I apologize for my brief vanishing act. Active world duties need attending.
http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory?id=1715851&page=2
(your going to have to copy and paste the address into your address bar, Im still working on how to create links)
Despite being lead by "the united, not the divider", Americans are just as divided as ever. You could argue that we know this due to what the media stations tell us, but the truth is the polls dont really tell us anything for sure. For example, another "poll' released from the media.
According to this poll, 19 percent of Americans said abortion should be legal in all cases. 16 percent of americans said it should never be legal and 6 percent did not know. When the poll questions were asked differently, 52 percent of the people polled thought abortion should be legal in most or all cases; 43 percent of people said it should be illegal most or all of the time. (ABC News)
What does this poll say? We'll if you are one of those who takes polls at face value and assumes validity and accuracy, well this poll does show that the clear majority of americans support the right to choice. That "clear majority" spell has been a ringtone for the idiots over at FOX news 10 times a day. Just the other day, I noticed on the FOX news product station, a new "FOX poll" stating that 51% of Americans support the port deal (another bag of liver spots). I'll go into this later in another blog, but the point is the right wing loves to tout the numbers...except when the numbers do not agree with them.
If you are, like myself, a person who hold high doubts in private media polls, then the conclusion you'll probably come is that the only thing these polls show is that of the small split portion of the public which these media outlets survey, the majority of these individuals support a womens right to choose. "Then whats your conclusion?" You may be asking?
That it does not matter what portion of the public of the public believes what. When it comes to personal freedoms and individual rights, this country was founded off the principle that the minority has just as much entitlement to freedom that the majority enjoy's, whether or not the majority wishes such freedoms to be entitled to certain to them. this has been the case with everything from ending slavery, to women's sufferage, to votering rights', to homosexuals rights (all of which have been affirmed within the courts and the legislature on the books).
By attacking Roe v Wade so blatantly, SD has set a standard stating whenever the empowered majority of a state does not like a nationally enacted policy which is already established law, the greater good of the nation should be cast aside to advocate whatever wild eyed idea's the empowered class of that state wishes. People should be afriad not just on the principle that Roe v. Wade can be overturned, but the blatant way this state went about it, ANY constitutionally set right and freedom can be challenged and potentially revoked by 'rogue states' such as SD.
A few years ago, Alabama voters voted to officially remove miscentigation laws from their books. The laws were not enforced, but remained within the state codes for 'sentimental reasoning'. 40% of Alabamans voted against this, however. Imagine if the state were to enact another review of the code, and decided to challenge the supreme court ruling stating such laws were illegal and violated equal protection (VA v Loving)? Imagine Brown v Board of education being overturned in a state like Texas or South Carolina, in which school segregation is still problematic and persistent (also which have a substantial population which supports school segregation). Imagine your right to counsel was revoked, or your very right to vote taken away (The Voting Rights act is up for review soon, do you trust the Republicans in power will 'do the right thing' and maintain it, or do the thing which politically benefits them and restrict or outright allow it to die?).
SD is waging war on American freedom in a manner in which Bin Laden could only dream. NOW is the time to stand up and and contribute to the cause of protecting the Freedom which makes our nation great. Not just for our sakes, for our childrens sakes.
