Many don’t realize that the first people Hitler sent to his concentration camps weren’t everyday Jewish citizens, but his political opponents. So, when Trump rants about retribution, locking up his opponents, and giving them “very long sentences,” I can’t help but take him seriously… because history teaches us that is what fascist dictators do during their “Day One” period to consolidate their power. (After all, if you’re hellbent on staying in power but aren’t likely to win the next election, you can’t have your political opponents running around free.)
To keep fascism out of our lives, vote for democracy!
Children locked inside homes, families terrified, teachers and city officials afraid to go to work.
This is what we might expect in a town taken hostage by terrorists, in another country.
But the country is ours, the town is my family’s, and the terrorists are American. /1 🧵
I’ve been fortunate to travel to many places in my life, & I wish more had those opportunities. It enriches your understanding of the complex, yet amazing, world we live in. Leadership, not isolation. Thank you, Rick, for the journeys & speaking out when we need to hear it most.
As a traveler, I'm both a proud American and a citizen of the world — and I've got a few thoughts on this coming election.
This election is deeper than partisanship. It's far more than Republican versus Democrat. In the future, big challenges like pandemics, refugees, and climate change will be blind to borders. They'll be everyone's problem and only solved by working together as a family of nations.
The world needs not American isolation, but American leadership. Not the chaos of Trump, but the stability of @KamalaHarris.
Of course, how you vote is your choice. But if you believe, as I do, in the importance of nations working together constructively, the stakes are really high...and the best candidate is clear. Register to vote today at https://t.co/ghTvEdFIEP — and encourage your travelin’ friends to do the same!
Let’s be clear: This is illegal and unconstitutional. The American people had voted. The courts had ruled. The Electoral College had met and voted. The Governor in every state had certified the results and sent a legal slate of electors to the Congress to be counted. The Vice President has no constitutional authority to tell states to submit alternative slates of electors because his candidate lost. That is tyranny. Our institutions held on Jan 6 because Mike Pence refused to violate his oath to the Constitution. Trump picked JD Vance because Vance will do whatever Trump wants, including violating the Constitution. They are both far too dangerous to serve. It’s our duty to stop them.
The shameful statements & ugliness from conservatives, who most claim to be religious people, continue to surprise me. We are truly fighting for the soul of this country. May the good people out there on both political sides, see this & realize this is not okay. I’m on #TeamGus !
It’s official! Salt Lake City will be hosting the 2034 Winter Olympic Games! #SLCUT2034
Proud of our role in this monumental occasion and looking forward to 2034! Learn more about our Olympic legacy at https://t.co/3xSgX1a9lr
@BrightHorizons But at a median income of $33k within your corp, they must be dedicated because they’re worth so much more. So my question is w/ our recent tuition increase, plus fees, we’re at $19,140/year for one child. One child!!! How much does that go toward increasing their salaries?
@BrightHorizons Here’s the thing @BrightHorizons , you’re promoting a small set of reviews that basically state what should be the absolute standard for child care. These should not be listed as an exceptional aspect of your services. And yes, caring teachers make all the difference…
On @ABCNewsLive just now, there was a dust up when I said that JD Vance wanted women to stay in violent marriages for the sake of their kids. Here is Vance's direct quote: /1
The largest take home for me is that so many Americans don’t realize just how much money exists at the top. I still have a hard time conceptually.
So when does it start trickling down to improve wages for the working class?
This is why “Make America Great Again” is so insulting. It wasn’t great, for a lot of folks, for a long time. The country moved forward. Stop trying to drag us back.
THREAD:
It can be easy to feel hopeless when it comes to ending gun violence in the United States. Believe me I know. But today I want to highlight some progress the movement has made the past 6 years since Parkland.
After Parkland everyone told us that nothing would change because it's Florida and Republicans will never support a new gun law. But the students from Parkland with @AMarch4OurLives led mass student walk outs at over 4000 schools demanding action on gun violence and marched by the millions around the country demanding those in power actually do something about gun violence in what was at the time the largest protest in American history.
Many adults said it wouldn’t change anything but it did. The Republican Legislature in Florida passed a red flag law and raised the age to buy a gun to 21.
That Red Flag law had been used over 12,000 times in Florida since parkland to disarm people who are a danger to themselves or others.
Here’s just three examples of how that Red Flag law has been used to disarm (mostly by Republican Sheriffs btw)
1. a dad accused of threatening to "shoot everyone" at his son's school
2. a woman who police say attempted suicide and then accidentally shot her boyfriend during a struggle for her revolver, a husband who allegedly fired multiple rounds in the street to "blow off steam" after losing a family member
3. a mother arrested for brandishing a handgun at another mom after a school bus incident between their daughters.
Similar gun laws have been passed in dozens of states since Parkland.
Then after Uvalde @AMarch4OurLives held the second March for our lives with over 50,000 in DC, 400+ marches around the country and protested with teachers and nurses and students outside key senators offices demanding they do something. And once again despite everyone saying nothing would change it did.
Congress actually passed the first federal gun law in 30 years The Bipartisan Safer Communities act (BSCA) this law
1. expanded background checks for those buying a gun under the age of 21
2. Put billions into violence prevention programs and mental health programs that work with at risk individuals to stop shootings before they happen
3. closed the "boyfriend loophole" by changing regulations on firearm purchases by those convicted of domestic violence. Previously, the law only regulated firearms purchases following domestic assault of a spouse or cohabitant. The bill expands this restriction to disqualify anyone found guilty of a domestic violence charge in a romantic relationship, regardless of marital status
4. It also made it a crime to make a straw purchase by purchasing a firearm on behalf of someone who is not permitted to purchase a firearm (crazy this wasn’t already the law)
5. It also put over 1 billion into school safety programs
Over 600 high risk individuals have been prevented from obtaining a firearm because of the BSCA
Later that year in 2022 March For Our Lives former organizing director and my friend who I helped run for Congress @MaxwellFrostFL WON becoming the first Gen Z in Congress and his first bill was to create the office of gun violence prevention March For Our Lives had pushed years for. And less than a year after his election I saw Maxwell intro the president at the rose garden for the creation of the office of GVP (@WHOGVP46)
Which has focused on making sure BSCA is implemented properly and the federal government is coordinated in its response to gun violence and we’re seeing results
The FBI just released the numbers for Q1 2024-
Murder decreased by 26.4%
Aggravated assault decreased by 12.5%
We have more work to do but we’re making progress. Don’t fall for the self fulfilling prophecy the NRA needs us to believe that nothing can be done about gun violence so we should just give up. The biggest threat to the success of the movement to end gun violence is the idea it’s impossible. Don’t fall for it.