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Good News Roundup for Friday, September 16, 2022: There's Nothing We Cannot Do [1]
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Date: 2022-09-16
GNR 269 for me
Welcome 🌻 to Friday’s Roundup of Good News!
President Biden on Wednesday, at a DNC reception: “Folks, we got to remember who we are: We are the United States of America. There’s not a damn thing in the world that we cannot do when we set our mind to it. Nothing, nothing, nothing. The United States of America.”
Nothing, nothing, nothing. People will tell us things cannot be done. Why do they do that? Because it’s much easier to have us give up than to fight us.
People told Ukrainians they should just give up. Some people — probably out of genuine concern— offered to evacuate Zelenskyy. He said, in a quote that will be etched in Ukrainian history forever: “I need ammo, not a ride.” His words inspired the whole world. We all know what they have done! True, they have suffered in this fight. If they had not fought, they would have suffered much more.
Right now, we’re looking at the midterms. We need to elect Ds in order to keep the policies paid for by Putin from being enacted across the land. But this can be done. I cannot say that it will. It depends on us. Then we can get back to fighting for the things that matter — health care, the climate, education, and justice — based in the principles of Truth and Love. We may suffer in this fight. We will suffer much more if we don’t fight.
To quote President Biden again: “That’s why those who love this country — Democrats, independents, mainstream Republicans — we got to be stronger, more determined, more committed to saving American democracy than the extreme MAGA Republicans are to destroying American democracy. We have to organize, we have to mobilize, and we have to vote. Get out and vote.”
Nearly all gnusies know what needs to be done, so I’m not going to spend more time preaching today. Come in, get fortified with the news — gosh, there’s a lot, Dark Brandon and Dark Merrick and their competent departments are busy — then go out and add a few drops buckets of blue to the Roevember tsunami. 🌊
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 REALLY hard at work. Here are the last week’s posts at the White House briefing room.
👎 Out with the Bad, In with the Good 👍
Swearing in of Mary Peltola and Pat Ryan Chris Klint Alaska Public Media
Mary Peltola on Tuesday became the first Alaska Native sworn into U.S. Congress, replacing the late Rep. Don Young as the fifth U.S. representative from Alaska since statehood. Peltola received a standing ovation on the U.S. House floor after House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, D-Md., announced that she had just made history. ✂️ After the ceremony, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi held a ceremonial swearing-in for Peltola, plus Congressman-elect Pat Ryan, D-NY, and Congressman-elect Joe Sempolinski, R-NY.
Rep Pat Ryan. Peltola was more amazing, perhaps, but Pat Ryan was a bellwether, taking another seat the Rs expected to hold. And this is adorable, also showing how fabulous Pelosi is:
x Newly sworn in Rep @PatRyanUC’s son Theo steals the show at his ceremonial swearing in pic.twitter.com/nzBrawRSTr — Kristin Wilson (@kristin__wilson) September 13, 2022
Note, we haven’t talked about Sempolinski. He’s an R replacing an R. However, the margin of victory went way down. He won with 53 percent of the vote, compared with 47 percent for Mr. Della Pia, the D. Trump won the district by 12 points in 2020. That’s a drop of 6 points!
Land back
x Celebrate with me — The Oglala and Cheyenne River Lakota Tribes have reacquired the Wounded Knee National Memorial Landmark. #LandBack 🪶 — Lakota Man (@LakotaMan1) September 12, 2022
Insurance companies force changes on police departments Kimberly Kindy Washington Post
ST. ANN, Mo. — A patrol officer spotted a white minivan with an expired license plate, flipped on his lights and siren, and when the driver failed to stop, gave chase. The driver fled in rush-hour traffic at speeds of up to 90 mph, as other officers joined in the pursuit. Ten miles later, the van slammed into a green Toyota Camry, leaving its 55-year-old driver, Brent Cox, permanently disabled. That 2017 police chase was at the time the latest in a long line of questionable vehicle pursuits by officers of the St. Ann Police Department. Eleven people had been injured in 19 crashes during high-speed pursuits over the two prior years. Social justice activists and reporters were scrutinizing the department, and Cox and others were suing. Undeterred, St. Ann Police Chief Aaron Jimenez stood behind the high-octane pursuits and doubled down on the department’s decades-old motto: “St. Ann will chase you until the wheels fall off.” Then, an otherwise silent stakeholder stepped in. The St. Louis Area Insurance Trust risk pool — which provided liability coverage to the city of St. Ann and the police department — threatened to cancel coverage if the department didn’t impose restrictions on its use of police chases. City officials shopped around for alternative coverage but soon learned that costs would nearly double if they did not agree to their insurer’s demands.
As someone who has worked in the insurance industry, I have really wondered about this. The shows how the insurance industry has forced a lot of police departments to change their ways. Insurance companies, at least those doing property and casualty, may trend conservative (certainly they don’t like trial lawyers) but they are clear-eyed about risks. For example, the fossil fuel industry may deny climate change, but the insurance industry does not. Russian soldiers totally demoralized: letters found in Izyum Sibiohan O’Grady and Anastacia Galouchka, Washington Post Sibiohan O’Grady andWashington Post IZYUM, Ukraine — About 10 days before Ukrainian forces retook the city of Izyum last weekend, Russian troops stationed here were so demoralized that they drafted letters begging their superiors to dismiss them from their roles. The 10 handwritten letters, dated Aug. 30, were left behind in a two-story residential house where Russians were squatting and later found by Ukrainian soldiers who provided the letters to The Washington Post for review. They paint a portrait of dejected troops desperate for rest and concerned about their health and morale after months of fighting. “I refuse to complete my duty in the special operation on the territory of Ukraine due to lack of vacation days and moral exhaustion,” wrote a man who identified himself as the commander of an antiaircraft missile platoon from the Moscow region
💣 Republicans: Party of Crimes and Chaos 💣
So many crimes! There’s really just no way to list them all. I’m not going to try. Here’s a sample:
⚡️ DeSantis and Abbott may have engaged in human trafficking when they sent those people to Martha’s Vinyard. Right now, there are a lot of questions. Darrell Lucas, Daily Kos
tRump is so worried about the documents crime that he has arranged to retain and pay for a real lawyer. Betsy Woodruff Swan, Politico
Donald Trump’s outside spending arm has paid $3 million to cover attorney Chris Kise’s legal work representing the former president, according to three people familiar with the arrangement. The $3 million paid by Save America PAC is a significant sum, and comes as Trump faces a number of federal and state probes that will require substantial legal help. ✂️ Kise was previously Florida’s solicitor general, and has won multiple victories at the U.S. Supreme Court. He has close ties to Florida Republican politicians and is viewed as a competent and serious lawyer. Trump has long struggled to build strong legal teams, given his history of stiffing attorneys who represent him. Kise’s decision to represent him was viewed as a significant boon for the ex-president.
tRump needs a real lawyer, because not all judges will be as corruptly in his corner as Cannon.
Fani Willis speaks! There’s a mention somewhere of 17 people who could go to prison. That may include the fake electors and it certainly includes Rudy Giuliani.
x “The allegations are very serious. If indicted & convicted, people are facing prison sentences,” said Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis, the prosecutor investigating efforts by Trump & his allies to challenge the 2020 election results in Georgia
https://t.co/JTM54Qq7yy — Julia Jester (@JulesJester) September 15, 2022
Mark Meadows has been cooperating with the DOJ with respect to Jan 6 Pamela Brown, Evan Perez, Jeremy Herb and Kristen Holmes, CNN (yeah, I’m mad at CNN but they really did break the story)
CNN — Former White House chief of staff Mark Meadows has complied with a subpoena from the Justice Department’s investigation into events surrounding January 6, 2021, sources familiar with the matter tell CNN, making him the highest-ranking Trump official known to have responded to a subpoena in the federal investigation. Meadows turned over the same materials he provided to the House select committee investigating the US Capitol attack, one source said, meeting the obligations of the Justice Department subpoena, which has not been previously reported. Last year, Meadows turned over thousands of text messages and emails to the House committee, before he stopped cooperating. The texts he handed over between Election Day 2020 and Joe Biden’s inauguration, which CNN previously obtained, provided a window into his dealings at the White House, though he withheld hundreds of messages, citing executive privilege.
New texts show Favre’s involvement in stealing money meant for needy Nick Selbe Sports Illustrated (cool — I never quote Sports Illustrated)
Text messages from 2017 appear to show Brett Favre was helped in receiving funding from former Mississippi governor Phil Bryant as part of a bigger welfare fund scheme in what’s been called the largest public fraud case in the state’s history. ✂️ Text messages obtained by Anna Wolfe of Mississippi Today and entered Monday into the state’s ongoing civil lawsuit over the scandal show Favre, Bryant, New and former welfare agency director John Davis worked together to funnel at least $5 million of the state’s welfare funds toward the building of the stadium. New has already pleaded guilty to 13 felony counts related to the fraud case in which nonprofit leaders misspent at least $77 million in money that was earmarked to aid those in need, according to Wolfe. In the texts, Favre reportedly asks New whether any money he’d received for the volleyball stadium can be tracked back to its source by the media. New said no, saying she understands why Favre would be “uneasy about that.”
A weird headline. The New is the name of Nancy New, not necessarily an indication of recency. Anyway, this is one of the reasons that the people in Jackson don’t have potable water: because creeps like Favre are stealing the money.
Chaos: Not everyone wants to vote on an abortion ban Bob Brigham Raw Story
Longtime Republican dirty trickster Roger Stone on Tuesday evening accused GOP Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina of helping Democrats hold control of the U.S. Senate during the 2022 midterms. "Willful sabotage," Graham [Ed: should be Stone!] posted to Donald Trump's Truth Social website. "The states must decide whether to regulate or ban abortion," Stone declared after Graham vowed a vote on a nationwide, 15-week abortion ban. "This federal election is about our safety, security, health, food supply, economy, free speech and the corruption of our justice system unless RINOS and Democrats try to make it about federal abortion policy which the US Supreme Court made unnecessary," Stone argued. "Lindsey Graham is purposely helping the Democrats to ensure that we do not take back the US Senate."
I’m actually not sure of the impact. This 15-week ban may be designed to reduce the outrage out of the more radical bans. Or it may be to galvanize those who want to have bans everywhere.
Don’t trust what any Rs say. Get out the vote!
💙 Democrats Deliver 💙
🚋 Back on track, keeping the trains running Josh Boak and Zeke Miller, Associated Press
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden said Thursday that a tentative railway labor agreement has been reached, averting a potentially devastating strike before the pivotal midterm elections. Railroads and union representatives had been in negotiations for 20 hours at the Labor Department on Wednesday to hammer out a deal, as there was a risk of a strike starting on Friday that could have shut down rail lines across the country. Biden made a key phone call to Labor Secretary Marty Walsh at 9 p.m. as the talks were ongoing after Italian dinner had been brought in, according to a White House official insisting on anonymity. What resulted from the back and forth was a tentative agreement that will go to union members for a vote after a post-ratification cooling off period of several weeks.
This is so important. Trains not running means absolute havoc in the supply chains. And that would be wretched for Roevember… Moreover, the deal seems pretty good for labor. Thanks, Labor Secretary Marty Walsh!
California sues Amazon under antitrust laws AFP Raw Story
San Francisco (AFP) - California filed a lawsuit Wednesday accusing Amazon of using its market influence to prevent merchants from offering buyers better deals elsewhere online, in violation of state antitrust law. Amazon pressures merchants not to list items at lower prices on other websites, which hurts sellers and consumers, California Attorney General Rob Bonta said in the lawsuit. "Amazon coerces merchants into agreements that keep prices artificially high, knowing full well that they can't afford to say no," Bonta said in a release.
Finally, someone is tackling this! Thanks, California.
x Days after big Intel OH chips plant groundbreaking: “Since Pres Biden took office…Toyota/Honda/Ford/GM/Panasonic have announced investments of ~$85 billion to make electric vehicles, batteries & EV chargers across America,including in NC, MI, OH, MO & KS”
https://t.co/GOtVofZjH9 — Ronald Brownstein (@RonBrownstein) September 14, 2022
Taking care of the children
x BREAKING: Bombshell new data reveals that child poverty in America fell by a staggering 46% in 2021 thanks to Joe Biden's child tax credit — a measure that Republicans cruelly oppose and which has now expired. RT IF YOU SUPPORT EXPANDING AND EXTENDING THE CHILD TAX CREDIT! — Occupy Democrats (@OccupyDemocrats) September 13, 2022
Another reason to keep the Senate blue
x BREAKING: The Senate Judiciary Committee is investigating Donald Trump for his meddling in the Southern District of New York’s case against former Trump attorney and fixer Michael Cohen.
The most corrupt president in history. — Republicans against Trumpism (@RpsAgainstTrump) September 13, 2022
And I enjoyed this:
x Biden's biggest Presidential scandal so far is that he went home to vote in an election. — I Smoked Mike Lindell's MyPhone (@BlackKnight10k) September 15, 2022
💜 Unity? 💜
On Thursday, the White House had a summit on addressing hate-fueled violence. I almost put this in the Democrats Deliver segment above, but the title literally has “Foster Unity” in it. Note it’s a press release, so there’s no issue with fair use. (Also, I was really pleased Nicolle Wallace started with this issue and with President Biden on Thursday, instead of going on and on about the disgraced former guy or gods forbid, the dead Queen.)
The White House is announcing a historic package of new actions the federal government, civic, faith, philanthropic, and business leaders will take to address hate-fueled violence and advance national unity: The President will announce new agency actions to strengthen the federal government’s coordination and community engagement to prevent, respond to, and recover from hate-fueled violence.
Federal agencies are announcing new steps to strengthen the resources available to local schools, law enforcement agencies, and cultural institutions like museums and libraries to prevent and respond to hate-fueled violence.
to strengthen the resources available to local schools, law enforcement agencies, and cultural institutions like museums and libraries to prevent and respond to hate-fueled violence. Bipartisan former White House officials will launch Dignity.us, a Citizens’ Initiative to Address Hate-Fueled Violence in America, to foster dialogue in communities across the country and identify solutions to address hate-fueled violence. The Citizens’ Initiative will be coordinated by four former Directors of the White House Domestic Policy Council under Republican and Democratic presidents. The Presidential Centers or Foundations of Presidents Obama, George W. Bush, Bill Clinton, and Gerald Ford will support the initiative.
New Pluralists, a cross-partisan group of philanthropic and field leaders, is mobilizing $1 billion in new investments to increase support for programs that build bridges among Americans of different backgrounds to foster unity.
$1 billion in new investments to increase support for programs that build bridges among Americans of different backgrounds to foster unity. Compact to Combat Hate and Extremism, committing to stand up against hate-fueled violence and increase their support for local initiatives that heal divides. Service organizations, led by Interfaith America, the YMCA, and Habitat for Humanity, are launching A Nation of Bridge Builders, a new partnership that will train 10,000 Americans to be bridge builders in their neighborhoods, and will host over 1,000 bridge building events in over 300 communities.
A Nation of Bridge Builders, a new partnership that will train 10,000 Americans to be bridge builders in their neighborhoods, and will host over 1,000 bridge building events in over 300 communities. Technology companies, including YouTube, Twitch, Microsoft, and Meta are announcing new actions their platforms are taking to prevent hate-fueled violence.
Women are pissed
x The total number of women registering to vote in KS, PA, OH, OK, FL, NC, ID, AL, NM, and ME rose by 35% this summer.
Women will lead the charge in fighting back against the MAGA autocratic movement in November. — The Lincoln Project (@ProjectLincoln) September 12, 2022
In Michigan. Note these Rs are not in office, but they may have a little influence. Also, KS, PA, check AZ
x BREAKING: More than 150 prominent Michigan Republicans have announced their support for Dem Governor Gretchen Whitmer for re-election against Trump-backed opponent Tudor Dixon.
Country over party. — Republicans against Trumpism (@RpsAgainstTrump) September 12, 2022
And Xi isn’t crazy about the war in Ukraine...
x This is remarkable. Xi is not supporting Putin. No weapons, no ammo, no chips, no real words of solidarity. Just a willingness to buy Russian energy at very discounted prices.
https://t.co/dk7fZcgL5l — Michael McFaul (@McFaul) September 15, 2022
This is really good:
x As part of @VP’s desire to elevate our engagement with the Caribbean, she will host 5 Caribbean leaders today at Blair House. @VP has consistently said that as neighbors, our close cooperation is essential to our shared prosperity and security.
https://t.co/WeBeszFzDB — Phil Gordon (@PhilGordon46) September 15, 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 😈
The DOJ’s J6 investigation is looking at everything Devlin Barrett, Jacqueline Alemany, Josh Dawsey and Rosalind S. Helderman Washington Post
Dozens of subpoenas issued last week show that the Justice Department is seeking vast amounts of information, and communications with more than 100 people, as part of its sprawling inquiry into the origins, fundraising and motives of the effort to block Joe Biden from being certified as president in early 2021. The subpoenas, three of which were reviewed by The Washington Post, are far-reaching, covering 18 separate categories of information, including any communications the recipients had with scores of people in six states where supporters of then-President Donald Trump sought to promote “alternate” electors to replace electors in those states won by Biden.
See! Garland is on the job. Yes, we wish this had happened a year ago.
Another day, another election denier’s phone seized Kelly Weill, The Daily Beast
Another prominent 2020 election denier claims the FBI confiscated his cellphone this week, just a day after a similar seizure against MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell. Douglas Frank, a former math teacher from Ohio, is a frequent speaker in Stop The Steal circles. In a Wednesday post on Telegram, Frank claimed FBI agents seized his phone when he landed at an Ohio airport. Frank was previously named in a search warrant for Lindell’s phone, which was confiscated at a Hardee’s restaurant in Minnesota on Tuesday. Both phone seizures appear to stem from a federal probe into an alleged breach of Colorado voting machines by election conspiracy theorists last year.
And this is still going on. Things may be tense at faux news.
x Dominion Voting Systems wants to question several Tucker Carlson and Lou Dobbs producers in their sprawling election conspiracy lawsuit against Fox News
https://t.co/wH3sSadWA3 — Spiro’s Ghost (@SpiroAgnewGhost) September 15, 2022
Trial to determine how much Alex Jones will have to pay is taking place. Dave Collins, AP News
HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) — A month after losing one nearly $50 million verdict, conspiracy theorist Alex Jones is set to go on trial a second time for calling the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting a hoax and causing several of the victims’ families emotional and psychological harm. A six-member jury with several alternates in Connecticut will begin hearing evidence Tuesday on how much Jones should pay the families, since he already has been found liable for damages to them. The trial is expected to last about four weeks. Last month, a Texas jury ordered Jones to pay $49.3 million to the parents of 6-year-old Jesse Lewis, one of 26 students and teachers killed in the 2012 shooting in Newtown, Connecticut. Jones’ lawyer has said an appeal is planned. The Connecticut case has the potential for a larger award because it involves three lawsuits — which have been consolidated — that were filed by 15 plaintiffs, including the relatives of eight of the victims and a former FBI agent who responded to the school shooting.
Also, it’s CT and not TX, so it’s a friendlier venue to the plaintiffs.
x I hope everyone who has been supporting Alex Jones all these years are happy their money is finally being used for a good cause.
Paying settlements to Sandy Hook families. — Chris Hahn (@ChristopherHahn) September 13, 2022
This is SO important.
x BREAKING: Huge WIN for former Ohio State athletes abused by school doctor. Federal appeals court revives 100s of suits previously dismissed for statute of limitations.
Next: discovery. Plaintiffs can get docs/testimony from OSU witnesses, like former wrestling coach Jim Jordan. — Tristan Snell (@TristanSnell) September 15, 2022
Man filming woman in Thai public restroom discovers the hard way she has a black belt Rebecca Moon Yahoo News
On Sunday, a 17-year-old man allegedly entered the women’s restroom in a Japanese restaurant located in Chachoengsao district, Thailand, and attempted to film a woman in a stall. The 28-year-old woman, who reportedly works at the restaurant, noticed the phone peeking over her stall and immediately chased the man outside. In CCTV video of the incident, the 17-year-old tries to flee on his motorcycle, but the woman catches up to him. After she grabs him, she begins to beat him, swinging punches and kicking the man.
📣 Let’s Honor Truth ☀️️
Senator Sheldon Whitehouse has been calling out the corrupt, captured SCOTUS for a while. Here he is Wednesday night on The Last Word
We owe Whitehouse a lot for bringing this up, over and over, so much so that others are starting to notice. Repetition is good! Repetition is good!
Geoffrey Berman, the former US attorney at the Southern District of New York and the author of the book, Holding the Line, is gets an honorable mention this week. Michael Cohen is mad at this guy, and I’m not going to uphold Berman as an icon of integrity in all things (nor would we do so for Michael Cohen, whose past is as checkered as gingham). However, Berman’s bringing up really important stuff about the corruption at the DOJ under Barr. Steve Benen, Maddow Blog
The new book from Geoffrey Berman, a former U.S. attorney in the Trump administration, has caused a stir for a reason: The Republican prosecutor has presented powerful evidence that the Republican administration politicized the Justice Department to an indefensible degree. There is a degree of irony to the circumstances: As the Biden White House’s GOP critics make up weird allegations about weaponized law enforcement, it’s Donald Trump and his team who’ve been credibly accused of actually doing the one thing Republicans are complaining about now. The relevance of the revelations, however, is not entirely retrospective. The New York Times reported overnight: The Senate Judiciary Committee will investigate allegations that the Justice Department under President Donald J. Trump sought to use the U.S. attorney’s office in Manhattan to support Mr. Trump politically and pursue his critics, the committee’s chairman said on Monday.
In my opinion, Berman was blindered. It’s not so much that he was dishonest, but that he was holding the SDNY office above the country. He did not see what else he could have done to protect the rest of DOJ. And maybe he was correct in judging the rest of DOJ to be so corrupt under tRump.
No wonder Garland is being so careful!
🌹 Let’s Celebrate Love ❤️
Gander, Canada after 9/11/2001 Garrett Barry, CBC News
Ambassador David Cohen marked the occasion with a speech during the town's annual remembrance ceremony. He said the community, which took hundreds of stranded airline passengers into its schools and homes for several days while flights were grounded, may represent the best that humanity has to offer. "On behalf of the president of the United States, on behalf of the American people, and from the bottom of my heart, thank you for your kindness, for humanity, and for giving us hope and optimism that good will always triumph over evil," he said. ✂️ After the attacks on Sept. 11, 2001, flights were grounded across North America. Because of its geography, dozens were forced to land in Gander — almost doubling the town's population for a few days before travellers could leave again. "It also was a day in which there was tremendous humanity demonstrated," Cohen said. "Reaching out to take care of, in Gander's case, 7,000 stranded travellers and fed them and housed them and offered them a shoulder to cry on and encouragement for the fact that the world would turn out OK."
📎 Odds & Ends 📎
Hooray, Patagonia! Thanks!
x Incredible. The founder of Patagonia, Yvon Chouinard, has given away his company and will donate all of Patagonia’s profits to fight climate change. Patagonia also sanctioned Russia very early on in the war — and closed their Russian stores to help Ukraine. Thank you, Patagonia. — Dash Dobrofsky (@DashDobrofsky) September 14, 2022
Keeping a heart from breaking!
x During a match in Spain, Cadiz goalkeeper Jeremias Ledesma spotted a fan in the crowd suffer from a cardiac episode.
He sprinted to the sidelines, grabbed a defibrillator, then sprinted back to throw it up into the stands.
What a hero.pic.twitter.com/A6UdQ1bYyc — Goodable (@Goodable) September 12, 2022
Haarlem (in the Netherlands, not NYC) bans advertising for meat Cristen Hemingway James EcoWatch
Billions of dollars are spent each year on food and beverage advertising in order to sway people’s food choices. In an effort to reduce the consumption of meat and the greenhouse gas emissions it produces, the Dutch city of Haarlem will become the world’s first to ban advertisements for meat in public spaces. Haarlem, the eponymous city of Harlem, New York, is located to the west of Amsterdam. Haarlem added meat to a list of goods that were determined to contribute to the climate crisis, reported The Guardian. Advertisements for meat will be prohibited in the city of about 160,000 beginning in 2024. The wait is due to current contracts with the products’ companies. “We can’t tell people there’s a climate crisis and encourage them to buy products that are part of the cause,” Haarlem GroenLinks councilor Ziggy Klazes, who drafted the motion, told Trouw, as Dutch News reported. No meat advertisements will be permitted on buses, shelters or screens in Haarlem’s public spaces, reported Food Ingredients First.
💰 Not only will green energy save the planet, it will save money:
x A new @oxmartinschool study has found:
- Achieving a net zero carbon energy system by 2050 is possible and profitable
- A fast transition to clean energy is cheaper than slow/no transition
- The idea that going green will be expensive is ‘just wrong’
Read more ⬇️ — University of Oxford (@UniofOxford) September 14, 2022
Russia’s first climate lawsuit filed Filip Lebedev Reuters
MOSCOW, Sept 13 (Reuters) - Russia's first climate lawsuit was filed in the Supreme Court on Tuesday by activists who demanded Russia take urgent steps to radically reduce greenhouse gas emissions to meet its obligations under the 2015 Paris Agreement. Two organizations - Ekozashita (Eco-defence) and the Moscow Helsinki Group, Russia's oldest human rights organization, which was founded by Soviet dissidents - and 18 individuals are listed among the plaintiffs. They said the lawsuit was the first of its kind to be accepted by a court in Russia.
Brave people! Well, if there’s nothing we cannot do, maybe there’s nothing they cannot do.
More brave people:
x ⚡️CNN: Russian deputy calling for Putin’s resignation refuses to back down.
Nikita Yuferev, one of the Russian deputies from the Smolninskoye District of St. Petersburg who called for Putin to be charged with treason on Sept. 7, is not backing down, CNN reports. — The Kyiv Independent (@KyivIndependent) September 15, 2022
This person is being threatened with prison, so this is brave indeed.
🐦 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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https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2022/9/16/2122161/-Good-News-Roundup-for-Friday-September-16-2022-There-s-Nothing-We-Cannot-Do
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