#Vote for Climate Change Awareness

[seniorvibes2024]

Five Reasons to Vote this year because of Climate Change.

Policy Priorities: The elected president has significant influence over national policy priorities, including those related to climate change and environmental protection. Their stance on issues such as renewable energy investment, carbon emissions regulations, and conservation efforts can directly impact the trajectory of climate change and the severity of flooding risks. A president committed to aggressive climate action is more likely to enact policies aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions and promoting resilience against extreme weather events, ultimately mitigating flooding risks.

International Cooperation: The president plays a crucial role in international climate negotiations and agreements. By electing a leader who prioritizes climate change on the global stage, the United States can foster international cooperation and encourage other nations to take ambitious actions to address climate change. Collaborative efforts to reduce emissions and invest in climate resilience can help mitigate the impacts of climate change, including flooding, on a global scale.

Regulatory Frameworks: The president has the authority to shape regulatory frameworks that govern industries with significant environmental impacts, such as energy production, transportation, and land use. Through executive orders, appointments to regulatory agencies, and legislative influence, the president can either strengthen or weaken environmental regulations that directly affect greenhouse gas emissions, deforestation, and other activities contributing to climate change and exacerbating flooding risks.

Investment in Infrastructure: The president's agenda and budget priorities greatly influence federal spending, including investments in infrastructure projects aimed at mitigating flooding risks and adapting to a changing climate. Electing a president who prioritizes infrastructure resilience can lead to investments in flood prevention measures, such as upgraded storm water management systems, improved levees and dams, and the restoration of natural buffers like wetlands and coastal marshes. Strategic infrastructure investments can help reduce the vulnerability of communities to flooding events exacerbated by climate change.

Public Awareness and Education: The president serves as a prominent figurehead and can use their platform to raise awareness about the urgency of climate change and the need for collective action. Through speeches, public statements, and engagement with the media, the president can elevate the issue of climate change in the public consciousness, encouraging individuals, businesses, and local governments to take proactive steps to reduce their carbon footprint and prepare for climate-related hazards like flooding. Increased public awareness and education can lead to broader support for policies and initiatives aimed at addressing climate change and its impacts, including flooding mitigation efforts.

Thanks for viewing.

Senior Vibes2024

[mokeonn]

Before I go to sleep I leave you all with this piece of advice: sometimes you don't actually have to answer big political questions, sometimes you can just say "I am not smart enough to know that, I just know the small things I do to help." Like you can often times completely avoid making a fool of yourself if you just say you don't know.

[joandelahaye]

Logo Showdown, Shambhala Secrets, & Book Bargains Await!

Hello, my Freaky Darlings! Holy Shit! Mother Nature is throwing a serious bitch fit at the moment. Ten countries across the globe have been hit by severe flooding in the last twelve days, and this weekend, the Western Cape was smashed by massive waves that some have been comparing to a Tsunami, okay, a small Tsunami, but still a Tsunami! We don’t get shit like that here. Add to that, angry Mother…

[teaboot]

Hey! Bamboo toilet paper person here. Your response was very thoughtful-- I want to apologize for placing the onus of climate issues on individual action, haha. I work at a zoo that bills itself as being very heavy on conservation messaging, but as a non-partisan organization we're obviously not allowed to talk about the evils of capitalism. This means that in our programming, we MUST place the responsibility of stopping climate change on individual guests, encouraging them to make more environmentally conscientious decisions like buying reef safe sunscreen or reducing carbon emissions by driving less. The most "political" we're allowed to get is telling people to stay educated and vote in favor of laws that will have a positive impact on the environment. I think I've been drinking the Zoolaid a little TOO much recently, because you're totally right-- the vast, VAST majority of damage to the environment is caused by major corporations, not random people working around their own unique needs. It was also low key a little ableist of me to take issue with that ngl.

Obviously no obligation to respond to this publicly (though it's fine if you choose to do so), but I did want to thank you for your response and mention that it did get through the nonprofit mission-based-organization propaganda living rent free in my head haha. Cheers!

Hey, you work at a zoo? That is SO cool, aadsdggjjg@!!!

And hey, no worries, you totally had a good point about endless waste and trying to counter it where possible- Just from personal experience involved in the barest edge of the fashion industry, I really, really, REALLY hate the idea that, like... people can't access simple shit like plastic straws, even if they're the best, most practical, least-harmful option for them.... because a 12 year old made up some random number for a school project about plastic waste

Where, as a zoo person, I imagine you're already aware that the average sea turtle is WILDLY more likely to die from abandoned plastic fishing nets or ocean-dump grocery bags than accidentally get a straw inside it

So here we are, using paper straws!- which may be an improvement, or may not, I don't have that data, and construction emissions are their own thing- BUT WE STILL HAVE OCEANS FULL OF ABANDONED NETS

WHICH ARE OBJECTIVELY WORSE, but MUCH harder to get rid of, and as the average person doesn't USE fishing nets, it'd much harder to market as a "You, not me" sort of issue.

Cleaning up fishing nets isn't trendy. It isn't sexy. You can't troubleshoot a cute little trendy solution for it that you can market to upwardly-mobile tweens.

But a reusable water bottle? A cute canvas tote? A metal straw? That's a solution you can buy and feel good about.

Never mind that you need to use a single cotton reusable bag somewhere like a million times before the cost of its construction counterbalances the cost of a single grocery bag every time you shop- which, hey, some of us were reusing as trash liners for their wastebaskets, or bundle bags for donating clothes, or lining for our leaky winter boots!

If a better option is available, I'll take it. But as ZERO HARM is next to impossible at this time, I personally am gonna aim for MINIMAL HARM as long as I can.

...sorry, I didn't mean to ramble off again.

But hey, if your nonprofit is doing good things, feel free to shoot me a link! I can post it on my blog :D

(Link to original post for context lol)

[halalchampagnesocialist]

It’s scary just how much fascism is on the rise. Im aware it’s not new either, there’s been a resurgence happening since God knows when, but it seems to be more apparent now and more emboldened. And it’s not just white nationalists, but right wing nationalists from non-Western countries too who are a threat. Even “moderates” are trying to appeal to these people.

It’s not just racism they’re pushing either, but transphobia too which ended with the death of a child a few days ago. Denialism of all sorts as well, like climate change denialism, anti-vax rhetoric, and so on.

The world we live in is in shambles. There’s very little security of any kind… which is why we need to work to fix it. But instead we have liberals gaslighting us that only voting or appealing to those in power will fix things meanwhile the right-wing demagogue capitalises on these issues to shift the blame onto minorities. Again, it’s not anything new by any means but it just shows how desperately we need to build something new and very quickly.

[rederiswrites]

Look--I, too, think about the fact that this is somehow a close race and want to despair about my fellow US citizens. I get it. But I try to remember that it's close in part because Trump's team is cheating and lying for all they're worth. Like, they've got Russia and China cheating on their behalf. They're taking huge sums of money from at least one country hostile to US interests, and that's the one we know about. They loaded the courts. They gerrymandered the districts. (They're not the only culprits; my state is Democrat-gerrymandered, but we know who the primary culprits are.) And they LIED AND LIED AND LIED.

They told people who are poor and desperate that they could fix things and the democrats didn't promise that, because the democrats know they don't have that sort of influence on the economy and they're more restrained about just straight fucking lying. And we have a lot of poor and desperate people! And no matter what the federal government does one way or another, that's going to continue to be true, because climate change is extremely costly. Trump can just lie that terrible existential fear away! That's very appealing!

Yes, the only actually VALID reason to vote for Trump and Friends is because you're a white supremacist sexist fascist. I know that; you know that. But I genuinely do not believe that the majority of the people saying they're going to vote for him are, self-awarely at least, white supremacist sexist fascists. They're poorly educated and desperate and they want to believe the shiny part of Trump. And honestly, chances are pretty good they don't even know the shit about him admiring Hitler or swaying for 30 minutes to Ave Maria, because they're getting their news from completely different sources, which also lie and lie and lie.

I'm not trying to whitewash these people--a great many of them hold beliefs compatible with all those belief systems. I know these people. They're my neighbors. Some of them are very kind, self-sacrificing people, who happen also to hold a lot of unexamined terrible beliefs. My neighbor at the old place--got drunk at the neighborhood picnic and yelled about "towelheads". Revolting, yes! Also, he was the first guy on the scene when a fatal accident took place in front of our house, and he and I held and comforted the driver until the paramedics came. People aren't like Lilo's drawing of Stitch. People are complicated messes of contradictory beliefs and widely divergent experiences. I don't hate my neighbors with Trump signs. I am angry and profoundly frustrated, both at them and at the system that has duped them into supporting someone who is radically against their actual interests.

Half the country isn't evil. Somewhat under half the country has fallen for a fairly transparent con, and some portion of that half hold truly, deeply horrifying beliefs. But a huge amount of effort went into that con. Don't forget that, when you feel the faith in humanity bleeding out.

[touchstoneaf]

Posting as my own rant because it's on the end of an already extant long post and I thought it deserved to be seen separately.

Saying it again for the people in the back. You cannot boycott politics. If you want to "boycott" somebody, don't give them your money... but just 'not voting' only hurts you, not them.

And yes; I'm well aware that for instance Kamala has said negative things about pro-Gaza protests (though she covered it up as "pro-Hamas", which is a different thing, just like calling this "the Israel Hamas war" is absolute bullshit propaganda), but I honestly don't think Trump would be any better. NOR WOULD ANY OTHER POLITICIAN who actually *wants* to get elected in this brainwashed country, and thinks they have an actual shot... because unfortunately, this brainwashed country is majority pro-Israel, and so you have to tread carefully. Standing hard on "if she doesn't fully condemn Israel and try to stop the genocide Right Now then I can't vote for her" IS NOT REALISTIC. FOR ANY REAL CANDIDATE. You wanna move us to a place where you'll actually hear people in high places saying Pro-Palestine things, you have to change the culture first; like they did when it was political suicide actually admit you were pro gay marriage. You may not remember those times, but I fucking do and it took at least a decade of changing the political climate small mind by small mind, not by having somebody stand up and commit political suicide by saying that they will do what we want. Voting for anybody else on that standard (or not voting at all) is you saying you would rather have Trump in there. That is it.

Also, saying "of course if you keep voting for them because you don't have any choice means they're going to keep pushing the 'you have no other choice but to vote for us" narrative? Well, yes. We have to then take the time to try to build a third party system that is actually feasible... but it ISN'T right now. So again: if you're trying to vote third party, IT’S NOT GOING TO ACCOMPLISH ANYTHING, because we're still in a two-party system.

So bite your damn lip, hold your damn nose, and vote for the person who's not going to kill us all. One who might even do us some good. The person who's not going to lead us to World War III. Stop being a fucking infant, and do what you need to do. We'll go from there.

[covid-safer-hotties]

I do mean this very genuinely - given what you’ve said about the Democrats and their handling of Covid, do you plan on voting third party/for no one? If you’re voting third party, who do you recommend? Thank you 💕

I already voted 3rd party as I have for over a decade now. Weird how the world hasn't ended yet and the Democrats haven't moved left in nearly 20 years as the blue-no-matter-who crowd claims will happen every 4 years if we just follow their non-strategy.

Jill Stein, Claudia de la Cruz, and Jasmine Sherman all have platforms addressing public health and covid, so you should do a little research and figure out who is on the ballot/you can write in who best represents the policy you want to see. I think that it's far more important to try and build community and awareness than it is to vote: We live in a republic, not a democracy, so policy promises often dissappear after the election for the Republicans and Democrats because they're both going to bat for the same team and our votes only matter in validating the choices of the ruling class. You've gotta try to make contact with covid-safe people in your area. See if there is a mask bloc near you and join in if they need help. Hand out free masks at community events. Be ready to protest if and when someone tries to pass a mask ban in your neck of the woods.

People get so wrapped up in the distraction of voting, they completely forget that other political issues continue to exist under both parties. Highlight that: neither major party addresses covid, wealth inequity, disability rights, black and native liberation, peace, climate change, or queer existence in an adequate way. You don't owe them a thing until they start going to bat for you. Give your vote to someone you feel cares for you and the issues that matter to you. Don't get lost in the sauce.

[aeolianblues]

I’ve been poring over the election result maps (why?? Curiosity maybe?) and the thing I’m seeing is that pretty much all over the country, the Tories have 1. lost seats, and heavily. 1.2. They’ve lost seats in Conservative strongholds. They’ve lost seats in places that haven’t not voted Tory in decades, 50+ years.

2. More importantly, every place I’ve seen that will have a Tory MP is a seat the Tories have retained. Meaning the Conservatives have gained basically no seats at all, unless I missed something on the map. No constituency this time has looked at the last four years and thought, ‘I haven’t voted Tory before, but I’m going to consider it this time’. The only seats they will hold are ones that voted Tory last time, and even those they lost many of.

The great news is this means Tory scare tactics have NOT worked. Rwanda has not worked. ‘We’ll introduce national service’ has not worked. Threatening to leave the ECHR has not worked. Matt Hancock’s celebrity TV appearances have not worked. Rishi Sunak’s politicisation of climate change has not worked in favour of the Tories, in fact the Libdems and the Greens have made historic inroads into government.

Partygate was not forgotten. ‘Let the bodies pile high’ was not forgotten. Sewage in the rivers was not forgotten, nor forgiven. The villainisation of NHS workers, striking workers and people in public services has not worked, in fact both Labour and the Libdems had headlining parts of their manifestos talking about reducing NHS waiting lists, creating more funding for the NHS and in fact public services (nationalised clean energy being one of Labour’s big election promises), whereas Rishi Sunak’s blaming NHS waiting times on striking doctors on the campaign trail was widely denounced as being in poor taste.

There’s stuff to take heart from, in spite of it all.

Of course we worry that a lot of those Tory seats shifted further right to Reform for the first time. And Kier Starmer’s Labour shares a few policies with the Tories. But I’m still out here hoping that with Labour now in power, Kier Starmer can now stop trying to win Conservative votes and actually act like a Labour leader. I’m hoping the Libdems and Green are able to keep pulling Labour to the left.

Hopefully Kier Starmer is made very clearly aware of how many votes Labour lost because of his initial stance on Israel and Gaza. The fact that members of his own party were on Radio 4 this morning publicly saying that most the independent seats Labour lost were to candidates who were running on criticism of how long it took Starmer to eventually join calls for a ceasefire, and who could highlight that the difference between a leader of opposition calling for a ceasefire, and a government in Downing Street that has the ability to curtail the arms sent to Israel was massive, and a far from symbolic gesture.

In terms of the tone of politics in the UK: Tim Davie is still the director-general of the BBC, but a lot of the caution on the part of the BBC to ‘remain impartial’ to the point of never fact checking the Tories, allowing some of the most vile and fringe commentary on trans rights to enter the country’s public consciousness and discourse, not correcting the Tories as they kept demonising striking rail and NHS workers— a lot of that was down to them not wanting to lose funding for the BBC, which the Tories would threaten to gut, loudly and often. Hopefully with Labour in government, the BBC can go back to somewhat sensible reporting.

There is stuff to look forward to, in spite of everything. Lower energy bills in the future would be a nice place to start, and if it is genuinely nationalised green energy as Starmer has stated before, then that’s a sweet, sweet plus.

[dosthoeyevsky]

You Cant Free Palestine if You're In Jail or Dead.

(An open letter to every American on the internet, from a random Australian who has studied US politics basically against her will and is so, so tired.)

I don't like talking about US politics. I'm not American, so in theory, I shouldn't have to talk about it if I don't want to. But life isn't fair, no matter how little I want to care about USAmerican politics, it's going to affect the policies my country makes, and that every other country in the world makes. In a perfect world, this wouldn't happen. But this is not a perfect world, and we must be pragmatic.

At the end of the day, the one thing I cannot afford to ignore at any cost is the fact that I simply give a shit about my fellow human beings. We are a social species. We must help each other to survive, no matter where in the world we are. I care about people in my native Australia being able to access affordable housing and food, and climate change-proofing our infrastructure. I care about people in Bangladesh fighting for workers rights. I care about people in China who advocate for freedom of information. I care about Americans whose public infrastructure is crumbling under climate change events like hurricanes Helene and Milton as we speak, and I care about civilians in Palestine and Ukraine currently trying to survive the ultimate horror that is militarized violence.

(For any other non-Americans reading, I apologise for how US-centric most of the following spiel is about to get. But the election's in like two weeks, and I feel like I can't express this any other way right now.)

Many of us care about these things. Since October 7th of last year, millions of people around the world, many of them American, have been protesting, donating, advocating, for ceasefire and an end to the systemic termination of human civilian lives in Gaza. And as the 2024 US Election draws near, both major political party candidates are being scrutinized (rightly) for their support of the Israeli Defense Forces, who are conducting this bombardment and deliberately targeting and killing civilians.

I have heard many fellow progressives denounce democratic candidate Kamala Harris for not openly calling for a ceasefire, and I understand why.

However.

Her opponent is Donald Fucking Trump.

It's been eight years since the 2016 election. A lot of people who were young then are now eligible to vote (by the way, if you haven't already, check your voter registration and make sure you also have the option to vote by mail at the ready in case you can't access a polling station on election day.) And if that's you, and you've only become eligible to vote in the last eight years or so, you need to be very keenly aware of something.

You don't get a third option. It's Harris or Trump.*

Because of how the US electoral system works, third party candidates basically cannot win because of how ingrained the two party system has become over the past couple hundred years and change. No third party candidate is going to gather the numbers behind them to beat out Donald Trump and his army of worshipers, and definitely not in the next two weeks.

This means if Harris does not win, Trump will.

This might not make an immediate difference in Palestine for the first few days of either administration, but it's going to make a massive difference for the actual millions of Americans currently undertaking activism once he's elected.

To sum up, the fight for Palestine (or at least the fight to stop funding the military) has much greater odds of winning with Kamala Harris in the white house than trump, and if you care about that fight at all, you have to vote for her.

To be clear, I know she's not a christian** leftist, and she won't immediately stop funding the war, but under her administration, you will be able to fight for the ceasefire and your own rights much more effectively and in greater numbers than you ever will be able to with Trump in the white house.

Project 2025 is very fucking real and you should know that if you care about Palestine, him taking office will not only speed up the rate at which the genocide happens, but will also utterly tank your ability as a collective to fight against it and for any other progressive cause, for that matter, ever again.

Many of the activists fighting for Palestine on US soil right now are BIPoC, women, queer, trans, disabled, or any combination of the above. Roe vs Wade has already been overturned on a federal level by judges appointed during the Trump administration, and most of the anti-trans legislation currently metastasizing is doing so under republican-led state governments aligned with Trump.

If you're in jail (or dead) for trying to access abortion or birth control, you can't help free Palestine.

If you're in jail (or dead) for trying to access trans-related healthcare, you can't help free Palestine.

If you're overworked, over-indebted, or slowly dying because of a lack of healthcare coverage that could support you if you become (or are) permanently or temporarily disabled, you can't help free Palestine.

If you're over-indebted, unhoused, or dead because where you live hasn't funded the infrastructure it needs to survive climate change events like hurricanes, deep freezes, wildfires, droughts, and heatwaves, you can't help free Palestine.

As the above linked video states, if you are a US citizen, you are one degree of separation from someone who is going to get their quality of life drastically negatively impacted by a second Trump administration. And every person affected by those policies is one less person able to fight to stop the US government from aiding and abetting actual, literal war crimes.

I understand that Harris won't immediately end all suffering upon election. But unlike Trump, she actually values the lives of human beings who aren't cishet white men ready to fork over their livelihoods and lick boots. She has a vested interest in improving the immediate quality of life for American citizens, and if your immediate quality of life is improved, you will be much better able to fight to stop the US government from funding the systemic slaughter of civilians in Gaza.

So if you give a shit about Gaza, or worker's rights, or healthcare, or equality, or climate change, you need to vote for Harris. Even though she doesn't adhere to all progressive ideals. Hell, even though it already looks like everything is about to go to hell in a proverbial handbasket.

Think of it like this, right. Everyone in the world is on a plane right now, and the plane is crashing. The USA and Palestine are sitting right next to each other. The oxygen masks drop from the ceiling and dangle overhead.

When you get on a plane, the instructions say to put your own oxygen mask on and then assist others. This will increase your odds of surviving the crash. What the USA should do, is put on its own oxygen mask, because it will enable them to assist Palestine with theirs. By petulantly refusing to vote for Harris because "everything's already fucked", not only are you not going to be able to meaningfully help Palestine, you're drastically lowering your own odds of survival.

To add insult to injury, and to extend the metaphor for plane crashes as unfolding world issues, in the case of the extremely pressing issue of climate change, the US is not just seated next to Palestine, it is, in fact, flying the fucking plane.

If you Americans don't get your shit together and put on your oxygen mask by voting Harris, not only does your quality of life get flushed down the toilet, so does ours. Maybe not by patriarchal religious oligarchy, but by the rising tides, heavier droughts, encroaching famines, harsher storms, that will inevitably get worse under Trump because unlike Harris, Trump has a vested interest in funding the industries that keep the world's greatest polluters in business.

And let me be clear, to every American with progressive leanings who doesn't want to vote- if Trump wins, and your rights are stripped away, and the war goes on, and everyone else in the world drowns, it's your fucking fault, and I will haunt you. I hope my words certainly haunt you.

This isn't about making the most ideologically pure choice. This is about making the practical choice that gives you the greatest odds of survival, because survival means you can keep being activists.

So be practical, for fuck's sake.

*I hate to burst the bubble of every progressive idealist out there, but you are not organising a glorious leftist revolution that somehow steamrolls the entire US political institution in the next two weeks. That takes money and frankly firepower that most of you are unwilling and unable to organise. Even if it does, it will just be January 6th again but with a leftist coat of paint on it. And violent revolutions don't result in better quality of life long term for civilians if you don't have a plan in place for an ethical government to replace the previous one. I've known enough young leftists both online and off to know that that's not happening anytime soon either.

** This is a reference to this person on the reality TV show Trading Spouses, who, frankly, a lot of people on this website resemble when engaging in discourse. A lot of you ascribe to a set of leftist ideals driven by unreachable standards of moral conformity, personal disgust, and pride in personal moral purity that is functionally just oppressive evangelical christianity but with progressive gay window dressing. Before you open my askbox to scream incoherently into it, know now that no matter what, I'm going to delete it. You are wasting your time. Stop your portland polycule commune cult-tier bullshit where all activism begins and ends with hurling verbal abuse at anyone you disagree with. That's not activism. Stop threatening people with doxxing and death threats over fandom headcanons you deem "non-progressive" and do something useful. Join a mutual aid group. Better yet, vote for the person who isn't going to put you in jail for taking birth control or being trans.

[sixtynineinchnails]

I've been wanting to make this post for months and in light of the recent ex-presidential ear piercing now seems as good a time as any.

As a non-usamerican, as someone who is pro Palestine, as an anarchist: I am begging you with every fibre of my being to go to the fucking polls this fall and

VOTE.

Disclaimer: I don't live in the united states and I never have and I probably never will. I can never truly understand what it's like to be a usamerican and I'm not going to pretend like i could. I fully expect to get called a fascist or some shit for saying your should exercise your right to vote but at this point I don't care. I'm scared, we're all scared, and news like we've just gotten tonight is only going to compound the fear and chaos and conspiracy thought and fearmongering and hopelesspilled doomerism we’re all dealing with rn. I don’t want to make anyone’s day worse. I'm not looking to debate you. I just want to say some things that i’ve been thinking about for a long time now while a couple people might actually stop to listen.

The united states of america is the most powerful country in the world.

What happens in the united states government this fall will affect every single person on the planet, in some way, for better or worse.

You aren't just voting blue to avoid trump turning the united states into an alt-right theocratic dictatorship (which on its own is bad enough). You're also voting to avoid the right from gaining power (where they haven't already) in of other powerful democratic countries. You're voting to stop Palestine (and let’s be real, probably a handful of other places) from being wiped off the face of the planet with nuclear bombs. You're potentially voting to avoid a third world war. I'm not saying this to spread fear of these things happening. I'm saying this because if you're not already aware of how huge the scope is here: you're not voting to save your country, you're very likely voting to save the entire world.

I can't speak to how people feel everywhere (if you’re also a non-usamerican please feel free to share how this is/has/will affect your country in the notes) but I want to speak to my own for a bit. I can confidently say that what happens in america heavily affects the political and social situation here in canada. We would not have had a convoy of thousands of people drive across the country (which takes days to do) to occupy our capital city for a month and halt almost $4 billion in trade to protest, i kid you not, wearing a mask during covid, if trump supporters hadn't paved the way (and directly influenced canadians to follow in their footsteps). We wouldn't have had "concerned parents" protesting against sex-ed and LGBTQ+ inclusivity in schools (protests full of armed+mounted police which they brought their young children to during school hours) if trump supporters hadn't paved the way. There are people waving flags and signs around on street corners along major roads every single week everywhere from the largest city in our country to small towns of under 5000 people. I’ve heard of people who’ve spiraled into such severe conspiracy rabbitholes that their entire lives and personalities have changed in just a few years. Despite being canadian nationalists, these people and their patterns of behaviour are all a direct result of donald j trump and his followers. And no matter your political leaning, pretty much everyone hates our current prime minister, our economy is bad, even people with decent incomes can’t afford to eat, and everyone is frothing at the mouth for something to happen. If america votes trump this fall, I see very little hope that our country won't vote conservative (our main right-wing party). They will backpedal decades of LGBTQ+ rights and Indigenous peoples' rights and climate action funding and children's education and a whole pile of other important stuff. They have made it very clear that they will follow the exact same path as right wing america and there are a scary amount of people here who want that. And even if canada remains centre/left while sharing the largest land border in the world with a trump dictatorship....well I for one can’t see that going over very well either.

And that's just my country. I know a lot of other countries have been battling a similar spike in alt-right groups and conservative ideologies following the last trump presidency. I don't think any of us are truly prepared for what will happen in the event of another one.

Look. I hate biden too. In general I disagree with the very concept of colonial government and money and the division of countries/states/etc and the legal/carceral system and a whole whack of other shit that we have to live with right now. Someone’s said this before but if any of us thought that telling you guys to blow up a walmart would save your country from a fascist dictatorship I for one would encourage it. But none of us are actually going to blow up a walmart, and it wouldn’t solve anything at this point anyways. We all have to take action in whatever ways we actually can and will. Voting is one of many small, simple steps you can take, should take, fucking better be taking. It’s easy, it’s legal, if you mail in you don’t even have to go to the polling station, and if you really can’t vote for whatever reason, encourage everyone you know who can to do so. Hell, if I could vote on november 5th I would crawl my ass over the border on my hands and knees to do it. I'm sorry that the two options are a fascist police state and an even worse fascist police state run by a man who thinks he's a god, but not voting won't fix that problem. You're not going to establish a revolution by purposefully not taking part in social change, and encouraging others not to either. Not voting against trump = voting for trump. If you don't vote and that orange nukefucker takes over your country it is your fault. And we’re all going to pay for your inaction, especially the people in places like Palestine who will be in significantly more danger than they already are if trump gets his fake tanned hands on the situation.

Anyways. Keep fighting. Stay safe. Do what you can. Don't give up. There is always hope for a better future. And for fucks sake go vote.

Oh and if we do end up in the worst timeline this november and I see you anti-voting fuckers making "lmao time to move to canada" jokes...count your fucking days.

-

TLDR: usamerica is not the only place in the world affected by the actions of usamerica. If you’re still railing against voting at this point you’re pro-trump lmao.

[chaotic-public-menace]

VERY FUCKING IMPORTANT HOLY SHIT

I know this probably won't get to many people but I need to say something.

The Republican Party is gearing up for "Project 2025", which is a plan to "reshape" the US government into a maximalist version of the unitary executive theory, which is a theory that holds the idea that the President of the US possess the power to control the entire executive branch, which is a very bad thing.

Copied directly from this article: "Project 2025 envisions widespread changes across the entire government, particularly with regard to economic and social policy and the role of the federal government and federal agencies. The plan proposes slashing U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) funding, dismantling the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security, gutting environmental and climate change regulations to favor fossil fuel production, and eliminating the cabinet Departments of Education and Commerce.[9] Citing an anonymous source, The Washington Post reported Project 2025 includes immediately invoking the Insurrection Act of 1807 to deploy the military for domestic law enforcement and directing the DOJ to pursue Trump adversaries.[10] Project Director Paul Dans, a former Trump administration official, said in September 2023 that Project 2025 is 'systematically preparing to march into office and bring a new army, aligned, trained, and essentially weaponized conservatives ready to do battle against the deep state.'"

There's a whole website (don't visit it, I have the PDF links for you) with an entire book. I haven't been able to read it, but from what I've managed to gather, children will be FORCED to grow up in a mother-father household with MARRIED parents, talks of banning single non-married and non-heterosexual couples from adopting, comparing transgender people to groomers, pedophiles, and/or pornography, getting rid of (anti?) discrimination laws, getting rid of more government organizations like the FDA, banning abortion nationwide with NO exceptions (hypocrites), and more.

I cannot describe how bad this is. They're banking on Trump being elected into office, and if he wins, this shit will take affect as soon as the inauguration.

We need America to do what it did before. We need the people to rise up again, shout their voices louder than the conservatives, raise up their arms and vote against Trump. We the people cannot let this stand. We will lose our democracy entirely.

Here's the PDF links to the book, in sections, for you to read: Section 1

Section 2

Section 3

Section 4

Section 5

Here's other articles about Project 2025:

pbs.org

news.yahoo

NBC News

politico.com

I'm hesitant to add these because they come from one of the big organizations backing the project (The Heritage Foundation), but I will anyways. Read these at your own discretion, be aware of manipulative wording designed to make you support it:

Article One

Article Two

I will not be tagging it with anything else in case of tag blacklists. I know that's not a good thing to do, but this is important. Fuck mental health, if this goes into action we won't have lives at all.

[travelingthief]

Zeus Devotions and Offerings

Learn About:

Clouds (what’s their part in the water cycle? How do you tell the difference between types of clouds?)

Weather (predominantly rain, wind, & thunder and lightning) (What causes these phenomena scientifically?)

The justice system

Eagles, hawks, and other birds

His myths and genealogy (there’s a lot there!)

His Roman counterpart, Jupiter

Political history in your country (or any country of interest)

Climate change and how you can help reduce it

Storms/Rain

Collect rainwater as an offering or for use in spells

(Safely) Watch a storm (I like to do so in my car)

If you can, safely offer shelter to those during storms (travelers, unhoused folks, or even stray cats/dogs!)

Participate in storm clean-ups

Splash in puddles/Dance in the rain

Thank Him for the rain and acknowledge how helpful it is for providing life to all of us

Take proper storm precautions, like buying enough food, having flashlights/candles on hand, and having non-electric ways to keep warm

Keep a rainy day fund

Spend rainy days with your [chosen] family

Meditate/fall asleep to rain sounds

Learn how to respond in the event someone is struck by lightning

Sky

Go cloud-gazing (try making up stories for the shapes you find!)

Go parasailing

Travel on planes

Hot air balloon rides

Ask Him to bless your flights and travels

Go birdwatching

Ride a zipline

Fly kites

Learn cloud divination

Order and Justice

Keep up-to-date with local political happenings

Participate in your city/school council

Attend protests and advocate for equality  

Vote in local, state, and nationwide elections

Take breaks for yourself when learning about politics! That shit can be overwhelming!

Learn de-escalation methods

Join a debate team

Keep your schedule in order

Maintain a clean and orderly environment

Advocate for a greener future

Visit your state house

Leadership and Protection

Trust yourself to take on leadership roles

Build your self-confidence 

Be assertive in your boundaries 

(If you're able to) Work out and build muscle

Take proper measures to protect your home (locking the door and windows or a protection spell/jar!)

Take self-defense classes/martial arts/wrestling etc.

Make your own self-love affirmations 

Do things that make you feel powerful!

Understand your power. So many people are afraid of power because of negative connotations, but power can be used for good as well

Carry yourself with pride

Speak with conviction

Misc.

Support small businesses

Check the weather and dress appropriately (or pack emergency backup clothes if the fit is too good)

Carry an umbrella on you! And a spare if you can, to pass out to someone in need!

Wear grays and sky blues

Travel and see the world!

(Safely and sanitarily) collect bird feathers. Make sure you’re aware of which bird feathers are restricted from being collected

Show Him things you’re proud of!

Set attainable goals and make a plan to achieve them

Offer hospitality to every guest, even if you’re not thrilled to see them

Be a pleasant guest, even if you’re not thrilled to be there

Offerings

Feathers

Bull/swan/eagle imagery

Rainwater/snow water

Representation of lightning/storms (Paintings, trinkets, drawings, etc.)

Imagery of Scales of Justice

Voting stickers/Absentee ballot envelopes

Political mail for causes you support

Homework you put a good effort into and are proud of

Pictures of the sky/clouds

Bird figurines

Crown imagery/figurines

Lastly, it’s undeniable that Zeus has a long history of assaulting and mistreating women. Everyone has their beliefs on the matter and I think it is entirely possible to worship/work with a god while fully acknowledging the messy past. Furthermore, as I dive deeper into the history surrounding the myths I gain a better understanding of the factors surrounding Zeus’s philandering, like the synchronization of Gods and Goddesses across religions and how Zeus likely assimilated past male deities and the people of the time created the stories of his many affairs to explain this merging.

There’s no way to justify the raping by our human standards. That being said, I don’t think it’s cause to completely shut Him out. He is the King of the Gods, the Bringer of Life! Surely that is something to celebrate. 

With all that, some final acts that support women:

Believing victims

Donating/volunteering at women's shelters

Learning the signs of domestic abuse

Learning and acknowledging red flags in a partner

Talking to friends about any major red flags you’re concerned about with their partner

Advocating for women’s rights 

Learning about domestic abuse/rape/abortion services in your area

Hoping this is helpful to someone! I see very few posts for Zeus on here.

[bardonastick]

It's going to be very easy to blame your neighbor for not doing the right thing here, but remember that there are many reasons why this happened on top of the national culture of racism, sexism, xenophobia, and transphobia. No matter how uncomfortable this is, we need to seize the motivation of this moment and start working now so that this never happens again.

Most of my friends have no say in Republican politics, but we can do something about the Democrats. We have to accept the facts about this candidacy and change them so we can win next time.

If you need to grieve, now is not the time to read more. If you're ready for this conversation on how we do better next time, there's more on what went wrong below.

One, the issue that the whole country is talking about: Dems cannot fund a genocide and win our elections anymore. The next candidate must be staunchly anti-genocide or they will lose again. It is a fact that this administration has sent tens of billions to Israel alone while we watch what that money is doing to innocent Palestinians. This behavior will lose in future elections. Genocide IS the red line, and people will not vote for it. We also have proof now that we won't be shamed into voting for it either. Our ONLY option is to change the stance of the democratic seat of power, not the millions of voters who will not sign their name next to genocide ever, or ever again.

Two, Democrats can no longer win by appealing to the right. For months Harris has touted her "200+ Republican nominations" and reiterated that the GOP will have a seat at her table. The same people Dems have spent years calling fascists and the greater evil. Despite the viral posts, there are relatively few never-Trump republicans who flipped to Harris this election because of this.

She has spent her energy appealing to people who won't vote for her, and in the process assured her most vulnerable voters that their biggest enemy will have a seat in making the policy that affects their lives. This strategy failed.

Three, Democrats can no longer alienate and resist the left. For those who aren't aware, American Democrats are globally considered a right wing party. This is defined by their relationship to capitalism (billionaires) and imperialism (attacking other countries for power and resources) - supporting them makes you right, opposing them makes you left.

Leftists (e.g. Socialists, Communists, Anarchists) fight for things like universal healthcare, abolishing the rich, massively defunding police and the military, free education, giving workers collective ownership of their companies, preventing climate change, abolishing the death penalty, and so much more. All of this along with the civil rights we credit Democrats for. Dems didn't give us these - WE the people fought for them.

Notice that none of these have been seriously committed to by the democratic party. Harris quietly dropped opposition to the death penalty from her policy, and when asked if she would support Trans people getting gender affirming care, said "I think we should follow the law" and basically gave an 'all lives matter' response instead of saying yes. When anti-genocide activists disrupted her rallies, her motto was "I'm speaking" as she many times had them ushered away. The DNC refused to allow a Palestinian speaker this year and even removed Dr. Ahmed Ghanim, a Muslim Democrat, from Harris' Michigan rally (that he was invited to) with no just cause.

In short, Harris spent her candidacy rejecting the left and appealing to the right. This strategy failed. Future candidates must be left of center, or they will lose. The base is growing more anti-capitalist by the day. Dem candidates must catch up or we must abandon them.

The voter base has seen through Vote Blue No Matter Who. We see that Dems are using the Trump bogeyman to excuse their every step towards the right. We will no longer vote for the lesser evil because we will no longer vote for evil. The Democratic party will either adapt to that reality or lose again and again and again, taking all our rights out with it. Or maybe we'll finally choose a better party.

There is so much more to be said on the topic, but in short what must be done now is:

- Demand better. Organize and agitate Dems to be the party we need them to be, or jump ship for the Party for Socialism and Liberation like many have already done.

- Organize. Find local political action and mutual aid groups. If they don't exist in your area, make them.

- Educate. U.S. propaganda is dead set on you believing socialists and communists are evil and that capitalism is the only way. Research why they want you to believe that, and what they've done to socialists throughout history. Research what socialists have actually done. Educate yourself and then others.

We will not solve this alone. Start somewhere. Start NOW. Go like a page or join a group on this topic just to get you thinking about it. And in the next Dem primary, remember that a centrist candidate will not win. We have the proof. The strategy must change.

[ringneckedpheasant]

patch notes, because I tried this once before and it didn’t exactly work:

if you want/need to see a more detailed regional map you can do that here

please note: temperatures listed are 30 year averages of minimum temps, not yearly averages

this may not reflect current temps because of climate change

sorry I had to group some zones together but you can only put 10 options down

there isn’t room for a “show results” option. if you can’t vote on this, just don’t??

also, this is US specific because:

I am interested in the correlation between population and climate within the US

these zones are laid out by the United States Department Of Agriculture and as far as I’m aware the USDA is not making climate maps of Europe. make a separate poll if you would like

[mueritos]

Sorry to be political in your asks, but I also saw that Trump doesn't seem to care about Palestine. Like if he is elected it may even get worse for them because he won't do anything to negotiate a ceasefire and may even drop the reigns entirely, letting Israel continue their destruction. A quote from him is "Finish the problem."

I can't tell you who to vote for but I thought I might mention this if it is a big factor in your decision. If the two "main" candidates have a similar stance on this platform, maybe it will help narrow it down by looking at their other platforms.

I know some people who are not voting for president at all. You may be making bigger changes with the "little guys" in your local elections.

Hope you are having a nice day.

yea im quite aware he would likely accelerate the genocide, but a gentle reminder that kamala and biden are actively accelerating it as well. like. it's being accelerated now. and kamala doesnt care to stop it considering their "end the genocide in 30 days or else a weapons embargo happens" was a publicity stunt and she has "comforted" israeli donations that it was meant to appease arab/muslim voters. i dont care if people vote for kamala or trump, who people vote for is an individual choice and what i hate is that people equate it to your value as a human being instead of just one action you can take out of many.

i also know many people who are not voting this election. i know many people who are pro palestine and voting for kamala. i know people who are engaged in community mutual aid networks and doing the heavy work on the ground who are voting or kamala, and other's who arent.

the only factor into my vote is whether someone is willing to take a stance against genocide and fascism, and so far jill stein seems to be the only one who taking a stance. i do plan to vote for my local elections as well because keeping my state safe is critical.

it's hard. i hate that we're forced into voting for increasingly conservative options. but there's no avoiding the fact that we are heading closer and closer to a conservative climate that will last for many years. there will always be periods of liberalism and conservatism, but it doesn't mean we have to become complacent.

i dont have the answers, no one does. hope you have a good day too, my friend.