#Immigration Law Attorney Chicago

[swagatusa]

Best Immigration Law Attorney near Chicago

Need a best immigration attorney Chicago? Dhenu Maru at SwagatUSA offers expert guidance for individuals, families & businesses. Get a Quote Now!

[whitesinhistory]

On August 3, 1919, several days of racial violence targeting Black communities in Chicago, Illinois, came to an end after intervention by the National Guard. After five days of gunfire, beatings, and burnings, 23 African Americans and 15 white people had been killed, 537 people injured, and 1,000 African American families left homeless.

During the Great Migration, Chicago was a popular destination for many Black people leaving the South in search of economic opportunity and a refuge from racial terror lynching. From 1910 to 1920, the city’s Black population swelled from 44,000 to 109,000 people. The new arrivals joined thousands of white immigrants also relocating to Chicago in search of work. Many Black newcomers settled on Chicago's South Side, in neighborhoods adjacent to communities of European immigrants, close to plentiful industrial jobs. 

Although African American people had fled the Southern brand of racial violence, once in Chicago they still faced racial animosity and discrimination that created challenging living conditions like overcrowded housing, inequality at work, police brutality, and segregation by custom rather than law.

In the second decade of the 20th century, segregation in Chicago was not as legally regulated as in Southern cities, but unwritten rules restricted Black people from many neighborhoods, workplaces, and "public" areas—including beaches. On July 27, 1919, a Black youth named Eugene Williams drowned at a Chicago beach after a white man struck him with a rock for drifting to the “white” side of Lake Michigan. When police refused to arrest the man who had thrown the rock, Black witnesses protested; white mobs responded with widespread violence that lasted five days.

Over that terrifying period, white mobs attacked Black people on sight, set fire to more than 30 properties on Chicago’s South Side, and even attempted to attack Provident Hospital—which served mostly Black patients. Six thousand National Guard troops were called in to quell the unrest, and many Black people left Chicago after the terrifying experience.

Though state officials announced a plan to investigate and punish all parties responsible for violence and destruction of property during the unrest, many more Black people were arrested than white. The subsequent grand jury proceedings resulted in the indictment of primarily Black defendants. Later testifying before a commission investigating the roots of the Chicago violence, the Cook County district attorney admitted this was due to bias in his department of white officers.

"There is no doubt that a great many police officers were grossly unfair in making arrests," he said in 1922. "They shut their eyes to offenses committed by white men while they were very vigorous in getting all the colored men they could get."

[lboogie1906]

Judge Captain George Neves Leighton (October 22, 1912 - June 6, 2018) and his twin sister, Georgina, were born in New Bedford, Massachusetts to Cape Verdean immigrants Antonio Neves Leitao and Anna Silva Garcia Leitao. His last name was changed, with his parent’s permission, to Leighton by an elementary school teacher who could not pronounce “Leitao.”

He worked with his father in the cranberry bogs, strawberry patches, and blueberry bushes of Cape Cod. He had not completed high school because he went to work on an oil tanker at the age of 16, and he began taking night classes.

He wrote to Howard University in hopes of being admitted that fall. He received a response letter indicating that matriculation without a high school degree was not possible but as an adult, he could take classes, pay regular tuition and fees, and have his record reviewed for possible matriculation in the future. He graduated from Howard University (Magna Cum Laude). He was admitted to the Phi Beta Kappa Honorary Society, earned a commission in the Army Reserve Officers Training Corp, and a scholarship to Harvard University Law School.

His law school studies were interrupted when he was drafted into the Army. He attained the rank of Captain of Infantry, he left military service and returned to Harvard Law School and graduated with an L.L.B.

Passing the Illinois Bar exam in 1947, he served as the Chairman of the Legal Redress Committee of the Chicago NAACP and was appointed an Illinois Assistant Attorney General for the Chicago area. He co-founded Moore, Ming, and Leighton which became one of the largest predominantly African American law firms in the nation. He served as the President of Chicago’s NAACP and was elected a Cook County Circuit Court judge. He became the first African American to be appointed to the Illinois Appellate Court. President Gerald Ford was nominated to serve as a District Court Judge.

He retired from the Court and joined the law firm of Earl L. Neal & Associates. He mentored several young Chicago lawyers including President Barack Obama.

He and his wife, Virginia Berry Quivers had two children. #africanhistory365 #africanexcellence #phibetakappa #kappaalphapsi

[dailydanielchoi]

✶full name: daniel choi ✶nickname(s): dan ✶dob: march 15, 1982 ✶age: 42 years old ✶gender & pronouns: cisman, he/him ✶sexual orientation: queer ✶relationship status: single ✶occupation: senior associate at heller & co attorneys at law ✶hometown: chicago, il ✶previously lived: chicago, il and new york, ny ✶time in blue harbor: 14 years ✶current neighborhood: deer park ✶faceclaim: gong yoo

💼 𝙱𝙸𝙾𝙶𝚁𝙰𝙿𝙷𝚈 💪🏻 𝙲𝙾𝙽𝙽𝙴𝙲𝚃𝙸𝙾𝙽𝚂 👔 𝙼𝚄𝚂𝙸𝙽𝙶𝚂 📌 𝙿𝙸𝙽𝚃𝙴𝚁𝙴𝚂𝚃

TLDR;  daniel choi, born in chicago to south korean immigrants, lost his parents in a tragic housse fire at the age of eight. as a result, he was placed in foster care where he remained until he aged out of the system ten years later. due to the trauma of losing his parents, daniel developed selective mutism that took several years of speech therapy and the friendship of his foster sister, jia. he developied a passion for justice and decided to pursue a career in family law to advocate for children and families in need. initially working in new york, he later moved to blue harbor to be closer to his foster sister. he is now a respected lawyer at heller & co. daniel is dedicated to ensuring no child endures the same hardships he did through his work and by actively volunteering bright sparks and mentoring kids in the community.

[jamesgierach]

COOK COUNTY STATE’S ATTORNEY’S RACE 2024

by James E. Gierach

(LTE Daily Herald, October 23, 2024)

Dear Editor—

In 1992, I was a candidate for Cook County state’s attorney. I proposed and intended to lead a change from drug prohibition to drug legalization as the fundamental public policy change essential to reduce violent crime and effectively address a dozen crises made worse by drug prohibition laws. Not an easy idea to sell to the electorate, then or now.

Because of my long interest in that office both as an assistant state’s attorney and candidate, I am keenly interested in the Burke versus Fioretti race.

Reviewing Eileen O’Neill Burke’s answer to one question posited by the Daily Herald: “What crime should be the offices’s top priority? Drugs? Gang violence?…”, Eileen Burke answered, “My top priority is tackling the surge of gun violence in our community.”

Okay. We’re all for that. But how?

In the early 1970s under Cook County State’s Attorney Edward V. Hanrahan, Chicago had a specialized “Gun Court.” Drug prohibition was then just then getting started with adoption of the 1971 Controlled Substances Act. By 1989, when Hon. Thomas R. Fitzgerald was the Presiding Judge of the Cook County Criminal Courts, twelve “Night Narcotics Courts” were created under his leadership to handle a bursting narcotics case load. https://www.ojp.gov/txtfiles/dncc.txt

and https://www.chicagotribune.com/1992/07/21/night-court-bursting-at-seams/

Unfortunately, neither the idea of specialized gun nor drug courts proved equal to the monumental task mounded by bad drug policy laws—Drug Prohibition Laws.

Today, immigration is an added crisis as migrants flee drug-prohibition lawlessness, and its inherent gun violence and corruption in South and Central America. Yet, no candidate for president or any office says, “End Drug Prohibition! to Shut Down a Dozen Crises.” In the 1990s, Trump the Businessman and Drug Legalizer called the Drug War “a joke.” So did I.

[See Photos below]

As I contended in my 1992 campaign for this same office Burke and Fioretti seek: No prosecution or law-enforcement priority can successfully stop violent crime without ending drug prohibition. The Capone Prohibition Era violence proved it. The Drug Prohibition Era is reproving it.

James E. Gierach

Palos Park, IL 60464

October 23, 2024

James E. Gierach is an author, former prosecutor, Illinois Con-Con Delegate and former Acting Board Chair of an NGO, Law Enforcement Against Prohibition (LEAP).

[lawyersdatascraping]

Business Law Attorney Email List

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[warningsine]

There's biting off more than you can chew, and there's last night's episode of The Good Wife, which took a run at issues of institutional racism and the police killings of Michael Brown and Eric Garner and ended up smashing into a wall. It was easy to tell something unusual was afoot when the show opened with a title card reading "This episode was written and filmed prior to the grand jury decisions in Ferguson and Staten Island … All mentions of 'Ferguson' are in reference to the events in August 2014 after the shooting death of Michael Brown." Which prompted the question: How would this episode, centered on a political debate between State's Attorney candidates Alicia Florrick and Frank Prady, tackle such a complicated topic?

The answer: clumsily, to say the least. The Good Wife usually excels when keeping it topical, and is remarkably nimble for a network show, getting to current events much more quickly than a 22-episode CBS behemoth should. It's tackled sensitive issues (such as campus rape or NSA wiretapping) with verve and intelligence, and also throws many a sly wink to saucier political theater (Peter's Eliot Spitzer-like affair is core to the original premise) and the Internet memes of the hour. This episode, for some colossally silly reason, featured all of the above. We had Alicia moving to fight off publicity about Peter's latest affair (a fling with his in-house counsel), the firm negotiating a divorce suit for its faux-Google CEO Neil Gross (somehow the words "the Fappening" were uttered), and a looming jury verdict on the homicide of a black Chicagoan, with racial tension about to boil over if the white cops responsible were exonerated.

This show often excels at spinning so many plates at the same time, somehow seamlessly switching between comic material, political squabbling, and truly weighty issues. Not this time. It's hard to say what the biggest misstep was, but things really came apart when Alicia and Frank Prady, their debate interrupted by the breaking news of the jury's verdict, started an impromptu discussion in a hotel kitchen over the best ways to address systemic racism in law enforcement, while the kitchen staff (mostly people of color) gathered and began to interject.

Why are two white people debating the best way to improve diversity at the State's Attorney office, asked one onlooker. Why pledge to decrease focus on drug crime when such crime can impact minority communities, said another. Another recent immigrant expressed the feeling that African-Americans are responsible for most crime, setting off even more furious debate, a cacophony of yelling that had Alicia and Frank looking befuddled. Herein lies the problem of the episode: It sought to make no real point outside of "issues of race in America sure are complicated!" Alicia and Frank staked out their ground, but the show was careful to side with no one and rather tugged at its collar. It felt patronizing, to say the very least, and like the show was trying to acknowledge recent events while admitting it lacks the authority to really dig into them.

Just as tin-eared was a plot centering around the political tinderbox on Chicago's streets as the verdict came in, with Governor Peter Florrick trying to corral two rival religious leaders in the community (recurring characters on the show played by Frankie Faison and Gbenga Akinnagbe) and the mayor, who was inexplicably absent. Peter made the choice to take to the streets and stand in silent solidarity with the leaders of the protest, which seemingly calmed the potential for serious clashes between police and protestors. This was handled with a little more subtlety—Peter made a good political call without too much grandstanding and let those with authority over the issue do the talking—but was mixed in with the dull drama of him breaking off his affair with Connie Nielsen's character, which could have waited a couple of weeks.

This show has done much, much better in the past. A multi-episode plotline in season three explored the banal, systematic racism of the State's Attorney's office, with Peter promoting Cary to a top deputy position despite his relative lack of experience. Peter saw Cary as a good hire, as he indisputably proved to be, but also as a peer in a way that he probably could not have with the office's more-experienced black attorneys. Over the span of several episodes, the show did a nuanced job exploring Peter's bias, which he could never really acknowledge to himself, as a way of examining ingrained white privilege. In contrast, “The Debate” tried to tackle the issues of Ferguson and Eric Garner in just 42 minutes.

The Good Wife is about to go on another break before returning in March for the final 10 episodes of the season, and at the very least, the stakes for that run are now clearly laid out. The law firm has re-hired the mean and wonderful bulldog David Lee (Zach Grenier), and with Cary back in his office, we should have plenty of juicy courtroom drama in a season that's been a little lacking of late. Alicia is finally, firmly committed to the idea that she's the right person for the job, and is throwing herself into her campaign. Tech magnate Neil Gross has fired the firm, so hopefully we never have to hear the words "ChumHum" again. It's been a muddled season, but this framework offers great potential for a big turnaround. And with any luck, “The Debate” will prove a lesson to the show in the future, prompting it to slow down and give searing topical issues the time they deserve.

[thailandimmigration]

Adjustment Of Status

For many residing in Thailand with a US visa, the dream of permanent residency, or obtaining a green card, beckons. This dream can be achieved through a process known as Adjustment of Status (AOS). This article explores the intricacies of AOS for US visa holders in Thailand, equipping you with the knowledge to navigate this crucial step towards permanent residency in the United States.

What is Adjustment of Status?

Adjustment of Status is the legal process for individuals already in the US to obtain permanent resident status without leaving the country. This simplifies the process compared to applying from abroad. However, for those currently residing in Thailand with a US visa, AOS requires some additional considerations.

Eligibility for Adjustment of Status in Thailand

To be eligible for AOS in Thailand, you must meet specific criteria:

Hold a qualifying US visa: Certain visas, such as K-1 (fiancé(e)) or K-3 (spouse of a US citizen), allow AOS application after entering the US and marrying your sponsor.

Have a USCIS-approved petition: Form I-130, Petition for Alien Relative, filed by your US citizen spouse or family member, is typically required before applying for AOS. In some cases, both forms can be submitted concurrently.

Maintain a lawful immigration status: Your current visa must be valid and allow for AOS applications.

The AOS Process in Thailand

While residing in Thailand, the AOS process involves these general steps:

Gather Required Documents: Prepare documents proving your eligibility, such as marriage certificates, proof of financial support, and evidence of a bona fide relationship (for K visas).

File Form I-485: This application, along with supporting documents, is submitted to the USCIS Chicago Lockbox facility designated for overseas filers.

Biometrics Appointment: Once your application is accepted, you'll attend a biometrics appointment at a designated facility in Thailand to capture fingerprints and photographs.

Interview (Optional): While not always required, USCIS may schedule an interview to verify your eligibility and the legitimacy of your underlying petition.

Receive Green Card (if approved): Upon successful processing, you'll receive your green card by mail, officially granting you permanent resident status.

Benefits of Adjustment of Status

Obtaining a green card through AOS offers numerous advantages:

Permanent Residency: Live and work freely in the United States without visa restrictions.

Path to Citizenship: Green card holders become eligible to apply for US citizenship after meeting residency requirements.

Travel Benefits: Freely travel outside the US without jeopardizing your permanent resident status.

Seeking Professional Guidance

The AOS process can be intricate, and immigration laws are subject to change. Consulting with a qualified US immigration attorney familiar with the nuances of AOS for Thai residents is highly recommended. They can guide you through the process, ensure you meet eligibility requirements, and address any potential issues that might arise.

Conclusion

Adjustment of Status provides a pathway to permanent US residency for those residing in Thailand with qualifying US visas. By understanding the eligibility criteria, the application process, and the benefits of AOS, you can embark on this journey with greater clarity and confidence. Remember, seeking professional legal advice is crucial for navigating the complexities of immigration law and maximizing your chances of success.

Visit our website for more information: https://www.thaiimmigration.net/

[mystlnewsonline]

Illinois - AG - Settlement Agreement - GrapeTree Medial Staffing

Illinois Attorney General Raqoul Reaches Settlement with Medical Staffing Agency, GrapeTree Medical Staffing, for Charging Employees Fees for Missing Work GrapeTree Medical Staffing to Repay Back Wages, Interest to Thousands of Illinois Workers Chicago, IL (STL.News) Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul Thursday announced a settlement agreement that resolves an investigation by the Attorney General’s office and the Illinois Department of Labor (IDOL) into a medical staffing company’s practice of deducting “booking fees” when workers missed shifts.  Under the settlement, GrapeTree Medical Staffing, LLC (GrapeTree) agrees to pay approximately $950,000 in back wages and interest to around 3,000 current and former employees in Illinois. “Illinois law prohibits employers from disciplining employees by deducting their pay.  Any company doing business in our state must follow laws that require workers to be compensated for the hours they work without unauthorized pay deductions,” Raoul said.  “I am committed to enforcing laws that protect Illinois workers and support law-abiding businesses, and my office will continue to collaborate with the Illinois Department of Labor to accomplish that goal.” “At its core, the mission of the Illinois Department of Labor is to ensure that workers are paid the wages to which they’re entitled,” said Illinois Department of Labor Director Jane Flanagan.  “Thanks to the hard work of employees within the Department of Labor and Attorney General’s office, these workers will receive the wages that were wrongfully deducted from them.” GrapeTree is a medical staffing company that provides healthcare professionals to work in long-term care and assisted living facilities in 12 states.  Employees manage their own schedules by signing up for shifts through an online system.  Raoul’s office and the IDOL found that GrapeTree charged employees a fee in the form of a payroll deduction if they did not show up for a shift or canceled a shift within 72 hours.  The fees deducted ranged in size from $50 to $200.  Under the settlement, GrapeTree agreed to end the practice in Illinois and pay Illinois employees all fees they are owed, with interest. Illinois law prohibits pay deductions as a method of employee discipline in any industry.  The Illinois Wage Payment and Collection Act permits pay deductions in only specific limited circumstances, and discipline policies do not match any of those circumstances. Assistant Attorney General Henry Weaver and Bureau Chief Alvar Ayala handled the case for Raoul’s Worker Protection Unit. Attorney General Raoul’s Workplace Rights Bureau protects and advances the employment rights of all Illinois residents, particularly the state’s most vulnerable residents and immigrant populations.  The bureau investigates and litigates cases involving serious or persistent wage law violations or other significant employment practices and monitors and proposes legislation concerning labor and employment issues. Attorney General Raoul encourages workers who wish to file a complaint about an employer’s practices to call the Workplace Rights Hotline at 1-844-740-5076 or visit the Attorney General’s website. IDOL encourages workers that have concerns about improper deductions from their paychecks or other wage-related questions to contact the Department at 312-793-2808 or by filing a complaint online. SOURCE: Illinois Attorney General Read the full article

[schleifmanlaw]

Arlington Personal Harm Lawyer Accident Legal Professional Free Session

Baker,a Maryland native who has lived throughout from Arlington Park most of her time in Hopewell, remembered that fateful day. Ever since, she mentioned, she has become more cognizant of legal exercise around her neighborhood. The homicides happen as Hopewell is getting ready to participate within the Group Violence Intervention/Operation Ceasefire program. GVI/Ceasefire is nationwide initiative where makes an attempt are made to establish and counsel groups recognized for legal exercise and reminding them they will be prosecuted if they refuse the intervention and continue to interrupt the law. The metropolis still is reeling from the Dec. 30, 2022 capturing demise of eight-year-old P'aris Mi-Unique Angel Moore.

Don’t allow insurance corporations to swindle you; name the private injury attorneys at Branch & Dhillon first. Not each auto collision has a easy and direct trigger, in fact accident lawyer arlington va. But, when you have suffered because of someone else’s actions, an Arlington automotive accident legal professionals might help to make things proper.

Nancy M. Vizer founded her law agency in 2001 in Chicago, IL, to provide an outlet for immigration clients to obtain customized service. The firm virtually all the time costs a flat fee, in order that clients can know exactly what to expect. Ms. Vizer works immediately with each of her clients, somewhat than delegating work to a staff that the consumer might by no means meet. The employees stays totally conversant in every of Ms. Vizer's immigration cases, and is able to answer questions when Ms. Vizer is occupied with other matters, but clients always have entry to Ms. Vizer for his or her substantive concerns. The Dallas/Fort Worth space is infamous for its automobile accidents.

TSA’s civil penalty amounts are primarily based on revealed Sanction Guidance. Proposed penalty amounts are usually set at the low finish of every violation category vary. In some instances, nonetheless, penalties could additionally be greater based mostly on aggravating circumstances current within the case (e.g. repeat violations). You read the TSA Sanction Guidance Table in its entirety. If you consider that you simply can't afford the proposed amount, you might choose Option three within the Options Sheet and follow the instructions offered.

Medics were called to the scene of the accident to supply care to the injured victims. At least one particular person was transported to a neighborhood hospital for further medical care. It is also essential so that you simply can seek the guidance of an attorney earlier than saying something to an insurance coverage company adjuster following the accident. Anything you say to an adjuster may probably be used by the insurance company to reduce back the worth of your damage declare. Even if you're a savvy negotiator, when you aren’t familiar with the ins and outs of the insurance claims course of, you may say something that could compromise the power of your claim.

Gary Mims represented me as my attorney with an issue I had final yr. He was very understanding about my state of affairs, and it was affirming to talk accident lawyer arlington va to him. He had a great grasp not solely of the legal points, but the technical points with my case.

Auto accidents can have life-altering penalties for these involved. Car accident victims typically suffer from emotional and psychological accidents as properly as bodily accidents. In extreme circumstances, auto accidents may cause catastrophic injuries and even demise accident lawyer arlington va. Distracted driving, cellular phone use, and disobeying the speed limit are all frequent causes of automotive accidents in Virginia. Impaired and distracted drivers make a conscious determination to drive unsafely and interact in reckless driving.

Medical malpractice cases are defended by experienced litigators who represent the insured well being care supplier, corresponding to a treating doctor, surgeon or nurse, and/or the hospital or clinic. If you’ve been injured due to the negligence of your health care supplier, you want a highly-experienced Virginia personal damage lawyer to be in your side, to vigorously struggle for you. You also want a lawyer with vital courtroom expertise, one who has the tried and gained medical malpractices case. Partner Gary Mims earned the excellence as Best Lawyers’ Lawyer of the Year for Medical Malpractice, as determined by way of a vote by his friends.

[swagatusa]

Best Immigration Attorneys in Chicago - SwagatUSA, LLC

If you need reliable immigration advice? SwagatUSA, LLC's skilled immigration attorney in Chicago is here to help with all your immigration needs. Our focused attention and knowledge of the issues produce positive results for our clients. Get professional legal assistance today!

[dailyhistoryposts]

Mother Jones

The Most Dangerous Woman in America

Mary G. Harris Jones (baptized 1837-1930), called Mother Jones, was an Irish-American schoolteacher and dressmaker. She is one of the most important figures in worker's activism.

Born in Cork, Ireland to tenant farmers, she and her family immigrated to Canada when Jones was 10 due to the Great Famine. She faced xenophobic, racist, and anti-Catholic discrimination. She attended, but did not graduate, from the Toronto Normal School and began teaching, but quickly tired of it.

She moved to Memphis and married George E. Jones, an organizer of the National Union of Iron Moulders (late the International Molders and Foundry Workers Union of North America).

Just 6 years later, she lost her husband and all four of their children to an epidemic of yellow fever. Jones moved to Chicago and worked as a dressmaker for four years before all her possessions, house, and shop were destroyed by the Great Chicago Fire of 1871.

After the Fire, Jones helped in the rebuilding efforts and joined the Knights of Labor (the first mass organization of the working class in the United States, founded in 1869). She started participating in and organizing strikes and protests.

After the violent Haymarket Affair of 1886, when the Knights of Labor dissolved, Jones joined the United Mine Workers and led them in picketing. She was a union organizer who worked in particular with the wives and children of workers. She was also a member of the Socialist Party of America. A notably talented orator, her speeches were consistently well-attended. In 1902, her speeches led to her being called "the most dangerous woman in America" by a district attorney at one of her hearings for breaking laws with which she disagreed.

One of her particular interests was children's labor. She traveled to Pennsylvania's silk mills in 1901, largely staffed by teenaged girls. In 1903, she organized a march across multiple states to the hometown of President Theodore Roosevelt called the Children's Crusade. She attempted to insist upon a meeting with Roosevelt and was denied. She also was stymied in her attempts to publicize the disabilities children received from dangerous working conditions, like missing fingers, because mill owners partially owned the newspapers.

In 1921, Jones, along with fellow organizer Bill Blizzard, led coal miners in the Battle of Blair Mountain. Blair Mountain was the largest labor uprising in the United States history and was suppressed by the United Staes Army, killing up to 100 protestors.

Jones died in 1930 and is buried in the Union Miners Cemetary. Her community raised money to give her a proper headstone after her death. Miners' Day, October 11th, is now also referred to as Mother Jones's Day". She has posthumously been inducted into the National Women's Hall of Fame and the National Mining Hall of Fame. In the Pittston Coal strike in 1989-1990, the "Daughters of Mother Jones" were essential in the functioning of the protest.

Notably, it's also been suggested that Jones is the titular 'she' in "She'll Be Coming 'Round the Mountain", an American folk song.

What would Mother Jones think of her own legacy? As an activist and a socialist, she would be delighted to be thought of as a troublemaker. Once, when denounced publically at the United States Senate as the "grandmother of all agitators", she responded that she hoped to be "the great-grandmother of all agitators."

[dreaminginthedeepsouth]

LETTERS FROM AN AMERICAN

September 24, 2021

Heather Cox Richardson

On Monday, we learned that after last year’s election, John Eastman, a well-connected lawyer advising former president Donald Trump, outlined a six-point plan to overturn the outcome of the election and install Trump as America’s leader. They planned to cut the voters’ actual choice, Democrat Joe Biden, out of power: as Trump advisor Steve Bannon put it, they planned to “kill the Biden presidency in the crib.” This appears to have been the plan that Trump and his loyalists tried to execute on January 6.

That is, we now have written proof of an attempt to destroy our democracy and replace it with an autocracy.

This was not some crazy plot of some obscure dude in a shack in the mountains; this was a plan of the president of the United States of America, and it came perilously close to succeeding. The president of the United States tried to overturn the results of an election—the centerpiece of our democracy—and install himself into power illegitimately.

If this is not a hair-on-fire, screaming emergency, what is?

And yet, Republican lawmakers, with the notable exceptions of Representatives Liz Cheney (R-WY) and Adam Kinzinger (R-IL), have largely remained silent about the fact that the head of their party tried to destroy our democracy.

The best spin on their silence is that in refusing to defend the former president while also keeping quiet enough that they do not antagonize the voters in his base, they are choosing their own power over the protection of our country.

The other option is that the leaders of the Republican Party have embraced authoritarianism, and their once-grand party—the party of Abraham Lincoln, the party that saved the United States in the 1860s, the party that removed racial enslavement from our fundamental law—has become an existential threat to our nation.

Democracy requires at least two healthy parties capable of running a government in order to provide oversight for those currently in control of the government and to channel opposition into peaceful attempts to change the country’s path rather than into revolution. But Republicans appear to believe that any Democratic government is illegitimate, insisting that Democrats’ calls for business regulation, a basic social safety net, and infrastructure investment are “socialism” that will destroy the country.

With Democrats in charge of the federal government, Republicans are cementing their power in the states to support a future coup like the one Eastman described. Using “audits” of the 2020 elections, notably in Arizona but now also in Pennsylvania and Texas, Trump loyalists have convinced their supporters to distrust elections, softening the ground to overturn them in the future. According to a new poll by NORC at the University of Chicago, 26% of Americans now believe that “[t]he 2020 election was stolen from Donald Trump and Joe Biden is an illegitimate president,” and 8% believe that "[u]se of force is justified to restore Donald Trump to the presidency."

Arguing that they have to stop the voter fraud they have falsely claimed threw the election to Biden, Republican lawmakers in 18 states have passed more than 30 laws to cut down Democratic voting and cement their own rule. Trump supporters have threatened election workers, prompting them to quit, and have harassed school board members and local officials, driving them from office.

Although attorneys general are charged with nonpartisan enforcement of the law, we learned earlier this month that in September 2020, 32 staff members of Republican attorneys general met in Atlanta, where they participated in “war games” to figure out what to do should Trump not be reelected. The summit was organized by the Rule of Law Defense Fund, the fundraising arm of the Republican Attorneys General Association (RAGA), which sent out robocalls on January 5 urging recipients to march to the Capitol the following day “to stop the steal.” In May, RAGA elevated the man responsible for those robocalls to the position of executive director, prompting others to leave.

In states where Republicans have rigged election mechanics, party members need to worry about primary challengers from the right, rather than Democratic opponents. So they are purging from the party all but Trump loyalists, especially as the former president is backing challengers against those who voted in favor of his impeachment in the House in January 2021. Last week, one of those people, Representative Anthony Gonzalez (R-OH), announced he was retiring, in part because of right-wing threats against his family.

Trump loyalists are openly embracing the language of authoritarianism. In Texas, Abbott is now facing a primary challenger who today tweeted: “Texans deserve a strong and robust leader committed to fighting with them against the radical Left. They deserve a leader like Brazil has in Jair Bolsonaro…..” Bolsonaro, a right-wing leader whose approval rating in late August was 23%, is threatening to stay in power in Brazil against the wishes of its people. He claims that the country’s elections are fraudulent and that “[e]ither we’ll have clean elections, or we won’t have elections.”

Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) today used language fascists have used in the past to stoke hatred of their political opponents, tweeting that “ALL House Democrats are evil and will kill unborn babies all the way up to birth and then celebrate.” Yesterday, the leader of Turning Points U.S.A., Charlie Kirk, brought the movement’s white nationalism into the open when he told a YouTube audience that Democrats were backing “an invasion of the country” to bring in “voters that they want and that they like” and to work toward “diminishing and decreasing white demographics in America.” He called for listeners to “[d]eputize a citizen force, put them on the border, give them handcuffs, get it done.”

Today, we learned that the 2022 Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) will be held in Budapest, Hungary, where leader Viktor Orbán, whom Fox News Channel personality Tucker Carlson has openly admired, is dismantling democracy and eroding civil rights. When former vice president Mike Pence spoke in Budapest earlier this week at a forum denouncing immigration and urging traditional social values, he told the audience he hoped that the U.S. Supreme Court would soon outlaw abortion thanks to the three justices Trump put on the court.

Establishment Republicans who are now out of power are not on board the Trump train. They are quietly backing anti-Trumpers like Representative Cheney. Former House speakers John Boehner and Paul Ryan, former Florida governor Jeb Bush—who was widely expected to win the Republican nomination in 2016, only to be shut out of it by Trump—and former president George W. Bush's former adviser Karl Rove have all donated money to Cheney to help her stave off a challenge from a Trump loyalist in the 2022 election. Next month, former president Bush himself will hold a fundraiser for Cheney in Texas.

Other establishment Republicans currently in power might be staying quiet about the party’s slide toward authoritarianism because they are simply hoping that the Trump fire will burn itself out. The former president is no longer commanding the crowds he once did, and his increasing legal woes as well as the investigation into the insurrection will almost certainly take up his time and energy. The mounting coronavirus deaths among his unvaccinated supporters also stand to weaken support for his faction.

But the fact that Republican lawmakers have ignored the Eastman memo, which outlines the destruction of our democracy, suggests that the party, which organized in the 1850s to protect the nation against those who would destroy it, has come full circle.

—

Notes:

https://bbj.hu/politics/foreign-affairs/world/budapest-to-host-cpac-in-2022

https://www.kptv.com/former-president-george-w-bush-to-hold-fundraiser-next-month-for-liz-cheney/article_8ba92a10-7103-5ee0-94ef-4bd813437e28.html

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2021/09/24/arizona-audit-just-destroyed-big-gop-lie-more-ways-than-one/

https://www.exposedbycmd.org/2021/05/04/more-staff-flee-gop-attorneys-general-group-after-it-doubles-down-on-insurrection/

https://bbj.hu/politics/foreign-affairs/world/budapest-to-host-cpac-in-2022

https://abcnews.go.com/Lifestyle/wireStory/pence-hopeful-supreme-court-restrict-abortion-us-80185222

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/republican-ags-group-sent-robocalls-urging-march-capitol-n1253581

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/09/16/us/politics/anthony-gonzalez-ohio-trump.html

https://kansasreflector.com/2021/09/08/kansas-ag-aides-attended-war-games-summit-where-group-planned-to-combat-biden-win/

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-08-17/more-than-half-of-brazilians-disapprove-of-bolsonaro-poll-shows

https://www.mediamatters.org/charlie-kirk/charlie-kirk-deputize-citizen-force-put-them-border-order-protect-white-demographics

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2021/07/23/brazil-bolsonaro/

LETTERS FROM AN AMERICAN

HEATHER COX RICHARDSON

[from comments]

Mobiguy

It is time to call this out as what it is - a well-documented attempt to overthrow the government, led by people too unconcerned or too stupid to worry about leaving a paper trail.

The January 6th sheep currently in court are not the problem. It's time to round up the ringleaders of this attempted coup and prosecute them on an open and shut case of treason.

Reasonable people insist on framing this coup as a robust political debate, but reasonable people are wrong. It is a naked power grab, an assault on the popular will, and blatantly illegal. Three evidence is there, in the seditionists' own hands.

A crime has been committed, even if it was unsuccessful. Failed bank robbers don't get to walk because they got no money. Failed murderers are still prosecuted. The evidence is there for all to see, and the alleged criminals aren't denying it. They're doubling down, and we're letting them. Either prosecute them, or remove the treason laws from the books since they're clearly meaningless and unenforceable.

In short: lock them up.

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[deancas-fanfiction]

Hardest Part is Letting Go

Part 3/7

Pairing: Dean Winchester/Castiel

Fic Summary: Upon his diagnosis of a terminal illness, Dean vows to spend the rest of his short life with Cas by his side, completing his bucket list while learning what it really means to live and love.

Chapter Summary: Dean and Cas cross another item off Dean's bucket list by embarking on a road trip for Sam's law school graduation.

Part 1 Part 2

available on ao3

“Can you believe it? Sam Winchester: attorney at law.” Dean mused.

“Or Sam Winchester, Esquire.” Cas offered.

Dean snorted and shook his head, throwing another flannel in his suitcase. “He’s a big fancy lawyer now. My baby brother is all grown up.”

“Well, he is twenty-seven. I imagine he’s been ‘all grown up’ for some time now,” Cas joked.

“Yeah, I suppose when he married Jess that ship kind of sailed, huh?”

“I suppose.” Cas agreed with a faint smile. He zipped his suitcase and sat on their bed, watching Dean throw another wrinkled shirt in his bag. “Are you really not going to fold that?”

Dean rolled his eyes. “Cas. It’s a t-shirt. I think it will be fine.”

“What about your nice shirt for his graduation?” He eyed Dean and took in the way he avoided meeting his eyes. “Please tell me you’re packing a nice shirt for his graduation.”

“It’s a graduation ceremony, Cas! I don’t need a suit. Remember his college graduation? Most people were dressed casually.”

“And remember when Jess booked us all a reservation at that French restaurant afterward? The host made you go home and change because you didn’t meet the dress code. Besides, I’m willing to bet Jess will make another fancy reservation for celebrations after the ceremony.”

“Okay, okay. I’ll bring a nice button-down. But I’m not wearing a suit,” He warned.

Cas held his hands up in mock surrender. “I would never dream of making you wear one.”

Dean threw the nearest button-down on the top of his suitcase and began zipping it up. He only paused when he heard Cas wince.

“It’s going to wrinkle, Dean!”

Dean stepped back and scratched his jaw, letting out a sigh. “Okay, new plan: I’ll leave the room and make us some dinner. This allows you to completely repack my suitcase the way you like, and I won’t even complain about it.” 

Cas grinned, happy with the outcome. “Deal!”

Dean kissed the top of his head and left the room, mumbling something about how a few wrinkles wouldn’t hurt anyone, which Cas pointedly chose to ignore. He then dumped out the contents of Dean’s suitcase and methodically began folding and repacking the luggage.

As predicted, autumn was fleeting and quickly turned into a cold and brutal winter. It was only early December, but the wind was biting and the snow ruthless. When Dean and Cas learned that Sam was graduating from law school a semester early, they were ecstatic. Mostly because Sam was the male equivalent of Elle Woods by graduating from law school top of his class, but also because they get to trade the incessant cold of Kansas for the sunny warmth of California.

The timing of his graduation was perfect, actually. Dean’s symptoms remained stagnant for the last two months and were completely manageable with the help of his medications. If Sam hadn’t taken those extra summer classes the last two years, he would actually be graduating in May and Cas wasn’t so sure if Dean could make that cross-country trek six months from now. But he pushed that thought from his mind and returned to the task at hand.

They originally planned on flying to California for the graduation, but then Cas had a stroke of genius. Remembering item six on Dean’s list, he suggested turning it into a road trip. For as long as Cas has known him, Dean dreamed of road tripping along the historic Route 66, which begins in Chicago and ends in Los Angeles; and suddenly all of the pieces fit into place. They would join Route 66 in Oklahoma, just four hours away from Lawrence. Then they’d follow the route all the way to L.A., arriving just in time for Sam’s graduation from UCLA. After he proposed the idea, Dean was completely on board and already mapping out the best stops for pie and burgers along the way. 

Cas finished with Dean’s suitcase and quickly returned his attention back to his own bag. He double-checked he had everything packed, including a small wooden box hidden at the bottom with a certain piece of jewelry inside. Satisfied with the completion of his mental checklist, Cas zipped the bags and followed the scent of dinner to the kitchen.

-----

“Dean.” Cas groaned, his voice rough and gravelly from sleep. “Must we leave at such an obscene hour?”

Dean chuckled and shut his car door. “According to the schedule that you made, we need to drive about twelve hours today to make it on time. I’m just following your orders, babe.”

“The sun isn’t even up yet,” Cas whined, slumping in the seat.

“Here, this will help.” Dean handed him a large thermos with coffee and started the engine. The engine purred beneath him and Dean couldn’t help but let out a quiet sigh. It always felt so good to get behind the wheel of his baby. He put the car into gear and pulled out of their driveway, heading towards the open road.

He glanced over at Cas as he took a large gulp of coffee. His hair was sticking out in all directions, making it clear Cas didn’t even attempt to smooth it down today. He smiled at the grumpy expression on Cas’s face and turned his attention back to the road, drumming his fingers on the wheel.

The first hour of the drive was quiet. They headed south to hop onto Route 66 in Oklahoma. While they weren’t making the official Route 66 trek by beginning in Chicago, Dean was completely fine with that. He’d spent most of his life in the Midwest, he didn’t need to backtrack just to see the flat landscape he was already familiar with. The radio was playing softly as Dean and Cas both took the time to wake up for the day. As Cas pointed out, it was still dark so there were few cars on the road. It was actually a rather peaceful start to the day. 

As soft colors began to replace the dark sky, Cas’s mood began to turn around as the caffeine entered his system. He hummed along with the radio and watched the snow-covered trees quickly pass by. The pastel pinks and oranges from the rising sun reflected off the white snow, creating a warm glow. At that thought, he turned and leaned his back against the passenger door so he was facing Dean.

“You know, at first I was disappointed with the timing of the road trip. I didn’t think the drive would be very picturesque in December. I always thought fall or summer would be the opportune time to go.” He paused, looking back out the window. “But this is actually really nice. Everything is so still and quiet.”

“Well, by the time we get farther west it will feel like summer anyway. So, we’ll get a little bit of both.”

“That’s true,” Cas mused. “We should have done a road trip like this a long time ago.”

“We were always too busy with life. You had summers off, but that’s when the shop got the busiest for me. We just never made the time to slow down and experience things like this.” Dean observed. “Not that being so busy was a bad thing. We both loved our jobs, but we always said, ‘there will be a better time’ or ‘maybe next year.’ But now…well we don’t really have that privilege, do we?”

“I suppose not,” Cas sighed sadly.

“On a positive note, I’m glad that now we’re making the time for things like this.”

“Me, too.” He murmured, attempting a smile.

“Hey,” Dean said softly. “Stop that.”

“Sorry, I don’t like thinking about how we can no longer make long-term plans.”

“Then don’t think about it.”

“You know it’s not that easy.”

“Yeah, yeah I get it. But right now, I’m here, okay?” Dean tore a hand away from the steering wheel and intertwined it with Cas’s. “Focus on that. When your mind starts wandering to those thoughts, shut it down and focus on the now. Because these moments right here, these are the ones I want you to look back on and I only want you to remember how happy we are. I don’t want this last year tainted with sadness. Can you do that for me?”

Cas nodded and squeezed Dean’s hand. The gesture said more than he could vocalize at the moment. Cas had never cared for anyone as much he does for Dean. He always thought that finding Dean and experiencing that all-consuming, world-shattering love with him was like some kind of reward for surviving the first shitty eighteen years of his life. But now that Cas knows their time together is limited, he can’t help but feel like the punchline to some kind of cosmic joke.

He shook his head and slowly exhaled, turning his attention on Dean’s advice to focus on the positives. Dean is next to him right now and that’s all that matters. He has his left hand draped on the steering wheel with his right intertwined with Cas’s; and despite the heavy conversation, he still has a genuine smile on his face. It’s the kind of smile that lights up his whole face, giving him a youthful glow regardless of the crinkles at the corners of his eyes. Cas returned his smile with a genuine one this time.

“We’re doing this all wrong, you know.” Cas states, changing the subject.

“Doing what wrong?” Dan asks quizzically.

“Your bucket list item. It said, ‘road trip with a kickass playlist.’ We’re currently road-tripping listening to a subpar radio station. Not really the same thing.”

“No,” He agreed. “I suppose it isn’t the same thing. Grab a tape out of the glove box, will ya?”

“I know you have very strict rules which state that the driver picks the music, but you’ll have to make an exception for this one instance.” Cas held up a cassette tape he dug out of his own jacket pocket which read ‘Dean’s Top 13 Zepp Traxx.’

Dean grinned. “That is always an exception. Pop it in.”

He inserted the tape into the player and turned the volume up a little higher. The opening notes to Immigrant Song played out and Cas settled into his seat, letting the music wash over him.

“Remember when I gave this to you?” Dean baited.

“We were fighting,” Cas laughed.

“Over something stupid.”

“Big surprise there.”

“God, I don’t even remember what the fight was about anymore.”

“I do. You –” Cas caught himself off. “You know what, it doesn’t matter.”

“Good save, Cas.”

Cas smirked. “You hadn’t talked to me all day. I was reading in the living room and you stomped in, dropped it on my lap and just walked away.”

“This was early in our relationship. I was bad at communicating! This was the best way I could tell you I was an idiot and that I was sorry.”

“Well, it obviously worked. I went for a drive and listened to it. I forgave you by the time this first song was over.”

“It’s only a two-minute song, Cas.”

“Exactly my point. I never have much resolve when it comes to staying mad at you, do I?”

“I suppose not,” Dean acknowledged. “Besides, that was a pretty romantic move on my part.”

“Yes, it was. If I hadn’t already been so in love with you at that point, I’m sure the mixtape would have sealed that deal.”

“So, what you’re saying is I should have made you a mixtape right after I met you?”

“I’m pretty sure from the moment I met you, I knew you were someone special, Dean.”

Dean flushed at that statement and he felt the tips of his ears turn pink. At this point in their relationship, he’d grown accustomed to how forward Cas can be, but it still has quite an impact on him. “Yeah, I thought the same about you,” He murmured.

Cas beamed at him, showing the whites of his teeth and leaned over to plant a quick kiss on his cheek. At that exact moment, the song ended and switched into Good Times Bad Times. Dean cranked it up and sang loudly along with Cas.

I know what it means to be alone

I sure do wish I was at home

I don't care what the neighbors say

I'm gonna love you each and every day

You can feel the beat within my heart

Realize, sweet babe, we ain't ever gonna part

Yeah, this moment here is the exact reason he put this item on his bucket list.

In no time, they were cruising on Route 66 heading west towards New Mexico, their destination for the night. When they stopped to grab gas and snacks a few miles back, Cas grabbed a handful of Route 66 brochures and had been thoughtfully studying them ever since.

“Anything good?” Dean asked, rather amused at his boyfriend’s total infatuation with the tourist gimmick.

“Did you know that Route 66 was commissioned in 1926 but wasn’t fully paved until 1938? Then in 1985, it was decertified a U.S. highway. Originally it was 2,448 miles in 1926 but now it totals 2,278 miles from beginning to end.”

Dean hummed in response, not daring to interrupt Cas. He learned it’s best to let Cas get it out of his system.

“You know, there’s a place called ‘Cadillac Ranch’ in Texas. We could stop there! We’re pretty close.” He chirped, bringing Dean’s attention back to the conversation.

“A Cadillac ranch?” Dean grimaced. “What is that?”

“It’s a public art sculpture of ten Cadillac’s buried nose-first in the ground.” Cas paused for a moment. “Actually, that doesn’t sound very appealing at all.”

Dean chuckled. “Thank God. I was wondering how I was going to talk you out of it.”

“Are there any stops along the way you want to make?”

“Cas, I’m in this for the driving and for the company. I don’t need to stop at niche tourist stops unless it’s something you really want to do.”

“I just want to make sure you get the full road trip experience!”

“To me, the full road trip experience is exactly what we got going: good music, good conversation, and my car. I don’t need anything else; I promise.”

“If you say so,” Cas’s lips turned up at the corner, in a smile that Dean recognized as pure contentment.

The rest of their drive sped by as they joked, sang along to the music, and reminisced as songs played that reminded them of different points in their lives. Soon enough, they were pulling into Santa Rosa, New Mexico where they decided to call it for a night. They found a mediocre chain hotel with vacancy and pulled off the road. At that point they had been in the car for a little over twelve hours and were in desperate need of some space to stretch out. Driving long distances used to be much easier. Now Dean’s joints popped as he stepped out of the Impala and his legs felt uncomfortably stiff.

Dean checked them in as Cas went to grab dinner. The original plan was to grab food and drinks to celebrate a successful first day, but Dean could feel the exhaustion weighing him down. So, Cas volunteered to pick up takeout instead. After throwing his and Cas’s bags down on the floor, Dean collapsed on the bed. Instantly he longed for his memory foam as the springs of the cheap mattress poked against his back. Truthfully, he wasn’t sure it would be a big enough problem to keep him awake as he was so damn tired.

As he was beginning to nod off, he heard the door to the room click open and was met with the intoxicating smell of greasy takeout.  

“Honey, I’m home!” Cas greeted cheerfully. “And I brought pie.”

Dean shot up from his spot on the bed and kissed Cas in thanks. “God, I love you.”

“Are you talking to me or the food?”

“Why not both?” He asked, his mouth already full of fries.

“Touché.” Cas laughed and began digging in as well. He joined Dean on the bed, with their knees touching as he flipped on the television and found a movie for them to watch. They ate in a peaceful quiet, both engrossed in the movie.

Once the food was gone and the slices of pie were eaten, they both began tiredly stripping down to their boxers.

Dean watched with a different form of hunger in his eyes as Cas undressed.

“I can feel you watching me.” He chided, bending over to put his discarded clothes back in his bag.

“Of course, I am. I have a sexy boyfriend who is undressing right in front of me,” He murmured, wrapping his arms around Cas. Cas leaned back into the touch, letting out a soft sigh. Dean began peppering kisses along Cas’s jaw, pausing only to suck on the sensitive spot below his ear. Cas let out a quiet whimper at that and closed his eyes. Dean continued kissing down his neck to his shoulders when he paused to fight a yawn breaking to the surface.  

Cas laughed and the tension immediately lifted. “C’mon, let’s go to bed.”

“I don’t wanna,” Dean grumbled. Yet he allowed himself to be pulled to bed anyway.

“You can have your way with me tomorrow, I promise. But for now, sleep.”

Dean hummed and pulled Cas’s arm around his waist, so they were spooning. All previous annoyances about the crappy mattress were pushed from his head and quickly replaced with thoughts of Cas as he felt a soft kiss press to the back of his neck. With that, he allowed himself to lose consciousness and fall into a deep, happy sleep.

Author’s Note: Surprise, I decided to post the chapter two days early! Originally I planned on the whole road trip and Sam's graduation taking place in one chapter but it's turning out to be much longer than I anticipated. So I'll be breaking it up over the next chapter or two.

I also decided to change Sam's law school from Stanford to UCLA for the purpose of the road trip because Stanford would have been another 5 hours from L.A. and this just made it less complicated. Next chapter you can expect some smut, more road-tripping shenanigans and Sam! Please let me know what you think so far!