Last night on Saturday Night Live, there was that rare moment when a performer chose to give voice to the 200 million or so of us Americans who, for over two years, have been in a rage that the Supreme Leader in America (aka, the “Supreme Court,” that group of 5 or 6 religious right-wing nutters who rule over what women can and cannot do with their bodies in this country), overturned Roe v. Wade.
The great Stevie Nicks, in her own rage over this injustice, sang for the first time live on national television her new song about those who have committed this atrocity against women. It’s called “The Lighthouse” — and my jaw dropped as she belted out one fiercely brutal lyric after another aimed squarely at the Court, at Trump, at MAGA Nation — and imploring all women to take a stand, to fight back now, it’s not too late.
The audience at the end exploded with cheers and applause, so much so it felt like the roof was going to fly off the top of 30 Rock. It was a moment to behold and a reminder that DJT, the “Justices”, the Republicans, the Bishops and misogynists everywhere are just 23 days away from having their bigoted, hateful asses handed to them on a golden platter we still call “Democracy.”
On the night of June 24, 2022, I sat with friends commiserating over how a specific group of citizens were singled out to have their long-standing human rights REMOVED from them en masse. Millions upon millions were told, should you get pregnant, the Government will force you, for a full nine months, to bring that fertilized egg to term and birth that fetus against your will if necessary. It was not only heartbreaking that day two years ago, it was literally breathtaking in its scope and reach and cruelty wherein the minority gender (men, 49%) were once again ordering the majority gender (women, 51%) what they could and could not do. That system of government is called “apartheid” (see “Nelson Mandela,” see “Likud Party”), and what we now had confirmed by the Supreme Court was that the fascist principle of Gender Apartheid was still the law of the land.
Stevie Nicks, now a ferocious 76, said “I wrote this song after Roe v. Wade was overturned. It seemed like overnight, people were saying, ‘What can we, as a collective force, do about this’… This may be the most important thing I ever do. To stand up for the women of the United States and their daughters and granddaughters — and the men that love them. This is an anthem.”
That it is. I often wonder how things slip through the cracks and make it on network television, a system owned by a few multinational conglomerates whose interests don’t often line up with mine. I think they let me on for two reasons: 1) I make them money, and that is their primary reason for existence; and 2) Though some of them may disagree with me politically, they are not worried that those millions who see or read my works will ever seriously get off the couch and do anything about it. They are certain that the populace has been sufficiently distracted, dumbed down, or stupefyingly numbed to the horrors they must survive in their daily lives. The wealthy help us get by with opioids, with fear of foreclosure or abject hunger, always just one or two paychecks away from being tossed out onto the curb and that will be that. They’re convinced that you simply don’t have the time or energy or wits to fight them, let alone beat them. They are safe. They have spaceships! Here — watch another episode of The Real Housewives of Boise!
Of course what they don’t know is I’m convinced they are wrong, that you will indeed claim the rights you were endowed with: life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. It’s self-evident, right?
So it was with a sudden sense of trepidation when, 40 minutes later as the SNL host was welcoming Stevie Nicks back to perform a second song, the show’s live feed suddenly went dead — literally just 3 seconds before Stevie was to start singing. The network put up a card on the screen for a full minute, then they began running a number of minutes of commercials, then they threw on a previously-taped skit and then a short film they clearly weren’t planning to show. Yup, I thought, somebody pulled the plug on Stevie. That call of hers in the previous song crossed the line. We don’t need another Sìnead O’Connor moment! But within 9 minutes or so there she was, back on the air live, singing one of her classic hits. All was well in land! After all, there was more shit to sell! Let’s remember why we are here!
Here is her performance of “The Lighthouse” from last night:
Let’s heed her call. Here are the groups working to pass ballot propositions supporting women’s reproductive rights on November 5th. Do something.
MISSOURI: Vote YES on Amendment 3 (*to end the abortion ban)Missourians for Constitutional Freedom
SOUTH DAKOTA: Vote YES on Freedom Amendment G (*to end the abortion ban)Dakotans for Health
Floridians Protecting Freedom
MONTANA: Vote YES on CI-128Montanans Securing Reproductive Rights
NEBRASKA:There are two competing ballot initiatives. One – Initiative 439 – ends Nebraska’s current abortion ban, the other continues the abortion ban. Whichever one gets more votes wins.
Vote NO on Initiative 434 and VOTE YES ON INITIATIVE 439 (*to end the abortion ban)
Protect Our Rights
ARIZONA: Vote YES on Proposition 139Arizona for Abortion Access:
NEVADA: Vote YES on Question 6Nevadans for Reproductive Freedom
NEW YORK: Vote YES on Proposition 1 (a.k.a.: Prop 1, the New York Equal Rights Amendment)New Yorkers for Equal Rights
COLORADO: Vote YES on Amendment 79Coloradans for Reproductive Freedom:
MARYLAND: Vote YES on Question 1 Constitutional AmendmentFreedom in Reproduction Maryland
Finally…
Let’s secure Reproductive Rights for ALL Americans by electing a Blue Wall — Kamala Harris AND a Blue Senate AND a Blue House. SwingLeft maps out the key states and races to help us do that — and ways you can help!: https://swingleft.org/p/strategy
P.S. If you have another minute or two, here are two more brilliant moments from last night’s SNL episode:
Lyrics to Stevie Nicks’ “The Lighthouse”:
I have my scars, you have yours Don't let them take your power Don't leave it alone in the final hours They'll take your soul, they'll take your power Don't close your eyes and hope for the best The dark is out there, the light is going fast Until the final hours, your life's forever changed And all the rights that you had yesterday Are taken away And now you're afraid You should be afraid Should be afraid Because everything I fought for Long ago in a dream is gone Someone said the dream is not over The dream has just begun, or Is it a nightmare? Is it a lasting scar? It is unless you save it and that's that Unless you stand up and take it back And take it back I have my scars, you have yours Don't let them take your power Don't leave it alone in the final hours They'll take your soul, they'll take your power Unless you stand up and take it back Try to see the future and get mad It's slipping through your fingers, you don't have what you had You don't have much time to get it back I wanna be the lighthouse Bring all of you together Bring it out in a song Bring it out in stormy weather Tell them the story I wanna teach 'em to fight I wanna tell 'em this has happened before Don't let it happen again I have my scars, you have yours Don't let them take your power Don't leave it alone in the final hours They'll take your soul, they'll take your power Unless you save it and that's that Unless you stand up and take it back Try to see the future and get mad It's slippin' through your fingers, you don't have what you had You don't have much time You gotta get in the game You gotta learn how to play You gotta make a change You gotta do it today In the midnight hour, they'll slam the door Make you forget what you were fighting for Put you back in your place, they'll shut you down You better learn how to fight, you better say it out loud