What a week.
I have not yet written about politics on this site, but there was news this week too big to ignore; too impactful not to acknowledge. So I will try to do so without being political or judgmental, and I will on some level fail, but I will try. On I will go …
There are lots of people weighing in on the momentous decision at the so-called Supreme Court to allow the 26 states who seek to do so, to force girls and women-,-but let’s face it: mostly girls, to carry an unwanted pregnancy to term. Even if it could kill her … even if she is pregnant because of incest or rape. Even then.
I have friends who are okay with that, friends who aren’t sure where they stand on it, and friends who are horrified by the court’s decision. Who openly wept at the news of it.
To my mind, the ruling seems backward and barbaric, like something the Taliban would enforce. Except nope: The Koran does not ban the practice of terminating a pregnancy. So … maybe not them. Not the Jews or the Buddhists either, not in their doctrine. So. Hmmmm. Who is pushing this agenda? We all know that religious extremism is alive and well in America. We were founded by it and have lived under its tribal and blood-soaked influence from our inception. But it is not religious people with whom I take exception, and while some approve of this outcome, they did not in fact cause it to happen.
I am a churchgoer. I love attending mass in my adopted Catholic faith. Mind you, having converted as a full adult, I was able to decide which teachings to embrace and which to let roll on by. I love the rituals of mass and the music and the moments of meditation, which are deepened by the presence of community. The leadership of my faith wholeheartedly holds to the position that women are to serve with their bodies first and foremost. This is a holdover from a time in history when humans were in short supply. There are great gobs of us now; so many that we are dwarfing the planet and are in danger of extinction, so we can probably give women a pass on the forced-breeding thing without displeasing any deity. Self-pleasuring and same-sex attraction were frowned upon as well, the whole of those teachings being hell-bent on building a Christian army.
I suppose wherever there are tribes there will be an army in the making. One of the ways we define who we are as a group is to decide who we are not. Who is on the team and who simply will not be allowed to play.
I have a neighbor who is deeply convicted and sweet as pie. She often asks to pray over me, especially before I travel and now, more frequently, because I have been preparing my home for sale. She recently asked me if I had accepted Jesus as my savior to which I replied:
“Now Alice, you know I am a Catholic and I pray to him. “ She winced and swished her hand through the air trying to wave the words away. I smiled. She is super-super-specific about her tribal affiliation and me being a member of a nearby religion just doesn’t cut it in her book.
I am fine with that. She is a sweet lady and Born Again is her jam. I appreciate her prayers. I am good to go with whatever God you pray to. Say you are a Muslim? Great. There are deep and soulful, heartfelt ideals in those teachings. Judaism is an ancient and glorious religion, which is full of gusto. Buddhism is a beautiful practice. I have friends who participate in every religion that you can think of, including the weirdo ones like Scientology.
Our founding fathers--Yep, all men; white ones to be specific--were pretty clear about the importance of keeping those tribal affiliations out of the mix when it comes to lawmaking. Their collective European DNA was informed by the savagery of battles, which tore bodies, communities and whole countries apart for centuries in the name of Gods. Their intention was to create a nation of free men … men who were not answerable to Kings or Gods. Men who had a vote… who for once had a stake-hold in how their country would be built and run.
Of course, free MEN is the operative word here, free WHITE MEN to be more precise. A lot of folks were left out of the equation. Women, people of color, the brutally murdered and conquered indigenous, the poor and un-landed, to name a few. They would live to serve these men instead of one King or God. They would lend their backs and their territory, their tithing and many labors, so that these great white men would prosper and this great nation could grow.
There are of course a whole hell of a lot of white men who have fought for the rights of women and minorities. This is not another screed against white men. But this is a moment where the good guys in that tribe with a voice and a vote need to step it up.
It is almost unimaginable to think that there are those among us who did not have a vote, could not have a say. Women could not do so until the 19th Amendment was passed in 1920. There are people alive today (to be sure very old old people) who at one time were denied access to the ballot box. People of color were denied full voice right up until the Civil Rights Act was passed in 1964. 1964! I was five years old. This was not some time long, long ago in a land far away. This was here in America in my lifetime
There are a lot of folks—YEP, mostly men and the women who benefit from their status, who are still unhappy about these non-tribe members weighing in. They are not keen on the idea of people they secretly believe should exist to support their betterment by having a chance to build a future for their own families. They do not cotton to a country that includes us all.
There are folks in mostly radical forms of their faith who have deep religious convictions about procreation and I am fine with that adherence. This is perfectly welcome within the boundaries of their belief system, but it does not belong in government. The politicians who have exploited those voters have not done so on behalf of life, their purported reason. They are fine with weapons-grade armaments being available to any wild-eyed, acne-faced kid with an axe to grind and some kids he wants to kill, so no; it’s not about life.
These men, mostly white--although there are guys like Clarence Thomas, who is an oddness of a creature in more ways than can be counted or quoted are invested in one thing only:
Minority rule.
They understand that 70% of the country disagrees with their positions and they do not give a Twiddle Dee Dee about that. From the get-go, these men have known that giving non-tribe members the right to vote would dilute their power. The states, which have enacted the strictest anti-female laws, are mostly impoverished, low-voter states where the few hold sway over the many.
Guess which states also have very restrictive voter laws? Pretty much every position their leaders take is about suppressing the vote. This includes the gun laws, which they hope will frighten folks away from the polls and make them afraid to protest.. All of this suppression is aimed squarely at minorities, women and the young. It does not require deep thought to understand that if a woman cannot plan her family, she cannot climb out of poverty. Female students forced to carry a pregnancy, whether accidental or as a result of force, will have a hard time entering the workforce wielding expertise and power. This is why these leaders eschew health care and why most of those states refused free federal money to expand Medicare. They don’t want poor people to be healthy and happy. They want them to wash their cars, make their fast food, shine their shoes, and then go home and die young so that society does not have to shell out for their care.
They have been signaling for years that they would take away a woman’s autonomy over her own body. They will absolutely go after birth control and sex education and any other aid to a woman’s pro-creational freedom next. In twenty-six states. They have also been signaling that they are going to take away the Social Security you paid into all of your life. Don’t think for a minute that this won’t happen. Republican voters do not want this to happen. It has nothing to do with them. It is Mitch McConnell who cannot wait to gut that program because that is what his big donors have tasked him to do. Republican voters need to vote him out.
The deep-pocketed bullies who own many of our politicians have many fears, but the biggest fear they have is that of a large well-educated, ever-growing middle class. They know that would end their reign, so they work every conceivable angle to keep the poor poor and to keep as many folks as possible from having a voice in how our country is run.
I identify as a Democrat, but, as with my Catholicism, I embrace some of their tenets but not all. I have voted for Republicans and concurred with them sometimes, though not with their leadership in recent years. I have Democrat friends who are raising money for Liz Cheney’s tough re-election campaign. Not because they agree with her about…well … anything, but because they support her courage. Those of us willing to do so must seek middle ground. We can all agree that the world does not need more billionaires. We need better air quality and schools and roads and more access to health care and education.
And … also Social Security. Doesn’t matter what tribe you belong to …we all need that.
That means we have got to vote while we still can. We must vote every time for every office, not just the big ones. The state house in Texas has more control over the lives of its citizens than the Supreme Court ever has or ever will. I swear to my particular God that I support your opinion whatever it is, just please exercise it! If all of us voted in the primaries, the candidates would reflect the moderate temperaments that the majority of us prefer. The recent primary in California, a state that bends over backwards to provide educational materials and myriad ways to vote, had a 15 percent voter turnout. That is a scandal … a damned shame.
Every time you skip a vote, a rich guy does a little jig. He can donate unlimited amounts of money to the politicians who will fund his yacht. The midterms are when the power brokers dance all the way to the bank on both sides of the aisle, so beware.
The only way we will ever make serious progress on the big issues of the day is if every American who can do so votes. Period. Then we get the dirty-rich-guy money out of the coffers; we lay down our tribal Tiki torches; we compromise with one another and we build a better country and world.
It’s all about the vote, and the people who do not want you to have it. It has all of it, always been all about the vote.
VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE VOTE
On we go …
Of Gods and Men
Between SCOTUS screwing over girls in 26 states, and people saying the country can't handle Trump being indicted - even when he clearly should be tried and hung for treason on every level -- and Biden planning on running again (NO NO NO!!!) I too am raising money for Liz Cheney because she is the MOST COURAGEOUS person in our country. We are in such huge trouble and the Dems can't get their S*** together EVER! Soooo frustrated -- but LOVED your piece!!! I'm Liz Cheney for Pres all the way. We need her to lead the country out of this mess.
Very well said! My spiritual beliefs are...well, let's say alternative, but I firmly believe in bodily autonomy and rights for all.