Bits and Pieces

More bits because there are so many topics to track and so little time to do so!

Afghanistan: This is a forgone conclusion: the Taliban will once again control the nation. Afghanis seem to accept this whether they like it or not. Their culture and history has been about religious violence and warlords. Centuries of this. No foreign power has ever changed this no matter how long they have been in-country. I think this will continue unless and until the Afghani people decide enough is enough. China, Russia or any other nation will make no difference unless they take over the rule of the entire nation and make it stick with military power. That is not the American way. Perhaps another nation would like to waste its treasure on this?

Mask Mandates vs Politics: Managing a disease so it does not irrevocably harm a nation, is the responsibility of government in collaboration with healthcare professionals and scientists. It should never be a political matter. Stop fighting government and start fighting the disease. If you choose not to, then isolate yourself to preserve yourself. This will also help protect others. Get it? It is not about an elected official or a form of government. It is all about viruses and their spread to human beings.

Redistricting: Geometry and geography ought to be the determinants of voting district borders. It should not be about the people within those borders. If it makes sense on a map’s surface, then it is the district it is supposed to be. Gerrymandering districts to control which party gets a seat at the power table is pure nonsense. It is obvious this problem needs a solution. Perhaps demographers or courts? Elected officials have a conflict of interest. Courts, too, but....

Voting Rights: The US Constitution did not address voting rights holistically. As a matter of fact, voting rights were reserved to property owners, not people based solely on their being a citizen. Since property owners were most likely to be white, voting was discriminatory against all people of color. From the very beginning of our nation, this has been so.

Subsequent eras have addressed these problems bit by bit, but we are not home by a long shot.

Voter rights need to be opened to include the most people. It is their government, their social order, their birthright. Make it so. Then what we expected the Constitution to do will be that. While we are at this, dump the filibuster, too.

August 13, 2021