No Words

[clevermanka]

I shall simply direct you to breathofgold's latest post. For those deluded people who think we aren't headed towards the society of The Handmaid's Tale, think again, idiots. We're not just on the way, we're skipping down a wide, paved road.

UPDATE: I just got this from my mom. I quote from her email:
This is an overreation to what was a tragic situation in which a 50+ yr old single man (who had never been married much less a father) of questionable abilities to provide parenting was able to secure the right of fatherhood through a surrogate mother. He paid several thousands of dollars for this "right" and when the twin girls were born premature and the birth mother left without the infants, the hospital staff became alarmed when they realized this full-time employed man was going to take the infants home alone and without any social service intervention. They alerted the state who stepped in to oversee the situation. According to the original newspaper account, the man was not the biological father-he only paid out the money to an agency.

I in no way support such legislation as this, yet, it is unfathomable how people can buy infants when there are laws there prohibit the selling of children. I doubt such a law as this one will be passed but there is a need for some kind of guidelines. It would have been nice if the agency (baby broker) had stringent protocol for accepting clients. But it seems as if the agent that was quoted in the original ariticle only asks, "show me the money."

Comments

[fantomas71.livejournal.com]

And jerking crazily side to side. My uneasy prediction is that a Gilead of some form will eventually emerge--think of the shrieking on the right when they aren't given exactly what they want. We've already heard of a call for all good folks to go to South Carolina. I think it's extraordinarily believable to suggest that voluntary segregation of hardcore christians will occur on state-level scales. And then, Katie bar the door.

[iron-clad.livejournal.com]

Who says the civil was is over? YEE HAW!

[fantomas71.livejournal.com]

That's exactly my drift. I don't think a conventional civil war is possible anymore, with no more real state militias and the federalization of government that followed the first one. But I can easily see a situation emerge where there is direct competition for resources and the direction of the country...worse even than there is now.

[iron-clad.livejournal.com]

I agree. Civil war, no. Complete and utter change in the body politic as we know it, yes.

competition for resources....

[lightonthesill.livejournal.com]

Heard on NPR this morning about a suit with the Salvation Army. It was decided that they becuase they are a religious institution - they *can* discriminate regarding who they hire/fire. Even though a huge proportion of their budget comes from government funding. It's exactly what Bush was aiming for with his "Faith Based Initiative"

Ah ha - found it: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=4945299

Re: competition for resources....

[fantomas71.livejournal.com]

That sucks. The problem is that faith-based organizations are almost the backbone of social services in our country. It would be a shame to not let them help (in many jurisdictions they're the only people who will), but I'm as troubled as anyone by any attempt of theirs to push their stuff on others.

Re: competition for resources....

[lightonthesill.livejournal.com]

Agreed... I really don't have complaints about the *theory* of religious institutions receiving money for social works... AS LONG AS... those Social works are not discrimintory AND who gets funding is not based on "my church is bigger than your church". They often do fill large gaps in our social services.... This just gets stickier and stickier as it progresses....with no real end in sight.

Re: competition for resources....

[fantomas71.livejournal.com]

Oh, I know. But I do agree that Bush's 'faith based inititative' crap is not only a sop to the right, not only a way for rightist religious ideas to get disseminated, but also a way to cut those very same programs--'the churches are going it'. Blecch.

Re: competition for resources....

[clevermanka.livejournal.com]

This doesn't surprise me at all. It's the same line the Boy Scouts used in re: to hiring gay men for troop leaders.

[motherpockets.livejournal.com]

No, bar the state lines! Put up big roadblocks and high walls! Keep 'em all locked up together!

[fantomas71.livejournal.com]

It's an idea!

[adammaker.livejournal.com]

Handmaid's tale Crossed with Gattaca http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0119177/
Uber-creepy.

[saffronhare.livejournal.com]

Add the Sherri Tepper plot twists and we're just about there, sugar.