So now they want to come for the 504. If you don't know what a 504 is- here is an easy to follow slide presentation on Instagram to explain it to you. It's quick and easy.
Cripple Media - 504 Slide post
But I feel like most of the people I know have kids with a 504 so I'm going to assume most people know what it is. NJ isn't under attack at the moment but if we've learned anything in the last three weeks- YOU HAVE TO CARE ABOUT EVERYONE.
Today's Action:
Call your friends at your state senator's office and
demand that they address the Trump administration's seeming desire to
ignore the courts.
White House spokesperson Harrison Fields:
“Each executive order will hold up in court because every action of the
Trump-Vance administration is completely lawful. Any legal challenge
against it is nothing more than an attempt to undermine the will of the
American people.”
Vice President JD Vance (a graduate of Yale Law
School btw): "...Judges aren't allowed to control the executive's
legitimate power."
BOTH FALSE
The good news is that many
of Trump's illegal executive orders are starting to be challenged in
the courts. Currently, there are lawsuits against the administration in
the areas of immigration, budget freezes and firings, transgender
rights, and January 6 investigators. Many see the courts as the path of
most resistance to Trump's aggressive agenda. Already, the courts have
blocked some of Trump's actions. Alarmingly, the Trump administration
did not fully comply with at least two of these rulings so far. Concerns
are mounting that this administration will continue to ignore court
rulings and throw America into a Constitutional crisis. In America, we
operate on a system of trust that the government will work properly, and
if the administration blatantly ignores court orders, there is a very
limited course of action to stop them from doing so. The system of
checks and balances is at the core of our democracy, and its upset, in
this case giving more power to the Executive branch than others- as
outlined explicitly in Project 2025, would provide unleashed power to an
already dangerous administration.
Script:
Hi my name is
(NAME) and I'm calling from (CITY, STATE, ZIP). I am calling to ask
Senator (NAME) to do everything in his/her/their power to ensure that
the Trump administration follows court orders- specifically those
pertaining to the legality of his executive orders. I ask the senator to
speak out publicly, work on contingency plans in the event that the
administration does not comply, and reach across the aisle to save our
democracy. As a citizen, I am becoming increasingly concerned that the
power this administration is attempting to give the executive branch is
going unchecked, and I ask the senator to please address this important
issue. Thank you, (NAME)
*If you are leaving a voicemail include your full address so your call is tallied.
If you can't read the list I posted- here is a link to Senators and their phone numbers
***DUE TO SCHOOL BEING CLOSED 2/6, THERE WILL BE A SATURDAY MATINEE AT 1PM for the THURSDAY NIGHT TICKET HOLDERS!!**
Come out and support the amazingly talented kids in the Glen Rock High School Theater Company! Friday 2/7, Saturday 1pm, and the final show on Saturday 2/8 at 7p in the high school Auditorium.
Follow the theater company musical on Instagram so you can see what they're up to!
Glen Rock High School, 400 Hamilton Ave (auditorium door is on Harristown Rd), Glen Rock, NJ 07452
I have a page for this blog on FB where I share the entries there so people know there's a new one. I have NEVER had one taken down for spam before. Until TODAY. There were two "action" links in it, at the bottom, but it was 90% writing about how to remain calm and what you can do to feel less helpless as this administration continuously attacks every marginalized group alive.
Against Community Standards. That's what they called that post. They took it down, yet, when I go to my page "issues" or "restrictions" and there are not. So it basically went *poof* into thin air and that was it.
I don't know what to say except that we're fucked. We're seriously fucked. Just know there's probably a new post here, with more ways to part of the solution vs the problem. I think you can subscribe to this blog somehow if you're interested. I don't really know. I don't really care. I write this to keep my own mental health in check and if you're along for the ride, I'm happy to have you.
And to those of you who voted for this, again, I wish you the USA you voted for. I hope you get EVERYTHING you deserve. And then some.
I'm going to try to compile the best ways to do something about the dumpster fire around us. I know many of us feel helpless, scared, angry, sad, etc. I know it's tempting to want to just retreat and take to the bed, but we can't, or we won't even have that option. We'll be out of options. I'm going to keep updating this as I find stuff. Some are just for where to get news/information, some are for action.
Information:
Action & Information:
Abortion Access Front Volunteer Resources
Operation Save Abortion Calendar
Indivisible: Mobilization Events
Donations:
Stop Marjorie Taylor Green from becoming a senator
Gay Valimont to take Matt Gaetz's vacated seat
Josh Weil special election Florida
It's really hard to manage action and emotions right now. I saw a friend of mine share this a few days ago- I don't know the original poster but his name is here for credit.
If only you saw all the drafts in queue of this blog. This is why this blog has basically become a wasteland. I start a brain dump but I can't even finish because I know I sound rambling and insane. B would say I sound like a Stern wackpacker. I can't just go around calling people trash either because I don't need to reach the people who read me because they're on the same side. I need to get into the heads of those who hate-read or don't realize what they're getting into when they're reading my stuff until they're already IN.
I'm scared. I'm not usually scared of anything. But I'm scared. It didn't take Hitler long to dismantle a democracy and it doesn't seem like it's going to take long to dismantle this one either. I think I've been asking for like eight years- "WHERE ARE THE PARENTS??". At least with Biden, it wasn't like waking up to doom, gloom and chaos every day. We still had the threat of a second term looming though, for Don the Con. We were still barraged by crazy talk and threats and stupidity. We never fully got a reprieve.
I'm trying to find a balance now...of finding ways to help, but not overloading on news. I'm writing letters, calling state representatives, and then watching a shit-ton of 90's tv. I've re-watched One Tree Hill, Felicity, and E and I burned through all of My So Called Life. I'm about to buy Party of Five so E and I can watch that.
I wish I could understand what the actual F is going through the minds of people I know who voted for this hot mess of an administration. How they actually believe this six times bankrupt, sexual predator, convicted felon, was going to do anything positive for them. Also, I'd like to remind them, they can call themselves Christian or Catholic all they want but saying it doesn't make it true. You're supposed to walk the walk to actually BE one and everything this administration is doing is the antithesis of what I'm pretty sure Christianity is supposed to be about. So, they're fake. You're fake if you're reading this, you go to church, you claim to be a Christian, and you voted for this. I'll never think you're anything but a complete phony. You can continue to sit there, stand, take your wafer, do the Our Father or whatever, and get on your knees. But you're a fraud. A FRAUD. And since you believe in this stuff- you'll be the one answering to your maker. #isaidwhatisaid
Anyone I had to get rid of on Facebook, I had to do so, not (just) because they are a Trump supporter, but because they posted, re-posted, or liked something sexist, racist, homophobic, xenophobic, antisemitic, or all of it. You thought that racist meme of Obama or Kamala was funny? BYE. Or continuously re-posted complete fabrications of news. Not real news. Completely moronic untruths. For example, let's say- stuff about Haitians eating cats and dogs. I DON'T WANT TO BE ASSOCIATED WITH THAT. I'm not going to look complicit by being friended to you on social media. I don't want to be associated with lies, but I also don't want to know people who actually believe that stuff. I got rid of moms more concerned with banning books than making sure underserved kids get free school lunch. Pretty sure Jesus would give kids who need it free lunch and not say they should be working picking berries. Yeah, a real state representative said that. Look it up. I'm not Google. I had to block moms of old classmates who jumped on the Trump train even though their daughters now have less rights than they had. It's complete madness.
Hindsight is 20/20 of course. I should've known who would end up being a racist loser but I attribute not knowing to having grown up in a white bubble. I knew my friends using the N word was wrong. I didn't use it. It made me extremely uncomfortable. I said it makes me uncomfortable. But no one cared and I didn't do anything about it because I didn't know what to do. I should've known the guy who bullied people in school would end up being a mentally ill racist as an adult but I don't know- he didn't bully me so I didn't think much about it. By high school I was being bullied, and was barely there- physically and mentally, so I really stopped knowing these people and their trajectory by middle school. I should've known that the ignorant parents would end up with ignorant kids. I just never thought we'd get HERE. To this place of a complete lack of humanity, compassion, and tolerance of just letting people live their lives. And I'm not going to be complicit or ignorant. I have a KID. I have to help leave this world better than this. Just know now, though, I try to walk the walk every day.
Nostalgia means zero to me. I can recognize that we had some good times in the 80's and 90's but that's over. I don't need or want friends who only give a shit about people who look like them, worship like them, believe like them. People who say they want small government out of one side of their mouths, but are all about legislating gender, reproductive health, religion (forcing Christian Nationalism) and more. I certainly don't want to be on the same planet with people smiling next to cardboard cutouts of their big orange daddy. Bye girl bye. I wish others would put their money where their mouth is and shun the worst of humanity among us and stop worrying or caring about the fact that we may have gone to nursery school together. I've already explained- this isn't about "politics". This is about humanity and values. If your values suck, I care zero that you were at my Bat Mitzvah. Or that we had fun sleepovers in fifth grade. If you suck in 2025, you suck. Full stop.
So here we are. In a shitstorm race to the bottom. The worst of the worst people. What are we going to do? No other countries want us. B, E and me- we have the added layer of being Jews. So, REALLY, no countries want us. I actually looked into it. It's not easy to leave this country and the countries who might accept us, Americans, may not be the best place for Jews. We're pretty much stuck. We also don't have unlimited funds to just fly the coop, so to speak. So we have to figure out how we're going to stay here and thrive in what we've been handed. Hopefully I won't have to really start judging people by who would hide us.
I just don't know how we're going to endure four years of this. Already, I just saw a new breaking news post about the Department of Education being eliminated. Like the southern states weren't already at the bottom of the barrel of education. Keep the people dumb so they're easy to control... It's happening, my friends, it's happening. The only positive I can come up with is that this is a test of our complacency. Hilary losing wasn't enough. We got respite with Biden. Many of us, who were exhausted by the first Trump term and the pandemic, just needed a nap. Well, that nap cost us BIGLY. Now, we have no choice but to fight or Elon is our president and we might as well get fitted for our Handmaid's Tale dresses. I can't spend any more time debating people on what is or isn't a Nazi salute. So instead of debating people I'd rather spend time doing positive things. I don't know much more 90s and Y2K tv I can watch or how much longer I can sustain this new cooking thing I've taken up, but I plan to do more of that and find ways to help take action.
That's all I can say now. My attention span is short, I'm half listening to The Bachelor right now- hey, I said I have to find balance.... and I'm tired. The theater production, Something Rotten, that E is in is finally on stage this week, and I've been consumed with stuff for that. I don't want another half finished entry. What I'll leave you with is- I HOPE PEOPLE GET EXACTLY WHAT THEY VOTED FOR. And then some. All. Of. It. "I didn't know" "I didn't realize" - guess what? You should have and my wish for you is to get the USA you deserve.
Stay tuned for ways to get involved. Talk the talk. Walk the walk. I'm not just going to dig my own grave, that's for damn sure.
My thoughts are not super coherent these days but I just saw this post by Amy Siskind - who copied and pasted from somewhere else but she’s always a great resource on Facebook. I thought it could be helpful for those in the thick of the LA fires but also anyone who is caught in a natural disaster. All the love, positive thoughts and healing energy out to those affected.
LA folks -(copied and pasted):
Here is some helpful advice for fire victims:
ACTION PLAN for those who had loss. Start with the small list:
1. Get a PO Box
2. Longer term rental search - include insurance on it so they pay directly for rental. Find a nice place that you like, don't settle. You should be able to get a "Like Property" so insurance should cover a nice place for you to live while you work through all this. You might be living here for 2 years, so choose wisely.
3. Find a place to buy some sturdy boots and gloves. Get some shovels.
4. Start working on the personal property list (this is not fun at all, be prepared to cry we sure did). Write down the moment you remember – keep list on phone or pad of paper with you at all times.
5. Save receipts. Loss of use insurance will cover incidentals too – hairbrush, phone chargers, etc.
6. As you buy things, tell the store owner your situation. Most stores will give you some level of discount as their way of helping you.
7. Let people do things for you. Do you have a friend that you can send to the store to buy you some basic clothes or comfort foods? Let them do it – they want to help and you don’t need to spend time doing these errands. (The ‘fun’ of shopping is gone…it quickly becomes a chore because you don’t want a new shirt, you want the one that you always liked to wear but now it’s gone and you are sad/mad.)
The Big List:
1. Register at the shelters, with Red Cross and any other agency there, california FEMA, etc. a. Most of the aid coming in will use these lists as a point of contact and will help to ensure that you don't get left out of anything. b. This will be especially important should FEMA be activated, which in my opinion is very likely with the amount of devastation experienced.
2. Call Homeowners/Rental insurance to trigger "Loss of Use" . This typically will allow you to be in a "Like" property for x number of years and sometimes has a dollar limit attached and sometimes not, this is dependent on your policy. a. This coverage should also give you some immediate access to funds for essentials, clothes, toothbrushes, food, etc. b. This will also get the ball rolling for the insurance claim on your home and rebuilding/personal property Dollars.
3. Get a PO Box and forward all mail to the Box. . Use this PO Box as the mailing address on all forms you begin to fill out.
4. Start Searching for a Long term rental. . Coordinate with your insurance company so that payments can be made directly from them using your “Loss of Use” money. a. Plan on renting 1-2 years, but do not necessarily sign a lease for a full two years as circumstances can change.
5. Itemized List of belongings - (This is very hard but very necessary for your claim) . I would organize by room and list everything that was there with a replacement cost. (you will cry a lot doing this and that is ok)
a. Replacement Cost should be what it would cost to replace not on sale from pottery barn, it should not be the price you paid for it with that 50% off coupon.
b. Make sure you list everything, even if it is above and beyond your policy limit. This is very important because everything above and beyond the policy limit is considered a Loss and can be claimed as such on your taxes - See #9
6. Call all of your utilities and either freeze or cancel service. Electric, Gas, TV, Land Line phone a. Newspaper delivery, either cancel or update to PO Box.
7. Call the rest of your insurance points as needed. Car insurance a. Any specialty insurance for unique items
8. Permits - An unfortunate necessity. Debris Removal - as things wind down it will be necessary to remove the debris, this requires a permit usually. (This should be covered by your insurance, we had to force the issue but ask repeatedly.)
a. Erosion Control - If you are on any kind of hill or have sloped property you will need to put some sort of erosion control measures in place, again this will need some sort of permit.
b. Temporary Power Pole/Trailer on site Permit - Getting this earlier on can prove helpful in both the rebuilding process.
9. Taxes . You will be able to claim the monetary loss of the value of all your items minus what you receive from your insurance company. I’m unfamiliar with the exact laws, but I believe that we were able to carry our losses back 2-5 years and received most of the money that we had paid in taxes back in a nice large check.
10. Network with others. You will learn so much from others as you go through the rebuilding process. We all have our strengths so share yours and use others. The amount of time that you will spend on the rebuild, insurance, recovery process is staggering so you need to use all your resources.
