I never want to forget this week

I haven't blogged about the coup attempt almost two weeks ago because I am still so horrified and outraged, I just can't even. I still seethe at the videos and I fully, passionately support the fullest prosecution of every damn person involved, all the way to the top. What else is there to be said?

I want to focus on better things in this blog. 

January 19, 2020 was a day of immersing myself in funny things, so I wouldn't feel so anxious about my worst fears coming true the next day. I celebrated that Disney+ has announced that all five seasons of ‘The Muppet Show’ will be available to stream on February 19th with an animated gif of Luke Skywalker and Miss Piggy and thanked Joe Biden for making it possible. I listened to the carpool karaoke of "One Day More" three times. I watched the Randy Rainbow goodbye even more. I laughed at other people's posts a LOT. Theater people were the stars that day with hilarious and glorious parody songs and videos, bless 'em. 

Of course, the day wasn't without one final outrage: the tweet from Mike Pompeo. One more slap in the face. One more reminder that fascism is still a threat. And the news that Los Angeles county had relaxed its air quality restrictions so they can do more cremations than they are usually allowed to do, because of all the people dying from COVID-19 - a reminder of just how deadly the last four years have been and how long we're going to pay for this nightmare.

At my staff meeting for one of my clients that day, my supervisor announced that the company was asking everyone NOT to schedule any meetings for Inauguration Day. I hadn't scheduled any social media posts, just as I hadn't for January 8th, both for fear of what might happen and because I knew no one would see them in the sea of messages about national events that would happen that day (yes, of course I knew something awful would happen on Jan. 8th, I just didn't realize the magnitude). 

I didn't think I would be able to sleep the night before the inauguration but, in fact, I did. Stress sleep. It's what I do. 

Wednesday morning, I got up at 5:30 a.m., as usual. I sat down on my usual place on the couch and turned on network TV, forgoing my usual viewing of BBC News. I sat there, watching the live coverage of the Capitol. And at one point, they showed the empty seats and platform for the inauguration, and I burst into sobs. Not tears - sobs. This was really happening. All of the Trump fascists, including the fascists in chief, were gone. They really, truly were gone. And Joe Biden was about to become President, a man who believes in science, someone far more patriotic and loving than me. 

It freaked Stefan out that I was so emotional, crying over a stage setup. What can I say - to me, what it represented - preparation for hope - was just completely overwhelming. 

On Facebook, I posted a link to Woody Guthrie singing "This Land is Your Land" and announced that I was opening sobbing and nothing had even happened yet. Turns out I wasn't alone. Thank you to everyone who jumped in the comments as we went through the day together. I just went back and read through the comments. I feel such a warmth flowing all through me as I read it. And how wonderful when, hours after that song first was on my mind that day, J Lo sang a bit of it. Oh, man, I so lost it in that moment, it was just perfect. That was the song of the day, as far as I'm concerned. 

Joe Biden wasn't my first, second nor third choice for President. But I can honestly say that this inauguration was so, so much more emotional for me than President Obama's. I think because, when Barack Obama became President, it just felt inevitable, even required, a continuation of the evolution of the country and its people. Like, "Hey, look at us, on the right track, going on our merry way to progress and goodness, because that's what we do! Wahoo, us! And we'll have a woman President in eight years!" But Biden's inauguration... we came so, so close to the horrifying alternative, and I couldn't stop thinking about that. Remember all my dire predictions regarding the Trump presidency and my stated fears and how I lost friends over my predictions and terror and outrage - and how I was right about pretty much EVERYTHING I predicted? Do you really want my list for what was coming had so many, many people not stayed absolutely resolute and dedicated and Stacy Abrams and everyone else not gotten out the vote? 

The last two days have far, far exceeded my expectations: all these Executive Orders reversing some of the biggest travesties of the previous administration, the firings of the heads of the VOA and the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, taking the reigns off of Fauci... President Joe Biden has accomplished in two days what I expected to take a month or two. 

And I am feeling smug. I admit it. I laid out a plan at the start of the nonsense four years ago and it was inflexible and intolerant and I stuck to it and, by gosh, I AM PROUD OF IT. I still believe silence means approval. I still believe that you cannot "come together" with fascists. I'm still as angry at the people who voted for Gary Johnson or Jill Stein or wrote in Bernie for President or, even worse, didn't vote at all.  

But mostly, I'm focused on doing all I can to ensure that fascism never gets such a foothold in the White House - and rooting out what's in the Senate, the House, and state legislatures across this country. Mostly, I'm feeling hope. 

All the thoughts for all the people

What a roller coaster. 

Tuesday, I went to bed as despondent as I was four years ago, so depressed I couldn't cry. Wondering when, not if, my family would handle deportation orders. Wondering how quickly my friends' marriages would be declared null and void, how quickly friends would be fired for being gay or a different religion or just some other thing that had nothing to do with their job performance. Wondering how I would protect myself from COVID-19. Wondering how we were going to survive, knowing that four more years of this would be far, far worse than the last four years. At a loss for any productive thought. Here's my post to Facebook that night:

I feel as bad as I did in November 2016. Humans are horrible. You are hateful, evil crap. It's time for a meteor to hit this planet - WHAM - so it can start over. As I said after almost getting run off the road by methed-out truckers as I rode the Alaska Highway in British Columbia: FUCK ALL YA'LL.

Wednesday, I woke up to numbers I wasn't expecting. But I should have. Whereas pollster got it wrong AGAIN, the press said this over and over: what the results are at the end of Tuesday night, when in-person voting totals are in, will not be the results when vote-by-mail results are in over the course of the next two or three days. The press repeatedly said that. We didn't listen. 

But even then, I wasn't ready to believe. I had very cautious hope when I went to bed Wednesday night. Thursday, I was just in a holding pattern. Friday, even though no delegate numbers had changed, the voting totals were clear. And I knew it: Trump lost. 

And here we are on Saturday. So. Much. Joy. We walked our dog and I danced for the postman and with three other neighbors during the course of that walk. I don't feel like everything is fine now, but I have hope. I know we'll need to hold the White House through three Presidents to undo all this crap. But I have hope. I know that there is an enormous amount to do now to undo this horror show - knowing that some things can't be undone, like the trauma of children separated from parents, like those who have died or been permanently disabled from COVID-19, like the restaurants, clubs, bars, arts groups and other businesses that have closed for good. Like the people murdered by police. 

Of course, now I'm reading right-wingers and middle-of-the-road Democrats talking about compromise, talking about not celebrating "too much," talking about "forgiveness." 

No.

I'm not at all interested in punishing Republican voters but I AM interested in prosecuting those who broke the law. I want those who have broken the law in this administration to be prosecuted to the full extent of the law. It's time for the country to see actions DO have consequences and that, as President, you are NOT "King." If there are no prosecutions, there is no rule of law, period. If there are no prosecutions, this WILL happen again. 

And I want a full-throttle agenda: on health care, on restoring the protections of public lands, on restoring EPA rules, on restoring voting rights, on restoring US State Department funds and programs, on restoring protections for programs like Voice of America and AmeriCorps, on restoring DACA, on establishing a realistic path to legal residency, on addressing the pandemic, on free community college and affordable state universities, and, ALWAYS, on access to abortion. No compromise. None.  

I get it, Republican voters are going to have such a hard time: they are going to get more affordable health care. They are going to have cleaner water. They are going to see billionaires pay a fairer share of taxes and the ballooning federal deficit under Trump get reduced. They are going to have family members who are NOT going to die because of the global pandemic. They are going to have more welcoming markets abroad for the things their employers grow or make. They are still going to get to go to churches that prohibit gay marriage. They will still get to avoid black, Latino and Asian neighborhoods and businesses. They get to still buy and drive gas-guzzling pedestrian-killing trucks. They will still get to quietly take their wives, sisters, daughters and mistresses to clinics for abortion services that they publicly protest about. They still get to discourage their children and grandchildren from going to college. They still get to disparage people who read books, love the arts, study philosophy, speak languages other than English and travel to other countries. They will still get to believe stupid crap like pedophile parties in non-existent pizza restaurant basements. They will still get to go to rallies by Trump if he still wants to have them. And they'll get to keep all the guns they have now and buy even more, at least of certain kinds. 

That last paragraph was dripping with sarcasm, in case you didn't get it. In other words - ya'll Republicans get to benefit from all that is coming AND still be full of hate and bigotry and have guns.  

I wonder when you will understand that nothing changes for a white man if he hears people speaking Spanish in line at WalMart. Nothing. It doesn't make English somehow not matter anymore. There has never been a time in the history of this land we now call the USA when humans weren't speaking a myriad of languages - nothing has changed, not really. 

I wonder when you will realize that nothing changes for you if woman who is raped has access to abortion services - unless you are that woman. If you are against abortion, you never, ever have to have one, even if terminating a pregnancy would save your life. 

I wonder when you will realize that nothing changes for you at all if a mosque gets built in your county. You don't ever have to go. If you don't want to hear the call to prayer, push for an ordinance that would prevent such - but know that it will also apply to church bells and drums (I live across the street from a new Pentecostal Church - I DREAM of such an ordinance...). 

I wonder when you will realize that nothing changes for you at all if your local grocery store starts selling tamales or hummus. Unless you like tamales or hummus - then you are going to be SO HAPPY. 

I wonder when white people will realize that nothing changes for you if black people get treated by the police and courts the same way white people do. 

I wonder when you will realize that nothing changes for straight people, even Christians, if gay people get married. You get to stay married to whomever you are married to. You can be disgusted by anyone's marriage. You are always free to do that. 

I wonder when you will realize that nothing changes for you if a neighbor buys an electric car or commutes by bicycle, that even if that happens, you get to keep driving your big gas-guzzling truck.  

I wonder when you will realize that nothing changes for you whatsoever if people kneel quietly during the national anthem. 

Just so you know: I'm white. I'm middle class. I love Johnny Cash. I love honky tonks. I love Bi-mart and Costco. I love college basketball. I love the Andy Griffith Show. I love The Waltons. I love The Dirty Dozen. I love Judge Judy. I used to watch Live PD - though I tended to yell "Don't answer questions! You have the right to remain silent!" at the TV over and over. I still watch Gone With the Wind. I don't like when things that are bland are called vanilla, because, in fact, vanilla is a rich, delicious flavoring and, also, I don't think I'm bland, I don't think bluegrass is bland, I don't think opera is bland, I don't think anything I love is bland. 

Being a part of the Democratic Party doesn't mean I lose any of the "white people" things I love. Supporting civil rights and Black Lives Matter doesn't mean I lose any of the "white people" things I love. I just think about things VERY differently than I did in my younger days: I am always sad now that there are no black people in Mayberry. I love GWTW while also acknowledging it was written by a racist and represents racism. I will watch Judge Judy reruns until my dying day and also be appalled at how tone-deaf she can be about how hard it is for renters to find new places to live. 

I guess it comes down to this: I just don't get how white people that voted for Trump think they are under siege. The majority of white voters are NOT under economic stress, they are NOT economically disadvantaged, they are going to keep loving what they love, they get to keep their guns, and that's not going to change in their lifetime.

I think you, Trump supporters, are fascists. I really do. I'm not calling you that to hurt your feelings - I'm saying it as a reality. You are fascists. By definition. 

Fascism is a belief in ultra-nationalism (jingoism), fueled by xenophobia, racism, anti-Semitism, chauvinism, and isolationism. Fascists believe in the supremacy of their national or ethnic group over all others. Fascists are usually on the extreme political right. Fascists usually have one favored religion over all others. Fascism is characterized by an insistence on obedience to a powerful leader - a demagogue. Fascists are often elected to office in fully Democratic processes. And fascists can be happy only in the defeat of those that are not fascists - that is their only path to joy. 

Even with this election, the United States is a fascist country. That cannot be disputed. We are full of millions and millions and millions of fascist people. This is who the Republican Party is. This is who at least half the country is. And I've no idea how to make you not fascists. Can you love your country and not be a fascist? Yes - I love my country and I'm not a fascist. You can love your language, love your country, love your religion and love a person in your political party and NOT be a fascist. 

I'm exhausted. I'm tired. But I'm also relieved. I'm going to rest up and regroup so I can be part of the movement to retake a LOT of things we've lost and so we can rebuild a bigger, better "wall" between church and state, between American values and fascism, between misinformation and facts.

Lots to do. Wear a mask while you do it. 

A USA citizen & election observer talks about voting abroad

I have a lot of friends who are USA citizens and live abroad. One of them lives in Eastern Europe, and has for many years. This friend has been an international observer for 18 elections in six countries in the past 13 years. Below, she describes what volunteering for her is like in 2020 and just how messed up the USA process for voting is:

I started my voting process - and yes, it's a process for Americans living abroad. Many people have asked me how an American living abroad can vote. It depends - voting in the U.S. is decentralized to the states and each state has its own rules and procedures. This is often surprising, if not shocking, to non-U.S. citizens. In most countries, even other decentralized ones, voting is usually legislated at the national level to ensure the same rights/opportunities/responsibilities for all citizens. Not in the U.S., friends! In my state, Ohio, because I live abroad, I can now receive my ballot by email (the first 10 years I lived abroad, I could only receive my ballot by postal mail, and I never received it in time at my international address to actually vote).

I LOVE receiving my ballot by email and having the time to read up on all the candidates and issues - national, state, city, county... there are SO many kinds of elections on my ballot! Back in the pre-internet day when I voted in person, I literally had no idea who most of the people on my ballot were. Now I can sit with my ballot and research all the candidates for judges, board of education, State Attorney General, City Council, and all the other myriad of positions we get to elect as Ohio citizens. There were 3 issues on my ballot this time and I was delighted to have the time to research them and I feel like I made informed decisions on each of them.

Despite receiving my ballot by email, I have to return it by postal mail. By the way, a few states let overseas voters both receive and submit their ballots electronically, but many do not (some still only send ballots by postal mail, which essentially disenfranchises many overseas voters when/where the post is slow). For Ohio voters, if you want to vote absentee and you are IN the U.S., you cannot receive your ballot by email, only by postal mail. Along with your ballot, they send you 2 special envelopes to return your ballot in - your ballot goes in one sealed envelope with your name, ID (birth date and last four digits of your Social Security Number or Ohio driver's license number), address, and signature printed on the envelope; and then you put that envelope inside a postage-paid (for mailing inside the U.S. only) envelope addressed to your county Board of Elections. The instructions we overseas voters receive are the same as for absentee voters in the U.S., but of course we don't get any special envelopes by email, only a .pdf of what goes on the envelopes. Buried in the 4 pages of instructions is a note that overseas voters can print out envelopes with the necessary information on them. You know what? Paper and envelope sizes EVERYWHERE ELSE in the world are different than American standard paper and envelope sizes, so the template .pdfs don't work here. I printed the forms in standard European sizes, taped the completed and signed "envelope form" to a European-size envelope, put it in another European-size envelope addressed to my county Board of Elections, then put that into a DHL envelope, and paid $60 for DHL to deliver the envelope-in-an-envelope-in-an-envelope to Columbus, Ohio. Best money I've ever spent. My vote better be counted.

I have been an international observer for 18 elections in 6 countries in the past 13 years. There are some differences I wish more Americans knew and cared about. Can incarcerated prisoners vote? To the best of my knowledge, not in any U.S. state, yet they can vote in every country where I have worked as an international election observer (mass incarceration of people of color is a uniquely and horrifying way the U.S. disenfranchises minorities). Can people who have served their time vote? In many U.S. states, no, voting rights are lost for life after serving a prison sentence; yet they can vote in every country where I have worked as an international election observer. If a person has served their time, why are they still punished by being disenfranchised in many U.S. states? Oh right, because it's a way to disfranchise people of color.

After 13 years of observing elections in half a dozen countries, I am also 100% convinced that a printed ballot that a voter hand-completes (with appropriate email exceptions for absentee voters) is the best voting method. Hand-counting in front of partisan and non-partisan citizen observers can be a time-consuming process but eliminates computer and hacking problems, and and can be manageable if polling districts are limited to a reasonable number of voters.

And the Electoral College, the most undemocratic voting process in the modern world, NEEDS TO END.

End of my TEDTalk. Thanks for attending.

My endorsement for the Democratic nomination

I wish that, in the USA, we had just four primary voting days, and the first one started on February 1, and the four primaries were all over by the end of May. And then I wish the Presidential campaign between the parties went from just June 1 to election day in November. Wouldn't that be nice?

But that's not how it is, and with more than 300 days until the November 2020 election, without even one primary happening yet, the race for the Presidency is already well underway, some of candidates I really liked have dropped out, and if you don't express your opinion NOW, if you don't donate to your candidate(s) NOW, that candidate, or those candidates, may not even be around for the first primary.

I want to make it clear that I am very likely going to vote for whomever the Democrats nominate. I hate to say that, because I know it empowers center-right candidates. But without ranked voting - something we should have in both primaries and the Presidential election - we are very likely going to end up with a candidate I feel tepid about. Yes, I want my precious, powerful vote to go for someone I believe will not just be able to be competent - I want to vote for someone who will be a GREAT President, who will be the President I think our country so desperately needs now. 

But almost any of the candidates will be better than the horror show currently in the White House, and I don't have the privilege to not vote at all. I am still furious with every person who voted for President Obama and then didn't vote at all in 2016 - YOU are why this current Presidency has happened, more than anything else, more than votes for third party candidates, more than write-ins. And I will be furious at any person who does not vote at all in 2020.

For all my complaints about Hillary Clinton - her coziness with Goldman Sachs, her many fundraising events only for huge donors and closed to all media, her oh-so-late support for things like marriage equality, her praise of Nancy Reagan's AIDS work (I still can't believe she did that), and on and on - I voted for her. And she deserves an extraordinary amount of praise for winning the majority votes of the American people, and if we were a real democracy, she would President now, per getting a majority of votes - and it would be well-earned. I do not regret any of my criticisms, but I do regret not being clear that I was voting for her and that I felt, absolutely, she was probably the most qualified candidate to ever run for office.

(And my jaw drops every time one of my friends that was SO passionate about Hillary Clinton and so angry at my criticisms are now using some of those same criticisms against various Presidential candidates they don't like.)

Okay, with all that said, who am I supporting in the 2020 Democratic Primary? Elizabeth Warren.

I listened to all of the candidates - and I will continue to - and I read and read and read - and will continue to do so. She wasn't a lock from the get-go - I was staunchly, firmly undecided for most of the summer, and even when I started to lean, I had a top three, not just one. But the more I read, the more clear it has become: Elizabeth Warren has the best combination of experience and ideas and heart. Yes, heart - we need heart. We absolutely will be a better country with Elizabeth Warren as President. She is the capable, knowledgeable, visionary, experienced, compassionate leader the USA needs right now. And she's even changed my mind on a lot of things - like the US involvement in Afghanistan. The bombshell Washington Post article yesterday pretty much-confirmed everything she's said all along. I also believe she will evolve - I believe she listens, and facts sway her. We need someone in the office who will listen and who will be willing to say, "I made a mistake - and here's how I'm going to address that."

What about the other candidates? Here they are, in order of my preference:

If he's nominated, I will vote for Julián Castro. I think his track record, including as former U.S. secretary of housing and urban development and as mayor of a big USA city, San Antonio, plus his policy positions, make him an outstanding candidate. He would be my number one candidate were it not for Elizabeth Warren. I think he brings that perfect balance of understanding a range of American experiences and understanding foreign policy. I not only think he's well-qualified and has the right policies - I also would love to see a person of Latino heritage in the top office of our nation.

If she's nominated, I will vote for Amy Klobuchar. I wish she was more to the left, I disagree with her on a lot of policies, but she's capable, she's knowledgable, she's highly-experienced, and I think that, ultimately, we're on the same side. She would make me both proud and comfortable as President - even when I disagreed with her. And I fully admit it: I want a woman President, and that gives her an edge over others.

If he's nominated, I will vote for Cory Booker. I find his approach to public schools utterly distasteful and I worry that, like others, he'll cater more to people on the center-right than people like me. But I also think he might really surprise me as President - in a good way. I would be proud to see him representing the USA, domestically and abroad. He's qualified for the office and I think he would work hard to repair the damage the current President has done, both domestically and abroad. He would make me both proud and comfortable as President - even when I disagreed with him.

If he's nominated, I will vote for Joe Biden. I prefer most of the other candidates to him. Like Hillary Clinton, he's WAY too cozy with billionaires and won't do anything regarding pushing for drastically-increased taxation against billionaires. He does not at all comprehend at how much people in this country are struggling to get health care access - he just wants to cater to people who want to "keep" their doctors and offers no real solutions for others. I feel that his mindset about how to behave with women is out-of-step with modern times (but he hasn't bragged about sexual assault, the way the current President has, nor has he paid any porn stars, so, that's a plus). But, yeah, I'll vote for him - he's perfectly qualified, his support and guidance for President Obama was sincere and valuable, and his qualifications are almost overwhelming.

If he's nominated, I will vote for Bernie Sanders. I know it's a shock that he's not higher, given how I preferred him over Hillary Clinton in 2014. I stand by that 2016 support and believe people like me, in supporting Sanders, pulled Clinton to he left - something that gave her the majority of votes in the end. My problem with Bernie is his hires: staff members with very questionable past behavior online, the allegations of sexual harassment that didn't get taken as seriously as it should, etc. Plus, he needs to be so much stronger in speaking out about people - mostly men - who harass people - mostly women - online in his name. And his support for Tulsi Gabbard is really disturbing. But I also think he could do what is required as President, that he has the qualifications, and I still really like his policy ideas.

If he's nominated, I will vote for Pete Buttigieg. His lack of experience really worries me, his Hillary-like missteps, like when he smugly refused to say if he would allow the press into his fundraising events, his slights against policies like universal health care coverage as being to radical - it's all very, very troubling. I think he really, really needs to mature as a leader, not just as a candidate. I think in eight years, with some service at the state or national level, he'll be a much better candidate or leader, and I might even feel way, way more strongly about him then.

If he's nominated, I will vote for Andrew Yang. His profound lack of experience in any government office is deeply disturbing - and we see the consequences of that in the current President, among other things. Like Pete, in eight years, with some service at the state or national level, he'll be a much better candidate or leader, and I might even feel more strongly about him then.

If he's nominated, I will vote for Michael Bloomberg. Like Biden, he also won't do anything regarding pushing for drastically-increased taxation against billionaires. He also does not at all comprehend at how much people in this country are struggling to get health care access. I think he'll spend most of his time catering to people who are center-right, ignoring issues that are affecting poverty and the environment in this country. I think he'll say anything to get elected - and then do anything to please the wealthiest people in this country (people like himself). Big business is going to LOVE this guy. Anyone who criticized Kamala Harris for her background in law enforcement needs to be SCREAMING about this guy. But I do believe he can do the job as President.

I will not vote for Tulsi Gabbard - she's a Russian asset, just like the current President.

I will not vote for Tom Steyer - his stance on term limits alone (I do NOT support them) is enough to ever make me vote for him - his lack of ever holding an office is also a deal-breaker.

I am not even going to say anti-vaxxer, anti-science person's name.

If I haven't named anyone else, it's because I have no idea who in the hell they are.

And I am going to keep reading the candidates' own words, keep watching them when they speak and keep trying to be informed about their positions and not let anyone make up my mind for me. I remain committed to checking out any criticism I hear or read online, even those criticisms I agree with, before jumping on board with them. I will not post anything that I cannot verify does NOT come from an established organization I know and support (not just one with a name that sorta sounds like something I might have heard of before).

And, no, I'm not going to stop offering commentary. I'm not going to stop speaking out. I've been so beaten down since November 2016, mostly by people who vote Democrat, who aren't affected personally and professionally by what Donald Trump is doing and, therefore, would just like to pretend it's not happening. Or men who really don't want to pay attention to what state legislatures are doing regarding women and children. Or people who control a council or community group and really don't like my questions. I've withdrawn from so much. But I'm not withdrawing from this.

Please register to vote. Please make sure you are registered to vote if you haven't voted since 2016. Please register friends, family and neighbors to vote. Please vote.

We did this. No matter what happens Nov. 6

When George W. Bush lost the popular vote but still became President, because the US Supreme Court prevented the vote recount in Florida, the outcry was barely a blip on the media radar. Millions were furious, but the press and even Al Gore said we needed to not protest, to, instead, just "come together" accept that a man the majority of voters did not vote for would be the leader of the USA. Anyone who continued to protest how the election was decided was branded a crank or un-American by the press and both parties. When the attacks on September 11, 2001 happened, criticizing the President became almost treasonous. When millions took to the streets to protest the second invasion of Iraq, the media downplayed the numbers and the fury, in order to not upset the President and lose their access. In 2004, when Bush won Ohio and Florida, again under mysterious circumstances and despite exit polls that said otherwise, any voiced opposition was, again, quickly dismissed as sore losers and unPatriotic.

What Republicans and the press didn't realize then is there was a great deal of resentment simmering under the perceived public quiet. We took that simmering resentment to the polls in 2008 in huge numbers and put Barack Obama in the White House for eight years, despite the gerrymandering, despite the voter suppression efforts.

In 2016, when Donald Trump lost the popular vote but still became President, and when a majority of Americans voted for Democrats in Congress but, because of gerrymandering, Republicans took both houses, something very different happened than in 2000: the majority didn't stay silent. Government and the media were taken aback when millions of women protested across the USA on or near January 21, 2017 to protest Donald Trump, the GOP and their attitudes and actions against women - in Portland, Oregon, there was a record-breaking number of people who took to the streets, and in protest-loving Portland, that's saying something. Government and media were shocked again when thousands of people spontaneously descended on airports across the USA to help Muslim visitors and Muslim green card holders who were suddenly in security limbo because of Trump's ban on Muslims.

The GOP and the mainstream media had anticipated and planned a different narrative. That's why NBC gave a morning TV show in 2017 to Fox News personality Megan Kelly, and ABC tried to revive the TV show Roseanne soon after - the media wanted to try to appeal to Trump supporters and expected the opposition to be silent. Networks were surprised when Kelly and Roseanne Barr's racism quickly surfaced, bias neither had ever tried to hide, and that the backlash was so very loud and swift that both shows were canceled.

All of this is a long-winded way of saying: your voice has made a difference. From individuals refusing to be silent at the Thanksgiving table as Uncle Racist spews his hate to attending public meetings with their elected officials in record numbers and being vocal about their demands to emailing and tweeting news outlets when they see attempts to sugar coat fascism to taking to the streets, you have kept the media on their toes and the Democratic Party leadership from compromising.

The resistance is real, it's made a difference, and individuals have fueled it - not George Soros, not the Democratic Party leadership, not official political groups and certainly not the media.

And you are exhausted. I know I am. I've been attending city council meetings and public meetings with state and local legislators, mostly just observing, listening to questions and comments, making sure extreme right-wingers aren't making any in-roads, making sure their rhetoric gets checked, and ready to throw a spotlight on anything that needs to be brought to everyone's attention, via social media - without an active, robust local press, we can't count on media coverage to keep an eye out. I've been registering voters, passing out League of Women Voters Oregon voter guides and trying to educate friends and neighbors about ballot measures. I've been attending debates by candidates for city and county offices. I've been trying to amplify media stories that my friends might have missed on social media. And I am so tired. And the thought of having to continue at this level, at 11, for another two years makes me want to give up.

So take a break on election day. And maybe the day of the election itself. Think about all that has been accomplished by individuals all across the USA who have refused to stay silent, who have protested in ways big and small. The media wouldn't be talking about the President lying if it wasn't for us. Late night talk show hosts wouldn't be talking about it either if it wasn't for us. The Democratic Party and Democrats in the Senate, the House and state legislatures all across the country wouldn't be resisting if it wasn't for us. We did this. Be proud of that, no matter what happens on November 6.

But also remember that this is a marathon, not a sprint. This is going to take more than one election to solve. The first public meeting of the Nazi party was in February 1920, when Adolf Hitler issued a "25 Point Program" outlining the party's political agenda - an agenda that embodied racism. Hitler was appointed German Chancellor in January 1933. It took less than 13 years for Nazism, the most well-known form of fascism, to take over German society completely. The end of the war ended Nazi control of Germany in 1945. That means it took 10 years to defeat Hitler. It took many more years to bring Nazi war criminals to justice. Are you ready for the long haul?

Washington County Sheriff and District Attorney both oppose Measure 105 in Oregon

On Wednesday, August 08, 2018, Kevin Barton, Washington County District Attorney, and Pat Garrett, Washington County Sheriff, had their joint statement in opposition to Oregon Measure 105 published in various newspapers in the Portland, Oregon metro area. These newspapers require registration to read their statement online, and while registration is free, the registration step turns a lot of readers away. So below is the statement in full. One of the points the sheriff makes repeatedly, and rightly so, is that the current law (ORS 181A.820) provides no sanctuary to an undocumented immigrant who commits a crime in Oregon. 

As district attorney and sheriff, we are the elected law enforcement leaders in Washington County. One of our primary obligations is to ensure public safety. We believe every member of our community has the right to live, work and raise a family in safety and that an essential aspect of being safe is feeling safe and having access to justice.

Through our role as public safety leaders, we are aware of Ballot Measure 105 (formerly known as Initiative Petition 22). This measure seeks to repeal ORS 181A.820, a 31-year-old Oregon law that controls when local law enforcement agencies may use local resources to enforce federal immigration laws. We are compelled to speak because we believe this ballot measure may negatively impact public safety.

Oregon's Legislature passed ORS 181A.820 in 1987 to provide structure regarding how and when local police can be involved in enforcing federal immigration law. This longstanding law states local police cannot use resources to detect or apprehend persons whose only law violation is federal immigration law. Importantly, this law does not prohibit local police from using resources to detect, apprehend or even cooperate with immigration officials for people who have violated federal immigration law and committed a crime. In other words, the current law (ORS 181A.820) provides no sanctuary to an undocumented immigrant who commits a crime in Oregon. In fact, it specifically authorizes police to share information with federal immigration authorities.

ORS 181A.820 strikes the right balance. Under this law local police cannot enforce federal immigration laws but can cooperate and communicate with immigration authorities if an undocumented immigrant commits a crime. While there are certainly ways the current law could be improved or clarified, and there appears to be some misunderstanding regarding how this law works, repealing it altogether is not the answer.

A repeal of ORS 181A.820 would likely create a chilling effect in our community. Certain members of the immigrant population may be less likely to report crimes, to access justice services such as restraining orders, or to even appear in court and testify as witnesses. Immigrant communities and families may become greater targets for criminals because they may be less likely to come forward or appear in court to testify. These are not hypothetical concerns; we have already seen these issues occur. If ORS 181A.820 is repealed, we believe these problems may increase.

Additionally, a repeal of the current uniform law that allows all law enforcement throughout Oregon to communicate with immigration authorities regarding criminal defendants would likely result in a patchwork of inconsistent ordinances and rules from various cities and counties.

Our community is safer when citizens and non-citizens alike report crimes and testify in court so we can arrest and prosecute criminals. We believe that ORS 181A.820 strikes the right balance to keep our community safe and we oppose the effort to repeal it.

Kevin Barton, Washington County District Attorney, and Pat Garrett, Washington County Sheriff.

Why listening to candidates is so imporant

There are two people running for the office that heads our county government here in Oregon. One of them

• doesn't believe libraries should do anything but lend books and videos (he has a big problem with "all these language classes and other stuff they offer now"), 
• believes there aren't any homeless or mental illness problems in our county that nonprofits and churches aren't "handling", 
• believes our county's affordable housing crisis will be solved by tax breaks for private companies, and 
• believes that the way to handle traffic congestion is to build more roads and synchronize traffic lights. 

I've learned all of this by attending two forums - newspaper stories and his website make him appear relatively sensible, if just center-right politically.

I have a feeling most of the people that want to support this person don't realize what they are voting for.

Pay attention to your local races, folks. MAKE time to hear these people speak. I have a feeling most of the people that want to support this person don't realize what they are voting for.

I don't know how to fight nationalism nor fascism

In school, I was taught that Germany turned to fascism because the country was economically devastated, because people didn't have enough to eat, because they were desperate, because conditions were extreme. I was taught that, had these things not happened, Germany wouldn't have lost its collective mind and murdered several million people.

For many years since, every time I've studied a time when people have flirted with nationalism or fanatical religion, or seen it happening in other countries, I've thought, well, things are dire there, people are scared, maybe justifiably so. Some economic stability and education will take care of this and they'll stop this nonsense as a result.

I don't believe it anymore. I'll never believe it again. Because of what I'm seeing right here in my own country. Nationalism - fascism - is rampant, not just in marches but in casual conversations on Facebook and over lunch and dinner tables. People are saying, explicitly, proudly, that criticism of the President should be utterly unacceptable, that people should be forced to stand for patriotic music, that police are justified in killing unarmed black men, and on and on. There's a constant denial of science and a continually deriding of public schools. There is an insistence that one religion is right and every other religion isn't just wrong, but is a threat. The majority of white people in the USA who have at least some college education and voted in November 2016 voted for Donald Trump. The majority of white WOMEN in the USA who have at least some college education and voted in November 2016 voted for Donald Trump. That he has been a sexual predator in the past - and bragged about it - didn't matter to those voters. That he blames sexual assault in the military because women were admitted into the military - didn't matter to those voters. That he ripped of several hundred people via his "university" and had to settle for many millions of dollars didn't matter. That he lied about Barack Obama, disrespected Gold Star families and military heroes, and said vile things about women didn't matter.

And none of this support for him is because white people are economically devastated, because they don't have enough to eat, because they are desperate, because conditions are extreme.

Quite frankly, I'm not trying to figure it out anymore. Because I don't care. I'm tired of their belief in fake news despite the mountain of reality proving it wrong. I'm tired of the double standard regarding the horrible man in office now and the very respectful, honorable one he replaced. I'm tired of their "I'm not a racist, but obviously white people are better and history shows us that" nonsense. No, I'm not going to reach across the table. No, I'm not going to listen. I'm done.

Geesh, even George W. Bush is worried.

Extreme nationalism has no signs of slowing down in Europe. It's also happening in Turkey and the Phillippines and India and Russia. People are feeling militant about their native languages and what they perceive as their national culture.

And people in the USA are embracing it as well.

So... now what? Education doesn't work to change their minds. Facts don't work to change their minds. These people do not have any patience or attention to detail, and they balk at the idea of time and deliberation it takes to learn and make important decisions, like a nuclear deal with Iran. They want simplistic, almost childlike emotional and very quick answers, answers that feel good rather than are based on any study or fact.
What to do?

Slaves were not freed in the USA because a majority of slave owners were convinced that slavery was wrong. Nazis were not defeated in Germany because a majority of Nazis and their sympathizers changed their minds. It took violence. It took devastation. It took an incredible amount of death.

I don't want violence. Or devastation. Or death. I do not romanticize nor desire any of that.

The victories of the civil rights movement did not happen by winning over racists. People didn't' vote for it - the courts and the Executive Branch listened to those supporting civil rights and did what was right, even if it wasn't popular with millions of people - maybe a majority of people. But we don't have that on our side now.

I've marched twice in Portland, once for women, once for science. I've been attending city council meetings since before the election; I want to keep my eye on the city council to make sure they aren't up to any shenanigans, like trying to cut an essential service or giving developers sweet heart deals. I've attended four public meetings with my state or national legislators, making sure right-wingers aren't showing up in greater numbers at any event and so that I can listen first hand to their messages. I've joined the official local arm of the Democratic Party, because I very much want to keep the party fighting for social justice, fighting for abortion rights, fighting for workers' rights, fighting for civil rights, fighting for the issues that affect people on a daily basis. I write the news media every time they get lazy in their reporting, every time they drop the ball in an interview with a member of the GOP.

But nothing changes. The fascist march continues.

Next week in Idaho, at Boise State University, there will be a presentation on how Idahoans organized a successful counter-movement to white supremacists in Idaho. According to the web site,  the presenters will "explain how people united around a variety of strategies that resulted in many victories--culminating in 2000 with an Idaho jury’s civil judgment against the Aryan Nations for $6.3 million that bankrupted it. The decades-long campaign for human rights--and to check the threat of the white nationalists, white supremacists and neo-Nazis--included passage of state legislation, support as allies for victims, comprehensive programs in the K-12 schools and colleges, public rallies and events, numerous press conferences and press releases condemning acts of hate, close working relationship with the police and prosecutors for aggressive prosecution of hate crimes, partnership with the faith community, statewide coordination with organizations and institutions for positive steps to advance human rights, commitment to the philosophy of non-violence and peace, and a pledge to never remain silent in the face of hate."

But what if the white nationalists are a populist movement that doesn't see itself as "white nationalists", even as they espouse similar statements? What if parents in those K-12 schools and universities block programs that encourage understanding and deliberation and, instead, promote anti-science curricula and a one-sided story of history that glorifies Western Europe alone?  What if the police and faith communities are part of the problem in creating intolerance and division?

I'm going to keep fighting, non-violently. I'm going to keep talking. People are in danger - particularly people who aren't white like me. My country is in danger. But I still believe in the ideals of my country and want to continue to live them and try to promote them.

But I also admit that the idea of buying a ranch in a remote location and living the rest of my days taking care of abandoned horses and providing tent space to people traveling the world by motorcycle, and cashing in on my privilege and giving up on humans in general, is sounding better and better.

Why do people in the USA not vote? & how to address this?

Millions of people in the USA who are able to vote do not vote. Why?

I’ve been researching online, and every article seems to have a list of different reasons, plus I've heard some first-hand from people that don't vote that aren't on those lists. So I threw them all together here. This list excludes people who are prevented from voting by law because of a conviction.

The reasons millions of people in the USA who are able to vote but don't include:

• they don’t have the identification needed by law to register, and they either don’t know how to get that proper ID, or the fees and work hours to get the proper ID gets in the way of obtaining such, or the hassle just doesn’t seem worth it
   
• even if they have the identification needed, the hassle of registering to vote doesn’t seem worth it, or they don’t understand how it works
   
• the lines to vote are too long before and after work, they can't get off work to vote, or to try to maneuver a long line with children in tow is too difficult.
   
• they don’t have transportation to a polling station
   
• the hassle of getting an absentee ballot doesn’t seem worth it or they don’t know how to do it
   
• they think they will be more likely to be chosen for jury duty if they register to vote (they won't be, however, as juries are drawn from driver's license holders as well)
   
• they get sick on election day or have a family emergency
   
• they don’t care about politics; they have no motivation to care
   
• they don’t like any of their choices
   
• they think voting really does not matter
   
• bad weather 

I think that all but the last four bullets can be addressed by education, personal assistance and/or absentee ballots. And that should give you hope. And motivation to get involved to change things.

Another thing about this list, as noted by The Guardian: the obstacles to voting disproportionately affected black Americans.

Non-white Americans have typically had much lower turnout rates than white Americans. The Census Bureau asks eligible voters who don’t turn out to vote why they didn’t. Their responses show that white Americans are five times more likely than black Americans to say they didn’t vote simply because they “did not like candidates or campaign issues”. Meanwhile, black voters are more likely than white voters to cite obstacles to voting, such as “inconvenient polling place” or “transportation problems”.

According to the Center for American Progress,, “poll closures and limited voting hours disproportionately affect black voters”. And looking at early voting data, they found that trend was particularly noticeable in North Carolina, where there were 158 fewer early polling places in counties with large black communities and African American voter participation was down 16%.

Another reason, “registration problems”, was chosen by about 7% of eligible black voters and 5% of eligible white voters when explaining why they did not vote in the 2012 presidential election. Voter ID laws, which disproportionately affect black and younger voters according to a report by the Government Accountability Office, are often the reason for this.

So, now what?

Please get involved in efforts that help people register to vote. Contact your local Democratic Party HQ (or the party of your choice), the nearest League of Women Voters, any Black Lives Matter affiliates, the local chapter of the Urban League, etc., to find out how to join a register-to-vote effort. Ask your friends and family if they are registered to vote and, if they aren't, help them do so - many states allow people to register online. Make a goal: that you will, personally, register five new people to vote in 2017. You will register five more in 2018.

Help people get the identification they need to vote if they don't have such. Again, those aforementioned organizations may have such an effort but need more volunteers to help with it.

Look for efforts to help to get people to the polls. There are local elections and voter referendums in 2017 all over the USA, maybe in your city or county. Find out by asking any of your city council representatives (you can email them). Consider taking a vacation day on voting day so you can drive people to their polling stations. Or help people apply for and submit absentee ballots.

Except for filling suddenly vacant seats, the next elections for national Senators and Representatives in November 2018. It is vital that there is a huge voter turnout for these November 2018 elections, and the work has to start NOW for that to happen. Consider taking a vacation day on voting day so you can drive people to their polling stations or help with child care for someone needing to vote. Or sign up with the aforementioned organizations to help people apply for and submit absentee ballots - a great idea for people that have transportation, work or child care issues that might prevent them from being able to vote.

And one last thing, to those that say they don't vote because they don't like the choices: get over yourselves, buttercups. It is the height of white privilege to have the right to vote, the ability to vote, the credentials to vote, the registration to vote, and then not vote. I voted for Bernie in the primary, but damn right I voted for Hillary in November. Because it was far, far more important to try to prevent what's happening now than to be selfish and think non-participation sends a message. Because it doesn't. Not when it comes to voting.

No, it wasn't about the economy

I see post-election ecstasy of some, mostly via social media, and in that shared online glee, there are no statements about protecting nor creating jobs, reducing drug prices, improving financial ethics, improving health care coverage for all Americans, promoting economic prosperity for ALL Americans, or preventing another global financial meltdown. There’s no mention of these things at all. Instead, I see constant cheers for vicious myths about Muslims and Mexicans, for insults regarding confident, intelligent political women, for comments and memes that make fun of the looks and ethnicity of our current President and First Lady and for bombing foreign lands.

So, yeah, pardon me if I don’t join in the belief that this was a vote by marginalized, forgotten people - because their own words say otherwise.

November 22 update: someone just sent me the link to this opinion piece and it is RIGHT ON:

As the aftermath of the election of Donald Trump is being sorted out, a common theme keeps cropping up from all sides: "Democrats failed to understand white, working-class, fly-over America." Trump supporters are saying this. Progressive pundits are saying this. Talking heads across all forms of the media are saying this. Even some Democratic leaders are saying this. It doesn’t matter how many people say it, it is complete bullshit.

And in addition:

Hillary Clinton has received more votes for President of the USA than any white man in history:

1992 Bill Clinton 44,909,806
1996 Bill Clinton 47,401,185
2000 Al Gore 50,999,897
2004 George Bush 62,040,610
2016 Hillary Clinton 63,715,574 (and counting)

January 7, 2017 update:

The data keeps showing, again and again, that Trump voters were NOT voting for the economy - they were voting for racism and sexism." A new paper by political scientists Brian Schaffner, Matthew MacWilliams, and Tatishe Nteta puts the blame back on the same factors people pointed to before the election: racism and sexism. And the research has a very telling chart to prove it, showing that voters’ measures of sexism and racism correlated much more closely with support for Trump than economic dissatisfaction... a bulk of support for Trump — perhaps what made him a contender to begin with — came from beliefs rooted in racism and sexism. Specifically, the researchers conclude that racism and sexism explain most of Trump’s enormous electoral advantage with non-college-educated white Americans, the group that arguably gave Trump the election." The paper is here. Shoutout to this Vox web site and this web site for bringing it to my attention.