Defending the Constitution

The Supremes rule!

Supreme Court of the U.S.

I am not going to overly analyze the recent Supreme Court rulings; I am no legal expert. But, some of the rulings this week have lifted my spirits by reminding me that the one part of the government which is supposed to be free from political affiliations and focuses solely upon the Constitution remains true to that calling whether considered liberals or conservatives. 

There are a number of significant cases that the Supreme Court will be ruling upon this term and the results are beginning to show that the Constitution, form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, is the big winner.

Some would turn the rulings into a personal matter. He Tweeted yesterday:

Donald J. Trump

@realDonaldTrump

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19h

Do you get the impression that the Supreme Court doesn’t like me?

It is not personal, it is about the Constitution. 

This week has seen two important rulings which protect millions of Americans from discrimination and/or deportation.

I copied a recap of the two most recent rulings from a New York Times article titled, The Major Supreme Court Cases This Term and What the Public Thinks. I like this recap because it shows U.S. public opinion and the specific question that respondents were asked, for the two issues. 

5-4

DECIDED JUNE 18

Immigration

In Department of Homeland Security v. Regents of the University of California, the court ruled that the Trump administration could not immediately shut down DACA, a program that shields about 700,000 young immigrants known as Dreamers from deportation and allows them to work.

LIBERAL BLOC

Sotomayor

Ginsburg

Kagan

Breyer

CONSERVATIVE BLOC

Roberts

Kavanaugh

Alito

Gorsuch

Thomas

Where the public stands

	The DACA program should remain	The DACA program should be ended
All
Democrats
Independents
Republicans

Question wording: Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) was created by President Obama to protect undocumented immigrants who have lived in the U.S. since childhood from deportation. President Trump wants the Department of Homeland Security to end DACA. What do you think? | Source: SCOTUSPoll

6-3

DECIDED JUNE 15

Gay and Transgender Rights

The court ruled that the Civil Rights Act of 1964 protects gay and transgender workers from workplace discrimination. The court considered two cases concerning gay rights, Bostock v. Clayton and Altitude Express v. Zarda, and one case concerning transgender rights, R.G. & G.R. Harris Funeral Homes v. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.

LIBERAL BLOC

Sotomayor

Ginsburg

Kagan

Breyer

CONSERVATIVE BLOC

Roberts

Kavanaugh

Alito

Gorsuch

Thomas

Where the public stands

	It should be illegal for employees to be fired based on sexual orientation	It should be legal for employers to fire people based on sexual orientation
All
Democrats
Independents
Republicans

Question wording: Some people believe that it should be illegal for employees to be fired based on their sexual orientation because it is discrimination on the basis of sex. Other people think that it should be legal because it is not discrimination on the basis of sex. What do you think? | Source: SCOTUSPoll

	It should be illegal for employees to be fired for being transgender	It should be legal for employees to be fired for being transgender
All
Democrats
Independents
Republicans

Question wording: Some people believe that it should be illegal for employees to be fired for being transgender because it is discrimination on the basis of sex. Other people think that it should be legal because it is not discrimination on the basis of sex. What do you think? | Source: SCOTUSPoll

What is my take away? The Supreme Court is more in touch with mainstream America than is the president. Overwhelmingly, mainstream America supported both rulings; why then is the president trying to take rights away from Americans? 

Here is how the president responded to the DACA ruling:

Donald J. Trump

@realDonaldTrump

·

20h

These horrible & politically charged decisions coming out of the Supreme Court are shotgun blasts into the face of people that are proud to call themselves Republicans or Conservatives. We need more Justices or we will lose our 2nd. Amendment & everything else. Vote Trump 2020!

The rulings were not politically motivated! I don't understand how any of this was about the 2nd Amendment to the Constitution, but that is an issue for others to address. 

The Supremes rendered decisions this week that both reflect the will of the people and are consistent with the Constitution, despite those who are pushing a minority view. 

The Constitution remains strong despite persistent attacks. 

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

When Trees Fly

100 Ton Crane Dwarfing the House
Elkridge, MD
June 17, 2020

I saw trees fly yesterday! 

It was sobering to watch the ash trees which had bordered our property and provided years of shade be removed and reduced to logs and mulch. The trees fell victim to the emerald ash borer a couple years ago and had become hazards; dropping branches during wind storms. 

The crane used to make the trees fly was huge. As I told the crane operator, we are not around heavy equipment and so it was exciting to watch the work that the team did yesterday. 

Riding the Crane into the Trees
Elkridge, MD
June 17, 2020

Chris and I had a ring-side seat to the activity. The trees were a threat to our house and property. While it was exciting to witness, it was also sad. The trees had filled the skyline around our house since we moved there. Seeing the bare branches of the formerly majestic ash trees was a stark reminder that our environment is being ruined by foreign invaders.  The trees were killed by the emerald ash borer, an unwanted invasive species from Asia. 

I was especially impressed by the arborist who rode the crane to get into the tree and to make the cuts. I am not sure I would like to do his job. 

Watching the entire top of the trees take flight was something that I had never seen before. The crane operator had to be so careful because of the houses and cars near the landing zone. 

And so the trees are gone. They remain in pictures and in my memory--but, alas, even my memories will fade as I grow accustomed to the new skyline around my home.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Rex the Water Dog

Comic relief is crucial. 

After a morning of working in the gardens and hauling the accumulated refuse to the local landfill, watching Chris and Rex, our son's Bull Terrier, play together with nothing more complicated than water from a hose was refreshing. No it's not Spuds McKenzie. 

The dog really gets into water and loves to jump. 

Rex is a solid dog and sometimes he uses his brawn more than his brains. But he has a great heart and fantastic personality. I could tell that Chris really enjoyed playing with him.

The gardens came out looking great, but the cooling water fun was the most enjoyable part of the day. 

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD 

Changing Scenery

A View of Lake Kittamaqundi and Columbia, MD
Columba, MD
June 13, 2020

After the disastrous beginning to my Saturday, Chris suggested that a change of scenery would help to break the negative start to my day. I wrote about the beginning of my day in my blog, Saturday Dawns--Needs to get Better. 

A Stream Connected to Lake Kittamaqundi
Columbia, MD
June 13, 2020

I am happy to report that the day did, in fact, improve. We drove to Columbia, MD, to walk around Lake Kittamaqundi and enjoy a true change of scenery from or usual stroll through our local neighborhood. It was refreshing change and, despite being in the heart of Columbia, the walk was full of enjoyable sights. 

Ducks in a Stream
Columbia, MD
June 13, 2020

I had forgotten how peaceful the walk around the lake could be. Despite being in located the heart of Columbia near the biggest buildings and busiest highways, the lake was a peaceful place to enjoy nature and some scenery different from our usual areas. Perhaps it was because we are only just beginning to venture out after the coronavirus lockdowns, but the walk around the lake was a much needed diversion from the usual and changed the course of Saturday from disaster into an enjoyable day which ended around the pool. 

We were joined on our walk by many others who were similarly out to enjoy the day. But it was more than just a leisurely stroll around the lake. We stopped to watch ducks play in a stream and later walked past a gaggle of geese cooling themselves in the shade of trees. It was part of the complete experience.

A change of scenery, sometimes that is all it takes to turn a day around. 

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD

Final Call for the Confederacy - Special Blog Supplement

It is time to end the mystique of the Confederacy and its hold on American society. 

Just a few short years ago, I believed that it was OK to allow statues erected to Confederate leaders and generals and to have bases named after them. My bias was that these men had been idealized in my history classes as I learned of the Civil War and the struggle. But I did not fully understand the crippling effect that holding onto these images of the past was having on this country that I love.

I no longer feel the same. The conflict has never ended; the victors have not completed the conquest and the war, which is still called by some the War of Northern Aggression, continues to prevent us, as a society, from ensuring "liberty and justice for all."

I just read this article from a far right wing publication:

Republicans just took one vote that will leave Donald Trump red with rage

In the article it states: 

Donald Trump is defending American culture from a vicious onslaught from the American Left trying to erase the nation’s history.

But the President got some bad news

And it’s all because Republicans just took one vote that will leave Donald Trump red with rage. 

Donald Trump recently announced his opposition to renaming military bases named after Confederate Generals.

“It has been suggested that we should rename as many as 10 of our Legendary Military Bases, such as Fort Bragg in North Carolina, Fort Hood in Texas, Fort Benning in Georgia, etc,” the President wrote on social media.

The time has come to finalize the ending of the war and move forward. We must stop being mired 155 years in the past. 

I believe the following video, which I found on You Tube expresses it best. And I note, it is from a Republican sponsored organization. I urge you to watch it.

It is time for America to finally move forward and for the victors to establish a truly just and free society unencumbered by the racial biases that caused us to go to war 160 years ago.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD