You can’t go to work, to the MALL, to the grocery store, to your church, to the movies or the bank.
You can’t attend a concert, go to a dance class or go to see your doctor. You can’t ring a doorbell, use a leaf blower, hop in a car, pull down a driveway, bounce a ball, or ask the neighbor to keep it down.
You can’t check out a farmer’s market or mail something at the post office or go to a parade, and you certainly can’t send your kids to school without worrying that someone will get shot.
That someone you LOVE will get shot.
Or that YOU will get shot.
This is where we are now.
This is not normal.
And this is not fucking ok.
It’s NOT fucking ok.
It fills me with such pride and joy to announce that my version of Speak Now will be out July 7 (just in time for July 9th, iykyk 😆) I first made Speak Now, completely self-written, between the ages of 18 and 20. The songs that came from this time in my life were marked by their brutal honesty, unfiltered diaristic confessions and wild wistfulness. I love this album because it tells a tale of growing up, flailing, flying and crashing… and living to speak about it. With six extra songs I’ve sprung loose from the vault, I absolutely cannot wait to celebrate Speak Now (Taylor’s Version) with you on July 7th. Pre-order now at https://t.co/m3KNl71qrY 💜💜💜
This month in the US, people were shot for ringing the wrong doorbell, getting into the wrong car, using a leaf blower, delivering food to the wrong address, driving into the wrong driveway, and for asking a neighbor to stop shooting so a baby could sleep.
It’s the fucking guns.
So let me get this straight. Morgan Wallen gets shit faced the night before his concert, has to have his stomach pumped, let's 80000 people enter the stadium while knowing he can't perform, let's them buy liquor and merch to make a extra $ and then cancels 2 minutes before show?
A 16 year old was shot for ringing the wrong doorbell.
A 20 year old was shot and killed for driving down the wrong driveway.
An 18 year old is in critical condition for trying to get into the wrong car.
And a 6 year old and her dad were shot because her basketball rolled onto the wrong lawn.
In a nation armed to the teeth & perpetually primed for war, these tragedies are only going to happen more often, not less.
What the hell are we doing?
A 9 year-old girl lost her life trying to pull the fire alarm to warn other students in a mass shooting. Yet, a congressmen from her state the very next day said ‘there’s nothing you can do’ and basically said that’s why he home schools his kids. The 9 year old had more bravery.
We are at our breaking point. We can’t keep taking the abuse or the lack of respect. We can’t keep adhering to broken educational policies CREATED BY GOVERNMENT without our voice or consent. Politicians NEVER get blamed for failed initiatives or low test scores, but we do. 4/
Instead, politicians hire out of state consultants working for big education companies while largely ignoring the teachers here at home. We are the most qualified to discuss the needs of our students and teachers, not a salesman or even school district central office rep. 3/
We are tired of being treated like public enemies anytime we speak up for our students or profession. We are in the classrooms daily with these students. We know their educational needs better than politicians in any capital building, yet we rarely are invited to the table. 2/
Dear Republicans,
No one is teaching your kindergartener “CRT”.
No one is telling them to be ashamed of their whiteness or “grooming” them to be gay or transgender.
And no one is encouraging them to identify as furries.
People are lying to you.
In order to scare you.
The end.
Teachers should not have to practice barricading a classroom.
Teachers should not have to know how to treat a gunshot wound.
And teachers should not be told that lives would have been saved if only they had a gun.
Forced birth in a country with:
—No universal healthcare
—No universal childcare
—No paid family & medical leave
—One of the highest rates of maternal mortality among rich nations
This isn't about "life." It's about control.