This week at progressive state blogs is designed specifically to focus attention on the writing and analysis of people focused on their home turf. Let me know via comments or Kosmail if you have a favorite state- or city-based blog you think I should be watching. Here is the February 11 edition. Inclusion of a blog post does not necessarily indicate my agreement with—or endorsement of—its contents.
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Donna at Democratic Diva of Arizona writes—Town Hall Double Standards:
Remember back in the summer of 2009, when members of Congress of both parties held town hall meetings with constituents about health care reform, and there were loud protesters at all them, but especially at the ones held by Democrats?
And remember how that same summer Ann Kirkpatrick, who was serving her first term in Congress held a small event at a Safeway in Holbrook, AZ, that was not supposed to be a town hall but a lot of people turned up anyway and were angry and shouting at her and she and others feared for her safety so she walked out? Footage of that walking out was used in attack ads against Kirkpatrick in 2010 and every subsequent time she ran for election or reelection, including in her 2016 Senate race seven years later.
Think about that when you see this quote from a New York Magazine piece on a “rowdy” town hall led by Rep. Jason Chaffetz spotted by Salon‘s Amanda Marcotte.
“I am not going to hold town hall meetings in this atmosphere, because they would very quickly turn into shouting opportunities for extremists, kooks and radicals,” the letter reads. “Also, I do not intend to give more publicity to those on the far left who have so much hatred, anger and frustration in them.”
Kathleen O’Donnell’s piece on anti-gay bigotry was published at Montana Cowgirl under the title A Montana story: ‘I do not rent to your kind’:
When I was 17, I joined the Army National Guard. I completed basic training before the end of high school and by 2009, I began my service. I am proud to be an American, I am proud to have served my country, and I am proud to be a member of the LGBTQ community. Marrying my wife was the happiest day of my life. Our love would prove to be a haven of safety and comfort, and necessary to survive the pain of the experiences to come.
In 2014, my wife, 6-year-old son, and I moved from Great Falls to Billings to be close to our giant Irish-Catholic family. I was tasked with the responsibility of finding a home for us to rent. I arrived at an open house and, after a tour, asked the landlord for an application. The landlord looked at me reluctantly and asked who else would be joining me, and whether my fiancée was a girl or a boy. Upon hearing “girl,” the landlord looked me directly in the eye and promptly said, “I do not rent to your kind.”
Confusion, anger, and sadness raced through my head. What exactly is “my kind”? To me, “my kind” is a good person with a stable job and excellent rental history in search for a home for her family. “My kind’” has a history of being actively involved in her community, volunteering for Little League and helping out in the schools. “My kind” raised her right hand and served her country with pride and sacrifice. I couldn’t believe that this was even legal. There was nothing I could do, no policy that existed that would give me the support to stand up to someone who had treated me with such prejudice and disrespect. All because of who I loved.
I began to heal. I took a position at a car dealership and was quickly promoted for excellent performance, working long hours and clearly exceeding my sales goals. In spite of my hard work, I was approached by the manager who, with tears in his eyes, said “I don’t know how to tell you this, but I was told I had to fire you.” He admitted that the new owner and his son “did not like me,” and that I was to be terminated before Monday, before the end of my six-month probationary period. I asked him why they didn’t like me. “Because you are gay,” he said.
Just like that, my family lost income for three months. Because of two powerful people’s bitter and ignorant judgment, my wife and son had to suffer. My hope in sharing my story is that I can put a face and a voice to those affected and hurt by the lack of protection against discrimination for LGBTQ people. We, like every other Montanan, deserve to be judged by the content of our character, rather than who we love.
Grace at Progress Missouri writes—How Missouri Republicans Have Celebrated Black History Month:
A lot of our political outrage has been, rightfully, directed towards Washington, D.C. as of late, but these past few days Jefferson City, dare we say, takes the cake?
In an outrageous turn of events, Monday night Rep. Bill Lant (R-Pineville) cut off the mic of Missouri NAACP President Rod Chapel at a public hearing on discrimination protections. As Rep. Gina Mitten (D-St. Louis) said, “Jim Crow is alive and well in Missouri.”
And this is not the only racially-charged misstep a Missouri legislator has recently made.
Over the weekend, Rep. Warren Love (R-Osceola) took to Facebook, calling Abraham Lincoln a “tyrant” and a “despot.”
While days earlier in a committee hearing on labor issues, he referred to the “black negroes.”
And how, you might ask, has leadership reacted?
House Speaker Todd Richardson’s disappointing response was, “the House was not at its best yesterday.” He has not responded to calls for Lant to be removed from his chairmanship.
vmars at Blue Jersey writes—Christie Vetoes Asset Forfeiture Bill That Passed Leg Unanimously:
Just a week after Donald Trump threatened to ruin a Texas legislator’s political career over minor limits to asset forfeiture, Trump lap dog Chris Christie vetoed a New Jersey bill that would limit the practice. The bill had passed The Assembly and Senate unanimously, which is about as bi-partisan as you can get. [...]
Essentially, if the cops think you are dealing drugs or a terrorist they can take your cash and home and car and (as noted above) whatever. No need for conviction, or even judicial review. They get to keep your stuff.
The dirty secret of asset forfeiture is that it’s not being used to take down the biggest and baddest criminals. It’s far more frequently used to nickle-and-dime average citizens, with a majority of an agency’s take being made up of seizures valued at well below $10,000. Vehicles are seized from grandmothers because their grandchildren drove drunk. Any cash on anyone who smells like marijuana to a police officer usually ends up being forfeited even if the person is free to go.
The legislation, S2267, would have simply forced prosecutors to report the alleged crime, the alleged perpetrator, the location of the seizure, whether what was seized was itself a crime,and what was seized to the state. That’s pretty much it. Not a real hard climb for the police, but most likely a process about as hard as buying a book on Amazon.
A staffer at Burnt Orange Report of Texas writes—Happy Valentine’s Day, America! Let’s Get Trump’s Tax Returns:
Just when you thought there was nothing anyone could give the U.S. to cheer her up, Austin’s own (and only) Democratic Congressman Rep. Lloyd Doggett came up with the perfect gift! Tax returns!
Today, in honor of Valentine’s Day, Rep. Doggett introduced an amendment in the House Ways and Means Committee that would require Donald Trump to release his tax returns.
His reason for introducing the amendment today? Rep. Doggett believes, given the latest news of now-former National Security Advisor Michael Flynn’s “entanglement” with Russia prior to Trump’s inauguration, the U.S. Congress must see the returns to determine what, if any, foreign entanglements Trump may be hiding.
Who needs champagne and chocolate when you could have page after page of steamy real estate transactions and a completely empty schedule of charitable donations?
The amendment was voted down along, you guessed it, party lines.
Mark Hefflinger at Bold Nebraska writes—ACTION: Send a #NoKXL Letter to the Nebraska Public Service Commission:
On Feb. 16, 2017, TransCanada submitted a new application with the Nebraska Public Service Commission for a route for its proposed Keystone XL pipeline project. The process could take eight months to a year, and will include hearings and opportunities for public comment.
ACTION: Send a hand-written letter to the Nebraska Public Service Commission (PSC) with your concerns about the Keystone XL pipeline.
(Then let us know you mailed your letter! Fill out the form below:)
- Explain why you are against the Keystone XL pipeline.
- Urge the PSC to reject TransCanada’s permit application.
- As an agriculture-based state, we do not need to take more agricultural land out of production for a foreign pipeline.
- The pipeline needs to be rerouted to avoid the sandy porous soils of the Sandhills, shallow water tables, and recharge part of the Ogallala aquifer.
- Urge the PSC to require that TransCanada “twin” Keystone XL with its existing Keystone I pipeline — which would see Keystone XL constructed inside the existing easements and established pipeline corridor in Nebraska.
Tom Aswell at Louisiana Voice writes—Appointment of Caruso-Riecke to State Police Commission is moral equivalent to assigning the fox to guard the henhouse:
When Lloyd Grafton tendered his resignation from the Louisiana State Police Commission over the shoddy way the commission had forced Executive Director Cathy Derbonne out the month before, it prompted a heated exchange between Grafton and Jared Caruso-Riecke, one of the newer members of the commission which has undergone considerable change in makeup in the past 12 months.
The confrontation between the two also prompted a few choice comments from member Calvin Braxton Jr. of Natchitoches who expressed his displeasure at the direction the commission, the State Police equivalent of the Civil Service Commission, has been going over the past year.
The commission has become increasingly politicized as it has come under the influence of the State Police upper management and the Louisiana State Troopers Association (LSTA). The appointments of Caruso-Riecke of Covington and Monica Manzella of New Orleans, along with the election of T.J. Doss, the State Police representative on the commission, as its president only served to accelerate that shift.
The hiring of outside legal counsel Taylor Townsend, a former state senator and a political supporter of Gov. John Bel Edwards, to conduct a perfunctory investigation of political activity by LSTA members has further distanced the commission from even any pretense of functioning as an independent body.
Ron Short at Appalachian Voices writes—Protect natural resources for Southwest Virginia's future:
I was born and raised in the coalfields of Southwest Virginia. My father was a coal miner, and without his efforts to send me to school, I would have been a coal miner also. For all my life, the coal economy has ruled this region and its people. Now we are facing the demise of the coal industry, and we must save the valuable natural resources that we have left if we are ever to develop cultural tourism and eco-tourism as important parts of a new economy that works for everyone.
When I was small, one company dumped coal waste into the Pound River and I saw the deadly effects that followed: thousands of dead fish, mink, muskrats, frogs, birds and water so polluted with metals and minerals that for the first time in my life I could not swim in the river. I was 10 years old and it took the river 50 years to heal itself. My father was 90 years old before we could go fishing in the Pound River together again. Sadly, pollution from mining operations is still contaminating our waterways today.
The Stream Protection Rule — the product of nearly a decade of community engagement and scientific and economic studies — is designed to preserve this life-giving resource. Unfortunately, Donald Trump and Republicans in Congress have vowed to kill the Stream Protection Rule using an obscure procedure known as a Congressional Review Act as part of the mad rush to rip the last of the coal out of the ground at any cost.
Water truly is life! We have more pristine and biologically valuable waters than most places in the world, and we need to protect them for our health, our economic future and our grandchildren. Senators Kaine and Warner, you are our only allies in Washington. Please do not let your colleagues kill the Stream Protection Rule. Killing this rule would produce a short-term political gain for their ilk, but it could create a future that we in Southwest Virginia may never be able to recover from.
A staffer at Capital & Main of California writes—Andrew Puzder Withdraws as Labor Secretary Nominee:
Andrew Puzder, whose nomination by President Donald Trump to head the Department of Labor ignited heated controversy even against a field crowded with contentious cabinet picks, withdrew his name from consideration Wednesday afternoon. Puzder, the CEO of CKE Restaurants, the corporation that owns Carl’s Jr. and Hardee’s diners, was the target of growing criticism amid charges he and his company had a history of shortchanging store workers and managers of wages and promotions, as well as discriminating against women and minority employees.
Puzder was the subject of a six-week series of investigative stories by Capital & Main, which was widely cited in other media outlets as well as in Senator Elizabeth Warren’s February 13 letter to Puzder. Our team of reporters found a widespread pattern of alleged employee abuse at CKE Restaurants, which has been named in dozens of civil suits and federal complaints. The public record of these court cases, alongside our interviews conducted with current and past employees, reveal a male-dominated culture extending from CKE’s highest executive ranks to franchise store kitchens — and a company that seems to operate with impunity and a special contempt for employees who are seen as weak or a burden on the company.
Focusing on Puzder’s more than 16 years as CEO of CKE, our stories uncovered the following:
- Seventy-eight employment discrimination cases filed in federal court alone, more than any other large U.S. hamburger chain on a per-revenue basis.
- Six Equal Employment Opportunity Commission cases filed against CKE and its restaurants, far more than any other large burger chain on a per-revenue basis, with the exception of Sonic Drive-In. The EEOC only takes on the most serious of discrimination cases.
- Twenty-seven cases, representing 41 people, filed in California state courts against CKE directly, alleging wrongful termination or discrimination in the company’s decision to fire employees. Of these cases, 20 of the employees involved worked at the store level, 12 of the employees involved worked at the corporate level, and 10 cannot be undetermined.
PKoblenschlag at Colorado Pols writes—Will Sen. Cory Gardner Vote Like the Anti-Environment House Republicans?
A good deal has already been written here at ColoradoPols.com about America’s largest cloud of methane pollution that hovers over the Four Corners region, including southwestern Colorado. It has been noted in blogs and op-eds and articles and exposés that this region lies within Colorado’s Third Congressional District, currently represented by Scott Tipton who himself hails from the region—and who behaves as if he’s not at all concerned about methane pollution clouding up his constituents’ lives.
Solutions exist that can make a difference, today, to reduce methane pollution. This includes cutting down on the large amounts of methane pollution that come from oil and gas operations, as the State of Colorado has already successfully done for lands it helps regulate.
Mr. Tipton opposes these solutions. For instance, Tipton recently voted to invoke the Congressional Review Act and gut new regulations for the U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM) that are proven to reduce methane pollution from oil and gas operations on public lands.
And soon the U.S. Senate will vote to follow this brash and ill-advised move, or to support the BLM methane venting rule, America’s clean air, and climate action.
All eyes are on Sen. Cory Gardner as a purple state senator to see if he will follow Tipton’s sooty suit, or if he will prove his purple state bona fides and vote to protect Colorado’s air quality. Sen. Gardner should stand up for clean air and climate action rejecting Tipton’s and the House Republicans’ radical attempt to gut the BLM’s methane venting rule.
Bob Plain at R.I.Future.org writes—RI Democratic Party endorses Keith Ellison for DNC chief:
Congressman Keith Ellison should be the next chairman of the Democratic National Committee. At least that’s how Rhode Island’s four delegates will vote when the party meets next week to elect a new leader, according to a press release from the Rhode Island Democratic Party.
“In the aftermath of this nation’s elections, it’s clear we need someone who can work at a grassroots level, mobilize energy and support on social and economic justice issues, and rebuild our Democratic base,” said party Chairman Joe McNamara, a state representative from Warwick, in the press release. “Congressman Ellison has the ideas, passion and skills to get this job done.”
A progressive Muslim from Minnesota with a strong commitment to social and economic justice, Ellison is vying to be the next chair. The DNC will vote on February 25 at its meeting in Atlanta.
Sharayah Bower at Raging Chicken Press of Pennsylvania writes—What Chance do Future Professors have in Trumplandia?
Here I am two months post gradation from my beloved alma mater, Kutztown University, wondering if a PhD in English is worth fighting for now that our country is being run by an avaricious leader. [...]
I didn’t become an English major in 2008 knowing that Donald Trump would become the 45th President of the US. Never in my worst nightmares would I have imagined that so much damage could be done by one person in less than a month. But this is our reality, and this new reality happens to affect major career decisions for me and my path towards becoming an educator. Is this path still a reality for people like me?
Since graduating with my MA in English a few months ago, I have been left asking many BIG questions:
- Where is my place in a nation of alternative facts?
- Where is my place as a woman who wants to dedicate the next four to six years of her life to a PhD program?
- Where is my place in a world where I am already drowning in student debt but want to fulfill my dream of teaching?
- Where is my place in a country where my president does not value education and, therefore, does not value me?
Having to ponder these questions made me realize that I am no longer in the safe sphere of academia. Instead, I’m in the trenches where people are constantly calling me a “liberal snowflake” because I’m frustrated about not being able to find a job that is remotely in my field. How selfish of me for wanting a career in a field that I have dedicated the past ten years of my life pursuing!