truthout--2020-08-17--Racist Neoliberal Response to Hurricane Katrina Foreshadowed Response to COVID

We are in the middle of an alternative world struggling to be born while the nastiness of a decaying one adapts to the currents of change .
This is evident within the United States as COVID-19 and structural racism coinfect our communities .
In a short period of time , the novel coronavirus has mutated in its pursuits to circulate and infect human life .
U.S. racial domination has also mutated , albeit over a much longer span of time , adapting from earlier forms of chattel slavery , Jim Crow segregation and “ colorblind ” multiculturalism .
In this @ @ @ @ @ @ @ altered expressions in the heightened disdain for Black humanity , the systematic detention of immigrant children , revamped expressions of anti-Asian xenophobia and shameless enunciations of white supremacy .
While communities continue in their struggle against structural racism — including a rising Black-led youth movement calling to defund the police — there is optimism that the development of a coronavirus vaccine can free us from this global pandemic .
Yet , even if a vaccine were to be safely manufactured in a timeline unprecedented in human history , it can not save us @ @ @ @ @ @ @ condition as COVID apartheid puts into proper focus a social order that historically has bred various ills and inequities .
COVID apartheid is not only a fitting description of our current global crisis , it also points to possible remedies that can enable us to go beyond medical developments to advance the visionary policy objectives , necessary solidarities , and political will required so that we may live a healthy and dignified life .
Broadly defined , apartheid is a term for an unjust society built on a foundation of racism and settler @ @ @ @ @ @ @ minority rule in various spheres of social life , including but not limited to : private property rights , economic processes , educational opportunities , political-legal institutions , cultural assumptions , health care access and police protections .
There is a rich archive of intellectuals and activists who have analyzed apartheid ’ s manifestation in 20th-century South Africa as well as its parallels in a contemporary world system where the richest minority ( the 1 percent ) own more than twice as much wealth as nearly 7 billion people .
One important contributor @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , who declared the “ problem of the twenty-first century is the problem of global apartheid.
” Marable argues that global apartheid is a consequence of neoliberal governance , deployed in a variety of ways throughout the globe to satisfy the needs of transnational capital .
In a post-9/11 world , the neoliberal project has accelerated the consolidation of wealth and power in the hands of a small few through measures that include military interventions in the Middle East , structural adjustment programs imposed upon the countries of the Global South , and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ environmental protections as well as defunded public education , health care , and other vital social programs .
Inside the United States , Marable argues that global apartheid is represented through structural racism , or what he calls the New Racial Domain .
At the height of neoliberal globalization , the New Racial Domain was expressed in the deadly triad of mass incarceration , mass unemployment and mass disfranchisement that created “ an ever-widening circle of social disadvantage , poverty and civil death , negatively affecting the lives of tens of millions of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by natural and unnatural disasters have exposed the racial asymmetries of this neoliberal social order and its intrinsic racism and anti-Black logic .
The events that transpired before and after Hurricane Katrina struck the Gulf Coast in the summer of 2005 are an important case in point .
The hurricane ’ s death toll has been debated , widely reported to be at least 1,833 people .
However , much of the death and destruction can not be attributed to the Category 3 hurricane .
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers admitted that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ levee created to safeguard the predominantly Black community of New Orleans ’ s Lower Ninth Ward was improperly constructed .
As a result , when Hurricane Katrina made landfall , the levees collapsed , resulting in much of the devastation .
Yet , even before the levees came down , federal and local officials were inept in coordinating evacuations as tens of thousands of people — predominantly Black , poor , elderly and disabled — were left behind .
Governmental relief efforts were just as ineffectual , as survivors were forced to subsist @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in the Louisiana Superdome or atop roofs , holding up signs pleading for help .
In the ruins of disaster , with the city ’ s most vulnerable forsaken by local , state and federal governmental agencies , journalists would reveal how senior officers of the New Orleans Police Department ( NOPD ) authorized the shooting of looters in efforts to “ take back the city.
” Subsequently , a series of police killings would result in the death of many unarmed Black men , foreshadowing the ongoing historical conditions that have given @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
I elaborate upon three known cases .
On September 2 , 2005 , Henry Glover was at a strip mall in search of baby clothes when he was shot in the chest by a rookie NOPD officer .
Another officer would later put Glover ’ s bullet-riddled body in a car , set it ablaze , and leave it discarded along the Mississippi River .
The next day , in the early morning of September 3 , Danny Brumfield Sr. , a grandfather , was shot at close range and abandoned by @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Orleans Convention Center .
On September 4 , 2005 , police officers in civilian clothing arrived at the Danziger Bridge in a rental truck and opened fire upon a group of civilians , wounding 10 and killing 17-year-old James Brissette and 40-year-old Ronald Madison .
What transpired in New Orleans is linked to not only the individual decisions of those who hold power but the larger social relations , which reproduce and privilege the values of individualism , whiteness and private property above mutual aid , solidarity and the common good .
Naomi @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hen you systematically wage war on the very idea of the public sphere and the public good , of course the publicly owned bones of society — roads , bridges , levees , water systems — are going to slip into a state of such disrepair that it takes little to push them beyond the breaking point .
When you massively cut taxes so that you don ’ t have money to spend on much of anything besides the police and the military , this is what happens.
” Fifteen years later , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ point much larger in scale as it addresses the coronavirus pandemic .
Sadly , the neoliberal schema that informed the governmental response to Hurricane Katrina ’ s relief efforts is being refurbished to entrench personal interests and corporate gain .
As I write , our country has exceeded 5.3 million confirmed cases and 168,000 deaths .
In fact , the United States has less than 5 percent of the world ’ s population , yet nearly a quarter of its COVID-19 deaths .
Our country ’ s existing structures of individualism , inequity @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the pandemic in this country .
In light of our country ’ s failed response to the pandemic that disproportionately affects communities of color , as well as the anti-Black manner in which state forces are violently seeking to discredit and deter anti-racist protest , we are witnessing the rise of COVID apartheid .
How we diagnose our problems informs the ways in which we choose to confront them .
At present , at least two very different political imaginations and corresponding methods exist in this country that offer conflicting visions for our @ @ @ @ @ @ @ imagination to a failed neoliberal project that accepts escalating forms of authoritarianism to create a certain kind of order from crisis ; espouses the freedom of individuals to choose within a market-based society ; and views corporate innovation and entrepreneurship as the primary means to address our ills .
The second is radical imagination informed by a tradition of protest and solidarity movements ; grounded in the ideas of egalitarianism and anti-racism ; and determined to fund public schools , health and science advancements , child care , renewable energies , and social @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and the police .
Radical imagination is finding form in the uprisings driven by young Black abolitionist organizers and their allies signaling that we must not only defund police forces , but also shift that funding toward life-affirming priorities .
A reactionary imagination is a large canopy of ideologies struggling for dominance in this country .
Broadly speaking , such an imagination views outsiders , immigrants , people of color and foreigners as the primary source of our country ’ s problems and deteriorating values .
Its redecorated nativist and xenophobic historical methods @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as “ the China Virus ” and “ Kung Flu , ” or in its advancement of policies that enable the federal government to separate and incarcerate immigrant families .
Reactionary tendencies are beholden to market forces in advancing strategies to address the global pandemic .
This was evident at the onset as the federal government responded to the shortages of testing and protective medical equipment by promoting market competition between state and local governments .
Furthermore , a reactionary imagination views governmental regulation on a local , state or federal level as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to act within a “ free market ” society .
This has manifested in people ’ s unwillingness to comply with , and even militaristically resist , statewide mandates to wear facemasks in public .
A reactionary imagination accepts the taking back of society through the enhanced policing of Black and Brown bodies at home and increased militarism abroad .
A radical imagination is likewise an umbrella of ideological perspectives mapping a different course from how things used to be .
Akin to how a vaccine helps the human body to create memory @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that the body can remember how to fight the disease in the future , a radical imagination is equipped with the gift of historical memory .
Such an imagination remembers and revitalizes a tradition of public protest in this country in fashioning change .
As such , a radical imagination builds upon historical social movements in contemporary efforts to abolish poverty , prisons and pandemic profiteering .
Such struggles are attuned to how such oppressive structures have been made possible through anti-Black police and military industrial apparatuses .
The calls to defund such @ @ @ @ @ @ @ world and to realize universal health care , infrastructure projects , public housing and educational guarantees for Black and Brown youth here at home .
In sum , a radical imagination seeks not to revive an old-world withering away before us , but the creation of a new one worth dreaming and struggling into existence .
Author ’ s note : The phrasing of “ COVID apartheid ” was suggested by Dr. Suzanne Schmidt , without whose feedback , ideas and support this essay could not have been written .

Part of the Series Despair and Disparity: The Uneven Burdens of COVID-19
We are in the middle of an alternative world struggling to be born while the nastiness of a decaying one adapts to the currents of change. This is evident within the United States as COVID-19 and structural racism coinfect our communities. In a short period of time, the novel coronavirus has mutated in its pursuits to circulate and infect human life. U.S. racial domination has also mutated, albeit over a much longer span of time, adapting from earlier forms of chattel slavery, Jim Crow segregation and “colorblind” multiculturalism. In this moment, we witness racism’s altered expressions in the heightened disdain for Black humanity, the systematic detention of immigrant children, revamped expressions of anti-Asian xenophobia and shameless enunciations of white supremacy. While communities continue in their struggle against structural racism — including a rising Black-led youth movement calling to defund the police — there is optimism that the development of a coronavirus vaccine can free us from this global pandemic. Yet, even if a vaccine were to be safely manufactured in a timeline unprecedented in human history, it cannot save us from COVID apartheid.
Identifying our current condition as COVID apartheid puts into proper focus a social order that historically has bred various ills and inequities. COVID apartheid is not only a fitting description of our current global crisis, it also points to possible remedies that can enable us to go beyond medical developments to advance the visionary policy objectives, necessary solidarities, and political will required so that we may live a healthy and dignified life. Broadly defined, apartheid is a term for an unjust society built on a foundation of racism and settler colonialism that systemically privileges and extends white minority rule in various spheres of social life, including but not limited to: private property rights, economic processes, educational opportunities, political-legal institutions, cultural assumptions, health care access and police protections. There is a rich archive of intellectuals and activists who have analyzed apartheid’s manifestation in 20th-century South Africa as well as its parallels in a contemporary world system where the richest minority (the 1 percent) own more than twice as much wealth as nearly 7 billion people. One important contributor is the late Black intellectual Manning Marable, who declared the “problem of the twenty-first century is the problem of global apartheid.”
From Global Apartheid to COVID Apartheid
Marable argues that global apartheid is a consequence of neoliberal governance, deployed in a variety of ways throughout the globe to satisfy the needs of transnational capital. In a post-9/11 world, the neoliberal project has accelerated the consolidation of wealth and power in the hands of a small few through measures that include military interventions in the Middle East, structural adjustment programs imposed upon the countries of the Global South, and austerity measures that have reduced worker and environmental protections as well as defunded public education, health care, and other vital social programs. Inside the United States, Marable argues that global apartheid is represented through structural racism, or what he calls the New Racial Domain. At the height of neoliberal globalization, the New Racial Domain was expressed in the deadly triad of mass incarceration, mass unemployment and mass disfranchisement that created “an ever-widening circle of social disadvantage, poverty and civil death, negatively affecting the lives of tens of millions of U.S. people.”
Catastrophic events brought on by natural and unnatural disasters have exposed the racial asymmetries of this neoliberal social order and its intrinsic racism and anti-Black logic. The events that transpired before and after Hurricane Katrina struck the Gulf Coast in the summer of 2005 are an important case in point. The hurricane’s death toll has been debated, widely reported to be at least 1,833 people. However, much of the death and destruction cannot be attributed to the Category 3 hurricane. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers admitted that due to insufficient public funding, the levee created to safeguard the predominantly Black community of New Orleans’s Lower Ninth Ward was improperly constructed. As a result, when Hurricane Katrina made landfall, the levees collapsed, resulting in much of the devastation. Yet, even before the levees came down, federal and local officials were inept in coordinating evacuations as tens of thousands of people — predominantly Black, poor, elderly and disabled — were left behind. Governmental relief efforts were just as ineffectual, as survivors were forced to subsist for days without food or medical attention in the Louisiana Superdome or atop roofs, holding up signs pleading for help.
Radical imagination is finding form in the uprisings by young Black abolitionist organizers signaling that we must not only defund police forces, but also shift that funding toward life-affirming priorities.
In the ruins of disaster, with the city’s most vulnerable forsaken by local, state and federal governmental agencies, journalists would reveal how senior officers of the New Orleans Police Department (NOPD) authorized the shooting of looters in efforts to “take back the city.” Subsequently, a series of police killings would result in the death of many unarmed Black men, foreshadowing the ongoing historical conditions that have given rise to the Black Lives Matter movement. I elaborate upon three known cases.
On September 2, 2005, Henry Glover was at a strip mall in search of baby clothes when he was shot in the chest by a rookie NOPD officer. Another officer would later put Glover’s bullet-riddled body in a car, set it ablaze, and leave it discarded along the Mississippi River. The next day, in the early morning of September 3, Danny Brumfield Sr., a grandfather, was shot at close range and abandoned by two officers in front of the New Orleans Convention Center. On September 4, 2005, police officers in civilian clothing arrived at the Danziger Bridge in a rental truck and opened fire upon a group of civilians, wounding 10 and killing 17-year-old James Brissette and 40-year-old Ronald Madison.
What transpired in New Orleans is linked to not only the individual decisions of those who hold power but the larger social relations, which reproduce and privilege the values of individualism, whiteness and private property above mutual aid, solidarity and the common good. Naomi Klein explains: “[W]hen you systematically wage war on the very idea of the public sphere and the public good, of course the publicly owned bones of society — roads, bridges, levees, water systems — are going to slip into a state of such disrepair that it takes little to push them beyond the breaking point. When you massively cut taxes so that you don’t have money to spend on much of anything besides the police and the military, this is what happens.”
Fifteen years later, our country is pushed to a breaking point much larger in scale as it addresses the coronavirus pandemic. Sadly, the neoliberal schema that informed the governmental response to Hurricane Katrina’s relief efforts is being refurbished to entrench personal interests and corporate gain. As I write, our country has exceeded 5.3 million confirmed cases and 168,000 deaths. In fact, the United States has less than 5 percent of the world’s population, yet nearly a quarter of its COVID-19 deaths. Our country’s existing structures of individualism, inequity and racial domination have helped to feed the pandemic in this country. In light of our country’s failed response to the pandemic that disproportionately affects communities of color, as well as the anti-Black manner in which state forces are violently seeking to discredit and deter anti-racist protest, we are witnessing the rise of COVID apartheid.
A Time for Radical Imagination
How we diagnose our problems informs the ways in which we choose to confront them. At present, at least two very different political imaginations and corresponding methods exist in this country that offer conflicting visions for our future. The first is a reactionary imagination to a failed neoliberal project that accepts escalating forms of authoritarianism to create a certain kind of order from crisis; espouses the freedom of individuals to choose within a market-based society; and views corporate innovation and entrepreneurship as the primary means to address our ills.
A radical imagination builds upon historical social movements in contemporary efforts to abolish poverty, prisons and pandemic profiteering.
The second is radical imagination informed by a tradition of protest and solidarity movements; grounded in the ideas of egalitarianism and anti-racism; and determined to fund public schools, health and science advancements, child care, renewable energies, and social programs at the expense of the military and the police. Radical imagination is finding form in the uprisings driven by young Black abolitionist organizers and their allies signaling that we must not only defund police forces, but also shift that funding toward life-affirming priorities.
A reactionary imagination is a large canopy of ideologies struggling for dominance in this country. Broadly speaking, such an imagination views outsiders, immigrants, people of color and foreigners as the primary source of our country’s problems and deteriorating values. Its redecorated nativist and xenophobic historical methods are evident in the labeling of COVID-19 as “the China Virus” and “Kung Flu,” or in its advancement of policies that enable the federal government to separate and incarcerate immigrant families. Reactionary tendencies are beholden to market forces in advancing strategies to address the global pandemic. This was evident at the onset as the federal government responded to the shortages of testing and protective medical equipment by promoting market competition between state and local governments. Furthermore, a reactionary imagination views governmental regulation on a local, state or federal level as a threat to the freedoms of individuals to act within a “free market” society. This has manifested in people’s unwillingness to comply with, and even militaristically resist, statewide mandates to wear facemasks in public. A reactionary imagination accepts the taking back of society through the enhanced policing of Black and Brown bodies at home and increased militarism abroad.
A radical imagination is likewise an umbrella of ideological perspectives mapping a different course from how things used to be. Akin to how a vaccine helps the human body to create memory cells after defeating a weakened antigen so that the body can remember how to fight the disease in the future, a radical imagination is equipped with the gift of historical memory. Such an imagination remembers and revitalizes a tradition of public protest in this country in fashioning change. As such, a radical imagination builds upon historical social movements in contemporary efforts to abolish poverty, prisons and pandemic profiteering. Such struggles are attuned to how such oppressive structures have been made possible through anti-Black police and military industrial apparatuses. The calls to defund such machineries are to protect life throughout the world and to realize universal health care, infrastructure projects, public housing and educational guarantees for Black and Brown youth here at home. In sum, a radical imagination seeks not to revive an old-world withering away before us, but the creation of a new one worth dreaming and struggling into existence.
Author’s note: The phrasing of “COVID apartheid” was suggested by Dr. Suzanne Schmidt, without whose feedback, ideas and support this essay could not have been written.
Tired of reading the same old news from the same old sources? So are we! That’s why we’re on a mission to shake things up and bring you the stories and perspectives that often go untold in mainstream media. But being a radically, unapologetically independent news site isn’t easy (or cheap), and we rely on reader support to keep the lights on.
If you like what you’re reading, please consider making a tax-deductible donation today. We’re not asking for a handout, we’re asking for an investment: Invest in a nonprofit news site that’s not afraid to ruffle a few feathers, not afraid to stand up for what’s right, and not afraid to tell it like it is.
Copyright © Truthout. May not be reprinted without permission.


truthout--2020-08-18--DeJoy Pauses USPS Overhauls After 20 States Sue Over Election Concerns

Under pressure from two lawsuits being filed by at least 20 state attorneys general on Tuesday , Postmaster General Louis DeJoy announced that there will be no further changes to postal services until after the general election in November .
DeJoy says , however , that these changes aren ’ t delayed indefinitely .
“ I believe significant reforms are essential … and work toward those reforms will commence after the election , ” DeJoy said in a statement .
DeJoy , a Republican donor , has come under intense scrutiny since he began rolling out significant cuts to mail @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Trump ’ s unfounded remarks about mail-in voting , have led critics to suspect that these changes may have been made to interfere with an election that will be uniquely reliant on mail-in ballots .
United States Postal Services ( USPS ) officials have already warned 46 states that , due to the volume , they can not guarantee that all of the ballots will be counted , come November .
Since DeJoy took office in June , he has cracked down on overtime , shortened post office hours and prohibited carriers from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
This has led to backlogs at local post offices and delays in mail delivery , including prescription medicines delivered by mail .
DeJoy is hobbling mail infrastructure , too , with hundreds of mail sorting machines slated to be removed , according to internal USPS documents .
Delaying the remainder of these changes , however , is not quite what the attorneys general are demanding .
The Democratic attorneys seek not only to stop changes but to reverse the changes that have already been made , as they are already affecting essential @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ For partisan gain , President Trump is attempting to destroy a critical institution that is essential for millions of Americans , ” said Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson , who is leading a coalition of 14 states in one of the lawsuits , in a statement .
“ We rely on the Postal Service for our Social Security benefits , prescriptions — and exercising our right to vote.
” The lawsuits led by Ferguson and Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro lay similar claims : that DeJoy illegally changed operations without consulting the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ placated by the news that DeJoy was planning to halt changes , saying that “ a tweet or a statement or a press release is one thing .
We need to see binding action to reverse these changes.
” These sentiments echo those of several letters sent by Senate Democrats urging DeJoy and the postal service to reverse course to protect the validity of the election .
A letter released Monday , signed by Senators Bernie Sanders , Elizabeth Warren and five others , prompts the little-known Postal Service Board of Governors to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ attempts to “ sabotage ” the Postal Service .
“ It is time to use your full power and authority on behalf of the Postal Service , the American people , and the ‘ public interest ’ you are required to represent , ” the letter reads .
DeJoy is set to testify before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee on Friday .
It will be the first time that lawmakers , displaying a rare bipartisan interest in the matter , will have a chance to publicly question DeJoy about election-related @ @ @ @ @

Under pressure from two lawsuits being filed by at least 20 state attorneys general on Tuesday, Postmaster General Louis DeJoy announced that there will be no further changes to postal services until after the general election in November.
DeJoy says, however, that these changes aren’t delayed indefinitely. “I believe significant reforms are essential … and work toward those reforms will commence after the election,” DeJoy said in a statement.
DeJoy, a Republican donor, has come under intense scrutiny since he began rolling out significant cuts to mail services that, combined with President Donald Trump’s unfounded remarks about mail-in voting, have led critics to suspect that these changes may have been made to interfere with an election that will be uniquely reliant on mail-in ballots. United States Postal Services (USPS) officials have already warned 46 states that, due to the volume, they cannot guarantee that all of the ballots will be counted, come November.
Since DeJoy took office in June, he has cracked down on overtime, shortened post office hours and prohibited carriers from making extra trips to deliver late mail. This has led to backlogs at local post offices and delays in mail delivery, including prescription medicines delivered by mail. DeJoy is hobbling mail infrastructure, too, with hundreds of mail sorting machines slated to be removed, according to internal USPS documents.
Delaying the remainder of these changes, however, is not quite what the attorneys general are demanding. The Democratic attorneys seek not only to stop changes but to reverse the changes that have already been made, as they are already affecting essential mail deliveries and threaten the election.
“For partisan gain, President Trump is attempting to destroy a critical institution that is essential for millions of Americans,” said Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson, who is leading a coalition of 14 states in one of the lawsuits, in a statement. “We rely on the Postal Service for our Social Security benefits, prescriptions — and exercising our right to vote.”
The lawsuits led by Ferguson and Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro lay similar claims: that DeJoy illegally changed operations without consulting the Postal Regulatory Commission. Shapiro was not placated by the news that DeJoy was planning to halt changes, saying that “a tweet or a statement or a press release is one thing. We need to see binding action to reverse these changes.”
These sentiments echo those of several letters sent by Senate Democrats urging DeJoy and the postal service to reverse course to protect the validity of the election. A letter released Monday, signed by Senators Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren and five others, prompts the little-known Postal Service Board of Governors to roll back DeJoy and Trump’s attempts to “sabotage” the Postal Service. “It is time to use your full power and authority on behalf of the Postal Service, the American people, and the ‘public interest’ you are required to represent,” the letter reads.
DeJoy is set to testify before the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee on Friday. It will be the first time that lawmakers, displaying a rare bipartisan interest in the matter, will have a chance to publicly question DeJoy about election-related turmoil and service disruptions.
Tired of reading the same old news from the same old sources? So are we! That’s why we’re on a mission to shake things up and bring you the stories and perspectives that often go untold in mainstream media. But being a radically, unapologetically independent news site isn’t easy (or cheap), and we rely on reader support to keep the lights on.
If you like what you’re reading, please consider making a tax-deductible donation today. We’re not asking for a handout, we’re asking for an investment: Invest in a nonprofit news site that’s not afraid to ruffle a few feathers, not afraid to stand up for what’s right, and not afraid to tell it like it is.
Copyright © Truthout. May not be reprinted without permission.


truthout--2020-08-18--Susan B. Anthony Never Sought Anyone’s Pardon, But Trump Did It Anyway

President Donald Trump has announced plans to pardon Susan B. Anthony , a suffragist , who was charged for voting illegally in 1872 .
He announced the pardon at an event commemorating the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment that granted women the right to vote in 1920 .
In November of 1872 , Anthony persuaded election officials to allow her to vote in the presidential election .
Shortly after , she was arrested — and , at her trial , was adamant that her crime was only unjust under “ forms of law all made by men , interpreted @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in favor of men , and against women , ” she said .
She was ordered to pay a $ 100 fine , but never paid the fine or went to jail .
Her crime brought attention to the issue of women ’ s suffrage at the time , though the amendment wasn ’ t ratified until after her death .
Anthony , as well as the 14 other women who voted with her , had committed a planned act of civil disobedience — which some interpret to mean that she would not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ California representative Katie Hill tweeted , “ Susan B. Anthony did not want to be pardoned .
She was very pointed about this .
Not until all women had full equality.
” Hill then quotes Anthony saying at her trial that she would “ urge all women to … the old revolutionary maxim that ‘ Resistance to tyranny is obedience to God.
’ ” Others have noted that , though Anthony fought fiercely for women ’ s right to vote , she also perpetuated racism throughout the movement , sidelining Black civil rights @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Mary Church Terrell .
Terrell even believed that , if given the chance , white suffragists would not grant Black women the right to vote in the 19th Amendment , according to The New York Times .
When the 19th Amendment was ratified , it , indeed , mostly benefited white women , leaving women of color behind until the mid to late 20th century .
Trump ’ s pardon of Anthony comes at a time when he is consistently polling behind Biden ; CNN ’ s Poll of Polls finds Biden leading @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The pardon is likely an attempt to appeal to women voters .
The Trump campaign has sent a pink “ Women for Trump ” bus to various key states like Pennsylvania and Michigan , aiming to attract more women voters .
And , at the pardoning event , Trump championed the 19th Amendment , saying that it “ was a monumental victory for equality , for justice , and a monumental victory for America.
” But Trump has a history of misogynist remarks that could undermine that appeal .
Last week , Trump @ @ @ @ @ @ @ retort , aimed at Kamala Harris after she was announced as Joe Biden ’ s running mate .
Also , attacking Biden and affordable housing , Trump recently tweeted that the “ suburban housewife ” would be voting for him , which , on the heels of the Harris announcement , many viewed as racist and sexist .

Anthony’s crime was an act of civil disobedience. She said that “resistance to tyranny is obedience to God.”
President Donald Trump has announced plans to pardon Susan B. Anthony, a suffragist, who was charged for voting illegally in 1872. He announced the pardon at an event commemorating the 100th anniversary of the 19th Amendment that granted women the right to vote in 1920.
In November of 1872, Anthony persuaded election officials to allow her to vote in the presidential election. Shortly after, she was arrested — and, at her trial, was adamant that her crime was only unjust under “forms of law all made by men, interpreted by men, administered by men, in favor of men, and against women,” she said. She was ordered to pay a $100 fine, but never paid the fine or went to jail.
Her crime brought attention to the issue of women’s suffrage at the time, though the amendment wasn’t ratified until after her death.
Anthony, as well as the 14 other women who voted with her, had committed a planned act of civil disobedience — which some interpret to mean that she would not have wanted to be pardoned. Former California representative Katie Hill tweeted, “Susan B. Anthony did not want to be pardoned. She was very pointed about this. Not until all women had full equality.” Hill then quotes Anthony saying at her trial that she would “urge all women to … the old revolutionary maxim that ‘Resistance to tyranny is obedience to God.’”
Susan B. Anthony did not want to be pardoned. She was very pointed about this. Not until all women had full equality (which we still don’t have). She said instead she would “urge all women to… the old revolutionary maxim that ‘Resistance to tyranny is obedience to God.’” — Katie Hill (@KatieHill4CA) August 18, 2020
Others have noted that, though Anthony fought fiercely for women’s right to vote, she also perpetuated racism throughout the movement, sidelining Black civil rights leaders like Ida B. Wells and Mary Church Terrell. Terrell even believed that, if given the chance, white suffragists would not grant Black women the right to vote in the 19th Amendment, according to The New York Times. When the 19th Amendment was ratified, it, indeed, mostly benefited white women, leaving women of color behind until the mid to late 20th century.
Trump’s pardon of Anthony comes at a time when he is consistently polling behind Biden; CNN’s Poll of Polls finds Biden leading by nine points as of Monday. The pardon is likely an attempt to appeal to women voters. The Trump campaign has sent a pink “Women for Trump” bus to various key states like Pennsylvania and Michigan, aiming to attract more women voters. And, at the pardoning event, Trump championed the 19th Amendment, saying that it “was a monumental victory for equality, for justice, and a monumental victory for America.”
But Trump has a history of misogynist remarks that could undermine that appeal. Last week, Trump resurrected his sexist “nasty” woman retort, aimed at Kamala Harris after she was announced as Joe Biden’s running mate. Also, attacking Biden and affordable housing, Trump recently tweeted that the “suburban housewife” would be voting for him, which, on the heels of the Harris announcement, many viewed as racist and sexist.
Tired of reading the same old news from the same old sources? So are we! That’s why we’re on a mission to shake things up and bring you the stories and perspectives that often go untold in mainstream media. But being a radically, unapologetically independent news site isn’t easy (or cheap), and we rely on reader support to keep the lights on.
If you like what you’re reading, please consider making a tax-deductible donation today. We’re not asking for a handout, we’re asking for an investment: Invest in a nonprofit news site that’s not afraid to ruffle a few feathers, not afraid to stand up for what’s right, and not afraid to tell it like it is.
Copyright © Truthout. May not be reprinted without permission.


truthout--2020-08-18--The Convention’s First Night Was Filled With Sorrow  — as It Should Be

Technologically flawless , light on policy but with lots of lumber to lump up Donald Trump , the first night of the Democratic National “ Convention ” was what it needed to be : a well-crafted TV show that ( mostly ) kept your attention from start to finish .
Here in the valley of the shadow of death , the national mood is somber and grim .
The first night of any convention is meant to set the tone for the week .
Last night ’ s tone was also somber and grim , but with enough hope to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ heart that have gone cold and dark since March .
Absent the spectacle of raucous delegates swarming in a forest of state-labeled rectangles as they cheer speakers who ham up the applause lines , the producers were tasked to conjure something new in the world .
What they came up with — a montage-style procession of speakers , testimonials and music buttressed by a walloping finish — got the job done better than most people probably expected .
It hit you in the eye to begin , and held you by the collar @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , the evening included a direct focus on racial justice , although some of its ways of addressing it ( such as featuring Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot , who has ushered in an unprecedented spate of police brutality against protesters ) were not well-received by activists .
However , a number of moments struck a profound chord .
The portion when George Floyd ’ s family held a moment of silence was bookended at the conclusion by former First Lady Michelle Obama saying the word : murdered .
“ And here at home @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and a never-ending list of innocent people of color continue to be murdered , ” she said , “ stating the simple fact that a Black life matters is still met with derision from the nation ’ s highest office.
” Floyd , Taylor and all the others whose names have been shouted in the streets during the uprisings did not simply “ die.
” They were murdered by police , and Michelle Obama said it right into the damn camera .
It was an incredibly important statement from so prominent a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for if you can not name it , you will never be able to defeat it .
Michelle Obama ’ s stratospheric performance last night was one of three that defined the evening .
Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders , looking fit and feisty in front of a wall of freshly cut firewood ( winter starts next week in Vermont , y ’ know ) , made the policy case for a Biden presidency with as much sincerity as he could summon while taking a well-deserved victory lap .
“ Our campaign ended several @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ but our movement continues and is getting stronger every day .
Many of the ideas we fought for , that just a few years ago were considered ‘ radical , ’ are now mainstream.
” Sanders went on to tout Joe Biden ’ s proposed policies on raising the minimum wage , strengthening unions and early child care , addressing climate change , expanding health care coverage ( “ while Joe and I disagree on the best path to get to universal coverage… ” ) , ending private prisons , and finally @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the presidency has become under Donald Trump .
If anyone is expecting Bernie Sanders to fade away after two failed presidential bids , they should prepare to be disappointed .
Savvy observers knew Sanders and Obama would bring their A-game to the convention opener .
The unexpected thunder came from Kristin Urquiza , who came to the attention of social media and then the national media recently after penning an obituary for her father , who died of COVID-19 in Arizona .
That obituary , which blamed Trump and Arizona Governor Doug Ducey @ @ @ @ @ @ @ went viral and landed Urquiza a crystal-perfect moment to put the bricks to a man she believes took her father from her .
“ My dad was a healthy 65-year-old , ” said Urquiza .
“ His only preexisting condition was trusting Donald Trump , and for that , he paid with his life.
” Had she said that in a packed convention hall , you probably could have heard a pin drop .
Urquiza was every person who has lost someone to COVID under Trump ’ s garbage administration .
She was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ voice of their wrath .
Of course there were bad bits to the evening ’ s festivities , because establishment Democrats are driving the convention bus , and establishment Democrats still believe that if they act more like Republicans , Republicans will stop being mean to them .
It is the long tragedy of the age .
Last night ’ s parade of pro-Biden Republican speakers — John Kasich , Meg Whitman , Susan Molinari and Christine Todd Whitman — was every bit as maddening as it was superfluous .
I don ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ who stood by and let Trump happen to their party and then the world tell me how bad things are right now .
The monster got out of their goddamn lab , and people like them want to paper over the hole in the wall .
Maybe nobody will notice where he came from ?
Maybe not .
Kasich standing at the white-gravel crossroads as he spoke was every inch the shallow , sophomoric symbolism of the modern conservative who is trying to wash off the blood .
Esquire ’ s Charles P. @ @ @ @ @ @ @ night best : “ The idea that somewhere out there is a citizen who needs John Kasich ’ s ‘ permission ’ to vote against a guy advising us to drink bleach and eat poison to fight a global pandemic makes me sad to be an American.
” Expecting heft and depth from a modern political convention is to expect Shakespeare from a fern .
That is not what these things are for anymore .
They have been TV shows and nothing more for decades now , but live ones shot in crowded @ @ @ @ @ @ @ under the lights .
There were no peacocks last night , but there was a surfeit of sorrow and a sense of resolve that was unmistakable .
There were great performances by strong speakers which can and will be spliced into online and TV ads from now until November .
It was two hours and three minutes of scripted , often pre-recorded moments meant to capture the severity of the times while instilling hope for a brighter future .
It certainly accomplished the former , and the rest remains to be seen .

Technologically flawless, light on policy but with lots of lumber to lump up Donald Trump, the first night of the Democratic National “Convention” was what it needed to be: a well-crafted TV show that (mostly) kept your attention from start to finish.
Here in the valley of the shadow of death, the national mood is somber and grim. The first night of any convention is meant to set the tone for the week. Last night’s tone was also somber and grim, but with enough hope to warm some of the places in the heart that have gone cold and dark since March.
Absent the spectacle of raucous delegates swarming in a forest of state-labeled rectangles as they cheer speakers who ham up the applause lines, the producers were tasked to conjure something new in the world. What they came up with — a montage-style procession of speakers, testimonials and music buttressed by a walloping finish — got the job done better than most people probably expected. It hit you in the eye to begin, and held you by the collar at the end.
Unlike most conventions, the evening included a direct focus on racial justice, although some of its ways of addressing it (such as featuring Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot, who has ushered in an unprecedented spate of police brutality against protesters) were not well-received by activists.
However, a number of moments struck a profound chord. The portion when George Floyd’s family held a moment of silence was bookended at the conclusion by former First Lady Michelle Obama saying the word: murdered. “And here at home, as George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and a never-ending list of innocent people of color continue to be murdered,” she said, “stating the simple fact that a Black life matters is still met with derision from the nation’s highest office.”
Floyd, Taylor and all the others whose names have been shouted in the streets during the uprisings did not simply “die.” They were murdered by police, and Michelle Obama said it right into the damn camera. It was an incredibly important statement from so prominent a person on so prominent a night, for if you cannot name it, you will never be able to defeat it.
Michelle Obama’s stratospheric performance last night was one of three that defined the evening. Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, looking fit and feisty in front of a wall of freshly cut firewood (winter starts next week in Vermont, y’know), made the policy case for a Biden presidency with as much sincerity as he could summon while taking a well-deserved victory lap.
“Our campaign ended several months ago,” said Sanders, “but our movement continues and is getting stronger every day. Many of the ideas we fought for, that just a few years ago were considered ‘radical,’ are now mainstream.”
Michelle Obama’s stratospheric performance last night was one of three that defined the evening.
Sanders went on to tout Joe Biden’s proposed policies on raising the minimum wage, strengthening unions and early child care, addressing climate change, expanding health care coverage (“while Joe and I disagree on the best path to get to universal coverage…”), ending private prisons, and finally, ending the chair-throwing daytime talk show the presidency has become under Donald Trump. If anyone is expecting Bernie Sanders to fade away after two failed presidential bids, they should prepare to be disappointed.
Savvy observers knew Sanders and Obama would bring their A-game to the convention opener. The unexpected thunder came from Kristin Urquiza, who came to the attention of social media and then the national media recently after penning an obituary for her father, who died of COVID-19 in Arizona. That obituary, which blamed Trump and Arizona Governor Doug Ducey for her father’s death, went viral and landed Urquiza a crystal-perfect moment to put the bricks to a man she believes took her father from her.
“My dad was a healthy 65-year-old,” said Urquiza. “His only preexisting condition was trusting Donald Trump, and for that, he paid with his life.” Had she said that in a packed convention hall, you probably could have heard a pin drop. Urquiza was every person who has lost someone to COVID under Trump’s garbage administration. She was the avatar of their pain and the voice of their wrath.
Of course there were bad bits to the evening’s festivities, because establishment Democrats are driving the convention bus, and establishment Democrats still believe that if they act more like Republicans, Republicans will stop being mean to them. It is the long tragedy of the age.
Last night’s parade of pro-Biden Republican speakers — John Kasich, Meg Whitman, Susan Molinari and Christine Todd Whitman — was every bit as maddening as it was superfluous. I don’t need to hear from four Republicans who stood by and let Trump happen to their party and then the world tell me how bad things are right now. The monster got out of their goddamn lab, and people like them want to paper over the hole in the wall. Maybe nobody will notice where he came from?
Kristin Urquiza was every person who has lost someone to COVID under Trump’s garbage administration.
Maybe not. Kasich standing at the white-gravel crossroads as he spoke was every inch the shallow, sophomoric symbolism of the modern conservative who is trying to wash off the blood. Esquire’s Charles P. Pierce summed up that segment of the night best: “The idea that somewhere out there is a citizen who needs John Kasich’s ‘permission’ to vote against a guy advising us to drink bleach and eat poison to fight a global pandemic makes me sad to be an American.”
Expecting heft and depth from a modern political convention is to expect Shakespeare from a fern. That is not what these things are for anymore. They have been TV shows and nothing more for decades now, but live ones shot in crowded rooms with peacock politicians strutting their colors under the lights.
There were no peacocks last night, but there was a surfeit of sorrow and a sense of resolve that was unmistakable. There were great performances by strong speakers which can and will be spliced into online and TV ads from now until November. It was two hours and three minutes of scripted, often pre-recorded moments meant to capture the severity of the times while instilling hope for a brighter future. It certainly accomplished the former, and the rest remains to be seen.
Tired of reading the same old news from the same old sources? So are we! That’s why we’re on a mission to shake things up and bring you the stories and perspectives that often go untold in mainstream media. But being a radically, unapologetically independent news site isn’t easy (or cheap), and we rely on reader support to keep the lights on.
If you like what you’re reading, please consider making a tax-deductible donation today. We’re not asking for a handout, we’re asking for an investment: Invest in a nonprofit news site that’s not afraid to ruffle a few feathers, not afraid to stand up for what’s right, and not afraid to tell it like it is.
Copyright © Truthout. May not be reprinted without permission.


truthout--2020-08-18--Congressional Candidates and Voters Sue to Stop Trump’s Sabotage of USPS

A lawsuit that promises to be one of many was filed yesterday to stop Donald Trump ’ s sabotage of the mail leading up to the presidential election .
Mondaire Jones et al .
v. U.S .
Postal Service , Postmaster General , and Donald Trump was brought by Democratic candidates for national and state congressional seats , as well as voters who cast mail ballots to protect themselves against the COVID-19 pandemic .
Several state attorneys general are expected to file litigation this week .
“ The postmaster general and the members of USPS [ United States Postal Service @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for injunctive relief , or even for damages , ” Berkeley Law School Dean Erwin Chemerinsky told Truthout .
In addition , he said , “ The USPS can be sued for an injunction.
” In late June , nonpartisan nonprofit Protect Democracy filed a request under the Freedom of Information Act to obtain documents relating to the USPS ’ s preparations for the anticipated surge in mail voting in the 2020 election .
The USPS resisted the request and on August 12 , Protect Democracy filed a lawsuit asking the U.S. District @ @ @ @ @ @ @ order the USPS to provide the requested documents “ on an expedited basis.
” The complaint in Jones seeks an injunction requiring that the defendants ensure sufficient funding for the USPS so it can treat absentee and mail ballots equal to in-person ballots and “ handle a record level of mail voting.
” The complaint also asks for a declaratory judgment that the defendants violated the plaintiffs ’ rights under the U.S. Constitution .
“ President Donald J. Trump and his newly appointed Postmaster General Louis DeJoy have set about to ensure USPS @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” the complaint reads .
“ As a Trump deputy campaign manager put it , ‘ [ t ] he President views vote by mail as a threat to his election.
’ ” Trump is weaponizing the Postal Service to help him win .
On May 6 , the USPS board of governors appointed DeJoy , who has multiple conflicts of interest , to be postmaster general .
Since Dejoy was not an appointee vetted by the Senate , there was no ethics investigation before his appointment .
DeJoy instituted several changes that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ deliver the mail in a timely manner .
One new policy states , “ If the plants run late , they will keep the mail for the next day.
” It forbids any overtime and “ all other measures used to ameliorate staffing shortages.
” Extra trips are not permitted and carriers are required to return from their routes on time even if they haven ’ t completed their deliveries for that day .
Since June , with no reason or explanation , the USPS has removed or destroyed at least 671 mail-sorting @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Jones complaint states that “ some major cities have already had their ability to sort mail reduced by hundreds of thousands of pieces of mail per hour.
” As of August 14 , the capacity of the USPS to process mail has been reduced by over 21.4 million pieces of mail per hour .
The “ burden of this diminished capacity ” falls , at least partly , on locations in states where the election will likely be close , as well as major cities likely to go Democratic that will influence the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , the USPS began to remove many mailboxes in several states , including New York , Pennsylvania , Oregon and Montana .
That process apparently stopped after public blowback .
The USPS sent letters to 46 states and Washington , D.C. , saying it can ’ t guarantee that all votes cast by mail will arrive in time to be tallied for the November election .
Even voters who comply with their state election laws can not be sure their votes will be counted .
Trump made a bald-faced admission that , “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ going to get the $ 3.5 billion [ in election funding for the states ] .
Therefore , they can ’ t do the universal mail-in vote .
It ’ s very simple .
How are they going to do it if they don ’ t have the money to do it ?
” An unprecedented 76 percent of Americans are eligible to vote by mail .
The complaint alleges two violations of 42 U.S.C .
section 1983 : First Amendment Right to Vote , and Equal Protection and One-Person-One-Vote .
It cited @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Yick Wo v. Hopkins , which held that the right to vote is the “ fundamental political right , because [ it is ] preservative of all rights.
” There are other legal grounds on which to seek an injunction as well .
Chemerinsky cited section 702 of the Administrative Procedures Act : A person who has suffered a legal wrong or has been adversely affected because of an action by an agency , official or employee , can get an injunction to stop the practice .
Moreover , officials who delay or @ @ @ @ @ @ @ federal court with felonies or misdemeanors , respectively .
Democratic Representatives Ted Lieu and Hakeem Jeffries wrote to FBI Director Christopher Wray , stating that the defendants have “ retarded the passage of mail ” ( 18 U.S.C .
section 1701 ) and “ if their intent in doing so was to affect mail-in balloting or was motivated by personal financial reasons , then they likely committed crimes.
” Meanwhile , on August 10 , the “ Delivering for America Act ” was introduced in the House of Representatives .
It would forbid @ @ @ @ @ @ @ changes to the operations or level of service provided by the Postal Service from those in effect on January 1 , 2020 .
That includes any “ change that would have the effect of delaying mail , allowing for the non-delivery of mail to a delivery route , or increasing the volume of undelivered mail.
” Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi has recalled House members from their recess to consider the legislation on Saturday .
The postmaster general and the chairman of the USPS board of governors will testify before the House @ @ @ @ @ @ @ about the “ sweeping operational and organizational changes at the Postal Service.
” Trump ’ s attacks on the Postal Service are undermining public trust in the sanctity of the election .
Victories in lawsuits challenging his administration ’ s sabotage of the mail could help to restore confidence that all mail ballots will be counted .
We must ensure that Trump ’ s attacks on the Postal Service end now .

In addition to the suit filed Monday, several state attorneys general are likely to file litigation this week.
Part of the Series Human Rights and Global Wrongs
A lawsuit that promises to be one of many was filed on Monday in U.S. District Court in New York to stop Donald Trump’s sabotage of the mail leading up to the presidential election.
Mondaire Jones et al. v. U.S. Postal Service, Postmaster General, and Donald Trump was brought by Democratic candidates for national and state congressional seats, as well as voters who cast mail ballots to protect themselves against the COVID-19 pandemic. Several state attorneys general are expected to file litigation this week.
“The postmaster general and the members of USPS [United States Postal Service] board of governors can be sued for injunctive relief, or even for damages,” Berkeley Law School Dean Erwin Chemerinsky told Truthout. In addition, he said, “The USPS can be sued for an injunction.”
In late June, nonpartisan nonprofit Protect Democracy filed a request under the Freedom of Information Act to obtain documents relating to the USPS’s preparations for the anticipated surge in mail voting in the 2020 election. The USPS resisted the request and on August 12, Protect Democracy filed a lawsuit asking the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia to order the USPS to provide the requested documents “on an expedited basis.”
The complaint in Jones seeks an injunction requiring that the defendants ensure sufficient funding for the USPS so it can treat absentee and mail ballots equal to in-person ballots and “handle a record level of mail voting.” The complaint also asks for a declaratory judgment that the defendants violated the plaintiffs’ rights under the U.S. Constitution.
“President Donald J. Trump and his newly appointed Postmaster General Louis DeJoy have set about to ensure USPS cannot reliably deliver election mail,” the complaint reads. “As a Trump deputy campaign manager put it, ‘[t]he President views vote by mail as a threat to his election.’”
Trump is weaponizing the Postal Service to help him win.
On May 6, the USPS board of governors appointed DeJoy, who has multiple conflicts of interest, to be postmaster general. Since Dejoy was not an appointee vetted by the Senate, there was no ethics investigation before his appointment.
As of August 14, the capacity of the USPS to process mail has been reduced by over 21.4 million pieces of mail per hour.
DeJoy instituted several changes that weaken the USPS’s ability to deliver the mail in a timely manner. One new policy states, “If the plants run late, they will keep the mail for the next day.” It forbids any overtime and “all other measures used to ameliorate staffing shortages.” Extra trips are not permitted and carriers are required to return from their routes on time even if they haven’t completed their deliveries for that day.
Since June, with no reason or explanation, the USPS has removed or destroyed at least 671 mail-sorting machines throughout the United States. The Jones complaint states that “some major cities have already had their ability to sort mail reduced by hundreds of thousands of pieces of mail per hour.” As of August 14, the capacity of the USPS to process mail has been reduced by over 21.4 million pieces of mail per hour.
The “burden of this diminished capacity” falls, at least partly, on locations in states where the election will likely be close, as well as major cities likely to go Democratic that will influence the national popular vote tally.
In addition, the USPS began to remove many mailboxes in several states, including New York, Pennsylvania, Oregon and Montana. That process apparently stopped after public blowback.
The USPS sent letters to 46 states and Washington, D.C., saying it can’t guarantee that all votes cast by mail will arrive in time to be tallied for the November election. Even voters who comply with their state election laws cannot be sure their votes will be counted.
Trump made a bald-faced admission that, “[T]hey’re not going to get the $3.5 billion [in election funding for the states]. Therefore, they can’t do the universal mail-in vote. It’s very simple. How are they going to do it if they don’t have the money to do it?”
An unprecedented 76 percent of Americans are eligible to vote by mail.
The complaint alleges two violations of 42 U.S.C. section 1983: First Amendment Right to Vote, and Equal Protection and One-Person-One-Vote. It cited the Supreme Court’s decision in Yick Wo v. Hopkins, which held that the right to vote is the “fundamental political right, because [it is] preservative of all rights.”
An unprecedented 76 percent of Americans are eligible to vote by mail.
There are other legal grounds on which to seek an injunction as well. Chemerinsky cited section 702 of the Administrative Procedures Act: A person who has suffered a legal wrong or has been adversely affected because of an action by an agency, official or employee, can get an injunction to stop the practice.
Moreover, officials who delay or obstruct the mail can be charged in federal court with felonies or misdemeanors, respectively. Democratic Representatives Ted Lieu and Hakeem Jeffries wrote to FBI Director Christopher Wray, stating that the defendants have “retarded the passage of mail” (18 U.S.C. section 1701) and “if their intent in doing so was to affect mail-in balloting or was motivated by personal financial reasons, then they likely committed crimes.”
Meanwhile, on August 10, the “Delivering for America Act” was introduced in the House of Representatives. It would forbid the USPS from implementing or approving any changes to the operations or level of service provided by the Postal Service from those in effect on January 1, 2020. That includes any “change that would have the effect of delaying mail, allowing for the non-delivery of mail to a delivery route, or increasing the volume of undelivered mail.” Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi has recalled House members from their recess to consider the legislation on Saturday.
Officials who delay or obstruct the mail can be charged in federal court with felonies or misdemeanors.
The postmaster general and the chairman of the USPS board of governors will testify before the House Oversight and Reform Committee on August 24 about the “sweeping operational and organizational changes at the Postal Service.”
Trump’s attacks on the Postal Service are undermining public trust in the sanctity of the election. Victories in lawsuits challenging his administration’s sabotage of the mail could help to restore confidence that all mail ballots will be counted.
We must ensure that Trump’s attacks on the Postal Service end now.
Tired of reading the same old news from the same old sources? So are we! That’s why we’re on a mission to shake things up and bring you the stories and perspectives that often go untold in mainstream media. But being a radically, unapologetically independent news site isn’t easy (or cheap), and we rely on reader support to keep the lights on.
If you like what you’re reading, please consider making a tax-deductible donation today. We’re not asking for a handout, we’re asking for an investment: Invest in a nonprofit news site that’s not afraid to ruffle a few feathers, not afraid to stand up for what’s right, and not afraid to tell it like it is.
Copyright © Truthout. May not be reprinted without permission.