TEXAS FUCKING RULES

 

Here are my thoughts on Wendy Davis, in full, in total:

This is not about Abortion anymore.

This is about a government respecting its own goddamned rules.

Oh, I absolutely fucking agree that the abortion bill should have been shot on sight. I AM PRO-LIFE, but voting pro-choice is the only morally correct decision I can make. I DO NOT HAVE THE RIGHT TO MAKE SOMEONE ELSE'S MORAL CHOICES. Okay? Okay.

But this is what happened in the TX Senate tonight:

WENDY DAVIS PLAYED FAIR, AND WAS TOLD THAT TALKING ABOUT ROE V. WADE IN A MOTHERFUCKING ABORTION DEBATE WAS GETTING OFF TOPIC.

SENATOR WATSON PLAYED FAIR. He played "Who's on first" with the entire floor, but he was within the law. EVENTUALLY HE GOT SHOUTED DOWN.

AT ELEVEN FORTY-FIVE SENATOR LETICIA VAN DE PUTTE DID THIS:



AND YOU SEE THAT PAUSE AFTER SHE IS DONE SPEAKING? YOU SEE THAT PAUSE? THAT PAUSE IS THERE BECAUSE AFTER SHE SAID "COLLEAGUES" THE CROWD WENT FUCKING WILD.

EVEN BETTER: THE LEGAL PHRASING IMMEDIATELY BEFORE THIS QUESTION MEANT THAT SHE HAD TO BE HEARD, AND THAT THIS QUESTION HAD TO BE ANSWERED.

IT WAS NOT. 

THE GALLERY, THE PEOPLE INSIDE THE FUCKING LEGISLATURE SESSION, SCREAMED.



FOR TWENTY MINUTES. NON-STOP.

THEY CHEERED. THEY CHANTED WENDY'S NAME. THEY JUST PLAIN FUCKING SHOUTED FOR TWENTY GODDAMN MINUTES. 

THEY MADE IT IMPOSSIBLE FOR THE TEXAS SENATE TO TAKE A VOTE.

AT ELEVEN FIFTY-NINE THE CHICKEN-SHIT IN CHARGE MUMBLED SOMETHING THAT SOUNDED MAYBE LIKE A VOTE COUNT INTO THE MICROPHONE AND TRIED TO MAKE IT SOUND LIKE THE BILL HAD PASSED.

AT TWELVE OH-ONE THEY TOOK ANOTHER ROLL CALL AND ANOTHER VOTE. AND THEY TURNED THE FUCKING SOUND OFF THE LIVE STREAM TO DO IT SO THAT NO ONE KNEW IF THE VOTE HAD PASSED. BECAUSE THEY KNEW GODDAMN FUCKING WELL THAT 180,000 PEOPLE WERE WATCHING.

AT TWELVE TWENTY THE ONLINE RECORDS SHOWED THE BILL WAS MARKED AS PASSED ON 6/26.

A FEW MINUTES LATER IT WAS MARKED AS PASSED ON 6/25.

BECAUSE A VOTE AFTER MIDNIGHT IS AN ILLEGAL VOTE AND THEY FUCKING KNEW IT.

Tonight, my state did not fucking fail. Tonight, my state stood the fuck up and showed what their opinion was. They showed that they value women's rights. They showed that they valued the rights of women to control their bodies, and that they value the right of women to speak and be heard. They showed that they truly do respect and honor the rules and regulations of this government, and that they accept these rules and act within them on good faith.

THE TEXAS SENATE PROVED THAT THEY DO NOT. 

But I want you to go back up and re-read those gifs. This was the shot heard 'round the state. This one moment changed my political views, and the bullshit that followed put the nails in the coffin. And if it can change my mind, it can change a lot of other people's minds, too.

I do not know what my opinion is now, but I do know that I will not and cannot support a system that will demand a political opponant speak for thirteen hours without support, food, water, or a bathroom break, and then use any bullshit loophole they think they can grab to undo the monumental thing she accomplished. Wendy Davis primed the gun, Leticia Van De Putte fired it, and the rest of Texas is now understanding what that sound meant.

THE TEXAS SENATE HAS JUST PROVEN THAT IT DOES NOT RESPECT ITS OWN RULES. 

THE TEXAS SENATE HAS JUST PROVEN THAT IT CANNOT BE TRUSTED.  

THE TEXAS SENATE HAS JUST PROVEN THAT ITS VOICE, WITH A FEW EXCEPTIONS, IS COMPLETELY OBSOLETE.

THE STATE OF TEXAS HAS JUST DONE SOMETHING AMAZING, AND IT WILL CONTINUE TO DO SO.

THE STATE OF TEXAS LOST THE BATTLE TONIGHT. IT JUST ENTERED THE FUCKING WAR.

There's my rambly thought. Now I am going to bed.

EDIT: According to Twitter, several dozen screen shots and many other people, the bill is now DOA. So unless and until something changes while I sleep, WENDY FUCKING WON.

THIS IS MY STATE. THESE ARE MY PEOPLE. WE. ARE. AWESOME.