The Supreme Court Ruling(s)

We knew this was coming, but that doesn't make it suck any less. I'm not going to go on and on about the overturning of Roe, because I already have, and I'm not going to go on and on about the potential overturning of Obergefell or Lawrence, etc.–because I already have. And I surely will again. We have cause for outrage and concern.

Instead, I want to mention some additional reasons to be pissed at the Supreme Court (or not pissed, actually), point out a reason why some libs are saying we shouldn't be too worried (and laugh mirthlessly at that), and, finally, talk about a few things you can do to help yourselves and others.

Other Rulings and a Little Clarity

The Supreme Court has hammered the American public with mostly shitty rulings in rapid-fire succession. The New York Times has a summary of recent rulings that will make you tear your hair out. Just to be clear on a couple of these, because everyone has their hackles up:

-The Supreme Court's ruling in favor of the Border Patrol is real shitty, but it's not as shitty as you think. You've probably seen tweets of the US map showing the 100-mile border enforcement zone, including one from myself, that suggest the 4th Amendment has basically been repealed within that border. This is hyperbolic. What the recent ruling does is ensure that virtually any federal agent that has violated your 4th Amendment rights is protected from civil suit. It in no way says that the agent can violate your rights–that has been de facto decided as a possibility for...ever. Any fed or cop of any stripe can kick in your door at any time anywhere and beat the hell out of you, and likely with complete impunity. That's just a fact of life in this country. The loss of that right is not new, and did not come with June's ruling.

-The New York Rifle and Pistol Association V. Bruen ruling is a good thing for one reason: it denies police the right to determine whether you, as a private citizen, have a sufficient need for self-protection. I'm sure some of you detest firearms to this day, and I understand that position, but you can understand why it's a bad idea that a militarized force with no lawful mandate to protect the public should get to decide who requires self-protection.

-Yesterday, the Supreme Court ruled in favor of a high school football coach who essentially forced his players to pray with him on the field, stating that his termination violated his 1st Amendment rights. This, along with their recent ruling to require states to allow tuition funding for private religious schooling, marks a decidedly rightward and Christian shift.

So yeah, that mostly sucks. And we should expect rulings against the EPA and tighter environmental regulations soon–perhaps even just after this writing. There is worry that the EPA ruling will essentially dissolve the government as we know it, revoking the ability of Congress to delegate authority to government agencies–yes, all of them.

Kavanaugh Said Not to Worry, Y'all

In the New York Times morning briefing, they wrote that Brett "The Boof" Kavanaugh stated in his concurrence with the overturning of Roe that he "explicitly signaled that those other rights [contraception, interracial marriage, LGBTQIA+ rights] were safe." He explicitly said "'Overruling Roe does not mean the overruling of those precedents..." Without Kavanaugh, these precedents are likely to stand, because a majority is not likely to form on these issues without him.

So take it easy! It's not like Kavanaugh is a notorious liar–a sniveling, angry, beer-liking, piece of shit who is already on the record for saying one thing and doing another directly related to this issue. It'll be fine.

We Don't Need Action Heroes

Chances are, I think, pretty good that you're a white American reading this. Everyone else can basically skip ahead a paragraph. But, if you're like me, in that you're white and American, you probably heard the news on Friday and thought to yourself, "I, the center of the universe and future leader of the free world, must do something." And you thought about, I dunno, starting to house people who need abortions, to start up some kind of half-cocked underground railroad, or to order a bunch of pills from Europe to stockpile in your medicine cabinet. First of all, I admire your verve. But. You're not the first person on the scene in the fight to preserve bodily autonomy. I can all but guarantee you there is an organization or mutual aid network near you that has been doing this work longer than some of you have been alive.

You don't need to reinvent the wheel to help in a post-Roe America. Your time, energy, and money is valuable, but it would be wasted by starting something from the ground up. The reality of fighting for abortion rights is that it was started long ago, because states have been infringing upon this right for a long time. What you can do to help is find your local organization, and give them your time or money. It's that simple. For help on abortion resources, including where to donate or how to help others, start here, and spread the info far and wide:

The Bad Times Are Getting Worse

I feel like every couple months we have a come to Jesus moment as a planet, and this was a particularly long and brutal one. As this country slouches rightward, we're going to need to become more careful about everything. Think about who you talk to, how you talk to them, and what you talk about. Be thinking, too, about your physical security. Your house, your car, your person. Remember to mask up and cover tattoos at protests. Carry an IFAK. Consider self-defense courses, first-aid courses, firearms training. Just because Big Brother is our focus right now doesn't mean you can forget about the violence of your neighborhood, street-level fascist.

We'll talk about all this, because that's what we do here. But there is also a large back catalog of fairly relevant newsletters you can read in the meantime.