I Stand with Wendy Davis

At this moment a Texas woman named Wendy Davis is attempting to hold the floor of the state senate in a filibuster to prevent the latest anti-abortion idiocy from becoming law.


Here's Rachel Maddow for the background.

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In the segment, there's a clip of this moron, sponsor of the bill, mind, Jodie Laubenberg explaining why a rape/incest exception is not needed in this new law.

Amid a heated debate over a restrictive anti-abortion bill being pushed by Texas GOP lawmakers, one Republican argued that a proposed exemption for rape victims was unnecessary because assaulted women could simply turn to rape kits for abortions. "In the emergency room they have what’s called rape kits, where a woman can get cleaned out," said state Rep. Jodie Laubenberg (R), sponsor of the controversial SB 5, according to The Associated Press.

Senator Davis has already been speaking for about two hours. She's got to make it to midnight and follow these rules, including:

Rule 4.01 requires a member of the Senate to stand at his or her desk to address the Senate. The member speaking may not sit, lean, or use a desk or chair in any way. Bathroom breaks are not allowed.

RAPEublicans have the majority in both the House and Senate. This is a 'special session' called by the governor, who can, of course, call another one to get this critical legislation passed. But what's going on right now is exhilarating to watch. Here's the live feed of the filibuster. When I last checked, she was reading the testimony of women who wanted to speak before the committee last week but who got cut off by some RAPEpublican dude because he was bored by it. If you want to follow on Twitter, Senator Davis's handle is @WendyDavisTexas and some hashtags are #SB5 (Senate Bill 5), #txlege, and #feministarmy. (Blogger is screwing up my paragraph breaks. I'll try to fix it later.)

Mandos adds: Wendy Davis runs out the clock and kills the bill.

FURTHER UPDATE: Of course he would. Governor Good Hair calls another special session. Note that in such *special* sessions, a simple majority, rather than the 2/3s of the Senate in regular sessions, is enough to ram through legislation.

Lawlessness Is Good

Maddow demonstrates how frighteningly fast a fringe element can seize power and radically alter what was thought to be a settled matter.


Watch.

Link to video that Blogger ate.

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In the 2010 election, which swept all those RWNJs into the US Congress and, more importantly, state houses, five Republican Senate candidates supported removing exemptions for rape and incest victims from abortion bans. (Four out of five lost.)

As of now, eight USian states have enacted laws removing those exemptions. Maddow stresses that before 2010 such a thing was anathema to even the most conservative antichoice politicians.

Anathema.

Now it is the law of the land in eight states. See how that works? You have a law. Some nutbar doesn't like it, wants to tinker with it.

Tinker, tinker. Gestational limits. Method bans. Mandatory ultrasounds. Personhood initiatives. And today, bogus fetal-pain based gestational limits upheld.

Tinker, tinker, tinker.

And now, the crack-down on rape and incest victims.

In Canada we don't have a law on abortion. Here abortion is a private, elective procedure regulated by medical bodies.

No law, no tinkering.

Woodworth's Wankers and supporters want a law they can tinker with. Any law.

We won't let them take the first step. Motion 312 will be crushed.

ADDED: The video disappeared. Blogger is being wonky today.

Nationwide Anti-Abortion Hit List

Rachel Maddow catches us up on two recent Fetus Lobby moves in the Excited States -- both terrifying.




I won't link to Operation Re-Scum, but here's a description from Ms. Magazine.

Operation Rescue, an extremist anti-abortion group, has launched a website - abortiondocs.org - which lists the photographs and addresses of abortion providers, as well as maps to find their places of business. The website, which describes itself as the "largest collection of documents on America's abortion cartel," aims to list every abortion provider in the country.

Kathy Spillar, executive vice president of the Feminist Majority Foundation and co-founder of the National Clinic Access Project, stated, "What causes us real concern is fear of where this could be headed. It opens the possibility that some so-called 'grass-roots activist,' who does believe in the use of violence, will be able to use this as a tool for stalking doctors, which has happened."

Rachel Maddow remarked on her show on MSNBC last night that website is Operation Rescue's attempt to take individual WANTED posters, which she described as "a tried and true means of intimidation for the anti-abortion movement," to a national level through the web. She stated, this is "an extremist movement with a history of violence taking something that is arguably criminal and trying to make it more mainstream and national."

And oh yeah, Dr LeRoy Carhart -- the subject of an OScum 'research project' -- is on the list.

Rachel also brings us up to date on the most recent Looney Tunes ReThuglican debate, sponsored by Personhood USA.

Here at DJ!, we've written about the Humpty Dumpty Initiative a few times. These are the nutbars who want a fertilized human egg declared a 'person', thus not only outlawing all abortions, but endangering birth control, emergency contraception, and in-vitro techniques. Also possibly criminalizing miscarriage and spreading the application of child endangerment laws back to second 1.

Basically, you know, shoving the government up every uterus in Merka.

Yabbut, I hear you saying, this dealie recently failed a referendum in ultra-conservative Mississippi, didn't it? So, like, there's nothing to worry about, just a bunch of nutters, right?

Wrong. Rachel points out that while Mississippi -- arguably the most conservative state down there -- rejected this insanity, EVERY SINGLE ONE of the ReThug candidates has endorsed it.

Let me repeat that -- EVERY SINGLE ONE.

There you have it, fans of sense and reason. This is the atmosphere into which a nationwide, online, anti-abortion Hit List has been injected.

Someone -- a doctor, nurse, clinic worker, patient, bystander -- is going to be killed. And it probably won't be long now.

h/t RH Reality Check

Harbingers of a Majority, Part 2

From Rachel Maddow, shock doctrine as played out at a Michigan highschool for at-risk girls.



To our ultra-partisan Canadian readers, you really think King Steve wouldn't do EXACTLY the same thing here? Really?

Rachel Maddow Is Envious of Canadian Parliament

Sure, Rachel ultimately uses the occasion to talk about USian fiscal transparency, but she does a very creditable job of explaining the Canadian situation. She seems to have a better grip on it than many Canadians.

I really want our MSM to do some education on Canadian government and electoral system, while they're breathlessly covering the horse races and keeping score of gaffes.

I know. Hopeless.

Reminder: The Assassination of Dr Tiller

Tonight, 9 p.m. EDT.

Paging Dr Bauer!

Cameron Holmstrom at Dispatches by Northwestern Lad called it exactly right. This is is perfect person to stand up for healthcare reform in the US.



Yes, Kiefer, please go on Rachel's show.

Tiller Investigation: Maddow on the Case

Last night, Rachel Maddow reported on the parade of anti-abortion terrorists visiting Scott Roeder, accused assassin of Dr George Tiller, in jail. She refers to the Kansas City Star story I blogged about yesterday.

Rachel interviews Amy Hagstrom Miller, President and CEO of Whole Women's Health, about anti-abortion violence.

Miller makes the chilling point that these terrorists are making absolutely no secret of what they're doing. It's as if, she says, they're taunting the government to do something.

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Stop Abortion Terrorism

Yo, Barack, some leadership here maybe?

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I lurve Rachel Maddow.

Added bonus: Here's the transcript for Maddow's show and the text of her interview with Frank Schaeffer ("Words have consequences ...") on Monday.