The 1033 LEA program giving surplus military equipment to police leads to more police violence.

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In 1996, under the National Defense Authorization Act, President Clinton signed into law the expanded 1033 Program, which gave surplus military equipment to police deparments across the United States.

After 24 years having this military equipment has contributed to more police violence against American citizens.

This 1033 program has been referred to as "the militarization of police." Increasingly, citizens are calling for an end to this program and demilitarization of police departments.

For more click here.

What do Americans think about abortion?

From the Washington Post on 01/22/20

A majority of Americans (59 percent) said abortion should be legal in most or all cases, and about 7 in 10 said that Roe v. Wade should not be overturned, according to the survey conducted by the Kaiser Family Foundation. Those figures have remained relatively stable through decades of debates and protests. Likewise, the poll found the public overwhelmingly believes abortion should be legal if the patient’s life is endangered (82 percent) and in the case of rape or incest (80 percent). Seventy-nine percent believe the decision is best made by women themselves in consultation with their doctors, rather than by lawmakers.

Editor's note:

Attitudes and opinions vary between Blue and Red states. Republicans restirct abortion access while Democrats want the decision to be the pregnant woman's choice.

If Roe vs. Wade were overturned by the U.S. Supreme Court, the legality of abortion would then revert to each state. In New York State abortion is legal under state law and a reversal of Roe vs. Wade at the Federal level would not change that.

A woman's right to choose whether to continue a pregnancy would be a state's rights matter. Some states respect the women's rights to choose while some states deny her that right.

Does your state have a clean slate law? If not do you believe it should?

Did you ever hear of the "clean slate law?"

About 1 out of 3 Americans has a criminal record which impacts many areas of their lives such as were they live, ability to get school loans, ability to get a job.

Pennsylvania enacted in 2018 that automatically seals any arrest record that does not lead to conviction if the person stays crime-free for ten years.

Should other states enact similar legislation? Before you vote this fall find out where your representatives stand on this issue.

For more click here.

Does media collude with law enforcement to glorify police violence?

University of Oregon professor Carol Stabile writes in her article, "During Floyd protests, media industry reakons with long history or collaboration with law enforcement" on June 11. 2020 on The Conversation.

Periodically, Americans have been made aware of the one-sidedness of these media depictions of police conduct. In 1968, for example, the Kerner Commission explored the causes of uprisings in black communities. Its report noted that, within these communities, there was longstanding awareness that “the press has too long basked in a white world looking out of it, if at all, with white men’s eyes and white perspective.”

Changing that perspective requires more than recognizing the role police dramas have played as propaganda for law enforcement. It means reckoning with the legacy of stories that gloss over police misconduct and violence, which disproportionately affect people of color.

The TV shows "Cops" and "Live PD" have been canceled due to their glorification of police violence.

Media literacy requires that people not blindly rely on the internet for their news.

Is the first admendment protected on social media platforms like Twitter, Facebook, etc.

Yes, social media platforms are not publishers. They are not responsible for content, the poster is.

Does free speech protect libel and slander? Yes, when the person libeled and sladered is a public figure.

So, is President Trump and others able to tell lies and libel and slander people as they choose, yes.

That's why the internet has been called by legal media experts such as Ken White, "a sewer."

The internet should not be blindly depended on for any kind of facts and their interpretation.

Check your facts and delve into context for appropriate and legitimate interpretation.

To listen to the brief podcast on "Legal Talk Today" entitled "Trump vs. Twitter (again)" click here.

Good ideas for post Covid-19 social policy changes

One of the blessings of the Covid-19 pandemic is that it has more glaringly exposed the cracks in our social systems in the United States. This is the first of a series of articles naming these deficiencies.

By naming these deficiencies we can identify where policy improvements lie. Once they are identified this identification hopefully leads to enhanced public awareness, a change in public opinion supporting these improvements, positive changes in institutional functioning, and the election of governmental officials who are truly supported of social justice and the welfare of all. and

This first article is on changes in the health care system in the U.S.

1. Expand federal funding for Medicaid.
2. Medicare for all or some other sort of Universal Health Care for all Americans.
3. Expanded hospital capacity to underserved areas.
4. Paid sick leave and paid family medical leave for all employees - no exceptions.
5. Free and accessible testing, treatment, and PPE.
6. Full funding for Indian Health Service and Urban Indian Health Services.
7. Barrier free access to mental health and substance abuse services.
8. Emergency services for mental health and substance abuse services by behavioral health professionals instead of police

Before you vote, know where the candidate stands on these policy reforms.

For more click here.

U.S. adult reading habits

Percentage of U.S. fiction market accounted for by romance genre in 2016 = 23%
Annual value of romance novel industry = $1.08 billion
Percentage of U.S. American adults who have read at least one book in 2019 = 72%
Percentage of U.S. America adults who have read at least one print book in 2019 = 65%
Percentage of U.S. American adults who have read at least one ebook in 2019r = 25%
Percentage of U.S. American adults who have listened to at least one audiobook in 2019 = 20%

Right to vote slowly includes more groups of people.

As Americans we value and pride ourselves on our right to vote in elections and yet some people and groups actively work to suppress the vote when they fear that groups of people will vote for their opponents.

Americans have also become, under the Trump administration very anti immigrant. Here are some interesting facts which relate voting with immigrants:

Percentage of U.S. eligible voters who are naturalized immigrants in 2000 = 6.2%
Percentage of U.S. eligible voters who are naturalized immigrants in 2020 = 9.8%
Percentage increase in immigrant eligible voting population since 2000 = 93%
Percentage of increase in U.S. - born eligible voting population since 2000 = 18%
Share of immigrant eligible voters living in just five states: California, New York, New Jersey, Florida, Texas = 61%

The slogan Make America Great Again harkens back to a time when many Americans were not allowed to vote because of voter suppression of various groups such as women, African Americans, immigrants, non land owners, and felons.

By today's standards some argue, America was never great for large groups of people, but is becoming greater every year as be include more groups of people into the franchise.

The United States is the only first world country on the planet using the death penalty

The United States is the only first world country with the death penalty.

The other countries in the world that use the death penalty are:

Countries With Death Penalty 2020

• Bangladesh.
• China.
• Egypt.
• Ethiopia.
• India.
• Indonesia.
• Iran.
• Japan.

NFL commissioner, Roger Goodell makes hypocritical statement

From The Week, 10 Things you need to know today, 05/31/20

Goodell criticized for statement on protests

In response to the protests against police brutality that have swept across the United States, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said in a statement Saturday that "there remains an urgent need for action" following the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis and that the "NFL family is greatly saddened by the tragic events across our country." Goodell added that "the protesters' reactions to these incidents reflect the pain, anger, and frustration that so many of us feel." Goodell's comments weren't particularly well-received, however, as people took to social media to point out that former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick has remained out of the league for years following his non-violent protests of police brutality during the National Anthem. [ESPN, NJ.com]

Editor's note:

It does little good when powerful white men spout pious platitudes while not having addressed urgently earlier complaints of injustice. Playing "ain't it awful" after the fact exemplifies hypocrisy. People should not support NFL football until the league addresses the issue of police brutality and racist policing in the U.S. especially when its players and teams discriminate against players who protest unjust treatment as Colin Kaepernick has done.