In honor of Older Americans Month Erie County Senior Services is sharing stories of older adults in our community.
At 101 years old, Colonel Jacob Cooper, originally from Ilion, NY, is a longtime resident of Erie County and a proud veteran of the U.S. Air Force. During World War II, he served as a fighter pilot in the 493rd Squadron, flying an impressive 98 combat missions.
After the war, Cooper transitioned into the Air Force Reserves, but his dedication to service never waned. He attempted to return to active duty during the Korean War, but the conflict ended before he could take to the skies again. Over the course of 28 years in the Air Force, he demonstrated unwavering commitment and retired at the age of 45.
Throughout his life, Cooper remained deeply connected to his fellow servicemen, organizing squadron reunions every other year and remaining active in the American Legion. Today, he holds the distinct honor of being the last surviving member of the 493rd Squadron. We thank Lieutenant Cooper for his service to our country.
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) suggested that "forgotten" Americans should "overthrow" the government.
During a Wednesday interview with a podcaster named Shipwreck, Greene said the American people "have forgotten their power."
"I call them the forgotten American man and woman," she explained. "That is the largest group of Americans. And I think, in my opinion, that is the most powerful group of Americans."
"They could rein in their government like that. Not only could they rein it in, they could overthrow it," she remarked. "That's about 100 million Americans, right?"
"Let's say 100 million Americans that say, f-- you to the government and refuse to pay their taxes. This is how to do it."
Greene insisted that "the federal government has [screwed] you over."
"It rapes you every single day," she insisted. "Social Security, you pay in and your Social Security check, and your employer matches it for all these years, and you retire and you get like a diddly $1,500 a month. I mean, that is such a pathetic joke."
"So when I tell you, look, I am dead serious about the American people," the lawmaker added. "If they really wanted to, everybody I work with, all of my colleagues, everybody in the government, they would be terrified to talk to a lobbyist or talk to a foreign government or they would be terrified to, to step out of line if the American people got serious about forcing Congress and the Senate and the administration, no matter who's serving, to serve them, serve the people."
Succumbing to mounting pressure from the Trump administration and the president’s allies, Indiana Republican Gov. Mike Braun announced on Monday that...
Calling the North Carolina Republican Party’s new congressional district map “surgical racism with surgical precision,” Bishop William J. Barber II of Repairers of the Breach was in Raleigh Thursday, announcing a lawsuit challenging the redistricting effort—pledging that the state’s voters will “challenge gerrymandering in the courts, in the streets, and at the ballot box.”
“This is a direct attack on the state’s Black Belt district and marginalized communities,” said Barber at a news conference announcing the legal challenge, a day after the state House of Representatives approved the new map in a party-line vote.
The new map, which was passed by the state Senate earlier this week and cannot be vetoed by Democratic Gov. Josh Stein under state law, will likely give the GOP an additional seat in the US House after the 2026 midterm elections.
President Donald Trump has called for mid-decade redistricting efforts by the GOP in states including Missouri and Texas, as well as North Carolina, with state Republicans heeding his demands.
North Carolina’s new map will likely give Republicans 11 of the state’s 14 districts by moving some Black voters out of the 1st District and into the 3rd District. Had the new map been in place in 2024, Trump would likely have won 55% of the vote in the new 1st District in 2024, up from the 51% he won.
Barber denounced the redistricting efforts across the country as “political robbery” by a party that wants “to rob people of their rights through this racially based gerrymandering... so that they can give power or keep power in the US Congress to engage in political violence,” including by cutting healthcare and blocking the passage of living wages.
“We’ve seen this pattern before—the use of redistricting and voting laws to divide, diminish, and deny,” said Barber. “But the truth is simple: When you steal people’s representation, you steal their healthcare, their wages, and their future. That’s why we will fight back... to make clear that in North Carolina, and across America, the people’s will cannot be gerrymandered out of existence.”
Barber said Republicans in the state Legislature are “gambling” to win another seat, instead of trying to win over voters.
“They’re saying, ‘Let’s move this county over here, let’s move this county over here,’ he said at the press conference. ”Black voters in Congressional District 1 make up approximately 40% of the population, and there’s a growing Latino population that makes up 7%... Black communities, Latino communities, and rural, working-class, poor white voters, if the districts are fair, have the power to build a fusion electorate that can overcome the greedy oligarchs’ will to control elections in our state.“
Along with filing a legal action against state lawmakers to challenge the legality of the map, Barber said Repairers of the Breach will hold a ”Mass Moral Fusion Meeting“ and public hearing on November 2.
”If they won’t hold public hearings, we will,“ said Barber. ”This is our Edmund Pettus Bridge moment... Black, white, and brown together—because our democracy is not for sale.“
