I’m a Brit (yeah, I know my profile says Spain – that’s simply because it’s where I live now) and everytime I say something that criticizes America, I get two responses from the less informed Americans.
1. We kicked your ass because we didn’t want to live under the tyranny of your king.
Well done, you removed the tyranny of a single monarch and proceeded to replace him with nine monarchs sitting on the SCOTUS bench for life. How’s that working out for you now?
2. If it wasn’t for us, you’d all be speaking German and living under fascism.
Well done, you helped us to beat Nazi Germany only to create your own version of fascism now.
I'm as certain as I can be that, when Margaret Atwood published this amazing book in 1985, she had no intention for it to become the GOP manifesto in 2022.
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1) There is no right to an abortion in the US Constitution 2) The tenth amendment to that same constitution, however, allows the states to legalize abortion. 3) Thats what has happened in 25 of the 50 states 4) The other 25 states, through their elected representatives, have not done that. 5) That’s democracy.
I don’t think this replicates the fiction in “The Handmaid’s Tale”
@room101 Well me and Red are both from the United States so really it's our voice and our community. Why don't you worry about the social injustices of your own country that you chose to live in and not worry about what Americans are doing in our legal system.
@room101 the democracy issue I pointed to is each state gets to vote for the representatives they want. Additionally, people get to “vote” with their feet.
As a Brit you may be unfamiliar with the actual, Constitutional status each state has in our federal republic. At the time it was written the Constitution was silent on the issue of abortion. Abortion, at the time was seen as so repugnant an idea that the Hippocratic Oath every doctor swore to included a promise to never perform an abortion. The founders could not have seen its eventual desirability. No problem though since the 10th amendment allows each state to extend unforeseen freedoms of their residents.
I don’t actually see this as a huge issue since people are free to vote in or out representatives who can be chosen on the basis of policy issues.
If you truly see my points here as irrational, please explain how. It has to be more than a simple policy disagreement. It is possible to disagree diametrically without being guilty of a lack of reason.
Also, please note, this is an international forum, many contributors don’t have English as their first language. Pedantic correction of minor errors is really not good form.
@Lostpoet Thank you for reminding me of the third thing that I hear from idiotic yanks.
No idea what line of work you're in (you do work, right?) anyhoo......... a very valuable business strategy is to look at what others in your field are doing and possibly learn from them.
It's also a valuable strategy for life in general. You should try it sometime.
@redredred 1. @Lostpoet claims to be an American, therefore, the claim of "English not the first language" doesn't hold. Oh wait..............he's American. Yeah, you're right, my bad🤷♂️
2. Not being being American has no bearing on how much I know about your political system. I'm also not a fish but I know shitloads about marine life and our oceans. Why? Because I'm a keen scuba diver and have an interest in the topic.
3. A number of your Red states have already taken advantage of the overturning of Roe and implemented laws which strip women of the right to bodily autonomy. Which is a human right and doesn't need to be mentioned in any constitution anywhere.
4. Yes, people can unite and rid the American political landscape of those who are actively damaging America and the lives of Americans. That's the whole point of my post.
5. Telling people to "vote with their feet" is indeed completely irrational because it ignores every practical issue involved in such a strategy.
Finally, rationality requires an understanding and acceptance of reality. A reality that I've briefly outlined in my points 3 and 5 above. There are other realities at play here but, going by the previous interactions that I've had with you, reality isn't your forte so I'll spoon feed them to you as and when required.
@room101 I would tell you to take that stick that you have so far up your pompous ass that you had to spend all your time making a response to someone that doesn't give two fcks about your opinions or hobbies, especially if you aren't a citizen of the Usa. The Right to Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness(14th Amendment) is our most decorated constitutional right. The right to Autonomy isn't a constitutional right there are laws in what i put into my body, there are laws against causing harm to oneself and there are laws against suicide. For someone that knows so much about the American constitution and laws you sure are a complete idiot.
The rights to Abortion is one of those laws where there is no clear answer there's always going to be a Prolife and a Pro-choice party. Abortion rights don't have anything to do with my life in general or the life of anyone i've ever known so i just stay out of it. I've never voted for or against abortion. Roe vs. Wade in my life has always been around, so i don't even have anything to compare the difference between it and how it was before. I want the health of the mother to go before the health of a child as a priority and sometimes that means abortion. I don't like how abortion clinics were run in America maybe other countries ran theirs better. I think women that become pregnant should feel comfortable telling anyone without any negative consequences and i think there should be free access to facilities and doctors that can help.
I Love women it's one of the facets of being into poetry and art. I respect women and their choices. And i know that someone view me as a male chauvinist prick because i believe that unborn children have a constitutional right and I voice that opinion although i doubt i'd ever express it with a vote.
@room101 my son-in-law is an American and his first language isn’t English. Look around Britain, I’m sure you can find lots of “Brits” who can’t speak a word of English.
You do know as much about our political system as a fish. First, the US is not a democracy, never was. It’s a republic, learn the difference.
I don’t know from where you think abortion is a human right. There is no such thing as a human right that demands the services of another. That would create an obligation for someone else violating their rights, see John Locke.
Your poor understanding of federalism screams out from your replies to several comments. The States are free to expand freedoms but may not contract them below the guarantees of the federal constitution. The federal constitution does not speak to abortion because at the time it was no more acceptable than cannibalism to which it also doesn’t speak.
The democrats had full majorities in both houses and the presidency during both Clinton and Obama and yet they never introduced legislation to legalize abortion federally. That is their cowardice because Ginsberg warned them that Roe was on shaky ground constitutionally. Blame them.
@Lostpoet You first numbskull. And btw genius, if you don't give two fucks about my opinions blah, blah, blah................why post 329 words telling me so.
Also it takes very little of my time and mental acuity to respond to idiots.
"The Right to Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness is our most decorated constitutional right."
Decorated in what, Christmas wrapping paper? Because that's what it's worth if the Right to Life doesn't include autonomy or is only available to a select minority. Which was exactly the case when your foundational documents were written. None of the rights encoded therein were available to women, none to the indigenous populations and none to black people. But go ahead, keep telling yourself that you know all about your history or your constitution.
"women that become pregnant should feel comfortable telling anyone without any negative consequences and i think there should be free access to facilities and doctors that can help."
Which, in case you didn't notice, why would you? Is exactly what the repeal of Roe has stopped.
You love women and your into poetry and art.............and that should mean something to me because.....................................
Here's something for you to ponder. Maybe people view you as a male chauvinist prick because you are one🤷♂️
@room101 Still waiting on you to show me some mental acuity. I spent one sentence telling what an idiot you are and the rest was me express my opinion on the matter of Abortion. And you calling me a Prick is like a five year old thinking they are smarter than their parents. You, your abilities, and your delusional sense of Superiority can all go suck a giant royal dick.
@redredred You have a son-in-law? Does that mean that you also have a daughter? How does she feel about your insistence that bodily autonomy isn't her right because it's not specifically mentioned in your lame as shit constitution?
@Lostpoet Is somebody forcing you to participate in this discussion?
Why do you feel that pointing out flaws in something, especially when that criticism calls on the criticised to act, is a sign of a sense of superiority?
@room101 Well, in the state where the geneticist lives she has a right to seek an abortion. In the state where her sister, the business manager lives she too has the same right. My youngest is a linguist living in Germany.
They too well understand how federalism works and while they disagree with those states where abortion is not allowed they do understand the advantages of political choice. That’s choice on a grand scale.
I don’t see how you can harp on about democracy and curse those states where it has resulted in a decision you don’t support. Those people voted freely for those legislators who passed those laws. That’s democracy.
@redredred Guess you missed the part about any system which actively reduces and prohibits the rights of its citizenry is, by definition, NOT A DEMOCRACY!
@room101 Guess you missed the part where I explained that the constitution prohibits the states from reducing rights below the level of the federal constitutional guarantees.
