Government

Remembering Attica

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Remembering Attica

On the eve of what would become the US’s�most famous prison uprising, the inmates of Attica Correctional Facility in upstate New York endured�deplorable�conditions. Their infections went untreated, their teeth fell out due to negligible dental care — they even lacked adequate access to soap and toilet paper.

On September 9, 1971, these pent-up�grievances simmered over when roughly�1,300 inmates took over the prison. For four days they were effectively in charge. They made demands on�the state (better medical care, fewer limits on their�freedom of expression, immunity from prosecution for rebelling), negotiated with mediators brought in at their behest (including, briefly, Black Panther leader Bobby Seale), and generally asserted their worth as�human beings.

But whatever the prisoners�gained in those few days was quickly pulverized�by the brute force of the state. Seeking dignity, they instead unleashed the wrath of New York governor Nelson Rockefeller.

What Is Fascism? What to Know About Its Brutal Origins | Time

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What Is Fascism? What to Know About Its Brutal Origins | Time

When Benito Mussolini debuted the Fasci Italiani di Combattimento, the precursor to his fascist party, on Mar. 23, 1919, in Milan, he wasn’t inventing the idea of violent authoritarianism. But he put a name on a new and terrible breed of it. Under his leadership, squads of militants attacked, beat and killed fellow Italians; later, once he had become the authoritarian ruler of Italy, he oversaw brutality in Ethiopia, an alliance with Hitler and the persecution of Italy’s Jewish population and others, among other crimes.

NPR

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Fascism Scholar Says U.S. Is ‘Losing Its Democratic Status’ : NPR

Since it was first popularized by Italian dictator Benito Mussolini in the 1920s, fascism, and accusations of it, have been a common theme in American political discourse.

Voices on the left warned of fascism in the form of Ronald Reagan and George W. Bush; conservatives have accused liberals of actually being the ones to embrace the far-right ideology.

Historians have noted similarities between Donald Trump and Mussolini since before the 2016 election. Some of the racial justice protesters this summer have said they are fighting fascism in the form of President Trump. And the presence of antifa — anti-fascist — protesters at some demonstrations has upped attention to the word.

But what is and isn't fascist isn't even agreed upon by scholars.

The Old Rules Were Dumb Anyway

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The Old Rules Were Dumb Anyway

8/28/20 by NPR

Web player: https://podcastaddict.com/episode/111727959
Episode: https://play.podtrac.com/npr-510289/edge1.pod.npr.org/anon.npr-mp3/npr/pmoney/2020/08/20200828_pmoney_brokenrules_fm_maybe_1.mp3

When the pandemic hit, the old rules went out the window. What rules will stay broken when things go back to normal?

America Has Added 5 Million New Gun Owners in 2020 – The Truth About Guns

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NSSF: America Has Added 5 Million New Gun Owners in 2020 – The Truth About Guns

NSSF, the trade association for the firearm industry, updated retail survey-based estimates and concluded that nearly 5 million Americans purchased a firearm for the very first time in 2020. NSSF surveyed firearm retailers which reported that 40 percent of sales were conducted to purchasers who have never previously owned a firearm.

NSSF tracks the background checks associated with the sale of a firearm based on the FBI’s National Instant Background Check System (NICS). NSSF-adjusted NICS checks for January through July 2020 is a record 12.1 million, which is up 71.7 percent from the 7.1 million NSSF-adjusted NICS January through July 2019. This equates to nearly 5 million first-time gun owners in the first seven months of 2020.

Could This Be The End Of The NRA?

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Could This Be The End Of The NRA?

8/7/20 by Diane Rehm

Web player: https://podcastaddict.com/episode/110784225
Episode: https://downloads.wamu.org/mp3/dr/20/08/r1200807.mp3

In a lawsuit filed this week, New York Attorney General Letitia James said a months long investigation into the National Rifle Association found extensive “fraud and abuse” and she’s calling for the powerful gun rights organization to be dissolved. Diane talks with Adam Winkler, professor of law at UCLA, about the lawsuit and what comes next.

Institutionally that may be correct, some of the abuses of the NRA executives are pretty aggregious by any accounting. Besides forcing paybacks and resignations of the executives, the NRA 501c3 could be dissolved under state law ⚖ but that doesn’t mean that gun rights advocacy would disappear – the assets of the NRA would be transferred to other gun rights advocacy groups that have a record of being more responsible to their donors.

Some of those groups are far more stronger advocates of the second amendment and are smaller and less wasteful. And people still care about their rights – if the NRA disappears other group like the National Association for Gun Rights or Shooting Sports Alliance may take up their mantle.

Honestly, the pervasive corruption of the NRA as an institution suggests maybe its time for its competitors to take up the mantle and become a more trustworthy source of advocacy and training for gun rights. Just because an institution has been all powerful for generations doesn’t mean it’s above the law or not subject to corruption. Times change and sometimes new leadership is needed.