Category: Politics

Her Body, Her Choice! Act Now in Illinois

by citizenstacy, posted in Health, Politics, women's rights

If someone tells you they are pro-life, then I think it is fair to say, “Happy to hear that, then I presume you also support resettling refugees from war-torn countries, and you agree with ObamaCare (ACA) to make sure 45,000 Americans do not die every year due to lack of health insurance, you did not support the killing  and injury of more than 100,000 Iraqi civilians in our misguided war, and you believe that protecting our environment is critical to saving lives too (237,000 annually by year 2020). Fantastic. If you are pro-life, then be pro-life.

If, however, you see that gag rules and prohibiting abortion (such as Trump’s Executive Order overseas) only succeed in increasing abortions and endangering the liberty and health of women, and if you see that services such as education and access to birth control are the  most effective ways to decrease abortions, then please read on.

Illinois law will automatically make abortion a criminal act the moment Federal law changes. Pending legislation (HB40 in Illinois) and hearings are needed to change that. Please act now to fill out  a witness slip for the Feb 8 Health and Human Services Committee Hearing. Click on the witness slip icon for Sara Feigenholtz “Abortion-Various”, select Proponent, Enter NA for organization and title, select Record of Appearance only instead of oral or written statement. This mimics as if you actually showed up at the public hearing to show your support. Your name and home town might be read aloud into the record of the hearing. After Feb 8, continue to put pressure on the Illinois House to pass this bill. Spread the word. 

We cannot return to the days when women were unable to legally discuss health options with their trusted doctors. And we should not back away from respecting a woman’s privacy and empowering her to make decisions for her own body and health. At the Women’s March in Washington, I loved the moment when women chanted “My Body, My Choice” and the men around us responded, “Her Body, Her Choice”.  Well said.

Peaceful Protest, Strategic Resistance.

by citizenstacy, posted in Patriotism, Politics

Some have said that political protests will die down as people wear out. I think people are just getting started. Tomorrow, Saturday, Feb 4, there is a rally in Scoville Park (Oak Park) related to Immigration/Refugees (noon to 2 pm) as well as a demonstration at Daley Plaza, Saturday Feb 4, to support Standing Rock and Clean Water (at 1 pm). 

Meanwhile, in the last week, five of my friends who had not yet started any political action, who took a pass on the March for Women, are now asking, “What can I do?” and “Where do I sign up?” And those people who went to the march? They did not go as a one-time balm to their election day pain, they were going because the new reality requires a response, a sustained response.  I rode the bus with determined women. Some had physical limitations which made the overnight rides and daytime treks challenging, but they were willing to tough it out because they love their country more than any one President or Congress.

People are just now starting to exercise their full participation in our shared democracy. And by exercising we get stronger and can go longer. (So long as our protests remain peaceful, unlike the anarchists who disrupted Inauguration Day and Berkeley, to avoid an increase in authoritarian response).

At the end of the day, protesting is only one piece of the puzzle. We need to protest peacefully and also resist strategically. What can we do?

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Rule of Law vs. Law and Order. Know the Difference!

by citizenstacy, posted in Patriotism, Politics

A big part of what makes America great is our commitment and adherence to the Rule of Law, starting from our foundational U.S. Constitution to our court systems and down through our local laws and law enforcement. Our rule of law provides a stable environment in which individuals and their civil rights are protected, property rights are secured, and businesses can plan and thrive.

Other countries and cultures have systemic corruption in which bribery of government officials is rampant, or in which might-makes-right through militarized factions. In contrast, our country tends to disdain corruption. Though, shockingly, many Trump supporters are accepting of the fact that Trump defrauded Americans of their life savings through Trump University, violated laws by using the Trump Foundation for personal gain, and is otherwise abusing his office for personal gain.

Trump, however, ran as the Law and Order candidate (a provocative dog whistle) which is different from the Rule of Law. He stirred imaginations to believe that we have significantly increasing crime (we do not), that immigrants are the cause of crime (they are not), that black people live primarily in inner cities (they do not) which are crime infested (they are not), and that police are under attack through a rise in cop murders (they are not).

His response to these fanciful urgencies is authoritarian in nature; build a wall, stop and frisk Americans, stop immigration, use torture. The irony is twofold:

First, Trump’s focus on Law and Order will actually result in decreased law and order. People will stop partnering with police in community policing efforts because trust will be eroded and building a wall may increase crime and terrorism. Also, use of torture makes Americans less safe.

Second, Trump’s leadership rhetoric and Presidential actions are breaking down the Rule of Law in this country and thereby also making us less safe. Trump is threatening the Constitution, eroding people’s trust in mainstream media (Like Hitler’s tactic called Lugenpresse),  eroding our trust in our intelligence community. For this and other reasons that precipitated Trump’s election (like Trump lying about a sitting president’s birth qualification in an effort to wrongfully undermine his presidency), America has been downgraded to a “Flawed Democracy”. Americans no longer trust their institutions.

Meanwhile, rich people are preparing for the worst and scientists are moving the Doomsday Clock closer to midnight.

Disruption is not sound public policy. It is chaos. The anarchists who disrupted Trump’s Inauguration ceremonies last week were nothing in comparison to Trump himself.

 

 

 

Be Brave, Fellow Patriots

by citizenstacy, posted in Patriotism, Politics, Uncategorized

Be Brave Fellow Patriots,

On the first day of the 115th Congress, Republicans sought less accountability to the people, by proposing to gut the bi-partisan ethics committee.

On that same day Republicans resurrected an old procedural rule (Holman Rule) which would help them intimidate individual members of the non-partisan civil service. This rule would be an authoritarian tool considering the current political climate, and comes not long after the startling and unprecedented request by President-Elect’s transition team to receive a list of individuals in the administration who supported science on climate change.

Before that the President-Elect was already showing unethical corrupt behavior which has tainted his presidential transition efforts. If we were to measure Trump by his own yardstick, and what he falsely accused Hillary of, and what he is actually doing, he “would be in jail!” by now. Yet he holds himself above the law as an individual, as a President-Elect, and most likely will as a President.

And before that Trump showed deference toward Russia and consistently denied Russian cyberattacks and their misinformation campaign against the U.S. Even now he continues to deny the facts despite our own military and intelligence reports, and our ally reports, and he refuses to defend our country against its enemies.

While our President-Elect is trying to ingratiate himself with enemies who are not trustworthy, he seems to be striving to make new enemies out of allies, trading partners, and friends.

Add to all this the fact that most of Trump’s cabinet picks are foxes in charge of hen houses, ready to dismantle Congressionally-authorized departments. And they come with a slew of conflicts of interest which are difficult to ignore or disentangle, so much in fact that Newt Gingrich has suggested that to legally avoid his Cabinet’s conflicts of interest, Trump could pardon Cabinet members along the way. This is gangster rule.

Consider the threat to our Constitution by Trump–his policies, cabinet choices and rhetoric–in stark contrast to his oft-stated campaign promise to uphold the Constitution.

Add to all this the poisoned well effect of Trump’s leadership toward racism, sexism, xenophobia which has stirred the pot of discord between American citizens causing hate crimes to increase.

Republicans do not yet have all branches of government under their control, and Trump is not yet sworn in, and yet they are already wreaking havoc with American values and real outcomes for us all.

So what can we do? First we have to be brave and recognize that taking steps to speak out is being patriotic.  On this momentous occasion commemorating the achievements of Martin Luther King Jr., let us remember what organized, peaceful demonstration, and sustained legal action and strategy, can achieve.

 

Selling off the North Pole. The Ghost of Christmas Past (or Future?)

by citizenstacy, posted in Environment, Movie References, Politics, Uncategorized

You might think from the headline that I am about to write about how Russia is racing to own the Arctic, and how Rex Tillerson is chummy with Russia (Tillerson is currently testifying in confirmation hearings to be Secretary of State), or even how Trump denies climate change and has chosen cabinet picks, Scott Pruitt and Rick Perry, who are also climate deniers…

Alas no. At dinner my kids wanted to know if internet hype was true about Trump’s press conference yesterday….Did Trump try to pass off a mound of blank papers as evidence that he has been hard at work in distancing himself from his businesses?  So of course we visited Snopes.com who neither denies nor confirms the allegation, listing it as “unproven”.

But here is the funny thing…there was another Snopes article about a 1950’s TV series Trackdown (S1, E30) with a snake oil salesman named Trump (WATCH THE CLIP) who tried to convince the town to “build a wall” to protect itself, saying “I alone can help” and warning how “a big lie can turn people into kids”, easy to manipulate. Wow.

And this reminded me that during Christmas, there was a random TV movie, Twice Upon a Christmas (2001) airing about how Santa’s wicked daughter was slyly selling off pieces of the North Pole and plotting to sell the land to, you got it, Donald Trump, who planned to score with a new casino and hotel. Naturally this was killing off the Christmas Spirit and the good daughter had to fight to bring the Christmas Spirit back again.

So even if people don’t read professional newspapers, they watch movies, right? Granted this was a bad movie, but we’ve got plenty of classics like A Christmas Carol (the George C. Scott version is my favorite) and It’s a Wonderful Life to remind us that extremely wealthy people can be greedy, mean, and power hungry. Don’t put them in charge of your policies and freedoms!

But back to the North Pole, because this all ties together…Trump’s parlor trick with the files (a confidence man maneuver) reminds us that he has too much in common with the snake oil salesman from the the 1950’s TV show. Also, his law firm (coincidence or not) serves to remind us that Trump is too cozy with Russia and big oil interests. Trump’s lawyer who spoke at his press conference comes from a law firm whose Russian office was named as Russia’s top law firm last year, not surprisingly specializing in energy and banking. Trump is doubling down on fossil fuels (not modern alternative energy).

At this point, Trump already put a damper on the Christmas Spirit of 2016. How long before his policies destroy the environment, kill our crops, and cause economic disaster and human suffering. I want policy-makers who are concerned with Christmas Future.

President Obama’s Farewell Sparks our Democracy Hello

by citizenstacy, posted in Patriotism, Politics, Uncategorized

This evening’s Presidential Farewell Address by President Barack Obama reminds us that democracy requires each of us to participate. For the moment, I think that means paying attention to the confirmation hearings for every single cabinet pick and writing to our Senators and talking to our friends and neighbors about them. I invite you to start by reading and sharing these many (too many) good reasons to oppose the appointment of Jeff Sessions to Attorney General written by one of the 1,400 law professors nationwide who warn of his appointment.

 

 

Why Women’s Rights are Human Rights

by citizenstacy, posted in Movie References, Parenting, Patriotism, Politics, Uncategorized

Happy New Year! I am feeling better than ever after a fantastic holiday visit with twin baby nephews, sisters, and Vegas performers. Now I am looking forward to the March for Women in Washington, January 21, to which my 13-year old son will accompany me. Are you going or someone you know, take this 30 second headcount survey.

Why do I march? Because marching unites us and is good for democracy. Because even though I have a special love for men (Hi Honey and boys!), I genuinely like women. Because I laughed out loud all four times I saw the Ghostbusters reboot (that’s right…I got the eighties jokes, and I enjoy female banter, and I appreciated the irony of gender role reversal). But most of all I march because standing up for one marginalized group means standing up for all of them, all of us.

How we treat women in any given society is a litmus test for how civilized, fair and advanced that society is. But make no mistake, when I march for women I am also marching for minorities, and men, and the rust belt, because all of us take turns being down and out (some of us just spend longer in the down and out position than others). At the end of the day, sexual harassment/discrimination, racism, nationalism, etc. all stem from the same roots: power, abuse of power, and how to divvy resources to maintain power.  It’s about getting away with it simply because you can, and about dividing people to make it easier to control them, and about limiting resources to some in order to enrich yourself.

When people abuse power, they no longer deserve power. No matter if it is in the locker room, the bus, the classroom, the workplace, or our Nation’s top leadership.

Republicans abused their power then they made their pact in 2008 to oppose Obama every step of the way, even when they agreed with him, even when it was best for the country to agree with him; their sole purpose was to “get back in power”, (seeking absolute power) not to use their power for the good of the country by doing the hard work of compromise. And Trump abuses his power almost daily with lying, irresponsible, reckless, and unethically self-enriching tweets.

So I will don my knitted pussy hat (gift from a dear friend) as we stand indivisible and march for all of us.

Your News, My News: Let’s Swap

by citizenstacy, posted in Election, News, Politics, Uncategorized

First off, please read Evan McMullin’s Trump’s Threat to the Constitution. In my “man on the street” conversation today, I mentioned this article to a gentleman who then admitted to me that he voted for McMullin for President.

That same man recommended that I read the Federalist article about the John Doe investigations in Wisconsin. Let’s call it OPTION A. He was disturbed by Democrats searching Republican homes with “early morning raids”. So I read it tonight prepared to be horrified.

Then I read from other news sources and discovered that there was a lot more to the story; bipartisan prosecutors, serious allegations against Scott Walker, Koch Brothers and big money involvement,  self-interested State Supreme Court judges, laws governing John Doe investigations, etc. Poor Wisconsin. How could Hillary think she was a shoe-in?

I found articles that focused mainly on Scott Walker corruption, and also others that focused only on people whose homes were searched in the probe.  Here is the best article I found that touches on both: “Bipartisan Prosecutors Call Scott Walker a Liar for His Attacks on Corruption Probe”. Let’s call it OPTION B.

So what is the truth? If I had read only OPTION A, I might be just as astounded as the gentleman on the train today. I might want to go investigate this myself to stop such atrocities (like the shooter who believed the fake news about the pizzeria)

OPTION B, though it has a slant, reads more fairly to me than OPTION A, and offers up more verifiable facts, rather than mere hyperbole. Meanwhile, Option A sounds especially angry and paranoid. And it is true that conservative news articles that I read tonight omitted facts about the bipartisan nature of the investigations and the level of corruption alleged.

So I choose OPTION B as closer to the truth, to save myself from continuing to search for more news sources until I can be even more certain. Truth is tenuous, and it is tedious. And I am tired.

But at least now I am more educated. And if I see that man tomorrow I can let him know that I respected his request to read the article. Maybe he has since read McMullin’s too?

Trump’s Corruption Needs a Correction

by citizenstacy, posted in Election, News, Politics, Uncategorized

My garbage man says that Trump is a billionaire so he can’t be bought, and thus is not corruptible. Did it occur to him that Trump may not need to be bought in order to be corrupt?

Trump has lived his life in service to Trump, and he is already using his elected position for personal gain.

In just these first few weeks as President-Elect, he has already avoided the press corp which can both keep him accountable and help him communicate in emergencies, ignored security briefings which are necessary to prepare him for office, and ignored is own transition team’s efforts to teach him. Instead he has:

1. asked U.K. leaders to block construction of windmills in view of Trump’s golf course (something Trump previously fought to the highest court in England, and lost),

2. asked Argentinian leader to help Trump’s building project get building permits in Argentina,

3. interrupted transition activity to meet with Indian businessmen on project that would pay royalty money directly to Trump, and

4.  broke with protocol and met privately with Japanese leader and Trump’s daughter Ivanka who had business to discuss.

Also, it is speculated that his politically controversial call with the leader of Taiwan may have been prompted by economic/business interests of his Trump organization.

If Hillary Clinton had done any one of these corrupt things, he would have demanded to “lock her up!”  If your local politicians had done it you would demand they resign.

His refusal to release his taxes was the first sign that he did not intend to behave ethically. Now he is behaving unconstitutionally, with intent to violate the highest laws of the land.

What you can do:

  • Read the excellent letter by U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren (D) and U.S. Congressman, Elijah Cummings, and their call for a government audit of Trump’s conflicts of interest and investigation of his use of unsecured lines to make transition calls to heads of state.
  • Contact the Government Accountability Office contact@gao.gov to note that you “support an investigation into the appropriateness of Trump’s use of tax payer dollars toward the presidential transition, and an audit of all potential conflicts of interest.”
  • Write to your U.S. Congressmen to demand action to protect our country from despot leaders.