Jump to content
IGNORED

What Now?


Destiny

Recommended Posts

5 hours ago, Destiny said:

Hopefully most of us are getting past the mourning stage (though I admit to crying again when I saw a picture of The Orange Dick in the Oval Office, and moving into anger. I know I am, so the question is, "What now?" I feel like all sane people need to DO something, because if we don't, clearly the bigots will.

Ideas? I've already sent a message to my new Senator encouraging her to be a roadblock to evil things that he might do (by the way @VelociRapture I used your template as a start. You rule :my_heart: )

You're very welcome!

Actions to take:

- Email your Congressmen and women as I said. Email them on a regular basis as the issues change and policy gets passed. 

- Participate in local and state elections, not just Presidential elections.

- Stay informed on the issues and policy decisions. 

- Call out the bullshit when you see it online or in-person. No more excuses or worrying about making others uncomfortable. You call that shit out for what it is abd you don't apologize. 

- Listen to members of minority groups when they tell you their fears and worries. Be a good ally for them.

- Donate time and/or money to charities doing good work.

- Take part in rallies or protests. Trump and his supporters are very good at drawing media attention, which meant tons of free advertising for him. We need to do that too. The louder and more vocal people are, the less the media can ignore it because ratings. 

- *My fellow whites: unless you are a member of a group at risk under Trump you need to stfu about leaving the country. I don't give two shits if it's a joke or not. As white people we are privileged and protected in a way many others aren't. Because of that we have a huge obligation to stay right the fuck here and fight like hell for those who can't. You don't abandon those who need you just because you're inconvenienced or don't want to deal with the situation. 

*Those moving for other reasons or who are simply moving sooner than expected because of the election are exempt from this.

--------

And now on a personal responsibility level:

I've seen a lot of people saying we should give Trump a chance and we should stay positive that things won't be that bad. It's nice that some feel they have that luxury. But as the sister of a LGBTQ man, the mother of a tiny little girl, and a decent human being I don't have that luxury. Everyone in this country should be making plans now if things get very bad.

- Women, talk birth control options. Consider getting an IUD. And everyone should look into having preventative care done in the next 70 or so days too. In case Obamacare is completely or partly repealed.

- Think about your financial situation. Do your best to add to your cash savings now in case the economy tanks. Be sure not to keep more than $250,000 in any one financial institution because the FDIC will only reimburse up to that amount per person per financial institute.

(Mentioning the FDIC limit just in case. I've never seen that amount in my life, but someone else or someone they know may have that and should be reminded.)

- If you are an immigrant or you know immigrants, be sure to tell them to make sure all their documentation is correct and up to date.

- For those who are Transgender, be sure all of your documentation is updated as well. Especially Federal documentation like passports. God only knows how difficult it could get trying to have that done.

- Gay couples looking to marry, maybe consider holding a small civil ceremony now to take care of the legalities. I don't know if he could rollback marriage equality, but still.

- Also, LGBTQ people should research their state laws to see what (if any) discrimination policies are in place. Just in case they rollback any of that too.

Just a few suggestions off the top of my head.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Replies 312
  • Created
  • Last Reply
1 hour ago, Lillybee said:

When will this crazyness stop? Today a student handed out letters of deportation, made on his computer, to some Latino students at our local highschool.

That is horrible, but sadly, I think the craziness has just begun. The loonies feel vindicated.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 hours ago, Childless said:

I'm moving to Canada.  Truthfully, I've been contemplating a move out of the U.S. for a while.  Progress is just not happening fast enough here.  At this rate, I'll be dead before anything meaningful is passed.  I'm tired of waiting and I'd like to enjoy good vacation laws, universal healthcare, decent medical leave laws, and good quality public education for my children while I'm still kicking.  The only way for that to happen is to leave.  My husband gets his degree next June.  After that both he and I will start the process of looking outside the U.S. for employment.

I'm with you. Maybe Europe too. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, VelociRapture said:

- If you are an immigrant or you know immigrants, be sure to tell them to make sure all their documentation is correct and up to date.

Further to this, if you are are a permanent resident and eligible for naturalization as a US citizen, file your N-400 application NOW.

First, the fees are going up in December though they will also have tiered fees pegged to income levels.

Second, you need to file ASAP, while the current rules & policies are in place. We don't know what changes will be made after the change in administration. No guarantees here, but USCIS will likely process applications under the rules & procedures in effect at the time such applications are received by their system.

Third, understand that it will probably take your application 6-8 months to be processed (from acceptance of the application to interview) if you're lucky, up to a year or more if you're not because you fall into the limbo of extended background check for some reason. The USCIS is badly backlogged due to a surge in applications during this election year and the dysfunctional rollout of their electronic records system (ELIS) which many office staff haven't been trained on. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Eucador mayop be a good option. After going down the Michael Moore rabbit hole, I'm starting to feel that this shit is hopeless. Really good posts over there , using the words of none other than Alexander Hamilton, to explain that the the primary purpose of the electoral college is to stop an unfit person from ascending  to the highest office in the land.  The founding fathers feared that the populace could be duped (imagine that). The electors formally vote on Dec. 19, and could conceivably correct this mess. Imagine the violence that would result if this happened. Trump is the poster child for unfit, in that he has no character whatsoever, does not know how to treat people, is vile and uncivil, and much more. His supporters make excuses for all of this. So now, the chickens are coming home to roost. I'm gonna go watch Chicago Med.

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

My husband and I for a split second considered leaving the U.S. We just have deep ties and reasons to stay in Alabama. So, we're going to stay ans keep fighting. So, fuck you, Trump and those that put him in office! You just old this country to hell.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

8 hours ago, formergothardite said:

Contacting our representatives on a regular basis is a way to start. We need to figure out exactly what caused all these people to vote for a guy like Trump. They aren't all KKK loving racists. I think some of it is being fed up with normal politicians and thinking Trump can shake things up in a good way. 

Some of it came from people who are ill informed "pro-life" folks. I think it was @Snarkylark who said many of the people she know voted for Trump because they are die-hard "pro-life". Well they are also ignorant pro-life people who have gotten sucked into the pro-life political movement that has no desire to lower abortion rates. How do we educate them? @Snarkylark, any suggestions? 

and some of it is just racism and sexism. 

I totally agree. Many of them can't think past pro-life. But a lot of them wanted a shake-up, like you said. And many of them didn't like Trump but voted for him to get conservative SC justices and to secure our borders and increase our national security.  Many said "vote the platform, not the person." I truly don't know how to educate them. A conversation I had with one of them went like this: "if we give people easy and affordable access to BC there will be fewer abortions."

"No! If they can't afford BC they shouldn't be having sex! Why should I pay for someone else to have premarital (or something) sex!? People shouldn't be looking for a hand out but a hand up!" All this coming from a person who fundraised her childrens' adoption costs and got several grants. Ridiculous. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

5 hours ago, Destiny said:

I am trying to figure out how to get into Pantsuit Nation. I want in dammit!

 

 

 

 

 

A friend invited me yesterday. It is wonderful - 3  million and climbing. Someone bought the name pantsuitnation.com and is building a website.  Find a friend to invite you,  I would, but, you're anonymous. It was helpful to see so many people, mostly women, saying the same things I was feeling. The comments were coming in so fast I could hardly read them all.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

A friend invited me yesterday. It is wonderful - 3  million and climbing. Someone bought the name pantsuitnation.com and is building a website.  Find a friend to invite you,  I would, but, you're anonymous. It was helpful to see so many people, mostly women, saying the same things I was feeling. The comments were coming in so fast I could hardly read them all.
@hoipolloi got me in. Thank you. It made me happy to read the stories of how we are going to do our damnedest to make sure The Orange Dick doesn't blow up the world.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

3 hours ago, VelociRapture said:

- Gay couples looking to marry, maybe consider holding a small civil ceremony now to take care of the legalities. I don't know if he could rollback marriage equality, but still.

I can't think of any mechanism by which Trump has the power to personally roll back marriage equality even with a Republican-controlled Congress, but the problem is that he has the ability to nominate Supreme Court justices and Congress has the power to confirm them, and the Supremes can. So while I don't think the path to taking away marriage equality is as direct as Trump just deciding it and doing it, he has the ability to set that ball rolling, so I think it's best for couples and allies to prepare to fight for their rights. :(

Link to comment
Share on other sites

5 hours ago, Imagine20 said:

I'm honestly at the point where I hope this backfires on the very people who voted him in. 

I just posted this in another thread, but I'll post it again here. 

I know a couple of Republicans who voted for Trump who are already mad at him. They are upset because he hasn't locked up Hillary Clinton yet. Yes, that's how stupid they are. They actually believe that a person who isn't even president has the power to jail someone who hasn't even committed any crimes. 

And this is just the beginning. They are going to be disappointed a lot because he doesn't even have the power to accomplish a lot of the things he promised. 

As for what to do next: 

I don't have any thoughts on what to do on a political level. I think I'm in too much shock to think that far ahead. 

On a person level, I think one of the things I'm even more focused on now is raising the next generation to be loving and accepting of others.  

Here are a few of the resources I'm using: 

https://www.amazon.com/Hermie-Friends-Stanley-Stinkbug-Goes/dp/B0014VPFUE/ref=sr_1_1?s=movies-tv&ie=UTF8&qid=1478794778&sr=1-1&keywords=hermie+and+friends+stanley+the+stinkbug

This is a religious DVD and I'm not particularly religious, but Max Lucado was on the list of prominent religious people who spoke out against Trump's hatred towards others. The message of this DVD is that we should love and accept others even when they are different from us. 

These are two books that I bought to read to them: 

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1575424363/ref=ox_sc_sfl_title_8?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0679832270/ref=ox_sc_sfl_title_9?ie=UTF8&psc=1&smid=ATVPDKIKX0DER

These book teach children about diversity in a way that encourages children to not only look for the ways that we are all alike, but to also celebrate the ways we are different. 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

38 minutes ago, RoseWilder said:

I know a couple of Republicans who voted for Trump who are already mad at him. They are upset because he hasn't locked up Hillary Clinton yet. Yes, that's how stupid they are. They actually believe that a person who isn't even president has the power to jail someone who hasn't even committed any crimes. 

Re: bolded. Stupid and rabid.

Listened to NPR's All Things Considered  this afternoon during my walk and a follow-up story on Ohio Trump voters came up, all of them aging white men, judging from the audio. Here's the wind-up from the reporter:

Quote

None of the guys at this table say they expect quick results turning around the economy, but there's another thing they all agreed should happen soon. They want to see a Trump Justice Department bring criminal charges against Hillary Clinton and President Obama.

You can't fix stupid and, personally, I don't see why the fuck the Democrats or anyone else should "seek out" these assholes and try to make nice with them or get them back into the party. 

Fuck them. Just fuck them.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

@hoipolloi: What absolute morons. So they want Trump to "turn around the economy? Well good news, President Obama already did that. 

And what do they want President Obama to be arrested for? What crime are they claiming he has committed? 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

10 hours ago, Destiny said:

And that's what scares me, and it's a problem that is at the root of everything IMHO, without any easy answers.

How do you solve hate? FJ changed my life and challenged me to be a better person, and confront my own racism, homophobia, and misogyny (one day I will learn to spell that word. Today is not that day). A certain person FJ's story made me do a complete turn on my views on abortion. I guess the question is how do we challenge these views in a meaningful way, given that many people are just not going to listen to a 'commie liberal'?

This is fantastic. Personally, I don't have time for another volunteer gig - I do public safety volunteer work that is 20 - 30 hours a week already, but I feel like this is a meaningful way to make a difference, and hopefully maybe we can win the next generation?

Abortion isn't what the prolifers and fox new dish out. Most take place in the first 10 weeks. Abortion is like a heavy period when you take the pill. Women who miscarry have d&c. Women who abort do too. Technically miscarriage in medical terms is called spontaneous  abortion. 

 

The images you see by prolifers are fake or mostly stillborn and miscarriages. 

2 hours ago, Snarkylark said:

I totally agree. Many of them can't think past pro-life. But a lot of them wanted a shake-up, like you said. And many of them didn't like Trump but voted for him to get conservative SC justices and to secure our borders and increase our national security.  Many said "vote the platform, not the person." I truly don't know how to educate them. A conversation I had with one of them went like this: "if we give people easy and affordable access to BC there will be fewer abortions."

"No! If they can't afford BC they shouldn't be having sex! Why should I pay for someone else to have premarital (or something) sex!? People shouldn't be looking for a hand out but a hand up!" All this coming from a person who fundraised her childrens' adoption costs and got several grants. Ridiculous. 

Makes zero sense. Against abortion, birth control, and sex. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

18 minutes ago, Toothfairy said:

Abortion isn't what the prolifers and fox new dish out. Most take place in the first 10 weeks. Abortion is like a heavy period when you take the pill. Women who miscarry have d&c. Women who abort do too. Technically miscarriage in medical terms is called spontaneous  abortion.

I know that now, but the misinformation among prolifers is real. What @formergothardite mentioned as what she was told about abortion closely mirrors what was taught as well. I will grant you that today, there is no excuse for people to BELIEVE the misinformation since there is so much real information readily available on the internet, but they do.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

@Toothfairy tell me about it! I tried to explain to her that there are a lot of married people that know they can't afford a child so are trying to do the responsible thing for themselves but face too many barriers to getting that help. And that it isn't just teenagers getting knocked up who are having all these abortions. Of course there are also medical reasons a couple may not want a child. Didn't matter. My guess is since she can't have children, she may think that prohibiting abortion may make adoption more available and therefore more affordable for HER! Don't even get me started on the prejudice she thinks she faces because she has adopted a black child....yeah. This was during a conversation where I tried to tell her that she can never understand the struggles black people face just because of the color of their skin. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

My parents own a business. Yesterday, a customer came in and was gloating to one of their employees about Trump winning. He then went on to say that he went up to some Mexicans he knows and offered to help them pack. I'm disgusted right now by the hatred that I'm seeing coming from the people that I used to consider my fellow Americans. It's sickening. This employee didn't say anything back because they didn't know if my parents would be upset with them for doing so. My parents have now informed their employees that they can speak out against this kind of hateful talk and let the customer know we find it unacceptable. About forty percent of our customers are Hispanic, so they also had to discuss what to do if a customer says something hateful to one of our Hispanic customers. The customer will be asked to leave. If they refuse, the police will be called and they will be escorted out. 

I'm glad they're taking such a firm stand. The only thing that brings me any comfort right now is that more than half the electorate voted for Hillary Clinton. There are more of us than there are bigots. Sadly, there are still too many bigots, but there are still more of us. And I think a lot of us are now committed to taking a firmer stand against bigotry than we have in the past. We can and must push back hard against the hatefulness. And we can and must offer our full love and support to the marginalized. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

4 minutes ago, RoseWilder said:

And I think a lot of us are now committed to taking a firmer stand against bigotry than we have in the past. We can and must push back hard against the hatefulness. And we can and must offer our full love and support to the marginalized.

So true.

My grandchildren - their grandparents on the other side of the fam-bam were born in other countries - Mexico and China.  

I am hoping all this hate blows over before any of the grandkids are old enough to realize what racist crap still faces them in 2016.

Aren't we ALL Americans at this point on equal standing?!

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

12 hours ago, Destiny said:

And that's what scares me, and it's a problem that is at the root of everything IMHO, without any easy answers.

How do you solve hate? FJ changed my life and challenged me to be a better person, and confront my own racism, homophobia, and misogyny (one day I will learn to spell that word. Today is not that day). A certain person FJ's story made me do a complete turn on my views on abortion. I guess the question is how do we challenge these views in a meaningful way, given that many people are just not going to listen to a 'commie liberal'?

I have a horrible cold right now and I'm hopped up on cold medicine, so I'm not sure if what I'm about to say is going to be totally coherent. But I'll give it my best shot. 

Well first, I think you have to break these people into two groups; 1. the people who flat-out hate other people and 2. the people who aren't overtly racist but who are willing to close their eyes to their own prejudices and the bigotry of others 

Group 1, I don't know what to do about the people who flat-out hate other people. There doesn't seem to be much point in trying to reason with people like that because they're not rational, sane people. So in those cases, I think we just have to push back really hard against them and refuse to back down. 

Group 2 there is hope for. They aren't terrible people. But they are ignorant. They are so encased in their bubble of white privilege that they don't even realize what a huge problem racism is. Every white person is unable to fully see and understand the pain and difficulty people of color go through every day. But we can try harder. And so it's important, when pushing back against racism that we always look at ourselves and ask ourselves "am I being blinded to the realities others are facing?" and to keep listening to POC about their experiences. Honesty moment: I never even considered what it was like for black parents until the last couple of months. The last couple of shootings involving police shooting unarmed black people as well as reading about the Black Lives Matters movement have opened my eyes a bit. A few weeks ago, I went to the bank with my two-year-old niece, and there was a police car in the parking lot. She got really excited and started waving at the police officer, and it hit me for the first time in my life that my niece is always going to have a different experience with the police than an African American child has. And then I really started to think about the fear that parents of POC must feel. I've always known that racism exists - but I did naively assume that things weren't as bad as they are. And I don't think I gave it enough thought or attention. I think maybe the best way to change minds and hearts is to talk to other people about our own experiences with confronting our white privilege and talk to them about the steps we're taking. I hope that approach might get people to put aside their own defensiveness long enough to really consider what we're saying. 

I hope my post doesn't come across making it sound like there is a quick-and-easy solution to this. Because I know it's a complex problem that isn't going to be easily resolved. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

6 hours ago, Snarkylark said:

"No! If they can't afford BC they shouldn't be having sex! Why should I pay for someone else to have premarital (or something) sex!? People shouldn't be looking for a hand out but a hand up!" All this coming from a person who fundraised her childrens' adoption costs and got several grants. Ridiculous. 

I had a similar conversation on FB today on a friend's post about abortion. I typically avoid talking politics on FB, but have decided sitting quietly clearly isn't helping. But when someone responded with "I'm not paying for people to have sex." I responded, "People are going to keep having sex no matter what and you are basically saying you care more about screaming 'don't have sex' than you do about babies who will be aborted" I then linked to the study that showed that abortion rates don't drop in countries where abortion is illegal. 

This lady, of course, continued on with a nonsensical rant, but two other people responded that they had never looked at it that way and thought making it illegal would make abortion go away. I don't know if I truly changed anyone's mind, but hopefully I did plant some seeds of reality that can maybe grow and shove out the pro-life propaganda that most pro-life people only know. 

Some people though, will never change and you can't reason with, but there are lots of people who are misinformed and aren't happy when they find out that they have been supporting policies that cause more abortions. I wasn't happy when I found that out. 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I may be kicked out of my gym, which would really be a loss for me.  Yesterday while I was working out, two old white men were nearby, one of them half-heartedly using various equipment, the other just running his mouth.  And yes, they were gloating bigly about the election and the likelihood of Hillary going to prison, etc.   I kept using different equipment, kept moving, glaring at them, but after about 10 minutes of it, I had had all I could take. I just stopped what I was doing, and flipped them off with both hands then continued my workout. One saw me, and gasped, started sputtering, trying to say something to me, but I kept counting and working out and ignored him.  They whispered to each other, then left, neither having the balls to say anything to me apparently.  

I don't know if there are cameras in that area of the gym; if there are, I may be asked to leave. I'm not real proud of myself, but it did make me feel better and allowed me to finish my workout in peace.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

If you or your children have any kind of bonds issued by the US, US Savings bonds, Treasury bonds, you probably should think about redeeming them as soon as you can. Trump said during the campaign that one way he would reduce the deficit was that he would "renegotiate" interest rates on bonds issued by the US government, paying "pennies on the dollar."  

I don't know how he can legally do this, but I don't think the law will matter to him. I bought US Savings bonds for years through payroll deduction, a relatively painless way to save, thinking I was putting aside a little nest egg for my old age.  So, I'm cashing them in before it's too late and advising my nieces and nephews who I have gifted with bonds over the years for graduations and other events to redeem them NOW.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I know, yeah, possibly (hopefully!) I'm being overly dramatic comparing this Orange Menace to Hitler.  Minimizing the real Holocaust, etc.
But really?  If we learn anything from history, this is how genocide starts: not with a bang, but with a whimper.
This is so similar to how it started in 1932.  A country deeply in debt, their people struggling, a leader who promises to make the country "great again" first by dogwhistles, then by seperatism, then rooting out the "others" and finally genocide.  It happened gradually. And most average citizens never saw it, or never paid attention, because their attention was elsewhere or they were protecting themselves and their families.
Am I exaggerating my fears?  Am I afraid for no reason?  I really, really hope so.  Does the USA still have checks and balances to prevent the same from happening again?  Maybe.  But with a sociopathic president, a right-wing house and a minority of progressives in the senate, it's possible.  Look at how much hate he's spewed, and so many accept or minimize it.  Or right out celebrate it.

Should we people who care about each other start to form some new kind of Underground Railroad?  

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.




×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

By using this site, you agree to our Terms of Use.