August 30, 2020

Trump supporters coming from OUTSIDE PORTLAND. There are so few here. Just like Minneapolis.

Just saying. They have to bring them in from outside. Portland is overwhelmingly progressive. Is the media making that clear, that Trump supporters are imported? Does the media factor that into their coverage?

I had to take a mental health break and have just tuned in for the first time in several days. I just listened to my mayor's presser. He has been doing a very good job for three months in an extremely difficult situation.

August 23, 2020

Heartwarming, inspiring, extraordinary: Man and his feral dog save and befriend tiny hummingbird

A man in Whittier has gone the distance for a tiny hummingbird his once-feral dog helped rescue.

August 21, 2020

OMG. THe kid who stuttered. So touching and so brilliant to have him speak.

Shows so much about Joe that he took this kid under his wing and helped him with the stuttering issue.

August 12, 2020

Kamala's legal background positions her to confront election shenanigans more effectively than most.

Plus she's on senate judiciary and intelligence. Great place to monitor election interference. Joe also has a good background for this but Kamala has the inside scoop on the legal aspects.

Just another plus in her favor!

August 5, 2020

Verified Voting Special Report: Managing the Surge of Mail-in Ballots in 2020 election

Just got this email from Verified Voting. If you don't know about them, you need to. Highly recommend signing up for their email list.

Check out our latest report:
https://www.verifiedvoting.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/VV-Scanning-Report-Fin-073120.pdf
“COVID-19 and the Surge of Mail Ballots: Managing an Unprecedented Volume in the November 2020 Election.”

"As we look ahead to the general election, jurisdictions across the country are predicted to see an unprecedented increase in requests for mail ballots. Our latest report helps to answer the question - will election officials be ready to handle this surge of mail ballots in November?

At Verified Voting, we believe in evidence-based recommendations and policy. Our team took the election technology data contained in our Verifier, and did an analysis of the equipment used to count mail ballots. Our findings confirm that there are creative solutions for processing a high volume of mail ballots in any state, but election officials need additional staff, resources and extended canvasing time to be ready. We’ve been pushing for Congress to appropriate additional federal funding, getting our recommendations in the hands of officials and policymakers, and spreading the message that voters need clear communication and transparency around when and how votes are counted.

But we need your help. The clock is ticking for election officials to get the resources they need, so please help us spread the word about our report by making a contribution to support our work and sharing our report on social media via Facebook and Twitter. Together, let’s ensure that every voter can have their vote counted as cast in November - not just in theory, but in reality.

With thanks,
The Verified Voting Team

August 4, 2020

Morgan Freeman reads Rep. John Lewis' last words: Together, You Can Redeem the Soul of Our Nation

&feature=youtu.be

John Lewis, until this last breath set the bar for how to show up and support
the democracy of these United States to include all people equally.

Below is his letter published in Friday's NY Times, on the day of his funeral.

May we all be inspired by his relentless vision for unification and peace.


HIS LETTER


Together, You Can Redeem the Soul of Our Nation

Though I am gone, I urge you to answer the highest calling of your heart and stand up for what you truly believe.
By John Lewis
Mr. Lewis, the civil rights leader who died on July 17, wrote this essay shortly before his death, to be published upon the day of his funeral.
July 30, 2020
While my time here has now come to an end, I want you to know that in the last days and hours of my life you inspired me. You filled me with hope about the next chapter of the great American story when you used your power to make a difference in our society. Millions of people motivated simply by human compassion laid down the burdens of division. Around the country and the world you set aside race, class, age, language and nationality to demand respect for human dignity.

That is why I had to visit Black Lives Matter Plaza in Washington, though I was admitted to the hospital the following day. I just had to see and feel it for myself that, after many years of silent witness, the truth is still marching on.

Emmett Till was my George Floyd. He was my Rayshard Brooks, Sandra Bland and Breonna Taylor. He was 14 when he was killed, and I was only 15 years old at the time. I will never ever forget the moment when it became so clear that he could easily have been me. In those days, fear constrained us like an imaginary prison, and troubling thoughts of potential brutality committed for no understandable reason were the bars.

Though I was surrounded by two loving parents, plenty of brothers, sisters and cousins, their love could not protect me from the unholy oppression waiting just outside that family circle. Unchecked, unrestrained violence and government-sanctioned terror had the power to turn a simple stroll to the store for some Skittles or an innocent morning jog down a lonesome country road into a nightmare. If we are to survive as one unified nation, we must discover what so readily takes root in our hearts that could rob Mother Emanuel Church in South Carolina of her brightest and best, shoot unwitting concertgoers in Las Vegas and choke to death the hopes and dreams of a gifted violinist like Elijah McClain.

Like so many young people today, I was searching for a way out, or some might say a way in, and then I heard the voice of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on an old radio. He was talking about the philosophy and discipline of nonviolence. He said we are all complicit when we tolerate injustice. He said it is not enough to say it will get better by and by. He said each of us has a moral obligation to stand up, speak up and speak out. When you see something that is not right, you must say something. You must do something. Democracy is not a state. It is an act, and each generation must do its part to help build what we called the Beloved Community, a nation and world society at peace with itself.

Ordinary people with extraordinary vision can redeem the soul of America by getting in what I call good trouble, necessary trouble. Voting and participating in the democratic process are key. The vote is the most powerful nonviolent change agent you have in a democratic society. You must use it because it is not guaranteed. You can lose it.

You must also study and learn the lessons of history because humanity has been involved in this soul-wrenching, existential struggle for a very long time. People on every continent have stood in your shoes, through decades and centuries before you. The truth does not change, and that is why the answers worked out long ago can help you find solutions to the challenges of our time. Continue to build union between movements stretching across the globe because we must put away our willingness to profit from the exploitation of others.

Though I may not be here with you, I urge you to answer the highest calling of your heart and stand up for what you truly believe. In my life I have done all I can to demonstrate that the way of peace, the way of love and nonviolence is the more excellent way. Now it is your turn to let freedom ring.

When historians pick up their pens to write the story of the 21st century, let them say that it was your generation who laid down the heavy burdens of hate at last and that peace finally triumphed over violence, aggression and war. So I say to you, walk with the wind, brothers and sisters, and let the spirit of peace and the power of everlasting love be your guide.

John Lewis, the civil rights leader and congressman who died on July 17, wrote this essay shortly before his death.
<JoAnna Pepe_Embracing Wellness_Email Banner_Background.png>

August 3, 2020

Version 2 of The Liar Tweets Tonight (Lion Sleeps Tonight) parody is even better than the first!

Also participating are Peggy Seeger (Pete's sister), Jay Siegel (of the Tokens, who sang the original "Lion Sleeps Tonight" pop hit in 1961).

Here's a little history on version 2:
http://www.royzimmerman.com/blog/archives/05-2020

"A nostra culpa: We do recognize that the lack of diversity in the first iteration of “Vote Him Away” looks intentional and exclusionary, and just .... not good. We were so blown away by everyone's heartfelt individual contributions that we didn't consider the overall look. That was a failing on our part.

The good news is that we've decided to make a new video of “Vote Him Away” with new lyrics and a new group of chorus members every month until the election -- getting more and more people singing together -- and these next videos will certainly reflect the beautiful diversity of our world. Would you like to sing along? If so, please sign up for the mailing list as we’ll be organizing these Virtual Sing-Ins through our newsletters."

(Lots more at link)

Did you all know that the original Lion Sleeps Tonight was written and recorded by Solomon Linda, the Zulu tribesman who wrote “Mbube” (Zulu for lion) in the 1920s. Here he is performing his song in 1939 with his band The Evening Birds ...English lyrics not added till The Tokens recorded it.

see link: http://www.royzimmerman.com/blog/archives/05-2020