Civil Discourse Now

Where the far left and far right overlap for fun and enlightenment

Mark Small's Blog – March 2022 Archive (25)

Putin n'est pas bonne pour les enfants, les autres choses vivants or even MAGA ppl

Russia’s Putin is a dictator. Dictators kill people to grab & to maintain power. Putin now kills in Ukraine to advance Putin’s vision: the U.S.S.R. reborn. Putin hates the USA/has compared USA to der 3rd Reich. Putin issued bounties for U.S. military personnel in Afghanistan, 2019. 1/5

“Treason against the United States, shall consist only in levying War against them, or in adhering to their Enemies, giving them Aid and Comfort.” U.S. Const. Art. III, sec. 3. 7/18/18: Rep. McCaul…

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Added by Mark Small on March 31, 2022 at 7:25pm — No Comments

No guns should be allowed at voting sites!

One should not try to “fix” something that is not broken. This is a less-colloquial form of “If it ain’t broke don’t fix it.” In some States (e.g., Michigan) ppl are advocating showing up at polling sites for elections w/firearms. There is no valid reason for guns at the polls. 1/4

1st Amendment rights R ltd in polling sites: no electioneering allowed. I.C. §3-14-3-16. Guns R not allowed under IN’s new laws on School Property (I.C. §35-47-9), in Airports & Aircraft (I.C.…

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Added by Mark Small on March 29, 2022 at 8:40pm — No Comments

GOP corp entity can't be challenged by voters

Laws over Not-for-profit corporations (NFPs) that are pol parties shouldn’t let a party be above control of voters. Indiana GOP (INGOP) rules allow as few as two people to control the GOP & thus the State. INGOP is a dba of the State Committee. (Comm) which “shall have no... 1/4

members except the members of the Board of Directors.” (Art. 4) Board: of 3-23 members. (Art. 12.) The “Committee is the supreme party authority” (State Rule 1-1.) Quorum is a majority of Comm. (SR 1-3.)…

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Added by Mark Small on March 25, 2022 at 7:02pm — No Comments

IN GOP: far right took control & wrote rules so a minority could control everyone

Indiana GOP’s corporate structure goal: maintain control despite minority of voters & minority w/in GOP. Betw 1964 & early ‘80s, “Southern strategy” aimed at former Confederate States that voted solid “D” since Civil War. GOP pushed Reconstruction. Racism was the key.1/5



As late as 2006, Indiana Sen Richard Lugar was a GOP leader & moderate/progressive on many issues. He favored a scientific approach to climate change, had an “F” rating from the NRA, was in favor of the… Continue

Added by Mark Small on March 25, 2022 at 1:20pm — No Comments

Compromise on slavery made The Constitution perhaps not such a good thing

1787: white, male landowners selected by other white, male landowners meet in Philly to make corrections to the Articles of Confederation. Instead they made a grave mistake when they wrote The Constitution. Compromise was reached for the “Land of the Free” to recognize...1/5

& protect - slavery. (“three fifths of all other persons” (Art. I, § 2); “Importation of such Persons” (Art. I, §9). The Framers were scared the 13 former colonies would not hold our own. For what? So that we…

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Added by Mark Small on March 24, 2022 at 8:57pm — No Comments

More about Braun, racism & Loving v Virginia

After his gaffe on race & marriage, Sen Braun tried to walk back a comment w/o legs. Ppl need to know about Loving v Virginia, 388 U.S. 1 (1967). The Court was unanimous on an issue of 1st impression: whether law preventing marriage solely on basis of race viol’d 14th Amend. 1/4



Warren, C.J., wrote: to reflect central meaning of const’l commands, law can’t stand consistently w/the 14th Amend. FACTS: 1/6/59 the Lovings pleaded guilty to being married, were sentenced to 1 yr in… Continue

Added by Mark Small on March 23, 2022 at 8:27pm — No Comments

Sen Braun should resign + we have to take back control of GOP

Sen Braun (R-IN) says he misunderstood “line of questioning” on 3/22 when he sd States should decide whether interracial marriage is legal. A person Tweeted that I need to choose parties. I’m in GOP primary for IN State Rep Distr 86. I’ll explain once more. Atty Jim Bopp rep’d... 1/5

Citizens United & NC Rep Cawthorn. Bopp incorpor’d IN GOP. GOP’s structure as a corp entity insulates it fr control either by voters or majority of GOP. “State Committee is the supreme party authority…

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Added by Mark Small on March 23, 2022 at 6:05am — No Comments

Sen Mike Braun is a racist, is unfit to be in the Senate & should resign

U.S. Sen Mike Braun (R-IN), during an interview w/Bryan Tyler Cohen, smirked & said States should be allowed to ban interracial marriage. To be clear: Loving v Virginia, 388 U.S. 1 (1967) was a unanimous decision & declared unconstitutional a statute by which a married couple 1/5

was criminally prosecuted & sentenced to jail for 1 year suspended for 25 years “on the condition that [they] leave the State” & not return to VA together for 25 yrs. Braun is an embarrassment…

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Added by Mark Small on March 22, 2022 at 7:38pm — No Comments

WIBC's Tony Katz & The Constitution, part 2

Hearings on SCOTUS nominee, Judge Brown Jackson, began 3/21/22. The gist of WIBC’s Tony Katz’s view is a nominee is “absolutely unqualified” who believes The Constitution is construed to change over time. Mr Katz seems to embrace “original intent,” a judicial philosophy.. 1/5

that bases meaning of Constitution on those who wrote it. Critical to this view: whose intent to consider. Intent of delegates to 1787 Convention is problematic. Intent of delegates to State ratification…

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Added by Mark Small on March 22, 2022 at 7:02am — No Comments

WIBC's Tony Katz & The Constitution.

Judicial nominee is “absolutely unqualified.” The gist of WIBC radio host Tony Katz’s view is anyone who believes the Constitution can be interpreted to change over time is “absolutely unqualified” to be a judge. 1) This is in context of hearings on SCOTUS nominee. 1/7



2) To be “qualified” is “to possess the necessary qualifications.” (Black’s Law Dic, pocket ed.) A person’s judicial philosophy usu is not part of her/his qualifications. Pres Biden’s nominee to the Court, Judge… Continue

Added by Mark Small on March 21, 2022 at 5:10pm — No Comments

"You gonna drink that?" Indiana's filthy streams

Indiana is #1 in filthy water. Environ. Integrity Project reports: about 25K miles of rivers & creeks R impaired: so polluted ppl shouldn’t swim in or eat fish from. Little Wildcat Creek ran across my parents’ farm. Water was so clear that from one bank, formed by the raised...1/4

bed of the abandoned interurban railroad, you could see sunfish guarding nests of pebbles at the base of the opposite bank. Long ago that H2O has been brown fr agricultural runoff. Clean water is…

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Added by Mark Small on March 18, 2022 at 6:00pm — No Comments

Green party controls this country & World.

It’s difficult to determine if a business is “U.S.”Articles of incorporation are filed in a specific State, but the shareholders are the owners & their identities sometimes not revealed. We should heed history. In the run-up to WW2, large U.S. corporations chose profit uber alles...1/4

& traded w/Hitler. Some of those corporations still exist. At least one group has chosen a familiar path & continues to do business w/Putin. What’s worse is corporations closely tied to the…

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Added by Mark Small on March 17, 2022 at 8:19pm — No Comments

GOP needs to return to its progressive roots

1956 GOP platform (1) quoted Pres Eisenhower: "In all those things which deal with people, be liberal, be human. In all those things which deal with people's money, or their economy, or their form of government, be conservative"& (2) advocated meeting basic human needs: 1/4

expansion of soc security & unempl ins coverage, improved housing, better health protection for all, better enforcement of antitrust laws, const’l amend to provide equal rts for men & women. GOP was…

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Added by Mark Small on March 16, 2022 at 9:54am — No Comments

Tonight's Show at 7: Russia's 2016 cyber invasion of the U.S. & our elections in 2022 & 2024

In 2016 the U.S. was invaded & our intelligence agencies determined Russia’s President “Putin ordered an influence campaign” aimed at our pres’l election.’” 22 U.S.C. § 9501(6). Cyber invasions are real. Putin’s goals? “to undermine public faith” in U.S. democratic 1/6

process, denigrate Sec’y Clinton & harm her electability/potential presidency. Putin had “clear preference for” trump. ICA 2017-01D, Jan. 6, 2017. In 1787, protections created in Constitution included use of…

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Added by Mark Small on March 15, 2022 at 10:06am — No Comments

NCAA tournament & capitalism

College basketball’s tournament illustrates how capitalism works. In the NCAA tournament, 68 teams scrap it out. In each round winners advance & losers go home. Businesses, like college teams, compete w/ea other, but to the death. The U.S. auto industry had a tournament. 1/5

About 1900 nearly 2K companies made 3K brands of cars. (Source: Encyc. Brit.) Car companies either bought out, or put under, competitors. The Big 3 (Chrysler, GM, Ford) survived. Start-ups occasionally emerge.…

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Added by Mark Small on March 14, 2022 at 2:36pm — No Comments

HQE: I don't want Fred Klipsch's $ or endorsement

Of Gahan Wilson’s brilliant cartoons, one was of dour-faced men, clad in uniform, each with a badge & an arm-band, of a smiley-face. Branding can create a reality that facts do not support. In the mail was a questionnaire. No reasonable person can question a PAC named... 1/6

“Hoosiers for Quality Education.” Its purpose: “ensure quality educational opportunities” for “all Hoosier families regardless of income or zip code” & “improve student achievement” in “trad’l public…

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Added by Mark Small on March 13, 2022 at 9:01am — 1 Comment

If only John Calvin had been a little kid (& Thomas Hobbes a real tiger)

Christians who embrace Calvinism? About 30%. John Calvin (1509-1564) believed humanity is “totally depraved” & “utterly perverse.” He was a theologian who taught his “god” has decided history, i.e., no matter what you do you (probably) will go to hell. 1/4



Self-hatred & absence of free will are at the “heart” of beliefs of many Evangelicals. Current efforts to terrorize LGBTQ children, their parents & so many others makes sense when one sees the terrorists hate… Continue

Added by Mark Small on March 9, 2022 at 8:20pm — No Comments

Putin's war/corruption/trump/dictatorship...Repeat cycle...

Dictatorship & corruption go hand-in-shoe. News coverage of Putin’s war are redolent of similar items from latter stages of U.S. involvement in Cambodia where Cambodia generals received pay for each person under that general’s command. Problems arose when the U.S. counted on...1/4

X-number of Cambodian soldiers for an assault when the actual force was 1/10 the size on paper. Putin depended on materiel, funds for which had been siphoned to buy yachts in Cyprus. Some of the MREs…

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Added by Mark Small on March 8, 2022 at 9:45pm — No Comments

Inflation isn't a threat. Machines pose the threat.

Inflation: an ambiguous concept that scares ppl who should fear inflation least. COVID hit World economies hard. Ppl died. Goods couldn’t B made/shipped. Wages rose & bouncing back were World economies. Now goods need 2 B made/shipped. Workers are offered > $. 1/6

That’s how free market works. Inflation results fr rise of costs in some sectors of economy. It’s not necessarily bad. If rise in costs pays > wages to > ppl 2 make > things/provide > services, we benefit.…

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Added by Mark Small on March 7, 2022 at 9:33pm — No Comments

Gun nuts should agree w/doing studies

GIGO (Garbage in/garbage out) as applied 2 academic studies, means validity of result depends upon quality of the data. Ppl who wonder whether to buy handgun for self-defense have a right to know whether a handgun fulfills that function. Implied warranty of marketability... 1/6

means a thing you buy will do what you buy it for. the thing for which you buy it. Products get tested. Consumers have a right to results of those tests. We can reduce gun violence if fewer people own guns,…

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Added by Mark Small on March 6, 2022 at 10:08pm — 1 Comment

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