Good morning fellow travelers! It is Monday once again as we start another week of the Trump/Musk Presidency. DEI, Diversity, Equality, Inclusion, seems to be a major focus point of the current Administration. It is claimed DEI must be eliminated at all cost, because it is destroying the nation! I strongly oppose that characterization. It seems to me that DEI epitomizes the promise of our Declaration and Constitution that all are created equal. This is not an attempt to infringe upon, diminish or denigrate the rights of white people, but rather to invite others in to compete and participate on ground that is more level. Just because a minority person was chosen for a position does not mean there was an unfair advantage. That belief is racist and bigoted in nature.
Constitutional Equality should extend across all facets of American life, whether it be race, sex, sexual orientation, religion or lack of religion, health care, or economic status. If, as we claim, all are equal, then we have equality of choice as well as opportunity. It is my belief that the guiding principle here should be the right to privacy. In conjunction with that, this would be an easy task if everyone would just mind their own business. Legislative or Executive action on subjects like gender, sexual orientation, what health care is provided, or a religious value set are simply wrong if they restrict rights of others, especially when those restrictions are about issues that have no effect on anyone’s life.
This is particularly true when attempting to legislate religious rights. The Constitution allows us freedom of religion, and we can take that to also mean freedom from religion, if that is our choice. When your religious values are codified and they restrict the right of others to lead their life of choice, that is wrong, and it is discriminatory. One’s unique set of religious values does not include the right to discriminate, on any issue, at any level. So, mind your own business and keep religion in your personal space, and 90% of MAGA objections fade away.
Please don’t get me wrong. My family and I practice a religion, but we do it in a personal way and do not ask others to o as we do. It’s just that a belief system can be a powerful motivator. I recently heard a radio talk show host make the comment, “Fundamentalism is a powerful drug.” Think about what that implies. Maybe it is as easy as just mind your own business.
All hands on deck for Lisa’s presentation this Wednesday, 7pm at the office. It should be an interesting talk with a lively discussion. We are going to explore the issue of women’s rights in general and specifically with health care. Please come, listen and join in. This is the second in our discussion Wednesday series. With more to come I hope that we can continue this into the future. We should be talking about the issues and the “illegal” actions of the Administration and DOGE. Maybe we can force, or shame, Congress to grow a spine and confront this President. That is our way forward
Participate, Donate, Vote.
John Huot, JeffDems Chair
Donations Needed and Accepted
The Jefferson County Democratic Committee (JeffDems) is funded primarily through local donations. We rely on the generosity of local Democrats to enable all our initiatives, including our year-round Office/HQ which functions as “JeffDems Central.” Please start a monthly recurring donation to JeffDems, large or small, using the ActBlue link below, or of course, one-time donation
“Jefferson County Democratic Committee”
c/o Steve Larchuk, Treasurer
PO Box 266
Punxsutawney, PA 15767
or use ActBlue I just gave to Jefferson County Democratic Committee.(PA)!
CALENDAR
*2025: Continuing need for volunteer time
– Office hours will continue into the new year. It is important that we remain active and have a presence in the community. Please contact John, John, or Tammy to schedule
*March 12 and 15: Office Hours Continue
– 4-7pm (Wednesday) and 12-3pm (Saturday)
*March 12, 7PM: Discussion Group – Lisa Gourley, Punxsy School Board Candidate. -Women’s Rights and Health Care in the Trump era. Where are we going and what can we do?
*April 16, 7PM: Discussion Group – Bridget Shaffer. What we can do.
