H. R. 22 - Silencing Americans Act

House Republicans are calling it the SAVE Act. SAVE stands for "Safeguard American Voter Eligibility". It will require proof of citizenship in order to register to vote. Sounds like a good idea. We can't have non-citizens voting.

But in reality it is a Project 2025-inspired voter suppression act. Here are a few facts about it.

·         Overnight, it would essentially end online and mail-in voter registration. 

·        Proof of citizenship doesn’t mean a simple driver’s license. It means a birth certificate or a passport – documents that tens of millions of citizens simply don’t have access to. 

·        Married people who’ve changed their names wouldn’t be able to register using their original birth certificates -- effectively disenfranchising millions of women. 

·        Trans and nonbinary people who’ve changed their names to reflect their gender identity would also face massive challenges to voting -- and the State Department’s ban on updating sex designations on passports (if upheld in court) would add to the difficulty of satisfying the bill’s proof of citizenship requirements.

·        The burdensome requirements would disproportionately impact voters of color, low-income voters, elder voters and younger voters. How many college students do you know who have a birth certificate stashed in their dorm room?

·        Arizona and Kansas tried similar legislation and tens of thousands of eligible voters were disenfranchised. 

The Republicans in Congress do not represent their constituents fully. They only represent white Christians. This is a attempt to Make America Christian Finally. "Finally" because this country was never a Christian theocracy. But if the Project 2025ers have their way, it will become one. 

Climate Coup

The Musk presidency is not just an attack on democracy. It's a death sentence for everyone on the planet. We are right next door to a runaway greenhouse condition and with this new administration stomping on the gas pedal (literally) we'll hit it before there's any chance to change course, or even slow the change in climate.

We sit back and wonder how anyone could be so stupid as to destroy our planet's habitability. But they're not stupid. The billionaires will be the last to go down. They can afford air conditioning and sky-high energy prices and gated communities and prob'ly private militias, so what do they care? Their intention all along has been to, Scrooge-like, reduce the surplus population.

No one can sit still and merely hope they go away. We all need to fight, march, demonstrate, gather in townhalls, write letters, speak out. We speak now or forever our peace will be held for us.

Dear Republican friend

 I'm not against banning abortion. But I would like the laws to hold the father responsible for the baby as well as the mother. Our DNA technology today can precisely identify the father.

I'm not against ending birthright citizenship. That's only in the Constitution because our country was brand new and nobody was a natural-born citizen.

And I'm not against cutting the wasteful spending by the government. But I don't think putting a man who makes billions on government contracts in charge of cutting is wise. How come none of his contracts is being looked at? And how come he's gutting the services that oversee his operations?

When Trump won the election I congratulated you. I said, "Your person won."

You replied, "Thanks! I feel the country won as well."

Are you still of the opinion that our country has won?

My New Year's Resolution

I told my brother in an email that my New Year's Resolution was to do all that I can and a little bit more to listen and learn, to speak and teach, to love and be loved, to share the wealth and the load (this is the most important one), and to promote laughter (or maybe this is the most important)!

And then a few hours later I wrote about the mass mowing down of revelers in the French Quarter of N'awlins by an enraged pickup driver, and concluded that it was a harbinger of what the year will be like.

We're going to be anxious but hopeful until January 20th when Trump takes office and then we're going to know that we are fucked.

How can I keep believing in the inherent worth and dignity of every person?

Like I said in my memoir ("The Winter Of My Discontent")... There's more to being a man than just slugging somebody, but there's more to being a Christian than just turning the other cheek. I think... I hope! I do more slugging than turning these next 4 years. I have to resist, persist, and insist. And keep looking up.

This is the beginning of four years of tribulation for liberals. We must resist the forces of evil. We must persist in hope that we can make a difference. And we must insist that our freedoms remain. The freedom to be white or not. The freedom to be male or not. The freedom to be Christian or not. The freedom to be native born, or NOT!

I pledge allegiance to the flag, not some fat ageing draft-dodger who has been privileged all his life and thinks he's "God's chosen one." A pox and a virus on him!