The USA now joins a list of countries that includes: Abkhazia, Afghanistan, Bahrain, Bangladesh, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Iraq, Kiribati, Libya, Madagascar, Nicaragua, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Philippines, Senegal, Somalia, South Sudan, Sri Lanka, Suriname, Syria, Tonga, Tuvalu, United Arab Emirates, and Yemen.
Basically, the above countries are characterized by Christian or Muslim fanaticism, are very poor, or both. The USA also leaves the list of virtually all the countries ranked objectively as the best places to live—Norway, Sweden, Finland, Denmark, Iceland, The Netherlands, New Zealand, Australia, Canada, Germany, Ireland, etc. Well, you get the idea. We join the backward theocratic backward countries and part ways with the best ones. For more see
In Texas, the sentence for providers will be up to Life imprisonment.
Talk about a week of infamy. I’m feeling much like what FDR must have felt as he watched another old, conservative court strike down one New Deal Act after another during the Depression. He also had to propose a “Court Packing” plan (unsuccessfully) to bring that court around. Over the span of the last few days, I’ve witnessed this out-of-touch Supreme Court: blow away more gun laws, adding to the killing fields of America; further dismantle Jefferson’s “Separation of Church and State; and today, reducing woman’s right to choice over their own bodies, thus reducing them to essentially breeding mares, again. All this possible under our “exceptional” Constitution by a small group of unelected jurists, with lifetime appointments, selected by a twice impeached ex-president that lost the popular vote twice. This isn’t justice; it’s political fanaticism operating in black robes. And, I’m afraid, it only the beginning for this court wrecking machine. Don’t think America is ready for a return to another Upstairs/Downstairs stratified society.
The Atlantic recently had an article written by Robert Brownstein entitled “America Is Growing Apart, Possibly for Good – The great “convergence” of the mid-20th century may have been an anomaly.”
The primary point was that we are no longer one nation, but a federated republic with red and blue nations. (He was citing an article by Michael Podhorser.) He then outlined the gloomy authoritarian ramifications of the future power held by a red minority.
I think some dark chocolate and a little red wine may be in order – maybe it will help???
We all knew it was coming. I was living elsewhere in 1973, when, arguably, it all began. The laws of the United States of America were not a concern. I noticed. That was all. Over all these years, contentiousness has been building. Now, the final(?) gauntlet has been thrown. Rust never sleeps. Quicksand only gets deeper. Followers of another blog crow about the victory. I see nothing to crow about. May we have mercy on ourselves.
Dr Hays:
thanks for the comments. I’ll read the Atlantic essay and try to do a blog post. thanks again, JGM
I fear for my grandchildren as the radical right (the fascists) try to take control of government.
The Right is gloating, as they have just scored the proudest Confederate victory since 1862.
agreed
I have long felt that there is no objective means of resolving the abortion controversy, as there is no objective definition of human life. It is therefore, in my opinion, a subjective matter. However, the lack of objectivity does not rob ethics of substance; it means only that there is no rational means by which those who disagree can resolve their differences.
I see two primary considerations here. First is the fact that the will of the majority has been consistently foiled for the last 22 years. Over and over again we have seen the right-wing minority using dirty tricks to shove its agenda down the throats of the majority. It is imperative that the majority of Americans get serious about politics and throw da bums out.
The second problem is the polarization that is destroying America. This is NOT a left-versus-right polarization; this is a right-versus-majority polarization. I had hoped that the electoral defeat of Mr. Trump would have taken the wind out of the sails of the right-wing fanatics, but they continue. I now hold out some hope that the election this November will set back the radical right movement. However, only a big victory in 2024 can consign those crazies to the rubbish heap of history. These are tense times.
thanks as always for your insights Chris. they are of course spot on.
This is truly incredible. That the world is a madhouse wasn’t news, but that this stuff happens in America is disturbing.