In this Civics 101 column, we will explore what Civic Engagement means and why it is important. Civic engagement is about paying attention to what is happening in your city, state, and nation. Civic engagement is not something just for adults. At an early age, our children can start to learn about civic engagement too.
What exactly is an early age? I suggest 6 or 7 years of age. Something as simple as cleaning up on your block where you live and encouraging other neighbors to do likewise is civic engagement. Children and teens can certainly get involved with that. For adults, civic engagement can be organizing a block club and paying attention to the political process, and every election cycle, as well as voting on election day. That is civic engagement.
To read more visit SCOOPUSAMedia - March 30, 2021 page 8
Can a Governor be impeached? That is the question and our Civic 101 lesson for this week’s column. In the United States, all state legislatures except Oregon can impeach state officials, including the governor, in accordance with their respective state constitutions.
What is it called when you remove a governor from office? A recall election (also called a recall referendum, recall petition, or representative recall) is a procedure by which, in certain polities, voters can remove an elected official from office through a direct vote before that official's term has ended.
In New York, Republican lawmakers introduced legislation on March 8th, to begin impeachment proceedings against New York Governor Andrew Cuomo. The last time a governor of New York was impeached was over 100 years ago, according to history.
To read more visit SCOOPUSAMedia - March 16, 2021 page 13
If you are a candidate running for political office and you hope to win there’s a lot of things you need to know. Here’s my take from a former campaign manager’s point of view.
First of all, pay attention to all deadline dates when you must submit information. Let’s use the upcoming May Primary Election as our guide. March 9, 2021 is the last day candidates can circulate and file nomination petitions. Before you turn your petitions in, go over every single signature to check and see if all signatures are “good” signatures. By that I mean, are they registered voters that live in the district in which you are running for an office? Did they fill out everything on the petition that they were supposed to? On a petition for a political candidate, you are supposed to sign your name, print your name, print your home address, zip code and date of signature. If any one of those items is not done, that signature can be thrown out. That’s why political campaign managers in the know, instruct their campaign workers and people who are out getting signatures on petitions to always get two times or three times as many signatures on petitions, than are actually required. If the requirement is to get 1,000 signatures for example, to be a judicial candidate, it behooves you to get 3,000 signatures. Chances are, some of the signatures on your petitions will be bogus.
To read more visit SCOOPUSAMedia - March 9, 2021 page 13
Running for a political office is much more than a notion. On February 2, 2021, Philadelphia City Commissioner Omar Sabir hosted an 'Opening the Doors to Democracy' Seminar on Facebook live and on Zoom. The purpose was to share information with viewers about how to run for political office. Specifically, the seminar focused on how to run for Judge, District Attorney, City Controller and for the Election Board, to be a Poll Worker. Presenters during the program included the Commissioner, Judge Frederica Massiah Jackson, Michael Cooke, General Counsel at Board of Ethics for the city of Philadelphia, Kevin Greenberg, Attorney at Greenberg Traurig Law Firm, and Kathy Boockvar, PA Secretary of State.
To read more visit SCOOPUSAMedia - March 2, 2021 page 8
Opening doors to Democracy, that’s the way Philadelphia City Commissioner Omar Sabir described what he was doing when he recently hosted a zoom meeting that was presented live on Facebook, educating the general public about how to run for political office.
The Honorable Judge Frederica Messiah Jackson was one of the panelists who participated on the panel assembled by Commissioner Sabir to help explain what it takes to run. She talked about how to run for Judge. “We need lawyers to run for Judge,” Messiah Jackson commented. “Our demographics currently in Philadelphia roughly, we have 92 Common Pleas Judges. There are eight vacancies for this Spring’s primary on Common Pleas Court. We have 29 Municipal Court Judges. That might include one or two senior judges.
To read more visit SCOOPUSAMedia - February 23, 2021 page 8
While there may be some people who feel like they’re still not recovered yet from the November 2020 Presidential election, guess what? Times up. It’s over. Now its time to get ready for the May 18, 2021 Primary elections in Pennsylvania.
Election Petition Signatures
In order to run for a political office one of the things a candidate needs are signatures on petitions. February 16th is the first day to circulate and file nomination petitions if one is running for office. Right about now, its kind of a challenge to get signatures because so many people are staying indoors and afraid to open their doors to strangers, in fear of contracting COVID--19. The number of signatures you need on petitions depends on what political office you are seeking. Good luck with that.
To read more visit SCOOPUSAMedia - February 15, 2021 page 13
Understanding politics and how our government operates, that’s the point of this column. Trying to understand the United States Constitution, that’s the foundation of this nation. Or I should say, it is supposed to be the foundation of this nation and how Americans live, and how we operate in a Democratic society.
We have laws and rules and we’re supposed to abide by them. None of us are supposed to be “above the law.”
To read more visit SCOOPUSAMedia - February 9, 2021 page 16
There’s such a thing as the “Former President’s Act,” and I bet a lot of people didn’t know it exists. I didn’t know about it until recently myself, thanks again to our SCOOP Publisher and owner Sherri Darden. Oh, these amazing assignments she gives me. Since I started writing the Civics 101 column, I think I’ve learned more than I did in the 6 years I had to study American history in junior high and high school. If you go to the National Archives website, this is where you will find the following information about the “Former Presidents Act.”
Each former President shall be entitled for the remainder of his life to receive from the United States a monetary allowance at a rate per annum, payable monthly by the Secretary of the Treasury, which is equal to the annual rate of basic pay, as in effect from time to time, of the head of an executive department, as defined in section 101 of title 5, United States Code [section 101 of Title 5]. However, such allowance shall not be paid for any period during which such former President holds an appointive or elective office or position in or under the Federal Government or the government of the District of Columbia to which is attached a rate of pay other than a nominal rate.
To read more visit SCOOPUSAMedia - February 2, 2021 page 16
Depending on which expert, lawmaker, historian or politician you listen to, you might get a different answer about whether former President Donald Trump can actually be impeached now that he’s out of office. The reality is there are people in our nation’s capital who are still debating the issue.
Here’s the thing. If Donald Trump gets impeached by the U.S. Senate, meaning he’d be convicted of crimes he’s accused of, he won’t go to prison or anything that dramatic, but he would never be able to hold a federal elected office again.
If he doesn’t get impeached by the Senate, then the second impeachment the U.S. House of Congress gave him a little over a week ago, will be just like the first impeachment the Congress gave him a year ago. It will basically be like a slap on the wrist. And, if Trump decides he wants to run again in 4 years, what’s to stop him?
To read more visit SCOOPUSAMedia - January 26, 2021 page 17
There are a couple of things I want to cover this week. One ducktails on what I wrote about in last week’s Civics 101 column. Last week I wrote about the 25th Amendment of the United States Constitution. That Amendment could be used by Vice President Pence, if he could get support from members of Trump’s cabinet, to get Trump out of office because he’s not fit to serve. I think Pence is wobbling on the fence of indecision when in reality he doesn’t have that luxury.
So many people in the know, who have been close to President Trump, in his presence, in his space, are alleging he’s not playing with a full deck. How can you have the president of the United States clearly displaying serious mental incapacities? That thought alone is beyond frightening.
To read more visit SCOOPUSAMedia - January 15, 2021 page 13
What with all the insanity chaos, craziness, and insurrection that unfolded in our nation's capital on January 6, 2021, and in the days leading up to January 7th, we’ve been hearing a lot about the 25th Amendment to the United States Constitution. Whether or not it will actually be used in the case of Donald Trump and the effort to get him out of office when he only has less than two weeks left in office is extremely slim. Nonetheless, best to know about these things. That’s why we offer this column, Civics 101.
To read more visit SCOOPUSAMedia - January 12, 2021 page 6
November and December of 2020 aren’t the first times this year or last year that #45 floated the idea around of calling for Martial Law, so he can stay in the White House a little longer. However, now he’s added, “how about let’s commandeer all voting machines in any states where Trump lost and do another recount.” What? Three and four recounts have been completed in all the states where Trump complained and whined that the election was “stolen” from him. And guess what? No wrong-doing or voting irregularities were evident. Even the Supreme Court voted against the Trumpster.
Because Trump and some of his staunch supporters were talking about Martial Law months and months ago, I wrote about it then. But for the sake of clarity, let me revisit what the United States Constitution has to say about when a President can call for Martial Law.
To read more visit SCOOPUSAMedia - January 1, 2021 page 16
We continue to watch the process. The process of how, according to the United States Constitution, a president becomes the president. Despite anything and everything that the current president of the United States is trying to pull, he’s failing. Donald Trump and his attorney have lost so many times now, it’s a running joke on the late night TV talk shows.
Trump lost the Electoral College. He lost the national popular vote, multiple state recounts, nearly 40 lawsuits from his campaign and key Republican officials and 86 lawsuits overall; and a Supreme Court case. Nonetheless, according to #45, he’s still not giving up the illusion that “he’s the winner” of the 2020 presidential race.
To read more visit SCOOPUSAMedia - December 25, 2020 - page 14
Talk about won’t give up. From November 4, 2020, the day after the 2020 Presidential election until now, Donald Trump, America’s 45th President, still seems to be living in a delusional world all by himself, where he still sees himself as the winner of the election. He has tried again and again and again to have the results of the election overturned in key battleground states, but he keeps losing in court.
In past Civics 101 columns this year, I have gone over what the U.S. Constitution says about presidential elections and if there’s any question about what happens if it is unclear who the winner of a presidential campaign is. In the case of the campaign between Democrat Joe Biden and Republican Donald Trump, there is no question. The count is very clear. Joe Biden had 81,283,021 votes and 306 electoral college votes. He only needed 270 electoral college votes to win. Donald Trump had 74,223,307 and 232 electoral college votes.
Just to be clear, here’s what the 12th Amendment of the United States Constitution says about the election of a President and Vice President: Passed by Congress December 9, 1803. Ratified June 15, 1804.
To read more visit SCOOPUSAMedia - December 18, 2020 - page 14
So how do you get to work in the Administration of a United States President? Well, it's definitely not as easy as one, two, three.
First of all, you'd better have a stellar resume, and you know without question of a doubt, you'd better be a college graduate. Having a master's degree, a Ph.D. or a law degree is always a plus, and if you can speak a couple of foreign languages, better yet.
This one should go without saying, no past criminal history and no strange dealings with foreign nations. Your credit history should be wonderful because if your credit is bad, the Secret Service, FBI, and Homeland Security might think you'd be willing to spy for another country just to earn extra bucks to get out of debt.
To read more visit SCOOPUSAMedia - December 11, 2020 - page 12
As much as I like President-Elect Joe Biden, I was a bit disturbed the other day when I heard him say during a press conference that he did not want to go after Donald Trump for crimes he allegedly committed while president, once he’s out of Office. Biden’s logic is that the country is already so split, and it’s time for healing. Biden feels that to pursue Trump for alleged crimes would not help the nation at all. I respectfully beg to differ with President- Elect Biden. To me it sends a message to other criminals and would be criminals that if Donald rump can get away with Tax evasion, sexual harassment and God knows what else, they can too.
The Justice Department’s policy that a sitting president cannot be indicted rests on the assertion that prosecuting a president would so impair his ability to perform the duties of his office that it would amount to an unconstitutional violation of the separation of powers. To be clear, the courts have not gone that far. In previous instances where sitting Presidents Richard Nixon and Bill Clinton challenged whether they could be forced to participate in civil litigation or grand jury proceedings, courts have acknowledged that while sitting presidents must be afforded special accommodations, they are not immune from federal or state judicial proceedings.
To read more visit SCOOPUSAMedia - December 4, 2020 - page 12
Here are some facts about the United States Constitution that you may not know: Signed in 1787, the U.S. Constitution includes a preamble and seven articles that outline how the American government is organized and operates. Let’s take a closer look at its creation.
1. The Constitution was written and signed in the same chamber of the Pennsylvania State House in Philadelphia — now known as Independence Hall — where the Declaration of Independence was also signed.
To read more visit SCOOPUSAMedia - November 27, 2020 - page 7
With President Donald Trump losing his reelection bid, but refusing to concede defeat, many in America are concerned about what he will do next. Due to some of the recent firings Trump has done at the Pentagon, there are sources who are wondering if #45 might be planning something crazy before he leaves office, that could potentially leave the nation in even more disarray than he's already caused over the last four years. Inquiring minds want to know and that’s what this Civics 101 column is all about, understanding our United States Constitution.
The president of the United States is the commander-inchief of the United States Armed Forces and as such exercises supreme operational command overall national military forces of the United States. In this capacity, the president has the power to launch, direct, and supervise military operations, order or authorize the deployment of troops (in foreign countries), unilaterally launch nuclear weapons, and form military policy with the Department of Defense and Homeland Security. However, the constitutional ability to declare war is vested only in Congress.
To read more visit SCOOPUSAMedia - November 17, 2020 - page 6
Ok. So, everybody who’s been paying attention to politics for the last 12 months or more, already knew that President Donald Trump was going to make a big fuss if he did not win re-election. He told us. We knew it, so no one should be acting surprised right now. The reality is, there are laws written into the U.S. Constitution that address a ton of critical issues, amongst them, what happens if after a presidential election, there’s concern that something wasn’t fair, or something didn’t go according to law. Below is amendment XII, of the 12th Amendment written in the U.S. Constitution:
To read more visit SCOOPUSAMedia - November 13, 2020 - page 15
Everybody over the age of 18, I think, is familiar with two political parties here in America, the Democratic Party and the Republican Party. However, there are other political parties to know about for sure. They may not be nearly as well known or popular as the main two political parties in America, but they’re not going anywhere and most of them have been around for many years.
The Green Party of the United States (GPUS) is a federation of Green state political parties in the United States. The party promotes green politics, specifically environmentalism; nonviolence; social justice participatory, grassroots democracy; gender equality; LGBTQ rights, anti-war; anti-racism and eco-socialism. On the political spectrum, the party is generally seen as left-wing.
To read more visit SCOOPUSAMedia - November 3, 2020 - page 6
Let’s stick with the facts folks. If you are a registered voter, you can vote and should vote in the upcoming General Election set for Tuesday November 3rd. If you live in PA the polls open at 7am and remain open until 8pm. If by chance you did not yet register to vote, you will not be able to participate in the November 3rd general election. You are too late. The deadline to have registered if you wanted to vote in this presidential election year was October 19th for PA. However you can still go ahead and register to vote for future elections.
To read more visit SCOOPUSAMedia - October 30, 2020 - page 13
A week ago, the nation and the world learned that there was a group of individuals from several states who had concocted a plan to kidnap the Governor of Michigan because they didn't like the way she's operating her state and because she is not a Trump supporter. They actually thought they could take over state government and run the state the way they wanted to. This sounds like a script out of a very bad movie. Right! But it’s real life, and it really happened.
Thirteen men have been arrested by the FBI and charged with plotting to kidnap Governor Whitmer and trying to start a civil war. Storming the State Capitol. Instigating a civil war. Abducting a sitting governor ahead of the presidential election. That was all in their so-called plot to show Governor Whitmer that they could have their way.
To read more visit SCOOPUSAMedia - October 23, 2020 - page 12
Normally when I submit my columns about Civics 101, I often fall back on the United States Constitution. I look up questions where the answers can be found in the United States Constitution. Why? Because our mission with the Civics 101 column, as envisioned by publisher Sherri Darden, is to educate and inform our SCOOP USA Media Community Newspaper readers and subscribers about American Government and how it operates.
Further, the goal of the Civics 101 column is to inform citizens of their rights. Truth be told, I never really paid attention to the Commission on Presidential Debates before this election year. However, they’ve been around for a good while now. This information I'm sharing today in our Civics column isn't directly about Civics, but at the end of the day, anything to help educate would-be voters about their rights and opportunities to view and access political candidates before election dates, we want to do that.
To read more visit SCOOPUSAMedia - October 16, 2020 - page 12
I was prepared to write again, about the fact that convicted felons do have the right to vote in PA, and a lot of other states across the nation. They need to know that, so if in fact they are not registered to vote, they still have a bit of time to handle their business. I wrote on this subject in my Civics 101 column just about 6 weeks ago or so, but because so many convicted felons are uninformed or misinformed, we wanted to visit that subject again.
Then I woke up Friday morning October 2, 2020, to the news that President Donald Trump and his wife Melania have tested positive for COVID-19, and suddenly my 'plan' for today's column changed.
To read more visit SCOOPUSAMedia - October 9, 2020 - page 12
This Civics 101 column was designed to educate and inform our SCOOP Readers as to what our rights are as American citizens, based largely on all that was written in the United States Constitution. Anybody can look up and fact check what I share. Truth of the matter is, I lean largely on internet and library resource information, just so that I can be correct in what I write about each week in this column. Sincerely at the end of the day, what is shared in this column is meant to inform and educate. Don’t be fooled by what sometimes, certain lawmakers, (such as #45), will tweet or state during a press conference. Certainly as American Citizens over the last almost four years since Donald Trump has been in office, it seems that he has thwarted or over-stepped a number of things written in the Constitution, to suit his needs or will. And he keeps getting away with it.
To read more visit SCOOPUSAMedia - October 2, 2020 - page 12
When I’m wrong, I have to say I’m wrong. Over the last 6 months, I’ve been under the impression that in PA, registered voters could vote online. That is absolutely incorrect. Thanks to Rev. Maxcine Collier, an elected Democratic committeewoman in Upper Dublin Township in PA. She set me straight. She let me know that I shared some incorrect information with our SCOOP readers. Please accept my apology.
Here are the facts: In Pennsylvania, we cannot yet vote online. We can request our mail-in ballots online and for those who choose to do so, we can register to vote online. That’s it. To be clear, while you can request a mail-in ballot online, you cannot fill out that mail-in ballot online. You still need to physically mail it in or drop it off at the City Commissioner’s office at City Hall, (for those who live in Philadelphia). Thank you, Rev. Maxcine Collier, for setting me straight. Rev. Maxcine Collier is a very active member of the Black Clergy of Philadelphia and Vicinity and she is the Assistant Pastor at Galilee Baptist Church, in the Roxborough section of Philadelphia.
To read more visit SCOOPUSAMedia - September 25, 2020 - page 9
The clock is ticking and with each passing day, we’re coming closer to the November 3rd General Election when everything is at stake. While everyone certainly should know by now that this is a presidential election year, there’s also a number of other elected seats up for grabs.
In last week’s Civics 101 column I wrote about the Congressional seats that are available. In Pennsylvania, all State House of Representative seats are available. In the Pennsylvania State Senate, all odd district senate seats are available. Also the State Auditor General, the State Attorney General and the State Treasurer positions are available.
But what else is at stake?
To read more visit SCOOPUSAMedia - September 18, 2020 - page 8
Here it is. We are now into the second week of September and we have a general election coming up on Tuesday, November 3, 2020. Yes, it is a presidential election year and that is very critical. However, each and every elected position on the ballot is important. As we come closer to November 3rd, we at the SCOOP USA Media community newspaper will do our best to inform and educate about all the key races where elected political seats are up for grabs. Today, we want to remind readers about choices they can make, in a nonpartisan way.
To read more visit SCOOPUSAMedia - September 11, 2020 - page 14
Did you know that only 538 people actually vote directly for President of the United States? Say what? How can that be? Well, it’s a thing called the Electoral College. The other terminology for the Electoral College is 'Presidential Electors.'
Before the election, each state’s political party chooses a slate of people to act as presidential electors if its candidate wins. So, when voters go to the polls, they're actually choosing between different slates of electors. Some states even print their names on the ballot along with the candidates.
To read more visit SCOOPUSAMedia - September 4, 2020 - page 14
Do you understand the perks of U.S. Congresspersons and U.S. Senators? No wonder so many of them like to get to the Federal level and stay there, as long as possible. Here’s the present situation: There’s a false story circulating on the internet right now: Children of Congress members do not have to pay back their college student loans. Staffers of Congress family members are also exempt from having to pay back student loans. This is simply not true. There is no law that automatically exempts children of congress members or their staffers from having to pay back student loans. The claim that all such persons are so exempted is based upon a misunderstanding of one particular federal employment program which provides some federal employees assistance in paying back student loans up to a certain amount, depending upon income level.
To read more visit SCOOPUSAMedia - August 28, 2020 - page 17
In America, many celebrated the 100th anniversary of women getting the right to vote on Tuesday, August 18, 2020. However to me, as an African American woman, much like the 4th of July Celebration, the national “day of Independence,” on July 4, 1776, was not for all people. It was not for my people, Africans stolen from the motherland and forced to America on slave ships to do free labor for over 200 plus years. I’ll go so far as to say congratulations to the daring and bold white women who banned together over a hundred years ago to fight for their right to vote. Black women were in that fight too. But it was many more years later before Black women were actually given the privilege or the right, to actually vote. In fact, although Black women were right there in the struggle with white women fighting for the right to vote and participated in many of the marches, Black women were mandated to march at the back of the throng of women because mainly women from Southern states didn’t want to be seen marching with Black women. How’s that for some real history?
To read more visit SCOOPUSAMedia - August 21, 2020 - page 17
Two weeks ago, I wrote about what kind of power the President of the United States has, to order Federal troops into a city? I found so much information on this subject that I felt it warranted a Part II, so as not to leave anything out. Often for this column, I find myself referring directly to the United States Constitution which has many articles and amendments. Also I find that if you are not up on legal terminologies in some instances, one can find the U.S. Constitution a bit daunting to read and understand fully. To the best of my ability, I make every effort to break the information down in such a way that all of our SCOOP readers will get the point.
To read more visit SCOOPUSAMedia - August 14, 2020 - page 16
Part II of my Civics 101 Column on what rights does the President have to call in Federal troops to various states will be published in next week’s edition of the SCOOP. Today, I thought it urgent to remind our readers, and quell any concerns that voters may have about the upcoming November 3rd General Election possibly being postponed.
Once again SCOOP USA Media Community Newspaper Readers, do not be lulled to sleep by TV news reports that indicate that Democratic Presidential candidate Joe Biden is up ahead in the polls by 15 points or 16 points or whatever. Watch Donald Trump and his cronies and that includes Russia’s president Vladimir Putin. Keep an eye on them.
To read more visit SCOOPUSAMedia - August 7, 2020 - page 16
Right now, it appears that President Donald Trump is doing everything and anything he can to try and ”look good” to his would-be voters in the upcoming Tuesday, November 3rd General Election. To that end, he wants to appear to be a tough, no nonsense President. He deployed Federal troops to Portland, Oregon, where ongoing social unrest was used as the excuse.
To read more visit SCOOPUSAMedia - July 31, 2020 - page 16
The whole point of this weekly Civics column is to make sure that our SCOOP USA Media Community Newspaper readers understand what their rights are, as American citizens. In my head, at the center of those “rights,” is the right to vote and participate in the political process. This is a presidential election year and yet, we still don’t see enough work going on, (in my humble opinion), to get people revved up and ready to vote.
To read more visit SCOOPUSAMedia - July 24, 2020 - page 16
In today’s Civics column, I’m taking a look at the rights of convicted felons, in an effort to understand which states allows felons to participate in the political process by voting. It would be nice to think that in all 50 states a convicted felon who has done their time, could have the right vote, but that’s not true. It depends on where a convicted felon lives.
In Pennsylvania people like the late J. Wyatt Mondesire, a past president of the Philadelphia chapter of the NAACP, community activist and radio D.J. Joey Temple and a group of other people fought hard for convicted felons to have the right to vote in Pennsylvania.
To read more visit SCOOPUSAMedia - July 17, 2020 - page 16
Everyone may not want to encourage people to vote, or participate in the political process by voting, but it seems like to me it’s a good thing to do if you care about this country called America, Once you turn 18, you have the right to vote. Some would say, you have the civic responsibility to vote. There ARE people and organizations outside of government agencies that take it upon themselves, to provide voter education and voter registration. There are groups and organizations out here who take it upon themselves to host candidate forums and candidate debates, all in an effort to give would-be voters an idea about the men and women who are asking for their votes on election day.
To read more visit SCOOPUSAMedia - July 10, 2020 - page 14