The Commentariat -- September 3, 2021
Breaking News: Until Further Notice, the Comments section is again working properly, and there is no need for you to fake-sign in to comment. But do save your work until you're sure your comment "took." -- Marie
Marie: Reality Chex AGAIN is not accepting comments, through no design or fault of my own. However, my dumb interim plan to get around the problem still works. Here, again, are the easy instructions:
1. In the URL (address line), enter www.realitychex.com/display/Login and return. The login is case-sensitive, so that "L" in "Login" must be capitalized.
2. A log-in page will come up. Type squarespace in the Login box. Type nonsense in the password box. And return. That will get you page to the standard Reality Chex page. (Note: Don't use boldface type; I've put the stuff you have to use in boldface only to make it easier to see.)
3. Type your comment in the Comments box as usual. But at the end of the comment, sign it with your usual Reality Chex handle, because the name of the poster will say "See Above."
Also, thanks to Ken W. for alerting me.
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Afternoon Update:
Daniel Han of Politico: "President Joe Biden on Friday called the new Texas law banning most abortions 'un-American,' telling reporters that the Department of Justice is investigating mechanisms that might block its enforcement. 'The most pernicious thing about the Texas law, it sort of creates a vigilante system where people get rewards to go out [and enforce it],' Biden said of the law, which prohibits abortions once a fetal heartbeat is detected, roughly six weeks into pregnancy and before many women know they are pregnant. 'It just seems, I know this sounds ridiculous, almost un-American.'" The Washington Post's story is here.
Amy Wang of the Washington Post: "President Biden on Friday signed an executive order that would require the review, declassification and release of classified government documents related to the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001. In doing so, Biden said he was fulfilling a promise he had made while campaigning for president, in which he had vowed, if elected, to direct the U.S. attorney general to 'personally examine the merits of all cases' where the government had invoked state secrets privilege and 'to err on the side of disclosure in cases where, as here, the events in question occurred two decades or longer ago.'"
Greg Sargent of the Washington Post: "... Sen. Joe Manchin III is going to great lengths to dramatically undermine [President] Biden's ... $3.5 trillion 'human infrastructure' package. In a Wall Street Journal piece, Manchin urges a 'pause' on the bill and calls for 'significantly reducing' its size 'to only what America can afford and needs to spend.' Most obviously, this could upend the 'two track' strategy, under which progressives support the $1 trillion bipartisan 'hard' infrastructure bill on the understanding that centrists such as Manchin will back the reconciliation measure. That could implode Biden's whole agenda. But this is deeply dangerous in another, less obvious way, one that turns on the reconciliation bill's provisions to combat climate change.... It's galling that the word 'climate' appears nowhere in Manchin's piece, even as he piously suggests he has a divinely inspired reading of what America truly 'needs to spend.'"
The New York Times' live updates of Covid-19 developments Friday are here. The Washington Post's live Covid-19 updates for Friday are here.
Marshall Cohen of CNN: "The so-called 'QAnon Shaman' who stormed the US Capitol in a horned bearskin outfit pleaded guilty Friday to a felony for obstructing the Electoral College proceedings on January 6. The defendant, Jacob Chansley of Arizona, is a well-known figure in the QAnon movement. He went viral after the January 6 attack because of the bizarre outfit he wore while rummaging through the Capitol. He made his way to the Senate dais that was hastily vacated earlier by Vice President Mike Pence -- someone Chansley falsely claimed was a 'child-trafficking traitor.' He pleaded guilty Friday during a virtual hearing in DC District Court. The guilty plea was made as part of a deal with prosecutors, and it was accepted by District Judge Royce Lamberth."
No. 1 Grifter Uses Donor Money to Pay -- Himself. Shayna Jacobs, et al., of the Washington Post: "... as Trump Tower has dealt with imploding tenants [including a company that made Ivanka Trump shoes], political backlash and a broader, pandemic-related slump in Manhattan office leasing since last year -- it has been able to count on one reliable, high-paying tenant:... Donald Trump's own political operation.... Starting in March, one of his committees, Make America Great Again PAC, paid $37,541.67 per month to rent office space on the 15th floor of Trump Tower -- a space previously rented by his campaign.... This may not be the most efficient use of donors' money: The person familiar with Trump's PAC said that its staffers do not regularly use the office space. Also, for several months, Trump's PAC paid the Trump Organization $3,000 per month to rent a retail kiosk in the tower's lobby -- even though the lobby was closed." MB: This is quintessentially Trump: scamming people who think their $25 will transport him to the White House in August (oh wait, August is over) but instead will be a drop in the bucket to pay Trump to rent empty space to himself because the space is unrentable to real people & businesses.
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Brett Samuels of the Hill: "President Biden on Thursday said he is directing his administration to look into ways to protect abortion access for women in Texas after the Supreme Court refused to block the state's law that bans almost all abortions[.]... The White House on Wednesday said the proper recourse to ensure abortion access would be for Congress to codify Roe v. Wade. But Biden on Thursday signaled his administration would take unilateral action where possible. The president said he was asking the Gender Policy Council and White House Counsel to 'launch a whole-of-government effort to respond to this decision, looking specifically to the Department of Health and Human Services and the Department of Justice to see what steps the Federal Government can take to ensure that women in Texas have access to safe and legal abortions as protected by Roe, and what legal tools we have to insulate women and providers from the impact of Texas' bizarre scheme of outsourced enforcement to private parties.'" (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ~~~
~~~ Aliza Worthington of Crooks & Liars: Elie Mystal gives President Biden a blueprint for how he could subvert the Texas law. Also read the citations Worthington includes in her post. MB: Mystal's plan is indeed subversive, but not any more so than the Texas law. ~~~
~~~ Cristina Marcos of the Hill: "Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) said Thursday that the House will vote on legislation to guarantee access to abortion upon its return to Washington later this month after the Supreme Court refused to block a restrictive Texas law that bans most abortions.... Pelosi said that after the House returns to session on Sept. 20, the chamber will vote on a bill from Rep. Judy Chu (D-Calif.) to statutorily protect a person's ability to seek an abortion and for health care providers to provide abortion services.... The Senate companion bill to Chu's legislation has the support of 48 Democrats. Two Democrats, Sen. Joe Manchin (W.Va.) and Bob Casey (Pa.) have not signed on as co-sponsors. Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) called for abolishing the filibuster so that legislation to enshrine Roe v. Wade can pass in the Senate with a simple majority and for expanding the Supreme Court." MB: IOW, the bill will not pass in the Senate. (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ~~~
~~~ Thanks, Susan! Felicia Sonmez of the Washington Post: "Sen. Susan Collins emerged from her face-to-face meeting with then-Supreme Court nominee Brett M. Kavanaugh in August 2018 insisting that he had reassured her that Roe v. Wade was settled law. Two months later, Collins (R-Maine), who supports abortion rights, declared in a lengthy Senate floor speech that Kavanaugh had a 'record of judicial independence' and dismissed the notion that he might overturn precedent. She later would vote to confirm him to the lifetime post. Collins's past assertions came into sharp relief Wednesday as Kavanaugh joined four of his fellow conservatives on the court in declining to block one of the country's most restrictive abortion laws.... Collins's support for Kavanaugh -- and her insistence that he would uphold Roe -- was crucial in installing then-President Donald Trump's nominee to the Supreme Court as the Senate confirmed him by one of the narrowest margins in history, a near party-line 50-to-48 vote.... In a statement Thursday afternoon, Collins called the Texas law 'extreme and harmful.... I oppose the Court's decision to allow the law to remain in effect for now while these underlying constitutional and procedural questions are litigated.'" ~~~
~~~ Marie: Gosh, if only Collins had been a little more "concerned." Kudos to CNN for repeatedly knocking Collins on-air Thursday. ~~~
~~~ Supremes Toss the Principle of Equal Justice. Ian Millhiser of Vox: "The Court has now signaled that it will permit states to enact laws that were intentionally drafted to frustrate judicial review, at least if a majority of the Court agrees with what that law is trying to accomplish. And it handed down one of the most monumental decisions of our era -- a decision effectively overturning Roe v. Wade -- in a shadow docket order that offers virtually no reasoning.... The Roberts Court ... is perfectly willing to make sweeping legal pronouncements in shadow docket orders when conservative litigants ask them to do so. But now that a group of litigants who are hated by conservatives asked the justices to hand down a similar order, the five most conservative justices insist upon judicial modesty.... The Supreme Court is quite protective of due process -- when the right litigant seeks the Court's protection. One of the most disturbing things about Whole Woman's Health is that it suggests the Court has abandoned its most fundamental principle: equal justice under law." ~~~
~~~ Josh Marshall of TPM: "... the Supreme Court is both corrupted and corrupt. One of the court's nine members sits illegitimately. At least five of the current conservative majority have opted for a parodic version of what the judicial right once denounced as 'judicial activism.' The conservative majority's jurisprudence is a results-oriented approach abandoning both precedent and the more basic interpretive traditions to arrive at the preferred outcomes of either the Republican party or conservative ideology generally. A 6 to 3 Court doesn't require extraordinary measures to overrule Roe. It seems prepped to do so next year in a case from Mississippi. The overnight decision -- which rather overstates what the Court did -- is another example of the injudicious exuberance to use the Court to remake the nation's laws in ways that mere democracy will not allow.... The lawful remedy is to create new seats on the Court to break its power. The lawful solution to overruling Roe is to take current precedent as of today and enact it as law.... I would be remiss if I didn't add that Justice Breyer is in the process of handing the corrupt majority a seventh seat by insisting on remaining on the Court with no justification whatsoever. He deserves the most unremitting scorn." ~~~
~~~ Karl Paul of the Guardian: "Pro-choice users on TikTok and Reddit have launched a guerrilla effort to thwart Texas's extreme new abortion law, flooding an online tip website that encourages people to report violators of the law with false reports, Shrek memes, and porn.... An online form allows anyone to submit an anonymous 'report' of someone illegally obtaining an abortion, including a section where images can be uploaded for proof.... One TikTok user said they had submitted 742 fake reports of the governor Greg Abbott getting illegal abortions." ~~~
~~~ One Small Step for Womankind. Joseph Cox of Vice: "An activist has made a script to flood a Texas website used to solicit information on people seeking abortions with fabricated data, according to a TikTok video from the developer and Motherboard's [Vice's] test of the tool. The developer, whose social media identifies him as Sean Black, also made an iOS shortcut making it easier for non-technical activists to participate as well.... 'To me the McCarthyism era tactics of turning neighbors against each other over a bill I feel is a violation of Roe V Wade is unacceptable. There are people on TikTok using their platform to educate and do their part. I believe this is me doing mine,' Black told Motherboard in an email."
Manchin Makes Written Request to Everyone to Kiss His Anatomy. Tony Romm of the Washington Post: "A defining element of President Biden's economic agenda appeared to be in new political jeopardy on Thursday, after Sen. Joe Manchin III, one of the chamber's most pivotal swing votes, said the Senate should take a 'strategic pause' on advancing its $3.5 trillion tax and spending package. Writing in the Wall Street Journal, Manchin (D-W.Va.) raised concerns that the price tag is too high, that the effects on the federal debt might be too great and that the risks of inflation could create financial harm for Americans. He called on his fellow Democrats to slim down their spending ambitions -- and to slow down their plans to adopt the measure as soon as this month."
Luke Broadwater of the New York Times: "The House committee investigating the Jan. 6 Capitol riot included Representative Kevin McCarthy, the Republican leader, this week on a list of hundreds of people whose records it instructed social media and telecommunications companies to preserve for possible use in the inquiry. The move signals that the panel may seek more information from Mr. McCarthy, who has said he had a tense phone call with Donald J. Trump as a mob of the former president's supporters laid siege to the Capitol, a conversation that could shed light on Mr. Trump's state of mind and intentions as the violence unfolded. It also adds new context to Mr. McCarthy's threat this week to retaliate against any company that complies with the records preservation demand.... The preservation request, which listed 11 other far-right Republicans when it was issued on Monday, was accompanied by a statement that said the committee was merely 'gathering facts, not alleging wrongdoing by any individual.'" A CNN story is here.
Annie Grayer, et al., of CNN: "Democratic Chairman of the January 6 Select Committee Bennie Thompson announced on Thursday that Republican Rep. Liz Cheney will become the panel's vice chair, the latest sign that the Democrat-run committee is attempting to strike a bipartisan tone as it prepares to wade into politically contested waters. Cheney, one of two Republicans to serve on the committee, has defied her party by joining the panel controlled by Democrats and even sacrificed her own position in leadership in order to remain vocal and outspoken about the need to investigate the January 6 insurrection at the US Capitol." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)
Clare Hymes of CBS News: "The bare-chested man pictured with his face painted, wearing a horned helmet and howling in the Senate chamber during the insurrection on January 6th is expected to plead guilty Friday in federal court to charges stemming from his participation at the riot, according to a court filing. Jacob Chansley, aka the 'QAnon Shaman,' was charged with a six-count indictment that includes civil disorder, violent entry and disorderly conduct, as well as a felony count for obstruction of an official proceeding, which carries a sentence of up to 20 years in prison. The details of Chansley's plea agreement with the government, including which specific charges he is pleading guilty to, have not yet been made public. In a statement, Chansley's attorney, Albert Watkins, said his client no longer wants to be associated with the conspiracy theory QAnon...."
Spencer Hsu of the Washington Post: "A self-described 'poster boy' for the Jan. 6 Capitol riot was sent back to jail Thursday after violating a federal judge's order to stay off the Internet -- a lapse his lawyer attributed to his seeming addiction to the QAnon cult. Douglas Jensen, 42, of Des Moines became one of the most recognized members of the mob that day when he was recorded on widely shared video pursuing U.S. Capitol Police Officer Eugene Goodman up two flights of stairs inside the Capitol while searching for the just-evacuated Senate chamber, according to prosecutors. Jensen -- wearing a black T-shirt emblazoned with a large 'Q' and an eagle -- came to Washington believing that members of Congress and Vice President Mike Pence were going to be arrested for opposing ... Donald Trump's effort to overturn the results of the 2020 election, U.S. District Judge Timothy J. Kelly said at a hearing Thursday."
Ben Protess, et al., of the New York Times: "At least one employee at Donald J. Trump's family business testified before a grand jury on Thursday as prosecutors in Manhattan weighed whether to charge a senior executive at the company with tax-related crimes, according to people with knowledge of the matter. The Manhattan district attorney's office is scrutinizing whether the executive, Matthew Calamari, benefited from what prosecutors have described as a 15-year scheme at the Trump Organization to help its top leadership evade taxes by compensating them with off-the-books luxury perks such as free cars and apartments. The development came two months after the district attorney's office indicted the Trump Organization's chief financial officer, Allen H. Weisselberg, and the company itself over the perks.... Mr. Calamari's son, Matthew Calamari Jr., who is the 28-year-old corporate director of security at the Trump Organization, testified before the grand jury on Thursday. Jeffrey McConney, who has long served as the Trump Organization's controller and handled the elder Mr. Calamari's taxes, had also been expected to testify."
Amy Wang & David Fahrenthold of the Washington Post: "Kelly Craft, who was appointed to two ambassadorships under ... Donald Trump, directed government business to Trump's hotel in Washington while in office, emails released by the State Department show....According to the emails, [at her own request & sometimes contrary to State Department recommendations,] Craft stayed at the Trump International Hotel multiple times while in Washington."
Matthew Goldstein & Kate Kelly of the New York Times: "James Simons, a mathematician whose algorithmic approach has been adopted by many other investment funds, and some of his former colleagues at Renaissance Technologies have settled a decade-long dispute with the government over the tax treatment of some of their investments, the firm said in letter to investors. The settlement, which involves 10 years' worth of trades made by the hedge fund, could be worth as much as $7 billion, according to a person with knowledge of the agreement. It is one of the largest federal tax disputes in history. The deal ends a standoff that led to a congressional investigation and involved two politically connected financiers: Mr. Simons, a longtime patron of Democratic candidates with an estimated net worth of $25 billion, and Robert Mercer, a former Renaissance executive whose advocacy for conservative causes included helping to found Cambridge Analytica. After Donald J. Trump won the 2016 presidential election, the now-defunct political consulting firm became embroiled in a scandal for harvesting Facebook data without users' consent to assist his campaign." ~~~
~~~ Marie: Who'da thunk a big Trump backer had a history of bilking the government of tax revenues?
Adam Goldman of the New York Times: "A member of a notorious cell of four British Islamic State members who tortured Western hostages pleaded guilty on Thursday in a federal courtroom filled with family members of the group's American victims, some of whom were beheaded for propaganda videos seen around the world. Alexanda Kotey, 37, was part of an ISIS cell of four Britons called 'the Beatles' -- a nickname given by their victims because of their accents -- and known for their extreme brutality. The group kidnapped and abused more than two dozen hostages, including the American journalists James Foley and Steven J. Sotloff in 2014, both of whom were beheaded in propaganda videos. Another two Americans were also killed: Peter Kassig and Kayla Mueller. As families of all four victims sat silently in the courtroom on Thursday, Mr. Kotey recounted calmly and without emotion his crimes and his involvement in the hostage-tasking schemes.... He pleaded guilty to multiple charges, including conspiracy to commit hostage taking resulting in death and conspiracy to murder U.S. citizens outside the United States. As part of the plea deal, if Mr. Kotey fulfills his cooperation requirements, he could be sent to Britain after 15 years to complete the remainder of a mandatory life sentence."
Matthew Gault & Jason Koebler of Vice: "Gun company Remington has subpoenaed the report cards, attendance records, and disciplinary records of five kindergarten and first grade students murdered in the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting, according to new court filings in a civil lawsuit filed against the company." MB: To what end? To argue that the loss of a particular child's life isn't worth much if he didn't do well in kindergarten? That's really the only "purpose" I can figure for these subpoenas. This is taking "blaming the victim" to a whole new level.
Christopher Flavelle, et al., of the New York Times: "Disasters cascading across the country this summer have exposed a harsh reality: The United States is not ready for the extreme weather that is now becoming frequent as a result of a warming planet.... 'And to the country, the past few days of Hurricane Ida and the wildfires in the West and the unprecedented flash floods in New York and New Jersey is yet another reminder that these extreme storms and the climate crisis are here,' said [President] Biden, who noted that a $1 trillion infrastructure bill pending in Congress includes some money to gird communities against disasters. 'We need to do -- be better prepared. We need to act.'... Governments have not spent enough time and money to brace for climate shocks that have long been predicted.... But ... there are limits to how much the country, and the world, can adapt."
Mayberry Falls to Climate Change. Christopher Flavelle of the New York Times: "Climate shocks are pushing small rural communities..., many of which were already struggling economically, to the brink of insolvency. Rather than bouncing back, places hit repeatedly by hurricanes, floods and wildfires are unraveling: residents and employers leave, the tax base shrinks and it becomes even harder to fund basic services. That downward spiral now threatens low-income communities in the path this week of Hurricane Ida and those hit by the recent flooding in Tennessee -- hamlets regularly pummeled by storms that are growing more frequent and destructive because of climate change." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ~~~
~~~ Marie: IOW, Republicans are destroying their own fairy tale. Republican politicians hold up these small towns as idyllic exemplars of "real America" at the same time they either oppose efforts to curb climate change or outright deny there is such a thing.
Beyond the Beltway
Georgia. Alyssa Lukpat of the New York Times: "A grand jury indicted a former prosecutor in Georgia on Thursday, accusing her of 'showing favor and affection' to one of the men now charged with killing Ahmaud Arbery and for directing police officers not to arrest another suspect. The prosecutor, Jackie Johnson, a former district attorney in Glynn County, had recused herself from the case involving Mr. Arbery, a 25-year-old Black man who was confronted by three white men while jogging through their neighborhood. The fatal encounter, which stoked national outrage, was recorded on a cellphone video by William Bryan, who filmed Gregory McMichael and his son Travis McMichael fatally shooting Mr. Arbery. All three have been charged with murder.... The indictment says Ms. Johnson failed 'to treat Ahmaud Arbery and his family fairly and with dignity' by not disclosing that she had sought the assistance of another district attorney before recommending that he take over the case. Ms. Johnson recused herself because Gregory McMichael had worked in her office. She also 'knowingly and willfully' directed two Glynn County police officers not to arrest Travis McMichael, 'contrary to the laws of said state,' the indictment said." An AP story is here.
Way Beyond
Japan. Motoko Rich of the New York Times: "Less than a year after becoming prime minister of Japan, Yoshihide Suga said on Friday that he would not seek re-election as leader of the governing party, paving the way for a new leader after his historically unpopular tenure. Mr. Suga assumed the prime ministership after Shinzo Abe, Japan's longest-serving prime minister, resigned last August because of ill health. Mr. Suga, the son of a strawberry farmer and a schoolteacher from the country's rural north, had been a behind-the-scenes operator and always looked uncomfortable as a public-facing leader."
News Ledes
The New York Times' live updates of developments Friday in the New York related to the remnants of Hurricane Ida are here: "The death toll from the remnants of Hurricane Ida grew on Friday with the announcement of two more deaths in New Jersey, bringing the total number of lives lost to 45 across four states hit that were hit by the storm Wednesday evening. Authorities fear the toll will increase further: Gov. Phillip D. Murphy of New Jersey said at least six people were still missing in the floods.... In New York City, where most of the deaths occurred when people were trapped in flooded basement apartments, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced on Friday that going forward, when flash floods were forecast, the city would go door-to-door in neighborhoods with high concentrations of such apartments and evacuate residents."
CNBC: "Job creation for August was a huge disappointment, with the economy adding just 235,000 positions, the Labor Department reported Friday. Economists surveyed by Dow Jones had been looking for 720,000 new hires. The unemployment rate dropped to 5.2% from 5.4%, in line with estimates. August's total -- the worst since January -- comes with heightened fears of the pandemic and the impact that rising Covid cases could have on what has been a mostly robust recovery. The weak report could cloud policy for the Federal Reserve, which is weighing whether to pull back on some of the massive stimulus it has been adding since the outbreak in early 2020."
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Reader Comments (8)
I am sick with fury over this abortion situation and Ak's words resonate: "I hate these fucking people," which now includes those Supremes who we knew would screw us in the end. The lack of preparation and the lack of imagination brings us to the breaking point whether we are talking about climate change, voting rights and now abortion.
Judy Chu has, for years!, brought a bill to the floor to seal the abortion deal for good but year after year it languished; we see clips of her pleading her case while a guy sitting in the back of her is scratching his balls and wondering what he's going to have for lunch.
My life drastically changed because I couldn't get an abortion–-the pain of that experience (the baby was stillborn) will never leave me. To know that there are women in Texas at this time in our lives who are being ruled by a draconian law and thrown in for good measure a bounty hunter clause––we are back to slave days! And those five punks with the long black robes say," hunky dory!"
I wish I could get on with my day and throw off this anger and sadness but I find it keeps circling back, keeping me in a perpetual state of anxiety–-and frustration. Let's see what this administration is going to do–--build some abortion clinics on federal land? How about passing a bloody bill and tell Joe and Susie Q. to go take a hike.
"You have always regarded women as disposable, my Lord, and you cannot complain if on the end they think the same of you."
(Bring up the Bodies)
P.D.
@PD Pepe: Thank you for sharing your experience. I don't think those of us who have not been in that situation can understand the emotional (and often physical, too) scars it leaves. We can try to empathize, however, and share your rage.
As for Republicans, the only ones who don't want to take us back to the 19th century are those who want to take us back to the 18th century. Mind you, they wouldn't like it at all if we went back in time to what real circumstances were like, but these Republicans have conjured up an imaginary American past where all the white men sat around deciding the important stuff while Nee-groes & womenfolk waited upon them, and everything was as god intended.
Yeah, all in all not a good day.
Thanks, PD, for the poignant personal history. I share the part your rage that someone who has never been there can feel.
At least this morning's local paper had four sane LTTRs to the editor asking what is wrong with all those unvaccinated people.
That "what is wrong" question applies to so many and so much.
What is wrong with our five so-called justices?
What is wrong with those who can't see either social or political consequences to their stupid decisions? (Roberts did, I'd guess)
What is wrong with oh, the entire Republican Party, whose view of both the past and the future is equally limited?
We're in the hands of a whole bunch of mostly white I wanna's who live in an eternal present defined by an inflated opinion of themselves and by a succession of their own selfish urges.
Development arrested, terminally immature, downright stupid, autocratic in nature and willing to break all the rules to get their way.
My only hope: The worse they get, the farther they remove themselves from physical and political reality (Texas), the more they invite such massive rejection that no amount of gerrymandering and voter suppression can protect them from what they have wrought.
Ken Winkes
Memo to President Biden:
Get rid of the filibuster ASAP or neither you nor your
party will ever accomplish anything meaningful. Not tomorrow or next week. Now!
And while you're at it, expand the Supreme Court. I
can't advise you on that since I don't know the procedure
myself.
Forrest Morris (I did it again).
Hang in there PD - if ever times called for "don't let the bastards get you down" it is now. That is not to neglect your truth. In a country where the former president* talked about decency on both sides, the Texas law being upheld is decadence. Like Nazis, the fascist conservatives have no guilt or standards other than winning. And they want to start a neighbor squealing on neighbor ethos. Wow! Boycott Texas. Yes, there is good people there but their opponents can only count nickels. I'm remaining somewhat quiet, in some ways, while watching pride goeth before the fall. These folks can't make community with different tribes; that is the greatest strength of Democrats. (Most of them.)
Citizen 625
Now that I've read the Mystal piece would recommend the longer internally linked "Nation" version as well.
Had been thinking along the same lines but not so creatively.
Had wondered if it would be possible to set up privately funded (Hyde amendment) clinics just across the state lines bordering the lonely star state. On donated private land and staffed by volunteer or privately paid for medical staff, of course.
A project for the anti-Mercer million- and billionaires that could work hand in hand with Mystal's fine suggestions?
As Mystal says, we can't keep rolling over. we gotta fight back...
I note that the courts let the Sacklers off the hook, the excuse being they didn’t want to clog the courts with lawsuits. But suing poor women in Texas, or people who help poor women in Texas, or people who help the people who help the poor women in Texas? File at will!