Sunday, May 19, 2019

Women Are Under Siege

There is a war on women. 

Women make heartbreaking, scary, agonizing, beautiful decisions about pregnancy every single day. Some women ultimately choose to carry their child and give birth, even in difficult circumstances. Some, women, heartbreakingly wish they hadn't. And many women make the difficult decision to terminate a pregnancy. But until you face that decision, YOU DON'T FACE THAT DECISION.

And that is what the Supreme Court decided in the landmark 1973 decision Roe v. Wade, when it was decided that the U.S. Constitution guarantees a fundamental right to privacy, which provides the right of a woman to make a decision for herself whether or not to seek an abortion.



Here we are in 2019, and we're in the midst of an outright war against women. The extreme right has finally acknowledged that it's not about the fetus, or the child, at all. It's about controlling and oppressing women. Ruth Bader Ginsburg was right: the white patriarchy's view is indeed that a woman is less than human. And make no mistake. The white patriarchy will be the one benefitting from the control of women, particularly of women of color.

You know by now that there are several new state laws that have been signed into law this year. All of these have the aim of going to the Supreme Court to challenge the Roe v. Wade decision. Georgia, Kentucky, Missouri, Mississippi, Arkansas, Utah, and Ohio have all passed laws this year, as well as Alabama with the most restrictive law, an outright ban. Twenty-five white men decided what the women in Alabama can do with their bodies. And the list of states is growing. The proposed Texas abortion bill would allow the death penalty for women who seek an abortion. Ah, the sanctity of life!


The dystopian future is now. This is a war on women.

We know that this is a war on women because punishments for women who seek abortion and the physicians who help them are harsh, but the punishments for the male impregnators – even rapists – are less, or nil.

We know that this is a war on women because people otherwise have autonomy over their body in life and in death. A person must give consent for a blood donation, for a medication injection, and for organs to be harvested after death.

We know that this is a war on women because most of the new abortion bans are "heartbeat" laws, which prohibit abortions once a heartbeat can be detected, which is at about six weeks gestation, earlier than most women are aware they are pregnant. (Nevermind that a six-week fetal "heartbeat" is a gross misnomer. It's not at all a heart, and it's far from a "beat." It's a group of cells that are organizing themselves to be able to produce an electrical current to a future human heart. Technology advances have allowed ultrasound to be able to detect this electrical flutter at a very early stage -- before the woman even has symptoms of pregnancy). The well-being of the women is secondary.

We know that this is a war on women because the United Nations has decreed that forced pregnancy is a crime against humanity.

We know that this is a war on women because the very states that are banning abortion have poor protections for children born in poverty and their mothers.

 We know that this is a war on women because states are impeding access to birth control and reproductive care but men can get boner medication willy-nilly.

We know that this is a war on women because the government is allowing employers to dictate the choices women have regarding birth control.

We know that this is a war on women because rapists like these men are barely punished:

We know that it is a war on women because at least one of the laws (Georgia) provides for punishment for women who have miscarriages.

We know that it is a war on women because of rhetoric like this: Florida House Speaker José Oliva called pregnant women 'host bodies' 5 times in interview on anti-abortion bill

and this:



We know that it is a war on women because in Ohio, an 11-year-old girl must bear the child of her rapist.

We know that it is a war on women because these laws don't have exceptions for rape or incest.

We know that it is a war on women because the government willingly separates mothers from their children and keeps the babies in cages.

We know that it is a war on women because in the Alabama law, “The egg in the lab doesn’t apply. It’s not in a woman. She’s not pregnant.”

We know that it is a war on women because "sanctity of life" stops when punishment via the death penalty begins.

We know that it is a war on women because "sanctity of life" stops when the right to use firearms to kill schoolchildren begins.

We know that it is a war on women when the conservative desire for small government and freedom from government regulation flies out the window when it's a woman's body.


It's no coincidence that these oppressive laws are coming from primarily Southern states. The anti-abortion movement arose as way to oppress black people. The right glommed on to the religious angle of abortion because it wasn't politically correct to outright admit they were the racist caucus, but make no mistake, the origins are all about further oppressing the oppressed, not about preserving life. The religious right, abortion, and segregation are so enmeshed that there is no one without the others. Politico and The Rolling Stone outline this issue very well.


There have been memes and earnest outpourings from well-meaning women like the below, offering to be "Auntie" to out-of-state women wanting abortion, a sort of underground railroad of supporters.



But that only solves part of the problem. Even before these laws, several states have just one abortion clinic left. And wealthy women will always have the means to travel for a legal abortion, or to pay for a safe illegal abortion. As we know, banning abortion does not eliminate abortion. It eliminates safe abortion. The women who will succumb to devastation with an unsafe abortion are the poor, the low-income, the women of color.


You know a woman who has had an abortion.

According to statistics from the Guttmacher Institute, nearly one in four women will have had an induced abortion by age 45. The majority of women seeking abortions are young and poor. More than half of abortions are for women in their 20s. Seventy-five percent of women who have abortions are poor or low-income. The demographics cross race, religion, region.

The reason you may not know that you know a woman who has had an abortion is because it is none of your damn business. Only the pregnant woman can weigh her circumstances and decide if she desires to carry a child. It is a woman's sacred decision, one that she may or may not share with anyone. ANYONE. It's not your business, it's not the neighbor's business, it's not even the father's business, unless she chooses it to be.

It is absolutely, positively NOT the government's business.
Soldiers, you must fight this war. What you can do:

Support our sisters.

Speak up for the right to an abortion, accompany a woman to Planned Parenthood, be a voice. Don't ask questions or give an opinion to a woman. Be there for her.

Call your state representatives and call for the preservation of the right to privacy and the right to an abortion. Some states are already moving toward decreeing abortion as a fundamental right. The governor of Pennsylvania has said he will veto any abortion bill that comes to him. Vermont and Illinois are bolstering abortion rights. Kansas has made it a constitutional right within the state.

Boycott the states who have restrictive abortion laws. Encourage businesses to boycott.

Look to other countries for guidance and inspiration, like Ireland and Poland.

Donate to Planned Parenthood, the ACLU, the Guttmacher Institute, NARAL, the National Abortion Federation, or another pro-woman charity. (Please, as always, check with Charity Navigator or another watchdog before sending your money to any charity). Donate your time to those organizations, if you can't afford dollars.

March in the streets. Connect with your local progressive group, such as your chapter of Indivisible. Watch for marches. Here in Santa Barbara, there is a demonstration on Tuesday, May 21 at noon at the County Courthouse.

Stop calling it "Pro-Life." Call it what it is: "Forced Pregnancy."

VOTE in 2020. Vote for women, vote for people of color, vote for women of color. Talk to other women, mobilize women to vote in your area. Help causes that get out the vote in red states, and in areas with people that the government are trying to disenfranchise.

#RESIST



And now for some comic relief:

George Carlin from 22 years ago. The more things change, the more they stay the same.




And Brent Terhune this week:





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Sunday, May 12, 2019

Getting scared, but holding on to hope

 R.J. Matson   



Despair resurgence: This week more than ever it seems we are slipping into a dictatorship. And yet, in the end I return to hope. Take the journey with me.

Two esteemed lawmakers have used the words "constitutional crisis" this week. House Judiciary Committee chairman Jerry Nadler (D-NY) uttered those words last week after becoming frustrated about yet another act of obstruction from Li'l Donny Moscow, and House speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) joined him in the sentiment. Some say that those words used now and in this context are "bull" or "not yet." If it's not quite, it's very close to being a full-bore constiutional crisis.

I know the term "constitutional crisis" has been used a lot. We have seemed to have multiple constitutional crises since the Mango Mussolini came to power. I have used the term in these pages here and here but those weren't really constitutional crises. They were crises, for sure, but this set of circumstances threatens our very form of government.

If you haven't recently read the U.S. Constitution, I encourage you to. Read it here, or a modern translation here. And go to Washington D.C. and see it with your own eyes (here's a substitute if you can't get there soon). It's your document. It's moving to see.

If you read it, you will know more about the Constitution than the President*. But you probably already do know more. You know that our forefathers created three branches of government which are co-equal. Each branch is equal in power to each of other branches. And guess what is the super best part? WE THE PEOPLE get to say who inhabits each of those branches.

The United States Congress possesses constitutional duties of oversight and investigation. Refer to your document, Article 1, Section 1: “All legislative Powers herein granted shall be vested in a Congress of the United States, which shall consist of a Senate and House of Representatives.” ALL legislative powers. ALL. Article 1 of your document goes on to enumerate the various powers Congress possesses, and it's a lot.

But 45 is flouting Congress's duties outright, refusing to comply with any request or subpoena in Congress's follow-up investigations to Robert Mueller's report. IMPOTUS has asserted executive privilege, although he waived that privilege long ago by cooperating, and allowing his minions to cooperate, with Robert Mueller, who was mandated to investigate the Executive Branch.

As Andy Borowitz reports, in another satire-is-just-too-close-to-reality piece, the framers of the Constitution have been very unfair to Donny Boy. And he's acting out to repair the unfairness of it all.

Obstructive behaviors have been rampant:

The Legislative Branch and the Executive Branch are in a stalemate. Congress doesn't have many more tools, but we may yet have hope. Their requests and subpoenas are being ignored, but they still have powerful options to try before turning to the courts. The pressure to impeach is growing. Speaker Pelosi has been circumspect about the option, but with the growing acts of obstruction, it is being talked about more. It must be done. We must pressure our Republican members of Congress to join the movement, to restore our government to stasis.

Congress should also consider using their power of inherent contempt. Congress has the power to assess fines and to make arrests. That power has not been used in nearly a century. A simple contempt charge like the one given to A.G. William Barr don't have much teeth, especially given that the Executive Branch is in charge of enforcing such charges. But thanks to old laws, Congress can send its Sergeant-at-Arms to arrest those who scorn their contempt charges. Here's a great analysis of Congress's next steps, including inherent contempt, from Politico.

If Congress chooses not to impeach or arrest, all of these refusals will go to the third branch of government, the Judicial Branch, and may be hung up there for months and years.

Which brings me to the constitutional crisis part of this whole thing. The Judicial Branch may be the last hope to bring resolution to this stalemate. But I fear that the courts are becoming a place that is becoming less a co-equal branch of government than an extension of the Executive Branch. This was the basis for much of my anxiety this week.

IQ45 has worked feverishly -- and under the radar while the nation stomps out other fires from his willy-nilly match-throwing -- to stack the federal courts with "his" judges. I want want want to have faith in the court system, but my faith is slipping.

Last week the Federal court system saw his 100th confirmation of a conservative judge. While overall, this pace matches his recent predecessors, the difference is that most of SCROTUS's appointments have been in appellate courts. The appellate courts are powerful, just behind the Supreme Court, to which of course Red Don has appointed two Justices already (please, please, please, Ruth, hang in there!).

Just yesterday, TЯUMP pushed to limit judges' powers on declaring nationwide injunctions in their decisions. This is quite sobering. He is looking to LIMIT JUDGES' POWERS. Let that sink in.

Agent Orange has thought about the Judicial Branch in myriad ways, true to the maelstrom of his fucked-up "understanding" of our government and its various powers. It depends on his needs at the time, or the decision he recieved, whether he displays disdain or respect for the courts.

The Fanta Menace has long been disdainful of the Judicial Branch, even before he ran for president. He has disparaged individual judges, such as U.S. District Judge Gonzalo Curiel, a judge with Mexican heritage, who presided over a Trump University case. Baby Fingers asserted Judge Curiel would not be fair because of his Mexican heritage.

TЯUMP has ranted about the Ninth District Court over and over when they ruled against some of his executive orders. You can read more of his attacks on the Judicial Branch from the Brennan Center or from the Washington Post.

On the other hand, he has blatantly invoked the Supereme Court, counting on the court to bail him out in case of impeachment:



He seems to think that the Supreme Court is "his" court, just as he believes the Attorney General is "his" personal attorney. Will the conservative-leaning court be able to stay impartial as a third body of checks and balances? What if he has the opportunity to place another Justice?  With his appointments of Gorsuch and Kavanaugh, it's looking like a good ol' boys club. It's scary stuff.

The Demander-in-Chief has often implied that "Republican" judges are more friendly than "Democrat" judges, and one whine about an "Obama judge" who ruled against his asylum policy prompted Chief Justice John Roberts to issue an unprecedented rebuke, stating "We do not have Obama judges or Trump judges, Bush judges or Clinton judges. What we have is an extraordinary group of dedicated judges doing their level best to do equal right to those appearing before them. That independent judiciary is something we should all be thankful for."

And this is where my hope is renewed. Wise words from wise judges. Our last great hope for the preservation of our government is in the courts. Our sage forefathers gave us a powerful system of checks and balances, and this is the greatest test that it has ever seen. We must place our faith in the truth that our judges and Justices are indeed impartial arbiters of the law and can deftly separate their own political biases from their lawful decisions. Our country cannot be so divided that our most impartial citizens, elevated to benches across our great nation, fall into the divide.

Indeed, many other judges and attorneys have rebuked Prima Donald's fantastical assertions.

Judge Carlton Reeves of the US District Court for the Southern District of Mississippi, had strong words. He said:
"When politicians attack courts as 'dangerous,' 'political,' and guilty of 'egregious overreach,' you can hear the Klan’s lawyers, assailing officers of the court across the South. When leaders chastise people for merely 'us[ing] the courts,' you can hear the Citizens Council, hammering up the names of black petitioners in Yazoo City, [Mississippi].... When the powerful accuse courts of 'open[ing] up our country to potential terrorists,' you can hear the Southern Manifesto’s authors, smearing the judiciary for simply upholding the rights of black folk. When lawmakers say 'we should get rid of judges,' you can hear segregationist senators, writing bills to strip courts of their power."

Former Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens, age 99, also issued a rebuke in recent days. In an interview with the Wall Street Journal (read on CNN if you don't subscribe to the WSJ) worried that, "The President is exercising powers that do not really belong to him....I mean, he has to comply with subpoenas and things like that."

More than 800 (!!) Federal prosecutors across the country, who served under both Republican and Democrat presidents, signed a letter stating that if 45 were a private citizen, there would be no doubt that he would be charged with obstruction of justice. The letter states plainly,  "Each of us believes that the conduct of President Trump described in Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s report would, in the case of any other person not covered by the Office of Legal Counsel policy against indicting a sitting President, result in multiple felony charges for obstruction of justice."

Just this morning, the Los Angeles Times reported that many conservative attorneys are also adding their voice to the alarm, calling for impeachment. The group includes odious and very conservative John Yoo, who wrote a memo advocating for torture during the Bush II years. The group also includes conservative attorney George Conway, a frequent and loud voice in the resistance, and husband to Twitler mouthpiece Kelly Anne Conway.

SCROTUS debases all that he touches, but we can't let him debase the courts any longer. He may believe that the Supreme Court is "his" watchdog, but our Constitution says differently. We must have faith that our judges and attorneys take their oaths seriously and work for the interests of the nation. Chief Justice John Roberts has a huge responsibility in keeping the Supreme Court impartial, and working to restore Americans' faith in the Court. If we don't have the Judicial Branch at this point, we don't have .....anything.



Let's not let our fear and anxiety paralyze us. Keep working out there! Contact your Members of Congress, contact leaders of Congressional committees, write letters to the editor (Resistbot can help with all that). March in the streets, make art, support our free press. You know, #RESIST!



Aside: if you are at all like me, you have been learning a lot about our government during the last two-and-a-half years. Here are some links if you thirst for more knowledge.

Reuters explains about Congressional subpoenas and contempt citations.

The National Constitution Center, a non-profit Constitutional museum in Philadephia, explains more about inherent contempt.

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Monday, May 6, 2019

Elections belong to the people


“Elections belong to the people. It’s their decision. If they decide to turn their back on the fire and burn their behinds, then they will just have to sit on their blisters.” ― Abraham Lincoln

Voting. Our most sacred act within our democratic republic. We must not turn our backs on the potential of having our elections stolen from us! 

One of the chief charters of Robert Mueller's investigation was the Russian interference in our 2016 presidential election. His findings are explained in Volume I of his report. As you know, Mueller didn't find any prosecutable charges for conspiracy in his investigation into whether 45's campaign was entrenched with the Russians. There was a lot of stinking rot found, but nothing that Mueller felt could be successfully prosecuted. But he did find that Russia interfered in our election in "sweeping, systematic fashion." The Russians targeted the Democratic party by stealing emails and data and worked to bolster TЯUMP's campaign, while sowing societal and political discord, through social media.

So, what has been done in response to this assault on our election, and what has been done to ensure that our free and open democratic elections are not tampered with in the future?

Less than two months before the 2016 presidential election, Congress revealed to the nation that Russia had interfered in our election process. There was no doubt that it was the Russians. Every one of our intelligence bodies agreed. In response, after the election and about a month before he was to leave office, President Obama wrote an executive order to impose sanctions on Russia, and expelled 35 Russians from the United States.

TЯUMP, on the other hand has never once acknowledged that Russia interfered. To this very day, he calls it "the Russian hoax." In fact, he has worked to sow seeds of doubt in his base, saying the interference could've been anybody, including "somebody sitting on their bed that weighs 400 pounds." Lord Dampnut has also said that he had talked to Putin and Putin reassured him that Russia wasn't involved. Donocchio simply took this dictator and enemy of the United States at his word and furthered Putin's lies. Just a few days ago, he shared a long telephone call with Putie and among many topics of conversation, Russian interference did not come up, but the "Russian Hoax" -- the Mueller report -- did.

Steve Sack

Several congressional committees began investigating the matter in early 2017, but the investigations became contentious and unwieldily. When suspicions arose that TЯUMP or his campaign worked with the Russians, and shortly after Fuckface von Clownstick fired Comey, the Special Counsel was appointed on May 17, 2017. Robert Mueller assembled a crackerjack team of FBI agents and skilled attorneys and got to work. During the course of his investigation, Mueller brought charges against 28 entities and people from Russia. The charges he brought against Amercians (chiefly, those in the Commander-in-Grief's inner circle) were for lying about contact with Russia, not for conspiring with them.

According to Politifact:
In February 2018, the special counsel charged 13 Russians and three Russian entities with conspiring to defraud the United States and interfere with the 2016 presidential election. Mueller targeted the Internet Research Agency, a Kremlin-linked company that engages in influence operations and aimed to spread distrust toward candidates and the American political system. By mid 2016, the Internet Research Agency had established a strategy of supporting Trump’s candidacy and disparaging Clinton.
In July 2018, the special counsel indicted an additional 12 Russian intelligence officers for their role in the hacking of the Democratic National Committee, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee and the Clinton campaign, and leaking of emails and documents. 
The special counsel also charged Richard Pinedo, a California resident, with identity fraud. Pinedo sold bank account numbers over the internet to the Russians. His lawyer said he had no connection to Trump and was unaware that customers were involved in the Russia influence operation. Pinedo pleaded guilty and was sentenced to six months in prison in October 2018. 
Maria Butina, a Russian living in the United States, pleaded guilty to conspiring to act as an illegal foreign agent in December 2018. Butina has been accused of trying to infiltrate Republican power circles by reaching out through conservative groups such as the National Rifle Association. The indictment doesn’t mention Trump, although the New York Times reported that she tried to help broker a secret meeting with Trump and Putin during the 2016 campaign. Butina was prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office in D.C. and not Mueller; however, she is cooperating with the Mueller investigation and in February federal prosecutors sought to delay her sentencing.

 And that's about the extent of the consequences for Russia.

Seriously, in the last two-and-a-half years since we've known about the interference, Obama's sanctions and expulsions and Mueller's charges have been the only responses from the United States.

Our intelligence community firmly believes that the Russian efforts to influence our election go all the way to the top, to Vladimir Putin, so saying in a report released on January 6, 2017. And more recently, as late as last week, the FBI did announce that they are beefing up their counterintelligence operations. FBI Director Christopher Wray acknowledges that the threat still exists and that the U.S. must get one step ahead. Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats agrees. Given that the FBI and the Director of National Intelligence are under the Executive Branch, one could technically say, as that article does, that "the administration" is working to combat foreign interference into our elections.

But 45 himself has never once condemned the actions. Just the opposite. He has denied that Russia was involved, outright praised the actions, and fawned over Putie every chance he gets (read my post about their love affair). In fact, his son-in-law and Secretary of Busy Work Jared Kushner recently downplayed the interference, saying during Time's 100 event, "it was just a couple of Facebook ads." Obviously he didn't read Mueller's report.

Sidenote: It seems that no one in the inner circle has read it. I'm not convinced that A.G. William Barr read the entire report. He admitted that he didn't read the evidence. Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Lindsey Graham (R-SC), holding up what looked to be about half of the report, admitted he hadn't read the entire report. It's seriously disgraceful that one of the most senior lawmakers of our nation has not read one of the most important government documents of a generation. Disgraceful also, but not surprising: we can be fairly certain that Baby Fingers himself hasn't finished with the cover yet.

Andy Borowitz


Lindsey Graham, sometimes a reasonable Senate Republican and sometimes a screaming banshee, has made concerning noises about Russian interference, has pushed back on Kushner's statements, and has called for more sanctions. His voice seems to be echoing in the Republican void, though. In 2018 the GOP House and Senate voted against renewing funding to to beef up election security. There really hasn't been a lot of legislation introduced. There are three pieces of current legislation that I could find. The Defending Elections against Trolls from Enemy Regimes Act (DETER Act), The Defending American Security from Kremlin Aggression Act (DASKA Act), and The Honest Ads Act have been introduced, but none has gotten past the introduction phase. One piece of legislation, The National Defense Authorization Act, which has become law, which includes a section outlining an Department of Defense offense for foreign hackers. There are a few other bills that have been introduced by Congress that address election security. You can read them for yourselves, but none of the bills, to my reading, really have teeth. I was dismayed that close to diddly-squat has been done in the last two years.

There is speculation that the motivation for Hair Twitler to deny with all his being that the Russians interfered goes to his fear that the truth about Russian interference threatens the legitimacy of his presidency. Psssst... Mr. SCROTUS sir? That train has left the station! 

We'll never know if the interference really and truly changed the course of the election, but given its immensity, its relentless attack on Secretary Clinton and targeted support for TЯUMP, along with sowing social and political discord among us, I believe it did. Given those facts and the fact that he did not win with a majority of the popular vote, he is very much correct that the legitimacy of his election is in question. Unfortunately, we don't have a constitutional roadmap for do-overs, so our hands are tied.

We must look forward and acknowledge that interference is not going to stop; it's only going to get more sophisticated. What are solutions?

Facebook, home of much of the discord-sowing, has done a little to combat propaganda and fake news, but I wonder if it's enough. Tangentially, Facebook and its subsidiary Instagram have banned most ultra-right-wing extremists in an effort to stem misinformation and hate.

Though there is no evidence that the Russians hacked into actual election computers at the voting point, there is no reason to think that they won't try. The Brennan Center for Justice has many suggestions for defense against interference. They've published several papers on aspects of shoring up our election integrity, including advocating for a return to more audit-able ballots. I encourage you to read all of the Brennan Center reports. They are written by smart, knowledgeable citizens. The Council on Foreign Relations suggests a three-prong approach for combating foreign interference. Little Sister Resister believes we need a bipartisan task force -- or a whole new Congressional committee -- devoted to looking deep and wide at all aspects of our elections and making strong recommendations to Congress and the states for immediate action.

We must do more, and quickly! We can't let 45 and his indifference and his lies set the narrative and embolden Putin any more. Read those papers, and if any of those, or other, solutions make sense to you, talk to your state representatives as well as your members of Congress to urge action to make our sacred ballots unbreakable and unquestionable. Our elections belong to us, and we must ensure that is the truth forever.


Stay informed, be an active citizen, and don't turn your back on the fire!

#RESIST!

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