Month: September 2021

Right Wing Predictability: Call For Joe Biden Resignation, While Ignoring Threat Of Donald Trump For Five Years!

Not an hour passed after President Joe Biden called for a national vaccination and mask mandate, and the right wing, including Fox News Channel, One America News Network (OANN), Newsmax, and a whole slew of talk show hosts on cable and radio, and many Republicans, have called for his resignation!

Of course, they also want Vice President Kamala Harris, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and other Democrats to resign, based on their opposition to any government intervention in the worst health crisis in a century!

So they are libertarians, who believe all fetuses must be born, but have no concern about life of those already born, including children, who are endangered by adults and teenagers who think it is their “religious” right to refuse to consider their public responsibility to all around them, clearly “Pro Life” hypocrisy!

Ironic that those who had no issues with the infuriating moral, ethical, and illegal actions of Donald Trump, and refuse to admit that January 6, 2021 was a violent insurrection, an act of domestic terrorism, are now attacking Joe Biden for having decency, compassion, and empathy. Ultimately, the final responsibility to protect the American people, even if many of them do not appreciate federal government intervention!

Joe Biden is in a fighting mood, and he will NOT be intimidated by people who have no concern other their own selfish interests, instead of what is good and necessary for the American people at large!

Joe Biden Vaccination Mandate And Mask Mandate Will Speed End Of COVID-19 Pandemic!

The time has come for a national vaccination and mask mandate to speed the end of the COVID-19 Pandemic.

The excuses used to avoid vaccinations are preposterous, and anti science!

While there is no way to force every American to be vaccinated and wear masks, the federal government can require all federal employees to do so, and make everyone who comes on federal property to be vaccinated and wear masks. Joe Biden is now making it federal policy, and long overdue.

The military already has such a mandate, and many private businesses are moving in that direction.

Basically, it should become a situation where those who refuse to obey the mandate will not be able to live a life of only thinking about their own selfish selves, but rather suffer by being unable to access many public places!

And those who serve the public and come to private property would be told no business dealings or work accomplished unless the business provider cares enough about customers or clients, and arrange for himself or herself to be vaccinated and wear masks!

This is a time for unity, patriotism, and commitment to the public good!

Twenty Years Since September 11, And The Terrorists Won! We Have A Divided America Worse Than The 1960s!

It has now been a full generation since September 11, 2001!

Sadly, the terrorists won!

We have a more divided America now than we had in the 1960s!

There is no sense of unity, and one of the two political parties, the Republican Party, is a shell of itself, totally contradicting the heritage of the party, and now a full blown Fascist Party, which has no concern about public health, public safety, or common decency!

It is nearly impossible to accomplish any great goals, as occurred with the “Great Society” in the 1960s, as the Republicans are nihilists, libertarians, who do not care at all about anyone other than themselves. Their wealthy benefactors only care about keeping taxes low, not dealing with the many social and economic problems of a society which is becoming more inequitable every year.

The Supreme Court is the most extreme it has been since the 1920s, and is losing public respect, and there is no sense of humanity, empathy, compassion in the public sphere by close to half of the Congress, only out to promote cruelty and suffering of the masses of Americans.

So the terrorists won. and only the corporations and wealthy have benefited, and this portends future conflict that could escalate the terrible divisions now so evident in America!

A Crucial Month For Joe Biden And America!

The month of September is an extremely crucial month for the Joe Biden Presidency.

The issue of expansion of the national debt ceiling is essential.

So is how to bring about the two Infrastructure bills the administration has been promoting, one bipartisan and one by “reconciliation”.

Also, the need to deal with voting rights legislation; abortion rights guarantees to continue; the climate change crisis; the COVID-19 pandemic that continues to spread; and working to reform the Supreme Court and the filibuster.

Realistically, not all of these can be resolved that quickly, but progress is essential, as accomplishing change will not be easier in an election year, with the midterm elections of 2022!

Labor Day: A Reminder That Democrats Are Pro Labor Rights, Republicans Always Opposed!

Today is Labor Day, a day to celebrate organized labor and workers, and their contributions to America past and present!

Celebrating Labor Day began in the 1880s as millions of workers, many immigrant or people of color, were exploited by corporations, who did not care about their health, safety, or having a decent standard of living!

It was not until the New Deal of Franklin D. Roosevelt in the 1930s that workers finally had a federal government that promoted recognition of labor unions by the National Labor Relations Act (1935), also known as the Wagner Act, and establishment of basic labor conditions, such as outlawing child labor, and setting minimum wage and maximum hours, under the Fair Labor Standards Act (1938).

Sadly, in the Southern states, dominated by Racist Democrats and now by Republicans, so called “Right To Work” laws, which limited labor rights, became and has remained normal, so the battle for labor to organize and bargain remains a struggle in such states, including some in the Midwest and Mountain States, as well.

Labor Unions declined after Ronald Reagan fired Air Traffic Controllers in 1981, but labor is reviving in the present economic climate to some extent.

But the important point to remember is that it is conservatives and Republicans who have never been supporters of organized labor and basic worker rights, but rather the Democratic Party outside of the South!

The Supreme Court Reputation Has Been Seriously Tarnished, No Longer Seen As Representing Moderation!

The John Roberts Supreme Court reputation has been seriously tarnished, no longer seen as representing moderation!

By deciding to go along with an extremist Texas abortion law, in a one paragraph middle of the night statement, which includes no exceptions for rape or incest, and allowing private citizens to sue anyone engaged in promoting abortion, the Court has done one of the worst ever actions, which will be compared to such other issues as Dred Scott V Sandford (1857) and Plessy V Ferguson (1896), and a small group of other reprehensible decisions!

Chief Justice Roberts himself recognized how terrible this 5-4 decision was, so despite earlier personal expressions of being anti abortion, he joined the three liberals on the Court in opposition.

Roberts knows his own historical reputation has been permanently damaged, as the Court has become dangerously radical right wing extremist, with the three reprehensible appointments by Donald Trump showing their true colors!

The fact that the appointment of Amy Coney Barrett switched the Court balance from what it was under the late Ruth Bader Ginsburg right before the Presidential Election of 2020 is reprehensible!

But also, the fact that Brett Kavanaugh was the second Court Justice to face accusations of inappropriate sexual conduct, along with Clarence Thomas three decades ago, and now they decided the private lives of women, is totally infuriating!

And the fact that Neil Gorsuch gained an appointment after a full year of no replacement of Antonin Scalia, and that Merrick Garland was denied even a hearing as his replacement, makes all three of Donald Trump’s Court appointments questionable and wanting!

It is further proof that the Supreme Court has lost whatever aura it had, as a fair, reasonable body!

To reverse a decision of nearly 50 years, when the tradition of the Court is to uphold legal precedent normally, and that it has such a dramatic effect on more than half the population, is beyond the pale!

If Hillary Clinton had won the Presidential Election of 2016, which this author and blogger and tens of millions of Americans think is the truth, the Supreme Court today would not be in the crisis atmosphere it is in!

It requires an attempt to add members to the Court, because otherwise, the Court is on a tear to the promotion of Fascism clear and simple, and that cannot be allowed to move forward toward ultimate destruction of the Constitution and rule of law!

The idea that two Presidents, George W. Bush and Donald Trump,who lost the popular vote, could add two and three members to the Court respectively, which otherwise would have been appointees of Al Gore and Hillary Clinton, is simply outrageous and unacceptable for the long haul!

It will permanently destroy the reputation of a very evil man, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, who brought about this travesty!

When one thinks back to the mid and late 1970s, we actually had a 7-2 Republican Court by party affiliation, but it included moderate Republicans, which included statesmen, including William Brennan, Harry Blackmun, John Paul Stevens, and Chief Justice Warren Burger!

So action must be taken to expand the Court, as we are in a constitutional crisis that will only get worse if no action is taken!

California Recall System A Total Mockery Of Democracy

In ten days, California, the largest state in population, and a strongly Democratic state since the mid 1990s, faces the possibility of a right wing talk show host, Larry Elder, potentially becoming Governor with less than 20 percent of the vote, kicking out first term Governor Gavin Newsom, if Newsom fails to get 50.01 percent of the vote in the upcoming recall election.

This is the second time this disastrous recall system has occurred in the 21st century, after Governor Gray Davis lost his control of the state of California to Arnold Schwarzenegger in 2003.

But Larry Elder is no Arnold Schwarzenegger, and represents an extremist right wing agenda, defying the views of a vast majority of Californians!

The recall system was set up under Governor Hiram Johnson of California in the early 20th century, but it is a mockery of democracy, despite the fact that it was thought to be otherwise a century ago.

Only two governors in American history have been successfully recalled, Davis; and North Dakota Governor Lynn Frazier in 1921, who lost the recall election by about 4,000 votes.

Nineteen states have a recall mechanism in their state constitutions, and 30 states allow local recall of office holders.

Cleveland, Ohio had a recall election of its mayor, Dennis Kucinich, in 1978, with Kucinich retaining his seat by a margin of 236 votes; and Wisconsin had a recall election of its Governor, Scott Walker, in 2012, with Walker retaining his seat by a margin of 170,000 votes.

Right now, polls seem to indicate that Newsom is likely to retain the governorship of California, but if he loses, it would have broad implications for the political future of the state and the nation!

The Republican Party Has Become A Full Blown Fascist Party, Warring On Women, Minorities, Immigrants, Labor, The Environment, And More!

Sad to say, but it is now clear that the Republican Party in Congress and in many states has become a full blown Fascist Party, warring on women, minorities, immigrants, labor, the environment, and all decent, humane tendencies. They appeal to mob rule and violence!

Of course, there are exceptions, so those Republicans could best be defined as RINOs (Republicans In Name Only), the name given to them by the Fascist oriented Republican office holders.

The Republican Party broadly has refused to recognize and respect women’s rights, which includes the right to control their own bodies and reproduction choices. They claim they are Pro Life when they are unconcerned about the quality of life of anyone other than the elite wealthy upper class! And once a fetus is born, these Fascist Republicans have no concern about their quality of life, including their health care, education, and housing!

The Republicans appeal to struggling whites by promoting the Christian religion, when they totally distort the whole meaning of the teachings of Jesus!

They appeal to the racist beliefs of whites who want to blame African Americans, Latino Americans, Asian Americans, Native Americans, and also Jewish Americans for the lack of progress of so many. Particularly, rural whites are manipulated by Republicans so they can keep their power by gerrymandering and distorting the Electoral College, even when they cannot win national popular elections!

The idea that America is an immigrant nation has been destroyed by Republicans who are too willing to blame new immigrant groups, as earlier groups were blamed for the shortcomings in society. These were caused by greedy capitalists and corrupt politicians, who want power, and will do anything venal to gain it and keep it, while ignoring the many issues of degradation and struggle for survival and advancement in American society.

And in the name of greedy American capitalism, Republicans refuse to deal with climate change and global warming, and have no concern about the effect on the environment, as along as they can enrich themselves, and ignore the future, and reject science and facts!

So many of the Republican officeholders are wretched excuses for human beings, and have not a bit of empathy, compassion, decency, or humanity, and promote hate, division, and hide the crimes that have occurred under Donald Trump, and on January 6, 2021!

They will do anything to cover their sins and crimes, and they must be defeated in 2022 and 2024 to preserve the American republic and the concept of democracy, not only for Americans, but as a model for the world in the future!

Texas Has Become The Pariah On So Many Issues!

The state of Texas has become a pariah on so many issues.

Its decision to ban all abortions after six weeks, and allow citizens to sue and win a bounty of $10,000 against anyone who helps a woman gain an abortion is outrageous!

Its decision to create the most stringent limitations on voting rights, designed to prevent people of color, the young, the disabled, and urban centers from access to voting with reasonable rules is also outrageous!

Its plans to gerrymander the state in such a way as to make fair elections impossible in the future is also outrageous!

Its refusal to allow masking to be required to protect children and staff in public schools is also outrageous!

Its allowance for open carry of firearms is a danger to everyone, and mass killings will increase, and is also outrageous.

The state has right wing elements that have spoken about secession and treason, and is very willing to do everything possible to promote white supremacy in a state that is more than ever a state in which people of color, particularly Hispanic and Latino, but also Asian American and African American, are being treated in a discriminatory manner!

Texas was one of the most horrific racist states before the Civil Rights Movement, and now it is reverting to extremism that is shocking and detrimental to the people of the second largest populated state, and the courts seem unwilling to do anything about it!

Texas should face boycotts, court cases, and other moves to hold the right wing extremist legislature and Governor Greg Abbott to accountability, as this is not a situation that can be overlooked, as the danger is that this cancer might spread to other states!

Joe Biden Explains The Absolute Truth About The Now Ended Afghanistan War!

President Joe Biden, a very decent, humane, empathetic, compassionate man, told us yesterday in his speech to the nation the absolute truth about the end of the Afghanistan War, our longest war at 20 years.

Biden made clear we had lost 2,461 men and women, including 13 last Thursday; 20,561 wounded with many still disabled by physical injuries, and untold others by emotional and mental injuries; and had spent $2.3 trillion over 20 years, about $300 million for every day of the past 7,300 days since the war began. Also, 18 veterans a day on the average commit suicide, many of them due to their involvement in Afghanistan, or the even more heinous Iraq War!

We had two generations killed and wounded, and the money spent on the war could have been utilized to deal with poverty, discrimination, health care, education, infrastructure, the environment, and so much else.

So we need to spend $700 billion a year on defense spending?

Do we need to spend on all kinds of weapons that enrich politicians through bribes paid to promote production of them as part of the defense budget annually?

Do we need to have more than 800 military and naval bases in dozens of nations around the world, and lots of corruption going on in the process?

And of course, many wealthy industrialists and others became super wealthy and benefited financially from the war, most noticeably former Vice President Dick Cheney, who had connections with the corrupt organization, Halliburton, so no wonder that his daughter, Congresswoman Liz Cheney, would be super critical of the war that benefits her and her family members. And these are people who resist the thought of any payment of taxes personally or through their corporations, despite the massive tax cuts under George W. Bush and Donald Trump!