 Folks for joining us, a welcome honor of having with us today three really wonderful people. I'm going to start with Rebecca Ratliff from Atlanta. Rebecca is a very experienced insurance executive claims and an experienced mediator and arbitrator. Rebecca is in fact a real person, not an attorney like Bill and Sandra and me. So she actually still speaks quite perfect English. So if we need interpretation, she'll be there for us. She has our back. Bill Harrison, our lead criminal defense attorney. Oh, by the way, there was a previous, I guess back in January episode or two in which inadvertently the letters ESQ, which somebody thinks designates lawyer were put after Rebecca's name. As I say, that was inadvertent. It was erroneous. We apologize. I take responsibility for that mistake. It's my show. So, you know, if you got a problem, let me know. I'm happy to clear that with you. But we are who we are. Bill Harrison, one of our leading criminal defense attorneys and civil rights and just a wonderful, wonderful guy, whose greatest value in life is actually his wife, riot, who is one of the most fabulous singers, the most beautiful voice for Hawaiian music that you will find in these islands. I don't apologize to Azure because she's in Oakland. Slight apologies to star, but you know, live with it star. So, and Sandra Sims, a retired judge. We all know who we mean, right. Us and musicians, it's family. So, you know, Sandra Sims, retired judge district and circuit courts. It can make whole sentences being a non lawyer. Sandra has actually pronounced them. And Bill has had clients on whom sentences have been pronounced, hopefully not right now. So, I have experienced none of the above I have a BA and MA in English, and whether I can actually make a literate sentence or not remains out for jury deliberation. So we will see today, whether that can be done or not. Okay, folks, so for today. Just picking a topic out of the hat. A statistic that someone gave me is that in 2020 Republicans, state legislators, legislators that proposed 40 bills to restrict voting rights. They obviously didn't work. But they haven't given up this year. In less than two months, they have proposed more than 250 bills to restrict voting rights. So my question to you folks is, what's the point. Well, I think. I think they don't want people to vote in particular. Given what happened in 2020, we can understand that. Yeah, exactly. It just goes along the lines of redistricting and other ways in which people have tried to quell. You know, the speech and the activity of people, what better way than to take away their voting rights, which is the basis of our democracy and our Constitution, right. So it's not surprising, though, if storm that the capital they can they can try to take away voting rights. She bills got his ESQ don't pull one after my name. Really, Rebecca and I are exempt right so I will there there is one category of those bills that I personally find particularly offensive. And that is that my folks are from a small town in northern Louisiana. I have cousins, very, very close friends in the south including Rebecca. And one of the customs in many places in the south is what's called souls for the polls. And the churches encourage people to exercise their citizen and constitutional right to vote. Good thing. One of the categories of bills that are proposed is to prohibit voting on Sunday to eliminate exactly that souls for the polls sector of votes. Now, that I find particularly offensive notion of churches supporting voting rights and encouraging is not limited to the cell. And the churches have issues where they actually do voter registration. So to kind of single out with the idea being, particularly in the black church with the idea being this is something that is definitely encouraged. And that is particularly it's particularly offensive. I mean it's sort of smacks of some of the things that we were looking at and reconstruction times. To be honest, it feels that offensive to me. Because it goes back that far. Exactly. I totally agree with Sandra and I also agree with you Chuck. You know, churches are a lot of times the center focal point of family life for many, many families and it's a it's a town square so to speak for folks in towns and so they get a lot of their information they learn things in the church setting. And to eliminate that from individuals really, really smacks at basically not only has some racial and ethnic overtones. But obviously it has that whole idea of the different classes of people and how to how to drive a wedge between people and how to silence people. And I think it's a, it's a terribly radical idea, especially this coming from the conservatives. Okay, divisive. Yeah, I mean, and here in Georgia apparently Georgia legislators are trying to eliminate weekend voting. Yes, here in Georgia. Imagine that to blue senators. Yeah, to even things out but you know it's it's very disturbing because it's so obvious who the target is, you know the complaints to try to overturn the election. You know, it's so many people who would know spoke up and said it was the safest election it was the it was the most fair election ever in America. Yeah, yeah. And check three recounts to on the votes and one more on the signatures. I just, it's carved in stone. So, interestingly, just in contrast to suggest that bills observation and sundress is spot on the mark. In all of the Midwestern states, in which many, many of the evangelical rural ministers have pushed people to actually vote for a particular candidate. We won't say who that was it might be somebody with an orange complexion but we won't mention any names here. So look at the difference right you don't see any of those bills in north or south Dakota Nebraska. You know, Iowa, any of those places, you only see them in places in the south. So I have one question for you folks, which was posed by a friend of mine. And I would love to hear your observations on it. Yeah. Every depiction of Jesus Christ. It makes it quite clear that his image is dark skinned long hair beard. Do you think he would have any chance to vote anywhere south of the Mason Dixon line. 1968 and the Civil Rights Act. We're going to keep Jesus from voting. If he were out there now, he would have a problem. Especially with the willy, willy hair. He probably wouldn't be able to get into some of our churches either. Being with being an equal opportunity offender. I will venture that the four of us know full well exactly how he would vote in the 1920 elections. We put, we put good Vegas money on that one. It's interesting though that in this era, we're still talking about ways in which to, you know, on the one hand increase, increase voting access and to limit it at the same time. It's just kind of watching this, this dichotomy of, of, of actions is just kind of fascinating, you know, on the one hand, seeing the push, seeing the kinds of things that folks like Stacy Abrams have done to really increase voter registration. We've got that on one hand, got other states doing all kinds of things to make certain that it's easier to register to vote. Like even tying it to renewing your driver's license and making it so that when you come out of if you're incarcerated when you come out, you know, you get your bus card, you get a voter registration card. Ways to, I mean, those kinds of things are taking place at the same time. We're talking about these ridiculous notions of, you know, the kinds of things that are taking place like, you know, cutting out weekends to register, which is absurd because that's, that's just absurd on this face. I don't need to have to describe it, but you know, you're seeing this, this dichotomy of ways in which we're addressing the question of voting, increasing it on the one hand, restricting as much as we can by others. And it's, it's, it's going to be kind of even more fascinating to watch when we get ready for, you know, the midterm elections in 2022. I think that's probably even going to be more fascinating than what we just went to because what we're now looking about is looking at the soul of what it means to be a Republican. They've got to step up and say, who are we? And it's, I'm just fascinated to kind of watch and see who they decide they want to become. Yeah, I don't often hear those two nouns in the same sentence, soul and Republican, but you know, Right. So, but, you know, So question underneath all of this, as is manifestly obvious. This is an assertion by an entire political party of intentional inequality that is based on a constitutionally legally prohibited category. It's illegal to do that stuff, but they do it. What the heck is going on. Go ahead. I'm sorry, Rebecca. That's okay. Thank you. One of the commentators on CNN was making a statement that, and I had to agree that the party, the Republican Party basically at this point has decided if we can't win with the rules that exist and we'll have to win with the rules and no matter how ridiculous. The assertions are to support trying to bring about that change. They're willing to do it because they, they want to preserve whatever it is they think is embedded in their principles. So is the current principle, as my friend alleges, if you can't beat them, cheat them. I think it is. And, and I think that your earlier question really speaks to that and that is this is that there is a great fear in this country with regard to a large portion of the white population. They're seeing America not being white America anymore. It, the population, the ways of intermarrying and the shift from at one point in time, a white America to a, you know, America this is made up of people of color. And that's the biggest part portion of population. That's what we're going. That drives a fear in people and people who, you know, homogenous America and obviously want to think back to the time in which the ruling party was white America. They're just sharing them and they will do anything they can to stop that trend from going or at least if it's going to go that way, that they're going to have the power base to make the decisions in this country and that's really what, what I think is really driving this is just fear. Yeah, but some people forget that back in the before I was born around I was born that some of the values party was, you know, some of the values were more like the democratic values now. You know, the platforms have shifted and flipped a little bit and, and I know that people assume that all black people are Democrats but that's not true that's obviously not true. And, and I will say that in my lifetime, I have voted purple. Blue or red and my, my dad was born in 1918. If he was living he'd be 103 this year, and he was Republican. And people are surprised to hear that. The values were, you know, flip flopped a little bit back when he was voting and the Republican associations that he other failure affiliations that he had were very, very good to, you know, good for him, good to him. And that, that generation that you speak of with your dad, you know, comes out of the party of Lincoln Republican being the Republican Party being the party of Lincoln, historically, and of course that shift occurred as you know in 19. This was in the 1960s with the Southern strategy, I guess with Nixon and the other guy, where the parties basically kind of switched and of course now what we, I for the life of me now can't figure out what the party principles are going to be other than to suppress the vote of who is is of color. I mean, I'm having a real difficult time trying to try to sort that in and figure out who in fact are actual. Who are the Republicans will talk about the Republican Party. Who is it I mean, you have all these people that are leaving, you know, people that we know of that have disavowed. And so whatever is taking place on people like I was reading the article that day I found myself in agreement with George will it was just, it's a frightening thing. We were on the same page. What have we, where were we going here. So, that's the thing I'm kind of looking so when people talk about this, the Republican Party. Who exactly are we talking about. Is it the George wills or the baby bro sort of, you know, heavy noons or even the list changes or are we just talking about people who support Donald Trump. I'm, I'm, I have difficulty trying to sort that out, not difficulty because I don't spend time on it but it is something to think about in terms of what that means for because I'd like to think I'd like to think that that demographic which Bill referred to you know these are just it is shrinking I'd like to think that demographic is shrinking and not prepared to really move forward with what they have these ideas but I don't think it's something that can actually take place. I'm not sure I don't know how you guys think about that. I think the Republican Party struggling the same way you're struggling as to who we are. They're having a difficult time regrouping and having a having a difficult time standing at with a straight face and saying. The past president. Okay, especially after what happened on January 6. So, you know, I think that that question is being asked within the party, and you're seeing purges of people within the party who don't. At least the party itself believe don't really spouse the same ideals that the party should be espousing so I'm like you I'd like to see where the Republican Party's going to go and who are really Republicans in this day and age. So one of the questions that arises them is exactly that very very divided. Very very oppositional split within the party on the one hand. Trump has controlled the money and the donors and still does to a great extent at a level that people like McConnell and Graham and others still kowtow to him. McConnell, for example, leaked a very careful word quote before the impeachment trial that Trump committed impeachable offenses. He voted not to convict Trump based on a claim that it wasn't constitutional to impeach somebody who is no longer president. A claim that had been considered and rejected 5545 by the Senate, which if it were in a lawsuit would constitute law of the case and would bind them they couldn't do that defense. They couldn't vote not to convict him, but because there were no such rules in the Senate Senate proceeding, they could do that they could violate their own bodies ruling that you can't rely on that defense that's not illegal defense. And then he turned around after that vote, and said, not through an aid personally in front of all the cameras, this guy's guilty of sin. If they don't know they are. How the heck are people who are supposed to support them know who they are in somebody else's lap. He says I'm going to put this out there, hit hit. My guess his poll numbers have drops, rather significantly. Yeah, all state. That's at least in terms of the people who previously supported him. And, and two third, two thirds of Americans support the $1.9 billion. Yeah, you got that as well so yeah. So these people are not supporting they're not representing our constituents. In fact, if you look at the impeachment conviction vote. 5743 the number of people represented by the senators voted in favor of impeachment is far more than 57% percent of the electorate. It's huge proportion of the electorate. The 43 represent only a very small portion of the voters of the people. Right. I haven't got it that way but you're absolutely right. So my friend, the quipster asks, he said, so check am I wrong. There's only two things I don't like about Mitch McConnell, and that's his face. I can't disagree with him. But, but it's a serious question for people. I grew up in Madison, Wisconsin. Like Rebecca my dad was born in 1918. He was a decorated World War two veteran. He was a doctor he was head of cardiovascular research the University of Wisconsin hospitals. He was state surgeon for the state of Wisconsin he was a lieutenant colonel in the National Guard. He was a pretty decorated guy. Only Christmas trees in Wisconsin were probably more decorated than he was. But he was a Republican in a way and at a time that my mother who was considerably on the other end of the spectrum. But because he voted his conscience he believed his conscience and the Republicans that we had at that time 1950s 1960s in Wisconsin, we're pretty responsible people. And they were responsible to the electric. Since then, Ryan Walker Johnson. I am glad not to have any voting responsibility for any of those people. Yeah. You know, my, my mother, the Japanese and who's passed away less or so was Republican, and she was a Republican because my stepdad was Republican. But their views of being Republicans was because they believe that the government was too much in their business. The government should not be taxing them at that level, since they had worked hard for their money. The ideas were basically the conservative ideas that are based on what America was really all about. You know hard work gets you to a point in life and you know you should be taken care of and the government should stay out of your life etc etc. But I don't see them, had they been alive, supporting our past president, because just because a Republican doesn't necessarily mean that they have the same types of beliefs with regard to the things that he believed in. And I think that I would have had a very, very interesting conversation with him because I think at that point, they were probably told me they were cross lines to vote at that. And I think that a lot of America's like that. And there's a good portion of Republicans are like that as well. And I think the danger with a lot of politicians, and this is a danger with all politicians, I think, is they have to, they try to please everyone. And I think McConnell is speaking out of both sides of his mouth and please everyone. Okay, because he's worried about being reelected. And I think that's a real problem without politicians generally is that we have to take a stand. If you're not going to get reelected because you did the right thing, then you did the right thing. Okay. And if you're going to be reelected because you did the right thing then you did the right thing. Okay, so don't squirt and try to try to walk in the middle of the street there, but you're not going to be able to. And I think I could be able to live with myself and I don't think that's why I think that's why I'm not a politician, because I would take a stand. And in doing that, I would not be able to raise money enough to become a politician and be elected. But additionally, if I was, I'd be a one-term politician because I take a position that probably will rankle some people on one side or the other. And that's really the problem with people like McConnell. They're worried about their position versus what they're supposed to be worried about. And that is that their constituents and who they actually represent across the board. As we come into our last couple of minutes here, let me ask you folks question for your Republican parents and our friends who you feel would not be able to support the most recent president. Is that because of the kind of person he was because of his politics, or both? My parents, I think, would be because of the person he was, because of how, you know, a device if he was, you know, how he didn't care about the common person. You know, my parents are very much caring parents. They just happen to be Republicans who cared about people. And throughout history, obviously, there were Republicans who cared about people. Exactly. Exactly, starting with Abe Lincoln, you know. And Eisenhower. And Eisenhower. I mean, these were Republicans you could have these conversations with understanding that there is a level, there is a basis of a personal integrity that attaches to, that attached to all of them, such that you are looking at for the most You know, with principal people, we may disagree on, you know, some things, but that does not make us enemies per se. It just shows that we have different perspectives, and we can sit down and have dinner and we'll be okay. That's exactly right. Decency and humanity has to has to be considered at some point. I mean, there's just some things that a person, you know, shouldn't do if they're if they're a decent human being. We saw kids in cages in that last administration. I mean, that should have that should have been the thing that, you know, the straw that was the broker camel's back for some people. And I think it was. And I think for somebody, it actually was. I agree. Yeah. Yeah. You know, to this day, they're the in Charlottesville. I still shuttered when I think about those folks who are walking through carrying those torches. You know, shouting, usually that just jarred me to the point where, you know, we do cookouts a lot in our house and I get those torches to light the yard up. You know, I can't buy those things anymore. My conscious won't let me do that. So, I mean, a little thing like that is it became such a symbol to me, a frightening symbol that, I mean, it sounds kind of silly, but I can't buy it. I understand that. Completely. And my, my parents would too. They actually saw that burning crosses in the yards. So we're out of time for today. I want to thank you all. Ms. mediator and nonlawyer Rebecca and Mr lawyer. Bill Harrison and Ms judge, Ms Sims and reformed lawyer, me, I haven't litigated for seven years. So that's, that's my absence. Take care, come back and see us in two weeks. And be well, be safe, be healthy. Yes, thank you. Look forward to it. Talk as always. Thank you.