Author Archives: William Garcia
Gov. Evers Wisconsin Democratic Chair on the Rittenhouse Verdict: No Verdict Could Ever Have Stopped the Anguish
Gov. Evers Wisconsin Democratic Chair on the Rittenhouse Verdict: No Verdict Could Ever Have Stopped the Anguish
MADISON — Gov. Tony Evers released the following statement regarding the verdict in the Rittenhouse case:
“No verdict will be able to bring back the lives of Anthony Huber and Joseph Rosenbaum, or heal Gaige Grosskreutz’s injuries, just as no verdict can heal the wounds or trauma experienced by Jacob Blake and his family. No ruling today changes our reality in Wisconsin that we have work to do toward equity, accountability, and justice that communities across our state are demanding and deserve.
“Kenoshans are strong, resilient, and have spent the last year working every day together toward healing. This case and the resulting national spotlight on the Kenosha community and our state have undoubtedly reopened wounds that have not yet fully healed. I echo the calls of local Kenosha community leaders and join them in asking everyone who might choose to assemble and exercise their First Amendment rights in any community to please only do so safely and peacefully. We must have peace in Kenosha and our communities, and any efforts or actions aimed at sowing division are unwelcome in our state as they will only hinder that healing.
“I’ve seen the pain and the frustration of so many, and we must remain steadfast in our commitment to ending violence in our communities, supporting victims and survivors as they heal from trauma, and rooting out the disparities that are so often inextricably linked to that violence and trauma. We must be unwavering in our promise to build a state where every kid, person, and family can live their life free of violence and have every chance to be successful.
“We must move forward, together, more united and more motivated to build the sort of future we want for our state—one that is just, one that is equitable, and one where every person has the resources and opportunity to thrive—and I will not stop working to achieve that vision.”
Democratic Party of Wisconsin Chair Ben Wikler released the following statement:
“Today’s verdict—searing, shocking, but painfully unsurprising—has sent a wave of heartbreak and grief through our state and country. If a Black person had done what Kyle Rittenhouse did, it almost goes without saying, they would be far more likely to have been killed by police that night than to be walking free today. This verdict, and the trial and other events that preceded it, are a gut-wrenching illustration of a society with two systems of justice, two ways lives are valued, two sets of rules. A year ago, the movement for Black lives sustained the biggest demonstrations on any topic in the history of our country. Today, far-right and white supremacist militias are cheering and lifting up a teenager—who killed two human beings and almost killed another—as a hero.
“This moment demands that we remake our systems to create a state and a world where none of these events could ever have happened. Where our justice system treats all equally, with both fairness and accountability; where everyone, no matter where they live or the color of their skin, has the safety and security that every human being deserves. Where Anthony Huber and Jason Rosenbaum would still be alive, and Gaige Grosskreutz and Jacob Blake would be uninjured.
“We echo the call for peace and support for Kenosha, a community that has been through unthinkable tragedy. To Republican politicians who are trying to distract and divide Wisconsinites by politicizing a tragedy—the people of Kenosha deserve better.
“In this moment of tremendous tension and pain, we can reimagine what a safe future will look like. We can show up for each other, come together peacefully to help the community of Kenosha heal, and we can honor the victims and their families by calling for accountability, safety, and justice for all; by dismantling systems and cultures of white supremacy and violence; and by building a state where everyone, no exceptions, can thrive.”
Thank you for being part of the movement to build something better than what we saw unfold in Kenosha.
Democrats Overcome GOP Roadblocks; Build Back Better, Part One is Achieved
Democrats Overcome GOP Roadblocks; Build Back Better, Part One is Achieved by Ron Malzer, LCDP Board Member
After America watched its roads and other infrastructure deteriorate for four years under then-President Donald Trump, President Joe Biden and the Democrats in the US Senate and House knew what needed to be done. And they did it.
Last week, House Democrats joined ranks, with a show of unity producing a 215-to-6 Democratic vote. The Republican obstructionist position, to do nothing at all for rebuilding, got 200 votes out of 213 GOP members of the House.
Here are ten accomplishments Democrats will campaign on in 2022:
- $110B to repair and rebuild roads and bridges;
- $65B to ensure every American has access to reliable high-speed internet and lower the cost of internet service;
- The largest federal investment in public transit ever;
- $66B to eliminate the Amtrak maintenance backlog, modernize the Northeast Corridor, and bring world-class service to new areas;
- The first national network of electric vehicle chargers;
- $55B to deliver clean water to millions of Americans and eliminate lead service lines;
- $65B to upgrade our power infrastructure, including thousands of miles of new, resilient transmission lines;
- $50B to make communities more resilient to the impacts of climate change and cyber-attacks;
- $21B to: Clean up Superfund & brownfield sites, reclaim abandoned mines & cap orphaned gas wells; and
- The overall package: Creating good-paying jobs while advancing economic & environmental justice modernize airports, ports, and waterways to support supply chains and reduce emissions.
What will the Republicans campaign on in 2022? There will be no record of accomplishments, either during the disastrous Trump years, or in 2021-2022 when their mission, delivered in secret but caught on tape, was announced by Representative Chip Roy (R-Texas): create as much chaos as possible, and blame it on the Democrats.
Voters are not going to fail to notice the difference between the two parties: while Republicans are seeking to run America down, Democrats are building it back better.
Journalists risking their lives for freedom of the press By Ron Malzer
This week’s article originally appeared as a guest opinion in The Cap Times
https://captimes.com/opinion/guest-columns/opinion-journalists-risking-their-lives-for-freedom-of-the-press/article_f4d3cb01-bf88-53d6-9044-cf35532eb629.html
On Oct. 8, the Norway Nobel Committee selected as its 2021 Peace Prize winners Dmitry Muratov and Maria Ressa, courageous journalists living and working in Russia and the Philippines, respectively. For the sake of the free press, they are defying iron-fisted autocrats and risking their lives.
Vladimir Putin’s Russia keeps a guillotine blade perched over the heads of the regime’s critics. We know well the story of Russian dissident Aleksei Navalny, now imprisoned following his near death due to poisoning. It is chilling to report that Russian journalists also have been targeted for attacks.
Since the year 2000, at least 34 Russian journalists have perished in politically motivated killings. Included among these is Anna Politkovskaya, an investigative journalist gunned down in her Moscow apartment building in 2006 by five contract killers. Her murder followed reports documenting the devastating impact of Russia’s Chechen War on ordinary soldiers, their mothers, children and the elderly.
Nobel laureate awardee Muratov is the long-time editor-in-chief of the same news outlet for which Politkovskaya reported, Novaya Gazeta (New Gazette). He modestly accepted his award by saying, “I can’t take credit for this. This is Novaya Gazeta’s.”
In the Philippines, Maria Ressa, a diminutive woman, has stood tall in verbally confronting President Rodrigo Duterte and documenting the enormous brutality that he has unleashed. Elected in 2015, Duterte immediately launched a two-pronged war: killing off poor people suspected of being drug users, and issuing lethal threats against reporters who ask confrontive questions.
For those not familiar with Duterte, the PBS-acquired documentary “A Thousand Cuts” is readily available on the web. In it, we quickly learn that Duterte has boasted “I must admit I have killed,” and telling investigative journalists, “If you end up dead, it’s your fault.”
Rappler, the digital news organization founded by Ressa, has shown the world how Duterte fights this war. He has empowered both the police and vigilante groups to shoot on sight anyone they suspect of drug use. Rappler reported that, early in the Duterte years, eight kills a day was the norm. “Violence is my strength,” Duterte declares, adding, “Just because you’re a journalist, you think you are exempt from assassination — you’re not.” Targeting women at press conferences, he has told rape jokes.
Fighting back, Maria Ressa has been arrested twice and posted bail eight times. She has been accused of fraud, tax evasion and receiving money from the CIA. In June of 2020, Ressa and a former Rappler colleague were convicted of “cyber libel.” They now face up to six years in prison.
Our own country has not been immune from politically motivated violence and threats against journalists. In 2017, then-President Donald Trump, borrowing a phrase used previously by Lenin and Goebbels, labeled responsible news organizations “the enemy of the people” and made light of Russia’s killing of journalists in the Putin era. The years following saw several attacks against journalists at Trump rallies.
In 2018, Trump lavished praise on Rep. Greg Gianforte, R-Montana, for body-slamming a reporter. And on Jan. 6, pro-Trump rioters at the Capitol issued bodily threats to reporters who were covering the violent insurrection.
The Center to Protect Journalists (CPJ) reports, “At least 110 journalists were arrested or criminally charged in relation to their reporting, and around 300 journalists were assaulted in 2020, the majority by law enforcement, according to the U.S. Press Freedom Tracker, of which CPJ is a founding member. The Tracker is working to verify more than 930 total incidents in 79 cities.”
There is a massive push in many countries to replace teetering democracy with iron-fisted rule. Independent journalism is often the last bastion of freedom. Dmitry Muratov, Maria Ressa and journalists everywhere who stand up to attacks on their freedom and to threats against their very lives should be receiving our support, our thoughts and our prayers.
