A Treasure Trove

I've started a new project; I'll keep you all apprised of its progress.

It relies on a treasure-trove of information put together by the Washington Post.  What I hope to do is to use that mass of data to document how many of Donald Trump's ill-advised, ill-informed statements might also be unconstitutional.

Anyone who'd care to make a bet regarding that last is welcome to shoot me an email.  In the meantime, here's a look at members of the newly more progressive, more diverse freshman class of Representatives.  (Those of you who are fellow residents of Delaware County, PA should note that our new Congressperson, Mary Gay Scanlon, is shown in the lowermost right corner of this image.)

Diversity

I was lucky enough to grow up in an era, and an area, in which ethnic diversity was considered not only normal, but enjoyable.  That's part of why I found the results of last week's midterms both reassuring and delightful.

The recently-elected cohort (36 and counting, as of this writing) of Democrats in the House of Representatives was neither all-white, all-male, or all Christian.  They are perhaps the most diverse group of freshman Representatives in our history.  Many are females - two of these Muslim,. two Native American, and one Hindu.  There was also a gentleman of Korean background elected from New Jersey.  Not to mention the first African-American women elected from Massachusetts and Connecticut, and another black woman elected to represent a district in Minnesota that is 85% white.

My kind of Congress ...

Hellfighters

African-Americans served in the military in this country, even before it was a country.  The first man killed in the lead-up to the Revolutionary War was a free black in Massachusetts named Crispus Attucks; he died in 1770 as a result of what came to be known as the Boston Massacre.  Nearly a century later, the first all-black regiment in the United States, the Massachusetts 54th (immortalized in the film Glory), was first accepted, and then renowned.  Similarly, many of us have heard of World War II outfits like the Tuskeegee Airmen.  But only recently did I learn about black soldiers making a name for themselves in World War I.  They were the Harlem Hellfighters.

One reason the Hellfighters are so infrequently mentioned in our history is that they were part, not of the U.S. military, but rather of the French Army.  They were an infantry regiment, designated the 369th.  They helped repel the German offensive in 1917, and helped launch a counteroffensive. They spent a total of 191 days in combat, longer than any other American unit in the war, and were the first Allied unit to reach the Rhine.  Many of them were awarded the Croix de Guerre, the French analog to our Medal of Honor.

I offer this historical thumbnail only as rebuttal to the idea, put forward by those like my neighbors across the road, that this country belongs to them alone, and they want it back (from whomever they imagine has acquired it unfairly).

It was never theirs alone.  It belongs to anyone who cherishes ideas like those in the First Amendment.  It belongs to everyone - folks like my grandparents from the Carpathian mountains, and my students from Bangladesh and Palestine - who emigrated because of the circumstances laid out by Emma Lazarus in The New Colossus.

Irony Abounds

Contrary to long-standing rules and practices, and to the First Amendment, the spoiled child in the Oval Office has revoked what's called a hard press pass from the CNN reporter Jim Acosta.  As is so often the case, Mr. Trump acted willfully, and with an inflated view of his powers.

There are two types of passes that allow journalists access to the White House - daily, and the aforementioned hard.  The West Wing has defended itself in this matter by stating that Mr. Acosta could be admitted to press briefings on a one-day-at-a-time basis.  Trouble is, that basis is under the control of White House staffers.  Given the slavish adherence of most of those staffers, especially those in Communications, to Mr. Trump, the only viable arrangement for access by serious journalists is the hard pass.

Therein lies the conundrum for the Administration.  A hard press pass can only be revoked if the Secret Service or FBI believe that the individual holding the pass is, or could become, a threat to White House staff or fellow journalists.

Which brings us to irony abounding.  CNN has filed a lawsuit against the Trump Administration, noting the the problem the White House has created for itself, and asking that Mr. Acosta's hard press pass be renewed.  The irony lies, not in that position, but in the fact that the lawyer overseeing the case is Ted Olson, who was instrumental in the 2000 Supreme Court decision in Bush v Gore.

As someone with impeccable credenntials as a conservative, the fact that Olson took on CNN's suit against the Trump Administration says a lot.

Rampant Xenophobia

It's my opinion that today's Republican Party, and the entire Trump administration, promote xenophobia, for their (perceived) electoral advantage.  I'm thinking in particular of folks like my neighbors across the road, staunch Republicans, who still have  their I Want My Country Back sign clearly visible on their lawn.  Contrast their behavior with that of my former students, so many of whom became naturalized citizens of the United States..  One of them emailed me yesterday; his message gave my spirits a lift.

He said that we can make America great without Trumpian tactics.  He went further, pointing out that no one has ever won, or will ever win, anything through racism.

It's beliefs and ideals like these that endure.  Perhaps that's one reason why Donald and Company are so unnerved by last Tuesday's election results.

To Tweet or Not to Tweet

Mr. Trump should be more careful about the content of his tweets.  Today, for instance, he declared that the vote recount being conducted in Florida was illegal, involved several million fraudulent votes (from the Caravan?), and should be stopped immediately.

Sorry, Donald; that's all simply wrong.  Article 1 Section 4 Clause 1 of the United States Constitution assigns to each state legislature the responsibility of defining  ... the times, places, and manner of holding elections for Senators and Representatives ... 

Sounds to me like the recounts currently underway are completely legal, and constitutional, since it was the Florida state legislature that established the criteria under which they are being conducted.

Read your Constitution, Donald.

Deja Vu All Over Again

Broward and Palm Beach Counties in Florida began a vote recount today.  Races for both Governor and Senator are being re-tallied.  As was the case in the 2000 Presidential election, unfounded charges of vote fraud, and corruption in vote counting, have been made.  Now as then, right-wing protestors try to interrupt the re-count.  What's more, reporters are denied access to the offices in which that effort is taking place.

Unlike Bush v Gore, the recount taking place today is state-wide, as mandated by Florida law.  In 2000, only selected counties were re-tallied;  Broward and Palm Beach were prominent among them.  Hopefully, by adhering strictly to Florida law, and re-counting the entire state, the results, whatever they turn out to be, will be acceptable to everyone.