Trump barely answered a question and lied over 30 times during the Trump/ Biden debate.

Yep, I agree, Joe looked like a deer caught in the headlights, but Trump sounded like a lunatic.

Trump said the January 6th attack of our Capital was just a small group of people ushered in by the police. What!

I watched hundreds of people rushing the Capital Police on Jan 6, who were relentlessly attacking officers, like millions of other Americans saw that day and since then.

Does Trump really think we can forget that day, or his encouragement of violence, against our elected officials?

We heard what he said to his followers.

Can we forget how many times Trump lied and said the 2020 election was stolen?

Now it turns out even Bill Barr said Trump admitted he lost the election!

Bill Barr says Donald Trump 'knew well he lost the election'

Why are the Media’s Standards so Low for Trump?

According to the Oxford Academic, journalists are up to the task of dealing with a compulsive liar. NOT

• Many reporters and much of the public believe presenting ‘both sides’ is being objective, but is it?
• With someone like Trump, who confidently and continually distorts the truth, you can’t just report what Trump says and act like his behavior is normal!
• We deserve to know the facts – but is it too late?

What happened to the Media? Why are they ignored or worse, despised?

What was Trump’s role in this change?

The authors of the book News After Trump point out how the media has changed in the age of Trump.

• Trump was unpredictable – he made great sound bites that the press ate up – even if it was a host of fabrications
• Trump blacklisted media outlets during his election campaigns ( such as The Washington Post) so few of his lies were exposed
• Trump labeled those he disagreed with as ‘fake news’, which was relentlessly repeated on the internet
• Trump barred journalists who dared to criticize him – he made sure few could question him

Trump systematically destroyed a check and balance on the Presidency.

• He has effectively muzzled the press,
• then packed the Supreme Court with partisan judges, and
• is openly manipulating Congress to do his bidding.

Do we really want to be like Russia, China or North Korea?

Trump is Winning His War on the Media

Unlike previous Presidents who held daily press meetings, Trump avoided them

• Instead Trump used Twitter and later Truth Social to whine about how unfairly he was treated-in spite of the press rarely questioning his conspiracy statements
• Trump was often angry, and demeaning to the press, when he did interact with them (Remember the disabled reporter Trump mocked?)

What could the Press do-that they aren’t doing now?

Well, reporters tried being objective with Trump but that clearly has not worked.

Television stations also liked Trump’s outrageous remarks as they bought them clicks and hits-but that amplified Trump’s distortions and fabrications.

Instead, the authors of News After Trump recommend:

Journalists can find a fresh approach in accentuating a “moral voice” – that is, more assertively and transparently standing up for democratic norms, free and fair elections and other broadly shared values for social good.

Journalists can’t stand by and allow an American like Trump say that he wants to be our dictator.

The media must remind us what a republic and democracy is and should be.

And no, the News after Trump authors are not justifying partisan interference.

But they also know the media can’t wring their hands in dismay while Trump runs roughshod over reality in his pursuit for power.

Journalists can be more forthright in calling out lies and calling out racism, and some of those things have been revealed to us through the course of the Trump presidency. There are more efforts that can be made in getting better at simply telling things as they are rather than, in some cases, hiding behind objectivity as an excuse to not be fully engaged in portraying reality.”

Trump is telling us he wants to be a dictator and rule us like his mentors Putin and Orban.

Believe him before it’s too late!

References

Watch: Jan. 6 Committee Shows New Footage of Capitol Attack

Trump Has Repeatedly Asked Aides To Ban Reporters

Donald Trump Just Barred the Washington Post Reporters from Campaign Events

Trump White House Goes 300+ Days Without a Press Briefing

I started programming in the mid-80s, in the midwest. It was tough getting my first programming job. Like it still is.

Most companies wanted someone with 3–5 years of experience. I had a bachelors and a tech college degree..with the help of student loans..luckily a mid-sized company wanted to ‘mold’ their programmers, so they hired three of us right out of college.

But within a couple of years, the company owner wanted to retire to Arizona. We had to get a new job or move with the company.

Most of the experienced IT folks decided to stay in the midwest, but the rest of us had to move since it would have been hard to find a job with little job experience..and folks were laying IT workers off in the midwest..and elsewhere in the U.S.

Sound familiar? Layoffs were commonplace

I went to Arizona and stayed until I could find a company to move me out of there, since the desert was nice to visit, but not somewhere I wanted to live. Within a year or two, I found a programming job in the Southeast.

In the southeast, I was programming for a dysfunctional Fortune 500 company that was unable to complete projects. It was obvious to me they were going to go broke, so I was at a job interview the Friday the company laid off ALL of their IT staff.

When I tried to call my co-workers at work that day, no one answered. I found out from a drunk co-worker who was partying that I had to go to the main company location to get my envelope..if it was white I had a job, otherwise I was laid off.

I didn’t get the white envelope.

But within a week I had a contract programming job.

I did find it entertaining that my former employer, the loser Fortune 500 company, forced their executives to call a bunch of their IT workers back, since the company hadn’t kept anyone who knew how to turn on and run the company computer systems (like payroll, accounts payable, or customer service). They had literally unplugged the computer systems.

• In other words, the company executives didn’t know who actually did the IT work..they had fired everyone in IT except a couple of managers.
• Later, I saw one of my former IT managers working at a local grocery, bagging groceries.
• I don’t know how you could think IT was a ‘safe‘ field after that debacle!

Watching layoffs from the sidelines

While I worked as a contractor, I saw other IT folks laid off, sometimes hundreds or thousands, but some companies were more transparent, and told their employees they were closing down.

• Some companies even provided on-site job fairs for their soon-to-be laid off employees
• A couple provided resume workshops and coaching
• So not all companies were as disorganized and dysfunctional as my firm had been..

Another reason I became a contractor was because staying at one firm for years could be the kiss of death for your career.

IT software and hardware, especially programming languages, are constantly changing. So if you stay at one place that doesn’t convert to new systems, you‘re quickly outdated and have obsolete skills.

I didn‘t get all the confusion from laid off IT workers who stayed at companies that were obviously going downhill (something like Meta, Amazon, and Twitter today who are all imploding because of their clueless billionaire owner’s decision making.)

How can you not notice the writing on the wall?

How can you ignore the negative rumor mill at your company, or external indicators, like your stock is tanking or your shareholders are restless?

I left IT for a few years to try working outdoors, but when I ran out of money, I took a help desk job at a Fortune 100 company.

What a catastrophe!

They treated their rank and file employees horribly, and we rarely had a manager, since they left as soon as they finished training.

In addition, few of the managers had a clue what we did, so I was promoted quickly since the job wasn’t that difficult.

• When they started consolidating the help desks, I got a job at the company as a programming trainer.
• I did that until I noticed they were phasing out their trainers and were replacing them with contractors.

I had made sure I had learned HTML, CSS, JavaScript, Lotus Notes and a few other ‘newer’ languages, so I could find another training position.

I ended up working for a community college for many years, in lots of different IT roles.

Pay attention to your company‘s health

As you can see, if you pay attention to your company’s rumor mill, you can often see whether your firm is doing well or is going down the drain, or is stuck.

I couldn’t believe that for years white collar workers had to go to offices, wasting their time commuting, desperately trying to find daycare, and obediently keeping their salaries ‘secret‘.

I worked remotely when I was a contract programmer in the 90s, and worked remotely for my Fortune 100 company in the 00s, when I was a trainer.

Remote work is not new. Not at all. And now that many have experienced remote work, they want it to stay.

And I always talked about my salary with others. As a result, I often negotiated my salary, for the better.

But I can see why some managers hate remote work, since it‘s harder to micromanage others and it becomes more difficult to bore your subordinates to death in endless useless meetings.

And the ones in charge built or leased buildings for years, and don’t want it to be too obvious that they are the ones wasting the company‘s money.

What is the motivator for pushing workers to the office again?

I believe some feel they are losing control of their workers.

And others really don’t have a lot to do if they can’t force their subordinates to have constant one-on-ones, unnecessary meetings, and they miss the opportunities to whine about their jobs.

And it is also payback time

During the pandemic, some workers saw how little companies or managers cared about their health, workload, or work/life balance.

Some people changed careers, retired, went back to school, started their own businesses, or worked less hours.

Yes, it is always challenging to find a job, but more people are pickier about who they will work for, and how they will work, now.

And companies don’t like the reasonable workplace that American workers are finally demanding.

Granted, many workers have few choices, but I like how some Americans are finally seeing the value in unionizing and realizing they have a right to make demands for a decent workplace!

Resources

Why Labor Unions Are Making a Comeback

How Big Tech is Using Mass Layoffs to Bring Workers to Heel

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What would you do if you could wave a magic wand?

This week we can celebrate Women’s Equality Day (August 26)!

But I want women’s equality to last forever, not just one day!

Why is it so hard to get what we deserve?

My life revolves around fairness..everyone should get a chance to do their best, be evaluated fairly, and be given tips to improve and succeed at something, no matter how trivial it may seem to others.

• It shouldn’t matter whether you make the best lay-up or the best-canned peaches; you should be praised when you succeed.
• It seems simple, doesn’t it?

What would be fair today?

Let’s take a look at pregnancy in the United States.

• Instead of a woman, how about her partner carries the baby, not her?
• Just a little genetic material transfer automagically happens..and presto! If they like, they can take turns carrying the baby.
• They can decide together if they are ready to be parents or not.

Why would either partner carrying a baby be fabulous?

• If guys get pregnant, then contraception, abortion, maternal/paternal/infant care, healthcare, and childcare would all be free and available on demand, instead of the US having the worst maternal care/deaths compared to other developed countries!
• I’m sure guys would love to carry a baby since we’ve been carrying the load for quite some time!

How about contraception? The burden is often on women.

• Over 19 million American women don’t have access to birth control.

Let’s put something in the water that makes everyone infertile.

• Then, when you’re ready to get pregnant, you and your partner have to drink a free magic potion that makes you fertile again.
• Now you both have to want to be parents, not by accident or by just one of you.
• Win-win!

Education: How do we make it fair?

Right now, the United States federal and state governments provide funds for education (with a massive variance in state monies distributed).

• But much money comes from the local community, often the county or city/town. Why does this matter?
• The local funding is based on property taxes collected.

Why do educational funding sources matter?

Our children’s education is based on your community’s wealth.

• If you’re poor, you get a poor education.
• If you’re not poor, you can get an adequate to superior education!

What does the education divide look like?

• Suppose you live in a wealthy or middle-class neighborhood. In that case, your school is often well built, has attracted competent teachers and staff, and provides students with various excellent educational opportunities. Usually, these students have their basic needs met, and school is a safe environment for learning. Bonus: Parents have the means to donate funds for state-of-the-art equipment.
• But if you live in a poor, lower-class, or even a blue-collar neighborhood, your school is often old, has trouble attracting teachers and staff, and lacks the texts and resources to provide students an adequate education. Students may not have sufficient food/shelter/healthcare, and the school can be an unsafe environment for learning.

What can we do about the unfair education many of our children receive?

Don’t: base school funding on the community’s property taxes.

Do: Combine the taxes from counties and cities, and divide the funds among the state’s schools based on NEED, not wealth!

Better yet: The state should be funding childcare, education, and healthcare reasonably. Whoever needs it, should get it!

If that doesn’t work: Let’s send our children to a planet where all children are fed, clothed, housed, educated, and can receive physical/mental health services whenever they want and have the best playgrounds in the universe!

What magical changes would you make to our country and world to make it a better place for all?

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Well, if we all get educated, who is going to clean their toilets?

I just read a fascinating article in the Intercept about why American students got saddled with debt.

They pointed out that our founding fathers (the guys Republicans usually harp endlessly about) strongly encouraged public education.

James Madison, Thomas Jefferson, George Washington, and John Adams (quoted below) believed we needed an educated society, not a bunch of ignorant yahoos:

Let us tenderly and kindly cherish, therefore, the means of knowledge. Let us dare to read, think, speak and write.

-John Adams, 2nd United States President

Granted, at the time, only rich white guys could vote, but we all know they really meant all of us (women, people of color, g/l/b) should get some reading/writing and arithmetic under our belts. Right?

Until Ronnie Reagan, most Democrats and Republicans thought public education was necessary for a functioning democracy.

I know we’ve always had a few naysayers. Still, we have an odd collection of folks that aren’t too keen on education: flat earthers, anti-evolutionists, creationists, and anti-science conspiracy nuts, to name a few.

But Ronnie was the beginning of the end of support for public education.

What was the motivation for destroying free public education?

If you make education expensive and privatize it, the “right” folks can make gobs of money. Private schools charge a ton vs. free public schools. In addition, if you limit the folks who can become educated:

• You’ll create a class of indebted college-educated workers who have to work the rest of their lives to pay off their student loans. And to keep them happy, pay them enough money, so they don’t realize they are lifelong working serfs.
• Plus, if you make education expensive and make it sound elitist, you’ll make sure there is a massive number of ignorant people you can pay poorly, manipulate, and use to make huge profits off.
• Of course, the wealthy can afford to educate their families. Still, based on the ignorant people we now have “in charge” of our political and religious spheres, I’d say they are starting to believe their rhetoric (or pay others to get their “education” for them).

It’s a nasty combination of capitalism (money is the true objective), classism (meism: we’re doing better than “them”), and fascism (aren’t we happier when we all think “alike”).

Of course, at various times, you can make sure religion, sexism, racism, and homophobia are used to divide people as well.

What did Ronnie do?

When Reagan was governor in 1970, he shut down all University of California college campuses because of student protests against the Vietnam war.

His education advisor, Roger A. Freeman (later Nixon’s education advisor), made some interesting statements at a press conference documented by the San Francisco Chronicle (October 1970):

“We are in danger of producing an educated proletariat. That’s dynamite! We have to be selective on who we allow to go through higher education.”

Ronnie said he wanted to save money and charge college fees (colleges were nearly free in 1970). But unfortunately, he really wanted to limit the education of most Americans.

This was when Republicans realized an educated workforce could protest, revolt, and change the social fabric.

Conservative folks jumped on the college tuition bandwagon and mused that free college allowed “less qualified” students to get into colleges (meaning poor, blacks, and women, perchance). It gave “hope” to working-class Americans, who could get out of the factories and cause class warfare! Yikes!

The implication was clear: poor, non-white, and working-class Americans were getting uppity and needed to be put into their “place.”

Let Them Eat Cake!

The ruling Republican class had to ensure they had gullible workers to fill their coffers.

And it worked.

• College costs have increased astronomically.
• Younger generations are in massive student loan debt.
• Folks denigrate education.
• Public education funding varies widely by state and county.

Every year, more state funding is being given to private (often religious) K-12 schools, which often lack teacher accreditation, do not adhere to a standard curriculum, lack transportation, and are allowed to reject various types of students (such as the disabled).

Instead of race segregation, we now have an educational system divided by income.

But we can do something about it!

Nationally, you can join lots of folks improving our public schools

• 4 Ways to Help Underserved School Kids
• Dignity in Schools
• MomsRising Together
• Network for Public Education
• Parents Across America

Support forgiving student loans

• Support politicians, educators, parents, and students who want to forgive student loans
• Contact the U.S. Department of Education for help.

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If you’d like to know more about what’s happening at our public schools, here’s an article you might be interested in:

Why Can’t Our College Students Read and Write?

Even if you haven’t had sex for five years, have you “ever” had unprotected sex?

If I have to hear one more guy tell me that he is a “good guy” and doesn’t need to use safe sex or get tested, I will scream!

It doesn’t matter if you haven’t had sex in “X” many years, if you have had unprotected sex EVER in your past, right?

• And unless you are tested for a range of sexually transmitted diseases regularly, you could have one or more, right?
• And you could spread that potentially life-long disease to ME!

Right? RIGHT!

Exposed to infectious diseases for a decade

I became a huge proponent of safe sex (and testing) not because I’m a sex maniac but because of a surprising discovery (if you are a sex maniac, that is fine, of course).

A few years ago, my boyfriend of over ten years found out he had first-stage liver cancer. They couldn’t figure out why until they ran extensive tests.

That’s when my boyfriend’s doctors discovered he had Hepatitis C, which was formerly incurable.

Unbeknownst to my boyfriend, in the 70s, he was most likely infected with Hepatitis C when he had major surgery and needed blood transfusions.

• At that time, the American blood supply wasn’t tested for Hepatitis (they started testing for hepatitis in the 1990s).
• My boyfriend had had Hepatitis C for over 30 years, so like over 2 million other Americans, he had Hepatitis C and was not aware of it.
• And I’d been having sex with him!

I was in a panic, but usually, according to the CDC, Hepatitis C isn’t transmitted sexually, but it can be. (For example, if you have rough sex, anal sex, lots of sex partners, or have an STD, such as HIV).

But I had been living with him and been his “nurse” when he got cuts and gashes, so I had been exposed to his blood, which IS one of the ways you’re most likely to get Hepatitis…(or through sharing needles, needle pricks, or childbirth).

I got tested for Hepatitis B and C since the CDC said another 750,000+ Americans have Hepatitis B, but I didn’t have either of them.

But millions of folks aren’t so lucky.

I’d like to say my boyfriend’s story ended happily, but he had to have eight surgeries to remove tiny tumors on his liver.

• They couldn’t cure his Hepatitis C because of the tumors, but finally found a medication that cured Hepatitis C even when the patient had liver tumors!
• When they found out he had lung cancer, he still had 60% of his liver functioning.
• In two weeks, he died from lung cancer.

When, where, and what should you get tested for?

It’s recommended that you get tested every year once you’re sexually active.

Why? Unfortunately, many of these diseases have NO symptoms.

It’s best to wait at least 30 to 90 days to get tested after unsafe sex since common STDs have various incubation periods. The one exception is Hepatitis C, which has a 6-month incubation period.

I was nervous the first time I got the whole gamut of tests, but it was straightforward.

Even if you don’t have health insurance, you can usually go to your city or county health departments for low to no-cost tests (usually due to state and federal funding).

You can get a blood test to check for the following diseases:

Hepatitis B/C, HIV, syphilis, and herpes

You’ll need to take a urine test to find out if you have:

Gonorrhea, chlamydia, trichomonas

How long until you get results?

Usually, 3–5 days, depending on your location.

I was nervous the first time I had to wait for results (I was apprehensive that I had had Hepatitis C for over a decade).

But after the first year, each year has been easier. I try to use safe sex consistently, but accidents do happen…

What do you do if you test positive?

Most STDs are treatable. But at this time, HPV and herpes (as well as Hepatitis B and HIV) can only be contained, not cured.

You’ll need to talk with your doctor or clinic about treatment, inform partners, and receive follow-up testing.

Like your other health issues, your results are confidential.

How do you talk to someone you’re dating about safe sex?

Well, my discussions with potential partners have not always gone well. In most situations, I’m assertive, but sometimes I’m not.

When I strongly suggested I wanted to use condoms with a new boyfriend, I was furious at myself after he said, “he hadn’t had sex for years, so why did he need to get tested?”

Later, he cheerfully shared “what a stud he’d been in his 20s, as he’d had sex with over 35 women.”

I asked him if he’d “EVER been tested, after having such a large number of sex partners.”

“Nope, he didn’t see why; it was thirty years ago. “

I broke up with him. He wasn’t exactly the brightest tool in the toolbox…but at that point, neither was I!

And I got tested, again.

Luckily I was clean, but I didn’t feel really safe until I got tested six months later (since Hepatitis C has a six-month incubation period).

Now, if a guy I’m talking with seems dismissive of safe sex or getting tested, I don’t even bother with them. Next!

Planned Parenthood said it really well:

“Someone who doesn’t respect your body and your health isn’t worth having sex with.”

Have those awkward conversations!

Stay safe out there!

Resources

• Planned Parenthood: How do I talk to my partner about safe sex? (including, “What if my partner doesn’t want to have safer sex”)
• CDC Hepatitis Patient Fact Sheets
• CDC STD Fact Sheets
• CDC STD Web site

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US Protestors: Watch out for Crazy New Laws (That Don’t Protect YOU)

Right-wing state legislators are giving a free pass to drivers who run over protestors and added more penalties for you

During and after the Black Lives Matters protests, the right-wing spread rumors that American cities were being burned to the ground. Trump referred to demonstrators as “thugs.”

My friend, who lives in a major city (where protests regularly occur), was asked by their worried relatives “if they were running for their lives.”

What from? Their “burning” metropolis was supposedly set afire by crazed Black Lives Matter protestors, Antifa, liberals, and Democrats.

They reassured their relatives that “nothing was on fire.”

In response to the “rampant” violence at BLM protests, right-wing legislators got busy making sure protestors thought twice about demonstrating in the future.

Just how violent were the BLM protests?

After the Washington Post examined over 7,000 protests involving millions of people in all 50 states, they found that:

Only 3.7% of the protests involved property damage or vandalism.

In addition, some of the vandalism and looting were not even perpetuated by protesters but by people who “joined in” alongside the protests.

What about injuries at protests?

In 97.7% percent of the events, no injuries were reported among participants, bystanders or police.

But were protestors arrested?

According to the Washington Post, as of June 2020, over 14,000 people had been arrested.

What had they done? The majority of BLM arrests were for:

• carrying open containers
• violating curfew
• obstructing roadways
• failing to “disperse.”

So in response to primarily peaceful demonstrations and protests, right-wing legislators promoted dozens of downright stupid and sometimes dangerous laws to punish demonstrators.

What do protestors need to watch out for?

Thankfully, most of the retaliatory laws promoted by right-wing politicians were scuttled this year.

Unfortunately, three states (so far) have enacted legislation to not only discourage protests but to protect those who commit violence against the protesters:

• They protect drivers who run over protestors,
• They increased penalties for protestors who block roads and participate in “riots,” and
• They expanded their definitions of “criminal trespass.”

Three states with punitive (and downright crazy) laws against protestors

The International Center for Not-For-Profit Law has done an exemplary job of compiling United States federal and state laws that “restrict the right to free assembly.”

Here are the worst three “don’t demonstrate here” laws passed so far:

Of all ironies, this West Virginia law was passed after West Virginia teachers went on strike. Yep, we’ve got to control those “crazed” teachers!

1. West Virginia: HB 4618: Eliminates police liability for protestors’ deaths while “dispersing” riots and unlawful assemblies.

In West Virginia, I’d stay far away from police if there is any chance you could be considered part of an “unlawful” assembly.

Continuing with our “encouragement” of violence towards demonstrators, Iowa’s new law gives drivers civil immunity when they injure a protestor.

2. Iowa SF 342: Protestors beware of drivers! Oh, and you can be sued by the police.

Under the law, a driver who injures someone who is participating in a “protest, demonstration, riot, or unlawful assembly,” engaging in “disorderly conduct,” and blocking traffic, is immune from civil liability as long as the driver was exercising “due care” and the protester did not have a permit to be in the street.

I’ve been in dozens of marches, and traffic was blocked when thousands of people were crossing the streets.

I can’t imagine the mayhem this law could encourage!

If that isn’t bad enough, Iowa also now allows police officers to sue you for civil damages as well:

Law enforcement who experience physical or “other injury” while on duty can pursue civil damages from a person, group, or organization.

This law sounds exceptionally vague. What “other injury” could a law enforcement official experience, if not physical, that they could sue you for?

Taking a page from Iowa’s protest law, Oklahoma not only gives drivers causing protesters’ injuries and deaths freedom from civil liability but also they are not criminally liable.

3. Oklahoma HB 1674: Not only can drivers run over protestors, but if you organize a march and “unrest” ensues, watch out!

The new law shields from liability a driver who injures or kills someone while “fleeing from a riot,” as long as they did so “unintentionally,” were “exercising due care,” and held a “reasonable belief” that they needed to flee to protect themselves. Under the law, the driver cannot be held civilly or criminally liable for the injuries or death they caused.

Just to make sure organizations hesitate to organize a march, Oklahoma also made sure you’ll pay for your efforts:

The law provides that an organization found to have “conspired” with individuals who are found guilty of certain offenses — including “unlawful assembly,” “riot,” “incitement to riot,” refusing to aid in the arrest of a “rioter,” and remaining at the scene of a “riot” after being ordered to disperse — will be fined ten times the maximum amount of fine authorized for the individual’s offense.

Middle of the road anti-protest state laws: keep ’em vague and don’t mess with traffic!

The middle-of-the-road state laws passed are supposedly protecting gas and oil pipelines from demonstrators, but some are so unclear that the laws could be used against folks in a march “near” a gas or oil pipeline.

• For example, in Texas, it wouldn’t matter if demonstrators actually did anything to a facility-just being near it could trigger fines/jail sentences.
• Plus, demonstrators could be civilly liable to property owners and corporations for damages and court costs.

Another popular law right-wingers implemented was fining demonstrators who interfered with traffic.

There are at least five states whose legislators do NOT want to end up in a traffic jam because of your protest:

Arkansas, Missouri, Oklahoma, Tennessee, and Texas.

New wacky “protest-related” state laws

Some of the laws enacted just sound silly, but are so vague, that they could be easily misused. Here are the three oddest state “anti-protest” laws the International Center for Not-For-Profit Law documented:

A. Tennessee HB005: Increased Penalties for “inconvenient” protests on state property. Please do not even think of inconveniencing anyone!

B. South Dakota SB189: We’ll not only make the protesters civilly liable but the protest funders, too. So there! Don’t think of contributing to protests either.

This Ohio state law was pending, but it was the weirdest of the bunch:

C. Ohio HB22: They’ve added new penalties if you “taunt” the police. Don’t you dare look at the police sideways! Or else.

Remember: Republican and right-wing legislators are busy at federal and state levels, doing their best to interfere with your right to assembly.

Three key takeaways:

It is a long-established tradition for all walks of life in the United States and beyond to march together for common causes.

Don’t take your rights for granted!

1. Be aware of your state laws.

2. Talk to your legislators about your present or pending protest laws.

3. Please be careful out there!

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US Protestors: Watch Out For Crazy New Laws (That Don’t Protect YOU) was originally published in Politically Speaking on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

The New York Times’s list of the 25 best books for 125 years was written by eighteen men and only seven women?

I saw an article in a Medium publication (The Book Cafe) about a New York Times list of the best 25 books written in the last 125 years.

I had to read it!

I agree with some of the NYT book choices, but I’m surprised they couldn’t find a few more “best books” written by women..like more than 28%? Women wrote only seven. Is that really all we’ve got?

Here’s the list of books the New York Times picked..I only read nine of them, but four of the ones I read were written by women authors.

So you know, too, here are the nominated “best books” by women writers (FYI: NYT readers chose the winner, which was To Kill a Mockingbird):

• The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood
• To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
• Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell
• Beloved by Toni Morrison
• Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone by J. K. Rowling
• A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith
• A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihari

I am not an expert book reviewer, but I have read a lot of the “classics,” sci-fi, “triumphant women,” mystery, and “comic” books written by women.

I’ll suggest a few more “best books” by women, to give folks more choices of books that could impact you as well! Then you must tell us who you would nominate as the “best” women writers and their “best books”.

Classics: Jane Austen

I’ve read all of Jane Austen’s books, classics mocking the habits of the English aristocracy, so I would add her to the list of best writers. My favorite book of hers is Pride and Prejudice, but I enjoyed Sense and Sensibility just as much. If you like satiric, tongue-in-cheek writing, Jane does not treat her subjects lightly! Her books have been made into countless movies, too.

• A few other “classic” women writers I enjoyed reading were Charlotte Bronte (Jane Eyre, romance), Mary Shelley (Frankenstein, horror), and Daphne Du Maurier (Rebecca, mystery).

Sci-fi: Octavia E. Butler

I’ve also read all of Octavia E. Butler’s sci-fi books, which are incredibly creative works of science fiction. I had started out reading the typical sci-fi texts available in the 60s and 70s, and almost all were deadly dull. I was looking for books that came up with new types of relationships, family structures, languages, and different kinds of societies; that is what Ms. Butler delivered!

Instead of retreading dull old male/female “traditional” relationships and blasting them onto another planet, Ms. Butler reimagined relationships, family structures, and society, so you had to “learn” what it meant to have a family or be a member of the society she created for you. Curious? Then try out her Oankali trilogy: Xenogenesis: Dawn / Adulthood Rites / Imago.

Ms. Butler’s book that won the most awards was the Parable of the Sower, so that would be her book I would nominate as the “best.” But her books were very different from each other; each one will become a different experience for you.

• Elizabeth Lynn was a sci-fi writer whose books are difficult to find, but are incredibly inventive. She was one of the first authors to write about lesbian and gay characters. Her award-winning book was The Watchtower, part of the Tornor trilogy, which I highly recommend.
• Another creative sci-fi writer I suggest that you explore is Ursula Le Guin. Her fantasy book that won the most awards was A Wizard of Earthsea.

Triumph over Adversity: Alice Walker

For me, it was tough to read Alice Walker’s Pulitzer prize-winning book The Color Purple, even though Celie, the protagonist, takes back her life and lives it her way. Why was it a “hard read” for me?

There were quite a few triggers, such as explicit sexual abuse and battering, sexism, racism, and poverty, but Alice Walker’s book broke down many barriers for women (especially women of color and those living in poverty). In the 1980s, Americans still tried to cling to their illusion of the “perfect” American family.

Alice Walker put a face on the American women and children living in harsh violent families every day. The Color Purple was also made into a successful movie starring Danny Glover, Oprah Winfrey, Margaret Avery, Rae Dawn Chong, Willard Pugh, and Adolph Caesar.

• Another fascinating depiction of the American family is Amy Tan’s New York Times bestseller, The Joy Luck Club, which was also made into a popular movie.

Mystery: Agatha Christie

I’ve read many of Agatha Christie’s books and watched quite a few of her movies as well. I sometimes wonder if she’s taken for granted since so many people have heard of her!

Many people would assume I’d nominate Death on the Nile or Murder on the Orient Express. But I thought one of her greatest mysteries, which was very creepy to me, was Ten Little Indians. The 1965 movie version of the book, directed by George Pollock, was particularly frightening!

• Patricia Highsmith is well-known for her mystery Strangers on a Train, which was made into a movie by Alfred Hitchcock. I was on the edge of my seat while watching the film, and I had read the book!

Comedy: Alison Bechdel

One of the funniest writers I’ve enjoyed reading has been Alison Bechdel. She wrote a comic series titled Dykes to Watch Out For; I bought many of her comic book compilations.

But Alison Bechdel is also the creator of the popular “Bechdel test”, which is used to evaluate female representation in the media:

It asks whether a work features at least two women who talk to each other about something other than a man. The requirement that the two women be named is sometimes added.

It’s surprising (and disappointing) how many movies, books, and television series “fail” the Bechdel test.

Tell us who you would nominate as the “best” women writers and their “best books”. If you’d like some ideas, you can get started here:

• 25 Women Writers to Read Before You Die
• The Best Female Authors of All-Time

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Are There Only Seven Great Books Written by Women? was originally published in The Book Cafe on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

And are “they” going to burn the Supreme Court down?

A friend of mine frantically texted me today, asking whether the “U. S. Supreme Court justices were going to be killed” since they’d overturned Roe V. Wade.

It was tempting to say, “Just the conservative judges,” but I was patient and said, “Nope.”

A Supreme Court justice threatened!

My friend then emphatically stated that ONE person had been arrested for threatening Kavanaugh, a Supreme Court justice. And she said a “liberal had shot at Republicans playing baseball” (at a charity event in 2017).

I said I was “more worried about folks with guns and a right-wing agenda stirring things up, such as the Proud Boys or Oath Keepers,” who had already attacked our Capital and tried to capture both Republicans and Democrats.

But my friend explained that “leftists kill as much as or more often than conservatives, such as in Russia, China, Cambodia, and Vietnam.”

Really?

And what does this have to do with the United States Supreme Court?

Right-wing domestic terrorism

I pointed out a “recent right-wing domestic terrorist killed over a dozen people at a grocery store (in Buffalo, New York), based on racist conspiracy theories expressed on Fox News.”

So my friend’s response was, “Oh yeah, evil Fox News.”

Left-wing protesters or “terrorists”

Then, she claimed, “Ruth Sent Us” would be listed as a “left-wing terrorist group” since they were targeting a Supreme Court justice.

I changed the subject since I couldn’t take it anymore.

Who is Ruth Sent Us?

I hadn’t heard much about Ruth Sent Us, so I checked them out.

Plenty of right-wing media sites have written about them! According to the right-wing media, this group is scary!

• The Ruth Sent Us group is protesting at (Supreme Court Justice) Amy Barrett’s house, which I’m not a fan of (doxxing, that is), but I didn’t see evidence of the group making threats or promoting violence.
• Actually, at Ruth Sent Us’s Twitter site, they were retweeting calls for non-violent action.

Recent U. S. Supreme Court justice behavior

Maybe if five Supreme Court justices hadn’t lied at their confirmation hearings about their views on Roe V. Wade, and had NOT overturned a 50-year-old Supreme Court decision, folks wouldn’t be upset…

But there’s a big difference between people calling for non-violent protests against unfair right-wing decisions, versus folks attacking Congress or murdering dozens of people because of what someone heard on right-wing media.

Threats of violence toward election officials

As demonstrated by the January 6th Congressional Committee, after the former President’s minions (or he personally) targeted American election workers and Republican election officials, many of these workers, officials, and their families had to go into hiding!

Trump’s followers threatened these Americans with violence, not protests, for doing their jobs.

It’s interesting how the right-wing media equates leftist calls for “non-violent protests” to right-winger’s “threats of murder and mayhem”!

Who gets conspiracy theorists riled up?

My conspiracy-loving friend (also an anti-Covid vaxer) is not officially Republican but “doesn’t think Trump is all bad.”

She has a science degree yet gets riled up by god-only-knows what on Breitbart News Network and Newsmax.

It’s bad enough that I have to watch women lose their reproductive rights today, after spending my 20s and 30s fighting for fundamental rights for women.

Plus, I see the right is going after making Plan B and birth control unavailable for Americans as well, as I wrote about in Abortion Illegal Again: Who’s Getting Screwed?.

And now I am asked about “liberal” violence!

Just who is violently imposing their views?

But it's hard to take when people who should know better allow right-wing media to generate hysteria about the “left’s” violence.

How can folks ignore the countless deaths caused by right-wing media’s lies and conspiracies?

• How on earth do folks find a way to blame liberals, Democrats, and “Antifa” for.. precisely what? This after the mass murder of children, people of color, women, Jews, Muslims, gays/lesbians/bisexuals?
• What liberal group or Democratic officials are calling for violence and perpetuating it, like right-wing domestic terrorists, Republican officials, and right-wing media?

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Guess who will have kids they can’t afford and will die from illegal abortions?

When I was in high school in the 1970s, I was TERRIFIED of getting pregnant.

I didn’t want to be trapped for life on a Midwestern farm.

Why the fear?

Abortion was illegal until the U.S. Supreme Court decision in 1973.

And now it’s most likely being OVERTURNED.

It wasn’t until after I was out of high school, in 1977, that teens could legally access birth control (and it was another Supreme Court decision).

So what happened to pregnant girls in the 1960s and 1970s?

• When girls got pregnant, they disappeared. The whispers followed them.
• They were sent to ‘homes for unwed mothers” to have their unwanted children secretly, away from “good girls” who luckily hadn’t gotten knocked up.

Why is this important now?

Politico got its hands on a draft that the U.S. Supreme Court is working on, making abortion illegal. AGAIN.

As soon as the U.S. Supreme Court formally announces that Roe v Wade is overturned, Mississippi and 21 other states will ban abortion.

For folks that live in one of the other 30+ states or have money for time off work, childcare, transportation, and clinic fees, you’re set.

• Well, you’re set until your state makes abortion illegal too.

But who is going to suffer the most?

Poor women and women of color, especially those living in the south and midwest (they live in anti-abortion states).

These women will have children they can’t afford or will die trying to abort.

In the past, thousands of women dying from illegal abortions filled up hospital wards.

But since we now have pills that can aid abortion, is it really an issue?

• It depends.
• If the Supreme Court overrules abortion, can’t they also outlaw legal drugs that can cause an abortion?
• Then even states allowing abortions will be limited in what they can legally do as well.

And why stop with just making abortion illegal?

Almost all of our reproductive rights were the result of U.S. Supreme Court decisions.

In the 1960s and 1970s, the Supreme Court made birth control legal for married couples, unmarried adults, and teens. They can overturn those decisions as well.

And the right-to-lifers can’t wait to outlaw birth control. They’re already trying to say that birth control is an “aid for abortion.”

What can you do?

Keep it simple:

1. Post on social media: I support abortion and birth control! #abortion #prochoice #BansOffOurBodies #contraceptives #healthysexuality .

2. Give money or time to local or national groups trying to keep abortion and birth control safe and available, such as NARAL, Planned Parenthood, ACLU, Religious Coalition for Reproductive Rights, and the Center for Reproductive Rights.

3. Contact your legislators: Now’s the time to be heard (calls, email, or in-person) before more restrictive laws are passed!

Find out who your legislators are: https://www.weareplannedparenthoodaction.org/a/elected-officials-lookup

4. Vote! Vote! VOTE!

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I kept losing everything I’d written!

Maybe it’s just me, but I kept losing my drafts to my evil keyboard.

I’ve been hitting some nasty combination of keyboard characters, or I’ve been hexed, or I most likely just have abysmal luck.

I can write half or a whole draft, hit that magic keyboard combo, and lose EVERYTHING!

It’s frustrating as hell.

My memory sucks. I often didn’t know if I could write that piece again.

What good does Medium’s autosave feature do if it “saves” the deletion of your draft?

Medium Help can be Helpful!

So I started poking around Medium Help and found a way to recover my drafts a while ago, and realized, hey, maybe someone else is having bad luck too.

So here’s your ticket to Medium article salvation!

In edit mode, go up to the three magic dots by the Publish button and click on See revision history.

You’ll see a mass of revisions of your article that Medium’s editor saved for you!

IF only you knew it existed before!

Sometimes, you have to pick a few revisions, but you can usually select the last or second to the last revision. It often contains most or all of your content.

• And of course, like me, you’ll get frustrated when you try to type in your wonderfully restored article but can’t.
• You have to go to the top of the article and let Medium know you want “that” revision restored.

Then off you go, typing away!

Extra Tip: What is that junk listed below your article NOW!

In Natalie Frank, Ph.D. ‘s article, Medium, Can You Please Post Actual Related Stories or At Least List the Authors on the Unrelated Clickbait Stories You List on My Articles, I found out something I was only vaguely aware of.

Below my article, there are now links listed to OTHER PEOPLE’s STORIES, and it looks like they are more of MY articles..but they ARE NOT.

• Instead, the story links below mine can be literally any old, nasty thing.
• Or something extraordinary, like a Christmas gift.
• More than likely, it will be a bunch of smelly spoiled Easter eggs.

So I’ve added an FYI/disclaimer at the end of this article to give you an idea of what you can do; or not!

What Medium or writing tips do you have to save our collective sanity?

FYI: The articles listed below my incredible work of art are probably NOT mine…here’s how to find MY articles!

The suggested articles were put there by a machine, not a human, like myself; if they’re great articles, woo-hoo! If they are icky, they are definitely not mine. Instead, click on My Medium List link to get to my other stories (organized by topic, too)!

Medium Writers: How To Recover Your Accidentally “Wiped Out” Drafts was originally published in Feedium on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.