"Those of us who thirst for justice need to throw the best parties, is what I’m saying."
THIS IS IT!!!!! I 1000000% feel this in my bones. I'm also always feeling the tension of the *importance* of justice with the relative *frivolity* of parties (or anything that looks to be primarily social on its face) but the two need each other!
AND one of my favorite videos on the internet at the end? Come on!! We've been chatting about throwing a Bingo Night + pancake breakfast situation at the co-op; I really just want to copy programming from any VFW sign I pass by these days.
Elise I am a busy man with a family in Milwaukee, WI and neither the money nor the time to come to New Haven JUST for a Bingo night plus pancake breakfast put on by you at the co-op and yet… the organizer urge to do exactly that…
ELISE! A. I’ve been slacking on adding songs of the week lately but I’m going to go ahead and just say that this is canonically the song of the week (will add it to the web version). B. I don’t think you’ll be surprised to find out that my answer to the question “what kind of punk are you?” Is “I’m a Mike Watt and d. Boon’s friendship kind of punk.”
I'm on the board of our local social justice public art project, Ithaca Murals. We were just talking at our meeting last week about what each of us is hoping to do more of in the coming year. I was a professional finance manager for a lot of years and so I tend to volunteer to do more of that, alone in my house. Instead, I said, "Be together in community! Because I'm kind of a hermit and a crank and I can always manufacture a reason to stay home. But this year I want to show up for all the community painting parties. I want to get covered with random paint and talk to people I don't know, and spot people on ladders, and get used to just being with people again, creating something beautiful." I think I'm also going to now always bring soup or chili or pie because you're right, there's nothing better than that.
"I want to get covered with random paint and talk to people I don't know and spot people on ladders, and get used to just being with people again, creating something beautiful."
I'm avoiding pretty much everything from the Blame Democrats First crowd, so I've not really got much intelligent to say. With very few exceptions, Democratic candidates didn't run a pro-trans campaign. It doesn't matter, because the Republicans ran a campaign of accusing Democratic candidates of being pro-trans. Also of being Socialists.
These positions are both electoral poison in a great many places. Neither was chosen by Democratic candidates, but all of their efforts to avoid the labels failed.
Two reasons I avoid all the post-election hand-wringing are that (a) if you substitute "Jon Tester" for "the Democrats" whenever pundits are talking about what the Democrats didn't communicate, understand, or identify with, it's patently obvious they're talking nonsense; and (b) Tester's race was absolutely unwinnable: there's nothing he could have said or done that would have closed the gap in 2024. This is where we are as a polity.
Democrats are going to take over the House in the 2026 midterms. If there are 2026 midterms.
AAAAAAHHHHH SO GLAD I DON'T SHUT UP ABOUT SOUP AND PIE SUPPERS! It is absolutely beautiful to me that a tradition from a very conservative enclave is inspiration for progressive justice and joy.
After attending one your calls--which I am still fired up over, and am slowly reaching out to local pals one-on-one to talk about community organizing--and reading this newsletter, I am starting to notice who is already doing good in our community. Our record store has an event planned for inauguration day. A local tech biz and nonprofit came together to serve lunch to anyone in the community who wanted some--all were welcome. It's so heartening to see this, and to see the potential for expanding it. Thank you and your community for this gift of seeing hope and possibility.
I'm replying to this woefully late but I just want to say that this is both really lovely and that since I've written this I've been doing the same thing-- noticing how many builders are already out there in my community.
"Those of us who thirst for justice need to throw the best parties, is what I’m saying."
THIS IS IT!!!!! I 1000000% feel this in my bones. I'm also always feeling the tension of the *importance* of justice with the relative *frivolity* of parties (or anything that looks to be primarily social on its face) but the two need each other!
AND one of my favorite videos on the internet at the end? Come on!! We've been chatting about throwing a Bingo Night + pancake breakfast situation at the co-op; I really just want to copy programming from any VFW sign I pass by these days.
Elise I am a busy man with a family in Milwaukee, WI and neither the money nor the time to come to New Haven JUST for a Bingo night plus pancake breakfast put on by you at the co-op and yet… the organizer urge to do exactly that…
also....am I allowed to choose my own White Pages companion song of the week?? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H7C9RQiUdXc
ELISE! A. I’ve been slacking on adding songs of the week lately but I’m going to go ahead and just say that this is canonically the song of the week (will add it to the web version). B. I don’t think you’ll be surprised to find out that my answer to the question “what kind of punk are you?” Is “I’m a Mike Watt and d. Boon’s friendship kind of punk.”
😭😭😭
I'm guessing you have both seen We Jam Econo, then? It might be the most charming music documentary ever made.
Also, my friend is trying to get D. Boon awarded the Woody Guthrie prize if that is a cause anyone here wants to support: https://www.instagram.com/dboon4woodyguthrieprize/
Loved We Jam Econo and very much want to support getting D. Boon the Woody Guthrie prize
I'm on the board of our local social justice public art project, Ithaca Murals. We were just talking at our meeting last week about what each of us is hoping to do more of in the coming year. I was a professional finance manager for a lot of years and so I tend to volunteer to do more of that, alone in my house. Instead, I said, "Be together in community! Because I'm kind of a hermit and a crank and I can always manufacture a reason to stay home. But this year I want to show up for all the community painting parties. I want to get covered with random paint and talk to people I don't know, and spot people on ladders, and get used to just being with people again, creating something beautiful." I think I'm also going to now always bring soup or chili or pie because you're right, there's nothing better than that.
"I want to get covered with random paint and talk to people I don't know and spot people on ladders, and get used to just being with people again, creating something beautiful."
I love this for you and I love this for Ithaca!
Excellent piece, Garrett. Thank you. I could quote so many lines. Soup and pie. Soup and pie.
I've been repeating it to myself lately! Soup and pie!
I'm avoiding pretty much everything from the Blame Democrats First crowd, so I've not really got much intelligent to say. With very few exceptions, Democratic candidates didn't run a pro-trans campaign. It doesn't matter, because the Republicans ran a campaign of accusing Democratic candidates of being pro-trans. Also of being Socialists.
These positions are both electoral poison in a great many places. Neither was chosen by Democratic candidates, but all of their efforts to avoid the labels failed.
Two reasons I avoid all the post-election hand-wringing are that (a) if you substitute "Jon Tester" for "the Democrats" whenever pundits are talking about what the Democrats didn't communicate, understand, or identify with, it's patently obvious they're talking nonsense; and (b) Tester's race was absolutely unwinnable: there's nothing he could have said or done that would have closed the gap in 2024. This is where we are as a polity.
Democrats are going to take over the House in the 2026 midterms. If there are 2026 midterms.
Absolutely recommend what you've been doing (avoiding as much post election hand wringing as possible)
AAAAAAHHHHH SO GLAD I DON'T SHUT UP ABOUT SOUP AND PIE SUPPERS! It is absolutely beautiful to me that a tradition from a very conservative enclave is inspiration for progressive justice and joy.
Look what you inspired!!!
After attending one your calls--which I am still fired up over, and am slowly reaching out to local pals one-on-one to talk about community organizing--and reading this newsletter, I am starting to notice who is already doing good in our community. Our record store has an event planned for inauguration day. A local tech biz and nonprofit came together to serve lunch to anyone in the community who wanted some--all were welcome. It's so heartening to see this, and to see the potential for expanding it. Thank you and your community for this gift of seeing hope and possibility.
I'm replying to this woefully late but I just want to say that this is both really lovely and that since I've written this I've been doing the same thing-- noticing how many builders are already out there in my community.
I am behind on getting invitations out for the Common Good Missoula fundraiser lunch. That'll be a priority project for tomorrow.
Anyone want to have lunch in Missoula on December 5? HMU.
If any Missoulians are reading this I highly recommend supporting Common Good Missoula and also having lunch! Such a great org.