United States Attorney General Jefferson Beauregard Sessions III thinks that consent degree reached between the Department of Justice and communities across the country are, at the least, inappropriate and possibly unconstitutional.

Thirty years ago Coretta Scott King wrote a letter to the Senate Judiciary Committee under Strom Thurmond saying that Jeff Sessions was not fit to considered for a federal judgeship. She wrote:

I write to express my sincere opposition to the confirmation of Jefferson B. Sessions as a federal district court judge for the Southern District of Alabama. my professional and personal roots in Alabama are deep and lasting. Anyone who has used the power of his office as United States Attorney to intimidate and chill the free exercise of the ballot by citizens should not be elevated to our courts.

Mr. Sessions has used the awesome powers of his office in a shabby attempt to intimidate and frighten elderly black voters. For this reprehensible conduct, he should not be rewarded with a federal judgeship.

In 1986 Sessions was not confirmed to that post, but in 2017 King’s letter was insufficient to prevent the elevation of Sessions to his present post. Perhaps the committee (and the senate) thought that a lot can change in 30 years. We are now beginning to see just how wrong they were.

Jon Swaine and Lois Beckett, reporting in Jeff Sessions orders review of police reforms prompted by high-profile shootings for The Guardian, write:

The US attorney general on Monday ordered a nationwide review of all reform agreements with local police departments, placing a key part of Barack Obama’s legacy on criminal justice in jeopardy.

Jeff Sessions signalled in a memo filed to a federal court that “consent decrees” such as those struck in recent years with troubled departments in Ferguson, Missouri, and Baltimore, Maryland, could be scrapped or scaled down.

“It is not the responsibility of the federal government to manage non-federal law enforcement agencies,” Sessions said in the memo.

Session’s memo has profound consequences in Northeast Ohio because our largest city, Cleveland, is under one such decree—prompted by the brutal murders of Tamir Rice, Timothy Russell and Malissa Williams by uniformed police officers—that has not yet been fully implemented.

Consent decrees are court-enforced lists of reforms that are typically struck when justice department civil rights investigators discover a “pattern or practice” of unconstitutional policing by a department. A total of 25 such investigations were opened under the Obama administration.

Sessions has repeatedly expressed unease about such agreements, saying he believes the federal government has too frequently interfered with local policing.

Federal officials are currently enforcing 19 agreements, according to a report released earlier this year. This includes several reached by the Obama administration with cities such as Cleveland; Newark, New Jersey; and Albuquerque, New Mexico.

The new Sessions memo was filed to court in Maryland in the case of the justice department’s consent decree with police in Baltimore. Attorneys for the justice department asked the court for a 90-day pause so it could “review and assess” the plan.

From where I sit (and from where Mrs. King sat) Jefferson Beauregard Sessions III wants to right the wrongs perpetrated by the beast Lincoln and the radical republicans of the 39th Congress. The ultimate goal would appear to be scrapping (or at least seriously gutting) the 14th Amendment and restoring states’ rights to their proper pedestal.

This must not stand.

Now that it has happened, we should do something about it.

Yes, Cow Town Columbus and Franklin County has surpassed Big City Cleveland and shrinking Cuyahoga County (except in debt) in population.

Rich Exner, the Plain Dealer‘s ace numbers man, revealed the figures that show Cuyahoga County once again LOST population, 5,673 individuals. (Everyone counts these days.)

Exner also revealed that Franklin County gained 14,269 individuals.

That makes the score now: Franklin: 1,264,518. Cuyahoga: 1,249,352.

They skipped ahead of us.

Maybe this offers an opportunity.

Can we get them to take the Cleveland Browns? Please!

Recently, there was talk of the Browns moving training camp to Columbus.

Why not take the whole thing?

Then we can be through with them. Once and for all.

We can’t afford—as I’ve been saying and all should know—three major league sports teams. With three grasping major league team owners. They just cost too much public tax money. And the costs are only going UP.

Here’s the deal, Columbus. Take the Browns. In exchange, pay off the Cleveland bond debt on First Energy Stadium. That would relieve the city of big indebtedness.

Also,

Knock down the hurriedly-built and badly-misplaced First Energy lakefront stadium. Open it to development as a recreational area—not more condos/rentals, not Continue Reading »

Members of the Cuyahoga County Progressive Caucus have been talking a lot about the importance of presenting our very real and deadly serious questions to our representatives in Congress through the medium of town hall meetings. The problem is that now that they have to actually govern, Republicans are avoiding constituents at open meetings like bathroom stalls in the Minneapolis–St. Paul International Airport.

I’ve been watching the announcements from my congressman, Rep. Jim Renacci, but so far this year I’ve not been offered the opportunity to ask Renacci about important question like how he intends to protect his constituents like me (those who are not worth #31.62 million) who don’t rate special invitations to campaign meetings falsely touted as town-hall meetings.

Jen Hayden writes in Constituents angry after Ohio Republican raves about ‘great town hall’ he forgot to tell them about:

Another Republican held a super secret, invite-only event and tried to bill it as a “town hall” event. Rep. Jim Renacci (OH-16) shared a photo on his Facebook page this morning touting his “great town hall this morning with concerned citizens about the need for tax reform.”

Because unlike all the other districts in the United States, Jim Renacci’s constituents aren’t focused on the effects of repealing the Affordable Care Act. Or the unconstitutional Muslim travel ban. Or the dangerously unqualified Trump administration and Donald Trump’s infinite conflicts of interest and pathway to corruption. Rep. Renacci’s constituents are intensely focused on tax reform!

Topic aside, constituents angrily responded to the photo because the event was never on his calendar, did not appear open to the public and there was no notification of the event. They let him know they were NOT happy.

I called and asked about when you were having a town hall and was told none were scheduled. Christine in your office said this was NOT a town hall, but was a campaign event. When will you be having an actual town hall open to the public? The website does not list any upcoming.

Your constituents don’t care about “tax reform”, James. Why don’t you announce your meetings in advance? Why don’t you address things that really concern people?

You can hardly call it a town hall if you don’t invite the public.

Why wasn’t this open to the public? Nothing listed on your website… Remember, you do work for us: the voters!

A tipster tells us she called his office and they are now singing a different tune, telling the caller (a constituent of Rep. Renacci) that the event has a “private campaign event” for the congressman in his district. A campaign event for an election 634 days a way? A better way to get re-elected would be to hold a real town hall, the one his constituents have asked for time and time and time again and start advancing legislations and policies that will help them, not harm them.

Renacci seeks the GOP nomination to run for the office of governor of Ohio. He can’t hide like this forever.

*Ranked as the 13th wealthiest congressman in the House of Representatives.

Previously…

Robert Owen Butler talks about entering the dream when he considering his writing routine. Simenon seems to be talking much about the same when he speaks of his own process in preparing to write a novel. I’ve also found this idea in the writings of Walter Mosley.

The Paris Review: “The Art Of Fiction No. 9” with Georges Simenon:

INTERVIEWER: You have shown me the manila envelopes you use in starting novels. Before you actually begin writing, how much have you been working consciously on the plan of that particular novel?

SIMENON: As you suggest, we have to distinguish here between consciously and unconsciously. Unconsciously I probably always have two or three, not novels, not ideas about novels, but themes in my mind. I never even think that they might serve for a novel; more exactly, they are the things about which I worry. Two days before I start writing a novel I consciously take up one of those ideas. But even before I consciously take it up I first find some atmosphere. Today there is a little sunshine here. I might remember such-and-such a spring, maybe in some small Italian town, or some place in the French provinces or in Arizona, I don’t know, and then, little by little, a small world will come into my mind, with a few characters. Those characters will be taken partly from people I have known and partly from pure imagination—you know, it’s a complex of both. And then the idea I had before will come and stick around them. They will have the same problem I have in my mind myself. And the problem—with those people—will give me the novel.

INTERVIEWER: This is a couple of days before?

SIMENON: Yes, a couple of days. Because as soon as I have the beginning I can’t bear it very long; so the next day I take my envelope, take my telephone book for names, and take my town map—you know, to see exactly where things happen. And two days later I begin writing. And the beginning will be always the same; it is almost a geometrical problem: I have such a man, such a woman, in such surroundings. What can happen to them to oblige them to go to their limit? That’s the question. It will be sometimes a very simple incident, anything which will change their lives. Then I write my novel chapter by chapter.

INTERVIEWER: What has gone on the planning envelope? Not an outline of the action?

SIMENON: No, no. I know nothing about the events when I begin the novel. On the envelope I put only the names of the characters, their ages, their families. I know nothing whatever about the events that will occur later. Otherwise it would not be interesting to me.

INTERVIEWER: When do the incidents begin to form?

SIMENON: On the eve of the first day I know what will happen in the first chapter. Then, day after day, chapter after chapter, I find what comes later. After I have started a novel I write a chapter each day, without ever missing a day. Because it is a strain, I have to keep pace with the novel. If, for example, I am ill for forty-eight hours, I have to throw away the previous chapters. And I never return to that novel.

I do like the idea of using a manila envelope, if for no other reason that the notes don’t scatter if dropped.

Found in my electronic chapbook…

Citizens in Rep. Jim Renacci’s district want to talk to him. Renacci, however, has gone to ground and is only speaking through tele-townhall meetings where, like radio shows with broadcast delays, his staff can control who gets to ask questions that Renacci likes.

Vicki Boatright and Lorraine Wilburn, reporting in Gibbs, Renacci should listen to constituents’ concerns for the Canton Repository, write:

Resistors are local people who care about their families, their communities, their country and their world.

Judy is an Army veteran whose young son is a cancer survivor. Affordable healthcare is a serious and very real issue for her, considering the fact that her son will carry the mantle of a preexisting condition with him for his entire life.

Beth is a small business owner whose chronic health conditions would exclude her from most health plans that existed before the Affordable Care Act came into being. Healthcare is a very serious and personal issue for her as well.

Jenna is a mental health therapist. She sees clients daily who, by virtue of the ACA, are able to receive life changing treatment. Not only are they able to improve their personal well being through the care that they receive, they are also more able to function as contributing members of society.

These three women are representative of the many local people seeking a public audience with their congressmen, Bob Gibbs (District 7) and Jim Renacci (District 16). They are people who care about their families, their communities, their country and their world. Concerned about the radical changes to the American way of life promoted by the Trump Administration and Republican Congress, millions of everyday people like Judy, Beth and Jenna have joined a movement across the country to resist what they believe is destructive change.

Renacci thinks he’s going to run for governor of Ohio. Does he really believe he can seek an office where he will represent all Ohioans while dodging the legitimate concerns of the constituents that he already represents?

I don’t thinks so.

Previously…

There is also Marta Bausells’ Best writers’ sheds—in pictures for The Guardian (you can see the interior of the re-created Walden cabin here.) If you’re interested in writers and their machines, take a look Bausells’ Typewriters and their owners: famous authors at work—in pictures

The 60 hours John Boyne references in his quote below produced the first draft of Boy In the Striped Pajamas. The comment I left on the piece said that as a writer, I would really like to see the manuscript produced by those 60 hours.

Boyne, writing in I began on Wednesday morning and wrote for 60 hours for The Guardian, relates:

My only break from writing comes when I finish the first draft and I take about a month off then as I can’t think straight any more. When I return to the manuscript, I see it in the way that a sculptor views a block of stone: it’s nothing right now but inside, hopefully, there is something beautiful to be found. The second draft is my favourite; it takes the longest to complete but it’s where the story and the characters begin to take shape. In general, I write about 10 drafts before showing it to my editor. Some writers want feedback earlier, but I prefer to wait before letting a reader in.

Recognizing that the writing the first draft is akin to quarrying a block of marble, to me, seems a helpful image.

Yesterday my congressman in the House of Representatives, Jim Renacci, published Commentary: Ensuring veterans get the support they need in Wooster, Ohio’s The Daily Record. I left this comment:

Good morning,

I’m one of the veterans that Rep. Renacci pretends to support. I receive excellent health care from the Veterans Administration here in Northeast Ohio, and while no agency is perfect, I can only applaud the care and professionalism of the staff and volunteers at both the Louis Stokes Cleveland VA Medical Center in Wade Park and Parma Multi-Specialty Outpatient Clinic.

Rep. Renacci hit the nail on the head when he wrote in his second sentence: My priority is that all veterans are receiving the proper benefits and health care that’s accessible to them. The key word here is proper. What is proper? I am covered by the VA because I have a service-connected disability. The vast majority of veterans—despite their sacrifice—do not qualify for VA health care because they do not have a service-connected disability. Congress (and that includes Rep. Renacci and his VA Accountability First Act of 2017) has never mandated that all veterans be covered for their health care needs.

One of the consequences of Rep. Renacci’s decision to not withhold support for the disastrous Trumpcare bill would, if the bill has been voted on and passed, have been to kick hundreds of thousands of veterans (including tens of thousands here in Ohio) off the Medicare rolls expanded by President Obama under the Affordable Healthcare Act.

Rep. Renacci is right. There is no greater sacrifice our young men and women can choose to make—a choice Renacci did not make—than to enlist in our armed services. If he truly wishes to honor these American heroes, then Rep. Renacci should sponsor a bill giving all veterans access to the VA system and then fully fund the expansion that such a move would demand.

Then veterans might think he means what he says.

Jeff Hess

Previously…

The main event begins at timemark 00:39:32.

Akilah Johnson and Felicia Gans, reporting in Sanders and Warren join to rally faithful supporters for The Boston Globe, write:

It was as if the 2016 campaign never stopped. The cheering crowds were there. There were soaring speeches too, as Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont railed against the billionaire class, and demanded health care for all and free college tuition.

Even the presidential primary’s typical weather, a cascade of wet snow, fell outside, unseasonably late.

But this time, by Sanders’ side was Senator Elizabeth Warren—appearing together as two progressive rock stars rallying their faithful Friday evening.

“We believe that democracy is not for sale, that we must overturn Citizens United, we must return this government to the people, and that’s why I wanted to be here with my friend, Bernie Sanders,” Warren called out, as the crowd erupted in chants of “Bernie! Bernie!”

It was as if the 2016 campaign never stopped Friday. The loyal crowds were there. The anti-establishment rhetoric too.

“You can tell the quality of a person by the enemies she makes,’’ Sanders said. “And to her credit, Elizabeth Warren has made some wonderful enemies.’’

Less than a year ago, Warren declined to endorse Sanders’ candidacy, backing his opponent, Hillary Clinton, in the end.

Sanders talked about the election he—and Democrats—lost last year, as well as the contest that Warren will face in 2018.

The Vermont senator, a self-described democratic socialist who caucuses with the Democrats in the Senate, sharply criticized the Democratic Party.

“Trump did not win the presidency. The Democratic Party lost the presidency,” Sanders said during an afternoon discussion moderated by the Globe’s James Pindell at the EMK Institute.

Friday night, amid cheering, whistling, and “Bernie” chants, Sanders proposed a restructuring of the Democratic Party, one he said would be made up of the working class, rather than the “liberal elite.”

“And when we do that, when we transform the Democratic Party, we transform America,” he told a 1,600-person audience at a rally in the Orpheum Theatre.

[snip…]

Sanders called Trump a “fraud,” but he said the president was able to figure out what Democrats could not: Too many Americans are struggling economically and are frustrated, angry, and “living in despair.”

“If you sit home and think Donald Trump won because all of the people who voted for him are racists or sexists or homophobes, I think you got it wrong. What he did is he developed campaign rhetoric and proposals . . . that addressed some of those issues,” he said.

“The only problem is that Donald Trump lied,” Sanders continued. “He told the American people during his campaign one thing, and the day after he was inaugurated he began to move this country in a very different way.”

I’ve only watched the rally once. There were many moments when I wanted to hit pause so that I could take notes of key moments, but I resisted that impulse because I knew that staying in the moment was important. I’m going to re-watch the rally later today and take those notes because I think key moments ought to be given attention.

After you’ve watched, please leave a comment on what you think were the important bits for both sens. Warren and Sanders.

I’ve written earlier about North Dakota’s assaults on our Constitution including changes sought to protect people from prosecution—see 16 January—if they happen to use their vehicle to run over lawful protesters.

As I was updating my list of stories surrounding the Dakota Access Pipe Line this morning, I came across David Blackmon’s A New Controversy Rises As Oil Begins To Flow Through Dakota Access Pipeline for Fortune magazine. He writes:

The question now is, with the State of North Dakota estimating that it and local authorities have incurred more than $38 million in costs related to the policing of the protesters and cleanup of the massive mess they made at Oceti Sakowin and other protest camps, who is ultimately going to pay the bill?

Mike Nowatski, a spokesman for North Dakota Governor Doug Borgum, said that “all options are on the table” as far as the state is concerned, and that “the governor’s office has been in discussions with both the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and White House officials to emphasize the state’s position that federal reimbursement is warranted.”

We know for certain who won’t be paying, and that is the protesters and the various conflict groups, like Earthjustice, Greenpeace, Sierra Club, and 350.org, who organized and paid many of them to engage in often-violent actions that led to more than 700 arrests during the course of the protest action. Conflict groups like these raised millions from donors related to the protest action, but shortcomings in federal law [Feckin’ shortcomings? Really? JH]deprive the government of any legal recourse against the organizers or the thousands of protesters who left behind more than 2,000 cubic yards of garbage, large quantities of buried human waste, 44 abandoned vehicles and at least a dozen abandoned dogs.

Hopefully, congress will review the lessons learned from this disruptive and costly protest action and enact laws that enable the government to hold these conflict groups financially liable for the messes they help to create. Everyone has the first amendment right to peaceful protest, but that right does not extend to willful violation of law and destruction of property. [Says who? JH]

North Dakota would like to change our First Amendment to read:

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble [as long as they agree, and are capable of, fully reimbursing all Federal, State and Local governmental agencies for all costs associated with the peaceable assembly], and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

This is the governmental equivalent of the corporatist’s SLAPP suit.

A strategic lawsuit against public participation (SLAPP) is a lawsuit that is intended to censor, intimidate, and silence critics by burdening them with the cost of a legal defense until they abandon their criticism or opposition.[1] Such lawsuits have been made illegal in many jurisdictions on the grounds that they impede freedom of speech. [Emphasis mine, JH]

This is just one reason why the fight over the Supreme Court Of The United States is vita.

So, the environmental protests surround the construction of the Dakota Access Pipe Line moved elsewhere following the closer of the Stand Rock camp about a month ago. The fight is far from over and I thought I ought to write a front-page, omnibus post of events since the closing. (The headlines can be regularly found here.)

30 March—Bruised But Not Broken, Dakota Access Line Foes Turn to Keystone.
29 March—Native American lecture Saturday at First Congregational Church.
28 March—Oil Is Officially Running Through the Dakota Access Pipeline.
27 March—Protesters Ready to Put ‘Bodies on the Line’ to Block… Pipeline.
26 March—Norwegian Bank DNB Sells Its Share of Dakota Pipeline Funding.
25 March—North Dakota spill bigger than expected.
24 March—Veterans Vow Fight Against Dakota Access Pipeline Isn’t Over.

23 March—Pipeline opponents tell QVCC students to ‘be the change you want.’
22 March—5 Water Warriors Defending Rights from North Dakota to Chile.
21 March—Dakota Access pipeline: ING sells stake in… victory for divestment push.
20 March—A New Controversy Rises As Oil Begins To Flow Through DAPL.
19 March—Indigenous Storytelling and Law Symposium speaks to optimism…
18 March—Aftermath of DAPL protest continues for farmers & ranchers.
17 March—Standing Rock Chairman Speaks Out Against Pro-DAPL Rumors.
16 March—Next Steps in Battle Against Dakota Access and Keystone Pipelines.
15 March—San Francisco Votes to Divest $1.2 Billion from Dakota Access.

Todd Michney reached out to me (and through Have Coffee Will Write, Cleveland’s treasure Roldo Bartimole) about his book: Surrogate Suburbs:Black Upward Mobility and Neighborhood Change in Cleveland, 1900–1980 from the University of North Carolina Press.

Michney wrote:

Dear Jeff,

I came across your blog in looking up Roldo Bartimole’s contact information; I wanted him (and/or you) to know about my book which has just come out, Surrogate Suburbs: Black Upward Mobility and Neighborhood Change in Cleveland, 1900-1980 (University of North Carolina Press).

I tell the stories of striving African American families moving into outlying city neighborhoods like Glenville, Mount Pleasant, and Lee-Harvard in search of better opportunities and living conditions beginning around the turn of the century, and especially after World War II; these places served as “surrogate” suburbs until certain bona fide suburbs like East Cleveland, Shaker Heights, Warrensville Heights, etc. became more open to them. In the process, they confronted racism and a variety of other challenges in pursuing their goals.

I thought that Roldo with his deep knowledge of Cleveland politics might be interested in my book. If so, please let me know where I might have a copy sent — and whether you also have any interest in the topic (or if you would be willing to share contact info for anyone else potentially interested).

Thank you,

Todd M. Michney, Ph.D.
Visiting Assistant Professor, School of History and Sociology
Georgia Institute of Technology

In October, Michney spoke about his book at Cleveland State University’s Maxine Goodman Levin College of Urban Affairs. Here are Part I and Part II of that presentation. Michney also spoke at the Harvard Community Services Center: Part I and Part II.

Thomas Lodato interviewed Michney about his book for The Georgia Tech Center For Urban Innovation in December.

I’ve forwarded the message to Roldo and requested a copy of the book. I’ll let you know what I (and hopefully Roldo) think after I’ve finished reading. Richard Andrews of The Real Deal is also reading the book and I’ll add a link to his review when he makes his thoughts available.

Yashar Ali, reporting in What George W. Bush Really Thought of Donald Trump’s Inauguration for New York Magazine writes:

The inauguration of Donald Trump was a surreal experience for pretty much everyone who witnessed it, whether or not they were at the event and regardless of who they supported in the election. On the dais, the stoic presence of Hillary Clinton — whom candidate Trump had said he would send to prison if he took office — underlined the strangeness of the moment. George W. Bush, also savaged by Trump during the campaign, was there too. He gave the same reason for attending that Bill and Hillary Clinton did: to honor the peaceful transfer of power.

Bush’s endearing struggle with his poncho at the event quickly became a meme, prompting many Democrats on social media to admit that they already pined for the relative normalcy of his administration. Following Trump’s short and dire speech, Bush departed the scene and never offered public comment on the ceremony.

But, according to three people who were present, Bush gave a brief assessment of Trump’s inaugural after leaving the dais: “That was some weird shit.” [Emphasis mine, JH] All three heard him say it.

And here we are at day 71.

Here’s what The Atlanta Journal Constitution had to say about the passage of HB 827, Georgia’s Rape Kit bill:

It had the overwhelming support of bipartisan lawmakers, buy-in from law enforcement and hospital groups, and backing from Gov. Nathan Deal. And yet legislation to require police to find and count untested sexual assault evidence almost didn’t become law in Georgia this year.

The rape kit bill, which Deal is set to sign into law Tuesday, proves yet again that even the most seemingly innocuous proposals can stir up major controversy under the Gold Dome.

“You get personalities involved. You get personal feelings involved. You get power struggles — I’ve seen it happen over and over again,” said George Hooks, a legislative historian who spent 32 years in the state Senate. “Sometimes that gets good legislation blocked. This time it didn’t.”

The legislation was spurred in part by an Atlanta Journal-Constitution investigation last year that found more than 1,400 kits went untested at Grady Memorial Hospital — even though victims wanted them transferred to law enforcement. Police had failed to pick them up, and the hospital was keeping them on the mistaken belief that federal regulations barred their release.

Reporter Greg Bluestein details how the process was saved from the hurt feelings of state senator Renee Unterman:

It seemed on the fast track after it breezed through the House on a 160-0 vote in late February, but it was blocked in the state Senate by state Sen. Renee Unterman, a Buford Republican who surprised, then enraged, supporters of the bill by digging in as the pressure mounted.

Unterman, who serves as chairwoman of the Senate health committee charged with vetting the legislation, contended there was no need for a statewide measure to solve a problem arising from an Atlanta hospital, although untested rape kit evidence was found across the state. She said a federal grant was funding work to clear the backlog.

She also accused Democratic state Rep. Scott Holcomb, the main sponsor of the bill and considered a rising star in his party, of politicizing the debate. In an interview, Unterman repeatedly pointed to her record shepherding women’s rights issues through the Legislature and said she was unfairly painted as an obstacle for opposing a measure she felt wasn’t necessary.

”The Democrats used it. They exploited the issue, and they used it as a wedge issue. I think that’s pretty sad that they politicized something as volatile as rape,” said Unterman, until this year the sole Republican woman in her chamber.

“If anyone could step up to the plate and do something about it,” she said, “I’m the one who would have done it.”

Soon, the opposition became the butt of late-night talk shows. Political satirist Samantha Bee lampooned her by name on her TBS show “Full Frontal,” and Unterman and her Republican allies were bombarded with emails and social media messages urging her to change her stance. It quickly raised the stakes and made the debate a national story line.

See? Revolution works!

Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren are the anti-Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton of American politics.

Reporting for The Boston Glovbe, James Pindell writes in Warren, Sanders to appear together at Boston rally Friday:

Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren will join Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders for a political rally in Boston that will join the nation’s leading political progressives under one roof.

The rally, sponsored by Sanders’ political non-profit Our Revolution and Raise Up Massachusetts, will take place at 7:30 p.m. Friday at the Orpheum Theater in Downtown Crossing.

The rally will end an active day in the area for Sanders. Earlier in the day he will give a speech and take questions at the Edward M. Kennedy Institute for the U.S. Senate in Dorchester. Later, he will attend a book signing at MIT.

Sanders and Warren have worked closely alongside each other in the Senate, but many of his supporters were disappointed that she never endorsed his presidential campaign in 2016.

I was one of those Warren supporters who was deeply disappointed by her failure to endorse the candidate who could have made a difference. Hopefully we’ll see that change tomorrow night.

No. Not Derf’s cartoon, this.

I’ve long been an advocate for buying local, for keeping the money I spend in the local economy and not sending my dollars out of state and out of the country to benefit people who are not my neighbors. This morning I was going to post Derf’s work with a link to the rationale for shopping local. I Googled economics of buying local expecting to find a link like this—Buying Local: How It Boosts the Economy—got surprised by the links that came out on top:

Karen Selick, The Buy-Locally-Owned Fallacy;
‘Buy Local’ Is Really Bad Economics;
Why Buy Local?; and
The Buy Local Fallacy.

Clearly, the number of people encouraged by the Buy Local story is growing and those who benefit most from Global Capitalism are paying shills to do their best to muddy the waters. Recently I was looking for a particular object—a three-by-five file box that was at least 12-inches deep—and I took the time to check locally first. I didn’t find what I wanted (and I still didn’t go to Office Max or some other big box store to look), but I did have a conversation with a local owner about why I was taking the time to look locally when I could find the item on line with a few mouse clicks. (Shopping at Amazon is actually worse than shopping at Walmart.)

The owner was appreciative, but I was surprised that she was not familiar with the buy local philosophy. Everyone needs to be better informed because we can’t let the Global Capitalists turkeys get us down.

Sure, I’m posting a video from a comedy show hosted by a South African, but the message is deadly (literally deadly) serious. President Donald John Trump in ending the fake war on coal has declared war on all Americans and the rest of the world. To pretend he’s saving 70,000 jobs (which we should not simply destroy but replace with meaningful, well-paying employment) President Trump has thumbed his nose at the 650,000-job growth industry: renewable energy and issued a great fuck you all to every citizen of the planet who enjoys breathing.

Spring is going to be a lot hotter in Washington this year.

From Jamie Hern at 350.org:

Friends,

Donald Trump’s attacks on people and planet are getting bolder by the day. So are we.

Yesterday he issued an executive order to try and rip apart the Clean Power Plan, the moratorium on coal mining, and other protections for our basic rights to clean air and water. And last week he approved the federal permit for Keystone XL.

On April 29th there will be a full-scale mobilization against every part of Trump’s vicious fossil fuel agenda, and we will show the strength and determination of our opposition.

Today is exactly one month until the Peoples Climate March happening in Washington, DC and across the country, and 100,000 people have already signed up. We want you with us—go here to join this epic wave of action.

If you need help getting to DC, there’s a bus stopping near Cleveland—To find a bus to get to DC, go here.

Trump’s actions are a disaster for all of us—but they hurt low-income communities, communities of color, and workers the most. Trump and his administration’s climate denial is racist, classist, and flat out dangerous.

None of these things are a done deal – no matter what Trump says. It would take a year to get to dismantling the Clean Power Plan and expand coal mining the way Trump wants. The Keystone XL pipeline still needs a permit in Nebraska to get built.

The Trump Administration wants to shock us into despair and inaction, but since inauguration we’ve seen what can happen when people in this country mobilize: Trumpcare? Withdrawn. Muslim ban? Blocked. Next we’re taking on Keystone XL, coal expansion, rollbacks to our basic rights to clean air and water—Trump’s entire fossil fuel agenda.

People power works. At the Peoples Climate March, we can show our determination and unity, and transform it into real political power.

The Trump Administration will not be able to keep its promises to their fossil fuel industry backers. Clean energy is on the rise everywhere you look. We will continue our unshakable opposition on the ground, and in the courts—every pipeline, every coal mine, every time.

Game on.

Jamie

My own representative, Jim Renacci (OH-16) should be paying very close attention.