Two CBC Front Burner interviews on the anti-democratic descent in Trump's first 100 days and on historical parallels with Nazi Germany's rise; the Ezra Klein Show asks "Is Trump Losing?"
I judge the slide away from democracy and towards authoritarian control by thinking of 1977, and asking myself questions my Political Science Professor asked about our freedom to choose and vote.
Today how many personal rights do you have?
Think back fifty years, are people doing and saying things to try to control what options you have and opinions you may express?
If your race was different would your answer change?
My answer about today is that women and minorities are losing the protection of civil liberties that existed in 1977.
Fifty years ago no one would force academia to spout lies about past USA elections or lose government funding.Professors spoke openly about any topic in their classrooms and students could ask any question that they wanted.Students could mention any current issue in their Valedictory addresses.
People of color are definitely being treated unfairly, sometimes by police, at other times by white vigilante groups. Some white people have shot black people because they were mistaken about an address. Others are deported because they have Latina last names. They lose all right to due process once incarcerated.
There are many dangerous trends favouring authoritarian control right now.
The H.R.1 bill, called "One Big Beautiful Bill Act" passed the house of representatives in the wee hours of Thursday morning just after midnight by a vote of 215 to 214.
One Republican, Andy Harris of Maryland, abstained from voting, even though he was present for the vote. Maryland is home to many civil servants who work in Washington DC. The state has strong progressive values. Harris could have voted against H.R.1. and would have represented most of his constituents interests. He didn't want to piss off Trump, so he did a Poilivere.
Republican Ken Buck of Colorado and Democrat Al Green of Texas did not show up at all on Wednesday and into Thursday.
Ken Buck was present the day before and announced his early retirement to begin next week. Originally, he wasn't going to run again in the next election and intended to serve out his remaining term. Speaker Mike Johnson was surprised by the announcement as it further narrows the Republican majority in Congress.
Al Green was censured last March, when he stood up in congress and heckled Trump's state of the nation address. His attandence has been sporadic since then. It's hard to see why, maybe because he received little support from his fellow Democrats and it bothers him the house has become a clown show run by kids and an Alzheimer brain ridden madman.
But, Green was also a judge once, and he has mobility issues as evidenced by his use of a cane. Healthcare programs are a strong interest and priority for him. The H.R.1 bill has a trillion dollars in healthcare defunding that will hit his constituents hard.
More alarming is H.R.1 has a Department of Justice provision with a proposal that would expand prosecutorial authority over sitting lawmakers and candidates for office.
Specifically, it would allow political appointees within the DOJ to bring criminal charges against elected officials WITHOUT requiring external review from career prosecutors or independent oversight bodies.
Critics argue that this could open the door to politically motivated prosecutions, while supporters claim it would strengthen accountability for public officials.
The provision is buried deep within the bill’s justice reform section, making it one of the more controversial elements of the legislation.
The bill has to pass the Senate to become law. Senators opposed to H.R.1 have several strategies available to them to prevent its passage.
The biggest challenge is doing a fillibuster (more effective than a Poilivere). Simply, there is no end to the debate about the bill.
Senators can prolong debate indefinitely, preventing the bill from moving to a vote unless 60 members agree to end discussion. Such a vote to end the debate needs to be formally requested by at least 16 Senators.
Senators can also propose changes to H.R.1, each of which have to go back to the house of representatives for another vote to be accepted. The house can refuse to vote on them by asking for further modifications. But, the house cannot stop the Senate from making recommendations, and each one has to be reconsidered and voted on by the house. We are talking about 1,000 pages of material here.
If the house and Senate cannot agree on H.R.1, then a Conference Committee will be formed to renegotiate H.R.1 outside of Congress. The revised compromise will then be passed to the house for a vote, and then ratified by the Senate into law.
Otherwise, if all else fails, the bill is said to have stalled and will be scrapped to prevent the waste of any further resources.
Whether the future splits into a timeline of global dictatorships, a global war, or a humanitarian age of democracies and co-operation for the mutual benefit of all, will be seen to have been determined at this point in time.
Sorry, the vote crossed a day boundary between Wed and Thurs. so, it seems for Thursday's session, nobody was there. but, I double checked and Al Green DID VOTE. He voted against H.R.1
The other guy, Ken Buck, resigned earlier in the year.
Here is the list of how everybody voted. In the search box, type in the representative's last name to narrow down the list, or scroll through it in alphabetical order:
I judge the slide away from democracy and towards authoritarian control by thinking of 1977, and asking myself questions my Political Science Professor asked about our freedom to choose and vote.
Today how many personal rights do you have?
Think back fifty years, are people doing and saying things to try to control what options you have and opinions you may express?
If your race was different would your answer change?
My answer about today is that women and minorities are losing the protection of civil liberties that existed in 1977.
Fifty years ago no one would force academia to spout lies about past USA elections or lose government funding.Professors spoke openly about any topic in their classrooms and students could ask any question that they wanted.Students could mention any current issue in their Valedictory addresses.
People of color are definitely being treated unfairly, sometimes by police, at other times by white vigilante groups. Some white people have shot black people because they were mistaken about an address. Others are deported because they have Latina last names. They lose all right to due process once incarcerated.
There are many dangerous trends favouring authoritarian control right now.
The H.R.1 bill, called "One Big Beautiful Bill Act" passed the house of representatives in the wee hours of Thursday morning just after midnight by a vote of 215 to 214.
One Republican, Andy Harris of Maryland, abstained from voting, even though he was present for the vote. Maryland is home to many civil servants who work in Washington DC. The state has strong progressive values. Harris could have voted against H.R.1. and would have represented most of his constituents interests. He didn't want to piss off Trump, so he did a Poilivere.
Republican Ken Buck of Colorado and Democrat Al Green of Texas did not show up at all on Wednesday and into Thursday.
Ken Buck was present the day before and announced his early retirement to begin next week. Originally, he wasn't going to run again in the next election and intended to serve out his remaining term. Speaker Mike Johnson was surprised by the announcement as it further narrows the Republican majority in Congress.
Al Green was censured last March, when he stood up in congress and heckled Trump's state of the nation address. His attandence has been sporadic since then. It's hard to see why, maybe because he received little support from his fellow Democrats and it bothers him the house has become a clown show run by kids and an Alzheimer brain ridden madman.
But, Green was also a judge once, and he has mobility issues as evidenced by his use of a cane. Healthcare programs are a strong interest and priority for him. The H.R.1 bill has a trillion dollars in healthcare defunding that will hit his constituents hard.
More alarming is H.R.1 has a Department of Justice provision with a proposal that would expand prosecutorial authority over sitting lawmakers and candidates for office.
Specifically, it would allow political appointees within the DOJ to bring criminal charges against elected officials WITHOUT requiring external review from career prosecutors or independent oversight bodies.
Critics argue that this could open the door to politically motivated prosecutions, while supporters claim it would strengthen accountability for public officials.
The provision is buried deep within the bill’s justice reform section, making it one of the more controversial elements of the legislation.
The bill has to pass the Senate to become law. Senators opposed to H.R.1 have several strategies available to them to prevent its passage.
The biggest challenge is doing a fillibuster (more effective than a Poilivere). Simply, there is no end to the debate about the bill.
Senators can prolong debate indefinitely, preventing the bill from moving to a vote unless 60 members agree to end discussion. Such a vote to end the debate needs to be formally requested by at least 16 Senators.
Senators can also propose changes to H.R.1, each of which have to go back to the house of representatives for another vote to be accepted. The house can refuse to vote on them by asking for further modifications. But, the house cannot stop the Senate from making recommendations, and each one has to be reconsidered and voted on by the house. We are talking about 1,000 pages of material here.
If the house and Senate cannot agree on H.R.1, then a Conference Committee will be formed to renegotiate H.R.1 outside of Congress. The revised compromise will then be passed to the house for a vote, and then ratified by the Senate into law.
Otherwise, if all else fails, the bill is said to have stalled and will be scrapped to prevent the waste of any further resources.
Whether the future splits into a timeline of global dictatorships, a global war, or a humanitarian age of democracies and co-operation for the mutual benefit of all, will be seen to have been determined at this point in time.
Sorry, the vote crossed a day boundary between Wed and Thurs. so, it seems for Thursday's session, nobody was there. but, I double checked and Al Green DID VOTE. He voted against H.R.1
The other guy, Ken Buck, resigned earlier in the year.
Here is the list of how everybody voted. In the search box, type in the representative's last name to narrow down the list, or scroll through it in alphabetical order:
https://clerk.house.gov/Votes/2025145?BillNum=h.r.1