3Q22

"A republic, if you can keep it" - July 4  [Democracy Watch]

Benjamin Franklin's famous reply to Mrs. Powel at the conclusion of the Constitutional Convention reverberates loudly 235 year later as details of the attempted coup of January 6 2020 continue to be revealed.  Though the Republic survived the January 6 coup attempt, its future may not be as certain.  On the last day of its current session, the Supreme Court announced that they would hear arguments in Moore v. Harper in the fall.  A ruling for the plaintiffs will throw Federal election laws into chaos and enshrine the vote nullification attempt at the heart of the January 6 Insurrection.

Is there no end to the disgusting behavior of Republican politicians and their media allies? - July 19 [National News]

The demise of Roe v. Wade has given Republican politicians a whole new arena to display their cruelty.  Two stories - one coming out of Ohio (the attempted "erasure" of a pre-teen rape victim forced to go out of state to terminate her pregnancy)  and one coming out of Texas (a lawsuit challenging the right to an abortion even when necessary to save a mother's life) - make one wonder how these pols and their media allies live with themselves.

World News - Foreign Affairs Update - July 21 [World News/Foreign Affairs]

Ethiopia's war, the Global Heat Wave, and Biden's disappointing Middle East trip

The Primaries (so far) - August 4 [The 2022 Elections]

More than 2/3 of the states have already held their party primaries. Besides the races that will determine control of the House of Representatives and the Senate, 36 states will be electing governors and state legislators.  Trump's endorsements shaped the Republican primary outcomes, while the right-wing American Israel Public Affairs Committee and Republican billionaires spent big to unseat progressives in the Democratic primaries. 

Three months to the midterm elections - August 11 [The 2022 Elections]

There are less than 3 months until the November 8 elections that will determine control of Congress for the remainder of President Biden's term. Republican control of the House will ensure that no legislation for the common good is passed for the reminder of Biden's term.  Republican control of the Senate will ensure that not a single one of the 119 open federal judiciary vacancies will be filled until the 2024 elections...where we stand 3 months before the election: the issues, the House races, the Senate races

Murder by the State: Oklahoma begins its killing spree - August 26 [National News]

The US is unique among all nations outside Africa and Asia in having a death penalty.  One of the leaders in US executions, the state of Oklahoma, set execution dates for 25 of its 43 death row inmates in July.   These executions will be carried out for men with severe mental illness, personal histories of childhood abuse, inadequate legal representation, and claims of innocence. The 29 month killing spree began this week with the execution of James Coddington on Thursday by lethal injection...Sister Helen Prejean, the many reasons to abolish the death penalty, grass roots action in Oklahoma, and what we all can do.

Beyond the "American Century": an antidote to the arrogance, failures, and tragedies of US foreign policy  - September 2 [War and Peace]

Mikhail Gorbachev died this week.  Awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1990, he helped end the Cold War.  With the dissolution of the Soviet Union, the United States became the world's sole superpower.  The world was ready for a new era of international cooperation, but instead of a diplomacy first  approach to foreign relations, the US chose to continue the "armed primacy" mentality of the Cold War.  The events of the last three decades (and earlier) have demonstrated that attempts to rule the world through force will fail.  We are now facing another Cold War.  We need a new approach if we are to avoid further conflict and tackle the global threats to mankind - climate change, poverty, pandemic, and nuclear war. 

Middle East Updates - September 9 [Middle East]

Updates on recent news from Afghanistan, the Iran nuclear talks, Syria, Israel and Occupied Palestine, Yemen and Iraq.

International Day of Peace 2022 - September 15 [War and Peace]

Each year on September 21, the world celebrates the U.N. International Day of Peace.  It is a time to remember the tragedy that every war brings and a time to understand what we need to do to create a culture of peace. This year's theme is: "End racism. Build peace."  Achieving true peace entails much more than laying down arms.  It requires the building of societies where all members feel that they can flourish. It involves creating a world in which people are treated equally, regardless of their race.

Ukraine is becoming Russia's Vietnam - September 30 [World News]

As the war in Ukraine enters its eighth month, Putin's mobilization order has sent Russian antiwar protesters into the streets again and Russian men heading for the borders in a smaller version of the protests against our own unjustifiable war six decades ago