A Government "Shutdown" of a Different Kind

What a week it has been and not a whole lot to be supercharged about. SCOTUS has said that you can pretty much carry a gun anywhere you want except near their homes and other "sensitive" areas. You realize that justice is not blind, but is being blinded by the Six Stooges that are the majority opinion of the aforementioned case. 

At about the same time that Congress takes action on sensible gun laws, the courts decide to become activists for gun rights. Is this coincidental or a way to allow the Republicans to say "Well, at least I tried--but the SCOTUS knows better, I guess"? This political impotence is dangerous to democracy and having a religiously-bent, free-market-leaning Supreme Court just exacerbated this. 

Add to it the circus of Congressional hearings that will likely not lead to anybody being convicted of anything and at the least, opens the window for profiting from decidedly criminal behavior, particularly if the mid-term elections are the bloodbath that is being "predicted" by the media and pollsters.

Then stir in profiteers who are making money and flaming inflation in their wakes and whose campaign contributions make it difficult to go after for ripping all of us off. Even the Federal Reserve Bank admits that hoisting interest rates won't help us out on gas and groceries, but will likely keep people out of housing that they are already having a hard time affording. So there's that.

So what do we have to look forward to? Essentially a government "shutdown" by being made impotent through greed, power grabs, and flagging belief in it as an institution by a weary public. And this is the tip of the proverbial iceberg as other rights will likely be dissembled by the social architects in judges' robes (the next being Roe V. Wade). In so doing, the patriarchs and oligarchs win and democracy fails unless we stop rewarding the corrupt by throwing the wrong "bums" out. Mid-term elections are not glamorous, but they are important nonetheless. Hold the line while we still have a line to hold.

Disempowering Women With Law On Your Side

 The Supreme Court is hearing a case that could prevent most women from seeking an abortion after 15 weeks. The person spearheading the effort is the Attorney General of Mississippi Lynn Fitch who suggests that allowing women to choose abortion actually disempowers them. And she should know, as she was able to divorce her husband and raise three children on her own (with the help of a nanny, childcare professionals, and a web of supportive mothers like her and also have a high-level career. Ah! If life were only that simple for all women without privilege. In her case, abortion was never an option--she being a devout Christian never considered it, but she doesn't think you should either--and if the Supreme Court agrees, you won't have much time to a) know you are pregnant 2) have time to process what is the best decision for you 3) find a health care provider and schedule a procedure in the 15-week window you have, if you should choose to terminate the pregnancy. 

Though the law in question "made exceptions for life-threatening pregnancies and for fetuses with “severe … abnormalities,” it included no caveats for pregnancies resulting from rape or incest." So, a fair number of women are put at risk of delivering babies who were forced upon them. Fitch believes it is empowering for women to have it all whether they want it or not and hence repealing Roe v. Wade is actually pro-women.

This kind of reverse judo has been used to take choice away from women in a lot of states and made it more likely that unwanted babies will be brought into the world with little chance that the same protestors who claim to be pro-life will support these children, but more likely be yet another bludgeon to be used to blame parents for a society that candidly does not support life after birth in terms of childcare, health care, education, gun safety and more.

While AG Fitch has a point of view that is embraced by the religious right, most Americans continue to be on the side of women's choice. With about 60% of surveys showing support for Roe v. Wade, the question is will the SCOTUS allow their bias to paint their decision and recreate the environment that made Roe v. Wade a decision that truly empowered women by giving them choice and time to deliberate on that choice?