DL Open Thread: Sunday, December 31, 2023

Biden Bypasses Congress,  Sends More Lethal Weaponry To Netanyahu:

On Friday, the US Defense Security Cooperation Agency said the US secretary of state, Antony Blinken, had approved the sale of 155mm projectiles and related equipment valued at $147.5m, an increase from an earlier approved order for tens of thousands of rounds of the heavy artillery munitions.

It said that Blinken had “determined and provided detailed justification to Congress that an emergency exists that requires the immediate sale to the Government of Israel” and that the sale was “in the national security interests of the United States” and thereby exempt from congressional review under arms-export control laws.

“The United States is committed to the security of Israel, and it is vital to US national interests to assist Israel to develop and maintain a strong and ready self defense capability,” the statement added.

Mild-mannered Tim Kaine wasn’t so mild-mannered with his comments:

“Just as Congress has a crucial role to play in all matters of war and peace, Congress should have full visibility over the weapons we transfer to any other nation. Unnecessarily bypassing Congress means keeping the American people in the dark,” Kaine wrote.

“We need a public explanation of the rationale behind this decision – the second such decision this month,” he added.

Biden is now officially complicit in furthering Netanyahu’s genocide against Gazans and Palestinians.  Meaning he is complicit in murder many times over.

Ohio Gov. Vetoes Anti-Trans Legislation.  Cites need to protect human life.  A message lost on the MAGAt’s:

“This bill would impact a very small number of Ohio’s children, but for those children who face gender dysphoria, and for their families, the consequences of this could not be more profound,” said DeWine during a press conference on Friday. “Ultimately, I believe that this is about protecting human life.”

2023 was a huge year for transphobic legislation, with the nation seeing more anti-trans bills introduced in the first three months than it had in the last six years. According to data from the Human Rights Campaign, at least 35.1 percent of trans youth are living in a state with a gender-affirming care ban on the books, resulting in devastating consequences for these kids and their families.

Voting Rights Act In Jeopardy In 2024.  Meaning, the Supreme Court could eviscerate it even further:

A suite of three different pending cases could gut the ability of private plaintiffs to challenge the Voting Rights Act, make it harder to challenge discriminatory election systems, and limit the Voting Rights Act’s protections in areas where a single racial minority doesn’t constitute a majority.

In a 5-4 decision, the justices beat back an effort by Alabama that would have made it much harder to use the Voting Rights Act to challenge voting districts that weaken the influence of Black voters. Writing for the majority, Chief Justice John Roberts sent a strong signal the court wasn’t interested in reconsidering its jurisprudence around Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act, the most powerful tool voting rights litigators have to challenge districts. It was a full-throated defense of the Voting Rights Act, the 1965 law the court has aggressively weakened in recent years.

There’s nothing new about an onslaught of threats facing the Voting Rights Act, which has faced efforts to weaken it virtually since the moment it was enacted. But those attacks appear to be finding a more receptive audience in a supreme court and federal judiciary reshaped by Donald Trump that are willing to entertain fringe legal ideas.

“The Voting Rights Act, in 2023, in some ways is on more stable footing than it was last year. And in other ways feels like it’s poised to undergo a whole new set of threats,” said Danielle Lang, a voting rights attorney at the Campaign Legal Center.

The most significant threat is a case from Arkansas that could block the ability of private litigants – voters, civil rights groups, political parties – from bringing cases to enforce the Voting Rights Act. No “private right of action” exists under the law, the US court of appeals for the eighth circuit said in a novel ruling earlier this month.

Kowalko Resigns From RISE Board.  Submitted w/o editorial comment:

Dear Elisa (Diller),

Please consider this letter as my formal resignation from the executive board of the “Retirees Investing in Social Equity” organization also known as “RISE Delaware”.

It is with much regret that I am forced to make this decision since there are so many thousands of retirees and others who have helped and contributed to the efforts of RISE to ensure a fair and unfettered access to health care for all.

I would be remiss if I did not offer a brief explanation of my decision to leave the executive board. My responsibilities and obligations as a board member demand that I be aware of and informed of all critical decisions and discussions related to RISE.

Unfortunately, there have been repeated incidents of crucial information being withheld from me, either inadvertently or deliberately, that could impact RISE in a less than favorable way. There were also individuals, outside of the RISE executive board, who seemed to wield undue influence on matters that I feel should be within the exclusive purview of the board.

Therefore, in the best interests of RISE and the thousands of contributors to the worthy efforts of RISE I am resigning effective immediately.

What do you want to talk about?