 Get a jump on 2020—Do you have all the information you need to vote in the US elections this year? When is your state’s primary held? What special elections are coming up? File a new FPCA form and look up voting info at FVAP.gov. STOP, LOOK, LISTEN! Resist, Resolve, Repeat We have a lot to look forward to in the new year! American Resistance Sevilla will focus on getting out the vote among Americans living abroad, especially making sure they have the information and tools available to vote in the primaries and general elections. (See Ballotpedia.org and FVAP.gov for resources.) As Paul Rosenberg wrote in Salon this week, Trumpism has led to more political engagement and increased interest in how political communication works. I suppose this is the bright spot in a dire political moment: before Trump, it was easy to not pay attention. Now we can't look away. We will be planning a get-together in Sevilla ahead of the Senate's impeachment trial, so watch for more information on that front. We hope to see you for drinks and tapas. Call your senators! Happy New Year! —Kathy Sherretts Bad hair days: Pressfrom: ‘No blondes allowed’: 50 years after a junior high experiment, students say it had ‘a big impact’ by Diane Bernard By the second day, blond students started to fight back. Some wore signs that said, “Blond Power.” One girl even dyed her hair bright blond in solidarity. Good citizenship: Christian Science Monitor: Students sue for the right to learn civics by Stacy Teicher Khadaroo Parents and students argue that Rhode Island violates students’ rights by leaving them without key skills and knowledge to exercise responsibilities such as voting or jury duty. Bottleneck: New York Times: Where Rent Is $13,500, She Lives Off What’s Left at the Curb by Andy Newman An entire economic ecosystem has grown out of the 5-cent deposit, originally enacted to keep recyclable containers out of the waste stream. Expanding the deposit law would help "canners"—but is opposed by environmental activists, beverage companies, and government officials. Just for fun: McSweeneys: We Can’t Impeach One of the Most Unpopular and Corrupt Presidents Ever and Risk Alienating the Racist Voters Who’d Never Vote for Us Anyway by Bob Vulfov  Ready to do more? • Learn about the Green New Deal. • Read the Indivisible Guide 2.0. • Check out the weekly action plan from Progressive Action, Global Exchange (PAGE) which mobilizes progressives living overseas. • Sign up for the Americans of Conscience Checklist, a weekly action list that also provides encouragement and good news. • Learn about climate solutions and actions at ClimateRecovery.org, a group organized by community activists and members of American Resistance Sevilla.
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 There's a lot to celebrate this time of year—in addition to impeachment! Take time to enjoy a lovely Solstice, Hanukkah, Christmas, Kwanzaa... STOP, LOOK, LISTEN! Take the Win This past week made it official—Donald Trump has been impeached. Whatever happens when the process moves to the Senate, the facts are out and the vote is in. As Lili Loofbourow wrote in Slate, impeachment IS a big deal: justice is being done to a president who refuses to be held accountable. Even a major evangelical magazine has called for his removal. Happy Hanukkah, everyone! It’s a holiday miracle! —Kathy Sherretts News from home: NPR: Bangor's New Council Member Joins Wave Of Women Of Color Winning Office by Robbie Feinberg This year, after seeing other immigrants bring their concerns to local leaders who were all white, Okafor realized that they needed representation. 'Someone needs to do that.' And at some point, I'm like, 'Why not me?' Article: Grist: How can I invest my money without contributing to the climate crisis? by Eve Andrews If the companies that make up your mutual fund or index fund do well, you get some money. And if any of those companies are involved in fossil fuel extraction, then you made that money on climate change. Article: The Guardian: 'Lobsters and octopuses are back': the Kenyan women leading a reef revival by Geoffrey Kamadi Women on Wasini Island have demonstrated how coral restoration techniques can revive marine ecosystems and create sustainable livelihoods for fishing communities. Article: Nature: United States to fund gun-violence research after 20-year freeze by Nidhi Subbaraman The federal government stopped funding gun-violence research after passage of the “Dickey Amendment” in 1996. Jay Dickey, the Republican congressman who wrote the amendment, reversed his position before his death.  • Learn about the Green New Deal.
• Read the Indivisible Guide 2.0. • Check out the weekly action plan from Progressive Action, Global Exchange (PAGE) which mobilizes progressives living overseas. • Sign up for the Americans of Conscience Checklist, a weekly action list that also provides encouragement and good news. • Learn about climate solutions and actions at ClimateRecovery.org, a group organized by community activists and members of American Resistance Sevilla.  It's difficult to capture the true unvarnished dastardliness of Kentucky's senior senator, but cartoonist Joel Pett, of the Lexington Herald-Leader, takes a stab at it with his Sharpie. See the video, 2 min. STOP, LOOK, LISTEN! Singing Along With Mitch Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell announced, ahead of the Senate impeachment trial, that he was working in “total coordination” with the White House. McConnell has long kept Republican senators in line, defending the most outrageous actions of the Trump administration. Although he has been chosen by Kentucky voters (six times, most recently with 52% of the vote) he has an outsize impact on the whole country. Is he a political genius, or just somebody willing to play outside the rules? Who Is Mitch McConnell? (podcast, 39 min). Well, for starters, McConnell:
Newsweek: Rep. Charles Booker, Kentucky's Youngest Black Lawmaker, Explores Run Against Mitch McConnell by Jeffery Martin "Since we sent Mitch McConnell to Washington," says Booker, "he's become one of the richest politicians in America—but Kentucky has been left behind. The more power Mitch McConnell has gained in D.C., the more we've lost here at home." It’s Criminal: The Guardian: The hidden scandal of US criminal justice? Rural incarceration has boomed by Jasmine Heiss and Jack Norton Jail incarceration in rural counties has risen a staggering 27% since 2013, while urban incarceration has declined 18%. Pull Back the Vote: AP: Judge: 234K Wisconsin voter registrations should be tossed by Scott Bauer Liberals fear the voters who could be purged are more likely to be Democrats. Republicans argue allowing them to remain on the rolls increases the risk of voter fraud. We'll Always Have Paris: The Atlantic: Dozens of States Want to Keep America’s Broken Climate Promise by Robinson Meyer 24 states and Puerto Rico now pledge to uphold the Paris goals, although the Trump administration has blocked or repealed most of US climate policy at the national level.  Ready to do more? • Learn about the Green New Deal. • Read the Indivisible Guide 2.0. • Check out the weekly action plan from Progressive Action, Global Exchange (PAGE) which mobilizes progressives living overseas. • Sign up for the Americans of Conscience Checklist, a weekly action list that also provides encouragement and good news. • Learn about climate solutions and actions at ClimateRecovery.org, a group organized by community activists and members of American Resistance Sevilla.  Less local news has resulted in general disengagement from local democratic life, says a study by the Brookings Institution. As Americans have shifted away from local news, turnout in state and local elections has fallen, and communities that have lost reporters have seen fewer candidates run for local office. STOP, LOOK, LISTEN! News to me... I heard a friend say today that she tries to tune out US news because she doesn’t trust ANY news source. Not Fox, not CBS, not NPR. Not The New York Times or The Boston Globe. And that is the dangerous fallout of our political moment. If she is overwhelmed by the national news, what about something closer to home? Well, many communities in the United States are losing their local newspapers altogether, or having them gobbled up by media conglomerates that deliberately shrink the papers to increase profits. Maybe then she gets her information from links that friends send her on Facebook or Twitter… and welcome to our national moment of misinformation, inaccuracy, and distortion. —Kathy Sherretts Essay: Aeon: Bad Thinkers by Quassim Cassam The gullible rarely believe they are gullible, and the closed-minded don’t believe they are closed-minded. Podcast: New Yorker/Politics and More: What Can Progressive Voters Do to Help Fix Our Broken Political System? (20 min) For decades, conservative organizations have poured time, attention, and money into state politics. But in recent years, grassroots movements have helped progressive voters make their voices heard on the issues they care most about. Article: New Yorker: What W. E. B. Du Bois Conveyed in His Captivating Infographics by Hua Hsu For the 1900 World’s Fair in Paris, Du Bois’ team used arresting charts and graphics to illustrate the evolution of black life since emancipation, featuring facts and figures about population growth and political participation, educational attainment and financial clout. Video: PBS: How these Massachusetts farmers are turning manure and food waste into power (7 min) Getting methane from crap instead of from fracking.  Ready to do more? • Learn about the Green New Deal. • Read the Indivisible Guide 2.0. • Check out the weekly action plan from Progressive Action, Global Exchange (PAGE) which mobilizes progressives living overseas. • Sign up for the Americans of Conscience Checklist, a weekly action list that also provides encouragement and good news. • Learn about climate solutions and actions at ClimateRecovery.org, a group organized by community activists and members of American Resistance Sevilla. |
resist the madness!American Resistance Sevilla is a non-partisan community mobilizing Americans living abroad to take peaceful action defending our lawful rights and freedoms. Learn more Archives
November 2020
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