It's Been A Long Ten Years

Given the events of the past decade, I thought I should check in to see if I still have any followers... and if so, to probably alienate them.

It has been an eventful ten years since my last post in 2012.

The Republican Party is off the rails. I never was a Republican (as readers will no doubt recall) but often voted for them. As it stands now, I wouldn't vote for a Republican for dogcatcher. The TEA Party and then Donald Trump tore the heart out of the conservative movement and replaced it with tribalism (a trend already in progress when I semi-regularly posted here, to my dismay both then and now) and a reactionary instinct akin to the very ideologies I dedicated my political life to opposing throughout my young adulthood. In short, I look at the Republican Party today and I see the beginnings of fascism.

This is a serious charge, and I make it in utmost seriousness. (I also know that I'm far from the first, and that I used to make fun of people who called us fascists at protest crashes with PW circa 2005. I look back and wonder if they maybe had a point, even then.)

The TEA Party made opposition to the Obama administration dogmatic and reflexive, rather than issues-based, something I noted in my last post. It has gotten worse since. Donald Trump has been undermining our elections since shortly after his first run, baselessly alleging fraud and attacking election workers and administrators. As readers may recall, I was a poll worker myself in the 2008 primary. I have served in that capacity (never again as inspector, but several turns as both clerk and judge) many times since, and I can assure the reader of one thing: It is impossible to steal an election at the precinct level. We keep constant tally, and their are both Democrats and Republicans in the room, either of whom would scream bloody murder if the others tried to tamper with the votes - and everyone who signs up to work the polls (at least until recently, thanks to Trump) is committed to the democratic process and would do no such thing to begin with. Now we're under threat - both physical danger for poll workers because of Trump's lie that we stole the election (I'm in less danger than some because Trump unfortunately won my state, but I feel for election workers in Georgia and Arizona), and in terms of the integrity of future elections, with would-be officials running for positions that oversee elections with an eye towards putting a thumb on the scale next time. I solemnly swear I will continue to serve and do my duty to the utmost to ensure that does not happen, but the power of a precinct judge is extremely limited in the face of a crooked Secretary of State, should such a person be elected.

Needless to say, this sort of behavior does not behoove a party that purports to be loyal to the Constitution and the Republic. But there's more. Donald Trump, while in office, subverted and obstructed justice, committed gross abuses of office, and attempted to use the power of the Presidency to extract favors and quash oversight. He did everything he could to obstruct the Mueller probe, as the Department of Justice memo released today reminds us. He attempted to withhold military aid duly appropriated by Congress from Ukraine to extort President Zelensky to announce a sham investigation of his election opponent, with consequences we see today. Volumes can be, and have been, filled with other misdeeds by the former President, so not to belabor them, we'll get to the big one.

The Capitol insurrection. When I rallied with Protest Warrior, I thought the people we were counterprotesting were misguided, but with few exceptions I never believed them disloyal or traitors. But on January 6th, 2021, the then-sitting President of the United States unleashed a mob - a mob he knew was armed - on the United States Capitol, urging them to stop the certification of an election he had duly lost and egging them on against his own loyal Vice President, who to his credit did his Constitutional duty despite first pressure and then threats by the President. Trump only called off his dogs when it was clear the gambit had failed. For some time it appeared that they might succeed, but to the credit and through the sacrifices of the Capitol Police no members of Congress were caught. Bare yards separated Vice President Pence from a howling mob screaming for his head. It could have been much worse than it was. It failed, but I fear that unless serious consequences are levied soon it may occupy the same place in our history that the Beer Hall Putsch does in Germany's.

And in the failure of his scheme, Trump has been laying the groundwork for the next one. He has endorsed candidates for office who pound on the lie of a stolen election - and many are now nominated for positions that will let them at least try to steal elections. After all, if you believe the only way you could lose is fraud, why would you not "correct" the vote when you lose, if you can?

Meanwhile, despite the chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan, President Biden is still pursuing the interests of security and democracy abroad, killing Al Qaeda's leader (funny how Republican Presidents since 9/11 haven't managed to pull that off, but both Democratic Presidents since have) and supplying Ukraine's defense against Russia's naked attempt at conquest (which Trump, I reiterate, held hostage in the interests of coercing foreign aid in his own reelection campaign).

Ironic as it might be coming from a blog with this one's record, I call on all readers to vote for Democrats. Until the Republican Party comes to its senses, if it can, we cannot afford it to be anywhere near the levers of power. Our very republic is at stake.

This may well be my final entry into this blog, simply because it's an obsolete if not dying format, but I had to get that off my chest in it lest the views I held in my 20s define it forever. We shall see.

Arlen Specter switches parties

Wall Street Journal, MSNBC

Well, the news broke barely five minutes before I started writing this (hey, I think that's a new record on me covering something in this space), and already the wailing and gnashing of teeth has begun. Senator Arlen Spector, R-Pennsylvania is now Senator Arlen Specter, D-Pennsylvania, and I saw the complaints starting even before I had read enough to be able to open this tab and write about it.

My analysis: This is powerful symbolism, but ultimately it doesn't matter in practical legislative terms. Cloture will remain the same as it was before; Specter won't suddenly vote down every Republican filibuster because he's now registered as a Democrat. If he'd have done it before, he'd do it now, and if he wouldn't have, he won't. It really just doesn't change anything.

I really don't have a whole lot more to add, but thought I'd better get my (very small) voice of reason in anyway. Beyond the political ruckus, I don't care who's got what letter behind his name in media reports on Congress. Our representatives and Senators are individuals, and should be judged and elected as such. I know that's not what happens, thanks to both the primary system and the large proportion of the electorate who simply vote their party line when it comes time to go to the ballot box, but hey, I can dream.

Muslim lawmaker to take oath of office on the Qur'an

Ireland Online, USA Today

To summarize: Keith Ellison, newly elected to Congress and soon to be the first Muslim to take high federal office in the United States, wishes to take his oath of office on his own holy book, the Qur'an, rather than the Christian Bible. For this, he has come under fire from Dennis Prager, a conservative columnist and talk radio host.

For this, I have to say that Mr. Prager is, with all due respect, manufacturing a controversy where none should exist. His Townhall column, which may be found here, appears to be simple pandering to his normal audience. At least, that's what I should hope it is; I would hate to think that someone in his position should be so profoundly ignorant of his own country's actual laws.

Because yes, not only would requiring a lawmaker to swear in on the Bible be unconstitutional; it is factually incorrect to say that it is so in the first place. Several points:

First and foremost, the Free Exercise Clause of the Constitution guarantees religious liberty without interference from the government for all citizens, even Congressmen.

Secondly, the oath taken is to uphold the Constitution, not the Bible. What the oath-taker's hand is on doesn't change the nature of the oath. If it did, officials would be sworn in on a copy of the Constitution, which I think would be a better idea anyway.

Thirdly, forcing someone to take an oath on a book he does not care about would, if anything, cause the oath to have less effect; traditionally, to swear upon something is binding upon the oathtaker to give that thing up should he break the oath; hence swearing on one's honor. Symbolically, forcing Representative Ellison to swear on the Bible would mean he was saying that he would give up the Christian faith if the oath were broken. Since he has already done this (he converted to Islam from Catholicism), such an oath would mean nothing to him, and have no hold on him whatsoever. This is the last thing that someone who wishes to see an oath fulfilled should want.

Lastly, and most damaging to Prager's assertions, Congressmen are not sworn in on any book whatsoever, Bible or otherwise. Newly elected and reelected Senators and Congressmen simply raise their right hands in unison and swear to uphold the Constitution in a summary mass swearing-in. They can bring in any book to swear on that they wish, or none if they don't wish to swear on a book. The occasional photographs that one sees of a Congressman being "sworn in" on a large Bible by another official are simply photo-ops; they pose for the picture and are done, the official swearing-in having already been accomplished in the House chamber.

Therefore, this is all much ado about nothing. Representative Ellison can bring his Qur'an to the ceremony if he pleases, and there isn't anything anyone can do about it, not that anyone should. He is free to exercise his religion as he sees fit while serving in Congress as long as it does not interfere with his duties as a Congressman, and those duties do not include swearing in on the Holy Bible.

Incidentally, it shouldn't: The Bible itself forbids the taking of oaths.

Charlie Rangel introduces draft bill, AGAIN

International Herald-Tribune

Well, dear ol' Congressman Rangel's at it again, putting a bill to reinstate the military draft before Congress. How this man keeps getting reelected in Manhattan, of all places, would be just beyond me, were it not for one factor: Tom DeLay, as Speaker of the House, actually scheduled Rangel's 2004 draft bill for a vote right before the election, the only way one of them would ever make it out of committee. Faced with the prospect of a vote on his own bill, Rangel did the only thing he could do: Show his true colors and vote against it.

Yep, Rangel doesn't want a draft, unlike Jack Murtha and Pete Straw, the only Congresscritters to actually vote in favor. It's a cheap political trick that he uses to try and get people to think that the Republicans are going to institute a draft. (Incidentally, Murtha and Straw, along with Rangel, are Democrats.) And it's worked like a charm; constant draft bills in the House keep frantic anti-draft groups operating and, in most cases, throwing money at Democratic candidates. (Mothers Against the Draft is one such group that I have something of a history with.)

In the end analysis, I can only say one thing to Mr. Rangel: Go to hell.

On a personal note, sorry for the lack of posts recently. I lost my job in October and am still looking for a new one.

And I should add that spambots are not welcome on this blog. So far there only seems to be one, but if the problem persists I'll just have to turn on registration.