In a country with about 160 million women, it’s appalling that only three doctors existed willing to provide late term abortions. Almost always, such procedures are necessary to save women’s lives or because the fetus is likely to suffer after birth or to lack any quality of life ex utero. The need is greater than three doctors can possibly provide.

And with yesterday’s assassination, now there’s only two left.

Plenty will opine about this being the fault of every conservative or every person who opposes abortion, though I don’t agree. Most of those people wouldn’t resort to violence, despite their beliefs.

But there are many extremists, some in the media, some in pulpits, who do advocate extreme responses to abortion and they certainly share the blame for this assassination. This comes on the heels of the blatant sexism evident in the recent response to Obama’s nomination of Sonia Sotomayor.

There’s always been sexism but these two events display the exact sort of behavior we should all expect from violence promoting bullies. If they’re thwarted politically, or take a hit professionally, or are outcompeted by another male, they’ll ALWAYS start verbally assaulting women. And too many will take it further, to physical assault.

This assassination is not just a murder of a man, nor an act based on opposition to abortion. This is about hating women, finding ways to control them, harm their health and to take away their rights. And too many push those extreme views, provoking the most hateful or unbalanced to act out.

We do not live in a free and civil society because such extremists are given airtime or column inches or celebrity to spew their anti-womanism. Women are injured and killed far too often because of such extremism. And one third of those providing women a badly needed service are now dead.

I’m tempted to ask those extremists if they feel any shame at these outcomes. But I believe none are because they cover their real motives with the lies about being pro-life and supportive of women. Pay attention; these acts of violence are certain to rise because the extremists have shamelessly declared war on women.

Video here.

That boy took my love away,
He’ll regret it someday,

But this boy wants you back again.

That boy isn’t good for you,
Though he may want you too,

This boy wants you back again.

Oh, and this boy would be happy,
Just to love you, buy oh my, hi, hi, hi,

That boy won’t be happy,
Till he’s seen you cry-hi-hi.

This boy wouldn’t mind the pain,
Would always feel the same,

If this boy gets you back again.
This boy. This boy.

::…Don’t really care what complicated schemes you come up with to pass health care, as long as you Git Er Done….::

[All due appreciation to the guys who are always credited by the guys at Sadly No! for the whole “Shorter” concept, being aware of all internet traditions and such … and that Cable Guy too.]

If you have to dumb things “up” for the peanut brains on the right that still insist tax-cuts are always the answer, just so it looks too weird for the easily bamboozled to understand, so be it.  They know single payer is the only thing that really works, even though it’s too French for their taste. 

Dress it down, mix it up, pull it and squeeze it from five different sides.  Just do some fucking thing and we can all tell you why it won’t work and why single-payer is the only thing that will.  One way or another you got to get rid of the profit motive or by definition, someone is going to get ripped off, which will create some other bunch of fuckers who will become too big too fail through this windfall.