As Heather Cox Richardson reports, the Supreme Court just signed off on a South Carolina congressional map that dilutes Black votes by gerrymandering.
And Samuel Alito wrote the majority opinion. She writes,
"Almost exactly 70 years after the Supreme Court unanimously decided Brown v. Board, it appears that the framed timbers designed to reverse the expansion of minority rights are falling into place."
"In bestowing racist legislatures with the presumption of good faith, Alito is advancing the twin causes of white Christian nationalism and insurrection symbolized by the 'Appeal to Heaven' flag displayed over his beach house in 2023. Alito is, in short, in the vanguard of a hostile takeover of the US Constitution by white Christian nationalists."
"The conservative court on which Alito sits is largely the product of right-wing dark-money overlord Leonard Leo, and — wouldn’t you know it — Leo flew the same 'Appeal to Heaven' flag outside of his house in Maine.
Murray Ngoima, a Bar Harbor resident, provided Rolling Stone with a photo she took of the flag hanging outside of his house on Feb. 25."
"In this case, the Republican majority that includes Justices Alito and Thomas ruled consistently with the views of powerful people from whom they have accepted favors. Inevitably, that means people will question the decision. Is it fair? Is it about following the law in a difficult case? Or is it about favoritism and the return of favors?"
"The reason the Alito flag stories (like the Thomas stories) are so important is not because they reveal the individuals in question to be extremist ideologues. It is because of the utter contempt for the history, ethics, and standing of the court on which they serve."
A while ago I started getting involved in the Stop Killing Games campaign. I signed the petition. I wrote on my blog. I started writing up a report and I was hoping I could send to my MP to explain my position on the issue. Now, an election has been called. The UK government will soon shut down it’s entire democratic output until the result is called.
A side effect of the election is that all petitions currently open get closed. They won’t be re-opened afterwards. No responses to open petitions will be given. In effect, the slate is wiped clean.
I can understand that during a pre-election time and for some time post election while the new government is forming, it does not make sense for the government to engage with their petitioning platform, and indeed there are rules about non-interference. But I find it incredibly insulting to all the people who hold views bound up in the petitions to simply discard them once this process is complete.
The Stop Killing Games petition is incredibly important from a view of Digital Consumer Rights. An issue which I seriously doubt any of the electable political parties are going to bother mentioning, even as a footnote deep within their manifestos. Action such as petitions is one of the most effective ways to get these views across.
The DCMS previously failed to engage appropriately and was instructed to issue a new response. Unless they have an incredibly quick turnaround in the upcoming days, it is now highly likely this will not happen, and the current petition campaign will be consigned to history.
I am venting here because I find it immensely irritating to be teased with what looks like democratic engagement only to have it taken away from me after putting effort into it. The same holds true for the thousands of other campaigns that people had started. At time of writing there are 1415 open petitions that should still be accepting signatures, 9 petitions waiting for an initial response from government (not counting petitions needing additional responses), and 2 petitions that should be set for debate.
If I happen to come across any politicians during this campaign I will be challenging them on this, and I would encourage everyone else in the UK to do the same. Just because politicians leave their jobs and government gets wiped clean does not mean that everyone else’s priorities disappear.
Cyber Republic: Reinventing Democracy in the Age of Intelligent Machines by George Zarkadakis, 2020
Science and tech expert George Zarkadakis presents an indispensable guide to making liberal democracies more inclusive, and the digital economy more equitable in the coming Fourth Industrial Revolution.
“The choice facing the nation this November is much older and deeper than Trump. A determined minority has been trying to shape the foundations of American governance for their own benefit since the inception of the republic. ... In 2024, the country is once again immersed in a pivotal battle over whom the political system should serve and represent.”
Pushing this "Biden and Trump are the same" trope is incredibly damaging to efforts at keeping any thread of democracy alive in the US. Infighting and division among those who by all rights should be united against the looming tsunami of fascism is akin to shooting holes in the bottom of a sinking boat.
Biden has a lot of faults, but he's not promising to militarily deport millions, destroy public education, impose religious doctrine across the board, etc.
Keith Owens on why, even if Biden wins, we can't discount the damage a significant minority of Americans still want to do to all of us:
"Keep in mind that in 2020, there were exactly 74,223,975 Americans who voted for Trump’s re-election, and that was after he suggested they inject themselves with bleach as protection against COVID."
Sometimes frank simplicity is best. This super popular @PamelaBarroway reply nails it! WTG Pamela!
"Biden is truly the only choice in November if we want our country to remain a #democracy. An easy way to make a difference and help re-elect #Biden — especially if you don’t have free time and / or don’t want to volunteer — is to donate to the #BidenHarris2024 campaign, monthly or as a one-off (I’m a monthly donor). #voteblue"
Dems are still bringing a knife to a gunfight *passive, not combative. M Obama's: 'when they go low, we go high' doesn't work with dom. terrorists.
Biden has responded to #TFG's escalating threats against #democracy with a desperate desire to present an image & leadership style that's “reasonable” &“responsible” & emphasizes public policy successes. Being boring, nice, & passive will not help Biden/Dems defeat TFG/#MAGA mvt. Pol scientist MS Fish agrees.
Alito & Thomas: racists & fascists, want to end #democracy:
"Thomas signals he'd end democracy if he could.
Overturning equal pop. reqs. would enable a level of gerrymandering far beyond today's most X maps.
Lawmakers could gerrymander perm. majorities, & the GOP dominates most ST legs. today."
-S Wolf
"Thomas' opinion calls on the SC to overturn the entire line of redistricting precedents, incl. Baker v Carr -est. "1 person, 1 vote" *says fed cts. never have authority to redraw dists."
-MJS
there is an historical reason for germany to support israel:
germany aka formerly known as west germany has never reviewed its tight collaboration with apartheid south africa
when most other countries had already turned their back on apartheid south africa, it was west germany which breached every embargo and did business with the apartheid regime
given the current situation in palestine, germany is forced to deal with the lie underpinning its very existence: that germany allegedly has learned from its nazi past, and that germany thus has become a democratic, anti-racist country
A church of Scotland was receiving donation money from slavery and even refused to apologise for such sinful offence. Ironic isn't it?
The Free Church of Scotland has been accused of “shameful” behaviour after it refused to apologise for receiving money from slavery worth millions of pounds today.
"Now it turns out that a flag representing the idea that the 2020 election was stolen, that the people should engage in armed revolution against tyranny, and that the United States should be a nation based in Christian theology has been flying over the home of Justice Alito, who is supposed to be defending the United States Constitution impartially."
"Let’s be clear about what this means. Alito is giving our entire democracy the finger. He has expressed public allyship with the enemies of our Constitution instead of upholding his oath of office. And he’s also a coward and a liar, unwilling to speak his traitorous words aloud, yet ready to throw his wife under the bus the moment he’s questioned about these displays."
"If Alito refuses to recuse himself from cases involving Trump, Congress should impeach and convict him of no less than tending to prostitute the high judicial character with which he was invested, to the low purpose of blatant partisanship. That is, of violating the basic tenets of impartial justice, on which public trust for the high court is based."