Supreme Court

“Democratic Socialists Of America” Platform Preposterous And Unachievable!

Ronald 9 Comments

This author and blogger is proud to call himself a “progressive”, and has always admired political leaders who promote “liberal” values and ideas.

At the same time, this author and blogger has never believed in so called “Democratic Socialism” as an agenda, while at times, admiring individuals, such as Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont, for his humanity and idealism.

But this author and blogger never believed Sanders was the proper person to lead the Democratic Party as a Presidential candidate.

But recently, with the victory of Zohran Mamdani as NYC Mayor, and a few congressional candidates being of the “Democratic Socialist” variety, the thought has been the issue of whether this movement within the Democratic Party was practical and realistic.

We have the possibility of Abdul El Sayed winning the Senate nomination in Michigan, and Francesca Hong winning the Wisconsin Gubernatorial nomination, in the coming few weeks.

But many are concerned that if these two candidates win, the Republicans will gain the edge to win in November, a fear that this author and blogger has.

And when one examines the platform of the DSA, it is clear that it is unrealistic and even dangerous to imagine an America governed by their philosophy.

The DSA is clearly not “Communism’ as Donald Trump and other Republicans are claiming, but their ideas are too extreme and unwise, and if adopted, would lead to massive destruction of the Democratic Party.

The DSA platform supports the following “crazy” ideas:

Abolish the US Senate
Abolish the Supreme Court
Abolish the Presidency as we know it, and the Electoral College
Allow the Congress (House of Representatives only) to govern and control the other branches of government
Defunding the Department of Defense, and withdrawing from all military bases around the world
Amnesty for all immigrants and abolition of ICE
Support For Palestinians and Hostility Toward Israel
32 hour work week, a living minimum wage, and paid family leave
Tuition free public education through college
Publicly Owned Housing and Universal Rent Control
Medicare For All and Universal Healthcare
Public Ownership of Corporations
Aggressive Wealth Taxes on the Rich and Corporations
Promotion of Labor Unions and Worker Rights
Environmental Green New Deal

While movement forward on the work week and labor unions; education; housing; health care; more taxes on the rich and corporations; and environmental reforms, can be promoted, the remainder of the ideas listed above are preposterous and unachievable.

Abolishing the government as we know it is not going to happen, and would require a new Constitutional Convention, that could lead, in theory, to a more right wing extremist government, instead of what is proposed.

The Department of Defense and ICE will continue, although the policies pursued need to be reformed so that there is the end of abuses now being perpetrated.

Also, the United States will continue to support the safety and survival of the state of Israel, while being able to be critical of the government of Benjamin Netanyahu and its policies toward the Palestinians.

The Founding Fathers created a form of government, that while not perfect, has overall done quite well in moving the nation forward “toward a more perfect union”, and the Presidency of Donald Trump is a short term derailment of their goals, but will, with public support, be overcome.

Nancy Pelosi Greatest Woman In American Political History, And Among Top Few Speakers Of The House!

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California Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi, former Speaker of the House (2007-2011) and (2019-2023) has announced her retirement at the end of the present term in 2026, after nearly 40 years in the House of Representatives.

There is no way that anyone can deny that Nancy Pelosi is the greatest woman in American political history for anyone elected, as only a few First Ladies (Eleanor Roosevelt, Hillary Clinton, Michelle Obama) even come close in influence, and also Associate Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg would be in that category.

Clearly, Pelosi is the best, by far, Speaker of the House in modern times, with only Sam Rayburn, Thomas “Tip” O’Neill, and Henry Clay competing with her for the greatest of all time.

Those three Speakers served 17, 10, and 10 years, respectively, as Speaker, while Pelosi served 8 years.

Her impact was massive, as she helped bring about the Affordable Care Act under Barack Obama, and resisted Donald Trump and his authoritarian impulses in his first term in the White House, and is still actively working against Trump’s dangerous moves in the first year of his second term. Also, she promoted the first gun violence prevention legislation since the early 1990s, during the Presidency of Joe Biden.

Pelosi was subjected to direct threat by the Insurrectionists on January 6, 2021 at the US Capitol, and the hateful rhetoric of Trump helped incite the attack on her husband in 2022.

Pelosi showed great courage and determination in the face of constant attacks by the opposition party in the House of Representatives over her two decade leadership of her party.

She was a master strategist, and had the respect of her caucus, which she was able to lead with great skill.

Not bad for a woman who had five children and did not enter politics until her mid 40s, a true model for women who wished to pursue public service.

The fact that Donald Trump continues to condemn Pelosi even now, says legions about the character of both Pelosi and Trump.

At the same time, the last six Republican Speakers since 1995–Newt Gingrich, Dennis Hastert, John Boehner, Paul Ryan, Kevin McCarthy, and now Mike Johnson, have been steadily getting more outrageously horrendous with each new Speakership!

While Pelosi will go down in history as among the greatest Speakers and Congressional leaders of all time, Donald Trump is assuredly, more every day that passes, adding to the reality of being the WORST President, by far, in American history.

It is causing reconsideration of James Buchanan, Andrew Johnson, and Franklin Pierce, the others Presidents, all around the Pre Civil and Civil War period, who have been rated as the worst Presidents of American history!

Trump Systematically Destroying All Reforms From Progressive Era Onward!

Ronald 26 Comments

Donald Trump is systematically destroying all reforms from the Progressive Era onward, with particular attention to the Civil Rights Movement of the 1950s and 1960s, including the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

The Supreme Court under Chief Justice John Roberts has been a willing participant in this reversal of all of the great changes that promoted equality and justice, which became about after nearly a century since the Civil War of continued violation of basic human rights to African Americans and other minorities, including women and gay and lesbian Americans.

This is a very emotional time, as Donald Trump is moving full stream ahead, to return America to the late 19th century Gilded Age, where multi millionaires dominated the economy without any government regulation, and where racial discrimination and lack of basic human rights to anyone other than white male Christians predominated.

Trump and his supporters in the most despicable and corrupt Cabinet in American history are actively destroying

the legacy of Theodore Roosevelt and the Progressive Era reforms that he initiated, through his Square Deal and New Nationalism proposals and actions.

the reforms of Woodrow Wilson’s New Freedom legislation.

undermining the social justice reforms of the New Deal of Franklin D. Roosevelt ;

and the Fair Deal of Harry Truman;

and the civil rights advancements of Dwight D. Eisenhower;

and the ideals of the New Frontier of John F. Kennedy;

and the overwhelming reforms in so many areas of public life of the Great Society of Lyndon B. Johnson;

and the many initiatives of Richard Nixon, Jimmy Carter, George H W Bush, Bill Clinton, Barack Obama, and Joe Biden toward major reform initiatives.

Trump has declared war on common decency and humanity, and has ushered in an American Fascism, reminiscent of Benito Mussolini, Francisco Franco, Juan Peron, and other right wing dictators.

The danger that there will not be free and fair elections, and the attempt to promote midstream Texas gerrymandering to weaken an opposition Democratic Party challenge to the authoritarianism taking place, is totally horrifying and depressing!

Rapid Return Of Wrongly Deported Kilmar Armando Abrego Garcia Should Be Expedited Promptly!

Ronald 20 Comments

The arrest of Maryland resident Kilmar Armando Abrego Garcia, a native of El Salvador, who has lived in the United States for the past 15 years, and his rapid deportation to the maximum security prison run by the dictator of El Salvador, all an administrative error, is an outrageous violation of human rights.

Garcia was identified as a Venezuela gang member wrongfully, and the concept of removing anyone to prison overseas without due process, a writ of habeus corpus–without charges, a court hearing, and ability to have a lawyer defend his rights in court—smacks of open Fascism, in the vein of Adolf Hitler, Benito Mussolini, and other vicious dictators past and present. This is a threat to all Americans, whether citizens or migrants.

The Justice Department under Pam Bondi has been moving slowly on expediting this 29 years old family man’s return, despite the Supreme Court calling for the expediting of the return.

Tomorrow, Monday, April 14, the dictator of El Salvador is visiting the White House, and he should come with Mr. Garcia, to resolve the matter.

There is no excuse for any further delay, and every American should see this situation as a dire threat to all Americans, that if one person can be illegally deported without basic rights guaranteed to all residents in the nation, then all of us are unsafe!

And Garcia would have every right to speak his mind about his now month long incarceration and abuse he has suffered, as this violation of human rights is a danger sign to all Americans!

Trump And Vance “Going Off The Rails”!

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The Republican Presidential campaign, running scared, as public opinion polls show a definite move in the direction of Kamala Harris and Tim Walz, is going off the rails.

Trump is employing crude sexual innuendo language toward Harris on Truth Social.

Trump went to Arlington National Cemetery on the third year anniversary of the Afghanistan withdrawal, but inappropriately became engaged in a controversy about taking photographs to be used as campaign fodder,that was not allowable under cemetery rules.

Meanwhile, JD Vance said publicly that Kamala Harris should “go to hell”, when Harris was being criticized for something she did not say, and the idea of using such language in public is shocking!

Vance also continues to attack “Cat Ladies”, and to criticize Randy Weingarten, head of the American Federation of Teachers for not having biological children of her own!

This crazy stuff could not be made made up in fiction, but it is reality in nonfiction!

Vance has a lower public opinion rating than Sarah Palin had at this point in 2008, and is a drag on the Republican ticket.

And Trump has again been indicted by Jack Smith, to modify charges after the Supreme Court decision on July 1 (Trump V US) that limited Trump to being indicted only on non Presidential actions, not official actions.

Project 2025: Attack On Crucial Government Agencies And Federal Regulations!

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Project 2025, the Heritage Foundation plan to promote massive right wing government in America, is a direct attack on crucial government agencies:

Eliminate the Department of Energy
Eliminate the Department of Education
Eliminate the Department of Commerce
Eliminate the Food and Drug Administration
Eliminate the Environmental Protection Agency
Eliminate the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
Eliminate the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau
Transform the Department of Justice to an agency controlled by the White House
Radically Change the Federal Bureau of Investigation
Radically Change the Department of Homeland Security
Repeal Dodd-Frank Financial Regulations
Reduce Business Regulations
End Funding of National Public Radio and the Public Broadcasting System
Privatize the Federal Aviation Administration
Repeal Net Neutrality regulations

The whole concept of an “Administrative State”, which has been part of American government since Theodore Roosevelt onward, and with both parties, Democrats and Republicans, is under threat, as it is also due to recent Supreme Court decisions!

“Originalism” And “Textualism”: The Battle For The Future Of Constitutional Government Against The Late 18th Century!

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The battle over how to interpret the Constitution in the 21st century is in full swing, with the extremist right wing Supreme Court majority emphasizing “Originalism” and “Textualism” as their basic ideological doctrine!

They want America to be judged by late 18th century interpretations, which means they challenge Alexander Hamilton and his “broad” interpretation of the Constitution.

Hamilton emphasized a broad interpretation, not a strict interpretation, of the Constitution, saying it needed to be a living document.

Even Thomas Jefferson, the original ideological opponent of Hamilton, came to recognize that Hamilton was correct, and so backed away from his original strict intepretation to support the Louisiana Purchase deal with France in 1803, doubling US territory and insuring that no other foreign power would gain further control in North America.

If one is to judge the Constitution by “originalism” and “textualism”, then America should not have had the multitude of changes that has made America a democracy, including among others:

Creation of Cabinet Agencies
End of African American Slavery by Amendment 13
Civil Rights Laws And Amendments (14, 15)
Women’s Suffrage (19)
Federal Government Agencies and Regulations
Federal Income Tax Amendment (16)
Democratizing of the US Senate by Amendment 17
Limitation of Presidential Terms by Amendment 22

This battle is over the future as compared to the limitations of the past, and America has come too far to allow the right wing interpretation to dictate the future of the nation!

Supreme Court Will Take Up Colorado Ballot Access Case Of Donald Trump!

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A month from now, on February 8, the Supreme Court will hear the case of Colorado barring Donald Trump from the Presidential primary ballot.

Maine has also gone in that direction, and many other states are in process of doing so.

This case will need to be decided in an expedited manner, with Super Tuesday primaries coming up in early March.

The Court would wish to stay out of the political thicket, but cannot do so, and this will be the most important such intervention since the Bush V Gore case in 2000.

Arguably, it is even more important, since Donald Trump is a threat to American democracy, the Constitution, and the rule of law, a series of realities that was not the same with George W. Bush in 2000.

Many conservative scholars and jurists think the Court will bar Trump from the ballots, which would be a victory for sanity and democracy, because Trump’s own rhetoric is Fascist oriented, and he advocates retribution and revenge, and speaks in Adolf Hitler rhetoric.

Also, this Court majority has emphasized their belief in “textualism” and “originalism” interpretation of the Constitution, so if they keep to that viewpoint, they will bar Trump from running for President.

The most corrupt President in American history needs to be stopped in his quest to undermine the future of America as his personal agenda, and his 25-35 percent support makes one wonder about the mental stability of his followers, who fail to see the danger of his attempt to regain power!

Supreme Court Reputation At All Time Low!

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The Supreme Court of the United States once was the most highly honored government institution, with a reputation of having the highest ethics, and beyond politics!

However, the Roberts Court, in place now for 18 years since 2005, has lost all credibility, as it has struck out against basic constitutional rights relating to women, race, and sexuality, and has promoted a gun culture; advocated religion (Christianity) over civil rights; and worked to limit voting rights.

The two Bush appointees—Clarence Thomas (George H. W. Bush), and Samuel Alito (George W. Bush) have become the most horrendous, narrow minded Supreme Court Justices of the past century, more so than Antonin Scalia and William Rehnquist, in their negative influence on constitutional law.

Roberts himself, who is so concerned about the negative image of the Court, has been unwilling to promote the concept of ethics reform, despite the clearcut scandals of both Thomas and Alito, but also including himself and even some by other Court members.

So Roberts, the 17th Chief Justice in American history, will not have a great historical reputation in the future, and the Court’s misbehavior will lead to a move to change the future of the Court, including, possibly, future expansion of the Court; or term limits for future Justices; and mandated ethics reforms when and if the Democrats can have solid control of the legislative agenda in some future Congress, hopefully sooner rather than later!

Roberts, himself, has already served as Chief Justice longer than most of that select group of 17, and it would be a good situation if he, with 18 years; Alito with 17 years; and Thomas with 32 years (12th longest of all Supreme Court Justices) were to retire soon, but that is very unlikely to occur anytime soon!

Time For Chief Justice Roberts, Associate Justices Thomas And Alito To Retire!

Ronald 2 Comments

The controversies over conflicts of interest and open corruption on the Supreme Court calls for the three Bush 1 and Bush 2 Justices to retire.

Clarence Thomas has been on the Court for nearly 32 years, 12th longest!

Samuel Alito has been on the Court for 17 years, the norm for Justices in American history!

Chief Justice Roberts has been on the Court for 18 years, the norm for the last three Chief Justices, and only three Chief Justices in the 19th century have served longer!

There is a dire need for term limits on the Court, as 18 years of service would allow each President in the future to select two Justices in a four year term, and turnover is essential, as the Justices should not be regarded with reverence as if they are deities!