Yesterday, forces from the private mercenary Wagner Group crossed from Ukraine back into Russia and took control of the city of Rostov-on-Don, a key staging area for the Russian war against Ukraine. As the mercenaries moved toward Moscow in the early hours of Saturday (EDT), Russian president Vladimir Putin called them and their leader, Yevgeny V. Prigozhin, traitors. This morning, they were bearing down on Moscow when they suddenly stopped 125 miles (200 km) from the Russian capital. This afternoon the Russian government announced that Belarus president Aleksandr Lukashenko had brokered a deal with Prigozhin to end the mutiny: Prigozhin would go to Belarus, the criminal case against him for the uprising would be dropped, the Wagner fighters who did not participate in the march could sign on as soldiers for the Russian Ministry of Defense, and those who did participate would not be prosecuted.
Pro life is putting into place anti automatic weapons laws. How can we defend unborn children when we watch young children die in schools where they should feel protected and educated.
Women and their health care providers need to make the ultimate decisions on whether a fetus should be brought into this world. It is a more nuanced decision for a woman and the federal and/or state governments do not need to be involved.
The Federal and state governments should be involved with protecting the children the have already been born.
Let’s provide these children with quality healthcare and education and freedom from fear of being gunned down in their schools.
I thought today was your day off. Take care of the caregiver, they say - and you take such care of us. Please accept a collective, We love you, Professor!
When I talk to pro-life people, I ask them if they want the state or federal government requiring them to donate blood or bone marrow to save lives. So far, every one of them have said adamantly “NO!” I ask them if their answer is because doing so might affect their health a little or be painful. They have answered yes. I then ask why a woman should be told by the state government that she has to put her health at risk to save the life of the unborn baby. I point out that it is far safer to donate blood or bone marrow than to be pregnant or give birth.
I think that we need to equate donating blood, bone marrow, or part of a liver to save a life with being pregnant. Based on answers from pro-life persons, it’s not about everyone putting their health at risk to save lives. It’s only about women making the sacrifices.
On the bizarre Prigozhin one way trip to Minsk, something is really fishy. As some have already pointed out, the fact that he could take thousands of soldiers on a minatory march toward Moscow without being strafed to death or even attempted to be stopped, clearly shows that Prigozhin has significant support within the Russian military and in the various security services.
BTW, how is he "getting" to Belarus?! Will Aeroflot fly him? Will the FSB take him back to whatever gold plated manse he has in Moscow or St. Petersburg and watch while he packs his bags, gathers his family and makes hotel reservations?
And we would all have to be born yesterday to believe that the tyrant from central casting President of Belarus, Aleksandr Lukashenko, who is a close Putin ally and beneficiary has suddenly become the Metternich of Minsk.
I have no idea what's going on but one thing for sure is that this isn't over by a long shot. The threat to Putin's power due to the horrific and failing war in Ukraine is significant, as are certain to be Putin's countermeasures against that threat. We will see how it all plays out.
On the anniversary of the Dobbs decision, one item Heather pointed out demands further emphasis, in my humble opinion. Irrespective of how Americans feel about the right to abortion, this anniversary should have all Americans grimacing in concern that in Dobbs, the Supreme Court for the first time in our history retracted a constitutional right. The fact that such a retraction had never previously occurred (and in fact was unthinkable) is due, inter alia, to what had once been a conscious understanding that rights once recognized cannot be taken away in a free society whose governmental compact reflects a government of limited powers vis-a-vis its people. Two and a half generations of Americans, particularly American women, relied upon this right to live their lives free from governmental interference into the most intimate chambers of their being and existence. The fact that Roe's core finding withstood nearly half a century of subsequent litigation, but was all swept away by the narrowest of majorities left not only the concept of stare decisis in tatters on the marble floor, but also the fundamental trust in the capacity of the Court to render impartial justice.
The Wagner group decides not to attack Russia while the MAGA group continues to attack women. What a contrast. When will the American people really rise up and send the MAGA group to the equivalent of Belarus? Before I die, I hope.
How do 700 people, most of whom are not doctors and, despite that, calling themselves the American College of Pediatricians, run a highly visible propaganda operation? Something is wrong with Americans, especially white Americans and most especially white Evangelicals. I don’t think those people can be civilized, but there might be some hope of bringing them to heel if we can get enough of the rest of us to the polls.
Title 1X changed the lives of girls forever and Roe Vrs Wade did as well. The freedom to be a whole person, a woman with rights and choices is something this younger generation had taken for granted and is now fighting for again. Some day I hope that humans will be free to make choices and express all parts of themselves without fear
As an intuitive and an activist, I'm having very strong feelings about all of this! And, frankly, it starts with the thoughts... 'bring it on!'...In a photo of Putin released today, he does not look well. He's beginning to his grip.. A lot of educated young Russians have left for the West over recent months. In general, it feels like things are changing. I believe we're gong to see more and more parents standing up for the offspring. About 6 years ago, the Pew Research Institute, a sound source of news and data, spoke of the increasing number of youth who were leaving the churches they'd been raised in. And, indeed in many areas and in many ways, we are seeing the choices of younger who think very differently. And who have shown they're ready to fearlessly take action. It wasn't a casual decision to sue Montana, where fossil fuels are the #1 source of the state's economy. Where Gov. Gianforte physically attacked a reporter on national tv. The biggest challenge in my mind is that Congress is full of people, who do not fully understand they are dinosaurs when it comes to understanding today's world and what is needed to create life affirming change. The last few week a shift has begun.
Why did Prigozhin turn back so close to seizing control of Moscow, Russia? One potential alternative, does it make sense? Prigozhin ends up in Middle East or Africa where he owns gold diamond mines and keeps the resident dictator in power and thus is safe, his army in Russia melts away into civilian life ready for recall when Prigozhin instructs...and thus he has shown bloodlessly the Russian people, oligarchs and military that Putin is a 'paper tiger' and he is ready to take over when they have had enough of Putin. Thus no fighting of Russian vs Russian, just wait until people are accepting of an end to Putin and Prigozhin rides back into Moscow with his armies. His ride to Moscow showed the world this is doable! Prigozhin has shown himself to be an extremely smart skilled tactician so 'pulling up lame' just short of Moscow makes no sense. Sort of like when Napoleon came out of his first exile and retook his title of Emperor essentially bloodlessly.
The US Constitution needs another amendment, modelled after the First: Congress shall pass no laws regarding personal relationships or reproduction. This would give these areas the same level of legislative protection that religion now enjoys.
I'm happy that the good professor has carefully not used the terms "Pro-life" and "Pro-abortion" in her letter today. These terms are used by the Right to shade the debate about abortion, to color the team sides, as it were. I don't know anybody that is "Anti-life", or in fact, "Pro-abortion". Words matter.
Abortion, in my mind, represents a failure of some sort: a failure of birth control, if it was used, or a failure to use it. A failure to respect the bodily rights of a woman (or a girl) by force of rape or incest. A failure of a fetus to properly develop. And so on. Nobody can thus be "Pro-abortion", at least in the abstract; we all prefer to see only wanted babies enter this world, to a mother or parents who are emotionally and financially ready and able to nurture them. (Don't get me going on how the U.S. then proceeds to make affordable child nearly impossible for working parents,) Anyway, "Pro-choice" is the much better term.
"Pro-life" is equally a loaded appellation. I can't back it up statistically (too lazy and tired to look it up at 4:30 a.m.) but I'll posit that most folks who call themselves Pro-life are also in favor of the death penalty, who believe that the 2nd amendment allows most people ready access to own and carry guns, and who are likely to be against child tax credits, extended paid leave post-partum, food and shelter assistance to needy women with children, health care for all, and so on. These are not truly "pro-life" positions. Their attitude strikes me as one of "Oh, a new baby! How cute! What a blessing! When do you go back to work? What do you mean, you can't work and afford child care? The kid's your responsibility; shoulda thought twice before having one. Why should I pay taxes on your problem?" Oops, there I go, ranting about how we as a society in the U.S. turn our backs on the needs of parents with children. Hillary was right: it takes a village to raise a child.
Who put Tooberville in a position with so much power? I thought the Democrats were in the majority in the Senate. Someone needs to slap this arrogant pipsqueak down. This is ridiculous and dangerous. I would think even the REPUBLICAN'TS could see that. Oops sorry, brain fade for a minute.
It’s simple. Direct. Irreversible. And the future...
As drafted by Oscar Wilde X: The future is clear. See the GOP supported Headline of 2024 - Infamous 1620 Massachusetts Salem Witch Trials will be freshly reviewed by today’s SCOTUS, renewed and sent down to be retried, reversal upheld, affirmed, sentence directed, charged, as abortion is banned nationwide and criminalized, with pregnant girls of any age, and with pregnant women and children and their physicians charged, tried, convicted and sentenced, abortion and birth control rights denied, with pregnant women successfully seeking abortion anywhere to be hanged in Texas, their husbands and families fearful of the born again Christian mob, call for support of hanging, watching, with state justice leading federal, both following the Salem Witch Trials of yore, sexless single red faced angry GOP Sen. Lindsay Graham, who supported the impeachment of President William Jefferson Clinton, for longing, urge’s all January 6th defendants of federal law sentencing to be released, with pardons and sentences reversed, or just pardoned, former Presidential Donald J. Trump to be reelected retroactively, by directed declaration, ballots adjusted to reflect his re-election nationwide, as the Holy Father, Pope Francis, urges castration of sexually active priests and sex offenders, with premarital and extramarital sex banned, to be criminally prosecuted, all forms of contraception outlawed nationwide, tubal ligation and vasectomy outlawed... as reforms sweep the nation, with the most Salem Witches seeking abortion to be prosecuted for intent to kill murder, with enabling physicians and nurses charged as accessory to murder and jailed for life. Praise the Lord, Our Heavenly Father and Jesus, so help me God and the Father, Son and Holy Ghost.
Wagner Group is being given safe passage to Belarus, I believe I read? This could be a ruse by Putin. Having Wagner put pressure on the Belarus border with Ukraine, while Putin pounds the nuclear power plant down south. Scrambled chaos. Planned chaos? Since neither Putin nor Wagner can be trusted, I find it hard to believe this is not a ruse.
Pro life is putting into place anti automatic weapons laws. How can we defend unborn children when we watch young children die in schools where they should feel protected and educated.
Women and their health care providers need to make the ultimate decisions on whether a fetus should be brought into this world. It is a more nuanced decision for a woman and the federal and/or state governments do not need to be involved.
The Federal and state governments should be involved with protecting the children the have already been born.
Let’s provide these children with quality healthcare and education and freedom from fear of being gunned down in their schools.
I thought today was your day off. Take care of the caregiver, they say - and you take such care of us. Please accept a collective, We love you, Professor!
When I talk to pro-life people, I ask them if they want the state or federal government requiring them to donate blood or bone marrow to save lives. So far, every one of them have said adamantly “NO!” I ask them if their answer is because doing so might affect their health a little or be painful. They have answered yes. I then ask why a woman should be told by the state government that she has to put her health at risk to save the life of the unborn baby. I point out that it is far safer to donate blood or bone marrow than to be pregnant or give birth.
I think that we need to equate donating blood, bone marrow, or part of a liver to save a life with being pregnant. Based on answers from pro-life persons, it’s not about everyone putting their health at risk to save lives. It’s only about women making the sacrifices.
How is it that one Senator can put a hold on all military appointments?
Good Evening to All,
On the bizarre Prigozhin one way trip to Minsk, something is really fishy. As some have already pointed out, the fact that he could take thousands of soldiers on a minatory march toward Moscow without being strafed to death or even attempted to be stopped, clearly shows that Prigozhin has significant support within the Russian military and in the various security services.
BTW, how is he "getting" to Belarus?! Will Aeroflot fly him? Will the FSB take him back to whatever gold plated manse he has in Moscow or St. Petersburg and watch while he packs his bags, gathers his family and makes hotel reservations?
And we would all have to be born yesterday to believe that the tyrant from central casting President of Belarus, Aleksandr Lukashenko, who is a close Putin ally and beneficiary has suddenly become the Metternich of Minsk.
I have no idea what's going on but one thing for sure is that this isn't over by a long shot. The threat to Putin's power due to the horrific and failing war in Ukraine is significant, as are certain to be Putin's countermeasures against that threat. We will see how it all plays out.
On the anniversary of the Dobbs decision, one item Heather pointed out demands further emphasis, in my humble opinion. Irrespective of how Americans feel about the right to abortion, this anniversary should have all Americans grimacing in concern that in Dobbs, the Supreme Court for the first time in our history retracted a constitutional right. The fact that such a retraction had never previously occurred (and in fact was unthinkable) is due, inter alia, to what had once been a conscious understanding that rights once recognized cannot be taken away in a free society whose governmental compact reflects a government of limited powers vis-a-vis its people. Two and a half generations of Americans, particularly American women, relied upon this right to live their lives free from governmental interference into the most intimate chambers of their being and existence. The fact that Roe's core finding withstood nearly half a century of subsequent litigation, but was all swept away by the narrowest of majorities left not only the concept of stare decisis in tatters on the marble floor, but also the fundamental trust in the capacity of the Court to render impartial justice.
The Wagner group decides not to attack Russia while the MAGA group continues to attack women. What a contrast. When will the American people really rise up and send the MAGA group to the equivalent of Belarus? Before I die, I hope.
I’m with Kamala..
Thank you for your unbiased, vetted reporting, Heather!
How do 700 people, most of whom are not doctors and, despite that, calling themselves the American College of Pediatricians, run a highly visible propaganda operation? Something is wrong with Americans, especially white Americans and most especially white Evangelicals. I don’t think those people can be civilized, but there might be some hope of bringing them to heel if we can get enough of the rest of us to the polls.
Title 1X changed the lives of girls forever and Roe Vrs Wade did as well. The freedom to be a whole person, a woman with rights and choices is something this younger generation had taken for granted and is now fighting for again. Some day I hope that humans will be free to make choices and express all parts of themselves without fear
As an intuitive and an activist, I'm having very strong feelings about all of this! And, frankly, it starts with the thoughts... 'bring it on!'...In a photo of Putin released today, he does not look well. He's beginning to his grip.. A lot of educated young Russians have left for the West over recent months. In general, it feels like things are changing. I believe we're gong to see more and more parents standing up for the offspring. About 6 years ago, the Pew Research Institute, a sound source of news and data, spoke of the increasing number of youth who were leaving the churches they'd been raised in. And, indeed in many areas and in many ways, we are seeing the choices of younger who think very differently. And who have shown they're ready to fearlessly take action. It wasn't a casual decision to sue Montana, where fossil fuels are the #1 source of the state's economy. Where Gov. Gianforte physically attacked a reporter on national tv. The biggest challenge in my mind is that Congress is full of people, who do not fully understand they are dinosaurs when it comes to understanding today's world and what is needed to create life affirming change. The last few week a shift has begun.
Why did Prigozhin turn back so close to seizing control of Moscow, Russia? One potential alternative, does it make sense? Prigozhin ends up in Middle East or Africa where he owns gold diamond mines and keeps the resident dictator in power and thus is safe, his army in Russia melts away into civilian life ready for recall when Prigozhin instructs...and thus he has shown bloodlessly the Russian people, oligarchs and military that Putin is a 'paper tiger' and he is ready to take over when they have had enough of Putin. Thus no fighting of Russian vs Russian, just wait until people are accepting of an end to Putin and Prigozhin rides back into Moscow with his armies. His ride to Moscow showed the world this is doable! Prigozhin has shown himself to be an extremely smart skilled tactician so 'pulling up lame' just short of Moscow makes no sense. Sort of like when Napoleon came out of his first exile and retook his title of Emperor essentially bloodlessly.
The US Constitution needs another amendment, modelled after the First: Congress shall pass no laws regarding personal relationships or reproduction. This would give these areas the same level of legislative protection that religion now enjoys.
I'm happy that the good professor has carefully not used the terms "Pro-life" and "Pro-abortion" in her letter today. These terms are used by the Right to shade the debate about abortion, to color the team sides, as it were. I don't know anybody that is "Anti-life", or in fact, "Pro-abortion". Words matter.
Abortion, in my mind, represents a failure of some sort: a failure of birth control, if it was used, or a failure to use it. A failure to respect the bodily rights of a woman (or a girl) by force of rape or incest. A failure of a fetus to properly develop. And so on. Nobody can thus be "Pro-abortion", at least in the abstract; we all prefer to see only wanted babies enter this world, to a mother or parents who are emotionally and financially ready and able to nurture them. (Don't get me going on how the U.S. then proceeds to make affordable child nearly impossible for working parents,) Anyway, "Pro-choice" is the much better term.
"Pro-life" is equally a loaded appellation. I can't back it up statistically (too lazy and tired to look it up at 4:30 a.m.) but I'll posit that most folks who call themselves Pro-life are also in favor of the death penalty, who believe that the 2nd amendment allows most people ready access to own and carry guns, and who are likely to be against child tax credits, extended paid leave post-partum, food and shelter assistance to needy women with children, health care for all, and so on. These are not truly "pro-life" positions. Their attitude strikes me as one of "Oh, a new baby! How cute! What a blessing! When do you go back to work? What do you mean, you can't work and afford child care? The kid's your responsibility; shoulda thought twice before having one. Why should I pay taxes on your problem?" Oops, there I go, ranting about how we as a society in the U.S. turn our backs on the needs of parents with children. Hillary was right: it takes a village to raise a child.
Who put Tooberville in a position with so much power? I thought the Democrats were in the majority in the Senate. Someone needs to slap this arrogant pipsqueak down. This is ridiculous and dangerous. I would think even the REPUBLICAN'TS could see that. Oops sorry, brain fade for a minute.
It’s simple. Direct. Irreversible. And the future...
As drafted by Oscar Wilde X: The future is clear. See the GOP supported Headline of 2024 - Infamous 1620 Massachusetts Salem Witch Trials will be freshly reviewed by today’s SCOTUS, renewed and sent down to be retried, reversal upheld, affirmed, sentence directed, charged, as abortion is banned nationwide and criminalized, with pregnant girls of any age, and with pregnant women and children and their physicians charged, tried, convicted and sentenced, abortion and birth control rights denied, with pregnant women successfully seeking abortion anywhere to be hanged in Texas, their husbands and families fearful of the born again Christian mob, call for support of hanging, watching, with state justice leading federal, both following the Salem Witch Trials of yore, sexless single red faced angry GOP Sen. Lindsay Graham, who supported the impeachment of President William Jefferson Clinton, for longing, urge’s all January 6th defendants of federal law sentencing to be released, with pardons and sentences reversed, or just pardoned, former Presidential Donald J. Trump to be reelected retroactively, by directed declaration, ballots adjusted to reflect his re-election nationwide, as the Holy Father, Pope Francis, urges castration of sexually active priests and sex offenders, with premarital and extramarital sex banned, to be criminally prosecuted, all forms of contraception outlawed nationwide, tubal ligation and vasectomy outlawed... as reforms sweep the nation, with the most Salem Witches seeking abortion to be prosecuted for intent to kill murder, with enabling physicians and nurses charged as accessory to murder and jailed for life. Praise the Lord, Our Heavenly Father and Jesus, so help me God and the Father, Son and Holy Ghost.
Wagner Group is being given safe passage to Belarus, I believe I read? This could be a ruse by Putin. Having Wagner put pressure on the Belarus border with Ukraine, while Putin pounds the nuclear power plant down south. Scrambled chaos. Planned chaos? Since neither Putin nor Wagner can be trusted, I find it hard to believe this is not a ruse.