Bread And Booker

Don't let the bastards grind you down.

So this is a little reminder to myself. To be resilient. To speak up when they want us to be silent. And to hold onto hope for a brighter future.

There is a long history of that good work in speculative fiction and I hope to be part of that someday.

But at the end of the day, I did read The Handmaid's Tale in high school and it did have a big impact on me. It still does. And I think it's a good thing books like this have helped privileged people understand the horrors of oppression.

And it is unfortunate that Octavia Butler isn't always taught alongside Atwood in school. Her books can also teach us a lot about the moment we're in.

Actually, the thing that has held me back most (more than literally marking myself while people are being disappeared for speech) has been the criticism of Atwood fans for lifting up a story about predominently white women experiencing horrors that BIPOC women have experienced for hundreds of years.

And yet, that has felt less and less radical the more the world absolutely falls apart around me. Or at least the more I recognize how broken it already is. That, more than any word, is the true profanity.

I've been thinking about getting this tattoo for a while now. I had this quote on a t-shirt more than a decade ago and it means a lot to me, but obviously there is something inherently bold about permanently inking a curse word on your arm...

Don't let the bastards grind you down.

So this is a little reminder to myself. To be resilient. To speak up when they want us to be silent. And to hold onto hope for a brighter future.

There is a long history of that good work in speculative fiction and I hope to be part of that someday.

But at the end of the day, I did read The Handmaid's Tale in high school and it did have a big impact on me. It still does. And I think it's a good thing books like this have helped privileged people understand the horrors of oppression.

And it is unfortunate that Octavia Butler isn't always taught alongside Atwood in school. Her books can also teach us a lot about the moment we're in.

Actually, the thing that has held me back most (more than literally marking myself while people are being disappeared for speech) has been the criticism of Atwood fans for lifting up a story about predominently white women experiencing horrors that BIPOC women have experienced for hundreds of years.

And yet, that has felt less and less radical the more the world absolutely falls apart around me. Or at least the more I recognize how broken it already is. That, more than any word, is the true profanity.

Tweet by Jon Favreau criticizing Senate Republicans for confirming a weekend Fox & Friends anchor to oversee the U.S. military despite knowing it was a bad idea, claiming they were threatened by the President’s allies and accepted it as the norm.

Yes. This is what happened, and it’s shameful and cowardly.

As #Alabama follows the national trend of spiraling into a Christo-Fascist Authoritarian Regime, remember that YOU can serve as a bulwark against this rouge blood red wave. Engage in your local communities and build solidarity. You're only enemies now, are the ones actively cheering this on. ✊️

graphic with red background and white text that says Clean Up Alabama Is demanding legislators pass “Jail The Librarians” Bill (HB 4). They’re spreading disinformation to make sure it happens. " at the bottom there is a Read Freely Alabama logo in black

graphic with red background and white text that says "Please call these legislators and share the truth with them! They need to know that reasonable Alabamians trust our librarians and we want them to STOP HB 4." At the top there is REad Freely Alabama logo in black. At the bottom there is a screenshot of Alabama House Judiciary Committee Reps.

A white background with black text that says "FACT #1: “My Lesbian Experience with Loneliness" IS AN ADULT NOVEL AND SHELVED IN THE ADULT SECTION. IT is NOT located in the children or teen sections." There is a screenshot from Clean Up Alabama's facebook post. A red "disinformation" stamp. At the bottom Read Freely Alabama's logo in black

A white background with black text that says "FACT #2: “Let’s Talk About It” is a sex education book intended for teenagers (14-17) and is shelved in either the teen or adult sections of Alabama libraries. Libraries can have this type of material for minors, as APLS rules make an exemption for biology and human anatomy books." There is a screenshot from Clean Up Alabama's Facebook post. A red "disinformation" stamp. At the bottom Read Freely Alabama's logo in black

Anti-library extremists are using typical scaremongering and disinformation to bully AL legislators into passing HB 4, the "jail librarians" bill. But we have the facts! #readfreelyalabama #alabamapolitics #alpolitics #alreps #censorship

It was always us. The power is with The People.

KEEP CALLING. PEEL OFF ALL DEM SENATORS YOU CAN.

☎️: (202) 224-3121

Tell them to vote NO on Cloture and NO on CR. Vote is pushed to after 1:15ish for now. Situation is fluid.

The only public YES votes are Schumer and Fetterman. They need 7-8 total. KEEP CALLING.

Call retiring Senators too!

A tweet from Fernando Oliver, Esq. (@Fernand46357857) featuring a large billboard on the side of a building. The billboard reads: "IF YOU WANT RELIGION in Schools, I Want the IRS IN Churches." The words "RELIGION" and "IRS" are highlighted in red, while the rest of the text is black. The image captures a busy urban street with cars and pedestrians passing by.

Turnabout is fair play.

Indeed.

When your senator says "I will be voting no on the CR" that means they think the cloture vote will pass. They are playing you. Get them on the record as committing to a no vote for cloture. Otherwise, you assume they are voting yes on it. A vote for cloture IS a vote for the CR. Don't get played.

It is quite the indictment of Senate Dems that we cannot trust them to do the right thing even when we're holding their feet to the fire and the alternative for them is tacit support for fascism. This moment highlights what kind of Dem leadership we needed, and how terribly short they fall.

It's demoralizing to know in your heart of hearts that there is no real opposition to fascism in any of our Congressional leadership. We The People must save ourselves. If some progressives in Congress want to fight with us, that would be great. But as I have said since Nov 6: it is up to us.

Seems like it at the moment.

best way to do this would be to *actually* not roll over … rather than coming up with byzantine ways to support claiming you didn’t roll over

YouTube video by Parkrose Permaculture I may have spoken too soon...Senate Dems are up to something

Call your reps today! Or at least Chuck Schumer. Tell them to vote no on this continuing resolution. This is the switchboard number. You have to ask for 'Charles Schumer' to get through.
202-224-3121
Thank you @parkroseperma.bsky.social
youtube.com/watch?v=8ohv...

NRA Accidentally Forgets To Rise Up Against Tyrannical Government — The Shovel “This is the one we’ve been talking about! Damn it!”

theshovel.com.au/2020/06/04/n...

Normalize pronouncing DOGE as DOUCHE.