Understanding the stacking of SCOTUS

 

The upcoming national election will be the most consequential since the 1860s. The electorate will choose between keeping our republic or or surrendering to the dark forces as did Germany in the 1930s.

To that end, I have put aside everything else today to focus on urging people to sign up for an event this Thursday. Those of us of a certain vintage will remember the Teach-Ins of the 1960s. We now have a Teach-In to get the word out how dangerous another Trump-Republican election would be for our nation. Please open this link, sign up for the event and spread the word.

https://mailchi.mp/7a5677a03758/livestream-teach-in-featuring-us-historians-on-maga-and-project-2025-this-thursday-5-6-et?e=b8f23b3353

This Teach-In follows a webinar last week hosted by the Center for Media and Democracy, American Constitution Society and Common Cause called Setting the Stacked Court in Stone?. Award winning Duke University historian Nancy MacLean, who, wrote the ground-breaking “Democracy in Chains: The Deep History of the Radical Right's Stealth Plan for America,” moderated the webinar. The one-hour event is now available at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=edqgyJld3kY.

One of the best reviews/summaries of Dr. MacLean’s book can be found at https://www.ineteconomics.org/perspectives/blog/meet-the-economist-behind-the-one-percents-stealth-takeover-of-america

To fully understand this and other fascist culture wars, read these books, preferably in this order:

“Democracy in Chains: The Deep History of the Radical Right's Stealth Plan for America,” by award-winning Duke University historian Nancy MacLean; 

“Dark Money” by Jane Mayer; 

“Shadow Network: Media, Money, and the Secret Hub of the Radical Right” by Anne Nelson; 

“The Power Worshippers: Inside the Dangerous Rise of Religious Nationalism” by Katherine Stewart; 

“Jesus and John Wayne: How White Evangelicals Corrupted a Faith and Fractured a Nation,” by Kristin Kobes Du Mez; and, 

“Hiding in Plain Sight” and “They Knew” by Sarah Kendzior.

Thank you for taking the time to read this and consider my request. Please reach out to me if you want further information.

The death penalty: A tool of intimidation

 One of America’s killing machines, in this case executions in five mostly southern states, is ramping up. If executions in Alabama and Oklahoma occur as scheduled

on today, it will be the first time since July 2003 that five inmates will have died within a week. That’s according to a Sept. 24 Associated Press story citing information from the Death Penalty Information Center.

And. Sept. 24 was a busy day to focus on America’s death penalty. The Intercept and Bolt Magazine published a story about how some Alabama’s execution team guards are abusive and that such misconduct is hidden from the public, including reporting that Alabama officials claimed the state’s first use of nitrogen hypoxia dispatched inmate Kenneth Smith painlessly and perfectly. These assertions are disputed by Smith’s attorney and, more importantly, Kim Chandler, the AP reporter witnessing the debacle. These stories and the cases presented are further evidence that America’s blood lust is gaining traction in the shadow of the Republican Party embrace of authoritarianism and Nazism. Never mind reports seeing recent dips across the nation in the use of the death penalty. I suspect that’s a political artifact.

Part of my argument for that rests with the another Sept. 24 story, this time Marcellus Williams’ lethal injection in Missouri. Despite pleas from prosecutors, legislators and the family of victim Felicia "Lisha" Gayle, Missouri’s Republican Gov. Mike Parson and the Missouri Supreme Court let the lethal injection occur. So did the six corrupt Republican fascist member of the U.S. Supreme Court, USA Today reported. The right-wing blood lust is a harbinger of the fascism should Republicans gain control of our government this year.

Today, as third-world state Alabama prepares another nitrogen execution, the public will likely get another “white wash” from officials that the process, like the prior one, was “textbook.” Also today, Oklahoma plans to execute Emmanuel Littlejohn despite the state’s Pardon and Parole Board recommendation to spare his life. Oklahoma Republican Gov. Kevin Stitt, at this hour, not indicated he will follow his board’s recommendation, but in the past he has let his death machine work unimpeded.

It is no secret that the U.S. disproportionately executes people of color, specifically Blacks. This has been particularly true for the former Dixie states. What many are willing to overlook, however, is that the use of the death penalty was a form of Jim Crow intimidation. The idea was to keep Black people in their place. If you don’t believe me, research South Carolina’s electrocution of 14-year-old George Stinney. That is sure to continue of former president and convicted felon Donald Trump wins a second term. Remember how Trump triggered federal executions during his first term. Trump and his fascist allies like Texas Fuhrer Greg Abbott will now use this threat against any of those who oppose them.

That is one more reason for citizens to reject the right-wing in November.

Editor’s Note: Rather than embed links, I’ve provided them below for easier navigation and study of this issue.

https://theintercept.com/2024/09/24/alabama-execution-team-misconduct-death-row/

https://apnews.com/article/death-penalty-nitrogen-gas-alabama-kenneth-smith-54848cb06ce32d4b462a77b1bb25e656

https://apnews.com/article/nitrogen-execution-death-penalty-alabama-6d66344d3199f8c58f2408baa3df0738

https://dpic-cdn.org/production/documents/pdf/SecrecyReport-2.f1560295685.pdf?dm=1683576587

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/local/missouri/2024/09/25/marcellus-williams-execution-missouri-lethal-injection/75376315007/

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/local/missouri/2024/09/25/marcellus-williams-execution-missouri-lethal-injection/75376315007/

https://apnews.com/article/executions-oklahoma-alabama-missouri-texas-south-carolina-d77a31bea7a4839424afc8889c7d8755

https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2024/09/24/south-carolina-execution-freddie-owens/?commentID=0c6dc995-3558-4269-bf45-fb74ac6d42eb

https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2024/09/24/south-carolina-execution-freddie-owens/

Local newspaper abandons journalism's real mission

 Well, I just can’t help myself. The new editorial leadership at the Victoria Advocate is pathetic. I’ve noticed the new crew of green reporters hardly know what they’re doing. The news stories are especially poorly done and for some strange reason the copy is using magazine style instead of AP style. For example, for attributions the new word is “says” instead of “said.”

The Sept. 24 edition’s story about the water board issues in Bloomington (https://www.victoriaadvocate.com/news/local/bloomington-residents-continue-opposition-to-water-board-and-nonprofit-over-denied-records-requests/article_96186484-75e8-11ef-84f1-8f458bd3b26a.html) brought up the board’s resistance to transparency. I emailed reporter Christopher Green, (yep, I know.) and the new editor the following, “Several years ago, the Texas AG ruled nonprofits carrying out a government function are subject to the Texas sunshine laws. You can go to the AG pages to look it up. The VA and people from Bloomington need to pursue it further but going to the Texas bar association isn't the way to do it. The VA can also ask for the public records.”

The result? Crickets. Now, given the recent social media and email interactions I’ve had with various Victoria Advocate staff, I get that I’m not one of their favorite people. I also get that one technique to deal with gadflies like me is to ignore them — even if the communication is constructive and potentially helpful. As one of my Facebook friends noted the other day based on that old cliché, “You can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make him think.”

Whether my self-labeling as a gadfly is on point or not, my reality tells me that spayed and/or neutered media outlets pose one of the greatest threats to protecting us from governmental and institutional abuse. When I lived in Amarillo and saw the Amarillo Globe-News propagandize for certain interests, I resigned and founded The Amarillo Independent. While not a business success, I spent seven years leading an incredible group of journalists who wrestled with and dragged information from “under the rugs.” After folding the Indy, I consulted with ABC7-KVII for two years and helped the investigative team expose financial shenanigans at the Amarillo Economic Development Corporation. While I am proud of those years and see that work as evidence of strong investigate journalism chops, more to the point is that Amarillo’s residents got increased governmental and institutional transparency.

Our founders made a free press sacred with the First Amendment. And they placed its tenets about religion and journalism part of our Nation’s soul for good reasons. It’s a shame we must continually remind Americans of that; it’s more shameful that I have to remind Texas’ oldest newspaper of that.

GOP and right wing control gun? Never.

As the country digested the school shooting in good ole red state Georgia, all the right-wing/Republicans could offer were “thoughts and prayers.” JD Vance, the GOP’s vice presidential candidate, said these shootings are a “fact of life.” Now we’ve moved on with dissecting the Harris-Trump debate. But in the shadow of the 9/11 remembrance, CNN is reporting that the shooter’s mother has written an open letter apologizing and saying her son isn’t a “monster.” That’s irrelevant. He had access to a weapon of war and we need to understand that the Republicans and the radical right will never divest themselves from the NRA or tolerate any restrictions on guns. Why?Here’s the brutal truth. They want their allies to be armed and ready to use against those of us who disagree with the deconstruction of our American democracy. We haven’t heard Thomas Jefferson’s quote in a while, but the right-wing has used it, especially when the Tea Party was more visible.

“The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants,” Jefferson wrote to William Stephens Smith, the son-in-law of John Adams, on November 13, 1787.

In other words, the radical right is lusting for a violent dystopian future. We see this penchant for violence elsewhere. For example, look at the situation with death row inmate Robert Roberson, who faces execution based on junk science. The Intercept reported on this Sept. 9. I am guessing that Texas Fuhrer Greg Abbott will not stop this killing. He’s sending a message, subtle though it may be: The right wing will show no mercy or tolerance for those with whom it disagrees. It’s a reflection of the Jim Crow era when the preponderance of executions in the southern states were people of color, specifically Black people. The death penalty was as much of a tool of oppression then as are gerrymandering and voter suppression today.

If I had a solution to this situation, I would certainly suggest it. But I don’t. Get out the vote? Sure. Hope that law enforcement and the U.S. military will stay loyal to the Constitution? I can hope. But I am afraid we're in for a hot civil war.

Can we fix broken capitalism?

The Washington Post reported on Sept. 4 that Boeing’s ill-fated Starliner capsule will returned to Earth Sept. 6 without its two-person crew. The formerly respected aerospace and airplane manufacturer and NASA have agreed that mechanical issues made a crewed return unsafe, but Boeing has objected to describing the return of the crew as “stranded.” The fact is that an eight-day mission has stretched for months and the word is perfectly appropriate.

Boeing’s PR folks are clearly in bunker mode because the firm issued a statement instead of answering questions, according to the Washington Post. That’s not surprising given the company’s recent history. For those needing a reminder, two new Boeing 737 MAX aircraft crashed due to software and other failures claiming 346 lives. More recently, an Alaska Airlines 737 lost a door plug forcing an emergency descent and return to the airport. And, two Boeing whistleblowers died a few months ago. The other reminder about Boeing is less spectacular and thus may have flown below much of the public’s radar. The firm moved its Seattle-area headquarters to Chicago in 2001 and then, in 2022, to Arlington, Va. Many industry watchers and others noted the moves from changed the company from an engineering firm to a bean counter firm.

But this isn’t just about Boeing. It’s about how the right-wing has destroyed the best parts of capitalism. It’s about James Buchanan and the Koch brothers and the other “titans” of industry who created a deeper and broader problem for the United States and world economy.

I’ve written exhaustively about the source of the 20th Century origins of this movement by citing the brilliant work of award-winning Duke University historian Nancy MacLean’s 2017 “Democracy in Chains: The Deep History of the Radical Right's Stealth Plan for America.” Buchanan laid the plans for the unfettered libertarian corporations in the world, especially in the United States where the guardrails are weak.

But another book chronicled the who and how changing the stakeholders in companies from employees and customers to investors and “Wall Street,” they have reshaped the economy to favor the wealthy.  

David Gelles’ work, “The Man Who Broke Capitalism:How Jack Welch Gutted the Heartland and Crushed the Soul of Corporate America — and How to Undo His Legacy” describes how Welch changed G.E. from a customer-product-employee oriented company to a firm focused on stock price. Welch’s reign of terror began in 1981 and spawned the “greed is good” 1980s and 1990s.

“But Welch’s achievements didn’t stem from some greater intelligence or business prowess. Rather, they were the result of a sustained effort to push GE’s stock price ever higher, often at the expense of workers, consumers, and innovation,” writes the Simon & Schuster summary of Gelles’ work. “In this captivating, revelatory book, David Gelles argues that Welch single-highhandedly ushered in a new, cutthroat era of American capitalism that continues to this day.”

Gelles cites Boeing, Home Depot, Kraft Heinz, and others; so, Boeing is just the most recent poster child for abomination. It’s been going on for years. Remember Erin Brockovich? And how about Microsoft’s environmental rape by setting hardware requirements for Windows 11 that will obsolete an estimated 240 million non-conforming, vomiting them into landfills?

As recently as Sept. 1, the New York Times broke a story about Acadia Healthcare’s illicit hold policies for psychiatric patients. That story also mentioned the Justice Department’s $122 million fine in 2020 of Universal Health Services, Inc. and Turning Point Care Center, LLC. The DOJ release of July 10, 2020 stated the fine was “to resolve alleged violations of the False Claims Act for billing for medically unnecessary inpatient behavioral health services, failing to provide adequate and appropriate services, and paying illegal inducements to federal healthcare beneficiaries … .:”

These examples are the proverbial tip of the iceberg. Also on Sept. 4, Kim Komando’s tech newsletter exposed the Atlanta-based Cox Media Group for selling information from its product that taps smartphones and sells the information for advertising.

“Their Active Listening software can tap into private conversations through your smartphone’s microphone. It uses AI to capture and analyze data from a convo, which it then combines with behavioral data to create ultra-targeted ads,” Komando wrote. “Perhaps most shockingly of all, they list Facebook, Google and Amazon as partners. Now, they didn't say for sure the Big Tech giants use Active Listening; it’s more implied — and now those companies are scrambling.”

And lest we forget, take note of Tesla, the most prominent strain of corporate genital herpes, Elon Musk, infecting our world.

“When a Tesla is in Sentry mode, its onboard cameras capture what’s happening around the vehicle when there’s sound or movement detected. Police know that to get the footage, they need access to the USB drive in the glove box. If the owner is MIA, cops get a search warrant and tow the EV into evidence,” Komando wrote. That also raises the question that a Fourth Amendment violation may be at play. In addition, Musk’s Space X is contaminating Texas, without the state’s corporately captive government doing nothing. Of course, Texas own Führer, Greg Abbott, promotes this as he pledges his allegiance to the world oligarchy.

Gelles was optimistic that firms are now rejecting “Welchism,” citing companies like Patagonia and Unilever among others. But given the revelation about the Cox Media Group and BigTech, I am far from convinced the pendulum will swing back the other way.

It will come down to politics, won’t it? Add the above thoughts on November 5, 2024.