Happy Birthday America #229
By Hank Silverberg
We are far from the "more perfect union" envisioned by the so-called "Founding Fathers" in 1776, or more accurately in 1787, when the second generation of Founding Fathers (James Madison, George Mason, Alexander Hamilton, John Jay) drafted the U.S. Constitution.
These past two weeks we learned the hard way that the balanced system of government the Constitution was supposed to create, does not always work and sometimes goes against the "will of the people."
When the Constitution was drafted it was envisioned that the U.S. Supreme Court would be the last bastion of protection for individuals against the power of the government to control our lives and welfare. That's why the Bill of Rights was added.
It took the Civil War to nail that down a century later, and by the time the 1960's came along things looked good. We were progressing. America was coming of age.
My generation celebrated that. Loving v. Virginia, (legalizing interracial marriage nationwide), Griswald v. Connecticut (the right to contraception), Brown v. the Board of Education (desegregated schools), Engel v. Vitale (banning prayer in public schools), and until last week, Roe v. Wade, (the right to choose) stood as prime examples. They were the law of the land, protecting individual rights. Or so we thought.
It is hard to accept that all it took to wipe out 50 years of progress on human rights was one wacky and perhaps treasonous, president and the three Supreme Court justices he appointed who lied at their confirmation hearings.
In the last month, America has regressed to what it was like in the 1950's, or what many white, Christian men like to call "the good old days."
But the "good old days" were anything but if you were female, a person of color, or any religion other than Protestant.
You may have missed this one. The high court voted 6-3 to weaken the Miranda warning. You know, the one you hear on every cop show that says you have the right to remain silent until you get a lawyer.
The ruling didn't get rid of "the right to remain silent" so to speak, which was established in a 1963 SCOTUS case Miranda v Arizona. But the ruling last week did weaken one of the remedies for people who are not advised of their rights when taken into custody. The new decision takes away your right to sue law enforcement if they forget to read you that right when taken into custody.
It's just another example of the erosion of basic human rights by the current court.
We have lost a great deal in the last two weeks, but I am afraid most Americans don't see it directly.
We still live in an America where we can bitch about the high price of gasoline without punishment-- for now.
But it's also now an America where women have no control over their own bodies, young student football players can be intimidated to pray a certain way whether they want to or not, and the gun culture remains unchecked because of a small minority who feel threatened by the rest of us. Progress has come to a full stop and we are now slipping into reverse.
Like millions of Americans I will celebrate America this week, because despite its flaws it remains a wonderful place to live (when you compare it to Russia, China, Iran or say, Uganda?).
So, here is something to think about as you watch the fireworks, eat that hotdog and celebrate with family and friends.
Deep down inside, we are a nation on the edge of a cliff. The political forecast for the next few years is back into the 50's, which to many of my generation was a time of not-so-subtle oppression, manufactured fear and lost opportunity. For Baby Boomers in particular, the regression of the last few years has been mind-blowing. This is NOT what we wanted for our grandchildren. The torch may have been passed to a new generation already, but it's time we took it back.We can not lose the America our fathers fought for, our brothers and sisters protested for, and our children thrived in.
Space Force
Space is the final frontier. You don't need Captain Kirk to remind us of that. And it can be a dangerous place, even without First Contact with another species.
The United States Space Force was partially created to provide critical intelligence on foreign intentions and activities in space, and now there is a new unit
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| (U.S. Space Force Logo) |
Delta 18 will operate from Wright-Patterson Airforce Base in Ohio and will eventually employ 345 military and civilian personnel.
People joked a lot about the Space Force when President Trump first created it, but this is serious stuff. China and Russia have been working on anti-satellite weapons in recent years. And Russia is currently jamming GPS signals as part of its war against Ukraine.
The United States is among the signatories of an agreement not to arm spacecraft. But both Russia and China, which are also signatories, are working on ground-based systems that could be used to down satellites which provide critical communications and weather information to both the military and civilian sectors in the United States.
The Space Force mission is not actually new. The U.S. Air Force had handled such missions prior to 2020.
US Space Force establishes new unit to track 'threats in orbit' | Space
Ducks Ledges
I caught this little tidbit on -line. I am not sure I would go for it even if I had the money. It seems there's a tiny 1.5 acre island for sale off the coast of Maine called Ducks Ledges.
| (Dean Tyler photography) |
It's only ten minutes off shore by boat, but it's very rustic. The nice looking cottage on the island is big enough to sleep four, though it has no running water, no heat and only an outhouse for a bathroom. The owner wants $339,000 for it, but you MUST spend at least one night there before you are eligible to buy.
The cottage is only 20 feet from the water, but the owner says it's never been washed out, even by the frequent winter storms off the Maine coastline. Oh, and it's not some where you are going to go in the winter. Summer only. The seller says the view and the wildlife are spectacular. You can see pictures of the inside of the cabin at the link below.
Photos: an 'Unspoiled' Maine Island Is on Sale for $339,000 (insider.com)
Hamilton Letter
It is back on display in Massachusetts this weekend. It's the first chance to see the letter after a long drawn out court battle over who owns it. It will be featured right next to the Massachusetts' original copy of the Declaration of Independence.
The letter was written by Hamilton on July 21, 1780 and addressed to the Marquis De Lafayette. Both men were in the Continental army at the time. Hamilton was an aid de camp to General George Washington when he wrote it. Here's part of what it said.
“We have just received advice from New York through different channels that the enemy are making an embarkation with which they menace the French fleet and army,” Hamilton wrote. “Fifty transports are said to have gone up the Sound to take in troops and proceed directly to Rhode Island.”
The letter ended up in the hands of the Massachusetts governor during the Revolution and then turned over to the state archives.
It disappeared during World War Two, allegedly stolen by an archive worker in Massachusetts and then sold privately.
An auctioneer in Virginia had received in several years ago from a family that wanted to sell it. And that's when the court case began. A federal appeals court ruled last October that the letter belongs to the state of Massachusetts. So now you can see it.
Long-missing Alexander Hamilton letter put on public display - POLITICO
Dumbest Quote Of The Week!
A United States Senator takes on a puppet AGAIN! The Children's Television Workshop , the non-profit that produces Sesame Street, brought out one of its stars...ELMO...to help promote the Covid-19 vaccine for young children, now that the vaccines have been approved for children under four.
There's bright red, perky Elmo, who is supposed to be three years old, bravely getting his shot and explaining why it's necessary. But apparently that was too much for Texas Republican Senator Ted Cruz, who tweeted this:
There was a link attached sending people to a press release Cruz has put out about vaccines for children. It contains lots of rhetoric and very little in the way of facts.
This is not the first time Cruz has gone after a Sesame Street character. A year ago he accused Big Bird of spreading government propaganda about the vaccine.
As I reported last week, the Journal Lancet Infectious Diseases reports a study result indicating the vaccines saved more than 20 million lives worldwide over the last year, including 1.9 million in the United States.
(Your comments and suggestions are welcome)
(My book "The Campaign" can be purchased at the links below. Or you can buy a copy by emailing me at:
HankSilverberg@gmail.com for instructions on how to get a copy at a reduced price and with my signature.)
https://www.amazon.com/Campaign-Hank-Silverberg/dp/1543422608
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-campaign-hank-silverberg/1126429796
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