Category: government

USA 250

Vote for Democracy #58

(Photo by Lucas Sankey on Unsplash)

When the United States celebrated our Bicentennial in 1976, I was a teenager. There were many local activities in my small, rural New England town, spread out over the year. There were also many events in Washington and other major cities that were on television and covered in print publications. The country was recovering from the Vietnam War and Watergate. There was progress being made on civil rights for women and minorities. Things felt hopeful and celebratory. Granted, this was a small-town girl viewpoint at the time, but it was my experience of the country’s 200th birthday.

Today, on the 250th anniversary, the Semiquincentennial (or half-500 for those of you not into Latin), I find that celebrating is not a thing I can do. The level of public government corruption is staggering. Large corporations and their founders/CEOs are exploiting their workers and the public to amass unimaginable wealth while barely paying any taxes to help civil society function. Immigrants, women, people of color, members of the LGBTQIA+ community, and those who follow any religion or philosophy other than a particular subset of evangelical/fundamentalist Christianity are losing legal protection, their civil rights, and, sometimes, even life and liberty, due to the egregious failures of the Trump administration and their sycophants in Congress, the courts, and state and local governments.

There are, however, two things that give me some hope.

The first is recognition that the United States has weathered major assaults on our democratic republic before, with the Civil War being the most prominent example. There have also been other times when fascism threatened, such as during the 1930s-40s. I can only imagine what it must have been like for people in the US in those times, living with those dangers and unsure how things would resolve. I wonder if they felt similarly to the way I and millions of others feel now. Knowing the country has made it through other crises gives me some hope that we can do it again.

The other source of hope is the millions upon millions of people who are rallying, calling out corruption, advocating for change, and helping their neighbors in these fraught times. I’m grateful for the prominent public figures, journalists, and writers who are speaking out, reporting on what is happening to the country, and sirring others to action. Addressing the damage Trump and his minions have caused will be a long, difficult slog in the coming years but smart and principled people are laying the groundwork for needed changes to shore up our democracy. Many things that prior administrations observed as ethical norms will need to be codified into law with means to compel compliance. Legislative procdures will need reform so that one party or faction can’t block or steamroll bills. Voting rights need to be strengthened and districts drawn to give voice to cohesive, local communities. Civil rights need to be universally upheld. The Supreme Court must be reformed and recent, unconstitutional decisions overturned. The tax system must be overhauled so that weathy individuals and corporations pay their fair share. The social safety net must be strengthened so that no one lacks basic necessities, educational access, medical care, and a dignified life. The United States must act responsibly with other countries, abide by our treaties and trade agreements, assist our allies, aid those in need, work to reduce pollution and protect global climate, and use our military to promote peace. Realistic, humane, and comprehensive immigration reform, including a path of citizenship, must be enacted and implemented. There needs to be some mechanism for accountability for those who acted illegally or unethically, whether that becomes a truth and reconciliation commission or can be accomplished through federal or state courts. The federal courts may be constrained by unethical Trump pardons – and, by the way, there need to be limits put on presidential pardons so that they return to their traditional use as being a means to show mercy to people who had been convicted of crimes who expressed remorse and, usually, had completed their sentence or who had been given harsh sentences for non-violent crimes.

All that and more…

A lot of work but still a belief in the promise of “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness” from the Declaration of Independence and the “more perfect union” that “promote[s] the general welfare” from the Preamble to the Constitution.

In honor of the 250th anniversary, we need to speak out, vote, and act for democracy so that the world’s oldest democracy continues to be one. I can’t guarantee another 250 years, although I can hope for it.

If you are in the US, please join in. If you are in another place, please remember that there are many here who oppose Donald Trump’s destruction and corruption. We will do all we can to re-join you as a nation of values, generosity, and good will soon.

The Revolution Will Be Poeticized

(Graphic credit: WSKG Public Media)

WSKG, our local public broadcaster serving the Southern Tier of New York and Northern Tier of Pennsylvania, sponsored a call for poets in our region as we observe the semiquincentennial of the United States of America.

The call asked for poems addressing one or more of these themes:

Looking Back: history, founding ideals, and untold stories

Right Now: modern America, democracy today, and lived experience

Looking Forward: hopes for future generations.

They received 163 submissions from 25 counties, which I thought was a very impressive showing from our region’s poets!

You can read the ten winning entries here and listen to recordings of their work, nine as of July 2nd, here. (The link to the recordings may not be a permalink, but should work through July, 2026, at least.)

All the submissions were compiled into an anthology. At over 200 pages, it shows the breadth of talent from our region.

For my entry, I combined all three themes around the concept of women’s rights. I intentional wrote two 13-line stanzas, in honor of the 13 colonies that became states. Because I chose to only use the first names of the people I referenced, I also included an explanatory note.

We Work and Wait
by Joanne Corey

Remember the ladies, Abigail
wrote John before the Declaration
but after Sojourner, Elizabeth, Susan
and their sisters of the First Wave
Betty, Gloria, Angela
and their sisters of the Second Wave
Judith, Rebecca, Amy
and their sisters of the Third Wave
Tarana, Wendy, Jessica
and their siblings of the Fourth Wave
and the passage of 250 years
women still work toward
their full independence.

When Shirley ran in ‘72
my girl-self thought soon
but as Wave after Wave
crashed against that
highest, hardest glass ceiling
it inexplicably held.
Will it be my daughters
or my granddaughters
who see the First Ms.
President, the Second
Third, Fourth? So many
they don’t think
to keep count.

Note: People referenced in this poem in order of appearance: Abigail Adams, John Adams, Sojourner Truth, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Susan B. Anthony, Betty Friedan, Gloria Steinem, Angela Davis, Judith Butler, Rebecca Walker, Amy Richards, Tarana Burke, Wendy Davis, Jessica Valenti, Shirley Chisholm. Quote from Hillary Rodham Clinton’s 2016 concession speech.

I’m grateful to WSKG for this project and the opportunity to respond creatively and share poems with the community. I hope you engage with the arts, whether as a creator or an interactor, at this critical moment in United States history.

One-Liner Wednesday: We

The single most powerful word in our democracy is the word ‘We.’ ‘We The People.’ ‘We Shall Overcome.’ ‘Yes We Can.’ That word is owned by no one. It belongs to everyone. Oh, what a glorious task we are given to continually try to improve this great nation of ours.

US President Barack Obama, excerpted from a 2015 speech on the 50th anniversary of the Selma to Montgomery, Alabama voting rights march and now part of the quote on the outside of the main building of the Obama Presidential Center on the South Side of Chicago, Illinois
*****
This somewhat-longer-than-one-liner is brought to you as part of Linda’s One-Liner Wednesday series. Join us! Find out more here: https://lindaghill.com/2026/06/24/one-liner-wednesday-if/

presidential contrasts

Vote for Democary #58

(Photo by Lucas Sankey on Unsplash)

Donald Trump has been corrupt for a long time but, in his second administration, they don’t even try to hide it. The crypto schemes. Donors getting big contracts from the government, sometimes without any competitive bidding. The president promoting companies in which he is invested. The tearing down of the East Wing without proper authority and using taxpayer funds to build a ballroom after saying it would be privately funded. Not spending funds that Congress had authorized, such as ending USAID, which has resulted in untold deaths when critical health and nutrition programs overseas were cut. The president and his family profiting from his presidency so that they are over a billion dollars richer. Deporting people without due process. Lying over and over about individuals, groups, and countries. Starting a war without authorization or public support. Investigating people without cause. Ignoring court orders. Filing a bogus lawsuit to try to wrangle a deal to create a $1.776 billion slush fund to dole out to supporters along with an agreement that any past tax malfeasance from Trump, his family, and his businesses could not be investigated. I could go on, but you get the idea.

In contrast, last week saw the official opening of the Obama Presidential Center on the South Side of Chicago. While most presidents have a library, President Obama chose to create a community center with a park, public spaces for a variety of activities, a museum, and a public library branch stocked with some of the President’s favorite books. There will also be a digital archive of presidential papers, replacing the prior practice of having them all on paper. The opening ceremony on June 18, 2026 was a joyous celebration with music and inspirational speeches, including from Barack and Michelle Obama. The Center opened for visitors the next day, which is a national holiday commemorating Juneteenth, the day in 1865 when Black people who had been enslaved in Galveston Bay, Texas, learned that they had been freed by Lincoln’s Final Emancipation Proclamation of Jan. 1, 1863.

It was heartening to see people from across the country and the world come together to celebrate being in community, upholding the common good, and nurturing present and future generations. It was also a reminder, with our nation’s 250th birthday only days away, that we can make progress as “We the People” toward “a more perfect union,” despite the current administration’s malfeasance.

It’s time for all people of good will to stand up for each other, especially for those most vulnerable, and reject those who would supress or divide us.

Together, we can do it.

Bolt 70,000

Our 2017 Chevy Bolt just passed 70,000 miles (about 113,000 kilometers). We still love driving it and hope to keep it for years to come.

With gas prices as expensive as they are these days, it’s especially nice to be driving an electric vehicle. Bonus: we own solar panels in a community solar farm, so charging at home is very inexpensive.

I’m just hoping that, when we do decide to replace our Bolt, we will have lots of EVs from which to choose. EVs are winning increasing market share in most of the rest of the world, so the United States will be playing catch-up after the damage the Trump administration has done to the EV industry.

Voting challenges

Vote for Democracy #57


(Photo by Lucas Sankey on Unsplash)

The United States is facing even more serious challenges to our election system.

The US Supreme Court’s 6-3 decision in Callais has set off a spate of redistricting in southern states which, while they are being labeled as partisan, are effectively race-based, even though primary elections are very close, or, as in Louisiana, already underway. All of these states are looking to cut down the number of Democrats and Black elected officials.

This morning, the Virginia Supreme Court struck down the April vote that would have redistricted that state and potentially added more Democrats to the US House of Representatives in the midterm elections in November.

It’s very discouraging because Trump and the Republicans are actively trying to stay in power through manipulating the electoral system, even though their policies are increasingly harmful and unpopular.

It’s time for citizens to take back their electoral power. Given that new district lines will make it more difficult for Democrats and people of color to elect their preferred candidates, voter turnout will be crucial. It may, though, not be sufficient to overcome these new obstacles. Voters who are registered as Republicans need to vote against all Republican nominees who favor these unfair and unconstitutional policies and help elect officials who believe in the principle of one person, one vote and who will uphold our civil liberties and rights.

I admit that this is a discouraging time in our efforts to uphold democracy but we must keep working on it. As Joyce Vance titled her recent book, Giving Up Is Unforgivable.

One-Liner Wednesday: what leads to strongmen

“Gross inequalities of income, wealth, and opportunity fuel the gross inequalities of political power that lead to strongmen who destroy both democracy and freedom.”
~~~Robert Reich

Join us for Linda’s One-Liner Wednesdays! Find out more here: https://lindaghill.com/2026/05/06/one-liner-wednesday-is-that-indiana-jones/

May Day!

Vote for Democrary #56

While May 1st is observed around the world as International Workers’ Day, it’s usually not a big thing in the United States, which observes Labor Day the first Monday in September.

This year is different.

Indivisible and other organizations are spearheading May Day Strong, calling for no work, no school, and no shopping today. There will be rallies in some places for those who are able with others, like me, participating from home. I’m wearing my “Presidents are not Kings” shirt and refraining from shopping today. (No work and no school are every day things for me.)

One of the messages today is “Workers over Billionaires.” The hope is that a show of economic power will draw attention to the unfair tax structure in the United States and the undue influence that wealthy individuals and corporations have over our government. This is also tied to current abuses of power by the government, trying to strip rights and protections under the law and interfere with elections.

As it happens, May 1st is also observed as Law Day in the United States. The Amercian Bar Association explains this year’s theme:

The 2026 Law Day theme is “The Rule of Law and the American Dream.” The rule of law—the idea that no person is above the law—is what ensures the rights of the people to live their lives as freely as possible and to pursue their dreams. The ABA encourages all Americans to recognize Law Day on May 1, 2026, and to reflect on how the rule of law ensures all Americans have the ability to fulfill their dreams.

This dovetails well with the May Day actions and No Kings, Hands Off, and other rallies that have been happening during Trump’s second term. Law Day seems even more urgent this year with the lawlessness of immigration enforcement and detention/deportation without due process, election interference, the gutting of the Voting Rights Act, and the decisions of the Supreme Court that fly in the face of precedence and the Constitution.

I don’t know what the impact of this May Day and Law Day will bring but I am looking at it as another step in the movement to restore the rights and freedoms of the American people, taking back the power from the corrupting influence of autocrats and oligarchs.

There is a third thing about May 1st that is important to me. It’s the first day of EDS & HSD Awareness Month. (EDS is Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome; HSD is the related diagnosis of Hypermobility Spectrum Disorder.) I was diagnosed with hypermobile EDS (hEDS) in January, although as a genetic connective tissue disorder, it has always been there. I hope to do several posts this month to continue to raise awareness and to update my readers about my current treatment trajectory.

Of course, there will be more posts in my Vote for Democracy series, too. The caveat is that there will never be as many posts as I would like, unless/until I can clear the brain fog and get more energy back. There will be other topics popping up, as well. You can never tell what might be at the top of JC’s Mind!

Or maybe you can….

One-Liner Wednesday: Congress, convene!

While I’m grateful that a partial ceasefire was declared in the Middle East yesterday, I call on the United States Congress to immediately return to Washington to remove Trump from office because he publicly threatend destruction of a civilization, also known as genocide, in violation of international and United States law.

Join us for Linda’s One-Liner Wednesdays! While this particular post of mine is very serious, many of the posts in this series are more fun or have lovely photos. Learn more about the series here: https://lindaghill.com/2026/04/08/one-liner-wednesday-im-not-opening-up/

No to war and war crimes!

Vote for Democracy #55

(Photo by Lucas Sankey on Unsplash)

I wanted to add my voice to the millions in the United States and around the world that I am opposed to Trump and Israel’s war against Iran.

In particular, I want to say that it is absolutely unacceptable to bomb infrastructure that civilians use, such as power plants, roads, bridges, and desalination plants. To do so is a war crime, as recogonized by both US and international law. Military leaders given such orders have a duty to refuse them because they are illegal.

I have long feared that Trump is mentally ill and it seems his condition is deteriorating. He should be removed from office by the 25th amendment which provides for the removal from office of a president who is unfit to serve.

I fear, though, that no one will intervene and Trump will perpetrate war crimes against the Iranian public. As a US citizen, this action is undertaken in my name but I am disavowing it here, not that I expect it to have any impact.

I appreciate Pope Leo speaking so forcefully and so often on behalf of peace. If only Trump would listen to him and the millions of others trying to avert any more war, death, and destruction.