Today's Edition (May 21, 2021)

Cease-fire.

          Israel and Hamas agreed to a cease-fire on Thursday, ending (for now) eleven days of bloody fighting. The deal was officially brokered by Egypt, which has relations with both Israel and Hamas. The Biden administration acted in the background and was reluctant to issue a public demand for Israel to cease hostilities. Biden received a lot of criticism for that approach and took the opportunity on Thursday to say that U.S. behind-the-scenes diplomacy played a “critical” role in brokering the cease-fire. See Politico, “How Team Biden orchestrated a shorter war in Gaza.” After the cease-fire was announced, Biden held a press conference and said,

          We've held intensive, high-level discussions hour by hour, literally, [with] Egypt, the Palestinian Authority, and other Middle Eastern countries with [the aim] of avoiding the sort of prolonged conflict we've seen in previous years when the hostilities have broken out.

          Many people will assume that Biden is trying to take credit for a cease-fire he did not facilitate. That is the view of Fox News, “Biden tries to claim credit for cease-fire between Israel and Hamas.” Indeed, 138 Democrats in Congress pushed Biden to act more forcefully by using a recent U.S.-Israeli arms deal as leverage. See HuffPo, “138 House Democrats Demand Biden Call For A Cease-Fire In Israel.” I don’t have any insight into the situation beyond what I read in the media, but one commentator noted that Biden may be trying to avoid the chilly relationship that President Obama had with Prime Minister Netanyahu. If so, Biden’s strategy may have worked; he spoke to Netanyahu six times in the last ten days. While Biden may not have “brokered” the cease-fire (because the U.S. doesn’t recognize Hamas), six conversations between leaders of nations is a robust level of diplomacy.

          If the past is any guide, I will receive a lot of feedback criticizing Biden on his handling of the situation (and of me for not being more critical of Biden). Until we know more, what we do know is that this outbreak of hostilities was on the shorter end of similar eruptions. A 2014 outbreak of violence between Israel and Hamas lasted 50 days despite President Obama’s demand for an “immediate, unconditional humanitarian ceasefire.” (See Politico article, linked above.) Let’s hope that the moment of crisis has passed and that stakeholders in the region work vigorously for a permanent solution.

Biden signs bill directed at anti-Asian hate crimes.

In a moving ceremony, Joe Biden signed a bill directed at identifying and fighting anti-Asian hate crimes. See NBCNews, “'Hate has no place in America': Biden signs anti-Asian hate crimes bill into law.” Biden grew emotional during the ceremony, saying that Americans must “change their hearts” and said “that hate can be given no safe harbor in America.” See embedded video in NBCNews article at 2:10 mark. As usual, Biden’s decency and goodness were apparent during his remarks.

          Notably, the legislation garnered widespread support among both parties. Indeed, only one Republican Senator (Josh Hawley) voted against the bill. It was a rare moment of unity and bipartisanship. One reader sent a note saying that the bipartisanship exhibited in passing this bill should give us hope that Republicans will work with Democrats on other issues. I admire the sentiment and commend the reader for her optimism. Sadly, I do not believe that we will see similar demonstrations of bipartisanship coming from Republicans any time soon. Read on.

Congressional Republicans oppose bill to strengthen Capitol security.

Democrats proposed a $1.9 billion bill to improve Capitol security. On cue, Republicans rallied to oppose the bill. See The Hill, “GOP urges members to vote against Capitol security bill.” Among the criticisms leveled at the bill by Republicans was that it was “one-sided”—an unavoidable situation since Republicans have given up on the idea of participating in the process of governing. One GOP member opposed the creation of a “quick reaction force” of the National Guard to protect the Capitol, claiming that the provision “raised troubling questions about the role of the U.S. military.” Of course, the National Guard can already respond to civil disturbances that interfere with the administration of civil law; authorizing the National Guard to do so quickly seems like a non-controversial idea—unless you are looking for any excuse to defeat a bill drafted by Democrats.

          It is worth noting that three Democrats voted against the bill, as well. They issued a statement that said, in part,

          [A] bill that pours $1.9 billion into increased police surveillance and force without addressing the underlying threats of organized and violent white supremacy, radicalization, and disinformation that led to this attack will not prevent it from happening again.

          The criticism of the dissenting Democrats misses the point of the bill. It is not designed to “prevent” future attacks by white supremacists. It is designed to improve the security of the Capitol against such attacks (if they occur). Their “no” votes were likely intended as protests against the decision to prioritize increasing the security of the Capitol over legislation to fight white supremacy.

The Killing of Ronald Greene by Louisiana State Police

          The Associated Press released video of Louisiana State Police tasing, kicking, and dragging a Black man by his feet after he was already handcuffed and shackled face-down on the pavement. See AP, “'I'm scared': AP obtains video of deadly arrest of Black man.” See also CNN, “Ronald Greene video shows he was beaten and tased by police after auto accident.” The incident occurred two years ago. Per AP,

          Troopers initially told Greene’s family he died on impact after crashing into a tree during the chase. Later, State Police released a one-page statement acknowledging only that Greene struggled with troopers and died on his way to the hospital.

          The Louisiana State Police refused to release the video for over two years—until AP obtained and released the footage. The State Police condemned the release of the video, claiming that it would “compromise the fair and impartial outcome.”

          This story will be in the news for a long time, and we don’t know all the facts—because the Louisiana State Police have sat on the facts for nearly two years without taking any action. Moreover, the State Police allowed false and misleading police reports to remain uncorrected in the public domain.

          Until all of the video is released, it is premature and risky to draw final conclusions. But we know enough to make reasonable inferences and preliminary conclusions. First, the behavior exhibited by the troopers was not new or aberrant. Some of their fellow officers knew that the troopers used such tactics previously but remained silent when they should have reported the misconduct of their colleagues. Second, dragging a man by his feet when he is handcuffed and shackled face-down on the pavement is torture. So is tasing a man who is handcuffed face-down on the pavement. Third, any supervisor who observes officers under his command torturing detainees should have suspended the officers from the department immediately. Here, it appears that after a two-year investigation, the only penalties against the officers were administrative.

          The lack of transparency by the Louisiana State Police breeds mistrust. The filing of false police reports and allowing them to remain uncorrected for two years exhibits contempt for the public. It is a reasonable inference that the State Police were attempting to mislead the public or conceal a crime. The Department of Justice must investigate and, if appropriate, prosecute everyone involved in the cover-up or killing of Ronald Greene.

Concluding Thoughts.

To my readers who are grammarians and proofreaders: The term “cease-fire” is spelled inconsistently in modern usage. I acknowledge that the spellings “ceasefire” and “cease fire” are also commonly used. The NYTimes and the International Committee of the Red Cross use “cease-fire,” so I adopted that style.

          Correction from yesterday: I said that the Supreme Court would not likely rule on the Mississippi abortion case until after the 2022 midterms. In fact, as pointed out by a reader, the Court will rule by July 2022, if the Court follows its usual schedule.

          As I reflect on the challenges facing Democrats in 2022, I am struck by the tension between the need for a national strategy and local action. Keeping our majorities in the House and Senate are national goals that require coordination and strategy. But victory in individual races comes down to small bands of committed men and women who step into the breach and rally others to follow. To the extent humanly possible, you must be part of that committed band of men and women who step into the breach. We need to act with urgency—now. Starting “after summer vacation” or “in the fall” is not an acceptable alternative. We cannot afford to lose four months. Republicans are using that time to make it more difficult to vote; we must use that time to ensure that we register new voters and motivate existing voters to turn out.

          I am frequently asked by readers, “How can I help? What can I do?” To date, my suggestions for involvement have been based on reader suggestions; I have a plan to be more directive and organized in making suggestions, but there is no reason for you to wait for me. All of you are smart, talented, and computer-literate. In almost every community, the League of Women Voters is a good starting place to learn how you can become involved. So, too, is your county Democratic Party. Or show up at city council meetings and look for the person in the audience who seems to be a leader already. Chat them up and ask how they got involved. Join communities like Indivisible or PostCardsToVoters or VoteForward; the members of those communities can show you the way to greater involvement. There is not a single answer for everyone. Step outside your comfort zone and discover how you can become a leader in the fight for 2022. Your country needs you!

          Talk to you on Monday!