Peace & Justice History for 9/24:

https://www.peacebuttons.info/E-News/peacehistoryseptember.htm#september24

Ya win some, ya lose some…

I noticed the day’s news yesterday evening; it seemed to stay about even on the good news-bad news bit. For instance, over the weekend, we got the story about the Portage Co. OH sheriff harassing people with Harris-Walz signs, and being outright political. It was separately reported, and I can’t find it now, but when some people tried to get the state’s SoS to somehow stop or discipline the sheriff, the SoS, who truly has no authority in these matters, reportedly declined because of how soon the election is, then also made a political statement, which is unethical in most states, but likely not illegal in a Republican state. Anyway, Monday there is a wonderful story; the Portage Co., OH elections board went to work on the issue.

In Texas, it is quite legal and just fine for citizens to surround traveling vehicles and harass the people inside to the point of fear for their very lives. The harassed bus driver was awarded a small amount, Not sure what else we expected, maybe due process of law and respect for human life on the highways of the United States, but I guess it is TX, after all. Who needs stinkin’ laws, anyway…

So back up North in Nebraska, there is a Republican with a conscience who honors his oath of office. This is good news, because, of course, because we’ve already read that GA will be required to hand count the number of ballots cast to be sure their number of ballots equals the number of votes tallied. That will surely go well, says the year 2000 …

Finally, one of the worst people in the world exists in the US. Here to give us balance is someone rich who seems to be good.

I’ll wrap this up for now. Who knows what will happen later today?

Some news we can use

These companies are bankrolling a multi-million dollar effort to elect Mark Robinson governor of North Carolina by Judd Legum

Maybe we here don’t patronize any of these entities anyway, but it’s worth tossing the info out whenever a discussion comes up, if it’s peaceful enough to do so. The entire piece is not much longer than this, but I wanted to put the details here rather than stuff we’ve seen already, in case everyone else is as busy as I am. Not complaining. Anyway, here’s the tea:

Judd Legum Sep 23, 2024 Read on Substack

Snippets:

None of this prevented the Republican Governors Association (RGA) from throwing its support behind Robinson. In a post on X on March 5, the day Robinson won the Republican nomination, RGA chairman Governor Bill Lee (R-TN) congratulated Robinson and said the organization “look[s] forward to supporting him in the general election.”

The RGA has followed through. Data from AdImpact, a company that monitors political ad spending, obtained by Popular Information, reveals that the RGA, an affiliated PAC, and an affiliated non-profit have spent more than $17.3 million since June 11, 2024 on ads in support of Robinson. The money has financed over 20,000 ads across North Carolina supporting Robinson’s candidacy. The actual expenditure by the RGA is far higher, as the $17.3 million does not include the cost of producing the ads, polling, or any other activities taken on behalf of Robinson. (snip)

During this election cycle, for example, DoorDash has donated $625,000 to the RGA. This money has been used to support Robinson and other Republican gubernatorial candidates. DoorDash’s support of Robinson, who has repeatedly maligned LGBTQ people with crude rhetoric, through the RGA, is not consistent with the company’s carefully crafted public image.

The company regularly features LGBTQ-owned restaurants that deliver using DoorDash. On June 1, 2024, the company posted a blog post celebrating Pride Month. DoorDash said that it would spend the month “celebrating the diversity and vibrancy within the LGBTQ+ community by emphasizing how race, gender, sexuality, ability, and other aspects intersect to form unique individual identities.” The blog post claimed that DoorDash, “will continue to prioritize investing in and advancing opportunities for historically underrepresented people.”

On June 4, 2024, the RGA received a $250,000 contribution from DoorDash. These funds, along with other large corporate contributions, helped finance the RGA’s ad blitz in support of Robinson that started later in June. (snip)

Top corporate contributors to the RGA this cycle include Google ($585,000), Walmart ($570,000), CVS ($550,000), Microsoft ($550,000), Travelers Insurance ($460,000), Amazon ($450,000), Deloitte ($400,000), Charter Communications ($385,000), Oracle ($325,000), Pfizer ($300,000), Coca-Cola ($250,000), The Motion Picture Association ($250,000), and Wells Fargo ($250,000).

Popular Information contacted each of these companies and asked if they had any concerns that their contributions to the RGA were being used to support a candidate like Robinson.

Wells Fargo declined to comment. The other companies did not respond. (snip)

Lots of info here. Take a minute when you have one, and take a good look-

Julia Serano on Male Socialization: A Critical Perspective

This is great-

Open Tab

It’s a WaPo piece, free (I know because I got to read it all with no nagging, and it’s not a guest link according to MPS,) and really full of info concerning a place where our tax dollars work well for we the people. This is a thing at which the US excels as a public entity. More people should know about it, so we make sure it stays public, rather than outsourced to a for-profit. Also, there is plenty of general science, and it’s noticeable how many women have great positions and have done superlative work. Thanks!

The Internet Archive Lost Their Latest Appeal

I don’t know how many remember the Internet Archive; we heard more about them during the pandemic, but also when books began to be banned and removed from libraries that were accessible to young people. Meanwhile, Big Profit was fighting the Archive even during the pandemic, but now there is some sad news.

The Internet Archive lost their latest appeal. Here’s what that means for you.

Great news-

Nikki Haley’s Iowa co-chair will vote for Kamala Harris

Snippets (but it’s worth the click):

Dawn Roberts, who was one of three co-chairs for Nikki Haley’s Iowa caucus campaign, announced her support for Harris in a letter first published September 20 in Julie Gammack’s Iowa Potluck column on Substack, and a few hours later by the Des Moines Register.

A lifelong Republican, Roberts was Polk County co-chair for then Governor Robert Ray’s campaigns and served as state co-chair for Gerald Ford’s 1976 presidential campaign. She became the first woman to lead the Polk County Republicans and was the GOP nominee for Iowa secretary of state in 1986. (snip)

Roberts wrote in her endorsement letter that she was impressed by how Harris “showed a willingness to listen to a wider range of views to solve problems.” The vice president allowed people with different political perspectives, including some Republicans, to speak at the Democratic National Convention.

At a news conference, she said she would consider having a Republican in her cabinet. All of these statements lead me to believe that she truly has the skills needed to bring us together as a country and hopefully the world. I heard her articulate that she has always brought groups of diverse individuals and opinions together to solve problems. That is a healthier and wiser way to lead.

At the debate, she continued to impress looking at the audience and emphasizing bringing the country together rather than divide, to lift people up rather than tear people down.

(snip-More, this is a big deal!)

Well, how about this-

Teamsters Joint Councils Don’t Care What Sean O’Brien Says, Endorse Kamala Harris Anyway, by Rebecca Schoenkopf

Whoops, seems like this is not a gambit that is paying off in any way whatsoever.

Read on Substack

Yesterday, Teamsters President Sean O’Brien announced that the union would not be endorsing either Donald Trump or Kamala Harris for president of the United States, the first time the union has not endorsed a presidential candidate since 1996.

Now, in 1996, the union refused to endorse Bill Clinton because of NAFTA, which (sorry) was entirely reasonable. This time is a little different and a whole lot less reasonable. You have one candidate that will be continuing the policies of an administration that — with the unfortunately glaring exception of blocking the rail workers’ strike, which was bad — has been one of the best for labor in decades, and then you have another candidate who previously appointed union-busting lawyers to the National Labor Relations Board, refused to recognize a union at his Las Vegas hotel, and loves to have a good giggle with his union-busting friend Elon Musk about what a fabulous time it is to fire workers for striking.

Naturally, O’Brien stopped by Fox News to explain his reasoning to Neil Cavuto, who was extremely pressed about the fact that the Teamsters did not endorse Trump, even though Trump had invited him to speak at the RNC (and because Democrats told him to pound sand for having done that), and because the polling of rank-and-file members showed that they lean heavily towards Trump. He suggested O’Brien might just be being petty because of the whole “being friends with Elon Musk and having a good laugh about how fun it is to fire striking workers!” thing.

O’Brien said that the primary reason he did not endorse either candidate was because he “couldn’t get a commitment” from either one about Protecting the Right to Organize (PRO) Act. This actually would have been entirely understandable, except for the fact that Harris has repeatedly, specifically endorsed the PRO Act and said she would sign it if it got to her desk. Also except for the fact that Tim Walz, who has an incredible record on labor, actually signed into law something of a mini-PRO Act for the state of Minnesota.

Whoops!

Meanwhile, when Trump was in office, his administration literally put out a statement promising to veto the PRO Act.

“H.R. 2474 would also restrict workers’ freedom of association. It abolishes State right-to-work laws, and would thereby make union dues compulsory nationwide,” it read.

Whoops again!

Unsurprisingly (and despite that polling), Teamsters Joint Councils across the US (and particularly in battleground states) are issuing their own endorsements for Harris.

“The Harris-Walz ticket offers a comprehensive vision for America — one that not only prioritizes economic fairness but also stands steadfastly by our nation’s workers,” said Kevin Moore, President of Michigan Teamsters Joint Council 43, which represents 250,000 workers. “Their record and future plans are exactly what our country needs to continue growing and prospering. I urge all my Teamster members and fellow citizens to lend their support to this outstanding campaign.”

Teamsters Joint Councils 7 and Joint Council 42, which combined represent 300,000 Teamster members from 39 Local Unions across California, Nevada, Hawaii, and Guam issued a joint statement on Facebook announcing their endorsement.

“Winning fair wages, bargaining quality affordable healthcare, securing strong pensions, protecting good jobs, and growing the middle class through organizing, is at the heart of what we do as Teamsters” the statement read. “Vice President Harris and Governor Walz have demonstrated a commitment to standing with working people through action, such as supporting the Protect the Right to Organize (PRO) Act, and in the state of Minnesota, Governor Walz signed a bill that would ban forced captive audience meetings. Under a Harris-Walz administration we are confident that we will continue to have proworker appointees to the National Labor Relations Board and the Supreme Court, which directly impacts our ability to organize and win contract fights that benefit all workers.”

“Kamala Harris has long been a champion of working people and Labor Unions. As a Senator, she cast the tie-breaking vote that helped pass the Butch Lewis Act, which saved the pensions of thousands of Teamsters and millions of other hard working Americans,” read the endorsement from Joint Council 396, representing workers in southern California. “This crucial legislation preserved the financial security and dignity that our members earned over decades of dedicated work.”

“As Vice President of the most pro-union administration ever, Kamala Harris worked with the Teamsters and other union workers to pass the historic Butch Lewis Act which has saved the pensions of over a million retirees to date.” said Bill Carroll, President of Teamsters Joint Council 39, which represents roughly 15,000 workers in Wisconsin. “As President, Kamala Harris will build on those efforts and work with Congress to pass the PRO Act, ending some of the most egregious union busting tactics once and for all. In contrast, Donald Trump tried to gut workers’ rights as President by appointing union busters to the NLRB and advocating for national right-to-work. Trump’s Project 2025 would go even further, attacking the ability for unions to even have the ability to organize. This November we will work with millions of union workers across the country to defeat Donald Trump once again, and send Vice President Harris and Governor Walz to the White House. We are proud to endorse Harris-Walz for President and Vice President.”

Joint Council 40, representing western Pennsylvania, also issued an endorsement on its website.

So far, it does not look like any joint councils are endorsing Trump, and those who do lean that way would probably have a difficult time finding any actual labor-related reasons to support him. What would they even say? That keeping trans people from going to the bathroom or banning books will help workers somehow? That they want the famously anti-union, anti-worker corporate attorney Eugene Scalia back as Secretary of Labor?

There’s not a lot to go on there.

Clark State security finds suspicious package on campus, rules out threat

(I clicked on a Springfield New-Sun article the other day; they let you read everything if you start an account or register or whatever; email address, user name, and a password. Anyway, it’s a very polite paper, and the work, so far as I’ve seen, is exemplary. If you click through to the page, take a look at their headlines to see how things are going in Springfield, thanks to the Republican ticket. Some of it is good news for residents; there is balance.)

News By Brooke Spurlock 3 hours ago

Clark State is investigating after officials found a suspicious package this morning on the College’s Springfield campus.

The college’s security found the package around 8 a.m. on the Leffel Lane campus and immediately contacted police, according to a statement on the college’s website.

“Police responded quickly and determined that the package was not of concern and no threat exists,” the statement said.

Administrators and police searched the buildings and campus before the Springfield Police Division said the campus was safe at 11:12 a.m.

Clark State closed all of its campuses this week and moved to remote classes through Friday as a result of two email threats of a potential bombing and shooting from last weekend.

https://www.springfieldnewssun.com/news/clark-state-security-finds-suspicious-package-on-campus-rules-out-threat/4Z2NNWTAZRDS7MS4L7EUN76AFA/#