If you look inside my personal dictionary, you would see “A life worth celebrating” as the definition of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. He will always be one of my influencers, and I do idolize him. Even though James Earl Ray took him from the world far too soon, his voice lives in the souls of those that loved and respected him. His voice sings into the ears of the people who are just now learning his name, and his memory sits with the fallen heroes that fell in the fight for social justice.
Thank you, Dr. King for making me a better person.
Please take some time to read what Jill has shared below. Click the link to read the entire article.
Today is Martin Luther King Day, a federal holiday in the United States to honour one of the greatest men who ever lived in this country. I first wrote this tribute to Dr. King in 2017, and each year I reprise it, with slight changes or minor additions, for I find that it still says […]
The following is from an email by evangelical Tony Perkins, president of the Family Research Council, an ultra-conservative ‘Christian’ hate group … Earlier this week, President Biden signed the so-called Respect for Marriage Act, which not only codifies same-sex marriage into federal law but also opens wide the door to endless litigation and persecution of […]
I recently signed up to receive CNN’s 5 Things, which is a newsletter that comes to your email with the top 5 things happening around the world.
This was the collection today:
1: January 6
Former President Donald Trump is scheduled to return to Washington, DC, today for the first time since leaving office. He is set to make a speech at a policy summit for former aides and officials from his administration. Trump’s appearance comes in the wake of fresh evidence from the House select committee investigating the Capitol riot and new testimony released by the committee that revealed the then-President crossed out lines in a speech condemning lawbreakers. President Joe Biden also fired off his harshest criticism yet of his predecessor, saying law enforcement officers on January 6 were subject to a “medieval hell” for three hours while Trump watched the violence unfold.
2: Abortion
Indiana lawmakers reconvened on Monday to consider more restrictions on abortion, the first state to hold a special session with the goal of potentially curtailing abortion rights since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade. Indiana’s Senate Republicans, who have control of the state’s legislature, said they hope to have a final vote on the abortion ban by Friday. If passed, the bill would go into effect on September 1. Although many states nationwide are examining their laws after Roe v. Wade’s reversal, particular attention has been paid to Indiana after a 10-year-old rape victim from Ohio crossed state lines to get an abortion. Separately, medical students at the University of Michigan are receiving attention on social media for walking out of their induction ceremony to protest a keynote speaker with anti-abortion views.
3: Covid-19
Since testing positive for Covid-19 last week, President Joe Biden said he is “feeling great” as his symptoms begin to wane. On Monday, Biden’s physician said his symptoms had “almost completely resolved” after five days with the illness. “So far, everything’s good,” Biden said, adding that he’s been participating in various tests every evening, checking “everything, from the temperature to the oxygen in my blood, to my pulse.” The White House has sought to underscore that Biden’s symptoms have been mild because he is vaccinated and boosted, and he began a course of the antiviral Paxlovid as soon as he tested positive. Separately, two key moderate senators — Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia and Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska — said they have tested positive for Covid-19.
4: Ukraine
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky says Russia is waging an “overt gas war” against Europe, after announcing it would further reduce gas flows through the Nord Stream 1 pipeline — a vital artery linking Russia’s vast gas reserves to Europe. European Commissioner for Energy Kadri Simson called the move a “politically motivated step” with “no technical reason” behind it. On the ground, Russian forces have made small advances in the Donetsk region of eastern Ukraine amid intense shelling along the front line. And in Russia, WNBA star Brittney Griner made a brief court appearance in Moscow today as her defense team presented evidence. Griner, who was arrested at a Russian airport in February for carrying cannabis oil in her luggage, will be cross-examined as part of her drug trial on Wednesday, her lawyers said.
5: Marriage equality
Democrats are reacting with immense scrutiny to Republicans’ opposition to codifying same-sex marriage, with Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg becoming the latest Democrat to chime in on the hot button issue. Buttigieg, who is gay, recently reacted to comments from Florida Republican Sen. Marco Rubio, who said it’s a “stupid waste of time” to vote on a bill that protects same-sex marriage. “If [Rubio’s] got time to fight against Disney, I don’t know why he wouldn’t have time to help safeguard marriages like mine.” While the Democrat-led House of Representatives last Tuesday voted to pass a bill that would enshrine protections for same-sex marriage into federal law, it still remains unclear whether the bill can pass the Senate. And in an interesting turn of events, Republican congressman Glenn Thompson attended his gay son’s wedding last week, three days after opposing the bill in the US House that would protect same-sex marriage.
That’s a lot of news to take in, but Alexandra Meeks did a great job of collecting the news to start my day and reflect upon. The first Thing she shares about Trump (Orange #45) made me nauseated. He does not belong anywhere in or near D.C. unless it is to be arrested by federal agents.
Did you ever think that the main news topics in 2022 would be about marriage equality, abortion for a 10-year-old, a madman inciting violence, a pandemic that is political, and a war overseas with another madman?
There are just so many biased decisions being made by the people we elect, and I feel a sense of urgency when I read these stories, as we all should feel this way. Our country is one that is unrecognizable, and I fear for my grandchild and my children who have to become adults into this detriment. We somehow managed to break the world back to the 1800s.
When it comes to the uncertain times we are living in, we should all take a page out of Liz Cheney’s book on sacrifice. The time is now for all of us to take a stand on the world stage against the tyranny of the majority, and we need to fight harder than we have ever had to fight.
In an interview with CNN, Cheney said, “I’m fighting hard. No matter what happens on Aug. 16, I’m going to wake up on Aug. 17 and continue to fight hard to ensure Donald Trump is never anywhere close to the Oval Office ever again,” and she knows that it may cost her a seat in Congress. She knew that her Vice Chair position for the January 6th Committee would put her job in jeopardy, but she still did her duty under the oath she took to uphold the Constitution of the United States of America.
“No matter what” is how every American should be centering their ideology regarding life in the U.S. because democracy depends on it, and it is looking scary for the 2024 election that a madman can rule the country again. We are quickly losing our constitutional rights with the radical SCOTUS decisions and state governments’ oppression of women and minorities. It’s nothing new for this country to stomp on the rights of citizens, but it feels like we keep digressing into barbaric times.
It is important to stand up for what you believe, even if it goes against what the majority wants, but it is not okay to strip away a person’s choices and freedoms because of biased viewpoints when you serve public office. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas and his wife, Ginni, are too much in the spotlight when it comes to the state of our union. Precedents are being gutted. Rights are being decimated.
It’s not the time to sit back and shake your head if you disagree with the state of our democracy. As Americans, we have to vote, sign petitions, and use our voices to protect the rights of citizens of this country. (Note the word “citizens” rather than using demographic characteristics) We must stay informed and be involved in the political process. That is a right we have that other countries do not have. We have a democracy, and the government works for us, right?
My hope is to see things change in the aspects of participation, activism, and involvement in light of the evidence found during the January 6th Committee hearings. Upcoming hearings may have Ginni Thomas being subpoenaed, and they will present the evidence of her involvement with the insurrection. With the Thomas conundrum happening in the Supreme Court, I don’t think she will follow through with cooperating with the committee, but I hope I am wrong. We need to see that evidence, but I am sure she will hide behind Clarence’s coat tail and lawyer up.
The direst of all political circumstances needing to be put in the spotlight is the election of 2024. Donald Trump and his lies could find their way back to the White House if charges are not filed federally against him for all of the crimes he committed while sitting in the Oval Office for a 4-year stretch. There is not a sane imagination on this planet that could imagine another 4 years of living in this world that is run by and under the control of a man who is just as crazy as Vladimir Putin. We feel the war in Ukraine, and the personality and ideology of Trump are no different than Trump’s bestie, Putin.
Where do your opinions on these issues lie? Do you feel comfortable with the state of democracy in this country, or do you feel like we are failing ourselves like I do?
In one of my earlier posts, I told you all about Moore v. Harper coming up on the SCOTUS docket, and earlier I learned of another case to watch, which is Merrill v. Milligan.
This post will outline the cases and tell who granted stays and who dissented on both cases. One attacks our ability to fight in disputes over federal elections and state redistricting (Moore), and the other attacks the Voting Rights Act of 1965 (Merrill).
I want to make a very important note on case law. It is about the cases and the final rulings that you are supposed to be weary of, but it is also about which amendments to the Constitution that rest within the language of the decisions and opinions of the court.
In the Moore v. Harper case, they submitted their writ of certiorari in March. The topics that are being argued in this case are partisan gerrymandering, congressional redistricting, and the Elections Clause. There is also language of the Equal Protection Clause, Freedom of Speech, and Assembly Clauses coming in this case from the North Carolina Supreme Court case in which the petitioner appealed. (Remember above that I said it’s important to look at the Amendments encompassed inside of these documents.)
Certiorari from SCOTUS was granted in this case on June 30, 2022 with Justices Kavanaugh, Gorsuch, Thomas, and Alito. This will be a scary case of voter subversion through state gerrymandering, so it is important that we watch this case closely and watch the wording that comes through on opinions of the justices.
Now, onto Merrill v. Milligan, we see another case that has many precursors of suppression of liberty. John Merrill is the Secretary of State in Alabama, and there are actually two other parties, Evan Milligan and Marcus Caster. This case is coming from a district court in Alabama, which I found odd. It seems this case has bumped up the ladder rather quickly, and it is taking hits at Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, and the opinion of the lower court dilutes the black vote on a 1994 verbiage from Justice Thomas that redistricting, which he argued “…that interpreting the law to require some level of racial discrimination in how congressional lines are drawn did not comport with the statute and subverted the principle of a color-blind Constitution” (Alabama Center for Law & Liberty, 2022).
Thomas is no stranger to going after this section of the legislation, and this is why I say this branch of government has way too much power. The legislative branch was designed by the Framers to be the strongest, but this Supreme Court is pretty damn powerful.
The Justices supporting the stay and granting certiorari are Justices Thomas, Alito, Kavanaugh, Gorsuch, and Barrett. Justices Roberts, Kagan, Sotomayor, and Breyer dissented with Roberts and Breyer filing the dissents.
So, this was just a quick look at the cases coming up that have been put on the SCOTUS docket. These 5-4 decisions are going to be coming more and more. I am going to be curious to see how Justice Jackson will begin voting, which I assume it will be better than Breyer’s voting. There are many cases entwined in these two cases too. All of them about voting rights and gerrymandering. Stay tuned…
We had SCOTUS nominees commit perjury in their job interviews. If you or I did this in a job interview, and the employer found out, guess what would happen? We sure the hell wouldn’t keep our seat warm with that company, and a bad job reference to the next employer would follow.
Lying under oath in a court of law is perjury, and if we do that, we get held in contempt of court. We go to jail. No one is supposed to be above the law, and I want to see some Articles of Impeachment on the congressional table along with a list of President Biden’s potential nominees to replace them. This country belongs to the people, and he works for us. Let’s get it done!
The Uvalde police chief needs to surrender more than his council position. This is self-explanatory…he’s incompetent and got those babies killed.
Jayland Walker was executed and maimed by nearly 90 bullets fired by the Blue. If you haven’t heard of this story, it’s atrocious and overkill. Click HERE to read the story.
House visits to justices have brought me happy tears. My favorite sign was “Keep Your Rosaries Off My Ovaries” at Amy Coney Barrett’s house protest. It’s all over twitter if you want to hear the marches by her house.
Most important! The 10th Amendment! The 10th Amendment has a very meaningful definition if you pay attention to it. (I will follow this up with a picture from my ConLaw book.)
The definition from my book for the 10th Amendment says, “The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the states, are reserved to the states, respectively, or to the people” (Hall, 2021). If you are new to ConLaw, your eyes are probably crossing, but I will spell it out a bit further.
If a regulation infringes on Constitutional rights, the power of what happens to that regulation is in the hands of the people under this amendment. It’s not just supremacy and necessary and proper in the aspect of what people can do. Read that again. The people are the main aspect of the Constitution that SCOTUS and Congress forgets about. Let me show you:
This is a great guide from my textbook of the powers in the 10th Amendment. Citation below.
That first question and answer…is us! It’s our power if something encroaches on our liberties and rights. Why? I am so glad you asked! It’s because every person sitting in Congress and POTUS are voted into office by the PEOPLE. So, each and every one of them work for us.
This means that it is also up to us to put on the pressure to get results. That is how Roe got overturned. The radical asshats were louder and more pushy than we were causing them to be heard over us. They pushed harder than the pro-choice people.
Do you want to know how to fix it all?
…drum roll…
Vote!
…drum roll…
Use Amendment X to our advantage by putting pressure on Congress to do our bidding.
To reiterate what the picture above asks and points out:
Does the regulation encroach upon civil liberties or rights of the people? If the answer is “Yes”, neither level of government can regulate the regulation (state or federal).
Let’s imagine a scenario for a moment where everyone who feels their civil liberties and/or rights have been trampled on by a piece of legislation or decision takes their case to court, writes to their congressmen and women, visits their state capitals, etc. The courts and the governmental officials are going to get really sick of hearing from us and from us making their dockets fill up with 10th Amendment afflictions.
Here is my olive branch. If you want to join me in finding folks that have been impacted by an encroachment of civil liberties and civil rights, contact me. Let’s see what we can get done together.
In community,
Amy
References:
Hall, D. E., Feldmeier, J. (20210104). Constitutional Law: Govermental Powers and Individual Freedoms, 4th Edition. [[VitalSource Bookshelf version]]. Retrieved from vbk://9780135772621.
I am back! First I am going to share some photos, and then I am going to repent for my actions. I did not leave Vegas richer financially, but I did leave with a wealth of happy times to reflect on later. We stayed at the Paris, and it was nice.
I want to first talk about how guilty I feel for enjoying myself when all of the beautiful women in this unrecognizable country are suffering. I know…I shouldn’t feel that way, but I do. I want to share the happy moments because I think we are about to have a lot of bad moments.
The first night, Friday, we went to see the Jabbawockeez. That was one of the most fun and best shows I think we had on our trip, except for the near naked Aussie Men 🤣. They were interactive and really put on a great show for their fans. The second day, we ate at Hells Kitchen and then went to the Thunder Down Under show (…many firsts on this trip, and this is one of them lol.) I came, saw, and conquered on that one. I would share but not sure you all want to see all that LOL.
Me in front of the Hell’s Kitchen sign
Then, last night we went to Criss Angel’s Mindfreak after eating some Mexican food at YOLOs, and I was a bit disappointed. I had the highest hopes for this show, but it was highly sexualized and had more of a movie aspect of it for promotions to his other undertakings. He’s a great guy, and I still love him. I just think he gave up on the show that made him Criss Angel. I did get to pose with the beautiful Tatiana and Criss’s straightjacket.
Me & Tatiana at Mindfreak
Today, we headed home around noon after eating at the Cracker Barrell in Nevada. We made it home around 5:40-ish this evening.
As we were on our way to Las Vegas, the Dobbs decision came through on our phones. My sister and I felt heavy and our hearts ached. I needed the break away but felt horrible that I was not sitting here at my computer when the news broke about Roe and Casey.
I will have plenty of things to say and action steps to take. I did make my stand by wearing my RBG voices shirt. It says “Speak Your Mind Even If Your Voice Quivers”. I wasn’t looking for praise or thumbs up, but I got plenty. It was nice to know that folks read the shirt and could relate to it. I wish I would have gotten a better photo of it. (We consumed a few adult beverages lol.)
Me and Sis before Jabbawockeez (Amazing show!) This is the best picture that I have of the shirt.
Now…without a hitch…I will be fighting for legislation in California to protect enhanced women’s healthcare in our state, and I will be very loud about calling for the impeachment of Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh, and Amy Coney Barrett. They lied under oath, which last time I checked was called perjury and is a crime, and they have committed crimes against the women of this country. I also call for the impeachment for Clarence Thomas for being married to an insurrectionist and supporting her radical views from the bench. All four of these judges are setting their own agendas on American lives, and someone better start impeaching the asshats.
I am thankful that I got this little vacation because now I am refreshed and ready to stomp on some old balls that have nothing better to do than bounce on our rights…pun intended.
I was going to write up my own summation of the Prime Time special about the January 6th insurrection, but my friend and sister, Jill Dennison, has written it the best I have seen yet.
I want to add that Bennie and Liz did a great job in their opening statements, and it shows that bipartisanship is possible. I think we will read those speeches in our history books, as they were honest addresses to the nation.
I am very curious what all is going to happen with these special event hearings and which Republicans were “asking for Presidential pardons” because I feel the convolution of psychotic ideas is going to go very deep into our democracy.
I also think that those telling the truth to the committee are very brave for standing up against a bully and terrorist to make sure someone is held accountable.
Please read Jill’s post and really take in her words. This is a conversation that needs to be had and made between constituents of our government’s political process. Voices always need to be heard. Hear Jill’s voice in her words.
In Community,
Amy
I mostly want to talk a bit about last night’s televised hearings, but also have another snippet … or maybe two … who knows? 🤷 January 6th Committee hearings I watched the televised hearings of the January 6th committee tonight, and I have to tell you, by the time they took a 10-minute recess after […]
I am reblogging this from my friend, Jill at Filosofa’s Word. Please take a moment and read Jill’s analysis of the current mass shooting epidemic that is happening and being swept under the rug along the lines of access to assault rifles. Let’s get another conversation started and figure out what actions we can take to get our voices heard.
May 14th – 10 killed, 3 injured in a grocery store in Buffalo, New York May 15th – 1 killed, 5 injured at a church in Laguna Woods, California May 24th – 19 children, 2 teachers killed, 17 injured in a school in Uvalde, Texas June 1st – 4 killed at a hospital in Tulsa, […]
One terrorist (Buffalo) was a racist looking to take out as many Black people as possible based on census data, and one just wanted to shoot a school up because his grandmother pissed him off (Uvalde). Then, if that is not enough terrorism for you, the Oklahoma shooting was patient dissatisfaction after a surgery, so he shot the surgeon and others in his path. The Laguna, CA shooting is new to me, but people cannot even go to church safely without worry of being shot up for religious preference.
The 2nd Amendment was never intended to protect assault rifles over public good. READ that AGAIN… and AGAIN…until it “clicks” and gun laws are changed!
I will end with the definition of domestic terrorism, and then I am going back to the books. The source of this image is from the FBI.gov page concerning domestic terrorism.
Image Credit: FBI
After reading those definitions, what category would you put these mass shooters in?
Tonight was a reflective night while reading my textbook for my college course, and even more after listening to the lecture from my professor. In the lecture, the entrance of the phrase “tyranny of the majority” comes front and center when speaking about the French theorist named Montesquieu and again with James Madison’s essay called Federalist #10.
I am going to make an effort to read all of those essays that were written, as they are in my library, but this tyrannical phrase feels very relevant and important to discuss further in a reflection of current times. The separation of powers that both Montesquieu and Madison theorize about are the same in some ways and very different in others.
(Bear with me…I will elaborate further in a moment.)
Power is what runs the world. Power is also what we fought against when gaining independence away from the Crown’s monarchy in the 18th century when the American Revolution took us to the Declaration of Independence.
Which takes me back to Montesquieu…
As the creator of the separation of powers ideology, Montesquieu had a great theory, but it fell a little short. He argued that the government knew how best to care for its people, and that the size of government was the key to success of delegating power.
Madison’s idea of power different, but still had the same kind of theory. The difference was that size didn’t matter but the interests on the table were key to allocating power between the central government and the states.
Federalism was the result of the compromise between the Federalists and Antifederalists to keep from “tyranny of the majority”. Madison and Montesquieu knew that there would be come to be greed and selfishness in the competition of power, so regardless of who was right, the key was to stop a coup, which we failed to do with the election of one very orange man.
Each of the men had conflicting views on how the tyranny would come into play in our history and futures, but the similarity is that power was paramount to democracy and had to be separated.
These theories from two men became a reality on January 6, 2021 in the attacks on the U.S. Capitol. Our three branches of government were designed to work together and for each branch to practice checks and balances. When one maniac gets too much power, it’s detriment for the nation. These reasons are why the Articles of Confederation were scrapped and why the Constitution took its place…to fix a weak, unilateral government that was under the mercy of the state’s contributions of tax monies to survive.
I would love to hear any feedback on my interpretation and have a good discussion about this topic.
I know that we are all in different places, but I wanted to share this as an education the process to vote. This one is for ACLU NorCal, but please check your local ACLU for voting rights information in your area.
Click here to read the information from my local ACLU. I thought this could serve as a model to look for in your state.
If you need help finding your voting rights in your county and state, please do not hesitate to reach out for help. It’s your right to vote, and it’s all of our responsibilities to get out and cast our votes, especially in the primary.
This page will be under construction, since I want to add more voting resources.
Fandango at 5.0 analyzes the 2nd Amendment in this post, and I think everyone should read his analysis. It enforces what I was talking about in my Voices of the People post that I published last night regarding all of the shootings and massacres going on in the world.
Please visit his post and start a conversation about these issues.
I originally posted Second Amendment Thoughts last year around this time, but I thought, in light of the most recent incidents of mass shootings in the United States over the past two weeks, I thought it might be worth revisiting it. I’ve made some changes and updates to the original. I have perspectives regarding the […]
If you have never heard of the Grassroots Law Project, I want to invite you to learn more about them, and I also would ask that you share this email with your followers as well. I welcome reblogs and good conversations about the current events and political unrest in our countries, mainly in the U.S.
GLP was founded by Shaun King, a political ally for minority folks, organizer, and activist with on-the-ground training in fighting the divide of the United States. You can read more about the project, HERE.
Grassroots is a great organization that helps so many people, and the town hall we had last night was talking about some of the neglects that we have been suffering from the White House not fulfilling promises.
Just a bit ago I got an email shared with me that President Biden would be issuing a policing order on George Floyd’s murder anniversary. Why did it take so long to get this kind of action on the table? It has been two years since he was murdered by Derek Chauvin, and other acts/legislation have not been taken seriously. Don’t get me wrong, okay. I am glad Biden is doing this policing order that will change use of force policies with law enforcement, but it’s taken half his administration time to get it done.
I made a promise to the team of GLP last night to commit to three years of action. I intend to keep that promise, so here I am talking to you all.
I need at least five people, between my followers and your followers, to go and fill out this form: The Greatest Threat
If you are able to, please donate to the project. GLP is transparent on how their donations are used and implemented to create change in the world, and you will also have a voice in how funds are used when you are involved with the project team. If you are unable to commit to a monthly donation, it’s okay. I know some folks are better off financially than other, and that will never be held against you or judged. I will never know if you donate or not, unless you decide to tell me.
Step 3 comes after a donation, but it can be any monthly amount. I chose to donate $1 monthly for now (I plan to go to $10 when I get paid this month).This action will get you invited to a private team to work on issues in the sophisticated plan that Grassroots Law has drawn up.
If this feels like a solicitation, it kind of is, but it’s an actionable solicitation that is important and dire in a world that embraces oppression and violence.
Join me in fighting the good fight with 3 years of action dedicated to fighting for change and developing an energized team with outstanding organization that will gain influence in our government. Someone has to say something or organize to compete with opposing views, so we need to be the voice of the majority of the American people who want to see white supremacy squashed.
I wanted to share my post from my creative writing blog to elaborate further on my sharing of Jill’s Great Replacement post.
In Community,
Amy
Photo by Life Matters on Pexels.com I was going through my emails, and I saw the most important question that I have seen for a while. The post included great information and education on real things that are going on in the world. If you know anything about me, you know that I use my […]
I recently wrote a post on my creative writing site about racism in the United States, and I had to be honest when I wrote it that I had not heard of “The Great Replacement”…which is terrible that I did not know. I try to keep myself updated on new issues, and this one is so disturbing. My friend, Jill Dennison, wrote this very informative and educational post. Please go to her page and continue the discussion. It’s dire times we live in, so we need to discuss and work together on issues such as this.
In Community,
Amy
I’ve got a sad story to tell those people who have tied themselves to the lie known as the “Great Replacement theory” … the replacement has already happened. Oh no, not in the way you think … white people are still a relevant portion of the population in the United States, and unfortunately, they still […]
The Voice of the Voiceless 