Excerpts:
“Seattle responded to the request by filing a lawsuit in Travis County, stating they cannot comply because Texas has no jurisdiction in Washington State, and no care was provided by the hospital in Texas. They also point out that the Dormant Commerce Clause, protected by the United States Constitution, “protects the right to interstate travel, including to obtain healthcare services.” By targeting out-of-state hospitals for enforcement of laws that only apply within the jurisdiction of Texas, they “discriminate against healthcare based on an interstate element,” violating constitutional protections, according to the legal filing. Lastly, Seattle Children’s Hospital cannot comply due to a shield law passed by Washington State. This law bars the hospital from providing any patient data and from responding to subpoenas pursuant to “protected healthcare services” obtained within the jurisdiction of Washington. Protected healthcare services include abortion, reproductive care, and gender-affirming care.”
“This case promises to be extraordinarily complex. Seattle Children’s Hospital is challenging the jurisdiction of the demands directly in a Texas state court. Regardless of what the local court decides, the claims are likely to go to the Texas Supreme Court. Given that the claims also have a time limit on them and that appeals in Texas automatically favor the attorney general due to an automatic lifting of stays in the state, Seattle Children’s Hospital workers and providers for trans patients from Texas could be under legal jeopardy. Ultimately, the case presents questions of conflicting state laws and regulation of conduct across state lines, and the implications of those laws could be dire for abortion and trans care nationwide.”
I mean maybe. I have a hard time envisioning what a modern U.S. civil war would look like. What would be the organizations coordinating each side, and what would the chain of command look like? Who would be funding each side, and what would the supply chains look like? What would the actual U.S. military, pentagon, and DoD do?
Even the most red counties have something like 20% blue voters. I imagine voter demographics were comparable during the first Civil War, yet state governments still federated. Confederate states weren’t able to get many volunteers, so they brutally enforced conscription.
My best guess is that it would be less open warfare and more terrorist attacks. For example, suppose NYC has its annual Pride Parade. Some right-wingers would travel in from a red county and “join” the parade. At a certain point, they’d set off some incendiary device to disrupt the proceedings before retreating back to MAGA-land.
These attacks wouldn’t need a lot of ammunition or all that much coordination (when compared with a military). MAGA sheriffs could abuse their authority to protect MAGA terrorists from being arrested. (Leaking information to them. “Arresting” them first and refusing to turn them over to state/federal officials. Etc.)
With enough of these attacks, you could have a “war” without any military on either side.
