Juneteenth

Wow, what a stunning and quick turn of events. The Senate and the House passed the bill to make Juneteenth a federal holiday, then Biden returned from Europe in time to sign the bill. It's very last minute, and there's not even a wait to go into effect next year. The first observance is Friday, due to the 19th falling on Saturday this year. So it's an unexpected 3-day weekend for federal employees. Hope they enjoy it.

Yes, I did see grumbling from activists about how this is performative, and that what would really help is reparations, voting rights, accurate history in schools, etc. Sure Congress just did a symbolic gesture, to avoid more substantive, difficult reform. But that doesn't mean we have to accept that. Yes there is more work to do, and we can use Juneteenth for that work. We can celebrate with parades and cookouts of course, but we can also spend the day educating people on history, and registering voters. Just like we already use Martin Luther King Day for voter drives and solemn observances. It's a good thing to celebrate, and the symbol does mean something to Opal Lee, whose own family had their house burned down in the 1939. She knows the power of symbolism, with her symbolic walk from Fort Worth to Washington D.C. a few years ago. I'm glad she got to see her mission accomplished at last.

Meanwhile, the Supreme Court dismissed the case against Obamacare, and they ruled against gay foster parents in a different case. But that ruling is narrow, so it won't set a precedent; it's almost like they want to tread lightly in the culture war that conservatives are demanding. It's not great, but better than the disaster we've all been dreading. I hope we get more judges confirmed soon.