I saw the film of the attack of the 65-year-old Asian woman in New York. It is hard to watch-the attacker kicks her head, and again, and again.
What is equally sickening is that three men watched the attack and did nothing. How can you stand by and watch that and do nothing? I do not understand it.
The latest issue of the Atlantic contains an article by Shadi Hamid about the “American Creed.” “Creed,” of course, is a religious term, but Hamid explains that the belief in citizenship in the U.S. is almost religious.
He said that when he recently returned to America from a trip abroad, the customs official at the airport in Virginia stamped his passport and said, “Welcome home.” He quotes a Bangladeshi author, Zia Haider Rahman, a British citizen, who wrote, “If an immigration officer at Heathrow had ever said ‘Welcome home’ to me, I would have given my life for England, for my country, there and then. I could kill for an England like that.”
Other countries aren’t like our country. You can live in Germany for years, learn the language, eat the food, and yet you will not be “German.” On the other hand, you can come from any country in the world, and you can become American, one of us. African, Asian, Muslim, Jew, Hmong, Buddhist, Korean–doesn’t matter. You become American.
That’s precious. That’s wonderful. And anyone who doesn’t accept that fact is, unfortunately, not a real American.
Here is the 8th Amendment in its entirety: “Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted.”
Today I read about a man in Florida who spent 18 years in solitary confinement (no windows, no contact) for a crime he committed when he was 13.
If James Madison came back, I think he would say, “What part of cruel and unusual don’t you understand.” A punishment like that is not what a civilized country does. This is unacceptable.
Let’s say I was angry about the way Georgia was treating its voters, and I wanted to sue the state on their behalf. The courts would throw out my suit because I didn’t have “standing.” Since the law didn’t affect me, I wouldn’t have a legal right to sue.
In the November 2020 election the voters of Orange County, Florida, voted to amend their county charter to grant rights to the Econlockhatchee and Wekiva Rivers. The Right to Clean Water Charter Amendment declared that “all Citizens of Orange County have a right to clean water.” lt also declared that the county’s waterways have a “right to exist, flow, to be protected against pollution, and to maintain a healthy ecosystem.”\
In other words, the rivers of Orange County now have “standing” in the legal system.
If the U.S. Supreme Court can declare that corporations are “people” for legal purposes, why can’t rivers have the same rights?
Information for this post is from Rebecca Renner, “Rights for a River,” Sierra, (March-April 2021), pp. 18-19.
An article in the New York Times today said that the extreme right had moved from “stop the steal” to fighting the vaccine. The right-wing media is explaining how harmful the vaccines are, how they are not effective, how they are a left wing conspiracy. Many are refusing to be vaccinated.
Perhaps I am being mean here, but I think that kind of behavior among the extreme right should be encouraged, especially since I’ve had my two shots.
The Georgia legislature passed and the governor signed a bill to make it illegal to give water and food to people waiting in line to vote. They also charged a state legislator with two felonies for knocking on the door of the office of the governor to protest the bill. Here are more actions they could take if they are really serious about this.
It is illegal to hold an umbrella if you are waiting in line to vote in the rain.
All voters must be fingerprinted before voting.
All voters must submit to a Covid test using one of those long swabs they stick up your nose.
Random voters will be pulled out of the line and strip-searched.
Only people with stage five cancer may apply for an absentee ballot.
Anyone questioning the actions of the Georgia government will be charged with incitement to riot, sedition, and terroristic threats.
Democrats are forbidden from voting.
My friend Tom finished pruning our mulberry tree and the apple tree today. He had already pruned the paw-paws, the apricot, and the quince. Today some daffodils popped open. The grass is getting green. The day lilies by the mailbox have pushed out their green spears. Yesterday we had a female yellow-headed blackbird at our feeder, a rare bird east of the Mississippi. Linda and I picked up four and a half bags of trash along Pohopoco Drive. And tonight the spring peepers began their nightly chorus. It doesn’t get any better.
