"jesus"

That was the subject line of an email my friend Sarah K sent me... here's what she was talking about.

(I'm taking a page out of Shamus's book and posting a large chunk of the relevant article here, because....well, just because. And, I'm not linking to the article because it's got some kind of automated trackback feature that would cause my blog to pop up on the Washington Post page, which would obviate all that trouble I went to after the baby name catastrophe. I know you can find the article if you want to...the Great God Google is your friend.)

South Dakota lawmakers yesterday approved the nation's most far-reaching ban on abortion, setting the stage for new legal challenges that its supporters say they hope lead to an overturning of Roe v. Wade.

The measure, which passed the state Senate 23 to 12, makes it a felony for doctors to perform any abortion, except to save the life of a pregnant woman. The proposal still must be signed by Gov. Mike Rounds (R), who opposes abortion. [It was signed into law today]

The bill was designed to challenge the Supreme Court's ruling in Roe , which in 1973 recognized a right of women to terminate pregnancies. Its sponsors want to force a reexamination of the ruling by the court, which now includes two justices appointed by President Bush.

"The momentum for a change in the national policy on abortion is going to come in the not-too-distant future," said Rep. Roger W. Hunt, a Republican who sponsored the bill. To his delight, abortion opponents succeeded in defeating all amendments designed to mitigate the ban, including exceptions in the case of rape or incest or the health of the woman. Hunt said that such "special circumstances" would have diluted the bill and its impact on the national scene.

Kate Looby, director of Planned Parenthood of South Dakota, which plans to immediately challenge the ban, said that while she was not surprised, she was still a "little shocked" by the vote. "Clearly, this is a devastating day for the women of South Dakota," she said. "We fully expected this, yet it's still distressing to know that this legislative body cares so little about women, about families, about women who are victims of rape or incest."

In other news, there was a string of bombings in India today, apparently targetting Hindus in the ancient holy city of Varanasi on the eve of an important spring festival.

I've been there... Varanasi that is... I watched the sun rise over the Ganges from a boat on the river... as the sun rose, I set free a little boat made of newspaper, with the cargo of one orchid and one candle, which somebody had sold me on the dock. Along the shoreline people were standing waist-deep in the river water, praying and performing ritual ablutions, raising their arms and voices, closing their eyes in the dawning light, wet saris sticking to their skin.... At the same time hundreds of others along the riverbank were doing laundry, brushing their teeth, cremating their relatives, etc. It was so intensely alive, so full of every human emotion and activity you could imagine, all bathed in this incredible morning light that somehow seemed to pour over everything like a thick pink syrup... one of those perfect moments that I'll never, ever forget.

I wonder if this latest bombing spree will be followed by anti-Muslim riots and killings, like in 2002.

People fuckin' suck, man.