Moscow on the Rio Grande

by | Sep 3, 2021 | Editor's Blog | 7 comments

Back when Stalin was consolidating his power and establishing the police state that would define the Soviet Union, a legend emerged of a boy who informed on his father for hoarding or selling papers or some offense against the state. The father was then sent to a labor camp and executed. The boy, in turn, was murdered by his own family. Instead of being a villain, he was lauded as a hero of the state and a martyr. The Soviets built statues to the boy, Pavlik, and children across Russia learned about him and his heroic decision to put loyalty to the state before loyalty to his own family. 

The state of Texas has now said that abortions after six weeks are illegal and the Supreme Court has decided not to intervene at this time. Most women don’t even know they are pregnant at six weeks. In effect, the law outlaws abortion in the Lone Star State. 

The real kicker, though, is the law allows people to sue anyone involved in an abortion in state court. According to the Washington Post, “Private citizens are empowered to police the ban against anyone who helps a woman get an abortion. An ex-boyfriend, a neighbor or a complete stranger can file a lawsuit in any state court in Texas with the potential for a $10,000 payoff — and no financial penalty if the lawsuit is not successful.” The law is begging for frivolous lawsuits that will cause trauma to victims with no consequences to the perpetrators. 

The theocrats, though, are delighted. They have already set up hotlines for people to call informing on their friend, relatives, or enemies. A member of Pro-life Waco “predicted that fathers and other relatives will report abortions obtained by female relatives, unhappy that their daughters or sisters chose not to continue their pregnancies.” And these people call themselves pro-family. 

The people who have taken over the Republican Party have turned its values upside down. Instead of advocating limited government, they support morality police that uses state courts as a hammer on individual liberty. They have taken a page straight out of Stalin’s playbook. They want to encourage people to inform on their friends and families and offer bounties to do it. It’s truly stunning. 

Politically, Republicans in Texas may have overstepped. A solid majority of Americans support abortion rights, including 73% of college freshmen according to a recent poll. The move could politicize young people in the upcoming midterms and might push women further towards the Democratic Party. It certainly gives the party a rallying cry for those for whom abortion rights is important. Expect to see boycotts of Texas in the coming weeks.

The move, though, is shocking. Most Americans have paid less attention to abortion rights, even as Republican legislatures have been passing laws to restrict women’s access to care. People have taken for granted the right to choose what to do with their bodies and families, but this case may serve as wake up call. The law is draconian, divisive, and will pit American against American, using the state to penalize those who believe women should have control over their own bodies. Stalin would be proud.  

7 Comments

  1. adamclove

    Democrats have been predicting that Texas will turn purple or even blue for almost 20 years now. Texas conservatives have been looking for a way to staunch the influx of West Coast Democrats looking for a lower cost of living, but whose voting habits raise the cost of living wherever they go.

    Perhaps they’ve finally found a way to ward off further domestic immigration from California, Oregon, and Washington State.

    • cocodog

      You need to replace that misleading cameo of yourself in front of a local station microphone with a picture of your real heroes over at Fox Noise. There is intrastate movement, but it has nothing to do with any of the accusations you made. Moreover, Texas did not pass these ridiculous voting rights and abortion laws, to stop what has been occurring over the past 20 plus years. They passed them to maintain power and placate the desire of some religious extremist to meddle in the private lives of women. There is some creditable speculation that Texas may have shot themselves in the foot. Perhaps, that is the reason a lot of red states are hesitant to adopt it. If the voting rights acts are passed on a federal level, this nonsense will come to an end.

  2. Edwin Finch

    Your article is powerful. And on point.
    But the ones that should take heed, the folks in the GOP, have “gone out preying” on any and all that are not with them. —– Claiming to PRAY. they instead, PREY.

    You can not tell them they should wear a mask and be vaccinated to prevent the death of a living (already born) 0 to 12 year old, (===== something about personal freedom);
    but they insisted that the government of Texas “authorize bounty hunters” to enforce “Taliban” like “rules” on your wife, your sister, and your daughter. (—- how about female personal freedom?)
    Females in Texas just lost the right to choose what to do with their own bodies. —— even in cases that could put their own health in danger.

    Another sad thing is that the Texas law is unlikely to be successful in preventing abortions, but rather make them more dangerous, costly and deadly.

  3. Terry Taylor-Allen

    Texas taliban! Who is organizing the airlift of Texas women and children?

  4. Kathryn

    Whether the issues is abortion or driving while drunk, handing over the monitoring of laws to any individual who happens to want to take the law into his/her own hands, turns our “democracy” on its head. When authority is abused, it loses all authority. On top of that, rewarding vigilantes with $10,000 is a recipe for disaster.

  5. Jay Ligon

    Texans now live in Communist East Germany. Deep in the heart of Texas, your neighbors are redneck racist spies in cowboy hats. Zealots hunt down young women for cash rewards. There’s nothing American about Texas. The governor and the legislature have overturned Roe v. Wade, but most of all, they have done away with the American Constitution. Who needs Texas anyhow, a state full of bullshit, power outages and racists?

    • Norma Munn

      Agreed. Let’s help those who want to leave, and send Texas folks from other states who agree with them. I will even vote to let them secede at the end of the swap.

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