@theungamer The DOJ's lawsuit will end up in the Supreme Court where it is probably doomed. The Supreme Court is extremely right wing, with three Trump appointees among the right wing judges. I have no doubt that some of them believe that people of color should not have the right to vote at all. And unfortunately Merrick Garland is no Bobby Kennedy. Kennedy, at just 38 years old, sent troops to Alabama to force them to integrate their schools. Garland is a good man, but he doesn't feel forceful enough in my opinion.
It's going to take a lot of grass roots manual labor to get disenfranchised people to the polls. Progressives will have to write hundreds of thousands of postcards to individual voters to help them get registered after they were deleted from the voter registration rolls, and then to help them navigate the voting process that has been designed to prevent them from voting. There are some clever social media mavens who have also been instrumental in helping people vote.
It can and will be done. And the light will prevail. And perhaps the rising up of the people is how it needs to be done spiritually rather than to let a tiny few do it for us.
I thought the new law prohibits anyone from handing food or water to people waiting in line
It does. I think civil disobedience is Laura's point.
I'm not pessimistic or optimistic about what will happen in the courts. I'm just observing, since there are going to be lots of surprises this decade as the collective undergoes tectonic shifts; we'll be even less likely to deduce outcomes ahead of time - the developments underfoot are fundamentally nonlinear.
I'm not pessimistic or optimistic about what will happen in the courts. I'm just observing, since there are going to be lots of surprises this decade as the collective undergoes tectonic shifts; we'll be even less likely to deduce outcomes ahead of time - the developments underfoot are fundamentally nonlinear.
I like your approach. Also I have meditated and am optimistic about the midterms.
@laura-f I thought the new law prohibits anyone from handing food or water to people waiting in line. Haven't read the law, though.
this is why i think activists should hand out peaches to the voters in Georgia. The visuals of folks being arrested for giving peaches there would make international news, and the peach would become the symbol of the fight against voter suppression. Which would be great, since every car in Georgia has peaches on the license plate, and every street is named Peach-this, and Peach-that.
@jeanne-mayell This resonates with born n bred Georgia Peach - it will take all of us. Many of whom are not resting on our laurels but still actively working to make the changes grassroots on up.
@jeanne-mayell @unk-p @theungamer @coyote
My friend is black and lives in Birmingham AL, they own a restaurant and catering biz there. When he mentioned online recently that he intended to perform this awesome act of civil disobedience, several of us jumped on board. Because I am also a chef, we decided to hand out barbecue sandwiches (they're well set up for that on a mobile basis), cold waters, and we'll come up with a vegan option too (maybe peach pie?).
I am prepared to be arrested if need be.
I don't know if I mentioned this already, if so, skip now, but I have a close friend who is indigenous. She just got back from the Pipeline 3 protests in MN/ND. She was one of the people defending the people who chained themselves to the construction equipment. They all got arrested and spent about 36 hours in jail. She plans to head back over the summer. Her story was very inspiring, and also very informational, as she explained to me the specifics of how the protests are organized and carried out.
All this is GOOD TROUBLE, as John Lewis would say.
Ever since the details of the Georgia voting restrictions became known, I've seen images in my mind of lines of activists approaching crowded polling place, arms outstretched with food and bottled water. And yes, these acts and the disproportionate law enforcement response will make international news.
Georgia has a proud history of civil disobedience, so organizers are probably already drawing up plans for how to pull this off.
@coyote @jeanne-mayell. @Laura-f
I would seriously consider going to Georgia to do this act of civil disobedience. Both the pipeline and voting rights are very just causes. It would be an honor to participate in either if I could figure out how to do it.
Poor Giuliani it gets worse for him ??
Former President Donald Trump's attorney Rudy Giuliani is facing a federal inquiry over possible improper lobbying for Turkey, a source familiar with the matter told ABC News.
Giuliani's actions first raised questions in 2017 when he was hired to represent Turkey-based, Iranian-born businessman Reza Zarrab in a money laundering and sanctions evasion case brought against Zarrab by the U.S. attorney in the Southern District of New York.
https://abcnews.go.com/US/giuliani-investigated-turkish-lobbying-source/story?id=78557555
Cosby gets released from jail after conviction got overturned
https://abcnews.go.com/US/bill-cosby-released-prison-conviction-vacated/story?id=78582000
Found this interesting! https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/live/2021/jun/30/biden-heatwave-us-politics-live-latest-republicans-democrats?page=with:block-60dccaf88f08a0630603f2ca#block-60dccaf88f08a0630603f2ca
House passes resolution to form select committee to investigate Capitol insurrection
222 is a sign that you are being given an opportunity to look at your life and make changes for the better. It implies that by making the necessary changes, you will help to create a better world for yourself and others and help to raise the vibrations of this planet. This represents a spiritual awakening for you.
@journeywithme2 With this and the indictments hitting tomorrow, can we finally say that the snowball is building momentum?
@theungamer I would say that there are multiple snowballs, and they have now been formed at the top of the mountain. Now that the indictments have officially been entered, that one is beginning to roll. Expect some interesting things coming from that, including further indictments against individuals in the T Org.
With regard to the commission, when it begins to officially meet, that's when you should break out the popcorn for the show. It's going to be a bumpy ride, and I'm not sure there will be much in terms of punishments or justice for those in Congress who will be found to have been directly or indirectly involved. While the commission has subpoena powers, it does not have charging authority. On the other hand, we will at least have a much more clear picture of the who's, when's, and why's, and that will likely open the doors to possible prosecutions, where more solid evidence can be presented and used against them.
@tgraf66 Heard Daniel Goldman say he wanted to look at the docs to determine if the reason Weaselberg was the only individual indicted at this time was to preserve statutes. Thus, more discovery and more indictments to come. Fingers crossed. Popcorn stocked.
I think I need a procedural road map. Am confused as to what the commission will uncover that the FBI hasn't. If additional evidence is discovered by the commission is it turned over to the FBI or DOJ?
@theungamer I don't know the answer to your question, I'm afraid. As I said, the commission has subpoena power, but while that may be useful for compelling people to testify before the commission and perhaps for gathering/collating/publicizing evidence, the power to call a grand jury to indict would lie solely with the DOJ. I suspect that at least some of what the commission will look at is the evidence that FBI already has, and if the FBI has it, the DOJ likely has access to it as well. The FBI is moving forward with prosecutions of the insurrectionists, but the DOJ isn't needed for that since the actions of most of the ones we saw that day were very clearly criminal, which is in the immediate purview of the FBI and the regular courts. I think the DOJ is waiting to see if anything "new" comes to light from any testimony the commission gathers before deciding whether to proceed with deeper investigations/indictments but ultimately, I don't expect much in the way of actual charges or prosecutions of any sitting members, though it might cause a few people to lose their seats in 2022. I can only sit back and watch it unfold.
I want to wish everyone here a very fine and enjoyable Fourth of July. We can celebrate the endurance of our nation, surviving four years of corruption and fear. Here is to a clear future, dear ones!
Thank you and Happy Independence Day.
I hope everyone's celebration is joyful and more meaningful than ever. May all people in our country and world experience the joy of freedom.
@billy-mike Wonderful wish to us all. We have so much to celebrate this year! I believe we have turned a corner towards a stronger democracy. We prayed and hoped for this time to come and it has. T is gone. Prosecutions are unfolding to redress the wrongs. And the population is more awake and progressive than ever. @lovendures! ❤️