Greetings, dear Community, and congratulations on making it through Brett Kavanaugh’s first week on the highest bench in the land. It’s raining in Southern California as I write this, and has been for more than half a day. Despite my Midwestern roots, I’m always startled by what always feels like such an abrupt transition from constant sunshine to sporadic rains and winds, but somehow it feels cleansing this week. We’ve rinsed ourselves clean of blood and grit after losing the nasty, bitter Kavanaugh battle, and we’ve shifted our efforts energy back to a blue takeover on November 6, which almost seems to be mere hours away.
There’s so much we can do to get the vote out, folks. Our voices, our hands, our money, and our words all matter. Please—keep doing what you can. And if you haven’t started yet, know that there is still time, and we still need you.
Anyway, I’ll hop off my soapbox for now, and share these 11 stories that stuck with us this week.
As always, thanks for being here.
Hopeless Horror - The Shockingly Dark, Evil Republican Response to Climate Change
By FishOutofWater
As conservatives throw up their hands and claim helplessness in fighting environmental crises, we have to consider why they’re giving up on our planet.
Fascism: a lesson from Oradour-sur-Glane
By Ernest T Bass
This brutal, thorough, and heartbreaking tale of Nazi destruction during World War II is a devastating must-read.
"The things the Right truly wants cannot be achieved legislatively."
By GrafZeppelin127
It’s not policy they want. It’s permission to be cruel to others.
THERE ARE NO GOOD REPUBLICANS (So stop trying to find them, aka Battered Democrat Syndrome)
By ProfWriter101
Sad truth: Republicans only abide by norms when it is in their interest, and discard them without any shame when it suits them.
My Grandma, a Proud West Virginia Democrat
By Dave in AZ
West Virginia wasn’t always a red state.
Intersectional Privilege
By Laurence Lewis
The nation might not be ready to tackle privilege, but we must be.
That sound you just heard? It was the cracking of the patriarchy.
By NoFortunateSon
There’s a lot that keeps the patriarchy going, but every day, there’s more ways to take it apart.
Dear Senator Grassley, I Wonder-
By Rule of Claw
This open letter reminds us that the humanity of our fellow neighbors is visible everywhere, if we just take the time to look.
If Conservatives Were Even Minimally Honest About Liberals, They Would Have Left the GOP Long Ago
By GrafZeppelin127
People fleeing the GOP have a really weird habit of continuing to bash the left—with lies.
My Mental Health Story
By cblodg
Everybody’s got one, even if they don’t talk about it.
Old white dude gets stereotyped (again)
By ForwardKY
Proof positive that some folks don’t just stereotype minorities, immigrants and women. They also stereotype old white guys.
That’s it for this week! As always, don’t hesitate to share your favorite recent diaries in the comments below, or send me a link via Kosmail throughout the week! We love reading your work.