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Feb 8
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Reprising our work from 2024 we have to learn when getting good news to not immediately to go to and then express in community a place of worry. It immediately turns glass half full to glass half empty. It is in my view a corrosive habit that in this time of challenge we have to unlearn.

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Feb 8
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Feb 8
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Everyone knows. I think the big thing for you to think about is how do we get stronger, faster, better now. What is the best path for that? Spending $100m on House races and losing could be devastating for our beleaguered crew, and a huge set back. We have to focus on wins, small wins, learn, grow, celebrate. It is how you claw back. Taking big swings and failing could be devastating for us right now. We need to learn how to be an effective opposition and as others have said we have to pick our battles, be smart, and not match Trump's impulsivity with our own.

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Feb 8
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Alannah, respectfully, you should not be wasting my very limited time engaging in a strategic political conversation that you cannot be part of. Feel free to observe, learn - you are welcome here - but please do not engage me/us again in discussions in how we do work that you can never be part of.

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Alannah, I have addressed this in other places. As of now we are not supporting these races because they are long shots and the likely outcome is that our community wastes enormous time and money that can be better spent elsewhere. We do not have unlimited amounts of either, and must be strategic, smart. Right now the national party is not engaging in these races but if that changes I will be open do it. What I have been saying here, again and again, is that we cannot rush into battle for those who do get mowed down first. What everyone has to remember here is that these races are long shots if we were strong and they didn't spend. We are not strong right now and they will spend whatever it takes to defend these seats. Making big plays here could actually weaken us, not make us stronger. But again I open to revisit this in the days ahead.

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We had a lot of wins last cycle for we were deeply strategic about where we put our time and money.

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Perfect assessment.. connecting dots as usual

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I was scammed in the past by fund-raising messages such as "We are .001% away from leading Senator X, and your contribution can take us over the top!" After the election, I read these were lies, absolute lies. The candidate never had a chance. I stopped contributing to Democrats. I am contributing again because I believe the recommendations I read here. Thank you for advising us on how to smartly use our resources.

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Why are we surprised that Trump 2.0 is completely lawless within the structure of the Constitution? He spent 4 years avoiding consequences for insurrection and sedition. So he thinks his oath to defend the the Constitution is a big joke, not a duty.

We shouldn't be surprised, just appalled by his actions.

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I'm certainly appalled. I knew he'd be bad the second time around but.... he's exceeded my expectations. Trump without limits is a nightmare scenario. It'd make a great movie in years to come, if we survive. He's Caligula 2.0.

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I think what took me aback was how closely they are following Project 2025. You can go to any passage and that's literally what they are doing. I felt it was so preposterous and had to have been written by cartoon villains, but sure enough, they are trying it.

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I assumed it'd be a little here and a little there. Instead it's everything and maybe more - going for extra credit?

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I want to argue that our family move beyond this concept of "surprise" or folks should have known as a way on engaging others. Monday morning quarterbacking is easy. We deal with what is in front of us now. The level of lawlessness we are seeing was not the likely scenerio. Musk has taken it all to a whole new level. Trump did not order USAID closed. Musk just did it on his own, using illegal and illicit tools that Trump would have never thought of.

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Shock and "awe" and the Constitution be damned.

We're seeing an 78 year old angry sociopath wreak his foul fantasies and prejudices all across American society, enabled by the GOP who seem to think he's earned the right because he won a narrow election.

Constitutional norms are irrelevant to the GOP for now. Good News is that the "Governed" are coming to life in protest. Lyndon Johnson couldn't withstand the Vietnam protests. Trump/Musk will not withstand ours.✌️

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GOP = Groupies of Putin

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It's encouraging that illegality is still a meaningful word and not a quaint, obsolete last-century concept.

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Our work is making a difference and as Simon wrote today, we should celebrate this and remember it. I have been calling my reps/sens and my AG here in MN. And because so many of us are doing the same thing, we are having success where we can. When you come across people that just want to say it's all terrible and there is no hope, these are things you can point them to.

Keep making the calls and keep teaching our reps/sens how to be more effective every day.

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Whoo hoo!! So pleased about the AG suit. Listen to Letitia James - she’s so powerful! Now to get my state, Washington, to join in.

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The only way through is forward!!

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BTW It is Letitia not Leticia. Need to respect this powerful woman!

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Thanks for the correction. Noted!!

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Simon! I am so thankful for you, for the fire, the ferocity, the corrections you are offering, so we can actually meet this moment. TYTY!! TY so much for meeting this moment and guiding us to do the same!!! I am 100% here. Even 110%!!

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She's my AG and I don't just respect her, I love. She's on Bluesky where you can go to thank her.

Calling the NY AG's office is a pain because of the automated voicemail and endless decision trees. Then they automatically transfer you to your local area office if you guess the wrong VM option. The decision tree is geared to receiving complaints from victims in the various problem categories such as fraud, discrimination etc --- not to telling the AG to file lawsuits or thanking her

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It really has paid off that we have contacted our people at the state level such as the state AG’s. We need to keep it up.

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I’ll be calling my New Mexico AG Monday to join the suit…that’s still possible, correct?

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Kate: I hope so, too!

We'll be calling our Michigan AG on Monday again.

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Absolutely it’s still possible. And there will be other suits to join too, so getting them moving now is helpful.

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I know New Mexico was one of the 23 states on that first case regarding the federal funding freeze.

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Definitely a lot of possibilities to come for state AGs to protect their residents from the rampant Musk-Trump criming at the top! I think the message of "you need to step up and protect us" transcends any particular issue, but this Treasury data theft is so hair-raising it cuts through.

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Me too, my CA AG, to encourage and lend my support.

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IMPEACH TRUMP!! DEPORT MUSK AND RUPERT MURDOCK. We don’t need this scum in our country!!!!!!

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We can’t impeach him. The votes are not in our favor at all. Then we are left with JD Vance and Mike Johnson as Vice President.

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Nor can we deport him as he gained naturalized citizenship in 2002.

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I don't want to speculate, but, if you did get that far (a long shot, I know), the impeachment of Trump WOULD defintely be a deterrent for Vance. The question would be how much.

But again, I am in no way convinced that Trump would be impeached and convicted. However, I do see making a national Democratic effort to impeach and convict as a matter of principle. Besides, it is a way of trying to get the American people to pay attention. Plus, we need to stop allow Trump to move the goalposts of what is "normal politics in America." Every little thing helps.

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The House speaker doesn’t ascend to VP if the VP ascends to presidency.

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You are right. When Nixon resigned, his VP, Gerald Ford, chose Nelson Rockefeller to be his VP.

I served in the Navy when Watergate happened. People at the time said it was impossible and a waste of time to try to impeach Nixon. He was immensely popular and just won the 72 election by a landslide. Besides, his crimes were PETTY compared to Tyrant Trump's.

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I posted earlier this morning to the other comments thread, but was so excited I'm posting it here too. Heard from Brad Schneider, our 10th district IL rep. who is having a telephone town hall Monday. Folks, they ARE listening and it's starting to reach the more local elected officials. I'm planning to attend the town hall and will provide an update. Anyone else hearing back about planned town halls?

Dear Friend,

I’m writing to invite you to my upcoming Telephone Town Hall, which will begin on Monday, February 10th at 6:30PM CT.

Over the past two weeks, I’ve received thousands of messages from constituents outraged by actions the new Trump Administration has taken – from freezing federal funds for resources that serve our community like Head Start and gun violence prevention initiatives, to DOGE head Elon Musk gaining access to your private and personal tax and Social Security information, and more.

During this town hall, I will discuss these recent actions and take questions from constituents like you about the issues that you are concerned about.

If you would like to participate in the Telephone Town Hall, please sign up at Schneider.house.gov/live. Once you've RSVP'd, you will receive a call around 6:30 p.m. CT on Monday, February 10th allowing you to join the Telephone Town Hall. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to contact my office at any of the numbers listed below.

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Yes, everyone should try to make these townhalls - in person or over the phone - in the days ahead. Good work.

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Hakeem Jeffries demanded that all House members meet with constituents this weekend. Because of a large snowstorm, our rep from CT-1 John Larson will be taking questions in a virtual town hall. My question will be "who is going to enforce these victories?" Something Republicans like to point out because of Andrew Jackson's infamous response to a Supreme Court verdict against his administration that forced Native Americans on the Trail of Tears since of course then there was no recourse for the justices. But do we have any left in the DOJ?

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Signed up for Mikie Sherrill’s on Tuesday!!!

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Can people from other Illinois districts call in? Is this a Zoom call? I just want to listen. Brad would make a great Senator if Durbin decides not to run for re- election in 2026.

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I can't think of a reason why someone from outside the district couldn't register and call in. I've never been to any kind of town hall before, so looking forward to the experience. I'm not sure if it's a Zoom or other type of interface using cell phones.

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I’m in the 847 area code. I’m going to RSVP Thank you!

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The county Dem party here is hosting town halls with our state-level rep and our US rep. So it's worth getting on the mailing list for your local Democratic party to find out. You should get notified directly by your electeds if you are calling them, but offices are overwhelmed and may not get those answers back to you.

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Congresswoman Madeleine Dean (PA-04) had a telephone one Thursday night.

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Andy Kim is having a tele-town hall on Monday as well.

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Good to know! I will sign up.

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A messaging suggestion from friends in red states: call your state and federal electeds and ask why they don’t care that your private financial data is being illegally accessed? Why aren’t red state Attorney Generals joining blue states on this - why aren’t they protecting the rights of, say, Texans?

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Thank you! Keep offering concrete ideas and encouragement. We cannot turn our backs on the criminal element. I continue to contact republicans, offering to mail them a set of balls if they can’t find theirs.

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How does the judge know they have destroyed what information they have

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The way I read it, and would appreciate being corrected, is that the court order draws a line in the sand. If it turns out later that data was not destroyed, those on the team have broken the law, and things proceed from there.

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I think this is all very interesting stuff for the judge demands proof of destruction and they do not comply there in are in contempt and can be jailed. Every day is a new day in this now rule of the lawless era we are in, and we will learn more, soon.

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This effort is awesome thank you so much. It gives me hope. I’m crying saying this.

Second thing I think we need an all out effort including calling Democrats at every level local state obviously federal to oppose the tax cut extension. The last analysis I read I don’t know if it’s cracked but it sure look like it is that the tax cut equals Social Security and Medicare funding. If we can get that message out, which would you choose public I think we need to start right now. And keep it up and keep the messages clear and help Ken Martin to do that.

As I understand that Trump has asked Congress to take it up now so we need to act now. If the message gets out clearly to the public, I think it’ll be opposed tax cuts for the wealthy or Social Security and Medicare? Seems like an easy answer to me for the average person.

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Well done Democratic Attorneys General!!! Thank you so much for stopping these bastards!!! I am glad my state's Attorney General Anthony Brown was part of this suit. I along with friends reached out to him to do so.

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How can Musk and his crew actually be arrested? It’s a federal charge but if he and his crew are in DC, can the Capitol Police or the DC police be authorized or are able to arrest them?

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An independent, uncorrupted DOJ/FBI would have arrested them already.

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But since we don't have an independent, uncorrupted FBI and DOJ, who is going to enforce the court order?

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Or any?

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we are going to find out!

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Lol. Very true.

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That’s the question. 5 guys dressed in black costumes gave their guy immunity. They used a wand to magically give him what the U.S. constitution didn’t. The military won’t force compliance.

Those 5 guys seemed to be comfortable with a king ….

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I've been thinking about this for the last several days. It seems to me the only entity that might actually arrest Muck would be the military. Millions of government employees in the defense department have taken an oath to the constitution, to protect and defend against ALL enemies, foreign and domestic. Muck is that enemy, Trump is that enemy, the unacceptable 5, whether confirmed yet or not, are that enemy, the heritage foundation is that enemy.

These employees did not take an oath to the commander in chief, they have a responsibility not to follow illegal orders, their oath is to the constitution. What about all of those high level commanders who have been in the services for decades upon decades. Are they going to just stand back and stand down while we watch this enemy from within destroy the constitutional order?

To the extent that We, the People, along with the Democratic Congressional Caucus are an inadequate backstop, can our military fill in the breach.

We have heard almost nothing about what the Trump Administation and DOD Sec'y Hesgeth have been doing to decapitate our military leadership. How much time does that take?

I'm not advocating for this action per se, but brainstorming different ways and avenues that our democracy might be saved.

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Here is some supporting documentation from a long excerpt in Robert Hubbells substack today,

Your weekly reminder: It’s a coup.

February 8, 2025

Robert B. Hubbell

...

Before looking at the news, let’s take a quick refresher on the Constitution and the immutable laws of the universe.

A refresher course on the Constitution and the Laws of the Universe

Congress makes the laws (“all legislative Powers . . . shall be vested in a Congress.”)

The president must “take Care that the Laws be faithfully executed.”

All appropriations must be authorized by Congress (No Money shall be drawn from the Treasury, but in Consequence of Appropriations made by Law)

The president must “execute”—i.e., carry out—the appropriations made by Congress.

The Impoundment Control Act of 1974 prohibits the president from refusing to spend the money appropriated by Congress.

With the above firmly in mind, it is clear that Musk and Trump's “cutting” spending in various agencies violates Articles I and II of the Constitution, the Impoundment Control Act of 1974, and the founding principle of separation of powers.

The “cuts” that Musk and Trump are imposing through computer hacking relate to funds that Congress has already appropriated—and which must be “duly executed” by the president. If Musk and Trump want to effectuate future cuts to budgets, they must convince Congress to pass an appropriations bill that makes such cuts.

Congressional Republicans have sat on their hands as Musk and Trump have overridden Congress's Article I powers based on the vague excuse of “fraud,” which has never been specifically identified. Even if fraud exists, the remedy is not to override Congress’s role in the Constitution—it is to report the fraud to the DOJ for criminal prosecution and to Congress for remedial legislation.

Musk and Trump's unlawful actions go far beyond unauthorized “cuts” accomplished by computer hacking; they extend to the extinguishment of entire agencies and departments created and funded by Congress under the authority of Article I of the Constitution.

So, the “cuts” and “closures” are not merely “controversial,” or “disputed,” or “illegal.” They overthrow the constitutional order and separation of powers by claiming that the president exercises the authority granted to Congress in Article I of the Constitution.

That is a coup. There is no other word for it.

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Can the Congress members bring the D.C. police or Capitol police with them when they ask to enter the buildings of agencies created and funded by Congress?

I’ve been watching too many action movies lately, but does Elon have more security people inside than Congress could bring with them as a police escort?

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A citizens’ arrest – with Elon Musk to be held at a secret, citizen-operated Black Site.

/s. ... I jest, of course.

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I live in OH and was calling both of my Senators daily only to be greeted by answering machines with full voicemails. Many of us started calling the DC switchboard and leaving messages for them since they were cowardky hiding behind full mailboxes. I finally was able to get through to leave a message on their answering machines only to have Moreno comment that these calls were just petty political projects funded by Democrat dark money groups. So time to call him out on FB and other social media platforms. Such a piece of garbage. Oh and I’m going to keep calling him. And Senator Schumer’s office to slow things down by calling quorums like the repubs would and voting unanimously against these horrible cabinet picks.

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Good work if they are accusing us of nefarious acts. Every accusation is a confession with these clowns.

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YAY for the AGs. Thanks for posting this Simon. We are making a difference? BTW... someone smart I know suggested get on our social security account on line, print out and save our social security verification letters and statements so we have it.... god forbid that system crashes and our info is lost and we have to prove we have it. Has anyone else thought of this? It only takes a couple of minutes so I did it and have it in hard copy as well as in a secure location.....

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Thank you for sharing this I hadn’t even thought of that possibility - but in my worst nightmares Musk & minions never came up 😥

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Great idea! One more thing, if I may: Never ever rely on your important data being stored *only* on the Cloud. Store a local copy, preferably several copies – perhaps also on an encrypted, password-protected USB stick that you keep on your keychain.

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Regarding inflation: This week I paid $7.95 for one carton of organic brown eggs, up from $4.95 last week. That’s 66 cents per egg now, a 60.6% increase in one week!!! Bird flu, the H5N1 virus, has caused serious shortages of eggs. Of course the trump administration has no interest in addressing bird flu or any other contagious disease. They will deny it, saying it’s a lie.

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It's been the reason for high egg prices for the past three years, but as entire flocks have to be exterminated if one hen has contracted the virus, it seems to me its getting harder and harder to replace these entire flocks. And now the virus is jumping species. Very dangerous.

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I read Dr Michael Osterholm’s transcript of his podcast, Osterholm Update, each week. On February 6 he reported that the H5N1 virus has spread to dairy cows in Nevada. I had to close my eyes and meditate/pray for quite a while.

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That's why there has been pushback about RFK, Jr. wanting people to drink raw milk. Pasteurization kills the virus. Raw milk can make you sick and don't give it to your kittens like one man did- all three died. So far it has been slow to crossing to people but at least one man has died. If genetic mutation happens another deadly pandemic could occur. And look what 45 did with Covid!

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On a tangentially related note: I do wish pasteurized non-homogenized milk was available. Pasteurization is a must, for obvious health-safety reasons, but homogenization is not. It turns milk into a dead product by smashing up the fat cells. Old homogenized milk does not turn sour – it rots.

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LOL! My son drinks a gallon of milk every day. Doesn't have time to rot.

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I got to agree with you there. I never had unhomogenized milk until I visited the UK when I was a student many years ago. They still had in those days the glass bottles where the cream floated to the top. I had never tasted any milk so delish!

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Please consider small farm egg producers for buying eggs. Do you live near farmers' markets or near rural areas where small farms sell eggs? Those eggs are not as expensive and small family-owned farms with smaller flocks are less likely to have bird flu, especially if they use sustainable practices.

We raise about 25-30 broilers each year (shipped from various hatcheries) which we process just for our own use. Our annual batch just arrived Thursday; they are all very healthy and already growing. Once they feather out, they will be pastured (meaning they will be in a rolling protective coup that allows them to enjoy chicken life with plenty of food and water and be moved to fresh grass daily) until the processing date in early May. We feel this way we have a much better chance of avoiding bird flu, as opposed to commercially raised and sold chickens (who live terrible lives in cramped conditions with thousands of other chickens) that tend to be the only option available in grocery stores. As with broilers, layers who live their entire lives inside hot, cramped hen houses with thousands of other chickens tend to be less healthy, especially with the prevalence of bird flu.

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I second this! We buy our eggs roadside from local farmers. Right now, we’re paying $4 per dozen eggs. They’re from free-range chickens – and every penny goes to the farmer. $4 is probably more than they would get selling to wholesale buyers, so it’s a win-win.

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And don’t you LOVE those orange yolks!! Tells you that those are happy, healthy chickens! People who have never eaten small-farm raised chicken (or duck) eggs have no idea how delicious they are compared to store-bought!

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Our town is bordered by several small farms and rural areas where many people keep chickens. A very generous couple who goes to my church brings in 2 dozen to give away every week. Beautiful, large brown eggs. I was lucky enough to snag a dozen 2 weeks ago, and am truly thankful to have access to this resource. Our local farmer’s market also sells local eggs, but I haven’t priced them recently so not sure how much of a bargain they are.

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that was very nice of them!

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Our indoor farmers market is only every other week. My son brought down some eggs from the indoor farmers market in Madison at Garver Feed Mill. They were from an Amish farm. They were $4 for one dozen. I use eggs not just for breakfast but in baking.

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Duck eggs are particularly nice for baking! Or so sayeth my wife.

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I buy from my eggs from local farmer too. One of the benefits of living in the country. Info for people who have no such access. Grocery chains will sell "organic eggs" but what you want is "free range." The thing that makes eggs both the most nutritious and delicious is when chickens can eat bugs. The yolk will be dark yellow/orange. Where I live, there are no bugs alive to eat, nor vegetation so even your local farmer can't provide free range. Under normal circumstances, chickens stop laying in winter. Some breeds have been developed to be winter layers, and farmers use lights to trick the chickens' biological mechanisms because length of day is the cue that slows/stops the reproductive process.

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I’ve always found it strange that I don’t see eggs that carry a double label: "Free range" + "Organic".

(On the rare occasions we buy our eggs in a supermarket, that is; although in the depth of winter we are forced to do so. As mentioned in my other comment, we choose to patronize our local farmers’ roadside stands – usually just a cooler and a cardboard box or can in which you leave payment. Try practicing that payment system on sidewalks in the city!)

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