Category Archives: Law and justice
Honouring Dr. Martin Luther King …
Posted on January 17, 2022 by jilldennison under History, Holidays, Law and justice, Political commentary, Racism & Bigotry, Social commentary, Tributes, voting rights
Today is Martin Luther King Day, a federal holiday in the United States to honour one of the greatest men who ever lived in this country. I first wrote this tribute to Dr. King in 2017, and each year I reprise it, with slight changes or minor additions, for I find that it still says exactly what I wish to say. Given the increase in racism in the United States in recent years, I think the above quote seems more apt today than ever before. So please, take just a minute to, if nothing else, listen once again to Dr. King's "I Have a Dream" speech. In these troubled times, it is good to be reminded of Dr. Martin Luther King's dream. More than ever, I wish we had a few Dr. Martin Luther Kings fighting for equality and justice for all today.
"Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter."
"Darkness cannot drive out darkness: Only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate: Only love can do that."
"That old law about 'an eye for an eye' leaves everybody blind. The time is always right to do the right thing."
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was born on 15 January 1929. He would have been 93 years old last Wednesday, had he lived. On this day, we celebrate not only his life, but also his legacy. Martin Luther King Day celebrates not only Dr. King, but the movement he inspired and all those who helped move forward the notion of equal rights for ALL people, all those who worked tirelessly during the civil rights era of the 1960s, as well as those who are continuing the good fight even in this, the year 2022. Dr. King's fight lives on, for we have moved further away than before from his dream.
Dr. King, along with President John F. Kennedy, was the most moving speaker I have ever heard. To this day, I cannot listen to his 'I Have A Dream' speech without tears filling my eyes. If you haven't heard it for a while, take a few minutes to watch/listen … I promise it will be worth your time.
This post is both a commemoration and a plea for us to carry on the work that was only begun, not yet finished, more than five decades ago. Today we should remember some of the great heroes of the civil rights movement, those who worked tirelessly, some who gave their lives, that we could all live in peace and harmony someday: Harriet Tubman, Sojourner Truth, Nelson Mandela, Nina Simone, Mary McLeod Bethune, Lena Horne, Marva Collins, Rosa Parks, W.E.B. Du Bois, Malcolm X, Roy Innes, Medgar Evers, Stepen Bantu Biko, Booker T. Washington, John Lewis, Percy Julian, Marcus Garvey, Desmond Tutu, E.D. Nixon, James Meredith, and so many more. I am willing to bet there are some on this list of whom you've never heard, or perhaps recognize the name but not the accomplishments. If you're interested, you can find brief biographies of each of these and more at Biography.com .
Yet, while we celebrate the achievements of Dr. King and the others, there is still much to be done. Just look around you, read the news each day. Think about these statistics:
More than one in five black families live in households that are food insecure, compared to one in ten white families
Almost four in ten black children live in a household in poverty, nearly twice the rate of other racial groups
Among prime-age adults (ages 25 to 54), about one in five black men are not in the labor force, nearly twice the rate of other racial groups
Although blacks and whites use marijuana at approximately the same rate, blacks are over 3 and a half times more likely to get arrested for marijuana possession
For every dollar earned by a white worker, a black worker only makes 74 cents
Black families are twice as likely as whites to live in substandard housing conditions
Black college graduates now have twice the amount of debt as white college graduates
The likelihood of a black woman born in 2001 being imprisoned over the course of her lifetime is one in 18, compared to 1 in 111 for a white woman
Similarly, the likelihood of a black man being imprisoned is 1 in 3, compared to 1 in 17 for a white man
Of black children born into the bottom 20 percent of the income distribution, about half of them will still be there as adults, compared to less than one-quarter of white children
Data courtesy of the Brookings Institute – for charts and supporting details of above date, please click on link.
And of course the above data does not even touch upon the recent spate of hate crimes, racial profiling, and police shootings against African-Americans. There is still much of Dr. King's work to be accomplished. But who is left to do this work? Most of the leaders of yore are long since gone. There are still noble and courageous people out there carrying on the programs and works of Dr. King and the others, but their voices are perhaps not as loud, and there are none so charismatic as the late Dr. King.
In the current environment of racial divisiveness, we need more than ever to carry on what Dr. King only started. Instead, the past several years have found our nation backtracking on civil and human rights in a number of areas, ranging from discriminatory travel bans against Muslims to turning a federal blind eye to intentionally racially discriminatory state voter-suppression schemes, to opposing protections for transgender people, to parents demanding a re-write of our history to salve their own consciences. I think Dr. King would be appalled if he returned to visit today.
In a speech on April 12th, 1850, then-Senator and future President of the Confederacy, Jefferson Davis said:
"This Government was not founded by negroes nor for negroes, but by white men for white men." [1]
That was wrong then, it is wrong today, and it will always be wrong. That is what Dr. Martin Luther King fought against, that is what I rail and sometimes rant against, that is why we need activists and groups dedicated to fighting for equality for all people … today, tomorrow, and forever.
Here is a bit of trivia you may not know about Dr. King …
King's birth name was Michael, not Martin.
The civil rights leader was born Michael King Jr. on January 15, 1929. In 1934, however, his father, a pastor at Atlanta's Ebenezer Baptist Church, traveled to Germany and became inspired by the Protestant Reformation leader Martin Luther. As a result, King Sr. changed his own name as well as that of his 5-year-old son.
King entered college at the age of 15.
King was such a gifted student that he skipped grades nine and 12 before enrolling in 1944 at Morehouse College, the alma mater of his father and maternal grandfather. Although he was the son, grandson and great-grandson of Baptist ministers, King did not intend to follow the family vocation until Morehouse president Benjamin E. Mays, a noted theologian, convinced him otherwise. King was ordained before graduating college with a degree in sociology.
King's "I Have a Dream" speech was not his first at the Lincoln Memorial.
Six years before his iconic oration at the March on Washington, King was among the civil rights leaders who spoke in the shadow of the Great Emancipator during the Prayer Pilgrimage for Freedom on May 17, 1957. Before a crowd estimated at between 15,000 and 30,000, King delivered his first national address on the topic of voting rights. His speech, in which he urged America to "give us the ballot," drew strong reviews and positioned him at the forefront of the civil rights leadership.
King was imprisoned nearly 30 times.
According to the King Center, the civil rights leader went to jail 29 times. He was arrested for acts of civil disobedience and on trumped-up charges, such as when he was jailed in Montgomery, Alabama, in 1956 for driving 30 miles per hour in a 25-mile-per-hour zone.
King narrowly escaped an assassination attempt a decade before his death.
On September 20, 1958, King was in Harlem signing copies of his new book, "Stride Toward Freedom," in Blumstein's department store when he was approached by Izola Ware Curry. The woman asked if he was Martin Luther King Jr. After he said yes, Curry said, "I've been looking for you for five years," and she plunged a seven-inch letter opener into his chest. The tip of the blade came to rest alongside his aorta, and King underwent hours of delicate emergency surgery. Surgeons later told King that just one sneeze could have punctured the aorta and killed him. From his hospital bed where he convalesced for weeks, King issued a statement affirming his nonviolent principles and saying he felt no ill will toward his mentally ill attacker.
King's mother was also slain by a bullet.
On June 30, 1974, as 69-year-old Alberta Williams King played the organ at a Sunday service inside Ebenezer Baptist Church, Marcus Wayne Chenault Jr. rose from the front pew, drew two pistols and began to fire shots. One of the bullets struck and killed King, who died steps from where her son had preached nonviolence. The deranged gunman said that Christians were his enemy and that although he had received divine instructions to kill King's father, who was in the congregation, he killed King's mother instead because she was closer. The shooting also left a church deacon dead. Chenault received a death penalty sentence that was later changed to life imprisonment, in part due to the King family's opposition to capital punishment.
Dr. King fought and ultimately gave his life for the values I believe in, the values that should define this nation, though they often do not. Dr. Martin Luther King was a hero of his time … thank you, Dr. King, for all you did, for the values you gave this nation, and for the hope you instilled in us all that your dream will someday come true.
[1] (Kendi, 2016)
Note: Our friend TokyoSand has written a post with ideas for how each of us can help carry on Dr. King's legacy … I hope you'll pay her a visit!
The Week's Best Cartoons 1/15
Posted on January 16, 2022 by jilldennison under Bits 'n Pieces, cartoons, Environmental Issues, Global Issues, Humour, Law and justice, Political commentary, Re-blogs, voting rights
These days there is so much material for the political cartoonists to work with that I'm surprised any of them are finding time to eat or sleep! It also makes it hard for us to choose, for there are so many good 'toons out there that sum up a story in a nutshell. As she does every week, our friend TokyoSand over at Political Charge has culled the cream of the crop from last week's offerings. Here is just a sampling, but be sure to visit TS (link at end) for the full line-up! Thank you, TS, for all your hard work!
After a bit of a holiday lull, editorial cartoonists were churning out one great cartoon after another this week. Here are some of my favorites. Voting Rights & the Filibuster By Kevin Siers By Clay Jones By Marc Murphy By Lalo Alcaraz By Matt Davies By Walt Handelsman By Nick Anderson Republicans…
See all the 'toons at TokyoSand's Political Charge!
@#$%&
Posted on January 14, 2022 by jilldennison under Environmental Issues, Global Issues, Law and justice, Political commentary, Rants, Social commentary
The United States Supreme Court is no longer interested in We the People and our well-being, but instead have an 'agenda' that has NOTHING to do with you or me or John Doe down the street! Yesterday, the so-called 'Supreme' Court struck down a vaccine mandate that would have required employees of companies with more than 100 employees to either be vaccinated or submit to weekly testing. IT'S A NO-BRAINER!!! Every person who deals with the public in any form or fashion should be required to be vaccinated!!! With this decision, the Court basically said that We the People do not matter, that our lives are without value. 🤬
We should all file a class action suit against the Supreme Court claiming that our rights to live in peace without fear from our neighbor's breath have been violated! It isn't bad enough that some 65 million people in this nation are too selfish and too stupid to do the right thing and get the vaccine. It isn't bad enough that if everyone had been vaccinated at the earliest possible date, this nation would now be Covid-free, but instead we are experiencing on average 2,000 deaths from Covid per day! 2,000 human lives that could have been saved if only people hadn't been such damn fools. And now, the United States Supreme Court has given these fools carte blanche to continue killing us all! Many thanks to Justices Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito, Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh, Amy Barrett, and to Chief Justice John Roberts for showing us just how little our lives are valued.
On the other hand, three other Justices, Elena Kagan, Sonia Sotomeyer, and Stephen Breyer issued a scathing and appropriate dissent …
"When we are wise, we know not to displace the judgments of experts, acting within the sphere Congress marked out and under Presidential control, to deal with emergency conditions. Today, we are not wise. In the face of a still-raging pandemic, this Court tells the agency charged with protecting worker safety that it may not do so in all the workplaces needed. As disease and death continue to mount, this Court tells the agency that it cannot respond in the most effective way possible."
I have officially now lost all faith in the branch of our government that was originally intended to be non-partisan and fair. I think it doubtful that another fair ruling will ever come out of this body, at least until there is a significant turnover of Justices, perhaps in 50 years or so.
From Inside The Bouncing Mind …
Posted on January 13, 2022 by jilldennison under Bits 'n Pieces, Law and justice, Political commentary, Racism & Bigotry, Social commentary, voting rights
I find myself with an excess of angst these days … more than at any other time in my 70 years on this planet. Yes, much of it is centered around the infamy of Republicans in Congress, but I'm also finding that a relatively large portion of the average Joes in the nation are also angst-inducing. Some 65 million people are still unvaccinated! WHO gave them permission to endanger the lives of the rest of us??? I still think we should ship them all off to some island similar to a leper colony until they either die out or decide to do the right thing! Anyway, here are a few of the issues that are making my poor wee brain bounce around inside my head …
Winner take all … including the bigotry
I haven't watched Jeopardy in years because I simply don't watch television … at all. I do watch one show … Coronation Street, a British soap opera that my daughter got me hooked on a few years ago, but beyond that, I don't watch television. Back in the day, however, I was a fan of Jeopardy, though I only came up with the right answers about 50% of the time, not nearly enough to make me think I had what it takes to become a contestant on the show.
Amy Schneider, however, obviously DOES have what it takes, for she recently became the first woman in the history of Jeopardy to win the most consecutive regular season episodes! Hats off to Ms. Schneider! Oh, but wait … the bigots of the nation had to speak out against Ms. Schneider because … she is two of the three things they hate the most … a woman and a transgender woman at that. Imagine if she were Black on top of all else! On Twitter, transphobic users claimed that transgender women are naturally better at trivia games than cisgender women, so Schneider's wins aren't meaningful. BULLSHIT! Frankly, I know some straight men who couldn't compete successfully on any quiz show where education and intelligence are required.
This is just one case of the bigotry that defines an unfortunately large portion of the population in this nation. What a sad … nay, tragic … state we are in when some people consider themselves more valuable than others because of their skin colour, gender, religion, gender identity, or other so-called criteria. Wouldn't you think humans would have learned to be more … human … after centuries of living in communities, living and working side-by-side with people of every race and gender? Apparently, some people never learn to be human.
Voting Rights??? Did somebody say voting rights?
Two landmark bills have been stalled in the Senate for months: The Freedom to Vote Act would standardize voter ID laws and permanently allow voting by mail, ban partisan gerrymandering, and set national standards for elections. The John Lewis Voting Rights Act would reestablish the Voting Rights Act, which was weakened by two Supreme Court decisions in the past decade, by specifically reinstating antidiscrimination protections for voters. A no-brainer, right? Well … yeah, unless you're a Republican. Not a single Republican senator is willing to vote to pass these two much-needed laws … not a single one! I'm sick and damn tired of paying taxes to support these assholes who are trying to take away our right to have a voice in our government!!!
What does this say about the Republicans in Congress? It says they are a bunch of incompetent cowards, that's what! They are scared to death that if every eligible person can actually vote, they won't stand a snowball's chance in hell of winning the next election. And why, you might ask, can they only win if people of colour, young people, poor people cannot vote? Because those of us who have a brain and remember how to use it understand that they have NOT been doing their job, that they are no more qualified for a seat in our legislative body than my cat is!
Surely there are at least some Republicans in Congress who know that the right to vote is not to be taken lightly, is guaranteed to each and every one of us. Surely there are at least a few who understand that their refusal to pass these two very important bills is WRONG! But, it seems their loyalty to the Republican Party ranks higher in their mind than the oath of office they took. In my book, it is tantamount to treason against We the People!
Guilty!!!
Y'know, folks, if I were to be issued a summons or a subpoena to appear in court, to testify under oath, and if I were to ignore that summons or subpoena, or worse yet openly defy it, it would be only a matter of hours before I would be sitting in a jail cell. The same can be said for all of you … it is against the law to ignore or defy a subpoena. Full stop. So … can somebody please 'splain to me why people like Jim Jordan, Kevin McCarthy, Donald Trump, Steve Bannon and others are still walking around free, not wearing orange jumpsuits and not looking out from behind a set of iron bars? I thought that in this nation, the laws applied to everyone, even those elected officials whose salaries we work our patooties off to pay? I thought that there was … what's that called … "Equal justice for all"?
WHY are these jerks getting by with willfully interfering with a committee that is investigating an event that caused death and damn near caused the downfall of this nation's foundation? Obviously, each one who has defied or ignored a subpoena from the committee is guilty of having a distinct role in the attempted coup, for if they had nothing to hide, they would be more than willing to tell what they know … under oath. In my book, refusal to even testify is an admission of guilt. They walk among us … and they shouldn't … they have no right to.
Posted on January 12, 2022 by jilldennison under Bits 'n Pieces, Election 2020, Election 2024, Global Issues, History, Law and justice, Political commentary, Re-blogs, Social commentary, voting rights
A few nights ago, our friend David suggested I do a post asking for readers' opinions on the most current issues and I thought it was a great idea, but hadn't gotten around to it yet. Meanwhile, David himself posted a 'questions' post that asks six very pertinent questions. I couldn't have done better, so I am sharing his. David has had some problems with his blog lately and unfortunately, there is no room for comments on his, so I will be asking him to check out comments here and respond where he feels so inclined. Thank you, David, for these thought-provoking questions.
The BUTHIDARS
Before we start, if you are a confirmed Republican who sees no problems confronting your Country at the moment and feels that everything is as it should be with the reduction in voting rights within the states adopting them, and that the Investigation into Jan 6th is wrong, there's no point in starting an argument with me as you won't change my views. If you have any constructive suggestions as to how things could change to benefit the United States We want too hear them. Please include any opinions on the current status of gun control too if you have them.
1.Are the current State Changes to voting legislation fair to all? If not, what is wrong with them and how can they be changed to ensure fairness?
2.Why will Republicans not bring forward and vote for the new Bills on Voting Rights, waiting in the wings.
3. Do You…
Mid-Terms 2022 — Vote Him OUT!!!
Posted on January 11, 2022 by jilldennison under Election 2020, Election 2022, guns, Law and justice, Political commentary
Madison Cawthorn is one of the sleaziest Republicans in the House of Representatives, though he does have a lot of competition for that title. At only 26 years of age, he is the youngest member of Congress, and also among the cockiest. I have an ever-growing list of those members of Congress who deserve to be ousted, who are not interested in the success of the nation and its people, but only their own quest for power and money, and Mr. Cawthorn is near the top of the list.
Cawthorn is known for indulging in conspiracy theories and for his incendiary rhetoric, but not noted for hard work or seriousness of purpose when it comes to legislating. He has said he intends to use his position to be a messenger rather than a legislator, writing to his colleagues, "I have built my staff around comms rather than legislation." Funny, I thought his job as a member of the House of Representatives was to legislate.
It is his rhetoric that may keep him from returning to Congress next year, however, for he had a documented role in the events of January 6th, 2021 and many North Carolina voters are petitioning to bar him from seeking re-election. In a complaint filed with the North Carolina State Board of Elections, a group of North Carolina voters—represented by a team of legal experts that includes attorneys from the advocacy group Free Speech For People and former justices of the state Supreme Court—argue that Cawthorn is ineligible for public office under Section Three of the Fourteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, known as the Disqualification Clause.
"The coordinated and violent January 6 attack on the United States Capitol in an effort to prevent Congress from certifying the presidential vote was an insurrection against the United States," Ron Fein, legal director of Free Speech For People, said in a statement. "The Constitution disqualifies from public office any elected officials who aided that insurrection."
"As set forth in our complaint, the publicly available evidence, including Rep. Cawthorn's own statements and reports that he or his office coordinated with the January 6 organizers, establish reasonable suspicion that Rep. Cawthorn aided the insurrection, thereby disqualifying him from federal office," Fein added. "We look forward to asking him about his involvement under oath."
In the short year that Cawthorn has held a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives, he has been controversial and has come under fire more than a few times …
Before Trump supporters stormed the United States Capitol on January 6th, 2021, Cawthorn addressed the crowd and said, "this crowd has some fight." He voted not to certify the Electoral College results in Congress and called Republicans who voted to certify the results "spineless cowards". He later attempted to blame the attempted coup on a "Democratic machine of agitators strategically placed inside of this group", amid intensifying calls for his resignation for his part in stoking the riots.
On February 13, 2021, Transportation Security Administration agents at the Asheville Regional Airport discovered an unloaded Glock 9mm handgun and loaded magazine in Cawthorn's carry-on bag. The gun and ammunition were confiscated and stored by airport police.
In late February 2021, Cawthorn and a dozen other Republican House members skipped votes and enlisted others to vote for them, citing the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. But he and the other members were actually attending the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC), which was held at the same time as their absences. In response, the Campaign for Accountability, an ethics watchdog group, filed a complaint with the House Committee on Ethics and requested an investigation into Cawthorn and the other lawmakers.
At an August 2021 Macon County, North Carolina Republican Party event, Cawthorn said: "if our election systems continue to be rigged and continue to be stolen, then it's going to lead to one place—and it's bloodshed."
In October 2021, Cawthorn said, "our culture today is trying to completely de-masculate [sic] all of the young men", because "they don't want people who are going to stand up". He issued a call to mothers, who he said are the "most vicious" conservatives: "If you are raising a young man, please raise them to be a monster". In November 2021, Cawthorn accused politicians of "trying to make everyone genderless, sexless, and just absolutely Godless", and declared that Americans "want our culture back, and if you want to stand in the way that, we will run you over."
Cawthorn reacted to the 'not guilty' verdict in the trial of Kyle Rittenhouse by offering Rittenhouse an internship, saying, "You have a right to defend yourself, so be armed, be dangerous and be moral".
Over the past two years, at least 20 women have come forward and accused Cawthorn of sexual misconduct and sexual assault … where there is so much smoke, there's bound to be a fire somewhere.
Seriously, is this the sort of person you want making the laws under which we must all live? Is this the person whose salary you will spend your hard-earned tax dollars to support? I think not. Let us hope that the voters of North Carolina are successful in their case to bar Cawthorn from running for re-election this year, or failing that, that the people in his North Carolina district have enough sense not to return him to the halls of Congress!
Note to Readers: Between now and the November mid-term elections, I will be occasionally writing a post about various members of Congress who, for one reason or another, I believe should be voted out or voted in, depending on their qualifications for the office. This is the first of many!
Filosofa Tries Not To Rant … Oops!
Posted on January 9, 2022 by jilldennison under Bits 'n Pieces, Environmental Issues, Law and justice, Political commentary, Racism & Bigotry, Social commentary
I tried really hard last night to write a post that didn't turn into a rant. I failed. The only news I read that didn't evoke a rant, put me to sleep! There's just so darned much to rant about these days …
It appears that the inglorious Republican Party is determined to impeach President Biden. It started the day after his inauguration when Margie Greene filed articles of impeachment against the President (before he had even settled in, let alone made any policy decisions) claiming that he had 'abused' his power. Nobody took it seriously, knowing that Margie is a conspiracy theorist, follower of QAnon, and not terribly intelligent.
The latest, though, really sent me into rant mode. Senator Ted Cruz, also not terribly intelligent, has said that the Republican Party will impeach President Biden in 2023 if, in fact, they manage a majority in both chambers of Congress in the mid-term elections this November. He made it clear that there was really no reason for impeachment, no legitimate cause, other than "just because we can."
"… whether it's justified or not … the Democrats weaponized impeachment. They used it for partisan purposes to go after Trump because they disagreed with him. And one of the real disadvantages of doing that . . . is the more you weaponize it and turn it into a partisan cudgel, you know, what's good for the goose is good for the gander."
No, you Jackass! Trump was not impeached because we disagreed with him! He was impeached … TWICE … because he broke the law, abused the power of his office, and stabbed the people of this nation in the back with his autocratic ways! Take your head out of your rather large posterior and wake up, Senator Cruz!
Now, I don't anticipate that the Senate, even if led by a Republican majority, will vote to convict President Biden and remove him from office, because so doing would leave them with … GASP … a president who is both a Woman and Black! The two things they hate most!
Unfortunately, Cruz is not up for re-election until 2024, at which time I hope the good people of Texas will remember how he abandoned them when a winter storm left them without electricity, leaving the country and heading for Cancún where the temps were in the 80s and electricity was plentiful.
Two of the former guy's minions seem to have established organizations that are, in addition to other issues, advocating murder. Okay, I know that's a bit of a stretch, but I'm angry. They are actually suing the Biden administration over vaccine mandates, which in my book means they prefer that everybody has the right to remain unvaccinated and thus go about spreading the lethal virus, infecting and killing people.
The first such organization is headed by the man with Nazi ties, former senior adviser and the architect of the former guy's draconian immigration policies, Stephen Miller. The organization is America First Legal (AFL), whose goal is to "oppose the radical left's anti-jobs, anti-freedom, anti-faith, anti-borders, anti-police, and anti-American crusade" and "defend our citizens from unconstitutional executive overreach." Also affiliated with the AFL are former White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows and former Acting Attorney General Matthew Whitaker – a whole bunch of arseholes all under one umbrella.
The group is suing the Biden administration over "tyrannical and unconstitutional vaccine mandates," claiming, among other things, that OSHA doesn't have the power to "try and end pandemics." Like … ending the pandemic is a bad thing?????????? Sheesh!
The second group is led by former Vice-President Mike Pence and calls itself Advancing American Freedom (AAF). You notice how these groups toss about that term 'American' as if anybody not on their side must not qualify to be an 'American'? AAF has joined forces with AFL to attempt to convince the Supreme Court to block the implementation of OSHA's vaccine-or-testing mandate, arguing it is unconstitutional and poses a burden on workers. WHAT burden??? The burden to keep safe and also help keep their co-workers, families, friends and neighbors safe? Is that really such a burden?
My daughter, granddaughter and I have all been fully vaccinated, including the booster, and I can tell you that it did NOT infringe on our personal freedoms nor cause us any 'burden' in any way, shape, or form! We can end this pandemic if every person does their part, but some would obviously prefer to spend massive amounts of time and money ensuring that more and more of us will become ill and many more will die needlessly.
And now, I will stop ranting so I can manage a bit of sleep tonight and so you can find something cheerier to read on a Sunday morn! Have a great day!
The Week's Best Cartoons 1/8
Posted on January 8, 2022 by jilldennison under Bits 'n Pieces, cartoons, Election 2020, Election 2022, Election 2024, History, Humour, Law and justice, Political commentary, Re-blogs, Social commentary
This is TokyoSand's first cartoon post of the year and one that is well worthy of sharing. Needless to say, the main topic of the week is the one-year anniversary of the attempted coup on January 6th … and some of the 'toons have brilliantly captured the thoughts and reactions one year later. As always, TS has culled the best of the lot for us, so enjoy! Thank you, TokyoSand, for all your hard work on these Saturday posts!
It's a new year and I'm back with our normal Saturday editorial cartoons feature. This year started off with a bang! New Year By Mike Luckovich By Walt Handlesman By Rob Tornoe January 6 Anniversary By Pat Bagley By Bill Bramhall By Mike Luckovich By Michael Ramirez By Lalo Alcaraz By Kal…
Bits of This, That, and The Other
Posted on January 8, 2022 by jilldennison under Bits 'n Pieces, Free Press Issues, guns, Law and justice, Racism & Bigotry, Social commentary
Today, I promise no posts about January 6 or the former guy.
Yesterday I let out a "WHOOP" when the wheels of justice, after turning very slowly, finally picked up momentum and rendered three sentences that were fair and well-deserved. The three killers of Ahmaud Arbery were all sentenced to life in prison, with no possibility of parole for father and son Greg and Travis McMichael. Good riddance to bad rubbish. The other, William "Roddie" Bryan, will be eligible for parole after 30 years because he did cooperate with police and according to his lawyer, showed remorse for his actions on that fateful day.
Some will say this is justice, and it is right and just for the killers, and it is justice in one sense for Arbery's family but make no mistake … this is still not justice for Ahmaud Arbery. Mr. Arbery is still dead, so there can be no justice for him.
The good news …
I noted in a prior post that no matter what happens, the media cannot seem to give President Biden credit for anything, however they are fighting in line to blame him for almost everything. Today is another example of that.
Over the past year (2021), 6.4 million jobs were created, a new record, and the unemployment rate dropped from 6.2% to 3.9%. This was the greatest jobs growth year in modern U.S. history, and it's not even close.
The headlines:
Hiring falters in December as payrolls rise only 199,000 (CNBC)
US hiring cools in December as economy adds just 199,000 new jobs (Fox Business)
Jobs disappoint in December, but unemployment falls to 3.9% (CNN)
U.S. gains scant 199,000 jobs in December as businesses confront labor shortage (MarketWatch)
U.S. hiring slowed in December as employers struggled to find workers (New York Times)
Nearly 200,000 jobs added in December, despite the surge in Covid cases, and it's referred to as "only" or "scant" 199,000, despite the good news overall in the jobs and unemployment numbers at the close of the year. I wonder just what President Biden must do to earn a positive headline? Whatever it is, you can rest assured that Congress will keep him from being able to do it.
Granted, the President doesn't control the economy and doesn't deserve credit nor blame in its entirety, however he or she (hopefully someday) does play a role with their policies and rhetoric, and throughout history, the press has assigned either blame or praise. Unfortunately, today's press seems to be under the spell of the former guy and is steadfastly refusing to give President Biden so much as an inch.
The not-so-good news …
The year 2020 saw the highest number of gun deaths in the U.S. in history. Ever. 45,222 people died of gunshot wounds — a 14 percent jump from 2019 and the largest year-over-year rise on record. This record is certainly nothing to be proud of and in my book, it's well past time to place very restrictive constraints on gun ownership in this nation.
In the past, I have called for "sensible gun legislation", thinking that the best way would be one step at a time, thus not antagonizing those who believe the 2nd Amendment is the only one that matters. However, given the current level of violence in this nation, and the fact that there are 120.5 guns for every 100 people in the U.S., or about 400 million guns for a nation with a population of 330 million people, it is time for much more aggressive action. Do I believe it will happen? No, certainly not in my lifetime, for the gun nuts care more about their guns than they do about their own families and have fought tooth-and-nail against even background checks or assault rifle bans.
School shootings, mass shootings at malls, religious places, grocery stores, restaurants, etc., have risen over the years and today it is not at all unusual for at least one person to be 'packing heat' in your local Kroger store or Applebee's. Those who worship their guns won't step forward to protect our voting rights, our way of life, or system of government, but they will fight to the death for their 'right' to own as many guns as their garage can hold. SIGH.
Words Of Wisdom From Jimmy Carter
Posted on January 7, 2022 by jilldennison under Election 2020, Election 2024, Global Issues, History, Law and justice, Political commentary, Social commentary, voting rights
Yesterday, I had more than enough of articles about the anniversary of the January 6th attempted coup … I was on overload, most of the articles repeating the dire warnings of the one I had read just before and that I had previously expressed here on Filosofa's Word. Mind you, I understand the desire to pontificate on the events of that day and their extended outcomes, potential disasters going forward, for I have indulged in such myself. However, there comes a point where it's overload, time to step back and focus elsewhere for a few minutes or a couple of days. So, today's post was going to head off in a different direction. Until … I read this piece in the New York Times by former President Jimmy Carter and … well, Carter is the most humanitarian president I've seen in my lifetime, and I respect his views. So, without further ado, I hope you'll bear with me for one more piece about that fateful day and its implications for our future …
Jimmy Carter: I Fear for Our Democracy
By Jimmy Carter
Mr. Carter was the 39th president of the United States.
One year ago, a violent mob, guided by unscrupulous politicians, stormed the Capitol and almost succeeded in preventing the democratic transfer of power. All four of us former presidents condemned their actions and affirmed the legitimacy of the 2020 election. There followed a brief hope that the insurrection would shock the nation into addressing the toxic polarization that threatens our democracy.
However, one year on, promoters of the lie that the election was stolen have taken over one political party and stoked distrust in our electoral systems. These forces exert power and influence through relentless disinformation, which continues to turn Americans against Americans. According to the Survey Center on American Life, 36 percent of Americans — almost 100 million adults across the political spectrum — agree that "the traditional American way of life is disappearing so fast that we may have to use force to save it." The Washington Post recently reported that roughly 40 percent of Republicans believe that violent action against the government is sometimes justified.
Politicians in my home state of Georgia, as well as in others, such as Texas and Florida, have leveraged the distrust they have created to enact laws that empower partisan legislatures to intervene in election processes. They seek to win by any means, and many Americans are being persuaded to think and act likewise, threatening to collapse the foundations of our security and democracy with breathtaking speed. I now fear that what we have fought so hard to achieve globally — the right to free, fair elections, unhindered by strongman politicians who seek nothing more than to grow their own power — has become dangerously fragile at home.
I personally encountered this threat in my own backyard in 1962, when a ballot-stuffing county boss tried to steal my election to the Georgia State Senate. This was in the primary, and I challenged the fraud in court. Ultimately, a judge invalidated the results, and I won the general election. Afterward, the protection and advancement of democracy became a priority for me. As president, a major goal was to institute majority rule in southern Africa and elsewhere.
After I left the White House and founded the Carter Center, we worked to promote free, fair and orderly elections across the globe. I led dozens of election observation missions in Africa, Latin America and Asia, starting with Panama in 1989, where I put a simple question to administrators: "Are you honest officials or thieves?" At each election, my wife, Rosalynn, and I were moved by the courage and commitment of thousands of citizens walking miles and waiting in line from dusk to dawn to cast their first ballots in free elections, renewing hope for themselves and their nations and taking their first steps to self-governance. But I have also seen how new democratic systems — and sometimes even established ones — can fall to military juntas or power-hungry despots. Sudan and Myanmar are two recent examples.
For American democracy to endure, we must demand that our leaders and candidates uphold the ideals of freedom and adhere to high standards of conduct.
First, while citizens can disagree on policies, people of all political stripes must agree on fundamental constitutional principles and norms of fairness, civility and respect for the rule of law. Citizens should be able to participate easily in transparent, safe and secure electoral processes. Claims of election irregularities should be submitted in good faith for adjudication by the courts, with all participants agreeing to accept the findings. And the election process should be conducted peacefully, free of intimidation and violence.
Second, we must push for reforms that ensure the security and accessibility of our elections and ensure public confidence in the accuracy of results. Phony claims of illegal voting and pointless multiple audits only detract from democratic ideals.
Third, we must resist the polarization that is reshaping our identities around politics. We must focus on a few core truths: that we are all human, we are all Americans and we have common hopes for our communities and our country to thrive. We must find ways to re-engage across the divide, respectfully and constructively, by holding civil conversations with family, friends and co-workers and standing up collectively to the forces dividing us.
Fourth, violence has no place in our politics, and we must act urgently to pass or strengthen laws to reverse the trends of character assassination, intimidation and the presence of armed militias at events. We must protect our election officials — who are trusted friends and neighbors of many of us — from threats to their safety. Law enforcement must have the power to address these issues and engage in a national effort to come to terms with the past and present of racial injustice.
Lastly, the spread of disinformation, especially on social media, must be addressed. We must reform these platforms and get in the habit of seeking out accurate information. Corporate America and religious communities should encourage respect for democratic norms, participation in elections and efforts to counter disinformation.
Our great nation now teeters on the brink of a widening abyss. Without immediate action, we are at genuine risk of civil conflict and losing our precious democracy. Americans must set aside differences and work together before it is too late.