As you dust yourself off from your holiday festivities, watching bowl games just before yet more bowl games, enjoying the well-earned satisfaction for having dodged the COVID bullet and the peace that comes from making no new year’s resolutions, we begin to end the year with three critically important topics.
1. Ode To The Justice Department
One of two key pieces needed to protect our democracy is the task of the Justice Department. We need for every one of the January 6 seditious conspirators to be prosecuted and sent to prison for their crimes. And that is most importantly about prosecuting the chief criminal, Donald Trump.
He has gotten away with flagrant violations of our laws for decades, including during his presidency, and has never faced true accountability. Yes, he’s paid some legal settlements, but he’s never faced the criminal music. Absent prosecution now, the message that there is no accountability for those high enough on the food chain will reverberate into the future and invite yet worse violations. Preventing that at the national level falls to Merrick Garland and the Justice Department.
We haven’t seen or heard much to indicate that the bad guys are being pursued, so I wrote this song for A.G. Garland. If you know him, please pass it along. It’s sung to the tune of Mrs. Robinson by Simon & Garfunkle.
Merrick Garland
.
And here’s to you, Merrick Garland,
A nation turns its frightened eyes to you,
We’re so screwed.
So hurry, please, Merrick Garland,
Justice calls on you to set things right,
From our Trump and MAGA plight.
.
We’d like to know if anything is hap’ning in this case.
We’d like to see indictments coming down.
Look around you, all you see ‘s obstruction at your door.
Charge the perps with everything they’ve done and more.
.
And here’s to you, Merrick Garland,
Gotta make the bad guys pay the price,
For their vice.
Come on now, please, Merrick Garland,
Step up to the plate and take a swing.
Pound the perps. Make it sting.
.
Hiding in his hidey place at Mar-A-Lago,
Dump him in the courtroom as defendant.
You can drag him kicking, screaming,
Crying like a kid.
Most of all he has pay for what he did.
.
Coo, coo ca-choo, Merrick Garland,
It’s your oath of office, get it done.
Jail the bums.
O’ come on, please, Merrick Garland,
Justice calls on you to set things right.
Don’t sit tight. Go and fight.
.
Sitting on a sofa eating Big Macs and his fries,
Thinking he can get away with murder.
Think about it, shout about it,
Garland, when you choose,
Stomp those guys or every one of us will lose.
.
Where have you gone, Merrick Garland?
A nation looks around but can’t find you,
Woo, woo, woo.
Here’s what we say, Merrick Garland,
Everyone wants justice rained on them.
Put ’em all in the pen.
.
“I don’t want everyone to vote.” “As a matter of fact, our [Republican] leverage in the elections. quite candidly, goes up as the voting populace goes down.” Paul Weyrich, co-founder of The Heritage Foundation and leader of voting suppression.
2. Saving Our Democracy
The second key to saving our democracy is to stop the rigging of our elections. If we’re to stop the selfish ones who want to destroy the dream of the Founders and instead want to make this an autocracy to serve themselves, we must quickly pass both voting rights bills. That’s the job of Congress and they need to put on their big boy and big girl pants, carve out a chunk of the filibuster rule and make that happen.
Those two pieces of legislation will do the critical work to reverse the anti-American voting suppression and vote rigging that allows the minority to have control they don’t deserve. Failure to pass these bills will result in a permanent undermining of the will of We The People.
So, contact your senators and demand that they pass these bills. To find them,
1. Go to this page on the senate.gov website.
2. Select your state to find your senators, then click on Contact under their pictures.
3. Say your piece in defense of our democracy. Flames coming from your words are appropriate.
There’s only one reason Republicans are entirely opposed to protecting voting rights: Americans will love their rights being protected and will credit Democrats for doing that for them. Happier Americans with voting rights will make it far more difficult for minority Republicans to get elected, so they’d rather keep Americans powerless.
That’s why the key question to candidates running in all upcoming elections is,
Are you now or have you ever been a Republican?
If the answer is yes, then the candidate is unqualified for office. Vote for whoever opposes him/her. Pass it on.
3. Our Much Maligned Economy
Yes, we have the highest inflation in 39 years. And we have a lot of shipping containers still piled up in our ports. And gas prices are higher. And the supply chain that keeps the wheels turning is still stuttering along. All true. And we and our economy have a few more things.
Overall growth in 2021 will finish at 6% and experts are predicting 4% growth for next year, the best growth in decades – better than China and the European Union – and two to three times better than Donald Trump.
The jobless rate is down from 6.2% when Biden took office to 4.2%, with 4.1 million new jobs, more than Trump and Bush II created in 12 years.
Wages are up 4%
Over 4.6 million more Americans at last have healthcare insurance.
On January 20, 2021 only 46% of schools were open. Now 99% are open.
Companies have the highest profit margins since 1950.
Gas is under $3 in 12 states and has fallen by 25 cents across the country in just the past 30 days.
99% of packages are arriving on time. So much for nothing under the Christmas tree due to supply chain issues.
The Dow remains at record high levels.
So, how come Biden’s rating for handling the economy is so low? There’s just one reason: right wingnuts are spraying negative propaganda everywhere and low information citizens don’t have the tools to wade past the tsunami of crap to see the truth.
There’s only one reason Republicans were mostly against the infrastructure bill and entirely against the Build Back Better Bill: Americans will love what happens when those programs are moving in high gear and will credit Democrats for how their lives have improved. Happier Americans will make it far more difficult for minority Republicans to get elected, so they’d rather keep Americans suffering and prevent our country from continuing international leadership.
Required Reading
I’ve wailed on Democrats for undermining other Democrats and for being wimpy, but Thom Hartmann hits the nail on the head writing about the DC press corps. This is a must read. His questions and suggestions are exactly the kinds of things I referenced in posts like this one about how Democrats have to learn to attack. And we need the press – all of the media – to focus on the national sabotage being done by Republicans, instead of wailing incessantly about Joe Manchin and Kyrsten Sindema.
So, press corps, put on your big boy and big girl pants and DO YOUR JOB!
IMPORTANT ADDITION!
If the grotesquely commercial or absurd Christmas advertising has you slightly crazy (or even if not), you absolutely must watch this ad from Dutch pharmaceutical company DocMorris. I promise that it is the best thing you’ve seen in a very long time.
The closing line is in Dutch and translates to “So that you can take care of what really matters in life.” Watch the piece, then come back here and reread that closing line.
Many thanks to friends Allen, Marty and Ozzie for pointing out this masterpiece.
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The days are dwindling for us to take action. Get up! Do something to make things better.
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JA
Copyright 2024 by Jack Altschuler
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One Response to Starting To End
David Lindgren December 27, 2021
“So, how come Biden’s rating for handling the economy is so low? There’s just one reason: right wingnuts are spraying negative propaganda everywhere and low information citizens don’t have the tools to wade past the tsunami of crap to see the truth.” That’s not all why Biden’s rating are low. WE are not promoting Biden and his administration. The media and social media, in a way like what you are doing, are addicted to disclose all the maladies and not reinforce the “good” that we are experiencing, like Jack, what you mentioned about the upside today. Everyone is adept at finding fault. That’s easy because we get “triggered”. It’s not just that we have to take downs all the crazy Republican narcissism. We need to promote the “good” which we need to keep investigating.