Category Archives: Second Amendment

JMU announced Friday their plan to cancel spring break to curb travel due to the pandemic, leaving students with mixed reactions.JMU student Giovanni Gibbs says she was definitely surprised but also a little disappointed.Instead of the usual week-long break, JMU has scattered the days off throughout the spring semester.Gibbs says she would prefer not to have long weekends.Three days off is okay, but its nothing like having a full week with a couple extra days, so personally I think I wouldve just rather it just been no spring break whatsoever than like a half spring break, Gibbs said. "I think it should be either all or nothing.Gibbs also says that more days off can allow for more time with family.When you have students in enclosed spaces, in a place where some of it isnt really familiar, especially for out-of-state students where its hard for them to go home as it is, I think it can definitely take a toll on their mental health and their ability to perform well in their classes," Gibbs said.Jackson Lapovski, another JMU student, says he needs more days off to catch up on school. Im taking like 15 credits, thats a lot of work. I think three days isnt enough to get a lot done. I think we need four or something like that," Lapovski said.JMU student Hannah Johnson says not having the break halfway through the semester could affect students' mental health.I think its also like a psychological thing," Johnson said. "You know, that youre gonna have that break off so youre like grinding up until that break, you know. So, I could definitely foresee that happening.University Spokesperson Mary-Hope Vass says that they wanted students to be aware of the news as soon as possible as they are planning for the spring semester.Weve certainly seen students who are not in favor of this, however, this falls in line with many other institutions throughout the state of Virginia, so ideally this is not how our spring semester would go, but were also still dealing with a pandemic," Vass said.She also says it was the safest option for everyone involved.Its an ongoing conversation thats been happening, not just between JMU but also our local community to ensure that were following the appropriate guidelines and making the safest decisions for our students and our community at large," Vass said.An extra week of winter break has been added to the schools calendar, and the spring semester will still end at the normal, scheduled time.

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Staunton City Council sets public hearing on the Second Amendment on Oct. 29 at City Hall - WHSV

This matter goes well beyond a second amendment right. We are not looking for Cleveland Heights Police Department to challenge a second amendment right, as long as those same rights and perspective of the law is given to a black person, should he also wish to demonstrate those very same rights. What we are addressing however, is the law(s) that were actually violated which includes making terroristic threats, and ethnic intimidation. Even more so, outside of state law, Cleveland Heights charter requires an arrest, or at the least charges being filed against anyone who violates sections 537.09 and 537.06 of their municipal ordinances. Open carry and freedom of speech is one thing, but what this person said out of his own mouth; and if what is stated that he said is factual, then Cleveland Heights Police along with the Prosecutors office should act on this according to both state and local law

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Man walking around Cleveland Heights with long-gun quoted as saying Hes going to kill Black people - Cleveland 19 News

Conservatives and Republicans, which may or may not represent the same crowd, seem to have adopted their own flag around which to rally and proclaim allegiance.

The Thin Blue Line flag is a modification of Old Glory. You have probably seen this flag in your neighborhood waving proudly on homes for several months.

If you are wondering if there are becoming two flags representing people of the United States, you might be right.

The Thin Blue Line flag depicts a blue line instead of white line just below the field of blue. Above and below this blue stripe are often depicted black stripes replacing the traditional lines of red. There are even versions where all the red stripes are replaced with black except the blue stripe just below the field of blue.

This flag started out as an artistic adaptation for sale by the Thin Blue Line organization. This nonprofit rightfully promotes appreciation for the members of law enforcement and uses sales from this flag to fundraise.

If you are wondering if this flag is legal, the answer is yes.

The thin blue line is a concept popularized in the 1950s by L.A. Police Department Chief Bill Parker that recognizes the value of law enforcement. The concept was formalized in 1988 by Errol Morriss documentary The Thin Blue Line.

The thin blue line notion promotes the appreciation for and recognition that a small band of law enforcement professionals, i.e. the thin blue line, protects greater society from crime and disorder.

But this flag lately has morphed into representing, for many, the support for heavy-handed police suppression and for countering evil, anarchy and chaos, specifically from the left.

This flag no longer seems to represent appreciation for our police professionals.

There are many safeguards in the U.S. Constitution guaranteeing our rights.

The Second Amendment permits possession of firearms as part of a well-regulated militia that at the time of passage was interpreted as permitted when part of an official organization managed by the states. The First Amendment specifies free speech, free assembly, a free press, and right to protest as individual rights. Unlike the Second Amendment, these rights are not related to a sanctioned state militia.

The First Amendment reads, Congress shall make no law respecting the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievance.

Just like the right to bear arms as part of a well-regulated militia has devolved into everyone has a right to carry a gun, the right to peacefully protest is being falsely compared to promoting anarchy and criminal acts.

My worry is that Thin Blue Line flags are becoming the modern equivalent to the Stars and Bars of the confederate south a symbol of repression.

Funny how suppressing the right to protest and the freedom of assembly are being trounced by those who claim to be law-and-order proponents.

Sure, police need to go after criminal gangs, thugs, and arsonists who loot and destroy, with full commitment and resolve. But law enforcement, paid by us, the people, should guarantee all the right to peacefully protest as well.

But lets not brand peaceful protesters as anarchists, the liber-left, and communists.

Law means acting as rights and rules permit.

Order means with respect for others and conduct in a thoughtful manner.

While many state the Thin Blue Line flag signifies favoring law and order, how is it at the same time these folks condone aggressive suppression of our rights and the cessation of the very orderly, legal, and peaceful activities the Constitution promises to all?

Jonathan Kraut directs a private investigations agency, is the CEO of a private security firm, is the COO of an acting conservatory, a published author, and Democratic Party activist. His column reflects his own views and not necessarily those of The Signal or of other organizations.

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Jonathan Kraut | On Allegiance and Variations of the Stars and Stripes - Santa Clarita Valley Signal

Look who the people who tell Brits that Second Amendment-defending gun owners are traitors want Americans to vote for. (Coalition to Stop Gun Violence/Facebook)

U.S.A. -(Ammoland.com)-The idea that individuals have the right to fight against tyranny is as old as the republic, Coalition to Stop Gun Violence Executive Director Josh Horwitz tells the UKs The Guardian in another segment of the papers aptly titled Guns and Lies series of anti-gun propaganda pieces masked as news.

This year-long project investigates what works to reduce the daily toll of gun violence in America, exploring how Californias Bay Area has defied expectations and seen a dramatic decline in gun homicides, the series launch page declares. Dont tell the ace reporters, but East Oakland is in the Bay area, and it has emerged as the epicenter in a wave of shootings and homicides in a city that has logged more than 80 slayings in 2020, up from 58 at this time last year.

The project is funded in part by a grant to theguardian.org from the California Wellness Foundation, The Guardian tells us about its anti-gun project. All of our journalism is editorially independent and follows GNMs published editorial code.

Forgive me if I get a Michael Bloomberg/The Trace vibe off that assurance, particularly since the foundation benefactor makes a point of promoting gun-grab groups and demanding disarmament edicts under the guise of public health. And The Guardian doesnt do itself any favors by linking to its editorial code, where we learn:

Fairness The voice of opponents no less than of friends has a right to be heard [and] If you are employed as a columnist with your views openly on display you may have more latitude than a staff reporter, who would be expected to bring qualities of objectivity to their work.

The Horwitz puff piece did not present opposing viewpoints, which would be pathetically easy to find and/or solicit. And writer Lois Beckett identifies as a senior reporter, not a columnist but one who has pinned to her Twitter feed:

I am sick of media outlets making a case for hopelessness and stalemate after the latest mass shooting. There are ways to prevent some of these shootings. But people don't know about them because WE DON'T COVER THEM.

As for Horwitzs contention that fighting tyranny has been a key component of our understanding of the Second Amendment since the founding, some of us have been saying that all along. That, along with being necessary to the security of a free State, putting down real insurrections, and being a bulwark of societal and personal defense are all part and parcel of a right its advocates have long argued for. Contrary to CSGV accusations, some of us don't avoid the first thirteen words we chastise those who do.

But thats not the point hes trying to make. He thinks there is no individual right. Or at least thats the line CSGV wants those who don't know any better to swallow:

Heller reads an ambiguous constitutional provision as creating a substantive right that the Court had never acknowledged in the more than two hundred years since the amendments enactment.

Three lies in one brief assertion must qualify as some sort of gun grab trifecta.

There is nothing ambiguous about shall not be infringed.

The Heller court, citing Cruikshank specifically acknowledged:

This is not a right granted by the Constitution. Neither is it in any manner dependent upon that instrument for its existence.

And, of course, the Court acknowledged the individual right to keep and bear arms in the otherwise shameful Dredd Scott decision back in 1856 when it fretted that if blacks were entitled to the privileges and immunities of citizens it would give them the full liberty to keep and carry arms wherever they went.

Horwitz has had a thing about screaming Insurrectionist! at Second Amendment founding intent fundamentalists for years, and like all his kind, with all his exposure and all his opportunities to promulgate his message, he and they have never once manned up to the simplest of challenges: Provide evidence, based on their writings and speeches, that the leaders of the United States' founding era, men who had just risen up to throw off the shackles of British tyranny, did not intend to protect the right of individual citizens to keep and bear arms from government infringement.

Instead, he resorts to personal attacks on individual rights advocates, saying this about me:

Quotes from David Codrea: Careful You're talking about testing the ultimate last-resort purpose behind the Second Amendment. Some of us armed Americans take our Bill of Rights seriously and will not go gentle into that good night, bundled or by ourselves. You and your fellow travelers are playing a most dangerous game. Source: Codrea responding to a columnist who suggested that Anyone who shows up armed at a forum where a public official or political candidate is due to appear ought to be detained-and possibly prosecuted. Guns Magazine, The Most Dangerous Game, January 2010

As anyone who has actually read that article will see, that is a deliberately deceptive mischaracterization of what I actually wrote. As I explained in my rebuttal (Gun grab group lies about me):

I was responding directly to these lines from The Guns of August by statist cheerleader Ted Rall, and my article made that clear: These town hall terrorists could be declared enemy combatants and bundled off to Bagram with the stroke of a pen. If ever there were a reason for suspending civil rights, this is it.

Just in case we're still not clear, Rall is saying he wants government enforcers to take gun owners who have committed no violation of any law, but who have peaceably assembled in protest as per our First Amendment-recognized rightto a torture camp, without due process, without trial

So you're damn right, Josh. What kind of devoid-of-principles coward wouldn't fight stormtroopers trying to do that to free Americans? And what kind of subversive traitor to every precept of the Republic, not to mention common decency, would hold that against a man and view it as an opportunity for his public condemnation?

In typical Orwellian projection fashion, heres Horwitzs bottom line that he feeds The Guardian:

Number one: there needs to be a clear public response, that people who exercise this right are not patriots, but traitors.

And we know what happens to traitors, that is, what he wants to see armed enforcers for his dreamed-of Monopoly of Violence do to us.

He tried hanging the insurrectionist tag on me again in our New York Times debate a year after the Virginia Tech gun-free zone massacre (where the paper deliberately pitted me against half-a-dozen antis, just to keep the odds fair) when he wrote:

Mr. Codrea writes a blog titled, The War on Guns, Notes from the Resistance (who is he resisting?)

Why, I'm resisting you, Mr. Horwitz. And everyone who believes as you do, and particularly those who finance your subversions. If that makes me deserving of a traitors fate in your eyes, you and your fellow gun-grabbers get the same response I gave Ted Rall. At least that's all I can post here.

And as for the UK and its happily disarmed subjects of the Queen, I weigh in firmly on the side of No to a question Ive been asking for years.

About David Codrea:

David Codrea is the winner of multiple journalist awards for investigating/defending the RKBA and a long-time gun owner rights advocate who defiantly challenges the folly of citizen disarmament. He blogs at The War on Guns: Notes from the Resistance, is a regularly featured contributor to Firearms News, and posts on Twitter: @dcodrea and Facebook.

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US Gun Banner Tells UK Paper 'Traitors' Think 2nd Amendment is to Fight Tyranny - AmmoLand Shooting Sports News

Opinion

North Carolina -(AmmoLand.com)-It can be exhausting for Second Amendment supporters when their champions face tough re-election battles. In the Tarheel State, one such race is taking place for the United States Senate.

As of this writing, RealClearPolitics has the race as a toss-up, with Cal Cunningham having a 2.3-point lead in the RCP average.

While the 2016 election shows that polls can be very wrong, that same election did see North Carolinians vote out a pro-Second Amendment governor and put anti-Second Amendment extremist Roy Cooper in at the same time the state gave Donald Trump its 15 electoral votes.

So, this is a race that cannot be taken for granted.

In the state legislature of North Carolina, Tillis voted to preserve the confidentiality of concealed carry permit holders and backed a comprehensive improvement for law-abiding gun owners, among other actions. When he ran against Kay Hagan in 2014, he made a strong statement in support of the Second Amendment and challenging Hagans support for various restrictions in the wake of the Sandy Hook shooting.

As a Senator-elect, he followed up with another statement, and in the Senate has stood in defense of the Second Amendment. In addition to that, he has voted for judges who would uphold our rights, and also stood against the court-packing schemes that some have pushed. At this point, regardless of who opposed him in the general election, he has earned a second term.

The fact is, though, his opponent makes the decision to back Tillis even easier. Cal Cunningham has the endorsement of multiple anti-Second Amendment groups, including Bloombergs Everytown and the Giffords group originally formed by Mark Kelly. You can bet that if he is elected, he will gladly work to take away your rights.

In addition, he will be a reliable vote against the types of judges who would uphold our rights, would support various campaign finance reform schemes that would silence the grassroots activism of Second Amendment supporters, and his first vote in the 117th Congress would be to make Chuck Schumer the Senate Majority Leader. Second Amendment supporters can do without a Senator like that.

While polls show Cunningham has a lead, his campaign has been staggered by scandal.

Loyal AmmoLand News readers and Second Amendment supporters check out the campaign site for Senator Tom Tillis here.

In addition, they can donate generously of both time and money to the NRAs Political Victory Fund and to Grass Roots North Carolinas Political Victory Fund to help elect pro-Second Amendment candidates for office in North Carolina and across the country.

About Harold Hutchison

Writer Harold Hutchison has more than a dozen years of experience covering military affairs, international events, U.S. politics, and Second Amendment issues. Harold was consulting senior editor at Soldier of Fortune magazine and is the author of the novel Strike Group Reagan. He has also written for the Daily Caller, National Review, Patriot Post, Strategypage.com, and other national websites.

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Tarheel State Second Amendment Supporters Should Trust Thom Tillis With 2nd Term - AmmoLand Shooting Sports News

J.D. Prose| USA TODAY Network PA State Capitol Bureau

Six men charged in plot to kidnap Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer

A team of militia operatives is charged with conspiring to kidnap Gov. Gretchen Whitmer.

A new report says that Pennsylvania is one of five states at a high risk for activity by armed groups of civiliansaround the Nov. 3 election.

The Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project (ACLED) and MilitiaWatch warned about such movements leading up to and following the election in Pennsylvania, Georgia, Michigan, Wisconsin and Oregon, especially in state capitals and surrounding towns, medium-sized cities and suburban areas.

Militia groups and other armed non-state actors pose a serious threat to the safety and security of American voters, the report said. Throughout the summer and leading up to the general election, these groups have become more assertive, with activities ranging from intervening in protests to organizing kidnapping plots targeting elected officials.

The report, titled Standing By: Right-Wing Militia Groups and the US Election, takes its name from President Donald Trumps response in a recent debate when he was asked to condemn white nationalist groups and militias. Instead, Trump told one such group, the Proud Boys, to, Stand back and stand by, which several right-wing groups took as encouragement.

Armed groups use hybrid tactics ranging from training for urban and rural combat to using public relations and propaganda to acting as security operations for events.

More: Militias in Pennsylvania say they protect everyone's rights. Critics say that's a sham.

There is an increasing narrative and trend that groups are organizing to supplement the work of law enforcement or to place themselves in a narrowly defined public protection role in parallel with police departments of a given locale, the report said.

Pennsylvania Homeland Security Director Marcus Brown said security during the election is a main topic during discussions among his agency, the Pennsylvania Department of State, state police and the Pennsylvania National Guard.

The safety and security of people going out to vote is one of the issues we discuss every week, Brown said.

Pennsylvania is an open carry state, but there must be a balance between Second Amendment rights and the rights of voters to not feel threatened or intimidated, Brown said.

The intimidation factor is the voter thats showing up, he said. Do they feel comfortable going into that polling place?

More: Trump makes campaign stops in Pa., tries to secure large turnout as race tightens

Brown acknowledged that officials are aware of the potential problems such groups might cause, but said the focus is not so much for Election Day. The concern is less leading up to the election and Election Day than it is after the election if there is disagreement as to who won the election, he said.

ACLED and MilitaWatch identified nine, large multi-state right-wing groups that could present problems to Pennsylvania and other states, including Three Percenters, Proud Boys, Oath Keepers, Light Foot Militia, Civilian Defense Force, American Contingency, Patriot Prayer, Boogaloo Bois and Peoples Rights.

Sam Jones, an ACLED spokesman, said his organization and MilitiaWatch have tracked more than 80 armed groups since the start of the summer, most of them right-wing groups, and identified the risks related to each, such as their propensity for violence.

"Still, these risks do not mean that violence is inevitable," Jones said. "Voters should not be intimidated. Rather, we hope people are able to use the data to evaluate their own threat environment and organize locally to stay safe, reduce polarization in their communities and, ultimately, mitigate the risk of violence."

In Pennsylvania, the report says that groups to watch include Proud Boys, Boogaloo Bois, American Contingency, Civilian Defense Force, Light Foot Militia and Mountain Top Watch, an unaffiliated group specific to Pennsylvania.

There is also the Pennsylvania Volunteer Militia, the Domestic Terrorism Response Organization, a coalition formed this summer as response to the Antifa movement, and the Carlisle Light Infantry linked to the DTRO.

The Civilian Defense Force was formed this past summer to train volunteers for potential combat, the report says, and the Mountain Top Watch Militia held a recruiting event just outside Scranton, the hometown of Democratic presidential candidate and former Vice President Joe Biden, in September.

More: Trump's Proud Boys debate shoutout energized the entire far right. The damage is done.

Armedindividuals and groupshave also frequently appeared at Black Lives Matter protests, claiming an intentto protect residents and property from possible rioting.

The report noted that armed groupsappeared at BLM events in Juniata County and Berks County in the summer and in July several gathered in Gettysburg to allegedly protect Civil War monuments after a social media hoax fueled rumors that Antifa was planning a flag-burning event there.

Brown said officials know that there has beenarmed civilianactivity across the state. We have seen this touch areas from Scranton to Erie and then in smaller, more rural areas, he said. Were going to be monitoring all of it.

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Report warns that PA is at high risk for activity by armed groups around election - The Times

For the latest story in our Voice of the Voter series, KDKAs Ross Guidotti heads to Westmoreland County to talk to voters about what issues they think matter most.

GREENSBURG, Pa. (KDKA) Every election on the national level, theres always a state or county that everybody is looking at as some kind of bellwether. This year, its Westmoreland County.

Why? For a county without a major population center its got votes a lot of them.

These are the numbers in Westmoreland County according to Harrisburg as of Oct. 19: 103,110 Democrats, 118,276 Republicans and 30,259 independents and others.

But those are just numbers. Its the people behind those digits that both national and local political movers and shakers are after.

At the county courthouse, voters one after another put their mail-in vote envelopes in the collection box. KDKAs Ross Guidotti asked whos got their vote, and the majority of those dropping off votes skewed toward Biden, but not exclusively.

MORE VOICE OF THE VOTER STORIES:

One thing that you notice in Westmoreland County is its giant lots of land and lots of signs on said land.

Closer to towns like Greensburg signs backing former Vice President Biden are quite apparent, unlike the last election where signs for Hillary Clinton were sparse.

In the more rural areas big and small, Trump signs are everywhere. And if Trump supporters have a mecca, its the now internationally-famous Trump house in Youngstown.

(Photo Credit: KDKA)

County resident and Trump supporter Diane Mays told us why the 45th president has her vote again: Im a Trump supporter. The main reason why is hes not a politician.

Ed Haberchak Apollo says his vote will go red: (Trump)s come through on his promise. The things he said hed do hes done, building the wall and turning the economy around.

Haberchaks wife Rose will also be casting a vote for the president, enthusiastically telling KDKAs Ross Guidotti, My man is Trump, hes taking it all the way, he supports the second amendment and thats important to us.

As Ross Guidotti spoke to Westmoreland County voters, he discovered the vitriol and anger has taken its toll on people and their friendships.

Im at odds with my family over mask-wearing and who Im voting for, who theyre voting for. Its caused a lot of divisiveness, said one Biden supporter.

Whos to blame for that? Both sides blame the other and the media.

Which leads to questions for these voices of voters: On Nov. 4, will you be able to be friends again? Is there at least some hope?

Diane Mays says shes not sure. I hope so, unfortunately I think theres going to be some issues.

Haberchak seems at least a little more optimistic telling KDKA, If it doesnt work out, can we be friends again? I dont see why not.

Meanwhile, Westmoreland County Commissioner Gina Cerilli says theyre looking for last-minute judge of elections and poll workers for Election Day.

She says a judge of elections is needed for three polling places while extra poll workers are needed throughout the county.

If you want to sign up, call 724-830-3564.

Stay up to date with the KDKA app, which you can download here.

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Voice Of The Voter: Westmoreland County Voters Divided On Candidates - CBS Pittsburgh

On Saturday, area residents gathered on the steps of Fergus Falls City Hall, displaying solidarity for U.S. President Donald Trump, law enforcement, the military, veterans, first responders, medical personnel, First and Second Amendment rights, pro-life, and respect for the national flag.

The event took two months to organize, shared the organizer, Rev. Dean Kemnitz. My first priority is to God and my family but is followed by my love for this country. This is a democracy and everyone has the right to their own ideas, but this is primarily a Republican gathering. Anyone iswelcome to attend peacefully, Kemnitz explained.

The assembly opened with a greeting and prayer by Kemnitz, which was interrupted by a bystander yelling at the group about mask wearing. The complaint was met with a response of walk in fear! by an attendee. The event continued with a sing-along to God Bless the U.S.A. and a tribute in support of law enforcement and the military, including veterans, led by local firefighter and military man, Alex Cabrera. The national anthem was led by local veteran, Jerry Covington, and the group recited the Pledge of Allegiance. A group of speakers then addressed the group, speaking about the history of religious freedom in America, the importance of the U.S. Constitution and its amendments, and the belief that the country is veering toward becoming a socialist nation.

Until I was 11 (years of age) I lived in a socialist country, shared speaker Carol Hexum. I remember going to wait in line with my mother for the food we were allowed to eat for that week or that month. The government told you everything you were allowed to do. The government told you what you were allowed to eat and what you were allowed to spend money on. They even told you how much money you were allowed to spend. They controlled everything in your life. You had no choices. It was living in tyranny. We lived in fear up until we fled socialism to a neighboring country. I came to America as a legal immigrant and became a citizen last year. I love this country and the freedom that I have to make my own choices, especially about religion. We need to stand up and stand firm for our freedom because they are trying to take that away. America needs to wake up!

The gathering was attended by many area residents, but also had attendees from the Twin Cities and the Turtle Mountain Indian Reservation, located near Belcourt, North Dakota.

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Peaceful gathering: The right to assemble peacefully exercised at FF City Hall - Fergus Falls Daily Journal

Its hard to describe my feelings. The great founding documents of our country seemed like theyd always be with us. When we participated in the Civil Rights Movement we thought were working for a better America. We never believed it could all disappear. We were brought up reciting the Gettysburg Address. We knew parts of the Declaration of Independence by heart. Some of us knew deals with the devil of slavery underlay the creation of the Constitution but also knew it had given us a platform to make a better world for everyone. We took it all for granted. Until the White House tenant threatened to take it all away.

I was born in New York City. Before I was four years old I knew this country was fighting with everything at its disposal to defeat Hitler and his Nazi butchers, who were exterminating Jews, Gypsies, Jehovahs Witnesses, gays, Poles, Slavic peoples, political opponents, people with disabilities and those Hitler called useless eaters in concentration camps. I felt safe in Brooklyn, and proud. I remember telling myself I lived in the greatest city in the greatest country in the world. How great is that. Kids are nave but I believed in and loved this country. I thought I knew what it stood for and what it stood for was great, admirable, and indeed the world admired us for it.

Our countrys Founders understood that people in a democratic republic must learn to share and care about each other. John Dickinson signed our Constitution, paid a fine to free slaves and wrote, "By uniting we stand, by dividing we fall!" In 1782, Congress approved our national motto, "e pluribus unum," out of many one, for the Great Seal of the United States.

This country opened its arms to Christians, Jews and Muslims. Universities, founded on sectarian lines, gradually widened their welcome. The Founders repeatedly described the need for immigration. The public school movement intentionally brought rich and poor together. The 19th century Army, recruited on ethnic and linguistic lines, needed an integrated fighting force. Teddy Roosevelt told us that "the military tent, where all sleep side-by-side, will rank next to the public school among the great agents of democratization." By the end of the 2nd World War the Army played a large part in breaking down ethnic and religious barriers among us. Soldiers formed friendships with men all over the country, introduced each other to their families, often to future brides.

Corporations broke down barriers among employees so they could work together. Integration preceded Brown by centuries race was just the latest barrier to break down. It was breaking down before World War II, when African-American stars like Paul Robeson and Marian Anderson were wildly popular with national audiences on stage, screen, radio and opera. The world was changing before Jackie Robinson stepped onto Ebbets Field. National polls revealed that the public supported Brown. Martin Luther King would say, "The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice."

Its pretty personal for me. I married a North Carolina girl, whose ancestry traces to the British isles, and always felt welcomed by her family.

So when Trump encourages people who celebrate Hitler and display their guns to scare and intimidate public officials, suggests they use their Second Amendment rights to lock up candidates, that there are good people among those who spawn hate crimes, and threatens not to accept the election results, he cuts the very guts out of the country I love. I don't know how to express how sad, depressed and anxious I feel. Alan Paton wrote a book about South Africa he called "Cry the Beloved Country." I stop myself from crying while there is still a chance to save it.

We all need to vote.

Steve Gottliebs latest book is Unfit for Democracy: The Roberts Court and The Breakdown of American Politics. He is the Jay and Ruth Caplan Distinguished Professor Emeritus at Albany Law School, served on the New York Civil Liberties Union board, on the New York Advisory Committee to the U.S. Civil Rights Commission, and as a US Peace Corps Volunteer in Iran.

The views expressed by commentators are solely those of the authors. They do not necessarily reflect the views of this station or its management.

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Stephen Gottlieb: My Feelings About This Election - WAMC

J.D. Prose, USA TODAY Network - PA State Capitol Bureau| Beaver County Times

Voters in northwest Allegheny County have two heated state legislative races to settle on Nov. 3, one for a House seat and another for a Senate seat.

In the 44th Legislative District, state Rep. Valerie Gaydos, an Aleppo Township Republican, finds herself in a rematch against Ohio Township Democratic challenger Michele Knoll, whom Gaydos beat 52% to 48% in 2018.

Democratic state Sen. Pam Iovino, a Mount Lebanon resident, faces a challenge from Bridgeville business owner Devlin Robinson for the 37th Senate District seat, which Iovino won in a special election in April 2019.

Both are veterans with Iovino serving in the Navy and Robinson in the Marine Corps.

The race between Gaydos and Knoll has attracted interest with the House Democratic Campaign Committee putting it high on its list of GOP targets and outside groups for both sides funding attack mailers.

Besides Moon Township, Crescent Township and Sewickley, the 44th District covers Findlay, North Fayette, Aleppo and Ohio townships, as well as Edgeworth, Bell Acres, Sewickley Heights, Sewickley Hills, Glenfield, Haysville and Glen Osborne.

Two years ago, Gaydos, 53, touted her business acumen and how it would help small businesses in the district. On her website, Gaydos says she is a pro-life, pro-Second Amendment candidate.

Gaydos has voted for a bill to give $22 million a year in tax credits to future petrochemical plants and to end Gov. Tom Wolfs COVID-19 disaster declaration, a bill that Wolf vetoed and the GOP-controlled House could not override.

Knoll, 64, is an early intervention educator for children with disabilities, and former teacher at St. Malachy Catholic School in Kennedy Township and a former staff educator at the Carnegie Science Center.

She is also a former Avonworth School District board member.

On her website, Knoll pledges to be an advocate for small business owners, frontline workers in the pandemic, paid family and sick leave, and expanded coronavirus testing.

As she did four years ago, Knoll says that her experience as a teacher would benefit the district.

Iovino, 64, took over the 37th Senate District seat after winning a special election to replace now-U.S. Rep. Guy Reschenthaler, who left the state Senate afterhe was elected to Congress in 2018.

A retired Navy officer, Iovino also served as the assistant secretary for congressional and legislative affairs for the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.

Iovino's website saysshe supports police reforms and highlightsher military firearms training to note that she also backs universal background checks.

This past July, Iovino joined on a letter urging Wolf to allow restaurants and bars struggling amid the pandemic to reopen without certain restrictions.

Robinson, who served three combat tours in Iraq and Afghanistan, says on his website that he supports the energy industry in Pennsylvania and would oppose tax hikes. He is the owner of Veterans Medical Technology, a medical equipment company.

His website also says that Robinson supports fair funding for schools without taxing working families and retirees out of their homes.

The 37th District, which stretches from the West Hills to communities along Route 65 and down into the South Hills, includes Moon Township, Crescent Township and Sewickley.

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NW Allegheny voters will decide two hotly contested legislative races - The Times