This moment feels more like "Shots Fired At Fort Sumter" to me.
Many individuals and groups drunk on power throughout history have perceived themselves as being at their apex immediately before they suffer a ruinous loss of power. This looks like over-reach to me.
Ol' Mitch's antics with SCOTUS have ensured that we won't respect their extremist partisan nonsense about women's private healthcare decisions.
Heather Booth was the most influential person I ever worked for back in Washington, DC. She helped create the Jane Collective. We will organize, not agonize.
It is very annoying that women need to win the same rights over and over and over again.
"This is just the beginning...substitute for the word “abortion” any other modern liberty not mentioned in the Constitution: the right to use contraception, same-sex marriage, the right of same-sex couples to adopt children, marriage between different “races,” the right of any consenting adults to engage in sex, the right of unmarried couples to live together, and the rights of LGBTQ people to be treated with equal dignity.
...For Americans who value personal liberties not explicitly mentioned in the Constitution, overruling Roe and Casey should be the legal equivalent of the first volleys of the American Revolution at Lexington and Concord. There is no logical stopping point for the reactionary majority’s adoption of a conservative Christian agenda or the further cultural radicalization of Republican candidates. We must be the stopping point.
...And we have no time to wallow in despair or mourn what has been lost. We must reclaim our stolen liberty with bold, decisive action.
...If we hope to preserve our remaining hard-won rights and reclaim the right about to be taken from American women, we must be pragmatists and agitators. We must recognize that our personal liberties are on every ballot in every election in every state, county, and city.
...The setback revealed today is not the end. It is just the beginning of our generation’s effort to reclaim American democracy as our own. Every generation before us rose to that task."
The fact that these cretins use “Christian” in their March to tyranny makes them anything but. Chump as a “Christian” is laughable. Wonder how many abortions he has paid for.
The practical outcome in terms of abortion will be that the wealthy will continue to have access and too bad for everybody else. So, we will be back to back alleys and women will die. Then there will be the zealot vigilantes nosing into the private lives of women. Some will be arrested for miscarriages. And once these forced births are here, Rs will have no interest in their well being. That this Supreme Court is going to do this is no surprise. Donate, work for Ds if you can, and vote. I have already voted in the primary here in Oregon. And of course, the local Bernie bot is giving advice to people which should be good news to Rs.
I'm old enough to remember when a woman's death due to pregnancy and childbirth was "God's will." Let's face it, the R's are the party of misogyny, mayhem and money. Nothing else matters.
Will home pregnancy tests have to be signed for like decongestants, but followed by by “pregnancy police” to report the results? Will every piece of mail by a reported pregnant woman—and everyone she knows—have their mail opened?
Before 8:56 pm last night I would have said, "Nah." Today I am convinced these Nazis will do all of that and worse. Protect our daughters and granddaughters.
I wonder how many women, including HCR peeps, might have or could have been caught in the dark times of pre Roe vs. Wade, but for luck. I was in college in the mid sixties, and beyond, married too young I admit, the “in between times” of women’s rights in my limited life. The college health center male physician, of course, would prescribe birth control pills with a gynecological exam and only for married students or those who had a ring and a date. It’s a crime to withhold sex education, Women’s health services including abortion, all that should be part of our insurance and our privacy. With and without private insurance or living in a civilized state or not. It’s not 1965, but we are in a reverse Time Machine.
It is so VERY, VERY, VERY important to interpret the religious and moral imperatives of Christianity as being applied to ONESELF rather than legislated, litigated, adjudicated, otherwise exerted over others. If every self-proclaimed Christian applied the teaching of Jesus to themselves to their best ability, they would literally have no room in their lives to point fingers at others, other than to assist them along their way. It is such a challenge to even poorly fulfill the two most important commandments (love thy God, followed by love thy neighbor) that all the "thou shalt not"s can be understood as more specific interpretations of those two. The essence of Christianity is belief and how one behaves personally as a consequence, not how one stands in judgement over others. Nowhere in the teaching of Jesus will you find justification to use those beliefs to legally constrain the behavior of others. Another core teaching of Christianity; "Christ did not come into the world to condemn the world, but..." Our judicial systems and religious believes may follow parallel lines of reasoning, but they are distinct, insofar as judicial systems particularly need to be agnostic in a pluralistic society.
There is nothing more draconian at this point in human history than the proposed end of a woman’s right to determine her personal health choice to carry a fetus to term, to require her to usher into this challenging world the life of another she feels unable to properly parent. It is a cruel hardship on all struggling families and individuals. It is a cruel hardship on any child forced into circumstances already diminished by poverty, mental health, or burdening another’s well-being. No woman takes this decision frivolously to decline motherhood in the face of her own limiting circumstances.
Nothing is more evil and divisive than the party behind this threat to our half-century constitutional law to also be the hollow voice crying out for individual freedom, ensuring gun ownership for incompetent individuals resulting in the deaths of vast numbers of innocent population — including much-loved children. Crying out for their own “individual rights”, then declining such rights to women is hypocrisy. That these people label themselves as “Christian” is an abomination on the very values embraced by their exploited name-sake. To call themselves American is an abomination on the founding principles of this country.
I extend my deepest loathing to the current rise of ignorance, self-righteous and blind loyalty to a cult of dog-whistlers— leading to the degradation of democracy we are witnessing in these dark times, brazenly defying the majority of the American people’s wishes through lies, subversive control, and shoddy “news” sites. I’ve never been so disgusted.
Thank you, Berry M., you said it exactly right. I’m feeling really sick right now: it’s the culmination of years of increasing nausea that is now bubbling up to the point of full on vomiting. We all need to seriously fight this abomination so we can start to heal again, lest this really be the beginning of the end of everything, absolutely everything, we have held dear and understood to be tangible proof of human progress.
Indeed, this is larger than abortion. For women. The clause that prohibits abortion even in cases of rape and/or incest reduces women to objects to be used at the whim of men for whatever their sexual proclivities. This is about erasing women, shaming women, reducing their status as members of a democracy who can move about freely and excel at professions of their choosing. I recently watched a documentary about rape and sexual assault in the military. Victims were told that rape and sexual assault were occupational hazards for being in the military. The Supreme Court just made being a woman an occupational hazard.
I was just looking for a Ukraine button online and came across this bumper sticker: "Men should be glad women only want equality and not revenge". I burst out laughing because it is so true.
It’s about calling humans who can carry babies the property of the state. What is wrong with the Supreme Court justices? What is the matter with their thinking? How did they become so warped. These questions are rhetorical really. I bet they think they are defending life. How sad. Very sad.
You are right. I was trying to make a bridge to the fact that once a government has taken ownership over any human bodies (in this case the female ones) it is not a far step to taking power over all bodies. It was clumsy I agree.
Ditto everything you said. Back during the Bush years, when we thought things were bad (!?), I said that 'if I wanted to live in a theocracy, I'd move to Saudi Arabia." The so-called Christians have turned white Christian grievance into an art form, so that now, if anyone tries to refuse to genuflect at their bidding, we are said to be 'discriminating' against THEM! I thought Torquemada died over 600 years ago.
You're fueling my fire Berry and making me feel very anti-Christian! One is supposed to pray for their enemies and I am--praying that one of DeSantis' kids becomes a tranny, another one gets pregnant when she's 12, and--I know this is off topic--Putin dies of dysentery....
People forget freed slaves had the vote 70 years before women, and could buy a car without a male co-signer before women. This is the US—nothing has changed
Much has changed. This world is no longer full of the dark alleys that enabled politicians to hold back women’s rights. More importantly women have battled fiercely winning those steps to equality under the law. Now before you jamb this back down my throat think about the changes women have wrought in the last hundred years. Woman are well educated in all aspects of business, politics, and labor. Most have dual roles to play. This is a very dangerous and losing game, utterly doomed that the Republicans have chosen. They attacked women instead of ideals. Women who are steadily becoming the most solid political force we have ever seen. It is wise to attack a weak point in a battle, but to go head to head against women’s strength is absolutely fatal in this new century. When Trump was elected they shot themselves in the foot. Now they have shot themselves in both feet. Limping is one thing but limping on both feet? The republicans have ghastly under estimated this road we are on. A change has been coming. A tidal wave is no match for the sunami they have summoned.
I, unfortunately, cannot share your belief in the solidarity of women’s voting power. This may spur political activism in red states—but that is not guaranteed. And blue states have, as we’ve seen with the electoral college, the people but not the geography.
Just look at Texas—what are the politics of heavily populated Houston, Austin, and some of Dallas? Yet Gov Abbott and Republicans reign. I hope, I’ll work for it, but the dark money and Catholics/Mormons/Evangelicals that brought this to fruition are more collective than Democrats
Texas will be blue inside of 10 years. The gov will look like Teddy Blue Abbot. I base this on the fact that Jeri lives there. And her hard core cronies. Tough hand to bet against.
Organize! FOCUS4Democracy is my go to. Incredible group drilling down on key states. Heady smart players. Very encouraging how they’re targeting very specific races.
We are organized. We need the help of every man that reads of this upcoming decision to choose to know of our agony, feel what they can of it, and join us in an absolute refusal to not be complacent thinking the government is not going to screw us. That’s one thing men always have done. With little regret.
And every man and woman who continues to be be a Republican bobble head needs to go have the surgery to have their heads removed from their asses before Political stage 4 complications are their end-all. I think we should all walk backwards in massive protest. ‘Across America a new phenomenon is occurring with millions walking backwards, apparently in defiance of what appears to be the political decision to curtail women’s rights by a backwards minded Republican minority.’
I believe there are many good men who are as outraged about this as many women are. Being a man doesn’t automatically makes you a jerk. It’s only men who have a-little-penis-mind syndrome when they need to accrue power from other means, like guns or subservience
I’m assuming you are not a man so while trying to be gracious about generalizing that being a man doesn’t automatically make one a jerk, perhaps give that same graciousness to men who are not born well endowed. I would think it a safe bet that there are plenty of greedy, power hungry men, and women, who choose that path, despite the size of their genitals or breasts. Generalizing is rarely productive. I know I have to stay aware of doing that sometimes.
White men in particular, but they also have misogynistic accomplices like Clarence Thomas and Bill Cosby, have always wanted to persecute, control, and subjugate women. It’s revolting. Where the fuck is the Equal Rights Amendment for Women? We’re living in the goddamn Stone Age.
Men are going to be looking for women that have Drivers Lic. Here U don’t pay support U don’t get to drive. Haha ! Wonder how many of them Proud ones and Oath Fakers have DL ?
Concur. Well said. If this does does not make it clear that rhetoric about "states' rights" is a Trojan Horse for Confederacy 2.0, nothing will. W/r, cdl
So they want to forget about Appomatox and rekindle the war they lost, inspired by Justice Taney's Dred Scott decision, back in 1865 but now they want to fight it in the Courts rather than with guns. So be it. It is time for the Attorney General to start prosecuting those who rebeled on January 6, 2021, those who inspired them, and investigate three Supreme Court justices who may have lied under oath regarding respecting existing precedent at their confirmation hearings. But I suppose oaths mean little to Republicans.
Don’t be too sure that that isn’t a Republican wet dream-an uncivil war that will most definitely lead to martial(yeah, I can spell)law and a completely upside down world run by the United Oligarchs of Amerika.
For anyone doubting the insidious effects of religion on a free, democratic society, this looming decision is your lodestar. Who believes that the court's majority is taking away an established right for the first time in our history (with other rights likely to suffer the same fate) because the Constitution doesn't mention abortion? That's what the opinion says. The actual reason, of course, stems from the justices believing abortion is a sin. Note to justices: lying is sinful, too, as you did in your confirmation hearings about settled law.
Amendment IX in my copy of the Constitution says, "The enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people." I understand this as saying that, just because some rights are enumerated in the Constitution, while others are not, does not imply that other rights don't exist. That's almost a quintuple negative and I may be misunderstanding Amendment IX, but the point is: just because it's not in the Constitution does not mean that it doesn't exist. Or, to put it another way, absence of evidence is not evidence of absence.
And, unfortunately, there are other issues that really need our, and the nation's, attention. Is it about abortion, or is it about watering down efforts on climate change, democracy, etc.
Oh, yes. Climate change. Democracy being a pre-requisite for effective action to deal with it. Republican Putin apologists, has Putin done anything to save our planet? Quite the opposite with his Ukraine onslaught. Our attention goes to immediate tragedy and so we forget about the looming tragedy for our children and grandchildren, around the world. The Republican ideology seems to boil down to Give Greed a Chance. In- groups which laws protect but do not constrain. Out-groups which laws constrain but do not protect. Selfishness now, selfishness forever!
Give Greed a Chance - Wow! What a perfect bumper sticker, with elephants in gold crowns on each end.
And thanks for the clarity about laws protecting vs. constraining. As Krugman noted “freedom” on the right now means being completely free to take advantage of all that has allowed my folks to be on top for so long.
Kim, I think you're on to something. I believe that climate change is our most pressing problem by far. Nothing else will matter unless we solve it, and the window of opportunity for that is closing quickly.
I want to learn more about climate change: its causes, its measurement and how to solve it. Please suggest any research paper/s you have read that you would recommend. Thanks.
Clare, the best I can do right now is to tell you what I have been reading. I see Ellie's list, which looks more like what you are asking, and which will be helpful to me, too.
The way I learn about things is to ask questions, then work my way back to sources of information. I keep in mind the biases of the sources I find, which I check out through websites that evaluate such things, but it is still very helpful to read different points of view that are stated well, as that prompts more questions. I usually start with some smart, experienced person who I believe is being truthful. I then go about trying to prove or disprove to the best of my ability whichever of their assertions particularly interests me. Lately I've been diving from Noam Chomsky, a thinker I particularly admire who has lived a long life and has a lot to say. Here are some of the tabs I still have open from my reading yesterday, if any of these will help you:
Robinson's novels are grounded in known science then built upon. We're seeing the introductory portion of The Ministry for the Future in today's reality in India, for instance, which in fact is experiencing exactly the killing heat waves that The Ministry is seeking to address. It truly is a terrifying novel because it so accurately depicts what we are seeing develop today under climate change and current political realities.
Robinson's other novels also are extrapolated from known climate science. The "Mars" trilogy, written in the 1990s, are fascinating and the political and climate change impacts on Earth addressed in Green Mars and Blue Mars are beginning to be seen and felt in today's world as is true of the Science in the Capitol Trilogy written in the 2000s.
The first of his novels that I read was 2312, published in 2012, which depicts an incredible far future, followed by Antarctica which I later realized to be prequel for The Mars Trilogy. https://www.bookseriesinorder.com/kim-stanley-robinson/
I did not know all that! I am not sure why I read The Ministry for the Future. I almost never read current fiction, though I do read the classics over and over. I guess I don't read it because it just doesn't seem real. But this was so plausible, at least in the beginning. It really was a very interesting read. I might look into the others sometime. Thanks for the info!
A woman's fundamental, legal right to choose an abortion, and hence her autonomy, is absolutely linked to climate change. If women are prohibited a voice when it comes to protecting their bodies, how do we find and believe in our voices to protect against other assaults like those perpetrated against the environment.
If birth control of all types was readily available at no or low cost, no matter someone’s age, the need for abortions would fall sharply. But right-wing pseudo Christians want to block birth control as well. It’s madness. As if the planet needs more people to hasten its precipitous decline.
Not going to research links right now but I believe that abortion stats began dropping soon after Roe v. Wade was decided in 1973, and continued that trajectory until, likely, the near future.
Fort Sumter moment indeed. The SCOTUS is working to bring back and affirm the takeover of the Confederacy. May 3, 2022 will be marked historically as the day the USA decends into the CSA by minority action. “Leave it up to the States”, Alito says. You mean those gop gerrymandered states with suppressive gop voting laws?
This moment feels more like "Shots Fired At Fort Sumter" to me.
Many individuals and groups drunk on power throughout history have perceived themselves as being at their apex immediately before they suffer a ruinous loss of power. This looks like over-reach to me.
Ol' Mitch's antics with SCOTUS have ensured that we won't respect their extremist partisan nonsense about women's private healthcare decisions.
Heather Booth was the most influential person I ever worked for back in Washington, DC. She helped create the Jane Collective. We will organize, not agonize.
It is very annoying that women need to win the same rights over and over and over again.
As Robert Hubbell writes tonight:
"This is just the beginning...substitute for the word “abortion” any other modern liberty not mentioned in the Constitution: the right to use contraception, same-sex marriage, the right of same-sex couples to adopt children, marriage between different “races,” the right of any consenting adults to engage in sex, the right of unmarried couples to live together, and the rights of LGBTQ people to be treated with equal dignity.
...For Americans who value personal liberties not explicitly mentioned in the Constitution, overruling Roe and Casey should be the legal equivalent of the first volleys of the American Revolution at Lexington and Concord. There is no logical stopping point for the reactionary majority’s adoption of a conservative Christian agenda or the further cultural radicalization of Republican candidates. We must be the stopping point.
...And we have no time to wallow in despair or mourn what has been lost. We must reclaim our stolen liberty with bold, decisive action.
...If we hope to preserve our remaining hard-won rights and reclaim the right about to be taken from American women, we must be pragmatists and agitators. We must recognize that our personal liberties are on every ballot in every election in every state, county, and city.
...The setback revealed today is not the end. It is just the beginning of our generation’s effort to reclaim American democracy as our own. Every generation before us rose to that task."
https://roberthubbell.substack.com/p/this-is-just-the-beginning?s=r
The fact that these cretins use “Christian” in their March to tyranny makes them anything but. Chump as a “Christian” is laughable. Wonder how many abortions he has paid for.
The ones where he used her credit card.
I have my coffee cup down, so no spitting....but LOL.
I should have know better by now😉
Oh my God Christine you made me spit coffee on my phone ! So effing funny. Most likely true.
LOL - Good one, Christine! And no doubt true.
The practical outcome in terms of abortion will be that the wealthy will continue to have access and too bad for everybody else. So, we will be back to back alleys and women will die. Then there will be the zealot vigilantes nosing into the private lives of women. Some will be arrested for miscarriages. And once these forced births are here, Rs will have no interest in their well being. That this Supreme Court is going to do this is no surprise. Donate, work for Ds if you can, and vote. I have already voted in the primary here in Oregon. And of course, the local Bernie bot is giving advice to people which should be good news to Rs.
I'm old enough to remember when a woman's death due to pregnancy and childbirth was "God's will." Let's face it, the R's are the party of misogyny, mayhem and money. Nothing else matters.
I call them the party of death.
Be careful , 3M May sue. 🤣
Yep! I agree.
Michele,
There will also be myriad “helpers” who will work together to get those in need across state lines. I will seek to be one.
Same. Safe Harbor Home.
Will home pregnancy tests have to be signed for like decongestants, but followed by by “pregnancy police” to report the results? Will every piece of mail by a reported pregnant woman—and everyone she knows—have their mail opened?
Before 8:56 pm last night I would have said, "Nah." Today I am convinced these Nazis will do all of that and worse. Protect our daughters and granddaughters.
“And once these forced births are here, Rs will have no interest in their well being.” So true in every state. In our government.
Yes. Their interest in fetal viability extends only until the day of birth, and doesn't include prenatal care.
Well, let's see what happens when rich white boys will be turned in for abetting their girlfriends' abortions....
😥 and this is "Christian" because?
Nothing in the NT about abortion.
Many, many and will continue to do so, Taliban of the US, or not…
Their march to tyranny, indeed.
I wonder how many women, including HCR peeps, might have or could have been caught in the dark times of pre Roe vs. Wade, but for luck. I was in college in the mid sixties, and beyond, married too young I admit, the “in between times” of women’s rights in my limited life. The college health center male physician, of course, would prescribe birth control pills with a gynecological exam and only for married students or those who had a ring and a date. It’s a crime to withhold sex education, Women’s health services including abortion, all that should be part of our insurance and our privacy. With and without private insurance or living in a civilized state or not. It’s not 1965, but we are in a reverse Time Machine.
It is so VERY, VERY, VERY important to interpret the religious and moral imperatives of Christianity as being applied to ONESELF rather than legislated, litigated, adjudicated, otherwise exerted over others. If every self-proclaimed Christian applied the teaching of Jesus to themselves to their best ability, they would literally have no room in their lives to point fingers at others, other than to assist them along their way. It is such a challenge to even poorly fulfill the two most important commandments (love thy God, followed by love thy neighbor) that all the "thou shalt not"s can be understood as more specific interpretations of those two. The essence of Christianity is belief and how one behaves personally as a consequence, not how one stands in judgement over others. Nowhere in the teaching of Jesus will you find justification to use those beliefs to legally constrain the behavior of others. Another core teaching of Christianity; "Christ did not come into the world to condemn the world, but..." Our judicial systems and religious believes may follow parallel lines of reasoning, but they are distinct, insofar as judicial systems particularly need to be agnostic in a pluralistic society.
"Nowhere in the teaching of Jesus will you find justification to use those beliefs to legally constrain the behavior of others." Good point.
Jeri, you took the words right out of my keyboard.
My thought exactly.
Maybe this will finally wake up the 50% of Americans who never vote.
And exercise that right before it no longer counts.
How about this for a tradeoff: You can have your right to carry guns that kill if I can have the right to choose what happens to my body and live....
The irony.
There is nothing more draconian at this point in human history than the proposed end of a woman’s right to determine her personal health choice to carry a fetus to term, to require her to usher into this challenging world the life of another she feels unable to properly parent. It is a cruel hardship on all struggling families and individuals. It is a cruel hardship on any child forced into circumstances already diminished by poverty, mental health, or burdening another’s well-being. No woman takes this decision frivolously to decline motherhood in the face of her own limiting circumstances.
Nothing is more evil and divisive than the party behind this threat to our half-century constitutional law to also be the hollow voice crying out for individual freedom, ensuring gun ownership for incompetent individuals resulting in the deaths of vast numbers of innocent population — including much-loved children. Crying out for their own “individual rights”, then declining such rights to women is hypocrisy. That these people label themselves as “Christian” is an abomination on the very values embraced by their exploited name-sake. To call themselves American is an abomination on the founding principles of this country.
I extend my deepest loathing to the current rise of ignorance, self-righteous and blind loyalty to a cult of dog-whistlers— leading to the degradation of democracy we are witnessing in these dark times, brazenly defying the majority of the American people’s wishes through lies, subversive control, and shoddy “news” sites. I’ve never been so disgusted.
Thank you, Berry M., you said it exactly right. I’m feeling really sick right now: it’s the culmination of years of increasing nausea that is now bubbling up to the point of full on vomiting. We all need to seriously fight this abomination so we can start to heal again, lest this really be the beginning of the end of everything, absolutely everything, we have held dear and understood to be tangible proof of human progress.
🤮
Indeed, this is larger than abortion. For women. The clause that prohibits abortion even in cases of rape and/or incest reduces women to objects to be used at the whim of men for whatever their sexual proclivities. This is about erasing women, shaming women, reducing their status as members of a democracy who can move about freely and excel at professions of their choosing. I recently watched a documentary about rape and sexual assault in the military. Victims were told that rape and sexual assault were occupational hazards for being in the military. The Supreme Court just made being a woman an occupational hazard.
I was just looking for a Ukraine button online and came across this bumper sticker: "Men should be glad women only want equality and not revenge". I burst out laughing because it is so true.
And why don’t women want revenge? Hmm? Reminds me of the Jennifer Lopez movie “Enough.” And “G.I. Jane.” Highly recommend BOTH.
I always keep JLopez “Enough” in mind when I get a certain furious glint in my eye.
Sante, Roland. You are a good man.
Not to mention Lorena Bobbit.
The Supreme Court proved that it’s just a bunch of scummy old misogynists, the Republican appointees
It’s about calling humans who can carry babies the property of the state. What is wrong with the Supreme Court justices? What is the matter with their thinking? How did they become so warped. These questions are rhetorical really. I bet they think they are defending life. How sad. Very sad.
"humans who can carry babies" ? I think that may be misgendering.
You are right. I was trying to make a bridge to the fact that once a government has taken ownership over any human bodies (in this case the female ones) it is not a far step to taking power over all bodies. It was clumsy I agree.
Ditto everything you said. Back during the Bush years, when we thought things were bad (!?), I said that 'if I wanted to live in a theocracy, I'd move to Saudi Arabia." The so-called Christians have turned white Christian grievance into an art form, so that now, if anyone tries to refuse to genuflect at their bidding, we are said to be 'discriminating' against THEM! I thought Torquemada died over 600 years ago.
I’m starting to believe in reincarnation. There are too many truly evil people crawling out of the proverbial woodwork these days.
You're fueling my fire Berry and making me feel very anti-Christian! One is supposed to pray for their enemies and I am--praying that one of DeSantis' kids becomes a tranny, another one gets pregnant when she's 12, and--I know this is off topic--Putin dies of dysentery....
Wouldn’t AIDS be more fitting in Putin’s case?
This is hate speech.
Yes, and I'm not proud of it....
Well said!
"We will organize, not agonize". "It is very annoying that women need to win the same rights over and over and over again."
Great attitude projection with these two sentences. Absolutely great.
People forget freed slaves had the vote 70 years before women, and could buy a car without a male co-signer before women. This is the US—nothing has changed
Much has changed. This world is no longer full of the dark alleys that enabled politicians to hold back women’s rights. More importantly women have battled fiercely winning those steps to equality under the law. Now before you jamb this back down my throat think about the changes women have wrought in the last hundred years. Woman are well educated in all aspects of business, politics, and labor. Most have dual roles to play. This is a very dangerous and losing game, utterly doomed that the Republicans have chosen. They attacked women instead of ideals. Women who are steadily becoming the most solid political force we have ever seen. It is wise to attack a weak point in a battle, but to go head to head against women’s strength is absolutely fatal in this new century. When Trump was elected they shot themselves in the foot. Now they have shot themselves in both feet. Limping is one thing but limping on both feet? The republicans have ghastly under estimated this road we are on. A change has been coming. A tidal wave is no match for the sunami they have summoned.
I’m not sorry to see them go!
I, unfortunately, cannot share your belief in the solidarity of women’s voting power. This may spur political activism in red states—but that is not guaranteed. And blue states have, as we’ve seen with the electoral college, the people but not the geography.
Just look at Texas—what are the politics of heavily populated Houston, Austin, and some of Dallas? Yet Gov Abbott and Republicans reign. I hope, I’ll work for it, but the dark money and Catholics/Mormons/Evangelicals that brought this to fruition are more collective than Democrats
Texas will be blue inside of 10 years. The gov will look like Teddy Blue Abbot. I base this on the fact that Jeri lives there. And her hard core cronies. Tough hand to bet against.
Hope so. But not as sure as you are Texas will respect the actual election results, gerrymandering, etc
I’m pretty sure our next president will be a grand slam. A woman.
I agree
Awesome reply. Agreed!
Focus4Democracy.org
Drilling down on key states w/incredible brains behind the numbers figuring how we can all get the biggest bang for our donation bucks.
Organize! FOCUS4Democracy is my go to. Incredible group drilling down on key states. Heady smart players. Very encouraging how they’re targeting very specific races.
Abortion is a constitutional right in California. Other states should follow suit - as soon as the republicans are voted out of office.
"Organize, don't agonize" is the best response. Thank you for your inspirational clarity.
We are organized. We need the help of every man that reads of this upcoming decision to choose to know of our agony, feel what they can of it, and join us in an absolute refusal to not be complacent thinking the government is not going to screw us. That’s one thing men always have done. With little regret.
United, Ellie.
And every man and woman who continues to be be a Republican bobble head needs to go have the surgery to have their heads removed from their asses before Political stage 4 complications are their end-all. I think we should all walk backwards in massive protest. ‘Across America a new phenomenon is occurring with millions walking backwards, apparently in defiance of what appears to be the political decision to curtail women’s rights by a backwards minded Republican minority.’
A backward Conga line, hard to do but a blast to see!
Only you! Imagine. NYC sidewalks.
Start on B'way, Pat. I'll take your picture
❤️
I believe there are many good men who are as outraged about this as many women are. Being a man doesn’t automatically makes you a jerk. It’s only men who have a-little-penis-mind syndrome when they need to accrue power from other means, like guns or subservience
I’m assuming you are not a man so while trying to be gracious about generalizing that being a man doesn’t automatically make one a jerk, perhaps give that same graciousness to men who are not born well endowed. I would think it a safe bet that there are plenty of greedy, power hungry men, and women, who choose that path, despite the size of their genitals or breasts. Generalizing is rarely productive. I know I have to stay aware of doing that sometimes.
Is that the same as the teeny-tiny syndrome?
White men in particular, but they also have misogynistic accomplices like Clarence Thomas and Bill Cosby, have always wanted to persecute, control, and subjugate women. It’s revolting. Where the fuck is the Equal Rights Amendment for Women? We’re living in the goddamn Stone Age.
Men are going to be looking for women that have Drivers Lic. Here U don’t pay support U don’t get to drive. Haha ! Wonder how many of them Proud ones and Oath Fakers have DL ?
Where is “here”? I didn’t know this. That gives new meaning to riding shotgun. Hey! Look! There’s an abuser!
FL. They go to jail first, see a Judge. Get told to pay support or lose their DL. Not sure If all states do it ?
Concur. Well said. If this does does not make it clear that rhetoric about "states' rights" is a Trojan Horse for Confederacy 2.0, nothing will. W/r, cdl
So they want to forget about Appomatox and rekindle the war they lost, inspired by Justice Taney's Dred Scott decision, back in 1865 but now they want to fight it in the Courts rather than with guns. So be it. It is time for the Attorney General to start prosecuting those who rebeled on January 6, 2021, those who inspired them, and investigate three Supreme Court justices who may have lied under oath regarding respecting existing precedent at their confirmation hearings. But I suppose oaths mean little to Republicans.
Don’t be too sure that that isn’t a Republican wet dream-an uncivil war that will most definitely lead to martial(yeah, I can spell)law and a completely upside down world run by the United Oligarchs of Amerika.
For anyone doubting the insidious effects of religion on a free, democratic society, this looming decision is your lodestar. Who believes that the court's majority is taking away an established right for the first time in our history (with other rights likely to suffer the same fate) because the Constitution doesn't mention abortion? That's what the opinion says. The actual reason, of course, stems from the justices believing abortion is a sin. Note to justices: lying is sinful, too, as you did in your confirmation hearings about settled law.
And lying under oath is not only a sin but perjury — a crime.
Then we can both disbar and excommunicate the judges at the same time.
Amendment IX in my copy of the Constitution says, "The enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people." I understand this as saying that, just because some rights are enumerated in the Constitution, while others are not, does not imply that other rights don't exist. That's almost a quintuple negative and I may be misunderstanding Amendment IX, but the point is: just because it's not in the Constitution does not mean that it doesn't exist. Or, to put it another way, absence of evidence is not evidence of absence.
Is that clear?
Excellent point!
CLEAR!!
And, unfortunately, there are other issues that really need our, and the nation's, attention. Is it about abortion, or is it about watering down efforts on climate change, democracy, etc.
Oh, yes. Climate change. Democracy being a pre-requisite for effective action to deal with it. Republican Putin apologists, has Putin done anything to save our planet? Quite the opposite with his Ukraine onslaught. Our attention goes to immediate tragedy and so we forget about the looming tragedy for our children and grandchildren, around the world. The Republican ideology seems to boil down to Give Greed a Chance. In- groups which laws protect but do not constrain. Out-groups which laws constrain but do not protect. Selfishness now, selfishness forever!
Give Greed a Chance - Wow! What a perfect bumper sticker, with elephants in gold crowns on each end.
And thanks for the clarity about laws protecting vs. constraining. As Krugman noted “freedom” on the right now means being completely free to take advantage of all that has allowed my folks to be on top for so long.
Kim, I think you're on to something. I believe that climate change is our most pressing problem by far. Nothing else will matter unless we solve it, and the window of opportunity for that is closing quickly.
I want to learn more about climate change: its causes, its measurement and how to solve it. Please suggest any research paper/s you have read that you would recommend. Thanks.
Clare, the best I can do right now is to tell you what I have been reading. I see Ellie's list, which looks more like what you are asking, and which will be helpful to me, too.
The way I learn about things is to ask questions, then work my way back to sources of information. I keep in mind the biases of the sources I find, which I check out through websites that evaluate such things, but it is still very helpful to read different points of view that are stated well, as that prompts more questions. I usually start with some smart, experienced person who I believe is being truthful. I then go about trying to prove or disprove to the best of my ability whichever of their assertions particularly interests me. Lately I've been diving from Noam Chomsky, a thinker I particularly admire who has lived a long life and has a lot to say. Here are some of the tabs I still have open from my reading yesterday, if any of these will help you:
https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2021/07/23/on-climate-change-republicans-are-open-to-some-policy-approaches-even-as-they-assign-the-issue-low-priority/
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/apr/26/too-many-new-coal-fired-plants-planned-for-15c-climate-goal-report-concludes
https://www.axios.com/india-pakistan-heat-wave-climate-change-records-a59a1070-e367-43ba-aedc-296670267294.html
https://www.congress.gov/bill/116th-congress/house-resolution/109/text?format=txt
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/02/21/climate/green-new-deal-questions-answers.html
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/feb/24/qa-could-putin-use-russian-gas-supplies-to-hurt-europe
https://www.theguardian.com/profile/fiona-harvey
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H50KKyYfvOQ
https://news.un.org/en/story/2022/04/1117272
https://www.motherjones.com/environment/2022/03/oil-gas-companies-fossil-fuel-industry-ukraine-russia-war-profits/
https://www.vox.com/energy-and-environment/2020/6/30/21305891/aoc-climate-change-house-democrats-select-committee-report
Clare, if you want to scare yourself to death with some compelling fiction reading on climate change, grab a copy of Kim Stanley Robinson's The Ministry for the Future. Horrors! https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/50998056-the-ministry-for-the-future?from_search=true&from_srp=true&qid=Af2c07fTjL&rank=1
Thank you Becky
Robinson's novels are grounded in known science then built upon. We're seeing the introductory portion of The Ministry for the Future in today's reality in India, for instance, which in fact is experiencing exactly the killing heat waves that The Ministry is seeking to address. It truly is a terrifying novel because it so accurately depicts what we are seeing develop today under climate change and current political realities.
Robinson's other novels also are extrapolated from known climate science. The "Mars" trilogy, written in the 1990s, are fascinating and the political and climate change impacts on Earth addressed in Green Mars and Blue Mars are beginning to be seen and felt in today's world as is true of the Science in the Capitol Trilogy written in the 2000s.
The first of his novels that I read was 2312, published in 2012, which depicts an incredible far future, followed by Antarctica which I later realized to be prequel for The Mars Trilogy. https://www.bookseriesinorder.com/kim-stanley-robinson/
I did not know all that! I am not sure why I read The Ministry for the Future. I almost never read current fiction, though I do read the classics over and over. I guess I don't read it because it just doesn't seem real. But this was so plausible, at least in the beginning. It really was a very interesting read. I might look into the others sometime. Thanks for the info!
The grassroots climate crisis organizations have educational material along with ways to become involved. Here are a few:
Yale Program on Climate Change Communication https://climatecommunication.yale.edu/
350.org
https://350.org/bill/
Sierra Club
https://ballotpedia.org/Sierra_Club
Citizens Climate Lobby
https://citizensclimatelobby.org/
Thanks Ellie
A woman's fundamental, legal right to choose an abortion, and hence her autonomy, is absolutely linked to climate change. If women are prohibited a voice when it comes to protecting their bodies, how do we find and believe in our voices to protect against other assaults like those perpetrated against the environment.
Agree. Distract and create chaos. It is the fascist way.
If birth control of all types was readily available at no or low cost, no matter someone’s age, the need for abortions would fall sharply. But right-wing pseudo Christians want to block birth control as well. It’s madness. As if the planet needs more people to hasten its precipitous decline.
Not going to research links right now but I believe that abortion stats began dropping soon after Roe v. Wade was decided in 1973, and continued that trajectory until, likely, the near future.
Well put, Caroline. I have always thought that women make better world leaders.
Fort Sumter moment indeed. The SCOTUS is working to bring back and affirm the takeover of the Confederacy. May 3, 2022 will be marked historically as the day the USA decends into the CSA by minority action. “Leave it up to the States”, Alito says. You mean those gop gerrymandered states with suppressive gop voting laws?