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Good News Roundup for Wednesday, August 10, 2022: A deeper look at justice [1]
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Date: 2022-08-10
GNR 263
Gnusies, I’m subbing for niftywriter this week as she is busy with family commitments. As I’m still doing Friday, today we’re taking a different approach. After some current events we’ll take a deeper look at the Department of Justice, because so many of us have been nervous about that. Of course, the execution of the recent search warrant at MAL has made it clear that Garland is not afraid to go after tRump.
Alas, Justice comes at a price: an angry, armed mob is out there — they’ve obviously been out there for a while, and they have to be faced at some point — but at the moment their trigger fingers are itchier than ever. tRump, still a puppet of putin, wants to burn it all down and many pols in the GOP are cheering him on. Everyone, please be careful.
On the other hand, I just listened to Lawrence O’Donnell on The Last Word from the August 9 show, and he starts by saying that the mob did not mobilize immediately — that there were more people from the media at MAL than there were angry tRump supporters, despite the 5.6 million people who voted for tRump in 2020. It was a great intro, and one of the few times someone in the media has done a lot to talk us off the ledge.
So, be careful, be alert, but do not cower in fear.
Also, a very important reminder: although the DOJ is a critical agency for justice, it only works when it is staffed with and overseen by good people. So, elections really, really matter, especially now that a number of tRump-backed candidates will be running in the general election. GOTV!
Grab your favorite beverage, gnusies, and come on in to read the sampling of good news. A lot more good news is out there, so, if you have some, please share it!
⭐️ First, Breaking News Re Going After Bad Guys ⭐️
Lots of stuff due to the FBI raid (sorry about the photo)
x The FBI agents who brought the court-approved warrant to Mar-a-Lago took about 12 boxes after conducting their search.
The officials expressed concern that Trump or people close to him still had items that should be in government custody.
https://t.co/77B37BUuGf — Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) August 9, 2022
And there’s this — a member of Congress, Scott Perry, had his phone confiscated. Good!
x I think Meadows flipped — Sandi Bachom (@sandibachom) August 10, 2022
Also — we may learn a lot more, because, Lordy, Lordy, there are tapes!
x DoJ subpoenaed the Trump Org. for Mar-a-Lago surveillance tapes months ago and we didn’t hear about until tonight.
Imagine what else they’ve done that we don’t know about.
This DoJ is air tight. Stop assuming they’re “behind” or “doing nothing”. — Mueller, She Wrote (@MuellerSheWrote) August 10, 2022
More fallout from Alex Jones? Heh, heh
x EXCLUSIVE: Tucker Carlson is “shitting himself” over the possibility that texts between him and far-right conspiracy loon Alex Jones will leak, a source close to the Fox News star told Confider.
https://t.co/dRkoGEXlCr — The Daily Beast (@thedailybeast) August 8, 2022
From the article at The Daily Beast Lachlan Cartwright
Carlson and the raving Infowars ranter trade text messages on a daily basis, according to two people familiar with their relationship. If made public, these sources said, the text messages would be “highly embarrassing” for Carlson. Two years’ worth of text messages sent and received by Jones are now in the possession of the U.S. House committee investigating the Jan. 6 Capitol insurrection after the far-right conspiracy king’s lawyers accidentally sent a digital copy of all his texts to the lawyers representing the families affected by the Sandy Hook elementary school massacre, which Jones repeatedly dubbed a “hoax.” (Last week, a Texas jury ruled that Jones must pay a combined $49 million in compensatory and punitive damages to the parents of one of the schoolchildren killed in that 2012 mass shooting.)
Judge (and the judicial branch is the other side of justice, but not in the executive branch) rules that golfers who played in tRump Saudi golf don’t get to play in PGA TuAnh Dam Axios
A California federal judge ruled on Tuesday that three golfers who joined the Saudi-backed LIV Tour will not be able to compete in the PGA Tour's postseason. Why it matters: It's the latest ruling in a legal battle between LIV Golf and the PGA Tour, which suspended golfers who joined the rival circuit since tour bylaws bar members from appearing in other events without the permission of the commissioner, the Wall Street Journal reports.
Those tax returns — but don’t hold your breath, tRump will appeal
x Today’s decision ordering the release of Donald Trump’s tax returns to the House Ways and Means Committee is an important victory for the rule of law.
Access to the former president’s tax returns is crucial to upholding the public interest, our national security & our Democracy. — Nancy Pelosi (@SpeakerPelosi) August 9, 2022
🌻 Breaking News Not About Going After the Bad Guys! 💙
There’s actually A LOT of good news right day, especially for team blue!
Chips made in the USA. Note these manufacturing facilities are very complex and so they take a long time to build. Thanks, Dark Brandon! Also, President Biden signed the CHIPS bill on Tuesday, i.e., yesterday.
x In the wake of President Biden signing the CHIPS bill, Micron announced that it will spend $40 billion on new chip-manufacturing facilities in the United States through the end of the decade. — Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) August 9, 2022
Expanding NATO. Biden signs the paperwork.
x Breaking; President Biden has signed the official paperwork for U.S. approval of Finland and Sweden to join NATO. — Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) August 9, 2022
Gas prices coming down:
x Average gas prices nationwide have now dropped below $4 per gallon for the first time in five months.
https://t.co/E7vbbUJXaW — Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) August 9, 2022
Are we finally defenestrating DeJoy?
x OMG y'all.
Guess what is starting RIGHT NOW.
Board of Governors meeting of the @USPS. — Ali Adair #DoTheRightThing ☮️🇺🇸🌎🔥💦🌪️ (@AliAdair22) August 9, 2022
Dems question Family Research Council’s “church” status Steve Benen MSNBC
In recent decades, the Family Research Council has established itself as a powerhouse advocacy and research organization. When it comes to fights over LGBTQ rights and reproductive rights, for example, the FRC long ago surpassed the Christian Coalition as the preeminent group in the religious right movement. But as it turns out, characterizing the Family Research Council as an advocacy and research organization may no longer be entirely accurate, at least not as far as tax law is concerned. ProPublica recently reported: According to documents obtained via the Freedom of Information Act and given to ProPublica, the FRC filed an application to change its status to an “association of churches,” a designation commonly used by groups with member churches like the Southern Baptist Convention, in March 2020. The agency approved the change a few months later. The FRC is one of a growing list of activist groups to seek church status, a designation that comes with the ability for an organization to shield itself from financial scrutiny.
You know, the Rs have been talking about the expansion of the IRS and how the new agents are coming to get everyone. But I’d love to see some of these fake churches go down. Hmm. Maybe this belongs in the going after bad guys section...
I’ve had Lyme disease; it was not fun (although the bull’s-eye rash on my leg was kind of neat). And thanks to the climate crisis, ticks are everywhere. So this would be fantastic:
x Good News Alert:
A vaccine for Lyme disease is in its final clinical trial, with some 6,000 participants involved in the US and Europe.
If the trial is successful, researchers say the vaccine could be deployed within three years. pic.twitter.com/V99M2uaHDe — Goodable (@Goodable) August 9, 2022
⚖️ Now, What about Justice? ⚖️
Some words from Jennifer Rubin on the FBI raid Washington Post
Not much is known about the FBI’s search of Donald Trump’s home at Mar-a-Lago on Monday. But one thing has been made clear enough: The Justice Department has no qualms about criminally investigating the defeated former president. ✂️ Certainly, this is no ordinary warrant. In executing a warrant on a former president, approval from the deputy attorney general, if not the attorney general himself, would have been required. Remember that Attorney General Merrick Garland recently affirmed his predecessor’s policy requiring the “attorney general to sign off on investigations involving presidential candidates and their staff.” That policy is in place specifically so that no FBI agent or U.S. attorney goes off half-cocked and pursues a candidate or would-be candidate. Garland’s well-known caution and determination to play by the book suggest he would not authorize a move this dramatic unless there is a very good reason to seek the evidence. And that’s why I find it hard to believe this has nothing whatsoever to do with the Jan. 6 investigation. Garland surely would not take such a momentous step if he were not looking at a serious crime.
Before we go to the DOJ website, let’s address the main point: what is the DOJ doing on the Jan 6 stuff? This is from the emptywheel website, Marcy Wheeler’s section devoted to “what the DOJ was doing while you were whinging about it.” As this is another person’s work, I’m only taking a very small sample. If it seems like a lot, well, her website is HUGE.
FAKE ELECTORS Fall 2021: According to NYT, Thomas Windom assigned, “to pull together some of the disparate strands of the elector scheme.” January 25, 2022: Lisa Monaco confirms on the record that DOJ is investigating the fake elector scheme. May 26, 2022: Subpoenas (CNN, NYT) relating to the fake elector plot ask for information on: Rudy Giuliani,
Boris Epshteyn
Justin Clark
John Eastman
Bernard Kerik
Joe diGenova
Victoria Toensing
Jenna Ellis
Kenneth Chesebro June 21, 2022: On July 25, 2022, WaPo published subpoenas to AZ fake electors Karen Fann and Kelly Townsend. In addition to AZ-specific list and the already published list of names of interest, those add: James Troupis
Joshua Findlay
Mike Roman June 22, 2022: DOJ takes a slew of overt steps in their investigation into the fake electors: WaPo: Law enforcement activity targeting GA lawyer David Carver and Trump staffer Thomas Lane, subpoenas for GA GOP Chair David Shafer and Michigan fake electors
NYT: Subpoenas to Trump campaign aide in MI, Shawn Flynn, as well as Carver, Lane, and Shafer
CBS: Search warrants for NV GOP Chair Michael McDonald and Secretary James DeGraffenreid
CNN: Subpoena for Shafer, a warrant for David Carver’s phone, information on a GA Signal chat July 8, 2022: Due date for June 21 subpoenas. July 13, 2022: Talks between J6C and DOJ about sharing transcripts prioritizes fake electors scheme.
Marc Elias makes a great point about the raid:
x The media is missing the really, really big reason why the raid today is a potential blockbuster in American politics.👇 pic.twitter.com/3BdI9NA9Az — Marc E. Elias (@marceelias) August 9, 2022
If you have trouble reading this, either because you don’t do Twitter or because your reading glasses are insufficient, the highlighted text is about a person who has done illegal things with documents is automatically disqualified from holding any office under the United States.
We can expect the Rs, even as they gnash their teeth in public, are crossing their fingers that tRump will no longer be eligible for office.
Also, this reminder:
x The FBI had to have solid evidence that a crime had been committed to properly execute a search warrant. Has it ever happened that a Federal judge signed off on the raid of a former president? No. The proof must be overwhelming. — ☮️ VOTE BLUE 2022 (@JoStardom) August 9, 2022
And, the DOJ has refused to return John Eastman’s phone Summer Concepcion, Talking Points Memo
The Justice Department on Monday rejected conservative attorney John Eastman’s request that the DOJ return his phone, which FBI agents seized in June. Eastman asked a federal judge in a filing in June to order the DOJ to return his phone, eliminate records it obtained and to block investigators’ access to it after the FBI seized it. Late last month, federal prosecutors responded to Eastman’s filing, saying that they obtained a second warrant on July 12 to search the contents of his phone, which is in the hands of federal agents with the DOJ’s Office of the Inspector General. Prosecutors said the second warrant included a so-called “filter protocol” to prevent investigators from obtaining potentially privileged information from Eastman’s phone, and that Eastman’s counsel was aware of the protocol. In a filing on Monday, the DOJ dismissed Eastman’s challenge of the seizure of his phone — which includes Eastman’s claim that FBI agents didn’t show him the search warrant until his phone was seized. The DOJ said that Eastman’s claim lacked legal merit.
Breonna Taylor’s murderers are finally in trouble:
x Federal officials on Thursday charged four Louisville, Ky., police officers in the Breonna Taylor raid. In 2020, The New York Times used crime scene evidence and testimony to reconstruct what happened and show what led to her killing by the police.
https://t.co/qEmRF6enMJ — NYT Graphics (@nytgraphics) August 4, 2022
Here are a few stories I’ve picked up at the US DOJ Website, also known as justice.gov. No issue with fair use, as this is our government, but I still cropped for length.
From August 9 Three charged with defrauding COVID 19 relief
Three people were arrested today on criminal charges in three separate indictments filed in the District of Idaho. These charges relate to the defendants’ alleged roles in fraudulently obtaining and misusing Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans. According to court documents, Khadijah Chapman, 58, of Atlanta; Daniel Labrum, 41, of South Jordan, Utah; and Eric O’Neil, 57, of Bethel, Connecticut, are charged with fraudulently obtaining PPP loans for fictitious businesses in 2021. The defendants, along with others, allegedly falsified information and submitted fraudulent documents to collectively obtain over $2.4 million in relief funding guaranteed by the Small Business Administration (SBA) under the Coronavirus Relief, Aid, and Economic Security (CARES) Act for small businesses struggling with the economic impact of COVID-19.
From August 8 Virginia landlords ordered to pay $225,000 in fines
The Justice Department today announced that two Virginia landlords have agreed to pay $225,000 to resolve allegations that they violated the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act (SCRA) by obtaining unlawful court judgments against military tenants at the Hideaway at Greenbrier Luxury Apartment Homes in Chesapeake, Virginia, and the Chase Arbor Apartments in Virginia Beach, Virginia. “Eviction judgments seriously jeopardize servicemembers’ ability to find and obtain affordable housing and negatively impact the financial readiness of our armed forces,” said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division. “The department will vigorously pursue any landlord that obtains eviction judgments against servicemembers by misrepresenting their military status to the court.” “A servicemember’s military career is adversely affected by a judgment, which affects the military’s readiness,” said U.S. Attorney Jessica D. Aber for the Eastern District of Virginia. “The U.S. Attorney’s Office is committed to pursuing companies that obtain default judgments against servicemembers by misrepresenting a servicemember’s military status or by failing to file an affidavit of military service, as required by the SCRA.”
From August 8 Sentencing of the Murderers of Ahmaud Arbery in Georgia You probably saw this reported elsewhere
A federal judge in the Southern District of Georgia today sentenced Travis McMichael, 36, to life plus 10 years in prison; and his father Gregory McMichael, 66, to life plus seven years in prison; and William “Roddie” Bryan, 52, to 35 years in prison, for committing federal hate crimes and other offenses in connection with the killing of Ahmaud Arbery, a young Black man, who was jogging on the public streets of a Brunswick neighborhood when he was chased down and shot to death in February 2020. All three defendants were convicted at trial in February 2022 on multiple counts, including one count of using violence to intimidate and interfere with Arbery because of his race and because he was using a public street. All three defendants were also found guilty of attempting to kidnap Arbery by chasing after him in their trucks in an attempt to capture and confine him. Finally, Travis McMichael was found guilty of using, carrying, brandishing, and discharging a Remington shotgun in the course of the hate crime, which added 10 years to his life sentence; and Gregory McMichael was found guilty of using, carrying and brandishing a .357 Magnum revolver, which added seven years to his life sentence.
From August 8 Woman convicted in 34 million health care fraud scheme. I’m not aware of any political ramifications from this but it’s more evidence that the DoJ is busy.
A federal jury convicted a North Carolina woman last Thursday for her role in a scheme to defraud several private health insurers by submitting over $34 million in false and fraudulent claims for physical therapy services that were never actually provided. According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, Jaroslava Ruiz, 50, of Chapel Hill, paid kickbacks and bribes to patient recruiters and patients with private insurance in exchange for allowing four Miami physical therapy clinics to bill for medical services that were never actually provided to those patients. Ruiz and her co-conspirators falsified medical records to give the impression that the physical therapy services were medically necessary, prescribed by a doctor, and actually rendered. In truth and fact, none or virtually none of the purported services had been provided. Ruiz and her co-conspirators submitted approximately $34.6 million in false and fraudulent claims to several private insurers for those nonexistent physical therapy services, of which the insurers paid approximately $7.7 million. Ruiz was convicted of one count of conspiracy to commit health care fraud and wire fraud, and nine counts of health care fraud. She faces up to 20 years in prison on the conspiracy count, and up to 10 years in prison on each health care fraud count. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. Sentencing is scheduled for Oct. 26, 2022.
From August 8 US gets warrant to seize oligarch ✈️ airplane (worth > 90 million)
The United States of America has been authorized to seize an Airbus A319-100 (the Airbus) owned and controlled by sanctioned Russian oligarch Andrei Skoch, pursuant to a seizure warrant from the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York, which found that the airplane is subject to seizure and forfeiture based on probable cause of violation of the federal anti-money laundering laws.
From August 5 Former Sanger Police Officer Charged with Sexually Assaulting Multiple Victims While on Duty
A federal grand jury returned a 10-count indictment that was unsealed today charging a former Sanger Police Department officer with deprivation of constitutional rights under color of law for sexually assaulting four women with whom he interacted during the course of his duties. According to the indictment, on multiple occasions from August 2017 to June 2021, J. DeShawn Torrence, 38, of Corcoran, California, engaged in various forms of nonconsensual sexual conduct, ranging from directing a victim to remove her clothing without a legitimate law enforcement purpose to forcing his victims to engage in sex acts, all while serving as a police officer. Torrence is no longer employed by the Sanger Police Department. From August 5 Alleged Russian Cryptocurrency Money Launderer Extradited to United States Defendant Extradited from Greece to Face Charges Stemming from the Operation of BTC-e, an Illicit Bitcoin Exchange Alleged to Have Received Deposits Valued at Over $4 Billion The alleged operator of the illicit cryptocurrency exchange BTC-e was extradited yesterday from Greece to the United States to face charges in the Northern District of California. “After more than five years of litigation, Russian national Alexander Vinnik was extradited to the United States yesterday to be held accountable for operating BTC-e, a criminal cryptocurrency exchange, which laundered more than $4 billion of criminal proceeds,” said Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Polite, Jr. of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “This extradition demonstrates the Department’s commitment to investigating and dismantling illicit cyber activity and would not have been possible without the relentless work of the Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs. The Justice Department thanks the Government of Greece, particularly the Ministry of Justice, for all their efforts in securing the defendant’s transfer to the United States.” From August 5 Aircraft Parts Foundry Agrees to Settle False Claims Act Allegations of Failure to Conduct Testing and Falsified Test Results
WDC Acquisitions LLC d/b/a Wellman Dynamics located in Creston, Iowa, will pay $500,000 to resolve alleged violations of the False Claims Act for failing to conduct contractually required testing and falsifying test results for parts used in military aircraft, the Justice Department announced today. Wellman manufactures large metal castings that it supplies to prime defense contractors, including Bell Helicopter, Textron, Sikorsky Aircraft and the Boeing Company, for use in the UH-1Y, AH-1Z, AH-64 Apache, V22 Osprey and UH-60 Black Hawk programs. The United States alleged that, between 2014 and 2021, Wellman failed to conduct required metallurgic and other tests on the castings, including tensile strength testing, destructive testing, microstructure analysis, hot isostatic testing and salt fog testing, and falsely certified results of tests that had not been performed. The settlement was based on an analysis of the company’s ability to pay. ✂️ The settlement includes the resolution of claims brought under the qui tam or whistleblower provisions of the False Claims Act by Wellman employee Bradley Keller. Under those provisions, a private party can file a lawsuit on behalf of the United States and receive a portion of any recovery. Keller will receive $90,000. The qui tam case is captioned United States ex rel. Bradley Keller v. WDC Acquisitions, LLC d/b/a Wellman Dynamics and Trive Capital Management LLC (S.D. Iowa No. 20-CV-100-LTS-MAR). From July 25 Justice Department Files Lawsuit and Proposed Consent Decrees to End Long-Running Conspiracy to Suppress Worker Pay at Poultry Processing Plants and Address Deceptive Abuses Against Poultry Growers Decree Provisions Would Stop the Exchange of Compensation Information, Ban President of Data Consulting Firm from Industry, Subject Settling Poultry Processors to 10-Year Antitrust Compliance Monitor; Decree Would also Prohibit Deceptive Conduct Towards Chicken Growers that Lowers Their Compensation The Department of Justice filed a civil antitrust lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland against a data consulting firm and its president, as well as three poultry processors, to end a long-running conspiracy to exchange information about wages and benefits for poultry processing plant workers and collaborate with their competitors on compensation decisions in violation of the Sherman Act. The lawsuit also alleges that two of the poultry processors violated the Packers and Stockyards Act by engaging in deceptive practices associated with the “tournament system,” which pits chicken growers against each other to determine their compensation. At the same time, the department filed proposed consent decrees with Defendants Webber, Meng, Sahl and Company (WMS) and its President, G. Jonathan Meng, as well as Cargill Inc., Cargill Meat Solutions Corporation, Sanderson Farms Inc. and Wayne Farms LLC.
On July 12, the DOJ established a Reproductive Rights Task Force
On July 12, the Department of Justice announced the establishment of the Reproductive Rights Task Force, formalizing the Department's ongoing work to protect reproductive freedom under federal law. Among other responsibilities, the Task Force will monitor and evaluate all state and local legislation, regulations, and enforcement actions that threaten to: Infringe on federal legal protections relating to the provision or pursuit of reproductive care;
Impair women’s ability to seek reproductive care in states where it is legal;
Impair individuals’ ability to inform and counsel each other about the reproductive care that is available in other states;
Ban Mifepristone based on disagreement with the FDA’s expert judgment about its safety and efficacy; or
Impose criminal or civil liability on federal employees who provide reproductive health services in a manner authorized by federal law.
Special Topics at the DOJ
Below are a variety of subject matter areas, initiatives, and programs handled by the U.S. Department of Justice. Asset Forfeiture Program The Justice Asset Forfeiture Program includes activity by Department of Justice components and several components outside the Department. Each component plays an important role in the Program. Elder Justice Initiative The mission of the Elder Justice Initiative is to support and coordinate the Department’s enforcement and programmatic efforts to combat elder abuse, neglect and financial fraud and scams that target our nation’s seniors. Environmental Justice Find information on the important work being done in environmental justice, including a series of environmental justice listening sessions with community members and groups across the country, as well as results achieved in particular cases. Hate Crimes Combating hate crimes is one of the Department of Justice’s highest priorities. The Department of Justice combats hate crimes through prevention, education, outreach, data collection, and support for state, local, and tribal law enforcement. This website is designed to provide a centralized portal for the Department of Justice's hate crimes resources for law enforcement, media, researchers, victims, advocacy groups, and other related organizations and individuals. The resources include training materials, technical assistance, videos, research reports, statistics, and other helpful information from all the Department of Justice components working on hate crimes. Heroin and Opioid Awareness The opioid crisis is the deadliest drug crisis in American history. Find facts, resources, and news about what the Department of Justice is doing to combat the opioid crisis. Human Trafficking Human Trafficking is a crime that involves exploiting a person for labor, services, or commercial sex. Lawful Access The Constitution permits the government to obtain lawful access to otherwise private places (whether physical or digital) after convincing an independent judge to issue a search warrant or a wiretap order based on probable cause that evidence of a crime will be found. However, “warrant-proof” encryption technology increasingly prevents the government from obtaining electronic evidence necessary to investigate and prosecute threats to public safety and national security, even with a lawful warrant or court order. Such encryption technology also can prevent technology platforms’ own work to act against illegal activity occurring on their systems. Although encryption is an important tool to enhance privacy and cybersecurity, the risks that warrant-proof implementations of encryption technologies create are significant and must be addressed constructively by the government, technology providers, and other stakeholders. Office of Justice for Victims of Overseas Terrorism The mission of the Office of Justice for Victims of Overseas Terrorism is to support U.S. victims of terrorism overseas by helping them navigate foreign criminal justice systems and by advocating for their voices to be heard around the world. Open Government The Open Government Directive directs executive departments and agencies to take specific actions to implement the principles of transparency, participation, and collaboration. Open Data and Plan Language information is also available here. Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces The Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) Program was established in 1982 to mount a comprehensive attack against organized drug traffickers. Today, the OCDETF Program is the centerpiece of the United States Attorney General's drug strategy to reduce the availability of drugs by disrupting and dismantling major drug trafficking organizations and money laundering organizations and related criminal enterprises. Project Safe Childhood Project Safe Childhood is a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Project Safe Neighborhoods Project Safe Neighborhoods is a nationwide initiative that brings together federal, state, local and tribal law enforcement officials, prosecutors, and community leaders to identify the most pressing violent crime problems in a community and develop comprehensive solutions to address them. Reducing Gun Violence The Department of Justice is taking steps to help address the continuing epidemic of gun violence affecting communities across the county. Reproductive Rights The Justice Department will use every tool at its disposal to protect reproductive freedom. Find information, resources, and news about the Department’s work defending reproductive rights and protecting access to reproductive health services. Tribal Justice and Safety Learn about the Department of Justice’s work to support law enforcement and maintain public safety in Indian Country. Voting The Department of Justice remains vigilant in detecting, investigating, and pursuing violations of federal civil and criminal laws related to voting. Learn how the Department of Justice is working to protect voting.
📥 Actions You Can Take 📤
DONATE TO GNR SAVES DEMOCRACY!
newish!!! Tax-exempt organization complaint referrals.13909. You can fill this out for the NRA and lots of other organizations.How about if some of us white folk go into some of the MAGA churches and videorecord what they’re saying?
Voting rights. This may be the biggest issuethreatening our democracy right now. Besides contacting your representatives atthe state and federal level to do the right thing (depending on who they are),you can support and contact these organizations:
ACLU — American Civil Liberties Union
Democracy Docket — founded by Marc Elias, soimportant in fighting the challenges after the last election.
Fair Fight — founded by Stacey Abrams
🌱Grass roots. Biden and Harris can do thetop-down stuff, but we have to support from the bottom. I don’t know how todeprogram 75 million people, but some things have been written about, such asdeep canvassing, and lots of people are talking about this. If you know someone(who did not storm the Capitol), then see if you can be pleasant. Instead oftrying to reason with them (logic is obviously not their strong point) distractthem with something else. We need to remove the sources of lies and to takedown the temperature. If we get more of the Rs to wear masks and to getvaccinated and to vote for Ds, the country will be a better place. We need tocoax some of them out of the rabbit holes and diffuse the anger and the crazy.
🏃 Run for something. If you want to run for something,but have no idea what to do, these people will help you. They also like moneyand volunteers to help those people who are running, so even if you’re not in aposition to stand for office, you can help. Note: they are especiallyplanning to target the 57 Rs in local governments who participated in theinsurrection.
👎 Defund the seditionists. This is a list with companies that sometimes have donated to the seditionists, and theircurrent approach to supporting or not supporting the seditionists. The list is long. You willrecognize many of the corporations, and you probably have a relationship withsome — either you are a customer, a shareholder, or maybe even an employee.Contact them and compliment or complain, but let them know you are watching.Forward it to others.
💙
🐦 I do a lot of other writing. A recentoffering: Hunters of the Feather, a story about a thinker-linkercrow who wants to save birdkind from extinction, and the sequel, Scavengers of Mind. (They’re really good! They’rereally cheap! Buy and review or rate positively! And Hunters is also availableon Audible!) Other stories, based on JaneAusten novels — including a new one for lovers of Pride & Prejudice, Mrs. Bennet’s Advice to Young Ladies — and others on Greek mythology, can be found here. All titles are available throughKindle Unlimited, but I only get paid if you turn the pages.
🌻
💙“Ourhistory has been a constant struggle between the American ideal that we all arecreated equal and the harsh ugly reality that racism, nativism, fear,demonization have long torn us apart. The battle is perennial, and victory isnever assured.” 💙
President Joseph R. Biden
🌹 🌹 🌹
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