Small Town Therapist on What Happened to the SCOTUS?

 

During the Obama administration after Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia died, the reason given for not allowing President Obama to nominate a new justice was insulting. Said Senator Mitch McConnell,  "It's too close to the election." It was nine months away. 

When Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg died during the Trump administration, the GOP announced that they were going to push ahead with a nomination immediately.  After Ruth died, the Republican senate approved a Supreme Court nominee ONE month before the election. The Republican hypocrisy produced the rage that so many of us felt. This was yet another demonstration of the Republicans complete lack of  integrity. Then Trump appointed Amy Coney Barrett, an ultra conservative member of the Federalist Society and a law professor at Notre Dame University. Gross unfairness and hypocrisy is what we faced and continue to face. The current Supreme Court's ultra conservativism is making a mockery of the constitution. For example, SCOTUS claimed, in effect, that the president is above the law. No, he is not. This is a cornerstone of the rule of law. This includes government officials and any leaders. It's to prevent abuse of power. No one is above the law. 

We used to trust the Supreme Court. We had a president who made excellent intelligent choices. Barak Obama chose Ketanji Brown Jackson, a brilliant legal mind. Then, with the Trump administration, we were given Amy Coney Barrett who was a big slap in the face and contrary to just about everything Ruth stood for. If that wasn't bad enough, we then were inflicted with Brett Kavanaugh, again by Trump. This man was accused of sexual harassment and, as is typical of the Republicans, the women were not believed. He is one of the justices who decreed that the president was immune from prosecution. The felon and pedophile will walk free. 

When Ruth Ginsberg was on the court, we had a group of excellent Supreme court judges, principled, courageous, fair, who fought for equal justice for all.  Now, what have the conservative members of the Supreme Court done? There's no preventing abuse of power and upholding justice. Trump is dangerous and creating hardships all over the country with his tariffs and his illegal deportations, in violation of the constitution. God help us, because apparently the Supremes won't.

susansmagicfeather 2025  Susan R. Grout all rights reserved

SMALL TOWN THERAPIST ON: MANHATTAN PROJECT BABIES FOR WHOM?

calm and peaceful is  goal

While reading the newspaper in the morning I found that I was talking out loud, grumbling. Then to my surprise, I started laughing.  Why, you ask? Because of the absurdity of what I was reading. The group of extreme right-wing men behind Project 2025, the Heritage Foundation, wants to start a 'Manhattan Project'. This project would  encourage families to have more babies. Ok, jeez.

Let's review who these men are and what they believe and stand for. Remember, these men, and the Trump voters, agreed to defund many agencies in the country that help women and families. They defunded hospitals, eliminated women's right to choose whether to have a baby or not, they have gone after Planned Parenthood as viciously, as if that organization was criminal, they have defunded Head Start and, absurdly, Public Television because they don't approve of Sesame Street. Are you laughing yet? 

You might be asking yourself if they are oblivious to the fools they are making of themselves.  Why, when they are making it impossible for only the affluent to afford to buy a home, do they want women to have more babies? Remember the minimum wage hasn't been raised in most of the country for 16 years and that glorious federal wage is---- $7.25  per hour.  Just try living on that. Would you then decide to have a baby? And, have you bought groceries lately?

Then there was the brilliant decision by the Trump administration to reverse Row vs Wade.  Many states like Texas, Oklahoma, Tennessee, South Dakota, South Carolina, Alabama, Indiana and Louisiana have criminal penalties for doctors aiding abortions. In some states this  applies to the doctors who are helping a mother who is in danger of losing her life to complications from her pregnancy.  Would you encourage your beloved wife, daughter, niece or granddaughter to get pregnant and have a baby in one of these states? Be honest, don't you see this is a serious threat to women and potential parents. If something should go wrong with her pregnancy, then what happens in these states? Nothing good.

As some of you know from reading my blog, I had a therapeutic abortion in a hospital in 1977. I was the grateful recipient of loving, lifesaving care from those doctors. It was very scary and hard. I was very sad, but I was also blessed and fortunate to receive the necessary care I needed. Today in the states mentioned above, women are literally dying due to fear of the current administration and/or state suing them or even jailing them. Sadly, the hospitals in those states are going along with that fear. 

Apparently, what the current administration wants is for women to be afraid. Families are grieving now because of the reversal of this law and, yes, women are afraid. In my case, had it been 1972 (instead of 1977) and our very wanted baby was dead inside me with no help from the doctors, I could have been one of those sad, sorry statistics.

huge cuts for mental health

The Republicans are big on blaming the current anxiety and fear in women and people around the U.S. as a mental health crisis. They blame it on anything but themselves. They have drastically cut the funds to help people in need.

Another example, besides the continual threats to women's health, is the frequent mass shootings. A typical response after these shootings by Republicans, the Trump administration and the Trump voters is to offer "thoughts and prayers."  To prove how important guns are, every time a good regulation is proposed on assault weapons the Republicans plead with the public, "the Second amendment, the Second Amendment!" They scream and cry, "they want to take our guns away!" Then the important, lifesaving regulation fails to pass.

No one, to my knowledge, points this out: when 'the right to bear arms' was adopted (December 15, 1791) the guns were muskets. No bump stocks, no assault weapons were even dreamed of.  They fired one shot. Those who scream for the right to have and use assault weapons which can fire hundreds of shots in moments, allow themselves to be convinced this is a good thing by the gun lobby. It's to sell guns. 

People, think! Isn't it true we have finally found the Weapons of Mass Destruction, weapons supported by the NRA. Slimy but true.  Why do people fall for this? Apparently they don't read the statistics. The U.S. has significantly more gun related deaths than any of the other developed countries. Are we trying for "the worst in the world for massive deaths due to guns"? Is that the goal? Think of the grieving families who have lost their children to guns. We should be crying Never Again! It worked in Australia. 

You know as well as I do that the cuts in government services were draconian. We all know that those cuts were done to give tax breaks to billionaires. It does, as I write this, sound like an elaborate joke. Totally a reverse Robin Hood maneuver: steal from the poor and give to the rich. Oh the little billionaires, they just want to go to Mars.  Truly, if they are paying for the trip to Mars themselves, this is something I could eagerly embrace. Go! Please. Leave this earth. Just don't come back.

I am a liberal

We who respect and love this earth and its people could start the long slow healing that our poor earth needs after this disastrous administration. No, it would not thrill all the angry, easily led Trump supporters who apparently still believe cuts for Medicaid, Social Security, and cuts to the clean air and water programs are fine, if their leader says it's good for them. But the rest of us would breathe a sign of relief if he, all his minions and the billionaires were residing on Mars.

To sum up, the Heritage Foundation's Manhattan Project wants babies, but only certain kinds, i.e., color. They do want families to have mommies who stay at home, but only heterosexual couples are allowed to raise babies. 

being safe and cheerful surrounded by sisters

So, what's amusing here? It’s ironic that they want these special families to become like some Mormons and Catholics: to go forth and propagate a lot. Yet, certainly, this cannot be modeled on Musk who has fourteen children (by many wives) and is looking for more. Or this cannot be modeled on their president who is a notorious philanderer, has cheated on  his wives, cheated the country with his continual lies, graft and corruption. This is the man that they supported as our leader in chief. I mean thief. 

As for this project, hit the eject button.