U.S. Politics

[Rick Plant]

'Blatantly racist' element of society is a domestic terrorism threat: Buffalo's congressman



The congressman who represents Buffalo, New York in Congress warned of racist domestic terrorism after an 18-year-old white man allegedly murdered ten people at a mass shooting being investigated as a hate crime.

The suspect reportedly wrote a 106-page manifesto pushing the racist "Great Replacement" conspiracy theory espoused by Fox News personality Tucker Carlson.

Rep. Brian Higgins (D-NY) discussed the racist dynamics of the attack in an interview with CNN's Pamela Brown.

Higgins noticed the investigation was in its early stages, but said it appears "cohesive in terms of the motivation."

"This was an individual that was from outside our area, he was not from Buffalo. He came to Buffalo heavily armed with at least an AK-47 that was modified, killed ten people, three people are in the hospital, expected to recover. but this is a sad day for Buffalo, a sad day for the nation," he explained.

"There's premeditation. when you make a charge against somebody, you have to put all those pieces together. but even in the preliminary information that we have, clearly this is an individual that selected Buffalo, selected an area of Buffalo that is predominantly African-American, from outside the area. That is not coincidental," he argued. "And we believe, and law enforcement officials believe, that this is part of an organized effort to attack the minority community generally and the community of Buffalo as its target."

"When you say part of an organized effort, what do you mean by that?" Brown asked.

"That there is an element in our society that is blatantly racist, and they're violent and this is clearly an indication of domestic violence. There was -- you know, he live-streamed the horrific detail in real time of this murder of innocent people," he explained.

He warned racism is a threat to the country.

"And so all indications are, this points to an effort to exact domestic terrorism that is racially motivated on a community. But that threat to our community in Buffalo and western New York is a threat to the nation," he said.

Watch:

[Rick Plant]

Buffalo shooter's manifesto shows folly of 'lone wolf' theory when there is an 'apparatus of hate': analysis



The existence of a racist manifesto reportedly posted online by an 18-year-old white male before killed ten people in a mass shooting rampage in a Black neighborhood in Buffalo, New York shows the limits of a "lone wolf" theory explaining how people are radicalized, a CNN homeland security analyst explained on SaPersonay.

Juliette Kayyem was interviewed about a 106-page manifesto pushing the "Great Replacement" conspiracy theory that was reportedly written by the suspect whose rampage is being investigated as a hate crime.

CNN's Pamela Brown inteviewed Kayyem after the network's Brian Stelter reported the online video company Twitch confirmed the suspect live-streamed the shooting.

"There's two issues going on. So you can say that someone acted alone and that's what we tend to think of as lone wolf, that it's not five people or ten people or orchestrated attack. But the idea of a lone wolf, I think, I've been saying for a couple of years should be put to rest, because in every single up with of these cases, you're seeing an apparatus that essentially supported their hate," she explained.

"Now that might not have been an apparatus that told them to do this on that date, but these are people who are getting radicalized by an ecosystem of hate. this is what the FBI has been documenting for over a decade, it's what we mean in government when we violent extremism," she explained. "Lone wolf makes sound like they woke up one day and just decided to kill a bunch of Black people. That just doesn't happen."

"The reason why the manifesto is relevant is it will show where did that apparatus and the hate come from," she explained. "Lone wolf excuses an apparatus of hate that exists in this country and is the number one terror threat in this country right now."

That apparatus was in full display in 2021 when Fox News personality Tucker Carlson pushed the same "Great Replacement" conspiracy theory. When the Anti-Defamation League called on the network to fire the host, Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) called the ADL "a racist organization" and claimed Carlson "is CORRECT about Replacement Theory as he explains what is happening to America."

Watch:

[Rick Plant]

Ron Filipkowski @RonFilipkowski

Elise Stefanik must be so proud to have worked so hard to advance the ideas that drove a white nationalist to mass murderer.



https://twitter.com/RonFilipkowski/status/1525644218156437505


Ron Filipkowski @RonFilipkowski

AZ State Senator Wendy Rogers is saying that the Buffalo mass murder was a false flag operation by the FBI. She must be removed from office immediately. The AZ GOP is a damn disgrace.



https://twitter.com/RonFilipkowski/status/1525672875717427207


Ron Filipkowski @RonFilipkowski

What is happening to America is racist, white nationalist POS have advanced to very influential positions of power in the government and media, and their toxic ideas are being acted upon by deranged cult members they derive their power and income from.



https://twitter.com/RonFilipkowski/status/1525645360512831489


Elise Stefanik invokes racist 'great replacement' theory in campaign ads

The white nationalist 'great replacement' theory continues to grow in popularity within the Republican ranks.



New York Rep. Elise Stefanik, the third-ranked Republican in the House, began running a series of campaign ads on Facebook on Wednesday invoking a racist conspiracy theory that falsely alleges that immigrants are being invited to the United States to replace white voters.

The campaign for Stefanik, who is up for reelection in November 2022 for New York's 22nd Congressional District, is promoting ads that read:" Joe Biden, Kamala Harris, and Nancy Pelosi are attempting to flood our voter roles with 11 MILLION NEW VOTERS by giving illegal immigrants amnesty."

The ads link to a fundraising page featuring similar copy, which alleges, "Democrats want citizenship for 11 MILLION illegal immigrants… so they can stuff the ballot box for socialism."

Stefanik's ads make reference to efforts made by Democrats, including President Joe Biden, to create a pathway to citizenship for the estimated 10.3 million undocumented immigrants currently residing in the United States.

The ads also invoke the conspiracy theory known as "the great replacement," which the Anti-Defamation League has defined as "the hateful notion that the white race is in danger of being 'replaced' by a rising tide of non-whites."

Messages that promote the theory have become increasingly common among Republican elected officials and in conservative media.

In 2016, as he was running for office, former President Donald Trump said, "I think this will be the last election that the Republicans have a chance of winning because you’re going to have people flowing across the border, you're going to have illegal immigrants coming in and they're going to be legalized and they're going to be able to vote and once that all happens you can forget it."

Fox News has also latched on to the message and many of its on-air personalities have spent the ensuing years repeating and amplifying the racist smear.

The most prominent advocate on the network has been host Tucker Carlson, who has invoked the idea on numerous occasions.

"I have less political power because they are importing a brand new electorate. Why should I sit back and take that?" Carlson said on the April 8 edition of his program.

In an April 9 letter to Fox News executives, Anti-Defamation League CEO and National Director Jonathan Greenblatt called on Fox News to fire Carlson for using the trope.

"It is dangerous race-baiting, extreme rhetoric. And yet, unfortunately, it is the culmination of a pattern of increasingly divisive rhetoric used by Carlson over the past few years," the letter read.

But Carlson was undeterred. On April 12, Carlson said on his program, "Demographic change is the key to the Democratic Party’s political ambitions." And on April 21, Carlson told his audience, "You're being replaced, and there's nothing you can do about it."

Other Fox News hosts, including Laura Ingraham, Brian Kilmeade, and Jesse Watters, have also promoted the same racist "replacement" trope.

And Republicans in Congress have followed suit.

In a campaign video released on April 11, Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-CO) falsely claimed that Democrats "want borders wide open," alleging that this "helped Democrats take over the entire state of California" in the past.

During a congressional hearing on April 14, Rep. Scott Perry (R-PA) claimed, "We’re replacing national-born American — native-born Americans to permanently transform the political landscape of this very nation."

Two days later, on April 16, while appearing on Fox Business, Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI) attacked Democrats on immigration, asking, "Is it really they want to remake the demographics of America, to ensure their — that they stay in power forever? Is that what's happening here?"

The theory has had deadly real-world implications. It was cited in a manifesto left behind by the white supremacist who shot and killed 51 people and injured 40 in two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand, in 2019. The idea was also invoked by neo-Nazis who protested in Charlottesville, Virginia, in 2017, using the slogan, "Jews will not replace us."

https://americanindependent.com/elise-stefanik-campaign-racist-great-replacement-theory-house-republicans-tucker-carlson/


Elise Stefanik Blasted for 'Despicable' Facebook Ads Pushing 'Replacement Theory'



New York Rep. Elise Stefanik was blasted by her hometown newspaper over "despicable" new Facebook ads it says push the racist "replacement theory."

"Radical Democrats are planning their most aggressive move yet: a PERMANENT ELECTION INSURRECTION," says one ad that was paid for by Stefanik's campaign. The text accompanied an image of numerous migrants reflected in the aviator sunglasses worn by President Joe Biden.

In a scathing editorial with the title "How low, Miss Stefanik?" published Friday, the Times Union's editorial board accused the No. 3 House Republican of touting the conspiracy theory that white people are being intentionally replaced by immigrants.

The editorial noted that white supremacists had chanted slogans such as "you will not replace us" at a 2017 rally in Charlottesville, Virginia and that "decent" Americans had "recoiled at the undeniable echo of Nazi Germany."

"That rhetoric has been resonating ever since in the right wing, repackaged lately in what's known as 'replacement theory,' espoused by conservative media figures like Fox News' Tucker Carlson," it said.

The editorial claims "replacement theory" has now "seeped into the mainstream political discourse in the Capital Region, where Rep. Elise Stefanik has adapted this despicable tactic for campaign ads.

"Ms. Stefanik isn't so brazen as to use the slogans themselves; rather, she couches the hate in alarmist, anti-immigrant rhetoric that's become standard fare for the party of Donald Trump," it continued.

"And she doesn't quite attack immigrants directly; instead, she alleges the Democrats are looking to grant citizenship to undocumented immigrants in order to gain a permanent liberal majority, or, as she calls it, a 'permanent election insurrection.'

"Quite a choice of words, of course, considering that the country is still suffering the aftershocks of the Jan. 6 insurrection in Washington by supporters of Mr. Trump who tried to overturn Democrat Joe Biden's victory in the 2020 presidential election."

Stefanik's loyalty to Trump in the aftermath won her a leadership post in the House Republican caucus.

The Times Union editorial accused her of using "fear-based political tactics" that echo Trump's attacks on Mexicans and Muslims during his 2016 presidential campaign.

"The idea of America as a melting pot is not some idealistic fiction of the left; it is part of the foundation of this nation's greatness," it concluded.

"If there's anything that needs replacing in this country—and in the Republican Party—it's the hateful rhetoric that Ms. Stefanik and far too many of her colleagues so seamlessly spew."

https://www.newsweek.com/elise-stefanik-blasted-despicable-facebook-ads-pushing-replacement-theory-1630545

[Rick Plant]

The right wing fascist assault on our freedoms and personal lives continues.   

Oklahoma's GOP governor threatens the state's more than 40 Native American tribes



Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt, a Republican, has warned the states of many Native American tribes that if they allow abortion on sovereign land he will intervene.

“Oklahomans will not think very well of that if tribes try to set up abortion clinics," Stitt said on Fox News Sunday.

“You know, the tribes in Oklahoma are super liberal,” he said. “They go to Washington, D.C. They talk to President [Joe] Biden at the White House; they kind of adopt those strategies. So yeah, we think that there’s a possibility that some tribes may try to set up abortion on demand. They think that you can be 1/1,000th tribal member and not have to follow the state law. And so that’s something that we’re watching.”

Native American tribes are allowed to govern themselves on their own land. Their sovereignty is the reason that they can have things like casinos in states where it is banned. Once known as Indian Territory, the state has more than 40 tribes in its borders.

It was just last month that Oklahoma politicians faced off against tribes in an ongoing refusal to cooperate with the Supreme Court decision in McGirt v. Oklahoma.

"In the McGirt ruling, the Supreme Court held that much of eastern Oklahoma is Indian country under the terms of an 1833 treaty between the U.S. government and the Muscogee Creek Nation," explained Professor Kirsten Matoy Carlson of Wayne State University. "Based on that treaty and an 1885 federal law, the ruling effectively means that the state of Oklahoma cannot prosecute crimes committed by or against American Indians there. Federal and tribal officials are the only ones who can pursue these cases."

Oklahoma's state government has asked the Supreme Court to rehear the case over 40 times. Under the existing Supreme Court rulings, about 43% of Oklahoma is ruled by tribal lands. It ultimately means that the GOP governor doesn't have control over the whole state when it comes to his laws.

There has been a conversation among activists searching for loopholes in anticipation of the unmaking of Roe v.Wade that putting clinics under tribal lands could be possible. Such a decision would require involvement by tribal councils, however. Sources involved in the tribal government of one Oklahoma tribe told Raw Story that many are unlikely to rock the boat.

If Stitt and others in the Oklahoma legislature attempt to restrict the tribes under the guise that they are trying to stop abortions, they could end up in a considerable legal battle over the right for Native tribes to govern themselves.

Stitt is up for reelection in November.

https://www.rawstory.com/oklahoma-native-american-sovereignty-kevin-stitt/

[Rick Plant]

The Republican Party and the right wing media continues to make Americans unsafe. Their violent and racist rhetoric based on lies, incites white nationalists and supremacists to commit these heinous acts of violence. The Republican Party made a hero out of murderer Kyle Rittenhouse in their own party as they elevate the worst people you can think of. We have a serious problem with white supremacy which Donald Trump ignited as Republicans and the right wing media embrace. GOP Reps. Paul Gosar and Marjorie Taylor Greene speak at white nationalist conventions and members of the GOP had contact with proud boys posing for pictures. It's only going to get worse as the GOP aims their violent rhetoric at Democrats and groups they do not like. Republicans and the right wing media downplay these acts of violence as a "mental health problem" when we have white supremacy and a gun problem that they continue to ignore.         

Conservative warns Buffalo shooter's ideology is mainstream to right-wing — while Fox dodges their role



The Buffalo, New York shooter has been exposed as a racist man who believes in the conspiracy theory that Democratic leaders are attempting to replace white people with people of color. Known as "great replacement" theory, the Fox network has been responsible for elevating the idea to its millions of viewers many times.

Washington Post columnist Max Boot, a conservative, explained that this kind of ideology has become mainstream not just on the Fox network but also in the Republican Party. Writing Sunday, Boot recalled the conservative writer who coined the phrase “ideas have consequences.”

Already some are blaming Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY) for promoting the theory to New York residents in interviews and online.

"The young man wrote that he got his beliefs 'mostly from the Internet,' specifically from the 4chan bulletin board where white supremacists congregate," Boot noted. "But his repugnant views are not confined to an obscure corner of the Internet. They have become mainstream within the Republican Party."

It's the same brand of racism that the Christchurch shooter espoused when he killed 51 people at two mosques in 2019.

“Why is diversity said to be our greatest strength?” the Buffalo shooter's manifesto asked. “Said throughout the media, spoken by politicians, educators and celebrities. But no one ever seems to give a reason why. What gives a nation strength? And how does diversity increase that strength?”

It's what Fox host Tucker Carlson asked in 2018.

“How, precisely, is diversity our strength?" Carlson asked of his audience. "Since you’ve made this our new national motto, please be specific as you explain it. Can you think, for example, of other institutions such as, I don’t know, marriage or military units in which the less people have in common, the more cohesive they are?”

Fox has spent most of the time after the shooting refusing to even use the words "great replacement." Instead, they're trying to dodge accountability by parroting the NRA line that guns aren't the problem, mental health is.



Yet, gun advocates have opposed any rules that would regulate guns among the mentally ill. The current law stands that no person who has been institutionalized to buy a gun.

Boot cited Republican politicians like Rep. Matt Gaetz (FL), Rep. Scott Perry (PA) and Sen. Ron Johnson (WI), who have all openly promoted the so-called “great replacement” theory.

He went on to cite Arizona Senate candidate Black Masterson, who tweeted after the shooting. “The Democrats want open borders so they can bring in and amnesty **tens of millions** of illegal aliens — that’s their electoral strategy.”

Republican J.D. Vance, who is running as the GOP's Ohio Senate nominee and is bankrolled by billionaire Peter Thiel, explained that Democrats are not only opening the borders to create “a shift in the democratic makeup of this country.” He went on to claim that President Joe Biden is intentionally letting fentanyl into the U.S. “to kill a bunch of MAGA voters in the middle of the heartland.”

A December 2021 poll showed nearly half of all Republicans believe that there is a plot afoot to "replace" white so-called "native-born" Americans with immigrants. Native-born Americans are not to be confused with Native Americans, who trace their lineage to the first residents of the U.S. before being invaded by Europeans.

He anticipates the GOP will respond not with a policing of their own extremist leaders, but with nothing more than "thoughts and prayers."

Read the full article: https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2022/05/15/buffalo-shooter-hate-tucker-carlson/

[Rick Plant]

GOP lawmakers scorched for promoting the 'hateful paranoid nonsense' that led to the Buffalo mass shooting



In a blunt column for the conservative Bulwark, Cato Senior Fellow Cathy Young raged against the spread of the so-called "replacement theory" that played a major part in prompting an 18-year-old white man in New York to go on a shooting rampage SaPersonay afternoon in a Buffalo-area grocery store situated in a community that is reportedly 80 percent black.

As Young put it, "Those who follow the news know that this is far from the first time “replacement theory” has figured in the ravings of a mass shooter," before adding, "We know these ideas are floating out there. We also know that, disturbingly, “replacement theory” is being mainstreamed on the right," the columnist specifying Fox News host Tucker Carlson who has repeatedly claimed that Democrats are trying to "replace" Americans with immigrants.

As Young notes, two prominent Republican lawmakers have also taken up the "replacement theory" banner, with Rep Matt Gaetz (R-FL) tweeting, "The Left/Media think of replacement solely on race/ethnicity terms. I don't at all. Democrats failed voters who relied on them to run their states/cities. Now they are importing new voters. That is my argument. Those reading more into it are projecting their own bias."

Add to that, Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY), who Young explained, ".. jumped on the bandwagon as well with a Facebook ad claiming that the Democrats were going to use amnesty for illegal immigrants to 'overthrow our current electorate and create a permanent liberal majority in Washington.'"

"This is hateful, stupid, paranoid nonsense," she wrote before adding, "It is also, need I point out, the epitome of collectivist 'identity politics' the right sometimes likes to deplore in its progressive guises."

Noting that a recent poll shows that a third of Americans "agree at least somewhat that 'There is a group of people in this country who are trying to replace native-born Americans with immigrants who agree with their political views,'" Young wrote, "In a sane and decent political climate, both media figures and political figures on the right would quickly and emphatically disavow “great replacement” as un-American, race-baiting nonsense. Which means … don’t hold your breath."

"That was a joke. Cue bitter laugh," she lamented.

You can read more here: https://morningshots.thebulwark.com/p/the-replacement-theory-and-terrorist


'Elise has chosen chaos': Stefanik slammed by Dem colleague for extremist tweet prior to Buffalo shooting



Reacting to the Buffalo, New York mass shooting at a grocery store in a predominately Black neighborhood committed by an admittedly racist 18-year-old white man, Rep Eric Swalwell (D-CA) pointed the finger at the third-ranking Republican in the House for a tweet she made earlier that has received universal condemnation.

As was noted SaPersonay afternoon following the shooting that claimed ten lives and left three more wounded, Rep. Elise Stefanik has been a proponent of the conspiracy-minded "Great Replacement" belief popular among white supremacists.

Eight months ago, the Time Union took Stefanik to task in an editorial, writing, "That rhetoric has been resonating ever since in the right-wing, repackaged lately in what’s known as 'replacement theory,' espoused by conservative media figures like Fox News’ Tucker Carlson. And it has seeped into the mainstream political discourse in the Capital Region, where Rep. Elise Stefanik has adapted this despicable tactic for campaign ads."

With that in mind, Swalwell noted that prior to the shooting Stefanik attacked liberals on Twitter where she wrote, "The White House, House Dems, & usual pedo grifters are so out of touch with the American people that rather than present ANY PLAN or urgency to address the nationwide baby formula crisis, they double down on sending pallets of formula to the southern border. Joe Biden has NO PLAN."

According to Swalwell, that type of rhetoric which included the inflammatory "pedo grifters" is one of the causes of violence in the U.S.

Retweeting her post, he commented, "You know why Elise’s tweet is so awful? We just suffered another mass shooting as a country from a shooter motivated by extremism. You know what feeds extremism? This tweet from Elise."

He then added, "We can have community or we can have chaos. Elise has chosen chaos. Let’s all make her own this."

Rep. Eric Swalwell @RepSwalwell

You know why Elise’s tweet is so awful? We just suffered another mass shooting as a country from a shooter motivated by extremism. You know what feeds extremism? This tweet from Elise. We can have community or we can have chaos. Elise has chosen chaos. Let’s all make her own this.

https://twitter.com/RepSwalwell/status/1525656301216313344

[Rick Plant]

‘We’re not going back’: Val Demings slams Rubio, anti-abortion rhetoric at pro-choice conference

ORLANDO, Fla. — In a speech in Orlando on SaPersonay, U.S. Senate hopeful Val Demings touted her pro-choice stance and attacked Republican Sen. Marco Rubio’s position on abortion as “radical.”

Rubio, who’s seeking a third term, has long supported bans on abortion with no exceptions, most recently saying a failed Senate bill to codify Roe v. Wade would legalize ”the killing of unborn children right up to the day of delivery.” The 1973 Supreme Court ruling is on the cusp of being overturned, according to a draft opinion obtained by Politico.

His campaign described his likely opponent in November as “a radical who supports abortion up until the moment of birth,” in what is likely to become a wedge issue in the race, Florida Politics reported.

Demings called the claim “foolishness,” voicing her support for abortions “up until the point of viability or when it threatens the health of the mother.” She also pointed to Rubio’s past support for a 2001 “scarlet letter” law signed and later deemed unconstitutional, which required unwed mothers in Florida who wished to put their children up for adoption to publish details about their sex lives in newspapers.

“Desperate people say desperate things,” Demings said in response. “... I know they are searching for something to draw the attention away from his extreme view about the constitutional right that people have in this country.”

She added, “The nerve of him to say there should be no restrictions, even including incest, rape and abuse — now I think that’s extreme.”

Speaking at the She’s the Change conference hosted at the Rosen Plaza Hotel by pro-choice group Ruth’s List, Demings also called Roe v. Wade “established law.” The Women’s Health Protection Act, the Senate bill that would have codified the ruling and invalidated state abortion bans, failed to overcome the Republican filibuster, with a 51-49 vote against moving the legislation forward.

“When I decided to raise my family, I didn’t ask my congressman, I didn’t ask my governor and I’m dang sure I didn’t ask my senator,” Demings said. “Women have a right to choose her own destiny. We’re not going back, we’re not shutting up, we’re not sitting down, we are going to fight and fight and fight some more.”

The leaked draft opinion penned by Justice Samuel Alito sparked outrage throughout the U.S., with mass protests taking place around the country while doctors and abortion providers speak out as others, including religious conservatives, praise the possible decision.

It also comes as Republican state legislatures pass restrictive abortion bans in anticipation of the Supreme Court’s official ruling, expected to come down later this year. Last month, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a bill banning abortion after 15 weeks of pregnancy, except if the fetus is found to have a “fatal fetal abnormality.”

The law, which many fear could be expanded next year after the Supreme Court’s ruling, does not include exceptions for rape or incest. A statewide poll by the University of North Florida found nearly 60% of Floridians are opposed to the newly-signed ban.

“We are here today to protect life,” DeSantis said at a signing ceremony in Kissimmee. “We are here today to defend those who can’t defend themselves.”

Florida Democrats have scrambled to mobilize their base ahead of November’s elections, where Rubio’s Senate seat and the governorship are at stake, as the party nationally has embraced abortion as a key issue in this year’s midterms. A Pew Research Center poll in March found 61% of voters support legal abortion in all or most circumstances.

Ruth’s List, the group that hosted SaPersonay’s conference, recently released a list of pro-choice Democratic women candidates, including State Rep. Anna Eskamani of Orlando and attorney general candidate and former Orange-Osceola State Attorney Aramis Ayala.

We need the steadfast and bold leadership of pro-choice women in office to fight for our families and our rights, now more than ever,” Mini Timmaraju, president of NARAL Pro-Choice America, told the audience.

But Democrats have also been criticized as pro-life Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia broke party ranks against the bill to codify Roe v. Wade and as top leaders lend their support to pro-life candidates.

In Texas, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi has refused to pull her endorsement of Rep. Henry Cuellar’s reelection campaign against a progressive challenger, despite him being the only anti-abortion House Democrat.

Demings didn’t comment on the House party leaders’ support for Cuellar, preferring to keep the discussion about her race with Rubio.

“I don’t know what’s going on in Texas,” she said. “But here in Florida, the overwhelming majority of men and women believe in a woman’s right to choose.”

© Orlando Sentinel

[Rick Plant]

So if a woman is brutally attacked, radical Republicans are going to force the woman to give birth no matter what because of their radical evangelical religious beliefs. Republicans are voiding what the Constitution states where we have a separation between church and state. These are the same right wingers who foamed at the mouth when mask mandates were implemented to stop the spread of a deadly virus so we could prevent deaths in children and adults. They cried masks were "unconstitutional" and claimed it was their "body and their choice" not to wear a mask, but now they will not let a woman have control over their own body as they are forcing her to give birth to rapists' babies. This is the beginning of right wing Republican facism and authoritarianism. If Republicans can force women to give birth if they are brutally raped, they can force Americans to do anything they want against their will if Republicans have the full power. Think about it.     

Those are babies too': Nebraska's GOP governor plans to outlaw abortion exceptions for rape and incest victims



During an appearance on CNN's "State of the Union," Gov. Pete Ricketts (R-NE) made it perfectly clear that, if Roe v Wade is overturned by the conservative Supreme Court as expected, he doesn't want to see any exceptions made for victims of rape or incest.

Speaking with host Dana Bash, the lawmaker brushed aside concerns about victims of horrific crimes being forced to give birth.

With Nebraska having just failed to pass a so-called "trigger law" that would ban abortions entirely, host Bash asked, "The abortion ban you tried to pass did not include any exceptions for rape or incest,” then added, "Can you clarify: do you think that the state of Nebraska should require a young girl who was raped to carry that pregnancy to term?”

Ricketts replied by labeling his state as a "pro-life satte" before adding, "Those are babies, too. If Roe v. Wade -- a horrible constitutional decision -- gets overturned by the Supreme Court, which we’re hopeful of, here in Nebraska we’ll take further steps to protect those preborn babies."

“Including in the case of rape or incest?” the CNN host pressed.

“They’re still babies, too. Yes, they’re still babies," he replied before adding, "I will work with our speaker of the legislature to have a special session and do more to protect preborn babies."

Watch below:

Ricketts replied by labeling his state as a "pro-life satte" before adding, "Those are babies, too. If Roe v. Wade -- a horrible constitutional decision -- gets overturned by the Supreme Court, which we’re hopeful of, here in Nebraska we’ll take further steps to protect those preborn babies."

“Including in the case of rape or incest?” the CNN host pressed.

“They’re still babies, too. Yes, they’re still babies," he replied before adding, "I will work with our speaker of the legislature to have a special session and do more to protect preborn babies."

Watch below:

https://twitter.com/i/status/1525834166335684610