Tag: election 2020

God Bless Stacey Abrams

Jane Leave a comment

She did it, folks!

Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock have won their Georgia senatorial bids (hooray!), and let’s give credit where credit is due.

Stacey Abrams and her organization Fair Fight Action delivered this victory for the Democratic candidates.

The U.S. senators-elect are strong candidates in their own right, but Ms Abrams’ activism and push to get out the vote for historically marginalized populations was the driving force behind this victory.

Why Stacey Abrams Matters

Ms Abrams is a Black woman in America. Voices (and votes) like hers have been historically repressed in this country generally, in the South specifically.

She matters because she will not be silenced.

She lost her bid for governor of Georgia in 2018, but she has not been silenced.

She saw that voter suppression was likely what cost her the governorship, and decided she wouldn’t sit back and accept it as “the way things are.”

The Work Isn’t Done

Stacey Abrams has proved that even the “reddest” states aren’t all that red. How many other “red” states are more purple than we think?

The work isn’t done until people all across this country–people who have the legal right to vote–are able to do so.

Fair Fight and Ms Abrams focus primarily on Georgia, but the organization is active around the entire country. There are also plenty of similar organizations in other states.

Let’s look them up. Let’s donate our time and our money.

Let’s ensure that voters of color and young voters do not suffer disenfranchisement.

It seems incredible in this day and age, but it is happening. And we must fight it.

Who will be Stacey Abrams in Virginia? Texas? How quickly can we clone her?

God bless you and your work, Stacey Abrams. Thank you for not remaining silent.

Image credit: Clay Bennett, Chattanooga Times Free Press

Relief and Foreboding

Jane Leave a comment

WHEW!

What a RELIEF!

This past week was, I think, stressful for everyone in the United States who pays attention to politics. It was also, judging from input from friends abroad, stressful for just about everyone else.

(One friend put it in a very colorful way indeed: Putain, c’est long l’accouchement, là! I’ll let you put that into Google translate.)

And yet, despite the relief, the joy and the anticipation of having a GROWNUP HEADED TO THE WHITE HOUSE, I still have a sense of foreboding.

Not All Rosy

For one thing, while Biden and Harris won with the largest number of votes cast in US history, it must be said that Donald Trump is the biggest loser.

And by that I mean that he is the loser who lost despite having an absolutely HUGE number of votes cast for him.

If people turned out in record numbers for Biden, they also turned out in record numbers for Trump.

This article by Monica Hesse in the Washington Post sums up nicely how I feel about that.

No Blue Wave

Because of the frightening number of people who voted for division, isolationism, and white supremacy, there was no blue wave to speak of.

Democrats did not take a commanding majority in the senate, and even lost ground in the house (while still retaining the majority).

This may be because of the frighteningly large number of Americans who embrace Trumpism. Or because we’re so locked into a two-party system that we can’t bring ourselves to vote for the other party.

But it could also be because the Democratic party seems to have a fundamental inability to foster a sense of unity, of being a collective.

Biden said last night that decency won this election. Maybe. But I’m pretty sure Biden won this election for two reasons: 1. Kamala Harris and 2. because he’s not Donald Trump.

Being the party of “not Donald Trump” isn’t a sustainable party platform for the Democrats.

Hard Road Ahead

And so, despite having won the election, Biden and Harris will meet some obstacles before they are “officially” recognized as president- and vice-president-elect.

The president (for that is what he still is), his campaign and the GOP have launched a barrage of law suits and complaints about alleged election “irregularities.”

He and his cronies have also refused to concede defeat, insisting alternately on victory and fraud.

What is most discouraging is how even those Republicans who are lukewarm at best on Trump are largely remaining silent on the matter, not echoing the president’s false claims, but also not congratulating Biden on his victory. (Mitt Romney is a notable exception.)

We Are Not Out of the Woods

Many people may think that we’re done, the insanity is over, and we can go back to living our normal lives.

However, we are not out of the woods.

Unless Democrats can pull off victories in the upcoming run-off election in Georgia in January 2021 (click here to send money to Stacey Abrams’ Fair Fight organization!), the Senate will remain in Republican control.

That will make it very hard for Biden and Harris to do all the things they’re talking about doing.

Do Not Get Complacent

We need to remain engaged. Keep participating. Keep informed. Keep watching the president like a hawk and demanding accountability.

Just because our man (and our WOMAN!!! KAMALA!!) is in the White House, does not mean that we can hit cruise control.

We have GOT. TO. KEEP. PAYING. ATTENTION.

Polarization is at an all-time high, political division is rife. We need to do what we can to come out of our respective corners.

We have got to figure out how we can work TOGETHER to reject xenophobia, racism and childish bullying, while listening to and trying to understand our fellow Americans.

Because in the end, that’s what we all are.

Still Knitting…

Jane Leave a comment

This is tense, isn’t it??

Yesterday, it was nearly unbearable. I felt useless, sluggish and distracted all day. I couldn’t focus on anything.

So I knitted.

On Tuesday, I finished off the oats cowl I’d begun on Monday evening, completing it in under 24 hours.

The yarn is acrylic, which is not my favorite, but I am pleased with the (unblocked) result.

Yesterday, I whipped up a swatch for my Santa pillow. This was tricky. I was swatching fair isle in the round, which is never easy, and my stitches went all wonky. Also, I had some long red floats which needed to be caught on the back but showed through the white beard. I’ll need to find a better solution for that on the actual pillow.

The stitches are an absolute disaster. I’m hoping it will be better on the full-sized project when I’m not fussing with a small swatch size.

Next, as I waited for my Santa swatch to dry, I cast about for something else I could cast on.

Stash Diving

At the foot of our bed is a painted and carved wooden trunk. In that trunk are two large and one small sealed storage bags. The largest contains all my worsted weight (heavier) yarn. The second contains all my DK weight (medium weight) yarn. And the smallest contains my fingering weight yarns.

My stash.

In moments of stress and anxiety (like yesterday), I like to open it up and imagine the possibilities.

Yesterday, I stuck to the bag of fingering weight yarn.

I pulled out some absolutely gorgeous hand-dyed merino wool yarn I purchased at a big craft fair in Munich. It’s a German brand, Tausendschön, and it’s a deep midnight blue in light fingering weight.

Also in my stash is something I picked up at the Virginia Wool Festival last fall (sadly canceled this year). It’s a Shalimar Yarns fingering weight yarn called “Paulie.” The color is best described as a bright not-quite-pink but not-quite-red. It’s called “Tamarillo.” The yarn is a luxurious blend of merino wool, camel, cashmere and silk. It is SOOOOO squeezable!

I have two skeins of each of these yarns, and though they are slightly different weights, I am swatching up to see if I can use them together in a project.

Enter the All About That Brioche shawl by Lisa Hannes.

Photo copyright @maliha on Ravelry.com.

This is a deliciously squishy shawl which I knit for my mother a few years ago. I still own the pattern but do not have a shawl of my own! I think it’s time. The midnight blue and the tamarillo (which looks a lot like the pink/red color pictured here) would look great together.

That should tide me over until the yarn arrives to make the Crazyheart sweater for the Bug!

Other Fanciful Ideas

I was at Target this morning and spotted their multicolored pompom wreath in the newly set-up Christmas section.

(Don’t get me started on how ridiculous it is to have Christmas decorations up in EARLY NOVEMBER. What about Thanksgiving?! Do we just IGNORE that holiday??)

Looking at this in more detail, I decided it would be relatively easy for me to make one myself. All that worsted weight yarn I have in my stash is in mainly Christmas colors. I bought it last year at A.C. Moore when they were going out of business.

It should be easy to build a stiff backing to glue the pompoms onto.

Easy! I have two different sized pompom makers, and have a great technique involving a fork for making smaller ones. Three sizes of pompoms should do it, and if I get started now I should have plenty by Christmas!

I’m going to be SO busy!

And Now

I’m off to check the election results for the umpteenth time today.

I had hoped that writing this article would kill more time. Sadly, it hasn’t taken me all that long.

Today, I Will Knit

Jane Leave a comment

It’s been a quiet morning. The Bug is off school, so the boys spent a good part of the morning in their pajamas.

We FaceTimed with Jack (their grandfather), and with family in Minnesota. We chatted with some of the people we love best in the world.

I played the piano, tidied the kitchen, had a cup of tea… It’s been a quiet morning.

And Yet…

Every time I remember what day it is, I feel a stab of anxiety.

Today is Tuesday, November 3rd, 2020. It is Election Day in the United States.

Butterflies flare up in my tummy whenever I think of it. I feel anxious about the results, about when we’ll know the results, about the future… All things I cannot control.

Gearing Up to Election Day

I sent off my absentee ballot in September. I followed up on the Loudoun County board of elections website to make sure my ballot was received (it was!), and since then I have felt somewhat powerless to do much more.

I’ve done a little volunteering at polling sites with the local MRC, but because of coronavirus concerns and having our kids at home, I haven’t been able to volunteer today. I’m disappointed.

I put up a campaign poster in front of the house. My very talented brother designed a wonderful Biden/Harris poster, which I put in our front window. (Click here to download and print them for yourself!)

Find @paperscenery on Instagram.

Mainly, I’ve tried to be a good neighbor. I figure that by fostering a good spirit of community with our neighbors, they might be influenced by that and remember it when they go to the polls.

But who knows if that has any effect? It feels like I could and should have done so much more. This is what I think about as I worry about today’s election results.

And So I Knit

To reduce anxiety and calm my fluttering nerves, I knit.

A girlfriend asked me if I wouldn’t mind making little Oats Cowls for her girls. Since she even provided the yarn, I couldn’t say no! I can’t resist a lovely, quick and satisfying knit like this.

But now I’ve been not-knitting for too long. I can feel the butterflies getting stronger. Time to soothe them (and myself) with some meditative needle clicking.

Go Vote. Please.

Let’s break records. Let’s make this a landslide.

Drama

Jane Leave a comment

61. Drama: Write about a time when you got stuck in between two parties fighting with each other.

-Think Written

Clowns to the Left…

Though I suppose “clowns” is not a fair description of Kamala Harris. Thank GOD she’s Biden’s VP pick, because maybe–just maybe–she’ll bring a little sanity and maturity to this presidential race.

Finally, there’s a grown up in the room!

Now now now, I know there are lots of Biden fans. And I’m not anti-Biden by any means.

But I’m not so terribly pro-Biden either. I see him as more of the same ol’ same ol’.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m going to do my best to get him elected in November in the hopes that he will prove me wrong.

Jokers to the Right…

But writing Trump off as a “joker” has proved dangerous.

(As anyone with half a brain and an ounce of integrity knows.)

The thought of four more years of this maniac terrifies me. But what really frightens me the people who are willing to keep him in office.

Who are these people? Any conversation about Trump I’ve had, with strangers, friends and family alike, has yet to reveal anyone who actually voted for him.

They’re out there, obviously. But they’re as elusive as unicorns.

Tired of the Drama

I want this year to be over. I want to know the result. I want to be out of this melodramatic mess.

But it seems like we won’t get off that easy. Trump is already vowing to continue the drama after the election if he loses.

So here’s what I’ll be doing: volunteering, getting out the vote, donating money to organizations dedicated to getting out the vote, and reminding all and sundry to register to vote by mail.

That, and breathing a short prayer:

God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change,
courage to change the things I can,
and wisdom to know the difference.

Reinhold Niebuhr

Vote by Mail!

Jane Leave a comment

Ladies & gentlemen, it’s time!

Time for what?

TIME TO REGISTER TO VOTE BY MAIL!!

Today, I received a form that I had requested online. The form is an application to vote by mail in the upcoming November 3rd presidential election.

It’s been filled in and mailed back. My ballot will arrive about 45 days before the November election.

Why This Matters

This year especially, this matters SO. MUCH.

And it’s easy to think that November is a long time from now, that we all have time to do this stuff later.

But November will be here before we know it, and now is the time to request an absentee ballot.

Rules Differ by State

All states differ, so a quick Google search of your state’s voter registration site should help you find all the information you need.

Where I live, we are being encouraged to register to vote by mail.

Your state may be different, but please be sure to find out.

Get Others Registered

Tell your friends. Tell your family.

Also, there is a frightening push against voting by mail by the Republican party, and especially the president (who voted himself by mail in the Florida March primary…).

There are many organizations fighting to defend peoples’ right to vote. The NAACP’s Legal Defense Fund (LDF) is one of them.

There’s also Fair Fight, run by Stacey Abrams. These organizations can use our support.

Consider Volunteering

Typical poll workers are retired folks, people who are right smack in the most at-risk age group for infection from covid-19.

If you are young, healthy, have no underlying health conditions and feel safe doing so, consider volunteering as a poll worker in November.

Hopefully most people will be able to vote by mail, but after June’s fiasco in Georgia, who knows how things will turn out.

Vote, Vote, Vote!

Share on social media! Tell your friends! Send links! Help people navigate the site to get themselves registered.

Please let’s not be complacent about this.