Legalectric

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A suspect is taken into custody outside a Planned Parenthood center in Colorado Springs, Colorado November 27, 2015. Police arrested a gunman who stormed the Planned Parenthood abortion clinic in Colorado Springs on Friday and opened fire with a rifle in a burst of violence that left at least 11 people injured, including five officers, authorities said. REUTERS/Isaiah J. Downing FOR EDITORIAL USE ONLY. NO RESALES. NO ARCHIVE. TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY

What am I thankful for? I’m thankful that we have an opportunity, today, to recognize and acknowledge our rights, and our right and obligation to stand up for our rights and the rights of everyone, but particularly the rights of women, blacks, Muslims, immigrants, and everyone else who is under siege. It’s times like these where I’m thankful to be an attorney, sworn on oath to uphold the Constitution, grateful to have this piece of paper that says I can open a door for others.  Day to day, I do this in a small way, helping people speak up, participate, and exercise their rights.  But the much larger picture is so ugly. Each and every one of us, this is our right and our obligation. We have lost so much in the rights department since 2001, and now our most fundamental Constitutional rights are being challenged from all sides, in many venues. Stand up, ramp it up.

Last week, racist terrorists with stated intent to raise hell shot unarmed #blacklivesmatter #justice4Jamal protesters in Minneapolis.

Today, it’s a domestic terrorists shooting at a Planned Parenthood clinic in Colorado Springs, CO, so far shooting at least one police officer killed and four injured, and two civilians killed and unknown others injured, 9 or maybe more civilians injured.

Planned Parenthood notes that:

We share the concerns of many Americans that extremists are creating a poisonous environment that feeds domestic terrorism in this country.

It’s not surprising there’s be a terrorist at a Planned Parenthood, it’s happened before, and will probably happen again.  But it raises the issue of responsibility of speech.  One of the latest right-wing political distractions has been a protracted, orchestrated, inflamed and vitriolic focus on Planned Parenthood, based on a phony video, and aimed at cutting Planned Parenthood federal funding.  Nevermind that Roe v. Wade is the law of the land since 1973, despite so many attempts to legislate it away (like the 50+ attempts to repeal “Obamacare”), since that time there have been repeated efforts to strip federal funding, many Planned Parenthood clinics do not offer abortions, abortions constitute just 3% of services, and look HERE at the government funding. And today a guy goes in and shoots up Planned Parenthood in Colorado Springs, CO.

PBS LIVE COVERAGE HERE

What this says to me is that this is not about abortion.  It’s a rallying cry to limit Constitutional rights, and to prevent women’s access to health care and birth control, cancer testing, and STD treatment.

• At least 1 Colorado Springs officer injured in ongoing active shooter situation at Planned Parenthood
• Shots Reported Near Planned Parenthood Clinic in Colorado Springs

In tandem, we see a rallying cry to prohibit entry of refugees, to establish a “religious test,” and such inflamed hatred directed at Muslims, citizens and non-citizens alike.  Horrible, ugly stuff.  Over and over, the rants are based on a claim of theocracy, the the U.S. is a “Christian” nation, and that only “Christians” should be allowed in.  Not a thought is given to the founding of this country by people fleeing theocracy!  No weight is given to the Constitutional prohibition of establishment of a state (government) religion.

And in Texas, a Texas militia group posts names and addresses of Muslims and “Muslim associates” (report HERE) for what purpose other than to encourage “religious” terrorists?  Here’s THE Texas Militia site: Texas Militia. Same one?

Donald Trump is a prime offender, but it’s much broader than Trump.
 

HERE: One way to handle hate speech without undermining the whole concept of freedom of speech at Brunel University where Katie Hopkins was a panelist in debate.