Good Day Good Newsies! Happy first Wednesday of the New Year, Happy Hump Day, Happy 300 days until we celebrate a Democrat President and the silver lining of a Democrat led Senate!
We have a heck of a fight ahead of us as the maladministration keeps throwing hooks and participating in dirty deeds. At this point we all know the liars are going to lie and the cheaters are going to cheat. It is a given, so there is no real reason to even give it daylight. The only reason to approach it is when there is an opportunity to bring a tight rope walker off the rope and into reality.
Listen, sh*t is hitting the fan as usual per the actions of the mango wanna be dictator and his enablers, please the rapture, come on. I do not want to focus on the, zomg WWW III, yes as I write this and who knows about overnight, bad things will probably happen. My heart goes out to our troops who had no say in any of this. But, I agree with all the writers here that that cannot be what takes up our fight, yes we will fight this I will get to that later, the picture is bigger than just this. We need to keep our chins up, our goals are clear, our fight is defined, we are the majority, we are on the right side of history!
I will refer to, as other GNR writers have, Jessiestaf's GNR Special: A 2020 survival guide. It is a must read! It was also written before the orange blowhard had to mess with Iran to deflect from Impeachment and think he would be a war hero pResident. Jessiestaf could not have known how much that post was needed!
“The bad news is nothing lasts forever, The good news is nothing lasts forever.”
Fight we will, in this together we are!
Before I move on I want to do a shout out to a co-worker and good friend, Sara Spezzano, who is running in the Democratic Primary in New York’s 133rd Assembly. She is running to succeed Marjorie Byrnes, who, gosh who would have thought it, stated on the floor of the Assembly that giving sanitary products to girls in public schools would create a black market for the product. Well that should surprise none of us. Sara is a firecracker and would be a representative looking out for her constituents and their best interests. If you live in NY please support her. If you know someone who lives in NY pass the information along. State races matter as we all know.
Her Act Blue: Donate to Friends of Sara
Thank you friends!
Onward!
I am going to start with this and be done with the war talk. It is too much for my already fragile anxiety and I want to stay positive!
The only remaining check on Trump is the 2020 election
Let’s start this piece with two provocative claims. The first, which is hotly contested by legal experts, is that President Donald Trump broke the law when he ordered an airstrike that killed Maj. Gen. Qassem Soleimani, a powerful Iranian paramilitary leader.
The second claim is that it doesn’t matter.
But how can you trust a president who was just impeached for using America’s national security architecture to try to undermine a political rival? What is our system supposed to do with a president who, in the words of one recently retired Republican Congress member, is “psychologically, morally, intellectually, and emotionally unfit for office?”
This president, in VanLandingham’s words, “doesn’t have the best track record for putting the best interests” of national security first. Yet Trump still enjoys the same broad powers and massive deference enjoyed by presidents who did act in good faith.
“Our country has, quite self-consciously, given one person, the president, an enormous sprawling military and enormous discretion to use it in ways that can easily lead to a massive war,” Goldsmith, the Harvard professor, tweeted. “That is our system: one person decides.”
In such a system, we cannot rely on the courts to save us from the president, nor can we expect this Congress to do so. There is only one remedy remaining, and that remedy cannot be used until November. (bolding mine)
Makes GOTMFV even more important.
BTW, I am not suggesting ignoring these events. There have already been protests and there will continue to be. We should make our voices heard in whatever capacity we each have.
No War With Iran' Marches Set for Thursday Across US
A coalition of progressive groups have announced plans to come together this Thursday to lead marches across the U.S. against President Donald Trump's push to wage war on Iran.
Win Without War, MoveOn, Indivisible, Vets About Face, and the National Iranian-American Council (NIAC) are among the groups leading the demonstrations.
"Nearly 50 events around the country, more to come," Jamal Abdi, NIAC president, tweeted Tuesday.
According to a Tuesday press release from the coalition, Thursday's marches will focus on beating back continuing White House threats to attack Iran.
"In the wake of the Trump administration's reckless assassination of Iranian General Soleimani, and threats to escalate conflict, activists carrying a 'no war' message will urge restraint and that the United States avoid yet another unnecessary, costly war of choice in the Middle East," the group said.
At press time there were 66 marches and demonstrations planned, with more to come.
Find an event near you here.
“Be nice to people on the way up, because you may meet them on the way down.” – Jimmy Durante
So how is McTurtles Senate Impeachment trial plans going with the public...not so great.
The whole thread is worth a look.
This…
All cults come to an end’: Why Trump ‘toadies’ should look to the fate of Nixon loyalists as proof nothing good can come from undying devotion
President Richard Nixon, like President Donald Trump, had his share of unwavering loyalists and supporters — and no matter how damning the Watergate scandal became in 1974, they refused to say a word against Nixon. Those Nixon loyalists, journalist Frank Rich stresses in an essay for New York Magazine, offer some valuable insights on what will ultimately befall Trump’s “toadies.”
There are some crucial differences between the Republican Party under Nixon in 1974 and the GOP under Trump in 2020. When Nixon resigned from the presidency on August 8, 1974, it was painfully obvious that many prominent Republicans had turned against him — including Arizona Sen. Barry Goldwater, considered an intellectual leader of the conservative movement (Sen. John McCain proudly called himself a “Goldwater Republican”). But despite all the evidence against Trump methodically presented by House Democrats during their recent impeachment inquiry, most Republicans in Congress continue to insist that he did nothing wrong.
“Rather than being the end of American history as we know it, the Trump presidency may prove merely a notorious chapter in that history,” Rich asserts. “Heedless lapdogs like (Louisiana Sen. John) Kennedy, Devin Nunes and Lindsey Graham are acting now as if there is no tomorrow, but tomorrow will come eventually, whatever happens in the near future — and Judgment Day could arrive sooner than they think. That judgment will be rendered by an ever-more demographically diverse America unlikely to be magnanimous toward cynical politicians who prioritized pandering to Trump’s dwindling all-white base over the common good.”
All I can say to that is, yup.
“The way I see it, every life is a pile of good things and bad things. The good things don’t always soften the bad things, but vice versa, the bad things don’t always spoil the good things and make them unimportant.” – Doctor Who
Oh Michael, what were you thinking?
Michael Flynn Bargains Self Up From 'Zero Jail' To Possible Six-Month Sentence
Congratulations to Michael Flynn's nutbag lawyer Sidney Powell on a flawless victory! In December of 2018, federal prosecutors asked for zero jail time for her client. Then the former national security adviser fired his white shoe law firm, hired himself a fancy teevee lawyer who sells T-shirts on her website, and like magic the feds are now recommending he spend up to six months in the pokey. Well-played, everyone!
And remember that time Judge Sullivan lost his shit and made Flynn say I AM A VERY BAD, GUILTY BOY over and over in court? The government would like that to happen again at the upcoming sentencing hearing on January 28.
Based on the defendant's conduct since the time of the December 18, 2018, sentencing hearing, the government also does not believe the defendant should receive credit for acceptance of responsibility. Indeed, the government has reason to believe, through representations by the defendant's counsel, that the defendant has retreated from his acceptance of responsibility in this case regarding his lies to the FBI. For that reason, the government asks this Court to inquire of the defendant as to whether he maintains those apparent statements of innocence or whether he disavows them and fully accepts responsibility for his criminal conduct.
Oooooh, that does sound like fun! Either Flynn can get up on the stand and admit that everything his wacko lawyer has been saying is bullshit, or he can keep insisting that HE WUZ FRAMED and risk getting beaten to death by Judge Sullivan's gavel. Must see TV, whichever way it goes down.
Oh NSYNC, I knew your song would be good for something. Bye, Bye, Bye:
Rep. Duncan Hunter To Resign From Congress After Guilty Plea
Embattled Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-CA) will resign his seat in Congress next week, more than a month after he pleaded guilty to a charge of misusing campaign funds for personal expenses.
Hunter will resign effective Jan. 13, multiple outlets reported. He is set to be sentenced on March 17, facing a maximum of five years in prison.
“Just disconnect. Once in a day sometime, sit silently and from all connections disconnect yourself.” — Yoda (Star Wars Quotes)
The above advice is for little lindsey, really disconnect please.
If a Loser Racist Goes on Fox News and Calls You a Loser Racist, Does It Make a Sound?
Trump’s favorite ingrown toenail, Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham, took shots at former quarterback Colin Kaepernick, who’s currently being whiteballed by the NFL, and Democratic Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, because that’s what Lindsey Graham does.
Over the weekend, Kaepernick tweeted that Trump’s attack on one of Iran’s top military officers, Qassem Soleimani, was nothing new since America has a hankering for killing black and brown people.
Because Trump’s third testicle was all worked up and red-faced, he then turned his attention to Ocasio-Cortez.
“You do not need congressional authorization to defend troops in the field in harm’s way,” Graham said. “AOC doesn’t know anything about the law of armed conflict, obviously.”
The real question is if a racist loser goes on Fox News and calls you a racist loser, does it even matter?
Was that good news? Nah, but I love to see tRump jr. jr. go on a rampage, isn’t it special. Oh and AOC I think she is just fine:
On Tuesday, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez brought joy to the world in the form of a video announcing a new addition to her family: a dog.
Squeee!
“When we strive to become better than we are, everything around us becomes better too.” — Paulo Coelho
Elections matter!!
Virginia attorney general reintroduces bills aimed at cracking down on hate crimes
Virginia Attorney General Mark Herring said Tuesday he will be reintroducing a set of bills in the upcoming 2020 legislative session aimed at strengthening hate crime statuses and punishments for hate crimes.
For the fourth year in a row, Herring said, he will introduce legislation which will update hate crime laws and domestic terrorism laws, and strengthen gun control across the state.
"We have all seen how hate can turn deadly with frightening frequency in America, at a synagogue in Pittsburgh, at an African American church in Charleston and even here in Virginia in our own backyard in Charlottesville," Herring told CNN. "This is a huge problem and it's not going away, which is why we have got to step up and do more about it."
"In years past, the bills I've introduced have been bottled up in Republican-held committees in our state legislature, which really sent a terrible message to vulnerable communities in Virginia that their commonwealth wasn't standing with them and wasn't going to be there to protect them," Herring said.
However, Democrats won majorities in Virginia's House and Senate in November, giving the party full control of the state's government for the first time in more than
two decades.
Supporters of the Equal Rights Amendment have filed a federal lawsuit in Massachusetts aimed at clearing a legal path for adoption of the long-delayed constitutional amendment.
Backers say they're wading into the debate over the amendment — which dates to the early 1970s — because Virginia is poised to become the decisive 38th state to approve the measure.
Amendments are added to the U.S. Constitution if they are approved by three-quarters of state legislatures. The anticipated approval of the amendment by Virginia would put the ERA over that threshold.
But the process is likely to hit some snags. One of the biggest is a measure passed by Congress in 1972, attaching a 1977 ratification deadline to it. That was later extended to 1982.
The lawsuit filed Tuesday in U.S. District Court in Boston argues, in part, that the deadline imposed by Congress was passed separately and not included in the text of the amendment — and therefore not constitutionally binding.
“Do all the good you can, for all the people you can, in all the ways you can, as long as you can.” — Hillary Clinton
Court tosses permit for Atlantic Coast Pipeline station
A federal appeals court has thrown out a permit needed by developers of the Atlantic Coast Pipeline to build a natural gas compressor station in a historic African American community in Virginia.
The unanimous ruling from a three-judge panel of the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals is a victory for opponents of a proposal to build the station in Union Hill, an unincorporated community that was founded by freed slaves after the Civil War.
Greg Buppert, a senior attorney with the Southern Environmental Law Center, said the ruling validates the concerns of Union Hill residents.
“The community felt like the company was trying to erase them out of existence," Buppert said. "I think the court took those issues very seriously and listened.”
London and NYC Mayors Call on Every Major City in the World to Divest From Climate-Destroying Fossil Fuels
Ahead of a forum for local leaders from across the globe scheduled for March, Mayors Bill de Blasio of New York and Sadiq Khan of London on Tuesday urged every major city in the world to divest from the fossil fuel industries that are wrecking the planet.
As part of their global call, the mayors unveiled a toolkit for cities interested in divesting their pension funds from fossil fuels "to help avert climate breakdown."
Divesting from Fossil Fuels, Investing in Our Future: A Toolkit for Cities (pdf) is a product of C40 Cities, a network of 94 municipalities whose leaders collectively represent over 700 million people and are committed to pursuing actions to meet the goals of the 2015 Paris climate agreement.
Bill McKibben, co-founder of the global environmental advocacy group 350.org, welcomed the new toolkit and cities' ongoing efforts in a statement Tuesday.
"Thanks to C40 and leading city mayors like Sadiq Khan and Bill de Blasio, divestment has become a standard—and crucial—part of the toolkit for taking on the climate crisis," McKibben said. "It makes no sense—morally, practically, or financially—to invest in the industries endangering our cities. And on the list of actions humans will have to take to deal with the planet's heating, it combines relatively low cost and effort with remarkably high leverage."
Referencing the frightening conditions that some major coastal cities now face as human activities continue to fuel the global climate emergency, he added: "Instead of having to move cities, let's move money!"
Cities are just part of the global movement to divest from the coal, gas, and oil industries. According to Fossil Free, a project of 350.org, Divest/Invest campaigners have secured commitments from over 1,150 organizations—including faith-based groups, philanthropic foundations, educational institutions, governments, pension funds, corporations, nonprofits, and healthcare entities—with more than $12 trillion in total assets.
“Don't give up! It's not over. The universe is balanced. Every set-back bears with it the seeds of a come-back." -Steve Maraboli
'Because Insects Are Key to Our Own Survival,' 73 Scientists Unveil Global Roadmap to Battle Bugpocalypse
Highlighting the "strong scientific consensus that the decline of insects, other arthropods, and biodiversity as a whole, is a very real and serious threat that society must urgently address," 73 international scientists on Monday published a roadmap to battle the world's "bugpocalypse."
The roadmap, published in the journal Nature Ecology and Evolution, explains that a mounting body of research shows "a suite of anthropogenic stressors—habitat loss and fragmentation, pollution, invasive species, climate change, and overharvesting—are seriously reducing insect and other invertebrate abundance, diversity, and biomass."
Among the immediate steps that the scientists propose to protect bugs worldwide are:
- Aggressively curbing planet-heating emissions;
- Cutting back on the use of synthetic pesticides and fertilizers;
- Limiting light, water, and noise pollution;
- Preventing the introduction of invasive and alien species;
- Pursuing conservation efforts for vulnerable, threatened, and endangered species; and
- Funding programs targeted at the public, farmers, land managers, policymakers, and conservation workers.
The roadmap for insect conservation and recovery also features mid-term and long-term actions as well as a call for large-scale assessments to monitor the status of insects groups.
It’s a New Day for LGBT Health
Not long ago, news stories about LGBT health were rarely something to celebrate. AIDS was endemic, and systemic discrimination had caused a full-blown mental health crisis. As for transgender people? Their health needs were either treated with disdain or simply ignored.
The picture may not be perfect today, but it’s a lot prettier than it was.
It was a pivotal decade in many ways. Cities from New York to Sydney got on a glide path toward ending HIV transmission. A pill called PrEP offered, in essence, an HIV vaccine you take on a daily basis. Social achievements like same-sex marriage dramatically improved gay and lesbian mental health. And the medical establishment finally began to acknowledge transgender health needs. There’s still a ways to go, but all in all, it’s been a good ten years.
Read the whole thing!
“In three words I can sum up everything I’ve learned about life: It goes on.” ― Robert Frost
The Australian fires have had me quite upset, how about some good news from there.
Watch an Australian firefighter save a baby kangaroo
Here is how you can help:
How to Contribute to the Organisations Caring for Injured Wildlife due to the Bush Fires in Australia
I know there has been lists upon lists for the best, the worst and the in between, but here is one more.
The Decade in Cheer
Homicides fell, green space grew and your weather forecast got a lot more precise. The last 10 years were filled with positive change—really! Read our list…
Read it, I cannot post it all here!
Well Good Gnusies, I cannot stay up too late or chime in the Wednesday am to add to the post, work demands my time and I need sleep to meet that demand. I will check in with my coffee, but you know what to do. Share the news I missed, bring your local good news, make us laugh, make us think!
Before I bow out though here are ways to fight to take back our democracy:
Act Blue
Vote Forward
Postcards To Voters
Fair Fight
Spread the Vote
Vote.org
Thank you to all for sharing these so I can shout out GOTV!
Of course your:
Your 5 weekly to-dos
- Call your representative and tell them to stop Trump’s march to war with Iran. The assassination of Major General Suleimani has brought us to the brink of war with Iran and puts the lives of Americans and our allies in jeopardy. Call your Representative and tell them to support a resolution to prevent a new war, and issue a public statement opposing war with Iran.
- Then, call your senator and tell them no to war with Iran. We need all members of Congress to know that Americans do not want war with Iran. Call your senators and tell them to publicly come out against going to war. Then call again and give that same message to your second senator.
- RSVP now for a mass call on Wednesday, January 8, at 8 p.m. ET to discuss plans to stop Trump's escalation to war with Iran. We’ve joined our partner organizations, MoveOn and Win Without War, to hold a mass call for the grassroots to update our movement on what’s been going on. Tune in to hear about our National Day of Action on the very next day (see below).
- Join our #NoWarWithIran National Day of Action on Thursday, January 9. The public energy to oppose Trump’s war with Iran is palpable and angry. The most powerful mechanism to funnel public outrage is a national day of action to make the anti-war majority visible and oppose war with Iran. Grab your “No War” signs and banners, hang them over bridges and intersections, and rally to the public squares to make sure that Congress knows that Americans are against war with Iran.
- Call your senators to demand a fair and open impeachment trial. Despite the overwhelming evidence that Trump abused his authority, violated the law, and repeatedly tried to obstruct justice, Republicans are guaranteeing a rigged impeachment trial in the Senate. In December, the House impeached Trump and now, Speaker Pelosi is holding the articles of impeachment until Senators McConnell and Schumer negotiate the rules of the trial. Call your senators and demand they uphold their oath to defend the Constitution and hold a fair and open impeachment trial and allow first-hand witnesses to testify. The foundation of American democracy is at stake.
- Join an impeachment visibility event near you at impeachnow.org. After the “Nobody is Above the Law” rallying calls heard around the country, our movement is ready to see this impeachment process through. Join a visibility event near you to keep this fight going. Check out this toolkit to help you promote and share your events!
- Register for the National Activist Call on January 9 at 9 p.m. ET. Make sure to join us for an exclusive debrief of the impeachment fight, as well as an update about Iran and what we can do to stop Trump from taking us to war. (Note that we have moved this call back an hour to allow everyone to participate in the #NoWarWithIran National Day of Action that evening)
- Call your New York State Assemblymember to demand a vote on automatic voter registration. Assembly Speaker Heastie joined Majority Leader Stewart Cousins and Governor Cuomo in promising to pass automatic voter registration (AVR) immediately in 2020, but the Assembly has yet to schedule a vote on this crucial legislation to expand voting rights in New York State. Call 855-973-4252 to demand a vote on AVR.
A little more than 5. :)
“The most common way people give up their power is by thinking they don’t have any.” -Alice Walker
We have the power!
Posted many times but I feel like I need to do so again.
Peace!