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| "Thanks for voting for me ladies, now hand over the rights to your reproductive organs." |
Welcome to the 114th Congress, everybody. Now please enjoy this sweeping and unconstitutional abortion ban that no one asked for. Arizona Rep. Trent Franks and Tennessee Rep. Marsha Blackburn wasted no time in introducing a measure that would restrict most abortions after 20 weeks, announcing the bill on the very first day of the new session. And South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham has indicated that he’ll introduce a version in the Senate in the coming weeks. The issue, it seems, is a high priority for the GOP.
But if the timing and apparent urgency behind the move strikes you as odd, it’s probably because you would have been hard-pressed to find a voter during the 2014 midterms who would have put such a ban at the top of their list of priorities. In fact, Republicans, responding to this, spent much of the last election cycle artfully dodging questions about reproductive freedom by relying on stock response about a focus on jobs and the economy or pretending to really love over-the-counter birth control. Instead of a response to voter demand, the push to ban abortion at 20 weeks is just the GOP’s latest attempt to pull a fast one on the American public, advancing an agenda that their constituents didn’t sign off on and has nothing to do with the most pressing issues they’re facing.
A few things to put the measure into some greater context. Restrictions on abortion at 20 weeks are a very specific animal. While polls show that some voters view them as moderate, such laws ban the procedure pre-viability, in direct violation of Roe v. Wade. Lawmakers like Franks know this. It’s kind of the whole point. Abortions after 20 weeks only account for 1.5 percent of abortions performed each year. But the idea isn’t just to prevent those women from accessing necessary care, it’s to open Roe up to scrutiny in hopes of getting it back before the Supreme Court. That’s an extreme agenda, and one that a majority of Americans don’t support.
Just in case anybody forgot what the REAL Republican agenda was, it is to control what women do with their bodies.
Create new jobs? Repair American infrastructure? Work on improving education?
None of that is really as important as turning women into breeding stock.
Let me just take a moment to once again thank all of you who stayed home from the polls on November. You really fucked us.
Do these U.S. Congressmen and women truly think they'll secure votes from women in 2016? It seem like these Republicans are doing nothing more than hurting themselves due to being (on record): anti women, racists as to black, brown and Asians, some are KKK members, anti voting rights for minorities, anti the middle class and pro lowering taxes for the top 1% wealthy folks!
ReplyDeleteWe are one fucked up nation! I say thank you every day that I voted for President Obama both times and that he is at the helm of our country with his veto pens ready!
These Republican men and women serving in the U.S. Congress, state legislatures and running our states and cities make me want to puke!
Pay attention for whom you vote next election cycle! And, get involved with getting folks out to vote that think the opposite of Republicans!
Republican politicians to not serve the people, they serve themselves.
DeleteThe above two comments are correct!
DeleteYes. Yes they do.
DeleteBecause there are enough women dominated by their husbands to vote the way they are ordered and enough women who are just plain stupid enough to vote Republican even though it is clearly against their own best interest and that of their daughters. They'll vote the Republican line, no matter what.
No kidding. Thanks a bunch. The next two years are going to be awful.
ReplyDeleteMaybe from MD
Here's the problem, Gryphen. I've read that Democrats received 20 million more votes last November than did Republicans, but it's not an even playing field.
ReplyDeleteWe all voted here in November, but we're in the most solidly blue state in the Union. Our votes really didn't count.
I don't know what the answer is, except to double down on energizing all the non-voters to come out in 2016, no matter how red their state. They can make a difference.
I vote by sending money to the candidates who are battling the GOP in districts where they need help. Not my vote, but my dollars.
The poor voter turnout in 2010 really hurt in those places whose state governments turned from blue to red. They were able to use the census to gerrymander voting districts, thereby affecting elections for the next decade.
DeleteAdd the voter suppression legislation that the right has been able to pass in the past few years, and 2010 did a lot more damage than a single election.
Nate Silver couldn't explain where 4% of the Democratic votes went in this last election. Do you think maybe the Republicans stole the election, especially in the Senate? Nah, they wouldn't do that would they?
DeleteWhy the hell do you think Karl Rove was so sure Romney was going to win in 2012 that he went apoplectic on Fox the night of the election? He just about pulled it off just like he did in 2004 in Ohio, he and the Ohio Secretary of State, Ken Blackwell, that is. Don't believe me? Google it. The votes that were cast in Ohio were sent to Tennessee to be "processed". The guy that was in on it was ready to testify about the whole thing when *POOF* the small plane he was flying in to DC went down and he was killed. hmmm. Wonder what happened? Oh, those Republicans will steal the '16 election by hook or crook, bet on it. If it's close, 2-3%, the votes will be flipped. I vote on a machine and I get NO receipt that my vote was counted. I'm just supposed to trust that the machine counted it the way I voted it. AND I work at the polls! My state is Republican and my county is Republican. It's quite depressing really.
Perfect world, I would be against abortions. But, why do a group of people who impose their religious rhetoric on us, while doing very little to foster, protect or adopt the already children here. Yet, they continue to reduce the funding for child development, child care and food stamps. Their idea of a perfect Christian society would be of masses of children born from rape, incest, from mothers who lives were sacrificed to birth them, mothers who didn't want them, teen moms, and families living in destitution. AND- they better hope Jesus will provide for them, cause Christians and Uncle Sam won't!
ReplyDeleteDon't forget about lots and lots of SHAME in that perfect Christian society.
DeleteShame on those hussies who dare to have sex, even if they're married! Don't want to keep popping out babies every year? Keep those legs closed!
Shame on those babies who have the nerve to need food and shelter and someone to take care of them 24 hours a day! Always looking for free handouts and clean diapers, the little beggars. Let them fend for themselves...it builds character!
Shame on those children who think they deserve an education, clothing, and a safe place to live! Make them work for those school lunches...there are plenty of toilets to be scrubbed. Just ask Newt Gingrich!
Shame on those liberated feminazis who go out and steal jobs that really belong to the menfolk! Put them back in the kitchen and take their shoes while you're at it! And they even have the nerve to want time off to have their babies! Squatting in a field was good enough for their ancestors, so it should be good enough for them. And then get right back to making that dinner and cleaning that house for your hardworking hubby!
And when all else fails and the passel of kiddies you birthed after having that dirty, dirty sex want food that you can't pay for? You'd better hope the local church takes pity on your ragged little brood and hands over a can or two of soup and a loaf of stale bread.
'Cause we all know that Jeebus would want your kids to be dirty, cold, and hungry.
I think I will create a religion where I encourage poverty...I will use catchy phrases like blessed are the poor, because they will get theirs when they die...
DeleteWell we'll just have to get used to it. The anti abortion folks are out in full force passing misinformation and photos of feti in garbage buckets, handing out caucasian made in china fetus key chains to those who "donate" or "pledge",comparing it to the Holocaust. My sister called me, and her public school in new joisey had to call the cops, on a day when all that crap is going on in France. Parents actually took their kids out of school, and I don't blame them at all.
DeleteBut, GOD FORBID, she teaches about barrier methods to middle school kids, and she's out of a job.
It's crazy to even be talking about abortion in the 21st century. How frickin' easy is it not to get pregnant if you don't wanna kid. Every fertile woman that doesn't want a kid should be armed with a concealed condom for her own protection.
ReplyDeleteorlin sellers
12:37 Are you so naive that you believe that condoms are 100% effective? Why can't men keep their dicks in their pants? You see, it takes SPERM and an egg to make a baby. Why can't men stop impregnating women?
DeleteTrue. And, as long as women continue to come equipped with wombs, we should take an aggressive approach to avoiding unwanted pregnancies.
Deleteyep, every 12 year old girl should be able to get raped baby free.
DeleteYour comprehension of the mechanics of female condoms is poor. Do some research before blurting stupidity. Google is your friend.
Delete12:37
DeleteAs an older woman, I get frustrated when I hear others complain about what is a biological issue. The only way a woman can have complete control of her body is to take complete responsibility for her body. You are arguing a philosophical question, that is about as pointless as "that's not fair". If I was of reproductive age and chose to be sexually active, the only person I would entrust my ovaries to is me. My husband supported the family we created, but ultimately, it was my body that took the wear & tear and believe me, I labored alone-even though he was at my side.
All women have to do is use birth control. I did for years and never got pregnant because I didn't have a desire to birth and raise kids.
DeleteIt was easy! Took a pill every morning! It's called a 'birth control' pill. And, they were cheap to secure!
I obtained mine from across the border all those years ago and they really were cheap! Plus, I didn't have to have a prescription from a doctor for them! \
I'm sure they are still accessible today in the same manner. Check with your friends from those southern states (CA mainly) and have them get them when they go across the border. They work ladies, if taken correctly!
Orlin, I must counter your condom argument with the fact that we have diaphragms, IUD's, implants and oral contraceptives as well as condoms, both male and female versions, but accidents still do happen, even the best contraceptive, IUD's and implants are only effective 98.9% of the time. First there is Plan B if you realize right away that your contraceptive failed this drug will prevent implantation of a fertilized egg. Then there is abortion, and most women exercise that right after their first missed period, early in the first trimester, when the zygote is but a bundle of cells that is easily removed through a DNC, however there are other reasons for later term abortions, genetic irregularities or pregnancy compromising the health and life of the mother. Not all abortions are because of failed birth control, quite a few are but others, due to mental/physical abnormalities in the fetus, must be performed at a later stage in pregnancy. Not every woman wants a genetically compromised baby, and if she was forced to have it would end up either discarded or put up for an adoption that would most likely never happen.
DeleteAbortion needs to remain safe, and legal and not regulated by any authority except for the woman choosing to discard the fetus in a medically safe manner for any reason she sees fit. My parasite, my choice, period.
To be fair, orlin said women, not girls.
DeleteAnon @1:25,
DeleteCurious, where do you stand on sex-selection abortion?
orlin sellers
Completely against it. My comment regarding girls was in response to 1:10.
DeleteThere is nothing the US congress can do to prevent women going to Canada or overseas to have an abortion.
Delete@ 1:21 Are you an idiot? How do you know what is in those pills? They could be aspirin for all you know.
Delete@ 2:42 Providing they can afford it !!!
Abortions after 20 weeks aren't about birth control or lack of it. The vast majority are married women who are desperate for a child. It is an agonizing decision brought about by our advanced medical resources that can identify birth defects and genetic disorders so severe that a child either won't survive to term or will die shortly thereafter. This early detection allows for the pregnancy to be ended early rather than subject the Mother to months of torture knowing her baby is dead or will be very soon. Carrying a doomed baby for 6 months is something only the Puritanical Rapid Right would force on a woman. Because women should be punished for having sex, even if they are married.
DeleteIf you read some of the accounts by these women it is heartbreaking. And they do it for love because they don't want their babies to have any pain even if it is for a few minutes or hours of life.
Apparently a lot of old rich white men think these women are incapable of making such a decision so they take it upon themselves to make those decisions for them because, apparently old rich white men know so much about pregnancy, so much more than the mothers themselves.
Don't have a lonk but there's a female doctor who has moved her practice offshore on a boat so she can legally perform abortions - love it!
ReplyDeleteBryphen: - Off topic: Alaskan 4th graders make a video showing the effects of climate change - it's brilliant!
http://350.org/4th-graders-made-a-clever-video-about-their-not-so-white-christmas-but-it-ended-up-being-something-much-more-powerful/
-Oz
So, ladies, you say you want a raise? How should you go about getting it?
ReplyDeletehttp://is.gd/eOwZos
The Supreme Court has ruled that what goes on in a bedroom is private; that women have the right to birth control; and that abortions are legal up to 24 weeks.
ReplyDeleteThese are decisions that have become part of the fabric of our legal system.
As a woman, I don't know if I could bring myself to have an abortion. But I can't, and won't, tell another woman what to do.
And all women should tell these nasty strangers -- these men -- to mind their own business and pass legislation that mandates that all men use condoms all the time unless they're trying to procreate. If they don't, send 'em to the lock-up, and make them pay child support for 18 years.
For American women with the cash and free time, there are no restrictions on abortions. Canada and overseas hospitals/clinics over safe, inexpensive, private abortions.
DeleteMany American women already go outside the United States for abortions already, just to insure their medical records can not be searched.
There is nothing the US congress or the states can do about abortions, except for low-income women. Politicians and church leaders can rant all they want. They can NOT control abortions.
Forget child support. How about a fine every time they don't use a condom?
DeleteOh, and how about we outlaw Viagra unless it is for the sole purpose of procreation? Yeah, I'll bet that would go over real big.
Well, when you've got males that are thinking this way...
ReplyDeleteStudy: Nearly 1/3 Of US College Men Say They Would Rape If There Were No Consequences
Close to 1-in-3 collegiate males admitted in a recent study they would force a woman to sexual intercourse, but many would not consider that rape, Newsweek reports.
The survey found 31.7 percent of men said they would act on "intentions to force a woman to sexual intercourse" if they could get away with it, but just 13.6 percent said they had "intentions to rape a woman" if there weren't any consequences.
The authors of this study note the difference relies on whether or not they described what constitutes sexual assault, versus whether they simply called it rape. For this study, the researchers defined rape as "intercourse by use of force or threat of force against a victim's wishes."
When combined with what the study's authors described as "callous sexual attitudes," the results suggest a man with a hostile attitude toward women may view "forced intercourse as an achievement," and a woman saying "no" could be "perceived as a token resistance consistent with stereotypical gender norms."
The study, "Denying Rape but Endorsing Forceful Intercourse: Exploring Differences Among Responders," was published in the peer-reviewed journal Violence and Gender in December. University of North Dakota psychology professor Sarah R. Edwards was the lead researcher.
The team surveyed 86 male college students, most of whom were juniors and Caucasian, at one university. In addition to asking them about forced sexual intercourse and rape, the participants were quizzed on various items to determine whether they held hostile attitudes towards females. The researchers concede their sample size was small, and hope to expand on it, but Edwards told Newsweek, "the No. 1 point is there are people that will say they would force a woman to have sex but would deny they would rape a woman."
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/01/09/college-men-commit-rape-study_n_6445510.html
i and my family voted, dem of course.
ReplyDeleteThey are attacking the epa already too. Some dufus from utah wrote and passed a bill in the house that bans scientist experts who have written papers on the environment from advising the epa on areas of concern.
Obama says he'll veto it if it passes the senate.
I hope he makes a big deal and explains every veto he makes. These repubs need some sense knocked into them!
I am so angry this President who could take this country so far into the future and lead the world in environmental preservation, women's rights, etc is only going to be able to put out Republican- started fires that otherwise would put us back 300 years.
DeleteMildred
Yes, I just read about that. More details below, but here's what it comes down to:
DeleteThe EPA depends heavily on SCIENCE data and research from people that are EXPERTS in their fields, such as climate, environment, biology, marine research, botany, chemistry, geology, etc.
Naturally, the evangelicals, Teaparty, and the Mormon idiot leading the committee want to ban those experts from submitting documents to the EPA for what new policy should be.
So, in other words, if you are on the EPA board, and you are a PhD in Biology, you can only advise on such things as the budget or bowling, or tennis.
Imagine if you were to bring your car to the garage for repairs, and the owner says, "our new policy is that we ask the local pharmacists and hairdressers to advise us on how to fix your car"
This Bastard Mormon Chris Stewart (R-UT) wants to gut the EPA, and render it useless, of course, because the KOCH brother billionaires and the fundagelicals hate it.
News article:
http://aattp.org/outrageous-house-gop-bans-epa-from-seeking-expert-scientific-advice/
Among a few other quietly nefarious measures the House has passed since being sworn in was this: H.R. 1422, the Science Advisory Board Reform Act. Sponsored by former Mormon missionary , naturally), this act would effectively lobotomize the EPA’s frontal lobe by keeping the people who know what they’re talking about and have published papers on it from sitting on the SAB.
It states in par that:
“Board members may not participate in advisory activities that directly or indirectly involve review or evaluation of their own work.”
This, along with banning all abortions, pushing KOCH brother projects, denying health care to millions on the ACA, killingSocial Security Disability, and
giving new massive tax breaks to the billionaires are among the first things the new Repub Congress is up to.
What can you expect from the Christian Taliban who are on their own religious jihad to take revenge against President Obama, and push their religious agenda on the rest of us unsaved trash.
http://talkingpointsmemo.com/dc/social-security-di-house-rules-change
http://www.politicususa.com/2015/01/08/house-republicans-pass-bill-health-insurance-1-million-workers.html
http://aattp.org/emboldened-by-their-senate-majority-republicans-introduce-new-round-of-extreme-anti-choice-laws/
Mildred,
DeleteI often wonder what President Obama could have accomplished in his eight years, had he been handed an economy reslembing the one GW received from Clinton? What if we weren't entrenched in wars and didn't have the banking & housing market crashing? Now this congress & senate. We will never know what his true legacy would have been. But, thank goodness we have had a man of his intelligence and restraint at the helm.
Obama had a majority in congress his first two years and he squandered that opportunity trying to make nice with the right. This is what he gets.
DeleteAll I can say is he better wield that veto pen. No more wishy washy compromises or caving in. That means Keystone better get killed as soon as it hits his desk.
I so agree that many people who could have voted did not vote. And when I hear someone complain, I always ask them, did you vote? I refuse to hear complaining from those who could not take one hour out of their day to vote.
ReplyDeleteThat being said, this bill doesn't stand a chance of passing the Senate, but it will probably pass the House. But yes, the R's are breaking their promises (we all knew they would) of what would be their priorities. And this is just the first week.
I vote so I can complain.
DeleteYeah the priorities are whack
ReplyDelete😔😔😔
Why do we have to have low turnout for every midterm election? Suck.
Though maybe this will help make people think more in terms of their own actions.
I was just reading a lot of memes where late 20 something's were discussing how when we're teens all we want is to be independent and adult. That is the time to make mistakes because we are still under someone else's roof.
Fast forward to 28 when most have kids. Alllll we want in life is for our kids to enjoy being young as long as possible but it's always the same. Teens want to grow up and rebel to grow as people. It's just funny. Rebellion is good yes.
Then there's people at all ages feeling pressured to have kids because everyone is.
In reality I doubt most people would have kids if others didn't matter
Maybe not. I have my first at 21 and don't regret it. My best friend and I are now 37 and she has no kids and doesn't regret it.
The society killer is when people hve kids out of pressure to keep up and lie half ass fr the next 18 years
I'm 48 and made a conscious decision not to have children, so did my brother. We were raised in the most supportive and indulgent environment possible by the best parents in the world, but neither of us, nor our partners were interested in having kids. We are happy with our decision, my parents are happy with our decisions. We've always traveled together at least once or twice a year, the whole family and we enjoy each other's company. I used to feel guilty about my folks not having any grandkids but it's given them a freedom as well that they wouldn't have had if they had to use their travel time to visit grandkids instead of doing what they want. Children aren't for everyone, some of us are a little too selfish to spend the required time to raise them correctly, it's a choice and for my family it was the right one.
Delete1:30 I’m hoping my kids do the same. They had splendid childhoods, the best educations we could afford and I’m so proud to see what engaged and actively involved in their community people they have become. Neither shows interest in childrearing and we don’t bug them to do so.
DeleteConsidering the state of the world, I hope that my two without stay that way. My oldest has given us 2 grandkids and I worry what their world will be.
DeleteIsn't that a Heil Hitler stance?
ReplyDeleteIs that a harelip? Not that there's anything wrong with a harelip.
DeleteEmboldened By Their Senate Majority, Republicans Introduce New Round of Extreme Anti-Choice Laws
ReplyDeletehttp://aattp.org/emboldened-by-their-senate-majority-republicans-introduce-new-round-of-extreme-anti-choice-laws/
UGH. That means his miserable wife will be front and center again...yuck.
ReplyDeleteIt's Happening: Mitt Romney Considering Another Run For President
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/01/09/mitt-romney-2016_n_6446064.html
Mitt Romney would be horrible as POTUS and his wife would be one nasty, uppity first lady (and I use that term loosely for her!).
DeleteIt's going to be interesting to see which Republican candidate they pick out of ALL the ones that want to have a shot at the primary!
Romney has already lost twice! Hasn't he learned his lesson?
Go Hillary Clinton! You could out debate Romney in a heartbeat! And, I think she'd beat the hell out of him by the voters across the nation.
The majority of women throughout the country would love to see a 'woman' POTUS! Hillary is the most qualified out there for the position!
Mitt Romney will never win!
Yeah! Let the GOP Civil War begin!
DeleteTheir behavior after the last failed campaign will haunt them. Ann Romney’s interior car elevator garage alone is enough to make people roll their eyes!
DeleteLet the clown car be filled with all the Republican retreads. No new candidates. No new ideas. See how many rights can be trampled on. At the rate of all the "accidental shootings" maybe all the Republican constituency will be dead by 2016?
DeleteMitt's running? Wow, opposition research will be a cinch. I wonder if he's running as a conservative this time? I wonder if Queen Ann got a new wardrobe yet? And are Tagg's eyes still psycho cray cray?
DeleteIt would be awesome if the unintended consequences of this will be that more and more women will start having sex with each other and leaving the men to fend for themselves.
ReplyDeleteEspecially if the women are the mistresses of some of those congressmen who are attempting to control our bodies.
Great Strides for Women's Health Under the Affordable Care Act
ReplyDeletePresident Obama has said repeatedly that "when women succeed, America succeeds." And over the past year, millions of women have gained the security of knowing that their professional, academic, financial, and personal dreams will not be put in jeopardy if they face a health challenge. Today, the Department of Health and Human Services ("HHS") released a report detailing the important strides we have made in women's health as a result of the implementation of the Affordable Care Act ("ACA").
Up until last year, insurance companies could -- and often did -- charge women different premiums than men for the same coverage. As of January 1, 2014, the ACA prohibits this gender discrimination. In part because of improved options and affordability, today's report outlines a significant 5.5 percentage point decline in the uninsured rate among women between the ages of 18 and 64 since 2013. And as more and more women take advantage of the Open Enrollment period that ends February 15, 2015, and sign up for affordable private health insurance, that number will continue to drop.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/valerie-jarrett/great-strides-for-womens_b_6444316.html
They won't stop at stopping abortions.
ReplyDeleteSooner or later, they'll decide when an abortion is necessary, and they'll legislate that.
Gov. Bob McDonnell (now in prison) wanted pregnant women to have invasive vaginal scans before they could have an abortion. I've had one -- they're painful, embarrassing, and scary. And that's just when I had to have a medically necessary one. Tell a teenager to lie back in a darkened room while a male doctor sticks a large instrument into her -- because the Governor told him to.
They will not stop until they control every aspect of a woman's life. Maybe they'll decide what kinds of birth control are legal. Allow pharmacists to deny any birth control because of their beliefs. Etc. Take it to the end of what's reasonable, and you're back in the early 20th century, with back alley abortions, huge poor families, alcoholism, abandonment. Ozzie and Harriet!
I suggest young women consider moving to another country that is less of a poli-theocracy. Enough of the politics, enough of the disrespect for women’s issues and enough of white male entitlement.
ReplyDeleteTrent Franks is the product of a botched back alley abortion
ReplyDeleteWhat a cute couple, hair lipped mutant Trent Franks and cheap white trash Marsha Blackburn. They can both shove their hipocritical Christain bullshit ideals right up each other's asshole. I can feel my blood pressure rising, the fuckos.
ReplyDeleteCan anyone explain why the previous legal bans on abortions at 24 weeks were so awful they needed federal legislation to curtail them? Why does it need to be lowered to 20 weeks?
ReplyDeleteMarvinM
Camel's nose. So they can shorten and shorten the legal time you can get an abortion. Then the doctors can delay due to their religious conviction or something until it's past the deadline and you're out of luck.
DeleteDelaying tactic until you're past the legal limit.
Yet another reason why I'm glad I did not bring another human into this fucked up world. I fear for your daughter, G. Lesbian or not, her body and her decisions are no longer her own. And that just sucks. Just.Sucks.
ReplyDeleteAgain, would the Republicans please explain how they different from those" bad" Islamic fundamentalist?
ReplyDeleteThese Republicans take the fun and mental away, can we just call them "da";s?
DeleteYep, those dems who sat this one out, screw you all, and not in a good way. I'm sick of years of hard work going down the drain out of laziness. No one tells my daughters or son what to do with their own bodies and no one gets between their doctors and their decisions, right Sarah? CBJ?
ReplyDeleteThe SCOTUS is what worries me.
And you can lay the blame for SCOTUS and activist judge Roberts all at George "The goat" Bush. Helluva legacy.
DeleteBoy, I'll bet they were falling all over themselves with the giggles, trying to decide what to destroy first; ObamaCare, Pass Keystone to destroy our water table, Social Security, Taxes on the wealthy and corporations, but I guess Roe v Wade won.
ReplyDeleteIt's going to be a very long two years before we can get rid of these Bozos.