Category Archives: Ranting

The Justice Chronicles, Volume 43: What’s Wrong With The Save Act? Glad You Asked

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A few days ago I published an article about voter fraud and recognized that as much as President Trump and the Republicans falsely claim that large numbers of non citizens vote, it’s just not true. Simply put, they are developing strategies to suppress voting and sow doubt about the accuracy of elections.

President Trump has gone all in in his call for a bill he calls the Save Act. It requires everyone to show proof of citizenship to register to vote, and he claims he won’t sign another bill until this passes. If you listen to him and his minions they tell you the reason is obvious. Why shouldn’t we demand proof of citizenship before we register someone to vote?

Again, glad you asked. Here’s a partial list of my concerns:

  • It proposes a solution to a problem that doesn’t exist. Voter fraud is virtually nonexistent and nearly all cases are simple mistakes. You can read an excellent article here. There’s also no evidence that fraud has changed the results of an election. If you’re not a citizen and attempt to vote (even if you’re here legally) you’re guilty of a felony and are subject to possible deportation. Who would risk that for one vote?
  • It’s not as simple as it sounds. Proponents argue that the bill isn’t retroactive (ie, if you’re already registered to vote you don’t need to do anything) and your Real ID driver’s license will suffice. It’s true that you don’t need to show proof of citizenship, unless you move or change your name (e.g. if you get married). Your Real ID license will only be accepted if you live in a state where your citizenship status is on your ID. Right now only Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Vermont and Washington do that. My California Real ID states this: “This license is issued as a license to drive a motor vehicle. It does not establish eligibility for employment, voter registration, or public benefits.” I wasn’t able to find recent data on what percentage of drivers have Real ID but if you don’t board an airplane you don’t need one. A license without Real ID won’t suffice anywhere.
  • If you don’t have a Real ID from those five states or a passport your best alternative is to get a certified copy of your birth certificate. I was born in Washington D.C. and I can apply online. It goes through www.vitalrecords.org. It’s a process but as far as I can tell there is a $125.00 online processing fee, a $38.95 DC State Government Fee, and an optional $12.00 Qualifying Review fee. They recommend you pay an additional $20.00 for UPS Air Shipping Delivery that will allow you to track your shipment. I checked a few other states and it appears the $!25.00 online processing fee uniform but the state government fee is different.
  • OK, still with me? Good. Now if you changed your name when you married you’ll also need a certified marriage certificate to show your new name. Fortunately I didn’t change my name when I got married but if I did I’d need to go through (you guessed it) www.vitalrecords.org. It’s another $125.00 online processing fee and in California a $22.00 State Government Fee.
  • During the Jim Crow era attempts were made to prevent poor people from voting using poll taxes. It was just what it looks like: you had to pay to vote. Opposition to these poll taxes culminated in 1964 with the passage of the 24th Amendment to the Constitution. But if the Save Act requires certified documents to prove citizenship and citizens need to pay to acquire these documents, aren’t these poll taxes?

This isn’t an exhaustive list of my concerns but it’s a good place to start. Obviously if Congress passes it and President Trump signs it into law there will be lawsuits. But I think we can save time and money by just walking away from this now and recognizing that this is a solution in search of a problem.

Pete Hegseth Worships A Dangerous God

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It’s a popular adage that we should never discuss religion or politics in polite company, even though we do it all the time. I think most of us generally accept and respect that others may hold beliefs that differ from us. Thomas Jefferson once famously said: “… it does me no injury for my neighbour to say there are twenty gods, or no god. It neither picks my pocket nor breaks my leg.” And most of our politicians have shied away from claims of knowing God’s will; I’ve always been impressed with Abraham Lincoln who was once asked if God was on his side. He responded with: “My concern is not whether God is on our side; my greatest concern is to be on God’s side, for God is always right.”

Unfortunately this level of humility and maturity eludes our current Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. Politicians (including presidents) have often attended prayer breakfasts in various settings but they don’t normally give the prayer; that’s normally reserved for the chaplain. This makes some sense because chaplains have a deeper understanding of both prayer and Scripture and are more likely to pray appropriately. Not this guy.

Here are some of his words from his prayer: “Let every round find its mark against the enemies of righteousness and our great nation. Give them wisdom in every decision, endurance for the trial ahead, unbreakable unity, and overwhelming violence of action against those who deserve no mercy.”

I believe in a God of peace and mercy. I believe in a God that does not take direction from me. I believe in a God who hates war, hates violence, and calls all of his people to peaceful solutions.

I believe in a God who does recognize the need for measured self defense and I belong to a church that has developed the Just War Doctrine.

But Pete believes in a God who appears to revel in vengeance, who roots for the accuracy of bullets and bombs, and shows no mercy to at least some of his creations.

Pete’s God frightens me.

The Trump Chronicles, Volume 171: We Still Don’t Know How Low He Will Go

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President Trump is famous for his insults and he gives us tremendous insight into his fears by who he goes after. He’s famously intimidated by strong women: Hillary Clinton, Elizabeth Warren and Kamala Harris. And smart people: James Comey and Chris Christie.

He also mocks people who live well with disabilities: reporter Serge Kovaleski who lives with a muscular disease called Arthrogryposis was mocked in 2015 after asking an uncomfortable question.

Now we learn about Trump’s next target: Dyslexia. California Governor Gavin Newsom has been public about his struggles with dyslexia. It makes reading and writing difficult. People who live with this are often termed dumb as children before diagnosis. Most of us have learned to have respect for the work it takes for dyslexics to do things that come easily to most of us.

Respect for others, alas, eludes our president. Trump suggested that since Governor Newsom is dyslexic he’s a brain dead moron.

Trump famously calls himself a genius and brags about passing a cognitive test that he claimed was an IQ test. It wasn’t. These tests are given to people who may not be able to care for themselves to see if they need help. I’ve seen these tests given to people who may be in early stages of dementia. Anyone else wonder why they gave this test to the president?

In the meantime I have a new respect for Governor Newsome.

We’re Not Going To Miss Kristi Noem But This Doesn’t Fix Things

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Today we learned that President Trump fired DHS Secretary Kristi Noem and will nominate Oklahoma Senator Markwayne Mullin.

Most of us have opposed her tactics as DHS Secretary and won’t miss her but this wasn’t the reason for her firing. President Trump has consistently valued loyalty over competence and doesn’t fire people for doing a poor job. Kristi’s was a sin of distraction, making Trump look bad. It wasn’t the deportations or the lack of respect for the rule of law, it was because of events like the one I previously posted where she ordered the purchase of a Boeing 737 and falsely claiming it would be used for deportations. Or her claim that the when Alex Pretti was killed by ICE agents he was a domestic terrorist. Or her $220 million ad campaign focusing on her riding a horse.

As I said we’re not the poorer for her departure but I doubt Senator Mullin will be any better. As far as I can tell his brings two things to his job: he’s loyal to Trump and he’s an undefeated MMA fighter.

In the meantime Kristi can resume her hobby of killing pet dogs.

Stay tuned.

It’s Official: ICE Has No Shame

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Many of us are troubled by the actions of ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement). I don’t think I need to list them, but I recently learned of one tactic that particularly bothers me.

You can read the article here on the web page of National Public Radio.

Turns out when they detain a pregnant unaccompanied minor she is automatically sent to a shelter in Texas (including those who are pregnant from a rape). At first glance this may make some sense: this population has special needs and keeping them together provides them a better opportunity for the care they need. But the reporters spoke to several members of the administration’s own health and child welfare officials who say this facility lacks the ability to give that care.

OK, so why send them to a place that doesn’t provide what they need? These officials (who aren’t identified over a well founded fear of retaliation) are convinced these girls and young women are in Texas because they can’t have abortions.

The Trump administration denies this but gives no justification over why this facility in Texas. Because of Texas’ near total ban on abortions many doctors who care for pregnant woman have left the state out of fear that treating a woman for ectopic pregnancies or miscarriages will leave them vulnerable to criminal prosecution. Simply put, this means that these detainees may be at higher risk for complications to tragic results.

And in case you haven’t had enough, the shelter is run by a for profit company called Urban Strategies. While they claim that the health of their residents is their first priority, the first priority of any for profit company is profit.

Let me be clear: I’m pro life and see the death of any child, of any age, as a tragedy. But I’m also pro honesty and pro integrity. This is neither

By the way, it’s a good article and worth a read.

Attack in Iran: We’ve Seen This Before (Again And Again And Again)

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A few days ago forces from the United States and Israel attack targets in Iran. Leaders of both nations defend their decision by claiming self defense: they say Iran is working on a nuclear weapons program that endangers other nations. The US and Israel also claim that this operation will likely take 4 to 5 weeks but we have the capacity for a longer war. There are several problems, so let me start here:

Wars are always supposed to be quick. At the beginning of Civil War (1861-1865) the South believed that Northern States wouldn’t fight to keep the nation together. They felt that as the states voluntarily joined the Union they could voluntarily leave. Meanwhile the Northern States believed the South didn’t have the infrastructure (railroad connections, guns, bullets, etc.) and would run out of stuff in a few months. They were both wrong. Perhaps a better example is the 2003 invasion of Iraq. When President Bush announced the invasion members of his administration claimed it would be a cakewalk and it would be financed by Iraqi oil. Vice President Dick Cheney claimed the Iraqi people would see us as liberators. By the time our troops left in 2011 (with over 4000 US casualties) Iraq was still a mess.

Trump promised not to do this. He famously ran on a platform of not entering “forever wars”. This will end up costing him among his base.

Iran isn’t an immediate threat. Last June Trump ordered an air strike on Iran’s nuclear facilities and claimed that we “obliterated them.” He famously never admits a mistake and therefore can’t now claim it didn’t work. There’s no possibility that Iran has been able to rebuild its program fast enough to make it a threat now.

I’ll certainly be writing more about this later but when gas prices start to rise and the stock market declines it’s going to be hard for Trump to continue to claim victory.

The Friendly Skies Are More Luxurious For Top Homeland Security Officials

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The Trump administration continues to claim that all they care about is “making America great again” but time and time again they show us that they care about making themselves rich and powerful, that “justice” for them means “just us.”

Currently the Department of Homeland Security is considering the purchase of a Boeing 737 Max 8 that is currently leases. Boeing states that the model it sells to the airlines seats 166 but the one DHS uses can carry 18 passengers and sleeps 14; it also provides a bedroom with a queen bed, showers, a kitchen, four large flat-screen TVs and a bar. The price tag? $70 million.

They claim the plane will be used to transport senior members of the government but will also be used for deportations. Call me cynical but I don’t think those who are being deported will be able to order a drink at the bar.

The Trump Chronicles, Volume 169: More Sewage From The President

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On January 19th security cameras noticed that a sewage pipe began leaking raw sewage into the Potomac River. These spills are always a mess and since it’s on a river that separates Maryland, Virginia and the District of Columbia the clean up will require coordination among several agencies. President Trump, never one to pass an opportunity to blame others has shoehorned himself into the event to criticize everyone he can think of. He posted on social media this phrase: “If they [Maryland, Virginia, the District of Columbia] can’t do the job they have to call me and ask, politely, to get it fixed.”

Yes, America, you heard this right. They have to ask for help in a way that massages this man’s ego. I’ve said it before and will keep saying it: good leaders command respect and poor leaders crave approval. His words belie a profound lack of concern for the health and safety of the people near the spill and focus only on how people are supposed to treat him. For everyone who voted for him: I hope you’re happy.

By the way there is an excellent post from the District of Columbia Water and Sewer Authority. The pipe that is leading is 72 inches (6 feet) in diameter and was built in the 1960s. Drinking water is not affected as the intake for drinking water is upstream from the spill.

Again, and I can’t say this enough, local public servants are hard at work on this. They deserve our thanks and respect.

And That’s Why We Have Grand Juries

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Last November Arizona Senator Mark Kelly and several others veterans reminded members of the military that they may not obey illegal orders. They posted a video out of concern that President Trump and his administration felt they could issue orders without regard to the rule of law.

Members of the military are expected to follow orders but there are limits to what they can be ordered to do. This is found in the Uniform Code of Military Justice. For example, nobody can be ordered to kill an enemy who is surrendering and poses no threat.

This recognition became poignant after World War II when senior members of Nazi Germany went on trial for war crimes; they attempted to avoid responsibility for their actions by claiming they were following orders. Since the trials took place in Nuremberg, Germany this became knows as the Nuremberg Defense.

This binds members of the military to not follow illegal orders but it should also bind superior officers from issuing illegal orders. Simply put, anyone who issues an illegal order must be removed and never allowed to give orders again. Unfortunately the Trump administration believes they can order anything they want without regard to the law.

They showed this in the aftermath of Senator Kelly’s video. President Trump called it “seditious” and called on him to be executed. Fortunately our legal system requires someone to be indicted by a grand jury before prosecution; it’s a low bar and when a prosecutor asks for an indictment he normally gets it. But not this time. You can read about it here.

A grand jury consists of ordinary citizens, not lawyers or politicians and it finds its roots in the 5th Amendment of the Constitution.

Frankly I find Senator Kelly’s action was both patriotic and heroic. The Trump administration often uses threats like this as a tool to quash opposition and I’m glad it didn’t work this time.

The Trump Chronicles, Volume 168: No, You Can’t Nationalize The Elections

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It’s no secret that President Trump obsesses over elections and vote counts, and for good reason. He lost the popular vote in the 2016 election and lost both the electoral and popular votes in 2020. Like any bully he refuses to admit defeat and continues to claim he really won but was cheated. In the last few days he’s floated the idea of the federal government take over running elections. He has claimed, all along without any evidence, that “everyone knows” these elections were corrupt. So what’s the problem with this? Why doesn’t the federal government run elections?

Well, there are a few problems. Let’s start with the Constitution: Article 1, Section 4 states that the “Times, places and Manner of holding Elections for Senators and Representatives, shall be prescribed in each state.” It doesn’t get much clearer. States run the elections and this can only be changed by amending the Constitution. Not by Congress passing a law. Not by the President issuing an order. And because the states run elections it’s much more difficult to cheat. No one person, no one group, no one state controls all the ballots and no one group can create or eliminate enough ballots to change the result of an election.

This matters more than ever because it’s clear that that’s exactly what Trump wants to do. In 2020 when Georgia voters chose Joe Biden, Trump famously called Georgia’s Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger on January 2, 2021 to demand that he find 11,000 votes and give Georgia to Trump. Had Trump been in charge the election he certainly could have done that. Only the Constitution prevented this by having the states run elections.

Joseph Stalin famously said that the people who cast the votes decide nothing. The people who count the votes decide everything (I found that quote here). I hope nobody misses the irony that Trump claims the only way to avoid election corruption is to give him all the power.

We will go to the polls in 9 months to choose our legislators and Trump knows his only path to keeping the House (and perhaps the Senate) is to cheat and we cannot allow him to do that.