Editors’ Choice

Posts selected by Moose editors

Editors' Choice, Fighting Back

Fighting Back: “Our health care is still under attack by the Republican Party”

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The Weekly Democratic Party Address was delivered by Senator Doug Jones of Alabama, decrying the Republican Party’s assault on our health care.

“Every time the Administration launches a new assault on our health care, folks across my home state and across the country get scared and wonder how they will be able to get the care they need. This is absolutely unacceptable.” —Senator Doug Jones

(CSPAN link to Weekly Democratic Address: here)

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Editors' Choice, Feminism and Womanism, It Takes a Village

Tuesday in Mooseville – SHEnanigans 7/2/19

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We need more of this.

I’ve been wanting to do some hardcore herstory for awhile, but “hardcore” equals “lots of reading,” and that’s something that goes by the wayside for me during the summer months. So instead of Herstory, I’ve opted for SHEnanigans, which is my abbreviated version of herstory. Skip the first several dictionary definitions for shenanigans until you get to “high-spirited behavior,” add women, and you have SHEnanigans.

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Editors' Choice, Fighting Back

Fighting Back: “Democrats are taking decisive action to secure our federal elections from outside interference.”

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The Weekly Democratic Party Address was delivered by Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-CA) discussing the SAFE Act, a bill to protect our elections.

(In this week’s address, Congresswoman Zoe Lofgren highlights House Democrats’ passage of the Securing America’s Federal Elections (SAFE) Act to address the urgent need to strengthen election security and prevent foreign interference in the 2020 election.)

House Democrats’ first act in the Majority was to advance H.R. 1, the For The People Act, which would help secure our elections.

Now, House Democrats are building on that progress with the Securing America’s Federal Elections, or, the SAFE Act, which takes decisive action to secure our federal elections from outside interference and brings our security into the 21st Century.

The SAFE Act makes meaningful investments to upgrade the security of voting systems across the country by replacing outdated, vulnerable voting machines; requiring paper ballot voting systems; enacting strong cybersecurity requirements for election technology vendors and voting systems; and more.

The SAFE Act represents an urgent, critical step to securing our election infrastructure and protecting the integrity of the ballot and our democracy.

(CSPAN link to Weekly Democratic Address: here)

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Editors' Choice, Election 2020, It Takes a Village

Wednesday in Mooseville – Night One, Part Two 6/26/19

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TOP, L-R: Cory Booker, Julián Castro, Bill de Blasio, John Delaney, Tulsi Gabbard BOTTOM, L-R: Jay Inslee, Amy Klobuchar, Beto O’Rourke, Timothy Ryan, Elizabeth Warren

My Tuesday post featured thumbnails of the “top row” candidates; this is a continuation of that overview, this time featuring the bottom row.

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Editors' Choice, Election 2020, It Takes a Village

Tuesday in Mooseville – Night One, Part One 6/25/19

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TOP, L-R:  Cory Booker, Julián Castro, Bill de Blasio, John Delaney, Tulsi Gabbard BOTTOM, L-R: Jay Inslee, Amy Klobuchar, Beto O’Rourke, Timothy Ryan, Elizabeth Warren

 Tomorrow night is Night One of the Democratic presidential debates. From 9-11pm (Eastern), NBC, MSNBC, and Telemundo will be in Miami, with “Today” co-anchor Savannah Guthrie, “NBC Nightly News” anchor Lester Holt, “Meet the Press” moderator Chuck Todd, “The Rachel Maddow Show” host Rachel Maddow, and “Noticias Telemundo” anchor José Diaz-Balart serving as the moderators. Although NBC has been soliciting questions from its viewers, NBC will be determining which questions to ask. What follows are thumbnails of the Night One candidates to help you prepare for debate-watching.

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Climate Action, Editors' Choice, Our World in Images

Training the Next Generation of Green Warriors – Earth Day 2019

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Foggy and rainy day at Kendall Creek and wetlands below Sumas Mountain, Whatcom Co. WA on Earth Day, April 20, 2019. The foreground sticks are Sitka Willow cuttings planted by a class of 2nd Graders. Note the mats of invasive Reed Canarygrass covering everything with proximity to the water.

A rainy Earth Day 2019 found me and my trusty salmon creek restoration partner, granddaughter Ava, assisting a class of 2nd graders to plant willows along some wetlands from an overflowing Kendall Creek. This creek is a Nooksack River tributary and is a prime spawning stream for several species of Pacific Salmon.  We had been there just a month earlier in March on a work party planting Sitka Willows and Red-Osier dogwood in frozen ground.  A month later by Earth Day in April, it was wet and soggy, just right for sticking cuttings into the muck.

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Editors' Choice, Fighting Back

Fighting Back: “Why do Senate Republicans hate America?”

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The Weekly Democratic Party Address was delivered by Senator Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut calling out Senate Republicans for blocking a vote on the background check bill.

“Our colleagues in the House passed a bipartisan background check bill 115 days ago, but instead of calling for a vote, Majority Leader Mitch McConnell has created a do-nothing Senate instead.”

(CSPAN link to Weekly Democratic Address: here)

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Blackness, Editors' Choice, History, It Takes a Village

Tuesday in Mooseville – The Six-Week Filibuster 6/18/19

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Promotional still from the 1939 film Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, published in National Board of Review Magazine; November 1939.

On December 20, 2018, the Justice for Victims of Lynching Act of 2018 passed the Senate by unanimous consent. After 200 attempts since 1882, this was the first federal anti-lynching legislation to pass in the Senate. It was passed again by unanimous consent in the 116th Congress in February 2019 and sent to the House, where it has been referred to the Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism, and Homeland Security. (Justice for Victims of Lynching Act of 2019) If passed by the House and signed by the Current pResident, the legislation will be historic and unfortunately, still necessary:

Sens. Kamala Harris, D-Calif., Cory Booker, D-N.J., and Tim Scott, R-S.C., drafted the bipartisan legislation, which defines the crime as “the willful act of murder by a collection of people assembled with the intention of committing an act of violence upon any person.” It also classifies lynching as a hate crime that would warrant enhanced sentences.
“It’s a travesty that despite repeated attempts to do so, Congress still hasn’t put anti-lynching legislation on the books,” Booker said in a statement. “This bill will right historical wrongs by acknowledging our country’s stained past and codifying into law our commitment to abolishing this shameful practice.” African-American Senators Introduce Anti-Lynching Bill

I was reminded of this legislation when I was considering the lengths to which white supremacists will go to retain power, which in turn reminded me of a previous anti-lynching bill and the 6-week filibuster. That story follows.

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Editors' Choice, Fighting Back

Fighting Back: “Democrats are committed to putting patients first and protecting every American’s right to health care.”

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The Weekly Democratic Party Address was delivered by Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky (D-IL) highlighting the Health Care for All Americans Weekend of Action.

(Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky highlighted the Health Care for All Americans Weekend of Action, which will spotlight House Democrats’ actions to protect people with pre-existing conditions and lower prescription drug prices.)

“My colleagues across the nation are holding rallies, events, and roundtables [this weekend] to highlight all of our bold legislative action to protect the health of the American people. […]

“House Democrats are committed to continue working to put patients first and protecting every American.

“These issues are just some of the ways House Democrats are driving forward what we call our For The People agenda.

“I encourage you to follow up with your representative to hear more about their work to protect and strengthen your health care. I’m proud to be part of a Democratic Majority, led by Speaker Pelosi, dedicated to working to protect and improve health care For The People.

(CSPAN link to Weekly Democratic Address: here)

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Editors' Choice, Fighting Back

Fighting Back: “Congress must act on election security to protect our democracy.”

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The Weekly Democratic Party Address was delivered by Senator Mark Warner of Virginia calling out Republicans for their refusal to pass laws protecting our elections.

“Congress must work together to protect our democracy and reassure Americans that their votes will be counted in 2020. We cannot let election security become another tombstone in the Republican Senate’s legislative graveyard.”

(CSPAN link to Weekly Democratic Address: here)

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