It's that time again: What would you like to see asked as a future Question of the Day? Either something that's never been asked, or something that I haven't asked for awhile and you really enjoyed the first time around.
BRING ALL YOUR QUESTIONS! ALL OF THEM! :)
Question of the Day
Where Have All the Patriots Gone?
I've got a new piece at Shareblue, wondering where all those lauded Republican patriots have gone in this moment of national crisis.
My entire life, I have had to listen to narratives about how Republicans are the "Real Americans." I have had to listen to Republicans call me a traitor for supporting Democrats, for protesting war, for marrying an immigrant. I have seen pick-up trucks drive by my house sporting bumper sticks reading "Liberal Hunting License," and fielded death threats from self-identified Republicans because I am a progressive writer.There is much, much more at the link.
I have watched John Kerry, a war hero, be diminished as a coward by men who avoided service. I have watched Barack Obama, our first Black president, be subjected to delegitimizing tactics on the basis of his race by people who believe only white people can be truly American. I have watched Hillary Clinton, a woman who has given her life to public service, accused of being careless with classified information by people who now tolerate Russian meddling to destroy the core of our democracy.
All my years have been spent listening to Republicans tell me how it is they who are the great patriots of this nation. That people like me would see America brought to its knees with our capitulation.
Yet now, in this moment, in the middle of a profound and urgent national crisis, with evidence of foreign election meddling and a President-elect whose own fealty to this nation is deeply suspect, the Great Patriots of the Republican Party are nowhere to be found.
Recommended Reading
[Content Note: Murder; white supremacy; eliminationism; death penalty] Rebecca Hersher at NPR: "Jury finds Dylann Roof guilty in S.C. church shooting."
[CN: Rape culture; child abuse] Tim Evans, Mark Alesia, and Marisa Kwiatkowski at the IndyStar: "A 20-year toll: 368 gymnasts allege sexual exploitation."
Sarah Kendzior at The Correspondent: "Donald Trump, Russia, and the Mystery of 'These People'."
T.R. Ramachandran at Shareblue: "How the U.S. political press enabled a post-truth America — Part 2."
Tommy Christopher at Shareblue: "Rex Tillerson's stocks shot up $9 million after he was tapped as Trump secretary of state."
Dianna E. Anderson at Shareblue: "Kasich vetoes heartbeat bill, signs dangerous 20-week abortion ban."
Action Item: Support A Bipartisan Investigation of Russian Hacking
Here's an important teaspooning opportunity, Shakers!
Those who live in the US or are voting citizens living abroad can help support a bill to establish a bipartisan Congressional special investigation into Russian hacking, as introduced by California Rep. Eric Swalwell:
...Swalwell, a Democrat along with fellow Democrat Rep. Elijah Cummings (MD-07), the Ranking Member of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, had introduced H.R. 6447, the Protecting Our Democracy Act.Swalwell said, "Our reaction and response must not become bogged down in partisan politics and personalities, and that requires that the investigation be conducted outside of Congress.”
The bill would create a 12-member, bipartisan, independent commission empowered to interview witnesses, obtain documents, issue subpoenas, and receive public testimony to examine attempts by the Russian government and others to use electronic means to influence, interfere with, or sow distrust in this year’s U.S. elections. The commission, which would examine similar efforts by any other foreign governments or entities, would issue a final report with recommendations for future security protections to Congress and the President within 18 months of the bill’s enactment.
I especially encourage those with Republican representatives to call their offices--preferably in their home districts--and ask them to support this bill. Be sure to let them know that it's necessary to have a bipartisan independent commission with findings that will be public. Note that this is not what Mitch McConnell is proposing; he plans a GOP-controlled investigation via an existing committee whose findings would be secret. None of that is acceptable in a representative democracy.
I'm not much a scriptwriter, but this is the gist of what I said to my Congressperson's office staffer:
"Hi, my name is (Name) and I live in (town.) I'm calling to ask if (Congressperson) is going to support H.R.6447, the Protecting Our Democracy Act."
The staffer didn't know, so I continued along these lines: "This is a bill introduced by Representative Swalwell which would establish an independent, bipartisan commission to investigate the recent allegations of Russian hacking into Democratic offices. I fully support this kind of investigation. If it is true this was an attack conducted by Russia or another foreign power, I consider this an attack just like a military act of war. I also consider it a crime like Watergate, except on a much bigger scale. Please convey to Congressman (Name) that I believe the only patriotic thing to do when our country is attacked is to respond in a fully bipartisan and accountable fashion."
We had a bit more talk in which I specified that I did not think Mitch McConnell's solution was enough, because it was not bipartisan or public, because the American people deserve to know. I thanked them for listening and talked about follow-up. The whole thing took about 10 minutes.
You can find your rep at this link.
I also plan to contact my Senators, and ask them to support the call for a bipartisan Senate commission that was recently made by Sens. McCain(R) Graham (R), Schumer (D) and Reed (D). You can find your Senator here. Again, I encourage contacting their home offices if possible.
Calling home offices and making phone calls is the method recommended by former Congressional staffer Emily Ellsworth for maximum effectiveness. For those whose social anxiety or other reasons don't allow for a phone call, there are still other ways to make contact. Most senators and reps have email links on their webpages, so you may e-mail them if able. Snail mail can also be sent. There are also petitions circulating, although I don't know which to recommend. Pantsuit Nations is encouraging people to text 528-86 with INVESTIGATE (all in caps). This will take you to a page where you can fill in a form and get an auto-generated email about an investigation sent to your Senators and Congressperson. You can personalize the emails before sending if you wish. (I have done this.) Phone calls may be most effective, but other methods aren't useless, either.
If your Reps are Dems, encourage them to take a stand, and thank them if they're already supporting this. If your Reps are Republicans, they also need to be encouraged, guilted, or in whatever (polite) way you can find to motivate them. Wave the flag, quote the Founding Human of your choice, and emphasize that you expect them to put the good of the country first.
If you have other ideas, please share in comments below.
Daily Dose of Cute
As always, please feel welcome and encouraged to share pix of the fuzzy, feathered, or scaled members of your family in comments.
This Is a National Crisis
I've got a new piece at Shareblue about Russian interference in the election and Republicans' indifference to it, as well as the mounting evidence that Trump knew even before the U.S. intelligence community disclosed what was happening.
There is a lot of information there, so I'm not even going to try to excerpt part of it. Just go read the whole thing. This is, truly, the most important U.S. political story in our lifetimes, and long before.
Confirmation of What We All Suspected
1. NBC News: "U.S. Officials: Putin Personally Involved in U.S. Election Hack."
U.S. intelligence officials now believe with "a high level of confidence" that Russian President Vladimir Putin became personally involved in the covert Russian campaign to interfere in the U.S. presidential election, senior U.S. intelligence officials told NBC News.2. Politico: "Earnest: Trump May Have Known Russia Behind Hacking Before Election Day."
Two senior officials with direct access to the information say new intelligence shows that Putin personally directed how hacked material from Democrats was leaked and otherwise used. The intelligence came from diplomatic sources and spies working for U.S. allies, the officials said.
Putin's objectives were multifaceted, a high-level intelligence source told NBC News. What began as a "vendetta" against Hillary Clinton morphed into an effort to show corruption in American politics and to "split off key American allies by creating the image that [other countries] couldn't depend on the U.S. to be a credible global leader anymore," the official said.
White House press secretary Josh Earnest contended Wednesday that it's entirely feasible that Trump was well aware of Russia's interference well before the intelligence community confirmed as much in October, a month before the election.That, by the way, was the last press conference that Trump has given.
"There's ample evidence that was known long before the election and in most cases long before October about the Trump campaign and Russia — everything from the Republican nominee himself calling on Russia to hack his opponent," Earnest told reporters. "It might be an indication that he was obviously aware and concluded, based on whatever facts or sources he had available to him, that Russia was involved and their involvement was having a negative impact on his opponent's campaign."
"That's why he was encouraging them to keep doing it," Earnest continued, referring to the then-GOP presidential candidate's invitation during a late-July news conference for Russia to find Clinton's missing emails. At the time, Trump added that Russia would "probably be rewarded mightily by our press."
Shaker Gourmet
Whatcha been cooking up in your kitchen lately, Shakers?
Share your favorite recipes, solicit good recipes, share recipes you've recently tried, want to try, are trying to perfect, whatever! Whether they're your own creation, or something you found elsewhere, share away.
Also welcome: Recipes you've seen recently that you'd love to try, but haven't yet!
Daily Dose of Cute
As always, please feel welcome and encouraged to share pix of the fuzzy, feathered, or scaled members of your family in comments.
Recommended Reading
Jackie Calmes at the New York Times: "Obama Administration bars states from withholding federal money from Planned Parenthood."
Dianna E. Anderson at Shareblue: "Obama signs landmark health reform bill, further cementing his legacy."
Josh Rogin at the Washington Post: "Trump team working to remove top NATO official."
Jim Zarroli at NPR: "Government Ethics Office says Trump should divest himself of his businesses."
Matthew Chapman at Shareblue: "Do not be fooled: McConnell's call for a Russia probe is a ploy to sabotage it."
[Content Note: Video may autoplay at link] Chris Isidore at CNN Money: "The problem with Rex Tillerson's nine-figure nest egg."
[CN: Racism] Tressie McMillan Cottom at the Atlantic: "The problem with Obama's faith in White America."
[CN: Video may autoplay at link; disablist language] Seth Borenstein at ABC News: "Arctic's year of [wild] extremes as warming hits overdrive."
"The Democrats Are Doing Nothing"
This is a thing I keep hearing. It is incorrect.
(That tweet starts a long thread, in which I recount many actions the Democrats have been taking since the election.)
Sob
If you thought the $Hillary! stuff wasn't entirely bereft of wisdom and decency during the election, how's it looking to you now?
— Melissa McEwan (@Shakestweetz) December 13, 2016
Not that the CEO of ExxonMobil and president of the Putin Fan Club won't make an excellent Sec of State, I'M SURE.
— Melissa McEwan (@Shakestweetz) December 13, 2016
Question of the Day
A follow-up to yesterday's QotD: What funny, moving, or otherwise extraordinary moment of your life do you actually have on video, and can't quite believe you were lucky enough to capture it?
This video I captured of a passing migration of birds in October 2013 (video description at link) will forever be pretty cool to me.
Discussion Thread: Trump Despair
I don't know about y'all, but I just feel overwhelmingly despondent about the incoming Trump administration at the moment. Like, it was bad on Election Day. Indescribably bad. And it has been bad every day since. Worse, in fact, with each passing day. With every new Cabinet nomination. With every new disclosure of some horrendo conflict of interest. With every new piece of evidence that Mike Pence's grubby fingerprints are all over the big decisions. With every fresh reminder that Trump's goal is to utterly destroy the federal government, decades of diplomacy, the economy, and everything that makes this country what it is.
I feel real despair. And I am figuring I'm not alone in that. So here is a thread to talk about it, again, for anyone and everyone who needs it.
This Is Terrific
T.R. Ramachandran has written an amazing four-part series for Shareblue on the profound media failures during the election. Part One has just been published, and it is an absolute must-read.
And please share it if you enjoy it! It deserves (and needs) to be widely read.
On Perry
I've got a new piece at Shareblue about Rick Perry being nominated by Trump to lead the Department of Energy. And how he's one of now more than a dozen high-level appointments who are patently unqualified for their positions, which appears to be the entire point.
Reed it and seethe.
P.S.
Daily Dose of Cute
(Hard to believe this is the same dog who lies around with his tongue hanging out, lol.)
As always, please feel welcome and encouraged to share pix of the fuzzy, feathered, or scaled members of your family in comments.
