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Good News Roundup for Friday, September 9, 2022: We Are Powerful [1]
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Date: 2022-09-09
Welcome 🌻 to Friday’s Roundup of Good News!
In one of his recent speeches, President Biden said, “While the threat to democracy is real, we are not powerless in the face of these threats.”
I would go further. I think we are not just “not powerless” — which is a first step — I think we are powerful. And we have been learning to use that power.
We have learned not to be afraid. See Goodie’s wonderful GNR from Saturday, September 3.
We have become better at messaging. For example, my “Repetition is good! Repetition is good!” mantra. I know some of us (including me!) don’t really like repetition. We learn the first time. But repetition, even if it’s tedious, is very effective.
We have become better at uniting ourselves. I don’t know how Biden or Schumer managed to get Manchin to resuscitate the climate bill, but it was amazing
We have become better at encouraging them to divide. Or, at least, we keep letting them do that.
We have the power of positions that matter. Social security. Reproductive freedom. Clean air. Schools without shootouts.
We are the majority.
We are powerful.
Come in, dear gnusies, and see how we, and our allies, are using our power for good.
And, RIP, Queen Elizabeth II.
Regular Scheduled Programming
No one here is naïve; we are aware of the many who are fighting to destroy our country. Some of us expected it: the cheating, the lying, the chaos, and yes, even the attempts to cling to power despite the clear will of the people. But we are here to read the efforts and the positive results of those (including us and our fellow gnus) who are working so hard to save our country from those very bad people. We are furious with them for what they are doing and we are letting them know. Remember:
💙 There are more of us than there are of them.
💛 They are terrified when we organize. THERE IS LOTS OF EVIDENCE THAT THEY ARE TERRIFIED!
💔 They want us to be demoralized. The best way to keep up your spirits is to fight. So, take the time to recharge your batteries, but find ways to contribute to the well-being of our country and our world.
🗽 Biden as President ! 🗽
Biden, Harris and their administration have been hard at work. Here are the last week’s posts at the White House briefing room.
👎 Out with the Bad, In with the Good 👍
The Ukrainians are doing a fine job. Here’s a new example:
x People on Twitter haven't really begun thinking through the implications of the capture of Russian Lieutenant General Andrei Sychevoi.
If Ukraine got him, they overran his headquarters and all the paper & electronic records held there...intact.
1/8
https://t.co/bSwWYXWGDC — Trent Telenko (@TrentTelenko) September 9, 2022
👍👍👍👍 The unveiling of the Obama portraits was skipped by tfdg, so it has been done by the Bidens. However, I do think the Bidens should skip any unveiling of tRump portraits.
x When I look at these portraits of Barack and Michelle, I see family.
The family we all built — and the families across America that we served together. pic.twitter.com/GaXorhclyr — Jill Biden (@FLOTUS) September 7, 2022
👎 👎 👎 👎 Yeah, you probably saw this, but too fine, not to celebrate again. About damned time this happened to someone. These are traitors. Not patriots. TRAITORS.
x Couple of notes - this decision marks the first time since 1869 that a court disqualified a public official under Section 3 of the 14th Amendment. It's also the first time any court has ruled that the events of Jan 6 constitute an insurrection. More there:
https://t.co/DMM1SyDcXe — Duty To Warn 🔉 (@duty2warn) September 6, 2022
💣 Republicans: Party of Crimes and Chaos 💣
So many crimes in this party!
x A special prosecutor is now investigating Michigan GOP Attorney General nominee Matt DePerno and other GOP officials over alleged voter machine tampering following the 2020 election. via @MichiganAdvance
https://t.co/A30BK23QbT — Susan J. Demas 🏔 (@sjdemas) September 8, 2022
Palin-Begich feud could keep the Congressional seat Peltola 💙 Sam Brodey,The Daily Beast
Sobered by the sight of a Democrat in the state’s lone U.S. House seat for the first time in six decades, Republicans looked to either Palin or Begich to drop out in order to give the GOP their best shot at winning the November general election. Ahead of the filing deadline on Monday, both Begich and Palin said the other should be the one to drop out. But when the deadline passed, neither of them had, and each is equally convinced they are the Republican with the real path to victory. Their standoff not only guarantees another two months of Republican-on-Republican violence—which had already exhausted and divided Alaska GOP circles—but could end up costing the party this seat for the next two years or longer. “As Palin and Begich beat the fuck out of each other, [Peltola] is going to coast,” said a GOP operative who has managed campaigns in Alaska. “Until Palin and Begich figure this out, it’s going to be problematic.”
The DOJ has been really busy lately. Well, the Rs give them plenty of work.
x NEW: the DoJ is investigating Trump’s Save America PAC. It’s of note that this PAC raised money off the big lie, and it’s using it to pay for several 1/6 witness lawyers - including Cassidy Hutchinson’s first lawyer.
https://t.co/xAi8iAGn1h — Mueller, She Wrote (@MuellerSheWrote) September 8, 2022
By the way, this PAC is what led to the Lincoln Project ad that is getting tRump to talk about suing FOX News. If you have missed it, here’s another chance:
Now, given how insulting it is, I don’t know how many magats it will win over, but hey, you’ll enjoy it! And sorry for using his face.
Rick Scott is stealing from his own kind as well...
x FL. GOP Senator, Rick Scott, admitted on Fox that out of the $181.5 million donated to the "National Republican Senatorial Committee, he blew 95% of it, leaving just $23 million for the candidates. That trip to Italy onboard that luxury yacht was expensive. — Daren (@Daren58943953) September 8, 2022
💙 Democrats Deliver 💙
Enjoy some more Dark Brandon! I have been enjoying Biden so much lately!
x Biden does an impression of Republicans trying to take credit for legislation they didn’t vote for lol pic.twitter.com/bx8vyJSgfV — Acyn (@Acyn) September 8, 2022
Voter registrations post Dobbs Tom Bonier New York Times
..Repeating the Kansas analysis across several other states, I saw that a clear pattern emerged. Nowhere were the results as stark as they were there, but no other state was facing the issue with the immediacy of an August vote on a constitutional amendment. My team and I found large surges in women registering to vote relative to men, when comparing the period before June 24 and after. The pattern was clearest in states where abortion access was most at risk and where the electoral stakes for abortion rights this November were the highest. The states with the biggest surges in women registering post-Dobbs were deep red Kansas and Idaho, with Louisiana emerging among the top five states. Key battleground states also showed large increases, including Pennsylvania, Michigan, Wisconsin and Ohio, which all have statewide races in which the fate of abortion access could be decided in November. The surge in women registering and voting helped the Democrat Pat Ryan prevail over Marc Molinaro — one of the more credible Republican recruits this cycle — in New York’s fiercely contested 19th Congressional District last month. This is not the type of performance you would see in a red wave election. Among the mailed and early votes cast in the district, women outnumbered men by an 18-point margin, despite accounting for about 52 percent of registered voters. With over two months until Election Day, uncertainty abounds. Election prognostication relies heavily on precedent. Yet there is no precedent for an election centered on the removal of a constitutional right affirmed a half-century before. Every poll we consume over the closing weeks of this election will rely on a likely voter model for which we have no benchmark.
Optimistic words from Jennifer Rubin Washington Post
And it’s not just the House. The latest batch of Florida Senate polls shows Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) within the margin of error against his Democratic opponent, Val Demings. FiveThirtyEight’s polling averages show that Democratic Senate candidates lead in Ohio, Wisconsin, Georgia, Arizona, Nevada and Pennsylvania while North Carolina is a dead heat. This does not mean Democrats will win all these seats, but it does require Republicans to conduct some triage, writing off losers (looking at Blake Masters in Arizona) to rescue salvageable candidates. One additional fact weighing in Democrats’ favor: Their ability to control the agenda. Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) has vowed to bring codification of gay marriage rights to the floor for a vote. That is going to put right-wing incumbents running in swing states in a tough position. As Politico noted, “Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.), the most vulnerable GOP incumbent, said recently he won’t support the bill in its current form, despite saying earlier this summer he saw ‘no reason to oppose’ it.”
I really wonder what Beto’s chances are. Go, Beto, go!
x “I am a responsible gun owner, father of two, and I am definitely voting for Beto.” pic.twitter.com/Omlgd3D1RK — Beto O'Rourke (@BetoORourke) September 7, 2022
California passes massive climate legislation package Olivia Rosane EcoWatch
In the midst of wildfires, a late-summer heat wave and an ongoing drought, the state of California passed a rash of ambitious legislation this week to tackle the climate crisis. Five of six climate-related bills championed by Governor Gavin Newsom passed the state legislature Wednesday, providing climate funding, limiting oil and gas wells and enshrining a 2045 carbon-neutrality deadline, among other things. “This was a very big and historic win. It has taken this state decades to get to this point,” Democratic Senator Monique Limón from Santa Barbara said, as Cal Matters reported.
🍔 Also, Governor Newsom thinks fast food workers deserve a break today Doktor Zoom Wonkette
California Gov. Gavin Newsom on Monday signed a new labor law — because Labor Day, you know — that will ensure fast food workers a spot at the table in setting wage, safety, and working condition standards in the state. Hopefully, the table won't be all sticky and covered in fry residue. The law will create a 10-member "Fast Food Council" that will include equal numbers of members representing workers and the industry (including franchise owners), along with a couple members from state regulatory bodies. A press release from Newsom's office said the council will be responsible for setting minimum standards for wages, conditions related to health and safety, security in the workplace, the right to take time off from work for protected purposes and protection from discrimination and harassment. Newsom said in the announcement that California is "committed to ensuring that the men and women who have helped build our world-class economy are able to share in the state’s prosperity." The chair of the council will not, unfortunately, hold the title of Burger King.
Roe your vote in Michigan. If you haven’t been following this: voters in Michigan want a measure to be on the ballot to ensure abortion rights. The R canvassers blocked the measure despite the many extra signatures. But the MI SC has decided otherwise.
x Breaking news from Michigan: The MI Supreme Court in a 5-2 decision ordered the “Reproductive Freedom For All” measure to be placed on the ballot after the Board of State Canvassers deadlocked last week over alleged spacing issues in the text of the proposal. Thread below. 1/7 pic.twitter.com/C5aKRXOFb5 — State Democracy Research Initiative (@UWLawDemocracy) September 8, 2022
This should motivate D voters and help downballot candidates.
White House and Senate Ds working to extend child tax credit Hans Nichols Axios
The White House is engaging with Senate Democrats about making one last push for an enhanced child tax credit this year — and may dangle support for former President Trump's expired research and development tax credits in return for GOP votes, Axios has learned. Why it matters: Some Democrats see a year-end legislative horse-trade as their last chance to enshrine some version of President Biden’s enhanced child tax credit into law before Republicans take one — or both — chambers of Congress. ✂️ But, but, but: A Hail Mary tax package would face not only a ticking congressional clock but also potential opposition from Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.) — who may not be willing to support more deficit spending.
💜 Unity? 💜
I don’t know if this is exactly good news, but the fact that more people than ever are dining out has to be a sign of optimism. Emily Peck Axios
Dining out is back to pre-pandemic levels and then some, according to new data from OpenTable. Why it matters: While the fight rages on over going back to the office, other areas of our lives have returned to something like normal. What's happening: The number of people dining in restaurants in the U.S., who reserved on OpenTable in August and September, was higher than in the same months in 2019.
Europe is trying to stand firm against Russia.
x There can be no business as usual with Russia.
We propose to fully suspend the EU Visa Facilitation Agreement and not to recognise Russian passports issued in occupied 🇺🇦 regions.
Visa facilitation is a token of trust, which Russia's war of aggression has completely shattered — Ursula von der Leyen (@vonderleyen) September 6, 2022
! Actions You Can Take 📤
🏠 DONATE TO GNR KEEPS THE HOUSE BLUE!
newish!!! 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.
🐍 Schadenfreude 😈
⚡️ Everyone is noticing how corrupt Judge Aileen Cannon appears. Too much back-and-forth to get in here, but here’s a DKOS piece on it. ⚡️
Bannon indicted in New York state Shayna Jacobs Washington Post
NEW YORK — Stephen K. Bannon has been charged with money laundering, fraud and conspiracy in connection with the “We Build the Wall” fundraising scheme, for which he received a federal pardon during Donald Trump’s final days in the White House. Bannon, 68, was convicted this summer of contempt of Congress and is awaiting sentencing in that matter. He surrendered to prosecutors in Manhattan Thursday morning on the charges outlined in a newly unsealed state indictment and is expected to appear in court in the afternoon. ✂️ Bannon’s case will be handled in New York Supreme Court by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg and New York Attorney General Letitia James. In a statement issued after the indictment was unsealed, Bragg said Bannon “acted as the architect of a multi-million dollar scheme to defraud thousands of donors across the country – including hundreds of Manhattan residents.”
Why is it not double jeopardy? NYS changed its laws a few years ago. x I believe New York is working on closing their double jeopardy loophole so they can charge them in the state. Tax crimes are already exempt from that law. — Mueller, She Wrote (@MuellerSheWrote) September 7, 2018 Also, apparently, as Bannon was pardoned before there was a trial, that also makes a difference. Could not resist this... x Money laundering is the only laundry Steve Bannon does. — Windsor Mann (@WindsorMann) September 8, 2022
Oathkeeper leader can’t delay his trial. It’s supposed to start Sep 26.
x BREAKING: No. Stewart Rhodes can’t delay his trial and no, he can’t replace his counsel at the 11th hour.
https://t.co/aXVeHQI0CA — Mueller, She Wrote (@MuellerSheWrote) September 7, 2022
The factions aren’t getting along:
x This morning on Truth Social, Trump threatened to file a lawsuit against Fox News over airing ads on their network from The Lincoln Project. He said the Lincoln Project “should not be allowed to 'false advertise,' and Fox News should not allow it to happen. See you all in Court!” — Zachary Petrizzo (@ZTPetrizzo) September 8, 2022
Justice keeps on grinding along
x Tina Peters had her arraignment yesterday for 7 felonies after allegedly providing confidential voter data to Mike Lindell while serving as Mesa (CO) Clerk. She said as she walked in to court she was served with a subpoena from the Dominion security chief, who she says is Antifa. pic.twitter.com/41VO3WVdNw — Ron Filipkowski 🇺🇦 (@RonFilipkowski) September 8, 2022
And more
x REQUEST DENIED.
Judge has rejected this ----->
https://t.co/PIwPYMgNz3 — Scott MacFarlane (@MacFarlaneNews) September 8, 2022
📣 Let’s Honor Truth ☀️️
This week we’re honoring Ben Collins, a reporter at NBC, for reporting on Kiwi Farms. In case you missed it, Kiwi Farms has served to link the worst of the worst. And because of the reporting, Cloudflare dropped them.
Cloudflare cites more threats as reason for dropping Kiwi Farms. Joseph Menn and Taylor Lorentz, Washington Post…
SAN FRANCISCO — Reversing course under growing public pressure, major tech security company Cloudflare announced Saturday that it will stop protecting the Kiwi Farms website, best known as a place for stalkers to organize hacks, online campaigns and real-world harassment. Cloudflare Chief Executive Matthew Prince, who this past week published a lengthy blog post justifying the company’s services defending websites such as Kiwi Farms, told The Washington Post he changed his mind not because of the pressure but a surge in credible violent threats stemming from the site. “As Kiwi Farms has felt more threatened, they have reacted by being more threatening,” Prince said. “We think there is an imminent danger, and the pace at which law enforcement is able to respond to those threats we don’t think is fast enough to keep up.”
Prince says it’s not the credible reporting, but the rise in imminent threats, which he says are due to the credible reporting. I think it’s just the credible reporting.
x Josh Moon, the founder of Kiwi Farms, said in a post on Telegram today that "I do not see a situation where the Kiwi Farms is simply allowed to operate."
The site may be dead. Even Russian providers are bailing.
"This meme about Russia being a free country is a joke," he said. pic.twitter.com/tGURF2C4wp — Ben Collins (@oneunderscore__) September 5, 2022
Given how horrible these people are — I understand they have murdered trans people — and how they specialize in doxxing and harassment — Collins’s work deserves to be honored. Many have warned him, and I assume others have threatened him, for persisting under dangerous conditions.
🌹 Let’s Celebrate Love ❤️
🎩 Greg Dworkin, who had this in an APR earlier this week. Well, in the comments. But I loved it so much I wanted to share it with you.
x There are TEACHERS and there are TEACHERS.pic.twitter.com/R65mb7WGha — Don Winslow (@donwinslow) September 5, 2022
📎 Odds & Ends 📎
Small acts of kindness matter more than people know Erica Pandey Axios
Small and simple, kind gestures have immense, underestimated power. Why it matters: When it comes to doing nice things for others, a little goes a long way. That should encourage all of us to put in that bit of extra effort to make someone smile. ✂️ In one experiment, study participants at an ice-skating rink in Chicago on a cold winter day gave other skaters hot chocolate for free. Then both parties were asked to rate how much the gesture was worth.
study participants at an ice-skating rink in Chicago on a cold winter day gave other skaters hot chocolate for free. Then both parties were asked to rate how much the gesture was worth. The givers consistently undervalued how much the hot cocoa meant to the recipients.
Rest in Peace, Queen Elizabeth. I am not a monarchist, but she was a shining example of someone who served her country.
x Queen Elizabeth II, the UK’s monarch for the past 70 years, has died aged 96
https://t.co/nuFdc3PV49 — BBC Breaking News (@BBCBreaking) September 8, 2022
x The Queen is dead.
A figure spanning so much history it defies imagination.
RIP pic.twitter.com/adLD6RjlLB — Rick Wilson (@TheRickWilson) September 8, 2022
Sigh. There are other obituaries I would read with more pleasure.
Bristol restaurant includes carbon footprint on menu Clara Bullock, BBC News via Yahoo News
A vegetarian restaurant is the first in Bristol to add carbon emissions to its menu. The Canteen hopes to reduce its carbon footprint by buying local ingredients and reducing food waste. ✂️ The carbon footprint includes the distance at which ingredients travelled, seasonality of ingredients and emissions during production. ✂️ According to a recent study in Nature Food, the food industry contributes around 40% of climate damage.
🚋 🌊
x Climate Alert:
The world's first 100% hydrogen-powered trains are up and running in Germany.
They can travel all day on a single tank of hydrogen, and the only emissions are steam and water.
🚆🇩🇪👏🏼 pic.twitter.com/YI2GVtov25 — Goodable (@Goodable) September 5, 2022
🍕 Dominos including recycling information on the pizza boxes Andy Corbley Good News Network. Brilliant!
Domino’s are now delivering their pizzas in boxes on which are printed specific recycling instructions for the customer’s area. Believe it or not, literally billions of corrugated cardboard pizza boxes have gone unrecycled because both consumers and recycling companies believed that the leftover grease, sauce, and cheese might gum up the recycling machinery, or weaken the bonds of the recycled paper material.
We can all use a funny:
Just a weird bird and animal tweet:
x The Oscar goes to... 💞🤣🤣 pic.twitter.com/hfbVtDqnXq — Figen (@_TheFigen) September 7, 2022
🐦 I do a lot of other writing. A recent offering: Hunters of the Feather, a story about a thinker-linker crow who wants to save birdkind from extinction, and the sequel, Scavengers of Mind. (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 — including a new one for lovers of Pride & Prejudice, Mrs. Bennet’s Advice to Young Ladies — and others on Greek mythology, 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 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
🌹 🌹 🌹
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