Susan Leonard, Linn County Democratic Precinct Committee Person and Neighborhood Leader, spoke late Friday afternoon, June 24, in front of the Linn County Courthouse against the Supreme Court’s ruling overturning Roe v. Wade. After her speech, more than 40 people assembled along Ellsworth Street for an hourlong protest against the court's decision. Here is the text of Leonard’s speech:

We knew it was coming – but that doesn’t make it any less shocking when it actually happens, right?
​
What is this decision about really? Yes, it is about women’s choice to obtain an abortion when needed. But it’s about more than that. Fundamentally it’s about controlling women. It’s an extension of a history of rape laws.

It’s about keeping women in their place. For much of history, rape was a property crime. Unmarried women were their father’s property; married women belonged to their husbands. If a virgin was raped, the damage was to her father; if a married women was raped, the damage was to her husband. If she wasn’t a virgin and was unmarried, there was no crime. The property was already damaged. A man couldn’t rape his wife as he owned her so had full rights over her body.

Rape of an enslaved woman wasn’t a crime. Even after the Civil War, rape of a Black woman wasn’t recognized as a crime. Keep in mind that Black Americans are always hit first and hardest when essential liberties are attacked. Think about the suppression of voting rights happening across the country, the lack of affordable healthcare, and now the loss of bodily autonomy.

Laws were intended to protect white men from false accusations, not to protect women from attack. Rape was seen as a natural result of human nature. Even in the 1970s, a defendant in a rape trial could present evidence that the women had previously engaged in sexual behavior so had not guarded her chastity properly – making it her fault she was raped.

Rape is a means of exerting patriarchal power. The current radical GOP is a backlash against the Civil Rights and Women’s Rights movements and an attempt to return to the time when powerful men didn’t have to worry about being accused by less powerful women.

States can now pass laws forbidding abortion even in the case of rape, which gives a man complete control over a women – he can rape and impregnate her, thus forcing her to be dependent on him.

Overturning Roe today is the first time the Supreme Court has made a decision that took away rights guaranteed to Americans. The majority on the Court are using originalist arguments to subvert the intention of the 14th Amendment – their aim is to remove power from the federal government and return it to the states. States’ rights – where have we heard that before?

We are lucky – for now – in Oregon. In 2017, Oregon Democrats passed the Reproductive Health Equity Act, one of the strongest abortion access laws in the country, codifying Roe v. Wade into state law and making the full range of reproductive health care services more accessible and affordable for Oregonians. After today’s decision, we could experience a potential 234 percent increase in people traveling to Oregon for a safe, legal abortion. Oregon House Speaker Dan Rayfield has formed a work group to make policy recommendations to protect reproductive rights in the state. But the future depends on elections.

The real story is about what this decision will do to women. The student who has an appointment tomorrow that will be canceled. The exhausted, pregnant young mother who is working long hours to support her children and cannot imagine how she will pay for another one. The woman impregnated by a rapist and forced to carry the child to term. The woman whose life is endangered if she continues a pregnancy. 

The women who will have to give up their dreams, end their education, curtail their careers, and subvert their wills to someone else’s.

Today the issue is abortion. But it follows recent SCOTUS decisions about gun regulations, funding for religious schools, and Miranda rights. Next they will decide about environmental regulations. What do you think will come after that?  Same-sex marriage? Right to contraception? 

Will today’s ruling lead us to activism or to apathy and defeatism? Will the majority – and remember we here represent the MAJORITY of Americans – mobilize? Will you organize to help get out the vote? We need a solid Democratic majority in Congress first to eliminate the filibuster and then to reform the Supreme Court.

November 8 is our chance. Maybe our last chance.

I’ll leave you with a quote from Sherrilyn Ifill, past Director of the NAACP Legal Defense Fund. She said this today:

​“Remember that we have never seen the America we’ve been fighting for. So no need to be nostalgic. Right on the other side of this unraveling is opportunity – If we keep fighting no matter what, take care of ourselves and each other, stay strategic and principled, and use all our power.”

• Court votes 5-3-1, holding that there is no longer
​ a federal constitutional right to an abortion.  (June 24, CNN)
• What elected officials, candidates in Linn County have to say  
(June 24, Linn County Democrats)
• Abortion remains legal, accessible in Oregon (June 24, Oregon Health Authority)
• Read the opinion: Dobbs vs. Jackson Women's Health Organization
​ (June 24, CNN)
• Biden: SCOTUS decision is a 'realization of an extreme ideology' (June 24, CNN)
• Abortion decision could open the door to overturn same-sex marriage,
​contraception and other rulings (June 24, CNN)
​• A preview of the dangerous future of abortion bans – Texas Senate Bill 8 
​(June 22, New England Journal of Medicine)

The month of June is traditionally one of celebration and reflection. Pride Month serves to both celebrate our LGBTQ+ neighbors and friends and to commemorate the Stonewall Riots of 1969. Juneteenth commemorates the day – June 19th, 1865 – when news of the Emancipation Proclamation arrived in Texas and enslaved people were declared free, over two years after Abraham Lincoln had signed it. While the LGBTQ+ community and Black community have progress and milestones to celebrate throughout June, the mood in the air is a somber one.
Current events, like the recent mass shooting in New York in which a white supremacist shot and killed Margus Morrison, Andre Mackniel, Aaron Salter, Geraldine Talley, Celestine Chaney, Heyward Patterson, Katherine Massey, Pearl Young and Ruth Whitfield at a Buffalo grocery store on May 14, and the recent apprehension of 31 white supremacists armed with smoke grenades and riot gear for conspiring to incite a riot at Pride in the Park in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, are highly visible signs of an undercurrent that has been festering in the political right for some time.
Efforts are underway in states across our country to ban a more complete teaching of American history, one that is inclusive of times when our government and fellow Americans committed brutal acts of violence against, or denied equal rights to communities of color. Books depicting LGBTQ+ lives and experiences are being banned from public schools, universities and libraries. Conspiracy theories that falsely conclude that white people are being replaced by people of color, and that LGBTQ+ people are “grooming” children, are being fostered by white nationalists and seeping into mainstream conservative circles. Parents of Trans youth are
​being prosecuted for helping their children to survive and ​thrive. The thread tying language meant to dehumanize​
people of color and LGBTQ+ people directly to acts of violence is in plain sight. So what do we do?
We must speak out, we must engage, we must organize, and we must vote.
​We all must stand up as allies to marginalized communities and push back against hateful rhetoric. Call out politicians and
leaders when they repeat damaging and dehumanizing language/labels from white supremacist circles. Report instances of racial discrimination, bias attacks and threats to law enforcement and to the Oregon Department of Justice Bias Response Hotline. Do not support, promote or vote for candidates who stoke these conspiracies, no matter how much they promise to ‘reduce your taxes’. DO vote for candidates who call out these dangerous trends. Show up and support Pride Events and Juneteenth events in your area. 
It's time to step up and protect our democracy.
Jerred Taylor
Linn County Democrats Chair

What are our elected officials in Linn County saying (or not saying) regarding Friday's Supreme Court ruling on social media? As of this post, here's what we've got:
𝗚𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗻𝗼𝗿 𝗞𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗕𝗿𝗼𝘄𝗻: Governor Kate Brown
Abortion is health care, and no matter who you are or where you come from, Oregon doesn’t turn away anyone seeking health care.
This disgraceful Supreme Court decision will put lives at risk and strips away a constitutional right that has been settled law for most of our lifetimes.
For all the Americans today feeling scared, angry and disappointed — for everyone who needs an abortion and does not know where they can access safe reproductive health care – please know you are not alone, and the fight is not over.
𝗦𝗲𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗼𝗿 𝗥𝗼𝗻 𝗪𝘆𝗱𝗲𝗻: Ron Wyden (up for re-election and we've endorsed)
We knew this day was coming, but that doesn't make it any less devastating and disheartening.
Today’s radical decision will ensure that women in America today have fewer rights than their grandmothers had decades ago. Rights that have proven essential to health, economic participation, and the freedom for women to control their own bodies. We know the anti-abortion movement won’t stop here. Conservatives will now do everything in their power to criminalize abortion.
I am furious and deeply saddened. But I am also determined to fight this in the weeks, months, and years ahead.
This is a generational fight, and I'm all in.
𝗦𝗲𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗼𝗿 𝗝𝗲𝗳𝗳 𝗠𝗲𝗿𝗸𝗹𝗲𝘆: Senator Jeff Merkley
Six justices destroyed people's right to make their own health care decisions. It’s disturbing, putting an overbearing government in the exam room. This attack on our freedom is a special delivery from extremist justices and the MAGA politicians and pundits cheering them on.
Earlier this spring, we saw the fear, anger, and uncertainty across the country stemming from the callous and dangerous draft Supreme Court decision that attacked women’s reproductive rights. Now, that attack is not a possibility, but a reality. It is now up to every state to defend reproductive rights, but so many states are headed in exactly the opposite direction. This is a mega-calamity for our rights.
I’m grateful to be from Oregon—where we’ve protected the right to abortion care in state law. But that state law can be wiped out by a national abortion ban—and Mitch McConnell says he will seek to pass just such a law if Republicans win control of the Senate. I will fight this.
𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗴𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗺𝗮𝗻 𝗣𝗲𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗗𝗲𝗙𝗮𝘇𝗶𝗼: Peter DeFazio
This morning, the Supreme Court decimated the constitutional right to abortion in its decision on Mississippi Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization. This is a devastating decision that undermines our representative democracy and the legitimacy of the Supreme Court.
A majority of Americans believe that abortion should be legal. Our nation has been dramatically changed by this ruling, setting us back more than 50 years. Women in more than half of the country—around 40 million—will soon lose access to abortion entirely or have it seriously restricted. American women today now have less freedom than their mothers did.
Let me be clear: the government has no place in deciding for a woman what she chooses to do with her own body. The difficult decision to end a pregnancy, for whatever reason, is an intensely personal decision that can only be made by a woman and her spouse, companion, minister, physician, or whatever counsel she chooses, after considering all the available options and her unique circumstance.
We must stay focused, motivated, and united in the fight to protect reproductive rights for all Americans.
𝗦𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗦𝗲𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗼𝗿 𝗦𝗮𝗿𝗮 𝗚𝗲𝗹𝘀𝗲𝗿 𝗕𝗹𝗼𝘂𝗶𝗻: Sara Gelser
Abortion remains a personal choice and legal right in Oregon. This is because a pro-choice Legislature codified abortion rights on 2017.
Elections matter. A lot. Losing a pro-choice majority would lead to the erosion or elimination of this right. Electing an anti-choice Governor will lead to reduced access to reproductive health care.
I remain committed to defending the right of women to make their own choices and control their own futures. I will work hard to defend that by ensuring we maintain pro-choice majorities in the Legislature and electing a pro-choice Governor. Please help me do that!
𝗦𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗥𝗲𝗽𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗦𝗵𝗲𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗕𝗼𝘀𝗵𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝗗𝗮𝘃𝗶𝘀: (We've endorsed her opponent, Ben Watts)
Retweeted an anti-abortion tweet from Christine Drazen advocating for rolling back Oregon's abortion rights.
𝗦𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗥𝗲𝗽𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗝𝗮𝗺𝗶 𝗖𝗮𝘁𝗲: (We've endorsed her opponent, Mary Cooke)

𝗦𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗦𝗲𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗼𝗿 𝗙𝗿𝗲𝗱 𝗚𝗶𝗿𝗼𝗱: (Redistricted seat, we've endorsed Ashley Pelton)

------------
Due to redistricting, we have a number of new candidates running that we have endorsed and would like to highlight as well.
𝗧𝗶𝗻𝗮 𝗞𝗼𝘁𝗲𝗸 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗢𝗿𝗲𝗴𝗼𝗻 𝗚𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗻𝗼𝗿: Tina Kotek for Oregon
I’m furious about what the conservative justices have done. Abortion is health care, and I will keep fighting to ensure that it’s protected everywhere.
But, Oregonians, please know this: abortion access is protected here. I made sure of that. Now, let’s make sure that that doesn’t change.
𝗝𝗮𝗺𝗶𝗲 𝗠𝗰𝗟𝗲𝗼𝗱-𝗦𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗿 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗴𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘀 (𝗖𝗗𝟱): Jamie McLeod-Skinner for Oregon
Extremist politics has won the day over our fundamental right to make decisions about our own bodies. History will hang its head on this somber step backwards by the U.S. Supreme Court majority. We know this ruling will negatively impact the health and wellbeing of so many Americans — we also know it is just the first step for this extremist Court.
Congress must step up to protect our rights where this Court has failed us. My opponent supports this dangerous decision. She has clearly stated her extremist anti-choice views and supports banning abortion before a woman knows she is pregnant, even here in Oregon. I disagree and believe that politicians have no right to make reproductive decisions for us.
When in Congress, I will work to codify and protect a woman's right to choose.
The stakes are clear: Oregonians must vote pro-choice this November. We need a common-sense leader in Congress who will protect our right to choose, not an anti-choice extremist who could be the deciding vote in Congress for a nation-wide abortion ban.
𝗩𝗮𝗹 𝗛𝗼𝘆𝗹𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗴𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘀 (𝗖𝗗𝟰): Val Hoyle for Congress
With Roe and Casey on the chopping block, we know that it doesn't stop there - so many of our fundamental rights are at risk. I will continue to stand with you in this fight for our constitutional freedoms. #BansOffOurBodies

– Compiled by Linn County Democrats Chair Jerred Taylor

JULY 12,  DAY 7
• Public hearing 7: Tuesday, July 12 (PBS NewsHour)
​• Eight takeaways from the January 6 hearing day 7. (June 13, CNN)
• Trump drafted Tweet urging supporters to march to Capitol, Jan. 6 committee reveals (June 12, Time)
• Hear how Trump is privately reacting to Jan. 6 hearings (June 13, CNN)
​
​​JUNE 28: DAY 6
• Public hearing 6: Tuesday, June 28 (PBS NewHour)
• New revelations from sixth Jan. 6 hearing (June 30, CBS)
​• We now know (June 29, The Atlantic)
• Journalists are unflinching as they cover explosive Jan. 6 testimony (June 29, CNN)
• What Trump knew: How the Jan. 6 committee is building a case against a former president (June 29, Time)
​
JUNE 23: DAY 5
• Public Hearing 5: Thursday, June 23 (PBS NewsHour)
• Five takeaways from the fifth day of January 6 hearings (June 24, CNN)
• Analysis: The damning quote that exposes Trump's pressure campaign on the DOJ (June 24, CNN)
• America was lucky Trump didn't seize control of DOJ (June 24, CNN)
• Trump talks about January 6 attack in never-before-seen footage (CNN)
​
JUNE 21: DAY 4
• Public Hearing 4: Tuesday, June 21 (PBS NewsHour)
• Analysis: The 14 most important lines from today's January 6 committee hearing  (June 21, CNN)
• 'There is nowhere I feel safe': Jan. 6 panel hears from election officials Trump targeted (June 21, Time)
• Analysis: The single most compelling witness of the January 6 committee hearings so far (June 21, CNN)
•  Opinion: The gobsmacking audacity of the alleged scheme to keep Trump in office (June 21, CNN)
​
​JUNE 16: DAY 3
• Public Hearing 3: Thursday, June 16 (PBS NewsHour)
• How Trump pressured Pence with taunts, lies and an angry mob (June 16, Time)
• Analysis: The 16 most compelling lines from the June 16 hearing. (June 16, CNN)
• The January 6 committee's most damning revelation yet (June 16, The Atlantic)
• Opinion: Eastman bet on the Supreme Court to intervene in the 2020 election. It was a lie (June 16, MSNBC)
​​
JUNE 13: DAY 2
• Public Hearing 2: Monday, June 13 (PBS NewsHour)
• Jan. 6 committee postpones Wednesday hearing ​ (June 14, CNN)
​• Analysis: The 14 most compelling lines from Monday's hearing. (June 13, CNN)
• Analysis: How Trump chose an 'apparently inebriated' Giuliani over his campaign team. (June 13, CNN)

​JUNE 9: DAY 1
​• Public Hearing 1: Thursday, June 9 (PBS NewsHour)
• Cheney said Trump had a 'seven-part plan' to overturn election (June 10, CNN)
• The 11 most consequestional lines from Hearing 1 (June 10, CNN)
​• Analysis; Violent images wipe away 17 months of denial (June 10, CNN)
***
• Website: House Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the United States Capitol

Updated June 7
Jamie McLeod-Skinner defeated seven-term U.S. Rep. Kurt Schrader in the 5th Congressional District Democratic primary, and will face Republican Loree Chavez DeRemer, former Happy Valley mayor, in the Nov. 8 general election.
On May 27, McLeod-Skinner declared victory, and Schrader conceded defeat.
"We won because Oregonians are frustrated with the divisiveness and obstruction," McLeod-Skinner said in a statement. "We are frustrated with politicians who are beholden to their corporate donors, and not us."
Schrader also issued a statement May 27.
"The majority of Democrats have chosen a different direction for now," he said. "I congratulate my opponent on her tireless efforts and successful primary campaign."
Because of a printing error, the hand counting of ballots in Clackamas County continued into early June. McLeod Skinner had districtwide total of 46,523 votes (54.57 percent) to Schrader's 38,195 (44.80 percent).
McLeod-Skinner was  endorsed by the Linn County Democrats and three other county Democratic parties, She garnered 46.83 percent of the vote, to Schrader's 51.97 percent in Linn County. Projections for Linn County leading up to the election, however, had Schrader with up to 80 percent of the vote (and up to 90 percent after President Biden's endorsement)  to 10-20 percent for McLeod-Skinner.  The Linn-Benton Democratic Organization Team praised the work of the Linn-County Neighborhood Leader Team in helping to shatter those projections.  "Your calls, canvasing, postcards, text messages, emails, donations, and volunteering closed the gap and secured significantly more votes than expected," the Organization Team stated in a May 18 email. 
For a look at other primary results, including Tina Kotek's victory over Tobias Read and 13 other candidates for the Democratic gubernatorial nomination, see The Capital Insider story by Gary A. Warner.

​• The agreement announced Sunday has the support of 10 Republican senators (June 12, CNN)
• What's in the bipartisan gun deal and what's not (June 12, CNN)
• House passes sweeping gun reform package, though it's unlikely to move in the Senate;
 Rep. Kurt Schrader was one of two Democrats voting against it  (June 8, CNN)

• Wyden says GOP faces 'question of our time' on gun bills (May 31, Oregon Capital Insider)