248 Comments

I remember back to my school days, and my history and government classes both in junior/senior high and college, and am struck that my takeaway about the difference between our “democracy” and communism was that our system was “representative”. I believed/understood that our lawmakers actually represented the will of their constituents, and would not face retribution for doing so. I felt extreme pride about our wonderful system, and profound sadness to know there were countries where people who spoke out against those in power were punished in various ways. I felt peace in my soul to know that that would not/could not happen here.

But, here we are. In the years since the 2016 election, I have watched as any appointed official who dared to appear disloyal to dear leader was demoted/ reassigned/fired. I watched good men like Alexander Vindman, who believed as I did that in America doing the right/honest thing would not mean that I would lose my job and my career, lose his job for speaking truth. I watched Alexander’s twin brother also lose his job for no other reason that that he was Alexander’s brother; both of them escorted out of the White House in “shame”. I watched as Liz Cheney lost her position of power in the House because she dared to speak/seek truth about an attempted coup and insurrection against our government for the sole purpose of keeping dear leader in power. Now I learn that state governments are purging those members of leadership roles who voted faithfully with the will of their constituents, but went against what the majority members (Republicans) want. It feels like every day there are good, honest people being punished for not being sufficiently loyal to dear leader and his cabal of minions. I’m sent right back to my school days and the feeling of sadness for those poor people in countries where they dared not speak out against their dishonest and tyrannical rulers out of fear, and I realize that this is now us, this is now our America. 😢

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Hi Cathy. I think one of the remedies for what you describe is for everyone to take the primaries seriously. I know a lot of Democrats, myself included, who did not show up for the primaries, thinking, well, I'll just vote for whomever in my party wins the primary. I have come to realize that this is a bad move, since the primary is the gateway for extremists like MTG et al. And in some states, like my own, every voter can vote in every primary regardless of party. In states other than our own where we have no vote, we can certainly donate even $5.00 to candidates of our choice. In other words, we have to play the process, recognize our superpower and vote and donate what we can in every single election. That is our only way out of this mess.

You are absolutely right - the good is being twisted and punished by selfserving power-seekers. It is painful and soulfully sad to watch.

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I made a donation to Senator Warnock's campaign this week. Cheryl is right.

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When considering your vote in primaries, sometimes it is essential to think about voting "strategically. In other words, even if you are a Democrat and there are multiple good candidates running for the Democratic nomination, you may wish to consider organizing for and in the primary supporting the least bad Republican candidate. You still have the opportunity to vote for whomever the Democratic candidate is in the general election. However, if we can stop extreme right candidates from winning primaries we would all be better off. After all, in some red states, those truly bad Republican candidates can go on to win in the general election if we do not stop them in the primaries. So, when primary elections roll around, thinking strategically can be extremely important.

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Absolutely. So glad you explained it better than I did.

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The way MTG was elected is shameful. That really can't happen again. Glad she will have a dynamite opponent next time.

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Yes, it is discouraging and frustrating to think this small group of men can so corrupt our government and destroy our democracy.

I was on Twitter last night following Lisa des Jardins reporting on the Infrastructure bill. I noticed on one corner of the page that Matt Damon was trending because of something controversial he’d said about derogatory language regarding homosexuality.

I wanted to scream at these people who make remarks from celebrities trend while paying little or no attention to what is happening in our government, to our country.

A small part of me thinks we might be about to get what we deserve for our greed and lack of caring for anything, or anyone but ourselves and the latest titillating distraction.

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We could go there, but not yet. There can be more of this: https://actionnetwork.org/petitions/which-side-are-you-on?source=direct_link&

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Cathy, great points. I was born during the Eisenhower Administration. I have witnessed first hand the race riots in Detroit. The Space Programs, good and bad. Cold War, Vietnam, Kent State and others. John F Kennedy, Bobby Kennedy, Martin Luther King Jr, Medgar Evers shot dead in their tracks . The Impeachment hearings of Nixon and Clinton. The empathic years of Carter. Chavez fighting for farm workers and much more. I never thought there would possibly be a time where our "leaders" would willfully take us down this path. Never.

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I also experienced all of the same events you mention here, and agree that I can’t believe, can’t wrap my head around the things our (Republican) elected officials are doing and saying today that will lead to the destruction of our governments system, while literally killing off their constituents in the process.

Both heartbreaking and unbelievable.

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Very well said. So sad.

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You are so right the Primaries are THE most important elections in our current system. The power brokers in both political parties want to downplay the primary and get electorate to believe only party faithful need to participate. If you live in a fully open primary state where can vote in both please do. If you live in semi open state like Virginia where you can only vote in party's primary in a cycle pick one remember that the winner of either the Republican or Democrat primary will win the Office in November. The primary is where the actual election happens!

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Voting in a primary, where like you say the eventual winner is chosen, is what led to the death of Macio Snipes in 1946 by white supremacists using violence and terror to prevent minorities from accessing the ballot. In response to his murder, the teen-aged Martin Luther King, Jr wrote his first letter to the editor of the local newspaper.

Voting rights and civil rights are crucial.

The people usurping the name of the Republican Party in subservience to one man and moving to take power against the will of the majority are going to destroy the democratic experiment if they are not stopped.

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What if the exemplary life of Dr. Moses had been facilitated by our society rather than frustrated? What gifts we squander through our systemic racism, xenophobia, misogyny, etc.

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Exactly! We need more thinkers like him in leadership roles in this country!

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We have plenty of those thinkers. We are not listening to them.

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You’re so right Christine. The constant static of Fox “news” etc. keeps drowning out rational discussion.

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And in the meantime, Good Ol' Joe, who can't bring himself to believe that the racist scum running the GOP in the House and Senate aren't like the good ol' segregationist scum he went along to get along with when he was there and why can't we all just get along and have some bipartisanship? And that fucking moron Rahm Emmanuel - a better candidate for being taken out and hanged as an example to the rest of the Professional Dimocrats I can't think of - tells everyone that the voting rights problem is going to take "several cycles" to solve and the way to do it is to out-organize them and solve the elections problem that way - as if the political history of this country from 1876-1965 never happened, and the 60s didn't prove national action had to be taken.

One would think even the Dims like Sinema and Manchin would figure out that if they don't deal with this now, they won't be getting elected next time. If we don't deal with it now, then Qevin McQarthy will be the Speaker after next year of a GOP House, that will fail to certify the vote on January 6, 2025, throwing the election into the House where Trump will become President on a 27-23 state-by-state vote, regardless of what really happened in the election because of what was done in those 18 states now. That's the future these damn fools are guaranteeing with their moron stupidity.

You would think even Dim-o-crats like the professional idiots who lost their way when they moved to DC could figure this out.

And yes, I am damn mad, watching fools, idiots and morons who claim they're on my side piss away what my family has worked to create her for the past 340 years along with everybody else who came after.

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Seriously? "And that fucking moron Ram Emmanuel - a better candidate for being taken out and hanged as an example to the rest of the Professional Dimocrats I can't think of - ..."

I ask again, seriously? Calling for murder against a political opponent is tyranny. It is also wrong, immoral, disgusting and not befitting the normal level of discussion here.

I understand the anger behind this post. I do. I agree that most of the Democrats are not only useless but immersed in their corporate owner's pockets and that we are watching the current administration from President Biden on down (the majority of his admin + the Democrats) stand by and do nothing while our government is taken over by the Republican Party which will turn America into a highly suppressive authoritarian theocracy.

But calling for murder? To have an opponent "taken out and hanged"?

Not only have you lowered yourself to the level of Republicans and fanatics who do the same but you have lowered the discourse on this forum by this repugnant speech. And, by advocating murder and violence against someone you disagree with (& presumably despise), you have completely negated anything else you said or will say.

When I first joined the US Army and attended classes on the First Amendment and what my responsibilities were to uphold it (and my oath of enlistment), I was quite angry that I could be called to defend the beliefs of people like the ones who raised me - hate spewing white supremacists, bigots, racists, disgusting religious based misogynists. I was in turmoil for some time and turned to asking questions and doing research. I didn't join to defend such hate and filth I protested. Yet, I had I was told - not the speech itself but the right to make it. When I calmed down and thought it through I realized that my instructors were correct. As a soldier I had to defend our Freedom of Speech and that included the people who spewed such hatred. All citizens of America no matter how much I disagreed with them. However, this did not include speech in which people call for violence against and murder of each other. (In fact, we do have laws against fomenting violence and it is my opinion they damn well should be enforced.) Nor did my defense of our Freedom of Speech mean that I had to listen to such disgusting drivel.

I feel that you owe everyone here an apology for your advocation of murder against someone you disagree with. Until you offer it I cannot be part of this forum. Not that that will matter I imagine but I cannot be part of discussion where this kind of speech is permitted.

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Kasumii, I'm glad you spoke up and I agree with you. Calling out the issue creates the path to a fix, but your leaving would not. Please hang in there with the rest of us.

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Thank you for your reply Ellie. As I mentioned to Michele - I will consider staying if the calling for violence does not continue or get worse. I have enjoyed being part of this community.

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I'm sorry but I agree with Kasumii. If this is a place for (illegal) views like that be seeded, this is not a place for me.

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Name calling and violence will not be part of any group where I stay.

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Kasumii, you are right. When I read the post, I thought “why him?” But I kept reading and by the end had forgotten about that part. In a time where rioters are called just tourists and so many (all but 2 Republicans) ignoring or defending that horrific violence, we have to call it out. Thank you for setting an example I won’t forget.

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Thank you for sharing your thoughts Gigi. I appreciate that.

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Thank you for speaking up Kasumii. I agree 100%.

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Thank you for your reply Kim.

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I no longer read TCinLA’s posts despite knowing I will likely miss learning something because of previous posts that I’ve disagreed with because of his tone. I am the daughter, sister and widow of US military veterans who fought for this country in foreign wars. Calls for violence are abhorrent. Thank you for calling that out. Please consider staying.

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Sheila, I am so sorry for your loss. I am thankful for the service of the veterans close to you - my fellow service-members. It is not only service-members who sacrifice, our families do so as well and you have done so in multiple ways. I know the "Thank you" for that sacrifice pales in comparison but it is all I have. Thank you Sheila.

And yes, I will consider staying. I have enjoyed being part of this community.

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FYI, TC is a Viet Nam vet. Served in the navy.

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Not sure why you added this info. It doesn't change the repugnant nature of him calling for someone to be "taken out and hanged".

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Thank you for your excellent post. I am no fan of Rahm, but agree with you on the tone of the post.

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Thank you for your reply Michele.

Same here. I'm no fan of Rahm either but I cannot abide people calling for the murder of those they disagree with. I grew up with that kind of language and hatred and it turns my stomach no matter who makes it.

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I was especially taken by the part of your reply recalling your time in the military. Violence also turns my stomach. I do hope that you will remain part of the commentary here because we need to be reminded of why you objected to the post.

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Thank you for telling me that Michele. I will consider staying - as long as this sort of advocation of violence does not continue or proliferate. Thank you again.

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Kasumii, I thank you for your very focused reply and I have to admit I was ready to "jump in" with TCinLA but had thoughts about the violence. Violence brings violence and if the past years have shown us nothing else, violence brings little but greater violence and suffering.

My father was in the Korean War, my husband went through high school, registered for the draft in his junior year and right before graduation the draft was ended. He still has nightmares just from that experience.

I, too, am disappointed with the current administration's lack of "punch" in dealing with the multiple critical issues dealing with this country. If nothing else, it should remind us just how little time it takes to unravel the framework of our system. That our system has processes in desperate need of revamping for the 21st century.

Biden and administration inherited a country with ruined foreign ties, economic "devastation, a health crisis with a broken health system, racial injustice with a broken justice system, essentially a "caste" system within america making the

elite become even more elite, the middle become poor and the poor become destitute and homeless.

I could go on, but I ramble.

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I don't see any ramble Kay, just a clear, concise breakdown of what has, indeed, broken down in our country. Thank you for your reply.

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Excuse the auto-correct mistakes - like Ram for Rahm.

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We all have them. Regularly!

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😺

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Is there a moderator on this forum?

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Don’t know for sure, but my impression is no. HCR seems to use troll zappers on her Facebook, but according to this interview (sorry, I read it once, but now there’s a paywall), she relies on having to pay to comment to weed out trolling. She did say she emailed someone others complained about, and he apologized. So we can email her.

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Right there with you TC. I don’t know if it’s willful ignorance or misplaced hope, but, Democratic attempts to cajole Republicans is a fools errand. As Barack Obama realized too late, “they won’t take yes for an answer”.

And frankly, dithering around only makes us look week to “on the fence” voters while infuriating the base. Dump the bipartisan illusion and get to work.

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Agree on taking action, but reject violence.

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TC I understand your angst. Honestly we all do. Please bring the level down. I know you are not literally advocating violence, but the suggestion isn't what we as this Community are all about.

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I agree with your analysis. But I can't condone the tone as it's just as bad as the r's. It's not helpful. But I feel it- love the "Qevin"! This would be an excellent LTE with a good edit.

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“Do or do not, there is no try.” Thank you for the push. https://tcinla757.substack.com/p/and-that-is-why-you-fail

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FYI: I spend most of my read of your comment trying to figure out “Dims” and not comprehending your message - and it was a great message by the way after I went back to reread over what confused me.

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"Dims" - Democrats who aren't as smart as they should be. A play on "Dems".

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Yes, I got that, but it kind of took away from your great writing.

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From the Lincoln Project.

“A new study estimates that nearly 300,000 voters in Georgia are affected by their new voter suppression legislation. And what color do you think those voters are? Biden won by 12,670 votes. You do the math.

So the Senate is taking up a revised voting rights bill. Not a moment too soon. This is critical. As many have said this week “you can’t out-organize extreme gerrymandering.” The Democrats can’t fall into the trap that they will just outwork everyone next year and win. Math is math. They have to pass something taking on voter suppression and gerrymandering or next year WILL be a bloodbath.“

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"They" is we.

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Ellie! In 3 words, you frame the constant that will urge people to an “act now for democracy” framework.

The first three words of our Constitution is why I love our country. And…THEY can go fly a kite.

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We are Americans. The rest are traitors.

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Reminds me of the Flint Michigan catastrophe because the state Republican officials usurped the Democratic city officials. I keep thinking of something a Native American said to me -- "Wait 'til they (meaning all of us) find out what it's like to live on a reservation."

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There it is, Cathy that says it all.

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Coming soon to a State near you. /s

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Who is ‘us’? Does ‘all of us’ not include the Native Americans who already know what it’s like to live on a reservation?

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Absolutely. Us is ALL of us. Anyone paying into Social Security or receiving it. It will be used to pay for the massive corporate tax cut. Anyone working two or more jobs at minimum wage with no place to leave the children. Anyone with children in underfunded schools brainwashing them rather than teaching. Anyone with medical needs when there is no more ACA or Medicare. Anyone woman who has no rights to her own body. Anyone who is afraid any angry white male is legally carrying a gun without a permit. Anyone already living on reservations whether controlled by the Bureau of Indian Affairs or in the poor areas in urban cities or walking the streets homeless.

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🌿💚Bob and Janet Moses and their children are Dear and Beloved Friends and Extended Family. It is also wonderful to see my daughter Professor Noliwe Rooks and her work from her pioneering work (Cutting School: Privatization, Segregation and the End of Public Education) referenced. 🌿👏🏾🕊A VERY proud Mother moment!

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How wonderful to hear your daughter Professor Rooks is picking up the torch and helping to carry it into the next generation. We have left so much work unfinished.

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Every generation has to teach the next one.

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As well you should be!

My sincere condolences on your loss of a beloved friend.

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And rightly so!

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As you should be. Important work by your daughter and her colleagues and students.

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Belvie, you deserve to be busting out with righteous pride! Congratulations on being such a clearly wonderful Mom! Links to share about your daughter, Prof. Noliwe Rooks:

https://vivo.brown.edu/display/nrooks

https://africana.cornell.edu/noliwe-rooks

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A chilling distillation of how the Republican Party moving forward is seeking to disenfranchise American, I repeat American, voters. Join your local Democratic Party, Indivisible or other groups seeking to protect the right and obligation to vote for all citizens. Make Good Trouble. Amen.

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Fair Fight is also an excellent org.

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Thanks. We need as many boots (high heels, whatever your choice) on the ground and voices raised as we can muster. We have to fight like hell (nicely, as I was raised a lady) but getting into Good Trouble as necessary. FYI my pastor said he would bail me out of jail if necessary during our peaceful BLM protest last summer. He was right there in the middle of our marchers.

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A group of HCR Substackers has formed to turn good discussion into good trouble! For more info, email

heathersherd@gmail.com

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A group of HCR Substackers has formed to turn good discussion into good trouble! For more info, email

heathersherd@gmail.com

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Good Trouble is the only thing we, at the Grassroots, can do and really make a change. Good Trouble starts with voting at the primary and coming out in NUMBERS. Voting in ALL the DOWN elections no matter how small. Speaking out and up when you see an injustice- no matter how small. Understand the issues. Its now or never.

The Republicans ( and not all I am sure, I just do not know how else to phrase it) are counting on us TO DO NOTHING!

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A group of HCR Substackers has formed to turn good discussion into good trouble! For more info, email

heathersherd@gmail.com

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I'm perplexed why there are fearful comments about today's letter. As Dr. Moses said, things can lurch "forward" quickly. By accentuating the negative part of his comment we forget about all the people Dr. Moses has inspired and are out there right now trying to do something about it.

This is no time for hand wringing, it's a time for raising your hand to volunteer to carry on his lifework.

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I agree. I honestly believe that the so-called "minorities" who in the last election realized the power of the vote will move this country forward, not backward. Voting may get harder in some areas, but I'm not sure that that will make folks throw up their hands and give up.

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It's wrong to put obstacles in the way of voters, but we must remember that, if we are going to fight these efforts, we must go the extra mile and remember that we are the majority party. We can do this if we refuse to give in! We must quash their efforts.

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Barricades can and will be erected as the narrow minded fear filled minority party tries to cling to old supremacy ways. We do NOT have to let them. Now that we know, we know. We an each find a way to help at least one blockaded voter to register and vote. Turn the tide.

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Exactly! We can't be passive.

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Well said!

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New Hampshire is one of those republican led states enacting unpopular legislation. The budget bill they just passed included (among other things) allowing parents to take public money from public schools to send their children to private or parochial schools, a very confusingly worded divisive concepts ban that could result in teachers being punished, an abortion ban at 24 (I think) weeks, and also refunds any fines businesses that did not follow covid guidelines paid. Being unpopular with the majority of NH citizens, none of these issues could pass as stand alone legislation, but they rolled them into the budget bill. Chris Sununu, who claims he is a moderate republican, signed this into law saying he didn’t want to veto the budget. (He did veto a budget from the last democratic legislature.) He will be running for Senate against incumbent Maggie Hassan. He is a popular governor and many don’t pay attention to the fine print of the budget bill. HE IS NOT THE MODERATE HE CLAIMS TO BE.

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Another lifelong NH resident here, Lisa. You are so right! And yes, the abortion ban is 24 weeks (when we've never had a gestational limit before in NH) AND it requires an ultrasound prior to every single abortion of any gestation, an emotionally painful, expensive, medically unnecessary procedure. Most clinics providing abortion services haven't historically provided US and now they will be required to purchase the equipment, a sonographer, and someone to read it. Sununu has always claimed to be pro-choice but signing this budget bill with an abortion ban in it and saying things like he's sure we can soften the sting when the legislature hammers out the actual rules, has blown that claim out of the water in my eyes.

Chris Sununu, for all his folksiness, is a dangerous man from a dangerous family. His father was also governor, then became first Bush's chief of staff (born in Cuba, I guess he couldn't be President himself so that's as close he could get, but the son is shooting for the highest office). His brother was a US senator as well. At the beginning of tfg's reign of terror, CS was vocally supportive of him, then he saw the writing on the wall for his own political future, and began to back away from that, walking a very fine line between not outwardly supporting tfg and not opposing him either. He appointed a commissioner of education who has directed the gop led legislature to do all the things HCR mentions in her letter especially around public tax dollars going to private school education, a very unpopular measure in NH that the gop continues to push. Instead of calling it a voucher bill, which gained an ugly reputation, they changed the language to "Freedom of Education Savings account" but it's all the same thing. They try to soothe us by saying that very few families will even use it but we all know that's BS.

He has a lot of family and corporate $$$ behind him and we in NH need to do all we can to make sure he doesn't get that Senate seat.

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Thank you Lisa and Beth fir all the NH information. I think it crucial to know what’s going on in other states. I think 2020 was first time working actively with groups in Georgia. My groups here in FL have our eyes on some other states and I am adding NH today. I am getting pretty revved up against the moves against public education and the common good of that institution. How dare they.

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Oh, they dare, have been daring here for years. Once Sununu got elected, he immediately appointed his former rival for the governor's seat Frank Edelblut, another ultra conservative Christian, to head up the DOE. They didn't have much traction til 2020 when the gop regained their majority in the statehouse, thanks in large part to gerrymandering throughout the state. They had the gonads to tie a very unpopular school choice bill to the budget, along with the abortion ban and divisive concepts bills that were also hugely unpopular, wrapped them all up in a tidy package for the governor to sign under the guise of "not vetoing a budget bill". Right.

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Yes. DeSantis appointed Richard Corcoran as Commissioner of DOE in Florida. Truly disastrous. And finally DeVos is gone after 4 yrs who all but paved the way for “privatization of public education” which is the most egregious oxymoron in my memory.

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Maggie receives contributions from me - I think she is on Emily's List?

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Just donated via Act Blue. She won a very close race in 2016 and is vulnerable.

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A group of HCR Substackers has formed to turn good discussion into good trouble! For more info, email

heathersherd@gmail.com

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Thanks for alerting us to this, Lisa. I’m in MA and will be working with my my local democratic committee to campaign for Maggie Hassan.

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Thank you Gina and Ellen! Senators Hassan and Shaheen disappointed me by not supporting the $15 minimum wage, but they do both heartily endorse the For the People Act. Gina is correct that Hassan will face a big challenge in 2022 and as is the case with all Democratic seats, we desperately need to hold on to them and gain more!

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I wanted to go back to Beth's earlier comments about the Sununu family to add an example. According to an extensive August 2018 NYT Magazine article, Losing the Earth (https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2018/08/01/magazine/climate-change-losing-earth.html?searchResultPosition=3), George Bush Sr was poised to tackle climate change. He was the environmental candidate. “Those who think we are powerless to do anything about the greenhouse effect,” he said, “are forgetting about the White House effect.” John Sununu, as Bush's chief of staff, nixed that. He warned James Baker (sec of state) "Leave the science to the scientists, Sununu told Baker. Stay clear of this greenhouse-effect nonsense. You don’t know what you’re talking about." And here we are today.

Losing the Earth is an amazing account of the politics of climate change. It is long. The section I am referencing is in Part 2, Section 8.

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Lisa, thanks for sharing this. I was unaware that John Sununu got in the way of Bush the first's intentions toward climate change. Like father, like son. In too many ways to list here, he has made it clear he is a climate science denier.

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No argument with anything you have said, but wanted to point out that 24 weeks gestation is increasingly compatible with life outside the womb, not easily, but really pretty far along in a pregnancy. I am a complete supporter of women having control over their bodies, but there comes a time when the fetus is taking on a life of its own and the adoption route after birth becomes a more humane alternative. Better access to birth control, education, early termination in unplanned/undesired pregnancy make more sense than 24 week abortions unless the mother's life is in danger. I realize this is a bit beside the point of the the bill NH has just passed, but being better informed helps all of us have more persuasive conversations.

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I hear what you're saying, Vickie, but a 24 week, even 27 week gestation fetus is not going to survive without a huge amount of intervention. As interventions improve, are we going to then say, well it's within the realm of possibility that with our intervention, a 20 week fetus could survive and move the goal post so to speak? Very few parents are going to want to adopt a child with the delays and disabilities such a child is likely to have, even if only because they couldn't afford the ongoing care that would be required.

All that said, abortions at 24 weeks are very unusual, at least in NH, even before this new law.

And, let's face it. This is just the anti-abortion crowd getting their foot in the door - finally! - in NH. If the gop maintains a majority for more than one term, you can bet they will progress the weeks down to 12 or lower eventually. This only the beginning of the end of abortion rights in our state.

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I wouldn't argue with you on these points. However, the incidence of abortions at or beyond 24 weeks is rare. Statistically, about 1% of abortions are at 21 or more weeks, the majority of which are in the earlier part of this range. Reasons for obtaining an abortion later in pregnancy include the mother's health, the baby's health or both. There are serious fetal anomalies that are not detected until 20 weeks. Increasingly, barriers to abortion (restrictions, cost, availability of providers) are resulting in later abortions. Do we need the NH legislature to legislate this?

https://www.kff.org/womens-health-policy/fact-sheet/abortions-later-in-pregnancy/

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Dear Prof. HCR,

I deeply appreciate your tribute to Bob Moses, a leader and activist from whom many profound lessons have been learned. Thank you!

How I wish that we would learn from history. As Jean-Baptiste Alphonse Karr so rightly stated almost two centuries ago: "Plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose" -- the more things change, the more they remain the same. What Moses fought so valiantly to preserve is, once again, threatening the rights of BIPOC voters. Greed, discrimination, and racism still rule the day -- white supremacy and voter suppression are as much alive today as they were in the mid-twentieth century.

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“Greed, discrimination, and racism still rule the day -- white supremacy and voter suppression are as much alive today as they were in the mid-twentieth century.”

In the 60’s it was commonly said the “you can’t legislate love”.

You can force me to go to school with ‘them’ or ride a bus with ‘them’ but you can’t make me like ‘them’.

The saying is as true today as it was then. 😩

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Still…its worth a try. Bullies understand being bullied. Forced integration is usually the only thing that works with the master-slave mentality.

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They are as alive today as they were when Europeans first landed in the New World.

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Thank you Heather for this beautiful and touching story. I never heard of Robert Moses before this, and my life is deepend by your telling of his life.

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And TCinLA made a fine contribution to the conversation relative to the WAPO editorial from Norman Lear:

https://tcinla757.substack.com/p/and-that-is-why-you-fail

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TC wrote a beautiful essay paying tribute to Norman Lear and highlighting Lear's WaPo editorial, e.g. “I am a patriot, and I will not surrender that word to those who play to our worst impulses rather than our highest ideals."

The message for voting rights and climate change is from Yoda, to Do Something. "Try" is not a commitment necessary to produce success. Turn righteous rage into action. Join forces, find your group, take action.

https://indivisible.org/

https://www.commoncause.org/

https://citizensclimatelobby.org/

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Ellie, I just want to say that you are one of the quiet heroes in this little online community. Tirelessly you remind us again and again to get to work and provide tools to help.

Your gentle determination is a wonder and much appreciated.

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Thank you for your kind words. Like TC writes, it is very frustrating to see what the Republicans are lining up to make a legal coup. Whatever anger we feel, now is the time to act.

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She’s a Dr. Moses “type”. Empower is the name of the game. But don’t you know, Diane? You are the same way!

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I couldn’t agree more, Diane! Many thanks, Ellie!

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A group of HCR Substackers has formed to turn good discussion into good trouble! For more info, email

heathersherd@gmail.com

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Make good trouble!!!

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A group of HCR Substackers has formed to turn good discussion into good trouble! For more info, email

heathersherd@gmail.com

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Thank you, Ellie!

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Flattery will get you everywhere, kimceann of Washington State. :-)

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It was a terrific piece, TCinLA! Thanks for your writing and spirit

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Agreed! And I loved the quote from your friend:

"I keep remembering what a friend of mine who works in biological sciences said to me back in January 2020: 'A pandemic is evolution’s IQ test. The question is, "Are you intelligent enough to take this information and modify your behavior in such a way as to maximize your likelihood of survival?" It’s pass/fail.'"

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There’s a meme circulating that says people who say the vaccine is too experimental, don’t realize they’ve made themselves the control group. Take the vaccine or not, you’re still part of the equation.

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I'm afraid that memes can be as troublesome as the GOP's faux news and alternative realities.

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Thank you for excellent post honoring Norman Lear ❤️🤍💙

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Required reading, in my mind, kimceann. Especially if any on this forum felt something in the very pit of your stomach after reading HCR’s Letter today. I’m not sure how she forged it. It’s stunning. And, as Ellie says above, “‘They’ is We.” Might only be a 50-50 chance of success, but time to act. I’m not going to a reservation.

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I apologize for being so poor that i cant afford to take the chance that my account might be hacked if i do anything financial on the internet; so i dont subscribe to anything.

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Thank you for this tribute to Bob Moses. He was an inspiration! We need to stay vigilant about the direction we “lurch.” Feels like a roller coaster in the current climate!

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Reading HCR for 3rd time today, my mind lit up like a 100 watt bulb at a detail I missed. In summer of ‘64, the 3 activists were killed by the KKK and local law enforcement outside Philadelphia, Mississippi. Tragic, racist, murderous, immoral act. Opposing forces causing destruction. Like now. And then in 1985, Reagan gets on his jaunt of restoring state’s rights and negating federal intervention to protect citizen’s rights. And where did he deliver his speech? Philadelphia, Mississippi.

Treason, that sneaky horrid monster. It’s all in the details.

We see, We do, We Act for Democracy.

Blessings today. Light the fire within. That’s where the real infrastructure of this planet lies.

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An interesting “Aha!”

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Thank you for this memorial to the life work of Robert Moses. It is an important reminder of the historic and continuing impact of systemic racism. Critical Race Theory’s attempt to surface and encourage us to address the injustice and inequality of systemic racism is now seeing tragic pushback from conservatives. It is past time to call out these pushback efforts for what they are, racist. I reject the idea that those critical of CRT are not racist and simply are misinformed. That white washes the issue and their intentions. Fighting systemic racism is just one of the moral issues of our times, but linked to so many of the others. If anyone is treated as the other, if anyone is diminished as less or undeserving, we are all diminished. End systemic racism now! If you have a problem understanding why this is important, you are a racist.

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Beautifully stated Bruce.

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Republican politician’s siblings denounce him in biting op-ed

(Paul Gosar’s siblings laid down bullet points, deeming his actions and comments ‘shameful and destructive’)

“It seems, in fact, that you are immune to shame. In addition to betraying your family and causing irreparable damage to the relationships within it, you decided to betray your country by helping incite the January 6 domestic terrorist attack on the Capitol,” they said.

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/paul-gosar-gop-nbc-oped-b1894893.html

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Wow, Christopher. Ironically, I was just thinking the other day it would be powerful if some of these extremists' relatives would speak out against them.

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It brought me to tears when Ashli Babitt’s brother spoke of her. It was like he felt she had caught a bad fever and fervor from social media extremist recruitment of “soldiers”. One could see the grief on his face.

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Gosar's relatives have spoken out regularly. Of course, he's beyond redemption, but at least they're informing the voters and the rest of us.

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This is an example of the tide beginning to turn. The Tr$&p and G#p supremacy team is slowing losing support all around the edges. We just need to keep supporting Fair Fight and the like.

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I have no idea how I found this link, but glad I did. It's the only detailed account I have read of the encounter with Ashli Babbitt when she breached the Capitol January 6.

https://talkingpointsmemo.com/news/two-gopers-lash-out-at-notion-that-ashli-babbitt-was-a-martyr

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I don't know if I posted it here but I did for sure on Twitter. The whole "she was a patriot veteran" meme is USDA Grade A B.S. She took the same oath I did to protect and defend and she broke it. She ignored orders from the officers not to enter and she did. She is no martyr, she was kook with a death wish. They almost all were.

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