Ken Previti proclaimed that today was #FakePresidentsDay 2017. He was not alone. There were demonstrations in many cities and communities, whose theme was “Not My President.” Republican Town Hall meetings were thronged with angry people.
For years, I have heard many people under the age of 50 complain regretfully that they were not around to participate in the protests of the 1960s. Now they have a chance. Not to protest a war (yet), but to protest what appears to be a rigged election (Trump’s term). To protest a series of executive orders. To protest an executive order closing our borders to seven Muslim-majority nations. To protest an unending series of lies expressed by the President or his surrogates (alternative facts). To protest the building of a wall on the southern border. To protest roundups of undocumented immigrants, some of whom had done nothing wrong. To protest the repeal of the Affordable Care Act. To protest daily attacks on the press.
Are the 1960s alive again?
Diane Ravitch's blog 
Here, some wore “funeral” clothes.
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The March for Science is scheduled for Apr 22. Does anyone have ideas for individuals who may not be able to march? E.g., tie a green ribbon round the old oak tree OR some other symbol?
BBC news online article cited Rush Holt’s concern that the new administration has little concern for science. Physicist Holt is now CEO of AAAS; he previously represented a central NJ district in the House.
In the 60s, politicians weren’t anti-science. Even Nixon acted on environmental protection.
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Our international laughingstock, stuck in his orange submarine.
https://www.google.com/amp/m.huffpost.com/us/entry/us_58ab8722e4b0f077b3ed3c13/amp?client=safari
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While we have the right to protest, and should, the election was not rigged and should not be treated as such.
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Noam Chomsky discussing the “Manufacturing of Consent ” states “Propaganda is to a democracy what the bludgeon is to a totalitarian state.”
Yes no one used a bludgeon to force people to vote for Trump they didn’t alter the results from voting booths (probably). They did however disenfranchise many voters by removing them from voting roles in several key states including Wisconsin. But that was not their biggest crime.
They effectively broke into a political opponents home and stole damaging information about the opponent, information as personal as sexual preferences in bed. Or to explain that remark, information that was private never meant for public consumption. This constant drip of negative information reinforced the image of Clinton as untrustworthy and being in the pocket of corporate interests, which she was .
Had this been done in the interest of equal time and disclosure to both parties perhaps an informed public is a desirable. The fact that we did not have access to the countless Access Hollywood Stories surrounding this low life narcissist in the oval office provided by the same source makes it RIGGED. One can only imagine what the Trump team thinks of the little people.If you think Romney’s flippant remark about the 47% of Americans was jaw dropping. This malignant narcissist would have your head spinning. The fact that it it was done with collusion between the Trump campaign and a foreign government we are experiencing hostile relations with, makes it TREASON.
The result of that treason will be in policy the majority of Americans did not vote for . Policy from labor law to the environment that with the courts, will effect the rest of their lives and probably their children’s lives . Policy that would not have happened had this election not been rigged.
Right to protest indeed , we should be storming the Bastille.
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Public school advocates should read on the ed reform side to get an idea of how baked-in the negative attitudes towards public schools are in ed reform. The negativity runs all thru their work- they’re probably not even aware of it.
This is a piece about how charter school growth is “flat-lining”- openings of new schools have slowed. Don’t read it for the commentary on charters though- read it for how they view public schools.
“Default” neighborhood schools. Growth must be “managed” so as not to harm children in public schools. Charters need “facilities” – I guess they mean the buildings where public schools are now operating.
They offer nothing to public schools. The best they can do is limit damage while they aggressively promote charters. They don’t even consider the possibility that the existing schools have value.
This “movement” is now the status quo in government. This is the negative environment in which your local public school operates.
http://www.crpe.org/thelens/charter-school-growth-flat-lining
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Q To protest roundups of undocumented immigrants, some of whom had done nothing wrong. END Q
As a husband of a foreign-born person, and the ex-husband of another foreign-born person, I have more experience with immigration than most people.
Undocumented persons are ILLEGAL ALIENS. Entering this country without legal visa or other legal standing is a CRIME. All undocumented/illegal persons, are subject to immediate deportation.
All illegal aliens are breaking our laws every second that they are in this country illegally.
Do not be surprised at the roundups, that are coming, and the deportations of these illegal aliens.
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Charles,
I live in an agricultural area of New York state. The local economy will collapse if all those undocumented workers are deported. Any suggestions about who should take their places in the fields?
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Yes, The US Government is researching the possibility of reviving the Bracero program. See http://braceroarchive.org/about
I live in Metro WashDC. There are many illegal aliens here, most of whom are working “under the radar”.
I have spent 16 (sixteen) years of my career, working in foreign countries. I went through many “hoops”, to get legal status to work in these nations. I had to carry my identity papers, work permit, etc. on me at all times. I always entered and exited each of these nations lawfully.
If a foreigner wishes to work in the USA, he/she must get legal status.
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Charles
Absolutely right Charles something needs to be done about those ILLEGAL ALIENS .
So here is my proposal first we have to address why they are here .
Why does someone leave their native country to go on a perilous journey to become a farm hand, a dish washer, a domestic , a meat packer…. …. and always a second class citizen. Not the gold plated cobble stones that Europeans expected to find.
If you examine patterns of immigration from Mexico you will see that it spiked after the signing of NAFTA . That agreement devastated Mexican agriculture causing the equivalent of the Irish famine . So those responsible for this mess should pay for it. Perhaps the Boards
of directors of Americas corporate farm conglomerates and their shareholders should be deported .
Then of course we have the flood of refugee children from Central
America where our CIA sponsored coups and repressive governments have created death squads
and deplorable conditions again in the service of American multinational(I love that multinational thing) corporations.
Step one correct what we have done.
But there has always been a simple way to end the flow of illegal immigrants into the country. For decades the Labor movement had called for national worker ID’s for employment purposes with extreme
penalties including felony jail time for employers who hired the undocumented. Funny it was always employers like Trump and their Republican puppets who blocked it. Well after decades labor gave up on that and decided to try and get legal status for the undocumented. As well as trying to get stricter labor laws that guaranteed the same protections to the undocumented that applied to Americans. That would enable the undocumented to come from the shadows thus dis-incentivizing the hiring of the undocumented.
Again blocked by the Party of cheap labor the Republicans .
We don’t need a wall, we need to hold employers responsible and correct the situations that created this mass migration.
http://inthesetimes.com/working/entry/19634/stop_blaming_immigrants_and_start_punishing_the_employers_who_exploit_them
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I keep hearing that unregistered people should “get in line” and enter legally. Our immigration system is so broken that that the average Latino from Mexico or Central America would take twenty years for their number to be called due to limited quotas. People fleeing cartel or gang violence don’t have the time to wait.
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My Russian-born wife, got in line. After we married, she was able to enter the USA, and get a green card immediately. Then things got “sticky”. She was able to apply for citizenship after three years residence. It took over two years, for the wheels to turn, and she was able to take the citizenship exam, over five years after residence.
ALL persons wishing to enter the USA, must do so legally. Persons with legitimate needs for asylum, fleeing religious persecution,etc. will be given due consideration.
Everyone knows that ICE/BCI is a train wreck. I believe that the procedures can be streamlined and modernized. The candidates pay the processing fees (It cost me over $1000), so there is no budgetary problems. It is not fair, for citizens to pay the costs to process legal immigrants. If you wish to move to this country, it should cost you a fair price.
BTW- Illegal aliens, legal aliens, and all persons in the country, pay taxes at the same rate. The government taxes all persons with equal enthusiasm.
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“BTW- Illegal aliens, legal aliens, and all persons in the country, pay taxes at the same rate. The government taxes all persons with equal enthusiasm.”
Except when they are in the underground economy where many of the non documented are.
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Illegal aliens do not necessarily pay income or social security taxes, when they are under the radar. But, they certainly pay sales taxes, gasoline taxes, beer/wine/liquor taxes,etc. This is taxation without representation!
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