Legalectric

When discussing “current events,” and the distressing rise of right-wing extremists, authoritarians, neo-nazis, I’d wondered aloud if many Americans, and much of the world, had become too comfortable, had not had to endure the hardships of previous generations, leading to ignoring history (ignore, the root of ignorance), wrapping up in their comforter of real or imagined privilege and entitlement, and adoption and acting on a “pull up the ladder” “I’ve got mine, screw anyone and everyone else” theory of life.

An ally noted an old German saying:

“When things are going well for the donkey,

the donkey goes out on the ice.”

In too few days, this country will again be lead by a braying ass!

We’re out there on thin ice. Now’s the time to brush up on swimming skills, put on the wet-suit and a life-preserver or two.

This came over the wire, another notice that I really didn’t want to see:

Avista joins PGE, Grid United and ALLETE in 3,000 megawatt east-west transmission line

They’re calling it the “North Plains Connector,” an “up to” 525-kilovolt (kV) with sections of both high-voltage direct-current (HVDC) and alternating current (AC) electrical transmission lines, and AC/DC converter stations, connecting the Eastern and Western Interconnections running between the coal plants on the East to Colstrip, MT, which I think also has a big coal plant. Their site:

NORTH PLAINS CONNECTOR

Scoping meetings started TODAY, AAACK! Another tomorrow, and more next week:

Comments are due by December 9, 2024.

From the Federal Register Notice:

You can comment on the proposed Project by contacting Rebecca ‘‘RJ’’ Boyle, NEPA Document Manager, by any of the following methods:

*Email: northplainsconnector@hq.doe.gov

*U.S. Mail: Rebecca ‘‘RJ’’ Boyle, NPC, NEPA Document Manager, U.S. Department of Energy, Grid Deployment Office, 1000 Independence Avenue SW, Washington, DC 20585.

Documents pertinent to the NOI may be examined online at https://www.energy.gov/nepa/doeeis-0568-
north-plains-connector-multiple-locations

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT : Rebecca ‘‘RJ’’ Boyle, GDO NEPA Document Manager northplainsconnector@hq.doe.gov; or by phone at (301) 550–0364.

Contact Ms. Boyle to have your name added to the EIS mailing list.

Trump is WRONG for the U.S.

I don’t understand how so many can believe or not care about blatant lies; how anyone can support someone so grossly unfit mentally that he can’t complete a full sentence or stay on track sufficiently to make a coherent statement and so physically unfit that he fills his diapers on stage and falls asleep at his trials; and yes, it’s clear that so many are desperately afraid of losing privilege, mired in “replacement theory.” Found guilty on 34 felony counts?!?! Plan to build camps and deport millions? Who would find that appealing? What does this say about anyone voting for him? Perhaps that they:

It’s devastating, disheartening, and terrifying.

No clue what to do. I know that it’s crucial to stay and work on this mess, though I’m not sure my privilege of having a law license will be of much help. Alan’s mother was Canadian, and he can rather easily get dual citizenship. I’m real conscious of my age and the mountain of work that’s needed.

It’ll take some time to get over the shock and start to put together a plan. Time for a short time out.

The shock, and I really don’t want to remember the horror of those four years and the most recent four. It was never ending edge-of-the-chair chaos, dreading what could happen next. He’s promised dictator from Day One. So much can be done with Executive Orders that I do not doubt he’d do all he could.

I’m remembering that he took out the White House phone system, and when it came back, there was no comment line. It was impossible for a while to get through to the switchboard, and then when that was possible, they would NOT take a message, saying “send it online, through the website comment page.” Well, that disappeared too.

I’m remembering that I started to track Executive Orders early on, started up a website to track them and the court cases challenging them, and there were so many awful E.O.’s and so many challenges that grew into a spiderweb of convolution that I just couldn’t do it. There was a White House Executive Order and Memorandum page which did start to list them, and then that disappeared too. Federal Register subscriptions flew into my inbox, also too many to track, but some of the most onerous jumped out.

I’m remembering February, 2017, when we were on a long Amtrak trip, and the first attempted “Muslim ban,” EO13769, the first one that was found unconstitutional (tRumped up threat from “7 countries” February 24th, 2017), and then the ones that followed, until he found one that couldn’t be thrown out. A few days later, we toured Manzanar National Historic Site in California (75 years ago – America’s Shameful Japanese Internment February 18th, 2017; Manzanar – Information on Japanese American Internment February 27th, 2017) and five years later Minidoka National Historic Site in Idaho (A MUST visit — Minidoka National Historic Site June 1st, 2022). We cannot allow this to happen again.

I’m remembering early in the Trump administration the ICE detention facility that had been planned, and APPROVED by the Pine Island City Council, and a group of us were able to get that permit revoked and the plan dropped (ICE OUT in Pine Island! August 22nd, 2018; NO ICE! Pine Island City Council meeting last night July 18th, 2018; No ICE detention in Pine Island! July 1st, 2018; ICE detention facility at Elk Run, Pine Island?!?! June 26th, 2018). I saw yesterday that plans were announced for detention camps across the U.S., and heard a 2nd hand report of someone who’d be working on them. Mass deportations, detention camps, troops on the street: Trump spells out migrant plan in The Guardian; Trump does not rule out building detention camps for mass deportations in Reuters. In U.S. Media: Trump and allies planning militarized mass deportations, detention camps in WaPo; Trump plots mass detention and deportation of undocumented immigrants should he regain power in CNN – note this was in November 2023, a YEAR AGO! Prairie Island Indian Community bought a part, all of Elk Run, where and did that include the part that was for the ICE detention center, or could that project reappear?

I’m remembering Trump appointed DeJoy, and for a while it could be a week, even up to two weeks, without mail delivery. Mailboxes were taken out and piled up for scrap. He should have been booted out years ago, but he’s still there. Contact USPS Inspector General August 14th, 2020; USPS to reverse service changes October 15th, 2020; End of DeJoy? Let Commissioners know! January 27th, 2023.

I’m remembering Trump’s “Refugee Resettlement” Executive Order 13888, which prohibited resettlement of refugees in an area unless both the state and local government have consented prior. That consent needed to be expressly given by local governments prior to ? some day in January 2020. Refugee Resettlement in Goodhue County January 6th, 2020. With that push from Trump, it became a major local fight, with such ugly backlash, threats, and outright inciteful lies that our Goodhue County building had to be on lockdown due to a “credible threat,” and to get in to the hearing we had to go through metal detector and a gauntlet of deputies, plus more upstairs in the board room. Standing room only, even out into the hallway. I received an overt death threat (from PA, and reported), and quite a few nasty comments. The wife of our fired Police Chief was a primary instigator, and the lies about refugees were absurd. It wasn’t even an issue here, we had one refugee here in 2010, another one in 2011, and none since. Goodhue County did the right thing, and it was not without extreme challenge and uproar. Goodhue County consents to continue to accept refugees January 8th, 2020.

The list goes on and on…

And then there’s:

Project 2025 – here it is July 4th, 2024

There are questions about mail-in voting and recording ballots, as it appears 18-24+ million votes are MIA and the math isn’t working:

What Happens if a Candidate Contests the Results of the 2024 Election?

Trump And Harris Could Face Recounts In These Swing States After Tomorrow’s Election

‘Human error’ forces recount of 30,000 absentee ballots in Milwaukee