Dismantling Rights: Our Supreme Court in Action

Today's decision--overruling Roe v. Wade--was a first--taking away constitutional rights previously granted to Americans. Of course, it's only women's rights to bodily autonomy; denying women rights is in the current Republican Party's DNA.

I've read opinions and analyses that are more thoughtful than my reaction, which is to curse the justices. Five of them are reactionary: out of touch with the American people on cases about gun safety and women's health/rights. 

Between this Supreme Court and insurrection attempts by Trump and company, I'm afraid for/of my country.

Impeachment Part Two

The House of Representatives impeached Donald Trump for the second time: the charge is incitement of insurrection. Nothing further can happen until at least January 19th when the Senate returns.

Ten House Republicans voted for impeachment. It's been reported that some members were afraid for their families' safety if they voted for impeachment. Other House Republicans presented ridiculous arguments in Trump's defense. 

January 20th can't come soon enough. 

On Tuesday and Saturday Night Massacres

I usually watch news in the morning--most often CNN, but I also watch local news. If I'm in the car, I listen to news throughout the day. I generally don't watch any evening news.

It was close to 10 PM before I read that Trump had fired FBI Director Comey.

Comey hadn't been on my radar for most of his tenure. I probably couldn't have named him before he excoriated Hillary Clinton for her email server. I'll never forget his damning letter to Congress about Hillary days before the election. Just last week Comey screwed up in stating the number of documents Huma Abedin forwarded to her (then?) husband. It wasn't "hundred and thousands of emails." Let's just say, I'm not a fan.

But why fire him now when Comey is leading an investigation into connections between the Russians and their hackers and Trump campaign officials? At a minimum, a bare minimum, this has all the hallmarks of the appearance of impropriety. Unfortunately appearances of impropriety are standard in the Trump White House.

There are so many other things wrong with this...

Is this the 21st century version of the Saturday night massacre when Nixon fired Special Watergate Prosecutor Archibald Cox?

Well, the Trumpians didn't try to hide the firing on a slow news Saturday night but only because they misread how the Democrats would react. They figured that since the Democrats don't like Comey, all would be fine.

***

I can't help but remember that Saturday night 44 years ago.

I was a freshman in college and had just returned to my dorm room. I turned on the TV and the firing was all over news. I didn't really get what it all meant, but I knew it was bad. It worried me. I ended up staying up late and watching The Caine Mutiny. That didn't help: the paranoid Captain Queeg was too similar to President Nixon.

Tonight I'm bothered enough to stay up and post about Comey's firing. I'm not sure what this means. But I'm more afraid than I was back in 1973. Back then, there wasn't such a partisan divide, Back then Republicans had principles. Everything wasn't about tax breaks for the rich.

Every day with this President is a new disaster. I don't know what else to say.

Black Friday

Donald Trump is now President of the United States.

I fear for people of color, immigrants, Muslims and women of child-bearing age.

Hell, I fear for all of us.

This is Freedom?

Today is Independence Day, a day when we celebrate our freedom, our independence from Great Britain.

What's happened to our freedoms lately?

We've discovered that our government is is spying on us.

The Supreme Court's ruling on the Voting Rights Act threatens the right to vote.

Are you a woman? Your rights to safe, legal medical care are threatened in
Texas, North Carolina, Ohio and--oh hell--everywhere. And we're supposed to remain silent as our rights are being systematically destroyed.

At least this is good news.

Deja Vu

Jeff put on the Daily Show tonight; it's a rerun of the night following President Obama's re-election.

It's fun to watch the clip of Fox anchor Megan Kelly asking Karl Rove ask if he's just doing Republican math when he insists that Ohio can't be going for Obama.

It's surreal to hear Bill O'Reilly deplore minorities who feel entitled to things.  Did Mitt steal that idea when he said a week or so later that Obama won by gifts. Didn't anyone tell him that didn't fly?

Don't forget the role of the media and the negative Obama campaign (as tested by Romney's Republican rivals in the primaries.) Then there are the blacks and other minorities who didn't disappear (or perhaps didn't have their votes suppressed.)

And what of the young guns? Marco Rubio was quoted the other day saying that it's impossible to know how old the earth is; it's a great mystery.

I don't understand these people.

The Post-Election Post

I've read many posts today analyzing the election results.

Here's one by CNN and another from the Atlantic.

This is Melissa McEwan's perspective.

Perhaps Republicans doomed themselves by revealing their real agenda.  We were listening.

Jezebel pulls no punches here.

Women, Latinos, blacks and the young: we are the new coalition.

Just Stop Now

I don't even know what to say.

Please read this. http://www.texasobserver.org/cover-story/the-right-not-to-know

A Taste of Winter

On Saturday, we had an unprecedented snowstorm in October. We got off relatively easy here--only a few inches of snow in Norwalk (many towns in Connecticut got over a foot) and we were among the 68 percent in town who didn't lose power. Since Saturday, it's warmed up again so much of the snow has melted and we're seeing the odd juxtaposition of patches of snow and patches of flowers.

It's been just over two months since Hurricane Irene hit which also created many downed tree limbs and major power outages.

Something is wrong with this picture.

It's not just this corner of the world. Floods, droughts, extreme temperatures, tsunamis anyone?

Yet there are some who ignore all these signs and warnings. Those who extoll man's mastery over nature but claim we are too insignificant to effect earth's climate. The Republican presidential candidates seem to channel the anti-scientist views of the original series V. Lock them up and throw away the keys--how else can we solve our problems?

Republican-Threatened Government Shutdown: A War on Women

http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/2011/04/07/pelosi-there-is-a-war-on-women/ Federal funding for abortion is already banned under the Hyde Amendment. Regardless, abortion should not be a part of a budget debate. I am shocked at the Republican attack on Planned Parenthood even though I said thirty years ago that Republicans were against contraception http://lynnecoll.blogspot.com/2011/03/not-posting.html.

A Sad Anniversary: The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire

Today is the 100th anniversary of the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Triangle_Shirtwaist_Factory_fire in Greenwich Village in New York City.

The building where the fire took place is now part of New York University; a plague commemorates the 146 victims, mostly young women--recent Jewish and Italian immigrants. This catastrophe is credited with leading to legislation requiring new factory safety legislation and the growth of the International Ladies' Garment Workers' Union.

In 2011, many Republican politicians are demonizing unions, scapegoating them as the cause or symbol of our economic problems. They paint school teachers and government workers as overcompensated and greedy.

I have no illusions about unions--they can be as corrupt as any other organization that gains power. But we cannot succumb to the fallacy that deregulating business and industry--putting our well-being in the hands of business owners--is the answer to our economic woes. The short sighted pursuit of profit--even when couched in terms of increasing value for the shareholders--will not cure our problems. It can only lead to devastation of the environment and the ever increasing gap between the super-rich and the rest of the world population.

Too many workplaces around the world are subject to abuses that can lead to disasters similar to The Triangle Fire. The least that we can do is to stop the decimation of unions in our own country and give the working people a fighting chance.