April 2021

The original ‘cancel-culture-proponents’, mainly Repub-evangelicals, are now screeching that Dems are trying to cancel our culture, not only because we seek to cancel the remnant of Jim Crow laws & move Civil War monuments to museums, but because they perceive companies choosing to change-up their own product-lines as further evidence of “God-hating” Dem’s baneful-influence in a march toward modernity. In a flatly-authoritarian move, the newly self-styled ‘defenders against censorship’, Republican lawmakers introduced legislation 4/14/21, to eliminate the antitrust status afforded to Major League Baseball since 1922, just days after the the MLB’s decision to move its All-Star Game from Atlanta, in response to Georgia’s newly-passed, pernicious, restrictive-voting-law. Mitch McConnell, haughtily told corps to stay out of politics, (if they’re disagreeing with Repubs; just give us your money & shut-yer-yaps). However, Citizens United already affirmed the issue that “corporations are people too”.

Senator Josh Hawley, Missouri white-nationalist, who basically supported the Jan 6th attempted-Insurrection, is upset because his potential publisher decidedly, legitimately backed-out of his pending book deal. Still, it’s unlike Seuss Enterprises, who has a perfect right to decide not to publish some of the more obscure Dr. Seuss books; Hasbro decided to change-up their toy line, and different food producers deciding to change their product names or packaging to appeal to a wider customer-base. That’s capitalism at work, folks!

The names of hundreds of big-name companies were listed in a two-page New York Time’s ad April 14, in support of voting-rights, “For American democracy to work for any of us, we must ensure the right to vote for all of us”. Then the U.S. Chamber of Commerce responded by seeking to pressure senators to vote against HR1. “Strange times indeed!”

President Biden announced the U.S. will bring home the remaining 3500 troops from Afghanistan, after 20 years of our involvement there. Trump fans should applaud this decision as Trump had announced his plans to withdraw all troops, but alas, he was probably distracted by his intense pardon-initiatives. Obama brought back thousands of troops; then-VP Biden argued for bringing them all home; it didn’t happen then, but it’s happening soon. The Taliban has murdered hundreds of doctors, humanitarian-workers, journalists, women seeking civil-rights, 150,000 Afghans since 2001, 40,000 of which were civilians, and 2312 Americans. The Taliban’s evil-plans & deeds will continue, no doubt, as evil prospers everywhere.

Just a query for the likes of Mosher, Higgins, Bulkeley, when you watch the movie: ‘It’s a Wonderful Life’, do y’all root for old-man Potter?

Trish Forsyth Voss

I watched the somber memorial-ceremony 4/13 from Capitol Hill, for William ‘Billy’ Evans, the 18-year Capitol Police-veteran, who was killed 4/2, on Good Friday, when a lost-soul intentionally rammed his vehicle into a barrier outside the U.S. Capitol, another officer was severely-injured; the assailant pulling a knife, charging, was shot to death. Billy Evans is the second Capitol police-officer to lie in honor in the rotunda THIS YEAR, and receive moving tribute from President Biden, Senate-Majority-Leader Schumer, House-Speaker Pelosi. President Biden assured the family, “You’re gonna make it, by holding each other together, holding Abigail & Logan close”. Schumer expressed gratitude, “on behalf of the entire Congress”, for Evans “a martyr for our democracy”. Pelosi spoke for the assemblage of Capitol Police & Congress that they’d “hold him in their hearts”, and quoted John 15:13, “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends”. Several Capitol officers sang the hymn-like dirge, “like a bridge over troubled water, I will lay me down”. Evans was hailed as a hero, who loved his job and his family. His lovely wife, Shannon, in quiet-grief and dignity, accompanied their 7 yr- old daughter, Abigail, and their 9 yr-old son, Logan, who wore his father’s police hat, while holding a teddy bear. Before giving his tribute, President Biden had stood, reached down, retrieved a toy dropped by Abigail, walked over and smilingly handed it to her.

America is saturated in sadness; we hold a collective mourning for all the families who have lost loved ones to Covid-19, to separations, violence, substance-abuse, suicide, to death by police, which feels all too common an occurrence. Trauma is cumulative; we hold it in our psyches, in our bodies, and it seems very difficult to dislodge & release. Duante Wright, 20, killed by a 26-year-veteran-officer, who mistook her gun for her taser! ANOTHER YOUTH GONE! Watching media-coverage on 4/12/21 of the Derek Chauvin murder/manslaughter trial in the death of George Floyd, I listened to the younger brother, Philonise Floyd, speak soulfully of his older brother George or ‘Perry’. He spoke of the many ways that Perry was their hero, the things Perry taught them, the ways he tried to take care of them. Can we be heroes if we’re flawed? Aren’t we all flawed? Lost to one degree or another? How can we help the lost, to bind-up the broken-hearted, to affect healing? Tender words of Jesus, “Feed my sheep; love one another”.

Trish Forsyth Voss

President Biden’s administration has proposed a big, bold, green plan to repair, rebuild & create a 21st-century infrastructure worthy of us all. It’s the biggest ‘blue-collar’ job plan in decades. Engineers, construction workers, linemen, service people of all kinds will be put to work to accomplish this bold initiative. Its’s a blueprint for increasing economic opportunities, and for restoring our nation to its leadership position. The U.S. has led the world, but we’ve fallen behind. Previously we invested 2.7 percent of our GDP in infrastructure; in the last 2 decades we’ve decreased that to a pitiful .7 percent GDP. Our roads, and especially our bridges, have fallen into serious disrepair, and the dangerous problem of lead poisoning in America, from drinking contaminated water from deteriorating lead pipes is unacceptable! We need clean drinking water in homes & schools. America deserves better, as do our veterans, many waiting far too long for appointments; we need to modernize veteran’s medical-facilities. Suicides among our military ranks are increasingly high.

Airports, mass transit, high-speed rail, extended internet, a hack-resistant electric grid that won’t crash under severe storms, are all necessary upgrades we can produce. Imagine being able to travel by high-speed rail across our nation, as some other nations have employed. America can have that too. Biden has a plan to raise $2.5 trillion in revenue over 15 years, by overhauling the corporate tax-code, eliminating tax-loopholes, increasing IRS enforcement, no longer allowing big corporations to shelter their tax-profits overseas. Biden’s plan would raise the corporate tax-rate to 28 percent (from 21 percent), which is lower than it was previous to the 2017 Trump tax-cuts, when the rate was 35 percent. Treasury Secretary, Janet L. Yellen stated, “the plan would end a global ‘race to the bottom’ of corporate taxation that has been destructive for the American economy and its workers. Our tax revenues are already at their lowest level in generations, and if they continue to drop lower, we will have less money to invest in roads, bridges, broadband, and Research & Development.”

Corporations & businesses use all forms of our infrastructure to produce & distribute their products & services; they use our highways & byways, our rail & digital-systems, and we are among their customers, making their businesses economically successful. Millionaires & billionaires proliferate. I believe the corporate tax-rate should be raised to at least 30 percent. President Biden has stated, “there would be no tax increases for persons making less than $400,000 a year”. Support the American Job Plan! Build Back Better!

Trish Forsyth Voss

Georgia state legislators passed an extreme voter-restrictions bill on 3/25/21, expanding their power over elections, taking electoral authority from the Secretary of State’s office, handing it over to a committee of loyal Republicans, which can override the voters in Georgia. Arizona is looking to do the same, and other southern states will surely follow suit, as some 250 similar bills circulate in other GOP-controlled states. This is blatant for anyone awake & aware to witness; these players ruthlessly snatching power from the people, trying to rig votes before & after election-day. Mitch McConnell said that Congress doesn’t need to pass a voter-rights bill because No states are trying to limit voting, but that’s just another bald-faced lie by Mitch.

Georgia governor Brian Kemp signed the bill into law in a private signing, severely restricting voter-rights, reducing early voting, ending voting at 5 pm, requiring photo ID verification to even request a mail-in ballot, reducing drop-boxes, even making it illegal to give potential-voters snacks or water, as they stand in long lines to fulfill their civic duty. President Biden called these restrictions: “sick, despicable, pernicious”. We have to pass federal voting-rights legislation to protect our democracy. We are sliding into the Autocracy that Trump initiated. The GOP is pulling out all the stops to get their candidates elected, by overhauling voting laws. A Black member of the GA legislature, Park Cannon, was arrested for knocking on the door, where Gov. Kemp was signing the bill. She wasn’t even resisting as she was dragged away by police. These power-grabbers are ALL for ‘white-power’ in America. We must “Rise Up & Unite” in self-defense of our electoral-liberties, to strengthen our democracy. We need to increase voting-rights, not restrict them for people of certain zip codes. Florida Gov. DeSantis has sought to do the same in his state. Kemp & DeSatan are the poster-boys for racism & political-corruption!

Senator Raphael Warnock called this a “9-1-1 moment”, and stated “voters should choose their representatives; it is undemocratic, un-American, for representatives to cherry-pick their voters”. Dems seek to pass some bipartisan bills, such as an infrastructure bill, including green-energy initiatives, and gun-control legislation, which 79% of Americans want to see enacted, but Republicans only seem concerned with obstructing all progressive legislation.

Jesus said, “For I was an hungered, and ye gave me meat; I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink; I was a stranger, and ye took me in”. Mary Baker Eddy said, “Give a cup of cold water in Christ’s name and never fear the consequences”.

Trish Forsyth Voss