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Irene Monroe| Guest Columnist

This July 4th, America will celebrate 245 years of independence from British rule. However, when President Joe Biden signed into law Juneteenth as a federal holiday, it forces Americans to take a sterner look at what this July 4th means.

More than two years after the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863, and two months after the end of the Civil War on April 9th, 1865, enslaved African Americans in Texas found out they were free on June 19, 1865, called Juneteenth. Also, it's known as Freedom Day, Jubilee Day, Liberation Day, and Emancipation Day.

With two wildly disparate celebratory liberation narratives about independence, America must reconcile its founding ideals with her spotty lived reality.

In 1852, Frederick Douglass called America out on its hypocrisy in his speech, "What, to the slave, is the Fourth of July?" In it, Douglass stated that a country in the throes of slavery has to close its gaping gap between the ideals of the United States and its dastardly deeds toward POC. His words still resonate today.

"What have I, or those I represent, to do with your national independence. ... I am not included within the pale of this glorious anniversary! Your high independence only reveals the immeasurable distance between us. ... This Fourth of July is yours, not mine."

African Americans have fought in every war defending this country, starting with the American Revolution in a segregated military until 1948. Crispus Attucks, a brother of African and Native American ancestry from Framingham, was the first martyr for America's independence in the American Revolution. Prince Estabrook, an enslaved man from Lexington and black Minuteman, was wounded in the first battle of the American Revolution.

The fight for black independence was ongoing during the American Revolution, too. Enslaved Africans who fought for the British, called Black Loyalists, were ensured their freedom. Sadly, enslaved Africans who fought against the British were not. They were reluctantly acknowledged as Black Patriots, even today in celebrating July 4th.

Black patriotism is exhibited not only on the battlefields of America's wars but also in America's streets and sports arenas.

For example, in 2016, San Francisco 49ers QB Colin Kaepernick began to protest police brutality against black Americans and other forms of social injustice by taking a knee during the national anthem. His action was seen as polarizing, un-American, and unpatriotic. However, when patriotism is narrowly defined, it can only be accepted and exhibited within the constraints of its own intolerance.

Case in point, former President Trump, in particular, stoked the flames of Kaepernick's expression of protest. Trump publicly criticized Kaepernick and his allies, calling themS.O.Bs, who took a knee during the national anthem as being anti-the American flag, cops, and the military. To Kaepernick's defense, former Attorney General Eric Holder tweeted with a photo of one of the first images of King down on his left knee in Selma, Alabama, on Feb. 1, 1965. Holder tweeted that "Taking a knee is not without precedent, Mr. President. Those who dared to protest have helped bring positive change." MLK said in his Montgomery Bus Boycott speech on Dec.5, 1955, "The great glory of American democracy is the right to protest for right."

The controversy of taking a knee during the singing of "The Star-Spangled Banner," America's beloved national anthem, brought heightened attention to its racist history. Francis Scott Key, who penned the lyrics, supported slavery and came from an influential plantation family in Maryland.The song's third verse, no longer sung after the Civil War, included the lyrics, "No refuge could save the hireling and slave/From the terror of flight or the gloom of the grave."

In depicting the mangling grip of white supremacist domestic terrorism on black lives, Malcolm X in 1965 said, "That's not a chip on my shoulder. That's your foot on my neck." Last year, the world got to see a 9 minutes and 29 seconds video of former Minnesota Police officer Derek Chauvin's murder of George Floyd with his knee on Floyd's neck. Floyd handcuffed, lying face down, saying, "I can't breathe went limp.Last week, Chauvin was sentenced to 22 and a half years in prison. The ongoing struggle, however, against police brutality persists.

This Fourth of July, people will once again sing the "Star-Spangled Banner" or recite the Pledge of Allegiance or reenact the Continental Congress of 1776 or watch reproductions of the "rockets red glare and bombs bursting in air." America' will showcase her indomitable spirit of bravery and patriotism as vaxxed or non-vaxxedcitizens during this ongoing pandemic.

However,this 4th will be different from the previous ones. Juneteenth can no longer stand in the shadows of America's celebration of independence. Juneteenth highlights how it is inextricably linked to America's core values of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness for all Americans.

The Rev. IreneMonroe is a Visiting Scholar in the Religion and Conflict Transformation Programat BostonUniversity School of Theology and sheis theBoston voice for Detours African American Heritage Trail. She can be reached atrevimonroe812@gmail.com.

Original post:
After Juneteenth, what does this Fourth of July mean? - Milford Daily News

(Image: Pixabay)

This July Fourth, America will celebrate 245 years of independence from British rule. President Joe Bidens signed into law Juneteenth as a federal holiday forces Americans to take a sterner look at what the holiday means.

More than two years after the Emancipation Proclamation in 1863, and two months after the end of the Civil Wa on April 9th, 1865, enslaved African Americans in Texas found out they were free on June 19, 1865, called Juneteenth. Its also known as Freedom Day, Jubilee Day, Liberation Day and Emancipation Day.

In 1852, Frederick Douglass called America out on its hypocrisy in his speech, What to the Slave Is the Fourth of July? In it, Douglass stated that a country in the throes of slavery has to close its gaping gap between the ideals of the United States and its dastardly deeds toward people of color. His words still resonate.

What have I, or those I represent, to do with your national independence. I am not included within the pale of this glorious anniversary! Your high independence only reveals the immeasurable distance between us. This Fourth of July is yours, not mine.

African Americans have fought in every war defending this country, starting with the American Revolution in a segregated military until 1948. Crispus Attucks, a brother of African and Native American ancestry from Framingham, was the first martyr for Americas independence in the American Revolution. Prince Estabrook, an enslaved man from Lexington and black Minuteman, was wounded in the first battle of the American Revolution.

The fight for black independence was ongoing during the American Revolution, too. Enslaved Africans who fought for the British, called Black Loyalists, were ensured their freedom. Enslaved Africans who fought against the British were only reluctantly acknowledged as Black Patriots, even today in celebrating July Fourth.

Black patriotism is exhibited not only on the battlefields of Americas wars, but in Americas streets and sports arenas.

For example, in 2016, San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick began to protest police brutality against Black Americans and other forms of social injustice by taking a knee during the national anthem. His action was seen as polarizing, un-American and unpatriotic. When patriotism is narrowly defined, though, it can only be accepted and exhibited within the constraints of its own intolerance.

Case in point: Former President Donald Trump, in particular, stoked the flames of Kaepernicks expression of protest. Trump publicly criticized Kaepernick and allies who took a knee during the national anthem as being S.O.Bs who were anti-the American flag, anti-cops and anti-military. To Kaepernicks defense, former attorney general Eric Holder tweeted with a photo of one of the first images of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. down on his left knee in Selma, Alabama, on Feb. 1, 1965. Holder tweeted that Taking a knee is not without precedent, Mr. President. Those who dared to protest have helped bring positive change. MLK said in his Montgomery Bus Boycott speech on Dec. 5, 1955, The great glory of American democracy is the right to protest for right.

The controversy of taking a knee during the singing of The Star-Spangled Banner, Americas beloved national anthem, brought heightened attention to its racist history. Francis Scott Key, who penned the lyrics, supported slavery and came from an influential plantation family in Maryland. The songs third verse, no longer sung after the Civil War, included the lyrics, No refuge could save the hireling and slave/From the terror of flight or the gloom of the grave.

In depicting the mangling grip of white supremacist domestic terrorism on black lives, Malcolm X in 1965 said, Thats not a chip on my shoulder. Thats your foot on my neck. Last year, the world got to see a 9 minutes and 29 seconds video of former Minnesota Police officer Derek Chauvins murder of George Floyd with his knee on Floyds neck. Floyd handcuffed, lying face down, saying, I cant breathe went limp. Last week, Chauvin was sentenced to 22 and a half years in prison. The ongoing struggle, however, against police brutality persists.

This Fourth of July, people will once again sing the Star-Spangled Banner or recite the Pledge of Allegiance or reenact the Continental Congress of 1776 or watch reproductions of the rockets red glare from bombs bursting in air. America will showcase her indomitable spirit of bravery and patriotism as vaxxed or non-vaxxed citizens during this ongoing pandemic.

But this Fourth will be different. Juneteenth can no longer stand in the shadows of Americas celebration of independence, but highlights how it is inextricably linked to Americas core values of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness for all.

The Rev. Irene Monroe is a speaker, theologian and syndicated columnist. She does a segment calledAll Revved Up! on WGBH (89.7 FM) on Boston Public Radio and a segment called Whats Up? Fridays on New England Channel News.

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Juneteenth is recognized as a federal holiday. What does that mean for this Fourth of July? - Cambridge Day

White House press secretary Jen Psaki holds a press briefing at the White House on Monday. Reporters asked about the administration's next steps on voting rights. Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images hide caption

White House press secretary Jen Psaki holds a press briefing at the White House on Monday. Reporters asked about the administration's next steps on voting rights.

The White House on Monday opened the door to revisiting the filibuster a hotly contested issue across political lines setting the stage for a bitter congressional fight to do away with the controversial debate tactic.

Responding to a question about Tuesday's Senate debate on voting rights legislation, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said: "As it relates to the filibuster, I don't think you have to take it from us, that would be Congress moving forward or making a decision. If the vote is unsuccessful tomorrow, we suspect it will prompt a new conversation about the path forward. And we'll see where that goes."

The filibuster is a long-standing Senate practice used to delay a proposed law from being brought to a vote a tactic that has picked up steam over the last 10 years. It has only been used once so far this session, to block a vote on a bipartisan commission investigating the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol.

Senate Democrats will on Tuesday begin debate in pursuit of sweeping overhauls to current voting laws. The proposal is called the For the People Act.

The bill comes as Republican-led states nationwide seek to implement a number of restrictive voting measures that opponents say could significantly curtail the ability of minorities and lower-income Americans to cast ballots. Republicans defend these measures as necessary to safeguard the security of U.S. elections.

After President Biden's 2020 presidential win, many Republicans, at the urging of former President Donald Trump, launched a smear campaign, falsely alleging that ballot irregularities were the cause of their White House defeat.

In order for the party to be successful in advancing a federal voting rights bill, Democrats would have to vote in lockstep support of the measure and get the support of 10 Senate Republicans. Some Democrats and outside advocates say without any likely backing of GOP senators, Democratic leaders should change Senate rules getting rid of the filibuster, which requires 60 votes to end debate.

Party moderates including Joe Manchin of West Virginia and Kyrsten Sinema of Arizona have opposed both measures, leading to significant infighting among Democrats about next steps.

The White House said Biden spoke to both senators Monday Manchin on voting rights and infrastructure, and Sinema in regards to infrastructure and thanked them both for their "engagement."

Biden, himself formerly a member of the Senate, in March endorsed changing the filibuster to "what it used to be," requiring senators to physically take to the floor and speak ceaselessly in order to delay a vote.

Despite the common misconception, as it stands now, a Senate staffer can send an email registering a senator's objection and triggering a 60-vote requirement to advance a bill to a final up-or-down vote without having to make a speech or any other effort.

Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., has warned of a logistical nightmare if those rules were to change and lawmakers were constantly required to be physically present at the Capitol. Plus, he's said that when Republicans regain majority control of the chamber, "We wouldn't just erase every liberal change that hurt the country. We'd strengthen America with all kinds of conservative policies with zero input from the other side."

Even with Biden's cosignature, Democrats have been unable to unanimously reach an agreement on either voting rights reform or the filibuster.

Vice President Harris was tapped to lead the administration's strategy on voting rights but so far hasn't come forward with concrete steps on the issue.

Former President Barack Obama, under whom Biden served as vice president and who remains a popular figure among Democrats, on Monday expressed his support for overhauling the filibuster during a conference call with voting rights activists and former Attorney General Eric Holder.

"Unfortunately, right now at least, Republicans in the Senate are right now lining up to try to use the filibuster to stop the For the People Act from even being debated," Obama said.

"Think about this: In the aftermath of an insurrection, with our democracy on the line, and many of these same Republican senators going along with the notion that somehow there were irregularities and problems with legitimacy in our most recent election they're suddenly afraid to even talk about these issues and figure out solutions on the floor of the Senate. They don't even want to talk about voting," he said, referencing the Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol.

"That's not acceptable."

Read the rest here:
Filibuster Rules Debated Again With Voting Rights Bill Vote - NPR

To the editor: There seems to be an accountability loophole when it comes to white collar crime.

Former President Barack Obama and former Attorney General Eric Holder allowed Wall Street criminals to escape untouched back in 2008. When pressed on the subject, I remember Obama saying that we should look forward, not backward. That meant, of course, that other than a few civil penalties, they were not going to prosecute anyone criminally on Wall Street. Of course their crimes brought us just hours from the complete destruction of the global financial system. But Obama and his Justice Department made the decision to let them get away with their unspeakable crimes. Let you or I go 30 mph in a 25 mph zone or the wrong person gets caught with a ounce of marijuana, etc., and for some reason those individuals cant seem to utilize the accountability loophole.

Is the same thing going to happen with Donald Trump and his corrupt organization, the Jan. 6 insurrection at the Capitol, the stealing of information from members and staff of the Democratic Intelligence Committee, the disgraceful handling of the pandemic, etc.? My guess is yes.

Why? Because the minority party is running the government. Joe Biden, who has the bully pulpit at his disposal, should be making frequent addresses to the nation in order to make it clear to the American people what the Republicans, the party of no, are doing to our democracy by suppressing the vote which is, after all, the essence of democracy. He should articulate to the country how the Republicans, who were elected to work for the people, do nothing but lie and seek power.

The time has come for the president to stop the nonsense about seeking bipartisanship with the Republicans. Mitch McConnell has made it clear for months now that they will obstruct anything that Biden wants to accomplish just as they did to Obama. And as for what AG Merrick Garland is doing, I keep getting the feeling that we just might be dealing with another Eric Holder. After all, he has allowed high-level members of Trumps Department of Justice to remain in their positions. And there has been no hint of action from the Justice Department.

If the Republicans are allowed to lie and cheat their way to victory in the 2022 elections, then you can kiss our 400-year democracy goodbye.

Charles Steinhacker, Great Barrington

Excerpt from:
Letter: The opposition is running the country | Letters To Editor | berkshireeagle.com - Berkshire Eagle

Manhattan District Attorney candidate Tali Farhadian Weinstein was not a regular voter until 2016, records show and did not register as a Democrat until October 2017.

All seven other candidates for the Democratic nomination to replace outgoing DA Cyrus Vance in the June 22 primary have been consistent voters and registered Democrats for years, New York Focus review found.

Farhadian Weinstein, 45, one of the more moderate candidates in a generally progressive field, registered in New York as an unaffiliated voter in August 2008, before re-registering as a Democrat in October 2017.

In the intervening years, she voted only in general elections in presidential election years skipping votes for mayor, governor, Congress and the 2009 election of Vance, records show.

New Yorks closed primary system, in which only registered members of a political party are allowed to vote in that partys primaries, prevented Farhadian Weinstein from casting a ballot in any primary elections during that time.

Asked about her voting record by New York Focus while taking questions at the end of a June 10 campaign event, Farhadian Weinstein promised to return to the question, but her spokesperson discouraged her from doing so.

The spokesperson, Jennifer Blatus, later chastised a New York Focus reporter for asking a question unrelated to the main focus of the event, which centered on gender-based violence. She did not directly address Weinsteins voting record.

Heavily funded by Wall Street executives, Farhadian Weinsteins campaign has struck a more moderate tone than many rivals.

For instance, she supports allowing judges to take public safety into consideration in deciding whether and how high to set bail a power New Yorks bail law prohibits and that Vance advocated against.

In recent weeks, Farhadian Weinsteins campaign was also boosted by $8.2 million worth of donations from her own personal wealth, a sum greater than the total amount raised by any other DA candidate.

The New York Times reported earlier this month that Farhadian Weinstein interviewed with officials in the Trump administration for a federal judgeship in 2017, just before she first registered as a Democrat.

At the time, according to her LinkedIn, Farhadian Weinstein was working for the Justice Department as an assistant U.S. attorney, having joined under Obama-era Attorney General Eric Holder. She focused on public integrity, organized crime and gangs.

The following year, months after her registration as a Democrat, she went to work for Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez as his general counsel.

Farhadian Weinstein financially supported Democrats during the years she was registered unaffiliated giving substantial sums to presidential candidates Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton, as well as to Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), and Rep. Josh Gottheimer (D-N.J.).

But earlier in her career, Farhadian Weinstein maintained close affiliations with high-powered Republicans in the legal world.

She clerked for Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day OConnor during the Courts 2004 term. OConnor, who became the first woman on the high court when President Ronald Reagan appointed her 40 years ago, was part of the majority in Bush v. Gore, the case that awarded George W. Bush the presidency in 2000.

In late 2004, Farhadian Weinstein attended the annual convention of the Federalist Society, the conservative legal group that counts as current or former members all six of the Republican-appointed justices currently on the Supreme Court.

And her campaign for DA has received substantial contributions from major donors to Republican candidates and PACs, including Kenneth Griffin, Robert Granieri, and Bara and Alex Tisch.

Farhadian Weinsteins failure to vote in local elections stands out given her interest in public affairs, but its not unusual in a low-turnout and often confusing election system, said Gerald Benjamin, a professor emeritus of political science at SUNY New Paltz and a scholar of New York politics.

Our system demands more of voters than almost any other, he noted, with election dates, polling places, and offices up for election varying from year to year.

In that light, Benjamin said, he would judge her record in this area as problematic but not seriously disabling.

A rival candidate criticized Farhadian Weinsteins voting record.

We have had DAs who are disconnected and out of touch with Manhattanites for years, said Dan Quart, a New York State Assembly member. If Ms. Farhadian Weinstein couldnt do the bare minimum and vote in local elections until 2017, how can voters expect her to represent them?

The head of a Manhattan political club that has endorsed rival Eliza Orlins for DA agreed that Weinsteins absence from local elections should matter to voters.

A meaningful indication of a persons civic commitment and knowledge of and connection to a community is their participation in our electoral process, said Richard Corman, president of the Downtown Independent Democrats.

A voting record represents someones interest in the community, and so I would certainly think that whether or not they have participated in our elections and have voted in the past is a relevant indicator of someones connection, knowledge of, and commitment to a community.

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Manhattan DA Candidate Tali Weinstein Skipped Years of Voting in Local Elections, Records Show - THE CITY