Next on the Chopping Block is:

Image Credit: Innocence Project

In one of my earlier posts, I told you all about Moore v. Harper coming up on the SCOTUS docket, and earlier I learned of another case to watch, which is Merrill v. Milligan.

This post will outline the cases and tell who granted stays and who dissented on both cases. One attacks our ability to fight in disputes over federal elections and state redistricting (Moore), and the other attacks the Voting Rights Act of 1965 (Merrill).

I want to make a very important note on case law. It is about the cases and the final rulings that you are supposed to be weary of, but it is also about which amendments to the Constitution that rest within the language of the decisions and opinions of the court.

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In the Moore v. Harper case, they submitted their writ of certiorari in March. The topics that are being argued in this case are partisan gerrymandering, congressional redistricting, and the Elections Clause. There is also language of the Equal Protection Clause, Freedom of Speech, and Assembly Clauses coming in this case from the North Carolina Supreme Court case in which the petitioner appealed. (Remember above that I said it’s important to look at the Amendments encompassed inside of these documents.)

Certiorari from SCOTUS was granted in this case on June 30, 2022 with Justices Kavanaugh, Gorsuch, Thomas, and Alito. This will be a scary case of voter subversion through state gerrymandering, so it is important that we watch this case closely and watch the wording that comes through on opinions of the justices.

All of the documents relating to this case can be found here: Moore v. Harper – The American Redistricting Project(opens in a new tab)

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Now, onto Merrill v. Milligan, we see another case that has many precursors of suppression of liberty. John Merrill is the Secretary of State in Alabama, and there are actually two other parties, Evan Milligan and Marcus Caster. This case is coming from a district court in Alabama, which I found odd. It seems this case has bumped up the ladder rather quickly, and it is taking hits at Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, and the opinion of the lower court dilutes the black vote on a 1994 verbiage from Justice Thomas that redistricting, which he argued “…that interpreting the law to require some level of racial discrimination in how congressional lines are drawn did not comport with the statute and subverted the principle of a color-blind Constitution” (Alabama Center for Law & Liberty, 2022).

Thomas is no stranger to going after this section of the legislation, and this is why I say this branch of government has way too much power. The legislative branch was designed by the Framers to be the strongest, but this Supreme Court is pretty damn powerful.

The Justices supporting the stay and granting certiorari are Justices Thomas, Alito, Kavanaugh, Gorsuch, and Barrett. Justices Roberts, Kagan, Sotomayor, and Breyer dissented with Roberts and Breyer filing the dissents.

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So, this was just a quick look at the cases coming up that have been put on the SCOTUS docket. These 5-4 decisions are going to be coming more and more. I am going to be curious to see how Justice Jackson will begin voting, which I assume it will be better than Breyer’s voting. There are many cases entwined in these two cases too. All of them about voting rights and gerrymandering. Stay tuned…

References:

Alabama Center for Law & Liberty, (2022). “Merrill v. Milligan”. Retrieved from http://alabamalawandliberty.org/merrill-v-milligan/.

Back from Vegas…

I am back! First I am going to share some photos, and then I am going to repent for my actions. I did not leave Vegas richer financially, but I did leave with a wealth of happy times to reflect on later. We stayed at the Paris, and it was nice.

I want to first talk about how guilty I feel for enjoying myself when all of the beautiful women in this unrecognizable country are suffering. I know…I shouldn’t feel that way, but I do. I want to share the happy moments because I think we are about to have a lot of bad moments.

The first night, Friday, we went to see the Jabbawockeez. That was one of the most fun and best shows I think we had on our trip, except for the near naked Aussie Men 🤣. They were interactive and really put on a great show for their fans. The second day, we ate at Hells Kitchen and then went to the Thunder Down Under show (…many firsts on this trip, and this is one of them lol.) I came, saw, and conquered on that one. I would share but not sure you all want to see all that LOL.

Me in front of the Hell’s Kitchen sign

Then, last night we went to Criss Angel’s Mindfreak after eating some Mexican food at YOLOs, and I was a bit disappointed. I had the highest hopes for this show, but it was highly sexualized and had more of a movie aspect of it for promotions to his other undertakings. He’s a great guy, and I still love him. I just think he gave up on the show that made him Criss Angel. I did get to pose with the beautiful Tatiana and Criss’s straightjacket.

Me & Tatiana at Mindfreak

Today, we headed home around noon after eating at the Cracker Barrell in Nevada. We made it home around 5:40-ish this evening.

As we were on our way to Las Vegas, the Dobbs decision came through on our phones. My sister and I felt heavy and our hearts ached. I needed the break away but felt horrible that I was not sitting here at my computer when the news broke about Roe and Casey.

I will have plenty of things to say and action steps to take. I did make my stand by wearing my RBG voices shirt. It says “Speak Your Mind Even If Your Voice Quivers”. I wasn’t looking for praise or thumbs up, but I got plenty. It was nice to know that folks read the shirt and could relate to it. I wish I would have gotten a better photo of it. (We consumed a few adult beverages lol.)

Me and Sis before Jabbawockeez (Amazing show!) This is the best picture that I have of the shirt.

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Now…without a hitch…I will be fighting for legislation in California to protect enhanced women’s healthcare in our state, and I will be very loud about calling for the impeachment of Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh, and Amy Coney Barrett. They lied under oath, which last time I checked was called perjury and is a crime, and they have committed crimes against the women of this country. I also call for the impeachment for Clarence Thomas for being married to an insurrectionist and supporting her radical views from the bench. All four of these judges are setting their own agendas on American lives, and someone better start impeaching the asshats.

Photo by Emma Guliani on Pexels.com

I am thankful that I got this little vacation because now I am refreshed and ready to stomp on some old balls that have nothing better to do than bounce on our rights…pun intended.

In Community,

Amy

1900s v. 2020 and Beyond

This image is of a civil rights demonstration in front of the White House in March of 1965.
Image Credit: Britannica

This photo was in Newport Beach, CA in 2020.

History just continues to repeat itself, which is not a good thing. Shall I continue?

Women protesting for their rights in 1916.
Photo by Burke and Atwell/LOC/Creative Commons

Abortion and women’s right activists in 2022 after the SCOTUS leak about Roe v. Wade.
Image Credit: Independent

Make it make sense…

In Community and Solidarity,

Amy

Religious Fanatics in Red Caps and Black Robes — LUNA

Please be sure to read this post shared by The Poetry Bar by the author Geoffrey Reilly. His site is called Bending The Needle – Truth Hurts.

It is now becoming a common consensus (since the leaked draft) that we are approaching what The Handmaid’s Tale was edging toward in theory. We have turned into a country that has no voice unless you are the societal norm of a radical white conservative male.

This poem emphasizes that (and more) very thoroughly.

Religious fanatics in red caps and black robesChoice Appomattox and transvaginal probesBeaten and raped, then told what to doStripped of your voice, no autonomous you Back-alley midwives with buckets and hangersForced into action, like fierce Margret SangersMatt K and Sam A, don’t care what you thinkJudge Thomas and Barrett drown Roe in the sink Ejaculate…

Religious Fanatics in Red Caps and Black Robes — LUNA

A Sign of the Times

My Screenshot of M-W’s Words of the Week

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Good evening everyone! I just now sat back down to my blog after a full day of job assessments and job hunting. I did not get the position, which I kind of felt like I wouldn’t get it because I didn’t grow up in the area. I’m an outsider, ya know?

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So, I go to my email, and I have my Words of the Week sitting there in my inbox. It’s the words that were searched the most on M-W’s website.

I felt like it was a sign of the times when I read them. I wanted to share.

I think “autonomy” is there because of the uptick of autonomous cars and robots.

Blackmail makes this world go around, so it made sense it was on the list.

The term “stare decisis” is being looked up after Justice Clarence Thomas came into the spotlight talking about it being timeworn and needing an update.

Leak is on there for the reason of the leaked documents of the Roe v. Wade draft, but seriously people? How do you not know the meaning of “leak“?

Continuing on from the last question, how do people not know the meaning of “overeducated“?

Sign of the times, I tell you.

*Huffs and sits back frustrated in my chair*

In Community,

Amy

Ramifications [Reblog]

This post by Fandango is a must-read article about the Electoral College and its effects on the Roe draft that I have been talking about. He highlights some very important information. It’s very important that we, as citizens, try to begin fixing what our lack of participation in the countries biggest issues has caused.

Silence is violence…our voices are mandatory!

In Community,

Amy

This, That, and the Other

Yes, I’m still angry about the leaked draft opinion from the Supreme Court that points to a decision by the Court to overturn Roe v. Wade with respect to legal abortions in the United States. That decision is likely to be supported by all of the conservative justices in either a 6-3 decision or, if Chief Justice John Roberts decides to vote against making abortions illegal, by a 5-4 decision.

As you think about the ramifications of this decision, it is worth remembering something. The office of the President of the United States is the only political office in the land that is not decided by the popular vote. The vehicle that determines who wins a presidential election is the Electoral College, an antiquated and antidemocratic part of the U.S. Constitution.

The Electoral College was created for two reasons. The first purpose was to create a buffer between the population…

View original post 467 more words

My Mind Never Stops

Amy is dressed for success!
Photo credit: Amy Harvey

Today has been productive in the aspect that I have continued on in my job search, and I did some other tasks that needed to get done. However, I think the job with the city has passed me by. I should have heard something yesterday or today, according to the director. Hence, this was why I was on a vigorous job search.

I looked professional, answered all my questions to the best of my ability, and everything else you are supposed to do in a job interview, but when it comes down to it, I am not strong with interviews. I get too nervous.

With that being said, I think I need to build those skills and focus my concentration on nailing a job interview. I know how to do the jobs I am applying for, but I suck at talking about myself.

Well, that’s enough of that…let’s talk about something that more important and bigger than little ole’ me.

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Here’s my list of important things to begin the conversations in our communities:

1. Roe v. Wade & The Leaked Documents
2. ACLU Emergency Town Hall on Roe v. Wade
3. The Criminalization of Menstrual Periods and Privacy Rights
4. June 7, 2022 Primary Election
5. Voter’s Choice Act (VCA)
6. Lead The Way Legislation

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Image Credit: Politico

The first topic is the most important one. If you have not read the leaked decision from SCOTUS, you can find it HERE on Politico. For my stance about Roe v. Wade, you can click HERE.

The first point that I want to point out is that this decision being leaked is going to be part of a bigger problem for other precedent-setting decisions and for other protections of the Constitution, like due process, privacy, government invasion, and more…While right now it is only a draft, it would take a miracle to change the minds of Supreme Court Justices that already knew they were going to overturn Roe before their appointment. *cough* (Amy Coney-Barrett is top on this list of problem justices.)

The Planned Parenthood v. Casey will be under attack along with Roe v. Wade because Casey reaffirmed Roe. In Casey, the question was whether a married woman had to tell her husband before they underwent an abortion.

“Roe was egregiously wrong from the start…” and “…We hold that Roe and Casey must be overruled…”

Justice Samuel Alito

e·gre·gious

1.outstandingly bad; shocking.

Lexico via Google

Those statements, folks, are pretty bold and radically conservative statements to say against a decision that has survived for nearly 50 years in this country.

He makes many more “egregious” statements, but let’s look at an even scarier statement:

“First, we explain the standard that our cases have used in determining whether the Fourteenth Amendment’s reference to “liberty” protects a particular right.”

Justice Samuel Alito

Seriously? Does he know the meaning of the word “liberty” at all? I wanted to be sure we all do, so I looked it up to share with you all. Britannica says that liberty is, “a state of freedom, especially as opposed to political subjection, imprisonment, or slavery.“

There are some key words and phrases in there, like freedom and political subjection. Let’s define those words too…

Freedom, according to Lexico, is “the power or right to act, speak, or think as one wants without hindrance or restraint.”

Political subjection will be a little more obvious. Lexico defines subjection as, “The action of subjecting a country or person to one’s control, or the fact of being subjected.” Then, political would obviously mean pertaining to politics if you know the prefix and suffix rule of -al meaning pertaining to.

POLITICAL CONTROL, people!

What will be the next thing that Justice Alito and his other cohorts fail to see as liberty or constitutional? What more does the government want to control? Will the NSA be able to track women to abortion clinics via cell phones and apps that steal our data? Will they get access to our medical records and criminalize irregular periods? Will HIPAA disappear for women and other genders in its entirety? With due process being a huge part of Roe, will you have a right to the protections of the 14th Amendment if you are a woman or other gender identity?

Those are questions that people do not realize are aligned with the Roe and Casey decisions. They make my stomach turn over because people are not taking these into account when they think about Roe.

Maybe this context from his opinion will resonate better than my words:

“One possibility was that the right was “founded .. . in the Ninth Amendment’s reservation of rights to the people.” Another was that the right was rooted in the First, Fourth, or Fifth Amendment, or in some combination of those provisions, and that this right had been “incorporated” into the Due Process Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment just as many other Bill of Rights provisions had by then been incorporated.”

Supreme Court Justice Alito

That is a lot of amendments to address in a short amount of time that he is saying were roots and incorporations into the Bill of Rights. He is not shy about how he feels about it. (Page 9 of the leaked document)

“Incorporated” is the word he uses on the protections of the Bill of Rights…in general and passive aggressively at the same time.

Long story short, the madness will not stop at Roe v. Wade. It will not stop at women’s rights, reproductive and otherwise. Think of all the things that the First, Fourth, Fifth, Ninth, and Fourteenth Amendments protect, and then add the entire Bill of Rights and the actual and entire Constitution…

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I will end with the ACLU Emergency Town Hall. It was at 12:30 PM PST on 5/5/2022, and some great people came together to talk about forcing women to stay pregnant against their will if Roe v. Wade was overturned. They talked about coming together as a community to have a stronger voice than those with opposition to abortion, since they are ultimately why Roe v. Wade is in trouble.

Silence is violence, folks!

I would urge you to go to take the pledge that you support reproductive freedom by going to http://aclu.org/abortion-pledge.

Here is a map of over half of the United States considered “Hostile” on the subject of abortion:

Image Source: ABC News
Information Source: Center for Reproductive Rights

If you need help getting in touch with your local ACLU or Reproductive Freedom Coalition, please reach out! I will help you find it!

If you are being criminalized for exercising your right to get an abortion, please reach out to your local ACLU or Reproductive Freedom organizations.

Click HERE for more information from ACLU concerning Roe v. Wade and forced pregnancy.

Click HERE for the surveillance OpEd about tracking students via public school computers and tracking those that seek out abortion clinics with applications on their cell phone and social media platforms. Scary stuff, folks.

That is all I have for tonight…I will continue with the other numbers on my list tomorrow evening.

In Community,

Amy

Women’s Rights Are Fading

Photo by Karolina Grabowska on Pexels.com

Tonight, my sister and I were watching a show when our phones lit up with breaking news about a leaked document that is showing that Roe v. Wade is in huge trouble. My heart literally dropped into my stomach. A case that was established in 1973 when the world was even more against women than it is now, ruled that women had control over their reproductive rights. These same rights are about to be stepped on by old, conservative lawmakers.

https://www.reuters.com/world/us/leaked-us-supreme-court-decision-suggests-majority-set-overturn-roe-v-wade-2022-05-03/

First, I want to talk about my personal opinions on abortion, birth control, and a woman’s right to become pregnant. I am pro-woman. I believe that a woman has a right to her own reproductive freedom and complete control over anything that affects her body or person.

I would never be able to make that decision to have an abortion out of personal choice, but that does not mean that I have the right to take that away from someone else. I support them and their choice. It’s easy for me to support these choices that other women choose to partake in because government intrusion on someone’s body is disgusting. Absolutely disgusting.

Birth control to prevent pregnancy are important, and in contrast the use of untraditional methods to get pregnant are also important. I support these choices too.

Now that you have my clear stance on reproductive freedom, let’s talk about how Roe v. Wade became precedent in the first place. I want to start with this quote in the syllabus of the case because there is HUGE importance in it.

“A person may choose to have an abortion until a fetus becomes viable, based on the right to privacy contained in the Due Process Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. Viability means the ability to live outside the womb, which usually happens between 24 and 28 weeks after conception.”

Roe v. Wade, 410 U.S. 113 (1973)

I bolded the words above that say, “Due Process Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment” in this holding because this decision being overturned will set women’s right back 50+ years and challenges our Due Process rights under the Constitution.

A government entity, or better yet in current times…entities, are telling a woman when she is allowed to end a pregnancy. Roe was a single, pregnant women, and she wanted to end her pregnancy via abortion with a safe doctor. It was hard to find a safe doctor to perform these procedures due to them being considered illegal.

Before Roe was passed, women were going to back alley abortion “doctors”, if you want to call them that, to get their pregnancies ended, and they ended up most times with sepsis from dirty instruments and some even died. I will add more to this section as I get more statistics, but taking abortions away as an option is dangerous.

That’s a scary thought that we could go back to these kind of abortions because the world wants to infringe on someone’s right through courts and laws. If that is not scary enough, you will be scratching your chin and really thinking on the next worry of this decision being overturned…

If you are not familiar with the 14th Amendment, it states:

“All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside. No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.“

The Constitution of the United States, 14th Amendment

There are two forms of due process. One is procedural and the other is substantive. According to Cornell Law, “Substantive due process has been interpreted to include things such as the right to work in an ordinary kind of job, marry, and to raise one’s children as a parent” (Legal Information Institute, 2022).

Procedural is the regular process that we think of when going to court and getting in front of a judge, etc. after charges have been filed against us.

Both of these are substantial to freedoms granted by our Constitution in both the Fourth, Fifth, and Fourteenth Amendments, just to name a few. Now, let’s look back at the wording of the case syllabus in Roe v. Wade. In the primary holding, it speaks of the due process clause that is in the 14th Amendment. Are you ready for the scary part?

ANY and EVERY case that set precedent that has been decided under the Due Process Clause will now be challenged.

This is not a scare tactic. It is in the verbiage of overturning a precedent that was set in 1973! Things are going to get ugly folks! For women, you might as well say Margaret Atwood’s book called The Handmaid’s Tale will come true. It’s radical just like that series portrays when the Roe decision is overturned. (If you have never watched the series, you may want to…or at least read the book.)

A real time example is that women in Texas are going to Oklahoma to get abortions, so Oklahoma passed an abortion ban. I think Alabama was the first I heard about to do put strict restrictions, and from what the document sounds like in the article from Reuters, the Supreme Court is going to put it in the hands of state lawmakers on making the choice whether it will be illegal in their states. It’s sickening to me.

I know there is more that I wanted to say, but my heart just became really heavy thinking about the damage that has been done to this country. It’s hard to be proud to live in a place that has the highest incarceration rate, wrongful conviction rate, and that oppresses the rights of others in the name of law and order. For those that want to say, “Leave then if you don’t like it here…”, the only words I have for you is “I stay to fight you for those that have no voice.”

I will end with this… Silence is violence. If you are not an ally, you are an adversary.

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Works Cited:

Legal Information Institute. 2022. “Due Process”. Cornell Law, WEX. Retrieved from: https://www.law.cornell.edu/wex/due_process.