Yeah, so I feel like crap today and like half a dozen of my Facebook friends have shared that Facebook post with a laundry list of horrible proposed legislation and every time I see it, I feel overwhelmed and anxious. But I’m continuing to do a few little things each week and trying not to let the inhumanity of this administration crush me.
Who I supported. I haven’t made any donations since my last post, but I’m trying whenever I can to support local small businesses, especially those that align with my values, like Black Acre Brewing. Not like I need an excuse to drink good beer.
Who I contacted
- I called my reps and asked them to save the Affordable Care Act by opposing any attempts to block Medicaid expansion. It would be extremely costly, not to mention the potential for dropping many vulnerable people from the program. (I did this before the GOP replacement bill was announced which maintains Medicaid expansion for now.)
- I called my reps to oppose Indiana SB 423, which would allow the state to withhold funding from colleges and universities that established ‘sanctuary’ protections for undocumented immigrants. Public colleges and universities have the responsibility to protect the privacy of their students and ensure their well-being.
- I called my local sheriff’s office and asked them to oppose DJT’s anti-immigration policies. Mass deportations are stripping people of due process and privacy protections and tearing families apart. Last week an undocumented woman from El Salvador who was seeking treatment for a brain tumor was removed from a hospital and placed in federal detention. If you’re okay with this, you’re pretty much a monster.
- I called my reps to oppose HB 610, the Choices in Education Act of 2017. I had trouble finding details about this one that weren’t just Facebook copypasta, but when I read the complete bill I found that it does indeed repeal the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 (reauthorized as the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001 and again as the Every Student Succeeds Act of 2015) which aims to provide each child with fair and equal opportunities to achieve an exceptional education; it allows for the distribution of block grants for schools (read: school vouchers) without establishing any criteria for homeschooling, any standards for schools or any guidelines for measuring progress; and it abolishes the rule in the National School Lunch Program that calls for alignment with the Dietary Guidelines for America.
What I read
- If you marched in the Women”s March, you need to show up for trans rights
- Trump scapegoats unauthorized immigrants for crime
- Yeah, that whole “don’t allow Trump and his administration to be normalized” thing lasted for like a month.
- Let’s shine some light on the awfulness that is Bill Maher. “Bill Maher and Milo Yiannopoulos may disagree on public healthcare, or who should be appointed to the Supreme Court, but when it comes to being incapable of giving a fuck about anyone other than themselves they’re basically the same person.”
- Trusted Sources: Why museums and libraries are more important than ever
- Grimm case vacated, Sessions sets back trans rights at Supreme Court. Although Gavin Grimm’s case may (likely?) end up back in the Supreme Court, it must be decided again only based on Title IX, and now without the backing of Obama’s guidance, a do-over could have devastating consequences.
- White pundits swooned over Trump’s speech, reporters plugged away at the real story. You guys, this story almost almost makes me want to get back in the newsroom.
- Bannon vows a daily fight for ‘deconstruction of the administrative state’. This person (I hesitated even to use the word ‘person’) scares the hell out of me.
What I did
Well, nothing, and all this rep-calling and bill-reading has left me feeling angry and tired. (Also I’m sick and the kids are sick and I feel like I’m down to my very last fuck.) My goal for the next few weeks is to find some local meetings to attend and some good subversive books to read. (Suggestions appreciated!)
A couple of positives
- Indianapolis Public Schools said in a statement they will continue to protect trans students. Many states and schools have vowed to continue to protect trans kids, and I hope this is true.
- Couple Sobs Like Babies After They’re Sentenced for Terrorizing a Black Child’s Birthday. Petty of me maybe, but these people are garbage and they deserve it.
- This whole blog of weekly small victories.
Read all of my subversive shit posts.
Cheaper Than Therapy 