I grew up in a crappy little small town in Iowa that would be very offended by my public description of it as such. It’s not the town in the pictures here — those are from Kansas. Individually, I know a whole lot of really neat people from my hometown. I got a lot of support from very many folks. But it’s also a place where I grew up watching people sit in church pews on Sundays listening to big talks about love and care… only hours or days after those very people were mean, were having affairs, or were causing trauma. Denial of trauma and meanness doesn’t mean it didn’t happen and doesn’t still. Rather, it helps it persist.
Sigh...all that you write is true, Vanessa--and it's quite depressing. I worry that even though avid trump supporters do not represent a majority of the people, their influence is out-sized because of the efforts of the Republicans to seize control of state governments and the judiciary. It's not just a matter of big state/small state, urban/rural. It's about the leverage they have to impose their will on much larger majorities who want no part of their "Christian"-dominated autocracy. So how do we counteract this? Liberal organizations are organizing like crazy--but in many states their efforts are thwarted by those very same conservative forces. People like me who live in safe blue bubbles are horrified by the extent of power that is concentrated in the autocratic bastions of Republican-dominated states. And provisions of our Constitution reinforce their out-sized influence. You are fighting valiantly to address this crisis. How can we elevate the movement to bring about real and lasting change?
Brilliant Vanessa, How can I help you distribute this? I don't live in the US so my digital footprint may not help ensure American eyes see it. If you have any suggestions on how I can help ensure this gets seen and read I'm open to learning.
Thank you so much! Good heavens I don't know how I missed your comment... now nearly a month ago! I appreciate the offer. Mostly I suppose it's sharing it with people you know, or on your social media. If you're not on our email list to receive this, that might be of interest too. Also, here's our plan for next steps... https://shiftthecountry.substack.com/p/shift-report-post-election-plan-for
Sigh...all that you write is true, Vanessa--and it's quite depressing. I worry that even though avid trump supporters do not represent a majority of the people, their influence is out-sized because of the efforts of the Republicans to seize control of state governments and the judiciary. It's not just a matter of big state/small state, urban/rural. It's about the leverage they have to impose their will on much larger majorities who want no part of their "Christian"-dominated autocracy. So how do we counteract this? Liberal organizations are organizing like crazy--but in many states their efforts are thwarted by those very same conservative forces. People like me who live in safe blue bubbles are horrified by the extent of power that is concentrated in the autocratic bastions of Republican-dominated states. And provisions of our Constitution reinforce their out-sized influence. You are fighting valiantly to address this crisis. How can we elevate the movement to bring about real and lasting change?
Brilliant Vanessa, How can I help you distribute this? I don't live in the US so my digital footprint may not help ensure American eyes see it. If you have any suggestions on how I can help ensure this gets seen and read I'm open to learning.
Thank you so much! Good heavens I don't know how I missed your comment... now nearly a month ago! I appreciate the offer. Mostly I suppose it's sharing it with people you know, or on your social media. If you're not on our email list to receive this, that might be of interest too. Also, here's our plan for next steps... https://shiftthecountry.substack.com/p/shift-report-post-election-plan-for
Thanks again - Vanessa