Welcome 🌻 to Friday’s Roundup of Good News!
Sometimes I can write the intro well in advance.
But not this week. I did not know whether or not we would rejoice or weep.
Alas, it is the latter.
So, what happened? I think the problem is that we Ds like to assume that people are rational and that they will behave the way they should. But older, powerful guys have been leading most primate groups for thousands of years (I know there are bonobos, but there are also chimps and gorillas). It’s what we see in most of history. It’s baked into the brains of many. We cannot convince these people using the same methods that we use on ourselves.
There’s also the influence of the billionaires, both home and abroad, who have been working to return us to serfdom. I don’t know why that pleases them, but it does.
I also think we need to do more to appeal to young men, although I do not know how to do this.
I wonder, too, if I have misled you with good news these last 4 years. But I don’t think so. I think that joy strengthens us.
One of the great things about the Harris campaign was how she reminded us it was possible to be joyful. Just a glimpse, perhaps, but a reminder of what is possible.
Obviously, we’re not there yet.
Remember how long that SCOTUS purchasing guy has been working to corrupt the courts. We need as much time to go the other way.
Do not surrender in advance.
Also, find something that gives you joy. Share it if you can.
The GNR team is still here. Some of us will need some breaks, and my own offering today is less than usual. This community is so important. Yes, we need to lick our wounds and learn to fight more effectively.
But we will learn. And we will make progress.
PS I am traveling today, so will not be around much.
Regular Scheduled Programming
No one here is naïve; we are aware of the many who are fighting to destroy our country. Some of us expected it: the cheating, the lying, the chaos, and yes, even the attempts to cling to power despite the clear will of the people. But we are here to read the efforts and the positive results of those (including us and our fellow gnus) who are working so hard to save our country from those very bad people. We are furious with them for what they are doing and we are letting them know. Remember:
💙 There are more of us than there are of them.
💛 They are terrified when we organize. THERE IS LOTS OF EVIDENCE THAT THEY ARE TERRIFIED!
💔 They want us to be demoralized. The best way to keep up your spirits is to fight. So, take the time to recharge your batteries, but find ways to contribute to the well-being of our country and our world.
🗽 Biden as President! 🗽
Biden, Harris and their administration have been hard at work. Here are the last week’s posts at the White House briefing room.
- Thursday, November 7, 2024: Statement from White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre on President Biden’s travel to Peru and Brazil
- Thursday, November 7, 2024: Readout of President Joe Biden’s Call with President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva of Brazil
- Thursday, November 7, 2024: President Biden Announces Presidential Delegation to Botswana to Attend the Inauguration of His Excellency Duma Gideon Boko
- Thursday, November 7, 2024: Letter to the Speaker of the House and President of the Senate on the Continuation of the National Emergency With Respect to the Proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction
- Thursday, November 7, 2024: Letter to the Speaker of the House and President of the Senate on the Continuation of the National Emergency With Respect to the Threat From Securities Investments That Finance Certain Companies of the People’s Republic of China
- Thursday, November 7, 2024: Notice to the Speaker of the House and President of the Senate on the Continuation of the National Emergency With Respect to the Proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction
- Thursday, November 7, 2024: Memorandum on Presidential Determination Pursuant to Section 1245(d)(4)(B) and (C) of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2012
- Thursday, November 7, 2024: Notice on the Continuation of the National Emergency With Respect to the Threat From Securities Investments That Finance Certain Companies of the People’s Republic of China
- Thursday, November 7, 2024: Remarks by President Biden in Address to the Nation
- Wednesday, November 6, 2024: Statement from President Joe Biden
- Wednesday, November 6, 2024: A Proclamation on Veterans Day, 2024
- Tuesday, November 5, 2024: President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. Approves Major Disaster Declaration for the Seminole Tribe of Florida
- Tuesday, November 5, 2024: Statement from Vice President Harris on the International Association of Machinists and Boeing Contract Ratification
- Tuesday, November 5, 2024: Statement from President Joe Biden on the Contract Between the International Association of Machinists and Boeing
- Monday, November 4, 2024: Statement from Vice President Kamala Harris on the Passing of Quincy Jones
- Monday, November 4, 2024: Statement from President Joe Biden on the Passing of Quincy Jones
- Monday, November 4, 2024: Remarks by Vice President Harris at a Campaign Event | Scranton, PA
- Monday, November 4, 2024: Statement by President Joe Biden on Moldova’s Presidential Elections
- Monday, November 4, 2024: FACT SHEET: The Biden-Harris Administration Marks the Anniversary of the Americas Partnership for Economic Prosperity Leaders’ Summit
- Saturday, November 2, 2024: Remarks by Vice President Harris in Press Gaggle | Milwaukee, WI
- Friday, November 1, 2024: Remarks by Vice President Harris at a Campaign Event | Janesville, WI
- Friday, November 1, 2024: President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. Amends Vermont Disaster Declaration
- Friday, November 1, 2024: President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. Approves New Mexico Disaster Declaration
- Friday, November 1, 2024: President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. Approves Disaster Declaration for the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe
- Friday, November 1, 2024: Remarks as Prepared for Delivery by National Climate Advisor Ali Zaidi at Georgetown Law School on the Biden-Harris Administration’s Work to Rebuild our Middle Class and Accelerate American Manufacturing and Innovation
- Friday, November 1, 2024: Remarks by Vice President Harris in Press Gaggle | Madison, WI
- Friday, November 1, 2024: Press Gaggle by Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre and Acting Labor Secretary Julie Su En Route Philadelphia, PA
- Friday, November 1, 2024: Letter to the Speaker of the House and President of the Senate on the Continuation of the National Emergency With Respect to Iran
- Friday, November 1, 2024: Notice to the Speaker of the House and President of the Senate on the Continuation of the National Emergency With Respect to Iran
- Friday, November 1, 2024: The White House Celebrates Día de los Muertos
- Friday, November 1, 2024: Memorandum on Delegation of Authority Under Section 614(a)(1) of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961
- Friday, November 1, 2024: Statement from President Joe Biden on the October 2024 Jobs Report
- Friday, November 1, 2024: 2025-2026 White House Fellowship
- Friday, November 1, 2024: FACT SHEET: President Biden Announces 1.2 Million Pensions Protected Under Biden-Harris Administration, Celebrates Historic Support for Unions
- Friday, November 1, 2024: Statement by President Joe Biden on the Beginning of the 2025 ACA Open Enrollment Period
👎 Out with the Bad, In with the Good 👍
A bright spot: abortion measures pass in 7 states
Amid the horrors of Tuesday's election, there was one bright spot: Seven states passed ballot measures to expand or enshrine the right to an abortion: Arizona, Colorado, Maryland, Missouri, Montana, Nevada, and New York.
Abortion-rights ballot measures failed in Florida, Nebraska, and South Dakota—the first such measures to fail at the state level since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade and eliminated the constitutional right to abortion.
Florida's abortion-rights ballot measure—which would have nixed the state’s draconian six-week ban and protected the right to the procedure before fetal viability—got 57%, just shy of the 60% supermajority that it needed.
💙 DEMOCRATS DELIVER 💙
President Biden’s speech to the nation yesterday White House Briefing Room
For over 200 years, America has carried on the greatest experiment in self-government in the history of the world — and that’s not hyperbole; that’s a fact — where the people — the people vote and choose their own leaders and they do it peacefully and where, in a democracy, the will of the people always prevails.
Yesterday, I spoke with President-elect Trump to congratulate him on his victory. And I assured him that I would direct my entire administration to work with his team to ensure a peaceful and orderly transition. That’s what the American people deserve.
Yesterday, I also spoke with Vice President Harris. She’s been a partner and a public servant. She ran an inspiring campaign, and everyone got to see something that I learned early on to respect so much: her character. She has a backbone like a ramrod. She has great character, true character. She gave her whole heart and effort, and she and her entire team should be proud of the campaign they ran.
You know, the struggle for the soul of America since our very founding has always been an ongoing debate and still vital today. I know, for some people, it’s a time for victory, to state the obvious. For others, it’s a time of loss.
Campaigns are contests of competing visions. The country chooses one or the other. We accept the choice the country made. I’ve said many times you can’t love your country only when you win. You can’t love your neighbor only when you agree.
Something I hope we can do no matter who you voted for is see each other not as adversaries but as fellow Americans, bring down the temperature.
I also hope we can lay to rest the question about the integrity of the American electoral system. It is honest, it is fair, and it is transparent. And it can be trusted, win or lose.
I also hope we can restore the respect for all our election workers, who busted their necks and took risks at the outset. We should thank them — thank them for staffing voting sites, counting the votes, protecting the very integrity of the election. Many of them are volunteers who do it simply out of love for their country.
And as they did — as they did their duty as citizens, I will do my duty as president. I will fulfill my oath, and I will honor the Constitution. On January 20th, we will have a peaceful transfer of power here in America.
To all our incredible staff, supporters, Cabinet members, all the people who have been hanging out with me for the last four years — “God love you,” as my mother would say — thank you so much.
You put so much into the past four years. I know it’s a difficult time. You’re hurting. I hear you, and I see you. But don’t forget — don’t forget all that we accomplished.
It’s been a historic presidency — not because I’m president — because what we’ve done, what you’ve done — a presidency for all Americans.
Much of the work we’ve done is already being felt by the American people. The vast majority of it will not be felt — be felt over the next 10 years. We have a — we have legislation we passed that’s just — only now just really kicking in.
We’re going to see over a trillion dollars’ worth of infrastructure work done, changing people’s lives in rural communities and communities that are in real difficulty, because it takes time to get it done, and so much more that’s going to take time. But it’s there.
The road ahead is clear, assuming we sustain it. There’s so much — so much we can get done and will get done based the way the legislation was passed. And it’s truly historic.
You know, we’re leaving behind the strongest economy in the world. I know people are still hurting. But things are changing rapidly. Together, we’ve changed America for the better.
Now we have 74 days to finish the term — our term. Let’s make every day count. That’s the responsibility we have to the American people.
Look, folks, you all know it in your lives: Setbacks are unavoidable, but giving up is unforgivable. Setbacks are unavoidable, but giving up is unforgivable. We all get knocked down, but the measure of our character, as my dad would say, is how quickly we get back up. Remember, a defeat does not mean we are defeated. We lost this battle.
The America of your dreams is calling for you to get back up. That’s the story of America for over 240 years and counting. It’s a story for all of us, not just some of us.
The American experiment endures, and we’re going to be okay, but we need to stay engaged. We need to keep going. And above all, we need to keep the faith.
I’m so proud to have worked with all of you. I really mean it. I sincerely mean it.
God bless you all. God bless America. And may God protect our troops. Thank you, thank you, thank you. (Applause.)
💜 Unity? 💜
I saw this: 10 things to do now that tRump has won Daniel Hunter
The key to taking effective action in a Trump world is to avoid perpetuating the autocrat’s goals of fear, isolation, exhaustion and disorientation.
It’s important we squarely face Trump’s victory and what there is to do about it.
Trump has already signaled the kind of president he will be: revengeful, uncontrolled and unburdened by past norms and current laws. I won’t go through the litany of awful things he’s pledged to do, since that’s been well-established with his words, Project 2025 plans and excellent analyses from authoritarian experts.
Looking into an even more destabilized future is not easy. If you’re like me, you’re already tired. The prospect of more drama is daunting. But authoritarianism isn’t going away no matter the election results. So here’s some thinking about ways to orient so we can ground ourselves better for these times ahead. ✂️
1. Trust yourself
I started writing this list with strategic principles (e.g. analyze your opponents weakness and learn to handle political violence), but actually the place to start is with your own self.
Trump is arriving at a time of great social distrust. Across the board, society has reduced trust in traditional institutions. Yes, there’s more distrust of the media, medical professionals, experts and politicians. But it extends beyond that. There’s reduced trust in most community institutions and membership groups. Whether from COVID or political polarization, a lot of us have experienced reduced trust in friends and family. Even our trust in predictable weather is diminished.
Distrust fuels the flame of autocracy because it makes it much easier to divide. We can see that in the casual nature of Trump’s rhetoric — telling people to distrust immigrants, Democrats, socialists, people from Chicago, women marchers, Mexicans, the press and so on.
This is a social disease: You know who to trust by who they tell you to distrust.
Trust-building starts with your own self. It includes trusting your own eyes and gut, as well as building protection from the ways the crazy-making can become internalized.
This also means being trustworthy — not just with information, but with emotions. That way you can acknowledge what you know and admit the parts that are uncertain fears nagging at you.
Then take steps to follow through on what you need. If you’re tired, take some rest. If you’re scared, make some peace with your fears. I can point you to resources that support that — like FindingSteadyGround.com — but the value here is to start with trusting your own inner voice. If you need to stop checking your phone compulsively, do it. If you don’t want to read this article now and instead take a good walk, do it.
Trust all these things inside of you because trust in self is part of the foundation of a healthy movement life.
The other suggestions are really good, and I recommend that all gnusies bookmark that page and absorb the principles. Because we’re going to need it.
📥 Actions You Can Take 📤
Tax-exempt organization complaint referrals. 13909. You can fill this out for the NRA and lots of other organizations. How about if some of us white folk go into some of the MAGA churches and video record what they’re saying?
Voting rights. This may be the biggest issue threatening our democracy right now. Besides contacting your representatives at the state and federal level to do the right thing (depending on who they are), you can support and contact these organizations:
ACLU — American Civil Liberties Union
Democracy Docket — founded by Marc Elias, so important in fighting the challenges after the last election.
Fair Fight — founded by Stacey Abrams
🌱Grass roots. Biden and Harris can do the top-down stuff, but we have to support from the bottom. I don’t know how to deprogram 75 million people, but some things have been written about, such as deep canvassing, and lots of people are talking about this. If you know someone (who did not storm the Capitol), then see if you can be pleasant. Instead of trying to reason with them (logic is obviously not their strong point) distract them with something else. We need to remove the sources of lies and to take down the temperature. If we get more of the Rs to wear masks and to get vaccinated and to vote for Ds, the country will be a better place. We need to coax some of them out of the rabbit holes and diffuse the anger and the crazy.
🏃 Run for something. If you want to run for something, but have no idea what to do, these people will help you. They also like money and volunteers to help those people who are running, so even if you’re not in a position to stand for office, you can help. Note: they are especially planning to target the 57 Rs in local governments who participated in the insurrection.
👎 Defund the seditionists. Defund the seditionists. This is a list with companies that sometimes have donated to the seditionists. The list is long. You will recognize many of the corporations, and you probably have a relationship with some — either you are a customer, a shareholder, or maybe even an employee. Contact them and compliment or complain, but let them know you are watching. Forward it to others.
🔎 Want to check out what’s going on with campaign contributions? Check out this diary. 👀
🌹 Let’s Celebrate Love ❤️
Train driver marries woman who he met by preventing her suicide Andy Corbley Good News Network
Charlotte stood on the train tracks ready for a train to come sweeping down the rails and end it all.
However the driver of that train, 47-year-old Dave Lay, had other plans.
Slamming the brakes after receiving notice of a pedestrian on the tracks, Lay brought the train to a halt and got down to talk with the suicidal woman for nearly half an hour before eventually getting her safely to the next platform. ✂️
After Dave returned Charlotte’s text telling her he was available whenever she needed to speak to someone, they began exchanging messages on a daily basis. They met for a coffee after chatting for two months.
Now they are married...
📎Odds & Ends 📎
Man sees color for the 1st time:
*
Life hacks. I’m going to put in a tip that others can use. Now, the active ingredient in most products meant to whiten teeth is hydrogen peroxide. I often brush my teeth and gums with a 3% H2O2 solution. Turns out it is great for whitening teeth, for cleaning those gums, and costs about 5% of those expensive whitening products. I have been doing this for about a year, and in my two last cleanings at the dentist, they commented on the excellent state of my gums. Given how much coffee I consume, I will never have pearly whites, but my old teeth are several shades lighter than they used to be.
If you can, include a life hack in the comments.
🐦 I do a lot of other writing. A recent offering: the Crow Nickels (chronicles), a trilogy about crows who want to save birdkind from extinction: Hunters of the Feather, Scavengers of Mind and Familiars of the Flock (They’re really good! They’re really cheap! Buy and review or rate positively! And they are available on Audible!) Other stories, based on Jane Austen novels — such as The Meryton Murders — and others based on history and Greek mythology, such as Jocasta: The Mother-Wife of Oedipus, can be found here. All titles are available through Kindle Unlimited, but I only get paid if you turn the pages.
💙 What You Can Do to Rescue Democracy 💙
It turns out that participation in democracy is not just an every-four-years event but requires active participation, like, whenever you can find time.
Current projects:
Look in the comments for Progressive Muse’s report on Postcards to Voters
And some other ideas:
You can relax and recharge.
You can join protests and freeway blog.
You can help register new voters.
You can smile.
You can say something nice to friend or a stranger.
You can get out the vote for special elections.
You can reach out to Republicans. We need to win them over.
You can share your ideas below.
🌻
💙 “Our history has been a constant struggle between the American ideal that we all are created equal and the harsh ugly reality that racism, nativism, fear, demonization have long torn us apart. The battle is perennial, and victory is never assured.” 💙
President Joseph R. Biden
🌹 🌹 🌹
TRUTH MATTERS. LOVE MATTERS.
