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GNR for Friday, January 17, 2025: Showing up Can Clinch the Battle [1]
['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.']
Date: 2025-01-17
Welcome 🌻 to Friday’s Roundup of Good News!
This is my last GNR during the Biden-Harris administration.
I loved this four years of investment in America. I hoped it would continue. Instead, now we are entering an era which promises to be dark — and unnecessarily stupid.
Alas, life sometimes takes us where we don’t want to go.
In order to prepare for what’s coming, I have read opinion pieces, such as one saying, don’t worry, maybe it won’t be as bad as we expect it to be. Well, that’s possible. Sometimes I have worried about things that never happened. But often a big reason they did not happen — and sometimes I just got lucky, as in a hurricane going a different direction — a big reason was because I saw the potential dangers and took precautions.
Many of us want to take precautions, but with the era that is coming, it may be hard to know what to do.
Now: it’s important not to go away. I know it’s hard, but sometimes, often just showing up is more than half the battle. So please, even if you cannot bear to watch the news, support those who are telling the truth. Take a few minutes to protest, to contact Congress.
Your deeds matter. You can support truth and love. By being truthful and caring in our own lives, we spread good ripples throughout the world.
Communities are what will can get us through this. So, please, I beg you stick around. Who knows? Maybe we will become stronger and better for this experience.
Also, look for — and share if you feel so moved — your personal good news. For example: I finally have a new computer, with functioning F and V keys. Such a joy. What things are going well in your lives? What are you looking forward to doing today?
Come on in, Gnusies! I’m so glad you’re here!
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, and the chaos. 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 and the planet from those very bad people. We are furious with them for what they are doing and we are letting them know.
Remember:
💜 Although they lie all the time, reality matters. And our goals — based on reality — are more popular.
💙 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, make sure to protect yourself, your family and your friends, 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 — the last full week’s! - posts at the White House briefing room.
💪 Get Ready to Fight 💪
Lesson 17 from Timothy Snyder’s On Tyranny: Listen for Dangerous Words
Snyder, in the book, talks about how the most intelligent of the Nazis (Carl Schmitt) explained how to destroy all rules: engineer a general conviction that we are always in an emergency, and this is what gets people to give up their freedoms and their rules.
Beware especially of the use of the word extremist, as this is not a real policy, but an excuse to take away our freedoms.
In the lesson, Snyder emphasizes how fake emergencies (or sometimes real ones) can be engineered to get people to give up freedoms. This was the big lie. The convicted criminal told his followers, they believed it and attacked the Capitol.
*
Lesson 18 from Timothy Snyder’s On Tyranny: Be Calm When the Unthinkable Arrives
Authoritarians use terrible events — some real, some manufactured — to consolidate power. Do not let disasters be an excuse to give up freedom. In the book, Snyder uses the example of how the Nazis used the Reichstag fire to round up Hitler’s enemies.
In the video, he talks about how we have to be calm, and not panic when bad things happen and not let these be reasons to yield our freedoms. Yes, being calm can be really hard. That’s why it’s a lesson! Also, in the last 8 years or so we have discovered that a lot of unthinkable things are not just thinkable, but possible.
💣 Republicans: Party of Crimes and Chaos 💣
Swamp’s gonna swamp: R hardliners say passing tRump’s agenda is going to be difficult Erik de la Garza Raw Story
When Donald Trump returns to Washington as the 47th president next week, he will assume united control of the federal government – but Republican hard-liners are already exposing intraparty rifts over how to move forward on key elements of the president-elect’s legislative agenda in Congress. That’s especially true when it comes to ongoing discussions revolving around whether to raise the debt ceiling, with some Freedom Caucus members signaling that any increase needs to be part of the reconciliation bill, NOTUS reported Tuesday. And those hard-line conservative lawmakers don’t appear ready to take no for an answer – setting the party up for an early governing test in the new Trump administration.
If you are represented by one of those hardliners, I ask you to contact them and encourage them to stay firm! And, if you are not, do what you can to make some good trouble anyway!
Hakeem Jeffries also thinks the narrow majority for the GOP will be difficult Lauren Irwin The Hill 🎩 Carla in Sequim
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) argued House Republicans, with their narrow margin, won’t be able to pass “anything close” to what Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) has been floating. Jeffries joined MSNBC on Tuesday evening, where he was asked by host Chris Hayes about Johnson’s reconciliation package and the signs he may remove the debt limit from the sprawling legislation. “We believe that we’re going to have to take this fight to the public domain, make sure we can win the battle for public sentiment,” Jeffries said of Democrats’ plans. Jeffries noted that “the votes will not be there” from Democrats on ideas floated by top Republicans, including those that enforce nearly all of President-elect Trump’s campaign promises.
🚚 💙 Democrats Deliver 💙 🚚
The Biden-Harris Administration record. White House Briefing Room
Four years ago, we stood in a winter of peril and a winter of possibilities. We were in the grip of the worst pandemic in a century, the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression, and the worst attack on our democracy since the Civil War. But we came together as Americans, and we braved through it. We emerged stronger, more prosperous, and more secure.
Today, we have the strongest economy in the world and have created a record 16.6 million new jobs. Wages are up. Inflation continues to come down. The racial wealth gap is the lowest it’s been in 20 years. We’re rebuilding our entire nation—urban, suburban, rural, and Tribal communities. Manufacturing is coming back to America. We’re leading the world again in science and innovation, including the semiconductor industry. And we finally beat Big Pharma to lower the cost of prescription drugs for seniors. More people have health insurance today in America than ever before. I signed one of the most significant laws helping millions of veterans who were exposed to toxic materials and their families, as well as the most significant climate law ever and the first major gun safety law in nearly 30 years. Today, the violent crime rate is at a 50-year low. I ran for president because I believed that the soul of America was at stake. The very nature of who we are was at stake. And, that’s still the case. America is an idea stronger than any army and larger than any ocean. It’s the most powerful idea in the history of the world. That idea is that we are all created equal, endowed by our Creator with certain unalienable rights, among them life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. We’ve never fully lived up to this sacred idea, but we’ve never walked away from it either. And I do not believe the American people will walk away from it now.
Vice President Harris and I asked our staff to prepare a detailed summary of the progress we’ve made together throughout the last four years. Below, I’m sharing our record with you. I hope you’ll do your part to build on the progress we’ve made.
It has been the privilege of my life to serve this nation for over 50 years. Nowhere else on Earth could a kid with a stutter from modest beginnings in Scranton, Pennsylvania, and Claymont, Delaware, one day sit behind the Resolute Desk in the Oval Office as President of the United States. I have given my heart and my soul to our nation. And I have been blessed a million times in return with the love and support of the American people.
History is in your hands. The power is in your hands. The idea of America lies in your hands. We just have to keep the faith and remember who we are. We are the United States of America, and there is simply nothing beyond our capacity when we do it together.
Thank you.
Joseph R. Biden, Jr.
It’s important to keep this in mind, because you know the next administration is going to attempt to take credit for it. I am not publishing it all here — too many pages! 104! - but I’m making a pdf of it for myself.
💜 Unity? 💜
I wish this were complete, but I want to report on what is known about the potential cease fire in Gaza. Kathleen Magramo CNN
The ceasefire and hostage deal reached by Israel and Hamas is a “huge milestone,” but there’s still “a lot of work to be done” on its implementation, a US envoy said. US officials expect the deal for a pause in fighting in Gaza that will lead to the phased release of hostages and Palestinian prisoners to take effect in the coming days after Israel confirmed Thursday it had reached an agreement with Hamas. “It was hard fought. This was a very difficult deal to reach. And our team did a great job,” US envoy Amos Hochstein told CNN’s Kaitlan Collins. The hostages will start to “come home in a couple of days,” Hochstein said. “And then there’s a very large task of the implementation and getting to phase two. So there’s a lot of work still to be done. But this is a huge milestone.” Hochstein said he’d “personally stay away” from politicizing which parties take credit for the deal, but added that US President Joe Biden’s “unprecedented” invitation for US envoy Steve Witkoff – a longtime friend of President-elect Donald Trump – to join chief negotiator Brett McGurk was vital in securing the accord.
📥 Actions You Can Take 📤
Make sure your voting registration is current. Vote from abroad? You need to update it, or at least confirm, every cycle: Today is a great day to submit your FPCA (Ballot Request form). It takes less than 5 minutes using VoteFromAbroad.org, and for most states you can submit it by email.
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.
🔎 Want to check out what’s going on with campaign contributions? Check out this diary. 👀
🐍 Schadenfreude 😈
Europe’s largest pension fund sold all Tesla stock in dispute over Musk’s pay Cagan Koc Bloomberg via Yahoo News
(Bloomberg) — Europe’s largest pension fund sold its entire €571 million ($585 million) stake in Tesla Inc. (TSLA) in the third quarter partly due to disagreement with CEO Elon Musk’s remuneration package. “We had a problem” with Musk’s pay package, a spokesperson for Stichting Pensioenfonds ABP said Sunday. The fund also considered costs, return and responsible investment requirements in its decision to sell its investment.
📣 Let’s Honor Truth ☀️️
Truth is about to be attacked more than ever, but it’s also wonderful to see others preparing. Here are a few heroes suiting up for battle: Rachel Maddow is going to be around for the first 100 days, a real sacrifice as doing the show before was giving her terrible back pain. We’ve seen others, such as Jen Rubin, quit the selling-out Washington Post and go and join The Contrarian. There’s Harry Litman, who walked away from the LA Times when they refused to endorse Harris. There’s always Marc Elias.
Some battles are not on a national stage.
Here is Kirk Bangstad and his battle with online trolls, from an email he sent out. You can get his newsletter here.
Hi Folks,
This is Kirk Bangstad, owner of the Minocqua Brewing Company.
I enlisted Pat Mulvaney, retired editor of the Monroe County Herald, to write our "Friday Funnies" column for last Friday, but then was so focused on my meeting with the Oneida County Sheriff's department that I forgot to send his article off!
In short, I spent over two hours answering questions about the ~70 criminal defamation complaints my team filed against online trolls who "criminally defamed" the Minocqua Brewing Company. We filed these complaints not because we think we can stop MAGA deplorables from posting fake reviews about our taprooms that are intended to hurt our business, but because what they said in public about the Minocqua Brewing Company and me personally fit the legal description of "criminal defamation" WAY BETTER than the satirical cartoon I created about right-wing newspaper publisher Gregg Walker that landed me in jail for..."criminal defamation."
We decided to force the Oneida County Sheriff's office to play by their own rules, and if they don't press charges against these 70 trolls, then we'll sue them for selective enforcement, unfair treatment under the law, etc. etc....
🌹 Let’s Celebrate Love ❤️
The Love in the Air Is Thicker than the Smoke Michaela Haas Reasons to Be Cheerful
Mister Rogers famously said that his mother would tell him, “Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.” What fills my heart in the face of destruction are the thousands of eager helpers. Some firefighters are pulling double and triple shifts, but it’s not just the professionals who work beyond exhaustion. Mister Rogers would be encouraged by the long lines of helpers gathering at animal shelters, community centers, grassroots organizations and churches. In front of the Pasadena Community Job Center, hundreds of volunteers lined up to help clear debris and distribute supplies. On Wednesday, chef José Andrés was on the streets of the Pacific Palisades doling out food to first responders and displaced residents. His nonprofit, World Central Kitchen, feeds those suffering around the world, from Palestine to Ukraine, but when catastrophe visited his own backyard he mobilized his volunteers. “Sandwiches, fruit, water — these guys need to drink!” he said, surrounded by fire trucks. He’s not the only one. The Los Angeles Times compiled a list of at least 50 restaurants offering free food to first responders and evacuees. Clothing stores have opened their doors, posting, “Fire survivors, come in and take whatever you need.” The YMCA is offering free childcare. Bobbie, a maker of organic baby formula, is giving away its product. Best Friends Animal Society pulled 90 cats and 41 dogs from local shelters to help free up space for four-legged survivors, and most of the shelter pets immediately went into foster homes because so many volunteers opened their homes. Nurses, psychotherapists and veterinarians have jumped into action, but so have booksellers, truck drivers, teenagers and children. Stumble into All Power Books, a small Los Angeles bookstore, and you won’t find your favorite novel right now, but you will find N95 masks, food cans, blankets, toiletries and sleeping bags. Its owners transformed the bookstore into an emergency supply center, recognizing that its proximity to the 10 Freeway made it an ideal distribution hub. By Thursday afternoon, the bookstore was turning away donations because its storage capacity was maxed out. Los Angeles really is the city of angels.
And an example:
x THIS IS WHAT HUMANITY LOOKS LIKE THESE GREAT PEOPLE HELPING PEOPLE VILLA STREET IS IN PASADENA #LASTRONG 🙏🔥🔥🔥🙏 — Patti Olivier 🦋🏜 (@patti3333.bsky.social) 2025-01-16T04:10:13.266Z
📎 Odds & Ends 📎
Incredible progress scaling back one of the world’s worst disasters Andy Corbley Good News Network
Efforts to restore the Aral Sea have seen Kazakhstan’s government increase the water volume in the northern portion by 42% in the last two years. The volume is now determined to be 6.4 cubic miles, or approximately 30% more voluminous than Crater Lake in Oregon. Furthermore, the salinity in the northern Aral Sea has declined four-fold, and annual fish catches have risen to top 8,000 tons. In 2024, Kazakhstan directed approximately 2.6 billion cubic meters of water—the equivalent of Scotland’s famous Loch Lomond—into the northern portion, a dramatic increase compared to 816 million cubic meters in 2022.
Truck driver intervenes in highway shootout and wins Goodyear Highway hero award Andy Corbley Good News Network
A New York timber trucker has been recognized as a ‘highway hero’ after using his 18-wheeler to help corral a shooter who had injured a police officer. It happened that on Interstate 88 in June 2023, Timonthy VanNostrand was preparing to pass a state trooper who was approaching a car he had just pulled over. ✂️ “It happened so fast,” VanNostrand told Fox News Digital. “I wasn’t 100% sure what I saw at first, but I saw the trooper kind of skip sideways a little bit.” Then, VanNostrand explains, he saw the driver draw his gun and start shooting out of the back window of his car at the trooper which started a 12-minute ordeal where “bullets were flying.” VanNostrand then pulled his logging truck in front of the shooter’s car, cornering him against the side of the road, and ensuring the shooter was stopped. Fox didn’t specify if he was taken into custody, wounded, or killed by the troopers and the eventual backup that arrived.
Not a good guy with a gun, but a good guy with a truck.
🐦 I do a lot of other writing. A recent offering: the Crow Nickels (chronicles), a trilogy about crows who want to save birdkind from extinction: Hunters of the Feather, Scavengers of Mind and Familiars of the Flock (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 — such as The Meryton Murders — and others based on history and Greek mythology, such as Jocasta: The Mother-Wife of Oedipus, 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:
Do Nott Obey in Advance
Defend Institutions
Beware the One-Party System
Take Responsibility for the Face of the World
Remember Professional Ethics
Be Wary of Paramilitaries
Be Reflective if You Must Own a Gun
Stand Out (this means, speak up, even when others do not)
Be Kind to Our Language
Believe in Truth
Investigate
Make Eye Contact and Small Talk
Practice Corporeal Politics
Establish a Private Life
Contribute to Good Causes
Learn from Peers in Other Countries
Listen for Dangerous Words
Be Calm When the Unthinkable Arrives
Be a Patriot
Be as Courageous as You Can
🌻
💙 “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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