dailykos--2020-10-14--Good news roundup for Oct. 14 — The greatest joining of generations

Some of you saw my comment on Monday morning sharing how sad I was about the mindless vandalism that occurred in downtown Portland on Sunday night .
One of the targets was the Oregon Historical Society , which for decades has been a model for historical societies across the country by devoting exhibit space to teaching Portlanders about Black and indigenous cultures .
Targeting this museum during what protest organizers described as “ Indigenous Peoples Day of Rage ” makes no sense .
My husband and I immediately made a contribution to OHS , and on Monday evening we saw @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Oregon Historical Society Kerry Tymchuk shared a heart-warming story Monday following the destruction caused to the OHS building during Sunday night ’ s riot .
Tymchuk said a napkin was dropped off at the front desk of OHS with a handwritten note and a one dollar bill : Hello , I ’ m homeless , so I don ’ t have much to give you .
Just some of my bottle collecting money .
But , I saw your windows got broken and I wanted to help .
You once gave me @ @ @ @ @ @ @ So , this is a thank you .
“ We ’ ve been fortunate to receive many generous donations to OHS over the years–some upwards of a million or more dollars , ” he said .
“ No donation means more to me and to the society than this dollar donation from Oscar.
” Tymchuk said though a majority of the collection of artifacts and other historical heirloom items were not damaged , an African-American heritage , bicentennial quilt was taken and later found several blocks away .
Tymchuk said the quilt was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it could be displayed again , calling it a “ priceless piece of history.
” Here ’ s Portland ’ s own Portugal The Man with a much better way to celebrate indigenous peoples .
The beautiful dancer ( dancing in front of the graffitied Court House ) is Acosia Red Elk , and yes , that ’ s “ Weird Al ” Yankovic in a cameo role as Coyote : Portland Journalist Steve Duin Has Adapted the Trump Russia Probe Into a Graphic Novel for the Benefit of Future Generations Dad Makes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Other Cities When this devoted Oregon dad set out to revolutionize his local playground in Portland , he had only planned on making it more disability-friendly for his daughter Harper , who has been using a wheelchair for her entire life .
Eleven years later , his ideas are making playgrounds more fun and accessible for everyone… Cody Goldberg was inspired to redesign the modern playground after he took Harper to a playground for the first time in 2009 .
To his dismay , he found that the wood chips surrounding the play @ @ @ @ @ @ @ daughter ’ s wheelchair .
Upon hearing ... Goldberg ’ s frustrations , the city ’ s parks and recreation department said that they didn ’ t have the money for any new projects—but they would support the playground ’ s reconstruction if it was privately funded .
The Goldbergs then launched Harper ’ s Playground , a nonprofit devoted to opening more handicap-accessible US playgrounds—and after three years of tireless fundraising , they opened their first park to the public in November 2010 .
The playground features everything from musical instruments and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and paved ramps—which are used by skateboarders and wheelchair users alike .
Since launching their park in Portland , the nonprofit has inspired the construction of several other similarly-designed playgrounds across the US .
Oregonians who lost their homes in the wildfires can still vote [ Marion County ] Clerk Bill Burgess , the county ’ s top elections official , said the final touches are being put on the Voters ’ Pamphlet and county workers are stuffing ballots into envelopes to be mailed Oct. 14 .
Residents of the Santiam Canyon displaced @ @ @ @ @ @ @ where ballots can be sent – several hundred were destroyed .
But Burgess said there is a system to ensure voters affected by the fire can still cast their ballots .
If a voter displaced by the fires is staying with friends or family , they can have their ballot sent to a temporary address using this form .
Voters don ’ t need to re-register and their residential address will stay the same for purposes of which local measures and candidates appear on their ballot , he said .
Voters can also @ @ @ @ @ @ @ email elections @ co.marion.or.us to update where their ballot is sent , he said .
Additionally , voters can visit the elections office in Salem at 555 Court St N.E.
, Suite 2130 .
Although Oregon primarily uses vote-by-mail for elections , voters still have the option of casting an in-person vote at the clerk ’ s office , he said .
Voters who submit a change of address to the U.S .
Postal Service won ’ t get their ballots forwarded , a security feature of the state ’ s election system @ @ @ @ @ @ @ How to Stop Megafires .
Will the State Let Them ?
Talent , OR , is one of the towns that was destroyed by the massive Almeda fire .
I encourage you to click the link the read the whole story .
And here ’ s a link to a follow-up article on this issue , A California Tribe ’ s Partnership With the U.S. Forest Service Shows How Collaborations on Forest Management Can Work : Attempts to replicate the agreement elsewhere have been stalled by timber interests .
The good news is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on this issue after the devastating recent wildfires .
I saw this story just after I published my previous roundup , so as news goes , it ’ s pretty old .
But I really , really wanted all of you to see it .
From The Oregonian [ this is paywalled , but I ’ m giving you the gist of it ] : In 2008 , Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg and her family journeyed to Carlton , Oregon , to render a verdict on Willamette Valley pinot noir .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ as charged .
According to [ winemaker Ken ] Wright , “ She was just getting into pinot noir , and she wanted to know why the Willamette Valley was so special .
She wanted to know why this grape worked so well here.
” To tell the Willamette Valley ’ s story , Wright packed Ginsburg , her husband Martin “ Marty ” Ginsburg , and her daughter Jane C. Ginsburg off to ... [ a vineyard that ] “ sits on a ridgeline with a view that allows you to see @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Eola-Amity Hills .
It ’ s a nice spot to explain things , ” Wright said .
“ The words freshness , texture and purity came up a lot as they talked about Willamette Valley pinot noir .
Especially purity , ” Wright said .
Oregon ’ s signature grape had a new set of fans .
“ It was a super enjoyable two hours .
Justice Ginsburg was an amazing , open person .
We didn ’ t talk a lot about politics .
We discussed wine and other mutual interests we @ @ @ @ @ @ @ And of course a few days later , Wright received a lovely handwritten thank-you note .
Good news from around the nation The new laws seek to reduce racial disparities in maternal deaths and protect Black job applicants and employees from discrimination .
The Maryland General Assembly passed the laws earlier this year , before the coronavirus pandemic cut the state 's legislative session short .
The laws went into effect Oct. 1 at the start of the new fiscal year .
The new legislation expands the definition of a hate crime and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Critically , the new law encompasses crimes that are `` motivated either in whole or in part by '' bias or hate .
Under Maryland 's previous hate crime law , prosecutors had to prove that hate was the sole motivation for a crime in order for an individual to be convicted of a hate crime .
Another new Maryland law will address the issue of maternal mortality among Black women .
The new law will ensure that the composition of the Maternal Mortality Review Program , which focuses on racial disparities @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the racial makeup of the demographic the issue affects most .
A third law that went into effect Oct. 1 bans discrimination against Black job applicants and employees who have natural hairstyles .
The Crown Act expands the definition of racial discrimination to include protections for all traditionally Black hairstyles such as dreadlocks and braids .
Delegate Stephanie M. Smith ( D-Baltimore ) sponsored Maryland 's version of the Crown Act , and other Black women lawmakers signed on in support of the law .
Smith said the law was `` sadly necessary @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Black workers face discrimination for wearing natural hairstyles.
” TwoSetViolin are a couple of professional violinists from Australia with a large YouTube following .
Here they review videos of the progress of a violin student from age 2 to age 5 .
This little girl is outrageously cute and brilliantly talented , and the commentary is both delightful and informative .
Nandi is back with a “ checkmate ” to rock legend Dave Grohl !
This tiny tornado has turned out to be a quintuple threat : drummer extraordinaire , and now singer-songwriter @ @ @ @ @ @ @ player .
Not to mention proud revolutionary .
Enjoy !
Good news from around the world It pledged last year to do so , and now the Italian government has restored some humanity to its immigration and asylum system .
This week , the council of ministers adopted a decree that reverses many of the worst policies imposed by the previous interior minister and current leader of the anti-immigrant League Party , Matteo Salvini .
The decree isn ’ t perfect , but it ’ s a step in the right direction .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ essentially re-establishes in Italian law the residency permit on humanitarian grounds that Salvini abolished in 2018 , now called “ special protection.
” This two-year permit is for people who don ’ t qualify for asylum , but who shouldn ’ t be sent away because they would face a risk of torture or inhuman or degrading treatment .
The permit is also for people who have family and social links in Italy , or who suffer from serious physical or mental health issues .
By one estimate , more than 37,000 people @ @ @ @ @ @ @ were abolished .
One large blot on the decree is the failure to take a clear stand against criminalization of humanitarian activities .
The government chose to reduce from 1 million to 50,000 euros , rather than eliminate , the noxious fines on ships that perform search-and-rescue at sea .
Last year , six United Nations human rights authorities called on Italy to incentivize rather than discourage shipmasters from fulfilling their moral and legal obligation to respond to ships in distress .
The current government has delayed disembarkations and impounded rescue vessels on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ chance to correct that , and make other improvements , when the decree is submitted for parliamentary oversight .
Machu Picchu reopens for a single tourist who 's been stranded in Peru for seven months This is just the sweetest story .
And it ’ s a great lesson in finding the hidden gifts in what seems like a very disappointing situation .
One Way To Help Endangered Chimpanzees ?
Uganda is Planting 3 Million Trees And they ’ re also wisely making a serious effort to support the economic wellbeing of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ next few years , three million local trees–from fig to mahogany–will be planted in Uganda , benefitting people , the planet , and our closest wildlife relatives , chimpanzees .
Earlier this year , the reforestation non-profit One Tree Planted and the Jane Goodall Institute announced they ’ re working together on a “ Wildlife Habitat & Corridor Restoration Project ” in Uganda .
As part of the effort , from 2020-2023 millions of trees will be planted in western Uganda , supporting long-term and large-scale restoration of the Albertine Rift .
... @ @ @ @ @ @ @ total of three million seedlings will be planted ( with an at least 60 % estimate survival rate ) , 700 households will be trained and supported to apply sustainable agroforestry practices on their land , and each village in the project area will have at least one trained individual on forest monitoring .
Both non-profits recognize that critical in achieving lasting conservation outcomes is the need to balance conservation objectives and socio-economic needs .
Accordingly , this project will continue to support over 3,500 households in sustainable livelihoods through smoke-free and more @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , establishing community-managed enterprises and microcredit programs , and sustainable production techniques that increase incomes while protecting forests .
Vietnam creates new nature reserve , possible home to elusive ‘ Asian unicorn ’ www.motherjones.com/ ...
This Is How Authoritarians Get Defeated .
People around the world have stood up for democracy and truth .
Now it ’ s our turn .
[ Nifty included this link yesterday , but it ’ s important enough to repeat ! ]
nonprofitquarterly.org/ ... Regeneration — from the beginning .
Indigenous people have been growing food , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and practicing land stewardship [ for millennia ] — we now need to correct the damage we ’ ve done by violently overturning their traditions .
www.theguardian.com/… ‘ Dramatic ’ plunge in London air pollution since 2016 , report finds .
Air pollution in London has plunged since Sadiq Khan became mayor , with a 94 % reduction in the number of people living in areas with illegal levels of nitrogen dioxide. www.independent.co.uk/ ... GPS-tracked decoy turtle eggs used to catch wildlife traffickers in Costa Rica .
Researchers from the University of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to develop a 3D-printed turtle egg with a GPS tracker that can be placed undetected into a live nest .
www.nature.com/ ... Alexa , do I have COVID-19 ?
Researchers are exploring ways to use people ’ s voices to diagnose coronavirus infections , dementia , depression and much more .
How YOU can help us win — !
!
Many thanks to Yosef 52 for his indefatigable work in bringing us the info we need to GOTV .
Most of what I wrote below is copied from him .
GET INFORMED at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
A one-stop resource !
And another new one-stop resource : The Best Way to Vote in Every State Important !
!
5 mistakes that can disqualify your November mail ballot and how to avoid them .
Postcards to Voters — They provide lists of addresses and a required script ( three brief items ) which you can add to if you like .
You provide the cards , write them , address them , and stamp them .
Cost : postcards and 35¢ stamps .
There are still a few campaigns underway @ @ @ @ @ @ @ part of the November Blue Tsunami will be wrapping up soon .
[ Vote Forward — Due date for mailing letters is this Saturday , Oct. 17 , so it ’ s probably too late to start writing for them now . ]
[ Postcards to Swing States — , with 15.7 million postcards distributed to be sent to voters across 14 swing states ! ]
Text Out the Vote via the DNC .
DONATE to help other Democrats vote : Let America Vote PAC — they work on many fronts to support @ @ @ @ @ @ @ — they engage Dem voters in several ways , including a virtual phonebanking program Vote Save America — they allow you to “ adopt ” a crucial state ( Arizona , Florida , Michigan , North Carolina , Pennsylvania , or Wisconsin ) and then give you tools to directly support the work of organizers , volunteers , and candidates in that state Spread the Vote — they help voters get IDs in the states where those are required .
They say on their website , “ 77 % of the people we @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 100 % of our clients can not vote without us.
” Vote For Our Lives , a project of the Parkland kids ’ March For Our Lives , is focused on young voters .
And if you need more inspiration , go straight to Goodie ’ s phenomenal series , “ 100 Days of Loving Joe Biden.
” You ’ ll come away loving him more than you ever imagined .
See Ballotpedia ’ s list of U.S. House Battlegrounds and Ballotpedia ’ s list of State Legislative Battleground Chambers .
I 'll @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Take a bow for the new revolution Smile and grin at the change all around Pick up my guitar and play Just like yesterday Then I 'll get on my knees and pray We do n't get fooled again Thanks to each and every Gnusie for your smarts , your hearts , and your faithful attendance at our daily Gathering of the Herd .

Welcome!
Greetings to all you Gnusies, Gnewbies, occasional drop-ins, silent regulars, and first-timers! Come sit with us to find and share messages of hope and to celebrate all the ways good people are triumphing over the evil-doers in power. The task we have set ourselves here in Gnuville is to search out hope no matter how difficult the situation might be. Fortunately, hope can be found even in the darkest days, as we’ve learned over the past almost four years. And now, as we come to the end of the collective nightmare of the ‘Rump years, hope is everywhere!
This is a collaborative effort. After you read a Good News Roundup, we warmly encourage you to add your own good news finds in our comment section, The Best Comment Section on the Internet™, where sanity reigns, Gloomy Guses and Debbie Downers are encouraged to see the light, and pie fights are forbidden.
Let’s get started!
Introduction
Last Friday, chloris creator introduced her roundup with a moving rumination on our current activism, the tasks ahead of us after the election, and how we may be judged in the future. She ended with a statement that stuck with me and with others here, who have mentioned it in comments: “If we pull this off — if we save our country and keep our shoulders to the wheel — we will be the new greatest generation”
I consider myself a Boomer even though I was born in 1945 and therefore missed the official starting point for Boomerdom by one year. Chloris started me thinking about how my generation has evolved politically, from oblivious to extremely active to discouraged/complacent and now back to active during the past four years. We were rightfully scorned for decades by younger generations during our complacent years, but now that we’ve re-awakened to meet the moment, we find ourselves standing shoulder to shoulder with Millennials and Gen Z at protests against racism and police violence, joining them in phone banking and text banking, and discovering that our experiences in the anti-war protests and women’s lib protests of the ‘60s and ‘70s can inform and enrich the activism of today’s resisters who are the same age today that we were then. So I think chloris’s new greatest generation may wind up being a collection of generations finding a new common purpose and a common passion — the greatest joining of generations.
I figured that a contemporary musical icon covering the music of an earlier musical icon whose career has spanned all these generations would be the appropriate music to wrap up these musings. So here’s Beyoncé at the 2016 Grammies bringing down the house with Stevie Wonder’s “Higher Ground”:
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Good political news
Flood of Democratic Mail-In Votes Swamp Republicans In Key State Early Balloting
From HuffPost:
As of Sunday, registered Democrats returned 2.1 million mail ballots, more than double the 931,000 ballots that registered Republicans have cast, according to tracking by Michael McDonald, a University of Florida political science professor who analyzes early voting. McDonald said this presidential election is the first in which Democrats are returning pre-Election Day ballots at a faster rate than Republicans. ✂ The “massive Democratic head start” makes it “much more difficult for the Trump campaign to play catch up,” Louisiana pollster John Couvillon, who tracks voter statistics, told The Hill. The Democratic Party is armed with information to target areas with lower mail-in turnout, he noted. A full 36% of the total number of all votes in 2016 in Wisconsin’s overwhelmingly Democratic Dane County, which includes Madison, have already been cast by absentee ballot, the Times reports. But voters in Republican-leaning regions in Wisconsin are generally voting early by mail no more than the previous average, according to the newspaper. The pattern is being repeated in Pittsburgh, North Carolina’s Chapel Hill, Houston, and in Tampa, Florida, according to the [NY] Times. ✂ “We’re looking at multipliers of five, six, seven times more infrequent voters,” [Tom] Bonier [CEO of Democratic vote-tracking firm TargetSmart] told The Hill. “We’ve been reading the tea leaves for months now. Now the votes are actually coming in.”
Harris County breaks record for the first day of early voting with hours to go before polls close
From the Houston Chronicle:
More than 125,000 Harris County residents went to the polls Tuesday to cast ballots on the first day of early voting, smashing the county’s previous records. As of about 7:30 p.m., the county was reporting roughly 128,000 votes with some people still casting ballots.
Trump spent Monday morning pushing candidates with zero chance of winning
Keep going, you psychotic imbecile.
From The American Independent:
Donald Trump spent his Monday morning both endorsing and retweeting GOP challengers running against House Democrats he despises — even though those Republican candidates have no shot at all at winning. Trump retweeted and endorsed challengers to Democratic Reps. Adam Schiff, Maxine Waters, and Karen Bass of California, and Kweisi Mfume of Maryland. Hillary Clinton carried their districts by at least 50 points in 2016; they are nearly impossible for a Republican to flip. However, Trump has feuded with those Democratic lawmakers and therefore is promoting their challengers. In the process, he's wasting his time directing resources to virtually certain losers while ignoring actual competitive races in the Senate that Republicans are at risk of losing and in which they face fundraising deficits thanks to the grassroots donors flooding Democratic candidates' war chests.
We don’t have much hope of derailing the speeding train of the Amy Conehead Barrett confirmation, but we’re fighting back in the best way possible — by hammering on the wanton hypocrisy and bad faith of the Rethug treasonweasels. Amy Klobuchar pulled no punches on Monday.
Amy Klobuchar Sets Tone For Amy Coney Barrett Hearings, By Beating Everyone's Ass
From Wonkette, of course:
Minnesota's Democratic Senator Amy Klobuchar would like you to know that this week is bullshit. Just unmitigated, undemocratic, un-American bullshit. She'd like the other Republican senators on the Judiciary Committee to know this, and she'd like Amy Fuckin' Comet Ping-Ping Handmaid Idiot McGee to know this, and she'd like Judge Serena Joy Waterford to look her in the eye while she calls it bullshit. Mostly, she'd like every American voter — millions of whom are voting THIS VERY WEEK — to know the following: "Judge, I think this hearing is a sham," said Klobuchar. "I think it shows real messed up priorities from the Republican Party." BUT, she said, "we have a secret weapon that they don't have." Tasers? No not tasers. Klobuchar said it is you, and we, and all of us, by which she means the voters. Who are, again, VOTING RIGHT NOW. In droves! This very week! x YouTube Video
This Alaskan outdoorsman just might run a GOP senator out of office
From The American Independent:
Al Gross was born at the base of Mount Juneau after an avalanche. He says he bought his own fishing vessel at the age of 14. He killed a grizzly bear that was attacking him. He then paid his way through college and medical school with money earned catching salmon. Gross, an orthopedic surgeon, is running for U.S. Senate as an independent to unseat incumbent Sen. Dan Sullivan (R-AK). At first, political spectators saw Gross as a curiosity, not a serious candidate. ... But polling released at the end of last month shows Gross down by just 1 point, well within striking distance of his Republican opponent, who was beating him handily by 13 points in mid-July. Alaska hasn't gone blue in a presidential election since 1964, but given Gross' precipitous rise in the polls, and Sen. Lisa Murkowski's ranking as the second least popular senator in Congress, Democrats have turned their focus toward the last frontier state. ✂ Health care is a core issue for voters in Alaska who, according to a 2017 report by the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, would suffer more than residents of any other state under the GOP's "Trump Care" plan, which would cut billions from Medicaid and strip tens of thousands of their health coverage.
The rise of Gen Z could foretell the fall of Trumpism
Mokurai, Mrmuni12, and others here have been writing about this for months, if not years, so it’s cool to see this argument now in a centrist publication like Politico.
From Politico:
Members of Generation Z who are of voting age — 18- to 23-year-olds — want more government solutions. They rank climate change, racism and economic inequality consistently in their top issues, according to polls, and they participated in greater numbers during their first midterm (in 2018) than previous generations did theirs. As Republicans espouse “family values” and “religious liberty,” data finds that Generation Z, also known as Zoomers, are less likely than older Americans to be a member of a religious group — 4 in 10 don’t affiliate — and appear to care more about systemic racism and an equitable future than upholding traditional nuclear family structures, based on polling of their policy priorities. Gen Z’s beliefs in diversity, equality and social justice are likely to guide them for decades, pushing the Republican Party to either embrace a more inclusive, possibly libertarian message built around social and economic freedoms or lose with increasing regularity. Though some political prognosticators have viewed aging as a factor that could move younger generations toward Republicans eventually, there’s stronger evidence suggesting the imprint left on a given generation by early political encounters is more indicative of how they’ll vote over their lifetime than changes due to age.
The challenge Zoomers present to Biden and to the Democrats generally is whether we can enact enough Progressive policy changes to ensure that Zoomers continue to believe that voting is an effective tool. If they see our response as too weak or morally compromised, they’ll stop being engaged.
Oldest Living CIA Agent Says Russia Probably Targeted Trump Decades Ago
This is good news in that we really need to know the deep origins of the current shitshow. It’s a fascinating, if unsurprising, explanation of why so many Rethuglicans are Putin’s tools.
From Daily Beast:
On Aug. 18, the Senate Intelligence Committee released a 1,300-page report characterizing the involvement of Russian intelligence operatives with officials of the 2016 Trump presidential campaign as an “aggressive, multifaceted effort to influence, or attempt to influence, the outcome of the 2016 presidential election.” ✂ If this latest chapter in the four-year Russiagate drama is unlikely to change many minds, at least one person has examined the Senate’s findings with both great interest and alarm. His name is Peter Sichel and, at the age of 97, he is the last surviving member of the early CIA that faced off with the Soviets at the start of the Cold War. An escapee from Nazi Germany in the mid-1930s, Sichel served with the Office of Strategic Services (OSS), the United States’ wartime intelligence agency, during World War II. In October 1945, just months after war’s end, he was dispatched to Berlin to take charge of the local clandestine wing of an embryonic American intelligence outfit called the Strategic Services Unit, a precursor to the CIA. That posting … gave him a front-row seat in observing precisely how the Soviets were taking over in Eastern Europe. “Most people have this idea that they came in and grabbed all those countries by force,” Sichel explained, “but that is not true. In almost every case, they worked within the structure of the prewar political parties and just gradually coopted them.” … a Hungarian communist leader named Matyas Rakosi, called it “salami tactics,” the process of joining the existing political system and then slicing away at it until there was nothing left. In this regard, one revelation in the Senate Intelligence Committee report stood out to Sichel. ...Senate investigators found that the Russian intelligence campaign to gain influence with the Republican party began well before Trump emerged as a viable candidate... This fit with the pattern the old CIA hand had seen in Eastern Europe. “One great advantage the Soviets always had over us,” Sichel explained, “is that they played the long game. We thought in terms of quarters, whereas they thought in terms of years or even decades. They were opportunistic, willing to let matters gradually develop until the right political faction or right leader to support had emerged.” ✂ ...and limning the pages of the Senate Intelligence Committee report is the specter of another old KGB standby: kompromat, or blackmail. During his Cold War days in Berlin, Peter Sichel had to remain constantly vigilant against kompromat schemes targeting himself and his CIA colleagues, as well as western German political figures. “The KGB were absolute masters at it,” he recalled, “and they would use whatever they could get their hands on. A favorite was honey traps [or sexual entrapments], but bribes, favors, whatever they could find. And once they had their hooks into you, they owned you.”
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Good news from Portland
Some of you saw my comment on Monday morning sharing how sad I was about the mindless vandalism that occurred in downtown Portland on Sunday night. One of the targets was the Oregon Historical Society, which for decades has been a model for historical societies across the country by devoting exhibit space to teaching Portlanders about Black and indigenous cultures. Targeting this museum during what protest organizers described as “Indigenous Peoples Day of Rage” makes no sense. My husband and I immediately made a contribution to OHS, and on Monday evening we saw this heartwarming story:
Homeless man leaves donation at damaged Oregon Historical Society
From KOIN:
Executive Director of the Oregon Historical Society Kerry Tymchuk shared a heart-warming story Monday following the destruction caused to the OHS building during Sunday night’s riot. Tymchuk said a napkin was dropped off at the front desk of OHS with a handwritten note and a one dollar bill: Hello, I’m homeless, so I don’t have much to give you. Just some of my bottle collecting money. But, I saw your windows got broken and I wanted to help. You once gave me a free tour before the pandemic. So, this is a thank you. Oscar@MyHomelessMeals ✂ “We’ve been fortunate to receive many generous donations to OHS over the years–some upwards of a million or more dollars,” he said. “No donation means more to me and to the society than this dollar donation from Oscar.” ✂ Tymchuk said though a majority of the collection of artifacts and other historical heirloom items were not damaged, an African-American heritage, bicentennial quilt was taken and later found several blocks away. Tymchuk said the quilt was “very wet” but was hopeful it could be displayed again, calling it a “priceless piece of history.”
Here’s Portland’s own Portugal The Man with a much better way to celebrate indigenous peoples. The beautiful dancer (dancing in front of the graffitied Court House) is Acosia Red Elk, and yes, that’s “Weird Al” Yankovic in a cameo role as Coyote:
x YouTube Video
Portland Journalist Steve Duin Has Adapted the Trump Russia Probe Into a Graphic Novel for the Benefit of Future Generations
From Willamette Week:
It seems like Robert Mueller's investigation into Donald Trump's alleged entanglements with the Kremlin happened a century ago at this point. But even among the myriad other presidential scandals that have happened since—and to be clear, it's only been about a year and a half since Mueller issued his final report on the probe—Steve Duin argues its relevancy has not dulled. "Every time I turn around, there's something happening that brings the Mueller report back into the public arena," says the former Oregonian columnist and occasional WWcontributor. "Just last night, I'm hearing the vice president lie about what the Mueller report said. You need to keep reminding folks of what Mueller established inarguably, in a political environment where we're arguing about what facts are, for God's sake." Duin is doing his part. His new book attempts to simplify the findings in Mueller's dense 486-page report—by turning it into a graphic novel. A longtime comics fan—his 1998 book, Comics: Between the Panels, offers a detailed history of the medium—Duin entered into the project with New Yorker cartoonist Shannon Wheeler last July. Wheeler's simple illustrations are more Sunday comics than Marvel—Trump himself is rendered like a petulant child, closer to, say, Ziggy than the grotesquerie depicted in most political cartoons. "The conventions of the medium allow us to have some fun with a very serious subject," Duin says. "There's time for sight gags. What we're hoping is, when middle school and high school students study this thing, they'll use our graphic novel and not that 486-page report."
Dad Makes Playground Accessible for His Daughter, Inspires Other Cities
From Good News Network:
When this devoted Oregon dad set out to revolutionize his local playground in Portland, he had only planned on making it more disability-friendly for his daughter Harper, who has been using a wheelchair for her entire life. Eleven years later, his ideas are making playgrounds more fun and accessible for everyone… Cody Goldberg was inspired to redesign the modern playground after he took Harper to a playground for the first time in 2009. To his dismay, he found that the wood chips surrounding the play equipment made it inaccessible for his 4-year-old daughter’s wheelchair. Upon hearing...Goldberg’s frustrations, the city’s parks and recreation department said that they didn’t have the money for any new projects—but they would support the playground’s reconstruction if it was privately funded. The Goldbergs then launched Harper’s Playground, a nonprofit devoted to opening more handicap-accessible US playgrounds—and after three years of tireless fundraising, they opened their first park to the public in November 2010. The playground features everything from musical instruments and handicap-accessible play equipment to green social spaces and paved ramps—which are used by skateboarders and wheelchair users alike. ✂ Since launching their park in Portland, the nonprofit has inspired the construction of several other similarly-designed playgrounds across the US.
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Good news from Oregon
Oregonians who lost their homes in the wildfires can still vote
From the Salem Reporter:
[Marion County] Clerk Bill Burgess, the county’s top elections official, said the final touches are being put on the Voters’ Pamphlet and county workers are stuffing ballots into envelopes to be mailed Oct. 14. Residents of the Santiam Canyon displaced by the wildfires might not have homes where ballots can be sent – several hundred were destroyed. But Burgess said there is a system to ensure voters affected by the fire can still cast their ballots. ✂ If a voter displaced by the fires is staying with friends or family, they can have their ballot sent to a temporary address using this form. Voters don’t need to re-register and their residential address will stay the same for purposes of which local measures and candidates appear on their ballot, he said. ✂ Voters can also call Marion County Elections at 503-588-5041 or email elections@co.marion.or.us to update where their ballot is sent, he said. Additionally, voters can visit the elections office in Salem at 555 Court St N.E., Suite 2130. Although Oregon primarily uses vote-by-mail for elections, voters still have the option of casting an in-person vote at the clerk’s office, he said. Voters who submit a change of address to the U.S. Postal Service won’t get their ballots forwarded, a security feature of the state’s election system.
Oregon’s Indigenous Communities Know How to Stop Megafires. Will the State Let Them?
Talent, OR, is one of the towns that was destroyed by the massive Almeda fire.
I encourage you to click the link the read the whole story.
From Willamette Week:
In May 2019, Merv George Jr. stood onstage at the Camelot Theatre in Talent, Ore., in front of a few dozen locals, and issued a warning. If Oregon is going to prevent massive wildfires, it's going to have to start lighting a lot of little ones. George, 47, is the U.S. Forest Service supervisor for the Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest on the Oregon-California border. He'd come to the small Southern Oregon town to talk about controlled burns—small fires deliberately set in order to clear underbrush, creating more space between trees to prevent fires from spreading rapidly. As a member of the Hoopa Valley Tribe, the concept of fighting fire with fire is part of George's heritage. It's a common practice in other parts of the country, where the terrain is less rugged. But George says it's not happening in Oregon nearly enough as it should. ✂ For George, the answer to slowing [megafires] is obvious: prescribed burns, and lots of them. And he wants Oregon's Indigenous communities to help. For generations, Native American tribes used small fires to manage the forestland they occupied. But over the past century, the Forest Service has taken control of most of the nation's forests, replacing Indigenous land stewardship with an approach that favors fire suppression over prevention. Right now, tribes in Oregon can get permission to conduct prescribed burns on their own reservations, but the process is bogged down by bureaucracy, causing them to often miss crucial seasonal windows. Many tribes, George says, would relish the opportunity to play a part in managing the ceded lands off their reservations.
And here’s a link to a follow-up article on this issue, A California Tribe’s Partnership With the U.S. Forest Service Shows How Collaborations on Forest Management Can Work: Attempts to replicate the agreement elsewhere have been stalled by timber interests. The good news is that an ever-stronger light is being shined on this issue after the devastating recent wildfires.
Willamette Valley pinot noir loses a friend in Ruth Bader Ginsburg
I saw this story just after I published my previous roundup, so as news goes, it’s pretty old. But I really, really wanted all of you to see it.
From The Oregonian [this is paywalled, but I’m giving you the gist of it]:
In 2008, Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg and her family journeyed to Carlton, Oregon, to render a verdict on Willamette Valley pinot noir. It was a unanimous decision: delightful as charged. ✂ According to [winemaker Ken] Wright, “She was just getting into pinot noir, and she wanted to know why the Willamette Valley was so special. She wanted to know why this grape worked so well here.” To tell the Willamette Valley’s story, Wright packed Ginsburg, her husband Martin “Marty” Ginsburg, and her daughter Jane C. Ginsburg off to...[a vineyard that] “sits on a ridgeline with a view that allows you to see everything from the Coastal Mountains to the Eola-Amity Hills. It’s a nice spot to explain things,” Wright said. ✂ “The words freshness, texture and purity came up a lot as they talked about Willamette Valley pinot noir. Especially purity,” Wright said. Oregon’s signature grape had a new set of fans. ✂ “It was a super enjoyable two hours. Justice Ginsburg was an amazing, open person. We didn’t talk a lot about politics. We discussed wine and other mutual interests we enjoyed...,” Wright said.
And of course a few days later, Wright received a lovely handwritten thank-you note.
* * * * *
Good news from around the nation
Maryland combats racism head-on with new laws
From The American Independent:
The new laws seek to reduce racial disparities in maternal deaths and protect Black job applicants and employees from discrimination. The Maryland General Assembly passed the laws earlier this year, before the coronavirus pandemic cut the state's legislative session short. The laws went into effect Oct. 1 at the start of the new fiscal year. The new legislation expands the definition of a hate crime and prohibits intimidating others with swastikas or nooses. Critically, the new law encompasses crimes that are "motivated either in whole or in part by" bias or hate. Under Maryland's previous hate crime law, prosecutors had to prove that hate was the sole motivation for a crime in order for an individual to be convicted of a hate crime. ✂ Another new Maryland law will address the issue of maternal mortality among Black women. The new law will ensure that the composition of the Maternal Mortality Review Program, which focuses on racial disparities in maternal deaths, is consistent with the racial makeup of the demographic the issue affects most. ✂ A third law that went into effect Oct. 1 bans discrimination against Black job applicants and employees who have natural hairstyles. The Crown Act expands the definition of racial discrimination to include protections for all traditionally Black hairstyles such as dreadlocks and braids. Delegate Stephanie M. Smith (D-Baltimore) sponsored Maryland's version of the Crown Act, and other Black women lawmakers signed on in support of the law. Smith said the law was "sadly necessary," since "research shows that Black workers face discrimination for wearing natural hairstyles.”
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Cute musical break
TwoSetViolin are a couple of professional violinists from Australia with a large YouTube following. Here they review videos of the progress of a violin student from age 2 to age 5. This little girl is outrageously cute and brilliantly talented, and the commentary is both delightful and informative.
x YouTube Video
But wait, there’s more!
Nandi is back with a “checkmate” to rock legend Dave Grohl!
This tiny tornado has turned out to be a quintuple threat: drummer extraordinaire, and now singer-songwriter, guitarist, bassist, and keyboard player. Not to mention proud revolutionary. Enjoy!
From Good News Network:
x YouTube Video
* * * * *
Good news from around the world
Finally, Good News for Asylum Seekers in Italy
From Human Rights Watch:
It pledged last year to do so, and now the Italian government has restored some humanity to its immigration and asylum system. This week, the council of ministers adopted a decree that reverses many of the worst policies imposed by the previous interior minister and current leader of the anti-immigrant League Party, Matteo Salvini. The decree isn’t perfect, but it’s a step in the right direction. The decree, adopted October 5, essentially re-establishes in Italian law the residency permit on humanitarian grounds that Salvini abolished in 2018, now called “special protection.” This two-year permit is for people who don’t qualify for asylum, but who shouldn’t be sent away because they would face a risk of torture or inhuman or degrading treatment. The permit is also for people who have family and social links in Italy, or who suffer from serious physical or mental health issues. By one estimate, more than 37,000 people became undocumented since 2018 because humanitarian permits were abolished. ✂ One large blot on the decree is the failure to take a clear stand against criminalization of humanitarian activities. The government chose to reduce from 1 million to 50,000 euros, rather than eliminate, the noxious fines on ships that perform search-and-rescue at sea. Last year, six United Nations human rights authorities called on Italy to incentivize rather than discourage shipmasters from fulfilling their moral and legal obligation to respond to ships in distress. The current government has delayed disembarkations and impounded rescue vessels on administrative grounds. Parliament will have a chance to correct that, and make other improvements, when the decree is submitted for parliamentary oversight.
Prince William and Sir David Attenborough join forces on 'Earthshot' prize
From the BBC:
Prince William and Sir David Attenborough have joined forces to launch what they hope will become the "Nobel Prize for environmentalism". They say the search is on for 50 solutions to the world's gravest environmental problems by 2030. With £50m to be awarded over a decade, the "Earthshot Prize" is the biggest environmental prize ever. The Prince said "positivity" had been missing from the climate debate - something the award could supply. "The Earthshot prize is really about harnessing that optimism and that urgency to find some of the world's solutions to some of the greatest environmental problems," he told the BBC. Anyone could win,he explained, as he called for "amazing people" to create "brilliant innovative projects".
Machu Picchu reopens for a single tourist who's been stranded in Peru for seven months
This is just the sweetest story. And it’s a great lesson in finding the hidden gifts in what seems like a very disappointing situation.
From CNN:
...after an unexpected seven month stay in Peru , [Jesse] Katayama is finally crossing "visit Machu Picchu " off of his bucket list -- and he got to enjoy being the only tourist there. Katayama, a native of Osaka , Japan, arrived in Aguas Calientes...on March 14. He already had his entry ticket and permit to enter the UNESCO World Heritage site on March 16 in hand, but that was when the Peruvian government opted to close the site. Katayama was stranded. ✂ Although border closures have kept him from visiting other South American countries, he has made the best of his experience by exploring local attractions... He even taught boxing classes to some of the local kids and has made friends in his accidental new hometown. ✂ "I go to run every morning and I could see Machu Picchu afar in distance," Katayama told CNN. "I thought I would never make it to Machu Picchu as I was expecting it won't open within this year, but I was OK with it because I had a great time here.” However, as he started to run out of money, it looked like Takayama would have to head back home to Japan without ever having used his Machu Picchu ticket. Enter Andean Roots Peru , a local tour company. With help from the national Ministry of Culture, Takayama was given special permission to enter Machu Picchu -- and to have the normally crowded site nearly all to himself. He was accompanied by two photographers who documented the experience and by…the site's chief. He tells CNN that he will leave Peru for Japan on October 16. As he prepares to head home, he is saying goodbye to the townspeople who have become his friends over the past months. Several local children have drawn Katayama pictures and created a doll for him out of toilet paper rolls. "I will definitely cry," he says about his farewell to Aguas Calientes. "These seven months have been very special to me. I have discovered a new part of me.”
* * * * *
Good news about/for animals
One Way To Help Endangered Chimpanzees? Uganda is Planting 3 Million Trees
And they’re also wisely making a serious effort to support the economic wellbeing of the area’s residents.
From Good News Network:
Over the next few years, three million local trees–from fig to mahogany–will be planted in Uganda, benefitting people, the planet, and our closest wildlife relatives, chimpanzees. Earlier this year, the reforestation non-profit One Tree Planted and the Jane Goodall Institute announced they’re working together on a “Wildlife Habitat & Corridor Restoration Project” in Uganda. As part of the effort, from 2020-2023 millions of trees will be planted in western Uganda, supporting long-term and large-scale restoration of the Albertine Rift. ✂ ...over the next few years, a total of three million seedlings will be planted (with an at least 60% estimate survival rate), 700 households will be trained and supported to apply sustainable agroforestry practices on their land, and each village in the project area will have at least one trained individual on forest monitoring. Both non-profits recognize that critical in achieving lasting conservation outcomes is the need to balance conservation objectives and socio-economic needs. Accordingly, this project will continue to support over 3,500 households in sustainable livelihoods through smoke-free and more efficient wood-burning stoves, improved agricultural practices, establishing community-managed enterprises and microcredit programs, and sustainable production techniques that increase incomes while protecting forests.
Vietnam creates new nature reserve, possible home to elusive ‘Asian unicorn’
From Mongabay:
Conservationists have hailed the establishment of the new Dong Chau-Khe Nuoc Trong Nature Reserve as a major step for the protection of Vietnam’s wildlife.
The new reserve is home to a number of threatened species, including two species of muntjac deer (Muntiacus vuquangensis and M. truongsonensis), the Annamite striped rabbit (Nesolagus timminsi), the Sunda pangolin (Manis javanica), the southern white-cheeked gibbon (Nomascus siki), the red-shanked douc langur (Pygathrix nemaeus), and the crested argus (Rheinardia ocellata), which resembles a peacock.
Conservationists debate whether it may also shelter the saola (Pseudoryx nghetinhensis), a mysterious antelope-like bovine so rare it has been called the “Asian unicorn.”
Critical threats such as poaching and deforestation remain, however, and conservationists say enforcement of new protective measures will be key to the reserve’s success.
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Hot lynx
www.motherjones.com/...This Is How Authoritarians Get Defeated. People around the world have stood up for democracy and truth. Now it’s our turn. [Nifty included this link yesterday, but it’s important enough to repeat!]
nonprofitquarterly.org/...Regeneration — from the beginning. Indigenous people have been growing food, creating complex systems of agriculture, gathering, and practicing land stewardship [for millennia] — we now need to correct the damage we’ve done by violently overturning their traditions.
www.theguardian.com/… ‘Dramatic’ plunge in London air pollution since 2016, report finds. Air pollution in London has plunged since Sadiq Khan became mayor, with a 94% reduction in the number of people living in areas with illegal levels of nitrogen dioxide.
www.independent.co.uk/...GPS-tracked decoy turtle eggs used to catch wildlife traffickers in Costa Rica. Researchers from the University of Kent worked with conservationists in Central America to develop a 3D-printed turtle egg with a GPS tracker that can be placed undetected into a live nest.
www.nature.com/...Alexa, do I have COVID-19? Researchers are exploring ways to use people’s voices to diagnose coronavirus infections, dementia, depression and much more.
* * * * *
How YOU can help us win — there’s still time !!
Many thanks to Yosef 52 for his indefatigable work in bringing us the info we need to GOTV. Most of what I wrote below is copied from him.
NEW!!
GET INFORMED at the new Biden/Harris site, Blue Vote. A one-stop resource!
And another new one-stop resource: The Best Way to Vote in Every State
Important!! 5 mistakes that can disqualify your November mail ballot and how to avoid them .
WRITE to infrequent Democratic voters:
Postcards to Voters — They provide lists of addresses and a required script (three brief items) which you can add to if you like. You provide the cards, write them, address them, and stamp them. Cost: postcards and 35¢ stamps. There are still a few campaigns underway, but the ones that will be part of the November Blue Tsunami will be wrapping up soon .
[Vote Forward — Due date for mailing letters is this Saturday, Oct. 17 , so it’s probably too late to start writing for them now.]
[Postcards to Swing States — COMPLETED , with 15.7 million postcards distributed to be sent to voters across 14 swing states!]
TEXT Democratic voters:
Text Out the Vote via the DNC.
The MoveOn Text Team
PHONE BANK with Beto: Powered by People — TURN TEXAS BLUE !!!
BE A POLL WORKER:
Work Elections
DONATE to help other Democrats vote:
Let America Vote PAC — they work on many fronts to support voters and voting rights
Progressive Turnout Project — they engage Dem voters in several ways, including a virtual phonebanking program
Vote Save America — they allow you to “adopt” a crucial state (Arizona, Florida, Michigan, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, or Wisconsin) and then give you tools to directly support the work of organizers, volunteers, and candidates in that state
Spread the Vote — they help voters get IDs in the states where those are required. They say on their website, “77% of the people we work with have never voted before and 100% of our clients cannot vote without us.”
Vote For Our Lives, a project of the Parkland kids’ March For Our Lives, is focused on young voters.
DONATE to Biden/Harris: JoeBiden.com
And if you need more inspiration, go straight to Goodie’s phenomenal series, “100 Days of Loving Joe Biden.” You’ll come away loving him more than you ever imagined.
DONATE to our priority Senate candidates:
Sen. Doug Jones (D. AL)
Dr. Al Gross (I. AK)
Mark Kelly (D. AZ)
John Hickenlooper (D. CO)
Jon Ossoff (D. GA)
Theresa Greenfield (D. IA)
Paulette Jordan (D. ID)
Dr. Barbara Bollier (D. KS)
Amy McGrath (D. KY)
Cal Cunningham (D. NC)
Adrian Perkins (D. LA)
Sen. Gary Peters (D. MI)
Sen. Tina Smith (D. MN)
Mike Espy (D. MS)
Steve Bullock (D. MT)
Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D. NH)
Jaime Harrison (D. SC)
MJ Hegar (D. TX)
DONATE to our priority House candidates:
See Ballotpedia’s list of U.S. House Battlegrounds and Ballotpedia’s list of State Legislative Battleground Chambers.
* * * * *
Closing music
I'll tip my hat to the new constitution
Take a bow for the new revolution
Smile and grin at the change all around
Pick up my guitar and play
Just like yesterday
Then I'll get on my knees and pray
We don't get fooled again
x YouTube Video
❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤
Thanks to each and every Gnusie for your smarts, your hearts, and
your faithful attendance at our daily Gathering of the Herd.
❤💙 RESIST, PERSIST, REBUILD, REJOICE! 💙❤


dailykos--2020-10-15--An Anti-Trump SF Satire

An Anti-Trump SF Satire

Butler , warrior , moral philosopher , robot .
Randolph is all that and more.Randolph is the prized product of @ @ @ @ @ Valley firm dedicated to producing robot servants for people who grew up watching British period @ @ @ @ @ The company ’ s motto is , “ All the gracious living of Upstairs with @ @ @ @ @ of Downstairs.
” When the novel opens with the assassination of King Donald II and @ @ @ @ @ , Randolph epitomizes that motto .
He is calm , quiet , supremely competent , @ @ @ @ @ and never interfering .
He is a mere witness to great events .
He is @ @ @ @ @ and properly running the household of General Henry Redgrave , architect of the coup and @ @ @ @ @ !
Romance !
Sex !
Skulduggery !
Artificial Intelligence !
And lots of other stuff @ @ @ @ @ http : //www.dvorkin.com/ranrun/

Butler, warrior, moral philosopher, robot. Randolph is all that and more.Randolph is the prized product of Superior Domestics, a Silicon Valley firm dedicated to producing robot servants for people who grew up watching British period costume dramas on PBS. The company’s motto is, “All the gracious living of Upstairs with none of the unseemly drama of Downstairs.”When the novel opens with the assassination of King Donald II and a coup d’état, Randolph epitomizes that motto. He is calm, quiet, supremely competent, always in the background, and never interfering. He is a mere witness to great events. He is focused on supervising his staff and properly running the household of General Henry Redgrave, architect of the coup and would–be power behind the throne.War! Romance! Sex! Skulduggery! Artificial Intelligence! And lots of other stuff, too.Read more here: http://www.dvorkin.com/ranrun/


dailykos--2020-10-15--Captive to the American Oligarchy

Captive to the American Oligarchy

It is disconcerting to think that the possibilities for personal freedom and well-being intended by the founders at the birth of our republic have not been realized in the way or to the extent they envisioned .
Their experiment in democracy became a work-in-progress for succeeding generations , and we still haven ’ t quite got it right .
In fact , the tenor of our partisan politics at the moment suggests we have neither the political nor the moral will to complete the task of securing “ liberty and justice for all.
” As citizens who are the ultimate @ @ @ @ @ @ @ we have given up and given in to a factionalism that pits interest-group over against interest-group , majority against minorities , class against class , in ways that for some amount to a form of socioeconomic and political tyranny .
“ We the people ” have become “ we the vested interest groups , ” each of whom is more interested in gaining or consolidating advantage and acquiring or retaining control of the “ system.
” One of the major issues debated by the founders was whether citizens were actually capable of self-government @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Hamilton did not believe people had the requisite knowledge , sophistication , or attention span to exercise responsibility in governing .
In his remarks to the Constitutional Convention in 1787 , he said , “ All communities divide themselves into the few and the many .
The first are the rich and well born ; the other the mass of the people .
The voice of the people has been said to be the voice of God ; and however generally this maxim has been quoted and believed , it is not true @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and changing ; they seldom judge or determine right .
Give therefore to the first class a distinct , permanent share in government .
They will check the unsteadiness of the second ; and as they can not receive any advantage by change , they will therefore maintain good government.
” On the other hand , Thomas Jefferson also believed human beings were divided into two groups .
In a letter to Henry Lee in 1824 , Jefferson declared : “ Men by their constitution are naturally divided into two parties : 1 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ people , and wish to draw all powers from them into the hands of the higher classes .
2 .
Those who identify themselves with the people , have confidence in them , cherish and consider them as the most honest and safe , although not the most wise depositary of the public interests .
In every country these two parties exist , and in every one where they are free to think , speak , and write , they will declare themselves.
” Unlike Hamilton , Jefferson did not think that an @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a democratic form , held out the best way to realize the vision of personal and social liberty .
In a letter to Dr. Richard Price in 1789 , Jefferson noted that “ whenever the people are well-informed , they can be trusted with their own government ; that whenever things get so far wrong as to attract their notice , they may be relied on to set them to rights.
” It is disconcerting now to think that Jefferson ’ s confidence in the ability of the people to govern themselves has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of rule by a socioeconomic elite , but we have become unstable , fickle and unruly , just what Hamilton observed about the body politic of his day .
Rather than being well-informed , we are , for the most part , woefully uninformed—and easily led astray into deeper factionalism by the political elite who do our thinking for us .
In his article in a 2010 issue of The Hedgehog Review , Charles Taylor argued that for a democratic state in the modern world to thrive it is necessary that its people @ @ @ @ @ @ @ solidarity , and a higher level of commitment to one another .
If this be not possible or if it is diminished , the vacuum created by its absence will be filled with a variety of forms of tyranny , despotism , and authoritarianism , i.e.
, the forms of government the founding of our republic was intended to reject .
Perhaps one reason we have failed to realize this communitarian vision is our socioeconomic , ethnic , and religious diversity ; this should be our greatest strength , the multiple strands in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ these are the fault lines that demarcate our most important boundaries as groups and the varied and divergent interests we hold .
Just as importantly , another threat is our occupancy of narrow , unreflective , and partisan default positions on issues of concern affecting many , and in some cases , all of us .
Making such boundaries more porous and cultivating informed engagement are certainly challenges for us at this moment in our history .
Without these kinds of alterations , we have little prospect for any meaningful change .
It @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in ” the principles on which this nation was founded , or even to be favorably predisposed to them , or to hold them in high regard .
Believing in freedom , equality , individual responsibility , to say nothing of limited government and free-market capitalism , means nothing even if these are shared and accepted by all citizens and residents .
What is important is that these principles be enacted in the structures and systems of our socioeconomic order so that all can benefit and thrive .
At the moment , however @ @ @ @ @ @ @ happening as these principles are held hostage to the machinations of the political elite to whom we as citizens have ceded our responsibility .
In a seminal 1964 article with the title “ The Nature of Belief Systems in Mass Publics , ” Philip E. Converse undertook a study of American voters that has turned out to be a classic in the study of voting behavior .
His study led him to conclude that the vast majority of people do not have a clear and comprehensive set of beliefs , attitudes , and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ understanding .
Rather they have an undisciplined , unreflective , and largely random collection of views and opinions that they piece together as occasion requires .
Moreover , one ’ s “ political sophistication ” or ability to recognize , understand , and evaluate circumstances and information regarding specific policy areas , and to connect this knowledge with policy positions in other areas , was correlated positively with age , level of education , grass-roots participation in political activism , and the quantity of information consumed .
If the assumption is that people @ @ @ @ @ @ @ issues because they are knowledgeable and informed ( i.e.
, political sophisticates ) , Converse ’ s research—and that of other social scientists—shows that this assumption is false .
Rather , Converse identified five kinds of publics , each of which has remained fairly stable in size or percentage of the general public in the intervening years .
First , there are those Converse called “ ideologues.
” These are the political sophisticates who can conceptualize , analyze , and evaluate political and policy issues and their significance .
Based on his study @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the public fit into this category .
Second are those who are aware of an “ ideological spectrum ” to political positions , but either disregard the positions taken along this spectrum or give evidence of not understanding the issues at all .
This group numbered approximately 12 % .
Third , there is a group that seems unaware of the ideological spectrum but whose political choices are consciously shaped by the political interests of a particular group ( e.g.
, farmers , ethnic groups , unions , small business owners , health @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Parties and candidates and issues are voted on based on the expectation of favorable treatment of the group ; matters not germane to the group and its interests are typically unimportant and poorly understood .
This is the largest of the five groups at 45 % of the public .
Fourth , about 22 % make political decisions without regard to political ideology , policy issues , or group interest .
In fact , these seem to have no understanding of such distinctions .
Instead , their preferences are based on whether @ @ @ @ @ @ @ bad times .
Finally , there is a group whose preferences , evaluations , and decisions have “ no shred of policy significance whatever.
” These respondents are “ people who felt loyal to one party or the other but confessed that they had no idea what the party stood for .
Others devoted their attention to personal qualities of the candidates , indicating disinterest in parties more generally .
Still others confessed that they paid too little attention to either the parties or the current candidates to be able to say anything @ @ @ @ @ @ @ In Converse ’ s study , this group represented 17 % of the public .
The work of Converse and others who study public opinion and voter knowledgeability begs the question of whether we can really be a self-governing nation if by that we mean a body politic that knows and cares and is involved in public life .
If Hamilton and Jefferson pose two alternatives for us , then certainly we have to say our experiment in democracy is leaning more toward the Hamilton side at the moment : We are neither @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and realizing the unfettered equality envisioned by our founders .
In this continuing experiment , there can be no place for free-riders , those who accept the benefits without meeting any of the responsibilities of participatory democracy .
Among other things , these responsibilities include becoming an informed citizen , one who is capable of examining and weighing alternatives in relation to goals more inclusive and communitarian than individualist- and group-centered .
It is remarked by many that one of the strengths of this country is the freedom to form an opinion without @ @ @ @ @ @ @ our government .
We are literally free to believe whatever we may want , to think and judge however we may chose , and to hold to whatever and whomever we ensconce in the place of greatest importance .
But running through the history of this great experiment are strands of sociopolitical naïveté , gullibility , indifference and yes , on occasion , demagoguery .
So while it is possible to hold any thought or view or opinion one may want , it is not necessarily conducive to realizing the common good—unless there @ @ @ @ @ @ @ thoughtful democratic debate .
Better we should foster an environment of open and frank debate where all views can be reasonably engaged than remain entrenched in partisan ideologies .
Better we should take a view in which our politics is rooted in an organic sense of our community and our interdependence , committed to fostering the good and noble lives of all rather than just the few .
To achieve this , it will undoubtedly be necessary to acknowledge that on occasion , the views and opinions we hold are misguided and inaccurate @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the biases and manipulations of others .
Or we may find that there is a via media , a middle course that can conciliate extremes .
In either case , we may discover that a change of mind is needed .
Having the right to an opinion is one thing , regardless of whether it is an informed or an ignorant opinion ; being enslaved to it is something else entirely .
Here , perhaps , a sentiment expressed initially by Thomas Paine in his The Age of Reason might prove helpful .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ the opening of the book , he declared : “ I have always strenuously supported the Right of every man to his opinion , however different that opinion might be to mine .
He who denies to another this right , makes a slave of himself to his present opinion , because he precludes himself the right of changing it.
” Makes me wonder how is it that our opinions , however correct or fallacious they may be , come to be so strongly and immovably held .

It is disconcerting to think that the possibilities for personal freedom and well-being intended by the founders at the birth of our republic have not been realized in the way or to the extent they envisioned. Their experiment in democracy became a work-in-progress for succeeding generations, and we still haven’t quite got it right.
In fact, the tenor of our partisan politics at the moment suggests we have neither the political nor the moral will to complete the task of securing “liberty and justice for all.” As citizens who are the ultimate source of sovereignty in this nation, we have given up and given in to a factionalism that pits interest-group over against interest-group, majority against minorities, class against class, in ways that for some amount to a form of socioeconomic and political tyranny. “We the people” have become “we the vested interest groups,” each of whom is more interested in gaining or consolidating advantage and acquiring or retaining control of the “system.”
One of the major issues debated by the founders was whether citizens were actually capable of self-government. On the one hand, Alexander Hamilton did not believe people had the requisite knowledge, sophistication, or attention span to exercise responsibility in governing. In his remarks to the Constitutional Convention in 1787, he said, “All communities divide themselves into the few and the many. The first are the rich and well born; the other the mass of the people. The voice of the people has been said to be the voice of God; and however generally this maxim has been quoted and believed, it is not true in fact. The people are turbulent and changing; they seldom judge or determine right. Give therefore to the first class a distinct, permanent share in government. They will check the unsteadiness of the second; and as they cannot receive any advantage by change, they will therefore maintain good government.”
On the other hand, Thomas Jefferson also believed human beings were divided into two groups. In a letter to Henry Lee in 1824, Jefferson declared: “Men by their constitution are naturally divided into two parties: 1. Those who fear and distrust the people, and wish to draw all powers from them into the hands of the higher classes. 2. Those who identify themselves with the people, have confidence in them, cherish and consider them as the most honest and safe, although not the most wise depositary of the public interests. In every country these two parties exist, and in every one where they are free to think, speak, and write, they will declare themselves.”
Unlike Hamilton, Jefferson did not think that an oligarchy of the wealthy, even in a democratic form, held out the best way to realize the vision of personal and social liberty. In a letter to Dr. Richard Price in 1789, Jefferson noted that “whenever the people are well-informed, they can be trusted with their own government; that whenever things get so far wrong as to attract their notice, they may be relied on to set them to rights.”
It is disconcerting now to think that Jefferson’s confidence in the ability of the people to govern themselves has given way to Hamilton’s vision of rule by a socioeconomic elite, but we have become unstable, fickle and unruly, just what Hamilton observed about the body politic of his day. Rather than being well-informed, we are, for the most part, woefully uninformed—and easily led astray into deeper factionalism by the political elite who do our thinking for us.
In his article in a 2010 issue of The Hedgehog Review, Charles Taylor argued that for a democratic state in the modern world to thrive it is necessary that its people express a strong collective identity, greater solidarity, and a higher level of commitment to one another. If this be not possible or if it is diminished, the vacuum created by its absence will be filled with a variety of forms of tyranny, despotism, and authoritarianism, i.e., the forms of government the founding of our republic was intended to reject.
Perhaps one reason we have failed to realize this communitarian vision is our socioeconomic, ethnic, and religious diversity; this should be our greatest strength, the multiple strands in a braided social-civil cord. Instead, these are the fault lines that demarcate our most important boundaries as groups and the varied and divergent interests we hold. Just as importantly, another threat is our occupancy of narrow, unreflective, and partisan default positions on issues of concern affecting many, and in some cases, all of us. Making such boundaries more porous and cultivating informed engagement are certainly challenges for us at this moment in our history. Without these kinds of alterations, we have little prospect for any meaningful change.
It’s not enough to “believe in” the principles on which this nation was founded, or even to be favorably predisposed to them, or to hold them in high regard. Believing in freedom, equality, individual responsibility, to say nothing of limited government and free-market capitalism, means nothing even if these are shared and accepted by all citizens and residents. What is important is that these principles be enacted in the structures and systems of our socioeconomic order so that all can benefit and thrive. At the moment, however, that is precisely what is not happening as these principles are held hostage to the machinations of the political elite to whom we as citizens have ceded our responsibility.
In a seminal 1964 article with the title “The Nature of Belief Systems in Mass Publics,” Philip E. Converse undertook a study of American voters that has turned out to be a classic in the study of voting behavior. His study led him to conclude that the vast majority of people do not have a clear and comprehensive set of beliefs, attitudes, and values that inform their socioeconomic and political understanding. Rather they have an undisciplined, unreflective, and largely random collection of views and opinions that they piece together as occasion requires. Moreover, one’s “political sophistication” or ability to recognize, understand, and evaluate circumstances and information regarding specific policy areas, and to connect this knowledge with policy positions in other areas, was correlated positively with age, level of education, grass-roots participation in political activism, and the quantity of information consumed.
If the assumption is that people hold distinctive and deliberate positions on policy issues because they are knowledgeable and informed (i.e., political sophisticates), Converse’s research—and that of other social scientists—shows that this assumption is false. Rather, Converse identified five kinds of publics, each of which has remained fairly stable in size or percentage of the general public in the intervening years. First, there are those Converse called “ideologues.” These are the political sophisticates who can conceptualize, analyze, and evaluate political and policy issues and their significance. Based on his study, Converse estimated that 4% of the public fit into this category.
Second are those who are aware of an “ideological spectrum” to political positions, but either disregard the positions taken along this spectrum or give evidence of not understanding the issues at all. This group numbered approximately 12%.
Third, there is a group that seems unaware of the ideological spectrum but whose political choices are consciously shaped by the political interests of a particular group (e.g., farmers, ethnic groups, unions, small business owners, health care workers, physicians, etc.). Parties and candidates and issues are voted on based on the expectation of favorable treatment of the group; matters not germane to the group and its interests are typically unimportant and poorly understood. This is the largest of the five groups at 45% of the public.
Fourth, about 22% make political decisions without regard to political ideology, policy issues, or group interest. In fact, these seem to have no understanding of such distinctions. Instead, their preferences are based on whether they are living in good times or bad times.
Finally, there is a group whose preferences, evaluations, and decisions have “no shred of policy significance whatever.” These respondents are “people who felt loyal to one party or the other but confessed that they had no idea what the party stood for. Others devoted their attention to personal qualities of the candidates, indicating disinterest in parties more generally. Still others confessed that they paid too little attention to either the parties or the current candidates to be able to say anything about them” (217). In Converse’s study, this group represented 17% of the public.
The work of Converse and others who study public opinion and voter knowledgeability begs the question of whether we can really be a self-governing nation if by that we mean a body politic that knows and cares and is involved in public life. If Hamilton and Jefferson pose two alternatives for us, then certainly we have to say our experiment in democracy is leaning more toward the Hamilton side at the moment: We are neither prepared for nor capable of ruling ourselves and realizing the unfettered equality envisioned by our founders.
In this continuing experiment, there can be no place for free-riders, those who accept the benefits without meeting any of the responsibilities of participatory democracy. Among other things, these responsibilities include becoming an informed citizen, one who is capable of examining and weighing alternatives in relation to goals more inclusive and communitarian than individualist- and group-centered.
It is remarked by many that one of the strengths of this country is the freedom to form an opinion without fear of reprisal by our fellows or our government. We are literally free to believe whatever we may want, to think and judge however we may chose, and to hold to whatever and whomever we ensconce in the place of greatest importance. But running through the history of this great experiment are strands of sociopolitical naïveté, gullibility, indifference and yes, on occasion, demagoguery. So while it is possible to hold any thought or view or opinion one may want, it is not necessarily conducive to realizing the common good—unless there is full, open, honest, thoughtful democratic debate.
Better we should foster an environment of open and frank debate where all views can be reasonably engaged than remain entrenched in partisan ideologies. Better we should take a view in which our politics is rooted in an organic sense of our community and our interdependence, committed to fostering the good and noble lives of all rather than just the few. To achieve this, it will undoubtedly be necessary to acknowledge that on occasion, the views and opinions we hold are misguided and inaccurate, and quite possibly the result of the biases and manipulations of others. Or we may find that there is a via media, a middle course that can conciliate extremes. In either case, we may discover that a change of mind is needed.
Having the right to an opinion is one thing, regardless of whether it is an informed or an ignorant opinion; being enslaved to it is something else entirely. Here, perhaps, a sentiment expressed initially by Thomas Paine in his The Age of Reason might prove helpful. In his statement to U.S. Citizens in the opening of the book, he declared: “I have always strenuously supported the Right of every man to his opinion, however different that opinion might be to mine. He who denies to another this right, makes a slave of himself to his present opinion, because he precludes himself the right of changing it.”
Makes me wonder how is it that our opinions, however correct or fallacious they may be, come to be so strongly and immovably held.


dailykos--2020-10-16--The asterisk, the stink, and Forced-birth Barbie

The Forced-birth Barbie nomination to the Supreme Court began , as do most things Republican , in a monstrous act of smirking hypocrisy .
They will cram this thinly experienced woman , who professes to have nothing thicker than vacuum in her opinion centers , down America 's protesting throat .
We remain bereft by the loss of RBG ; one of the finest human vintages ever bottled .
We choke on the tepid poison Kool-Aid that is being force-fed to us .
Welcome to the politics of Jonestown .
The Boss is going down , everybody has to go @ @ @ @ @ @ @ which the Orange Thing whipped out this chirpy cheerleader for a return to the Dark Ages proves one thing : he and his enablers in the Senate were all trembling with vile lust to piss on Justice Ginsburg 's grave , and they were ready to start before she was even buried .
That is one reason this is all happening .
A contemptible act by the contemptible .
There is one subject we can be certain that the Senators who ca n't be troubled to help the American people during a pandemic @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Spotless Mind about , one subject that no one from our side has not yet asked her about .
She will never be *Justice Barrett , the way that Justice Kagan or Justice Sotomayor are , fairly advanced and invested .
She will be the *Trump puppet , the *Justice imposed on the Court by Trumpollini as his reign of terror crumbles in a desperate attempt to use the courts to illegally stay in office and so stave off his creditors , and the bills coming due for his crimes for a while @ @ @ @ @ @ @ her to be as unfit for this office as snarling Beer & Rape boy .
He still has the stink , and may it never fade .
It might not .
The stink still lingers around Clarence Thomas , as it should ; his obituary will mention Anita Hill , and some of us hope she gets to dance ( or whatever ) on his grave .
This stench is fresher , rawer , exists in more dimensions .
Thomas gives off the whiff of ancient carrion , a dinosaur rotting from the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ over two hundred thousand graves .
The credibility of the Supreme Court already hangs in the balance , it never fully recovered from Bush v Gore .
This will cut the thread .
Dementia Don and his cackling flock of fluffers will kill any chance of Roberts pretending the court is fair and honest .
It will be where freedom and fairness will be taken for summary execution .
Does she understand the asterisk ?
Can ’ t she detect the rising reek that will be her real robes ?
That for the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be mentioned without reference to the sordid criminal , and unethical acts that put her on the court ?

The Forced-birth Barbie nomination to the Supreme Court began, as do most things Republican, in a monstrous act of smirking hypocrisy. They will cram this thinly experienced woman, who professes to have nothing thicker than vacuum in her opinion centers, down America's protesting throat. We remain bereft by the loss of RBG; one of the finest human vintages ever bottled. We choke on the tepid poison Kool-Aid that is being force-fed to us. Welcome to the politics of Jonestown. The Boss is going down, everybody has to go down with him.
The speed with which the Orange Thing whipped out this chirpy cheerleader for a return to the Dark Ages proves one thing: he and his enablers in the Senate were all trembling with vile lust to piss on Justice Ginsburg's grave, and they were ready to start before she was even buried. That is one reason this is all happening. A contemptible act by the contemptible.
There is one subject we can be certain that the Senators who can't be troubled to help the American people during a pandemic have not informed Our Lady of the Spotless Mind about, one subject that no one from our side has not yet asked her about.
The asterisk. The stink.
She will never be *Justice Barrett, the way that Justice Kagan or Justice Sotomayor are, fairly advanced and invested. She will be the *Trump puppet, the *Justice imposed on the Court by Trumpollini as his reign of terror crumbles in a desperate attempt to use the courts to illegally stay in office and so stave off his creditors, and the bills coming due for his crimes for a while longer. Her accepting this nomination shows her to be as unfit for this office as snarling Beer&Rape boy. He still has the stink, and may it never fade. It might not. The stink still lingers around Clarence Thomas, as it should; his obituary will mention Anita Hill, and some of us hope she gets to dance (or whatever) on his grave. This stench is fresher, rawer, exists in more dimensions. Thomas gives off the whiff of ancient carrion, a dinosaur rotting from the inside. This is the wind off over two hundred thousand graves.
The credibility of the Supreme Court already hangs in the balance, it never fully recovered from Bush v Gore. This will cut the thread. Dementia Don and his cackling flock of fluffers will kill any chance of Roberts pretending the court is fair and honest. It will be where freedom and fairness will be taken for summary execution.
Does she understand the asterisk? Can’t she detect the rising reek that will be her real robes? That for the rest of her life she will never be mentioned without reference to the sordid criminal, and unethical acts that put her on the court?


dailykos--2020-10-16--A short, perfect argument: "Originalism is invalid because no evidence the Founders believed in it."

Thinking recently about questions for nominee Amy Coney Barrett , and her Originalism theory , I thought of an interesting argument — “ Originalism is not a valid judicial theory because there is no evidence that the constitutional framers believed in it.
” See that ?
How can you have a valid “ Originalist ” theory that the Constitution is rigidly to be interpreted by only what the historical record shows that the Founders , or the “ public ” in 1787 , believed .
.
.
if there is little to no ( and certainly not consistent ) history @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 1787 “ public ” ) believed that this was the way to interpret the Constitution ?
Hoisted on their own petard , as Larry David would say .
Obviously , I was not the first to think of this argument and , after I looked it up , it seems to be a great argument for a number of reasons : ( i ) it appears to be correct , ( ii ) it drives Originalists crazy , who begin a mad-hunt to find any quote from a reputable 1780s person that might @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and ( iii ) the exercise in ( ii ) only highlights the fatal weakness underlying Originalism , i.e.
, that one can search and cherry-pick the historical record to support near any modern argument , including the validity of Originalism itself .
But what can ’ t be demonstrated is that the Founders , or the public at the time , agreed that this was the proper approach to interpret the Constitution .
One Rutgers history professor addresses this precise objection and helpfully writes : Hamilton ’ s original intent to have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that statesmen have the authority to define in perpetuity useful policies as necessary , as changing times demanded flexible responses .
Madison ’ s bottom-up interpretive framework demanded that the perpetually sovereign people maintain their right through time to be the final arbiters of constitutional meaning through popular politics and the thoughtful expression of public opinion .
Going back to the founders , we find them telling us to focus on our twenty-first century problems and to stop using them as an excuse for our inaction .
The stable original intent we can @ @ @ @ @ @ @ we all must be keenly alive to our duty to be thoughtful , compassionate citizens .
It is in Madison ’ s essays written in the early 1790s that we find the richest resonance of his powerful statement at the Constitutional Convention : “ In framing a system which we wish to last for the ages , we should not lose sight of the changes which ages will produce.
” ( Emphasis added ) “ Stop using them as an excuse for our inaction.
” I always thought that Originalism was wrong .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ it is wrong even on its own terms .

Thinking recently about questions for nominee Amy Coney Barrett, and her Originalism theory, I thought of an interesting argument — “Originalism is not a valid judicial theory because there is no evidence that the constitutional framers believed in it.”
See that? How can you have a valid “Originalist” theory that the Constitution is rigidly to be interpreted by only what the historical record shows that the Founders, or the “public” in 1787, believed . . . if there is little to no (and certainly not consistent) history that the Founders (much less the 1787 “public”) believed that this was the way to interpret the Constitution?
Hoisted on their own petard, as Larry David would say.
Obviously, I was not the first to think of this argument and, after I looked it up, it seems to be a great argument for a number of reasons: (i) it appears to be correct, (ii) it drives Originalists crazy, who begin a mad-hunt to find any quote from a reputable 1780s person that might be construed as consistent with Originalism, and (iii) the exercise in (ii) only highlights the fatal weakness underlying Originalism, i.e., that one can search and cherry-pick the historical record to support near any modern argument, including the validity of Originalism itself. But what can’t be demonstrated is that the Founders, or the public at the time, agreed that this was the proper approach to interpret the Constitution.
One Rutgers history professor addresses this precise objection and helpfully writes:
Hamilton’s original intent to have a top-down and expansive interpretive framework demanded that statesmen have the authority to define in perpetuity useful policies as necessary, as changing times demanded flexible responses. Madison’s bottom-up interpretive framework demanded that the perpetually sovereign people maintain their right through time to be the final arbiters of constitutional meaning through popular politics and the thoughtful expression of public opinion. Going back to the founders, we find them telling us to focus on our twenty-first century problems and to stop using them as an excuse for our inaction. The stable original intent we can most likely take from them is that we all must be keenly alive to our duty to be thoughtful, compassionate citizens. It is in Madison’s essays written in the early 1790s that we find the richest resonance of his powerful statement at the Constitutional Convention: “In framing a system which we wish to last for the ages, we should not lose sight of the changes which ages will produce.” (Emphasis added)
“Stop using them as an excuse for our inaction.” I always thought that Originalism was wrong. What I have helpfully learned is that it is wrong even on its own terms.