From the USA: the struggle for democracy and decency

This is a large set of links, so I will post it separately in the lead up to Saturday’s posting of the week’s news links - and it is significant enough to warrant this anyway:

• the USA continues to struggle:    on the one hand, there is encouragement that Senators like Bernie Sanders strive for decency (and lots of ... “everyday” people in a wide range of arenas - including YouTube, people whose efforts towards decency often does not get noticed, let alone reported, by the mainstream media)   “The government, the court system, and the church have no place interfering in the deeply personal ...”   https://youtu.be/1jOOE2ysTDE?si=_Ku8zYzM_rxWaHSP         On the other hand, the USA also has vile acts of theocracy and hate, such as the killing of Nex B - but even there, some US residents are pushing for decency - such as   “Nex Benedict, Remember Their Name”   https://youtu.be/igS6EUQNScQ?si=JcJzWDfjTvQBz6n8   and   “For Nex Benedict”   https://www.thorncoyle.com/post/for-nex-benedict         But then we also get into things like the US Supreme Court, which in my and others opinion, is biased - for their latest, see   “SCOTUS ruling: Donald Trump restored to 2024 US presidential primary ballots | SBS News”   https://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/us-supreme-court-unanimously-restores-donald-trump-to-2024-presidential-primary-ballots/2qvku6oql   ““We conclude that states may disqualify persons holding or attempting to hold state office. But states have no power under the Constitution to enforce Section 3 with respect to federal offices, especially the presidency,” the unsigned opinion for the court stated.   ...   The justices found that only Congress can enforce the provision against federal office-holders and candidates.   Though the justices unanimously agreed with the result, the court's three liberal justices, as well as conservative Justice Amy Coney Barrett, said the court's opinion decided more than what was necessary to resolve the case.   "In my judgement, this is not the time to amplify disagreement with stridency," Barrett wrote”      “Trump was wrongly removed from Colorado ballot, US supreme court rules”   https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/mar/04/trump-scotus-colorado-ruling   “The majority opinion went on to say that the only way to enforce section 3 was by specifically tailored congressional legislation to determine which individuals should be disqualified for insurrection.But Justices Amy Coney Barrett, Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan and Ketanji Brown Jackson all said that finding went beyond the scope of the case, with the liberal justices specifically saying the court was shielding insurrectionists from accountability.”      “Trump wins Colorado ballot disqualification case at US Supreme Court”   https://www.reuters.com/legal/trump-wins-colorado-ballot-disqualification-case-us-supreme-court-2024-03-04/   “In a concurring opinion, Barrett wrote that "this is not the time to amplify disagreement with stridency. The court has settled a politically charged issue in the volatile season of a presidential election. Particularly in this circumstance, writings on the court should turn the national temperature down, not up," Barrett wrote.   "For present purposes, our differences are far less important than our unanimity: All nine Justices agree on the outcome of this case. That is the message Americans should take home," Barrett added.”      “US Supreme Court unanimously rules Trump can remain on 2024 ballot”   https://www.france24.com/en/americas/20240304-us-supreme-court-unanimously-rules-trump-remain-2024-ballot-usa-repubicans   “The US Supreme Court on Monday unanimously restored Donald Trump to 2024 presidential primary ballots, rejecting state attempts to hold the Republican former president accountable for the Capitol riot.”      “Trump's Supreme Court Takeaways: His legal peril is just starting | AP News”   https://apnews.com/article/supreme-court-trump-colorado-ballot-2390f3204e3ecaad3c617f9db0ff9d2e   “... it may open the door to further electoral uncertainty, exposing more state officials to disqualification under the provision and setting up a constitutional showdown should Trump win the election.   Facing four separate criminal trials, Trump’s legal peril may just be beginning. So is the Supreme Court’s role in that process.”      “US Supreme Court rules Trump can remain on 2024 primary ballots | US Election 2024 News | Al Jazeera”   https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2024/3/4/us-supreme-court-rules-trump-can-remain-on-2024-primary-ballots   “The 14^th Amendment bars people from holding US office, including the presidency, if they “have engaged in insurrection or rebellion against the same, or given aid or comfort to the enemies thereof”.”      “US Supreme Court restores Trump to Colorado ballot”   https://www.dw.com/en/us-supreme-court-restores-trump-to-colorado-ballot/a-68436325   “The verdict of the highest court in the United States ends efforts in Colorado, Illinois, Maine and elsewhere to keep Trump off the ballot.”      “Unanimous US Supreme Court decision favours Trump”   https://www.thenewdaily.com.au/news/2024/03/05/colorado-supreme-court-donald-trump      “Donald Trump wins US Supreme Court fight to remain on ballots ahead of Super Tuesday primaries”   https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-03-05/trump-wins-us-supreme-court-ballot-colorado/103545028         The sort of flawed procedural planning and allowances in constitutions and legislation that this decisions - and a host of others in the USA - shows up also applies to many other nations - including mine (Australia), which has an unhealthy and, in view of Trump’s actions on 6^th January, 2020 and recently, dangerous reliance on conventions ... (also shown by The  Dismissal, and other  problems  with our constitutional monarchy)     Notably, the US Supreme Court’s judgement did NOT reverse the Colorado Supreme Court’s finding that Trump is an “oath breaking insurrectionist” - and he was referred to as such multiple times in the minority opinion, and other key arguments by Trump’s team were ignored: see   “Lawrence: History will remember SCOTUS calling Trump an 'oathbreaking insurrectionist'”   https://youtu.be/C2Y1J-9ej-k?si=uNB4-y6K3eFW9ufn   and   “US supreme court ‘erred badly’ with Trump ruling, leading US historian says”   https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/mar/05/us-supreme-court-trump-ruling   and   “Section 3 Disqualification Answers—and Many More Questions | Lawfare”   https://www.lawfaremedia.org/article/section-3-disqualification-answers-and-many-more-questions   This is a long reaad which comprehensively analyses and explains the decision - including some unclear areas      see also   https://www.youtube.com/post/UgkxMdJ0v1GYg0IfLhRDmlb7qLu60ofdViBa          Also,   “Trump empire wobbles as the ‘king of debt’ can’t pay his legal bills: Melber report - YouTube”   https://youtu.be/oiPU6tY29SY?si=ZBMb08SSeS4uHQhr      The appalling nature of right wingers in the USA - and their disturbing power in the conservative party there - is shown by:   “Far-right candidates see Super Tuesday wins at traditional Republicans’ expense”   https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/mar/06/super-tuesday-mark-robinson-far-right   “Marjorie Taylor Greene lashes out as UK reporter asks about conspiracy theories”   It was good to see a journo holding MTG to account   https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2024/mar/06/marjorie-taylor-greene-emily-maitlis-interview   “MAGA “Pastor” Makes ABSURD and OFFENSIVE Claims - YouTube”   https://youtu.be/gOdvbD_15fI?si=zbGaOXCPwzAnbZmc   “‘They’re voting on race’: What’s really driving evangelicals to Trump | Super Tuesday - YouTube”   https://youtu.be/_aPEZHYWegw?si=jiDwO4X4IFhTF2Su   and also   “‘A National Security Disaster’: Intel officials sound the alarm of danger of a second Trump term - YouTube”   https://youtu.be/f41t35MD3MU?si=fdqZGR78DowdIV80         but on the other hand,   US residents aka “Americans are far more decent than the government representing them”   https://youtu.be/6SzXuKNP3nA?si=rBVZe4qMf2_LN0sm  

 

Assumptions / basis 

In writing this, I have assumed / started from the following: 

• this blog states quite clearly that it is about political and human rights matters, including lived experience of problems, and thus I will assume readers are reasonable people who have noted the content warning in the post header;

Possible flaws 

Where I can, I will try to highlight possible flaws / issues you should consider:

• there may be flawed logical arguments in the above: to find out more about such flaws and thinking generally, I recommend Brendan  Myers’ free online course “Clear and Present Thinking”; 
  
• I could be wrong - so keep your thinking caps on, and make up your own minds for yourself.
  

 

If they are of any use of interest, the activism information links from my former news posts are available in this post. 

 

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Remember: we need to be more human being rather than human doing, and all misgendering is an act of active transphobia/transmisia that puts trans+ lives at risk & accept that all insistence on the use of “trans” as a descriptor comes with commensurate use of “cis” as a descriptor to prevent “othering”.

Copyright © Kayleen White 2016-2024     NO AI   I do not consent to any machine learning aka Artificial Intelligence (AI), generative AI, large language model, machine learning, chatbot, or other automated analysis, generative process, or replication program to reproduce, mimic, remix, summarise, or otherwise  replicate any part of this post or other posts on this blog via any means. Typo’s may be inserrted deliberately to demonstrate this is not an AI product.     Otherwise, fair and reasonable use is accepted under Creative Commons 4.0 on an Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike basis   https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/