I just received an ACLU 50-State Survey in the mail (due back by 9/30/14 - never fear, it mails tomorrow). They want ‘feedback’ about South Carolina.
It was a pretty easy survey to take. All of you would have gotten the answers ‘right,’ possibly with a couple of small exceptions.
More below, but first, a word from our sponsor ...
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Part I of the survey consists of two questions on state freedom (one with five parts), Part II with questions on defending freedom nationally (seven questions), and Part III with five questions on ACLU strategies to advance the cause of freedom, the fifth being a request for a contribution (which I answered with yes). I am just writing about the SC portion of the survey tonight. And you all know the answers to the nationwide and strategy questions, too, anyway.
The first South Carolina question asked if the level of concern and protection for civil liberties increased, decreased or stayed the same. As bad as it was a few years ago, as hard as it is to believe, starting at that level, it has decreased/gotten worse. Except for a functionally insignificant number of Democrats, locally and in the state house, protections for civil liberties have only eroded, and the assholes doing it campaign PROUDLY on it. So far, the electorate keeps electing them. I don't often 'show' it in my activities here, but make no mistake - it is head-shakingly maddening.
The second question, the five-parter, begins with asking whether policies in key areas have changed.
1. Protection of the right to vote. This is much, much worse, though, in a sense, the policy was already in place, so in a way it has stayed the same. I did select worse for my answer. If they can keep people from voting, they will, without exception. They know 'their' people will vote.
2. Access to reproductive health care. This is worse. Attacks on reproductive rights are aggressively prosecuted in this state. As far as I can tell, there are seven clinics providing reasonable reproductive health services in the state. guttmacher says there were 9 in 2011. It isn’t good. By the same token, I think it would be worse if Republicans did not love the issue so much. I think they realize that outlawing it completely would reduce their fund-raising and their voter mobilization. They have the power to legislate however they like (prior to judicial review). They move very slowly, with almost infinitesimal increments of change, fast enough to convince tea partiers they’re doing something ‘for the cause,’ but far more slowly than they have the ability to. Why? (I just gave my answer.) 'Their' people are too blinded by hate and anger to scrutinize this political strategy. In their way, too stupid, yes.
Circumstances for women are difficult, indeed, beyond that (beyond the state of reproductive health care) in a state in which … (per the Charleston Post and Courier):
When asked, most state legislators profess deep concern over domestic violence. Yet they maintain a legal system in which a man can earn five years in prison for abusing his dog but a maximum of just 30 days in jail for beating his wife or girlfriend on a first offense.
Got that?
DOGS GET BETTER PROTECTION IN SOUTH CAROLINA THAN WOMEN DO.
So it is not just reproductive health care under attack in the state. It is a war on women in just about every way, led by a crony Republican governor, Nikki Haley.
3. Equal treatment of LGBT … On this one I said no change, because I really cannot imagine any way they could make it worse. Quite some time ago I posted the picture below (which I took - the sign says: God Bless Chick-Fil-A, since it is not as clear as I hoped. Not quite my sentiments!) after Chick-Fil-A used its corporate ‘mouthpiece’ to spread hatred against our LGBT family members. Imagine. A local church applauding that kind of hatred and bigotry. So much for the Golden Rule in South Carolina. And the state itself is not better in any way. It actually has more power to do damage than the corporations do. The only good thing is, even here, legal challenges are mounting. They will lose here, too. (It just might be humiliating DECADES after the rest of the country resolves the problem. :( )
4. Protection against racial profiling and other law enforcement discrimination … Once again I said no change, because it really is that bad, with Hispanics, too, who are almost by definition 'illegals.' A ‘Ferguson-like’ incident could happen anytime, just about anywhere in the state. Might as well admit it. Perhaps some incidents already are, actually, effectively swept under the rug of national attention. I have not seen them, but I can't exclude that as a possibility.
5. Attempts to use claims of religious freedom as a license to discriminate … hard as it is to imagine, again, I think this is worse. Largely because of the trend of the Chick-Fil-As and Hobby Lobbys (yes, those assholes are here, too. :( ) to exercise their ‘corporate citizenship’ to magnify and promote discrimination and hate speech. Again, the state applauds (as do too many of the churches).
• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
Interestingly, there has been some backlash against corporations like Target and Home Depot for hacking episodes that exposed credit card data for hundreds of thousands of state citizens. But though canceling those cards eliminates the vulnerability, the risk exposure isn’t a fraction of what ALL tax-paying SC citizens face through the great DOR hacking, earlier in Nikki Haley’s administration. Compromised Social Security numbers constitute a massive identity theft risk that lasts a lifetime. It happened because, in its reductio ad absurdum frugality, the state did not update computer systems, nor did it invest in even MINIMAL network security measures and training to meet its responsibility to its taxpayers, preferring to use those funds, instead, to fund another tax decrease, to win votes for Republicans. Though the risk exposure is orders of magnitude worse than the credit card compromises (and though the risk exposure lasts a lifetime, even for babies born and assigned SS numbers during that calendar year!!!), at least so far there is NO comparable backlash against Republicans in this state. None. They get a pass. The assholes.
And, on that sunshiny note, on to tonight’s comments! ::wink:: Collated and formatted by my dear friend, brillig!
(Thank you for helping make the fight, ACLU. Even here.)
Brillig's ObDisclaimer: The decision to publish each nomination lies with the evening's Diarist and/or Comment Formatter. My evenings at the helm, I try reeeeallllyy hard to publish everything
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not publish self-nominations (ie your own comments) and if I ruled the world, we'd all build community, supporting and uplifting instead of tearing our fellow Kossacks down.
From lexalou:
This doesn't get nearly enough attention. It is something we should be very aware of, and wary of. Nice of Desert Rose to point this out in TeamSarah4Choice's diary UPDATE: Chuck Todd Lied & Falsely Accused President Obama of Not Mentioning "Syria".
From alx9090:
enhydra lutris sums up what motivates the anti-reason crowd (besides torches and pitchforks). From Agathena's diary The War on Science: A Canadian Horror Story.
From Smoh:
I thought this by glb3 was funny, in a Jbou kind of way. From jbou's diary Sorry I dropped that anvil on your head, but I thought you were a cartoon character.
From BeninSC:
I loved this comment by lynn47 in HoundDog's fine (head-exploding!) diary on the Milky Way, riffing on Carl Sagan/Johnny Carson with an exceptional dig at Sean Hannity.
And if you read the fine diary on the newly promoted identity of 'Jack the Ripper,' (yes, ALSO by HoundDog!), this highly recommended comment by ypochris lit off a terrific thread of fun and hilarity!
Top Mojo for yesterday, September 7th, first comments and tip jars excluded. Thank you mik for the mojo magic! For those of you interested in How Top Mojo Works, please see his diary FAQing Top Mojo.
1) Um, I know a lot of Republicans by KayCeSF — 116
2) Horrifying. by Matt Z — 115
3) These tectonic forces are ripping Iceland by moose67 — 107
4) I love push polls! by PsychoSavannah — 104
5) Pushback against : Fake photo of Darren Wilson's by Denise Oliver Velez — 100
6) We have become by Steven D — 96
7) Just like the posters of hate... by The grouch — 93
8) Ripping Iceland apart and creating Iceland by FishOutofWater — 90
9) We have not been silenced by Frederick Clarkson — 88
10) Proves the Point of Many of Us Around Here Because by Gooserock — 84
11) no surprise as several states have now by entlord — 82
12) It has me confused too. by Rei — 76
13) My first comment on one of your diaries... by nkrempa — 76
14) My immediate thought was by Lib Dem FoP — 74
15) Most of the SO2 has gone over northern seas by FishOutofWater — 73
16) Armed response seems to be pretty trendy by Tamar — 72
17) When even front pagers on this site... by Medium Head Boy — 71
18) Credit to Obama from the GOP in ... three... two.. by markthshark — 69
19) Oh Hai Whoknu! LOL It Must Be The Shooz...Money... by leonard145b — 68
20) Am I correct in understanding by Christy1947 — 68
21) It is only going to get worse by Radiowalla — 66
22) Yes. by David Harris Gershon — 66
23) The closures of abortion clinics... by Darwinian Detritus — 64
24) Newest recruit.... by mayim — 63
25) McCain is the perfect guest. by NCJim — 63
26) in order to push back you don't have to rave by Denise Oliver Velez — 62
27) #sekritarmy rethinks trip to the beach. by jwinIL14 — 60
28) what a nightmare for this woman and her family by cassandraX — 60
29) yeah he is by anna shane — 59
30) I don't read comments sections by Matt Z — 59
31) I hate myself for it, but I actually LOVE these by Jack K — 59
Top Pictures for yesterday, September 7th. Click any image to be taken to the full comment. Thank you
jotter for the image magic! (Delighted to see Chrislove's picture, him lying down with his beautiful cat, made it!)