Abortion Rights

Ron DeSantis Is A Right Wing Threat, Undermining Basic Human Rights, Education, Health Care, And Harming Public Safety!

Ronald 4 Comments

Florida, the state I have lived in for 34 years, since 1989, has become a right wing threat under Governor Ron DeSantis.

DeSantis has banned an elective African American Studies Advanced Placement Course in Florida High Schools, claiming it has no educational value.

DeSantis has fired an elected Prosecutor, Hillsborough County State Attorney Andrew Warren, for publicly disagreeing with the governor’s stand on abortion rights and transgender health care.

DeSantis has cracked down on the Disney Company and its control of its properties in Central Florida, because they disagree with his policies and actions.

DeSantis is planning to promote a policy of guns “open carry”, without any permit or training or licensing, in all public places, which will insure mass murder incidents occurring ever more as happened at the Parkland Florida School Massacre in 2018 and the Orlando Florida “Pulse” Massacre in 2015.

DeSantis is banning books in public schools and libraries, and threatening prosecution for teachers or librarians who defy him. This is censorship, totally against American democratic values, but it will not stop students from inquiry about all kinds of issues, but has the effect of intimidation.

DeSantis has as Florida State Surgeon General Dr. Joseph Ladapo who is undermining protection for seniors or children or anyone else with the COVID 19 Pandemic, as he works with DeSantis on banning of masks and vaccinations as Florida policy.

DeSantis has fired school board members in several counties, and appointed Republican replacements that are dictating policies and curriculums in local schools.

DeSantis has set out to destroy the New College of Florida, in Sarasota, a liberal university which has received great honors and reputation. He has put a right wing extremist onto its board, and the President of the university has been fired, and the plan is to fire faculty members who do not fit the version of DeSantis regarding what is proper education.

DeSantis has interfered with college professors at Florida state universities, dictating what can be expressed in classes and put into class syllabi, and working to end tenure rights.

DeSantis has banned any protection or safety for gay and transgender children, which will promote suicides, as his puritan view of sexuality permeates the state of Florida.

DeSantis has declared war on empathy, decency, compassion, and is more concerned about so called “guilt” that white students might feel, totally preposterous, and at the same time, having no concern about the effect on students of color.

DeSantis’s war on abortion rights is also taking away a woman’s control over her body, putting Florida into the crosshairs of right wing control by an authoritarian minded man who wants to be President of the United States.

DeSantis also formed a political stunt about immigration, shipping Venezuelan migrants to Martha’s Vineyard, promoting his nativism agenda.

DeSantis has declared war on people of color; science and medicine; education and libraries; gays, lesbians and transgender individuals; women’s rights over their own bodies; elected officials who defy him; corporations who disagree with his views; immigrants; and he has shown no concern about public safety from unstable individuals who will have license to kill innocent citizens with firearms.

DeSantis is promoting intolerance, hatred, division, and destroying the reputation of Florida, at a time when the cost of living is high and housing prices are out of sight; the state is trying to recover from Hurricane Ian; and the public health threat from COVID 19 is still killing Floridians every day.

And since he did not react to recent examples of antisemitism displayed by White Supremacists and Neo Nazis, that is another great concern.

But his lust for power is unchecked, and he must be challenged and stopped, before he becomes an ever greater threat to the nation and the world beyond just the state of Florida.

All decent, humane people must rise up and resist, even as DeSantis had a law passed barring demonstrations that might block traffic, so one can expect the possibility of the use of police forces to crack down on the freedom of assembly.

This is not a time to sit on the sidelines, as what is happening in Florida could become the future of the entire nation, if Ron DeSantis was to go on and to win the Presidential Election of 2024!

Four “M” State Governments Now Are Democratic Controlled!

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The 2022 Midterm Elections brought about the taking of control of the executive and legislative branches of government by the Democrats in four “M” States—Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, and Minnesota.

This means these four states–two on the Atlantic Coast, and two in the Midwest–will now see the accomplishment of progressive goals that are not possible in the South and much of the heartland of America.

This includes promotion of gay rights, labor rights, and women’s rights, including on the subject of abortion, as well as gun regulations.

A total of 17 states will have full Democratic control, and a majority of Americans live in those 17 states.

However, the Republicans have control in 21 states, with the remainder of the states being divided in party control.

The Supreme Court At Its Lowest Public Opinion Rating In Modern Times!

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The US Supreme Court has been part of American government since the passage of the Judiciary Act of 1789.

There have been 17 Chief Justices and a total of 116 Justices, including five who served both as Associate Justices, and as Chief Justice.

We have seen diversity on the Supreme Court in recent times, with two African American men and one African American woman; a Latina woman; six Jewish men and two Jewish women; six women overall; two Italian American Catholics; 15 Catholics overall; and 92 Protestants.

The present Court has four women, and five men, but the Court’s ideological tilt is way far to the right, and it has caused a loss of favorable public opinion toward the Court, with confidence in the fairness and objectivity of the Court at an all time low in public opinion, since polls began in the 1930s.

This is a crisis, and Chief Justice John Roberts, who so much wants a good reputation for the Court which has its name as Chief Justice, has clearly lost control of the agenda of fairness to the hard right nastiness and narrow mindedness of Clarence Thomas and Samuel Alito, each being appointed by the first President Bush and the second President Bush.

The Report on the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization “Leak” is a farce, as the members of the Court were not put under sworn testimony as Court staff was, and no result as to how the leak occurred has been concluded, which seems like a coverup!

This will reflect over time in rankings of the Bush Presidencies, as constitutional law has been distorted by the decision of the Court to reverse abortion rights of nearly 50 years standing, after its members did not indicate in their confirmation hearings that they wished to void the basic right of privacy that has become part of the history of America since the Warren Court of the 1950s and 1960s!

50 Years Since Roe V Wade: The Battle Is Not Over, And Must Continue!

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Today marks the 50th Anniversary of the Roe V Wade Abortion Rights decision, written by a 7-2 majority of the Supreme Court, including five Republican appointments to the Court, including the author of the opinion, Associate Justice Harry Blackmun (appointed by Richard Nixon). Chief Justice Warren Burger, and Associate Justices William Brennan, Potter Stewart, and Lewis Powell joined the majority, along with Democratic appointments William O. Douglas and Thurgood Marshall. The only dissenters were Democratic appointment Byron White and Republican William Rehnquist.

After a half century, one would have thought that the right of a woman to control her own health care, and her body, would have been clearly permanent law.

But, instead, the extremist right wing Supreme Court, with appointees of George H. W. Bush, George W. Bush, and Donald Trump, by a 6-3 vote eviscerated abortion rights in Dobbs V Jackson Women’s Health Organization, on June 24, 2022.

This caused nationwide reaction, leading to six states insuring the right of abortion by vote of the people of those states, and defeat of extremist anti abortion candidates for Governor and other state wide executive offices in many states by the time of the Midterm Elections of 2022.

But the anti abortion extremists are now out to create a nationwide ban on abortion, which, if the Republicans win the US Senate and the White House in the 2024 elections, could be a reality!

This has been a 50 year effort by so called “Pro Life” forces, which want to impose their personal and religious views on the entire population of the United States, including young girls who should not be having children before adulthood, and also undermines the basic physical and mental health of women, without any concern of the impact.

So the battle for individual freedom must go on, with no relenting on the issue!

Abortion Rights A Winning Cause When Americans Vote On The Subject

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The right wing extremist majority on the US Supreme Court may have ended Roe V Wade in June 2022, and many states, “Red” states, have worked to destroy a woman’s right to control their own bodies.

It is all very disconcerting, the lack of respect for women, and men would not tolerate if they were told, for instance, they had to get a vasectomy, so that they could not make every woman pregnant without personal responsibility of the man involved!

But when one looks at Americans voting on the subject of abortion rights, we find that those opposed to abortion lost in many state and congressional races in 2022, and that the rights of women were upheld consistently.

And in six states in 2022, there were ballot measures which insured abortion rights:

California, Michigan, and Vermont voted to insure state constitutional rights to abortion.

Kansas and Kentucky voted to reject ballot measures to take away abortion rights, and both states are generally “Red”, although the Kansas Governor, Laura Kelly, is a Democrat.

Montana voted down The Born-Alive Infant Protection act, and is also seen as primarily “Red”, although Senator Jon Tester is a Democrat in his third term.

So it is clear that there is widespread support for abortion rights, so the battle must go on!

Republican Congresswoman Vicky Hartzler A Hateful Homophobe!

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This past week, the Congress approved the protection of same sex marriage and interracial marriage, insuring protection of the marriages or future marriages of people, who, sadly, face many so called “good Christians” promoting hate and discrimination and denial of a basic human right to marry who one loves!

We saw a displapy of pure hypocrisy and viciousness by Missouri Republican Congresswoman Vicky Hartzler, who became teary eyed, claiming that Christianity and people of faith were being threatened by such action, to prevent a right wing Supreme Court from taking away a basic right, as they did in June on abortion rights!

Now her gay nephew has denounced her rightfully, as Hartzler put on a display that embarrassed her and demonstrated her vicious nature, an aunt who should be ashamed of herself, because she is trying to promote theocracy, rule of religious views over a nation based on separation of church and state and freedom of religion.

The fact is that religious institutions, including schools, are being state supported, while promoting discrimination, and that should not be permitted.

Thank goodness this excuse of a so called “religious” woman is leaving Congress, as she gave up her chance for reelection to pursue a Senate bid in Missouri, but failed to accomplish her goal. Good riddance is the best statement to make on this woman!

“ProLifers” And “Election Deniers” Fail Miserably In Midterm Elections 2022

Ronald 17 Comments

“Prolifers” and “Election Deniers” failed miserably in the 2022 Midterm Elections.

Most candidates for State Attorney General and Secretaries of State lost, and it looks like Kari Lake will lose the Arizona Governorship, as already has occurred to Tudor Dixon in Michigan and Doug Mastriano in Pennsylvania!

Sadly, some of these lunatics did win House seats or were reelected, but in a body of 435 members, that can be expected.

Clearly, however, the results of the Midterm Elections of 2022 are a victory for Democrats and Joe Biden, in comparison to past midterms for Democratic Presidents, going back many decades!

And young people and women came out in droves on the issue of abortion rights, and five states, including of all places, Kentucky, insured abortion rights would be part of their state constitutions!

So the predicted “Red Wave or Tsnuami” ended up as a “Red Ripple”, or as one humorist suggested, a “Ketchup Smear”!

Donald Trump, Election Deniers, Dobbs Decision Are Losers In Midterm Election!

Ronald 10 Comments

Not all election results are in this quickly, but it is clear that the Republican Party has NOT had a “Red Wave”, and at most, might have a “Pink Splash”, as it now seems that while they may control the House of Representatives, it will be a razor thin margin!

Also, the Senate may end up 50-50 again, or with John Fetterman’s victory in Pennsylvania, might end up with a 51-49 Democratic controlled Senate.

Clearly, Donald Trump was a loser in this election, with many of his choices losing, although not all, and “Election Deniers” losing in Michigan, Wisconsin, and Pennsylvania at the least, with Arizona still up in the air!

The Dobbs decision against abortion rights also was a loser in many states, and the chances of a national abortion ban is no longer possible.

So overall, on first examination, Joe Biden and the Democratic Party managed to do better than any party in the White House in a midterm election could have imagined!

With Two Weeks To Go, Voter Enthusiasm And Participation Is Highest For Midterm Election!

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With early voting having begun, already there are strong indications of voter enthusiasm and commitment, so the participation in voting in midterm elections is on the road to an all time high level.

The question that remains unanswered is whether the enthusiasm is centered about the danger to American democracy presented by MAGA Republicans and Donald Trump, and the issue of the Dobbs V Jackson women’s Health Organization Supreme Court case on destruction of abortion rights as was declared in Roe V Wade a half century ago.

The polls are so conflicting, and often have been incorrect, after the fact, so there is a waiting game as to how the American people at large are expressing their views.

Hopefully, we will not discover that Donald Trump and his minions have managed to “pull the wool over one’s eyes”, and have Trumpites showing greater strength than the approximate one third of the population believed to be vehement Trump supporters!

Worrisome How Economy Issue Is Making Many Voters Ignore Abortion And Democracy Issues!

Ronald 6 Comments

It is infuriating how, according to polls, many Americans are so obsessed with economic issues, that they are ignoring the most important matters—Abortion Rights and the Threat to American Democracy!

Anyone with any sense of history would know that the Republican Party presided over nine of the last ten recessions going back to 1953 onward, with the only exception being the brief recession in 1980 under Jimmy Carter!

It is lack of knowledge and being easily manipulated by propaganda that the economy will be better under Republicans, when it has NEVER been better, and inflation was high under Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, Ronald Reagan, and George W. Bush at periods of their Presidencies!

The world is not going to be better just because gasoline prices come down, and food prices come down, and neither of these issues is caused by Democrats and Joe Biden, but rather by international circumstances, including the Russian war on Ukraine.

Hopefully, common sense will prevail in three weeks, as it is extremely worrisome to think that the right of women to control their own body, and the preservation of democracy hangs on a thread of gas and food prices, when this will pass, but we cannot afford the loss of basic human rights and American democracy!