Wishing Everyone a Happy Fourth of July
Dear Friend,
This week, as we head into the Independence Day long weekend, I want to wish everyone a happy Fourth of July. In Washington this week, I welcomed the Supreme Court’s ruling upholding the traditional interpretation of the Fourteenth Amendment’s extension of birthright citizenship, congratulated the University of Memphis for being awarded prestigious National Science Foundation grants, announced a community development revolving loan for Fair Break Federal Credit Union, and offered a Doonesbury cartoon, a Friday Flashback, and a Fourth of July-related health tip. Keep reading and follow me on Bluesky, Facebook and Instagram to see what I am doing as it happens.
Wishing Everyone a Happy Fourth of July
Welcoming the Supreme Court’s Ruling on Trump’s Unconstitutional Birthright Citizenship Ban
Congratulating the University of Memphis on National Science Foundation Grant Awards
Announcing Community Development Revolving Loan to Fair Break Federal Credit Union
Wishing Everyone a Happy Fourth of July
I’d like to wish everyone a happy 250th birthday of our nation’s independence and hope you can celebrate this major historical milestone with friends and family this weekend. For many years, I’ve attended the Carr Avenue and the High Point Terrace parades on the Fourth. I hope you can enjoy one of those or another. I may see you there. My offices in Washington and Memphis will be closed on Friday in observance of the national holiday.
Welcoming the Supreme Court’s Ruling on Trump’s Unconstitutional Birthright Citizenship Ban
The Fourteenth Amendment is clear and unmistakable, and I was pleased to see that at least five members of the Supreme Court upheld its traditional interpretation extending birthright citizenship. Many of the Court’s rulings this year have shown an unhealthy deference to President Trump, the Republican Party and major corporate interests, a trend I find dangerous. See a quote making that point from a New York Times editorial below.
Congratulating the University of Memphis on National Science Foundation Grant Awards
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On Tuesday, I announced that four professors at the University of Memphis – Drs. Yufeng Zhang, Chidambaram Ramanathan, Chrysanthe Preza and Stephanie Ivey – will receive prestigious National Science Foundation grants for their important scientific research projects. See details of the projects here.
Announcing Community Development Revolving Loan to Fair Break Credit Union
Also Tuesday, I announced that the Memphis-based Fair Break Federal Credit Union will receive a $25,000 Community Development Revolving Loan Fund technical assistance grant from the National Credit Union Administration. See my release on that grant here.
A Doonesbury Cartoon – “Trumped Up Charges”
With appreciation and gratitude to Garry Trudeau for the privilege of republishing his work in my newsletter. I’m looking forward to reading “Trudeau & Doonesbury: A Biography” by the journalist Joshua Kendall that came out in May.
This is me being sworn in as a Shelby County Commissioner by Circuit Judge Charles McPherson in September 1978. My mother is watching over my right shoulder.
More than 13,000 Americans were injured in fireworks accidents last year. Always have a bucket of water or a garden hose nearby and don’t let small children attempt to ignite any fireworks, including sparklers. See useful guidance from the Consumer Product Safety Commission here.
“Even before being sworn into office, President Trump was given a golden opportunity to rally the country, and indeed the world, around the 250th anniversary of the nation’s birth.
“This should have been a gimme. It was already on the calendar, a singularly and naturally unifying moment to showcase American achievement, recommit to mending our flaws and reaffirm our belief in the aspirations and ideals of the founders’ dreams.
“How, though, does a president lead a celebration of what he’s worked so hard to destroy? A president who mocks the conviction that all are created equal, systematically ending the careers of devoted military officers who happen to be Black or female. A president who assaults our unalienable rights to free speech, assembly and a free press. A president who betrays the foundation of government by the consent of the governed by trying to deny millions of Americans a vote.
“And so, instead of a collective tribute to all we cherish and strive for, we get a human cage fight on the South Lawn of the White House. A vanity rally on the National Mall. The East Wing in rubble, the Kennedy Center in a tarp and algae creeping across the face of a Reflecting Pool that mirrors only the corruption and ineptitude of a failed and fraudulent presidency rent by reckless and useless war.
“Two hundred and fifty years later, the Declaration of Independence doesn’t cry out to be celebrated so much as it demands to be defended. That’s our call, as patriots. That’s our charge, as American people. On this Fourth of July, and always.” – Bob Deans of Bethesda, Maryland, in a Letter to the Editor of The New York Times on Tuesday
“Central to the success of the American experiment over nearly 250 years has been the balance of powers among the three branches of government. Together, Mr. Trump and this Supreme Court are upsetting that balance. They are deviating from a tradition that has lasted more than a century, in which parts of the government operate with bipartisan leadership removed from everyday partisan politics, as Congress intended. The effect is to sideline Congress, which the authors of the Constitution viewed as the primary branch among equals. The Supreme Court on Monday created a government run by a very small number of people who work at either the Supreme Court or the White House.” – The New York Times editorial “The Supreme Court’s Hypocrisy” on Tuesday.
“This land is your land and this land is my land
From the California to the New York island
From the redwood forests to the Gulf Stream waters
This land was made for you and me” – from “This Land was Made for You and Me” by Woody Guthrie
As always, I remain…
Sincerely,
 |
Steve Cohen
Member of Congress