Midsummer break!

I am taking a few days away from the keyboard, so no post this weekend.

In the meantime - take a break - watch the Olympics and enjoy!

You could also write your Congressional reps and tell them to pass the bi-partisan infrastructure Act, cancel the filibuster temporarily to allow passage of the "For the People Act" and the "John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act", and get some serious work done on the budget and passage of the debt ceiling increase!  I know most Maryland legislators are on the right side of these arguments!

Til August 1st - chill, watch the Panda Cam, or just take a break!

Sharon

Texas Dems come to Town

Today marks the one-year anniversary of the death of Congressman John Lewis. I find it sad that the Senate Democrats allowed the announcement of a threat to filibuster to set aside the consideration of legislation named in his honor. If the Senate will not get rid of this Bill Killing process, then make the yahoos stand up and maintain a real talking filibuster! It is time for the filibuster to go.

This week, many of the elected state Democratic Legislators from Texas fled the state to come to what they hoped were the friendlier streets of DC.

If you remember, the Texas legislature only meets every other year and tried to pass new restrictive voting regulations just before the session ended in May. These efforts were stymied in the House when, before the vote could be held, and the legal end time was at hand, the Democrats left the building, so a quorum could not be established and the vote was abandoned. Governor Abbott claimed he would call the legislature back for a special session to try again to pass the voting bills and threatened to arrest officials who did not show up. He then called the extra session in July; Democrats showed up initially but then 51 House members quietly left town, again depriving the House of a quorum.

After secretly flying to DC, they then showed up at the Capitol to make the case for passage of the “For the People Act” and “The John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act”. They split up, walked the halls of Congress, and met with Congressmen and Senators, VP Harris, Majority Leader Schumer, and the reluctant Senator Manchin. They discussed the laws that were being proposed and would be passed by the overwhelmingly Republican body, should a quorum exist. They explained the onerous properties of the proposed restrictive legislation which include:

·         Allowing partisan poll watchers to self-identify and observe the act of voting. According to the AP article referenced here - Texas has a long history of intimidating minority voters. (With the onset of no license open arms carry in Texas, gun-toting watchers could be quite intimidating.) It will become illegal to remove them unless they are disruptive; they even get a warning before they can be ousted.

·         It banned mailing all voters absentee ballot applications and drop-box collections for mailed ballots; 24-hour and drive-by voting are also banned. Election officials can be charged with a felony if they violate these provisions.

·         They limit absentee ballots to those who are 65 or older or those who would be out of state on election day; Voter ID regulations for absentee ballots have been strengthened and can invalidate a ballot if not followed completely.

·         In many cases, the expanded times for voting which were implemented as pandemic measures have been rolled back or restricted.

·         The bill according to The New York Times also includes a provision that could make it easier to overturn an election with concerns over fraudulent ballots.

·         Other provisions include reducing the number of voting machines, especially in communities of color, and banning the use of temporary polling places, and curbside voting.

·         The Supreme Court ruling about voting in the correct precinct also will make provisional voting more difficult, it seems.

Many Republicans are condemning efforts to enact national legislation as unnecessary and claim the measures being used to override the local authorities who run elections at the community level. However, to me, it seems that if local authorities are being used to restrict the opportunity for all people to vote in a free and fair election, then national legislation is necessary to ensure these opportunities are available. And, since The Supreme Court has dismantled much of the original Voting Rights Act (VRA), then Congress must act and re-institute the pre-clearance regulations and other important provisions. We cannot allow, as President Biden noted, these 21^st Century “Jim Crow Laws” being passed by certain states to persist. He noted that 17 states have already enacted 28 restrictive laws and many more are being proposed and indicated that his administration will oppose them vigorously. 

Attorney-General Garland has already indicated that the Justice Department is beefing up its efforts concerning voting and has added more than 90 new US attorneys to work in this area. Without the special provision of the VRA, I fear that it will be more difficult for the Justice Department to enforce relevant issues in time for the 2022 mid-term elections. I guess we shall see. I dread the possibilities that many Democratic voters will find long lines or confusing rules about polling places and regulations too hard to overcome and stay home. I have long admired the fortitude of many elderly minority voters who stood in long lines on election days, simply because their crowded urban neighborhoods had fewer polling places and voting machines than nearby suburban areas. But, of course, reducing turnout is one of the goals of the opposition. Certain tweaks, such as changing the times before elections when registrations close, or moving polling places frequently from one election to the next, are all tactics being used by many Republican legislatures and local election boards. Georgia even passed a law to allow the removal of valid local officials. Voter education will be an enormous challenge for Democratic partisans in 2022.

Congressman Jim Clyburn has suggested that perhaps a filibuster bypass or special carve-out for Voting Rights legislation or issues which deal with Constitutional measures might be a possibility; others have indicated they support the principles, but not this legislation. Senator Manchin was non-committal after his meeting with the Texans but has said he wants a simple bill without many enhancements. The legislators have vowed to remain in DC and thwart any bill passage until the 30-day legislative session ends.  Governor Abbott indicated he will arrest them upon their return, so it seems a Texas stand-off is in the making.

The streets of Washington have seemed like the Wild West this week. Friday evening a six-year-old girl was killed and her mother and others were injured when the family was caught in a gunfight cross-fire while walking home after leaving the bus. Then, on Saturday evening, shots rang out along the perimeter of the Nat's baseball stadium while a game was in progress. None of the shots entered the arena, but as a precaution, the stands were emptied out. All the fans and players made it out safely with a massive police presence in the area. Just a couple of weeks ago a man was shot and killed with random gunfire from a passing auto as he was leaving a restaurant in a well-populated area. Some homes in the area also had bullet holes in their windows. There have been 101 homicides in DC so far this year which is the same number seen at this time last year. Obviously, not all homicides are due to gun use, but most are. Innocent people should not be gunned down when trigger-happy thugs cannot shoot straight.

Mayor Bowser spoke about the so-called “ghost guns” which are flooding the area. DC has strict laws against guns, but with porous borders, illegal unregistered guns flow in. Ghost guns can be made in a garage, so to speak, with a specialized printer, stock components are then added to produce a firearm; the gun does not have serial numbers, and the product is legal and does not require registration. President Biden has spoken out against this type of firearm, but the issue is difficult to address with legislation. California tried to require registration, but the law is ignored. Other major cities such as New York City and Chicago have seen gunfire in the city streets recently; perhaps now that the guns are in the commercial business districts, (and not the gang hideouts of the past) maybe the Chambers of Commerce might start to speak out in favor of reasonable gun restrictions?

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The Delta variant is spreading rapidly in the US, especially in states with low vaccination rates.  Missouri, Arkansas, Florida, Nevada, and Tennessee have all seen rates spike in recent days, perhaps as a result of Independence Day festivities. However, Tennessee just fired the physician leading vaccination efforts in the state after she sent out an advisory notice to practitioners about the ability in the state for teenagers to self refer for immunizations without parental approval. The state has now stopped all school clinic vaccinations even of usual routines shots such as HPV, hepatitis, etc. Dumb move but the anti-vaxxers are noisy and the right-wing is wary; some members of the legislature have even threatened to disband the entire Tennessee Department of Health. As someone pointed out, this is where the Scopes Trial (where a teacher was prosecuted for teaching evolution) happened almost 100 years ago! Incredible!

The numbers of hospitalizations and diagnosed cases are again rising for the first time in weeks, including in Maryland. More than 22,000 patients are currently hospitalized, which is a 34% increase over two weeks.

Covid Stats – NY Times:

US Totals: Total Cases: 34,041,930. New Cases: 31,745. Total Deaths: 608,189. New Deaths: 273.

Maryland Totals: (as of 7/16) Total Cases: 464,031. New Cases:166. Total Deaths: 9,764.  New Deaths: 3. (I do not know why MD stats are not updated; I do hope that the state has not decided COVID is over, so no need to tally up.)

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As a result of petitions byTexas and several other states, a judge in the Federal District Court in Texas has declared that the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program was illegally created claiming that President Obama had overstepped his authority in its creation; as a result, he has halted all future DACA applications. This particular judge has previously ruled against other immigration measures. The DACA program was upheld by the Supreme Court before but on technical measures, as it called out the former administration for the process it used in its petition to overturn it. The Department of Justice is expected to appeal this judge's decision to the Fifth Circuit, which is the most conservative of the Federal circuit courts. President Biden would prefer a legislative solution but does not yet have the votes to pass such a bill.

Well, I haven’t visited the Panda cam for a while – time for some cute cuddles!

‘Til next week – Peace!

Do Statues Matter?

 

This week, in Charlottesville VA, the city removed from public display statues of Confederate Generals Robert E Lee and Stonewall Jackson. Another statue of explorers Lewis & Clark with the Native American guide, Sacajawea, was also taken down. The statue, including Sacajawea, was questioned, as it seemed to show her as subservient, which was not acceptable to some Native Americans.

If you remember, the potential removal of Confederate statues was part of the protests in the weekend of rage and the “Unite the Right” protest by armed torch-carrying White Power sympathizers, neo-Nazis, and other right-wing extremists a few years ago in Charlottesville. The protests and counter-protest resulted in the death of a demonstrator against the marchers by one of the white supremacists. At that time, the then-president made his infamous remark that there were good people on both sides of the protests that day. He was so wrong.

The city of Charlottesville is a Virginia city, one solidly in the South and near many battlefields of the Civil War, so a statue of Robert E Lee would not be unusual there. The city is not far from Monticello, the home of that famous Virginian and President, Thomas Jefferson, one of the founders of the University of Virginia in Charlottesville. However, the university draws many people to its campus both from Virginia and beyond. What does the symbol of a General who was a traitor to his country mean to those who come to study in Charlottesville? Some will say that he was important to the Southern cause, so his statue should have remained. Others can claim that he fought to preserve slavery, which was not a noble cause, so his memory should not be honored.

So what purpose is served by keeping Confederate monuments, statues, and namesake buildings in the public eye? To some, it perpetuates a myth, the preservation of the genteel Southern plantation way of life, which only served a few. This way of thinking omits the inconvenient truth that slavery was a horrible way of life and perpetuated an inhumane practice, which much of the civilized world then had already disowned. The beliefs that the war was fought for states’ rights or to maintain an agrarian economy are additional myths often presented. The truth remains that the South would have had no economic output without slavery and could not have effectively operated as a separate nation even with help from abroad. Continuing to display statues from this era are daily insults to all black American descendants of those enslaved people.

There is a psychological principle called approach-avoidance, which addresses the positive and negative aspects of an act. For example, I might wish to avoid an intersection where I had been involved in a car accident, but if I am in a hurry, and that route is the fastest one to take, I drive through that crossroad, but not happily. In the same manner of thinking, students attending the university might not wish to see Confederate flags or statues on their way to class and may try to avoid what to them are memories of unpleasant times, even if it means a longer walk to class. Why would a university or other entity subject its' consumers to continued indignity? For reasons such as this, I think it is time now to remove these monuments. Why would we, as a society, wish to celebrate and honor those who fought against our country to continue a system which promoted ownership of other humans?

Of course, Confederate symbols are not the only ones we see; there are the years’ long battles to remove the Washington “Redskins” Cleveland “Indians” and Atlanta “Braves” names for sports teams. I think the habit of the “tomahawk chop” has finally been dismissed, although I am uncertain. So far, the Washington team is essentially nameless, now that it has removed their symbol and is known only as the Washington Football Team. Surely, they could have come up with something in a year, but they haven’t. To many Native Americans, these names were onerous; however, their protests were ignored for many years. These names did not honor tribal people, despite the feathered headgear and other regalia worn. Consider for a moment - would you accept a team called the ‘white-skins’ or ‘yellow-skins’ – I think not.

Other symbols of course include the American Flag, the Liberty Bell, or the Red Cross. I think these are ones that most of us can stand behind as having meaning to most Americans. What is important is that they do not have the purpose of demeaning others. So, since symbols stand for something, it is up to us to support those supporting  the better parts of our history. I think it is correct that most southern states have now reworked their flags and removed the stars and bars where they had been present.

Speaking of history, we know that a lot of our history is mythologized, and in Texas this week, that fact was borne out when historians were meeting to discuss the actual history behind the Texas monument of The Alamo. You probably have heard the story of Davey Crockett and Jim Bowie and the others bravely defending the honor of Texas (which was not a state at that time); well, it wasn’t quite that way. White settlers in the Mexican territory wanted to preserve the land as a new territory that permitted slavery, even though Mexico had outlawed slavery years before. That set up a separatist movement and led to battles between the US and Mexico. Though the state of Texas has preserved the site as a monument to the Confederacy, it was not that way in 1836. Recently Lt. Governor of Texas, Dan Patrick canceled an author talk about the Alamo scheduled on state museum property. The book titled “Forget the Alamo” written by Bryan Burrough, Chris Tomlinson, and Jason Stanford presented an alternative to the popular myth and discussed the continuance of slavery as one of the incentives at that time. Patrick disagreed with the author and denied him a platform, maintaining that the history of 1836 shall not be besmirched. Some stated that Patricks’ actions run counter to the First Amendment as he used his power to squelch a discussion with which he disagreed. Only in Texas, as they say!

Well, also in Texas, the Governor called the legislature back into session in a second attempt to pass the restrictive voting laws which were stymied in the previous session when the Democratic caucus walked out, preventing a quorum. Democrats are still trying to stall, as many of the restrictions are aimed at voting practices in the urban centers which are Democratic strongholds. There are also questionable efforts to influence after the vote ballot counting. Democrats are also organizing mass protests which look to increase over the next few days.

This week has also seen the assassination of the Haitian President by mercenaries said to be Columbians and Haitian Americans. Even though the President had been unpopular, the question remains, who hired the assassins? There is much jockeying for power in this unstable and poor nation.

And today, Cubans protested dire economic straits and hunger with marches in the streets. The country has suffered a severe downturn, instability, and increasing poverty due to the lack of tourism and the pandemic. Income inequality is also widening. Who knows what will happen next as the police are cracking down?

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The Delta variant of the COVID vaccine – the one which caused so many deaths in India – now accounts for over 50% of US cases and is spreading across the country, especially in states with low vaccination rates. Southern Missouri and Mississippi are two of the states with increasing problems, although Los Angeles and New York City are also seeing case-loads again rise. Some cities are re-instituting masks for indoor places. CDC has reported that 99.5% of all recent deaths are from unvaccinated people. Unfortunately, the world has now tallied over 3 million COVID-related deaths.

COVID stats – NY Times (new deaths are the fewest since March 2020.)

US totals – Total Cases: 33,818,301. New Cases: 19,032. Total Deaths: 606,316 New Deaths: 223.

MD totals: Total cases: 463,107. New cases: 127. Total Deaths: 9,762. New Deaths 1.

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Marylands’ Governor Hogan has joined the chorus of Republican governors who continue to insist that state workers do not need the extra unemployment benefit of $300.00 which is due to run through September. His curtailing of this benefit has been temporarily halted by a judge after appeals and will be revisited this week. The Democratic legislators are calling this move short-sighted as many people cannot return to work until daycare sites reopen. The Governor claims they are just too lazy to work. The stand-off will continue – at least a few more days.

I think there are now seven candidates running for Governor in the Democratic Primary set for next June. In Frederick County, the State Republican delegate who was active at the Capitol Insurrection in January has announced he is running for Governor – that makes three candidates on that side. This promises to be an interesting year on the political scene

“Til next week – Peace!

May the Fourth be With You!

“The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America: When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.--That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, --That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.--Such has been the patient sufferance of these Colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government.”

These words begin our nation's Declaration of Independence as it was written (original spelling) some 245 years ago. You can find the full document at the Archives link above. The Declaration ends with these words:

 “And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.”

The declaration continues after the first paragraph indicated above to reiterate the grievances which were ignored, the petitions which were torn up, and the rights and freedoms which were lost. It decries the absolute tyranny to which the King of Great Britain has subjected the colonists to suffer. And, in the end, those who signed their names put their lives and livelihood on the line.

It appears obvious to me that there are many in this country today who need to stop, reread these words and reflect on them and how they helped form our country. “Governments derive just powers from the consent of the governed”….seems to indicate that governments should act at the behest of those they govern. When millions and millions of Americans turn out to vote in a presidential election, to me that indicates that the public endorses announcing their options in elections. The record turnout of almost 160 million voters in 2020 demonstrated that this is the way America participates in free and fair elections. According to Pew research that election attracted almost two-thirds of all registered voters.

However, since the 2020 election day when the top of the ticket lost the election, many elected Republican officials have begun purging voter rolls, rewriting election protocols and regulations all in an attempt to remove or decrease voters of the other party. Our War of Independence was fought over a lack of representation among those who were writing the rules for the colonies. Today against unproven claims of voter fraud and a stolen election, wide-reaching changes are being made, especially in areas where black, brown, and tribal voters, many of whom support Democratic candidates, are living. Yet every one of these elected officials who are acting in this manner vowed to support the Constitution when they were elected. It is time to call out those who are not acting in the interests of all citizens of this country. As the Supreme Court demonstrated this week, we cannot count on it to uphold the right of all to vote.

The Supreme Court (SCOTUS) upheld a restrictive Arizona law that required voters to vote in their designated precinct; it did not even allow for a provisional ballot should someone wish to cast one. It also supported the prohibition of collective ballots being sent in from a community by a trusted emissary, as is often done in tribal areas or church communities and only allowed relatives or caretakers to submit ballots other than their own.

Instead of expanding options and rights of voting this 6-3 party-affiliated decision further restricted access to the ballot box. Paul Waldman, writing in The Washington Post notes that the Court will continue to take apart the clauses in the Voting Rights Act (VRA) even as it did against 2 clauses in Section 5 in Shelby County Vs, Holden, ignoring facts and the reality of voter discrimination. This decision written for the majority by Justice Samuel Alito attacked Section 2 of the VRA.

Waldman quotes Justice Elena Kagan in dissent:

“Justice Elena Kagan wrote that the majority had essentially invented its own reading of the VRA, and accused the majority of pretending not to know that such state laws are occurring in a context where efforts to suppress minority voters continue.”

He further cites, in addition to Shelby, more than ten years of negative voting decisions favoring Corporations over public financing, the Citizens United decision, Ohio Laws supporting voter purges, and the courts’ refusal to address partisan gerrymandering. Sarcastically, he wonders if SCOTUS would support the poll tax if it again became law. It is said that The New For the People Act and the John Lewis Voting Act no longer have a chance in the Senate if the filibuster remains. With the Supreme Court refusing to protect voters’ rights, I think this is the only chance we have.

Waldman concludes with this statement: “Pretty much the entire GOP is now committed to the idea that if elections were fair, they’d lose — so elections must not be allowed to be fair.”

Isn’t that a dismal thought on this Independence Day?

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The Delta Variant continues to spread in the United States and has been found in all areas of the country. It is spreading most rapidly among unvaccinated young adults. President Biden came close to his goal of 70% of Americans vaccinated by July Fourth but did not quite make it falling short with just 66% tallied. Case numbers, which have been falling for weeks are again starting to show small increases. The presence of this new variant, combined with increasing openings of business and recreational facilities, also could be contributing to the spread. The two mRNA vaccines both continue to show effectiveness against the variant. Missouri, Texas, and Arkansas, all of which have lower vaccination rates, continue to have hot spots.

COVID stats- NY Times:

US totals: Cases: 33,681,336. New cases: 13,304. Total Deaths: 604,715. New deaths: 224.

MD totals: Cases: 462,535. New cases:96. Total Deaths: 9,749. New Deaths: 3.

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As I write this tonight, Fireworks celebrating our Independence Day are lighting the night skies around me. Somehow this Fourth does not feel as jubilant as others have. I am more uncertain about our freedoms and rights to speak out than I have ever been. If those on the right fear our votes, just how long will it be before they fear our voices and work to silence them? In Florida they are already trying to pass laws against peaceable assembly for more than a few persons; surely that is not constitutional, but would that restriction be upheld if challenged to this Court? President Biden is said to be dismayed at these recent court decisions, but just how many changes can he effect with Executive Actions? I think this is a time for a call to action and believe that the Fourth of July is a good time to start. Speak up, speak out, stand up for the rights we are guaranteed by our Constitution!

I cannot close without a word or two about the tragedy in Surfside, Florida where, for many, a dream home became a nightmare and death trap. My heart goes out to all of those families involved and the first responders working there. The suddenness of this collapse magnified the trauma for all whose families are impacted. There will be time soon to get questions answered as to why; maybe this might make cities think again about buildings so close to the ocean or in areas where hurricanes are frequent. Instead of 40-year reviews, perhaps stronger building codes, and more frequent inspections are in order. We still have more questions than answers.

The Extreme heat in the Pacific Northwest and Canada caused many to reconsider global climate change. To me, it certainly was a wake-up call. Someone has to be listening.  Congress – Time to take action on fossil fuels instead of listening to oil lobbyists?

Happy Fourth of July everyone!

’Til next week – Peace!