Indivisible nonviolent training and organizing session happening now

go to their website Indivisble.org
One Million Rising Series
You can still register
If zoom becomes full you can watch on YouTube

For inspiration and for contrast, really worth hearing Obama speak

Social Security

I've been following debate on how much at risk is Social Security. Some think we are safe and naysayers are fearmongering. Others believe it is hopeless.

The main point right now is that we are even having this debate. I've heard about Republicans wanting to cut or privatize SS for decades. But I never really worried. I assumed that elected officials would have to vote on it and then face their voters in a few years.
Now we are looking for our payment each month uncertain whether it will be there. The very uncertainty is abuse. We don't need this to last until next month; we need it to last for 25 years.

This is only a crisis because Elon Musk, not Congress, are making decisions. Besides the worry that there won't be another election to make anyone accountable.

How do I buy hearts without renewing my star membership (again)?

Is there no way to sue the government

for purging civil servants across agencies, and specifically for punishing FBI agents for following legal orders? Trump is dismantling law enforcement, destroying careers, removing safety for the American people and there's no lawsuit? No judge to put a pause on it?

Is ending democracy not a sueable offence?

The media complains (not enough, but there's Rachel, etc.) but only until they too are dismantled.
What are we waiting for? Unconsitutional acts are illegal. Will we put up with it until there isn't even a press to report it? Do we think when the agencies are taken over and media silenced that the social security checks will keep coming? That our taxes will be used for anything except Elon's exploits?

I try to imagine that most of us will keep doing what we do, but that is seeming less and less likely. And putting it back together seems more and more impossible. How about lawsuits about everything he is doing NOW?

Please tell me why that can't happen, or isn't happening. Or how it could.

Trump has just released his Brownshirts on the country

and for a little while the MAGAs will feel their oats.

The Republican politicians are struggling to explain. Perhaps they really thought he'd keep the violent offenders in prison. They weren't informed of the real plan. This will continue: gradually finding out that their plan is not Trump's plan, but having to defend it.

We enter a time where everyone who came forward and did the right thing are at risk. Informants. Witnesses. Judges. Violent offenders and president alike are bent on revenge and immune to repercusssions. Unlike Nazi Germany, it will be impossible to hide what is going on. We have to make sure they can't. We need to send everyone a copy of On the Waterfront and Lord of the Flies. Maybe Schindler's List as a bonus. Or the equivalent in some form. We are smarter than the Germans post WWI who fell for another set of lies. We have more tools. We cannot expect the same result. We must prevent the same result.

Rachel says shame is how we change behavior. Everyone will have their breaking point. We don't know how far it has to go. But trust that at least half of the politicians who signed up for this are too dumb, too ignorant of history, to understand what will be asked of them. We don't need all of them. Some are true sociopaths and lost. We just need enough.

The Billionaires, apparently too dumb to understand that they prosper more in a country where everyone else prospers too, may be the last to know. (We do need to help them prosper less, to bring them along). But the rank and file will struggle more and more, less and less tolerant of politicians who can't explain why the wall, the state of emergency, the deportations, the tarriffs, the violence and the suffering, are not making their personal finances any better.

Trump and the IRS

So, is he serious about eliminating the IRS, or is he just saying it for shock value, while planning all kinds of changes which can only happen if the IRS exists.

I know lots of wealthy people don't want to pay taxes, but don't they also rely on the tax codes to make a lot of money? Where is real estate without depreciation and deductions on interest? Won't Republicans want to keep it, never mind the Democrats? Wouldn't a whole lot of people go out of business and further trash the economy?

I'd like to hear from people who understand this stuff whether this is something we need to worry about. How could this happen, who would have to vote on it, would anyone in Congress vote for it, can Trump and Elon just decide?

Asking for a friend.

Hope from Robert Reich

Should DU demand a recount?

I've copied a post below about a Daily Kos article re: cause for vote recounts. I wonder if we at DU could start a campaign to contact the appropriate people to insist on a recount. Maybe some pressure to act from voters will help get the ball rolling.

However I haven't been able to access the article to even know what is being done. I've tried opening an account to see if that gives me access but I'm not getting confirmation on the account. I'm not getting emails at all right now so I can't even determine whether the article is still available on Daily Kos. Someone else said they signed in but still didn't get access. Is there anyone able to access this article? If not, Is there a way to contact Daily Kos about this? If so, is there a way to get us access to the article?

Should we be contacting swing state Democratic governors, Kamala and Tim, Marc Elias about this? I tend to assume that the relevant people would be on something that is credible, but I'm not sure. Dems are so determined to not rock the boat over election results. Now is not the time to worry about appearances, we should make sure no stone is unturned. This might be our last chance to actually check the results of an election.




OP from ScubaSteve:

Rigged? Computer Security Experts Urge Harris To Demand Hand Recount
From the Daily KOS:

https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2024/11/16/2286632/-Rigged-Computer-Security-Experts-In-Dual-Duty-To-Warn-Letters-Urge-Harris-To-Demand-Hand-Recount?pm_campaign=front_page&pm_source=latest_community&pm_medium=web

Much of the alarm revolves around so-called "bullet ballots". They are cast ballots with only one candidate in a single race selected and no down ballot choices made. Approximately 600,000 bullet ballot votes were logged for Donald Trump with no down ballot choices made in the seven swing states.

“In every swing state, but not in their neighbor states, voters cast 100x or more Trump bullet ballots than any prior election,” wrote Spoonamore Tuesday on “X”, a week after election day. “Where are these precincts? They are where to audit.”

North Carolina stands out as the “most extreme case” for suspect votes. More than 350,000 voters cast votes for Trump and no other race on their ballots, making up 11% of Trump bullet ballots. In all these cases, Spoonamore emphasizes, these suspect votes would have been electronically created with no paper record. Hence, the dire need for hand recounts in the seven swing states.

“It is very simple to prove this (fraud),” wrote Spoonamore in an “X” post. “Take the two most outlandish precinct results from any county and just hand count the ballots. They won't match the tabulation outputs.”
________________________________________________________________________

He has sent Harris a "Duty to Warn" letter stating she needs to question the outcome of the election. He says the presidential vote was willfully compromised. But hey, as he states pick 2 of the most ridiculous results and hand count them. If they match then no harm no foul, but if they are off by 100,000's...

Demand a recount in parts of swing states

I've copied a post below about a Daily Kos article re: cause for vote recounts. I wonder if we at DU could start a campaign to contact the appropriate people to insist on a recount. Maybe some pressure to act from voters will help get the ball rolling.

However I haven't been able to access the article to even know what is being done. I've tried opening an account to see if that gives me access but I'm not getting confirmation on the account. I'm not getting emails at all right now so I can't even determine whether the article is still available on Daily Kos. Someone else said they signed in but still didn't get access. Is there anyone able to access this article? If not, Is there a way to contact Daily Kos about this? If so, is there a way to get us access to the article?

Should we be contacting swing state Democratic governors, Kamala and Tim, Marc Elias about this? I tend to assume that the relevant people would be on something that is credible, but I'm not sure. Dems are so determined to not rock the boat over election results. Now is not the time to worry about appearances, we should make sure no stone is unturned. This might be our last chance to actually check the results of an election.




OP from ScubaSteve:

Rigged? Computer Security Experts Urge Harris To Demand Hand Recount
From the Daily KOS:

https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2024/11/16/2286632/-Rigged-Computer-Security-Experts-In-Dual-Duty-To-Warn-Letters-Urge-Harris-To-Demand-Hand-Recount?pm_campaign=front_page&pm_source=latest_community&pm_medium=web

Much of the alarm revolves around so-called "bullet ballots". They are cast ballots with only one candidate in a single race selected and no down ballot choices made. Approximately 600,000 bullet ballot votes were logged for Donald Trump with no down ballot choices made in the seven swing states.

“In every swing state, but not in their neighbor states, voters cast 100x or more Trump bullet ballots than any prior election,” wrote Spoonamore Tuesday on “X”, a week after election day. “Where are these precincts? They are where to audit.”

North Carolina stands out as the “most extreme case” for suspect votes. More than 350,000 voters cast votes for Trump and no other race on their ballots, making up 11% of Trump bullet ballots. In all these cases, Spoonamore emphasizes, these suspect votes would have been electronically created with no paper record. Hence, the dire need for hand recounts in the seven swing states.

“It is very simple to prove this (fraud),” wrote Spoonamore in an “X” post. “Take the two most outlandish precinct results from any county and just hand count the ballots. They won't match the tabulation outputs.”
________________________________________________________________________

He has sent Harris a "Duty to Warn" letter stating she needs to question the outcome of the election. He says the presidential vote was willfully compromised. But hey, as he states pick 2 of the most ridiculous results and hand count them. If they match then no harm no foul, but if they are off by 100,000's...