May 8, 2023

That Second Civil War we keep talking about, actually started about 12 or 13 years ago

and it's happening now.

https://signalpress.blogspot.com/2023/05/the-invasion-of-pure-evil-that-is.html

We have tended to imagine a second civil war in this country in the same way that the first one materialized. I would place the start date around 2010, when Republicans, following Limbaugh's blueprint, took advantage of Democrats sitting out a mid-term election to put themselves in position to gerrymander state legislative districts and congressional districts in as many as 30 of the 50 states, to secure for themselves what had been an illusive majority. The relentless attack continues as county supervisor boards, school boards, city councils and other levels of government are captured.

The attack on the integrity of the election process, which actually began when Trump was nominated the first time, and claimed that if Hillary Clinton won, it could only be because of massive voter fraud, is another front of this civil war. I heard a radio pundit, one of Limbaugh's wannabees, outlining the ways that President Obama could stop Trump from getting to the White House, including mentioning that then Vice-President Biden only needed to find a way to get alternative electors into place, or declare martial law on some pretense of "national emergency," and simply stop the inauguration.

The judiciary has been targeted and everywhere and every time Republicans are in charge of appointing judges, they find the most extremists they can gather. It's difficult, though not impossible, to find Ivy League-trained judges who will set aside the law to legislate conservative issues from the bench, so they are relying, increasingly, on those trained in the law schools operated by white Christian nationalists like Jerry Falwell and Pat Robertson, both of whom controlled universities that cranked out high volumes of law student graduates with the goal of packing courts with them. Look at their resumes. Many of those appointed by Republicans at the state and federal level, even with advanced law degrees from the Ivy League, or places like Stanford or some of the more liberal state universities got their JD from schools like Liberty or Regent.

May 5, 2023

The Southern Baptist Convention has an opportunity to shed its racist image.

https://signalpress.blogspot.com/2023/05/the-southern-baptist-convention-is.html

The Southern Baptist Convention was formed in 1845 when Baptist churches in several southern states separated from the Triennial Convention, which did not allow slave owners to serve as missionaries. Disagreeing with that decision, and anticipating the eventual separation of southern states to form the Confederacy, delegates from churches met in Augusta, Georgia and formed their own denominational body. Long after the Civil War, churches affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention discriminated against African Americans by restricting them from church membership.

Tennessee pastor Willie McLaurin, an African American who was a member of the powerful Executive Committee, became the interim CEO of the committee when Ronnie Floyd, a long time convention insider and well connected Arkansas pastor who had been a leader in the long-term "conservative resurgence" was forced to resign because of tactics and actions he took, resisting the will of the convention body demanding accountability for a sexual abuse scandal that has plagued the SBC for a long time and about which they have only recently taken steps to handle.

McLaurin has led the committee for eighteen months, through considerable controversy over the investigation into the abuse scandal, and multiple issues related to it. He has proven, beyond any doubt, that he is as qualified as any Southern Baptist anywhere, for handling the responsibility and leadership of this position. But in the first round of search committee interviews, he was passed over. But the full committee, voting on the recommendation, turned aside the search recommendation and so the process begins again. McLaurin, who is still interim CEO of the Southern Baptist Convention, may likely get the chance, since many of those who voted against the search committee candidate expressed their disappointment that he was not given the chance.

May 4, 2023

Chris Hayes right on target tonight about how the news media should cover a seditious candidate

Hit the nail on the head, pointing out that the guy should be labelled as a danger to democracy, that his candidacy is nothing more than continuing the coup, revenge and his lies shouldn't be given attention. The thing that news should focus on his his danger to democracy.

I've thought all along that the media legitimizes him by covering him without paying any attention to the content of his message or the danger he poses to democracy. It's just business as usual and its money.

May 4, 2023

The 2024 elections and beyond--Examining and applying the lessons we've learned from our history

https://signalpress.blogspot.com/2023/05/the-2024-elections-and-beyond-americans.html

The power in a constitutional democracy is "we the people." And it rests in the ballot box. If we really care about this, we need to figure out a way to activate the large segment of our population that doesn't participate, convince them that their rights are in danger, and get them to the polls. Voter turnout among registered Democrats in most red states in the midterms wasn't good, because all of the money and momentum goes to the battlegrounds. We need a real surge in support. And while I hate cliches, that will take some outside of the box thinking, some risks, and some courage.

Trump has to fall. It's long past time for him to suffer the consequences of his actions. The Manhattan indictment and the E. Jean Carroll rape trial are sideshows. It is time to bring multiple indictments for the sedition and rebellion against the United States that he committed on January 6, 2021, and for the document scandal at Mar-a-Lago. I've heard all the excuses and all the arguments, and I also know that powerful people can do powerful things. Trump needs to be indicted, and he needs to get a speedy trial and a quick conviction and a judge who sticks his finger in his face, and wishes him well on his way to hell.

This, too, is the power of the people. No more dithering and dinking around with possibilities and probabilities at the DOJ. Garland must act now. The indictments must rain down and the trials must be on the docket in time for the summer re-run season. We must push for this, we must protest for it, we must demand it. It is already beyond ridiculous that he has announced a presidential campaign while hundreds of the minions who followed his orders on January 6th are in prison or are headed there. The news media is going to sit around, watch it happen, comment on it and let it happen. We, the people, must use the means our democracy and constitution provide to us, staying true to our ideals, and defending our freedom before it is too late, and it is lost.

May 1, 2023

For Lauren Boebert, conservative standards apply to her opponents, but not her family

https://signalpress.blogspot.com/2023/04/from-her-own-perspective-boeberts.html

Congresswoman Lauren Boebert's recent announcement that her sixteen year old son would be making her a grandmother at age 36 was accompanied by some remarkably hypocritical comments from her.

"So we can nitpick what the Bible says is right and wrong, but I think just having that heart posture of wanting to serve God and do the right thing is so important," she told Dave Rubin, a conservative talk show host. That comment followed her saying, "Obviously, I'm a Christian and you know there are standards we like to uphold, but none of us do it perfectly."

Boebert is not an articulate speaker, so the position she is actually taking isn't always clear. But for one who campaigns frequently with a microphone and a preacher-like pacing and pointing that frequently makes use of church buildings as campaign venues, and whose rhetoric and perspective is a classic, textbook blend of right wing politics with fundamentalist religion, going soft on the issue of personal morality, which is a major component of both Jewish and Christian doctrine, is inconsistent with most of the rest of her politics and her brand of Christianity.

She's right when she says that none of us uphold standards of Christianity perfectly. But she missed the point completely. It's not a matter of "nit picking." Christianity is a faith that rests wholly on grace. And while she doesn't want to "nit pick the Bible" with regard to her son's situation, she doesn't seem to mind doing the equivalent of that to those she identifies as her political opponents.

April 30, 2023

Biden will win in 2024, and while there's muttering about age, it won't matter much in the long run.

https://signalpress.blogspot.com/2023/04/age-not-factor-signal-press-endorses.html

The economy is moving along well. Inflation, which is the sign of a strong economy and a good job market, is under control. That's not something heard in the media now, as the focus on the 2024 election coverage ramps up, but that's a fact. Gasoline prices are stable. The unemployment rate is at a historic low. Lots of people love to complain that they don't have it as well off as they should have, but the fact of the matter is that, two years into the Biden Presidency, the contrast between his success and the failures, inept mistakes and corruption of his predecessor, are as stark and realistic as any in history.

So, with nothing else from which to manufacture news, the media is focusing on Joe Biden's age. O.K. Well, that's a factor. He's the oldest President we've ever had. So what? It opens him up to criticism from enemies and political opponents who throw around terms like "dementia" and slow mindedness. There's been no evidence of that. He grew up with a stutter, which still affects his speech, his voice, because he uses it so much, does get raspy on occasion. But it is clear to anyone who knows and is objective about it, that his age is not a disability, and hasn't been one up to this point.

And as far as Nikki Haley's remark is concerned, that electing Joe Biden is just setting things in place for a Harris presidency, well, if that turns out to be the case, a Harris presidency would be a considerably better prospect than a Haley presidency, especially if the latter follows the pattern of mediocrity and absence of service to the people that her governorship of South Carolina did. Having Kamala Harris as Vice President is an additional reason to vote for Biden. And it would be infinitely better than the orange buffoon.

April 28, 2023

Just so you know, in case you're interested...

https://signalpress.blogspot.com/2023/04/just-so-you-know-in-case-youre.html

It is because I believe faith means living according to virtues that give our life meaning and purpose that I am a Democrat, who believes in democracy and all of the individual freedom that comes with it. I will stand up for it and fight for it.

I will also stand up for, and fight for a pure Christian faith in the face of an intrusion of apostasy and heresy that is distorting its doctrine, corrupting its theology and undermining the effectiveness of its mission and purpose. I'm talking about the intersection, and I use that word with deliberate smugness, of Christianity with right wing Republican politics and MAGA Trumpism, that has subverted loyalty to God and replaced it with loyalty to power and influence. It is not possible to be loyal to political leaders whose lifestyle is diametrically opposite the values and principles, mission and purpose of the Christian gospel. That is the main false, paganism of our time and place.

It is not necessary for anyone to intellectually challenge what I believe, or try to prove it wrong, or belittle it, or criticize me for believing it. If you're not a believer, that's OK. I'm not asking you to become one in order for us to agree politically, socially, or otherwise. But it's not necessary for you to justify your perspective by bashing mine.

April 26, 2023

Democrats need to stand up and put an end to this ridiculous nonsense.

https://signalpress.blogspot.com/2023/04/arizona-county-hires-election-denying.html

After multiple controversies, lawsuits and actions demonstrating an incredible amount of gross incompetence, two county supervisors in Cochise County, Arizona have approved the hiring of a conspiracy theory-spouting election denialist as the man in charge of counting their ballots. These two supervisors continue to insist on casting doubts on the accuracy of the last two elections, despite evidence that proves those accusations to be lies.

They've cost the taxpayers of the county thousands of dollars in legal fees for their incompetence. Their antics led to the resignation of a competent, professional election supervisor, something they apparently had on their agenda when they were originally elected. They almost caused the county to not have any of its votes counted in the 2022 midterm elections because of their illegal delay in failing to certify the vote total, making the same false claim about Dominion voting machines that have been proven false time after time after time.

All but one of the county residents who came in to provide testimony during the supervisors meeting expressed their displeasure at the hiring of this individual, who was one of the election deniers leading the effort to attempt to stop certification of votes in November, 2022, in order to try to save the election deniers who lost.

It's time to put an end to this nonsense. These nut jobs don't outnumber us. Finish the recall effort against Crosby, and that's enough to make some change. It might just be the encouragement others need in other places like Cochise County to motivate and bring an end to this creeping fascism.

April 26, 2023

Arizona county hires conspiracy theory-spouting election denier as elections supervisor.

https://www.myheraldreview.com/news/cochise_county/bartelsmeyer-approved-as-new-county-elections-director/article_b20f3d06-e3aa-11ed-bab4-07574fe1cb27.html

Excerpts:

Sierra Vista resident XXXXXXXXX stated, “After learning who Bob Bartelsmeyer is and what he has done, my first statement about the board of supervisors’ voting on hiring him to replace our previous elections director, Lisa Marra, would normally be ‘You’ve got to be kidding!’ Yet, after all the chaos and embarrassment brought to Cochise County by Supervisors Tom Crosby and Peggy Judd, along with Recorder David Stevens, how could anyone be surprised by their determination to hire this nut job?

He went on to say Bartelsmeyer spread false claims about election equipment manufacturer Dominion Voting Systems, the company that just won $787.5 million in a defamation lawsuit.

Portal resident XXXXXXXXXXX was “vehemently” opposed to Bartelsmeyer’s appointment and stated, “Why would we hire a man who abandoned his former post as slections director in Dona Ana County, New Mexico, after just eight months of employment and right before a primary election? Now he is willing to ditch his current job as elections director in La Paz County after just one year of employment there? Perhaps it won’t be long before Mr. Bartelsmeyer moves on to an even larger county — such as Pinal or Maricopa — leaving us in the lurch before an upcoming election, as he has done in the past.

“The strongly partisan and false narrative that Mr. Bartelsmeyer spreads on social media is neither professional nor appropriate for a person entrusted to perform fair and secure elections in an unbiased, non-partisan manner.”

“It should be clear by now that folks like Bob Bartelsmeyer, Tom Crosby, Peggy Judd and David Stevens, who repeat these disproven lies and debunked theories, have no place in county government and there are very real consequences when they are publicly and unabashedly promoted.”

April 25, 2023

I will be very disappointed in our DOJ if Trump is not indicted, tried, convicted and imprisoned

before the nominating conventions.

There is no excuse for that not happening and if it doesn't, then they're not doing their job.

People all over the world are looking at the US and wondering how it is that someone who can openly commit crimes that are obvious violations of the law and the constitution can be walking around, campaigning for the presidency and mocking representative democracy at every step.

There are third world countries with cleaner politics.

We talk about being serious about our democracy but we act like we don't care.