Third Estate Sunday Review

The Third Estate Sunday Review focuses on politics and culture. We're an online magazine. We don't play nice and we don't kiss butt. In the words of Tuesday Weld: "I do not ever want to be a huge star. Do you think I want a success? I refused "Bonnie and Clyde" because I was nursing at the time but also because deep down I knew that it was going to be a huge success. The same was true of "Bob and Carol and Fred and Sue" or whatever it was called. It reeked of success."

Wednesday, September 25, 2019

Truest statement of the week

And the entire corrupt political system that was set up by the occupiers in Iraq is now largely embarrassed about their inability to even protest at this flagrant violation of their sovereignty. The United States has 5,000 troops in Iraq. And, trust me, they have more influence on the so-called prime minister of that country.

-- As'ad AbuKhalil, on KPFA's FLASHPOINTS, September 20th.

Truest statement of the week II

If there were any honesty in this dubious process Bernie Sanders would be given this mantle. He was unexpectedly successful in his challenge against front runner Hillary Clinton in 2016. Had it not been for Democratic Party efforts to rig the race against him he might have won. He has past experience as a presidential candidate and his policy proposals are also popular among voters. But the Democratic Party establishment doesn’t want him and as a result he never gets the vaunted label.

On the other hand, hapless Joe Biden is said to be a more electable candidate. He has failed miserably in past presidential runs and his tenure as Barack Obama’s Vice President has given him none of the gravitas that one might expect. He is still the bumbling lesser light who forgets Obama’s name, doesn’t know what state he is in, tells stories about confronting black men named Corn Pop, and makes unintelligible comments on issues that he should discuss with ease.

-- Margaret Kimberley, "Freedom Rider: The Electability Canard" (BLACK AGENDA REPORT).

A note to our readers

Hey --

Wednesday.

Let's thank all who participated this edition which includes Dallas and the following:

The Third Estate Sunday Review's Jim, Dona, Ty, Jess and Ava,
Rebecca of Sex and Politics and Screeds and Attitude,
Betty of Thomas Friedman Is a Great Man,
C.I. of The Common Ills and The Third Estate Sunday Review,
Kat of Kat's Korner (of The Common Ills),
Mike of Mikey Likes It!,
Elaine of Like Maria Said Paz),
Cedric of Cedric's Big Mix,
Ruth of Ruth's Report,
Wally of The Daily Jot,
Trina of Trina's K itchen, Marcia of SICKOFITRDLZ,
Stan of Oh Boy It Never Ends,
Isaiah of The World Today Just Nuts,
and Ann of Ann's Mega Dub.

And what did we come up with?

Peace,

-- Jim, Dona, Ty, Jess, Ava and C.I.

Editorial: The issues that matter

This month a debate took place in Houston.

One candidate addressed the Iraq War, did you notice? Senator Bernie Sanders is the only candidate running for the Democratic Party's presidential nomination who is comfortable talking about the (ongoing) Iraq War.

Tulsi Gabbard?

She gave War Hawk Joe Biden a pass when she was at the July debate. She was an embarrassment.

So are the other candidates who won't discuss Iraq.

As Bernie notes, it does go to judgment. It's the same issue that Barack Obama raised in 2008. It goes to judgment and don't claim to be a leader if you can't lead on this issue.

Elizabeth Warren wasted all of Tuesday talking impeachment.

Does she think that's an issue she needs to address as a presidential candidate?

Because it just seems like she's masturbating in public.

Bernie's addressing real issues. The Iraq War, the need to raise taxes on the wealthy, the need for Medicare For All, real issues.

Fake asses reveal themselves. Right now, Bernie's the only candidate addressing the issues that matter to our lives.

TV: The Water Cooler Set attacks like vicious poodles

So we were an after-party and were asked, in passing, what we were working on this week? We explained we’d be covering NETFLIX’s THE I-LAND. There was a long pause, a very long pause, the sort of awkward pause that follows a Joseph Biden comment which confused us – we hadn’t even said “record player” or “sweetheart.”

After a moment, a friend explained that “people hate that show.”

Why, we asked, did he hate the show?

Oh, no, not him. In fact, not anyone in the room. But critics, critics hated it. They were slamming it like crazy.

We exchanged a look with one another and made a mental shared note: Why aren’t we surprised.

Neil LaBute. Let’s start there. Neil’s an artist, a real one. Art confuses the Water Cooler Set. They’re the type who mistake postcard cinematography in a film for “depth” and “meaning.” They can’t recognize living art because they weren’t spoon fed it in a class. The Water Cooler Set knows how to regurgitate – actual thought is what they struggle with.

Neil LaBute is an angry artist or at least one who taps into anger. That’s fine, anger is an emotion and art is about exploring emotions. IN THE COMPANY OF MEN and YOUR FRIENDS AND NEIGHBORS are film classics. THIS IS HOW IT GOES and IN A FOREST, DARK AND DEEP are classic plays. He is an original and that especially makes him uncommon.

Again, The Water Cooler Set only knows what it’s been given the CLIFF NOTES on. Anything new throws it. But the anger issue, that reminds us of Sam Peckinpah and specifically how anger over violence in film led many critics to turn on Pekinpah in the 70s. The Water Cooler Set aspires to gentility – at least when it comes to how they see themselves.

Is THE I-LAND just too much for them?

We’d argue that it is. There’s a scene where a woman eats soup, for example, only to learn that the ‘meat’ in her soup is from her own chopped off fingers. The Water Cooler Set tends to dwell on that. It’s just such a shock to their sensibility. This is the crowd which, please note, still frets over the ‘blood letting’ on ENDEAVOUR when Van Horn discovered Christine dead following her fall down the stairs.

Mainly, though, it’s the larger issues that Neil struggling with which upsets them: The prison-industrial complex, the way we experiment on prisoners, etc.

If you’re on THE I-LAND (spoiler), it’s because you are a death row prisoner. Because you’re on death row, you have no value or meaning to the system except as a laboratory rat. The people on THE I-LAND signed up for this experiment. They’re not really anywhere but at the prison. They’re basically in a medically induced coma. Supposedly, this is to test if people can be rehabilitated.

But as Chase (Natalie Martinez) points out when she learns what’s what, how is being bitten by a shark rehabilitation? How is being stuck on an island with a predator who has raped repeatedly qualifying as rehabilitation?

Clearly, the program is designed for more than the academic team either knows or is willing to admit.

As the events (and episodes) wind down, we learn Chase is innocent. She didn’t commit murder. Her husband (Ronald Peet) committed the murder and did it all by himself but he wanted Chase with him – or at least not with anyone else – so he claimed they murdered her mother together. By this time, we’re hopefully invested enough in the island characters that we don’t need that out. Hopefully, we’re outraged by what is done them regardless of guilt or innocence because this is not how we treat people.

If you’re opposed to capital punishment – we are – you’ll be sympathetic to a lot of the messages.

Neil is dealing with a lot of big issues including climate change. It’s an ambitious canvas he’s painting on. Maybe too ambitious for The Water Cooler Set – correction: Too ambitious for The Water Cooler Set.

There are some wonderful performances including the already mentioned Natalie Martinez and Ronald Peet. Stacy Keech, for example, has great fun playing the evil warden and he’s a delight to watch. Margaret Colin reminds just how strong of an actress she is. Maria Conchita Alonso, Kyle Schmid, Sibyalla Dean, Kota Eberhardt, Michelle Veintimilla, Dailia Davi -- everyone, in fact, does a great job even Alex Pettyfer playing one of the most disgusting characters on the island. The directing is great as well – that’s Neil, that’s Jonathan Scarfe and that’s especially Darnell Martin (whose I LIKE IT LIKE THAT made this site’s “Feminist Classic Films of the 90s”)

A lot of talent went into this series – clearly too much talent for The Water Cooler Set to cope with.

So you think you know the classics

Forget fourth graders, are you smarter than a liberal arts major? Test your knowledge this go round and find out.

Yes, you liked it, so it's back. Below you will find the opening paragraph or paragraphs to six classic books. Can you identify them?

Wait, we'll make it easier for you.

After the six excerpts, there are eight possible books that the six can be from.

Can you match them up?

Openings:

1) "Yes, of course, if it's fine tomorrow," said Mrs Ramsay. "But you'll have to be up with the lark, she added."

2) On an evening in the latter part of May a middle-aged man was walking homeward from Shaston to the village of Marlott, in the adjoining Vale of Blakemore or Blackmoor. The pair of legs that carried him were rickety, and there was a bias in his gait which inclined him somewhat to the left of a straight line. He occasionally gave a smart nod, as if in confirmation of some opinion, though he was not thinking of anything in particular. An empty egg-basket was slung upon his arm, the nap of his hat was ruffled, a patch being quite worn away at its brim where his thumb came in taking it off. Presently he was met by an elderly parson astride on a gray mare, who, as he rode, hummed a wandering tune. `Good night t'ee,' said the man with the basket.

3) No one who had ever seen Catherine Morland in her infancy would have supposed her born to be an heroine. Her situation in life, the character of her father and mother, her own person and disposition, were all equally against her. Her father was a clergyman, without being neglected, or poor, and a very respectable man, though his name was Richard - and he had never been handsome. He had a considerable independence besides two good livings - and he was not in the least addicted to locking up his daughters. Her mother was a woman of useful plain sense, with a good temper, and, what is more remarkable, with a good constitution. She had three sons before Catherine was born; and instead of dying in bringing the latter into the world, as anybody might expect, she still lived on - lived to have six children more - to see them growing up around her, and to enjoy excellent health herself. A family of ten children will be always called a fine family, where there are heads and arms and legs enough for the number; but the Morlands had little other right to the word, for they were in general very plain, and Catherine, for many years of her life, as plain as any. She had a thin awkward figure, a sallow skin without colour, dark lank hair, and strong features - so much for her person; and not less unpropiteous for heroism seemed her mind. She was fond of all boy's plays, and greatly preferred cricket not merely to dolls, but to the more heroic enjoyments of infancy, nursing a dormouse, feeding a canary-bird, or watering a rose-bush. Indeed she had no taste for a garden; and if she gathered flowers at all, it was chiefly for the pleasure of mischief - at least so it was conjectured from her always preferring those which she was forbidden to take. Such were her propensities - her abilities were quite as extraordinary. She never could learn or understand anything before she was taught; and sometimes not even then, for she was often inattentive, and occasionally stupid. Her mother was three months in teaching her only to repeat the "Beggar's Petition"; and after all, her next sister, Sally, could say it better than she did. Not that Catherine was always stupid - by no means; she learnt the fable of "The Hare and Many Friends" as quickly as any girl in England. Her mother wished her to learn music; and Catherine was sure she should like it, for she was very fond of tinkling the keys of the old forlorn spinner; so, at eight years old she began. She learnt a year, and could not bear it; and Mrs. Morland, who did not insist on her daughters being accomplished in spite of incapacity or distaste, allowed her to leave off. The day which dismissed the music-master was one of the happiest of Catherine's life. Her taste for drawing was not superior; though whenever she could obtain the outside of a letter from her mother or seize upon any other odd piece of paper, she did what she could in that way, by drawing houses and trees, hens and chickens, all very much like one another. Writing and accounts she was taught by her father; French by her mother: her proficiency in either was not remarkable, and she shirked her lessons in both whenever she could. What a strange, unaccountable character! - for with all these symptoms of profligacy at ten years old, she had neither a bad heart nor a bad temper, was seldom stubborn, scarcely ever quarrelsome, and very kind to the little ones, with few interruptions of tyranny; she was moreover noisy and wild, hated confinement and cleanliness, and loved nothing so well in the world as rolling down the green slope at the back of the house.

4) Helga Crane sat alone in her room, which at that hour, eight in the evening, was in soft gloom. Only a single reading lamp, dimmed by a great black and red shade, made a pool of light on the blue Chinese carpet, on the bright covers of the books which she had taken down from their long shelves, on the white pages of the opened one selected, on the shining brass bowl crowded with many-colored nasturtiums beside her on the low table and on the oriental silk which covered the stool at her slim feet. It was a comfortable room, furnished with rare and intensely personal taste, flooded with Southern sun in the day, but shadowy just then with the drawn curtains and single shaded light. Large, too. So large that the where Helga sat with a small oasis in a desert of darkness. And eerily quiet. But that was what she liked after her taxing day’s work, after the hard classes, in which she gave willingly and unsparingly of herself with no apparent return. She loved this tranquility, this quiet, following the fret and strain of the long hours spent among fellow members of a carelessly unkind and gossiping faculty, following the strenuous rigidity of conduct required in this huge educational community of which she was an insignificant part. This was her rest, this intentional isolation for a short while in the evening, this little time in her own attractive room with her own books. To the rapping of other teachers, bearing fresh scandals, or seeking information, or other more concrete favors, or merely talk, at that hour Helga Crane never opened her door.

5) We were a family of three girls. By Chinese standards, that wasn’t lucky. In Chinatown, everyone knew our story. Outsiders jerked their chins, looked at us, shook their heads. We heard things.

6) In the late summer of that year we lived in a house in a village that looked across the river and the plain to the mountains. In the bed of the river there were pebbles and boulders, dry and white in the sun, and the water was clear and swiftly moving and blue in the channels. Troops went by the house and down the road and the dust they raised powdered the leaves of the trees. The trunks of the trees too were dusty and the leaves fell early that year and we saw the troops marching along the road and the dust rising and leaves, stirred by the breeze, falling and the soldiers marching and afterward the road bare and white except for the leaves.

A) Jane Austen’s NORTHANGER ABBEY

B) Nella Larsen’s QUICKSAND

C) Ernest Hemingway’s A FAREWELL TO ARMS

D) Thomas Hardy TESS OF THE D’URBERVILLES

E) Virginia Woolf TO THE LIGHTHOUSE

F) Fae Myenne Ng’s BONE

G) Charles Dickens' A TALE OF TWO CITIES

H) George Orwell's 1984

So how did you do?

Not sure?

Need to check or maybe to cheat?

Fine, the key is below.

1) E
2) D
3) A
4) B
5) F
6) C

"So you think you know the classics"
"So you think you know the classics"
"So You Think You Know The Classics"

Film Classics of the 20th Century

In this ongoing series on film classics of the last century, we've looked at THOROUGHLY MODERN MILLIE, MY FAVORITE BRUNETTE, THE DUCHESS AND THE DIRT WATER FOX, NEVER BEEN KISSED, BUT I'M A CHEERLEADER, TEA WITH MUSSOLINI, THE LATE SHOW, SUMMER STOCK, THE FULLER BRUSH GIRL, The Net, Your Friends & Neighbors, Shampoo, The Player, Dick Tracy, How To Marry A Millionaire, Blow Out, You Only Live Twice, Sleeper, Diamonds Are Forever, Sleepless In Seattle, My Little Chickadee, Tootsie, After Hours, Edward Scissorhands, Christmas in Connecticut, Desk Set, When Harry Met Sally . . ., Who Done It?, That Darn Cat!, Cactus Flower, Family Plot, House Sitter, and Outrageous Fortune. Film classics are the films that grab you, even on repeat viewings, especially on repeat viewings.

FOUL PLAY. The film Wilson Phillips loved. Actually, the film so many love. It stars Goldie Hawn and Chevy Chase. But that’s not how it was supposed to be. It was actually supposed to star Farrah Fawcett and Chevy Chase (they would finally team up with DISNEY’s MAN OF THE HOUSE). But ABC said no, they said Farrah had to honor the contract she never signed. (Things have gotten a little better for TV performers.) So they had to find another actress to play the lead. Goldie? She had to parade before the studio because they were concerned she might have ‘pregnancy weight.’ (No, things have gotten much better for actress in regards to that.)

Colin Higgins wrote the screenplay for the film classic HAROLD AND MAUDE and he wrote the screenplay to SILVER STREAK. He would move into directing with FOUL PLAY. As with his later comedy classic 9 TO 5, he both directed and wrote the screenplay to FOUL PLAY.

Goldie was already an established movie – an Academy Award winning movie star, in fact. Chevy Chase was coming off the hottest comedy show on TV at that time: SATURDAY NIGHT LIVE. Rounding out the cast was Burgess Meredith, Dudley Moore, Rachel Roberts, Marilyn Sokol, Billy Barty and Brian Dennehy – all providing excellent work. And it should be noted, it was this film, FOUL PLAY, that made Dudley a movie star, not 10 which came later. The film was a huge hit and Golden Globe nominations went to Goldie, Chevy, Dudley while the film was nominated for Best Film, musical or comedy and the song that played over the opening titles, “Ready To Take A Chance Again” (written by Charles Fox and Norman Gimbel) was nominated for Best Song.

At a party, Gloria (Goldie) meets Tony (Chevy) who is too much of a smart mouth. Her problem, he tells her, is that she doesn’t pick up strange men. She suggests he try it.

Leaving the party, she takes the scenic route back to San Francisco in her yellow VW bug convertible. Along the way, she passes a stranded motorist, Scotty. Scotty’s got a secret – which includes someone following him. She gives him a ride into the city and they make small talk which leads to the plan that they will meet at a theater to see a film noir double feature and, in the meantime, Gloria will hold his cigarettes because he’s trying to cut back – actually, he’s hidden some microfilm in the pack. As he gets let off, Gloria doesn’t notice (as she pulls away) that he’s being chased on foot now.

She waits outside the theater in the rain for him before finally going inside. He eventually joins her but she doesn’t notice that he’s bleeding on the popcorn, he’s been shot. He tells her, “Beware the dwarf.” When she does notice, she screams and gets the manager to turn the lights up but Scotty’s dead body is gone.

This happens again with Gloria, dead bodies disappearing, and this is how Tony comes back into the picture, he’s a police lieutenant. The basic plot? An assassination of the pope, carried out by the tax the church league. Will Gloria and Tony be able to save the day?

Of course they will! While providing multiple laughs along the way.

Tweet of the week

‏ @freedomrideblog

Obama bragged about increasing fossil fuel production but he and Greta are buddies? He should get stink eye too.

#ClimateWeek2019

2 replies21 retweets86 likes

This edition's playlist

1) Taylor Swift's LOVER.

2) Cat Powers' WANDERER.

3) Sammy Davis Jr.'s I GOTTA RIGHT TO SWING.

4) Dionne Warwick's SHE'S BACK.

5) Cat Powers' THE GREATEST.

6) Wham!'s MUSIC FROM THE EDGE OF HEAVEN.

7) Sam Smith's THE THRILL OF IT ALL.

8) Cowboy Junkies' AT THE END OF PATHS TAKEN.

9) James Blake's ASSUME FORM.

10) Judy Garland's ALONE.

Greens run in fall 2019 elections

From the Green Party:

At least 62 Greens are running in elections in September, October and November 2019. At least 43 Greens have run in winter, spring and summer 2019 elections, with 18 elected.
Most are running for a variety of positions: city and town councils, soil and water commissions, school boards, township trustees, and zoning boards. A few are seeking seats for state legislature or statewide office.

Green Party of the United States
www.gp.org

For Immediate Release:
Monday, September 9, 2019
Michael O’Neil, GPUS Communications Manager, meo@gp.org, 202-804-2758
Mike Feinstein, GPUS Elections Database
Holly Hart, Co-chair, Media Committee, media@gp.org, 202-804-2758
Craig Seeman, Co-chair, Media Committee, media@gp.org, 202-804-2758

Many expect to see increased interest in Green candidates, reflecting growing concerns about climate change and related emergencies. A few examples include:
Frida Berrigan, running for Mayor of New London, CT, has received an endorsement from Martin Sheen: https://www.facebook.com/frida.berrigan/videos/10156736721977869/
Danielle Swift is running for City Council Ward 6 in St. Paul, MN, as a mother, community organizer and housing advocate, seeking to enact policies to better provide truly affordable housing.
Monica James, running for District 4 City Council in Muncie, IN, is seeking to help get rid of corruption in her city. “Despite several arrests in recent years,” she said, “problems persist in both major parties. Getting rid of corruption is my main issue.”
Kat Bruner James, running for Ferndale, MI, City Council, is a former Ferndale “Citizen of the Year” who helped bring ranked choice voting to her city.
Green candidates will be featured in a special September 19th fundraising Web-A-Thon that will be streamed over Facebook.

Green Candidates in Fall 2019 Elections

Updated as of September 8, 2019
https://www.gpelections.org/?t=2019
Information compiled by Mike Feinstein, Advisor to the GPUS Coordinated Campaign Committee, based upon information in the Elections Data Base of the Green Party of the United States.
Arizona (4)
11/05/2019 AZ Mike Cease Mayor
11/05/2019 AZ Cara Bissell City Council
11/05/2019 AZ Matthew Smith City Council
11/05/2019 AZ William Peterson City Council
Connecticut (23)
11/05/2019 CT Judy Beaulieu Zoning Board of Appeals
11/05/2019 CT Frida Berrigan Mayor
11/05/2019 CT James Connolly Planning and Zoning Commission
11/05/2019 CT John Escobales Board of Assessment Appeals Board
11/05/2019 CT Jason Feeney Board of Education
11/05/2019 CT James Flores Zoning Board of Appeals
11/05/2019 CT Cassandra Martineau Board of Education
11/05/2019 CT John May Board of Education
11/05/2019 CT Mary Sanders City Council
11/05/2019 CT Aldea Savva Zoning Board of Appeals
11/05/2019 CT Phil Sengle Police Commission
11/05/2019 CT Lorain Simister Zoning Board of Appeals
11/05/2019 CT Laurel Freeman Zoning Board of Appeals Alternate
11/05/2019 CT Sarah Winter Board of Education
11/05/2019 CT Michael Westerfield Board of Finance
11/05/2019 CT Leif Smith Constable
11/05/2019 CT Jean de Smet Taxing District
11/05/2019 CT Charles Krich Taxing District
11/05/2019 CT Corey Krohn Taxing District
11/05/2019 CT Eric Bergman Town Council
11/05/2019 CT Ronna Stuller City Council
11/05/2019 CT Sharmaine Gregor School Board
11/05/2019 CT Rolf Maurer Board of Education
11/05/2019 CT Rob Derry Police Commission
Indiana (6)
11/05/2019 IN Sarah Dillon City Council
11/05/2019 IN Joseph Conn City Council
11/05/2019 IN Michael Cooper City Council
11/05/2019 IN Mike Smith City Council
11/05/2019 IN Monica James City Council
11/05/2019 IN Susan Brown City Council
Maine (1)
11/05/2019 ME Anna Trevorrow School Board
Michigan (2)
11/05/2019 MI Tom Mair City Commission
11/05/2019 MI Kat Bruner James City Council
Minnesota (1)
11/05/2019 MN Danielle Swift City Council
Missouri (2)
11/05/2019 MO Jeff Francis State Representative
11/05/2019 MO Bob Voorhees State Representative
New Jersey (1)
11/05/2019 NJ Craig Cayetano Town Council
North Carolina (3)
11/05/2019 NC Mack Coyle City Council
10/08/2019 NC Joshua Bradley City Council
09/10/2019 NC Loran Allen Smith U.S. House of Representatives
New York (10)
11/05/2019 NY Dave Sutliff-Atias City Council
11/05/2019 NY Alex White City Council
11/05/2019 NY Chris Edes City Council
11/05/2019 NY Mark McDermott Village Trustee
11/05/2019 NY Carol “Sandy” Przybylak Town Council
11/05/2019 NY Frank Cetera Common Council
11/05/2019 NY Cassandra Lems City Council
11/05/2019 NY Bill Bass Common Council
11/05/2019 NY Jamie Cooney Town Council
11/05/2019 NY Elizabeth Whitehouse Mayor
Ohio (1)
09/10/2019 OH Stefania Czech City Council
Pennsylvania (4)
11/05/2019 PA Mike Farley Township Supervisor
11/05/2019 PA Nicholas Prete School Board
11/05/2019 PA Riley Mahon School Board
11/05/2019 PA Olivia Fason City Council
Virginia (3)
11/05/2019 VA Wendy Hageman Smith School Board
11/05/2019 VA Ira Richards Soil and Water Conservation District
11/05/2019 VA Jonah Thomas Soil and Water Conservation District

Additional Information
Green New Deal | News Stream

2019 Green Party Annual National Meeting

Green Party of the United States
http://www.gp.org
202-319-7191
@GreenPartyUS
News Center
Ballot Access
GreenStream
Green Papers
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Green Pages: The official publication of record of the Green Party of the United States

Rep. Bass Statement on the Arrest of Ed Buck

US House Rep Karen Bass's office released the following:

September 18, 2019

Press Release

WASHINGTON - Today, Rep. Karen Bass (D-Calif.) issued the following statement after Ed Buck was finally arrested on September 17, 2019, more than 2 years after the death of Gemmel Moore.

“It’s incomprehensible to me that it took a third man to be attacked and almost die to finally dissolve the unconscionable apathy that has allowed Ed Buck, a racist sexual predator, to roam free. Everyone knew that he preyed on young Black men -- two died in his apartment. The inaction in response had a message that was loud and clear: Black gay lives obviously didn’t matter.

“There was an absence of justice when Gemmel Moore was killed. Timothy Dean paid for that egregious dereliction of judicial duty with his life. There was an absence of justice when Timothy Dean was killed. More young men nearly paid for that egregious dereliction of judicial duty with their lives. For Gemmel, Timothy and the other young men, last night’s arrest is too little too late. Now, finally, thanks to the tireless work of advocates and a community that has had enough, Los Angeles is a safer place for Black gay men.

“The court system must now do its job. Justice must finally be served.”

Isakson, Tester Applaud Senate Passage of Legislation to Continue Essential Veterans Services, Benefits

Senator Johnny Isakson (above) is the Chair of the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee. His office issued the following:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Monday, September 23, 2019

Contact: Amanda Maddox (Isakson), 202-224-7777

Olya Voytovich (Tester), 202-224-2868

Isakson, Tester Applaud Senate Passage of Legislation to Continue Essential Veterans Services, Benefits

Bipartisan bill reauthorizing four VA programs, including support for homeless veterans, heads to president’s desk

ATLANTA – U.S. Senators Johnny Isakson, R-Ga., and Jon Tester, D-Mont., chairman and ranking member of the Senate Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, today applauded the unanimous Senate passage of bipartisan legislation to ensure veterans continue to have access to essential programs at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). The legislation, which was passed by the U.S. House of Representatives on Sept. 18, now heads to the president’s desk to be signed into law.

The Department of Veterans Affairs Expiring Authorities Act of 2019 reauthorizes four programs and services at the VA, including veterans homelessness prevention, for fiscal year 2020, which begins on Oct. 1, 2019. The authorizations included in the bill were set to expire at the end of the fiscal year on Sept. 30.

The Department of Veterans Affairs Expiring Authorities Act of 2019 represents a bipartisan, bicameral agreement reached with U.S. Representatives Mark Takano, D-Calif., and Dr. Phil Roe, R-Tenn., Isakson and Tester’s counterparts in the House Committee on Veterans’ Affairs.

“I’m pleased the Senate unanimously supported passage of this bipartisan bill to help ensure that vital VA services continue into the new fiscal year,” said Isakson. “I thank Ranking Member Tester, Chairman Takano, Ranking Member Roe and members of the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee for their efforts in reaching this bipartisan agreement. By working together, we are ensuring veterans continue to receive the benefits they rightfully deserve.”

“I’ve seen firsthand how critical initiatives like these help rural veterans – particularly those that are homeless and disabled – in my home state of Montana,” said Tester. “By giving veterans the resources they need to recover and thrive, we’re making good on the promises we’ve made to them and their families when they signed up to serve this country. This bipartisan agreement is a testament to what Congress can get done when we rise above the political fray and work together.”

A full section-by-section summary of the Department of Veterans Affairs Expiring Authorities Act of 2019 is available here.

###

The Senate Committee on Veterans’ Affairs is chaired by U.S. Senator Johnny Isakson, R-Ga., in the 116th Congress. Isakson is a veteran himself – having served in the Georgia Air National Guard from 1966-1972 – and has been a member of the Senate Committee on Veterans’ Affairs since he joined the Senate in 2005. Isakson’s home state of Georgia is home to more than a dozen military installations representing each branch of the armed services as well as nearly 700,000 veterans.