Community Roundtable

A national security emergency, our new normal; we’ll either get used to it or we’ll force change, by casting out the culprits.  Hopefully, the response to protect people will ramp-up across state and local governments.  Could Mitch McConnell somehow be forced to bring already worked-up, common-sense gun-safety bills to a Senate vote?  The president and republicans would need to pass them, but Trump said Wednesday, “there is no political appetite for an assault-rifle ban”.  We’ll see if we can increase that appetite.  The majority of Americans, including gun owners, support restrictions on large-capacity ammunition-magazines and assault weapons.  Trump repealed the Obama-era ruling that made it more difficult for mentally-ill persons to purchase guns.  We are under domestic-terror attacks in America!  We must demand change!   Trump is fanning the flames of white supremacy, division and bigotry, then insincerely reads prepared messages about there being “no place for hate in America”.  We must impeach and remove Donald Trump!

Trish Forsyth Voss

The overall statement is misleading.  Quinnipiac surveyed 1306 voters nationwide (a very small sample) between July 25-28; (margin of error is 3.4 percentage points).  The poll uses random digit-dial sampling, phone numbers randomly generated by computer.  Curiously, I never get called for political-polling.   African-American respondents polled at 80 percent saying Trump is racist, with 55 percent of Latinos in agreement; a wide discrepancy between Dems, at 86 percent, 8 percent of Republicans and 56 percent of Independents answering the question affirmatively.  Anyone who believes that Trump is not a racist has either just crawled out from under their rock or they are unable to acknowledge their own bigotry.  Racists know who they will vote for, and who they will rush to defend.   “A GOP strategist called Trump a vile racist, who is counting on white voters being just as racist.”   Trump is running on a focused hate-agenda for our country.  “Donald Trump is American democracy’s worst nightmare, come true.”

Trish Forsyth Voss

Mueller reiterated:  NO EXONERATION!   Trump could be criminally indicted when he leaves office.  More than a dozen instances of obstruction of justice by president Trump were enumerated, along with the profit motives.  Russians interfered in our 2016 election, and will definitely escalate their cyber-hacking activities in 2020.  Trump welcomed, encouraged, used and covered-up the assistance he received from Putin; and several of Trump’s associates have been indicted.   Over 1000 former prosecutors and lawyers signed onto a letter declaring the indictable preponderance of evidence for Trump’s obstructions of justice.  Articles of Impeachment drawn up against Richard Milhous Nixon included Obstruction of Justice, Abuse of Power and Contempt of Congress.  William Jefferson Clinton was subjected to a 4-year-long investigation, with impeachment proceedings finally initiated for Lying under Oath (about a consensual affair) and Obstruction of Justice.  If a president obstructs justice …. that is an impeachable offense.  No hoax, no witch-hunt!   Trump continually fails to protect the U.S.   Disloyalty to our country has always been the gravest sin.

Trish Forsyth Voss

The census is a constitutionally-mandated, once-a-decade, instrument to count total populations by area, state-by-state; the purpose of which is to draw legislative districts, to apportion representation.  The information obtained is used in many budgetary and public-policy decisions, which affect citizens and non-citizens and their communities.  This data impacts the nation-wide distribution of $675 billion in federal funds for infrastructure and services.   The government census  amasses information on jobs, occupations, educational attainment, veterans, whether people own or rent their homes, and other findings.  Individual census data is supposedly confidential, but the derivative data is shared with public officials, planners and even entrepreneurs for decision-making about hiring, marketing and locations.  Citizenship status was asked from 1860 – 1950, and dropped in 1960.  Adding the question back would absolutely deter non-citizens from responding, which undermines the purpose and hardly justifies the huge expense of its undertaking.  With current administration’s raids on ‘illegals’, who believes that DHS & ICE would have no access to this government- gathered information?

Trish Forsyth Voss

Last week’s debates have sparked important conversations, ones that need to be deeply reflected on and discussed.  Electability is the question of the day, as is:  Can a woman be elected to the presidency in 2020?   I read the syndicated columnists and listen to MSNBC daily.  I speak with people face to face and on social media; I listen to their concerns and opinions, and voice my own.   The division is generational; it’s about gender and race, and progress.   Kamala Harris came away from the debates in a much stronger position; she exemplified leadership, and has demonstrated that she can take the case to Trump, but some folks were upset that she challenged Joe Biden, whom many view as the best & brightest hope for beating Trump.  However the current Quinnipiac poll shows Biden’s approval rate at 22 percent, Harris 20, Warren 14, Sanders 13, and Buttigieg, 5 percent.  More of us everyday feel that government needs to be better reflected by those it governs, and more compassionately.

Trish Forsyth Voss

Threats cast about, tensions rising, tankers attacked last week in the Persian Gulf; then that expensive, unmanned US drone shot down in the Strait of Hormuz.  After intense discussion and debate at the White House, a rushed military operation was underway, planes were in the air, ships were in position, and with ten minutes to spare before the planned strikes on a handful of Iranian targets, president Trump aborted the operation.  He explained: he thought the incident might somehow have been unintended, and spontaneously calculated the retaliation would not be “proportional”.  Trump then, instead, escalated crippling sanctions.  Not being “in the room where it happened”, we don’t know if there was a last-minute call from Putin, but the Iranian-ally warned Trump last week to, “NOT use military force against Iran, despite provocations”; that “an attack on Iran would have enormous consequences — that it would trigger an escalation of hostilities across the region, at a minimum”. ****Putin asserted that “Iran has abided by the terms of a land-mark nuclear deal despite the US’ withdrawal from the accord”, adding that he considers “American sanctions against Iran unfounded!”   Rut-row!   Asked if Russia could be willing to negotiate “a grand bargain” with the U.S. on Syria and other issues, Putin responded by saying that “we aren’t trading in our allies, our interests and our principles, but dialogue is always good and necessary.”     ****

Trish Forsyth Voss

The Supreme Court handed down its landmark decision in the case of Roe v Wade, in January 1973, ruling 7 to 2, that a woman’s right to choose an abortion was protected by the privacy rights guaranteed by the Fourteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, thereby establishing the legality.   The Hyde Amendment, passed in 1976 and expanded on in 1994, restricts federal funding for abortions except in cases of rape, incest or to save the life of the woman.  Hyde Amendment seems to have been legislated as a compromise for the opponents of abortion, those who are conscientious objectors of others exerting their legal rights.  I’m against my tax dollars paying for endless wars, so I ‘get’ that people disagree on what should be funded by tax dollars.   Biden’s revised stance on ‘Hyde’ comes immediately following several states having passed extremely restrictive abortion laws in order to get the issue before the Supreme Court again, wanting Roe overturned.  Those states seek to make abortions illegal, even in the case of rape and incest!   The Hyde Amendment worsens healthcare inequality for low-income women.  I support candidates supporting racial and economic justice and reproductive freedom.

Trish Forsyth Voss

Robert Mueller wrote to A.G. Barr in March stating that Barr’s summary of his report, “did not capture the context, nature and substance” of the investigation, and further stated, “there is now public confusion about critical aspects of the results of our investigation.  This threatens to undermine the central purpose for which the Department appointed the Special Counsel — to assure public confidence in the outcome”; and he requested that Barr “release the executive summaries and the introductions from the report to clarify the conclusions to the American people”.  In the head-start Barr gave Fox News, GOP-TV has continually lied about the Special Counsel’s “job” to determine charges against the president, that the investigation found no evidence, and that there must be an underlying crime in order to obstruct justice.  All of that is untrue.  Congress will open an Impeachment Inquiry, will hold Barr in contempt, and Mueller will testify before Congress, all in good time, my pretties!

Trish Forsyth Voss

Kamala Harris, an American lawyer, serving as a junior U.S. Senator from CA, since 2017, is tough, smart and experienced.   She served as the 32nd Attorney General of California from 2011 – 2017, and as the 27th District Attorney of San Francisco from 2004 – 2011.  Harris called the 5/29 Mueller press conference “an impeachment referral” stating, “Now it’s time for Congress to hold this president accountable; it’s our constitutional obligation.”

Elizabeth Warren was the first presidential candidate to call for Trump’s impeachment.  Warren, serving as the senior U.S. Senator from MA, since 2013, taught law, was a prominent scholar specializing in bankruptcy law, focusing on consumer protections, economic opportunity and the social safety-net.  I agree with these progressive candidate’s stances on issues such as Comprehensive Healthcare, Reproductive Freedom, increasing taxes on the wealthy, closing the gender pay-gap, instituting a Green-New-Deal, creating new jobs, funding education and childcare, reforms on criminal justice, immigration, and civil rights, protecting our nation, elections and our democracy.

Trish Forsyth Voss

Most of us remember a few teachers from grade school on up, armed with rulers, then boards.  Now some want them to carry guns …. for our safety?  NO!   Teachers are supposed to be nurturers, supposed to be people that our kids can trust, and turn to for support.  Some schools still use corporeal punishment;  now students can also fear that the meanest teachers are ‘packing heat’?  Even if all the level-headed, wonderful teachers across the nation could be trusted to never pull a gun on an unarmed student, how do they protect their firearms so that students can’t gain access to them?  And the great safety training will be standard across our nation?   Who remembers the ‘good guy with a gun’ ….  the plain-clothed, black, armed serviceman who was shot down and killed by police, at a shopping mall, where the serviceman was spontaneously chasing down a murderous mall shooter?

Trish Forsyth Voss