Category Archives: Resistance

Update on Iranian protests

Fierce Planet Posted on by

From Sept. 20, this is the first video I saw from the protests in Iran. Unprecedented scenes in Iran: woman sits on top of utility box and cuts her hair in main square in Kerman to protest death of Mahsa Amini after her arrest by the morality police. People clap their hands and chant “Death to the dictator.” #مهسا_امینی pic.twitter.com/2oyuKV80Ac — Golnaz Esfandiari (@GEsfandiari) September 20, 2022 A report from Arash Azizi at Newsweek: Iran’s Regime May Have Just Sparked a Revolution On Sept. 17, Mahsa’s funeral in her native Kurdistan province was accompanied by massive protests which soon spread … Continue reading →

Protests against dictators around the world

Fierce Planet Posted on by

As I return home, the world is in a state of turmoil in many places. I like to think that these uprisings against authoritarian regimes will continue and spread, but we know of course that such uprisings often get suppressed and the people who engage in them may end up dead or in prison. Which only highlights the incredible courage of those people who have taken to the streets this week in Russia and Iran. In many ways it’s easy for me to be an activist, though I’ve had moments in my life where I felt quite scared to speak … Continue reading →

The Ukrainian advances around Kharkiv

Fierce Planet Posted on by

Over the past few days Ukrainian forces have moved swiftly, regaining several towns and a lot of land near Kharkiv. It is possible that this will be decisive in turning this war around at last. At the very least, Russian forces are looking very weak. From what you’ll read below, it is clear that Ukraine itself has no intention of stopping while Russians still occupy their land, but how Putin might react to these events is still uncertain. Faster and Furiouser: Ukraine’s Forces Take Back Kharkiv Oblast and More …the narrative in Ukraine has changed in huge way over the … Continue reading →

Fired up

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This matches what I see/feel around the mid-terms this year (gift link, will get you through the paywall for a while). Women Are So Fired Up to Vote, I’ve Never Seen Anything Like It …once the actual Dobbs decision came down, everything changed. For many Americans, confronting the loss of abortion rights was different from anticipating it. In my 28 years analyzing elections, I’ve never seen anything like what’s happened in the past two months in American politics: Women are registering to vote in numbers I’ve never witnessed. I’ve run out of superlatives to describe how different this moment is, … Continue reading →

Good morning!

Fierce Planet Posted on by

Not sure this Biden speech will change many minds, but I am so glad he said what he did. It’s a moment in our country’s history that deserves recognition, and the danger must be named. I think he named it well, and judging by all the fainting and whines today, other people think so too.   I haven’t posted much recently because I’ve been busy. In addition to writing up my thoughts on the midterms, with a reference guide to the most important Senate races, I spent a couple of days following virtual sessions of Netroots Nation 2022. I live-tweeted … Continue reading →

The 2022 midterms are now

Fierce Planet Posted on by

The mid-terms are coming up fast and the political situation in this country is in flux. I want to focus on the key races that will help us hold, or perhaps even expand, our Senate majority. That’s looking very possible right now, even though the more traditional election forecasters still rate most of these races as toss-ups at best. I don’t have to tell you how important this election is. I honestly believe the future of our nation depends on holding the line this year and in 2024. I’m focusing here on Senate races that need to be top priorities … Continue reading →

What patriarchy looks like in everyday life

Fierce Planet Posted on by

Beaten for no reason, dragged off the street for violations of modesty laws, subject to torture in those detention centers, refused school and work choices—this report shows exactly how women in Afghanistan are treated by the Taliban. Women who dare to protest, and some women do dare to, are treated even more harshly.   In the New York Times (gift link, no paywall) another report shows the same brutal situation. Taliban Rewind the Clock: ‘A Woman Is a Helpless and Powerless Creature’ Girls are barred from secondary schools and women from traveling any significant distance without a male relative. Men … Continue reading →

Medication abortion – will we lose that too?

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We certainly will if the antiabortion groups get their way. They are working now on legislation to ban medication abortions, even if the pills come from a state where abortion is legal. (gift link, should get you past the paywall) Most abortions are done at home. Antiabortion groups are taking aim. Two top antiabortion groups have crafted and successfully lobbied for state legislation to ban or further restrict the predominant way pregnancies are ended in the United States — via drugs taken at home, often facilitated by a network of abortion rights groups…. The groups are pursuing a variety of … Continue reading →

Violence

Fierce Planet Posted on by

I know I have said here more than once that I believe the right-wing patriarchy, the white supremacist movement in this country wants me and everyone like me to be dead so long as we refuse to conform to their ideas of how human culture should be structured. They don’t want feminists to exist, or queers of any variety. They are uncomfortable with creative artists and free-thinkers. They don’t like science because they can’t control it. They definitely hate people of color and immigrants who come from non-Western countries. Even a whiff of social democracy as it exists in European … Continue reading →