ringing the alarm (again)

I haven’t written about the sorry state of the republican party in this country for a while. Been busy with sudden death and grief of my own, but believe me, the House republicans are still engaged in clown show revenge investigations by the extremists of the far right ‘freedom’ coalition instead of doing the work they were sent to Congress to do thereby hamstringing the government and impacting our national security to the benefit Trump’s good buddy Putin; all indignant because Hunter Biden refused to honor a subpoena to answer questions behind closed doors (Hunter is more than willing to answer their questions in a public hearing but republicans don’t want that because then they can’t lie about or misconstrue his answers as they have done with other witnesses’ testimonies given in closed door sessions). Just a reminder that republican Jim Jorden also refused to honor a subpoena from the investigative J6 committee but no one seems to care about that. And while the democrat controlled Senate was still in session trying to get necessary bi-partisan bills worked out, the extreme holier than thou republican controlled House recessed early until the new year. Their parting vote was to formalize an impeachment inquiry against President Biden even though the committee to investigate the “Biden Crime Family” has come up with zero evidence of any wrongdoing either while Biden was in office or as a private citizen. Zero. No matter, they say. They admit it’s bullshit and don’t care. They admit the whole point is to make Biden look bad prior to the next election. It’s the same reason every republican always votes against immigration reform and funding border patrol even as they scream about the ‘open border’. If they actually do something to better our immigration policies they will lose an issue they count on to bring out their base during elections.

Meanwhile republicans have been busy enforcing their draconian anti-abortion laws. In Ohio a woman has been arrested and charged with abuse of a corpse for having a miscarriage at 21 weeks at home while sitting on the toilet. She had gone to the hospital several times, her water had broken but since the fetus still had a heartbeat they sent her home each time, even though the fetus would not survive (and did die in the womb) and she had a significant risk of death to herself, where she finally miscarried.

In Texas a woman learned at 20 weeks that her fetus had the fatal disorder of trisomy-18. The fetus would not survive and would end with a miscarry or stillbirth. Because her two previous childbirths were by cesarian the continued pregnancy had the very real possibility of rendering her infertile so that she would not be able to get pregnant again which she desires to do. The woman went to court and a judge ruled that she was allowed the abortion she sought. But then our AG Ken Paxton who prefers to see women die or become damaged wrote letters to the three hospitals her doctor has admitting privileges at telling them they would be prosecuted if they allowed the procedure and then got the state supreme court to rule against the lower court denying her the health care she needed. The woman finally had to travel out of state for the procedure.

You may think that these are two extreme examples but this is happening to women in every state that bans abortion. Republicans don’t give a fuck about women or their lives. They want to control women so much that they insist we continue to carry a dead fetus or one so damaged it has no chance of life until we miscarry or become so septic that we are on the verge of death ourselves. And if we miscarry? Then we are likely to be arrested and investigated to make sure we didn’t ‘do something’ to induce a miscarry. If someone helps them travel out of state for legal necessary medical intervention, that person may be sued. Several cities and counties in Texas that border states where abortion is legal have passed ordinances making it illegal to travel on public roads to go out of state for an abortion which is clearly unconstitutional.

Meanwhile, the republican party and religious right continue to kowtow to a man who breaks every single commandment every breathing moment of his life, believes he is king and completely immune from the laws of this country, a traitorous bastard who tried everything he could think of legal and mostly not to stay in power after his very real defeat including but not limited to J6 and the obstruction of the peaceful transfer of power and then refusing to cooperate with Biden’s team prior to the actual swearing in of President Biden, who stole classified and top secret documents when he left the White House and refused to return them, who is very vocal about using the DOJ if reelected to retaliate against everyone who has opposed him after he stuffs every corner of the government with loyalists to do his bidding regardless of legality. He’s very clear on his intent to become an authoritarian ruler. You need only listen to his speeches at his rallies, quoting Putin, expressing admiration for Kim Jon Un of North Korea and Viktor Orban of Hungary, and emulating Hitler, using Hitler’s words to demonize immigrants, claiming they are “poisoning the blood of our country” and calling them ‘vermin’. These are the very words Hitler used to demonize the jews in Germany and we know where that ultimately led. He claims that criminals and people from mental institutions from all over the world are pouring into this country (zero evidence this is true) “destroying the fabric of this country” and has already said at his rallies and on social media that he intends to create detention camps for undesirables and deport millions of people he considers inferior. He’ll start with immigrants from south of the border and muslims but he won’t stop there. Really anyone who is not a white heterosexual christian nationalist would be in danger. Book bans will get worse, more rights will be stripped away which they are already engaging in towards women and the LGBTQI+ community. Their ultimate goal is to replace the Constitution with something they like better giving them total control with no hindrance. Again, if you have any doubt about this, research their blueprint for the next republican administration (regardless of which candidate wins the office of president) Project 2025.

Now of course, certain legislators have been trying to do damage control after everyone suddenly noticed the Hitleresque rhetoric last weekend, claiming that Trump didn’t mean it that way but a different way and Trump himself, after repeating the words at a recent rally, claims he has never read Mien Kampf (although rumor has it he keeps a copy on his bedside table) but that nazi Stephen Miller, Trump’s trusted advisor and speech writer, certainly has. Make no mistake, they know exactly what Trump was saying.

So, y'all know what to do if you care for this democratic republic comprised of immigrants from all over the world, a nation that, up until now, expanded rights for all citizens instead of taking them away. E pluribus unum.