Overflow crowd in West Lafayette contemplates ways to push back on Trump administration, asks when Rep. Jim Baird will meet with constituents to hear their frustrations.
I'm glad people are hosting these events. I do not trust Elon Musk or any of this DOGE stuff. It's frustrating to see that so many members of Congress have so few questions about the types of programs being cut.
My nephew did seasonal work for the forest service for years and was hired last year with a full time position. Then an oligarch came along with a chainsaw prop to fire him. Maybe Musk should spend some time doing trail maintenance with the forest service with his big chainsaw.
It's one thing to be scared for my brown/black friends, LGBQT family and neighbors, and another to be enraged at the desecration of our Constitution. This is not the world that I have been working to raise my daughter in.
I suggest reading Herman Wouk's book, or watch the made-for-TV series "Winds of War," to get a feel for the political collapse of Europe in 1930s.
It offers an insight into the mood of American expats and Europeans (especially the Jews) pooh-poohing the actions of Hitler and his growth of the German war-machine.
While, I highly doubt such an extreme turn-over here in America during our era, I do think there could be a renewed era of:
"Bloody Kansas" of the 1850s, when pro-slavery and anti-slavery civilian gangs clashed in the Kansas territory,
"The Red Scare" of the 1920s, when the FBI with the aid of local law enforcement "kidnapped" foreigners and citizens alike alleged to be Communists, accusing many innocent people of trying to overthrow the government, and
Urban rioting of the 1960s and 1970s because of civil rights and the Vietnam conflict.
The MAGAts who love to cos-play gun-toting tough guys to quench their thirst for "liberal tears," seem to forget that non-MAGAs also have weapons.
I am NOT advocating violence.
But I experienced protest marches during the 60s and 70s, where violence broke out becuase of inept and/or overly enthusiastic police actions and anti-protestors wanting to beat-down members of the crowd. This would seem to be the most likely scenario.
Listening to the gathering at the library on Sunday brought to mind the line from the character, Howard Beale, in the movie 'Network,' pretty much summed up the attitude of attendees:
"I'm as mad as hell and I'm not going to take this anymore."
Also, the Bob Marley song, "Get Up, Stand Up came to mind, albeit, Bob was singing about the hypocrisy of Christianity used for suppressing the poor and powerless.
It did seem appropriate to remind us to stand-up to this national nightmare we are living through.
Don't shoot me prematurely. Read to the end. I take the point that Mr. Baird has been an absentee representative in terms of Greater Lafayette town halls, but it's maybe not legitimate to criticize him for not showing up to an event he didn't schedule and which was built for the very purpose of criticizing him. BUT, their is utility in the energy in that room as reported by Dave Bangert. Attendees, use that energy not just to vote, but to get elected to local office. Use that energy to organize behind a candidate that you feel will better represent our district. Harness. The last election was decided by the people who failed to show up at the polls, not by those who voted.
I will mention that at a mobile town Hall at the end of February if I remember correctly that Rep Baird was asked to schedule a town Hall in Tippecanoe County during the March Recess as he has been in office since 2018 and has never had one here. I don't even remember him doing any type of public campaigning in Tippecanoe County, though I could be incorrect on that.
Thank you to Dave Bangert for the great coverage, to those who organized this event, and to all who participated - on behalf of those of us who could not. I am so grateful to see our Greater Lafayette community rise to challenge the relentless attacks on the Constitution and attacks on the values (like kindness and support for our struggling neighbors) that we hold dear.
I'm glad people are hosting these events. I do not trust Elon Musk or any of this DOGE stuff. It's frustrating to see that so many members of Congress have so few questions about the types of programs being cut.
My nephew did seasonal work for the forest service for years and was hired last year with a full time position. Then an oligarch came along with a chainsaw prop to fire him. Maybe Musk should spend some time doing trail maintenance with the forest service with his big chainsaw.
It's one thing to be scared for my brown/black friends, LGBQT family and neighbors, and another to be enraged at the desecration of our Constitution. This is not the world that I have been working to raise my daughter in.
I suggest reading Herman Wouk's book, or watch the made-for-TV series "Winds of War," to get a feel for the political collapse of Europe in 1930s.
It offers an insight into the mood of American expats and Europeans (especially the Jews) pooh-poohing the actions of Hitler and his growth of the German war-machine.
While, I highly doubt such an extreme turn-over here in America during our era, I do think there could be a renewed era of:
"Bloody Kansas" of the 1850s, when pro-slavery and anti-slavery civilian gangs clashed in the Kansas territory,
"The Red Scare" of the 1920s, when the FBI with the aid of local law enforcement "kidnapped" foreigners and citizens alike alleged to be Communists, accusing many innocent people of trying to overthrow the government, and
Urban rioting of the 1960s and 1970s because of civil rights and the Vietnam conflict.
The MAGAts who love to cos-play gun-toting tough guys to quench their thirst for "liberal tears," seem to forget that non-MAGAs also have weapons.
I am NOT advocating violence.
But I experienced protest marches during the 60s and 70s, where violence broke out becuase of inept and/or overly enthusiastic police actions and anti-protestors wanting to beat-down members of the crowd. This would seem to be the most likely scenario.
Listening to the gathering at the library on Sunday brought to mind the line from the character, Howard Beale, in the movie 'Network,' pretty much summed up the attitude of attendees:
"I'm as mad as hell and I'm not going to take this anymore."
Also, the Bob Marley song, "Get Up, Stand Up came to mind, albeit, Bob was singing about the hypocrisy of Christianity used for suppressing the poor and powerless.
It did seem appropriate to remind us to stand-up to this national nightmare we are living through.
Don't shoot me prematurely. Read to the end. I take the point that Mr. Baird has been an absentee representative in terms of Greater Lafayette town halls, but it's maybe not legitimate to criticize him for not showing up to an event he didn't schedule and which was built for the very purpose of criticizing him. BUT, their is utility in the energy in that room as reported by Dave Bangert. Attendees, use that energy not just to vote, but to get elected to local office. Use that energy to organize behind a candidate that you feel will better represent our district. Harness. The last election was decided by the people who failed to show up at the polls, not by those who voted.
I will mention that at a mobile town Hall at the end of February if I remember correctly that Rep Baird was asked to schedule a town Hall in Tippecanoe County during the March Recess as he has been in office since 2018 and has never had one here. I don't even remember him doing any type of public campaigning in Tippecanoe County, though I could be incorrect on that.
Thank you to Dave Bangert for the great coverage, to those who organized this event, and to all who participated - on behalf of those of us who could not. I am so grateful to see our Greater Lafayette community rise to challenge the relentless attacks on the Constitution and attacks on the values (like kindness and support for our struggling neighbors) that we hold dear.
I like the energy. UNITE! We must oppose fascism in every way possible.