Atticus
Atticus's JournalThe Republicans poised to vote to overturn Roe v. Wade should understand that they will join
those in the Plessy v. Ferguson majority as SCOTUS Justices whose very names trigger curled lips and grunts of disgust.
You will inhabit "the wrong side of history" for as long as history matters.
For years, when I bumped into an old friend or acquaintance I hadn't seen in a while and they asked
"How are you doing?", I'd reply "I liked it better when we lived in a democracy". And, some would immediately, with a grin, characterize that as "Still obsessed with that political crap, eh?"
My attitude seems even more appropriate today.
A clear majority selected Al Gore and Hillary Clinton to lead us. It didn't matter.
A clear majority wants assault rifles and large magazines outlawed. It doesn't matter.
A clear majority now wants women to retain the right to terminate an unwanted or dangerous pregnancy. It doesn't matter.
I liked it better when we lived in a democracy.
The last two Republican presidents were men that the majority did not want. That made no
difference to the Powers That Be.
Now, over 70% of Americans want to preserve a woman's right to choose abortion. Again, that makes no difference to the Powers That Be.
Was all that "majority rule" and "voice of the people" stuff---you know---"DEMOCRACY"--- just crap meant to pacify us?
It sure seems like the majority is being ruled by a loud and threatening minority.
"You'd better stop, people, what's that sound? Everybody look what's goin' down!"
Like a kick to the stomach, tonight we learned of a leaked draft SCOTUS opinion, written by Alito and signed by every Republican appointee, that flat out overrules ROE and CASEY. Abortion, even to terminate a pregnancy resulting from rape or incest, is no longer a woman's right and in some states will automatically constitute a crime.
I am just barely able to omit the filthy profane terms which seem so appropriate for each one of these six amoral mutants who have just abandoned all pretense of rendering reasoned and impartial justice. As mentioned, there are many names that would fit the six who destroyed womens' control over their own bodies, but "whores" is the mildest.
They were educated to overturn abortion. They were groomed to overturn abortion. They were nominated to overturn abortion. They were confirmed to overturn abortion. Directly or indirectly, they were PURCHASED to overturn ROE.
This is very recent and there has been little time to read or consider this draft, but it seems to me that since Alito bases his overturning of this 49 year old settled precedent on the---in his opinion---non-existent right to privacy, any other rights based in whole or in part on this "non-existent" right are in imminent danger of bring stricken down. These would appear to include contraception, same-sex marriage, sex between homosexuals, and interracial marriage.
Safe abortions have not been eliminated. Safe abortions for all but the wealthy, powerful or connected have been eliminated.
For most women, the choice is either being forced to carry a child to term or an illegal back alley butcher---or a coat hanger.
If this doesn't light a fire under the "casual" "sometimes" voters, turn out the lights---democracy is finished.
When the "Information Age" began back when I was a pup---approximately 1970--- little did we
know that the definition of "information" could expand in ways none of us imagined and that more of the new "alternative" information might be a curse.
Today, "information" served to us on our TVs or through social media could be true, but meaningless and deceptive. It may, for example, be true that some dingbat said that California forest fires were being started by "Jewish space lasers", but WHAT was said is false, i.e., there are no Jewish space lasers.
The only "information" (old definition) we received when we heard or read that nonsense was that a certain well-known loudmouth Trumpie is, indeed, a dingbat. The bit about the Jewish space lasers is an example of the new "Hell, I heard a member of Congress say it on TV so it MUST be true!" type of alternative information. The division of this nation is due in large part to the embarrassing fact that millions of our fellow Americans DON'T KNOW THE DIFFERENCE!
We hear the space laser bit, shake our heads and say something like "Who could be stupid enough to vote for such an idiot?"
THEY hear the same broadcast and go online to post "OMG! THOSE DAMN JEWS ARE TRYING TO BURN OUR REDWOODS!
Is critical thinking now an exclusively Democratic attribute?
You know how the Republicans will take an ill-considered comment by one Democrat---like
"Defund the Police"---and then use the broadest brush possible to paint ALL Democrats with it, i.e., "OMG! This is the policy of the Democrats!"
I wonder how it would sound if we did the same with the "ill-considered comments" some of their flock spew daily.
"It is Republican policy---
---that Joe Biden, Nancy Pelosi and countless other prominent Democrats should be executed;
---that each parent of a schoolchild, regardless of their own education or intelligence, should have absolute authority to tell teachers what they MUST teach and what THEY DAMN WELL BETTER NOT teach;
---that we should be supporting Putin's rape, torture and slaughter of tens of thousands of innocent Ukrainians;
---that the Catholic church is dominated by Satan;
---that the Joe Biden we see on cable news or the internet is not REALLY Joe Biden, but is Jim Carrey wearing a mask;
---that democracy---government of, by and for the people---is a really bad idea because most Americans are just too damn stupid to know what is good for them."
All the above were stated by some Republican/MAGAt/Q-anon cultist somewhere. Details aren't important. Just be loud and really pissed when you pass along any of the above "Republican policies".
Can we hang on to some fundamental truths?
Calling a racist a racist is not "playing the race card".
Accurately quoting a political figure's email comments is not "vilifying" them.
A coup attempt that narrowly fails is known as a "practice run".
Decency and consistency are just not as "newsworthy" or profitable as vulgarity and scandalous corruption.
Informed and involved voters are Trump's "Kryptonite".
Elections have consequences and every vote really does matter.
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