Civil Liberties

Donald Trump Has Declared War On Supreme Court And Other Federal Courts’ Authority!

Ronald 60 Comments

The nation is reaching a crucial turning point, as Donald Trump has attacked the seven members of the Supreme Court, who have ruled that he cannot use the Alien Enemies Act of 1798 to deport immigrants without habeus corpus and due process.

Trump is ranting on Truth Social about this, and he and his MAGA Republican supporters have also unleashed attacks against District Court Judges and Appeals Court Judges who have ruled against his policies regarding deportation.

Chief Justice John Roberts has also made clear how disturbed he is at the attacks on the rule of law and the Constitution, as has Associate Justices Ketanji Brown Jackson, Elena Kagan, Sonia Sotomayor, and even Trump appointed Amy Coney Barrett.

The fact that all three Trump Supreme Court nominees, including Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh, along with Barrett, have voted against him, and that some of the District and Appeals Court Judges who have done so, are Reagan, George H W Bush, George W Bush, and even some Trump appointees, is an indication of great alarm in the judicial branch about Trump’s grabbing of power and attacks on the validity and legitimacy of the courts!

It looks as if Trump and his Cabinet officers, particularly Attorney General Pam Bondi, Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem, Immigration and Customs Enforcement Director Thomas Homan, and White House Adviser Stephen Miller, are hell bent on breaking the law and the Constitution, and refusing to obey the federal courts.

This is, if not stopped, a full scale attack on civil liberties, the Bill of Rights, and endangers all Americans, that any excuse could be used, without evidence or investigation, leading to massive deportations to foreign dictatorships beyond just El Salvador, with no appeal or ability to reverse such totalitarian, Fascist actions!

Arrest Of Newark, New Jersey Mayor A Danger Sign On Civil Liberties Violations!

Ronald 1 Comment

The arrest of Newark, New Jersey Mayor Ras Baraka for “trespassing” at a new Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) facility on Friday is a danger sign and alarm bell for the future of Civil Liberties and the Bill of Rights!

The totally horrendous Stephen Miller, White House Deputy Chief of Staff For Policy and Homeland Security Adviser to Donald Trump, is threatening that the writ of habeus corpus, guaranteed to everyone in the nation, not just citizens but all people in the country, might be suspended is a horrifying threat to the future of the American Republic.

Claiming an “invasion” by immigrants, which is not so, and with no declaration of war, is a massive abuse of the Constitution, and the federal courts, and specifically, the Supreme Court, needs to intervene expeditiously and prevent any such edict!

250th Anniversary Of American Revolution, And America Faces Existential Crisis Worse Than Civil War, Great Depression, And World War II! :(

Ronald 30 Comments

Tomorrow, April 19, 1775, saw the first shots of the American Revolution!

This is the beginning of celebrations, which in less than 15 months, will be the celebration of the Declaration of Independence.

There is much to celebrate about the accomplishment of independence and the establishment of a democracy with a Constitution and Bill of Rights that made American a beacon for the world of what is possible when good intentions prevail!

But sadly, America faces an existential crisis, the greatest since the Civil War, the Great Depression, and World War II!

However, as tragic as those events were, America was fortunate to have two great Presidents, Abraham Lincoln and Frenklin D. Roosevelt, to follow the masterful statesmanship of George Washington to resolve these major moments of challenge to the rule of law.

But now, we have an existential crisis with the return to the Presidency of the most dangerous, unethical, and corrupt Chief Executive the nation has ever faced, and presenting massive challenge to the economic stability, the civil liberties, and the international role of America, which is being upended daily by Donald Trump, and his minions, his sycophants, who have no concern other than their own aggrandizement!

As a scholar and professor, who has just retired from the classroom, but will continue to give lectures to senior citizens and other adults, and also continue to express his views on this blog, the present and future are extremely alarming.

There is a sense of foreboding as to whether the American Republic and democracy will survive the onslaught against the basic principles enunciated 250 years ago, and reasserted 85-90 years later in the Civil War Era, and then again 70-80 years later in the Great Depression and World War II Era!

All good, decent people must be willing to speak out and challenge any attempt to stifle freedom and advocate support of totalitarian ideologies, as the present Administration is in the process of working to accomplish!

Attack On Universities And Freedom Of Inquiry: Discrimination Against Foreign Students!

Ronald 22 Comments

The Donald Trump Administration has declared war on freedom of inquiry on college and university campuses, and have arrested and plan to deport foreign students on visas who have expressed criticism of the Israel-Gaza War, which has killed over 50,000 Palestinians, a vast majority being women and children, NOT Hamas terrorists. The government is claiming that these students expressing their views are a threat to national security.

This author and blogger agrees that Hamas is a terrorist organization, responsible for the deaths of 1,200 Israelis on October 7, 2023, the greatest loss of Jewish lives since the Nazi Holocaust of World War II, which murdered close to 6 million Jews in Europe.

One can consider Hamas reprehensible, and consider the right of a strong response to that horrendous massacre nearly 18 months ago. But with the continued assault and lack of concern about the loss of innocent Palestinian lives with no sign of ending, the fact that people of conscience and principle might speak out or write against the continued tragedy, should not be grounds for arrest and deportation for expression of their freedom of speech.

If violence takes place, that is a different story, but there is no indication that foreign students who have been detained and sent to a Louisiana ICE Prison facility, have indeed been engaged in more than their constitutional rights to the First Amendment rights of freedom of speech, press, and assembly, with all who are living in the United States being entitled to such rights. The late Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia had stated that such was the case.

The use of the Alien Enemies Act of 1798 had not been used since World War II, and has only been used three times in a situation of declarations of war, which is not the case presently.

So Secretary of State Marco Rubio has abused his power to order arrests based solely on the Alien Enemies Act of 1798 and the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1952 during the Red Scare “McCarthyism” Era, and reinforced in updating of the law in 1988. Again, Scalia had so declared his belief that these laws went too far!

Stephen Miller, Tom Homan And Tattoos: Venezulean Refugees Sent To El Salvador Without Any Due Process: Authoritarianism Run Rampant! :(

Ronald 13 Comments

Donald Trump has just done one of the most abusive, anti constitutional actions imaginable!

Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) under the monstrous, dictatorial Tom Homan, and assisted by equally horrendous Stephen Miller, has sent a few hundred Venezuelan immigrants to horrid prisons in El Salvador, one of the most oppressive regimes on the planet, but often ignored, because of its small population and limited news coverage worldwide.

These Venezuelan refugees are said to be members of a violent Venezuelan gang that committed massive crimes in locations in New York and Colorado, and have been declared “terrorists” by Donald Trump, with him using the Alien Enemies Act of 1798 for the first time since Japanese internment in detention camps during World War II!

There are many problems with this action, including the fact that the Alien Enemies Act is to be used only in wartime, and we are not at war, except maybe in the mind of Trump, Homan, Miller, and their ilk.

Also, none of these Venezuelan immigrants had their day in court; have not been charged with any crimes specifically; have not had legal representation and ability to defend against any charges; and fundamentally, have not been given due process!

This is authoritarianism at its worst, as this kind of lawlessness could, in theory, be used against any critic in any area of American life, not just supposedly Venezuelan gang members, who all, supposedly have identifying tattoos!

Already, there are cases of individuals whose family members in America have said they are NOT members of a gang, and even if they have tattos, they are not gang related tattoos.

If we are going to assert that anyone with a tattoo of any kind is to be deported to a foreign government that is authoritarian and accepts money from the US to house and mistreat people who have been in the United States, based on lack of evidence of having committed a crime, then ALL of America is in danger, just for being opposed to our President who wants absolute power without limits!

When one realizes that it has been stated that 58 percent of the American people have some kind of tattoo, and even if the number is lower than that, that means we are faced with the greatest threat imaginable in American history!

It means we have a lawless government which can arrest and deport anyone on any grounds without due process to a horrendous foreign dictatorship that will deny them basic human rights without any accountability!

This situation cannot be allowed to stand, and the federal judge in Washington, DC, Chief Judge James Boasberg, who is demanding facts and information and accountability, is now being threatened with impeachment, and condemnation for standing up for the rule of law under the US Constitution.

This is a cause that goes beyond these Venezuelan refugees, as it is a stepping stone to anyone becoming a potential victim.

There is the old saying that was used about Nazi Germany, that when the government came for the Socialists, no one cared, and when they came for the gypsies, no one cared, and when they came for the labor union workers, no one cared, and when they came for the Jews, no one cared. But then, they would come for YOU, and there was no one left to care about YOU!

This is a fight that must be taken in earnest by large crowds marching and demonstrating, and by courageous judges, including Chief Justice John Roberts, who has condemned Donald Trump’s attack on the DC Chief Judge James Boasberg, and also by courageous journalists, and just decent people, who will not sit by and remain silent!

This IS a moment of reckoning for the future of American democracy, and no one can remain on the sidelines!

Concern That Donald Trump Will, At Some Point, Invoke Insurrection Act Of 1807 Against Freedom Of Assembly!

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There is growing concern that President Donald Trump, who has been on a rampage of asserting power and authority in his first five weeks in office in his second term, will, at some point, when public opposition becomes more fierce, decide to invoke the Insurrection Act of 1807.

But the Posse Comitatus Act of 1878 bans military force being used within the nation, except for the Army National Guard or the Air National Guard, but those only within a state’s boundaries. This law has been updated in 1956, 1981, and 2021.

The most recent use of the Insurrection Act was in 1992, at the time of the Los Angeles Riots.

Does anyone really trust that Donald Trump would not violate these laws in an inappropriate manner if demonstrations become, in his mind, too burdensome to deal with peacefully?

This could lead to bloodshed and violence in the streets of America, and with MAGA Republicans backing their President, could evolve into a form of civil war.

The Bill of Rights is under attack in so many ways, and anarchy and chaos brought about by mass firings of government civil servants will start to affect not just those workers, but the general public.

Already, there have been some town halls in Republican Congressional Districts, causing discomfort and stress for those officeholders, and leading to recommendations from Republican leadership in the House of Representatives to reject future town halls, and ignore the growing outcry of public opinion outrage.

With Trump rejecting the close association with traditional democratic nation in Europe; with our neighbors Canada and Mexico; and with Asian nations, including Japan, South Korea, Australia and New Zealand; international affairs are much more stressed, and the instability endangers the political and social climate in America.

Difficult days are ahead and some news media are, seemingly, kowtowing to Donald Trump, an alarm bell in the night, as only keeping a free and critical media can inspire the survival of American democracy!

Civil Liberties of Speech And Press Under Attack By Trump!

Ronald 2 Comments

It is extremely alarming that Donald Trump is mounting an attack on the basic civil liberties of the First Amendment, freedom of speech and freedom of the press.

Trump has launched lawsuits against major news organizations, both print and electronic, and major players in social media, including Mark Zuckerberg of Facebook most prominently, are bowing to Trump, and agreeing to stop monitoring the truth level of published material, afraid otherwise of being prosecuted.

And the Washington Post publisher, Jeff Bezos, who is also owner of Amazon, would not allow an endorsement of Kamala Harris by the journalism staff, and the same with the Los Angeles Times.

The most powerful and wealthy oligarchs of technology, including Zuckerberg, Bezos, and Elon Musk, also the three wealthiest billionaires in the world, are sacrificing the freedoms of all of us for their own selfish, and ego centered protection.

So Disinformation is now in, propaganda and lies, rather than truth telling, a very dangerous move toward authoritarianism!

June 27 Presidential Debate Most Important Ever Held!

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We are six days away from the most important Presidential debate in American history.

Presidential debates took place in 1960, and then every four years since 1976.

But none have mattered as much as the upcoming debate between President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump.

This is the first time two Presidents, with one being a former President trying to return to office, have competed for the Oval Office since 1892, when President Benjamin Harrison was challenged by former President Grover Cleveland, who went on to defeat him decisively, but with no debates in that era.

Why is this the most important Presidential debate ever in our history?

Because Donald Trump represents a dire threat to the American Constitution, the rule of law, American Democracy, and to world peace and stability.

Donald Trump is a threat to women, African Americans, all immigrant groups, Civil Liberties and Civil Rights, Health care, gun regulations, the environment, labor rights, federal government agencies, the federal judiciary, military stability, Intelligence Agencies, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, all other international organizations, the potential of nuclear war, and every other imaginable group or issue.

Trump had the most corrupt Presidency by far in American history, and the danger is that the people he brings in would wield tremendous power, and have evil intentions, much of which could occur even without his personal knowledge and support, even more so as his mind deteriorates, and he is manipulated by them.

Senator Dianne Feinstein: A Massively Significant Figure For Three Decades!

Ronald 2 Comments

California and the nation have lost a massively significant figure in US Senate History, in the three decades contribution of Democratic Senator Dianne Feinstein, who passed away yesterday at the age of 90.

One of only three Jewish women to have served in the US Senate, and the longest serving woman Senator in American history, Feinstein was a very significant force on many issues, including gun control, national security, civil liberties, the environment, and many other issues, and knew how to work across the aisle with Republicans.

She was also the longest serving California Senator, sadly going into rapid decline in the past year, which made many observers think she should resign, but she refused to do so.

She became only the fifth Senator to reach the age of 90 in office, joining Strom Thurmond (100), Theodore Green (93), Robert Byrd (92) and Carl Hayden (91), and Chuck Grassley has just reached the age of 90 this month, as the sixth Senator to reach 90 in office.

She was Chair of the Senate Rules Committee and the Senate Intelligence Committee at different times, and had been Mayor of San Francisco after the assassination of Mayor George Moscone in 1978, making gun regulation her most lasting commitment, and promoting the Assault Weapons Ban passed in 1994, but allowed to expire in 2004!

When the history of the Senate in the late 20th century and early 21st century is written, she will shine as a major star for her impact on American history!

60th Anniversary Of March On Washington: Need For Renewal Of That Effort!

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Today, 60 years after the famous March on Washington in 1963, and the legendary speech by the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther, King Jr. calling for justice and basic civil rights for African Americans and other discriminated groups, we are having a commitment to restore the civil rights that are under attack in recent years by the US Supreme Court, the Republican Party, and extreme right wing forces.

It is expected that about 100,000 people will participate in today’s commemoration in Washington, DC, as compared to the 250,000 who did so on August 28, 1963.

The struggle against forces that have taken away the right to vote requires a new national commitment to restoring the weakened Voting Rights Act of 1965.

And the open racism and nativism and misogyny promoted by Donald Trump and his minions must be fought tooth and nail through lawsuits, marches, and demonstrations against state governments that are limiting basic human rights, with Florida, Texas, Tennessee, and Alabama in the leadership of setting American rights and freedoms in the wrong direction!