All Is Quiet At The Capital - No Assault, Unlike 4 Years Ago

Donald J. Trump’s presidential win was certified today without incident. To paraphrase House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, this cycle saw “no election deniers”—a stark contrast to four years ago when 147 Republican members of Congress voted against certifying Joe Biden’s victory.

These 147 Republicans rejected the certification, not on the basis of facts, but fueled by falsehoods and deceit ushered in by Donald Trump. Their votes against certification represented, arguably, an attack on the very foundations of our democratic republic (DR) —a government of the people, by the people, for the people. Their efforts sought to sow fear, uncertainty, and doubt (FUD), with the ultimate goal of forcing a “contingent” election under the 12th Amendment. But as most of us know and readily acknowledge, there was no factual basis for this FUD.

The harm caused by this behavior is profound. It has led to criminal convictions, broken relationships, and most damaging of all —undermined trust in our election system. The lies propagated by Donald Trump, and echoed by numerous Republican leaders at all levels of government, have inflicted lasting damage on our democratic processes.

Until the Republicans who perpetuated these false narratives acknowledge the harm they have caused, our DR remains at risk. We must remain steadfast in our commitment to protecting the principles that form the bedrock of our government. This is not merely a political struggle —it is a fight to ensure our unalienable rights are secure.

SCOTUS Violated Article V of the US Constitution, Not Once, But Three Times

Per the National Constitution Center “Article V of the Constitution says how the Constitution can be amended—that is, how provisions can be added to the text of the Constitution. The Constitution is not easy to amend: only twenty-seven amendments have been added to the Constitution since it was adopted.”

Arguably, SCOTUS violated Article V in Trump v. US by granting immunity to the President and in doing so, the ruling makes holding the President accountable next to impossible. SCOTUS tipped the scales making accountability for one and for all much more difficult, which makes the judicial branch weaker.

I believe SCOTUS also violated Article V two other times with:

1. DC v. Heller and
2. Citizen United v. FEC

In DC v. Heller, SCOTUS re-wrote the lone sentence of the Second Amendment (2A) by lobbing off the prefatory clause, which materially altered the interpretation of the 2A. Please see http://flcd-3.blogspot.com/2018/02/is-it-time-for-article-v-of-us.html.

In Citizen United v. FEC, SCOTUS granted First Amendment (1A) rights to corporations, which arguably infringes upon a “person’s” 1A right.  Think of it this way, when all else is equal, the one with more money will have a louder voice, which can be used to drown out (aka silence) others.