Opinion

The exact opposite of what the Framers originally intended has now been made the Law of the Land. John Jay wrote in Federalist 64 that the virtue of the Electoral College is that it can dampen “the activity of party zeal.” Hamilton, in Federalist 68, envisioned Electors as sophisticated people, who could be the free thinking representatives of the common folks in the President/VP election process.

In the information age, the explosion of always-with-you technology has created a voracious hunger for content. The 24-hour news cycle means that cable shows, websites, Twitter feeds, and Facebook updates are always churning out something. Unfortunately, there are unreliable content providers among them who dole out inaccurate, biased content designed to appeal to specific market demographics.

2020 is already a year to remember – a world-wide pandemic, militant Black-led protests sparked by the murder of George Floyd by a white Minneapolis police officer, and a presidential election. It is fair to ask what the election has to do with the other two. Will it bring anything more than efforts by both major parties and their less than inspiring candidates to use these devastating events to their advantage?

There is a good deal of mention of the Constitution on social media these days; frequently, in short, declarative sentences that express with certainty what the document means.

Lawrence Goldstone is the author of numerous books and articles on Constitutional Law, most recently “On Account of Race: The Supreme Court, White Supremacy, and the Ravaging of African American Voting Rights.”  Find out more at www.lawrencegoldstone.com.

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This is a horrific time for our country and a time of deep reflection for me. 

As a child of the 60’s, it is almost incomprehensible to fathom that we are experiencing a moment that is eerily similar to what I lived through fifty year ago on May 4, 1970. 

In recent weeks, the brutal murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Tony McDade, Ahmaud Arbery, in addition to so many others, have shaken our nation to the core. 

These tragic circumstances make it clear, yet again, that systemic discrimination and unjust racial disparities continue to plague our country. 

It was brought to the attention of the IVN editorial team that Facebook had labeled a recent quote posted on the IVN Page from US President Abraham Lincoln as “false information.” The fact check bewildered us given the nature of the quote and to whom it was attributed.

The unrest spread across the country and even the world with great mass and sometimes terrifying ferocity. Here’s protestors throwing things as far away as Downing Street in London:

https://twitter.com/andrewdoyle_com/status/1268344644200476673

A street cone can be seen sent flying over the fence in a show of contempt.

Here is a tense confrontation between scores of police and protesters in Seattle:

https://twitter.com/JackPosobiec/status/1269604168597151746

That’s some extreme LARPing.

Many Mainers, for the first time, have been confronted with what it means to have their right to vote threatened. It’s a deeply unsettling feeling. Which is why editorial boards across the state, including, on April 5, the Maine Sunday Telegram, have called for steps to be taken to ensure broad voter participation and safety.

Every week during the summer, it is traditional Jewish practice to study a chapter of a work called “Pirkei Avot.” It’s a collection of inspiring quotes and sayings by some of the most prominent Jewish leaders and sages. The first chapter contains the following universally-known quote by Hillel the Elder:

"If I am not for myself, who will be for me? But if I am only for myself, what am I? And if not now, when?"