Facts Over Fear
Jumping in to help save (what's left) of our fragile democracy. Let's squash the fear by acknowledging the facts and acting to create a better world for us all.
Hi everyone! My name is Natalie Bencivenga and I’ve been a journalist for about 15 years. And as we all know, the media has become quite the wild west. How can we absorb – let alone process – all the news coming our way? And how can we know what is based in fact — and what is based in fear — in order to manipulate messaging that benefits the few and not the many?
The idea of Facts Over Fear was inspired by this recognition that there was so much fear mongering in journalistic spaces. People aren’t actually getting the real story or proper context around information. This is my way of combating misinformation and exposing it for what it is: When we peel back the layers, we can give people a way to think about a topic rather than be told what to think. It’s fine if you don't agree, but you deserve to have a well-rounded understanding of the topic and the facts in front of you so that you can make an informed decision.
So join me each week for Face Our Fears, where we break apart topics so that fear can’t get in the way of the facts, get an occasional Reality Check on a big issue and what News of Note caught my eye.
In solidarity,
Natalie
FACE YOUR FEAR: Can Trump really run for a third term?
You may have heard that Rep. Andy Ogles, a Republican from Tennessee, introduced a House Joint Resolution to amend the Constitution of the United States to allow a President to be elected up to but no more than three terms (how considerate). Fun aside: Under this proposed amendment, you can’t run for a third if you served two consecutive terms…so that leaves out former Presidents Barack Obama, George W. Bush and Bill Clinton. (How convenient).
This had a lot of people asking me, “CAN HE DO THIS?!” Before we launch into a full blown panic, let’s face our fear. This would be a extremely long shot because it would need two-thirds vote in both chambers of Congress AND be ratified by 38 states (yes, that includes blue states to get onboard) to be added to the Constitution.
And let’s take a trip down memory lane here to understand how this all began in the first place The origins of the 22nd amendment to limit the President to two terms was proposed in 1947 and ratified in 1951. This was done after President Franklin Roosevelt’s unprecedented election to four terms in office. According to Britannica, “Roosevelt led the United States through two of the greatest crises of the 20th century: the Great Depression and World War II. He greatly expanded the powers of the federal government through a series of programs and reforms known as the New Deal. He also played a major part in the origin of the United Nations.” In other words, he strengthened the federal government — unlike Trump who is trying to dismantle it right before our eyes.
Don’t be distracted by this story. Let’s get a reality check on what is really a threat.
REALITY CHECK: ICE has got to go.
The American Council for Immigration stated: “On the first day of his second term of office, President Donald Trump issued ten executive orders and proclamations seeking to change the face of U.S. immigration law and policy, touching nearly every aspect of a complex and exacting system.” What these new policy changes aim to do is turn us on each other (sound familiar?) and get on board with expanding private prisons.
How do I know this? We don’t need to look any further than the bipartisan Laken Riley Act, which would “mandate ICE detention for migrants charged with nonviolent crimes and UPEND immigration law,” according to More Perfect Union. In essence, like my grandmother always said, “follow the money.” AOC spoke out against this Act earlier this week and said: “Look no further than the price tag of this bill. Eighty-three billion dollars. They know that it can’t be paid for. They know that capacity is not there. And you know what will be there? Private prisons.”
The reality is that corporations want cheap or free labor to mass produce their goods and the best space to do this in our prison system. You have people forced to labor. Well, wouldn’t it make sense to just ‘create’ criminals and have even more free laborers to work with? In fact, over 800,000 incarcerated people in state and federal prisons in the US are forced to work, according to Worth Rises. They labour for private corporations, state-owned corporations, and correctional agencies making an average of US$0.86 per day. So let’s get real about what this is and how it connects (you guessed it!) to criminalizing people who seek abortions, as well. Nothing lives in a silo and our liberation is bound together. Reality check: We sink or swim as one.
NEWS OF NOTE: What you may have missed that matters.
Here are three stories flying under the radar that deserve more attention:
Instagram and Facebook blocked and hid abortion pill providers’ posts, furthering the censorship in these spaces, according to the New York Times. Abortion is essential healthcare. Period. Want to support reproductive freedom? Check THIS out.
“Excluding Indians:” Trump administration questions Native Americans’ birthright citizenship in court, according to Salon. Check THIS out to get involved.
Virus season roars back with “quad-demic” of illnesses according to Axios. You will always find public health information on this page pertaining to COVID, avian bird flu and other viruses and illnesses poised to harm us. Right now, the spread of influenza A, COVID and RSV is “high” or “very high” across much of the US at the same time norovirus cases are well above normal levels, according to wastewater data. The government is hiding vital information currently from the people. We deserve to know how to protect ourselves and our communities. Follow the SICK TIMES for more and please consider masking in public spaces, wash your hands frequently with hot soapy water, and isolate when sick. WE keep us safe.
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