Why don’t we treat every young man who wants to buy a gun like every woman who wants to get an abortion: mandatory 48-hour waiting period, parental permission, a note from his doctor that he understands what he is about to do, a video he has to watch about the effects of gun violence. Let's close down all but one gun shop in every state and make him travel hundreds of miles, take time off work, and stay overnight in a strange town to get a gun. Make him walk through a mob of protesters holding photos of loved ones who were shot to death, people who call him a murderer and beg him not to buy a gun.

/Not my words originally... don't remember where I saw it first though.

goodness sakes, Urg that brilliant
re-framing oughtta be re-shouted
from the Rooftops at Least
till Doomsday

no reason Repubs getta
Make ALL the Rules
look at this fucking
MESS we're in.

wrong olde guy &
either Women have
Agency or they Don't

shall we Ask them?

This is off topic for the evening SLOG but I didn't have a chance to comment earlier today and I wanted to get this out there. With the mayoral campaign starting to heat up this week I'd like to issue a challenge to the Stranger writers to reflect on their current coverage of Bruce Harrell and ask if they are perpetuating the very racism they do not hesitatte to call out in others.

To wit, this week there were 3 articles published on the mayoral campaign. Two on Bruce and one on Jess Farrell. In the Jess article we learned that Jess has a "track record of some hard-won accomplishments in the Legislature, a reputation as a smart negotiator and "an amazing strategist". The profile bordered on a campaign ad and followed similar glowing reviews of Lorena Gonzales and Brianna Thomas.

In the two articles on Bruce he is accused of being pro-business (we all know what a sin that is in Seattle), it is insinuated he really lives in Bellevue, he is described as waffling and is thrown under the bus for not moving to dismiss Ed Murray quickly enough. That last point is especially ironic considering this very publication printed an op-ed for then Mayor Murray and did their damndest to paint his accusers as homophobic. The other article on Bruce uses an obscenity as a way of delegitimizing some of his policy positions and then proceeds to allow his opponents to make fun of him without offering any viable positions of their own. In fact its even noted in Jess Farrell's write up she has offered no means of paying for any of her proposals and in the write up on Lorena Gonzales from Feb 3rd she is not accused of waffling even though she has failed to follow through on her commitment to defund the police by 50%. Yet the African American man is called out on every perceived deficiency real and imagined.

Over the last year we have been asked time and time again to center BIPOC voices and hear their experience. Yet the so called "progressive" publication in town is dismissing a very qualified, successful BIPOC candidate with character assassinations and dismissive undertones that reek of white privilege. I can almost guarantee that if the Seattle Time had printed similarly dismissive profiles of Nikkita Oliver the Stranger would be falling over themself to decry the racist undertones.

It's early in the campaign so it's not too late to change this narrative and actually walk the talk. Bruce will no doubt be a strong contender and in my opinion will make it through to the general with a moderate-left coalition. I can only hope the Strangers coverage of his campaign embraces the mantra of Black LIves Matter that they have professed to advance and not Black Lives Matter but only if we agree with you.

6, "They can't speak for themselves. A conflict of basic rights."

They cant speak for themselves because they dont exist yet. A fetus is not a person. There is no right to be born.

"I think that we should err on the side of life."

You understand that includes more than birthing a fetus correct? Erring on the side of life means providing proper economic safety nets for people, expanding access to physical and mental healthcare, ensuring basic food and living needs are met, preventing mass shootings, taking better care of the planet, etc.

The people who claim to be pro life stop giving a shit as soon as a child is born. It has nothing to do with life and everything to do with trying to control women.

yet another Bingo
Brent Gumbo.

Must really chafe Putin's ass that his asset turned out to be such a loser after decades of grooming him.

@10: A child of God is conceived at the moment of conception, fully human and destined to be born. Nevertheless the woman has the prerogative to abort.

God bless.

10, a fetus can be of the human type. A fetus cannot be a person. The consensus in the medical community seems to be up to 24 weeks for abortions, longer in issues of health complications. This seems reasonable to me, but it is not my place to say.

@5: "either Women have
Agency or they Don't"

Unless we're talking about sex work. Then a prosecutor in Washington can require her to only offer her body for free.

FFS why do men always want to argue about fetuses.

When and only when a baby can live outside of the womb ON IT'S OWN, WITH NO MEDICAL INTERVENTION WHATSOEVER is it a human being. Period. There are literally as many miscarriages in this world as abortions. That's nature's way of expelling non-viable fetuses. You know what else is? Ectopic pregnancies. Stillborn babies. Babies who die days after being born. Children who die of SIDS.

Men don't give a shit about fetuses. they care about controlling women.

Men don't care about children or women.

Look up how many men abandon their children, never pay any support, never see their children, and/or abandon the women they get pregnant every year, women left to bear the burden of raising those children by themselves, because men can't be bothered to give a fuck, and then society vilifies single mothers.

Look up how many women and children (especially girls) are murdered by men every year.

Look up how many women and children (especially girls) are raped by men every year.

Look up how many women and children are beaten, shot, or otherwise physically harmed by men every year.

Etc.

Etc.

Etc.

@6 oldwhitemalechauvinistpig: Neither you, nor any other man has "rights" over my body, or any other woman's. Stick your "err on the side of life" up your sorry trolling incel ass.

@11 xina: personally, I'm amazed that Vladimir Putin, after all his years of grooming Trumpty Dumpty to be his one biggest asset DIDN'T realize that he was dealing with such an ASS instead.

@8 Brent Gumbo and @16 xina for the WIN!! Agreed, seconded, and keep on rocking the HOUSE, both of you! :)

Speaking of corrupt-as-fuck ASSES, we have GOT to oust Thug Ericksen, RepubliKKKan---Cambodia, from the Washington State Senate! I propose we catapult the POS one way permanently to Cambodia, as long as that is allegedly the "district" where he "represents" his "constituents". He couldn't care LESS about the 42nd District, much less anybody in Ferndale. Luckily, voters are getting wise to his fossil fuel coddling bullshit, lies, and corruption.

A New Report Adds Evidence That Trump Was a Russian Asset
He helped Putin manipulate the U.S. election in 2020, as he did in 2016.

https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2021/03/trump-russian-asset-election-intelligence-community-report.html

@4 &@10 oldwhitemalechauvinistpig: Nope, nope, nope. You still don't get it. Methinks that's most likely Reason #1 why you're not getting any, either.

@17 FTW

@17 Professor_Hiztory: Holy SHIT how did I miss your spot on comment?? Agreed with xina: I nominate you in a three way tie for the WIN with Brent Gumbo and xina. Kudos! Well said and summarized. :)

@21 xina: That's so fucked up. At least one takeaway is Trumpty Dumpty's highly anticipated re-rigged election campaign presser in what he thought was to be held in the Four Seasons Hotel Ballroom in Philadelphia. Instead, Trumpty Dumpty's right hand stooge, Rudy Guiliani had booked the Four Seasons Landscaping crematorium parking lot next door to a porno shop. I'm still savoring your brilliant link.

@6, 10, 15,

Perhaps a fetus is a human life, but I'd argue... who cares? The people in power who are very vocal about how fetuses are humans, or babies, or have souls, or whatever... those people do not value human life, they value power. If a fetus were a god whose destruction would give them power, they'd destroy that god for their own personal gain. Do you disagree? So who cares what fetuses are? Am I wrong? So fuck fetuses. Right?

The argument about souls is irrelevant. Why? Because nobody cares. The religious folks don't, they care about their own welfare, absent any gods.

Nobody cares.

God is dead.

@24: God had no beginning, nor has an ending. Hence, impossible for God to die.

@25

For once you are correct.

Fictional characters cannot die.

Good for Biden 1) criticizing Putin publicly; 2) supporting a reasonable path to citizenship; and 3) offering to share some of our vaccine surplus with other countries. And @7, I agree that The Stranger's coverage of Bruce Harrell has been very one-sidedly negative. Thoughtfully criticizing Harrell is one thing, but The Stranger's coverage has been a mean-spirited hatchet job--as in, he's perceived as pro-business and therefore must be depicted as evil and incompetent. I haven't decided whether or not I'll support him, but he deserves more respectful coverage than The Stranger's usual negativity for anyone deemed too conservative.

@27: Fiction vs. reality is a mortal construct and can't be used to disprove the existence of deities.

@17 said it well.

Might I also add that if you believe the state should be able to force women to carry fetuses to term to "save a life" it follows that the state should also be able to force people to donate organs or blood to save lives.

Think of all of the already-existing people waiting for kidneys who would be saved if only the rest of us signed up to be living donors. Donating one kidney is safer that being pregnant and giving birth as well.

You're probably horrified by the idea of forced organ donation. Well, you should be horrified by forced birthing too.

@10: "When does a fetus become human?" When it's born. Until then, it's none of your fucking business, nor anyone else's, except for its mother.

@34,

I'd agree with that. They simply lie about their true concerns is all, because they know their true concerns are reprehensible to normal people.

It's kind of like another version of the "Southern strategy." They can't come out and say "women are inferior and should be treated as chattel slaves," even though that's what they believe, so they have to say things like "traditional family" and "pro-life." That stuff's a lot more abstract than "women are the property of men," but that's what it translates to.

If male humans could get pregnant, there would be more abortion clinics than fast-food restaurants...

@36,

Also, if both males and females could get pregnant, abortion would be easy, cheap, and readily available on-demand for males and illegal or nearly illegal for females.

@36: Hopefully not on the same block.

oh god, who doesn't Long for the days
when The Church ran the Show and
EVERY one knew their right and
Proper Place. Life is so much
Simpler when someone is
there to tell you what to
Do and what to Think
or Not think.

The virus won't be over until everyone is vaccinated.

That includes Canada and Mexico, and the superspreaders at the Peace Arch Park.

@34 & @35: Bullshit! It's a Southern deep-fried male chauvinist whacko plot to marginalize all women and girls all because we weren't born with penises and scrotums. Why are men and boys so afraid of women and girls? Is it that we may be just a little bit smarter and rarely make the news about serving time in prison for committing acts of violence and / or murder?

@36 COMTE: Yep. That is what I have said all along. Abortion clinics would then outnumber the fast food restaurants, gas stations, and churches COMBINED. The overwhelming majority of men would be screaming in agony at the idea of experiencing pregnancy themselves let alone labor contractions childbirth and delivery.

@41:

Thrown in some "hey, I don't want to spend good money for the next 18 years on some brat when I could be using it to buy a kegerator, a full-wall 4K ultra HD TV, another jet ski, and a room full of vintage Atari arcade consoles, instead - just get this little monster OUT OF ME, PRONTO!" and I think we've got all the bases covered...

@42 COMTE: Yep. What a blessing that I don't have to worry about that type of scenario anymore since my full bilateral hysterectomy. Praise the 50s!! If I had a crisp C-note for every time when I was between the ages of 18 and 40 that some fool would bug me about why I didn't have any kids yet (as if they'd all pitch in and help me raise them!)---like it was some inexcusable human crime to remain childless by choice---I could afford a mansion on pristine beachfront property with a heated garage for my car, a recording studio, a cat atrium, and an Olympic sized pool.