Truth and Consequences

Recently the TV news showed an old video from 2019 of current Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) besieging the locked office door of Representative Alexandria Ocasio- Cortez (D-NY) (AOC) and shouting provocative statements into the mail slot. Greene started her campaign for Congress shortly after this incident. She was accompanied then by a man who was later part of the group, taking part in the insurrection. Last week she followed AOC down a corridor in the Capitol shouting at her along the way. Greene also harassed newly elected Cori Bush (D-MO), who is Black, so much that Bush moved her office far away from Greene. Although Republican leadership supposedly admonished her about her behavior, it took the House Democratic membership to remove her from her committee assignments, so she has been relieved of any responsibilities and allowed to roam free from restriction. Several House members have voiced doubts about her command of reality. She, however, remains a loyal supporter of the former president and of the lies he spreads.

Representative Liz Cheney who has told the truth about the 2020 election, voted to certify the election, voted for impeachment, and opposed the party line about the insurrection and the electoral process has been drummed out of her leadership position by a voice vote. She has also stated that refusal to acknowledge the truths of the election and the insurrection will lead to future acts akin to those of January 6^th. Cheney, who has valid conservative principles and has tried to speak truth to power, is no longer being tolerated by leadership.

What does this tell us about the direction of the Republican Party? A party that is built on lies will eventually fall just as a House of Cards cannot tolerate the slightest shift. Cheney’s successor Elise Stefanik (R-NY) is supposedly a policy wonk, but there is a little policy in the recent pronouncements from Minority leader McCarthy (R-CA) or Stefanik. Promises are being made to run primary opposition candidates to all Republicans who voted to certify the election or support Impeachment. So, it seems that the penalty for truth-telling by Republicans is to be disowned by those in power in the party.

In an attempt to reinforce the Big Lie(s)at hearings this week in the House, Representative Clyde (R-GA) claimed that the people who were in the Capitol on January 6^th were there as tourists walking through the halls, following the roped lines and snapping selfies. There indeed were some such people. Of course, he omitted the broken windows and doors, the ransacking of the halls and offices, and defecation and urination in public spaces. He also omitted the injuries to more than 150 police officers, the thefts and destruction of government property, and the deaths that occurred that day. Congressman Ted Lieu (D-CA) called Clyde out as a photo surfaced of Clyde apparently attempting to barricade a door along with House security during the battle for the House. Truth-telling seems to be missing here as well. But what are the consequences?

The hearing in the House this week noted that nearly 500 Americans have been arrested for their actions at the Capitol that day. It was learned that one of those arrested was an active duty, Marine Major. Major Christopher Warnagiris was charged on five counts with assaulting or impeding a police officer, obstruction, and unlawful entry. The military has a long road to follow to discern how many current and former members of the military or National Guard have been radicalized by paramilitary groups. So far, only two insurrectionists who were charged have pled guilty.

The House finally agreed this week to convene a January 6^th Investigatory Commission. There will be five members from each party, but no additional members from President Biden. This commission would be vested with subpoena power and the authority to investigate those who stormed the Capitol. Speaker Pelosi (D-CA) who had wanted a Democratic majority on the commission relented on that issue but refused to cave to the Republican demands that Black Lives Matter demonstrations and Antifa attacks also are included as she said they were not at the Capitol on that day. Given the extreme partisanship in the House, I am hopeful (but doubtful) that a consensus can be reached on any eventual conclusion. The 911 commission should be a model for these efforts as it produced a unified bipartisan final report. Ten years ago the commission produced a follow-up report on its findings, many of which had not even then been implemented. I do hope that ten years from now that we are still not waiting for any advice given by the January 6^th commission to be followed.

I noticed a report in the Washington Post which noted that a former member of the Military with high-security clearances was convicted of spying for the Russians over many years. According to the military, he caused great damage to military operations during his career; he was sentenced to 15 years in federal prison. His mother was from Russia and he was recruited when a student in Russia and a member of student ROTC. He later married a Russian woman whose father was a high-ranking Russian Military officer and was directed in his career choices over many years by his handlers. While we in America think often of two-year cycles, our enemies are often playing a long game. Just something to keep in mind.

Another issue in the news this week was the gas shortage in parts of the east coast due to a shutdown of pipeline services from a Russian-based attacker in a cyber ransom attack. The news led to long gas lines, panic buying, and some acts of absolute stupidity as customers were seen loading multiple gas containers into trunks and filling large plastic bags with gasoline. Didn’t any of these “geniuses” realize that gasoline is incredibly flammable? Shaking my head on this one!

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This week saw the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) announce that enough people have been vaccinated to allow some relaxation of the mask requirements for all. They indicated that those who are fully vaccinated may go without a mask in certain circumstances. Restrictions are still in place on public transportation, medical facilities, and some crowded spaces or restaurants, but open spaces and some public areas can be mask-free. The remaining question is how will we know if someone is following the rules and being truthful about their vaccination status? Basically, we have to rely on people accepting these new rules. Will the red/blue divide still stand? Many professionals are skeptical about this decision and fear that it will bring about a spike in illnesses. When I shopped today-I wore my mask even though I am fully vaccinated and saw many others doing the same.

Elsewhere the pandemic is still ravaging India and many parts of Asia and South America. Daily death rates exceeded 4000 in recent days in India as the disease spread from the crowded cities to the countryside where facilities are scarce. Western nations are still rushing supplies to India, but I fear that this is too little, too late.

The US is now reporting that 37% of the population is fully vaccinated and that 47% have partial vaccination. Currently, the US is reporting that 273,545,207 vaccinations have been given, with 47% of the population having received one shot and 37% who are fully vaccinated. Maryland is reporting 53.3% who are vaccinated with one dose and with 42.3% fully vaccinated. The “herd immunity number” is expected to be 70% fully vaccinated, so we are far from that statistic. Some red states are still vaccine-resistant. Maryland cases have been under 500 most days this week, which is a new normal low.

COVID stats NY Times:

Total US cases: 32,967,351. New cases: 32,041. Total deaths: 585,572. New deaths: 610.

Maryland totals: Cases 455,635. New cases: 378. Total deaths: 8,925. New deaths: 17.

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A final note about Liz Cheney and the GOP. In a report for the Brookings Institute, Elaine Kamarck, a Senior Fellow for Governance Studies and founding director of The Center for Effective Public Management writes that while Liz Cheney may have lost her opportunity to become a Minority Leader or Speaker, she might be fortifying her bid for the Presidency in 2024. Kamarck notes that the Republican electorate has aged and that younger voters are coming in as Democrats. She writes that others speak of more tolerance about change among the younger electorate and more fears of displacement among older voters. She indicated that the former president is aging and beset by legal problems and is not likely to be a candidate in the next presidential election. Many conservatives have stated their dismay that the former administration did not adhere to prescribed values of limited governance. However, Kamarck also shows that now that Cheney is no longer tied to the hierarchy in the House, she is free to further her conservative philosophy and rebuild the party in the direction of those values. By doing this, she may also be setting herself up to run for president in 2024. 

Her success may depend upon deposing the MAGA majority in the Party or by creating a viable alternative. We should know more after the results of the midterm elections. The jockeying around with voter regulations in several red states demonstrates how worried the Republicans are about free and fair elections. They are brazenly trying to diminish the youth vote and that of black and brown voters.

The voting in 2022 may be a war between those who support democracy and those who believe in autocracy. Stacey Abrams recently said in an interview “that partisanship has come to overwhelm citizenship”. Don’t say that you were not warned.

“Til next week -peace!

Sleight of Hand?

  

Do you remember that scene in the Wizard of Oz when the “Wizard” is exposed as an ordinary man with a megaphone? He attempts to recover by shouting out - “pay no attention to the man behind the curtain…”. It seems to me that the Republican Party is pretty much like the man behind the curtain, with lots of shouting going on without any substance. The constant repetitions of the Big Lie that Biden was not elected President is ringing hollow for the grownups in the country, as most Americans have moved on from that issue. The hollow MAGA man in Florida is not winning any prizes for his antics either. Many Americans would like him to pay a price for inciting the insurrection at the Capitol on January 6^th; they do not wish to have Black Lives Matter and Antifa brought into any Congressional hearings no matter what Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy says as they were not there–though white supremacists and militia groups were.

But current actions by the Republicans indicate that they wish for Americans to move on from their support of those efforts to overturn a valid election; the efforts that left six people dead, hundreds of law enforcement officers injured, and caused destruction at our Capitol building. More than 400 rioters have now been arrested and investigations continue. The former disgraced president is now encouraging “recounts” in states he lost such as Arizona. Election officials are concerned that this might become the norm in future elections if it is not stopped. The circus that is going on there needs to be stopped now. The election has been certified, a new president is in office, and little can be done to change that no matter how they monkey around with the ballots. I certainly hope that the Department of Justice will step in soon and stop this charade before this group of QAnon supporters and other misfits bring these efforts on to other states.

The Washington Post reports that the former president is out for revenge against any elected officials who voted for impeachment, spoke out against his lying remarks or accepted Biden as President. Those criteria create a pretty big universe and include many Republicans. Some pundits have said that the Republican Party of Bush and Reagan no longer exists. Certainly, the GOP members who were “Never Trumpers” no longer have a home there. Apparently, Congresswoman Liz Cheney will no longer be tolerated as she voted for impeachment and has opposed the election lies. She is seemingly trying to return to the party of her father’s days when Republicans were Hawks, fiscal and social conservatives, and not tied to a cult of personality. She may be positioning herself as a survivor when the party self-destructs. She has chosen to fight this battle out in public for a reason; so we shall see what develops.

I do applaud her for speaking the truth about the election here, but I do not give her more credit than that. I still remember when she tried to fake long-term Wyoming residency to get a fishing license and threw her gay sister to the social conservative wolves on the issue of gay marriage during her first losing Senate campaign. Once elected to the House, however, she rose rapidly in leadership, becoming third behind McCarthy, and remains one of the few women in that party who has any position of authority. She is, however, a staunch conservative, unlike many of the MAGA followers.

Because of that symbolic fact, they are now promoting an obscure Republican congressional representative from New York to take her place. That woman, (Elise Stefanik) pledged her loyalty to the Big Lie on Steve Bannon’s radio show in a try to get selected, which is a total turnaround from her previous positions. The Club for Growth, long a conservative outlet, decried her politics, claiming that she is not a conservative.

The leadership of the GOP has shown that it has no backbone and has totally caved to the MAGA Maniacs. Two whackos – Representatives Matt Gaetz-FL (allegedly under investigation for sex trafficking) and Marjorie Taylor Greene-GA (oddball & QAnon fan) were at a rally in the Florida retirement conclave of The Villages last week pumping up the cheering crowd with election lies and claiming that the former president was legally elected again. As a senior citizen myself, I always thought that we gray-haired folks were smarter than that!! There is no elder statesman of the party that is respected enough to come out and speak the truth; Senator Romney, a former Presidential candidate, was booed by members of his own state party for supporting impeachment and truth-telling. Senate Minority Leader McConnell has retrieved his mantra from the Obama years and indicated that his primary focus now remains the defeat of all of President Bidens’ proposed programs and is saying little about the election. However, since he spoke out against the former president following the impeachment hearings, he is also on the revenge list.

Some are saying – just let the Republicans self-destruct it will be better for the Democrats if they do.  I tend to disagree. I believe that we need two strong political parties who believe in our Constitution, our electoral system, and who respect the Rule of Law. Liz Cheney has recently made that argument in a Washington Post op-ed but had few supporters, so I guess I would agree with her on that as well. What we do not need is a politician, another man behind the curtain, who is trying to destroy the public’s faith in free and fair elections. Even the Georgian officials, so maligned after the 2020 election, agreed that the system worked.

Now we see Republican-dominated states creating a mockery of the term free and fair elections with odd rules, restrictions on drop boxes, absentee ballots, and polling places.  Other practices being changed would limit voter participation with fewer early voting days, increased numbers of poll watchers, and fewer hours to vote in person. Democrats are pushing hard for Federal laws to require some universal practices, but until and if the For the People Act and the John Lewis Voting Rights Act are signed into law, voting rights are endangered across much of the country as over 360 laws have been proposed to curtail options for voting. The Brennan Center is following this closely and has a map that shows restrictive laws are proposed in almost every state. The Texas legislature passed sweeping “election reforms” and the bill is expected to be signed by the Governor. In Florida, Governor DeSantis signed his states’ restrictive Bill live in a Fox News exclusive. Other Republican Governors are expected to follow suit. The ACLU and The Democratic Party are challenging all of these schemes. I can only hope that all will be pended because of these court challenges.

Recent polling listed on 538 shows approval for President Biden - and presumably his proposals – in a positive range of between 55 and 60% in most polls. The site also indicated that the former president left office with a 38.6% approval rating and a 57.9% disapproval rating in January 2021. Quinnipiac listed him at 34% approval when he left office. These numbers, of course, were in the immediate aftermath of the Insurrection that the Republicans are trying to dismiss, forget, hide under the rug, or whatever to get it away from conscious thought. According to a March 2021 report from the Pew Research Center, although an assessment of the last president is viewed in quite partisan terms, 53% of all Americans say he was a poor (12%) or terrible (41%) president. Among Republicans, approval is 73% with 37% saying he was a great president and 36% saying he was a good president.  Democrats are more skewed with 72% saying that he was a terrible president and 17% saying he was a poor president. As a Democrat, I agree with the opinion that he was pretty terrible. Still, he seems positioned to be the dominant figure in that party for the foreseeable future and is said to be getting ready to again hold rallies of the faithful – and, to raise money, of course. 

Fortunately, his termination for at least another six months from Facebook will diminish some of his fund-raising and public face. In my opinion, this should be permanent; Facebook is a private company and does not have to give free forums to despots here or elsewhere.

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In the United States, vaccination rates have slowed down and are not yet at the necessary immunity levels.  34% of the US population has been fully vaccinated and 46% have received at least one dose. India continues to have horrendous increases in cases and suffers a lack of facilities and therapies to care for them. Currently, the total reported cases are 22.9 million with over 240,000 deaths and over 300,000 cases being reported daily. The continent of South America accounts for 35% of the worlds’ total number of cases alone, and the vaccination rates are minuscule. So, while the US is doing better with new daily totals under 50,000 for the first time in months, the world still suffers in many places.  Sending raw ingredients for vaccines and disregarding patents is not an easy choice as there remain issues with quality control, safety, and liability in unregulated labs.

COVID stats NY Times:

US Totals:   Total Cases: 32,713,675. New Cases: 42,097.  Total Deaths: 581,056.  New Deaths: 675.

Maryland Totals: Total Cases:  452,691. New Cases:      656.   Total Deaths:    8,843.  New Deaths: 10.

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Sorry to hear that the Obamas’ dog Bo has died of cancer. He always seemed to be a cheerful dog in photos. Condolences to the Obama family; it is always hard to lose a much-loved pet.

On Mother’s Day – best wishes to all mothers and daughters especially. So, this is a good time to show some Panda photos with the mother panda and her son here.

“Til next week – Peace!

Putting Families First?

 

When Franklin Delano Roosevelt (FDR) became President in 1933 the country was in terrible shape. The Stock Market had collapsed, the economy was in turmoil, and millions of Americans had lost their jobs. Farms were being foreclosed upon as banks called mortgages in. The banking industry was unstable. Health Insurance was mostly not an option. Americans had no social safety net. Much of the western industrialized world was also suffering. Historians credit the bold new policies of FDR with restoring trust in our government and rebuilding an America that had teetered on its core principles. Rugged individualism can only do so much.

The New Deal came in 2 phases; the first policies were implemented with great urgency. The others came in over his first and second terms. FDR had 5 areas of emphasis as he set out to restore America:

1.    He set out to save capitalism and stabilize the banking and finance industries.

2.    He established programs to relieve hunger and create jobs.

3.    He tried to stabilize agricultural production with limits and subsidies and control pricing; he brought electrification to much of rural America, improved roads, and power grids adding jobs along the way.

4.    He provided funds for bridges, dams, hydroelectric power, hospitals, and government buildings.

5.    Prices were stabilized, child labor was abolished, and unions were encouraged.

Subsequently he added the programs whose success we now appreciate, Social Security, The Works Progress Administration, the National Labor Relations Board, and some governmental re-organization and long-term financial stability. In a speech, he lamented that one-third of America was “ill-housed, ill-clad, and ill-nourished.” Even so, his policies were not universally appreciated by certain members of the power elite; he was opposed by legal, political, and business structures. Not all the programs were as robust as might have been hoped and the nation had a modest depression in the late 1930s which was remedied by the industrial push before and during the Second World War.

This week, in a speech to Congress and the nation, President Biden advocated for his national infrastructure program, which was presented earlier, and introduced his American Families Plan. These are both multi-pronged plans and cover many issues which impact families and communities. The primary components of the families plan are divided into Child care (nutrition programs, child care subsidies, and national paid family and medical leave), education (free community college, free pre-kindergarten, grants, and credits for minority education) and tax credits (dependent care and child tax credits). The Infrastructure plan considers transportation infrastructure (roadways, railways, ports, airports, and electric vehicles and power services) quality of life and home (school buildings, clean energy, schools, childcare, care for the elderly, water quality, and broadband expansion) research and development (new technologies, workforce, and disabled workers development, clean energy initiatives, increased industrial production).

These programs would be paid for through tax incentives, increasing corporate and individual tax rates, and closing tax loopholes. The American Families Plan is projected to cost 1.9 Trillion dollars over ten years, while the jobs or infrastructure plan is expected to cost 2.3 Trillion dollars over ten years. Republicans are already complaining about the costs and decrying the idea of any tax increases. They were elected on promises to not raise taxes and appear to not have concerns about poor water systems, decrepit bridges, or lack of a robust power grid. Their lack of concern for families without health care, proper nutrition, housing and support is well known and was shown by lack of support for the Covid relief funds and their party’s long-tern opposition to Obama-care and Medicaid.

Nicholas Kristof writes about this in his column in the New York Times. He claims that for the last fifty years our government has under-invested in its people. From the days of Nixon and Reagan, the middle class has decreased in income produced and access to services. Services for communities have decreased as Republicans pushed the ideas that big government was bad, taxes were too high, and the best way to help people is to have them provide for their own needs. Welfare to work was implemented, and many states decreased support for needy people, food stamps, and housing subsidies. Kristof noted how his small hometown in Oregon had been revitalized by FDRs electrification and works programs. He believes these programs helped his town and America enjoy the advantages of the middle class with good jobs and educational services in 1970. Now, he noted that one-third of those who rode on his school bus have now died of ‘drugs, alcohol or suicide-deaths of despair’ as he calls them. He also noted that ‘we slowed investments in health and education and nourished the harsh narrative that people should pull themselves up by their bootstraps.' The middle class is being hollowed out as real incomes which were averaged weekly at $860 in 2020 income decreased when compared to the 1970 earnings-$902 (in adjusted dollars). We spend vast sums on incarcerating large numbers of our residents, yet do not seem to believe that we need to support our local towns and cities.

I tend to agree with Kristof and President Biden. America needs to again value its families and invest in initiatives that support people and communities. Before the pandemic, the Econofact network reported that 10 million children (about 14%) were living in poverty, as were approximately 8% of adults and 8% of seniors over 65. The poverty level for a family of 4 is between $20 -$26,000 annually. There is some variance in different areas of the country. Black and Hispanic children had the highest rates of poverty at 26% and 21% respectively. The pandemic has seen food lines across this country not seen since the Depression. In December 2020 Time magazine estimated that 50 million Americans, including 18 million children, were suffering from food insecurity and implored incoming President Biden to make this a priority once in office. His American Families Plan will address some of these concerns. More than two million women left the workforce during the pandemic because of virtual schools, loss of service jobs, and lack of childcare options besides concerns about safety. Republicans have proclaimed that Biden wants to make mothers work and take child care decisions out of the family and move them to the government. That is so untrue. Universal pre-K and daycare subsidies are both options. In urban areas, child care costs may take a huge portion of a worker's salary, sometimes making it more reasonable to stay home. But what are the choices if that worker's job carried the health care insurance when the spouse was a gig worker? In reality, many families need two incomes to provide for the needs of the household since costs have increased and salaries have not. The tone-deafness of the opposition to a $15.00 an hour base (gradually increased) from the current federal minimum of $7.25 an hour considering these statistics is astonishing.

Issues such as support for free community colleges and expansion of broadband can do for this country what rural electrification and the GI Bill did more than a half-century ago. The closing of schools and move to virtual schooling has demonstrated the digital divide quite vividly; schools handed out laptop computers and set up wi-fi stations in their parking lots to assist students who did not have options in their homes. I read recently where one student sat on his roof to get connected; I doubt if he was the only one in that situation. I posit that our country should support the plans offered by President Biden. I think that these will provide long-term stability for families and bolster the infrastructure of this country for generations to come. The suggested tax supports do not seem overly burdensome as businesses will stand to make more money when roads and transit are improved and the people in general are better educated, housed, and fed. So, while I hope that some Republicans (and Senator Manchin) will see the light and support both of these initiatives so they can pass rapidly, I am unsure. I do hope that the American people will speak up and soon! Now is the time when America needs to invest in its people.

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Covid is now devastating the country of India with thousands of new cases and deaths being reported daily. 19.6 million cases and 214 thousand deaths have been recorded to this date. Lack of oxygen, medications, and hospital beds contribute to these devastating numbers. Countries across the world have been rushing needed supplies, vaccines, and oxygen to India. Brazil has tallied 14.1 million cases and 406 thousand deaths to date, making it the country with the second-highest death totals after the US.

In the US vaccination rates are increasing with over 100 million people fully vaccinated, thus far. However, vaccination rates are slowing and officials are worried about reaching herd immunity if enough people do not get vaccinated. There are still significant pockets of vaccine hesitancy and refusals; many of these people are anti-vaccine advocates, while many others are Republicans who do not feel it is necessary. The CDC has released new mask requirements and reduced uses in vaccinated persons. Although the vaccinations are free to all who live in the US, Florida is requiring proof of residency before registration. Some of this may be due to vaccine tourism, but some may also be a threat to undocumented residents. Maryland reports that 35% of its residents are now fully vaccinated.

COVID stats – NY Times

US totals: Total cases: 32,448,723. Total new cases: 49,266. Total deaths: 576,638. New deaths: 694.

MD totals: Total cases: 448,340.     Total new cases: 939        Total deaths: 8,764. Total recent deaths: 20.

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I could not close tonight without mentioning the new culture wars started by the right and Fox news media. It wasn’t enough to go after Dr. Seuss, Mr. Potato Head, and VP Kamala Harris children’s book, - now they are claiming that President Biden will allow you to have only one hamburger a year. House Minority Leader McCarthy has taken to calling Biden the “Hamburgler”. These absurd statements are debunked by PolitiFact in an article that notes that his climate plan covers no intention to ban any measure of meat consumption. Fox News did eventually announce a brief retraction. Wonder what the next culture crazy push will be – banning little Red Riding Hood?

“Til next week – peace!

 

Justice, but?

 

Like many of you, I breathed a sigh of relief and shed tears over the verdict of guilty in Minneapolis at the Chauvin trial. My tears were for a verdict that was long overdue–in this and many similar cases. Juries rarely convicted police officers when those in their custody die or even when there is a shooting of an unarmed person. My tears were also for the life that was taken from George Floyd, Jr. The prosecutors in the case presented the Floyd that his family members knew, a large man (6 feet 4 inches tall), an athlete, a covid survivor, a mentor to others, and, yes, a person struggling with an addiction. While the defense attempted to try the victim, the prosecution emphasized the humanity of an imperfect man, who was loved by others.

Yet this same week has shown several instances of high-profile shootings by law enforcement. I am troubled by the shooting of MaKhia Bryant, a 16-year-old girl in foster care.  The police were called for trouble at a foster care home and the videos apparently show them arriving at an altercation on the sidewalk where Bryant throws one girl to the ground and lunges with an upturned knife toward another girl whom she pins against a car. After calling ‘get down!’, the police officer shoots and kills Bryant. Everyone should mourn the death of a teenager, just as we decried the death of Adam Toledo, a 13-year-old Chicago boy.  But, in his case also, he was seen to be holding a weapon shortly before shots were heard in the neighborhood; although he was not armed when shot, a gun was found nearby. Once again these two cases and the Floyd case were quite different. Police have to make snap decisions; I do not believe that any police officer wishes to kill a teenager, but they also cannot easily disarm frightened children. Despite the protests and the marches, although I empathize with the families, I also do not think that children should be carrying weapons.  Somewhere society has failed these children.

I do not have the slow-motion videos and I will not second guess here, all lives lost are tragic in my mind.  But these two instances differ from those of 20-year-old Daunte Wright and the man shot by sheriff's deputies in North Carolina where there was no evidence of resistance, just an attempt to flee. Wright’s offense was apparently expired tags and a deodorizing card hanging from his mirror. The claim of a warrant for his arrest was for failure to appear in court over fines when a notice to appear had been sent to an incorrect address. Due to Covid – tags have been allowed to expire in Minnesota until the MVA gets back to more regular hours.

Traffic stops and subsequent fines were seen in many towns as money raisers and they hit poor people more disproportionately.  How many of you know that a person placed on home detention with an ankle bracelet has to pay the costs of monitoring that bracelet?  If, they then cannot get a job, due to the restrictions for the bracelet, then how are they to pay the fees associated with it.  The costs of traffic stops and subsequent fines often pay the salaries of small-town police forces; these issues were brought out in the investigations after the death of Michael Brown in Ferguson. In Ferguson, 67% of the residents are Black with white residents comprising 29%.

In 2017 the Department of Justice (DOJ) issued a report of more than 200 pages titled: Targeted Fees and Fines Against Communities of Color. You can read it here.

They studied practices in Ferguson and elsewhere. They described finding disproportionate policing of African Americans in that community and described these practices as intentional racism. The report also indicated that studies have shown that 60 percent of American families could not come up with $500 for an urgent car repair, health care cost, or appliance purchase, let alone traffic fees which can easily exceed that amount with court costs or subsequent collection actions. The following is a quote from the executive summary:

“Cash register justice,” “policing for profit,” and “two-tiered criminal justice system” are terms that have been used to describe the excessive use of fines and fees.10 The rise in the use of fines as the primary enforcement tool against low-level offenses can be attributed to multiple factors. Generally speaking, fines and fees are easier to administer than other forms of punishment and can generate revenue. An increase in policing tactics that focus on low-level violations (such as jaywalking, littering, disorderly conduct, trespassing, or truancy), that might otherwise have gone unenforced, has also resulted in individuals accumulating court debt. Jurisdictions have also become loath to enact new taxes, which along with the recession has resulted in reduced local and state budgets for court systems.

Systems in other states were reviewed and recommendations were made to split the fines from supporting the system or as they called in using the fines to generate a revenue stream, much as property taxes are used, just another assessment. However, that is not what justice is meant to be. The report went on to advise 16 specific recommendations, some of which will require legislation, others will ask cities and municipalities to make changes in their standards of behavior regarding fines and revenues. The DOJ will enter into consent decrees in instances where this is felt to be necessary to halt such activities. In the Ferguson situation, the DOJ and the city agreed in 2016 to specific changes which must occur in the city.  But local newspapers reported in 2020 that the city was still dragging its feet on the issues of concern to many residents.  In July 2020 the residents elected a Black woman, Ella Jones, as the first person of color to run the city of Ferguson.  A former city council member, Jones was defeated in a previous run for Mayor but succeeded with 54% of the vote last year. Although the city claimed to be making progress, the new Mayor notes more changes are needed.

So as long ago as 1968, the Kerner Commission Report noted that we have separate societies for white people and persons of color and if changes were not implemented that these differences would continue to grow. The political will was not there at that time to do more than had been done with the Civil Rights and Voting Rights legislation. As I have mentioned in previous posts, the poverty level has decreased in Black communities, and the middle class and college-educated numbers have increased, but still, problems remain.  As was pointed out in The Color of Law,  Rothstein notes, housing is still subject to redlining, poor communities are saddled with pollution, and lack of access to transportation and adequate healthcare. Meanwhile, center cities have mostly segregated schools in states with significant populations of color.

There needs to be political will to make changes.  With the Republicans trying to disenfranchise many people who vote in cities across this country, we need good citizens to start to speak up and speak out against these injustices.  We cannot continue to have children shot for misdemeanors and adult men shot while unarmed or unhinged; good police practices are known they need to be implemented. Children should not be pepper-sprayed or handcuffed to teach them a lesson. Certainly, mental health calls need to have therapists accompany the officers who respond to such calls.

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Even as vaccines continue to be given, cases continue to rise.  The latest world hot spot is in India, which had been doing well until thousands attended a major religious festival recently. Now cases are soaring, as are deaths.  Many believe that thousands of deaths have been under-counted, but even so, India has reported 16.5 million cases with over 192 thousand deaths.  Currently, the hospitals are overrun, oxygen supplies are depleted, and Remdesivir is selling on the black market for $1,000.00 per dose.  India so far has given 127 million vaccine doses, but it has 1.366 Billion residents, many of whom are young, poor, and live in distant rural areas. The US is being criticized by some for not sharing its surplus vaccines with countries such as India and those in the poorly vaccinated third world. Those moves are under review currently since world leaders understand that if these catastrophic numbers are not restrained, the rest of the world may be in danger from unrestricted variants in India and third world countries.

This week the Johnson and Johnson single-dose vaccine was approved after a pause and evaluation of adverse reactions, which were minuscule.  The pause, however, has given those who are vaccine-hesitant more reason to hold back. So far, the US is reporting that 29% of the population (94.8 million) has been fully vaccinated and 42% (140 million) have received at least one dose. Currently, 3.25 million vaccines are being administered each day. So far, Maryland has vaccinated 31% of its population.

CIVID stats: NY Times: 4/25/21

Total US cases: 32,103,720. Total new cases: 58,353. Total US Deaths: 571,753. Total new deaths: 707.

Total MD stats: Total cases: 442,351. New cases:1,196. Total deaths: 8,648. New deaths: 15.

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This week marked the 51^st anniversary of Earth Day.  President Biden and other world leaders took part virtually in a climate summit and made promises about what emissions might be in another generation.  All well and good, but I fear it is too modest a goal.  We need stronger commitments to carbon capture, pollution, and control of refuse. We are seeing ocean birds, fish, and mammals harmed by ingestion of some of the tons of plastic pellets polluting the oceans and camels becoming emaciated by clogged digestive systems from eating plastic bags found in the deserts of the world. I remember that first Earth Day in 1970 – we thought if we just pooled our efforts and started to reuse, recycle and repurpose, that we would be closer to a better and safer planet by now. But the use of coal and other fossil fuels continues and countries such as China and India continue to pollute widely.  Alternative fuels are not yet in robust development, although electric vehicles are in the pipeline. So, as I celebrate Earth Day, I do wish I could do it with more joy.

‘Til next week – peace!

The Wild West – Revisited?

 

During the 1870s many towns in the western territories and sparsely settled states were mostly lawless with only intermittent enforcement of regulations about drinking, gambling, and brawling.  Rival gangs and rowdy cowboys were joined by grifters and bargirls. Few self-respecting church ladies were seen in these bawdy towns. There were attempts made to civilize some towns, but as they became respectable, the offenders just moved west. Into that mix came the people of legend, Wild Bill Hickok, Doc Holliday, and Wyatt Earp. Many tall tales have enhanced the stories from that era, but some truths have remained.  These men were showmen, gamblers, killers, lawmen, and enforcers.  They operated on both sides of the law and often made their own laws. Earp and Holliday were mostly known for their escapades in Dodge City, Kansas and Tombstone, Arizona. The Colt or Navy revolver was usually their weapon of choice.

The infamous fight at the “OK Corral” occurred in Tombstone and involved lawmen Earp, Holliday, and Earp’s brothers Morgan and Virgil who were up against an outlaw gang. The deputies killed several members of the gang; those who got away vowed revenge and subsequently killed Virgil and Morgan. Tales such as these enhance the image of the lawless, free-wheeling west, and that anti-government, independent gun-toting image endures for much of that part of the country to this day. Several states have current open carry laws, so gun owners may walk around in public wearing their arms without restraint. And, although some churches have requested that people not bring guns into services, Texas law permits such use, for example, for licensed owners.

News reports have shown that in 2021, so far, that there have been more than 104 mass shootings in 29 different states.

Recent days have left the country reeling with the number of mass shootings at workplaces and meeting places and of family members.  During this same time, a record number of police shootings have also occurred, many of Black and brown men. These happenings leave me shocked and concerned.  We already know that there are far too many guns in civilian hands across America.  The Current Small Arms Study estimates note that there are at least 393 million guns in this country, (August 2020) but other reports note that once President Biden was elected, gun sales again rose.  According to Statistica in November of 2020, approximately 42% of Americans own a gun of some type. The table does not indicate how many guns each owner has but, as shown above, studies note that the numbers of guns in use are higher than the US population (currently 328 million approximately). They indicate also that 50% of Republicans state they own at least one gun with 64% stating they live in a gun-owning household, while 18% of Democrats are gun owners with 34% stating there is a gun in their home.

Today, alone, there have been multiple deaths reported from shootings in Kenosha, Wisconsin and Austin, Texas. One shooting was at a bar and the other may have involved domestic issues. Six people are dead and three are wounded from these two incidents.  Both The New York Times and the Washington Post have had major editorials or articles this week about guns and their use in our society. The Times article notes that just since the beginning of the Derek Chauvin trial on March 29 at least 64 people have died at the hands of law enforcement nationwide. That averages out to approximately 3 deaths per day across America at the hands of the police!  It notes that Black and Brown men account for more than one-half of this total number of deaths.

This week has seen the highly publicized gun deaths of a young man in Minnesota at a traffic stop and a teenager after a drive-by shooting (possibly once armed) in Chicago. Both involved sudden gun use by police. And, although there has been much publicity about these two deaths, the other 62 happened mostly without fanfare or press, but the people still died. The majority of deaths came about from crimes such as gun use, others were from issues of domestic violence, traffic stops gone wrong, or concerns with mental health. The Times article further notes that an average of 1100 deaths at the hands of individual police forces occurs each year which fits the averages mentioned above for these last three weeks. I know that police have to make quick decisions in cases of dangerous crimes and I want police to be there when we need protections in our neighborhoods. But I question why anyone needs to get shot at a traffic stop, such as Philando Castille or Duonte Wright for minor or questionable offenses.

These are tough questions, I know, but we need to find some answers. Life is, to me, precious and I do believe that we all need to protect the lives of every member of society. I do hope you agree. Our society is diminished if we do not respect the rights of everyone. How many more times do we need to see mothers in the streets mourning the loss of their child? All mothers and spouses need to expect their family members to return home at the end of each day. So do spouses and mothers of police officers. We also mourn when police officers die as we did for the US Capitol officer this week. Each day when an officer hugs their children and goes to work, he or she hopes to return home that evening; the police officer (Billy Evans) at the Capitol had no chance when he was run down. Brian Sicknick, who died after the Capitol insurrection, had no chance when he was attacked by a lawless bunch of marauders.

The Washington Post reflected on mass shootings from Columbine forward. The first mass shooting that I ever remember hearing about was the Texas Tower shooting in 1966 on the University of Texas campus which injured 43 people, 13 of whom died. The gunman had earlier killed his wife and mother and was eventually killed by a police marksman. The shootings of that many people just innocently walking across the campus took about 96 minutes. (The shooter had three rifles, a sawed-off shotgun, and two pistols.)  More recently, the Las Vegas hotel shooting in 2017 killed 59 people and wounded more than 500 others with rapid automatic type firings and was over in less than 10 minutes, since the gunman killed himself as police closed in on him. They found 23 firearms in his hotel room and 19 more at his home.

Virtually all of the mass shootings mentioned by the Post have involved assault-type weapons or AR-15s, which were not an option for the Texas shooter. The AR-15  (AK-47, M-16) was an evolution from earlier military weapons developed for rapid firing military arms. They did not make their way into civilian use until after the Vietnam War. Most have the capacity for large magazines and semi-automatic to automatic firing. Since the Columbine school shooting in 1999, there have been more than 40 mass shootings (meaning more than 3 deaths each) in these 22 years. Several of these shootings have been at schools such as Sandy Hook and Parkland where we have lost many children.

2020 saw fewer mass shootings due to the pandemic, so I guess we should be grateful that we were mostly all hiding away safely in our homes. However, during just this last month there have been three shootings with multiple deaths – 8 in Georgia, 10 in Colorado, 8 in Indiana. When are our Congress, our local governments, and our society going to say this can no longer be tolerated? We should implement an assault weapons ban and buy-back program such as they had in New Zealand after the mosque shootings there. I know New Zealand is a small country, but small countries can also have good ideas that can work elsewhere. Even then, I fear we would still have too many weapons in the country.

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Worldwide deaths from the COVID-19 pandemic have now reached over 3 million. This week saw a pause in the use of the Johnson and Johnson vaccine in the US as there were reports of 6 cases of women developing a rare type of brain blood clot. More than 7 million doses had been given so far. Each of the affected women was under 50, so there may be some issues with estrogen or menopausal states. I would guess that it will be restarted soon, but with perhaps more restrictions such as use limited to older women and most men. So far, the US has vaccinated more than 200 million people, which is a good record.  Still, this vaccine pause has validated the fears of those hesitant to get vaccinated, so we will see where this goes. Michigan is under a severe surge at the moment, mostly from the British variant, which has been found more prevalent in younger people.

Current COVID stats: (NY Times) 4/18/21

Total US cases: 31,690,900. New cases: 40,482. Total deaths: 566,804. Total new deaths: 352.

Maryland totals: Total cases: 434,859. New cases: 1,500. Total deaths: 8,545 New deaths: 17.

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This week should bring a verdict in the Derek Chauvin murder trial.  From what I have seen and read, there should be little doubt of his guilt.  We shall see what the jury has to say.

On the panda watch – feeling upside down? The panda does a headstand!

“Til next week – peace!

Invisible Bi-Partisanship

 

 

In 1993 the Senate passed the assault weapons ban by a vote of 56 for 43 against.  Nine Republicans joined with Democrats in voting yes.  These Republicans were the moderates such as Hatfield from Oregon, Danforth from Missouri, Pell from Rhode Island, and Lugar from Indiana. Nine Democrats, all from southern and western states, voted Nay. Those once moderate Republicans have become rare in the latest Republican caucuses. One of those Democratic Nay votes was from Senator Shelby of Alabama who is still in the Senate but is now retiring. He has changed parties in the intervening years and is now a Republican. One of the problems with this bill was that it included a ten-year renewal or sunset clause; it would cease to be law if it was not renewed every ten years.  President Bush declined to ask Congress to renew it, so it was no longer in effect after the ten-year period ended. It has never been renewed and there is a call for this to happen now, but it will need bipartisan support.

Most recently the House voted in February to renew the Violence Against Women Act – which had been allowed to lapse during the previous administration. The vote this year in the Democratic-controlled House included 244 votes in favor and 172 Republican votes against it. Only 29 Republican votes were in the majority; all Democrats voted in favor of this bill. In 2013 the Senate voted in favor of renewal with a vote of 78 Yeas and 22 Nays. The House then supported it with a vote of 286 for and 138 against after attempts to weaken it failed. This should not be a partisan issue as it provides legal protections for women against domestic violence and stalking and gives them other legal protections for issues such as sexual assault and child custody.

This is an example of why partisanship is harming Americans.  I admit that I am a partisan person.  However, there are sometimes issues that should be above party labels. I posit that the Assault rifle ban, background checks, and the Violence against Women Act should be nonpartisan issues because each of them protects society. Regardless of whatever gun owners might claim, nobody needs an assault rifle or semi-automatic pistol to protect their home or to hunt for food. Aside from what some might think, it is good to have a society that believes in protecting women and children from violence.

The Senate, under tenuous Democratic control, should find ways for both sides to work together.  The Infrastructure Bill prosed by President Biden needs to pass in some form even as Minority leader McConnell has said it will get no Republican support. The President has indicated that he is open to compromise, but there can be no compromise without conversations. There is the possibility that it could pass by reconciliation after a ruling that it seemed to qualify by the Senate Parliamentarian. This is not a plan which only benefits Democrats in Democratic states.  Roads, railways, and bridges cross state lines; broadband needs in rural states and center cities benefit children and adults of both parties. The addition of more solar, wind, and power charging stations will help the climate and our long-term use of energy. Expanded care for the elderly and improved health care benefit society at large.  The creation of all of these measures will add jobs to our economy. These are plans for our future. 

During the Depression, President Roosevelt knew that the jobs he created in the Works Progress Administration (WPA) and the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) were not only jobs for that time but were investments in the future; many roads were built and artists were saved by their paintings for government buildings, and post offices, and written works created during this period. The Biden infrastructure plan is set for the long term in much the same way as roads are not constructed overnight and hundreds of bridges cannot be repaired at once.

There has been much discussion recently from President Biden about bipartisanship in Congress. He did not gather any votes for his COVID relief/stimulus Bill from the Republicans, so that had to be passed under the reconciliation process. A meeting early in his term with several Republicans and the President failed to find any consensus after their proposal was for an amount so far below his proposal, that it was almost laughable. (Their proposal was for $650 billion vs. Biden’s request of $1.9 Trillion.) It should be applauded that he did give them a meeting and discussion, which was more than Democrats had received in the last few years from the former president. It seems, however, that only Biden and Senator Manchin continue to push for this type of unity.  Are there ten Republicans who will oppose leadership?  Republicans under the directions of House Minority leader McCarthy and Senate Minority leader McConnell continue to adhere to the demands of the former president and stonewall all attempts at compromise and consensus.  I wonder just how long the American voters are going to tolerate this dysfunction. Will continued lack of support for a popular President harm Democrats or Republicans?  It may well be that the mid-term elections will go against tradition and support the party in power.

Some think that the frenzied push by many state Republican parties to dimmish voter access and decrease absentee and early balloting reflect their worries about losing big in the mid-terms. They have no real issues to run on and gather support. Of course, many party faithful continue to repeat the refrains of the “Big Lie” and the mantra of “Stop the Steal” to churn their electorate.  I do hope that these words soon lose their power to propel voters. Some states have resorted to another battle in the “culture wars” of previous years.  Remember the push against same-sex marriage in previous mid-terms, well this year the push is against rights for Transgender adults and teens.  At the state level, scary testimony is being heard which claims that girls will be attacked in school bathrooms and defeated on sports fields by boys “presenting” as girls. That is so not what transgender issues should be about. All of this is to create a hook that will get their conservative voters to the polls in 2022.

The trial of police officer Derek Chauvin in Minneapolis continues with dramatic and painful testimony about the death of George Floyd.  Many police officials testified that the restraint action by officer Chauvin was not among permitted holds. This is a major departure from the typical police trial. Somehow, the Conservative media is calling this the Floyd trial.  No matter how they frame it, trying the victim is not the true story.

In another major story this week, the contested union election at an Amazon fulfillment site in Alabama ended in a defeat for the union efforts.  For many years unions have attempted to gain a foothold in Amazon facilities and have met strong management opposition. Since Amazon is the second-largest employer in the country, unionization there would have been a major win for the unions. This loss does not mean that the union advocates will stop their efforts, however as there have long been complaints about work processes at Amazon. (Amazon has 1.2 million employees, Walmart is the largest US employer with over 1.3 million US employees.) Government, including local, federal, state, and the military account for 24 million employees.

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The latest news about the coronavirus continues to be dismal, despite the numbers of vaccinated Americas. The UK variant is still spreading throughout the United States, despite earlier efforts to stop it.  Michigan is now experiencing a widespread outbreak, much of it among younger victims and sports teams. Florida is also experiencing another spike as might have been expected after widespread spring-break maskless events. Maryland virus case numbers have also increased significantly in the last two weeks, the most in several months.  Over 1800 new cases were reported in Maryland just yesterday, compared to around 1200 a week ago. Daily case rates across the country are still too high according to experts.

So far 119 million people in the US have received at least one vaccination; 72.6 million people have been fully vaccinated to date. More than 4 million vaccines were given yesterday alone. We still have a ways to go, despite the Texas governor’s claim that Texas is close to herd immunity!

COVID stats (NY Times)

Total US cases: 31,214,600.  Total new Cases: 64,338.

Total deaths: 561,513.            Total new deaths: 700.

Maryand totals: Total cases: 425, 247. Total new cases: 1,584.

                          Total deaths: 8,444.  Total new deaths: 20.

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Finally, a few words about the judges that President Biden is proposing for the federal courts. After McConnell spent several years slow-walking Obama appointments and denying others, including Supreme Court nominee Merrick Garland and filling vacancies over the last four years with unqualified judges in many cases, the right is now attacking Biden’s recent nominations, decrying dark money. Ruth Marcus discusses this in a column in the Washington Post today and notes the pressure from the Federalist Society, the Judicial Crisis Network, and others. The Network itself is the Fort Knox of dark money, in my opinion. Current DC area TV stations (and those in AZ, WV, and GA) are seeing Ads against President Biden’s nominees with ominous music and concerning deep-voiced words about the money buying these judges. The nominees from the President are the most diverse group ever proposed and include Black women, a Muslim man, and others of varied backgrounds.  They do not all come from Harvard and Yale, which is a departure from the usual process. Some have been prosecutors and others public defenders. According to Marcus 9 of the 11 are women and 9 are people of color. It appears that the conservative groups are afraid that the voices of the people might be heard in the Federal Courts.  What a challenge that must be!

That is quite enough for this week!

“Til next week – peace!

Cherry Blossom Time

 

Springtime in Washington is always a beautiful time of year.  The flowering cherry blossom trees – originally gifts of friendship from the Japanese in 1912 – are planted around the Tidal Basin and elsewhere in the area and make the city a lovely place to visit in the Spring.  Thanks to Lady Bird Johnson’s beautification program many years ago, flowers are popping up across the city. She worked hard to add perennial blooms throughout neighborhoods and parks locally. Eventually, these actions led to highway beautification efforts and a reduction of garish billboards once seen nationally.

The news this week has not been beautiful, so I am happy that we do have the privilege of watching the trees and flowers bloom and thinking a bit of happy warm days. Early in the week, President Biden announced his Infrastructure proposals. If you remember, the previous administration was frequently announcing that such plans were in the works; however, they never made it out the door. This time the President is going big; the project, named the American Jobs Plan, is called a big bold plan for the future. The cost of this plan which includes many different structural initiatives is estimated at 2.5 Trillion dollars over ten years. Included will be funds to improve roads and bridges, aid Amtrak, fix public housing with energy-efficient upgrades, improve energy efficiency in public buildings, upgrade public utilities and the national power grid and fix other areas such as aging water and sewer lines, increase solar, and wind options, and improve public school buildings. (Recently some Republican Senators, not one of whom voted to support the stimulus bill are taking credit in their states for some of its properties. Hypocrisy anyone?) A t least this President did not delay the process for the stimulus checks by demanding that his name is on the checks.  Since the majority of them are direct deposits into existing accounts, that was mostly a moot point.

Of course, those projects are just a broad generic review of suggested works and improvements, as states are asked to indicate and prioritize their needs; many years would be needed to define and complete these tasks. While the President noted that these projects are needed in all 50 states, the Senate Minority leader, Mitch McConnell indicated that since payment for these projects would require an elevated tax rate for businesses, no one in his Republican Senate caucus would vote in favor of the program. This stance meant that it could only pass by the reconciliation process which would require approval by the Parliamentarian and yes votes by all Democratic Senators. Other Republicans are indicating that as soon as COVID vaccinations are completed that the economy will bounce back, so job programs are unnecessary.  The economy added almost one million jobs in the most recent report, but millions remain out of work because their former jobs no longer exist. The unemployment rate is now 6%.  Many have noted that the Business rate tax cut of the previous administration was not paid for, as spending was greatly increased during that time, but now that tax increases are being considered, there must be a justification for higher spending.  Seems illogical, somehow.

In other news, the election suppression moves in Georgia continue to have fallout beyond the borders of the state, perhaps causing others who were rushing to do the same to take a pause. Several major corporations who have large hubs or bases of operations in Texas are urging the legislature there to not continue with its voter suppression bills. Other national corporations have been shamed into speaking up in the face of their meek statements before the bill passage as major Black executives spoke out against the corporate silence on this measure.  Now, there is a more national response and talk of boycotts of events in Georgia. The Bill has passed and the legislature has gone home, so it is not currently clear what can be done to change the situation there unless there is enough push to enact better legislation in a special session.  I doubt that Georgia Governor Brian Kemp, who is up for re-election next year and would have benefitted from these changes, would be likely to do this.

The biggest move, the one that is causing the greatest turmoil is the decision of Major League Baseball  (MLB) to pull the planned All-Star Game and draft event from Atlanta. Athletes in other sports are also speaking up in favor of the For the People Act and the John Lewis Voting Rights bill. The Atlanta Dream, the Women’s basketball team based in Atlanta, formerly owned by former Senator Kelly Loeffler, has also spoken out against this legislation. Many NBA and WNBA stars were among the most outspoken players during the Black Lives Matter protests last summer.  I cannot forget the plaintive cry of one Black coach (Doc Rivers) at that time: paraphrased “Why is it that we love America and America does not love us back?  All we are asking is that we live up to our constitution for everybody.” These voter suppression Bills do not do that.  We should be making it easier, not more difficult, for everyone to exercise this American freedom.

Of course, the former President, who supported these Republican efforts at voter suppression is now calling on his supporters to boycott baseball. Certainly, he is, as usual, on the wrong side of history, the voting bill in Georgia and democracy in his position. He is facing further turmoil as the non-disclosure forms, he had campaigners sign were deemed invalid and overly broad, the suit of a former Apprentice contestant is allowed to proceed and the NY AG is looking into his business actions again. Today the New York Times reported that the MAGA Win-Red campaign was bilking donors out of unexpected repeating donations by requiring them to uncheck multiple boxes indicating automatic weekly or monthly donations.  Several elderly or ill donors had their bank accounts unknowingly drained of all funds. The article indicated that millions of dollars in refunds had to be issued to those who complained or were found to be out of compliance with campaign finance limitations. Eventually, the combined Republican campaigns would give back more than 120 million. The Biden campaign also issued refunds, but for only 2.2% of the Act Blue and other campaigns. In the final months of the campaigns, the RNC and others issued over 530,000 refunds for 64 million dollars while the Democrats made 37,000 refunds for 5.6 million.

The other dominant feature this week has been the trial in Minneapolis over the death of George Floyd at the hands of the police there. The criminal trials have been divided into two parts, police officer Derek Chauvin in one and the other three police officers together in a subsequent trial. Chauvin was the man directly responsible for the death by placing his knee on the neck of the prone handcuffed man. The trial has shown other videos of the events before and after the police came to arrest Floyd for supposedly passing a counterfeit twenty-dollar bill. In one of the videos, a live cheerful Floyd can be seen in the convenience store walking around. In a few moments, he would be dead in an episode of controlled violence that we now know took over 9 minutes and 29 seconds and was uncalled for under any circumstance. The testimony of the onlookers was painful to see; I admit I only watched snippets on the news as it was shown. They each indicated the helplessness they felt when they could not stop this killing. An EMT asked if she could check for a pulse or try to do compressions and was turned back. Two of the viewers and a dispatcher called the police to come to stop this crime. Lookers-on called for the police to stop but were afraid to step closer as they were threatened with Mace. The teenager who first filmed the killing was traumatized as she could not stop this and felt that she had failed Floyd, a man she did not know. In a way, this killing has traumatized and changed us all. We can see that Floyd, characterized by the police as a man out of control was most likely a frightened man, but not a violent one. However, if the crowd had not been there that description would have held and could have been used to justify the death. Video has shown us that the crowd, while emotional was not at all threatening, except by their witness and videos. I have not seen the defense, but I can see that it is trying to condemn the victim to excuse the crime.  I hope it will not fool the jury. An article in the Washington Post today indicates that police are rarely convicted in victim deaths.

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COVID stats NYTimes 4/3/21

Total US Cases: 30,370,827.  New cases: 63,827 There are concerns as the daily numbers are again ticking up, possibly due to new variants and fewer restraints.

Total US Deaths: 554,558. Total new deaths: 748.

Total Maryland Cases: 415,660. Total new cases: 1,275. Total deaths: 8,342. New Deaths: 23.

Maryland case percentages are again increasing.  Many are worried that the state opened up too soon.  The Washington Post editorialized about this today urging more restraint and reconsideration of this move. More vaccination sites are opening, but the state still has far to go.

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That is all for today.

“Til next week – Peace.