Rep. Chip Roy (unfortunately "representing" the Congressional district where I live in Texas) is opposing the left's radical plan to draft women. This not a question of women serving in the military it's "The question is whether we, as a country, will force the possibility of the horrors and strains of combat upon our wives, our sisters and our daughters." What about the horrors and strains of forced pregnancy? It is so hypocritical. Protect the little lady but force her to endure nine months of forced pregnancy even if it threatens her life. If I sound angry now, wait until SCOTUS overturns Roe on Friday! We, the People, all of us this time!
If you are looking for consistency in GQP talking points, forget about it. BTW, I have been advocating for "universal service" for ALL young people for decades. Israel has made it a way of life. But I don't think it would need to be military service. It could be but alternatives could also be in the medical field or education or helping get water to people without - there are thousands of social endeavors in need of help. Build housing for the poor? Bring good internet to those without it? Two years of work focused on improving the lives of others as an American project could get some good stuff done and train young brains to think in terms of "we" instead of "me". And then there would be the association with other young people from all over the country. Maybe it could bridge some gaps?
I also favor universal service as you describe it here, with no exceptions for bone spurs. Given the de facto segregation of race and class in this country in part at least due to white flight from public schools, I see it as a meaningful way for young people to work together across lines of race and class, as a means of blurring the lines altogether, perhaps across generations.
I have long argued in favor of universal service obligations with all manners of social service options available. Making this a qualification for various forms of financial assistance in support of education and training programs. I believe that there are service options available that almost all would qualify to fill. Those truly unable to serve could be provided exceptions.
When I graduated from college I had long held very strong opposition to the U.S. engagement in the Vietnam conflict. However, I volunteered for and served as a Conscientious Objector Combat Medic in Vietnam because I felt it the right thing to do and having for a number of years been qualified as an EMT volunteer was qualified to do so.
I could have chosen to serve in the Peace Corps also but felt I was most qualified for the role I chose.
I continued to oppose the conflict but am proud of and value the service I provided. It definitely contributed to who I am even 50+ years later.
And, if the pay were set at minimum wage, I'll bet we'd see some progress there too. That would also mean an increase for the lowest ranks in the service, many of whom make less than $15/hour.
It still is in most areas. My comment and hope in respect of universal service, is that if it were implemented and the children of politicians, pundits and donors had to do their time for minimum wage, that the minimum would be increased to a notionally living level. Among the many scandals that the DoD is involved with, the poor compensation for the men and women who risk and sometimes lose their lives in our defense is one of the worst.
Excellent thoughts Bill! "We" instead of "me" is great. I call it "AND" (listening to all perspectives yields better solutions for all) versus "OR"(being one up versus one down) thinking. Synergy is my favorite word. Let's make bigger pies rather than fight over how a fixed pie is cut.
Chip Roy's misogynism is not the only burden the citizens of the 21st District have to bear with him in office. His vocal and avid support for sedition was no service to our country either.
Good point, Swbv, and also the reason why, in 22, instead of focusing only on the federal House and Senate, we also must focus on select states to prevent Republicans from attaining trifecta control— controlling both legislative Houses and also the governorship. Were that to happen, Republicans could, in increasingly more states, change state election rules to change who could be in charge, how votes were counted, and how they were certified, let alone changing how 24 electors would be awarded.
Correct Cathy. SCOTUS ordered an "extra day" (FRIDAY) for this Term's published opinions -- the reversal of Roe; the Ultimate Friday News Dump. FRIDAY UPDATE: SCOTUS decisions typically announced at 10 am Eastern. Roe & Casey overruled 6-3.
Cathy, As painful as this is to write, I don’t hear hypocrisy. I hear echos of conservative leadership from the Reagan and Bush years, government officials trying to push women back into their “acceptable” roles—whether as Daddy’s girl or decorative ornament, active nester or passive love object.
I respect your perspective even if I see it somewhat differently than you do. Guess there have been just too many times in my life of doing things that girls weren't suppose to be good at -- like becoming an engineer. Then breaking the glass ceiling as a senior executive in the Fortune 100 tech company. So many meetings where I was the only woman in the room and some of the guys thought I was the one having the unusual experience! One moment that I liked was when a woman friend of mine, a retired Marine Colonel, was giving a speech on Veteran's Day. "Do you know what you call a female Marine? ... A Marine"
Cathy, Given your reply, I have no idea how you interpreted my comment. Suffice it to say, my point, essentially, was to underscore, replete with, admittedly, distant historical context, that where you saw hypocrisy I saw consistency.
“what he did, the first time, before COVID, was so good for the country. In my view, it was great.” Well, you were in a coma, or as greedy as they come. I’m old but I remember. Even before taking office, he started dismantling our “administrative state,” by choosing department heads who vowed to dismantle their respective agencies. Bannon said this out loud. And of course, he began courting Putin within the first two weeks, likely before. And on it went, one catastrophe after another. …As Rupert spewed, spun, and lied ad nauseam, to make his Schitt smell like roses. Some are naturally stupid, others are deliberately ignorant. Bowers is one of the latter…
T___p was the worst president in our history, even before the Big Lie and January 6th. But he was really the Republican Party carried to its logical extension. Unlike Buchanan, who permitted the nation to slide into civil war, the sought actively to weaken it in the service of personal gain and the profit of his rich followers. He perpetuated racism and corruption. And for that, he was cheered to the rooftops by his party. Which is why the party must be not merely defeated, but extirpated.
Robert has a great expansion of the voter population as significantly also including the non-voters as a voting bloc. Stacey Abrams, League of Women Voters, Voters of Tomorrow, and others' voter registration efforts are on target!
Today's Robert Hubbell newsletter properly reminds us progressives of the true nature of those who remain determined to support Trump despite his endless depredations. I confess to having rushed to embrace Rusty Bowers in the wake of his stirring testimony before the Jan. 6th Commission. Learning that he is strangely unrepentant is deeply disappointing. But this troublesome fact does not keep me from applauding his bravery when it truly mattered. I think we all need to love the sinner while we work mightily against the sin.
Jennifer -- For me, the bottom line is that Rusty Bowers, however imperfect he may be, is a far better REPUBLICAN Speaker of the Arizona House than any other GOP Speaker that we could imagine. To paraphrase the immortal song by The Inkspots, he'll just have to do until the real thing comes along!
Rusty Bowers' turning back to the Trump fold for safety is disheartening. Besides the massive tax cut that successfully left more money in his pay-masters' hands, did he also think the Trump and Kushner self-dealing was good for the country? Good that the Airforce had to fly through Scotland so government expense accounts could be spent at Turnberry? Good thsat Trump spent more time on the golf course than anyone one else ever in the Oval Office? Good that the GOP lavished events on the Trump Hotel in DC? Good that Jared could fly around at Gov't expense and raise money for personal vanity projects? Oh Rusty...how you have sunk low.
When anyone refers to “principled” Republicans it would be helpful to be more specific about the principles being referenced. I have no doubt there are many principled Republicans, the problem is the principles they hold are abhorrent, decidedly unhelpful, inequitable, and unjust. Let's be much more careful in our description of all these witnesses appearing before the January 6 Investigation Committee. Throwing around compliments or even “faint praise” for their testimony or actions in defense of our Constitution, democracy, and the Rule of Law is a pretty low bar and should be the minimum expectation of every citizen. I do not see that as “exceptional courage” in the face of an existential threat to those institutions and values that define responsible citizenship.
Now, a moment of reflection on Senator Cruz, also one of my own representatives in the U.S. Senate. Cancun Cruz is not only among the worst ever to serve in the U.S. Senate from any state, and there is some considerable competition for that recognition, he is perhaps among the worst individuals ever to set foot in the august halls of our U.S. Capitol, and that includes quite a cast of scoudrels and wastrels.
Sadly I think it will all work out like the fall of a mafia boss. Unless the boss is caught, everyone influenced by the mafia is still afraid for their safety of family and themselves, so they rather stay on the safe side. DOJ please do your job!! Hopefully the DOJ is not among the threatened?
I’ve thought your last statement was true for months now. Why wouldn’t trump threaten Garland and others in the DOJ? We’ve seen (on Tuesday) what he’s capable of.
If AG Garland accepted his position without considering that TFG and his cult following might attack him, then he is incredibly naive. Considering his past experiences, his intelligence and his background, you can bet he is not even slightly naive. And I don't believe he would be scared off from a necessary prosecution because of threats from TFG, or he would not have accepted his position. I have been as frustrated as most at the seeming lack of action against Trump--an evil sociopath trying to destroy America for his own gain. But after reading this article about how Mr. Garland handled the Oklahoma City bombing with an eye to future attacks by defense counsel, I can see why he might be approaching a historic case against our fascist loving former president with even more care. I'm still waiting for the rule of law to bring the hammer down hard on this existentially dangerous criminal Republican president. But when it happens, I want the case to be as air-tight as possible. https://www.npr.org/2016/04/19/474689286/out-of-the-horror-in-oklahoma-city-merrick-garland-forged-the-way-forward
I had to stop reading this morning’s newsletter after the first section about Rusty Bower. I am going to turn back time, have my coffee, and enjoy the morning before I read this again and burst into angry flames. 🔥
Bowers was termed out as the head of the AZ state House; Bowers is now running for a seat on the AZ state Senate side. Apparently, loyalty to tfg, the Capo, is part of his "being".
Not voting is a luxury this country cannot afford. Other countries have laws compelling citizens to vote. Still other countries are so glad to have the chance to vote when that right has been hard won. Some of the did not vote group don’t want to make a choice because they don’t like who’s running. Well, a choice WILL be made whether you vote or not. Get your ass out to vote, early, in person, by mail, but VOTE because your life depends on it!
Like you, I am on the road and am keeping close watch on developments back in the U.S. Rusty Bowers' equivocation does not surprise me. He is, at his core, a "Business Republican", who probably would favour someone other than Trump-but, hey, he'll take who he's given. Martin Niemoller is fairly screaming, from the Spirit World, "I warned you once, people!!", but are the "Business Republicans" listening? NOOO!
As for freedom of religion, SCOTUS revanchists and others will gladly cherry pick "Jewish theology" and anything else they can find, to force THEIR views on everyone else. I personally am loathe to see fetuses aborted, but I am even MORE loathe to see women forced to carry a child to term, if a) their own lives are in the balance and b) the quality of life of that child is likely to be null and void. The MOTHER should have the final say, NOT the government.
Quick comment as I'm rushing out the door to an all-day voter registration event actually!
I think it's a huge deal that Bowers HONORED HIS OATH. We may have vehement, core-value-driven debates on issues, priorities, role of government, etc., but he HONORED HIS OATH. I really think that is a paramount issue. If people honor their oaths, these huge, huge debates can continue another day, but the institution holds.
Then the question is how could someone support a Trump, say, who did NOT honor his oath? Well, you could if you had no confidence that "the other guy," in this case the Dems, would either in the same situation. And I think there's a lot of that here--many Rs (can't speak for Bower) think Biden and the Dems are equally if not more destructive. That is very real out there, among good people.
Convincing them otherwise may not happen or will be slow at best, which is why Robert's right--convince independents and get new folks voting, which is why I'm out the door now.
But again--the heroes here are people from both parties and no party who honored their oaths. That is huge, huge.
The reason Donald Trump is still a threat to democracy is because people like Rusty Bowers are willing to vote for him after he incited insurrection, extorted Zelensky, obstructed justice, attacked innocent election workers. Benedict Arnold "honored his oath" as a hero of Tahoe revolutionary war until the moment he switched sides. His service arguably helped Washington win the war. But we remember him as a traitor for his final act. So, too, with Rusty Bowers. He will gladly support Trump's effort to regain office. That is enough to blot out everything of value he did to help preserve democracy.
I don't get it either that people like Bowers would still vote for Trump--again, for some reason I cannot understand, with a binary choice, that they would still choose him. In MY mind, the bigger reason Trump is still a threat is that Republican senators failed to honor their oath. They had a constitutional DUTY to remove an impeached president who had violated HIS oath, and they did not., and now he is eligible for office again. Bowers, at a much lower level, and election workers, at even lower levels, honored their oaths. Republican senators did not. And in my mind, that massive failure will be their legacy to our country but of course also to their children and grandchildren.
Can someone please explain to me how someone can condemn Trump for actions to the fullest and still support him. Rusty Bower is only one of a million of them. I don’t understand how they think? Or frankly they can sleep at night. 😔
SO: Are you telling me that the Supreme Court is, like an employer firing an employee, going to drop a bomb on Friday and then hope all calms down over the weekend? WHAT?
The Court's decision in NY Pistol and Rifle v. Bruen is the bitter fruit of Justice Scalia's intellectually dishonest opinion in Heller. Scalia converted collective right "of the people" to bear arms to ensure the "security of a free state" into an individual right. With that predicate, there is no limitation that will pass constitutional muster in the future--not licensing, sales, prohibition on type. We must expand the Court to dilute the power of the reactionary majority and reverse Heller and Bruen. The Second Amendment right to bear arms is tied to the right of a state to maintain security. That does not include the right of citizens to run riot with weapons in public.
Rep. Chip Roy (unfortunately "representing" the Congressional district where I live in Texas) is opposing the left's radical plan to draft women. This not a question of women serving in the military it's "The question is whether we, as a country, will force the possibility of the horrors and strains of combat upon our wives, our sisters and our daughters." What about the horrors and strains of forced pregnancy? It is so hypocritical. Protect the little lady but force her to endure nine months of forced pregnancy even if it threatens her life. If I sound angry now, wait until SCOTUS overturns Roe on Friday! We, the People, all of us this time!
If you are looking for consistency in GQP talking points, forget about it. BTW, I have been advocating for "universal service" for ALL young people for decades. Israel has made it a way of life. But I don't think it would need to be military service. It could be but alternatives could also be in the medical field or education or helping get water to people without - there are thousands of social endeavors in need of help. Build housing for the poor? Bring good internet to those without it? Two years of work focused on improving the lives of others as an American project could get some good stuff done and train young brains to think in terms of "we" instead of "me". And then there would be the association with other young people from all over the country. Maybe it could bridge some gaps?
I also favor universal service as you describe it here, with no exceptions for bone spurs. Given the de facto segregation of race and class in this country in part at least due to white flight from public schools, I see it as a meaningful way for young people to work together across lines of race and class, as a means of blurring the lines altogether, perhaps across generations.
I have long argued in favor of universal service obligations with all manners of social service options available. Making this a qualification for various forms of financial assistance in support of education and training programs. I believe that there are service options available that almost all would qualify to fill. Those truly unable to serve could be provided exceptions.
When I graduated from college I had long held very strong opposition to the U.S. engagement in the Vietnam conflict. However, I volunteered for and served as a Conscientious Objector Combat Medic in Vietnam because I felt it the right thing to do and having for a number of years been qualified as an EMT volunteer was qualified to do so.
I could have chosen to serve in the Peace Corps also but felt I was most qualified for the role I chose.
I continued to oppose the conflict but am proud of and value the service I provided. It definitely contributed to who I am even 50+ years later.
And, if the pay were set at minimum wage, I'll bet we'd see some progress there too. That would also mean an increase for the lowest ranks in the service, many of whom make less than $15/hour.
Here' in NH, the minimum wage is STILL $7. 25/hr.
It still is in most areas. My comment and hope in respect of universal service, is that if it were implemented and the children of politicians, pundits and donors had to do their time for minimum wage, that the minimum would be increased to a notionally living level. Among the many scandals that the DoD is involved with, the poor compensation for the men and women who risk and sometimes lose their lives in our defense is one of the worst.
Thank you Bill. Young trainers off "all things dgital" are needed in the schools including how NOT to be manipulated by algorithms and/ or Bots.
Excellent thoughts Bill! "We" instead of "me" is great. I call it "AND" (listening to all perspectives yields better solutions for all) versus "OR"(being one up versus one down) thinking. Synergy is my favorite word. Let's make bigger pies rather than fight over how a fixed pie is cut.
And let's not make them mud pies, there's enough of that being slung around already.
Chip Roy's misogynism is not the only burden the citizens of the 21st District have to bear with him in office. His vocal and avid support for sedition was no service to our country either.
Good point, Swbv, and also the reason why, in 22, instead of focusing only on the federal House and Senate, we also must focus on select states to prevent Republicans from attaining trifecta control— controlling both legislative Houses and also the governorship. Were that to happen, Republicans could, in increasingly more states, change state election rules to change who could be in charge, how votes were counted, and how they were certified, let alone changing how 24 electors would be awarded.
Correct Cathy. SCOTUS ordered an "extra day" (FRIDAY) for this Term's published opinions -- the reversal of Roe; the Ultimate Friday News Dump. FRIDAY UPDATE: SCOTUS decisions typically announced at 10 am Eastern. Roe & Casey overruled 6-3.
Yet another horrible example of the grand plan for women, ie the Handmaid's Tale.
I already made a similar remark in another Substack writer's column.
It's also a question of equal protection under the law which was, at one time, a cardinal principle of the American system.
Cathy, As painful as this is to write, I don’t hear hypocrisy. I hear echos of conservative leadership from the Reagan and Bush years, government officials trying to push women back into their “acceptable” roles—whether as Daddy’s girl or decorative ornament, active nester or passive love object.
I respect your perspective even if I see it somewhat differently than you do. Guess there have been just too many times in my life of doing things that girls weren't suppose to be good at -- like becoming an engineer. Then breaking the glass ceiling as a senior executive in the Fortune 100 tech company. So many meetings where I was the only woman in the room and some of the guys thought I was the one having the unusual experience! One moment that I liked was when a woman friend of mine, a retired Marine Colonel, was giving a speech on Veteran's Day. "Do you know what you call a female Marine? ... A Marine"
Cathy, Given your reply, I have no idea how you interpreted my comment. Suffice it to say, my point, essentially, was to underscore, replete with, admittedly, distant historical context, that where you saw hypocrisy I saw consistency.
“what he did, the first time, before COVID, was so good for the country. In my view, it was great.” Well, you were in a coma, or as greedy as they come. I’m old but I remember. Even before taking office, he started dismantling our “administrative state,” by choosing department heads who vowed to dismantle their respective agencies. Bannon said this out loud. And of course, he began courting Putin within the first two weeks, likely before. And on it went, one catastrophe after another. …As Rupert spewed, spun, and lied ad nauseam, to make his Schitt smell like roses. Some are naturally stupid, others are deliberately ignorant. Bowers is one of the latter…
T___p was the worst president in our history, even before the Big Lie and January 6th. But he was really the Republican Party carried to its logical extension. Unlike Buchanan, who permitted the nation to slide into civil war, the sought actively to weaken it in the service of personal gain and the profit of his rich followers. He perpetuated racism and corruption. And for that, he was cheered to the rooftops by his party. Which is why the party must be not merely defeated, but extirpated.
I wish Bowers had enumerated what #45 did that Bowers thought was good. We are assuming he meant the pro business moves, but I want it spelled out.
I couldn’t have said that better myself.
Robert has a great expansion of the voter population as significantly also including the non-voters as a voting bloc. Stacey Abrams, League of Women Voters, Voters of Tomorrow, and others' voter registration efforts are on target!
Today's Robert Hubbell newsletter properly reminds us progressives of the true nature of those who remain determined to support Trump despite his endless depredations. I confess to having rushed to embrace Rusty Bowers in the wake of his stirring testimony before the Jan. 6th Commission. Learning that he is strangely unrepentant is deeply disappointing. But this troublesome fact does not keep me from applauding his bravery when it truly mattered. I think we all need to love the sinner while we work mightily against the sin.
The reason Donald Trump is still a threat to democracy is Rusty Bowers. All of them.
Agree Roger. At the end of the day, he is a politician.
Jennifer -- For me, the bottom line is that Rusty Bowers, however imperfect he may be, is a far better REPUBLICAN Speaker of the Arizona House than any other GOP Speaker that we could imagine. To paraphrase the immortal song by The Inkspots, he'll just have to do until the real thing comes along!
100% Roger!
Rusty Bowers' turning back to the Trump fold for safety is disheartening. Besides the massive tax cut that successfully left more money in his pay-masters' hands, did he also think the Trump and Kushner self-dealing was good for the country? Good that the Airforce had to fly through Scotland so government expense accounts could be spent at Turnberry? Good thsat Trump spent more time on the golf course than anyone one else ever in the Oval Office? Good that the GOP lavished events on the Trump Hotel in DC? Good that Jared could fly around at Gov't expense and raise money for personal vanity projects? Oh Rusty...how you have sunk low.
When anyone refers to “principled” Republicans it would be helpful to be more specific about the principles being referenced. I have no doubt there are many principled Republicans, the problem is the principles they hold are abhorrent, decidedly unhelpful, inequitable, and unjust. Let's be much more careful in our description of all these witnesses appearing before the January 6 Investigation Committee. Throwing around compliments or even “faint praise” for their testimony or actions in defense of our Constitution, democracy, and the Rule of Law is a pretty low bar and should be the minimum expectation of every citizen. I do not see that as “exceptional courage” in the face of an existential threat to those institutions and values that define responsible citizenship.
Now, a moment of reflection on Senator Cruz, also one of my own representatives in the U.S. Senate. Cancun Cruz is not only among the worst ever to serve in the U.S. Senate from any state, and there is some considerable competition for that recognition, he is perhaps among the worst individuals ever to set foot in the august halls of our U.S. Capitol, and that includes quite a cast of scoudrels and wastrels.
I am hopeful that the name Cruz will come up during these hearings, much as Biggs and Johnson just "happened" to be spoken by witnesses.
Sadly I think it will all work out like the fall of a mafia boss. Unless the boss is caught, everyone influenced by the mafia is still afraid for their safety of family and themselves, so they rather stay on the safe side. DOJ please do your job!! Hopefully the DOJ is not among the threatened?
I’ve thought your last statement was true for months now. Why wouldn’t trump threaten Garland and others in the DOJ? We’ve seen (on Tuesday) what he’s capable of.
If AG Garland accepted his position without considering that TFG and his cult following might attack him, then he is incredibly naive. Considering his past experiences, his intelligence and his background, you can bet he is not even slightly naive. And I don't believe he would be scared off from a necessary prosecution because of threats from TFG, or he would not have accepted his position. I have been as frustrated as most at the seeming lack of action against Trump--an evil sociopath trying to destroy America for his own gain. But after reading this article about how Mr. Garland handled the Oklahoma City bombing with an eye to future attacks by defense counsel, I can see why he might be approaching a historic case against our fascist loving former president with even more care. I'm still waiting for the rule of law to bring the hammer down hard on this existentially dangerous criminal Republican president. But when it happens, I want the case to be as air-tight as possible. https://www.npr.org/2016/04/19/474689286/out-of-the-horror-in-oklahoma-city-merrick-garland-forged-the-way-forward
The only way are Democrats in Congress using all the means they have to restore justice. End the filibuster for starters.
Agree, but we need more Democrats in the Senate to do that.
I had to stop reading this morning’s newsletter after the first section about Rusty Bower. I am going to turn back time, have my coffee, and enjoy the morning before I read this again and burst into angry flames. 🔥
Bowers was termed out as the head of the AZ state House; Bowers is now running for a seat on the AZ state Senate side. Apparently, loyalty to tfg, the Capo, is part of his "being".
Not voting is a luxury this country cannot afford. Other countries have laws compelling citizens to vote. Still other countries are so glad to have the chance to vote when that right has been hard won. Some of the did not vote group don’t want to make a choice because they don’t like who’s running. Well, a choice WILL be made whether you vote or not. Get your ass out to vote, early, in person, by mail, but VOTE because your life depends on it!
Like you, I am on the road and am keeping close watch on developments back in the U.S. Rusty Bowers' equivocation does not surprise me. He is, at his core, a "Business Republican", who probably would favour someone other than Trump-but, hey, he'll take who he's given. Martin Niemoller is fairly screaming, from the Spirit World, "I warned you once, people!!", but are the "Business Republicans" listening? NOOO!
As for freedom of religion, SCOTUS revanchists and others will gladly cherry pick "Jewish theology" and anything else they can find, to force THEIR views on everyone else. I personally am loathe to see fetuses aborted, but I am even MORE loathe to see women forced to carry a child to term, if a) their own lives are in the balance and b) the quality of life of that child is likely to be null and void. The MOTHER should have the final say, NOT the government.
Quick comment as I'm rushing out the door to an all-day voter registration event actually!
I think it's a huge deal that Bowers HONORED HIS OATH. We may have vehement, core-value-driven debates on issues, priorities, role of government, etc., but he HONORED HIS OATH. I really think that is a paramount issue. If people honor their oaths, these huge, huge debates can continue another day, but the institution holds.
Then the question is how could someone support a Trump, say, who did NOT honor his oath? Well, you could if you had no confidence that "the other guy," in this case the Dems, would either in the same situation. And I think there's a lot of that here--many Rs (can't speak for Bower) think Biden and the Dems are equally if not more destructive. That is very real out there, among good people.
Convincing them otherwise may not happen or will be slow at best, which is why Robert's right--convince independents and get new folks voting, which is why I'm out the door now.
But again--the heroes here are people from both parties and no party who honored their oaths. That is huge, huge.
The reason Donald Trump is still a threat to democracy is because people like Rusty Bowers are willing to vote for him after he incited insurrection, extorted Zelensky, obstructed justice, attacked innocent election workers. Benedict Arnold "honored his oath" as a hero of Tahoe revolutionary war until the moment he switched sides. His service arguably helped Washington win the war. But we remember him as a traitor for his final act. So, too, with Rusty Bowers. He will gladly support Trump's effort to regain office. That is enough to blot out everything of value he did to help preserve democracy.
I don't get it either that people like Bowers would still vote for Trump--again, for some reason I cannot understand, with a binary choice, that they would still choose him. In MY mind, the bigger reason Trump is still a threat is that Republican senators failed to honor their oath. They had a constitutional DUTY to remove an impeached president who had violated HIS oath, and they did not., and now he is eligible for office again. Bowers, at a much lower level, and election workers, at even lower levels, honored their oaths. Republican senators did not. And in my mind, that massive failure will be their legacy to our country but of course also to their children and grandchildren.
Robert, thank you, thank you, for your commitment to the newsletter, even while traveling. The newsletter has inspired me to get active!
Can someone please explain to me how someone can condemn Trump for actions to the fullest and still support him. Rusty Bower is only one of a million of them. I don’t understand how they think? Or frankly they can sleep at night. 😔
SO: Are you telling me that the Supreme Court is, like an employer firing an employee, going to drop a bomb on Friday and then hope all calms down over the weekend? WHAT?
Yes; that is the shallow thinking of the reactionary majority. "This will all blow over by Monday."
… dear God
Sheesh!
The Court's decision in NY Pistol and Rifle v. Bruen is the bitter fruit of Justice Scalia's intellectually dishonest opinion in Heller. Scalia converted collective right "of the people" to bear arms to ensure the "security of a free state" into an individual right. With that predicate, there is no limitation that will pass constitutional muster in the future--not licensing, sales, prohibition on type. We must expand the Court to dilute the power of the reactionary majority and reverse Heller and Bruen. The Second Amendment right to bear arms is tied to the right of a state to maintain security. That does not include the right of citizens to run riot with weapons in public.
Thanks for reminding us of the voting blocks we need to engage in civil discourse.
Lets hope that the Muslim community joins that Jewish community in Florida. As i understand it they also accept abortion at later stages of pregnany.