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Good News Roundup for Friday, October 21, 2022: Changing What We Cannot Accept [1]
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Date: 2022-10-21
Welcome 🌻 to Friday’s Roundup of Good News!
Sorry if I confused you by changing my usual photo for today, and a 🎩 to Carla in Sequim for using this picture and alerting me to it.
There are so many things we cannot accept. Climate abuse, abortion bans, lies, hatred, injustice, prejudice — the list goes on and on.
The polls have been all over the place. Getting people to respond to polls is harder than ever and there are reasons to be skeptical of what the MSM is reporting. For example, in Georgia:
x Early voting continues to soar in Georgia, with data indicating that higher proportions of Black voters are casting ballots so far than in the last two election cycles.
https://t.co/hnvoUvpT03 — Atlanta Journal-Constitution (@ajc) October 20, 2022
So, come on in, strengthen yourself with some good news, and then sally forth and fight like Ukrainians. Because what we’re doing does matter. And we just might win.
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 👍
👎 👍 This is out with the bad debt but a good thing for the country! And much more has been processed since this!
x WHOA: President Biden announced that 8 MILLION people have applied for student debt forgiveness in just the first few days of availability.
Thank you, President Biden! — BrooklynDad_Defiant!☮️ (@mmpadellan) October 17, 2022
👎 Apparently Liz Truss was such a terrible PM that Queen Elizabeth II died two days after meeting her. Anyway, the lettuce won:
x As support for Prime Minister Liz Truss withered, a British newspaper asked who would wilt first: her or a head of lettuce.
In the end, the lettuce emerged victorious.
https://t.co/TbmoB2obwN — The New York Times (@nytimes) October 20, 2022
The Brits need to regroup and stop with the tories.
💣 Republicans: Party of Crimes and Chaos 💣
GOP politician caught masturbating near a pre-school Dan Ladden-Hall, The Daily Beast
A Republican candidate for a college board was arrested after police say he was caught masturbating across the street from a preschool in Arizona, according to an affidavit. Randy Gene Kaufman, who is reportedly running for a seat on the Maricopa County Community College District Governing Board, was charged earlier this month with one count of public sexual indecency, court documents show. An officer with the Maricopa County Colleges Police Department said he confronted Kaufman while he was sitting in a Ford F150 pickup truck—less than 200 feet from a preschool. Kaufman was allegedly “alarmed and surprised” when the officer approached the driver’s side door. The officer then instructed Kaufman to pull his pants up. “[Kaufman] said to me ‘I’m sorry,’” a transcript of the alleged encounter with the officer reads. “[Kaufman] spontaneously said to me, ‘I fucked up. I’m really stressed.’” Kaufman also allegedly confirmed he was “watching porn” on his phone, but said he didn’t notice his proximity to an area with children until the officer arrived.
My apologies for the ick factor, I mean, doesn’t this guy have a home? Or is this guy a pedophile? To put it succinctly:
x HOLY SH*T: The Arizona GOP candidate who said he wanted to protect “our children” from progressives has been arrested for masturbating outside of a preschool. — Jo 🌻 (@JoJoFromJerz) October 19, 2022
tRump is taking 99% of the money he’s raising “for Blake Masters” Liz Dye Wonkette
What if we told you that Donald Trump's fundraising on behalf of Republican candidates was actually a part of an attempt to line his own pockets? Would you faint dead away? ✂️ The setup is a fundraising email from win.donaldjtrump.com featuring a banner of the former president and Arizona Republican Senate nominee Blake Masters. Masters's fashy tendencies, as well as his habit of chilling with Nazis, does not merit a mention. Instead the recipient is exhorted to send cash NOW because "We will not win and restore our Republican Majority in the Senate without the support of every single Patriot, and that includes YOU." ✂️ You probably won't notice that tiny little invitation to "(Click here for details or to edit allocation)" — but if you did happen to click on it, you'd get a funny surprise. Because, of your $50, Donald Trump is going to pocket $49.50, leaving just fifty cents for that weird cyborg Blake Masters. So Masters's take here is exactly 1 percent, leaving 99 percent of the money you're supposedly sending to "win and restore our Republican Majority in the Senate" for Trump himself.
Note to everyone: always, always check the math.
A question worth asking:
x If Democratic policies are so bad, why are Republicans steadily trying to take credit for them, even when they voted AGAINST them??? — BrooklynDad_Defiant!☮️ (@mmpadellan) October 19, 2022
💙 Democrats Deliver 💙
x DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — The federal government has announced a program that will provide $1.3 billion in debt relief for about 36,000 farmers who have fallen behind on loan payments or face foreclosure. — Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) October 19, 2022
Governor Mills in Maine announces $7 million for small business energy relief Press Release
More than 2,900 Maine small businesses to receive a one-time utility account credit funded through the Governor’s Maine Jobs & Recovery Plan to offset energy costs Governor Janet Mills announced today that 2,919 Maine small businesses and nonprofit organizations will soon receive a one-time electric utility account credit of more than $2,000 to provide relief from increased energy costs. This relief is the product of legislation sponsored by Senate President Troy Jackson, D-Aroostook, and signed into law by Governor Mills. The program, created by LD 2010, Resolve, to Help Certain Businesses with Electricity Costs offers tiered relief based on electricity usage, and aims to assist small businesses and nonprofits in Maine facing increased costs due to volatile global energy prices following the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Funding for the credit is provided through the Governor’s Maine Jobs & Recovery Plan, through funds allocated by the Legislature for small business relief.
There’s a lot more in the press release, and although there’s no issue with fair use, there is a matter of your time and patience! Money is also available for low-income households, in case you’re wondering.
Governor Beshear asking for review of marijuana convictions in KY, Bruce Schreiner, AP in Courier Journal
FRANKFORT — Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear said Thursday that he’s asking for a review of how many Kentuckians have marijuana possession convictions as he considers President Joe Biden’s request that governors issue pardons for people convicted of state marijuana offenses. The governor said he’s seeking details from the state Administrative Office of the Courts on how many Kentuckians could be eligible for state pardons for marijuana possession-only convictions. “Having a misdemeanor on your record isn’t a small thing,” Beshear said at his weekly news conference. “We want to know how many people this would apply to. So we’ve asked AOC ... to get us that information.” The request comes as Beshear continues weighing his options on another marijuana-related topic — what executive actions he might be able to take regarding access to medical marijuana in Kentucky.
💜 Unity? 💜
Prominent R in KS endorses Kelly for re-election Andy Bahl Topeka Capital-Journal
Former Kansas Attorney General Carla Stovall announced Monday she would back Gov. Laura Kelly in the governor's race, the first former Republican statewide official to endorse Kelly who did not also do so in 2018. Stovall has endorsed Democrats before, backing Paul Morrison over her successor, Republican Phill Kline in the 2006 attorney general race. But she has been generally less visible in state politics since leaving office and exiting the 2002 Kansas governor's race. In a video announcing the decision, Stovall said she has purposefully not endorsed many candidates in recent years but said "the stakes of this election are too high."
📥 Actions You Can Take 📤
DONATE TO GNR SAVES DEMOCRACY!
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 😈
Developments
x E. Jean Carroll attorneys have asked for Trump's DNA. MSNBC. — Michael Grossman (@MichaelArt123) October 19, 2022
More developments
x John Eastman Emails Show Trump Knowingly Lied in Georgia Lawsuit
https://t.co/MtXRHKsMvg — emptywheel (@emptywheel) October 19, 2022
Even more developments
x Trump has lost his request to transfer New York's fraud lawsuit against him and his company to a different court division in Manhattan — ensuring the case will remain before the same judge who once held him in contempt of court.
https://t.co/hSnPi4d3mr — Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) October 20, 2022
More thugs getting sentenced
x Justice Dept to seek 8-years prison in Capitol riot case of Albuquerque head, arguing Head "wrapped his arm around Officer Fanone’s neck and emitted a sickening yell to
his fellow rioters—“I’ve got one!” Head forcibly dragged Officer Fanone into the riotous mob" — Scott MacFarlane (@MacFarlaneNews) October 19, 2022
We can rejoice in their disappointment! And, if you have not been following closely, here’s the précis: Durham has been a special counsel following a bogus investigation instigated by Barr / tRump to say the Russian investigation was a hoax. Which of course it was not.
x Spicer is bummed: “We’ve been waiting and waiting and told there’s more coming, just be patient. I don’t even think ‘disappointing’ does justice to how bad this is. After everything that the Right has been through .. all of the faith put in Durham - unbelievably disappointing.” pic.twitter.com/jeqdAcpFUj — Ron Filipkowski 🇺🇦 (@RonFilipkowski) October 19, 2022
📣 Let’s Honor Truth ☀️️
Katie Porter takes truth to power — with her powerful white board! Editorial Board, Los Angeles Times
During two terms in Congress, Rep. Katie Porter (D-Irvine) has proved to be an effective consumer advocate with a knack for grilling corporate executives and government officials — and an unusual method of conveying information . The viral videos of Porter tapping her professorial skills to question powerful people while scribbling figures on a whiteboard have become a 21st century genre of accountability. Porter has, among other things, taken a pharmaceutical company executive to task for hiking the price of cancer drugs and pressed a federal official to make COVID-19 tests free . Oversight is a critical duty of Congress, and Porter has a gift for doing it in a way that is clear and compelling. ✂️ But Porter, who represents an Orange County swing district, isn’t afraid to show political independence. She wrote legislation to ban lawmakers from trading stocks while in office, citing the potential for corruption and the need for Congress to build trust with the public. She said House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-San Francisco) “was wrong” to oppose such a bill, a position Pelosi eventually reversed.
She uses the numbers and straightforward math and logic to make her points. Well done, Rep Porter!
🌹 Let’s Celebrate Love ❤️
I loved being a Girl Scout
x Good News Alert:
MacKenzie Scott just made a $84.5 million dollar donation to the Girl Scouts of the USA.
It's the largest single donation in the organization's history.
In the last three years, Scott has given away more than $12 billion to charity. pic.twitter.com/UGBkFce0oe — Goodable (@Goodable) October 18, 2022
📎 Odds & Ends 📎
❤️ I featured Dolly Parton in last week’s LOVE section, but gosh darnit, that woman is just plain wonderful. Here’s some more good stuff from her enormous heart:
Mini wind turbines for rooftops (with no spinning blades) Andy Corbley, Good News Network
A company has shrunk the wind turbine from being as tall as the Statue of Liberty to a 10-foot bladeless box that provides more power than 15 solar panels. They are designed for small-scale, commercial use, as they’re noise free, and incapable of killing birds. Because they sit on the edge of roofs, they pair well with solar panels. If a building also has batteries to store the energy, it could be near to total self-sufficiency. The relentless march of innovation in renewable energy continues at breakneck speed. Perhaps more so than solar, wind power is plagued criticism of the danger it presents to wildlife, and high maintenance requirements. Called Aeromine, their boxy turbines generate energy in 50% greater amounts then a solar panel, and 16-times as much when the wind is right.
STEM encouragement for girls by writing up examples. Go, Dr. Wade!
x Four years ago, Dr Jess Wade wanted to encourage young girls to pursue careers in STEM, so she started writing Wikipedia biographies of female scientists who weren't being written about.
So far, she's written more than 1,600 biographies. pic.twitter.com/wOEvbVMnVd — Goodable (@Goodable) October 16, 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
🌹 🌹 🌹
[END]
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