There is only complicity

The house managers presented an indisputable case this week detailing the timeline of Trump’s culpability, a campaign of lies and manipulation that began well before January 6th. We saw the escalating violence of his words side by side with the very real and tangible violence of his followers. The link between and insurrection and its inciter is undeniable. And as David Frum noted in his op-ed, 

“There is no defense” for Trump or his Republican conspirators, “there is only complicity”.

It marks a critical moment in our collective history, one that has been accumulating for some 400 years in this country. Will we allow complicity to go unchecked? Or will we, once and for all, become accountable for the ways we have not just witnessed, but allowed for the horrific violence and dehumanization of real people. 

This is not just a moment for democracy. It’s a moment for all of us, to change course and choose to do something different. There is no more fair and democratic future under Biden or any other progressive leader if there is not true accountability and repair. 

We are all apart of this change moment. And we must rise to the occasion.

Kerri (she/her)

Art @scl_community

1. Lies enjoy little, if any, protection under the First Amendment. Freedom of speech doesn’t mean what Trump wants it to mean. [clicktotweet]

2. From anxiety to authoritarianism: The human “fight or flight” response gives demagogues like Trump a tool for political manipulation. But we could replace oppression with a system of care. [clicktotweet]

3. Make no mistake: our democracy faced a near-death experience. Stacey Abrams on how to go big and revive our democracy. [click to tweet]

4. We didn’t win by accident, we won on purpose. The Secret History of the Shadow Campaign That Saved the 2020 Election. [clicktotweet]

5. The state-sanctioned callous treatment of some of us as disposable has put everyone at risk. Where’s the vaccine for ableism? [clicktotweet]

For the last 2 months, farmers in India have been peacefully protesting three bills that the Indian government pass which aim to deregulate farming, opening it up to exploitation by large corporations. It is a revolutionary movement that has not only protested but created conditions of care. Anyone who has attended (estimated to be over a million) has received meals, medical aid, housing, washrooms showers and education. Protestors set up communal kitchens and hospitals for thousands, established schools for underprivileged kids and created grassroots newspaper to combat corrupt media. State police responded by attacking protestors with batons, tear gas, water cannons, bullets, blocked all communications by cutting off media and access to journalists, created false propaganda and stopped food and fresh water supply. Here’s how you can help: 

1. Amplify: Farmers are being silenced by the media. Amplify their voices and share content about the protest.

2. Protest: This is a global campaign. Showing up outside of India is crucial to the movement right now.

3. Boycott: Ambani and Adani are two of India’s super rich pandemic profiting billionaires who are behind the bills.

4. Educate: Learn more at kisaanekta.co and follow @sikhexpo @trolley_times_official

Content @coolspiritualguy

Anyone else feeling this? It’s not just you. A lot of us are hitting a pandemic wall right now. As we approach the one year anniversary of the pandemic (with no end in sight), it’s normal to feel fatigue, burnout and grief for the state of the world. I keep thinking the discomfort I’m feeling is impatience for things to return to normal…but what if it is actually the knowing that normal never was, that the world that we knew will never be again? Instead of waiting for the world to return to “normal”, what if we built the new world from where we are? From this place of stillness, we can find new ways to reach out to each other. We can speak the truth to our sadness so that others feel permission to do the same. We can explore new practices and strategies for collective care that bridge the gap of our isolation and offer healing to ourselves and one another. This grief is an opening. Lean in and let it show you a new way.

Love your people. Pay it forward.

Art and words @morganharpernichols

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