We Must Stand Up for our Democracy!

/ Stephen Sovie
Wikimedia Commons

I am posting this letter written by my friend and fellow patriotic Democrat, Bill Fine. Please read it. He speaks the truth.

Letter to Readers: After Senators were unable to pass legislation to protect voting and our democracy, it is obvious that working to preserve our democracy is not going to be easy. One of the main obstacles is the persistent mis-information spewed out from right wing media. Is it possible to push back against this mis-information; I don’t know. But if we don’t try, if we give up without trying then we will lose; our democracy will lose. It is a daunting task, they have a massive network and a surprising number of individuals who are willing to spread mis-information. This is our democracy and if we want to keep it we will have to get to work. Think about what is at stake. First the Democrat’s agenda, such as reducing child poverty, reducing household poverty, providing health care and pushing legislation to minimize climate change. Yes, you can argue that not enough is being done in any of these areas but turning over the government to the GOP is like burning the house, leaving everyone homeless, because you don’t like the kitchen. Second, there will be no accountability for the insurrection or other illegalities if some rich donors pay the GOP. There is also the GOP assault on science and knowledge. The last Republican President pushed ultraviolet light as a cure for Covid. No member of the GOP pushed back instead they made excuses. Your silence is acquiescent to this behavior. There are 163 members of “Letters to the Editor Group” just one tenth of this group could have a major impact. A letter in the Lockport Journal, (1/7/22), wrote about the loss of confidence in our elections. He wrote: “a significant portion of the electorate has lost trust in our elections” and went on to give his opinion on how to restore faith in our elections. Opinion polls I have seen confirm his opinion on the lost of trust in our elections. But his reason for that loss of trust is wrong. He blames it on loosened requirements and less security in the election. Yet independent unbiased nonpartisan studies by Universities and Colleges, by independent organizations like the Pew Center and the Brennan Center and investigative journalist by most major news organizations in major cities all demonstrated that the election was secure. People believe the election was not secure because they were told, without evidence, that it was not secure. This is why we need letter writers to push back against the mis-information. Another letter in the Batavia Daily News, (1/15/22), complained that Democrats’ major concern was passing out food and water at polling places, failing to acknowledge voting suppression and the loss of impartially administrated elections. The writer added: “I have no problem with shoveling federal money at more voting machines or whatever it takes, for districts where voters have long waits.” Obviously, this writer is not informed about issues involved in the voting legislation. Right wing media is prevalent in our area. This is why we need letter writers to provide fact-based information. This is our democracy if we want to keep it. Please join in writing letters to the papers. Don’t silently acquiescence. Thanks Bill Fine

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Will The Televised Jan.6th Committee Hearings Make A Difference?

/ Stephen Sovie
Geograph Ireland

This past week the Jan.6th Committee announced that they were weighing holding prime time televised hearings sometime early in the year. In the past few weeks information about what the committee has already uncovered began leaking to the public. According to Yahoo News Rep. Jamie Raskin told a group of progressives that public hearings will reveal information that “will blow the roof off the House”. Other members of the Committee have intimated that they have evidence that implicates members of the House and even the Senate in the planning and organization of the insurrection.

More and more information regarding Mark Meadows’ and Kevin McCarthy’s involvement have come to light, as well as information supplied to the Committee some of Trump’s closest associates in the White House. What we do know about Trump’s involvement appears to be quite damning, but what we don’t know could be very devastating to Trump and senior Republican leaders of Congress and the Republican National Committee. The latest revelation of forged Electoral College documents from 5 swing states that Trump won’t the election could turn out to be a bombshell if they lead to Trump’s or McCarthy’s involvement.

I am old enough to remember watching the Watergate Hearings on live television every day after school. I can remember my parents, as well as the rest of the country, riveted to the TV as damning testimony about Nixon’s involvement in the Watergate breaking and subsequent coverup. These televised hearings nailed Nixon’s fate and led to his resignation. What happened on January 6th is far worse than a botched burglary and coverup. January 6th was an attempted coup to install Trump as president for life.

Will these televised hearings be different? They probably will be. At the time of Watergate, the country was not as deeply divided as it is now. Many, if not most Republicans, wanted to get to the truth of what Nixon did and what he was hiding. They wanted to enforce the Constitution and swore loyalty to the Constitution instead of to Nixon or to their party.

Nixon had his faults, but he did have a measure of integrity and he did love his country. He did what was best for the country. In the present situation, Trump has always done what’s best for him. He has managed, with the help of the media, to cultivate a cult following. Trump, the ultimate narcissist, cannot admit defeat, cannot admit wrongdoing, cannot accept responsibility. He can only lie and cheat and seek revenge upon those who dare disagree with him or those who he imagines have wronged him.

His followers, not only in the general public, but in Congress, the military, the courts, and the media have accepted his “Big Lie” and are determined to destroy our democracy and crown Trump king. As those followers of Jim Jones went to their deaths, instead of accepting the truth, Trump’s cult members cannot or will not be persuaded by common sense, facts, or the truth before their eyes.

I’m afraid the revelations coming from prime time hearings conducted by the Jan. 6th Committee, shocking as they may be, will only serve to strengthen the beliefs of those of us who already believe that Trump was responsible for the insurrection. What other type of behavior can be expected from a pathological narcissist? Unfortunately, I don’t think televised hearings will make a difference, but the American people must be presented with the facts.

You may want to read “Time is Running Out on Our Democracy“

Is the Dream Coming to an End?

/ Stephen Sovie
Pixabay

Martin Luther King Jr. had a dream where all people had a right to vote, regardless of the color of their skin. He lost his life to a racist assassin as he fought for equality for all people and especially people of color. Since his death, there have been other notables, such as the late John Lewis, who continued his fight for voter equality. Slowly, but surely, those rights, that have been passed since King’s death have been eroded by a Conservative Supreme Court and Republicans in Congress. Today King’s dream is on the verge of being destroyed.

President Biden has been trying to pass his voting rights legislation, to protect the rights of people of color and minorities to vote. Trump was defeated, as Biden was elected with massive support from the Black community. Because of the strong support of minorities for Democrats, Republican legislatures in Red states, have been passing laws severely restricting the ability for Blacks and other minorities to vote. In states, such as Texas and Georgia, districts with a predominance of Blacks have been limited to only one voting place. They have even passed laws making it a crime to offer water to anyone standing in line to vote. With these restrictive voting laws, it is highly unlikely that a Democrat can ever win an election again. And if they do the Republicans have made it possible for the Republican legislature in those states to overturn the results.

The House has passed Biden’s voting rights bill, but Senate hasn’t voted on it, and it appears that it will never pass in that chamber. With the Senate split 50-50 the bill has run up against the antiquated filibuster rule which requires a majority of 60-40 to pass legislation. The filibuster rule is only a rule formulated years ago to protect the rights of slave owners. It is not in the Constitution and can easily be changed, as it has been numerous times, including twice this year.

Even though there are 50 Democrats in the Senate, 2 of them are DINO’s acting and voting like Republicans. Sens. Kyrsten Sinema and Joe Manchin have refused to support voting rights (as well as “build back better”) professing that the bill should pass on a bipartisan agreement. They have refused to support carving out an exception to the filibuster rule to pass voting rights. Mitch McConnell and his fellow Republicans, naturally are dead set against this, even though McConnell carved out an exception to add 2 Trump appointees to the Supreme Court.

Biden and the real Democrats have been negotiating with Sinema and Manchin to support the change in the filibuster to no avail. Today Sinema on the Senate floor announced that she will not support a change in the filibuster, literally killing the bill. Manchin most likely will do the same. Instead of coming out and saying they are against the right to vote for all Americans, including Blacks and minorities, they are hiding behind a fake bipartisanship concern. I don’t know if there are financial concerns involved or if this is pure and simple racism.

One thing that everyone forgets, in attacking Biden for not doing enough, or Sinema and Manchin for trying to destroy Biden’s agenda, is that there are also 50 Republicans in the Senate. Isn’t it strange that not one single Republican supports the right of Black people to exercise their right to vote, without having to overcome insurmountable obstacles? Could it be that the Republican party, the party of Trump, has officially become the White Supremacist party?

We must not allow the media to convince us that Joe Biden and 48 Democrats have failed Blacks, the poor, and minorities. 50 Republican senators do not want Democrats to ever be in power again and the best way to assure this is to prevent Black people from voting. This nation cannot survive the return of Donald Trump, nor can it survive as a republic under Republican rule.

Time is Running Out on Our Democracy

/ Stephen Sovie
Pixabay
Pixabay

It’s been exactly one year since the attempt to overthrow our government and the insurrection is still continuing. Sure, several low-level participants have been arrested, tried, convicted, and jailed for the violent assault on the seat of our democracy, but the organizers and financial backers walk free among us. Trump and his associates are free to continue their lies and attacks on our democracy and Constitution. Millions of his followers still believe he won the election and believe that violence is an acceptable means for him to return to power.

The House select committee is slowly uncovering the truth of what led up to January 6th. We know that several members of the House and Senate were involved in the planning for the coup. We also know that correspondents from Fox News played advisory roles leading up to and during the insurrection. Numerous subpoenas have been issued, but the majority of them have been ignored, per Trump’s instructions. Only one subpoena recipient, Steve Bannon, has been arrested and is due to face charges seven months from now. No word on the fate of the others subpoenaed. It is now fashionable among Republicans to ignore subpoenas, knowing there are no consequences for doing so. Delay has been and still is the weapon of choice for Trump and his criminal organization.

In November 2022 the midterm elections could bring an end to the select committee and their investigation if as history and the political pundits predict, the Republicans will regain control of the House or the Senate or both. This will also be the end of our democracy and our country, as we know it.

The media seems to be cheering on the Republicans to win in November, in hopes that the resulting chaos will improve their ratings. They fail to realize that if the Republicans and Trump are returned to power the press will be among the first to suffer. Trump will surely seek revenge on anyone and everyone who opposed him, criticized him, or did not give him complete loyalty.

Our country has only a year to bring our democracy back from the brink. They have one year to bring the truth of what happened leading up to January 6th to the American people. The committee must, as they have proposed, hold their hearings on prime time television for everyone (except Fox News devotees I’m sure) to see and hear. Trump and his cronies in the House and the Senate must be exposed for what they are – traitors. We can only hope that Americans will wake up to see how dangerously close we are to losing our Republic.

Check out my previous post “I Think Our Democracy is on the Eve of Destruction“

On the January 6th Anniversary Will the Media Be Responsible?

/ Stephen Sovie
Wikimedia Commons

The first anniversary of the January 6th insurrection is fast approaching and the country is seriously divided. As the official government observances of this failed coup are being planned with moments of silence, prayer and, special observances in Congress, with members sharing their experiences on that dreadful day. Events will focus on remembering those Capitol police officers who lost their lives or were injured defending the seat of our democracy. There will be reflections on how close we were to losing our form of government and how we can prevent another coup attempt in the future.

In the past year, the House select committee investigating the insurrection has uncovered evidence that Trump and some members of Congress had an active role in planning and financing the insurrection. Subpoenas have been issued and for the most part ignored, as Trump has instructed those served to not testify. The Department of Justice has arrested hundreds of those who took part in the insurrection, all of which have been the little people. Some of these have been tried and sentenced. But not one of those responsible for planning or financing the coup has been brought to justice.

At the same time, on the same day as the official government observations of the bloody insurrection, the person responsible for inciting and planning the insurrection, to remain in power, has planned an event to celebrate those who carried out the insurrection. He will undoubtedly continue his lies and conspiracy theories that have been debunked, time and time again. We’ve heard it all before. We don’t need to hear it again.

Many journalists have recommended that the media not cover Trump’s expected tyrade, unless his speech is taped and fact checked and only parts are aired. Covering his remarks live serves only to allow Trump to continue spreading his lies. He’s not news any longer. He doesn’t get to control the press, as he was allowed to do for over four years. The hatred and division must end at some point and the press has to help end it.

I’m sure Fox News will cover every unintelligible syllable of the raving maniac, as if God Himself was speaking. But I hope that the mainstream media can find some semblance of responsibility and integrity and refuse to cover his pathetic attempt to regain his relevance. I’m not holding my breath though. The MSM must realize that if they aid Trump’s return, they would not function as a free press in his regime.

As of the afternoon of January 4th Trump has canceled his event for reasons unknown. I’m sure in time we will know the reasons.

Marjorie Taylor Greene Banned from Twitter, Good Riddance!

/ Stephen Sovie
Pixabay
Pixabay

What a great way to start out the New Year! I woke up to the news that Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene was permanently banned from Twitter for continuously posting false and dangerous information about COVID-19. It took three warnings from Twitter and the imbecile didn’t learn a lesson. Good riddance to the vile, ignorant, hate-monger!

As happy as I am over this event, I am saddened and upset that Congress hasn’t got the collective balls to expel her from Congress. She has been vaccinated, but she hypocritically continues to spew lies about Covid, kissing up to Trump and her fellow right-wing terrorists. It’s about time our members in Congress found a spine and protected our democracy!

Steve Says, Happy New Year

/ Stephen Sovie

Pixabay

I would like to wish everyone, who happens upon my humble little blog, a very Happy, Healthy, Prosperous, and Free New Year. Let’s set our New Year resolutions to include ending the pandemic, ensuring that every American citizen keeps their right to vote, and ensuring our democracy survives the current traitorous attacks from the Trump world and all those who vow to destroy our Republic.

Let make 2022 an American New Year, with love and caring for each and every one of us.

Steveso Thinks has Changed

/ Stephen Sovie
flickr

It’s time for a few changes for Steveso Thinks. First of all, you may notice that the name of my blog has changed to Stevesovie Thinks and the domain name has also changed to stevesoviethinks.com. The biggest change is that my blog has moved from Google’s Blogger to WordPress.com.

I have used Blogger since I first started Steveso Thinks in 2011, but have had nothing but trouble with Google. I originally monetized the site using Google AdSense, but after a few months, my account was canceled because one of my followers made too many clicks on the ads. I appealed the case but was denied in a matter of hours. Ten years later I again attempted to repeal the decision in hopes of regaining my AdSense account. Within an hour my appeal was denied!

I also began to have difficulties in writing my posts on the Blogger site. At times it seemed that the Blogger editor had a mind of its own. As time went on, making changes to my site became more and more difficult as I had to go from one Google app to another Google app. Since my site was 10 years old some of the Google apps that were in existence at the time are no longer used. And Google support is next to useless, as you rarely are able to talk with a live person.

After much thought, I decided to transfer my blog from Blogger to WordPress. It was during this process that I realized how screwed up Google is. I was not allowed to transfer my domain because Google had sold the domain to a 3rd party where it was made private. And Google never notified me of that change. In essence, my domain could not be found

I hope I will have better luck with WordPress. Stevesovie Thinks will also be published on Medium.com under the same name, for my Medium readers. I hope you will continue to follow me on my new home.

I Think Our Democracy is on the Eve of Destruction

/ Stephen Sovie

 

    Pixabay

 

 

I’m not a person who looks at life through rose-colored glasses, and I don’t consider myself to be an extreme pessimist. I guess I would call myself a realist. But I can’t join the chorus of revelers espousing hope for normalcy and happier times after the defeat of Donald Trump.


Many of my fellow citizens breathed sighs of relief after both the election and the January 6th insurrection. On January 8 I published a story here on Medium called “Don’t Think for a Moment the Insurrection is Over” expressing my views of the election. It didn’t get much traction, either because no one was interested or no one cared. It’s been 11 months since I wrote that and I’m more worried than ever.

During this time the FBI has been arresting and prosecuting the foot soldiers of the insurrection. You know, little people like us. Most of those already prosecuted have received pathetically light sentences for their part in the violent attempt to overthrow the government.

Meanwhile, the bi-partisan January 6th Commission empowered to investigate the insurrection is slowly peeling back the layers of the organization of the attempted coup. So far numerous subpoenas have been issued, but only two referrals to the Justice Department for Contempt of Congress have been made. Only one person, Steve Bannon, has been arrested and his trial date has been set for 7 months from now. Trump’s closest allies who have been subpoenaed have refused to cooperate and have used the very judicial system they tried to bring down to stall the proceedings.

Unlike the Watergate investigation, which many of us remember viewing on prime time television, we are receiving small bits of information via the internet or if we’re lucky, news channels, except, of course, Fox News. In the past few days, we have learned that many members of Congress and also Fox News celebrities have been involved, in the organization or coverup. All Republican members of the House have continued to spread the “big lie” and defend their fellow Representatives who were involved in the coup. Not all of those members of Congress who took part in the insurrection of January 6h have been publicly identified, as yet.

At the same time, the shit show of Trump suing everyone to prevent the release of his tax returns and to prevent the National Archives from turning over the records surrounding the insurrection continues. As each court denies his case his lawyers appeal to a higher court until the decision is left up to SCOTUS. In other words, Trump is trying to run out the clock, in hopes of a midterm Democrat loss of the House of Representatives. Typical Trump legal strategy he has used his entire pathetic life.

As far as the Department of Justice is concerned we have heard little from them. Attorney General Merrick Garland has been conspicuously silent on anything concerning Donald Trump’s actions and the insurrection in general. He either does not believe Trump can be held accountable for his illegal actions or he is afraid to piss off Trump and his followers.

The MSM does not appear to show an interest in what the investigation is uncovering, even though it is becoming more obvious that Trump was personally involved in obstruction of congress, a felony. Instead, they are focused on blaming Biden for the Republicans not supporting his legislation to improve the lives of middle-class Americans. You and me. Every single Republican has voted against any type of relief for American families. They are denying relief for Americans in need and trying to take away their right to vote.

Instead of the media reporting what the Biden administration has actually done for Americans they are predicting the Democrats will lose the House and the Senate in the midterms. Historically the party in control of the White House loses control of either the House or Senate of both. The media would like nothing better than this to happen because it would help improve their ratings, or so they hope.

The reality of the current political situation is starting to stare me in the face. This is what keeps me up at night. In 2022 Republicans gain control of Congress. The January 6th investigation comes to an end under the Republicans. In 2024 Trump or another GOP traitor is elected. In 2025 blanket pardons are issued for all of Trump’s minions previously convicted. Bam! The Coup is complete!

I hope I’m wrong!

 

Originally published in Rogues’ Gallery on Medium.com

Infrastructure or Intimidation? Republicans Approve of the Latter!

/ Stephen Sovie

 pxhere.com

Today Arizona Republican nutjob representative Paul Gosar was censured by the House of Representatives for posting an anime video in which he killed Democratic representative Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez and threatened President Biden. The vote to censure followed along party lines except for Reps. Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger. Every other Republican in the House voted to approve of Gosar’s behavior.

It has been 10 days since Gosar posted his violent threat on social media and not one single Republican member of the Senate or House has criticized or condemned him, except for Cheney and Kinzinger. The Republican leadership not only didn’t condemn him, but they also defended his right to threaten a fellow member of Congress and the President of the United States, calling his action “a joke”.

While the Republicans were supporting Gosar’s threats of violence they were condemning the 13 members of their caucus who voted for Biden’s infrastructure bill. I guess it’s okay to threaten to kill your fellow congressmen and the President, but it’s a crime to help the American people!

Gosar’s family has been very vocal concerning his actions, calling for him to be censured and expelled. They have called him dangerous, a traitor and in need of psychiatric help. But his fellow Republicans hold him in high esteem.

This is not the first time Gosar has gained notoriety for his extremist views. He is known as a staunch Trump supporter and a strong promoter of “the big lie”. He has offered support for the January 6th insurrection as well as the white nationalist rally in Charlottesville that turned deadly. He makes no bones about his support for white supremacists. It makes absolute sense that Gosar would violently threaten Rep. Ocasio-Cortez, being that she is a woman and she is a person of color.

Why has the Republican party descended into a hateful, immoral, crime-supporting cesspool? Is it because the Republican leadership and rank and file are terrified of Trump and his psychopathic degenerate followers? Or is it because they value power over morality and service to their country and their constituents? It’s probably a combination of both.

It is not really a surprise that Republicans have acted like a cabal of immoral, slithering vermin, in tacitly supporting violence and criminal behavior on behalf of their party members. But what is surprising and frankly terrifying is that a majority of the American people are viewing this as normal for our times.

For those who think that Gosar has learned his lesson or that Republicans will take this as a warning to clean up their act, you are wrong. As I was writing this article Gosar retweeted his violent video! If anything ever happens to Rep. Ocasio-Cortez, it will be the fault of Gosar and all of his Republican colleagues who allowed it to happen. It will also belong to anyone who ever votes Republican again.

 

Originally published in Rogues Gallery on Medium.com 

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