Category: History

Peace & Justice History for 4/4

A goodly number of events have happened on April 4.

April 4, 1958

Aldermaston March, 1st Day, 1958.
Four thousand began the first of eleven consecutive annual Easter protest marches. It took three days on foot from London to Aldermaston AWRE (Atomic Weapons Research Establisment) base in England.
Watch one of the marches
Interviews with participants 
———————————————————————————————
April 4, 1967
Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr., head of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, in a speech to Clergy and Laity Concerned at the Riverside Church in New York City, called for common cause between the civil rights and peace movements. The Nobel Peace Prize winner proposed the United States stop all bombing of North and South Vietnam;

MLK delivering the important speech
…declare a unilateral truce in the hope that it would lead to peace talks; set a date for withdrawal of all troops from Vietnam; and give the National Liberation Front a role in negotiations.” . . . this war is a blasphemy against all that America stands for . . . .”
Read the speech 
Or listen 
Impact of the speech 
———————————————————————————–
April 4, 1968
Martin Luther King, Jr., 39, was assassinated in Memphis, Tennessee, where he had come to help with a strike by sanitation workers.
Reverends Ralph Abernathy, Jesse Jackson, and King on the balcony of the Lorraine Motel shortly before he was shot.
Riots in reaction to the assassination broke out in over a hundred cities across the U.S., lasting up to a week; cities included Chicago, Baltimore, Washington, DC, Cincinnati, Boston, Detroit, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Toledo, Pittsburgh, and Seattle. The federal government deployed 75,000 National Guard troops. 39 people died and 2,500 were injured.
In Indianapolis, Indiana, Senator Robert F. Kennedy (D-New York) was campaigning for president. Learning about the assassination just before speaking to a large rally, he said, “we can make an effort, as Martin Luther King did, to understand and to comprehend, and replace that violence, that stain of bloodshed that has spread across our land, with an effort to understand, compassion and love.”
Indianapolis experienced no rioting that night.

Senator Robert Kennedy speaking to a large, mostly African-American rally
about the death of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Video and text of Kennedy’s speech 
The building now houses the National Civil Rights Museum; visit the museum 
James Earl Ray confessed to the slaying, was sentenced to 99 years in prison, but later recanted. Numerous people originally involved in investigating him have raised serious doubts about his involvement; after Ray’s death, a 1999 civil jury trial in Memphis concluded that Ray did not act alone.
—————————————————————————————-
April 4, 1969
CBS cancelled “The Smothers Brothers’ Comedy Hour,” a television show which featured edgy political satire and such rock bands as the Beatles, the Who, Jefferson Airplane and the Doors.

Smothers brothers
The brothers had refused to censor a comment made by Joan Baez. She wanted to dedicate a song to her husband, David, who was about to go to jail for objecting to the draft during the Vietnam War.

David Harris and Joan Baez
More about the show
Joan Baez and the Smothers Brothers sing Dylan’s “I Shall Be Released”
————————————————————————————————— 
April 4, 1984

The women of the main peace camp at Greenham Common in Berkshire, England, were evicted by British authorities. They had been encamped for over two years to oppose the presence of U.S. nuclear-armed cruise missiles at the military base there. They said their eviction would not end their protest.
Read more 

https://www.peacebuttons.info/E-News/peacehistoryapril.htm#april4

A Word From A Canadian

Long Live Freedoms? by Dr. Richard Francis Hogan

“Liberation Day”🤕? Read on Substack

Written: 🇨🇦 Wednesday, April 3rd, 2025 10:15

Is it long live freedom?

In the shadow of Wednesday, April 3rd, 2025 circum 4 p.m. EST, the idea of liberation unfolds with all its complexities, its light and its shadow. The declaration, bold and unyielding, seeks to redefine the pillars on which trade and economic power rest, claiming to usher in an era of self-reliance and prosperity. Yet, as with all acts of change, the effects are far-reaching, unpredictable, and deeply personal.

From the bustling markets of India to the quiet farmlands of Iowa, the world absorbs the shockwaves of an economic strategy that promises protection but risks isolation. In homes and factories, the air is thick with speculation—what will these tariffs bring? A renaissance of domestic manufacturing or a tightening of belts for families already stretched thin?

Global markets shift like tectonic plates beneath the surface, each country recalibrating its position in this delicate dance. Some see an opportunity to assert their own independence, while others grapple with the economic turbulence caused by disruption. The landscape becomes a chessboard, nations maneuvering for advantage, each move echoing through the corridors of diplomacy and trade.

And amidst this vast interplay of economies and geopolitics stands the human spirit. For the individuals whose lives are touched by these decisions, liberation is not just a political or economic act—it is deeply personal. It is the parent deciding how to stretch a paycheck further in the face of rising costs. It is the worker who watches as their factory doors reopen, bringing hope to their community. It is the farmer who wonders if their crop will find a buyer in a world now reshaped by tariffs.

Liberation, then, becomes a question of perspective. For some, it is a moment of pride, an assertion of independence in a globalized world. For others, it is a reminder of vulnerability, the realization that no nation or individual exists in isolation. It is the tension between self-sufficiency and interdependence, between the desire for control and the inevitability of connection.

As the world moves forward from this day of declaration, the real measure of “Liberation Day” will not be found in the speeches or the headlines—it will be in the lives it changes, the challenges it creates, and the resilience it inspires. For in the end, liberation is not just the act of breaking free—it is the courage to forge a path in the uncharted territories that freedom brings. However, as a Canadian, my speak 🗣️

Wednesday, April 3, 2025, the sun rises not simply over land and water but over a tapestry woven with threads of commerce, diplomacy, and shared destinies. Across the expanse of North America, two neighbors—Canada and the United States—stand as towering pillars of trade, their economies entwined like the roots of ancient oaks. Their shared border, stretching like an endless promise, hums with the rhythm of industry, each heartbeat pulsing with goods and ideas that flow seamlessly between them.

But today, the pulse quickens, and the air grows dense with the weight of a proclamation. “Liberation Day,” declared boldly, aims to sever dependence, a bid for sovereignty through tariffs as high as mountain peaks. The United States, seeking refuge from the vulnerabilities of interdependence, turns inward, its gaze fixed on rekindling domestic sparks. Factories stir with newfound hope, their machines roaring with ambition, while farms stretch toward the horizon, bracing for winds of change.

Canada watches, its heart a blend of steel and shadow. From Ottawa to Alberta, the land whispers of resilience—a quiet determination to adapt and endure. Trade routes that have thrived for centuries suddenly feel fragile, threatened by the force of protectionist winds. Yet in this fragility lies the essence of ingenuity, the spark that drives nations to seek partnerships beyond familiar shores. Diversification becomes Canada’s anthem, a melody sung to the world, a testament to its strength.

Across fields and highways, rivers and rails, the individual stories unfold. In bustling Toronto, a worker questions the fate of their factory, now tethered to uncertain exports. In rural Saskatchewan, a farmer gazes at their wheat, their crop a silent plea for markets that may no longer welcome it. In Michigan, an assembly line thrums with renewed vigor, yet the workers pause, wondering how long the momentum will last. It is here, in the lives of ordinary people, that the consequences of Liberation Day resonate most deeply.

The Canada-U.S. trade relationship—a partnership that has weathered storms and celebrated triumphs—now stands at a crossroads. It is a reflection of the paradox of liberation: to free oneself from dependency is to risk isolation; to assert sovereignty is to acknowledge vulnerability. Yet, amid the challenges, hope persists. It whispers through the rustle of maple leaves and echoes across the Rockies, a reminder that change, though disruptive, breeds possibility.

As the sun will set, painting the sky in hues of amber and ash, the world holds its breath. Liberation is not a moment—it is a journey, one of adaptation and resilience, of finding strength in the struggle and light in the uncertainty. Canada and the United States, like two dancers navigating a shifting melody, move forward—not as rivals but as partners, bound by history, trade, and the human spirit that seeks meaning even in the face of transformation. Is it long live freedom?

That is as much as I will say as a Canadian.

What Happens When We Try

Sen. Ossoff was one of the Dems who appeared to be sitting on the fence about the budget a couple of weeks ago. I encouraged us all to call as many US Senators as we could, and of course that was after I’d done the calling because it just wouldn’t be proper to ask people to do that which I did not do. Here’s an example of what happens when we try; we get a nice letter in return. All of the senators didn’t go to this length, but Sen. Ossoff’s office did, and I won’t forget that!

April 2, 2025 

Dear Ms. Redford,

Thank you for contacting my office to share your perspective on the Fiscal Year 2025 (FY25) continuing resolution. I appreciate hearing from you.The FY25 continuing resolution was signed into law on March 15, 2025 and will fund the government until September 30, 2025. I opposed cloture and voted against final passage on the partisan House spending proposal. I believe the best available solution was a 30-day stopgap funding measure to avoid a shutdown, during which time Congress could do its job to pass a bipartisan budget.Among the risks to Georgia in the partisan House spending proposal: it guts National Institutes of Health research into diseases like Alzheimer’s and maternal mortality, funding for the prevention of violence against women, and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers construction of essential water infrastructure. The bill also irresponsibly fails to impose any constraints on the reckless and out-of-control Trump Administration, which is gutting the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Department of Veterans Affairs while destabilizing the economy. Both parties in Congress must fulfill our Constitutional obligation to check the President.Thank you again for contacting me. I always welcome your input and feedback.Wherever and however I can be of service, please contact my office at 202-224-3521. All of our resources are also available at ossoff.senate.gov.
Sincerely,Jon Ossoff
United States Senator 
     

Peace & Justice History for 4/3

April 3, 1958
10,000 British joined a rally in advance of a three-day, fifty-mile peace march from Trafalgar Square, London, to Aldermaston, Berkshire. Berkshire was the site of the AWRE (Atomic Weapons Research Establishment). This march marked the beginning of many protests against Britain’s development of nuclear weaponry. Thousands made the march along the same route for many years.

Some 10,000 people joined the 1958 rally.

David and Renee Gill at the first Altermaston march 1958

and at the April 2004 march…still protesting fornuclear disarmament.
Their story
April 3, 1963
Black residents of Birmingham, Alabama, sat in at several lunch counters seeking to be served as customers. It was part of “Project C” (for Confrontation) on “B Day” (for Birmingham) organized by Reverends Fred Shuttlesworth of the Alabama Christian Movement for Human Rights and Martin Luther King, Jr. of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC). They issued a Birmingham Manifesto: “. . . the patience of an oppressed people cannot endure forever.”
April 3, 1968

The Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr. delivered his “I’ve been to the mountaintop” speech in Memphis, Tennessee. King was there to support sanitation workers striking to protest low wages and poor working conditions.
“. . . I’ve seen the Promised Land. I may not get there with you. But I want you to know tonight, that we, as a people, will get to the promised land!And so I’m happy, tonight. I’m not worried about anything. I’m not fearing any man! Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord!”
King was assassinated the next day.
Read the speech  …or listen 
Watch an excerpt of his final and prophetic speech 

https://www.peacebuttons.info/E-News/peacehistoryapril.htm#april3

Ron’s health and doogie questions.

Hi everyone.  I did this video around 11:50 AM this morning.  It took about as long as it is to record, give or take the sudden breaking of the video by the program.  I do have to change that setting.  Then I had to merge the two videos something I have become really good at, and because I am not adding stuff at that point I can save and “export it”  Ok if I was willing to give Cyberlink access to all my YouTube channel then the video would automatically upload to my YouTube to my channel.   Instead because I don’t agree to give Cyberlink the rights to everything I post and watch, I prefer to make my own video of the original file.  That took more time.  About 40 minutes maybe less.   

What took almost another 40 minutes is the settings I used to put my HD filmed videos to YouTube in HD on YouTube had now disappeared.  Now my program only allowed me to load it up as either 400 something P or 2K.  WTF!  

What took all the time was I started uploading it and after it was nearly 17% I had to change VPN spots, and the entire upload stopped.  I waited an hour and it did not restart.  I then closed everything, restarted, reset the VPN and came pack up.  But each place I tried with or without the VPN.  The speeds were dirt slow.  So I again closed everything, this time I shut the modem and the router down.  Then I restarted it all again.  

So now before I tried to upload the video to YouTube I checked speeds … not for downloads but upload speeds.  I found one that was 10 MPS and stayed with it.  It was the highest I had.  I clicked upload on the video again.   Nearly 3 hours.   Oh I could do that it as midday but I had the time … except I did not.   

Ron and I had taken out a couple bags that were to be wings and drumsticks to fry for supper.  Yet the one bag had one drumstick and the other bag had two and all the rest were wings.  Ok, but the instructions were only to bake, not fry.  So we had to find our own way.  I tried a batch at 3:30 minutes and Ron said they were cooked.  I tried a batch at 3 minutes but he did not like the skin on them.  He wanted the skins crispy.  So I did the rest at 3:30 and cooked the fries while he ate his fill.   Then he noticed I had not eaten yet, so said he would take over as I had already cooked the wings and there was only one more hopper of fries to do.  I had a few wings too tired to really eat, and then he told me he tried a few back in the fryer longer but it did not crisp the skin any.  I could have told him that.  But OK.  So then I went back and finished my video at well after 7 pm.  I am so tired having gotten up at 3 am, and trying to nap during the day but only laying there resting.  So here is the video, I hope you enjoy.  I will be going to bed.   At this rate of uploading I will need to make the videos two days before they get posted.  Hugs

I talk about a recent event with Ron’s memory. I also talk a lot about doogie (my name for Musk’s actions in the US government) Where is the money they claim to have saved as it has already been put in those agencies budgets. Hugs

Peace & Justice History for 4/2 (& 4/1)

When I went to Peace buttons Monday night, their site was down, or something, so no P&J 4/1 morning. However, keep scrolling; it’ll be after 4/2! -A

April 2, 1917

Jeannette Rankin, a Republican from Montana, took her seat in the U.S. House of Representatives. The first woman ever elected to Congress, she became the only member to vote against U.S. entry into both world wars.
Rankin lost her seat in the next election but was re-elected twenty years later when she opposed entry into World War II. She again served just one term.
Though American women weren’t guaranteed the right to vote for three more years with passage of the 19th amendment, women in Montana, Wyoming, Utah and Washington had full voting rights even before statehood.
Rankin was instrumental in passing laws that made married women citizens in their own right.
Jeannette Rankin biography 
April 2, 1966
One hundred thousand Vietnamese demonstrated in DaNang against both the U.S. and their South Vietnamese governments. Civil unrest spread also to Hue and the capital, Saigon.
April 2, 1970
Massachusetts, in the midst of the Vietnam war, enacted a law which exempted its citizens from having to fight in an undeclared war.
The U.S. Congress had never formally declared war on North Vietnam as required by Article 1, Section 8 of the U.S. Constitution.

April 1, 1841

Brook Farm, perhaps history’s most well-known utopian community, was founded by George and Sophia Ripley near West Roxbury, Massachusetts. Its primary appeal was to young Bostonians who were uncomfortable with the materialism of American life, and the community was a refuge for dozens of transcendentalists, including authors Ralph Waldo Emerson and Nathaniel Hawthorne.
Following four days of demonstrations against the Military Services Act that devolved into rioting in Quebec City, Canadian Prime Minister Robert Borden sent in troops from Ontario to stop the violence. Orders from the soldiers were read only in English to the mostly Francophone demonstrators, and when the they didn’t disperse, the troops fired, killing four and wounding 70.
[see March 28, 1918]

A memorial in Quebec to those who died protesting conscription into World War I
More about Brook Farm 
April 1, 1932
500 schoolchildren, in the depth of the Depression, paraded through Chicago’s downtown section to the Board of Education offices, demanding that the school system provide them with food.
April 1, 1955
The African National Congress had called on parents to withdraw their children by this day from South African schools in resistance to the Bantu Education Act. That 1953 law transferred education of the Bantu (blacks) from religious missions to state-controlled schools. Mission education, argued then-Minister of Bantu Education Dr. H.F. Verwoerd, not only tended to create “false expectations” amongst the natives, but was also in direct conflict with South Africa’s racially separatist apartheid policies.
Whites, who were in complete control of government and society, comprised only 14% of South Africa’s population. Verwoerd presented to Parliament:
“When I have control of native education, I will reform it so that natives will be taught from childhood to realize that equality with Europeans is not for them. There is no place for him (the black child) in European society above the level of certain forms of labour…What is the use of teaching a Bantu child mathematics when it cannot use it in practice?”
April 1, 1983
Tens of thousands in the United Kingdom formed a “peace chain” 22.5 kilometers (14 miles) long to express their opposition to nuclear weapons. The chain started at the American airbase at Greenham Common, passed the Aldermaston nuclear research center, and ended at the ordnance factory in Burghfield.

At the same time 15,000 people took part in the first of a series of anti-nuclear marches in West Germany. They were protesting the siting of American cruise missiles on West German territory.
Contemporaneous coverage of the Peace Chain 
April 1, 1985
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency ordered an end to the dumping of sludge off the New Jersey coast into the Atlantic Ocean.
21st century sludge 

https://www.peacebuttons.info/E-News/peacehistoryapril.htm#april2

Clay Jones Draws & Writes

Third Term Banana by Clay Jones

The nation is on notice Read on Substack

Donald Trump wants to become a dictator, and he’s saying the quiet parts out loud.

Trump is already turning this nation into an authoritarian state. He’s deporting people for protesting, he’s cutting funds to universities that have allowed protests, he’s claiming certain language and ideology is improper and illegal, he’s ignoring the courts, he’s cleansing government and history of DEI, he’s installed an oligarch to override Congress, and he’s even concerned that animals at the National Zoo might be too woke. Now, he’s openly talking about serving a third term.

Right after the election last November, Trump mused about serving a third term, saying he was only joking. Now, he’s openly talking about finding “methods” to serve a third term, and this time, he’s not joking.

There’s only one thing standing in the way of Trump serving a third term, and it’s this little thing I like to call the United States Constitution. The 22nd Amendment says, “No person shall be elected to the office of the President more than twice, and no person who has held the office of President, or acted as President, for more than two years of a term to which some other person was elected President shall be elected to the office of the President more than once.”

That seems pretty clear, right? But wait, Republicans and people sick of democracy and want to give fascism a chance say it’s not. They point to the word “elected” in the 22nd. They believe that as long as Trump can re-enter office without an election, then he’s in. Their theory is that JD Vance can become the Republican nominee in 2028, install Trump as his running mate, win the election (after destroying the nation with MAGA fascism the previous four years), resign the presidency, and Trump will become president for a third time.

So far, this nation has had only one president who was not elected as president or even Vice President. Who was that? I’ll give the answer in the notes.

But wait. The 12th Amendment says, “No person constitutionally ineligible to the office of President shall be eligible to that of Vice-President of the United States.”

Trump is NOT eligible to run for a third term. After his J6 insurrection, he shouldn’t have been eligible for a second. What’s scary is that nobody may try to stop him.

In France, Marine Le Pen is ineligible to hold political office after being convicted of embezzlement, but here in America, Donald Trump is talking about serving a third term even after a coup attempt. As Harry in Resident Alien would say, “This is some bullshit.”

The GOP has already caved into Trump. Corporate America has bent a knee to Trump, and now they’re throwing money at him. Universities are giving in to his demands. Even Chuck Schumer has adopted the philosophy that the best way to stop Trump is to give him everything he wants. We also know the voters are too stupid, too racist, and don’t care enough about this country to stop him.

You would think the courts are the firewall against Dictator Trump, but SCOTUS, with a 6-3 fucknut majority (with two open to bribes), has already ruled that Trump is immune to everything except syphilis and severe acne.

Nothing stopped Trump from violating the Emoluments Clause. Nothing stopped Trump from using the White House and Washington Monument during the 2020 convention. The Senate refused to convict him in both impeachments. The courts refused to prosecute him. Nothing is stopping him from grifting during his second term (sic). Nothing has stopped him from allowing DOGE to work as an unelected fourth branch. Nothing stopped him from being bribed by Elon for $277 million. So, excuse me if I’m a little nervous about him serving a third term. Do I have to repeat that the voters can’t be trusted anymore?

Trump says a lot of people want him to serve a third term, but none of those people are probably among the 56 percent polled to say Trump is doing a shitty job as president (sic). So maybe Trump, even under JD on the ticket, won’t be popular enough to win in 2028.

But wait.

Trump might believe he doesn’t have to win to serve a third term because, as we learned from history, he’ll just claim he won and make another coup attempt and then pardon everyone who participated in the coup.

So, excuse me for not trusting the safeguards in our republic and for being nervous. Do we have to wait for Trump to start his third term for us to become a banana republic, or are we already there?

Which president was never elected? Gerald Ford was never elected as president or vice president.

Creative note: I wasn’t sure if the quote on the sippy cup was genuine, so I Googled it.

I see this a lot on social media. Someone will post a quote they believe is genuine. I have a spider sense with fake shit on the internet. Usually, when I see something I suspect is fake on Facebook and people believe it, even liberals, I discover it’s a lie. People do this with quotes a lot, and most people don’t question it. Well, today I found a Hitler quote, but I wanted to make sure it was genuine.

I did a search, and it turned up in different forms, but that still doesn’t make it real. Proofer Laura looked it up, too. I decided to go with it because I found it on a university website, so I’m hoping they got shit together and fact-checked it for me.

Daily Cartoonist note: Last night, I saw a question posed to me four weeks ago at the Daily Cartoonist. A reader asked why he had to be a paid subscriber to comment here, and also said he would use it to post corrections to me. I would have replied there, but the comments were closed. I’m hoping he’ll see this here.

First, I don’t mind having corrections sent to me, but I don’t like them in the comments. Why not? Because it distracts from everything else. If you see a typo, please message it to me through whatever platform you prefer. You can email me at clayjonz@gmail.com. Trust me, people let me know when they see typos, and I make many.
If you want to challenge me on a fact or dispute anything, I’m cool with that being posted in the comments, as it can encourage discussions.

Second, only paid subscribers can comment because they’re paid subscribers. They gotta have something for their money. That reminds me that I need to make more exclusive content for the people who financially support me.

Drawn in 30 seconds: (snip-go see it)

===============================

No Foolin’-Sen. Booker’s Doin’ Something With Substance!

(Plus more Dem Senators pitchin’ in! Go see-video below)

Cory Booker Holding Senate Floor All Night Long (All Night), All Night Long (All Night) by Rebecca Schoenkopf

Washington Post takes pains to tell us it’s not REALLY a filibuster. Read on Substack

Since 7 p.m. Eastern yesterday, Sen. Cory Booker (D-New Jersey) has held the Senate floor, speaking out against what Donald Trump and his evil coconspirators are doing to America. He was still going when we started this piece at 8:30 this morning, and we expect he’ll still be going when we click “Publish.”

Booker began the all-night speech by making his intentions clear:

“I rise with the intention of disrupting the normal business of the United States Senate for as long as I am physically able. I rise tonight because I believe sincerely that our country is in crisis.

“In just 71 days, the president of the United States has inflicted so much harm on Americans’ safety; financial stability; the core foundations of our democracy. These are not normal times in America. And they should not be treated as such in the United States Senate.”

While we were writing this piece, Booker was every bit as impassioned as he condemned the Republican budget plan that would slash Medicaid and the social safety net so billionaires and corporations could have (more) huge tax cuts, adding trillions to the US debt, asking, “If you’re a Christian conservative, how can you hurt the weak to benefit the rich and powerful? The people of the United States have to stand up and say ‘NO!’”

This man does not look like he’s been speaking for more than 14 hours. Here’s the AP’s live feed. Watching this, we’re even feeling some hope — especially if other senators follow up with marathon speeches of their own.

(And it’s still running! -A)

Also too, we’re going to go ahead and call this a filibuster anyway, if only because the Washington Post went out of its way to explain in its subhead (archive link) that it’s not actually a filibuster because Booker isn’t delaying a vote on legislation. Just seems like the sort of nitpick best saved for the body of the article, which is where all the other outlets have placed it. So why did we mention it in our subhed? Because fuck WaPo is why.

Booker received help throughout the night — and still, this morning — from other senators, because he is allowed to take questions, which tend to come in the form of brief speeches ending with a question mark. But it’s not just a tactic to help him preserve his voice; it’s also a chance for fellow Democrats to show their unity, with multiple voices pointing out how completely not normal the last two months have been. Booker and other senators called out Trump and co-president Elon Musk for multiple assaults on democracy, like their attempts to shut down federal agencies created by Congress, to cancel spending authorized by Congress, to withhold grants to nonprofits that were already awarded, to fire large segments of the federal workforce without regard to worker protections, and to effectively dissolve America’s alliances by siding with Russia against Ukraine and our European allies. And much more.

We should also note that, unlike the longest talking filibuster on record, old racist Dixiecrat Strom Thurmond’s 25-hour filibuster of the 1957 Civil Rights bill, Mr. Booker doesn’t have the opportunity to take restroom breaks. Now that’s impressive.

During the speech, Booker repeatedly reminded Republicans — for any good it might do — that many of them saw who Donald Trump was, and why he was no good for America. He spoke with genuine affection about John McCain, who had the courage to shut down Trump’s attempt to end Obamacare:

“Senator McCain, I know you wouldn’t sanction this, I know you would be screaming, I’ve seen how angry you can get, John McCain. I’ve seen you tear people apart on this floor, Democrat and Republican, for doing the same stupid thing over and over again. Listen to John McCain explain why he voted ‘no’ the last time the Republican Party tried to unite and tear down health care with no idea how to fix it, threatening to put millions of Americans in financial crisis and health care crisis. I can’t believe we are here again.”

Booker returned again and again to that theme: Why on earth are we allowing this madness to happen? How on earth are we in a situation where a US president is threatening to invade our allies and help our adversaries?

As we wrap up here, Booker’s voice is beginning to get a little raspy, but his overall energy isn’t flagging so far. At the moment, he’s having a colloquy with Sen. Chris Coons (D-Delaware) about the importance of US foreign assistance, which Trump and musk have unconstitutionally slashed. Coons called attention to how those cuts have left us unable to provide help to the victims of the earthquake in Myanmar — and Booker immediately pointed out that by wrecking America’s soft power, Trump has handed all that influence to China.

We hope Booker keeps going a couple more hours. And that as many of his Democratic colleagues follow his example with filibusters of their own. (snip)

Amazing and True!

Just in case you are confused

FCC Chairman Enlists Anti-LGBTQ Activist To Help Him Block Major Media Mergers If Companies Back Diversity

FCC Chairman Enlists Anti-LGBTQ Activist To Help Him Block Major Media Mergers If Companies Back Diversity

OK again it is another old one.  I should have saved the Disney board standing up to the hateful anti-LGBTQ+ anti-DEIA and the board voting to keep the policies and associations even as they did agree to end the idea of a trans character in a show and do more conservative story lines / characters.  But think how tRump at every rally and in front of every courthouse claimed Biden was weaponizing the DOJ and government against him.  Remember how bad it said it was that Biden was using the government against his enemies which meant every republican criminal.  But now tRump is doing it and his maga cult that used to be called republicans are fine with it.  Just like the debt and debt ceiling doesn’t matter now under tRump and did not matter under the first tRump term, but during Biden’s term those two things were constantly shouted by maga on every right wing media show.  It is like the party who used to champion family values and law and order was never a believer in those things.  Hugs

—————————————————————————————————————-

March 21, 2025

Bloomberg Law reports:

The US Federal Communications Commission is prepared to block mergers and acquisition proposals from companies that promote “invidious” DEI policies, according to chairman Brendan Carr.

The move could threaten billions of dollars worth of deals in the communications sector, with Carr specifically mentioning Paramount Global’s merger with Skydance Media, Verizon’s acquisition of Frontier Communications, and T-Mobile, which is seeking to purchase US Cellular Corp.’s wireless operations.

“Any businesses that are looking for FCC approval, I would encourage them to get busy ending any sort of their invidious forms of DEI discrimination,” Carr said in an interview Friday.

Fox News reports:

Federal Communications Commission Chairman Brendan Carr is vowing to use every tool at his disposal to eliminate Diversity, Equity and Inclusion programs from the companies his agency regulates, and has enlisted the help of a high-profile conservative activist in the effort.

Carr met with activist Robby Starbuck on Wednesday to discuss ways the agency can use its enforcement powers to stamp out DEI in the telecommunications sector. The two discussed ways the agency can enforce existing civil rights laws along with President Donald Trump’s recent executive orders targeting DEI in the public and private sectors.

“It’s my hope that this meeting is a wake-up call for businesses within the FCC’s purview that the days of violating the law with DEI are over,” Starbuck told Fox News Digital.

Robby Starbuck has successfully bullied multiple major firms into dropping LGBTQ support with threats of national boycotts.

Since becoming FCC chair, Carr has launched investigations into NPR, PBS, and the east coast flagship broadcast affiliates of ABC, CBS, and NBC.

Carr first appeared here in 2022 when he supported Trump’s demand to ban TikTok. Trump famously reversed on banning TikTok once he found out that GOP megadonor Jeffrey Yass holds a $15 billion stake in the platform.

In 2023 Carr accused then-Rep. Adam Schiff of running a “secret and partisan surveillance machine.” He has also accused the World Health Organization of “beclowning itself” with COVID mitigation advice.

In 2020, Carr told Fox News host Lou Dobbs that “far-left” social media platforms had “hopped from hoax to hoax to hoax” in attacks on Trump.

Carr is a vehement opponent of Net Neutrality and opposed efforts to block Elon Musk from purchasing Twitter.

Last year Carr wrote a full chapter in the Heritage Foundation’s book in support of Project 2025.