Hi, all, and happy Sunday. It’s been another tough week—another week in which we could all use a reminder that, as bad it is, everything isn’t bad everywhere. So let’s take a break from calling Virginia voters (see what I did there?) and bask in the successes we enjoyed.
Nov 5, 2023·edited Nov 5, 2023Liked by Jessica Craven
"And hold onto the hand of your wife Jill with every scintilla of love that's between you."
~ Lucian K. Truscott IV
If only we had the eyes to see, and the heart, to place our attention on what matters. If only we would love with every scintilla of our being ... O what a world it would be.
Thank you, Jess, for sharing this beautiful article by Lucian Truscott. And thank you, Jess, for showing us love every day.
can’t imagine the research you have to do to find all of these amazing, hopeful stories. I have begun to make a ritual of reading them and then sharing with the four women in my 35 year old women’s group. we are all activists and we are being challenged mightily these days.
After spending six days of dismal news, dismal polls, your Sunday newsletter is the highlight - seeing so many positive things happening renews my hope that we can all weather this. Thank you!
Nov 5, 2023·edited Nov 5, 2023Liked by Jessica Craven
Gwen Levey NAILED it with her song. Pez Dispenser, indeed. And the kneeling by the bed imagery. Saw MAGA Mike's wife in that scene. Ugh!!
One update: Trump's DC gag order was stayed on Friday until at least Nov. 20 (3 weeks!!) for oral arguments before the US Court of Appeals for the DC circuit. I can't believe he is getting such incredible velvet-glove treatment. The judicial system is creaking and groaning and slowly weakening before our very eyes. These judges are creating dangerous precedent for future defendants, IMHO.
Thanks so much for your wonderful infusion of good news. What a welcome and uplifting gift it is.
I’m leading the Swing Blue trip to Virginia and we are generating our own good news when we return to campaign headquarters each night and talk about the successes we had knocking doors.
We don’t know how this election will turn out but we know we did everything in our power to help our Democratic candidates in Suffolk VA win their races. As they say, we’re not leaving anything on the field.
And I couldn’t be more grateful, Berl. I talked about the great work. You guys are doing a couple days ago in the newsletter. You’re inspiring and motivating all of us so much. Thank you.
I was looking forward to “reading” your take, but alas, you don’t have the listening option available. Is someone who has trouble reading due to eyestrain, I will have to leave it for others, who are bored, visually able.
It offers me the opportunity to do a voiceover or audio embedding, but not text-to-speech. Apparently, that's available in beta form, so I requested it. I'd record my own, but even I don't like listening to me!
Yes indeed. We were thrilled to see you highlight our work in VA. A big thank you for that wonderful shout out. We don’t have the exact numbers yet, but it looks like we’ve knocked about 3000 doors in our 3 days of canvassing. We’ll send you our exact stats as soon as we get them.
“First Solar is building a $1.1 billion solar-panel factory in Alabama in the reddest district in America.”
I live across the river and 2 counties east of Courtland. Its a rural, formerly agrarian piece of ground. The paper mill was located there because vast areas of cotton fields were turned over to pine tree plantations to feed the paper mill. The plant closed more than a decade ago supposedly for lack of paper demand in the increasingly electronic communications world. The residual tax base would not have had the capacity to maintain in good repair the industrial scale water supply and electrical distribution networks for a dormant facilty. The pattern in North AL for industrial development is, that to attract a major facility, the county promises to bear the costs of road and infrastructure upgrades and forgives in advance any property taxes associated with the capital development for at least a generation or two. The local population will be saddled with that. The county princes somehow think the workforce will make the wages to bear those tax burdens.
Two really big flies in that ointment: 1. AL is a “right to work for less state” with a very hostile attitude toward unions; i.e, the tax base doesn’t grow in proportion to the obligations the county powers-that-be claim will follow; 2. The dirty little secret about this region (and many others like it) is the widespread opioid and crystal meth addiction makes it very difficult to build a steady workforce that will come to work 5 days a week.
Governor Kay “Meemaw” Ivey would much rather build another $1.1 BILLION prison like the one recently contracted using post-Covid recovery money.
Point is, nice as it sounds, there won’t be any fading of the red in return for this investment in my lifetime.
Walmart & McDonalds have more employees receiving welfare, SNAP, etc. than any other companies in the country. Walmart has a group in their HR department to help people file. What Walmart needs to do is stop putting small local grocers out of business and then pulling out of markets creating food deserts AND PAY PEOPLE LIVING WAGES. The father was infinitely better than the children.
"And hold onto the hand of your wife Jill with every scintilla of love that's between you."
~ Lucian K. Truscott IV
If only we had the eyes to see, and the heart, to place our attention on what matters. If only we would love with every scintilla of our being ... O what a world it would be.
Thank you, Jess, for sharing this beautiful article by Lucian Truscott. And thank you, Jess, for showing us love every day.
Isn't it lovely? And you're so welcome, Jean! Back at you!
can’t imagine the research you have to do to find all of these amazing, hopeful stories. I have begun to make a ritual of reading them and then sharing with the four women in my 35 year old women’s group. we are all activists and we are being challenged mightily these days.
It's worth it--it keeps me constantly scanning for good news, and now I have a couple of readers who help!
After spending six days of dismal news, dismal polls, your Sunday newsletter is the highlight - seeing so many positive things happening renews my hope that we can all weather this. Thank you!
I'm really glad it helped.
Gwen Levey NAILED it with her song. Pez Dispenser, indeed. And the kneeling by the bed imagery. Saw MAGA Mike's wife in that scene. Ugh!!
One update: Trump's DC gag order was stayed on Friday until at least Nov. 20 (3 weeks!!) for oral arguments before the US Court of Appeals for the DC circuit. I can't believe he is getting such incredible velvet-glove treatment. The judicial system is creaking and groaning and slowly weakening before our very eyes. These judges are creating dangerous precedent for future defendants, IMHO.
I know. Silly but true.
Oh and as for the gag order, yes, it's absurd. He doesn't deserve this much leeway.
Hi Jessica,
Thanks so much for your wonderful infusion of good news. What a welcome and uplifting gift it is.
I’m leading the Swing Blue trip to Virginia and we are generating our own good news when we return to campaign headquarters each night and talk about the successes we had knocking doors.
We don’t know how this election will turn out but we know we did everything in our power to help our Democratic candidates in Suffolk VA win their races. As they say, we’re not leaving anything on the field.
And I couldn’t be more grateful, Berl. I talked about the great work. You guys are doing a couple days ago in the newsletter. You’re inspiring and motivating all of us so much. Thank you.
Nice, inspiring piece from Lucian Truscott, Jess! If you're interested, here's my take on the age debate: https://open.substack.com/pub/bobmorgan/p/age-of-reason
This is great, Bob. Agree with every word!
Thanks, Jess!
I was looking forward to “reading” your take, but alas, you don’t have the listening option available. Is someone who has trouble reading due to eyestrain, I will have to leave it for others, who are bored, visually able.
sorry that should have said 'more visually able". I don't think it's about mastery but perhaps you can help Bob figure it out, Jessica
So sorry, Janie. I haven't mastered that medium.
Substack should offer an option to do it automatically, no? Mine does it for me. Maybe ask tech support?
It offers me the opportunity to do a voiceover or audio embedding, but not text-to-speech. Apparently, that's available in beta form, so I requested it. I'd record my own, but even I don't like listening to me!
This is just me passing on good news to you and your readers, since I appreciate your good news so much:
https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2023/nov/06/drc-offers-free-maternity-care-to-cut-death-rate-among-mothers-and-babies (courtesy Mona Eltahawy at Feminist Giant)
Love it and added it for Sunday thanks!
I’m sure probably read Robert Ric
I’m sure you probably read Robert Reich Substack newsletter but in case you missed it. In this terrible moment, his words felt very good. Keep up the good work https://open.substack.com/pub/robertreich/p/my-children?r=4glcp&utm_medium=ios&utm_campaign=post
I read that this morning. Beautiful and so on point.
Yes indeed. We were thrilled to see you highlight our work in VA. A big thank you for that wonderful shout out. We don’t have the exact numbers yet, but it looks like we’ve knocked about 3000 doors in our 3 days of canvassing. We’ll send you our exact stats as soon as we get them.
“First Solar is building a $1.1 billion solar-panel factory in Alabama in the reddest district in America.”
I live across the river and 2 counties east of Courtland. Its a rural, formerly agrarian piece of ground. The paper mill was located there because vast areas of cotton fields were turned over to pine tree plantations to feed the paper mill. The plant closed more than a decade ago supposedly for lack of paper demand in the increasingly electronic communications world. The residual tax base would not have had the capacity to maintain in good repair the industrial scale water supply and electrical distribution networks for a dormant facilty. The pattern in North AL for industrial development is, that to attract a major facility, the county promises to bear the costs of road and infrastructure upgrades and forgives in advance any property taxes associated with the capital development for at least a generation or two. The local population will be saddled with that. The county princes somehow think the workforce will make the wages to bear those tax burdens.
Two really big flies in that ointment: 1. AL is a “right to work for less state” with a very hostile attitude toward unions; i.e, the tax base doesn’t grow in proportion to the obligations the county powers-that-be claim will follow; 2. The dirty little secret about this region (and many others like it) is the widespread opioid and crystal meth addiction makes it very difficult to build a steady workforce that will come to work 5 days a week.
Governor Kay “Meemaw” Ivey would much rather build another $1.1 BILLION prison like the one recently contracted using post-Covid recovery money.
Point is, nice as it sounds, there won’t be any fading of the red in return for this investment in my lifetime.
Walmart & McDonalds have more employees receiving welfare, SNAP, etc. than any other companies in the country. Walmart has a group in their HR department to help people file. What Walmart needs to do is stop putting small local grocers out of business and then pulling out of markets creating food deserts AND PAY PEOPLE LIVING WAGES. The father was infinitely better than the children.