Siguiendo con los atrasados, este es el segundo estiaje de 2021, publicado en @laopiniondemurcia el lunes 11 de enero, con una reflexión sobre las artimañas del diablo y la deriva final de Donald Trump #ángelpaniagua #estiajes #laopinióndemurcia #autumncolumn #columnadeotoño #november #noviembre #unitedstatesofamerica #estadosunidosdeamérica #presidentialelection2020 #eleccionespresidenciales2020 #donaldtrump #joebiden #electoralcollege #colegioelectoral #flaweddemocracy #democraciacondeficiencias #gerontoplutocracy #gerontoplutocracia #charlesbaudelaire #lespleendeparis #elspleendeparis #lejoueurgenereux #eljugadorgeneroso #bryansinger #theusualsuspects #sospechososhabituales #unitedstatescapitol #capitoliodelosestadosunidos #yasiesomedecíssiosgusta (en Cartagena, Murcia) https://www.instagram.com/p/CLwc-Dll96J/?igshid=l7cx8o0qvxj9

Women4Change Indiana Anniversary

Today I opened my inbox to find the email below, the 1 year anniversary email sent by Women4Change. As one of the over 500 women who showed up in to the first meeting in November 2016 I remember so well the overwhelming feeling shared by so many women. This feeling was based in part by the fear of creeping inequalities, of loosing civil rights and civil liberties, and to put it simply a threatened democracy and loss of freedom. 

During this planning meeting the women in the room shared their fears and outlined what they would like the group to address. In the end we walked away with the organizations four principles: dignity and safety, mentor and empower, inclusion and civility, and restructuring and activism.  

In thinking about this week’s discussion around freedom, the Freedom House rankings and The Economist Intelligence Unit's Democracy Index, it is clear that this organization was born out of the perception (of many) that we live in a flawed democracy. Many of the women at the first meeting, and the subsequent summit, were bewildered at the fact that a reality TV show billionaire was voted into office. The women at these events were both Republicans and Democrats, but first they were women, women who wanted to do something to ensure that they were doing something to address the many concerns that came with the ideology surrounding Trump’s rhetoric.  

Women4Change appears to be born out of Read and Pekkenen’s Civil Society Theory. The organizations mentor and empower / restructuring and activism principles are focused on creating better citizens and engaging citizens in the democratic processes. The organization’s goals include mentoring women and empowering them to run for office, as well as addressing the flawed democracy we live in. The dignity and safety / inclusion and civility are focused on rights, equality and advocacy primarily of women, minorities and the LGBTQ+ society. 

To watch this grassroots organization grow and expand literally from the ground up is exciting. I’m excited to see what is accomplished in 2018.

Now, for your reading pleasure: 

“Dear Friends, This year Women4Change Indiana is celebrating its first anniversary! It is hard to believe that what once was just an idea born out of despair of election results has become a strong nonpartisan collaboration of women. You have all been part of the change that we wish to bring to Indiana. Like many women around the country, we felt disheartened by the negative and hateful rhetoric around the intimidation of women, minorities, and immigrants. We bristled beneath words that served to divide rather than unify our communities.

From our first meeting of over 500 women at the Aaron-Ruben-Nelson Mortuary (ARN) in November to our February summit meeting of over 1,000 women at St. Luke’s United Methodist Church, you have stood with us. From gatherings at the Statehouse to redistricting meetings, conversations with politicians and civics education, we have built coalitions and bridges. We are so much stronger together. In less than a year we have developed a strategic plan, rented an office, formed a board and welcomed Rima Shahid as our executive director. We are known throughout the state, in the legislature and communal organizations. Our voice is being heard as we encourage more and more women to be informed and active citizens. We would love to show you around our space and get to know you more. On this first year anniversary, please consider giving a gift to Women4Change Indiana so we can keep fighting for civil discourse, engaging women in the political and civic affairs, and strengthening our democracy. There is so much still to be done. We are looking to raise $36,500 for our first anniversary, that is $100 for each day Women4Change Indiana has been working hard on behalf of Hoosier women. We are excited to share with you that we are in the process of filing for status as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization; your donations will be tax deductible upon IRS approval. Your gift ensures that we continue to have a voice in making positive change in Indiana. Warm regards, Co-founders Sandy Sasso and Jennifer Williams “

From a functioning democracy to a #flaweddemocracy @dambisamoyo talks about capitalism’s impact on our government and our economic future #thomasjvolpelecture (at St. Francis College Brooklyn)

January 29, 2017 (Day 10 - In Which the United States is Demoted to “Flawed Democracy” Status)

Dear Diary, in today’s sh*t-blizzard known as the Trump “Presidency”…

Protests continued at airports and cities across the nation as perfectly legal residents, business people, tourists and visiting family members of Muslim-Americans were detained in the wake of the P-word’s ill-conceived and unconstitutional executive orders of the past week. His orders suspended entry by refugees and those coming from an odd array of Middle-Eastern countries where none of Trump’s businesses would be harmed by a ban. (1) The P-word responded to humanity at large his critics by saying “this is about terror and keeping our country safe” -- but I’m more inclined to think it’s about pandering to an ignorant and fearful base.

San Francisco International Airport endorsed the “brave stand” of the protesters who had gathered at the airport on behalf of those denied entry by the P-word’s immigration debacle. Tech Execs in the area who had toadied up to Trump in the weeks since the election were conspicuously silent about the chaos, with the exceptions of stand-up guys Elon Musk (Tesla) and Tim Cook (Apple)..and the somewhat more morally-ambivalent Travis Kalanick (Uber).

John McCain (R-AZ) and Lindsey Graham (R-SC), who appear to have larger stones than anyone else in the Republican congress, joined forces to issue a statement condemning Trump’s “improperly vetted” executive order, pointing out that the administration had failed to consult with the agencies that would have to enforce the order, and expressing the fear that the order would “become a self-inflicted wound in the fight against terrorism.” They mentioned that border enforcement methodology must be done in a way that “upholds all that is decent and exceptional about our nation.” Because apparently this new administration has to be told that.

The Governor of Washington State issued a blistering rebuke to the P-word on behalf of those detained at Sea-Tac. He minced no words when describing the “manifest and unjustifiable chaos and cruelty caused by P-word Trump’s executive order.” I particularly enjoyed the use of the phrases “gross incompetence,” “demagoguery and fear,” and “incompetent, ineffective, unconsciously provocative, and dangerous” when referring to P-word’s government. But the real pièce de résistance came when the Governor asserted that “[the Trump administration] couldn’t run a two-car funeral, and it’s very disappointing to see our federal government create chaos in our nation.” I confess I cannot help but smile when I envision the panic among the Republican party as they watch what was left of their ill-deserved claim to the moral high ground melting away.

The Emperor's National Security Council has a new member - Darth Bannon, formerly of the planet Breitbart. He will be in company with Lt. Gen. Mike “Tinfoil Hat” Flynn whose penchant for fake news has been much discussed.

Two cars “plowed” into peaceful protesters in Nashville today, the hit-and-run drivers perhaps anticipating the passage of Republican-sponsored anti-protest laws which would make it legal to “accidentally” kill a protester with a car. (2)

Shockingly, the United States was downgraded from a “full democracy” to a “flawed democracy” by The Economist Intelligence Unit. Revenge of the Deplorables (BloombergView Nov 11, 2016) lays out some of the reasons behind our country’s fall from grace. We now keep company with other flawed democracies like Poland, Botswana, Estonia, India, Panama, Ghana, Romania and Mongola. Meanwhile Canada, all of Scandinavia, Switzerland, Australia, New Zealand, the UK, Ireland, Spain, and Urugay (Urugay, for God’s sake!) look on with pity. So yeah. That happened.

Footnotes: (1) For some odd reason Trump blocked entry for citizens of Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somolia, Sudan, Syrian and Yemen. “Foreigners from those seven nations have killed zero Americans in terrorist attacks on U.S. soil between 1975 and the end of 2015,” Alex Nowrasteh, an immigration policy analyst at the libertarian Cato Institute. Trump’s Immigration Ban Draws Deep Anger and Muted Praise, The New York Times, Richard Perez-Pena, Jan. 28, 2017

(2) Abby White @fabigailwhite “Two cars plowed through the crowd at peaceful protest at West End & 31st in Nashville. One caught and one fled. Police looking for footage.” 2:30pm 29 Jan 2017

I was a history major in college. I studied the history of ideas and how they manifest through events and movements. In addition to fighting every fight like this White Nationalist EO banning Muslims from entry, it's important to pay attention to the larger picture. Tactics are being deployed that are eerily similar to the rise of fascists prior World War II. Here they are: 1. Discredit the media (which Trump has been doing consistently for the past year) 2. Silence all scientists and government from speaking (see gag order and discrediting scientific fact and ignoring pleas from scientific community signed by 800+ scientists around the world) 3. Rise in hate crime (Nov 9 on there has been significant rise in threats and crimes against Black, Hispanic and Muslim Americans, against women and the most recent travesty of a Mosque being burned down in Texas) 4. Declare a state of emergency, declare absolute power and hello dictatorship. . Trump's team, including a White Nationalist as his Chief Strategist Steve Bannon and Christiofascist (new term I learned yesterday, seen by many as the Tea Party rise and who now have the infrastructure in place to maintain their Congressional power) VP Mike Pence are the primary advisers to Trump. . To speculate that Bannon is ruling the roost wouldn't be far fetched. Pence is the perfect distraction to advance the oppression of women and gays, while Trump's thin-skinned ego spews distraction like the voter fraud investigation and the wall. . What can stop this is legislation that counters every Executive Order, halting the speed at which Team Trump will continue to operate. But that legislation will only happen if we, the people, hold our Representatives and Senators accountable. Call your reps in addition to posting on social media. It's proven to work better than email/social and it only takes about 5 minutes of your time. . #solidarity #flaweddemocracy #politics #protest #nomuslimban #blacklivesmatter #brownlivesmatter #muslimlivesmatter #wethepeople #activists #musicians #love #loveintoaction #loveinaction #peace #peacefulprotest #nonviolence #nonviolentprotest #history #fascism #totalitarianism

#dumptrump #flaweddemocracy #unitedstates #usa #whosnext

For the first time, @theeconomist Intelligence Unit has downgraded the United States as a "flawed democracy". This is the result of gerrymandering, voter suppression and our new President's attack on a free press, in addition to his increasingly authoritarian moves in implementing protectionist policies. In two years, hopefully a large majority of people will be fed up enough to vote in candidates with integrity and vision. . Shout out to my friend and fellow truth fighter @amandahite for sharing this. . . #consequences #democracy #decline #concernedcitizen #activists #musicians #poets #lightwarriors #facts #truth #sad #morals #integrity #authoritarian #rightwing #policy #gridlock #congress #washingtondc #politics #politicsasusual #fail #epicfail #flaweddemocracy

Mi estiaje de hoy lunes en La Opinión de Murcia, con algunos apuntes rápidos sobre la democracia estadounidense en general y su sistema electoral en particular #ángelpaniagua #estiajes #laopinióndemurcia #autumncolumn #columnadeotoño #november #unitedstates #estadosunidos #presidentialelection2020 #eleccionespresidenciales2020 #donaldtrump #joebiden #morbidfascination #fascinaciónenfermiza #informativesubmission #pleitesíainformativa #supposedequality #supuestaigualdad #electoralcollege #colegioelectoral #threefifthscompromise #compromisodelostresquintos #alexanderkeyssar #economistintelligenceunit #unidaddeinteligenciadeleconomist #democracyindex #índicededemocracia #flaweddemocracy #democraciacondeficiencias #yasiesomedecíssiosgusta (en Cartagena, Murcia) https://www.instagram.com/p/CHYc58BFlcP/?igshid=1dmm0v47ravqk