resources

COVID Information Updates

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As the virus continues its rampage throughout the United States and in other parts of the world, I wanted to update my information center.

It can be found here: Covid Information Center

What follows is some related links that I am sharing here and will update their respective subject posts by next weekend. There will be more as news warrants it.

If there’s something that you found helpful that isn’t on one of my posts, please comment below or email me. Use the subject line so I don’t misread your email as spam.

Fauci: We won’t be able to sit in theaters without masks until a year after an effective coronavirus vaccine is created

Emergency Preparedness and Checklists for Everyone

Biden-Harris Transition Website

Biden-Harris Plan for Covid-19 Reponse

Clicking for entire thread will take you to Twitter. (c)2020

Supernatural Lists: Charities and Organizations Worth Looking At

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UPDATED: 25 NOVEMBER 2020

For a number of years, Supernatural merchandise has been offered with a portion of the proceeds going to charities chosen by the actors.

They’ve been offered through different organizations, although more recently, they are primarily offered through Stands.

What follows is a list of some of those charities and organizations if you can spare some time to volunteer or money to donate.

The series finale aired last night and can be watched today on The CW app.

Election Connection: Georgia Senate Runoff

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There’s a lot going on here. Please read through the graphics, links, and information, and then use this post as your starting place. I will add information in new posts weekly.

We flipped Georgia blue for Joe and Kamala; we can flip the Senate blue and get to work for the American people.

Tomorrow is the first day that absentee ballots will begin to be mailed out.

The deadline for voter registration is December 7th. Even if you requested an absentee ballot for the general election, you MUST request a new one for the Jan. 5th runoff. Early voting begins December 14th.

GENERAL INFORMATION:

How to Help Win the Two Georgia Senate Runoff Elections

My Voter Page for Georgia. All the information you need from the state of Georgia for the runoff.

Request your absentee ballots at this link.

Vote Save America is working with America Votes – Georgia to help make sure to help make sure the organizers who’ve been there 365 days a year are getting as much funding as the candidates themselves. There’s a ton of interest, energy, and donations flowing into the state, so America Votes – Georgia is making sure they get distributed directly as needed to groups that are having the biggest impact on the ground.

They include:

  • Asian American Advocacy Fund
  • Black Male Voter Project
  • Black Voters Matter
  • BlackPAC
  • Care in Action
  • Collective PAC
  • Color of Change
  • Georgia Alliance for Progress
  • Georgia Conservation Voters
  • Georgia Equality
  • Mijente
  • New Georgia Project Action Fund
  • Poder Latinx
  • UNITE HERE

Donate here to make sure Ossoff and Warnock get Every Last Vote.

The Get Mitch Fund will go directly to the two candidates.

Election Connection: ELECTION DAY! IT’S HERE! IT’S NOW!

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Today is Election Day; the last day of the 2020 Election to make your voice heard.

My Home Page is now temporarily an Election Resource Page. It includes voter protection hotlines including for the deaf and hard of hearing, some informative graphics from Vote Save America including how to volunteer and help people waiting in long lines.

When the polls close tonight, it will probably not be over. Here are a few resources to follow or get on email lists. It is also a good idea to support investigative journalism. I can’t afford a lot, but the two things I subscribed to in the last year or so are The Washington Post (on Kindle) and Cafe Insider, which features former US Attorney Preet Bharara and a few of his closest friends and associates who bring national security information to life on several podcasts with interviews on a variety of other subjects as well. These are both well worth the monthly subscription.

Others:

Vote Save America

Dan Pfeiffer’s Message Box

Pod Save America

Marc E. Elias

Ron Klain

Rachel Maddow

Preet Bharara

Connie Schultz

Andy Slavitt

Andy Slavitt’s Podcast: In The Bubble

Penzeys Spices – they have really stepped up in the last four years to help Americans know the issues and walk the walk on their values and ours.

Jesus on Twitter – I know, I know, but this Twitter feed has a way of distilling things into simple terms and reminders and adds a calming feeling in the midst of chaos. (And this Jesus Twitter specifically)

And of course, your own Representatives and Senators. Know who they are, know their online and phone information and continue to hold them accountable. They work for you.

Please add any of your own recommendations in the comments.

Below the cut are some graphics related to VP Biden’s policies including a comparison and timeline between his and Pres. Trump’s covid response/reactions.

Continue reading

Election Connection: One Week. Seven Days. We’ve Got Work To Do.

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I’ve already voted. I made my plan and followed through. I voted on Saturday. In a typical year, that would mean I’m done for the next twelve months. But this is not a typical year.

Even though I’ve cast my vote for Joe Biden, my work (and yours) is not finished until the end of Election Day.

At that point, others may take up the baton, but hopefully the landslide and mandate will express crystal clearly the will of the American people.

As I was working on what this post was going to be eight days before Election Day, and even as I was writing my notes late last night, things happened that need to be brought to light for prospective voters.

The first is the confirmation of Amy Coney Barrett on the Supreme Court. This was an illegitimate process to confirm a justice whose beliefs are so far opposite of the American people that that alone should disqualify her. Her lack of litigation experience is a second disqualification. Confirming her eight days before the end of an election after sixty million people have already voted is a despicable act by the Senate GOP and especially the evil*, hypocritical Majority Leader McConnell.

Clicking this photo will take you directly to Vote Save America’s Voting Plan. Twitter. (c)2020

The second big item was a Supreme Court ruling that while ballots in Wisconsin can be postmarked by Election Day, they cannot be counted after Election Day. What this means in the real world is that if you mail your ballot in, it may not be counted. Again, McConnell (evil hypocrite) and Postmaster General Louis DeJoy have consistently kept Congress from including voter security monies for the post office and have sabotaged key sorting equipment nationwide. Because of this partisan hackery, please, either vote early  or on Election Day in person or hand deliver your absentee ballot to an official ballot box, to your board of elections, or at the polls on Election Day.

To be sure your vote is counted, have a plan. The following are resources to help you from now through Election Day.

Remember – speak to your family and friends about voting. Be prepared to answer any questions. Direct them to the Biden website to read up on his policy proposals and priorities.

Make sure they’re voting.

Offer to drive people to the polls.

Volunteer – it’s not too late to help (see the links below).

*see his debate with Amy McGrath in Kentucky laughing about not bringing covid relief to the floor for a vote.

Clicking this photo will take you to volunteer opportunities at the Vote Save America website.


Other links:

Vote Save America – Donate to relieve this country of Mitch McConnell’s “leadership”

Vote Save America – Have a Plan to Vote

Vote Save America – Volunteer

I Will Vote

When We All Vote

Follow Marc Elias on Twitter.

What do you do if there is voter intimidation at your poll? Call 1-866-687-8683 (1-866-OUR VOTE)

What do you do if armed “militias” are at your polling place? Georgetown Law has information for all fifty states.

Clicking the photo will take you to We The Action where, if you’re a lawyer, you can sign up to volunteer to protect our vote.

Mental Health Monday

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September is Suicide Prevention Month. Each year, too many people commit suicide and one thing that would prevent some of those suicides is knowing where to go to get help. Visit the websites of these three organizations and find out how you can get help or how you can help someone in crisis.

NAMI – National Alliance on Mental Illness.

NAMI is the nation’s largest grassroots mental health organization dedicated to building better lives for the millions of Americans affected by mental illness.

The Trevor Project – for LGBTQ+ and Trans Youth.

The Trevor Project provides confidential support for LGBTQ youth in crisis, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week

Election Connection – 20 Weeks – Media Sources

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As I did my morning news rituals – listening to What a Day and checking Twitter for headlines – I couldn’t help but see that the Vice President is lying about Oklahoma’s COVID-19 increases and downplaying the risks as the President plans on having his first rally since the pandemic in Tulsa.

Please pay attention to sources and double check things that sound incorrect, especially when coming from this Administration. Even when they’re not intentionally lying, they often get their facts wrong and need to walk back and correct their statements nearly on a daily basis and this inludes their surrogates.

Two excellent sources on Twitter are journalists, Soledad O’Brien, who calls out the media when they both sides and/or stammer their way through a headline and Yamiche Alcindor, who will add truthful context to anything she is quoting from her sources.

Use this helpful graphic to know which sources are reliable when researching or sharing information.

Media Bias Chart (c)2018

Election Connection – 21 Weeks – Anti-Racist Resources

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With the surge of justice Twitter, Black Lives Matter, Defund the Police, Vote, we are being bombarded with some messages that we may not have been exposed to before.

For those of us who are white, it is time to stop talking and listen to the voices of the black experience. What follows is several resources that I have found in the last week simply by listening to those voices.

Later this week, I will share some people to follow on social media (primarily Twitter). Please contact me through comments or email with any suggestions of black voices that you want amplified.

NAACP

ACLU

Racial Inequality and Injustice – A Panel facilitated by Misha Collins through GISH (his charity scavenger hunt)

NAMI’s Statement on Recent Racist Incidents and Mental Health Resources for African Americans (this link is a repost from yesterday)

The Anti-Racist Starter Kit by Brea Baker

5 Ways to Better Support the Movement

10 Documentaries to Watch About Race Instead of Asking a Person of Colour to Explain Things For You

Baratunde’s World-Saving Books

Unlearning and Relearning Through Literature (Victoria Alexander’s Twitter Link)

Anti-Racist Resource Guide created by Victoria Alexander, MEd

Anti-Racism Resources for White People

Domestic Violence and Abuse

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Nine years ago today, my friend was murdered by her ex. Up until that point, I was mostly unaware of the enormous domestic violence problem we have in this country.

I was unawware that 1 in 3 people are abused in their relationships.

I was unaware that women go to jail more for defending themselves against their partners than their partners do for abusing them.

I was unaware that I was part of the problem by not believing my friend when she did talk about her experiences in our mutual friend circles.

I was unaware.

We can no longer live in the darkness of ignorance; of platitudes; of living in our own bubbles.

If you know someone who is being abused, reach out. They may not accept your overtures, but they’ll know that you will be there when they are ready.

If you are being abused, there is help.

Contact the National Domestic Abuse Hotline at 1-800-700-7233 or (TTY) 1-800-787-3224

or online at The Hotline

In New York State, there are new options available related to an uptick (30% higher in this past April than in April 2019) in the domestic abuse incidents and reports since our pandemic related isolation began.

Coronavirus and Domestic Violence (NY Times)

New Yorkers in Need of Help or Assistance Can Text 844-997-2121 

or Can Go to the New Confidential Online Site to Reach a Professional on http://www.opdv.ny.gov

Office of Prevention of Domestic Violence in NY