The Supreme Court Deliberates

 

And we await its decisions.

Since Dobbs, the pundits who try to predict the outcomes after deliberations have had to stop and re-categorize their guesses. This appears to be a court with an agenda, both with the number of shadow docket cases with responses lacking case law backup or explanations, and in the cases it accepts. According to Demos: "While public attention on the Court has understandably focused on merits docket cases, the Supreme Court has been issuing equally destructive rulings on the less scrutinized shadow docket. This scrutiny becomes even more important with news of ultraconservative justices receiving lavish gifts and vacations from right-wing mega-donors and the potential influence on their rulings."

When it chooses, the Supreme Court (Scotus) can act quickly, as was seen in the Colorado ballot legality question. It promptly ruled against the Colorado petitioners and kept DJT on the ballot as many expected.

The court was widely expected to turn away the question of presidential immunity after the DC Circuit Court issued what was considered to be a definitive opinion denying the issue of immunity. As reported by the Washington Post:

"But in their opinion Tuesday, they said it is Trump's own alleged crimes — "an unprecedented assault on the structure of our government" — that threaten democracy if left beyond the reach of criminal prosecution.

"We cannot accept former President Trump's claim that a President has unbounded authority to commit crimes that would neutralize the most fundamental check on executive power — the recognition and implementation of election results," the judges wrote. "Nor can we sanction his apparent contention that the Executive has carte blanche to violate the rights of individual citizens to vote and to have their votes count."

Scotus ruled against Special Prosecutor Jack Smith's early petition for a decision in December and sent the question to the lower federal court. Subsequently, Judge Chutkan ruled against the question, stating that a president was not a king. Since the appeal to the DC Circuit Court suspended the scheduled March date, the January 6^th Insurrection trial start is also in question. The appeals court stated in its decision that the former president had no extended rights and should be treated as any citizen of the country, much as one would be if their name was Mr. Jones or Ms. Doe.

The appeal to the court was another of the delaying tactics that seemed to serve the former president well, and delays have been used in each of the venues where he faces a trial. In Georgia, he went after the prosecutor, Fanni Willis, and delayed the start dates for the RICO trial. In New York, he tried to move to another court level, and when that didn't work, he asked for a different venue. He tried to get the judge to step down and used bullying tactics against him and his family until hit with a gag order, which only temporarily slowed him down.

In the Mar-a-Lago classified documents case set under Judge Cannon, even though she appears to be a friendly judge, he also tried to get the case dismissed and had his attorneys file multiple motions that must be addressed, before the trial could begin. And the judge is taking her time to answer with her decisions on their petitions.

So, the court agreed to hear this appeal, but did not expedite the hearings, instead it scheduled it in the last week of the session for this term. It will also not render a decision until all justices produce their opinions, which could be as late as the first week of July, after which the court goes into hiatus until October.

I have only heard snippets of the oral arguments offered, but several of the comments from the conservative justices were unnerving. One justice said he did not want to address the question in this case, but wanted to look at what might happen somewhere down the road with a future president. They were walking all around the instances under review, but not addressing the illegal activity. Justices Jackson and Sotomayer asked pertinent questions. Justice Jackson said, if immunity were granted, we would not have a president, but a king. The liberal justices did not accept the argument that if a president ordered the death of a rival. It would be a legal and approved act. Justice Alito argued that future presidents, once retired, could be persecuted by a vindictive successor for acts committed while in office, if they did not have immunity for official duties. Of course, that hasn't happened in the 200 years of our republic, but then, Alito harkens to life in medieval times when kings had rivals killed.

Some pundits, after listening to the discussions and questions asked, thought that the court might not go fully for immunity, but also might not dismiss the issue and would return the matter to Judge Chutkan's court for a decision about private and official acts. This would, of course, create another delay. Others thought that since Chief Justice Roberts gave little away in his questions, that he might sway the court toward denying immunity. I thought they would not review this matter, so my guesses are just that, guesses. So, my question remains, is the court now no longer working for the American people, but only for the former and disgraced president?

Of course, we are also awaiting the decision on continued unrestrained access to the abortion medication, Mifepristone. Most people recognize the spurious complaint here from those with dubious legal standing who question the safety of a drug that has an over 20-year history of legal and safe use across the world. Scientific American reports that, if the court rules in favor of the plaintiffs, this ruling could affect decisions made by the FDA and have unintended consequences.

"If the court sides with antiabortion activists and limits or bans the use of Mifepristone, the decision could undermine the FDA's authority to regulate all drugs and medical devices, potentially putting people who depend on those products at risk of harm."

The court also heard a complaint about health care in Idaho under the Emergency Medical Treatment and Active Labor Act (EMTALA) regulations. (This regulation states that all patients entering an Emergency Room (ER) must receive care and be stabilized before they can be transferred to any other healthcare facility. The law came about because uninsured patients, back in the 1980s, were turned away without care if they could not pay. They might be sent to a city or county facility, and be harmed by the transfer, either because of the time, distance, or lack of attended care.) As reported by the New York Times, Idaho recently passed a law stating that abortions could only be performed if the mother's life was in danger.  

"Idaho's ban allows abortion to save the life of a pregnant woman, but not to prevent her health from deteriorating. The federal government says it therefore violates the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act, or EMTALA, which was enacted nearly 40 years ago."

ERs were turning away pregnant women in distress and, sometimes, helicoptering them to another state. Physicians have professional skills, but they are not omniscient, and cannot always discern when death is imminent, especially in emergencies such as ectopic pregnancies or aberrant bleeding. Each patient is different and brings to the table individual histories and medical backgrounds and their needs have to be met as presented. Medical personnel can define when a patient is critically ill and should be allowed to provide what they determine is necessary care, regardless of state legislation. The Times also reports: "One by one, doctors who handle high-risk pregnancies are disappearing from Idaho — part of a wave of obstetricians fleeing restrictive abortion laws and a hostile state legislature. Idaho's obstetrics exodus is not happening in isolation.

Across the country, in red states like Texas, Oklahoma, and Tennessee, obstetricians — including highly skilled doctors who specialize in handling complex and risky pregnancies — are leaving their practices. Some newly-minted doctors are avoiding states like Idaho."

Although Justice Alito brought up fetal personhood and the issue of saving a distressed fetus, that concern was not defined in the arguments. The women justices did not appear sympathetic to the arguments from the state, so maybe they could convince others to rule with them and decide that this 'death is imminent' restriction went too far. Common sense has to prevail somewhere in this matter. The Solicitor General argued: "In such cases, she said, "what Idaho is doing is waiting for women to wait and deteriorate and suffer the lifelong health consequences with no possible upside for the fetus. It stacks tragedy upon tragedy."

Women are dying or being permanently harmed when care is denied. These unconsidered ramifications from the hastily decided Dobbs' case continue to harm pregnant women across the country.

Meanwhile, the former president sits in a grungy NY courtroom, hearing testimony about his use of a tabloid to publish friendly stories about him and hide or pay off those who might have harmful stories, so as not to harm his election prospects. More to come, stay tuned. As President Biden said, at the White House Correspondents dinner, "I heard Donald ran into some stormy weather!"

While over in Arizona, the Democrats, and a few Republicans, finally got the 1864 antiabortion law repealed. However, the state just indicted the fake electors who certified they were the real deal back in 2020. Others, including John Eastman, Christina Bobbs, Boris Epshteyn, Mark Meadows, Rudy Giuliani, Jenna Ellis, and the former president, were also included here in the indictment, some as unindicted co-conspirators. And the fun continues! Isn't accountability great?

Til next week-peace!

Aid for Ukraine, Taiwan, & Israel Approved by House

 

After months of delay, rhetoric, and rancor, the House finally    passed some much-needed financial aid packages for three countries, Ukraine, Taiwan, and Israel. House Speaker Mike Johnson, notified that his job was on the line if he brought these bills to a vote, did so anyway. He was, of course, denounced by his right-wing opponents. Each bill was passed as a separate measure without harmful add-ons or poison pills. The Border restructuring/immigration bill was not attached, as it would require a supermajority. Johnson worked with the Democrats and many in his party to make these votes happen. A bill requiring the sale of TikTok was also passed in this manner.

By separating the three funding issues, those members with specific concerns could make their statements and vote accordingly.

According to the reporting in the New York Times:

"The legislation includes $60 billion for Kyiv; $26 billion for Israel and humanitarian aid for civilians in conflict zones, including Gaza; and $8 billion for the Indo-Pacific region. It would direct the president to seek repayment from the Ukrainian government of $10 billion in economic assistance, a concept supported by former President Donald J. Trump, who had pushed for any aid to Kyiv to be in the form of a loan. But it also would allow the president to forgive those loans starting in 2026.

The vote was 311 to 112 in favor of the aid to Ukraine, with a majority of Republicans — 112 — voting against it and one, Representative Dan Meuser of Pennsylvania, voting "present." The House approved assistance to Israel 366 to 58; and to Taiwan 385 to 34, with Representative Rashida Tlaib, Democrat of Michigan, voting "present." The bill to impose sanctions on Iran and require the sale of TikTok by its Chinese owner or ban the app in the United States passed 360 to 58.

Thirty-seven liberal Democrats opposed the $26 billion aid package for Israel because the legislation placed no conditions on how Israel could use American funding, as the death toll in Gaza has reached more than 33,000 and the threat of famine looms. That showed a notable dent in the longstanding ironclad bipartisan backing for Israel in Congress, but was a relatively small bloc of opposition given that left-wing lawmakers had pressed for a large "no" vote on the bill to send a message to Mr. Biden about the depth of opposition within his political coalition to his backing for Israel's tactics in the war."

Questions without straightforward answers: What do you think about unconditional military aid to Israel given the continued deaths and famine in Gaza? What do you think about the US imposing sanctions on Israeli forces and settlers in the West Bank who attacked residents in their towns after a teenage shepherd was murdered? Should Israel have attacked Iranian military members at a consulate in Syria?

Now there are increased tensions between Israel, Iran, and others in the region. I think this attack was provocative and highly irresponsible. With luck and diplomacy, which I hope prevail, Iran and Israel will not keep on waving weapons at each other's countries.

Representative Marjorie Taylor-Greene (recently dubbed 'Moscow Marjorie' by some for her support of President Putin) denounced the support for Ukraine and tried to kill it with many onerous amendments that were voted down by her colleagues. Recent press reports mentioned many Republicans who bought into the propaganda being widely spread by Russian media and others and were echoing these remarks in their public comments. Representative Turner called out these members as belonging to the Russian wing of the party.

As noted by the Guardian:

"Mike Turner, the chairperson of the US House intelligence committee, says some of his fellow Republicans are "absolutely" repeating Russian propaganda on the chamber floor, echoing a similar claim made recently by another right-wing American lawmaker.

"It is absolutely true we see, directly coming from Russia, attempts to mask communications that are anti-Ukraine and pro-Russia messages, some of which we even hear being uttered on the House floor," the Ohio congressman told CNN's State of the Union show.

Turner maintained that one high-profile instance of such misinformation centered on cases where federal lawmakers have sought to portray Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine as a war between NATO and Vladimir Putin's forces.

"Of course, it is not," Turner said. "To the extent that this propaganda takes hold, it makes it more difficult for us to really see this as an authoritarian versus democracy battle."

Many Republicans, understanding that their candidate wanted an end to the war in Ukraine, voted against the funding, while others did not. Does this mean the former president has lost support as he sits and reportedly sleeps at his New York trial on falsifying business records to cover up payments to a porn star? Mike Johnson met with DJT at his Florida home over the last week and most likely discussed these votes with him. In a public statement after the meeting, the former president indicated he stood with the Speaker.

Does this mean that a corner has been turned, that the House will finally act as the responsible legislative body, it was under the leadership of former Speaker Nancy Pelosi? I do not know, but it turns out that Democrats and Republicans discussed the matters before the votes were called. The Speaker knew he could count on enough support from Democrats to pass these bills, regardless of the threats from members of his party.

According to the Times, Johnson, who long opposed this aid until a recent shift in perspective, supported it after receiving intelligence briefings about the dire situation in Ukraine with continued Russian bombings, troop advances, and the war crimes committed by the Russians. He also noted that should Putin succeed in Ukraine, all of Europe could be in danger because he would not stop at its borders.

ABC News reported on this:
Speaker Mike Johnson earned praise from both a top Republican and a progressive Democrat on Sunday for allowing votes on a $95 billion foreign aid package, suggesting he'll be able to hold onto his job if conservative hard-liners make good on their threat to force a vote to remove him as the leader of the House.

"I am so proud of the speaker, Mike Johnson. He went through a transformation," House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Michael McCaul, a Texas Republican, said on ABC News' "This Week." "At the end of the day, a profile in courage is putting the nation above yourself -- and that's what he did. He said, 'At the end of the day, I'm going to be on the right side of history, irrespective of my job,' and I think that was what I admired so much."

Rep. Ro Khanna, a Democrat from California, agreed.

"I disagree with Speaker Johnson on many issues, and I've been very critical of him," Khanna told "This Week" co-anchor Jonathan Karl in a separate interview. "But he did the right thing here and he deserves to keep his job 'til the end of his term."

These bills will now go to the Senate, which long ago approved an aid package, and then on to President Biden for his signature.

The White House issued this statement, which says in part:

Today, members of both parties in the House voted to advance our national security interests and send a clear message about the power of American leadership on the world stage. At this critical inflection point, they came together to answer history's call, passing urgently needed national security legislation that I have fought for months to secure.

Tomorrow is Earth Day–Celebrate!

And as noted by Heather Cox Richardson today: https://connect.xfinity.com/appsuite/#

"In a statement, Biden noted that no one can any longer deny the impacts and staggering costs of climate change as the nation confronts historic floods, droughts, and hurricanes.  Biden noted that he brought the US back into the Paris Climate Accord Trump pulled out of, is on track to conserve more lands and waters than any president before him, and has worked with the international community to slash methane emissions and restore lost forests."

Til next week-Peace!

Celebrate Earth Day-but Watch the Supreme Court

 

In April we see Spring arrive in its glory as trees, grasses, and flowers all come forth in beauty and abundance. April is also when we celebrate Earth Day, a date set aside way back in 1970 to encourage communities to focus on their environment.

Here is a poem about Spring ..and life by Philip Larkin, a British poet (1922-1985) who did not consider this poem his best, but knew it conveyed a message.

The Trees, by Philip Larkin

The trees are coming into leaf

Like something almost being said;

The recent buds relax and spread,

Their greenness is a kind of grief.

Is it that they are born again

And we grow old? No, they die too,

Their yearly trick of looking new

Is written down in rings of grain.

Yet still the unresting castles thresh

In full-grown thickness every May.

Last year is dead, they seem to say,

Begin afresh, afresh, afresh.

 

On that first Earth Day estimates were that over twenty million people took part at some level in their communities as they planted trees, removed rubbish from streams, and collected litter along roadways. From coast to coast, schools, and colleges, just regular folks, business owners, elected officials, and grandmothers, got out and about and looked at their environment. What they saw was not encouraging, as industrial waste polluted streams and groundwater, and smokestacks at chemical sites spewed noxious fumes into the air, causing smog and exposing nearby communities to carcinogens.

Later that year, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) was formed to address these concerns. Its mission, as described here by the Library of Congress research arm:

“Was established in response to the growing public demand for cleaner water, air, and land—its mission to protect the environment and public health. Earth Day also was the precursor of the largest grassroots environmental movement in US history and the impetus for national legislation such as the Clean Air and Clean Water Acts. At the turn of the twenty-first century, the EPA announced new requirements for improving air quality in national parks and wilderness areas and establishing regulations requiring more than 90 percent cleaner heavy-duty highway diesel engines and fuel.”

“By the twentieth anniversary of the first event, more than 200 million people in 141 countries had participated in Earth Day celebrations. The celebrations continue to grow.”

Today, the EPA is still working to protect our communities and our environment. Its website suggests ways everyone can contribute to these efforts.

Lower your carbon footprint.

Reduce, reuse, recycle

Be water smart, conserve

Feed people, not landfills

The website also discusses the way an Act such as the Clean Air and Water Act became law and regulations were written. The EPA also works to enforce these regulations with inspections and fines when violations are found.

Industrial plants with polluting smokestacks that send pollutants into the air such as nitrogen oxide, sulfur oxides, carbon dioxides, carbon monoxides, and particulate matter were required to take measures to stop this contamination. These measures included adding particulate controllers such as cyclone separators, fabric filters, and electrostatic precipitators that removed certain pollutants while smoke stack scrubbers removed sulfur, incineration residue, and volatile organic compounds (VOC). Excess carbon was captured and pumped into the ground to remove the greenhouse effects it could cause in the air.

This is just a minor example of the issues the EPA deals with annually in one industry. It is known that some plants contribute to water pollution by discharging contaminated water used in their chemical processes into nearby streams, while other industries store chemicals in unsafe containers that can leak toxic materials into the ground. Additional regulations were added to address this issue, especially when factories closed and abandoned their former worksites, leaving contaminated acres behind. The provisions in Super Fund legislation allowed for long-term evaluation and clean-up as such sites were identified. The EPA website describes the process.

“Thousands of contaminated sites exist nationally due to hazardous waste being dumped, left out in the open, or otherwise improperly managed. These sites include manufacturing facilities, processing plants, landfills, and mining sites. 

In the late 1970s, toxic waste dumps such as Love Canal and Valley of the Drums received national attention when the public learned about the risks to human health and the environment posed by contaminated sites. 

In response, Congress established the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA) in 1980. CERCLA is informally called Superfund. It allows EPA to clean up contaminated sites. It also forces the parties responsible for the contamination to either perform cleanups or reimburse the government for EPA-led cleanup work. 

When there is no viable responsible party, the Superfund gives the EPA the funds and authority to clean up contaminated sites. 

Superfund’s goals are to:

Protect human health and the environment by cleaning up contaminated sites;

Make responsible parties pay for cleanup work;

Involve communities in the Superfund process; and

Return Superfund sites to productive use.”

 

 I know I was stunned to realize that in the Love Canal community, residents had been vaguely aware of chemical drums along the canal. Here is a report at the time:

“NIAGARA FALLS, NY--Twenty-five years after the Hooker Chemical Company stopped using the Love Canal here as an industrial dump, 82 different compounds, 11 of them suspected carcinogens, have been percolating upward through the soil, their drum containers rotting and leaching their contents into the backyards and basements of 100 homes and a public school built on the banks of the canal.”

“In an article prepared for the February 1978 EPA Journal, {I wrote}, regarding chemical dumpsites in general, that "even though some of these landfills have been closed down, they may stand like ticking time bombs." Just months later, Love Canal exploded.

The explosion was triggered by a record amount of rainfall. Shortly thereafter, the leaching began.

I visited the canal area at that time. Corroding waste-disposal drums could be seen breaking up through the grounds of backyards. Trees and gardens were turning black and dying. One entire swimming pool had been popped up from its foundation, afloat now on a small sea of chemicals. Puddles of noxious substances were pointed out to me by the residents. Some of these puddles were in their yards, some were in their basements, and others yet were on the school grounds. Everywhere, the air had a faint, choking smell. Children returned from play with burns on their hands and faces.”

The state of NY evacuated the community, helped to resettle the residents, and started the cleanup. However, this did little to help the families with pediatric cancers and others with severe related medical conditions.

In eastern Washington state, the Hanford nuclear site is another known hazardous area. Here, nuclear waste including, plutonium, is stored in corroding and leaking tanks which are already contaminating the soil. Currently, the solution for containment has been to place tarps over the tanks. The US has no suitable spots for storing nuclear waste or even cleaning it up. The half-life of plutonium (the time it would take for half of the materials to be used up naturally by degrading, evaporation, etc.,) is over 24,000 years. There have been plans to place nuclear waste in deep salt mines, but nearby communities have made objections. So, what do we do with materials we cannot control? Sadly, there are no quick or easy answers.

For those in Maryland living near Fort Detrick, a former biological warfare laboratory test site, there is a plat called Area B where chemical, biological, medical, and radiological materials were discarded over many years. Even though the biological site closed in 1980, these toxic materials are still in the process of decontamination. Nearby wells were closed decades ago to lessen community exposure.

I have just touched on a tiny bit of the work being done in the areas of clean water and air. Also not mentioned are the increased asthma rates in the inner city from industrial pollutants and automobile emissions. I have not discussed the documented increased cancer rates in poor communities in Texas nestled against plants associated with chemical and petroleum-based products where residents are called to shelter in place whenever something goes wrong at the plant. I also have not reviewed the reality that industries are fighting back against many regulations. For many years, the EPA won these battles. Now, over the last few sessions, the Supreme Court is rolling back some of the established rules as excessive.

As reported by NPR:

Alex Brandon/AP Re: Sackett vs. EPA

The US Supreme Court on Thursday significantly curtailed the power of the Environmental Protection Agency to regulate the nation's wetlands and waterways. It was the court's second decision in a year limiting the ability of the agency to enact anti-pollution regulations and combat climate change.

Writing for the court majority, Justice Samuel Alito said that the navigable waters of the United States regulated by the EPA under the statute do not include many previously regulated wetlands. Rather, he said, the CWA extends to only streams, oceans, rivers, and lakes, and those wetlands with a "continuous surface connection to those bodies."

Justice Brett Kavanaugh, joined by the court's three liberal members, disputed Alito's reading of the statute, noting that since 1977 when the CWA was amended to include adjacent wetlands, eight consecutive presidential administrations, Republican and Democratic, have interpreted the law to cover wetlands that the court has now excluded. Kavanaugh said that by narrowing the act to cover only adjoining wetlands, the court's new test will have quote "significant repercussions for water quality and flood control throughout the United States."

Others have argued that wetlands play an enormous role in water and land protections and this decision will be harmful in the long term.

“As in last year's case limiting the EPA's ability to regulate air pollution from power plants, the decision was a major victory for the groups that supported the Sacketts — mining, oil, utilities and, in today's case, agricultural and real estate interests as well.”

The Chesapeake Bay Foundation issued a detailed statement: (I only quote a part here, but follow the link for a detailed review.)

“The Supreme Court issued a disastrous ruling recently that eliminates federal safeguards for a broad swath of wetlands and waterways critical to restoring the Chesapeake Bay, its tributaries, and other damaged water bodies across the country.

The May 25 decision in Sackett v. EPA said the Clean Water Act only protects wetlands and other waters adjacent to streams, rivers, and other "navigable waters" that are "indistinguishable" from those waters because of a "continuous surface connection" between the wetlands and the navigable waters.

As a result, thousands of isolated wetlands unique to our region and integral to Bay restoration, called Delmarva Bays and pocosins, no longer qualify for protection under the Supreme Court's narrow new definition of "waters of the United States" covered by the Clean Water Act.”

(If you, like me, did not know what a pocosin is: it is defined as naturally occurring freshwater evergreen shrub wetlands of the southeastern coastal plains with deep acidic peat soils.)

More cases are on the horizon reports the NY Times, as Republican Attorney Generals from 24 states have already sued the Biden administration regarding changes reducing levels for pollution emissions on fine particulate matter. That issue is expected to work its way to the Supreme Court.

So, while millions and millions of Americans support clean air and water, the Supreme Court wants to reduce or gut regulations supporting those efforts.

Voting matters!

Til next week- Peace!

Better Off Now Than Four Years Ago

 

Some Republicans hope that most Americans have poor memories. As they dare to promote the era of the former resident as one of peace and prosperity, they ask, “Are you better off now than when he was in office”? My answer is a firm YES. I am absolutely better off now. Some of my personal and global explanations are below.

In March 2020, over the course of a few days, I went from working in an office to getting set up and working from home, as did many others, when the COVID pandemic arrived in our communities. Abruptly, we learned to do our work in the Cloud, hold online team and Zoom conferences, and configure our homes into workspaces.

We immediately began searching for gloves and surgical masks to protect ourselves from this unknown virus for the rare times when we ventured into public spaces such as grocery stores. The stores put down physical barriers to keep us apart, painted ‘feet shapes’ on the floors to show us where to stand, and placed barriers at check-out counters to protect their masked workers.

Nurses, physicians, respiratory therapists, aides, and others employed in hospitals discovered a scarcity of personal protective equipment (PPE), limited respirators, and inadequate medications to combat this unfamiliar and lethal virus. They received little help from a president who assured the country that we would only have twenty cases and he would keep the virus away by not allowing at-sea cruise lines to dock and off-load passengers who might have been exposed or infected while away. His government allowed the stocks of health emergency supplies to deteriorate, go out of date, or become unusable, so the gloves, lab supplies for viral tests, and respirators were just not to be found in the governmental storehouses.

As businesses and schools shut down, people masked up and isolated, and elderly patients in nursing homes were dying, the president did little to improve the situation when he ignored the advice of healthcare professionals when they predicted the situation would continue to get worse. Instead, he relied on the advice of quack advisors, suggested that people inject bleach or take a drug used for malaria or lupus called Hydroxychloroquine, neither of which had been deemed effective. (Subsequently, actual lupus patients who needed the medication could not find it, because of this alternative promoted use.) Meanwhile, the Centers for Disease Control, (CDC) worked to develop a test to determine the presence of the virus that could be in widespread use. That, too, did not go well initially. Our government, staffed by some of the best scientists in the world, did not have the tools to jump in at the outset of the pandemic because those in charge did not want to acknowledge the seriousness of the pandemic. Ignoring it did not make it go away. Warnings were worldwide, beginning in January. America did not even address the conditions until March. By then, there was no easy way to contain the spread.

The president did not assist the public health messages when he refused to isolate or wear a mask, even as any who came in contact with him had to be tested for the virus. He encouraged movements in some states where anti-maskers refused to wear a mask or protect workplaces. Some pastors held outdoor church services to protect their parishioners, while others decried the ‘governmental interference with religion’ as they saw it and held indoor services. Many people then identified them as disease spreaders, calling them “super spreaders” when large numbers of their congregations got infected. And, as became apparent later, once the president contacted the virus, he did not mask nor announce this, kept up public appearances, and was possibly another one of the super spreaders.

When plants and other production lines shut down, suddenly America learned about supply chain issues. Were you a person going from grocery stores to 7-11s trying to find toilet tissue, or hitting the neighborhood online news to see who just got in a supply? And, when you got there, you learned you were limited to only two packages? When you went to the grocery, meats, and vegetables were not only in short supply but prices were suddenly much higher than before. Again, the Federal government appeared to not know how to solve these problems.

Then, as people started dying in large numbers, some tried to hide the totals. But, as refrigerated trucks full of bodies piled up outside New York City hospitals and morgues, people noticed. As Governor Cuomo went on TV calling for help with respirators, PPE, and staffing, the president did little. He even said he would send respirators to those governors who asked nicely. Older adults suffered the most as, when one ages, one’s ability to fight off infections decreases.

Public health advocates were encouraged by the arrival of vaccines but were astonished by the resistance to widespread immunizations. The anti-vaxxers followed the anti-maskers movements, leading to a delayed and imperfect vaccination program. COVID is still here. As recently as February, CNN reported, thousands of senior citizens are still dying each month. CDC data today notes that throughout the active pandemic period, there were 6,909,932 hospitalizations and 1,187,509 deaths. This number does not count the cases now recognized as the extended form of the disease known as long-covid.

There are so many other reasons I am better off now, aside from COVID issues. Consider the supply chain issue. When President Biden took office, cargo ships were lined up for weeks along the California coast waiting to off-load their wares. Companies could not fix appliances or find necessary parts because they were sitting on those ships. President Biden changed the issue, got the docks working around the clock, and soon resolved most of the problem.

Getting vaccinated against COVID has protected my health, but I still refrain from wading into sizeable crowds or taking unnecessary risks because I am older and have other health concerns. However, I also do not worry that my president will try to take away my Social Security, decrease my Medicare or prescription coverage, or take away Medicaid for those who need it. Some higher drug costs are being reviewed and the costs for insulin and some inhalers came down because of presidential pressure and congressional action. I do not worry that my president will attack the Affordable Care Act as his opponent is now promising to do. As for health care, I am better off except for the Dobbs’ decision rendered by some justices DJT selected. I hope women speak up and come out to vote this November on this issue. A population should not lose rights on spurious legal grounds.

We are all better off now because President Biden has rolled back the diminished acreage in public parklands such as Bears Ears in Utah implemented by his predecessor. I believe he will continue to protect the environment; I do not believe DJT had any interest in doing that as he continued to promote fossil fuels and their mining. Heather Cox Richardson wrote about this issue in her column today.

Although DJT constantly spoke of infrastructure week, he never implemented it, while President Biden already has shovels in the ground across the country on a variety of projects that are improving communities and creating jobs. The country is better off as unemployment is low and more jobs are being created each month. Inflation has come down, but corporate greed continues to keep some prices high. Fortunately, some minimum wage increases are helping unions and other working families.

I could go on and mention more, but I think you get my point. I remember those scary days back in 2020 that were made much worse because of inept leadership. President Biden is a workhorse, not a show horse. He is not glitzy, but he is thoughtful. He does not threaten populations or call immigrants animals, nor does he plan to disrupt courts, the rule of law, or plan a coup. So, in conclusion, we are all better off now and I hope for the next four years under a wise, not a wild leader.

Before I close, did you see the Eclipse today? I watched from my backyard off and on this afternoon, using my special glasses. Maryland was out of the track for totality, but I enjoyed what I could see. Awesome!! It was also encouraging to see the number of children and families gathered across the country to share this significant event. I hope it moves more young people to look into science as a career.

Til next week-Peace!

Is Your Bridge Red or Blue?

Sadly, this week a disabled and powerless 1000-foot-long, approximately two-million-pound container ship crashed into a post support for the 1.6-mile-long Francis Scott Key Bridge that spans the Patapsco River at the Port of Baltimore and carries Highway 695 around the city. The steel truss-style bridge collapsed into the waters of the harbor, taking with it 6 workers who were repairing potholes during the overnight hours. So far, the bodies of two workers have been found. Another worker escaped and is in the hospital with serious injuries. All the workers were Hispanic immigrants, which led some on the right toward immigrant-bashing, rather than empathy. What hole do these folks live in? Local police officers were noted as heroes as they stopped traffic entering the bridge as soon as they heard the May Day call from the Container ship just before it struck the span. No vehicles were crossing the bridge when it fell.

This bridge is a vital part of the Baltimore Highway System as vehicles carrying hazardous materials north and south of the city cannot use the routes through the Harbor Tunnel (895) or the Fort McHenry Tunnel along I95. The Key Bridge, which had a toll, carried an average of 30,000 vehicles daily, or 12.4 million vehicles in 2023. Now, the Army Corps of Engineers and others are working to remove the debris, steel trusses, and hazardous wastes that resulted, causing the closure of this access road east of the City. This incident has blocked all marine traffic at the Port of Baltimore. The Container ship now sits dead in the waters, having lost power and some of its containers. The ship called the Dali, has a crew from India and was heading to Sri Lanka. It is owned by a group out of Singapore and Hong Kong but was being leased by the Danish giant shipping firm Maersk. This certainly underscores the international nature of shipping and reinforces the fact that running these giant lines requires companies to manage many lines of commerce concurrently. Incidents such as this, the issues with ship attacks in the Middle East, and the drought in Panama all affect the flow of marine commerce and eventually interfere with the supply chain. For example, Baltimore is the major port of entry for foreign manufactured cars and trucks and exports coal from mines along the East Coast.

The bridge was built in 1977 according to standards in use at that time, but no longer employed after subsequent collapses of other similar bridges over the decades. The cost, 41 years ago, was around 60 million dollars comparable to over 300 million today. President Biden and Transportation Secretary Buttigieg announced the release of 60 million dollars from an emergency fund just to start the cleanup and promised to ask Congress for funds to rebuild this necessary connection in the federal highway system. Governor Wes Moore of Maryland and Mayor Brandon Scott of Baltimore spoke at a press conference with sympathy about the deaths of the workers and the need for a rapid rebuilding of the bridge. The port usually ships more than a million containers annually. Shipping directly employs thousands of workers and involves many more thousands in the harbor support networks, so the city will experience severe losses in jobs, port fees, and other revenues. The Washington Post talked to some Long Shoremen at the port in this video link about the local impact here.

These are the facts, plain and simple. This event was a tragedy for all involved, but it was an accident, not a nefarious plot.

But the right-wingers out there are not ones to ever let an accident be – it must either be due to terrorism, sabotage, or the implementation of those inclusion laws (Diversity, Equity inclusion, or DEI). (You know, or as one idiot said, DEI=DIE.) Alex Jones, who defamed the Sandy Hook parents, jumped on the bandwagon claiming he sees a conspiracy as did much of the right sided media. Some Republican Congress members such as Nancy Mace, SC, questioned why we would want to spend money on a blue state bridge and mis-characterized the infrastructure program saying that Maryland should just use its funds from the “Green New Deal” – a mis statement. Rep. Dan Meuser, R-PA, said it was outrageous to suggest that the Federal Government should pay for the reconstruction. (Usually, the feds pay up to 90% of such construction with the states picking up a balance.) The eventual costs are today estimated to be as much as two billion dollars over several years, more money than is currently in the fund. Other used race as a reason to not build the bridge attacking the Maryland Governor and the Baltimore Mayor, both Black men. Governor Moore addressed those comments recently, as quoted in The Hill:

Gov. Wes Moore (D) brushed off mentions of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) as a factor in the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, denouncing the conservative criticisms as irrelevant.

Numerous GOP figures said “DEI” was somehow responsible for the bridge collapse last week, which was caused by a container ship crashing into a support column, sending the bridge into the Patapsco River and killing six people. Moore refused to give the criticisms a response.

“My response is I have no time for foolishness,” he said in a CNN “State of the Union” interview with Dana Bash on Sunday. “I’m locked in on making sure that we can bring closure and comfort to these families and making sure that we’re going to keep our first responders safe or doing heroic work,” he said.

“On making sure that we’re going to open up this channel and be able to get boats and ships and get our economic engine going again, making sure that we’re taking care of our people to include our first responders and families and small businesses who have been impacted by this,” he continued. “And I’m making sure that we’re going to get the Key Bridge rebuilt. I have no time for foolishness, and so I’m not going to delve into it.”

The most widespread DEI remarks came from Utah state Rep. Phil Lyman (R) and Florida congressional candidate Anthony Sabatini (R).

Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott sharply denounced the comments as racist and race-baiting, said that DEI was just a substitute for racial slurs, specifically after he was dubbed a “DEI mayor.”“[Black people] been the bogeyman for them since the first day they brought us to this country, and what they mean by ‘DEI’ in my opinion is ‘duly elected incumbent,’” Scott said earlier this week.“

The voices on the right are implying, not very discreetly, that Black leadership is deficient and these leaders would not be in their positions without some shortcuts have been taken. Sounds sorta like the arguments being made during the Reconstruction Era to me. Isn’t it time these guys gave up on this stuff?

Officials, as reported by the Post, today  announced temporary plans to create some type of channel for transportation:

“It was not clear exactly how the alternate channel was to be created, when it could be opened or what vessels would be classified as essential. No information was immediately available on whether weight and size limits would be imposed for use of the alternate route.

Also unclear was whether the channel could be used by any cargo ships docking at Baltimore, or whether it would be restricted to vessels involved in the effort to recover from the bridge collapse.”

 

Since the Eisenhower era, the United States has had a Coast to Coast, North to South Federally funded highway system. These highways facilitated the expansion of commerce, geopolitical movements, tourism, and growth. The highway system is vital for national defense, disasters, and other emergencies. For some, to suddenly suggest that a vital link in this system should be allowed to remain broken, is folly. And short-sighted. Remember Senator Cruz decrying aid for Hurricane Sandy in NY but then wanting it when another storm devastated cities in Texas? We are all in this together – one nation with red and blue highways and bridges connected with each other. Remember when the railroads all had different gauge tracks and could not easily connect together; once that issue was resolved our rail system worked better. Highways and bridges are much the same; they have to work together for the betterment of all.

 

I restarted this blog four years ago as the COVID pandemic impacted and shut down our nation. Week after week I reported on the numbers of cases, hospitalizations, and deaths. I recounted the trials of health workers, patients, and families trying to deal with this tragedy. I reported on the lack of concern, and the failure of our leaders to accept the known facts and address the health issues promptly. “Let them use bleach or Ivermectin or Hydroxychloroquine.” They don’t need to stay home, isolate, or wear masks- all of which were untrue. In the end, a vaccine was available, yet many were encouraged to not take it. To date, there have been a total of 6,901,176 hospitalizations and 1,186,671 deaths in the US alone, according to CDC data here. The virus continues to mutate and be with us and people are still dying; vaccines will need to change. As recently as a year ago, 1000 people a day were dying from the virus. And now the incompetent person who was directly responsible for assuring us that only 20 cases would happen here, for blaming China, rather than encouraging science, and for killing thousands of fragile, elderly people wants you to vote for him, just say NO.

Til next week- Peace!