Thank you for helping to fire up college students. I think young people have the right ideas and give me hope. I live in a very red area of a very blue state. We cannot rest here either. In SoCal at least 4 local school boards have been taken over by right-wing christian extremists. Banning books, banning CRT (where it's not even taught!), firing a highly regarded Superintendent of Education. Teachers know they are under attack and are scared. The fight here is fierce. It's surprising it's in a reliably blue state, but historically a lot of California has hotbeds of ultra Conservatives. Many of these school board takeovers are conducted with the guidance and participation of activist pastors and their church members. They are trying to eliminate the Jeffersonian ideal of the division of Church and State. These churches should lose their tax exemptions because they are now political armies.
I tried using Political Twitter to keep up with all that's happening. Terrible idea - I got really bad head from it. Using Twitter to try and learn what's happening is like taking a shower in front of a fire hose.
But I've become addicted. So leaving Twitter isn't near as easy as it sounds.
I had unsubscribed from David's substack. Because I thought it was too much. I got depressed, reading about how bad things are. All because of this piece, today I renewed my subscription.
Inaction is even more depressing. Sorta like finding out from the doctor you have a curable disease, then not doing anything about cure. Or seeing the bills stack up and not doing anything about them.
So I'm gonna do what I can - but not let weight of all this get me down - with the limited amount of time I have each week. Right now this means:
1. read - but not too much. Right now that means Katherine Stewart, David, and Heather Cox Richardson's Letters from and American.
2. vote - in every neighborhood, town, city, state and federal election. Never miss an opportunity to vote.
3. decide what I can start, or a group I can join that's best suited for my interests. Get the most bang for my buck.
Thanks for sharing that "you have a plan" - a commitment to yourself and to do what you can to impact our political structure. I hope you can inspire 10 others to do the same!
Thank you for your tireless work David! Do you have a list of your upcoming travels? If you will be in Athens or Toledo, I will have my college children go see you with their friends.
David, thank you for keeping up the fight. As a Florida resident to see how far the state government controlled by the GOP has shifted into authoritarian and fascist tactics to hold power and bury truth, facts, data that do not support their world view is devastating. We need a Bob Graham, Lawton Chiles, Claude Pepper to re-emerge again.
But you are so right, the hard work begins in a good ground game in registering voters and getting them to the polls. It is the biggest fear of the far right, as they know they are in the minority in their ideas and their base of support.
Thank you for helping to fire up college students. I think young people have the right ideas and give me hope. I live in a very red area of a very blue state. We cannot rest here either. In SoCal at least 4 local school boards have been taken over by right-wing christian extremists. Banning books, banning CRT (where it's not even taught!), firing a highly regarded Superintendent of Education. Teachers know they are under attack and are scared. The fight here is fierce. It's surprising it's in a reliably blue state, but historically a lot of California has hotbeds of ultra Conservatives. Many of these school board takeovers are conducted with the guidance and participation of activist pastors and their church members. They are trying to eliminate the Jeffersonian ideal of the division of Church and State. These churches should lose their tax exemptions because they are now political armies.
Power to the People! Thank you for your tireless efforts on behalf of democracy.
Howdy out there,
I tried using Political Twitter to keep up with all that's happening. Terrible idea - I got really bad head from it. Using Twitter to try and learn what's happening is like taking a shower in front of a fire hose.
But I've become addicted. So leaving Twitter isn't near as easy as it sounds.
I had unsubscribed from David's substack. Because I thought it was too much. I got depressed, reading about how bad things are. All because of this piece, today I renewed my subscription.
Inaction is even more depressing. Sorta like finding out from the doctor you have a curable disease, then not doing anything about cure. Or seeing the bills stack up and not doing anything about them.
So I'm gonna do what I can - but not let weight of all this get me down - with the limited amount of time I have each week. Right now this means:
1. read - but not too much. Right now that means Katherine Stewart, David, and Heather Cox Richardson's Letters from and American.
2. vote - in every neighborhood, town, city, state and federal election. Never miss an opportunity to vote.
3. decide what I can start, or a group I can join that's best suited for my interests. Get the most bang for my buck.
- NFA
(not fade away - it's a Deadhead thing)
Thanks for sharing that "you have a plan" - a commitment to yourself and to do what you can to impact our political structure. I hope you can inspire 10 others to do the same!
Thank you David this is inspiring!
Thank you for your tireless work David! Do you have a list of your upcoming travels? If you will be in Athens or Toledo, I will have my college children go see you with their friends.
Hope springs eternal!
David, thank you for keeping up the fight. As a Florida resident to see how far the state government controlled by the GOP has shifted into authoritarian and fascist tactics to hold power and bury truth, facts, data that do not support their world view is devastating. We need a Bob Graham, Lawton Chiles, Claude Pepper to re-emerge again.
But you are so right, the hard work begins in a good ground game in registering voters and getting them to the polls. It is the biggest fear of the far right, as they know they are in the minority in their ideas and their base of support.