The Fascists Next Door 2: Indiana Terminates Women's Health. Republicans empower Death Panels for Women.

Come, you spirits
That tend on mortal thoughts, unsex me here... - Lady Macbeth Act 1, Scene 5

The Republican dominated Indiana State Legislature told women in Indiana they should lay back and think of Corn as they dictated a complete ban on abortion services in the State.  As with all authoritarian dictates the Republicans are decreeing this was passed in legislature by a handful of people in total contrast to what Americans and Indiana residents want.

Of course, as the reality of these abortion bans becomes more clear (the 10 year old rape victim from Ohio fled to Indiana to save her life and receive care from Doctor Caitlin Bernard) conservatives are going to revert to their shell game so keenly elucidated by Elizabeth Hasselbeck on The View a few days ago when she simply declared ending Ectopic Pregnancies are not "Abortions".  They are going to pretend these procedures aren't abortions.

Or... maybe not...  James Bopp, who wrote a more extreme version of the law just passed by 28 Republicans, believes the 10 year old rape victim and indeed all child rape victims should be forced by the state to give birth.  Most likely, Republicans are going to let their draconian dictates, cost a few women their lives, cost thousands of women their futures, cause non-stop consternation amongst Hospital administrators, and frighten Doctors into silent compliance.  Because that's what Fascists do.  They dictate and let You suffer the consequences.

"Not her body. Not her choice." - Republican John Jacob of Indiana who wanted there to be no exceptions.  Because as he said during floor debate, "Trying to end all abortion is not forced birth, but rather it is trying to end murdering children."  What a horrid human.  What an unrighteous liar.  What a fascist.

Of course, fetuses are not children.  There is no "heartbeat" at 6 weeks.  But, the Fascists next door, and elsewhere feel completely in power to deny women medical care and force women to be naught but incubators even if and especially if it will kill them.  And remember even in "normal pregnancies" women suffer ill effects, medical complications, incredible strep upon their bodies, and post-birth physical ailments, without even considering the more heart-wrenching unviable or fatal complications.

During the Indiana Legislature floor debate this week, Republican J. Michael Davisson stated on the floor that all women should be forced by the state to carry unviable and dead fetuses to term, ""[None] of us are guaranteed tomorrow. We must accept death as a consequence of life." 

The cruelty and death are the point.  The Republican Death Panels are here and they are spreading as fast as the Fascists can move.  Vote and Act like you life depends on it, because it does.

The Fascists Next Door: Indiana Abuser General Todd Rokita

As with the old Hemingway aphorism about Bankruptcy, future quips about how the United States became a tyrannical fascist theocracy will note, Gradually at first, and then All at Once.

Indiana Abuser General Pinochet T. Rokita

Attorney General Todd Rokita is on a mission to indict Dr. Caitlin Bernard for the unforgivable crime of being a woman, a physician, an unapologetic defender of women's health.  Rokita is engaging in an outrageous Abuse of Power and Authority which started with him outright lying about Doctor Bernard and presenting false testimony on Jesse Watters outrageous bigoted racist Faux TV show.

So because of this Abuser General Rokita will use the full might and resources of the State to destroy her.  He's begun an inquisition and he will not let truth or the the law get in the way of "gathering the evidence as we speak and we're going to fight this to the end."  Abuser General Rokita will not stop until he finds something to charge Doctor Bernard.

Rokita's actions are not accidental it's part of the Republican agenda of intimidation and abuse of authority they always engage in to make people acquiesce, give in, and obey preemptively.  Fascism often succeeds because regular people obey instead of standing up against them.

Never forget conservatives who claim to fear, distrust, and oppose the awesome power of government fucking relish and yearn to use that power to kill and incarcerate the Non-MAGA.  "It's" not coming... "It's" here already.

What Rokita's doing isn't just unconscionable its illegal as well. But laws don't constrain conservatives. The law is what they say it is and conservatives unequally apply it purposefully. The Unequal application of laws is Fascism. Plain and simple.

And now 26 members of the Indiana Senate have voted for a near total ban on abortions.  Get ready for border checkpoints to be erected on I-80 as you cross into Indiana.  Expect truck weigh stations to be transformed into mandatory vaginal inspection stations.  Fascism will come gradually and then all at once...

The Revenge of the Thin Blue Line 18: Ow! My Balls! Edition

I've had some direct experience with control, ahem, tactics such as this. 

Back in late March 2022, Officer Travis Lewis and another Indianapolis Metro Police Officer were called to the scene for a possible burglary in progress.  There was no suspect, no apparent attempted burglary, and no other crime in progress.  Police then ran a name check on the caller who appeared to have an active Order of Protection prohibiting from being at the residence in question.  In such an offense, being present in violation of a court order is a mandatory arrest no discretion for the Officer.

This is were you step in and deal with the issue straight up.  Tell the guy he seems to have an OOP.  If, he starts telling you he isn't going anywhere you move on to handcuffing him... maybe.  Using words and persuasion is always preferable to force even, the lightest of force.  But, that's not what seemingly happened as the Officers on scene handcuffed the suspect* and tried to get him into the back of the squad car.  

At this point the Officers should already be verifying the Court Order is valid. And I don't know what was going on before the ball twisting use of force; maybe Ofc Lewis was tired, hungry, sleepy or ready to go home.  Maybe dispatch verified the court order incorrectly.  Maybe the innocent suspect was engaged in an act of "Aggravated Mopery"  whatever, the result was Lewis grabbed the guys nuts a couple of times in order to get him into the back of the squad car.

It seems the other Officer on scene came forward to the Department about the Use of Force policy violation, that's commendable and very brave, and the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department has only released partial video of the incident and while they conduct an investigation but, several charges of battery and official misconduct have already been filed against the Officer.

There's a whole host of other factors which could be at play here, Ofc Lewis direct supervisors may have expected him to (or ordered him to) clear up the call quickly and move on to others.  Maybe the department has a policy of handcuffing suspects immediately.  I hope he gets a proper defense but, all Officers should know by now Times have Changed.  

A decade ago such an interaction wouldn't have resulted in criminal charges nor a department investigation and probably would have gotten the Officer involved a round of pats on the back and joking Attaboy's.  Because Policing in the United States has always been comfortable with the causal use of violence or threat of violence directed at "mopes". 

"Mopes" is a term of long lineage used by Police and Courtroom Officials for suspects but, as Nicole Gonzalez Van Cleve highlighted in her phenomenal book Crook County: Racism and Injustice in America's Largest Criminal Court, the term broadly applies to anyone who interferes or slows down the rapid dispensing of "justice" in the criminal justice system.

But, post-Ferguson in 2014 and definitely post George Floyd these types of incidents are more and more frequently caught en flagrante delicto by body camera and citizens cell phones and can no longer be brushed aside or tolerated by a civilized society let alone applauded.  Of course, the adoption of casual violence against suspects is in direct violation of Sir Robert Peel's instructions to the newly created Metropolitan Police of London in 1829 and the still pertinent rules for Police conduct as crafted post World War 2, Principle #6; 

The police should use physical force to the extent necessary to secure observance of the law or to restore order only when the exercise of persuasion, advice and warning is found to be insufficient to achieve police objectives.

But, those rules governed Policing in the British Commonwealth.  The history of Policing in the United States diverged as it was in direct response to the pressures of Industrialization, the influx of immigrants of differing cultures and language, and the recent emancipation of black Americans from Slavery with the addition of Frontier Justice aimed at controlling and eradicating Native Americans and Mestizoes. 

*- I should point out this is the pernicious quality of Police parlance as the caller was innocent of any crime but, at this point in the narrative and interaction with the Officers he was a "suspect" for a Violation of Order of Protection.  So, using force on him has been, for many years, okay.

Carrier shows how disingenious Conservatives are and will be throughout the illegitimate Presidency of Trump

Donald Trump saved 1000 jobs at Carrier! Or so right-wingers would have you believe.

In reality United Technologies Inc was given $7,000,000 in taxpayer money from the state of Indiana, to refrain from moving their subsidary company Carrier Corp Heating and Air Conditioning manufacturing to Mexico.

As was easily predicted conservatives are readily carrying Trump's water and proclaiming this a miracle of Trump business acumen. MAGA in action! Little Alt-Right darling Tomi Lahren took time out of her busy schedule of "not seeing color" to laud her MAGA Savior Trump over Carrier

Over at Breitbart, (warning link goes to Nazi HQ) the official organ of the Trump Presidency, these "1000 jobs" are treated as 1000 separate miracles. Of course, the same conservative neo-nazis who decried, denounced and derided government assistance to General Motors, and typed thousands of hot takes from all corners of the fetid right-wing diarrhea internet chuckled at their turn-of-phrase, "Government Motors". Ho ho ho!

Now, as always the conservative neo-nazis over at Breitbart who so vociferously proclaiming this an unparalled success have ZERO connection to Carrier and are simply commenting to help "catapult the propaganda", while they have fun insulting liberals.

It's going to be a long four years of right-wingers proclaiming everything Trump does a MAGA success while decrying liberals at every turn, and blaming everything else on President Obama.

Because despite their pouting that Obama had to stop blaming Bush circa Jan 21st 2009, Conservative Neo-Nazis hold grudges forever, still blame President Carter for events 30 years later, and are busily working towards turning the Nation into a Wage Slavery State, while happily affixing chains of corporate bondage to all of us.

A solid link in the chain of corporate bondage was forged in Indiana because that $7,000,000 will have to come from somewhere and the conservative neo-nazis are always ready to kick the poor.

There's more than corn in Indiana, there's also the Right-to-Discriminate and be a Christian Bigot (Updated)

Are there any queers in the theater tonight?
Get them up against the wall!
There's one in the spotlight, he don't look right to me,
Get him up against the wall! - In the Flesh , Pink Floyd, The Wall (1979). Adopted by the Indiana Republicans as marching orders.

Republicans are going to force you to become christians. Not "Papists" mind you, because as Sarah Palin elucidated, Pope Francis sounds "too liberal" and the Republicans in Congress cancelled a Ceremonial Bill honoring the Pontiff because his Papal pronouncements too closely aligned with President Obama.

Now, we've listened to Phil Robertson fantasize about a horrific torture/murder spree he'd like to unleash on atheists which included raping little girls, beheading women and cutting dicks off now we have the Indiana Republicans and Republican Governor Mike Pence ramming through a Religious Discrimination Bill.

98 of the 103 Republicans in the Indiana State Legislature voted to allow Christian Bigots to discriminate against you because they feel like it. Like all illegal shameful laws passed, Governor Pence could not do this in the light of day but, had to slink into a secret room to affix his signature to the euphemistically titled Religious Freedom Restoration Act.

We've seen the Hobby Lobby Scotus decision empower business owners to dictate what you can and can not do with your healthcare, opening the floodgates for religious bigots to be able to tell you that you can not use your salary, your pay, or your benefits as you see fit.

This isn't about restoring the free exercise of religion or what a person does in the privacy of their own home or the practices of their church but, another step towards allowing businesses to discriminate.

The unfortunate truth is if you wish to operate a company in America you need to accept each and every customer regardless of whether you agree or disagree with their personal beliefs. You recall all the onerous regulations stifling business according to republicans? The Civil Rights Act of 1968 which outlawed Discrimination is what Republicans and Conservatives find onerous.

And what the Republicans are doing through the passage of these Unconstitutional and Illegal Laws is to build a case brick by bigoted brick to eliminate The Civil Rights Act.

As more laws are passed its getting closer and closer to the day when the political system which comes wrapped in the flag and carrying the cross triumphantly lays claim to the United States.

Update:
Fortunately, there has been a strong push back on Twitter/Facebook and On-line. Unfortunately, what the Clicktavists don't understand is Republicans Do. Not. Care. because they know most people don't vote and even if one Republican (Mike Pence, for instance) loses his position in Government a whole cadre of Republican stand ready to use the Awesome Power of Government to enforce their Bigotry.

Update 2:
So, a Right-Winger in Arizona pushed for mandatory church attendence across the Nation. Big Deal, you might think, until you realize the Right-Winger is an elected State Congresswoman who is willing to use the Power of Government to force you to attend a church.

Then again you might shrug and dismiss it as some local po-dunk backwater Teabagger with little power until Kentucky Senator Rand Paul and 2016 Presidential Aspirant has called for a Big christian Tent Revival to regain America's lost morality.

Indiana and the March Back in Time

There's More than Corn in Indiana! There's also Ignorant Religious Fanatics and Slave Masters!

An Indiana Republican-controlled Senate Education Committee voted 8-2 to send legislation endorsing the teaching creationism in public schools, to the super majority (37-13) Republican controlled Indiana State Senate. Senate Bill 89 allows school corporations to authorize "the teaching of various theories concerning the origin of life" and specifically mentions "creation science" as one such theory.

State Sen. Scott Schneider, R-Indianapolis, who voted for the measure, said if there are many theories about life's origins, students should be taught all of them.

Ah! I can't wait for Norse-Creationism to be taught in Biology class! YMIR was the father of six-headed son that was nourished by a cosmic cow called AUDUMLA. Audumla fed herself by licking the salty rime-stone, until that stone was licked into a shape of man. Ye, but verily did WOTAN slay the Mighty Frost Giant Ymir and from his bones made the earth and from his blood made the seas and rivers and his skull became the Vault of the Heavens! ODIN!!!!!!!

But, wait there is more! Not to be outdone on the March Back in Time, the Indiana House voted 54-44 to pass one of the Right-To-Fuck-Over-Workers Bills. The Indiana Legislature has 3 bills (2 House and 1 Senate) which contain language making it illegal to be part of a Union or Labor Organization. These bills are so bad that even the NFL Players Association condemned the right-to-work bills in a Jan. 6 statement, calling it “a political ploy designed to destroy basic workers’ rights.”

And you thought the train had pulled away from the Pullman Shanty Towns forever! This is how Corporate evil works, little by little they undermine hard-fought gains until the you wake up and your Rights as a worker are gone.

You really think you're going to negotiate paid-sick leave and a salary increase? You think your complaints about unsafe working conditions are going to stop the Company from putting you in harms way? Just ask the 29 dead workers at the Msssey Energy Upper Big Branch Mine or the 11 dead Oil Rig workers on the BP Deepwater Horizion Off-Shore Rig?

Once Corporations get the power to pay you slave wages that's exactly what you are going to get. Don't like it? You're fired! Combine this with Republicons working to steal Social Security, unfund Medicaid, eliminate Medicare, and roll-back Obama Cares the vast majority of Americans are looking at being chained as Serfs and Wage Slaves to the 1% Neo-Feudal Industrial Machine.

The XLVI Super Bowl brought to you by Non-Union Labor

The New England Patriots and the New York Giants will be playing in Super Bowl XLVI in Indianapolis on 02/05/12. The spectacle of the highest paid Union Members in the world playing in a state fighting to destroy Unions by adopting Right-To-Work-For-Less laws is a disgusting measure of the dirty lengths Republicons will delve to in their fight to service their Moneyed Masters.

I'm glad football players make as much as they do. We see as people get stronger, larger, faster and maintain a higher level of conditioning, the toll on these men's bodies and brains is horrendous. The average career is 3.5 years. As Derrick Mason stated at his retirement announcement this year,

"I leave it healthy and able to run and walk and not take a half-hour or 45 minutes to get out of bed."

But, while Indiana enjoys the financial fruits of the Patriots and Giants labor, Governor Mitch Daniels wants to restrict the rights, lower the wages and slash the benefits of workers in Indiana. Right-to-Work laws are nothing short of the 1% finding a way to get Government to outlaw Unions and enforce the 1% schemes of paying less and less for labor and avoiding deferred compensation or healthcare for their retired workers under the power of law. Information on the 3 Right-to-Fuck-Over-Workers Bills, Indiana HB 1028 and HB 1043 and Indiana Senate Bill SB 0395, proposed by the Indiana Legislature can be found at BadforIndiana.Org

In fact, if the 1% had their way, American Workers would have to ply their labor against Workers from around the world with the Plutocrats picking the lowest price, least benefits and ease of eliminating any worker who dared question his Neo-Feudal Lord. While we Wage Slaves gawk in awe as, Vulture Capitalists Stephen "Fuck Her" Schwarzman and Leon D. Black congratulate themselves for their "ingenuity" and "job creation skills" with Multi-Million Dollar Birthday Parties. It's the Global Race to the Bottom.

This has been the goal since the end of World War II when the Industrialists and their Multi-National Conglomerates saw an opportunity to get Governments to finance the construction of plants and factories in other Nations while they get to steal all the profits. They front no risk and reap all the rewards. And if the Nation the Corporate Monster invades gets uppity, say like Ecuador, then the Corporation takes to the IMF or WTO and sues them demanding Billions of dollars in blood money be forcibly extracted from the people.

But, it's not limited to foreign shores, the Vultures are more than willing to descend on your local town or use America's Favorite pass time to steal wealth. Lowe's got the Village of Schaumburg, Illinois to front the costs for laying the foundation, running the wires and plumbing to their store, got millions in "tax breaks" and when their store wasn't making as much money as they'd like, they simply up and left. Billionaire Hank Steinbrenner, extracted $1,200,000,000 Billion dollars in Taxpayer money to finance his baseball stadium while stating,

“Socialism, communism, whatever you want to call it, is never the answer.“

Of course, it works. If you're Rich.

It's the Goal of the Plutocracy. Push the burden of business onto the people while keeping the benefits for themselves. Socialize their Losses and Costs and Privatize the Profits.