When the US created the Dept of Homeland Security, ICE, the PATRIOT act, and all this other post 9/11 police state nonsense -- a lot of us knew the day would come when it was all used against the American people and here we are.
They aren't being stupid, they are being evil They are purposefully crashing the economy, erecting a trade-wall, dismantling organizing rights, and gutting oversight so that the oligarchs can get rich doing whatever the hell they want with a newly minted class of increasingly desperate, low-wage workers.
But you don't have to agree with me on that to know that demonizing people for a harmless characteristic, telling the public they are an "enemy within," and passing highly targeted legislation intended to deny them access to public life is immoral, undemocratic, and dangerous to us all.
Like you don't have to have any particular position on gender to know that isolating a group of people and purposefully ginning up public resentment against them with misinformation and propaganda is going to lead to something terrible.
All the cis people who insisted that they had a right to be "skeptical" and that they "weren't hateful" and would "speak out if we were really being threatened" are curiously silent these days.
In #trans people, right-wing extremists have finally found the perfect minority threat. An insular, minuscule group about which the general public knows little. They're primed to believe any ridiculous made-up nonsense.
The rhetoric is getting more extreme literally by the day. Academics can debate gender theory and feminist critiques, but out here in reality-land we can see very well where this is leading.
@voxofgod The story is that the author was a Lutheran pastor and Nazi sympathizer who turned against the movement after witnessing the horror that it caused. I think that's ok. I think the poem is ok. I just think it's a cliche that is overused by the simple minded.
Consider good old-fashioned canning jars for freezer storage – they stand up well if you use a little common sense:
* Don’t overfill them – leave a full inch of space at the top.
* Let the contents freeze thoroughly before fully tightening the lid (to release air pressure).
* Thaw gently, after removing the lid. I’ve had no issue thawing my frozen canning jars in a pot of water on the lowest heat, or in the microwave on defrost.
If jars don’t work for you, there are re-usable silicon bags and other alternatives. I use glass because it’s cheap (often free), easy to clean, and widely available.
Whatever your preference, it’s past time to ditch plastic if you can. For your health, and for the planet.
Hubs finally got me to read the research on the health and enviro harms of PFAS and microplastics. I didn’t want to -- I told him I had enough problems.
But he was right and I’m convinced.
It's HARD to get plastic totally out of your life, so start with low-hanging fruit.
For instance: when I do my shopping I go out of my way to find alternatives to my favorites that aren’t packaged in plastic.
One of the lowest of hanging fruit are all those plastic bags and plastic storage containers.
Glass is naturally food-safe, one of the most easily recycled materials and is also widely available -- jars and bottles can be had for pennies at thrift stores. Much of the food you buy comes in a completely reusable glass container.
I re-use glass in my fridge, my pantry, and my spice drawer. I like the eclectic look it gives my kitchen.
Listening to the latest @404mediaco podcast episode detailing the hacks on DOGE's website.
Just wanna shout out their coverage these days. Talk about the exact right investigative journalists for this exact moment. Really grateful that they exist.
Once you do any serious reading about the supply chain your tech comes from, recycling and repurposing old tech starts to feel like the only even kindof ethical way to continue.
I know it's personalizing but it's *incredibly* demoralizing to spend 16hr work days responding to sobbing parents, working the Trump EO situation in my community, trying to keep on top of my state's horrible slate of bills, only to come to the internet to see the general sentiment from the peanut gallery is that nobody is doing anything.
I don't need a cookie, and I'll stop for no one, but some of you have no idea what those of us who've been doing this for a long while are managing.