It’s been three weeks since the Green Party selected its first candidate for Chancellor in the September 26 national election, 40 year old Annalena Baerbock.

In this  period Ms. Baerbock has become a prime media target for misogyny, vitriol, and fake news. These attacks are directed at a woman whose election would propel the Green Party to the pinacle of power in Europe.  An idea unthinkable when the Greens came onto the German political scene in the 1980’s as a militant environmentalist party co-founded by the late Petra Kelly.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Petra_Kelly

Excerpted from Deutsche Welle 5.10.2021

It’s been barely three weeks since Annalena Baerbock was nominated as the Green party’s chancellor candidate. But it took only a matter of hours after her nomination on April 19 for disinformation and hate about her to begin spreading like wildfire online.

Green party election campaign leader Michael Kellner says the hate and fake reports have taken on a “completely new dimension.”

Experts warn that the wave of targeted hate and disinformation that has spread about Baerbock is only the tip of the iceberg ahead of September’s general election.

Who’s behind the disinformation and hate?

At the moment two main groups have their eye on Baerbock, says Hillje. One is a far-right network made up of populists and extremists. The second is pro-Russian, he says, pointing to Baerbock’s criticism of Moscow, and the Green party’s wish to end the construction of Nord Stream 2, the controversial gas pipeline between Russia and Germany. 

“It wasn’t the increase in fake content and hate that surprised us. It was the sheer speed and extent,” says Josephine Ballon, head of legal at HateAid, Germany’s only advice center that only supports people affected by digital violence. “What’s unfolding is gender-specific hate,” she told DW. ”This kind of hate seeks to discredit and silence the target.”

Misogynistic hate online is nothing new. A study by German magazine Der Spiegel in February found that 69% of female members of parliament in Germany had experienced “misogynistic hatred as members of the Bundestag.”

While 64% said they’ve received messages — mostly online, but also by post — some 36% have experienced physical “attacks on themselves, their offices or their home.”

“Hate against women online is significantly stronger and has a different quality from hate and disinformation about heterosexual white men,” says Ballon.

“The fake content spread about women is often more sexualized. And the spectrum is broad, starting from comments about someone’s appearance, their gender, their sexuality, to threats of sexual abuse.”

Entrenched misogyny

Since her nomination, Baerbock has been the target of sexualized hate and baseless claims. There have been slurs about her appearance, there were bogus claims like Baerbock calling for an abolition of pets to combat climate change. And there was a fake nude photo of Baerbock, that was really the picture of a young Russian porn star with a vague resemblance to the German politician.

All this was circulated in a bid to discredit Baerbock, who’s currently polling as the most popular candidate to replace Merkel.

“What we’re seeing right now was unfortunately not unexpected,” says political and communications adviser Johannes Hillje. “Next to conspiracy tales, Islamophobia, and anti-migration sentiment … misogyny is a key part of the ideology of the groups who create and spread this kind of content.”

For the new far-right scene, Baerbock is the new Merkel,” Hillje says. Baerbock has quickly risen in popularity ratings and is politically further to the left than Merkel. “As a female, successful, liberal politician, Baerbock meets a lot of the criteria of their classic image of ‘the enemy.’

https://www.dw.com/en/germany-annalena-baerbock-becomes-prime-target-of-sexist-hate-speech/a-57484498

It’s a grim Mothers Day for over 100 forgotten people in lockdown at the San Francisco County Jail on Bryant Street.

As Public Defender Mano Raju cogently explains in the following op ed these people who have been jailed for months have not been convicted of any crime. Nonetheless they languish in jail under deplorable conditions awaiting their day in Court.

Excerpted from San Francisco Examiner 5.5.2021 – Mano Raju is SF Public Defender 

Here in San Francisco, over 100 people are still languishing in jail awaiting trial past the last day in which they must be legally brought to trial — the majority have been waiting over a month, and some for many months past their deadlines. The unlawful pretrial incarceration of hundreds of people, who are presumed innocent, is not just a matter of moral, ethical, and human rights — San Francisco Courts are flagrantly violating the law.

I just finished reading a letter from one of our clients who has been locked up in our jails for months past the legal deadline for his trial to be conducted. He describes the current conditions like being “housed at a super max level 5 federal prison” and during the limited time they get out of their cells daily “for one hour, 8 people are forced to share 4 phones and 3 showers… shave, get hair cut, find a book” and make any personal or legal calls.

Lee Heidhues 5.8.2021

My Response to Reader Comments to the article which follows:

The smug sense of cynicism and snark evident in several of the responses to SF Chronicle reporting is reprehensible. It’s a series of cheap shots taken by folks who should be aware that San Francisco voters have elected “Progressive” District Attorneys since 1993; Terence Hallinan, Kamala Harris, George Gascon and Chesa Boudin. Each of these DA’s sees their job as being more than handmaidens for the Police Officers Association (POA), law and order politicians and the lock ’em up brigades in the media. These “Progressive” DA’s continue to be elected because they represent the criminal justice viewpoint of San Francisco voters.

San Francisco Chronicle 5.7.2021

There have been 12 reported hate crimes in San Francisco against Asian Americans through March of this year, according to a report by the Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism at California State University, San Bernardino. That’s already more than the nine anti-Asian hate crimes reported in the city during all of 2020.

The man accused of attacking a 36-year-old Asian father while he pushed a baby stroller last month will be charged with a hate crime, San Francisco District Attorney Chesa Boudin announced in a Twitter post on Saturday.

Boudin said on the social media platform that he “received new evidence” that the April 30 attack outside a Mission Bay grocery store was “racially motivated.” Police arrested Sidney Hammond, 26, in connection with the crime.

Hate crimes are difficult to charge and prove in the courts.

Boudin’s announcement came one day after his office said that the suspect in Tuesday’s stabbing of two Asian women at 4th and Market streets would be charged with attempted murder, assault with a deadly weapon and elder abuse.

The suspect in that case, Patrick Thompson, 54, could be imprisoned for life if convicted. Boudin’s office, in a media release, said Thompson was a former mental health patient at Napa State Hospital. In an unusual move, the district attorney represented the prosecution at Thompson’s May 7 arraignment.

Boudin, who was elected on a reformer platform, is fending off two online recall campaigns from conservative interests that seek to paint him as soft on crime. A spokesperson for the D.A. wasn’t immediately available.

https://www.sfchronicle.com/crime/article/S-F-beating-of-Asian-father-was-a-hate-crime-16162411.php

I was fortunate to watch Willie Mays frequently in the prime of his career. My friends and I all took it for granted that the “Say Hey Kid” was one of the best.

It’s no surprise Willie is still a presence at the age of 90 and revered by all.

San Francisco Chronicle – John Shea 5.7.2021

Things happened quickly. As they always did when Willie Mays owned the baseball diamond.

The legendary ballplayer appeared in the front seat of a 1956 turquoise and white Oldsmobile convertible, which pulled out of the opening in the left-field corner and made a lap around the Oracle Park field, Mays doffing his cap to elated fans wishing him a happy 90th birthday.

Then the Olds retreated through the opening, and the birthday kid retreated to his suite overlooking left field.

In his suite, Mays was jubilant. Back at his second home, where a statue of his likeness greets passers-by, he was in his element and among friends, not just the 9,219 fans in attendance but those fortunate enough to hang with him in his suite.

Mays spoke of how appreciative he was of all the love and phone calls he received the past couple of days. Danny Glover spoke of how he loved watching Mays play as far back as Seals Stadium, inspiring his pregame narration.

“He’s the summer wind,” said Glover, Friday evening’s narrator, his voice bellowing throughout the stadium just before Mays made his first on-field appearance at 24 Willie Mays Plaza since 2019.

“His very essence is movement,” continued Glover, the actor, director and San Francisco native whose words were accompanied by classic highlights shown on the center-field scoreboard. “Running out from under his cap. Stealing bases. Chasing fly balls. The basket catch. His windmill of a swing. The most famous catch in baseball history.

After Glover’s tribute, PA announcer Renel Brooks-Moon introduced the man of the hour and the man of all time, “The Hall of Famer … No. 24 … Mr. … Willie Mays.”

The roar of the crowd, still limited because of the coronavirus, greeted Mays, whose smile lit up Third and Mission, a sight welcomed by all who waited a long time to return to the ballpark, waited a long time to see their hero, making his first visit to Oracle since late in the 2019 season.

Throughout the game, the scoreboard showed many videos of shout-outs to Willie including from Bonds, Vin Scully, George W. Bush, Steph Curry, Steve Young, Magic Johnson, Gavin Newsom, Wayne Gretzky, Snoop Dogg, Ronnie Lott, Ken Griffey Jr., Steve Kerr, London Breed and Tom Brady (who actually received some boos).

After the third inning, Brooks-Moon led a chorus of the Happy Birthday song, and Mays and Bonds, his godson, cut the cake. It was shown on the scoreboard, and fans cheered and cherished the moment and the presence of greatness.

https://www.sfchronicle.com/sports/giants/article/Even-at-90-Willie-Mays-owned-the-diamond-in-16161617.php#photo-20964018

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Willie_Mays

 

I was drawn to this story because of the wanton violence exported from America and inflicted on the citizen of another country.  When I learned the suspects attended the high school where I spent four years I was shocked.  

I never thought Tam High whose clock tower can be seen from Highway 101, well respected for its academic standards and beautiful campus, would send people like Finnegan Lee Elder and Gabriel Christian Natale Hjorth into the adult world who could commit such a horrific crime.

San Francisco Chronicle 5.6.2021

A pair of high school friends from the wealthy Marin County enclave Mill Valley were found guilty Wednesday of stabbing an Italian police officer to death after a botched drug deal during a 2019 vacation in Rome.

A jury found Finnegan Lee Elder, 21. and his friend Gabriel Christian Natale Hjorth, 20, who met while students at Tamalpais High School in Mill Valley, guilty of homicide for repeatedly stabbing an Italian carabinieri officer, following a scuffle, and killing him on July 26, 2019, days after he returned from his honeymoon.

The Bay Area men, then 18, said they acted in self defense after being attacked by two men who did not identify themselves as police. The Associated Press reported the verdict from Rome. They were also found guity of attempted extortion, resisting a public official and carrying an attack style knife without just cause.

Murder carries a life sentence in Italy, which does not have a death penalty.

As the defendants were escorted out of the courtroom, Elder’sfather, Ethan Elder, called out, “Finnegan, I love you,” the Associated Press reported. The slain officer’s widow, who held a photo of her dead husband throughout the 14-month trial, sobbed and hugged his brother.

Police and prosecutors in Rome said the Marin men purchased what turned out to be fake drugs from an Italian man in Rome. When the two teenagers returned to the location, they allegedly stole the backpack of the man who had pointed them to the purported dealer and demanded 100 Euros and a gram of real cocaine in exchange for the backpack, according to polce.

The men arranged to meet the dealer near their hotel, but the Italian man instead called police. Two plainclothes paramilitary police officers, including Cerciello Rega, responded to the scene. Police say Elder stabbed Cerciello Rega 11 times and Natale Hjorth punched and kicked his partner, Andrea Varriale, before running back to their hotel room.

It is obscene that the wealthy and empowered landlords are able to toss American renters out in the street as the Pandemic is still a part of our lives.

Even if there was no Pandemic the historical power of landlords to ruin the lives of their fellow citizens is reprehensible.  The latest abuse of this unfettered greed is the decision by a Trump appointed Judge to declare the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Moratorium on evictions unconstitutional.

Washington Post 5.5.2021

In a ruling that could have a tremendous impact on millions of Americans, a federal judge in Washington D.C. on Wednesday ruled that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention overstepped its legal authority when it issued a nationwide eviction moratorium.

U.S. District Court Judge Dabney Friedrich’s 20-page order says that the protection, first put in place during the coronavirus pandemic under the Trump administration and now set to run out on June 30, goes too far.

“It is the role of the political branches, and not the courts, to assess the merits of policy measures designed to combat the spread of disease, even during a global pandemic,” the order stated. “The question for the Court is a narrow one: Does the Public Health Service Act grant the CDC the legal authority to impose a nationwide eviction moratorium? It does not.”

Liz Heidhues – Blog Post contributor – 5.4.2021

Deportation Smacked Down by Government’s Incompetent Use of “A”

For once the Supreme Court got it right about the Government’s incompetence using Standard American English.

The grammar rules of rich white men are the basis for Standard American English. These rules were established long ago in England to protect the upper classes from infringement upon their status and authority by the lower classes, who were slowly becoming educated and, predictably, gaining access to power.

The grammar rules have nothing to do with logic and are based on politics and power.

An English teacher knows full well the pitfalls of getting the hang of the articles “a, an, the” and the usage of “count” vs. “noncount” nouns which confounds most English language students.

It seems that the Justices of the Supreme Court recently took on the challenges of an English teacher when they had to teach the Government how to interpret the grammar of its own laws.

An immigrant from Guatemala, Agusto Niz-Chavez, had been living in the United States 8 years when he received “a notice to appear” at a deportation hearing.

The notice informed Mr. Niz-Chavez of the charges against him but did not include any further information about the hearing. Two months later, Mr. Niz-Chavez was sent another “a notice to appear”, this one with the missing information about the time and place for his deportation proceeding.

Under a 1996 federal law (the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act – IIRIRA), an undocumented immigrant cannot be deported if they can establish their continuous presence in the country for at least 10 years.

If the immigrant establishes a continuous presence in this country for at least 10 years, they can appeal to the Immigration Judge for eligibility for cancellation of their removal.

However, as soon as an immigrant is served with “a notice to appear” with specific information about a deportation proceeding, the clock is stopped on the immigrant’s continuous presence.

This is known as the stop-time rule.

Mr. Niz-Chavez, who entered the country unlawfully, was ordered by the Immigration Judge to depart the United States within 30 days or else be removed to Guatemala. He contested his removal.

The Supreme Court heard the case and cast aside, in a 6-3 decision, the Immigration Judge’s order to remove Mr. Niz-Chavez from this country.

The Justices ruled that the “two” notices sent to Mr. Niz-Chavez could not be construed as “a notice to appear’, or one notice, as they were multiple notices and not a singular one.

The Justices agreed that, to stop the 10-year clock or to invoke the stop-time rule, the Government must provide all the required information in ONE DOCUMENT rather than TWO.

The Government attempted to invoke the Dictionary Act, arguing that the Dictionary Act tells us to assume “words importing the singular include and apply to several persons, parties, or things”.

The Supreme Court Justices would have none of the Government’s doublethink.

The Justices told the Government that “The Dictionary Act does not transform every use of the singular ‘a’ into the plural ‘several’.

The Justices then hit the bull’s-eye in explaining their reasoning in such plain English that any student would be able to get it.

“Suppose a statute made it a crime to vandalize ‘a’ bank. Under the Dictionary Act, someone who vandalizes five banks could not avoid prosecution on the ground that he vandalized more than one.”

The Government’s lack of proficiency in using the article “a” or in recognizing that the noun “notice” is inherently neither a “count” nor a “noncount” noun was a blessing in disguise for the immigrant whose native language is not English.

Its incompetence in following the rules of Standard American English means that now Agusto Niz-Chavez will be able to apply for citizenship. This worthy immigrant deserves a break for his ability to interpret the English language better than the US Government.

Read more on Scotusblog.com

https://www.scotusblog.com/2021/05/unusual-alliance-of-justices-holds-government-to-strict-notice-requirement-in-removal-proceedings/

Top Cartoon – Common Count / Non Count Nouns – The New Yorker – Edward Steed 5.3.2017

May Day in Berlin is often a time of rowdy and violent street demonstrations. 2021 was no exception. Germany is still in the midst of recovering from the economic and social strain of the Pandemic, astronomic housing costs and national elections to be held next September.

The current political atmosphere of May Day in Berlin is a far cry from that of the Nazi era.  Check out the article in Jacobin Magazine at the conclusion of this blog post .

Excerpted from Deutsche Welle 5.2.2021

Around 4,000 officers were deployed on the streets of Berlin, where past May Day rallies have been accompanied by disorder, particularly after nightfall. Saturday’s clashes between protesters and police saw trash cans and street barricades set on fire. 

The first of May, the annual holiday for workers’ rights, is typically heralded by loud protests and well-attended street marches.

This year, with many people unhappy at the coronavirus restrictions currently in place, authorities have been on increased alert.

Left meets right in Germany

Thousands of police officers were on hand ahead of and after the protests, with unrest emerging among both left- and right-wing demonstrators.

Protesters in Berlin threw bottles, firecrackers and stones at police during May Day marches in the Neukölln neighborhood of the German capital.

According to police tallies, 5,000 people took part in the rally, while organizers put the turnout closer to 20,000. Police took several demonstrators into custody.

A reporter for Berlin’s Tagesspiegel newspaper noted that after confrontations between protesters and police, the situation in Neukölln had calmed somewhat.

DW journalist Elliot Douglas said fire was still raging in Neukölln shortly before curfew, but crowds started leaving as riot police were taking over the scene.

While the German Trade Union Confederation (DGB) held its main rally in Hamburg with a motto that “Solidarity is the Future,” the authorities’ main focus was elsewhere.

https://www.dw.com/en/may-day-rallies-police-protesters-clash-in-berlin-paris/a-57395625

During the Nazi regime (1933-1945)  Hitler  thugs destroyed the focus of a workers holiday and turned it into a celebration of the Reich.

The Nazis Stole May Day, But Socialists Took It Back

A deep look at what May Day was like during the Nazi regime can be found by opening the link to Jacobin Magazine.

https://www.jacobinmag.com/2021/05/nazi-may-day-hitler-socialism

Being a journalist is a dangerous profession. In Nairobi, Kenya a reporter for the German publication DW was struck by two tear gas canisters.

Attacks on journalists are a common occurence as governments increasingly attempt to stop the dissemination of news. It happens in autocratic countries. It happens in America, too.

Excerpted from Deutsche Welle 5.2.2021

Police fired tear gas canisters at DW’s East Africa correspondent Mariel Müller (shown above) while she was covering a protest in Nairobi. Amnesty International and the Foreign Press Association of Africa have condemned the attack.

Müller said that police appeared to be purposefully aiming at her and the camera crew.

She approached authorities afterward, telling the officer who had been firing the canisters: “You just shot me, you just hit me in my leg.”

The officer denied it and walked away, “but he knew exactly what had happened,” Müller said.

Kenyan authorities fired tear gas canisters at Müller with one canister grazing her and a second injuring her leg while she was conducting an interview.

Müller was covering a peaceful protest against police brutality and coronavirus lockdown measures in central Nairobi at the time of the attack.

Around 40 protesters gathered to voice their opposition to COVID restrictions and the economic impact on poorer communities. The demonstrators were careful to adhere to social distancing rules “to not anger the police,” Müller told DW.

“The police were there and observed the first part [of the protest] and then eventually started firing tear gas,” Müller said.

The first time Müller was struck, she said she was grazed by a canister when police began launching tear gas in the direction of protesters and reporters.

Police moved in with batons and detained several demonstrators. One man was shoved in a truck after police tried to take away the sign he was holding.

Amnesty International’s Kenya branch also called for authorities to launch an investigation, and slammed “the brutal attack on journalists and protesters” in Nairobi.

https://www.dw.com/en/dw-journalist-attacked-by-kenyan-police-at-protest-in-nairobi/a-57397828