From their website: For too long, we have been led to believe that power belongs to governments, corporations, and the wealthy elite. But the truth is, power has always belonged to the people, it’s just been stolen from us, manipulated, and locked behind systems designed to keep us divided, distracted, and struggling. The People’s Union is not just a movement, it is a necessary evolution. It is the first real effort to unionize citizens, creating a force strong enough to counterbalance corporate control, political corruption, and economic exploitation.
Well Simon, now that you ask - I realize I didn't dig too deep when I went to the website. The founder is someone name John Schwarz and he is the only person (that I could find) associated with the website. He published a couple of dates for boycotts and gave the names of large corporations (to boycott) that made donations to Trump (which I did not confirm, except that some of them, the CEOs were on stage at the inauguration and I know those people donated). To get more information on the boycotts, you have to create an account. There is a 'donations' link. The website is a '.com' website which always gives me pause when the site is purporting to support an altruistic cause, since I associate '.com' with a business (that makes a profit). I guess the reason that no alarm bells went off for me is that you can participate in the boycotts he is talking about without creating an account or making a donation. And I think many people have already begun to 'boycott' by cancelling their Amazon Prime accounts, and other similar actions. So I'll be more cautious about sharing this type of link in the future. Thanks for the question. I'll see if I can delete the link.
P.S.: Do the following now! First, teach civics. Second, register voters. Third, teach civics. Rinse. Repeat.
P.P.S.: Here are some ideas for BLACK HISTORY MONTH: https://time.com/charter/6253458/black-history-month-how-to-observe/ . From the “Middle Passage” (chained in the holds of slave ships) to more recent history (a POTUS and a VPOTUS), think about their perseverance! Take their example.
Called my federal electeds in MA for the second time this week: make a stink about the kneecapping of the CFPB; don’t try to work with coup participants, throw sand in the gears; seek criminal referral for Musk and his hackers.
I am on the steering committee for a local Indivisible Group that held an in-person meeting on Sunday--over 100 people showed up! We have had hundreds of new member requests since the election and our nearing the 500 mark in our Facebook group--a gigantic leap for us. People want to know what to do. We are telling them! If Axios is to be believed, some Democratic lawmakers are mad at us for calling them. Call them and tell them that we did the work to get them elected and it is past time to call us in as an important ally (they named Indivisible and MoveOn in particular). I called Hakeem Jeffries last night to emphasize this point. Don't blame us--show us your spines!
I called Hakeem Jeffries as well. I LOVE what Indivisible is doung. They have a weekly Zoom every Wednesday at 3:00, you can get in their mailing list to get these invites. They are currently the most effective group operating. They organized the rally outside the Treasury and have been garnering so much media attention that Congress people are asking THEM if they can sign up to speak at these rallies. This is why they are getting under the skin of those Dems that are not being leaders. This is exactly what we want to goad them into action. I am now making my donations to Indivisible.
I do agree with one point made in that article by a D leader--we have to call the Republicans too. My Republican rep's staff may be getting tired of me, but I know that I am in their system and I believe they log all my asks. Republicans need to hear the same demands, and be held accountable for not using their power to end the coup and restore funding and get rid of Musk.
Yes. A GOP cornerstone used to include “free trade.” Now, it’s all about tariffs and trade wars.
You made a reference to the national debt. The three presidents in contemporary history responsible for adding more to the national debt than others? Reagan, Bush43 and Trump.
"Free" trade was b.s. anyway. The term was always used to disguise government tilting the economic playing field via trade deals to benefit the wealthy and big business at the expense of workers. These deals are a big reason why we have Trump.
Won’t dispute this. But what the party once stood for when it comes to trade has been upended. Same applies to “family values” … “law and order” … standing up to “Russian aggression” etc
What used to be GOP values and principles now hinge on whatever whims Trump has at the moment.
I agree with this. I was active in the Global Justice movement. The real purpose was to outsource American jobs to places where they could pollute and pay slave wages, then re-import the products to sell as "American goods" by sticking their brand label on them.
So if you have re-chargeable battery powered tools, for example, you know that a replacement battery can cost almost as much as the tool. On ebay you can get the exact same batteries from China but without the brand name DeWalt etc for half the price or lower
The problem with "free trade" is like all the other things tend to call "free" - religious freedom (to force your religious bigotry on others) - "free speech" on Musks Twitter - subject you to nazis spewing their shit all over your timeline so you can hardly find something you are there to read -"freedom" for corporations to pollute, sell poisoned food, and rip you off 56 ways to Sunday without government defending you and shit all over you if you work for them --- Free Market where you are free to buy from what is basically a monopoly but it has different labels
On that compelling question, one of the factors is raised by Greg Palast about vote suppression. He makes a compelling case that this is unique to the US and was given a huge boost in 2024 by legislative tinkering in red states. I first heard of this fellow and his work in this discussion forum. I think it's worth considering, (among all the other urgent things that are worth considering): https://www.gregpalast.com/trump-lost-vote-suppression-won/
Hi Simon-Please include marches and vigils and urge the leaders in the Democratic party to hold
marches and vigils. Visibility is everything to politicians! People will show up. There is an Indivisible vigil 4-5 pm at Lake Merritt Oakland CA Tuesdays. Phone calls, letters are great but being visible is also needed. Thanks for all your information.
And the children shall lead us (Old Testament paraphrase). Thanks to the Middle Schoolers who walked out to protest Pete Hegseth's appearance at their school for the families of Americans serving in uniform in Germany.
"And the children shall lead..." From Isaiah 11, and have to be careful there. Children are not leading adults -- they are leading and playing with animals considered VERY dangerous -- like lions and wolves.
This resembles a curse from Isaiah 3 that "And I will appoint youths as their princes, and scorners shall rule over them." These "youths" are completely unfit leaders. Big Balls and Harry Bolz might fit that prophecy, as well as a blubbering, whiny man-child.
One thing that occurred to me yesterday was that all of the publicity concerning the programs that are being cut might serve as a way of reminding American citizens of all of the important and very valuable things that these programs do...for us in the US and for the world. My hunch is that many Americans don't realize what the government actually does, let alone how much we depend on it.
. "Let’s Buy California from Trump – Denmark’s Next Big Adventure"
Worth noting that the Danes have no interest in Texas, nor in Florida and Mar-al-Ego. But that California is deemed worthwhile. Perhaps because this Left Coast state’s values would better enable a successful cultural integration.
Here is the official website for DENMARKIFICATION:
Unfortunately, New England weather is worse than Denmark's. I don't think they are interested says I now facing the second of three snow/ice storms this week.
I believe that the very name "Greenland" was a Norse marketing scam. Think about it. Any reasonable evaluation would conclude that the names "Iceland" and "Greenland" should be reversed.
Yes and Buddy Carter is no relation to JIMMY Carter, thankfully. More idiocy. I promise all you folks out there from other states, we truly do have more smart people than not so smart people voting in GA. But we're very gerrymandered, so dumba** like this guy and that woman keep winning elections.
Jamie Raskin held a town hall last night - which I attended (I am lucky enough to have him as our representative). He made an important point that the lawsuits against trump are against the governments and the individuals responsible (i.e, Elon Mush and his acolytes). This gives the judges the ability to also levy fines and freeze bank accounts (along with sending out the federal Marshalls) to enforce rulings. They are not going to be able to easily ignore these rulings folks - it’s good/fine to assume this is the case (don’t assume we, judges are powerless). We are winning and they are way out over their skis. Also, apparently, Trump/DOGE is canceling government payments for already executed contracts (which is illegal), they/our government will be sued by these companies who have done work for us.
Thank you for this, Lojo. I'm a recipient of Jamie Raskin's newsletter. (How I admire him.) I received the notice of his town hall last night and started to register. Then I saw that it was intended for his constituents and didn't want to take a spot (since there can be limits to participants) so I stopped completing the registration. Much appreciate your sharing of this information. And yes, you are surely lucky to have him as your representative. I called office of mine (a Republican) earlier this morning and I was embarrassingly unpleasant. The staff was in turn kind, for which I thanked them. They gave me the email address of the (new) chief of staff to request a meeting. I started that process in the past but didn't pursue it since I thought it would be meaningless. In truth, most days, I still feel that to be true of outreach to the GOP. Maybe I'm wrong. These days, I've been putting much of my time and energy to getting attention of the Dems, many of whom I'm deeply disappointed in, and angry with them too.
‘Why it Matters,’ Alexander Vindman’s Substack this morning.
“Breaking: Why SecDef Hegseth's NATO Announcement Undermines U.S. National Security; Providing an explanation of Trump Administration of National Security Policy developments and Why It Matters.”
Link includes Lt. Col. Vindman's video and transcript:
Q: As author of The Art of the Deal, you've developed a reputation as a top negotiator and deal‐maker. In general, as you know, you don't start negotiations by negotiating against yourself, so we"re curious to know what the strategy was behind publicly making significant concessions to Putin on Ukraine before negotiations on a peace deal even start? Was Secretary Hesgeth speaking accurately for you when he made these statements, and are you concerned at all that commencing negotiations in this way makes us look weak? It's certainly very different than the approach you've used so successfully so many times in the past
(Yeah, this is full of flattery--he didn't write a word of that book, of course; in fact, many believe he's never even read it, and there's a huge volume of evidence that he actually sucks as a negotiator and deal maker--but would anyone in the media these days actually have the guts to ask the question without flattery to protect them? The real goal of the query, of course, is to give him an oppprtunity to do what he so enjoys--distancing, deflecting, throwing others under the bus) and give him good reasons to do so.)
Buying Canadian….anecdotally people are avoiding all US products. Stores are assisting by flagging Canadian-made products.
My friends are selling vacation properties that they own.
This shift purchasing shift is currently flying under the radar but the impact is definitely going to start hitting soon.
Once people change their habits, it is really likely they are not changing back. A permanent shift, caused by Trump, is going to have impacts that last long after his term.
(No offense to all the great American crafts beers that since then have seen the light of day – such as the terrific "Arrogant Bastard Ale" from the California brewery Stone.)
I saw a funny sign on Instagram advertising a snack that went "This Contains 0% American Cheese." Not that I want Trump voters like farmers to suffer, but momentary Schadenfreude can be sweet.
And people should bear in mind it takes a lot to piss off Canadians when they're not playing or watching hockey. Also that, per Alannah's prediction, people who don't piss off easily tend to stay pissed off when they do. In fact, I'd venture that if someone other than Times/Siena did a poll, they'd find a statistically significant higher proportion of people who don't piss off easily maintain blacklists, in their heads if nowhere else. ;)
Tom, well said! Every time I meet someone who is generous, humble, and kind and I learn that they are from Canada, I think to myself, "Well, that figures!"
When Canadians are irate at you, clearly you have crossed an important boundary
Simon - Thank you so much for everything you are doing. I'm doing everything you tell me to do. This morning I also contacted the office of my State Attorney General to learn how we initiate a class action lawsuit against musk for his violation of the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act signed by Ronald Reagan in 1986. I learned about this from a YouTube link someone posted here yesterday.
Thanks for sharing Raskin's interview this past Sunday. Intriguing tactic and Raskin, the Constitutional scholar, would be the perfect choice to persue a class-action law suit on behalf of the American people.
I'd like to post an addendum to Simon's note above to those who reside in states with one or two Republican Senators: make a call NOT ONLY to their Washington office, but also to any office or offices they may have IN YOUR state. This will increase the "number of calls" they're receiving,
Oh, and see if you can get neighbors or co-workers within your state to make some calls or send e-mails. Keep the volume up, or increase it.
Interestingly enough, last night on the Rachel Maddow show, she had received copies of letters sent from Republican senators and congressmen from their irate constituents and read them to the audience. It's good to know that there are people, probably many, who are receiving responses from their R's who are finding it necessary to placate their constituents.
I have been calling my senators local offices for the last couple of weeks on a daily basis. I have been getting a live person almost every time. Today, both offices of my senators rang and went to voicemail because they were taking other calls. Sen. Smith's office told me yesterday they are getting a lot of calls and I assume that it hasn't changed.
As for my rep, I called and talked to a live person and asked that the House D's do not vote for anything on the budget/government funding until the criming stops. I also expressed my disappointment that there was an Axios article where House Democrats are mad at all the phone calls they are getting. https://www.axios.com/2025/02/12/democrats-jeffries-move-on-indivisible-trump . I asked my rep to not be mad, but instead be thankful that her constituents are giving a clear message on what they want done. I know that anger is the first stage of grief and acceptance is the last stage, so it's good to see that we are helping our reps work through this process.
We are in the frustrating interlude right now, where there is not a lot of action. But, in the coming weeks, with the government funding running out in mid-March and the attempt to push through $4 trillion in tax cuts, there will be a lot of action and elected Democrats will have a lot to do. We need to keep making clear what it is that we want them to do.
Jeffries is going on a book tour for his new release, "The ABC's of Democracy". He will be in Chicago on February 20! I wonder what type of reception he will get.
I agree. I certainly hope that people use the opportunity to tell him to buck up and partner with all of us. I have to believe that R's will need D votes to get anything done, given how dysfunctional they are. This is real leverage to say "stop the lawlessness and unconstitutional actions".
Man, any rep who's angry about getting calls should seriously consider a career change (or have one considered for them). They are *lucky* they're getting calls, something they'll certainly realize if/when they stop getting them, and it gets very quiet, too quiet, all of a sudden.
What is the people's union?
From their website: For too long, we have been led to believe that power belongs to governments, corporations, and the wealthy elite. But the truth is, power has always belonged to the people, it’s just been stolen from us, manipulated, and locked behind systems designed to keep us divided, distracted, and struggling. The People’s Union is not just a movement, it is a necessary evolution. It is the first real effort to unionize citizens, creating a force strong enough to counterbalance corporate control, political corruption, and economic exploitation.
Well Simon, now that you ask - I realize I didn't dig too deep when I went to the website. The founder is someone name John Schwarz and he is the only person (that I could find) associated with the website. He published a couple of dates for boycotts and gave the names of large corporations (to boycott) that made donations to Trump (which I did not confirm, except that some of them, the CEOs were on stage at the inauguration and I know those people donated). To get more information on the boycotts, you have to create an account. There is a 'donations' link. The website is a '.com' website which always gives me pause when the site is purporting to support an altruistic cause, since I associate '.com' with a business (that makes a profit). I guess the reason that no alarm bells went off for me is that you can participate in the boycotts he is talking about without creating an account or making a donation. And I think many people have already begun to 'boycott' by cancelling their Amazon Prime accounts, and other similar actions. So I'll be more cautious about sharing this type of link in the future. Thanks for the question. I'll see if I can delete the link.
Simon et al.:
WE DO NOT WANT THIS FOR OUR NATION: https://electrek.co/2025/02/09/tesla-cybertruck-crash-on-full-self-driving-v13-goes-viral/ . DOLOS HAS TO BYPASS THE CONSTITUTION TO SUCCEED IN HIS OBJECTIVES. For Mr. Project 2025 (Vought), this cherished document is in the way of a “unitary executive”; so, he uses new terminology like, “Radical Constitutionalism”. So, PLEASE READ this note from OBAMA’s Former White House Counsel and from a former Republican Head of the Office of Legal Counsel: https://executivefunctions.substack.com/p/the-trump-executive-orders-as-radical .
Supposedly, a former Republican Representative made the following observation during the Dolos (#47) transition this past winter:
“President Dolos”.
“Speaker Dolos”.
“Majority Leader Dolos”.
“Chief Justice Dolos”.
Now, we may know what Leon is doing with the info that he is obtaining - in part. He is “doxxing” the children of the Judges who give adverse rulings: https://www.msn.com/en-in/news/other/judge-mcconnells-daughter-works-at-department-of-education-elon-musk-sparks-row/ar-AA1yQR01 . Remember how the children of the judges in the New York trials were treated. THIS MUST NOT BECOME NORMALIZED!!
We are allowing our fellow citizens to be traumatized for WHAT REASON! I’m really not into their FOURTH TURNING (monarchy-thing): https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2017/04/20/stephen-bannon-fourth-turning-generation-theory-215053/ . The judge is not in a position to protect his daughter. However, as CITIZENS of this NATION, we can and must do so. A LINE HAS BEEN CROSSED. What if this was your daughter?
The movement on the other side is about power and money (the order of which dependents on the miscreant in question). REMEMBER THE MONTGOMERY BUS BOYCOTT (they were thought to be powerless): https://www.forbes.com/sites/daniellechemtob/2025/02/12/forbes-daily-tesla-takes-a-brand-hit-from-elon-musks-doge-role/ and https://www.arabianbusiness.com/politics-economics/analysis-why-teslas-ties-with-china-made-elon-musk-indispensable-to-trump. At this moment, I think that ownership of anything next to Leon is complicity.
CARTHAGO DELENDA EST (via nonviolence).
P.S.: Do the following now! First, teach civics. Second, register voters. Third, teach civics. Rinse. Repeat.
P.P.S.: Here are some ideas for BLACK HISTORY MONTH: https://time.com/charter/6253458/black-history-month-how-to-observe/ . From the “Middle Passage” (chained in the holds of slave ships) to more recent history (a POTUS and a VPOTUS), think about their perseverance! Take their example.
Unitary executive is the euphemism for dictator.
Called my federal electeds in MA for the second time this week: make a stink about the kneecapping of the CFPB; don’t try to work with coup participants, throw sand in the gears; seek criminal referral for Musk and his hackers.
Are you having trouble signing up for tonight's event? The "register here" tab is not working for me...
Also, calling everyday means a lot to them -0- spoke with a rep of one of my Senators yesterday at the Fed employee rally here in Seattle
The link usually does not work on my iPad, but it does on my Android phone.
Try a laptop, if you have one. Works for me.
I am on the steering committee for a local Indivisible Group that held an in-person meeting on Sunday--over 100 people showed up! We have had hundreds of new member requests since the election and our nearing the 500 mark in our Facebook group--a gigantic leap for us. People want to know what to do. We are telling them! If Axios is to be believed, some Democratic lawmakers are mad at us for calling them. Call them and tell them that we did the work to get them elected and it is past time to call us in as an important ally (they named Indivisible and MoveOn in particular). I called Hakeem Jeffries last night to emphasize this point. Don't blame us--show us your spines!
I called Hakeem Jeffries as well. I LOVE what Indivisible is doung. They have a weekly Zoom every Wednesday at 3:00, you can get in their mailing list to get these invites. They are currently the most effective group operating. They organized the rally outside the Treasury and have been garnering so much media attention that Congress people are asking THEM if they can sign up to speak at these rallies. This is why they are getting under the skin of those Dems that are not being leaders. This is exactly what we want to goad them into action. I am now making my donations to Indivisible.
I do agree with one point made in that article by a D leader--we have to call the Republicans too. My Republican rep's staff may be getting tired of me, but I know that I am in their system and I believe they log all my asks. Republicans need to hear the same demands, and be held accountable for not using their power to end the coup and restore funding and get rid of Musk.
Me too! I call my Republican Congressman almost every day, and always get a real person, not voicemail.
Yes. A GOP cornerstone used to include “free trade.” Now, it’s all about tariffs and trade wars.
You made a reference to the national debt. The three presidents in contemporary history responsible for adding more to the national debt than others? Reagan, Bush43 and Trump.
The common denominator: tax cuts.
Right. Not Biden as my friend thought. Biden lowered the deficit.
"The common denominator: tax cuts."
The ultimate "logic" of the Laffer curve is that the lowest tax rates will bring in the highest amount of revenue.
“Voodoo economics”
When Laffer economics first presented itself, I thought it was Laughter - and so it is.
"Free" trade was b.s. anyway. The term was always used to disguise government tilting the economic playing field via trade deals to benefit the wealthy and big business at the expense of workers. These deals are a big reason why we have Trump.
Won’t dispute this. But what the party once stood for when it comes to trade has been upended. Same applies to “family values” … “law and order” … standing up to “Russian aggression” etc
What used to be GOP values and principles now hinge on whatever whims Trump has at the moment.
So true
I agree with this. I was active in the Global Justice movement. The real purpose was to outsource American jobs to places where they could pollute and pay slave wages, then re-import the products to sell as "American goods" by sticking their brand label on them.
So if you have re-chargeable battery powered tools, for example, you know that a replacement battery can cost almost as much as the tool. On ebay you can get the exact same batteries from China but without the brand name DeWalt etc for half the price or lower
The problem with "free trade" is like all the other things tend to call "free" - religious freedom (to force your religious bigotry on others) - "free speech" on Musks Twitter - subject you to nazis spewing their shit all over your timeline so you can hardly find something you are there to read -"freedom" for corporations to pollute, sell poisoned food, and rip you off 56 ways to Sunday without government defending you and shit all over you if you work for them --- Free Market where you are free to buy from what is basically a monopoly but it has different labels
I think I might make what you wrote a letter to the editor!!
Thanks!
Damn America!
Damn Trump/Musk. I voted for Kamala Harris and the politics of hope, joy, and inclusion.
A lovely declaration Susan, how did your compatriots get it so wrong?
Gerrymandering.
Stupidity.
Greed.
Citizen’s United.
* misogyny
*** racism
On that compelling question, one of the factors is raised by Greg Palast about vote suppression. He makes a compelling case that this is unique to the US and was given a huge boost in 2024 by legislative tinkering in red states. I first heard of this fellow and his work in this discussion forum. I think it's worth considering, (among all the other urgent things that are worth considering): https://www.gregpalast.com/trump-lost-vote-suppression-won/
Hi Simon-Please include marches and vigils and urge the leaders in the Democratic party to hold
marches and vigils. Visibility is everything to politicians! People will show up. There is an Indivisible vigil 4-5 pm at Lake Merritt Oakland CA Tuesdays. Phone calls, letters are great but being visible is also needed. Thanks for all your information.
Glad to hear this. I’m away this week but when I get back, I’ll join you 🙏
And the children shall lead us (Old Testament paraphrase). Thanks to the Middle Schoolers who walked out to protest Pete Hegseth's appearance at their school for the families of Americans serving in uniform in Germany.
That’s brave and beautiful.
"And the children shall lead..." From Isaiah 11, and have to be careful there. Children are not leading adults -- they are leading and playing with animals considered VERY dangerous -- like lions and wolves.
This resembles a curse from Isaiah 3 that "And I will appoint youths as their princes, and scorners shall rule over them." These "youths" are completely unfit leaders. Big Balls and Harry Bolz might fit that prophecy, as well as a blubbering, whiny man-child.
We should be emulating it!
Read all about it. https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/feb/12/pete-hegseth-dei-protest-germany?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other
Hegseth – Trump’s DUI hire.
One thing that occurred to me yesterday was that all of the publicity concerning the programs that are being cut might serve as a way of reminding American citizens of all of the important and very valuable things that these programs do...for us in the US and for the world. My hunch is that many Americans don't realize what the government actually does, let alone how much we depend on it.
excellent point, I agree
Yes, but we need to make explicit the effects of department closures and funding cuts on people’s daily lives.
Sarah, is somebody working on the messaging?
🏆⭐️🏆⭐️🏆
Don’t know!
Agree totally, Catherine.
And Heather Cox Richarson (and I'm sure other writers) are pointing that out repeatedly.
Over 200,000 Danes have signed the petition...
. "Let’s Buy California from Trump – Denmark’s Next Big Adventure"
Worth noting that the Danes have no interest in Texas, nor in Florida and Mar-al-Ego. But that California is deemed worthwhile. Perhaps because this Left Coast state’s values would better enable a successful cultural integration.
Here is the official website for DENMARKIFICATION:
https://denmarkification.com/
It would be great if the Danes made an offer for my state, Massachusetts!
Unfortunately, New England weather is worse than Denmark's. I don't think they are interested says I now facing the second of three snow/ice storms this week.
One of my idiotic representatives from Georgia has sponsored a resolution renaming Greenland to "Red,White and Blueland." No...not her.
I believe that the very name "Greenland" was a Norse marketing scam. Think about it. Any reasonable evaluation would conclude that the names "Iceland" and "Greenland" should be reversed.
Yes and Buddy Carter is no relation to JIMMY Carter, thankfully. More idiocy. I promise all you folks out there from other states, we truly do have more smart people than not so smart people voting in GA. But we're very gerrymandered, so dumba** like this guy and that woman keep winning elections.
Can a DEM pur up a resolution to officially rename Trump the MF#1 & Musk, MF#2??????
Jamie Raskin held a town hall last night - which I attended (I am lucky enough to have him as our representative). He made an important point that the lawsuits against trump are against the governments and the individuals responsible (i.e, Elon Mush and his acolytes). This gives the judges the ability to also levy fines and freeze bank accounts (along with sending out the federal Marshalls) to enforce rulings. They are not going to be able to easily ignore these rulings folks - it’s good/fine to assume this is the case (don’t assume we, judges are powerless). We are winning and they are way out over their skis. Also, apparently, Trump/DOGE is canceling government payments for already executed contracts (which is illegal), they/our government will be sued by these companies who have done work for us.
Thank you for this, Lojo. I'm a recipient of Jamie Raskin's newsletter. (How I admire him.) I received the notice of his town hall last night and started to register. Then I saw that it was intended for his constituents and didn't want to take a spot (since there can be limits to participants) so I stopped completing the registration. Much appreciate your sharing of this information. And yes, you are surely lucky to have him as your representative. I called office of mine (a Republican) earlier this morning and I was embarrassingly unpleasant. The staff was in turn kind, for which I thanked them. They gave me the email address of the (new) chief of staff to request a meeting. I started that process in the past but didn't pursue it since I thought it would be meaningless. In truth, most days, I still feel that to be true of outreach to the GOP. Maybe I'm wrong. These days, I've been putting much of my time and energy to getting attention of the Dems, many of whom I'm deeply disappointed in, and angry with them too.
Thanks again.
This was emphasized in the Mikie Sherrill town hall last night!
‘Why it Matters,’ Alexander Vindman’s Substack this morning.
“Breaking: Why SecDef Hegseth's NATO Announcement Undermines U.S. National Security; Providing an explanation of Trump Administration of National Security Policy developments and Why It Matters.”
Link includes Lt. Col. Vindman's video and transcript:
https://open.substack.com/pub/alexandervindman/p/breaking-why-secdef-hegseths-nato?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android&r=f0pvk
Thank you. Very disturbing
Yes, Mary, very disturbing.
Media should be challenging Trump on this, eg
Q: As author of The Art of the Deal, you've developed a reputation as a top negotiator and deal‐maker. In general, as you know, you don't start negotiations by negotiating against yourself, so we"re curious to know what the strategy was behind publicly making significant concessions to Putin on Ukraine before negotiations on a peace deal even start? Was Secretary Hesgeth speaking accurately for you when he made these statements, and are you concerned at all that commencing negotiations in this way makes us look weak? It's certainly very different than the approach you've used so successfully so many times in the past
(Yeah, this is full of flattery--he didn't write a word of that book, of course; in fact, many believe he's never even read it, and there's a huge volume of evidence that he actually sucks as a negotiator and deal maker--but would anyone in the media these days actually have the guts to ask the question without flattery to protect them? The real goal of the query, of course, is to give him an oppprtunity to do what he so enjoys--distancing, deflecting, throwing others under the bus) and give him good reasons to do so.)
Watched that this AM. Crying for these men dishonoring our country, our word, our honor.
Just to reinforce the comments that Canadians are making choices not to buy US products or services.
Making travel choices…
https://www.ctvnews.ca/canada/article/these-canadians-cancelled-major-us-trips-and-gave-up-the-snowbird-lifestyle-heres-why-they-wont-travel-south/
Buying Canadian….anecdotally people are avoiding all US products. Stores are assisting by flagging Canadian-made products.
My friends are selling vacation properties that they own.
This shift purchasing shift is currently flying under the radar but the impact is definitely going to start hitting soon.
Once people change their habits, it is really likely they are not changing back. A permanent shift, caused by Trump, is going to have impacts that last long after his term.
You have no idea how pissed off Canadians are…
The Canadians are not buying American beer??
This reminds of that classic Monty Python joke, first told to a packed stadium in Los Angeles:
"Why is American beer a lot like making love in a canoe?"
"Because it’s fucking close to water!"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JbxfFOdp-bY
(No offense to all the great American crafts beers that since then have seen the light of day – such as the terrific "Arrogant Bastard Ale" from the California brewery Stone.)
😂
I can imagine how pissed off they are. I am with them. This sucks for everyone.
I’m in NY and I look for Canadian products to buy. And wear 2 flag pins. Canada and Ukraine.
Well done Mary.
I saw a funny sign on Instagram advertising a snack that went "This Contains 0% American Cheese." Not that I want Trump voters like farmers to suffer, but momentary Schadenfreude can be sweet.
You do know that American Cheese is NOT cheese, right?
https://cookindocs.com/why-is-american-cheese-not-cheese/
It's cheese *product,* though, right? :)
That’s like categorizing Fox as "a news product".
Oh, my! As I read these posts, I run the gamut from outraged to a laugh-out- loud mode. My husband will probably want me to get help.
Exactly. :D Seems like maybe I needed a winky there ;)
And people should bear in mind it takes a lot to piss off Canadians when they're not playing or watching hockey. Also that, per Alannah's prediction, people who don't piss off easily tend to stay pissed off when they do. In fact, I'd venture that if someone other than Times/Siena did a poll, they'd find a statistically significant higher proportion of people who don't piss off easily maintain blacklists, in their heads if nowhere else. ;)
Tom, well said! Every time I meet someone who is generous, humble, and kind and I learn that they are from Canada, I think to myself, "Well, that figures!"
When Canadians are irate at you, clearly you have crossed an important boundary
We can all help by choosing to buy Canadian products/produce wherever we consume.
Bless our neighbors!
I sometimes wish I were Canadian! If I were, I’d be pretty pissed off
Simon - Thank you so much for everything you are doing. I'm doing everything you tell me to do. This morning I also contacted the office of my State Attorney General to learn how we initiate a class action lawsuit against musk for his violation of the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act signed by Ronald Reagan in 1986. I learned about this from a YouTube link someone posted here yesterday.
Video Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QpvjnY56uO0
About the CFAA: https://www.nacdl.org/Landing/ComputerFraudandAbuseAct
Thanks for sharing Raskin's interview this past Sunday. Intriguing tactic and Raskin, the Constitutional scholar, would be the perfect choice to persue a class-action law suit on behalf of the American people.
I'd like to post an addendum to Simon's note above to those who reside in states with one or two Republican Senators: make a call NOT ONLY to their Washington office, but also to any office or offices they may have IN YOUR state. This will increase the "number of calls" they're receiving,
Oh, and see if you can get neighbors or co-workers within your state to make some calls or send e-mails. Keep the volume up, or increase it.
Interestingly enough, last night on the Rachel Maddow show, she had received copies of letters sent from Republican senators and congressmen from their irate constituents and read them to the audience. It's good to know that there are people, probably many, who are receiving responses from their R's who are finding it necessary to placate their constituents.
That was a great item by Rachel! And I'm sure the Congress-critters LOVED being shown up on tv for what toads they all are.
I have been calling my senators local offices for the last couple of weeks on a daily basis. I have been getting a live person almost every time. Today, both offices of my senators rang and went to voicemail because they were taking other calls. Sen. Smith's office told me yesterday they are getting a lot of calls and I assume that it hasn't changed.
As for my rep, I called and talked to a live person and asked that the House D's do not vote for anything on the budget/government funding until the criming stops. I also expressed my disappointment that there was an Axios article where House Democrats are mad at all the phone calls they are getting. https://www.axios.com/2025/02/12/democrats-jeffries-move-on-indivisible-trump . I asked my rep to not be mad, but instead be thankful that her constituents are giving a clear message on what they want done. I know that anger is the first stage of grief and acceptance is the last stage, so it's good to see that we are helping our reps work through this process.
We are in the frustrating interlude right now, where there is not a lot of action. But, in the coming weeks, with the government funding running out in mid-March and the attempt to push through $4 trillion in tax cuts, there will be a lot of action and elected Democrats will have a lot to do. We need to keep making clear what it is that we want them to do.
Jeffries is going on a book tour for his new release, "The ABC's of Democracy". He will be in Chicago on February 20! I wonder what type of reception he will get.
I agree. I certainly hope that people use the opportunity to tell him to buck up and partner with all of us. I have to believe that R's will need D votes to get anything done, given how dysfunctional they are. This is real leverage to say "stop the lawlessness and unconstitutional actions".
Man, any rep who's angry about getting calls should seriously consider a career change (or have one considered for them). They are *lucky* they're getting calls, something they'll certainly realize if/when they stop getting them, and it gets very quiet, too quiet, all of a sudden.