Tag Archives: democracy

The Tallahassee Democrat reports: Florida voters have used the citizens’ initiative process in recent years to usher in medical marijuana, a higher minimum wage and voting rights for those previously convicted of felonies. But their ability to advance future changes wanted by most voters yet opposed or disregarded by state lawmakers could soon be eliminated — if Gov. Ron DeSantis …

NBC News reports: A Georgia judge on Tuesday blocked a new rule from the state’s election board that would have required counties to count ballots cast on Election Day by hand, a provision critics had said would cause delays and disruptions in reporting results in the battleground state. Fulton County Superior Court Judge Robert McBurney wrote in his decision that …

The Associated Press reports: Concern for U.S. democracy amid deep national polarization has prompted the entities supporting 13 presidential libraries dating back to Herbert Hoover to call for a re-commttment to the country’s bedrock principles, including the rule of law and respecting a diversity of beliefs. The statement released Thursday, the first time the libraries have joined to make such …

CNN reports: President Joe Biden on Wednesday is set to deliver a speech warning that American democracy is under assault from election deniers who are running for office at all levels as he tries to make defending democracy a top issue in next week’s midterm elections. “This is also the first national election since the events of January 6, when …

CBS News reports: With the economy and country’s direction so widely seen as bad, recent history would suggest a large midterm loss for the governing party. But then these aren’t typical times for the nation. And when it comes to what’s at stake this year, there are dramatic differences between parties. We asked simply what concerns you more: whether the …

Reuters reports: The European Union’s top diplomat said on Sunday that last week’s siege of the U.S. Capitol exposed the dangers of allowing the degradation of democratic values to go unchecked and disinformation to spread on social media. “What we saw on Wednesday was only the climax of very worrying developments happening globally in recent years. It must be a …

USA Today reports: Hong Kong’s legislature approved a contentious bill Thursday that makes it illegal to insult the Chinese national anthem. The legislation was approved after pro-democracy opposition lawmakers tried to disrupt the vote. The bill was passed with 41 lawmakers voting for it and just one voting against. Most of the pro-democracy lawmakers boycotted the vote out of protest. …

The New York Times reports: Carrie Lam, Hong Kong’s chief executive, said on Wednesday that she was withdrawing a contentious extradition bill that set off months of protests in the city, moving to quell the worst political crisis since the former British colony returned to Chinese control 22 years ago. The move eliminates the major objection among protesters, but it …

Mother Jones reports: Maryland became the 12th state to enact automatic voter registration on Thursday after Republican Gov. Larry Hogan declined to veto a bill that had passed the Democratic-controlled legislature. Maryland has half a million unregistered voters, according to a 2017 report by the department of legislative services. Maryland’s adoption of automatic registration comes as lawmakers in blue and …

HIV Plus Magazine reports: Speaking via a pre-recorded video to attendees of the HIV is Not a Crime Training Academy, Hilary Clinton says if she wins the Presidential election, she will work to reform outdated, stigmatizing HIV criminalization laws. Clinton thanked attendees for their work, saying that efforts like HIV is Not a Crime “lift us all up.” Saying we …

Via the Washington Post: Swelling crowds of pro-democracy protesters in Hong Kong on Monday plunged Asia’s normally staid financial hub into a tense standoff with Beijing that strikes directly at China’s expanding political grip in the former British colony. The rapidly escalating demonstrations are aimed at forcing Beijing’s Communist leaders to abandon newly declared powers to weed out any candidates …

After a nearly 40-year reign, Spain’s King Juan Carlos has surrendered his throne to his son. Juan Carlos, whose health is failing and has had a number of hip operations in recent years, is stepping down for personal reasons, Mariano Rajoy said on Monday. “His majesty, King Juan Carlos, has just communicated to me his will to give up the …

Contrary to jubilant early reports today, Egyptian strongman Hosni Mubarak is not stepping down, but is merely transferring some power to his number two man. Angry crowds are presently marching on the television studio where Mubarak made the below announcement less than an hour ago. I’ll replace this clip with a proper network account when it becomes available.

JMG reader Bernard tips us to this post by Pharyngula bloggger PZ Meyers: We’ve been doing politics all wrong. Michael Voris has the answers. The problem with democracy is all these voters with different views on things like abortion and homosexuality, where people who vote for such things are just rotten parasites who want to destroy civilization. So he has …

Residents of Washington DC will at last have representation in Congress. Probably. By a vote of 61-37, the Senate passed a bill providing full voting representation for the nation’s capital in the House of Representatives, nearly ensuring that the measure will become law this time around. While advocates were declaring victory already, a court fight almost definitely looms over the …