Hi, all, and happy Sunday! You’ve worked hard all week helping to bend the arc of democracy, as it were, in the right direction. You’ve earned a reward! So here it is: all the good news I could find from the previous seven days. (At least as much as Substack would let me squeeze in). Enjoy!
Ciao Jessica I can't tell you how much your weekly list of good things means to me. It's a blessing in my inbox every Sunday. Thanks for all you do and thanks to this wonderful tireless community making small and big changes in the world
Ciao from Italy! Thanks for this Wes! To all Jessica Craven fans If you are living abroad or know someone who is tell them to mark their calendars 15 January is International Voter Registration Day! US citizens must request their overseas ballots annually.
So appreciate the road range of progressive efforts you report! Of course, we MUST keep actively working on intelligent solutions. BUT, news about climate efforts, unionization and international collaboration is great! Maybe-just maybe-people are no longer being passive! 💙
Dear Jessica, a lot of good news, but I'm left aghast by what's happening in Gaza. This is not to discount what happened on Oct. 7th, which was a horror. But 18,000+ people, mostly innocents have died in Gaza,. many more are starving and suffering disease, and so many homes and so much infrastructure are being reduced to rubble. Human Rights Watch and others have pointed to likely war crimes, and the U.S. is complicit (we supplied most of the munitions). How do we justify the kind of killing and destruction taking place, something which the Biden Administration is complicit in? So many Democrats are disturbed, this frankly is the one issue that could condemn us to a Trump dictatorship in 2024 because many will have difficulty voting again for President Biden. I've written countless letters to President Biden, my senators (Markey and Warren), and Congresswoman Katherine Clarke and I've gotten a couple of perfunctory nonresponses in reply or nothing at all. I used to work with some of the people in this administration when Biden was V.P. and I am beyond being flabbergasted and disgusted. What have we come to and what are we supposed to do with our humanitarian values when they are so challenged by what's happening in Gaza? I don't expect you to have answers, but I am curious how you think about this in the context of your own activism. Best wishes,
It is, indeed, a nightmare. Having said that, I feel like Biden, Blinken, Harris and other administration officials are trying extremely hard to get Bibi to stop the attacks on civilians--their words are growing stronger by the day, and we really have no idea what's going on behind the scenes but I'd imagine we'd be surprised at how hard Biden is fighting Bibi on his current strategy. Ultimately he only has so much power over him. But I think the next step has to be denying funding until the bombardment stops, and that's what we'll be calling for this week. I don't come to this lightly but there really is no way to justify this level of slaughter anymore, and the U.S really needs to condition aid on its stopping. I think this will be tough to get Republicans to sign off on--they are far more willing to allow this carnage to continue than Biden is, but I think we need to get loud. I agree--it's unconscionable. AND I think blaming Biden for all of it is utterly oversimplifying the situation. Not to mention that if Trump were in office right now the death toll would be twice what it is. It's not to say that ANY civilian deaths are acceptable, but I do think Biden is counseling way more restraint than any Republican president would be. But yes, heartbreaking and disgusting. All of these power-mad men with their insane need for dominance wreaking havoc on people who just want to live...a crime.
This may be a little too tactful w respect to Republicans: The (presumptive) Republican nominee has not urged any restraint on Bibi. He has expressed no concern about civilians in Israel, Ukraine or Gaza, AFAIK. His statements are incoherent at best. Republicans at large have fully endorsed Putin's invasion of Ukraine, disregarding civilian deaths there, as they said even today, when they suggested Ukraine just give up.
I hear you, Jessica, and I'm completely aware both that a return of Trump would be a complete disaster AND there are those in the Biden administration, including VP Harris, urging restraint on Israel. But juxtapose the urging of restraint with the UN Security Council veto on a ceasefire and the latest move to send $100M+ in tank shells to Israel, and we have a lot of disgusted Democrats who may sit out the next election. I don't have any answers.
Republicans just blocked a funding bill with millions in humanitarian assistance to provide emergency food, water, shelter, and basic services to civilians in Gaza and the West Bank and Ukraine. They are openly standing with Russia and Iran, which are friends of Hamas. Weakening Biden, who is trying to keep WW3 from starting, seems unwise. It is a gift to Russia, Iran and Hamas, who are menacing Israeli civilians. This is a horror several times over. It's awful. But Gaza is not the only issue: Biden is the force keeping Ukraine from being slaughtered and Europe from a Russian nightmare. If Biden is weakened or defeated, Ukraine goes with him - and it does nothing to help Gaza.
Human Rights Watch reports that Russia has brutalized or killed thousands of civilians in Ukraine since 2022, including by bombing of civilian areas and hospitals. Republicans are openly supporting Russia, including today, when one Senator said Ukraine should give up. Biden is not letting that happen.
Thank you once again, Jessica - you rock!! And I have to say, I too choked up reading Hadley's story. What a remarkable young lady! I'm looking for her to be a force to be reckoned with, and I'll bet she uses YOU as a role model for her activism. As I tell my granddaughter all the time, "Girl Power!!"
Waking up this Monday morning to this list- this one made me smile and SNL made me laugh. Thanks Jess!
“The newly appointed president of the de-radicalized Central Bucks school board in Pennsylvania (we helped flip it!) was sworn in on a pile of banned books.”
Thank you Jessica for all the work you’ve done for us!
It's a pleasure.
Ciao Jessica I can't tell you how much your weekly list of good things means to me. It's a blessing in my inbox every Sunday. Thanks for all you do and thanks to this wonderful tireless community making small and big changes in the world
❤️❤️❤️ thank you, Kelly!
Thanks all!
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Millions of voters are eligible to vote this way, but they may not know it!
Yes! Vote From Abroad is one of the best resources I know of!
Ciao from Italy! Thanks for this Wes! To all Jessica Craven fans If you are living abroad or know someone who is tell them to mark their calendars 15 January is International Voter Registration Day! US citizens must request their overseas ballots annually.
So appreciate the road range of progressive efforts you report! Of course, we MUST keep actively working on intelligent solutions. BUT, news about climate efforts, unionization and international collaboration is great! Maybe-just maybe-people are no longer being passive! 💙
Oh, I think many, many people are extremely fired up.
Thank you for this list and for everything you do!!
Thank YOU, Robin, for being in our little army!
Dear Jessica, a lot of good news, but I'm left aghast by what's happening in Gaza. This is not to discount what happened on Oct. 7th, which was a horror. But 18,000+ people, mostly innocents have died in Gaza,. many more are starving and suffering disease, and so many homes and so much infrastructure are being reduced to rubble. Human Rights Watch and others have pointed to likely war crimes, and the U.S. is complicit (we supplied most of the munitions). How do we justify the kind of killing and destruction taking place, something which the Biden Administration is complicit in? So many Democrats are disturbed, this frankly is the one issue that could condemn us to a Trump dictatorship in 2024 because many will have difficulty voting again for President Biden. I've written countless letters to President Biden, my senators (Markey and Warren), and Congresswoman Katherine Clarke and I've gotten a couple of perfunctory nonresponses in reply or nothing at all. I used to work with some of the people in this administration when Biden was V.P. and I am beyond being flabbergasted and disgusted. What have we come to and what are we supposed to do with our humanitarian values when they are so challenged by what's happening in Gaza? I don't expect you to have answers, but I am curious how you think about this in the context of your own activism. Best wishes,
It is, indeed, a nightmare. Having said that, I feel like Biden, Blinken, Harris and other administration officials are trying extremely hard to get Bibi to stop the attacks on civilians--their words are growing stronger by the day, and we really have no idea what's going on behind the scenes but I'd imagine we'd be surprised at how hard Biden is fighting Bibi on his current strategy. Ultimately he only has so much power over him. But I think the next step has to be denying funding until the bombardment stops, and that's what we'll be calling for this week. I don't come to this lightly but there really is no way to justify this level of slaughter anymore, and the U.S really needs to condition aid on its stopping. I think this will be tough to get Republicans to sign off on--they are far more willing to allow this carnage to continue than Biden is, but I think we need to get loud. I agree--it's unconscionable. AND I think blaming Biden for all of it is utterly oversimplifying the situation. Not to mention that if Trump were in office right now the death toll would be twice what it is. It's not to say that ANY civilian deaths are acceptable, but I do think Biden is counseling way more restraint than any Republican president would be. But yes, heartbreaking and disgusting. All of these power-mad men with their insane need for dominance wreaking havoc on people who just want to live...a crime.
This may be a little too tactful w respect to Republicans: The (presumptive) Republican nominee has not urged any restraint on Bibi. He has expressed no concern about civilians in Israel, Ukraine or Gaza, AFAIK. His statements are incoherent at best. Republicans at large have fully endorsed Putin's invasion of Ukraine, disregarding civilian deaths there, as they said even today, when they suggested Ukraine just give up.
I hear you, Jessica, and I'm completely aware both that a return of Trump would be a complete disaster AND there are those in the Biden administration, including VP Harris, urging restraint on Israel. But juxtapose the urging of restraint with the UN Security Council veto on a ceasefire and the latest move to send $100M+ in tank shells to Israel, and we have a lot of disgusted Democrats who may sit out the next election. I don't have any answers.
Yeah I called my Rep today about that armament sale. Outrageous.
Republicans just blocked a funding bill with millions in humanitarian assistance to provide emergency food, water, shelter, and basic services to civilians in Gaza and the West Bank and Ukraine. They are openly standing with Russia and Iran, which are friends of Hamas. Weakening Biden, who is trying to keep WW3 from starting, seems unwise. It is a gift to Russia, Iran and Hamas, who are menacing Israeli civilians. This is a horror several times over. It's awful. But Gaza is not the only issue: Biden is the force keeping Ukraine from being slaughtered and Europe from a Russian nightmare. If Biden is weakened or defeated, Ukraine goes with him - and it does nothing to help Gaza.
Not to mention the Muslim ban that will immediately be put into effect should Trump be elected.
Human Rights Watch reports that Russia has brutalized or killed thousands of civilians in Ukraine since 2022, including by bombing of civilian areas and hospitals. Republicans are openly supporting Russia, including today, when one Senator said Ukraine should give up. Biden is not letting that happen.
You’re quoting the Hamas health ministry because they’re so notoriously honest. The racism is always in the “but.”
Thank you once again, Jessica - you rock!! And I have to say, I too choked up reading Hadley's story. What a remarkable young lady! I'm looking for her to be a force to be reckoned with, and I'll bet she uses YOU as a role model for her activism. As I tell my granddaughter all the time, "Girl Power!!"
Thank you, Daniel!
Waking up this Monday morning to this list- this one made me smile and SNL made me laugh. Thanks Jess!
“The newly appointed president of the de-radicalized Central Bucks school board in Pennsylvania (we helped flip it!) was sworn in on a pile of banned books.”
I know that one might have been my favorite.