Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg was an accomplished woman and a trailblazer, breaking barriers in a male-dominated world. Born in an age when women’s rights had yet to be fully acknowledged — both culturally and in law — she fought passionately for equal treatment for women. But she also saw the unfairness of an Oklahoma law that gave women the right to drink at age 18 while men were not allowed to drink until age 21. She saw this as a denial of equal treatment and facilitated its defeat.

Among her accomplishments in support of personal freedoms, Ginsberg was in the majority in the 2015 ruling that legalized same-sex marriage. She was also the first Supreme Court Justice to preside over a same-sex wedding ceremony.

She wrote the majority opinion against the publicly-owned Virginia Military Institute, ending its male-only admissions policy on equal protection grounds.

She voted to uphold the Fourth Amendment in a 5-4 Supreme Court ruling that stopped the federal government’s warrantless use of thermal imaging to detect marijuana inside of a house.

I appreciate Justice Ginsberg’s bravery and all her actions in support of civil liberties. Her contributions to the rigor and analysis that is required at the highest court will be missed. May she rest in peace.

Source:https://jo20.com/jo-jorgensen-quotables/

Libertarian presidential nominee calls for Pentagon’s accountability to taxpayers

GREENVILLE, S.C.; September 17, 2020—  “If the Pentagon were a private business—or an ordinary taxpayer—it would be guilty of federal crimes,” charged Dr. Jo Jorgensen, Libertarian for President. “It spends trillions of taxpayer dollars with virtually no accountability for how that money is spent.”

For decades, military bureaucrats have defied the law and refused to comply with congressional mandates to be audited. They finally conceded in 2018—and failed that audit miserably.

“Democratic and Republican politicians fund military spending to the tune of over $1 trillion every year—and don’t give a whit that the Pentagon can’t—and won’t—pass an audit,” she said. “Yet those same politicians authorize the IRS to audit you, then hound you and garnish your wages unless you comply with their every order.”

Not only have congress and every modern-day president allowed the Pentagon to go unaudited, but they have given it more money every year—in spite of the fact that stories occasionally surface showing that the Pentagon has been unable to account for—not thousands, not millions, not billions—but trillions of taxpayer dollars.

Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld admitted in 2001, “According to some estimates, we cannot track $2.3 trillion in transactions.”

Said Jorgensen, “Even if you could justify operating more than 800 American military bases in foreign countries around the world; starting wars based on false pretenses; putting our servicemen and -women in harm’s way, where some get killed or badly injured; and causing immense personal and property damage overseas, there’s never an excuse for spending taxpayers’ hard-earned money with no accountability.”

“Democrats and Republicans, the Pentagon, and price-gouging defense contractors are a big part of our country’s spending problem,” she said. “It’s high time we cut the military-industrial complex down to size.”

“The fastest way to make the Pentagon auditable is by simply downsizing it,” said Jorgensen. “And if it continues to fail audits, downsize it even more. It ought to face at least as much scrutiny as those who are paying its bills.”

Source:https://jo20.com/jorgensen-its-high-time-we-cut-the-military-industrial-complex-down-to-size/