Hey, Friends -
I was planning to watch the debate (urk!) this evening but just don't have the energy...due to family and work and health concerns, I've run myself into the ground the last three out of four days. I'm about to do a faceplant into this laptop keyboard, so I'm just going to tidy up what I've got going here already, and I'll post comments on the debate Wednesday. Boy, I sure hope Hillary hands Trump his pasty orange ass on a silver platter!
- Dot Calm's shadow (ready for a Fireball and a faceplant)
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Greetings, fellow Dot Calm Readers, Freedom Fighters, and Truth Crusaders!
I'm still just completely bemused that so many of us in this once-great nation of ours are so deluded that we still think that snakes and donkeys talk, you can hit a rock and make water come out, chemicals change into each other because god, and Donald Trump is in any way qualified for public office.
So many of us believe that the way to get rich ourselves is to give the already-rich more of our money. If you give bigger, more lavish meals to the already morbidly obese, why, they'll drop more crumbs for us to lick off the floor!
So many of us disbelieve that evidence, observation, experimentation, and hard work drive progress, giving us everything from cell phones and CD players to radars and GPS and increasingly automated and safer cars to vaccines and endoscopic surgeries and the rest of life-saving modern medicine.
Instead, we believe that All Good Things flutter down magically from the clouds because of a magic wand we call "prayer."
We as a society insist on being gullible. We consider gullibility a feature, not a bug. We demand gullibility of ourselves and throw tantrums whenever we happen upon the rare individual who is not gullible.
It took me 50 years to realize I was gullible and stop it. I envy those who either weren't exposed to indoctrination or for whom it didn't take. They have no idea how rare and fortunate they are! The latter, especially--just because you grow up without indoctrination doesn't make you immune to it later.
If you've been following this blog since Dot Calm's untimely and much lamented passing in October 2015, you know that, when I speak of gullibility, I mean religion.
Think about it.
We teach our kids that some imaginary friends are nonsense but that others are real. Specifically, we teach them that children's imaginary friends are not real but that adults' imaginary friends are real.
After they realize that one Santa Claus isn't real, we insist that the other Santa Claus is very real and far more powerful--and that, unlike the kindly Christmas legend, the "real" one also punishes, torturing his beloved children by pitilessly roasting them alive for all eternity.
And if they believe it, we praise them for having faith--for believing that for which there is no evidence--which we consider to be good.
If they question it because it sounds like bullshit--because they apply critical thinking skills and draw appropriate conclusions from the evidence--we denounce them as evil, heretics, monsters.
And don't forget how deeply we drill into their little heads how broken and wrong they are just for being human. And we demand they apologize daily to their supposed creator for creating them to be exactly as they are.
This is what religion is. It warps minds young and old to reject obvious, provable, objective reality--and to dismiss the only life we all know we have--in favor of fantasies of unimaginable pleasure or torment in some unproven, unprovable afterlife.
And we teach them to organize their lives not around reality but around these demented fantasies.
To me, this is what drives our gullibility to the point that so many of us believe Donald Trump's obvious lies--as my Tea Party Christian friend does. It's how so many of us wave our hands and dismiss his obvious crimes and scandals, calling him godly and raised up by god to save the nation (blerch!). It's why so many of us are so willing to vote against our own best interests and enrich the already-rich at our own expense--because we believe that we too are already multi-millionaires and billionaires, even though god hasn't cut us our check yet.
And it isn't just the fundamentalists, like my Tea Party Christian friend, and extremists, like he wishes he were except that he believes a little too much high school science. Even religious moderates buy into the fantasy and the bullshit. Even if they don't all believe the same book of ancient fables literally, they are all influenced by it, whether they admit it or not. Just look at Catholics, for example. They don't claim to believe the Bible literally, but they believe that, as the Bible says, homosexuality is bad and women are lesser than men and just plain evil...as in, men are inherently saintly and would be perfectly godlike if it weren't for women, and women cannot be trusted to speak the truth, keep their promises, or even think straight.
Although Catholics by and large do not seem to support Trump, evangelicals clearly do--even though he goes against everything they so loudly claim they stand for.
Now that there is some mighty fancy compartmentalization, friends, brought to you by societally-mandated gullibility, courtesy of religion.
Then again, maybe Trump only needs to appeal to one of the evangelicals' pet priorities: bringing the apocalypse. Perhaps Trump's lust to nuke everything in sight outweighs evangelicals' other priorities. Like Jesus.
And that there is another piece of...wait for it...societally-mandated gullibility, courtesy of religion.
This is why we need to go back to Ike's 90% tax rate on top earners: we would reclaim our middle class, take decent care of our working and nonworking poor, rebuild our crumbling infrastructure, and restore our public schools, which in Ike's day were the envy of the developed world. This is why we need to teach our children science and critical thinking.
If we don't, we will end up exactly like the Muslim theocracies--refusing to learn science but happily buying its voodoo fruit, technology, from those who do understand science. Right now, Saudi Arabia--which teaches creationism in its schools instead of science, just like evangelicals want to do here-- buys a lot of its technology from us. But if--or when--we abdicate science for superstition and stop solving problems, we'll all be buying technology from China. Medicine, too--which is dangerous, considering the laxity of their regulations (remember the melamine in the infant formula?). And, like all the Muslim theocracies, we will have willfully deprived the world of an entire population's best and brightest minds along with all the progress they would have produced had they been trained and valued in the sciences. If Muslims hadn't given up science, they might have cured cancer decades ago. If we give up science, we may also be giving up cures for cancer and countless other technologies that save and prolong healthy life. Only we don't have the kind of oil reserves and natural resources to support us indefinitely as a nation only of consumers. Once we give up our ability to invent and innovate because god, we will have given up our ability to support ourselves as a first world nation.
And the gullible and the religious are blind to the danger and heedless of the consequences.
As Dot Calm would say, banana republic, here we come.
Don't forget to read Dot Calm's shadow's favorite independent sources of news and information:
Daily Kos
AlterNet
Peas, friends. Take care of yourselves for me. Trust me--you're worth it! And don't forget to keep the Fireball handy while you watch the debate tonight--we'll all need a little something to numb the horror of watching Donald Trump!
- Dot Calm's shadow
Consider the preemptive Blogger phuqued-up phormatting disclaimer to be in effect. Grrr.
-- Dot Calm's shadow
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What's left of my 401k lurves Obama.
Before that, baby Bush eated it.
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Before that, baby Bush eated it.
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No choo-choo time this time, friends, but here are a few articles to keep you well-informed 'til next time.
-- Dot Calm's shadow
From Daily Kos: Donald Trump lied—like always—but this one might be a felony
It took until this week before the word lie began appearing in major newspapers when it comes to statements by Donald Trump. That’s despite earning a record number of "pants on fire" ratings
from Politifact. Apparently the press has used all the euphemisms for
lying so much, that the phrases have worn off their computers,
though actually saying “lie” still makes the keepers of the flame uncomfortable.
But it’s hard to find another word for this one.
But it’s hard to find another word for this one.
Donald Trump committed perjury. Or he looked into the faces of the Republican faithful and knowingly lied. There is no third option.In this case, what Donald Trump told Republican voters when he was on the debate stage, which was quite different from what he told a judge when he was under oath.
It has become an accepted reality of this presidential campaign that Trump spins a near-endless series of falsehoods. For months, the media has struggled with this unprecedented situation—a candidate who, unlike other politicians who stretch the truth, simply creates his own reality. Trump regularly peddles “facts” that aren’t true, describes events that never happened or denies engaging in actions that everyone saw him do. He utters his falsehoods so fast that before reporters have the chance to correct one, he has tossed out five or six more.
Confronting Jeb! on the debate stage, Trump was all bluster.
"The one guy that had some special interests that I know of that tried to get me to change my views on something—that was generous and gave me money—was Donald Trump,” Bush said. “He wanted casino gambling in Florida."Repeatedly, Trump denied that he had tried to get Bush to approve gambling, and said that had he asked for it, he would have gotten it.
Trump: I didn’t—
Bush: Yes, you did.
Trump: Totally false.
Bush: You wanted it, and you didn’t get it, because I was opposed to—
Trump: I would have gotten it.
But that’s not what Trump said when he was under oath. In 2007, Trump hired Richard Fields to work on bringing casino gambling to Florida. When Fields quit, Trump sued him. His claim then was that he would have gotten casino gambling, but Fields ruined it. In his testimony, Trump claimed that he had tried to persuade Bush by throwing a lavish fundraiser where he could take Bush aside and press him on the gambling issue ...
Lawyer: You knew that Governor Bush, Jeb Bush at that time, was opposed to expansion of gaming in Florida, didn't you?So on one hand, Trump claims he never tried to get gambling in Florida—because he doesn’t want to admit that Bush didn’t buckle to his demands. On the other hand, Trump told the court that he wasn’t able to convince Bush, blaming Fields for the failure.
Trump: I thought that he could be convinced otherwise.
Lawyer: But you didn't change his mind about his anti-gaming stance, did you?
Trump: Well, I never really had that much of an opportunity because Fields resigned, telling me you could never get what we wanted done, only to do it for another company.
If the version Trump told in court was the truth, then he lied repeatedly and forcefully on the debate stage. If the version Trump told on the stage was the truth …
Now consider the other option, that Trump committed perjury in the 2007 testimony. There, he admitted pushing for casino gambling in Florida, but said he would have gotten what he wanted if he hadn’t been tricked by Fields. The rationale for the perjurious testimony is simple—Trump wants money from a man who stopped working for him and, once again, the story lets him deny he is anything less than perfect.It’s an absolute fact that Trump lied (it was a day with a “y” in it, so that’s expected), but if Trump holds onto the “I never tried” version that he maintained in the debate …
Is the Republican nominee a perjurer or just a liar? If he refuses to answer—just as he has refused to address almost every other question about his character and background—Trump supporters must carefully consider whether they want to vote for a man who at best has treated them like fools over the past year, and who at worst, committed a crime.
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From AlterNet: How to Flip a Trump Voter Without Pushing Too Hard
Curiosity is a simple, non-adversarial communication change. And it's worth trying.
By Erica Etelson / AlterNet
September 17, 2016
The only way to talk someone out of voting for Trump is to stop trying to talk them out of voting for Trump. To all my fellow progressives who’ve been busily browbeating supporters of this dangerous demagogue, you’re invited to become an early adopter of a far more rewarding, non-adversarial approach called "powerful non-defensive communication."
According to most commentators, the prototypical Trump supporter is an uneducated, narrow-minded bigot with legitimate grievances against the faltering economy which Trump has skillfully alchemized into violent rage toward non-whites, Muslims and successful women. The Trump voter is a patriarchal authoritarian primed since early childhood to fearfully submit to a bullying father who always knows best. In the circular logic of the authoritarian mindset, might makes right—and so Trump, as the strongman, is necessarily the winner in a competition against losers.
While there is some truth to this profile, it doesn’t capture the nuances of experience, emotion and belief that are about to lead tens of millions of voters to pull the lever for Trump, including, as of July, 11 percent of Muslims, 13 percent of Latinos, 34 percent of women and significant numbers of professionals. Progressives tend to react to such information with groaning disbelief, at which point we either give up or rededicate ourselves to enlightening the ignorant dupes with scads of facts that contradict the false narrative spun by Trump.
As anyone who’s ever tried to reason someone out of their core beliefs knows, the mind filters out contradictory information, particularly the mind of an authoritarian whose panic button is stuck in the On position. Debating them and trying to convince them to dump Trump will make them dig in deeper—that’s what people do when they feel threatened. Also, as Newt Gingrich makes woefully clear in a John Oliver clip, everyone’s got their own set of “facts” these days, so flinging more facts back and forth is futile.
So what should we do instead? To answer this question, I contacted communication guru Sharon Ellison, creator of powerful non-defensive communication and author of Taking the War Out of Our Words. Ellison has trained thousands of educators, government officials and corporate and non-profit leaders, including me, in a novel, straightforward style of communication that avoids the pitfalls of the conventional adversarial approach. She was credited with turning around a trailing gubernatorial campaign by training the candidate in powerful non-defensive communication, and her website teems with testimonials from trainees who’ve achieved communication and relationship breakthroughs they’d never imagined.
I asked Ellison for tips on engaging Trump supporters in ways that encourage them to drop their mental defenses and rethink their position. The starting place, she says, is curiosity.
Instead of blasting Trump or insulting the morality or intelligence of his supporters, first, just get curious. You don’t have to agree; you’re simply gathering information and trying to understand where they’re coming from, even if you believe they’re deeply misguided.
Make it a dialogue, not a debate or an inquisition. No matter how true and rational your analysis is, force-feeding it will not go down well. Nor will a premeditated series of sugar-coated questions designed to subtly lead the person to “get it.” The right question, skillfully and non-aggressively posed, could prompt someone to gain unexpected insights, and when they realize something for themselves, they can more easily accept it.
Your questions should be very specific but posed in a non-judgmental way. (Note that I’m calling the questions “specific” rather than “pointed,” which implies that a question is a weapon.)
Ellison cautions against using general, open-ended questions—some of us gravitate toward these because they feel softer, but they can wind up serving as an invitation to rant. For example, my instinct was to ask Trump supporters what makes them feel afraid and how Trump makes them feel safe. I was envisioning a heartwarming scene in which the person shares his deepest fears, and I empathize so beautifully he then realizes that Trump poses an existential threat to the future of life on this planet. But the more likely outcome of my question, Ellison says, is that he goes off on a tirade about a racial or religious minority and I angrily storm out.
Below is a list of options for curiosity-based questions you could ask. It doesn’t matter how the person answers your question(s)—the answer gives you important information as a basis for asking either another question or making your own statement. Later on, I’ll show you how to follow up with position statements that express your beliefs in ways that can also disarm defensiveness.
The article goes on to list specific questions and suggested responses you can try with the Trump supporter of your choice. It's yuge, so I suggest you click through to read it for yourself if you're interested. In short, she starts with opening questions to make sure the Trump supporter is open to talking with you. Then she recommends specific questions about what draws the supporter to Trump and about Trump's bullying, bigotry, and fraudulence. She also suggests how to respond--including staying relaxed and curious and not making cynical gestures. Unfortunately, my Tea Party Christian friend is already way too far gone even to have a polite conversation with. He knows what a train wreck Trump is, so, in his defensiveness, he'll even make shit up on the spot to defend his golden boi. I wonder how many more like my poor friend are out there--unreaching and unreachable. He restores my faith in David, my true conservative friend, who nonetheless plans to vote for Trump. At least David and I can have intelligent, curious, respectful conversations about it!
-- Dot Calm's shadow
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Mailbag
ColorOfChange.org--Charlotte, NC, has released some but not all police video from Keith Lamont Scott's shooting...it's devastating; it's not enough; and they want to forever ban releasing any police video to the public
BREAKING: Charlotte Police Chief, Kerr Putney, just made a partial release of dash cam and body cam footage of Keith Lamont Scott's murder.1 And it's devastating to watch.
Keith slowly exits his car and turns around with his hands at his sides and within seconds police shoot him down. Neither of the videos show definitive evidence of Keith holding a gun as police have claimed--and after police shot and kiled him, they handcuffed his lifeless body. To make matters worse, Putney has still refused to release the full video, claiming it is not relevant to the shooting. A partial video release is not enough, but if this killing happened a week from today, even this would be impossible.
A new North Carolina law goes into effect on October 1st, and will prohibit any body-cam or dash-cam footage from being released to the public. It's infuriating and a slap in the face to Black people who've been in the streets demanding transparency and reform.
In just a few hours, over 33,000 Color of Change members have signed a petition calling on the Department of Justice to take action against this law--will you join them?
We have to make sure North Carolina police can't hide behind a blue wall of silence any longer.
-Arisha
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The following sponsored email was sent by AlterNet on behalf of Tammy Duckworth for Senate
Dear Friend,
If you have been waiting to get involved, now is the time. Will you add your name to help me defeat Mark Kirk on November 8th?
POLITICO has called my opponent, incumbent Senator Mark Kirk, “The most endangered Republican in the country.” Our race is Democrats' best chance in the nation to turn a Republican Senate seat blue in November.
There is simply too much at stake to sit on the sidelines.
We’re still waiting for legislation on commonsense measures to prevent gun violence. A Supreme Court seat is still vacant. Congressional Republicans are still refusing to pass a bill to address Zika that doesn’t prohibit funding for Planned Parenthood.
And across the country, working families are still counting on us to make college more affordable and retirements secure.
The only way to make progress on these issues, and many more, is to win back the Democratic Senate majority this November.
I need you on my team. Add your name to join our grassroots campaign now and let’s take back the Senate.
Thank you for all that you do,
Tammy Duckworth
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Annie, this is for you!
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Hackers Offer a DIY Alternative to the $600 EpiPen
Earlier this week, a group of pharma hackers released a video and instructions showing DIYers how to make a generic EpiPen using materials that can be bought online for about US $30. They call it the EpiPencil. Its creators say that anybody can use it, no special training required. The group is now hard at work on a machine that will let people manufacture their own medicines.
Earlier this week, a group of pharma hackers released a video and instructions showing DIYers how to make a generic EpiPen using materials that can be bought online for about US $30. They call it the EpiPencil. Its creators say that anybody can use it, no special training required. The group is now hard at work on a machine that will let people manufacture their own medicines.
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In 2012, women made up over half of all voters. This year, women have an even greater opportunity to influence a historic election and shape a progressive future for America.
Women voters have the power to spark true change by electing pro-choice Democratic women at the local, state, and national levels – including the opportunity to elect the first woman President of the United States.
By helping pro-choice Democratic women win races at all levels, women voters can make 2016 the year we take back the Senate, send even more women to the House, champion greater diversity in our government, and finally shatter the biggest glass ceiling of them all.
In an election year where the presumptive Republican presidential nominee has said that “there has to be some form of punishment” for women who have abortions, it’s more important than ever for women to flex their voting power and make sure their point of view is represented.
Women make up about 53 percent of voters in this country, but less than 20 percent of the U.S. Congress. If our government looked more like the people it represents, we wouldn’t be caught in uphill battles over issues like paid family and medical leave, equal pay, or a woman’s right to make choices about her own health.
This year, women voters can play a historic role in one of the most important elections of our time – because when women vote, women and families win. Join EMILY’s List to support pro-choice Democratic women and make history this year.
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Sources:
1. Trump Campaign Announces Catholic Advisory Group, Donald J. Trump for PResident, Inc., September 22, 2016
2. Rick Santorum Fine With Shaming Women in Certain Situations, New York, February 15, 2012
3. Excerpt from Santorum interview, USA Today, April 23, 2003
4. 10 Completely Vile Things Rick Santorum Has Said, Rolling Stone, May 28, 2015
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I bet we all know someone who carries an EpiPen. These auto-injectors are literally lifesavers for so many Americans – especially children.
But the pharmaceutical company Mylan
has been consistently increasing the price of EpiPens for almost a
decade now – and today a pack of two sells for more than $600. That is insane.
Since parents need multiple EpiPens to keep their kids safe at home, in
school and on the go, affording this medication becomes a huge
financial burden on top of the already constant worry for their
children’s safety.
As a member of Congress, and more
importantly as a father, I’m disgusted that Mylan places profits over
people’s lives. That’s why I’m standing up against Mylan’s price
gouging, which keeps lifesaving EpiPens out of the hands of far too
many. Will you join me in telling Mylan to stop its price gouging?
Mylan has regularly increased EpiPen
prices every year to the point that too many families can no longer
afford them. It’s not a matter of production expenses: Industry insiders
estimate an EpiPen’s actual cost is no more than $30.
So what causes this massive price
increase? Corporate greed. Mylan is overpricing lifesaving drugs to make
more money, leaving families who can’t afford EpiPens defenseless
against potentially fatal allergic reactions.
It’s wrong in more ways than I
can count, and I’m hoping you’ll stand up with me now to call for an
end to this dangerous price gouging.
Thanks for your help,
Matt
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The first presidential debate is in just a few days and as sure as
you are reading this email right now, Donald Trump is going to say
something dangerous and stupid about our foreign policy, our veterans,
or their families.
When Trump scammed veterans' charities, we were there to make him pay. We ran a huge ad buy in swing states featuring Major General (ret.) Paul Eaton on the stakes of this election. Our campaign organizing Gold Star family members and our television ad featuring one of them moved the needle.
Foreign policy is Trump's achilles heel in this race -- the only thing that's really hurt him the polls -- and we need to be ready to make him pay after Monday's debate.
Contribute $3 to VoteVets today to help us elevate the voices of veterans and their families in the campaign to ensure Donald Trump NEVER becomes our country's next Commander in Chief.
Donald Trump is not fit to lead our military. He pays lip service to veterans, has smeared a Gold Star family, insulted POWs, stiffed veterans' groups of money until he was caught, threatened NATO, and made our troops' jobs harder with his racist and xenophobic rhetoric. We can make him pay, and that's why your contribution is so important.
- The team at VoteVets
CONTRIBUTE
When Trump scammed veterans' charities, we were there to make him pay. We ran a huge ad buy in swing states featuring Major General (ret.) Paul Eaton on the stakes of this election. Our campaign organizing Gold Star family members and our television ad featuring one of them moved the needle.
Foreign policy is Trump's achilles heel in this race -- the only thing that's really hurt him the polls -- and we need to be ready to make him pay after Monday's debate.
Contribute $3 to VoteVets today to help us elevate the voices of veterans and their families in the campaign to ensure Donald Trump NEVER becomes our country's next Commander in Chief.
Donald Trump is not fit to lead our military. He pays lip service to veterans, has smeared a Gold Star family, insulted POWs, stiffed veterans' groups of money until he was caught, threatened NATO, and made our troops' jobs harder with his racist and xenophobic rhetoric. We can make him pay, and that's why your contribution is so important.
- The team at VoteVets
CONTRIBUTE
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| When Khizr and Ghazala Khan stood up at the Democratic National
Convention in July, they made national headlines -- but more importantly
they gave us all a reminder of how much Gold Star Families like the
Khans have sacrificed for our country. Nothing can compare with the pain of losing a child. So today, on Gold Star Mother’s Day, we hope all Virginians take a moment for the mothers and families who have lost children on the battlefield, defending our country and our freedom. Add your name to say you stand with Gold Star Mothers today and every day. Too many mothers across Virginia, and across America, have suffered the loss of a service member child, and when they see attacks on military families they are not being shown the respect they deserve. Join us today, A.J., as we send a message to the Gold Star Mothers in our Commonwealth, our communities, and our families: We stand with you. Thanks, Team DPVA |
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This is the only way most of us will be able to watch Trump debate without barfing...
Trump Debate Bingo Card:
Will you be watching the debate on Monday night? Reduce your tension level with our Trump Debate Bingo game. Print out the cards and when you get 5 in a row, yell "Bingo!" You win, America loses. Download your card on our Facebook page
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Daily Kos--Stop Trump!
National polls have shown Hillary Clinton's lead over Donald Trump tightening over the past month. But the race simply isn't that close.
Clinton is outperforming Trump in crucial swing states -- and some traditionally red states like Arizona and Georgia. Even if the race were to narrow several points more on a national basis, Clinton's swing-state advantage would keep her on track to win.
Voter turnout will ultimately determine whether she secures enough electoral votes to eclipse Trump come November.
Daily Kos and NextGen Climate aren't focused on the polls though. We are already mobilizing volunteers to help turn out voters in critical swing states -- like Pennsylvania, Nevada and New Hampshire -- where we could not only defeat Trump but also win important senate races. In just the last two weeks, more than 5,000 members of the Daily Kos community have already signed up to volunteer.
Join the Daily Kos members that are already volunteering for Get Out The Vote. Click here to sign-up and get more information about turning out critical, swing state voters.
Can't volunteer? Click here to chip in $3 to the Daily Kos Get Out The Vote Fund.
Turning out voters in key swing states from the comfort of home is easy -- no matter where you live. There are multiple volunteer opportunities available -- anything from making calls from home to texting supporters to social media outreach. You are also invited to join regularly scheduled national organizing calls where you can learn more about the campaign and the volunteer teams. If you have questions during your volunteer shift, you can speak to a real person who is ready to help via chatbox or phone.
There are only 46 days until the election. The commitment and drive from the Daily Kos community to defeat Trump and take back the Senate is astounding. Will you join us in ensuring our voters turn in their ballots by election day?
Click here to be redirected to NextGen Climate and Daily Kos' volunteer sign-up page. Once you are signed-up, you will receive information about how to connect and who you are calling.
Keep fighting,
Monique Teal, Daily Kos
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The deaths of Terence Crutcher in Oklahoma and Keith Scott in North Carolina were devastating and familiar.
Trust between law enforcement and too many communities of color is
broken. There is no easy fix. It’s up to all of us to come together and
tackle what is broken in our criminal justice system. Only then can we
heal and address criminal justice reform.
We have to focus on implicit bias in law enforcement with better
training and expand the use of body-worn cameras. That’s just a place to
start, but sadly not enough politicians are even talking about that.
Which brings me to Donald Trump, who responded to these tragic and
unnecessary shootings by suggesting our country needs a national
“stop-and-frisk” policy.
Trump is wrong. Studies show “stop-and-frisk” policies are both
discriminatory and ineffective. It overburdens our law enforcement while
violating equal justice under the law. We cannot allow “stop-and-frisk” to go nationwide.
There is no easy solution to officer-involved shootings or violence
in our communities. Politicians like Trump are simply attempting to
sell us a bill of goods.
Here’s what we need to do instead:
We have a responsibility to fight for fair and impartial police
practices across America, and continue to reform our broader criminal
justice system regardless of who the next president is.
Real change isn’t going to come from short-minded politicians trying to score cheap points in an election. It
will only happen when all of us come together to demand criminal
justice reforms that are fair and increase truth, transparency, and
trust in our broken system.
This is what our campaign has been about since day one, and I’m eager to get to work. Now is the time for action.
Thanks for everything you do.
- Kamala
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From Daily Kos--Support the highest impact Senate races!
Did you see Michael's email from Thursday?
The race for the Senate is a coin toss right now, and six races will decide who controls the Senate. Five of them feature Democrats running strong against vulnerable incumbent Republicans—a sign of just how strong are Democrats are running nationwide right now. We can win back the Senate if our candidates have the resources to Get Out The Vote.
Can you chip in $1 to each of Daily Kos' Top Six Picks in must-win Senate races?
Thanks,
Amanda McKay, Daily Kos
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Click here for the article
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Democracy Now!
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Daily Kos
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I can confirm, too,
that these were the rules of engagement.
My whole career, I've worked for DoD.
From 2009 to 2011,
I was in the thick of the counter-IED effort
(IED, or improvised explosive device,
is just governmentese
for homemade roadside bomb).
I worked with active duty military
and veterans
every day of that effort,
and they all confirmed
shoot to kill
as the LAST, not first, resort...
not just officially but in practice.
***
When Donald Trump says that
Afghanistan is safer than our inner cities,
he's right if you're Black and cops are close by.
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AlterNet
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Movies!
Keith Olbermann on Trump's "secret" plan to "fix" terrorism: the not so secret secret is that he has no plan. If he had had a plan, then what kind of sadist would he have to have been not to run and give it straight to the generals? The not so secret secret is that Trump is not just a sadist but also a lying piece of shit. And we need to flush him NOW.
Here's Stephen Colbert with Trump's "secret" "plan" to "clean up" Chicago. If you're really astute...ok, if you have at least two two firing neurons between your ears...then you'll see some amazing...well, not so amazing but quite expected, actually...similarities between Trump's two "plans." The funny part? (How do I pick? There are so many!) Trump claims to have spoken to "the top policeman" in Chicago and told him he'd tell Rahm Emanuel to hire him. Huuuurrrrrrrp?!??
Keith Olbermann again on Trump's TWO-TWO-TWO-count 'em-TWO unambiguous demands for his peeps to assassinate Hillary. And yet Trump is still walking the streets, a free man...free to keep spewing his lies and filth. Could you imagine what would happen if some Black man called for Trump's assassination? Do you really think he would go unchallenged and apprehended? Fuck, they'd probably shoot the poor guy just for being Black. They shoot Blacks, don't they?
This makes me so phuquen angry. I don't want to wish ill on anyone, not even that piece of human filth that calls itself Donald John Trump, but I can't say I'd be upset if someone were to kick him in the nuts so hard he doubles over and barfs up his taco bowl. Dog-whistle, anyone?
Grrr!!!!
Back to Trae to brighten my day.
More Stephen Colbert. I'm sorry, but Sarah Palin is not aging well. Poor girl aged rather quickly and looks and sounds rather brain damaged. She looked very fetching and sounded a little more coherent when John McCain first inflicted us with her. I used to enjoy looking at her--muted, of course. Now she just creeps me out. I wonder what's happened to her since that makes her look and sound so...off. Poor thing.
John Oliver on the refugee crisis. I've posted memes quoting actual, fact-based statistics on immigrant-refugee terror attacks in this country: you are more likely to get struck by lighting than to be killed by an immigrant-refugee terrorist. John explains the 18-24 MONTH vetting process that refugees, especially from Syria, have to undergo before they even enter this country. I wish my Tea Party Christian friend could understand this...just as I wish he could understand that, no, Virginia, "illegals" do NOT get free hand-outs of everything: he's thinking of the fascist corporations and the top 1%.
Dot Calm luuuurved her some Randi Rhodes, so, naturally, I do, too. And if you really want some chocolate in your peanut butter (or peanut butter in your chocolate), here's Randi interviewing Trae Crowder. I love this interview because you get some brief but great back-story on boffem. Theyz awesome!!! Y'know, I've worked my entire ~30-year career in DoD in some capacity. Not ONE of the people I've ever worked with ever even once--and I'm including some pretty far right ideologues--questioned my patriotism because I'm a liberal progressive. Oh, sure--we've had some wonderful lively debates and have all said stupid things and all learned from each other. That's how real people refine themselves over time, no matter which side of the aisle they're on. It's the difference between education and ignorance. For example, my uneducated Tea Party Christian friend--like the rednecks Trae mentions--thinks I'm some sort of commie traitor to my country. It's so crazy...their moronic worldview has enough coherence that they're convinced they're 100% right 100% of the time. But when you see it from the outside and see where all the big gaping holes are...!
Another Randi Rhodes: "All in all, it's just another prick in the wall." Oh, Atheist God, I LOVE this woman!!!!!
Here's a critically timely, critically important two-hour program from Randi Rhodes: Keith Lamont Scott's wife releases her cell phone video. How was Keith supposed to drop a gun he DIDN'T EVEN HAVE when he was STILL IN THE CAR AND THERE WAS NO PLACE TO DROP THE GUN HE DIDN'T EVEN HAVE?!??!?? They shoot Blacks, don't they? The only reason the cops wanted Keith out of the car was just so they could shoot him. Fucking cops. I can't even call them pigs because pigs are intelligent, clean-minded, and sweet to be around--I wouldn't want to insult actual pigs. Randi's investigation into what's wrong with our cops spells out why they're terrorizing Blacks: it's a breeding ground for Klansmen and other white supremacists, and the DAs are Klansmen and white supremacists, too...which means that the cops get to beat up and kill as many Blacks as they like, knowing they'll NEVER face prosecution. And they get paid, too! If you haven't read the FBI report--or even if you have and have not yet done all the research Randi did--this video will open your eyes. (I'm trying to pull up a copy of the report for you--no dice yet.) I was horrified when Trump received endorsements from the police; now I know why: the white supremacists have taken over our police forces...and Trump is their boi, and this is why my Tea Party Christian friend lurves him some po-po and sheriffs over the rest of the state and federal governments. Atheist God help us all.
Here's an amazing video from Mr. Deity himself--Brian Keith Dalton--on luck. I wish my Tea Party Christian friend could see and understand it.
'Til next time, check out these great channels:
...or, if you just want something mindless and fun, try Tested
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Courtesy of a commenter on FB God's page:
So true!
A lovely lady I once knew
told me a wonderful story
about her daughter, Lynn.
Lynn's family is white
and lived in Georgia when she was little.
When Lynn brought home her first
friend from kindergarten,
Lynn's mom got misty-eyed...
the sweet little girl was Black,
and it had never occurred to Lynn
to notice or remark on her friend's
skin color.
"If only all the kids thought like Lynn did,"
Lynn's mom remarked.
Here's the article.
So true!
A lovely lady I once knew
told me a wonderful story
about her daughter, Lynn.
Lynn's family is white
and lived in Georgia when she was little.
When Lynn brought home her first
friend from kindergarten,
Lynn's mom got misty-eyed...
the sweet little girl was Black,
and it had never occurred to Lynn
to notice or remark on her friend's
skin color.
"If only all the kids thought like Lynn did,"
Lynn's mom remarked.
posted by Dot Calm @ 7:04 PM
