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Showing posts with label freedom. Show all posts
Showing posts with label freedom. Show all posts

05 July 2026

BLOCK TRUMP STEALING ELECTIONS, STOP THE SAVE ACT & Ex-Arizona lawmaker who questioned election integrity gets probation for using forged signatures 3JUL&6JAN26

 

DETERMINED to turn our democratic Republic into the fascist heritage foundation's 2025 authoritarian theocratic oligarchy NOT MY pres drumpf/trump, NOT MY vp vance, their corrupt administration and the complicit drumpf/trump-vance ass licking gop/greed over people-republican party controlling congress are holding legislation addressing some of the American housing crisis ( passed with overwhelming bipartisan support ) from becoming law until the "save america act" legislation allowing the drumpf/trump-vance neo-nazi fascist right wing to control elections is passed. Even if it is passed ( it is by the house but not the senate ) it would be illegal as per the US Constitution the states are in charge of all elections in America, not the federal government. Please sign the petition by Demand Progress telling them to reject all versions of the "save act", "the save america act", and every other voter suppression legislation drumpf/trump-vance and their fascist right wing allies may propose. It will help if you also contact your representative and senators yourself, it does make a difference as outlined in this encouraging piece on constituent involvement in government...My e mails will be at the end of this post. From Demand Progress and Courthouse News Service.....

You level the playing field.

Elected officials pay attention when they see that we are paying attention. 

They may be hearing from industry lobbyists left and right, but hearing the stories of their constituents — that’s your power.

Our legislators serve at the pleasure of the people who gave them their job — you.

Make sure your elected officials know whose community and whose values they represent. When you contact your elected official, you’re putting a face and a name on an issue.

Whether or not you voted for them, they work for you, for the duration of their term.

Make sure your elected officials know whose community and whose values they represent. (Find your local, state, and federal elected officials.) 

TELL Congress: Trump and his MAGA loyalists are holding Congress hostage to pass his extreme voter ID bill, the SAVE America Act. Trump is scrambling after the Supreme Court ruled against him in a voting rights case, labeling all opposition to the bill as "CHEATING!" Sign the petition: Block Trump's SAVE America Act!

Trump went into full attack mode after the Supreme Court ruled against him in a voting rights case yesterday.

He is holding Congress hostage until lawmakers pass his SAVE America Act, an extreme voter ID bill. "There is only one reason to oppose — CHEATING!" Trump ranted on Truth Social.1 His MAGA loyalists in the House refuse to move any legislation forward until the Senate passes one of the worst voter suppression bills in modern history.2

Lawmakers must stand firm against the SAVE America Act and all of Trump's unconstitutional moves to rig the elections.

Sign the petition: Reject Trump's authoritarian SAVE America Act and protect our elections!

Under Trump’s bill, people can’t register to vote or update their registrations without a passport or original birth certificate — documents that 21 million people don’t have ready access to. Tens of millions of women who’ve changed their last names after marriage and may not have a passport or birth certificate with their current last name could be effectively disenfranchised.

And every single voter would need to show a government-issued photo ID with an up-to-date address and current name before casting a ballot.3

Trump and his allies use his far-right conspiracies that the 2020 election was stolen from him because of "mass noncitizen voting" to justify passing the SAVE America Act. It's all made up to rig the midterms and pass his authoritarian policies.

MAGA's election scheme is coming to a head — lawmakers must take urgent steps to protect our voting rights.

Sign the petition: Urge Congress to block Trump’s move to steal the 2026 midterms. Stand up to Trump and stop the SAVE America Act!

Thanks for taking action,

Joey and the team at Demand Progress

Sources:

  1. Politico, "Trump doubles down on SAVE America Act after Supreme Court loss on mail voting," June 29, 2026.
  2. Politico, "Anna Paulina Luna has paralyzed the House, and fellow Republicans are mystified," June 25, 2026.
  3. ACLU, "ACLU Condemns House Passage of SAVE America Act as Dangerous Assault on Democracy ," February 11, 2026.


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Don’t Let Trump Sabotage Vote by Mail! 19JUN26








Ex-Arizona lawmaker who questioned election integrity gets probation for using forged signatures

Austin Smith previously portrayed the allegations against him as a coordinated attack by Democrats that was “silly on its face.”

 / January 6, 2026

PHOENIX (AP) — A former Republican lawmaker who questioned the integrity of Arizona’s elections and served as a leader for the conservative group Turning Point Action was sentenced Tuesday to probation and a five-year ban on running for public office for using nominating petitions that contained forged signatures in a bid to qualify for a 2024 primary election.

Austin Smith, 30, pleaded guilty in mid-November to charges of attempted fraudulent schemes and practices, and illegal signing of election petitions. He had acknowledged trying to use petitions with forged signatures that he knew were false and forging a dead woman’s signature on a nominating petition.

Smith represented an Arizona House district in the Phoenix suburbs for one term before dropping his reelection bid in April 2024 when questions arose about signatures on his nominating petitions.

He resigned at the time as a leader at Turning Point Action, the campaign arm of Turning Point USA, which has become a major force in Arizona Republican politics. His bio page said Smith was approached in 2019 by Turning Point co-founder Charlie Kirk and Tyler Bowyer, another top leader of the group, about launching Turning Point Action. Kurt Altman, Smith’s lawyer, told the judge that his client was mortified by his conduct and will never run for public office again. “He realizes that things got out of hand,” Altman said. “And in today’s political atmosphere, things get out of hand very quickly. He is embarrassed by the lapse in judgment.”

When handing down the sentence, Superior Court Judge Aryeh Schwartz said the offense undermined the integrity of the election process, but also said Smith accepted responsibility for his actions. Smith, who was also fined $5,500 as part of his sentence, declined to address the judge during sentencing. He also declined to comment outside of court when a reporter asked him if he wanted to do so.

The Associated Press left messages for a Turning Point spokesperson. Altman told the judge that Smith has started an agricultural business.

Smith previously portrayed the allegations against him as a coordinated attack by Democrats that was “silly on its face,” but said he would drop out of his reelection campaign to avoid racking up legal bills.

In campaign literature, Smith voiced support for a Republican-backed review of the 2020 presidential election results in Maricopa County that ultimately ended without producing proof to support President Donald Trump’s false claims of a stolen election. Smith also sponsored an unsuccessful proposal to ban voting by mail and complained in a campaign ad about political elites breaking election laws.

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By JACQUES BILLEAUD Associated Press

MY E MAILS TO REP SUBRAMANYAM D-VA 10 TH, SEN MARK WARNER D-VA, AND SEN KAINE D-VA

The fascist drumpf/trump-vance administration with most of the congressional fascist gop/greed over people-republican party continues their efforts to replace our democratic Republic with the neo-nazi heritage foundation's project 2025's authoritarian theocratic oligarchy. I expect you to take every action possible to prevent the "save act" or the "save america act" or any other voter suppression legislation they might try to impose from passing in congress. If preventing them from hijacking the 2026 Midterms means the federal government would shut down then do it. We will survive another government shutdown, we probably will not survive this administration's repression and suppression of voting in the 2026 Midterms. Please work with the entire Virginia congressional delegation to defend all Americans voting rights.

19 June 2026

Understanding the significance of Juneteenth 19JUN26




Patriotic Millionaires

It’s Juneteenth, which is the official federal holiday commemorating the final enforcement of the Emancipation Proclamation on June 19, 1865 in Galveston, Texas at the end of the Civil War. This is the fifth year the United States has recognized it as a federal holiday, and seeing how racial justice and economic justice are deeply intertwined, we felt it was important to give this day the proper attention it deserves.

Not sure where to start? We’ve got you covered.

Black Americans still face systemic discrimination in just about every facet of their lives—from the healthcare system, law enforcement, the courts, the education system, and more. There are a number of reasons why America’s “racial wealth gap” is so massive. Redliningblockbusting, excluding Black veterans from the post-WWII GI Bill, and Black people being swindled into predatory subprime mortgages that ultimately created the 2008 financial crisis are all frequently cited as major contributors. This is what we mean when we say white supremacy and the lasting impacts of slavery still harm our society, economy, and democracy today.

If you’re looking for resources to better understand how this is the case, here’s what we’d recommend reading:

  • Our Closer Look from June 2025 about how the sub-minimum wage (also known as the tipped minimum wage) is a vestige from slavery. After the Civil War, business owners who still wanted to exploit formerly enslaved Black people brought the idea of tipping over from Europe to America, but with a financial twist to it: they decided that tips would replace wages entirely for Black workers.

  • Our Closer Look from February 2026 about how early labor laws excluded Black Americans. The targeted exclusion of occupations that mainly employed Black people from minimum wage and Social Security provisions during the New Deal means that not only do Black families still hold less generational wealth, but there remains to this day a wage gap based on race, to say nothing of the wage gap when considering both race and gender.

  • Our pals at ITEP wrote this insightful piece about how one of the most powerful drivers of that inequity is our tax system. As they eloquently put it: “Juneteenth is often described as a celebration of delayed justice. But it should also be a reminder that justice delayed is justice denied. The inequities embedded in our tax system will not correct themselves. They require intentional action, guided by a clear understanding of who benefits and who bears the cost. If we are serious about honoring the legacy of Juneteenth, we must move beyond commemoration to transformation. That means building a tax system and an economy that works for everyone, not just the privileged few.”

  • “Spread the power” is our core third principle here at Patriotic Millionaires. That means understanding how orchestrated attacks on voting rights are becoming commonplace across the country. In the past two decades, we’ve witnessed the Supreme Court of the United States wipe out a generation of work by civil rights activists. See this from the Brennan Center: The Supreme Court’s Failure to Protect Voting Rights. There is a tie between attacks on voting rights and it disproportionately harming Black Americans and other racial minorities, as well as young and elderly voters, people with lower incomes, and people with disabilities.


When we eliminate barriers to financial and political freedom, we take a step forward in the fights for both economic justice and racial justice. The same can be said for just about every aspect of the economy, from the tax code to labor laws to antitrust laws and more. We hope you use this federal holiday as an opportunity to better understand how our movement toward a stronger economy and country is intrinsically connected with advancing racial justice.

Thank you for all you do,

The Patriotic Millionaires

WHO IS OPAL LEE? THE STORY BEHIND THE GRANDMOTHER OF JUNETEENTH 19JUN26

 



Key Points
  • Opal Lee, the "Grandmother of Juneteenth," was instrumental in the movement to make Juneteenth a federally recognized holiday in 2021.

  • A lifelong educator in Fort Worth, Texas, she dedicated her career to shaping young minds and serving her community.

  • A traumatic 1939 Juneteenth experience—when her family's home was burned—helped inspire her lifelong commitment to justice and advocacy.

  • At age 89, Opal Lee made a symbolic walk from Fort Worth to Washington, D.C., building on the annual 2.5-mile walks she began years earlier to advocate for federal recognition of Juneteenth. 

  • Her legacy reflects the power of resilience, education, and grassroots activism to create lasting social change.

  • Opal Lee attends the 2021 Forbes x Know Your Value 50 Over 50 Summit on December 15, 2021 in New York City. (Photo by Taylor Hill/WireImage)

  • Who is Opal Lee?  

    Opal Lee, the 'Grandmother of Juneteenth,' is a woman of remarkable vision, unshakable determination and boundless compassion. The legacy created by her resilience echoes throughout the nation, reminding us all that one person's unwavering commitment to justice can change the course of history. Her journey stands as a beacon of hope and a call to action for generations to come.

    Born in Marshall, Texas, in 1926, Opal Lee credits her superb work ethic to her mother. Lee graduated from high school at the age of 16 and went on to further her education at Wiley College in Marshall, Texas, where she earned her bachelor's degree in elementary education. In 1960, she returned to the classroom to achieve her master's degree in counseling and guidance from North Texas University. 

    A Career Rooted in Education and Community  

    For 24 years, she worked with children in the Fort Worth Independent School District as a schoolteacher and a counselor. She poured into the lives of children in the area and saw firsthand the many different walks of life and struggles her community went through. It was here that Lee truly understood what it meant to love your neighbor. 

    "As a lifelong educator, I know that what we teach today shapes tomorrow," Lee said. "So if people can be taught to hate, they can be taught to love." 

     As a lifelong educator, I know that what we teach today shapes tomorrow. So if people can be taught to hate, they can be taught to love. Opal Lee, retired educator and activist known as the Grandmother of Juneteenth

    A Defining Moment: The 1939 Juneteenth Tragedy 

    Like many, Lee's celebrations of Juneteenth as a child were private celebrations with family and friends enjoying each other's company, good food and the remembrance of a pivotal moment in our nation's history.

    That was until June 19, 1939, when the beloved holiday had to share a day of terror with the Lee family, when a mob burned their house down during their celebrations. That became a day she and her family would never forget; however, it wasn't a day that silenced her.


    Retired teacher and activist Opal Lee attends the Presidential Medal of Freedom ceremony at the White House in Washington, DC, on May 3, 2024. (Photo by Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images)

  • From Educator to Activist  

    After Lee's retirement in 1977, she shifted her focus to bettering her community. She helped advocate for those experiencing poverty and homelessness in the community, and she became a founding member of the Tarrant County Black Historical and Genealogical Society and began her role of planning Juneteenth celebrations for her community. Thus began the chain of events that would lead to a very important moment in United States history. 

    "I don't consider myself a civil rights person. I consider myself your grandma and everybody else's grandma, and I expect you to listen when I tell you something," Lee said. 

     I don't consider myself a civil rights person. I consider myself your grandma and everybody else's grandma, and I expect you to listen when I tell you something. Opal Lee, retired educator and activist known as the Grandmother of Juneteenth

  • Activist and retired educator Opal Lee, 94, holds hands with Vice President Kamala Harris as U.S. President Joe Biden signs the Juneteenth National Independence Day Act into law in 2021. (Getty Images)

  • The Movement to Make Juneteenth a National Holiday  

    In 2016, at the age of 89, Lee started her campaign to call for Juneteenth's recognition as a national holiday. She started her journey, walking from Fort Worth, Texas, to Washington, D.C. Each day, she walked 2.5 miles to symbolize the two and a half years enslaved people in Texas waited to learn they had been freed after the Emancipation Proclamation.

    She was strong and resilient in her efforts, and along the way, she gathered a petition with 1.5 million signatures to present to Congress. After a lifetime of work and 154 years after the good news reached Galveston, Texas, Lee watched as President Joe Biden signed the Juneteenth Independence Day Act on June 27, 2021. 

    Why Opal Lee’s Story Still Matters Today 

    Lee shows us that change is possible at any age, and that the power of history lies not just in remembrance but in action. Her voice, her footsteps and her love for community forged a path toward national recognition and healing. In recognition of her impact, she has received several honorary doctorates, including from Southern Methodist University, Texas Christian University and Wiley University. Her life reminds us that even the deepest pain can be transformed into purpose, and that the fight for freedom, dignity and truth must continue with every generation.