Make a Difference on #GivingTuesday

It’s time to set aside our differences and actually make a difference. Tuesday, November 29^th is the fifth annual organized day of coordinated volunteering and philanthropy.

“ #GivingTuesday harnesses the potential of social media and the generosity of people around the world to bring about real change in their communities; it provides a platform for them to encourage the donation of time, resources and talents to address local challenges. It also brings together the collective power of a unique blend of partners— nonprofits, civic organizations, businesses and corporations, as well as families and individuals—to encourage and amplify small acts of kindness.”

https://www.givingtuesday.org/

Support groups that make a positive difference. Donate money, donate your time, spread the word. We will need groups like the ACLU, Planned Parenthood, and the Sierra Club more than ever. Find out what their lobbyists are doing, what laws they are supporting and opposing, and what good they are doing. Volunteer and you’ll not only help your group, you’ll also understand the causes, effects, and needs better so you can become a better advocate.

The #GivingTuesday website has links to ways to get involved. Registration is closed for this year, but it’s a good place to get started, get inspired, get active!

Notations From the Grid (Week-End Edition): On This Thanksgiving Weekend 2016

Bana Alabed (Source: Twitter) 

As we celebrated thanksgiving here in the United States, what our team picked up on the Grid earlier (courtesy of reporting by +Al Jazeera English  gave us a true moment of pause to remember all that we're thankful for.  She is a 7-year old who began tweeting earlier this year with her Mother's Help on the plight of the ordinary faces of Aleppo as we just got reporting that the Syrian Regime's Forces have just taken two key districts in Aleppo as over 200,000 People are under siege:

If this does not give pause to us to remember all that we're thankful for, I don't know what does...FYI @GOP @realDonaldTrump #SyriaCrisis https://t.co/PAExawbzBu

— Mike Pouraryan (@mikepouraryan) November 27, 2016

Fear and Loathing in America. Over 66 Years Ago, One Women Had a Message For Today. It’s Time to Revisit Margaret Chase Smith’s Declaration of Conscience

Read these quotes from a speech by Senator Margaret Chase Smith in 1950 (wait- weren’t those supposed to be the “Good Ol’ Days?”). Her Declaration of Conscience could/SHOULD be read today on the Senate floor. She was the first to confront Joseph McCarthy and his fearmongering team. Donald Trump’s campaign returned to those same methods to incite discontent, discord, division, discrimination, and disgust. Despite his earnest vow to be a President to all, some of his followers and potential cabinet members still are pushing for registries and for ending civil liberties for many.

Substitute the words Terrorist or Immigrant for Communist and it’s clear that many things haven’t changed since she gave this speech in1950 to warn the nation against Joseph McCarthy!

“As an American, I am shocked at the way Republicans and Democrats alike are playing directly into the Communist design of “confuse, divide, and conquer.” As an American, I don’t want a Democratic Administration “whitewash” or “cover-up” any more than I want a Republican smear or witch hunt.…

Today our country is being psychologically divided by the confusion and the suspicions that are bred in the United States Senate to spread like cancerous tentacles of “know nothing, suspect everything” attitudes.”…

Certain elements of the Republican Party have materially added to this confusion in the hopes of riding the Republican party to victory through the selfish political exploitation of fear, bigotry, ignorance, and intolerance. There are enough mistakes of the Democrats for Republicans to criticize constructively without resorting to political smears.

To this extent, Democrats and Republicans alike have unwittingly, but undeniably, played directly into the Communist design of “confuse, divide and conquer.”

Excerpts from Senator Margaret Chase Smith’s Declaration of Conscience June 1, 1950

As the Senator from Maine, Margaret Chase Smith was the first to speak out against Joseph McCarthy and a divided Congress.  It was over 4 years later that Senator McCarthy was finally censured and stopped. Margaret Chase Smith’s Declaration of Conscience has a message that rings too true today. We need all representatives to act independently just as she did. President-Elect Trump appealed to many voters with his independent style and hopefully he will be able to see beyond the blue and red. We need to listen now. Why can’t we work together in a positive way, regardless of party?

“It is high time that we stopped thinking politically as Republicans and Democrats about elections and started thinking patriotically as Americans about national security based on individual freedom.