written 8 May 2022
published 15 May 2022
The US Declaration of Independence states, "We hold these Truths to be self-evident, that all Men (people!) are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness." The US Constitution articulates how to accomplish that.
These goals were revolutionary when the country was formed, and are still noble today. However, an honest appraisal of our history shows that we have struggled to apply them evenly. The challenge has always been overcoming the tyranny of the rich and powerful minority. An example is the upcoming Supreme Court decision banning abortion.
Republicans, knowing they are losing the demographic race, have spent decades deliberately packing the least democratic branch of the government; the Supreme Court. In 2000, the Court intervened in the presidential election, declaring George W. Bush president, who then appointed two more Justices. In 2008 the Supreme Court Citizen's United decision eliminated campaign finance limitations, claiming corporate personhood (not mentioned in the Constitution) made spending money a protected free speech, allowing floods of dark corporate money to distort elections. In 2013, the Court gutted voting rights protections, claiming there was no longer any racial discrimination in voting laws, paving the way for extreme voter restrictions and gerrymandering.
Life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness require control over how many children to raise, and when. Criminalizing abortion, destroying 50 years of established reproductive rights for women, goes against the will of over 65 percent of the population. This isn't pro-life, but simple punitive birther fundamentalism.
But five unelected people, with lifetime tenure, have decided to impose their minority view on 334 million Americans. These five (Alito, Thomas, Kavanaugh, Gorsuch, and Barrett), are all conservative Republicans, specifically selected for their extreme judicial perspective by the Federalist Society and the secret Catholic Opus Dei organization. Three of the five were put on the bench by President Trump, who campaigned on destroying abortion rights in order to get the support of religious extremists, and still lost the popular vote.
Trump could do this because Republicans control the Senate, which is skewed toward the minority. The two votes from California represent 69 times more Americans than the two from Wyoming. In the current Senate, Republicans represent only 44 percent of the population, yet can stop effective legislative progress.
This abortion decision is based on the idea that, since there is no specific mention of abortion in the Constitution, there can be no rights implied. Despite being legally specious, it opens the door to denying the right to contraception, same sex marriage, and inter-racial marriage. But these issues are window dressing to satisfy the religious fundamentalists, and distract the voters.
Our country faces serious issues. Our air, water, and food are polluted, contributing to chronic health issues. Real health care is unaffordable and/or unavailable to many. Monopoly economics, resource depletion, and the expanding climate crisis are increasing the costs of everything, while billionaires fund space junkets instead of paying living wages. The Republicans refuse to address these problems, because their donor base is doing fine. Instead, Republican policy is to further minimize the federal government, and privatize everything. All federal environmental regulations, and limits to address the climate crisis, should be banned. The wealthy should own you and control your life.
I consider that an insane perspective.
Republican "leadership", seemingly afraid of what has been unleashed, are trying to divert attention to the "breach of honor" the Supreme Court leak represents, rather than admitting that banning abortion has been their goal for decades. Women are righteously angry, and the Democrats have a focus for this next election; don't elect more of these crazy people!
Get involved. Educate yourselves. Send money to groups working in directions you support. Make sure you are registered to vote, and then VOTE! Communicate with friends, especially in other states, getting them to become active and vote as well. Republicans are pushing an unpopular agenda, counting on apathy and discouragement from their opposition. Even in the 2020 election, only 67 percent of eligible Americans voted.
We are living in a time when all the old dysfunctions, some enduring for centuries, are coming front and center, to be acknowledged, addressed, and healed. Banning abortion is not about morality, but about disempowering people to increase control. Speaking our truth is an act of empowerment.
