strix alba

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thepookah:

echothroughthefog:

When you struggle with your mental health on a daily basis, it can be hard to take action on the things that matter most to you. The mental barriers anxiety creates often appear insurmountable. But sometimes, when you really need to, you can break those barriers down. This week, with encouragement from some great people on the internet, I pushed against my anxiety and made some calls to members of our government. Here’s a comic about how you can do that, too. (Resources and transcript below.)

Motivational resources:There are a lot! Here are a few I really like:

Emily Ellsworth explains why calling is the most effective way to reach your congressperson.

Sharon Wong posted a great series of tweets that helped me manage my phone anxiety and make some calls.

Kelsey is tweeting pretty much daily with advice and reminders about calling representatives. I found this tweet an especially great reminder that calls aren’t nearly as big a deal as anxiety makes them out to be.

Informational resources:There are a lot of these, as well! These three are good places to start:

Find your representative at house.gov

Find your senators at senate.gov

Use the “We’re His Problem Now” scripts when calling (or write your own!)

Keep reading

I hate making phone calls.

I’m a motherfucking cockroach and I will not let my terror of phone calls stop me. Fucking fight me, cellular devices.

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xlivvielockex:

Reposted from something I saw on Facebook

“I just called the House Oversight Committee (202-225-5074) to support the call for a bipartisan review of Trump’s financials and apparent conflicts of interest. It took me two minutes, and the woman on the phone said that they are absolutely tallying calls - the more they get, the more likely the Committee is to demand ALL of Trump’s financial information.

She said that there’s not much time left, as they are out of the office next week for Thanksgiving. And after that, they’re going to make a decision.

NOW is your chance to use what’s left of democracy to send a strong message and demand change. Please, do this ASAFP. If you get a “mailbox is full” message, call back in a minute or so - that seems to be the default when lines are busy.

That number again is (202-225-5074). Website here:

http://ift.tt/1MKqCg2

“Likes” feel nice in the short term. “Shares” get the word out. ACTUALLY CALLING ACTUALLY DOES SOMETHING.”

Yoooooo I’ve been getting their mailbox being full for a bit, so I called the Committee Chairman instead! The staffer I talked to said that they are also tallying calls and passing along messages at this time.

The Chairman of the House Oversight Committee is Jason Chaffetz, from Utah.

His DC office is (202) 225-7751. The staffer I talked to was very nice.

His Utah office is (801) 851-2500.

If you want to call other members, there’s a full list of them here:

http://ift.tt/1ItgWpO

This was my script:

“Hello, I’m calling about the House Oversight Committee, their mailbox is full so I figured I’d call Congressman Chaffetz since he’s the chairperson. I want to know whether the House Oversight Committee is planning to do a bipartisan review of Trump’s financials and conflicts of interests, because I’m concerned about his business ventures and debts to foreign nations affecting our foreign policy. Do you know what the House is planning to do about this?”

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copperbadge:

51st:

copperbadge:

I couldn’t sleep but wasn’t feeling well enough to run this morning, so I lay in bed thinking about this until I decided to write it down. My degrees aren’t in history (though they do concern the study of it) and my formal studies in the second world war aren’t extensive, but my informal studies are. I’ve spent a long time studying the factors that went into Hitler’s rise to power in specific and what happened once he was in power.

So if America is intending to go down that road, I thought I’d write a little bit about what we can expect to see next, in the hopes that people will recognize when and where they can act to stop it. People ask how Germans couldn’t know what was happening and where they were going; well, we have their road map, so we certainly have no excuse.

(There is a readmore below. If it’s not working for you, I can’t help; your best bet is to get off mobile or change browsers.)

Keep reading

Some of this is stuff people know, and some isn’t. WALL OF TEXT incoming, soz!

Talk to friends and family who voted for Trump; most of them didn’t know about the Putin connection, etc. (the media didn’t do an awesome job covering this, or the alt-right support. A lot of voters just didn’t like Hillary for various reasons or always vote Republican for various reasons.) Using words that belittle them will not win friends and influence people, and you kinda want to do the latter.

Points to make:

1. This is NOT about Hillary or blaming anyone for whichever third party candidate they voted for, or name-calling. This is largely about someone meaning what they said while running not just as rhetoric. Trump wasn’t just “saying those things to get votes,” or “Oh well, he didn’t mean all that stuff.”

Realize that voters are influenced by the internet and (varying) media sources and echo chambers exist; voters saw two (well, more than two) differing perspectives prior to the election and on an ongoing basis on social media:

http://ift.tt/1V9bFKG

2. Emphasize when something is unpatriotic/unconstitutional/goes against our Bill of Rights. and KNOW YOUR BILL OF RIGHTS: http://ift.tt/29av0ci

(Assembly, petitions, free speech, etc.)

3. Say something when a government decision does not honor American values of fairness and freedom for all. Talk to your friends and family and share it. (Check your facts first! Use legitimate news sources viewed as neutral by people who do not normally agree with your politics: They can dismiss Daily Kos and Salon because of “bias.” Use THEIR trusted news sources, too!)

Likewise, when a conservative politician like Lindsay Graham calls for preserving the filibuster or wants to investigate the Russian impact on the election, both GOOD THINGS, share this. Share Glenn Beck’s stuff (somehow, he woke up.) Look for more people and stories like these, from retired generals and others. Thank the mainstream media when they cover stories that expose hinky behavior by this incoming administration.

4. Use “view all recent” on Facebook and talk to your Uncle Fred with whom you normally disagree and politely engage with him about your concerns, not just your echo chamber who likes all of your posts. He does not see you if you do not interact, because of Facebook’s algorithm. He does not hear you if you don’t speak his language. See #4 for language.

5. Call your congressional representatives when you observe something that is unconstitutional or abnormal happening. Here is a list of things to look at, for example: http://ift.tt/2fVVCSI You are a voter and they represent you. Most elected officials are actually pretty invested in the Constitution and not being on the wrong side of history. Again: “This is unpatriotic.” “This violates the Constitution.” “This violates the Geneva Convention.” “This is not what America is about.” “This is un-American.” “This puts our country at risk.” …these are words to use, along with facts, because you know your Constitution and Bill of Rights. For example, I engaged with an older veteran recently who was very, “Oh, shhh, respect the results of the election, Trump won,” and I showed him what Trump had said about targeting the families of terrorists - wives and kids. This is against the Geneva Convention, and if we throw that out the window, we are putting our captured troops at risk. He. Was. Horrified. And he is now following different news sources. Engaging with people 1-1 WORKS.

6. USE imagery that speaks to people about these things. Also, if you look at the Red Feed in the WSJ link above, you’ll see that protesters are being framed as violent sore loser Millennial hipsters. Counter this with positive, true stories about peaceful protests, constitutional freedom of speech and facts about economic issues/what Trump’s plans will do to the economy, the danger of the US not working together with NATO and our traditional allies, and the like.

7. Think. WWCAD: What Would Captain America Do? He’d defend the Constitution, is what he’d do. And he’d punch Hitler in the face.

A great addition of some concrete actions you can take, thanks Foxy!

And as with my list of actions to take, this list assumes you are capable of these – if you aren’t, for whatever reason, this is not meant to guilt you into it. This is meant for people who can take action but aren’t sure how to.

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copperbadge:

[Redacted] replied to: Rage Donating 

too many places where money is just being sloshed around with no purpose. create a singular movement with a plan and action towards this and I’ll donate. everything else is essentially feeding the pigeons.

Good idea. Such a helpful suggestion!

You start.

Go ahead. Find the cause you want to give to that you think will do more than “feed pigeons” (good job calling every person in need a pigeon, makes them seem less human so you don’t have to worry when you don’t give). Give to it and publicize it. Come on, let’s see it. Cough up the goods so we can give too.

On the other hand you’re clearly of a morally superior nature and only give to the most pure and efficient of causes, so maybe there isn’t one that will satisfy you. Gosh, I suppose you’ll have to start one yourself. 

Seriously, we’re waiting. We’d love to support the single movement with a plan and action towards this, so saddle up and make it. Get everyone on board. Get it publicized. It’ll take some time, sure, but you sound like you know everything so I’m sure you can accomplish it. 

Meanwhile the pigeon-feeders will serve an immediate need with the money others choose to give them. It’s almost like they’re doing their best and you’re being a lazy, smug asshole about sitting there with your thumb up your ass helping exactly nobody. 

If you’re not going to give and you’re not going to help because you expect a solution to be brought to you on a silver platter so you can deign to bless it with your money, then I cordially invite you to

shut the fuck up and go fuck yourself. 

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swagamemn0n:

no offense but i need everyone to stop saying that “we survived” bad presidents before. like, i get it, the country has weathered people like andrew jackson and ronald reagan and will probably weather trump. but when you say “we survived” andrew jackson? tell that to the 4000 (of 16000) cherokee who died on the trail of tears. “we survived” ronald reagan? tell that to the 650,000 americans who have died of aids– a national health crisis which reagan refused to even recognize? 

you know who “survived” presidents like trump? people who never had to be afraid of them in the first place. 

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youngbadmanbrown:

brunetteclaire:

youngbadmanbrown:

youngbadmanbrown:

I wish every white person at one of these protests would commit to doing one-on-one relational work with other whites to deal with their racism

This frustrates me because I’m in a very “liberal” academic space and my white classmates are always having lil breakout groups to discuss allyship, meetings to talk about how they can support black and brown efforts and organizing

But they seem to have zero idea how to actually talk about racism to other white people who don’t already agree with them

I was talking to a classmate today who told me he “felt bad” because his parents and siblings voted trump

And I’m just like: what’s the fucking point of doing all this chatting about allyship if you can’t even sit down and reason with the people closest to you.

Why are you always looking to us for a free education on race when you just compartmentalize that shit or use the insights to get closer to other poc

I think I can add something here as a piece of advice on how to go about this:

I work with a mix of people who carry a wide array of political viewpoints. I work closely with a guy in his 60s who tends to lean Republican on most issues. 

One day, I was in a car with him and another colleague, around my age. The conversation diverted into entitlement spending and race. Us 20 somethings were on one side of the issues and a 60-year-old white guy was on the other. 

After hearing him rant for a bit, I calmly asked, “Hey ____, what’s so wrong with those living in the projects getting unemployment benefits?” I let him answer and then posed another question off of his response. I kept calm and kept letting him speak, then asking follow-up questions. Eventually, he was calm and I could tell he was satisfied that I heard his point and where he was coming from. I also noticed that his views became less and less extreme every time I posed a question. His emotions were subsiding and he was critically thinking about each question. So, I expressed my position of how certain people are exposed to certain opportunity and race plays a major role in exposure. I related to people we both knew. I related to stories of friends that he didn’t know. I asked him, again calmly, if that perspective changes anything. 

He kind of grumbled something and we arrived at our destination, ending the conversation.

However, the next day he came in and stated that he gave my position a lot of thought and felt like I brought up a lot of great points. He said was willing to think about these things. 

I was COMPLETELY taken aback. I realized that my conversation was effective. I honestly don’t know who he voted for or if there a major impact on his thinking, but something changed enough for him to thank me and bring up a willingness to change, albeit how small.

So I guess my advice would be the following:

1) Have people re-examine their own thinking. Don’t tell them how to think or haw you think. Ask them questions that have them explore their thought process.

2) Relate your position to shared experience. Put a face and a name to the marginalized group. Don’t let them go to the ‘well they’re the exception’ answer. Go back to 1) and ask them questions.

3) Stay calm. Like 100% be calm. Disarm their emotions and don’t escalate with your own. This gives them an opportunity to think rationally rather than emotionally. 

4) Don’t do it to feel good about yourself. Do it because it’s the right thing. If you are white/male/straight/cis, you need to do this for those who are not. Keep your thoughts on the marginalized and not making yourself feel good or ‘not like them’. This is not about you.

5) On the flip side, understand white poverty and what is going on in the manufacturing industry. Get the other viewpoint, even if you don’t think it’s worth empathizing with. Just understand that issue. Keep it in the back of your mind when asking questions.

I honestly don’t know if this will work in every circumstance or is enough. I feel like I made a change in someone’s way of thinking.  I thought it was worth sharing. 

Thank you for this.

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whoweargoldintheirhair:

This is important, concrete advice on how to think about things.

Do not let yourself “get used to it.” Don’t say “oh they’re exaggerating, they won’t really do it.”

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shedanceswithshoggoths:

Reblog to pledge that you’ll survive this bullshit out of pure fucking spite

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I have a hard time putting names to some emotions. I don’t always — or ever, really — process grief the way that it’s usually shown. I feel numb, unsettled, desperate to think about anything else and unable to stop fixating on this one thing. This is the first time that I’ve actually learned to label this feeling as grief while it’s happening, instead of only recognizing after the fact that yes, this is mourning, this is sadness.

That’s really all I’ve got for now. I usually let the processing happen in the background once the shock wears off, to be revisited piecemeal, but I don’t get that luxury this time because literally everyone in the world knows. It makes me feel — ludicrously, but go tell that to my brain — like I’ve been robbed of privacy, because I don’t get to choose who to share my feelings with. Everyone knows. Maybe there can be some comfort in that, but right now I just want to escape and have interactions that aren’t colored by recent confirmation of the sheer volume of hatred in this country, and there’s nowhere to go.

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shinelikethunder:

things-that-are-great:

NEW YORK — In response to Donald Trump’s election as president of the United States, Anthony D. Romero, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union, had the following statement:

“For nearly 100 years, the American Civil Liberties Union has been the nation’s premier defender of freedom and justice for all, no matter who is president. Our role is no different today.

“President-elect Trump, as you assume the nation’s highest office, we urge you to reconsider and change course on certain campaign promises you have made. These include your plan to amass a deportation force to remove 11 million undocumented immigrants; ban the entry of Muslims into our country and aggressively surveil them; punish women for accessing abortion; reauthorize waterboarding and other forms of torture; and change our nation’s libel laws and restrict freedom of expression.”

“These proposals are not simply un-American and wrong-headed, they are unlawful and unconstitutional. They violate the First, Fourth, Fifth, Eighth, and Fourteenth Amendments. If you do not reverse course and instead endeavor to make these campaign promises a reality, you will have to contend with the full firepower of the ACLU at every step. Our staff of litigators and activists in every state, thousands of volunteers, and millions of card-carrying supporters are ready to fight against any encroachment on our cherished freedoms and rights.”

“One thing is certain: we will be eternally vigilant every single day of your presidency and when you leave the Oval Office, we will do the same with your successor.”

You can donate to the ACLU and/or join in their actions help them with the fight to defend the freedoms of those who need it most.  

All those posts talking about how we can fight– this is one good way to do it.

If you want a cause to contribute to in the aftermath of this wretched election, the ACLU is one of your best bets. They cover a wide variety of issues, and they get RESULTS. They are fighting in your corner, they punch way above their weight class, and there is nothing they love more than fucking authoritarians’ shit up.
They’re also a long-beloved, nonpartisan, well-organized Civic Institution™ with a variety of ways to contribute. Dollars, volunteer hours, legal aid, participation in local letter-writing campaigns and petitions, signal boosting, swinging by their online store and picking up a pocket Constitution, etc. The ACLU is basically one-stop shopping for where the meaningful battles are and what you can do to help just about every group–and every civil right–Donald Trump is about to try and fuck over.