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Posted (edited)
14 hours ago, wood said:

Man, this is such a great idea ...

It probably won't make a difference, but if it keeps Schumer off-camera, I'm all in ...

Edited by Gap03
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Posted
14 minutes ago, David Dennison said:

I will always believe the embrace of neoliberalism by Democrats is one of the main reasons we lost the working class.

 

Really? I thought it was it was because progressives sacrificed the well being of 2 generations of working class families for the benefit of affluent boomers in thriving cities, and used representational issues and language policing to acquire the moral license to do it. 

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Posted
14 hours ago, InkaUtexas said:

Fuck that. Longhorns don't go where it is easy. we change the world everywhere we go. Start in your little corner of Texas. That is as good, if not better, than jumping into existing groups. Have them support you, provide guidance and tools.

This sentiment should be going everywhere with us. Not just to where it is easy.

image.jpeg.a1a54321c408fa4caffe977918a57992.jpeg

 

Fuck that? I'm looking to join a cause, and I'm not doing it quite well enough?

I shall try to be more like you in the future. Please lay out your exemplary ways so that I may follow.

I'll try to be a better Aggie Longhorn by conforming. I'll start by becoming an anonymous scold.

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Posted
7 minutes ago, RomaVicta said:

Fuck that? I'm looking to join a cause, and I'm not doing it quite well enough?

I shall try to be more like you in the future. Please lay out your exemplary ways so that I may follow.

I'll try to be a better Aggie Longhorn by conforming. I'll start by becoming an anonymous scold.

It came off wrong. Sorry. I mean if you can get something new going locally go for it. Use existing groups as a support element and help them expand their message.

If we all preach to the same crowd nothing changes.

Roma, I did not mean it at all as an attack.

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Posted
19 minutes ago, Bozo_Casanova said:

Really? I thought it was it was because progressives sacrificed the well being of 2 generations of working class families for the benefit of affluent boomers in thriving cities, and used representational issues and language policing to acquire the moral license to do it. 

I'm not sure how you can claim that shit they only started doing in like 2014 at the earliest is responsible for 2 generations of abandonment. Dem triangulation and abandonment of the white working class long predates the BLM movement. 

Posted
14 hours ago, Longhorn_Fan68 said:

well, when your slogan is "fuck your feelings", it's gonna be hard to sway some minds. in truth though, that's not even accurate. it's not fuck your feelings, but bow down to mine. but "bow down to my feelings" doesn't have the same ring to it

My point exactly. I cannot figure out a way to use words to change the minds of the anti-republic mob cheering their own subjugation. 

The firehose of falsehood, a new term to me for what we've all observed*, has effectively destroyed argument/discourse. Total exposure of the wicked intentions of Trump and now his (vicarious led?) team have no impact. Our faith in transparency seems to be a quaint relic of the old republic.

I'm totally mystified trying to imagine a civil way to halt this dreadful change. Like others here, I begin to place my faint hope in the notion that the changes will be so devastating that the mob will leave their cult.

The thing is, I'm not conviced it's a personality cult. I think Trump is just the personifcation of deeply held foundational beliefs. The GOPs were afraid to say the quiet part out loud and didn't really need to. Their fear, IMO, was based on the mob rejecting openly racist fascism. Trump proves that they love it.

The Hate Cult won't die with Trump. I'll still be pleased when he's in the ground, but I don't think it will be the end of things. 

 

*Wasn't it called alternative means or something like that? I couldn't find it on google, but it's been referenced here, and there's even a thread, I think. Anyway, firehose of falsehood will do.

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Posted
58 minutes ago, Bojack said:

Everything is so fucking broken. There's just no way to adjust my expectations low enough. No matter where you are. No matter if you're corrupt or even human trafficking scum, Donald Trump will come to your rescue if only he can extract some favor or if you say you like him. But some park ranger or special education student? Fuck off, parasite!

There is no bottom.  These rapists and human traffickers support Trump and are popular among his repulsive voters.  So we support them. 

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Posted
1 hour ago, David Dennison said:

I think they're in a hurry because they know they'll probably lose at least one house of Congress in 2026.

They will also have generated a new norm with two years to take hold. I think that's also part of the blitzkrieg strategy. I guess that fits with the Hitler metaphor, doesn't it?

Posted (edited)
45 minutes ago, Bozo_Casanova said:

Really? I thought it was it was because progressives sacrificed the well being of 2 generations of working class families for the benefit of affluent boomers in thriving cities, and used representational issues and language policing to acquire the moral license to do it. 

Neoliberal Democrats did that. See: Bill Clinton and, sadly, Barack Obama.

EDIT: I might be missing sarcasm.

Edited by David Dennison
Posted
48 minutes ago, Bozo_Casanova said:

Really? I thought it was it was because progressives sacrificed the well being of 2 generations of working class families for the benefit of affluent boomers in thriving cities, and used representational issues and language policing to acquire the moral license to do it. 

Ouch.

Posted
30 minutes ago, InkaUtexas said:

It came off wrong. Sorry. I mean if you can get something new going locally go for it. Use existing groups as a support element and help them expand their message.

If we all preach to the same crowd nothing changes.

Roma, I did not mean it at all as an attack.

We're of like mind, and I know that. Thanks for this post, and you had/have a point.

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Posted
10 minutes ago, RomaVicta said:

They will also have generated a new norm with two years to take hold. I think that's also part of the blitzkrieg strategy. I guess that fits with the Hitler metaphor, doesn't it?

I don't think so, but then again, I don't buy into the Hitler metaphor. I don't think it's particularly helpful or historically apt. The United States in 2025 is nothing like Germany in 1933.

Posted
2 hours ago, TexArcher said:

This is the best idea I've heard yet.  The only hope is to win the mid-terms so hard that Trump faces an obstructionist Congress in the second half of his term.

This.  You play until there are 0:00 on the clock.

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Posted
1 minute ago, David Dennison said:

I don't think so, but then again, I don't buy into the Hitler metaphor. I don't think it's particularly helpful or historically apt. The United States in 2025 is nothing like Germany in 1933.

You could certainly be right. We'll just have to see. 

I don't think many are saying this is happening exactly like Germany. We started as a democratic experiment and improved on the model over the generations. I think our general misunderstanding of democracy in the last century has been that it's an evolutionary peak. The wise, pragmatic Greeks saw it all as a cycle. Monarchy, democracy, anarchy, monarchy... (I think that's right). 

Democracy and liberty as causes to fight for got deformed into Capitalsm and moral law in the second half of the last century. It's hard, apparently, to keep a vision of a country consistent over generations. 

I'm writing too much, aren't I? Free time and free thought.

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Posted
30 minutes ago, wildcat09 said:

I'm not sure how you can claim that shit they only started doing in like 2014 at the earliest is responsible for 2 generations of abandonment. Dem triangulation and abandonment of the white working class long predates the BLM movement. 

What on earth? I didn’t say anything about the *white* working class or BLM.  They abandoned the entire American working class, which is to say that Democrats have abandoned the class interests of minorities disproportionately. That’s quite a projection, though- curious how to got there. 

Anyway, do you disagree with the point that progressives have essentially substituted social issues for the working class economic interests that used to be at the center of the party coalition? 

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Posted

DOGE is busy destroying the government infrastructure to "save money" while Dear Leader wastes money driving around the track at Daytona.

What a country.

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Posted
1 minute ago, Bozo_Casanova said:

What on earth? I didn’t say anything about the *white* working class or BLM.  They abandoned the entire American working class, which is to say that Democrats have abandoned the class interests of minorities disproportionately. That’s quite a projection, though- curious how to got there. 

Anyway, do you disagree with the point that progressives have essentially substituted social issues for the working class economic interests that used to be at the center of the party coalition? 

Let me try again. You and I are generally aligned on the view that the Dems abandoned labor-focused politics out of short-sighted political considerations that hollowed out their strength as a political party. You can point out evidence of earlier shifting toward the "center," but i think this essentially began in earnest with Clinton's election in 92. The Dems hadn't won the white house for three elections and so when Clinton won while triangulating*, Democratic leadership (with a nice push from corporate lobbyists) took the lesson that triangulation is what wins them elections. I don't know where "and used representational issues and language policing to acquire the moral license to do it" fits into this story, but it sure isn't in 1992 or 1996. 

 

* of course, none of them ever thought to ask if triangulating actually won Clinton the election or if he was just the lucky beneficiary of the right's coalition falling apart for reasons that had nothing to do with him. 

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Posted

Damnit, I guess I gotta check in over the weekends more. I totally missed Ana praising JD Vance for complaining to Germany that they're too mean to their nazis. That's the good shit right there.

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Posted (edited)
23 minutes ago, Hank Kingsley said:

I thought you were joking here. 

I'd argue that Pete's CV is a positive. Dude did the classic Harvard to McKinsey route, after a few years realized he hated it, then went home and ran for Indiana State Treasurer before running for Mayor of his hometown. He has dedicated his career to public service when it's very clear he could've easily made many, many millions in the corporate world. 

I'm not joking at all. I like Pete, but his past in management consulting gives me pause. I probably wouldn't vote for him in a primary. I'd 100% vote for him if he won the nomination, though.

Edited by David Dennison
Posted
20 minutes ago, troph said:

well, the first thing I would consider is re-arrange your local friend group, because they will be much better at this than I for what you can do locally. Quick google shows a few restaurants, bars, lodging providers, therapists, gyms, etc. are openly supportive and accepting. I would look those places up and first, support them with your dollars, and second get to know the staff and owners and try and get into their community. Most people who are openly supportive are eager to meet more openly supportive people and you can actually just strike up the conversation about what are the comings and goings on around JC, what else can we do, are there any organizations, etc.  Often times there are support groups, get togethers, etc.  This may not yield exactly what you want but it gets you plugged in and there's no better place to do that than in your own back yard.

As for organizations to support - here are the Texas orgs I would consider (some of which I am intimately familar with but I'd rather not say my involvement publicly I can answer questions privately though):

* Equality Texas - this is the premier Texas LGBTQ+ organization in the state. They are the group that ran trans ads during Abbott's state of the state address. This organization is well funded and focuses exclusively on LGBTQ+ issues, and let's face it right now that's almost exclusively TQ issues.

* Texas Freedom Network - this organization is a fierce advocate at the Texas Capitol and does a fantastic job energizing Texas youth to get out the vote (not good enough mind you, but one of the best). TFN is unique in that they focus on religious freedom (freedom from religion mostly), public education (one of the lone progressive voices at the SBOE hearings), as well as LGBTQ+ rights and reproductive rights. A small organization, but a great one with a unique cluster of issues they fight for.

* Out Youth - this organization focuses on LGBTQ+ youth in their journey, I don't know much about them but one year we volunteered to do light handyman and clean up work in one of their houses. They have a community center approach but with a traditional home where youth can come and find a safe place. we donated a xbox that summer and scrubbed the snot out of their house, painted, repaired, etc. It was a good time and it's a more granular approach to helping.

* Lifeworks - this organization is more broadly focused on ending youth homelessness in Travis County, but that necessarily means LGBTQ+ kids and young adults. LifeWorks is about to break ground in the coming months on a new 120 unit housing complex dedicated solely to helping homeless and at risk youth transition to adulthood with dignity and opportunity. This organization also offers "wrap around" services including job training, education support, trauma counseling, peer support, life skills, housing assistance, help setting up apartments with all the goods and wares needed, etc. A real thought leader in the national movement to end youth homelessness.

* Kind Clinic - this is one of the last standing organizations providing trans and LGBTQ+ healthcare without fear (well maybe some fear). I don't know about volunteer opportunities, but they do accept financial donations and contributions.

* Texas Observer - I've mentioned them anytime someone posts their articles. One of the only progressive, long-form, investigative journalism magazines focused solely on Texas. They accept donations starting at $5/month and their print magazine is a steal of a subscription. They also accept larger donations. If for no other reason, supporting the Observer to get the magazine is a great way to stay abreast of unheard of and unreported travesties in Texas (and in some case hope).

Nationally, Human Rights Campaign (they have a local Austin committee that is active), GLAAD, Lambda Legal, ACLU, Planned Parenthood (also in Texas), could all use financial support. But for being active locally, those are the organizations I know about.  I also hate to say this, but trans specific organizations are not very effective imo. I think the organizations that are focused on more than just T issues do better.

 

Reading all of that is more of a sacrifice than I'm willing to make. 

 

 

 

 

Of course, joking. Thanks so much. My ignorance is partly remedied.

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Posted (edited)
22 minutes ago, troph said:

well, the first thing I would consider is re-arrange your local friend group, because they will be much better at this than I for what you can do locally. Quick google shows a few restaurants, bars, lodging providers, therapists, gyms, etc. are openly supportive and accepting. I would look those places up and first, support them with your dollars, and second get to know the staff and owners and try and get into their community. Most people who are openly supportive are eager to meet more openly supportive people and you can actually just strike up the conversation about what are the comings and goings on around JC, what else can we do, are there any organizations, etc.  Often times there are support groups, get togethers, etc.  This may not yield exactly what you want but it gets you plugged in and there's no better place to do that than in your own back yard.

As for organizations to support - here are the Texas orgs I would consider (some of which I am intimately familar with but I'd rather not say my involvement publicly I can answer questions privately though):

* Equality Texas - this is the premier Texas LGBTQ+ organization in the state. They are the group that ran trans ads during Abbott's state of the state address. This organization is well funded and focuses exclusively on LGBTQ+ issues, and let's face it right now that's almost exclusively TQ issues.

* Texas Freedom Network - this organization is a fierce advocate at the Texas Capitol and does a fantastic job energizing Texas youth to get out the vote (not good enough mind you, but one of the best). TFN is unique in that they focus on religious freedom (freedom from religion mostly), public education (one of the lone progressive voices at the SBOE hearings), as well as LGBTQ+ rights and reproductive rights. A small organization, but a great one with a unique cluster of issues they fight for.

* Out Youth - this organization focuses on LGBTQ+ youth in their journey, I don't know much about them but one year we volunteered to do light handyman and clean up work in one of their houses. They have a community center approach but with a traditional home where youth can come and find a safe place. we donated a xbox that summer and scrubbed the snot out of their house, painted, repaired, etc. It was a good time and it's a more granular approach to helping.

* Lifeworks - this organization is more broadly focused on ending youth homelessness in Travis County, but that necessarily means LGBTQ+ kids and young adults. LifeWorks is about to break ground in the coming months on a new 120 unit housing complex dedicated solely to helping homeless and at risk youth transition to adulthood with dignity and opportunity. This organization also offers "wrap around" services including job training, education support, trauma counseling, peer support, life skills, housing assistance, help setting up apartments with all the goods and wares needed, etc. A real thought leader in the national movement to end youth homelessness.

* Kind Clinic - this is one of the last standing organizations providing trans and LGBTQ+ healthcare without fear (well maybe some fear). I don't know about volunteer opportunities, but they do accept financial donations and contributions.

* Texas Observer - I've mentioned them anytime someone posts their articles. One of the only progressive, long-form, investigative journalism magazines focused solely on Texas. They accept donations starting at $5/month and their print magazine is a steal of a subscription. They also accept larger donations. If for no other reason, supporting the Observer to get the magazine is a great way to stay abreast of unheard of and unreported travesties in Texas (and in some case hope).

Nationally, Human Rights Campaign (they have a local Austin committee that is active), GLAAD, Lambda Legal, ACLU, Planned Parenthood (also in Texas), could all use financial support. But for being active locally, those are the organizations I know about.  I also hate to say this, but trans specific organizations are not very effective imo. I think the organizations that are focused on more than just T issues do better.

 

@RomaVicta I can vouch for both OutYouth and the Kind Clinic. Both have volunteer opportunities and I can get you some contact information if you want via PM. The most important things right now are just money and public support. 

I haven't been able to properly verify this yet, but HRC has let a bunch of staff go in the last couple of weeks and my understanding is that the layoffs occurred mostly in trans/trans-adjacent departments. But like I said I have not fully verified that myself. Saw a bunch of people on BlueSky talking about it last week. 

Edited by safe sex
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Posted
2 minutes ago, wildcat09 said:

Let me try again. You and I are generally aligned on the view that the Dems abandoned labor-focused politics out of short-sighted political considerations that hollowed out their strength as a political party. You can point out evidence of earlier shifting toward the "center," but i think this essentially began in earnest with Clinton's election in 92. The Dems hadn't won the white house for three elections and so when Clinton won while triangulating*, Democratic leadership (with a nice push from corporate lobbyists) took the lesson that triangulation is what wins them elections. I don't know where "and used representational issues and language policing to acquire the moral license to do it" fits into this story, but it sure isn't in 1992 or 1996. 

 

* of course, none of them ever thought to ask if triangulating actually won Clinton the election or if he was just the lucky beneficiary of the right's coalition falling apart for reasons that had nothing to do with him. 

I generally agree with you, save 3 points:

1) first, I realize I’m in a minority here, but Im very skeptical about the salience of ideologies as a motivator for voting behaviors. 
2) I don’t see Clinton era “triangulation”in terms of ideological shift but a reordering of who was important to the Democratic Party. College graduates and professionals became more important, and non-college skilled labor became much less important. 
3) College graduates and professionals  are generally progressive on social issues, as were the Clintons by 1992 standards, and gradually that posture became the center of the party. 
 

But that’s my whole point about the progressive reordering of Democratic Party priorities. 
The Democratic Party was successful when it was a coalition built around protecting the class interests of middle class and working class families, and included a majority of those who also wanted to advance various social justice causes. But the social issues weren’t litmus tests or at the center of coalition building. 
From 1992 to the present moment, that order gradually reversed- the Democratic Party is now a coalition orbiting around a grab bag of required social issue positions, and also includes the class interests of working people as long as they aren’t problematic and don’t try to run for office or go to the wrong college or work in the wrong industry or …

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Posted
1 minute ago, Bozo_Casanova said:

I generally agree with you, save 3 points:

1) first, I realize I’m in a minority here, but Im very skeptical about the salience of ideologies as a motivator for voting behaviors. 
2) I don’t see Clinton era “triangulation”in terms of ideological shift but a reordering of who was important to the Democratic Party. College graduates and professionals became more important, and non-college skilled labor became much less important. 
3) College graduates and professionals  are generally progressive on social issues, as were the Clintons by 1992 standards, and gradually that posture became the center of the party. 
 

But that’s my whole point about the progressive reordering of Democratic Party priorities. 
The Democratic Party was successful when it was a coalition built around protecting the class interests of middle class and working class families, and included a majority of those who also wanted to advance various social justice causes. But the social issues weren’t litmus tests or at the center of coalition building. 
From 1992 to the present moment, that order gradually reversed- the Democratic Party is now a coalition orbiting around a grab bag of required social issue positions, and also includes the class interests of working people as long as they aren’t problematic and don’t try to run for office or go to the wrong college or work in the wrong industry or …

Bill Clinton, the man who gave us welfare to work and the crime bill, was "generally progressive" on social issues?

Posted
7 minutes ago, safe sex said:

@RomaVicta I can vouch for both OutYouth and the Kind Clinic. Both have volunteer opportunities and I can get you some contact information if you want via PM. The most important things right now are just money and public support. 

I haven't been able to properly verify this yet, but HRC has let a bunch of staff go in the last couple of weeks and my understanding is that the layoffs occurred mostly in trans/trans-adjacent departments. But like I said I have not fully verified that myself. Saw a bunch of people on BlueSky talking about it last week. 

Please do. I can't just watch this aspect of the coming fascism unfold without doing something. Thanks and, sad to add, be careful out there. 

Posted
9 minutes ago, Bozo_Casanova said:

I generally agree with you, save 3 points:

1) first, I realize I’m in a minority here, but Im very skeptical about the salience of ideologies as a motivator for voting behaviors. 
2) I don’t see Clinton era “triangulation”in terms of ideological shift but a reordering of who was important to the Democratic Party. College graduates and professionals became more important, and non-college skilled labor became much less important. 
3) College graduates and professionals  are generally progressive on social issues, as were the Clintons by 1992 standards, and gradually that posture became the center of the party. 
 

But that’s my whole point about the progressive reordering of Democratic Party priorities. 
The Democratic Party was successful when it was a coalition built around protecting the class interests of middle class and working class families, and included a majority of those who also wanted to advance various social justice causes. But the social issues weren’t litmus tests or at the center of coalition building. 
From 1992 to the present moment, that order gradually reversed- the Democratic Party is now a coalition orbiting around a grab bag of required social issue positions, and also includes the class interests of working people as long as they aren’t problematic and don’t try to run for office or go to the wrong college or work in the wrong industry or …

as a member of a group that has been front and center of this litmus test bullshit, I'm more than willing to take a back seat so long as progress isn't reversed by dems but left as is (of course we have to regain the ground lost), but the dems need to be middle class and working class focused, period, end of story, nothing else matters.

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Posted
History never repeats but it rhymes. 

Bingo.

Are we EXACTLY like Germany in 1933? Of course not.

But does that mean that we’re “nothing like Germany in 1933?” Nope. That’s a wildly irresponsible and myopic thing to say.

Again, this was a few years ago. My entire family of four visited the German history museum in central Berlin. They do NOT whitewash the 1900-1945 series of exhibits. Very matter-of-fact, featuring contemporary news pieces and the like, showing EXACTLY how it all came about.

All four of us went through at our own pace. We then reconnected outside, where each of us indecently said that was the scariest thing we’d ever fucking seen, because the parallels were glaring.

We are absolutely heading down that road. We just careened past a sign saying “authoritarian state, 20 miles ahead,” and some folks are saying “see, we’re not in an authoritarian state!” Maybe not this minute, but for FFS the signs plainly say it’s not that far ahead, and we’re in a car with the pedal to the metal.

The time to stop it is now (really, many yesterdays ago)….it is not “once we get there.”
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Posted
8 minutes ago, Brisketexan said:

The time to stop it is now (really, many yesterdays ago)….it is not “once we get there.”

Right. Which is why I vote in every election and encourage others to do the same. But now I'm being told we aren't going to have elections (ones that matter, anyway) and that voting doesn't matter.

Now what?

Posted
Right. Which is why I vote in every election and encourage others to do the same. But now I'm being told we aren't going to have elections (ones that matter, anyway) and that voting doesn't matter.
Now what?

Now what?
What the German people should have done in 1933, instead of not just going along with it but actively joining the team: be sand in the gears for the regime at every possible turn. I’m talking all the way down to sitting through a green light if an ICE vehicle is waiting behind you. Everything from big down to tiny.
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Posted
44 minutes ago, troph said:

well, the first thing I would consider is re-arrange your local friend group, because they will be much better at this than I for what you can do locally. Quick google shows a few restaurants, bars, lodging providers, therapists, gyms, etc. are openly supportive and accepting. I would look those places up and first, support them with your dollars, and second get to know the staff and owners and try and get into their community. Most people who are openly supportive are eager to meet more openly supportive people and you can actually just strike up the conversation about what are the comings and goings on around JC, what else can we do, are there any organizations, etc.  Often times there are support groups, get togethers, etc.  This may not yield exactly what you want but it gets you plugged in and there's no better place to do that than in your own back yard.

As for organizations to support - here are the Texas orgs I would consider (some of which I am intimately familar with but I'd rather not say my involvement publicly I can answer questions privately though):

* Equality Texas - this is the premier Texas LGBTQ+ organization in the state. They are the group that ran trans ads during Abbott's state of the state address. This organization is well funded and focuses exclusively on LGBTQ+ issues, and let's face it right now that's almost exclusively TQ issues.

* Texas Freedom Network - this organization is a fierce advocate at the Texas Capitol and does a fantastic job energizing Texas youth to get out the vote (not good enough mind you, but one of the best). TFN is unique in that they focus on religious freedom (freedom from religion mostly), public education (one of the lone progressive voices at the SBOE hearings), as well as LGBTQ+ rights and reproductive rights. A small organization, but a great one with a unique cluster of issues they fight for.

* Out Youth - this organization focuses on LGBTQ+ youth in their journey, I don't know much about them but one year we volunteered to do light handyman and clean up work in one of their houses. They have a community center approach but with a traditional home where youth can come and find a safe place. we donated a xbox that summer and scrubbed the snot out of their house, painted, repaired, etc. It was a good time and it's a more granular approach to helping.

* Lifeworks - this organization is more broadly focused on ending youth homelessness in Travis County, but that necessarily means LGBTQ+ kids and young adults. LifeWorks is about to break ground in the coming months on a new 120 unit housing complex dedicated solely to helping homeless and at risk youth transition to adulthood with dignity and opportunity. This organization also offers "wrap around" services including job training, education support, trauma counseling, peer support, life skills, housing assistance, help setting up apartments with all the goods and wares needed, etc. A real thought leader in the national movement to end youth homelessness.

* Kind Clinic - this is one of the last standing organizations providing trans and LGBTQ+ healthcare without fear (well maybe some fear). I don't know about volunteer opportunities, but they do accept financial donations and contributions.

* Texas Observer - I've mentioned them anytime someone posts their articles. One of the only progressive, long-form, investigative journalism magazines focused solely on Texas. They accept donations starting at $5/month and their print magazine is a steal of a subscription. They also accept larger donations. If for no other reason, supporting the Observer to get the magazine is a great way to stay abreast of unheard of and unreported travesties in Texas (and in some case hope).

Nationally, Human Rights Campaign (they have a local Austin committee that is active), GLAAD, Lambda Legal, ACLU, Planned Parenthood (also in Texas), could all use financial support. But for being active locally, those are the organizations I know about.  I also hate to say this, but trans specific organizations are not very effective imo. I think the organizations that are focused on more than just T issues do better.

 

Co-sign on Equality Texas. Angela Hale (Board Member, Past President), spouse of (D)Texas State Rep. Jessica Gonzales(sp?), long-time Chief of Staff for fucking Greg Abbott when he was Texas Attorney General. Used to be a Rep., now full on D.  If I were looking to get involved and to try to be impactful, I'd look at what Angela is doing and pitch in. 

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Posted
Just now, Brisketexan said:


Now what?
What the German people should have done in 1933, instead of not just going along with it but actively joining the team: be sand in the gears for the regime at every possible turn. I’m talking all the way down to sitting through a green light if an ICE vehicle is waiting behind you. Everything from big down to tiny.

Do you think most people who oppose Donald Trump are willing to get arrested for it?

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Posted
33 minutes ago, troph said:

as a member of a group that has been front and center of this litmus test bullshit, I'm more than willing to take a back seat so long as progress isn't reversed by dems but left as is (of course we have to regain the ground lost), but the dems need to be middle class and working class focused, period, end of story, nothing else matters.

let me qualify - optics, campaigning, talking points, etc. nothing else matters. I actually think about the only thing LGBTQ+ folks need right now is for the fucking Equality Act to be passed modernizing the Civil Rights Act to include sexual orientation and gender identity (among other classes of people). If attacked on that, the message is clear, "we do not believe anyone should suffer discrimination because of who they are in a modern democratic world and the US should lead the world in this respect. Okay, now back to the issues that impact working families in their day in and day out lives..."

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Posted
1 hour ago, troph said:

* Texas Observer - I've mentioned them anytime someone posts their articles. One of the only progressive, long-form, investigative journalism magazines focused solely on Texas. They accept donations starting at $5/month and their print magazine is a steal of a subscription. They also accept larger donations. If for no other reason, supporting the Observer to get the magazine is a great way to stay abreast of unheard of and unreported travesties in Texas (and in some case hope).

 

they've also been annoying tf out of fb maga by sharing pictures and post after post of beautiful images of the GULF OF MEXICO 🇲🇽 ❤️ 😄

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Posted
1 hour ago, troph said:

well, the first thing I would consider is re-arrange your local friend group, because they will be much better at this than I for what you can do locally. Quick google shows a few restaurants, bars, lodging providers, therapists, gyms, etc. are openly supportive and accepting. I would look those places up and first, support them with your dollars, and second get to know the staff and owners and try and get into their community. Most people who are openly supportive are eager to meet more openly supportive people and you can actually just strike up the conversation about what are the comings and goings on around JC, what else can we do, are there any organizations, etc.  Often times there are support groups, get togethers, etc.  This may not yield exactly what you want but it gets you plugged in and there's no better place to do that than in your own back yard.

As for organizations to support - here are the Texas orgs I would consider (some of which I am intimately familar with but I'd rather not say my involvement publicly I can answer questions privately though):

* Equality Texas - this is the premier Texas LGBTQ+ organization in the state. They are the group that ran trans ads during Abbott's state of the state address. This organization is well funded and focuses exclusively on LGBTQ+ issues, and let's face it right now that's almost exclusively TQ issues.

* Texas Freedom Network - this organization is a fierce advocate at the Texas Capitol and does a fantastic job energizing Texas youth to get out the vote (not good enough mind you, but one of the best). TFN is unique in that they focus on religious freedom (freedom from religion mostly), public education (one of the lone progressive voices at the SBOE hearings), as well as LGBTQ+ rights and reproductive rights. A small organization, but a great one with a unique cluster of issues they fight for.

* Out Youth - this organization focuses on LGBTQ+ youth in their journey, I don't know much about them but one year we volunteered to do light handyman and clean up work in one of their houses. They have a community center approach but with a traditional home where youth can come and find a safe place. we donated a xbox that summer and scrubbed the snot out of their house, painted, repaired, etc. It was a good time and it's a more granular approach to helping.

* Lifeworks - this organization is more broadly focused on ending youth homelessness in Travis County, but that necessarily means LGBTQ+ kids and young adults. LifeWorks is about to break ground in the coming months on a new 120 unit housing complex dedicated solely to helping homeless and at risk youth transition to adulthood with dignity and opportunity. This organization also offers "wrap around" services including job training, education support, trauma counseling, peer support, life skills, housing assistance, help setting up apartments with all the goods and wares needed, etc. A real thought leader in the national movement to end youth homelessness.

* Kind Clinic - this is one of the last standing organizations providing trans and LGBTQ+ healthcare without fear (well maybe some fear). I don't know about volunteer opportunities, but they do accept financial donations and contributions.

* Texas Observer - I've mentioned them anytime someone posts their articles. One of the only progressive, long-form, investigative journalism magazines focused solely on Texas. They accept donations starting at $5/month and their print magazine is a steal of a subscription. They also accept larger donations. If for no other reason, supporting the Observer to get the magazine is a great way to stay abreast of unheard of and unreported travesties in Texas (and in some case hope).

Nationally, Human Rights Campaign (they have a local Austin committee that is active), GLAAD, Lambda Legal, ACLU, Planned Parenthood (also in Texas), could all use financial support. But for being active locally, those are the organizations I know about.  I also hate to say this, but trans specific organizations are not very effective imo. I think the organizations that are focused on more than just T issues do better.

 

Can't give enough rep to this post and people actually being spurred to become more involved.  I'm inching out of my cowardly fetal position but if all that is happening causes people to grouse and panic less and actually get into the tranches with helping and giving and caring, there will be some kindness and growth under the surface. 

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Posted
3 hours ago, Hank Kingsley said:

My first reaction to this was to roll my eyes, even as a Buttigieg fan and supporter. 

But his temperament and speaking ability is unmatched right now within the Democratic Party, and some sort of consistent appearance in front of a camera is probably a good idea. It won't come off as hysterical or insincere when Pete is explaining the damage already caused by Trump/Musk/GOP.  We need a voice of reason. 

Exactly. It doesn't have to be Pete doing it, but he'd be a logical choice given his ability to calmly paint a clear picture and relate topics in easily understandable language. The party needs a place people can go to for news and a focus.  I'm not hung up on who they would choose to do that job. I'd prefer it to be one person, but they could even do it on some kind of rotating basis. The main thing, however, is that it needs to be done and could be a great tool imho.

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Posted
45 minutes ago, David Dennison said:

Do you think most people who oppose Donald Trump are willing to get arrested for it?

That's it. Most of us are very comfortable. It's human nature not to fiddle with that too much.

I think this is why opposition must be unified in great numbers acting at the same time. What if we all decided not to pay taxes on time? Delay for a month, maybe. What if we all boycotted Amazon for two days? What if we all decided to stop all automobile traffic for two hours one day in every city?

Those are all things that could be done in unison making it unlikely that many participants will be arrested. Many willing to be arrested could be in the forefront.

Note that these are things that demand little from the participants. The greatest physical exertion would be sitting in your car for a few hours. 

Just trying to be realistic about what large numbers of people might be willling to do. 

We could all wear ribbons, but that's become embarrassingly impotent.

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Posted
That's it. Most of us are very comfortable. It's human nature not to fiddle with that too much.
I think this is why opposition must be unified in great numbers acting at the same time. What if we all decided not to pay taxes on time? Delay for a month, maybe. What if we all boycotted Amazon for two days? What if we all decided to stop all automobile traffic for two hours one day in every city?
Those are all things that could be done in unison making it unlikely that many participants will be arrested. Many willing to be arrested could be in the forefront.
Note that these are things that demand little from the participants. The greatest physical exertion would be sitting in your car for a few hours. 
Just trying to be realistic about what large numbers of people might be willling to do. 
We could all wear ribbons, but that's become embarrassingly impotent.

My wife wears her clergy collar at every protest/demonstration she has taken part in, including in DC and Tornillo. And, she decided a while back to opt in to being a member of the group willing to be arrested. Because make the regime arrest clergy.

That’s one thing. There are 10,000 others. Others of us use our law licenses to throw sand in the gears (I won’t discuss how I do so here). Use the unique/uncommon privileges and skills you have first, those have the most value.
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Posted
4 hours ago, Fudge Nuggets said:

Dude, there ain't going to be any acknowledgement of any opposition once the fascist takeover is fully done.

There will be, but it'll be more of the rhetoric we have now.  I've been to Vietnam.  I've been to Cuba.  Their museums sound like the GOP has sounded for the last 50 years.  Imperialist  Lib running dogs are evil!

Same song, different verse.

Posted
2 hours ago, wildcat09 said:

Damnit, I guess I gotta check in over the weekends more. I totally missed Ana praising JD Vance for complaining to Germany that they're too mean to their nazis. That's the good shit right there.

I wouldn’t say you were missing it 

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