So the U.S. Supreme Court has overturned Roe v. Wade, ending the constitutional right of American women to choose an abortion — for now.
In response to that, President Joe Biden, perhaps sensing the end of all that he has fought for his entire career, gave one of the stronger and potentially more consequential speeches of his life. More on that in a moment.
The Roe decision came days after the same court, led by three justices who were appointed by Trump, chose to expand gun rights by striking down a New York state law that sensibly restricted those rights.
Let’s just say it was not a good week for human rights or sensible thinking in our country.
That any branch of government in 2022 is messing around with invading the privacy of half the people in this country by outlawing such a personal act as abortion is frightening enough. But it also reveals an essential weakness in our outdated form of democracy, where loud, well-financed minorities can achieve electoral victories for extreme positions over our common interests, and against all rational thinking.
The other ruling, expanding gun rights in the only nation on earth where madmen routinely slaughter innocents with military-style weapons, is further evidence that some deeply flawed individuals sit on the court. Individuals who IMHO should be impeached, like the guy who appointed them, but that’s not the point.
May I be blunt? The Supreme Court got both things completely wrong. And who is responsible for that? The people who voted for Trump. They did this to us.
These developments, as regressive and depressing as they are, would be far less dangerous if it were not for the fact that we barely survived losing our democracy last year thanks to them.
It’s time for all of us who actually care about our children and grandchildren to confront the depth of white grievance in the red states that brought us Trump, these justices and the dilemma we all face now. So many of those voters still believe his lies. Why? I now fear when it comes to reversals of progress and equality in our society, the worst may be yet to come.
But, as Biden noted, that will not and cannot happen without a fight. If he and the Democratic leaders can mobilize enough anger to motivate a large vote turnout in November, they may be able to still turn the tide gradually back to rationality.
Let us hope so. Because the fundamental rights to contraception, same-sex marriage and consensual sex are now on the table, along with many people’s voting rights, again starting in red states, then up through the judicial system to a Supreme Court dominated by extremists.
None of those rights are mentioned in the Constitution, just as abortion is not mentioned. For God’s sake, women are not even mentioned, let alone gay people. To the dinosaurs like Clarence Thomas (please read his ridiculous opinion), if something is not in a document from 250 years ago, it is not a right at all.
Let’s get real here. It is time to fight back.
***
In much happier news, my grandson Oliver had another key hit in his all-star little league baseball team’s 7-1 win in the semi-finals Friday evening down in San Jose. I drove down there to be at his game. He belted another long double over another centerfielder’s head to drive in the second run of the game and that proved to be the winning run. His team now moves on to the championship game next Tuesday. For Ollie, that’s 11 RBIs on 7 hits in 8 official at bats, with one groundout and one hit by pitch.
I know this is just the little league but for fun, let’s look at Oliver’s stats in these playoffs so far. They are a .875 BA, a .889 OBP and a 1.250 SP. That is pretty damn good in any level of baseball.
TODAY’s NEWS LINKS: (6/25/22 — 34 stories from 17 sources)
Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade, ending 50 years of federal abortion rights (CNBC)
Abortion will soon be banned in 13 states. Here’s which could be next. (WP)
House passes gun bill, which now goes to Biden to become law. (numerous)
How four senators finally got a gun deal no one thought was possible (CNN)
Gun rights supporters ecstatic, safety experts appalled: Supreme Court ruling reverberates across nation (USA Today)
States brace for fight over gun laws after high court ruling (AP)
The Next Fight Over Guns in America (Atlantic)
Matt Gaetz, Mo Brooks and Louie Gohmert among lawmakers who asked for pardons from Trump, Jan 6 hearing told (Independent)
New Jan. 6 witness: Trump had mystery call with Putin (Politico)
Echoes of Watergate: Trump’s appointees reveal his push to topple Justice Dept. (WP)
Amid Plummeting Humanitarian Conditions in Afghanistan, Women, Girls ‘Are Being Written Out of Society’ by De Facto Authorities (UN)
Aftershock in Afghanistan as quake toll rises to 1,150 dead (AP)
Taliban calls for aid after earthquake as overwhelmed Afghans mourn, seek shelter (WP)
Afghanistan earthquake: Survivors struggle for food and shelter amidst cholera fears (BBC)
Ukraine Is Withdrawing From Sievierodonetsk (NYT)
A senior official in the Russian-installed administration of Ukraine’s occupied Kherson region was killed in an apparent assassination, the deputy head of the administration said. (Reuters)
Putin is squeezing gas supplies. And Europe is getting seriously worried about a total shutdown (CNBC)
Russia Gains in the East, Threatening to Overrun Luhansk (NYT)
Ukraine, in a symbolic move, said it had formally filed a case against Russia at the European Court of Human Rights to end "the mass and gross human rights violations" by Moscow's forces. (Reuters)
European leaders gave Ukraine the status of a European Union candidate in a key sign of ongoing support for Ukrainian resistance against Russian invaders and confidence in Ukraine’s future. "It’s a unique and historical moment,” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenksyy wrote on Twitter. Moldova, which also worries about Russian ambition regarding its territory, was also given candidate status. [HuffPost]
UN chief warns of ‘catastrophe’ from global food shortage (AP)
Europe’s Workers Brace for Tough Times as Real Wages Fall (WSJ)
Recession in US and Europe ‘increasingly likely’, warn economists (Financial Times)
VIDEO: Severe Flooding in China Displaces Hundreds of Thousands of People (Storyful and Reuters)
Factual climate change reporting can influence Americans positively, but not for long (NPR)
WHO weighs declaring monkeypox a global emergency as European cases surge (WP)
COVID vaccines saved 20 million lives in 1st year, scientists say (AP)
Ecuador Roiled by Protests Set Off by Rising Fuel and Food Prices (NYT)
At Pride, celebrations amid a darker national environment (AP)
A tiny spacecraft the size of a microwave could pave the way for a station between Earth and the moon (CNN)
NASA Is Working With Startups to Harvest the Moon’s Resources (WSJ)
NASA said its moon rocket is ready to launch. The agency wants to return astronauts to the moon. Testing is complete, it said yesterday, and it’s setting up a launch of the massive rocket later this year. (WP)
Forward-Thinking CEO Hoping Company Can Capture New Audience By Making Product Worse In Every Conceivable Way (The Onion)
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