A writer's miscellany
The limits of tyrants are prescribed by the endurance of those whom they oppress.
Frederick Douglas
Now is the time for us to think long and hard about this quotation. Complacency is a dangerous indulgence in an age when a lie can travel around the world before the truth can even utter an objection.
This is probably why freshman lawmaker Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez grates on the good ol’ boys club in Congress. Watch this short but riveting video in which she uses a little game of Q & A to create a brutal takedown of Congress’ absurd campaign finance laws. This sharp-witted clarity revealing the ruse behind the shell-game of campaign finance, shows how venal politicians are using it to enrich themselves at the public’s expense. To be fair, there are many honest and conscientious legislators in Congress who are there to act as “public servants” as they were elected to do. But there are also way too many who use their office and their influence to shovel money into their own pockets. This video shows just how ridiculously easy it is to do.
Texas Republicans Hit With Another Lawsuit Over ‘Unfounded Voter Purge’ GOP efforts to codify the disastrous investigation would also likely spur lawsuits.
“If we could read the secret history of our enemies, we should find in each man’s life sorrow and suffering enough to disarm all hostility.”
outre-mer, 1833-4
Texas still has the largest percentage of uninsured residents in the nation, according to a recent U.S. Census report. Texas’ rate is at 17.3 percent — nearly twice the national rate.
“Neither Democrats nor Republicans will like it. But it would be humane, it would adhere to the rule of law, and it would work.”
Sonia Nazario is the author of Enrique’s Journey, is a graduate of Williams College and holds a master’s degree in Latin American Studies from the University of California, Berkeley. She received an honorary doctorate in 2010 from Mount St. Mary’s College. She has twice made the same journey those in “the caravan” are making, traveling the length of Mexico with Central American migrants.
Ms. Nazario’s fix, as she outlines in her article (same title as this post) is, finally, an adult, compassionate, and common sensical approach to the “immigration problem” as we’ve come to call it. It’s a problem of our own making, and we will have to be the people who “fix” it. We need to listen to what she has to say.
In the entire history of the United States Supreme Court only one justice has been
a) nominated by a president who didn’t win the popular vote
b) confirmed by a majority of senators who collectively won fewer votes in their last election than did the senators who voted against that justice’s confirmation
Yes, of course, Justice Kavanaugh. The minority won over the majority.
And then there’s the instance of Justice Gorsuch. The 54 senators who voted to elevate Judge Gorsuch to the Supreme Court had received around 54 million votes, and the 45 senators who opposed him got more than 73 million votes.
Therefore, 58 percent of the voters chose senators who voted against Gorsuch, and 42 percent of voters chose senators who voted for Gorsuch. And yet Gorsuch took his seat on the Supreme Court. Once again, the minority won over the majority. So, if you’ve always believed that in American politics the majority rules, you’re mistaken.
Five presidents have now taken office after losing the popular vote.
No Democratic president has ever taken office after losing the popular vote.
And justices nominated by Democrats have never been confirmed by such narrow margins as Thomas, Gorsuch, and Kavanaugh. Of the four liberals currently on the court, all received 63 votes or more, from senators winning and representing clear majorities of their votes.
Yes, there’s plenty wrong with this picture, and I’ll write more about it in future posts.
See Michael Tomasky’s article in the New York Times from which I got these figures. And see an academic article by Kevin McMahon of Trinity College.