When it comes to the bad things coming, we never seem to think that it will happen.
Certain factions in Europe thought the Germans would never send them to their deaths in the 1930’s and 40’s. Never happen! It’s just too horrific to imagine! Someone would step in and stop it. Nobody did until it was too late.
During the Cold War, while the threat of nuclear war loomed for fifty years, a lot of people thought that it would never happen. Sure, we were brought to the brink once or twice, but nobody would “really” press “the button” would they? Cooler heads would somehow step in and stop it from happening. Thankfully, in that regard, luck was on our side. But we once again have that threat with both an unstable North Korea and a belligerent Russia. And too many people are operating on the delusion that somehow neither of those egomaniacal leaders would ever do something stupid. That those “cooler heads” over there that don’t exist will somehow step in and keep it from happening.
Speaking of “cooler heads”, how many people over in Ukraine thought they would never be invaded by belligerent Russia? How many people around the world thought that way about belligerent Russia invading Ukraine?
When we’re young, we are stupid and we think that “it” will never happen to us. “It” being getting into a car wreck, or getting drunk and doing something we would regret later, or get assaulted, or getting arrested for something stupid. No, of course not! You’re immortal! You’re going to live forever and do it awesomely!
Think of all the people facing an insurmountable financial burden right now. Could be credit card debt, could be student loan debt, could be medical debt, it could even be the rising rents and/or mortgages. Sure, you may get a reprieve on some of it thanks to the pandemic, but you know that won’t last. You just convince yourself that someone will step in and stop it. That the loans can be forgiven. That the rising costs will be stopped. That the foreclosure will never happen. That you’ll win the lottery or score that big investment or day trade.
We live in a state of denial, even when events indicate that something is going to happen, and, if it hasn’t happened yet, then it’s only a matter of time before it does. You know it’s going to happen, but you don’t want to deal with it. You think that it’s not going to really happen. That someone will step in and stop it. That cooler heads will prevail. That luck will save us. But it won’t.
For fifty years, women have been assured that a judicial decision called “Roe v Wade” will always protect them when it comes to the possibility of having to do something unthinkable. That, for whatever reason, they would be able to end a pregnancy. It could be to save their life. It could be because of how that pregnancy happened. It could be because the potential life is so damaged it would have no potential. It didn’t matter what a fascist or theocratic leader or lawmaker wanted, that this judicial decision would keep that possibility available to women.
It is a decision that has been existing on by a thread these past few years, with a slim majority of U.S. Supreme Court justices keeping “Roe” going. But now it appears to be coming to an end.
A draft of a judicial opinion crafted by Justice Samuel Alito was recently leaked that, if passed as printed, would not only overturn the “Roe” decision, but would also officially condemn the justices that came up with the decision, along with threatening every other decision since “Roe” or had a basis in the “Roe” decision. An opinion that is supposedly supported by a majority of current Supreme Court justices, especially three of the most recent members of the bench. Specifically, Justices Neil Gorsuch, Brent Cavanaugh, and Amy Coney Barrett. Justices that were hand-picked by the political party of fascism and fraud to be on the bench for just that purpose.
The so-called “GOP”, the party of fascism, are throwing temper tantrums over who possibly leaked this draft. They’re whining about how this leak supposedly “challenges the integrity” of the court, even though there have been previous leaks, including the original “Roe” decision, and they are demanding investigations. Some of their fascist enablers are even pointing fingers at the soon-to-be-sworn Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson. Because, you know, bigotry... and because they couldn’t stop the confirmation of a black woman to the highest court.
But the non-fascists are upset as well. Upset because it appears that “Roe” will be overturned, and in the most vile, vindictive, partisan, malicious way. And, of course, because it will also endanger every other decision associated with it. Interracial marriage. Bedroom rights. Internet rights. All of it is threatened.
Here’s the thing... we all knew it was going to happen.
The party of fascism were not secretive about what they wanted. They had it as their goal to overturn “Roe” for years. Every Supreme Court justice that they nominated and confirmed since the 1980’s was on the premise that they would overturn the decision. They consciously and deliberately held the late Justice Antonin Scalia’s seat empty for over a year in 2016 just so they could fill it with Gorsuch, and then brought in Kavanaugh and Barrett, with the latter appointed in breakneck speed and in complete hypocritical defiance of their own so-called “policy” from 2016. And all just for this decision.
They already had multiple state legislators and governors willing to pass legislation that would directly challenge “Roe”. This wasn’t some fluke. Every single state law these fascists enacted in multiple states were designed be challenged in the Supreme Court. This was deliberate. This was premediated. It was all part of their plan.
It wasn’t a matter of “if”. It was a matter of “when”. And the “when” will be not long after this article is posted.
We all know this to be true.
So the question is - progressives, liberals, Democrats, Democrat-leaning, independents, pro-choice believers, true lovers of liberty - what are you going to do about it?
It does not matter at all how many “polls” you can whip up saying a vast majority of Americans want “Roe” to stay. It does not matter how many Handmaid outfits you can whip up and march in Washington. It does not matter if you march in front of the homes of the justices themselves. None of that means a damn thing. It will not change the minds of the justices at this point. In fact, Justice Clarence Thomas has gone so far as to say that people should just accept the decision, even if they don’t like it. You know, like how several members of the party of fascism have told rape victims to simply “lie back and enjoy it”. Funny how they themselves never did that when it came to the decisions of the past fifty years. Or, for that matter, the leak of this draft. But that is what they’re telling America. Don’t like it? Too bad. Just lay back and enjoy it.
Even if several of the justices were to suddenly shuffle off this mortal coil before the decision were to be announced, it would not matter because their deliberations were already done and their decisions were already made. It’s a fait accompli.
Let’s get brutally honest here... there is no damn way that you can stop this from happening. “Roe” is going to be overturned. The party of fascism has scammed and schemed and manipulated events so this will happen. They played the long game on this and they already won.
There is only one thing that you can do if you do not accept this decision, and that is to get mad. Get angry. Get furious. Stay that way. And then vote!
This is an election year. Every politician with an “R” next to their name needs to be defeated. Every incumbent with an “R” next to their name needs to be voted out. It doesn’t matter what they claim they support. It doesn’t matter the lies they spread about being on “your side”. It doesn’t matter if it’s federal or state or even local offices on the line. That “R” should be your cue to “remove” them from office. “R” for “Remove”. Vote them out. It is that simple.
No, we cannot vote out the justices on the U.S. Supreme Court. They’re there until they retire or until they expire. But if you vote for people who will do everything they can to stop the dreaded decision from spreading to other matters, and you keep them in office, then they will be ready when those justices leave to come up with replacements that will reverse things again. If you truly represent the majority of people, then you need them all to be angry and to stay angry and to vote.
This is a long game, just like the one played by the party of fascism. It needs to be fought on federal and state levels, just like they did. You need to be angry, just like they were. You need to stay angry, just like they have been. And you need to vote every single time. Just like the fascists do every single time.
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