The draft opinion rejecting a women's right to choose and banning abortion laid bare the ugly truth of Supreme Court justices who pretended they would not overturn Roe v. Wade
In a perfect world, it wouldn't be so overwhelmingly difficult to actually charge these "Justices" with perjury. I mean, they lied outright in front of all of us! But alas, this is far from a perfect world. We are witnessing the end of American democracy. It's been coming since the 1980s and it's finally coming to fruition. My heart breaks for the country I knew and grew up in.
To have incumbents of such low character, integrity and honesty (all the way back to Thomas) in positions of unchecked power on the SCOTUS bodes poorly for our democracy as well as constitutional rights. It is difficult to believe that Collins did not perceive that Kavanaugh was "lying" throughout his confirmation, let alone re the smoothies he must have been enticing her with during her office meeting with him. Though not impossible, as you suggest, it will be a big lift to remedy this. Vigorous action is warranted by both the honest elected and electorate.
This decision is so alarming, and so far to the right.
Beyond the insanity that anyone other than women should have the final say over their bodies, I'm not hearing as much about the realities of enforcing the new laws. What will that look like?
I'd love to be wrong but I am pretty sure that in states where women have officially lost the right to their own bodily sovereignty we will soon see the ugly law enforcement machine kick into gear. The "party of small government" (ie the Republicans) will have to own the giant machine of investigators, prosecutors, snitches, medical consultants and expert witnesses, surveillance, jails, prisons, misery and all of it, in my opinion, driven by hate/white supremacy/need to control, and not "to save children". The defense that overturning Roe and inserting the government into the most personal and intimate decision women could be faced with is all done to "save the lives of children" is a joke: just look around at child poverty rates, maternal healthcare, social services funding, mental health, school shootings, etc. The numbers are dismal and in many case the worst numbers are to be found in these states which are so interested in "protecting the lives of children". If these states cared about "the children" they've had ample opportunity to show it. They haven't. I call bullsh*t.
I predict The New Ayatollah Court will be followed by a hard move from the center, a "moderate" approach to change, to the far left by many Democrats. I certainly feel this way. Moderate genteel negotiating and a nostalgic belief in some of these processes, which move at glacial paces btw, accomplishes nothing when our counterparties don't play by the same rules. That we're stuck with this court is prime example #1. Nothing will change until there is some form of correction and it won't come through hushed agreements between octogenarians who have everything to gain by maintaining the status quo.
I never thought I would understand it, but I now get why the poor fools who stormed the capital on January 6 did so. I don't condone it, I think it accomplished nothing, they were led by a sociopathic megalomaniac, and I am pretty sure none of the main characters will ever actually face consequences, but I get the frustration and desperation that probably propelled many of these poor fools to try.
These three justices did commit perjury. They were under oath, weren't they? When they uttered their obvious lies before Congress and the nation, they were caught. Aren't we saying the same with Trump and his minions that no one is above the law? Isn't this true for justices as well, especially before they were justices? But, would Garland have the balls to make these charges? Probably not, but still a thought. I am afraid that the best approach will be an all out push by the Democrats to win elections. The vote still counts. But, do the Democrats have the balls to push or are they too disjointed and disconnected from each other to the point that it would prevent them from being as aggressive nationally as the Trumplicans surely will be? We will know a lot more in November. Not to worry. It's just our democracy and way of life at stake.
I hate the term 'turn back the clock" as we are all digital now and more importantly it is nonsense. The ghosts of the past are at play. With that I would agree. The future may be much worse but we are alive and must mobilize to do our best. The past is a different country but it is also a construct.
To believe that Supreme Court Justices are or can be impartial and nonpolitical is unrealistic. Each through history has been opinionated having had family ties with politicians, worked for other judges of a certain bent, and just plain influenced by happenings in our society.Same goes for finding impartial jurors in lower court cases unless they are from Mars . It is the only court established by the Constitution, the others by Congress. Since its Roe proclamation is opposed by a majority of Americans, could Congress then legally eliminate those which are going to uphold anti abortion laws, thus maintaining majority rule?
The Court has the power to forbid actions by a state to punish its citizens for going to another state for relief. Thus laws banning people traveling to another state for abortions (and punishment including jail for any and all who have a hand in it or know about it) can be dismissed by the Court. Members, including Kavanaugh, say such travel bans cannot be upheld.........but who knows? Consider what they lied about to be confirmed. Thomas is out for revenge, feeling he has been mistreated, as childish as trump. Is he relying on the old "it's racism" reasoning? Since the decision is based on laws of the 1880s, are we to go back further and eliminate female voting? Justices can be sent packing two ways, impeachment and bad behavior. Isn't Thomas' ruling on cases involving his wife's actions , not declaring his wife's earnings as required by law -- isn't that against holding office during good behavior? Only one justice has faced impeachment, Samuel Chase in 1804, and he was saved by the Senate. Would the present Senate not do the same now?
The Court has not always had 9 justices. In George's time, there were 6. In 1801, 5; in 1807, 7; in 1863, 9; in 1866,6; in 1869, back to 9. These changes usually had to do with the expansion of the country. So to say we must keep the justice # at 9 does not fit history.
Tax payers hand over $260,700 to Chief Justice & $249,300 to the others. Thus $510,000 is given to proclaim decisions that the majority of payers are against. However, nothing says they can't.
Add to this the recent decision that allows Americans the right to carry guns in public for self defense coming right after 19 people in a school were slaughtered makes me wonder why today's news says more than a million voters have switched to the Republican Party this past year. Although there will always be murders, senseless killings, I have no fear of a neighbor or stranger shooting me. I need no gun. Nor does anyone I know.
Democrat leaders and policy makers better wake up, fight back. They are being blamed for everything from high rent to a dearth of baby formula. And though Biden is a nice man, he cannot win in 2024 nor will any of those who tried to get the nomination in 2020.
We are looking at fascism in the face. Unless change, the glass is half empty.
In a perfect world, it wouldn't be so overwhelmingly difficult to actually charge these "Justices" with perjury. I mean, they lied outright in front of all of us! But alas, this is far from a perfect world. We are witnessing the end of American democracy. It's been coming since the 1980s and it's finally coming to fruition. My heart breaks for the country I knew and grew up in.
To have incumbents of such low character, integrity and honesty (all the way back to Thomas) in positions of unchecked power on the SCOTUS bodes poorly for our democracy as well as constitutional rights. It is difficult to believe that Collins did not perceive that Kavanaugh was "lying" throughout his confirmation, let alone re the smoothies he must have been enticing her with during her office meeting with him. Though not impossible, as you suggest, it will be a big lift to remedy this. Vigorous action is warranted by both the honest elected and electorate.
This decision is so alarming, and so far to the right.
Beyond the insanity that anyone other than women should have the final say over their bodies, I'm not hearing as much about the realities of enforcing the new laws. What will that look like?
I'd love to be wrong but I am pretty sure that in states where women have officially lost the right to their own bodily sovereignty we will soon see the ugly law enforcement machine kick into gear. The "party of small government" (ie the Republicans) will have to own the giant machine of investigators, prosecutors, snitches, medical consultants and expert witnesses, surveillance, jails, prisons, misery and all of it, in my opinion, driven by hate/white supremacy/need to control, and not "to save children". The defense that overturning Roe and inserting the government into the most personal and intimate decision women could be faced with is all done to "save the lives of children" is a joke: just look around at child poverty rates, maternal healthcare, social services funding, mental health, school shootings, etc. The numbers are dismal and in many case the worst numbers are to be found in these states which are so interested in "protecting the lives of children". If these states cared about "the children" they've had ample opportunity to show it. They haven't. I call bullsh*t.
I predict The New Ayatollah Court will be followed by a hard move from the center, a "moderate" approach to change, to the far left by many Democrats. I certainly feel this way. Moderate genteel negotiating and a nostalgic belief in some of these processes, which move at glacial paces btw, accomplishes nothing when our counterparties don't play by the same rules. That we're stuck with this court is prime example #1. Nothing will change until there is some form of correction and it won't come through hushed agreements between octogenarians who have everything to gain by maintaining the status quo.
I never thought I would understand it, but I now get why the poor fools who stormed the capital on January 6 did so. I don't condone it, I think it accomplished nothing, they were led by a sociopathic megalomaniac, and I am pretty sure none of the main characters will ever actually face consequences, but I get the frustration and desperation that probably propelled many of these poor fools to try.
Enough.
These three justices did commit perjury. They were under oath, weren't they? When they uttered their obvious lies before Congress and the nation, they were caught. Aren't we saying the same with Trump and his minions that no one is above the law? Isn't this true for justices as well, especially before they were justices? But, would Garland have the balls to make these charges? Probably not, but still a thought. I am afraid that the best approach will be an all out push by the Democrats to win elections. The vote still counts. But, do the Democrats have the balls to push or are they too disjointed and disconnected from each other to the point that it would prevent them from being as aggressive nationally as the Trumplicans surely will be? We will know a lot more in November. Not to worry. It's just our democracy and way of life at stake.
I hate the term 'turn back the clock" as we are all digital now and more importantly it is nonsense. The ghosts of the past are at play. With that I would agree. The future may be much worse but we are alive and must mobilize to do our best. The past is a different country but it is also a construct.
To believe that Supreme Court Justices are or can be impartial and nonpolitical is unrealistic. Each through history has been opinionated having had family ties with politicians, worked for other judges of a certain bent, and just plain influenced by happenings in our society.Same goes for finding impartial jurors in lower court cases unless they are from Mars . It is the only court established by the Constitution, the others by Congress. Since its Roe proclamation is opposed by a majority of Americans, could Congress then legally eliminate those which are going to uphold anti abortion laws, thus maintaining majority rule?
The Court has the power to forbid actions by a state to punish its citizens for going to another state for relief. Thus laws banning people traveling to another state for abortions (and punishment including jail for any and all who have a hand in it or know about it) can be dismissed by the Court. Members, including Kavanaugh, say such travel bans cannot be upheld.........but who knows? Consider what they lied about to be confirmed. Thomas is out for revenge, feeling he has been mistreated, as childish as trump. Is he relying on the old "it's racism" reasoning? Since the decision is based on laws of the 1880s, are we to go back further and eliminate female voting? Justices can be sent packing two ways, impeachment and bad behavior. Isn't Thomas' ruling on cases involving his wife's actions , not declaring his wife's earnings as required by law -- isn't that against holding office during good behavior? Only one justice has faced impeachment, Samuel Chase in 1804, and he was saved by the Senate. Would the present Senate not do the same now?
The Court has not always had 9 justices. In George's time, there were 6. In 1801, 5; in 1807, 7; in 1863, 9; in 1866,6; in 1869, back to 9. These changes usually had to do with the expansion of the country. So to say we must keep the justice # at 9 does not fit history.
Tax payers hand over $260,700 to Chief Justice & $249,300 to the others. Thus $510,000 is given to proclaim decisions that the majority of payers are against. However, nothing says they can't.
Add to this the recent decision that allows Americans the right to carry guns in public for self defense coming right after 19 people in a school were slaughtered makes me wonder why today's news says more than a million voters have switched to the Republican Party this past year. Although there will always be murders, senseless killings, I have no fear of a neighbor or stranger shooting me. I need no gun. Nor does anyone I know.
Democrat leaders and policy makers better wake up, fight back. They are being blamed for everything from high rent to a dearth of baby formula. And though Biden is a nice man, he cannot win in 2024 nor will any of those who tried to get the nomination in 2020.
We are looking at fascism in the face. Unless change, the glass is half empty.