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Eyes-Closed Congress                        #264

By Hank Silverberg 


This week we are going to look into the future. It's a plausible scenario considering the short sighted closed eyes of the majority of those sitting in the U.S. Congress, including some Democrats. 

For years they have been unable to look past the next election cycle. But we all should. 

(Courtesy NASA) 
The year is 2027. Islands in the south Pacific continue to be inundated by higher sea levels, and the people living on those small  islands are being forced to move elsewhere, including crowded Asian countries where they are not wanted.  There continues to be an increase in storms in both numbers and intensity around the world.

Climate Change scientists are talking loudly of major shifts in population and agriculture because of the continued impact. The world's major countries have made some small efforts to reduce fossil fuel, but it's not enough.   

Politically, Europe is in chaos. The American Congress' decision to abandon Ukraine in 2024 has given Vladimir Putin the victory, and Ukraine as an independent country no longer exists. Russia is now moving its troops into Moldova, Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia threatening the very existence of NATO. Britain, France, Poland and Germany are begging the U.S. for leadership, but the man in the White House does not have the political knowledge or will (Trump) or the political strength in Congress (Biden) to respond. 

In the Middle East, Israel continues to hold on fighting for its life against Hamas, which has rebuilt parts of Gaza with help from Iran and no action by the U.S. to prevent it. Thousands more have died because disinformation and propaganda have totally confused the good guys and the bad guys, and most Americans don't care either way as long as we are not involved.     

The Iranians continue to fight proxy wars against U.S. forces around the world, increasing calls across the U.S. to bring all our troops home from everywhere.   

China has watched carefully. Its massive high tech Navy is in total control of the South China Sea and has had sporadic skirmishes with Vietnam, the Philippines and Japan. The leaders in Beijing continue to harass Taiwan with military incursions waiting for just the right moment to eradicate a thorn in their underbelly. 

Here in the United States, a record number of illegal immigrants have been arrested and either detained or sent back across the border while governors and mayors across the country continue to blame each other for the influx. And the taxpayers continue to protest the cost in both dollars and lives. But those in Congress do nothing but blame the other party as they have for two         decades.   

Antisemitism and anti-immigrant speech and actions are at a new peak, and most abortions are again done in some dark dingy office one step ahead of the law. As a result, the foster care system is overrun with unwanted children, and day care centers, where they still exist, have four year waiting lists.

"Isolationism" is the Webster Dictionary's word of the year because it is used so often. 

Historians revisit 1914 and 1939 much more often,  but no one listens or seems to understand.   

A dismal prediction? Yes, but this fiction is highly possible because of our current political polarization. 

Solution? Encourage people who care more about the country than their party and more about their neighbors and the world than their own political future, to run for office. 

I know this is supposed to be the season of "peace on Earth and good will towards men," but right now I don't see any of that.  


The Future is Now in Texas!

Some of the nightmare predictions made after the overturn of Roe v. Wade are already occurring. This past week the Texas Supreme Court has stopped a woman whose fetus has been diagnosed with a fatal disorder from having an emergency abortion. Kate Cox, who is 31 and already has two children,  is 20 weeks pregnant. She had requested an exception to the state's strict abortion laws after the deadly diagnosis.  Cox has already been to the emergency room three times and has been told carrying the fetus to term puts her at risk for severe complications that could threaten "her life and future fertility." She went to court because her doctors told her their hands were tied and they could not perform an abortion without the exception. The lower court granted her permission to have the procedure, but the state appealed to the Texas Supreme Court, which then stayed the decision and prevented the abortion-- for now.

So Cox now waits for another ruling, still pregnant and in a life threatening situation. 

Several other women with similar complications have been denied abortions in Texas, which has one of the strictest abortion laws in the country.  

Meanwhile, in Missouri, several Republican lawmakers are renewing their call for the state to allow homicide charges to be filed against women who get abortions. It will be considered next month. The only exception would be for a woman who aborts a pregnancy after being coerced or threatened to do so, or one that saves the life of the mother. Similar bills failed in Arkansas, Colorado, Georgia, Kentucky and South Carolina earlier this year. Meanwhile, two groups are trying to get a measure on the Missouri ballot for next year to legalize abortion in most cases. 

A survey done by Middlebury College economics professor Caitlin Myers indicates it is harder to get an abortion even in the states where they are sill legal. Wait times at clinics offering abortions is now two to three weeks, and some clinics have no appointments available at all. That pushes some women beyond the timetable when an abortion is still legal. The cost of the procedure is also way up, with many women having to travel to another state to get a legal abortion.    


https://www.cbsnews.com/news/texas-abortion-ban-supreme-court-hold-kate-cox/

https://apnews.com/article/abortion-homicide-missouri-legislation-e192f15396b4cd82e593819c2692cd56

https://about-the-abortion-access-dashboard-analysis-1.hub.arcgis.com/


Follow Up!

Last week I wrote about a scenario for the 2024 presidential race that could throw the results into the House of Representatives because no one

candidate gets the 270 Electoral College votes needed to win. If the House stays Republican in the same election that could give the presidency to Donald Trump. I am not the only one worried. Former Congresswoman Liz Cheney has presented a similar scenario, and her solution is to work against her party to try to get more Democrats elected to Congress next November. Cheney, who served on the Congressional committee that impeached Donald Trump TWICE, has some insight on what a second Trump term might look like. People should start paying attention to her.     

Dumbest Quote of The Week! 

The dumbest quote this week goes to just-resigned University of Pennsylvania President Liz McGill during her testimony before a Congressional committee.  The committee wanted some answers about the rising instances of antisemitism on American college campuses. McGill was already under fire for her school's slow response to the harassment of Jewish students on UPenn's campus since the Hamas/Israel war began in October. McGill was asked by several Congress members if "calling for the genocide of Jews" violated Penn's code of conduct. 

She said:

"If the speech turns into conduct it can be harassment yes. It's a context-dependent decision..."    

Several of the Committee members were incredulous. What would be the context?? Actually killing Jews? 

McGill's answer was similar to those made by the presidents of Harvard and MIT, who apparently didn't read up on the limits to the First Amendment before they came to the hearing. 

The hearing was on Thursday. McGill resigned on Saturday after pressure from the school's Board of Trustees. But one must wonder if they pressured her because of her comments, or because dozens of rich donors and alumni were threatening to stop giving money to the school because of the slow response to the antisemitism.  



(Your comments and suggestions are welcome)   

My recent book "The Campaign" can be purchased at the links below. Or you can buy a copy by emailing me at:

HankSilverberg@gmail.com  for instructions on how to get a copy at a reduced price and with my signature)                       

 

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B084Q7K6M5/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i0

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-campaign-hank-silverberg/1126429796


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