This Says A Lot

With Trump denying that he will ban abortions well nobody told the Republicans in the Senate. The Democrats introduced a bill to guarantee a woman’s right to In Vitro Fertilization.

Senate Republicans block IVF bill, as Democrats elevate issue ahead of November election

NPR

By Deirdre Walsh

September 17, 2024

Senate Republicans blocked a Democratic bill to provide a nationwide right to IVF treatments. It was the second time Senate Democrats tried and failed to advance the measure.

Reproductive freedom has remained a central issue in several Senate contests that will determine which party controls of the chamber after the November election. Democrats used the vote in an effort to draw a public contrast with Republicans over an issue that has animated voters across the country.

The procedural vote required 60 votes to advance he bill, but it failed 51- 44.

The other side of the aisle introduced their bill…

Democrats block Cruz attempt to pass GOP IVF bill

The Hill

By Joseph Choi

September 17, 2024

Democrats on Tuesday blocked an attempt by Republican Sens. Ted Cruz (Texas) and Katie Britt (Ala.) to pass a GOP in vitro fertilization (IVF) access bill through unanimous consent, repeating a similar showdown that occurred earlier this year.

Cruz sought unanimous consent for the IVF Protection Act, which was blocked by Democrats in June at the same time their own IVF access bill, the Right to IVF Act, was blocked by Republicans.

The senator from Texas blasted the vote on the Democrats’ bill Tuesday as a “show vote” as Republicans blocked it once again. He accused Democrats of using the vote to reap material for campaign commercials and damaging headlines.

Of course their bill wasn’t also a “Show Vote”

“I have been perfectly clear about the glaring issue with this Republican bill,” Murray said. “The cold, hard reality is this Republican bill does nothing to meaningfully protect IVF from the biggest threats from lawmakers and anti-abortion extremists all over this country. It would still allow states to regulate IVF out of existence. And this bill is silent on fetal personhood, which is the biggest threat to IVF.”

In a press release shortly after she blocked Cruz and Britt’s bill, Murray similarly criticized it as a “show-bill.”

While both bills had similar aims of ensuring IVF access at the federal level, there were some distinct differences. The GOP bill would bar states from receiving Medicaid funding if they implement a ban on IVF but explicitly does not guarantee a right to IVF services.

Of course both parties are going to hold up their bills and go “See!”

My body, my choice.

My body, my choice.

My body, my choice.

Vote Blue!

 

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Update 3:30PM

J.D. Vance’s Weak Excuse for “Pet Eating” Lie Just Blew Up In His Face
At bottom, Vance’s whole purpose of running with this grotesque scam about Haitians has not been to draw attention to the story of Springfield, but to rewrite it.

The New Republic

By Greg Sargent

September 19, 2024

Prepare to be shocked: At around the time J.D. Vance started dissembling about Haitians eating people’s house pets, a Vance campaign staffer privately spoke with the city manager of Springfield, Ohio, where thousands of Haitians have settled. The Wall Street Journal reports that the official informed Vance’s staffer that online rumors of pet eating in the city were flatly false. But Vance then amplified the claim. Donald Trump followed suit, adding—because nobody out-embellishes Trump—that along with cats, Haitians are also consuming Springfield’s dogs.

They knew it was all a lie. But they kicked off this whole campaign of hate and demagoguery anyway.

These revelations should prompt a reconsideration of one of this campaign’s ugliest moments: Vance’s defense of the pet-eating fabrication on CNN last Sunday. “If I have to create stories” to get the media to cover the impact of immigration, he said, “then that’s what I’m going to do.” 

[...]

If it is OK to level such a despicable, dehumanizing smear at a vulnerable minority population to corral media attention in this fashion, then what sort of lying and propaganda about an exposed, assailable, encircled out group would not be justified? Does Vance’s code of political ethics have any limiting principle that you can discern?

Do you know how much it must have costed the city of Springfield to closed down schools and municipal buildings? And then there was all the police work to check the bomb threats?

All for votes! They don't care about the collateral damage all the care about is votes!

Vote Blue... for honesty, integrity, and true family values!

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Update: 5:30PM

Words have power and to misuse that power is unconscionable and causes harm.

Springfield mayor adds temporary emergency powers to address safety issues

City temporarily suspends purchasing, contracting procedures to better respond to safety risks, threats of violence

Springfield News - Sun

By Jessica Orozco

September 19, 2024

Springfield Mayor Rob Rue on Thursday issued a proclamation that “grants the mayor temporary emergency powers to mitigate public safety concerns” in response to threats toward city employees and residents.

The proclamation, which city government said was issued under the authority of Springfield’s Charter and Codified Ordinances, includes an “expedited procurement process.”

“To swiftly acquire resources needed to address potential threats, the city is temporarily suspending standard purchasing and contracting procedures,” a city statement said. “This will enable departments to respond more efficiently to emerging risks, including civil unrest, cyber threats, and potential acts of violence.”

City officials said the proclamation will stay in effect until the city determines risks to public safety have subsided. They said it could be modified depending on changing circumstances.

“Ensuring the safety of Springfield’s residents is our top priority,” Rue said. “We are addressing these threats with the seriousness they warrant and are taking immediate steps to ensure the security of both our community and our employees. Our commitment to preventing harm is unwavering.”

Rue talked earlier this week about the strain the city is already under, as police and other staff have responded to dozens of hoax threats. Those came shortly after the city was thrust into the national spotlight when unsupported claims that Haitian immigrants were eating pets went viral, amplified by the Donald Trump-JD Vance Republican presidential ticket.

Even with all this happening in the city they still continue to spread the lies and putting lives at risk!

After days of threats to schools, medical centers and government facilities, Springfield saw threats Wednesday to large retail stores. At least three stores were evacuated and closed for a few hours Wednesday — Walmart Supercenters at 200 S. Tuttle Road and 2100 N. Bechtle Ave., and the Kroger at 2728 E. Main St.

A worker at the Bechtle Walmart said the store closed after receiving a bomb threat. A Walmart spokesperson said the store on Tuttle Road was evacuated “at the direction of local police.”

I think back to when Joseph Welch replied to Sen. McCarthy during a hearing on the Army, the History Channel writes,

In a dramatic confrontation, Joseph Welch, special counsel for the U.S. Army, lashes out at Senator Joseph McCarthy during hearings on whether communism has infiltrated the U.S. armed forces. Welch’s verbal assault—including the enduring question "Have you no sense of decency?"—marked the end of McCarthy’s power during the anticommunist hysteria of the Red Scare in America.

I would ask Trump and Vance the same question, "Have you no sense of decency?"