Welcome 😄 to Friday’s Roundup of Good News!
Everyone here needs to get ready to fight. 💪
Usually I write a little about myself and what I’ve been going through. But this week I want to warn you about some of the things the tRump campaign and his fellow Rs are doing or will do. They have a large bag of dirty tricks.
The reason to warn you is so that you are not shocked, demoralized and desperate when these things happen. The reason to warn you is so that we will all be prepared and ready to fight back when these things happen. You don’t want to be caught like a deer in the headlights. Instead we’re a pride of lions? a pack of wolves? a stampeding herd of gnus? Anyway, here’s a list, but make suggestions in the comments and I’ll add them later.
Lies. Damned Lies. Statistics. We have already seen all of these, and we’ll see even more. tRump lies every day, sometimes about stuff ridiculously obvious (the hurricane is going to hit Alabama!), to made-up stuff that is truly evil (like the stuff about Ukraine) to numbers. Well, not real numbers, but often made-up numbers or twisted numbers (not many sick because no one has been tested) or polls showing tRump ahead of Biden in 15 battleground states (that poll was full of holes, and anyway, there aren’t 15 battleground states).
What to do. First, remember, tRump and his minions lie ALL the time, so don’t believe the lies. Look for the truth. When you find it, spread the truth. Complain to places that are spreading the lies, like Twitter, or FB, or Congresscritters. Or your friends.
Voter suppression. We’re seeing several battles, in Florida and in Texas and other R-controlled states. We know this will continue.
What to do. I know that much is being done to get Vote by Mail in Florida, and to restore the voting rights of ex-felons. Complain to local officials. Let people know they have rights. For example I found this from propublica.
Cheating. I expect they are going to cheat this time.
What to do. I know that there are ways to stop this, but I am running behind on this GNR.
Taking away rights. This is happening with one battle after another, such as the right to health care, the right to have clean water and air. Just this week, tRump has tried to attack Twitter and to
What to do. Protest, either in person, with freeway blogging. Let your elected officials know how you feel.
Stochastic, and astro-turfed, violence. This is unnerving, I know. I believe the armed thugs went with their guns to protest in Michigan because the tRump campaign is terrified, simply terrified, that Biden will choose Governor Whitmer as his running-mate. Now, I don’t expect that we’ll have a huge, armed uprising when/if Biden wins in November, but I expect there will be some violence.
What to do. Be careful. Be prepared. If you know good people in law enforcement, ask what should be done.
I believe tRump has never been working for our country. He is in this for himself and his family and Putin and other allies.
We can win. We probably will win. But having a good idea of what battles we’re likely to face during the next few months will help us get through them. Forewarned is forearmed. Again, if you have stuff to add or to suggest, please do and I’ll update this section.
Enough serious stuff!!! Fortify yourselves with some good news below the fold.
Regular Scheduled Programming
No one here is naïve; we are aware of the very bad stuff that is happening. 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. We have to keep demoralizing them. Name, blame and shame! IT IS WORKING! WE HAVE EVIDENCE THAT THEY ARE 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.
💙 Toxic 🍄 Trump Matters 👎
The twitter wars have gotten real …
tRump is so mad he wants to shut them down Axios
What he's saying: "If Twitter were not honorable, if you're going to have a guy like [Yoel Roth, Twitter's head of site integrity] being your judge and jury, I think just shut it down as far as I'm concerned."
- Trump added that he's unsure how he would shut down Twitter, saying that he would need to speak to a legal team.
- "If it were able to be legally shut down, I would do it. I think I'd be hurting it very badly if we didn't use it anymore."
Trump also told reporters that he would delete his Twitter account "in a heartbeat" if there was not so much "fake news" — referring to critical coverage by journalists. He has often said that Twitter is his preferred platform for communicating directly with the American public.
tRump will never give up Twitter. Not until we put him in prison or a home for those with dementia.
Guardian has a piece explaining how this move of tRump’s could backfire
If the FCC followed suit and implemented the suggestions into regulation, the primary goal appears to be to force the companies to dial back their actions, for fear of losing the protection. A ban on “editing” content, for instance, would seem to be targeted at warnings like those Twitter appended to Trump’s mail-in ballots tweets, while the ban on “deceptive policies” has been interpreted as an attempt to formally introduce a requirement for political neutrality into the section 230 constraints.
But the regulation could backfire, at least in terms of creating the internet Trump desires. By barring social media companies from using the nuanced forms of moderation they currently employ, the executive order could force them to resort to heavy-handed actions: deleting posts, or blocking users, rather than simply factchecking or reducing the reach of the worst material.
Similarly, removing section 230 protections entirely from a technology firm would be unlikely to force it to act as a politically neutral “mere conduit”, since any moderation at all – even simply deleting the vast quantities of automated spam that hit platforms such as Facebook and Twitter each day – would then open them up to lawsuits about the content they had left up.
And there’s this
Cutting through the crap
Sean Hannity’s tune has changed on mask wearing. Wonkette explains why
You see, when the coronavirus pandemic is tearing apart New York City — which is full of liberals and blacks and black liberals and gay homosexuals who don't watch Sean Hannity except as a joke — then coronavirus is a big fake hoax and people don't need to worry about it.
But when it's a bunch of redneck white college kids bumping their down-there mullets in a big swimmin' pool or in Party Cove at Lake of the Ozarks, and then maybe going back home to their parents' houses — many of whom are white Trump supporter houses — then coronavirus is suddenly totally real. Because, you know, MAGA Daddy has had the cancers lately. And because what if they go visit Nana and Pop Pop after that? What if Nana and Pop Pop GET SICK AND DIE and can't even vote for Donald Trump in November?
We get it, Sean. You're a piece of shit.
Ah, but do these young folk listen to Hannity?
tRump has lost even McConnell on the mask as fashionwear. McConnell must have realized that killing off your voters is a bad idea. Daily Kos
White House is suppressing more numbers. Not just the number of dead, but the economic forecasts for summer. Maddow Blog
At least, that's how it's supposed to work. The Washington Post reports that those looking for Trump World's latest economic projections should probably lower their expectations.
White House officials have decided not to release updated economic projections this summer, opting against publishing forecasts that would almost certainly codify an administration assessment that the coronavirus pandemic has led to a severe economic downturn, according to three people with knowledge of the decision.
How often have administrations withheld this economic data? Since the current federal budget process was adopted in the 1970s, it's never happened.
We’ll have to get the numbers ourselves. It can be done. *sigh*
I really liked this:
💙 Democrats Are Great 🌊
Republicans 🐘 Got Nothing 👎
I wish I could find out where I heard this. I think it was The Last Word. Anyway, the discussion pointed out that the tRump campaign is behind in 5 of 6 states that it won last time: AZ, MI, PA, FL, WI...they still are ahead in NC. So instead of “expanding the map” — going after states like NM and MN — they are playing desperate defense.
Found this in a NewCorpse diary:
The superheroes often wear masks! Good for Biden.
Here’s some commentary on the R approach to masks Washington Post
In essence, Republicans tell anyone who believes in basic science that they are chumps and stooges of the elites. That is not a great message to attract suburban mothers, high-tech millennials or older Americans who are especially vulnerable to contracting the virus. In one sense, mask repudiation is no different than Republicans flaunting their climate-change denial. But here, the defiance of consideration for others and rejection of science is visible without them uttering a word; the harm they would inflict on others is immediate and, in some cases, fatal.
Obviously, as the virus is diffusing through red states, attitudes are starting to change. But for some it will be too little, too late. The link is to a Daily Kos diary.
BEYOND THE BELTWAY
Team blue won this round. But it’s not over until it’s over.
OK, Biden isn’t ahead here. But this poll is MISSOURI, folks.
Great news out of Maine Bangor Daily News
Ethan: Did you take a look at the new poll on the U.S. Senate race I just sent? It shows U.S. Sen. Susan Collins losing 51 percent to 42 percent to House Speaker Sara Gideon!
Phil: A-yuh. Sobering news for Susan. However, I caution you, my excitable friend, that this is merely a momentary snapshot six months before Election Day.
Sometimes the disease does attack the right people.
I sent this tweet to a friend of mine who knows much more than I do about Russia. She sent back these words: Oh how wonderful! He is one of the most evil men on the planet! Head of Chechnya! Putin allows him to have a brutal little dictatorship there under the condition that he keep Chechnya officially part of Russia. He persecutes homosexuals horribly. They flee to Russia for safety - which isn’t exactly the most fabulous place for homosexuals. Awful guy.
California woman arrested after posting hate letters Daily Kos
Reports of xenophobia against Asian Americans continue to rise amid the novel coronavirus. Asian Americans are not only being threatened by physical and verbal violence in public spaces but being targeted in the comfort of their homes. A woman was captured on home security footage in California last week posting racist handwritten notes that threatened minorities, asking them to leave the country. The woman identified as 52-year-old Nancy Arechiga was arrested Friday for allegedly posting “insensitive messages towards minorities” on at least five doors in a San Leandro neighborhood, police said. Similar notes were also found in public spaces in the area.
“If you are a woman or man and was born in other country, return, go back to your land immediately, fast, with urgency,” the note read. It even threatened receivers that they must “leave this country” by May 23 at 10:30 AM and referred to them as strangers. The note ended with the line, “One American, white, brave, that serves the Nation or USA is going to live here.” Police officers identified the woman using images captured on a man’s doorbell security camera.
And there’s this
📣 Let’s Honor Truth ☀️
From the article:
The health department's top watchdog vowed to Congress on Tuesday that President Donald Trump's moves to fire or replace inspectors general — including his recent effort to effectively oust her — would not affect more than a dozen ongoing probes into the administration’s Covid-19 response.
"I personally and professionally cannot let the idea of providing unpopular information drive decision-making in the work that we do," Principal Deputy Inspector General Christi Grimm told the House Oversight Committee in a video briefing. "We are plowing ahead."
🌹 Let’s Celebrate Love ❤️ ️
The Artemis Accords Good News Network
NASA, along with a number of partnering space agencies from around the world, have announced a new set of international agreements that will help to govern a “safe, peaceful, and prosperous future” of space exploration.
The recently-released “Artemis Accords” are the latest development of the Artemis Program, through which the agency vows to send the first woman—and next man—to the moon by 2024.
NASA hopes that the Accords will better allow it to work with international partners to conduct a human mission to Mars as well.
“It’s a new dawn for space exploration!” NASA administrator Jim Bridenstine wrote on Twitter last week. “Today, I’m honored to announce the Artemis Accords agreements—establishing a shared vision and set of principles for all international partners that join in humanity’s return to the Moon. We go, together.”
It may seem strange to put this in the love section, but love comes in all shapes. Rocket scientists already have to do truth. It’s great to see harmony as well.
And what a great name for the project! Artemis is well chosen.
📎📎Odds & Ends 📎📎
Water policy wins in the west Audubon
We are proud to share the highlights of these eight water policy wins. Several legislatures were able to adjourn before restrictions in March, but states are facing financial implications that may impact funding for water conservation and projects. In some states, we are waiting for legislatures to come back into session. Here is where we stand in key Western Water states:
New Mexico: Funding for the Strategic Water Reserve (Learn more here.)
During the short 2020 New Mexico Legislative session that ended in February, Audubon and a coalition of groups successfully advocated for $750,000 for the Strategic Water Reserve. Originally passed in 2005, the New Mexico Strategic Water Reserve allows the State to purchase or lease water rights to ensure sufficient water in rivers to address threatened and endangered species and fulfill interstate compact water needs. Audubon New Mexico’s Director of Policy, Judy Calman, joined partners in this effort and was able to inform key legislators about the importance of funding the Reserve.
Audubon was also successful in securing support from Governor Lujan Grisham to include a $500,000 appropriation to the Department of Game and Fish for work on threatened and endangered species.
Indigenous group in Brazil wins against illegal logging Good News Network
A victory in a decades-long court battle provided relief for a special part of the Amazon rainforest and for the Ashaninka indigenous people who live there, as their 1990s lawsuit against illegal logging interests finally ended with a public statement of apology and a $3 million award for compensation.
Forestry companies and their legal teams acknowledged the “enormous importance of the Ashaninka people as guardians of the forest, zealous in the preservation of the environment,” in their official apology which claimed regret “for all the ills caused.”
Francisco Piyãko, part of Ashaninka leadership said, “These resources come to enhance existing actions, to generate sustainability for our people, our land, so that it helps to strengthen us to continue the broader project of environmental protection and maintenance of our ways of life.”
Monarch butterflies to be protected under historic deal Ecowatch
More than 45 transportation and energy companies, as well as dozens of private landowners, have agreed to create or maintain monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus) habitat along "rights-of-way" corridors across the United States.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) and the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC) have signed a historic agreement that allows participant landholders to dedicate a percentage of their lands to monarch conservation management in exchange for regulatory flexibility on the rest of their enrolled lands.
Populations of both eastern monarchs and western monarchs have declined by more than 80% over the past decade and are nearing a tipping point for migratory collapse. In light of these declines, the USFWS is set to decide in December 2020 if the monarch butterfly will be classified as a federally endangered species under the Endangered Species Act.
In case you were wondering about this...
Just because...
I do a lot of other writing, too. Just out: Hunters of the Feather, a story about a thinker-linker crow who wants to save birdkind from extinction. (It’s really good! It’s really cheap! Buy it!) My less recent stories, based on Jane Austen novels and others on Greek mythology, can be found here.
💙 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. However, given that we have taken back the House, the tactics moving forward need to be different. Indivisible has ideas to share.
Indivisible 2.0
This Guide is for what comes next. The 2016 Indivisible Guide was about using constituent power to defend our values, our neighbors, and our democracy. This Guide is about using our constituent power to go on offense.
Offense is exciting, but it’s more complex than defense. We have the opportunity to use congressional oversight to hold Trump and his cronies accountable. We can set the legislative agenda with a bold progressive vision rooted in inclusion, fairness, and justice. But none of this is automatic — we have to demand it of Congress.
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 get out the vote for special elections.
You can reach out to Republicans who are distressed. Remember, a lot of them crossed over in the midterms! Get them to feel good about being blue.
You can share your ideas below.
🌻
🍀 “My experience has been that work is almost
always the best way to pull oneself out of the depths.” 🍀
Eleanor Roosevelt
🔥 If you’re going through hell, keep going! 🔥
Winston Churchill
🌹 🌹 🌹
TRUTH MATTERS. LOVE MATTERS.