Articles from June 2009
June 8, 2009
Domestic terrorism to halt abortions?
Political terrorism is defined by prominent political scientists as the unlawful use of force or violence against persons or property in order to coerce or intimidate a government or the civilian population in furtherance of political or social objectives. This is mainly applied to the violent acts of ‘jihad’ and predominately associated with anti-American sentiment stemming from the Middle East.
However, in recent years ‘domestic terrorism’ has resurged (it had been a popular method of protesting during the morally pious Reagan years); ‘soldiers’ of the morality war in America have rearmed themselves in the wake of an Obama Administration and have begun to assemble in opposition to the impending liberality.
The American population has been mired in economic woes and inundated with troubling news from a two-front war aboard for the better part of a decade now, yet the social and political crusaders continue to wage battle for America’s propriety. The death of American doctors, nurses, health care practitioners, etc, is a wholly unacceptable concept when defending the ‘right to life’ issue.
It should not have to be said that Roe vs. Wade was not simply a symbolic court decision; but it gave every woman the right to choose for herself the path that suits her life. This decision has been diluted and basically rendered meaningless over the past three decades thanks to conservatism in state legislatures who have systematically worked to create obstacles that prevent women in their states from obtaining clinically safe abortions or become at risk for targeted violence due to legislators’ open opposition to the practice of abortion.
This vitriolic passion toward abortion-seekers and providers violates not only the very essential decision of Roe, but also a woman’s basic right to quality of life. Keep in mind, most of these congressional usurpations of judicial/constitutional rights is decided upon by men. And the majority of those who become active domestic terrorists for the cause of abortion have predominately been men, including the most recent attacker of Dr. Tiller (the Fox News proclaimed “baby killer”).
It is time that Americans make up their own minds about what is right and what is wrong instead of attempting to legislate, regulate and enforce morality upon masses that are living in the present ….. Not the past. Americans should know better to fight for life with death; it is an embarrassment to the cause they are advocating for and to the nation in general. When we attempt to control our women and their minds, we become no better than those we find repugnant in other nations who dominate their women via national laws.
June 2, 2009
The End of Days: Republican leadership takes over
The official end of the first session of the 52nd Legislature was certainly anti-climatic following the antics perpetrated by the Republican Leadership on the adopted Sine Die date of May 22. Leaders in both the House, but predominately the Senate broke the public’s faith in the process of compromise and effective government (if they had it to begin with).
The Senate had failed a bill containing the new pet project of the Republican Party; the CIO bill, the language inhabited three separate bills in only a week (SB980, HB1704, HB1170). Instead of accepting that the language had failed to receive the approval necessary to move to the Governor’s desk, a certain Senator held the vote on SB980 open for nearly 5 hours allowing no other business to be conducted. While the President Pro Tempore waved the final action rule in order for the Senate to hear the bill that was gutted and replaced with the CIO language; HB1170 is the final form of the CIO bill and passed the Senate on Tuesday, May 26.
The irony is not lost on many; the Oklahoma Republicans have systematically attacked what they deem as Democratic pet projects/issues, most notably, Autism funding, without batting an eye. However, when a bipartisan vote to fail a bill occurs, they decide to procedurally throw a temper tantrum, hold a legislative session over which costs the taxpayers money; all in effort to ensure that their legacy in the majority was “successful.”
I offer the following statement for thought: how effective is your government/leadership (political affiliation aside) when it finds it not only necessary but imperative to shove a major governmental reform bill through the legislature during the final hour?
What occurred in the final days of session in the Oklahoma Legislature stands as a clear example of the abuses of procedure and leadership in order to achieve a political end. It will take awhile before we can judge whether or not the end justified the means of obtaining this potential new law, but something tells me the way in which the bill was passed that it could be very dangerous for the people of Oklahoma.