It appears the Supreme Court is bound and determined to make it clear what they’ve been “up to” over the past 21 years as they are helping to turn our nation into a fascist state. Now, the issue at hand, which is abortion, isn’t really the key to my thinking on this, but it will likely make it clear to a large swath of America what the Court has been doing, kind of behind the scenes, but which will be on the front pages once they make their anticipated decision in the Mississippi abortion “ban” case. It appears three or four justices who, in their Senate confirmation hearings, led people to believe “Roe is settled law” will be, well, unsettling it.
So, let’s take a quick spin through the recent History books. In 2000, if you’re as old as me, you saw one of the original right wing MOBS in Florida causing Al Gore’s apparent victory in that state – governed by the BROTHER of GW Bush – to be overturned in Bush’s favor – without allowing for the recount which was happening (and, as far as I know the ACTUAL results have NEVER been published – can you imagine if Gore had the individual 1 precedent?) and INSTALLING GW Bush/Cheney into the “White House.” And, we all know what happened during their reign – well, lest you forget: Iraq, Afghanistan, Huge deficits, TWO tax cuts for the rich, and an economic meltdown as they left office with their “tails between their legs.”
That’s just the start. Shortly after the economic meltdown, which President Obama and VP Biden managed to turn around (while consistently reducing the deficit during their 8 years in office) the Roberts Supreme Court made the “Citizen’s United” decision which overturned 100 years of election finance laws identifying corporations as “people.” The necessary decision for America to move toward being a “Mussolini style fascism” – ie corporate/government partnership. The amount of “dark money” entering our political process since then has been staggering. I will never forget watching Sam Alito shaking his head as if to say “no, no,” as President Obama (correctly) predicted the entrance of FOREIGN money into our politics because of that decision. This caused me to think, these judges have no idea the consequences of their decisions – in this case the classic case of “judicial legislating.”
Oh, but as I always point out, there’s more. Next was John Roberts, in his majority opinion as section five of the 1965 Voting Rights Act was GUTTED – saying we had “outgrown” the need for the requirement for states with a history of voter suppression to get “pre-clearance” from the Justice Department prior to enacting new “voting laws.” Well, we’re seeing the results of that decision over and over in 2021 – some are calling this time “Jim Crow 2.0” as states are attempting to make it more difficult for “certain people” to vote – of course, meaning “Black, Brown, young, and poor people.
If that wasn’t enough, then section two of the Voting Right’s Act was, in essence, made “null” by a decision where Alito gave the majority decision – meaning the Court was affirming the rights of states to discriminate against minorities in drawing up their district boundaries – ie, gerrymandering. I know many “educated” people who have no time for politics and, if I would run any of these abuses inflicted by the Court (with the exception, maybe, of Bush v Gore) by them the likely response would be “huh?” “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” When I was still teaching I asked over 20 teachers, all with Master’s Degrees, what they thought of Citizen’s United. In EVERY instance the response was, “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”
Well, many of these teachers will be paying more attention to the Court after Roe is overturned. Yes, I know of a few teachers who oppose Roe, but MOST of them – whether they opposed abortion or not – felt it was “the woman’s right to choose.” I believe the makings of a HUGE backlash may be “brewing” as America waits for the most watched decision of the Court in the modern era. It will be interesting to see how women respond to the impending Court decision. I believe it’s going to be significant one way or another, but most believe Roe will either be overturned or significantly “gutted.”
As I’ve said here, I know many people who are one item voters and that’s their opposition to abortion. For the ones I’ve been able to talk to, it’s interesting how they respond when I point out to them abortions won’t stop should Roe be overturned. Are they concerned about those girls/women who will end up with “backroom” abortions? Are they worried about the women/girls who would die? Honestly, I’m not sure. And the plethora of issues the Court is likely to end up deciding will go a long way in determining if America will stand as a democratic republic. Citizen’s United, as I said above, introduced to a “slow roll” of Mussolini type fascism to “creep” into our nation and now we have individual 1 hell bent on turning America into a German type (WW II) type of FASCIST state.
Don’t believe me? The supporters and sycophants of individual 1 have been busy since January 6, 2021 – when the INSURRECTION failed – working on INSURRECTION 2.0. I have to admit one area where I’ve been wrong on this site was in calculating the response of the republican party to the “antics” of our TWICE IMPEACHED so-called two time popular vote LOSING (ex) president. And, the issue with abortion is far from the ONLY issue which will end up in the Robert’s Court. There are voter suppression bills “popping up” in states across the nation – states which have republican legislatures – designed to allow these legislatures to guarantee their elections will work out in their favor – one way or the other.
This is where I really miscalculated how republicans would respond to individual 1. I actually thought (and wrote) that individual 1 would last only until republicans tired of his ridiculous “antics” and they would be the ones to put a stop to these “antics.” Of course, I was dead wrong. Republicans didn’t read Mueller’s report, or if they did – like William Barr – they wrote it off as “no big deal.” They refused to convict individual 1 in EITHER impeachment tria – even the 2nd one where they could have ended his participation in America’s politics once and for all. Most republicans in Congress live in FEAR of individual 1 – FEAR of a potential right wing primary opponent.
The Justice Department is bound to be challenging MANY of these voter suppression bills (or, at least they SHOULD) and, now, the reports are filtering out regarding racially motivated “gerrymandering,’ including in Texas where the increase in population via the Census comes from “people of color” and these people have been gerrymandered out of the political process. In North Carolina they have proposed a “map” almost equal to the one which has been blocked legally in the past presumably based on the idea the Court will now support their racist gerrymander. And, this is happening in multiple states.
I honestly believe Merrick Garland accepted a job which, if he had the option again, he would turn down. There are now 700 people INDICTED for the INSURRECTION, yet, as of my writing this, not ONE of the actual INSTIGATORS have been indicted. From my “layman’s” point of view, it’s clear several people, including our TWICE IMPEACHED so-called two time popular vote LOSING (ex) president, deserve to be defending their involvement in the INSURRECTION in a court of law. It’s really hard for me to watch these 700 facing prison – some lengthy prison sentences – while those who drew them to D.C. on that fateful day and ginned them up to ASSAULT our nation’s Capitol building with the clear intent to stop the certification of Joe Biden’s CLEAR election win appear to walking away “scott free.”
Worse than that, for me, is individual 1 continues promoting the so-called “big lie” and we have actual media outlets that are using public airwaves to LIE to their viewers in a way which is promoting the white nationalist movement which is now the BASE of the republican party. I still remember (quite well) the Watergate fiasco back in the 70’s and almost EVERY one of the enablers of Richard Nixon ended up in prison – including Nixon’s Attorney General. To me, what happened – and is happening – regarding individual 1 makes Nixon’s criminality look like “child’s play.” I’m pretty discouraged by the silence coming from the Justice Department regarding the INSTIGATORS of the INSURRECTION. Like I’ve said before, I believe Merrick Garland is NOT investigating the INSTIGATORS because, like individual 1’s sycophants in the republican party, he FEARS the “base” – of which about 8%, according to polls, are willing to take up arms to restore individual 1 to office.
Let me be clear: Until AG Garland gains the COURAGE to hold our TWICE IMPEACHED so-called two time popular vote LOSING (ex) president and his enablers to account – a man whose CORRUPTION is “off the charts,” – things will continue to deteriorate. Here’s the deal: individual 1 should be defending himself in court NOT furthering his racist vendetta against the fundamental values of the American republic. Let’s get this over with! The sooner the better!
Final Thought: I just listened to a report on the so-called “Omicron” variant of the SARS – Cov-2 pandemic (COVID) where Anthony Fauci said, “So far there doesn’t appear to be a great degree of severity to it” which I took to mean it’s not MORE severe than the “Delta” variant. The MSNBC program I was watching had a “flash” which read “Fauci said Omicron looks LESS severe than other variants.” To me, my first thought was “This is likely how he (Fauci) keeps getting all the death threats.” He did NOT say it was “less severe” than other variants, I believe he was attempting to keep people from panicking based on reports it’s more “transmissible” – keeping them from assuming this “wave” was going to be worse than the “Delta” variant.
The truth is – no one knows for sure yet – although it does appear if you’re vaccinated the vaccines are – so far – proving effective in “breakthrough” cases against “Omicron.” And, unless I’m totally mistaken, I believe other variants have not become problematic if they’re “weaker” than the “Delta” variant – which, of course, is still the prevalent cause of the disease associated with SARS-Cov-2 – and is still raging across America, filling hospitals in many sections of the country and, once again, on the increase.
As I’ve said here numerous times, when I watch “news” on TV I choose MSNBC because I believe their “hosts” are at least trying to get things “right.” But, the level of “false equivalency” with the issues of this nation exist there – just at a miniscule level to Fox “news,” “Newsmax,” “OANN,” etc. The above example of their ability to “interpret” comments is discouraging. I listen to the people on MSNBC referring to what President Biden is attempting to accomplish and, at times, you would think he’s accomplished NOTHING – despite ALREADY signing into law TWO extraordinary pieces of legislation – considering republican OBSTRUCTION. (OK, one of the pieces was bipartisan – which is an incredible victory in itself) MSNBC allows “progressives” to focus on what hasn’t passed Congress as opposed to what has during Biden’s first year.