ONE-UPMANSHIP IN OUR REVENGE CULTURE

by Ruth A. Sheets

The states in the former Confederacy and Confederate wannabees are pushing to make more and more restrictive laws on their citizens, particularly those citizens who are not rich, white, straight, men. 

I know the main purpose of such laws is to gain power for those rich, white, straight, men, but it is at least as much to keep others from having power.  In the past few decades, women, people of color, and the LGBTQ community have been gaining some ground in being elected to office and holding slightly higher positions in business and industry.  The privileged white men see that as a decrease in their own power and now it is time for them to take revenge.

The most blatant actions being taken are on two fronts:  limiting or eliminating abortion and other reproductive rights for women, and limiting or eliminating voting rights for people of color.  Despite the fact that Rowe v. Wade is the "law of the land" states have defied it to pass extremely restrictive bans on what is legal.  How does that work?  I guess when rich  white straight men and the women they have recruited to their cause decree it, anything is worthy of being ignored, even the law.  As of this week, in Kentucky it is now completely "illegal" to perform or obtain an abortion, even though it is legal in this country to obtain and perform abortions.  Hmmm! 

This Kentucky event did not come from nowhere, formed whole.  Over the years, all kinds of restrictions to having a legal abortion have been tacked on.  Then when other states saw that what another state had tried and found it had worked, the original restriction was extended:  a 24 hour waiting period, then 48 hours, then 72 hours, often requiring the woman to return to the abortion center multiple times for no medical reason, while missing work or having to find child care for her kids. 

When the time extensions worked, they moved to invasive procedures before the abortion could take place:  vaginal ultrasound, lying about dangers of having abortion, forced counseling using lies and misdirection, requiring various permissions to have an abortion:  parents, husband, rapist, etc.  Those didn't prove sufficient to stop abortions, so, states declared that aborted fetuses had to be buried, abortion centers had to meet building standards that were completely unnecessary and doctors and others who performed abortions had to have privileges in local hospitals even though abortion is among the safest medical procedures performed.  Of course the hospitals in the former Confederacy and other white states would not give doctors those privileges, which they should not have needed at all.

Texas passed a law that not only banned abortions after 6 weeks when a "heartbeat" could be detected (not a heartbeat since there is no heart yet, but who cares about reality and science?), they deputized anyone anywhere to report anyone anywhere who helped a woman to obtain an abortion in Texas – vigilante law.  And, those snitches get to claim $10,000 for their reward.

A few other former Confederate states have jumped on board the vigilante wagon.  They also want to jail doctors who perform abortions for 10 years, eventually imprisoning women who have abortions too.  Missouri didn't want to stop there.  They want to put women to death for having an abortion.  That one didn't pass, but not by much. 

The Supreme Court has allowed all of these extensions of illegal abortion restrictions through refusing to hear cases or as in the Texas case, through the Shadow Docket, a sneaky way to rule on something without accountability or hearing a case, or a public ruling with the names of the justices attached.

Voting is also working its way through the one-upmanship treatment.  In 2013, John Roberts and his conservative Supreme Court decided to tear apart the Voting Rights Act of 1965 which had required states with a history of discrimination to get permission for any changes in voting policies in their state.  He, a privileged white man, claimed racism was a thing of the past in this country so . . .

Immediately, state after state in the former Confederacy returned to their discriminatory ways with a host of bills to keep the "wrong" people from voting.  When people found ways around some of the worst restrictions, new ones were introduced.  When Black people voted on Sundays as congregations, Sunday voting was scrapped.  When people who weren't the right kind of rich white male were elected, voter fraud was called.  When election workers picked up mail-in ballots from Native American reservations, laws were passed making it illegal for anyone but designated family members to hand in ballots. 

After what was nearly universally described as the best run and safest election in American history, Republicans in one state after another declared fraud and passed all kinds of additional voter restrictions from matching signatures of voters, (some signatures 50 or more years old when everyone knows people's signatures change over time), to forbidding anyone to give anyone food or drink while standing in voting lines that were designed to keep people of color waiting to vote for up to 8 hours sometimes in severe heat.  Those long lines would never happen in the areas of the state with mostly middle to upper class white people because those are the people Republicans think they can count on, and usually they can.  Besides, those white folks could cause trouble.

What has the Supreme Court done to end the one-upmanship?  Mostly nothing.  OK, they have arbitrarily allowed or disallowed gerrymandering, when gerrymandering should never be permitted in a democracy in the first place.  So far, they have permitted everything else states are doing. 

What can we the people do about the white state one-upmanship?

- We can demand that each woman has sovereignty over her own body and can make decisions for herself asking for advice and support only when she chooses. 

- Congress can stop the Rowe v. Wade challenges by codifying a woman's right to decide for herself into law.  Certifying the ERA which has been passed by the required 38 states would help too.

- Putting abortion in the realm of medicine where it belongs, monitored by medical personnel instead of ignorant vengeful politicians and judges.

- Voter registration be made automatic on the day a citizen of this country turns 18.  That would stop the challenges to the kind of license presented when a person first registered to vote because every citizen would be able to vote.

- Gerrymandering would be made illegal and every state would have an independent board to determine the maps each decade with legislative input, but not final say on the maps used.

- Election day should be a holiday and every workplace would be required to give employees paid time off to vote.  That wouldn't be a problem if every state had unrestricted vote-by-mail. 

Let's face it, racism and misogyny are alive and well in nearly every corner of this nation.  It is mostly the states of the former Confederacy and Confederate wannabees run by Republicans who are doing the most damage to the rights of women, people of color, and LGBTQ persons.  We need to call them out for their prejudices whenever possible and be sure we in other states are aware of our own biases so we are not participating in the revenge culture that demands we get even with those we think have taken what belongs to us alone.  We can do this.  It all starts with education, helping children of privilege see they don't deserve more than anyone else has, and it's OK.  Then, there's voting.

THE NEXT TARGETS

by Ruth A. Sheets

It should be unbelievable the fervor with which Republicans have jumped in recently with their anti-LGBTQ bills and laws designed to hurt children and adults, but it isn't.  Republicans have always despised the LGBTQ community, immigrants, Black Americans, well, anyone who is not white and male, and yes, rich, but not to the level they stalk these groups now. 

Republicans are pursuing this line of attack because they believe Rowe v. Wade will be overturned this summer or sooner and they are trying out (test ballooning) the next groups toward which to turn their venom.  They have to pick someone because once they lose abortion as a rallying point, they need a group to attack to maintain the attention of their base.  Hate, anger, fear, lying, cheating, and deceit have worked well for Republicans over time and are all they have.  Republicans have no positive, constructive ideas to offer.  Hell, they couldn't even support the most qualified candidate for the Supreme Court in decades because she was Black and a woman, two of their hated, feared groups. 

Republicans are regularly sending up test balloons to see which of their rights-limiting, bills and laws stick with their scared, malignant base.  Among their techniques, book banning, blaming/accusations of whatever they can dream up, "don't say "gay" acts, lying about a graduate study course Critical Race Theory taught in kindergarten, calling LGBTQ folks, and anyone they can, pedophiles, banning doctors from helping trans kids, and so much more. 

Republicans are also doubling down on women because they fear that despite their draconian anti-abortion laws, women will still find a way to get safe abortions.  Can't have that!  So, go after abortion even more strongly by wanting to criminalize everyone who thinks abortion should be a woman's decision.  In the meantime, also go after contraception, interracial marriage, and whatever comes into their pathetic white male, and white female surrogate brains. 

Can we expect help from our Congress or Federal courts?  No!  Democrats currently have among them some who are OK with all of the above and Republicans are just waiting for November when their seeds of hatred will drag their loyal base to the polls.  The courts are often willing to agree with whatever Republicans come up with (Texas abortion ban). 

One answer, we need to stop them by getting more Democrats to vote this year.  Oh wait!  I forgot, Republicans have targeted voting too, particularly voting by people of color and poor people, groups which tend to vote for Democratic candidates.  It is worth noting that if we can't stop the Republican rush to the bottom soon, we all lose, and will be paying for it indefinitely.

So, stop feeling stressed and let's get to work.  First of all, most of these attacks on women, LGBTQ persons, immigrants, and others began in the former Confederacy.  It seems those states just can't let go of the idea that certain groups are unworthy of rights and respect so, deserve white male ire.  They can make any laws they want to keep those people down.  Well, the Confederacy lost, so let's stop pretending this new iteration has anything to offer the rest of the country.  Unfortunately, the infection of dishonorable laws is spreading from its consolidation in Texas, Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Arkansas, Tennessee, to the Confederate wannabees:  Oklahoma, Kentucky, Missouri, Idaho, and Kansas, even to the "blue" states, pushing the disgusting anti-American legislation even further.  The purpose of all this evil is to keep everyone under the control of white men and the few white women they permit a bit of power. 

Republican insurgents are running for office even though our 14^th Amendment to the Constitution forbids it.  The same thing happened after the Civil War when rich white former Confederates ran for office to drive out the Black men who had been duly elected.  Repeating history is not a good idea.

We the People need to put power into the hands of the groups targeted by Republicans.  If Republicans propose a bill anywhere in this country right now, its aim is to harm one of their target groups or to give away some good stuff to the corporations who donate to their party's candidates.  We know this, so it means we who care must stand against and when possible, ignore the laws they rubber-stamp across the former Confederacy and vaccinate Americans against this horrific political illness.

Writing to and calling legislators who are on board with the Republican hate movement and writing letters to the editor can draw attention to the illegality and anti-American positions they are taking.  Republicans are targeting our children, our schools, our churches if they are not Catholic and evangelical, and they are working to take away rights of people living in this country to make decisions for themselves.  These are the same men who often put their friends, family, and neighbors at risk because like scared little kids, they wouldn't get vaccinated for COVID-19, (definitely the easiest vaccine I have ever had).  I can't help but wonder which group will be the next target after these child-men have put down women, LGBTQ persons, people of color, and immigrants.  Will they go after each other?  

I refuse to give up hope, though.  Democrats shouldn't give up either.  Right now, nearly everything I get from candidates and people currently holding office has its primary purpose, securing donations.  I understand it takes money to run a campaign against folks who have tax loopholes and other structures to oil the Republican machinery, but more important than the money is the message.

The Democratic message should be one of practical solutions to people's  real problems.  Dems need to point out where their constituents are strong and have weathered some hard times, giving them hope they can continue strong with some positive assistance.  Constantly reenforcing people's negativity and directing their frustration at other people may win some elections, but does not solve problems.

Dems must identify real needs as well as successes, and how the people can participate in the solutions to the problems.  Start simple.  Gas prices are outrageous?  Encourage people to now and then walk to somewhere they usually take a car and point out what they might notice along the way:  the spring colors, the butterflies, the deep blue of the sky, things they can't pay attention to while driving.  Encourage folks to raise the home or office thermostat in summer to, say, 78 or 80 degrees when it is hot so it won't be such a shock when coming in from the heat.  In winter, lower the thermostat a couple of degrees below 70 and wear a sweater around the house.  Mention these as money-saving activities.  Then provide practical help to get folks through the more difficult struggles.  Regularly check in with voters to see what they actually think and what they still need.

We could fix this Republican need to do harm if we acknowledge that we are all in it together, then help people to have a more communal approach to living.  Question every bill proposed in any legislature to see who gains, who loses, who is targeted, who is doing the targeting.  That's a lot of work, but if we can stop some of the destructive bills before they even reach the floor of a legislature for a vote, we could avoid a lot of pain and suffering.  It is worth employing our humanity to protect the humanity of our fellow Americans.

An Open Letter to the US Department of Education

By Ruth A. Sheets

In this administration’s pursuit of overturning human rights, the Department of Education and Betsy DeVos, you know, the woman who hates public education and wants to tap the public coffers for private schools, particularly all white conservative Christian ones, has championed a set of regulations to disregard the concerns of sexual assault survivors, particularly women and LGBTQ students on school campuses.  Her support comes from the administration and Republicans and Conservatives, you know, the super holy folks.

What is every conservative/Republican so afraid of?  Do you think LGTBQ will rub off and you will catch it?  Or, what is more likely, you hate anyone who is not like you, does not look like you, does not see the world the way you do.  Since you have proclaimed yourselves "true Christians," you think you have Jesus in your pockets.  You don't.  You are just a bunch of scared mostly men who are afraid the world is passing you by and you want to grab onto women, LGBTQ persons, immigrants, and anyone you can blame for the change you fear.  How pathetic!

I’m opposed to the proposed amendment to the rules implementing Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 published on Nov. 29, 2018 that threatens all students, including LGBTQ students.  Oh wait, you are scared of students who don't espouse your narrow beliefs too.

Coddling perpetrators would make schools more dangerous for all students, including LGBTQ students, who face high rates of sexual assault and harassment on campuses. Instead of enforcing Title IX and protecting students from assault and discrimination, your department is proposing to undermine basic protections for survivors.  Why is that?  I suspect you want to claim men just can't control themselves around rabid women or LGBTQ persons or that those people just prey on men all the time and men do nothing unsolicited to women, LGBTQ and others.  Men are the poor victims, you say. 

Shame on you.  No matter what you think, women and LGBTQ persons do not want to frame men for sexual assault.  It is a very rare woman or LGBTQ person who would put themselves through the hell of the courts to go after an "innocent" man/boy.  You know that, but, like everything else this administration does, hurting folks and taking away hard-earned rights is what you do and hope no one will stop you.  I hope you are wrong about that.  A majority of us want you all shut down and will continue to work hard to do it.

Oh yes, I almost forgot.  The appalling proposal would also allow religious schools to discriminate against LGBTQ students without notice. In case you are not sure what that means, it means kicking those students out.  Students deserve to know if a school intends to deny them admission or kick them out for being LGBTQ before they apply. Remember, if you can, this is America, not Pakistan,  Saudi Arabia, China, or Russia.  Schools should be transparent about their beliefs and actions, and should get no Federal, state, or local tax money if they discriminate against students because of race, gender, LGBTQ status, age, disability, or any other criteria beyond those necessary to be a successful student.

I hope you consider the lives of Americans before enacting these shameful regulations, although I doubt you will, since your cult leader, Mr. Trump has no empathy for anyone who is not white, male, and rich, and you guys, along with Ms. DeVos, follow him blindly.   

We'll see who you are most loyal to, Mr. Trump or the American people, our Constitution, and human rights.