Month: June 2021

Five Months Of President Joe Biden: A World Of Difference!

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President Joe Biden has now been in the Oval Office for five months, and what a world of difference!

The right wing media and the Republican Party, of course, are constantly on the attack on every issue imaginable.

But Joe Biden has been successful in so many ways:

The COVID 19 Pandemic response, a great success with 300 million vaccinations after five months (150 days)
The Economic Revival through the American Rescue Plan legislation, greater success than thought possible in five months
Moving toward action on Infrastructure, Voting Rights, Gun Regulations, Health Care And Education Reform
Reversing many actions of Donald Trump on the Environment by Executive Order
Reversing actions of Trump on Immigration, Climate Change, Civil Rights, and so many other domestic issues
Choosing Federal Judges to balance out the right wing tilt of the Trump Judicial appointments
Restoring good relations with NATO, the European Union, and the G-7 Nations
Succeeding in making Vladimir Putin know he has met his match, with Putin saying Biden was professional, constructive, and experienced
Making clear to the world community that America has returned to world leadership and a sense of ethics and morals
Restoring Dignity, Compassion, Empathy, Decency, Humanity to the Oval Office

Congressional Gold Medals Awarded To US Capitol Police After January 6 Insurrection Rejected By 21 House Republicans!

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It is an absolute outrage that 21 House Republicans voted against awarding of Congressional Gold Medals to US Capitol Police in recognition of their sacrifices at the time of the January 6 Insurrection!

This includes the usual and predictable monstrous members, including the following ten:

Marjorie Taylor Greene of Georgia
Lauren Boebert of Colorado
Louie Gohmert of Texas
Matt Gaetz of Florida
Paul Gosar of Arizona
Andy Biggs of Arizona
Andy Harris of Maryland
Andrew Clyde of Georgia
Jody Hice of Georgia
Mary Miller of Illinois

These ten and the other eleven are ten percent of the Republican membership of the House of Representatives, the Trumpite wing, and a total disgrace in their treason and sedition, when all members of Congress on January 6 were protected by the courageous US Capitol police force, leading to the death of Officer Brian Sicknick; and over 140 officers seriously injured; and two other officers dying by suicide after the events.

These members should be expelled from the House and charged with sedition, as we learn that some of them were helping rioters by giving tours of the US Capitol the day before the January 6 Insurrection!

Supreme Court Upholds Affordable Care Act For Third Time, Institutionalizing It!

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President Barack Obama’s greatest legislative accomplishment was the hard fought battle to expand health care to tens of millions of Americans, what is called “ObamaCare”, but officially termed the Affordable Care Act of 2010.

The Republican Party fought it bitterly for the past eleven years, but having no alternative, and now for the third time, the Supreme Court has upheld the law, and it is now institutionalized, finally!

By a 7-2 vote, with four Republican appointed Justices, and two of them Trump appointees in the majority, the legislation is now settled.

Who would have thought that Clarence Thomas, Amy Coney Barrett, and Brett Kavanaugh would join the majority, along with Chief Justice John Roberts, who had saved the legislation in the past from being destroyed?

This is absolutely amazing, but shows how unpredictable the Supreme Court is as an institution!

Possible Infrastructure Deal With Enough Republican Senators, But Will It Be Acceptable To Democrats?

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A possible compromise infrastructure deal is in the works, as eleven Republican Senators seem to be on board.

This includes the following Senators:

Richard Burr of North Carolina
Bill Cassidy of Louisiana
Susan Collins of Maine
Lindsey Graham of South Carolina
Jerry Moran of Kansas
Lisa Murkowski of Alaska
Rob Portman of Ohio
Mitt Romney of Utah
Mike Rounds of South Dakota
Thom Tillis of North Carolina
Todd Young of Indiana

Some of this group also seem willing to work on a voting rights bill, along with Ben Sasse of Nebraska, Tim Scott of South Carolina, and Dan Sullivan of Alasks.

While this is encouraging, the question is whether all Democrats will be willing to work on compromise legislation on both bills, and that seems a quandary without easy solution.

Dr. Anthony Fauci Attacked By Right Wing Media And Republican Politicians: Totally Reprehensible!

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Dr. Anthony Fauci has been a true hero and treasure in this COVID 19 Pandemic, in his role as Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases and Chief Medical Advisor to President Biden, after having been ignored and rebuked much of the time by former President Donald Trump.

If Trump had followed the advice of Fauci in 2020, we would not today have reached the horrifying figure of 600,000 dead from COVID 19!

Trump was responsible for the greatest loss of life in one year in American history, and yet Republicans, many of them anti vaccinators and anti maskers, have the gall to attack Fauci, and call for his resignation.

Right Wing Media, including Fox News Channel, and Tucker Carlson, and others, have joined in the demand for resignation of Fauci!

Just look at who is calling for this—Marjorie Taylor Greene, Jim Jordan, Kevin McCarthy, Rand Paul, Tom Cotton, Marco Rubio, Ted Cruz and many others, all who are well known to be anti science and anti truth!

Biden-Putin Summit Coming Tomorrow: Major Issues

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Tomorrow, in Geneva, Switzerland, President Joe Biden meets Russian President Vladimir Putin.

There are many issues to be addressed by Biden to Putin, who Biden has called a “killer”.

Among them:

The Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2014, and further incursions beyond Crimean area, ongoing, and the threat to other former Soviet republics.

The Ransomware attacks by Russians, which have affected many aspects of the American economy and security.

The arrest and imprisonment of Alexei Navalny, and the general crackdown on human rights in Russia under Putin.

The Russian intervention in the Presidential Election of 2016 in favor of Donald Trump, and their attempt to affect the Presidential Election of 2020, including support of the US Capitol Insurrection on January 6, 2021, just reasserted by Putin before the summit meeting tomorrow.

Pentagon Papers 50th Anniversary: Turning Point On Executive Authority In Presidency

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It has been a half century since the exposure by the New York Times of the Pentagon Papers, that revealed the secrets of how America became engaged in the never ending Vietnam War.

It infuriated President Richard Nixon, and led to circumstances that brought about the Watergate Scandal, and the move to impeach Nixon, leading to his resignation on August 9, 1974.

But now, revelations show Donald Trump had engaged in even worse violations of the law than Nixon did, and this makes it clear how alarming it is that Trump is still trying to promote a coup, as on January 6 at the US Capitol, so that he can return to power.

And it is ever more alarming that most Republicans are willing to bend to Trump’s will, and that the Republican Party of 2021 is far more corrupt and dangerous than it was in 1971!

The Republican Party Base Is Anti Immigrant, But They Are Also Anti Science And Anti Historical Fact!

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The Republican Party base is anti immigrant (nativist), and has prevented immigration reform, despite the efforts over the years of Republicans, such as John McCain and George W. Bush to deal with the issue, alongside Democrats, including Barack Obama, Joe Biden, and a multitude of others.

It is also anti Science, allowing right wing evangelical Christians to utilize mind control, and to attack evolution a century after the Scopes Trial, and to be anti vaccine and anti mask advocates, and also anti climate change, along with attacking Dr. Anthony Fauci.

And the Republican Party base is also anti history, wanting to promote a “white” history, without discussion of the horrendous treatment and abuse of African Americans, Native Americans, Hispanic-Latino Americans, and Asian Americans over the long run of American history.

The situation for teachers of the Social Sciences and American history, and also of American literature teachers who assign fiction that depicts and informs us of horrible mistreatment and racial language, is in crisis, as many teachers will lose their positions as state governments in many of the states dictate how their curriculums are to be controlled and presented.

Lawsuits are beginning by teachers’ unions and other groups to stop censorship of the truth, but the Republican Party base promoting “Know Nothingism” on immigration, science and history are an attack on academic freedom that must be fought through all legal means!

Donald Trump Presidency Far Worse Than Richard Nixon Presidency, Which Had Positive Developments

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The Presidency of Richard Nixon has long been understood to have been the most dangerous time of Presidential abuse in American history, but now with Donald Trump out of office, it is clear that the 45th President was much more abusive, and much more negative, than the 37th President a half century ago!

Nixon was involved in many illegal actions, culminating in the Watergate Scandal, but more more than just that scandal, and he was facing impeachment and removal from office had he not resigned.

But Nixon also made some major advancements in domestic policy making, signing into law Democratic initiatives that he could have vetoed, and would not have become law, including;

The Environmental Protection Agency
The Consumer Product Safety Commission
Occupational Safety and Health Administration
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration

He also supported Affirmative Action, and appointed Associate Justice Harry Blackmun to the Supreme Court, and also, in foreign policy, opened up to mainland China, and accomplished the Strategic Arms Limitation Treaty with the Soviet Union.

Even though Nixon’s negatives, causing more indictments and convictions than any President, were major in other actions, he ranks in the mid to low 20s in ranking among Presidential scholars for his positive initiatives.

Donald Trump ranks near the bottom of listings of Presidents, and was ever more lawless, with many revelations yet to come, and he also set out to destroy much of the Nixon domestic accomplishments. And the fact that he was impeached twice, and lost the popular vote massively twice, adds to his negatives!

So Donald Trump elevates Richard Nixon, and even Presidents seen as primarily disasters, including George W. Bush!

21 States Are Mounting Efforts Restricting Education On Racism, Bias, Contributions Of Specific Racial Or Ethnic Groups!

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It is extremely alarming that at least 21 states, and counting, are mounting efforts to restrict education on Racism, Bias, and Contributions of specific racial or ethnic groups in the teaching of American history (Social Studies) in public schools at all levels. This is occurring in Republican governed states.

This includes the Southern and Border States of Arkansas, Florida Georgia, Mississippi, North Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Kentucky, and Oklahoma.

It also includes the Midwestern states of Indiana, Iowa, Missouri, Michigan, Ohio, and South Dakota.

It also includes the Western states of Arizona, Idaho, Montana and Utah, and the New England states of New Hampshire and Rhode Island.

At the same time, at least 9 states are working to expand education on Racism, Bias, and Contributions of specific racial and ethnic groups, including the Northeastern states of Connecticut, Delaware, and New Jersey; the Midwestern states of Illinois and Minnesota; and the Western states of Colorado, Washington, Wyoming, and California.

To forbid truthful discussion of Slavery; Jim Crow Segregation Laws; Racial Violence Against African Americans; Mass Murder of Native Americans; Anti Hispanic and Anti Asian discrimination; and Discrimination Against Women is promoting a Big Lie, that none of this happened, and continues to be a reality!

Truth and Facts matter, and to promote Right Wing propaganda is outrageous, and makes the job of teachers of History and Social Studies an impossible position!