Stacking The House

In our modern day lives we don't often see a true filibuster. It's a political tool and it has elements of drama but when do we ever see a situation where we need to go that far to get justice? I mean, we're a civilized society, why would we need that hail mary sort of pass? If we were West Wing fans we remember a certain episode, The Stackhouse Filbuster, but we also know that Aaron Sorkin's stock in trade is making the ordinary extraordinary. Real life doesn't work like that. It doesn't have to.

Right now Texas State Senator Wendy Davis has more than three hours left on an approximately 13 hour filibuster to prevent a vote on an inhumane anti-choice bill. She has 2 strikes against her, one of them for being assisted in putting on a back brace since she cannot sit or lean on anything while she speaks. Women are sending her their stories to tell (you can, too, click that link, she needs you). She is refusing to yield the floor to questions despite strong opposition. She is probably wearing a soiled diaper.

She's a fucking hero.

She's not a hero because of the diaper or because she's stubborn or because she's angry or because she's Texan. She's a hero because it has actually come to this unbelievable place in the fight for reproductive choice and she was left holding the hot potato and, pot holders be damned, she's going to stand there letting that potato sear the skin from her palms for as long as she can possibly manage.

I know that there are people who read here who are anti-choice. I suspect they don't like that I characterize it as such. Know that I'm glad you read here because I believe your heart is in the right place but that I will not change my mind if you are even slightly on the side of legislating women's reproductive choice. Anti-choice is anti-choice. Be honest about what you're allowing to happen.

It is unfathomably shameful to me that we, as a nation, are at a place where the lives of human beings are valued at less than that of a clump of cells. We are spending valuable political time not in educating and safeguarding the health of the children of our country but in viciously grappling to reduce over half the population (read: women) to objects.  Disposable objects at that. We are no better than Ireland or El Salvador if we are eliminating a life saving tool from the arsenals of our society's doctors. If Wendy Davis's efforts fail there is every reason to believe that the Texas legislature will vote that women do not deserve to live.

No, I'm not exaggerating.


I will be angry about this. I am angry about it on some level. Right now, though, I'm inconsolably sad. An intelligent, capable, and courageous woman in Texas is fighting like a tiger mom to keep this atrocity from happening. I'm afraid. I'm afraid she won't make it. I'm afraid they will bend the rules and beat her down and in so doing they will succeed in legislating the humanity out of her and all the women of Texas. I am afraid that the rest of us will be next.

I hope against hope that they will not manage it but that remains to be seen. She will be a hero whatever the outcome because she is going balls to the wall for justice. She can only do her best.  Thus far her best is pretty damned good. Please let it be enough.