ACLU Joins Others in Suing Over "Emergency Declaration"

The American Civil Liberties Union sued the chief executive yesterday over his announcement of what he called a national emergency designed to by-pass Congress and fund a lavish and expedited wall-building scheme at the U.S. border with Mexico.  The ACLU said there never was and is not now an emergency, asserting this was made clear by the President's statement that he "didn't have to do this."

The wall continues to be an acrimonious and distracting issue in the body politic.  This wall is unneeded, and indeed is, as Speaker Pelosi has stated, "immoral."  We do need immigration reform but more importantly we need a fair shake economically for the suffering people of Latin America. Increased funding for foreign aid through proper channels will help immensely. 

ACLU Joins Others in Suing Over "Emergency Declaration"


Photo Credit:  theday.com

"It's All About 'Me, Me, Me.'" Archival video post.

From TMP Archives.   All the more pertinent now.

Breaking News: Bernie Sanders Announces for President

Bernie Sanders announced today he is running for President in 2020.

more later

Thousands Protest Trumpian "Declaration of Emergency"

Quickly --

T housands of protestors showed up at demonstrations around the country today to protest OML's so-called declaration of emergency.  Hundreds came together in Chicago to proclaim that "no one is above the law," as one sign put it.

Thousands Protest OML Power Grab

N.B.  OML is the Musical Patriot's name for the one who currently sits in the Oval Office.  It stands for Our Military Leader.

There May Be Hope Afterall

Television analyst says McConnel's decision to hold a vote without Trump's specific approval is a turning-point.  An interesting, useful article;  and one with hope.  


Daily Kos Shares News of Hope

IMPLEMENTATION OF MARTIAL LAW BEING ATTEMPTED IN THE U. S.

 

Calling the President's attempts to declare a fake national emergency "an end-run" around Congress is putting it mildly.  As the ACLU said on Democracy Now today, the concern is not only what this particular "declaration" means, but what this means for this future with this President.  

People, in general, should be much more concerned than they so far appear to be.  We will see what the coming days bring.   But at a bare minimum we should prepare for massive resistance in the event a majority of the Supreme Court should rule to uphold this un-Constitutional undermining of the power of the people's Congress.  

In the meantime, there is much that can be done.  First, the media must help.  They can help by stop framing this as merely a political game of some sort.  They can help by emphasizing that with this particular President, we must realize the imposition of martial law is a real possibility;   this ridiculous declaration is only a first step.  
 

As for persons, we need to get informed and talk with our friends.   Then, we must organize at the level which is appropriate for an assault on our democracy.  Otherwise the days of all our First Amendment freedoms will be numbered.    

Brand-new Blog for Your Examination

New Blog Warns About the Dangers of Technology

New Technology Blog:

https://technopolyalert.blogspot.com/

Voter Suppression Issue Hits Prime-time

 

Stacey Abrams, candidate for Governor of Georgia in 2018, gave true importance to the issue of voter suppression efforts, mentioning several examples, in her Democratic "state of the union address" last evening.   This was a major development, as this would have been the first time millions of people have heard the specifics of true voter suppression efforts (committed by Republicans and their operatives.)

Many details of these voter suppression efforts have been given on this blog over the years.   A search here should reveal many of these facts.

Stacey Abrams is an important figure of our times and we can be grateful to her.

I'll have more to say about this matter in the future.  


Photo Credit: press pool via AP as found on St. Louis Public Radio (.org)

The Most Important Article

 ...of the month, maybe of the year.

The highlighted article shown below is very nearly the most useful article I have read in many a moon.  You will find in it an extremely valuable unraveling of the many strands of the web of deceit which ensnares us now. 

There is here not only good information about Stone, Trump, and Russia, but a placing of the relative importance of each person and subject.  This is an invaluable contribution to our knowledge and understanding.   

There is no need for me to comment much further, except to say, Be prepared for surprises in this great piece (not long) by world-famous journalist, Greg Palast, whose name has been mentioned with increasing frequency here on this blog.

 
Greg Palast Sorts Through the Many Strands of Our Political Dilemma

Time Out for Musical Inspiration

Fine men's ensemble and choir.  Innovative arrangement.  Superior, professional video production.
 

The Stone Indictment: Beginning to Hold the Media Accountable

Via Democratic Campaign Watch --

There is another lesson to be learned from today's arrest of political operative and thug, Roger Stone, other than all the others the media will put forward.  And that is that the media itself is culpable for the kind of campaign America endured in 2016, which was surely the ugliest, weirdest, and nastiest in memory.  Never before had the person installed in the Oval Office lost the popular vote by such a wide margin.   Never before had the winning candidate been accused of such a panoply of misdeeds, both amorous, financial, and otherwise.  And -- conservative estimates place the value of media "straight" news coverage of Trump at over $1 billion.  The Salon  article whose link is on Democratic Campaign Watch now heralds a new era in constructive media criticism.


https://democampaignwatch.blogspot.com/

Nope

Special Prosecutors: Their Power and Limitations

The web site Salon.com is featuring an interview with a book author who has written the history of special prosecutors in the U.S.  I am currently reviewing the article and the interview transcript.




What is clear so far is that prosecutors act as important catalysts for decisions.  But without public pressure, Presidents have a tendency to remain in office no matter the results of special prosecutors' investigations.

This is a warning to those who believe the Mueller investigation will surely lead directly to the ousting of the President.  On the positive side, the current investigation of Our Military Leader is a crucially important one, both for what it says about the strength of our democracy as well as the impact it can have on events. 

Read the article here:
Special Prosecutors: Their Power and Limitations

The Best Democracy Money Can Buy, 2018 Trailer

More to the point, the White House was stolen for Trump as Koch Brothers, and Republican operatives worked behind the scenes to expunge voter rolls. 

"We are not amused."

This quote, attributed to Queen Victoria, is exigently applicable to the feelings of many Americans today regarding our current monarchical Executive.  Many in the press and media, and certainly in entertainment, have found much material for merriment both for themselves and for others.

But increasingly in the press, there is no more amusement.  Recent editorials in The New York Times and The Washington Post attest to this welcome literary transformation. 

Now comes The New Yorker with a feature story on the man who transformed Our Military Leader (OML) from a D-list celebrity into a President, or so the article claims.  (I am still reading it at this hour, you see.) 

This article reminds me of the landmark book by Neil Postman, Amusing Ourselves to Death.  In this great 1985 non-fiction work, Postman lays out the dangers of a too-shallow television culture which was leading America into a zombie-like state of pixilation and stupor. 

Now, however -- and after all this time -- Americans seem to be waking up once again to reality, and none too soon.  The vexations are trumping humor.  Fear is triumphing over comedy.  No, we are not amused.  But we aren't stupid either.  And tolerance for inanity has its limits after all.