The Maine Mural

An autobiographical editorial by DC Tommy.

Audio-essay by T. Sinclaire on the takeover of the Supreme Court of the United States by far-right reactionaries and their rising threat to democracy.

Works Cited and Additional Reading:

[01:05] Wikipedia contributors. (2024c, July 5). Kevin Roberts (political strategist). Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kevin_Roberts_%28political_strategist%29?wprov=sfla1

[02:01] Wikipedia contributors. (2024d, July 6). The Heritage Foundation. Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Heritage_Foundation?wprov=sfla1

[03:02] Wikipedia contributors. (2024b, June 5). Federalist Society. Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Federalist_Society?wprov=sfla1

[03:34] Wikipedia contributors. (2024a, January 20). John M. Olin Foundation. Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_M._Olin_Foundation?wprov=sfla1

[05:11] Quince, P., & Rikleen, L. (2022, November 8). Federalist Society's Influence on Courts Is Bad for Democracy. Bloomberg Law. https://news.bloomberglaw.com/us-law-week/federalist-societys-influence-on-courts-is-bad-for-democracy

[05:37] Court, S. (2018). JANUS v. AMERICAN FEDERATION OF STATE, COUNTY, AND MUNICIPAL EMPLOYEES, COUNCIL 31. In SUPREME COURT OF THE UNITED STATES. https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/17pdf/16-1466_2b3j.pdf

[06:09] Abood v. Detroit Board of Education, 431 U.S. 209 (1977). (n.d.). Justia Law. https://supreme.justia.com/cases/federal/us/431/209/

[06:20] DOBBS, O. T. M. D. O. H. & JACKSON WOMEN'S HEALTH ORGANIZATION. (2022). DOBBS, STATE HEALTH OFFICER OF THE MISSISSIPPI DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH, ET AL. v. JACKSON WOMEN'S HEALTH ORGANIZATION ET AL. In SUPREME COURT OF THE UNITED STATES, SUPREME COURT OF THE UNITED STATES. https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/21pdf/19-1392_6j37.pdf

[06:38] LOPER BRIGHT ENTERPRISES & RAIMONDO, SECRETARY OF COMMERCE. (2024). LOPER BRIGHT ENTERPRISES ET AL. v. RAIMONDO, SECRETARY OF COMMERCE, ET AL. In SUPREME COURT OF THE UNITED STATES. https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/23pdf/22-451_7m58.pdf

[07:27]OHIO ET AL v. ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY ET AL. (2024). In S. Court, Supreme Court of the United States. https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/23pdf/23a349new_h3ci.pdf

[07:27] CORNER POST, INC. v. BOARD OF GOVERNORS OF THE FEDERAL RESERVE SYSTEM. (2024). In S. Court, SUPREME COURT OF THE UNITED STATES. https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/23pdf/22-1008_1b82.pdf

[07:27] SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION v. JARKESY ET AL. (2024). In S. Court, SUPREME COURT OF THE UNITED STATES. https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/23pdf/22-859_1924.pdf

[07:32] TRUMP v. UNITED STATES. (2024). In S. Court, SUPREME COURT OF THE UNITED STATES. https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/23pdf/23-939_e2pg.pdf

[09:24] Mierjeski, J. K. E. (2024, April 23). Clarence Thomas secretly accepted luxury trips from GOP donor. ProPublica. https://www.propublica.org/article/clarence-thomas-scotus-undisclosed-luxury-travel-gifts-crow

[10:33] Windsor, L. W. (2024, June 10). Exclusive Undercover Audio. X (Formerly Twitter). https://x.com/lawindsor/status/1800201783945683120

[11:14] SUPREME COURT OF THE UNITED STATES. (2023). CODE OF CONDUCT FOR JUSTICES OF THE SUPREME COURT OF – THE UNITED STATES. https://www.supremecourt.gov/about/Code-of-Conduct-for-Justices_November_13_2023.pdf

[11:14] Raskin, Ocasio-Cortez introduce legislation imposing gift ban on Supreme Court justices. (2024, June 25). Congressman Jamie Raskin. https://raskin.house.gov/2024/6/raskin-ocasio-cortez-introduce-legislation-imposing-gift-ban-on-supreme-court-justices

"Socialism" has experienced a new surge of interest and debate. So, why should you be a socialist? What kind of social and economic changes do socialists stand for and why? What differentiates socialists from liberals, conservatives, even other kinds of radicals? Join the Maine Democratic Socialists at this crash course event to learn the fundamentals socialist economics (which will strive to be light on jargon). We will focus on how socialists view capitalism, how capitalist profit is rooted in the exploitation of labor, and how the class struggle is the result of this.

Website: https://www.smdsa.org/

Calendar: https://www.smdsa.org/calendar

Join DSA: https://www.dsausa.org/get-involved/

TUE, JAN 22: Education Committee Debate: The Democratic Party And The Left

Socialism or (more) Barbarism? Steering Committee members Kate and Todd discuss democratic socialism and the Democratic Socialists of America on "Out in Left Field" for and at Biddeford Public Access TV, hosted by the Portland Media Center.

Comment: For some reason the Facebook algorithm queued up a 'Tucker Carlson' video in the 'Up Next' section under our video.

For more coverage of the building protests against the ongoing genocide in Palestine by the Pine and Roses Editorial Collective see:

1. Portland Rallies for Palestine After Rafah Bombed and Maine Coalition for Palestine Blocks Traffic, Protests Genocide in Gaza, By T. Sinclair
2. Pro-Worker, Anti-War, by Isaak Spain.
3. Letter to the Editor: Portland's Ceasefire Resolution is Good First Step, by Sam Spadafore.

As we survey the landscape of civil rights in Maine's public schools and publicly funded "private schools," it is evident that the state falls desperately short in providing appropriate protections for some of its most vulnerable residents. The absence of meaningful, adequate measures to safeguard the rights of Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC), LGBTQ, and immigrant students represents an appalling, willing negligence of state leadership, with results that span across generations and communities.

For the second time this year, a coalition of landlords are attempting to undermine rent control in Portland.

In June of this year (previous coverage here), Portland voters voiced their strong support of rent control, with 67% voting to reject an attempt to replace the 5% vacancy turnover increase with the right to reset rent without restriction.

Not content to slink away with their deeply unpopular policies tucked between their legs, they are now attempting to decontrol all units owned by landlord entities who own 9 or fewer units, on top of the current exemption for landlords with up to 4 units, with no requirement that they live here.

Given the number of attempts to gut Portland's rent control ordinance since its passage in 2020, as well as a successful attempt in 2022 to strengthen and clarify the law, the Pine & Roses Editorial Collective would like to share a simplified rundown of rent control as it stands today in Portland.

This article continues Pine & Rose's previous coverage of events related to unionization at Little Dog Coffee Shop in Brunswick.

You can read the written article here.