Keeping Hierarchies Intact More Important than Democracy

Longtime Republican strategist and Lincoln Project co-founder Steve Schmidt warned that America is in a dangerous hour stating that president Donald Trump’s effort to overturn the election result “was a failed coup” that would result in him attempting another.  

Slamming the attorney generals of the 18 red states who joined Texas in the lawsuit before the Supreme Court, Mr Schmidt said: “What happened in the month of November premeditatedly, deliberately, faith and belief in American democracy was poisoned by President Trump, culminating with 126 members of the House of Representatives and 18 Republicans attorney generals signing an amicus brief to a garbage lawsuit that is, in essence, a declaration of repudiation of American democracy.” 

Republicans that support Trump's effort to overturn democracy in the United States obviously believe that keeping themselves on top of our nation's hierarchies is much more important than the democracy towards which the country professes to aspire. 

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/steve-schmidt-lincoln-project-trump-election-b1774749.html

Top of the Hierarchy Wants Clemency Others Don't Get

Outgoing President Donald Trump is becoming flooded with requests for clemency from his closest business associates and high-profile criminals.  

Since Trump lost the election six weeks ago, calls and emails have been flooding into the West Wing from people looking to benefit from the President's powers of clemency. So inundated is Trump's staff with requests for pardons or commutations that a spreadsheet has been created to keep track of the requests directed to Trump's close aides. More swamp flooding the White House.

https://www.cnn.com/2020/12/16/politics/donald-trump-pardons-lame-duck/index.html

Negro Baseball Leagues Gaining Deserved Recognition by MLB

Major League Baseball's books record books will be changed after MLB announced that it is reclassifying the Negro Leagues as a major league.

MLB said Wednesday that it was "correcting a longtime oversight in the game's history" by elevating the Negro Leagues on the centennial of their founding. The Negro Leagues consisted of seven leagues, and MLB will include records from those circuits between 1920 and 1948. The Negro Leagues began to dissolve one year after Jackie Robinson became MLB's first Black player with the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947.

https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/30531397/mlb-reclassifies-negro-leagues-major-league

Move Over, Angry White Men of the 50's

Time for the "good ole boys" to move over. They have way over had their chance to make decisions. 

 

Dr. Jill Biden - YES

Of course it is absolutely ridiculous and incredibly sexist that the Wall Street Journal would allow an opinion piece that criticizes First Lady elect Jill Biden for using her title Dr. These men need to go hide somewhere. Is this all a publicity stunt or something, it is so ridiculous. 

https://www.wsj.com/articles/is-there-a-doctor-in-the-white-house-not-if-you-need-an-m-d-11607727380

 

Biden/Harris Transition Website – Ready on Day One

Ready to go, and on the run. Here is the Biden/Harris transition website, where we can keep abreast of news of how our country is going to go back to sane governance.

https://buildbackbetter.com/?fbclid=IwAR0VBrnasAidJYfMHGt7GwIt21FNaRG4v5YpD4b4dSVlvf01qaAs6TNal14

Women From Historically Black Colleges and Universities Lead the Way

 

More Women Than Ever Before Elected to Congress

Women on both sides of the political aisle won big in 2020.

In 1981, only 7 women served in Congress. In 2018, it was 127. Now in 2020, at least 134 will represent constituents in Congress.

Missouri elected its first Black women to Congress. New Mexico is the first state to elect all women of color to the House of Representatives.

https://www.nbcnews.com/know-your-value/feature/more-women-ever-were-just-elected-congress-here-are-their-ncna1246757?cid=sm_npd_ms_fb_ma&fbclid=IwAR0VBrnasAidJYfMHGt7GwIt21FNaRG4v5YpD4b4dSVlvf01qaAs6TNal14

Black Women Saved the Day

Black women have made all the difference in the 2020 elections. Exit polls report that more than 90 percent of Black women cast their ballots for Biden and Harris, voting as a bloc. Their nearest rivals in 2020 are Black men, 80 percent of whom supported the Democratic ticket, making Black women’s impact unparalleled. 

In addition, many Black women, such as Stacey Abrams, made a huge difference in the fight for fairness and inclusion.

https://talkingpointsmemo.com/cafe/black-women-led-through-most-consequential-contest-lifetimes-high-time-thank-them?fbclid=IwAR0NwCCNbxIXuSlHI23r_0JX21Fl8Y5baa2PTYIEChULuFvQX7Q9B5v65hA

Chicago Blackhawks to Honor Indigenous People

The Chicago Blackhawks NHL team announced on Sunday the team plans to open its home games and other events by reading an Indigenous land acknowledgment.

The hockey team committed on the first day of Native American Heritage Month to making a land acknowledgement, or “a formal statement that recognizes the unique and enduring relationship that exists between Indigenous Peoples and their traditional territories.”

https://thehill.com/blogs/in-the-know/in-the-know/523904-chicago-blackhawks-to-read-indigenous-land-acknowledgment?fbclid=IwAR2u_NrRwWEdg29TCVEFixB-X962A2BVfCDy1kjP1ASX0OjWcQkQkMLi8hY

Arkansas House Candidate Wore KKK Outfit for Halloween

Charles Beckham III, 37, is challenging state Sen. Bruce Maloch (D) next week and several of his classmates from high school are speaking out about his racism. They say they remember when he dressed up as a Klansman for Halloween in 2000 at the Mississippi School for Mathematics and Science.

Another Black woman who attended the school, Safira McGrew, said that both Beckham and his girlfriend at the time had Confederate flags hanging in their dorm rooms.

Beckham was kicked out of the school following the KKK regalia incident, and his parents filed a lawsuit, and a judge dismissed the suit.

“When I think about people who would do good as a public servant, he is close to the last person on that list,” former classmate Eric Seymour said, explaining that he was bullied by Beckham at the high school.

“He personally terrorized me. That kind of speaks to his character,” he remembered. “He’s a bully. He’s not a nice guy.”

Since deciding to run for office, Beckham has apologized.

https://www.lgbtqnation.com/2020/10/republican-candidate-apologizes-wearing-kkk-regalia-terrorizing-black-students/

National Geographic Maps US Showing Best States for Women

Using the same data as discussed in our previous post, National Geographic provides data in map form showing the best and the worst states for women. 

Best is Massachusetts, worst is Louisiana.  

https://www.nationalgeographic.com/magazine/2020/12/these-are-the-best-and-worst-states-for-women/

How Does Your State Rank on Women's Right?

Want to know how your state ranks on women's rights? Ms. Magazine has published an article based on data from the Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace, and Security which ranks Massachusetts #1 and Louisiana #2. No state offers full legal protection of women's rights, and some offer none, according to the article.

https://msmagazine.com/2020/10/21/how-does-your-state-rank-on-womens-rights/

Amnesty International to Monitor US Election Season

The United States, once respected as a champion of human rights for many, has now gained the reputation for the opposite. Amnesty International has grave concerns about the respect for human rights in the United States.

 “The world is watching the United States and we at Amnesty International stand ready to document and denounce violations of the rights to freedom of expression and assembly throughout the election period. The widespread availability of guns, combined with the incitement of violence and the enabling and abetting of white supremacy — at the highest levels of government and by those elected to serve the people — has left the country dangerously vulnerable to civil and political unrest,” said Bob Goodfellow, Interim Executive Director of Amnesty International USA.

https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2020/10/usa-amnesty-to-monitor-human-rights-abuses-at-demonstrations/

Human Rights Campaign Says Barrett's Confirmation a Sham

“Despite Amy Coney Barrett’s troubling anti-LGBTQ record and rhetoric, Senate Republicans rushed through the fastest Supreme Court confirmation process in modern history. This was a power grab, plain and simple, and voters must hold these Senators – and Donald Trump – accountable at the polls,” said Alphonso David, president of the Human Rights Campaign. “The process was a sham, the hearings were fast-tracked, and once again, Mitch McConnell and Donald Trump have chosen power over people. We must reject this bald power grab and elect officials – especially in the White House and the U.S. Senate – who will ensure our judicial branch lives up to its potential. Voters should hold Sens. Daines, Ernst, Gardner, Graham, McSally, Sullivan and Tillis accountable at the ballot box. Our democracy and our lives depend on it.” 

https://www.hrc.org/press-releases/the-human-rights-campaign-amy-coney-barretts-confirmation-is-a-sham-threatens-lgbtq-equality

Trump Administration Sues Yale to End Affirmative Action

"The Trump administration sued Yale University today accusing the school of violating federal civil rights law by discriminating against applicants based on their race.

"The Justice Department lawsuit is the most drastic action the Trump administration has taken to combat the use of race in university admissions, a practice that has repeatedly been upheld by the Supreme Court. But race-based affirmative action is considered vulnerable under the conservative majority on the high court, which would expand further if the Senate confirms President Donald Trump’s nominee, Amy Coney Barrett."

https://www.politico.com/news/2020/10/08/trump-administration-sues-yale-428235

Kamala Harris – Wonderful Up Against a Man Like Mike Pence

"Every Black Woman Has Faced a Mike Pence" by Erin Evans says it all. Kamala Harris offered a master class in poise and sophistocation against an empty suit of lies. 

"And at least, for one night, Harris effortlessly showed odd, as author Brittney Cooper puts it, "eloquent rage" and poise, on the national stage – and reminded us how hard it can be to stick the landing."

https://www.huffpost.com/entry/kamala-harris-black-women_n_5f7f343ac5b600470a9955b8

Biden Committed to LGBTQ Rights

Democratic Presidential candidate Joe Biden on Thursday emphasized his commitment to LGBTQ rights, including his support for the Equality Act, in a message to the Human Rights Campaign, the country’s largest LGBTQ rights group.

“The White House should never be a source of opposition or fear or oppression,” he added. “It should be a source of hope, of moral courage and of unification.”

https://www.nbcnews.com/feature/nbc-out/biden-lgbtq-advocates-you-deserve-partner-white-house-n1241016

Hillary Clinton Talks about Women's Rights

"In addition to voting for women seeking positions of power, each of us can speak out, support organizations promoting women’s rights and power, and engage in peaceful protest movements. We can support mentoring and role modeling, and work to change messages in media. We can call out sexism and racism, and challenge insidious norms in our culture, workplaces, and households. This year is the 100th anniversary of the Nineteenth Amendment, a milestone we had hoped could be celebrated with events across America. Though the pandemic has rendered that nearly impossible, an equally fitting tribute is to commit ourselves to new platforms for action, in our own country and on the world stage. And someday soon, I hope we will elect a woman president of the United States."

https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2020/10/hillary-clinton-womens-rights/615463/

RBG - What a Hero!!

Fatima Goss Graves, president and CEO of the National Women's Law Center, discusses Ruth Bader Ginsburg, and her role as a trailblazer for women generally but the architect of so many of our foundational rights.

https://www.npr.org/2020/09/19/914850035/ruth-bader-ginsbergs-legacy-as-women-s-rights-champion

Anita Hill Will Be Voting for Joe Biden

Anita Hill and Joe Biden have a troubled history dating back nearly three decades: In 1991, Biden was chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee and oversaw the confirmation hearing of then-US Supreme Court nominee Clarence Thomas. Hill was the star witness, testifying that Thomas sexually harassed her when they worked together at the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. 

As the chairman, Biden has long defended himself against complaints that he didn't take Hill's allegations seriously enough, and that he didn't step in to intervene when the hearings devolved into a circus-like atmosphere in which Hill was humiliated. The panel of all-male senators grilled her on her accusations in painful detail, and they called into question her own personal character.

 "Notwithstanding all of his limitations in the past, and the mistakes that he made in the past, notwithstanding those -- at this point, between Donald Trump and Joe Biden, I think Joe Biden is the person who should be elected in November," Hill told CNN's Gloria Borger. But it's not just because he's running against Donald Trump, she adds. "Its more about the survivors of gender violence. That's really what it's about."

And if that means voting for and working with Joe Biden, then "so be it."

https://www.cnn.com/2020/09/05/politics/anita-hill-joe-biden-voting/index.html

New York Mask Wearing Refusal has Right-WIng Riders Ranting

Refusing to wear masks during this pandemic brings up all sorts of issues and prejudices with right-wing people.

A couple who were removed from a New York City ferry after refusing to wear masks ranted about Black Lives Matter, government control and what they described as discrimination against white people in America.

The woman involved in the incident claimed they wouldn't have been forced to wear a mask on the city ferry "if we were f**king Black."

https://www.newsweek.com/nyc-couple-removed-ferry-refusing-masks-say-they-were-targeted-being-white-1529966

Human Rights Watch: US Should Abandon Autocrats, Re-embrace Human Rights

 "The U.S. government has never been a consistent promoter of human rights — other interests were often prioritized — but when it did act, it could be powerful. Yet U.S. influence on human rights has plummeted under President Donald Trump. If Joe Biden assumes the presidency, he will need to oversee a major transformation if he wants the U.S. government to be a credible human rights voice.

"It will not be enough simply to revert to the (often inadequate) policies of four years ago. The world has changed since then, with a pandemic, the further rise of China — which recently sanctioned me and 10 other U.S citizens for our rights work on Hong Kong — and growing global awareness of racism, inequality and other injustices that leave so many people behind. U.S. policy will need to adjust."

Such is the view of the Human Rights Watch, who continue in the article to evaluate Trump's role and what could happen if Biden is elected.

https://www.hrw.org/news/2020/09/06/us-should-shun-autocrats-re-embrace-human-rights

New Hate Crime and Public Order Bill Introduced in Scotland

Scotland has now introduced the Hate Crime and Public Order bill to the Scottish Parliament in response to his recommendations.

The bill adds hate crime based on a person's age to the list of protected groups, with hatred based on someone's sex potentially to be added in the future.

It aims to simplify and clarify the law by bringing together the various existing hate crime laws into a single piece of legislation.

And it creates a new crime of "stirring up hatred" against the protected groups - which is defined as "behaving in a threatening or abusive manner, or communicating threatening or abusive material to another person".

Serious concerns have been raised about the potential impact on freedom of speech, with opponents arguing that the full implications of the proposed law have not been thought through.

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-scotland-scotland-politics-53580326

Mexican Feminist Collective Takes over National Human Rights Commission Headquarters

Mexico is experiencing actions to break down gender hierarchies. 

In Mexico City, a feminist collective has taken over the headquarters of the National Human Rights Commission (CNDH) making it a shelter for victims of gender-based violence.

On Thursday, The Ni Una Menos (Not One Woman Less) Collective seized the historic center offices of the CNDH, knocked down the building’s sign and replaced it with a banner that reads, “Ni Una Menos Mexico Shelter House.”

The collective’s members claim the CNDH has failed to defend women’s rights and provide adequate assistance to those in need.

https://mexiconewsdaily.com/news/feminists-take-over-human-rights-office/

Girls: "Live a Bold, Brave Life" According to Women Skydivers on 100th Anniversary of Women's Suffrage

A team of all-female elite skydivers in Nashville took to the skies to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the passage of the 19th Amendment, which resulted in the right of women to vote, after decades of efforts. 

The 11 members of the Highlight Pro Skydiving Team jumped from the skies on August 18. 

https://www.tennessean.com/story/news/politics/women-of-the-century/2020/08/18/skydivers-mark-100-years-womens-right-vote-nashville-jump/3334327001/

Here is a video of the jump on the group's Facebook Page:

https://www.facebook.com/highlightskydiving/videos/652886625344048/?_ga=2.228406111.355801281.1598759944-2137335707.1597797519

NAACP Sues USPS and Dejoy for Impeding Mail Service

The NAACP has filed lawsuit in the United States District Court of Washington, D.C. against the United States Postal Service and Postmaster General of the United States Postal Service, Louis Dejoy. The lawsuit alleges that Dejoy has impeded the timely distribution of mail, implemented crippling policies on postal workers, and sabotaged the United States Postal Service in a blatant attempt to disenfranchise voters of color, who are already more harshly impacted by the coronavirus and require alternative methods to in-person voting to protect their health and safety.

“As the country faces an uphill battle against COVID-19 and systemic racism, we’re witnessing a significant onslaught against our postal system at a time when prompt mail delivery matters more than ever, especially for voters of color,” said Derrick Johnson, President and CEO, NAACP. “This willful and blatant attempt to obstruct the mail system amidst a pandemic and on the precipice of a pivotal election is a direct threat to the people of this nation’s right to vote in a fair and free election.”

https://naacp.org/latest/naacp-sues-postmaster-general-united-states-postal-service-restore-reliable-mail-delivery-ahead-november-elections/

J.K. Rowling Distances Herself From Human Rights

J.K. Rowling, author of the Harry Potter series, is returning the Ripple of Hope award she received last year from the Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights organization.

The decision comes after Kerry Kennedy who is the president of the RFKHR group, issued a statement, concerning Rowling’s comments about transgender issues.

“Over the course of June 2020—LGBTQ Pride Month—and much to my dismay, J.K. Rowling posted deeply troubling transphobic tweets and statements,” Kennedy wrote on August 3, before detailing instances in which the British author “wrote glibly and dismissively about transgender identity.”

Kennedy stated that she is disappointed that Rowling “has chosen to use her remarkable gifts to create a narrative that diminishes the identity of trans and nonbinary people, undermining the validity and integrity of the entire transgender community—one that disproportionately suffers from violence, discrimination, harassment, and exclusion and, as a result, experiences high rates of suicide, suicide attempts, homelessness, and mental and bodily harm.”

https://www.vanityfair.com/style/2020/08/jk-rowling-distances-herself-from-human-rights

NBA Teams Rise to the Occasion

Hierarchies fall faster when people on top decide to support that efforts of lower groups to break down hierarchies. Such is the case when professional men's sports teams use their power and influence to crate positive change. 

When players chose not to play in postseason games Wednesday to protest the excessive use of force by the Kenosha, Wisconsin, police officers in the shooting of Jacob Blake, a Black man, the NBA and the National Basketball Players' Association came to an agreement on putting three initiatives into place before game action would resume.

One of those initiatives stated: "In every city where the league franchise owns and controls the arena property, team governors will continue to work with local elections officials to convert the facility into a voting location for the 2020 general election to allow for a safe in-person voting option for communities vulnerable to COVID."

These efforts come in contrast to the effort by Top-of-the-Hierarchy Trump supporters and Republicans trying everything they can think of to create voter suppression, particularly in areas where support for Trump is not what they desire.

https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/29769349/lakers-latest-use-team-facility-voting-center

Kyle Rittenhouse Viewed as Isolated Incident Because He is a White Male

Let's say a person who was part of a Black Lives Matter demonstration had brought an automatic weapon and shot and killed two people. We all know that the collective view would blame the BLM movement. After all, if people on lower groups of a hierarchy do something viewed as undesirable, it is considered to be a reflection of the entire group when hierarchies are in operation.

However, since Kyle Rittenhouse is part of a group of white males, what could he possibly do that would reflect on his group as a whole? Not too much, as when people on top of hierarchies do something that is considered undesirable, then that one person is viewed as acting as a loner when hierarchies are at play. We are so unaccustomed to holding top groups accountable for their collective actions and privileges, that we are programmed to not attribute top characteristics to the group as a whole.

Portland, Oregon: Latest Show of Hierarchical Control Tactics

Trump's Homeland Security tactics are terrorizing protestors in Portland, Oregon. Protestors are being forced into unmarked vehicles by unlabeled agents in camo outfits. These federal agents are acting in a city unwelcome by the governor of Oregon and the mayor of Portland.

People on the top on hierarchies feel they can use any tactics they want to control those who disagree with building and maintaining hierarchies, which certainly Black Lives Matter does. Trump and his supporters appear to stop at almost nothing to force the country to allow them to go back to a time when white supremacy ruled even more than it does today.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2020/07/17/portland-protests-federal-arrests/?fbclid=IwAR1O-JtMqlp7H81YfrHeK4uh5DPox5HNHEf7uuuIlk8wQxYUEBJJZPa0Sek

John Lewis: Our Country Will Miss Him

John Lewis will forever be a beacon of honor and hope in the United States and he will be very missed. An icon of the Civil Rights Movement, those of us who are working to end hierarchies could always depend on him for saying whatever shined the light on the truth.

John Lewis - An American Treasure


https://thehill.com/homenews/house/476718-civil-rights-legend-rep-john-lewis-dies?rnd=1595043334&fbclid=IwAR1spaXxRSMnP4O3YvyuvAtVAQvObtdMYhvLeZkZ-gj7ktCb9wLvGpIRLAU

CBC: Trump, Don't Comment on John Lewis's Death

Rep. Karen Bass (D-Calif.), the chair of the Congressional Black Caucus, urged President Trump to remain silent on Rep. John Lewis’s (D-Ga.) recent death, suggesting his remarks would serve as an unwanted distraction.

“.@realDonaldTrump while the nation mourns the passing of a national hero, please say nothing. Please don’t comment on the life of Congressman Lewis. Your press secretary released a statement, leave it at that,” she tweeted. “Please let us mourn in peace.”

Way to stand up to the top of the hierarchy, and tell them not to try to benefit from the work and honor of people in lower groups! 


https://thehill.com/homenews/house/507955-congressional-black-caucus-chair-encourages-trump-to-stay-silent-on-lewiss?fbclid=IwAR00NF8uahNx-L4MA2R4W5EJlcJWICR9H1dym_3mk5LpVZJKMRwAuw7eR84

Fox News - Lying about Demonstrators is Their Game

If it supports their race hierarchy, then it must be ok for Fox News.

Fox News published images on its website that had be digitally altered and were misleading about demonstrations in Seattle, where a group of largely peaceful Black Lives Matter protesters were occupying six blocks. The doctored images made the protesters appear violent and dangerous.

This deceitful tactic was called out by the local newspaper, the Seattle Times. The newspaper asked Fox News about the pictures, and Fox News took them down.

https://www.cnn.com/2020/06/13/media/seattle-fox-news-autonomous-zone-protest/index.html

Boycott Idaho Because of Anti-Transgender Law

The cis/trans gender hierarchy is rearing its head in Idaho. Idaho has passed a controversial law that bans transgender women from competing in women's sports.

Billy Jean King and Megan Rapinoe, as well as many advocacy groups, has sent a letter to the NCAA asking it to pull the men's 2021 basketball tournament from Boise scheduled for March 18-20.

The ban applies to all sports teams sponsored by public schools, colleges, and universities. No team for girls or women will be open to transgender students who identify as female. 

https://idahonews.com/news/local/billy-jean-king-megan-rapinoe-among-athletes-asking-ncaa-to-pull-2021-tourney-from-idaho

Megan Rapinoe was Right All Along

US Soccer Federation president Cindy Parlow Cone has apologized to soccer women's national soccer team leader Megan Rapinoe for the policy that the federation instituted when Rapinoe knelt in support of Colin Kaepernick.  

US Soccer added the rule when following right-leaning conservatives who tried to make the issue a "patriotic" one, and acted like it was more important to follow our country's hierarchies than support human rights. 

“The protests definitely galvanized our thinking on the issue,” Parlow Cone said. “In 2017, when we passed the policy, the board’s discussion centered around the national anthem and the perceived disrespect for the flag, and we missed the point completely. It wasn’t ever about the flag. It was and is about fighting police brutality and the racial injustices in our society. And it’s about seeing and believing and standing with our black and minority communities that fight injustices.”

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-soccer-concacaf-ussoccer-rapinoe/u-s-soccer-president-apologizes-to-rapinoe-idUSKBN23I3DU

Rioters - Are We Covering Up the Fact They are Male?

Because men are on the top of our hierarchies in this country, are we falling into hierarchical traps of believing that white men represent all of society, and not just themselves?

In describing the people who are tending to incite violence and rioting: 

"Drifting out of the shadows in small groups, dressed in black, carrying shields and wearing knee pads, they head toward the front lines of the protest. Helmets and gas masks protect and obscure their faces, and they carry bottles of milk to counteract tear gas and pepper spray.

Most of them appear to be white. They carry no signs and don't want to speak to reporters. Trailed by designated "medics" with red crosses taped to their clothes, these groups head straight for the front lines of the conflict.

Night after night in this ravaged city, these small groups do battle with police and the National Guard, kicking away tear gas canisters and throwing back foam-rubber projects fired at them. Around them, fires break out. Windows are smashed. Parked cars destroyed. USA TODAY reporters have witnessed the groups on multiple nights, in multiple locations. Sometimes they threaten those journalists who photograph them destroying property."

We all know they almost all are white males. It is time we said so.

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2020/05/30/george-floyd-protests-riots-violent-outside-agitators-minnesota/5291658002/

Michelle Obama: We All Must Deal with Racism

Michelle Obama said she's "exhausted by a heartbreak that never seems to stop," and continued, "Right now it’s George, Breonna, and Ahmaud. Before that it was Eric, Sandra, and Michael. It just goes on, and on, and on. Race and racism is a reality that so many of us grow up learning to just deal with. But if we ever hope to move past it, it can’t just be on people of color to deal with it."

"It’s up to all of us—Black, white, everyone—no matter how well-meaning we think we might be, to do the honest, uncomfortable work of rooting it out," Michelle wrote. "It starts with self-examination and listening to those whose lives are different from our own. It ends with justice, compassion, and empathy that manifests in our lives and on our streets. I pray we all have the strength for that journey, just as I pray for the souls and the families of those who were taken from us."

https://www.harpersbazaar.com/celebrity/latest/a32719679/michelle-obama-statement-george-floyd/

Taylor Swift - Again On the Move Against Hierarchies

Superstar Taylor Swift's new tweet is her most popular ever. And terrific as it might help take down the hierarchies in our country, and their leader.

Yesterday Taylor Swift shared a 38-word Tweet criticizing Donald Trump for his provocative comments about the riots in Minneapolis.



Donald Trump addressed the ongoing riots in the wake of the killing of George Floyd by four Minneapolis police officers. Trump’s comment that “when the looting starts, the shooting starts” was a call back to racially charged words used by Miami Police Chief Walter Headley in 1967, and echoed the commonly used phrase by presidential candidate George Wallace during the highly volatile 1968 presidential campaign.

Swift has 86.2 million followers on Twitter, and a fanbase of “Swifties” that has a reputation for rallying behind the singer-songwriter and her calls to action. As of this morning it was retweeted over 390,000 times, making it her most popular tweet ever.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/sethcohen/2020/05/30/taylor-swift-and-the-tweet-that-could-help-take-down-a-president/#23faf0495863

Trump: I'm On Top of the World Hierarchy of my Own (Trump's WHO), Who Cares About the other WHO?

In a move that is typical of a president who is showcasing problems with the top of our nation's hierarchies to a wide audience, Donald Trump told reporters yesterday of his intentions to immediately cut ties with the international health agency. 

Today, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Josep Borrell, the EU's top diplomat, called on Trump to reconsider his plans, saying "actions that weaken international results" during the coronavirus pandemic "must be avoided."

For people like Trump who see the world from the top, only what is good for him is considered. What is good for the whole is not important. If exercising his authority is the goal, and he sees that as being good for him, then what is good for everyone else is inconsequential. 

https://www.npr.org/sections/coronavirus-live-updates/2020/05/30/866218416/european-union-leaders-urge-u-s-to-remain-in-who

Supreme Court Rules Against Religion Getting Special Treatment in COVID

In what is being called as a blow to the religious right, and a victory for public health and the collective good, the Supreme Court handed down a 5-4 decision establishing that states still have some power to regulate how many people are allowed to gather in churches during a deadly pandemic. Roberts sided with the liberal contingency. 

Roberts writes in his opinion, “although California’s guidelines place restrictions on places of worship, those restrictions appear consistent with the Free Exercise Clause of the First Amendment.”

That’s because “similar or more severe restrictions apply to comparable secular gatherings, including lectures, concerts, movie showings, spectator sports, and theatrical performances, where large groups of people gather in close proximity for extended periods of time.”

It does not violate the Constitution’s religious liberty protections, in other words, to require churches to follow the same rules that apply to similar institutions. And it certainly doesn’t violate those protections to give churches more freedom than similar institutions.

All four of the Court’s most conservative members dissented in South Bay United, and three of those justices joined an opinion by Justice Brett Kavanaugh that would make it quite difficult for states to regulate potentially dangerous conduct by religious institutions.

Typical with hierarchy supporters, where their wants are supposed to take precedent over the good of the whole.

https://www.vox.com/2020/5/30/21275379/supreme-court-churches-roberts-kavanaugh-south-bay-united-pentecostal-newsom

Hierarchy Supporters Fear Mail-In Ballots

Republicans are the party of hierarchies. They have been using gerrymandering and voter suppression to try to influence elections, as people on the top believe that the outcome in their favor is more important than the path to dominance. 

Donald Trump has called mail ballots "corrupt," despite previously voting absentee. Trump has expressed a preference for in-person voting and voter ID laws as a way to verify and authenticate those casting ballots. Without a way to check at the polls, Trump spreads the lie that mail-in voting would create widespread fraud, though there's no evidence of such in states that rely predominantly on mail ballots. 

Republicans have also warned about ballot harvesting (one of their made up problems) – the collection of mail ballots by volunteers – though the practice is illegal in some states. Trump tweeted Tuesday claiming that "the only way to get an honest count" is to ban ballot harvesting and ensure voter ID laws (another Republican voter suppression scheme).

More excuses by Republicans to try to influence elections their way, and get their hierarchy-supporting candidates elected.

Trump has also suggested that Republicans wouldn't be able to win elections with expanded mail-in voting. But historically, Republicans have voted at higher rates through mail, with Democrats only recently closing the gap, according to McDonald. He also points out that Republican lawmakers have been elected in states like Colorado and Utah since those places implemented such a voting system.

Donald Trump, Liar in Chief. Republicans, all in favor.

Some references to information:

https://www.usnews.com/news/elections/articles/2020-04-14/the-massive-obstacles-in-front-of-national-mail-in-voting

Masked Women Protest in Cars and on Bikes Restrictive Abortion Laws in Poland

Protesters in Poland used their vehicles to defy Poland's lockdown shouting slogans against a citizen's bill to tighten what are already some of the most restrictive abortion laws anywhere in Europe.

Holding black umbrellas - a symbol of Poland's abortion rights movement, wearing black, and face masks, some circled on bicycles.

Polish lawmakers debated draft legislation last week that would ban abortion in the case of fetal abnormalities, one of the few remaining circumstances in which the procedure is still allowed in the majority Catholic country.

Hierarchy keeping women down in the name of religion again.

https://www.cnn.com/2020/04/22/europe/poland-protest-abortion-lockdown-intl/index.html

Effect of the COVID-19 on Women

Alison Holder in US News, examines how the COVID-19 virus is specifically effecting women.

Women form 67% of the health workforce globally (more than 90% of health care workers in China's Hubei province alone are women) and are putting their health at risk on the front lines of dealing with the virus. Women across the world already shoulder the burden of unpaid and low-paid care work,  but caring responsibilities due to COVID-19 are falling even harder on women who are more likely to earn less, work part-time or be in more insecure work.

With women's rights at the center of our response to COVID-19 we can catalyze – not compromise – progress toward gender equality and a fairer world for all.

https://www.usnews.com/news/best-countries/articles/2020-04-06/commentary-coronavirus-pandemic-may-set-women-back-decades-on-equality

Whose Version of Freedom in this Pandemic?

In his column about anti-quarantine protesters, Max Boot states that they are not like Rosa Parks as they claim, but they are more like Typhoid Mary.

The same people who support our nation's hierarchies and believe that if they have privilege our country is doing great are out there showing their true self-centeredness.

"The same idealism – freedom, federalism, and free markets – that have enabled America's rise may bring us down if carried too far during a deadly pandemic."

Just depends on whose version of freedom prevails. All for one, or all for some.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2020/04/20/anti-quarantine-protesters-arent-rosa-parks-theyre-more-like-typhoid-mary/

Evangelicals Support Trump Because of Racism

In a piece for NBC News Think, Anthea Butler points out that liberals still tend to wonder why evangelicals still support Trump, even though many of his actions are not aligned with the stated values of those groups.

She states that modern evangelicals' support for this president cannot be separated from the history of evangelicals' participation in and support for racist structures in America.

Moral issues once drove white evangelical votes but, first when Obama was elected and then when the Supreme Court struck down the federal ban on same sex marriage in June of 2015, now what has moved them forward is their fear. Trump promised justices and a return to a time when they felt less fear, and he delivered, at least on the former. 

Evangelicals in America are not simply a religious group; they are a political group inexorably linked to the Republican Party.

"Trump delivered evangelicals from the shame of losing, and they will back him again in 2020 to avoid losing again. So perhaps we should take evangelicals at their word that they will support Trump come hell or high water, rather than twisting ourselves into knots trying to figure out why."

https://www.nbcnews.com/think/opinion/white-evangelicals-love-trump-aren-t-confused-about-why-no-ncna1046826

Discrimination Against Asians from Coronavirus

Tom Spiggle in Forbes writes:

So, it might be pretty obvious that an employer can’t tell an Asian job applicant, “I hate Asians, so I’m not hiring you.” But what if the employer, in an attempt to keep the workplace free from coronavirus, tells a job applicant, “Look, Asian people make me nervous because they’re more likely to have the coronavirus, so I can’t hire you.” Is that legal?

No, it’s not. But the goal of what this employer is trying to do is not illegal, although the method of carrying out this objective is. Therefore, the employer must find other ways to reduce the chances of hiring someone with the coronavirus.

Discriminating Against the Coronavirus or Someone’s Race?

If an employer wants to avoid hiring someone with the coronavirus, that’s perfectly legal. This means the employer can legally:

• Screen job applicants for symptoms of the coronavirus.
• Ask a new hire to delay his or her start date because they have the coronavirus or are suspected of having it.
• Decide not to hire a job applicant because they are unable to start working as needed due to the job applicant having (or being suspected of having) the coronavirus.

But deciding that a person's race or ethnic background can be used to discriminate, obviously no.

forbes.com/sites/tomspiggle/2020/04/20/coronavirus-scapegoating-employment-discrimination-against-asian-americans/#584d453b4470

Time to Rethink Our Support of Hierarchies

Community Outside Hierarchies

Trump: Clueless about the VIrus

Here is the medical advice of Donald Trump, as related to the incredible Sean Hannity on Fox News concerning the request from New York (with the worst outbreak in the nation) to deliver more ventilators:

https://www.huffpost.com/entry/trump-coronavirus-ventilators-new-york-state_n_5e7d651cc5b6256a7a27c911?ncid=engmodushpmg00000003&fbclid=IwAR0aPqVVV7jurS4ppRqt0Mx-Ao-LDifALXz9PLxiVkVwW5FUI7AkOlmhjI4

Hierarchy Supporters Even Go After Medical Experts

Dr. Anthony Fauci, the Trump administration's most outspoken advocate of emergency virus measures, is a target of the extreme hierarchy supporters who will support Trump no matter how clueless at the top he appears. Roughly 1.5 million people obtained a post that falsely claimed Fauci is part of a secret cabal who oppose Trump.

The supporters of Trump seem to have no limit to their lack of vision. Hierarchies does that to people, particularly when the hierarchy they support is in trouble. 

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/28/technology/coronavirus-fauci-trump-conspiracy-target.html?referringSource=articleShare&fbclid=IwAR2PU6XXiE8__-_1JUU0vVfxqOVDMLgavl2omlPpjXTtdVv5xoVJ082oaIs

U.S. Again Playing Hierarchical Role with G20 on Climate Change

Donald Trump in November began the yearlong process of withdrawing the U.S. from the Paris climate accord, making the U.S. the only country in the world excluded from the global climate change agreement. By withdrawing, the allies of Trump who make fortunes on exploiting the environment can continue to be justified in doing so. 

The United States, under Donald Trump, is reluctant to accept language that diplomats claim that the U.S. is opposed to the mention of climate change among global financial leaders after a joint statement revealed the G20 could include the U.S. administration's position on the issue as a risk factor for economic growth.

Some G20 ministers said the U.S. was reluctant to accept language on climate change as a real danger to the economy.

"Usually China blocks as well, but as they are represented at [the] lower level," a G20 diplomat said, according to the news outlet. "It's mainly the U.S."

Socialism - Pulling Together

Hierarchies means that only a few have the control the power and the resources. Non-hierarchy ideas come when we share our resources and look after each other. Is that socialism? Could be by some definitions.

Everybody Join Together

Everyone join together, what ever group you're in, to defeat those whose goal is to build and maintain hierarchies. 

Conditions at Border Typical of Lower on Republican Hierarchy

Those lowest on the hierarchy, as usual, get the worst of what is desirable.  This situation is particularly obvious when we look at people who Trump and the Republican party put on the bottom of their hierarchies.

A federal judge in Arizona has ruled that conditions at U.S. border holding cells operated by the U.S. Customs and Border Protection agency violated the Constitution. The ruling states that the conditions that migrants and asylum seekers have had to face have been "substantially worse than detainees face upon commitment to either a civil immigration detention facility or even a criminal detention facility, like a jail or prison.

https://www.newsweek.com/judge-says-conditions-us-border-holding-cells-violated-constitution-monumental-ruling-1488281?amp=1&fbclid=IwAR0LLOT0KGIiqQzW1WIGLxneW-8I3dZq5qctpceUXViLh4mIXudd1n3BPgs

Girl Expelled from Christian School after Picture with a Rainbow Birthday Cake

A Kentucky high school student was expelled from a Christian school after administrators saw a photo of the girl from her 15th birthday wearing a rainbow sweater posing next to a rainbow cake, according to the girl’s mother.

From the school: “On occasion, the atmosphere or conduct within a particular home may be counter or in opposition to the Biblical lifestyle the school teaches,” the handbooks states. “This includes, but is not limited to, sexual immorality, homosexual orientation, or the inability to support Biblical standards of right and wrong.”

Evangelical Christians like those in this school support Donald Trump. Supposedly Trump is their idea of Biblical standards of right and wrong. People on top of hierarchies are clueless and judgemental about anyone they want to force down their hierarchies on which they place themselves on top.

https://thehill.com/changing-america/respect/diversity-inclusion/478382-student-expelled-from-christian-school-after?fbclid=IwAR0mkqp_y6w8wvMGOPKZeqnkk8szkdnaUc1K5p5CSwvXhroTT1L1_cS7rDs

Tennessee Passes Bill to Discriminate Against LGBT Couples in Adoption

In a measure endorsed by the Southern Baptist Convention’s Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission,  Tennessee lawmakers on Tuesday passed legislation allowing Volunteer State adoption agencies to refuse to place children with same-sex parents.

The bill was opposed by LGBTQ rights groups, including the Tennessee Equality Project and the national group Lambda Legal.

“This bill would give a special license to faith-based child welfare agencies funded with taxpayers dollars to discriminate in foster care and adoption against parents who are trying to provide a loving home to children in need,” Currey Cook, counsel and director for Lambda Legal’s Youth in Out-of-Home Care Project said.

“This bill would children in foster care in Tennessee a much-needed family simply because agencies want to put their beliefs above the best of interests of the children,” Cook added.

https://thehill.com/homenews/state-watch/478295-tennessee-lawmakers-pass-bill-allowing-adoption-agencies-to-refuse-to?fbclid=IwAR0P6-duxfCeBvHTslTt5xpHKUYNVGR1rEuYZOIQ2vGaTg7tRENhH6tIzx8

Teacher of the Year Kneels at College Football Championship Game

Minnesota’s top teacher said her students were on her mind when she decided to kneel during the national anthem while being honored at Monday night’s college football championship game.

The state’s 2019 “Teacher of the Year” Kelly Holstine took a knee while being recognized on the Louisiana State University field along with the other honored teachers. 

Standing with them was Donald Trump.

“I just decided that it felt like the right thing to do, to have a very respectful protest,” Holstine told The Hill. “It’s really Martin Luther King Jr. says it best: ‘Nobody's free until we're all free.’”

https://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/478520-minnesota-teacher-of-the-year-kneels-during-college-football?fbclid=IwAR1pOsYCCDkotINc40z9uSNRlxN1g5jHbGqBlxnmo_2BTJxU0YAMgk65XVA