I fear that the reason so many voted for Trompe is because so many states' Dept. of Ed. haven't updated the Social Studies curriculum since the 1960s. Texas, Florida, and California use/used the central adoption method, which means the state BOE chooses all the textbooks for the entire state's school system (see 2/22/2002 House Research Organization focuse report - Texas House of Rep.). Texas SBOE only has to review their textbooks every 8 years. That's two generations of high school students.
When politicians get to choose what is taught in public schools, misinformation, disinformation, incomplete information become part of the curriculum. Since purchasing new textbooks is a multi-million dollar expense, they are rarely updated. If any district wants to purchase a book not on the SBOE approved list, they have to pay 30% of the cost from their district budget.
I can tell you from personal experience that middle school 8th grade students in my district in NY enter 9th grade having studied US history up to exactly the same year as I did - 1963. Too many students haven't studied the last 60+ years of US and World History...and don't get me started on Current Events.
I was a resident of California [and a recent college graduate] when Reagan became governor. He immediately slashed the budget for the state's university system; it's never recovered. He went on to cut back on high school and other education. How better to have support for stupid Republican ideas than an uneducated public.
Those who still revere Reagan need to be reminded daily of his "conservatism". Reagan followed Nixon's plan to thwart the Poor and Women's Rights and Public Education Bush I & II plus Trump have continued the plan. We are all poorer for their greed - power.
That's what happens when people who've never held office at any level get elected because of name recognition... more celebrity than experience or expertise.
Agree with your comments about updating our education in this country! We owe better to our children and their families. The root of many problems in this nation is the failing educational system! Tossing monies at the wind with no improvements or accomplishments. We must “start over” with quality as a goal! Equip our children!
As someone who blogs about education and meeting the needs of gifted students who turn into gifted adults, I am going through a lot of inner chaos as I look at our diminishing options. How can I give good recommendations when the many elites in power treat the system as one more way to create ignorance - and thus more power?
No decent American history teacher ought to need a commercially produced US History text for anything more than a filler or a backup when needed. I taught American history at the elementary level for over 40 years, I don’t know how many textbooks I went through - they were all largely US History as pablum.
I've been thinking that the Long Game for the Dems should be, make sure everyone gets a decent education, and Stop. Banning. Books. How we make that happen, I don't know, especially now.
I hit your BlueSky link, dear Joyce, and it might be a while before I get to functionality. I'll keep trying. I'm still pullin' for the pullets! Thank you for all you do for ALL of us. Your Thanksgiving prep looks amazing! Enjoy.
Danial, I don’t know about you but I’m banned from commenting on the Washington Post because I once became too graphic with how I would crap on the steps of the Capital during Trump’s funeral and I explained it would be the most famous crapping ever in front of CNN, ABC, CBS and yes and Fox News. They won’t let me back for some reason. So I requested remaining monies returned. And they told me it’s permanent.
I went to BlueSky. Dagonit, I still don’t get those simple things in life like Twitter and now BlueSky. Twitter once expressed that I was supposed to follow others but I’m sorry, I’m not much of a follower, lol. So I began tapping out thoughts (because I’m a thinker, lol) and no one folllwed me. So I quit it and shut it down. Can anyone explain to me the methodology of these social networks. Frankly, I’m better off living in the 19th century. Does anyone know how to get there? I know there is a horse and buggy waiting for me at my ranch to take me downtown to the telegraph office so I can pitch my social media thoughts.
The "social" in "social networks" is there for a reason. The idea is to build up circles of people with shared interests. An analogy from the 19th and early 20th century might be the salon, in which people came together in a social (non-academic) setting to learn from each other. "Social," btw, involves listening as well as talking.
You may be mythologizing the 19th century. The social media of the time included salons, chautauquas, and, of course, churches. The abolition and women's rights movements were spread in part by speakers who traversed the country and whose listeners organized local support groups. Churches and church people played a role in both. Not surprisingly, the Black church played a hugely important role in incubating the U.S. civil rights movement in the 20th century: it's no coincidence that so many of the male leaders had "Reverend" before their names.
Also, do remember little things like dental care, vaccines ....... you can always participate in historical reenactments, to deal with your nostalgia for times past, you know.
I joined Facebook rather late in the game, IIRC in 2011, in part because networks of word people (editors, writers, etc.) were growing. I've been active in them ever since. There's a huge (18K members) FB group dedicated to people who live in my area. It's pretty well moderated, so it's a useful way to share news, events, etc. I've got friends who are avid fiber people (knitters, weavers, spinners, etc.); several of them belong both to a local group and a regional or national one. Thanks to the resident malamute, I also belong to a FB group of malamute owners and admirers (lots of photos in that group!). It's fun watching people from these different parts of my life meet and even get to know each other on my timeline. Yeah, in some ways Facebook is a PITA, but it's very useful -- and since I use FB Purity I never see any ads.
Very interesting that you can have good groups on Facebook. I quit because I got to where I didn't trust them at all. I never saw ads and never got any political postings. I guess I'm not very good at being social. I'm a knitter, but never thought to look for a knitting group, and I don't know that there are any local knitting groups here in the desert.
My question is not whether you will leave X, but whether you will have a non-USA alternative platform to use if your platforms get shut down. X is probably the least likely to get shut down, other than Truth Social, so if you stay there people can see you.
It is similar in that you identify yourself as you prefer, see posts, create posts, etc. you can follow others, let them follow you. Block others too. It’s a little puzzling at first because you don’t “join” Mastodon. You join one of many sort of “sub-servers” which may or may not be focused on a particular “theme.” Maybe photography or politics or gardening or philosophy or tech. But everyone CAN see posts from anywhere. As you follow or gain followers I guess you see them more. No algorithms deciding what you might prefer. No ads. Sub-servers are supported by donations. Nothing for sale. No data collected beyond who you follow … and maybe that’s on your computer or phone. You can change sub-servers or join more than one. I’m just a user, not a techie, and I’m sure my description is inexact. Instead Tweets we post Toots. I post photos of my felines on Caturday and my paintings of landscapes on Silent Sunday. Someone posts a Possum Every Day. There are all kinds of serious discussions and jokes. There’s an instant translate function that helps with tons of foreign posts. You are encouraged to enter a text description of pictures for the visually impaired.
Wow. Great description. Thanks. I've long stayed away from social media so I'm not sure I'll try either. But I take Linda's point about using a communication platform that is based outside the US. I think it's a good point.
I actually think PBS and NPR should refuse federal funding if they can. I understand it’s a very small amount of their operating budget and it could give them freedom to report the news accurately without pressure to “both sides everything” which has been evident in recent years. To make that happen, the public needs to step up their support— I renewed my membership today. Happy Thanksgiving to all!
If you think refusing government funding will protect public broadcasting from harassment and shuttering by the Trump administration, think again. That imperial presidency won't keep their hands off progressive, enlightened, opposing thinking even if zero federal funds are allocated. They just want silence from opposition.
I think you are probably right! The clowns Trump has selected to be in his circus all seem to have the same vengeful bully streak as him! It's like they are salivating at the thought of inflicting pain on everyone they don't like!
I’m a sustaining member of my favorite NPR station. It gets charged to my card every month, so is a smaller amount every month, but becomes more substantial than if I gave once yearly.
I quit listening to NPR when "both-sides" anchors let the liars have the last word and every word in-between. No fact checking - just letting the liars lie.
I'm sorry to say that I feel the same. It started way back in 2002 when they had Michael Moore as a guest. He was able to speak 2 minutes for every 5 minute argument before, during, and after his remarks. I was disgusted by the NPR host twisting herself into a pretzel to appear "fair and balanced". They did not treat Dick Cheney or Victor Hansen Whateverhisnameis that way.
I stopped listening and watching when PBS rammed the Biden pile on frenzy in my face day after day. I favor to send zero dollars to NPR and PBS now. They will become another means for spreading propaganda. Defund all enterprises and individuals involved with this brutal takeover.
Nancy, I agree. Except they don’t have to refuse federal funding, when MTG cuts it. But we can support it ourselves and keep it running. However, can the FCC not shut it down if they want to? Is it not them that control the airwaves? I’m not sure how this works. Can someone explain?
Been supporting PBS and NPR local stations for decades. It's much easier just to go on a year by year plan. That's the way they get a budget they can count on from year to year, and even month to month of
You do what you want, but think again. This coming administration will use any means to pound us into the hole of ignorance. NPR and PBS will not go anywhere but will be an effective outlet for them.
You are so right. I’m an art dealer and own a picture framing business and more of my customers are bringing to me canvas paintings to frame that that bought online from China. And after they get the junk, they complain that the canvas has issues. They live in a $400,000 house and they want to save on art by buying Chinese art junk. Support local. You can find excellent works of art from local open artist studios.
maybe this is the first thing you have written that I like....a left handed compliment I know. I used to sell "schlock paintings". Those came from Europe years ago, assembly line painting. People just want something to match the sofa.
I can handle left-handed compliments no pun in there I don’t think. I frequently buy from European auction houses all the time. One print is on its way and another I will bid on late this week. But my stuff is not schlock stuff they were created by very well known artists.
I've been supporting my local PBS station for years. I love their shows and would be devastated without them: Nature, Nova, Frontline, Ken Burns documentaries, etc.
I donated to Oregon's KLCC last month in the name of deceased programmer. I received a sensitive letter from BROOKE BUMGARDNER, the KLCC Director of Membership & Outreach.
Brooke updated me as the Network has made major technical upgrades. Gone are the old but, trusty "repeaters" to get the signal into other parts of Oregon. KLCC has has at least 7 new stations & call numbers such as Newport at 89.7 & Corvallis at 90.3.
btw, NPR's local affiliates get 8% from CPB and 6% from federal, state and local governments.
If I have to increase my membership level to my local affiliate to make up the difference if they were to gleefully 'defund' NPR, I'm fine with that. Shut them up.
Sadly, our local PBS (KVPT, Ch18, Fresno, CA) station has come under control of those aligned with Trumpism who’ve forced (with PBS awareness) its Community Advisory Board to become a cheerleading section instead of a panel advising on community desires for programming. We still support, but reluctantly so.
The Psychopath is not the issue. It's his magats at the local level that are destroying community and safety. And perhaps you might want to explore the genocide and christian falsehoods proping up the mythology of "Thanksgiving."
Agree about local level MAGAts. I fear them - even talking with and being kind to strangers who may turn on me or on others. My “other” status is less obvious so unless a button or pin or expression let out, still the power they yield …..
I am trying to comprehend what I can do to help ensure that my children will enjoy the benefits I have had for 65 years. I am trying not to despair, but it is hard not to when the truth is not valued and bullying is applauded. I value your law expertise and want to feel less alone in this task. I realize that I have underestimated the appeal of President-elect Trump with others, and I had hoped women's reproductive rights and democracy would have won the day. I hope you can suggest ways to stay focused on the essential things and not be brought into all the chaos that his Administration is sure to stir up to distract us and pit us against each other. His cabinet picks have certainly ignited my concern, and the loss of NPR would only add to that. Change is inevitable, but the I pray that those we have elected will protect the Constitution and withstand the dangers that those who would destroy it are trying to pose. I look forward to sharing your knowledge and take with us all
Do you have an IRA? Use your investments to speak for you, i.e., get out of Bezos, Musk and Zuckerberg stocks. I want to preserve my capital for the coming Depression so I am moving my interests to a 70-30 Bonds to Stocks funds ratio. In me lifetime Republican presidents put us into economic tailspins. It will be no different with this administration. Be Prepared to weather the storm. "Face piles of trials with smiles, they will wonder at the web you weave and keep on thinking free." -- Moody Blues.
I suspect that in 10 years from now, we will live in an entirely different kind of world. The use of internet for the ordinary person might not even be a choice. Preparation for changes seems to me to be the only option we have right now. Look around you at your neighbors, friends and family and choose wisely those who would make good companions to 'ride the river' with.
I’m developing new stand-up material. That’s my contribution. But don’t put too much emphasis on the constitution. All nations have one and it doesn’t automatically protect the people it represents.
Snopes debunked Spoonamore also. But their conclusion was based on a "lack of evidence". It would make sense to do a recount in Maricopa County and see if the number of paper ballots match Trump's total. God knows the election boards are not giving Snopes complete information either.
I have worked inside the Maricopa County elections system. They are rightfully obsessive
about security, procedures, and keeping tight control over access to every aspect of the process. They also conduct lawfully mandated hand count AUDITS of the ballots.
You guys...it does not matter! They got elected in a trifecta! I am not gong down that rabbit hole of conspiracy. "Feed your head!" -- Jefferson Airplane.
There is NO such thing as A RECOUNT for the 2024 presidential election. Elections are overwhelmingly decentralized. Run by counties. Lots of precincts. In each county. The problem seems to have been targeted disinformation. See Barbara McQuaid book.
Doesn’t the certification process going on in each state include checking votes? Don the Con probably lined up his false electors just in case. There has to be fat fingerprints someplace. How do millions of people forget the mishandling of COVID and the relatives and friends they lost?
"Millions of people..." did not forget, they got disgusted with Biden Administration, the Senate and the Supreme Court not arresting Trump, Stone and Bannon for sedition and try them in chains in a court of law! "Make me want to holler, throw up both my hands!" -- Marvin Gaye.
I really don't care who said what. It should be an easy "look back" to do a sampling of the bullet ballots and check with the specific voters to validate their ballot. There are so few bullet ballots (but just enough to swing a very close election) that a specific investigation of the bullet ballots in the swing states shouldn't be that difficult. Why hasn't this been done and publicized so that the bullet ballot chatter can either stop or be pursued if appropriate. There is way too much dark money and way too much expertise out there to carry out such an intrusion into the election that I think a diligent elections operation would look into any anomoly in the election results. Period!
Sorry, there is NO way to "check w specific voters to validate their ballot." once you slide it into the machine/box or vote electronically, it’s just 1 of thousands/millions. That’s what a secret ballot is all about. there are a certain # of ballots, counted carefully over and over, delivered to each precinct. At the end of the day - voted Ballots counted + remaining blanks + any provisionals = original # of ballots delivered and number of voters checked in.
When I voted, my name is attached to my hard copy vote.... how else do they find dead people who vote. In any event, the best way to debunk a false fact is to investigate it. If the bullet ballot rate was way out of range, investigate it... Ignorance is never blissful. This election was weird all around.
Every ballot has a number and YES, it is possible to match names to numbers to ballots.... how else do they identify fake ballots and ballots for people who either died during the election or were dead votes? Every ballot has a number and every number matches an envelop that I signed. Nothing is secret in this world today.
Tough to keep him out of our heads after reading Joyce’s substack today (and many other of our substack writers). After all it’s pretty much all about him and his cronies (all except the closing sentences from The Hobbit.) Even so I will try to make the occupancy rate in my head zero! Here’s hoping….
Thank you, Joyce. I needed that. As an 81 year old grandmother of 6 who still works for a living, I’m feeling so frustrated that everyone seems to be preparing for his inauguration like it’s normal. IT’S NOT NORMAL!!!! I feel like a Mob Boss is taking over the reins of this magnificent country for the purpose of enslaving everyone who isn’t a member of the 1%.
While it might feel good to impose on the Trumpistas some of the insanity they imposed on the 2020 election, I don’t believe this would be an effective use of energy. Trump won, possibly with the help of various states’ gerrymandering and voter restriction laws, but very unlikely through any mass voting shenanigans.
Better to use energy and efforts to support organizations and Congressional Reps and Senators who can block and/or delay anti-American moves by the Trumpistas and their flying monkeys.
As a note, it wouldn’t be the federal White House in charge of any such ballot tampering anyway.
Circumstantial evidence. Russia is a second rate power elevated by Trump. They've conducted war. Why aren't the talking heads discussing the War Powers Act?
Why not do a recount to ensure the vote is accurate? The money is there. If you read both of Spoonamore’s letters you would see why he is sounding the alarm.
Marlo, I wrote to Harris, saying I had read Spoonamore’s letter, and what do her advisers think. She would have to ask for recounts. I got an email saying the letter was received, but no comments.
Spoonamore does not reveal where he got his numbers, the numbers that raised his suspicions. Maybe he made them up, or maybe he got them somehow other than legally. IF his numbers are correct, unusually and suspiciously large numbers of voters marked only the race for president. A manual recount of paper ballots would show if fewer paper ballots exist than the tallied votes, showing fraud.
Election Day paper ballots and in person early votes on paper ballots would have been matched with the electronic count daily. It would be people on the voter rolls who didn’t vote, whose absentee ballots weren’t used, whose identities could be used to add to Trump’s total at the last minute, as needed, by precinct, according to Spoonamore’s theory. He explains persuasively, but that isn’t the same as proof. A recount would do it.
Arizona says it will give a complete report Nov. 25.
Thank you Carol for your proactive move. I also sent an email to Marc Elias.... Maybe something is going on behind the scenes. I keep hoping (with all the fingers crossed and toes crossed) that stuff is going on behind the scenes.... not just with ballot anomolies but also with issues like background checks for nominees.
Barbara, Yes, yes, yes, to background checks to nominees.
The Guardian has read some of Hegseth’s books. UN, bad. NATO, bad. Geneva Convention, bad. America should love Israel. “If they surrender, OK, but if they don’t, we will rip off their arms and feed them to hogs.” Gentle Jesus must wonder how He could have been misinterpreted by a self-described “warrior for Christ.”
Joyce, you are a lighthouse in a raging storm of darkness and towering waves. I can’t thank you enough for keeping my hope alive. We will get through this, hopefully wiser and less naive. Never surrender. Warm regards and thank you so much!
The situation is the same, we were just so much expecting a different outcome that we think we lost something. We did not lose anything. We always struggle to get done what needs to be done. While we hoped for a reprieve, we did not get that. We continue on the quest. That is all. Two steps forward. One step back. It is like always. We need to shed our heavy disappointment and get back to work just like we were. Except harder. Smarter.
Yes, agree! I repeat from my past posts... WE need to remember that the reality is that Trump garnered only 31.3% of the total ELIGIBLE voting population of 245 million.... We should push back hard when he says he has a mandate. In fact, he has less than a third of the population that has expressed (through vote) their support of him. While Harris had only 30.3% of the total voting eligible population, we need to capitalize on the approximately 40% who did not vote.... I'm sure that they will not be happy when MAGAts ruin their lives.
I take comfort in the evidence that many cults fall apart once their leader is gone, and no one currently in the GOP or fringe parties can replace Trump. Best they could hope for is to become more like Scientology: well-funded, armed with lawyers, and dependent on those who have risen in the ranks to rope in the credulous. Wait - that IS the GOP. All that's missing without Trump is any vestige of charisma or effective showmanship.
Carl, your comment got me thinking in an entirely different direction. If Harris had won, the Trump acolytes and voters would not have magically disappeared. They would be doing what we’re doing: finding ways to maximize whatever power they had left and to subvert everything promised by the winning candidate. I suggest we carefully study how the Magats achieved a 2024 win after their 2020 loss. And then use that information to turn the tables again in 2028.
I try to practice kindness, Joyce, I really do. Sometimes, I am seething with disgust, however. Last night, I attended my first Quinceañera. It was for my wonderful handyman’s daughter, who I have known since she was 5. It was truly a delightful event where at least 150 people were in attendance. An 8 piece live band played for at least 4 hours and people were dancing the entire time. I do not speak Spanish but I still had a great time. I wanted to be there for my right hand man (and his wife) who has helped me and my husband for 10 years with various jobs. He is from Mexico and has been married 20 years to his wife who was born and raised in Los Angeles. I think he has American citizenship…at least I hope he does. I worry not just about him but the many in our country who help put food on our table, or build the houses, apartments, clean our places, office buildings we occupy. I will not obey. I will not be silent. I just can’t tell you that I am not scared.
Re: deja vu. For some of the elderly us, Trump 2.0 is not exactly new. The vitriol today harkens back to the pre-civil rights South. The Dixiecrats. But it’s Bull Connors and Lester Maddox at the bullhorn, not Thurman or Helms or Wallace: The barely intelligible, not a thinking man’s bigot.
And of course, “no man is above the law” only applies to non-white non-Christians; and certainly not females.
What helps: being with kind, generous, wise, and engaged people; my son's classical guitar CDs; avoiding news about people behaving badly; reading favorite books; not re-reading the WOLF HALL trilogy about the erratic, ego-driven, power-mad King Henry VIII and his just-as-bad courtiers; good food, enough sleep; being with beauty indoors and outside. Practicing gratitude. Practicing compassion. Practicing courage.
“So, if you care - I have been a leader in hacking and counterhacking for 25 years. I'm well paid for it. The 2024 Election was hacked at the tabulation level.
Long thread on it: I continue to work professionally finding hackers, and fairly often DEVELOP AND INSTALL hacks designed to ferret out the misuse of systems. My customers have included numerous governments and F100 firms. I wrote risk assessments of smartgrid technologies for Obama, and IP e-protection for GE.
Here is what you are seeing. The Tabulation Systems at the County level were hacked far in advance of the election. The hack was probably written into the code even before the code was installed. It will have a WHEN function and IF/THEN functions to have the machine force balance to a given outcome within a specific window of time. You could test the machines 1000 times before election night, and the result will be correct. If you run it during the time window, the force balancing will be turned on and regardless of inputs you will get a programmed output.
It is very simple to prove this. Take the two most outlandish precinct results from any county and just hand-count the ballots. They won't match the tabulation outputs. From what I am seeing, you will find 8-11% avg. shifts from Dem to Rep. Be sure to check heavy Red areas, easier to cover up a run up of the score. That was how it was done in Ohio vs. Kerry - GOP flips in already highly red areas. Now, why the Bomb-Threats? They were NOT to allow for hacker access. The programming was already in place, they were to break Chain of Custody and produce legal grounds to not trust a recount. Every place that GOT a bomb-threat is a place the courts will now have to consider the factual argument of whether the ballots COULD have been tampered with while the evacuations were going on. They weren't. But that is the argument the GOP will make to prevent recounts.
I used to appear on Lou Dobbs TV Show, back when he was at CNN and discuss hacking, including of voting machines. I helped get machines into researchers hands - every single one of them were shocked/horrified how simple hacking the machines was. But somehow, the public has refused to engage.
Now that a full blown #fascist takeover is underway, and they did it by hacking the tabulation machines as described, please engage. I will lend any expertise if asked, but be aware these people are sociopaths who will kill you, they have done so to others, so act accordingly.
And it was relatively easy. Perhaps 300-500 tabulators of 3 types with 24+ months of prep. You just saw 3000+ comms devices of 4+ types hacked with software and installed explosives. These were set off in waves and specific times to destroy Hamas. Same thing here.
My personal record. A team of 4, 11 months total operation time, we hacked 500 Point of Sale CreditCard machines to install added tracking software allowing the units to work correctly while also creating traces to catch CC money laundering which the retailer was in on. Same thing as election 2024.
And finally, let me say again, this is a simple, stupid, easy to prove hack. Hand Count most suspected 2 Precincts in each county. They won't match. And FWIW, I am currently working on a much harder hack larger in scale and much better executed. This election hack is just about political will.”
Letter to Governor Shapiro:
Gov. of Pennsylvania J. Shapiro, et. al. Nov. 7th 2024
“This is a formal Duty to Warn Letter. Per DNI Dir. Clapper's 2015 directive to all agencies and contractors associated with intelligence and financial agency technologies. I have a Duty to Warn of suspicions of hacking, and have done so for my customers including Govt. Agencies, Dept. of Defense, F100 firms and numerous banks. I do so here as a directly affected voter.
Nearly all my investigations begin for one of two reasons. The hackers make a mistake triggering a system issue and/or the aggregate effects of the hacking creates results outside nominal expectations. There is a third and less common flag; an unrelated distraction to draw attention away from the hacking.
All three of these indicators are present in the election of Nov. 5th 2024. Element three, distraction via bomb-threats, is confirmed coming from Russian agencies. Element one is the inexplicable mismatch of reported votes vs. voter turnout. Here in Centre County initial tabulation was an absurdly low 67K votes when over 80K voters participated. Element two is also present. Our local scanner systems worked in testing, but were unable to communicate properly with tabulation systems after the bomb-scare. I note from experience - the failure of a scanning systems to properly load a database is an extremely common development when a system is changed without notice to the users. I have personally worked on similar issues where sudden scanner configuration failures were the first symptoms of system hacking.
With these three elements present, I suggest immediately doing a relatively simple set of preliminary checks. First, randomly selected precincts require manual comparisons of the number of voters who took ballots vs the scanned output of vote totals. Those did not match here in Centre County by apx 13K votes. Once added, those votes substantially changed outcomes and led to the outright reversals in multiple Centre County races. Centre County BOE now shows vote totals over 80K votes. Apx. 6% above 2020 turnout. In my professional opinion every county in PA as well as many in WI, MI and GA currently reporting lower vote totals vs. 2020 and/or also experienced a distraction bomb threat should undertake the same process. My professional opinion is: many thousands of voters are being disenfranchised, likely by a malicious actor via errors in tabulation software. My concern has been proven correct and warranted here in Centre County PA.
ESignature = Stephen R. Spoonamore
Stephen Spoonamore (Resident Centre County PA)”
End of letter.
Please let Vice President Harris know about this revelation. It is crucial a hand recount is accomplished in the swing states.
Remember, Trump said he had enough votes BEFORE the election.
Stephen Spoonamore Twitter/Threads/BlueSky: @spoonamore
I called the secret service in DC tonight but the man who answered was very young & immature. I will call tomorrow and ask for the head of the SS, possibly Roe. I will email Spoonamore’s letter to them and request he print it & immediately give it to VP Harris. I don’t see how else to proceed. Do you?
I would rather do a recount and know that we tried. Trump did recounts. Why is it so outrageous? This man does this sort of thing for a living. What if what he says is true? Why give in so easily? It is very suspicious.
Snopes Fact Check just blew up Spoonamore's claims about 350,000 fraudulent votes in North Carolina.--
According to the North Carolina State Board of Elections' website, as of Nov. 21, 5,722,556 voters cast ballots. Of those, 5,699,152 ballots displayed votes in the race for president. The website also reported that 5,592,243 ballots bore votes for the state's governor's race. A comparison of the numbers for total votes and the gubernatorial race would reveal the maximum number of possible "bullet vote" ballots for all presidential candidates. The difference between the two numbers is 130,313 votes — a count nowhere near the 350,000 votes stated by Spoonamore. Trump received 183,048 more of North Carolinian's votes than Harris.
We know Kamala Harris is smart, and she would put smart people on this to figure out whether it was Looney Tunes or not. Apparently, Kamala Harris's smart people thought this was Looney Tunes.
How do any of us know if investigations are going on or not? Anyway, why would they make it public? Surely the letter has been received. And, I am trusting that those who have the capability to investigate are already doing so. I am in the "wait and see" mode. Our intel will be on it if there is anything there to be uncovered.
She may not have read the letter. Or she might be afraid for her life. We don’t know if she is aware. I believe Spoonamore.
There are people who say prices are up yet: “Thanksgiving dinner is more affordable than it has been decades.
Turkey is 6% cheaper than last year, sweet potatoes are 26% cheaper and the price of fresh cranberries remains at its lowest level since 2015, according to a nationwide survey of grocery prices by the American Farm Bureau Federation.
For plenty of households, of course, it doesn’t feel that way. But according to the AFBF report, “even with the decreasing purchasing power of the dollar, some of the goods in our basket are at their long-term lowest prices, even in terms of the ‘current dollar’ price.” ~ NBC News
“The Tabulation Systems at the County level were hacked far in advance of the election. The hack was probably written into the code even before the code was installed.” ~ Spoonamore
Let us all stop and recall how Don the Con called Georgia Secretary of State Raffensperger who recorded the call to FIND votes. So obviously there is a possibility of monkey business. Let’s not give up so quickly. Thanks Marlo!!
OK. Where was this done? At the factory? How did they know which tabulators were going to be used at which locations? I know that Trump supporters are gullible, it's sad to see that Harris supporters are gullible. Spoonomore's theory says that votes were added only in specific counties and precincts. How did they know which tabulator was going to be used in which state?
We know Kamala Harris is smart, and she would put smart people on this to figure out whether it was Looney Tunes or not. Apparently, Kamala Harris's smart people think this was Looney Tunes.
Well, Governor Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania is not in Hawaii, and I'm sure he'd get some smart people to look into it too. It said to think that Harris supporters can be conned just as easily as Trump supporters. You seem to think that you're the only person in the Democratic Party who is interested in election integrity.
Depending on the device you're on, click on the three dots after your comment, on the right margin. If you can't, just reply to yourself with the correction.
I’m struggling, as most of us are, to find the will to fight. It just seems hopeless.
The Republicans have been planning and scheming for decades, to undo everything FDR did. They have captured the Supreme Court, and their plans for an Oligarchy have come true.
Even before Kamala lost, I was concerned that we had gone too far down the road of Fascism, and it would be very difficult to turn things around. Now, I just don’t know how we can stop it.
As someone who has GAD (generalized anxiety disorder), I cannot read and follow everyday, the chaos of the Trump administration. I’m going to follow Joyce, and several others here, but if I don’t limit my news intake, I will go insane.
I’ll do what I can to help support those fighting, like you Joyce. Thanks for all you do,
Tasmin, I hear you. In addition to reading Joyce and Heather Cox Richardson, I read Jessica Craven's Chop Wood Carry Water (on Substack and she has an email newsletter). She sums up good things that happen each week and then gives very specific assignments (e.g. call your legislator about .... ) I've found it positive and helpful to narrow my focus down to one thing I can do each day or two.
Happy Thanksgiving to all who signed up for Joyce's incredible emails! My husband and I are planning a quiet day since his kids decided they have better things to do. They don't get that their Dad had a stroke 3 years ago because he doesn't appear to them to have been affected. I know otherwise. My prayer this Thanksgiving is that all people open their eyes before it's too late. ❤️🙏
J - joy - trying to pay attention to the happiness in front of me, since being miserable in the present doesn't help anything
A - action - committing to "doing something" several times a week (joining a call, giving money, calling my senator) regardless of whether it will make a difference
M - meaning - whether it be a small act of kindness or picking up trash, or volunteering - engaging with the community and something larger than myself
I am 90 years old. I have memories of terro from the second world war when we had to live
In the dark at night in case enemy planes flew overhead. And times when we were sent home
from school because of concern for the enemy being nearby. I remember amccarthyism and the fears if we spoke about politics and said the wrong thing, we may be considered a communist and
Not loyal to our govrrnment. And civil rights and the Korean and Vietnam wars. But I have never felt
So scared and deeply saddened as I do now. Our beautiful country that no matter how many times it missed the mark, there was always hope. I have written letters, knocked on doors, made phone calls, marched and participated in every way possible to fight for a better tomorrow. And now I have
Tears and sorrow sapping my strength. Reading Civil Discourse helps somebut I feel Joyces pain also
and im having a very hard time to continue believing in our dreams for a more perfect union.
So heartfelt and spot on... Jan, I feel the same way.... I want to be proactive but don't feel that there are many avenues for doing such. Yes, I keep writing to my Senator. I write only to Senator Todd Young because, while he is a Republican, he really is a centrist and a good solid patriot. I keep writing on this thread and it feels a little helpful. But, in truth, there really is nothing we can do, at least right now. Maybe we elders need to just focus on finding some joy and happiness in each single day and let the future take care of itself. Sadly, it is our younger generations who will have to fix this and no amount of angst on our part will help... Preserve our remaining days with living within the smallest inner circle of our lives = ourselves, our closest friends, and our families.
This week I shall as usual go to my coffee shop and make the baristas there laugh, whom I feel are like my children, and I shall support NPR.
I shall continue to imagine what I do in each of my morning meditations, I will envelop my beloved Earth with a pale pink fog to make her feel peaceful and loved, and perhaps this love is felt sometimes by the tiny humans on her and perhaps change the perspective of some. it sure pacifies me.
Thank you Joyce. I have checked out two Noam Chomsky books from the library, ‘Optimism Over Despair’ and ‘Notes On Resistance’ to gain some information and guidance. These are books of collected interviews, since 2013 and both referring to the state of affairs we face. His last statement in ‘Optimism’ is “we have two choices. We can be pessimistic, give up, and help ensure that the worst will happen. Or we can be optimistic, grasp the opportunities that surely exist, and maybe help make the world a better place. Not much of a choice.”
I’ve also been reading articles on his website from the past year which I have found helpful.
I stopped listening to media except Aaron Parnas and Lawrence O'Donnell. I have refocused my attention to what is happening in my home and on my clients. The first action magats took was to bully the only transgender member of congress. This administration will be constant chaos lies and violence. That the psychopath will have absolutely no consequences has destroyed my alignment w gov't.
Thank goodness McBride is calm about her place in Congress. She knows when they say “trans” they are out to get her but to also cause distraction from the real issues like poverty, education, healthcare for millions, etc.
Support your local PBS station and NPR network!
Such good advice. I haven't written a check lately and will do that tomorrow.
I fear that the reason so many voted for Trompe is because so many states' Dept. of Ed. haven't updated the Social Studies curriculum since the 1960s. Texas, Florida, and California use/used the central adoption method, which means the state BOE chooses all the textbooks for the entire state's school system (see 2/22/2002 House Research Organization focuse report - Texas House of Rep.). Texas SBOE only has to review their textbooks every 8 years. That's two generations of high school students.
When politicians get to choose what is taught in public schools, misinformation, disinformation, incomplete information become part of the curriculum. Since purchasing new textbooks is a multi-million dollar expense, they are rarely updated. If any district wants to purchase a book not on the SBOE approved list, they have to pay 30% of the cost from their district budget.
I can tell you from personal experience that middle school 8th grade students in my district in NY enter 9th grade having studied US history up to exactly the same year as I did - 1963. Too many students haven't studied the last 60+ years of US and World History...and don't get me started on Current Events.
I was a resident of California [and a recent college graduate] when Reagan became governor. He immediately slashed the budget for the state's university system; it's never recovered. He went on to cut back on high school and other education. How better to have support for stupid Republican ideas than an uneducated public.
And here we are.
Those who still revere Reagan need to be reminded daily of his "conservatism". Reagan followed Nixon's plan to thwart the Poor and Women's Rights and Public Education Bush I & II plus Trump have continued the plan. We are all poorer for their greed - power.
You and me both. I graduated from UCSB in 1966. I always hated Reagan, and don't understand how people can revere him.
That's what happens when people who've never held office at any level get elected because of name recognition... more celebrity than experience or expertise.
Agree with your comments about updating our education in this country! We owe better to our children and their families. The root of many problems in this nation is the failing educational system! Tossing monies at the wind with no improvements or accomplishments. We must “start over” with quality as a goal! Equip our children!
Update our educational courses and classes!
There might be a small issue with the pittance teachers are forced to accept.
As someone who blogs about education and meeting the needs of gifted students who turn into gifted adults, I am going through a lot of inner chaos as I look at our diminishing options. How can I give good recommendations when the many elites in power treat the system as one more way to create ignorance - and thus more power?
No decent American history teacher ought to need a commercially produced US History text for anything more than a filler or a backup when needed. I taught American history at the elementary level for over 40 years, I don’t know how many textbooks I went through - they were all largely US History as pablum.
Also: pretty much all written from an East Coast point of view, which, as a Californian, really ticks me off.
I've been thinking that the Long Game for the Dems should be, make sure everyone gets a decent education, and Stop. Banning. Books. How we make that happen, I don't know, especially now.
Louise, as a retired middle school teacher, I couldn’t agree with you more.
And don’t even get me started on Current Events.
Texas heavily influences what is taught by controlling the selection of most, if not all, textbooks published by the major publishing companies.
Unconscionable of states' departments of education
I hit your BlueSky link, dear Joyce, and it might be a while before I get to functionality. I'll keep trying. I'm still pullin' for the pullets! Thank you for all you do for ALL of us. Your Thanksgiving prep looks amazing! Enjoy.
2 things. 1. PBS has been corrupted by Koch money.
2. Joyce, why are people like me are banned on X and you're not?
Danial, I don’t know about you but I’m banned from commenting on the Washington Post because I once became too graphic with how I would crap on the steps of the Capital during Trump’s funeral and I explained it would be the most famous crapping ever in front of CNN, ABC, CBS and yes and Fox News. They won’t let me back for some reason. So I requested remaining monies returned. And they told me it’s permanent.
1: WHAT??
I went to BlueSky. Dagonit, I still don’t get those simple things in life like Twitter and now BlueSky. Twitter once expressed that I was supposed to follow others but I’m sorry, I’m not much of a follower, lol. So I began tapping out thoughts (because I’m a thinker, lol) and no one folllwed me. So I quit it and shut it down. Can anyone explain to me the methodology of these social networks. Frankly, I’m better off living in the 19th century. Does anyone know how to get there? I know there is a horse and buggy waiting for me at my ranch to take me downtown to the telegraph office so I can pitch my social media thoughts.
The "social" in "social networks" is there for a reason. The idea is to build up circles of people with shared interests. An analogy from the 19th and early 20th century might be the salon, in which people came together in a social (non-academic) setting to learn from each other. "Social," btw, involves listening as well as talking.
Well, that makes perfect sense. Yet I still yearn for the 19th century since the 20th century is a bit of a purple haze, as the saying may go.
You may be mythologizing the 19th century. The social media of the time included salons, chautauquas, and, of course, churches. The abolition and women's rights movements were spread in part by speakers who traversed the country and whose listeners organized local support groups. Churches and church people played a role in both. Not surprisingly, the Black church played a hugely important role in incubating the U.S. civil rights movement in the 20th century: it's no coincidence that so many of the male leaders had "Reverend" before their names.
Also, do remember little things like dental care, vaccines ....... you can always participate in historical reenactments, to deal with your nostalgia for times past, you know.
I’m sorry to tell you that we are in the 21st century.
and here I thought that would mean forward progress... sure feels like the 19th century
I have quit all social media. I tried using Facebook but never built up any kind of social network. I don't know how people do that.
I joined Facebook rather late in the game, IIRC in 2011, in part because networks of word people (editors, writers, etc.) were growing. I've been active in them ever since. There's a huge (18K members) FB group dedicated to people who live in my area. It's pretty well moderated, so it's a useful way to share news, events, etc. I've got friends who are avid fiber people (knitters, weavers, spinners, etc.); several of them belong both to a local group and a regional or national one. Thanks to the resident malamute, I also belong to a FB group of malamute owners and admirers (lots of photos in that group!). It's fun watching people from these different parts of my life meet and even get to know each other on my timeline. Yeah, in some ways Facebook is a PITA, but it's very useful -- and since I use FB Purity I never see any ads.
Very interesting that you can have good groups on Facebook. I quit because I got to where I didn't trust them at all. I never saw ads and never got any political postings. I guess I'm not very good at being social. I'm a knitter, but never thought to look for a knitting group, and I don't know that there are any local knitting groups here in the desert.
My question is not whether you will leave X, but whether you will have a non-USA alternative platform to use if your platforms get shut down. X is probably the least likely to get shut down, other than Truth Social, so if you stay there people can see you.
Mastodon can’t be “shut down” because it is a global network of independent servers. No “there” there.
Is it the same type of thing as FB etc?
It is similar in that you identify yourself as you prefer, see posts, create posts, etc. you can follow others, let them follow you. Block others too. It’s a little puzzling at first because you don’t “join” Mastodon. You join one of many sort of “sub-servers” which may or may not be focused on a particular “theme.” Maybe photography or politics or gardening or philosophy or tech. But everyone CAN see posts from anywhere. As you follow or gain followers I guess you see them more. No algorithms deciding what you might prefer. No ads. Sub-servers are supported by donations. Nothing for sale. No data collected beyond who you follow … and maybe that’s on your computer or phone. You can change sub-servers or join more than one. I’m just a user, not a techie, and I’m sure my description is inexact. Instead Tweets we post Toots. I post photos of my felines on Caturday and my paintings of landscapes on Silent Sunday. Someone posts a Possum Every Day. There are all kinds of serious discussions and jokes. There’s an instant translate function that helps with tons of foreign posts. You are encouraged to enter a text description of pictures for the visually impaired.
Wow. Great description. Thanks. I've long stayed away from social media so I'm not sure I'll try either. But I take Linda's point about using a communication platform that is based outside the US. I think it's a good point.
We are on forever monthly donations.
I am an annual supporter of both NPR and PBS. If we fund it directly, can it still be shut down under this new administration?
I actually think PBS and NPR should refuse federal funding if they can. I understand it’s a very small amount of their operating budget and it could give them freedom to report the news accurately without pressure to “both sides everything” which has been evident in recent years. To make that happen, the public needs to step up their support— I renewed my membership today. Happy Thanksgiving to all!
If you think refusing government funding will protect public broadcasting from harassment and shuttering by the Trump administration, think again. That imperial presidency won't keep their hands off progressive, enlightened, opposing thinking even if zero federal funds are allocated. They just want silence from opposition.
Read Heather Cox Richardson‘s column tonight. It is time to contact senators and reps, even the ones with noodles for spines. https://open.substack.com/pub/heathercoxrichardson/p/november-24-2024?r=3oeb6&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=email
I count on Joyce and Heather for truth in politics, history, and law. Yes, pay the fees and become members.
Maybe also Marc Elias's Democracy Docket
Yes. I receive public posts but in retirement I must limit paid options. Marc posts his achievements and I read with delight.
Scott Dworkin's email and Substack post this morning has these links for writing letters to our Senators:
Opposing recess appointments: https://actionnetwork.org/letters/tell-your-senators-dont-allow-trumps-recess-appointments/
Opposing Bondi: https://actionnetwork.org/letters/tell-your-senators-oppose-trumps-selection-of-pam-bondi-for-attorney-general/
Opposing Kennedy: https://actionnetwork.org/letters/tell-your-senators-oppose-kennedy-for-health-and-human-services-secretary/
Opposing Gabbard: https://actionnetwork.org/letters/tell-your-senators-oppose-tulsi-gabbard-for-director-of-national-intelligence/
Opposing Hegseth: https://actionnetwork.org/letters/tell-your-senators-oppose-trumps-selection-of-pete-hegseth-for-secretary-of-defense/
Opposing Oz: https://actionnetwork.org/letters/tell-your-senators-oppose-trumps-selection-of-dr-oz-to-run-medicare-and-medicaid/
I think you are probably right! The clowns Trump has selected to be in his circus all seem to have the same vengeful bully streak as him! It's like they are salivating at the thought of inflicting pain on everyone they don't like!
It will make it harder, because they cannot just cut the budget if they are not budgeted in.
Unfortunately you’re probably right.
Exactly. With the last bill that the House passed, all trump has to do is call them a terrorist organization and Boom, they’re gone.
I’m a sustaining member of my favorite NPR station. It gets charged to my card every month, so is a smaller amount every month, but becomes more substantial than if I gave once yearly.
Same here!
Good idea. I'll kick in my share
That sounds like a great idea. We should all be suggesting it to them.
I quit listening to NPR when "both-sides" anchors let the liars have the last word and every word in-between. No fact checking - just letting the liars lie.
I'm sorry to say that I feel the same. It started way back in 2002 when they had Michael Moore as a guest. He was able to speak 2 minutes for every 5 minute argument before, during, and after his remarks. I was disgusted by the NPR host twisting herself into a pretzel to appear "fair and balanced". They did not treat Dick Cheney or Victor Hansen Whateverhisnameis that way.
I stopped listening and watching when PBS rammed the Biden pile on frenzy in my face day after day. I favor to send zero dollars to NPR and PBS now. They will become another means for spreading propaganda. Defund all enterprises and individuals involved with this brutal takeover.
Great idea. I believe they only get 5% from government funding.
You know, you are so right. I think I will give for the first time.
Nancy, I agree. Except they don’t have to refuse federal funding, when MTG cuts it. But we can support it ourselves and keep it running. However, can the FCC not shut it down if they want to? Is it not them that control the airwaves? I’m not sure how this works. Can someone explain?
Been supporting PBS and NPR local stations for decades. It's much easier just to go on a year by year plan. That's the way they get a budget they can count on from year to year, and even month to month of
course.
I have an auto renew account with PBS. Good way to go.
You do what you want, but think again. This coming administration will use any means to pound us into the hole of ignorance. NPR and PBS will not go anywhere but will be an effective outlet for them.
More than ever donations to PBS and the local arts count. Help those indie artists too.
You are so right. I’m an art dealer and own a picture framing business and more of my customers are bringing to me canvas paintings to frame that that bought online from China. And after they get the junk, they complain that the canvas has issues. They live in a $400,000 house and they want to save on art by buying Chinese art junk. Support local. You can find excellent works of art from local open artist studios.
maybe this is the first thing you have written that I like....a left handed compliment I know. I used to sell "schlock paintings". Those came from Europe years ago, assembly line painting. People just want something to match the sofa.
I can handle left-handed compliments no pun in there I don’t think. I frequently buy from European auction houses all the time. One print is on its way and another I will bid on late this week. But my stuff is not schlock stuff they were created by very well known artists.
One person would paint water, another sky, and s/o else the trees. Then there were the clown pictures and the children with huge eyes.
Can’t figure that comment out
I've been supporting my local PBS station for years. I love their shows and would be devastated without them: Nature, Nova, Frontline, Ken Burns documentaries, etc.
Yes we do annually to both
and for years!
I donated to Oregon's KLCC last month in the name of deceased programmer. I received a sensitive letter from BROOKE BUMGARDNER, the KLCC Director of Membership & Outreach.
Brooke updated me as the Network has made major technical upgrades. Gone are the old but, trusty "repeaters" to get the signal into other parts of Oregon. KLCC has has at least 7 new stations & call numbers such as Newport at 89.7 & Corvallis at 90.3.
All-you-can-eat with your Oregon Ears👂at klcc.org
btw, NPR's local affiliates get 8% from CPB and 6% from federal, state and local governments.
If I have to increase my membership level to my local affiliate to make up the difference if they were to gleefully 'defund' NPR, I'm fine with that. Shut them up.
https://www.npr.org/about-npr/178660742/public-radio-finances
Yes! We will be going back to doing that soon!
My contribution goes in automatically every month!
Pbs passport is monthly support feature available
Memberships make great presents as well!
Sadly, our local PBS (KVPT, Ch18, Fresno, CA) station has come under control of those aligned with Trumpism who’ve forced (with PBS awareness) its Community Advisory Board to become a cheerleading section instead of a panel advising on community desires for programming. We still support, but reluctantly so.
Wow, that is scary!
Everyone here, please have a wonderful Thanksgiving and don’t let Trump live in your head…you will be much healthier.
The Psychopath is not the issue. It's his magats at the local level that are destroying community and safety. And perhaps you might want to explore the genocide and christian falsehoods proping up the mythology of "Thanksgiving."
Agree about local level MAGAts. I fear them - even talking with and being kind to strangers who may turn on me or on others. My “other” status is less obvious so unless a button or pin or expression let out, still the power they yield …..
This is not Pollyanna time. We need to get a RECOUNT done. The election was hacked! Please read Mr. Spoonamore’s letter below. Time is running out!
Robert Hubbell debunked Mr. Spoonamore's claims a few days ago. Look for Hubbell on Substack.
I am trying to comprehend what I can do to help ensure that my children will enjoy the benefits I have had for 65 years. I am trying not to despair, but it is hard not to when the truth is not valued and bullying is applauded. I value your law expertise and want to feel less alone in this task. I realize that I have underestimated the appeal of President-elect Trump with others, and I had hoped women's reproductive rights and democracy would have won the day. I hope you can suggest ways to stay focused on the essential things and not be brought into all the chaos that his Administration is sure to stir up to distract us and pit us against each other. His cabinet picks have certainly ignited my concern, and the loss of NPR would only add to that. Change is inevitable, but the I pray that those we have elected will protect the Constitution and withstand the dangers that those who would destroy it are trying to pose. I look forward to sharing your knowledge and take with us all
Let’s hope and pray that the Biden-Harris admin is busy locking down whatever can be saved, just like Michelle Obama did.
Do you have an IRA? Use your investments to speak for you, i.e., get out of Bezos, Musk and Zuckerberg stocks. I want to preserve my capital for the coming Depression so I am moving my interests to a 70-30 Bonds to Stocks funds ratio. In me lifetime Republican presidents put us into economic tailspins. It will be no different with this administration. Be Prepared to weather the storm. "Face piles of trials with smiles, they will wonder at the web you weave and keep on thinking free." -- Moody Blues.
I suspect that in 10 years from now, we will live in an entirely different kind of world. The use of internet for the ordinary person might not even be a choice. Preparation for changes seems to me to be the only option we have right now. Look around you at your neighbors, friends and family and choose wisely those who would make good companions to 'ride the river' with.
I’m developing new stand-up material. That’s my contribution. But don’t put too much emphasis on the constitution. All nations have one and it doesn’t automatically protect the people it represents.
Snopes debunked Spoonamore also. But their conclusion was based on a "lack of evidence". It would make sense to do a recount in Maricopa County and see if the number of paper ballots match Trump's total. God knows the election boards are not giving Snopes complete information either.
I have worked inside the Maricopa County elections system. They are rightfully obsessive
about security, procedures, and keeping tight control over access to every aspect of the process. They also conduct lawfully mandated hand count AUDITS of the ballots.
At minimum, find out why the bullet ballot rate was so out of range for this election.
You guys...it does not matter! They got elected in a trifecta! I am not gong down that rabbit hole of conspiracy. "Feed your head!" -- Jefferson Airplane.
Did you read his letter below? It makes sense to me.
And he thought the Ohio election was suspicious a few decades ago and he played a part in resolving that fraudulent election.
There is NO such thing as A RECOUNT for the 2024 presidential election. Elections are overwhelmingly decentralized. Run by counties. Lots of precincts. In each county. The problem seems to have been targeted disinformation. See Barbara McQuaid book.
Doesn’t the certification process going on in each state include checking votes? Don the Con probably lined up his false electors just in case. There has to be fat fingerprints someplace. How do millions of people forget the mishandling of COVID and the relatives and friends they lost?
"Millions of people..." did not forget, they got disgusted with Biden Administration, the Senate and the Supreme Court not arresting Trump, Stone and Bannon for sedition and try them in chains in a court of law! "Make me want to holler, throw up both my hands!" -- Marvin Gaye.
Not so fast and not so sure. Spoonamore missed a few necessary details. Like evidence.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tfs2kC0xOmU
I really don't care who said what. It should be an easy "look back" to do a sampling of the bullet ballots and check with the specific voters to validate their ballot. There are so few bullet ballots (but just enough to swing a very close election) that a specific investigation of the bullet ballots in the swing states shouldn't be that difficult. Why hasn't this been done and publicized so that the bullet ballot chatter can either stop or be pursued if appropriate. There is way too much dark money and way too much expertise out there to carry out such an intrusion into the election that I think a diligent elections operation would look into any anomoly in the election results. Period!
Sorry, there is NO way to "check w specific voters to validate their ballot." once you slide it into the machine/box or vote electronically, it’s just 1 of thousands/millions. That’s what a secret ballot is all about. there are a certain # of ballots, counted carefully over and over, delivered to each precinct. At the end of the day - voted Ballots counted + remaining blanks + any provisionals = original # of ballots delivered and number of voters checked in.
When I voted, my name is attached to my hard copy vote.... how else do they find dead people who vote. In any event, the best way to debunk a false fact is to investigate it. If the bullet ballot rate was way out of range, investigate it... Ignorance is never blissful. This election was weird all around.
Literally attached to your ballot? How secret is that? are the they stored alphabetically?
Every ballot has a number and YES, it is possible to match names to numbers to ballots.... how else do they identify fake ballots and ballots for people who either died during the election or were dead votes? Every ballot has a number and every number matches an envelop that I signed. Nothing is secret in this world today.
You know that you are sounding like the Trumpies of four years ago I hope you realize. It’s human nature. I get it.
And try to be nice to the people in your family who are supporters of TFG and don't talk to them if it will keep the peace.
Best approach is to talk to the dog. It will probably appreciate it more than your MAGA relatives would.
Why? They support a dictator idiot. Why be "nice" to supporters of a dictator idiot?
Tough to keep him out of our heads after reading Joyce’s substack today (and many other of our substack writers). After all it’s pretty much all about him and his cronies (all except the closing sentences from The Hobbit.) Even so I will try to make the occupancy rate in my head zero! Here’s hoping….
Thank you, Joyce. I needed that. As an 81 year old grandmother of 6 who still works for a living, I’m feeling so frustrated that everyone seems to be preparing for his inauguration like it’s normal. IT’S NOT NORMAL!!!! I feel like a Mob Boss is taking over the reins of this magnificent country for the purpose of enslaving everyone who isn’t a member of the 1%.
Call the White House and ask for a recount in MI, AZ, NC & WI. It will tell the truth.
While it might feel good to impose on the Trumpistas some of the insanity they imposed on the 2020 election, I don’t believe this would be an effective use of energy. Trump won, possibly with the help of various states’ gerrymandering and voter restriction laws, but very unlikely through any mass voting shenanigans.
Better to use energy and efforts to support organizations and Congressional Reps and Senators who can block and/or delay anti-American moves by the Trumpistas and their flying monkeys.
As a note, it wouldn’t be the federal White House in charge of any such ballot tampering anyway.
I wouldn't say that bullet ballots is a mass voting shenanigan....it's a very targetted and possibly overlooked strategy
Circumstantial evidence. Russia is a second rate power elevated by Trump. They've conducted war. Why aren't the talking heads discussing the War Powers Act?
We knew about it September 4.
https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/justice-department-disrupts-covert-russian-government-sponsored-foreign-malign-influence
Bomb threats, voter intimidation etc can be traced not only to Russia, but ostensibly their agents and willing idiots.
You are wrong. Harris is the only one who can request a recount. The hurdle is contacting her - she’s on vacation.
Why not do a recount to ensure the vote is accurate? The money is there. If you read both of Spoonamore’s letters you would see why he is sounding the alarm.
Marlo, I wrote to Harris, saying I had read Spoonamore’s letter, and what do her advisers think. She would have to ask for recounts. I got an email saying the letter was received, but no comments.
Spoonamore does not reveal where he got his numbers, the numbers that raised his suspicions. Maybe he made them up, or maybe he got them somehow other than legally. IF his numbers are correct, unusually and suspiciously large numbers of voters marked only the race for president. A manual recount of paper ballots would show if fewer paper ballots exist than the tallied votes, showing fraud.
Election Day paper ballots and in person early votes on paper ballots would have been matched with the electronic count daily. It would be people on the voter rolls who didn’t vote, whose absentee ballots weren’t used, whose identities could be used to add to Trump’s total at the last minute, as needed, by precinct, according to Spoonamore’s theory. He explains persuasively, but that isn’t the same as proof. A recount would do it.
Arizona says it will give a complete report Nov. 25.
Thank you Carol for your proactive move. I also sent an email to Marc Elias.... Maybe something is going on behind the scenes. I keep hoping (with all the fingers crossed and toes crossed) that stuff is going on behind the scenes.... not just with ballot anomolies but also with issues like background checks for nominees.
Barbara, Yes, yes, yes, to background checks to nominees.
The Guardian has read some of Hegseth’s books. UN, bad. NATO, bad. Geneva Convention, bad. America should love Israel. “If they surrender, OK, but if they don’t, we will rip off their arms and feed them to hogs.” Gentle Jesus must wonder how He could have been misinterpreted by a self-described “warrior for Christ.”
Thank you for writing to Harris!
That’s what he wants; a HAND RECOUNT would tell the truth which we desperately need.
I understand your feeling Nancy Docken!
Joyce, you are a lighthouse in a raging storm of darkness and towering waves. I can’t thank you enough for keeping my hope alive. We will get through this, hopefully wiser and less naive. Never surrender. Warm regards and thank you so much!
The situation is the same, we were just so much expecting a different outcome that we think we lost something. We did not lose anything. We always struggle to get done what needs to be done. While we hoped for a reprieve, we did not get that. We continue on the quest. That is all. Two steps forward. One step back. It is like always. We need to shed our heavy disappointment and get back to work just like we were. Except harder. Smarter.
Yes, agree! I repeat from my past posts... WE need to remember that the reality is that Trump garnered only 31.3% of the total ELIGIBLE voting population of 245 million.... We should push back hard when he says he has a mandate. In fact, he has less than a third of the population that has expressed (through vote) their support of him. While Harris had only 30.3% of the total voting eligible population, we need to capitalize on the approximately 40% who did not vote.... I'm sure that they will not be happy when MAGAts ruin their lives.
This is great, Carl Selfe. I'd love to quote you in our local Indivisible newsletter. OK?
I take comfort in the evidence that many cults fall apart once their leader is gone, and no one currently in the GOP or fringe parties can replace Trump. Best they could hope for is to become more like Scientology: well-funded, armed with lawyers, and dependent on those who have risen in the ranks to rope in the credulous. Wait - that IS the GOP. All that's missing without Trump is any vestige of charisma or effective showmanship.
Carl, your comment got me thinking in an entirely different direction. If Harris had won, the Trump acolytes and voters would not have magically disappeared. They would be doing what we’re doing: finding ways to maximize whatever power they had left and to subvert everything promised by the winning candidate. I suggest we carefully study how the Magats achieved a 2024 win after their 2020 loss. And then use that information to turn the tables again in 2028.
I try to practice kindness, Joyce, I really do. Sometimes, I am seething with disgust, however. Last night, I attended my first Quinceañera. It was for my wonderful handyman’s daughter, who I have known since she was 5. It was truly a delightful event where at least 150 people were in attendance. An 8 piece live band played for at least 4 hours and people were dancing the entire time. I do not speak Spanish but I still had a great time. I wanted to be there for my right hand man (and his wife) who has helped me and my husband for 10 years with various jobs. He is from Mexico and has been married 20 years to his wife who was born and raised in Los Angeles. I think he has American citizenship…at least I hope he does. I worry not just about him but the many in our country who help put food on our table, or build the houses, apartments, clean our places, office buildings we occupy. I will not obey. I will not be silent. I just can’t tell you that I am not scared.
Re: deja vu. For some of the elderly us, Trump 2.0 is not exactly new. The vitriol today harkens back to the pre-civil rights South. The Dixiecrats. But it’s Bull Connors and Lester Maddox at the bullhorn, not Thurman or Helms or Wallace: The barely intelligible, not a thinking man’s bigot.
And of course, “no man is above the law” only applies to non-white non-Christians; and certainly not females.
Yes and it all makes me ill.
✅️
You're missing the money. Non-rich. That's where the line is.
What helps: being with kind, generous, wise, and engaged people; my son's classical guitar CDs; avoiding news about people behaving badly; reading favorite books; not re-reading the WOLF HALL trilogy about the erratic, ego-driven, power-mad King Henry VIII and his just-as-bad courtiers; good food, enough sleep; being with beauty indoors and outside. Practicing gratitude. Practicing compassion. Practicing courage.
Stephen Spoonamore:
“So, if you care - I have been a leader in hacking and counterhacking for 25 years. I'm well paid for it. The 2024 Election was hacked at the tabulation level.
Long thread on it: I continue to work professionally finding hackers, and fairly often DEVELOP AND INSTALL hacks designed to ferret out the misuse of systems. My customers have included numerous governments and F100 firms. I wrote risk assessments of smartgrid technologies for Obama, and IP e-protection for GE.
Here is what you are seeing. The Tabulation Systems at the County level were hacked far in advance of the election. The hack was probably written into the code even before the code was installed. It will have a WHEN function and IF/THEN functions to have the machine force balance to a given outcome within a specific window of time. You could test the machines 1000 times before election night, and the result will be correct. If you run it during the time window, the force balancing will be turned on and regardless of inputs you will get a programmed output.
It is very simple to prove this. Take the two most outlandish precinct results from any county and just hand-count the ballots. They won't match the tabulation outputs. From what I am seeing, you will find 8-11% avg. shifts from Dem to Rep. Be sure to check heavy Red areas, easier to cover up a run up of the score. That was how it was done in Ohio vs. Kerry - GOP flips in already highly red areas. Now, why the Bomb-Threats? They were NOT to allow for hacker access. The programming was already in place, they were to break Chain of Custody and produce legal grounds to not trust a recount. Every place that GOT a bomb-threat is a place the courts will now have to consider the factual argument of whether the ballots COULD have been tampered with while the evacuations were going on. They weren't. But that is the argument the GOP will make to prevent recounts.
I used to appear on Lou Dobbs TV Show, back when he was at CNN and discuss hacking, including of voting machines. I helped get machines into researchers hands - every single one of them were shocked/horrified how simple hacking the machines was. But somehow, the public has refused to engage.
Now that a full blown #fascist takeover is underway, and they did it by hacking the tabulation machines as described, please engage. I will lend any expertise if asked, but be aware these people are sociopaths who will kill you, they have done so to others, so act accordingly.
And it was relatively easy. Perhaps 300-500 tabulators of 3 types with 24+ months of prep. You just saw 3000+ comms devices of 4+ types hacked with software and installed explosives. These were set off in waves and specific times to destroy Hamas. Same thing here.
My personal record. A team of 4, 11 months total operation time, we hacked 500 Point of Sale CreditCard machines to install added tracking software allowing the units to work correctly while also creating traces to catch CC money laundering which the retailer was in on. Same thing as election 2024.
And finally, let me say again, this is a simple, stupid, easy to prove hack. Hand Count most suspected 2 Precincts in each county. They won't match. And FWIW, I am currently working on a much harder hack larger in scale and much better executed. This election hack is just about political will.”
Letter to Governor Shapiro:
Gov. of Pennsylvania J. Shapiro, et. al. Nov. 7th 2024
“This is a formal Duty to Warn Letter. Per DNI Dir. Clapper's 2015 directive to all agencies and contractors associated with intelligence and financial agency technologies. I have a Duty to Warn of suspicions of hacking, and have done so for my customers including Govt. Agencies, Dept. of Defense, F100 firms and numerous banks. I do so here as a directly affected voter.
Nearly all my investigations begin for one of two reasons. The hackers make a mistake triggering a system issue and/or the aggregate effects of the hacking creates results outside nominal expectations. There is a third and less common flag; an unrelated distraction to draw attention away from the hacking.
All three of these indicators are present in the election of Nov. 5th 2024. Element three, distraction via bomb-threats, is confirmed coming from Russian agencies. Element one is the inexplicable mismatch of reported votes vs. voter turnout. Here in Centre County initial tabulation was an absurdly low 67K votes when over 80K voters participated. Element two is also present. Our local scanner systems worked in testing, but were unable to communicate properly with tabulation systems after the bomb-scare. I note from experience - the failure of a scanning systems to properly load a database is an extremely common development when a system is changed without notice to the users. I have personally worked on similar issues where sudden scanner configuration failures were the first symptoms of system hacking.
With these three elements present, I suggest immediately doing a relatively simple set of preliminary checks. First, randomly selected precincts require manual comparisons of the number of voters who took ballots vs the scanned output of vote totals. Those did not match here in Centre County by apx 13K votes. Once added, those votes substantially changed outcomes and led to the outright reversals in multiple Centre County races. Centre County BOE now shows vote totals over 80K votes. Apx. 6% above 2020 turnout. In my professional opinion every county in PA as well as many in WI, MI and GA currently reporting lower vote totals vs. 2020 and/or also experienced a distraction bomb threat should undertake the same process. My professional opinion is: many thousands of voters are being disenfranchised, likely by a malicious actor via errors in tabulation software. My concern has been proven correct and warranted here in Centre County PA.
ESignature = Stephen R. Spoonamore
Stephen Spoonamore (Resident Centre County PA)”
End of letter.
Please let Vice President Harris know about this revelation. It is crucial a hand recount is accomplished in the swing states.
Remember, Trump said he had enough votes BEFORE the election.
Trump also said he had a “secret.”
The letter he wrote VP Harris:
https://open.substack.com/pub/spoonamore/p/duty-to-warn-letter-to-vp-harris
Stephen Spoonamore Twitter/Threads/BlueSky: @spoonamore
I called the secret service in DC tonight but the man who answered was very young & immature. I will call tomorrow and ask for the head of the SS, possibly Roe. I will email Spoonamore’s letter to them and request he print it & immediately give it to VP Harris. I don’t see how else to proceed. Do you?
https://www.snopes.com/news/2024/11/21/stephen-spoonamore-letter-harris/
I would rather do a recount and know that we tried. Trump did recounts. Why is it so outrageous? This man does this sort of thing for a living. What if what he says is true? Why give in so easily? It is very suspicious.
Snopes Fact Check just blew up Spoonamore's claims about 350,000 fraudulent votes in North Carolina.--
According to the North Carolina State Board of Elections' website, as of Nov. 21, 5,722,556 voters cast ballots. Of those, 5,699,152 ballots displayed votes in the race for president. The website also reported that 5,592,243 ballots bore votes for the state's governor's race. A comparison of the numbers for total votes and the gubernatorial race would reveal the maximum number of possible "bullet vote" ballots for all presidential candidates. The difference between the two numbers is 130,313 votes — a count nowhere near the 350,000 votes stated by Spoonamore. Trump received 183,048 more of North Carolinian's votes than Harris.
https://www.snopes.com/news/2024/11/21/stephen-spoonamore-letter-harris/
🧨🧨🧨🧨 DON'T MISS THIS!!! 💥💥💥💥💥
Please read this Snopes fact check on this lunatic claim about voting tabulators.
What a load! Thanks, Linda Hopper, for the link!
https://www.snopes.com/news/2024/11/21/stephen-spoonamore-letter-harris/
A recount would reveal the truth. We all know how the MAGA party lies, cheats and steals (and even murders) to win.
We know Kamala Harris is smart, and she would put smart people on this to figure out whether it was Looney Tunes or not. Apparently, Kamala Harris's smart people thought this was Looney Tunes.
How do any of us know if investigations are going on or not? Anyway, why would they make it public? Surely the letter has been received. And, I am trusting that those who have the capability to investigate are already doing so. I am in the "wait and see" mode. Our intel will be on it if there is anything there to be uncovered.
She may not have read the letter. Or she might be afraid for her life. We don’t know if she is aware. I believe Spoonamore.
There are people who say prices are up yet: “Thanksgiving dinner is more affordable than it has been decades.
Turkey is 6% cheaper than last year, sweet potatoes are 26% cheaper and the price of fresh cranberries remains at its lowest level since 2015, according to a nationwide survey of grocery prices by the American Farm Bureau Federation.
For plenty of households, of course, it doesn’t feel that way. But according to the AFBF report, “even with the decreasing purchasing power of the dollar, some of the goods in our basket are at their long-term lowest prices, even in terms of the ‘current dollar’ price.” ~ NBC News
She has Secret Service protection.
“The Tabulation Systems at the County level were hacked far in advance of the election. The hack was probably written into the code even before the code was installed.” ~ Spoonamore
Let us all stop and recall how Don the Con called Georgia Secretary of State Raffensperger who recorded the call to FIND votes. So obviously there is a possibility of monkey business. Let’s not give up so quickly. Thanks Marlo!!
https://www.brennancenter.org/our-work/research-reports/fact-check-trumps-georgia-call-raffensperger
OK. Where was this done? At the factory? How did they know which tabulators were going to be used at which locations? I know that Trump supporters are gullible, it's sad to see that Harris supporters are gullible. Spoonomore's theory says that votes were added only in specific counties and precincts. How did they know which tabulator was going to be used in which state?
It doesn’t matter. If you read both letters, you will find the results don’t make sense.
Trump had an explosion of bullet ballots in the swing states but not in the surrounding states..
Trump won ALL 7 swing states while getting less than 50% of the votes. Unheard of.
A hand recount would tell the truth.
Reread the letter
Read the Snope’s fact check.
Marlo: Pretty amazing information. If this is for real what can be done? Did Harris respond?
I have called/emailed Harris, Biden, Jeffries, Pelosi, Mitt Romney & my Senator. I even went on Harris’s husband’s Facebook.
We know Kamala Harris is smart, and she would put smart people on this to figure out whether it was Looney Tunes or not. Apparently, Kamala Harris's smart people think this was Looney Tunes.
I am not so sure she has even read the letter. Someone said she was in Hawaii.
Last I heard, Hawai’i received news via print, radio, broadcast and cable tv and, as VP she is still in contact with the White House.
Well, Governor Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania is not in Hawaii, and I'm sure he'd get some smart people to look into it too. It said to think that Harris supporters can be conned just as easily as Trump supporters. You seem to think that you're the only person in the Democratic Party who is interested in election integrity.
A recount would tell the truth..
Snopes fact checked this letter and found it highly misleading.
https://www.snopes.com/news/2024/11/21/stephen-spoonamore-letter-harris/
Snopes said, as of Nov. 21, there was no concrete evidence to support his claim. Unless they have updated. North Carolina called his numbers wrong.
Of course not - they need to have a recount to reveal the truth.
Depending on the device you're on, click on the three dots after your comment, on the right margin. If you can't, just reply to yourself with the correction.
It finally allowed an edit. Thanks.
You must have Apple products as I do. Yeah, the three dots used to work a few years back and now they don’t. Sigh…
They seem to allow an edit after a certain amount of time as I was able to this morning.
I’m struggling, as most of us are, to find the will to fight. It just seems hopeless.
The Republicans have been planning and scheming for decades, to undo everything FDR did. They have captured the Supreme Court, and their plans for an Oligarchy have come true.
Even before Kamala lost, I was concerned that we had gone too far down the road of Fascism, and it would be very difficult to turn things around. Now, I just don’t know how we can stop it.
As someone who has GAD (generalized anxiety disorder), I cannot read and follow everyday, the chaos of the Trump administration. I’m going to follow Joyce, and several others here, but if I don’t limit my news intake, I will go insane.
I’ll do what I can to help support those fighting, like you Joyce. Thanks for all you do,
Tasmin, I hear you. In addition to reading Joyce and Heather Cox Richardson, I read Jessica Craven's Chop Wood Carry Water (on Substack and she has an email newsletter). She sums up good things that happen each week and then gives very specific assignments (e.g. call your legislator about .... ) I've found it positive and helpful to narrow my focus down to one thing I can do each day or two.
Thank you Sara. That’s good advice. I will check out Jessica Craven. 🩷
Happy Thanksgiving to all who signed up for Joyce's incredible emails! My husband and I are planning a quiet day since his kids decided they have better things to do. They don't get that their Dad had a stroke 3 years ago because he doesn't appear to them to have been affected. I know otherwise. My prayer this Thanksgiving is that all people open their eyes before it's too late. ❤️🙏
It's already too late.
I know but anything could happen even tho it hasn't for 8+ years!
My new acronym for getting through this - JAM!
J - joy - trying to pay attention to the happiness in front of me, since being miserable in the present doesn't help anything
A - action - committing to "doing something" several times a week (joining a call, giving money, calling my senator) regardless of whether it will make a difference
M - meaning - whether it be a small act of kindness or picking up trash, or volunteering - engaging with the community and something larger than myself
And a lot of knitting
I am 90 years old. I have memories of terro from the second world war when we had to live
In the dark at night in case enemy planes flew overhead. And times when we were sent home
from school because of concern for the enemy being nearby. I remember amccarthyism and the fears if we spoke about politics and said the wrong thing, we may be considered a communist and
Not loyal to our govrrnment. And civil rights and the Korean and Vietnam wars. But I have never felt
So scared and deeply saddened as I do now. Our beautiful country that no matter how many times it missed the mark, there was always hope. I have written letters, knocked on doors, made phone calls, marched and participated in every way possible to fight for a better tomorrow. And now I have
Tears and sorrow sapping my strength. Reading Civil Discourse helps somebut I feel Joyces pain also
and im having a very hard time to continue believing in our dreams for a more perfect union.
So heartfelt and spot on... Jan, I feel the same way.... I want to be proactive but don't feel that there are many avenues for doing such. Yes, I keep writing to my Senator. I write only to Senator Todd Young because, while he is a Republican, he really is a centrist and a good solid patriot. I keep writing on this thread and it feels a little helpful. But, in truth, there really is nothing we can do, at least right now. Maybe we elders need to just focus on finding some joy and happiness in each single day and let the future take care of itself. Sadly, it is our younger generations who will have to fix this and no amount of angst on our part will help... Preserve our remaining days with living within the smallest inner circle of our lives = ourselves, our closest friends, and our families.
wow Jan, at 90 I think you are doing better than me at 67! I feel you can believe in yourself and thank you for your share as it has inspired me.
This week I shall as usual go to my coffee shop and make the baristas there laugh, whom I feel are like my children, and I shall support NPR.
I shall continue to imagine what I do in each of my morning meditations, I will envelop my beloved Earth with a pale pink fog to make her feel peaceful and loved, and perhaps this love is felt sometimes by the tiny humans on her and perhaps change the perspective of some. it sure pacifies me.
And I will make my own children laugh too.
Happy Thanksgiving everyone 💕🌿
Love this Flo! Keep laughing and meditating…
Lol Jennifer, nothing like it, right ?xo
Thank you Joyce. I have checked out two Noam Chomsky books from the library, ‘Optimism Over Despair’ and ‘Notes On Resistance’ to gain some information and guidance. These are books of collected interviews, since 2013 and both referring to the state of affairs we face. His last statement in ‘Optimism’ is “we have two choices. We can be pessimistic, give up, and help ensure that the worst will happen. Or we can be optimistic, grasp the opportunities that surely exist, and maybe help make the world a better place. Not much of a choice.”
I’ve also been reading articles on his website from the past year which I have found helpful.
I stopped listening to media except Aaron Parnas and Lawrence O'Donnell. I have refocused my attention to what is happening in my home and on my clients. The first action magats took was to bully the only transgender member of congress. This administration will be constant chaos lies and violence. That the psychopath will have absolutely no consequences has destroyed my alignment w gov't.
Thank goodness McBride is calm about her place in Congress. She knows when they say “trans” they are out to get her but to also cause distraction from the real issues like poverty, education, healthcare for millions, etc.