HOW TO SURVIVE WHEN YOU DON'T KNOW HOW

 

    We are living in perilous times, that is for certain.  Who could have imagined that Elon Musk would be the actual president and Trump the puppet? We were so optimistic in the Fall, thinking that Harris and Walz had such a good chance at winning. But, in fact, according to some good stats, they DID win. 

 

    Check out Greg Palast, a forensic economist and investigative journalist with a fine reputation who has worked for The Guardian, the BBC, the ACLU, and the NAACP among others. He has done a deep dive into voting precincts, even going so far to count 138,000 discarded votes in Georgia. Many were Provisional Votes, thrown out for many reasons, as well as what he calls, "Vigilante Challenges." We are the only Western Democracy which allows this. Say I see your vote cast, then I challenge it for any reason. The precinct is obligated by law to send you a postcard saying your vote has been challenged, but who reads postcards? To understand this better, Google "Greg Palast" and look for his podcast. Then go to his documentary, "Vigilantes, Inc." This is a very sobering look at how the GOP "won" this election. 

Then, to the Vigilante challenges and Provisional votes discarded, add Voter Suppression which he calculates at costing the Dems between 3-4 million votes among Black, Youth, Asian, and Hispanic folks.

 

   You do not have to take my word for it. Check out Mr. Palast's podcast, then his documentary. It all adds up to the frightening situation we now find ourselves in. He also wrote a book called, "The Best Democracy Money Can Buy."

 

  So what can we do? Bernie Saunders says this is no time to either despair or stick our heads in the sand. I agree. Here are several things I am doing, besides praying daily for our Democracy.

1/  Give money to Gay Valonti's House race in Florida.

2/ Donate to Josh Weil's House race, also in Florida.

3/  Donate to the NY State House race as well.

 

4/ On FB, find the "Sign onto justice" site and order postcards to be sent to Congress. They plan massive mailings on March 1, April 1, and May 1. I would like to download these and print them out, but you would need card stock to go through the mail.

5/ CALL THE CENTRAL GOVERNMENT SWITCHBOARD, DAILY.

6/ Support your local Food Pantries, Homeless Shelters, and the Trevor Project. Our LGBTQIA+ siblings are being deeply harmed by this stolen government. 

7/ Due to my disabilities, I cannot march or demonstrate in the cold. But I am trying to do my best to resist fascism. Be aware that some of our legacy media are no longer truly free. I go to alternate sites such as: The Daily Show, Jay Kuo, Heather Cox Richardson, The Other 98%, The Guardian, Democracy Now, and The Problem With Jon Stewart.

 8/ Do not give in to Doom Scrolling. We still have some power. If we gain just 3 seats in the House, then Hakeem Jeffries becomes the Speaker, instead of that evangelical worm, Mike Johnson.

9/ Find things that give you joy. Our Pastor Mark once said, "Joy and awe are acts of resistance." I listen to music, dance, cook, watch birds, call friends, knit a Reiki scarf, and consciously look for glimmers.

 

10/ As much as you can, stay connected to community, whatever that is for you. Go to church, Temple, a Mosque, Town Meetings, or library events. Have friends in for muffins and coffee. Chat up strangers on your walk or when shopping.  And remember to be kind. Most of us are hurting in different ways.

 

 STAY STRONG,  my peeps. Our Democracy is not dead yet, although imperiled and definitely wobbly. Keep the faith, just like those colonists who dumped chests of tea into the Boston Harbor. No kings need apply here!