There Is No Bottom

I was reading a little on Facebook this morning now that my internet has been at least for the moment healed of its afflictions. I came upon a little post by my old friend Sundae Horne, of Ocracoke Island, NC. The tourists there are being ordered to evacuate because Hurricane Maria is still serious and approaching close to the island, and overwash, flooding, and some serious winds are expected. Sundae says they'll be ok, and having sat through one hurricane on Ocracoke in the '90s, I expect she's right, and we can at the same time be glad the damn storm isn't what it was when it crossed Puerto Rico.

Anyway, Sundae posted a reference to a 1943 Supreme Court Decision called West Virginia School Board V Barnette. Here's a link to the decision, which is important enough to have achieved a wiki-page.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/West_Virginia_State_Board_of_Education_v._Barnette

So every rightwing idiot now in government, plus many who aim to be, or used to be, have been entirely wrong on the facts concerning Mr. Kaepernick and his responsible and one might say even touching efforts to bring some justice to a part of America which continues to be abused by a great many government employees--police--on the basis of their race, and nothing else. Even our President can rail at this entirely constitutional protest. Richard Petty can rail at it and threaten to fire any of his employees who might dare to make some peaceful protest during the incessant nationalistic displays which decorate every NASCAR race: song, fireworks, air show, prayer.

I was born in 1943. It has been unconstitutional since 1943 for anyone to force an American to stand for the National Anthem.

Jesus Fucking Christ!

From the wiki page:

West Virginia State Board of Education v. Barnette, 319 U.S. 624 (1943), is a decision by the Supreme Court of the United States holding that the Free Speech Clause of the First Amendment to the United States Constitution protected students from being forced to salute the American flag and say the Pledge of Allegiance in school. The Court's 6–3 decision, delivered by Justice Robert H. Jackson, is remembered for its forceful defense of free speech and constitutional rights generally as being placed "beyond the reach of majorities and officials."

It was a significant court victory won by Jehovah's Witnesses, whose religion forbade them from saluting or pledging to symbols, including symbols of political institutions. However, the Court did not address the effect the compelled salutation and recital ruling had upon their particular religious beliefs but instead ruled that the state did not have the power to compel speech in that manner for anyone.

Anyone still want to argue that Mr. Trump is not an authoritarian thug? And by the way, thank you LeBron James for your wonderfully considered remarks yesterday in Cleveland, at the presser.

And meanwhile the whole NFL thing Trump ignited last Friday can actually be understood as a total and effective distraction from what could easily become the worst natural and human disaster in this century:

http://www.boomantribune.com/story/2017/9/25/161250/786?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+boomantribune%2FSvpw+%28Booman+Tribune%29

Why aren't there U.S. Army divisions already on Puerto Rico, and, as the poster says, an airlift. And how can Mr. Trump even mention the economic problems the island has been facing, which stem in large part from ill considered previous US policy. Puerto Ricans are Americans!