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The more crooks are caught in their lies and follies the better, but the right wing moves are highly disconcerting and spine-chilling.

"If a state’s legislature can determine who gets to vote, a minority can control that legislature and entrench itself in power, passing laws that keep the majority subservient to those in control. It was this very concept Congress overrode in 1868 with the Fourteenth Amendment to the Constitution, saying that no state could deprive a citizen of the equal protection of the laws."

Heather, you have such a knack for placing everything in perspective. Thank you!

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Bravo on your comment about State's rights: and overriding the 14th Amendment. We must END THE FILIBUSTER to protect everyone's right to vote. USING the filibuster to impede the right to vote is equivalent to Russia's chilling the rights of its citizens by forbidding them from speaking out. If our vote is our voice, everyone should have the same access to that vote for electing federal candidates. Why should my zip code determine how I vote for the President of members of the US House or Senate?

I hope your readers will ask all their friends and themselves ask their US Senators to pass The Freedom to Vote Act/John R Lewis Voting Rights Act (SB5647). We must convince at least 2 US Senators who supported the Filibuster in the Senate to reconsider his/her vote on SB5647 and end the filibuster to pass SB5647. .

I have begun to reach out: I met with Senator Manchin's staff after his vote not to end the filibuster. Senator Manchin is proud of his efforts in WV to pass the early voting, same day registration for coal-miners and other working folks. When I challenged his staff why he wouldn't fight for coal-miners in Pennsylvania, Ohio or Kentucky to have the same privilege through federal early voting laws, etc enjoyed under state law in W VA, his staff said Manchin believes the filibuster is more important to protect. A SUPER MAJORITY to stop citizens from unfettered access to the ballot box isn't much different from silencing protestors in Russian IMHO.

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Dear Mr. and Mrs. Cox, thank you for bringing Heather into this world.

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Great report tonight.

I wish I didn't feel like we are doomed.

Trying to stay positive.

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When I read that 4 right wing Supreme Court Justices are providing legal backing that would allow states to lay the groundwork for Republicans to return to or to attain power whether or not they win enough votes, I am confounded by the deafening silence. For those who take heart in the deluge of citizen activists who work valiantly getting people registered and turbo-charging turnout, make no mistake: no amount of organizing is going to get us around sanctioned changes to state election rules that would change who could be in charge, how votes are counted, how they’re certified, and the like.

Since the Senate’s failure, this past January, to advance the Freedom to Vote Act, the sole piece of legislation whose provisions would supersede past, present, and future state law in conflict with any of its stipulations, this critically important piece of legislation seems to have gone missing.

I sense what’s left is to hope that the 8-point spike in the President’s approval rating since the State of the Union grants him just enough leverage to call out Manchin’s and Sinema’s mere support for voting rights as hollow and performative, absent their willingness, last January, to support the exceedingly modest Senate filibuster rule change that would have been enacted only this one time to advance the newly combined Freedom to Vote: John R. Lewis Act.

No time like the present to start drafting that letter to the President.

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I still remember gasping at the “stand back and stand by” declaration by the Grand Wizard himself.

https://youtu.be/JZk6VzSLe4Y

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It's inconceivable to me that there are millions of US Americans who continue to support the view that Democrats and the spread of Democracy must be stopped "at all costs" when we are watching Russia's "at all costs" aggressive and violent attempt to halt the spread of Democracy in Ukraine in real time.

I have said these things in this forum before and I stand by them - it goes back to the very simple fact that in our lifetime, US Americans have not had to face a full scale invasion on US soil. We have never had our homes, schools, hospitals and places of worship bombed by an invader. We have never had to pack up and flee our homes for another country because we fear for our lives. (And who would take us in?) We haven't been slaughtered by the enemy whilst trying to move our children from harm's way. We don't know what it's like to be achingly cold/hot, hungry, dirty and exhausted. Simply put, there is not a single US born citizen alive today who has experienced the horror of invasion on US soil. We have no idea, NONE, as a people, the suffering of others struggling to live a life free from violence and persecution. Reality is this: the very wealthy people trying to shut down Democracy in the United States are safe because if and when shit hits the fan they'll be safely tucked away somewhere in comfort. After all, they have their stupid, deluded base to do their dirty work for them.

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The DOJ DC Criminal Case against Enrique Tarrio aka "Henry" & 5 others including Dominic Pezzola aka "Spazzolini"; the latter is charged with all 8 counts conspiracy, carrying a gun at the Capitol etc & specifically robbery of United States property. The jury in the Reffitt case was out less than 3 hours; the jury had to consider 5 counts & eat lunch. The jury verdict was gulity on all 5 counts including threatening his son & daughter when he returned home to Texas.

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Ukraine and Timothy Snyder's update on new ways to help:

Ukrainian journalists:

https://2402.org/#donate

Canada's well organized Ukrainian diaspora through the Red Cross:

https://www.redcross.ca/donate/appeal/donate-to-the-ukraine-humanitarian-crisis-appeal#9cfdcd2b-85a7-4899-ada2-f8bdae8d0939

Russian reporters working out of Riga, Latvia:

https://support.meduza.io/en

Protective gear and equipment for Ukrainian soldiers:

https://www.comebackalive.in.ua/donate

and more regarding Polish NGO, booking Airbnb homes in Ukraine, medical equipment, etc:

https://snyder.substack.com/p/some-new-ways-to-help-ukrainians/comments?token=eyJ1c2VyX2lkIjoxMTI3NjgxMywicG9zdF9pZCI6NDk5ODIyMDUsIl8iOiJvZGRCaSIsImlhdCI6MTY0Njg5NTg1MSwiZXhwIjoxNjQ2ODk5NDUxLCJpc3MiOiJwdWItMzEwODk3Iiwic3ViIjoicG9zdC1yZWFjdGlvbiJ9.Nzoo_U4ZlPdKmDlZTNQCDify0p7IK25yXT9CwsDdXkE&s=r

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Wait, what?

You can use nonprofits to defend the criminal behavior of insurrectionists?

Bill Barr’s head hasn’t physically exploded from the sheer magnitude his of cognitive dissonance?

Steven Miller is still on his parents’ cell phone plan?!

Seriously, I don't understand how nonprofits, who get tax benefits because they're supposed to somehow benefit society, get away with supporting or defending criminal activity.

Another thing I don't understand is why crooks like Eastman are allowed to "throw sand in the gears" to slow the process. Get on with it already. Justice delayed is justice denied. I know the Jan. 6 Commission has had nothing but stonewalling from nearly half the congress, but if some bigger heads don't roll soon, there will likely be no justice.

I fear that in the turmoil coming down the road with the war, and higher prices for gas and goods, the very real danger of undermining the vote will get lost. There are so many issues that deserve front page attention. Voting rights needs to stay above the fold.

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I am posting a State Dept. quote from Mr. Hubbell’s blog here because it jumped out at me. For years I have noted a Republican talking points phenomena: consistently, they accuse liberals of what they themselves are actually doing. This became blatant under TFG’s term. And here, the State Dept. quote attributes that same behavior to the Russian state. It literally made my skin crawl to think that this has continued in this country for so long and has put us in a dangerous situation for the future of democracy. “How could this have happened” is said only rhetorically.

“The Kremlin is intentionally spreading outright lies that the United States and Ukraine are conducting chemical and biological weapons activities in Ukraine. . . Russia is inventing false pretexts in an attempt to justify its own horrific actions in Ukraine. . . Russia has a track record of accusing the West of the very crimes that Russia itself is perpetrating.”

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I’ve often wondered; why “boys”? Why not Proud Men, or Proud Patriots, or Proud Citizens? Why Proud Irresponsible Children?

In the end, it is indeed “boys” that seems most appropriate.

Sigmund Freud would have said, “See? I told you!”

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Mar 10, 2022·edited Mar 10, 2022

Our Supreme Court seems to be a big, blundering, coal burning, dispassionate, preposterous, willfully ignorant, morally corrupted Russian warship commandeered by a weakass robed majority shoved down our throats by mr. trump’s reign to undo Constitutional rights of the people protected by Federal law and amendment.

Russian warship…..go f*ck yourself.

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I'd be perfectly fine with every scumbag mentioned in tonight's post making an intimate personal relationship with the traditional punishment for treason - the one involving ropes, swords and horses.

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Right now, the Supreme Court scares me more than Putin.

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Mar 10, 2022·edited Mar 10, 2022

'Just as we've worked hard to move humanitarian aid (tacmed, hospital med) across borders and into Ukraine, we've simultaneously developed an evacuation system for some of the most vulnerable in times of war -- children and children with disabilities. It started with children with SMA (spinal muscular atrophy) that Razom is connected through the “Dity, My Vstygnemo” - “Children, We Will Make It” project, launched in 2021 as a civic movement and advocacy campaign to improve healthcare access for Ukrainian children suffering from SMA.'

'In times of war, children with disabilities need to be evacuated early before they are in danger of missing out on special care and assistance needed to thrive and survive. Razom (in a group with 12 incredible volunteers across the US and Ukraine) have evacuated children from 9 cities and regions, including Kyiv, Kharkiv, Odessa, Zhytomyr, Dnipro, Irpin, Zaporizhzhia, Sumy, and Kryvyi Rih.'

'Our long time partners at BUR are helping to coordinate evacuations on the ground along with the help of Mykola Kuleba. We worked with the All Hands And Hearts nonprofit to help procure minivans, and have partnered with the Polish SMA Foundation to take care of these children once getting them across the border.'

'Please consider donating to Razom's Emergency Response project and/or BUR for us to continue to scale this operation.' https://razomforukraine.org/razom-emergency-response/

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