We share the same sentiments, Bill. One message I'd like to see as a counter to this - what I'll refer to as, "poling," is that nobody sits on the sidelines. Anybody who considers themselves to be an American has a duty to defend our democracy from those who would destroy it, and that duty is best and most easily expressed thru voting. I want to see an overwhelming turnout that is undeniable.
Aloha & Mahalo Mr Bill for the reminder..."polls" just serve to raise my blood pressure anyway ...the agita alone is enough to make me step back ;) However, I will keep having the uncomfortable discussions with friends/family who insist "Trump is good for their "finances" and they simply do NOT care about those who are marginalized or the man who says he "can grab a woman by the pussy" because he can! It's a heartbreaking exercise having these conversations but IMHO "silence" is being complicit and I will not be a "good German" because; a proximately 11 million civilians were murdered during the Holocaust. 5,860,000 were Jews (this number is often rounded off as "six million"). 5,000,000 were non-Jewish civilians, including Roma people (Gypsies), Serbs, resistance fighters, anti-Nazi Poles and Germans, homosexuals, Jehovah's Witnesses, and so-called "anti-socials" and "undesirables" such as beggars, vagrants, and mentally retarded people. All of these groups were considered to be enemies of the Third Reich (Hitler's government). Only Jews, however, were singled out for complete annihilation.
The fact is ....we must speak up NOW regardless of what polls say while we still can! He has called people like us "vermin" and has threatened to crush us as his first order of business in the White House. So those friends and family still clinging to their wealth as the most important thing ...in essence aren't even the Good Germans in my book and it breaks my heart.
Thank you for this. Ignoring all polls. “Miss Peaches” is an Instagram star. The three year old may love seeing her! She’s raised big money for rescue organizations.
After the results of 2016, I will never take it for granted that my preferred candidate (whoever it is!) will win. I'm not listening to any more political polls.
Great thing to read on a Sunday morning Bill, thanks. We share a perspective on polling that is reinforced by the opinions of a couple of friends of mine who are in the 'industry'.
The answer to the question in you visual is that expanding the franchise has always been viewed with fear by those who currently hold power in this country and it most others. We're fortunate in this country that our votes actually count and are difficult to impossible to subvert as opposed to most other putative democracies where the party in power retains the ability to alter the results to suit them. We've fought and continue to fight to expand the ability to vote so that people currently out of or barred from power have the non-violent ability (at least in theory) to change that.
You're quite right about HST, and his successor wasn't bad either. It was the best one, two punch we've had in the White House in my lifetime. I haven't read McCullogh's book yet, but once I finish Howard Zinn's People's History that will be next.
Mahalo Bill... I am still so active on FB these days because 16 years of friendships have developed a solid foundation with so many beautiful people ... I would be overwhelmed if I tried to do substack too. (I'm overwhelmed now by all I read & respond to ;) )
I am actually proud to say I have changed quite a few people's perspectives on the Don and people voted for Biden (at least they told me they did) and one of the biggest reasons was my confronting the religious topic of Abortion as their premiere religious objection ....the attached response below has opened quite a few eyes and been very effective so I'm sharing it here (It actually changed the opinion of a Republican celebrity and got him to think twice about voting for the Don because of his own daughters and the "Grab em' by the pussy" misogynist.) but it recently got a female friend to think twice too:
It’s sad to see we have such a different understanding of history and the rights our relatives fought for…I’m thinking particularly of : the right to be “free” from government oppression in their religious worship and beliefs !
I think my ancestors would be heartbroken to think someone would vote for a man who would burn down this country just to rule over the ashes all because they want to impose their own “religious beliefs “ over a woman’s right to have control of her own body ! ??
You and I have no right to tell another woman what she should do with her body !!! We are not living her life ! We do NOT know what kind of situation she is facing and if I am a follower of Jesus …as I say I am …I must “do unto others as I would have done unto myself” and Jesus tells us that is “EMPATHY” …let me explain:
I'm not pro-murdering babies.
I'm pro-Becky who found out at her 20 week anatomy scan that the infant she had been so excited to bring into this world had developed without life sustaining organs.
I'm pro-Susan who was sexually assaulted on her way home from work, only to come to the horrific realization that her assailant planted his seed in her when she got a positive pregnancy test result a month later.
I'm pro-Theresa who hemorrhaged due to a placental abruption, causing her parents, spouse, and children to have to make the impossible decision on whether to save her or her unborn child.
I'm pro-little Valerie who had her innocence ripped away from her by someone she should have been able to trust and her 11 year old body isn't mature enough to bear the consequence of that betrayal.
I'm pro-Melissa who's working two jobs just to make ends meet and has to choose between bringing another child into poverty or feeding the children she already has because her spouse walked out on her.
I'm pro-Brittany who realizes that she is in no way financially, emotionally, or physically able to raise a child.
I'm pro-Emily who went through IVF, ending up with SIX viable implanted eggs requiring selective reduction in order to ensure the safety of her and a SAFE amount of fetuses.
I’m pro-Jessica who is FINALLY getting the strength to get away from her physically abusive spouse only to find out that she is carrying the monster's child.
I'm pro-Vanessa who went into her confirmation appointment after YEARS of trying to conceive only to hear silence where there should be a heartbeat.
I'm pro-Lindsay who lost her virginity in her sophomore year with a broken condom and now has to choose whether to be a teenage mom or just a teenager.
I'm pro-Courtney who just found out she's already 13 weeks along, but the egg never made it out of her fallopian tube so either she terminates the pregnancy or risks dying from internal bleeding.
I’m pro-Jaime who is non-binary or AFAB and will be at significantly higher risk of suicide going through the body dysphoria of a pregnancy, on top of gender dysphoria.
You can argue and say that I'm pro-choice all you want, but the truth is:
I'm pro-life.
Their lives.
Women's lives.
You don't get to pick and choose which scenarios should be accepted.
It's not about which stories you don't agree with. It's about fighting for the women in the stories that you do agree with and the CHOICE that was made.
Women's rights are meant to protect ALL women, regardless of their situation!
We share the same sentiments, Bill. One message I'd like to see as a counter to this - what I'll refer to as, "poling," is that nobody sits on the sidelines. Anybody who considers themselves to be an American has a duty to defend our democracy from those who would destroy it, and that duty is best and most easily expressed thru voting. I want to see an overwhelming turnout that is undeniable.
Aloha & Mahalo Mr Bill for the reminder..."polls" just serve to raise my blood pressure anyway ...the agita alone is enough to make me step back ;) However, I will keep having the uncomfortable discussions with friends/family who insist "Trump is good for their "finances" and they simply do NOT care about those who are marginalized or the man who says he "can grab a woman by the pussy" because he can! It's a heartbreaking exercise having these conversations but IMHO "silence" is being complicit and I will not be a "good German" because; a proximately 11 million civilians were murdered during the Holocaust. 5,860,000 were Jews (this number is often rounded off as "six million"). 5,000,000 were non-Jewish civilians, including Roma people (Gypsies), Serbs, resistance fighters, anti-Nazi Poles and Germans, homosexuals, Jehovah's Witnesses, and so-called "anti-socials" and "undesirables" such as beggars, vagrants, and mentally retarded people. All of these groups were considered to be enemies of the Third Reich (Hitler's government). Only Jews, however, were singled out for complete annihilation.
The fact is ....we must speak up NOW regardless of what polls say while we still can! He has called people like us "vermin" and has threatened to crush us as his first order of business in the White House. So those friends and family still clinging to their wealth as the most important thing ...in essence aren't even the Good Germans in my book and it breaks my heart.
Thank you for this. Ignoring all polls. “Miss Peaches” is an Instagram star. The three year old may love seeing her! She’s raised big money for rescue organizations.
After the results of 2016, I will never take it for granted that my preferred candidate (whoever it is!) will win. I'm not listening to any more political polls.
BTW, who doesn't love puppies?!
Great thing to read on a Sunday morning Bill, thanks. We share a perspective on polling that is reinforced by the opinions of a couple of friends of mine who are in the 'industry'.
The answer to the question in you visual is that expanding the franchise has always been viewed with fear by those who currently hold power in this country and it most others. We're fortunate in this country that our votes actually count and are difficult to impossible to subvert as opposed to most other putative democracies where the party in power retains the ability to alter the results to suit them. We've fought and continue to fight to expand the ability to vote so that people currently out of or barred from power have the non-violent ability (at least in theory) to change that.
You're quite right about HST, and his successor wasn't bad either. It was the best one, two punch we've had in the White House in my lifetime. I haven't read McCullogh's book yet, but once I finish Howard Zinn's People's History that will be next.
Mahalo Bill... I am still so active on FB these days because 16 years of friendships have developed a solid foundation with so many beautiful people ... I would be overwhelmed if I tried to do substack too. (I'm overwhelmed now by all I read & respond to ;) )
I am actually proud to say I have changed quite a few people's perspectives on the Don and people voted for Biden (at least they told me they did) and one of the biggest reasons was my confronting the religious topic of Abortion as their premiere religious objection ....the attached response below has opened quite a few eyes and been very effective so I'm sharing it here (It actually changed the opinion of a Republican celebrity and got him to think twice about voting for the Don because of his own daughters and the "Grab em' by the pussy" misogynist.) but it recently got a female friend to think twice too:
It’s sad to see we have such a different understanding of history and the rights our relatives fought for…I’m thinking particularly of : the right to be “free” from government oppression in their religious worship and beliefs !
I think my ancestors would be heartbroken to think someone would vote for a man who would burn down this country just to rule over the ashes all because they want to impose their own “religious beliefs “ over a woman’s right to have control of her own body ! ??
You and I have no right to tell another woman what she should do with her body !!! We are not living her life ! We do NOT know what kind of situation she is facing and if I am a follower of Jesus …as I say I am …I must “do unto others as I would have done unto myself” and Jesus tells us that is “EMPATHY” …let me explain:
I'm not pro-murdering babies.
I'm pro-Becky who found out at her 20 week anatomy scan that the infant she had been so excited to bring into this world had developed without life sustaining organs.
I'm pro-Susan who was sexually assaulted on her way home from work, only to come to the horrific realization that her assailant planted his seed in her when she got a positive pregnancy test result a month later.
I'm pro-Theresa who hemorrhaged due to a placental abruption, causing her parents, spouse, and children to have to make the impossible decision on whether to save her or her unborn child.
I'm pro-little Valerie who had her innocence ripped away from her by someone she should have been able to trust and her 11 year old body isn't mature enough to bear the consequence of that betrayal.
I'm pro-Melissa who's working two jobs just to make ends meet and has to choose between bringing another child into poverty or feeding the children she already has because her spouse walked out on her.
I'm pro-Brittany who realizes that she is in no way financially, emotionally, or physically able to raise a child.
I'm pro-Emily who went through IVF, ending up with SIX viable implanted eggs requiring selective reduction in order to ensure the safety of her and a SAFE amount of fetuses.
I’m pro-Jessica who is FINALLY getting the strength to get away from her physically abusive spouse only to find out that she is carrying the monster's child.
I'm pro-Vanessa who went into her confirmation appointment after YEARS of trying to conceive only to hear silence where there should be a heartbeat.
I'm pro-Lindsay who lost her virginity in her sophomore year with a broken condom and now has to choose whether to be a teenage mom or just a teenager.
I'm pro-Courtney who just found out she's already 13 weeks along, but the egg never made it out of her fallopian tube so either she terminates the pregnancy or risks dying from internal bleeding.
I’m pro-Jaime who is non-binary or AFAB and will be at significantly higher risk of suicide going through the body dysphoria of a pregnancy, on top of gender dysphoria.
You can argue and say that I'm pro-choice all you want, but the truth is:
I'm pro-life.
Their lives.
Women's lives.
You don't get to pick and choose which scenarios should be accepted.
It's not about which stories you don't agree with. It's about fighting for the women in the stories that you do agree with and the CHOICE that was made.
Women's rights are meant to protect ALL women, regardless of their situation!