As Mel Brooks sang in The Producers, "If you got it, flaunt it". The radical right wing of the Republican Party (which these days is most of the Republican Party) did that over and over in two hearings on HR #3 and HR #358, which attack reproductive rights. In their usual way, they were all smarmily singing loudly and from the same page.

What did they flaunt? They revealed how they plan to undo Roe v. Wade. They made it clear what weapon they plan to use and in what arena, which we, the pro-choice movement, have for too long abandoned. All the weapons they need are there, and we left them there for the right to pick up and use to beat us up.

The visible weapons are

THE HYDE AMENDMENT.
LEGISLATION REMOVING FEDERAL FUNDS.

The "hiding in plain sight" weapons are

THE "LET WOMEN DIE" PROVISIONS;
THE ENFORCEMENT MECHANISMS;
LAWSUITS;
INJUNCTIONS STOPPING ANY AND ALL FEDERAL FUNDS TO ANY AND ALL STATES, CITIES PROGRAMS OR AGENCIES.

What are they hiding in plain sight? How they plan to use the enforcement mechanisms in these bills and any future bills to destroy women's reproductive freedom.

They will attempt to first eliminate every women's access to abortion while also beginning their assault on all Americans' access to birth control. Yes indeedy, birth control is now in the crosshairs!! Certainly, that is what the Pence bill defunding Planned Parenthood is all about. Title X funding disburses money for women's health in general - pap smears, mammograms. And yes, that includes birth control or family planning, something that is now bizarrely controversial. Basically, health care for millions and millions of women.

But they do not plan on stopping there. The theory is throw as many bills against the wall as possible, with a lot of similar and dangerous elements. Then watch which elements they attach to which bill as they try through a variety of legislative maneuvers to paint the Senate into a corner, while the President keeps silent. To these extremists Republicans, his present silence means consent. That is certainly how they will propagandize it.

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I am new to Crooks and Liars. Last Friday when Open Left, where I had blogged previously, sadly closed down, John emailed me that very afternoon to ask me to blog here. My answer was that "I would be thrilled," and so I am.

I have had decades of activism and involvement in women's rights women's abortion rights. Abortion rights are absolutely the integral to the ideas and attainment of freedom and equality for women. Without them, they can not be free or equal, or even safe.

This is part 3 of my series on HR #3 which I began at Open Left. Given the rapid onslaught of anti-abortion legislation being produced by the radical Republican right (the only jobs they seem to be producing are for clerks who have to write up the legislation), I will be writing more. Here are the prior two posts in this series.

An Anti Abortion Bill and lots, lots more

HR #3: The Whole Bill is Rape - Not Just the Rape Provision

David Waldman (aka KagroX) wrote an excellent post at Daily Kos last about just how potentially big a net the theory underlying this bill could cast. Very wide, wide enough to get a whale.

It's titled, "H.R. 3 hides even bigger dangers than redefinition of rape". Again I quote him:

" Take the rape provisions out, and you're left with a bill that paves the way for using the tax code to select every American's health care options for them, direct from Washington."

The bill lays the groundwork for the radical right to target every social and economic advance that they don't like. And they don't like much. They are redefining the purpose of the tax code. Taxes are meant to raise money and to apportion fairly the burdens and benefits of government. Taxes have been used to promote innovation like the R&D credit. Or not, like the oil depletion allowance or agricultural subsidies. The tax code has been used to allow religious groups to sustain their mission - to worship and to make the world a better place.

The tax code, as we can see from the church/synagogue/mosque-friendly provisions, have long served social goals as well. But that can now be used to go after social goods.

More after the fold from me and I quote David

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