Some Free Simple Blue Cents

Just sayin’ this blue gal is reading, reading, and snow plowing through the sh$T. My blue family is horrified by the Day 1 and 2. We are iced in literally and figuratively today. And fightin’ mad.

I did not watch any of the Monday circus. From what I’ve read on Substack and Blue Sky, it was even worse than anticipated with Musk giving a clear Nazi salute. It sent a message. Traitor Felon Trump’s pardoning the January 6 insurrectionists hit me like a ton of bricks. No doubt the Proud Boys and other released criminals will stand by for a Trump call to assist him in immigration raids. And worse.

I have some simple suggestions to share from my readings this past week. If I hadn’t been snowed in all week, I wouldn’t have read so many good stacks.

So, I humbly offer some free blue cents.

• Community is essential. You don’t have to reinvent the wheel! stick with the tried and true experts like Professor

  Heather Cox Richardson
  who already addresses daily facts we can trust. etc. New perfectly timed to help us deal with Trump 2 is a new community:
  The Contrarian
  which is recommended by all serious blue communities. Let’s FOCUS and work together! Then we have the great
  Simon Rosenberg
  ,
  Scott Dworkin
  MeidasTouch Network
  Jessica Craven
  communities. Read.

• Professor Barbara McQuade had good advice which is more pertinent with fake accounts on media. Check before you post to see if 3 trusted expert sources report the fact. Otherwise you’ll be passing bad information and you’ll have egg on your face. I have done that and deleted my post so as not to lead anyone astray. I’m seeing too much reposting of iffy memes and charts on here and especially Blue Sky. We have too many fleeing Facebook and X, but they are often bringing bad examples and downright lies.

• We cannot fight all the battles against oligarchy without losing sleep. It’s time to make your personal priority list. Focus. Is it SCOTUS reform? Is it immigration? Is it women’s health rights? Is it running for office? Is bringing legal action against your legislators and theTrumpCircus? Education? DECIDE on one to begin! Otherwise everyone is shooting at windmills. Specialize before January ends and get others to join you.

• “Feed the bears!” When I taught, that was the code for teachers to provide food to student groups to increase attendance. Remember how pizza night brought camaraderie? Picnics. Dances. More teachers attended meetings too! Hint—groups need socials. Not the Trumpy kind with champagne, pool, golf, and glitz—talk and simple food around a table indoors or out. Whatever it takes to form a blue working support community. Feed your soul and theirs with planning, sending cards, calling and visiting representatives. Form duos, trios.

• Again, those who don’t curate their feeds here but especially on Blue Sky, Meta, Instagram, Facebook, TickTock will regret it in 2025. Some friends have told me that they are deleting their old accounts and starting new limited feed ones to monitor the bad guys. Not a bad idea. Hmmm.

Here I must digress to share a feature I detest on Blue Sky. It’s called “Starter Packs” used to highlight your favorites I thought, but I soon realized it was like advanced Facebook. Any user can create a list with people supposedly vetted (by the user you don’t know)! See a problem? Once in a Starter Pack, I still don’t know how to withdraw from a pack. It’s all about increasing followers. I do know how to report and block. Check my ridiculous number of followers below. Supposedly they all believe we are fighting for democracy and justice. I hope so.

Dear Subscribers,

Thank you for being here. We are living in an upside-down Jerry Seinfeld bizarro world with bad players trying to appear good. One of our challenges is separating the real from the false leaders, denouncing the false, and bonding with the tried-and-true fighters against extremism and injustice. Stay focused on your art, music, books, friend groups, and encourage brilliant young and old adults to run for office. You will be more competent than many already in office because no one ran against them.

Poet John Donne said “No man is an island”, and I say let’s expand our blue island to provide hope and respite.