Attacks On Supreme Court Are Midterm Strategy

The unethical leak of a draft Supreme Court decision on abortion has unleashed a vicious flurry of attacks orchestrated by the Democratic Party.  The fiery response is fueling rage that threatens to dig deeper divisions in America.  The president who promised to heal the country is nowhere to be found.

Make no mistake that the leak was an egregious act to undermine the court. The court's secrecy is sacrosanct.  In this writer's opinion, a Supreme Court justice likely knew about the leak or perhaps encouraged a clerk to leak the document to intimidate the other justices into changing their opinions.

There is little doubt this calculated deceit also is aimed at propping up the sagging political fortunes of Democratic Party candidates facing midterm electoral carnage. With President Biden's approval ratings below sea level, Democrats desperately needed a Hail Mary pass to level the playing field.

The draft, penned by Justice Samuel Alito, appeared first in Politico which licensed  the media cabal to expose the entire document without criticism. It's an old media trick. Politico takes the heat while the liberal media does a Pontius Pilate, washing its hands of blame. 

Moments after the Politico story broke online, pro-abortion activists were in front of the Supreme Court building, waving perfectly printed signs. This is no coincidence.  It should be obvious the protest was staged by groups that had been tipped off about the Politico bombshell report. 

An activist group funded by dark money, Ruth Sent Us, publicly released the home addresses of conservative court justices and urged supporters to show up at their residences to protest. This is not a protest but an attempt to frighten the families of justices by recklessly invading their privacy.

On its website, Ruth Sent Us issues a call for muralists or chalk artists. The website adds: "Large-scale art will be included in the protests against the Supreme Court. Stipends available." On May 11, the bullies plan to protest at the "homes of the six extremist justices." This is a new level of anarchy.

Ruth Sent Us leaders are acting more like terrorists than activists. The group's recruits jumped the gun and gathered outside justices homes this weekend and urged extremists to harangue Catholic Churches on Mother's Day for the religion's stance on abortion. 

In a social media post , Ruth Sent Us mocked Catholics with this message:

"Stuff your rosaries and your weaponized prayer.  We will remain outraged after this weekend, so keep praying.  We'll be burning the Eucharist to show our disgust for the abuse Catholic Churches have condoned for centuries."  This hate speech was not banned from the social platform. 

Biden apologist Jen Psaki refused to condemn protests at the justices private homes. She said peaceful protests are part of the American experience.  Not a single Democrat raised any objections. In fact, Psaki and the president never criticized the leak.  It's an election year and Democrats need an issue.

The lone Democrat to show any decency was Senator Mark Warner of Virginia who unequivocally denounced the leaking of a draft opinion. Democrat leaders Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer avoided criticizing the leaker, focusing on the draft opinion. Leaking is fine when it helps Democrats.  

Americans deserve some answers. Was the leaker paid?  Did a sitting justice facilitate the leak? How did Politico obtain the copy of the opinion?  It is the public's right to know. But Democrats control all levers of government, so no one will be held accountable. 

At this point, let's review some facts.  A draft opinion is not the final decision.  Drafts are routinely circulated before the court announces its decision publicly.  Secondly, even if the draft reflects the majority, abortion will still be legal in the United States.  Each state will decide any restrictions.

Now Democrats are huffing and puffing about enlarging the Supreme Court and stuffing it will liberal extremists.  (Yes, if Republican-nominated judges are extremists, then Democrats should be judged by this standard.) They are also threatening to unleash a whirlwind against the conservative judges.  

Such heated rhetoric is a tactic to light a fire under Democrat voters, who are less than motivated to show up at the polls for a party that has overseen the highest inflation in 40 years.  Abortion is an inflammatory wedge issue designed to drive more Democrat voters to the polls in the midterms.   

However, a Pew Research poll released May 6 suggests abortion is a nuanced issue with Americans.  Six-in-ten Americans support legal abortion.  However, the survey discovered when asked about abortion at a specific time in the pregnancy the public opinion shifts.

The survey shows 56% of Americans say how long a woman has been pregnant should matter in determining whether abortion should be legal. That includes 52% of Democrats, according to Pew Research, and 64% of Republicans.  

There are so many ironies surrounding the abortion kerfuffle that it is difficult to know where to start.  Ruth Bader Ginsburg, whose name Ruth Sent Us appropriated, actually was not fond of the Roe vs. Wade ruling. On several occasions, she opined that the decision tried to do too much too fast.

"My criticism of Roe is that it seemed to have stopped the momentum on the side of change," she said in a speech at the Chicago Law School.  She called the decision too far-reaching and too sweeping. To be clear, she supported abortion, but not the 1973 decision's approach.

President Joe Biden once advocated outlawing abortion.  In 1981, then Senator Biden championed a Constitutional amendment to allow states to overturn Roe vs. Wade. The bill never made it to the full Senate.  When Biden entered the Senate in 1973, he said the court went "too far" on abortion.

Now President Biden showers abortion with his full-throated backing.

In politics, senators and representatives routinely change their stances on issues about as often as they change their underwear. That's just the ethically-challenged politics of Washington. Both parties are stone cold guilty.  Members follow the prevailing political winds, not their consciences. 

The leak and attendant rancor on both sides will fuel nastier politics. Rage will remain in vogue. In recent years, hordes vandalized statutes.  Rioters terrorized the country for an entire summer, looting, killing and burning buildings.  A uncontrolled mob invaded the Capitol. This is more of the same. 

Many Americans are sick of the political discourse, the division, the hatred, the name-calling and the anarchy.  But if Americans keep voting for the same people and expecting a more civil America they have no one to blame but themselves.  The nation will change when voting reflects American values.  

My Secret Life On the Pro-Life Front Line

For three years, unbeknownst to even my best friends, I was a protestor at an abortion clinic.  The experience opened my eyes to the reality behind abortion statistics: 61 million babies have been terminated since Roe V. Wade in 1973.  What I learned may surprise some who support abortion.

My crusade began when I volunteered at the San Antonio Coalition for Life, a non-denominational organization dedicated to ending abortion and offering women alternatives to the procedure. Volunteers are required to sign a statement of peace, agreeing to be respectful and nonbelligerent.  

On Saturday mornings, I stood on a sidewalk outside of a Planned Parenthood facility silently praying and holding a sign, "End Abortion." Usually a clump of 12 to 20 people huddled together.  These Pro-Life warriors ranged in age from seniors to college-age women and young parents who brought their children.

Saturday's were the busiest days at the clinics.  The parking lot was jammed with cars.  Some had rosaries or crosses dangling from the rearview mirror inside the vehicle.  Many women were there for pregnancy tests.  Others were scheduled for abortions, Planned Parenthood's main source of income.

Despite the sheen of "women's healthcare" here is data from Planned Parenthood's 2019 annual report.  The organization, partially funded by American taxpayers, performed 213,042 "well women" tests, a euphemism for healthcare.  Abortions totaled 345,672 last year. Abortions cost from $75 to $2,500,   

Notwithstanding what you read in the media, our protests were amicable. No one shouted at the women entering the clinic.  We were coached to be cordial, never condemning the women.  Trained counselors would try to engage the women, often without success. But ever so often, there would be a moment.

Like the time a young woman heeded a counselor's polite invitation. Her boyfriend, stood angrily near the clinic door, his fists clenched. The frightened woman tentatively walked to the sidewalk.  A conversation ensued. In hushed tones, she admitted her boyfriend had coerced her into seeking an abortion.

Halfway through the encounter, the boyfriend rushed toward her and grabbed her arm, jerking her away from the counselor.  As he practically dragged the female to the clinic, he shouted obscenities at the counselor. He then raced to the sidewalk and confronted me and others, threatening to punch us.

The teary eyed girl disappeared into the clinic. She emerged an hour later and approached the counselor as her boyfriend steamed alone in the car.  "After I heard about the process, I couldn't go through with it," she said, dabbing her eyes with a Kleenex.  She thanked the counselor and haltingly walked away. 

Over the three years, I repeatedly witnessed similar scenes.  Young men coaxing, cajoling and bullying their female partners into getting an abortion.  This wasn't about a woman's choice.  Although I am certain, there were women who made their own decision.  They usually arrived accompanied by a female.  

Perhaps, the incident that sticks out most in my mind involved an obviously wealthy client.  A blonde female, who looked no more than 16, alighted from a shiny Cadillac.  An older man opened the door for her and then returned to the comfort of the front seat.  Minutes passed and then he sauntered toward us.

He looked haggard. After some chit-chat, he admitted the teenager was the daughter of his boss.  The father, obviously embarrassed, ordered his employee to drive the teenager to the clinic.  He admitted he personally opposed abortion and was conflicted about his role in the episode.

The employee paced back and forth as he waited more than an hour for the teenager.  She finally appeared, a grimace on her face, her hands covering her abdomen.  He gently helped her in the car.  Once settled, she burst into tears.  It was heart-wrenching.  Women who have abortions endure pain and lifelong guilt.

I never observed a woman departing the clinic, smiling and appearing relieved.  The opposite was true.  Most looked numbed, distressed, barely able to walk.  Often the boyfriends or partners were the ones who appeared satisfied. My observations may be challenged as atypical.  Data backs up my account.

The statistics show that 99.31% of all abortions are for social and economic reasons.  Forget the propaganda about incest and rape. Only .09% of abortions are for those two reasons combined.  Among social reasons, nearly half (48%) abortions are triggered by "relationship problems" with the baby's father.

More than eight in ten (85%) of women who seek abortions are unmarried.  Although many cite poverty as the rationale for abortion, the data shows it is perverse logic.  Aborting a baby does not lift a woman out of her economic circumstances.  The overwhelming majority continue to exist below poverty level.

Some of those statistics are from the Guttmacher Institute, a reproductive-health think tank that supports abortion rights.  Their data also shows most abortions (90%) occur at 10 weeks into the pregnancy.  At that time, the fully formed baby has a heartbeat, a brain, fingernails, eyes and developing ears. 

Planned Parenthood cynically targets communities of color.  Studies show 79% of their facilities are located within walking distance of neighborhoods with proportionately higher populations of black and Hispanic women.  Since 1973, an estimated 20 million African-American babies have been aborted.

That is why I volunteered to stand for life.  However, my chief motivation was the loss of my twin brother Dean who died after three days of life.  I have often wondered what his life would have been like? How would it had changed my own life?  I will never know.  Life is precious, something to be valued.

In this presidential election, abortion has erupted again on the political scene with the vacancy on the Supreme Court.  Democrats have ratcheted up the rhetoric about the court overturning Roe vs. Wade.  It is a classic Democrat election argument.  Americans should not be fooled by the grandstanding.

State legislatures, Congress and even the Supreme Court will never overturn abortion.  It is entrenched in American law and and the laws of many states. The battle for America's soul will never be decided by laws or courts.  Only a change on our hearts and beliefs will end the practice.