Politics Plus

My apologies for not posting a Sound Off! in a while, but I have been on a cross-country road trip and attended a national convention. Between the two I had scant time to work on my essays.

What the actual f—- is wrong with the United States of America? More specifically, what the actual f—- is wrong with its Supreme Court?

Currently we have the worst Supreme Court ever. In a matter of days the (in)justices stripped women of the right to control their bodies, while hiding behind the stalking-horse of protecting human life; undid sensible gun safety regulation, in the name of kowtowing to the gun nuts; destroyed the vital wall of separation between church  and state by allowing coach-led prayer at public schools and approving vouchers that will go to faith-based institutions; and effectively gutted the EPA. In other words, f—- women, f—- religious freedom, f—- the environment, and f—- anybody who happens to be in the wrong place at the wrong time when some Froot Loop with a gun starts shooting.

Days after the SCOTUS’ string of disastrous decisions, a lunatic marred 4th of July celebrations in Highland, IL by firing on a crowd gathered for a parade, killing seven and wounding two dozen. One doctor described the victims as having “wartime injuries.” Sadly, few things are quite as all-American as a bloody mass shooting. There have been well over 300 in the United States so far in 2022, but of course only the deadliest, or those most shocking because of their location, make national news.

Our country was founded on some great ideas, such as freedom of religion, which includes keeping state and church separate. The Founding Fathers were all too aware of what happens when religion and politics get entangled together. One need but look at many Middle Eastern nations today, or at Europe before the Renaissance. Witch hunts, inquisitions, oppression of religious and ethnic minorities and women, obstructing scientific and ethical progress – all are characteristics of a theocracy. And even being of the “right” religion does not guarantee freedom from persecution if you are of the “wrong” sect. Sunni and Shi’ite Muslims duke it out continually, while Catholics and various Protestant sects have persecuted each other in the past. Even some Protestant denominations have harassed other Protestants.

Religion and politics make for a toxic mix. Now that public school staff are allowed to proselytize (Kennedy v Bremerton), and public money will go to Christian schools in Maine (Carson v Makin), you can bet your bottom dollar that more of the camel is going to slither into the tent. We didn’t act fast or vigorously enough when just the nose was in the tent, and now the entire head is within. And since the SCOTUS does not properly represent the religious make-up of the USA, it will continue to destroy everything that this country is supposed to represent and protect.

Overturning Roe v Wade made the anti-choice hordes howl in evil delight. What these narrow-minded chumps don’t realize – or care about – is that the anti-abortion laws they have demanded will do far more harm than good. It has opened up an enormous can of slimy, filthy worms. In Texas, a pregnant woman claimed that her fetus counted as a person so she could use the HOV lane. Already women are being arrested for suffering miscarriages. Also, what if a woman is suffering an ectopic pregnancy, which is not, repeat, NOT viable? If you think there is some magical way to transplant an ectopic embryo into a uterus and have it become a viable fetus, you probably think that the Moon is made of green cheese and tRump won the 2020 election by a landslide.

One excuse given for overturning Roe v Wade is that abortion isn’t explicitly protected in the U. S. Constitution. Wanna know something else that is not in the Constitution? The filibuster. According to that logic, we should abolish the filibuster. Then maybe Biden and the Democrats will be able to get something done and save the U.S. from certain doom.

Siding with polluting Big Business by declaring that federal environmental regulators cannot take the dramatic action necessary to reduce greenhouse gas emissions was unforgivable. This decision will make it impossible for this country to take the drastic steps necessary to curb the effects of climate change and protect the public from climate-related disasters. The six in-justices have now made it almost impossible for the US to meet Biden’s environmental goals. Big Coal and Big Oil have won, and the Little Guy and Gal have lost.

Instead of red, white and blue I wore black and green on the 4th, my subtle protest against the direction this country has taken. I worry about what will come next, if Democrats do not maintain their control of the House and win enough seats in the Senate so the Republican’ts lack the numbers necessary to filibuster any legislation they don’t like. The GOP no longer cares about this country and its residents, only party politics. Unfortunately, the same can be said of a lot of Democrats. The party of the left is full of DINOs who are elephants in donkey’s clothing, and Dumb-ocrats who lack spines and think that compromise always works. Anybody who believes that making nice-sounding agreements with The Enemy has never heard of Neville Chamberlain. In a previous essay, I pointed out that Democrats need to stop being marshmallows and start being tough cookies. Now more than ever they need to “grow a pair” collectively and individually.

We have one final chance to save our country, to stop the slide into religious fascism. We need to get out the Progressive vote this November. We need to do more than “vote blue no matter who” – we need to back Democrats who are fighters, who actually give a rat’s derriere about this country, who will listen to John and Jane Q. Public. Because if we can’t make real change at the ballot box – what follows will be ugly. Very ugly.

The possibility of Roe v Wade being overturned has made millions uneasy. People who can get pregnant are fearful that they will be denied access to not just abortion, but also birth control and even vital information about reproduction. Those who provide reproductive care are justifiably concerned about violence and persecution from anti-abortion militants. Non-binary people are nervous, too, since an abortion ban will be the first domino that topples all reproductive and sexual freedom.

One method anti-abortion crusaders use to find victims is spying on location data, web searches, and apps such as menstruation trackers to decide if someone is seeking to terminate a pregnancy. Any web search on the subject on pregnancy could easily be construed as a quest for an abortion. Having the law on their side will greatly increase the danger since they will have access to more and better resources. If you live in Oklahoma and plan to visit friends or family in Colorado, somebody could think that your itinerary includes a visit to an “abortuary” and squeal to law enforcement in hopes of collecting thirty pieces of silver.

Spying on everybody’s internet and cell phone activity will seriously affect access to medical abortions. How difficult would it be to read phone or Internet records to sniff out people who are ordering pills that induce miscarriage? Search engines, such as DuckDuckGo, that claim to be private and secure are not as confidential as most people believe they are.

This is not just the camel’s nose in the tent, this the camel’s entire head. Anti-choice activists are willing to sacrifice everybody’s precious privacy just to destroy reproductive freedom. On top of that, the right-wing (un)holy war against human and civil rights isn’t going to stop with abortion. They aim to ban birth control, same-sex marriage, and more. They aim to reduce women to the status of brood cows and force LGBTQ people back into the closet. They aim to ram their cruel, narrow-minded, perverted morality down everybody’s throat. I would not put it past them to gut statutes that ban racism, sexism, and even discrimination against pregnant people – to say nothing about further voter suppression.

Legislation against abortion hurts the poor and people of color the most. People of means, and who have the right connections, can take a few days off and travel to a city, state or even foreign country where they can get abortions. Many marginalized people can barely make ends meet, living paycheck to paycheck, constantly finding month left over at the end of the money. Without paid leave, they cannot afford to take off a few days, and they probably can’t afford the travel in the first place. As a result, many will try to self-abort with knitting needles or “accidental” falls down stairs.

Any wonder there was such a ferocious backlash following the Supreme Court leak? Any wonder why people have been marching by the thousands and tens of thousands? Hundreds, if not thousands, of petitions have circulated demanding that local and state governments protect reproductive rights. Some cities have declared that they will become sanctuary cities for those who seek abortions. Many district attorneys have declared that they will not enforce anti-choice laws. More actions are to come.

Unfortunately, within the last couple months a terrorist group called Jane’s Revenge has reared its ugly head, spray-painting threatening messages and setting fire to a crisis pregnancy “clinic.” Right-wing media have been big on reporting these actions, while mainstream and left-leaning media have been mostly silent. The reproductive rights community needs to distance themselves from these bugnuts; if they are our own, we need to expose them and turn them in.

On the other hand, is Jane’s Revenge really a few left-wing loose cannons, or actually a false flag operation? Anti-choice activists have accused their opponents of bombing or torching their own clinics. Do you think they wouldn’t attack their own properties in order to make themselves look like the ones who are being oppressed? It is possible – and I would not be surprised – if the Jane’s Revenge attacks are actually the work of anti-choice activists. Even so, reproductive rights people need to make it clear that such behavior is not acceptable in our ranks. I’m sure many of us have been tempted to do something violent and stupid, but we must never allow the anti-choice bums to drag us down to their rotten level.

We need to fight back with all our might and effort against this vile crusade to destroy reproductive rights. We cannot afford to lose this fight. But we must do so with means that are peaceful, harmless, and, for the most part, legal. We need to make good trouble, not bad trouble.

Recently I wrote an essay about gun violence in response to the bloodbath in Buffalo. Then, less than two weeks later, an even deadlier massacre took place, in Uvalde, TX. Both senseless massacres have aroused nationwide sorrow and rage, as well as demands for better gun laws.

In the wake of the University of Texas tower shooting, President Lyndon Johnson called for gun regulation and signed the Gun Control Act of 1968. In the 56 years since the tower massacre, the US has passed hardly any gun restrictions; most of these, such as a ban on assault rifles, have later been lifted.

You may have heard the saying that for every thousand people hacking at the branches of evil, you’re lucky to find even one hacking at the roots. We really need to go after the roots of gun violence. One is our infatuation with guns, tied to our wild-west cowboy culture. We give kids toy guns and encourage them to have make-believe shootouts. We glorify guns in our movies, comic books, TV shows, even pop music. Our leaders and media preach the gospel of the Almighty Gun.

Another root is white supremacy, intertwined with toxic masculinity. Many of those who carried out the bloodiest mass shootings acted out of hate – the Orlando bloodbath took place at an LGBTQ club, the multiple shootings in Atlanta in March of 2021 targeted mostly Asian-Americans, the El Paso Walmart killer went after Hispanics. The horror in Buffalo brought white supremacist “replacement” paranoia front and center; this idiotic theory needs an essay of its own.

We need to demystify guns, knock them off their gore-soaked altar and respect them for what they are. The Swiss do not have mass shootings the way we do because they respect guns. Having a rifle for sport or a handgun for personal protection is one thing, but there is no reason for a private citizen to own a military weapon.

Typical pro-gun arguments include “Guns don’t kill people, people kill people.” True, but guns make it a lot easier to kill, and to slaughter people wholesale. Can you imagine the Las Vegas shooter assaulting the crowd with a bow and arrow? Or the Parkland killer hacking his way through the school with a steak knife? Or the Tree of Life Synagogue attacker going after his victims with an axe?

Another is “Gun laws don’t stop gun violence.” We have laws against murder and homicide, but people still kill. We have laws against theft, but people still steal. We have laws against drunk driving, but people still get behind the wheel when they are half seas over. Et cetera.

We need to stand up to the vicious, powerful bullies in the gun lobby. We need to pass common-sense gun laws in this country, such as background checks, banning private ownership of assault rifles, red-flag laws, and the like. They won’t stop every evildoer, but they will definitely reduce the carnage. This is why we need to get our behinds to the polls and vote for candidates who will listen to us, the voters who are fed up with gun violence.

We must never give in to “learned helplessness,” which is what the conservatives want us to do. The suffragettes never gave up, which is why women in the US and UK – and elsewhere – can vote. The civil-rights activists never gave up, which is why people of color can drink from the same water fountains as whites and sit anywhere they like on a bus. The abolitionists never gave up, which is why slavery is no longer legal.

To all the right-wingers and the mouthpieces of the firearms industry: You can take your empty, insincere thoughts and prayers and shove ’em.

Looks as though the Republican-corrupted SCOTUS has voted to overturn Roe v Wade and send reproductive rights back to the individual states. Already, fortunately, people and institutions are making plans to fight back.

Without Roe v Wade, the USA will become a crazy quilt of restrictions, while evil vigilantes hunt for anybody planning to have an abortion or help someone who is, hoping to collect their thirty pieces of silver. Women will be forced to travel hundreds, possibly thousands, of kilometers, for care. Those who can’t will try to obtain Plan B pills, possibly exposing themselves to prosecution – and persecution – or fake medicine. Many may go the old “coat hanger” route, like animals caught in leghold traps chewing off their own paws, trying to self-abort with knitting needles or other long, sharp objects. A lot of them will suffer infection, excessive bleeding, even death. And the “pro-life” crowd won’t give one hair off a rat’s ass.

However, there is good news – and the possibility that we can turn the compulsory-birth ogres’ victory into one of the Pyrrhic variety. A number of blue states, including Colorado, California, New York, Minnesota and Vermont, are ready to become bastions of reproductive rights. Many of them could even codify reproductive rights in their state constitutions, which would be sharp blows to the anti-choice hordes. Some companies have already declared that they will provide assistance for their employees who need to travel out of state for abortions, even though this could expose the company to harsh fines and other legal actions.

The possibility of the GOP getting a hammerlock on the Senate this election cycle is a frighteningly real possibility. The party of the incumbent President tends to lose ground in the midterms. We have already seen how the GOP-controlled Senate has frustrated Biden’s attempts to pass meaningful legislation, such as the Green New Deal. Repubs appear to have just one item on their agenda: Frustrate Democrats. The successful nomination of Justice Jackson must be a fluke.

On the other hand, leaking the SCOTUS decision has galvanized Progressives and reproductive rights advocates. Overturning Roe v Wade could backfire horribly against the Right-wing Reich. Not just the aforementioned states making abortion the law, but also motivated voters turning out in droves to support Democrats and flip seats to blue at all levels of government. Local and state races will be critical if the SCOTUS does go ahead and gut Roe v Wade. Since the leak was a rough draft and not the final word, they have the opportunity to change their decisions before releasing the final ruling. However, I doubt they will even after the tremendous poop storm that has arisen after the leak.

If you think that abortion is the only thing the Right is after, you are wrong – dead wrong. They intend to push us back – way back. They intend to strip LGBTQ people of their rights, not just the right to same-sex marriage but even their right to be true to themselves. And why stop there? They could easily set civil rights as well as women’s rights back decades. They could make it a lot harder to become a legal immigrant, or a citizen unless you’re white, straight and rich. Give them a centimeter, and they’ll take an entire meter.

This is why we need to fight back hard and loud. We need to let our (alleged) representatives in government know that WE THE PEOPLE will NEVER allow our precious rights to be taken away – not without a long, hard and bloody fight. And if they still insist on catering to a shrinking minority, we will vote them out – because we must.