GPV
GPV's JournalIn 2016, I left the Greens to become a Dem so that I could caucus for Bernie. By that point, I'd been a Green for more
than two decades. My dad was heavily involved in the party, and was running for the Maine State Legislature when he passed away. I was drawn into the leadership email chain to receive condolences, but even there I saw evidence of in-fighting. (The Greens of the early days had been more stable, less prone to attaching people like Jill Stein to it.) You other old-timers will remember that I started out here as GreenPartyVoter. I wasn't trying trying to stir up trouble. At that time I thought the left-leaning parties should work together to minimize the damage caused by ** and crew. But I can't tell you how many people freaked out over my username, saying it was my fault that Gore lost. That Nader was crazy for wanting to burn it all down and rebuild.
Which brings me to what I see here today. Lots of infighting, not just with us but within the Dem party. Absence of strong leadership. A sense of disconnection from the top and the base, except when money and votes are needed. The top is always around to secure those. It was hair-on-fire, don't let Trump get elected before. But now that he has been, aside from a few individuals, the frantic pressure from pre-election seems largely absent. And while I don't expect leadership to tip their hand to the Repubs, stronger reassurances that they've got this would be nice.
To bring this full circle, I'm just struck by echoes of the past. Watching the Greens drift ever further from their potential, splintering. The fiasco of the late removal of Biden from the ticket. And there are posts here exclaiming that we should let Trumple-thin-skin burn it all down now so we can rebuild later. I don't know. Maybe a system can only drift so far off center before it collapses. I guess it's like the climate catastrophe that way. Human beings don't see the crisis looming over them, either ignoring it or taking pointless baby steps-- feel good now but utterly useless in the long run green washing.
I guess I'm feeling like we're at a loss. Not just because of politics, but culturally. I work in education at the elementary level. There is a fundamental difference in this fully on-demand generation. A passivity, learned helplessness, lack of resilience. I think the movie Wall-E was pretty spot on. There will always be a few, like David Hogg, who will fight on, but I am nonplussed as to what the future holds. (To be above board, my millennials, elder and younger green kids were the start of this trend. I bought into the "everything should be fair and painless mindset," and while they are doing pretty well now, I still think I could have better prepared them for real life by not wrapping them in cotton wool.)
Anyway, if you made it this far, thanks for letting me ramble.
Gov Mills considering possible Senate run.
Hope we can say bye- bye to See-Saw Susie!
https://www.pressherald.com/2024/11/29/gov-mills-doesnt-rule-out-challenging-susan-collins-for-u-s-senate-in-2026/
How do you feel about the new Christian-flavored textbooks coming to a school near you? (Public educator, here.)
Years ago, when hubby was still teaching at a nondenominational Christian school, I used to volunteer there. His first year he taught in a two room schoolhouse. K was downstairs, and he had grades 1-6 upstairs. I loved the kids and loved helping them. There were a number of struggling students who should have had services for one reason or another, so it felt super important to me that I help out. But then came the day, the following year, when we acquired another teacher for gr 1-3, and hubby had gr 4-8 upstairs, when I had to help with history. The school used the ABeka program. Hardcore evangelical young earth stuff. I was asked to teach a young lady that we have different races because each of Noah's three sons travelled in a different direction after the flood receded and the ark made landfall (as shown in the map inset.) (Now, some back story might help here, for those who are wondering how the daughter of Green, secular humanists ended up with the son of a bible-believing preacher man. 1) A decade and a half of bullying had left me with no self-esteem. 2) I was navigating misdiagnosed OCD and Bipolar largely on my own. 3) He's a great guy, and we fit well together despite our differences. (I did try, at first, to cling to his faith, which was how we got together. I thought it might be the answer to all my craziness, but I digress.))
But, being presented with this race theory was a bridge too far. I had tolerated random semi-feel good bible verses on the math pages, but this was the subversion of science. Just as bad as saying there had never been any rain before the great flood, the idea that species diverge because God tweaked them with "divine speciation." I couldn't teach it. Couldn't bring myself to come in anymore, even though those kids desperately needed my help.
I watched from afar as the Baptists infiltrated the board. Suddenly, it was no longer enough to slash only Harry Potter and Goose Bumps from the book order forms. Only the King James 1611 Bible was allowed. No more touchy feely Message. The Kindergarten teacher, who'd been raised Catholic, was brought to tears for her background. Accused of slipping in Catechism. Hubby was the de facto admin, so he heard it from all sides. Hed taken up chugging antacids that year. Eventually, he left that school, worked retail for a while, and got back into public education until "no child left behind/no teacher left standing" came into view.
Now, in the current case of TX, the Baptists already rule. What they are slipping in is already agreed upon. I'm curious to know if this round is just soft sell, feel good stuff. More golden rule nuggets on math pages, but I bet they are going to work the hardcore stuff in down the line. I know for myself, I don't want comparative religion eating up my math instruction time. Because if I was forced to present the Christian stuff, I would absolutely add in other perspectives. But, maybe they can't force us to teach it? It's in the books, but we can ignore it? I would prefer it wasn't there at all, but wonder if that's going to be the workaround. In places that are religious strongholds, it's taken in with fervor, and where it's not wanted it's left to wither in favor of more important things. This will only divide the nation further, I think.
I see the world through the eyes of an educator. I wouldn't trust these Trump appointments to
work in my school, so why are they ok elsewhere? Does character only matter in elementary schools now?
How bad is the floating in your area? Trump signs are still up, but no magats in my life have given me a hard time. Also
are you hearing any local anecdotes of Liberals and Magats parting ways?
It's like this: We're all on the Titanic. It's going down, and
half the passengers are cheering about it. Most of them are locked in steerage, but somehow they truly believe they aren't going to drown with the rest of us.
Many of my teaching colleagues here in 2nd Maine
are working hard to mask their feelings. Lots of hugs going around and quick, knowing glances. But other than that, it seems like a normal day.
It took the oligarchs 50+ years to get to this point, but I feel certain that whatever comes next will move at transwarp speed.
I was born in 1971 in a crumbling empire. We have been sliding backwards most of my lifetime, & we've reached the
tipping point, and after decades of oligarchs shredding confidence in our institutions, defunding our public education system, and 24/7 talk radio and news channels that can choose their own spin on facts... Well, here we are.
Ben was right. We couldn't keep it. The masses want to own the libtards, and refuse to equate their personal suffering with their choice in the voting booth. The metaphorical and literal glaciers will be set loose. And, no, I am not being hyperbolic. I am a public school educator. Project 2025 will be devastating.and future voters may never know what so many older voters once knew and disregarded.
Repubs have upped their game in the Ellsworth area
Also many smaller signs have sprouted since last weekend. Linnehan has loads of used car sales money to spend. Always had the oversize American flag flying at his lot, and is an evangelical. Pretty sure his boys were on the team against us when we played Temple Academy way back when.
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Gender: FemaleHometown: New England
Member since: 2002
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