A couple of dreams in May and June might should have prepared me for the brutality of this Supreme Court decision, but I couldn’t figure the dreams out at the time. Perhaps they presaged today’s decision? This should probably go in the Dream thread...not sure how to find it.
May 13 dream: A clear perception that the Government was planning to pass a law prohibiting women from cutting their hair. It would be forbidden, and it would be a crime.
June 8 dream: I was in a courtroom as an observer. Two court reporters, women, were working furiously side by side and they asked for quiet so they could hear the proceedings. There was a break and I left to go get something to eat, a snack. A taxi picked me up, with a male driver and two male riders. They let me out at a women’s boutique to get something to eat there. The taxi driver was in the boutique, he went in to use the bathroom and I could hear him in there. I paid for my ride with a $2 bill and left on foot to get back to the courtroom. I finally found it after asking people on the sidewalk the way, but it was not the courtroom I had been in. It looked from the street like a cross between the Roman Temple of Minerva in Assisi + Penn Station in NYC. The writing across the top of the courthouse, which spelled out COURTHOUSE in letters carved into the stone of the building, was broken and crooked.
@cindy it's all good, Cindy... I do admit I love to drive my mother insane most days on things, as she's in her 80's and as feminist as they come, and I seem to be able to be the only person to start something with "well... " and pretty much put her back into the thick of things. She taught me well :)
However, today, I am sure Jeanne would have put me in a penalty box for a time-out if I wrote and hit send on many of my thoughts. Not that any of you would disagree contextually, just silver linings.
For that, I think another friend brought it up; while there's been a "quiet" civil war for some time, today's ruling was the actual first shot. It is a civil war; despite the quack gun laws you guys have (sorry), it will not be fought with arms. Usually, the first shot does not win the war.
@marigold, it's pretty clear tonight that the justice system in the US at the top is a mess. Still, then the US justice system, with its reliance on star chambers, AKA grand juries, and a for-profit prison system, has a few issues that need to be dealt with besides rapists, cult members, drunks and liars in high office... ok that sounds like a Rogue's gallery. I digress, this will put light to it, and perhaps the continued use of the penal system as a form of retribution will end.
x marks the generation :)
@allyn , or any other lawyer here (for the fun of it):
I've been reading the joint dissent of today's fiasco. I refuse to read the opinion itself for obvious reasons. What keeps capturing my attention is the reference (& rejection of the notion in the dissent) that the freedoms listed in the 14th amendment don't apply to abortion as it was not a concept at the time the amendment was written. With such heavy reliance on history & original intent, can't we now say that all modern guns aren't covered by the second amendment? Only flintlocks & muskets are allowed for personal ownership? Let's not overwhelm them with the militia issue...
Well, Ohio passed the 6 week heartbeat bill with no exception for rape or incest, and it also makes it harder for women to access the care they need in a timely manner. I work as a therapist mainly with women with PTSD, it's about to get even more difficult in this state. Part of me wants to leave, part of me knows I need to stay to help.
I assume that women who can afford it will drive to Toronto for abortions. There will likely be YouTubes explaining to women how to set it up. Am I off base with this? I was in college in Western Mass before Roe was passed and girls would go to Montreal. However, you did need money and poor women won't have it. They will use dangerous means and women will die.
There are grass roots organizations, and I expect many more will pop up, to fund travel and medical expenses for girls and women who need abortions. In NYC there's at least one organization where you can volunteer to offer room and board to women coming to access abortion care. You can also accompany them as well. But look for extremist legislators to try to criminalize anything that can be interpreted as assisting someone to get an abortion. What's coming isn't pre-Roe times, it's going to be much, much worse. The lawyer in me says that while you should help as much as you can, make sure you aren't creating liability for yourself. The goal will be to bankrupt regular people and terrorize them financially, to stop anyone from helping desperate women. We need to do as much as we can, but how helpful can anyone be if they're ruined financially? Be informed.
Also what's next on the menu is nationwide bans (although the GOP doesn't have the numbers to pass the legislation, at least not yet), and perhaps tee'ing up some sort of fetal personhood case to SCOTUS. That would be truly terrifying.
There have been a few articles lately about how Warren Buffet plans to leave most of his fortune to groups that fund abortion care. Google "Warren Buffet Abortion" and you'll see a bunch of them pop up. I've been wondering if he won't accelerate his donations now that the money is so desperately needed. He popped into my head this morning. Maybe he'll announce something soon. He's got like over $60 billion, and if that gets focused on abortion rights it could be a game-changer.
It's a race now to see whether reason or fascism reaches the finish line first. I'm rooting for reason.
@jeanne-mayell I remember when there were still laws on the books of some states which stated that a husband could not hit his wife with a 'stick' larger then the size of his wrist... Net/net: Man is of God, woman is the source of all evil and must be corrected whenever necessary and with the blessing of the state.
I don't think you are off base. I have been thinking it will be like a tourist industry in the sense that there will be organized busses and payment for transport and hotels will be done ahead of time like the travel industry.