Another mass shooting in California yesterday. Two in three days. Today is the 24th day of the year 2023 and we have had 38 mass shootings in the United States already this year. There have been 2,790 gun deaths thus far (as of 12:30 a.m. on January 24th), 21 of them children under the age […]
What James Madison Would Think Today … — Filosofa’s Word
Please take a few moments to read Keith’s information regarding the debt ceiling. As Americans, it is our duty to be sure that our government is doing and acting in the best interest of the people. If you are not active in democracy, you really are part of the problems that we are facing. EVERY vote counts, and public participation in the democratic process is necessary. You can read the full article by clicking on the hyperlink below.
In Community,
Amy
From the desk of Maya MacGuineas of the nonpartisan Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget. I will offer no additional comment as it speaks for itself. “Today, the Treasury Department announced that it has begun engaging in a set of accounting tools known as “extraordinary measures” to avoid breaching the nation’s $31.38 trillion statutory debt […]
A nonpartisan and knowledgeable voice on US debt and deficit concerns — musingsofanoldfart
If you look inside my personal dictionary, you would see “A life worth celebrating” as the definition of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. He will always be one of my influencers, and I do idolize him. Even though James Earl Ray took him from the world far too soon, his voice lives in the souls of those that loved and respected him. His voice sings into the ears of the people who are just now learning his name, and his memory sits with the fallen heroes that fell in the fight for social justice.
Thank you, Dr. King for making me a better person.
Please take some time to read what Jill has shared below. Click the link to read the entire article.
Today is Martin Luther King Day, a federal holiday in the United States to honour one of the greatest men who ever lived in this country. I first wrote this tribute to Dr. King in 2017, and each year I reprise it, with slight changes or minor additions, for I find that it still says […]
Honouring Dr. Martin Luther King … — Filosofa’s Word
What is your mission?
#dailyprompt
I am not sure when it happened, but I became comfortable being Amy. I learned that I was a pretty cool person with a heart and goals that shaped me to who I am today because of the woes and woos of the past. That is why this #dailyprompt has me writing to all of you today about my mission. It’s not just a paragraph or two of my opinion. It’s me…in print form.
As a young girl, I was congenial and social, which is actually the opposite of who I am today. While I still love to take a good selfie, my social game is much different now. I have social anxiety, and I always say that I am socially unacceptable because I lack a filter. Public speaking is scary, but I do it when it has to be done.
I suppose we could start with my legs and my uphill battles that molded me. I was not afraid of taking steps because I literally had to learn to walk the hard way. I think I was 9-10 months old or so when the doctor had to reset my legs to prevent me from walking “bow-legged”. I only know this because of pictures that my grandmother had of me with a cast upon each of my legs. Honestly, I am guessing about the age I was when I sported the casts, but if my sister was sitting here, she could probably tell you exactly.
It took me a very long time to find myself and what I wanted to do with my life. I lacked the life skills to get up, take myself to work, and come home in my younger years. I was 20 years old when I had my first child, and I was 29 when I had my last child. From 1996 until 2012, I was a parent. I was a single parent from 1996 until 2003 when I met “the monster” of my life, and we had a son together in 2005. This is where everything went wrong…not because of having a son, but for who I chose to have him with. That choice led me here.
When you live with the devil, you have to learn to find the light. From my teenage years (age 14 and up) until 2017, my light would go from bright to dim to dark to light to dim over and over again. The first devil was my mom’s boyfriend, and the second time I found the devil…I married him. Twice. (God was trying to tell me something when the marriage did not “take” the first time…and of course, I did not see it.)
In April of 2013, my first suicide attempt happened, and my best friend at the time heard my breath escape me over the phone. I had said my goodbyes, and I was okay with dying. I had nothing left to lose because my choices cost me the only thing that mattered in my life, which is my children. I had been told that I would never get them back no matter what I did, and I had honestly ran out of money to continue fighting. Everyone stopped helping me, and eventually…I gave up too. When I did not die, which I damn well should have after taking a whole bottle of Prozac (28 pills) and a 12-pack of Strawber-ritas, I was a different person. I did not have to go to the hospital and get my stomach pumped, and I did not have any effects of taking all of the pills besides an overwhelming sleepiness. A few cups of strong coffee and the support of good friends, and I was back on my two feet.
There were other ups and downs in the next few years of finding myself all over again. I had to learn how to be a mother that does not have any children that want her. (The story about my kids is a whole other post, or a novel, that is still too hard to write. Those that know me and love me in life know my story, what happened, and why I am here today.)
The reason why all of that is important when telling you about my mission is because my mission also became my purpose.
Mission 1: Finding Amy
Over the years 2007 and beyond, I figured out that there was still life outside of Ash Flat, Arkansas. From 2007 until 2012, I secluded myself in online MMORPG games and SecondLife. Finally, it happened…he found new prey. He found other women.
This was my chance to get free, and this is where I had to leave it all in the past. If I kept looking backward, I would never be able to go forward. I had to make a plan to get well, and then I had to find a way to get away from the abuse. That took me four years.
When I moved to California, my freedom came slowly, but I was on the right path. Everything they said to me, I remembered. In the back of my mind, that became my fuel, but I didn’t realize that I found another version of me. I found an Amy…just not the one that is writing this post, which leads me to Mission #2.
Mission 2: Say Goodbye to What Was Holding Me Back
Even though I was no longer his concubine, it was hard to break free of him without the life skills I needed to make my own money. I had been completely dependent on him bringing home the bacon, so to say. We still talked every single day, and I knew that I was holding on to something that was toxic. It was hard to say “goodbye” to my old life. We both had moved on, but my mindset was still in submissive mode. I relapsed into my old ways, and I tried to die again.
It was like the day in 2013, except this time I did not take a whole bottle of pills…I took stronger ones, and I drank stronger alcohol. No dice. I still woke up again. It made me see that I had some purpose on this planet beyond loving a man or hiding from a broken life. I literally woke up better than the day before; however, I was still chasing the light.
(It’s important to take note that I thought love was that light, and I had been chasing it for far too long. I was looking for it long before any monster in my bed. Love was lacking in my upbringing, so I found it in bad ways.)
Mission 3: Prove Them Wrong
Them…one was my now ex-husband, and the other was my mother. When I made the choice to leave Arkansas permanently and stay with my sister and her family, they uttered the words that drove me to find a way to prove them wrong.
They said, “We’ll see how well you survive out there without me”, and “You’ll be back in no time because you cannot make it on your own”. The main phrase I remember was when he said, “You’ll be nothing without me…you just wait and see”.
In 2018, I met a guy that would show me the world through different eyes. We were together for 2 years, and now we are really great friends. The best part about him was that he had a story, and I got to see how the world really looked instead of looking at it through rose-colored glasses.
When I was fighting for my babies, I did all of the legal research on my case for my lawyer, so when I met Steph…I put those skills to work again. This made me see MY light. I thought he was the light, but what I was doing for him was actually the light I had been looking for.
((Skip bad break-up here in 2020))
In May of 2021, I graduated with two degrees because I met him and figured out that wrongful convictions mattered to me. Civil rights mattered to me. His story led me to my new story. Until my mental health got in the way…
Mission 4: Get Right
No man. No depression. No anxiety. No stress. No worries. Sounds good, right? Pfft…cue next breakdown.
How the hell would I accomplish that? As I sat there looking at my degrees hanging on the wall, I couldn’t help but wonder how to get to the next phase of my life. It was like, “Now what the hell am I going to do with myself?”
For the longest time, I would say, “I don’t want to take a pill to be normal”. As of today, I take several pills to be normal. The truth was that I was scared that I would take the pills and finish what I started in the darkest time of my life.
Getting right began at the end of 2021 and is still happening. I found a psychiatrist that helps me work through my diagnosis, which was Bipolar II Disorder and Borderline Personality Disorder. The symptoms of the two overlap, but the diagnoses made the most sense than anything else in my life.
I finally knew why I felt like I was weird or socially awkward. I finally knew why I couldn’t look at myself and love myself. The smallest thing when I was unmedicated was HUGE. When my medications began working, life became less dire and much bigger. I had accomplished my mission of getting right with myself.
Mission 5: Pathway to Law School
This is where we are now. That is my mission and my purpose. I want to be a lawyer and help people like me in family courts. I want to help people like Steph that have been thrown into a broken system without any proof. (You will hear his story soon on my first podcast that we are working on.)
When I graduated from West Hills, my daughter bought me a water bottle that says, “Change the World”. When she gave it to me, she said, “Because, Momma, you are going to change the world…I believe that about you!”
I better not let her down.
Now, there is a lot of information in between all of this information that I did not post. As I read through the stories…my story…I realized that I have a lot to share. One of these days, I may write my memoir. Until then, my mission is to help as many people as possible before I die. A higher power wouldn’t let me die, so here I am.
My story is just beginning….
The following is from an email by evangelical Tony Perkins, president of the Family Research Council, an ultra-conservative ‘Christian’ hate group … Earlier this week, President Biden signed the so-called Respect for Marriage Act, which not only codifies same-sex marriage into federal law but also opens wide the door to endless litigation and persecution of […]
Not A Nice Man — Filosofa’s Word
When it comes to the uncertain times we are living in, we should all take a page out of Liz Cheney’s book on sacrifice. The time is now for all of us to take a stand on the world stage against the tyranny of the majority, and we need to fight harder than we have ever had to fight.
In an interview with CNN, Cheney said, “I’m fighting hard. No matter what happens on Aug. 16, I’m going to wake up on Aug. 17 and continue to fight hard to ensure Donald Trump is never anywhere close to the Oval Office ever again,” and she knows that it may cost her a seat in Congress. She knew that her Vice Chair position for the January 6th Committee would put her job in jeopardy, but she still did her duty under the oath she took to uphold the Constitution of the United States of America.
“No matter what” is how every American should be centering their ideology regarding life in the U.S. because democracy depends on it, and it is looking scary for the 2024 election that a madman can rule the country again. We are quickly losing our constitutional rights with the radical SCOTUS decisions and state governments’ oppression of women and minorities. It’s nothing new for this country to stomp on the rights of citizens, but it feels like we keep digressing into barbaric times.
It is important to stand up for what you believe, even if it goes against what the majority wants, but it is not okay to strip away a person’s choices and freedoms because of biased viewpoints when you serve public office. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas and his wife, Ginni, are too much in the spotlight when it comes to the state of our union. Precedents are being gutted. Rights are being decimated.
It’s not the time to sit back and shake your head if you disagree with the state of our democracy. As Americans, we have to vote, sign petitions, and use our voices to protect the rights of citizens of this country. (Note the word “citizens” rather than using demographic characteristics) We must stay informed and be involved in the political process. That is a right we have that other countries do not have. We have a democracy, and the government works for us, right?
My hope is to see things change in the aspects of participation, activism, and involvement in light of the evidence found during the January 6th Committee hearings. Upcoming hearings may have Ginni Thomas being subpoenaed, and they will present the evidence of her involvement with the insurrection. With the Thomas conundrum happening in the Supreme Court, I don’t think she will follow through with cooperating with the committee, but I hope I am wrong. We need to see that evidence, but I am sure she will hide behind Clarence’s coat tail and lawyer up.
The direst of all political circumstances needing to be put in the spotlight is the election of 2024. Donald Trump and his lies could find their way back to the White House if charges are not filed federally against him for all of the crimes he committed while sitting in the Oval Office for a 4-year stretch. There is not a sane imagination on this planet that could imagine another 4 years of living in this world that is run by and under the control of a man who is just as crazy as Vladimir Putin. We feel the war in Ukraine, and the personality and ideology of Trump are no different than Trump’s bestie, Putin.
Where do your opinions on these issues lie? Do you feel comfortable with the state of democracy in this country, or do you feel like we are failing ourselves like I do?
Today, happiness for me means that I am surrounded by people that love me, doing things that make life worthwhile, and never turning my back on people who need me. I am happy when I get five minutes to reflect on my day, and I feel accomplished when I can see progress. I smile at my favorite shows, and I sing to my favorite songs. I dance when no one is looking, and I act silly when everyone is looking.
I have to do these things. They make all the negative aspects of everyday life feel a little less detrimental. The people I allow around me make me smile and fill my heart with the joy that the world is missing.
If one thing could change the world, happiness can do it. Maybe if we spend one less day worrying or one less day bickering at our loved one, the world can change. I really believe that. I have to believe that.
Laughter is really the best medicine, so maybe we should laugh at the people that want us to be mad and at each others’ throats. One person at a time…I intend to change the world. Will you laugh with me, smile with me, and love with me? Will you turn anger into progress rather than digression? Will you turn hate for an enemy into awareness? Will you pay forward the good faith someone else has given to you?
In community, I stand with you and genuinely care for you. Now, if you turn your nose up when I write that I care about you, then I am talking to you. You are the one person. Instead of turning your nose up, smile. Instead of rolling your eyes, laugh. Instead of scrolling, read this again.
Now, in the words of Bobby McFerrin, “Don’t Worry…Be Happy!”
With Love,
Amy
In one of my earlier posts, I told you all about Moore v. Harper coming up on the SCOTUS docket, and earlier I learned of another case to watch, which is Merrill v. Milligan.
This post will outline the cases and tell who granted stays and who dissented on both cases. One attacks our ability to fight in disputes over federal elections and state redistricting (Moore), and the other attacks the Voting Rights Act of 1965 (Merrill).
I want to make a very important note on case law. It is about the cases and the final rulings that you are supposed to be weary of, but it is also about which amendments to the Constitution that rest within the language of the decisions and opinions of the court.
In the Moore v. Harper case, they submitted their writ of certiorari in March. The topics that are being argued in this case are partisan gerrymandering, congressional redistricting, and the Elections Clause. There is also language of the Equal Protection Clause, Freedom of Speech, and Assembly Clauses coming in this case from the North Carolina Supreme Court case in which the petitioner appealed. (Remember above that I said it’s important to look at the Amendments encompassed inside of these documents.)
Certiorari from SCOTUS was granted in this case on June 30, 2022 with Justices Kavanaugh, Gorsuch, Thomas, and Alito. This will be a scary case of voter subversion through state gerrymandering, so it is important that we watch this case closely and watch the wording that comes through on opinions of the justices.
All of the documents relating to this case can be found here: Moore v. Harper – The American Redistricting Project(opens in a new tab)
Now, onto Merrill v. Milligan, we see another case that has many precursors of suppression of liberty. John Merrill is the Secretary of State in Alabama, and there are actually two other parties, Evan Milligan and Marcus Caster. This case is coming from a district court in Alabama, which I found odd. It seems this case has bumped up the ladder rather quickly, and it is taking hits at Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, and the opinion of the lower court dilutes the black vote on a 1994 verbiage from Justice Thomas that redistricting, which he argued “…that interpreting the law to require some level of racial discrimination in how congressional lines are drawn did not comport with the statute and subverted the principle of a color-blind Constitution” (Alabama Center for Law & Liberty, 2022).
Thomas is no stranger to going after this section of the legislation, and this is why I say this branch of government has way too much power. The legislative branch was designed by the Framers to be the strongest, but this Supreme Court is pretty damn powerful.
The Justices supporting the stay and granting certiorari are Justices Thomas, Alito, Kavanaugh, Gorsuch, and Barrett. Justices Roberts, Kagan, Sotomayor, and Breyer dissented with Roberts and Breyer filing the dissents.
So, this was just a quick look at the cases coming up that have been put on the SCOTUS docket. These 5-4 decisions are going to be coming more and more. I am going to be curious to see how Justice Jackson will begin voting, which I assume it will be better than Breyer’s voting. There are many cases entwined in these two cases too. All of them about voting rights and gerrymandering. Stay tuned…
References:
Alabama Center for Law & Liberty, (2022). “Merrill v. Milligan”. Retrieved from http://alabamalawandliberty.org/merrill-v-milligan/.
I am back! First I am going to share some photos, and then I am going to repent for my actions. I did not leave Vegas richer financially, but I did leave with a wealth of happy times to reflect on later. We stayed at the Paris, and it was nice.
I want to first talk about how guilty I feel for enjoying myself when all of the beautiful women in this unrecognizable country are suffering. I know…I shouldn’t feel that way, but I do. I want to share the happy moments because I think we are about to have a lot of bad moments.
The first night, Friday, we went to see the Jabbawockeez. That was one of the most fun and best shows I think we had on our trip, except for the near naked Aussie Men 🤣. They were interactive and really put on a great show for their fans. The second day, we ate at Hells Kitchen and then went to the Thunder Down Under show (…many firsts on this trip, and this is one of them lol.) I came, saw, and conquered on that one. I would share but not sure you all want to see all that LOL.
Then, last night we went to Criss Angel’s Mindfreak after eating some Mexican food at YOLOs, and I was a bit disappointed. I had the highest hopes for this show, but it was highly sexualized and had more of a movie aspect of it for promotions to his other undertakings. He’s a great guy, and I still love him. I just think he gave up on the show that made him Criss Angel. I did get to pose with the beautiful Tatiana and Criss’s straightjacket.
Today, we headed home around noon after eating at the Cracker Barrell in Nevada. We made it home around 5:40-ish this evening.
As we were on our way to Las Vegas, the Dobbs decision came through on our phones. My sister and I felt heavy and our hearts ached. I needed the break away but felt horrible that I was not sitting here at my computer when the news broke about Roe and Casey.
I will have plenty of things to say and action steps to take. I did make my stand by wearing my RBG voices shirt. It says “Speak Your Mind Even If Your Voice Quivers”. I wasn’t looking for praise or thumbs up, but I got plenty. It was nice to know that folks read the shirt and could relate to it. I wish I would have gotten a better photo of it. (We consumed a few adult beverages lol.)
Now…without a hitch…I will be fighting for legislation in California to protect enhanced women’s healthcare in our state, and I will be very loud about calling for the impeachment of Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh, and Amy Coney Barrett. They lied under oath, which last time I checked was called perjury and is a crime, and they have committed crimes against the women of this country. I also call for the impeachment for Clarence Thomas for being married to an insurrectionist and supporting her radical views from the bench. All four of these judges are setting their own agendas on American lives, and someone better start impeaching the asshats.
I am thankful that I got this little vacation because now I am refreshed and ready to stomp on some old balls that have nothing better to do than bounce on our rights…pun intended.
In Community,
Amy
I was going to write up my own summation of the Prime Time special about the January 6th insurrection, but my friend and sister, Jill Dennison, has written it the best I have seen yet.
I want to add that Bennie and Liz did a great job in their opening statements, and it shows that bipartisanship is possible. I think we will read those speeches in our history books, as they were honest addresses to the nation.
I am very curious what all is going to happen with these special event hearings and which Republicans were “asking for Presidential pardons” because I feel the convolution of psychotic ideas is going to go very deep into our democracy.
I also think that those telling the truth to the committee are very brave for standing up against a bully and terrorist to make sure someone is held accountable.
Please read Jill’s post and really take in her words. This is a conversation that needs to be had and made between constituents of our government’s political process. Voices always need to be heard. Hear Jill’s voice in her words.
In Community,
Amy
I mostly want to talk a bit about last night’s televised hearings, but also have another snippet … or maybe two … who knows? 🤷 January 6th Committee hearings I watched the televised hearings of the January 6th committee tonight, and I have to tell you, by the time they took a 10-minute recess after […]
January 6th Hearings And A Snippet — Filosofa’s Word
I am reblogging this from my friend, Jill at Filosofa’s Word. Please take a moment and read Jill’s analysis of the current mass shooting epidemic that is happening and being swept under the rug along the lines of access to assault rifles. Let’s get another conversation started and figure out what actions we can take to get our voices heard.
May 14th – 10 killed, 3 injured in a grocery store in Buffalo, New York May 15th – 1 killed, 5 injured at a church in Laguna Woods, California May 24th – 19 children, 2 teachers killed, 17 injured in a school in Uvalde, Texas June 1st – 4 killed at a hospital in Tulsa, […]
Beyond Words — Filosofa’s Word
All of these deaths and funerals for what??
One terrorist (Buffalo) was a racist looking to take out as many Black people as possible based on census data, and one just wanted to shoot a school up because his grandmother pissed him off (Uvalde). Then, if that is not enough terrorism for you, the Oklahoma shooting was patient dissatisfaction after a surgery, so he shot the surgeon and others in his path. The Laguna, CA shooting is new to me, but people cannot even go to church safely without worry of being shot up for religious preference.
I will end with the definition of domestic terrorism, and then I am going back to the books. The source of this image is from the FBI.gov page concerning domestic terrorism.
After reading those definitions, what category would you put these mass shooters in?
In Sorrow,
Amy
I know that we are all in different places, but I wanted to share this as an education the process to vote. This one is for ACLU NorCal, but please check your local ACLU for voting rights information in your area.
Click here to read the information from my local ACLU. I thought this could serve as a model to look for in your state.
If you need help finding your voting rights in your county and state, please do not hesitate to reach out for help. It’s your right to vote, and it’s all of our responsibilities to get out and cast our votes, especially in the primary.
This page will be under construction, since I want to add more voting resources.
Find my soul sitting atop a fence watching over the people
Feeling helpless as terror rings out, domestic terrorism
A world I cannot recognize gets worse as I sleep
I become afraid to open my eyes and see more destruction
We tear each other down, and we tear each other apart
For what?
Is it so important to be superior rather than equal for you?
Can you only see your own skin and your own world?
I see them all. Every. Single. Person. I see them.
Not with my eyes, but with my heart…until it fails to start.
I pray they put their burden on me to save themselves.
I cry in the night feeling their suffrage and pain.
I stay awake waiting and hoping…dreaming and praying
That your son, your daughter, your family will come home safe.
In solidarity, I stand with those without a voice and those with one as well.
Scream with me or I will scream for you…
I am your support.
I am your person.
I am here.
© Amy Harvey, 2022 ~ All Rights Reserved.
If you have never heard of the Grassroots Law Project, I want to invite you to learn more about them, and I also would ask that you share this email with your followers as well. I welcome reblogs and good conversations about the current events and political unrest in our countries, mainly in the U.S.
GLP was founded by Shaun King, a political ally for minority folks, organizer, and activist with on-the-ground training in fighting the divide of the United States. You can read more about the project, HERE.
Grassroots is a great organization that helps so many people, and the town hall we had last night was talking about some of the neglects that we have been suffering from the White House not fulfilling promises.
Just a bit ago I got an email shared with me that President Biden would be issuing a policing order on George Floyd’s murder anniversary. Why did it take so long to get this kind of action on the table? It has been two years since he was murdered by Derek Chauvin, and other acts/legislation have not been taken seriously. Don’t get me wrong, okay. I am glad Biden is doing this policing order that will change use of force policies with law enforcement, but it’s taken half his administration time to get it done.
I made a promise to the team of GLP last night to commit to three years of action. I intend to keep that promise, so here I am talking to you all.
If this feels like a solicitation, it kind of is, but it’s an actionable solicitation that is important and dire in a world that embraces oppression and violence.
Join me in fighting the good fight with 3 years of action dedicated to fighting for change and developing an energized team with outstanding organization that will gain influence in our government. Someone has to say something or organize to compete with opposing views, so we need to be the voice of the majority of the American people who want to see white supremacy squashed.
In solidarity,
Amy
My first death wish
The Voice of the Voiceless 