#politics and civics

[chucksrus84]

Ketanji Onyika Brown Jackson became the FIRST Black woman to be sworn in as a Supreme Court Judge on June 30, 2022...at 12:00 P.M.

We need more Supreme Court judges like Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson.

Expand Democrats majority in the Senate and in the House. Then expand the Supreme Court. Democrats have a slim majority in the legislative branch (Senate/House) with 50/50 in the Senate and they lead by 5 seats in the House. That's how close it is. They do NOT have enough votes in the Senate to pass laws that would protect us from what's happening now. They need more seats. Vote.

Check your registration status to see if you are still eligible to vote.

Ignore all attempts to pass along misinformation and FOCUS on getting people registered to VOTE. Biden is setting the stage to help protect people in the lower courts. Keep your eyes open. He knows where to hit.

Be prepared to VOTE like your life depends upon it. Republicans and conservative-leaning Supreme court judges are going to cheat their way into power. Don't let them. FIGHT BACK.

A Conservative majority in the Supreme court will inflict a lot of damage to our society. I ask that you stand up and FIGHT back.

Keep VOTING in every election. FIGHT. Vote for Democratic candidates and tell every single Republican to go FUCK themselves. Protest outside Republican legislators doors. Do. NOT. Give. Up.

FIGHT BACK.

#Fuck Republicans #senate democrats #house democrats #blacklivesmatter #roe vs. wade #politics and civics

[prokopetz]

We don't just need to bring back mixed-use zoning, we also need to bring back corner stores where the owner lives on the second floor. Heck, I'm pretty sure that's the only way to prevent mixed-use zones from being cannibalised by corporate horseshit in our present climate: only allow businesses which are also the owner's primary residence.

#politics #civic planning #municipal planning #business #capitalism #swearing

[just-your-average-cryptid]

most of us have heard of the red car game. you’re on a road trip, you’re bored, you start looking for red cars to do something.

and then they’re everywhere. you notice them nearly every few minutes.

there aren’t suddenly more red cars now, of course. you were seeing them already, but you weren’t noticing. you weren’t looking.

I am noticing things.

there is a plant I notice everywhere now, a small bushy plant in suburbs, along streets, by shops on the highways. dwarf umbrella bush is what the internet tells me when I look for it’s name. I did this because I wanted to know why,

every time I ever saw it, every place,

it was always dying. always the leaves turning yellow, the branches small and scraggly. inside out - nitrogen deficiency. their soil drained.

I am noticing how many of these landscaping plants are yellowing, how small and sickly they look in just a few years. I am noticing how often the grass outside the house is replaced when it once again turns brown and dry, how the type never changes and the cycle starts again. I am noticing how the unmowed, unkempt spaces on lakesides and roadsides look more alive than this. how the preserve I grew up next to was miles of “messy” unmanicured nature and the ground was covered in leaves instead of grass and there was life.

I am noticing the birds that come by the lake. there was a flash of blue wings and red chest - eastern bluebird, male, relatively common. I had never seen one before. there is a family of ducks that appear every spring; i cannot say if it’s successive generations or different ducks, but I can always look forward to ducklings. there are little brown birds with white heads whose names I do not know - are they some kind of piper? why don’t I already know?

why is it so hard to learn about my native plants (accurately, that is)? why are so many gardening sites littered with people who think a plants value is based on how pretty or useful it is to them, who think a tree shedding leaves is “messy”?

why is knowing about the world we live in so… odd? why is it a hobby and not vital knowledge? I learned about polar equations. I taught myself about mycorrhizal networks and species of insects.

(did you know there are shiny green bees? a special species of wasp pollinating figs? that white flowers bloom at night for moths? do you know? have you looked?)

I cannot look at a lawn and see life anymore. it is a wasteland, devoid of life, dying slowly itself. everywhere is grass, grass, doused in water that runs over into storm drains, soaked in fertilizer and pesticides and a hundred other poisons and sending one clear message:

this is a place of death. life is not welcome here.

I do not think I could live in a city. too loud, yes, too busy, yes, too many people, yes, but the plants would bother me. a tree allotted only a convenient square, surrounded by dead stone and metal.

a forest cleared for this, for burning asphalt streets and racing cars and shops whose bathrooms are “for paying customers only”.

this is a place of death. life is not welcome here.

and now I am noticing.

#it speaks #idk man this is stream of consciousness and it’s midnight lol #I’m having thoughts about plants and people and how much I hate lawns #anti lawn #firmly believe that nature knowledge should be taught in school #yeah there’s biology but biology won’t teach you what plants are edible or deadly #or what birds live/migrate in your area and what they depend on #they teach civics bc even if you’re not politically active you should know how the government works #if you live in a world you should know how it works #bc even if it feels like it doesn’t matter. it does. it will. and if you notice it now you can do something about it

[writing-with-olive]

hey all

so in a more practical application of the "larp a republican if you're gonna call them" post that got huge, North Carolina is about to have abortion access slashed if nothing's done about it.

SB20 got passed and went up to Gov. Cooper who vetoed it, but there's very very slight veto-proof supermajority in the legislature. Unless at least one Republican breaks ranks the veto will be overridden.

I made a google doc to organize, and you don't have to be a North Carolinian to participate:

Even if you can't participate, please share. A lot of people might lose yet more of their rights very soon.

#civic engagement #call your reps #north carolina #abortion #united states #politics #senate bill 20 #nc sb20 #abortion rights #reproductive rights #republican party #state government #anti facist #small government #call scripts #phone zap #veto #veto override #bodily autonomy #community project

[illegal-prime]

Normalize updating laws and regulations that are no longer fit for purpose.

Normalize working with powerful enemies to find a solution where everybody wins.

Normalize mutual compromise.

Normalize collaboration over opposition.

Normalize civil discourse on divisive issues.

Normalize good faith and the principle of charity.

Normalize discussion of specific social, political, and economic issues.

Normalize advocacy for specific and implementable policy reforms to to tackle said issues.

Normalize imperfect solutions.

Normalize civic engagement.

Normalize public sector action.

Normalize incremental success.

Normalize improving society instead of destroying and rebuilding it from the ground up.

NORMALIZE PROGRESS!!!

#solarpunk #hopepunk #politics #political discourse #public policy #civic engagement #civic duty #georgism #transit #urban planning #accessibility #disability justice #disabled #healthy politics #policymakers #social justice #societal improvement #retain hope #societal progress #climate change #climate action #advocacy #trains #political activist #political action #activism #hanlon's razor #good regulations work #good faith arguments #good faith

[dontmeantobepoliticalbut]

Vivek Ramaswamy wants to end birthright citizenship—a longstanding American policy codified in the Fourteenth Amendment of the Constitution—and take away young people’s right to vote, all in one fell swoop.

The presidential candidate made the call Thursday night on CNN, after being asked about his opponents, Ron DeSantis and Donald Trump, vowing to end birthright citizenship. “For a period of time, I think it’s going to be necessary,” Ramaswamy said.

But the young gun was not satisfied just being in agreement with the leading duo in the Republican race-to-the-repressive-bottom.

“I’ll actually go one step further on this, Abby, is that I don’t think someone just because they’re born in this country, even if they’re a sixth generation American should automatically enjoy all the privileges of citizenship until they’ve actually earned it,” Ramaswamy told CNN’s Abby Phillip. “So one of the things I’ve said is that every high school student who graduates from high school should have to pass the same civics test that every immigrant has to pass in order to become a citizen of this country.”

Surveys in the past have shown that most people would likely fail a basic multiple choice citizenship test; one survey found just 36% of respondents actually passing such a test. And given Republicans’ all-out assault on public school education, it’s unclear what their plan would be to up those numbers.

After publishing, Ramaswamy senior adviser Tricia McLaughlin said the proposal refers “to civic duty voting via constitutional amendment.”

According to Ramaswamy’s website, this would mean raising the voting age to 25, while still generously “allowing all Americans to vote at age 18” only if they serve at least six months in the military or as a first responder, or pass the citizenship test.

Yet another successful pair of Republican talking points: seizing the right to vote from young people, and forcing people to join a military that has used trillions of American dollars to wreak carnage across the world, and leave its foot soldiers out to dry upon their return.

Anyhow, Ramaswamy’s brilliant proposal to seemingly strip citizenship from so many Americans came after Phillip noted that both of Ramaswamy’s parents are immigrants, and so birthright citizenship “was in play” for him when he became a citizen.

Yet, instead of making the citizenship process easier to navigate, Ramaswamy instead wants to make it harder for anyone to be a citizen. More than that, the presidential candidate’s formulation lays out tiers of citizenship—a matrix in which, until one passes this test, they would be a second-class citizen. While this country already treats scores of people—immigrants, LGBTQ people, laborers, the homeless, and young people—as such, Ramaswamy thinks that unfair treatment should be legally bound.

#us politics #news #the new republic #republicans #conservatives #2023 #2024 presidential race #2024 presidential election #2024 elections #vivek ramaswamy #right to vote #voting age #raising the voting age #Citizenship #Birthright Citizenship #civics test #Citizenship test #tiers of citizenship #second class citizens

[tickles-my-cockles]

The United Kingdom just been downgraded on the global index of civic freedoms due to it's "Hostile" and "Increasingly authoritarian" actions.

I live in the UK. And I found this out by factchecking a green peace ad. As of now this story was posted 16 hours ago and I've not heard one person talk about this.

Our government is officially recognised as repressing civic freedoms and undermining human rights. If you're still proud to be brittish then fuck you tory scum.

#uk politics #uk police #uk civic freedoms #civic freedoms #human rights #uk news #civicus monitor #fuck this country #i fucking hate it here #fuck you #fuck the uk #fuck the tories #fuck the system #i just want to be left alone

[reasonandempathy]

A brief summary of how Education fails Boys

I saw people sincerely questioning and minimizing the current struggles boys face in education.

So, I wanted to collect some relevant information, with sources. All of these are from the past couple of years, from 2021 onward.

Girls have more difficulty accessing education and are more likely than boys to be out of school at primary level. However, boys are at greater risk of repeating grades, failing to progress and complete their education, and not learning while in school. Globally, 128 million boys are out of school. That’s more than half of the global out-of-school youth population and more than the 122 million girls who are also out of school. The Leave no child behind: Global report on boys’ disengagement from education shows that boys are increasingly left behind in education. They are at greater risk of repeating grades, failing to progress and complete their education, and not learning while in school. While previously boys’ disengagement and dropout were concerns mainly in high-income countries, several low- and middle-income countries have seen a reversal in gender gaps, with boys now lagging behind girls in enrolment, completion and learning outcomes. Boys are more likely than girls to repeat primary grades in 130 countries, and more likely to not have an upper secondary education in 73 countries. At tertiary level, globally only 88 men are enrolled for every 100 women. 

In 1970, women only made up 42 percent of the college population. Today, the roles have essentially reversed. The U.S. Department of Education estimates men to make up 43 percent of enrolled individuals in college. And this crisis impacts minority populations even more: only 36 percent of Black and 40 percent of Hispanic bachelor degree recipients are male. 

This is not an issue of colleges neglecting to admit men at an equal rate. Rather, colleges are receiving fewer applications from men than women. In 2010, only 44 percent of college applications were from men and that number has been steadily declining since. The decrease in male applicants is a sign that men are discouraged from pursuing higher education at a disproportionately high rate. 

These statistics point to a larger, systemic problem. The American education system perpetuates a series of gender norms that cause significant harm to children; boys are impacted by these expectations in a way that tends to be overlooked. The stereotype that boys have a higher propensity to misbehave has led to the over-punishment of boys in the classroom.        

Boys are facing key challenges in school. Inside the effort to support their success

An APA task force is spotlighting the specific issues and recommending evidence-based ways to enact swift change At school, by almost every metric, boys of all ages are doing worse than girls. They are disciplined and diagnosed with learning disabilities at higher rates, their grades and test scores are lower, and they’re less likely to graduate from high school (Owens, J., Sociology of Education, Vol. 89, No. 3, 2016; Voyer, D., & Voyer, S. D., Psychological Bulletin, Vol. 140, No. 4, 2014; “The unreported gender gap in high school graduation rates,” Brookings, 2021). These disparities persist at the university level, where female enrollment now outpaces male enrollment by 16% (Undergraduate Enrollment, National Center for Education Statistics, 2022). “The gap between boys and girls is apparent from very early on,” said developmental psychologist Ioakim Boutakidis, PhD, a professor of child and adolescent studies at California State University, Fullerton. “The disparities not only exist across the board—from kindergarten all the way to college—but they are growing over time.” For boys of color, that gap is even larger. They face suspension and expulsion from school at almost five times the rate of their White male classmates and are even less likely to finish high school or college (“Exploring Boys’ (Mis)Behavior,” Society for the Psychological Study of Men and Masculinities, 2022 [PDF, 261KB]). The implications of these disparities are huge. Doing poorly at school is strongly associated with major challenges later in life, including addiction, mental and physical health problems, and involvement with the criminal justice system—problems that also have ripple effects on society at large. In the United States, getting at least a college degree may be the one remaining, relatively stable ticket to a decent life, Boutakidis said.

In a recent New York Times essay, “It’s Become Increasingly Hard for Them to Feel Good About Themselves,” Thomas Edsall reviews a variety of research studies highlighting the plight of young men in the United States. As a front-line educator who has worked in boys’ schools for 30 years and served as the head of a boys’ school for the past 20 years, I’ve been an unhappy witness to this dilemma. Data supports the claim that boys are falling behind, and dramatically so. For example, there is a growing gender gap in high school graduation rates. According to the Brooking Institution, in 2018, about 88% of girls graduated on time, compared with 82% of boys. For college enrollment, the gender gap is even more striking, with men now trailing women in higher education at record levels. Last year, women made up 60% of college students while men accounted for only 40%, according to statistics from the National Student Clearinghouse. College enrollment in the United States has declined by 1.5 million students over the past five years, with men accounting for 71% of that drop.

#education #civics #childhood #politics #original content

[sher-ee]

Hear him out.

“Church and State”

#donald trump #church and state #voting #politics #political #trump bible #vote blue #biden harris 2024 #civics #keep religion out of politics #separation of church and state #fuck the gop

[catvampire]

No option for "other" or about personal moral feelings on the matter, this is about what your relationship is with the legal act of voting.

Please put where you're from in the tags as well, I'm curious about how nationality and/or country of origin affects this!

#tumblr polls #politics #voting #personally: from finland and squarely in the 'civic duty' option #i'm not forced to do it but i consider it as one of my duties as a finnish citizen to vote for the betterment of the country #as a person to whom conscription doesn't apply for a number of reasons it's arguably my most important duty

[chucksrus84]

El** Musty just bought twitter a few hours ago. You know what, f**k him. We have 11 days to go. I'll keep fighting until the wheels come off. If anyone is registered to vote, VOTE as early as possible. We have 11 days to vote Democrats in Senate, House and in Gubernatorial races. The last day to vote for the midterms is on election day, November 8, 2022. Get out there and VOTE. You, the people, are stronger than you know. You all can do this and always remember, your VOTE is your VOICE. Vote.

P.S.: Make sure to drop your ballots off directly at the post office.

This is our last chance.

If Republicans gain power in the Senate and House, I'm not sure what's going to happen afterwards or if we (women, senior citizens, people of color and especially Black people) will be safe. I don't even think the news organizations who are helping Republicans by blocking every Democratic message out there, fully understand that they won't be safe either.

So please, vote early. Vote now. Vote in-person or vote by mail. Get your friends and family members to vote for Democrats. Vote until the last day of voting on election day, November 8.

Vote. Vote. Vote.

#midterms #early in-person voting #mail-in ballots #November 8 #politics and civics #black twitter #senate democrats #house democrats #joe biden #vice president kamala harris #black women matter #black lives matter #abortion rights #reproductive rights #civil rights #equal rights #vote

[zenosanalytic]

Road Rage

Ok so here's the thing: people will say "driving the speed limit is unsafe", but why do they say that?

Because everyone around you is driving faster.

And why is everyone around you driving faster?

Because people will drive at the speed which feels "natural" for a road, and the lanes are wide and smooth and straight, with no obstructions to either side and open sky above("for safety"), all of which encourages fast driving. So why isn't that "Natural" speed the speed-limit instead?

For two main reasons:

in the US we use an absolutely moronic method for determining the "proper" speed for a road

because in the US we build fast(I mean 50+mph here but REALLY I should mean 30+mph) roads right through neighborhoods and commercial districts, which means entry/exits right onto that road from them and frequent traffic lights and the necessity of making allowances for ppl not in cars(ie peds and cyclists), and the official speed can only be so high through such areas and still meet US legal(note: NOT ACTUAL) standards for "safety".

So in the US we have a situation where the posted speed for EVERY ROAD(and Im just using the term generally in this post for all driving surfaces; streets, parkways, drives, highways, whathaveyou) is far lower than the road is built for, and people are just supposed to KNOW this even though no driving instructor teaches it, Know to ignore speed limits and match their speed to everyone else, but also if you drive like this and a cop sees you they can totally pull you over whether it's creating a safety issue or not(Im sure that doesn't lead to any sort of systemic abuse of authority or anything).

So the answer's simple and right at the top of the post; you drive "the speed of traffic" and you're safe, right?

WRONG! WRONG WRONG WRONGWRONGWRONG!!!!!!

But why wrong?

Remember the road features which determine "natural speed"? The wider, smoother, straighter and more open a road is, the faster people will drive on it. But it also makes them pay less attention cuz it's so "safe" and drive more recklessly cuz it's so "safe". THIS is how unsafe roads make "unsafe" drivers.

You can do everything "right". You can drive with traffic, signal early, attempt visual communication with other drivers, keep your eyes open and always concede the lane to those CLEARLY driving dangerously; do EVERYTHING they teach you in defensive driving... And you will STILL get rear-ended by someone looking at their phone too long behind you who didn't notice the light had turned red(on a road that never should have had even ONE traffic light on it in the first place, and which residential never should have been allowed to abut in the first place). You will STILL get t-boned by the guy who "always" blazes through that intersection because "nobody ever uses it". You will STILL find yourself on the business end of one of thousands of different potentially life-ending scenarios like this.

And it won't be because these people are "unsafe drivers" anymore than it will be because YOU Were going 50 in a 50 zone. It will be because we have a 50mph-rated road, built like a 75mph highway, right up against businesses and people's homes rather than being separated from them by frontage roads like it should be(not that US frontages are any safer), with no obstructions between them and ppl's backyard fences "for safety"(who cares if it makes it less safe for everyone not in a car), and not so much as partial turnoff lanes for entry and exit onto said highway-pretending-not-to-be-one. It will be because our roads are dangerous, our signage is wrong, and our laws are DESIGNED to be discriminatory and unsafe. It will be because our roads are dangerous on purpose.

If you are driving on US roads, you are in danger. Do what you feel is best to mitigate it, certainly educate yourself about that subject, but know that you will NEVER reduce that danger to a reasonable level. I belabor this because it's important that everyone understand the danger of US roads is not something anyone can fix or mitigate with their personal driving behavior. It is a political problem, and it must be fixed with political behavior.

So: Get involved. Educate Yourself on This Issue. Learn about candidates, what they have to say about road design, whose money is backing them, and then distribute your support accordingly. Meet people in your community and band together to go to city council meetings and have those of you who can speak in front of others complain about this at least once a week. "Road Safety" is one of the biggest public safety issues in the United States today. Carcentric civic design is LITERALLY KILLING US, in about half a dozen ways, and the Republican Party, as Fucking always, is not only dedicated to preventing us from fixing it, but dedicated to actively making it worse. I haven't even touched on increasing vehicle-size in all this. The idea of road deaths as anyone's personal failing, as someone's fault, distracts us into prisons and punishment and blaming victims, and away from doing what we need to do to actually stop road deaths from happening, which is Politics. The laws need to change or people will keep dying.

tl;dr: Roads should be narrower, rougher, built to be MUCH slower, crowded by trees, and much less common.

#zA Posts #zA Rants #Roads #Carcentric Design #Civic Infrastructure #Politics #US Politics #Road Discourse #Car Discourse #Rhetoric #cantankerous posts #zA's Inveterate Politicism

[indigerizz]

help me guys

okay so I know this is random but someone pleaseeee help me with my civics project 😭 I have to create a third party and write about it. I have no ideas what to name it but can someone help me come up with a name? It has to make sense too and I have to be able to explain why I named it that. also I’m sorry just ignore the ship tags I’m desperate for an answer so I’m using whatever I can 💀

#jjk #jujutsu kaisen #chainsaw man #csm #itafushi #nobamaki #satosugu #choso #chosoyuki #civics #third political party #Democrat #politics #advice #help plz #gear 5 luffy #one piece #denji hayakawa #spider devil #power #nanami kento #higuruma hiromi #oppenheimer #college #miguel o'hara #quanxi #neytiri te tskaha mo'at'ite #jake sully #grace augustine #gojo satoru

[writing-with-olive]

So as we're heading into the American primaries, now is a super good time to see if you're registered to vote. Remember: even if you've been registered in the past, it's possible you've been removed from the registry without being notified. Go check.

Also, now's a really good time to put into your calendar when the relevant dates are for voting. If you plan on voting for election day, this link lists when that is in your state.

Note that voter ID laws may have changed since last time you voted. This map by ballotpedia shows the requirements by state. These rules may be different in the event that you are showing up to register and vote at the same time.

If you're unhappy with all of the options, remember that voting is not the only form of civic engagement you can engage in - getting engaged in your local community is still very much an option that is on the table and is effective. Voting and community organizing are not mutually exclusive acts. While the presidential race is the most prominent it is not the only race that's happening, and that local races that will affect your life far more directly are also on the ballot. Go vote.

#2024 primary #2024 election #politics #civic engagement #voting #voter registration #early voting #voting day #absentee ballot #voter id laws #voter id #american politics #democrat #republican #swing state #unlikely voter #democracy #presidential race #municipal elections #state elections

[bittsandpieces]

dating someone who is now your boss and who you also only have vanilla sex with seems awful i hope it all works out well for you 💖

Ngl I've kinda started planning out when I'm going to break up with him but it truly has to wait at least a little while because of various factors (like the job and the fact that I desperately want to move back to my hometown and have only stayed here this long because of him). I feel shitty staying with him when I know I'm going to end it, but I do love him and just don't see another way right now....

#bitts answers #ngl its partly the above issues but also #we just have wildly different long term goals #he wants to work in large scale politics and thatll require him to live in a civic center #i need to live within a half hour drive of my parents again or im going to kill myself. you see the problem

[petiolata]

Voting accomplished ✌️ I was #36 at my polling location. By contrast, during statewide elections, I'm often in the 200s.

Turn out for your tiny local elections...the smaller the election, the more weight your vote has.

#politics #voting #local elections #municipal politics #civic duty #personal #op #“I dont feel it's right to vote for schoolboard bc I dont have kids!” they are literally trying to bring back corporal punishment in schools #it's ALWAYS right to vote against kids being legally physically abused by authority figures. like yes DO meddle in other ppls parenting if #THAT is how they want to parent their kids #ain't no way my tax dollars should be being used to fund salaries for someone who wants to paddle students #cw child abuse