Month: January 2017

mysticben:

my knowledge of authoritarian regimes and state oppressive tactics tells me that this new administration is trying to suppress resistance and cause fear through issuing a surge of oppressive policies and other actions in its first week. attempting to overwhelm us. to fatigue us, to make us lose hope in the possibility of resisting. his friendship with putin is one of many things that makes this make sense 4 me – these are the kinds of overt oppressive tactics the russian state uses on its citizens. remember resistance is always possible, and the use of methods to suppress resistance always indicates fear of resistance. 

mysticben:

my knowledge of authoritarian regimes and state oppressive tactics tells me that this new administration is trying to suppress resistance and cause fear through issuing a surge of oppressive policies and other actions in its first week. attempting to overwhelm us. to fatigue us, to make us lose hope in the possibility of resisting. his friendship with putin is one of many things that makes this make sense 4 me – these are the kinds of overt oppressive tactics the russian state uses on its citizens. remember resistance is always possible, and the use of methods to suppress resistance always indicates fear of resistance. 

Michigan’s U.S. senators and a key congressman want to know if a reported freeze on all new Environmental Protection Agency grants and contracts under the Trump administration will impact $100 million approved late last year to help Flint in the wake of its water crisis.

On Tuesday, multiple news agencies — including ProPublica, the Associated Press and others — reported that the Trump administration had ordered the freeze, as well as telling agencies not to make any statements on social media or answer media questions.

At Tuesday’s press briefing, White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer said he had seen the reports but did not know if they were true and was looking into it. Meanwhile, media contacts at the EPA did not respond to questions from the Free Press about whether the reported freeze could impact efforts in Flint, where high lead levels were detected after the city switched water sources in 2014 and an emergency declaration was issued last year.

Just another kick in the face for Flint. 

Another reminder that your vote matters DON’T THROW IT AWAY. I wish every person who voted for Jill Stein in Michigan (she got 50k votes and Trump won the state by 10k) had to look a Flint resident in the face and explain why they voted how they did. “Well you see Hillary gave some paid speeches…”

(via jessica-messica)

BUT HER EMAILS.

(via road-twitch)

Michigan’s U.S. senators and a key congressman want to know if a reported freeze on all new Environmental Protection Agency grants and contracts under the Trump administration will impact $100 million approved late last year to help Flint in the wake of its water crisis.

On Tuesday, multiple news agencies — including ProPublica, the Associated Press and others — reported that the Trump administration had ordered the freeze, as well as telling agencies not to make any statements on social media or answer media questions.

At Tuesday’s press briefing, White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer said he had seen the reports but did not know if they were true and was looking into it. Meanwhile, media contacts at the EPA did not respond to questions from the Free Press about whether the reported freeze could impact efforts in Flint, where high lead levels were detected after the city switched water sources in 2014 and an emergency declaration was issued last year.

Just another kick in the face for Flint. 

Another reminder that your vote matters DON’T THROW IT AWAY. I wish every person who voted for Jill Stein in Michigan (she got 50k votes and Trump won the state by 10k) had to look a Flint resident in the face and explain why they voted how they did. “Well you see Hillary gave some paid speeches…”

(via jessica-messica)

BUT HER EMAILS.

(via road-twitch)

“TRIPS”

All of which is to say that I’m reviewing my “TRIPS” notebook in Evernote as I add some upcoming travels. I’m torn between a few different viewpoints:

  • The West coast is huge and varied, why go anywhere else?
  • The United States is huge and varied, why go anywhere else?
  • Planet Earth is huge and varied, why go anywhere else?

The next trip is to Washington, DC in a few weeks to stand in and get a sense of the place where this country’s officials make decisions about the future. It will be my first time on the East coast, and only the second time I travel out beyond the Rocky Mountains. I expect I’ll mostly look at buildings and monuments, spend time in museums, drink beer at bars around the Capital, read, and ponder.

After that will be a road trip in March along California’s central valley and a revisit of the areas in South-East California that I first visited a decade ago. It was my first time getting to know any part of California outside of Los Angeles. It was as lonesome on those empty highways as it is in the movies that depict them, and I loved it. I’ll enjoy stopping at the local restaurants to pick up some good chatter. The rainy Spring will mean lots of landscapes full of flowers and a tolerable temperature. The best time to visit the desert.

My passport expires this year. It’ll end its service with two stamps: one from a trip to Guadalajara, Jal. in the Summer of 2007 and another from a road trip up to Vancouver Island, BC in the Spring of 2012. I will renew immediately and consider what’s next on planet Earth.

“TRIPS”

All of which is to say that I’m reviewing my “TRIPS” notebook in Evernote as I add some upcoming travels. I’m torn between a few different viewpoints:

  • The West coast is huge and varied, why go anywhere else?
  • The United States is huge and varied, why go anywhere else?
  • Planet Earth is huge and varied, why go anywhere else?

The next trip is to Washington, DC in a few weeks to stand in and get a sense of the place where this country’s officials make decisions about the future. It will be my first time on the East coast, and only the second time I travel out beyond the Rocky Mountains. I expect I’ll mostly look at buildings and monuments, spend time in museums, drink beer at bars around the Capital, read, and ponder.

After that will be a road trip in March along California’s central valley and a revisit of the areas in South-East California that I first visited a decade ago. It was my first time getting to know any part of California outside of Los Angeles. It was as lonesome on those empty highways as it is in the movies that depict them, and I loved it. I’ll enjoy stopping at the local restaurants to pick up some good chatter. The rainy Spring will mean lots of landscapes full of flowers and a tolerable temperature. The best time to visit the desert.

My passport expires this year. It’ll end its service with two stamps: one from a trip to Guadalajara, Jal. in the Summer of 2007 and another from a road trip up to Vancouver Island, BC in the Spring of 2012. I will renew immediately and consider what’s next on planet Earth.