dailykos--2020-12-09--Good News Roundup for December 9, 2020

Good News Roundup for December 9, 2020

“ Age of Aquarius ” from “ Hair ” is the obvious musical accompaniment to my intro , but although I love the Fifth Dimension version that niftywriter used yesterday , I ’ m embedding one that has personal relevance for me .
My husband and I saw “ Hair ” in London in 1968 , just a few months after it opened there .
I ’ ve never forgotten the show ’ s joyous energy or the amazing experience of living in London for six months in the early days of “ Swinging London.
” This clip of the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of Aquarius ” with some street musicians , was recently unearthed by British Pathé , and it brings all those memories back .
Good times .
Now on to the good news !
Everything about this next story is wonderful , but my favorite part is that these kids are planning to use the “ deep canvassing ” technique that 2thanks has been telling us about .
Truly inspiring , and such good news for the future !
A bipartisan group of Georgia teens is trying to flip the Senate by enlisting thousands @ @ @ @ @ @ @ runoffs A bipartisan group of Georgia teens is trying to flip the Senate by enlisting thousands of students to vote in the January runoffs .
The political organization , StudentsFor2020 , was founded by four high school students , two Trump supporters and two Biden supporters , with the goal of registering young voters across the US in the places where their votes would matter most in the general election .
They estimate they helped 65,000 students register to vote .
Now they 're focusing their efforts on flipping the Senate by registering @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hundreds of teen volunteers to have real conversations with high school students across the state .
About 23,000 Georgia teens who were not eligible to vote in the general election on November 3 will turn 18 and become eligible in time to participate in the Georgia runoff elections on January 5 , according to The Civics Center , a nonprofit dedicated to youth civic engagement .
With that in mind , StudentsFor2020 set an ambitious goal : register almost all of them .
A 2020 survey conducted by the Alliance for Youth Action @ @ @ @ @ @ @ they voted in order to make a difference on the issues that matter to them , rather than for , or against , one party .
Aguilar said the group , like many other young people , believe in `` voting for policy over party . ''
`` We might actually have the possibility of changing minds here , '' Aguilar said .
`` Especially given how many student-first policies Jon Ossoff has . ''
The group is planning a deep-canvassing campaign with hundreds of formerly Republican student-voters who are supporting Democratic candidates @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to have those students talk to young Republican voters to convince them to change their vote .
`` I do n't want to text people .
I do n't want to run social media ads .
I want to have real conversations with real voters , '' Aguilar said .
He said the goal is n't to just get young people to vote one way in this election , but to get them thinking about the policies that matter to them in a way that will last .
Routinely Recurring Rifts in Rethug @ @ @ @ @ @ @ guys !
GOP conference call erupts after lawmaker floats condemning Republicans who ask Trump to concede More rifts !
After the scornfully dismissive one-sentence refusal by SCOTUS to overturn the election results in PA , MAGAts are turning on Alito for not having single-handedly pulled out a win for tRump .
Too bad , so sad… ‘ Alito is deep state now !
’ MAGA fans mocked over conservative Supreme Court refusing to save Trump from election loss Katie Porter continues to kick the smug asses of the *Rump government [ “ Rump @ @ @ @ @ @ @ : “ any parliament left over from the actual legitimate parliament ” ( Wikipedia ) ] .
And there ’ s no one smugger or more worthy of kicking than Mnuchin , aka Mnuchbag ( h/t Shower Cap ) : Judge Finds Portland Police 's Use of Munitions Against Protesters Defied Court Order Commissioner Directs Portland Parks & Rec to Remove the Name ‘ Custer Park ’ The Portland park at SW 21st Avenue and Capitol Hill Road will temporarily be known as “ A Park ” as PP & R engages with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a new , permanent name .
“ The names of public places and property should reflect the values of our diverse communities .
The names of our City ’ s parks , natural areas , and other public facilities should echo who we are and what we aspire to be , as an inclusive , welcoming , sanctuary community .
✂ ” it ’ s long been clear to me that the name of Custer Park in the Multnomah neighborhood needs to be changed .
While the park itself is a treasured community @ @ @ @ @ @ @ does not represent the park nor capture the relationship Portlanders want to have with this wonderful place .
Worse , it glorifies a military oppressor instead of honoring the courageous Lakota , Northern Cheyenne , and Arapaho warriors who defended their homelands in what is now Montana.
” Update on conservation efforts for Oregon Historical Society ’ s Afro-American Heritage Bicentennial Commemorative Quilt damaged by vandalism The Oregon Historical Society has sent the Afro-American Heritage Bicentennial Commemorative Quilt for conservation following the vandalism to the Oregon Historical Society ’ s ( OHS ) @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , October 11 , 2020 .
During that evening , the quilt was taken from its temporary display in the OHS pavilion , where it was on exhibit as part of a collaboration with Portland Textile Month ... Local police recovered the quilt early the next morning , returning it to the care of OHS collections staff .
Each square of the quilt , crafted from 1974 to 1976 in honor of the American Bicentennial , honors a Black individual or moment in history .
Fifteen Black women from Portland sewed the quilt @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and entrusted it to the Society ’ s care .
OHS sent the quilt to the Textile Conservation Workshop ( TCW ) , a non-profit organization focused on the preservation of textiles .
Located in South Salem , New York , TCW is a highly respected leader in textile conservation with a focus on quilts .
After consulting with Sylvia Gates Carlisle , the last living quilter from the original group of 15 who made and donated the quilt , OHS decided to attempt to restore the front of the quilt as much @ @ @ @ @ @ @ replace the quilt backing , which is severely stained .
The original backing will remain in the OHS collection as its own museum object , with the history of the vandalism captured and added to its story .
The Winner of This Year ’ s PitchfestNW Is a Portland Zero-Waste Footwear Company 2thanks mentioned a story on Sunday titled US lawmakers unveil anti-slavery constitutional amendment — a joint resolution to remove language from the constitution that permits the use of involuntary servitude as a punishment for crime .
Oregon ’ s wonderful senator @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the prime movers of that resolution .
But even while prison labor remains legal , local activism can help mitigate its effects on prisoners and their families .
Activists Fundraise for Oregon Inmates Who Fought Fires this Summer This summer , some 285 imprisoned Oregonians fought the worst wildfires the state has ever seen .
These crews of inmate firefighters only made about $ 10 a day for their labor .
Now , a coalition of activist groups ... is holding a fundraiser to further compensate the inmate firefighters for their life-risking work @ @ @ @ @ @ @ $ 55,000—enough to put $ 200 into each person ’ s commissary account .
“ Every year , during the wildfire season , a lot of people are outraged to hear that inmate firefighters aren ’ t fairly compensated for their labor , ” said Evan Quarles of Lane County Mutual Aid , one of the groups in the coalition .
... Quarles said the fundraiser started as an informal campaign on Twitter this summer , and led to the coalition “ pestering the Oregon Department of Corrections for at least a month @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the inmate firefighters .
Volunteers with the coalition—which also includes Critical Resistance Portland , Care Not Cops PDX , Black & Pink PDX , and Siskiyou Abolition Project—then sent letters to each inmate firefighter , asking if they were interested in the fundraiser .
The majority of the firefighters have already replied with interest , and the group continues to receive responses .
“ Most of the people we are in contact with were extremely glad to hear people recognized the labor that they do… to save the lives of countless people , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ re desperately in need of resources .
A lot of their families are out of work because of COVID-19 , or they don ’ t have anyone on the outside.
” ‘ Frankie the Adventure Goat ’ Has Traveled Over 60,000 Miles Across America in Epic Road Trip Cate Battles and her husband Chad moved from their house into a trailer in 2016 , and they ’ ve been traveling to beauty spots with their favorite pet ever since .
“ She ’ s an awesome travel companion , ” said Cate , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Grants Pass in Oregon .
“ She ’ s visited all kinds of scenery with us ; lakes , beaches , mountains , and caves .
We ’ ve covered dozens of states and national parks together .
“ At this point she ’ s probably been about 60,000 miles all around the country , all the way from the east to the west coast .
She must have been to over 20 states already .
“ Frankie loves being on the road and having adventures , she finds joy in any place @ @ @ @ @ @ @ climbs all over the rocks and at the beach she loves to lick the salt off the stones.
” A die hard “ goat mom , ” Cait said she and Chad couldn ’ t imagine taking their trips without Frankie by their side .
“ She ’ s so much fun , she looks tiny but she actually weighs about 80 pounds , she ’ s a stocky girl and she ’ s very well fed by us .
We have a great time with her.
” Good news from around the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the defense bill passed with a veto-proof majority , so we can change “ would ” to “ will ” in this headline : This is something Portlanders will applaud .
Those federal goons running rampant on our downtown streets were truly scary .
This next story deals with an important legal move .
We can ’ t allow tRump to cover his tracks by destroying the documents that by law belong to the American people .
Historians are suing Donald Trump to stop him from destroying White House documents Donald Trump and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ been named as defendants in a lawsuit filed Tuesday in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia to ensure that they comply with the Presidential Records Act and do not destroy documents related to the Trump administration .
Under [ Trump ’ s ] White House policy , screenshots of incomplete portions of material communicated via unofficial messaging services would count as preserving official presidential records .
CREW [ Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington , one of the plaintiffs ] notes : `` But as guidance from the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , screenshots that do not capture a message 's metadata are not 'complete copies ' as the Presidential Records Act requires . ''
It specifies that Jared Kushner has used unofficial platforms in conducting official government business .
Noah Bookbinder , CREW 's executive director , said : `` The Presidential Records Act exists for a simple reason : to prevent presidents and their staff from destroying historically valuable records .
By deleting or preserving only parts of these records , the White House is destroying essential historical records.
” Angelina Jolie ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ introduction quoted below , and I encourage you to read it .
Then keep going to read about the runner-ups , who are also amazing .
“ Observe , brainstorm , research , build and communicate.
” That is what the brilliant young scientist and inventor Gitanjali Rao told actor and activist Angelina Jolie about her process , over Zoom , from her home in Colorado , during a break in her virtual schooling .
Just 15 years old , Rao has been selected from a field of more than 5,000 nominees as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Year .
She spoke about her astonishing work using technology to tackle issues ranging from contaminated drinking water to opioid addiction and cyberbullying , and about her mission to create a global community of young innovators to solve problems the world over .
Even over video chat , her brilliant mind and generous spirit shone through , along with her inspiring message to other young people : don ’ t try to fix every problem , just focus on one that excites you .
“ If I can do it , ” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it.
” 8-year-old [ in Atlanta GA ] is on a mission to give away 2 million books to underprivileged kids Selah has even written two books herself , starring a Black girl named Penelope the Pirate Princess .
Good news from around the world Environmental Policies Across EU Set Up Dramatic Improvement in Air Quality That Has Saved Thousands of Lives Fortunately , Biden has promised to push similar policies here , which will lead to similar good results .
There ’ s been a marked improvement in European air quality over @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Agency reports , with European Union , national , and local policies and emission cuts in key sectors making a big difference in lowering air pollution levels .
According to the EEA ’ s Air quality in Europe — 2020 report , since 2000 , emissions of key air pollutants , including nitrogen oxides , from transport have declined significantly , despite growing mobility demand and associated increase in the sector ’ s greenhouse gas emissions .
Pollutant emissions from energy supply have also seen major reductions while progress in reducing emissions from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Thanks to better air quality , around 60,000 fewer people died prematurely due to fine particulate matter pollution in 2018 , compared with 2009 .
For nitrogen dioxide , the reduction is even greater as premature deaths have declined by about 54 % over the last decade .
The continuing implementation of environmental and climate policies across Europe is a key factor behind the improvements .
“ The EEA ’ s data prove that investing in better air quality is an investment for better health and productivity for all Europeans .
Policies and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s zero pollution ambition , lead to longer and healthier lives and more resilient societies , ” said Hans Bruyninckx , EEA Executive Director , in a statement .
Physicist Uses a Cotton Candy Machine to Make Respirator Filters for N95 Masks Cheaper Using a cotton candy machine , Mahesh Bandi of Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University can create face masks more cheaply and faster than any other currently utilized industrial process .
That ’ s because the unique but expensive electrocharged plastic foam filters that characterize an N95 can @ @ @ @ @ @ @ regular plastic from objects like water bottles and shopping bags , heating them to a high temperature , and spinning them in a cotton candy machine until they form a mesh .
The mesh becomes electrically charged—the key aspect that allows them to filter 95 % of particles—while it ’ s spinning around the metal drum of the machine , and can be made more electro-sticky after Bandi cuts the mesh into squares and places them on the vent of an air ionizer .
Proving that Galileo was right I mentioned Galileo in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to share this delightful video of a rigorous test of his theory of gravity .
A murmuration of starlings in Otmoor , Oxfordshire , England , captured by a patient and skillful wildlife photographer : www.theatlantic.com/… Is American Healing Even Possible ?
A long interview with Rev .
William Barber , who is always worth listening to .
www.scientificamerican.com/… Do We Live in a Simulation ?
Chances Are about 50–50 .
“ Gauging whether or not we dwell inside someone else ’ s computer may come down to advanced AI research—or measurements at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ !
www.scientificamerican.com/… Solving the Mysteries of Ancient Plagues .
No surprise , the answer is in the DNA of the victims , buried since ancient times .
Where they ’ re sourcing it is surprising .
www.theatlantic.com/… Get Off My Lawn .
A delightfully cranky piece from the archives at The Atlantic by James Fallows , about how he and a group of like-minded DC residents got together to ban leaf blowers in the city .
( I leaf-blowers . )
Here ’ s another song from “ Hair , ” an upbeat @ @ @ @ @ @ @ bounce in your step : Thanks to each and every Gnusie for your smarts , your hearts , and your faithful attendance at our daily Gathering of the Herd .

Greetings!
Greetings to all you Gnusies, Gnubies, occasional drop-ins, silent regulars, and first-timers! Come sit with us to find and share messages of hope and to celebrate all the ways good people are triumphing over evil-doers. The task we have set ourselves here in Gnuville is to search out hope no matter how difficult the situation might be. We’ve learned over the past four years that hope can be found even in the darkest days, and now, as we come to the end of the collective nightmare of this maladministration and celebrate the coming Biden era, hope is everywhere!
This is a collaborative effort. After you read a Good News Roundup, we warmly encourage you to add your own good news finds in our comment section, The Best Comment Section on the Internet™, where sanity reigns, Gloomy Guses and Debbie Downers are encouraged to see the light, and pie fights are forbidden.
Let’s get started!
Introduction
The story that most caught my attention this past week was news of the coming of a “Great Conjunction” on the winter solstice, Dec. 21. Great Conjunctions occur when Jupiter and Saturn, the two largest planets in our solar system, converge in the night sky. This year, they will be closer together than they have been since Galileo’s time. They will appear to form a double star.
Needless to say, astrologers are very excited about this. I don’t follow astrology or believe in its predictions, but I do enjoy its symbolism, so I occasionally find that what astrologers write resonates with me. Here are some of the things they’re saying about the meaning of this once-in-many-centuries event:
From astrology.com: When Jupiter and Saturn come together there is both the intensity of old forms dying as well as the fertility of new growth beginning to take shape. In the past century, their cycle has aligned with the transition in between decades, with the conjunctions and oppositions between Jupiter and Saturn marking the start of each decade. For example, there was a Jupiter and Saturn conjunction in 1980, an opposition in 1990, a conjunction in 2000, and an opposition in 2010. Jupiter and Saturn will form their next conjunction on December 21 of 2020 in the first degree of Aquarius, and so most of 2020 will take place during the end of their cycle. There will be an atmosphere of anticipation building during the year of being on the precipice of a new era, while simultaneously old issues will resurface in need of resolution.
And from Bustle: If 2020 didn't feel bizarre enough, the astrology of the 2020 holidays brings even more chaos, primarily in the form of the Great Conjunction in Aquarius, which takes place on Dec. 21. This rare cosmic event refers to the alignment of planets Jupiter and Saturn, and it only happens once every two decades. However, we haven't experienced a Great Conjunction in the sign of Aquarius for hundreds of years now, which is why many astrologers believe this phenomenon ushers us into the long-anticipated Age of Aquarius. ✂ Because the Great Conjunction takes place in air sign Aquarius, we'll feel the collective energy shift away from the practical and security-focused vibe of earth sign Capricorn — where Jupiter and Saturn have spent the past year — and into the forward-thinking realm of the air signs. "What astrologers expect from this elemental shift is humanity moving away from the materialistic and industrialized shadow side of the earth element towards a more humanistic, technological, and inclusive focus," astrologer Narayana Montúfar tells Bustle. "The astrology of 2020 has long been expected to bring major societal change by demolishing old and outdated structures." This event marks the beginning of a new age in astrology, during which we'll all be more focused on intellectual growth, innovation, and community-building.
Sounds good, doesn’t it? Of course, we’re all naturally drawn to statements that align with our own beliefs and hopes, so I think of this as a very appealing image of what I hope will happen in the near future rather than as a credible prediction. But that said, it’s certainly clear that we’re currently experiencing “both the intensity of old forms dying as well as the fertility of new growth beginning to take shape” and that the process of “demolishing old and outdated structures” is already underway while a focus on “intellectual growth, innovation, and community-building” promises to be a hallmark of Biden’s administration. The Age of Aquarius? We’ll just have to see.
Opening music
“Age of Aquarius” from “Hair” is the obvious musical accompaniment to my intro, but although I love the Fifth Dimension version that niftywriter used yesterday, I’m embedding one that has personal relevance for me. My husband and I saw “Hair” in London in 1968, just a few months after it opened there. I’ve never forgotten the show’s joyous energy or the amazing experience of living in London for six months in the early days of “Swinging London.” This clip of the British cast from 1970 jamming “Age of Aquarius” with some street musicians, was recently unearthed by British Pathé, and it brings all those memories back. Good times.
x YouTube Video
Now on to the good news!
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Good political news
Everything about this next story is wonderful, but my favorite part is that these kids are planning to use the “deep canvassing” technique that 2thanks has been telling us about. Truly inspiring, and such good news for the future!
A bipartisan group of Georgia teens is trying to flip the Senate by enlisting thousands of students to vote in the January runoffs
From Business Insider:
A bipartisan group of Georgia teens is trying to flip the Senate by enlisting thousands of students to vote in the January runoffs. The political organization, StudentsFor2020, was founded by four high school students, two Trump supporters and two Biden supporters, with the goal of registering young voters across the US in the places where their votes would matter most in the general election. They estimate they helped 65,000 students register to vote. Now they're focusing their efforts on flipping the Senate by registering thousands of newly eligible voters and mobilizing hundreds of teen volunteers to have real conversations with high school students across the state. ✂ About 23,000 Georgia teens who were not eligible to vote in the general election on November 3 will turn 18 and become eligible in time to participate in the Georgia runoff elections on January 5, according to The Civics Center, a nonprofit dedicated to youth civic engagement. With that in mind, StudentsFor2020 set an ambitious goal: register almost all of them. ✂ A 2020 survey conducted by the Alliance for Youth Action found 59% of young voters said they voted in order to make a difference on the issues that matter to them, rather than for, or against, one party. Aguilar said the group, like many other young people, believe in "voting for policy over party." "We might actually have the possibility of changing minds here," Aguilar said. "Especially given how many student-first policies Jon Ossoff has." ✂ The group is planning a deep-canvassing campaign with hundreds of formerly Republican student-voters who are supporting Democratic candidates in the runoffs. The plan is to have those students talk to young Republican voters to convince them to change their vote. "I don't want to text people. I don't want to run social media ads. I want to have real conversations with real voters," Aguilar said. He said the goal isn't to just get young people to vote one way in this election, but to get them thinking about the policies that matter to them in a way that will last.
Routinely Recurring Rifts in Rethug Ranks!! Keep it up, guys!
GOP conference call erupts after lawmaker floats condemning Republicans who ask Trump to concede
From Raw Story:
A phone call among Republicans in the House of Representatives devolved into bitter infighting after one GOP lawmaker floated a resolution that would formally condemn any Republican who called on President Donald Trump to concede the 2020 presidential election. The Washington Post reports that the controversy started when Rep. Alex Mooney (R-WV) pitched a resolution during the call that would condemn “any member who calls upon President Trump to concede prematurely before these investigations are complete.” According to the Post’s sources, many members of the House Freedom Caucus voiced support for the measure, while more moderate members strongly objected to it. Rep. Anthony Gonzalez (R-OH), who has recognized President-elect Joe Biden’s victory, reportedly said that “it’s not the job of the conference to tell members how to think or what to say.”
More rifts! After the scornfully dismissive one-sentence refusal by SCOTUS to overturn the election results in PA, MAGAts are turning on Alito for not having single-handedly pulled out a win for tRump. Too bad, so sad…
‘Alito is deep state now!’ MAGA fans mocked over conservative Supreme Court refusing to save Trump from election loss
From Raw Story:
While Alito was the one who dismissed the claims, he did so without dispute from other conservative justices, including Clarence Thomas and the three justices Trump appointed to the High Court. ✂ x Sadly, SCOTUS could not or would not cobble together 4 members to stop the lawlessness that took place by PA officials. It was a very solid case with clear federal ramifications but they denied relief. I’ll discuss at length on my radio show this evening.https://t.co/J1Rccts2iv — Mark R. Levin (@marklevinshow) December 8, 2020 ✂ Meanwhile, others mocked the right-wing’s loss and determination to create a conspiracy out of their own allies. x I knew Alito was a Red Chinese globalist George Soros Clinton Global Initiative pawn all along. — David Rothkopf (@djrothkopf) December 8, 2020 x How much money did Sam Alito take from Hugo Chavez? Must be investigated. — Brian Beutler (@brianbeutler) December 8, 2020
Katie Porter! ❤
Katie Porter continues to kick the smug asses of the *Rump government [“Rump” as in “Rump Parliament”: “any parliament left over from the actual legitimate parliament” (Wikipedia)]. And there’s no one smugger or more worthy of kicking than Mnuchin, aka Mnuchbag (h/t Shower Cap):
x When I tried to read @stevenmnuchin1 the law that contradicts his bogus claim to get people less COVID relief, he questioned whether I'm a lawyer.
Just want to make sure he has the answer: one of us is a lawyer, and it's not him. pic.twitter.com/iFYzAyflle — Rep. Katie Porter (@RepKatiePorter) December 2, 2020
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Good news from Portland
Judge Finds Portland Police's Use of Munitions Against Protesters Defied Court Order
From the Portland Mercury:
A federal judge ruled [on December 1] that the City of Portland had violated a court order barring Portland police from shooting impact munitions at nonviolent protesters. In his evening ruling, US District Judge Marco Hernandez wrote that the city—by way of the Portland Police Bureau (PPB)—defied the June 26 temporary restraining order at least three times during a June 30 demonstration. This violation places the city in contempt of court—a finding with undetermined consequences. Hernandez wrote that the penalty for violating the restraining order will be determined at a later date. The ruling validates arguments raised by Don't Shoot Portland, a racial justice group whose June 5 class action lawsuit against the city spurred Hernandez's restraining order.
Commissioner Directs Portland Parks & Rec to Remove the Name ‘Custer Park’
From The Skanner [Portland’s Black newspaper]:
The Portland park at SW 21st Avenue and Capitol Hill Road will temporarily be known as “A Park” as PP&R engages with the neighborhood and community stakeholders to determine a new, permanent name. [Portland City Commissioner Amanda Fritz made the announcement]: “The names of public places and property should reflect the values of our diverse communities. The names of our City’s parks, natural areas, and other public facilities should echo who we are and what we aspire to be, as an inclusive, welcoming, sanctuary community. ✂ ”it’s long been clear to me that the name of Custer Park in the Multnomah neighborhood needs to be changed. While the park itself is a treasured community asset and gathering space, its name does not represent the park nor capture the relationship Portlanders want to have with this wonderful place. Worse, it glorifies a military oppressor instead of honoring the courageous Lakota, Northern Cheyenne, and Arapaho warriors who defended their homelands in what is now Montana.”
Update on conservation efforts for Oregon Historical Society’s Afro-American Heritage Bicentennial Commemorative Quilt damaged by vandalism
From The Skanner:
The Oregon Historical Society has sent the Afro-American Heritage Bicentennial Commemorative Quilt for conservation following the vandalism to the Oregon Historical Society’s (OHS) downtown facility on the evening of Sunday, October 11, 2020. During that evening, the quilt was taken from its temporary display in the OHS pavilion, where it was on exhibit as part of a collaboration with Portland Textile Month... Local police recovered the quilt early the next morning, returning it to the care of OHS collections staff. Each square of the quilt, crafted from 1974 to 1976 in honor of the American Bicentennial, honors a Black individual or moment in history. Fifteen Black women from Portland sewed the quilt, who later donated it to OHS and entrusted it to the Society’s care. ✂ OHS sent the quilt to the Textile Conservation Workshop (TCW), a non-profit organization focused on the preservation of textiles. Located in South Salem, New York, TCW is a highly respected leader in textile conservation with a focus on quilts. ✂ After consulting with Sylvia Gates Carlisle, the last living quilter from the original group of 15 who made and donated the quilt, OHS decided to attempt to restore the front of the quilt as much as possible, but will remove and replace the quilt backing, which is severely stained. The original backing will remain in the OHS collection as its own museum object, with the history of the vandalism captured and added to its story.
The Winner of This Year’s PitchfestNW Is a Portland Zero-Waste Footwear Company
From Willamette Week:
A zero-waste, 3D-printed shoe company is the winner of this year's PitchfestNW. Portland company Hilos creates made-to-order, digitally manufactured shoes. Because the company recycles its materials, doesn't mass produce and makes its products with 3D printing, Hilos is a waste-free operation. More than 60 startups from around the world competed at this year's Pitchfest, pitching their product throughout the first virtual edition of TechfestNW. The winner was announced earlier today at Techfest's closing ceremony.
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Good news from Oregon
2thanks mentioned a story on Sunday titled US lawmakers unveil anti-slavery constitutional amendment — a joint resolution to remove language from the constitution that permits the use of involuntary servitude as a punishment for crime. Oregon’s wonderful senator, Jeff Merkley, is one of the prime movers of that resolution. But even while prison labor remains legal, local activism can help mitigate its effects on prisoners and their families.
From the Portland Mercury:
Activists Fundraise for Oregon Inmates Who Fought Fires this Summer
This summer, some 285 imprisoned Oregonians fought the worst wildfires the state has ever seen. These crews of inmate firefighters only made about $10 a day for their labor. Now, a coalition of activist groups ... is holding a fundraiser to further compensate the inmate firefighters for their life-risking work. The goal is to raise around $55,000—enough to put $200 into each person’s commissary account. “Every year, during the wildfire season, a lot of people are outraged to hear that inmate firefighters aren’t fairly compensated for their labor,” said Evan Quarles of Lane County Mutual Aid, one of the groups in the coalition. ... Quarles said the fundraiser started as an informal campaign on Twitter this summer, and led to the coalition “pestering the Oregon Department of Corrections for at least a month” to get the names of all the inmate firefighters. Volunteers with the coalition—which also includes Critical Resistance Portland, Care Not Cops PDX, Black & Pink PDX, and Siskiyou Abolition Project—then sent letters to each inmate firefighter, asking if they were interested in the fundraiser. The majority of the firefighters have already replied with interest, and the group continues to receive responses. “Most of the people we are in contact with were extremely glad to hear people recognized the labor that they do… to save the lives of countless people," Quarles said. “They’re desperately in need of resources. A lot of their families are out of work because of COVID-19, or they don’t have anyone on the outside.”
My final Oregon good news story stars a goat!
‘Frankie the Adventure Goat’ Has Traveled Over 60,000 Miles Across America in Epic Road Trip
From Good News Network:
Cate Battles and her husband Chad moved from their house into a trailer in 2016, and they’ve been traveling to beauty spots with their favorite pet ever since. “She’s an awesome travel companion,” said Cate, a 34-year-old artist and travel writer from Grants Pass in Oregon. “She’s visited all kinds of scenery with us; lakes, beaches, mountains, and caves. We’ve covered dozens of states and national parks together. “At this point she’s probably been about 60,000 miles all around the country, all the way from the east to the west coast. She must have been to over 20 states already. “Frankie loves being on the road and having adventures, she finds joy in any place she goes, in the desserts she climbs all over the rocks and at the beach she loves to lick the salt off the stones.” ✂ A die hard “goat mom,” Cait said she and Chad couldn’t imagine taking their trips without Frankie by their side. “She’s so much fun, she looks tiny but she actually weighs about 80 pounds, she’s a stocky girl and she’s very well fed by us. We have a great time with her.”
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Good news from around the country
U.S. Supreme Court rejects challenge to transgender student accommodations
From Reuters:
The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday preserved an Oregon public school district’s policy of accommodating transgender students, rejecting an appeal challenging a policy that let students use bathrooms and locker rooms that correspond to their gender identity. The justices left in place a lower court ruling that threw out a lawsuit against Dallas School District No. 2 in rural western Oregon spearheaded by parents of a small group of students. The plaintiffs had argued that the policy violated students’ rights to privacy and religious freedom under the U.S. Constitution as well as a federal law that prohibits sex discrimination in education. The use of gender-specific facilities such as bathrooms by transgender people in schools and beyond continues to be litigated around the United States. The Supreme Court scrapped plans to hear a major case from Virginia involving bathroom access in public schools in 2017.
The following story was written before the defense bill passed with a veto-proof majority, so we can change “would” to “will” in this headline:
Defense bill would stop unidentified federal forces from patrolling American streets
This is something Portlanders will applaud. Those federal goons running rampant on our downtown streets were truly scary.
From CNN:
Federal agents patrolling American streets without badges or insignias identifying who they are would become a thing of the past if a defense bill working its way through Congress becomes federal law. The 2021 National Defense Authorization Act -- annual legislation that sets funding priorities and policies for Department of Defense spending -- includes provisions mandating greater transparency by federal officers and troops during periods of civil unrest. The proposed bill, summarized in a conference report this week by the House Armed Services Committee, would specifically require federal officers and members of the armed forces and National Guard dispatched to assist federal authorities in response to civil disturbances to visibly display their name or other unique identifier, such as a badge number, on their uniform, as well as the name of their agency. The bill includes an exception for federal agents working in an undercover capacity. ✂ The controversy surrounding anonymous, tactically equipped federal officers in public came to light during demonstrations across the country earlier this year as hundreds of thousands of protesters took to the streets following the death of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police officers.
This next story deals with an important legal move. We can’t allow tRump to cover his tracks by destroying the documents that by law belong to the American people.
Historians are suing Donald Trump to stop him from destroying White House documents
From the American Independent:
Donald Trump and agencies and individuals in his administration have been named as defendants in a lawsuit filed Tuesday in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia to ensure that they comply with the Presidential Records Act and do not destroy documents related to the Trump administration. ✂ Under [Trump’s] White House policy, screenshots of incomplete portions of material communicated via unofficial messaging services would count as preserving official presidential records. CREW [Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, one of the plaintiffs] notes: "But as guidance from the National Archives and Records Administration makes clear, screenshots that do not capture a message's metadata are not 'complete copies' as the Presidential Records Act requires." It specifies that Jared Kushner has used unofficial platforms in conducting official government business. Noah Bookbinder, CREW's executive director, said: "The Presidential Records Act exists for a simple reason: to prevent presidents and their staff from destroying historically valuable records. By deleting or preserving only parts of these records, the White House is destroying essential historical records.”
TIME Announces First-Ever Kid of the Year
Angelina Jolie’s interview with Gitanjali continues after the introduction quoted below, and I encourage you to read it. Then keep going to read about the runner-ups, who are also amazing.
From TIME:
Kid of the Year: Gitanjali Rao, 15 Lone Tree, Colo. “Observe, brainstorm, research, build and communicate.” That is what the brilliant young scientist and inventor Gitanjali Rao told actor and activist Angelina Jolie about her process, over Zoom, from her home in Colorado, during a break in her virtual schooling. Just 15 years old, Rao has been selected from a field of more than 5,000 nominees as TIME’s first ever Kid of the Year. She spoke about her astonishing work using technology to tackle issues ranging from contaminated drinking water to opioid addiction and cyberbullying, and about her mission to create a global community of young innovators to solve problems the world over. Even over video chat, her brilliant mind and generous spirit shone through, along with her inspiring message to other young people: don’t try to fix every problem, just focus on one that excites you. “If I can do it,” she said, “anybody can do it.”
8-year-old [in Atlanta GA] is on a mission to give away 2 million books to underprivileged kids
Selah has even written two books herself, starring a Black girl named Penelope the Pirate Princess.
From CNN:
When Selah Thompson came home from her first day of kindergarten in 2017, she was sad that a portion of her classmates did not know how to read. She immediately knew she needed to do something...This is when Selah, then 5 years old, challenged her father and mother, Nicole Thompson… She requested that they give away 2 million books to children. So her parents began to do some research to find out the root of the problem and the ways they could best help. ✂ Selah, now 8 years old, and her family created The Empowered Readers Literacy Project , a non-profit aimed at helping families build strong reading rituals and getting kids excited about books...They defined the main issue was that very little representation of characters of color are in children's books. Selah Thompson with a proclamation given to her by the Atlanta City Council for her efforts to promote literacy. "Children are not excited about reading when they do not see themselves on the pages of the book," Nicole Thompson told CNN. "That is when that representation component really came in for us.” ✂ The Empowered Readers Literacy Project is hosting a Diverse Holiday Book Drive that has already collected at least 670 books since November. Their goal is to donate 1,000 books to the organizations Cool Girls Inc. and Children's Healthcare of Atlanta in time for Christmas. "People are really understanding the power of the message of diversity and how important it is for all of our kids to see," said Nicole Thompson. "We are just trying to do our little part to heal a big wound that our country has.”
* * * * *
Good news from around the world
Indigenous Woman Wins Goldman Environmental Prize for Protecting 500,000 Acres of Amazon Rainforest
From Goldman Prize:
In 2018, Ecuador’s Minister of Hydrocarbons announced an auction of 16 new oil concessions, covering seven million acres of primary Amazon forest, in efforts to attract investment by multinational oil companies, including Exxon and Shell. The concessions were located on the titled land of Waorani, Shuar, Achuar, Kichwa, Shiwiar, Andoa, and Sápara nations—in direct violation of indigenous rights. One area overlaps almost entirely with Waorani territory. Nemonte Nenquimo, 33, is an indigenous Waorani woman who has committed herself to defending her ancestral territory, ecosystem, culture, economy, and way of life. She co-founded the Ceibo Alliance—an indigenous organization—in 2015 in order to fight back against the planned oil concessions, and was elected president of CONCONAWEP, an organization that represents the Waorani of the Pastaza province. Nenquimo has a 4-year-old daughter and lives with her extended family in the village of Nemonpare. After the Ecuadorian government announced the land auctions, Nenquimo assumed a leadership role and began organizing Waorani communities. She held regionwide assemblies and interviews with village leaders, helped her people launch a digital campaign targeting potential investors with the slogan “Our Rainforest is Not for Sale,” and spearheaded a petition to the oil industry and Ecuadorian government that was signed by 378,000 people from around the world. At the same time, Nenquimo proactively helped communities maintain their independence from oil company handouts by installing rainwater harvesting systems and solar panels and supporting a woman-led organic cacao and chocolate production business. She played a key role in a community mapping project that charted more than 500,000 acres of Waorani territory, encompassing 16 communities.
Temperature Analysis Shows UN Climate Goals ‘Within Reach’ Thanks to International Goals
From Good News Network:
A new report from a climate research group suggests that updated policies from major countries have put the targets of the 2015 Paris Climate Agreement within reach. This good news comes off the back of recent political announcements in Asia, and has climate-focused experts excited of the possibility of more countries following suit and updating their commitments. The report, from a think tank called Climate Action Tracker, states that if every country which has made a net-zero carbon emissions pledge targeted for 2050 fulfils it, that would be enough to limit warming in this century to 2.1°C, strikingly close to the Paris Agreements made five years past. Previous estimates have suggested that earlier commitments might create a limit of around 2.7, which is dangerously close to the 3°C threshold where general climate hypothesis suggests many major catastrophic effects would take place.
Environmental Policies Across EU Set Up Dramatic Improvement in Air Quality That Has Saved Thousands of Lives Fortunately, Biden has promised to push similar policies here, which will lead to similar good results. From Good News Network: There’s been a marked improvement in European air quality over the past decade, the European Environment Agency reports, with European Union, national, and local policies and emission cuts in key sectors making a big difference in lowering air pollution levels. According to the EEA’s Air quality in Europe — 2020 report, since 2000, emissions of key air pollutants, including nitrogen oxides, from transport have declined significantly, despite growing mobility demand and associated increase in the sector’s greenhouse gas emissions. Pollutant emissions from energy supply have also seen major reductions while progress in reducing emissions from buildings and agriculture has been slow. Thanks to better air quality, around 60,000 fewer people died prematurely due to fine particulate matter pollution in 2018, compared with 2009. For nitrogen dioxide, the reduction is even greater as premature deaths have declined by about 54% over the last decade. The continuing implementation of environmental and climate policies across Europe is a key factor behind the improvements. “The EEA’s data prove that investing in better air quality is an investment for better health and productivity for all Europeans. Policies and actions that are consistent with Europe’s zero pollution ambition, lead to longer and healthier lives and more resilient societies,” said Hans Bruyninckx, EEA Executive Director, in a statement. * * * * * Good scientific news Physicist Uses a Cotton Candy Machine to Make Respirator Filters for N95 Masks Cheaper From Good News Network: Using a cotton candy machine, Mahesh Bandi of Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University can create face masks more cheaply and faster than any other currently utilized industrial process. That’s because the unique but expensive electrocharged plastic foam filters that characterize an N95 can actually be made by taking lumps of regular plastic from objects like water bottles and shopping bags, heating them to a high temperature, and spinning them in a cotton candy machine until they form a mesh. The mesh becomes electrically charged—the key aspect that allows them to filter 95% of particles—while it’s spinning around the metal drum of the machine, and can be made more electro-sticky after Bandi cuts the mesh into squares and places them on the vent of an air ionizer. And some fun scientific news: Proving that Galileo was right I mentioned Galileo in my introduction, so it feels appropriate to share this delightful video of a rigorous test of his theory of gravity. x YouTube Video * * * * * Today’s moment of calm A murmuration of starlings in Otmoor, Oxfordshire, England, captured by a patient and skillful wildlife photographer: x YouTube Video * * * * * Hot lynx www.theatlantic.com/… Is American Healing Even Possible? A long interview with Rev. William Barber, who is always worth listening to. www.scientificamerican.com/… Do We Live in a Simulation? Chances Are about 50–50. “Gauging whether or not we dwell inside someone else’s computer may come down to advanced AI research—or measurements at the frontiers of cosmology.” Weird science! www.scientificamerican.com/… Solving the Mysteries of Ancient Plagues. No surprise, the answer is in the DNA of the victims, buried since ancient times. Where they’re sourcing it is surprising.
www.theatlantic.com/… Get Off My Lawn. A delightfully cranky piece from the archives at The Atlantic by James Fallows, about how he and a group of like-minded DC residents got together to ban leaf blowers in the city. (I hate leaf-blowers.)
Closing music
Here’s another song from “Hair,” an upbeat anthem to love that will put a bounce in your step:
x YouTube Video
❤ ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤
Thanks to each and every Gnusie for your smarts, your hearts, and
your faithful attendance at our daily Gathering of the Herd.
❤💙 RESIST, PERSIST, REBUILD, REJOICE! 💙❤


dailykos--2020-12-10--Maybe The First Time Ever I Might Agree With Rush Limbaugh

Microsoft News published a story today quoting Rush Limbaugh as saying ‘ I Actually Think That We ’ re Trending Toward Secession ’ .
“ In the segment , first flagged by Media Matters , he said , ‘ A lot of bloggers have written extensively about how distant and separated and how much more separated our culture is becoming politically and that it can ’ t go on this way .
There can not be a peaceful coexistence of two completely different theories of life , theories of government , theories of how we manage our affairs .
We @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a conflict without something giving somewhere along the way.
’ “ He also said : “ “ I see more and more people asking what in the world do we have in common with the people who live in , say , New York ?
” A question that might be transposed by those living in non-fascist states .
Though maybe even more troubling for those of us who , like myself ( PA ) live in deeply divided states .
While I don ’ t know about secession per se , I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ level of civil war as a future possibility .
Especially after the poisoning of the election , the fact that 72 % of Republicans don ’ t believe Biden won the election , the incitements to violence and the rise of the rabid alt-right .
But I ’ m especially inclined to agree with the comment about “ the peaceful coexistence of two completely different theories of life ” .
Prior to seeing this article , I ’ ve been thinking a lot lately about the 2 radically different worldviews of the blue @ @ @ @ @ @ @ seem .
In particular regarding truth , empiricism and science .
Books like “ Strangers in a Strange Land ” would have us try to understand the Volksgeist of the Trump voter in an effort to stimulate a surge of Kumbaya .
And as big a fan of Kumbaya as I am , I fail to see how that ’ s even possible now .
Biden tried to extend an olive branch in his initial victory speech and all they ’ ve done since is piss on it ( and worse ) .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ been more prone to compromise and reconciliation , but that tango takes two .
I ’ m 64 and have been very left most of my life , but when I was a lot younger Republicans were at least people you could hold a civil conversation with .
But where is any basis for dialogue with people who want to overturn an election , who believe claims of fraud with zero real evidence and despite the fact that large numbers of lawsuits have been thrown out by judges of both parties for utter @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sycophant Bill Barr said so .
I think the fundamental issue goes beyond just different theories ( as Rush puts it ) , but totally different methodologies of perceiving the world .
Large segments of the Republican party are contrary to the evidence based spirit of the Enlightenment , and therefore their psyches are difficult to penetrate with evidence based reasoning .
Interestingly , I ’ ve been listening to the audiobook version of “ The Pursuit of Power — Europe : 1815-1914 by Richard J. Evans , and there was a section @ @ @ @ @ @ @ movements popular in the first half of the 1800 ’ s which were headed by elites but popular among sections of the peasantry who were pro-monarchy , very religious and socially conservative .
Evans views it as a Romantic reaction to rationalism and reform .
So there ’ s a deeper history to this process .
Anyway , while I wish for a brighter future , I see the seeds of a darker one and hope they don ’ t bloom .

Note: Since people seem to be misreading this the post is not meant to be primarily about Rush Limbaugh or Secession but about the fundamental incompatibility of world views.
Microsoft News published a story today quoting Rush Limbaugh as saying ‘I Actually Think That We’re Trending Toward Secession’.
“In the segment, first flagged by Media Matters, he said, ‘A lot of bloggers have written extensively about how distant and separated and how much more separated our culture is becoming politically and that it can’t go on this way. There cannot be a peaceful coexistence of two completely different theories of life, theories of government, theories of how we manage our affairs. We can’t be in this dire a conflict without something giving somewhere along the way.’ “
He also said: ““I see more and more people asking what in the world do we have in common with the people who live in, say, New York?” A question that might be transposed by those living in non-fascist states. Though maybe even more troubling for those of us who, like myself (PA) live in deeply divided states.
While I don’t know about secession per se, I can’t help but see some level of civil war as a future possibility. Especially after the poisoning of the election, the fact that 72% of Republicans don’t believe Biden won the election, the incitements to violence and the rise of the rabid alt-right.
But I’m especially inclined to agree with the comment about “the peaceful coexistence of two completely different theories of life”. Prior to seeing this article, I’ve been thinking a lot lately about the 2 radically different worldviews of the blue & the red and how incompatible they seem. In particular regarding truth, empiricism and science.
Books like “Strangers in a Strange Land” would have us try to understand the Volksgeist of the Trump voter in an effort to stimulate a surge of Kumbaya. And as big a fan of Kumbaya as I am, I fail to see how that’s even possible now. Biden tried to extend an olive branch in his initial victory speech and all they’ve done since is piss on it (and worse). Liberals have historically, I believe, been more prone to compromise and reconciliation, but that tango takes two.
I’m 64 and have been very left most of my life, but when I was a lot younger Republicans were at least people you could hold a civil conversation with. But where is any basis for dialogue with people who want to overturn an election, who believe claims of fraud with zero real evidence and despite the fact that large numbers of lawsuits have been thrown out by judges of both parties for utter lack of evidence, and even after sycophant Bill Barr said so.
I think the fundamental issue goes beyond just different theories (as Rush puts it), but totally different methodologies of perceiving the world. Large segments of the Republican party are contrary to the evidence based spirit of the Enlightenment, and therefore their psyches are difficult to penetrate with evidence based reasoning.
Interestingly, I’ve been listening to the audiobook version of “The Pursuit of Power — Europe: 1815-1914 by Richard J. Evans, and there was a section where he talks about anti-rational. anti-reform movements popular in the first half of the 1800’s which were headed by elites but popular among sections of the peasantry who were pro-monarchy, very religious and socially conservative. Evans views it as a Romantic reaction to rationalism and reform. So there’s a deeper history to this process.
Anyway, while I wish for a brighter future, I see the seeds of a darker one and hope they don’t bloom.


dailykos--2020-12-09--Trump Loses Congressional Vote but
Will Not Lose the Republican Party

Forty-eight hours after the AP projected Joe Biden as president-elect , Donald Trump established a Save America PAC to secure his takeover of the Republican Party .
Two developments that will occur before Biden is sworn-in as our 46th president will shape our country for the next four years .
First , Trump will fail to stop any of Biden ’ s electoral votes from being overturned when Congress counts them on Jan. 6 , 2021 .
Second , Trump will move to dominate the future of the Republican Party more than any other person .
The final step in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ presidential election occurs on Jan. 6 .
On the date , the new Congress ’ s two chambers meet in a joint session to count the electoral votes .
It is usually a mere formality , which occurs in every presidential election .
However , the Electoral Count Act of 1877 requires only one representative and one senator to object to a state ’ s slate of electors , temporaily stopping the count .
The objection requires the two chambers to convene separately for a two-hour meeting to debate the objection .
Each @ @ @ @ @ @ @ reject a state ’ s slate of electors .
Every member of Congress has one vote .
The members then reconvene the joint session to report whether their house accepts the electors from the state that has been challenged .
Rep. Mo Brooks , Republican of Alabama has become the first member of Congress to publicly announce that he will object to the slate of presidential electors from several states , because he believes there may have been massive fraud .
He would need to have just one senator join him to disrupt @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Republican senator should be easy , given the responses to a recent Washington Post survey of all 249 Republicans in the House and Senate .
The newspaper found that fewer than one-quarter of Senate Republicans acknowledge Biden ’ s victory , and a small number still claim Trump won the election .
However , as of Dec. 5 , no senators have publicly said they would join Brooks ’ objections .
Challenging the certification of the electoral slates will not reverse Biden ’ s win .
It is evident that there is not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ out any of Biden ’ s electors .
It would only take 3 of the 26 Republican senators who acknowledge that Biden is the president-elect , to vote with the Democrats and uphold a state ’ s electors .
In the House , each member gets one vote under the Electoral Count Act .
The D ’ s have a majority , so the House will not support stripping away any state ’ s certified list of electors .
Consequently , the Senate and House positions will be the same in accepting the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ reconvene .
If both bodies are in agreement , vice president Mike Pence , whom the act designates as the president of the joint session , would not be able to claim he has a “ tie-breaking vote ” to swing the decision to Trump .
Even if there were a split between the houses , the Electoral Count Act gives no authority to the president of the session to break a tie.If Pense claimed such a right , Democrats would certainly appeal to the Supreme Court for a ruling .
And , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ lost almost every appeal to the courts to delay or void the Biden win .
More importantly , it appears that Pence may not be willing to sacrifice himself for Trump .
The Daily Kos reporter Joan McCarter wrote that there appears to be some distance taking place between the two men .
Pence ’ s name has disappeared from the Trump-Pence campaign logo sent out on some of the fundraising emails .
And since November 25 , none of Trump ’ s fundraising pushes have included his name in the “ from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the White House — But Not the Republican Party Losing the electoral vote count on Jan. 6 will actually burnish Trump ’ s image as a victim of the establishment .
An establishment led by those that Trump ’ s base loathes “ radical leftist Democrats , ” elite media bosses , deep-state bureaucrats , and the so-called RINOs — Republicans In Name Only — who did not succumb to Trump ’ s claims of fraud .
The Trump base is calling the current Republican governors of Arizona and Georgia “ RINOs , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ their political power to halt the certification of their states ’ electors for Biden .
It doesn ’ t matter that a governor or a legislature changing the rules after an election was held would violate a state ’ s laws or consitution .
If Trump can retain his significant influence on his solid base of Republican voters , he will seek revenge on those two governors and other officials who failed to bring about a November victory for him .
In fact , Trump immediately and openly attacked Georgia Gov .
Brian @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
On the morning of Dec. 5 , the same day Trump was to hold a rally in Georgia , he called the governor and pushed him to call a special session of the state legislature for lawmakers to throw out Biden ’ s certified electors and appoint Trump electors .
Consequently , at his rally , Trump openly encouraged an ally to run against Kemp when the governor comes up for re-election in 2022 .
In Trump ’ s world , the heroes are the members of Congress , like Republican House @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Trump ’ s efforts to stop Biden from being confirmed as the next president .
In the two weeks after Biden is confirmed , Trump will still be president .
He could issue a Medal of Freedom to anyone he wishes .
Brooks could even get one .
Trump ’ s intention to maintain control of the Republican Party has become evident .
Previously , when presidents left office , there were open elections for leadership positions in their party .
Trump snuffed out that notion when he tweeted his support for another @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Republican National Committee , Ronna McDaniel , who has been an unwavering Trump defender .
More importantly was his creation of Save America , a Leadership PAC rather than a Campaign PAC .
Although a Leadership PAC has a lower limit than a Campaign PAC on the amount a donor can give , it has much more flexibility .
It can take donations from other PACs and spend unlimited amounts to benefit a political candidate ’ s travel , polling , and consultants .
The Leadership PAC gives Trump the means to hire @ @ @ @ @ @ @ engage in political activity — even if he never runs for office again .
Trump has shown that he can raise a lot of money — as a victim , as he often has portrayed himself since becoming president .
Now , he is the victim of a rigged election .
His political operation raised more than $ 207 million from Election Day on Nov. 3 to Dec. 3 alone .
It is likely that close to half that amount came from small donors , which is less than $ 200 .
Forty-five @ @ @ @ @ @ @ from small donors , while Biden ’ s percentage from them was only thirty-eight percent .
Trump ’ s website pleaded , “ President Trump needs YOU to step up to make sure we have the resources to protect the integrity of the Election.
” For outreach , they sent 414 different emails and another 132 separate text messages , many pitching that the money would support Trump ’ s “ Official Election Defense Fund.
” However , the fine print notes that the first 75 % of every contribution will flow to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not be used to support Mr. Trump ’ s own campaign or the cost of litigation arising from his campaign , according to Brendan Fischer , Federal Reform Program director at the Campaign Legal Center .
Nevertheless , Matt Gorman , a Republican strategist , summed up Trump ’ s political future as inserting “ himself in the national debate in a way that ’ s unlike any of his predecessors.
” The biggest decision facing Trump is whether he plays kingmaker in the Republican Party or actually becomes a declared candidate for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ will keep him in the national spotlight and enable him to assert himself as the Republican Party ’ s main protagonist to Biden .
Still , both options will also create ripples within the party .
Other Republican politicians have started itching for more freedom to run for president in 2024 , even if they incur the wrath of Trump supporters .
Although Trumpistas dominate social media , their voting power appears to be waning .
For instance , down-ballot Republicans received more votes than Trump did in Georgia , which is a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ other words , a sizable number of Republican voters either went for Biden or , more likely , just didn ’ t vote for Trump .
As Trump pushes to maintain and expand his control over the Republican Party , internal dissention will likely grow and drive the existing wedge between the mainstream and Trumpist segments even deeper .
And that will be a gift to the Democrats — from Donald Trump .
Nick Licata is author of Becoming A Citizen Activist , and has served 5 terms on the Seattle City Council @ @ @ @ @ @ @ year by The Nation , and is founding board chair of Local Progress , a national network of 1,000 progressive municipal officials .
Subscribe to Licata ’ s newsletter Citizenship Politics

Forty-eight hours after the AP projected Joe Biden as president-elect, Donald Trump established a Save America PAC to secure his takeover of the Republican Party.
Two developments that will occur before Biden is sworn-in as our 46th president will shape our country for the next four years. First, Trump will fail to stop any of Biden’s electoral votes from being overturned when Congress counts them on Jan. 6, 2021. Second, Trump will move to dominate the future of the Republican Party more than any other person.
January 6 will mark Trump’s Waterloo
The final step in certifying that Joe Biden won the 2020 presidential election occurs on Jan. 6. On the date, the new Congress’s two chambers meet in a joint session to count the electoral votes. It is usually a mere formality, which occurs in every presidential election. However, the Electoral Count Act of 1877 requires only one representative and one senator to object to a state’s slate of electors, temporaily stopping the count.
The objection requires the two chambers to convene separately for a two-hour meeting to debate the objection. Each body then votes whether to accept or reject a state’s slate of electors. Every member of Congress has one vote. The members then reconvene the joint session to report whether their house accepts the electors from the state that has been challenged.
Rep. Mo Brooks, Republican of Alabama has become the first member of Congress to publicly announce that he will object to the slate of presidential electors from several states, because he believes there may have been massive fraud. He would need to have just one senator join him to disrupt the joint session. Finding just one Republican senator should be easy, given the responses to a recent Washington Post survey of all 249 Republicans in the House and Senate.
The newspaper found that fewer than one-quarter of Senate Republicans acknowledge Biden’s victory, and a small number still claim Trump won the election. However, as of Dec. 5, no senators have publicly said they would join Brooks’ objections.
Challenging the certification of the electoral slates will not reverse Biden’s win. It is evident that there is not a majority of senators willing to throw out any of Biden’s electors. It would only take 3 of the 26 Republican senators who acknowledge that Biden is the president-elect, to vote with the Democrats and uphold a state’s electors.
In the House, each member gets one vote under the Electoral Count Act. The D’s have a majority, so the House will not support stripping away any state’s certified list of electors. Consequently, the Senate and House positions will be the same in accepting the contested electors as valid when both chambers reconvene.
If both bodies are in agreement, vice president Mike Pence, whom the act designates as the president of the joint session, would not be able to claim he has a “tie-breaking vote” to swing the decision to Trump. Even if there were a split between the houses, the Electoral Count Act gives no authority to the president of the session to break a tie.If Pense claimed such a right, Democrats would certainly appeal to the Supreme Court for a ruling. And, so far at least, Trump has lost almost every appeal to the courts to delay or void the Biden win.
More importantly, it appears that Pence may not be willing to sacrifice himself for Trump. The Daily Kos reporter Joan McCarter wrote that there appears to be some distance taking place between the two men. Pence’s name has disappeared from the Trump-Pence campaign logo sent out on some of the fundraising emails. And since November 25, none of Trump’s fundraising pushes have included his name in the “from” field.
Trump Will Give Up the White House — But Not the Republican Party
Losing the electoral vote count on Jan. 6 will actually burnish Trump’s image as a victim of the establishment. An establishment led by those that Trump’s base loathes “radical leftist Democrats,” elite media bosses, deep-state bureaucrats, and the so-called RINOs — Republicans In Name Only — who did not succumb to Trump’s claims of fraud.
The Trump base is calling the current Republican governors of Arizona and Georgia “RINOs,” because they supposedly did not use their political power to halt the certification of their states’ electors for Biden. It doesn’t matter that a governor or a legislature changing the rules after an election was held would violate a state’s laws or consitution.
If Trump can retain his significant influence on his solid base of Republican voters, he will seek revenge on those two governors and other officials who failed to bring about a November victory for him.
In fact, Trump immediately and openly attacked Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp after he rebuffed a Trump request. On the morning of Dec. 5, the same day Trump was to hold a rally in Georgia, he called the governor and pushed him to call a special session of the state legislature for lawmakers to throw out Biden’s certified electors and appoint Trump electors. Consequently, at his rally, Trump openly encouraged an ally to run against Kemp when the governor comes up for re-election in 2022.
In Trump’s world, the heroes are the members of Congress, like Republican House member Rep. Brooks of Alabama who embraced Trump’s efforts to stop Biden from being confirmed as the next president. In the two weeks after Biden is confirmed, Trump will still be president. He could issue a Medal of Freedom to anyone he wishes. Brooks could even get one.
Trump’s intention to maintain control of the Republican Party has become evident. Previously, when presidents left office, there were open elections for leadership positions in their party. Trump snuffed out that notion when he tweeted his support for another term for the current chair of the Republican National Committee, Ronna McDaniel, who has been an unwavering Trump defender.
More importantly was his creation of Save America, a Leadership PAC rather than a Campaign PAC. Although a Leadership PAC has a lower limit than a Campaign PAC on the amount a donor can give, it has much more flexibility. It can take donations from other PACs and spend unlimited amounts to benefit a political candidate’s travel, polling, and consultants. The Leadership PAC gives Trump the means to hire staff, cover personal expenses, and engage in political activity — even if he never runs for office again.
Trump has shown that he can raise a lot of money — as a victim, as he often has portrayed himself since becoming president. Now, he is the victim of a rigged election. His political operation raised more than $207 million from Election Day on Nov. 3 to Dec. 3 alone. It is likely that close to half that amount came from small donors, which is less than $200. Forty-five percent of his pre-election day contributions came from small donors, while Biden’s percentage from them was only thirty-eight percent.
Trump’s website pleaded, “President Trump needs YOU to step up to make sure we have the resources to protect the integrity of the Election.” For outreach, they sent 414 different emails and another 132 separate text messages, many pitching that the money would support Trump’s “Official Election Defense Fund.”
However, the fine print notes that the first 75% of every contribution will flow to Save America. And that PAC cannot be used to support Mr. Trump’s own campaign or the cost of litigation arising from his campaign, according to Brendan Fischer, Federal Reform Program director at the Campaign Legal Center. Nevertheless, Matt Gorman, a Republican strategist, summed up Trump’s political future as inserting “himself in the national debate in a way that’s unlike any of his predecessors.”
The biggest decision facing Trump is whether he plays kingmaker in the Republican Party or actually becomes a declared candidate for the 2024 presidential election. Either option will keep him in the national spotlight and enable him to assert himself as the Republican Party’s main protagonist to Biden. Still, both options will also create ripples within the party. Other Republican politicians have started itching for more freedom to run for president in 2024, even if they incur the wrath of Trump supporters.
Although Trumpistas dominate social media, their voting power appears to be waning. For instance, down-ballot Republicans received more votes than Trump did in Georgia, which is a reverse of what should occur. In other words, a sizable number of Republican voters either went for Biden or, more likely, just didn’t vote for Trump.
As Trump pushes to maintain and expand his control over the Republican Party, internal dissention will likely grow and drive the existing wedge between the mainstream and Trumpist segments even deeper. And that will be a gift to the Democrats — from Donald Trump.
Nick Licata is author of Becoming A Citizen Activist, and has served 5 terms on the Seattle City Council, named progressive municipal official of the year by The Nation, and is founding board chair of Local Progress, a national network of 1,000 progressive municipal officials.
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dailykos--2020-12-10--It is well past time to confront the truth of the Republican Party's threat to democracy

• Jan. 2015-Jan. 2017 : The Republican Senate engages in an unprecedented embargo on most all federal district and appellate court judges nominated by President Barack Obama .
• 2016 : Multiple state and federal Republicans openly admit that voter ID requirements , and similar voter suppression laws , are designed to hurt Democrats and allow specific Republican candidates to win .
• March 2016 : After the death of Antonin Scalia , Republicans block President Obama ’ s power to appoint Merrick Garland , or any Supreme Court nominee .
• September-October 2016 : Multiple Republican senators declare that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Justice if Hillary Clinton wins the presidential election .
• September 2016 : Republican Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell blocks any bipartisan effort to disclose and condemn Russian interference in the 2016 election .
• April 2017 : Republicans eliminate the Supreme Court filibuster to appoint Neil Gorsuch to the Supreme Court .
• December 2018 : After Wisconsin voters chose to replace its Republican governor with a Democratic one , Republican state legislators meet in a lame-duck session to strip existing powers from the Democratic governor and state attorney general , and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ effort to reduce Democratic voting .
• Dec. 21 , 2018–Jan .
25 , 2019 : Trump forces the longest-ever government shutdown because Congress—on a bipartisan basis—refused to fund his pet wall project on the southern border .
• Feb. 15 , 2019 : After Congress refused to fund Trump ’ s wall , and his subsequent and unsuccessful extended government shutdown , Trump declares a national emergency and pilfers funds from the military budget to pay for his pet wall project anyway .
• March 14 , 2019 : Trump threatens violence @ @ @ @ @ @ @ do not support him .
• May 30 , 2019 : Computer hard drives belonging to a deceased Republican operative are turned over by his daughter .
They reveal national Republicans ’ efforts to use census data to suppress minority and Democratic voting power and representation .
• Sept. 11 , 2019 : North Carolina ’ s Republican state legislators tell their Democratic counterparts that the state legislature will not be in session on the 9/11 anniversary , but then secretly meet in a half-empty chamber to override the Democratic governor ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 2020 : Republican senators vote to block hearing any witnesses or evidence in the impeachment trial of Donald Trump .
• May 1 , 2020 : Trump tweets support for hundreds of gun-toting militia types who invade the Michigan State House in protest of COVID-19 response measures .
• July 21 , 2020 : Contrary to hundreds of years of constitutional interpretation and practice , the Trump administration announces that it will not count undocumented immigrants in the decennial census ; it ’ s an effort to reduce the number of House seats @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of federal payments to such states based on population .
• Oct. 5 , 2020 : In the teeth of a historic pandemic threatening death and injury to millions , the Trump campaign and compliant Republican state legislators embark on an astonishing campaign to make voting more dangerous and difficult .
A concise overview is provided by Mother Jones , in “ 29 Ways Trump and the GOP Are Making It Harder To Vote.
” • Oct. 18 , 2020 : Days after the FBI foiled a plot by militia men to kidnap @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Whitmer over COVID-19 safety orders , Trump incites and encourages a Michigan crowd to engage in further violence against her .
• Oct. 26 , 2020 : Republicans confirm Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court one week before a presidential election—despite blocking Garland or any nominee by a Democratic president to fill a seat that opened nine months before the 2016 election .
• Nov. 3 , 2020 : How could the 2020 election ever be summarized in a bullet point ?
Trump refuses to agree to a peaceful transfer of power @ @ @ @ @ @ @ over ) to overturn the election he lost .
Trump publicly lies about the election , seeks to subvert state election procedures , threatens retribution against other Republicans , and incites violence .
And—this is crucial—he does so largely with the complicity of the Republican party .
• Dec. 5 , 2020 : A month after Joe Biden won the presidential election ( by more than 7 million votes ) , only 27 out of 249 Republican senators and House members will publicly admit that Biden won the election .
• Dec. 8 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ out an appalling tweet—asking if people are “ willing to give [ their ] life ” in support of Trump ’ s efforts to overturn the election .
• Dec. 9 , 2020 : The Republican majority leader of the Pennsylvania Senate tells a New York Times reporter that she would have signed a Trump letter declaring fraud in the 2020 election because “ If I would say to you , ‘ I don ’ t want to do it , ’ I ’ d get my house bombed tonight.
” • Dec. @ @ @ @ @ @ @ continues to obstruct the transition to the Biden administration , while over 100 Republican House members and 17 state attorneys general sign onto Texas ’ unprecedented and “ seditious ” lawsuit against four swing states .
Folks , this is insane .
It ’ s an open , ongoing assault on the fundamental tenets of this country , unseen since the run up to the Civil War .
Admittedly , defeating this Republican problem is hard and complex , and viable solutions will take discussions longer than this one post .
But allow @ @ @ @ @ @ @ concept : scandal .
The first and necessary step back requires that our country , our politics , and our media rediscover how to label , report , and resist scandalous behavior .
Remember Watergate ?
Whitewater ?
Benghazi ?
None of them compares to this threat to democracy ( yes , not even Watergate ) .
That means reporting this for what it is , and not inviting any co-conspirators on for polite interviews .
It means having a panel of historians and civic leaders on , regularly , to discuss the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ hacks .
It means consistent front page reporting on this crisis .
It means not reporting this as “ horse race ” politics .
And it means that Democratic leadership has to be fighting against this , openly and all the time .
Shutting this down requires that , as a basic first step , we all begin to treat this as the five-alarm fire scandal that it is .
I once called the Republicans ’ hunger for power a “ dark truth.
” Five years later , sadly , it is an @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
We can ’ t let this continue .

Watching the depressing and alarming spectacle of 17 Republican state attorneys general joining Texas’s bad faith, frivolous Supreme Court application to overturn the election in favor of Donald Trump, I am reminded that in September 2015, I wrote a post titled “The Dark Truth of John Boehner’s Resignation.”
What was that “dark truth”?
What is important here is not that Republicans object to the limits of their power, but that Republicans apparently cannot accept that such limits even exist. It sounds crazy, I know, but this represents the true "dark side" of Boehner's resignation: It is another significant step in the Republican Party's shocking withdrawal from our system of democratic governance.
Five years ago, the notion that Republicans were abandoning democracy was considered to be a somewhat important observation, something to be widely shared and discussed. Today? Well, let’s consider a few of the developments since 2015.
Folks, this is insane. It’s an open, ongoing assault on the fundamental tenets of this country, unseen since the run up to the Civil War.
Admittedly, defeating this Republican problem is hard and complex, and viable solutions will take discussions longer than this one post. But allow me to propose we rediscover an essential concept: scandal.
The first and necessary step back requires that our country, our politics, and our media rediscover how to label, report, and resist scandalous behavior. Remember Watergate? Whitewater? Benghazi? None of them compares to this threat to democracy (yes, not even Watergate).
That means reporting this for what it is, and not inviting any co-conspirators on for polite interviews. It means having a panel of historians and civic leaders on, regularly, to discuss the scandal, not a D-list of political hacks. It means consistent front page reporting on this crisis. It means not reporting this as “horse race” politics. And it means that Democratic leadership has to be fighting against this, openly and all the time.
Shutting this down requires that, as a basic first step, we all begin to treat this as the five-alarm fire scandal that it is.
I once called the Republicans’ hunger for power a “dark truth.” Five years later, sadly, it is an open, proud and largely unchallenged truth.
We can’t let this continue.