Citizens Prerogative

Episode discussion topics

• We put the spotlight on what it means to be a patriot in our republic and call attention to a thought experiment. What does patriotism look like in lieu of armed conflict and insurrection? How should a patriot respond to an attempted coup or illegal seizure of power from a government?
  
• Storming the capital is not a legitimate answer. If the election was executed freely and fairly by the book, then we follow the votes, period. No violence should be justified. Anyone who refuses to abide by the winner according to the most votes is then, by definition, attempting a coup against the duly elected government.
  
• Evidence that substantiates claims of wrongdoing in establishing the vote count shall need to be dealt with and we have long-standing mechanisms in place to identify and remedy issues in voting procedures or personnel. To date, there has been negligible evidence of actual vote tampering or other anomalies and none that were so widespread as to impact the outcome of an election. Yet we remain vigilant, county by county.
  
• We should double down on the rules and keep trying at making a more perfect union, each election cycle at a time with that end goal in mind: more perfect.
  
• Peacefully protesting is the release valve for citizens to band together in a show of force and solidarity around a common cause. If, and now we can say when, an administration cracks down on peaceful protests, then the lawsuits will rise through the courts to protect the civil liberties guaranteed to citizens under the law. The executive branch can be rebuked through the courts, one would hope. Political revolution instead of armed revolution by force is the only way forward if you side with our republic and not against it.
  • Footnote aside: Unless said civil liberty has to do with someone carrying a uterus. Our current Supreme Court is fully open to hearing arguments against abortion rights and willing to watch the resulting repercussions of enacting such laws as if one's mind was so small as to not already know the outcome without needing to collect data in order to inform your decision. It's all quite billy-boy-bonkers really.
• MVP mentioned something ambiguous about the Warren court, in reference to the U.S. Supreme Court responsible for overturning Jim Crow (Plessy v. Ferguson, 1896) with the 1954 decision that ruled racial segregation in schools, and by association all segregation, was unconstitutional (Brown v. Board of Education). Momentous things can happen at the whim of our courts within the span of 60 years. To and frow the pendulum meanders, oscillating around an inevitable arch bending toward justice. An indelible image gifted to us by the dear late Reverand Martin Lutther King Jr.
• Calls to Action:
  • If you have off-cycle elections coming, pay attention, and make sure you vote. In many states, you can be purged from the voter roll for missing only one election. Don't get rolled, keep voting to stay registered!
  • Contact your congressional representatives and voice your support for the following critical legislation to all citizens of the United States. If you want your vote to count and our tax dollars going to the things that matter, then you want to support this legislation:
    • For The People Act
    • John Lewis Voting Rights Act
    • Equality Act

Your hosts: Michael V. Piscitelli and Raymond Wong Jr.

More info

• MVP wanted to rant on a soapbox about the CA Recall Process being punitive on the voters forcing a snap election with candidates rather than providing a simple yes or no, and letting the dominoes fall into place. We already elected a second in command in case the governorship is vacated prior to the end of their term and this case should be no different. On another note, strategically the lieutenant governor should have been an option for us on the back of the ballot. Next time... and there will be a next time if history is any lesson.
  
  • The recall device began in the United States in a municipality—Los Angeles—in 1903. Michigan and Oregon, in 1908, were the first states to adopt recall procedures for state officials. Minnesota (1996) and New Jersey (1993) were the most recent.
  • Since 1913, there have been 179 recall attempts of state elected officials in California. Eleven recall efforts collected enough signatures to qualify for the ballot and of those, the elected official was recalled in six instances. We'll see what happens with Newsom in CA on Sep. 15. 2021 or within only days later.
• We have transcripts now! Come to the episode page on our site to check it out. It's all AI from Zoom, not us, so forgive us for any mistakes.
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