Tam

In this country, we do not swear loyalty to the POTUS. Federal employees, including military, take an oath to uphold and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic. *ALL enemies.* Even if those enemies are serving in our government.

Yeah, I've been seeing a lot of this. The email HUD sent out didn't target performance but specifically said it was due to workforce restructuring.

Reminder for today: The 50501 Movement has planned protests at all 50 state capitols and the U.S. Capitol on Presidents’ Day at noon. While mainstream media isn’t covering the event, many YouTubers have stepped up to provide coverage.

Yes.

And social media unfortunately rewards the sensation of "being right" much more than it encourages useful political action.

Resist the dopamine boosts and keep focused on the future.

Yep. Weeha! Woohoo! And all that jazz. oof

Just because this needs to be said regularly: the patriotic American thing to do is to esteem our Canadian friends and neighbors, guard and respect Canada's right to self-determination, and condemn aggression and bullying whether domestic or international in nature.

Federal prosecutor will sign motion to dismiss Adams charges in bid to save colleagues' jobs, sources say A federal prosecutor agreed on Friday to file a motion to dismiss the criminal corruption charges against New York City Mayor Eric Adams, in a bid to spare other career staff from potentially being fired by the acting deputy attorney general, sources briefed on the matter told Reuters.

They found someone to dismiss the Adams case. My hope (yes, I still have that) is this was a coordinated decision by the attorneys they put together & there's a plan (get the details of duress into the filing? 🤷‍♀️). My fear is it's someone trying to save themselves.
www.reuters.com/world/us/fed...

Greta Thunberg must have cut him down on social media at some point for him to be thinking this hard about her.

(Also, besides being an utterly ridiculous comparison, she's been "scolding" all countries, not just the US.)

It's now been two hours. Hopefully this means they're each supporting each other in upholding their oath and standing strong.

The Stonewall Inn and The Stonewall Inn Gives Back Initiative are outraged and appalled by the recent removal of the word transgender" from the Stonewall National Monument page on the National Park Service website. This blatant act of erasure not only distorts the truth of our history, but it also dishonors the immense contributions of transgender individuals -especially transgender women of color - who were at the forefront of the Stonewall Riots and the broader fight for LGBTQ+ rights.

Let us be clear: Stonewall is transgender history. Marsha P. Johnson, Sylvia Rivera, and countless other trans and gender- nonconforming individuals fought bravely, and often at great personal risk, to push back against oppressive systens. Their courage, sacrifice, and leadership were central to the resistance we now celebrate as the foundation of the modern LGBTQ+ rights movement

This decision to erase the word transgender' is a deliberate attempt to erase our history and marginalize the very people who paved the way for many victories we have achieved as a community. It is a direct attack on transgender people, especially transgender women of color, who continue to face violence, discrimination, and erasure at every turn. SIGBI

We demand the immediate restoration of the word transgender on the Stonewall National Monument website We will not stand by while the legacies of our transgender siblings are erased from the history books. The Stonewall Inn and The Stonewall Inn Gives Back Initiative stands unwaveringly in solidarity with the transgender community and all who fight for full equality, and we will not rest until this grave injustice is corrected. SIGBI

Alt text for OP:

"The Stonewall Inn and The Stonewall Inn Gives Back Initiative are outraged and appalled by the recent removal of the word transgender" from the Stonewall National Monument page on the National Park Service website."

Check out Will's timeline for protest info.

The best and brightest.

No! This is precisely the time when artists go to work. There is no time for despair, no place for self-pity, no need for silence, no room for fear. We speak, we write, we do language. That is how civilizations heal. I know the world is bruised and bleeding, and though it is important not to ignore its pain, it is also critical to refuse to succumb to its malevolence. Like failure, chaos contains information that can lead to knowledge—even wisdom. Like art.

Following Kendrick's performance yesterday seems like a good time to quote Toni Morrison's essay.

Most of us will never have platforms like either of theirs, but that doesn't mean we can't also create meaningful, powerful, subversive, and rebellious art.

No no no. The Musketeers would have fought these guys. These are rats — MuskRats.

this is my first black history month working at a black-owned bookstore, and yesterday i was sitting at the desk feeling like i was missing something. but in fact i did not need to curate a bhm display bc over half our stock is black books. a surprising relief that i’m still processing

From hud.gov/about/mission : HUD's mission is to create strong, sustainable, inclusive communities and quality affordable homes for all. HUD is working to strengthen the housing market to bolster the economy and protect consumers; meet the need for quality affordable rental homes; utilize housing as a platform for improving quality of life; build inclusive and sustainable communities free from discrimination, and transform the way HUD does business.

I'm working at HUD (Dept. of Housing and Urban Development).
Or mission literally includes building "inclusive and sustainable communities free from discrimination." Which, of course, is antithetical to any language the new regime is using.

Kinda expecting to be put on administrative leave at some point, since last year I received two national-level DEIA awards from the federal agency I work for (one group award, one individual). Especially since I haven't stopped doing the work that got me nominated in the first place.

Thread: HOW TO RESIST

I see so many people talking about the importance of resisting without listing some ways how. Any topics more in-depth need to be done in private within your circles

One of the verboten words in the whole "shut down every federal program related to DEIA" tempest is, unsurprisingly, "inclusive." Which is a word at the forefront of the mission of the agency where I work. Just waiting to see how that plays out. 😡

Same!

The way I usually explain how to write alt-text is to describe it as though you were telling a friend about it but they couldn't see it. That will almost always get you describing the important aspects of it in the right context.

A job I had hoped for and had gotten to the next stage in the hiring process has been canceled due to the federal hiring freeze. ☹️
My current job is also federal, but I was recognized nationally last year for my DEIA work, so who knows how that will play out. 😡

So tired of people choosing to comply in advance.

Thread on types of censorship

Reasons to Live Through the Apocalypse Sunrises. People you have still to meet and laugh with. Songs about love, peace, anger, and revolution. Walks in the woods. The smile you exchange with a stranger when you experience beauty accidentally together. Butterflies. Seeing your grandparents again. The moon in all her forms, whether half or full. Dogs. Birthdays and half-birthdays. That feeling of floating in love. Watching birds eat from bird feeders. The waves of happiness that follow the end of sadness. Brown eyes. Watching a boat cross an empty sea. Sunsets. Dipping your feet in the river. Balconies. Cake. The wind in your face when you roll the car window down on an open highway. Falling asleep to the sound of a steady heartbeat. Warm cups of tea on cold days. Hugs. Night skies. Art museums. Books filled with everything you do not yet know. Long conversations. Long-lost friends. Poetry.

I wrote this on one of the darkest days of my life. It gave me an anchor to hold onto.

Remember: ‘liking’ a post has no effect on its visibility here (unlike on Twitter).

To help good or informative posts get seen by other people, you have you repost them.

This feels like a big part of why it can often feel so quite here.

Good grief. The new site at whitehouse.gov is something. Also, there are no archives of anything.

New(er) folks, remember to turn on your alt text reminder! It's an important feature that keeps the site useable for a lot of disabled people.

Black and white headshot of Alan Rickman looking into the camera over the turned-up collar of his coat. Autographed. Photographer Greg Gorman. 1991

Do you ever hear someone else's voice as your thoughts? Right now, Alan Rickman is narrating mine (at least, those thoughts that have words). I'm not sure why, but it's weird. 🤷‍♀️