Tag: Joyce Vance

Voting challenges

Vote for Democracy #57


(Photo by Lucas Sankey on Unsplash)

The United States is facing even more serious challenges to our election system.

The US Supreme Court’s 6-3 decision in Callais has set off a spate of redistricting in southern states which, while they are being labeled as partisan, are effectively race-based, even though primary elections are very close, or, as in Louisiana, already underway. All of these states are looking to cut down the number of Democrats and Black elected officials.

This morning, the Virginia Supreme Court struck down the April vote that would have redistricted that state and potentially added more Democrats to the US House of Representatives in the midterm elections in November.

It’s very discouraging because Trump and the Republicans are actively trying to stay in power through manipulating the electoral system, even though their policies are increasingly harmful and unpopular.

It’s time for citizens to take back their electoral power. Given that new district lines will make it more difficult for Democrats and people of color to elect their preferred candidates, voter turnout will be crucial. It may, though, not be sufficient to overcome these new obstacles. Voters who are registered as Republicans need to vote against all Republican nominees who favor these unfair and unconstitutional policies and help elect officials who believe in the principle of one person, one vote and who will uphold our civil liberties and rights.

I admit that this is a discouraging time in our efforts to uphold democracy but we must keep working on it. As Joyce Vance titled her recent book, Giving Up Is Unforgivable.

SoCS: alarm bells in the US

Vote for Democracy #48

(Photo by Lucas Sankey on Unsplash)

I’ve been experiencing life here in the United States with increasing alarm.

The cruelty, lawlessness, and incompetence of the Trump administration continues to accelerate while the suffering here and abroad continues to mount.

I will spare you a stream-of-consciousness list of all the component parts of this catastrophe, but the destruction by Trump of the East Wing of the White House presents a decent metaphor – lie about what you are planning and rush in and wreck things.

Millions upon millions of people here are fighting back to save our democracy and have a chance to re-build it and slowly repair to the extent possible the global damage inflicted but we haven’t been able to turn the tide yet. I don’t know how long it will take but we won’t give up.

Joyce Vance published her first book this week, entitled Giving Up is Unforgivable: A Manual for Keeping a Democracy. It’s what we need to do.

We won’t give up.
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Linda’s prompt for Stream of Consciousness Saturday this week is “alarm.” Join us! Find out more here: https://lindaghill.com/2025/10/24/the-friday-reminder-and-prompt-for-socs-oct-25-2025/

One-Liner Wednesday: Paper Clip Resistance

my paper clip bracelet

Following the example of Norwegians under Nazi occupation during World War II, some people in the United States have started wearing paper clips as a sign of our unity and our resistance to the erosion of our democracy.

Join us for Linda’s One-Liner Wednesdays! Find out how here: https://lindaghill.com/2025/09/24/one-liner-wednesday-why-2/

The Contrarian

Vote for Democracy #27

I have decided to end my subscription to the Washington Post; I’ve cancelled but was a yearly subscriber so it will still be available to me through early April. I had been trying to stay on in support of the journalists and editorial team members that I respected, but the level of interference from owner Jeff Bezos is too much to look past.

Jennifer Rubin recently resigned from WaPo and has started a new outlet with Norman Eisen called The Contrarian on Substack. I realize that platform will pose a problem for some readers but it’s what I need to do to access their content. A number of experts whom I already trust, such as Joyce Vance and Ruth Ben-Ghiat, will be contributing. The Contrarian is dedicated to truth-telling, which is what we all need to counter the tech oligarchy, skewed social media algorithms, and government liars.

The Contrarian just started and I am currently a free subscriber. If I find it valuable, I will upgrade to a paid subscription, which will actually cost less than WaPo.

I hope interested people will check out the site and subscribe, if they are so moved.

It looks to be a great resource for those of us who are dedicated to democracy in the United States.
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Join us for Linda’s Just Jot It January! Find out more here: https://lindaghill.com/2025/01/17/daily-prompt-jusjojan-the-17th-2025/

SoCS: Joyce’s chickens

One of the substacks I read regularly is Joyce Vance.

She is a lawyer and legal scholar whose commentary I hear often on television. She writes long and thoughtful posts about the current legal issues in the United States, of which there are many.

To lighten things, she also posts about her hobbies.

She will show us what her latest knitting project is, for example.

The thing other than law about which she posts most, though, is her chickens.

She and her family keep a coop with several varieties of chickens. She posts about what she is feeding them. Their interactions with the family’s dog and cat. Their new coop. What they are doing around the yard. How they hop up into her lap sometimes.

She will also occasionally post photos of their eggs. Because there are different breeds, the eggs are various colors and sizes.

The chickens bring Joyce comfort and joy, which she shares with her readers.

I admit that I have no desire to care for chickens myself, but I appreciate Joyce’s sharing her love with all of us.
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Linda’s prompt for Stream of Consciousness Saturday this week is “chicken or egg.” Join us! Find out more here: https://lindaghill.com/2024/06/28/the-friday-reminder-and-prompt-for-socs-june-29-2024/