Last night, federal prosecutors filed a motion revealing that a leader of the paramilitary group the Oath Keepers claimed to be coordinating with the Proud Boys and another far-right group before the January 6 insurrection. After former President Donald Trump tweeted that his supporters should travel to Washington, D.C., on January 6 for a rally that “will be wild!,” Kelly Meggs, a member of the Oath Keepers, wrote on Facebook: “He wants us to make it WILD that’s what he’s saying. He called us all to the Capitol and wants us to make it wild!!! Sir Yes Sir!!! Gentlemen we are heading to DC pack your s***!!”
When people argue with you that election and voting rules are the prerogative of the states, states rights, and that Congress is overstepping its authority with the For the People Act, please quote them Article I Section 4 of the Constitution. "Section 4: Elections The Times, Places and Manner of holding Elections for Senators and Representatives, shall be prescribed in each State by the Legislature thereof; but the Congress may at any time by Law make or alter such Regulations, except as to the Places of chusing Senators." My Tea Party brother got out his copy of the Constitution and read it. He was much chagrined that he hadn't understood that second sentence. The Congress must pass the For the People Act of democracy will be a thing of the past!
Dr. Richardson, your letters are concise, they stick to the facts, and these make my blood boil. We are still on dangerous territory and we must not relent in supporting the Biden/Harris administration nor stop writing and calling our Senators and Congressional representatives.
Consequences are the only thing that deters wrongdoing in those without conscience. Reps and senators who went against the will of the people by objecting to the electoral college vote count are all guilty of wrongdoing. Sedition perhaps. Treason perhaps. Every single one of them should face significant consequences. A line has to be drawn. Lawmakers cannot lie, cheat, deceive the people. They should also be tasked with ensuring every one gets to vote. If they persist in this behaviour they should no longer be lawmakers or hold offices of public trust. Democrats have an opportunity to fix this. Fix it they must.
Happy Equal Pay Day! Equal Pay Day is today, Wednesday, March 24, 2021. This date symbolizes how far into the year women must work to earn what men earned in the previous year. In the same job, with the same responsibilities. That is 82 cents to the dollar a man earns. Asian-American women earned $0.85, so their equal pay day was March 5; African and Black American women earned $0.61, so their equal pay day was August 22; Native American women earned $0.58, so their equal pay day was September 23; Latinas earned $0.53, so their equal pay day was November 20. When I first started working full time in about 1972 women made $.69 to a man's dollar. When I was first promoted to engineering manager, I found out that 2/3's of my group of engineers now reporting to me made more than I did. And, yes, I was climbing the corporate ladder rather quickly. So, my company gave me 20% raises every six months for two years to get my salary in line with other engineering managers. Later, when I was a Group Engineering Manager and was asked to speak to our Human Resources staff, I did a histogram of all the people in my boss's group by job level putting women on the histogram on the left and the men on the right. It looked a little like a Rorscharch inkblot test. The men's side showed an even distribution over the job levels. The women's side clearly showed not one but two glass ceilings! The left side wasn't an even distributed but looked like two plateaus. The first glass ceiling was on the technical ladder with very few women achieving the consulting engineer level and stuck at best at the principal engineer level. The second glass ceiling was the managerial ladder as expected with fewer women promoted to senior and group managers. It was so clear that it made quite a stir through the Human Resources staff. This was a highly ethical company and I know they worked at making things more equitable for women and minorities.
Seems as if Powell’s lawyers have given away the store, admitting her statements were false and she knew that they were. She meets the Times v Sullivan standard. Game over. I assume she’s toast financially and can ‘t see how she avoids losing her license to practice for making false statements to the court.
I'm starting to think that ex-US attorney in DC, the Trump appointee who gave the interview on 60 Minutes Sunday night, did it to sandbag these prosecutions. Right now, the DOJ is scrambling to save their efforts against all the major seditionists because that guy went and gave the kind of an interview a prosecutor never gives. Proof you cannot trust a Republican farther than you can see him with your eyes closed. They are ALL traitors!
There are nuggets of truth in these Republican admissions. No reasonable person would believe the Big Lie, but then again, no reasonable person would have voted for Trump. Turns out there are a lot of dumb people out there that believe all manner of lies and conspiracies, and that voted for Trump. As Trump bragged at his rallies, “I love the poorly uneducated”. Informed democracy is for chumps, Republicans aim to win through ignorance. With their attacks on public education, and with the concerted help of disinformation purveyors like Fox News, the GOP is working hard to spread the Dumb. There’s more dumb every day - Ron Johnson, Marjorie Taylor Greene, Lauren Boebert - dumb, dumb and dumb. This is getting ugly...
If the filibuster in it’s present form is the only thing keeping this and other crucial legislation from passing, and if it only takes a simple majority to reform the filibuster, can someone explain why the democrats have not done so.
I am tired of ALL the talk about it and want them to ... JUST DO IT!
So, it seems Trump an his lawyer Sydney Powell, pushed the Bigly Lie and brought multiple lawsuits claiming the voting was fraudulently rigged, including Dominion Voing Systems' equipment, in consequence of which Dominion sued Powell for defamation. Her defense is “no reasonable person would conclude” that her statements about a scheme to rig the election “were truly statements of fact.” No so Bigly. But at least not the "only joking" excuse Trump's followers often use.
To Sen. Chuck Schumer and other Democrats in both houses of Congress:
Stop referring to Republicans as your "colleagues." You really cheapen yourselves by pretending that you consider those people allies when they openly deny Biden as President, continue to support trump's big lie, and and reject 1/6 as an insurrection. WAKE UP, Senator! Kick those people the hell out of Congress as seditious traitors. If impeaching trump twice had any legitimacy, then removing those Republicans who continue to support him is equally valid.
Schumer should not pretend that he doesn’t know why his Republican colleagues are afraid of democracy. He know why. They know why. Their voters know why. And we know why. Schumer’s top priority and ours should be to stop them from preserving minority rule.
Well, of course the Republicans are going to the voter suppression route. Until/unless the Democrats stop them, they will continue to do so. Time for a serious talk by Democratic leadership with Sinema and Manchin. Get the new Voting Right Act passed. NOW. And then, statehood for Puerto Rico and/or D.C................
The Republicans in Congress, spineless bastards that they are, have nothing to offer the American people. Their followers are just a means to fill their pockets.
Heather, again and again, thank you for sorting through the stories/news and weaving it into a coherent narrative. For most of last year, I was obsessed with the news, reading/listening multiple times a day. I am now trying for better life balance, but still need to understand more than the headlines. A historical perspective on the present news is so helpful. Thank you!
When people argue with you that election and voting rules are the prerogative of the states, states rights, and that Congress is overstepping its authority with the For the People Act, please quote them Article I Section 4 of the Constitution. "Section 4: Elections The Times, Places and Manner of holding Elections for Senators and Representatives, shall be prescribed in each State by the Legislature thereof; but the Congress may at any time by Law make or alter such Regulations, except as to the Places of chusing Senators." My Tea Party brother got out his copy of the Constitution and read it. He was much chagrined that he hadn't understood that second sentence. The Congress must pass the For the People Act of democracy will be a thing of the past!
Dr. Richardson, your letters are concise, they stick to the facts, and these make my blood boil. We are still on dangerous territory and we must not relent in supporting the Biden/Harris administration nor stop writing and calling our Senators and Congressional representatives.
I continue to hold out hope that Trump will be found guilty and held accountable.
Consequences are the only thing that deters wrongdoing in those without conscience. Reps and senators who went against the will of the people by objecting to the electoral college vote count are all guilty of wrongdoing. Sedition perhaps. Treason perhaps. Every single one of them should face significant consequences. A line has to be drawn. Lawmakers cannot lie, cheat, deceive the people. They should also be tasked with ensuring every one gets to vote. If they persist in this behaviour they should no longer be lawmakers or hold offices of public trust. Democrats have an opportunity to fix this. Fix it they must.
A piece of very good news today that I found on the BBC internet site and not up front and center on CNN, Wapo, NYT or Politico.
"First Southern State bans the death penalty". Virginia's Democratic governor signed the Bill.
Happy Equal Pay Day! Equal Pay Day is today, Wednesday, March 24, 2021. This date symbolizes how far into the year women must work to earn what men earned in the previous year. In the same job, with the same responsibilities. That is 82 cents to the dollar a man earns. Asian-American women earned $0.85, so their equal pay day was March 5; African and Black American women earned $0.61, so their equal pay day was August 22; Native American women earned $0.58, so their equal pay day was September 23; Latinas earned $0.53, so their equal pay day was November 20. When I first started working full time in about 1972 women made $.69 to a man's dollar. When I was first promoted to engineering manager, I found out that 2/3's of my group of engineers now reporting to me made more than I did. And, yes, I was climbing the corporate ladder rather quickly. So, my company gave me 20% raises every six months for two years to get my salary in line with other engineering managers. Later, when I was a Group Engineering Manager and was asked to speak to our Human Resources staff, I did a histogram of all the people in my boss's group by job level putting women on the histogram on the left and the men on the right. It looked a little like a Rorscharch inkblot test. The men's side showed an even distribution over the job levels. The women's side clearly showed not one but two glass ceilings! The left side wasn't an even distributed but looked like two plateaus. The first glass ceiling was on the technical ladder with very few women achieving the consulting engineer level and stuck at best at the principal engineer level. The second glass ceiling was the managerial ladder as expected with fewer women promoted to senior and group managers. It was so clear that it made quite a stir through the Human Resources staff. This was a highly ethical company and I know they worked at making things more equitable for women and minorities.
Seems as if Powell’s lawyers have given away the store, admitting her statements were false and she knew that they were. She meets the Times v Sullivan standard. Game over. I assume she’s toast financially and can ‘t see how she avoids losing her license to practice for making false statements to the court.
I'm starting to think that ex-US attorney in DC, the Trump appointee who gave the interview on 60 Minutes Sunday night, did it to sandbag these prosecutions. Right now, the DOJ is scrambling to save their efforts against all the major seditionists because that guy went and gave the kind of an interview a prosecutor never gives. Proof you cannot trust a Republican farther than you can see him with your eyes closed. They are ALL traitors!
There are nuggets of truth in these Republican admissions. No reasonable person would believe the Big Lie, but then again, no reasonable person would have voted for Trump. Turns out there are a lot of dumb people out there that believe all manner of lies and conspiracies, and that voted for Trump. As Trump bragged at his rallies, “I love the poorly uneducated”. Informed democracy is for chumps, Republicans aim to win through ignorance. With their attacks on public education, and with the concerted help of disinformation purveyors like Fox News, the GOP is working hard to spread the Dumb. There’s more dumb every day - Ron Johnson, Marjorie Taylor Greene, Lauren Boebert - dumb, dumb and dumb. This is getting ugly...
If the filibuster in it’s present form is the only thing keeping this and other crucial legislation from passing, and if it only takes a simple majority to reform the filibuster, can someone explain why the democrats have not done so.
I am tired of ALL the talk about it and want them to ... JUST DO IT!
So, it seems Trump an his lawyer Sydney Powell, pushed the Bigly Lie and brought multiple lawsuits claiming the voting was fraudulently rigged, including Dominion Voing Systems' equipment, in consequence of which Dominion sued Powell for defamation. Her defense is “no reasonable person would conclude” that her statements about a scheme to rig the election “were truly statements of fact.” No so Bigly. But at least not the "only joking" excuse Trump's followers often use.
Hello Truth. Goodbye Law License(s)
To Sen. Chuck Schumer and other Democrats in both houses of Congress:
Stop referring to Republicans as your "colleagues." You really cheapen yourselves by pretending that you consider those people allies when they openly deny Biden as President, continue to support trump's big lie, and and reject 1/6 as an insurrection. WAKE UP, Senator! Kick those people the hell out of Congress as seditious traitors. If impeaching trump twice had any legitimacy, then removing those Republicans who continue to support him is equally valid.
Schumer should not pretend that he doesn’t know why his Republican colleagues are afraid of democracy. He know why. They know why. Their voters know why. And we know why. Schumer’s top priority and ours should be to stop them from preserving minority rule.
Well, of course the Republicans are going to the voter suppression route. Until/unless the Democrats stop them, they will continue to do so. Time for a serious talk by Democratic leadership with Sinema and Manchin. Get the new Voting Right Act passed. NOW. And then, statehood for Puerto Rico and/or D.C................
The Republicans in Congress, spineless bastards that they are, have nothing to offer the American people. Their followers are just a means to fill their pockets.
Heather, again and again, thank you for sorting through the stories/news and weaving it into a coherent narrative. For most of last year, I was obsessed with the news, reading/listening multiple times a day. I am now trying for better life balance, but still need to understand more than the headlines. A historical perspective on the present news is so helpful. Thank you!