ShazzieB
ShazzieB's JournalStop the Township of Toms River, NJ from Seizing Christ Episcopal Church
I hope it's okay to post this here. I promised to share it with at least one other person, and I can't think of any likely candidates among my direct contacts. The link below has the full information on it.
On Tuesday, April 29, 2025, less than 24 hours before a scheduled Toms River Township Council meeting, a concerned community member alerted the leadership of Christ Church, Toms River, that the church property had been added to a proposal for an eminent domain ordinance. The mayor of Toms River is attempting to claim the 11-acre downtown church property, to be used as a recreational center and community park. Despite widespread community opposition, the motion passed its initial reading at the meeting on April 30.
This action is unjust. It comes while the congregation is seeking municipal permission to build a homeless shelter on their property as an extension of the church’s many ministries and programs that serve and support those in need in the Toms River community. If the eminent domain ordinance goes forward, Toms River will lose a vital source of support for vulnerable residents.
Christ Church is a large and active congregation with a longstanding commitment to outreach and community support, especially for those in need. Together, the people of Christ Church participate in more than 20 essential ministries that support the Toms River community and beyond. These offerings include feeding and clothing programs, multiple 12-step groups, and more. Christ Episcopal Church has been part of Toms River for 160 years and has a long history of service and outreach.
Now, the congregation of Christ Church, Toms River needs your support. Please sign our petition to tell the mayor and township council that people matter more than pickleball courts. Eminent domain should never be used to control a church’s ministries. We stand together with the congregation of Christ Episcopal Church, the Episcopal Diocese of New Jersey, and The Episcopal Church, to oppose the unjust actions of the Toms River mayor and township council.
*snip"
More info: https://chng.it/qsTQcPRvqv
If this is inappropriate for this forum please let me know, and I'll delete it. Thanks!
A brief history of Trump's feud with Pope Francis
https://www.npr.org/2025/04/21/g-s1-61636/trump-pope-francisTrump and Francis clashed repeatedly in recent years. Trump praised the pope at the start of Francis's papacy, in 2013, several years before Trump reached the White House.
"The new Pope is a humble man, very much like me, which probably explains why I like him so much!" Trump tweeted in December of that year, several months after Francis became pope.
Things soured soon after. During the 2016 election, Francis roundly criticized Trump's campaign proposal to build a wall on the U.S.-Mexico border.
Much more at the link.
EDITED to add this very telling photo from Trump's meeting with the Pope in 2017.
You can recognize that someone is an enemy without dehumanizing them.
Those are two separate -- not unrelated, but separate -- issues.
First of all, the word enemy has a much broader meaning than someone you want to kill. That's one sense in which the word can be used, but not the only one. I just did a quick Google, and the first definition of "enemy" that came up is "a person who is actively opposed or hostile to someone or something." Ben Shapiro and others like him are obviously enemies of trans people in that respect, because they want to make laws that limit or even eliminate their rights.
Dehumanizing one's enemies is something we should all try to avoid (although it can be VERY hard, especially when they're dehumanizing you), and being able to have a thoughtful conversation with someone you disagree with can be a constructive thing IF the other person is willing to do that (which is not always the csse). Even though I'm just an old, straight, cis, white lady, I can easily see that it can be excruciatingly hard, if not impossible, for a trans person to have such a conversation with someone who literally wants to legislate against their right to exist (and there are plenty of people who want to do so). That's why it's important for cis allies to stand with them and speak up o their behalf, especially at a time like this, when their rights are under fierce attack.
The trans community also needs the rest of us to respect the fact that they know who their enemies are, and that they have the right to call them out. Any oppressed or marginalized group knows damned well who their enemies are, and those who are not a member of such a group do NOT have the right to tell those in the group who their enemies are or are not.
Cis people who want to be allies can do what Neil DeGrasse Tyson did in this video while also being fully aware of who the enemies of the trans community are.
I can actuaily believe he's broke.
Look at how many stores quit carrying his products a while back. When that happened, I figured it was just a matter of time before he was forced to go out of business. From this, it sounds like he's still trying to stay in business, but looking at his company's website, it's on very shaky ground. The main page is full of "closeout" sales on all kinds of merchandise and looks cheesy as hell!
A smarter guy might have been able to figure out how to protect some of his assets, but I don't think Lindell is smart at all. If he was, he'd have filed for bankruptcy by now. Instead he's complaining about how no one will lend him any money. (Of course no one will lend you money, doofus, they know there's no way you'll ever be able to pay them off! And you shouldn't be trying to borrow anyway. The last thing you need is more debt! 
)
I suppose it's possible he could be faking, but I doubt it. He's nothing but a dumb cluck who got lucky huckstering an overpriced product that a lot of people were willing to buy. He got really rich really fast, and instead of managing his newfound prosperity wisely, he threw all his eggs in Trump's basket and proceeded to piss away money like a drunken sailor trying to "prove" the unprovable Big Lie, that Democrats rigged the 2020 election and "stole" it from Trump.
So yeah, I believe he probably is broke, because he's a stupid idiot who made a whole bunch of terrible decisions. That can happen when someone who's not too bright gets rich quick and thinks he's on top of the world and can do anything he wants. Throw in the Trumpian delusions, and it's very easy to see how he could now be in debt over his head with nothing to show for it except piles of merchandise he's trying to sell off for a fraction of its original price.
I'm sure the court will eventually be able to find out the true state of his finances, and if he's as broke as I think he is, the next step will be liquidating any assets he still has, the way they've been doing with Giuliani.
I actually feel kind of sorry for this mope. No, really! It's true that he brought all his troubles on himself, but he did it because he was stupid, and I think that's sad. I don't think he had any truly evil intentions when he hitched his wagon to Trump's star. He just fell for the hype, the same way a lot of other stupid people did. Stupid people can't help being stupid; they just are what they are, and it's a damned shame that a lying narcissistic jackhole like Trump can fool them into throwing away everything they have for his sake. I'm sure Lindell and Giuliani are just 2 of a long list of people whose lives he's ruined, and worst of all, he's nowhere near done yet. 
Trump Cuts Millions In Funding To Chicago Museums, Cultural Groups
https://blockclubchicago.org/2025/04/14/trump-cuts-millions-in-funding-to-chicago-museums-cultural-groups/Lyon received the news from Jeff Hardwick, acting director of the National Endowment for the Humanities, via email April 2. Two days later, Illinois Humanities was informed that 75 percent of the endowment’s staff was placed on leave.
*snip*
Cutting the agency’s funding is “deeply concerning” and “unprecedented,” Lyon said.
In Illinois, the cuts will impact free history, heritage and culture programs, including community book groups, tours of landmarks and museums, festivals and resources for teachers and libraries — things that are always in demand, Lyon said.
Please note that this affects the whole state, not just Chicago. The effect on Chicgo is emphasized because this story comes from a Chicago-based source, but this is going to have a terrible impact on museums and other cultural institutions statewide.
And of course this is happening all over the country. I haven't heard whether he's hitting blue states harder than others, but Schlump obviously prefers that the populace as a whole be as poorly educated and ignorant as possible.
Illinois bill would limit 'crime-free' laws that evict tenants for too many 911 calls
More than two years ago, Diamond Jones worried she and her children were on the verge of homelessness after her landlord gave her 10 days to move out, saying she had violated Richton Park’s crime-free ordinance, though she hadn’t been charged with a crime.
Jones sued the Cook County suburb in U.S. District Court, and she was awarded $250,000 late last year in a settlement. Advocates say Jones’ case highlights the challenges other tenants face in places with similar local laws where 911 calls — even when the person is a victim — can trigger an eviction.
The Village of Richton Park amended its crime-free ordinance after the lawsuit was filed, and now housing advocates are pushing for changes to these local laws across the state. The Chicago Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights, which represented Jones in the federal case, is among those advocating for Senate Bill 2264, which would bar municipalities from penalizing renters for calling 911 for help.
https://chicago.suntimes.com/public-safety/2025/04/06/crime-free-law-housing-laws-challenged-tenant-renter-eviction-illinois-cook-county-chicago
I never heard of these laws until now, but now that I know about them, I think they definitely need to go. In fact, the whole concept makes no sense to me. How in the heck does penalizing renters (but evidently not home owners?) for calling 911 promote a "crime free" community? Sounds like just an excuse to treat renters like second class citizens, which, speaking as a renter, gets my dander up!
20,000 posts!
All my other posting milestones have slipped by me unnoticed, but I was paying attention this time. 
If I'd been here since the early days like some of my fellow DUers, the number would be a lot higher. Alas, I did not discover DU until 2013, and didn't start posting actively until much later. Fortunately, I found my way back here sometime in the summer (I think) of 2020, when I was desperately looking for support getting through that year's election. I found that support here, and have been active at DU ever since:
We all know how the 2020 election turned out. Wasn't it GREAT? When Joe was inaugurated, I was on top of the world, even with covid19 still raging. If anyone had tried to tell me that in early 2025, we'd be in the throes of a second Trump administration that's even worse than the first one, I would not have believed it. Maybe I should have, but I wouldn't have, because that's the kind of cockeyed optimist I am.
But here we are, and I'm finding that I need DU more than ever in these troubled times. I am deeply grateful to those who created this place and to all the work to keep it going, and to all my DU friends who keep ME going. I love you all! 💙 
💙
I'd like to close with a quote someone shared with me recently. The source given here is simply The Talmud, but I've since learned that this is actually a paraphrase of a saying in the Talmud by Rabbi Tarfon, a second-century Jewish sage who fled the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 CE. I can't get over how profoundly apropos it feels today.
For those who enjoy digging into the background of things, here's a link to some background on this quote: https://ordinaryzenlutheran.com/2021/10/29/talmudic-paraphrase-hits-home/
Carville Predicts Trump Admin Will 'Collapse' Because of 'Nincompoops' and 'Buffoons'
“We’re looking at nincompoops and blockheads and buffoons running the country,” he said during a CNN appearance on Saturday. “I thought I’d have to wait longer for the imminent collapse—it happened even faster than I could imagine.”
Speaking with CNN on Saturday, Carville estimated the administration would come apart “before April Fool’s Day, which the Trump administration should make a national holiday because it so accurately represents who they are.”
For the former strategist, who has run multiple successful campaigns off the back of his trademark slogan. “It’s the economy, stupid,” the clearest indicator of a collapse is the mounting market uncertainty in the midst of President Trump’s tariff wars with historic allies and trading partners.
:https://www.thedailybeast.com/james-carville-former-democratic-party-strategist-says-trumps-government-has-already-collapsed
God, I hope he's right. I'm not even almost holding my breath, but it sure is fun to think about.
RFK Jr.'s massive cuts stun staff, leave senior employees scrambling
More fucked up news from Trumpland.....
The disaster preparedness agency in the Department of Health and Human Services has just two days to prepare a plan to fold itself into the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, according to an HHS official, granted anonymity for fear of retribution.
Health staffers entrusted with regulating prescription drugs, managing public health programs and conducting scientific research were blindsided by the cuts, with many learning the details from a Wall Street Journal story published early on Thursday, several people familiar with the matter said.
*Snip*
A longtime anti-vaccine activist, Kennedy spent years criticizing the health department and sowing doubts about its work on vaccines and other drugs. In the weeks before Trump nominated him to run HHS, Kennedy vowed to purge the FDA, writing on X that staffers at the agency should “pack your bags.” He had alsothreatened to fire 600 employees at the National Institutes of Health employees on his first day. The planned cuts to the agency unveiled Thursday would amount to roughly twice that number.
Source: https://www.politico.com/news/2025/03/27/very-few-people-know-whats-happening-rfk-jr-cuts-surprise-and-alarm-00254822
I don't even know what to say.
Profile Information
Name: SharonGender: Female
Hometown: Chicago area, IL
Home country: USA
Member since: Tue Mar 26, 2013, 04:18 AM
Number of posts: 20,686