We came, we saw, we marched...and it was just the beginning.
THIS IS NOT NORMAL
NEVER LET IT BECOME NORMAL
EVER!
DON'T GIVE IN
STAY ANGRY
trump voters stayed angry for eight years,
which is why we are having this conversation.
*****
Greetings, fellow Dot Calm Readers, Freedom Fighters, and Truth Crusaders!
Walp, I dunno about you, but I participated in the Women's March on Washington on Saturday, 21 January 2017.
Important: if you attended this or any other protest, text "Count me" to 89800--organizers are trying to establish official counts. Washington, D.C., and U.S. Park Police stopped issuing official counts after the organizers of the Million Man March in 1995 disputed the official count. I found out about "89800" from a tweet by George Takei, whom I follow--making him my hero yet again!
Also important: when Michael Moore spoke to the crowd Saturday, he mentioned that he and others will be posting daily actions we can all take and daily calls we can all make on their FaceBook pages. Michael Moore's is https://www.facebook.com/mmflint/. I've added him to both my favorite sources of news and information and to the SOPROUD rapid response team's to-do list. If you only have time for a few calls or actions, check out Michael Moore's FB page and do whatever it says; if you have time for moar, then please scroll down to the SOPROUD TDL and boycott some vendors and media outlet advertisers--AND TELL THEM WHY!
But getting back to the march...
Want to make a pussyhat and joint the Pussyhat Project? Check out https://www.pussyhatproject.com/. The hats are really quite cute--they're pink with kitty-cat ears. And there was a veritable sea of them on Saturday...
Men and women both were wearing these funky little hats. Some women had tassels on the ear points. Some had strips of fur surrounding the ears. One lady's whole hat was pink fun fur. Some were sewn; others were knitted; others were cobbled together who knows how, but they were pink, and they were great. Now you can wear one, too!
Ya gno what? I actually found it empowering rather than shocking to see all the pussyhats and pussy posters. It was empowering to see women embrace their anatomy--who they are in their own skin--rather than denigrate or shame it as "filthy" (as one old FUX Noise-addicted woman I overheard say lately) or something to be hidden. It was energizing to see women take back and own this business of being defined by genitals. And that, of course, only further emphasizes the hypocrisy of the right, yet again--women are only allowed to be defined by their genitals on Republicans' terms, not women's own terms.
The march had only this to say to Republicans: SUCK IT!
If you marched, why did you march?
If you supported, why did you support?
I marched--and supported--because innocent people's lives are at stake.
Comrade donald "dickless narcissist LOSER" trumPEWtin will gladly give the Republicans enough cover to fleece us all and murder millions of us before he finally crosses a line too bold for even their corrupt little black hearts.
At stake is my dad's Social Security and Medicare--which, at best, the troglo-right Republicans will not lift a finger to maintain, seeing to it that they run out of money before a decade is out. The simple solution, of course, is to lift the caps on contributions so that the rich people pay their share to keep less fortunate people alive and well. But nooooo--Rethuglikkkants are way too greedy for that...
It doesn't matter to them that my father's life is at stake and that, once they cut his benefits--benefits that HE paid for his whole life and thus is entitled to--I will not be able to keep him alive and well. I live paycheck to paycheck--I can't afford even one hospital visit. My dad had MRSA this past September and spent four days in the hospital and fourteen days in an in-patient physical rehabilitation facility; if the repukes had their way, I'd have taken him home to die, treating him with whatever home remedies I could find along the way a la Theodoric of York...
So, yeah, because I have compassion but not pots of Republican filthy lucre and ill-gotten gains, I marched for my dad's life.
I also marched for a woman I love like a sister. She is brilliant, multi-talented, mellow, and truly the best person I have ever met in my whole life. Oh sure, Dot Calm and I weren't above playing silly pranks, but my bestie...well, she is the most pure-hearted, good, "do no harm" person I've ever had the privilege of meeting. She is a gentle soul who seeks only to help and heal the world. But the repukes would love to smash her like a bug because she--gasp!--has the dreaded MELANIN in her skin [oh, noes!]...and she's highly educated (with master's degrees in biology and chemistry)...and she's intellectual [oh, the horrors!!]...and she's NON-CHRISTIAN [better git that fainting couch over here quick, Skippy!]...meaning pagan with a soupcon of Buddhism and Hinduism...she's gender non-conforming [quick--git the smellin' salts!]...a-a-a-a-a-a-and she's into polyamory [thud]...oh, and she's bi. She's also self-employed, so Obamacare is keeping her alive and well (we're in our 50s, so we're both walking pre-existing conditions). Do ya think she has enough targets on her back?!??
I also marched for my trans friend, whom I absolutely treasure. Compared to my sister from another mister, she has comparatively fewer targets on her back (trans, non-rich, non-cis, non-gender-conforming), but, with the haters out in full force deze daze, I think it's quite enough.
I marched for my intellectual, atheist, non-gender-conforming, non-cis-white-rich-Christian-male self, and I also marched for everyone else about to get shafted by comrade trumPEWtin...whether they like it or not.
Yes, I marched to save even those who voted for him and who still support him...even those who are just damned clueless, like my co-worker who thinks he's "above" following politics but who votes Republican anyway (urk!).
Lemme say this to any trumpanzees out there with enough working neurons to comprehend something more sophisticated than a misspelled tweet: oh sure, part of me wishes I could just leave y'all to your fate and enjoy a better, more Obama-esque fate myself, but, like it or not, we are all in this together. So you'll just have to put up with my trying to save your stupid, sorry, ignorant, bigoted ass just as you'll have to put up with my incessant, merciless mocking. Sucks to be you...but now, thanks to you asswipes, it sucks to be me, too.
*****
GWB in 2008: Miss me now?
America: Fuck no!
GWB in 2012: Miss me now?
America: FUCK NO!!
GWB in 2017: Miss me now?
America: ZOMG, HOLY FUCKING SHIT--FUCK, YES!!!!!
...Nah, only kidding, George--you're still a moron.
Comrade trumPEWtin called swamp rat barbie Kellyanne Conjob "Baby" at the pre-inAUGHuration dinner...is it just me, or is that creepy AF?
Welcome to Dot Calm's shadow's
naming party for the GOP!
I'll open with
Gutless Oligarch PEWtin
...what's your idea?
chimpie is all excited that chumpie has already taken the title of Worst POTUS EVAR
trump's intellect makes GWB look like William F. Buckley, Jr.
Do Republicans give a shit that Obamacare is more popular than their standards-bearer, comrade trumPEWtin? Nah...
Comrade trumpPEWtin was in violation of the Constitution from the moment he swore to uphold his oath of office--Article 1, Section 9--the emoluments clause.
Dot Calm's shadow's Official Word for 2017 is
FUCK
...as in
FUCK 2017
FUCK 2016
FUCK 2015, too, for that matter
FUCK trump
FUCK PEWtin
FUCK the troglo-right
FUCK the trumpanzees
FUCK Government Sachs
FUCK magical-thinking MORONS..."Peasants for Plutocrats" who are too st00pit to realize they're not at the table--they're on the FUCKing menu
FUCK greedy rich pro-death Republicans
JEEzus FUCKing H. Christ,
FUCK FUCK FUCK FUCK
We are so very, very FUCKed
We are so FUCKing FUCKed
...and so is the rest of the animal kingdom
and way too many plants.
...FUCK.
Here are some headlines and vids and memes and shit. Hopefully, this'll tide ya over til Thursday, when, hopefully, I'll have more time to blawg.
Todaze petition
Sign the petition to the TV media: Stop covering Trump administration events live, as it only lets them get away with lying. When the media fact-checks afterward, no one pays attention.
Over the weekend, White House press secretary Sean Spicer held a "press conference" where he lied about provable facts (e.g., Trump's inauguration had "the largest audience" in history). Afterward, he did not take questions from reporters.
When pressed about Spicer's falsehoods, Trump administration official Kellyanne Conway claimed that "alternate facts" (i.e., lies) should be considered by the media. And of course, Donald Trump gets away with lying every single day as he repeats discredited conspiracy theories.
But CNN did something remarkable. They opted not to run Spicer's "press conference" live, because a live broadcast would only give the Trump Administration license to spew lies without rebuttal.
The rest of the media must follow suit. If Trump and his aides are going to use press events to spread blatantly false information, those events should not be broadcast live. Instead, reporters should be given time to verify if what the Trump administration said is true.
During these dangerous times we need real facts—not easily debunkable falsehoods. Sign the petition to the media: Do not broadcast Trump events live.
Keep fighting,
Paul Hogarth, Daily Kos
Todaze headlines
Vox: Trump just reinstated the global gag rule. It won't stop abortion, but it will make it less safe.
...REPUBLICANS REALLY ARE PRO-DEATH: gag rules like this INCREASE abortions...especially unsafe ones.
Vox: What happened when I took a "White Women Elected Trump" sign to the Women's March
...Great article, friends--bracing...well worth reading.
Vox: The Women's March on Washington was full of mothers and their daughters
..As in, "It's 50 years later, and we're STILL fighting this shit?!??"
Todaze m00bies
Oh, it's ok that Price has Big Ties to Big Tobacco--so does Mike "smoking does NOT cause cancer" Pence!
Okay, this is effin' brilliant...hysterically funny if a little too close to home...owie. Oh--ya gno wut? trumPEWtin was right--they DID under-count attendance at his inauguration...but it was an honest mistake. The problem was that you couldn't see all the white sheets against that white grass-protector stuff! Yup--those KKKers were packed in like sardines...not the media's fault they were so well camouflaged...
Todaze memes and shit
LOLOLOLOL...
Soooo perfect!
Friends, I had more to say about the march (and probably everything else, too); maybe I'll revisit on Thursday--like sharing some of the best posters I saw
--but, today, I'm getting a super-late start posting anything today...behind the 8-ball again, story of my life. Ah, well. I guess you'll just hafta stay t00ned for the rest of the story.
Meanwhile, don't forget to read Dot Calm's shadow's favorite independent sources of news and information:
Michael Moore's FB page
Daily Kos
AlterNet
Democracy Now!
Democratic Underground
Vox
Conservatives are Destroying our Future
Conservative Clown Car
God, the Good Lord Above
...skip the media outlets in the boycott list unless you want trump propaganda. And TELL their advertisers WHY you are boycotting those media outlets!
And check out these great channels:
Randi Rhodes Air Force
Keith Olbermann: The Resistance
Thom Hartmann
Late Night with Seth Meyers
LastWeekTonight
Secular Talk
The Young Turks
The Thinking Atheist
MisterDeity
NonStampCollector
Peas, friends. Take care of yourselves for me. Trust me--you're worth it! And go have a Fireball and some chocolate while you still can, will ya? Time is short now that the mouth of
Consider the preemptive Blogger phuqued-up phormatting disclaimer to be in effect. Grrr.
-- Dot Calm's shadow
SOPROUD: TDL
Until further notice, the purpose of this blog is to provide tools to help protect and preserve our rights, our liberties, and our country from the wrinkled fat orange clusterfuck that is Donald "dickless LOSER" trump. As I track down more information, I will continue to refine these tools.
If you value my work, please support me on Patreon: just point your browser to https://www.patreon.com/ and type "Dot Calm's shadow" into the search box at the top--thank you! Even a dollar a month from 20 people would really help right now--it would cover part of my Internet. Show me that there's more out there than just a lonely chorus of crickets!
Action List
PROTECT yourself financially, reproductively, and medically.
1. If you need a loan, get it NOW--rates have already gone up; they went up at least three times the first week or two after the election. MOVE your retirement out of the stock market and into a stable fund that is guaranteed NOT to lose your principal--if you're not risk averse, keep your money in stocks until after the inauguration...but move it out ASAP afterward because, once chump and the Rethuglikkkants deregulate Wall Street, we are in for a bust that makes chimp's Great Recession look like O'Bama's recovery. Thom Hartmann, Randi Rhodes, and their guest speakers agree that the Rethugs and chump will crash the economy by deregulating the stock market so quickly our haids will spin. The boom-bust cycle repeats every 80 years or so--as long as it takes for the last people who remember what a depression was like and fight the greedsters to die off. We're phuqued.
2. If you're a woman of reproductive age or a man who knows and loves women of reproductive age, stock up on as much "Plan B" (the "morning after" pill) as you can afford NOW. Plan to take one pill either immediately after unprotected sex or the morning after unprotected sex, and plan to take another pill 24 hours later. No matter what else you do, STOCK UP NOW on Plan B because even the best contraceptives fail, and you won't be able to get an abortion once chump and the Rethuglikkkants take over. Men, get yourself snipped while you still can, too.
3. If you're a woman of reproductive age and don't already have an IUD or contraceptive implant, get yours NOW. Mirena has progestin, not estrogen, and can reduce your period; the copper ones without hormones (like Paragard) can cause cramping and heavy bleeding that doesn't go away until the device is removed (think having the second day of your period for a year at a clip). Of these two IUDs, women seem to prefer Mirena, but the device can still fall out. Cosmopolitan has a great discussion on these and other IUDs, what's involved with getting one (not a big deal, but you'll bleed for at least a week afterward), what's involved with having one removed (also not a big deal, but you'll bleed for at least a week after). "Managing Contraception" has an article on Mirena (not scary). If I were you, I'd skip the Skyla--it only lasts 3 years, so you wouldn't even be done with the orange fuckwad's first term if you get one. Planned Parenthood has a video about contraceptive implants and great information about all forms of contraception. And if you think you might need a do-it-yourself abortion some time in the future, go talk to Planned Parenthood NOW and see if you can stock up on mifepristone now--the options for DIY abortions at home using substances like vitamin C seem promising to desperate women but don't have any scientific backing. You can also try womenonwaves.org and womenonweb.org.
4. Don't take any new drugs approved after 2016 without doing your own research into whether they're safe and effective. Republicans are weakening the FDA to the point that it will no longer be able to verify that new drugs will work and not harm us.
Now, do your daily actions, make your daily calls, and do the rest...
DAILY ACTIONS!
Go to Michael Moore's FaceBook page and do whatever is on his to-do list:
https://www.facebook.com/mmflint/
DAILY CALLS!
CALL your U.S. Senators and Representatives DAILY at their LOCAL offices. SHOW UP in person if you can. Call each day with ONE issue--and KEEP CALLING. The staffers track your calls by issue, so don't give in to the temptation of giving them the whole laundry list all at once. Here is our list of demands:
0. Call your members of Congress now and demand they block trump's cabinet of swamp monsters in its entirety (from The New York Times):
1. DEMAND they support Barbara Boxer's bill to ABOLISH the Electoral College--popular vote only. DEMAND paper ballots only, and DEMAND audit trails be published in local papers. DEMAND they LET ALL Americans vote (undo voter roll purges and other Black voter suppression) and MAKE Election Day a national holiday for all. And STOP gerrymandering.
2. Demand that your elected officials FILIBUSTER ALL trump's SCOTUS appointments. Supporting Citizens United or opposing the rights of women, immigrants, non-whites, non-Christians, LGBTQ+, and the poor are UNACCEPTABLE. This is NON-NEGOTIABLE.
3. DEMAND trump's impeachment--DEMAND he be investigated NOW for corruption and conflict of interest. DEMAND to see his taxes. trump has already committed impeachable offenses, so DEMAND that he be held accountable NOW.
4. REMIND them THEY'RE FIRED if they don't obstruct, obstruct, obstruct trump and the Republicans from Day 1. If they resist, REMIND them that Hillary WON the popular vote by nearly 3 million.
5. DEMAND restoration of the Fairness Doctrine--DEMAND fair, fact-based, accurate media free from the false equivalencies and unchecked free coverage that foisted trump on us.
6. DEMAND that they UPHOLD AND EXPAND on the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau and Dodd-Frank legislation. BRING BACK Glass-Steagall!
7. DEMAND that trump undergo psychological evaluation for fitness for office. Known narcissist, Dr. Sam Vaknin, explains that trump is a narcissist--and that DISQUALIFIES him for the presidency--in this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F5he5hXp-rU.
8. DEMAND a SPECIAL PROSECUTOR to investigate FBI director James Comey and Donald trump for interfering with the election.
9. DEMAND the Army Corps of Engineers go to Flint to dig up and replace all the poisoned pipes.
AND THE REST!!
SIGN UP for daily headlines from Daily Kos, AlterNet, and "Democracy Now!" SIGN petitions. ATTEND town halls and protests. The Guardian is independent news you can use; Jeremy Scahill's publication "The Intercept" is another high-quality resource of investigative reporting you'd be hard pressed to find elsewhere. GET INFORMED and GET INVOLVED!
If or when trump really does set up his Muslim registry, SIGN UP! Trevor Noah suggested this to be funny, but it's gone viral because the racist bigoted assholes can't deport us all, now can they? If I can do it as a proud anti-theist atheist, then so can you as whatever religion or lack thereof that you are. Keystone Progress has a page where you can pledge to sign up: Pledge to register as a Muslim if Trump creates a registry.
VOLUNTEER for and DONATE to all the organizations that D. LOSER trump is targeting. Get on their mailing lists and donate as much time and money as you can to Planned Parenthood, NRDC,
ORGANIZE to TAKE OVER the Democratic Party: FIGHT trump and the Republicans, CLEAN UP Democratic Party failures, WIN the midterms, and apologize to Bernie and America for failing.
PROTEST all media that inflicted trump on us--BOYCOTT their advertisers and TELL them why. This includes FUX Noise.
GRAB the pussy-in-thief by the wallet: BOYCOTT businesses that sell trump products and TELL them why.
JOIN SOPROUD by joining organizations working to protect our future! SIGN UP at http://workingfamilies.org/ and find an emergency meeting near you! DOWNLOAD and FOLLOW the Indivisible Guide for instructions how best to resist trump by interacting with your elected officials in ways that will get their attention.
And don't forget to SUPPORT those in The Resistance who support YOU (like me)! If we all chip in a buck o' five, WE CAN DO THIS THING!!!!!
Boycott List
Boycott media!
Don't bother with these media outlets any more unless you want trump propaganda--these media outlets have whored themselves out to trump for access for the low, low price of "fancy" cocktails and a "fancy" dinner, consisting of Donald's shriveled orange acorn dick, at chump's "fancy" (aka FAKE PLASTIC, just like everything else about trump and his FAKE PLASTIC family) "resort" in Florida. What an upstanding, responsible response to trump's denying press conferences since 27 July 2016...retch. So much for comforting the afflicted, afflicting the comfortable, and speaking truth to power to keep that power reined in and in check...!
- Axios
- Bloomberg
- Breitbart because duh--according to AlterNet, Howard Dean Lends Voice to Consumer Activist Group Hitting Breitbart in the Wallet—And It's Working
- CNN
- FOX because of course
- MSNBC (includes Joe Scarborough, but Rachel Maddow and Chris Hayes may still be OK as long as their corporate overlords allow it)
- NBC (they also have the reality TV show conflict of interest--and they just hired a couple of FUX Noise escapees, so beware a hard swing to the far, far right)
- POLITICO--I know because I've been seeing more and more trump propaganda showing up there, to my infinite disgust
Boycott vendors that support trump, sell trump shit, and otherwise pander to hate!
Boycott Victoria's Secret--they kick out shoppers who are guilty of shopping while Black!
Here's a twofer: let's save our money for when dump tanks the economy and grab the trumpussy grabber-in-thief where it hurts most--by his wallet!
Want to boycott trump? There's an app for that!
And here's a list of trump companies.
There's also a spreadsheet of trump supporters and vendors that carry trump merch that includes the vendors below.
Don't forget New Balance, who praised and supported trump: 1 (800) 595-9138.
Here's the list from Mindy Fischer, featuring 28 vendors that sell trump merchandise. BOYCOTT them all and TELL them why!
6pm
Contact info: (888) 676-2660, HQ- (702) 943-7777
cs@6pm.com
Amazon
Contact info: (888) 280-4331 HQ- (206) 266-1000
https://www.amazon.com/gp/help/contact-us/general-questions.html?skip=true
Belk
Contact info: (866) 235-5443 HQ- (704) 357-1000
http://www.belkfeedback.com/(X(1)S(sbbxm3z11e1guxbtctk2wdkc))/Index.aspx?AspxAutoDetectCookieSupport=1
Bloomingdale's
Contact info: (800) 777-0000 HQ- (212) 705-2000
http://survey.medallia.com/?blm-tuwyt-com
Bluefly
Contact info: (877) 258-3359 HQ- (212) 944-8000
flyrep@bluefly.com
The Bon-Ton
Contact info: (800) 233-7626 HQ- (800) 937-5449
http://investors.bonton.com/contactus.cfm
Bed Bath and Beyond
Contact info: (800) 462-3966 HQ- (908) 688-0888
https://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/store/selfservice/ContactUs?…
Burlington Coat Factory
Contact info: (855) 355-2875 HQ- (609) 387-7800
http://www.burlingtoncoatfactory.com/contactus.aspx
Carson's
Contact info: (800) 945-4438 HQ- (317) 971-6200
http://investors.bonton.com/contactus.cfm
Century 21 department store
Contact info: (877) 350-2121 HQ- (888) 221-2551
https://www.c21stores.com/contact
Dillard's
Contact info: (800) 345-5273 HQ- (501) 376-5200
http://www.dillards.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ContactUs
DSW Shoes
Contact info: (866) 379-7463 HQ- (614) 237-7100
http://www.dsw.com/dsw_shoes/customer_service/send_email.jsp
Hudson’s Bay
Contact info: (800) 521-2364 HQ- (800) 521-2364
https://www.thebay.com/webapp/wcs/stores…
HSN
Contact info: (800) 284-3900 HQ- (727) 872-1000
https://www.hsn.com/cs/email_us/default.aspx
Jet
Contact Info: (855) 538-4323 HQ- (844) 538-2255
help@jet.com
Joss & Main
Contact info: (866) 263-8325 HQ- (617) 532-6100
https://www.wayfair.com/help/faq.php
Lord & Taylor
Contact info: (800) 223-7440 HQ- (212) 391-3344
https://www.lordandtaylor.com/webapp/wcs/stores…
Macy’s
Contact info: (800) 289-6229 HQ- (513) 579-7000
http://survey.medallia.com/?mcy-tuwyt-com
Marshalls and TJ Maxx
Contact info: (888) 627-7425 HQ- (508) 390-1000
https://www.marshallsonline.com/contact-us
Neiman Marcus
Contact info: (888) 888-4757 HQ- (562) 463-9333
https://www.neimanmarcus.com/assistance/contactUs.jsp
Nordstrom
Contact info: (888) 282-6060 HQ- (206) 628-2111
https://nordstrom.custhelp.com/app/ask/incidents.c$sent_queueid/12
Overstock.com
Contact info: (800) 843-2446 HQ- (801) 947-3100
https://help.overstock.com/app/ask
Perfumania
Contact info: (866) 557-2368 HQ- (800) 228-3489
http://perfumaniaholdings.com/contact
Saks Off Fifth
Contact info: (877) 551-7257 HQ- (212) 320-4700
https://www.saksoff5th.com/contactus
Stein Mart
Contact info: (888) 783-4662 HQ- (904) 346-1500
http://ir.steinmart.com/contactus.cfm
Wayfair
Contact info: (866) 263-8325 HQ- (617) 532-6100
https://www.wayfair.com/help/faq.php
Winners
Contact info: (514) 788 4949 HQ- (905) 405-8000
https://www.winners.ca/en/contact
Zappos
Contact info: (800) 927-7671 HQ- (702) 943-7777
https://secure-www.zappos.com/contact
Zulily
Contact info: (877) 779-5615 HQ- (206) 724-0500
http://www.zulily.com/contacts
OK, friends--let's get busy!