The first book that emotional destroyed me was The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison. We had a lot of books around the house and I picked it up when I was young (10? 12?) and read it not knowing anything about it.
And it destroyed me. I lived in a mostly White, mostly Jewish and Catholic, relatively safe, relatively affluent suburb, and I’d never been hit so hard by the powerful impact of racism on people’s lives. I knew about it, of course, but I’d never FELT it like that. It had never felt so real to me. I’d never thought about a young girl, in many ways so much like me, but dealing with a force so evil and oppressive.
I sobbed for Pecola. I cried and cried. The pain destroyed me in a way no pain ever had before.
But it also rebuilt me to be stronger. I learned so much from that book. The me that came out of that experience was more emphatic, more knowledgeable, and more committed to social justice.
It’s not easy to face the pain the world, whether it is through fiction, stories from friends, or the news, but when the pain recedes, we can be stronger and kinder and more dedicated to bringing light to the world.
We all face this right now.
It is hard to see awful happening in the world: babies orphaned by mass shooters; children alone due to ICE raids; people scared in their own country.
You can block yourself off from the pain of it all. You can harden your skin and protect your soul so that the pain doesn’t seep in.
And that will save you from sorrow.
But it will make the next atrocities -- and the ones after that --seem less bad. It will make you less likely to help. It will lead you to withdraw attention from injustice.
And we, those of us still fighting, will miss your amazing efforts.
But more than that, you will be diminished. You will lose some of your own light and your own strength.
So feel the pain the world throws it at you. Sob when you need to. Feel anger when you need it. All emotions are transient; they don’t last.
And when they recede, you will be stronger. You will be kinder. You will be more determined to make a difference.
We can’t hide from the awful things this president is doing. We cannot harden our hearts to the human toll.
But we can fight . We can do it together. There are literally millions and millions of people in this country all feeling what we are feeling and fighting for what is right.
In the words of the late, great Toni Morrison:
Now onto the good news (and more wise words from Toni Morrison):
Yup, We’re Impeaching the Mother-F&Ker
In Case You Haven't Heard, We're Impeaching The Motherf*cker
Last night, House Judiciary Committee Chair Jerry Nadler gave everybody what they've been asking for, telling CNN's Erin Burnett that actually we are already in the formal impeachment process. Have we not been saying?
NADLER: This IS formal impeachment proceedings. We are investigating all the evidence, we're gathering the evidence, and we will at the conclusion of this, hopefully by the end of the year, vote articles of impeachment to the House floor, or we won't. That's a decision that we'll have to make. But that's exactly the process we're in right now.
But as Maddow noted, there are a couple other things happening right now that also will probably end up contributing to the ongoing formal impeachment proceedings underway:
As we all know, all kinds of entities (several congressional committees, New York state, etc.) have been trying to get their hands on Trump's financial records and his taxes and his McDonald's receipts and everything else, and Trump and his team of idiot lawyers have been suing ERRBODY to try to keep that from happening, with some of the dumbest legal arguments you have ever heard. But as the Wall Street Journal reported on Thursday, certain banks are already sharing a lot of that information:
The Wall Street Journal lists a metric fuckload of banks, including ones Trump has sued: Bank of America, Citigroup, Deutsche Bank, JPMorgan & Chase, Morgan Stanley, and Wells Fargo. Further:
More information will likely be handed over in coming weeks as the banks continue to respond to subpoenas sent in April, the people said.And on top of that, Deutsche Bank is reportedly giving New York state Attorney General Letitia James all kinds of fun stuff on the Trump Organization, and oh shit, Donald Trump, the walls are closing in!
so why does this matter?
The point is that the House Intelligence Committee and the House Financial Services Committee (or as you know them, Adam Schiff and Auntie Maxine) already are getting their hands on A LOT. And at some point, they're going to win some of those lawsuits to get their hands on the rest of what they want, if the reaction from judges so far has been any indication.
Will stuff from those investigations end up in articles of impeachment? Bet your ass we reckon probably!
and what is the other thing Maddow noted that is super bad for trump?
Maddow also noted last night (yeah, we borrowed some of the format for this post from her "A" block, what are you gonna do about it?) that two very similar lawsuits were filed this week against the Trump administration, by highly qualified former FBI officials who were inappropriately smeared, hounded and ultimately fired for failing to pledge fealty to King ShitMouth Von BigMac.
the allegations in both of these lawsuits are incredibly damning. And all of this is going to be playing out in court alongside the House's formal impeachment inquiry into Trump. Will details from these lawsuits ultimately end up in articles of impeachment against Trump? That's what Rachel Maddow was #JustAsking last night, and we are also too wondering it.
so what did Wonkette learn from this?
In Summary And In Conclusion!
This fall is going to suuuuuuuuuuck for Donald Trump. And just like Rep. Rashida Tlaib said, we're impeaching the motherfucker. Stay tuned
Thanks for the headline Wonkette
And did you say this fall??? Because someone else is talking about this fall:
The impeachment inquiry Trump feared is already here
House Democrats have begun impeachment proceedings against President Trump. A key Democrat admitted as much Thursday.
In fact, Democrats may have already begun an impeachment inquiry without most people noticing and without the fanfare (and potential political backlash) of a big announcement that it’s happening. In a court filing in late July to get the full, unredacted Mueller report, the Judiciary Committee argued that it needed the information because it “is conducting an investigation to determine whether to recommend articles of impeachment.” Since then, Democrats’ language has only become stronger in court filings, culminating with Nadler’s statement that impeachment proceedings have begun.
What that means: Democrats are taking the first step in this process. They have launched an impeachment inquiry to investigate what, if any, “high crimes and misdemeanors” Trump may have committed. If the investigation concludes that he has, the committee will draw up articles of impeachment and the Judiciary Committee and then the full House vote on it.
This is happening at the start of Congress’s August Recess (which is going to stretch until Sept. 9). So between now and then, any action will happen only in the courts. Once Congress is back, they can hold hearings highlighting the Mueller report, but their key witness and key documents could still be tied up in a legal battle.
having the chairman of the committee key to impeachment openly, and clearly, stating that an impeachment inquiry has started escalates things. The impeachment inquiry that Trump has feared is here.
And some inspiration for us:
Great 2020 News!!
New Poll Has bad news for GOP
Most commentators are failing to read how ordinary Americans, independents, some Republicans and Democrats, are responding to President Trump and how determined they are to bring an end to his presidency and its defining fight against immigration and a multicultural America. Voters are paying intense attention to politics, and their conclusions indicate a landslide win for the Democrats in 2020, whether they nominate somebody like Vice President Joe Biden or somebody like Senator Elizabeth Warren.
‘They’re afraid’: Suburban voters in red states threaten GOP’s grip on power
Republicans face a reckoning in the red-state suburbs that have long been a bedrock for the party, propelled by the stormy confluence of President Trump’s searing racial attacks, economic turbulence and frustration with government inaction after last weekend’s deadly mass shootings in Texas and Ohio.
The GOP lost its House majority in 2018 after it fared poorly with suburban voters, particularly women. Party leaders are increasingly alarmed that they have made little progress winning them back. Instead, Trump’s incessant feuds, his hard-line position on immigration — including federal raids that left children without their parents — and the stock market’s tumult amid his trade standoff with China threaten to further alienate suburban voters ahead of the 2020 campaign, even in states that have traditionally elected Republicans.
Republican leaders also worry that Trump’s dramatic policy moves and Twitter outbursts — such as last month’s racist tweets about four minority women in Congress — could prod more suburban GOP lawmakers to head for the exits rather than mount a defense, following in the footsteps of several Texas Republicans and others who have decided not to seek reelection.
J.D. Scholten Almost Beat Steve King in 2018. Now He’s Running Again.
J. D. Scholten, a Democrat who nearly toppled Representative Steve King of Iowa in a heavily Republican district in 2018, announced on Monday that he would run again for the seat in 2020. His decision sets up a possible rematch with Mr. King, whose history of racist remarks has made him a pariah among Republican leaders, though not always with voters.
“Last time, we were hoping to win,” Mr. Scholten said in an interview before the announcement. “Now, we are expecting to win. We know how to do it.”
Days And Dunaway Win St. Louis County Council Seats, Democrats Regain Majority
Two Democrats captured vacant St. Louis County Council seats Tuesday, giving their party control of the governing body that was shaken up by Steve Stenger’s resignation as county executive
In addition to Democratic control, the wins mean the county council has a majority of women members for the first time since the end of 2010
Orange County, longtime GOP stronghold, now has more registered Democrats than Republicans
“Trump’s toxic rhetoric and exclusionary policies alienate women, millennials, suburban voters, immigrants and people of color — critical components of the electorate in Orange County,” said Katerina Ioannides, co- chairwoman of the Orange County Young Democrats, one of several groups that worked to increase party registration.
“The Republican Party’s platform no longer resonates in a rapidly diversifying, increasingly college-educated Orange County,” said Ioannides, whose group conducted registration drives aimed at young voters.
more wise words from Ms Morrison:
Democrats Are Amazing
Activism Makes a Difference: Use your voice
Trump lashes out after New York Times amends ‘bad’ headline about his response to mass shootings
The Times made the change after weathering intense backlash Monday night. A previewof Tuesday’s front page shared to social media sparked instant criticism from members of the public, journalists and politicians, including several 2020 Democratic presidential candidates, many of whom took issue with how the publication framed Trump’s comments on the weekend attacks in El Paso and Dayton, Ohio, that left at least 31 people dead and dozens injured. In the aftermath of the tragedies, major media outlets have faced scrutiny from all sides over how they confront Trump and his often inflammatory rhetoric.
Long John Silver’s Drops Fox News After Tucker Carlson Said White Supremacy’s A ‘Hoax’
The brand is one of more than 20 that have stopped advertising during the Fox News host’s show because of his offensive rhetoric.
Nestlé and HelloFresh, which have advertised on Carlson’s show in the past, told The Hollywood Reporter they were no longer running ads on the show. Nestlé said it had no plans to do so in the future.
On Friday, Stein Mart confirmed that it is no longer running ads on Carlson’s show.
n December 2018, Carlson lost more than 20 advertisers after suggesting that immigrants are making the United States “dirtier.” He never issued an apology and later doubled down on the racist sentiment.
Carlson lost even more advertisers in March after Media Matters released audio revealing white nationalist rhetoric he used during various appearances on shock jock Bubba the Love Sponge’s show between 2006 and 2011.
Other Good News
Trump says cities are ‘a mess.’ They’re actually enjoying a golden age.
You would never know it from reading the president’s Twitter feed, which unloaded anew on urban America last weekend with depictions of Baltimore as a “disgusting, rat and rodent infested mess.” But cities are enjoying a golden age, one that has made them safer, more prosperous and more attractive relative to suburban and rural America than at any time in recent decades.
Instead of bleeding residents, much of urban America is growing. Rather than scaring away young, educated workers, cities have become a magnet for them. Once a turnoff for corporate investment and development, many urban neighborhoods have become the most coveted places to be
“Cities have turned around,” said Susan Wachter, co-director of the Penn Institute for Urban Research. “And it’s been a rather stunning reversal.”
8chan Loses Cloudflare Protection After El Paso Shooting
Digital security company Cloudflare announced Sunday that it will stop providing services to 8chan in the wake of a mass shooting in El Paso, leaving the web forum popular with white supremacists vulnerable to cyberattack.
Cloudflare’s decision comes a day after El Paso shooting suspect Patrick Crusiuspurportedly posted a racist statement on 8chan, before allegedly killing 20 people. The tech company’s move means that 8chan will lack a key protection against distributed denial-of-service attacks (DDos), in which hackers bring down websites by swamping them with fake web traffic.
Far-Right Haven Gab.com Had Its Fundraising Site Shut Down By Amazon
Amazon cut business ties with Gab.com, a social network popular with the far right, following increased scrutiny on the relationships between radicalized internet communities and major internet companies after two mass shootings over the weekend.
Owned by former advertising CEO Andrew Torba, Gab gained national notoriety following the October 2018 Tree of Life synagogue shooting in Pittsburgh, in which the shooter announced his intent to attack the place of worship on Gab before killing 11 people and injuring six others. On its subdomain, invest.gab.com, which was hosted by Amazon Web Services, the company was soliciting up to $10 million from accredited US investors.
You’re probably more freaked out about the world than you should be
I don’t know you. But I’m guessing I can still tell you something important about yourself: You are more freaked out about the world — especially the other people in it — than you should be.
We disproportionately buy, click on and share scary stories about people killing other people. And for this, you can blame your brain. Your brain’s most important job is to take in information about the messy, confusing world we inhabit, find patterns embedded in the noise and use them to make predictions about the future. Brains particularly like actionable intelligence — and the most useful information pertains to threats that can be avoided, thus increasing your odds of survival.
The average person is really pretty nice. Study after study bears me out — most people return lost wallets, share resources, donate to charity and help strangers as a default response. Think about it this way: If people weren’t, on average, pretty compassionate, we wouldn’t need a label like “psychopath” for the small group of people who aren’t.
People who are trusting have more money and more friends. They are also happier, perhaps because their social lives are more rewarding. Trust also makes the world a better place — it’s the basis of all cooperation and social capital.
So, try it out. Assume the best of others. Ask a stranger a friendly question. Trust that others will usually treat you well in return. Sometimes they won’t, to be sure, and you should always be alert for genuine red flags. But you don’t need to go looking for them, in the news or in real life. And you might be surprised to discover you don’t miss that freaked-out feeling at all.
Bring us back to our theme, Toni:
sending you all love love and more love. ❤️ ✊ ❤️