Lindsey

Letters from the War on Christmas - Week 2 Curator’s Introduction

A week of letters and internal memos from the “War on Christmas.”

Bureaucracy, flirtation, misinterpretation — and one sentry left alone with a star at the end of it all.

Full week, archived here:
open.substack.com/pub/lindseyl...

Pray for us. The murals are still bright, the bookstores still open, and the roses refuse to surrender. Somehow, we endure. Yours in the struggle, A survivor of the brunch front

Dear America,

I write to you from war-torn #Portland. Supplies are low. Today we ran out of oat milk at the co-op, and the line at the food trucks stretched a full block. Last night the only sounds were distant basslines and someone dropping a kombucha bottle.

One suggestion I have heard from songwriters who finally are selected into New Folk after multiple times entering is to have a third party pick the two songs to enter into the contest. An outside ear can provide some insight as to what resonates with others.

Sorry for the delay. I don't sign into Blue Sky very often.

No standard for the production of the songs submitted. Key is that lyrics can be understood.

Entries for 2026 will open in January.

If by “how it’s done” you mean posting made-up stories without checking anything, then yeah, flawless execution.

Has anyone explored this theory seriously? Any intel or foreign policy experts discussed Chinese disinfo in the early Trump-era chaos? I’d love to read more. (8/8)

This isn’t about villains. It’s about motive. China’s playbook emphasizes redirection, erosion, and influence over overt confrontation. The long game is stability by comparison. (7/8)

Trump didn’t need to be a Chinese agent. Just unpredictable. If U.S. leadership becomes unreliable, China doesn’t need war to rise—just patience. (6/8)

The Steele Dossier didn’t need to be true—it needed to be disruptive. Media frenzy, partisan warfare, institutional doubt. That kind of chaos benefits a rising global competitor. (5/8)

Russia had motive. But what if China let Russia take the blame? A perfect misdirect. While Americans argued over foreign interference, PRC quietly gained ground. (4/8)

Trump pulled out of alliances, strained NATO, insulted G7, and praised authoritarians. As the U.S. stepped back, China filled the void—through Belt & Road and soft power. (3/8)

China plays the long game. They think in decades, not cycles. Undermining U.S. influence, seeding mistrust in media and intel, and deepening internal division? That’s strategy, not accident. (2/8)

What if the Steele Dossier wasn’t Russian disinfo—but Chinese? A long-game op to sow chaos, discredit U.S. institutions, and shrink America’s global role. Not a claim—just a hypothesis worth exploring. (1/8)

Calling The Diary of Anne Frank fiction is antisemitic. Why isn’t that something the Trump DOJ investigates — or is antisemitism only a problem when it’s politically convenient?
#Antisemitism #AnneFrank #FightHate #NeverAgain #HistoryMatters

A political cartoon-style illustration of the United States as a sinking ship, its hull cracked against a giant iceberg labeled “TRUMP TARIFFS.” The ship, painted in red, white, and blue, lists heavily as dark waters rise. Lifeboats marked “Billionaires” drift away, while crates labeled “Jobs” and “Farmers” float in the icy sea. The sky is dark, evoking the Titanic disaster.

The Titanic sank today in history. A century later, Trump’s tariffs replay the same tragedy: hubris at the helm, warnings ignored, and working families left below deck. Except this time, the lifeboats are luxury yachts, and they’re already gone. #Titanic #TrumpTariffs

Kerrville's 2025 Grassy Hill New Folk Competition | Kerrville Folk Festival Kerrville's Grassy Hill New Folk Competition for Emerging Songwriters has been an annual highlight of Kerrville Folk Festivals since 1973. Entry window is January 17 - March 17, 2025; see website for ...

www.kerrvillefolkfestival.org/2025-new-fol...

#NewFolk #KerrvilleFolkFestival #Songwriting #FolkMusic #EmergingArtists

MAYBE IT’S YOUR YEAR.

Know someone who should enter? Tag them! Help spread the word so no one misses out.

(I’ll drop the entry link in the next post!)

🎶 Songwriters! Today is the last day to enter the Kerrville Folk Festival New Folk Competition.

It’s more than a contest—it’s a gateway to a community. 24 finalists get to perform in front of the most song-loving audience there is and form friendships that last a lifetime.

(More below 👇)

Exclusive: Trump plans to revoke legal status of Ukrainians who fled to US, sources say U.S. President Donald Trump's administration is planning to revoke temporary legal status for some 240,000 Ukrainians who fled the conflict with Russia, a senior Trump official and three sources familiar with the matter said, potentially putting them on a fast-track to deportation.

This is just so wrong on so many levels.

www.reuters.com/world/us/tru...

Kerrville's 2025 Grassy Hill New Folk Competition | Kerrville Folk Festival Kerrville's Grassy Hill New Folk Competition for Emerging Songwriters has been an annual highlight of Kerrville Folk Festivals since 1973. Entry window is January 17 - March 17, 2025; see website for ...

✨ Showcase your music on a stage known for celebrating creativity and connection.
📍 Submit your songs by March 7:

Tag a songwriter who should enter! 🎤

Kerrville's 2025 Grassy Hill New Folk Competition | Kerrville Folk Festival Kerrville's Grassy Hill New Folk Competition for Emerging Songwriters has been an annual highlight of Kerrville Folk Festivals since 1973. Entry window is January 17 - March 17, 2025; see website for ...

🎶 Two Weeks Left! 🎶

Songwriters, don’t miss your chance to perform at the legendary Kerrville Folk Festival! The Kerrville New Folk Competition is seeking original voices and powerful storytelling—could you be one of this year’s 24 finalists?

The data is clear: Red State policies are failing public health. Want to live longer, healthier, and safer? The numbers suggest flipping your state blue or moving to a blue state. 📊 #FactsOverPolitics #BlueNoMatterWho 6/6

Suicide rates are higher in red states. Lack of mental health services, gun laws, and economic stress all play a role. Policy choices have deadly consequences. #MentalHealthMatters 5/6

Babies born in red states are more likely to die before their first birthday. Infant mortality rates are worse in Republican-leaning states. This is a crisis. #ProtectMothersAndBabies 4/6

Age-adjusted mortality rates are higher in red states. Policies impact healthcare access, poverty, and public health—and it shows in the death rates. #HealthOutcomes 3/6

Life expectancy drops as states become redder. The trend is clear: people in Republican-leaning states don’t live as long as those in Democratic-leaning states. 📉 #LifeExpectancy 2/6

Four charts revealing how health outcomes correlate with the percentage of votes for Trump in 2020 across different states. Trump's vote share serves as a strong proxy for a state's political leanings. The data speaks for itself. 🧵👇 #PublicHealth 1/6

Woot Woot!

Wordle 1,339 2/6*

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WordleBot
Skill 99/99
Luck 92/99

groot from guardians of the galaxy is dancing in a pot and says you 're awesome ALT: groot from guardians of the galaxy is dancing in a pot and says you 're awesome

Who's awesome