#Civil Society

[pintadorartist]

ADVOCATES IN CONGRESS HAVE THREATENED TO NOT VOTE FOR ANY SPENDING BILLS UNLESS KOSA IS INCLUDED

While the Continuing Resolutions does not include KOSA, advocates for the bill are still pushing VERY HARD to add it to the package of bills, even going as far as to not vote for disaster relief bills if KOSA is not added to the package of bills.

WE HAVE TO CALL AND MAKE OUR VOICES HEARD. Below are the posts for contact info and call tools to call, email, and fax both representatives and senators to tell them to say NO to KOSA, it's important to keep up the pressure.

STOP KOSA (SENATE VERSION)

STOP KOSA (HOUSE VERSION)

[captainxtra]

HEADS UP! HR 9495 HAS BEEN RECEIVED IN SENATE!

Reminder on how to find your Senators!

If you have a GOP/MAGA Senator, use this advice from Reddit in trying to convince them to oppose it:

Do not stop fighting!

[southeastasianists]

In a renewed critique, Cherian George, Professor of Media Studies at Hong Kong Baptist University, called for the Singapore government to reconsider its approach, advocating for more collaborative and trust-building engagement with social issues, rather than imposing top-down authority for genuine community solidarity.

During a panel discussion titled “Community and the State” at the Institute of Policy Studies’ Singapore Perspectives conference on 20 January, George revisited the banyan tree metaphor, which was first introduced by former Minister for Foreign Affairs George Yeo in his 1991 speech.

At the time, Yeo had argued that for ground-up civic institutions to flourish, the state needed to “withdraw a little and provide more space for local initiative.”

Comparing the state to a banyan tree, Yeo, a fig tree that spreads outward indefinitely, stated:

“The problem now is that under a banyan tree very little else can grow. ” “When state institutions are too pervasive, civic institutions cannot thrive. Therefore, it is necessary to prune the banyan tree so that other plants can also grow.”

However, George countered that the banyan tree does not inherently stifle growth beneath it.

Instead, the banyan “remains close to the ground,” sustaining diverse life around it, “The banyan is strong and majestic, but it sustains diverse life beneath it, within it, and on it, unlike the giant redwood.”

In contrast to Yeo’s argument, George contended that “the state does not need to retreat from its engagement with social issues.”

Rather, he argued, “The state overwhelms society, not because it is too large or capable, but because it suppresses the vibrancy of civil society.”

He proposed that the PAP should be viewed as the gardener, rather than the banyan tree itself, suggesting that the government has been too focused on controlling and correcting citizens’ behaviour.

“Unwittingly, George Yeo highlighted the problem: he reflected the PAP’s techno-authoritarian impulse, deeply distrustful of life around them, believing that educated elites must use their superior capacities to correct citizens’ ways.”

George Highlights Overestimation of Societal Divides and Misperceptions of Others in Political Polarisation

In his address at the event, discussing political polarisation, George clarified that polarisation is not about differences in views or beliefs but about deep “us-them” divides, where opposing groups see each other as enemies rather than competitors. This lack of mutual respect undermines negotiation, compromise, and, ultimately, democracy.

He believed that the antidote to polarisation lies in building a larger “we” that recognises shared needs and cross-cutting identities, without erasing differences or imposing forced consensus.

George shared lessons from projects across different countries and highlighted the potential of dialogue and deliberation over traditional debates, which focus on settling arguments and declaring winners.

Properly designed conversations encourage listening and understanding, fostering collective learning and empathy.

George Highlights Media, Social Media, and Politicians as Drivers of Polarisation

George explained that deliberative forums, typically organised in small groups with trained facilitators, foster empathy and reduce animosity, even if participants do not change their views.

The most institutionalised form, citizens’ assemblies, involve diverse groups discussing controversial issues and presenting recommendations to lawmakers.

George further noted that people tend to overestimate how divided their own societies are, and how unreasonable and even immoral others may be.

Most people trust themselves to make responsible decisions for the common good but are less confident in others, especially those outside their immediate circle, he said.

He pointed out that these perceptions of others are shaped by three main sources: news media, social media, and political representatives, which tend to highlight conflict and amplify negative portrayals of groups.

Politicians and elites often drive top-down polarisation to create distinctions for their own advantage, further influencing public perceptions of others.

“Face-to-face dialogue and deliberation work because they bypass the political representatives and media that usually filter and distort our social relations,” George remarked.

George Emphasises Need for Balance Between a High-Capacity State and Vibrant Society

In analysing Singapore’s polarisation, George explained that the country has been spared the worst for two key reasons.

First, Singapore has a long tradition of responsive government, which has prevented communities from experiencing the prolonged insecurity that often drives them toward populism.

Second, because the major political parties are not ethnic-based, the risk of sectarian or religious-secular conflict is significantly lowered.

George acknowledged the concerns about the state of community in Singapore, noting that the country lacks the horizontal, people-to-people trust necessary for community to flourish.

Reflecting on the question of whether the government has “crowded out” opportunities for organic engagement, he recalled George Yeo’s metaphor of “pruning the banyan tree” from over 30 years ago but disagreed with the idea of pruning.

In the book PAP v PAP, co-authored with Donald Low, George argued that while Singapore’s capable state has proven vital during crises like the Covid-19 pandemic, the issue lies in the assumption that such a state must be autocratic and suppress competition or dissent within civil society.

Drawing from Daron Acemoglu and James Robinson’s The Narrow Corridor, George emphasised the need for a high-capacity state and a vibrant society to complement each other, a balance that Singapore has yet to achieve, as the state currently overwhelms society.

Activist Groups Not a Threat to Singapore’s National Security

George also criticised the government’s approach to managing differing views, arguing that groups advocating for causes like Palestinian rights, migrant worker welfare, the abolition of the death penalty, or stronger climate action are not threats to national security or parliamentary authority.

Instead, they aim to shift public attitudes and values, yet are often excluded from mainstream media and academic spaces, pushed to adopt unconventional methods to gain attention, only to face legal penalties and blacklisting.

“They are just trying to persuade their fellow citizens and shift public attitudes and values in ways that policymakers cannot ignore,” said George.

He highlighted the government’s overregulation of areas like theatre, where even plays discussing environmental or political issues are flagged for potential public harm, reinforcing the idea that citizens need state protection from alternative viewpoints.

This approach has been internalized by the media, which has grown more averse to controversy over the past three decades, and by universities like NUS, which now require faculty to assess the controversial nature of talks before they proceed.

Geroge warned the indirect cost of the government’s approach to managing differing views, oting that it has led to a perception among Singaporeans that minority opinions and controversial views are dangerous and should be excluded.

He argued that the state has fostered a culture of vertical trust in leaders but horizontal distrust among citizens, creating a societal divide where the people are viewed as self-centered and untrustworthy.

This pattern, he said, echoes colonial-era divide-and-rule tactics, which have left Singaporeans with little trust in one another and a reliance on the state to manage relationships.

[vox-anglosphere]

An unarmed London policeman outside St Paul's Cathedral in 1960

[kemetic-dreams]

Affirmative action began in the 1960s as a response to the civil rights movement and systemic discrimination in employment and education. The first official policy to implement affirmative action was President John F. Kennedy's Executive Order 10925, which was signed on March 6, 1961: 

Purpose The order's purpose was to affirm the government's commitment to equal opportunity and to take positive action to strengthen efforts to achieve it. 

Content The order required government contractors to: 

Treat applicants equally without regard to race, color, religion, or national origin 

Take affirmative action to ensure that employees were treated equally during employment 

Who benefited most from affirmative action

European women are often considered to be the primary beneficiaries of affirmative action, which is a set of programs that aim to reduce discrimination in education, employment, and government contracting: 

Education European women have become more educated and make up a larger portion of the workforce. 

Employment European women have made significant gains in the job market, including in high-level management positions and in the professions of law and medicine. 

Hiring A survey of employers in four major cities found that firms with affirmative action policies were 15% more likely to have hired European women. 

However, some say that white men are the biggest beneficiaries of affirmative action. Others say that the dismantling of affirmative action affects European women, too, and that the willingness to erase them from the story is part of the problem.

[internationaldayofdemocracy]

Protect free and fair elections.

With billions of people headed to the polls in 2024, it’s vital that democratic govts, civil society, & tech companies work to protect free & fair elections—the cornerstone of any democracy.

[alwaysbewoke]

[washdayradionetwork]

Canada’s most prominent Indigenous icon might not be Indigenous

Horse. Shit.

Anyone who looks at Buffy Sainte-Marie and thinks, "Italian", as this hit piece suggests, is as White as they come, and an ignorant bigot, besides.

DNA tells the tale -- not true crime TV "detective" work.

This article claims that indigenous people will be shocked, but guess again. We know who we are, where we come from, what our traditions are, who our family is, and what we look like. White bigots will need more luck than there is in the world to topple that.

We will keep playing Buffy's music on the Febrile Ohms radio show. Our parent company, Civil Society, will keep consulting with her, and her vast network of contacts, as CS continues the fight for green energy; good jobs; and Native land, water, and mineral rights.

BTW, you can hear the Febrile Ohms radio show every weekday at 6 a.m. on Clear Channel Radio stations ALL across the country.

Enjoy the rest of your day.

Oh, one more thing! The writer of this hit piece is one Amanda Coletta. Contact her on Twitter and the Washington Post, where she shares this:

[mentally-quiet-spycrab]

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Impeach Trump!

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Demand Biden to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment to protect your fellow LGBT folk before Trump takes office!

[pintadorartist]

Bill HR 9495 still remains a threat to nonprofits and independent news

Bill H.R. 9495, aka the “Stop Terror-Financing and Tax Penalties on American Hostages Act,” was meant to protect US Hostages from tax penalties; the problem is that the bill received an add-on that would give the Treasury Secretary the power to strip any non-profit of their tax-exempt status based on the idea that the nonprofit is a “terrorist supporting” organization, all without due process or a justification.

And although another exemption was added to the bill that would "protect" Non-profits from this by exempting Non-Profits that have approval from the Office of Foreign Assets Control(OFAC). This would still target non-profit organizations since all it would take to attack them is to just rescind that prior approval

This would give the upcoming Trump administration the power to kill any non-profit org, from AO3 to the ACLU. Even local nonprofits and independent news sources could be stripped of their status and be unable to receive funding to stay open, all because they had different views than the government.

Unfortunately, the bill passed the House and is headed toward the Senate, but there hasn't been any update regarding the bill or a date to vote on it; it's probably best to find your Senator and call, email, or fax them to tell them to vote no if it comes to a vote.

Below are some tools and a list of Senate leaders you should call in addition to your senator:

Democrat Senate Leaders:

Chuck Schumer:

Phone: (202) 224-6542

Fax: (202) 228-3027

Dick Durbin:

Phone: 202-224-2152

Debbie Stabenow:

Phone:(202) 224-4822

Elizabeth Warren:

Phone: (202) 224-4543

Mark R. Warner:

Phone: 202-224-2023

Amy Klobuchar:

Phone: 202-224-3244

Fax: 202-228-2186

Bernie Sanders:

Phone: 202-224-5141 Fax: 202-228-0776

Catherine Cortez Masto:

Phone: (202) 224-3542

Joe Manchin:

Phone: 202-224-3954 Fax: 202-228-0002

Cory A. Booker:

Phone: (202) 224-3224

Fax: (202) 224-8378

Tammy Baldwin:

Phone: (202) 224-5653

Brian Schatz:

Phone: (202) 224-3934

Republican Senate Leaders:

Mitch McConnell:

Phone: (202) 224-2541 Fax: (202) 224-2499

John Thune:

Phone: (202) 224-2321

Fax: (202) 228-5429

John Barrasso:

Main: 202-224-6441 Fax: 202-224-1724

Joni Ernst:

PHONE: (319) 365-4504

FAX: (319) 365-4683

Shelley Capito:

Phone: 202-224-6472

Steve Daines:

p: (202) 224-2651 f: 202-228-1236

Find Your Senator:

Or you can call the Congressional switchboard today and ask to be connected with each of your Senators’ offices. Demand they vote against this bill: (202) 224-3121

If you don’t like talking to people, you can call after their offices close so you can leave a message

you can also Text RESIST to 50409 to send your message into a fax and email to your senator

Fax tool:

Here are some call scripts that you can use as fax and email as well:

If you have a Democrat Senator, you can use this script:

“I am calling Senator [THEIR LAST NAME] as a constituent to urge them to vote against the Stop Terror-Financing and Tax Penalties on American Hostages Act, when it comes to the Senate floor. This bill would give the Treasury the power to kill non-profit organizations without evidence, and will be used as a sledge hammer to destroy any organization that speaks out against the incoming President’s agenda. No matter who was in power, this bill would be authoritarian and ripe for abuse. Handing this power to a President known to be vindictive, and who has promised to be a “day one” dictator, would be a failure of congressional leadership. Please share my thoughts with the Senator, urging them to vote against this dangerous legislation. Thank you”

If you have a Republican Senator, you can use this script:

“As your constituent, I urge you to vote NO on H.R. 9495. This bill poses a dangerous threat to the fundamental freedoms guaranteed by the First Amendment and must not pass the Senate. It grants any incoming administration unchecked authority to revoke the tax-exempt status of non-profit organizations without oversight or due process. Such government overreach is not what the Founding Fathers envisioned for our democracy. This bill undermines the principles of free speech and freedom of association, cornerstones of American liberty.

H.R. 9495 threatens to pave the way for political suppression, allowing the government to selectively target and shut down organizations based on ideological disagreements. This could affect any non-profit, including churches and conservative groups, as well as organizations that champion human rights and civil liberties. Regardless of political leanings, this bill sets a chilling precedent that no American patriot should support.

While situations relating to the hostages deserve careful attention, they can and should be addressed in a separate, narrowly tailored bill. H.R. 9495, however, is a broad, unconstitutional overreach that strikes at the heart of free speech and freedom. It is unpatriotic and incompatible with the values we hold dear as Americans.

I implore you to stand as a defender of liberty and uphold the rights of your constituents. Be a patriot, listen to the voice of the people, protect our God given right to free speech as Americans, and reject this dangerous legislation. Vote NO on H.R. 9495. Thank you, God Bless and God Bless America.”

Here’s that petition again:

[captainxtra]

Full text of Bill:

It passed 219-184, succeeding by two votes.

Basically it would allow the Treasury to strip Nonprofits of their Tax Exemption status if believed to be supporting terrorism without need of crystal clear evidence.

No word on when it’ll move up to Senate as of now.

House Dems who supported HR 9495 in round 2:

Allred, TX / Moskowitz, FL / Caraveo, CO / Panetta, CA / Case, HI / Perez, WA / Cuellar, TX /Schneider, IL / Davis, NC / Suozzi, NY / Golden, ME / Torres, CA / Gonzalez, V., TX /Wasserman Schultz, FL /Lee, NV

In the meantime, I’d suggest informing your fellow US citizens both IRL and Online + looking up your Senator and how to contact them if and when a Senate vote date is set up.

Here’s a tool for finding your Senator:

If you have a GOP/MAGA Rep, I’d advise listening to this strategy in convincing them once a Vote date is announced:

https://www.reddit.com/r/Defeat_Project_2025/s/jhrwGG0jAX

(If the link isn’t working by simple clicking then select the link text manually to paste and go.)

[shrinkrants]

There are remedies within the legislative process and the rule of law to some of this. But we will only get them with massive public participation. Civil society must press the case that this court is fatally illegitimate and Roberts, Alito and Thomas must resign. And we must press our legislators to act. Other countries have survived worse, and most of the countries to the south of the US have been through revolutions, coups, dictatorships and other dramas in the past century, as well as successful non-violent resistance and democratic triumphs.

One thing is clear after this epochal supreme court decision: the fate of the country is in the hands of its people. Or rather two things are clear: the rightwing pursuit of increasingly outrageous minority rule is because they are increasingly a minority; the will of the people and the majority of votes are not on their side when it comes to everything from reproductive rights to climate action. Which is why they have to suppress votes, gerrymander districts, try to steal elections and now torch the constitution. In one way, this demonstrates their strength. In another, their weakness. It’s up to us to make that weakness matter more than that strength.

-- Rebecca Solnit

[justinspoliticalcorner]

Don Moynihan at Can We Still Govern?

Authoritarian regimes seek to delegitimate and control aspects of society that hold some measure of independence: that includes universities, the government bureaucracy, a free press, and, civil society. I’ve written a lot about threats to government, especially via Schedule F, and to free speech on campus. We are currently witnessing the manufacturing of campuses as sites of disorder (see this piece by Paul Musgrave). This is a handy political hammer in an election year, and invites greater supervision of campuses by political actors, who can install their people and rules.

Here, I want to talk about civil society. Civil society is a broad category, which basically incorporates everything from churches, neighborhood associations, nonprofits and large philanthropies. From de Tocqueville on, there is a broad sense that civil society serves an essential role in American democracy. The stronger the civil society, the less like an authoritarian leader can re-orient society around his goals.

So, we should be concerned about partisan government actors targeting specific nonprofits and civil society more broadly. A consistent pattern in the lurch toward authoritarianism is the squeezing of civil society groups, in countries like Russia, China, Turkey, Venezuela, and Hungary. It is a well-worn playbook. Accuse the organizations of working against the interests of the state, or supporting radicals or terrorists, shut them down, and then start to squeeze other civil society actors not loyal to the state.

Kleinfeld identifies the formal tools governments are or will use, which are accompanied by political vilification, informal harassment, and in some cases threats of violence.

Congressional committee hearings and oversight activities used to impugn organizations as foreign, reduce their legitimacy, and take up their time and resources

Laws restricting speech or forcing ideological conformity at state-controlled universities and schools

Broad and vaguely written foreign agent registration regulations being applied to activities previously not considered problematic

Government lawsuits and investigations executed in bad faith, which take time and money to address while undermining legitimacy and often blocking discussion of the case while they are underway

New anti-protest laws that carry massive fines or felony convictions or that allow vigilante action against protesters

Retaliatory actions that punish businesses for taking a stand on public issues or offering products for which there is business demand—such as environmental, social, and governance (ESG) screening on investment funds—including by revoking government contracts, suspending supportive business conditions, or enacting new laws designed to punish

Internal Revenue Service (IRS) investigations, tax code changes, audits, or asset seizure.

[...]

Putting “woke” foundations in the crosshairs

What is striking about this year’s election is the degree to which Republicans are targeting institutions as irredeemably corrupt, and the degree they have fairly radical plans to deal with them. Schedule F will remove bureaucratic autonomy. Threatening the tax status or federal grants for universities will bring higher education to heel.

Add the nonprofit sector to that list of institutions to be controlled. This could come via new laws, or just via executive power. A key demand of Republicans is that the Department of Justice do more to investigate George Soros and the organizations he funds. A Trump Attorney General would be more likely to comply, unbothered by the fact that they would be following in the footsteps of Putin and Orban in pursuing Soros. The IRS could also pursue organizations selectively by questioning their tax status. Trump could order the IRS to investigate individual organizations that displease him. He already tried this as President. The difference is now he would be surrounded by loyalists who would enable these actions. If you are running a visible philanthropic organization, you have reason to be worried. Though they have gotten less attention than government or universities, foundations are also accused as having gone “woke”, which in concrete terms often means committing resources to DEI, social justice or environmental issues. The fact that such criticisms are often coming from right-wing tax-exempt nonprofit organizations like the Heritage Foundation, AEI or the Manhattan Institute, who in turn draw funding from right-wing foundations, does not seem to give the critics pause, evoke a sense of irony, or at least an acknowledgment that the current state of civil society reflects a wide diversity of perspectives.

Don Moynihan's Substack on the authoritarian attack on civil society is a must-read.

[dreaminginthedeepsouth]

An American hero, banned from the history books in the American South. 

Mary Elaine LeBey: 60th Anniversary - April 23rd, 1963 - William Moore, a Baltimore postal worker, on a one-man Civil Rights demonstration where he set out to walk from Chattanooga, Tenn., to Jackson, Miss., to hand deliver a letter to the governor of Mississippi asking him to reverse his stance on segregation, was murdered with two shots to the head by KKK members... This photo showing his homemade sandwich-style sign, was taken just prior to his murder…

And, given this murder happened in Attalla, Alabama, it went “unsolved"... Just another martyr not taught about in American history classes…

[Scott Horton]

[ezrasloyalfans]

One more thing from Ezra himself (He/they say there's news about new pronouns coming).

Ezra says he's never been so cold in his life as when he was in the Arctic, and that, thanks to Civil Society, who run @thecapitolradar here on Tumblr, he probably won't have to go back.

He explained that, in 2020, Civil Society bought the drilling rights to the Tongass National Forest, the largest carbon sink in the Western Hemisphere.

What's CS doing with those drilling rights?

Nothing. They're doing nothing. So, no drilling, and the Tongass stays clean. Ezra advises that you hit up the folks at CS to find out about their efforts on alternative energy.

Thankful beyond words to Ezra Miller, whose active commitment to climate action inspires us every day.

We love you, Ezzie.

Zoe, Jana, and Patrick

[humanrightsday]

How to participate to the commemoration of the 75th anniversary of the UDHR?

To Participate

Make your voice heard by participating in the two-day hybrid high-level event in Geneva.

Spread the word by adding your photo on social media.

Participate in OHCHR’s Human Rights 75 Film Tour.

Express your preference for the human rights declaration article that most clearly reflects your priority for the future.

Help us push leaders to take action and mobilize a global movement by joining our social media campaign and #Act4RightsNow, #HumanRights75. Communication assets are available on OHCHR’s dedicated Trello Board, which includes posters, photo filters, virtual exhibit and other materials.

Get inspired through OHCHR’s HR75 countdown and discover the stories of those who fought for human rights throughout history until today.

Find more ideas in the Human Rights Day toolkit.