July 8, 2022: Roe v. Wade

I know I was not alone in my anger when the Supreme Court ignored precedent, decency, and the majority voice, and overturned Roe v. Wade.

From all indications, our other civil rights are in for an equally hard time under the theofascist minority in power. I'm worried. I mean, personally worried. I am white, male, reasonably well off, straight, and old, and I am threatened by this Supreme Court. I can only imagine how others less privileged must feel. What's next? A federal binary gender standard that just incidentally wipes out transgender treatment and gay marriage? Further criminalization of voter aid when the voters in question are minorities? A national tithe? Don't laugh. I've heard all these mooted by people far closer to power than they ought to be.

All I can do as a citizen is vote, encourage others to vote, and give money to honest politicians. I could write letters, but what's the use? I'm in Central Texas. My Congresscritter is doing the right thing already. My Governor, my Attorney General, and both my U.S. Senators are bought and paid for by the people who brought you Donald Trump and Fox News.

What I can do, with the support of the Board of Directors of Steve Jackson Games, is to try to help any of our staff who are affected by what is going down.

Note that this is NOT an announcement of a simplistic "we will pay to get abortion patients out of the state" policy. I think such policies are goodhearted but flawed. I don't believe that a woman's choices should be between herself, her doctor, and the personnel department.

What I am saying is that if and when our people or their families are hit by ANY manifestation of this new, bad, overreaching Supreme Court and the other power-grabbers that are threatening our country . . . we'll help. This might mean -

Making it as easy as possible for someone to move out of state, or out of the country, and keep their job here. We already telecommute a lot; we can do it more.
Helping someone affected by one of the mass shootings that the right, and the Court, seem to be fostering out of sheer vicious perversity.
Helping someone accused under a bounty-hunter law.
Helping someone accused of a "voting offense" just for trying to vote.
And yes, helping someone travel to a decently rights-respecting jurisdiction for a personal reason. And I don't have to know the details myself; if someone can bring themselves to chat with any member of the Board, those details can stop right there.

We are also making a donation to the Lilith Fund. And, because we are who we are, we're doing a T-shirt. Like the Ukraine shirt, it will be sold as a POD. All proceeds will go to the Lilith Fund. The shirt will feature Flower – she's our female face! – but it will not have Munchkin branding or a game rule. Details, like "how to buy it," will follow.