End of the Year News.

 

Attorney General Garland must do what is right. He must gather the facts and prosecute not only Trump but other reactionaries complicit in the insurrection against the U.S. government at the U.S. Capitol. This isn't something like jaywalking. This is about a group of far-right extremists and racists working together to try to overthrow the government of the United States of America. On that infamous day, people invaded locations, assaulted people, called human beings racist slurs, and mocked the system of democracy all on camera. The January 6th committee is still gathering evidence, and they are focusing on Trump's silent during the Capitol attack. Trump inspired the crowd to try to steal the 2020 election. Many FOX News propagandists even on that day tried to call Trump to make the insurrection stop, but Trump refused to immediately try to stop the chaos at D.C. during that day.

By the end of the year, we are fighting for our democracy on many fronts. One GOP Governor from Arkansas Asa Hutchinson praised President Biden for not politicizing the pandemic virus. Now, over 800,000 Americans have lost their lives due to COVID-19. We know that the omicron variant spreads rapidly. America has a record high for coronavirus cases. The CDC recommends isolation for 5 days for those who are asymptomatic regardless of vaccination status. Many people are having a mental health breaking point, because of 2 years of collective trauma. There is no shame in any human being getting therapy and seeking mental health resources if he or she needs that assistance. We're humans here, and no person is an island. That is why we should normalize conversations about how the virus can cause mental health issues. We live in very historic times as we never experience this level of a spread of a pandemic in over 100 years. Also, to solve this problem must not only be isolation and quarantine. We have to follow the facts. Omicron can spread into millions of more Americans if nothing is done. Our main priority is about improving public health not obsessing with corporate profits. Rapid cases of the virus are found in Los Angeles County rising from 6,509 in December 21 to 11,930 on Saturday, Christmas Day. Ohio hospitals are running out of ICU beds. The good news is that vaccinations can prevent serious illness and death, but we have a long way to go.

The conflict between NATO and Russia continues. NATO wants to expand influence in the East, and Russia has a large military presence in the border of Ukraine. Russian President Vladimir Putin said that the U.S. supported ISIS and disregarded international law and previous agreements. He said that the U.S. bombed Iraq, Syria, and Libya in violation of international law. Some of what he is saying is true, but the problem is that Putin is not some paragon of virtue. In Russia, you can't evangelize freely without restrictive regulations. In Russia, media dissidents have been harassed, and the country is dominated by oligarchs. Putin warned that if Western forces continue this path, then he will respond with adequate military technical measures. This is a total threat against Western forces. He wants NATO make agreements on red lines. He wants NATO to stop arming Ukraine and NATO to never accept Ukraine as a member state. US and EU leaders view such demands as unacceptable. Next year in 2022, America and Russia are scheduled to have more negotiations to try to stop a war. NATO is growing its forces in Turkey and Germany. The Putin regime and the ruling oligarchy are not socialist heroes as some "leftists" claim. They existed from the Soviet bureaucracy that promotes capitalist exploitation not human liberation. NATO is an engine of the Western establishment. We know that NATO was wrong to bomb Libya in violation of international law. We know that Putin is wrong for his violating democratic rights against his own people too.

 

 Some sad news is that former Senator Harry Reid passed away at the age of 82 years old. He was born in Nevada. Harry Reid was raised in poverty and became one of the most powerful members of Congress. He helped to inspire Barack Obama to run for president, and he worked to fight for the Affordable Care Act to be passed. The ACA is the law that transformed the health care very greatly. Harry Reid was an American lawyer, U.S. Senator, Chair of the Senate Democratic Caucus, member of the U.S. House of Representatives, and the 25th Lieutenant Governor of Nevada. Harry Reid also fought for the Dodd-Frank Act that sought to regulate financial transactions, especially at Wall Street. He passed away from pancreatic cancer. He loved his life and his children. People from across the aisle gave their sincere condolences to him. I send condolences to his family and friends.

Some breaking sad news is that John Madden passed away today at the age of 85 years old. He was one of the many people who took sports commentaries involving the NFL to the next level. Recently, a documentary about his life was shown on FOX. John Madden used a tour bus to travel to stadiums in order to covert football games. As the coach for the Oakland Raiders, the players on the team respected him a great deal. John Madden studied football constantly knowing about offense, defense, special teams, plays, and he was a teacher. He loves his family and football completely. He won a Super Bowl Championship for the Oakland Raiders. He popularized the football video game of Madden. I have played the Madden football games for years. There will never be another be a John Madden. Football has been around for over 100 years, and John Madden was always a key leader of the football culture.

 I send condolences to the family and friends of John Madden.

 

By Timothy