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Bench says it is the responsibility of the State to protect the weak during the COVID-19 pandemic

The Allahabad High Court has restrained the Ghaziabad Development Authority (GDA) from carrying out demolition in a slum area in Ghaziabad, noting that the State should have offered a place to rehabilitate the residents before their eviction and demolition of their houses.

It would also be appropriate to state that when the entire globe is facing a pandemic, it is the responsibility of the State to protect everyone, more specifically the population of weaker sections from any hardship that may aggravate their plight adversely, the court stated.

It was hearing a petition seeking directions to the GDA to not undertake any further demolition and or eviction of residents of Bhovapur Basti behind Radisson Blue Hotel, Kaushambi, Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh.

In an order dated October 21, a Bench of Chief Justice Govind Mathur and Justice Siddhartha Varma, while granting time to the GDA to file a counter affidavit, directed it not to proceed with the demolition till further orders.

The court also issued directions to provide temporary shelter to the residents of Bhovapur Basti whose houses have already been demolished and see to the viability of providing houses under the Pradhan Mantri Avas Yojna. All necessary arrangements should also be made as a temporary measure by the GDA to provide essential amenities, including light and water, to the residents.

The residents should also be extended all necessary medical facilities, the court said, and listed the next date for November 18 when the GDA would have to propose a complete plan for rehabilitation of the residents.

As per the petition, the basti came into existence in 1990 and labourers from different parts of the country live there. Some are involved in rag-picking.

The counsel for the petitioners had argued that the residents could not be evicted without providing them an alternative place of residence as prescribed under the Proviso to Section 26-A of the Uttar Pradesh Planning and Development Act, 1973.

Since the residents hailed from the lower section of society and looking to the need for rehabilitation of such persons, the State Legislature under the Act of 1973 protected their right of residence under the Proviso to Section 26-A, the petitioners had said.

The petitioners also prayed that the court direct the GDA and the State to undertake the complete rehabilitation of all the residents and pay 20,000 to each of them as compensation for unlawful demolition undertaken on September 30 and October 9.

As per the petitioner, the District Administration, Ghaziabad, at the instance of Ghaziabad Development Authority was continuously making efforts to remove the residents without providing them any alternative land for their rehabilitation.

The petitioners asserted that on October 9, some of the houses were damaged as an effort was made to evict the residents.

Apprehending complete demolition of houses, the writ was filed.

A.Q. Zaidi, counsel appearing on behalf of the petitioners, said that about 150 houses had already been demolished by the GDA. According to the counsel, the residents whose houses have been demolished have no roof to protect themselves and they are living in the open.

While opposing the writ, the lawyer appearing on behalf of the GDA stated that whatever action taken by the Authority was in compliance of the directions given by the High Court on September 22, 2015 in PIL 2014 of 2015. It was also further by the administration stated that the residents of Bhovapur Basti were trespassers and, therefore, the encroachment made by them should be removed.

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Allahabad HC restrains Ghaziabad Development Authority from demolition in slum area - The Hindu

Ships recycling has taken a turn in favor of ship owners, as scarce tonnage has forced yards to compete for tonnage, leading to higher prices. In its latest weekly report, shipbroker Clarkson Platou Hellas said that a new week but unfortunately this did not relate to a fresh deluge of tonnage for Buyers to ingrain themselves into and instead has meant that those vessels that have been circulated, have received positive competition resulting in each sale raising eyebrows to the benefit of Owners as price levels continue to remain firm and bubble just below the USD 400/per ldt mark in India and Pakistan. This is another situation to watch closely as the respective recycling destinations tussle for the market tonnage and increase their prices accordingly, often if Indian Buyers like a specific type of vessel they will pay whatever is needed to obtain it, but certainly indications from the Indian recyclers have narrowed towards the rates from Pakistan.

Source: Clarkson PLC

According to Clarkson Platou Hellas, interestingly, the Bangladesh Cartel has lasted yet another week as it tries to control the sharp price increases in the market and create a level playing field. Although with India and Pakistan being more attractive at present, they will soon need to increase their threshold to remain competitive and refrain from losing too much tonnage to its neighbouring counterparts. In Turkey, prices continue to maintain some common ground as they too are starting to see the number of available units for them diminish in the market, creating an ultra-competitive market place for any Owner with tonnage in the Mediterranean or North Continent. However those yards that have obtained EU approval are continuously bogged down with approaches and are now finding themselves fully booked for even Q1 of 2021, unless yards are given approval by the end of the year to ease capacity in the region, the shipbroker concluded.

Source: Clarkson PLC

In a separate report this week, GMS (http://www.gmsinc.net/), GMS said that the worlds leading cash buyer of ships, said thatAfter weeks of uncertainty following the formation of a cartel in Bangladesh and the ongoing volatility in competing markets (i.e. India & Pakistan), subcontinent prices finally appear to have somewhat settled this week. As the troublesome winter months approach and Covid-19 cases continue to rise across the globe, the focus has once again fallen on Europe where second spikes are being witnessed. In many areas, more cases and hospitalizations are being reported than before the lockdowns began in March April time, in further concerning developments over the recent past. Markets therefore remain somewhat on edge, as the seemingly unending search for a vaccine goes on and the economic fallout from the first round of lockdowns continues to be felt worldwide, the shipbroker said.

GMS added that there is also the uncertainty regarding the upcoming U.S. election (to be determined in November) and how long it may take to announce a winner with absentee voting, now likely to be required to register votes with Covid-19 still surging in the U.S. Supply into subcontinent markets for recycling has slowed over this last month or so, as charter markets particularly in the container and dry bulk sectors pick up again after a largely woeful first half of the year. At the far end, the Turkish market seems to have finally stabilized this week, with scrap steel imports firming up marginally and the Lira though weaker, has also been stable this week. In other news this week, GMS successfully concluded their fourth webinar in their Leadership series on the Hong Kong Convention and the role of Japan & Norway in making the first progressive steps in encouraging developments in the subcontinent and we would like to thank all those who tuned in once again, GMS concluded.

Source: GMS Leadership

Nikos Roussanoglou, Hellenic Shipping News Worldwide

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Ship Demolition Activity Finding It Hard To Recover - Hellenic Shipping News Worldwide

Demolition work has started to tear down the eyesore multi-storey car park in West Bromwich town centre

The 1970s-built Queen Square Car Park, in Bull Street, is being demolished to make way for a mixture of homes, leisure and retail facilities.

Despite the Covid-19 crisis causing havoc on town centres, the investment programme agreed by the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA) and Sandwell Council is pressing ahead, kick starting plans to revitalise the centre of West Bromwich.

The heavy demolition machinery has already begun to tear down the multi-storey car park.

The WMCA has helped to make the regeneration scheme possible by providing funding to cover the demolition costs.

Mayor of the West Midlands Andy Street said Even before coronavirus struck, high streets were struggling to keep up with changing shopping habits and the fast rise of online retailers. The pandemic and subsequent lockdown and restrictions has only served to exasperate that, and it is clear a major rethink is needed.

I still firmly believe that town centres and high streets can be the beating heart of communities once again, but they need to move away from being so retail-focused and look to diversify their offering.

"That means more homes, public services, offices, and start-up spaces, combined with better transport links and safety measures.

Here at the WMCA we are trying to help facilitate that change through our town centre taskforce, and the demolition of Bull Street car park to make way for a mix of new homes, leisure and retail is a prime example of what we are trying to achieve.

Work such as this also helps to create and protect local jobs at what is a very challenging time economically due to coronavirus.

Sandwell Council's deputy leader, Councillor Maria Crompton, added: Here in Sandwell, as all over the country, Covid-19 has disrupted so much and put so many demands on our resources that authorities have had to put important work on hold.

But we are still pressing ahead with our key projects despite that we still have to look to the future, especially for our young people.

Creating better economic prospects is vital and this regeneration and development will be home to a thriving new residential and business community in the heart of town, with more greenery and safe open spaces.

It will bring local jobs and opportunities and I look forward to working together on many more projects across the borough.

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WATCH: Demolition work starts to tear down eyesore West Bromwich car park - expressandstar.com

Haryana Shahari Vikas Pradhikaran (HSVP) on Wednesday carried out a demolition drive in Sector 57 to clear out 30 plots on a piece of land, which have been encroached upon by private individuals over the last few years. The land, which was acquired by HSVP from local villagers, has been stuck in litigation for the last one-and-a-half decade. Last month, the Punjab and Haryana High Court gave the order in HSVPs favour. This has now enabled the authority to hand over the possession of these plots to the allottees who are the rightful owners, said HSVP officials.

On Wednesday morning, a team of HSVP officials demolished 22 temporary residential structures, 50 tenements and two shops amid strong resistance and protest by residents and locals. Vivek Kalia, estate officer, HSVP, Gurugram, said that these plots had been encroached upon. However, after the high courts verdict, the plots will now be handed over to the rightful owners. The enforcement team started the work to remove the encroachments in the morning, said Kalia, adding that due to the HC verdict in its favour, the authority would be able to hand over more than 800 plots, which were earlier stuck due to litigation.

The enforcement team was led by SK Rana, sub-divisional engineer, survey, and Kartar Singh, naib tehsildar, who was the duty magistrate, while a large police team supported the authority officials during the drive.

Earlier on Tuesday, Kalia said encroachments were also removed from sectors 27 and sector 43 dividing roads. A number of complaints had been made by residents regarding the encroachments on main roads. Action was taken against the violators and they would not be allowed on these roads again, said Kalia.

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HSVP carries out demolition drive in Sector 57 - Hindustan Times

Dozens of residents in the village of Bubq in Fush-Kruj clashed with police on Thursday after opposing the demolition of several buildings.

Police have gone to the scene to help the National Inspectorate of TerritorialDefensecontinue its work.They accompanied some of the residents to the police station.

One of the families that opposes the demolition of their building is the Xhaferri family, which explained that their house was not damaged by the earthquake and is not a part of the reconstruction project.

The Xhaferri family own a large multi-floored building and as well as living there, they rent space to the local health centre, a kindergarten, an NGO and other businesses. They said they dont know why it is being demolished as its not damaged and that they have not received any compensation for it.

The family also asked for time for the matter to be taken to court but this was ignored.

Fjal kye: Albania, demolition, earthquake

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Residents Clash With Police in Bubq Over Home Demolition - Exit - Explain Albania

PUBLISHED: 11:30 23 October 2020

Will Jefford

Geest House, opposite Chantry Park, which is due to be knocked down for a new housing development. Picture: GOOGLE MAPS

Archant

An eyesore office building which has been left empty since 2014 is still yet to be demolished, a year after planners gave designs for a new housing estate the green light.

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The building, which used to house Geest Line, a shipping company based in Suffolk, has stood unused on Hadleigh Road in Ipswich for the past six years.

The derelict building has been an eye-sore for years, however, locals were buoyed when Babergh District Council accepted plans to demolish the building and replace it with seven homes.

The new estate, together with parking and landscaping, will stand on a 0.21 hectare area of land which will be accessible from the main road.

However, before the building can be demolished, applicants Eyton Developments Limited need to satisfy a number of conditions set out by planners.

Despite tackling a number of the outstanding issues, the development company is still to provide details about contamination and surface water discharge, as well as some ecology matters, according to the council.

These details are often complicated and can take years to complete. Eyton Developments have until July 2022 to start work on the new estate.

Permission had previously been granted for the building to be converted to 13 flats in March 2018 however, in a change of plans, it will now be brought to the ground.

Eyton Developments Limited say it will deliver an attractive enduring place which is related well to its built and natural context and location.

The company says that it will achieve its objective by using good quality facing materials to build well-proportioned buildings and spaces.

It is proposed that the estate will be made up of six, three bed houses which will all be semi-detached and a single five bed home which will stand alone.

The larger home will be accessed by Elton Park access road to the west of the site while the others will use Hadleigh Road.

The new seven properties will be added to an existing eight homes which have already been built on land to the rear of the former office block.

At the time of the application, district councillor for Sproughton and Pinewood Zac Norman, said: This development is something we are quite positive about.

That building has been empty for God knows how long.

Its an eyesore and its a good thing that it will be replaced by something that will be in keeping with the area.

The main thing that people want is for that area to be used.

If you value what this story gives you, please consider supporting the East Anglian Daily Times. Click the link in the orange box above for details.

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Demolition of 'eyesore' in Ipswich dealyed - East Anglian Daily Times

At the Student Government Association (SGA) Senate meeting on October 11, students met to discuss plans for an SGA restructure. A restructure has been discussed for several years, but recent events such as the pandemic and cabinet member resignations have made it apparent to a group of senators that now would be the best time to initiate a restructure.

The SGA was first founded in the late 1990s as a replacement for the previous governing body, the Student Council. Discussions about restructuring the SGA have been ongoing for years, but never met with significant progress. Instead, various minor changes have been made to the general structure of the SGA, such as including the VPAA as a part of the cabinet, and a change to the constitution.

Concerns about the current system stem from a variety of issues. Initially, concerns were focused primarily on the method of student representation. As is, the SGA has representatives elected by class year; an alternative system has been proposed which includes representation based on major or department in order to better represent all students. More recently, senators have raised concerns about the lack of representation on the basis of identity, experience, and other areas.

In addition to this, the current system places advocacy for 3,700+ students on the backs of only 6 students, the cabinet members. While the SGA was not intended to have cabinet members as its only point of contact between administrators and students, it serves as an easy one size fits all solution for admins that need to work with a student in relation to student organizations.

According to E.J. Hannah, who recently acceded to the position of SGA president, By presenting six students as the main points of contact for both student and admin concerns, there is so much room for error With that, it becomes much harder for senators to work with the Cabinet, and for either parties to work with administration, despite everyone having the same goal of providing the best experience at Stevens possible.

In the wake of the recent resignations, it has become increasingly clear to some senators that there is an element of risk associated with putting so much responsibility and power on such a small set of students.

Previous concerns also included rebranding the SGA in order to make it more accessible to more students. These stemmed from a desire to increase student involvement in the SGA and ensure that it was representing the student body as best as possible. However, previous attempts to restructure the SGA were met with logistical difficulties. In order to pass a constitutional change, of the undergraduate student body has to vote on the change, and of those voting have to approve of the change. Regardless of each students opinion on the validity of the changes, this constitutes polling around 1200 students, with at least 800 votes in favor of the change. It is difficult to get feedback from so many students during a normal semester; this has been compounded by the pandemic as outreach and involvement is even more difficult.

After having a series of meetings, senators decided on a short list of qualities that a restructured SGA should have. These include:

As of October 22, the restructure is still in the planning phase. Several different structures have been proposed so far, including a Three Pillars model, which involves having multiple committees, each with their own President elected by the student body, and a parliamentary-style system where power is more widely distributed among the senate. The oldest of these is a proposal by former Senator Mark Krupinski20 from the spring of 2019, which involves having one president and multiple vice presidents in control of various committees.

Moving forward, senators involved in the process will be working on the restructure outside of meetings. While progress is being made, there are still certain challenges that need to be overcome before a restructuring can be finalized. In order to be successful, a restructuring needs to be official, which requires a large amount of student involvement to occur. In addition, the restructure needs to have the support of the administration in order to be effective in the upcoming semesters. Early signs seem to indicate that the administration will be supportive, but it is still too early to tell whether it will find widespread support or not. The new system will also need to consolidate its paradoxical role as both student advocator and rule-enforcer.

At the meetings, senators also decided that in order to ensure that the rest of the community stays involved in the process, the results of the restructure meetings will be provided during the discussion section of the standard SGA meetings. These sections will also be longer, in order to allow for a more detailed discussion on the topic. Plans to survey the student body for feedback were discussed, but it is unclear when a survey would be created or distributed.

Read more from the original source:
Student Government Association begins planning restructure - The Stute

Southern Cross Health Insurance paid out nearly $1 billion in claims in the year to June and New Zealanders hips and knees were responsible for the biggest part of the bill.

Health insurance coverage has been increasing in recent years, from 1.35 million lives covered in December 2016 to 1.41 million in December 2019.

Southern Cross said it funded more than 1800 knee replacement surgeries in its most recent financial year, at a cost of $47.9 million and more than 1900 hip replacement surgeries, worth a combined $45m.

Hip replacements were the most expensive category of claim for both genders but colonoscopies ranked second for men and knee replacements second for women.

READ MORE:* Health insurer Southern Cross charts course for clearing surgery backlog* NZ's most expensive health insurance claims: Knee, hip replacements top the list* Sunburn and fishing hooks in the mouth are summer dangers for dogs

Women also claimed $21.8m for hysterectomies and $14.1m for endometriosis treatment while men claimed $12.5m for spinal fusion surgery and $18.8m for skin lesion excisions.

Children claimed a combined $5.2m for surgical removal of teeth and $4.8m for tonsillectomies.

Southern Cross Health Insurance chief medical officer Stephen Child said it showed insurance playing a role in helping New Zealanders access the treatment they required.

HUSH NAIDOO/UNSPLASH

Health insurance coverage has been increasing in recent years.

While the public health system does a fantastic job looking after acute urgent medical issues, health insurance gives Kiwis access to elective surgical procedures and specialist consultations when they need it and choice about where they receive it, he said.

Health insurance allows people swift access to quality treatment when its most needed, he said. Southern Cross Health Insurance funds close to half a million specialist consultations and a quarter of a million surgical procedures in the past year which helps to reduce the burden on the public health system.

Southern Cross Health Insurance has more than 879,000 members.

More:
Hip replacements add to health insurer's bill - Stuff.co.nz

ABB says its new Integritas* industrial battery charger offers single-charger redundancy in a modular, compact, wall-mounted footprint and achieves up to 95.7% efficiency at 50-100% output current.

The wall-mounted system features switch-mode rectifier technology that provides transformer-less, efficient power conversion in a compact footprint, providing true N+1 or N+N redundancy in a single battery charger.

"Ensuring reliable, efficient AC-to-DC power and battery backup is essential in applications such as utility power, oil and gas, and process control to name a few where downtime can be critical," said Mark Lloyd, senior product manager with ABB. "Having reliable, efficient backup power in a single charger with high power density helps ensure these critical applications remain up-and-running while also reducing the footprint of the power equipment needed freeing up valuable floor space."

ABB's versatile industrial battery charger puts out up to 18 kW at 125V DC from a direct, three-phase, 480-volt AC input feed.

New Nebula Controller Improves Charger Management

The industrial battery charger is the first ABB solution to use the company's new Nebula controller, which takes system monitoring, maintenance, and security to a new level.

The Nebula controller makes accessing and reviewing critical information simple, both locally and remotely. The 7 color touchscreen on the front of the charger can display information about active performance, alarms, status updates on input and output, and more.

In addition, the Nebula controller uses Distributed Network Protocol 3 communications. That allows the battery status to be networked with plant-wide distributed control systems or supervisory control and data acquisition systems.

Key Features

Enhanced Capability and Redundancy

The Integritas industrial battery charger features another new product specifically designed for industrial applications the IP040H3R125ATEZ switch-mode rectifier. The new industrial rectifier can convert 480 VAC directly to 125 VDC without a step-down transformer.

In addition, when installed in a 19 cabinet frame, the IP040 industrial rectifiers can provide 150A output current in a 14x 17x 28 space.

Switch-mode rectifier technology helps the industrial battery charger unleash even more performance and design benefits. The rectifiers operate at a higher switching frequency (90-270 kHz) than conventional silicon-controlled rectifiers, which typically operate in the 45-65 Hz range. This technology also helps to reduce the size and weight of the power conversion components, compared to comparable silicon-controlled rectifier-based battery chargers.

AC-DC conversion is also more efficient with switch-mode rectifiers, creating a lower thermal impact, higher power efficiency of up to 95.7%, and improving the life cycle of the unit.

"Employing a modular, expandable rectifier design into a single charger allows for power to be scaled as needed," Lloyd continued. "Using multiple power modules, the charger can be configured for N+1 redundancy to maintain full power output if one power unit fails. The battery charger also can be configured for full N+N redundancy by using multiple mirrored power supplies enabling even greater reliability."

The modular design of the Integritas industrial battery charger allows for critical components to be "hot swapped" for easier repair or replacement, keeping the charging load up during maintenance or replacements and reducing overall maintenance costs.

Read more here:
New Industrial Battery Charger from ABB Improves Reliability - Lift and Access

Graphic by Julia Sanbe.

Ruth Bader Ginsburg was a giant in the American judicial system. An intellectual and legal powerhouse, she was a great American who should be remembered for her powerful decisions and opinions and fierce advocacy for gender equality and marginalized communities. Her close friendship and extraordinary relationship with her colleague, the late Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia, is something I hope many of us are able to draw inspiration from. In this time of hyper-partisanship, when polarized candidates and our political discourse can make us feel so divided, it is so important for us to be able to separate our fervent opinions from our personal relationships. You can be friends with people you disagree with; you should not cancel friends who arent voting the way you are. Sadly, however, it is clear to me that many people in our nation and on our campus cannot grasp the concept that you can respectfully disagree without attacking others character or hurling petty personal attacks.

This idea that Ginsburgs dying wish that President Donald Trump not be permitted to fill her vacant seat on the Supreme Court is somehow binding to the judiciary or to this process is nonsense. We should have respect for Ginsburg and remember her in high esteem as a distinguished jurist, but unelected members of our judiciary are not entitled to dictate how, when or by whom they should be replaced. The Constitution makes no such provision. While it is frowned upon for members of our federal judiciary to time their retirements for political purposes to keep their seat within the same party, it is ostensible that Ginsburg could have retired before the Republicans reclaimed their Senate majority in January 2015. This could have allowed former President Barack Obama to replace her with a younger, similarly progressive activist on the judiciary, but alas, it wasnt so.

Last month, Trump nominated Amy Coney Barrett of the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit to fill the vacancy created by the unexpected death of Ginsburg. Barrett grew up in New Orleans, the eldest child of seven, and graduated magna cum laude from Rhodes College with a bachelor of arts in English literature in 1994. She graduated first in her class from Notre Dame Law School in 1997, earning the honor of summa cum laude. She clerked for Scalia and forged a distinguished career in academia at Notre Dame Law prior to her appointment to the federal judiciary in 2017 by Trump. Once confirmed, she will be the fifth woman to ever serve on the high court and the first mother of school-aged children to serve on the Supreme Court.

Barrett is a strong woman who is following that trail pioneered by Ginsburg. She is cognizant of this reality; it is unfortunate that liberals refuse to acknowledge the milestone that Barrett represents. She is a strong woman who has defied the antiquated perceptions of gender roles from the last century just as Ginsburg did; she has forged a family of seven children, two of which she and her husband Jesse adopted from Haiti. Barrett has also pursued an impressive career in academia and now serves as a federal judge. Hearing liberals attack Barretts family by arguing she is a white colonizer, while also rejecting her as a leader or role model for women because she is not sufficiently supportive of the pro-abortion agenda shows how desperate and lowly some have become in our political landscape to decry their political enemies.

Not only have we seen inappropriate and frankly, unbecoming criticism of Barretts family, but we have seen trashy criticisms of her Catholic faith. Clearly, Senate Democrats neglected to realize that the protections for religious freedom under the First Amendment to the Constitution include Catholics. This isnt the first time anti-Catholic phobias have reared their rabid heads into our political discourse in the last century; notably, former President John F. Kennedy combatted similar attacks and accusations that he would be less capable or less qualified because of his faith. If you wish to disagree with someone, disagree on substance, but dont attack their faith. If you are upset that shes pro-life, dont veil your anger that she isnt vociferously pro-abortion behind sad attacks on her religious identity. Weaponizing bigotry to exact a political goal is never appropriate nor admirable. While it would be a sad day if Democrats began a systemic push to alienate Catholics, the GOP would be happy to welcome the faithful with open arms. Clearly, this is no longer Kennedys Democratic party.

Im a Catholic and a Republican (in that order), and I am overjoyed that a brilliant woman like Barrett will be joining the Supreme Court of the United States. Her textualist and originalist approach to interpreting the law understanding the Constitution and other documents as they are written and were understood when adopted is important to preserving stability in our judiciary and critical protection for the rule of law. It shouldnt be a controversial opinion to believe that the law should be interpreted as written and not as what unelected judges want it to mean, based on what is fashionable or well-liked in the time. The onus for amending the Constitution and passing legislation rests outside of the judiciary; sadly, some seem to have missed this lesson from civics class and Schoolhouse Rock. I look forward to Barrett delivering the crucial vote to overturn Roe v. Wade, standing up for the dignity of human life and the rights of all women, born and pre-born. I survived Roe v. Wade, and I am so glad that it wont survive me.

Through her confirmation hearings, Barrett has repeated that she believes the landmark 2015 marriage equality ruling, Obergefell v. Hodges, clearly states, There is a constitutional right to same-sex marriage. She has consistently reaffirmed that she has never discriminated and would not ever discriminate against the LGBTQ+ community; attempts to suggest otherwise are flailing efforts from politicians lacking a shred of dignity in this process. To the fear-mongering alarmists suggesting that Barrett will attack LGBTQ+ rights, I challenge you to look to Trumps judicial record: Neil Gorsuch, his first Supreme Court nominee an ardent originalist wrote the majority opinion in Bostock v. Clayton, where the court held that Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act protects employees against discrimination because of their sexual orientation or gender identity.

As an aside, this is also the only president to embrace the LGBTQ+ community by acknowledging support for marriage equality from the outset of his presidency, the only president to appoint an openly-LGBTQ+ member to his cabinet, and the only president to present openly-LGBTQ+ nominees for the federal judiciary, but I digress.

This supposition that Barrett is a vigilante on some mission to defraud Americans of their civil rights and liberties, deny folks their healthcare during a global pandemic or impose her dogmatic Catholic ideology on women is a desperate fear-mongering tactic from Senate Democrats uncomfortable with the outcomes of American elections. It is a sad mockery of the judicial confirmation process and an attempt to politicize a nonpartisan branch of government that ensures enduring stability for our society.

As Obama notoriously remarked in 2010, Elections have consequences, you lost, get over it. In 2014, voters elected Republicans to the House and the Senate, putting a check on the final years of Obamas lame duck presidency as they transferred control of the Senate from the Democrats to the Republicans. In 2016, there was a vacancy on the Supreme Court; the President nominated a replacement, Merrick Garland, as was his right; the Senate chose whether and how to act on that nomination, as was theirs. In 2020, a similar process: There was a vacancy on the Supreme Court; the president nominated a replacement, Barrett, as was his right; the Senate chose whether and how to act on that nomination, as is theirs. The difference now in 2020 from 2016 is whether the Senate and president were in ideological agreement with one another; history is clearly on the side of Senate Republicans in filling this vacancy.

Its time to confirm Barrett to the Supreme Court.

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The argument for Amy Coney Barrett The Miami Hurricane - The Miami Hurricane