(My apologies–I don’t normally repost someone else’s art if I know they have their own Tumblr, but this seems pretty urgent, and @oatmeal hasn’t posted this to Tumblr that I’ve seen, otherwise I would have just reblogged.)
Save the grizzlies. Commenting is as easy as copy/paste.
"The Groundhog Day theory of free speech, where we have to start from zero every time an idea comes up, where we have to act like history never happened — that is not a model of free speech worth defending. Some things are true, some things are false, and some things are profoundly dangerous. If free speech isn’t an engine for collaboratively discerning those distinctions, then it’s sheer nihilism."
The bills and their links:
CALL
YOUR
REPRESENTATIVES
Destroying America, one bill at a time. :|
HOW DO YOU TERMINATE THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION????
A PRIVATE SCHOOL IS PRIVATE!!! TAX MONEY IS FOR STUFF AVAILABLE TO THE PUBLIC
IF THIS PARTY WASNT SO HORRIBLE WE WOULDNT NEED SANCTUARY CITIES
HOW DO YOU CRIMINALIZE A YOUNG LADY MAKING A DECISION THAT WILL MOST LIKELY SAVE HER LIFE???
just some thoughts i have
“Kasich is a proponent of the Medicaid expansion, which allowed states like Ohio to offer Medicaid to a broader range of people (including individuals making roughly $16,000 a year). Conservatives have already indicated they won’t vote for an Obamacare repeal that preserves the Medicaid expansion, while some Senate Republicans have indicated they won’t support a repeal that removes the expansion. That has left the GOP in a bind, and Kasich thinks the answer is to turn to Democrats.”
I'm gonna be saying this all day. IF YOU SHOWED UP FOR THE WOMEN'S MARCH, YOU DAMN WELL BETTER SHOW UP NOW. Connect with school administrators and remind them that Title IX is still federal law, and they have the power to not abandon the evidence-based guidance designed for the best school environment outcomes for youth. Remember the power of your zip code - connect with your two US Senators and US House Representative. Tell them clearly that this endangerment is unacceptable, and you expect them to prioritize the urgency of protecting the safety of vulnerable trans children. If you can, do this in person while they are back in home during this congressional recess. Call your local media to share your story and make your voice heard. Write letters to the editor. Attend your next school board meeting. We need to bring visibility to this reckless endangering move and send an unequivocal message that we will not stand to see the lives of transgender children - or any LGBTQIA children - put at risk. TRANS GIRLS ARE GIRLS. TRANS WOMEN ARE WOMEN. THEY ARE EXPLICITLY ATTACKING GIRLS AND WOMEN. YOU BEST SHOW UP.
(Image description: white text on a lavender background says “protect trans students”.)
I'm gonna be saying this all day.
IF YOU SHOWED UP FOR THE WOMEN'S MARCH, YOU DAMN WELL BETTER SHOW UP NOW.
Connect with school administrators and remind them that Title IX is still federal law, and they have the power to not abandon the evidence-based guidance designed for the best school environment outcomes for youth.
Remember the power of your zip code - connect with your two US Senators and US House Representative. Tell them clearly that this endangerment is unacceptable, and you expect them to prioritize the urgency of protecting the safety of vulnerable trans children. If you can, do this in person while they are back in home during this congressional recess.
Call your local media to share your story and make your voice heard. Write letters to the editor.
Attend your next school board meeting.
We need to bring visibility to this reckless endangering move and send an unequivocal message that we will not stand to see the lives of transgender children - or any LGBTQIA children - put at risk.
TRANS GIRLS ARE GIRLS. TRANS WOMEN ARE WOMEN. THEY ARE EXPLICITLY ATTACKING GIRLS AND WOMEN.
YOU BEST SHOW UP.
2/22/17
Quick poster I made in light of recent events. I want everyone to feel free to print this particular thing out and post it on or in a public or school bathroom (or even just anywhere, especially in schools) where they think it’s needed (and safe to do so).
It doesn’t matter what the state or national government says. It doesn’t matter what the teachers or school board say. You have a right to your identity, and a right to express and defend it.
I'm gonna be saying this all day.
IF YOU SHOWED UP FOR THE WOMEN'S MARCH, YOU DAMN WELL BETTER SHOW UP NOW.
Connect with school administrators and remind them that Title IX is still federal law, and they have the power to not abandon the evidence-based guidance designed for the best school environment outcomes for youth.
Remember the power of your zip code - connect with your two US Senators and US House Representative. Tell them clearly that this endangerment is unacceptable, and you expect them to prioritize the urgency of protecting the safety of vulnerable trans children. If you can, do this in person while they are back in home during this congressional recess.
Call your local media to share your story and make your voice heard. Write letters to the editor.
Attend your next school board meeting.
We need to bring visibility to this reckless endangering move and send an unequivocal message that we will not stand to see the lives of transgender children - or any LGBTQIA children - put at risk.
TRANS GIRLS ARE GIRLS. TRANS WOMEN ARE WOMEN. THEY ARE EXPLICITLY ATTACKING GIRLS AND WOMEN.
YOU BEST SHOW UP.
Responses to the Trump administration withdrawing federal protections on transgender bathrooms in schools
I’m gonna be saying this all day.
IF YOU SHOWED UP FOR THE WOMEN’S MARCH, YOU DAMN WELL BETTER SHOW UP NOW.
Connect with school administrators and remind them that Title IX is still federal law, and they have the power to not abandon the evidence-based guidance designed for the best school environment outcomes for youth.
Remember the power of your zip code - connect with your two US Senators and US House Representative. Tell them clearly that this endangerment is unacceptable, and you expect them to prioritize the urgency of protecting the safety of vulnerable trans children. If you can, do this in person while they are back in home during this congressional recess.
Call your local media to share your story and make your voice heard. Write letters to the editor.
Attend your next school board meeting.
We need to bring visibility to this reckless endangering move and send an unequivocal message that we will not stand to see the lives of transgender children - or any LGBTQIA children - put at risk.
TRANS GIRLS ARE GIRLS. TRANS WOMEN ARE WOMEN. THEY ARE EXPLICITLY ATTACKING GIRLS AND WOMEN.
YOU BEST SHOW UP.
The resistance is doing as well as anyone could realistically hope. Deprived by the elections of any institutional power, we’ve marched in record numbers with courage and wit. That’s helped journalists to find their footing, and President Needy’s poll numbers have begun to tumble. But only a crazy person could keep up this plate-spinning pace for long. Since he clearly will, those fighting Trump need to find a fortress to call home – a place to find shelter in and from which to sally forth.
There are a number of candidates, but two appear to be in the lead: former labor secretary Tom Perez, and Minnesota congressman Keith Ellison. Both, by all accounts, are good guys, and not greatly divided by ideology. But they clearly represent the two wings of the party.
Perez is from the ruling wing, the institutional party. He is closely identified with Barack Obama, who he worked for, and Hillary Clinton, who he supported. Ellison is from the movement wing. He is closely identified with Bernie Sanders. Indeed, he was one of the few members of Congress who actively supported his insurgent candidacy.
The choice is actually about the best way to unite the opposition to Trump, at least for the purposes of winning elections.
We don’t need the Democratic party to tell us what to think – we have vibrant and engaged movements out there that are reshaping public opinion every day, in the airports and on Facebook. Black Lives Matter leads our movement intellectually in a way that the Democratic party never will. But we may need the Democratic party for the fairly limited purpose of winning elections and hence consolidating power. What would best serve that utilitarian need?
Ellison – and by extension the movements he represents – offers the party the items it lacks and needs. Credibility, for one. You could (and this is the argument of Perez and his establishment team) begin in the middle, with as unthreatening and centrist a party as possible, and then reach out to the various movements and try to bring them on board. But I doubt that will work.
The question before the Democratic Party is whether to act as a vehicle for the vast anti-Trump Resistance, or as a control center attempting to absorb the Resistance.
Ellison and Perez do not present a choice of left versus center, but of populism versus managerialism. Indeed, the argument for Perez boils down to his being like Ellison, but not Ellison. Both are progressive, both have resumes, both are on the left, both are PoC, both are decent human beings. It’s why Perez is in the race at all: to offer the populist wing an acceptable alternative, and the institutional wing a known quantity.
Or put differently, to guarantee the populist wing their symbol, and the institutional wing their control.
Given the massive populist movement in America today, and the extensive and repeated failures of Democratic managerialism this century, the choice seems clear.
Ellison for DNC Chair.
www.ResistHateKC.org facebook.com/ResistHateKC twitter.com/ResistHateKC meetup.com/ResistHateKC
Resist Hate KC connects Kansas City residents with local organizations to influence the legislative process, defend and advance human rights, and hold our elected officials accountable.
I’ve formed a local grassroots organization that’s on it’s way to becoming an activist hub for Kansas City - giving volunteers and activists a starting place to connect with local organizations. We also track legislation, both MO and KS, and broadcast how to fight against bigoted legislation.
It’s been fucking busy. It’s been fucking nuts. I’ve been pouring all my time into getting this going, and some days I feel more optimistic than others.
Online resistance is fantastic - and I don’t plan on stopping this blog by any means. But I have been hitting offline resistance hard, and that’s where most of my time has gone.
I’ve met and connected with so many people and organizations, it’s amazing how many people are stepping up. I’m hoping that together, we can help Kansas City resist hate.
I hope you’re getting involved offline as well - by making calls, by volunteering time, by donating money, by making artwork, by writing letters, in any way or capacity you can.
I’m hoping that together, we all can help this country fucking resist hate.
- Punk Gone Political
I had to fucking explain this to a colleague yesterday.
Look, we know—it’s not fair. But these days, the “ways you can help” all seem to involve making phone calls. For some of us, that’s the worst. Personally, I would rather have my teeth drilled than make a phone call.
If this is you, you’re not alone. As we speak, thousands if not millions of Americans with social anxiety are eyeing their phones and wondering if they can do it. Even people without anxiety find it daunting to call their Congressional representatives. It’s normal and okay to find these calls nerve-wracking.
If you need some encouragement, first read this delightful webcomic about how to call your reps in Congress if you have social anxiety. If you finish that and still need more, come back here and keep reading.
Phone calls are so effective at getting your Congressperson’s attention because someone has to stop what they’re doing and talk to you. They can’t put you aside and deal with you later, they have to talk to you now. And people remember things that interrupt their day.
Of course, Congressional representatives also have to open and read every letter sent to them. Which makes a letter (on paper, with a stamp, sent through the U.S. Postal Service) the next-best way to get your message to them if a phone call just isn’t possible.
Here’s Emily Ellsworth, a former Congressional staffer, explaining why phone calls (and to a slightly lesser degree, letters) are so powerful.
Let’s back up. In Congress, you are represented by three people: the two U.S. Senators for your state, and the U.S. Representative for your district. You are a “constituent” of these people, whoever they are, whatever party they belong to, whether you voted for them or not. That means it’s their job to represent your interests in Washington. Normally, it’s a hassle for them to find out what their constituents want, so they love it when you call them! Technically, your Representative is more directly responsive to you (that’s why you vote for them once every two years instead of every six), but Senators need to hear from their constituents too.
You can find these folks’ names and contact info here:
You’ll notice they have multiple offices: one in Washington, D.C. and at least one in their home state. Try them first at one of their district (state) offices. If you can’t get through on that line, try their Washington line.
Also, please note that, since we just had an election, your representatives in Congress might be changing soon! Newly elected Congresspeople will take office January 3, 2017. If you don’t know whether you’ll have a new Senator or Representative in January or not, check out the 2016 election results by state.
First of all, you won’t talk to them, you’ll talk to a member of their staff—or you’ll talk to their voicemail. And the call itself will be short. A staffer will answer, you’ll identify yourself, and then you’ll launch right into your spiel.
So before you dial that number, write a script. Here’s what a good call script looks like. And actually, it’s way easier to use somebody else’s. Our posts will always include call scripts when possible, which you can customize or use out of the box.
Need a call script right now? Here’s an amazing list of issues, phone numbers and call scripts that everyone should bookmark.
The staffers won’t argue with you or make you defend your position. They don’t care if you say word-for-word what somebody else said, or if you sound like you’re reading, or if you’re super awkward. They honestly give zero shits. They’ll have a spreadsheet for issues people call about, like “object to Steve Bannon’s appointment,” “requesting full investigation of foreign hacking,” or “supporting Affordable Care Act,” and when you call, they will add you to the tally. Then they’ll tell the Senator or Representative something like, “We’ve gotten 977 calls asking you to publicly object to Steve Bannon in the White House.” If that number gets high enough, the Senator or Representative will realize they need to do something. So you don’t need to make a nuanced argument; you don’t need to be persuasive. All you gotta do is stumble through your script.
As an anxious person, I feel better when I know what to expect. So let me give you a sense of how this call will go.
When you call a Senator or Representative’s office, you’ll get a staffer whose literal job is to take your call and note your concern. That means they will behave like professionals. They are trained to be polite and respectful—even when callers are not. Every caller is a potential voter, after all. Here’s a pretty standard call:
Staffer: Good afternoon. This is Senator [NAME]’s office.
Me: Hello! My name is [NAME], and I’m a constituent of Senator [NAME]’s. I’m calling because I am gravely concerned about Steve Bannon’s appointment in the Trump Administration. Bannon is known to have strong ties to white supremacists and this appointment sends a dangerous message. I’m asking that Senator [NAME] stand up for American ideals by speaking out against this appointment and working to block Bannon’s influence.
Staffer: I see. I’ve made a note of your concerns and will relay them to the Senator. Thank you for your call.
Me: Thank you very much for your time. I appreciate it. Have a good day.
Staffer: You too. Goodbye.
That’s it. As you can see, there’s not much back-and-forth. Once the staffer answers, you just start reading your script. Sometimes they’ll make a note of your name, sometimes they won’t. Sometimes they’ll ask where you’re calling from, sometimes they won’t. And then the call will end.
I’ve talked to about 20 staffers this week and they’ve all been somewhere between “briskly professional” and “actively delightful.” When I called Senator Graham’s office, the staffer thanked me three times for calling, double-checked that she’d gotten all the points of my message, and wished me a lovely day. Even the longer calls with chattier staffers lasted about two minutes. In the only call that was even slightly negative, the staffer cut in once it became clear I wasn’t a constituent. He quickly thanked me for my call and got off the phone. It wasn’t hostile, just brusque.
Somewhere between zero and a thousand? Look—with things the way they are, you could spend all day on the phone if you wanted.
So let’s just start with one.
Once it’s over, then see how you feel about making the next one.
For me, calling has gotten easier with time. But I can’t say “I have to make [x number of] calls”—I can only take it one call at a time. And after five or so, I’m done for the day. That’s my limit.
Maybe your limit is higher, or maybe it’s lower. Or maybe you’ve got one call in you, period. That’s okay. That call matters.
Sure! Here are some other things we’ve tried:
Get organized (or don’t)
Personally, I need to make fussy documents with phone numbers and call scripts and elaborate color-coding. That level of preparation soothes me. But it stresses some people out even more. They need to act spontaneously so they don’t have a chance to think about it. The trick is, know which type of anxious person you are and act accordingly!
Get a friend to help you commit
Tell your friend what you’re planning to do, and ask them to encourage you and help you stay accountable. Maybe you can do the same for them!
Reward yourself
If calling takes a lot out of you, give yourself a little reward for every call you make. Let yourself feel proud of that accomplishment. And keep a tally so you can remind yourself how much you’ve already done!
Play a role
Sometimes it helps to imagine I’m someone else: someone with lots of confidence! I think to myself, “How would that person handle this call?” and then I put on that role and make my call. Dunno if that’ll work for you, but it’s worth a try!
Your Congressperson may have people on staff who speak your language. Ask the staffer who answers if you can talk to someone who does.
If that isn’t possible, or if you aren’t able to communicate over the phone for any other reason, consider asking someone to make the call on your behalf. This person can modify your call script to say, “I am calling on behalf of/as a translator for [YOUR NAME].” That’s totally fine!
But maybe the phone just isn’t happening. That’s okay! If calling isn’t possible, send a letter! Emily Ellsworth, the former Congressional staffer everyone has been linking to, recommends sending letters to your Congressperson’s district (state) office.
You can do this! You don’t have to be smooth or persuasive, just audible! And you can always send a letter if the phone ain’t happening. Even one call, or one letter, will make a difference. And if you make one call, you might find yourself eager to make another. Give it a try!
“An Interview With A Black Man Who Loves Standing Up to Alt-Right Trolls on Twitter,” Daniel Hayes interview of Twitter user @Rickyrawls, Thought Catalog, 7 November 2016:
Ricky: I don’t believe the alt-right has sprung up in response to PC culture at all. That, to me, is buying into their narrative. The alt-right haven’t “sprung up” in response to anything because they’ve always been here since America was created. Alt-right is just a new name for white supremacy.
Just about everything they believe, all the arguments they make, are just rebranded from the old white supremacists, from their sophistic genetic arguments to their homoerotic obsessions with black penis and fear of losing sexual access to white women to black male competitors, to their stereotypes of black people and their hysteria about black crime.
They didn’t spring up in response to PC culture. PC culture, to the extent it’s a real thing, is something that sprung up in response to people like them.
The alt-right isn’t something that “sprung up” in response to PC culture, it’s an existing racism and sexism that just became more vocal and indignant due to the feeling that they were losing ground. It’s a form of narcissism.
Narcissists are interesting because they feel entitled to treat other people badly. Their worldview is so twisted that, to them, just not being viewed as superior to others registers as being called inferior. Not being given preferential treatment, to a narcissist, equals being treated as an inferior. Not being allowed to insult others without consequence, to a narcissist, is the same as you actually insulting them. Being forced to practice reciprocity and being forced to treat you as they expect you to treat them registers to them as actually being subjugated. Only doing twice as well as you are doing when they feel they should be doing four times as well as you registers to them as losing to you.
That is actually what the alt-right is. It’s preexisting white supremacy that has become more vocal due to a racial form of narcissistic injury. In fact, one of the heroes of the alt-right, Charles Murray, wrote a “sociology” book and the title was Losing Ground. And that’s basically how they feel. They’re only two laps ahead instead of three and that’s unbearable to their narcissistic sense of racial entitlement.
This so-called “PC Culture” that they like to pretend oppressed them and forced them to come into existence is really just women and people of color not letting them insult them at will, which to a narcissist is their right to do to those they perceive as inferior. Not only is mistreating perceived inferiors without consequence a right narcissists feel entitled to, it’s actually one of their major sources of joy, a life need that ranks up there with food, water, and sex, and they react angrily to being deprived of it.
Bolding mine.
Should i even bother renewing my healthcare from the aca if theres a chance it will get repealed?
Yes, you should still enroll in coverage before the January 31 open enrollment deadline. When you enroll in coverage, you and the health insurance company enter into a contract that is generally binding for a year (no matter how the law changes). This means that if you enroll in coverage now then you will have coverage throughout 2017.
This is a website that gives you a weekly call you can make to fight Donald Trump and the terrible developments in the USA. It helps you find your representatives and then gives you a script:
The great thing about this site is that if you click through the list it has scripts for all sorts of things, like fighting for healthcare or LGBT laws, that you can just edit a bit depending on what specific law you are talking about.
Boooooooossssssttttttt!!!!!!!!
If you supported the #muslimban or anyone who is apart of that administration - I have two words for you. “Fuck. You.” I’d apologize for the frank language but I really, really don’t care.
To my Muslim brothers, sisters and siblings: #IStandWithYou
P.S. If you want to be a smart-ass and bring up how Presidents Obama and Carter “also banned Muslims” - sit down, shut up and enjoy this little history lesson.
DONALD TRUMP: (2017)
- Banned entry to the US for people born in seven majority Muslim countries - Syria, Iraq, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen - including holders of legal green cards and visas - for 90 days
- Suspended the Syrian refugee plan indefinitely
- Suspended the entire refugee plan for 120 days
- Banned entry to the US for dual-nationality passport holders - meaning citizens of the above countries who also hold, for example, a British passport, are also banned for 90 days.
- Prioritized Christian refugees over Muslims.
- Capped refugee total to 50,000.
- Did it out of the blue.
- Trump came up with his Muslim ban following the Orlando nightclub shooting, an attack committed not by refugees or migrants, but by a US citizen who was born in New York.
- Of all the fatal terror attacks carried out on US soil since 9/11, exactly zero have been committed by immigrants from the seven majority Muslim countries targeted by the ban.
OBAMA (2011):
- Paused approvals of refugee applications from Iraq for a period of six months after two Iraqi al-Qaeda terrorists were discovered living as refugees in Kentucky. He did this based on GEOGRAPHY and a specific event, NOT based on their religion.
- It was done in response to a specific event, and to allow FBI agents enough to gather fingerprints from captured roadside bombs, which they used to toughen their refugee screening process
CARTER (1979):
- Placed sanctions on Iran after they held 52 American diplomats hostage for 444 days. The sanctions included a block on all future visas issued to Iranian citizens. The block was targeted at Iranian nationals, not Muslims
https://justicedemocrats.com I shot Justice Democrats an email asking if they're working with Brand New Congress (another political coalition that kicked up after Bernie conceded at the democratic primary) that has the same core agenda. Got a response back from them and they've confirmed that they're working on a partnership: "Brilliant minds think alike. Teaming up with Brand New Congress is exactly what we're doing! The partnership began this week and is solidifying as we speak - I'm actually a BNC volunteer! You can expect to see more on this in the coming days and weeks." Get involved. Stay involved.
Since I work IT, I reckoned maybe the missing “Advancing LGBT WorkPlace Rights PDF” was simply mis-linked and causing the 404 error.
Went ahead and emailed the webmaster asking where to find the doc, and received this response.
Checked the site, and the link is now functional again: https://www.dol.gov/asp/policy-development/lgbt-report.pdf
We have to be cautious about doing as much research as we can into what we read and see online. My worry is spreading fear and anxiety where it doesn’t need to be raised.
We need to keep a watchful eye on what this administration is doing, but we also at the same time need to do our due diligence to ensure that what we’re seeing is actual malicious intent versus human error, fear mongering, or hysteria.
I was also alarmed that he refused to answer a question from CNN since it's “fake news,” but then tried to move on to answer a question from Breitbart (source: http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/313777-trump-berates-cnn-reporter-for-fake-news).
People should be alarmed.
