Biden Brings It In Michigan, Good Week Of Polling for Ds, Doing More and Worrying And Less

The Election Is Close and Competitive – No Red Waving 2024 Please

SIMON ROSENBERG

JUL 13, 2024

Happy Saturday all. Got a few things for you today:

Toplines:

• Why I Am Optimistic We Can Win – Watch my new video presentation on the 2024 election. Bottom line – voters in the West just keep voting against the far-right and the fascists and will again this November. And while we may all not agree on the path forward right now I am asking the Hopium community to lead the effort to keep our family together and stay focused on the big job ahead of us – beating Trump and throwing him and MAGA into the dustbin of history.
• Polling Got Much Better For Us This Week – We just had an encouraging week of polling with Biden ahead or tied in many new polls. Biden is at 270 Electoral College votes this morning in the 538 forecast. VP Harris keeps polling at an impressive level, and is clearly bringing much to the ticket. The election is close and competitive today – no red waving 2024 please.
• Inflation FELL in June, the economy is humming, Joe Biden is a very good President and America is far better off today.

The Democratic Party’s Superpower – I got this wonderful note from Hopium community member Linda Z this week, “Checking In From California” –

Greetings Simon,

From someone who hasn’t written a postcard since childhood and only recently discovered what an amazing candidate Rudy Salas is through Hopium, I am deeply appreciative of your efforts to guide the ship during these stormy times. I’ve now written hundreds of postcards to Democrats from California to Ohio and am grateful to have a positive, creative outlet to channel my energy. 

I know there are many, many fellow foot soldiers like me across the country; thank you for bringing us all together and giving us the nudge to turn fear and anxiety into actionable results. 

I share your belief that we will prevail, although the shape of that success is yet to be determined. 

Cheers,

Linda Z

A huge, big thank you to Linda Z and everyone who is working so hard right now for our democracy, for our freedoms, and for our future. All of you are the Democratic Party’s superpower, and if we keep working hard we can win this thing this November! (snip-more)

https://www.hopiumchronicles.com/p/biden-brings-it-in-michigan-good?r=1pk2l&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web

I started at https://mockpaperscissors.com/ , clicked through to https://fairandunbalanced.com/?p=28181 , and saw this. I know there’s a prettier way to do this, and I’ll get it all, soon. Meanwhile, it’s the weekend, so enjoy.

Mark Meadows’ Main Squeeze Gets Squished

5 MPA (Marine Protected Areas) Worth Celebrating

(Some good news from Free The Ocean! Plus, the header of their page is very cooling to look at, if you’re in a hot place. I don’t know where is not a hot place right now.)

https://www.freetheocean.com/blog/

Welcome to the underwater wonders of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs), where conservation meets celebration. These designated ocean sanctuaries play a crucial role in safeguarding marine biodiversity and promoting sustainable ocean management.

The Great Barrier Reef Marine Park, Australia

Aerial of Great Barrier Reef at Whitsunday Island

Imagine diving into the vibrant world of the Great Barrier Reef, the world’s largest coral reef system. This iconic MPA spans over 344,400 square kilometers and is home to an incredible diversity of marine life, including colorful corals, sea turtles, and countless fish species. Its protection is vital for preserving this natural wonder and its ecological balance.

Papahānaumokuākea Marine National Monument, USA

Located in the remote Northwestern Hawaiian Islands, Papahānaumokuākea is one of the largest marine conservation areas in the world. Encompassing over 1.5 million square kilometers, this UNESCO World Heritage site protects unique coral reefs, endangered species like Hawaiian monk seals, and seabird nesting colonies.

Galápagos Marine Reserve, Ecuador

The Galápagos Islands, famous for inspiring Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution, are also home to a remarkable marine reserve. This MPA covers around 138,000 square kilometers and protects diverse marine habitats, from mangroves to deep-sea ecosystems. It supports iconic species such as marine iguanas, Galápagos penguins, and hammerhead sharks, while promoting sustainable fishing practices and tourism.

Chagos Marine Protected Area, UK

In the heart of the Indian Ocean lies the Chagos Archipelago, surrounded by the Chagos Marine Protected Area. Covering approximately 640,000 square kilometers, this MPA safeguards some of the healthiest coral reefs on the planet and serves as a crucial habitat for endangered species like the hawksbill turtle. Its protection is vital for maintaining oceanic connectivity and resilience to climate change impacts.

Komodo National Park, Indonesia

Komodo National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage site, is renowned for its terrestrial dragons and equally mesmerizing underwater landscapes. This MPA protects over 1,700 square kilometers of marine habitats, including coral reefs, seagrass beds, and mangrove forests. It also supports a rich diversity of marine life, from manta rays to pygmy seahorses

Celebrating Conservation Success

Each of these Marine Protected Areas represents a beacon of hope for ocean conservation. Through collaborative efforts involving governments, scientists, local communities, and conservation organizations, these MPAs demonstrate the importance of proactive marine management and sustainable practices.

Marine Protected Areas are not just boundaries on a map—they are commitments to conservation, sustainability, and the future of our oceans. By celebrating and supporting MPAs around the world, we ensure that these vital marine sanctuaries continue to thrive for generations to come. (end)

(I have to use translate to read some of his work, which remains beautiful in English, too.)

Gentileza é crença absoluta | Abhijit Naskar | Monge Cientista (Já Disponível – Now Out #NaskarPortuguês)

I just read Scotties post about Pauly. I sat and imagined a world where this poor child was murdered, where horrible indignities were committed. You know the worst thing? In my mind ran this thought that certain conservatives would throw her trans status as somehow indicative of deserving this treatment. What a cynical and dismissive thought for me to have, and why have I lost my ability to be shocked and saddened for this lost soul and her family?
Now how does that apply to the pic above? I celebrate each and every person who finds the courage to be themselves in this scary world. It is safer to live in obscurity, to blend in to the crowd. As an adult, it is truly easier – I remember, regret and resent the time of my own adolescence, and I tremble at what kids go through now with social media and far right fanatics. And let me be clear: I don’t care if someone is gay, trans, straight, a jock, a nerd, a boy scout or a rebel, I just celebrate each and every opportunity for all of us, especially kids, to be genuine, free and loving to self and others. Hugs. -randy

A decent snippet here, with the link below.

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After their children survived a school shooting, these ‘lifelong Republicans’ entered the gun conversation

Moms from Nashville’s Covenant School are leaning into their identities as conservative women and gun owners to bring others to consider policy over party.

Mary Joyce said that when the Tennessee legislature held a special session following the March 2023 mass shooting at her daughter’s school, she had blind faith that her lawmakers would take action. She assumed many legislators would know some of the families whose children attended the private Christian school, The Covenant School in Nashville, or at least feel some kind of connection to them. If nothing else, the sheer tragedy would mean tangible change. 

She doesn’t feel that way today. 

Joyce and her fellow Covenant mom Melissa Alexander went to the statehouse five months later to advocate for gun safety measures as part of two new groups they co-founded, Covenant Families for Brighter Tomorrow, and a corresponding action fund to go along with it. They are lifelong Republicans — Alexander is also a gun owner herself — who could speak firsthand to the trauma inflicted by a mass shooting that killed three 9-year-old children and three adults. Though their children survived, they were traumatized in ways that continued to affect their daily lives; Joyce’s daughter also lost some of her hearing. 

But the politicians they encountered in the deeply red Tennessee statehouse had other things to say. 

While at the statehouse one day, Joyce recalls members of the Republican-majority legislature asking about the droves of protesters who had suddenly shown up to oppose a proposed law allowing school employees to carry guns on campus — and hearing a conservative lawmaker making comments about “all the hot moms of Nashville here in our legislature.” 

(The legislature ultimately passed that bill, making Tennessee the ninth state to legalize arming school employees.)

Comments about their gender didn’t end there. Joyce recalled hearing legislators say to some of the other moms she was at the statehouse with, “Wow, you’re really well-spoken for a female.”  (snip)

https://19thnews.org/2024/07/conservative-moms-gun-safety-covenant-school-shooting-nashville/