This is really long but important. Who knew that the ERA was still alive but not complete. We need it now more than ever. Here is what you need to know and what you can do to help.
the ERA is one small hurdle away from becoming the 28th Amendment to the United States Constitution!
I am asking for your help to push the ERA across the finish line. This year we witnessed how easily women's rights can be stripped as the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. Then we saw the strength of women's votes changing the course of history in the mid-term election. Now, this is the moment to speak for the ERA.
We need to fill the inbox daily of Senator Chuck Schumer to ask him to bring SJ Res 1 to the Senate floor for a vote before Congress ends its current session. This Resolution eliminates the deadline for ERA ratification, and it already passed the House so now all it needs is a positive vote in the Senate.
Click below to fill Senator Schumer's inbox. Please do this every day between now and Jan 3rd when the current Congress ends. Share this email with anyone you can think of - friends, loved ones, kids, husbands.
Alternatively you may call Senator Schumer's office at 202-224-6542.
I have read the email the link makes easy to send. It’s too long but it is all about the numbers now. Copy the link and send every day. Time is running out.
All phone calls and emails are logged and DO make a difference in getting the attention of our elected officials. Chuck Schumer works for all of us as the Majority Leader of the US Senate, so please let him hear your voice. Any other Senator dedicated to women's rights is also fair game to reach out to, just say you are from South Carolina and that they need to know you care deeply about the ERA and women's equality in law finally becoming guaranteed by our Constitution.
If you'd like more info on the ERA and its history up to today, please read below.
What is the ERA? Just 24 words that give women equal legal status with men.
"Equality of rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged by the United Satates or by any State on account of sex."
The ERA was initially introduced in Congress way back in 1923. Almost 100 years ago.
During the 1960s it garnered support for passage during the rise of the women's movement, getting approved by the US House in 1971, and by the US Senate in 1972.
Because it is a Constitutional Amendment, it was then submitted to the Legislatures of all 50 States for ratification, as provided by Article V of the US Constitution which requires 3/4 of all the states to ratify any Constitutional Amendment.
35 States ratified the ERA on relatively short order and by 1977 it was only three states shy of the required 3/4.
State ratification stalled out for four decades between 1977 and 2017. Support had been strong with both political parties and it was widely believed that the ERA was destined to be successful. But Phyllis Schlafly mobilized conservative women to oppose it, arguing that it would disadvantage housewives, that women would be drafted, and that women would lose divorce benefits such as alimony and the right to custody of their children.
In the 2010s there was renewed interest in adoption of the ERA, and 3 additional states ratified it - NV in 2017, IL in 2018 and VA in 2020.
With these states added, the ERA finally has the required 38 states for ratification. (38 divided by 50 = 76%)
So what's the holdup? The ratification deadline is the only hurdle and it's really a rather simple technicality. When Congress initially passed the ERA, it set a ratification deadline for the States. Confidence at that time was high that all the States would act within a period of five years so the original deadline was set to be 1977. Congress then extended the deadline to be 1982. In fact, in EVERY session of Congress since 1982 a resolution for extension has been introduced.
So interest in the ERA has remained high, and most recently under Nancy Pelosi's leadership, the US House passed a resolution on March 17, 2021 with bipartisan support to ELIMINATE THE DEADLINE for ratification. However no vote has been taken on that resolution by the full Senate so THAT IS WHAT WE ARE ASKING FOR, to bring this joint resolution to the floor of the Senate for a vote immediately.
100 years after its introduction, let's do our part to get the ERA across the finish line! It is important to hold the Senate vote now in the 117th Congress.
Speaking of Zelenskyy, Dave Letterman did a terrific interview with him down in a subway station in Kyiv. (Available on Netflix) Throughout the interview Zelenskyy is thoughtful, intelligent and still found moments to be humorous. His determination is inspiring, and his analysis of Putin and Russian is reassuring.
I disagree with staying on Twitter. It reminds me of sticking with Trump so no one worse gets on board. If people leave, sponsors will abandon the platform. Musk will not be able to monetize Twitter. That will be the end of Twitter.
I had a Twitter account for years. But I rarely used it. Just a matter of taste. It encourages ranting and the spread of rumors and falsehoods. It also revolves around obtaining "followers". As one who is not impressed by celebrity or fame, it's just not my thing. I respect anyone who finds Twitter to be an enjoyable or productive experience. I don't.
There are SO MANY WAYS to gather information and to express oneself, that it really comes down to what platform you want to support. By the time I have read the news from several sources and have digested the substack newsletters I subscribe to...I am more than all set for the day.
So why would I want to visit a social media platform owned by an obnoxious sociopathic narcissist? If it works for you, great. But I think the world would be fine if Twitter were to crash and burn to a crisp.
And then there is this. Elon Musk has made it clear what Twitter will be: his personal toy to express his unrestrained bigotry and hate. He is a needy dangerous insecure wounded beast. Why support a platform for him to spread his hatred and disgusting views? There are people who worship him who may perform very regrettable acts of violence with his encouragement.
Twitter does not belong to us anymore. It belongs to a madman. Which makes it very similar to "Truth Social". I deleted my account. It felt good.
Hi, I’m sad to say I agree with Beth and disagree with you on the importance of Twitter to continue to exist. I imagine even as we are writing these comments there are responsible agents for good creating a better format. Just today we heard on Rachel how David Donnelly organized over 32 million dollars of quiet money to be spent supporting over 126 small organizations working to preserve democracy in the 2022 midterms. The results of that effort was a huge upset in media expectations. That scenario could be happening here. Let Twitter fail. Hoping we can “change” it for the highest good is like asking an abused wife to stay with her abuser “just one more time”. Enough. Europe is often ahead of us in social maturity. If they can let it go, so can we!
You forgot to mention that SBF - Sam Bankman-Fried - was arrested today in the Bahamas at the request of the SDNY, which has indicted him on several serious financial charges. The arrest came a couple hours after he said in an online conversation that he didn't think he was going to be arrested. He's about to become Fried Bankman, served up on a platter with an apple in his mouth.
One down, the rest of the billionaire scum to go. Hopefully Muck will be next. He's no longer "the world's richest man," since Tinny Toys Inc. has lost 40% of its value and its tinny toy product is no longer the Official Car of Rich White Lib'ruls.
Thank you for lifting up Professor Snyder’s work and commitment to justice for Ukraine. I am deeply impressed by him. He is a role model for me as I am also a professor: he never sacrifices complexity in his efforts to educate the public and stand for human rights. Exemplary!!
McCarthy (CA-23) is unfit to be Speaker of the House. He's shown an interesting combination of spinelessness and appalling judgment. To be supportive of Gym Jordan and MTG in the wake of their own appalling lack of judgment is depressing. The even worse news is: I can't think of anyone on the GOP caucus who is better now that Cheney and Kinzinger have been booted from their seats. Can you?
Twitter: I agree with Robert to stay on it. It's a great curator of news and opinions of whomever you want to follow. But do also get set up on one of the alternatives: Post, Mastodon, Counter Social appear to be better ones, although each has challenges/limitations at this time.
In addition to Robert, a host of good people are staying (many while also setting up a Plan B). Tom Nichols includes this advice on how to deal with Twitter:
"Set your notifications to Latest, not Home. Block a lot. Set notifications so that you don’t see tweets from people who don’t follow you. Refuse to engage with five-follower accounts that went active last week...I have all of those settings in place, I block with the flick of a finger, and my Twitter experience really hasn’t changed that much since Musk arrived."
Rip van Winkle here. What lucky break did the Dems catch in Indiana?
Also, I understand Robert's argument for remaining on Twitter (although it's academic for me as I've never had a Twitter account). But like another commenter, I disagree with that approach. Staying on Twitter in hopes of elevating the quality of the discourse seems rather like preaching from a soapbox in nasty neighborhoods full of muggers and dope dealers thinking you're going to end street crime. Ain't gonna happen. More practically, fewer Twitter users means less revenue potential for Musk and less social influence. Better to leave that hot mess to eventually wither and die than to support it in any way.
Gym Jordan as head of the Judiciary Committee. It'll be Hunter Biden all the time (poor guy). Meanwhile, Jared Kushner gets a refi on his disastrous 666 5th Avenue building during Trump's presidency and then $2bn from the Saudi's within hours of Trump not being inaugurated in 2021. And no Repub thinks this isn't payolla? This is when partisanship has gone off the rails. Shame on McCarthy!!!
Dec 13, 2022·edited Dec 13, 2022Liked by Robert B. Hubbell
Ah, the Law of Unintended Consequences strikes again!
Trump's presidential candidacy resulted in Merrick "Hamlet" Garland finally getting out of his own way and appointing a special prosecutor who, in just a few weeks, has demonstrated discipline and, as you say, Robert, "urgency" to the effort to potentially prosecute Trump. If only Garland had appointed Smith back in April 2021. . . .
Robert, sadly, I think it is time for those who use Twitter to promote civil discourse and Society by switching to another channel, as imperfect as that channel may be. I can assure you, where the Lawrence Tribe's of this world go, I shall follow.
I have faith that the Law of Unintended Consequences will swallow Elon Musk whole.
I agree with BethMazer ... i disagree with staying on Twitter! I literally cannot bear the THOUGHT! The sooner the end comes for Twitter, the better! I feel that way about Elon too!! The sooner we stop elevating billionaires to status far far beyond their human abilities (or intentions), the better!!
Yes, at last! Finally. Last evening MSNBC's Ari Melber compared the very rapid response to coup attempts in Germany and Peru to the two plus years of procrastination here in the US. (The president of Peru woke up as president and went to bed in jail.) But now, at last, DOJ appears to be moving forward. Think how different things would be had the DOJ moved at even a modest pace to prosecute those responsible for the coup here. Sad.
2024 does present a very challenging senate map for Dems and while we should never give up denying the reality of the map does us a disservice. Ohio had an 8 pt. Trump margin and Tim Ryan, a strong candidate, lost to JD Vance, a weak candidate, by over 6 points. Indians went Trump in 2020 by 17 points(!!!). In todays partisan environment, it’s hard to imagine a D candidate that has even a 5% chance of winning a senate seat in Indiana. I’ve been building election data models for several cycles now to help target fundraising to where it can make the greatest difference for Dems. For example, in 2020 Dems donated $88M to Amy McGrath who lost by nearly 20 points. While she beat the Trump-Biden Kentucky margin of 26 pts, that was never going to be a winning seat for Dems and that money could have gone to helping Dems in potentially winnable seats close their margins. We have to be clear-eyed from the beginning or we will throw away our money and our chances of the best outcome possible.
This is really long but important. Who knew that the ERA was still alive but not complete. We need it now more than ever. Here is what you need to know and what you can do to help.
the ERA is one small hurdle away from becoming the 28th Amendment to the United States Constitution!
I am asking for your help to push the ERA across the finish line. This year we witnessed how easily women's rights can be stripped as the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. Then we saw the strength of women's votes changing the course of history in the mid-term election. Now, this is the moment to speak for the ERA.
We need to fill the inbox daily of Senator Chuck Schumer to ask him to bring SJ Res 1 to the Senate floor for a vote before Congress ends its current session. This Resolution eliminates the deadline for ERA ratification, and it already passed the House so now all it needs is a positive vote in the Senate.
Click below to fill Senator Schumer's inbox. Please do this every day between now and Jan 3rd when the current Congress ends. Share this email with anyone you can think of - friends, loved ones, kids, husbands.
https://www.eracoalition.org/take-action/senator-schumer-we-want-a-vote
Alternatively you may call Senator Schumer's office at 202-224-6542.
I have read the email the link makes easy to send. It’s too long but it is all about the numbers now. Copy the link and send every day. Time is running out.
All phone calls and emails are logged and DO make a difference in getting the attention of our elected officials. Chuck Schumer works for all of us as the Majority Leader of the US Senate, so please let him hear your voice. Any other Senator dedicated to women's rights is also fair game to reach out to, just say you are from South Carolina and that they need to know you care deeply about the ERA and women's equality in law finally becoming guaranteed by our Constitution.
If you'd like more info on the ERA and its history up to today, please read below.
What is the ERA? Just 24 words that give women equal legal status with men.
"Equality of rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged by the United Satates or by any State on account of sex."
The ERA was initially introduced in Congress way back in 1923. Almost 100 years ago.
During the 1960s it garnered support for passage during the rise of the women's movement, getting approved by the US House in 1971, and by the US Senate in 1972.
Because it is a Constitutional Amendment, it was then submitted to the Legislatures of all 50 States for ratification, as provided by Article V of the US Constitution which requires 3/4 of all the states to ratify any Constitutional Amendment.
35 States ratified the ERA on relatively short order and by 1977 it was only three states shy of the required 3/4.
State ratification stalled out for four decades between 1977 and 2017. Support had been strong with both political parties and it was widely believed that the ERA was destined to be successful. But Phyllis Schlafly mobilized conservative women to oppose it, arguing that it would disadvantage housewives, that women would be drafted, and that women would lose divorce benefits such as alimony and the right to custody of their children.
In the 2010s there was renewed interest in adoption of the ERA, and 3 additional states ratified it - NV in 2017, IL in 2018 and VA in 2020.
With these states added, the ERA finally has the required 38 states for ratification. (38 divided by 50 = 76%)
So what's the holdup? The ratification deadline is the only hurdle and it's really a rather simple technicality. When Congress initially passed the ERA, it set a ratification deadline for the States. Confidence at that time was high that all the States would act within a period of five years so the original deadline was set to be 1977. Congress then extended the deadline to be 1982. In fact, in EVERY session of Congress since 1982 a resolution for extension has been introduced.
So interest in the ERA has remained high, and most recently under Nancy Pelosi's leadership, the US House passed a resolution on March 17, 2021 with bipartisan support to ELIMINATE THE DEADLINE for ratification. However no vote has been taken on that resolution by the full Senate so THAT IS WHAT WE ARE ASKING FOR, to bring this joint resolution to the floor of the Senate for a vote immediately.
100 years after its introduction, let's do our part to get the ERA across the finish line! It is important to hold the Senate vote now in the 117th Congress.
MARTHA ESKEW
Speaking of Zelenskyy, Dave Letterman did a terrific interview with him down in a subway station in Kyiv. (Available on Netflix) Throughout the interview Zelenskyy is thoughtful, intelligent and still found moments to be humorous. His determination is inspiring, and his analysis of Putin and Russian is reassuring.
I disagree with staying on Twitter. It reminds me of sticking with Trump so no one worse gets on board. If people leave, sponsors will abandon the platform. Musk will not be able to monetize Twitter. That will be the end of Twitter.
I had a Twitter account for years. But I rarely used it. Just a matter of taste. It encourages ranting and the spread of rumors and falsehoods. It also revolves around obtaining "followers". As one who is not impressed by celebrity or fame, it's just not my thing. I respect anyone who finds Twitter to be an enjoyable or productive experience. I don't.
There are SO MANY WAYS to gather information and to express oneself, that it really comes down to what platform you want to support. By the time I have read the news from several sources and have digested the substack newsletters I subscribe to...I am more than all set for the day.
So why would I want to visit a social media platform owned by an obnoxious sociopathic narcissist? If it works for you, great. But I think the world would be fine if Twitter were to crash and burn to a crisp.
And then there is this. Elon Musk has made it clear what Twitter will be: his personal toy to express his unrestrained bigotry and hate. He is a needy dangerous insecure wounded beast. Why support a platform for him to spread his hatred and disgusting views? There are people who worship him who may perform very regrettable acts of violence with his encouragement.
Twitter does not belong to us anymore. It belongs to a madman. Which makes it very similar to "Truth Social". I deleted my account. It felt good.
Hi, I’m sad to say I agree with Beth and disagree with you on the importance of Twitter to continue to exist. I imagine even as we are writing these comments there are responsible agents for good creating a better format. Just today we heard on Rachel how David Donnelly organized over 32 million dollars of quiet money to be spent supporting over 126 small organizations working to preserve democracy in the 2022 midterms. The results of that effort was a huge upset in media expectations. That scenario could be happening here. Let Twitter fail. Hoping we can “change” it for the highest good is like asking an abused wife to stay with her abuser “just one more time”. Enough. Europe is often ahead of us in social maturity. If they can let it go, so can we!
You forgot to mention that SBF - Sam Bankman-Fried - was arrested today in the Bahamas at the request of the SDNY, which has indicted him on several serious financial charges. The arrest came a couple hours after he said in an online conversation that he didn't think he was going to be arrested. He's about to become Fried Bankman, served up on a platter with an apple in his mouth.
One down, the rest of the billionaire scum to go. Hopefully Muck will be next. He's no longer "the world's richest man," since Tinny Toys Inc. has lost 40% of its value and its tinny toy product is no longer the Official Car of Rich White Lib'ruls.
Thank you for lifting up Professor Snyder’s work and commitment to justice for Ukraine. I am deeply impressed by him. He is a role model for me as I am also a professor: he never sacrifices complexity in his efforts to educate the public and stand for human rights. Exemplary!!
McCarthy (CA-23) is unfit to be Speaker of the House. He's shown an interesting combination of spinelessness and appalling judgment. To be supportive of Gym Jordan and MTG in the wake of their own appalling lack of judgment is depressing. The even worse news is: I can't think of anyone on the GOP caucus who is better now that Cheney and Kinzinger have been booted from their seats. Can you?
Twitter: I agree with Robert to stay on it. It's a great curator of news and opinions of whomever you want to follow. But do also get set up on one of the alternatives: Post, Mastodon, Counter Social appear to be better ones, although each has challenges/limitations at this time.
In addition to Robert, a host of good people are staying (many while also setting up a Plan B). Tom Nichols includes this advice on how to deal with Twitter:
"Set your notifications to Latest, not Home. Block a lot. Set notifications so that you don’t see tweets from people who don’t follow you. Refuse to engage with five-follower accounts that went active last week...I have all of those settings in place, I block with the flick of a finger, and my Twitter experience really hasn’t changed that much since Musk arrived."
https://twitter.com/RadioFreeTom/status/1602492422688309249?s=20&t=rAnhpp9M9UT2bJeE3WMmzw
Rip van Winkle here. What lucky break did the Dems catch in Indiana?
Also, I understand Robert's argument for remaining on Twitter (although it's academic for me as I've never had a Twitter account). But like another commenter, I disagree with that approach. Staying on Twitter in hopes of elevating the quality of the discourse seems rather like preaching from a soapbox in nasty neighborhoods full of muggers and dope dealers thinking you're going to end street crime. Ain't gonna happen. More practically, fewer Twitter users means less revenue potential for Musk and less social influence. Better to leave that hot mess to eventually wither and die than to support it in any way.
Gym Jordan as head of the Judiciary Committee. It'll be Hunter Biden all the time (poor guy). Meanwhile, Jared Kushner gets a refi on his disastrous 666 5th Avenue building during Trump's presidency and then $2bn from the Saudi's within hours of Trump not being inaugurated in 2021. And no Repub thinks this isn't payolla? This is when partisanship has gone off the rails. Shame on McCarthy!!!
Ah, the Law of Unintended Consequences strikes again!
Trump's presidential candidacy resulted in Merrick "Hamlet" Garland finally getting out of his own way and appointing a special prosecutor who, in just a few weeks, has demonstrated discipline and, as you say, Robert, "urgency" to the effort to potentially prosecute Trump. If only Garland had appointed Smith back in April 2021. . . .
Robert, sadly, I think it is time for those who use Twitter to promote civil discourse and Society by switching to another channel, as imperfect as that channel may be. I can assure you, where the Lawrence Tribe's of this world go, I shall follow.
I have faith that the Law of Unintended Consequences will swallow Elon Musk whole.
I agree with BethMazer ... i disagree with staying on Twitter! I literally cannot bear the THOUGHT! The sooner the end comes for Twitter, the better! I feel that way about Elon too!! The sooner we stop elevating billionaires to status far far beyond their human abilities (or intentions), the better!!
Yes, at last! Finally. Last evening MSNBC's Ari Melber compared the very rapid response to coup attempts in Germany and Peru to the two plus years of procrastination here in the US. (The president of Peru woke up as president and went to bed in jail.) But now, at last, DOJ appears to be moving forward. Think how different things would be had the DOJ moved at even a modest pace to prosecute those responsible for the coup here. Sad.
Love your Yogi imitation.. We should all say it as a mantra, "It is tough to make predictions, especially about the future"! Indeed!
2024 does present a very challenging senate map for Dems and while we should never give up denying the reality of the map does us a disservice. Ohio had an 8 pt. Trump margin and Tim Ryan, a strong candidate, lost to JD Vance, a weak candidate, by over 6 points. Indians went Trump in 2020 by 17 points(!!!). In todays partisan environment, it’s hard to imagine a D candidate that has even a 5% chance of winning a senate seat in Indiana. I’ve been building election data models for several cycles now to help target fundraising to where it can make the greatest difference for Dems. For example, in 2020 Dems donated $88M to Amy McGrath who lost by nearly 20 points. While she beat the Trump-Biden Kentucky margin of 26 pts, that was never going to be a winning seat for Dems and that money could have gone to helping Dems in potentially winnable seats close their margins. We have to be clear-eyed from the beginning or we will throw away our money and our chances of the best outcome possible.