Senator Cory
Booker (D-NJ) took to the floor of the Senate last week for a continuous 25-hour-long
extraordinary period of oratory. In doing this, Booker, a black man, broke the
record for the longest speech made by segregationist Senator Strom Thurmond in
the 1950s as he then tried to defeat a Civil Rights Bill. Interesting irony
there.
Today we have fresh
crises as the Republican Congress seeks to balance their tax cuts for the rich top
1% on the backs of the other 99% - such as you and me - by cutting many of the expected
and necessary services provided by our government.
Bookers' words
initially invoked the spirit of the late Congressman, John Lewis, about making "good
trouble". And, as he went on throughout the 24 hours plus stint without
eating, drinking, sitting, or taking a bathroom break, his words gained a
following on TikTok and YouTube with millions of likes and views. And Democrats
and others across the country cheered and were buoyed by this event. Many Democrats
had been stunned by the chaos and disruption happening around them as Elon Musk
and his minions took a sledgehammer to our federal structures, departmental programs,
policies, and those employed to make this country work. People suddenly were
losing their careers through no fault of their own, their parents were
frightened that they would lose their earned social security that supported
them in retirement. The security net that provided Medicaid and cared for those
with special needs for long-term care and more were no longer a given, as Musk
claimed, without evidence, that they were rife with fraud. Booker spoke of the
fears of so many that they would lose the support that kept them alive. He told
of the new rules that beneficiaries might have to struggle through as they were
required to appear in person at a distant office to even have a question answered
about their accounts as phone banks were closed.
The
administration fired many in the positions of departmental Inspector General in
defiance of the Congressional mandate that created these watchdogs and allowed
dismissal only for cause and with thirty days' notice. Funds for USAID were
summarily cut off, which will surely cause death and disease across many nations.
As America has long provided food, medicine, public health, and safety
expertise, as necessary, these losses will be huge and damaging. [Fascism often
ignores settled law, bypassing the courts, that, while necessary, are often
cumbersome and slow and a step behind current events. By the time they try to
right a wrong, the bad deed is done.]
Some have mentioned
that these cuts were cruel on purpose. The idea of 'shock and awe' is that the
speed decreases the ability of any opposition to rapidly and coherently
respond. Americans have long championed the Rule of Law, due process, and equal
justice. This Administration is ignoring these. Elon apparently predicted there
would be widespread vandalism and destruction at these rallies – this did not
occur as participants ranged from young to old with many families, elders, firm
and infirm, and all races and nationalities.
Senator Booker
noted these concerns are neither left nor right they are, instead,
an issue of right or wrong. Saying 'that if this America has not
broken your heart, you are not paying attention'.he issued a call to action. He
asked Americans to say where they were when rights were being trampled. How did
we allow this administration to happen? He asked Americans to stand up and
mentioned Dr. King who asked us what we stood for and implored us to have a
dream. In answer to a question, he spoke
of the courage of Alice Paul, who stood up for women and was jailed for her
protest, and Harriet Tubman, who asks, 'Ain't I a woman?' He mentioned her use
of the Underground Railroad to help enslaved people leave their masters. (The National
Park Service, according to the Washington Post, is now being asked to remove the
(DEI) description on their website, whitewash it, and remove any mention of
slavery and Tuymans' photo) If there is no institutional history or personal
memory, a propagandist can rewrite their version of history. It seems that this
history included mostly white men, with a few others tossed in when they were
too famous to ignore.
He mentioned Langston
Hughes, who loved America, even though she did not love him back. And veterans,
who dared to courageously fight for us and our freedoms, and who comprise 30%
of the federal workforce, are now being fired with no regard for their service.
There was so
much more covered in these 24 hours – I have touched on only a few here. Not
that others are not relevant, it is just there is so much more to account for
here from the last week.
This week saw
both former VP Kamala Harris and former President Barack Obama speak out for
the first time since the inauguration.
According to a
report from ABC, Obama spoke at Hamilton College and spoke against the tariffs
being imposed, the restrictions on universities, the threatening of law firms,
the discrediting of federal workers, and much more. He noted if he tried to do
any one of these things when he was in office, there would have been a
huge uproar on the right. He spoke to his concerns that these should not be considered
partisan issues but should prompt us to consider who we are as a country and
what our values are.
Harris spoke to
a group of women and urged them to have courage, saying that courage is
contagious. And, noting "I told you so!', she mentioned the sense of fear,
the unconstitutional actions, and uncertainty caused by the MAGA onslaught.
Harris, Booker,
and Obama all spoke before the president launched his so-called Liberation Day tariffs
that affected almost every nation in the world, well except for the oil-rich
Mideast and Russia, it seems. Many of these tariffs were based on some kind
of voodoo math and, in many cases, were severe and onerous. (It even
targeted an island inhabited only by penguins which prompted some wonderful
memes, but I won't go there, at least not right now.)
By
Friday the world stock markets dropped precipitously, the S & P 500 lost 10
% over two days, and the Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped 5.5 % on Friday
following a severe drop the day before. These are the lowest values since the
drop under COVID in 2020. Meanwhile, the "genius" in the White House seems fine if auto prices
increase since he thinks that will make more Americans buy cars here. What he cannot
seem to realize is that a car bought here may only partially be made here, so
there might be multiple entanglements.
Against the
backdrop of the discussions above, Saturday, April 5th has long been
planned as a day for protestors to say "Hands off" My Government. And
speak out against the illegal actions of this administration. Organized by a loose
coalition of unions, civil rights, and liberty groups, environmental forces, veterans,
and immigration supporters, the day of political action was called 50501(meaning
50 protests, 50 states, 1 movement.) Over 1400 sites across the country, in
red states and blue states, in cities large, and tiny towns, 'We the People'
spoke out. NY City sowed over 20 city blocks of people from sidewalk to sidewalk;
the Washington Monument grounds were populated by numbers well over 100,000.
From friends across the country, I received FB photos of some of the colorful
and heartfelt sentiments on posters carried by these real Americans. They are
in no particular order, not comprehensive, nor profane, and are copied below.
In the name of humanity, refuse to accept
fascism
RESIST-Courage is contagious
Stop pretending racism is patriotism
The road to tyranny begins with the death of
truth
We, the people, will not be defeated
Women's rights are human rights
We believe no person is illegal
Fight ignorance, not immigrants
You let this happen because you wouldn't vote
for a black woman
Our love is stronger than hate
Express your opinion while you still can
Our democracy, government, and law are not for
sale
Old enough to recognize evil (senior in a wheelchair)
Farmers against fascism
Make Orwell fiction again
This is what democracy looks like
To ignore evil is to become an accomplice to it
The power of the people is greater than the
people in power
University presidents, do your job, speak up!
Dissent is not a crime; it is a constitutional
right
Dump DOGE=Department of Great Evil
Love thy neighbor-no exception
Making good trouble on the shoulders of giants
I need to be able to tell my grandchildren that
I did not stay silent
Cruelty disguised as efficiency is still cruelty
We are the resistance
Hands off my Social Security – I worked 38
years and paid into this
Stronger together – united as one
This is not right or left – it is right or
wrong
Dismantle the oligarchy
Defend the Constitution
Girls just want to have funding for scientific
research
Make America think again
Hands off personal
data, free speech, support services, clean air
Another woke daughter fighting fascism
Proud to protest against tyrants
The greatest generation would want us to fight
To learn who rules you, promptly find out who
you are not allowed to criticize
(Three
women wearing the red capes from The Handmaid's Tale stood with this sign,
although the phrase is attributed to an American neo-Nazi in the 1930s, not
Voltaire as many think.)
It is time to use our outside voices; education
is a right, not a privilege
Even librarians cannot stay silent
Outraged by the cruelty, stunned by the
stupidity
Teach history; show love
And…showing Americans’ humor, I’ll close with this
one
Ikea has better cabinets
As I am winding
these remarks down, the futures markets across the world are crashing and many
businesses are hedging their bets and holding their breath waiting for the
Monday morning Wall Street openings in New York..and no Republicans or administration
officials are addressing the elephant in the room- 401ks and other investments
held by ordinary workers and retirees across the country are seeing huge
losses. These actions are far more serious than the price of eggs.
Sadly, ending
here
Til next week,
please find peace.
