Democratic Party leadership claims that the threat to democracy posed by a second Trump presidency and Republican-dominated Congress is real, and they are correct. The Republican Party is clear in its intention to undermine essential market regulations and basic individual rights. With the backing of a loaded Supreme Court, Trump’s administration stands to finally break the promise held out by Democrats throughout the rising tide of fascism: that we can defend democracy through our legal system. When that tide breaks, it will most immediately impact trans and reproductive rights, the unhoused, immigrants, and asylum seekers—but it ultimately will affect us all.

Nevertheless, the Democratic Party’s actions contradict its own apparent concerns. For example, while touting the value of free speech and protest, the Biden administration has overseen the crackdown on student protest across campuses nationwide. This does nothing to distance Democrats from the charge of repression that it levies against Republicans. Furthermore, instead of allowing for a competitive primary process (ironically, something permitted by the Republican Party), the Democratic National Committee saw to it that Biden was effectively the only candidate on the ballot. Even before Biden’s disastrous debate and the question of his cognitive decline, unprecedented thousands of Americans expressed their will for another candidate by voting “uncommitted” or “no preference” across the country—not least because of his commitment to funding Israel’s genocide of Palestinians. Democracy may be under threat, but it is already compromised today.

People want to stand up for democracy, yet with Biden at the helm, the Democratic Party reveals itself to be unable and unwilling. Following the recent attempt on Trump’s life, Democratic Party leadership has been more interested in the symbolic high ground, calling for national unity against “political violence.” The hypocrisy is blatant. On one level, this calls for unity with a candidate and party who incite the very violence at issue. On a deeper level, however, the Democratic Party fails to reconcile this call for unity with the state of violence it has perpetuated. Biden may be the first president to stand on a picket line, but he has done little to nothing material for the American and global working class. While Biden has focused our attention on “shrinkflation” and “hidden fees” (admittedly insidious practices), the prices of housing and healthcare continue to rise. Instead of moving to socialize these costs, the Biden administration funds war abroad, which benefits everyone from landlords and developers to insurance agencies and weapons manufacturers. Meanwhile, working people suffer degradation and death.

Given these conditions, the Democratic Party rightly appears bought by capitalist forces, which allows the Republican Party to (falsely) claim it will oppose “elites” in the name of those most desperate. Behind the culture war he stokes, Trump (like populists the world over) taps into real pain felt by the working class. In order for the Democratic Party to stake any claim to legitimacy, it must field a candidate who will rise to the moment and confront the threat of fascism without hesitation, all the while attacking its root economic causes. That candidate is not Joe Biden.

From the City of Charlotte to Mecklenburg County and beyond, join the call: it’s time to drop Joe!

Let the following know it’s time to drop Joe:

Alma Adams: (704) 344-9950

Chuck Schumer: (202) 224-6542

North Carolina Democratic Party: (919) 821-2777

In this episode, Tripp Fuller of Homebrewed Christianity podcast joins to talk faith that's beautiful enough to be called good news, a process vision of socialism, fiction and popculture as the fullest expressions of humanity, and miscellaneous nerdiness. Join us October 17–19 in Denver for theologybeer.camp ! Use the coupon code TAKEHEARTHOBBIT for $50 off your ticket. Email us at religioussocialism@gmail.com if you plan to come, we'd love to meet up.

Two Dead at the Hands of Lazy Cops in Kent County

In the Greater Grand Rapids Area, the police have now twice used a dangerous car chase maneuver against an unarmed, fleeing individual, leading to their death. These individuals were wanted for nonviolent crimes and should have been detained using standard protocol. To be clear, the car maneuver we’re talking about is the PIT maneuver, in which a pursuing vehicle swerves into a fleeing vehicle’s back tire in order to cause a spin out. It was never designed to be used against humans, and even the police have even admitted that the maneuver was used incorrectly in both cases. They just aren’t going to do anything about it.

The first instance was April 8th, when Riley Doggett (17) was a passenger in a stolen vehicle being pursued by the police. The driver crashed, and Riley got out of the car and fled until the police caught up and swerved into the fleeing teenager, fully running him over. He died from his injuries days later. The Kent County Sheriff’s office callously remarked that “[Riley’s] actions unfortunately placed him at high risk for a deadly encounter, whether with a citizen or law enforcement. It was fortunate for the community that a Kent County Deputy was the one to confront Mr. Doggett during his crime spree.” Apparently, we as citizens of Grand Rapids should feel safer knowing that our cops are slaughtering people without a trial. The footage of the event can be viewed here, though viewer discretion is advised due to the disturbing content.

The second instance was on the morning of April 17th, when Samuel Sterling (25) was filling up his tires and officers from multiple agencies showed up at his house with a warrant for breaking his parole. A chase ensued, and Samuel was eventually caught by an officer using a PIT maneuver to pinch Sterling against the side of a Burger King. The driver reversed, and Sterling fell to the ground. He can be heard saying to the officers, “I got no gun, bro…why you hitting me like this?” The cops then cuff him, take his belongings out of his pockets, and stand around his body, doing nothing to help him. An officer can be heard telling two firefighters to keep his cuffs on because he was a “wanted, violent felon.” This isn’t true. Samuel’s three felonies were for carrying a concealed weapon and theft, all nonviolent crimes. You can watch the video here, though again, viewer discretion is advised. Samuel died just a few hours later in the hospital. 

To add insult to injury, only the offending officer in the second instance is being charged with murder. This is likely due to the fact that this crime falls under the jurisdiction of our progressive state attorney general, Dana Nessel, because the offending officer was a member of the state police. The Kent County Sheriff’s Deputy Josiah McMains is left in the hands of the extremely conservative Kent County prosecutor Chris Becker, so they get off much easier. This is further evidence that the divide between “criminals” and non-criminals is not only socially constructed, but arbitrarily enforced. Becker is throwing the book at Riley’s friend, charging him with Fleeing and Eluding Causing Death, and attempting to try him as an adult. Meanwhile, the blood-thirsty thugs in blue will seemingly continue their vehicular rampage until they’re forced to stop by a higher power, because it saves them time and effort during a chase. What sort of a justice system is that?

All of this feels familiar when we remember the doorbell footage from April 4, 2022 which showed Grand Rapids Police Officer Christopher Schurr struggle to detain Patrick Lyoya, get frustrated, and unceremoniously end the struggle with a bullet to the back of Patrick’s head. At the time Chris Becker assured us that, despite his work being so closely aligned with the GRPD, he did not know Officer Schurr personally and wouldn’t need to recuse himself. More than two years later, and we’re still waiting for that trial to happen and Patrick’s family is still waiting for justice.
And as if this isn’t bad enough, the Grand Rapids police are now campaigning for the right to sue their detainees in civil court; even though they can beat an innocent man without fear of being charged. This means that after arresting you, an officer will be able to steal from you via civil suit. It’s vital that we organize now to rein in our out-of-control law enforcement before it becomes too late. Fight police oppression by protesting any chance you get and vote against this dishonest “Back the Blue” initiative, we can’t afford to give these thugs any more power to oppress us.

The post If the Police Can’t Catch their Criminals, They’ll just Kill Them Instead appeared first on Grand Rapids Democratic Socialists of America.

For five years flight attendants have been locked in contract negotiation with American Airlines (AA) to bargain for a better contract. Since then inflation has increased by more than 30%, yet starting pay remains frozen at $27k a year. 

The flight attendants and their union have authorized a strike with a 99% majority, but government agencies won’t let them. The Railway Labor Act requires flight attendants to obtain approval from the National Mediation Board (NMB) before striking, which the NMB has refused. The NMB’s limit on the right to strike impacts more than the 27,000 flight attendants at AA. In fact, it hurts all railway and airline workers in the nation, their families, and the communities they live in.

With no legal ability to strike, negotiations have been left at a standstill, which benefits no one but AA. They get to freeze employee wages while continuing to inflate their prices and fees. This story repeats across all industries because our government prioritizes the interests of capitalists who own corporations over the interests of workers who keep them running day in, day out.

The AA contract negotiation has gone on for five years: two under Donald Trump and three under Joe Biden. Republican and Democratic politicians may strongly disagree on specific policies, but they regularly come together to keep workers down (for example, Joe Biden recently appointed a Republican to the NMB).

As socialists we recognize the ability to strike as fundamental and necessary to fight the tyranny of capital. Any and all action to restrict this ability should be opposed and overturned. 

Follow the APFA on social media to keep an eye out for how you can support their fight for a better contract.

Scientists working for the oil companies have known about climate change since the 1950s. It’s been a scientifically accepted fact since the 1980s. Millennials have grown into middle age listening to the debate between fossil fuel industry plants and reality. And while the pundits argued, climate changed. 2023 was the hottest year since records began in 1850. And 2024 is hotter than that!

Climate change is linked to more frequent natural disasters everywhere. In 2023 alone Canada lost 5% of its forest area to wildfires, China was inundated with more than 9.5” of rain in 24 hours around Beijing, and entire towns in Libya were completely destroyed by sudden flooding.

Grand Rapids had 47” of snow last year, 30 inches less than our average of 76”. Winter sports in Michigan may be a thing of the past. In recent winters, activities such as snowmobiles and skiing have been canceled due to warm temperatures.

Without radical changes, Michigan’s climate could be similar to Oklahoma or North Texas. And summers in Texas may get hot enough to cook a person. We’ll likely see climate migration in the coming decades. Given our current housing crisis, will we be prepared?

Our food systems have been developed based on existing climate patterns. What will happen when those change?

CAPITALISM IS THE PROBLEM

In North America, the European settlers who brought the concept of money had to systematically eradicate the North American indigenous cultures that revered the Earth.  If Capitalism could  save us from  climate change, it would need to somehow reconcile the parts of itself that created the issue in the first place. “Green” Capitalism presents us two options:

Individual Consumer-Based Solutions Are Insufficient

We know that individual solutions aren’t enough to prevent climate catastrophe. Just 100 corporations have been responsible for releasing 71% of greenhouse gasses. In one year, the richest billionaires each produce as much carbon as someone in the 99% would in 1,500 years.

So even if we got the entire working class to ELIMINATE their “carbon footprint” (a term created by the oil industry), we wouldn’t be anywhere close to making the change necessary! Additionally, many of the products for these consumer-based solutions require continued exploitative precious metal mining in Africa, for lithium and cobalt. 

Carbon Offsets Are a Shell Game

The world’s largest companies and Grand Rapids City Government plan on reaching net zero by using carbon offsets. Many consumers are even presented with the option to add $2 to your plane ticket to offset “1,000 air miles” or $17/year to offset your breath.

This money goes to projects like Hawk Mountain Sanctuary in PA–a nature preserve since the 1930s–or Hudson Farm Club in NJ–Billionaire Peter Kelogg’s private hunting club. Things under no threat of bulldozers. There is no additional benefit, just an excuse to continue business as usual. In fact, in a 2021 study the Grantham Research Institute of Climate Change and the Environment found that carbon offsets have substantially increased pollution. And why wouldn’t they? Logging companies can just clear cut the land next door and forest fires don’t care about human contracts.

SO WHAT IS THE SOLUTION?

The solution is simple: LEAVE IT IN THE GROUND! We have pulled out enough fossil fuels that, if burned, would send us into catastrophic climate change. If we stopped burning fossil fuels today and figured out what to do without them tomorrow, the positive effects would still outweigh the negative effects. We don’t need more exploration and extraction. We need a just transition now!

There are common sense solutions that could slash emissions today, like regulating the oil industry and heavily taxing billionaires who are making the worst climate impacts. A competent government would be banning cryptocurrency mining and closing the MPG loophole for ultra-heavy vehicles like SUVs and modern trucks, while improving and expanding public transit, which would drastically reduce emissions and simultaneously reduce traffic, transportation costs, and car accidents.

America’s green transition is moving so slowly because our leaders insist on waiting for private utility companies to switch to renewable energy at a pace that stays profitable. Instead of wasting time while these companies drag their feet, we should be creating and supporting public utilities with the resources and the will to build green energy. NOT TOMORROW BUT TODAY!

Just last year the NYC DSA won a massive campaign to pass the Build Public Renewables Act, which invests heavily in new green energy production and requires the state owned power company to go completely green by 2030. This isn’t a pipe dream, it’s already happening in this country!

The post The Time is NOW for Climate Action! appeared first on Grand Rapids Democratic Socialists of America.

Our Maine Mural podcast is happy to offer this audio recording of T. Sinclair’s article, “Conservative SCOTUS Justices are Waging a Reactionary Revolution,” on the concerted takeover of the Supreme Court by far-right reactionaries and their rising threat to democracy.

The post Maine Mural: Conservative Justices are Waging a Reactionary Revolution appeared first on Pine & Roses.

In spite of all this nonsense from the left, we are going to win. We are in the process of taking this country back. […] We are in the process of the second American revolution, which will remain bloodless, if the left allows it to be.

– Kevin Roberts, President of the Heritage Foundation, July 2024

In 1982, the Federalist Society was founded by a group of conservative law students. Its aim was to challenge what they perceived as a liberal agenda in schools, government agencies, and courts. By 2019, they had reached what the Washington Post dubbed an “unprecedented peak of power and influence.” On today’s Supreme Court five of the nine Justices are current or former members of the Society: Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito, Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh, and Amy Barrett. The only conservative Justice missing from the Federalist’s list is John Roberts, who held positions in Reagan and G.H.W. Bush’s administrations, both conservative Republicans.

Leaving John Roberts aside, let’s look at the Federalist Society that brought up the other five conservative Justices to this point. The Federalist Society likes to play at being libertarian and demanding equal division of powers. “The separation of governmental powers is central to our Constitution,” so says their website. Yet, the Justices they brought into being just dumped a heavy load of power onto the executive and judiciary at the expense of Congress. 

So, what are we looking at? The Federalist Society was started with a grant from the Olin Foundation. John M. Olin was a staunch conservative and president of Olin Industries, which manufactured chemicals and munitions. His foundation was started in 1953 and directly financed the startup of the Federalist Society as a way of raising generations of conservative lobbyists, lawyers, judges, and Justices. Olin and conservatives like him hated the American state apparatus post-New Deal. The rich had to pay more taxes, workers were entitled to more rights and, because of the advances of the working class, the wage gap was much smaller (in 1960 a CEO made roughly 22 times more than a typical worker. By 2022, CEOs made 344 times more than a typical worker). The Federalist Society, in turn, has fought against environmental rights, workers’ rights, and governmental regulatory powers. In short, the Federalist Society has fought for the supremacy of private business over the rights and well-being of American citizens.

It took years, but eventually the Federalist Society got plenty of judges onto federal circuit courts and the Supreme Court. Through appointments made by Reagan, George H.W., and George W., the Federalist Society saw an influx of federal judge appointments. But, it wasn’t until Trump when they saw their pay day. “Approximately 90% of Donald Trump’s appointments to the federal judiciary are or were members of the Federalist Society,” according to Bloomberg Law. 

So, is it no coincidence that now, when we see a Supreme Court run by Federalist Society appointees, there are a number of rulings that tear at the fabric of American society and legal precedent? One of the first major blows was in 2018 with the Janus v. American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees Council ruling. With Federalist Society Justices Alito, Thomas, and Gorsuch in the majority, SCOTUS ruled 5-4 that unions representing public workers were not permitted to require union fees by workers. This overruled a long respected precedent set in 1977 by the Abood v. Detroit Board of Education decision. It would not be the last time this new radically reactionary Supreme Court overturned precedent. 

For example, Roe v. Wade in 2022’s absurd case Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization. Scotus basically ruled that pregnant people in the U.S. do not have a right to abortion, and instead left it up to states whether they would allow abortions within their territorial domains. And, in doing so, the court stripped a person’s right to bodily autonomy.

The Federalist Society Justices have also been doing their best to strip federal agencies of their powers, transferring it over to the courts. Earlier this year, in Loper Bright Enterprises v. Raimondo, our conservative Supreme Court held that courts should not defer to agencies’ expertise. Instead, judges should take the reins and rule as they see fit. There are a number of other rules that limit federal regulatory powers: SEC v. Jarkesy, Ohio v. EPA, and Corner Post v. Board of Governors of Federal Reserve System. 

Most recently, the Federalist Society Justices have stepped way out of bounds by vastly expanding the immunity powers of the President in Trump v. United States. After Donald Trump pressured Vice President Pence to overturn the results of the 2020 presidential election, and encouraged supporters to protest at the Capitol in order to get his way, he was brought up on a number of charges. These include obstructing an official proceeding, defrauding the U.S., and conspiracy against rights. However, on July 1st, 2024, SCOTUS decided by a 6-3 decision along partisan conservative lines that Presidents are suddenly granted immunity for actions committed while within their official capacity. This has no precedent, and signals a clear shift in the Supreme Court’s approach to law in the United States. Before this, no one was above the law. Now, the President is above the law. What to take from this?

REACTIONARY PERSONALITIES

There is a revolution taking place quietly under our very feet. There are other decisions to be cited, but the above is enough to show that the current Supreme Court is making it up as it goes along. Ignoring past precedent, the conservative majority is taking it upon itself to reshape the American political playing field as it best suits conservatives’ interests. This isn’t just a natural shift that comes along with a majority switching between liberal and conservative. This has been a tidal change the likes we have never seen. So, it behooves us to at least look at two of the institution’s most belligerently partisan Justices.

Samuel Alito

Here’s a man who has happily accepted luxurious vacations paid for by conservative interests. A devout Catholic who has made no mystery regarding his personal stances against same-sex marriage and abortion. And, while these are worrisome, and Justices should be able to put personal biases aside during federal proceedings, Alito has gone further. His family has flown upside down American flags outside of their homes (a symbol that America is in distress), and he has refused to recuse himself from the immunity case against Trump, despite a mountain of evidence suggesting he should. And why has he done all this? 

It’s merely speculation, but Alito comes from a staunchly conservative background and was supported by the Federalist Society. The Federalists have an agenda, largely shared by Alito. For this Justice, it appears as though partisan agenda comes before precedent. They are willing to put aside decades of deliberations in order to ring in a new order of conservative values that will help the rich and hurt the working class. As he was quoted in Lauren Windsor’s undercover audio, “One side or the other is going to win.” Alito clearly is on a mission that only sees black and white, and he has the inability to judge nuance case by case. He is on the track to create a reactionary revolution in order to bring down anything and everything liberal.

Clarence Thomas

This man loves favors. He can’t get enough. His acceptance of gifts and luxury trips was the impetus for SCOTUS laying down some toothless rules around what Justices should or should not accept. But, did that cause him to recuse himself from Donald Trump’s case regarding immunity? Of course not. Thomas narrowly got through a nomination process after he was accused of sexually harassing a worker underneath him. Since then, he has gone on to be the beacon for all conservative efforts before the court, eagerly writing dissenting opinions throughout the ‘90s and early 2000’s. And now that the Federalist Society bloc has taken over, he has been loud and proud in his conservative decisions, siding against labor, against a person’s bodily autonomy, against democracy, and more. This is his moment to shine, and with his age progressing day after day, his itching to get reactionary rulings fixed before he goes is likely only to grow stronger.

REACTIONARY REVOLUTION

It isn’t just Sam Alito and Clarence Thompson we should be worried about, though. The Federalist Society also produced Gorsuch, Kavanaugh, and Barrett. And, even though Roberts isn’t a Federalist alum, he’s still very much in the conservative camp. There is a solid 6-3 imbalance on SCOTUS right now, favoring the radical conservatives. Sure, Roberts can be swayed here and there, but it isn’t enough to make a dent. What is underfoot is a conscious rebellion against a perceived liberal administrative state. The conservative establishment hates what it sees as a regulatory system. It identifies freedom with the freedom to exploit. Regulations curb exploitation, and therefore must go. The Federalist Society has worked decades trying to get their preferred legal minds behind benches, and now they’ve succeeded. It’s a revolution, whether they admit it or not. In fact, they have said it. Kevin Roberts, head of the radically conservative Heritage Foundation, said so himself. “Americans in 2024 are in the process of carrying out the second American Revolution to take power back from the elites and despotic bureaucrats.” He said these remarks in the wake of the Supreme Court’s ruling that Presidents are immune from criminal prosecution for acts committed in an official capacity. Radical right-wing conservatives are calling it a revolution! Why do the rest of us not take them at their word and react accordingly? It’s the kind of top-down revolution that reactionaries love. And it won’t stop until we take back control of our courts.

Will you see it as such? Will you accept that there is a quiet reactionary revolution happening under our noses? There is little time left. They have already turned back labor laws, regulation laws, sexual orientation and bodily autonomy laws. What will it take for you to not just open your eyes, but step up? We only have one tool that cannot be taken away, our voice. 

Join the Democratic Socialists of America. Help us combat conservative offensives and liberal paralysis. There is no one coming to save us but us. We can only do it together.

The post Conservative Justices are Waging a Reactionary Revolution appeared first on Pine & Roses.