Eri

It's been mentioned before but, the only way to get the Constitution amended would be to either pass both houses of Congress by a 2/3rds majority, or via 2/3rds of the state legislatures passing a resolution calling for a constitutional convention (which hasn't happened at the federal level since 1787). Ahh @Lugalbeat me to it lol Thanks! It's just distractions. More fear to sow to the masses so they're confused and upset. More chaos so that it clogs up the courts and disrupts existing services somehow. They pulled these same tactics in 2017 and again in 2022 after Roe v Wade. I wish we didn't have to relive this again but here we are. Panic is the goal. Despair, anything that leads to resigned acceptance, is what they want. The material effects can't be ignored, but the moment people feel too beaten down to resist it is the moment they actually win. So please take care, and do whatever you need to do to keep yourself grounded 🫶

We had questions about this at my workplace today also and, no it won't. Per the U.S. Department of Education - If educational institutions have enough of a diversified portfolio that includes non-federal grants (local, city/state, foundations, private donors, etc.) then the risk should have a low impact.

!! But this means Trump is our first female president. Groundbreaking, someone should tell him 😉

I don't think they made a mistake. I theorize that some voters lied to themselves or fell under the propaganda. Trump wasn't an unknown entity - did they really need to wait for him to be president for him to show VILE of a human being he is? The US was already funding military weapons for Israel - well more of that is about to head there and it is becoming more likely that Palestinians will lose their land so....nothing changed? Was it worth it "punishing" Biden/Harris out of spite? Is it disturbing how he seems so comfortable discussing ethnic cleansing while the world remains silent and the media treats it as if it's a completely ordinary topic? It certainly seems that way, but not surprising. Still, it's incredibly frustrating :(

Hmm, the only way to get the Constitution amended would be to either pass both houses of Congress by 2/3rds (not happening), or via 2/3rds of the state legislatures passing a resolution calling for a constitutional convention (also doubtful). And there has literally never been a Constitutional Convention at the federal level since 1787. We already had an attempted coup which was unsuccessful and they were rewarded with pardons :( Edit: Sorry there have been several posts since this one and @SoMuchTV hit the nail on the head lol

There's a number of reasons but a few to mention: -Making churches tax-exempt is considered an enforcement of the separation of church and state, with the government not interfering in religious affairs in accordance to the 1st Amendment. -Historically, churches have been recognized for their substantial contributions to communities, including charitable activities, education, and social services so being granted tax-exempt status is a reward for their positive contributions to society. -The vague IRS tax laws and regulations, outlines the criteria for tax-exempt status regarding charitable, religious, and educational organizations. Churches qualify for automatic exemption under this section, provided they meet certain requirements. Churches and other religious institutions are supposed to be limited from engaging or becoming entangled in political activities, instead maintaining their focus on spiritual, charitable, and educational missions. The aforementioned Blaine Amendments are supposed to serve as an extra buffer at the state levels, but now we see that evangelicals have more indirect influence than they used to. The politicians who are pushing these initiatives (10 Commandments in schools, required Bible lessons in the school curriculum, etc.) to serve their base know what they're doing and should know better, but they don't care.

This.. I've said it before but contrary to what the government thinks, this isn't a Christian nation, it is a nation where you are free to be Christian (or whatever religion you practice). If some politicians want the Bible back in schools, then I want the IRS in their churches - they want too much influence for institutions that get a lot of tax-free exemptions 😒 (Btw, your grandmother sounds like a hoot and a half! I love it lol) Conservatives would love to push more of this because they want to privatize the education system so they're funneling state and federal dollars that could go towards public schools and instead allowing "grants" to go to private, charter or religious schools. Right now there are only 14 states that offer traditional school voucher programs, that I know of, and many state constitutions still have what are called Blaine Amendments, which prohibit spending public dollars on religious schools. That's one reason the majority of states still don't offer traditional vouchers. Now this administration is considering expanding the school voucher program at the federal level, which is concerning. The Great Recession put many state education budgets in a vise grip that has yet to loosen. The states would have to cough up money of their own if they wanted to make this a universal thing - and what's the first thing these states cut when they're on a budget? Education. If the state dollars aren't reaching disenfranchised and low income families, I bet those federal dollars never will (wealthier and upper middle class families will benefit though based on the details of the bill, surprise surprise). They want to gut government revenues and then use that as an excuse to cut funding to government services/agencies. Then, when they start to deteriorate due to underfunding, they can claim "See? It doesn't work! It's 'inefficient'!", and then use that as an excuse to privatize it (i.e. sell it all off to their business buddies at bargain bin prices). It's a staple of the conservative playbook, across the world.

Reminds me of an experience writer Michael Tager had shared back in 2020 that still resonates and bears repeating today: I was at a shitty crustpunk bar once getting an after-work beer. One of those shitholes where the bartenders clearly hate you. So the bartender and I were ignoring one another when someone sits next to me and he immediately says, "No. Get out." And the dude next to me says, "Hey I'm not doing anything, I'm a paying customer." and the bartender reaches under the counter for a bat or something and says, "Out. Now." and the dude leaves, kind of yelling. And he was dressed in a punk uniform, I noticed. Anyway, I asked what that was about and the bartender was like, "You didn't see his vest but it was all Nazi shit. Iron crosses and stuff. You get to recognize them." And I was like, "oh ok," and he continues. "You have to nip it in the bud immediately. These guys come in and it's always a nice, polite one. And you serve them because you don't want to cause a scene. And then they become a regular and after awhile they bring a friend. And that dude is cool too. And then THEY bring friends and the friends bring friends and they stop being cool and then you realize, oh shit, this is a Nazi bar now. And it's too late because they're entrenched and if you try to kick them out, they cause a PROBLEM. So you have to shut them down." And I was like, 'Oh damn.' and he said "Yeah, you have to ignore their reasonable arguments because their end goal is to be terrible, awful people." And then he went back to ignoring me. But I haven't forgotten that at all.

A friend I went to university with does public health administration and research. They had recently mentioned that the grant review section where they sit was just cancelled. Now they've no idea what to expect regarding reviews and decisions on research proposals. Then I read the announcement for the pause to health agencies on "regulations, guidance, announcements, press releases, social media posts and website posts until such communications had been approved by a political appointee." We are NOT making America great again by completely disrupting biomedical and health research 🤦‍♀️

Maybe it was the "getting married on a Southern plantation with a dark history" thing? 🤔

I agree with that sentiment. In light of the current divisive climate and the on-going circus, ICE is going to intensify its power, and the repression is going to get worse. Grassroots organizations are becoming increasingly vital, especially as people face more poverty and alienation, which means it's now more than ever the time to build connection with your local community groups, and I believe this is a valuable opportunity for the Dems to consider over the next 4 years. Many people view politics solely through the lens of legislation, running for office, protests, etc. but it encompasses so much more. It also includes a broader political landscape such as: Organizing community events Engaging with local communities Building friendships with neighbors where possible (I know it's easier said than done for those in red states) Participating in local anti-racism, LGBTQ+, feminist, or men's groups The continuous pattern of right wing hysteria is to promote individualism, just looking out for yourself and viewing everyone else as the enemy. By rejecting this viewpoint and embracing our roles within a collective, we have the potential to create significant change, possibly even more than through voting alone. (That said, everyone go vote in 2026. This is not a call to not participate in elections, pretty please)

This has and always will be their downfall - the right always consolidates and comes together, the left always divides within themselves. Some serious conversations that need to be had within the left won't happen and they'll always be in this position.. Don't believe me? I swear Fetterman is becoming the new Joe Manchin. Let's see...we have: An alcoholic and misogynist for the Secretary of Defense An anti-vaxxer for head of the Department of Health and Human Services A former wrestling entertainment mogul with no education experience as Secretary of Education A random Fox news host as our Secretary of Transportation A fossil fuel executive for Secretary of Energy A Wall Street executive for Secretary of Commerce A Project 2025 contributor for Office of Management and Budget Director A hedge fund billionaire for Treasury Secretary A former NFL player for Department of Housing and Urban Development Secretary And those are the only ones I can think of off the top of my head! Indeed, we are living in absurd times. Making an easily accessible note for myself for 4 years from now. Average price of a dozen large eggs in New York State is $6.72 today (asking for a friend 👀)

Forgive me y'all - it's Martin Luther King Day and I understand that everyone has their own interpretation of the term "woke," but as a black person, I often notice it being used by non-black individuals in ways that can and still does lead to misunderstandings within communities (I get it, it happens). What's frustrating is how the seriousness of the word has been diluted, used facetiously and ironically on social media when it has a long and serious history in Black culture. For example, Republicans use it as something of a catchall to criticize anything on the progressive side of the political spectrum they don't like, whether it's teaching about racism in schools, gender transition policies, or books and libraries they deem inappropriate. Democrats don't seem to understand its full context either except to associate it with degrees of social/political awareness? But again, old white men don't understand the nuances for its use so they just roll with it since they want to appear inclusive with minorities. So for clarity's sake.. The term "woke" was originally used in Black protest songs dating back to the early 20th century. One prominent song featured the word in the 1938 song "Scottsboro Boys." The Scottsboro Boys were nine black teenagers who were accused of raping two white women aboard a train in 1931 in what is widely seen today as one of the worst cases of racist legal injustice. It helped spur the civil rights movement and loosely inspired the book and movie "To Kill A Mockingbird." Modern black activism and the Black Lives Matter movement used the term widely as a rallying cry. "Woke" merely comes out of the experience of Black people knowing that you have to be conscious of the politics of race, class, gender, systemic racism, ways that society is stratified and not equal. That's it. Unfortunately now, the word has been co-opted as a political slogan on the right to criticize opposition parties/ institutions/ agencies in a way that promotes anti-Blackness, stratification, and fear; and that's what makes it dangerous (i.e. could lead to violence, like recent cases in which Black people have been shot knocking on a door, for example). I still blame DeSantis for this as he was a primary instigator who brought this "war on woke" narrative to the forefront of his political platform, and it has become a significant factor in how others have subsequently utilized it to create further division in the political landscape (i.e. culture war boogeyman crap). Just some food for thought.

Exactly, but I'm not surprised - The Supreme Court has upheld the law that forces ByteDance, a Chinese company to divest its interest in TikTok by Sunday or face a shutdown of TikTok. Now politicians, especially Republicans, have been scrambling since to say they're gonna fight to save TikTok any way they can. Why? Because they realised how well the TikTok platform worked for Trump's 'America First' messaging and outreach. Democrats also tried to save it by passing a law in the senate last year, but were blocked by Republicans like Tom Cotton, who are more hawkish on TikTok. The Supreme Court said that the law they passed is good, so it should be banned. Biden said he won't enforce it. And Trump has said he won't enforce it. So, basically, Trump's feelings are 'the law' and the LAW is not the law in this in this situation. It's honestly pretty weird, but also ironic. Trump tried to ban it as president during his first term, now he's done a 180. He now says he's all for it because the kids love it, and it's good for him. Last year, Mike Waltz was part of those hawkish Republicans who was FOR the ban, calling TikTok, Chinese Communist Spyware. Now he's echoing much the same message saying that he wants to preserve it. Now they want to make money off it. How convenient 🙄

Good to see that he's doing something to try and make some changes that will hopefully be untouchable by Trump, or at least prove difficult for them as they spend the first few months to years of his office in legal battles fighting things like this. I don't think it will stand up to a court challenge, but I like the move symbolically. He should still pardon everyone from his administration to shield them from Trump, especially people who would be symbolic targets like Fauci.