Culture of Resistance

[climbhighsleeplow]

No Kings !!! Thousands turned out in my town.

[saywhat-politics]

“No Kings” demonstration, Ocean Beach, San Francisco

[graspingbirdtail]

Ready?

At 80 years old I should be too old for this shit, but here we are. If I can do it, you can do it. Get out there tomorrow and let's see what we can do for what's left of America.

[conservatives-arekilling-america]

[wordpress-blaze-220638572]

🖤 No Kings. No Silence. No Turning Back.

What was meant to be a day of symbolism — No Kings Day — has now become a day of mourning.

Two respected public servants, Minnesota Representative Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, were shot and killed in their home.

In a separate but clearly coordinated attack, State Senator John Hoffman and his wife Yvette were also shot. Both are alive, but in critical condition.

This was a political assassination.

Let’s call it what it is. And let’s also be clear: it failed.

Whoever did this — or fueled it — did not stop democracy.

They ignited it.

⸻

Even in my tiny hometown in Montana — the place my partner and I had to leave for simply being gay — they’re speaking up.

They’re participating in No Kings Day.

And they’re not doing it as a political statement, but as a plea to save democracy itself.

Their concern? The eroding of checks and balances. The growing boldness of extremism. The absence of accountability.

This isn’t about partisanship.

This is about whether a democracy can survive when dissent is met with bullets.

⸻

What happened in Minnesota is horrific. But if anything, it proved just how dangerous fear is — and how vital courage must now become.

Whoever pulled the trigger has stirred up a hornet’s nest of conscience — and it won’t be silenced.

We will grieve. But we will not cower.

⸻

I ask of you:

🔸 Honor the fallen with your words, your votes, your truth.

🔸 Stand for nonviolence — not just in action, but in the way we speak, organize, and resist.

🔸 But do something. Say something. Let this not pass as just another headline.

⸻

This isn’t just No Kings Day.

This is a national wake-up call.

🕯️ We lost two voices.

So it’s on us to become louder.

Wiser. Kinder. And unshakably committed to never letting fear win.

This is Oddly Robbie. I’m with you. 

Source: 🖤 No Kings. No Silence. No Turning Back.

[jtmportland]

the real King of America

[saywhat-politics]

[makingdonalddrumpfagain]

[freedomss0n]

[freedomss0n]

[nickturse]

Trump Travel Ban Punishes Victims of the U.S. War Machine

Trump’s latest travel ban hits Afghans who aided the U.S. in its failed 20-year war.

Trump Travel Ban Punishes Victims of the U.S. War Machine

Trump’s latest travel ban hits Afghans who aided the U.S. in its failed 20-year war.

“This isn’t a Trump-era phenomenon; it’s a pattern that spans decades, from Vietnam to Afghanistan and from Kurds to Ukrainians,” said Erik Sperling of Just Foreign Policy, an advocacy group critical of mainstream Washington foreign policy. “It’s no secret that ostensible American partners in the developing world often end up worse off as a result of Washington’s actions. Yet time and again, people in other nations fall victim to the same cycle — trusting U.S. promises, only to be abandoned when perceived strategic interests shift.”

[freedomss0n]

[socialjusticeinamerica]

[justinspoliticalcorner]

Ohio teacher suspended for including four books with LGBTQ characters in her classroom library

Karen Cahall has been a teacher in the New Richmond School District in Ohio for 34 years.

Judd Legum at Popular Information:

Karen Cahall has been a teacher in the New Richmond School District in Ohio for 34 years. During that time, according to a lawsuit Cahall filed earlier this month, she "consistently received excellent evaluations for her job performance and teaching excellence." Cahall, who teaches third grade, was recently suspended for three days without pay and threatened with termination. She was punished for offering four books in her classroom library that contained LGBTQ characters. Cahall's classroom library includes about 100 books. These books are not part of Cahall's curriculum and are not required reading for any student. Like many teachers, Cahall has them on hand to encourage students to read more books. Among the books in Cahall's library were four that have LGBTQ characters: Ana On The Edge, The Fabulous Zed Watson!, Hazel Bly and the Deep Blue Sea, and Too Bright to See. These books, the lawsuit argues, do not "describe sexual conduct or sexual activity" and "do not… advocate for or against any particular lifestyle." Rather, the books "deal with characters who are LGBTQ+ and are coming to terms with feeling different and excluded simply because they are LGBTQ+." [...] On October 30, 2024, a parent became aware of the books and sent an email complaining to the principal of Cahall's school, Monroe Elementary, and to every member of the New Richmond Board of Education. The email was forwarded to New Richmond Superintendent Tracey Miller, who quickly scheduled a "pre-disciplinary hearing on November 4, 2024."

According to Miller, Cahall's inclusion of these books in her classroom library violated school district policy. The specific policy at issue, according to a letter from Miller to Cahall, is Policy 2240. [...] On November 6, Miller sent Cahall a letter informing Cahall that she was suspended for three days without pay. Miller accused Cahall of "intentional and serious violation of Board policy and procedure" by placing books in her "classroom library that contained themes and discussion of topics of a controversial nature." Miller said that Cahall should have known that including the books in her classroom library was unacceptable because "based on your experience in this community you understand the values that many hold." Miller said Cahall's behavior was "completely unacceptable, will not be tolerated and warrants significant discipline." Miller said that if Cahall continues "to behave in this manner in the future" she may be terminated.

Cahall has filed a civil lawsuit against Miller and the New Richmond School District, arguing that their actions were unconstitutional. First, Cahall argues that the "controversial issues" policy violates her 14th Amendment right to due process because it is impermissibly vague — both on its face and as applied to Cahall's situation. She argues that a reasonable person could not discern from reading the policy what would be considered a "controversial issue" or that a classroom library that was not part of the curriculum would be considered an "instructional program." Second, the lawsuit argues that Cahall included the books in her classroom library because of her "sincerely held moral and religious belief" that all children — including LGBTQ children — should be treated with dignity and respect.

[...] The suspension of Cahall is part of a broader effort to prohibit any acknowledgment of LGBTQ people in classrooms. According to right-wing groups like Moms for Liberty, books with LGBTQ characters, rainbow flags, or celebrating Pride Month are an effort to indoctrinate and corrupt children. Teachers who fail to conform to this ideological agenda, like Cahall, are targeted and disciplined.

Teacher Karen Cahall, who has taught at New Richmond Exempted Village School District schools for 34 years, has been suspended for including four books containing LGBTQ+ characters in her classroom library. This reeks of overreach by right-wing “parental rights” extremists.

[sayruq]

[CONT] genocidal campaign against Palestinians in Gaza, according to documents seen by the HuffPost US.

US trying to persuade Switzerland to waive Geneva Conventions for Israel in Gaza

Rules of war banning inhumane treatment of POWs and civilians should not be invoked, say US diplomats behind scenes as US complicity in Isra

[huariqueje]

😱

" Rules of war banning inhumane treatment of POWs and civilians should not be invoked, say US diplomats behind scenes as US complicity in Israeli war crimes becomes explicit. "

[no-longer-another-bondi-blonde]

In 1990, the high school dropout rate for Dolly Parton’s hometown of Sevierville Tennessee was at 34% (Research shows that most kids make up their minds in fifth/sixth grade not to graduate). That year, all fifth and sixth graders from Sevierville were invited by Parton to attend an assembly at Dollywood. They were asked to pick a buddy, and if both students completed high school, Dolly Parton would personally hand them each a $500 check on their graduation day. As a result, the dropout rate for those classes fell to 6%, and has generally retained that average to this day.

Shortly after the success of The Buddy Program, Parton learned in dealing with teachers from the school district that problems in education often begin during first grade when kids are at different developmental levels. That year The Dollywood Foundation paid the salaries for additional teachers assistants in every first grade class for the next 2 years, under the agreement that if the program worked, the school system would effectively adopt and fund the program after the trial period.

During the same period, Parton founded the Imagination Library in 1995: The idea being that children from her rural hometown and low-income families often start school at a disadvantage and as a result, will be unfairly compared to their peers for the rest of their lives, effectively encouraging them not to pursue higher education. The objective of the Imagination library was that every child in Sevier County would receive one book, every month, mailed and addressed to the child, from the day they were born until the day they started kindergarten, 100% free of charge. What began as a hometown initiative now serves children in all 50 states, Australia, Canada, and the United Kingdom, mailing thousands of free books to children around the world monthly.

On March 1, 2018 Parton donated her 100 millionth book at the Library of Congress: a copy of “Coat of Many Colors” dedicated to her father, who never learned to read or write.

[brightlotusmoon]

The tag that says that Dolly Parton is the backbone of American Society is correct. She’s probably done more than Congress at this point.

[liberalsarecool]

Dolly Parton is a national treasure.

[jhavelikes]

Over the last few years, an increasing number of scholars have argued that the impact of AI is repeating the patterns of colonial history. European colonialism, they say, was characterized by the violent capture of land, extraction of resources, and exploitation of people—for example, through slavery—for the economic enrichment of the conquering country. While it would diminish the depth of past traumas to say the AI industry is repeating this violence today, it is now using other, more insidious means to enrich the wealthy and powerful at the great expense of the poor.

Artificial intelligence is creating a new colonial world order | MIT Technology Review (via jhavelikes)