News & Notes, June 2022

SAVE THE DATE: DFA Picnic on August 10! Live. Potluck. Just like the old days! More details to follow... 

THESE are the times that try men's souls. The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of their country; but he that stands by it now, deserves the love and thanks of man and woman. — Thomas Paine, “The Crisis”

Well, it was certainly an interesting and eventful month.

  1. The Supreme Court clearly emerged as perhaps a greater threat to liberty than even the Big Lie. The Supreme Court ruling on Roe means that a) In many states, women no longer are equals, and the Right is fine with that; b) women will no longer be able to decide when they will have children and pursue their career with confidence; c) Constitutional rights are given by the Supreme Court and can be taken away; and d) NOTHING about the way we live is settled. Everything is on the table.

  2. Besides Roe, the Supreme Court increased gun rights, blew a hole in the Miranda protection (“You have the right to remain silent …”), and undermined the separation of church and state by allowing religious schools to receive federal aid under some circumstances and loosening restrictions on public prayer. More significantly they signaled that it’s only a matter of time until semi-mandatory public prayer is brought back to schools and Miranda is gone. And they created the framework to justify the virtual extinction of federal environmental and safety enforcement and most other social programs

  3. The January 6 hearings have shown that the instigators were fully aware that it was a lie and went ahead anyway with their plan to steal the election; that Trump was in the thick of all of it; and that we came even closer than we imagined to losing our democracy.

The stakes in the statewide races for Governor and US Senator could not possibly be higher. If Mastriano wins, we will see a steady stream of legislation to undermine election laws and shove culture war issues down our throats. And our votes for president will probably become meaningless under Governor Mastriano. Mastriano makes no secret of his contempt for Democrats; the idea that every citizen is valuable would be gone. If Fetterman loses, we’ll not just trade a good man (Fetterman) for a clown (New Jersey resident Oz) in that seat, but we’ll also be one seat closer to a Republican Senate and the end of Biden judicial nominees.


DFA News

We have been planning DFA’s future and have several announcements.

  • We will again have a presence at the Heritage Festival. Stop by and see us and participate in our Community Conversations project.

  • We will be returning in September to holding live meetups. At first, we may be focusing on the 2022 election but over time we will deal with a variety of political and non-political topics

  • The Steering Committee voted in April 2021 to make a major emphasis on countering threats to democracy. Right now, the main areas of focus are: threats to the fairness of elections in Pennsylvania, the dangerous career of Doug Mastriano, threats to public education, and promoting participation and transparency in local government. We will keep you updated and welcome your help.

  • We are placing heavy emphasis on communication, with regular publication of News and Notes; our Community Conversations series; some of the best political writing in the state for the Times, the Connection, and our own blog; and outreach to other organizations in the 13th congressional district. We’d welcome anyone who wants to join our team.

  • Individual DFA members will be supporting Marty Qually in the 2022 election for State legislature, with a view to getting increasingly involved in campaigns in future years.

This is an ambitious agenda and we will need help from a lot of people. If you want to get involved in some exciting work, contact leonsreed@gmail.com.

We are always looking for writers and web-streaming experts to contribute to our Communication program. Call or email. leonsreed@gmail.com

DFA Writers at Work. DFA writers were busy this month, writing on the election, Supreme Court, education, guns, the environment, and Doug Mastriano. This section provides links to some of the important writings of DFA members. Clicking on the link will take you to the article.

Gettysburg Times op-eds

  1. Freedom isn’t free, Will Lane

  2. Public Education for the Common Good, Nancy Rehm

Election ‘22 writings for DFA web site and Letters to the Editor

Gettysburg Connection Community Voices

Celebrate American Independence, July 4

Think about the real Fourth. Our rights are inalienable! The Supreme Court cannot take them away. We are all created equal.

When a government becomes oppressive, we have a right to alter or abolish it.

The Founders pledged “their lives, their fortunes, and their sacred honor” to the cause of independence. What are we willing to pledge?

Other News

Project Gettysburg Leon (PGL) faces challenges. Since April of 2021 the Nicaraguan government has required the closure of hundreds of NGO’s in Nicaragua, including, at the end of May 2022, the Gettysburg sister-city organization, Project Gettysburg/Leòn (PGL).

While this closure terminates the support that PGL has provided to community organizations in and around Leòn, the expectation is that in and around Gettysburg the work of the sister-city organization can continue.

The sister-city group will participate, for example, in the Heritage Festival on September 18 and will present on September 30 the annual, colorful “Salsa on the Square.” Also it will maintain its connection to the local Casa de la Cultura and the Painted Turtle Farm. The hope is that, in addition, the local organization again can arrange, after the long delay due to covid, delegations to and from Nicaragua in the name of the sister-city organization.

The monthly meetings of the sister-city organization will continue on the usual schedule of September to June, with the next meeting set for Sunday, September 4. Assuming good weather, the meeting will be an out-of-doors, pot-luck gathering.

Leon Reed