I am with you on banning assault weapons!!! How in the world can it be that there are already 20,000 sold in the USA!? We need them turned in and sales to stop. There is no logic in having weapons of war in our towns and cities. Thanks for pressing for a ban!
I hope that everyone is writing postcards to Democratic voters or texting voters or phone banking or canvassing now or encouraging friends to do these things too. If we don't use the precious few months we have before November, things will get much more challenging for 2024. If you need any direction, please ask Robert to connect you to me! Happy to get you started on postcards or direct you to a great phone bank! As NY Gov. Kathy Hochul just said, "They may think they can change our lives with the stroke of a pen, but we have pens too." Let's all use them!!! Thank you Robert!
Sarah is a true hero of the resistance! Reach out to her and you will become a permanent member of the resistance! Thanks, Sarah for all you do! https://www.activateamerica.vote/postcards
Writing postcards is the answer to all those who say “I can no longer march” or “I can’t do phone calls”. We are actively doing that in my community. It’s easy as the text and addresses are given to you, it urges people to get out and vote, and only costs you the price of a stamp. If you wrote 10 a week, you’d have completed a hundred in time to mail before Election Day.
Turnout pac (also called Postcards to Swing States) supplies the postcards for free; ships for free as well. Their messages have been tested over several years. They are supporting 7 swing states…you pick the message you want to write and the state(s) you want to write to. And they ship within 1-2 days.
Another group of postcard writer groups is Vote Forward; they do not push candidates, just encourage folks to vote. https://votefwd.org/ What I've been writing is to point out it's our chance to let candidates know what's important to us-public education, social security/medicare/medicaid, lower drug costs, good jobs, voting/human rights. I've already committed to 200 letters.
I want to add another comment because I've felt so frustrated by the almost universal support for the pathetic "gun control or safety" bill just passed and signed. For so many people (media, other commentators etc) it was "this is a first step in the right direction" or some variation on celebrating a victory after the Republicans have denied meaningful legislation for so many years.
But we need to call it for what it is -- another in a long string of appeasements to the Republicans. They were handed a victory - one they can tout in their campaigns. And while there are some reasonable and important aspects to the legislation - long overdue - the overall effect on gun safety will be almost nothing and the Republican minority will have won again. ENOUGH.
Hi, Alexandra. I agree with you about the most recent gun safety bill. Each of the provisions was independently laudable and worthy of enactment by Congress. However, they were enacted in response to the shootings at Uvalde and Buffalo, thereby creating the impression that they were adequate responses to weapons of war in the hands of American citizens. What frustrated me most about the bill was that it included a statement that it would not “infringe on the 2nd amendment rights of law-abiding citizens." Any gun safety bill that promotes itself by touting the absence of any effect on the ability of Americans to carry weapons is suspect.
‘…2nd Amendment rights…’??? To which was Mitch referring, the Amendment as written in the constitution or the one revised by ‘saint’ Scalia in the Heller case then bastardized further by the Roberts’ rogue court last week!
I was, briefly, prohibited from commenting on Facebook yesterday, for referring to the Highland Park shooter, and others before him, as cowards who seek to impose their will by force. I retorted, directly to Mark Zuckerberg and the ban was removed by whoever read my response, less than an hour later. There is no more denying the truth, and there is no more room for cherry picking, or for false equivalency. Gun ownership must be forfeited by anyone who openly threatens violence-whether mentally ill or not. The Navajo Nation has had that policy in effect for many years now-"Threaten another person with a firearm, and you will lose possession of that weapon." The policy should not be capricious or unevenly enforced, but it should be implemented-at as low a level of government as possible, at least initially.
I don't know, but I suspect that the Highland Park shooter posted his violent fantasies on Facebook with impunity. Your political comment was censored. Mark Zuckerberg and Facebook could fix this problem, but they choose to maximize shareholder profits at the expense of building a truly responsible platform.
“ Facebook banned private gun sales six years ago, but it lets gun buyers and sellers violate the policy nearly a dozen times before it will give them the boot, according to a new report.”
"For too long and on too many occasions, Democrats have demonstrated an inclination toward incrementalism and bipartisanship. Enough."
I couldn't agree more. But not just on gun control --- on so (way too many) other issues too. TIME (WAY PAST ACTUALLY) FOR DEMOCRATIC REPRESENTATIVES TO GET TOUGH AND REPRESENT THE MAJORITY OF CITIZENS IN THIS COUNTRY - AS THEY WERE ELECTED TO DO. And, time for us to get tough with them and demand they do that or elect folks who will.
We had no fireworks here on July 4th. They were too much of a fire hazard in these drought conditions. Somehow feels appropriate for this time when democracy is now in a coma and may never recover. Guns in America have proliferated to the point there are many more guns than people. Rather feels like nuclear proliferation where making more nuclear weapons seems ridiculous when what we have can destroy the entire world. I don't want to wait 33 tears for this to fix itself.
We MUST win the US Senate and the US House, and make "gun sense" the law of the land. And to codify into law the safety and protection of 1) all American citizens, and 2) the Earth.
Today, I am phone banking for PA Senate Candidate John Fetterman, at 6PM ET. Go to his website this morning. SIgn-up for this shift, or a shift that firs your schedule.
EVERYWHERE in this world is the opportunity to help win the United States Congressional elections of 2022. There are Senate candidates and Governorships in every corner of this country that we CAN and MUST win. EVERYONE can make calls from the leisure and comfort of your home.
Later this week, I will again walk a precinct with a voter database on my phone of "independent" voters who need to be asked for their vote, and then a handshake to seal the deal.
Well done and well said. And thank you for including the comments in this review. I do remind my despairing friends that the past is a good place to look to remind them that in spite of the awful decisions emerging from this SCOTUS, our society continues to advance - often as in fits and starts. I also firmly believe that our mostly good citizens will finally reach the “ENOUGH”!!! stage. At that point in time, much of what we are suffering from today will finally get out of the way of our democracy!
Thank you for providing the link to Millhiser's Vox article. I was surprised that it did not note that now inactive HR 8424 (https://www.billtrack50.com/billdetail/1243968,) initiated by Congress in 2020 and endorsed by 31 legal scholars (https://fixthecourt.com/2020/10/thirty-legal-scholars-endorse-house-dems-scotus-term-limits-bill/,) proposed to codify 18-year SCOTUS term limits with the proviso that each President could appoint two replacements in the 1st and 3rd years of their administrations. Theoretically, if the Democrats were to succeed in November in holding the House and filling two additional Senate seats with people committed to suspending the filibuster, this bill could be reintroduced and passed. If accomplished, mandated retirement of Justices Roberts (appointed 2005) and Thomas (1992) could occur in 2023 assuming the reintroduced bill would be revised so President Biden could appoint two new Justices. Doing so would immediately change the majority to five Justices appointed by Democrats, and enable timely correction of both Dobbs/Roe and New York State Rifle & Pistol Association decisions.
While I hesitate to differ with Prof. Tribe, a couple of points. First, the lower courts are, at least, bound by a code of ethics that requires recusal in the event of a conflict. Second, it is a lot easier to change the complexion of a court of appeals that of the Supreme Court. Obama did that with the Fourth Circuit, which went from being one of the most reactionary to one of the most liberal (although in the federal courts that’s a very relative term these days.). Also, I take one of the main purposes of your proposal to be deterrence: that few justices would put themselves in such an embarrassing position as to suffer disqualification.
Yes, Jon. The point of my proposal was not to strip the court of jurisdiction but to force individual justices to recuse themselves in order to preserve the jurisdiction of the Supreme Court.
After having a day of reflection on the matter, I am beginning to think it might be better you have no decision by the Supreme Court on issues where it has conflicts of interest rather than having a decision that is corrupted by those conflicts.
Regarding the comparison of prohibition to forced birth and gun rights-- if it will take 14 years to make the changes, as it took for the reversal of prohibition, there will be far too many tragedies. Only spectators can wait years for the country to come to its senses.
Is it really NRA money that is the reason so many politicians are weak about Gun Safety or Gun Control? I'm very sorry to argue that it is time to show graphic images of the dead and wounded from gun violence. Considering that it is impossible for casual TV viewers to not see extreme violence because commercials for movies and video games during sporting events and other shows often feature blood and gore, it should now be tolerable to see the real results of gun violence in political ads. Yikes, it will be horrible, but the reality is horrible. Euphemisms and statistics are clearly not enough.
If every political candidate that is against gun safety was campaigned against with negative ads that showed what guns did to innocent people, it may make a difference.
Hi, DK. Many readers have made similar suggestions about showing images of the crime scene aftermath of mass shootings. I have a slightly different suggestion: Just as some states forced mothers to watch an ultrasound before obtaining an abortion, I suggest that every member of Congress be forced to watch video of the crime scene and active shootings at Uvalde, Buffalo, Highland Park, Newtown, Columbine, tree of life synagogue, El Paso, Sutherland springs Baptist Church, Las Vegas, and other mass shootings before being allowed to vote against legislation to restrict ownership of assault weapons
Yes, but IMHO it isn't enough to only show it to politicians. They simply don't have backbone or conscious. I would have thought showing Jan 6 to every Republican would have changed their minds, but it hasn't. And it isn't enough to show the images. To repeat, my very sad suggestion is negative campaign advertisements linking these politicians with the horrible images. Voters need to see these, not the politicians. These ads should be by PACs and not individual candidates or the DNC.
Well said, again. I had no idea my former governor was a stooge for the NRA. Naming names is spot on.
I am re-energized to write my Senators and House rep. The slaughter must stop. Even if we ended the sale of WMDs to civilians, there are millions of them in the hands of Americans who will need to be convinced to turn them in. This is an effort that will take decades...more than one generation...to resolve. But the sooner we start, the more lives can be saved and we can join the group of nations that are called "1st World" or "Civilized".
Hey GOPers and other gun lovers, who constantly evoke their God given right to own a weapon. God didn't give you that right, James Madison did, in an AMENDMENT ( GOPers, look up amendment in a dictionary, if you own one). And Madison did it to appease slave states so they would ratify the constitution. And remember the 18th amendment ? Well, it was AMENDED.
The current "gun safety" laws under consideration by congress , the GOP "feel good" laws, would have not prevented the alleged Highland Park shooter from obtaining assault weapon.
Thank you for continuing the process of reasoning optimism in a time of bleak prospects. I read your newsletter just before I take the dog for a walk in the woods. Like the first breath of fresh air, your words right my frame of mind and are a way of processing both facts and feelings. Plus insight from Professor Tribe. A double thank you!
Your SCOTUS proposal and exchange with Prof. Tribe is an example of democracy working at its best. As a Democrat, and a former lawyer, state government employee, and college instructor, my flagging spirits were raised by the creative, thoughtful, civil debate on a critical issue. The energy going toward problem solving is a salve to the burn of the problems. I have followed you for a long time, and I sense your growing frustration with all our challenges and some of your readers. Please know that your effort to bring light to us in spite of the darkness in which you deliver it is vital. I look for it every morning just before I write my VOTE letters and postcards. Thank you!
I am with you on banning assault weapons!!! How in the world can it be that there are already 20,000 sold in the USA!? We need them turned in and sales to stop. There is no logic in having weapons of war in our towns and cities. Thanks for pressing for a ban!
I hope that everyone is writing postcards to Democratic voters or texting voters or phone banking or canvassing now or encouraging friends to do these things too. If we don't use the precious few months we have before November, things will get much more challenging for 2024. If you need any direction, please ask Robert to connect you to me! Happy to get you started on postcards or direct you to a great phone bank! As NY Gov. Kathy Hochul just said, "They may think they can change our lives with the stroke of a pen, but we have pens too." Let's all use them!!! Thank you Robert!
Sarah is a true hero of the resistance! Reach out to her and you will become a permanent member of the resistance! Thanks, Sarah for all you do! https://www.activateamerica.vote/postcards
I second that!
Writing postcards is the answer to all those who say “I can no longer march” or “I can’t do phone calls”. We are actively doing that in my community. It’s easy as the text and addresses are given to you, it urges people to get out and vote, and only costs you the price of a stamp. If you wrote 10 a week, you’d have completed a hundred in time to mail before Election Day.
I've started postcard writing days with neighbors and friends - it beats writing on my own!
100 postcards in 2 days, 9 people writing! (I provide postcards and stamps & addresses)
Go for it!
Fellow Postcarders, Stock up on those postcard stamps! Price increase 7/10
https://about.usps.com/newsroom/national-releases/2022/0406-usps-new-prices-for-2022.htm
www.postcardstovoters.com https://www.activateamerica.vote/postcards
Couldn’t agree more w your comment, Sarah. #BanAssaultWeaponsNow
How can I connect to the postcard writing mentioned in Sarah O’Neill’s comment above?
Please send information to Annette.liberson@gmail.com.
Thank you!
https://www.activateamerica.vote/postcards
Here is one group. https://www.turnoutpac.org/postcards/
Turnout pac (also called Postcards to Swing States) supplies the postcards for free; ships for free as well. Their messages have been tested over several years. They are supporting 7 swing states…you pick the message you want to write and the state(s) you want to write to. And they ship within 1-2 days.
How can I connect to the postcard writing mentioned in Sarah O’Neill’s comment above? Please send info here. Kathykitter@gmail.com
Also https://www.mobilize.us/. you can also contact any Democrat running for office for volunteer opportunities on their websites.
Another group of postcard writer groups is Vote Forward; they do not push candidates, just encourage folks to vote. https://votefwd.org/ What I've been writing is to point out it's our chance to let candidates know what's important to us-public education, social security/medicare/medicaid, lower drug costs, good jobs, voting/human rights. I've already committed to 200 letters.
www.postcardstovoters.com https://www.activateamerica.vote/postcards
Here is one group. There are others. https://www.turnoutpac.org/postcards/
Taking action! Good for you.
I want to add another comment because I've felt so frustrated by the almost universal support for the pathetic "gun control or safety" bill just passed and signed. For so many people (media, other commentators etc) it was "this is a first step in the right direction" or some variation on celebrating a victory after the Republicans have denied meaningful legislation for so many years.
But we need to call it for what it is -- another in a long string of appeasements to the Republicans. They were handed a victory - one they can tout in their campaigns. And while there are some reasonable and important aspects to the legislation - long overdue - the overall effect on gun safety will be almost nothing and the Republican minority will have won again. ENOUGH.
Hi, Alexandra. I agree with you about the most recent gun safety bill. Each of the provisions was independently laudable and worthy of enactment by Congress. However, they were enacted in response to the shootings at Uvalde and Buffalo, thereby creating the impression that they were adequate responses to weapons of war in the hands of American citizens. What frustrated me most about the bill was that it included a statement that it would not “infringe on the 2nd amendment rights of law-abiding citizens." Any gun safety bill that promotes itself by touting the absence of any effect on the ability of Americans to carry weapons is suspect.
Senatorial ‘cya’ in its most fetid form!
‘…2nd Amendment rights…’??? To which was Mitch referring, the Amendment as written in the constitution or the one revised by ‘saint’ Scalia in the Heller case then bastardized further by the Roberts’ rogue court last week!
I was, briefly, prohibited from commenting on Facebook yesterday, for referring to the Highland Park shooter, and others before him, as cowards who seek to impose their will by force. I retorted, directly to Mark Zuckerberg and the ban was removed by whoever read my response, less than an hour later. There is no more denying the truth, and there is no more room for cherry picking, or for false equivalency. Gun ownership must be forfeited by anyone who openly threatens violence-whether mentally ill or not. The Navajo Nation has had that policy in effect for many years now-"Threaten another person with a firearm, and you will lose possession of that weapon." The policy should not be capricious or unevenly enforced, but it should be implemented-at as low a level of government as possible, at least initially.
I don't know, but I suspect that the Highland Park shooter posted his violent fantasies on Facebook with impunity. Your political comment was censored. Mark Zuckerberg and Facebook could fix this problem, but they choose to maximize shareholder profits at the expense of building a truly responsible platform.
Glad you retorted. Definition of hypocrisy:⬇️⬇️
“ Facebook banned private gun sales six years ago, but it lets gun buyers and sellers violate the policy nearly a dozen times before it will give them the boot, according to a new report.”
https://www.businessinsider.com/facebook-gives-gun-buyers-sellers-10-strikes-before-booting-wapo-2022-6
"For too long and on too many occasions, Democrats have demonstrated an inclination toward incrementalism and bipartisanship. Enough."
I couldn't agree more. But not just on gun control --- on so (way too many) other issues too. TIME (WAY PAST ACTUALLY) FOR DEMOCRATIC REPRESENTATIVES TO GET TOUGH AND REPRESENT THE MAJORITY OF CITIZENS IN THIS COUNTRY - AS THEY WERE ELECTED TO DO. And, time for us to get tough with them and demand they do that or elect folks who will.
Agree!
We had no fireworks here on July 4th. They were too much of a fire hazard in these drought conditions. Somehow feels appropriate for this time when democracy is now in a coma and may never recover. Guns in America have proliferated to the point there are many more guns than people. Rather feels like nuclear proliferation where making more nuclear weapons seems ridiculous when what we have can destroy the entire world. I don't want to wait 33 tears for this to fix itself.
We MUST win the US Senate and the US House, and make "gun sense" the law of the land. And to codify into law the safety and protection of 1) all American citizens, and 2) the Earth.
Today, I am phone banking for PA Senate Candidate John Fetterman, at 6PM ET. Go to his website this morning. SIgn-up for this shift, or a shift that firs your schedule.
EVERYWHERE in this world is the opportunity to help win the United States Congressional elections of 2022. There are Senate candidates and Governorships in every corner of this country that we CAN and MUST win. EVERYONE can make calls from the leisure and comfort of your home.
Later this week, I will again walk a precinct with a voter database on my phone of "independent" voters who need to be asked for their vote, and then a handshake to seal the deal.
This begins this morning, and with you.
Thank you for being part of the solution!
Well done and well said. And thank you for including the comments in this review. I do remind my despairing friends that the past is a good place to look to remind them that in spite of the awful decisions emerging from this SCOTUS, our society continues to advance - often as in fits and starts. I also firmly believe that our mostly good citizens will finally reach the “ENOUGH”!!! stage. At that point in time, much of what we are suffering from today will finally get out of the way of our democracy!
Expand the Court, shut down the Electoral College, ban assault weapons and end the use of fossil fuels!
Thanks for including Tribe's insightful comments. Nothing like a brainy lawyer weighing in... Blessings on your house.
Since I frequently look to Larry Tribe as the last word on constitutional issues it would have been irresponsible of me not to include his comment!
Thank you for providing the link to Millhiser's Vox article. I was surprised that it did not note that now inactive HR 8424 (https://www.billtrack50.com/billdetail/1243968,) initiated by Congress in 2020 and endorsed by 31 legal scholars (https://fixthecourt.com/2020/10/thirty-legal-scholars-endorse-house-dems-scotus-term-limits-bill/,) proposed to codify 18-year SCOTUS term limits with the proviso that each President could appoint two replacements in the 1st and 3rd years of their administrations. Theoretically, if the Democrats were to succeed in November in holding the House and filling two additional Senate seats with people committed to suspending the filibuster, this bill could be reintroduced and passed. If accomplished, mandated retirement of Justices Roberts (appointed 2005) and Thomas (1992) could occur in 2023 assuming the reintroduced bill would be revised so President Biden could appoint two new Justices. Doing so would immediately change the majority to five Justices appointed by Democrats, and enable timely correction of both Dobbs/Roe and New York State Rifle & Pistol Association decisions.
While I hesitate to differ with Prof. Tribe, a couple of points. First, the lower courts are, at least, bound by a code of ethics that requires recusal in the event of a conflict. Second, it is a lot easier to change the complexion of a court of appeals that of the Supreme Court. Obama did that with the Fourth Circuit, which went from being one of the most reactionary to one of the most liberal (although in the federal courts that’s a very relative term these days.). Also, I take one of the main purposes of your proposal to be deterrence: that few justices would put themselves in such an embarrassing position as to suffer disqualification.
Yes, Jon. The point of my proposal was not to strip the court of jurisdiction but to force individual justices to recuse themselves in order to preserve the jurisdiction of the Supreme Court.
After having a day of reflection on the matter, I am beginning to think it might be better you have no decision by the Supreme Court on issues where it has conflicts of interest rather than having a decision that is corrupted by those conflicts.
Regarding the comparison of prohibition to forced birth and gun rights-- if it will take 14 years to make the changes, as it took for the reversal of prohibition, there will be far too many tragedies. Only spectators can wait years for the country to come to its senses.
Is it really NRA money that is the reason so many politicians are weak about Gun Safety or Gun Control? I'm very sorry to argue that it is time to show graphic images of the dead and wounded from gun violence. Considering that it is impossible for casual TV viewers to not see extreme violence because commercials for movies and video games during sporting events and other shows often feature blood and gore, it should now be tolerable to see the real results of gun violence in political ads. Yikes, it will be horrible, but the reality is horrible. Euphemisms and statistics are clearly not enough.
If every political candidate that is against gun safety was campaigned against with negative ads that showed what guns did to innocent people, it may make a difference.
Hi, DK. Many readers have made similar suggestions about showing images of the crime scene aftermath of mass shootings. I have a slightly different suggestion: Just as some states forced mothers to watch an ultrasound before obtaining an abortion, I suggest that every member of Congress be forced to watch video of the crime scene and active shootings at Uvalde, Buffalo, Highland Park, Newtown, Columbine, tree of life synagogue, El Paso, Sutherland springs Baptist Church, Las Vegas, and other mass shootings before being allowed to vote against legislation to restrict ownership of assault weapons
Yes, but IMHO it isn't enough to only show it to politicians. They simply don't have backbone or conscious. I would have thought showing Jan 6 to every Republican would have changed their minds, but it hasn't. And it isn't enough to show the images. To repeat, my very sad suggestion is negative campaign advertisements linking these politicians with the horrible images. Voters need to see these, not the politicians. These ads should be by PACs and not individual candidates or the DNC.
Robert,
Well said, again. I had no idea my former governor was a stooge for the NRA. Naming names is spot on.
I am re-energized to write my Senators and House rep. The slaughter must stop. Even if we ended the sale of WMDs to civilians, there are millions of them in the hands of Americans who will need to be convinced to turn them in. This is an effort that will take decades...more than one generation...to resolve. But the sooner we start, the more lives can be saved and we can join the group of nations that are called "1st World" or "Civilized".
Hey GOPers and other gun lovers, who constantly evoke their God given right to own a weapon. God didn't give you that right, James Madison did, in an AMENDMENT ( GOPers, look up amendment in a dictionary, if you own one). And Madison did it to appease slave states so they would ratify the constitution. And remember the 18th amendment ? Well, it was AMENDED.
The current "gun safety" laws under consideration by congress , the GOP "feel good" laws, would have not prevented the alleged Highland Park shooter from obtaining assault weapon.
Thank you for continuing the process of reasoning optimism in a time of bleak prospects. I read your newsletter just before I take the dog for a walk in the woods. Like the first breath of fresh air, your words right my frame of mind and are a way of processing both facts and feelings. Plus insight from Professor Tribe. A double thank you!
Your SCOTUS proposal and exchange with Prof. Tribe is an example of democracy working at its best. As a Democrat, and a former lawyer, state government employee, and college instructor, my flagging spirits were raised by the creative, thoughtful, civil debate on a critical issue. The energy going toward problem solving is a salve to the burn of the problems. I have followed you for a long time, and I sense your growing frustration with all our challenges and some of your readers. Please know that your effort to bring light to us in spite of the darkness in which you deliver it is vital. I look for it every morning just before I write my VOTE letters and postcards. Thank you!
Thanks for the pep talk! I really appreciate it.