This has been a tough week. Abortion and women’s reproductive rights rocketed to center stage as the Supreme Court seems set on turning back the clock and overturning the half-century precedent of Roe v Wade. Doubts about justice—questions about expansion—swirl around this increasingly partisan Court, which includes three highly partisan justices appointed by Donald Trump. In Michigan, yet another American community struggled with the fallout from a deadly school shooting.
Abortion, the Supreme Court and the epidemic of gun violence are just three major issues confronting the nation. We surely can add voting rights and democracy at risk, economic inequality, white supremacy and the rise in domestic terrorism, racial injustice and police violence, an increasingly extremist and authoritarian Republican Party, the climate crisis, the intransigence of anti-vaxxers and new pandemic fears spurred by the emerging Omicron variant, a troubled health care system, intensifying polarization in the body politic, and the need to prosecute 1/6 insurrectionists at every level. Whew. The mind spins, making me think hard about taking the day off and going on a long hike. (Yes, another time we’ll need to discuss calming antidotes to all the crazy.)
But there may be other matters that concern you most. What are they? What issue tops your list? I welcome the chance to hear what you’re thinking about, both to better understand the interests and concerns of this community and to reflect on what issues should be on the agenda of America, America in the coming months. As always, please be respectful of each other here in your comments.
Protecting voting rights, eliminating gerrymandering, protecting nonpartisan election commissions from partisan takeovers. . . Until these are addressed, everything else we care about is at risk.
On a purely personal level, securing the right to abortion tops my list. I am old enough to remember life before Roe v Wade, and it is a battle I never dreamed we would have to fight again. But here we are, and I'm angry as hell. But what MUST top my list is voting rights. Without federal measures to adequately secure every American citizen's right to cast their ballot, we are done for. It is the one thing upon which all else depends. It cannot be left up to the States. Sadly, history has shown (more than once) that individual states cannot be trusted to protect voting rights. The Federal government MUST. And even more sadly, I think it is too late.
The core of the American experiment is the freedom of self determination, which is embodied in our right to choose our leaders. Voting must be protected first, because nothing else can proceed without it.
As angry as I am about the makeup of Supreme Court, the very thing that Hillary Clinton warned us about 5-6 years ago, federal legislation securing voting rights and eliminating gerrymandering still is at the very top of my list. If that is not guaranteed--in the next few months!!--it's all over for democracy in the U.S.. It will be complete government by minority rule, and every progress we have made toward becoming "a more perfect union," establishing justice, and "promoting the general welfare" will be up for grabs.
The most urgent, pressing, vital issue is voting rights and, more specifically, the ongoing attempt to replace democracy in the U.S. with authoritarianism. If that is allowed to happen, nothing else -- not Roe, not global warming, not economic stimulus, not election reform, nothing -- is going to be addressable.
Despite all the drama of this past week, my mind and heart always return to a root challenge: Democratic communication—focus, effective and repetition. How do we get the very competent Democrats to be clear, concise and relentless?
People need headlines about all the benefits they're receiving from Democratic actions. Say what you're doing to help the people. Say it briefly and concisely with action words. If the right questions are not asked at press briefings, the Press Secretary could say something like, "Who has a question about the benefits of the (fill in the blank)?" If there are no takers, then she could proceed to answer her own question so that the "note-takers" in the press corp can include the information/data. It is very frustrating to witness all the positive things that are happening and having them remain a best-kept secret, drowned out by Republican lie/memes.
In the broadest sense misogyny and racism are at the core of all the evil that goes on. The burning issue is voting rights suppression and gerrymandering , without broad participation inelections and representative legislatures every issue is infinitely harder to address.
I have a bigger and more basic concern at the moment. We as a country allowed the Supreme Court to take this turn and will result in the Roberts Court be equated with the infamous Taney and Fuller Courts of the 1800's. We are going to have to live with their decisions until two of the conservatives age out/die to help swing it back in a better balance. But in light of what happened in Michigan this week, and four young lives snuffed out, I think that is a more fundamental issue that we can and should focus on, which is providing the basic safety our children cling to and that they crave from the no man's land that schools provide. One thing I have noticed is there is not the outcry like there was with the Parkland shooting. What angers me the most is the colossal failure of all the parties involved that could have prevented it: the school administrators not doing the right thing and informing LEOS on the drawings and list(BTW I was a teacher and administrator for 33 years) or at least searching the backpack, INSISTING the parents remove the child from school (there are ways to do that), or have the student taken in custody in a clear case of child endangerment. Then there was the ineptness of the LEOs and the DA's office that led to last night's events. The least that should be done is the Biden Administration should call for a DOJ and Dept. of Education investigation into how school education codes, and state penal codes need to be revamped to provide school personnel with the tools they need stop these events from taking place. I have one question for those dimwitted parents that are fighting with school boards over the Trumped-up issues of racism, unsafe returns to schools due to COVID (masks are the bigger issue), and now schools proposing to provide mental health care for students. If we know that these are the fundamental reasons for the events taking place today on many school campuses, will it take you having your child killed, wounded, or forever scared by these events before you come to your senses and do the right thing for all if our children?
I agree with all 27 comments. My concern is he Congress that is now the enemy with in. The current Senate controls the country and hold the President sand our country hostage. The insurrection committee is constantly handcuffed by ongoing frivolous law suits, 45 and his traitorous trolled continue to spread lies about the Pandemic, holding up positive actions the President is offering to recover from the damage of the last 6 years. We must concentrate on the 2022 election and taking total control of Congress, riding our country of the enemy within. What ever it takes, we all must muscle up and get this done. Support all Blue candidates to save our Country and Democracy.🇺🇸🇺🇸
This Supreme Court spurred me grow even more protective of Women's Rights. I remember when I could not wear pants to school in the dead of winter, when I was kicked out of Shop Class because I am a girl, when I was suspended from school for defending myself against a bully because "girls don't fight, ever." My #1 charity is a Christian organization that provides and aids young girls and women to obtain legal abortions. If we let the government rule our bodies and choices again, women will find themselves second-class citizens once again. Women have fought hard for freedom, and I vow to keep up the fight for the right to rule my life and my body, just like any man in the U.S. can.
We need to unite as AMERICANS again, but I cannot visualize any uniting and healing of our country until honesty and integrity are embraced by the GOP. The cascade of lies saturates the entire party (I tend to exclude Liz Cheney because of her recent actions - I believe she is putting country over party) and everyone in leadership exudes vile hypocrisy. They prostrate themselves at the feet of an utterly incompetent, immoral, ignorant, self-centered, non-caring piece of refuse who would sell this country in a minute for a buck. They are too far gone to turn back, so I guess as others here have identified voting rights as a top issue, preserving them is the only hope we have.
I honestly don’t know how we can come together as Americans. But I do believe with all my heart that we must. We cannot continue down this road of division and hatred. There is so much work to be done, but where to start?
If we don't reduce CO2 output radically, we're not going to survive on this planet. It's happening now. Some projections show 5-10 years. This is the most important issue. I also agree with all the points you've made, and those below.
Voting rights, gerrymandering & election security, women's right to choose, media focusing on accomplishments as well as seeking out divisive issues, & holding those responsible for Jan 6 accountable... especially Trump!
Is this not a free country?? I really have doubts lately our freedoms are being taken away. Voting abortion even having your own military in a state!! We need to feel free again
Voting rights bills, ending the filibuster. Teaching/coaching the democrats to act now, be bold , have courage, stop wringing hands, shooting their feet and stand up all to this bullying! Backbone. Dems need strong, repetitive optics, strong declarative media statements and start acting in the media like they matter. Then be bold and courageous with grandstanding dem senators. Call their bluff (as in Manchin/Sinema)!
Voting rights tops my list. The will of the people is captured in free and fair elections!
Everyone should listen to Trump’s hours long argument and threats to the Georgia Secretary of State to overturn the election by throwing out Democrat votes and “finding 11,861” Republican votes to understand why EVERYONE should be alarmed!!!
Protecting our Democracy & our country from the radical right
Build Back Better
Abortion
Expanding SCOTUS
Voting Rights
Major Gun Control
And get every Republican out of office.
In my personal opinion, our country has a lot of major issues to confront and everyone needs to get involved. We need our democratic leaders to be strong and fight for the issues we all believe in. It is imperative to destroy Trumpism and build a country we can all be proud of again.
GUN VIOLENCE; FIRE DEJOY, VOTING RIGHTS/SUPREME COURT; VOTING MUST BE PROTECTED; A WOMAN'S RIGHT TO CHOOSE MUST BE PROTECTED; THIS 200 YR PLUS DEMOCRACY MUST BE PROTECTED; DEM PARTY MUST GET A NEW ENERGETIC LEADER - Perez just does not cut it that's enough for now
The fight we are having now for reproductive rights is directly connected with the Fascist Christian right and this should not be under our clear Constitutional Separation of Church and State. We are NOT a Christian country. The very same kind of fascist Christians who facilitated the genocide of the native People on this soil and all over the world like in Africa with their missionaries are now going after the rights of women to their own body and that is typical of the predatory fascist Christian right...I lived all over Africa when I was a young girl and I learned about the the so-called missionaries who paved the way to colonization. The worst crimes were perpetrated against the local populations, like in Belgian Congo where they cut the hands of adults and children. Lumumba was assassinated by the Americans and directly ordered by Eisenhower! We need to fight with al our might for the keepsake of Separation of Church and State. We are a fascist country and need to change that immediately!
This morning, I awoke to the sound of a man nearby, screaming, swearing, pounding with rage on the top of his car, jabbing the air with his fist--while talking on his cell phone. This typifies one of my concerns: the callous, cruel behavior of many Americans. Perhaps in this country it started with life on the frontier where guns ruled, Indians were massacred & men were answerable to no one.Soon came slavery where people were whipped and run down by horses. After the Industrial Revolution, immigrant workers from Catholic countries encountered lives of discrimination and prejudice.
Fast forward to 2016, the president elect unleashed a torrent of vitriol. Thousands died from his disingenuous covid policy, fights ensued over vaccinations as stupidity reigned with people trusting horse medicine, adult women heckled children walking to school wearing masks, gun sales proliferated, hostility dominated school board meetings, white nationalism ascended, the Capitol was savagely attacked, school children keep dying because no one is brave enough to stop gun ownership by madmen. People felt free to do terrible things that before would have made them ashamed. The cork was out of the bottle. Would it end if trump gone? No, he has clones.
My second concern centers on China and Russia. We are a nation of continual war, some necessary, most not. China is the enemy with its Belt & Road Initiative , hoping to eliminate US global dominance. Russia has amassed 250,000 troops on the Ukrainian border. The military has taken precedence over our diplomats.Will we be drawn in?
My first priority is equal rights. Once everyone has equal rights the other issues will fall in place. It might be overly optimistic but I think a good base is needed and to me, equal rights would be the base that is needed.
Since you mentioned it, how about white supremacy? And my contention that actual white supremacy is so rare that it needs to be invented. Or rather, hate attacks by MAGA-loving white supremacists are so scarce, they cost $3500 to stage. And the only "white supremacists" you can find to hire are black-skinned Nigerian body-builder-brothers.
I would be honored to collaborate with you on a thoughtful discussion about this, and how it relates to the other two recent cases:
The actual white-scum-racists convicted in murder of Ahmaud Arbery
The acquittal of Kyle Rittenhouse after being slandered as a white supremacist
Thanks as always for posting and allowing comments
Voting Rights are everything! Without that, nothing else matters!!! They need to be universal, not state by state; they just rig it to keep the ones they don’t like out!
Lots. Foremost is climate change. Long Island Sound will rise 6 feet by 2100. Also, the fate of our democracy, women's rights, the continuing spread of Covid, Nazi sympathizers marching in our streets and the list goes on.
As we need our rights to be strong, the filibuster rules MUST be changed asap, or most legislation and essential federal work for our nation will be obstructed; essential work will be nullified toward our creating a stronger democracy. Legislation MUST be created to prevent individuals with criminal backgrounds, questionable ties to foreign powers and unstable mental and emotional status from ever serving in the White House or Congress in the best interest of maintaining a safe, stable country. BEFORE being approved for positions, solid background checks are essential for EVERYONE, as is solid punishment when members of Congress, the President, the Administration and all Federal employees commit crimes. Immunity and pardons may need to be eliminated, as that privilege is too easy to abuse.
Electing Democrats to have clear majorities in the House and Senate. We need to stop all the Republicans who are trying to destroy our democracy (gerrymandering, voter suppression, i.e. cheating to win). Dump the electoral college so popular vote matters! Enlarge the Supreme Court so there are broader opinions to decide important issues!
Protecting voting rights, eliminating gerrymandering, protecting nonpartisan election commissions from partisan takeovers. . . Until these are addressed, everything else we care about is at risk.
On a purely personal level, securing the right to abortion tops my list. I am old enough to remember life before Roe v Wade, and it is a battle I never dreamed we would have to fight again. But here we are, and I'm angry as hell. But what MUST top my list is voting rights. Without federal measures to adequately secure every American citizen's right to cast their ballot, we are done for. It is the one thing upon which all else depends. It cannot be left up to the States. Sadly, history has shown (more than once) that individual states cannot be trusted to protect voting rights. The Federal government MUST. And even more sadly, I think it is too late.
Voting rights and fair elections
The core of the American experiment is the freedom of self determination, which is embodied in our right to choose our leaders. Voting must be protected first, because nothing else can proceed without it.
As angry as I am about the makeup of Supreme Court, the very thing that Hillary Clinton warned us about 5-6 years ago, federal legislation securing voting rights and eliminating gerrymandering still is at the very top of my list. If that is not guaranteed--in the next few months!!--it's all over for democracy in the U.S.. It will be complete government by minority rule, and every progress we have made toward becoming "a more perfect union," establishing justice, and "promoting the general welfare" will be up for grabs.
The most urgent, pressing, vital issue is voting rights and, more specifically, the ongoing attempt to replace democracy in the U.S. with authoritarianism. If that is allowed to happen, nothing else -- not Roe, not global warming, not economic stimulus, not election reform, nothing -- is going to be addressable.
Despite all the drama of this past week, my mind and heart always return to a root challenge: Democratic communication—focus, effective and repetition. How do we get the very competent Democrats to be clear, concise and relentless?
People need headlines about all the benefits they're receiving from Democratic actions. Say what you're doing to help the people. Say it briefly and concisely with action words. If the right questions are not asked at press briefings, the Press Secretary could say something like, "Who has a question about the benefits of the (fill in the blank)?" If there are no takers, then she could proceed to answer her own question so that the "note-takers" in the press corp can include the information/data. It is very frustrating to witness all the positive things that are happening and having them remain a best-kept secret, drowned out by Republican lie/memes.
In the broadest sense misogyny and racism are at the core of all the evil that goes on. The burning issue is voting rights suppression and gerrymandering , without broad participation inelections and representative legislatures every issue is infinitely harder to address.
I have a bigger and more basic concern at the moment. We as a country allowed the Supreme Court to take this turn and will result in the Roberts Court be equated with the infamous Taney and Fuller Courts of the 1800's. We are going to have to live with their decisions until two of the conservatives age out/die to help swing it back in a better balance. But in light of what happened in Michigan this week, and four young lives snuffed out, I think that is a more fundamental issue that we can and should focus on, which is providing the basic safety our children cling to and that they crave from the no man's land that schools provide. One thing I have noticed is there is not the outcry like there was with the Parkland shooting. What angers me the most is the colossal failure of all the parties involved that could have prevented it: the school administrators not doing the right thing and informing LEOS on the drawings and list(BTW I was a teacher and administrator for 33 years) or at least searching the backpack, INSISTING the parents remove the child from school (there are ways to do that), or have the student taken in custody in a clear case of child endangerment. Then there was the ineptness of the LEOs and the DA's office that led to last night's events. The least that should be done is the Biden Administration should call for a DOJ and Dept. of Education investigation into how school education codes, and state penal codes need to be revamped to provide school personnel with the tools they need stop these events from taking place. I have one question for those dimwitted parents that are fighting with school boards over the Trumped-up issues of racism, unsafe returns to schools due to COVID (masks are the bigger issue), and now schools proposing to provide mental health care for students. If we know that these are the fundamental reasons for the events taking place today on many school campuses, will it take you having your child killed, wounded, or forever scared by these events before you come to your senses and do the right thing for all if our children?
I agree with all 27 comments. My concern is he Congress that is now the enemy with in. The current Senate controls the country and hold the President sand our country hostage. The insurrection committee is constantly handcuffed by ongoing frivolous law suits, 45 and his traitorous trolled continue to spread lies about the Pandemic, holding up positive actions the President is offering to recover from the damage of the last 6 years. We must concentrate on the 2022 election and taking total control of Congress, riding our country of the enemy within. What ever it takes, we all must muscle up and get this done. Support all Blue candidates to save our Country and Democracy.🇺🇸🇺🇸
This Supreme Court spurred me grow even more protective of Women's Rights. I remember when I could not wear pants to school in the dead of winter, when I was kicked out of Shop Class because I am a girl, when I was suspended from school for defending myself against a bully because "girls don't fight, ever." My #1 charity is a Christian organization that provides and aids young girls and women to obtain legal abortions. If we let the government rule our bodies and choices again, women will find themselves second-class citizens once again. Women have fought hard for freedom, and I vow to keep up the fight for the right to rule my life and my body, just like any man in the U.S. can.
We need to unite as AMERICANS again, but I cannot visualize any uniting and healing of our country until honesty and integrity are embraced by the GOP. The cascade of lies saturates the entire party (I tend to exclude Liz Cheney because of her recent actions - I believe she is putting country over party) and everyone in leadership exudes vile hypocrisy. They prostrate themselves at the feet of an utterly incompetent, immoral, ignorant, self-centered, non-caring piece of refuse who would sell this country in a minute for a buck. They are too far gone to turn back, so I guess as others here have identified voting rights as a top issue, preserving them is the only hope we have.
I honestly don’t know how we can come together as Americans. But I do believe with all my heart that we must. We cannot continue down this road of division and hatred. There is so much work to be done, but where to start?
Voting Rights. Without it, the USA is toast.
If we don't reduce CO2 output radically, we're not going to survive on this planet. It's happening now. Some projections show 5-10 years. This is the most important issue. I also agree with all the points you've made, and those below.
Voting rights, gerrymandering & election security, women's right to choose, media focusing on accomplishments as well as seeking out divisive issues, & holding those responsible for Jan 6 accountable... especially Trump!
Is this not a free country?? I really have doubts lately our freedoms are being taken away. Voting abortion even having your own military in a state!! We need to feel free again
Voting rights bills, ending the filibuster. Teaching/coaching the democrats to act now, be bold , have courage, stop wringing hands, shooting their feet and stand up all to this bullying! Backbone. Dems need strong, repetitive optics, strong declarative media statements and start acting in the media like they matter. Then be bold and courageous with grandstanding dem senators. Call their bluff (as in Manchin/Sinema)!
Voting rights tops my list. The will of the people is captured in free and fair elections!
Everyone should listen to Trump’s hours long argument and threats to the Georgia Secretary of State to overturn the election by throwing out Democrat votes and “finding 11,861” Republican votes to understand why EVERYONE should be alarmed!!!
GOOGLE IT!
I think the issues that need to be addressed are
Protecting our Democracy & our country from the radical right
Build Back Better
Abortion
Expanding SCOTUS
Voting Rights
Major Gun Control
And get every Republican out of office.
In my personal opinion, our country has a lot of major issues to confront and everyone needs to get involved. We need our democratic leaders to be strong and fight for the issues we all believe in. It is imperative to destroy Trumpism and build a country we can all be proud of again.
GUN VIOLENCE; FIRE DEJOY, VOTING RIGHTS/SUPREME COURT; VOTING MUST BE PROTECTED; A WOMAN'S RIGHT TO CHOOSE MUST BE PROTECTED; THIS 200 YR PLUS DEMOCRACY MUST BE PROTECTED; DEM PARTY MUST GET A NEW ENERGETIC LEADER - Perez just does not cut it that's enough for now
Rosemary Graham-Gardner
16 min ago
The fight we are having now for reproductive rights is directly connected with the Fascist Christian right and this should not be under our clear Constitutional Separation of Church and State. We are NOT a Christian country. The very same kind of fascist Christians who facilitated the genocide of the native People on this soil and all over the world like in Africa with their missionaries are now going after the rights of women to their own body and that is typical of the predatory fascist Christian right...I lived all over Africa when I was a young girl and I learned about the the so-called missionaries who paved the way to colonization. The worst crimes were perpetrated against the local populations, like in Belgian Congo where they cut the hands of adults and children. Lumumba was assassinated by the Americans and directly ordered by Eisenhower! We need to fight with al our might for the keepsake of Separation of Church and State. We are a fascist country and need to change that immediately!
This morning, I awoke to the sound of a man nearby, screaming, swearing, pounding with rage on the top of his car, jabbing the air with his fist--while talking on his cell phone. This typifies one of my concerns: the callous, cruel behavior of many Americans. Perhaps in this country it started with life on the frontier where guns ruled, Indians were massacred & men were answerable to no one.Soon came slavery where people were whipped and run down by horses. After the Industrial Revolution, immigrant workers from Catholic countries encountered lives of discrimination and prejudice.
Fast forward to 2016, the president elect unleashed a torrent of vitriol. Thousands died from his disingenuous covid policy, fights ensued over vaccinations as stupidity reigned with people trusting horse medicine, adult women heckled children walking to school wearing masks, gun sales proliferated, hostility dominated school board meetings, white nationalism ascended, the Capitol was savagely attacked, school children keep dying because no one is brave enough to stop gun ownership by madmen. People felt free to do terrible things that before would have made them ashamed. The cork was out of the bottle. Would it end if trump gone? No, he has clones.
My second concern centers on China and Russia. We are a nation of continual war, some necessary, most not. China is the enemy with its Belt & Road Initiative , hoping to eliminate US global dominance. Russia has amassed 250,000 troops on the Ukrainian border. The military has taken precedence over our diplomats.Will we be drawn in?
And so, life goes on. We can hope or be hopeless.
My first priority is equal rights. Once everyone has equal rights the other issues will fall in place. It might be overly optimistic but I think a good base is needed and to me, equal rights would be the base that is needed.
Inflation
Hi Steven,
Since you mentioned it, how about white supremacy? And my contention that actual white supremacy is so rare that it needs to be invented. Or rather, hate attacks by MAGA-loving white supremacists are so scarce, they cost $3500 to stage. And the only "white supremacists" you can find to hire are black-skinned Nigerian body-builder-brothers.
I would be honored to collaborate with you on a thoughtful discussion about this, and how it relates to the other two recent cases:
The actual white-scum-racists convicted in murder of Ahmaud Arbery
The acquittal of Kyle Rittenhouse after being slandered as a white supremacist
Thanks as always for posting and allowing comments
Ric
Voting right.
Voting Rights are everything! Without that, nothing else matters!!! They need to be universal, not state by state; they just rig it to keep the ones they don’t like out!
Lots. Foremost is climate change. Long Island Sound will rise 6 feet by 2100. Also, the fate of our democracy, women's rights, the continuing spread of Covid, Nazi sympathizers marching in our streets and the list goes on.
As we need our rights to be strong, the filibuster rules MUST be changed asap, or most legislation and essential federal work for our nation will be obstructed; essential work will be nullified toward our creating a stronger democracy. Legislation MUST be created to prevent individuals with criminal backgrounds, questionable ties to foreign powers and unstable mental and emotional status from ever serving in the White House or Congress in the best interest of maintaining a safe, stable country. BEFORE being approved for positions, solid background checks are essential for EVERYONE, as is solid punishment when members of Congress, the President, the Administration and all Federal employees commit crimes. Immunity and pardons may need to be eliminated, as that privilege is too easy to abuse.
Electing Democrats to have clear majorities in the House and Senate. We need to stop all the Republicans who are trying to destroy our democracy (gerrymandering, voter suppression, i.e. cheating to win). Dump the electoral college so popular vote matters! Enlarge the Supreme Court so there are broader opinions to decide important issues!