"Get Engaged Locally"? To be clear, I am not talking about the wisdom of focusing your romantic endeavors, leading to marriage, to people who live in the same Zip Code. I am talking about "politics."
Pictured is Joyce Vance. As Wikipedia tells us, Vance "is an American lawyer who served as the United States Attorney for the Northern District of Alabama from 2009 to 2017. She was one of the first five U.S. Attorneys, and the first female U.S. Attorney, nominated by President Barack Obama."
Most important, I think, is the fact that Vance now writes a daily blog on Substack, called Civil Discourse. I subscribe to her blog, and I encourage you to do so, too. There is a "no charge" option.
Vance's daily postings in Civil Discourse are invaluable in helping people to understand the "legal side of politics and government." This is increasingly important with Donald J. Trump now serving as President of the United States. The president works for us, of course, not the opposite, but given Mr. Trump's impression that we are all supposed to take orders from him, it's important for us to know our rights and powers, and the president's obligations, and the limitations on what the president is authorized to do, or command.
Vance's posting on November 29, 2024, was titled, "Wild Accusations," and commented on a claim made by the president's friend Elon Musk. Musk claimed that Alexander Vindman, former Director for European Affairs for the United States National Security Council, was guilty of "treason," and not only "should" but "would" be punished - presumably by imposition of the death penalty. Musk, like Trump, has an elevated sense of his own greatness, and of his own importance, and of his own power. The following statement is an excellent example of claims that are totally unjustified, legally and otherwise.
In her Substack blog posting, Vance quoted from an earlier interview she did with Vindman, and reported on that interview as follows (emphasis added):
In November of 2023, Alex was our guest for Five Questions. His answer to my final question for him is just as important today as it was then:
Joyce: So many people are engaged and want to do whatever they can to ensure democracy survives the 2024 election and Trump. What do you see as some of the opportunities for each of us to get involved and do our part?
Alex: The most important thing we can all do is read your Substack to stay smart on threats to our democracy! But seriously, one thing we can do is get engaged locally. Once people connect with their communities and stay engaged, they will notice that their communities are good; no one is living in a Trumpian hellscape of American decline, and it’s important to push back against this narrative.
Complacency is not an option. Understand the power of your vote. If your vote wasn’t important, foreign adversaries wouldn’t be working so hard to influence your vote. Republicans wouldn’t be removing large swaths of voters from the rolls. Normalize talking to your friends and acquaintances about voting and educate them on candidates and issues. We have just under a year until the election and it’s going to be a marathon, not a sprint....
I endorse Vindman's recommendation (even though - and perhaps especially because - the 2024 election has now come and gone and our former president, Trump, has been returned to the White House). At the "local" level, people can and will learn that they really are in charge of the government (and not the opposite). I was elected to the Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors five times, and served on the Board for twenty years. A County Supervisor is one of only five persons who are in charge of County Government, which has the ability to set policy on land use, social and health services, and on virtually every other important area of our community's life.
My personal experience in local government in Santa Cruz County has absolutely demonstrated to me the truth of what Vindman says.
Get engaged locally!
That's the important message that comes from a couple of people who are mainly involved with politics and government at the national level. It's very good advice!
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