Holliswein's blog

On October 3, 1789, President George Washington proclaimed and created the first Thanksgiving Day.

Washington wanted it be a day of reflection and gratefulness, "too enable us all, whether in public or private stations, to perform our several and relative duties properly and punctually, to render our national government a blessing to all the people, by constantly being a Government of wise, just, and constitutional laws, discreetly and faithfully executed and obeyed..."

The jubilant feeling of taking back the House quickly faded with the mass shooting at a Los Angeles bar early Thursday morning. Less than two days earlier, voters defeated NRA-backed candidates, sending a loud message that our country's safety will not be held hostage by the NRA.

Besides gun violence prevention, there will be many challenging issues, such as healthcare, facing the next Congress. Dealing with these issues will necessitate bipartisanship.

Miriam Webster defines democracy as: "a government in which the supreme power is vested in the people and exercised by them directly or indirectly through a system of representation usually involving periodically held free elections."

Tuesday, we have the privilege to vote and to directly participate in our democracy. As citizens, we have a say in our government. We can choose the people we want to guide our country. These people, the senators and representatives, work for us.

Over the last two days I am sure you, like myself, have been glued to the television watching the Kavanaugh Hearing. We had a different column written earlier today. But we are delighted to announce our system of checks and balances is not broken TODAY! It took one GOP Senator to stand up and ask for an investigation by the FBI and observe due process. Senator Flake (R-AZ) worked across the aisle and made a compromise with his Democratic colleagues.

The Violence Against Women's Act (VAWA) was set to expire next week - the same week that Christine Blasey Ford may testify before the Senate's Judiciary Committee regarding her sexual assault complaint against SCOTUS nominee Brett Kavanaugh.

Millions of Jews across the world will gather with family and friends to celebrate Rosh Hashanah this weekend. As we reflect upon the year that has passed, we also look forward with hope and promise to the start of the new year.

As a Jewish community, we faced many challenges this year including BDS and a rise in anti-Semitism. Many of the other issues we care about were under attack as well such as reproductive health care, religious freedom, gun violence prevention, and immigration reform.

Students across the country are beginning their new school year. This is usually a time of great excitement. But today, concern over school safety is at an all-time high. 

Roughly one-third of today's parents fear for their child's safety in school, according to a poll by an educators' association. That's the highest proportion since 1998 when that number was only 12%. A majority of teens fear a shooting at their school. Last year there were nearly one school shooting a week.

In just 100 days, we have the chance to put the breaks on Trump's and Congress' extreme agenda that is hurting women, families, immigrants, freedom of speech and our entire country. Election day, November 6, is quickly approaching. This will be our first opportunity since Trump took office that we can finally exercise our political muscle.

This week we celebrated July 4th and the 54th anniversary of the Civil Rights Act while we wait for President Trump to announce his next Supreme Court nominee. These two events, nearly 188 years apart, are linked by the "unalienable Rights" of life, liberty and happiness. It is the pursuit and the protection of those rights that brings us to this pivotal moment in our nation's life - the next Supreme Court Justice.

We knew this day - Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy's retirement -  was coming. We have been waiting in fear. We don't know who his replacement will be, but we do know the nominee will be an extreme conservative committed to Donald Trump's anti-woman, anti-family and anti-immigration agenda.