If you do not believe that free speech is a necessity of life: please leave this blog now officially and legally as of reading this, your obligation to this statement is formally required.
Freedom of speech is understood to be fundamental in a democracy. The First Amendment (Amendment I) to the United States Constitution prohibits the making of any law respecting an establishment of religion, impeding the free exercise of religion, abridging the freedom of speech, infringing on the freedom of the press, interfering with the right to peaceably assemble or prohibiting the petitioning for a governmental redress of grievances. It was adopted on December 15, 1791, as one of the ten amendments that comprise the Bill of Rights.
The author of the Constitutional Rights Blog does not affiliate with any other organization or people on the internet or the world for that matter. I have been saying this since I first logged on to the internet. Just because I like organizations like the ACLU; does not mean I believe in everything they believe in or stand for. Just like in our great country when we vote; we will never believe in everything the candidate we vote for; believes in or stands for. That does not mean we should not vote.
I make typos allot. I do not get paid to do this. I do not have a editor or anyone working for me at all. Sometimes it may take me more than one day to finish a article.
I posted this on my art blog on October 11, 2015 on my art blog. Since I have decided to post Normal petitions and articles here; I will post it here. I donate to Normal; once a year. Normal is American earned freedom and INDEPENDENCE; in action.
Although I have not used Marijuana since high school and shortly after high school. Since I have mentioned it here on my blog yesterday; I have decided to support the legalization of Marijuana online. I signed up with these folks : http://marijuanamajority.com/
Growing up as a police officer's son in the 1970's I had my life threatened many times just for being a police officer's son; hence I hate all crime and have avoided it all my life. I definitely do not support the breaking of any laws; so until it is legalized; I hate even the thought of having anything to do with Marijuana. In fact any mention of Marijuana to me or any of my loved ones repulses me beyond belief; to the point of which makes me physically ill. I will always feel this way until Marijuana is legalized. I advise you take up this frame of mind also to protect yourself and the ones you love; if Marijuana is illegal where you are.
Posted here on February 17 2021. It is unconstitutional to let police arrest people for marijuana; since it is legal in so many states in our country. I see it all the time in the news; presented as a celebration by the police; posing so proudly next to the marijuana. Mean while just a few miles away; marijuana can be purchased completely legally. It reminds me of the lynching's of the old south. When the slaves were freed; they thought all of their problems were over. What they did not anticipate was; white men lynching them with no legal or rationale reason at all. I am behind any federal legislation to make marijuana legal for all of America; to keep these heinous crimes of arresting people for marijuana, from being committed in the name of the law. Release them all in the USA; arrested for marijuana and expunge their records.
Constitutional Rights Blog Updated August 02 2021
This is not just a Democrat concern. Both democrat's and republicans would not mind a mask mandate. It does seem to be plain to see that democrat's especially are concerned about this conundrum. Well good for them for caring more. I like organizations like this who genuinely express they care; like this. I am so sick of all the lies; that are out there, about the democrats. Lies and conspiracy theory's seem to be the same. Lies are a terrible distortion that can bring anyone down; if they are so careless to embrace them.
From: www.collindemocrats.org:
During a press conference in Houston on Wednesday, July 21, Governor Greg Abbott announced that he will not be implementing another mask mandate for Texas despite the state’s positivity rate (ratio of cases to tests) rising above 10%, an indicator previously identified by Abbott as dangerous. And with COVID cases on the rise in North Texas, many are calling on him to reconsider his position.
While Abbott takes the stance that it is now an “individual responsibility” to protect oneself from COVID, that ignores the 17% of Texas who are under the age of 12 and therefore ineligible to receive the vaccine. While the CDC did relax their recommendations as to the number of Covid cases dropped over the summer, their position has always been that unvaccinated individuals, particularly in crowded indoor areas, continue to mask up. That basically describes every elementary school in Texas.
The COVID-19 Scenario Modeling Hub, a consortium of researchers working in consultation with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, estimates that in the United States we’ll see 60,000 new cases and 850 deaths daily by mid-October, with the worst-case scenario mirroring last winter with nearly 4,000 deaths daily. That surge is largely fueled by the delta variant, one of 17 known variants of the COVID-19 virus. A virus variant happens when the virus mutates itself inside its host. During the process of copying itself, the virus will sometimes make a mistake, causing a variation of itself. Some variants are harmless and some actually weaken the virus. Others, however, like the delta variant, are stronger (225 times stronger) and more harmful than the original.
The overwhelming majority of serious COVID cases — 97% of hospital admissions, and 99.5% of COVID deaths — are occurring among those who are not vaccinated, U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy told reporters at a White House briefing Thursday. If Texans want to stop COVID in its tracks (including the delta variant), and subsequently help prevent new variations, then somewhere between 75% and 90% of the population would need to be vaccinated, or 90-95% of the population would need to be a combination of vaccinated or willing to follow mask, social distancing and personal hygiene protocols set forth last year.
The Texas State Teachers Association, an affiliate of the National Education Association with more than 3 million members, is asking Abbott to allow schools the option to mandate masks. Last May, Abbott issued an order that banned schools and other federal buildings from requiring masks to enter. With 40% of the eligible Texas population walking around willfully unvaccinated, it seems unwise to allow a petri dish, like an elementary classroom, to exist.
So while it makes sense that we expect the adult population of Texas to take personal responsibility for their own health and safety, it doesn’t make sense to leave our youngest population exposed to a deadly virus because our leader puts pandering to Trump and his followers above the Texans he swore to serve.
Read More:
Abbott says he won’t impose new mask mandate (Texas Tribune) https://www.texastribune.org/2021/07/21/greg-abbott-texas-mask-mandate/
The Delta Variant Will Drive A Steep Rise In U.S. COVID Deaths, A New Model Shows (NPR) https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2021/07/22/1019475669/delta-variant-will-drive-a-steep-rise-in-covid-deaths-model-shows
Texas teachers group calls on Gov. Abbott to allow school mask mandates (Dallas Morning News https://www.dallasnews.com/news/education/2021/07/27/texas-teachers-group-calls-on-gov-abbott-to-allow-school-mask-mandates/
Constitutional Rights Blog Updated August 04 2021
Speaking of conspiracy theory's:
Senator Tests Positive as Conspiracies Rage The David Pakman Show - August 3, 2021 Aug 3 Comment Share Listen to today's show This installment of The David Pakman Show newsletter is free for everyone. I send these emails daily. If you would also like to receive it, join the newsletter today. Note: This is totally separate from website Membership and does not affect your website Membership in any way. Watch here: https://davidpakman.com/2021/8/august-3-2021/
Go to this page; to see of the article below, with all the pictures and links to this sad story, below.:
A Story of Two Deaths at the Collin County Jail
Fourteen years before Marvin Scott III was killed after being restrained at the Collin County Jail, a Black man named Marcus Elliott died in the jail’s custody.
PUBLISHED IN FRONTBURNER AUGUST 2, 2021 4:24 PM
Marcia Riley heard her 22-year-old son’s voice above a commotion of knocks and police commands. Marcus Elliott was on the phone in an apartment bathroom in some town in Texas that his mother had never heard of. He had moved to Plano to put some distance between himself and the life he was leading in Atlanta. A U.S. Marshal had called Riley to tell her they had federal warrants to arrest her son and demanded he surrender to the cops who were outside his door.
Riley tried to guide and support him through the incident. Run-ins with police in Georgia had piled up. On at least one occasion she co-signed to help him make bond. She was proud that Marcus had earned his GED while serving time in county jail back home. He was making an effort to fix his life while he moved between agencies and courts and jails. She thought about her son, who weighed no more than 130 pounds, up against what sounded like dozens of police officers. “I could hear extreme fear in his voice, a tone I have never heard before,” Riley later wrote in a newspaper essay. She convinced Elliott to give himself up. “I assured my son that he would be safe.”
Her son’s life was in the hands of law enforcement 800 miles away from her. Officers drove Elliott to the Collin County Jail. Jailers there placed Elliott on suicide watch as soon as he was booked in on June 28, 2007. Officers at the scene reported Elliott threatened to take his own life throughout their encounter with him. Detention staff that day had already sent a 45-year-old inmate to a hospital after he was found unconscious; the man later died from suicide. Back in Atlanta, a fog of anxiety and confusion settled over Riley as she dialed the jail’s main phone line repeatedly. Jail staff told her Elliott could not be reached. She finally talked to him the next morning. “He was eager to get back to Atlanta, serve his time, turn his life around, and have a future,” Riley wrote of the conversation, their last.
The next day, Elliott was killed. In a struggle that lasted nearly 20 minutes, detention officers tried to force Elliott into a restraint bed. A jail nurse reported to officers they found Elliott trying to asphyxiate himself. In a custodial death report, officers claimed Elliott began to kick and swing at detention staff. Local news media and the sheriff’s office reported his death as a suicide. In reality, Elliott died after jailers strapped him into the restraint bed, according to the Collin County Medical Examiner’s Office, which ruled Elliott’s death a homicide.
Fourteen years later, Marvin Scott III would be arrested for a small amount of marijuana outside the Allen Premium Outlets. He, too, would die in custody at the Collin County Jail while being restrained. Like Elliott’s, the medical examiner would rule his death a homicide.
Scott was 12 years old when Elliott was killed. Their lives were not mirror images. The circumstances that brought them into the same jail over a decade apart were worlds away, but their lives ended in similar fashions.
A sampling of Marcus Elliott’s writing and images, printed for his memorial.
Courtesy Loretta Prater
Since a state law in the 1980s required jails to report all in-custody deaths to state authorities, roughly 30 people have died while in the custody of the Collin County Jail, according to reports from the Texas Attorney General’s Office. Most of those people were White, and most died from suicide. Some died from diseases they were battling before they entered the jail. Others overdosed. But two people died as a direct result of being restrained: Elliott and Scott, both Black men in their 20s who experienced a mental health crisis in their final moments.
Including Scott, 12 people have been killed under restraint in Texas jails since 2008, according to data from the Texas Commission on Jail Standards. All but one were men, and more than half were men of color. Two of those 12—about 16 percent—occurred at the Collin County Jail. (In a 2017 investigation of statewide police data, the Austin American-Statesman counted nearly 300 people who were killed by state law enforcement both in and outside of jails since 2005.)
Riley did what Scott’s mother, LaSandra Scott, has done since March: she fought for her son. These two cases in many ways measure how far the nation has come in understanding the police brutality disproportionately leveled at Black men, but they also reveal how much more needs to be done, even after a year of international protest and debate about the need for radical criminal justice reform.
Riley organized and wrote about the grief she carried. In her final years, Riley saw the mothers of slain Black men enter their own endless struggles with criminal justice systems in jurisdictions across the country. She read names such as Lezley McSpadden-Head, mother of Michael Brown of Ferguson, Mo., and Gwen Carr, Eric Garner’s mother. After Marcus was killed, Riley spent much of her last decade alive fighting for him. She died in 2016, never seeing justice for Marcus, a familiar story in this country.
•••
Five months after Elliott’s death, Riley remained skeptical of the narrative from the sheriff’s office, which had declared that Elliott died by suicide. The medical examiner later ruled the death a homicide.
The autopsy report and the Texas Rangers investigation of the death included testimony from a jail nurse who told authorities they saw a detention officer’s knee in Elliott’s back and neck area as they wrestled him into the restraints. Riley couldn’t find an attorney in Texas to take her son’s wrongful death case. She began searching through news clips to find other cases of police killings. She read about the 2004 police killing of Leslie Prater, an unarmed Black man in Chattanooga, Tennessee and learned about how the man’s mother protested and tried to raise awareness of her son’s death. Riley looked her up in the phone book and called. Loretta Prater was in the kitchen with her relatives when her landline rang.
Riley wanted to learn more about Leslie’s killing and how authorities responded to his family’s protests. The women shared stories and learned from each other. They agreed something needed to be done about police killings. When Prater got off the phone after more than an hour, she was impressed by how determined Riley was to not only seek justice for her son but to connect with other mothers of children slain by police. The women had a bond neither asked for, but they stayed connected over email and phone calls. “We knew there were other mothers out there,” Prater said.
They formed an organization called “MOMS: Mothers of Murdered Sons.” It began as a support group for women, a space where they could talk through trauma with other people in similar situations. They built a website and published guidelines for mothers to use in the immediate aftermath of a child’s killing. Neither had such information readily available to them after their sons were killed. Even groups that advocated for families whose children were murdered did not fully embrace those whose children were killed by police, they argued.
In 2009, two more mothers joined their new organization. They attended the annual Parents of Murdered Children conference in Cincinnati. There were no sessions or pamphlets for parents who experienced what they had. MOMS applied to host its own panel discussion related to police killings at another POMC conference. They were denied.
“We felt like it was political because our children were murdered by police officers,” Prater says. “What got in the way of what we were trying to do, is there were so many people that were police sympathizers, and they more or less vilified our children.”
(Bev Warnock, the executive director of POMC, says the group welcomes anyone whose children were killed at the hands of another person, be that during a drunken driving crash, an assault, or by police. But POMC does not organize events, panels, or conduct any other research specifically regarding police killings.)
Riley’s fight was before cellphone footage on social media could change the course of an investigation or even its outcome in court. It was before Black Lives Matter kept the names of Black victims of police violence alive in the news and hashtags became tools of police accountability. As a writer who earned a Ph.D. in communications, Riley challenged the police by writing. In one essay for a Black newspaper in Tennessee, Riley shared her experience and challenged police narratives under the headline “Another Senseless Murder in A Texas Jail.” In that way, Elliott’s and Scott’s homicides and the subsequent advocacy by their families calls attention to how radical the past decade has been in the fight toward ending police brutality.
“It has been terrible all these years,” Prater says. “I would say people are waking up.”
More than a decade later, research shows how video footage shared on social media can contradict official police narratives of some in-custody deaths. Last year, a Minneapolis teenager named Darnella Frazier won a Pulitzer Prize Special Citation for filming the death of George Floyd. Her footage contradicted the official press release from the Minneapolis Police Department and helped fuel a national reckoning over race and police violence. It was played during the trial of Officer Derek Chauvin, who was convicted of murder in Floyd’s death.
In the fight for her son, Prater experienced what felt like a wall of police unions, news media, police officials, defense attorneys, and residents who did not want to hear about her son’s death at the hands of law enforcement. A scholar and author, Prater wrote a book about it called Excessive Force: One Mother’s Struggle Against Police Brutality and Misconduct and is currently working on a documentary that will feature the stories of mothers around the country whose sons were killed by police. She feels like more would have been done for her son if he had been killed in the social media age. And the same applies to Riley’s son Elliott. “Nothing ever could really get off the ground,” Prater says of their efforts on MOMS.
•••
Just like in Elliott’s case, a Collin County grand jury declined to indict all eight of the detention officers involved in Scott’s killing. But the grand jury did recommend Collin County law enforcement officials make systemic changes in the way it restrains inmates and interacts with people suffering a mental health crisis. Sheriff Jim Skinner and District Attorney Greg Willis have come out in support of some of those suggestions.
After a year of intense protests after Floyd’s murder, it is easy to suggest the embrace of these changes by these Republican law enforcement officials is a sign of a tipping point in how courts handle cases of police killings. To others, this response is an anomaly, especially in context with how the Texas Legislature achieved no significant criminal justice reform during the recent session.
“I assured my son that he would be safe.”
MARCIA RILEY
After Scott was killed, civil rights attorney Lee Merritt took up his family’s case. He convened news conferences, announcing developments in Scott’s investigation as the family stood by. He says it is too soon to tell whether Chauvin’s murder conviction represents a turning point in how courts handle police killings.
“What we did hear, which is rare in a relatively conservative jurisdiction like Collin County, were empathetic statements from relatively conservative actors,” Merritt said last month. “They probably view that as progress, but for the family impacted, it feels very, very patriarchal and condescending.”
Merritt said all cases of in-custody deaths should be turned over to special prosecutors from other jurisdictions.
“Local hands should be off of the investigation, and the case should proceed immediately to a special prosecutor,” Merritt says. “The rules [now] simply allow the agencies themselves to control all the evidence access, control access to witnesses, control access to video that is available. And it is often very obscure.”
Merritt, who has represented the families of slain Black men Botham Jean, Ahmaud Arbery, and Ronald Jefferson, is running as a Democrat against Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton. He says his campaign is rooted in bringing attention to the pain and suffering that occur when law enforcement is not held accountable after harming a member of the public.
“The work that families are forced to do, particularly Black families, is completely destabilizing,” he says. “There is a pattern [of] collective trauma that families have to suffer, for moms and dads in particular, but that trauma is a national trauma. That’s why we saw last summer protests in 50 states.”
•••
Texas jail experts and justice reform advocates say there needs to be more oversight over jails and prisons in the reporting of custodial deaths.
As mandated by Texas law in 1983, jail officials must report any death of a person in the agency’s custody to the Texas Attorney General’s Office within 30 days of the death. And since 2009, county jails have been required to report inmate deaths to the TCJS. Experts say the TCJS has little power to hold jails accountable when reports are not filed or contain errors. The work of holding jails and agencies accountable resides with district attorneys, says Eva Ruth Moravec, the executive director of the Texas Justice Initiative. Under the law, agencies can face a class B misdemeanor for improperly reporting deaths. A local district attorney would have to file charges against its own sheriff’s office. “For whatever reason, it’s just not a charge that has ever been raised,” Moravec says. “There is no real way to ensure these reports are correct or that they are comprehensive.”
The Collin County Jail.
Yohan Ko
The Collin County District Attorney’s office did present the case to a grand jury, which declined to indict. Despite the grand jury recommendations and multiple public statements of ownership from the sheriff and district attorney, Scott’s family remains unsatisfied with the outcome of the criminal investigation into the 26-year-old’s death. (The district attorney’s office declined to comment.) With Scott’s mother always toward the front of any march or press conference, the family has made it clear they want criminal charges filed and convictions secured for all eight officers involved in the March killing. Merritt has indicated the family will advocate for federal charges if necessary.
The Collin County Sheriff’s Office declined to comment about its use of restraint devices and beds within the jail. Assistant Chief Deputy Nicol Bristol cited the then-ongoing investigation into Scott’s death as reason it would not comment. Even with the criminal investigation closed by the grand jury, the agency would not comment in anticipation of further litigation.
Krishnaveni Gundu, the co-founder and executive director of the Texas Jail Project, says further scrutiny is needed into the uses of restraints. She seconded Moravec’s assertion that oversight varies from agency to agency.
“We still keep finding people bend and break [the rules] based on the culture of a facility.” In her work for the Texas Jail Project, Gundu speaks with people who are incarcerated and their families and often finds that the inmates who need the most delicate care — people with disabilities and those experiencing mental health crises — are often the people who are placed under restraint, creating a recipe for catastrophe. “I wonder about all the stuff we don’t know about,” she says.
•••
Prater remembers how traumatized Riley was after Elliott’s death. She says the work of crying out for justice adds its own layer on top of the grief of losing a child to police violence. Ultimately, their plan to build MOMS into a national organization never panned out; the group faded as Riley did. She was diagnosed with cancer, Prater says, and she had to focus more on beating the disease. “Marcia was the glue,” Prater says.
She died in 2016, leaving behind her writings and resources for mothers who might come after her.
“It’s tragic enough to cope with the death of a child from illness or an accident,” Riley wrote. “But it’s totally different when their life has been taken through the heinous act of another person. And it’s even more devastating when that person or group is in law enforcement — public servants under oath to protect, not commit senseless killings.”
Constitutional Rights Blog Updated August 06 2021
Tell The Biden Administration: Give Everyone A Shot Add your name to Doctors Without Borders' petition to call on the United States to share vaccines worldwide! This pandemic will not be over until it's over for everyone, everywhere. That's why Doctors Without Borders is fighting for COVID-19 vaccines to be distributed fairly and equitably to people all over the world on the basis of need, not profits.: https://www.dailykos.com/campaigns/forms/tell-the-biden-administration-give-everyone-a-shot
Petition: Pass the PRO Act and Protect Workers’ Rights Pass the PRO Act: Protect workers. Protect democracy. ADD YOUR NAME Workers’ rights are under attack. Our outdated labor laws have been chipped away and weakened by anti-worker legislators. Every day, we hear about corporations openly union-busting and retaliating against working people without consequence. That’s why we need the Protecting the Right to Organize (PRO) Act. The PRO Act is the most significant worker empowerment legislation since the Great Depression. If it passes, it would: Empower workers to form unions and bargain over wages and work conditions. Hold corporations accountable for union-busting. Repeal “right to work” laws, which were created during the Jim Crow era to divide Black and White workers. Strong unions mean higher wages, safer working conditions and dignity for all people who work. Passing the PRO Act is our first step to getting there.: https://actionnetwork.org/forms/the-pro-act
Tell President Biden Why You’re In This Fight Take Back The Court has been invited to submit testimony to the Biden Administration’s Presidential Commission on the Supreme Court. This invitation is a direct result of our collective work to put Supreme Court expansion on the map. You are the reason we’ve gotten this far — so make sure your voice is heard today. Will you share why reforming the Supreme Court is important to you? By sharing your comment, you are allowing Take Back the Court to potentially include your answer, your first name, last initial, and state in our testimony to the Commission.: https://actionnetwork.org/forms/tell-president-biden-why-youre-in-this-fight
This will make you happy; if you never like Christian Music in the first place.:
Christian with rock threatens gay city official with stoning in public meeting Officers kicked the man out of the building but didn't arrest him despite the weapon in his hand and the violent threats he'd just made. Thursday, August 5, 2021 : https://www.lgbtqnation.com/2021/08/christian-rock-threatens-gay-city-official-stoning-public-meeting/
How the Far-Right Weaponised Memes
The far-right has been subversively using memes for years to covertly spread their hateful message and recruit new members – and it's almost impossible to clamp down on them.
August 6, 2021, 10:38am
And just before the Australian white supremacist terrorist Brenton Tarrant launched an attack on two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand in March 2019, killing 51 people, he announced his murderous intentions with a post on 8chan featuring a meme, before live-streaming the mass murder on Facebook.
“Memes are used in a way to obfuscate hateful ideology and imagery,” said Andy Campbell, a HuffPost senior editor who is writing a book on far-right group the Proud Boys, “to the point where if a platform like Twitter or TikTok creates a hate speech policy and says you can't you can't put imagery of say, lynchings … any more … the people that make memes are going to immediately work to find the loophole.”
O'Shaughnessy agreed. “They will always be complete masters of the technology. So all attempts to cut them down and so forth, they will always find a technological way of outsmarting that.”
Constitutional Rights Blog Updated August 08 2021
This report on online antisemitism looks bad. Could reality be worse?
August 06, 2021 07:00 AM
From May 18-June 29, CCDH reported 714 instances of antisemitic content appearing on five social media platforms: Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter, and YouTube. Eighty-four percent of those reported posts “were not acted on by social media companies,” even after being flagged for antisemitism. That was true for 89% of antisemitic conspiracy posts and 80% of “posts that denied or minimized the Holocaust.”
The most permissive platforms were Facebook, which acted on 10.9% of reported posts, and Twitter, which acted on 11%. Even TikTok, which is infamous for its antisemitic content, acted on 18.5% of reports.
Constitutional Rights Blog Updated August 10 2021
Trump's tactics straight out of the mob boss handbook 4am August 10, 2021
Ordinarily, Trump exhibits the low cunning of a mob boss. Rule One is: Never write anything down. It's clearly because he sends no emails or written directives that Trump himself has so far escaped New York tax fraud charges. The law requires proof of corrupt intent, and as long as nobody rats him out, the boss can plead ignorance.
Rule Two in the mob boss handbook is this: Never talk about it over the phone. That's one we've seen the big dope violate often. He's constitutionally incapable of keeping his mouth shut. First, when he tried to shake down the president of Ukraine into announcing a phony investigation of presumptive Democratic nominee Joe Biden.
Clearer evidence of criminal intent would be hard to find. Trump meant to overturn the election by any means possible. Exactly how much proof can be found of White House involvement in raising the Jan. 6 mob remains to be seen. But the Proud Boys and the Oath Keepers didn't just decide on a midwinter camping trip.
Trump told the gathering mob that they needed to march to the Capitol and "fight like hell, or you won't have a country anymore." He vowed to march with them. Fat chance. He quickly retreated into the White House to enjoy the spectacle on TV.
So now the portly sideshow barker in elevator shoes has been quoted calling the cops who fought hours of hand-to-hand combat "pussies" and "cowards," while the mob chanted, "Kill Mike Pence."
Constitutional Rights Blog Updated August 13 2021
From my email from: https://www.splcenter.org
More than 150 years after the Civil War, Confederate symbols remain all too common in the United States, especially in the South. In fact, many schools still bear the names of Confederate leaders. Imagine trying to learn history inside a building whose name implicitly honors the racist militancy of the Confederacy.
Today, as part of our Whose Heritage?: https://www.splcenter.org/20190201/whose-heritage-public-symbols-confederacy report tracking Confederate symbols, we released new data on the number of schools named after Confederate leaders. We identified an additional 100 schools named after Confederates. In total, there are now 198 “live” schools (which still bear the names of Confederates) in our database. If you include schools that are pending a rename, have been renamed or have closed, the total is 304.
Most of these schools are in the South; Georgia (45), Texas (40) and Alabama (22) top the list. Twenty-one schools have committed to changing their names but have not yet done so.
Interestingly, at least 80 of the newly identified schools were named after a county or town that was itself named after a Confederate (i.e. Lee High School in Lee County, Arkansas, named after Robert E. Lee). The people who attend these schools may not even realize their school name is a veneration of the values of the Confederacy – yet another reason why we’re committed to spreading the word with our Whose Heritage? report.
A bright spot: 85 schools in our database have closed or been renamed, and the rate of renaming has increased since the 2015 Charleston church shooting that spurred the initial creation of our Whose Heritage? report. This year alone, 17 schools have already changed their names. We hope there are more to come.
You can view the complete list of schools named after Confederate leaders here.: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1W4H2qa2THM1ni53QYZftGob_k_Bf9HreFAtCERfjCIU/edit?pli=1#gid=806957529 To learn more about the history of Confederate symbols, check out the full Whose Heritage? report here.: https://www.splcenter.org/20190201/whose-heritage-public-symbols-confederacy
Removing namesakes that celebrate a revisionist Confederate past does not erase history; it corrects it. We’ll be watching to see which schools correct their history next.
Man killed his kids over QAnon ‘serpent DNA’ conspiracy, U.S. officials say
Posted August 12, 2021 11:23 am
A California man admitted to killing his two young children out of fear they’d grow up to become snake-like “monsters” in what prosecutors say was a double murder inspired by the QAnon conspiracy theory.
Matthew Taylor Coleman, a 40-year-old surf instructor from Santa Barbara, has been charged with the foreign murder of two U.S. nationals in the case, according to the U.S. attorney’s office, which filed the charges on Wednesday. He also faces aggravated murder charges in Mexico.
Coleman took his two-year-old son and 10-month-old daughter to Mexico and killed them with a “spear-fishing gun,” according to an affidavit filed by the FBI in the case. He was later stopped at the border on his way back into the U.S., where he allegedly told an FBI agent there that he had been “enlightened” by QAnon and Illuminati conspiracies.
Constitutional Rights Blog Updated August 19 2021
Despite new state law, dozens imprisoned in Mississippi for nonviolent acts will never get paroled
Mississippi Center For Investigative Reporting
July 1, 2021
Read this here with all the links: https://mlk50.com/2021/07/01/despite-new-state-law-dozens-imprisoned-in-mississippi-for-nonviolent-acts-will-never-get-paroled/
Convicted of second degree murder, third degree murder and manslaughter in the slaying of George Floyd, former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin could be released on parole in 15 years.
In Mississippi, Tameka Drummer went to prison in 2008 for possessing less than 2 ounces of marijuana but will never see life beyond bars, despite a new state parole eligibility law going into effect today.
Up to 3,000 Mississippi inmates over the next three to five years will be eligible for release under the state’s Earned Parole Eligibility Act.
But Drummer and more than 80 others convicted of nonviolent crimes but sentenced to life without parole will not be among them. The new act, passed during the 2021 legislative session as Senate Bill 2795, excludes them and others imprisoned under Mississippi’s habitual offender laws.
Corinth police found less than 2 ounces of marijuana on Drummer, originally from Memphis, during a traffic stop in 2006.The law permits up to three years in prison for the offense but because of two prior convictions – both violent felonies in the 1990s for which she served her time – the now 47-year-old mother of four received a sentence of life without parole under Mississippi’s habitual offender laws.
“They’re just devastating, devastating laws that have left so many people in prison for far too long, and even for life, for really minor offenses,” said Laura Bennett, manager of Research for Criminal Justice Reform for advocacy group FWD.us.
Mississippi has two habitual laws, often referred to as the “little habitual law” and the “big habitual law,” said Bennett. The “little” law ensures someone with two prior convictions will serve the maximum possible sentence for their third felony.
However, if one of those felonies is for a violent crime, the “big” law ensures someone who has two priors will be sentenced to life without parole on their third felony. The third felony doesn’t have to be violent; Bennett gave examples of people being locked up for life for drug crimes or shoplifting.
Drummer had previously been convicted of voluntary manslaughter in 1992 and aggravated assault in 1998. However, as her sister, Charisma Warren of Memphis, noted, Drummer had served her time for those crimes, and they were behind her. She said Drummer is the kind of person who took care of her kids and family. Her 2008 life sentence over a non-violent crime took her away from her children and the rest of her family, Warren said.
“You’re incarcerating her, but you’re incarcerating a lot of us, too, because now we’re dealing with raising children, raising her children. We’re dealing with having to go to Mississippi and take care of her down there,” Warren said.
In a statement on social media, Gov. Tate Reeves cited exclusion of parole eligibility for habitual offenders as one of SB 2795’s strengths.
“This bill expands parole eligibility for some — but it does not guarantee it!” he wrote. “And not all are eligible — we were able to ensure 1st and 2nd degree murderers can’t get it. … Maybe best of all, habitual offenders are not included in this bill.”
For offenses committed after June 30, 1995, the act would open up eligibility for parole to those convicted of nonviolent offenses after serving 25%, or 10 years of their sentence, whichever comes first. Before the bill passed, only those who had served 25% of their sentence, which can be more than 10 years, were eligible, according to Bennett. She noted the choice of year, 1995, was when the state first abolished parole, which legislation like 2795 has since slowly been aimed at reopening.
Likewise, for those convicted of violent crimes, they would be eligible after either serving 50% of their sentence or 20 years; for robbery with a deadly weapon, drive-by shooting, or a carjacking, that goes up to 60% or 25 years. Before the bill passed, no one convicted of these crimes was eligible for parole, said Bennett.
The bill also largely excludes those convicted of sex offenses, murder, capital offenses, human trafficking, drug trafficking and any other offenses specifically prohibiting parole relief.
Under a House bill introduced last session, priors that were more than 15 years old would not have been counted in habitual sentencing under the “little” law, and the bill would have prevented someone from a life without parole sentence for a nonviolent crime under the “big” law, Bennett said. The bill also would have opened up parole to some who were previously sentenced under the habitual offender laws.
Reeves vetoed a similar reform Senate bill last year. Sen. Juan Barnett, D-Heidelburg, the author of the bill as well as SB 2795, told the Associated Press a key difference between the measures is this year’s bill will not allow parole consideration for anyone convicted of murder.
“We know that long sentences with no ability to earn parole or any type of release is devastating for people, it’s devastating for their families,” Bennett said. “We’ve spoken to people across the state who are just desperate to get their loved ones home, especially at a time when Mississippi’s prisons have become very, very dangerous, and even more dangerous now that COVID has been spreading behind bars.”
Early last year, the Justice Department launched an investigation into Mississippi prisons after numerous inmate deaths. An April 23 report by the state’s Joint Legislative Committee on Performance Evaluation and Expenditure Review on the Mississippi Department of Corrections found inmate-on-inmate assaults rose from 663 to 853 between the 2019 and 2020 budget years – a 29% increase.
“A lot of people talked about it like it was an … automatic release bill, and it is not,” said Bennett. “This bill makes people eligible for a parole hearing. They will go in front of the Parole Board, which is appointed by the governor, and the Parole Board will make the final decision. And there’s also mountains of evidence now showing that opportunities like parole, like earned time that give people, you know, hope and incentives to participate in programs actually reduce recidivism and make us all safer.”
The recent PEER report found the recidivism rate has been growing in Mississippi. The percentage of prisoners re-incarcerated within 36-months exceeded 30% from FY 2016 to FY 2020, with a low of 31% in FY 2017 and high of 37.4% in FY 2020.
Conservative nonprofit advocacy group Empower Mississippi celebrated the signing of the bill, with President Russ Latino saying in a statement posted to its website that signing the bill into law “should be seen as a signal to the Department of Justice that we are prepared to get our own house in order, without costly federal intervention. This is a smart on crime, soft on taxpayer conservative reform.”
Mississippi has one of the highest rates of incarceration in the country. Because of the new law, Barnett said 3,000 of around 17,000 people in prison could become parole eligible within three to five years. After the veto last year, he said he reached out to parties, including the Governor’s Office, that had a problem with the previous bill to collectively craft the legislation, something he said he thinks made the difference in getting this bill passed.
Although there was a lot of compromise in SB 2795, the legislation is good for the state, Barnett said.
“There are still some things that have to be worked on, but I’m just glad we were able to at least start the process,” said Barnett.
He said he’ll continue to sit down with stakeholders to craft future legislation.
Asked about the governor’s thoughts towards reforming habitual offender laws, press secretary Bailey Martin wrote in a June 11 email, “Governor Reeves believes that Mississippi should focus on a full, multi-year implementation of the criminal justice reforms passed in 2014 and 2021 before any additional legislation regarding habitual offenders is considered.”
She said he also believes the priority and focus should be on his efforts, which Corrections Commissioner Burl Cain and his team already are working on, “to rebuild the broken reentry programs to not only protect public safety but also ensure those paroled have a reasonable chance at success when reentering society.”
“Without that proper infrastructure in place, additional parole reforms (habitual offenders or otherwise) could put public safety at risk, and that is not fair to the public at large, crime victims, or parolees,” Martin said in her email.
Steven Randle, director of Justice and Work with Empower Mississippi, said addressing habitual offender law reform is important, and he plans on working with lawmakers and advocacy groups in the future to see what the next steps will be.
“Because we want to make sure that people are not sentenced to life and virtual life sentences for nonviolent issues. And we want to make sure that something that happened 15 years prior does not cost you your life for another nonviolent issue,” he said.
Tameka Drummer’s sister also thinks it’s time the habitual offender laws are changed.
“I just feel like it’s just time for them to re-evaluate and figure out something else they could do,” Warren said. “She (Drummer) could have had probation and been home by now.”
A petition posted on Change.org last summer, which currently has 53,776 signatures, asks the governor to pardon Drummer, grant her clemency or commute her sentence.
“You have the awesome power to give Tameka and her family their life back. Give a mother the chance to hold her child again,” the petition reads.
The Mississippi Center for Public Policy – a conservative, limited government advocacy group — also wrote of Drummer last summer that “At the end of the day, we are not safer because Drummer is in prison for the rest of her life, her children are not better off by being raised by someone other than their mother, and taxpayer money could certainly be better invested in something else.”
Reeves said at a news conference last summer that he wasn’t considering a pardon for Drummer and didn’t “know all the facts of the case.”
Asked if there were any updates on his position, Martin responded in her June 11 email that “to my knowledge, Governor Reeves is not considering any pardons at this time.”
Warren doesn’t understand why her sister is still in prison: “You have rehabilitated her. … Her belief is better, her religion is better. You have done that. And at some point, why not let her go home?”
I can not believe I am taking my hat off to TikTok. Hip hip hooray!
Mississippi inmate Tameka Drummer serving life after marijuana bust gets more support after TikTok video
Two ounces of marijuana leads to life sentence for Tameka Drummer
Mississippi Clarion Ledger
Published 9:12 a.m. CT Aug 18, 2021
A video on social media sparked a surge in signatures on a petition asking Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves to pardon a woman sentenced to life in prison without parole as a habitual offender for possessing less than 2 ounces of marijuana.
Tameka Drummer received a life sentence in 2008 after she was pulled over for an expired license plate in northern Mississippi's Alcorn County and officers found marijuana in her vehicle. Drummer was sentenced as a habitual offender because of previous convictions.
Drummer had previously been convicted of voluntary manslaughter in 1992, aggravated assault in 1998 and possession of marijuana in 2007 in the Criminal Court of Shelby County, Tennessee.
Jacqueline Temple of Flowood started the petition at Change.org in August of 2020 seeking a pardon or commutation of Drummer's sentence.
A video posted on TikTok recently led to an increase in signatures and comments on the petition.
Petition to Governor Tate Reeves: https://www.change.org/p/governor-tate-reeves-free-tameka-drummer-5e7752d9-b857-4b41-85b2-fd58dfbb24c1
Tameka Drummer is a 46 year old mother of 4 serving a life sentence without the possibility of parole for possession of less than 2 ounces of marijuana. She was pulled over in Alcorn County Mississippi for not having a license plate. which lead to her car being searched. A proper tag was in the back seat. That’s the night her life sentence began.
Tameka has been in prison since she was 34 years old. Her youngest child was 4 when she was arrested. In April her child turned 16.
Tameka was sentenced under Mississippi’s crushing “habitual offender” law. The only hope for Tameka to ever leave prison alive is for you, Governor Reeves, to pardon her, grant her clemency or commute her sentence. You have the awesome power to give Tameka and her family their life back. Give a mother the chance to hold her child again. You hold her life in your hands. Her release would save Mississippi tax payers untold amounts of money and resources but also remove the stain of this injustice from our collective conscience.
Please show the world that Mississippi is changing everyday, We are merciful and believe in redemption.
Constitutional Rights Blog Updated August 24 2021
TikTok Presents Hate: Cheering Trans Suicides, Calling Gays Pedophiles
Tue, August 24, 2021, 10:56 AM·2 min read
TikTok isn’t just a place where young people sing, dance, and perform comedy routines — it’s a place where some users promote anti-LGBTQ+ hatred by praising oppressive regimes, celebrating the suicides of transgender people, and conflating LGBTQ+ identity with pedophilia, according to a new report.
The report, released Tuesday by the U.K.-based think tank Institute for Strategic Dialogue, examined 1,030 TikTok videos for various kinds of hatred, including white supremacy, Holocaust denial, terrorism, misogyny, and more, in addition to anti-LGBTQ+ activity. TikTok monitors and takes down such content but does so inconsistently, the institute notes.
Read the full report here.: https://www.isdglobal.org/isd-publications/hatescape-an-in-depth-analysis-of-extremism-and-hate-speech-on-tiktok/
Download report here: https://www.isdglobal.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/HateScape_v5.pdf
Constitutional Rights Blog Updated August 26 2021
Collin County Sheriff's Office promoting volunteer reserve detention officer program
Aug 13, 2021
The Collin County Sheriff’s Office (CCSO) is overseeing a volunteer program where members of the community from various backgrounds can train for and perform duties typically performed by full-time deputies and officers.
These volunteers, called “reserve detention officers,” are entrusted with various law enforcement duties, many of which are performed in the Collin County Jail.
Constitutional Rights Blog Updated August 29 2021
Removing the Propaganda: SPLC reveals new data on schools whose names glorify Confederacy and pushes to change them August 27, 2021
In a recent update of its index of Confederate iconography displayed in public spaces across the country, the SPLC identified an additional 100 schools named for Confederate leaders, bringing the total to 304. The majority of those schools are in the South.
Of the schools identified, 85 have been closed or renamed, thanks to the growing movement to remove Confederate statues and other symbols across the country. An additional 21 schools have committed to changing their names but have not yet done so.
Constitutional Rights Blog Updated September 01 2021
This is a sad story with similarity's to the Marvin Scott story.:
Grand jury indicts police officers and paramedics in 2019 death of Elijah McClain CNN Updated 4:45 PM ET, Wed September 1, 2021
McClain's mother, Sheneen McClain, told CNN in a phone interview that she was excited by the news of the indictments and thanked Weiser, his team and the grand jury. "I started crying because it's been two years," she said. "It's been a long journey, you know, and it's overwhelming. I'm still processing it, you know, because this is one of those things that has never really been done and is being done right here because of my son, so it's overwhelming."
"We're here today because Elijah McClain is not here and he should be," Weiser said. "When he died he was only 23 years old. He had his whole life ahead of him and his family and his friends must now go on and must live without him."
Constitutional Rights Blog Updated September 02 2021
Sign the petition: Ban Congress members from using insider knowledge to trade stock: https://actionnetwork.org/forms/sign-the-petition-ban-congress-members-from-trading-stock
We recently learned that in February of 2020, shortly after Senator Rand Paul received a Senate committee briefing on the coronavirus, his wife invested in Gilead, the drug company that makes the COVID-19 treatment Remdesivir. The couple had not purchased individual stock for more than a decade before that. Days later, Sen. Paul voted against the emergency spending bill that helped countless Americans stay afloat through the outbreak.
Members of Congress can have access to inside information that would be illegal to use for investment in any other industry. Should Congress knowingly be allowed to use that information to make money? The Answer is NO!
Grits:
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 02, 2021
Prosecuting crimes of poverty isn't the same as combating a "crime wave"
The following is a guest blog post co-authored by Elizabeth Rossi of Civil Rights Corps and Amanda Woog of the Texas Fair Defense Project. Their organizations are among the civil rights groups involved in bail litigation against Harris County. Related: this discussion of the District Attorney's claims to be fighting a "crime wave" in Houston harken to this analysis of media coverage of crime and jails from a century ago.: https://gritsforbreakfast.blogspot.com/2021/02/crime-bail-and-media-century-old-recipe.html Sometimes, the more things change, the more they stay the same. Read more here: https://gritsforbreakfast.blogspot.com/2021/09/prosecuting-crimes-of-poverty-isnt-same.html
A month and a half ago, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and Senators Cory Booker and Ron Wyden released their legislative discussion draft to repeal federal marijuana prohibition, entitled the Cannabis Administration and Opportunity Act (CAOA).
After receiving thousands and thousands of comments from supporters just like you, today we submitted our formal comments to strengthen the provisions related to consumer protections, rights, and access to cannabis.
96% of you said it is important that expungement provisions be included.
98% of you said it is important to end discriminatory employment testing policies.
92% of you said it is important to have consumer access to a wide array of American-grown cannabis.
But we cannot just tell our elected allies what we want them to do; we need every Senator willing to engage in this discussion NOW.
So take today as an opportunity to yet again engage in the most American thing you can do: engage in the democratic process and tell your elected Senators to support these reforms and work with our Senate champions to end prohibition once and for all.: Send here: https://norml.org/act/coming-soon-a-senate-bill-to-end-marijuana-criminalization/
Constitutional Rights Blog Updated September 04 2021
Trumpists Prepare for Another Riot on Sept 18th
The David Pakman Show - September 3, 2021: https://davidpakman.com/2021/9/september-3-2021/
For weeks now, Trump supporters have been planning their return to the US Capitol building where they want to hold a protest to “take back the narrative” on what happened on January 6th. The event scheduled for September 18th is ostensibly to show support for people who have been locked up over their role in the Trump riots eight months ago. We’re now finding out that far-right groups like the Oath Keepers and Proud Boys plan on being in attendance, as they were at the original “Save America” rally. This has the intelligence community worried that those in attendance may once again try to storm the US Capitol and put the lives of lawmakers, police, and other Capitol staff at risk. There is now a growing push to put a fence back up surrounding the perimeter of the Capitol building to prevent another insurrection. Doing so would be labeled an authoritarian move by the right, even though given what happened in January, installing a fence would make plenty of sense. Capitol Police will surely be far more prepared this time and that will of course play into the persecution complex that so many of these right-wingers have. With the event only two weeks away, hopefully we’re not going to see a repeat of the turmoil and national embarrassment that occurred on January 6th.
At a school board meeting in Seminole County, Florida, a man went on an insane rant about masks and vaccines that ended with him saying that even Fox News cannot be trusted anymore. The speech was riddled with delusions of grandeur and a sentiment that this guy was willing to say the things that other people are too afraid to. He said “evil is not going to prevail. All you’ve done is awaken the sleeping giant here every parent here who loves freedom, except maybe some of them that are maybe brainwashed by the deep state media.” Then it got to the juicy part, where the man said he’s a conservative (as if that wasn’t already obvious) and that he can no longer watch Fox News because it too has been compromised. The man said that now he listens to “renowned doctors” like Sherri Tenpenny who’s the lunatic anti-vaxxer lady who claimed COVID vaccines were making people magnetized. Some were wondering why Fox News anchors were so hesitant to give their full-fledged support of the vaccines, when they’ve all been immunized and there are in fact vaccine mandates at Fox. This is exactly why. People like Sean Hannity and Tucker Carlson have assessed that if they support the vaccine program, the craziest of crazies in their audience will turn on them and no longer watch.
Grits
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 03, 2021
Politics explains oddities and strange bedfellows in Harris County bail debate
Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg issued a 56-page report disputing the findings of federal bail monitors overseeing the settlement agreement between plaintiffs and the county.
Her arguments are so disingenuous, it's a bit tiresome to go through them for rebuttal. But since the Houston Chronicle editorial board recently anointed themselves the DA's PR agents, it's worth at least pointing out her most egregious misstatements. Read: https://gritsforbreakfast.blogspot.com/2021/09/politics-explains-oddities-and-strange.html
Sign if you agree: The police should not have access to military armor and weapons: https://actionnetwork.org/forms/sign-the-petition-demand-congress-and-biden-demilitarize-the-police
Police departments across the country utilize surplus weapons, vehicles, and other equipment from the U.S. military to clamp down on community protests. Police departments receive surplus military equipment through an obscure Pentagon program, called the “1033 Program”, which has enabled the transfer of more than $7.4 billion in surplus military equipment to more than 8,000 law enforcement agencies around the country.
Research has shown that outfitting police in military-style armor and weaponry can alter their mentality towards civilians, causing them to see community members as enemy combatants and act accordingly.
Militarized policing erodes public trust in law enforcement. This must be stopped.
Constitutional Rights Blog Updated September 05 2021
What is Redistricting and Why Should We Care?
Every voter has a vital stake in redistricting because it determines the composition of districts that elect public officials at every level of government. With 2020 Census data now in hand, states are moving fast to redraw district lines. While all these numbers and maps might seem dull, they are fundamental to our democracy. Here's a breakdown that explains what's at stake.
Safe and Healthy Schools Lead With Support, Not Police
Communities across the country are pushing their schools to divest funding from police and reinvest funds in student mental health and other supportive services. But federal funding plays an important role, and Congress must do its part. That's why we're calling on Congress to pass the Counseling not Criminalization in Schools Act, critical legislation that would eliminate federal funds for police in schools and instead redirect those funds to supportive services for students.
Read more: https://www.aclu.org/news/disability-rights/safe-and-healthy-schools-lead-with-support-not-police/
Freedom of the Press is Under Attack
During Trump's presidency, our country repeatedly suffered his administration's attacks on the First Amendment, including freedom of the press. Now, the Biden administration's Department of Justice is quietly taking up the Trump mantle to fight free press, free speech, and government transparency in court.
Constitutional Rights Blog Updated September 07 2021
I wanted to make sure I read about the Pro Act. The fact that the AFL-CIO sent this email; granted me looking it up. Since this is only apposed by a select amount of republicans; it should serve to encourage people to support the democrats, because of things like The Pro Act. I am just assuming the opposition could be conspiracy theory driven. :
What is the protecting the right to organize Act of 2021?
The bill makes it an unfair labor practice to require or coerce employees to attend employer meetings designed to discourage union membership and prohibits employers from entering into agreements with employees under which employees waive the right to pursue or a join collective or class-action litigation. Read more here: https://www.congress.gov/bill/117th-congress/house-bill/842 Also read here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Protecting_the_Right_to_Organize_Act#Support
As workers, we have a lot to celebrate on Labor Day. Through unions and collective bargaining, we won workplace protections, higher wages, weekends and an eight-hour workday. And we’re still working to build a stronger, fairer America.
A new wave of organizing and collective action in response to the inequities of the COVID-19 pandemic tells us that from tech to transportation to public service, working people are speaking up and taking risks to create real change. Our brothers, sisters and siblings are on strike across the country, demanding fair contracts. This is a moment of tremendous change.
Public approval of unions is at a 50-year high—68% and rising, including 77% of young people—as more Americans see unions as the solution to our broken economic rules.
And because of the labor movement's activists and allies, we have the most pro-worker administration in history and a working majority in Congress. We must meet this moment by building a modern labor movement. A movement that is open and accessible and diverse.
A movement in every sector and every community, with women and people of color at the center, where every worker has the right to a good, sustainable union job.
All of that depends on putting working people where we belong: at the center of policy and the national conversation. America's democracy is under threat today—from decades of inequality, the dismantling of workers’ rights, a scourge of attacks on voting rights, and the failure to adequately invest in our families and communities.
To save American democracy, we need democracy in the U.S. Senate.
And that means passing public and private sector labor law reform, voter protection legislation and the Build Back Better investment agenda with a simple 50-vote majority.
So take this day to spend time with your family and friends. We have a lot of work to do in the days to come. And if you want to do something now, sign this petition to say you support working people and the PRO Act. The Protecting the Right to Organize (PRO) Act will ensure the right to organize in the workplace—and we need to pass this legislation.
Sign this petition to say you support working people and the PRO Act.: https://actionnetwork.org/forms/the-pro-act
When the Great Depression brought this country to its knees, workers fought side by side for better wages, better conditions, and so many of the rights and freedoms many of us now enjoy.
That fight continues today. Not just for miners in Alabama, professors in Michigan, and factory workers in Oregon, but for the millions of Americans who are working harder than ever before, with much less to show for it.
This Labor Day, honor the contributions — and continued struggle — of working people by helping to restore our ability to join together to demand our fair share of the economic growth we drive. Sign and send a petition: Demand the Senate pass Protecting the Right to Organize (PRO) Act.: https://www.dailykos.com/campaigns/letters/sign-and-send-a-petition-demand-the-senate-pass-protecting-the-right-to-organize-pro-act
Constitutional Rights Blog Updated September 11 2021
I do not understand why President Donald Trump will not speak out against the QAnon's and people like them; that support him. He could be the only person that can help them to not believe in conspiracy theory's.
Trump Claims California Recall Vote Will Be ‘Rigged’ Without Evidence
September 10, 2021, 5:31 pm
Donald Trump is claiming voter fraud again – this time in an election that hasn’t taken place yet. In an interview on September 7, with Newsmax host Mike Schmitt, Trump declared without evidence that the upcoming California gubernatorial recall election will likely have been “rigged” if Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) prevails. Trump made this prediction a full week before the election date, claiming mail-in ballot manipulation. “Democrats are very good at winning elections with mail-in ballots versus in-person voting,” Trump said. “The one thing they are good at is rigging elections.”
After Trump’s comments, QAnon influencer, John Sabal, claimed without evidence that Democrats are releasing an army of bots to prevent Republican voters from casting their votes, according to Vice.
QAnon followers believe that Trump was elected in 2016 to stop a cabal that hijacked the U.S. government to support pedophilia, child sex trafficking, cannibalism and Satanists. They believe only Trump can save the country. Read more here: https://upolitics.com/news/trump-claims-california-recall-vote-will-be-rigged-without-evidence/
Gov. Gavin Newsom on Friday blasted former President Donald Trump and recall candidate Larry Elder for sowing mistrust in California’s upcoming election before any results have been announced.
After casting his recall ballot at the California Museum in downtown Sacramento, Newsom said the former president’s rhetoric, as well as Elder’s plans to challenge the election results, are damaging to democracy.
“There is a thread within the Republican Party that, if they don’t get what they want, they are willing to assault the core tenets of an election in ways that have far reaching consequences,” Newsom told The Bee in an interview. “It’s very, very damaging and baseless, absolutely baseless.” Read more here: https://www.sacbee.com/news/politics-government/capitol-alert/article254147583.html
NY deputy mayor arrested after raid turns up ‘arsenal’ of weapons and fake IDs
Thursday September 09, 2021 · 5:13 PM CDT
The 47-year-old deputy mayor of Airmont, NY, is facing 30 state and federal criminal charges. Last week, Brian Downey was arrested on weapons charges after law enforcement found illegal weapons and fake IDs in his home. NPR reports that a raid of Downey’s home turned up “16 assault weapons and 13 silencers,” as well as “a stash of fake federal IDs, including FBI credentials.” The New York Times reports a total of 17 unregistered firearms were confiscated in the raid.
Today, 20 years after the 9/11 tragedy, we honor our fallen brothers and sisters at Windows on the World. We remember their heroism, their valor, and their sacrifices. We remember their beautiful smiles; their echoing laughter; their inspiring stories; their diverse backgrounds; and their precious lives. Read here: https://rocunited.org/9-11-tribute/
Fake Vaccine Cards & Real Hospitalizations
The David Pakman Show - September 10, 2021
Sep 10. See here: https://davidpakman.com/2021/9/september-10-2021/
Constitutional Rights Blog Updated September 12 2021
Work, Sweat, Die: The Price of Really Hot Jobs
It’s been a hell of a hot summer, exploding the top off thermometers with triple-digit readings across the country. As we’re learning, week after week of this debilitating heat intensifies wildfires, causes electric grids to fail, kills millions of wild animals (including fish!), burns up crops, and concentrates toxic air.
But there’s another impact that draws little notice: Heat kills workers.
READ & LISTEN HERE: https://hightowerlowdown.org/podcast/work-sweat-die-the-price-of-really-hot-jobs/
Where’s the “Dignity of Work” When Work Kills Workers?
Corporate acolytes and right-wing moralists constantly preach to laboring stiffs about the uplifting dignity of work.
Of course, that’s “dignity” as defined and controlled by corporate elites, not by workers, and the reward for it frequently includes on-the-job injuries… and death.
Constitutional Rights Blog Updated September 13 2021
Lawsuit alleges high-profile GOP operative is child sex trafficking 'ringmaster'
Tuesday September 07, 2021 · 2:04 PM CDT
Early in August, the U.S. Attorney’s Office in the District of Minnesota announced the arrest of 30-year-old Anton “Tony” Lazzaro. Lazzaro is charged with multiple counts of sex trafficking with at least six minor victims. A couple of days later, a 19-year-old Minnesota woman, Gisela Castro Medina, was arrested in Florida and named Lazzaro’s co-defendant in the case. Part of what made this news was the shocking (not shocking) revelation that Lazzaro was a high-profile GOP operative in the Land of 10,000 Lakes. Medina was reportedly the Minnesota College Republicans’ University of St. Thomas chair.
Constitutional Rights Blog Updated September 14 2021
Add your name: NOW is the time to defend Dr. Fauci from GOP attacks!: https://www.dailykos.com/campaigns/forms/add-your-name-now-is-the-time-to-defend-dr-fauci-from-gop-attacks
In the midst of a surge in COVID-19 cases, Marco Rubio and other members of the GOP are trying to FIRE Dr. Fauci and silence other scientists, while doubling down on dangerous conspiracy theories.
We can’t afford to lose Dr. Fauci and his expertise. We’ve created a petition to defend Dr. Fauci from GOP attacks, but right now we’re still short of our 50,000-signature goal with hours left before our midnight deadline.
If you believe in science and support Dr. Fauci’s leadership in this global pandemic please add your name now to join Congresswoman Val Demings and flip Florida Blue. >>
Paid for by Val Demings for U.S. Senate. Does not equal endorsement.
I love this band and have been listening to them lately. I think their 2nd album was their best. I like them since their first popular song. I saw the video on MTV@ and instantly found it on YouTube and wrote a review on it; something I never do. The track "Have You Seen My Son" was the video and song that made me love this dude's music. In the background of the video is shots of a Louisiana prison. What I just now discovered; say's volumes on this guy.
Following the tours to support Witness, Booker was relatively quiet for the remainder of the decade. In September 2020, he released the single "Black Disco" with proceeds going to the Southern Poverty Law Center.: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Southern_Poverty_Law_Center
Constitutional Rights Blog Updated September 16 2021
Allen students who participate in ‘devious licks’ TikTok vandalism trend might face suspension
Parents and the district say vandalism, inspired by viral videos on the social media platform, has gotten out of hand. Now the district’s high school and freshman center plan to ramp up consequences.
3:45 PM on Sep 16, 2021
This comes as a new Tik Tok trend, called “devious licks” or the “Bathroom Challenge”, has gone viral. Popular videos online show young people — especially students — stealing items from bathrooms and public places, such as toilet paper, soap dispensers, sinks and stall doors.Read more here: https://www.dallasnews.com/news/2021/09/16/allen-students-who-participate-in-devious-licks-tiktok-vandalism-trend-might-face-suspension/
This may be hard for some people to believe. You have to be glad that; at least there are people out there, that are critics of psychotherapy. You have to ask what if this is all true? Where does it leave us; as we have put them in charge of our police and given them great power over all our prisons and jails. Is God still on our side anymore? Could this type of philosophy be the straw that brakes the camels back? Is it safe to put all your trust in man? Jeremiah 17:5 Got this email this morning. It's a good one. :
Beneath all the biblical reasons why Christians should not pursue psychotherapy and its underlying psychologies is this one fact: The use of psychotherapy and its underlying psychologies denies the sufficiency of Scripture for the issues of life normally therapized by a psychotherapist.
“Sola Scriptura” for the issues of life needs no assistance from the broken cisterns of psychology. (Isaiah 55:1-3.)
The Bible has truth about mankind, whereas psychotherapy has only the very wisdom of men about which God warns His people. (1 Cor. 1:19-21; 2:4-6.)
One of the flagrant failures of the 20th century church and now the 21st century church is the promotion of counseling psychology and its underlying personality and therapeutic theories and techniques.[2]
The words Christian and psychology (as it is used today) do not go together. They are different religions. Therefore, there is no legitimate practice of “Christian psychology.”[3]
People who attempt to integrate psychology with Christianity are like the Israelites adding idols to their worship of God. (Jer. 2:11:13; Eze. 6:6; 14:6-8; 20:31, 39.) Read more here: https://pamweb.org/christian-ministry/psychoheresy-briefs/
Constitutional Rights Blog Updated September 19 2021
Join us in demanding Biden Close Gitmo and cease these human rights violations
As we approach the 20th anniversary of the global ‘War on Terror’, ending indefinite detention and closing the Guantánamo Bay prison is a necessary step towards justice, accountability, and reconciliation. It was also a campaign promise Biden made to us. Join us on Monday, September 20 and demand he keep that promise.
Guantánamo is just one the U.S. government’s more contemporary pursuits in egregious human rights violations and is part of the decades-long legacy of mass incarceration and U.S. militarism. Join us in demanding its closure by clicking here to sign up for the digital rally.
Since 2001, Muslims have been unjustly criminalized, monitored, detained, and tortured by U.S. government agencies. Guantánamo Bay prison has always been an emblematic example of deeply entrenched Islamophobia in the War on Terror.
39 Muslim men still remain detained without access to a fair trial. There is no excuse not to Close Gitmo — Biden has the legal authority to swiftly transfer these men and permanently close Guantánamo. This chapter of the War on Terror must end!
Join us on Monday, September 20, to demand President Biden take action and close Guantánamo Bay prison once and for all!
Click here to sign up for the Close Gitmo digital rally: https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZYsf-mgqTMpGNxT1hcnQHT5wt1G_RE09P5h
Sign the petition: Tell Facebook to end its algorithm NOW!: https://actionnetwork.org/forms/sign-the-petition-tell-facebook-to-end-its-algorithm-now
A few weeks ago, President Biden said that "Facebook is killing people," and he was right.
Facebook allows algorithmically amplified misinformation to run rampant on its platform with devastating consequences, including an exponential rise in vaccine hesitancy.
Facebook determines the order you see posts on your News Feed with an algorithm, instead of letting YOU decide. It’s rigging the game to sell more ad space and rake in profits.
The company is well aware of its destabilizing effects on society. In an internal report from 2018, they admitted, "Our algorithms exploit the human brain's attraction to divisiveness."
Despite these warnings, the megacorporation's leadership ignored those findings. Why? Because they don't want to make changes that upset the profitable ecosystem.
Facebook’s algorithm prioritizes divisive content. More divisiveness online means more angry eyeballs on ads. More money for Facebook. The rules for content allowed on the website are arbitrary and change. It also suppresses important content, like activism for racial justice and even public health guidance from actual doctors
Although the company pretends to crack down on misinformation, it refuses to be honest about how often misinformation is viewed and spread on the platform, and blocks researchers who try to find out.
After the 2020 election, Facebook changed its algorithm by changing news sources’ quality requirements. But when partisan outlets complained, Zuckerberg immediately caved.
This has to stop. Period. We cannot allow a company worth more than most countries, made up of individuals who weren't elected, to use their power indiscriminately. It's time to end Facebook’s algorithm for GOOD!
Sign the petition: Tell Facebook to ditch their algorithm! Bring back the chronological New Feed.
The largest mass slaughter of dolphins in recorded history just turned the sea red. Sign this petition: https://www.thepetitionsite.com/takeaction/258/188/657/
The waters off the coast of the Faroe Islands literally ran red on the night of September 12, filled with the blood of almost 1,500 dolphins that were mercilessly chased, cornered, and then brutally stabbed to death.
Sign the petition and demand that the European Union outlaw this bloody, unsustainable, cruel tradition!
That Sunday evening, boats surrounded the terrified, fleeing, thrashing pod of dolphins. They chased them into shallow enough water so that their horrible work could begin, then they took out their knives and began. Dolphins were stabbed but left alive to bleed out, becoming colder and colder as they lost blood, shivering in anguish. Some of their necks were cut open so that they would bleed and choke to death. Some dolphins' spines were slashed, leaving them alive but unable to move as they painfully died. Families of dolphins, social and bonded, died alongside each other, calves and adults alike, as cruel adult humans murdered them and let their own children laugh and play nearby. By the end, 1,428 dolphins were dead. Read more here: https://www.thepetitionsite.com/takeaction/258/188/657/
Constitutional Rights Blog Updated September 23 2021
Grits WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 22, 2021
More police won't help with Austin's biggest public-safety threats: https://gritsforbreakfast.blogspot.com/2021/09/more-police-wont-help-with-austins.html
For many Haitian migrants, journey to Texas started online
Haitians Pushed To U.S. Border By Misinformation Now 2021/09/21
It also reflects the power of Facebook, YouTube and platforms like WhatsApp, which migrants use to share information that can get distorted as it speeds through immigrant communities, directing migration flows. That’s especially true for tight-knit groups like the Creole-and-French-speaking Haitians, many of whom left their homeland after its devastating 2010 earthquake and have been living in Latin America, drawn by Brazil and Chile’s once-booming economies.
Last week, in a Facebook group for Haitians in Chile with 26,000 members, one member posted specific instructions on routes through Mexico. It included paths to avoid and recommended certain bus companies.
Facebook Inc., which owns WhatsApp, allows people to exchange information about crossing borders, even illegally, but its policy bars posts that ask for money for services that facilitate human smuggling.
Constitutional Rights Blog Updated September 24 2021
TikTok Challenge Leaves Little Boy ‘Hanging from tree’ & Dead, Parents Say: Report
September 24, 2021
Investigators reportedly said that by looking at Robert’s tablet, it appeared as if he were in the middle of a TikTok challenge when he died. Read more here: https://www.crimeonline.com/2021/09/24/tiktok-challenge-leaves-little-boy-hanging-from-tree-dead-parents-say-report/
Marijuana reform legislation passes House, heads to Senate, send letter to your senator: https://norml.org/act/federal-enact-the-safe-banking-act-as-part-of-the-ndaa/
Just now, the House of Representatives passed HR 4350, the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). For the first time ever, this must-pass legislation included language, the Secure and Fair Enforcement (SAFE) Banking Act, amending federal law so that state-licensed marijuana-related businesses can engage freely in relationships with banks and other financial institutions.
Now, members of the US Senate will decide whether or not to include it in their version of the bill. While we are in a strong position to finally enshrine the SAFE Banking Act into law with its inclusion in the House version of the NDAA, we would be in an even stronger position if it were present in both chambers' funding packages.
That is why we’re asking you to contact your Senators to support the inclusion of SAFE in the Senate package.
Federal law currently defines all marijuana-related endeavors as criminal enterprises, including those commercial activities that are licensed and legally regulated under state laws. Therefore, virtually no state-licensed cannabis businesses can legally obtain a bank account, process credit cards, or provide loans to small businesses and entrepreneurs.
In this environment, the rapidly growing multi-billion dollar cannabis industry must operate largely on a cash-only basis, which makes businesses more susceptible to theft and more difficult to audit. This ongoing federal prohibition also places the safety and welfare of these businesses’ customers at risk, as they must carry significant amounts of cash on their persons in order to make legal purchases at retail facilities.
It is critical to balance the dire need to accomplish comprehensive reform at the federal level while making every effort possible in the immediate term to support the successful state-level programs to ensure safe and efficient consumer access to quality cannabis that is cost-competitive with the unregulated market.
For these reasons, NORML has long advocated that federal lawmakers vote “Yes” on The SAFE Banking Act.
As Congress continues to grapple with all of the issues that face the American people, including charting a pathway forward to finally repeal the senseless policy of national cannabis prohibition, now is the time to move this consensus-driven, bipartisan effort from legislation and enshrine it into law.
So please, send a message to your Senators and encourage them to support the inclusion of the SAFE Banking Act to move one step closer to normalizing the sale of cannabis in America.: https://norml.org/act/federal-enact-the-safe-banking-act-as-part-of-the-ndaa/
Constitutional Rights Blog Updated September 25 2021
Newly surfaced video squashes narrative that Border Patrol agents on horses used whips against migrants
September 25, 2021
The photographer who captured the infamous photographs of the mounted Border Patrol agents and migrants has spoken out about the incident.
Photojournalist Paul Ratje told KTSM-TV he did not witness what outraged Democrats have claimed.
"Some of the Haitian men started running, trying to go around the horses," he recalled. "That's kind of when the whole thing happened. I didn't ever see them whip anybody."
"He was swinging it, but I didn't see them actually whip someone with it," Ratje explained. "That's something that can be easily misconstrued when you're looking at the picture." Read more here: https://www.theblaze.com/news/video-border-patrol-migrant-whipping-lie
Last night, we sent you a message about the SAFE Banking Act passing the House of Representatives as part of the NDAA.
Today, we have an even better bit of news to share with you: The MORE Act, which repeals federal marijuana criminalization, is set to be voted on by members of the powerful House Judiciary Committee NEXT WEEK.
This is an all-hands-on-deck moment. We need to push as many members of Congress to cosponsor and publicly support the advancement of this bill. That is why we need you to send your Representative a message NOW!: https://norml.org/act/federal-support-the-historic-more-act/
Constitutional Rights Blog Updated September 29 2021
Tell AMPTP to Give Film and Television Workers a Fair Deal. Sign this petition here: https://actionnetwork.org/petitions/tell-amptp-to-make-a-deal-with-behind-the-scenes-workers
Throughout the bargaining process, the AMPTP has failed to work with us on addressing the most grievous problems in their workplaces, including:
Excessively unsafe and harmful working hours.
Unlivable wages for the lowest paid crafts.
Consistent failure to provide reasonable rest during meal breaks, between workdays, and on weekends.
Workers on certain “new media” streaming projects get paid less, even on productions with budgets that rival or exceed those of traditionally released blockbusters.
Sign the petition and join the movement: Hold Facebook accountable: https://actionnetwork.org/forms/sign-the-petition-and-join-the-movement-hold-facebook-accountable
From allowing white supremacists to plan a violent insurrection to failing to stop the spread of disinformation, Facebook is doing its worst. For years Facebook has been rife with scandals and bad decisions, including Cambridge Analytica, ignoring disinformation for profit, poor content moderation, and being investigated for antitrust concerns. Every bad decision Facebook makes affects our lives because the online world doesn’t exist in a vacuum, and there are real-world consequences to Facebook’s irresponsibility.
Constitutional Rights Blog Updated September 30 2021
Maybe the only hope for our country is doing away with Facebook and anything like it. This story is one of many that prove Facebook to be harmful. :
Facebook Senate Hearing: Executive Testifies on Instagram’s Impact on Young Users
Last Updated: Sep 30, 2021 at 1:49 pm ET
Facebook testified before members of the Senate Commerce Committee about its products’ effects on young people’s mental health.
What to Know
Facebook Inc.’s global head of safety, Antigone Davis, testified at a Senate hearing on Thursday about its products’ effects on young people’s mental health.
Lawmakers from both parties accused the company of disregarding internal research that concluded the company’s Instagram app made body image issues worse for a substantial minority of teen girls and that teens “blame Instagram for increases in the rate of anxiety and depression.” Ms. Davis said the research had limitations and could not prove causality.
The hearing in front of the Commerce Committee’s consumer-protection subcommittee was prompted by a mid-September article in The Wall Street Journal on Instagram. That article was part of a series called the Facebook Files.
Read the full article here: https://www.wsj.com/livecoverage/facebook-hearing-live-updates
Secret military aircraft possibly exposed on TikTok
September 28, 2021
An OPSEC violation has once again made a case for why using TikTok should be a punishable offense in the military, this time after someone revealed some US stealth technology testing going on and posted it to the Chinese government-affiliated platform.
Constitutional Rights Blog Updated October 01 2021
I am posting this story because I am shocked to read there is famine, in a place on this earth; at this present day and time.
Ethiopia expels ‘meddling’ UN staff as famine deepens in Tigray without aid
He told Reuters there was an escalating crisis inside the region of 6 million people, with children dying of hunger and medicine stocks running out. Child malnutrition is at its highest rate since the Somalia famine of 2010-12, which killed up to 260,000 people. Read more here: https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2021/oct/01/ethiopia-expels-meddling-un-staff-as-famine-deepens-in-tigray-without-aid
Constitutional Rights Blog Updated October 02 2021
US Facing Twice as Many Domestic Terror Threats as Foreign
According to FBI statistics, the US today faces more than twice as many terror threats from domestic actors than from foreign actors. The assistant director of the FBI’s counterterrorism division told lawmakers on Wednesday that in recent years, the US has faced 2,700 domestic terror threats and only 1,000 foreign terror threats. A recent Associated Press poll shows that people in the United States are starting to understand this, with more Americans concerned about attacks coming from their fellow citizens than from foreign actors. Sixty-five percent of Americans reported they felt concerned about a threat to the country from domestic groups, whereas only 50% said they felt the same about foreign extremist groups. It appears as though American sentiment as to who actually poses the greatest terror risk is finally catching up to reality. For decades now, far right extremist groups have been a larger threat to American safety than Islamist terror organizations. But 9/11, wars in the Middle East, and subsequent media coverage made attacks from these groups of people appear more likely. Based on this AP poll, Americans finally now appear to understand where threats are more likely to be coming from. Watch here: https://davidpakman.com/2021/10/october-1-2021/
'Trauma dumping' is huge on TikTok, but unsolicited over-sharing can hurt everyone involved
October 2, 2021
There's also a risk that creators end up defined by their trauma alone.
Petrucha said, "On the one hand, you want people to know the real you. That's irresistible. On the other hand, if all they're seeing is your trauma, are they seeing the real you?"
"Trauma dumping creates an open door for a survivor to be further harmed if their experience is met with a harsh or critical response from others online," she said.
There is also the potential for trauma dumping to become "addictive" to the creator, Maia Petrucha, a mental health activist with over 100,000 TikTok followers, told Insider.
"I understand why some people use TikTok as a diary," Petrucha, who posts comedic accounts about her life living with OCD, said in a statement.
"You don't see the people receiving your story, so it's like you're talking to yourself until you see the comments that say 'I'm so sorry you have to go through that or 'OMG I'm the same way!' and that can get addicting. People may end up treating it like therapy."
Exclusive new report: Inside the Far-right Podcast Ecosystem
The SPLC’s Hatewatch blog has just released a groundbreaking report: Inside the Far-right Podcast Ecosystem. This four-part series – the latest installments in Hatewatch’s ongoing TechWatch project – takes a deep dive into 18 different far-right podcasts released between 2005 and 2020. SPLC researchers analyze the relationship between 900 hosts and guests on 4,046 episodes, revealing the key figures who were able to leverage the podcast ecosystem to refine their messaging and extend the reach of their propaganda. Read more here: https://www.splcenter.org/techwatch
Let’s Create a Bank System That Serves People, Instead of Bankers
Corporate ideologues never cease blathering that government programs should be run like a business.
Really – what businesses would they choose? Pharmaceutical profiteers? Big Oil? Wall Street money manipulators? High tech billionaires? Airline price gougers?
Constitutional Rights Blog Updated October 04 2021
Sign this petition here: https://www.thepetitionsite.com/takeaction/290/145/897/
Although the death penalty is legal in the state of Arizona, there hasn't been an execution in seven years -- ever since a "botched" lethal injection in 2014 left inmate Joseph Wood painfully dying for an agonizing 2 hours.
But the state's department of corrections has plans to restart executions in the most horrific way possible: in a gas chamber that hasn't been used in 22 years, with the same gas that was used in Nazi-run Auschwitz, hydrogen cyanide.
The death penalty is by definition "cruel and unusual punishment," making it completely unconstitutional. It has also been proven to have little to no effect on reducing crime. Sign the petition and ask that every U.S. state where the death penalty is still legal ban it at once, including Arizona! Read more here: https://www.thepetitionsite.com/takeaction/290/145/897/
Constitutional Rights Blog Updated October 05 2021
New "COVID pill" developed by Merck, which cuts the risk of hospitalization and death from COVID by 50%, may be heading for an emergency use authorization from the FDA
The last 100,000 US COVID deaths have been mostly in red counties within red states, aka Trumpland: https://davidpakman.com/2021/10/october-4-2021/
Sign and send to your U.S. senators: Vote yes on Lauren King for the Western District of Washington
On July 15, the Senate Judiciary Committee voted to advance a number of Biden’s judicial nominees who will help restore integrity and fairness to the federal bench after Trump’s devastating conservative overhaul of our courts.
Lauren King is one of the nominees the committee advanced and one of three nominees currently pending on the Senate floor for the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington. Read more here: https://www.dailykos.com/campaigns/letters/sign-and-send-to-your-us-senators-vote-yes-on-lauren-king-for-the-western-district-of-washington
Mark Zuckerberg loses $6 billion due to major Facebook outage
Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp faced a massive outage yesterday that took down all services offered by the company for over six hours, costing CEO Mark Zuckerberg more than $6 billion. Read more here: https://9to5mac.com/2021/10/04/mark-zuckerberg-loses-6-billion-due-to-major-facebook-outage/
Constitutional Rights Blog Updated October 06 2021
Lawsuit: Newborn baby dies after mother forced to give birth in Florida jail
Monday October 04, 2021 · 2:43 PM CDT
A Black mother is suing a Florida jail after she says staff members ignored her calls for help and left her to deliver her child in a cell. The baby girl, Ava Daniels, later died at a local hospital, News 4 Jax reported. Erica Thompson said during a press conference that she was six months pregnant, having contractions, and planning to go to the hospital when deputies arrested her on Aug. 9 at her mother's house on charges of driving with a suspended license and lying to officers.
Thompson said even though she couldn't stand upright because of the pain, a nurse cleared her for booking in the Alachua County Jail. “They gave me Gatorade because they said that would stop my contractions because I was just dehydrated,” Thompson told the television station. Read more: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2021/10/4/2056054/-Lawsuit-Newborn-baby-dies-after-mother-forced-to-give-birth-in-Florida-jail
This article stuck in my mind since I saw it.:
90% of the top Christian Facebook pages were run by Eastern European troll farms
“Our platform has given the largest voice in the Christian American community to a handful of bad actors, who, based on their media production practices, have never been to church,” the leaked report admits.
Thursday, September 30, 2021
There is nothing worse than a troll and if you are not ready they can hurt you emotionally. I also found this article:
Troll farms reached 140 million Americans a month on Facebook before 2020 election, internal report shows
“This is not normal. This is not healthy.”
by Karen Haoarchive page
September 16, 2021
In the run-up to the 2020 election, the most highly contested in US history, Facebook’s most popular pages for Christian and Black American content were being run by Eastern European troll farms. These pages were part of a larger network that collectively reached nearly half of all Americans, according to an internal company report, and achieved that reach not through user choice but primarily as a result of Facebook’s own platform design and engagement-hungry algorithm. Read more here: https://www.technologyreview.com/2021/09/16/1035851/facebook-troll-farms-report-us-2020-election/
The time is right to close Facebook and everything like it to save us all. I read this funny comic today and hung it up. I never do that. It showed Frankenstein as Facebook as it turns on people destroying them all. It was by Stephan Pastis, Pearls Before Swine.
From: David Pakman
Facebook Suffers Total Outage As Whistleblower is Revealed
Yesterday, Facebook and its associated social media sites including Instagram and WhatsApp went down for about six hours. The outage came at a time when news was circulating about a whistleblower who worked for Facebook revealing that the company put profits over public good by allowing misinformation, hate, and violence to spread on its platform. The whistleblower, 37-year-old Frances Haugen, released tens of thousands of pages of internal documents showing that Facebook knew about the company benefiting from these negative effects on society, but covered the whole thing up. Haugen told CBS’s “60 Minutes,” “the thing I saw at Facebook over and over again was there were conflicts of interest between what was good for the public and what was good for Facebook, and Facebook over and over again chose to optimize for its own interests, like making more money.” Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp not working yesterday is supposedly unrelated to the bombshell report, but the timing is leaving many suspicious. Facebook’s Vice President of Infrastructure Santosh Janardhan said the outage was due to “configuration changes on the backbone routers.” But skeptics believe the sites were brought down specifically to prevent information about the leaked documents from spreading on its platform. If there is a connection it remains unproven, but perhaps there will be more to learn about these two stories and a possible link between them in the coming days.
David might have some good data on Facebook outage. He talks about it in his show here: https://davidpakman.com/2021/10/october-5-2021/
Constitutional Rights Blog Updated October 07 2021
I suspect the republican party of wide spread insanity. Republicans seek to do right by God but they do it the wrong way. They are guilty of cruel and unusual punishment against our fellow American citizens. Cruel and unusual punishment is against our constitution and the Texas constitution too. They do this because they believe in lies. Nebuchadnezzar tied to please God but did it the wrong way. God caused Nebuchadnezzar to go insane. I suspect God is doing this to the republicans. The democrat's seem to get what would Jesus do. You can see this in their mask mandates and vaccine mandates. Like I have said for almost 30 years online; the democrats care more.
Constitutional Rights Blog Updated October 09 2021
I do not believe in phycologist's working together or for the police or the law; in anyway. People who need medication and someone to talk to; should have that available. The words Doctors with out Borders; sure is a catchy name. I imagine they are all democrats. :
This Sunday, October 10, is World Mental Health Day. Psychological and physical wellbeing go hand-in-hand. So Richard, we want to raise awareness: Mental health care is health care. And at MSF, we believe access to mental health care is a basic human right. Read more about the mental health services our staff provides around the world >>: https://www.doctorswithoutborders.org/what-we-do/medical-issues/mental-health
Press Briefings Remain Bizarre as War on Christmas Returns
The David Pakman Show - October 8,2021:
Donald Trump says Haitians who “probably have AIDS” are coming to kill Americans Donald Trump says Haitians who “probably have AIDS” are coming to kill Americans
Friday, October 8, 2021
Donald Trump told Fox News that it's like the U.S. has "a death wish" because Haitians with "AIDS" are "coming into our country and we don't do anything about it" in a racist diatribe. : lgbtqnation.com/2021/10/donald-trump-says-haitians-probably-aids-coming-kill-americans/
This guy sounds like the very definition of phycology and the police and law all in one. :
The New York Times
California Criminology Professor Is Charged With Arson
An Expert on the Criminal Mind, Now He's Suspected in an Arson Spree. Amid a series of arson incidents across Northern California this year, a criminology...: https://www.nytimes.com/2021/10/08/us/gary-maynard-alexandra-souverneva.html
Constitutional Rights Blog Updated October 10 2021
Check out this cartoon; it says it all. I made a small image of it; even though I said I would not ad images. If I like one I will do this from now on. I am constantly tempted to ad a images on this page but it may make this page harder to load over the next months. It is a fact of life for a page like this. I like it though; I want the user to have to scroll down the whole page. See full sized here: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2021/10/6/2056139/-Cartoon-Facebook?detail=emaildkre
I have been saying (all below) for about 25 years online now; that know one is charged with a sex crime in the city. Let one rich woman get hear chest felt and that person who did it gets a death sentence. (This is very close to the same thing as racisms and homophobia. Man always needs to hate someone and make them a scapegoat.) This is a example of that although no reference to sex is made.:
Sign the petition: Urge your local legislature to address the plight of missing and murdered Black women and girls: https://actionnetwork.org/forms/sign-the-petition-urge-your-local-legislature-to-address-the-plight-of-missing-and-murdered-black-women-and-girls/
Uniquely vulnerable and all but erased from public discourse about murdered and missing persons, Black women and girls go missing at higher rates, and Black women die of homicide at twice the rate of other women.
To address this disparity, Rep. Ruth Richardson of Minnesota successfully introduced the Missing and Murdered African American Women Task Force, which was unanimously approved and signed into law this September. The task force is modeled after Minnesota's task force that focuses on missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls.
Overextended Stay: People living in long-term residential hotels fight evictions to avoid homelessness
October 08, 2021
Fox is like the Facebook of television:
Sometimes when big corporations do evil work, even we are surprised: Did you hear about AT&T’s inspiration to nurture One America News (OAN), the even-more-rightwing-than-Fox channel?: https://www.reuters.com/investigates/special-report/usa-oneamerica-att/
And speaking of Fox, we nearly snorted our beers when we heard this Trumper host rant about his fear of “plant-based beer.” Yep, you read that right. Plant. Based. Beer. : https://www.businessinsider.com/fox-news-host-rages-against-plant-based-beer-2021-4
Constitutional Rights Blog Updated October 11 2021
Stand against Republican measures that crack down on our First Amendment rights to protest!: https://www.thepetitionsite.com/849/905/609/
Pandemic aside, 2020 was defined by the historic protests against anti-Black brutality in policing. And 2021 may be defined by the flurry of GOP fascism in response. Republicans across the country are considering – and passing – a slew of anti-free speech measures. Read more here: https://www.thepetitionsite.com/849/905/609/
I have said this many times online. If America forgets why it exists; all is lost. America was forged from protests.
A Driver in Texas Rammed Into 6 Cyclists and Hospitalized 4 Still Has His License!: https://www.thepetitionsite.com/takeaction/133/210/934/
Rolling coal is slang for modifying one's vehicle -- often in illegal ways -- to make thick black toxic emissions spew from the engine's exhaust system, specifically for the purpose of harassing and harming pedestrians and cyclists. That's what a young driver was reportedly doing in his massive black pickup truck to a group of cyclists in the Houston, Texas area in late September. After successfully harassing one group, he did it to another -- and rammed into 6 of them, putting several in the hospital. Yet somehow, even after hitting 6 people with his vehicle, he was released and has so far not been charged with any wrongdoing. Read more here: https://www.thepetitionsite.com/takeaction/133/210/934/
Constitutional Rights Blog Updated October 13 2021
For all of the good that social media promises–bringing people together around common causes, connecting friends and family separated by distance, empowering the sharing of information–it is doing worlds of harm.
I disagree with this. The internet would be way better off without Facebook. The internet would function just as well; without Facebook. The internet would still bring people together around causes just as well without the killer: Facebook. I have read everything from senior citizens being beaten on the streets to people killing people on video or committing suicide while people cheered; all coming out of Facebook.
Sign the petition to tell Facebook to drop its incendiary algorithmic sorting that boosts the most divisive, and often untrue, posts.: https://actionnetwork.org/forms/sign-the-petition-tell-facebook-to-end-its-algorithm-now
The last two general elections in the U.S. have shone a bright light on the effect of digital manipulation. Micro-targeted posts costing next to nothing can spread like a contagion and allow myths, lies, and disinformation to take root in society.
Facebook has a troubling history of allowing powerful and destructive groups and companies to operate with little oversight on their platform. They allowed the fossil fuel industry to spread climate disinformation.1 Despite the company's promise to apply fact checking labels to high traffic posts, they allowed pundits to baselessly blame frozen wind turbines for the power outages in Texas last winter.2
Facebook can and must do better. Add your name to tell them to fix their climate and endangered species problem by returning to the chronological timeline.
And they are directly harming endangered and threatened species. Facebook promotes illicit wildlife trafficking around the world3–connecting buyers and sellers and facilitating the bloody trade in elephant ivory, pangolin scales, and even tigers.
Regulation is direly needed. But while we wait for Congress and the Biden Administration to act, Facebook must clean its own house. A first step that they can take today is to return users' timelines to chronological displays, showing recent posts first instead of those that are most inflammatory, divisive, and often destructive. Please sign the petition today.: https://actionnetwork.org/forms/sign-the-petition-tell-facebook-to-end-its-algorithm-now
Demand that Congress reform Emergency Medical Services!
SIGN AND SEND THE PETITION: https://actionnetwork.org/letters/sign-the-petition-first-responders-need-your-help-support-funding-for-emergency-medical-service
Vern Greyn fell 12 feet off a tractor bucket in Montana and could not move after striking his head. The volunteer paramedic, who happened to be his daughter-in-law, couldn't move him by herself. Vern had to wait for a half-hour before an ambulance crew in the next town came to help.
That's typical in Montana, where 20% of emergency medical services (EMS) agencies have trouble responding to calls, and 34% of agencies occasionally don't respond at all. Thirty-nine states don't classify EMS as essential. They also lack an overseeing federal agency that can impose national guidelines.
Sign and send the petition: Write to your U.S. representative and tell them how vital paramedics are to your community.: https://actionnetwork.org/letters/sign-the-petition-first-responders-need-your-help-support-funding-for-emergency-medical-service
Asian elephants are already endangered, with fewer than 50,000 left alive in the world. But that hasn't stopped poachers in Myanmar from continuing to slaughter and peel the skin off these wild creatures — all just to make a buck. In one particularly nasty case, residents of one village discovered that poachers had dumped the corpses of more than two dozen mangled and rotting Asian elephants — adults and babies alike — in a riverbed, with their skin stripped from their bodies. Poachers wanted these animals' flesh so it could be turned into red beads for jewelry and "medicines.": https://www.thepetitionsite.com/takeaction/153/318/144/
Constitutional Rights Blog Updated October 14 2021
STOP SJR 1
Act Now
Senate Joint Resolution 1 (SJR 1) undermines the core American principle of being presumed innocent until proven guilty. If passed, it would deepen injustice and racial inequity in Texas’ criminal legal system.
Tell your State Representative: Stop jailing people who may be innocent.
Sign this petition here.: https://action.aclu.org/send-message/stop-sjr-1
If passed, SJR 1 will dramatically increase pretrial jail populations. It could subject more than 100,000 presumptively innocent people each year to unnecessary incarceration. This will disproportionately harm Black and Brown Texans. SJR 1 is a dangerous proposal that would not improve safety, but instead would deepen injustice and racial inequity in our criminal legal system.
Constitutional Rights Blog Updated October 15 2021
AT&T is discovered as the wallet behind anti-LGBTQ cable network One American News
The communications giant unleashed one of the most destructive forces on cable today and has provided the contracts that keep it going.
Saturday, October 9, 2021: https://www.lgbtqnation.com/2021/10/att-discovered-wallet-behind-anti-lgbtq-cable-network-one-american-news/
If you have Gay USA ( http://gayusatv.org/ )talking bad about you; that is bad as bad gets. Dave says he is not doing Trans jokes. Dave is a pretty funny; if you have ever seen his comedy like Killin' Them Softly; you know.:
Constitutional Rights Blog Updated October 16 2021
Oklahoma cannot execute an innocent man. Please save Julius Jones’ life and commute his sentence to life with the possibility of parole.
Take action NOW.: https://p2a.co/bgmivzn
Julius Jones is Innocent - Tell Governor Stitt and The Pardon & Parole Board To Spare His Life
Julius Jones, an innocent Black man who has been on death row for over 20 years, has an execution date of November 18th, despite the Pardon and Parole board's recommendation for commutation, which Governor Stitt has denied.
On September 13th, 2021 Julius Jones' had a commutation hearing, where for the first time in over 20 years, his story was shared and heard. His defense team laid out the compelling evidence of his innocence and the many reasons he should be recommended for commutation. Surrogates for Julius also talked about his desire to give back to his community if given the opportunity to get out of prison. Read more here: https://p2a.co/bgmivzn
Constitutional Rights Blog Updated October 17 2021
SIGN ON: To Keep Legislatures Blue. Trump could turn 2022 into America’s last free and fair election!: https://www.dailykos.com/campaigns/forms/sign-on-to-keep-legislatures-blue-trump-could-turn-2022-into-americas-last-free-and-fair-election
Donald Trump just issued a statement declaring state legislatures one of his TOP priorities for the midterm elections. And if his Republicans succeed in regaining power, they could ramp up their campaign to rewrite election laws and turn 2022 into America’s last free and fair election.
We CANNOT let that happen — but we need to make sure top Democrats are engaged in order to stop them.
Add your name to the Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee's petition now so we can stop Trump Republicans from destroying our democracy >>: https://www.dailykos.com/campaigns/forms/sign-on-to-keep-legislatures-blue-trump-could-turn-2022-into-americas-last-free-and-fair-election
Constitutional Rights Blog Updated October 20 2021
Everyone has a right to safe drinking water, and yet for millions of Americans that’s only a pipedream. Find out how you can help! The time for action is NOW.: https://www.dailykos.com/campaigns/forms/add-your-name-replacing-americas-lead-service-lines-should-be-a-national-priority
People across the country rely on their taps and faucets to provide safe, drinkable water on a daily basis. But for over 9 million households in the U.S., this necessity is contaminated by archaic and unsafe lead pipes.
To date, over 11 thousand communities have lead service lines —pipes that connect the main water line to our homes. These pipes can release lead into drinking water, exposing our children and families to a number of health hazards including: impaired brain development, learning and behavioral problems, and lower IQs. That’s why we need our leaders to step up and get the lead out of our drinking water!
Clean water shouldn’t be a pipe dream! Send a powerful message demanding swift action to remove and replace lead service lines across our country. ADD YOUR NAME!
Facebook knew its platform was harming users and undermining democracy -- and did nothing about it.: : https://act.demandprogress.org/sign/tell-congress-break-facebook-up/
According to a new whistleblower, Facebook failed to act on internal research confirming the harmful effects of various programs. This includes one that allowed 5.8 million of Facebook's users with the most global reach to post on its platform without any oversight of harassment, misinformation, or incitements to violence -- including Donald Trump. In 2019, Facebook found the program "not publicly defensible."
But instead of bringing its practices into line with the public interest, Facebook continued to allow Trump and other powerful people to spread misinformation. And it weren't for internal Facebook documents leaked to the WSJ, we'd be none the wiser.
Then Facebook went and showed everyone what happens when monopolies are allowed to form: not only did Facebook crash on Monday, they took Instagram and WhatsApp with them.
Time and again, Facebook proves it will not moderate itself or protect internet users. The company is too big to entrust with our mental health, our access to information, and our democracy. Sign the petition: tell Congress and federal regulators to break up Facebook!Read more here: https://act.demandprogress.org/sign/tell-congress-break-facebook-up/
The Freedom to Vote Act establishes national standards for how elections are run. It protects voting rights, bans political gerrymandering, and rids dark money from our politics.
Republican-controlled state legislatures have already passed outrageous voter suppression bills that will govern the next election unless the Senate takes action. Please make phone calls to your U.S. senators and encourage them to support the Freedom to Vote Act.: https://www.dailykos.com/campaigns/letters/protect-the-right-to-vote-and-pass-the-freedom-to-vote-act
October 20, 2021
Tell Congress: Don’t Use Taxpayer Dollars To Shut Down Legalization
Update 1: The bipartisan Blumenauer-McClintock-Norton-Lee amendment to restrict the DOJ from interfering in adult-use states was filed on 7/23/21 and approved for a vote, yet it has been delayed due to the broader CJS bill being held up in the House.
Update 2: The Senate has released their CJS appropriations bill and it does not include protections for adult-use states.
Among the changes include directives for drug testing exemptions for federal employees residing in legal states and the removal of longstanding federal restrictions barring the District of Columbia from engaging in retail marijuana sales.
However, notably absent from the package is a provision known as the Blumenauer-McClintock-Norton-Lee amendment -- a bipartisan provision we helped pass in the House in 2019 and in 2020 -- preventing the Department of Justice from using our tax dollars to interfere with state-legalization programs. Send message here: https://norml.org/act/tell-congress-dont-use-taxpayer-dollars-to-shut-down-legalization/
Constitutional Rights Blog Updated October 22 2021
Fraud, Anti-Semitism, Social Media
The David Pakman Show - October 21, 2021
Constitutional Rights Blog Updated October 25 2021
Facebook shares stay positive despite release of new whistleblower documents: https://www.cnbc.com/2021/10/25/facebook-whistleblower-documents-released-shares-under-pressure.html
The Facebook Papers: What Mark Zuckerberg told Congress vs. what Facebook said internally: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-R0y8vxReDQ
Facebook staff complained for years about their lobbyists’ power: https://www.politico.com/news/2021/10/25/facebook-fatal-flaw-technologists-lobbyists-516927
My daughter was driven to suicide by social media. It's time for Facebook to stop monetizing misery.: https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2021/10/25/facebook-frances-haugen-molly-russell-teen-suicide-social-media-uk/
So long, Facebook, this goodbye is forever
The Dallas Morning News: https://www.dallasnews.com/opinion/commentary/2021/10/24/so-long-facebook-this-goodbye-is-forever/
Constitutional Rights Blog Updated October 27 2021
Republican backers ghostwrote a bill that would punish homosexuality with death in Ghana
The trail behind Ghana’s "death to gays" bill leads back to American evangelical groups that have been shoveling cash to Republican politicians while writing draconian bills for African countries. Read more here: https://www.lgbtqnation.com/2021/10/republican-backers-ghostwrote-bill-punish-homosexuality-death-ghana/
From: https://www.collindemocrats.org/ :
Too often Democrats focus on the finite aspects – either getting complacent after wins or getting discouraged and disengaging after losses. The forces of Fascism, currently working through Republicans, too often understand that they are playing an infinite game and that gives them an advantage.
While the current Republican Party has embraced Fascism in the form of Trumpism, the party isn’t really our main opponent. Thinking that locks us into the mindset that politics is a finite game. Our main opponent now, Fascism, isn’t even a coherent philosophy – it’s more a set of values, behaviors, and attitudes that is destructive to values we stand for. We’re in an infinite game and we need to act like it.
The best thing we can do to fight Fascism is to elect Democrats. And that's not just in 2022, it's in that election and every one after that. They're not going to give up. Neither can we.
The EPA finally banned this dangerous pesticide, but it's still on imported foods our children eat!
For years, scientists had been warning the U.S. government to better regulate use of a dangerous pesticide known as chlorpyrifos. Like all pesticides, its designed purpose is to be deadly -- to kill crop-adjacent life forms in order to maximize agricultural profit.
But it doesn't just hurt bugs and other insects. It hurts human children, too.
Read more here: https://www.thepetitionsite.com/426/622/882/
Reposted TikTok video threatens violence at Magnolia and other schools, but nothing happens
Schools around the country have been fielding similar threats since the weekend, according to media reports. Reports indicate that the situation began with a series of videos posted on TikTok, a social media platform designed to allow the sharing of short videos.
The original video post has been reposted many times, with the names of the schools changed in each instance.
Law enforcement officers are attempting to determine the source of the original video.
Since late summer, a plague of videos called “challenges” have appeared on TikTok, encouraging people to commit and film various acts of vandalism and violence against schools and school personnel.
This isn’t the first time that Magnolia schools have been targeted by a similar anonymous threat.
In August 2015, a Magnolia school was one of many around the country that received a pre-recorded bomb threat. The school was briefly evacuated during a parent visitation day prior to the start of the school year.
It’s a federal crime to issue a threat over social media, by text, or through email. The crime is “threatening interstate communications” and carry a possible five-year federal sentence, with the possibility of additional state and local charges. Read more : http://www.magnoliareporter.com/news_and_business/local_news/article_87070614-375f-11ec-8f0b-b30419b17d90.html
Constitutional Rights Blog Updated October 28 2021
Regulate cancer-causing forever chemicals
The petition to the EPA reads:
"Thank you for starting the long-overdue process of regulating PFAS. I urge you to speed up your timeline and take even more aggressive action to protect Americans from exposure to cancer-causing PFAS."
The EPA just announced a three-year initiative to regulate cancer causing PFAS – also known as “forever chemicals – by taking a series of actions to limit the concentration of the chemicals in drinking water supplies, require PFAS manufacturers to report on how toxic their products are, and more.
It’s a long-overdue step in the right direction – but it will still leave millions of Americans exposed to dangerous levels of PFAS in their drinking water for years into the future.
Sign CREDO Mobile’s petition thanking the EPA for taking this initial step and urging the agency to do more to protect our communities from cancer-causing “forever chemicals.” Click here to add your name.: https://actionnetwork.org/forms/regulate-cancer-causing-forever-chemicals/
Add your name: Break up Facebook!
Petition to President Biden and Congress:
Pass strong antitrust legislation and break up Facebook's monopoly!
"Carol Smith," a fake Facebook account created by a researcher for testing purposes, was nondescript in all respects. "Carol's" profile indicated she was a conservative mother from North Carolina interested in Christianity and parenting; she followed Fox News and Donald Trump, but indicated no particular interest in conspiracy theories.
In just two days, Facebook's algorithm suggested that "Carol" join Facebook groups dedicated to QAnon, the far-right conspiracy group.1 Read more and sign here: https://act.demandprogress.org/sign/facebook-papers/
Constitutional Rights Blog Updated October 30 2021
Sign if you agree: Black people don’t deserve longer sentences!
Fri, Oct 29, 10:37 AM (19 hours ago)
For decades, the United States incarceration rate has more than quadrupled, and is unprecedented in world history. Now, 1 in every 31 people in the U.S. are under the supervision of the correctional system.
Roughly 2.2 million people are in prison in the United States. While Americans only represent 5% of the total population, they make up ¼ of the world’s prison population. This should not be!
Sign the petition: Urge U.S. Senate to prioritize criminal sentencing reform.: https://www.dailykos.com/campaigns/petitions/urge-us-senate-to-prioritize-criminal-sentencing-reform
Let’s tackle monopoly power
October 28, 2021
Squeezed out and Bought out
Merged and Purged
Conglomerated and Integrated
Undermined and Overpowered
And they certainly have done all that. In the last 40 years or so, a handful of ever-bigger predators have so many economic interests that America The Free has devolved into a corporate confederacy of anti-competitive, profiteering combines. We consumers feel the slap in the face of this monopoly power when confronted with drug companies’ price gouging, credit card giants’ hidden fees, and internet providers’ ripoffs. Read more here: https://hightowerlowdown.org/article/lets-tackle-monopoly-power/
Constitutional Rights Blog Updated November 01 2021
Social media trolls could face two years in prison over posts intended to cause ‘psychological harm’ – reports
1 Nov, 2021 17:48
British social media users could reportedly face a two-year prison term if they send messages or post content deemed to have caused “psychological harm” under the UK government’s draft law to tackle hate speech and abuse online.
As part of the review process on the government’s upcoming Online Safety Bill, the Department of Culture, Media and Sport has apparently accepted recommendations to shift the law’s focus from the actual content of a message to its potentially “harmful effect”.
In July, the Law Commission warned of a gap in existing law governing online behavior, noting that it “over-criminalizes” in some situations and “under-criminalizes” in others. Claiming that the reliance on “vague terms” like “grossly offensive” and “indecent” had set the threshold for criminality “too low”, the oversight body proposed a new classification of offences based on “likely psychological harm”. Trolls may face two years in prison for sending such messages. Read more here: https://www.rt.com/uk/539103-trolls-prison-psychological-harm/ and here: https://www.dailywire.com/news/british-lawmakers-want-to-jail-internet-trolls-for-causing-emotional-psychological-or-physical-harm
Constitutional Rights Blog Updated November 04 2021
Last week at Guantánamo, the Center for Constitutional Rights and our co-counsel participated in the two-day sentencing trial of our longtime client Majid Khan—and there is so much to share!
“I have one purpose. To tell my story with the hope that you better understand who I was and who I have become. I want you to know what I did, what happened to me, and what I hope for the future.”
After 18 years in U.S. custody, Majid finally had the opportunity to tell his story to a jury of senior military officers who would impose his sentence. When he was rendered to Guantánamo in 2006 after three years in secret CIA “black sites,” Center for Constitutional Rights attorneys fought for over a year to meet him. Since then, we’ve worked tirelessly to uncover details of his brutal torture in CIA custody. Last Thursday, the public finally heard directly from Majid: he stood unshackled facing the jury and spent more than two hours delivering a personal statement in open court, including to his father and sister who were in the courtroom and able to meet with him that morning for the first time since his capture. This is the first time a CIA torture survivor has spoken in this way about his abuse before a Guantánamo military commission.
Read our press release after day one of the hearing, which highlights new details of Majid’s torture.: https://ccrjustice.org/home/press-center/press-releases/new-details-torture-cia-black-sites
Constitutional Rights Blog Updated November 04 2021
Growth of Austin Jewish Community Marred by Antisemitism
November 5, 2021
NEW YORK — San Diegan Gary E. Jacobs, chair of the board of JCC Association of North America, and I spent a memorable couple of days in Austin, Texas, this week visiting Shalom Austin, a young and remarkable JCC and one of roughly 35 integrated communities across the JCC Movement.
But something else has stayed with me from this visit. The week before, the Austin Jewish community experienced a spate of antisemitic activity: a public school was defaced and representatives of a Florida-based, neo-Nazi organization, The Goyim Defense League, held two public demonstrations targeting Jews. This past Sunday evening, Congregation Beth Israel, a local synagogue not far from the Dell Jewish Community Campus was firebombed, causing significant damage. Thankfully, no one was hurt, and a rapid response from the local fire department contained the damage. Read article here: https://www.sdjewishworld.com/2021/11/05/growth-of-austin-jewish-community-marred-by-antisemitism/
Constitutional Rights Blog Updated November 06 2021
The White House has announced its nominees for the Federal Communications Commission: Jessica Rosenworcel and Gigi Sohn. If confirmed, they can finally undo Ajit Pai’s harmful repeal of net neutrality.
Getting these two public interest champions confirmed will give us a functional FCC and a decisive majority that will fight to reinstate net neutrality, Title II, and to ensure everyone has access to the Internet.
But time is tight: we need the Senate to confirm these nominees before the end of the year, or else we won't be able to win back net neutrality in 2022.
Sign the petition calling on the Senate to act now to confirm Jessica Rosenworcel and Gigi Sohn to the FCC, and to do all they can to reinstate net neutrality.: https://www.battleforthenet.com/
Remember what I said: The reason I like David Pakman and Jim Hightower; is because they are progressive and they are not afraid to disagree with the democrats.
Another Twist in Spending Bill, DeSantis Hostage Video
The David Pakman Show - November 5, 2021
Progressive provisions are starting to come back into the $1.75 trillion reconciliation bill currently being debated among Democrats in Congress. Earlier this week, we learned that prescription drug price controls would return to the bill in large part thanks to the efforts of Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders.
Welp, Virginia happened. In addition to neglecting rural voters and hoping the fights over critical race theory would just go away, Democrats also lost another important demographic. Again.: https://twitter.com/doccrearperry/status/1455887363465437194
Constitutional Rights Blog Updated November 08 2021
Major Fast Food Chains are Serving Meals Contaminated with Toxic Chemicals and Plastics
by: Care2 Team
recipient: F.D.A.
Some of the most popular food chains in the country -- frequented by millions of Americans each day -- are feeding us food filled with toxic chemicals and plastics. McDonald's, Pizza Hut, and Chipotle were just a few of the restaurants that a disturbing new study found to contain industrial chemicals called phthalates which have been linked to serious health issues!: https://www.thepetitionsite.com/639/885/174/
Constitutional Rights Blog Updated November 10 2021
The White House has announced its nominees for the Federal Communications Commission who, if confirmed, can finally undo Ajit Pai’s harmful repeal of net neutrality. Getting these two public interest champions confirmed will give us a functional FCC and a decisive majority that will fight to reinstate net neutrality Title II protections and to ensure everyone has access to the Internet.
But time is tight: we need the Senate to confirm both these nominees before the end of the year, or we risk not being able to win back net neutrality in 2022.
Tell your Senators to act now to confirm Jessica Rosenworcel and Gigi Sohn to the FCC, and to do all they can to reinstate net neutrality.: The White House has announced its nominees for the Federal Communications Commission who, if confirmed, can finally undo Ajit Pai’s harmful repeal of net neutrality. Getting these two public interest champions confirmed will give us a functional FCC and a decisive majority that will fight to reinstate net neutrality Title II protections and to ensure everyone has access to the Internet.
But time is tight: we need the Senate to confirm both these nominees before the end of the year, or we risk not being able to win back net neutrality in 2022.
Tell your Senators to act now to confirm Jessica Rosenworcel and Gigi Sohn to the FCC, and to do all they can to reinstate net neutrality.: https://www.battleforthenet.com/
Constitutional Rights Blog Updated November 11 2021
Twenty-two percent of veterans consume cannabis to “to treat a mental or physical condition” according to the American Legion, yet these individuals who were willing to make the ultimate sacrifice for our nation are viewed as criminals by the same federal government whose uniform they wore.
Despite medical marijuana programs being passed or enacted in a supermajority of states, federal policy currently prohibits VA-affiliated doctors from even recommending medical cannabis to veterans in those states where such use is legal -- thus forcing military veterans to seek the advice of a private, out-of-network physician.
So this Veterans Day, tell your lawmakers to support the Veterans Medical Marijuana Safe Harbor Act so that former service members are no longer treated as criminals.: https://norml.org/act/federal-legislation-pending-to-expand-veterans-access-to-medical-marijuana/
Constitutional Rights Blog Updated November 12 2021
Texas has over 17 million registered voters!
Houston Chronicle Headline
With every new voter registered in Texas, we move one step closer to making the change we want to see. And this is in no small part thanks to the work of Powered by People volunteers and supporters like you!
Since 2019, Powered by People has registered over 250,000 likely Democratic voters. And right now, volunteers are on the ground registering new voters wherever they are – college campuses, community events, even their own doorsteps. From: https://poweredxpeople.org/
House Democrat asks TikTok for information on showing 'dangerous content' to kids
11/11/21 03:41 PM EST
“The Subcommittee is deeply concerned that TikTok risks harming millions of children because of its failure to adequately police the harmful content on its app while it continues to experience rapid growth,” he wrote in a letter to the company. Read more here:
Constitutional Rights Blog Updated November 14 2021
I was talking to a random person about 3 weeks ago and I mentioned Southern Poverty Law Center and they actually knew who they are. People are more politically knowledgeable today; more that ever, because of the internet, not so called, social media. Considering the population that is even more unique.
‘We Are Not Going to Be Bullied’: Black Louisiana veterans fight to keep building that has honored their sacrifices for more than six decades
November 12, 2021
When members of the so-called Greatest Generation returned home from World War II and the Korean War, most were accepted with open arms.
But not everyone.
“The Black veterans had no place of their own,” former Louisiana state Rep. Terry Landry said. “The veteran buildings were for the white veterans.”
Excluded from white veterans halls in New Iberia, Louisiana, a group of Black veterans lobbied the parish government in 1957 to build a structure on land they had purchased and donated to the parish. They made the donation under a 1958 contract in which the parish agreed to construct the building and give control of it to a veterans board.
Fast-forward 63 years, and Black veterans are fighting to keep control of the building where their American Legion and Veterans of Foreign Wars posts have long operated. Read more here: https://www.splcenter.org/news/2021/11/12/we-are-not-going-be-bullied-black-louisiana-veterans-fight-keep-building-has-honored-their
Constitutional Rights Blog Updated November 16 2021
A new Republican bill to end federal marijuana prohibition has been filed
Just now, Republican Representative Nancy Mace (R-SC) introduced the States Reform Act. This bill repeals the federal prohibition of marijuana, expunges federal non-violent marijuana crimes, and promotes local ownership in the emerging regulated industry.
This comprehensive and sensible legislation to end federal marijuana criminalization deserves serious consideration. Between the previously passed MORE Act, the recent Senate proposal by Leader Schumer, and this new bill, it is truly a race to the top for the best ideas and smartest approaches to repeal the failed policy of marijuana prohibition.
Too many hard-working people across this country face impossible choices of how to care for themselves and their families every day. Small business owners who want to keep their employees healthy. Families caring for both children and aging parents without the support nearly every country in the world provides. Meanwhile, polling across the country continues to find that supermajorities of voters in both major parties support paid family and medical leave and want it passed now. This is not a partisan issue but the protection of economic security and quality of work and life. This is about family values.
The United States is the only developed country that forces its citizens to make this agonizing choice. Other countries recognize that paid family and medical leave is a fundamental human right. Why don't we?
We are tired of being denied basic human rights. Sign and send the petition: It’s time to pass paid and family leave!
David Green is a history teacher and father to a 16-month old diagnosed with cancer. His school didn't have any more sick days he could take to stay with his little girl while she struggled in a battle for her life. David was lucky -- his fellow educators chipped in with their sick days, totaling 100 days.
Imagine if you were in that situation but didn't have the kindness of your neighbors to fall back on.
Constitutional Rights Blog Updated November 17 2021
Yes, I have thought about WWII many, many times. I have read about WWI a few times and WWII many times. What I know about WWII is; we where genuinely, world hero's, at that time. Who ever had anything to do with that; should be commended appropriately.
Sign the petition and urge congress to pass the G.I. Bill Restoration Act
House Minority Whip James Clyburn and Representative Seth Moulton introduced the G.I. Bill Restoration Act, which would repay the families of Black American veterans who fought in World War II but were denied G.I. Bill benefits.: https://www.dailykos.com/campaigns/petitions/sign-the-petition-and-urge-congress-to-pass-the-gi-bill-restoration-act
Constitutional Rights Blog Updated November 19 2021
Tell Congress: Stand up to Big Pharma Greed!: https://actionnetwork.org/forms/tell-congress-stand-up-to-big-pharma-greed-2/
Constitutional Rights Blog Updated November 22 2021
They sprayed children with toxic sludge in the winter cold
Children Are Dying at the Belarus-Poland Border, But Neither Government Seems to Care
Earlier this week, Polish guards opened fire on the migrants with yellow liquid-filled water cannons, allegedly containing toxic chemicals designed to burn the skin and eyes. Guards indiscriminately sprayed the refugees, even hitting children, toddlers, and babies. CNN has confirmed this incident, as Polish water cannons hit one of their journalistic teams. It was fairly remarkable that its crew even managed to be present at all, since most reporters and humanitarian aid have been barred from entering the area.: https://www.thepetitionsite.com/606/490/080/
Why Did the Democrat Lose Virginia’s Gubernatorial Race?
Here they come again – That gaggle of Washington politicos and pundits who keep assailing Joe Biden’s package of FDRish proposals that, at long last, would begin lifting up America’s infrastructure and working class.
READ & LISTEN HERE: https://hightowerlowdown.org/podcast/why-did-the-democrat-lose-virginias-gubernatorial-race/
Once Again Congress Exposes Its Butt-Ugly Morality
Sometimes, when watching Congress in action, I can’t decide whether to laugh, cry, or check myself into an insane asylum.
Not all lawmakers are political hacks, quacks, and corporate toadies – but that contingent does seem to dominate. Most infuriating is that while purporting to represent the people, Congress routinely does what the American majority does not want done and fails to do what people do want.
READ & LISTEN HERE: https://hightowerlowdown.org/podcast/once-again-congress-exposes-its-butt-ugly-morality/
SWU ads slam Ben & Jerry's Israel boycott at Unilever HQ
The pro-Israel organization also launched a new website titled "Corporate Antisemitism" to combat anti-Jewish rhetoric spread by companies.
NOVEMBER 22, 2021 18:13
Updated: NOVEMBER 22, 2021 22:37
Source: https://www.jpost.com/international/swu-ads-slam-ben-and-jerrys-israel-boycott-at-unilever-hq-685669
The pro-Israel organization also launched a new website to combat anti-Jewish rhetoric spread by companies as part of the campaign. The website describes corporate antisemitism as "a corporation or business promotes or enables hatred and discrimination against Jewish people individually or as a group."
The website cites examples of corporate antisemitism such as Volkswagen, which as a German company established during Nazi rule, used Jewish people to do forced labor in its factories, operated four concentration camps and eight labor camps. Website: https://corporatehate.com/
There a good petition letter there too.: https://p2a.co/zXvY5AK
Constitutional Rights Blog Updated November 23 2021
Cops Don't Want Us to Have the Right to Film Them - But Accountability is Critical
by: The Care2 Team
recipient: U.S. Congress
When out and about in public spaces in the U.S., you might assume that you obviously have the right to take photos and videos. And for the most part, you'd be right.
Unless the individuals who appear in your video are police officers... even if they're committing criminal offenses that ought to be documented. Then, depending on the state you're in, you could be the one prosecuted.
That's not true in every U.S. state, and the system consists of a confusing mess of different laws, changing jurisdiction-by-jurisdiction. But just recently, in early November 2021, the Supreme Court of the United States justices made it clear that they have no interest in protecting the First Amendment right to record police officers' behavior. : https://www.thepetitionsite.com/342/388/006/
Constitutional Rights Blog Updated November 24 2021
Facebook’s race-blind practices around hate speech came at the expense of Black users, new documents show Researchers proposed a fix to the biased algorithm, but one internal document predicted pushback from ‘conservative partners’
November 21, 2021 at 8:00 a.m. EST
Civil rights groups have long claimed that Facebook’s algorithms and policies had a disproportionately negative impact on minorities, and particularly Black users. The “worst of the worst” documents show that those allegations were largely true in the case of which hate speech remained online.
“It sickened me,” Devich-Cyril said. “As an activist — whose calling is to stand on the front lines and fight for change — it created in me a kind of fear. If that kind of chill factor in a democratic state is what Facebook is going for, they have achieved it.”
Read more here:
Juvenile arrested after ‘kicking in’ front door of homes; possibly part of a new TikTok challenge
Published: Nov. 23, 2021 at 6:12 PM CST|Updated: 22 hours ago
Evonne Dunn said her husband is, “At home recovering from open-heart surgery and this young lady kicked our door in, along with another neighbor.”
There is a new trend on TikTok of people making videos of themselves kicking in doors to homes.
Read more here: https://www.wafb.com/2021/11/24/juvenile-arrested-after-kicking-front-door-homes-possibly-part-new-tiktok-challenge/
Teenagers kicking in front doors in new TikTok trend that is terrifying elderly and vulnerable residents
One police force has issued a warning about the pranks
12:23, 29 OCT 2021
People are being warned about a new TikTok trend which is terrifying elderly and vulnerable residents., leaving them feeling unsafe in their homes.
Teenagers are filming themselves as they smash in doors and then scarper as part of a new TikTok craze that has sparked a police warning. The video-sharing platform is awash with clips of youngsters stamping on doors – with some smashing them clean open.
Kesha’s song Die Young is used as a backing track to the trend, as youngsters kick doors in time to the lyrics. As she sings “I hear your heart beat to the beat of drums”, people kick the door twice to make banging noises.
Constitutional Rights Blog Updated November 27 2021
SIGN THE PETITION: Lower Drug Prices NOW!
Patients For Affordable Drugs is building a national movement of people who are dedicated to demanding that our leaders act to lower drug prices. People fighting for their lives and their livelihoods shouldn't have to worry about whether or not they can afford the drugs they need.
Right now, we have a real chance to pass meaningful reform to lower drug prices.
Remind your Senators who they really work for: Sign this petition from Patients For Affordable Drugs to demand that politicians in Washington take immediate action to fight high drug prices today!: https://www.dailykos.com/campaigns/forms/sign-the-petition-lower-drug-prices-now-5
Constitutional Rights Blog Updated November 28 2021
November 28, 2021
3:47 AM CST
Last Updated 13 hours ago
Australia to introduce new laws to force media platforms to unmask online trolls
MELBOURNE, Nov 28 (Reuters) - Australia will introduce legislation to make social media giants provide details of users who post defamatory comments, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said on Sunday.
"The online world should not be a wild west where bots and bigots and trolls and others are anonymously going around and can harm people," Morrison said at a televised press briefing. "That is not what can happen in the real world, and there is no case for it to be able to be happening in the digital world." Read more: https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/australia-introduce-new-laws-force-media-platforms-unmask-online-trolls-2021-11-28/
Constitutional Rights Blog Updated November 30 2021
New evidence reveals Georgia prison officials refused to investigate transgender woman’s reports of repeated sexual assault
On Tuesday, Ashley Diamond, a Black transgender woman, submitted new evidence to the court overseeing her case against the Georgia Department of Corrections (GDC) and once again asked the court to order a transfer from the male prison where she has endured repeated sexual assaults and relentless sexual harassment. Since a hearing in May, where Ashley Diamond detailed abuse by both incarcerated men and prison officials, she has suffered two more sexual assaults, including one by multiple men. Conditions have grown so dangerous that Ms. Diamond, an activist who for years has championed the rights of incarcerated and trans people, recently attempted suicide. : https://ccrjustice.org/ashley-diamond
Ashley Diamond is a Black, transgender woman and prisoners' rights activist, and her situation is urgent as she is facing repeated sexual assault and denial of healthcare, which has only been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Ashley made national headlines in 2016 for her landmark victory against the Georgia Department of Corrections. The case changed prison medical policy in Georgia, which was later adopted as precedent by the U.S. Department of Justice. Ashley has since been re-imprisoned because of a technical parole violation and is currently incarcerated at Coastal State Prison in Garden City, Georgia. Despite governmental promises for change, she has again been placed in a men’s facility.
Ashley continues to fight but needs your assistance. Ashley’s demands are: to be treated fairly, to be moved to a women’s prison, and to be free.
Sign this petition to demand that Ashley be immediately transferred to a women’s facility with access to the healthcare she vitally needs. Since Ashley is eligible for parole in early March 2021, we are also asking that she be granted parole immediately given the violence she has been experiencing while imprisoned. The petition signatures will be sent to both Governor Kemp as well as the Georgia State Board of Pardons and Paroles. : https://www.change.org/p/governor-kemp-free-ashley-diamond
Constitutional Rights Blog Updated December 01 2021
American Christians busted pushing conversion therapy in Costa Rica by undercover reporters
A conversion therapist told one undercover reporter that his parents watched porn before he was born, which made him gay.
By Tyler Stevenson Monday, November 29, 2021
A second report also found that the same conservative Christian groups are also undermining U.S. laws, pushing conversion therapy in municipalities that have outlawed the practice. The undercover investigation found two conversion therapy counsellors operating in states where the practice is prohibited. One advised a reporter posing as a 17-year-old lesbian to “suppress” her orientation, including by starving herself.
Therapists connected to Focus on the Family and the Exodus Global Alliance made the comments while ‘treating’ or offering to ‘treat’ undercover reporters posing as gay or lesbian people.: https://www.lgbtqnation.com/2021/11/therapists-affiliated-u-s-hate-groups-telling-lgbtq-people-costa-rica-gay-wrong/
Constitutional Rights Blog Updated December 04 2021
"Christian" Anti-Vaccine Skeptic Dead of COVID After Pushing Ivermectin, Hycroxychloroquine
Yet another anti-vax broadcaster has died of COVID-19. His name was Marcus Lamb, he was 64 years old, and he was a Christian television host who encouraged people to pray instead of getting the shots for coronavirus. Lamb questioned the effectiveness of the vaccines and whether getting inoculated would instead be harmful to the immune system. He said that as an alternative to getting vaccinated, “we can pray, we can get ivermectin, and budesonide and hydroxychloroquine.” This is a story we have heard so many times in only slightly different forms. There is now a long list of conservative and religious broadcasters who wrote off the vaccines as bad and instead pushed the usual suspect drugs like ivermectin and hydroxychloroquine. In some of these cases, the people who pushed the alternative treatments wound up getting COVID and some percentage of them have died. Lamb, given his age and being diabetic, probably should have gotten the vaccine and there’s a strong chance it would have saved his life if he did. Unfortunately, Lamb was too deep into the weeds of disinformation to do the reasonable thing and pushed nonsense alternatives instead.: https://davidpakman.com/2021/12/december-3-2021/
Bags of stolen cash found in bathroom of Joel Osteen’s megachurch
A Texas plumber made a surprise discovery: "bags and bags" of stolen cash and checks. So far, the church allegedly hasn't given him a reward or even said thank you.
Friday, December 3, 2021
Pastor Joel OsteenPastor Joel Osteen
Photo: RobertMWorsham via Wikimedia Commons
A Texas plumber made a surprise discovery behind the bathroom walls at anti-LGBTQ preacher Joel Osteen’s Houston megachurch: “bags and bags” of stolen cash and checks.: https://www.lgbtqnation.com/2021/12/bags-stolen-cash-found-bathroom-joel-osteens-megachurch/
I have been saying for years online that they need to go after parents in many cases like these. Also it comes as no surprise to me that social media is behind this type of crime.:
Fugitive parents of Mich. school-shooting suspect in custody after brief hunt
Yesterday December 3rd at 12:04 p.m. EST|Updated today December 4th at 2:45 a.m. EST
McDonald also read social media posts from the family, describing how Jennifer Crumbley boasted on Facebook that they had bought their son his new Christmas present, a 9mm Sig Sauer SP 2022 pistol, last week. “My new beauty,” Ethan called it on Instagram.
Jennifer Crumbley and her son both appeared to brag about the new gun in various social media posts McDonald cited. Shortly after his father bought the gun, Ethan Crumbley posted a photo of it to his Instagram page writing a caption interspersed with heart emoji that read, “just got my new beauty today, SIG SAUER 9mm. Ask any questions I will answer.”: https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2021/12/03/oxford-high-school-shooting-suspect-parents-charged/
An Instagram account bearing Crumbley’s name, which has since been deleted, had the phrase ‘Now I am become Death, the destroyer of world’. See you tomorrow, Oxford’ written in the biography section, according to Fox 2 Detroit.: https://www.fox2detroit.com/news/investigators-seize-guns-from-suspected-oxford-school-shooters-home
Oxford High School shooter was bullied and posted shooting dad’s gun on Instagram
December 1, 2021
Ethan Crumbley Oxford High School shooter was bullied and posted photos on Instagram boasting new gun dad bought 4 days earlier as sophomore student is alleged to have issued count-down hours before Tuesday’s attack. : https://scallywagandvagabond.com/2021/12/ethan-crumbley-oxford-high-school-shooter-bullied-posted-gun-instagram/
Constitutional Rights Blog Updated December 08 2021
COVID Death Rate THREE TIMES HIGHER in Trump Counties
The death rate for COVID-19 is now three times higher in counties that voted 70% for Donald Trump versus counties that voted only 30% for Trump. This data goes back to May of 2021 when the vaccines became widely available to everyone. Over the last few weeks, the gap has shrunk a little bit, but super red counties are still experiencing a five and a half times higher death rate than ultra-blue counties. Even when controlling for age, there is still a dramatically higher death rate in the Trump areas. The main reason for the discrepancy is the vaccination rates among supporters of these two presidents. Studies show that Republicans, and specifically Trump supporters, are among those least likely to get vaccinated for COVID-19. It’s tragic to see this amount of unnecessary death, as in many of these cases where people in these red counties are dying, a vaccine could have saved their lives. If this trend continues, this public health tragedy for the nation could turn to a political tragedy for Republicans as they see their voter base die off at disproportionately higher rates. Maybe, if nothing else, that will get conservative thought leaders to encourage their supporters to finally get themselves immunized.: https://davidpakman.com/2021/12/december-7-2021/
7th grader dies by suicide after classmates told him he’d go to Hell for being gay
December 6, 2021
USA Today
Black people use Facebook more than anyone. Now they're leaving.
Published 1:19 p.m. Dec, 8, 2021
Black Americans are deleting Facebook, some to join TikTok. One reason: Facebook has made too little progress in combating racism and violent threats.: https://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/2021/12/08/black-people-delete-facebook-tiktok/8859417002/?gnt-cfr=1
Constitutional Rights Blog Updated December 09 2021
Let Formerly Incarcerated People Work! Ban the Box!
We also know that the criminal justice system in the United States is neither fair nor equal. Black and brown people are disproportionately likely to be arrested and sentenced to significantly longer sentences than their white counterparts. In addition, most people who go to prison live in poverty. A 2014 study found that incarcerated people had a medium income of just $19,185 in the year before serving time. So not only do criminal background disclosures discriminate against all people with histories of incarceration, they disproportionately hurt people of color and some of the poorest Americans.: https://www.thepetitionsite.com/takeaction/766/550/970/
Children encouraged to love guns? Not good. Does this remind you of something?
Lauren Boebert shares “appalling” picture of her kids waving rifles in front of Christmas tree
The Congresswoman appears to be taking the "War on Christmas" literally.
December 8, 2021: https://www.lgbtqnation.com/2021/12/lauren-boebert-shares-appalling-picture-kids-waving-rifles-front-christmas-tree/
This story goes good with the above petition.
Evie Litwok went to prison for two years. Now she’s helping other formerly incarcerated people chart better futures.
The poverty that former convicts face after they leave prison often drives them back behind bars. Litwok is working to break that cycle.
Constitutional Rights Blog Updated December 10 2021
[SIGN] TELL THE FDA: HEAVY METALS DON’T BELONG IN BABY FOOD
Lead. Arsenic. Cadmium. Mercury. Two recent studies have found these dangerous heavy metals in baby food—both conventional and organic.
These are not ingredients we want in our food, and especially in our babies’ food. The science is clear on this. These heavy metals harm our children’s health and cause damage to our babies’ developing brains.: https://www.dailykos.com/campaigns/petitions/sign-tell-the-fda-heavy-metals-dont-belong-in-baby-food
Constitutional Rights Blog Updated December 13 2021
Voters must have the choice to vote for a Democrat who represents their values. The choice between an R and leaving that race unmarked is not a choice.
Once the clock strikes 6 PM December 13, we can't undo any blanks on the ballot with only a Republican running. This is our last shot.
We must force Republicans to fight for every race. If not, they can channel all of their resources into more competitive races. We need to divide their resources into multiple races and attack on all fronts.
Most importantly - as I said before - we can only win if we run.
The filing period for running on the 2022 Democratic Primary ballot ends at 6 p.m. on Monday, December 13, 2021. The Primary is scheduled to be held on March 1, 2022 with Early Voting starting February 14.
We have an outstanding Candidate Development Team and Coordinated Campaign Committee that can support you after you file.
To see a list of races on the 2022 Democratic Primary ballot and other helpful information, including links to instructions on filing and filing fee/petition requirements, please visit our Run For Office page.: https://www.collindemocrats.org/run-for-office/
“Team Greed” plays bigtime sports!
‘Tis the season, right? Traditionally, this time of year celebrates spirituality and festivities – including Hanukkah, Christmas, and Kwanzaa.
In modern day America, however, the Winter Solstice signals the faithful to gather from afar in monumental temples to worship our nation’s supreme secular deity: Big Time Sports! Read and listen: https://hightowerlowdown.org/podcast/team-greed-plays-bigtime-sports/
Giving kids unsupervised access to guns is dangerous.
That ought to be common sense — but somehow, despite the continuous onslaught of school shootings in the U.S., we haven't learned that lesson yet. Authorities are rightfully charging the reckless, enabling parents of the recent school shooting suspect in Michigan with involuntary manslaughter. Yet these charges came too late to save four teenagers who are still dead due to these individuals' poor parenting. Prosecutors should be charging parents like these who enable minors' irresponsible use of guns sooner — BEFORE their children harm others!: https://www.thepetitionsite.com/583/706/718/
Spate of smash and grab thefts in San Francisco were planned on social media and committed by people who didn't know each other, cops say
The recent spate of robberies that saw stores in the Bay Area ransacked by hordes of brazen looters was organized on social media, police now reveal
Both incidents were organized on social media, law-enforcement officials say
PUBLISHED: 14:46 EST, 13 December 2021 | UPDATED: 15:00 EST, 13 December 2021
Constitutional Rights Blog Updated December 16 2021
Decriminalize Marijuana and Commute Marijuana-Related Sentences!
Over half of states have legalized marijuana either recreationally or medicinally, but the plant remains criminalized at the federal level. This criminalization has tremendous consequences for our bodies, our safety, and the well-being of our communities. While Americans go hungry and are in need of dire basic services, the U.S. wastes over $3.6 billion per year enforcing marijuana laws, which disproportionately hurt our neighbors of color and the poorest Americans. But it doesn't have to be this way.
Marijuana criminalization has been a key piece of the failed and widely-disparaged War on Drugs, which locked up millions of Americans and ripped families apart. Between 2001 and 2010 alone, there were over 8 million marijuana-related arrests, which is the equivalent of one bust every 37 seconds.
We know that the history of marijuana criminalization is highly racialized. In fact, the word "marijuana" replaced the historical term "cannabis" in an attempt to connect the drug to Mexican migrants and generate racist, xenophobic fear of both the plant and the people who travelled across the southern border. Today, even though marijuana use is stable among all racial groups, Black people are 3.73 times as likely to be arrested for marijuana possession.
Members of Congress have attempted this effort before, but now, some Republicans are signing on. This means that it is crucial we take advantage of this bipartisan effort and pass comprehensive marijuana decriminalization, including that which commutes marijuana-related sentences, now! Sign now if you agree!: https://www.thepetitionsite.com/273/783/631/decriminalize-marijuana-and-commute-marijuana-related-sentences/
Beware, trolls! Drilon pushes 12-year prison time, P200K fine for online trolls
December 16, 2021 3:59 pm
With the proliferation of trolls on the internet and social media, Senate Minority Leader Frank Drilon has proposed a quick-fix solution to unmask them by requiring the registration of real names and phone numbers upon the creation of social media accounts.
The senator introduced the provision in the proposed SIM Card Registration Act ,which the Senate passed on third reading Thursday. Read here: https://politics.com.ph/beware-trolls-drilon-pushes-12-year-prison-time-p200k-fine-for-online-trolls/
Constitutional Rights Blog Updated December 17 2021
This sounds like my post from this page on: December 09 2021
Mia Farrow calls out Disney for 'Home Alone' reboot poster showing 'white, male kid' carrying guns: 'Why?'
Farrow, known for being an anti-gun activist, questioned the company in a couple of tweets on Wednesday over its poster showing a young boy holding up what appears to be two large toy guns.: https://www.foxbusiness.com/entertainment/mia-farrow-calls-out-disney-home-alone-reboot-poster-white-male-kid-guns
Search this page for TikTok and previous page too. Just now this story makes headlines?
SCHOOL THREAT
TikTok school shooting threat has Chicago area districts taking precautions
Police say post warning of Dec. 17 attacks not credible
Constitutional Rights Blog Updated December 18 2021
As far as I know, I’m the only U.S. Senator who was also one of the original writers for Saturday Night Live, where I worked for fifteen seasons. I’ve won five Emmy’s for writing and producing – even though Wikipedia says I won three. Wikipedia is wrong. I’m also the author of four #1 New York Times bestsellers, including Rush Limbaugh is a Big Fat Idiot and Other Observations, Lies and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them – A Fair and Balanced Look at the Right, and Al Franken, Giant of the Senate. I also won two Grammys, which Wikipedia also doesn’t mention. But that’s okay.: https://alfranken.com/about
AL FRANKEN PODCAST: https://alfranken.com/the-al-franken-podcast
Facebook Is the Greatest American Enemy of the 21st Century From: https://guardianlv.com/2021/12/facebook-is-the-greatest-american-enemy-of-the-21st-century/
December 18, 2021
A major contributor to the end of the American dream is social media. The most popular, and most destructive is Facebook.
Many have rejected any value from the use of social media from its inception. It appeals to weak-minded Americans who are unable to think for themselves or successfully communicate with those they love directly. Even more destructive is how it allows blatant lies and conspiracy theories to flourish among our nation’s people.
The 2016 election is a perfect example. Misinformation on Facebook resulted in a lower Democratic voter turnout in Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, and Michigan, giving Donald Trump a victory in the Electoral College. Russia won the election, and the American people lost everything achieved over the previous 60+ years.
Facebook continues to aid those who would create a fascist government in America. Mark Zuckerberg accepts and publishes paid ads that are blatant lies and divisive. Anti-vaxxers, those who deny the reality of critical race theory, and a refusal to deny right-wing baseless claims that there was massive fraud in the 2020 election all contribute to the likely end of America.
In a very disturbing situation, Zuckerberg overruled his own editorial staff and allowed an anti-abortion ad claiming that “there is NEVER a medically necessary abortion!”
Americans receive many reasons daily which justify their refusal to be a part of the idiocy called “social media.” They condemn the chosen ignorance of millions of the nation’s people. The United States must be better than that if the nation is to survive.
Sources:
Daily Kos: Zuckerberg Personally Signed Off On False Anti-Abortion Ad On Facebook To Mollify Republicans. By Merlin196357
Daily Kos: Don’t look now, but we’re being ‘Facebooked’ into fascism; by Dartagnan
Constitutional Rights Blog Updated December 19 2021
I do not like the sound of this.:
Manchin says he ‘cannot vote’ for Democrats’ $2 trillion spending package, drawing sharp White House rebuke
The moderate senator’s opposition infuriated party lawmakers and spelled doom for a signature piece of President Biden’s economic agenda.
Today at 9:25 a.m. EST|Updated today at 2:16 p.m. EST
“I cannot take that risk with a staggering debt of more than $29 trillion and inflation taxes that are real and harmful to every hard-working American at the gasoline pumps, grocery stores and utility bills with no end in sight," Manchin said.: https://www.washingtonpost.com/us-policy/2021/12/19/manchin-build-back-better-biden/
Constitutional Rights Blog Updated December 21 2021
Sign this please!: https://act.demandprogress.org/sign/tell-attorney-general-merrick-garland-fire-trump-appointees-doj/
Tell Attorney General Merrick Garland: Fire Trump appointees in the DOJ!
Petition to Attorney General Merrick Garland:
Trump appointees have no place in the Biden administration. We demand that you fire Trump appointees still working in the Department of Justice.
Almost an entire year after leaving office, Donald Trump’s political appointees are still working in the Department of Justice.1 Even worse, there’s never been any investigation into whether Trump broke personnel rules by hiring them. That’s because Attorney General Merrick Garland says he’s not “looking backward.”2
As a nation, we can’t collectively move forward past the Trump administration if his cronies are still burrowed deep inside the Department of Justice.
Sign the petition: Tell AG Merrick Garland to investigate and remove Trump appointees in the DOJ!
Having Trump appointees installed in career positions at the DOJ is a ticking time bomb for the Biden administration. One of them, Deputy Solicitor General Chris Gannon went against the Biden administration and argued, in front of the Supreme Court, to deny Social Security benefits for residents of Puerto Rico.
Another Trump appointee, Alexander Haas, has used his position as Director of the Federal Programs Branch to weaken protections for student-borrowers from predatory for-profit colleges.
These cases may seem small but they impact real people, and the longer these Trump appointees remain in the DOJ the more likely they could become involved in high-profile cases like voting rights, immigration, or reproductive rights.
President Biden can’t afford to keep Trump aides inside the DOJ. If Attorney General Merrick Garland truly wants to look forward and not backward, he can start by removing Trump’s cronies from his agency.
Sign the petition: Tell AG Merrick Garland to investigate and remove Trump appointees in the DOJ!
Sources:
1. The American Prospect, “The Trump Officials Still Running Biden’s Justice Department,” December 13, 2021.
2. Washington Post, “Merrick Garland Will Not Deliver Your Catharsis,” July 19, 2021.
Click here to sign: https://act.demandprogress.org/sign/tell-attorney-general-merrick-garland-fire-trump-appointees-doj/
Manchin Kills Build Back Better As Young Voters Give Up on Biden
The current iteration of the Build Back Better bill is dead, as West Virginia Senator Joe Manchin said over the weekend that he will not be supporting it. Manchin went on Fox News Sunday and told Bret Baier that he won’t be voting for the $1.9 trillion social spending package championed by Joe Biden and most of his fellow Democrats. He said, “I cannot vote to continue with this piece of legislation, I just can’t. I’ve tried everything humanly possible, I can’t get there.” Manchin explained that he wouldn’t be able to explain a “yes” vote to his constituents in West Virginia, which doesn’t make sense give it would provide tangible benefits to them including cutting health care costs and providing families with child tax credits and universal preschool. Later on in the day, a statement released by his office expressed concern about how quickly the legislation would transition the country away from the use of fossil fuels. Absent from the statement was how Manchin has made millions off his investments in multiple coal companies and how that may be the reason for his disapproval. Hopefully the West Virginia senator will get back to the negotiating table in the new year because barring a Republican crossing over, his vote will be needed to get this legislation passed in any form whatsoever.
The David Pakman Show - December 20, 2021: https://davidpakman.com/2021/12/december-20-2021/
Constitutional Rights Blog Updated December 26 2021
Candie Frazier, who works as a contracted content moderator, filed a class action lawsuit in federal court on Thursday against TikTok and its parent company, ByteDance, for psychological trauma. Frazier alleges she developed anxiety, depression, and PTSD as a result of the highly regimented 12-hour shifts in which she would watch a stream of videos containing "animal cruelty, torture, suicides, child abuse, murder, beheadings, and other graphic content." Troubling videos also discussed conspiracy theories, holocaust denial, political misinformation, and other destabilizing content.: https://mashable.com/article/tiktok-content-moderator-ptsd-class-action-lawsuit
Constitutional Rights Blog Updated December 27 2021
You and I are probably already poisoned by PFAS-contaminated water, along with 99% of other Americans -- adults and kids alike, according to recently-emerging studies.
What's in the water? Something called per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), found in all sorts of products from firefighting foam, to stain-resistant carpets and Gore-Tex jackets, to Teflon-coated pans and fast food and bakery wrappers.
These "forever chemicals" linger in the environment, never biodegrading, and eventually build up in animals' and humans' bodies. The chemicals live in both the water we drink and cook with, and also in the animals that many people eat. But the dangerous part isn't just that they last forever. It's that even very low levels of PFAS have been connected to unnatural rates of cancer, autoimmune diseases, liver and kidney diseases, birth defects, and more.: https://www.thepetitionsite.com/736/760/340/
Constitutional Rights Blog Updated December 31 2021
A California man who was arrested on his way to DC after telling Iowa police he would do 'whatever it takes,' to kill political leaders on his 'Tik Tok hit list,' including President Biden and Chief Medical Adviser Anthony Fauci, is likely to plead insanity.
Xiong had a TikTok 'hit list,' which included 100 videos of political figures he planned to kill to 'fight evil demons in the White House'
Xiong also had a TikTok 'hit list,' which included 100 videos, authorities said.: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10356827/California-grocery-store-clerk-caught-Iowa-en-route-White-House-kill-Biden-Fauci.html
A suspected killer's misogynistic social media posts sound similar to Sen. Josh Hawley’s rhetoric about defending “masculinity” from progressives. The suspect police say is behind Monday’s deadly shooting spree in Denver reportedly had a history of misogynistic social media posts that at times echo mainstream conservative talking points.
Lyndon McLeod, 47, is suspected of killing five people and injuring at least three more during Monday’s spree. He is also believed to have previously (and under a pseudonym) authored a book series depicting a man with a similar name murdering people who have the same names as the real victims in this week’s shooting. McLeod also reportedly shared violently misogynistic views on his social media accounts that build on conservative fear-mongering about men’s loss of rights and attacks on “masculinity.”
Similarly incendiary speech, mixed with racial prejudice, has also seemingly motivated past massacres. The 2019 mass shooting in El Paso, Texas, targeted Latinos, sparking comparisons to former President Donald Trump’s claim that the United States was being invaded through the southern border. The 2018 shooting at the Tree of Life synagogue was committed by a killer who’d spread antisemitic rhetoric on the conservative social media site Gab. : https://www.msnbc.com/the-reidout/reidout-blog/denver-shooting-spree-suspect-give-gop-senator-pause-rcna10423
Constitutional Rights Blog Updated January 02 2022
In the Wake of Deadly Tornadoes, NY Jews Go to Kentucky to Provide Relief
Jan 2, 2022
Within four hours of a deadly tornado hitting the town of Mayfield, Kentucky in December, Micah Seavers’ family-owned restaurant, Southern Red’s Barbecue, was preparing meals for the emergency workers who were streaming in to help. It was about 2:30am.
By daylight, they were handing out meals to friends and neighbors who had lost everything. In the days that followed they made it their job to feed everyone who needed a meal, even delivering dinners in the dark as electricity was out for miles.: https://www.aish.com/ci/s/In-the-Wake-of-Deadly-Tornadoes-NY-Jews-Go-to-Kentucky-to-Provide-Relief.html?s=nb&p=n1
Constitutional Rights Blog Updated January 06 2022
I have been following Wooten since she against Sandoval and won. I spread the word at then; Collin County Community College, to vote for Mrs. Wooten against Sandoval. I was blown away when she won. Of course I voted for Wooten and my wife too. If you search my blog for Mrs. Wooten's name you will see how I have been rooting for Wooten. It was good to post this recent victory.
Insurance company agrees to pay $600K to settle lawsuit filed by former Collin County judge wrongfully convicted of bribery Wooten filed a lawsuit alleging she was a victim of political persecution in 2018. She filed the lawsuit one year after she was exonerated.
Published: 3:26 PM CST January 6, 2022 Updated: 3:26 PM CST January 6, 2022
"This lawsuit will expose the truth: that both the Collin County District Attorney and the Attorney General, using their hand-picked assistants, misused their authority for a political and personal vendetta against Judge Wooten," her attorney, Scott Palmer said, in 2018. "This abuse of power caused a manifest miscarriage of justice that demands that their actions be exposed and fully addressed so this can never happen again.": https://www.wfaa.com/article/news/local/insurance-company-agrees-to-pay-to-settle-lawsuit-filed-by-former-collin-county-judge-wrongfully-convicted-of-bribery/287-d050ec8a-41c0-4425-a0d2-9753601015a2
Back when I was going to college I sent out emails to my teachers and people I knew from the college to vote for Mrs. Wooten. I was amazed in class that one of the students in my class said they were going to vote against Sandoval because he was no good. I never emailed or told that guy and his wife about the election. He must have learned it from my teacher who they were friends with. My point is people were talking it up; that I never told. That is how fast word spread back then and why I think I had a big influence.
Constitutional Rights Blog Updated January 06 2022
SEND YOUR MESSAGE TO PRESIDENT BIDEN NOW: https://action.aclu.org/send-message/thousands-people-could-be-sent-back-prison-contact-biden-now
Before the New Year, the Justice Department withdrew and replaced a Trump administration memo that would have forced thousands of people transferred from prison to home confinement during COVID-19 under the CARES Act to be needlessly sent back.
This is serious progress and our community helped make it possible.
Activists like you reached out to President Biden on this critical issue with us, while ACLU and our allies advocated for the administration to allow people on home confinement to remain with their families and communities without the fear of being taken away.
We pushed for nearly a year, and the Justice Department listened.
But I'll be clear about one more thing, Richard: The fight isn't over. The threat of an eventual return to prison is still present. And these individuals and their loved ones will not have permanent closure until their cases are fully resolved.
So while we celebrate today and commend the DOJ for its decision, we must take this progress and keep going.
Send a message to President Biden urging him to provide permanent relief to these families by granting clemency to those on home confinement under CARES.
With this latest development from his Justice Department, we have the president's attention. And the more voices like yours he hears, the more he'll keep paying attention and act.
SEND YOUR MESSAGE TO PRESIDENT BIDEN NOW: https://action.aclu.org/send-message/thousands-people-could-be-sent-back-prison-contact-biden-now
Constitutional Rights Blog Updated January 10 2022
Facebook, Social Media Addiction And Narcissistic Personality Traits
Last updated Jan 10, 2022
Social addiction: an interesting study looked at the most popular of these, Facebook
Social addiction: the study conducted on Facebook
With more than 2.4 billion members and over 1.59 billion daily users, Facebook is currently the largest social networking site in existence.
Many people are involved in social interactions on Facebook on a daily basis, posting updates about their lives and commenting on the updates of other community members.
Online exchange helps to develop feelings of connection, belonging and social support.
Receiving positive comments and ‘likes’ on posts increases feelings of popularity – an important reason why people with high levels of narcissistic personality traits often tend to use Facebook intensively.
Are people with narcissistic personality traits more at risk of developing a Facebook addiction? And what are the mechanisms involved in this relationship?
Conclusions
Excessive use of social networks can cause psychological dependency. : https://www.emergency-live.com/health-and-safety/facebook-and-social-media-addiction-and-narcissistic-personality-traits/
Constitutional Rights Blog Updated January 13 2022
Today marks 20 years of detainees held at Guantánamo Bay.
Guantánamo is a horrific symbol of torture, indefinite detention, and injustice. But it’s more than a symbol: 39 men, all Muslim, are still held there in violation of international law, most without facing charges or trial. Despite decades of promises by multiple U.S. presidents to close the facility.
Here’s the good news: the U.S. Senate just met for the first time in thirteen years to discuss next steps, and after massive grassroots outcry, two detainees were cleared for release. That’s the power of our advocacy, and exactly why we must ramp up the pressure: Urge President Biden to close Guantánamo for good »
WRITE TO THE PRESIDENT: https://act.amnestyusa.org/page/96987/action/1
Since 2002, hundreds of men and boys – all Muslim – have been detained, tortured, and denied their rights at Guantánamo. Thirty-nine of them are still there. The U.S. government must commit to truth, accountability, and remedy for the violations committed at Guantánamo, a process that will require transparency and reckoning. President Biden must start by transferring detainees elsewhere and closing the facility.
One of the unlawfully imprisoned people there is Toffiq al-Bihani. He was sent to Guantánamo in 2003, tortured by the CIA, and detained without charge or trial. He is still being unlawfully held in Guantánamo today. Almost twelve years ago, U.S. authorities determined that Toffiq could be transferred to Yemen if the security situation improves, or to another country. Saudi Arabia, where he has eleven brothers and sisters, agreed to accept him, yet he remains detained today, more than a decade after being approved for transfer.
In September, Amnesty International and our coalition partners delivered 300,000 grassroots signatures to the White House rallying for a closure.
Today, the SPLC announced that we have chosen five Black-led institutions that serve the Deep South to be awarded one-time grants of $50,000 in support of their work to continue telling the rich history of Black resilience and excellence.
This project was initiated in response to persistent under-funding of Black history institutions, worsened by the negative impacts of COVID-19 on attendance, revenue and – importantly – community-building. The five grant winners were selected in consultation with members of the Congressional Black Caucus, including Ala. Rep. Terri Sewell, Fla. Rep. Val Demings, Ga. Sen. Raphael Warnock, Miss. Rep. Bennie Thompson and S.C. Rep. James E. Clyburn.
“The five institutions we are awarding grants today are centers of truth in an age of misinformation. They are bulwarks against the anti-democratic forces in this country and sources of inspiration, education and reflection for everyone who visits them,” said Tafeni English, director of the Civil Rights Memorial Center.
“We know the institutions we are honoring today will put the grants to excellent use to hire and equip staff, improve programming and marketing and keep physical artifacts and monuments representing the powerful stories of the Civil Rights Movement preserved, contextualized and shared.”
The recipient institutions are:
Mothers of Gynecology monument, Montgomery, Ala.: https://www.al.com/news/2021/09/monument-to-mothers-of-gynecology-unveiled-in-montgomery.html
Pieced together from a mixture of recycled copper, brass and bronze metals and standing nearly 15 feet tall, a new monument in Montgomery, Ala., honors the legacy of enslaved women Anarcha, Betsey and Lucy, whose suffering was used to advance modern medicine.
Zora Neale Hurston National Museum of Fine Arts, Eatonville, Fla.: http://www.zoranealehurstonmuseum.com/
For 26 years, the museum has provided gallery space for artists of African descent, right in the heart of the community. The museum is the only place within 400 miles that showcases the work of artists from the continent or the Diaspora. This dream was started by Eatonville Community, Inc. who gave a voice to these artists.
Thiokol Memorial Project, Inc., Woodbine, Ga.: http://thiokolmemorial.org/thiokol-memorial-museum/
Thiokol Memorial Project preserves the history of the Thiokol Era and the February 3, 1971, disaster that occurred in Woodbine, Ga. The industrial disaster at the Thiokol Chemical Plant resulted in 29 people losing their lives and another 50-100 injuries.
The Fannie Lou Hamer Civil Rights Museum, Belzoni, Miss.: http://www.thefannielouhamercivilrightsmuseum.com/
A Civil Rights Museum honoring Mississippi's "She-Ro" of the civil rights movement, Fannie Lou Hamer. The Civil Rights Museum features the Old Storyteller, who tells stories that has been passed down from generation to generation, centered around slavery, the Civil War, sharecropping and the blues, gospel and civil rights movement. Children and adults alike enjoy the stories told by the Old Storyteller, who always has a sense of humor, education and entertainment.
Cecil Williams South Carolina Civil Rights Museum, Orangeburg, S.C.: https://www.cecilwilliams.com/
Recommended by Rep. James E. Clyburn, who said, “The one thing that was constant with all our activities in the early 1960s was Cecil Williams and his cameras. He recorded almost everything that we were doing regarding the civil rights activities not just in Orangeburg but in Rock Hill, where the Freedom Riders stopped and John Lewis was first attacked physically, in Sumter, in Columbia. Wherever there was something taking place there was Cecil Williams taking pictures. Today is in appreciation for Cecil Williams and all of his efforts to record what was going on in pictures.”
Facebook continues to fuel fake reviews on Amazon
An undercover investigation by consumer group Which? found Facebook groups facilitating the trade of fake reviews with over 200,000 members
06:55 Thu 13 Jan 2022
Facebook groups trading fake reviews on products sold online by Amazon.com, Inc are still thriving, despite promises of a crackdown by the social media network.: https://www.proactiveinvestors.com/companies/news/971086/facebook-continues-to-fuel-fake-reviews-on-amazon-971086.html
Constitutional Rights Blog Updated January 14 2022
Mark Zuckerberg has gotten off the hook for too long and we deserve to know the full extent of Facebook’s harms to kids, public health, and democracy.
Add your name to Accountable Tech's petition calling on Congress to launch a formal investigation into Facebook.: https://www.dailykos.com/campaigns/forms/add-your-name-add-your-name-to-demand-congress-investigate-facebook
Facebook has caused serious harm to our world.
What can we do to stop Facebook’s spread of disinformation, extremism, and hate? For starters: Congress must investigate Facebook.
Congress has the power to compel individuals to testify or produce records through subpoenas. Congress has subpoenaed oil and tobacco companies. Now, they must subpoena Facebook because::
We deserve to know why Facebook covered up internal research on social media’s harms to kids.
We deserve to know how Facebook helped facilitate the January 6th Capitol insurrection.
We deserve to know how much COVID-19 misinformation is on Facebook.
We deserve to know how Facebook continues to enable human trafficking.
The list goes on and on...
Our organization, Accountable Tech, is urging Congress to act and compel Facebook executives to testify and turn over data and internal communications. Lives and democracy are on the line. We cannot afford any more inaction.
Mark Zuckerberg has gotten off the hook for too long and we deserve to know the full extent of Facebook’s harms to kids, public health, and democracy. Our organization, Accountable Tech, is urging Congress to act and compel Facebook executives to testify and turn over data and internal communications.
Add your name to Accountable Tech's petition calling on Congress to launch a formal investigation into Facebook. >>: >> https://www.dailykos.com/campaigns/forms/add-your-name-add-your-name-to-demand-congress-investigate-facebook
Constitutional Rights Blog Updated January 16 2022
Blackburn terrorist: Brother of Faisal Akram blames ‘mental health struggles’ for shooter’s actions
The family of the British terrorist who was shot dead after taking four people hostage inside a Texas synagogue have tonight condemned his actions as they explained they ‘liaised’ with the shooter during his 10-hour stand-off with police.
Malik Faisal Akram, 44, was shot dead by the FBI’s elite Hostage Rescue Team after holding four hostages for more than 10 hours at Congregation Beth Israel synagogue in Colleyville, Texas on Saturday. Read more here: https://newsakmi.com/news/world/uk-news/blackburn-terrorist-brother-of-faisal-akram-blames-mental-health-struggles-for-shooters-actions/
Who is Aafia Siddiqui, the federal prisoner at the center of the Texas hostage incident?
Her lawyer says she opposes violence, but prosecutors said she yelled, "I am going to kill all you Americans" after she opened fire on U.S. soldiers in Afghanistan.
Jan. 16, 2022, 3:05 AM UTC / Updated Jan. 16, 2022, 7:57 PM UTC
In 2008, police in Afghanistan arrested Siddiqui on suspicion of trying to attack the governor of Afghanistan's Ghazni province.
When she was captured, Siddiqui was carrying notes detailing a “mass casualty attack” on New York City sites, including the Empire State Building, the Statue of Liberty, Wall Street and the Brooklyn Bridge, according to prosecutors and court records.
Federal officials alleged she also had notes on the construction of "dirty bombs," according to a Department of Justice statement. She was 36 at the time.
When she was brought to a "a poorly lit room partitioned by a yellow curtain" and "crowded with Afghan officials" in 2008 to be questioned by two FBI agents and at least four members of an undisclosed U.S. special forces unit, she grabbed the M-4 military rifle of a chief warrant officer and opened fire, federal prosecutors said.
The FBI said she was behind that curtain. Her gunfire missed, prosecutors said, and the chief warrant officer shot her in the stomach with his sidearm.
As the U.S. officials struggled to detain her, Siddiqui allegedly yelled, "I am going to kill all you Americans. You are going to die by my blood," the prosecutors said.
Siddiqui was detained, given medical treatment, and flown to the United States.
On Feb. 3, 2010, a federal jury found her guilty of all counts related to the attack, including attempting to kill U.S. nationals outside the United States; attempting to kill U.S. officers and employees; and armed assault of U.S. officers and employees.
She was convicted by the U.S. attorney's office in New York City, which was led at the time by Preet Bharara, now a legal analyst for MSNBC.
"She now faces the stiff consequences of her violent actions," Bharara said at her sentencing.
Siddiqui is being held at FMC Carswell in Fort Worth, with a release date of May 2082, according to federal prison records.
Elbially, Siddiqui's attorney, said she has steadfastly refuted the allegations.
"They alleged she somehow managed to disarm a U.S. soldier and somehow shoot at them. No gunshot residue, no fingerprints, no holes. Nobody was injured or hurt except her," Elbially said.
She said Siddiqui maintains soldiers at the 2008 meeting were surprised by her presence when they entered an empty room, and that one of them yelled, "she's loose," and then shot her.
The Council on American-Islamic Relations, or CAIR, is among the groups that have taken up Siddiqui's cause.
CAIR's Dallas-Fort Worth chapter has called Siddiqui's conviction "one of the greatest examples of injustice in U.S. history." Read more here: https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/aafia-siddiqui-federal-prisoner-center-texas-hostage-situation-rcna12381
Constitutional Rights Blog Updated January 20 2022
64 things Joe Biden has done for the LGBTQ community during his first year in office
Joe Biden has repeatedly made time to uplift the LGBTQ community despite the challenges of the previous administration and the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
By LGBTQ Nation Thursday, January 20, 2022: https://www.lgbtqnation.com/2022/01/64-things-joe-biden-done-lgbtq-community-first-year-office/
Sign the petition: The Senate must make lynching a federal crime by passing the Emmett Till Anti-Lynching Act.
The Senate recently passed legislation awarding the Congressional Medal of Honor to Emmett Till, who was brutally murdered in a 1955 lynching. But passing the Emmett Till Anti-Lynching Act to prevent such a tragedy from happening again would have been better
Till's mother, Mamie, fought for the rest of her life to keep the memory of Emmett alive.: https://www.dailykos.com/campaigns/petitions/sign-the-petition-the-senate-must-make-lynching-a-federal-crime-by-passing-the-emmett-till-anti-lynching-act
We have a chance to push a major marijuana legalization bill through the House of Representatives, but time is quickly running out.
As of now, there are more than 100 cosponsors of the Marijuana Opportunity, Reinvestment, and Expungement (MORE) Act to end federal marijuana prohibition, but your representative isn't one of them… yet.
We need your help! Will you take just a quick moment to send them a message now and tell them to represent you and your best interests by cosponsoring this legislation?: https://norml.org/act/federal-support-the-historic-more-act/
Constitutional Rights Blog Updated January 21 2022
Social Media Victims Law Center Files Wrongful Death Lawsuit Against Meta Platforms, Inc. and Snap, Inc. for Causing the Suicide of 11-year-old Selena Rodriguez
Complaints seek to hold social media companies liable for unreasonably dangerous platforms
January 21, 2022 01:17 PM Eastern Standard Time
SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Social Media Victims Law Center (SMVLC), a legal resource for parents of teenage victims suffering from depression, an eating disorder, hospitalization, sexual exploitation, self-harm or suicide as a result of social media cyberbullying, today announced it has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against Meta Platforms, Inc., and Snap, Inc. to hold each accountable in the death of 11-year-old Selena Rodriguez of Enfield, Conn., on July 21, 2021 by suicide caused by the defective design, negligence and unreasonably dangerous features of their products.: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20220120005868/en/Social-Media-Victims-Law-Center-Files-Wrongful-Death-Lawsuit-Against-Meta-Platforms-Inc.-and-Snap-Inc.-for-Causing-the-Suicide-of-11-year-old-Selena-Rodriguez
Constitutional Rights Blog Updated January 22 2022
Cheat Makers ‘Troll’ Activision Lawyer, Brag They Will Never Be Found
January 21 2022
Meyer, a partner at Mitchell Silberberg & Knupp LLP (MSK), says his company still needs to identify at least 15 individuals, currently known only by their online aliases – Bonsai, Agriolo, Chronos, Deutschlander, Enceladus, Homie, Jeuwifghue, LogicX, LuoZheng, mortyy, NOL3X, SlapstiK, Croatle, Speedi13, and Requi.
“[T]he Doe Defendants certainly are aware of this lawsuit. In fact, we are aware that at least one of the Doe defendants posted a message online bragging about being named as a Doe Defendant and claiming that Activision will never find him,” Meyer informed the court.
Since Activision says it has exhausted all reasonable efforts to put real names to aliases, assistance is now needed from the court. The details of the discovery request filed in recent days suggest that Activision will leave no stone unturned in naming the defendants, including the person who believes that he or she won’t be caught. Read more: https://torrentfreak.com/cheat-makers-troll-activision-lawyer-brag-they-will-never-be-found-220121/
Mother sues social media companies after daughter dies by suicide
11 year old girl’s death was a direct result of Instagram and Snapchat’s ‘inaction and deliberate addictive design’, lawsuit says January 22 2022
The mother of an 11-year-old girl who died by suicide after being bullied online is suing social media giants Meta and Snap. The wrongful-death lawsuit alleges Meta, which owns Facebook and Instagram, and Snap, parent company of Snapchat, the child’s death was a direct result of the platforms’ “inaction and deliberate addictive design”. Selena Rodriguez, of Enfield, Connecticut, died on 21 July last year after struggling with an “extreme addiction” to Instagram and Snapchat for two years, according to a statement from the Social Media Victims Law Center (SMVLC), who filed the complaint in a US district court in California this week. Her addiction to social media worsened during the Covid-19 pandemic, the statement said, due to the “constant 24-hour stream of notifications and alerts”, causing her to experience severe sleep deprivation.
Read more: https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/facebook-snap-lawsuit-suicide-b1998714.html
Corpus Christi teen remains hospitalized following dangerous social media trend
Antrevon Bolden was rushed to Christus Spohn Shoreline to receive emergency brain surgery after a car surfing attempt.
Published: 10:37 PM CST January 21, 2022
Updated: 12:04 PM CST January 22, 2022
Read more here: https://www.kiiitv.com/article/news/local/corpus-christi-teen-remains-hospitalized/503-fc80ea3d-350f-4bcc-9d33-56398bb08882
Driver heard 'laughter then screams' as teen injured in viral TikTok car surfing attempt
Natasha Graham, 19, drove around in circles in a supermarket car park with a teenager on the bonnet in an attempt to create a viral TikTok trend known as car surfing but the victim fell off the car read here: https://www.dailystar.co.uk/news/latest-news/driver-heard-laughter-screams-teen-25633474
Constitutional Rights Blog Updated January 23 2022
Ban members of Congress from trading stocks!
Over 50 members of Congress were caught failing to disclose stock trades. Their likely penalty? A slap on the wrist, if that.
Federal laws require lawmakers to publicly disclose stock trades within 45 days, but lawmakers routinely violate these rules (even after eviscerating the disclosure rules). A handful of members have recently faced federal investigation over allegations they engaged in insider training, using confidential information to trade stocks to make money.: https://act.demandprogress.org/sign/stock-trading-congress/
Sign if you agree: January 6 insurrectionists must be banned from running for office
Section 3 of the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution is clear. No Member of Congress may serve if they "engaged in insurrection or rebellion" against the U.S. government.
On January 6, several Republican Members of Congress aided and abetted the violent mob that attacked the U.S. Capitol with the intention of stopping the legal certification of President Joe Biden's victory. And they continue to spread lies and conspiracies about these events.: https://www.dailykos.com/campaigns/petitions/sign-if-you-agree-january-6-insurrectionists-must-be-banned-from-running-for-office
No one will be able to save the world
If we fail to abolish nuclear weapons. That is the priority.
For what you can do, go to https://orepa.org and https://www.icanw.org
From: SPL
Ten years ago, in a historic decision, the U.S. Supreme Court recognized, as it had in earlier cases, that children who commit crimes are fundamentally different from adults – less mature biologically, more vulnerable and susceptible to negative pressures and influences, and therefore less culpable and more likely to change.: https://supreme.justia.com/cases/federal/us/567/460/
It’s one of the reasons this country has had a separate criminal justice system for children for the past century.: https://www.cairn.info/revue-internationale-de-droit-penal-2004-1-page-535.htm
Pittsburgh Steeler's Zach Banner honored for standing against antisemitism
Banner took a stand against hate after Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver DeSean Jackson posted an antisemitic message he attributed to Adolf Hitler on social media.
January 22, 2022, 10:45 pm 0
Pittsburgher. Steelers offensive tackle, #72. Champion in the fight against antisemitism and hate.
There are a lot of ways to describe Zach Banner, but it is his efforts battling antisemitism that earned him induction into this year’s “Courageous Class” at the Museum of the Courageous in New York City.: https://jewishchronicle.timesofisrael.com/steeler-zach-banner-honored-for-standing-against-antisemitism/
Constitutional Rights Blog Updated January 24 2022
Save the Whales! Save Polar Bears! Save Political Cartoonists!
I have to confess to the sin of Job Envy. Not in the sense of being resentful, but regretful about my own inability to lift the trade of journalistic commentary to the heights attained by a small, feisty collection of unique public opinionators: Political cartoonists.: https://hightowerlowdown.org/podcast/save-the-whales-save-polar-bears-save-political-cartoonists/
My old buddy Grits has switched to Twitter and since I am against social media, I can not partake in that. Since he sent me this email; I must post it.:
In 1950s, Austin removed lights and sirens from police cars: Result was award winning traffic safety record
Speeding with light and sirens is among the most dangerous things police officers do on the job, and about as likely to get officers or civilians killed as gunplay. Over the last couple of decades, this blog has documented efforts to reduce those deaths via policy tweaks and new technology.:
This is a good one.:
Unhoused People Deserve Safety and Dignity! These Sleeping Pods Could Help.
Constitutional Rights Blog Updated January 25 2022
Sign if you agree: January 6 insurrectionists must be banned from running for office: https://actionnetwork.org/forms/sign-if-you-agree-january-6-insurrectionists-must-be-banned-from-running-for-office
Section 3 of the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution is clear. No Member of Congress may serve if they "engaged in insurrection or rebellion" against the U.S. government.
On January 6, several Republican Members of Congress aided and abetted the violent mob that attacked the U.S. Capitol with the intention of stopping the legal certification of President Joe Biden's victory. And they continue to spread lies and conspiracies about these events.
Certain Members of Congress like Rep. Madison Cawthorn, who aided and abetted the January 6, 2021 insurrection, continues to engage in the same dangerous conduct that led to the violent attack on our nation’s Capitol last January. People like Madison Cawthorn have no business being in elected office and should be barred from serving in Congress for life. That’s not a matter of opinion or political preference--it’s what the Constitution says.
We need your help now ahead of the first Texas State Board of Education of the year, which begins tomorrow.: https://act.tfn.org/a/remove-balch
Social studies curriculum standards the right-wing SBOE adopted in 2010 were so bad that even conservative organizations condemned them as a “distortion of history.” It looks like the board’s current right-wing members are inviting a repeat.
As the board prepares to overhaul social studies standards again this year, we have learned that two board members have appointed a politicial activist – Stephen Balch – to a key panel that will advise the board on social studies content. Balch has echoed white nationalist conspiracy theorists and promotes Trump’s lies about “fraud” costing him reelection.
Take Action: Demand Balch's Remove as a Content Advisor: https://act.tfn.org/a/remove-balch
Canada Bans ‘Conversion Therapy’
The law, which takes effect on Friday, puts Canada in the company of more than a dozen countries that have banned the widely discredited practice.: https://www.nytimes.com/2022/01/06/world/canada/canada-conversion-therapy-law.html
GOP official insists high school installed litter boxes to accommodate students who identify as cats
The Michigan Republican Party co-chair is convinced that "furry" students are roaming the halls.
January 24, 2022
GOP official insists high school installed litter boxes to accommodate students who identify as cats: https://www.lgbtqnation.com/2022/01/gop-official-insists-high-school-installed-litter-boxes-accommodate-students-identify-cats/
Tennessee-based adoption agency refuses to help couple because they're Jewish
Knoxville News Sentinel
A Knoxville couple is suing the Tennessee Department of Children’s Services, saying a state-sponsored Christian-based adoption agency refused to help them because they are Jewish.; https://www.knoxnews.com/story/news/politics/2022/01/20/holston-united-methodist-home-for-children-adoption-tennessee-refused-family-jewish/6582864001/
Constitutional Rights Blog Updated January 27 2022
The situation with cancer research is dire. If a new, groundbreaking research idea was to be proposed today, there is no federal funding to advance it. That lifesaving research just has to wait.
How could this be true? Despite their deadline of last September, Congress has still not passed a budget bill for this year. Until they do, the government can’t plan for new cancer research projects and can’t fund new ideas from brilliant scientists.
Right now, new cancer cures could be going unfunded.
Send a message to your U.S. Senators right now telling them enough is enough. We need them to pass a budget bill without delay. It takes less than a minute with our easy action form.: https://secure.fightcancer.org/site/Advocacy
From Collin County Democrats: https://www.collindemocrats.org/
Here in Collin County, we take it for granted that we have high-speed broadband. And for good reason: nearly everyone in the county, 97.6%, have access to at least 100 Mbps (megabits per second) wired broadband at home. Besides giving us the opportunity to “Netflix and chill” on Friday nights, fast internet access enables access to telemedicine, allows students to attend school remotely, enables our many white-collar workers to work productively from home, and ensures we can participate in the 21st Century economy. : https://broadbandnow.com/Texas
Canada Has Finally Banned Conversion Therapy. Tell the U.S. to Do the Same!
by: Care2 Team
recipient: Congress
22,442 SUPPORTERS25,000 GOAL
After several unsuccessful attempts, Canada has made a historic leap forward in protecting the rights of LGBTQ+ people by instituting a nationwide ban against conversion therapy! This crucial milestone will protect future generations from the discriminatory and abusive pseudo-scientific process that has been used to harm vulnerable youth for a century.: https://www.thepetitionsite.com/takeaction/223/822/604/
During the 2020 campaign, President Biden rightly stated: “No one should be in jail because of marijuana. As President, I will decriminalize cannabis use and automatically expunge prior convictions.”
After one year in office, this promise has yet to be fulfilled. Despite having explicitly pledged to do so, there has been no progress from the Administration to advance marijuana expungements. That is why we need you to join us in urging Biden to take action to pardon those thousands of individuals who are saddled with a criminal record for a federal marijuana-related offense.
Call upon President Biden to keep his promise and expunge the records of the thousands of Americans with federal non-violent marijuana convictions
It is time for the president to wind down America’s War on Drugs by providing a clean slate to those who have been saddled for far too long with a marijuana conviction.: https://actionnetwork.org/petitions/tell-president-biden-follow-through-on-your-commitment-to-expunge-marijuana-records
Constitutional Rights Blog Updated January 28 2022
Sign this petition if you agree that Congress should provide the IRS with the resources it needs to catch wealthy tax cheats. SIGN THE PETITION: https://actionnetwork.org/petitions/tell-congress-give-the-irs-the-resources-it-needs-to-serve-taxpayers-and-catch-wealthy-tax-cheats
As tax filing season begins, the IRS is warning that it is seriously understaffed and under-resourced.
Due to decades of disinvestment by congressional Republicans, the IRS has been unable to hold wealthy tax cheats accountable resulting in billions of dollars of unpaid taxes. Now that disinvestment will also result in delays in refunds to millions of U.S. workers.
While law-abiding taxpayers struggle to get their questions answered by overworked IRS staff and wait longer for their well-earned refunds, the nation’s wealthiest households skip out on their tax obligations with seeming impunity. The U.S. lost $600 billion in revenue to tax evasion and noncompliance in 2019―roughly 15% of taxes owed. It will total $7 trillion over the next decade if we don’t stop it.
The richest 10% are responsible for three-fifths of unpaid taxes. And the richest 1% evade $163 billion a year in taxes they owe.
On this day in 1986: The Space Shuttle Challenger exploded
Take a look back at The News’ coverage of events
I was over a old friend of mine's house who was a famous bodybuilder, back in the early 1970's and my body building coach in the 1980's, when I was preparing to compete as a bodybuilder; he was watching the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster in 1986. I saw it for the first time then. I have a entire page of my art blog dedicated to that dude who was also a war hero during the Vietnam war.
1:30 PM on Jan 28, 2022
On this day in 1986, the NASA Space Shuttle Challenger exploded over Cape Canaveral, Florida. The explosion occurred 73 seconds after takeoff, to the horror of millions of Americans watching. It was the first fatal accident involving an American space shuttle in flight. The disaster claimed the lives of the seven astronauts on board, including Christa McAuliffe, a teacher from New Hampshire who had been chosen to fly as the first civilian in space.
On Jan. 29, 1986, The Dallas Morning News and the Dallas Times Herald both had front-page coverage dedicated to the Challenger explosion.: https://www.dallasnews.com/news/from-the-archives/2022/01/28/on-this-day-in-1986-the-space-shuttle-challenger-exploded/
Constitutional Rights Blog Updated January 30 2022
When I decided to speak out about sexual harassment on the job, I was terrified. McDonald’s workers like me have filed more than 50 complaints of sexual harassment since 2016. Many of us who have spoken up have experienced retaliation, including reduced hours, unwarranted discipline, and being fired or forced to leave their jobs.
Our demand is simple: develop a worker-led program to end sexual harassment in fast food restaurants.
McDonald’s has shown us time and time again that they won’t protect us from COVID, workplace violence, or sexual harassment. Sign now and tell McDonald’s: safe workplaces now. >> https://www.dailykos.com/campaigns/forms/sign-now-mcdonalds-listen-to-workers-and-survivors
This is another reason so called social media should be outlawed.:
You probably know someone who has lost money in a social media scam
JANUARY 28, 2022 / 2:37 PM / MONEYWATCH
Social media helps you stay connected with family and friends — and hordes of scam artists connect with you.
About a quarter of all financial losses from fraud reported to the Federal Trade Commission in 2021 — or roughly $770 million — stemmed from online scams originating on social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and others. That's an 18-fold increase in the number losses related to social media fraud since 2017, according to the agency.
Over 95,000 victims — more than twice the number in 2020 — said they lost money after falling prey to a deceptive ad, post or message they received on a messaging, photo-sharing or similar app.: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/social-media-scam-lose-money/
Constitutional Rights Blog Updated January 31 2022
Internet Trolls Are Narcissists, Psychopaths And Sadists, Says Study
Trolls will lie, exaggerate, and offend to get a response. They will say and do almost anything to get you as angry as they are. A response is what both are looking for.
Trolls truly enjoy making you feel bad. To quote the authors once more (because this is a truly quotable article), "Both trolls and sadists feel sadistic glee at the distress of others. Sadists just want to have fun... and the Internet is their playground!"
The only reason that they seem so vile is because a part of themselves is hurting, and it has absolutely nothing to do with you.
This article was originally published at Psychology Today https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/your-online-secrets/201409/internet-trolls-are-narcissists-psychopaths-and-sadists . Reprinted with permission from the author.
Read full article here: https://www.yourtango.com/self/internet-trolls-narcissists-psychopaths-sadists-study
Constitutional Rights Blog Updated February 01 2022
How social media can negatively impact relationships
UPDATED 27 MIN AGO | POSTED ON FEB 1, 2022
It can be fun to occasionally scroll through social media and see photos of friends on vacation or out with their significant other. However, researcher Dr. Gary Lewandowski believes that social media may not always be great for relationships.: https://www.wsmv.com/how-social-media-can-negatively-impact-relationships/video_27a69788-bd7b-562d-b425-ce6973215bb2.html
New Study Links Excessive Social Media Use to Poor Physical Health
February 1, 2022
The results of the study, which was published in the journal Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking, were collected by questioning the participants and blood samples. Researchers expected a negative association between health and social media use. Still, they were surprised by the discovery that it showed up in bloodwork.: https://balleralert.com/profiles/blogs/new-study-links-social-media-and-health-issues/
25% Of Scams In 2021 Took Place Via Social Media
February 01, 2022
Most people in the world are on some sort of social media platform. It’s a way of connecting to people, sharing your thoughts/creations, growing a brand, etc. However, social media can also be used for scamming people en masse. According to the FTC, social media accounted for 25% of reported losses due to scammers.
25% of the money lost to scammers was via social media
Scammers have always been a reality since LONG before the first social sites; however, social media really helped them along. Throughout the year, people report when they get scammed to the FTC and they report how much money they lose. As per the report, of the people who reported scams last year, more than 95,000 of them were scammed on social media.
The amount of money that was stolen via social media is staggering. More than $770 million were stolen last year just from social media. This figure is much larger than in previous years. Back in 2020, the figure was $258 million. That’s an almost 300% increase YoY, and that’s the biggest jump. Since 2017, the number of people scammed through social media increased 18-fold. Read more: https://www.androidheadlines.com/2022/01/25-percent-scams-2021-social-media.html
Constitutional Rights Blog Updated February 04 2022
[SIGN NOW] TAKE ACTION: Tell the EPA to move swiftly to protect our waters!
In April 2020, the Trump Administration harmfully— and illegally— narrowed the scope of the Clean Water Act by revoking federal protections for countless important streams, wetlands, and other waters.
The rule represented the most severe weakening of clean water protections attempted since the Clean Water Act passed in 1972— ignoring the science and threatening our health and millions of miles of streams and tens of millions of acres of wetlands that our communities depend on.: https://www.dailykos.com/campaigns/petitions/sign-now-take-action-tell-the-epa-to-move-swiftly-to-protect-our-waters
Sign the petition to the Department of Justice: Investigate threats of election tampering
How far are Republicans pushing the Big Lie, and how much can it damage our democracy in 2022 and beyond?
In Michigan, for example, candidates called on supporters to show up armed at polling places and to unplug voting machines "if you see something you don’t like happening." That is quite literally a crime.: https://www.dailykos.com/campaigns/petitions/sign-the-petition-to-the-department-of-justice-investigate-threats-of-election-tampering
Bad Faith SCOTUS Pick Controversy, Army Vaccine Discharges Begin, The US Army is starting to discharge COVID vaccine refusers, effective immediately: https://davidpakman.com/2022/2/february-3-2022/
A Planned Parenthood clinic was set on fire in Tennessee. Here’s how providers are trying to rebuild.
January 26, 2022 at 11:19 a.m. EST
On New Year’s Eve, in the early morning hours, the Knoxville Fire Department responded to a report of heavy smoke billowing from the health center.: https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/2022/01/26/knoxville-planned-parenthood-rebuilding/
Constitutional Rights Blog Updated February 05 2022
Facebook is fueling a wave of violence in India. The platform is flooded with posts inciting racist mobs to vandalize mosques and lynch people in the street.
But rather than cracking down on such hateful lies, Facebook is suppressing an independent report that could expose the company's mismanagement of this crisis.
Facebook knows that if this report is released, it will face a blistering public backlash. The tech giant will be forced to crack down on the hate speech and disinformation that is fueling violence in India.
Facebook in India is flooded with hate speech.
Instead of taking action, Facebook is suppressing an independent report delving into the full scale of the problem.
Facebook: release your full India human rights report immediately!
SIGN THE PETITION : https://actions.sumofus.org/a/facebook-release-the-full-human-rights-impact-report-on-facebook-in-india/
Big news for marijuana out of Congress!
I know it is late on a Friday, but I wanted to make sure you saw the big news out of Washington, DC!
Today, the House of Representatives ONCE AGAIN supported the will of the people by approving the SAFE Banking Act as part of an expansive bill to promote American businesses, the America COMPETES Act.
This is the sixth time this important reform has been approved by the "people's chamber."
Unfortunately, we've been met with continued inaction by the Senate on this much-needed change that would improve public safety and make it easier for small cannabis businesses to survive, thrive, and bolster the economy. And once again, we need YOUR HELP.
PLEASE CONTACT YOUR SENATORS TODAY AND URGE THEM TO KEEP SAFE BANKING IN THIS BILL.: https://norml.org/act/keep-safe-banking-in-the-america-competes-act/
Texas Marijuana Policy Voter Guide 2022
In Texas, citizen-initiated ballot propositions are not allowed, so elected officials at the state and federal levels are responsible for upholding or reforming current marijuana laws. Elections offer an opportunity for voters to decide who will represent them when these decisions are made.
We surveyed candidates seeking the Democratic and Republican nominations for the Texas House, Texas Senate, and U.S. House. Identify your Texas House, Texas Senate, and U.S. House Districts.
Important Election Dates
Last Day to Register to Vote in the Primary: January 31
Early Voting: February 14-25
Last Day to Request Mail-in Ballot: February 18
Primary Election: March 1
View the voter guide directly here. Or see it below. For best results, view directly on a laptop or desktop computer.: https://www.texasnorml.org/votersguide/
Social Media Buzz: GoFundMe, Mike Pence, Canadian Truckers
February 5, 2022, 1:17 PM CST
GoFundMe has removed a campaign for Canadian truckers protesting Covid-19 vaccine mandates, saying it violated its terms of service due to reports of violence and unlawful activity. Donations to “Freedom Convoy 2022” had surpassed more than C$10 million ($7.8 million). GoFundMe will give all donors their money back, the platform said in a statement.
“GoFundMe supports peaceful protests and we believe that was the intention of the Freedom Convoy 2022 fundraiser when it was first created,” the platform wrote in a blog post about the decision.https://t.co/aZqVpSmHAQ
Constitutional Rights Blog Updated February 08 2022
Did you know that the IRS is required by federal law to provide an option for you to file your taxes online for free?
You probably didn't know that. That's because for the last 20 years, the IRS has allowed predatory tax prep companies Intuit (TurboTax) and H&R Block to provide this service to a limited number of Americans, instead of developing a public online filing system anyone can use. This costs American taxpayers billions of dollars each year.1
Now Intuit and H&R Block are leaving the program, hoping to leave Americans with no choice but to pay their exorbitant costs. Senator Elizabeth Warren is pushing the IRS to finally do what the law says it must: Provide every American with a free online option to file taxes!: https://act.demandprogress.org/sign/free-file-IRS-jan/
Mar-a-Lago Raided for Docs as COVID Cases Decline Fast
The David Pakman Show - February 7, 2022: https://davidpakman.com/2022/2/february-7-2022/
Court finds continued systemic constitutional violations in California prisons
A federal judge ruled Wednesday in our case Ashker v. Governor of California that the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) is continuing to systematically violate the due process rights of imprisoned men despite a settlement agreement where the agency agreed to sweeping changes to its use of solitary confinement. Judge Claudia Wilken found that CDCR is relying on inaccurate and even fabricated confidential information to place individuals in solitary confinement, using dubious gang affiliations to deny them a fair opportunity for parole, and holding them in a restricted unit in the general population without adequate procedural safeguards.
Citing these rights violations, Judge Wilken extended for a second additional one-year term a historic 2015 settlement agreement to end indefinite solitary confinement in California prisons.
“The more we dig, the more clear it becomes that CDCR prison officials routinely lie about information from so-called ‘confidential sources’ and use that facrbicated, secret evidence to send people to the torture of solitary confinement,” said Senior Staff Attorney Rachel Meeropol who is representing the men who brought the suit. “It cannot continue.”: https://ccrjustice.org/home/press-center/press-releases/court-finds-continued-systemic-constitutional-violations-california
Constitutional Rights Blog Updated February 09 2022
The petition to the U.S. House reads:
"Pass the Get Foreign Money Out of U.S. Elections Act, which would close the loophole created by the Citizens United decision that allows foreign-influenced corporations and for-profit corporations primarily owned by foreign investors to pour unlimited money into our elections." : https://actionnetwork.org/forms/tell-congress-get-foreign-money-out-of-us-elections-close-the-citizens-united-loophole
Stock Trading Ban Might Happen, Mask Mandates Dropping Fast
The David Pakman Show - February 9, 2022
--After stating her opposition in December and her openness in January, Nancy Pelosi is now pushing a ban on stock trading by members of Congress: https://davidpakman.com/2022/2/february-9-2022/
Every chance I get I will report children killed in relation to so called social media. I have only been doing this recently. It amazes me that no one seems to care about this. If they did they would shut down; so called, social media. I do not think there is anything about so called; social media, that is social. The meaning of the word social is: relating to society. Facebook, TikTok and Snapchat (for example) is anything but; relating to real life society. If police departments have social media accounts, they are joining together with them and should be held accountable with them; in my opinion. Sorry, but if my opinion helps then; mission accomplished.
Photo on social media shows father with 2 kids posted under an hour before alleged Miami Lakes murder-suicide
Miami-Dade Medical Examiner’s Office releases identities of victims, suspect
MIAMI LAKES, Fla. – A selfie, which appears to be taken inside of an SUV, shows a father and his two children smiling and happy together posted on social media at 8:36 p.m. Tuesday.
Under an hour later, a 911 call would come into police about a shooting. Local 10 News confirmed the photo is of Humberto Christian Tovar Zapata, 41, and his two children, Baleria Tovar, 12, and Matias Tovar, 9, who Miami-Dade police said were shot by their father Tuesday night in Miami Lakes before he turned the gun on himself.
Miami-Dade police said they responded to the 6400 block of Miami Lakes Drive around 9:30 p.m. Tuesday.: https://www.local10.com/news/local/2022/02/09/photo-posted-on-social-media-shows-father-with-2-kids-under-an-hour-before-shooting-in-miami-lakes/
Constitutional Rights Blog Updated February 11 2022
Good one Lauren. I know about this because of a article my wife read to me; just yesterday. All they need is a shot to save their lives from a overdose. Narcan I think; may be the street name. Naloxone is the name of this life saving drug.:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Naloxone : Naloxone commonly blocks the effects of opioids from 30 to 90 minutes. Multiple doses may be required, as the duration of action of some opioids is greater than that of naloxone.
Lil Peep (amazing rapper), Mac Miller (amazing rapper), Tom Petty (rock god), Prince (Purpel Rain) all died of fentanyl. Philip Seymour Hoffman (actor god), John Belushi (Blues Brothers), Janis Joplin (rock goddess): all died of heroin overdoses. If that does not tug at your heart; I do not know what will.
In 2020 alone, over 90,000 people died of drug overdoses in the United States. This spike marks a staggering 31% increase from 2019, one of the largest rises in history. And yet -- even after nearly a half century of failed, punitive strategies which simply criminalize drug use, and in the midst of a pandemic that has taken a massive toll on mental health -- U.S. drug policy remains largely unchanged. For decades now, research has shown that the War on Drugs failed to prevent drug use, disproportionately put Black and brown men in jail, and didn't stop overdoses.
While addiction is a widespread and pervasive problem, experts say some of the simplest and most effective solutions to prevent overdoses are underfunded or have been implemented too slowly and limitedly. The price of life-saving opioid overdose reversal kits are skyrocketing when people need them most, deadly fentanyl test strips are often categorized as drug paraphernalia, dissuading people from using them to be safe, and medication-assisted treatments like buprenorphine are extremely hard to find due to overly-aggressive federal drug enforcement policies which disincentivize pharmacies from offering it in the first place. Sign: https://www.thepetitionsite.com/takeaction/251/634/227/
If the Biden Administration wants to prevent the death of tens of thousands more Americans, it should be investing far more federal dollars and resources in prevention, and making treatment and harm reduction readily available. Sign the petition if you want compassionate, effective drug policies based on harm reduction, treatment, and prevention!
On K-12 education for low-income communities, President Biden’s proposal more than doubles Trump-era spending levels, increasing from less than $17 billion to $36.5 billion.
Health and Human Services Department nutrition spending for the elderly is worth about $50 million less now than it was in 2010. President Biden’s proposed budget would restore those losses and increase funding more than $360 million beyond inflation-adjusted fiscal year 2010 levels. That’s important because last month 2.6 million people over age 65 said their households didn’t always have enough to eat in the previous 7 days.
Let’s put these modest proposed amounts of spending for children, seniors and working families in perspective based on Americans for Tax Fairness research: https://actionnetwork.org/letters/tell-congress-one-year-into-joe-bidens-presidency-stop-trump-era-spending-levels/
Daily Kos was one of the fastest-growing news sites around. Then, almost overnight, it stopped. Why? Because of Facebook.
In 2017, Mark Zuckerberg personally approved a change that throttled traffic to progressive news sites, like Daily Kos. Traffic to our site from Facebook cratered.
That's an 84 percent decline in traffic from Facebook. Things got worse for progressive outlets ahead of the 2020 election.
Facebook's algorithm changes allowed right-wing news sites—including and especially those that promoted extremist views and conspiracy theories—to grow rapidly. Right-wing "news" outlets dominate Facebook's most-linked posts. (Today, seven of the top 10 stories on Facebook are from right-wing commentators.) The world's largest social media platform has become a mouthpiece and recruitment platform for right-wingers, and it's become hugely profitable for them: A new report says that "The Daily Wire" from Ben Shaprio, a former Breitbart editor who has three of Facebook's top 10 stories today, brings in $100 million annually.
Daily Kos would be a very different place today if Facebook hadn't throttled traffic to progressive news sites. We'd be much larger and have powerful tools to compete against right-wing outlets promoting fake news and conspiracy theories. But Facebook shows no sign of ending their support for right-wing extremists, so we have to work harder to reach people.
Daily Kos is the country's largest progressive news and advocacy site. We're an independent outlet that doesn't have big corporate sponsors or billionaire backers.
If you want to donate, donate here from link from this email: https://secure.actblue.com/donate/kos2022
Out members of Congress call on CDC to make new HIV prevention drug free of cost
A letter penned by Reps. Mondaire Jones and Ritchie Torres and signed by 56 others urges that a new injectable form of PrEP be as accessible as possible.
Thursday, February 10, 2022: https://www.lgbtqnation.com/2022/02/members-congress-call-cdc-make-new-hiv-prevention-drug-free-cost/
Biden to split $7 billion in frozen funds between 9/11 victims and Afghan humanitarian aid
Updated 10:03 AM ET, Fri February 11, 2022
(CNN)President Joe Biden signed an executive order Friday allowing $7 billion in frozen assets from Afghanistan's central bank to be distributed for humanitarian assistance in the country and to victims of the September 11 terror attacks, senior administration officials confirmed Friday.
The funds, held in the US, were frozen following the collapse of the central government in Kabul in August. Half the remaining assets -- $3.5 billion -- will go toward providing relief inside the country, where fears of mass starvation have taken hold in the months since the Taliban took over.
The remaining $3.5 billion will be made available for terror victims, who have been fighting in court for compensation using the frozen funds. Their claims will still be litigated in court.: https://www.cnn.com/2022/02/11/politics/executive-order-afghanistan-9-11-humanitarian-aid/index.html
The Psychology of TikTok Feb 11
How the popular social media app affects our brain, our behavior, and our mental health
There are more than a billion users on TikTok today, including nearly 25% of the United States. At the same time, TikTok’s demographic skews towards younger audiences, with 63% of the platform comprising users under age 30.
In December 2021, The New York Times reviewed one of TikTok’s leaked internal documents, which was developed to teach nontechnical employees about the platform’s algorithm. This document supports the idea that the platform wants you on the app every day, for as long as it can.
According to Dr. Albright, “platforms like TikTok — including Instagram, Snapchat and Facebook — have adopted the same principles that have made gambling addictive.”
TikTok’s effect on attention span
Today, many media reports are circulating the idea that TikTok is causing negative long-term effects on the brain, especially in younger users, whose minds won’t reach full development until age 25.
Most articles, including John Koetsier’s Forbes piece, state that TikTok is lowering user’s attention spans. The Independent found that most users experienced shorter attention spans following extended use of the app, citing the ease, availability, and short time span of entertaining content.
But while TikTok may not be a truly substantiated culprit at the moment, we do know that social media use in general is lowering our collective attention span. A 2019 study found that news cycles are becoming shorter and shorter, with content turnover rates increasing year after year.
In general, any significant time on your phone is going to influence your brain function. After all, our brains grow and change based on our surroundings — we pride ourselves on being adaptable creatures. So whether it’s increased anxiety and depression, sleep disruption, gray matter atrophy, or the premature thinning of our brain’s exterior cortex, we know that too much screen time is bad for us, period.
But there are some effects that we’re already seeing
While much of the evidence of TikTok’s negative effects is anecdotal, or could be attributed to excess screen time in general, there are some interesting reports related to TikTok specifically.
The Wall Street Journal reported on a possible correlation between the rise of young girls presenting with symptoms of Tourette’s syndrome, and their exposure to popular Tourette’s videos on TikTok. This is notable because Tourette’s is often a symptom of mental distress. So in this case, TikTok may not have caused a particular underlying illness, but instead changed the commonality and awareness of one of its symptoms.
Another aspect of TikTok is a product of its visual foundation. Plus-sized content creators are more likely to be flagged for inappropriate or sexual content over thinner counterparts with comparable posts, and the vast majority of TikTok’s top content creators are thin, young people. As with other visual apps like Instagram, this distorted lens of “normal” bodies can be problematic for users’ body image and self esteem, especially for teenagers.
TikTok can also lead to users misdiagnosing their mental health issues. Doctors have marked a distinct rise in young adults self-diagnosing themselves with ADHD, OCD, and autism. And while raising awareness of these issues can be incredibly helpful, it holds the potential for harm when users self-diagnose with conditions such as Dissociative Identity Disorder. This can lead to misdiagnosis and incorrect treatment for the underlying cause of anxiety, depression, or other mental health issues.
Finally, TikTok’s algorithm can expose impressionable users to extremist content. In one study, researchers Abbi Richards and Olivia Little found that transphobia acted as a “gateway prejudice that leads to broader far-right radicalization” on the app. The researchers created an account and found that the more transphobic content they engaged with, the more racism, misogyny, and homophobia turned up on the test account’s For You Page. Richards and Little found a noticeable spike in far right content around video 400, including explicit calls to violence. While 400 videos sounds like a lot, it’s really not so much in TikTok’s world of 20-second videos. Richards commented, “A user could feasibly download the app at breakfast and be fed the overtly white supremacist neo-Nazi content before lunch.”
U.S. lawmakers introduce bipartisan bill to address social media addiction
Reuters
WASHINGTON, Feb 10 (Reuters) - U.S. Senators Amy Klobuchar, a Democrat, and Cynthia Lummis, a Republican, introduced a bill aimed at addressing addiction to social media platforms like Meta Platform's (FB.O) https://www.reuters.com/companies/FB.O Facebook or Twitter (TWTR.N) https://www.reuters.com/companies/TWTR.N .
A Facebook whistleblower, Frances Haugen, made a big splash last year with documents showing that subsidiary Instagram was harmful to teenagers while others have alleged that social media platforms spread dangerous misinformation about coronavirus and the vaccines to prevent it, among other ills. read more: https://www.reuters.com/technology/if-facebook-is-problem-is-social-media-regulator-fix-2021-10-06/
Under the bill, the National Science Foundation and National Academy of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine would do a study into potential interventions that Facebook or others could use to address problems of social media addiction, Klobuchar's office said in a release on Thursday.
The Federal Trade Commission would create rules based on the findings, and hold the platforms accountable if they do not comply, the release said.
"For too long, tech companies have said 'Trust us, we've got this.' But we know that social media platforms have repeatedly put profits over people, with algorithms pushing dangerous content that hooks users and spreads misinformation. This bill will help address these practices," said Klobuchar in a statement.
Twitter did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Facebook declined to comment but pointed to a blog post in December that said it would implement new tools for Instagram that would, for example, stop people from tagging teens who don't follow them or to take a break from the screen.
Inmate Found Deceased In Collin County Jail Cell; Texas Rangers Investigating
By CBSDFW.com StaffFebruary 11, 2022 at 2:52 pm
McKINNEY, Texas (CBSDFW.COM) – The Collin County Sheriff’s Office confirmed Friday, Feb. 11, an inmate was found dead on his bunk inside a single-person cell.
The inmate was discovered unresponsive shortly after noon while officers at the Collin County Detention Facility were conducting 30-minute inmate observations, the Sheriff’s Office said.
The McKinney Fire Department responded and declared the inmate deceased.
The Texas Rangers have been notified and are investigating the death.
No other details have been released at this point.: https://dfw.cbslocal.com/2022/02/11/inmate-deceased-collin-county-jail-cell-texas-rangers/
An inmate was found dead Friday inside a single-person cell at the Collin County jail.
4:21 PM on Feb 11, 2022
Collin County detention officers performing inmate checks about noon found the person unresponsive on a bunk, according to the sheriff’s office. The McKinney Fire Department responded and pronounced the person dead.
Authorities have not released the person’s identity.
Officials did not provide any additional information. The Texas Rangers were investigating.
The case is the first death reported at the facility since that of Marvin Scott III, a 26-year-old who was restrained and pepper-sprayed at the jail after being arrested on a marijuana possession charge in March. He became unresponsive and was pronounced dead at a hospital.
An attorney representing Scott’s family has said he was diagnosed with schizophrenia and was suffering a mental health crisis at the time of his death. A grand jury declined to indict eight jailers on charges related to Scott’s death — charges that his family and other supporters had demanded for months.: https://www.dallasnews.com/news/2022/02/11/inmate-found-dead-in-cell-in-collin-county-jail-sheriffs-office-says/
Constitutional Rights Blog Updated February 12 2022
FOX News is risking people’s lives with Covid misinformation, vaccine skepticism and anti-vax lies.
Even though more than 60% of FOX News viewers are in the high-risk over-65 age group for the worst outcomes from Covid19 and the most in need of the lifesaving vaccines, reports show 60% of FOX News' vaccine coverage over the summer included anti-vax claims and put more lives in danger.
FOX News claims that public health mask mandates are “tyranny" and calls on viewers to reject them. Tucker Carson, host of the most watched show on FOX, even said kids wearing masks is “child abuse and you are morally obligated to attempt to prevent it.”: https://actionnetwork.org/forms/deplatform-fox-join-robert-reich-and-demand-cable-companies-including-comcast-charter-and-att-take-dangerous-disinformation-off-the-air-now/
Constitutional Rights Blog Updated February 13 2022
Sign the petition: Members of Congress should not be allowed to profit of the very industries they oversee
With the ability to create or strike down laws, members of Congress have enormous power over numerous industries and the stock market. One yes or no vote can send a slew of government contracts in one direction or another. Many Members of Congress get confidential (and even top-secret) briefings that include market-moving information. The American people have the right to be protected from lawmakers seeking to enrich their own pockets using that power.
It seems like a given that members of Congress shouldn't be allowed to invest in the very industries they oversee. Yet, they do just that. In 2021, 54 members of Congress and at least 182 top staff members violated the STOCK Act, which requires that members disclose financial trades within 90 days. In 2020, 75 lawmakers held stocks in vaccine producers Moderna, Johnson & Johnson, or Pfizer. Most of those trades happened in the early weeks of the pandemic. Fifteen Congress members that have a hand in molding defense policy invest in military contractors. Over a dozen members in key roles shaping energy policy invest in fossil fuel corporations. The list goes on.: https://www.dailykos.com/campaigns/petitions/sign-the-petition-ban-congress-members-from-owning-or-trading-individual-stocks
Constitutional Rights Blog Updated February 15 2022
As tensions continue to escalate on the Russia-Ukraine border, former Democratic Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard delivers what is possibly her silliest foreign policy take: https://davidpakman.com/2022/2/february-14-2022/
Everyone's feeling the strain of inflation, but what's the real story underneath those jacked-up prices? Spoiler alert: corporate greed! It turns out that the billionaires who run major conglomerates are not eating from their own pockets, but instead using monopolies and monopsonies to squeeze everyone else: the producers, the workers and the consumers. We're sitting down with Steve Charter, a rancher in Montana and chair of the Bull Mountain Land Alliance, and John Boyd, Jr., a Virginia farmer and president of the National Black Farmers Association, to get into it all-- and learn what everyday people can do to fight back.: https://hightowerlowdown.org/chatnchew/
SIGN ON: Pass the Ban Congressional Stock Trading Act now!
Kelly said in a statement that the bill “will put an end to corrupt insider trading and ensure that leaders in Congress focus on delivering results for their constituents, not their stock portfolios.”: https://actionnetwork.org/letters/tell-congress-stop-insider-trading-pass-the-ban-congressional-stock-trading-act-now
President Biden can restore justice and improve racial equity by issuing pardons for non-violent marijuana convictions and begin to repair the decades of damage done by this racist policy.
Call on President Biden to deliver on his campaign promise and issue pardons for cannabis offenses now! Please add your name.
SIGN THE PETITION
Demand Biden issue pardons for non-violent marijuana offenses: https://actionnetwork.org/forms/petition-tell-president-biden-issue-pardons-for-marijuana-offenses/
The GOP is working hard to ensure new Congressional maps hurt Democrats
Packing as many Democratic voters into as few districts as possible is the best hope Republicans have to hold onto their influence.: https://www.lgbtqnation.com/2022/02/gop-working-hard-ensure-new-congressional-maps-hurt-democrats/
Constitutional Rights Blog Updated February 16 2022
Tell President Biden and HHS Secretary Becerra:
End the Trump administration’s experiment with privatized Medicare immediately. Direct Contracting Entities endanger Medicare’s simple, universal promise by giving private insurers the chance to pad their pockets for providing worse care.: https://actionnetwork.org/forms/tell-president-biden-end-donald-trumps-medicare-privatization-scheme/
On Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Starbucks employees in Memphis, TN announced their campaign to unionize in the same city where King was murdered while fighting for the rights of sanitation workers to unionize.
Starbucks responded by firing every member of the Memphis organizing team.
Despite their ongoing campaign to disrupt the collective bargaining process, Starbucks is experiencing extraordinary revenue growth and plans to raise prices - all while Starbucks CEO Kevin Johnson’s compensation rose 39% in 2021 to $20.4 million.
This is about greed. This is about a company’s callous campaign to get richer at the expense of consumers and the very workers that make the company what it is.
Right now, Starbucks workers need us. Workers at every one of the 83 stores across the country face an uphill battle now that they’ve declared their intent to unionize.
If they’re going to win this fight, they’re going to need your support, Richard.
Sign the petition to Starbucks: Halt all union-busting tactics.: https://actionnetwork.org/forms/sign-the-petition-to-starbucks-halt-all-union-busting-tactics
Melissa faces execution in less than 80 days for a crime that never occurred.
Melissa Lucio is facing execution on April 27, 2022, in Texas for the murder of her 2-year-old daughter Mariah — a crime that never occurred. Mariah died two days after accidentally falling down a steep flight of stairs and Melissa has maintained her innocence on death row for more than 14 years.
Sign Melissa’s Petition Here: https://innocenceproject.org/petitions/stop-execution-of-innocent-melissa-lucio-texas/
Imagine if your health, or your family's health, depended on access to prescription medications. Without it, you or a loved one could be at grave risk.
If you couldn't afford that medication, what would you do?
That's the unbearable decision millions of Americans grapple with every day while Congress refuses to muster the willpower to stand up to Big Pharma.
With the threat of inflation stretching bank accounts to the point of bursting, it becomes imperative that we make essential goods more affordable for the American people.
Sign the petition: Demand that Congress take action now to lower the cost of prescription drugs.: https://www.dailykos.com/campaigns/petitions/sign-the-petition-demand-that-congress-advance-drug-pricing-reform-through-reconciliation
Petition: Tell President Biden: Issue Pardons for Marijuana Offenses
In November of 2019, as a candidate for President, Joe Biden said “I think we should decriminalize marijuana, period. And I think everyone – anyone who has a record – should be let out of jail, their records expunged, be completely zeroed out.”: https://actionnetwork.org/forms/petition-tell-president-biden-issue-pardons-for-marijuana-offenses-2 The link is different than the one in my last post so I signed it to be sure.
Constitutional Rights Blog Updated February 17 2022
Nearly two years apart, Amir Locke and Breonna Taylor were killed by police who were executing no-knock warrants on their homes -- even though neither Amir nor Breonna were the subjects of those warrants.
No-knock warrants allow police to enter into a home, often in the middle of the night, without notice or even identifying themselves as law enforcement. The raids resulting from these warrants create dangerous conditions that unnecessarily put lives at risk.: https://actionnetwork.org/forms/tell-congress-end-the-violence-of-no-knock-warrants/
Constitutional Rights Blog Updated February 18 2022
Social media giants are 'profiting from abuse' in pet cruelty videos, charity warns after video of footballer Kurt Zouma kicking his cat went viral
PUBLISHED: 20:03 EST, 17 February 2022 | UPDATED: 07:32 EST, 18 February 2022
Social media giants are profiting from cruel videos of people harming pets, a charity warned yesterday.
Cats Protection claimed platforms such as TikTok and Facebook are 'normalising abuse' by allowing the publication of harmful content as entertainment.
'By allowing the publication of this kind of content, social media platforms are nomalising abuse and sending the message that it's okay and funny to treat an animal like this.: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10525651/Social-media-giants-profiting-abuse-pet-cruelty-videos-charity-warns.html
Social media algorithm designed to be toxic
February 17, 2022
Social media portrays a false sense of reality that detriments the mental health of heavy users. It has a record-breaking influence on the world, and is glamorized by users and influencers but has negative effects on mental health that can even turn fatal.
This is not a new theory circulating the internet, created by pseudo-psychologists. The damage social media imposes is supported by extensive research and has caused a mental health crisis within the past decade.
A survey done by ChildTrends, the nation’s lead nonprofit research organization, indicates that suicide attempt rates in teens rose by 25% between 2009 and 2017. This rate continues to grow, as suicide is one of the leading causes of death among teens. It’s worth mentioning that female students are typically affected at higher rates.
In addition, researchers from a 2019 study of over 6500 teens found that spending more than 3 hours on social media per day increases the probability of teens struggling with mental health problems, including anxiety, antisocial behavior and depression.
While children and adolescents are likely more susceptible to dealing with the consequences of social media use, adults are also affected. The pandemic increased the amount of time people spent on these platforms, and a 2021 study shows that using excessive screen time to cope with the pandemic correlates with worse mental health in college students.
The question that plagues people aware of this crisis is, “Why are these platforms so damaging to the young users that glorify them?”
One of the main reasons is the false reality that influencers on these sites portray. Every time someone posts a picture or a video, they ensure it looks the best. It’s natural for us to showcase ourselves and our lives in the best light possible.
The obvious solution anyone would suggest is to simply quit using social media but it’s not that easy. Social media is designed to be addictive. A 2018 study conducted by researchers at Harvard found that validation from likes on social media stimulates the brain similar to how cocaine does, just not as intensely. : https://theorion.com/89932/opinion/social-media-algorithm-designed-to-be-toxic/
Constitutional Rights Blog Updated February 19 2022
Fri, Feb 18 at 6:32 PM
A groundbreaking decision allows the lawsuit against former President Trump, brought by 10 members of Congress, to move forward. Plaintiffs are represented by the NAACP and civil rights law firm Cohen Milstein Sellers & Toll.
WASHINGTON, D.C. – A groundbreaking decision today allows the lawsuit accusing former President Donald Trump of inciting the January 6th Capitol insurrection to move forward, denying immunity for conduct committed by a sitting president for the first time in history. President Trump had sought to dismiss the lawsuit and claimed absolute immunity against the allegations, brought by 10 members of Congress, which alleged that he, along with the Proud Boys and Oath Keepers, conspired to incite a violent riot at the U.S. Capitol on January 6th, 2021.
In his decision, Judge Amit P. Mehta of the United States District Court for the District of Columbia wrote:
“To deny a President immunity from civil damages is no small step. The court well understands the gravity of its decision. But the alleged facts of this case are without precedent, and the court believes that its decision is consistent with the purposes behind such immunity.”
Judge Mehta also denied motions to dismiss from the Oath Keepers and Enrique Tarrio of the Proud Boys.
“No one is above the law in this country – not even a former president. This is an essential step toward repairing the damage that was done to our democracy on January 6th. This lawsuit is about ensuring accountability for this violent attempt to overturn a free and fair election, and failure to do so will only open the door for another attempt to subvert the will of the people by extremist groups. We will continue to vigorously pursue justice to the fullest extent,” said Congresswoman Barbara Lee (CA-13), lead plaintiff in the lawsuit.
"Today’s decision confirms what millions of Americans saw with their own eyes on January 6th, 2021: that Donald Trump, the Oath Keepers and the Proud Boys lead by Enrique Tarrio not only welcomed but enabled that brutal attack on our nation’s capital and on democracy itself. Former President Trump and the groups that stormed the seat of our government must face accountability for their actions,” said NAACP President Derrick Johnson.
“This case is about holding power accountable. We are pleased with the outcome of the court’s decision today and look forward to continuing to pursue justice. An attack on democracy must be met with the full force of our criminal justice system,” said Janette McCarthy Wallace, NAACP General Counsel and co-lead counsel.
“Today is a major victory for the rule of law, and demonstrates just how important the courts are for ensuring accountability. This decision exhibits the finest tradition of our legal system – evaluating cases on their merits, not politics. We will continue to pursue justice through the courts and ensure accountability for this attack on our democracy,” said Joseph Sellers, partner at Cohen Milstein Sellers & Toll and co-lead counsel.
In power,
NAACP
Pastor Greg Locke, from the Global Vision Bible Church in Tennessee, said during a sermon that there are six “real” witches who are members of his congregation, three of whom were in the very room he was speaking to. Locke said, “we’ve got first and last names of six witches that are in our church. And you know what’s strange? Three of you are in this room right now.” He then did a funny dance while the audience applauded. Locke then appeared to get angry and said, “you better look in my eyeballs, we ain’t afraid of you you sinking’ witch, you devil-worshiping, Satanist witch. We cast you out in the name of Jesus Christ. We break your spells, we break your curse. We’ve got your first name, we got your last name, we even got an address for one of you.” This rant sounds like it would be straight out of the Middle Ages or perhaps from Salem, Massachusetts in the late 1600s. However, it is indeed from 2022 and the crowd appeared to appreciate and believe every word of it.: https://davidpakman.com/2022/2/february-18-2022/
Constitutional Rights Blog Updated February 20 2022
Judge rejects Trump effort to toss lawsuits accusing him of Jan. 6 conspiracy
Feb. 18, 2022
The disgraced former president will now have to confront the multiple lawsuits accusing him of bearing legal responsibility for the violent insurrection.: https://www.politico.com/news/2022/02/18/trump-january-6-lawsuit-00010249
It’s hard to believe it, but more than 120 House Republicans voted to pass the Postal Service Reform Act. In fact, that’s quite a bit more than the 92 Republicans that voted against it.
Feb. 18, 2022
I’ve got even better news. The Postal Service Reform Act has 14 Republican co-sponsors in the Senate. That’s 4 more than Democrats need to break the filibuster’s 60 vote threshold.
To win, we need to keep the pressure up until the Postal Service Reform Act is brought to a floor vote. Sign and send a letter to your senators: Pass the Postal Service Reform Act now!
Constitutional Rights Blog Updated February 23 2022
Melissa Lucio faces execution on April 27, for a crime that never occurred.
Melissa Lucio was charged for murder after the accidental fall of her 2-year-old daughter, Mariah, and is scheduled to be executed in Texas on April 27 if officials do not step in and stop this irreversible injustice.
Instead of looking into Mariah’s health history and investigating the potential causes of her injuries, authorities immediately jumped to the conclusion that she had been murdered and, through a coercive interrogation, pressured Ms. Lucio to make a false statement.
Thousands of pages of Child Protective Services records show that Ms. Lucio’s 12 children never said she was violent with them. No physical evidence showed otherwise.
“The State presented no physical evidence or witness testimony establishing that Lucio abused Mariah or any of her children, let alone killed Mariah,” Judge Catharina Haynes wrote on behalf of the seven dissenting judges from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit.
Cameron County District Attorney Saenz must undertake a meaningful review of Melissa’s innocence claim, the coercive tactics used in her interrogation, and the tragic circumstances of Mariah’s accidental death, before an irreversible injustice occurs.
Contact D.A. Saenz now and urge him to withdraw the April 27 execution of Melissa Lucio by filling out the form above or calling: 956-300-3881 Find form here: https://innocenceproject.org/petitions/urge-saenz-to-withdraw-execution-melissa-lucio/
Constitutional Rights Blog Updated February 25 2022
Putin Launches Full Ukraine Invasion, Trump Impressed
PUTIN LAUNCHES FULL SCALE UKRAINE INVASION, BOMBS CAPITAL, HUNDREDS KILLED
A full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine is now underway and the world is scrambling to figure out how to respond. After weeks of posturing and laying claim to what Russia now calls the "independent" Donetsk and Luhansk regions of Ukraine, Vladimir Putin has ordered in troops all over the eastern European country. The assault was done by land, air, and sea with countless Russian troops entering through the Russian and Belarusian borders as well as the Black and Azov Seas. Several eastern European countries, including Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, and Poland, are meeting under the pretext of NATO Article 4, which allies can do when they view their territorial integrity or political independence to be in danger. The United States and European Union are already imposing sanctions against Russia and the fallout has been a shock to global stock markets. This attack by Vladimir Putin is the largest Europe has witnessed since the end of World War II, and with so many countries getting involved, the concept of a Third World War is not entirely out of the question.
Trump Most Insane Fox Interview in History As Putin Invades Ukraine
Last night, as Russia was beginning its attack on Ukraine, Donald Trump was on Fox News to badmouth the Biden administration. Trump appeared on Laura Ingraham’s “The Ingraham Angle” and really seemed to cherish the opportunity. He said, “[Putin] was going to be satisfied with a piece [of Ukraine] and now he sees the weakness and the incompetence and the stupidity of this administration. And as an American, I’m angry about it and I’m saddened by it, and it all happened because of a rigged election.” Trump then rambled on about unrelated issues including inflation and the US southern border, but it’s almost beyond parody that he would connect the Russian invasion to the election he lost a while ago. Moments later, Trump misheard what Ingraham said on air and thought she said that the US invaded Ukraine. He said, “you told me about the amphibious attack by Americans. You shouldn’t be saying that because you and everybody else shouldn’t know about it. They should do that secretly.” Laura then had to step in to correct the former president. Even compared to other Trump TV interviews, this appearance was a total embarrassment for everyone involved.: https://davidpakman.com/2022/2/february-24-2022/
Hate church called for death to gay people. Now they’re getting what they deserve.
"I would love it if every fag would die right now!" Pastor Jonathan Shelley preached last year. Now he's getting evicted.
Thursday, February 24, 2022
Pastor Jonathan Shelley: https://www.lgbtqnation.com/2022/02/hate-church-called-death-gay-people-now-theyre-getting-deserve/
Constitutional Rights Blog Updated February 26 2022
TELL CONGRESS: PROTECT OUR ACCESS TO CREDIBLE NEWS
The Journalism Competition and Preservation Act completely fails to preserve journalism or competition, but it’s on a fast track through Congress. And this bill, if passed, will break how we use the internet.
The JCPA would expand the power of large media outlets like Fox News and CNN by giving them special permission to form a cartel and charge internet users for linking to or sharing news content. If passed, the Act would represent a major failure to honestly address the needs of local communities that are becoming news deserts. There are powerful alternatives that could help fix the journalism crisis, but JCPA is not it.
The JCPA imposes a link tax that forbids internet users from linking to or sharing news articles online, unless they pay news entities for the right to share their news stories. Posting a link is not only free today, but fundamental to the internet’s core. By making lies free and the truth cost even more to share, the JCPA would limit our access to credible news and information online.
The JCPA would do nothing to expand and support local journalism, but it would lead to greater consolidation at the expense of credible, independent news. It’s likely to hurt local publishers, nonprofit news outlets, and start-ups that focus on delivering local news to local communities.
So who does it help? The JCPA enables even more consolidation in the media industry, helping only large hedge funds, large broadcasting companies, and corporations that are taking over news outlets and extracting profits instead of investing in journalism. The JCPA creates a news media cartel where news giants with the greatest leverage would dominate negotiations, and small outlets with diverse or dissenting voices would not be heard.
Simply put, the JCPA is the wrong answer plastered on top of a disastrous threat to the internet itself. Tell Congress to say no to the JCPA and instead support public interest solutions that truly bolster all journalism, and don’t keep small, local, or civic players out of the conversation.: https://www.fightforthefuture.org/actions/tell-congress-protect-our-access-to-credible-news/
Constitutional Rights Blog Updated February 28 2022
Working people pay in to Social Security and Medicare with every paycheck. As of this week, millionaires stopped paying in.
But that’s not the only way they’re stiffing the rest of us. There are plenty of loopholes for tax avoidance in our laws, but the biggest one of all is the IRS. Decades of underfunding and PR attacks from members of both parties have left the IRS unable to perform basic tasks like ensuring that all taxes are paid.
As a result, it’s estimated that $7 trillion in taxes where are due will not be paid over the next decade. And most of it will come from the very wealthy.
Tell Congress: Fund the IRS and give them the resources that they need to go after wealthy tax cheats!: https://actionnetwork.org/petitions/tell-congress-give-the-irs-the-resources-it-needs-to-serve-taxpayers-and-catch-wealthy-tax-cheats
The privatization of Medicare begun under Trump has drastically expanded in the last 12 months — and corporations with ties to the Trump family stand to benefit. President Biden needs to shut it down immediately and save Medicare. Click here if you agree.: https://act.demandprogress.org/sign/save-medicare-privatization/
Constitutional Rights Blog Updated March 01 2022
President Biden has just nominated Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson to the Supreme Court – an exceptionally well qualified woman who has demonstrated over the span of her career a commitment to upholding the constitutional values of equality and justice for everyone.
By nominating Judge Jackson, President Biden has also honored his commitment to nominate the first Black woman to our nation’s highest court – providing a long overdue and historic opportunity to expand diversity on the Court.
This is an incredibly joyful moment in our nation’s history, which we should celebrate.
Sign our petition now and urge the Senate to confirm Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson as quickly as possible! >>: https://act.pfaw.org/sign/confirm-kbj-blueamp/
Tennessee Innocence Project ( https://www.tninnocence.org/ ) client Paul Garrett was exonerated on Aug. 16, 2021 after having served 11 years wrongfully incarcerated; Florida Innocence Project ( https://www.floridainnocence.org/ ) client Dustin Duty was exonerated on Oct. 27, 2021 after having served 8 years wrongfully incarcerated; Tennessee Innocence Project client Joyce Watkins was exonerated on Jan. 12, 2022 after having served 27 years wrongfully incarcerated; Tennessee Innocence Project client Charlie Dunn was exonerated on Jan. 12, 2022 after having served 27 years wrongfully incarcerated.
Putin Threatens Nukes as CPAC Completely Deranged
The David Pakman Show - February 28, 2022
BREAKING: Putin Puts Russian NUCLEAR FORCES on Alert
The Russian invasion of Ukraine continued over the weekend with Ukrainian resistance ramping up to the point where Vladimir Putin has threatened further escalations all the way up to using nuclear weapons. On Sunday, the Russian president put nuclear forces on “high alert.” Sanctions from the west ramped up over the weekend including the announcement of a number of Russian banks being removed from the SWIFT payment system used for international transactions. This has resulted in the value of the Russian Ruble dropping 30% in just two weeks and a run on the banks out of fear that the Russian financial system could be collapsing. Also over the weekend, US intelligence officials reported that Belarus is preparing to join Russia in the invasion of Ukraine. Russian and Ukrainian leaders met today on the Ukrainian-Belarusian border for peace talks but it’s not apparent that they went anywhere. Surely, this will be another major week in global politics with no sign of peace coming anytime soon.
Trump Announces 2024 in Dangerous Speech to Rabid CPAC Audience
The 2022 Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) took place over the weekend and it was headlined by an erratic speech from Donald Trump. The former president didn’t officially announce a 2024 run, however he strongly implied it by saying, “[Democrats] are going to find out the hard way starting on November 8th and then even more so on November 2024. They will find out like never before. We did it twice and we’ll do it again.” During the rest of the speech, Trump had some extremely awkward moments, including at one point singling out Congressman Ronnie Jackson, who was Trump’s White House physician. He said about Jackson, “he knows every inch of me and he thinks it’s actually a beautiful sight.” The rest of the speech was full of Trump playing his greatest hits, including falsely claiming he ended the wars in Iraq, Syria, and Afghanistan, bragging about his Supreme Court picks, and lying about Hillary Clinton spying on his administration.: https://davidpakman.com/2022/2/february-28-2022/
Bill targeting 'pop-up' events awaits House vote
March 1, 2022
The proposal would put non-permitted, social-media driven events on a short leash in Florida.
The House took up a bill Tuesday designed to address the rise of “pop-up” events in Florida.
Sponsored by Ormond Beach Republican Rep. Tom Leek, the proposal (HB 1435) would empower local sheriffs and leaders to more effectively respond to large, unpermitted gatherings.
Under the bill, a Sheriff may designate a “special event zone” if a gathering is promoted on social media, attended by more than 50 individuals and disrupts street traffic.
Within the zone, authorities may double fines for noncriminal traffic citations. They may also enforce occupancy limits and impound a vehicle for up to 72 hours for a traffic infraction.
The House will vote on the proposal later this week. Leek said his community has struggled to contain such pop-up events.
“This bill very simply gives another tool to the cities and to law enforcement officers to help control these social media spontaneous events,” Leek said.
Jacksonville Democratic Rep. Angie Nixon posed a region-specific question on the floor, asking Leek how the bill may impact the famous Florida-Georgia football party.
Hosted in Jacksonville, the rivalry game draws national crowds and inspires a tailgate experience commonly known as the “largest outdoor cocktail party.”
“Hopefully not at all,” quipped Leek.
Democratic Rep. Anna Eskamani of Orlando asked Leek if the bill is an extension of last year’s “anti-riot” bill — a proposal acclaimed by Gov. Ron DeSantis that cracked down on riots and protests.: https://floridapolitics.com/archives/502269-bill-targeting-pop-up-events-awaits-house-vote/
PAACE raises awareness of social media dangers for young people
Mar 1, 2022
There are features to some social media sites that make them potentially dangerous for young people, as well as being used to facilitate bullying or illegal activity like drugs deals. That’s what Courtney Kom and Raquel Reyna of the Parker Area Alliance for Community Empowerment told an assembly of parents, teachers and staff from the Parker Unified School District Feb. 24 at the Wallace Dome.: https://www.parkerpioneer.net/news/article_20be2e36-9985-11ec-a875-23db18657db0.html
Biden to announce social media crackdown for children's mental health
Mar 1, 2022
"The president believes tech companies should be held accountable for the harms they cause and believes we need action here," one senior administration official told the Washington Examiner. "Some pieces of this do require legislation, but there are also pieces that we believe we could do administratively, I think particularly around research and understanding harms.": https://gazette.com/news/biden-to-announce-social-media-crackdown-for-childrens-mental-health/article_4c8c6c9b-a0cb-5e39-b796-a94e4829f107.html
Constitutional Rights Blog Updated March 02 2022
Sign and send to your U.S. senators: Confirm Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson to the Supreme Court to expand representation.
Thurgood Marshall was the first African American nominated to be an Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court. He spent his life fighting for equal treatment under the law, dismantling racial segregation, and the dignity of all mankind.: https://www.dailykos.com/campaigns/letters/sign-and-send-to-your-us-senators-confirm-judge-ketanji-brown-jackson-to-the-supreme-court-to-expand-representation
Sign the petition to the U.S. Senate: Confirm Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson to the Supreme Court without delay
President Biden has nominated Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson to serve on the Supreme Court. This is a historic nomination – of the 115 justices who have served on the Supreme Court bench, 108 have been white men. There has never been a Black woman on the bench, and there have only been three justices of color in the court’s entire history.: https://actionnetwork.org/forms/sign-the-petition-to-the-us-senate-do-not-delay-confirm-bidens-scotus-nominee
Add your name: the Senate must confirm Ketanji Brown Jackson to the Supreme Court.
President Biden just announced his pick to replace Justice Breyer on the Supreme Court, marking two years since he made his initial pledge to choose the first Black woman justice.
This nomination is cause for joy and celebration. As the Supreme Court is poised to imminently overturn Roe v. Wade
, despite the vast majority of Americans supporting the right to abortion care, we need the Senate to do everything possible to confirm Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson to the Supreme Court.
Join us in demanding that the Senate swiftly confirms Biden’s pick for Supreme Court Justice.: https://actionnetwork.org/forms/add-your-name-the-senate-must-confirm-ketanji-brown-jackson-to-the-supreme-court
Urge Tennessee NOT to Delay Justice for Pervis Payne
Urge D.A. Weirich & A.G. Slatery To Withdraw the Appeal
On Jan. 31, 2022, the Shelby County Criminal Court ordered that Pervis Payne’s two life sentences, and a related 30-year sentence, would run concurrently, which means that Mr. Payne will be eligible for parole consideration within five years. District Attorney Amy Weirich has since appealed this decision.
“The plain fact is, Pervis Payne is no threat to society and he never was,” said Kelley Henry, attorney for Pervis. “Pervis had never been arrested before and has always maintained his innocence. Over two days, the court heard from 19 witnesses on Pervis’ behalf, including three wardens and a corrections officer, who testified that Pervis cared for him when he was attacked in prison and waited with him until medics arrived. Pervis’ prison record, which spans over 2,700 pages, is unblemished. Prison officials also testified that Pervis will qualify for the lowest security level possible because of his perfect record.”: https://innocenceproject.org/petitions/dont-appeal-pervis-payne-ruling-da-weirich/
Constitutional Rights Blog Updated March 03 2022
President Biden has just nominated Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson to the Supreme Court – an exceptionally well qualified woman who has demonstrated over the span of her career a commitment to upholding the constitutional values of equality and justice for everyone. By nominating Judge Jackson, President Biden has also honored his commitment to nominate the first Black woman to our nation’s highest court – providing a long overdue and historic opportunity to expand diversity on the Court.
This is an incredibly joyful moment in our nation’s history, which we should celebrate.
Sign our petition now and urge the Senate to confirm Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson to the Supreme Court as quickly as possible!: https://act.pfaw.org/sign/confirm-kbj-blueamp/
Constitutional Rights Blog Updated March 05 2022
admin@terbeluser.com
We have until the end of the day to make our voices heard! The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) are taking official comments, and Social Security Works is submitting your names alongside our comment to show our power!
Here’s what’s happening: Greedy private insurers are hiking the rates for Medicare Advantage, even though they have already overcharged taxpayers by billions. CMS should not be padding profit margins for CEOs―they should be strengthening Medicare and Medicaid!: https://actionnetwork.org/petitions/comment-needed-fight-the-medicare-advantage-rate-increase/
How social media distorts the truth about everything we know
March 5, 2022 8:08am Updated
Collective illusions have been around nearly as long as human beings, but today they’ve “been turbocharged on a global scale — thanks, in part, to the wonders of platforms like Facebook and Twitter,” writes Rose, whose book “Collective Illusions: Conformity, Complicity, and the Science of Why We Make Bad Decisions” (Hachette) is out now.
Social media functions like a million digital Mrs. Salts, facilitating rapid shifts in “perceived consensus, allowing fringe actors to manufacture illusions by creating the impression of majorities that don’t exist in reality,” writes Rose.
“Brains are energy hogs, and through evolution they’ve been shaped to take shortcuts,” Rose told the Post. “Your brain could spend more energy with better sampling, but a reliable shortcut is, ‘The thing I’m hearing the most about and the people speaking up the most probably represent consensus.’
That feature becomes a massive liability in the age of social media, because “it’s so easy to give the impression of consensus,” Rose continues. “Russia and China understand this and they’ve spent a lot of time on it.”
One study found that bots posing as people — which already account for an alarming 19 percent of interactions online — needed to represent only 5 to 10 percent of participants in a discussion before the opinion the machines were pushing became the dominant view.
One example: Rose’s think tank, Poplace, did a massive study on what makes for a successful life. The number one thing that Americans thought others cared most about was being famous. In reality, fame came in dead last. But the collective illusion about fame’s importance is reinforced in advertising, entertainment and online.
“Social media is a carnival of funhouse mirrors — it will distort,” Rose says. “We can’t do anything about that, but we each have control over whether that distortion changes the way we treat one another.” : https://nypost.com/2022/03/05/how-social-media-distorts-the-truth-about-everything-we-know/
"A carnival of funhouse mirrors" has been controlling our country for decades by influencing our politician's (mostly the right wing). As always much of the world follows our insane laws and repressions and oppressions we bestow upon the people of our country. Imagine a world without social media; in my opinion it is our last best hope.
Constitutional Rights Blog Updated March 07 2022
The Oracle Speaks
Rather than concede that maybe his slash-and-burn, profit-maximization approach had produced inferior products, “The Oracle of Omaha” (as Wall Street had labeled him) blasted the whole idea of local newspapers as dinosaurs. They’re “toast,” he proclaimed.
READ & LISTEN HERE: https://hightowerlowdown.org/podcast/the-oracle-speaks-2/
A Phoenix is Rising
Our local newspapers are being merged, purged, shrunk, shut down, and looted by Wall Street profiteers – yet there’s good news. In the towns those media vultures are torching, a phoenix is rising!
Hundreds of determined locals, often led by people of color, are finding new ways to pay for and revive top-quality, local journalism.
READ & LISTEN HERE: https://hightowerlowdown.org/podcast/a-phoenix-is-rising-2
Constitutional Rights Blog Updated March 08 2022
Supreme Court denies GOP challenges to congressional maps in North Carolina and Pennsylvania
The Supreme Court on Monday night denied requests from Republicans challenging congressional maps in North Carolina and Pennsylvania that had been approved by other courts, in two rulings that could benefit Democrats in the midterm elections.… [more]
In 2008, Melissa Lucio, a Mexican-American mom from the Rio Grande Valley, was wrongfully convicted and sentenced to death after her 2-year-old daughter, Mariah, died following an accidental fall. Melissa is facing execution on April 27, because of a biased and inadequate death investigation. The medical examiner, who declared Mariah’s death a homicide, did not consider Mariah’s extensive medical history, including a history of accidental head trauma. Mariah had a physical disability that made her unstable when walking. She fell frequently, one time even losing consciousness while at her preschool program.
Texas law enforcement and prosecutors rushed to judgment. Former Cameron County District Attorney Armando Villalobos, who was running for re-election and seeking a “win” by prosecuting Melissa, is currently serving a 13-year federal prison sentence for bribery and extortion. Melissa’s attorney had no experience trying a capital case.
There is simply too much doubt in this case, and we must stop Texas from committing an irreversible injustice before it’s too late. Since you live in Texas, contact the current Cameron County District Attorney Luis Saenz now to urge him to withdraw the execution — click here and we’ll connect you or dial 956-300-3881.: https://innocenceproject.org/petitions/urge-saenz-to-withdraw-execution-melissa-lucio/
We put together this list of the articles that we’ve posted so far and news coverage of her case, so that you can easily find all the information you need in one place. Take a look below, and learn how you can take action.
Melissa Elizabeth Lucio was sentenced to death on July 10, 2008, in Brownsville, Texas. (Image: AP Photo/Valley Morning Star, Theresa Najera)Melissa Elizabeth Lucio was sentenced to death on July 10, 2008, in Brownsville, Texas. (Image: AP Photo/Valley Morning Star, Theresa Najera)
Add Your Name to Stop the Execution
Melissa faces execution in less than 51 days for a crime that never occurred. We’re doing everything we can to help stop this from happening, but we need your help. If you haven’t already, sign the petition calling on Texas not to execute an innocent person. We have a goal of reaching 100,000 signatures.
Constitutional Rights Blog Updated March 10 2022
Sign the petition: Charge the surviving accomplice to the murder of Emmett Till: https://www.dailykos.com/campaigns/petitions/sign-the-petition-charge-the-surviving-accomplice-to-the-murder-of-emmett-till
Emmett Till was only 14 years old when he was beaten, brutally tortured, shot in the head, and thrown in the Tallahatchie River with a stolen fan blade tied around his neck. This horrendous crime happened because Emmitt was accused of whistling at 21-year old Carolyn Bryant, a white woman in Money, Mississippi.
His murderers Carolyn’s husband Roy and his half brother J.W. Miliam, were charged with murder and acquitted by an all-white, all-male jury while deliberating for only 67 minutes. Three months after the trial, the men sold their story for $4000 to Look magazine. Because of the town’s support during the trial, the men talked freely about how they killed and tortured Emmett.
In 2017, Carolyn admitted to author Timothy Tyson that she lied to her husband, and during Emmett’s murder trial, by falsely claiming that Emmett made sexual advances and physically touched her. Carolyn Bryant Donham’s false claim and involvement are the actions that began the tragic chain of events leading to Emmett’s murder.
It’s time that Carolyn Bryant Donham is held accountable for her actions and deeds.
Sign the petition and demand that the District Attorney for the Fourth Circuit Court District of Mississippi, W. Dewayne Richardson charge Carolyn Bryant Donham in the kidnapping and murder of Emmett Till.
For more information visit https://emmetttilllegacyfoundation.com
Social Media Is Slowly Killing Our Society
MARCH 10, 2022
Our mental health is at risk due to social media
While social media is very affective when trying to stay connected with people we do not see every day, it destroys the concept of creating real stable bonds in real life. Because some people are only comfortable enough talking through their social media profiles with delayed response, it is more difficult for them to hold live conversation face-to-face with another person.
However, when using social media, it can be hard to decipher what is real and what is fake due to the highly edited content shown. This in return sets an impossible standard for media users to live up to.
According to HelpGuide.org, the false reality created by social media results in “increased risk for depression, anxiety, loneliness, self-harm, and even suicidal thoughts.”
Constitutional Rights Blog Updated March 13 2022
I love horses and they love me; since I can remember. My greatest paintings are of horses.
I do not paint horses so much anymore; maybe because I do not see them as much, round here, no more. :
Urgent! Save Wild Horses Now. Signatures needed by April 11th 2022 The Government plans to gut most of our existing herds. The 2022 plan is to round up 22,000 horses this year.: https://www.thepetitionsite.com/940/195/896/
Sign the petition and demand the FBI investigate the death of Jelani Day
Jelani Day was a graduate student at Illinois State University who disappeared on August 24th. His car was found with no license plates or keys several days after he was reported missing. Ten days after disappearing, Jelani’s body was found face down in the Illinois River, about 60 miles from his campus in a town where less than 1 percent of the population is Black.
Jelani’s wallet, iPhone and other items were found in several locations - some more than a mile from his car.
Three weeks after finding his body, authorities positively identified him and declared his death a drowning. Authorities are trying to dismiss the case as suicide and sweep it under the rug, but it’s not adding up.
The police departments in Bloomington, Peru and La Salle aren’t producing information about what happened to Jelani. They state that Jelani’s death is “suspicious” and “unusual”, but have failed to thoroughly investigate his case.
It’s time to call for the FBI to intervene and get to the bottom of what happened to Jelani Day. His family deserves justice and his murderers must be held accountable for their actions.
Sign the petition and demand the FBI investigate the death of Jelani Day
Our Message to FBI :
Please investigate the mysterious death of Jelani Day who was found dead in Illinois. His family deserves to know the truth.: https://www.dailykos.com/campaigns/petitions/sign-the-petition-and-demand-the-fbi-investigate-the-death-of-jelani-day
I am writing to urge you to set stricter limits on heavy metals in our foods. Right now, there are only limits on certain foods, such as arsenic in infant rice cereal and lead in candy, but there are many other potential sources of food exposure. Heavy metals, including arsenic, lead, and cadmium found in many common herbs and spices can have damaging effects on the central nervous system and cognitive development in children, and adverse health effects in adults as well. Please do your part to ensure consumers don't have to fear unsafe levels of heavy metals when cooking for their families or loved ones.: https://www.thepetitionsite.com/takeaction/597/763/621/
The news we get from major media sources must be held to a higher standard of truth than the latest conspiracy theory from a right-wing relative or internet pundits and armchair epidemiologists.
News organizations are responsible for ensuring their information is factually correct. However, from the climate crisis and coronavirus to the 2020 election and Putin’s war, the talking heads at Fox News couldn’t care less. Fox News routinely broadcasts false and misleading information -- including personal opinion -- all while disguising this propaganda as legitimate news.
The First Amendment gives the right to free speech, but it doesn't give Fox News the right to call opinion news or lies the truth. That’s why we’re working to get cable companies to deplatform Fox right now, but our campaign can’t stop there.
The next step is to hit Fox News where they feel it most: their bottom line. Join me in calling on American businesses to stop advertising on Fox News and supporting the spread of misinformation masquerading as real news immediately.: https://actionnetwork.org/forms/sign-the-petition-to-us-companies-stop-advertising-on-fox-news
Constitutional Rights Blog Updated March 15 2022
California Lawmakers Want To Hold Social Media Platforms Accountable For Addicting Kids
TikTok and Facebook could face a host of individual and class action lawsuits if the bipartisan bill passes.
March 15, 2022
Did you know that many parents in the tech industry, specifically those involved in social media, severely limit or outright ban their children from using the platforms that paid for the roof over their heads?
Study after study has shown that kids addicted to TikTok generally experience higher levels of anxiety and depression, along with an impaired working memory.
“The types of harm we’re seeing out of the social media addiction epidemic that we’ve got going on with our teenagers, especially, is eating disorders, it’s depression and suicidal ideation,” Cunningham told Politico.
“It’s got both a mental health component and a physical health component. And I don’t know why all of us — society and the kids — have to pay the cost of that. It seems like that cost should be borne at least in part by the companies that profit from the behavior.”: https://www.scarymommy.com/lifestyle/kids-addiction-tiktok-instagram-california-bill-proposal
Constitutional Rights Blog Updated March 16 2022
A government review has levelled blame for online trolling and abuse at tech companies, saying they need to step up to protect users.
March 16, 2022 - 7:12AM
A government review into online safety has laid the blame for trolls and internet harassment on Big Tech companies for not properly enforcing their own rules.
“For too long social media platforms have been able to ‘set the rules’, enabling the proliferation of online abuse,” Committee Chair, Liberal MP Lucy Wicks said
“Technology and online predators evolve quickly, so the Government must continue to hold social media companies to account and support victims of abuse.”: read here
Constitutional Rights Blog Updated March 17 2022
One year ago this week: Marvin Scott III dies in Collin County Sheriff's Office custody
Mar 16, 2022
The one-year anniversary of Marvin Scott III’s death was on Monday.
On Sunday, Scott’s surviving family marched along Stacy Road’s stretch around U.S. Highway 75 in persisting demonstration against the late Frisco man’s arrest and death while in Collin County Sheriff’s Office (CCSO) custody.
Protesters at the demonstration called for the arrest of the eight CCSO officers who were investigated by the Texas Rangers. In June, a grand jury voted against indicting the eight officers. A federal grand jury’s review of the case is still pending, attorney S. Lee Merritt (who is representing the Scott family) said per the Dallas Morning News.: https://starlocalmedia.com/allenamerican/one-year-ago-this-week-marvin-scott-iii-dies-in-collin-county-sheriffs-office-custody/article_54119a22-a54f-11ec-a5ea-c76a243d2a8b.html
MARCH 17, 2022 1:36 PM
The behavior of trolls has been closely linked with psychopathy, Machiavellianism, sadism, and narcissism
In the social media era, everyone is publishing or engaging with some sort of content. Which means everyone is at the mercy of a minority of lonely, deranged losers.
He invokes a 2019 study in which scientists studied 26 forms of internet “trolling,” and discovered “significant associations with psychopathy, Machiavellianism, sadism, and narcissism, in that order.”
Think about it: trolls likely engage with dozens (maybe hundreds) of other human beings a day.: https://www.insidehook.com/daily_brief/health-and-fitness/trolls-impact-mental-health
Constitutional Rights Blog Updated March 19 2022
There have been multiple reports about rape committed by Russian forces in social networks since the beginning of the war, the report added.
March 19, 2022 1:59 pm
Russian forces are raping and hanging women who are unable to escape their savage invasion, Ukrainian MPs have claimed, Daily Mail reported.
Lesia Vasylenko, an MP for Ukraine’s opposition Holos party, said some women over 60 had committed suicide after being accused by Putin’s forces to stop the horrific attacks, the report said.
Other vulnerable women were unable to escape the invading troops in Kiev and its suburbs of Bucha and Irpin and have been subjected to the barbaric sex assaults, she said.: https://www.thestatesman.com/world/ukraine-mp-claims-women-60-raped-hanged-russian-troops-1503053217.html
Constitutional Rights Blog Updated March 20 2022
After more than 100 agonizing years and 200 failed attempts, lynching is just one signature away from officially being a federal crime.
This horrific weapon of racial terror which ran rampant in the late 18th and 19th centuries has been wielded by the hateful and the weak to silence, dehumanize, and defile Black Americans for generations, locking us out of power by threatening our lives.
Named for 14-year-old Emmitt Till, whose brutal murder at the hands of white supremacists helped ignite the Civil Rights movement of the 1960s, the signing of this legislation will mark a watershed moment for safety and equality in our nation.
As an organization originally founded to confront this very evil, we at the NAACP call on President Biden to IMMEDAITELY sign this long-overdue anti-lynching legislation into law and committ the full force of the U.S. government to bear upon those who commit this heinous crime.
The work to achieve equal justice for all cannot succeed unless our country confronts its racist past. Join us and add you name to demand President Biden advance history and sign the Emmitt Till Anti-Lynching Act into law >>: https://support.naacp.org/a/em_pet_b1_031922_ac_30d-1-1-2
Constitutional Rights Blog Updated March 20 2022
Take a stand for animal protection and oppose Oklahoma’s pro-cockfighting bill!
With the obvious cruelty associated with cockfighting, it’s hard to believe that Oklahoma Rep. Justin Humphrey would want to turn back the clock and essentially legalize cockfighting in the Sooner State.
But that’s exactly what he’s doing. His bill, House Bill 3283, reduces penalties to make cockfighting violations a cost of doing business. And he legalizes a range of activities associated with cockfighting, such as raising and training cockfighting roosters – which are now felony offenses under Oklahoma law.
Let’s be clear: illegal trafficking of fighting animals is like the drug trade. It is illegal and it is a big, underground business. Oklahoma is the cockfighting capital of the United States, according to the Center for a Humane Economy. Tens of thousands of fighting animals are exported from Oklahoma to fighting rings across the world while the gruesome practice fuels a thriving criminal underworld.
While Humphrey argues that it’s “just like raising beef or pork,” it’s obvious that this bill is nothing but a get-out-of-jail-free card for the organized criminals who run cockfighting rings in his district.
Add your name to oppose Justin Humphrey’s pro-cockfighting bill!
House bill 3283 must be defeated. Cockfighting is a barbaric practice, where organizers and handlers attach knives or curved ice picks to the birds’ legs, and then gamble on the knife fight that unfolds.
Former Oklahoma Attorney General Drew Edmondson has condemned the bill, saying “this pro-cockfighting bill is an affront to every law-abiding Oklahoman and an embarrassment to our state. Cockfighting is a barbaric practice criminalized on every inch of soil by state and federal laws. The criminals who stage and promote knife fights between animals deserve handcuffs and jail time, not defensive maneuvers by lawmakers.”
Oklahoma voters outlawed cockfighting by a ballot measure in 2002. Now, two decades later, Rep. Humphrey wants to turn back the clock and allow spectacles of cruelty to thrive in Oklahoma. Let’s not let him succeed.
Sign your name to stand for decency and animal protection and oppose Oklahoma’s pro-cockfighting bill!: https://atadvocacy.com/center-humane-economy-cockfighting/
Constitutional Rights Blog Updated March 20 2022
Judge Jackson's confirmation would pave the way for a historic first on the Supreme Court: When confirmed, she will become the only former public defender to ever sit on the bench.
It’s time for the high court to have a justice who has represented the legal system’s most vulnerable defendants. While those who seek to divide and distract us ramp up their attacks on this brilliant Black woman, let's loudly affirm our support for her.
Sign and send a petition to the Senate Judiciary Committee: Confirm Judge Jackson to tip the balance of the Supreme Court to real justice for all.
Reminder: Tell Congress to REJECT the so-called “SHOP SAFE" Act
"I thought the America COMPETES Act was supposed to be about helping American businesses - but if Congress includes SHOP SAFE, it will make it easier for big foreign companies to go after American small business owners like me."
The “SHOP SAFE" Act:
would require sellers to submit even more personal information to online marketplaces, including a government-issued ID.
puts a number of new, burdensome verification requirements on sellers, even individuals just selling some used, personal goods.
pits sellers against big brands, many of which are foreign-based with little US presence, allowing companies to target individuals and get them permanently banned from online platforms.
The issue is actively being discussed in Congress, so it's critical to make your voice heard now. Click the button below and in less than 5 minutes you can tell your Representatives to REJECT the “SHOP SAFE" Act and support Americans selling online.: https://www.ebaymainstreet.com/campaign/shop-safe-act-campaign?
Mr. President: Keep "Your Word as a Biden" and Expunge Marijuana Records
Target: President Biden
During the 2020 campaign, President Biden rightly stated: “No one should be in jail because of marijuana. As President, I will decriminalize cannabis use and automatically expunge prior convictions.”
After one year in office, this promise has yet to be fulfilled. Despite having explicitly pledged to do so, this action, which would be supported by a majority of all Americans regardless of political persuasion and bring immediate justice to thousands, there has been no progress from the Administration to advance on federal marijuana expungements. That is why we need you to join us in urging Biden to follow through and take action to pardon those thousands of individuals who are saddled with a criminal record for a federal marijuana-related offense.: https://norml.org/tell-president-biden-follow-through-on-your-commitment-to-expunge-marijuana-records/
Constitutional Rights Blog Updated March 25 2022
Earlier today, in an unprecedented showing of bipartisanship among Republicans and Democrats on a death penalty case, liberals and conservatives in the Texas state legislature held a press conference in support of clemency for Melissa Lucio. Melissa is currently scheduled to be executed on April 27 for a crime that didn’t happen.
"I have never seen a more troubling case than the case of Melissa Lucio," Rep. Jeff Leach said. "We gotta use that voice to save an innocent person.”
Nearly 90 members of the state legislature have signed a letter urging the Texas Board of Pardons and Paroles and Gov. Abbott to grant clemency for Melissa.
Take a moment to hear Texas Republican and Democratic officials speak out in support of Melissa Lucio now. Then, add your name to the petition calling on Texas to stop the execution and text SAVEMELISSA to 97016.
P.S. If you’re near San Antonio, Texas, we encourage you to attend the 26th Annual Cesar E. Chavez March for Justice in San Antonio on Saturday, March 26, 2022, beginning at 8:30 a.m. CST. Details can be found here. Bring your Save Melissa signs and join supporters.
State policies shape people’s daily lives, and state-level political battles shape the national landscape. But too many state government stories go under-reported or unreported; local news coverage is on the decline in states across the country.: Add Your Name: https://innocenceproject.org/petitions/stop-execution-of-innocent-melissa-lucio-texas/
TX: Public awareness event at the Texas Civil Commitment Program
March 18, 2022
posted on FAC website 3/18/22 April 9th, 10:30am Central Time, in front of the Texas Civil Commitment Center, 2600 S. Sunset Ave, Littlefield, Texas 79339 @ 10:30am Please join us for a public awareness event at the Texas Civil Commitment Program on Saturday, April 9 to rally against abuses within the program and call for a meaningful pathway to release. Our plan for those...: https://all4consolaws.org/2022/03/tx-public-awareness-event-at-the-texas-civil-commitment-program/
GOP Self-Humiliates Over SCOTUS Nominee: https://davidpakman.com/2022/3/march-24-2022/
Tell the Senate to Confirm Ketanji Brown Jackson!: https://act.pfaw.org/sign/confirm-kbj/
Only 30 percent of newspapers nationwide have anyone assigned to cover their statehouses. This has real consequences for real people: fewer eyes on state government means our leaders are not being held accountable to their constituents. We need your help to buck this trend.: https://www.dailykos.com/campaigns/forms/sign-your-name-with-states-newsroom-to-support-crucial-local-journalism
NORML
March 24, 2022
Yes, you read that correctly. After asking you to speak out and to demand a vote in Congress to end marijuana prohibition, your voices have been heard. We just received notification this afternoon that the Marijuana Opportunity, Reinvestment, and Expungement (MORE) Act is scheduled for a vote on the floor of the House of Representatives next week!: https://norml.org/act/federal-support-the-historic-more-act/
Constitutional Rights Blog Updated March 27 2022
SATURDAY, MARCH 26, 2022
Custodians of History: Old prosecutor files include marginalized voices usually excluded from public media and discourse
Conversations about crime data and police and prosecutor files most frequently pertain to the news of the moment: Did bail reform cause crime to increase? Was this or that police officer held accountable? Are black folks disproportionately stopped for traffic offenses?
But lately your correspondent has undertaken a research project reminding me that these records have much greater value than just informing policy debates of the moment. In many cases, they're the only records available involving important historical people and events. District Attorney and police agencies are among the earliest, continuously operating government departments, and case files are a rich source of detailed, local information.: https://gritsforbreakfast.blogspot.com/2022/03/custodians-of-history-old-prosecutor.html
Constitutional Rights Blog Updated March 28 2022
Despite her sterling credentials, the attacks on Judge Jackson continue >>
Sign People For the American Way's petition now and urge the Senate to CONFIRM Judge Jackson! >>
Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson’s confirmation hearings have concluded. Baseless attacks against her career and qualifications from far-right senators were unrelenting.
As Senate deliberation on Judge Jackson’s nomination moves into the voting phase, add your name and join the thousands of people across the country who are speaking out against the attacks and calling on senators to confirm her to the Supreme Court as quickly as possible! >>: https://www.dailykos.com/campaigns/petitions/sign-now-judge-jackson-deserves-to-be-on-the-supreme-court
Will Smith Smacks Chris Rock in the Face at 2022 Oscars After Rock Jokes About Jada Pinkett's Hair
Will Smith took the stage at the 2022 Oscars to smack Chris Rock in the face after the comedian made a joke about Jada Pinkett Smith's hair
March 27, 2022 10:52 PM: https://people.com/movies/oscars-2022-will-smith-slaps-chris-rock-jada-pinkett-smith-hair-joke-gi-jane/
The Simpsons - Glove Slap: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L0xTCKKAgVk
Pretty funny association, huh?
Seriously, much respect for Will: DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince Summertime:
And Chris Rock: TOP 10 FUNNIEST CHRIS ROCK SNL SKETCHES https://watchmojo.com/video/id/34898
Constitutional Rights Blog Updated March 30 2022
March 29, 2022
Your federal Congressperson needs to hear from you, their constituent, so that they can better represent you before the vote on the MORE Act this week. It is vital that this legislation be approved by the House of Representatives in order for us to move sensible marijuana policy reform forward.
Please take the time to urge your representatives to support the MORE Act NOW!: https://norml.org/act/federal-support-the-historic-more-act/
Americans overwhelmingly favor legalizing medical and recreational marijuana.
Congress is responding to this favorability, and the U.S. House of Representatives is set to vote on The Marijuana Opportunity, Reinvestment, and Expungement (MORE) Act later this week. The MORE Act would end the federal prohibition and criminalization of marijuana, thus providing individual states with the authority to be the primary arbiters of cannabis policy.
The MORE Act is an incredibly important piece of legislation for all, and specifically for vulnerable communities most impacted by the federal cannabis prohibition. People with a marijuana-related conviction on their record can be denied public housing, other social welfare benefits, or even the ability to take out student loans to attend college or university.
Sign and send the petition to Congress: Pass the MORE Act.
The United States spends billions of dollars to enforce the failed policy of marijuana prohibition. We waste money, resources, and lives by continuing down this same path. Passing the MORE Act will be a critical step forward for our economy, small businesses, and in dealing a blow to the prison industrial complex that causes disproportionate harm to Black and brown communities. We need your help to get the MORE Act over the finish line in both the House and the Senate, Richard.
Sign and send the petition to Congress: Pass the MORE Act.: https://www.dailykos.com/campaigns/letters/sign-and-send-the-petition-to-congress-pass-the-more-act
Constitutional Rights Blog Updated April 04 2022
Tell us if you've heard this one before.
In a city council or school board race, no Democrat is running. In one corner we have a Radicalized/Q Anon/Book Banning Republican and in the other we have a moderate Republican. Since Democrats have no dog in the hunt, they rally behind the "lesser of two evils," encouraging other Dems to vote for the moderate R and giving him or her free publicity on social media and at meetings. The reason is a legitimate fear that the Crazy Town candidate will destroy the city or the school board. Do those moderate R's ask club leaders to come to meetings asking for their vote? No. Do they respond when Democrats reach out to them to get to know them better? Crickets.
That's not to say that no moderate Republicans have reached out to us. Some of these candidates and elected officials have come to our club meetings and party events respecting the united voting block that we are and the growing power that we hold. This, however, is the exception rather than the norm.
Here is the solution: more Democrats running for city council and school board. Politics is about power and nothing else. It's not a social club. It's about calling the shots. Building the bench. Representing our values.
When faced with the "lesser of two evils," we have to vote. But if Republicans won't engage with us and won't reach out and respect us, then why are we expending our time, money, and energy boosting them across the finish line?
If you or someone you know is interested in running for local office, please contact your city club.: https://www.collindemocrats.org/democratic-local-clubs/
Constitutional Rights Blog Updated April 05 2022
Sweaty Dangerous Cult Leader Trump Lies to Lunatic Rally Crowd
Donald Trump held a rally in Washington, Michigan over the weekend. Though still unhinged as ever, it’s clear that Trumpists are motivated and will support him in 2024. During the speech, the former president made the case to go back to Afghanistan to get back weapons and other resources that ended up in the Taliban’s control. This is the same person who took credit for ending the war in Afghanistan even though it was Joe Biden who ended it. Despite the obvious contradiction, the crowd erupted in applause and apparently they’re ready for the American military to go back to the Middle East. Later on, Trump attacked athletes who knelt during the national anthem, as if that was ever such a major issue in the country. He even added a religious component saying, “Americans kneel to God and God alone.” Even though Trump obviously isn’t a religious man, his Christian followers are content with tricking themselves into thinking he is and that could help propel him to victory like it did in 2016.: https://davidpakman.com/2022/4/april-4-2022/
Constitutional Rights Blog Updated April 06 2022
From https://www.amnestyusa.org :
As I write, Amnesty crisis investigators are on the Ukrainian border in Poland and neighboring countries, verifying and documenting evidence of war crimes, and briefing decision makers worldwide. This is what we do best.
Our crisis response team deploys anywhere human rights are at risk. And our experts raise the alarm when violations are committed.
Since the crisis began, we’ve mounted a powerful response to the Russian government’s invasion of Ukraine. And with millions of refugees on the move, our staff along the border and throughout Europe are ensuring that human rights are protected.
The war in Ukraine is one of many examples of how our work saves lives, brings justice for victims, and holds war criminals accountable.
Take a look at our newest video, documenting some of the places where Amnesty was on the ground.: https://www.amnestyusa.org/bethere/
From https://www.dailykos.com :
Stops for minor traffic infractions, broken tail lights, and expired registrations lead to unnecessary contact with the criminal legal system. For Black Americans, that contact isn’t just a nuisance—it’s often traumatic and sometimes deadly.
Add your name to join the Vera Institute of Justice as we demand police chiefs and prosecutors eliminate traffic stops for minor violations.
Sign here: https://www.dailykos.com/campaigns/forms/add-your-name-end-harmful-low-level-traffic-stops
From https://hightowerlowdown.org :
How the right wing captured the Supreme Court
We commoners have been instructed from our earliest civics classes that the nine eminences of the Supreme Court are not political players, but the wise embodiment of America's majestic principle of "Equal Justice Under Law," a phrase engraved across the broad facade of the Greek-styled temple in which they preside.
Today's six-member supermajority has surrendered all claim to being an impartial moral force for blind justice. Instead, the GOP's small network of corporate and right-wing operatives has painstakingly fabricated and weaponized the court as its own political oligarchy. In only a couple of decades, backed by a few billionaires, these anti-democracy zealots have incrementally been imposing on America an extremist political agenda that they could not win at the ballot box.
How did this happen to us, this installation of a rabidly partisan judicial oligarchy over America's democratic values and aspirations? I hate to sound conspiratorial, but ... this is, in fact, the product of a long-term, right-wing political conspiracy-and there's even a smoking gun revealing the origins of the plot. : https://hightowerlowdown.org/article/how-the-right-wing-captured-the-supreme-court/
Email I got from Demand Progress: https://demandprogress.org/ :
Republicans in Congress are feeling so bold right now they aren't even hiding the fact that they want to end Social Security as we know it.
Senator Rick Scott endorsed a Republican agenda that would make all laws sunset after 5 years, including Social Security and Medicare.
But Democrats in Congress aren't just taking this lying down. House Rep. John Larson authored a bill called Social Security 2100, which would increase benefits and ensure that Social Security will remain strong for future generations.
With the midterms coming up, there's no time to waste. We need to pass Social Security 2100 now!
If Republicans get their way, elderly Americans—our parents, neighbors, co-workers, and ourselves—will be thrown out to the wolves instead of being able to retire with dignity.
Social Security is in a strong position, but Americans need even more help. The Social Security 2100 Act would expand benefits and help protect against inflation, something clearly needed in a time of rising costs.
It's crucial that Democrats in Congress act now, before the midterms, to pass Social Security 2100 and save Social Security.
From: ccrjustice.org
We’re thrilled to be able to share this news: Sufyian Barhoumi was the second longtime Center for Constitutional Rights client to be released from Guantánamo in the last month, following Mohammed al-Qahtani,: https://ccrjustice.org/home/press-center/press-releases/mentally-ill-torture-survivor-imprisoned-guant-namo-2002-sent-home and both are finally home! In early March, the Biden administration transferred Mohammed to Saudi Arabia, and this past weekend Sufyian went home to Algeria.: https://ccrjustice.org/home/press-center/press-releases/man-imprisoned-guant-namo-2002-sent-home Both men had spent twenty years in detention.
Constitutional Rights Blog Updated April 07 2022
Obama takes a swipe at social media firms for undermining democracy as he claims 40% of the country think Joe Biden was elected fraudulently and similar amount don't believe in vaccines
'I do think that there is a demand for crazy on the internet that we have to grapple with,' the former president said
Obama, 60, spoke with Atlantic editor Jeffrey Goldberg Wednesday at an event hosted by the University of Chicago 's Institute of Politics and The Atlantic.
While praising how easily available information had become in the United States, he did say it led people to mass belief of conspiracy theories
'Roughly 40 percent of the country appears convinced that the current president was elected fraudulently and that the election was rigged' he noted
He added that 30-35 percent were not taking advantage of vaccines for Covid-19, which he called a 'medical miracle'
Published: 02:03 EDT, 7 April 2022 | Updated: 08:04 EDT, 7 April 2022: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-10694661/Obama-takes-swipe-social-media-firms-underminimg-democracy.html
Constitutional Rights Blog Updated April 08 2022
Study: WI Republicans more likely to troll other voters
Posted: Apr 7, 2022 / 03:34 PM CDT :
While these posts can be filled with great insight and enriching discourse between voters, more often than not, these posts end in conflict and further division.
But why is that?
A recent study, conducted by Cambridge University surveyed 5,502 social media users and found that many voters reported intentionally posting polarizing content about politics with the intention to incite a reaction from other users with opposing views.
While each state reported having a different political party poking the bear, in Wisconsin, it seems Republicans and independents are leading the pack with the most members in those respective groups posting political content with intention of ruffling some feathers.
According to the study,12 percent of Republicans and independents in Wisconsin admit to posting provocatively on social media with the intention of inciting a reaction, compared to 5 percent of Democrats.
For the full study and for a full breakdown of all the states, click here.: https://redact.dev/blog/polarizing-politics
Constitutional Rights Blog Updated April 12 2022
How To Avoid Internet Trolls
April 11, 2022, 2:31 pm
Internet trolls are almost as old as the Internet itself. Though the term is relatively new in mainstream popularity, people well involved in messages boards, weblogs and social networks have been fighting, usually unsuccessful, troll infestations for years. As the world shifts more and more to rely on social media, trolls have multiplied at alarming rates. Many websites now are facing the problem of how to reduce these numbers, and ultimately drive them into extinction. Read this article; it is a good one.: https://programminginsider.com/how-to-avoid-internet-trolls/
The goal of the GOP's QAnon-influenced "groomer" troll: More political violence
Republicans don't really think liberals are "grooming" children — but they know saying so is permission to violence
PUBLISHED APRIL 11, 2022: Here is the most important thing to remember about the word "groomer": Exactly zero percent of the people flinging the word at progressives care one bit about child abuse. This is all just pure, uncut trolling. It's never meant as a sincere concern or accusation. Indeed, the deep unfairness of the word "groomer" is the point. What right-wing trolls want more desperately than anything else is to "trigger" liberals. Falsely accusing someone of heinous crimes, while unimaginative, is a crude-but-effective way to bully people. Another good read.: https://www.salon.com/2022/04/11/the-goal-of-the-gops-qanon-influenced-groomer-troll-more-political-violence/
For years, the massive corporations behind private prisons, the insurance industry, and pharmaceutical cartels have pressured our government to keep up the “War on Drugs” — costing taxpayers billions and landing millions of Americans in jail for non-violent offenses.
When Lucas is in the U.S. Senate, he’ll fight to legalize weed in all 50 states and reassess convictions for everyday people impacted by the stranglehold corporate elites have on our country’s drug laws.
But he can’t do it without our help, so please: Will you add your name to our call to legalize weed nationwide?: https://act.lucaskunce.com/signup/lk-legalize-weed-email-20220411-ngp
Constitutional Rights Blog Updated April 13 2022
Some conservatives are now saying all male teachers are predators
Fox News may be laying the groundwork for people to attack male teachers as child sex abusers.
April 11, 2022
David Mamet, pedophilia, Fox News, anti-LGBTQ, Florida, Don't Say Gay law: https://www.lgbtqnation.com/2022/04/conservatives-now-saying-male-teachers-predators/
Rightwing TV host calls Joe Biden “the Groomer-in-Chief” because he’s pro-LGBTQ
The accusation was part of an unhinged rant that touched on marriage equality (which "encourage non-reproducing unions") and Justice-designate Kentanji Brown Jackson ("America's queen of child porn apologists").
April 12, 2022: https://www.lgbtqnation.com/2022/04/rightwing-tv-host-calls-joe-biden-groomer-chief-hes-pro-lgbtq/
Inflation hits its highest level since 1981, reaching 8.5% year-over-year as of March 2022: https://davidpakman.com/2022/4/april-12-2022/
Constitutional Rights Blog Updated April 15 2022
When you do not speak out against conspiracy theories and you know your constituents believe in such things overwhelmingly; that make's you guilty of promoting conspiracy theories.
A dangerous conspiracy theorist speaks at a recent Republican Senator Chuck Grassley town hall, and Grassley does nothing to disabuse the individual about his beliefs.: https://davidpakman.com/2022/4/april-14-2022/
