ACLU responds to election of Donald Trump
by ACLU ~ Nov. 6 ~ tinyurl.com/Iguana2098
“At the ACLU, we’re clear-eyed about the chaos and destruction a second Trump administration will cause to our nation. That’s why we’re done with handwringing, admiring the problem, or waiting anxiously to see which unlawful action President-elect Trump will take on Day One. We are ready to take action the minute Trump takes the oath of office.”
Earth’s water cycle off balance for ‘first time in human history’
by Julia Conley ~ Common Dreams ~ Oct. 18 ~ tinyurl.com/Iguana2099
Decades of mismanagement of water resources and the fossil fuel-driven crisis of global warming have put “unprecedented stress” on the Earth’s water systems, and have thrown the world’s hydrological cycle out of balance “for the first time in human history.”
First Amendment advocates demand Senate pass PRESS Act before Trump takes office
by Julia Conley ~ Common Dreams ~ Nov. 8 ~ tinyurl.com/Iguana2100
Press freedom advocates called on the Senate to urgently pass a bipartisan bill aimed at protecting reporters from government overreach and spying before what one group called “an anti-press extremist obsessed with punishing journalists and news outlets who criticize him” takes office as the next president of the United States.
Florida officials report hundreds of books removed from schools
by Coral Murphy Marcos ~ The Guardian ~ Nov. 12 ~ tinyurl.com/Iguana2111
Florida’s Department of Education has released a list or more than 700 books that were “removed or discontinued” from schools across the state after changes to a state law last year that allows parents and residents to challenge the content of library books. This year’s list has doubled in size from last year.
Florida universities are culling hundreds of general education courses
by Andrew Atterbury ~ Politico ~ Oct. 14 ~ tinyurl.com/Iguana2101
Florida’s public universities are purging the list of general education courses they will offer next year to fall in line with a state law pushed for by Gov. Ron DeSantis targeting “woke ideologies” in higher education. These decisions have the potential to affect faculty and thousands of students across the state.
Jon Stewart on Trump’s win and what’s next w/Heather Cox Richardson (podcast)
by Jon Stewart ~ The Weekly Show ~ Oct. 8 ~ tinyurl.com/Iguana2105
In the aftermath of 2024 election results, Americans are rightfully worried about what a second Trump administration may bring. In this episode, Jon Stewart is joined by Heather Cox Richardson, author of “Democracy Awakening: Notes on the State of America” to explore what our past can teach us about the resiliency of our democratic institutions as we navigate an uncertain future.
Trump won: Now what?
by Daniel Hunter ~ Common Dreams ~ Nov. 10 ~ tinyurl.com/Iguana2113
It’s important we squarely face U.S. President-elect Donald Trump’s victory and what there is to do about it. Trump has already signaled the kind of president he will be: revengeful, uncontrolled, and unburdened by past norms and current laws. For us to be of any use in a Trump world, we have to pay grave attention to our inner states, so we don’t perpetuate the autocrat’s goals of fear, isolation, exhaustion, or constant disorientation.
US politics has become the fiefdom of billionaires
by David McWilliams ~ Common Dreams ~ Nov. 8 ~ tinyurl.com/Iguana2103
At its core, the promise of democracy is “one man one vote”; but the attraction of capitalism is “one man many votes,” meaning the rich guys get the best things and lots of them, while the poor guy loses out. Capitalism and democracy are in a constant state of friction. The excesses of capitalism need to be tempered by the equalizing nature of democracy.
What’s next America? (podcast)
by Leigh McGowan ~ Politics Girl ~ Nov. 12 ~ tinyurl.com/Iguana2112
Politics Girl details the many depressing events/results since election day, but concludes America is still an amazing nation filled with incredible people, that we must present an alternative to the Trump administration’s dangerous lawlessness, and refuse to lie down and take it.
Why Democrats lose even when Republicans are so endlessly terrible
by Chuck Idelson ~ Common Dreams ~ Nov. 7 ~ tinyurl.com/Iguana2104
In a large part, the campaign reflected the direction the Democratic Party establishment has taken, away from working class issues since the advent of neoliberal policies in the 1970s. The old cliché “it’s the economy, stupid,” triumphed again.