Welcome 🌻 to Friday’s Roundup of Good News!
Whew! The debate went well, didn’t it? It happened while I was prepping to get on an airplane, so I could not watch it live. But it was cathartic, absolutely cathartic, to listen to pundits and podcasts and to realize that someone finally gave tRump the ass-kicking he deserves. And with so many watching! And with a smile!
Because of travel, I had less time this week to write, so I decided to focus on something else this week. Today we’re looking at the ways that the Rs are ceding ground to the Ds. This is our chance to redefine the political landscape. This is the moment to reclaim American exceptionalism and to help take our country forward.
However, this doesn’t happen without a lot of work. Facts may be facts, but they only influence people’s minds when people know about them. Repetition is good! Repetition is good!
Come on in, and see some of the areas where Team Blue is taking ground from Team Red. And, feel free to add your own, as there are plenty of other areas.
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.
💙 Team Blue Taking Ground from Team Red 💙
Over the years, the Rs had many claims that appealed to the American public. They were strong. They wrapped themselves in flags and flagpins. They were pro military (they were enthralled to the Military Industrial Complex and they liked hierarchy). They pretended to be good at the economy (this has not been true, like ever, but it’s still the story). In their eyes, America could do no wrong.
The Ds on the other hand, sometimes had doubts. They thought many wars we fought were unjust and they questioned American motives. They railed against corporate greed and got labeled as anti business (sometimes justly so) and hence bad for the economy.
But, during the tRump years, the hypocrisy, chaos and greed of the Rs has become easier to see. They are not just saying the quiet part out loud, they are shooting it from the rooftops.
1. IT’S THE ECONOMY, STUPID 💰💵 💹
Here in the choir, we know the Ds are better at the economy by most metrics. Jobs, debt, stock market. But this is not something that has been noticed by the general public.
History: Rs were friendly to businesses, sometimes too friendly. Ds, with their regulations, seemed to make running a business more difficult.
Hypocrisy: Reaganomics, called voo-doo economics by Bush I, trickle-down economics by most, never made any sense. Their policies led to multiple recessions and enormous national debt.
Now people are finally hearing more of the truth. Here’s information about jobs; Bill Madden: Bill Clinton is right. Since the end of the cold war in 1989, America has created about 51 million new jobs. The score is Dems 50, GOP 1. If ppl ever figure out that all Republicans ever do is enrich themselves, they'll never win another election.
Then there’s the stock market. Maybe not the best measure of the economy, but it has gone up about 50% since tRump left office.
What about the future? Harris’s economic plans were approved by Goldman Sachs. Rex Huppke: Goldman Sachs says Comrade Kamala Harris is better than Donald Trump for the U.S. economy. She can't even do communism right!
Rex Huppke, USA Today
But what’s even more appalling is recent revelations from economists at investment giant Goldman Sachs that a Harris victory in November would boost the U.S. economy while a Trump victory would be a “hit to growth.” ✂️ .
That’s right, the economists wrote: "If Democrats sweep, new spending and expanded middle-income tax credits would slightly more than offset lower investment due to higher corporate tax rates, resulting in a very slight boost to GDP investment due to higher corporate tax rates, resulting in a very slight boost to GDP growth on average over 2025-2026.”
And if Trump beats Comrade Kamala the communist? The Goldman Sachs report said: “We estimate that if Trump wins in a sweep or with divided government, the hit to growth from tariffs and tighter immigration policy would outweigh the positive fiscal impulse” from continuing most corporate tax reductions.
tRump has bankrupted multiple businesses. Truth Social is spiralling. He is as bad a businessman as can be.
And, some CEOs recognize this. Here are 88 of them. 88 business leaders, including CEOs of Yelp, Box, and Snap and former CEOs of Pepsi, Lyft, Starbucks and Ford, have endorsed VP Kamala Harris over Trump.
Also, according to another tweet, not a single Fortune 100 CEO is supporting tRump.
The Ds have a huge advantage in managing the economy, because we insist on actual reality instead of alternative facts. Now, alternative facts can have some influence, but they are not everything.
2. FLAG & PATRIOTISM
Background: Waving the flag — like chanting USA! USA! — is taken as being proud of being an American. The Rs were unquestioning about this, and demanded that Obama wear a flag pin.
The Ds, on the other hand, kept pointing out real problems. We had trouble being proud of our country when — decade after decade — we instigated unjust, unfounded wars: Viet Nam. Afghanistan. Iraq. And there there were things like torture. Not to mention problems at home, such as gun violence and health care that denied people as soon as they
But things have changed.
The Rs have taken to waving other flags, such as the Confederate flag, swastikas, and when they do fly the flag, it’s often upside down. tRump has also taken to shit-talking the US, saying we’re a nation in decline.
Here’s a tweet — and yes, the police endorsed tRump — where the J6 rioters use the upside down flag (also flown by Martha Alito).
The Viet Nam and Iraq wars ended a while ago, and President Biden got us out of Afghanistan. The Afghani withdrawal was not done well, but the failures were set up by tRump.
The Ds are showing their patriotism. At the convention they did the most joyful roll call celebrating each state. Here it is, in full (I have posted this before but repetition is good):
*
What are tRump and the maga crowd doing? They are talking about how America is in decline, even though it is the leader, both financially and politically, in the world.
3. NATIONAL SECURITY & STRENGTH 🗽
This is an area where the Rs have had more success over the years. The Rs — again that Military Industrial Complex — were more willing to go to war, to torture people, and so on. The Ds were not, because you know, we don’t like killing innocent people.
But things have shifted. Not completely, but some. Among the military. Certainly our position in the world.
President Biden strengthened NATO, while tRump sucked up to dick-tators.
Biden and Harris have supported the military, while tRump calls them suckers and losers. tRump would not go to a cemetery in France because he did not want to get his hair wet, but went to Arlington cemetery and broke the law.
tRump only pretends to be strong. tRump punches down (babies in cages) but bows to putin, Applying the transitive property to ass-kissing, this means that all the Rs who buss the butt of the orange felon are ready to do that to Russia’s dictator. We have seen that a lot of in the media lately, where content creators are shocked! shocked! to learn they have been funded by Russia. Steven Lee Myers, Ken Bensinger, Justin Rutenberg New York Times
“Influencers already have a level of trust with their audience,” said Jo Lukito, a professor at the University of Texas at Austin’s journalism school who studies Russian disinformation. “So, if a piece of information can come through the mouth of an existing influencer, it comes across as more authentic.”
The indictment — which landed like a bombshell in the country’s conservative media ecosystem — also underscored the growing ideological convergence between President Vladimir V. Putin’s Russia and a significant portion of the Republican Party since Mr. Trump’s rise to political power.
I believe this is but the tip of the iceberg. Tucker Carlson is a willing RT mouthpiece, as are many others in the right-wing media — and, I believe, in the GOP side of government.
President Biden and Vice President Harris strengthened our relationship with allies. All here know about NATO, yes, where Biden has been great for Ukraine and Europe (Europe is nervous about this election) but in other arenas, too.
Also, Harris has been instrumental in much of this, especially in working with the nations down south on the border.
The Ds have earned this but it is not always easy to get the MSM to notice (partly because they’re infected by Russia), and partly because it goes against the usual narrative. But some are noticing.
Here’s an example:
Also, others in the military are supporting Harris. Here’s an example of some top military defending Harris with respect to Afghanistan. Sophia Cai Axios
Ten generals and admirals are mobilizing to defend Vice President Kamala Harris from Republican attempts to tie her to the chaotic 2021 U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan.
Why it matters: The withdrawal has emerged as a major campaign issue in the lead-up to Tuesday's presidential debate, with Harris coming under fire from former President Trump, House Republicans and parents of victims of the Abbey Gate suicide attack, which killed 13 American service members.
- The push to defend Harris comes from retired military brass, including three with four-stars: Admiral Steve Abbot, who served as deputy homeland security advisor to George W. Bush, Gen. Lloyd W. Newton and Gen. Larry R. Ellis, who has never previously endorsed a political candidate.
- Some of the military officials are also fanning out on TV this week to defend Harris' record, two people familiar with the plans told Axios.
Driving the news: "Without involving the Afghan government, [Trump] and his Administration negotiated a deal with the Taliban that freed 5,000 Taliban fighters," the retired military officials wrote in a National Security Leaders for America letter first obtained by Axios.
4. FOOTBALL AND SPORTS 🏈 🏀 🏃 ⛹🏽♀️
Sports were long considered as belonging only to the masculine domain; in fact, women and girls often only had minimal sports activities that were sponsored. Despite anecdotes of many fantastic female athletes (and warriors) over the millennia, sports/war belonged to the guys.
Moreover, the football team owners were mostly GOP, and they had much more money and larger megaphones. They managed to ban players such as Colin Kapernick.
Taylor Swift and her boyfriend, Kansas City Chiefs tight end, have done a lot to change that. Sure Taylor Swift is a singer, not a football player, but because of her, little girls are watching football with their fathers. (And we are so thrilled that she endorsed Harris and Walz.)
Here Taylor Swift with her boyfriend Travis Kelce have date night after the Chiefs win the game last week against the Ravens Becca Longmire People
It's another date night for Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce!
On Friday, Sept. 6, the couple continued to celebrate the Kansas City Chiefs' big win against the Baltimore Ravens the night prior, as they were pictured holding hands while heading to Brooklyn, New York pizza spot Lucali for dinner.
The romance bothered the magas so much that they accused NATO of using Taylor Swift as a psyops. AND they are apparently still doing it!
The fact that this bothers them SO MUCH means it is important.
In the coaching arena, the Rs have claimed Senator Tuberville and Representative Jim Jordan (who shamed his coaching position many ways). But now we have Coach Tim Walz, who has reminded America that Dems can be good at football too. Emmett Prosser Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Before becoming a congressman and then governor of Minnesota, Walz was a teacher and coach at both at Alliance High School in Nebraska and Mankato West High School in the North Star state.
It appears he excelled at it.
"I taught for 36 years and I’ve been around few coaches as good as him," former Alliance High School coach Jeff Tomiln said in a story in The Athletic last week. ✂️
After starting 2-4 in 1999, the Scarlets won eight straight games to win their first state championship.
"He was very good about teaching the fundamentals of defense and where to be," Boone added. "But it was also, like, ‘OK, you’re going to get there, but now you’ve got to get there with some enthusiasm!’"
tRump knows the importance of football, which is why he tried to get Herschel Walker into the Senate. But Harris and her team understand it too, and they had
It’s not just football. Harris supports other sports too: Reminder: While everything Trump touches dies — everything Kamala touches turns to Gold.Before the US men's basketball team began their quest for the Gold Medal, Kamala Harris, who is a huge Warriors and Steph Curry fan, visited the US Olympic team
Here she is, cheering for both men and women:
🗽 Biden as President! Harris as Vice 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, September 12, 2024: Letter to the Speaker of the House and President of the Senate on the Social Security Totalization Agreement With Romania
- Thursday, September 12, 2024: Readout of White House, Department of Agriculture, and Environmental Protection Agency Roundtable on Financing Climate Smart Agriculture
- Thursday, September 12, 2024: Readout of White House Roundtable on U.S. Leadership in AI Infrastructure
- Thursday, September 12, 2024: Proclamation on the 30th Anniversary of the Violence Against Women Act
- Thursday, September 12, 2024: Statement by White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre on the 2024 Quad Leaders Summit
- Thursday, September 12, 2024: On-the-Record Press Gaggle by White House National Security Communications Advisor John Kirby
- Thursday, September 12, 2024:FACT SHEET: Biden-Harris Administration Commemorates the 30th Anniversary of the Violence Against Women Act and Strengthens Commitment to Ending Gender-Based Violence
- Wednesday, September 11, 2024: President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. Approves Vermont Disaster Declaration
- Wednesday, September 11, 2024: President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. Approves Pennsylvania Disaster Declaration
- Wednesday, September 11, 2024: Statement from National Economic Advisor Lael Brainard on the August Consumer Price Index
- Wednesday, September 11, 2024: Statement from Vice President Kamala Harris on Aysenur Eygi
- Wednesday, September 11, 2024: Statement from President Joe Biden on Aysenur Eygi
- Wednesday, September 11, 2024: Statement by Vice President Kamala Harris on the Anniversary of September 11
- Wednesday, September 11, 2024: Statement from President Joe Biden on the Anniversary of September 11
- Tuesday, September 10, 2024: Remarks by Vice President Harris at a Campaign Event | Philadelphia, PA
- Tuesday, September 10, 2024: President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. Approves Louisiana Emergency Declaration
- Tuesday, September 10, 2024: Remarks by President Biden Honoring the 2023-2024 NCAA Men’s Basketball Champions, the University of Connecticut Huskies
- Tuesday, September 10, 2024: Remarks by President Biden Honoring the 2023-2024 NCAA Women’s Basketball Champions, the University of South Carolina Gamecocks
- Tuesday, September 10, 2024: Statement from President Joe Biden on the Census Income, Poverty and Health Insurance Coverage Reports
- Tuesday, September 10, 2024: Statement from President Joe Biden on the Passing of James Earl Jones
- Tuesday, September 10, 2024: Patriot Day and National Day of Service and Remembrance, 2024
- Tuesday, September 10, 2024: Statement from President Biden on Report Showing Nearly 50 Million People Have Had Health Insurance through Affordable Care Act Marketplace
- Monday, September 9, 2024: A Proclamation on World Suicide Prevention Day, 2024
- Monday, September 9, 2024: Press Release: Notice on the Continuation of the National Emergency With Respect to Certain Terrorist Attacks
- Monday, September 9, 2024: Message to the Congress on the Continuation of the National Emergency With Respect to Certain Terrorist Attacks
- Monday, September 9, 2024: Message to the Congress on the Continuation of the National Emergency With Respect to Foreign Interference in or Undermining Public Confidence in United States Elections
- Monday, September 9, 2024: Press Release: Notice on the Continuation of the National Emergency With Respect to Foreign Interference in or Undermining Public Confidence in United States Elections
- Monday, September 9, 2024: Nominations Sent to the Senate
- Monday, September 9, 2024: Press Briefing by Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre and National Security Communications Adviser John Kirby
- Monday, September 9, 2024: President Biden Announces Key Nominees
- Monday, September 9, 2024: FACT SHEET: Congressional Republicans are Wasting Time Instead of Delivering for the American People Yet Again
- Monday, September 9, 2024: FACT SHEET: Biden-Harris Administration Lowers Mental Health Care Costs by Improving Access to Mental Health and Substance Use Care
- Friday, Septembet 6, 2024: Executive Order on Investing in America and Investing in American Workers
- Friday, Septembet 6, 2024: President Biden Announces Key Appointments to Boards and Commissions
- Friday, Septembet 6, 2024: A Proclamation on National Grandparents Day, 2024
- Friday, Septembet 6, 2024: A Proclamation on National Hispanic-Serving Institutions Week, 2024
- Friday, Septembet 6, 2024: Statement from White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre on the Visit of Prime Minister Keir Starmer of the United Kingdom
- Friday, Septembet 6, 2024: Letter to the Speaker of the House and President of the Senate on the Continuation of the National Emergency With Respect to Ethiopia
- Friday, Septembet 6, 2024: Press Release: Notice on the Continuation of the National Emergency With Respect to Ethiopia
- Friday, Septembet 6, 2024: Memorandum on the Delegation of Authority Under Section 506(a)(1) of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961
- Friday, Septembet 6, 2024: Remarks as Prepared for Delivery by First Lady Jill Biden at the Fashion For Our Future March
- Friday, Septembet 6, 2024: FACT SHEET: Biden-Harris Administration Advances Chumash Heritage National Marine Sanctuary, Reinforces Ocean Conservation Legacy
- Friday, Septembet 6, 2024: Statement from President Joe Biden on the August Jobs Report
👎 Out with the Bad, In with the Good 👍
The state courts are making good decisions wrt abortion:
👍 The Missouri Supreme Court says abortion must be on the ballot in the election after all:
👍 The Florida Supreme Court has agreed to fast track a case challenging @GovRonDeSantis, @AGAshleyMoody and @JasonWeidaFL on "unlawfully us(ing) their offices and agencies to interfere with the election for Amendment 4" on abortion.
🎩 Carla in Sequim 👎 Judge overturns North Dakota's near-total abortion ban Emily Wax-Thibodaux WaPo - Gift Link
A North Dakota judge struck down that state’s near-total ban on abortion on Thursday, saying the state constitution gives women a “fundamental right to choose abortion” before fetal viability. Restrictions on that right is “a violation on medical freedom,” he ruled.
State District Judge Bruce Romanick declared the law, enacted by the legislature last year, “unconstitutionally void for vagueness.” The statute made the procedure illegal in all cases except rape or incest when the woman has been pregnant for less than six weeks or when the pregnancy poses a serious physical health threat. Doctors and other health care professionals found to be in violation of the law could be charged with a felony — and then face up to five years in prison and a maximum fine of $10,000 fine.
In the very conservative state, where lawmakers have twice passed bans that courts subsequently ruled against, the victory for abortion rights supporters was a bittersweet one. North Dakota no longer has any abortion clinic; its one-time sole provider and plaintiff in the lawsuit, the Red River Women’s Clinic, moved from Fargo to Moorhead, Minn., in 2022.
“This is a win for reproductive freedom and means it is now much safer to be pregnant in North Dakota,” said attorney Meetra Mehdizadeh of the Center for Reproductive Rights, which argued the case. “Hospitals and doctors no longer have their hands tied and can provide abortions to patients with complications.”
💣 Republicans: Party of Crimes and Chaos 💣
Governor Mike DeWine of Ohio — and he’s certainly a conservative Republican — says Haitians are not eating people’s pets
Gosh, he must be disgusted with JD Vance as a senator, who I understand is still spreading that lie. Especially as Governor DeWine then went on to say some really good things about the Haitians in his state.
Speaking of JD Vance and immigrants: BREAKING: In a stunning moment, JD Vance just said if immigration was the path to prosperity, America would be the wealthiest country in the world. All economic stats do show America being the most prosperous nation. Retweet so all Americans see this.
🚚 💙 Democrats Deliver 💙 🚚
We don’t really trust the polls, but it’s nice to see them these days!
Kamala Harris’s expressions at the debate while tRump was blathering: Thanks, WTFGOP!
💜 Unity? 💜
Interest in the election! Following Taylor Swift's endorsement of Kamala Harris, there has been a "400% or 500% increase" in voter registration — between 9,000-10,000 people per hour, according to data firm TargetSmart."It's really unlike anything I've seen," says TargetSmart senior adviser Tom Bonier.
Gosh, Harris has endorsements from Bernie Sanders, Dick Cheney, Taylor Swift and now Alberto Gonzales, who was AG under W Bush. From Politico
As the United States approaches a critical election, I can’t sit quietly as Donald Trump — perhaps the most serious threat to the rule of law in a generation — eyes a return to the White House. For that reason, though I’m a Republican, I’ve decided to support Kamala Harris for president.
The character of the person we elect in November is particularly important today because the current members of the House of Representatives and the Senate have proven spectacularly incapable or unwilling to check abuses of executive power. While the U.S. Supreme Court is certainly capable of curbing presidential power, the court has recently ruled that certain restraints on presidential acts would be unconstitutional. The court held that when exercising core constitutional powers, the president enjoys complete immunity from criminal prosecution; it also ruled that when engaging in an official act the president enjoys presumptive immunity. Acts that are unrelated to the president’s official duties can be prosecuted but the motivation behind a presidential decision may not be considered or questioned — which might allow a president to take official actions for personal, self-serving reasons.
Power is intoxicating and based on Trump’s rhetoric and conduct it appears unlikely that he would respect the power of the presidency in all instances; rather, he would abuse it for personal and political gain, and not on behalf of the American people.
📥 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. 👀
🐍 Schadenfreude 😈
DJT stock cratering an indication that tRump lost the debate Kit Norton, Investor’s Business Daily
The Donald Trump stock sank 10.5% to 16.68, falling as low as 15.30, Wednesday, hitting a new post-SPAC low. Trump Media shares on Thursday added to their slide, dropping 4.6% to 16.08 during market action.
The Trump stock often trades as a sentiment indicator toward the former president and his current candidacy.
Prior to the presidential debate Tuesday night, DJT shares gained nearly 9% this week, closing on Tuesday at 18.63.
Well done, DOJ! Got the deplorable Tim Pool to do a 180: Tweet: I see Tim Pool has had a change of heart/found Jesus since the FBI came to his door about the Russkie money he took to trash Ukraine and play fucky fuck with our election.Poor Timmy.... it's too late.
And, if you cannot see it, Pool is praising Ukraine as our greatest ally, the breadbasket of Europe and that we should sent them another $200 billion.
And, the 2020 crimes are still being processed: Ex-Trump lawyer John Eastman LOSES his bid to toss the top racketeering count of his indictment in Georgia.The judge also REJECTS his attempt to toss the case under the Supremacy Clause, but he rules three perjury/false filings counts are outside the state's reach.
And Smartmatic is still going after Newsmax: NEWS: Smartmatic's massive defamation lawsuit against Newsmax will go to a jury trial in two weeks, a judge ruled. (unless there is a settlement) The case is about the pro-Trump guests and hosts who promoted false claims that the 2020 election was rigged.
📣 Let’s Honor Truth ☀️️
I have mentioned him before, but this week Lawrence O’Donnell gets another shout-out because he keeps explaining how tariffs work. Repetition is good! Repetition is good!
The lie the NYT did not take on is the fact that tariffs are not paid by foreign nations, but are a tax added to the price of the goods and are paid by US consumers.
🌹 Let’s Celebrate Love ❤️
👮 A cop changes a young woman’s life for the better: Steve Hartman, CBS News
When those blue lights appeared in the rearview mirror of her car about two years ago, then 20-year-old Abbie Rutledge knew she had done the wrong thing at the wrong place and time. But that all changed after she spoke to the trooper who pulled her over.
"I think it was the right person, right time and the right words said," Rutledge said.
She told J.T. Brown — the Alabama state trooper who pulled her over in August 2022 for speeding — that she couldn't afford a ticket. She was broke and in a dead-end job.
"And I told her, I said, 'Well, how about we talk about it then,'" Brown told CBS News.
Rutledge said their conversation "went on for about" 10 to 15 minutes, "just talking about different career paths."
Their conclusion was that Rutledge would make a great nurse. So Brown let her off with just a warning. And on it he wrote, "Promise me you'll go to scrub or nursing school, and slow down, and I won't give you a ticket."
According to the story, the cop was surprised the young woman actually followed through, but she did.
📎Odds & Ends 📎
Sleek new commuter train in Los Angeles has zero emissions! Andy Corbley, Good News Network
In Los Angeles County, a new, low-emissions commuter train is helping combat local and global smog by powering itself with hydrogen fuel cells.
Liquid or gaseous hydrogen is considered the best green alternative to the heavy fuels that power society’s largest machines, and this ZEMU train is just a few months away from starting routine service from San Bernadino and Redlands to LA proper.
ZEMU stands for zero-emissions multiple units, and possesses several advantages over other decarbonized rail transport. Electric trains recharge via overhead powerlines, but these require millions in funding to install and maintain and aren’t practical for long distances.
This sign could be seen Thursday in Tucson when the defeated former guy was here. Chinga means “f**k” and “naranja” means orange:
🐘 Elephant pretends to eat this guy’s hat:
🐦 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 Hunters is also 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 upset Republicans. We need to win some back.
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.
