It turns out that many of today’s billionaires are selfish, lonely men fantasizing about how they will survive the end times they have played a part in creating.

By Sonali Kolhatkar

 Independent Media Institute

 This article was produced by Economy for All, a project of the Independent Media Institute.

In mid-September, for just a few days, Indian industrialist Gautam Adani entered the ranks of the top three richest people on earth as per Bloomberg’s Billionaires Index. It was the first time an Indian, or, for that matter, an Asian, had enjoyed such a distinction. South Asians in my circle of family and friends felt excited at the prospect that a man who looked like us had entered such rarefied ranks.

Adani was deemed the second richest person, even richer than Amazon founder Jeff Bezos! A Times of India profile fawningly quoted him relaying his thought process in the early days of his rags-to-riches story. “‘Dreams were infinite but finances finite,’ he says with engaging frankness,” according to the profile. There was no mention of the serious accusations he faces of corruption and diverting money into offshore tax havens, or of the entire website, AdaniWatch, devoted to investigating his dirty deeds.

Adani made his money, in part, by investing in digital services, leading one economist to say, “Wherever there is a futuristic business in India, I think… [Adani] has a stronghold.”

The moment of pride that Indians felt in such an achievement by one of their own was short-lived. Quickly Adani slipped from second richest to third richest, and, as of this writing, is in the number four slot on a list dominated by people who have made money from the digital technology revolution.

In fact, ranking multibillionaires is a meaningless exercise that obscures the absurdity of their wealth. This year alone, a number of tech billionaires on Bloomberg’s list lost hundreds of billions of dollars as the gains they made during the early years of the pandemic were wiped out because of a volatile stock market. But, as Whizy Kim of Vox points out, whether or not they’re losing money or giving it away—as Bezos’ ex-wife MacKenzie Scott has been doing—their wealth remains insanely high, and most are worth more today than before the COVID-19 pandemic.

What are they doing with all this wealth?

It turns out that many are quietly plotting their own survival against our demise. Douglas Rushkoff, podcaster, founder of the Laboratory for Digital Humanism, and fellow at the Institute for the Future, has written a book about this bizarre phenomenon, Survival of the Richest: Escape Fantasies of the Tech Billionaires.

In an interview, Rushkoff explains that billionaires worry about the end of humanity just like the rest of us. They fear catastrophic climate change or the next pandemic. And, they know their money will likely be of little value when civilizations decline. “How do I maintain control over my Navy Seal security guards once my money is worthless?” is a question that Rushkoff says many of the world’s wealthiest people want to know the answer to.

He knows they ask such questions because he was invited to give private lectures by those who think his expertise in digital technology gives him unique insight into the future. But Rushkoff was quietly studying them instead and has few flattering things to say about these wielders of economic power.

“How is it that the wealthiest and most powerful people I’d ever been in the same room with see themselves as utterly powerless to affect the future?” he asks. It seems as though “the best they can do is prepare for the inevitable calamity and then just, you know, hang on for dear life.”

Rushkoff explores this tech billionaire “mindset” that he says has resulted in a generation of people who are “almost comedic monsters, who really mean to leave us all behind.” Adani is a perfect example of this, having invested in the very fossil fuels that are destroying our planet. He has large holdings in Australia’s coal mining industry and has sparked a massive grassroots movement intent on stopping him.

The admiration that some Indians feel for Adani’s ascension on Bloomberg’s list of billionaires is based on an assumption of cleverness. Surely, he must be one of the smartest people in the world in order to be one of the richest? Elon Musk, the world’s wealthiest man by far (with twice as much wealth as Bezos), has enjoyed such a reputation for years.

Those who are invested in the idea of merit-based capitalism can justify the unimaginable wealth of the world’s richest people only by assuming they are intelligent enough to deserve it.

This is a façade. Rather than smarts, the wealthiest people on the planet appear to be rather small-minded idiot savants who share a common disdain for the rest of us.

After being around tech billionaires in private, Rushkoff concludes that they are invested in “this notion that they really can, like puppeteers, kind of control society from one level above,” and that this approach is “different than the era of Alexander the Great, or Caesar.” If the question that vexes them most of all is how, in a disastrous future, will they control the guards they hire to protect their hoardings, then our economic system is a farce.

“Even if we call them genius technologists, most of them were plucked from college when they were freshmen,” says Rushkoff. “They came up with some idea in their dorm room before they’d taken history, or economics, or ethics, or philosophy” classes, and so they lack the wisdom needed to oversee their own perverse amounts of wealth.

Having spent time with many tech billionaires, Rushkoff worries that “their education about the future comes from zombie movies and science fiction shows.”

Billionaires are not simply drawing their wealth from a vacuum. According to data from the World Economic Forum, “the world’s richest have captured a disproportionate share of global wealth over recent decades.” This means that, if you were rich to begin with a decade or two ago, you are likely to have seen your wealth multiply by a greater amount than middle-class or lower-income people.

Not only are tech billionaires undeserving of their wealth, but they also are fleecing the rest of us—and fantasizing about hoarding that wealth in the worst-case scenarios while the rest of humanity struggles to survive.

The danger is that if society valorizes such (mostly) men, we are in danger of internalizing their childish, selfish mindset and giving up on solving the climate crisis or building resiliency on a mass scale.

Instead of relating to them, we ought to feel sorry for a group of people so cut off from humanity that their vision of the future is a very lonely one.

“Let’s look at these tech-bro billionaire lunatics. Let’s laugh at what they’re doing… so they look small rather than big,” says Rushkoff. He thinks it is critical to adopt the perspective that “the disaster they’re so afraid of looks entirely manageable by more reasonable people who are willing just to help each other out.”

THREE WOMEN TO CELEBRATE during Hispanic Heritage Month and MAKE SURE WE ELECT TO CONGRESS in November.

For DR. YADIRA CARAVEO (CO – 08), becoming a pediatrician, an accomplished state legislator, and a successful advocate for children all started with her parents’ dream.  They came to Colorado from Mexico with little education or money looking for a better life – but knew that hard work and caring for others are values that build strong communities and family.

Dr. Caraveo knew from an early age that she wanted to help people as a doctor. After attending public schools and completing her undergraduate education, she continued on to medical school at the University of Colorado and became the first physician in her family. Even before she finished her medical training, Dr. Caraveo helped organize her fellow medical residents for better working conditions, becoming a union representative with SEIU. Dr. Caraveo has worked with the ​​Union of Concerned Scientists to enlist doctors across the country in the fight against climate change, and President Obama recognized her as a Champion of Change for her efforts.

Dr. Caraveo proudly serves a Latino community whose families are often unable to find providers who speak their language and understand their culture. She quickly understood that the best way to help the most people is through the community, state, and national movements that advocate for the needs of the underserved, and so she ran for the Colorado General Assembly in 2018 and won. Despite a heavy workload advocating for Coloradans at the state capitol, Dr. Caraveo still works as a pediatrician, and even added extra weekend hours in order to see her patients while the legislature is in session during the week.

As a pediatrician in a community where 65% of her patients’ families are on Medicaid, Dr. Caraveo is deeply committed to expanding access to affordable quality health care. In Congress, she will continue her commitment to the families she sees every day in Colorado, building on her work to lower health care costs, address the high cost of housing, combat climate change, fight for reproductive justice, and stop Republicans from taking away Americans’ right to vote. As a pediatrician, a state legislator, and the daughter of immigrants, she will bring invaluable lived experience to Washington.

Dr. Caraveo is running for Colorado’s 8th Congressional District, newly created due to the state’s population gains in the past decade. Colorado has never before elected a Latina to Congress, and Dr. Caraveo has what it takes to make history as the first. More than 38% of residents in this new district identify as Hispanic, and her years of service and deep ties make her the best candidate to give this community a powerful new voice in Washington. Let’s show Dr. Yadira Caraveo our full support and help elect this champion for Coloradans to Congress in this must-win new district.

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Illinois state REP. DELIA RAMIRIZ  ( IL- 03), a lifelong Chicagoan, is an experienced social service administrator, community organizer, and policy advocate running for Congress to give her community a powerful new voice in Washington. The daughter of immigrants, Ramirez is the first Guatemalan American to serve in the Illinois General Assembly. She has dedicated her career to fighting for solutions to complex issues like housing, education, and criminal justice. Ramirez, a graduate of Northeastern Illinois University, has served as the founding executive director of the Center for Changing Lives, board chair for both the Latin United Community Housing Association and Logan Square Neighborhood Association. In 2018, Ramirez was elected to represent her home community in the Illinois House of Representatives, and now serves as assistant majority leader. She lives in Chicago with her husband, Boris and her golden retriever, Lola. 

Ramirez has an outstanding record of delivering for the Illinois families she serves, and she is running to be their tireless champion in Congress. In the Illinois House, Ramirez’s legislative priorities have included housing, health care, and child welfare. Making housing a top priority in the state, her leadership has led to the expansion of homeless prevention programs and $200 million in capital investments to build affordable housing. During the COVID-19 pandemic, she has filed and passed emergency housing legislation to protect those at risk of losing their homes by expanding eviction protections, as well as providing rental assistance and mortgage release. She was the lead sponsor of legislation to expand Medicaid coverage to include seniors ages 65 and over regardless of their immigration status, making Illinois the first state in the nation to provide health care coverage to undocumented seniors. A fierce advocate for child welfare, she has led the work of the Task Force on Children of Incarcerated Parents. Ramirez is an experienced leader and a skilled legislator who is ready to fight for policies that help grow our economy, create more good-paying jobs, and move our country forward at this critical juncture.  

Ramirez is running for Illinois’ newly redrawn 3rd Congressional District. No Midwestern state has ever before elected a Latina to Congress, and Ramirez has what it takes to make history as the first. “I’m rooted and ready,” she has said. Ramirez is the best candidate to win the competitive race for this open seat and to fight for her community and defend our democracy in Congress. Let’s show Delia Ramirez our full support and help elect this champion for Illinois women and families to Congress in this must-win newly redrawn district.

ANDREA SALINAS (OR – 06) is a state representative, former congressional aide, and mother running to represent Oregon’s 6th Congressional District. Salinas’ father is a Mexican immigrant and Vietnam war veteran, and she credits him with teaching her what it means to fight for your kids and for a better life. Salinas was the first person in her family to graduate from a four-year university, after which she began her career in politics. She worked as a congressional staffer for over a decade and then became an advocate for unions, environmental groups, and reproductive rights. She has served as a state representative for three terms, taking on several leadership roles, including House majority whip and chair of the House Health Care Committee. Salinas' experience sets her apart as the best candidate to represent Oregon's 6th Congressional District.

Salinas is a dedicated reproductive rights champion who has fought tenaciously to advance justice and opportunity across Oregon for the past two decades. She has experience successfully delivering progressive victories, from her time as a congressional aide to her time in the Oregon State Legislature. Salinas helped Oregon pass the strongest reproductive rights law in the country, ensuring that Oregonians can access the full suite of reproductive health care, regardless of race, ethnicity, documentation status, or zip code. She comes from a union family and knows the struggles working families face, which is why she stood up for worker’s rights in the Oregon State Legislature. Salinas is ready to continue her successful advocacy for unions and working families, for the environment, and for affordable health care in Congress.

Salinas won the Democratic nomination for Oregon’s 6th Congressional District, a newly drawn seat after Oregon gained another seat in the House of Representatives. She is poised to become the first Latina elected to Congress in Oregon. Salinas will face off against Republican Mike Erickson. We know this distinguished leader has what it takes to win this newly drawn seat. Let’s throw our full support behind her to ensure this historic candidate is elected.

HELP FOR DOING JUST THAT...................

AARP          Make Your Vote Count

How, where and when you can vote is changing in much of the country, with many states adopting new voting rules, redrawing congressional and state legislative districts and working out whether to retain or scrap policies introduced in 2020 to make voting easier amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Our state guides tell you how to register, whether you can vote early or by mail, key deadlines to know and much more. Click or tap on your state to learn how to cast your ballot in the 2022 primary and general elections. We’ll update these guides as rules and procedures change, so check back for updates.

https://www.aarp.org/politics-society/government-elections/info-2022/state-voting-guides/?cmp=RDRCT-ELECTIONGUIDES-02032022

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Ballotpedia                    Be Informed

Ballotpedia is the digital encyclopedia of American politics and elections. Our goal is to inform people about politics by providing accurate and objective information about politics at all levels of government. We are firmly committed to neutrality in our content.

https://ballotpedia.org/Main_Page

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Common Cause                 Demand A Democracy That Works For Us

Every eligible American should take the responsibility and right to vote seriously.  We want an equal voice in deciding the future for our families, our communities, and our country.

https://www.commoncause.org/

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 I am afraid it has come down to the lesser of two evils in many cases. We know very well what Republicans want to do to voting rights, reproductive rights, social security, to efforts to save our planet, and to protect laws that help the rich get richer and the poor get poorer - to name a few on their dastardly agenda. I say "vote blue no matter who". The other choice means the destruction of our democracy and the destruction of our planet - all for corporate greed.

Ease of access to personalized health care is essential for those of every background. But some disparities make it even more difficult for members of the BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) community, especially when it comes to substance abuse treatment. BIPOC individuals often face unique challenges when seeking help from the medical community for mental health issues and addiction. Being aware of these challenges BIPOC individuals face and addressing systemic obstacles is essential for ensuring everyone who needs mental health and substance abuse treatment has fair access to effective treatment options.

How Addiction Impacts BIPOC Community

Addiction and mental health are topics not often discussed in BIPOC communities. This creates yet another barrier for those who would seek substance abuse treatment. Both mental health and addiction post impact BIPOC individuals in unique ways.

BIPOC Mental Health Needs Left Unaddressed

Most ethnic or racial minority groups experience similar mental health conditions like the white community. However, they are far less likely to receive mental health treatment. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration recently disclosed the results of research which indicated only about 30% of Hispanic and Black people receive the mental health services they need. More alarming was that only a little over 20% of Asian people got the mental health services they needed.

Lack of Cultural Understanding by Counselors and Health Care Providers Leads to Mis- or Under-diagnoses

To build trust, respect, and understanding, health care must be culturally aware. As the US becomes even more diverse, the lack of cultural competency in the health care sector grows. This leads to problems with diagnosis and even negative health outcomes for members of ethnically and racially diverse populations. There are a few primary factors contributing to the BIPOC community receiving lower-quality health care. These include:

• Patient and provider language differences
• Mental illness stigma among minority groups
• Cultural differences in how symptoms are discussed and presented
• Lack of culturally competent health care providers and BIPOC mental health providers

Racism and BIPOC Mental Health

People of color are often treated differently just because of the color of their skin. Many deal with fear on a daily basis. They are traumatized from seeing numerous viral videos of police altercations and interactions involving men and women of color. These are just a few of the issues that plague American communities of color. The situation is exacerbated by the lack of access to proper mental health care.

The lack of culturally appropriate care may potentially result in worse outcomes than those who fail to seek help, to begin with. Not only do we need to make sure people of color have access to adequate mental health care, but it’s also imperative that health professionals be culturally equipped, non-judgmental, empathetic, and understanding of the cultural needs of patients. This is necessary to ensure proper diagnosis of BIPOC mental health conditions so individual needs can be addressed and treated.

Common Barriers to Addiction Treatment for People of Color

Withdrawal from drugs and alcohol can pose life-threatening conditions for people who do not have access to quality treatment or a social safety net. Risk factors are increased for people of non-white racial and ethnic backgrounds. They share common risk factors such as early exposure to drug and alcohol use, co-occurring mental illness, and a family history of substance abuse. Just as alarming is the fact that BIPOC communities, particularly those from low-income families, experience disparities in access to addiction treatment when compared to their white counterparts. Some of the most common factors that influence this disparity include:

• Racial bias
• Stigma in BIPOC communities
• Inadequate finances and/or lack of health insurance
• Disproportionate criminalization of drug and alcohol use in BIPOC communities

The lack of access to mental health and addiction treatment services affects whole communities. To read the complete addiction in the BIPOC community article please click on the link.

Helen Hulick was called to court as a burglary witness in November, 1938. The 29-year-old kindergarten teacher arrived in her usual attire of a top and slacks. But seeing slacks on a woman so greatly offended Judge Arthur S. Guerin that he would not allow Hulick to testify. Instead, he rescheduled her testimony and ordered her to wear a dress at her next appearance.

She refused. As the Nov. 10, 1938 issue of the L.A. Times reported, she stated: “You tell the judge I will stand on my rights. If he orders me to change into a dress I won’t do it. I like slacks. They’re comfortable.

When she appeared in slacks once more, the judge chastised her for both attire and what he perceived as problems with her demeanor. “The last time you were in this court dressed as you are now and reclining on your neck on the back of your chair, you drew more attention from spectators, prisoners and court attaches than the legal business at hand,” Guerin said. “You were requested to return in garb acceptable to courtroom procedure. Today you come back dressed in pants and openly defying the court (…)

“The court hereby orders and directs you to return tomorrow in accepted dress. If you insist on wearing slacks again you will be prevented from testifying (…)   But be prepared to be punished according to law for contempt of court.”

The Times quoted her response as follows: “Listen, I’ve worn slacks since I was 15. I don’t own a dress except a formal. If he wants me to appear in a formal gown that’s okay with me. I’ll come back in slacks and if he puts me in jail I hope it will help to free women forever of anti-slackism.”

Hulick returned wearing slacks, but this time, she also brought with her Attorney William Katz. Katz was armed with citations supporting her argument that she had the right to appear in the attire of her choice.

Judge Guerin held her in contempt of court nevertheless, sentencing her to five days in jail. There, she was forced to wear a denim prisoners’ dress. She was quickly released on her own recognizance, however, after her attorney declared they would be appealing the sentence.

As Hulick’s story garnered attention, hundreds of supporters sent letters of protest to the courthouse.

Finally, the Appellate Division overturned Judge Guerin’s contempt citation.

By taking this stand, Helen launched a national discussion that helped to free women of “anti-slackism.”

Rebecca Hains, Author

Rebecca Hains is a media and communication professor, author, and speaker whose work takes an intersectional approach to understanding children, media, and marketing. She has authored and edited five books, including Growing Up With Girl Power, The Princess Problem, and Cultural Studies of LEGO, and she is often quoted in the media. Follow this page to read posts that reflect her interests, with feminist and pop culture humor in the mix!

"Abolish the Senate and publicly fund elections."  By John D. Dingell         In my six decades in public service, I’ve seen many changes in our nation and its institutions. Yet the most profound change I’ve witnessed is also the saddest. It is the complete collapse in respect for virtually every institution of government and an unprecedented cynicism about the nobility of public service itself.

These are not just the grumblings of an angry old man lamenting the loss of “the good old days.” In December 1958, almost exactly three years after I entered the House of Representatives, the first American National Election Study, initiated by the University of Michigan, found that 73 percent of Americans trusted the federal government “to do the right thing almost always or most of the time.” As of December 2017, the same study, now conducted by the nonpartisan Pew Research Center, found that this number had plummeted to just 18 percent.

There are many reasons for this dramatic decline: the Vietnam War, Watergate, Ronald Reagan’s folksy but popular message that government was not here to help, the Iraq War, and worst of all by far, the Trumpist mind-set. These jackasses who see “deep state” conspiracies in every part of government are a minority of a minority, yet they are now the weakest link in the chain of more than three centuries of our American republic. Ben Franklin was right. The Founders gave us a precious but fragile gift. If we do not protect it with constant vigilance, we will most certainly lose it.

As an armchair activist, I now have the luxury of saying what I believe should happen, not what I think can get voted out of committee. I’m still a pragmatist; I know that profound societal change happens incrementally, over a long period of time. The civil-rights fights of the 1950s and ’60s, of which I am proud to have been a part, are a great example of overcoming setbacks and institutional racism. But 155 years after the Emancipation Proclamation and less than two years after our first African American president left office, racism still remains a part of our national life.

Just for a moment, however, let’s imagine the American system we might have if the better angels of our nature were to prevail.

Here, then, are some specific suggestions—and they are only just that, suggestions—for a framework that might help restore confidence and trust in our precious system of government:

An electoral system based on full participation. At age 18, you are automatically registered to vote. No photo ID, no residency tests, no impediments of any kind. Advances in technology can make this happen effortlessly. Yes, voting should be restricted only to American citizens. Strict protections against foreign meddling are also necessary.

The elimination of money in campaigns. Period. Elections, like military service—each is an example of duty, honor, and service to country—should be publicly funded. Can you imagine if we needed to rely on wealthy donors to fund the military? I know there are those who genuinely believe in privatizing everything. They are called profiteers.

Public service should not be a commodity, and elected officials should not have to rent themselves out to the highest bidder in order to get into (or stay in) office. If you want to restore trust in government, remove the price tag. I am fully aware that the Supreme Court has declared that “money is speech.” That’s nonsense. The day my wallet starts talking to me, I might reconsider that view. Until then, I believe that the pernicious influence of money on our elections must be removed.

The end of minority rule in our legislative and executive branches. The Great Compromise, as it was called when it was adopted by the Constitution’s Framers, required that all states, big and small, have two senators. The idea that Rhode Island needed two U.S. senators to protect itself from being bullied by Massachusetts emerged under a system that governed only 4 million Americans.

Today, in a nation of more than 325 million and 37 additional states, not only is that structure antiquated, it’s downright dangerous. California has almost 40 million people, while the 20 smallest states have a combined population totaling less than that. Yet because of an 18th-century political deal, those 20 states have 40 senators, while California has just two. These sparsely populated, usually conservative states can block legislation supported by a majority of the American people. That’s just plain crazy.

The math is even starker when you look at places like Wyoming and Vermont, each of which has fewer people in the entire state (575,000 and 625,000, respectively) than does the Twelfth Congressional District of Michigan, which I last represented and whose more than 700,000 residents are now in the hands of my wife, Debbie. She fights her heart out for them every single day. Yet her efforts are often stymied simply because it is understood that even should a good bill make it through the hyper-partisan House, it will die a quiet death in the Senate because of the disproportionate influence of small states.

With my own eyes, I’ve watched in horror and increasing anger as that imbalance in power has become the primary cause of our national legislative paralysis. In primaries, the vocal rump of a minority of obnoxious asses can hold the entire country hostage to extremist views. This insanity has sent true public servants fleeing for the exits. The Electoral College has the same structural flaw. Along with 337 of my colleagues, I voted in 1969 to amend the Constitution to abolish it. Twice in the past 18 years, we’ve seen the loser of the popular vote become president through the Electoral College formula, which gives that same disproportionate weight to small states, each of which gets two automatic votes for its two senators.

My friend Norm Ornstein, a resident scholar at the American Enterprise Institute, sees a demographic shift coming that will effectively transform us into two countries. He tells me that “in 2050, 70 percent of Americans will be living in just 15 states. That 70 percent will then have 30 senators, and the remaining 30 percent of the people, mainly those living in the smallest and poorest states, will have 70 senators.”

How do we fix this? Practically speaking, it will be very difficult, given the specific constitutional protection granted these small states to veto any threat to their outsize influence.

There is a solution, however, that could gain immediate popular support: Abolish the Senate. At a minimum, combine the two chambers into one, and the problem will be solved. It will take a national movement, starting at the grassroots level, and will require massive organizing, strategic voting, and strong leadership over the course of a generation. But it has a nice ring to it, doesn’t it? “Abolish the Senate.” I’m having blue caps printed up with that slogan right now. They will be made in America.

The protection of an independent press. This is where the Founding Fathers got it exactly right. Jefferson said, “Were it left to me to decide whether we should have a government without newspapers, or newspapers without a government, I should not hesitate a moment to prefer the latter.”

Trump has said of reporters, “I would never kill them, but I do hate them. And some of them are such lying, disgusting people.”

My father started out life as a cub reporter for the Detroit Free Press. He always believed that journalism was a tremendously honorable profession. We cannot restore respect to our institutions of government until we put an end to the systematic attacks on journalism that have become prevalent. The playbook is simple: Lie. Repeat the lie. Then attack the journalists who expose those lies as being liars themselves—or, in modern parlance, “promoters of fake news.” The Nazis’ propaganda minister, Joseph Goebbels, replaced journalism with state-run propaganda and created a political climate based on fear and falsehoods.

The Washington Post won a Pulitzer Prize for its coverage of Russian interference in the 2016 election. The Fourth Estate is not a branch of government, but none of the branches of government can be trusted to function honestly without an unfettered free press vigilantly holding it accountable.

Thomas Jefferson had the first word and he should have the last word: “Our liberty depends on the freedom of the press, and that cannot be limited without being lost.”

As a young man, I served in the Army during World War II. My father was a member of Congress. I learned from him and, later, from my own experience that history always repeats itself unless we remember it with clarity and conscience.

Now I am an old man. My age bears with it a responsibility to share what I’ve witnessed so that future generations avoid making the same mistakes. My advice always begins with the truth, which is why would-be despots and demagogues try so hard to discredit it. They hate it like the devil hates holy water.

The conduct and outcome of the 2016 presidential election have put the future of our country in mortal peril. After a lifetime spent in public service, I never believed that day would come. Yet it has. And we now find ourselves on the precipice of a great cliff. Our next step is either into the abyss or toward a higher moral ground. Since before the Civil War, we’ve been told that “Providence watches over fools, drunkards, and the United States.” Yet the  good Lord also granted us free will. The direction we choose to follow is ours alone to make. We ask only that he guide our choice with his wisdom and his grace.

It’s up to you, my dear friends.

John D. Dingell was a member of the United States House of Representatives from December 13, 1955, until January 3, 2015, the longest tenure of any member of Congress in American history.  

This article is an excerpt from “The Dean: The Best Seat in the House”, by the late John Dingell with David Bender.

NEVADA  PRO-CHOICE CHAMPION  FOR  THE  U.S.  SENATE:  Born and raised in Las Vegas, Nevada, Senator Catherine Cortez Masto has deep roots in the Silver State. Serving for eight years as her state’s attorney general, she worked to keep Nevada communities safe, strengthening state laws to prevent domestic violence and protecting middle-class families from fraudulent mortgage schemes and predatory lenders. In 2016, Catherine ran a successful campaign to hold outgoing Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid’s seat for the Democrats — and when she was elected, Nevadans made history, voting to make her the first-ever Latina senator. In her first term, she quickly established a reputation as a tireless champion for working families and an effective leader who makes Nevadans’ voices heard. Catherine lives in Las Vegas with her husband Paul, a retired Secret Service agent.

Catherine is deeply committed to expanding economic opportunity for Nevada working families. She believes that all Americans have the right to affordable, quality health care, and she has been a strong advocate in the Senate for strengthening our health care system and for protecting Medicare and Medicaid. A strong advocate for women and children, Catherine is a cosponsor of the Healthy Maternal and Obstetric Medicine (Healthy MOM) Act, which would ensure that mothers and their babies have access to the care they need, both before and after birth. She is a fierce defender of a woman’s right to choose and believes that reproductive health decisions should be made by a woman and her doctor, not politicians in Washington. A cosponsor of the DREAM Act and a fervent supporter of comprehensive immigration reform, Catherine is working to repair our broken immigration system and protect hardworking families. Her position on five Senate committees allows her to continue to advocate for the issues that matter most to Nevadans. She sits on the Committee on Finance; the Committee on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs; the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources; the Committee on Rules and Administration; and the Committee on Indian Affairs. When reelected, Catherine will continue to work tirelessly on behalf of the working families she serves.

When she was elected, Catherine became the first woman Nevada elected to the Senate as well as the first Latina senator. In her first term, this trailblazer has made a tremendous positive impact on her state and our country, she has changed the face of power in the Senate. Catherine won a hard-fought race by a narrow margin in 2016, and in 2022, Republicans are sure to do everything in their power to unseat this champion for working families. Support her every step of the way as she faces her first reelection campaign and fights to move our country forward.  SEND CATHERINE BACK TO THE SENATE!

SOURCE:  Emily’s List

“We ignite change by getting Democratic pro-choice women elected to office.”

ANOTHER CHAMPION FOR NEVADA IN THE U.S. HOUSE: Susie Lee is a nonprofit leader and education advocate who has dedicated her career to helping her fellow Nevadans lead better, safer, and healthier lives. She is running for reelection to Congress to continue her life’s work of bringing people together to find and implement innovative solutions to the toughest problems facing Nevada’s working families.

Susie grew up the sixth of eight children in a working-class community. Susie got her first newspaper route at the age of eight, and began babysitting and lifeguarding as soon as she was old enough. With the help of Pell Grants, student loans, and scholarships, she paid her way through college; working in the cafeteria, the library, the copy room, and teaching aerobics while also competing on the swim team. Lee  graduated with honors from Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburg, earning a master’s degree in public management.  Susie found mentors who gave her the affirmation and encouragement she needed to succeed as a young woman. This experience inspired her work as a nonprofit leader and education advocate, working tirelessly to ensure that Nevada’s most vulnerable children can turn to their school communities for support when they don’t have resources at home.

 After college, she worked in Massachusetts at an environmental and economic consulting firm that specialized in water resource issues. She moved to Las Vegas, Nevada, in 1993, where she then worked as a campaign policy advisor to Las Vegas Mayor Jan Laverty Jones and founded a homeless shelter for parents and children in need. In 2010, she became the president of the board of Communities In Schools of Nevada (CIS), a program that seeks to lower high school dropout rates. Lee has served on several other boards and committees in the Las Vegas area.

 Recognizing that many Nevada families struggle with housing insecurity, food insecurity, and other challenges, she helped launch a site coordinator program to give the most vulnerable students a dedicated advocate ensuring their needs are met inside and outside of school. Susie has proudly called southern Nevada home for over two decades.

Susie is focused on making a tangible positive impact on the lives of southern Nevada’s working families, and she worked tirelessly to help pass the American Rescue Plan. “This relief package is just the kind of big, bold action we need to build back southern Nevada’s economy, which has been absolutely devastated by this pandemic,” Susie has said. “We secured direct payments to working families, along with relief for unemployed workers, schools, small businesses, vaccine distribution, child care and unemployment tax relief, and more. And, at long last, we were able to secure over $4 billion in direct aid for Nevada, something our state desperately needs to provide critical services and prevent layoffs of teachers, law enforcement officers, and first responders. I’m also proud that legislation I supported to prevent surprise tax bills for unemployed Nevadans made it into this final package. This legislation will remove taxes on the first $10,200 of unemployment payments – a measure that will go a long way in providing relief to Nevada families who are struggling to make ends meet. With this relief, we’ll be able to crush this virus, get shots in arms, Nevadans back to work, our kids back in school, and our businesses open and thriving.” Well before the COVID-19 crisis, health care has long been a deeply personal issue for Susie. When she was a freshman in college, her father was laid off from his steel manufacturing job and never had another shot at economic security. Her parents couldn’t afford health insurance because of common preexisting conditions, and when her mother had a heart attack one month before reaching Medicare eligibility, the hospital bill was so large they risked losing their house. Susie understands that access to quality health care is a right, not a privilege, and she will continue to be a powerful advocate for all southern Nevadans.

Susie successfully fought to keep this swing seat blue when Senator Jacky Rosen vacated it in 2018, and she successfully defended it in 2020 in a narrow win that was one of the last to be called in the country. We cannot take anything for granted in this swing district, as Republicans do everything in their power to retake this seat — and the majority in the Senate. With so much of our progress at stake, let’s show Susie our full support and keep this champion for Nevada working families in the House and  the Democrats majority in the U.S. Senate.

SOURCE:  Emily’s List

“We ignite change by getting Democratic pro-choice women elected to office.”

UP NEXT:  A  NEVADA CHAMPION FOR THE  U.S.  SENATE

A  CHAMPION  FOR  NEVADA  IN  THE U.S.  HOUSE:  Congresswoman Dina Titus is running for reelection to continue her outstanding career of public service. Currently in her sixth term in the U.S. House of Representatives, Rep. Titus is the dean of Nevada’s Congressional delegation. As a professor, Dr. Titus taught American and Nevada government classes from 1979 through 2011 at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) where she has professor emeritus status. She is an accomplished non-fiction writer known for her expertise in the history and policies related to nuclear power, weaponry, and waste. Rep. Titus was elected to the Nevada state Senate in 1988, and served as the Democratic Minority Leader from 1993 to 2008. She was first elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in November 2008. Rep. Titus and her husband UNLV Professor Emeritus Thomas C. Wright, a Latin American historian, have been married for over 35 years and live in Las Vegas.

Rep. Titus is a proud member of the House Committees on Transportation and Infrastructure, Foreign Affairs, and Homeland Security. In 2018, Rep. Titus was elected to become the Chair of a key Transportation and Infrastructure Subcommittee, where she works to help Nevada’s communities better respond to natural disasters, address the devastating impacts of climate change, and fight for infrastructure projects that will benefit the most vulnerable. After helping the Las Vegas community recover from the deadliest mass shooting in modern American history, Rep. Titus has emerged as one of the leading voices in Congress for substantive action to reduce gun violence. She is a strong advocate for the DREAM Act and comprehensive immigration reform. An expert on matters of nuclear energy and waste, Rep. Titus leads the effort in Congress to oppose the revitalization of Yucca Mountain.

This is a must-win re-election fight.  Rep. Titus gave Nevadans a new voice in Washington when she defeated a Republican incumbent in 2008 — being outspent $3 million to $1.8 million. Redistricting has made her seat significantly more competitive, but we know she has what it takes to win with our help. We cannot take anything for granted in this newly redrawn district, as Republicans do everything in their power to retake this seat and the majority. With so much of our progress at stake, let’s show Rep. Titus our full support and keep this champion for Nevadans in the House and keep the Democrats in control of the House

SOURCE:  Emily’s List

“We ignite change by getting Democratic pro-choice women elected to office.

UP NEXT:  ANOTHER NEVADA CHAMPION FOR THE U.S.  HOUSE

Tina Kotek is Oregon’s proven progressive fighter. The first openly lesbian Speaker of any State House in the country, Tina raised the minimum wage, passed paid family leave, and voted to put Oregon on a path to 100% clean electricity. Now she’s running for Governor to continue building a future of opportunity and justice for every Oregonian.

Kotek describes her background and experience in her own words.  "My grandparents came from Eastern Europe in the early part of the last century to find opportunity and a better life. My parents were proud first-generation Americans. They were able to provide me and my siblings with a stable and supportive upbringing because my dad had the benefit of a college degree he had earned by going to night school courtesy of the GI Bill, making him the first person in his family to go to college. My parents believed in hard work, being informed citizens, and encouraging their children to follow their dreams."

"I moved to Oregon from the East Coast in 1987, and found a place where I could truly be myself. I fell in love with the beauty of the state and the openness of the people. I eventually finished my undergraduate degree at the University of Oregon, graduating without student debt because of a Pell grant, work study assistance, and affordable tuition."

"When I returned to Oregon after graduation, I took a job at the Oregon Food Bank. I was attracted to their mission to end hunger, not just feed people. And because I was raised as a person of faith with a belief in the inherent value of everyone, I knew I had found my calling as an advocate for others. I listened and learned and fought for ways to reduce food insecurity – like a strong minimum wage, housing assistance, and access to health insurance. I continued my advocacy for children when I joined Children First for Oregon as their policy director."

"My experience working at nonprofits on behalf of Oregon’s most vulnerable led me to run for public office and serve in the Oregon Legislature. In my first term, I rewrote the state’s poverty program for low-income families while also playing a key role in making historic progress for the LGBTQ+ community by passing statewide protections and access to benefits."

"In 2013, I was honored to be elected by my peers to be the Speaker of the House. In nearly a decade leading the Oregon House, I am proud of the progress we have made together. From expanding economic security for more families, combating climate change, and working hard to get us through an unprecedented pandemic, my time in the legislature has been dedicated to fighting for Oregonians."

"Together, we have changed Oregon for the better.  But it will take real leadership to confront the challenges we now face — from the pandemic to the homelessness crisis to climate change."

"I will be a leader who puts people first, who prioritizes justice and equity, who brings people together, and inspires all of us to reach for a better future."

Violence against Indigenous women is “escalating like never before,” the Union of British Columbia Indian Chiefs (UBCIC) has warned. A series of tragedies have rocked the city of Vancouver (unceded Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh lands) in recent months, including the discovery of the body of a 14-year-old Indigenous child, Noelle O’Soup, in May.

“Apathy and injustice prevail among the authorities while the intersecting crises of MMIWG2S+ [missing and murdered Indigenous women, girls, Two-Spirit, and others], the colonial child welfare system, homelessness, and the opioid crisis are literally killing our people,” said Kukpi7 (Chief) Judy Wilson, UBCIC secretary-treasurer, according to a press release by the organization.

Noelle O’Soup was found in an apartment approximately a year after she went missing from a group home in Port Coquitlam, while under the care of the Ministry of Children and Family Development (MCFD), British Columbia. Reports on the circumstances of her disappearance and the investigation into her death have revealed negligence by both the police and the government. “The major investigative oversight occurred despite multiple visits to, and apparent inspections of, the single room occupancy unit where Noelle O’Soup’s remains would finally be discovered,” stated Global News. Her case, unfortunately, is more the rule rather than the exception in Canada.

An Ongoing Genocide

In 2019, the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls (NIMMIWG) released its final report, declaring that the violence against Indigenous women, girls, and 2SLGBTQQIA (Two-Spirit, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, questioning, intersex, and asexual) people amounted to “genocide.”

The NIMMIWG emphasized that this genocide had been “empowered by colonial structures evidenced notably by the Indian Act, the Sixties Scoop, residential schools, and breaches of human and Indigenous rights, leading directly to the current increased rates of violence, death, and suicide in Indigenous populations.”

The inquiry found that “Indigenous women and girls are 12 times more likely to be murdered or [go] missing than any other women in Canada,” with the figure soaring to 16 times when compared to white women in the country.

A report by Statistics Canada released in April 2022 stated that 56 percent of Indigenous women have experienced physical assault, while 46 percent have experienced sexual assault in their lifetime. Constituting approximately 5 percent of Canada’s population of women, Indigenous women accounted for 24 percent of all women homicide victims between 2015 and 2020, according to the Statistics Canada report.

The likelihood of experiencing violence seems to be higher in cases where Indigenous women live in rural and remote areas, if they have a disability, have experienced homelessness, or have been in government care—81 percent of Indigenous women who have been in the child welfare system have been physically or sexually assaulted in their lifetime, according to Statistics Canada.

“Across multiple generations, Indigenous peoples were and continue to be subjected to the detrimental harms of colonialism,” acknowledged the report. Not only are Indigenous children disproportionately represented in Canada’s child welfare system (52.2 percent), but advocates have also found that more children have been forcibly separated from their families now than during the brutal Indian residential schools period.

Along with its final report, the NIMMIWG also made a key intervention in prevailing definitions of genocide, stating that “In actuality, genocide encompasses a variety of both lethal and non-lethal acts, including acts of ‘slow death,’ and all of these acts have very specific impacts on women and girls.”

“This reality must be acknowledged as a precursor to understanding genocide as a root cause of the violence against Indigenous women and girls in Canada,” the NIMMIWG added, “[n]ot only because of the genocidal acts that were and still are perpetrated against them, but also because of all the societal vulnerabilities it fosters, which leads to deaths and disappearances.”

‘The Police Don’t Protect Us’

The remains of Noelle O’Soup were found in Downtown Eastside (DTES), a neighborhood referred to as “ground zero” for violence against Indigenous women. Residents face disproportionate levels of “manufactured and enforced violence, poverty, homelessness, child apprehension, criminalization, and fatal overdoses.”

Approximately 8,000 women live and work in DTES, where the rates of violence have been more than double compared to the rest of Vancouver, according to data provided by the police.

Indigenous women have an acute vulnerability to violence, and yet the institutional response has been to stigmatize the women in DTES for having “high-risk lifestyles.”

“Harmful stereotypes that are perpetuated against Indigenous women are used as an ongoing tool of colonization to enforce their vulnerability to violence,” stated Christine Wilson, director of Indigenous Advocacy at the Downtown Eastside Women’s Center (DEWC), in an interview with Peoples Dispatch.

In 2019, the DEWC published “Red Women Rising,” a historic report produced in direct collaboration with 113 Indigenous survivors of violence and 15 non-Indigenous women in the DTES who knew Indigenous women who have experienced violence, have gone missing, or have overdosed. “Red Women Rising” was published in response to the final report of the NIMMIWG.

Echoing the argument put forth in “Red Women Rising,” Wilson reiterated that “the criminal justice system constructs Indigenous women as ‘risks’ that need to be contained, which leaves them unsafe and exacerbates inequalities.” Widespread bias within the policing system has not only influenced whether police take Indigenous women’s complaints seriously, Wilson explained, but also whether Indigenous women approach the police at all.

“The police don’t protect us; they harass us,” stated DJ Joe, a resident of DTES, in the report by DEWC. “Native women face so much violence but no one believes a Native woman when she reports violence.”

In cases involving missing or murdered women, there is a lack of proper investigation and adequate resources, Wilson stated, adding that family members of victims were subjected to insensitive and offensive treatment, alongside general jurisdictional confusion and lack of coordination among the police.

Police have also been actively hostile and abusive toward Indigenous women in Canada. They continue to be targets of sexual violence by police forces, particularly the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP), which has been deployed on contract policing services in 600 Indigenous communities.

Lack of police and judicial protection also overlaps with criminalization, thereby exacerbating violence against Indigenous women and girls. Wilson added, “Indigenous women are more likely to be violently attacked by their abusers and then more likely to be counter-charged by the police, compared to non-Indigenous women.”

Colonial Patriarchy Poses the Highest Risk

As “Red Women Rising” outlined, “Settler-colonialism intentionally targets Indigenous women in order to destroy families, sever the connection to land-based practices and economies, and devastate relational governance of Indigenous nations.”

The report identified “[m]ultiplying socioeconomic oppressions within colonialism,” including loss of land, family violence, child apprehension, and inadequate services, which worked to displace Indigenous women and children from their home communities.

Forty-two percent of women living on reserves lived in houses requiring major repairs, according to the report, and nearly one-third of all on-reserve homes in Canada were food insecure, with the figure soaring to 90 percent in some areas. Meanwhile, 64 percent of Indigenous women lived off-reserve, in areas such as DTES.

Displacement is closely linked to housing insecurity, with all members of DEWC having experienced homelessness at some point in their lives.

The violence that Indigenous women face is tied to poverty, which in turn “magnifies vulnerability to abusive relationships, sexual assault, child apprehension, exploitative work conditions, [and] unsafe housing,” stated the “Red Women Rising” report.

Not only are Indigenous women disproportionately criminalized for “poverty-related crimes,” but Indigenous families are also investigated for “poverty-related ‘neglect’” eight times more as compared to non-Indigenous families. “[H]igher stressors associated with living in systemic poverty such as drug dependence and participation in street economies are used against Indigenous women in order to apprehend Indigenous children, thus perpetuating the colonial cycle of trauma and impoverishment,” the report pointed out.

As a result, activists argue that what is needed is an “assertion of Indigenous laws and jurisdiction, and restoration of collective Indigenous women’s rights and governance,” and “individual support for survivors such as healing programs.”

“Red Women Rising” had made 200 recommendations to address violence against Indigenous women. Meanwhile, the NIMMIWG had issued 231 “Calls for Justice,” stressing that they were legal imperatives, not recommendations. However, in the three years since the release of both these reports, the Canadian government has made “little progress.”

“While there have been crucial acknowledgments on the subject of violence against Indigenous women,” Wilson told Peoples Dispatch, “now we need actions. We need funds for reparations, we need housing, and we need clean water on the reserves.”

Abigail Spanberger (VA-07) and Elaine Luria (VA-02) are incumbent U.S. House members from the state of Virginia that we need to re-elect.  Each of these women had illustrious careers serving our country before running for and being elected to the House.

Rep. Spanberger began her public service career as a federal agent with the U.S. Postal Inspection Service. In this role, she investigated money laundering and narcotics cases — including at the southern border. Then, as a Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) case officer, she worked at home and abroad to collect intelligence, keep our country safe from terrorism, and inform policymakers in their national security decisions. Following her time at CIA, Rep. Spanberger joined the private sector and helped American colleges and universities diversify their student bodies, expand opportunities for Americans entering the workforce, and increase graduation rates. 

First elected to the U.S. House in 2018, Rep. Spanberger serves on the U.S. House Agriculture Committee and the U.S. House Foreign Affairs Committee. She is also Vice Chair of the bipartisan Problem Solvers Caucus.

On the House Agriculture Committee, she serves as Chair of the Conservation & Forestry Subcommittee and as a Member of the Livestock and Foreign Agriculture Subcommittee. On the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Abigail serves as Vice-Chair of the Europe, Energy, the Environment, & Cyber Subcommittee and as a Member of the Asia, the Pacific, Central Asia, & Nonproliferation Subcommittee.

The nonpartisan Lugar Center ranked Abigail as the most bipartisan Member of Virginia’s congressional delegation, and she has received several national awards for her commitment to getting results for Virginia, focusing on constituent services, and working across the aisle.

                                    ************************************************

Prior to her election in 2018, Rep. Luria served two decades in the Navy, retiring at the rank of Commander. Rep. Luria served at sea on six ships as a nuclear-trained Surface Warfare Officer, deployed to the Middle East and Western Pacific, and culminated her Navy career by commanding a combat-ready unit of 400 sailors. Vice Chair of the House Armed Services Committee and a member the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs, Rep. Luria was one of the first women in the Navy's nuclear power program and among the first women to serve the entirety of her career in combatant ships.

In civilian life, she and her husband ( Navy vet of 27 years) started a small business from their kitchen table that has made $50,000 to charity.

She serves on the House Armed Services Committee, where she is the committee's Vice Chair, the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs, where she serves as Chair of the Disability Assistance and Memorial Affairs Subcommittee, and the House Committee on Homeland Security.

We need these two highly-qualified, pro-choice women to keep their seats in the Congress.

Of all members in the House Democratic Caucus, she served the longest on active duty, having completed 20 years of active military service with the U.S. Navy. Rep. Luria graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy and received a master's in engineering management from Old Dominion University.

Since returning to civilian life, she and her husband (a Navy vet of 27 years) started a small business from their kitchen table that has made $50,000 in donations to charity.

We are the only industrialized nation with a written Constitution that does not address the denial of rights for more than half of our population. It has been nearly 100 years since this fight began to enshrine, into the Constitution, that equality of rights cannot be denied or abridged on account of sex. We urge the Senate to join the House in passing this legislation and making history this session. 

The ERA Coalition, along with these cosponsing organizations: Black Women’s Roundtable, Feminist Majority, Generation Ratify, League of Women Voters, National Organization for Women, and Women's March, invite you to join us for a Week of Action: A Push to Bring S.J. Res 1 to the Floor for a Vote from September 6- 9, to raise the ERA's profile before the Senate and urge Majority Leader Schumer to schedule S.J. Res 1/H.J. Res 17 for a vote.

Tuesday, Sept 6, 2022 

 Action: Sign-on to the public letter asking Leader Schumer to bring SJ Res 1/HJ Res 17 for a vote.

The House voted to pass H.J. Res 17 on March 17, 2021 with bipartisan support. The fate of the ERA now lies in the hands of the Senate. Sign your name to our letter to @SenSchumer requesting he brings the ERA to the floor. https://bit.ly/3wDW1iO #ERANow #Senate4ERA #SJRes1 

Wednesday, Sept 7, 2022 

Action: Tweet/Email your Senators to ask Leader Schumer to bring SJ Res 1/HJ Res 17 for a vote.

 Tweet at your Senator to urge Sen. Schumer to schedule a vote on SJ Res 1, which removes the time limit from the ERA -without further delay- so that we can move forward on equality and remove any future barriers for equality on the basis of sex. https://bit.ly/3RaOf8j #ERANow #Senate4ERA

Thursday, Sept 8, 2022                  Noon-2 PM Eastern

Action: Tweet Storm asking Leader Schumer to bring SJ Res 1/HJ Res 17 to the floor for a vote

Sample Tweet: 

Tweet @SenSchumer TODAY noon-2 pm ET and ask him to schedule a vote on HJ Res 17/SJ Res 1 – which removes the time limit from the Equal Rights Amendment. #ERANow #Senate4ERA #PublishERA https://bit.ly/3Ku74kg

Friday, Sept 9, 2022 

Action: Create your own video with LINK to all actions or share the ERA Coalition’s (coming soon).

NOTE:  Even if your Senator/Senators have not shown support for the ERA in the past, TWEET them anyway.  It will show the magnitude of the public's support.

Cheri Beasley:  She made history in 2019 by becoming the first African American woman to serve as the chief justice of the North Carolina Supreme Court - achieving this after many years of public service - first as a public defender, then as a district judge before joining the North Carolina Court of Appeals.

Beasley's mother was a role model for what women can achieve with hard work and faith.  Her mother earned a PhD., became a university dean, and a national leader in her field.  Beasley has proven again and again the validity of what her mother taught her.

Now Beasley is running for an open seat in the U.S. Senate against corrupt Washington politician Ted Budd who has said he is open to a nationwide ban on abortion, including in cases of rape, incest, and to save a woman's life.  Unfortunately his extreme views are mainstream in the Republican Party and the GOP has committed to spending at least $27 million on Budd's campaign.

"Throughout my two decades of service, I always led with integrity and common sense to uphold the Constitution and protect our rights.  I'm committed to doing the job I swore to do - as a judge, and - hopefully - as a U.S. Senator.  If the GOP takes back the Senate, the threats to our rights don't stop with the overturning of Roe v. Wade.  They can pass laws against birth control, marriage equality, and more."  These are the words of Cheri Beasley demonstrating the commitment she is pledging to the people of North Carolina.

North Carolina needs Cheri Beasley in the U.S. Senate.  We need Cheri Beasley in the U.S. Senate.  VOTE!

I just signed a Common Cause petition urging the USPS Board of Governors to fire and replace Louis DeJoy – and I hope that you will, too: https://act.commoncause.org/petitions/protect-the-usps-tell-the-board-of-governors-to-fire-louis-dejoy/?source=email&

Since taking office, Louis DeJoy  has done nothing but gum up USPS operations and try to bring the Postal Services to a grinding halt. Last year, he rolled out a now infamous 10-year plan that will make the Postal Service less affordable and accessible for many of us -- and now has announced his plan to phase out 50,000 USPS jobs.

Earlier this month, DeJoy – the GOP mega-donor who was handpicked by Donald Trump to run the Postal Service – announced his plan to phase out 50,000 USPS jobs in the coming years. [1]

That’s right: on top of raising prices, closing post offices, slowing our mail delivery, and more – DeJoy is now planning to drastically shrink the USPS workforce.

Val Demings is currently serving in the U.S. House representing Florida’s 10^th Congressional District.  She has served in the House since 2017.  Demings is running for election to the U.S. Senate against Republican Marco Rubio.  Rubio is a MAGA Trump supporter still claiming the 2020 Presidential Election was stolen and has one of the poorest attendance records in the U.S. Senate.

Demings was the first in her family to attend college.  She worked at a fast food restaurant to pay her way.  She earned a B.S. in criminology from Florida State University, and an M.P.A. from Webster University.  Her career began as a social worker, working to protect foster children.  Later, she moved to Orlando to join the police force.  During her 27- year career there, she served in almost every department, ultimately becoming the first female Chief of Police.  WHEN elected, she would be the first African American ever elected to the Senate from Florida.

After retiring from the police force, Demings was elected to the U.S. House.   During her time in the Congress she has served on the Committee on Homeland Security and the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform.  During the current session she has also served on the Committee on Judiciary.

Unlike her opponent, Val Demings has a reputation as a tireless champion for public safety, civil rights and the environment and one who truly serves her constituents.  Florida – everyone – needs Val Demings.  VOTE!

Gretchen Whitmer has served as the 49^th governor of Michigan since 2019.  Prior to that she served in the Michigan House of Representatives from 2001 to 2006 and in the Michigan Senate from 2006 to 2015.

 She graduated Magna Cum Laude from Michigan State Unversity’s law school and worked as an associate attorney for Dickinson Wright PLCC before being elected to the state legislature.  She also worked as a lecturer at Michigan State University in 2015 and prosecutor for Ingham County in 2016.

Whitmer gained national attention, when in 2013, during a debate on abortion, she shared her experience of being sexually assaulted.  During the pandemic she has again gained prominence nationally by her courageous handling of these health issues and for her being the target of a kidnap/murder plot because of her courageous stands.

Michigan needs her courage and strength.  She is committed to protecting reproductive rights, increasing economic opportunity and protecting natural resources for future generations.

Whitmer is one of the GOP’s  top targets for defeat in 2022.  We cannot let this happen.  Support her re-election bid!  VOTE for WHITMER!

(PHOTO – 2021)

With only slightly more than two months until the mid-term elections, we at womensvoicesmedia.org want to put that time to good use by using our platform to share important information about the outstanding women who are running for the House, the Senate, and a number of gubernatorial seats.

Every day or so we will be posting a bio and picture of one of these women.  Please share this information with every woman and man that you know but maybe not with rabid Rethuglicans.  You know the ones we mean.  Don’t waste your time on them!

Use that time, if you can, volunteering to help elect some of these women.  Contributions, however small, are always a help, too.  Don’t forget about the other great pro-choice, pro-ERA women who are running for your state and local offices.  Let’s create a BLUE TIDE from school boards, to the city and county commissions/councils, to the state houses and all the way to Washington, DC.

 TOGETHER  WE  CAN  DO  IT!

FYI: If you want more information about the featured candidates, go to

 The Encyclopedia of American Politics                Encyclopedia of American Politics

OR   Emily’s List                 www.emilyslist.org

Let’s make sure we wake up on the morning of Nov. 9^th with great big smiles on our faces.

INTRODUCTION TO CLOWNING POLITICIANS

Floridians are heading to the polls TODAY to vote in the primary, and they deserve to know exactly how much money anti-abortion politicans are receiving from the major corporations they know and use every day. Companies like Disney, Florida Health Association, and GEO Group are collectively giving millions of dollars to the people who sponsored and voted on HB5, and in doing so have undermined the right of Floridians to seek abortions. 

There’s no better moment to call them out than when they’re in the spotlight of Election Day. We’re highlighting the deeply problematic views of some of the major supporters of HB5 and the corporations that fund them.

YOU KNOW WHAT TO DO.

Editor's Note:  This is a personal opinion post by Wicem Gindrey

In France, we know Wicem Gindrey because she works for SFNewsfeed.us, a journal in San Francisco. As for her, Biden is not popular enough for 2024 and as Joe Biden is very old, Gindrey rather see Buttigieg for 2024.