After the shudder and wretch inducing inauguration, the incredibly successful Women’s March on Saturday was balm for a lot of our souls. A reminder that Trump does not have the support of the American people. Which is all well and fine, but what good does protesting actually do? Especially when the aims of the protest are so nebulous and ill defined? Even if we have the numbers, … Continue reading What’s the Point of Protesting? #womensmarch
Alrighty, peeps. This is not a drill. Here’s your simple act of resistance for today. Use this website to look up your lawmaker’s phone numbers and program them into your phone. You’re much more likely to actually call them if you don’t have to look it up. You’re going to be needing it. According to former legislative staffers, phone calls are the most effective way … Continue reading Your Simple Act of Resistance 1/20
Many Trump supporters literally voted for a person who exists only in their head. I first realized that there was something strange going on with Trump and his supporters during the primaries when a seemingly normal man I’m connected to on Facebook shared a Trump ad saying, “this is amazing! Wow. If everyone saw this, Trump would win in a landslide. Finally, someone who gets … Continue reading Do You Think They’d Let Me Pet Their Unicorns If I Asked?
Liberals don’t know how to talk to or appeal to conservatives. And for whatever reason, they refuse to learn. Probably because they’re good Americans and in the words of that great American sage and cartoon character, Ed Wuncler, “We’re American. We don’t quit just because we’re wrong. We keep doing the wrong thing until it turns out right.” There’s an interesting interview with cognitive linguist … Continue reading Going High When They Go Low Isn’t How You Win; You Gotta Fight to Win
I think it’s really important for us to remember that Trump does not and never has had the support of the American people. He lost the popular vote by millions of votes. He currently has something like a 37% approval rating. Which is unheard of for an incoming president. Even President G.W. Bush had a 62% approval rating after losing the popular vote. So it … Continue reading Marmot for President!
One of the favorite rhetorical strategies of the radical right is name calling. Like, they have a whole set of names that they’ve created in order to wage rhetorical war against the rest of us: Libraturd, Feminazi, Thug, Cuck, Special Snowflake, Hysterical, Unhinged, etc, etc, etc. It’s apparently one of their favorite things. The left may not be much more respectful towards the far right, … Continue reading Let’s Talk About Name Calling: Special Snowflake Edition
This is one that you may have seen before, but with some additional information. Paul Ryan has been taking a phone poll regarding the ACA (Obamacare) for a few months now. To access it, you can call either (202) 225-3031 or (202) 225-0600. You choose option 2, listen to a ridiculous, incomplete and misleading statement from Ryan about the ACA and after a pause can … Continue reading Your Simple Act of Resistance 1/16
In any conflict, it’s important to keep up with what’s going on with the other side. But between social media and the extreme unpleasantness of dealing with the radical right, a lot of people are in a bubble where they aren’t hearing the conversations taking place among those who are on “the other side”. While I totally understand the impulse to cocoon and support it … Continue reading Let’s Get This Thing Started
Since clearly a lot of people are struggling to differentiate between reliable news and bullshit, let’s talk about something called a primary source. You can think of a primary source as original documentation. So if I’m studying Abraham Lincoln’s relationship with Mary Todd, letters between them would be a primary source. A book written about their relationship which quotes those letters would be considered a … Continue reading Quick Tips for Evaluating a New Story
The Upside Down World 