which has no logical, legal, or medical support) the driving reason behind all this uproar. Of course they declared corporations are people because it is comprised of people (stock holders). Not to be confused with employees!
One of my brothers like to throw the statement about not being able to legislate morals into any argument he wasn't winning. I loved to take the air out of his bags by pointing out that legislating morals wasn't the point. The point is that we can and do legislate behavior. Morals may become part of the argument, but the case is won or lost by proving wrongful behavior. We're trying.
And yes, no state had laws relating to abortion in the year before mid 1850s (corrected typo). It was up to women whether or not to get an abortion until the takeover of health care by male physicians, who began to stake out markers in the mid-50s.
And that is what this (and schools and corporations and all the rest of the "issues" being thrown at us, and the rights we're being told aren't rights are all about. Power. Control.
We're seeing it all laid out in the Jan 6th Committee Hearings. Yes, that's about the insurrection. But it is mostly about power and who gets to wield it. The good news is that the Republicans are running out of targets and are starting to tear at each other. Hope, hope, hope, hope.
Agreed.
This is so cruel and so wrong. And so terribly arrogant and sad. To make ordinary people suffer for your personal ideology should not be permitted. No sane person would subscribe to imposing preventable suffering on others. This is the work of mad men and women who have no hearts.
Truth 💔🤬
However, a new slate of justices is not going to happen anytime soon.
Truth, very sad truth
Question to the group:
Which is likelier - impeachment or increase in number of justices?
Which can happen sooner?
Which can happen?
Court expansion. Impeachment, though warranted, is a pipe dream.
Increasing the number of justices would be faster. Vote totally blue.
Is there a petition?
Where do I sign?
Good thought! Wonder if Dr. Richardson would consider it?
Don’t forget the anti-abortion advocates with the blood on their hands also.
They do indeed and that they did this to support "Christian Values" sickens me. it's about choice. It's about healthcare. It's about time to get rid of these creeps.
A current, heartbreaking case in Texas. 💔🤬💔🤬💔 https://www.cnn.com/videos/health/2022/07/18/woman-carried-dead-fetus-texas-anti-abortion-ban-cohen-new-day-dnt-vpx.cnn
Heartbreaking indeed. I've been pregnant four times and I cannot imagine the pain of knowing your unborn child has died and being forced to carry it to term anyway. This is beyond the pale. These people are monsters.
To D & C, to the D and C. Good for venereal warts, STD, human papilloma virus, HPV, D & C, and C section only. Gynecologist’s dream.
Totally love this ‘Mothers Against Greg Abbott’ Those Repubs in control are really unspeakably criminals. Go Blue so the rest of us have a chance!
I also love how they’ve subverted the definition of MAGA! Yes!
I missed that completely. Well done you.
Yes I thought the same. I’ll be watching this effort to fight Nazis in Texas.
They had a booth at our state Democrat convention this last weekend. Everyone was buying a T-shirt and making contributions! Me included! I’ve been following on the Facebook page for a while. Everyone says they’re getting great feedback from the shirts! People are saying things like it’s good to know I’m not alone!
Beto was inspiring and I believe he’s going to be our next Governor! 💙
I hope your wish does come true, Denise!
Thanks! We’re more than wishing. We’re organizing! 😊
Excellent! 👏👏👏
❤️❤️
Miss that. Could you clarify?
If you mean the MAGA reference, it originally was the acronym for tfg’s motto: Make America Great Again. The Mothers Against Greg Abbott now have the same acronym (MAGA) but with an entirely different meaning and objective.
Yes,I agree and say more power to Mothers Against Greg Abbott. These extremists in Texas and other red states including my state of Ohio are really vigilantes against women. Trying to keep women from crossing state lines is preposterous. I don’t know where it all will end but women everywhere are hopping mad and I am hoping this translates to votes at the polls. I attended a rally after Roe was overturned in a small town near me and was so impressed with the turnout, especially of fiery young women.These Republican zealots have got to go and it is going to have to be women who give them the boot.
Seems like it’s more than just about control over women. From here in Texas it looks a bit more like white supremacy/white nationalism. The roots are deep, as I’m learning, going back to the founders and even before them.
Oh, of course it is white supremacy—that is the foundation of our country that needs to be reconciled with, finally. And it is women that appear are going to lead that fight. That is the foundation they do not want you to know about. This is 1930's Germany against decency and democracy. They have been planning this war against good people, seriously, for totalitarian/corporatocracy for more than 40 years. We really need to stand up and be heard.
Not just for a totalitarian/corporatocracy but for a Theocracy.
Let’s not forget General Flynn’s slip when he let everyone know what’s behind the twisted extremism of the far Right Christian Republicans by publicly declaring the USA should be a One Religion Nation.
Republicans are following what Orban did in Hungary. If it’s not too late already it will be once the SCOTUS rules in favor of the “independent state legislature doctrine” thus giving Rethuglican State Legislators the right to overturn the votes in their state and decide what candidate gets their electoral votes regardless of who won the popular vote.
Once this happens we will “ look” like a democracy but will be anything but a democracy.
Should the Court validate that doctrine, they would become vulnerable to impeachment IF Democrats take the House and overwhelmingly take the Senate. Possible, with that decision coming after the reversal of Roe. But only possible if all responsible voters actually vote!
If the SCOTUS validates that doctrine Democrats won’t be able to take the house and senate much less impeach anyone. The whole point of them validating that doctrine is to guarantee Republicans win no matter what the vote count.
If it’s validate it’ll be game over. Republicans will rule (yes rule) democracy will be dead.
It will only look like a democracy for white men.
People need to wake up to what's happening!
Exactly how Lincoln framed slavery. It was and was not about color. It was Oligarchy, classism, about manipulation, exploitation, control over others for material gain. To be able to deny women equal access to HC, there is now no limit on control laws over all.
Definitely! But this time everyone is turning on Abbott! And Mike Collier has a great shot at AG! Paxton has to go!
Please check to make sure you are registered to vote because Republicans have purged voters from the lists. You can check at Vote411. And make sure you vote on every race down the ballot. You can no longer hit one button to vote Democrat down the entire list. And we have great Democrat candidates all the way to the bottom! Some races it’s the first time they’ve got a Democrat challenger! Beto is not accepting corporate funds and he’s out raised Abbott by $3 million. Get everyone you know to vote! We have to make this happen!
Yes, supremacy over women ("keep them barefoot & pregnant") is part & parcel of white supremacy.
This is the best news I've had this morning. These Republican zealots need to be run out of town and quickly.
Go Blue? The Republicans have run rings around the current leadership of the Democratic party, even to the point where they have changed the name to the Democrat Party. They have packed the Supreme Court while the Democrats have been totally ineffective at protecting Majority rule. Go Corey Booker for Senate Majority Leader. Go AOC for House Majority Leader. Go home all the octogenarians!
Schumer for sure, Nancy still kicks arse. Need to make Manchin and Sinema Irrelevant NOW
Jeri, I highly respect your astute and perceptive comments. Please explain to me why Pelosi has not done more to investigate and expose the "treasonous" Republicans in the House who have clearly disobeyed their oath of office. One committee investigating Jan 6 and Trump is insufficient and does not come close to exposing the breadth and depth of the Republican attack on democracy.
And why stop there? Why doesn't Pelosi investigate the six justices on the Supreme Court who have betrayed their oaths of service? Vet them like they should have been vetted by the Senate Judiciary committee. The history as succinctly described by HCR should be brought to the attention of the American People by Constitutional scholars. And, how is Thomas allowed to still sit on the Supreme Court?
Republicans keep shouting "witch hunt" - the least Democrats can do is oblige them. Witch hunts in politics are effective - ask any Republican - ask Hillary, ask Holder! Cripes all mighty, Republicans are already talking about impeaching Biden!! They don't have a leg to stand on but that doesn't stop them, and they may even succeed if they get control of the House and Senate.
You want some rhetoric that will rankle Republicans and blow this up to the significance it deserves - start charging Republicans with crimes against humanity and plaster the news media with examples. They indeed have blood on their hands and that is only going to increase in the weeks and months ahead. The Republican position is indefensible - for faux FOX, and for every Republican acolyte. Well at least it should be if pressed with facts and evidence. We need more "Politics Girls" taking the fight to the gates of hell!! Pelosi is not up to this task in my view.
Leadership in the House, Senate, and Democratic National Committee could learn from a fight I saw in high school. A bully had been picking on another kid, the quiet type, for days. Everyone has known a bully like this guy: fast-talking loudmouth full of himself.
One day the bully humiliated the quiet kid with taunts. A crowd gathered. There was some pushing and shoving. The quiet kid was going to back down or take a beating. No question. Then, in an instant, the kid grabbed the bully's t-shirt and yanked it up and over his head. Several quick punches and the bully was sprawled on the ground, wind knocked out of him and nose bloodied.
Yea! What makes me so angry is that Republicans know, to the point of assuming, that Democrats will never stand up to them. Time and time again, Republicans have bullied to get their way or get their guy in power. McConnell is the biggest bully of the bunch. Democrats always back down and make excuses. They never have taken on the bully even though the majority of Americans are on their side and have their back.
I don't know about you Michael but I'm tired of backing a party that won't stand up for their constituents. Old cliches are true today just as before - if you live by the sword, be prepared to die by the sword. I take that to mean, you can't win if you aren't willing to go down trying.
We are bombarded daily by fundraising pleas based on a pledge/threat to do something when at this point no one really believes that Democrats can get their act together to make it happen. Here's a novel idea - do something that deserves my support.
They could start by canning feckless Jamie Harrison and hiring Leigh McGowan (Politics Girl.)
Couldn't agree more!
Maybe a better analogy than the high school fight is someone trapped in an alley, facing off with thugs intent on robbing and hurting their prey. In that situation, you do everything in your power to survive. So what if it's not the way you typically behave or like being perceived? I always carry a large, sharp pocket knife. Damn right I would use it in this scenario, though I find this kind of violence abhorrent.
Anyone who thinks this isn't a life-and-death struggle for democracy and what we see as an essential way of life is naive or deluded.
The party desperately needs a youth movement — people who understand the stakes and are willing to fight accordingly.
Yes. That is exactly the approach I'm advocating.
Schumer is a hack. Look how he got on the bandwagon to move the US Embassy to Jerusalem.He was there when soldiers gunned down unarmed protesters; while Putin personally led a convoy into Crimea the same day.
AOC will lose the cross-over Republican suburban voters needed.
The Democratic Party should be more worried about losing traditional liberal/progressive voters because they compromised to court cross-over 'Republican' voters. And, isn't it ironic that the Republican Party is willing to lose traditional Republican voters in exchange for tapping the enthusiasm and loyalty of white nationalists and Evangelicals. At this point everyone knows what the Republican Party stands for. The same cannot be said for the Democratic Party. That is a huge problem!
I agree. It takes great faith to be a Democrat, because they are so very good at snatching defeat from the jaws of victory--which they're not even close to this year.
I've spent too many decades watching the Democratic Party being unable to find their rear ends with both hands, while at the same time shooting themselves in the feet ("burn, baby, burn" to "defund the police"). But I've been a single issue voter since Hubert Humphrey ran against Nixon--women's reproductive rights. Women's reproductive freedom was in the Republican platform that year, but who could trust Nixon?
There are a lot of single-issue voters who may win the fight only to lose the war. Roe v. Wade is a case in point. Better to win the war and the fight.
Now the war is to turn every Republican out of all offices I can vote for. And work to turn the "R's" nearby out of office. I live in a very blue state, with some red districts--that's where I'm working
You're right. What about Representative Pramila Jayapal (WA-07)?
If her constituents have chosen her to represent them, great.
What do I think of her as Chair of the Progressive Caucus? I think her holding Biden's first major plan hostage for over a month was a grave mistake--she/Progressives wanted the whole package passed rather than break it into the easily-passed infrastructure bill and the impossible to pass domestic bill. All she did was stop all momentum, hurt centrist/purple district representatives, make the party look like it's held hostage to its leftist fringe, and make the Democrats look like they couldn't get anything done even having a majority. And her Progressive caucus got nothing in return for the damage she caused the Biden Administration and Democratic Party as a whole.
The Democratic Party has always been a coalition party, which is why it's so good at snatching defeat from the jaws of victory. This is a perfect example of how it happens.
MOTHERS AGAINST and WOMEN AGAINST need to become groups all across the US. If anyone here wants to create a group with me, let me know. It would be so easy. We would pick a topic. Each of you would create a video with your phone and send it to me. I would create a video project and post it on Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn. Any women who want to can email me at gaileegailee@gmail.com We can meet via ZOOM to discuss what we wish to be our first project and develop a script if you wish.
Glory
Does this mean you're in?
I also love this group’s focus!! If anyone has a few $$ to spare, let’s support their efforts.
https://mothersagainstgregabbott.com
Please note that this is a political PAC so no deduction for donations. But they have t-shirts and yards signs, and are working to oust the authoritarian regime that has taken hold in Texas and elsewhere. Can’t think of a better use of my few spare extra dollars than sending Abbott and company packing. We The People! All of us this time!
And the new MAGA can be universal: Mothers Against Global Authoritarianism!
Just donated!!
Thank you! Me too. 😎
Sad to see the group does not mention the word abortion anywhere on its PAC website.
Roe, Roe, Roe your Vote!!!
Ann Richards would be proud. :)
And so would Molly Ivins! ❤️
Go Blue or go Jewish. Judaism talks about first breath. Until first breath the fetus and the mother are one entity and the life of the mother takes precedent. Then we can sue them on the grounds of Religious Freedom
There is such a lawsuit, in fact: a synagogue in Florida is suing the state over its abortion law, arguing that it violates their religious beliefs.
My niece in Austin sent this a few weeks ago: Make Abbott Go Away. So good to see MAGA getting dealt with so well.
I am a proud MAGA member from SE Texas…we are growing in numbers everyday and we are mad as hell!
Mad about what?
Aleluya! You are mad at being played by a con man? At being treated as gullible and while your friends are being sent to jail he is still living the life and collecting donations in Mar O Lago? At being the army of an old man who can pronounce “yesterday” ?Better late than never
Thank you for such a succinct and eloquent recap of what the heck. It’s pretty grim. I have to say, at the risk of getting kneecapped again, this is so surreal a time in history - is this really America?
And yes, of course it is. In all its glory and thanks to 45, its vainglorious and vulgar, and perhaps dying gasps of our beautiful experiment this Repulic of ours.
Once I set foot on American soil and I tasted the heady freedom that I had NEVER experienced before (I was ten), I am sad to say that I remember exactly what it felt like to be a child before my beautiful coming to America.
We’re in trouble folks. We’re in some pretty deep sheep dip.
Thanks again, Professor.
Well put. It is time for Garland to go directly at the inner circle that gave us this mess. Well overdue in fact, it has been 18 months gone by.
I thought I was replying to your message - I don’t know what I did wrong. I’ll see if I can cut paste then delete.
Wow. This got complicated!
Edited to add:
I agree. This monster needs to be slain swiftly and in a manner so as to ensure a clear warning to any other considering traitorous behavior.
That this is dragging on and on is a DANGEROUS feed to apathy, a trait too many of us practice. The DOJ silence is deafening already. Ugh.😳
Yes, you are correct. Garland must act now before Trump declares his candidacy for POTUS. If he doesn't and Trump declares, Trump will sue saying a political candidate is immune to prosecution or some such hogwash and then this will be mucked up in the courts. Garland must do his job or be replaced by someone who will. I , for one, am sick and tired of dicking around with Trump. If he is guilty or not , he must be given his day in court. This has gone on far too long.
I don't think treason against America protects someone running for POTUS. How could they have a right via our democracy when they are anti-democracy? Not happening in this country. Go Merrick, after Thursday, show us some muscle against authoritarianism.
That’s it in a nutshell: planning to overturn a lawful election IS treason, and announcing a candidacy does not grant immunity.
Trump is betting it will. He’s shown us how toothless our “laws and norms” really are. Everything is ok for rich white men. Again, no action has stopped him, nor his ilk. He knew we would dissolve into a navel-gazing puddle trying to hold him accountable. That’s his joy. And the frenzied joy of his supporters. “Owning the Libs!” They just laugh and laugh. Democracy? What Democracy? Who need Democracy when it’s YOUR strongman in charge?
Mucking things up in the courts is his greatest joy and he is good at it, if he can still find a lawyer to work for him ( no pay). 2024 will come and go with many court actions still pending.
Sheep dip explains it well. And all because of the tail end of the rattler. An entitled and angry mob boss, ugliest man alive who attracted an army of vultures
I have to disagree, Jeri, that is it all because of the mob boss, this takeover and coup has been in the making for decades. The rethugs have been planning and installing their people in all our systems of government for a long time. Securing the SCOTUS was their final moment to strike and take over. The mob boss coming along was their lucky moment to have a dancing monkey out front literally on stage whilst they did their evil behind the red curtain. And that might be more than one red curtain...We still have not heard about the rethugs and putin from J6. I would say there was an army of vultures who attracted the perfect mob boss who made all the noise and chaos (rattler) they needed to strike against America. Us.
The rhetoric from the extreme right shows how long and how deeply they have hated the federal government. 45 was a perfect front for their strategy, while his strings are pulled from domestic and foreign terrorists and Bannon, et al. The deep state is them.
You got that right, nothing they offer is in any way constructive or helpful.
With Nixon, the cancer was in the White House. Dirty tricks and petty crimes, and obstruction of juctice should have put him in jail. The cancer came back with Ronald R. who should have been impeached for Iran Contra. GHWB pardoned the the Iran Contra felons and those responsible for the savings and loan crisis. Clinton was acquitted for lying under oath. GWB lied us into war and brought in contractors who did despicable things against the Geneva Convention without consequence to his or their reputation and power. We are now seeing how sparing the rod spoiled democracy.
Yes
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Go, Jeri! You may claim to be "old," but your mind is wicked sharp. I enjoy your posts for their youthful energy.
I refer the blame to Mitch. He’s the one that put together all the ingredients to make this mess. He never held 45 accountable. I hope his party goes down the drain.
Thank you for your thoughts. I sometimes wonder if I am overreacting.
Not even possible, antidote to the “seemingly normal.”
There is a very old and a very tasteless joke:
For Fundamentalists, life begins when a woman ovulates.
For Catholics, life begins at the fertilization of the fetus.
For Jews, life begins when the fetus has graduated medical school, is well established in its dermatology practice, and the family dog dies.
Seriously...for we Jews, life begins at the baby's first breath, and ends at its last one.
This Court's decision in Dobbs is taken by a great many of us as thorough anti-Semitism. Look for a case in the future speaking to this.
Very excited to see someone fighting back here in Florida, and on First Amendment, religious grounds:
“In a lawsuit against the Florida government, Congregation L’Dor Va-Dor of Boynton Beach says that the state's pending abortion law, which prohibits abortion after 15 weeks with few exceptions, violates the Jewish teaching that abortion "’is required if necessary to protect the health, mental or physical well-being of the woman.’ Citing the constitutional right to freedom of religion, the lawsuit states that the act ‘prohibits Jewish women from practicing their faith free of government intrusion and this violates their privacy rights and religious freedom.’
“ Advocating for abortion access is not the religious argument we usually hear, but it is on equal footing with religious arguments against it. (It's worth pointing out that Governor Ron DeSantis signed the Florida abortion act into law not at his office, but rather at a church.)
“ The synagogue's lawsuit raises the question of which religion takes precedence when it comes to legislation. It also highlights the difference between ‘This is against my religion, therefore no one can do it’ and ‘This is part of my religious tradition, therefore I legally have a right to access it.’ The former really has no place in U.S. law, as it violates the traditional separation of church and state, and the latter is a prime example of the purpose of the First Amendment right to freedom of religion.”
https://www.upworthy.com/synagogue-sues-florida-over-abortion-act-violating-jewish-religious-liberty?rebelltitem=1#rebelltitem1
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/unitarian-buddhist-ministers-are-joining-rabbis-legal-fight-floridas-n-rcna37354
This is awesome!!
Thank you. Forwarding this to friends.
So glad you can use it. I’m a retired librarian, finding and sharing information is my life’s work.
“The United States has now officially moved on from the ‘culture wars,’ as they were quaintly named. There is no other way to describe what is happening in Florida. A religious cohort that has captured the Republican Party has set the law of abortion, and another religious cohort has a legal argument to attack that law based on the state RFRA. It’s just plain religion vs. religion with none of the mediating governing institutions and principles needed to direct public policy away from religious wars toward the larger public good. Public policy is in the hands of theocrats and unaccountable judges.”
https://verdict.justia.com/2022/06/20/the-religious-freedom-restoration-act-formula-comes-full-circle-in-florida
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The Republican Party is already formally taking the position that the part of the First Amendment addressing religion only means that Christian rights MUST be explicitly recognized by law (including - or especially - the right to discriminate), that other religions may be left alone but fundamentally don't have any other rights, and that no one has the right to be an atheist. They believe that the Founders wanted the country to be officially Christian.
The only thing more disturbing than this is the Republican version of Christianity, which bears NO resemblance to the teachings of the actual Christ.
These people do not know the history of this country, either of its founding or its colonial period. From Mount Vernon Magazine, Fall 2021:
“The plight of Baptists, Quakers, Catholics, and other religious minorities clearly excited Washington’s sympathy, as he recognized the bigotry and persecution they had endured, and he used correspondence with these communities to calm deep-rooted fears that religious minorities would be excluded from civic life and the project of nation-building.
“In a missive to the United Baptist Churches of Virginia, he reaffirmed that ‘every man, conducting himself as a good citizen, and being accountable to God alone for his religious opinions, ought to be protected in worshipping the Deity according to the dictates of his own conscience.’ Writing a few months before Congress drafted the First Amendment, the new president reassured the Baptists that, if the Constitution ‘might possibly endanger the religious rights of any ecclesiastical Society’ or if the national ‘Government might ever be so administered as to render the liberty of conscience insecure,’ he would labor zealously “‘to establish effectual barriers against the horrors of spiritual tyranny, and every species of religious persecution.’ The imagery of ‘effectual barriers’ prefigured Thomas Jefferson’s more famous ‘wall of separation between church and state,’ erected in an 1802 letter to the Baptist Association of Danbury, Connecticut.”
“Roman Catholics, who had borne the brunt of bitter discrimination in the colonies, had reason to hope for a promising future when Washington reassured them that all citizens are ‘equally entitled to the protection of civil Government.’
“Washington’s commitment to religious liberty was not limited to Christians. In Washington, American Jews found a sincere friend. In a 1790 missive to the Hebrew Congregation in Newport, Rhode Island, perhaps his most eloquent and certainly his most famous pronouncement on religious liberty, he assured his correspondents that Jews in America enjoyed all the rights and privileges of citizenship, including ‘liberty of conscience.’
“More important, his letter described a distinctively American principle of religious liberty. ‘The Citizens of the United States of America,’ he began, ‘have a right to applaud themselves for having given to mankind examples of an enlarged and liberal policy: a policy worthy of imitation. All possess alike liberty of conscience and immunities of citizenship. It is now no more that toleration is spoken of, as if it was by the indulgence of one class of people, that another enjoyed the exercise of their inherent natural rights.’ He then continued with the letter’s most famous line, echoing words the Jews had conveyed to him: ‘For happily the Government of the United States, which gives to bigotry no sanction, to persecution no assistance requires only that they who live under its protection should demean themselves as good citizens, in giving it on all occasions their effectual support.’” http://magazine.mountvernon.org/2021/Fall/Believe-it-or-not.html
From Douglas Bradburn, President, MVLA,
“Prior to the Revolution, many religious groups had been subject to persecution, both in Europe and the colonies. In colonial Virginia, only the Anglican Church received official sanction and was supported by taxes and the force of law. Dissenters had no political rights and could be fined, punished, and imprisoned for offenses against the church and for unsanctioned religious activities. As an officer of the Crown and a magistrate in colonial Virginia, Washington was required to take an anti-Catholic oath, renouncing the pope, and affirming the Anglican establishment. The new United States would not require such religious ‘tests’ for public servants.” http://magazine.mountvernon.org/2021/Fall/index.html
Suzanne Crockett, what you have published here must be produced in courts of law, must be taught in schools, must be broadcast from mountaintops and from rooftops.
Yet, it is unfortunately probable that neither Washington's words nor their implications will be understood by MAGA cultists who would more likely want to shoot Washington if he were to return wearing a grey suit and tie.
Mind you, the same goes for Jesus, for Abraham and Moses, for every great religious figure...
How did that passage go in Isaiah 6:10?
"Make their hearts calloused; make their ears dull and close their eyes. Otherwise they might see with their eyes, hear with their ears..."
Amen and amen. The Mount Vernon Ladies Association (MVLA) is doing their best. “For more than 150 years, the Mount Vernon Ladies’ Association has protected and preserved the home of the Father of Our Country.
“We are proud that Mount Vernon does not accept government funding. We are a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization and rely solely upon patriotic individuals, foundations, and corporations to help preserve George Washington’s home and to educate visitors from all over the world.” https://www.mountvernon.org/donate/mount-vernon-preservation-needs/
And why does the Anglican Church exist? Henry the 8th wanted to marry his lover. He of course then murders her, and goes on to another woman, and another, etc, once he controlled the “religious narrative”. Ahhhh christianity! So “wholesome”. So worthy of autocracy. So perverse in the needs of civil society. It was always a rat’s nest. And always will be. It’s about power, pure and simple.
Well... How about all the weird and wonderful interpretations those very learned jurists have made of the US Constitution?
It's hard to say what's worse when it comes to misinterpreting a text like the Gospel or the Constitution, the confusion of the totally ignorant, the political slant put on spiritual teachings by Emperors and Popes, religious distortions in the reading of basic law at the behest of failed politicians who found material success and an obedient flock by dressing up as priests and pastors...
Any connection between Christ's teachings and what is taught in too many churches is purely fortuitous.
Yet... there's an incredible treasure chest buried under that dunghill... with all those wretched people standing on it moaning and complaining, when they're not spouting hate and toting semi-automatics...
As for the Constitution, one could add to the Litany something like:
From the learned opinions of clever fools and rogues, Good Lord deliver us.
Spot on Gail.
https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/22060281-complaint-ldor-va-dor-vs-state-of-florida-final
The list of defendants:
THE STATE OF FLORIDA; RON DeSANTIS, in his official capacity as Governor of the State of Florida, JACK CAMPBELL, in his official capacity as State Attorney for the Second Judicial Circuit of Florida; DAVID A. ARONBERG, in his official capacity as State Attorney for the Fifteenth Judicial district of Fla, FLORIDA DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH, JOSEPH LADAPO, M.D. in his official capacity as Secretary of Health for the State of Florida, FLORIDA BOARD OF MEDICINE; DAVID DIAMOND, M.D. in his official capacity as Chair of the Florida Board of Medicine; FLORIDA BOARD OF OSTEOPATHIC MEDICINE; SANDRA SCHWEMMER, D.O. in her official capacity as Chair of the Florida Board of Osteopathic medicine; FLORIDA BOARD OF NURSING, MAGGIE HANSSEN, M.H.S, R.N. in her official capacity as Chair of the Florida Board of Nursing; FLORIDA AGENCY FOR HEALTH CARE ADMINISTRATION, SIMONE MARSTILLER, J.D. in her official capacity as Secretary of the Florida Agency for Health Care Administration, and ASHLEY MOODY, in her official capacity as ATTORNEY GENERAL for the State of Florida.
Thank you for this report and persuasive analysis and explanation.
The Congregation also directly raises Florida's express right of privacy in the Florida State Constitution. California has such express right of Privacy as well. Article1. Section 7.
fertilization makes a zygote, not a human being. Zygote warriors mistake them for the done deal. Loss of potential may be sad, but not a crime.
This “loss of potential” concern seems to stop at birth. The forced-birthers have had fifty years to create a society that was just and supportive of children and women. The “lost potential” of the already born children living in economically-depressed zip codes bears this out. The “lost potential” of children living in environmentally dangerous places being exposed to carcinogenic air, soil, and food additives. The “lost potential” of kids living in cities with poisonous lead in their drinking water. The “lost potential” of kids whose parents must work two-three jobs to try to make ends meet because a living wage and healthcare are not a “privilege they deserve”. Address THAT and maybe they will hold some credibility in their self-righteous agrrogance. Jeri, Thank You for the “Zygote Warrior” statement!
They don't seem to care much about the done deal, though.
My spouse and I concur with the Jewish view on when life begins and ends. We have already seen the damage that this ruling has done and it will only get worse.
There is already a case in Florida on these grounds.
Yes - see above, Congregation L’Dor Va-Dor.
Excellent article.
The overturning of Roe completed the bond between the Church, the Supreme Court, and the Republican legislators. Now, they are fearless in their assault on democracy.
The deconstruction of the administrative state goes on. Today Betsy Devos called for closing the Department of Education.
An uneducated society is easier to controll.
Roe was the linchpin.
DeVos is just an inadequate rich white woman who knows how to inflict chaos and pain to youth. She is a non-entity, as far as I am concerned. It’s her brother who I worry about.
I worry about them both. Lots of money & power in that family.
Be assured that Erik has his evil paws in any destruction he can exacerbate, or initiate… both spawns of the devil.
Agree. The media loves to dig up these trumpers to scare people and get clicks. So sick of it. We have important work to do! Don't be distracted by this game of the media posting scary stuff to get clicks!
You and I, sister!
My relatives (on my mother's side) come from the Grand Rapids area of Michigan. I was well aware of the kind of person Betsy De Vos was long before she became part of the T**** nightmare. A more racist, tight-fisted, hateful part of Michigan you cannot find.
My mother was born in Grand Rapids and my grandparents ended up in Conklin (in an apartment over a tavern which belong to a relative) to the west of Grand Rapids. I went to Kalamazoo College and in the town of Kalamazoo, no hard liquor was available except in private clubs. So this part of Michigan also took and probably takes much pride in their rigid Christianity. My uncle grew up in Muskegon. They were all Rs and racist as heck. My spouse and I were visiting my grandmother and watching the 1968 D convention and riots around that. My grandmother mostly napped, but she awoke long enough to announce...."It's those damn n----rs." We were astounded having just returned from three years in the Peace Corps in Sierra Leone. We also watched Buckley call Vidal a fag on TV. I remember growing up in Elkhart, IN, and hearing lots of causal racism which no one gave any thought to. I was fortunate to have some adult friends (she had been my teacher in grade school) who countered a lot of this.
Oh, I do remember Buckley doing that to Vidal! The man had a vocabulary no one can match but he was an inglorious bigot to the hilt. Glad you escaped your family’s “dynamics” and made peace with your beliefs.
As long as my father was alive, there was no peace around politics. Every time I visited, we had an argument. I also belonged to the teacher's union which was a no-no despite my telling him why it was necessary. I mean we got, among other things, a half hour duty free lunch....before that it was duty with sandwich in hand. He also announced to me, a history major, that history doesn't matter. I often wonder what he would think now. I have to say that for the most part my family were decent people, but accepting of lots of racial talk and other prejudices. For example, I had a younger friend with me and my father referred to a brazil nut by the old name. She had a fit, but I told her you don't change people in their 80s who had grown up with phrases like this.
I was raised in a predominately Southern Baptist town in NC. Unfortunately, the words were used quite often but definitely not in my household. I couldn’t stand it.
Did you know George Taylor in Sierra Leone?
My husband thinks the in country director was named George Taylor. Is this who you have in mind?
We looked up George Taylor and he was the in country director 1965-1967 when we were there. We lived upcountry, so we seldom saw any of the administration except for the doctors. He had quite the illustrious career.
Hi Michele, I am just seeing this! Yes, it is the in country director I had in mind. I was in the Peace Corps in Guyana from 1968-70 and George Taylor was our in country Director. He was a good guy, always supportive and was well respected by volunteers and Guyanese. I had remembered he was previously in Sierra Leone, so thought you might know him.
Nice to “ meet” a fellow volunteer.
I need more info. There are many George Taylors in Sierra Leone.
C. A. DeVos’s calling for the closing of the Dept. Of Education reminds me of Lynne Cheney more than a generation ago. She had been chair of the National Endowment for the Humanities, where she had done some pretty good things. A few years later, when the NEH ‘displeased’ her, she aggressively sought its abolition. Sick birds of the same feather seem to stick together.
I remember Lynne, Both Cheneys contributed to the mess Liz finds herself in today, us as well.
Jeri Lynne Cheney’s husband, heavily involved in the disastrous 2003 Iraq invasion, was nicknamed ‘the big Dick’, which was not a compliment.
Devos’s younger brother is Eric Prince. His former company, Blackwater, was a private army of mercenaries who, for a few years, worked for CIA and the State Department. In Iraq some of his employees shot Iraqi citizens in cold blood. Subsequently he has been involved in shady arms and airplane deals.
He just happened to meet a top Russian in the Seychelles in January, 2017. {In fact he had been briefed on this guy and this seemed an effort to establish a back door connection to Trump.) He denied this and later seemed to diss his denial.
As for his personal character: while his first wife was dying, he had an affair with her nurse.
He and his sister benefitted from a billionaire father. DeVos/Prince and Dick/Lynne Cheney deserve a special spot in hell. There may be judicial actions pending against Eric Prince for his highly questionable shenanigans.
And all because Nixon wanted an issue that would continue the divide that civil rights rent in our social fabric. Betsy will do it if chump back to oversee the final nail in the coffin of democracy
Betsy is Devos is a rich nobody. Why the media continues to give attention to former trumper Cabinet members is ridiculous. Ignore these people.
We are at a moment in time where none of these people should be ignored. They should be called out for as anti-Americans. Nazis/White Supremacists/Corporatists against America.
I very much resist the sky is falling approach. Then we will be running from one nut head to another being given a voice. Giving full credence to everyone dilutes our focus and renders us wrapped in fear. What I assess is how much immediate power this person has. At this moment DeVos is toothless. Keep her on the radar if she is signaling the intent of the Republicans but the overall goal is going after those actively running for office at this time.
No, she doesn't have much direct influence now, but it is the organizations that she belongs to that make her dangerous. She is indeed carryoing the message of the GOP and the Church. These are the people who drive the right-wing message.
Council for National Policy:
…A Handful Of Men And Women, Individuals Of Character, Had A Vision. A Vision
To See The Return Of Righteousness, Justice, And Truth To Our Great Nation.”
Ronald Reagan, Remarks to CNP’s 10th Anniversary Celebration
Conservative Action Project.
These are the people leading the charge against democracy. The insurrection is not over. It has been in the works since Reagan, at least. All the flashy things going on in the public sphere are pretty serious, but it serves to keep us from looking into the source of funding for all these groups. The people who always remain in a position of plausible deniability.
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In West Michigan the DeVos family ARE the gop. They are not toothless. Unwise, self-righteous, bigoted, overbearing, and undermining of democracy, yes.
The important thing to note is the fact of "in West Michigan". Then why is the msm giving her National attention? The answer is clicks.
I am a very optimistic person and I think we will, in the very longrun, prevail. But right now, chicken little, the sky is falling on America and democracy, and we need to be incredibly vigilant and pro-active and our Justice systems need to work.
I love this improved MAGA (Mothers Against Greg Abbott). Other possibilities? Manchin Again Games America; Motivated Authoritarians Gain Adherents; Motivated Americans Ghost Authoritarians.
Mothers Against Miscarriage—MAM.
Actually there are other types too—like miscarriages against justice.
Thank you Heather.
This Letter reads like one more Orwellian nightmare. Yet it is the United States in real time.
Is it more frightening that there necessitates a reason to have the organization, Mother's against Abbott or that it actually exists?
My elderly friend from Germany mentioned last week that as the news unfolds everyday , she wishes she were younger to be able to leave here for "safer ground". The unavoidable future terrifies her.
How sad that my friend has to feel that leaving the land of opportunity at her age is even a fleeting thought.
Be safe. Be well.
I’m in her shoes, it’s more than a fleeting thought.
Jeri. She's not wrong. I'm watching Biden falter in the polls more so everyday and I don't see even the misty outline of an alternative candidate stepping forward. The GOP is locked and loaded with a gameplan. The midterms are all but here and we sat back and watched the GOP rig the game.
Linda, There are more examples of fighting back against those robbing us of our rights, our wealth and our voices.
'Doctor in 10-year-old’s abortion case takes 1st legal step against Indiana AG'
'Attorneys for the Indianapolis doctor who helped a 10-year-old Ohio rape victim obtain an abortion took the first legal step on Tuesday in a possible defamation lawsuit against Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita (R) for his comments in a story that has captured international attention.’
‘Kathleen DeLaney filed a notice of tort claim against Rokita on behalf of her client, Caitlin Bernard, for “false and misleading statements” about the OB/GYN in the days after she shared how she helped the 10-year-old, who traveled to Indiana for an abortion.’
“Mr. Rokita’s false and misleading statements about alleged misconduct by Dr. Bernard in her profession constitute defamation per se. The statements have been and continue to be published by or on behalf of Mr. Rokita and the Office of the Attorney General,” the claim reads. “To the extent that these statements exceed the general scope of Mr. Rokita’s authority as Indiana’s Attorney General, the statement forms the basis of an actionable defamation claim against Mr. Rokita individually.” (WAPO) Link below. Sorry no gifting option available.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2022/07/19/abortion-doctor-lawsuit-bernard-rokita-indiana/?itid=hp-more-top-stories
Fern, no question. But will they bear fruit? I hope so. We need as much coverage as possible. 24/7 to drown out the GOP. People don't remember the content of a headline after 24 hours because of the firehose quantity of news at our disposal. We have to just keep the news feeds on our side and keep it coming.
We are seeing not just the result of Republican bad faith, but of the mainstream Democratic Party’s willingness to trust the liars and traitors on the right. Assuming everyone is as fair minded as you stops being praiseworthy when you are repeatedly cheated.
This comes very close to dismissing Republican abuses to focus on blaming the Democrats.
The right continues to be strategic enough to unite as reliable Republican voters and take command of the party.
The left is still working to dismiss or divide the Democratic party - in a myriad of ways which all serve to elect Republicans.
I agree 1000%. I can hardly respond as of late. Within a couple comments on this forum, Gen Merrick Garland will be blamed and maligned. And this is after the former went through how many appointments within the Department of Justice? To be able to thumb his nose at the rule of law? Somehow Garland, appointed by President Biden is to blame for the continued attack on Democracy which was carefully crafted over decades.
“Canceling” Garland by Democrats just makes me squirm thinking how Repubs are rubbing their hands with glee.
My emphasis is that we keep the laser focus of dissent squarely on Republicans and the former and his minions.
United? Not so sure of late. 🗽
Yes. It is so important to keep clear that the great danger and harm right now is abuse of power by radical reactionary Republicans.
All I see is treason against democracy and the rule of law.
What they are doing in the name of religion is repeated over and over and over in history. And now we must deal with the vicious snake of white supremacy.
Hear, hear! A circular firing squad unless we keep our focus on the GOPigs, their god tfg, and all his acolytes.
Well said
except we shouldn't insult pigs... they deserve better
Truth, much smarter than tfg supporters.
You go, girl! Christine, you have articulated what I've been struggling with recently. We need to keep the major focus on tRump and his thugs rather than what the DOJ is doing. The rethuglicans have democracy, as we know it in their sights. We need to expose them all as traitors and fools.
Can't we do both Christine? I am all for Party loyalty and have even been called out for my undue loyalty to Biden in these comments. I believe we can support Garland as United States Attorney General and still urge him to take action. Isn't this what we are fighting for? Democracy in action? I hesitate to assign the label "cancelling" to people such as Glenn Kirschner and even the January 6 Committee who are calling for action from Garland.
Here is what Kirschner has said:
"Attorney General Merrick Garland has "probable cause on steroids" to indict former President Donald Trump, said legal analyst Glenn Kirschner....Kirschner, during an appearance on The Dean Obeidallah Show, said he believes the Justice Department's response to the select committee's investigation has been "beyond frustrating."
"And right now, I feel like Merrick Garland is not doing his damn job because he has probable cause on steroids for Donald Trump, for crime after crime after crime after crime," he said. "And he leaves him out holding rallies and continuing to push the big lie on people."
He said that as long as Trump is not facing an indictment, he is continuing to "radicalize people" and "endanger the health of our democracy."
We agree. Of course we can have opposite discourse. I disagree with Kirschner. The Attorney General is doing his job.
Salud. 🗽
Christine we really have no idea what Garland is doing at this point. I don't feel it's nothing. I do feel he will do whatever he can. It may not be what we want when all is said and done, but I know it will be as far as he can go with what he has. This will be his biggest case yet.
Agree. And then perhaps move on to Supreme Court when expanded. I am keeping visión strong for Democracy and insistent that our voices say the strong, proactive assertions and affirmations that we believe in and preserve.
Salud, my wise friend. 🗽
The AG is doing his job? How do you figure?
The question is…. How do you figure that he’s not???
Jim, one minor detail is that the January 6th Committee has not turned over the findings for his consideration to proceed as yet. These investigations are on going.
As Terri Kanefield repeatedly points out, what it takes to win a conviction in court is much more than what it takes to believe with very good reason that a person is guilty. It's easy enough to say Garland 'should' have indicted Trump by now, and for all I know that could be true, but it is equally likely that the DOJ is building a no-leaks case that will be very effective when it is brought.
In addition, while I agree that proper consequences for Trump's assault on democracy are important, let's not make the mistake of expecting any one thing to rescue us.
I never said Garland should have trump indicted by now. And I 100% agree with your last statement. Lets get out the vote.
Exactly. Two truths Republicans are reprehensible, AND establishment Democrats are poorly served by‘going high’
What say ye to my reply to your original comment of ..."mainstream Democratic Party’s willingness to trust the liars and traitors on the right" Once again who on the list I mentioned is trusting the Republicans' lies? The January 6 Committee? Barack Obama? AOC?
Barack Obama, definitely. He came in committed to an outmoded ideal of bipartisanship and when that didn't work, he stuck with it far too long. The blocking of Merrick Garland was a four-alarm fire for democracy. When it became clear that the Repugs were going to focus on hurting us, which was evident from the moment Mitch McConnell said his focus was on making Obama a one-term president. Once McConnell started blocking Garland, any counter measure based on institutional norms was off the table. Institutional norms were gone, yet Obama and many Democrats continued to behave as if there was some good faith left. So we stood appalled but ineffective.
Why? Because we didn't grasp the hard lesson of Game Theory: when your opponent operates in bad faith, punish them any way you can until they come back into line.
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/evolution-the-self/201607/the-prisoner-s-dilemma-and-the-virtues-tit-tat
Hi lin. I always find your comments interesting and informative, but I think it is a mistake to be too ready to accuse fellow Democrats of coming "very close to dismissing Republican abuses to focus on blaming the Democrats."
Manchin and Sinema are surely blameworthy and are DINOs. Schumer has failed to get the most import parts of Biden's progressive economic/social agenda through the Senate, despite his 23 years of experience there, and there has been no progress towards guaranteeing the free and fair elections we will need to have a chance against the GOP's 40-year minority rule project, which instead is coming to fruition with each passing day.
There is nothing to be done with the GOP but kick their asses in the mid-terms. If it takes some Democratic infighting to get us there, so be it.
The Democratic Party led by Biden and Schumer may not have what it takes, so we should be prepared to take some risks, even show a little pride in being lefties, as the present course will surely lead us into authoritarian subjugation by the Trumpian minority.
What have we got to lose? The Earth is roasting, for God's sake!
See the opinion in today’s WaPo about why one can’t strike a deal with Manchin.
Thanks, MLM, I saw it. By the way, where is ET? Ethiopia?
East TN in the Smoky Mtns
It does not serve the Democratic Party, or the Democratic voters to let them off scot free. They need to stop treating the GOP as if it is acting in good faith. It isn't, and it hasn't been for decades. The Democrats in Congress repeatedly give the GOP a pass, and worse, they let their own Senator, Manchin, walk all over them. They haven't changed their tactics OR their messaging to reflect the fact that the Republican Party is breaking the Senate (with the help of Manchin and Sinema). They need to fight back, with everything they have. I'm not seeing that happen.
The fact is that even the Democrats in Congress and the other Democratic organizations aren't consistently blaming the Republicans. They should be doing this every time they appear in front of a microphone. Instead, we get "my esteemed colleague" this, and "my old friend" that. The time for revering civility over action is long gone. And it's up to us to make sure they understand that.
Yes. So much this. Democrats, being fair-minded people, don't like to talk about revenge but revenge is what's needed now. Much of the Republicans' impunity comes from our reluctance to step out of institutional norms and focus on hurting them back.
When they go low, kick them in the teeth.
Great comment! Thank you Gail H.
I don't get it. Did their strategy just happen or did Newt Gingrich engineer it? If we keep applying the same defensive messaging, explanatory rhetoric and fear of taking the fight to the enemy's camp, what do we expect to achieve?
There are those who believe that the Democratic Party prefers to be an opposition Party, rather than a proactive Party. Part of the evidence for this is that they are far more likely to introduce "radical" change in gigantic far-reaching bills that have absolutely no hope of passage, but when they have clear majorities, they either avoid anything major, or introduce small bills that have no clear value to voters (like renaming post offices), or large bills that favor corporate interests over those of the people - like the ACA, which was 11 years ago, and what have they done for us lately?
But when they're in the minority, they get to complain and rail against Republicans, in the sure knowledge that they can't be expected to get anything done.
And when put on the spot, what's their answer to EVERY demand from the voters? Vote. "Vote blue no matter who." And when we do, and we elect Democrats, what do we get? Small, unhelpful renaming bills, or excessively large bills that go nowhere. Lather, rinse, repeat.
Indeed. While the horror of the Republican Party haunts my waking thoughts, what keeps me sleepless at night is the knowledge that the Democratic politicians insist on treating the GOP as if it acts in good faith. Every time someone like Biden refers to "my friend" Mitch McConnell, I want to spew on his shoes.
❤️ I can't get the Substack heart to work, but Gail, you are right on. F&*K McTurtleneck who is friend to no one.
It’s called the Collins Syndrome, right?
Down with bipartisanship with traitors, way past time
..."Democratic Party’s willingness to trust the liars and traitors on the right." Please give examples. Frankly I hadn't noticed the January 6 Committee, Beto O'Rourke, Nancy Pelosi, Joe Biden, AOC, Cory Booker, Ilhan Omar, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Rashida Tlaib, Ayanna Pressley, Gretchen Whitmer, Andy Beshear, Michelle Obama, Barack Obama, Bernie Sanders, and thousands of Democratic Party politicians, millions of Democratic voters and even commenters in these Letters from an American doing that.
Oh, there is no shortage of Democratic hand-wringing. I grant you that. Every fundraising email I get says, "The awful Republicans took my lunch money! Please send $5 so I can buy a baloney sandwich!"
But where are the brutally effective counter measures? January 6th? From what I've seen, that was mostly Liz Cheney's brainchild. She saw the need to make the hearings an emotional gut punch and package each takeaway for the evening news.
Polonius was a fool but Shakespeare put some great advice in his mouth. Here's a relevant bit:
Beware of entrance to a quarrel, but being in,
Bear’t that the opposed may beware of thee.
In other words, when your opponent leaves you no choice but to hit back hard, spare no effort to leave them leaking. What have we, the Democrats done as a party to make Republicans beware of us?
IMO, The Jan 6 hearings are one of the best things out of DC in a long time. Cheney has been fabulous in her role. But now I see some Democrats calling for a not-Biden ticket in 2024 with Cheney as VP. For "unity." OMG. First of all, the GOP now hates her, so much for unity. Second, she's about as hard right as it gets without going alt. She voted with Trump 93% of the time.
This is another problem with Democrats: as soon as a Republican does the right thing, the legal thing, the expected thing, Democrats fall all over themselves with praise and even start saying things like "I'd vote for _____." Democrats need to have higher standards for the Party. No wonder Republicans have no respect for us. Our bar for them is way too low, and they know it.
" From what I've seen, that was mostly Liz Cheney's brainchild. " Can you prove this Jim?
I can't find the WaPo article, but it said that Cheney looked at things that made past hearings less effective: long testimony, complex questions and dead air and made a point of packaging the current hearings to avoid that.
A most excellent letter tonight! The news today on the issue of reproductive rights includes several horrific examples of where the reversal of Roe v Wade leaves us. Not content with this reversal, Republican legislators across the country insist on piling on with state after state adopting ever stricter prohibitions against any abortion under any circumstance regardless of the health needs of the pregnant woman. A huge majority of Americans - wives, mothers, sisters, daughters, nieces and granddaughters-and the men who love them - could suffer the horrors reported to date since the Roe reversal. Surely, the time has come for all who want to put an end to this madness to go to the polls in November to vote the Republicans out of office!
But will voting them out be enough? Think of all the places they now infest, and not always elected. Many who are inflicting evil on us are appointed, and at all levels, local on up. We MUST vote, but we must also do more. I just wish I had other ideas of what that “more” is, and how to go about it.
I agree, the slime has infiltrated every nook and cranny and cleaning it up is going to take more than voting. "People" like Steve Bannon were never elected, never had any official government job - he was a "trump whisperer". Like *ucker Carlson, he takes to the airwaves spewing vitriol soundbites and lies (never presents any solutions to improve peoples' lives), literally rallies armed followers and cozies up to dictatorships with the full intention and goal to end democracy. Every day we look more and more like 1930's Germany - an industrialized country that got sucked into following pure evil. As with our own Civil War, the rise of Hitler and Nazi Germany has been studied inside and out so we "don't forget" and yet here we are. And, unlike the 1930's, we now have the overlay of the global nuclear component and climate change!
We are clearly on the path to disaster and I shudder to think of how bad it will get if republicans finish overthrowing the government.
Every word truth. Got banned from Twitter for saying just that, way before chump.
Love love love Mothers Against Greg Abbott! Living in Florida, we desperately need Mothers Against Ron Desantis to warn the nation and the world about Desantis’ Christofascist intentions, his willful refusal for mask mandates in schools that caused the deaths of untold numbers, his purposeful repudiation of the rights of LGBTQ people in our state, his attempts to re-write Civics education and to intimidate educators at all levels, and more.
Calling your group “Mothers Against DeSantis” would be MAD (so relevant!).
Perfect! Any idea how to get this started????
Clíp it to MAD. MOTHERS AGAINST DESANTIS.
LOVE THAT! How do we start? Any ideas???
These radical ideas have been lurking in the GOP for a long time and were released by the 2016 election. The 62% ( and growing ) have the power to stop this . Politics as usual does not fit the times we are in and I hope enough people realize it.
"Politics as usual does not fit the times we are in and I hope enough people realize it."
Especially the politics as usual on the left which has disastrously focused its collective ire and spite on the Democratic party.
'...on Friday, by a 4-to-1 margin, delegates to the Republican Party convention in Idaho rejected an amendment to their platform that would have permitted an abortion to save the life of the mother.' (Letter)
As we work to protect Democracy in America and to protect one another the fact that our lives are at stake becomes clearer every day.
There are no "good Republicans," not even the ones "pushing up daisies".
I'm holding ALL Republicans accountable for my rights being taken away. No one does that and gets away with it! No Republican will get my vote.
Don’t think they ever did get mine
Back in the day, I voted for Senators Packwood and Hatfield from Oregon (both Republicans). I haven’t voted for one since. Packwood resigned after showing he was an “ass grabber” (unwanted butt fondling of a female staffer IIRC), and Ron Wyden was subsequently elected. I never did vote for Gordon Smith (who I believe replaced Hatfield when he retired) although he and Wyden worked closely together.
Yes, there does seem to be a dearth of decent Republicans these days. As I read somewhere, people are (rightly) castigating Manchin, but do not forget at the same time that NO Republicans are voting for anything the Biden administration proposes either. Yes, Manchin & Sinema are our party's "Benedict Arnolds", but they are accompanied by 50 Senate Republicans too. They are ALL every bit as culpable for tanking any- and everything proposed by Democrats. "The Party of Lincoln" ceased to exist long ago. They ALL outliers as far as I'm concerned.
The politicians voting for these cruel anti-abortion laws should be sued for practicing medicine without a license. Medicine is complicated. Look at the chaos these laws are having on medical practice even beyond reproductive health. All the unintended consequences of these thoughtless uncaring laws. Pharmacies not selling drugs for Lupus and Cancer because they might be used for an abortion! Doctors having to get permission from the hospital lawyers to proceed with saving lives. The lawyers don't have licenses to practice medicine either. Of course, neither do Extreme Court Justices. No Republican will get my vote ever again. I'm holding the entire Republican Party accountable. The Mothers against Greg Abbott certainly have my wholehearted (yes, I have a heart) support and I'm ready to fight with them. My Ninth Amendment rights (the ones the People enumerate like Women's Reproductive Rights) shall not be abridged.
Cathy, the one edit in my mind would be, 'All the INTENTED consequences...' Did the Justices, governors and legislators consult with women, doctors and refer to medical history when abortion was illegal before overturning abortion laws? Did they do that before passing whatever anti-abortion laws the state would allow? They are threatening the health and lives of women and it's what they intend to do.
Yes, I almost wrote intended rather than unintended although I suspect they don't have enough of a brain between them to understand all the ramifications of what they have done/are doing. They see it as a triumph.
Cathy, They have enough brain cells to care or not care -- and clearly, THEY DO NOT CARE.
I totally agree. The intention IS cruelty!
As with caging immigrant children, the cruelty is the point.
YES! And where are the indictments for Stephen Miller and that Keebler elf?? But hey, we can’t even get AR-15’s and pistols out of our children’s hands!
Get votes that is their intention. Manipulate the people's emotions, without concern for their wellbeing and then get their votes. How much more does this harm, minorities and poor women? That's okay -- who were those minorities going vote for?
They don't respect laws when they pass them either.......what was it that trump called soldiers going to war.....loosers and suckers. We are all soldiers now. The rules are for the others who are "fool enough" to respect them and assume that they were passed in good faith and with true intent.
It's the cruelty that is so distressing.
They certainly consulted a few of men. When Simone Veil, then Minister of Health fought the 1974 parliamentary battle to obtain the right to abortion in France her opposition was a totally male membership of the National Assembly.
Hello and good morning, Stuart! It always takes a woman to do “a man’s job”. Simone made her point. We made ours in ‘73 only to see it trampled upon by white men in 2022. I, personally, would like to see women grab these guys by their scrotum and not let go. I guess all of us should grow our nails long, sharpen them up like spears, and get ready to do battle.
Morning to you too, Marlene.
While universally "crossing their legs" ...and sayin NO until such a time as...
Absolutely!
Marlene, We know that all white men are not the same. Justice Stephen G. Breyer voted to uphold Roe v. Wade and Justices Clarence Thomas and Amy Coney Barrett voted to overturn it.
The following excerpts from articles serve to provide an overview of the experiences and opinions of Black Americans concerning abortion.
‘A Gallup survey conducted between 2017 and 2020 found that 46 percent of Black Americans said that abortion was “morally acceptable” — up from 31 percent who said the same between 2001 and 2007; non-Black racial groups that Gallup surveyed reported a slight change in how they felt about abortion (41 percent from 2001 to 2007, to 43 percent from 2017 to 2020).
And another poll from the Pew Research Center published in May found that a greater share of Black adults (67 percent) than Hispanic and white adults (58 and 57 percent, respectively) thought abortion should be legal in all or most cases..
‘But abortion access in Black communities isn’t just tied to health outcomes; it’s often tied to things like the quality of schools in predominately Black areas, racial disparities in health care or even the criminal justice system. That February PerryUndem survey found, for example, that Black voters connected abortion rights and access to control over one’s body (72 percent), women’s rights (72 percent) and health care (67 percent). A plurality of Black respondents — 47 percent — tied abortion access to racial justice, more than any other demographic group surveyed. And, of course, underlying the debate regarding Roe is the question of what banning abortions means for Black children. Rallying cries for change such as “Black Lives Matter,” a motto and movement created to highlight the abuses that Black people face at the hands of police officers, confronts difficult questions about the safety of both Black people and the children they may be forced to conceive.’
“At its core, this issue for voters is about power and control over one’s own body. Given our nation’s history, I think Black voters across political ideology are more attuned than white people to threats to bodily autonomy,” Undem said. She added that her research has found that Black voters and people of color are more likely to see systemic factors affecting abortion access — because abortion access is about access to resources and opportunities to raise healthy children. As Undem told me, Black voters and people of color often see a lack of abortion access as “forcing people to have children, but not providing access to resources that are required, like affordable childcare.”
https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/why-abortion-is-a-civil-rights-issue-for-black-voters/
‘That Dobbs originates in Mississippi, the poorest state in the country, twists this fairy tale into a cruel joke. In Mississippi, nearly half of women-led households live in poverty, almost twice the national average; twelve per cent of women in the state lack health insurance, compared with eight per cent nationally. Barrett’s blithe suggestion that pregnant women simply “go fifteen, sixteen weeks more” ignores, among many burdens, that pregnant women in Mississippi die at higher rates than their peers in most states, including Louisiana and Georgia. And because this case is no longer just about Mississippi, it also ignores the fact that Black women are three to four times more at risk of dying in childbirth than white women.’
https://www.newyorker.com/news/essay/how-black-feminists-defined-abortion-rights
‘Abortion is a contentious issue in the African American community, especially since many religious Black Americans hold the same beliefs about fetal personhood as White evangelicals. But one group has consistently advocated for the importance of abortion rights for Black people: Black feminists. Why? Because they have long seen the right to abortion as part of broader racial and reproductive justice goals.’
‘Thirty-one states allowed forcible sterilization at some point during the 20th century. These policies often disproportionately affected people of color, especially Black people.’
‘In 1961, civil rights activist Fannie Lee Hamer was sterilized without her consent by a White doctor who was performing surgery to remove a uterine tumor. These forced sterilizations were so common at one time that they were dubbed “Mississippi appendectomies.”
‘Even in the 1980s and 1990s, birth control, often semi-permanent forms like implants or injections, became a condition to receive public assistance in many states.’
‘But despite this history of abuse, Black feminists still fiercely advocated for the right to abortion because they understood the importance of bodily autonomy, especially when it comes to reproduction.’
‘Why? Because abortion had long been a strategy of survival and resistance for Black women. Historians have revealed that abortion even enabled some semblance of self-determination during slavery. Enslaved women could thwart enslavers’ ability to use their children as chattel to generate profit with birth control and abortion.’
https://www.washingtonpost.com/outlook/2022/06/29/despite-anti-abortion-campaigns-black-feminists-support-abortion-rights/
Hi Stuart. Good to see you. I've emailed a Liz & Bernie bundle. It will spark no fires of anticipation, although, I believe Bernie may wake up a few Democrats and hopefully a large number of slumbering voters.
Hope no longing springs eternal. Cheers!
They know
Rachel Maddow tonite showed a memorandum from Merrick Garland dated 8 Weeks ago advising all DOJ employers to consider the sensitivity of election time prosecutions. Perhaps Trump has seen this, which refers to Barr's notice while he was director that the DOJ should not investigate those campaigning.
Garland appears to be proving he should have remained a judge, because "man of action" is not what you think of when you consider him.
The mills of God grind exceeding slow, but they grind exceeding fine.
A judge knows that all the facts must be in order before prosecution can be brought.
Appearing dilatory could rather be he is slowly, deliberately and meticulously building a case. Let everyone think he is uncertain and them slam tfg and buddies with indictments.
The memo said they should be sensitive to appearances around elections and should not undertake any criminal investigations against candidates or their advisors without first obtaining written permission from higher level personnel at the Justice Department. So they need written permission, but the investigations are not prohibited.
My understanding is that if DOJ is going to investigate a candidate for president or vice-president, then the probe has to be approved by the attorney general. Seems reasonable to me, considering the sensitivity.
There's no prohibition against investigating someone who is campaigning, though investigations would be briefly suspended around Election Day. This isn't new policy, just a continuation of what previous attorneys general have followed.
I think Rachel made a bigger deal out of this than warranted.
Former federal and state prosecutor Elie Honig wrote a "note" back in May about the timeline for charging tfg. I'm not sure if this "pause to prosecute" applies even if he were to announce his intention today to run for president in 2024.
https://cafe.com/elies-note/note-from-elie-merrick-garland-is-running-out-of-time/
Here's an excerpt:
"Midterm elections are on November 8th. The Justice Department has a longstanding policy against announcing new criminal charges or taking overt investigative steps (such as executing a search warrant) shortly before an election. There’s no formal provision on the books, but AGs of both parties over the past several administrations have issued Department-wide memos reminding prosecutors to abide by this blackout practice, which applies either 60 days or 90 days before an election, depending who you ask. (I always understood the blackout period to be 60 days, but other DOJ alums place the line of demarcation 90 days out.) "
Huh. Sure didn't stop FBI Director Comey from announcing in October 2016 that he was looking into Clinton's emails. Garland needs to leave the 19th and 20th Centuries. We are in desperate times.
This!!!
DESPERATE TIMES
I read the article, Lynell. It is very discouraging, really. I do, however see a comparison of the hare and the turtle, Garland being the latter. Maybe he will prevail (here’s hoping 🙏).
Yes, I find it discouraging, too, Marlene. Article was written back in May, when I thought there was still hope. Now, two months later, and nothing, nada, zip. I have been in his corner all this time but now feel he really needs to get a move on!
Remember way back in 2020 when other than COVID all we had to contend with was getting 45 out of the WH? How quaint those days were!😵💫
I think he is so isolated that he simply does not realize his silence is causing tremendous anxiety and disillusion for us who want justice.
Thanks for the recommendation and link.
I wish I shared your confidence.
Robert Hubbell wrote of this in his most recent news letter. Included a copy of the memo from Garland I will link below.
https://roberthubbell.substack.com/p/the-manchin-wrecking-ball/comments
“As usual, Trump’s feral instincts are right. Per a report by Rachel Maddow on Monday evening, Garland has issued two memos telling DOJ prosecutors that they must exercise special caution in indicting political figures near elections. And Garland specifically re-authorized Bill Barr’s guidance that no indictment of a presidential candidate can made without clearance from Garland himself. The purpose of these cautionary guidelines is “to safeguard the reputation of the Department of Justice.” See letter from Merrick Garland to “All Department Employees,” here: Attorney General Memorandum - Election Year Sensitivities
Garland has always valued the reputation of the Department of Justice over the actual pursuit of justice. But the converse should be true: in every conceivable instance, the “reputation” of the DOJ is secondary to the pursuit of justice—especially where a coup-plotter is concerned.”
https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/22089098-attorney-general-memorandum-election-year-sensitivities
Garland is capitulating to Trump and his openly fascist political party. Garland will go down in history as the equal of Neville Chamberlain, who tried to appease Hitler in the Munich Agreement... also known as the Munich Betrayal. I think we can name this incident the Garland Betrayal.
Thanks for posting Hubbell's comments, Vivian. I read his latest, or so I thought, and totally missed the "general memorandum" part.
What’s the point of Idaho again? Snark aside red states have outsized power and I fear we aren’t safe for long in blue states.
Somewhere in the federal government, there must be a memo that outlines next steps should a state like Idaho defy a federal court order.
I'm ready for the feds to put these states in their place. For example, take away federal tax revenue until they comply. This entire states-rights chest-thumping show might please the locals, but they might not talk so tough in the face of extreme consequences.
Already in place, but in danger of not being applied.
Article VI, Paragraph 2 of the U.S. Constitution is commonly referred to as the Supremacy Clause. It establishes that the federal constitution, and federal law generally, take precedence over state laws, and even state constitutions. https://www.law.cornell.edu/wex/supremacy_clause
And
McCulloch v. Maryland (1819)
Issue: Can Congress establish a national bank, and if so, can a state tax this bank?
Result: The Court held that Congress had implied powers to establish a national bank under the "necessary and proper" clause of the U.S. Constitution. The Court also determined that United States laws trump state laws and consequently, a state could not tax the national bank.
Importance: The McCulloch decision established two important principles for constitutional law that continue today: implied powers and federal supremacy. https://www.americanbar.org/groups/public_education/programs/constitution_day/landmark-cases/
It worked during the 1973 oil crisis:: “The Emergency Highway Energy Conservation Act was a bill in the U.S. Congress that included the National Maximum Speed Limit [55]. States had to agree to the limit if they desired to receive federal funding for highway repair.”: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Maximum_Speed_Law
My question isn't about the well-established authority. It's about how the federal government enforces violations of the Supremacy Clause. So the feds sue a state like Idaho, and it wins a favorable judgment (though I wonder what this extreme right-wing Supreme Court would do). But Idaho persists in its defiance.
What's the enforcement mechanism then? Is there a precedent — beyond the Civil War?
Withhold federal funds? Just very quick search, old data from 2013, bet they can’t do w/out a third of their budget. “In 2013 Idaho got $2.6 billion dollars from the federal government, which is 34.4% of its total revenue.” https://www.nationalpriorities.org/smart/idaho/constructor/
That would get their attention! As you probably know, many red states pay way less in federal taxes than they receive.
Thank you
Maybe not necessarily in ID, but corporations can certainly have an impact, as happened in NC a few years ago over the bathroom bill.
Shaf.
“I fear”.
Don’t Fear Shaf. Prepare.
Lots of talk of fear today in these comments. The media has done its job well. Blinders work well in ignoring the calls for fear. I just don't click on the fear mongering for money junk.