However, as we near our annual festival, we will be worshipping a state flower that once flourished throughout the wayside but now has been plowed under by a burgeoning population.
The GOP has …
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However, as we near our annual festival, we will be worshipping a state flower that once flourished throughout the wayside but now has been plowed under by a burgeoning population.
The GOP has been working hard for quite some time to ban mask mandates, prevent vote by mail, edit school books, cut back retirement benefits of all sorts, batter the free press — and criminalize abor tion. I’m an older guy (93) who has seen through the fog for many years as they (Republicans) have tried to make “liberal“ a dirty word. I still see it as a word having the same root as Liberty.
Why the funny spelling of that one word, “abor tion?” Because I’m trying to bypass the strange censorship system instituted by The Leader in recent months on its blog comments. The Leader has been a champion of the surviving Free Press during these days of Donald Trump. But “abor tion,” for instance, is a little word that is neither dirty nor criminal — except, perhaps in the minds of those with whom the paper is forced to deal for whatever reason. I won’t contribute to the problem by speculating here.
Meanwhile, at least since about 2008 — when he claimed Barack Obama could not be President because he was born in Africa — Donald trump has lied to the American public. Some of you who will be voting for the first time in 2024 were about 2 years old back then in 2008. But I was 79 then and have been listening to his lies ever since — his quest for power via the greedy underbelly of human nature.
Despite claiming to be “pro-life,” Republicans actively oppose policies that directly support children and their families.
The Republican party supports forcing women to give birth against their will, but opposes providing child care, paid leave or health care in general. Just another form of slavery — reinstating it in a form existing in 1861, based on sex rather than skin color. Just what is this place in which women should be kept?
But this was never really about returning power to states. It’s all about control over our bodies. I say “our,” you will notice. However, it is women who at the moment are bearing the brunt of control. I’m not seeing much concern over hit-and-run fathers, the role of vasectomies, etc.
Freedom of choice in this difficult world should begin with impregnated women, particularly young ones ill prepared for motherhood.
More than 860,000 abortions took place in the U.S. in one recent year. Whose “right to life” is being supported by banning such abor tions? Should we be restricting the futures of young people with whom we’ll never really concern ourselves further . . . because of some feel-good slogan applied to gobbets of undeveloped sperm? Left to grow to adulthood, these 860,000 unwanted children would have been limiting and encumbering the young-adult and pre-adult lives of well over a million Americans . . . and adding their bit to the premature destruction of an overpopulated planet with limited resources.
Most anything I could write on at length would be out of date by next week. So just read up on comments by The Squad (of whom I wrote here recently): “Abortion care is a fundamental human right . . . Our most vulnerable communities will bear the brunt of any decision to ban or restrict access to any safe, legal reproductive care — especially Black, brown, indigenous, LLBTQIA+ and low-income people.” Or perhaps Pramila Jayapal, who is a Democrat running for re-election to the U.S. House from our state’s 7th District: “I will never stop fighting to protect abortion rights, even as the Supreme Court and GOP Republicans ramp up their attacks.”
Or go back to Trump-style lies on the GOP side . . . the attempt to make Associate Justice Alito look more like a victim than a sneak. Google the following headline: “Fox News hosts and Republican lawmakers are pushing a baseless rumor that Justice Alito has gone into hiding for his safety.”
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MargeS
Having been the recipient of women's rights from birth control to ******** I am appalled that the Republican's are so set against anything concerning the rights of women, or children. You are right, once they have taken away a woman's rights they will forget about the unwanted child's needs. What about health care, education, housing, a loving family? It would be wonderful if every child were wanted but that's not what happens. The day the Republicans give out free birth control to every man and woman in America without question will be the day I will give them the benefit of a doubt. Don't hold your breath!
Wednesday, May 11, 2022 Report this
Justin Hale
Once again, lacking anything good to report about the job the current administration is doing the Partisan Democrat resorts to deflection.
"The GOP has been working hard for quite some time to ban mask mandates". Can you show us where the GOP in toto worked hard to ban the mask mandates? Were/are there some Republicans who opposed the mask mandates?, certainly just as there were/are Democrats who opposed the mandates, but once again speaking the truth doesn't fit your agenda does it. Maybe this is what Biden meant when he said "we choose truth over facts"?
"Donald Trump has lied to the American public" So that's your message to first-time voters? When you go to vote for the next POTUS ignore the lies that the current POTUS is telling that actually affect your lives, instead remember the lies that were told years ago.
"The Republican party supports forcing women to give birth against their will", once again show us where the GOP in toto supports that. They don't.
We all lived with Roe v. Wade since 1973, then the amended version of Planned Parenthood v. Cassey since 1992 and aside from the rabid pro-lifers there was no agenda to overturn Roe v.Wade.
It wasn't the Republicans who knocked down this hornet's nest it was the Jackson Women's Health Organization in Mississippi, a business that offered legal ********s(@$800) up to 16 weeks until the state legislature passed a law limiting legal ********s to 15 weeks. That is when JWHO sued, lost twice at the state level, and then appealed to the SCOTUS. That's what brought all of this on, not the Republicans.
But then this isn't really about ******** is it?
Like me you are a Father, you mean to tell me that at some point when your wife was PG, you didn't realize that there was a life there inside your wife? When I put my hand on my wife's belly and felt that rolling and kicking I knew there was a living being in there, no way in hel could I have allowed it to be aborted. Would you?
Wednesday, May 11, 2022 Report this
Justin Hale
Question Marge, when do the rights of a child begin?
There is a law called "Feticide" A person who unlawfully causes the death of an unborn child. So by law, the unborn have rights.
"once they have taken away a woman's rights"..... Huh? If SCOTUS decides in favor of Jackson Women's Health then women in Mississippi will be able to have ********s for up to 16 weeks. If SCOTUS decides for Mississippi, Roe v. Wade stands and those women can have ********s up to 15 weeks... am I missing something?
Do you seriously believe that in today's world contraceptive devices are difficult to find?
Wednesday, May 11, 2022 Report this
Justin Hale
I can't wait for the Leader to do a news story about ********s....
Thursday, May 12, 2022 Report this
MargeS
The number of women in the U.S. without healthcare is still around 10.3 million. The minimum wage in Texas (red state) and other states is $7.25 an hour, in Washington State (blue state) it's $14.49. Quite a wide range. Housing costs, child care, food for a family of four, you do the math. If a women has free birth control she will use it. Isn't it better to prevent pregnancy than deal with an unwanted pregnancy? The Affordable Care Act if you qualify will pay for birth control. I seem to remember the Republicans fighting to do away with ACA.
Thursday, May 12, 2022 Report this
Justin Hale
I agree that people should have access to health care, including birth control, and if a person qualifies for financial assistance they should have it.
Late-term ********s are a different discussion
Thursday, May 12, 2022 Report this
Thomas Camfield
"Republicans in the Senate just filibustered urgently needed legislation to protect ******** rights. Again.
"No matter how many times the Senate considers the Women’s Health Protection Act, a bill to codify Roe v. Wade, the outcome will NOT change until we do something about it. Republicans are implementing extreme ******** restrictions in states across the country, so why would they suddenly join us to codify Roe?
"Let’s be very clear: it’s the filibuster or our ******** rights. The same thing keeps happening on voting rights, LGBTQIA+ rights, and much more. We must respond by getting rid of the filibuster to take power away from Mitch McConnell, protect ******** rights, and do what the people sent us to Congress to do."—comments by Pramilia Jayapal, member of Congress from Washington's 7th district, May 12, 2022. (She's' up for re-election in November.)
Thursday, May 12, 2022 Report this
MargeS
Abort ions at or after 21 weeks are uncommon, and represent 1% of all abor tions in the US. Typically, these procedures cost well over $1,000, excluding the cost of travel and lost wages. They normally require treatment over multiple days, and are only performed by a subset of all abor tion providers.
What is a so-called “late-term” abor tion?
“Late term” ******** typically refers to abor tions obtained at or after 21 weeks, however it is not an accepted medical term, nor is there a consensus around to which gestational ages it refers. Members of the medical community have criticized the term “late-term” abor tion, as it implies ********s are taking place after a pregnancy has reached “term” (37 weeks) or “late term” (>41 weeks) which is false. In fact, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) has written that “late-term abor tion” has no medical meaning and should not be used in clinical or legal settings. As such, we will refer to abor tions occurring at ≥21 weeks gestation as abor tions later in pregnancy, but it should be noted that 21 weeks is a largely arbitrary cutoff based on how the CDC collects data on ********s. Abor tions at this stage in pregnancy are sometimes referred to as “later abor tions” by the medical community as well. https://www.kff.org/womens-health-policy/fact-sheet/********s-later-in-pregnancy/
Thursday, May 12, 2022 Report this
Justin Hale
"Republicans in the Senate just filibustered urgently needed legislation to protect ******** rights.".....Good!
To say that the Women’s Health Protection Act was "urgently needed" is ridiculous. ******** "rights" already exist under Roe v.Wade (which was created by a Republican SCOTUS).
Pramilia Jayapal only represents the greater Seattle metro area, not the state, certainly not me, if I still lived in Seattle I'd vote her out.
Thursday, May 12, 2022 Report this
Justin Hale
"Abort ions at or after 21 weeks are uncommon, and represent 1% of all abor tions in the US."..... Good!
Thursday, May 12, 2022 Report this