The Resistance (signs of hope)

[RoseWilder]

 

[47of74]

7 hours ago, RoseWilder said:

 

Good.  Sometimes that's only the way to get companies to do the right thing is to cut off their $$$.

Such as like what happened in South Africa in the 1980s. 

[RoseWilder]

 

[GreyhoundFan]

"Meals on Wheels sees donations surge after Trump proposes funding cuts"

Quote

Senior citizens in one suburb could see Meals on Wheels deliveries cut in half if President Trump’s budget cuts become reality, a spokeswoman for the network told CNN, as it anticipated “deep cuts” to a nonprofit that serves 2.4 million Americans.

But private donations have surged in response, a spokeswoman for the group told The Washington Post. The national office has taken in more than $100,000 since the White House announced plans to eliminate the Community Development Block Grant program on Thursday — compared with about $1,000 on a normal day.

While the block grants fund only a small portion of Meals on Wheels operations nationwide, spokeswoman Jenny Bertolette told CNN that some of the group’s 5,000 local branches rely on the money to bring food to people.

A Meals on Wheels branch outside Detroit, she said, would lose one-third of its budget without the grants. The branch in San Jose would lose $100,000.

And the organization has speculated that Trump’s vague budget outline also could slash the Older Americans Act, which it says funds more than one-third of Meals on Wheels operations across the United States.

“Federal funding is at risk,” reads a banner ad that greets visitors to the nonprofit group’s website. “Help us defend these vital services today.”

The actual effect of next year’s budget on the program is unclear — in part because Trump’s budget plan is thin on details.

...

Donations to the program’s national office will be spent on advocacy and awareness campaigns, according to a spokeswoman.

The local branches that actually bring food to people have separate donations streams — but they’ve reported surges too, with money and volunteer sign-ups pouring in from Minneapolis to west Los Angeles.

“It’s reassuring that the public has stepped up,” the executive director of Meals on Wheels told CNN.

"Thin on details", that pretty much describes everything that comes from the tangerine toddler.

[fraurosena]

11 hours ago, GreyhoundFan said:

"Meals on Wheels sees donations surge after Trump proposes funding cuts"

"Thin on details", that pretty much describes everything that comes from the tangerine toddler.

I'm a little divided on this one. First off, let me say that I think defunding Meals on Wheels is contemptible. That said, although the initiative to make all these donations seems laudable (yay, people get to keep the service Meals on Wheels), it could also backfire spectacularly. I can just imagine what the repubs will say: Well, there you go, they didn't need government funding after all. We did the right thing!

[Childless]

2 hours ago, fraurosena said:

I'm a little divided on this one. First off, let me say that I think defunding Meals on Wheels is contemptible. That said, although the initiative to make all these donations seems laudable (yay, people get to keep the service Meals on Wheels), it could also backfire spectacularly. I can just imagine what the repubs will say: Well, there you go, they didn't need government funding after all. We did the right thing!

This is why I won't donate even though I want to.  The community is not going to be able to keep this program going through donations.  People can't afford it and attention spans are short.  It needs the organization and funding the government can provide.  All the spike in donations will do is reinforce the Republicans' belief and make it that much more likely this cruel cut will survive in the budget and thus ensuring the death of this much needed program.

[47of74]

NY attorney general made a good hiring decision today..

thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/324737-ny-attorney-general-hires-prosecutor-likely-to-target-trump

Quote

New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman, a vocal critic of President Trump, has hired a prosecutor who served under fired U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara to focus on public corruption cases, including those involving the Trump administration, according to a Wall Street Journal report.

Schneiderman’s decision to hire Howard Master reportedly signals that he plans to target Trump and his administration. Master previously served under Bharara, who was fired after refusing to resign at Attorney General Jeff Sessions’s request.

Master worked on high-profile cases at the Department of Justice, including the prosecution of New York State Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver.

Schneiderman has a history with Trump, including a  fraud lawsuit in 2013 over the billionaire's now-defunct real estate school, Trump University.

Go get 'em, Mr. Master.

[LeftCoastLurker]

Gotta love this! See what two republicans are getting done in Utah!

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/jason-chaffetz-billboard-utah_us_58ef5a1de4b0b9e984899959?gv&

[candygirl200413]

Chaffetz response though predictable is still so annoying. Admitting again that he doesn't want to do his job.

[GreyhoundFan]

I found some of the suggestions and websites quoted in this article quite interesting: "How to Stand Up to Trump and Win"

Quote

BOSTON — After President Trump’s election, a wave of furious opposition erupted. It was an emotional mix of denial and anger, the first two stages of grief, and it wasn’t very effective.

Yet increasingly that has matured into thoughtful efforts to channel the passion into a movement organized toward results. One example: the wave of phone calls to congressional offices that torpedoed the Republican “health care plan.”

Yes, Trump opponents lost the election and we have to recognize that elections have consequences. But if “resistance” has a lefty ring to it, it can also be framed as a patriotic campaign to protect America from someone who we think would damage it.

So what are the lessons from resistance movements around the world that have actually succeeded? I’ve been quizzing the experts, starting with Gene Sharp, a scholar here in Boston.

Sharp’s works — now in at least 45 languages and available free online — helped the Baltic countries win freedom from Russia, later guided students in bringing democracy to Serbia, and deeply influenced the strategy of Arab Spring protesters. Sharp is THE expert on challenging authoritarians, and orders for his writings have surged since Trump’s election.

Today Sharp is 89 and in fading health. But his longtime collaborator, Jamila Raqib, has been holding workshops for anti-Trump activists, and there have even been similar sessions for civil servants in Washington exploring how they should serve under a leader they distrust.

The main message Sharp and Raqib offered is that effectiveness does not come from pouring out into the street in symbolic protests. It requires meticulous research, networking and preparation.

“Think!” Sharp said. “Think before you do anything. You need a lot of knowledge first.” His work emphasizes grass-roots organizing, searching out weak spots in an administration — and patience before turning to 198 nonviolent methods he has put into a list, from strikes to consumer boycotts to mock awards.

Raqib recommended pragmatic efforts seeking a particular outcome, not just a vague yearning for the end of Trump. When pushed, she said that calls for a general strike in February were insufficiently organized, and that the Women’s March on Washington, which had its first protest the day after Inauguration Day, will ideally become anchored in a larger strategy for change. But she thinks the “Day Without Immigrants” protest was well crafted, and the same for the bodega strike by Yemeni immigrants.

...

Third, nothing deflates an authoritarian more than ridicule. When Serbian youths challenged the dictator Slobodan Milosevic, they put his picture on a barrel and rolled it down the street, allowing passers-by to whack it with a bat.

In recruiting for the Trump resistance, Stephen Colbert may be more successful than a handful of angry Democratic senators. Trump can survive denunciations, but I’m less sure that in the long run he can withstand mockery.

I think we need to get some barrels...

[GreyhoundFan]

"Thousands expected for Tax Day march calling for Trump to release his returns"

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An idea that sprung from a law professor’s tweet after President Trump’s inauguration will unfold Saturday on the Mall, where thousands of protesters plan to call on Trump to release his personal tax returns. The demonstration is expected to be the largest of more than 100 affiliated protests planned across the country.

The Tax March, which falls on the nation’s traditional April 15 deadline to file taxes, is expected to be one of the most high-profile demonstrations of the Trump era since protesters around the world participated in women’s marches — marches that served as an unprecedented rebuke to Trump’s presidency on his first full day in office. Presidents are not required to release their tax returns but have done so voluntarily dating to the 1970s.

Jennifer Taub, a law professor specializing in business at Vermont Law School, said that after she attended a Women’s March protest on Jan. 21 in Boston, she felt optimistic about the power of organized resistance. It spurred her to action the next day when she heard counselor to the president Kellyanne Conway say on national television that Trump wouldn’t release his tax returns because people don’t care.

Taub tweeted that the nation should plan a march on Tax Day to show the White House that the public does care. At the same time, comedian Frank Lesser made a similar plea on Twitter. The tweets caught on, and now Taub and Lesser are co-founders of the march, which has garnered the support of nearly 70 progressive organizations.

...

Marchers in Washington are expected to be joined by those in more than 100 other cities across the country and world, including New Orleans, San Antonio, Nashville and London, organizers say.

In Washington, organizers have worked with government agencies, including D.C. police and the National Park Service, to obtain permits. The Park Service permit indicates that organizers expect up to 10,000 people.

Mike Litterst, a spokesman for the Park Service, said the Tax March and the Science March the following weekend are among the largest protests the agency is expecting this spring in Washington.

 

[CTRLZero]

17 hours ago, GreyhoundFan said:

Taub tweeted that the nation should plan a march on Tax Day to show the White House that the public does care.

Nashville will have a rally in front of the Davidson County Courthouse starting at 10:30 a.m.  I am inclining towards attending, but I am also sending yet another of my postcards directly to the White House saying if there is nothing to shield from scrutiny, release the tax returns as is customary by U.S. presidents.

[GreyhoundFan]

"The Tax March: Protesters around the country call on Trump to release his taxes"

Quote

Some wore shirts with an image of President Trump as the Monopoly mascot hauling a bag of money. Others taunted the president with signs that said they would show him their taxes, if he showed them his. And in front of a few thousand people on the lawn of the U.S. Capitol there was an oversized inflatable chicken with hair resembling Trump’s, suggesting the president is “too chicken” to release his taxes to the public.

From Seattle to the District, protesters gathered in cities throughout the country Saturday calling on Trump to release his personal tax returns as part of a nationwide Tax March. The protest falls on the country’s traditionally recognized deadline to file taxes, April 15.

In all, dozens of protests occurred throughout the country. The main march unfolded in the nation’s capital, where protesters gathered for a rally in front of the Capitol and then marched west along Pennsylvania Avenue. In South Florida, activists marched to Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort, where the president is staying this weekend. Thousands more gathered at a large march in New York City, where activists, comedians and a state senator spoke. Many of the protests featured an inflatable chicken, a mascot of sorts for the march.

Presidents are not required to release their tax returns but have done so voluntarily dating to the 1970s. Activists and others say it is the only way to be fully open about any potential conflicts of interest.

In the nation’s capital, the crowd was mostly filled with locals and Spring Break tourists, some of whom purposely planned their trips to coincide with the march.

C.J. Ingram, a D.C. resident in her 50s who works in a funeral home, attended the march, her first protest during Trump’s presidency.

“I’m really mad because he made Barack Obama produce his birth certificate, and he’s not even producing his tax returns,” Ingram said. “Come on, really? What are you hiding?”

...

The non-profit, Electronic Privacy Information Center filed suit in D.C. federal court Saturday over Trump’s tax returns, arguing there is a provision in IRS regulations that allows their release.

During the march in the District, the lineup of speakers included Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Calif.) and Rep. Jamie B. Raskin (D-Md.) and others. The speakers derided the president, and called on him to act ethically and read the Constitution.

“Releasing your tax returns is lowest ethical bar for a president,” Wyden said. “And we’re going to make sure he clears that hurdle.”

Raskin suggested Trump was acting more like a king than an elected president.

“In America, no one is above the law, and all of us are subject to it,” the Maryland congressman said. “If you don’t release your taxes, we have no way of knowing if you are putting America first, or Donald Trump first.”

Tom Kelleher, 64, was visiting from California and carried a sign pointing out that even Nixon, who resigned the presidency in disgrace, released his taxes. Other signs suggested that the president may be refusing to release his taxes because it would link him to Russia.

As they marched, some in the crowd chanted “Hey, Hey we want to see your Schedule A” — a reference to a tax form used to itemize deductions.

...

Sadly, I can't see the tangerine toddler complying. He'll just dig his heels in.

[fraurosena]

Oh, of course!

Donald Trump claims protests demanding he publish tax returns were paid for

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Donald Trump has accused protesters who took to the streets of cities across the US to demand he publish his tax returns of being part of an organised conspiracy paid for by persons unknown.

The billionaire said his election as US President meant the release of tax returns was irrelevant, writing on Twitter: “Someone should look into who paid for the small organised rallies yesterday. The election is over!”

"I did what was an almost an impossible thing to do for a Republican – easily won the Electoral College! Now Tax Returns are brought up again?"

Wait. What? He found out the election is over?  

[bashfulpixie]

37 minutes ago, fraurosena said:

Oh, of course!

Donald Trump claims protests demanding he publish tax returns were paid for

Wait. What? He found out the election is over?  

Oh good!!  Does that mean he'll stop holding campaign rallies now??

[fraurosena]

Just now, bashfulpixie said:

Oh good!!  Does that mean he'll stop holding campaign rallies now??

Not a chance, I'm afraid.

He's already holding rallies for the 2020 elections, you see... 

[GreyhoundFan]

10 hours ago, fraurosena said:

Not a chance, I'm afraid.

He's already holding rallies for the 2020 elections, you see... 

He needs his ego stroked constantly. I'm surprised he doesn't have rallies twice a week.

[CTRLZero]

In Nashville, I see that over a thousand people have signed up on Facebook to participate in the March for Science on April 22.  I hope to make my way down there if the thunderstorms predicted stay away.  The rally starts at 9:00 am, marching begins at 9:50 am, from the Legislative Plaza.  My whole family will be marching, all in different cities and time zones! 

Any ideas for signs welcome.

 

[Cartmann99]

On 4/16/2017 at 8:08 PM, GreyhoundFan said:

He needs his ego stroked constantly. I'm surprised he doesn't have rallies twice a week.

I'm betting Mrs. Trump has a cheerleading outfit in her closet. 

[Childless]

14 hours ago, Cartmann99 said:

I'm betting Mrs. Trump has a cheerleading outfit in her closet. 

Ew.

[fraurosena]

1 hour ago, Childless said:

Ew.

That's what she said...

[samira_catlover]

All readers: Dearest Husband and I will march in DC this Saturday for science, complete with protest sign and outrage. Planning to write names of people who want to be there in spirit on ribbons and festoon the sign. (Black background, 4-inch italic lettering in Day-Glo Red, with the slogan "No Science Funding = No Future!"  If you are interested in this, please comment or send me a private message. #RESIST

 

[GreyhoundFan]

"The next big protest in Washington is this weekend’s March for Science. And there are more to follow."

Quote

Washingtonians will have front-row seats this weekend to witness what has become a familiar backyard scene: another protest on the Mall.

Activists and scientists are expected to descend on the nation’s capital Saturday to rally for environmental causes and government policies rooted in scientific research as part of the Earth Day and March for Science rallies. The demonstration comes a week after the Tax March and a week before the People’s Climate March.

Protests are standard on the National Mall, and from the 1963 March on Washington to the recent Women’s March, history has been made there time and time again. But, compared with recent years, the Trump era has seen a marked increase in demonstrations on the city’s federal land.

The protests are often fueled by those with left-leaning political views who were surprised by Trump’s victory but have not been quelled by his policies and actions since taking office.

“I still wake up with palpitations,” said Michele Hooper, a 62-year-old physician from California who attended the Women’s March and Tax March. She plans to attend the science rally this weekend.

The National Park Service, which oversees the Mall, has fielded 33 percent more requests this year for permits to protest on the District’s federal land than it had at this time last year, said Mike Litterst, a spokesman for the agency. The Park Service had received 197 permit requests for demonstrations as of Wednesday, compared with 148 at the same time in 2016.

That number does not include unpermitted protests and others that have spontaneously unfolded in front of buildings, such as the U.S. Capitol and Environmental Protection Agency headquarters.

This month, three high-profile protests — the Tax March, Earth Day and Science March, and Climate March — are planned on consecutive weekends. Litterst said several more are scheduled into the summer, with large immigrant and LGBT rallies planned for May and June.

He said the increased interest in permits has added to the Park Service staff workload but wrote in an email that the agency has “been able to meet the growing demand while ensuring the preservation of park resources and the safety of event participants and National Mall visitors.”

Permits for the Earth Day and Science March indicate organizers expect more than 50,000 people to attend, which would make it the largest rally in Washington since the Women’s March in January.

The Earth Day Network, the organization that spearheads the annual Earth Day rally and affiliated events worldwide, began planning Saturday’s rally long before Election Day. This year, scientists who say the Trump administration has disregarded or devalued scientific research are joining the effort — a rare position for the typically apolitical field of science.

The rally is set for 10 a.m. at the Washington Monument and will feature dozens of short speeches and videos, said Kathleen Rogers, president of the Earth Day Network. At about 2 p.m., attendees will march toward the U.S. Capitol.

The theme of this year’s event is environmental and climate literacy. Celebrity scientist Bill Nye is among the speakers.

“Hell hath no fury like a scientist scorned, and that’s essentially where we are,” Rogers said. “People will be marching because their integrity and honesty has been called into question. This is a new and energized constituency — they just happen to be wearing lab coats.”

Protesters at recent marches say they have channeled their discontent with the new administration’s policies into the demonstrations.

...

D.C. resident Rosanne Lush said she is encouraged by attending protests and seeing thousands who share her political views.

“When you go to these events, you see there are other people who feel the same way as you,” she said. “There’s something to be said for showing numbers.”

 

[formergothardite]

I'm going with two of my sisters to the march Saturday in Charlotte NC. I've never done anything like this, but with a president and Congress this corrupt it is time for people like me who typically weren't that political to start taking a stand. 

[GreyhoundFan]

"Resilience of the Resistance"

Quote

The resistance to the travesty of Donald Trump’s presidency is holding up just fine, thank you very much.

As we approach the 100th day of the Trump administration, a tremendous amount of attention and coverage will be devoted to analyzing its impact and efficacy. But I would also like to take time to celebrate the impact and efficacy of the resistance.

I must say that the issue of resilience was one that I worried and wondered about from the beginning: For far too many Americans in this digital age, stamina is rare, attention spans are short and the urge for instant gratification, or at least for expedient resolution, is enormous.

I worried that modern shortsightedness would prevent resisters from seeing the long game, that the exhaustion of constant outrage would numb them to unrelenting assault.

But, to my great delight, my worry was unfounded. Not only is the movement still strong, it appears to be getting stronger. People have found a salve for their sadness: exuberant agitation. Far from growing limp, the Trump resistance is stiffening and strengthening.

As John Cassidy put it this month in a progress report on the resistance in The New Yorker: “Indeed, what is striking is how many people Trump has mobilized who previously didn’t pay very much attention to what happens in Washington. He has politicized many formerly apolitical people; ultimately, this may be among his biggest achievements as president.”

These comments came specifically in reference to the throngs of resisters showing up at lawmakers’ town hall events, sometimes in record numbers. They are passionate, vocal and confrontational. They are not bowing down; they are holding their representatives accountable and giving a very visual reinforcement to the threat that defending Trump or supporting his agenda will be punished at the ballot box.

The Republican House Oversight and Government Reform chairman, Jason Chaffetz, who made a surprise announcement last week that he would not seek re-election in 2018, found this out firsthand. As Mother Jones put it:

“The once-brash congressional inquisitor has twisted himself into a pretzel trying to explain why he hasn’t been investigating President Trump, the most conflict-ridden commander-in-chief in modern U.S. history. And the 50-year-old congressman has experienced an unexpected level of outrage in his own deep red district.”

In February, constituents swarmed Chaffetz’s town hall in efforts to (what he called) “yell and scream.” At the time he put on a defiant face: “I thought it was intended to bully and intimidate. But, the last four elections in Utah in a row I’ve won the widest margin of anybody playing at this level.”

Well, that’s over.

Not only are people showing up to town halls, they are clogging their lawmakers’ phone lines, which is surprisingly important.

As Kathryn Schulz pointed out last month in The New Yorker: “There are a great many ways to petition the government, including with actual petitions, but, short of showing up in person, the one reputed to be the most effective is picking up the phone and calling your congressional representatives.”

Schulz went on to explain: “For mass protests, such as those that have been happening recently, phone calls are a better way of contacting lawmakers, not because they get taken more seriously but because they take up more time — thereby occupying staff, obstructing business as usual, and attracting media attention.”

Furthermore, young people are particularly unhappy with Trump and turning against him. A Gallup poll released last week found that the percentage of respondents age 18-34 who believed Trump keeps his promises fell a whopping 22 points in the two months from early February to early April, from 56 percent to just 34 percent.

According to a Pew Research Center survey, young people aged 18-29 also give Trump his highest disapproval rating (63 percent) of any age group.

But these young people aren’t just stewing and complaining. They’re taking action.

As Time magazine reported earlier this month: “For more than 15,000 students across the country, Wednesday marked the first day of Resistance School — a program where the educational focus is mobilizing against President Donald Trump’s administration.”

...

Finally, and perhaps most importantly: money. Wired magazine reported this month that the resistance is “weaponizing data” with the emergence of a new nonprofit, crowdsourcing fund-raising tool called Flippable. It was founded by “three former Hillary Clinton campaign staffers” and pinpoints “which districts it believes are the most competitive for Democrats (the most ‘flippable’)” and allows donors to target those districts.

Taken together, all signs are looking up for the movement. The Trump administration, from pillar to post, is an unmitigated disaster, lumbering forward and crushing American ideas and conventions as it does. Damage is being done, there is no doubt, but Americans are not taking it lying down. They are standing in opposition. They are feeling their power. They are energized, and I’m very much encouraged.