This #MLKDay—a week after the white supremacist attack on the Capitol—I wanted to share some of Dr. King's words that’ve given me strength over the years, that helped me through my own death threats, & that inform how we should respond to the insurrection. medium.com/resisting-inju…
Re: Loving your enemies: "Forgiveness does not mean ignoring what has been done or putting a false label on an evil act … [but also] we must not seek to defeat or humiliate the enemy…. We must in strength & humility meet hate with love."
Radical love doesn’t mean accepting defeat or ignoring an evil act. It's fighting for justice with love in our hearts. That’s what brought me to become a civil rights attorney, how I responded to my own death threats, & how we must respond to white supremacist insurrection.
We must reject disingenuous calls for unity that seek to ignore the evil acts perpetrated at the capitol, calls for unity that put false labels on those evil acts, or calls for unity that seek to hide those responsible from justice and history.
But we must also rise over our raw emotions & recognize that reflexively acting on those emotions will only make matters worse. Now is not the time for retributive justice. It's time for restorative justice, for addressing the underlying causes of the crime — white supremacy.
To address the white supremacy that led to the 1/6 insurrection, we need voting rights and democracy reform that respects the rights of all, like the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act and H.R. 1.
To address the white supremacy that led to the 1/6 insurrection, we need political appointments and judges that reflect America’s demographic diversity and who have a demonstrated commitment to challenging injustice.
To address the white supremacy that led to the 1/6 insurrection, we need law enforcement reform and educational programs that acknowledge the humanity and dignity of people of color.
We need these not just for the sake of people of color, but for white Americans as well.
I have pre-existing conditions—I fear my life & that of my friends being taken away.
I have close friends with DACA—I fear their right to be here being taken away.
I'm a Latino parent—I fear my child will be discriminated against worse than I was
I'm the survivor of an in-person death threat against me & my family, from a MAGA extremist who hated me just for who I am—I fear him or another carrying out those threats.
I'm an attorney—I fear the erosion of the rule of law.
I'm a patriot—I fear Russian interference in the 2020 election.
I'm a voting rights advocate—I fear a system is currently being created that will lead to permanent minority rule, & that that minority will use political power to permanently restricts the rights of the majority.
1/
Lie: Kavanaugh said “When this allegation first arose, I welcomed any kind of investigation."
Fact: “Kavanaugh did not publicly welcome an investigation in two public statements denying the allegations and an in-depth interview with Fox News." nbcnews.com/card/fact-chec…
2/ Lie: Kavanaugh said he “never attended a gathering like the one Dr. Ford describes in her allegation.”
Fact: Kavanaugh admitted that his calendars “show a few weekday gatherings at friends’ houses after a workout or just to meet up and have some beers. washingtonpost.com/politics/2018/…
I’m an attorney & have followed the Kavanaugh nomination closely. I want to discuss why I think it's important to use the word perjury to discuss some of #Kavanaugh's dishonesty. Continued ⤵ salon.com/2018/09/14/bre…
A major problem with news coverage of Kavanaugh's deception is that the news relies on experts for its stories & that many of the legal experts including #NeverTrump conservatives & anti-trump progressives know #Kavanaugh to be a thoughtful lawyer. (Cartoon via @tomtomorrow)
A good example of this came from 1 of my favorite podcasts, @NSLpodcast. Hosts are 2 attorneys—1conservative/1progressive—both critical of Trump. Both set aside evidence of #Kavanaugh's dishonesty bc they believe him to be honest. They know him personally
Thought someone should do a thread of all controversies during that time that they might be hiding. Continued⤵ slate.com/news-and-polit…
This thread ended up being longer than I anticipated, turns out the George W. Bush admin had more than a few controversies—I expect I missed a few things.
If you notice something big I missed, comment with reputable news article, and I’ll quote tweet your comment onto the thread
The 2000 FL Vote recount (Florida law required recount for a razor close election, Bush legal team argued to end it, eventually successfully before the #SCOTUS … he was on the Bush legal team). miamiherald.com/news/nation-wo…
At the direction of the White House, Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross, in coordination with AG Jeff Sessions’ anti-immigrant DOJ, announced that he directed the Census Bureau to add a citizenship question to the 2020 Census. nytimes.com/2018/07/24/us/…
45's attempt is blatantly political & would lead to an undercount that would lead to the taking of seats in the House of Representatives, electoral college votes, & federal funds from from big states with immigrants & give them to rural—mostly red—states. nytimes.com/2018/07/31/ups…
Since the #KennedyRetirement I've seen pessimism that Roe v Wade & the ACA are already lost. But we in #TheResistance aren't pundits.
WE. ARE. ACTIVISTS.
WE won on the ACA repeal.
Senate margin➡NARROWER.
There's a path to victory—just need to march there.
Details in thread⤵
ICYMI, in a debate in 2016, then candidate 45 vowed that he would "put[] pro-life justices on the court," and that if he could place multiple justices on SCOTS, that Roe v Wade would be overturned "automatically." npr.org/2018/06/28/624…
45 & SCOTUS may think that a woman’s right to choose is a close partisan decision, 5/4 with Kennedy as the deciding vote. But It’s not even close; only 18% of Americans believe abortion should be illegal in all circumstances—has stayed steady since Roe. news.gallup.com/poll/1576/abor…