Showing posts with label Defending Democratic Principles. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Defending Democratic Principles. Show all posts

Friday, February 12, 2021

Diary, write your Senators: "IMPEACH TRUMP !"

We interrupt our scheduled programming for this important PSA for American citizens:

We The People of the United States have two Senators representing each state.  Every Senator accepts emails, phone calls and letters.  They pay attention only when they get deluged with mail.  

If you believe Donald Trump betrayed his Oath of Office, isn't it your patriotic duty to let your Senators, Democratic and Republican, know how you feel?

 

©2020 Peter Miesler - wild fire smoke plume

This is an all hands on deck situation like America has never endured before.  You'll find the complete list of Senate contact information at the bottom of this post.  Along the way you'll find links to informative details.


Such as: 77days of Trump fomenting sedition;  The Myth of Voter Fraud;  Creating a Worst Case Pandemic;  Out and Out Criminality;  Senator's Addresses.  Make your voice heard!   Even to those Trumpist Republicans who are hopelessly lost in their totalitarian delusions.  


If we want to be more than an impotent spectator to history, participate, contact your Senators, tell them why you believe Trump must be impeached - send them a clear, succinct message, the American people will not tolerate criminality and totalitarian thinking in their presidents.


Let’s acknowledge our bias.  We believe in American pluralism and democracy.  We accept the Statue of Liberty’s promise of a civil nation of immigrants; and a government, of the people, by the people, and for the people.  Never perfect, but striving to do better.


{My question is, why isn't the Democratic Party (and social media) pounding on their drums and engaging their grassroots into such substantive constructive action?  


Flood Republican Senator's with pleas to wake up from the fraud.  Unless we can learn from our mistakes we are lost.  Democracy depends on an informed and engaged electorate.  If we aren't changing minds, we are losing.}



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Background information:


77 Days: Trump’s Campaign to Subvert the Election


Friday, March 29, 2019

Adam Schiff Responds to Trump's Enforcers

I often share my disappointment with the limp Democratic Party and how easily they wither in the face of GOP's ruthless macho bullying.  Still, once in awhile I get impressed and realize there is some hope left.  Now if only these few courageous politicians can start getting more of We The People to better support them by actively getting behind these individuals and letting our representatives know we expect them to follow through on their efforts.  
Act as if our democracy depends on it, because it does!  A healthy democracy requires an informed and engaged electorate!
Yeah, yeah, an imperfect democracy is better than this ME FIRST theocracy the oligarch owned GOP is pushing our country towards.


House Intelligence Chairman Adam Schiff fired back at Republicans on his committee, including disgraced former chair Devin Nunes, calling for his resignation during a hearing about Russia interference in the 2016 election. Lawrence: "You're going to want to see every word of the controlled, targeted, and building anger of the honorable Adam Schiff.”


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1qKd9fDLku8
MSNBC | Published on Mar 28, 2019


2:42   Honorable Adam Schiff Chairman of the House Intelligence Committee:    

       “My colleagues may think it's okay that the Russians offered dirt on a Democratic candidate for president as part of what was described as the Russian government's effort to help the Trump campaign.  You might think that's okay.  (transcript continues)

Thursday, November 22, 2018

President Kennedy, reminiscing on a loss that gets greater with every year.

No November 22nd has gone by without me thinking about President Kennedy and his untimely death with it's profound impact on the future direction of American and world politics.  Not that he was a saint, but he was a capable intelligent Mensch, a beloved leader of men, someone who cared and loved learning and loved people.  After rereading a little piece I wrote five years ago I got to thinking about how the world has continued to change for the worse these past five years.  
Considering today's increasing anguish over the existential future of American civility, and since yesterday was the fifty-fifth anniversary of John Fitzgerald Kennedy's profoundly tragic assassination, I'm reposting it.  My little way of honoring his memory.

NOVEMBER 22, 2013

Reflecting on November 22nd, 1963 and the assassination of our President John Fitzgerald Kennedy and the loss of a nation… and of the world.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Up until I was eight years old, life was a scattered recollection of emerging awareness of the world around me.  Then, while climbing the stairs to the second floor of John J. Audubon Elementary school in Chicago, Illinois - I overheard an older guy descending the stairs telling his friend: "Did you hear?  The President's been shot!"

The news meant something big, then and there.  That feeling was reinforced within the minute it took to complete my trek to the classroom.  The somber teacher, the being sent home early, the stunned walk home through a hushed neighborhood.  Then the look of my mother and the tears she could not hide when we got home. 

The following day we drove to my grandparents and spent the subsequent days in a vigil around their TV (since we still didn't have one) trying to absorb what had happened until our President was laid to rest.  It's the earliest period of my young life where I remember a sequence of many days.  A metaphorical brutal slap in the face letting me know that the outside world does make a difference to my own little world.

Saturday, May 26, 2018

Bibliography - GOP and Trump's Attacks on USA's Democratic Principles and Institutions

Democracy Under Trump: What Is Being Lost?

It's been a while since I've posted, partly because I'm now quite busy and preoccupied with jobs, but also because I'm in a funk of disappointment.  What's the point of stealing the time and putting in the effort, when there's nobody out there?
     
Along with that, the malicious recall effort against Gwen Lachelt fell short, but was given two extra weeks to make up the difference, which they managed to do.  That they so easily gained over 2000 signatures in those extra two weeks reflects the Democratic Party's continued inability to invigorate their voters, or to effectively confront the deluge of deliberate and ruthless, amoral deception that was the hallmark of the so-called Save La Plata County's anti-democratic con-job.
     
While on the national scene Democrats remain as timid and tongue tied as ever, all very depressing.  Trump's bullies, the alt-right and evangelicals and oligarchs are relentlessly inflicting brutal damage on our democratic principles and ways of government.  Not to mention our EPA being eviscerated by the teflon plated Pruitt.

I guess I'm old fashioned, I believe patriotism demands action when our nation is in danger, and even if my actions are futile, they're better than rolling over and pretending our democracy isn't in the middle of a fierce existential crisis and that we stand on the cusp of losing our democracy to ruthless special interests.  A situation demanding all hands on deck, if there's to be any hope of turning back the tide!  If there's anyone out there with the same feeling, please let me know, the one hand clapping is getting old.

In any event this post is dedicated to sharing a bibliography of articles that discuss different aspects of trump's attack on our democracy.  This is the sort of background knowledge we need to learn about and to share with others.  Raising awareness and encouraging involvement is our only hope.  Following this list I've gone on to include key quotes from the articles as an introduction and hopefully encouragement for you to follow the links to the complete articles.  It is by no means a complete, but its a good start.

     May 27, 2018 - By Lauren Strayer, Democracy Fund
     May 22, 2018 - By Travis Gettys, Raw Story
     May 16, 2018 - By Jonathan Chait, Daily Intelligencer
     April 25, 2018 - Jay Rosen, New York Book Review
     April 13, 2018 - Evan McMullin, The Atlantic
     April 4, 2018 - by Darrell M. West and Jack Karsten, Brookings Institution
     April 3, 2018 - Cass R. Sunstein, Bloomberg View 
     February 23, 2018 - By John Shattuck, American Prospect
     February 15, 2018 - John Shattuck, Amanda Watson, Matthew McDole
     February 8, 2018 - Congressman Ted Lieu
     February 8, 2018 - Bright Line Watch, Survey-Wave 4
     February 6, 2018 - By Michael Finnegan, L.A. Times
     February 3, 2017 - Rob Wijnberg, The Correspondent 
     January 1, 2018 - By Jeffrey H. Smith, Lawfare
     January 27, 2018 - Jill Abramson, The Guardian
     January 18, 2018 - Protect Democracy
           {Ensuring the President “shall take Care that the Laws be faithfully executed”}
     January 16, 2018 - Tracey Lee, Newsweek
     January 16, 2018 - By Zachary Cohen, CNN
     January 3, 2018 - Gary Grappo, Fair Observer
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Art of the Lie - The tally after one year

     December 29, 2017 - By Bernard Avishai, The New Yorker
     December 12, 2017 - Daily Kos
     December 7, 2017 - By Steven Levitsky and Daniel Ziblatt , The New Republic
     December 6, 2017 - By Scott Bolden, The Hill
     November 30, 2017 - By Thomas B. Edsall, The New York Times
     November 10, 2017 - Brian Klass, The Hill
     September 6, 2017 - Carnegie Endowment
     September 5, 2017 - By Dr. Benjamin Knoll, Ph.D., Huffington Post
     Aug 18, 2017 - By Hugh Cortazzi , The Japan Times
     May 15, 2017 - Brian Klass, USA Today
     April 26, 2017 - Slate Staff
     March 10, 2017 - Brian Klass, Washington Post