*With Super Special Guest, Marshall Delaware
DISCLAIMER: As always, everything presented here is for entertainment and semi-educational purposes only. Please do not mistake this for mental health therapy or advice. If you need mental health counseling or treatment, please contact your insurance company, local college’s student counseling clinic, county crisis line, or the Psychology Today Portal.
If you want a running list of COVID-19 resources and news, check out my list here. Also, check out this running list of disaster hotlines by state. **I updated the news and resource page. I have updated the disaster hotlines page with some links to online support groups and state-specific stuff. Sorry to be so slow.
(Another) DISCLAIMER: Any and all information presented in this article is for satire, educational, and entertainment purposes ONLY. There are a ton of hyperlinks in this article for you to get a little more context. You really need to research these issues for yourself before coming to any conclusion. Please, please, please DO NOT make any major life decisions based ONLY on what some psychic says. Whether you agree or disagree with anything presented here, feel encouraged to research the issues for yourself and draw your own conclusions.
At the beginning of this month, I was doing my thing, focusing on the day-to-day in my little sphere. This consisted of spending more time than I’d prefer attempting every form of shielding meditation I could think of so I don’t have to acknowledge the existence of the erstwhile Constitution, civil rights, COVID-19, and anti vaxxer immunology experts in my social media circle. You know, those people on both sides of the spectrum who love to put down experts, but can’t be bothered to cite their sources or run shit through a fact-checker. Somehow their crystals, hollow “thoughts and prayers”, tone policing, edgelord bullshit, jingoistic pro-‘Murica conservativism, those smug “the media is brainwashing all of you sheeple” types, using their religious beliefs as an excuse to be sanctimonious and shitty, and performative wokeness protect them from empathy and objective logic. Kudos, I guess.
Does anyone else love the Block and Unfollow functions?
Aaaannnnyyyyhoo, there I was just living my unimpressive life when my good buddy Marshall Delaware sent me this rather incendiary article. In case you don’t feel like clicking on the hyperlink, this particular MSN article discussed how both sides of the political spectrum—the overly sensitive, anti-PC Far Right and the overly woke, anti-Karen Far Left—justify the use of violence if their side loses in November. Marshall, a Canadian, asked, “So do you think you guys are headed for Civil War 2.0?”
Yeah, Marshy D probably was giggling with glee when he pulled the pin and ran away from this one. But rest assured, the hole can always be dug deeper.
The tiny little fairy of optimism in my psyche flew onto my shoulder and blew glitter in my face. The cotton candy-smelling jerk waved her wand and giggled, “It can’t get any worse. People don’t stay mad forever.”
Fairies clearly don’t take Western Civ or read about the history of conflicts in the Middle East.
My first instinct was to throw a crystal at her and offer her “thoughts and prayers,” buuuttt I want to forge something a little more sustainable in my New Normal (™). And what if she could kick my ass? So I acknowledged the parts of her position that I thought were nice and said I would do my own research.
Then Agatha, my Regina George-esque kitten, pounced on her. I’m still vacuuming pieces of pink gossamer wings from my carpet.
Long story short, the metaphorical Fae vs. Feline grudge match got me thinking. Can things get any worse? Can Americans get any angrier? Can things get back to normal? Can’t we all just get along?
Something in me sank. No we cannot, Rodney King. No we cannot…
I’m not an expert. I’m not anyone special. I’m just some chick with tarot cards and a college education. However, it may be worthwhile to explore some of these questions. You’re here, I’m here. Let’s indulge our existential angst and overthink this shit together, shall we?
Marshall Delaware and I are going to attack this topic with the cards, but there are some things we need to explore before we get to readin’: First, we need to know what’s pissing us off so badly and how did we get here? Once we even approach the root of our anger, we should probably do a quick pro and con list of our Old Normal (™) and get real about what worked and what didn’t. We then need to figure out what we want in our New Normal (™) once we get that sorted. Are we more concerned with sweeping shit under the rug or asserting our righteousness than we are with finding a more win-win way of being?
What’s Stuck in Your Craw, America?
There’s no way one post can cover the contents of our social craw, so I’m just going to break down some of the issues that are getting our collective panties in a wad. Again, there’s no fucking way I will cover everything or do more than scratch the surface.
But here we go. Here is the quick list of things pissing off both sides:
- How the other side feels about Trump. America’s Douchebag in Chief elicits strong feelings on either side of the political spectrum. Democrats can’t fucking stand the guy. More moderate Republicans feel tricked and forced to be less socially liberal. Most independents and centrists wake up every day wondering what fresh hell this administration hath wrought or they just want to puke. The far Right and corporate America, however, can’t get enough of him. Baby Boomers and the God, Guns, and Old Glory crowd believes Trump says what the “every man” is thinking. It was as if Trump gave them an all access pass to say every microaggressive, fully aggressive, shitty, racist, and ignorant thing the liberal media has told them to keep to themselves. Meanwhile, those of us who were acquainted with—maybe even related to—these cats had to do a double take. We had to read the emails about how Obama was Satan, how liberals are a bunch of pussies, how minorities need to quit whining, and how the White man is the most persecuted in society. Did anyone else notice how many of the people spewing this shit were on Social Security or other benefits paid for with everyone else’s taxes? Anyway, it was as if our “loved ones” took Trump’s 2015 ascension in the ranks as an excuse to air every last grievance they had with us. This left the recipients of this rancor with a few questions. If this venom is the real you, then who was the person we used to call Mom, Dad, brother, sister, friend, and so on? Were there other parts of that person we should see as fake, now that Trump and his anti-PC yes men became the Emperor Palpatine to your loved ones’ Anakin? Then there are the people who support Trump because they genuinely dislike Keynesian economics and government-funded infrastructure programs almost as much as they hated HRC. They were left doling out empty thoughts and prayers and posting those fake ass safety pin pics as an apology for knowingly supporting Trump. Yeah, knowingly. There is no fucking way you missed Trump mocking a disabled reporter, his history of racial slurs, or the way he—a draft dodger—would mock military veterans. And surely you caught a whiff of at least ONE of the sexist things this man has said. NONE of this was hidden. You just chose to ignore it, or cheer silently as you pretended to ignore it. You posted your safety pins and said you have love for marginalized groups, but apparently it’s okay when the President doesn’t. Sorry to ramble in this section. Hopefully this prelude to tarot will illustrate the polarized reactions to Trump act like a hot compress for the rest of this social cystic acne to surface.
- Black Lives Matter and Race Relations. According to the BLM website, Black Lives Matter started in 2013 as a reaction to George Zimmerman getting acquitted for killing Trayvon Martin. Proponents of BLM believe the movement shed light on the racial inequality that exists post-20th Century Civil Rights Movement, opened the curtain on police brutality, and made non BIPOC people understand what racial microaggressions are and how they affect BIPOC populations on a daily basis. Critics of BLM believe the movement is inherently divisive, is overly aggressive, and adds to a feeling of white grievance (the fear that societal gains for BIPOC people mean losses for white people). To lessen these perceived future losses, conservatives formed groups such as White Lives Matter, Blue Lives Matter, and All Lives Matter. (SIDE NOTE: If all lives mattered, there wouldn’t be a need for any of these movements.) We also saw this play out in the brouhaha over changing the name of Columbus Day to Indigenous Peoples Day. American public schools explain Christopher Columbus as the guy who accidentally discovered the North American continent while looking for spices. Those who read a little deeper see Columbus as an entitled rat bastard who brutally used Native Americans as a means to an end. Meanwhile, Italian-Americans see Columbus Day as a day that acknowledges the discrimination Italian-Americans faced in the U.S.A. They believe changing the name to Indigenous People’s Day completely negates what they went through *cough* New Orleans lynchings in 1891 *cough* The biased AF Sacco and Vanzetti trial *cough* Concentration camps set up for Italian-Americans during WWII *cough* What happened to the Native Americans was horrible, the Italian-Americans reason, but is our suffering less important? Basically, the groupthink here in the States appears to be that suffering is competitive, rather than the basis for making a better society for everyone. I don’t even know what more to say on this point because one interpretation of the groupthink here is white people probably shouldn’t comment about racism, lest we mansplain the fuck out of it or act like clueless SJW’s. So I’ll keep reading and asking open-ended questions. If how I treat people on a daily basis doesn’t reflect how I feel, then no amount of chest-thumping here will be sufficient.
- #MeToo and Women’s Rights. This one’s personal and confusing to me. As a Generation X-er with riot grrrl leanings, I was caught between two ideologies. The first was the old school: You are to be seen and not heard. You’re cute enough that we gave you the 19th Amendment, but be a good girl and keep your opinion to yourself. Oh, and we hate broads and intellectuals. (I actually heard that from older relatives and teachers, btw.) The second school of thought was strongly influenced by Gloria Steinem and the after effects of the Sexual Revolution. Feel free to make the first move, show off your body, and use birth control. You’ll become desensitized to the shaming and side-eye. And let’s all thank Jerry Springer for his role in the rise of 90’s stripper culture. Girls felt pressured to work whatever Librarian-Madonna-Whore Complex that provided the right ratio of having fun to respect from boys. SPOILER ALERT: Dudes who buy into the LMW Complex tend to be unhappier in relationships than dudes who can’t be bothered with that shit. Guys got confused over things like opening the door and picking up the check, while trying to balance the need for *ahem* gratification with not wanting to be a rapey shitbag. There was a lot of room for misunderstandings and mind games for everyone involved. Of course hardcore religious types used their faith’s rules about sex to be covertly rapey shitbags, hence social scientists being compelled to study “technical virginity.” Leveraging your religion, social status, or power to do some form of the nasty with someone you perceive as less than you is and always will be sexual abuse. Enter #MeToo. Originally coined by Tarana Burke in 2006, “me too” started as a phrase to show solidarity with others who suffered some form of sexual trauma. Said trauma could be anything from misogynistic microaggressions to not speaking up because you felt pressured to do something sexual all the way to rape and ongoing abuse. The level of trauma didn’t matter, as long as you understood that you weren’t alone and the shame never should have been yours. Remember what I said about the “white grievance” phenomenon? It appears men were feeling a little uncomfortable about #MeToo, even if they had no history of being rapey shitbags. This led to several men deciding to identify as volcel (voluntary celibate) or incel (involuntarily celibate, which is the creepy and bitter version). Then the Hollywood machine got involved. And then #TimesUp became a thing. Oh, and let’s not forget Rose McGowan and Alyssa Milano—two of the more outspoken advocates of the movement—taking swipes at each other. But, hey, Bill Cosby and Harvey Weinstein were brought to justice. There’s way more to this. I need to be a little more concise, so let’s continue.
- The Role of Religion in Politics. The separation of church and state—or keeping religion the fuck out of government—was so important to the Founding Fathers that they put it in the Bill of Rights. We’re taught this fact in elementary school, so why is it okay when the President and his Beavis and Butthead sons declare him the savior of Christianity? (I’m not a Christian, but wasn’t Jesus supposed to be the only Savior?) Anyhoo, Trump is once again a symptom of a larger disease. By the time America was a country, we had several examples of why religion and government should remain separate. However, it appears we’ve been nodding and smiling, but not listening. Americans have historically held some pretty hypocritical views on religion and politics, such as believing a President should have strong religious beliefs and members of Congress overwhelmingly identifying as Christian. And now, thanks to Amy Coney Barrett and serious political pandering to religious groups, religion has been unabashedly influencing the 2020 election. I’m grateful some Christians are opposing Trump, but does anyone else think religious Super PAC’s are a wee bit unethical?
Like I said, I can’t possibly cover everything pissing Americans off this election. Here are a few issues that deserve Honorable Mention:
- Freedom of Speech vs. Spreading Misinformation or Hate Speech Online. Seriously, before you post about BLM being run by terrorists, something being shady about Chelsea Clinton’s NBC job, or that picture of a protester hitting a priest, do your fucking research. If fact-checking shows this may not be exactly true, don’t fucking post it. Period. End of story. This goes for both sides.
- Slut Shaming, Fat Shaming, Mom Shaming, #woke Shaming, and Shaming Shaming. What are you really trying to do with this? If you feel the need to belittle someone, don’t expect them to respect or like you in the morning. You did this to yourself.
- Gun Control.
- LGBTQ+ Rights.
- Religious Discrimination and Christian Priviledge.
- Medicare, Healthcare, and Obamacare.
- Abortion. Most arguments against abortion are religious ones. See the previous section on the separation of church and state.
- How Best to Deal with COVID-19. To mask, or not to mask? Although most people believe that the coronavirus is a real pandemic, there’s still that 25% who believes in myths and conspiracy theories. Believe what you want. I think the issue is when that 25% uses some bullshit about their civil rights to turn those beliefs into a political statement, rather than at least trying to do the considerate thing by taking precautions.
The issues dividing us appear to follow a general pattern.
- Something pretty bad happens to a person or group of people. People will do one of the following:
- Express sympathy.
- Use this as an opportunity to inject themselves and their experiences into the situation. (This one is pretty forgivable, depending on how it’s done. The people who interject their experiences are either raging braggarts or they’re trying to work shit out on paper.)
- Tell the world why their suffering is worse, or call the victimized person weak, lazy, whiny, entitled, etc.
- Pretend they didn’t see anything.
- Coalitions and movements form. People either join or start counter movements.
- People not directly involved with either side take this as an opportunity to shame a “loved one” or acquaintance for holding an opposite belief.
I haven’t laid down any cards, but I’m already feeling less than optimistic for a couple reasons:
- Nowhere in this pattern am I seeing people coming to an actual understanding.
- These issues would not have been so divisive if our relationships weren’t so self-centered to begin with and our society wasn’t busy turning us all into narcissists.
Aaaannnnyyyyhoo, I need to walk this one off and call in the reinforcements as promised. Won’t you please…
Is It Time for Civil War 2.0 after the US Election? Marshall Delaware Weighs In on the Chances of this Being a Dark Shift in the Way that Americans Deal with Democratic Outcomes.
Ah, the snow is on the ground up here and the chill wind is blowing sharply. The clock is ticking away, second by second, and the calendar says that in 13 days there’s going to be an election in the US. Democrats are tense even though the polls look quite good for the Biden-Harris ticket. As for the incumbent, well as I’ve previously predicted, he’s done like dinner.
So why are the Democrats tense? Well, they thought that they had this in the bag in 2016 until the DNC Email Scandal alienated Hillary Clinton from her left-leaning supporters. Now they’re anxiously awaiting the President to come out with one last October Surprise that’ll somehow deny Joe Biden his long-awaited chance to change the curtains in the Oval Office and switch the locks on the doors of the White House. Let me reassure you once again, Trump’s going to lose and here’s why.
Depending on how Machiavellian you are, the pandemic was a great chance for him to lock in that second term. All he had to do was attack this virus with all of the power that he had at his disposal. He could have set up temporary medical centers from New York, to California, to Georgia and then gotten medical personnel from the military to handle the cases as they were being brought in for treatment. He could have ordered lockdowns and set the example for everyone else to follow. In other words, he could have taken this thing seriously and acted in a decisive manner. That would have shown Americans that for all of his fucking around on Twitter, he can actually demonstrate his mettle as a leader when a real crisis happens. That would have made a massive impression not just on Democrats, but on the whole world. It would have changed a lot of people’s opinion of him. People wouldn’t have dared to vote him out in the middle of this crisis if he was doing everything in his power to save lives and to stop this thing from getting worse.
Like I said, you have to be a Francis Underwood-level Machiavellian to appreciate this but the pandemic was his opportunity to shine like a boss and instead he choked in ways that are too numerous to be listed here.
That’s the single biggest reason why he’s going to lose, so you can stop worrying about October Surprises. His bag of tricks is empty. He himself apparently having the virus was the last gasp of a desperate scoundrel.
But this article isn’t about Trump’s chances of winning. This article is about the potentially violent fallout of him losing. Recent polls indicate that both Democrat and Republican supporters equally believe that it’s okay to resort to violence if their side loses this election. With all of this nonsense talk about QAnon, and the Deep State bullshit that Tucker Carlson is peddling on Fox News, there’s quite a few people on the extreme right who think that Joe Biden is going to steal this election. Joe Biden doesn’t have to steal this victory. It’s going to be handed to him, but there has been quite a lot of sabre-rattling lately to indicate that a lot of people are going to take to the streets and I guess make election night into some kind of a Purge-type situation. Let’s break out the cards and see if that’s actually going to transpire.
King of Swords
4 of Cups (reversed)
The Lovers (reversed)
7 of Swords
10 of cups (reversed)
Naw, there’s nothing here of a disastrous nature. There’s no Tower, there’s no 3 of Swords, there’s no Death (reversed), there’s nothing here to show that the US is about to burn just because a lot of people have lost faith in the incumbent in the wake of the pandemic.
There’ll be some grumbling but not even SCOTUS is going to want to touch the whole QAnon-Deep State shitshow. There’ll be a lot of wailing and gnashing of teeth on social media but most people on the right are aware that the US has a rather impressive army. It also has a lot of actual state militias, the FBI, the Bureau of Tobacco, Alcohol, and Firearms, and finally Homeland Security. Homeland Security all by itself is tasked with confronting domestic terrorism and the FBI, along with the NSA will provide them with whatever backup intel that they need if people feel like getting uppity because their guy squandered a gift from Satan that would have practically given him Vladimir Putin-level power if he had seized the advantage earlier this year and he started scribbling some serious Executive Orders instead of fucking around on Twitter.
Most members of the alt-right, and even the extreme far right, have enough brain cells between them to realize that they’re seriously outnumbered and outgunned, and with the Patriot Act, along with the NDAA in play, home-grown whackjobs can be renditioned if they try to mount some kind of an insurrection. It’s easier for them to bitch on social media and it’s a lot safer. People in the US can still be executed for treason, just ask the Rosenbergs. All they did was pass on nuclear secrets to the Russians and they ended up riding the lightning. Or better yet, ask Timothy McVeigh. I’m sure he’s some kind of an extreme right-wing martyr but that didn’t stop him from getting the needle after he bombed that federal building in Oklahoma City.
Biden and Harris are going to win, and the transfer of power should be a fairly uneventful transition come January. Trump’s real problems are going to begin at that point when his financial dealings are finally exposed, especially if Melania files for a divorce before the spring of ’21. That’s another article though for another time, like say Valentine’s Day.
Anyhoo, this is Marshall Delaware tellin’ y’all to git out there and vote fearlessly. There’s only one legit way to tell the incumbent what you think of him. Slap on a mask and some gloves and do your part if only because it’ll feel therapeutic, especially when it feels to you like you don’t have much power and control over any other area of your life at this time. Do the best that you can to be the best that you can.
Seeya.
Spice Cools Down (a Little) and Lays Down Some Cards
If you like the way Marshall reads, you can email him at ggm92666@yahoo.ca
Before I start, let me just point out that the widow of the late Republican Senator John McCain endorsed Joe Biden in this ad right here. This ad was effective for a couple reasons. First, it is documented in articles like the ones you can read here, here, and here that Biden and McCain didn’t always see eye-to-eye. They did, however, manage to keep their disagreements mostly professional. Or at least professional enough to not lose sight of the fact that they were friends and coworkers above all else. Yeah, you can be civil. You can learn about the opposite point of view without taking it on as your own. You can research your own side’s point before you post stupid shit. You can educate others about fact-checking without resorting to smugness or shaming. You can present your point of view without acting like you’re morally superior to those philistines on the other side. You just choose to be a self-righteous ass hat to the people you claim to love. This brings me to my second point: Cindy McCain’s ad was less of an attack ad and more of a reminder that it is always okay to change your point of view. Neither Trump nor Biden are gods. There is no such thing as a White Knight President that can deliver us from our woes. The government is supposed to work with us, not hold us down or pander to our every whim. It is our job to work together for the betterment of all, but most of us seem incapable of getting out of egotistical SJW, materialistically-motivated, or patriotism traps and see the bigger picture.
So is this uncivil lot headed for Civil War 2.0?
I asked the cards what we can expect in the next four years and I got: The Hanged Man (number 12, the need to surrender one’s patterns that are no longer useful, behavior patterns that are now harmful, hanging on to old habits or addictions, the need to recognize one’s patterns, and letting go); Six of Pentacles (number 6, charity, giving and receiving help with no strings attached, unexpected help when needed, reaping what one sows, and sharing); Three of Wands (number 3, success in business, growth and expansion, the need to broaden one’s horizons, opportunity, and achievement); and Two of Pentacles (number 2, balancing various areas of life, mood swings, money fluctuations, and indecisiveness). Oof. There is nothing here that’s inherently negative, but this spread sets the tone with the Hanged Man. This card implies you have a decision to make. You can either keep your old habits, attitudes, and addictions or you can let go and do things differently. In this case, doing things differently means not making emotional decisions. This spread ends with the Two of Pentacles, which is a bit of a chaotic card. The Two says you will have to balance your head and heart, family and finance, and you will still have to tapdance around those who believe something opposite of you. If you combine this with the Hanged Man’s fish-or-cut-bait energy, you get a great deal of division. However, this division won’t be nearly as hostile as the previous four years. The Six of Pentacles and Three of Wands tell us there will be plenty of opportunities to make more money and change careers over the next four years, but the Two of Pentacles reminds us that this comes with a ton of instability. Expect a lot of market ups and downs for two years. I feel like the Six and Three together show us that there will be a few stimulus packages and infrastructure programs for small businesses.
I asked the cards how Americans will deal with each other over the next four years and I got: Ten of Wands (number 10, taking on too much responsibility, a one-sided relationship, martyrdom, the need to delegate, and possibly breaking out of a bad situation); Eight of Pentacles (number 8, profitable times, the need to focus one’s energy, and the need to take one’s skills to a wider audience); Ace of Cups (number 1 or 11, love, happiness, emotional contentment, emotional connection, and having one’s wish granted); and the Moon (number 18, moodiness, secrets, intuition, psychic experiences, time to go inward, the need to sit with one’s emotions, feeling triggered, and the need for self-reflection). The Ten of Wands is a card of burdens, martyrdom, and possibly workaholism. The workaholic dynamic is supported by the Eight of Pentacles, which is a card of putting your nose to the grindstone, as well as needing to focus better. The thing about workaholics is they tend to use working long hours, making money, and climbing the ladder to avoid painful truths in their personal lives. This tells me the nation will use the excuse of getting back to normal to sweep a lot of shit under the rug. The good news is I don’t see any outright deception cards here, but the bad news…? This spread ends with the Moon card, which is a card of secrets and intuitively knowing things. We can act happy, like we put the nastiness of the last four years behind us, but some things cannot be unseen. The Ace of Cups next tp the Moon tells me a New Normal (™) that we actually like will forge, but don’t be so happy to jump back into productivity and civility that you forget to listen to your intuition when it comes to reading the room. If someone feels shady, they probably are.
I asked the cards what we should know about civil unrest and protest over the next four years and I got: Death (number 13, the end of a cycle, rebirth, things coming to an end, losing something one will never get back, a warning against resenting that which cannot be changed, the need to accept what is, giving up old attachments, and transformation); King of Cups (water sign male, possibly jealousy and possessiveness, someone good at organizing resources, possibly a ruthless person, the need to explore one’s passionate nature, and possibly a time to keep one’s feelings to oneself); Princess of Swords (young air sign person, someone with a quick mind, someone with much to say, new information or messages, gossip, and new ideas); and King of Pentacles (earth sign male, someone comfortable with their station in life, generosity, a financially secure person, a cautious approach to life, and the need to be cautious with money). The Death card tells us straightaway that anything you said over these last four years cannot be unheard. Relationships that were broken by the events of the last four years are not going to be the same. People have shown you who they are and you need to believe them. The same goes for you. Your actions have told people who you are. So we have the transformation energy of Death next to the King of Cups, which feels like someone who is good at taking advantage of chaos and too much emotion. The King feels like a warning against getting into a mindset of wondering when you’re going to get your piece of the pie or thinking that your suffering isn’t getting heard, as there’s a dirtbag looking to take advantage of this. The King of Cups is a warning against getting too emotional because it will be a surefire way to get you taken advantage of over the next four years. Protest and be civilly disobedient, but don’t lose your head. You can be for a cause without losing yourself in the process. The Princess of Swords speaks of the younger generations and social media. The Princess feels quite chatty in this spread, which tells me we may be looking at the government feeling pressured into being more progressive. The Princess is also a warning against spreading lies and bullshit, as you’re fucking with people’s lives. Please consider the human element before you flame someone. This spread ends with the King of Pentacles, which signifies a benevolent rich person or entity. They won’t give away everything they have, but they do see generosity as part of helping the greater good. I don’t see the protests stopping any time soon, but I do see a large portion of the people start to understand what they could lose if they take things too far.
For those of you who like my monthly spells, they can be easily customized to bring the best possible energy to the election, your country, the world, and your candidate of choice.
Practical Advice for the Politically Dissatisfied
If you really want to carry this surge of energy into the election, perhaps you should think about getting more involved yourself. Vogue proposed these handy suggestions. Here’s my list:
- Emailing your congressman is simple. You can find a good guide on how to do it here. Open Media Foundation has put together this handy guide to finding your legislators, contacting them, and researching how they voted. Not to be outdone, the U.S. government created this contact guide.
- You can also register to vote here.
- Also, I strongly suggest running all candidates’ claims and data through a fact checker. NPR, Politifact, and FactCheck.org are reliable. I think this would go a long way to getting the right candidate, since the 2016 election was punctuated by too much emotional, self-righteous apple pie bullshit and too little logic. Seriously, perhaps it’s time to focus less on ranting and more on actually doing things.
If you’re looking for an inspirational poem on finding your place in the world amongst a million ghosts, check out Joan Carol Bird’s latest. Hey, sharing is caring.
Those wildfires on the West Coast displaced thousands of innocent pets. The International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) wants to help. If you would like to help the pets affected by the wildfires, please click here. Also, the American Humane Society is looking for donations for these pets. You can donate here.
For those of you who can’t resist a little subtle virtue signalling, why not give to those sweet little animals in Australia? Funko Pop is releasing a limited edition figure to support the animals hurt in the Australian wildfires. Arm the Animals is also selling shirts to benefit the animals hurt in the fires. You can get those here.
If beanies or water bottles are more your style, check out the Piper Lou collection. Proceeds from select items benefit the Australian Red Cross. You can see for yourself right here. Or you can take the more direct route through GreaterGood.com
P.S. I managed to publish the first part of my first novel a few months ago!! I’m excited and want to share it with you. Check out Water Torture Part One: Have You Checked the Children? Here. Please read and review it. Thank you!!
Did you like my buddy Marshall Delaware, aka G. G. MacLeod? Check out our latest relationship article. He’s coming back next month, FYI. If you want to read an awesome historical fiction novel, you can get your hands on his book here. It may take place in Ancient Rome, but Augusta couldn’t be any more timely if it tried. He actually dropped Part Two a while ago and most recently gifted the world with Part Three. Part Four is right here. I think you should go get it, Tiger!