The Republican War on Nearly Everybody
Posted: February 28, 2011 Filed under: abortion rights, Psychopaths in charge, right wing hate grouups, Violence against women, Women's Rights | Tags: Christian Extremists, defunding planned parenthood, forced pregnancy, miscarriage police 25 Comments
Republicans don’t seem to be able to help themselves any more. They’ve adopted the policy that no public good is a good public good. Shortsightedness appears to rule their doctrine and policy measures. The war on American Women is just one instance. Here’s Agent Orange telling Christian Extremists that defunding planned parenthood is just one “battle’ that’s part of a “war” that he wants to win. Evidently forced pregnancy and death in childbirth appear to be front and center on Speaker Boehner’s list of priorities. I’m warning you that this comes straight from the American christian version of the taliban so venture over to that site at the risk of killing some brain cells.
David Brody: “Can you commit to them that (defunding Planned Parenthood) will stay in the CR no matter what?”
Speaker John Boehner: “The continuing resolution passed 10 days ago did in fact defund Planned Parenthood and that bill has gone over to the United States Senate. They, like the House were out last week. What they’ll do with that bill I have no idea. In the short term CR though our focus is on cutting spending and making sure that we keep the government open. In order to get this through the House and through the Senate and signed by the President by March 4th, we’re not going to take any big chances on the fact that they’re looking for an excuse to shut down the government. Harry Reid, Nancy Pelosi, Chuck Schumer they’ve been rooting for a government shutdown. We do not want to give them an excuse to do that.”
David Brody: “But then again with Planned Parenthood and this whole situation we know what’s going to happen in the Senate. It’s not going to be part of the CR. The pro-life community wants the GOP leadership to stand firm here in conference and is that a line in the sand?”
Speaker John Boehner: “The goal here again is to cut spending and keep the government open. I met with a lot of religious leaders earlier today to talk about the strategy and I think it’s important that we understand that what we want to do here is win the war not just win a battle and there will be an opportunity sometime in order to win the big war and we’re looking for that opportunity. I don’t think this short term CR is the opportunity that will get us there.”
David Brody: “So in essence you’re saying if it comes to that you’re not going to shut down the government over the defunding of Planned Parenthood.”
Speaker John Boehner: “There are a lot of options on the table but I don’t think in the short term CR (Continuing Resolution) this is the opportunity we’re looking for.”
There is absolutely nothing pro-life about these people. It is merely about out and out ownership of women and their bodily functions. They will not be satistified until they set up a police state whose function it will be to check the results of women’s monthly cycles and enforce breeder status on every functioning uterus. This is seriously sick.
It’s just not reproductive rights that are at stake here. It’s the funding of nearly all services that support the health and well being of women, pregnancies, and children. The speaker is sadly obsessed with one small part of a huge federal budget. This can only be seen through the lens of christianist extremism.
Speaking to the Christian Broadcasting Network’s David Brody, Boehner vigorously supported a recent House vote that defunds the organization entirely, a move that would strip it of more than $75 million in government cash.
Currently, the organization is allowed to apply government subsidies to all services except abortion procedures. Critics argue that restriction is too limited, saying that applying the government’s money to other procedures leaves more of the group’s own cash on hand to allocate to abortion-related services.
“The goal here again is to cut spending and keep the government open,” Boehner said of the move to defund the organization, in an interview published Sunday. “I met with a lot of religious leaders earlier today to talk about the strategy and I think it’s important that we understand that what we want to do here is win the war not just win a battle and there will be an opportunity sometime in order to win the big war and we’re looking for that opportunity.”
The defunding vote from the lower chamber came as part of a continuing resolution that included dramatic spending cuts across a range of programs. The Democrat-controlled Senate is set to consider the spending bill this week and is likely to reject a significant amount of the GOP’s spending cuts, including those that affect Planned Parenthood.
We’ve seen the erosion of women’s autonomy and individual liberties now for decades. There has been a method and a madness to the religious zealots who seek to enact specific religious tenets into the laws and funding of our national priorities. This type of thinking has reached a zenith in crazyland. Let me just remind you that Georgia legislature wants every single miscarriage investigated for possible wrongdoing. Rational thought has left the building.
It’s only February, but this year has been a tough one for women’s health and reproductive rights. There’s a new bill on the block that may have reached the apex (I hope) of woman-hating craziness. Georgia State Rep. Bobby Franklin—who last year proposed making rape and domestic violence “victims” into “accusers”—has introduced a 10-page bill that would criminalize miscarriages and make abortion in Georgia completely illegal. Both miscarriages and abortions would be potentially punishable by death: any “prenatal murder” in the words of the bill, including “human involvement” in a miscarriage, would be a felony and carry a penalty of life in prison or death. Basically, it’s everything an “pro-life” activist could want aside from making all women who’ve had abortions wear big red “A”s on their chests.
I doubt that a bill that makes a legal medical procedure liable for the death penalty will pass. The bill, however, shows an astonishing lack of concern for women’s health and well-being. Under Rep. Franklin’s bill, HB 1, women who miscarry could become felons if they cannot prove that there was “no human involvement whatsoever in the causation” of their miscarriage. There is no clarification of what “human involvement” means, and this is hugely problematic as medical doctors do not know exactly what causes miscarriages. Miscarriages are estimated to terminate up to a quarter of all pregnancies and the Mayo Clinic says that “the actual number is probably much higher because many miscarriages occur so early in pregnancy that a woman doesn’t even know she’s pregnant. Most miscarriages occur because the fetus isn’t developing normally.”
We’ve seen this kind of insanity coming out of statehouses and congress for several months now with little pushback by Democratic legislators. What type of people would seriously think and say these things? How have they gotten into positions where they get to make laws?
Every penny spent on Planned Parenthood is a penny well-spent. Unplanned and dangerous pregnancies are bad for children, bad for women,and bad for the society. There exists an incredible amount of evidence that show that every dollar spent to prevent unwanted and dangerous pregnancies save thousands of dollars and lives later on down the road. Seriously, what kind of people live in this country that cheer on actions that would lead to abundant suffering? Again, what kind of a sicko do you have to be to say these things? Speaker Boehner is an embarrassment to the country. The sooner we get his pathetic drunk and emotionally damaged ass out of Washington DC the better off we will all be. Unfortunately, he seems intent on damaging the present and the future as best he can.
peej
Carissa
ecocatwoman
grayslady
mablue2
JJ Lopez aka Minkoff Minx
peggysue22
skydancingguestblogger
Mona (aka Wonk the Vote)
Sky Dancing 
dak, may I cross post this over at Widdershins?
sure …
Great post, Dak!
Here’s what I commented at TW:
The corporatists are, indeed, pursuing a war on everyone. It’s a war on the public sector itself. The Christian Taliban is providing convenient cover for the corporatists, as the corporatists desperately attempt to privatize the profit and socialize the risk of every aspect of American life.
It is absolutely necessary that we stand up to this. I’m fortunate my oldest daughter is at the age and in the ob/gyn profession where she sees these attacks daily. I’m still trying to get the youngest one to wake up and take up the banner right now. This should be lighting a fire under every young woman in America. Their lives are about to be redefined by religious zealots. It’s like watching the clock turn back on everything I spent working for as a young woman. We have to speak out loudly to whoever will listen! I’m just glad there’s a few of us screaming loudly together!
The Planned Parenthood rally I went to on Saturday, had about 500 – 1000 attendees. Not bad considering it was only the local chapter who organized it. And, it was at the same time as the 50-state union protests.
I have pix and will post about the experience on Wednesday. Take heart, people are getting it. Lots and lots of young people were there, too.
Magnificent post!
Here’s another huge waste of taxpayer money spent on fomenting religious wars:
Boehner: House likely to defend anti-gay marriage law since Justice Dept. won’t
Sinclair Lewis is attributed with the following quote:
“When fascism comes to America it will be wrapped in the flag and carry the cross.”
It appears the man was spot on.
It’s amazing. Edmund Muskie cried a few tears once over the press attacks on his wife and his political life was suddenly “over”.
John Boehner regularly makes the fountains at Versailles look like a defunct water park…and he’s Speaker?
The GOP: billionaires for fetuses
Giggling over that “Versailles” comparison! Brilliant!
IOKIYAR
lol! like sex crimes and diaper wearing? ..I shoulda known
Boehner reminds me of an old Irish uncle who used to take up space in the local tavern on Saturday afternoons swilling the suds, singing Irish ballads, and weeping every time someone mentioned “the Rebellion”.
An “expert” on all things political and thensome, he rose to the rank of “ward clerk” or something which in his world spelled “success”.
A natural born idiot. He shares a lot in common with Boehner.
He probably hides his bottles of booze in his office–maybe even in a desk on the House floor. He’s obviously a heavy duty alcoholic.
For your entertainment:
http://boehnerbooze.wordpress.com/
All that empty space in their heads is filled with inexplicable convictions
So, so bizarre. I never realized this level of extremism was so common. These people need serious help.
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again:
Margaret Atwood’s book “The Handmaid’s Tale” was a perfect description of the Republican war on women’s bodies.
Last week I was listening to an Indian woman/writer talking about this assault on American women and how concerned she and others outside the States are to see what they have always viewed as a bastion for gender equality being so viciously attacked. Her point being is that while she and her colleagues struggle with arranged marriages,genital mutilation, physical and emotional abuse in their own countries, to see the US roll back women’s rights so blatantly is very troubling.
Of course, it should be very, very troubling for American women, and I think we can now assume that the Democratic Party has basically turned its back on these attacks. Yes, there are many problems we’re facing right now, but to ignore an assault on human/civil rights is to deny everything we’re suppose to represent. That and the fact that the Right is quite willing to sit and listen to the “crazy” element in their midst, people who will thump their chests for animal husbandry but defund family planning programs or suggest ‘miscarriage’ is suspicious, worthy of investigation. It’s beyond the pale.
If the Dark Age is coming, it will be ushered in by these religious fanatics.
to see the US roll back women’s rights so blatantly is very troubling.
This is an important point…because if the example of how you wish it to be for yourself is erased from the world ….how do you get there where you are ?
This was also the case when it became clear we now tortured people until they told us what we wanted to hear…was a time, the reward for working with us was not the cessation of torture, but the freedom to say the truth. No more.
It is becoming more obvious these days that there is no longer a viable middle.
The middle class is being strangled as the centrist position in politics is being consumed by either the Far Right or a foot dragging Limp Left.
All that is needed is one vote to make a majority and with voters essentially tuning out to the propaganda and corruption, that one single vote could lead to more and more radicalization of a corrupt system being led by its nose through money.
This nation needs to wake up and soon if they are not willing to be governed by this form of tyranny.
About protests and rallies…I’m not down with this instant rally this weekend sort of thing
It takes weeks to build a decent rally, a march…if you say ” rally this weekend!” of course it will be so so attended…not many had even heard of it… and then the press and its owners are emboldened and protesters discouraged. I suspect this what Moveon was after frankly…
What is required is a date at least weeks in advance imo
I completely agree. The Planned Parenthood rally in NYC was planned several weeks in advance, but I think the organizers shot themselves in the foot a bit by requiring people to RSVP for it. I brought two people with me and I don’t think either one RSVP’d.
I would love to plan a Million Woman March on D.C. for the ERA and free abortion on demand, like in the 70’s, sometime this spring or summer. Unfortunately, I don’t have the time or money to devote to it in order to make it successful.
If anyone here wants to take the idea and run with it, May 1st might be a date to shoot for. It’s a Sunday.
This is Hillary’s speech today. I think it is one of her best. I don’t think it is off topic because she addresses some the issues in this post in her speech.
http://still4hill.wordpress.com/2011/02/28/secretary-clintons-remarks-at-the-human-rights-council/
RIP Jane Russell
Gentlemen Prefer Blondes star Jane Russell dies at 89 | World news | The Guardian