I just called my AZ senators Kelly and Gallego to thank them for confronting Mike Johnson at the capitol yesterday asking why he hasn't sworn in Adelita Grijalva yet. This has left southern AZ without representation. Hopium tonight and after that a phone in town hall with my rep Greg Stanton. I'm ready for No Kings 2.
I'm very proud of Governors Newsom and Pritzker for their loud patriotism and pushback against Trump's messes in the streets. And for my Senators Duckworth and Durbin for they strong statements on Hegseth and Bondi.
i am also very proud of our Oregon Governor, Tina Kotek, who doesn’t get as much attention. It’s odd, but I see reporters and commentators immediately mention Newsom when the subject is the occupation of Portland.
I can see I worded my comment so as to sound critical of you, and I didn’t mean it that way! Sorry! I just have been noticing press/ pundit commentary rarely notices her. Rachel Maddow does, though! And I do think her modus operandi may be more low key than Pritzker and Newsom.
I am proud also. I was at the University Club in Chicago last night and heard Jill Lepore speak. Her new book, We The People, is a companion to These Truths. She is clear eyed: It is up to We The People. Alexander Hamilton in the First Federalist paper: Will we be ruled by accident and force or reflection and choice? Our third amendment rights are violated every day in Chicago. We are billeting troops here like the colonists were before the formation of the country. Hoping for a great turnout for October 18th. We could hear a protest on Michigan Avenue during the talk last night! The Chicago Police Department did a fine job. We do not need your troops in our beautiful city!
We have SO MANY smart successful forceful people on our side. Jill is another one I admire greatly! When I see these people working hard for us, I think, “How can we fail?” Thanks for your note, Martha!
I emailed and thanked Illinois Governor Pritzker, Senators Duckworth and Durbin, and Attorney General Kwame Raoul (who has has been part of 23+ lawsuits with other Attorneys General, and who has just filed a new lawsuit regarding the Nazi-type ICE raids in Chicago.) Senator Durbin was forceful and clear in his questioning of Bondi, responding to her disrespectful non-answers, in a way that I haven't seen from him in awhile. Senator Duckworth has been working tirelessly on behalf of veterans, Illinoisians, and all Americans. I am SO proud to live in this state! Onward to October 18!
Great post Simon. Thank you for the detailed behind the scenes information.
Self Report: Writing letters with Vote Forward for CA Special election; Attended Robert Reich's The Last Class Film screening and talk at UC Berkeley. The film is an amazing look at RR's career, the importance of teaching college student to think critically about everything, and about especially wealth and poverty, concentrated wealth and political power, and the consequences for democracy. Really worth watching! Will be attending Indivisible Overpass Brigade this evening for commute hour and a half. Today's message: Fight Fascism - No Kings Protest Oct. 18!
Simon, thanks for these updates and recounts on state and local candidates - it cheers me to see and hear from these wonderful new (relatively) voices, and how downstream wins are building our strength and refocusing the path forward!
The Pennsylvania races for the 3 State Supreme Court judgeships don't seem to garner the attention they deserve. They are instrumental in protecting voting rights and the health of the PA Democratic Party in general.
Jeeez that article by Greg Sargent was not easy to stomach. I keep feeling like Stephen Miller is really the evil behind the despot and there isn't enough LOUD calling him out. There are so many places on which to focus.... but this is really disturbing me. Meanwhile calling my senators every day and calling to thank those that are really using their voices. Thanks everyone.
We need to target Miller like we targeted Musk, though Musk was easier to mobilize around because there was the Tesla factor. Not sure how best to pressure Miller.
Exactly. I was saying just this. It seems like Simon's post somehow has two separate comments sections.
I think what we do (and I think someone was already doing this, maybe it was Swalwell) is make the claim that Miller is running the show, he's manipulating Trump, and Trump is not fit to do his job. When Trump disappears from view for several days, people should be leaning hard into the idea that Miller is really running the government.
At a minimum, he's spreading shit everywhere to get Trump's attention and manipulate him.
Calls are to WI elected members of congress about our 4 part agenda with special emphasis on getting and keeping the military off our streets. Riding postcards to retain judges in PA. Attended onboarding to txt for Yes to 50 and waiting for the follow up email so I can begin txting. Thanks Simon and everyone for all you’re doing.
Reading that bit about Stephen Miller reminded me again of my theory about Trump and his Rasputins (Miller, Vought, Loomer, Navarro, RFK, and of course, Vladimir rasPutin). I have long thought that the Rasputins would prefer that the others didn't exist because each of their pet projects detract from the others. I am not grateful for the tariffs, but if we didn't have the tariffs and the cratering of the economy, Miller and Co. would be able to slide a lot more under the radar. Each of these people is torching our way of life, but the sum total is so catastrophic that there's no hiding any of it from the public.
Excellent observation! And trump's MO is to play them all off each other, keeping all the puppets dancing. It's likely none of them can remain in favor for very long at a time. A wildly unstable situation.
Calls into my 2 DEM Senators thanking them for all they do to push back against hte regime's lawlessness, and implored them to hold the line for affordable healthcare. Sen. Warnock is creating particularly effective social media posts showing actual invoices from constituents with side-by-side comparisons of what they now pay with projected costs for 2026, and he prefaces each post with "this is why I will not side with Republicans"
Here in Oakland CA yesterday our family received its 4 ballots for the special election on Prop 50. Filled them out last night and all four go in the drop box today! Less than 24 hour turnaround.
Indivisible is technically non-partisan, so doubtful DEMS will speak out for them specifically. However, I agree DEMS need to bring more attention to the fact that the regime is actively engaged in trying to scare people and suppress participation before October 18 NO KINGS in violation of our first amendment rights. Indivisible founders sent out an email 2 hours ago that they are not intimidated by these tactics and reinforced that it has always been and continues to be an organization dedicated to non-violent protests.
Here is VP Harris during her recent book tour in Houston (some info on the educational breakdown of the electorate and the different demographic results, timestamp - 41:20): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0m_3uvFtxkQ . The whole event is worth a listen if you have the time. It is both hopeful and sad.
History is important. It should be cherished. This nation has a rich and complicated history.
SO, I BELIEVE HISTORY HAS ARRIVED AGAIN AS AN INFLECTION POINT FOR WHITE AMERICA. Dolos may have a unique historical antecedent that many Americans will likely not recognize (or even know about). This antecedent is one - David Curtis Stephenson originally from Texas and later Indiana. In the 1920s, he was the highly charismatic and politically powerful Grand Dragon of the Knights of the Ku Klux Klan. Stephenson became one of the key players in the Second Klan (i.e. from 1915 to approximately 1944): https://beltmag.com/grand-dragon-dc-stephenson-kkk-indiana/ .
For the day, he had his own social media channel, a newspaper, that was highly influential amongst the citizenry. In addition, Stephenson was personally able to obtain a percentage of each Klan state membership along with possible money from ancillary items such as hoods and so on. Consequently, he became one of the wealthiest individuals in the state from preying on people’s emotions (i.e. extreme hate and resentments). Supposedly, Stephenson studied Mussolini before the guy from Germany became in vogue for hating non-White, non-Protestant peoples: https://nypost.com/2023/06/10/how-one-brave-woman-took-down-a-power-hungry-ku-klux-klan-leader/ .
More importantly, David Curtis Stephenson began to believe his own hype— especially after a number of Klan-inspired political victories (e.g. “I am the Law”). It has been my humble observation that racism and misogyny are opposite sides of the same coin (WARNING - Includes description of a sexual assault): https://www.wrtv.com/longform/madge-oberholtzer-the-murder-that-brought-down-the-ku-klux-klan . In spite of an outwardly pious image, Stephenson was known in certain circles for being somewhat of a sexual predator, with parties at his Indiana mansion that would surprise the late Jeffrey Epstein.
With this profile in mind, Stephenson “kidnapped”, “raped”, and caused the death of a young woman, Madge Oberholtzer, who met him only to save her job in Indiana’s Department of Education from facing extreme cutbacks by a new state government supported by the Klan. Sadly, it took about a month for Ms. Oberholtzer to succumb to her poisoning. Her death helped to move her state and eventually her nation away from a path of hate and darkness [Petty, A.F. (2020, August 21). The Fall of the Grand Dragon. The Belt Magazine. https://beltmag.com/grand-dragon-dc-stephenson-kkk-indiana/ ]:
“The death of Madge Oberholtzer shocked Indianapolis, and disgraced Stephenson. Though Stephenson was a racist and bigot of the most unrepentant sort, he was not brought down by those qualities, or by the actions that resulted from them. These were tolerated, even encouraged by Indiana society at every level, from the small towns to the state Senate. Rather, Stephenson was only disgraced when he violated that which American racism so frequently claims to defend: the virtue of white womanhood.”
With a basis in QAnon (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/QAnon) and a firm belief that Democrats are pedophiles, is MAGA functionally the Third or Fourth … [fill in the blank]? Make America Great Again would take you back to what year? What is their problem with DEI? Why are many Republicans concerned about the “Great Replacement Theory”? So, always remember that the National Socialists actually used “Jim Crow” as a type of inspiration for their evil work (Bill Moyers was a national treasure): https://billmoyers.com/story/hitler-america-nazi-race-law/ . History is often inconvenient.
CARTHAGO DELENDA EST (via nonviolence).
P.S. : DEMOCRATIC officials keep mentioning (and showing) Jan. 6 and the PARDONS relative to the current “law and order” push by Dolos and his associates. This is a simple but strong contrast. Use social media to promote testimonies by former “January 6 Commission” members and witnesses. YES, re-litigate Jan. 6 - again and again and again. Dolos needs to realize that he lives in a GLASS HOUSE. Go on Faux News Channel because it is just like an “unrepresented” Republican district - i.e. plenty of visuals devoid of facts. The VISUAL EVIDENCE IS NOW ON YOUR SIDE. GO ON ESPN (a male-leaning channel) and express concern about the viability of the pending World Cup with actors like Dolos and Miller in the mix. With measles rampant and anti-vax officials influencing policy, will tourists want to visit the USA (weak ticket sales?): https://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/soccer/heres-what-fifa-president-gianni-infantino-said-about-ice-cbp-agents-at-club-world-cup/ar-AA1GwUkA ?
P.P.S.: Do the following now! FIRST, TEACH CIVICS. Second, register voters. THIRD, TEACH CIVICS. Rinse. Repeat.
P.P.P.S.: Every local office of the Democratic Party and of the elected officials (including state representatives on up) must become a site for civic teach-ins and a clearing house for needed services (with Federal departments being sabotaged). The fact is that Democrats believe in the value of government and of government service, and the other side (i.e. the MAGAts and the illiberals) simply doesn’t. This engagement process will make registering partisan voters and teaching civics much easier.
I just verified online that my husband's and my requests for absentee ballots have been received by our county auditor. The GOP-dominated Iowa legislature passed laws a couple of years ago to make voting by mail more difficult: ballot requests can only be submitted by mail or hand delivery; auditors can't mail out ballots before Oct. 15; completed ballots must be received by county auditors by election day. We'll vote our ballots as soon as we receive them and hand deliver them to the drop box at the auditor's office -- as close to "day 1" voting as we can do. We have city and school board elections this year, and they're important!
Yesterday, University of Tennessee Chattanooga students had a huge walkout and protest over the school ending DEI. It was great to see so many marching around the town.
The UTC Student Council denied TPUS (Turning Point USA ) from opening a chapter on campus because they did not fill in the form completely. This morning the Dean of Student Affairs overturned their wishes and let Turning Point be on campus :( It is great to see young people engaged and taking to the streets. Also, not going along with Turning Point was heartwarming for me.
We were just in downtown Chattanooga for a long weekend/concert last week! First real visit to that city (live 1 hour South of ATL) and was very impressed with the diversity of restaurants and culture we saw there, plus subtle signs of resistance (anti-facists stickers placed over proTrump ones on light posts, for example). Glad to hear of the students' activism, even though their decision was over-turned.
Did you go to Three Sisters Blue Grass festival? It was fantastic and the sunset was stunning. We saw Michael Cleveland and Jason Carter, I am still feeling happy from last Saturday night. Two weeks before that concert, they were here for the International Blue Grass Awards and saw them again. Three Sisters was better because it was free, people brought their pets, and children.
I am filled with joy because of the students and you noticed acts of resistance. Thanks for responding. Come back to Chattanooga again.
Three Sisters sounds great, so we may need to go up for that event next year, but, we had tickets to Mary Chapin Carpenter and Brandy Clark co-headlining at The Walker Theater. Fabulous seats in a beautiful old theater! I booked the hotel in South Downtown in August. Newly opened LaQuinta Inn and Suites-- just off Market St.-- is fabulous and very reasonably priced for this time of year compared to other hotels, so tell all your friends who visit to consider it. LOVED the free shuttle up and down Market Street. Loved all the brew pubs within walking distance of the hotel, and it was 1/2 mile to the theater, as well!
We absolutely did! We were last there in 1992 shortly after it opened, and were excited to see the wonderful fresh water tanks we had seen those many years before, as well as the new-to-us IMAX and salt water environments. And I agree it is world-class!
I just called my AZ senators Kelly and Gallego to thank them for confronting Mike Johnson at the capitol yesterday asking why he hasn't sworn in Adelita Grijalva yet. This has left southern AZ without representation. Hopium tonight and after that a phone in town hall with my rep Greg Stanton. I'm ready for No Kings 2.
That was a great political moment - I was so proud of them too.
Any chance the Arizona AG will file a lawsuit against the Speaker for violating constituents' rights to representation?
I'm very proud of Governors Newsom and Pritzker for their loud patriotism and pushback against Trump's messes in the streets. And for my Senators Duckworth and Durbin for they strong statements on Hegseth and Bondi.
i am also very proud of our Oregon Governor, Tina Kotek, who doesn’t get as much attention. It’s odd, but I see reporters and commentators immediately mention Newsom when the subject is the occupation of Portland.
Leslie - she is a champion! I didn’t mean to diss her - she is awesome. I’d follow her to the gates of hell! Thanks for pointing out my oversight.
I can see I worded my comment so as to sound critical of you, and I didn’t mean it that way! Sorry! I just have been noticing press/ pundit commentary rarely notices her. Rachel Maddow does, though! And I do think her modus operandi may be more low key than Pritzker and Newsom.
I am proud also. I was at the University Club in Chicago last night and heard Jill Lepore speak. Her new book, We The People, is a companion to These Truths. She is clear eyed: It is up to We The People. Alexander Hamilton in the First Federalist paper: Will we be ruled by accident and force or reflection and choice? Our third amendment rights are violated every day in Chicago. We are billeting troops here like the colonists were before the formation of the country. Hoping for a great turnout for October 18th. We could hear a protest on Michigan Avenue during the talk last night! The Chicago Police Department did a fine job. We do not need your troops in our beautiful city!
We have SO MANY smart successful forceful people on our side. Jill is another one I admire greatly! When I see these people working hard for us, I think, “How can we fail?” Thanks for your note, Martha!
I emailed and thanked Illinois Governor Pritzker, Senators Duckworth and Durbin, and Attorney General Kwame Raoul (who has has been part of 23+ lawsuits with other Attorneys General, and who has just filed a new lawsuit regarding the Nazi-type ICE raids in Chicago.) Senator Durbin was forceful and clear in his questioning of Bondi, responding to her disrespectful non-answers, in a way that I haven't seen from him in awhile. Senator Duckworth has been working tirelessly on behalf of veterans, Illinoisians, and all Americans. I am SO proud to live in this state! Onward to October 18!
Great post Simon. Thank you for the detailed behind the scenes information.
Self Report: Writing letters with Vote Forward for CA Special election; Attended Robert Reich's The Last Class Film screening and talk at UC Berkeley. The film is an amazing look at RR's career, the importance of teaching college student to think critically about everything, and about especially wealth and poverty, concentrated wealth and political power, and the consequences for democracy. Really worth watching! Will be attending Indivisible Overpass Brigade this evening for commute hour and a half. Today's message: Fight Fascism - No Kings Protest Oct. 18!
Simon, thanks for these updates and recounts on state and local candidates - it cheers me to see and hear from these wonderful new (relatively) voices, and how downstream wins are building our strength and refocusing the path forward!
The Pennsylvania races for the 3 State Supreme Court judgeships don't seem to garner the attention they deserve. They are instrumental in protecting voting rights and the health of the PA Democratic Party in general.
Jeeez that article by Greg Sargent was not easy to stomach. I keep feeling like Stephen Miller is really the evil behind the despot and there isn't enough LOUD calling him out. There are so many places on which to focus.... but this is really disturbing me. Meanwhile calling my senators every day and calling to thank those that are really using their voices. Thanks everyone.
We need to target Miller like we targeted Musk, though Musk was easier to mobilize around because there was the Tesla factor. Not sure how best to pressure Miller.
Exactly. I was saying just this. It seems like Simon's post somehow has two separate comments sections.
I think what we do (and I think someone was already doing this, maybe it was Swalwell) is make the claim that Miller is running the show, he's manipulating Trump, and Trump is not fit to do his job. When Trump disappears from view for several days, people should be leaning hard into the idea that Miller is really running the government.
At a minimum, he's spreading shit everywhere to get Trump's attention and manipulate him.
I completely agree. He has no elected power. Why is the government being run by him?
Calls are to WI elected members of congress about our 4 part agenda with special emphasis on getting and keeping the military off our streets. Riding postcards to retain judges in PA. Attended onboarding to txt for Yes to 50 and waiting for the follow up email so I can begin txting. Thanks Simon and everyone for all you’re doing.
Reading that bit about Stephen Miller reminded me again of my theory about Trump and his Rasputins (Miller, Vought, Loomer, Navarro, RFK, and of course, Vladimir rasPutin). I have long thought that the Rasputins would prefer that the others didn't exist because each of their pet projects detract from the others. I am not grateful for the tariffs, but if we didn't have the tariffs and the cratering of the economy, Miller and Co. would be able to slide a lot more under the radar. Each of these people is torching our way of life, but the sum total is so catastrophic that there's no hiding any of it from the public.
Excellent observation! And trump's MO is to play them all off each other, keeping all the puppets dancing. It's likely none of them can remain in favor for very long at a time. A wildly unstable situation.
Calls into my 2 DEM Senators thanking them for all they do to push back against hte regime's lawlessness, and implored them to hold the line for affordable healthcare. Sen. Warnock is creating particularly effective social media posts showing actual invoices from constituents with side-by-side comparisons of what they now pay with projected costs for 2026, and he prefaces each post with "this is why I will not side with Republicans"
Here in Oakland CA yesterday our family received its 4 ballots for the special election on Prop 50. Filled them out last night and all four go in the drop box today! Less than 24 hour turnaround.
The fight is more important than ever. They are - reportedly - going after ActBlue and Indivisible, labeling them as terrorist groups. This is the real goal of the current effort (winning the mid terms, its always about power). We are doing great but the party leaders need to find another gear (and so do we) again. See: https://www.reuters.com/legal/government/trumps-war-left-inside-plan-investigate-liberal-groups-2025-10-09/?link_source=ta_bluesky_link&taid=68e795c580da070001f2440d&utm_campaign=trueanthem&utm_medium=social&utm_source=bluesky
Indivisible is technically non-partisan, so doubtful DEMS will speak out for them specifically. However, I agree DEMS need to bring more attention to the fact that the regime is actively engaged in trying to scare people and suppress participation before October 18 NO KINGS in violation of our first amendment rights. Indivisible founders sent out an email 2 hours ago that they are not intimidated by these tactics and reinforced that it has always been and continues to be an organization dedicated to non-violent protests.
Why not mention that people get on the streets October 18 No Kings to protest themselves against this regime’s violations?
Here is VP Harris during her recent book tour in Houston (some info on the educational breakdown of the electorate and the different demographic results, timestamp - 41:20): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0m_3uvFtxkQ . The whole event is worth a listen if you have the time. It is both hopeful and sad.
DOLOS IS NOT WELL ON ALL LEVELS (from an international perspective, timestamp - 3:46): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FsfuYUtk8HY&list=TLPQMDkxMDIwMjUflJvokv-GQg . Per Mr. Wolff, Dolos told Epstein that he has been using LOW-LEVEL STIMULANTS (timestamp 40:10): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2EoY0LpSA6A . Take a look at the benefits and side effects (diet control and swollen ankles - sound familiar?): https://www.drugs.com/mtm/diethylpropion.html . If this is the case, the citizenry needs to know the truth.
EPSTEIN, EPSTEIN, EPSTEIN. So, we wait for Representative-Elect Grijalva to join Congress: https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/politics/elections/2025/10/08/when-will-adelita-grijalva-be-sworn-in-to-congress/86572386007/ . Why is there a delay? Please see my note below per history.
ON REPEAT FROM MID-JULY:
It seems that the world is watching how our current government values the lives of its citizens of color: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c3d135jz58zo . Some non-traditional commentators are making thoughtful observations: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RHXq2m5arkE and (extreme misogyny as the political template) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JWReITvjJIc&list=TLPQMjAwNzIwMjWbn3HxqE0imw . So, Ms. Favors’ note about the general desire to disempower women in society may have some unfortunate currency in 2025 America.
Where is Jill Stein?
"Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities."
- Voltaire
Out of the likely one thousand (or more) young trafficking victims of Epstein and his collaborators, some of them may have been quite close to Dolos: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TTUJIYOFj4c . In fact, the Daily Beast, a newish online magazine, was early to this story (i.e. ten years ago): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xggo5DWV0DQ&list=TLPQMTcwNzIwMjWpkhJgrt0Sxw . When followers of a cult find their leader to be untruthful, things begin to break in a meaningful way (see Dr. Hassan, timestamp - 27:20): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GDE5X5Sf8I4 .
Folks:
History is important. It should be cherished. This nation has a rich and complicated history.
SO, I BELIEVE HISTORY HAS ARRIVED AGAIN AS AN INFLECTION POINT FOR WHITE AMERICA. Dolos may have a unique historical antecedent that many Americans will likely not recognize (or even know about). This antecedent is one - David Curtis Stephenson originally from Texas and later Indiana. In the 1920s, he was the highly charismatic and politically powerful Grand Dragon of the Knights of the Ku Klux Klan. Stephenson became one of the key players in the Second Klan (i.e. from 1915 to approximately 1944): https://beltmag.com/grand-dragon-dc-stephenson-kkk-indiana/ .
For the day, he had his own social media channel, a newspaper, that was highly influential amongst the citizenry. In addition, Stephenson was personally able to obtain a percentage of each Klan state membership along with possible money from ancillary items such as hoods and so on. Consequently, he became one of the wealthiest individuals in the state from preying on people’s emotions (i.e. extreme hate and resentments). Supposedly, Stephenson studied Mussolini before the guy from Germany became in vogue for hating non-White, non-Protestant peoples: https://nypost.com/2023/06/10/how-one-brave-woman-took-down-a-power-hungry-ku-klux-klan-leader/ .
More importantly, David Curtis Stephenson began to believe his own hype— especially after a number of Klan-inspired political victories (e.g. “I am the Law”). It has been my humble observation that racism and misogyny are opposite sides of the same coin (WARNING - Includes description of a sexual assault): https://www.wrtv.com/longform/madge-oberholtzer-the-murder-that-brought-down-the-ku-klux-klan . In spite of an outwardly pious image, Stephenson was known in certain circles for being somewhat of a sexual predator, with parties at his Indiana mansion that would surprise the late Jeffrey Epstein.
With this profile in mind, Stephenson “kidnapped”, “raped”, and caused the death of a young woman, Madge Oberholtzer, who met him only to save her job in Indiana’s Department of Education from facing extreme cutbacks by a new state government supported by the Klan. Sadly, it took about a month for Ms. Oberholtzer to succumb to her poisoning. Her death helped to move her state and eventually her nation away from a path of hate and darkness [Petty, A.F. (2020, August 21). The Fall of the Grand Dragon. The Belt Magazine. https://beltmag.com/grand-dragon-dc-stephenson-kkk-indiana/ ]:
“The death of Madge Oberholtzer shocked Indianapolis, and disgraced Stephenson. Though Stephenson was a racist and bigot of the most unrepentant sort, he was not brought down by those qualities, or by the actions that resulted from them. These were tolerated, even encouraged by Indiana society at every level, from the small towns to the state Senate. Rather, Stephenson was only disgraced when he violated that which American racism so frequently claims to defend: the virtue of white womanhood.”
With a basis in QAnon (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/QAnon) and a firm belief that Democrats are pedophiles, is MAGA functionally the Third or Fourth … [fill in the blank]? Make America Great Again would take you back to what year? What is their problem with DEI? Why are many Republicans concerned about the “Great Replacement Theory”? So, always remember that the National Socialists actually used “Jim Crow” as a type of inspiration for their evil work (Bill Moyers was a national treasure): https://billmoyers.com/story/hitler-america-nazi-race-law/ . History is often inconvenient.
CARTHAGO DELENDA EST (via nonviolence).
P.S. : DEMOCRATIC officials keep mentioning (and showing) Jan. 6 and the PARDONS relative to the current “law and order” push by Dolos and his associates. This is a simple but strong contrast. Use social media to promote testimonies by former “January 6 Commission” members and witnesses. YES, re-litigate Jan. 6 - again and again and again. Dolos needs to realize that he lives in a GLASS HOUSE. Go on Faux News Channel because it is just like an “unrepresented” Republican district - i.e. plenty of visuals devoid of facts. The VISUAL EVIDENCE IS NOW ON YOUR SIDE. GO ON ESPN (a male-leaning channel) and express concern about the viability of the pending World Cup with actors like Dolos and Miller in the mix. With measles rampant and anti-vax officials influencing policy, will tourists want to visit the USA (weak ticket sales?): https://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/soccer/heres-what-fifa-president-gianni-infantino-said-about-ice-cbp-agents-at-club-world-cup/ar-AA1GwUkA ?
P.P.S.: Do the following now! FIRST, TEACH CIVICS. Second, register voters. THIRD, TEACH CIVICS. Rinse. Repeat.
P.P.P.S.: Every local office of the Democratic Party and of the elected officials (including state representatives on up) must become a site for civic teach-ins and a clearing house for needed services (with Federal departments being sabotaged). The fact is that Democrats believe in the value of government and of government service, and the other side (i.e. the MAGAts and the illiberals) simply doesn’t. This engagement process will make registering partisan voters and teaching civics much easier.
I just verified online that my husband's and my requests for absentee ballots have been received by our county auditor. The GOP-dominated Iowa legislature passed laws a couple of years ago to make voting by mail more difficult: ballot requests can only be submitted by mail or hand delivery; auditors can't mail out ballots before Oct. 15; completed ballots must be received by county auditors by election day. We'll vote our ballots as soon as we receive them and hand deliver them to the drop box at the auditor's office -- as close to "day 1" voting as we can do. We have city and school board elections this year, and they're important!
Yesterday, University of Tennessee Chattanooga students had a huge walkout and protest over the school ending DEI. It was great to see so many marching around the town.
The UTC Student Council denied TPUS (Turning Point USA ) from opening a chapter on campus because they did not fill in the form completely. This morning the Dean of Student Affairs overturned their wishes and let Turning Point be on campus :( It is great to see young people engaged and taking to the streets. Also, not going along with Turning Point was heartwarming for me.
We were just in downtown Chattanooga for a long weekend/concert last week! First real visit to that city (live 1 hour South of ATL) and was very impressed with the diversity of restaurants and culture we saw there, plus subtle signs of resistance (anti-facists stickers placed over proTrump ones on light posts, for example). Glad to hear of the students' activism, even though their decision was over-turned.
Did you go to Three Sisters Blue Grass festival? It was fantastic and the sunset was stunning. We saw Michael Cleveland and Jason Carter, I am still feeling happy from last Saturday night. Two weeks before that concert, they were here for the International Blue Grass Awards and saw them again. Three Sisters was better because it was free, people brought their pets, and children.
I am filled with joy because of the students and you noticed acts of resistance. Thanks for responding. Come back to Chattanooga again.
Three Sisters sounds great, so we may need to go up for that event next year, but, we had tickets to Mary Chapin Carpenter and Brandy Clark co-headlining at The Walker Theater. Fabulous seats in a beautiful old theater! I booked the hotel in South Downtown in August. Newly opened LaQuinta Inn and Suites-- just off Market St.-- is fabulous and very reasonably priced for this time of year compared to other hotels, so tell all your friends who visit to consider it. LOVED the free shuttle up and down Market Street. Loved all the brew pubs within walking distance of the hotel, and it was 1/2 mile to the theater, as well!
hope you checked out the amazing aquarium, one of the best in the world really.
We absolutely did! We were last there in 1992 shortly after it opened, and were excited to see the wonderful fresh water tanks we had seen those many years before, as well as the new-to-us IMAX and salt water environments. And I agree it is world-class!
That aquarium blew me away. I think of it often.