Thank you for your insights and practical information Ms Stacy Abram’s. NC just witnessed evidence of your information when influencer @attorneytrotman and others encouraged response to public comment with the NC Board of Elections on several proposed election rules. 15,000 comments were logged and the Board of elections had to postpone the vote to enable review of all the comments. Every vote and every participation in a call for comments makes a difference. Democracy is not only expressed through voting. It also lives up n quieter moments when citizens review proposed rules and ask thoughtful and respectful questions. Thoughtful participation helps strengthen both trust and transparency. Our voices matter!
you cut to a very important part of what deeply matters -- also, though, one which deeply concerns me : WE ARE NOT ALONE ...
there are many of US -- many intelligent, many accurately-informed & passionate citizens who see what's happeing, who understand what's happening -- & it is absolutely essential to know this, & to remember this ...
while this does comfort me, it also leads to a great concern that i have : how can there be MANY of US who know what this is, & who are truly in the battle against fascism & authoritarianism, yet, we -- as a country -- continue to slide further & further down this demented rabbit-hole ...
in other words : WHERE THE F@(% IS THIS GOING ???
i have long believed that we are all ACTIVELY LIVING in a civil war ... it seems to me that this civil war that we all have been living in here in america for the past 10 years (or, certainly without a doubt, since 6 jan 2021) is about to go NUCLEAR ...
to answer your question -- why am i doing this/why do i care ??? -- it is because : i am a pacifist ... i truly BELIEVE in peace ... i truly BELIEVE in freedom ... i genuinely care about humankind & the planet that privides us a home ...
i understand that the history of humanity has often been frought with countless periods of evil & darkness ... clearly, we are experiencing this now ... what makes this moment different, though -- in my opinion -- is the astounding technology that we, as a human race, have never had before which create a lethal level of danger & violence that i believe we have never seen before ...
I hear you, vr! There are so many of us and yet still we slide down the path of no (easy) return. I have been to meetings (city, local town halls, dnc) in order to find my tribe. Same with all the protests in hopes of making connections that will make a difference without actually making new connections. So frustrating and so difficult for an introvert who had my head in the sand from the time I started having kids until they were grown in the last 2 years. I feel an urgent, almost panicked need for community but have failed so far. Idk what to do!
community is ESSENTIAL right now ... THIS is community -- albeit, virtual, which is NOT the same as being in person, able to give a hug or high-five to a neighbor, or to hear their laugh, or to see the tears streaming from out of their eyes ...
still, there really IS an URGENT NEED for community, so i would say find it wherever & however you can, even if it is here on substack ... WE ARE NOT ALONE ...
i'll be marching WITH YOU on saturday from here in new york city ... there will be MILLIONS of US !!!
I will be marching with a friend and also my son (29) in our small town in the mountains of northern California. Always a good turnout, but I have a feeling this one will dwarf the others. So many people say protests are useless, but the Hands Off protest sure activated me! I was randomly grocery shopping and drove by. I pulled over and ugly-cried, because it was at that point that I realized things were worse than I wanted to believe. I have been politically active AND marching in every one since. Stay safe!
protests are absolutely NOT useless; protests are essential … what we all need to deeply underscore right now is that these PROTESTS ARE ABSOLUTELY ESSENTIAL to combatting the fascistic takeover of our country & it’s government while CLEARLY RECOGNIZING that these protests — in & of themselves — are NOT enough … these protests are an essential component of the much bigger picture, meaning this is truly a five-alarm fire … there is NOT going to be a singular silver bullet … we need to activate on all fronts, engage ALL cylinders of civil disobedience (& in my personal viewpoint, NON-VIOLENCE) … these essential protests are one spoke of this might wheel … THANK YOU (& your son) for being part of it !!!
Let me add, recognize a good story when you have one. Sometimes it is children, sometimes old folks. Then sometimes it is Adirondak chairs in a park in that "crime ridden hell hole" Washington DC. Not bolted down , not chained together and nobody is walking away with them. How does a Missouri boy know this? A friend who lives not far from DuPont Circle was video chatting with me. That story has done more to refute Trump in my world then a whole book of crime stats.
I salute your finely worded and informative leadership, Ms. Stacey Abrams! You've been a favorite for a while now. This point is one of the most important in the process of resisting the authoritarian creep and remaining resilient in this existence which is a fight. SALUTE!
Thank you for your insights and practical information Ms Stacy Abram’s. NC just witnessed evidence of your information when influencer @attorneytrotman and others encouraged response to public comment with the NC Board of Elections on several proposed election rules. 15,000 comments were logged and the Board of elections had to postpone the vote to enable review of all the comments. Every vote and every participation in a call for comments makes a difference. Democracy is not only expressed through voting. It also lives up n quieter moments when citizens review proposed rules and ask thoughtful and respectful questions. Thoughtful participation helps strengthen both trust and transparency. Our voices matter!
Thank you Stacy Abrams for everything you do, everything you care about, everything that is working.
you cut to a very important part of what deeply matters -- also, though, one which deeply concerns me : WE ARE NOT ALONE ...
there are many of US -- many intelligent, many accurately-informed & passionate citizens who see what's happeing, who understand what's happening -- & it is absolutely essential to know this, & to remember this ...
while this does comfort me, it also leads to a great concern that i have : how can there be MANY of US who know what this is, & who are truly in the battle against fascism & authoritarianism, yet, we -- as a country -- continue to slide further & further down this demented rabbit-hole ...
in other words : WHERE THE F@(% IS THIS GOING ???
i have long believed that we are all ACTIVELY LIVING in a civil war ... it seems to me that this civil war that we all have been living in here in america for the past 10 years (or, certainly without a doubt, since 6 jan 2021) is about to go NUCLEAR ...
to answer your question -- why am i doing this/why do i care ??? -- it is because : i am a pacifist ... i truly BELIEVE in peace ... i truly BELIEVE in freedom ... i genuinely care about humankind & the planet that privides us a home ...
i understand that the history of humanity has often been frought with countless periods of evil & darkness ... clearly, we are experiencing this now ... what makes this moment different, though -- in my opinion -- is the astounding technology that we, as a human race, have never had before which create a lethal level of danger & violence that i believe we have never seen before ...
I hear you, vr! There are so many of us and yet still we slide down the path of no (easy) return. I have been to meetings (city, local town halls, dnc) in order to find my tribe. Same with all the protests in hopes of making connections that will make a difference without actually making new connections. So frustrating and so difficult for an introvert who had my head in the sand from the time I started having kids until they were grown in the last 2 years. I feel an urgent, almost panicked need for community but have failed so far. Idk what to do!
community is ESSENTIAL right now ... THIS is community -- albeit, virtual, which is NOT the same as being in person, able to give a hug or high-five to a neighbor, or to hear their laugh, or to see the tears streaming from out of their eyes ...
still, there really IS an URGENT NEED for community, so i would say find it wherever & however you can, even if it is here on substack ... WE ARE NOT ALONE ...
i'll be marching WITH YOU on saturday from here in new york city ... there will be MILLIONS of US !!!
#NOKINGS
I will be marching with a friend and also my son (29) in our small town in the mountains of northern California. Always a good turnout, but I have a feeling this one will dwarf the others. So many people say protests are useless, but the Hands Off protest sure activated me! I was randomly grocery shopping and drove by. I pulled over and ugly-cried, because it was at that point that I realized things were worse than I wanted to believe. I have been politically active AND marching in every one since. Stay safe!
protests are absolutely NOT useless; protests are essential … what we all need to deeply underscore right now is that these PROTESTS ARE ABSOLUTELY ESSENTIAL to combatting the fascistic takeover of our country & it’s government while CLEARLY RECOGNIZING that these protests — in & of themselves — are NOT enough … these protests are an essential component of the much bigger picture, meaning this is truly a five-alarm fire … there is NOT going to be a singular silver bullet … we need to activate on all fronts, engage ALL cylinders of civil disobedience (& in my personal viewpoint, NON-VIOLENCE) … these essential protests are one spoke of this might wheel … THANK YOU (& your son) for being part of it !!!
Let me add, recognize a good story when you have one. Sometimes it is children, sometimes old folks. Then sometimes it is Adirondak chairs in a park in that "crime ridden hell hole" Washington DC. Not bolted down , not chained together and nobody is walking away with them. How does a Missouri boy know this? A friend who lives not far from DuPont Circle was video chatting with me. That story has done more to refute Trump in my world then a whole book of crime stats.
BTW, some good points, I've passed them along.
I salute your finely worded and informative leadership, Ms. Stacey Abrams! You've been a favorite for a while now. This point is one of the most important in the process of resisting the authoritarian creep and remaining resilient in this existence which is a fight. SALUTE!
Stacey Abrams standing up with showing Us how to save our democracy