Community Roundtable

After studying the two Register-Mail articles on proposed District 205 changes (appears options 1 & 3 will be eliminated), my first response was to lean toward Plan 2 having grades 9 – 12 at GHS,  but given further thought, possibly Plan 4: PreK & admin at Lincoln, grades K – 4 at Nielson, Silas Willard & Steele, grades 5 & 6 at the Lombard building, and grades 7 – 12 at GHS might be the wiser option, as 7th and 8th graders would benefit from the better resources provided at GHS, like theatre, and use of tennis courts and swim pool as a Physical Ed curriculum choice, etc.  Closing some schools as a means to financial management, and reflecting a shrinking enrollment, makes sense though changes on this magnitude can evoke fear and frustrations.  There will be two meetings (not board meetings)  for public discussions on building options from 10:30 am – 12:30 pm on Oct 1, and 5:30 – 7:30 pm on Oct 3 at district office: 932 Harrison St.

Trish Forsyth Voss

Dr. Christine Blasey Ford, when 15 years old was a victim of sexual aggression from 17 year-old Brett Kavanaugh, she alleges.  Dr Ford has asked the FBI to reopen their investigation to include this incident; FBI conducts background investigations on nominees for Supreme Court as regular protocol.  An inconvenient request for those in power who set the schedules; Grassley/McConnell’s deadline is self-imposed.  “It doesn’t matter when assault victims speak-up — people will always say they are too late”, says columnist Dahlia Lithwick .  What of all those middle-aged men who only recently spoke up about being sexually assaulted by countless priests?   Whose voices do we value in our society?   How many people made it through high school and life without sexually assaulting anyone?  Kavanaugh enjoys a federally-funded security detail; Dr Ford’s family had to hire security, relocate amidst death threats, all because she felt it her civic duty to ‘uncloak’ a flawed nominee for life-time judgeship to the highest court in our land.

Trish Forsyth Voss

WE THE PEOPLE (majority) believe he should; his game plan is to play-out the clock … past the mid-terms, where he hopes Republicans will prevail.   The president is named an ‘unindicted co-conspirator’ in a federal case, crimes to unduly influence our national election; it is abhorrent to many of us that Trump has nominated to  Supreme Court, Brett Kavanaugh, who now believes a president is above the law, not even to be questioned.  A recent editorial wrongly claims that ‘liberals’ fantasize about impeaching Trump over relations with porn stars; we do not.  Mueller is garnering abundant evidence of ‘conspiracy with foreign powers against America’, recently acquiring computer and phones of mercenary Erik Prince, who met with a Putin confidante in Seychelles island, to set-up back-channels for administration communications.  Allen Weisselberg, chief financial officer for Trump Foundation (for decades), and David Pecker, chief publisher and extortioner for National Enquirer, now cooperating also.

Trish Forsyth Voss

Watching the ceremony televised from Arizona State Capitol on John McCain’s ’82nd birthday’, listening recently to Republicans and Democrats express their heartfelt sentiments and recollections on their relationships with this generous, honorable Senator, just increases my proud sense of what a wonderful, dynamic example and legacy he leaves us.  Even heroes can be captured!  McCain demonstrated his tenacity, resiliency, and valor through the many years he served us all.  Warrior, Statesman, Patriot, Humorist, National Treasure!   I didn’t agree with all his politics, but ‘Shame on those who would tell lies about him’.   Senator McCain, in his new book: THE RESTLESS WAVE, “provides dramatic details of how he obtained the infamous Trump-Russia dossier”, which he delivered to the FBI for investigation: “I did what duty demanded I do”, adding that those who disagree with his decision “can go to hell!”    Bravery?  What other Maverick would request their “most bitter political rivals” give eulogies for them?

Trish Forsyth Voss

Tuesday at West Virginia rally,  Donald Trump was bloviating against the press, “the enemy of the people”, conflating media with DOJ, “running a rigged witch-hunt”.  This was the very same evening that news was breaking on eight guilty verdicts for Paul Manafort, Trump’s former campaign-chair; also the same evening that Trump’s consigliere and fixer, Michael Cohen, had pleaded guilty to several federal charges, testifying that “Individual 1” — the former federal candidate, now president, had directed and coordinated with him to commit several crimes “for the principal purpose of influencing an election”.  The court record  lists “Individual 1” as an “un-indicted co-conspirator”, for which prosecutors have a multiplicity of evidence to prove — this and much more!    Wednesday, Trump praised Pauly for refusing “to break — make up stories in order to get a deal… Such respect for a brave man!”   Trump will step-up his attacks!   I loved the R-M editorial, “press — shining a light on corruption and holding public officials accountable for their actions”.

Trish Forsyth Voss

Facebook, Apple, Google, YouTube and Spotify banned Alex Jones’ Infowars website from their social media platforms last week, removing videos and podcasts, for violating their policies against hate-speech and inciting violence, which is well within their jurisdiction.  Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey was resisting such action, but as of Aug 14th, suspended Alex Jones’ Twitter account for 7 days, his account remaining intact, but Jones was required to delete the offending tweet and video calling on followers to “get their battle-rifles ready against media and others”.   These social media tech companies are businesses; they’re looking after their shareholders.  Their “platforms are not constrained by First Amendment legal doctrine; they have broad discretion to police their platforms”, and we consent to abide by their rules when we sign on.  The Infowars YouTube channel was terminated; Facebook unpublished four pages belonging to Alex Jones for repeated violations.  The worst offenders deserve to be cast out!

Trish Forsyth Voss

On July 6th Trump imposed 25 percent tariffs on $34 billion worth of Chinese imports, for which they quickly returned the favor.  An extended trade war will harm U.S. exporters, increase prices for American consumers, stall our economic growth and eliminate hundreds of thousands of jobs.  Our manufacturers depend on a global supply-chain and once we lose markets, we might not win them back soon.  U.S. – China trade has grown exponentially since 1979, becoming our largest trading partner.  Approximately “40 percent of Chinese exports to America are produced in China by American companies”, the revenues of which are counted in their trade surplus, which is somewhat misleading.  Americans own businesses worldwide, in Canada and Mexico, our 2nd & 3rd largest trading partners, who are now imposing import duties on steel and aluminum.  They all import agricultural products from U.S.   We could lose some long-standing markets to competitors.  Russia exports aluminum, oil, soybeans, and spies.

Trish Forsyth Voss

‘We the consumers’ are affected by Trump’s ‘national-security’ tariffs; locally and over the nation.   If we haven’t felt the effects yet, we will soon.  ‘We the people’ pay taxes, that pay the government’s bills, and will eventually pay for the $12B  (from: Commodity Credit Corp, under an emergency-aid fund)  that Trump has now offered to bribe farmers.  So, he is essentially picking the winners and losers  of his ‘tariff-wars’; proposed bail-out helping farmers, but what of the steel/aluminum producers and the manufacturers that utilize those materials to create their market-products?  Many automotive components are imported;  and if the tariffs expand to the automobile market, vehicle prices will increase by $5,000 to $10,000 per vehicle.  Manufacturing costs increase and selection decreases in our marketplaces, as a result of tariffs, and many jobs could be lost.   Tariffs affect stock-market volatility and business uncertainties, which affect us all:  manufacturers, laborers, growers, sellers, consumers, employers, employees.

Trish Forsyth Voss

Some are calling it an “appeasement summit”; what foreign policy President Trump has agreed to, we don’t know.  Like the North Korean ‘summit’, Trump grandstands and congratulates himself.   Trump’s style is to meet in secret with autocrats, but to undercut our allies publicly, calling the EU “a foe”, attacking NATO,  and our own DOJ, FBI, CIA, NSA, and constantly calling the free press “the enemy of the people”!  Trump said ‘they’ discussed election meddling (Putin denied meddling), oil pipelines, Syria, Crimea and nuclear power.  I agree with James Comey, “This was the day an American president stood on foreign soil next to a murdering, lying thug and refused to back his own country.  Patriots need to stand up and reject the behavior of this president!  All who believe in this country’s values must vote for Democrats this fall.  Policy differences don’t matter right now.  History has its eyes on us”.

Trish Forsyth Voss

“Straight out of central casting!”  Kavanaugh is a distinguished and respected jurist, resume: 12 years experience on U.S. Court of Appeals for District Columbia Circuit, Yale pedigree, Supreme Court clerkship under Anthony Kennedy, top posts under President George W. Bush.  Working with independent counsel, Kenneth Starr, co-wrote the Starr report, which urged the impeachment of President William Clinton for obstruction of justice and lying to the public (over an affair).  He was nominated to the D.C. Appeals Court by Bush in 2003, confirmation hearings stalled; in 2007  he was accused of misleading Senate Judiciary Committee: denied being involved in formulating the Bush administration’s detention and interrogation policies in the aftermath of 9/11.  In 2009, he opined that a “president should not be distracted by lawsuits, investigations, and questioning by prosecutors”; 1998 Georgetown Law Journal article: “Congress should give the president the ability to fire special counsel”.  Senator Schumer said, “seems exactly the kind of man President Trump would want on the Supreme Court”.

Trish Forsyth Voss