Congress – R&R – Reachout and Rebuild

Stand Up For Our Democracy

David Posnett — Thu, 18 Feb 2021 21:29:36 +0000

Democracy is never a given. January 6th proved that. A wrathful president unable to accept he lost an election, an angry mob stoked by bogus claims of a stolen election, a subservient caucus of Republicans willing to do the bidding of a corrupt president. On that day they all came together in a violent clash that almost derailed our democracy.

Fortunately, the will of the people prevailed — for now. But Trump has said his political movement “has only just begun.” Already we see what that means: punishing Republicans who dared to speak the truth and acknowledged that Trump lost the election and that he incited the insurrection, and rewarding those, like Marjorie Taylor Greene, who traffic in absurd conspiracy theories and seek to demonize those on the other side of the political divide.

In the coming months, each of us will have to decide if we are willing to stand up for our democracy, to support and protect it — by paying attention, by calling out lies, by working to roll back voter suppression laws, by voting for candidates who will uphold their oath to the Constitution, and by remembering that our congressional representative, Lee Zeldin, voted to overturn the results of a free and fair election.

Because if there’s one thing history has shown us, it’s that a failed coup often precedes a successful one.

Sincerely,

CAROL DEISTLER

Published in The East Hampton Star, Letter to the Editor, February 18

Lee Zeldin Must Be Held Accountable

David Posnett — Sun, 24 Jan 2021 22:45:25 +0000

In this weeks Long Island Advance, by Shoshana Hershkowitz

Attacking the Heart of Our Democracy

David Posnett — Mon, 18 Jan 2021 22:48:39 +0000

The Capitol building symbolizes the heart of our democracy; it is the place where the people’s will — the certification of the next duly elected president of the United States — is carried out.

After hours of chaos and sickening violence erupted on Wednesday — the horrors perpetrated by the lawless mob that laid siege to the Capitol, lawmakers barricaded in offices fearing for their lives, countless attacks, and five dead — the desecration of the symbols of our democracy ended, but the legislative assaults were just beginning.

As Congress reconvened to do their sworn duty, our congressman, Lee Zeldin, in direct violation of the oath of office he took to uphold the Constitution, voted to reject the state-certified election results of Arizona and Pennsylvania. Think about that. He sought to throw out millions of lawfully cast ballots, all the while knowing full well that the results had been legally challenged multiple times and were irrefutably legitimate.

The mob may have physically trashed the People’s House, but it was Zeldin and 146 fellow Republicans who drove a rhetorical stake through the heart of our democracy, attempting a legislative coup. He should never be allowed to walk the hallowed halls of the Capitol again.

Sincerely,

CAROL DEISTLER

Letter to the Editor printed in The East Hampton Star, January 14

Truth and Lies

David Posnett — Fri, 15 Jan 2021 23:26:52 +0000

America’s 220-year history of a peaceful transfer of power — the cornerstone of our democracy — was shattered in one horrifying afternoon. On January 6, a frenzied mob incited by President Donald Trump laid siege to the Capitol, vandalizing the most potent symbols of our democracy and committing countless acts of sickening violence.

Hours later, after order had been restored and Congress resumed its constitutionally mandated duty, our congressman, Lee Zeldin, continued the assault on our democracy, legislatively, by objecting to the state-certified election results of Arizona, all the while knowing full well that the results had been legally challenged multiple times and had been shown irrefutably to be legitimate.

That 146 other Republicans also voted to deny certification in Arizona or Pennsylvania, or both, only throws the death spiral of the Republican Party into sharper relief.

When faced with a choice between truth and lies, democracy and fascism, some Republicans, like Mitt Romney, held their moral ground. Others, like Mr. Zeldin, violated their oaths to uphold the Constitution and betrayed their country.

How will we hold him accountable?

Carol Deistler

Letter printed in The Southampton Press, January 13, 2021

Zeldin, your name is Shame

David Posnett — Fri, 08 Jan 2021 15:27:56 +0000

Mr. Zeldin, your name is shame.

You are either with our constitutional system of government, or you are not. And then you are for mob rule. Which is it?

Are you a leader? – def. “a leader is someone who rallies people to move toward a better vision.”

Are you continuing to promote sedition? – def. “conduct or speech inciting people to rebel against the authority of the state.”

Are you a Conspiracy Theorist? – def. “promoting a theory that explains an event or set of circumstances as the result of a secret plot by usually powerful conspirators.”

Our American Constitution is a better vision. Why are you inciting rebellion against it? Why are you continuing to lie to us about the circumstances of the 2020 election? Why are you confusing people about the election and spreading lies? Did you not take an oath to uphold the Constitution?

We Americans want our American Democracy to work. Impeach Trump Now and get to work for a better vision for us all, or Resign.

Signed,

A daughter of America, daughter of a family who has served to form and preserve our country from the Revolution through the Civil War, WWI, WWII and Viet Nam.

Flood of Lies

David Posnett — Thu, 07 Jan 2021 20:39:12 +0000

Facts still matter. That’s why Donald Trump and his minions try so hard to obscure them in a flood of lies and conspiracy theories. But the facts remain — Joe Biden won the 2020 presidential election by more than seven million votes, and two months later Donald Trump still can’t face losing. After weeks of relentless, baseless attacks on the legitimacy of the election, Trump called the Georgia secretary of state, demanding that the election official “recalculate” and “find” him votes, and threatened criminal charges when his demand was rebuffed.

There are no two sides to this story; there is no middle ground. You are either on the side of democracy, or you’re on the side of a desperate mob boss president who is willing to do whatever it takes to stay in power. Lee Zeldin has made very clear which side he is on. It is shameful that he represents C.D. 1.

Sincerely,

CAROL DEISTLER

Published in The East Hampton Star, January 7, Letter to the Editor

Assault on America

David Posnett — Thu, 17 Dec 2020 19:33:38 +0000

Democracy has taken a beating during the past four years. From the day Trump was sworn in, the moral yardstick we use to measure presidents by morphed into a moral slide rule, constantly adjusted by obsequious Republicans anxious to cover for the lies Trump spewed nearly every time he opened his mouth. We’ve been inching our way toward this crisis ever since.

And now, when Americans handed Donald Trump a resounding seven-million-vote defeat, Trump is doing what he has done his entire life — threatening friends and enemies alike to do his bidding and flooding the courts with frivolous cases. The lawsuit filed by Texas, a mixed salad of lies, debunked claims, and crackpot conspiracy theories that had already been rejected by state and local courts, was a frightening attempt to have the Supreme Court throw out the legal votes of 20 million people in four states.

Lee Zeldin joined in on the assault on America, signing a brief backing the lawsuit, along with 125 of his fellow House Republicans. That so many in the Republican Party have revealed themselves to be willing to steal a presidential election is a warning to us all: American democracy may still be standing, but it is on very shaky ground.

Sincerely,

CAROL DEISTLER

Printed as Letter to the Editor, The East Hampton Star, December 17

The Days After Election Day

David Posnett — Sat, 31 Oct 2020 15:30:32 +0000

As our democracy hangs by a rapidly fraying thread, it is critical that each of us do everything we can to ensure that Donald Trump is voted out of office, and once voted out of office, that he actually LEAVES office.

“The Day After Election Day,” https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/30/opinion/trump-election-officials.html?action=click&module=Opinion&pgtype=Homepage an article in The New York Times, is an account of officials and aides who are worried the president will use the power of the government to keep himself in office. Following are highlights (lowlights is probably a more accurate term) from the article for those who can’t access it:

“Even though they can’t predict exactly what will happen, their concerns range from the president welcoming, then leveraging, foreign interference in the election, to encouraging havoc that grows into conflagrations that would merit his calling upon U.S. forces.

“I think the biggest shock he had — ’cause his assumption was the generals, ‘my generals,’ as he used to say and it used to make us cringe — was he …just assumed that generals would be completely loyal to the kaiser….And when we weren’t, that was a huge shock to him….

“This shock, and his first two-plus years of struggle with seasoned, expert advisers, led to an insight for Mr. Trump. It all came back to loyalty. He needed to get rid of any advisers or senior officials who vowed loyalty to the Constitution over personal loyalty to him. Which is pretty much what he proceeded to do.

“….Having loyalists at both the Department of Justice and D.N.I….allows him, potentially, to coordinate two key agencies of the government — secret intelligence and prosecution — toward his own political ends.

“Key officials in several parts of the government told me how they thought the progression from the 3rd to the 4th might go down.

“…Disruption would most likely begin on Election Day morning somewhere on the East Coast, where polls open first….A group could just directly attack a polling place, injuring poll workers of both parties, and creating a powerful visual — an American polling place in flames, like the ballot box in Massachusetts that was burned earlier this week — that would immediately circle the globe.

“Violence and conflict throughout that day at the polls would surely affect turnout, allowing Mr. Trump to claim that the in-person vote had been corrupted….There are many scenarios that might unfold from here, nearly all of them entailing weeks or even months of conflict, and giving an advantage to the person who already runs the U.S. government. There will likely be some reckoning of the in-person vote drawn from vote tallies and exit polls. If Joe Biden is way ahead in these projections…Mr. Trump may find himself having to claim fraud or suppression that amounts to too large a share of votes to seem reasonable. Inside the Biden campaign they are calling this “too big to rig.

“No matter how the votes split, there’s an expectation among officials that Mr. Trump will claim some kind of victory on Nov. 4, even if it’s a victory he claims was hijacked by fraud….If the streets then fill with outraged people, he can easily summon, or prompt, or encourage troublemakers among his loyalists to turn a peaceful crowd into a sea of mayhem.

“…But across the government, another official argues that citizens may yet manage to rise to the challenge of this difficult election, in a time of division.

“The last line of defense in elections is the American voter,” he told me. “This is the most vulnerable phase,” now and the days immediately after Election Day, “where we’re so eager to have an outcome, that actors both foreign and domestic are going to exploit that interest, that thirst, that need for resolution to the drama.”

And there you have it. The days and weeks after the election are likely to be a referendum – not on Donald Trump, but on each and every one of us. When everything is on the line, it’s time to do everything you can. Stay tuned.

200,000 Deaths….and Counting

David Posnett — Wed, 23 Sep 2020 14:19:14 +0000

Letter to the Editor, The East Hampton Press, September 23

Grounded In Science

More than 200,000 Americans are dead from the coronavirus — a staggering number, with no end in sight — and, yet, for Donald Trump, this is little more than an inconvenient footnote to the “amazing” job he’s done fighting an “invisible enemy.”

How is it that the United States, with less than 5 percent of the world’s population, accounts for more than 20 percent of coronavirus deaths? That other countries have managed to subdue this invisible enemy, and are returning to some semblance of normalcy?

It’s because those countries have leaders who relied on the medical experts, were honest with their citizens, and helmed comprehensive national responses — while our president “took no responsibility at all” and left it to the states to employ a whack-a-mole strategy, resulting in an ongoing wave of infections and death.

If you’ve had enough of Donald Trump, then you’ve had enough of his ardent cheerleader, Lee Zeldin, as well.

Nancy Goroff, the Democratic candidate running against Zeldin, has spent more than 20 years at Stony Brook University in teaching and leadership positions (most recently as chairperson of the Chemistry Department). Electing Ms. Goroff to Congress will ensure that we have a representative who supports policies that are grounded in science and fact, not in the wishful thinking that got us here to begin with — because, no, Mr. President, the virus is not just going to disappear “like a miracle.”

Carol Deistler

East Hampton

Make Trump and Zeldin Pay a Political Price

David Posnett — Thu, 23 Jul 2020 18:22:53 +0000

Appeared as Letter to the Editor, The East Hampton Star, July 23

Price to Pay
Springs
July 20, 2020

To The Editor:

We all want nothing more than to get on with our lives without worrying about contracting the coronavirus. While we have done our part by working from home (or being furloughed or laid off) during the lockdown, wearing masks, and socially distancing, the Trump administration has failed to do its part. Incredibly, in an interview this past Sunday, the president was still minimizing the seriousness of the virus, and falsely claimed that the U.S. has “one of the lowest mortality rates in the world.”

Like a petulant child, Trump keeps demanding that the economy get back to normal, as if by simply saying it will make it so. Apparently he is incapable of grasping the fact that in order to get back to a world where children go to school, adults go to work, restaurants have patrons, and stores have shoppers, the virus must first be suppressed. And so the country staggers on, buckling under climbing hospitalization rates and more than 140,000 American deaths.

In November, let Donald Trump know that there is a political price to pay for his malicious incompetence. Vote for Joe Biden, who has the humility and intelligence to listen to the advice of medical experts. And let our congressman, Lee Zeldin, know there is a price to pay for putting the interests of a delusional president before those of his constituents. Vote for Nancy Goroff, Democrat, who will harness her years of scientific training to craft policies that are firmly based in fact, not fiction.

Sincerely,

CAROL DEISTLER