Why I Oppose The Texas Abortion Law

The Texas law bans abortions after six weeks of pregnancy.  Obviously, that is unconstitutional as decided by Roe v. Wade.  If the purpose in passing the law was to set up a legal challenge to Roe, it was poorly done.  The law provided no exceptions for rape or incest.  And enforcement of the law is left to private citizens, allowing anyone to sue another if that person "aids or abets" in an abortion after six weeks of pregnancy.  These private lawsuits could enrich the filer of the suit with up to $10,000 per abortion, plus legal costs.  I do not like the idea of encouraging private citizens to turn on one another.  This is America, not the USSR.  (I am aware of laws that provide compensation to various whistleblowers.  Generally, those laws are enforced against government agencies and government contractors, and big businesses.)  

The Supreme Court refused to put a stay on enforcement of the Texas law.  However, in the session that began yesterday, is a case out of Mississippi, where a law bans abortions after 15 weeks.  If the Supreme Court is inclined to overturn Roe, the Mississippi case is cleaner.

The original decision in Roe was not based upon any Constitutional provision regarding "abortion" or the right to "privacy."  Those words are not in the Constitution.  Trying to guess the outcome of any Supreme Court case is always challenging, especially when the issue is so divisive and controversial.  However, if I was to guess, it would be a 6 to 3 vote in favor of upholding Roe.  Breyer, Sotomayor and Kagan would definitely vote to uphold Roe.  Thomas, Alito and Kavanaugh probably would not.  That leaves the CJ Roberts, Gorsuch and Barrett.  My gut is that those three would be very reluctant to overturn a nearly 50 year old precedent.  

And, if the Court can find a way to decide a case without ruling on the constitutionality of a law, they often prefer that type of limited decision.  But we should know, no later than next June.   

  

Two Other Voices Speak On Israel

 Howard Dean was the Democratic Governor of Vermont from 1991 to 2003.  In 2004 he ran for President of the United States.  From 2005 to 2009 he was the Chairman of the Democratic National Committee.  And he is yet another Democratic Israel-hater.  Here is a Tweet from Dean:  "I've been there and I think our alliance with Israel is important (for) both the US and Israel.  And Israel is in fact, an apartheid state."

Liar!  No, Israel is not an apartheid state.  Unless they changed the definition to mean that, although the minority (Palestinians) are doctors and lawyers and judges, and hold seats in the legislature (the Knesset) and even hold ministerial offices in the current government, if that is the definition of apartheid, then yes, Israel meets that definition.  As do most Western countries.  

Comedian and actress Sarah Silverman is Jewish.  But she was disappointed with the Squad, and just didn't get their vote against the funding of Iron Dome.  Silverman:  "It's frustrating because my girls, ma gurls in the Squad, really didn't want it to be funded...all the Iron Dome does is protect civilians from getting hit by missiles and bombs.  That's all it does!  It's not a weapon!...Voting against the Iron Dome defense system is voting for dead Israelis and that's Muslims, Christians and Jews."

And Silverman said this:  "I'm really trying to understand it, though...none of them talk about Hamas!  No one in the Squad is bringing up Hamas.  I can't - it's so bizarre."  Poor Sarah.  Of course she does not get it, because notwithstanding her occasional support for Israel, she is a leftist.  

Silverman:  "It just seems to prove the point that I didn't think existed which is, um, people only really like Jews if they're suffering.  Dead Jews get a lot of honor."  Welcome to the party, Sarah.  Welcome to the party.  

The Vice President Stays Silent In The Face Of Lies About Israel

Recently, Vice President Kamala Harris was at George Mason University in Virginia.  Here is what one student said to the VP:  "I see that over the summer there have been, like, protests, and demonstrations in astronomical numbers (in support of the Palestinians)...just a few days ago there were funds allocated to continue backing Israel, which hurts my heart because it's ethnic genocide and displacement of people, the same happened in America, and I'm sure you're aware of this."  

The student continued:  "I bring this up because Americans are struggling because of lack of healthcare, public healthcare, lack of affordable housing and all this money ends up going to inflame Israel..."

So let's take a look at these comments.  Recall that the Squad and other "progressives" put a hold on the bill funding the replenishment of the Iron Dome missile defense batteries, used by Israel to protect civilians against the thousands of rockets and missiles launched by Hamas earlier this year.  Ultimately, the House overwhelmingly voted to approve the funding by a vote of  420 to 9.  It hurts this student's heart - not that Hamas targets Israeli civilians (keeping in mind that there are Jews, Muslims, Christians and others in Israel) - but that Israel may be able to save the lives of civilians (non-combatants).  I can only conclude that this student wants to see more dead Israelis; and I suspect that she thinks/hopes they are all Jews. 

"Ethnic genocide" says the student.  A complete lie.  Not only are there no reports of any genocide from any credible news outlet, but it does make me wonder if the student understands "genocide."  When 6 million Jews were killed during the Holocaust, that was genocide.  When over one million Armenians were killed, that was a genocide.  When Communist China killed tens of millions of Chinese, that was a genocide.  So I would ask this student a question.  After 6 million Jews were killed, the world lost a third of the Jewish population.  How come in the last 3 decades the Palestinian population has actually grown by about 2.5 million people.  How does that happen during a genocide?

"Displacement of people" says the student.  I am not sure if she is alleging in so-called Israel proper (within the 1967 borders) or in the West Bank (Judea and Samaria).  I am not sure if she is referring to the area in Jerusalem where properties were legally obtained by Jews.  If there is displacement it is minimal; and certainly does not compare to the Palestinians' proposal to evict (displace) 500,000 Jews from their homes in the West Bank.  The student also says the money will "inflame Israel."  No.  Hamas starts a war by launching rockets and missiles into Israel, and Israel protects its civilians with Iron Dome.  And another reminder, most of the money "given" to Israel is spent right here in the USA for military hardware.  In this case, it is for Iron Dome.    

The student, who clearly has no fondness for either Israel or America, says the $1 billion should go to Americans for healthcare and housing.  For those who argue against all foreign aid to any country, even allies, I can understand.  I strongly disagree, but I can understand.  Here, we are supposed to believe that this $1 billion will make all the difference to Americans.  Given the $5 trillion on the table for both the infrastructure and Biden's Build Back Better bills, I don't believe the student really means that .0002% of the $5 trillion is what keeps her up at night.  If that $1 billion was going to the Palestinians, I would bet she would be asking for more, not complaining about Americans' healthcare and housing.   

As indicated above, this student's remarks were directed at our Vice President, who surely corrected her.  Right?  Wrong.  Instead, the VP said this:  "Your voice, your perspective, your experience, your truth cannot be suppressed, and it must be heard, right?  A democracy is at its strongest when everyone participates."  The Vice President of the United States failed to push back against the lies of an Israel hating student.  I am always amused whenever I hear anyone say "your truth" or "my truth."  If they mean "THE truth is I'm gay," for example and they have never openly acknowledged that before, then at least there is some sense to it.  Bit the student addressing the VP was not a Palestinian.  How is what she said "her truth?"  It is nonsense.  There is truth, there are lies, and there are legitimate factual disputes.  

As written in an Op-Ed in the 9/27/21 Wall Street Journal (by Lance Morrow):  "...the 21st century has lost its appetite for objective proof.  Feelings are enough.  If you feel that something or someone is evil, why then it is so.  What you feel (the mirage of your emotions) acquires the status of reality.  You must, after all, 'speak your truth.'"  I must say, that sounds a lot like my expression, used often in the blog:  "liberals let their beliefs dictate their reality, conservatives let reality dictate their beliefs."

As for the Vice President:  Shame on her!  The statement subsequently released by her office that she "strongly disagrees" with that student was too little and too late.  She failed to react in the forum where it would have done the most good.  She stayed silent, presumably in order to not offend the Jew-hating, Israel-hating, left-wing base.