Author: Carma Henry

     Vaccine effectiveness against COVID-19 hospitalization for Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech doses were 93 percent and 88 percent, respectively, whereas the single-dose Janssen [Johnson & Johnson] vaccine had a lower effectiveness rate at 71 percent.

       The second wave of COVID-19 has been filled uncertainty and unpredictability of the virus itself. However, we’ve had plenty of opportunities to avoid preventable downfalls. The two-dose mRNA vaccines have been confirmed to be highly effective at preventing infection, illness, and hospitalization, even from the now prevalent Delta variant according to vaccine health officials pointing to emerging research.

     Which takes us back to those “living” under the bridge.  Because of America being on the perimeter of destroying democracy, and the foundation of our democracy being freedom as defined by the 14th amendment, those under the bridge cannot be considered eligible for consideration of a freedom or a citizenship that is in danger of ceasing to exist.  Even for those born here.

Reparations for the Slave Owners’ Descendants?

      Now that the Taliban have the upper hand, it’s in America’s best interest to acquiesce and make a generous offer of a bounty for safe passage for airlifting remaining Afghans and all-American citizens out of Afghanistan. The bounties paid should be funds belonging to Afghanistan currently held in accounts frozen in Europe and the U.S. Hopefully, the Taliban may be open to such an agreement to avoid more unnecessary blood shed as well as further destruction to their homeland. Beside the offer of a BOUNTY, the U.S. should offer other diplomatic incentives and humanitarian assistance.

     An estimated 3.5 million renters face the likelihood of eviction over the next two months – despite the availability of $46 billion in emergency rental assistance (ERA) allocated by Congress. The crux of this looming crisis is the uneven local response to providing authorized assistance to both renters and landlords. And the approaching September 30 deadline for first round funding, against the approaching September 30 deadline for first-round funding leaves dwindling days for corrective actions.

     The new Freedom to Vote Act would protect the right to vote, end unfair partisan gerrymandering, and shine a light on the flood of dark money that allows billionaires to buy our elections in secret. It includes key sections of the earlier For the People Act, which passed the U.S. House of Representatives but was blocked in the Senate by Republican filibusters.

     This is a significant, if unsurprising, setback for immigration reform. It’s also a painful reminder that our democracy, already undermined by the disproportionate power of moneyed interests, is obstructed by the silent stranglehold of the filibuster.

A national rite of passage

      Free speech and free press mean the same thing: the right to voice any beliefs or ideas, even unpopular ones — orally or on paper — without fear of being punished for it. Sometimes it’s called freedom of expression. Through history, various advances slowly won this right, which lies at the very heart of democracy. It’s all about the right to think freely, safe from arrest or prosecution.