Republican Fuckery XIII: TN Marriage Clerks, Walgreens Will Not Sell Abortion Medication and AR Governor Allows Child Labor And Trans Care Malpractice Laws

One of the ways a country’s values can be judged is the legislation.

In Tennessee, a new law may allow marriage clerks to deny licenses based on that person’s beliefs. In short, a public servant (whose salary comes from our tax dollars), can tell a tax-paying citizen that they have no right to marry. If this person was a clergy of a specific faith and was using that as a context, their reasons are understandable (even if one disagrees with that decision). But a clergyperson’s paycheck comes from their congregation and not from the public.

Meanwhile, Walgreens has decided to not sell the abortion pill in twenty states. This is nothing more than a corporation bowing to the wishes of a minority. Granted, the right could accuse the left of the same thing. However, when it comes to medical care (which is what abortion is), that’s another story.

And finally in Arkansas, comes a double whammy from Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders (former mouthpiece from the previous administration). The Youth Hiring Act of 2023 allows children under 16 to work without a permit. We know how this is going to go. Those forced to go to work (instead of school) are poor, immigrants, and people of color. These jobs (as in the past), will likely be dangerous, low-paying, and life-altering.

She also signed a bill that allows anyone who received gender-affirming care as a minor to sue a medical practitioner once they turn 18. Though it will not be enforced until this summer, the statute of limitations is good until that individual turns 33. This is a tactic that Republicans often use. By deputizing the person on the street, they keep their hands clean.

Just another day in America and another reason to vote them all out.

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Republican Fuckery XI: MTG on a National Divorce, You Know Who Visits East Palestine, TN Anti-Drag Queen Bill, and the Rising Use of Migrant Underage Children as Labor

In the Jane Austen novel, Sense and Sensibility, Marianne Dashwood says the following:

“The more I see of the world, the more am I dissatisfied with it; and everyday confirms my belief of the inconsistencies of all human characters, and of the little dependence that can be placed on the appearance of merit or sense.”

I could say the same about the Republican party.

A couple of weeks ago, Marjorie Taylor Greene decreed that it is time for a national divorce. It’s happened before. It’s called the Civil War. Though it ended almost 160 years ago, some of the scars are still bloodied and raw.

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At about the same time, you know who visited East Palestine. Though he talked a good game (as he usually does), he ignored the obvious (again, as he usually does). The safety regulations that he gutted while in office led to the accident. In an effort to look good to those around him, he gave out his own brand of water and McDonalds. Let’s put aside the fact that this fast food giant is not everyone’s cup of tea.

What is more important is how nothing has changed with the man. His response was akin to when he visited Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria and threw out paper towels as if they were t-shirts at a sporting event. The only thing that I have to begrudgingly admit is that I agree with him that someone from the current administration should have been there sooner.

In Tennessee, a new piece of legislation that restricts drag shows has been signed into law. In an ironic twist, an image of Governor Bill Lee dressed in drag as a young man has made its way to the press. Though this question may sound obvious, don’t they have more pressing issues to deal with? I can think of a very long list that does not include anyone who dresses in drag.

Courtesy of the Other 98%

And finally, the right is constantly railing against “illegal immigrants” and the problems they cause. And yet, they look the other way when thousands of underage migrants cross the border without an adult and are employed in inhumane conditions by major corporations. I guess child labor laws mean nothing when one’s skin is brown and you come to this country looking for a better life.

Somehow, someway, we have to get these people out of office before they destroy this nation.