Monday, September 29, 2025

Action: Sept 26-Oct 5. PLEASE COMMENT on Utah redistricting maps

The public can help to UNDO gerrymandering in Utah

THERE ARE DEADLINES:  PLEASE FINISH BY OCT 5TH

History: 

In 2018 voters decided that we wanted fair district maps - no gerrymandering in Utah.  Gerrymandering is a process of packing unlike voters together and dispersing like-minded voters so that, in effect, the politicians pick their voters.  Our laws and constitution intend for voters to select their lawmakers.

The Utah legislature IGNORED the voter's rights and imposed a gerrymandered map on us in 2020-2021. Their map resulted in 4 GOP house members whereas one democratic House member had been elected prior to the gerrymandered redistricting.

Lawsuits followed.  Now, 8 years later, voters finally have a chance at getting what is required by law in proposition 4.  See commentary by Brian Schott here:

WE CAN VOTE ON 6 possible MAPS.

PLEASE comment using links provided below.  



PLEASE ALSO call or email your lawmakers and the governor that

1) "Utah Voters are negatively impacted by the current gerrymander (tell your story)
2) please vote NO on Brammer bill
3) please vote yes on your favorite map
4) please especially do not select map C, which is the least fair maps of the unfair bunch"
5) HOW: Be polite and 
6) tell a compelling story- See BB video for advice on all these points.

Tuesday, September 23, 2025

Knowledge: Some good news

 

Some events, analysis and articles of note:


Some in the free press are stepping up to defend freedom: 

The New York Times has been normalizing this White House and using euphemisms to describe its actions and occupant.  Until recently, the writers of this blog preferred the Washington Post for this reason.  WaPo is bowing to the dictator, losing subscribers, and firing its best journalists. Google it for more info.

Since Trump's ridiculous lawsuit was filed against the New York Times- and immediately tossed-their coverage has apparently taken on accurate truth-telling mode. FINALLY !

Just a few weeks ago, I was complaining bitterly about how the New York Times routinely resorts to weasel words, euphemisms and third-party critiques to avoid speaking the truth about Donald Trump.


Here is a key section.  The entire article is terrific.

And consider today’s coverage. The Times was quick out of the gate with a story correctly describing Trump’s unhinged address to the United Nations.

Trump Uses U.N. Speech to Make False Claims and Lecture Representatives,” the Times declared in its headline, with a subhead noting that the speech was “filled with grievances.”

The Washington Post and the Associated Press, by contrast, ran headlines that were stenographic and namby-pamby.

And earlier in the day, the Times had published a genuinely bold, truth-telling article headlined “’I Hate My Opponent’: Trump’s Remarks at Kirk Memorial Distill His Politics; President Trump has been fueled by grievance and animosity over the course of his political and public life”

White House reporter Tyler Pager wrote about Trump’s “seemingly unscripted remark that summed up the retribution campaign that has come to define his second term.”

And he asserted, with no caveats:

Mr. Trump has used the full might of his political and executive power to express that mind-set in myriad ways, sparing no facet of American life.

Trump Playing Doctor

The Times was also brutally honest about Trump’s insane comments about autism and Tylenol on Monday.

Its liveblog was headlined: “Trump Ignores Science by Linking Autism to Vaccines and a Common Painkiller” and included some blistering posts from its health beat reporters.

Sheryl Gay Stolberg, for instance, wrote:

The president is taking the extraordinary step of giving Americans, and in particular expectant mothers, direct medical advice. Trump asserted, incorrectly, that babies get as many as 80 vaccines at once. Trump has long expressed the view, refuted by mountains of scientific evidence, that vaccines are linked to autism. “They pump so much stuff into babies, it’s a disgrace.” He also instructed pregnant women not to take Tylenol. Trump has no medical background, and there is no evidence to support his remarks.

The main news story, by Azeen Ghorayshi, noted:

The briefing at the White House featured often unsubstantiated medical advice from Mr. Trump, reminiscent of his first term, when he encouraged Americans to try unproven treatments for Covid.

The Washington Post, by contrast, reported that Trump “ventured into uncertain scientific territory.” Politico did almost pure stenography.

Seeing Through the Spin

As recently as Sept. 12, the Times was still an easy mark, falling for Republican framing of the campaign against critics of Charlie Kirk.

In an article that day headlined “Right-Wing Activists Urge Followers to Expose Those Celebrating Kirk Killing,”  reporters Alan Feuer, Ken Bensinger, and Pooja Salhotra allowed those activists to conflate those “celebrating” Kirk’s killing with those simply criticizing his legacy.


Jimmy Kimmel is back!  and you made it happen.  

ACTION: Keep up the pressure on the local ABC station by calling their local advertisers that we are boycotting them for keeping Kimmel off our airwaves -or supporting them for broadcasting Kimmel.


More from Press Watch:

Monday, September 22, 2025

Knowledge: Too little action by lawmakers lets Great Salt Lake sink back into EXTREME ADVERSE condition

 Knowledge:  Too little action by lawmakers 

lets Great Salt Lake sink back into

 EXTREME ADVERSE condition



Current condition of GSL is in the EXTREME ADVERSE STATE, which begins when water falls below 4192 ft in South arm.  The South arm is currently 1.1 ft below that level, and falling.

Grow the FLOW has an excellent tracker of data about the DIRE and unhealthy condition of the Great Salt Lake.



Two reports:


2. READ this entire essay and analysis by Utah River Council and waterkeeper

Utah’s Leadership Failures Drop Great Salt Lake
Water Level to 4,192 Feet

The Great Salt Lake’s South Arm dropped to 4,192 feet above sea level, triggering toothless conservation measures which are too little and far too late for this struggling ecosystem. The lake is now on track to hit a new historic low in 2026, jeopardizing the 12 million migratory birds it harbors annually, the $1.3 million lake-supported economy, and the health of all Wasatch Front residents.

Utah legislators are also preparing to meet in a special session and legislate to dry up the North Arm of the Great Salt Lake, which they have been preparing to do in legislation passed over the last few legislative sessions. Since the North Arm represents 40% of the surface area of the lake, this move formalizes Utah’s leadership failure in protecting the largest remaining wetland ecosystem in the American West.

This is a disaster we could have avoided had state leaders not squandered the precious time they had to raise water levels.













Sunday, September 21, 2025

Alert; KNOWLEDGE. Let's act because inaction is more risky

 Yup, it is bad.  

Doing something makes us feel better




Listen to/read this essay by Robert Reich to find encouragement and action items.

Sunday thought: Confronting tyranny by Robert Reich

Seven things we’ve learned

Read on Substack


Let's act because inaction is FAR more risky


Please help us to plan our next nationwide event on October 18th

 Join our Tuesday evening planning meeting in person or by video-Find it on mobilize.  Logan Indivisible


Save the date

Bring friends

Friday, September 19, 2025

Knowledge: What is happening ?

     Your vote may no longer matter if pocket rescissions aren't stopped

Fascism Author

A topic that gets limited attention is the completely lawless pocket rescission effort by White House to cause even more mass deaths in other countries.  In detail, 5 billion dollars of foreign aid is at risk.

Congress and the public will be EVEN MORE sidelined and subverted if this is allowed to stand.


Congress controls all money, White House must spend it as specified by Congress.  By using illegal project rescisions, White House can do whatever it wants.  Current plan is to defund all foreign aid and frankly 


IT is important to appreciate that there has ALREADY BEEN a big rescission bill passed to defund foreign aid.  The bill also defunded public media: National Public Radio and Public Broadcasting.

USAID lost their approved congressional funding in a LEGAL (but highly partisan) attack on factual information this summer

Aug 29, 2025 -Politics & Policy

What is pocket rescission, Trump's bid to cancel $5 billion in foreign aid?

Knowledge: What do members of National Guard think about being deployed into cities?

 Reddit provides some insights


NO

SECRET

POLICE

Creator
Creator

How expensive it this?  What else could be funded with 1 million dollars a day?  Vaccines, head start, food assistance, education aid for poor kids and disabled kids, housing the unhoused in DC could cost 4 times less.


The deployment of the national guard is a massive waste of taxpayer money.

Its actual purpose is to scare the public into submission, to accept a national gestapo-like police force.  

We must ALL be brave NOW-because the alternative is far more scary.

NO

SECRET

POLICE

Aug 21, 2025 — In all but two states, the daily cost of the D.C. troop deployment is greater than the daily cost of operating public housing for all unhoused ...

Commentary

Trump’s invasion of D.C. costs over $1 million a day. What could that fund instead?

Simply housing people without homes would be less expensive. That’s true across the country, including Ohio

September 3, 2025