resistance made simple(r)

Daily Action: "Phoning our legislators, as New York Times recently reported, is an extremely effective way to make our voices heard. That’s where the Daily Action alerts come in. We follow the news cycles closely to determine where we can collectively make the greatest impact. The point of Daily Action alerts is to make civic engagement easy and logistically painless."

Follow up on the Women's March with their 10 Actions in 100 Days campaign. Just sign up and they'll email you with instructions on actions you can take.

Join the Scientists' March on Washington, or sister marches in Boston and Seattle, on March 4th! It sounds like there may be sister marches in many other cities, too. <3 Whether you're an actual scientist or just a fan of evidence-based thinking and policy, let's support the scientific community as Republicans cravenly redouble their attack on reason.

Looks like there is also a People's Climate Movement march planned in DC for Comrade Gropinski's 99th day in office, which would be April 29th. I would not be surprised if that one spawned sister marches as well. Other themed marches in the works include an immigrants' march in DC on April 8th and a the rich asshole Taxes March on April 15th.

Read this handy critical thinking cheatsheet, courtesy of the Global Digital Citizen Foundation. I've printed it out and hung it on my cube wall at work. Spread it around! There's a desperate need for it these days.

See something? Say something...to ProPublica, who says, "We’re investigative journalists devoted to exposing abuse of power. If you’ve got evidence showing powerful people doing the wrong thing, here’s how to let us know while protecting your identity."

Support Planned Parenthood by purchasing "alternative facts" from Chuck Tingle's Alternative Facts Warehouse!

Got an account with one of the banks involved in funding DAPL? Consider divesting from it, or contacting any/all of them to tell them why they suck.

You can install Countable on your phone, an app "that makes it easy to pester your Congressmember. There are other apps out there for similar purposes.

Thinking ahead, realize that Sen. Elizabeth Warren could be more vulnerable than we would have thought, commit to supporting her re-election in 2018. We CANNOT be complacent. Not even here in Massachusetts. We need her in the Senate, even if you're pissed that she threw her support behind Clinton (or, for that matter, voted for Ben Carson's HUD confirmation -- you can read her reasoning . Don't let the perfect be the enemy of the good, and don't let enemies of the good goad us into shooting ourselves in the foot. Eyes on the prize, people.

And definitely check out Swing Left to "find your closest Swing District and join its team to learn about actionable opportunities to support progressives—and defeat Republicans—in that district, no matter where you live." I signed up for updates on both my closest Democratic-controlled and closest Republican-controlled districts. We have to build that support starting NOW.

ETA: Do you get anxious at the thought of calling your elected representatives? If so, check out this useful guide to calling your representatives when you have social anxiety. I myself have some amount of phone anxiety and can attest that these suggestions are helpful.

ETA: Also, don't forget self-care. Read this piece, "How to #StayOutraged Without Losing Your Mind": "Professional organizers and veteran activists have strategies for staying sane during a long fight. If you’re serious about sticking it out in the picket lines for the duration of the Trump presidency, you’re going to have to learn these strategies or else burn out in the first six months."

can't stop the signal, Mal

things that sucked in 2016

A list that could not possibly be comprehensive enough:

The Orange Asshole
Everyone who voted for the Orange Asshole and supported him in other ways
People who defend him (and other sexual predators) and victim-blame women because they happen to like him
Republicans, especially those who just rolled over for him
Putin and other Russians who interfered in our election
Anyone who ever engaged in red-baiting and now defends Putin because it's politically convenient for them to do so
The extreme hypocrisy of the right wing
Stochastic cruelty
Bigotry in all its forms, especially white and Christian supremacy and misogyny
People who didn't vote when they could have
Idiotic internet trolls and the people who enable and encourage them
Clinton & staff's campaign miscalculations
DNC's miscalculations and favoritism stoking cynicism amongst people who should have been their base
Voter suppression
Gerrymandering
The whole fucking election cycle
The media largely failing to do its job properly (both during the election and in the aftermath)
Death, so much death, so much of it untimely -- friends, friends' friends, friends' family, beloved celebrities
Cancer, always
Losing three friends to cancer this year alone -- thespian, iamlisabee, and Colleen K.
Several more people I know receiving diagnoses of cancer
Everything that happened to thespian this year at Corey Hell even before she was diagnosed with cancer and died 5 days later
Having to plan thespian's memorial (though the memorial itself went quite well)
Trying to figure out what to do with her stuff (this is still not sorted and may not be for a long time)
Bill collectors ignoring the fact that she was ill and incapacitated
Incompetent staff at Corey Hell
Terrorism, both domestic and foreign -- Nice, Berlin, Turkey, Paris, too many horrific acts for me to even remember specifically
ISIS/ISIL/Daesh/whatever the fuck they're calling themselves and other terrorist groups
Religious extremists of all stripes
The refugee crisis, Syrian and otherwise
Refugees being exploited and targeted, and dying
Gun violence -- the Orlando Pulse massacre, the San Bernardino massacre, and so much more
Politicians who mouth religious platitudes in the aftermath of mass shootings but refuse to do anything else about gun violence or availability of mental health treatment
Police brutality
Police getting away with brutality and rape and murder
People who defend racism and police brutality
White privilege
People who deny white privilege
People who think their "faith" entitles them to deny rights to people they dislike
Natural disasters
Climate changing for the worse
Weather disasters
Rampant denial of climate change on the right
The DAPL project and the brutalization of protesters at Standing Rock
Back pain
Randomly-displaceable body parts
Asthma
Health anxiety
Packing and moving (though the end result was good, the process sucked)
Trowa getting laid off very suddenly
Car accident (minor, but still sucks)
Feeling more socially isolated/dissociated this year
Profound anxiety over what 2017 will be like

In conclusion:
John Oliver says 'fuck you, 2016' John Oliver says 'fuck. you.'
John Oliver detonates giant 2016 on a stage
giant 2016 explodes
giant 2016 continues exploding
John Oliver raises arms John Oliver walks away
boom de yada!

things that rocked in 2016

Celebrated 9 years of marriage and 14 years of togetherness with trowa_barton
Celebrated 5 years of cmdr_xander
Celebrated 1 year of togetherness with iverunoutofspac
Celebrated 96 years of my Grandma J
Celebrated 46 years of me
Celebrated 1 year of employment at MIT, which continues to be awesome
Got a raise
Moved to a larger apartment
Xander started kindergarten and loves it
Xander's writing is getting quite good, and he's begun learning to read
Xander also enjoys his Dalcroze Eurythmics class on Saturdays
Had a great time at Arisia
Performed in Patience with MITG&SP
Saw Pentatonix, the RuPaul's Drag Race Tour, and Postmodern Jukebox in concert
Contra dancing (though not as much of it as I would have liked)
Attended one day of NEFFA, where I danced a lot, volunteered, bought Xander an especially pretty tie-dye shirt that he loved, and custom-ordered a dance dress that I love
Took Trowa to NYC to see Allegiance on Broadway
Took a lovely weekend trip to Vermont/New Hampshire/Western Mass. with iverunoutofspac for our anniversary
Saw Kubo and the Two Strings, and it was luminously beautiful
Voted for the first female nominee of a major party for president (even though we all know how that turned out *sigh*)
Spurred by the results of the election, millions of Americans are now galvanized for the resistance and coming together to work harder for kindness, fairness, and justice

(Will edit this if I think of anything else worth adding. I admit that I'm having a tough time coming up with a robust list of good things. :-/ )

ETA:
People are starting to come back to LJ
Made significant strides in self-care; notably, sought and began counseling for ADD issues, got physical therapy that has been very helpful, and pursued a formal evaluation for Ehlers-Danlos hypermobility
Did not get pneumonia!...despite a very strange bout of lower respiratory infection that presented a lot like it
Did not break a toe despite a jolly good effort :-P

Plus, there's a lot of really good stuff here...99 good things, in fact, from some amazing successes in conservation to major gains in public health, to political and economic progress in various parts of the world, to some significant successes in climate change mitigation, to decreases in violence, to progress in sustainability and getting several animal species off the endangered list, to increases in global generosity and philanthropy. I really needed to read this list; you probably do, too.

feedback I left for the DCCC

They wanted to know what I thought, so I told them:
1. GROW A SPINE and fight the Republican fascists with everything you've got. Stop being Charlie Brown trusting Lucy to not pull the football away again.

2. The Republicans count on us to feel like we are above fighting dirty. Start throwing every bit of resistance at them. It's what they would do -- it's what they DID in 2000.

3. DO NOT TAKE A SINGLE STATE OR GROUP OF VOTERS FOR GRANTED -- EVER. Bring back the 50-state strategy.

4. Do not sell the rights of women, people of color, LGBTQ people, or any other group down the river in order to attempt to work with the Republicans. We remember these things.

5. Democrats must be united in resistance and in calling out lies and gaslighting perpetrated by Trump and the GOP.

6. STOP ACTING ASHAMED TO BE LIBERAL/PROGRESSIVE. Most of what makes this country great is founded in progressive ideas.

7. Take back the narrative and stop letting the GOP define everything.

8. GET OUT OF BED WITH WALL STREET, those of you who are in it. Seriously, haven't you guys learned this by now?

9. High-powered, expensive fundraisers are no substitute for actual ground-game campaigning and meeting your average constituents.

10. Be vigilant, lest what just happened in North Carolina happen elsewhere -- and believe me, it will, if they succeed at it.

To borrow a page from Robert Reich: What do you think?

quotes of the day

"It is a very great mistake to imagine that the object of loyalty is the authority and interest of one individual man, however dignified by the applause or enriched by the success of popular actions."

"Remember, democracy never lasts long. It soon wastes, exhausts, and murders itself. There never was a democracy that did not commit suicide."

"If ever the Time should come, when vain & aspiring Men shall possess the highest Seats in Government, our Country will stand in Need of its experiencd Patriots to prevent its Ruin. There may be more Danger of this, than some, even of our well disposd Citizens may imagine. If the People should grant their Suffrages to Men, only because they conceive them to have been Friends to the Country, without Regard to the necessary Qualifications for the Places they are to fill, the Administration of Government will become a mere Farce, and our publick Affairs will never be put on the Footing of solid Security.”

All quotes by Samuel Adams (1722-1803).

various petitions available for signing

Somerville folks, please read

I got this email today from a group called Mothers Out Front, a climate justice advocacy group. Local folks should definitely read this and take action, and feel free to spread the word:
ENSURING A CLIMATE-FRIENDLY, “NET ZERO” DESIGN FOR THE NEW HIGH SCHOOL

We're asking you to make a few quick phone calls to ensure Somerville meets its climate goals for our children’s future. Also, feel free to send this letter to all your friends, and mark your calendar to come to a meeting this Monday, Dec 12 at 5:30 at the Somerville high school.

Here’s why YOU making these calls (See below for phone numbers and a script) and ATTENDING the meeting is important:

As you know, the City of Somerville is building a new high school. However, we think the current plans are short-sighted. Under the current plans, the new school will be built with HVAC systems that burn fossil fuels, which harm our health and climate. To guarantee our kids’ safety and well-being in the face of climate change, business as usual is no longer acceptable.

Right now, while the design window is still open, we must call on city leaders to make wise decisions about how the new high school is designed, thus ensuring the vision of a sustainable Somerville can be achieved. Now, more than ever, Somerville and the state of Massachusetts have an opportunity and a responsibility to demonstrate leadership on climate justice. What better way to do so than to build a public high school that serves as a living lab for all of our students, a demonstration project for our City, and a physical space that expresses a positive vision of our community’s future, and indeed puts us on a path to that future?

We are proud of Somerville’s sustainability efforts and grateful for its goal of net zero carbon emissions, city-wide, by 2050. To get there, we need any new building to use renewable energy instead of carbon and methane emitting fossil fuels. We want a “Net Zero” high school. A Net Zero building is one with zero net energy consumption, meaning that the total amount of energy used by the building is about equal to the amount of energy it generates on site or from regional renewable sources. This can be done by using existing technologies such as solar, wind, geothermal, electric batteries and other renewable energy sources, as well as energy efficiency being built into the design. The City of Cambridge is already building a Net Zero school (designed by the same architects working on our high school), so we know it can be done.

Upfront costs are important to consider, but should be done so in relation to the very real likelihood that expensive furnace retrofits will soon be required to meet the climate standards anyway. And, of course, if cities don’t take steps now to curtail carbon emissions, then we will all pay the really high price of damage from the flooding, droughts, fires and severe storms associated with climate change.

Please make the calls and come to the meeting on Monday if you can!

Thank you!

Sincerely,

Mothers Out Front, in partnership with Somerville Climate Action, Fossil Free Somerville, and other concerned citizens.



Please call Mayor Curtatone (617-666-3311), High School Building Committee Chair Tony Pierantozzi (857-247-6599), Mary Jo Rosetti (617-623-0092), and your Alderman: find their contact info here: (http://www.somervillema.gov/depart…)

Here’s an idea of what to say (you'll probably be leaving a voice mail):

My name is _______, and I live in Somerville. I am calling because I want to see the high school designed with net zero carbon emissions for the health of our children and for their climate future. As a first step toward that goal, I request a total lifecycle cost analysis of the high school that is consistent with the city’s 2050 climate goals.

I care about this because __________ (examples: I have a kindergartener and want them to have a climate friendly high school. OR I worry about the climate for all children and know we need to take steps now for that future. OR I want Somerville to meet its climate goals, and don’t want to have to pay for a costly retrofit in a few years if we are short sighted now...etc.)

Thank you.

Your name.



We also hope you will be able to attend the next high school building committee meeting on December 12th at 5:30 at the high school (use the front door, to the left). Your presence is essential for making a strong impact.

a message from Shaun King via the Injustice Boycott

In email today:
The fight to protect the water and land in Standing Rock IS NOT OVER. Anybody who is telling you that has been misinformed. Energy Transfer Partners fully intends to build the Dakota Access Pipeline on the same path as always. As the weather there has turned to blizzard conditions, the people there need our help.

Chase Iron Eyes and his team are raising funds for a pickup truck, a moving truck, a flatbed trailer, and a 15 passenger van. They need these things right away.

I've donated and hope you will join me. Chase and his team will report back to all of us once they've purchased the trucks. Let's Stand Up for Standing Rock

https://www.generosity.com/fundrai…