Inauguration of the movement against Trump and for Justice

[Eric the Green]

The people may have been shut out of the White House for now, courtesy of 18th century slaveholders who gave us the electoral college, but we are still here, and we will continue to organize and mobilize.

The "women's march" today was huge. As Steve Allen might say, this could be the start of something big. It was huge in DC, but huge all across the country too. I went to the one in San Jose, and I've never seen a bigger march and rally in this sleepy tech town. It seemed like half the city was there, although it wasn't that big; but lots of people squeezed into the entire march route downtown so that people were still standing at the start point when people were arriving at the end point. There were similar rallies all over the country in every state, even a dozen or so in Alaska! The mayor was one of the speakers, along with a minister of my New Thought persuasion. There was a lot of pride today in our city that we turned out so well. Usually events like this barely fill up the space in front of City Hall, if even that.

It might not have pleased some folks here like Rags and David who say the Left is too focused on social justice issues. This one was, for sure. It's certainly the result of the focus by the two candidates: the winner and new "president" being outspokenly against social justice, and the loser outspokenly in favor. But I wouldn't call it identity politics, because every conceivable identity was there together, standing up against Trump and for inclusion, diversity and love. One sign mentioned not only all the ethnic and religious groups, but the three main generations as we know them here as well.

It was the peaceful side of the movement, but yesterday a more militant variety was visible, stirred up by groups such as "DisruptJ20" which apparently were anti-capitalist anarchists. There were over 200 arrests in DC when a few of them starting breaking windows, battling police and such. And we had one of those gatherings too in San Jose, and I went to that one too. There were only about a hundred mostly young people, and none of them had any rocks or broke any windows. But they did storm onto the street and took it over for a while, shouting "Whose street? Our street!". A helicopter was shining its light down on us even before we started, and 2 cops pulled up and followed us onto the street right away. I myself didn't go into the street though, or insult the police, as some of them did; I didn't think that was the issue. But those who are victims of police brutality, or otherwise turned off by the state and authority, might think differently. Once we marched down into a street with no traffic, though, a dozen police cars and motorcycles suddenly cornered us. Maybe because police behavior would be safely out of view? As I returned to the sidewalk, I saw a few young people in the street make gestures of pushing back against their motorcycles. 3 were arrested, and gradually they forced the marchers to stay off the street and soon to disperse. One college cop said they had "information" that it was the same group behind this march that was behind the violent one in DC. I don't know if there were any other violent events, but there were other such Disrupt rallies around the country on Jan.20. Since there was no violence or any threat of it here, I thought the San Jose Police were overdoing it. And yet the next day the mayor himself speaks at the larger rally. So I'm not sure what to think about whether my blue city is going to participate in Trump's promised crackdown. It seemed like both sides intended for there to be some civil unrest, although I was not part of that intention.

It's only the beginning, the speakers said today. I hope so. There will need to be a lot of organizing, election work, protest and speaking out to do to turn back the tide that put Trump in office.

[flbones too]

What is the point of these protests? Trump is already president. It's going to accomplish nothing.

[Eric the Green]

The opposition to Obama started right away, and handcuffed him 2 years later and from then on. We can do no less.

[Eric the Green]

Women’s marches: Millions of protesters vow to resist President Trump

The protest is expected to be the largest of the organized gatherings against the new president.
By Perry Stein, Steve Hendrix and Abigail Hauslohner January 21 at 7:12 PM
https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/wom...eefd8f7d54

More than a million people gathered in Washington and in cities around the country and the world Saturday to mount a roaring rejoinder to the inauguration of President Trump. What started as a Facebook post by a Hawaii retiree became an unprecedented international rebuke of a new president that packed cities large and small — from London to Los Angeles, Paris to Park City, Utah, Miami to Melbourne, Australia.



The organizers of the Women’s March on Washington, who originally sought a permit for a gathering of 200,000, said Saturday that as many as a half-million people participated.

Many in the nation’s capital and other cities said they were inspired to join because of Trump’s divisive campaign and his disparagement of women, minorities and immigrants. In signs and shouts, they mocked what they characterized as Trump’s lewd language and sexist demeanor.

The marches provided a balm for those eager to immerse themselves in a like-minded sea of citizens who shared their anxiety and disappointment after Democrat Hillary Clinton’s historic bid for the presidency ended in defeat.

“We just want to make sure that we’re heard,” said Mona Osuchukwu, 27, a D.C. native at the Washington march with her 3-year-old daughter, Chioma. “I want her to know that she has a voice. No matter what anyone tells her, especially as a black woman in America.”

Massive crowds gather for the Women’s March on Washington Play Video2:27
Hundreds of thousands of activists descended on downtown Washington for a rally and march, the day after President Donald Trump took office. The sheer number of attendees caused confusion and complicated logistics.


The Washington demonstration was amplified by gatherings around the world, with march organizers listing more than 670 planned events nationwide and another 70 cities overseas, including Tel Aviv, Barcelona, Mexico City, Berlin and Yellowknife in Canada’s Northwest Territories, where the temperature was 6 degrees below zero.

In Chicago, the demonstration was overwhelmed by its own size, after 150,000 demonstrators swamped downtown blocks. It forced officials to curtail their planned march, although thousand of protesters still paraded around the Loop. In Boston, police estimated a gathering of 125,000. In Los Angeles, officials temporarily closed some side streets to accommodate the crowds.

“We are doing our best to facilitate because they are squeezing into every street right now,” said Capt. Andrew Neiman of the Los Angeles Police Department.

There were also huge gatherings in New York, Miami, Denver and Seattle.

In Juneau, Alaska, one man marveled that the crowd was the biggest he had ever seen on the state Capitol’s steps. In Philadelphia, marchers filled city bridges. In Lexington, Ky., they shut down streets. In New Orleans, participants played brass instruments.

The fear — and anger — at Trump’s rise to the most powerful position in the United States reverberated at renowned protest sites around the globe, from the Trocadero in Paris to Trafalgar Square in London.

Bird's-eye view shows huge crowds marching towards White House Play Video8:42

A view from the top of the Washington Monument shows large crowds near the National Mall attending the Women's March on Washington. (The Washington Post)

Marina Knight, a 43-year-old executive assistant, and her 9-year-old daughter were two of the tens of thousands marching in London.

“This is her first march,” Knight said, referring to her daughter. “It’s the first time we felt it was vital to march. I feel the rights we take for granted could go backward, and we owe it to our daughters and the next generation to fix this somehow.”

In the United States, the crowds marched in weather ranging from balmy to snowy. But common to every gathering was fiery rhetoric, pink knit hats, and repeated references to the boast that offended so many women: Trump’s infamous taped comments about groping female genitals.

Among the thousands of signs that marchers dumped at the end of the day in front of the Trump International Hotel, just blocks from his new home at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave.: “P---y Power” and “This P---y Bites Back.” Protesters got as close as they could to the presidential mansion, crowding metal barriers less than a block away as police and Secret Service personnel watching closely.

Demonstrators came to Washington from around the country, sometimes sleeping on the couches of people they had never met. As of 4 p.m. Saturday, Metro had recorded more than 597,000 trips, a weekend ridership record. By comparison, as of 4 p.m. on Inauguration Day, there were 368,000 trips. The city issued about 1,800 bus parking permits for the march, and Amtrak added extra trains in and out of Union Station.

The huge crowd delighted iconic feminist Gloria Steinem, 82, who was among the first speakers. “This is the upside of the downside,” she exulted. “This is an outpouring of democracy like I’ve never seen in my very long life.”

Clinton did not attend the march but tweeted her gratitude: “Thanks for standing, speaking & marching for our values @womensmarch. Important as ever. I truly believe we’re always stronger together.”

The size of the gathering proved challenging. The audio from sound system failed to reach everyone in the massive crowd, and far more portable toilets were needed.

When the port-a-potties behind the stage broke down, security instructed women to use cups and ushered them into a box truck for privacy.

“I’m afraid to shake anyone’s hand,” one woman joked.

Though the marchers were mostly female and white, men and people of color also joined the throngs.

John Fischer, a 34-year-old locksmith from Grand Rapids, Mich., drove more than nine hours with his wife, Kara Eagle.

I’m here to support my wife,” said Fischer. “I don’t care who you are, women impact your life, and there’s no reason why they shouldn’t have the same rights as men.”

Cynthia English, a 61-year-old Jamaican American living in Florida, said she wanted the new president to know that women will be fighting during his presidency to ensure that the country and laws treat them equally. She was with her daughter and marching for her two granddaughters in the hope that no future president feels comfortable making lewd comments about women.

“I don’t want this to happen to them 20 years from now, so I am making my mark now,” said English, who wondered, “Why are we the ones that bring people into this world, and we are treated the worst? We should be treated with respect.”

The crowd was buoyant, even joyous. Many held up signs — “I Am Very Upset!” and “Love Trumps Hate” and “Bridges Not Walls” — while others took videos of the moment on their cellphones. Every few minutes, a rolling roar swept over them.

D.C. police said they had made no march-related arrests, compared with more than 200 Friday when protesters created chaos in downtown Washington.

Protesters vowed to shut down the city. Police vowed to protect the inauguration.

March organizers briefly considered suspending the formal march to the Ellipse out of concern that the crowd had grown too large to safely navigate the route to the White House. But speakers soon told the marchers to set out.

Lorraine LaHuta, 66, who came to the march from New York City, said at times she wasn’t sure where to go, but it never felt chaotic. “It was organized disorganization that worked very well,” she said.

Judith Snyder-Wagner, a 67-year-old former fundraising consultant, came because she sensed a shift in the rural, blue-collar community near Canton, Ohio, where she lives with her wife, Joy. A neighbor mowed a piece of grass along their property line and put up a Trump sign facing their home. Someone recently drove through the neighborhood flying a Confederate flag.

“We’ve been afraid,” she said, her voice quavering. She was limping up the sidewalk on Independence Avenue. She has had both her knee and hip replaced, and she held a cane in one hand and a poster in the other. “We just feel like we’re going to lose our civil rights.”

The couple boarded a bus at 1 a.m. Saturday in Ohio and would head home less than 24 hours later. “We needed to feel inspired,” Joy Snyder-Wagner said, looking around. “And we do.”

Trump’s election was the wake-up call that progressives needed, said Erin Edlow, 28, the membership director of the Virginia Beach Young Democrats. She was in town with her sister to demonstrate her support for the rights of immigrants and of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people.

“Democracy is not a spectator sport,” she said.

The march turned into a star-studded event, with celebrities such as Madonna, Janelle Monáe, Scarlett Johansson and Ashley Judd making appearances. D.C. Mayor Muriel E. Bowser (D) introduced herself as a proud “chick mayor” and implored the Republican majority in Congress to stop meddling in the District’s local lawmaking.

Activist filmmaker Michael Moore ripped a copy of The Washington Post in half, noting the headline “Trump takes power” and declaring “I don’t think so.” Actress America Ferrera declared that “our new president is waging a war” on the values that define the country with “a credo of hate fear and suspicion of one another.”

“It’s been a heart-rending time to be both a woman and an immigrant,” said Ferrera, whose parents are from Honduras. “Our dignity, our character, our rights have been under attack.”

“But the president is not America,” she said. “We are America.”

As the march grew in prominence, it highlighted long-existing racial and political rifts in the feminist movement. The initial organizers of the march were white women — a group that narrowly voted for Trump in November — although they quickly handed its leadership over to a diverse group of veteran organizers from New York.

They have embraced an imperiled liberal agenda, in sharp contrast to much of what Trump laid out for his presidency. The march platform called for ending violence against women, workers’ rights, reproductive rights, environmental justice, immigrant rights and more.

But a group of women who oppose abortion also came, beseeching the larger march to recognize their variety of feminism. Whether to include the conservative viewpoint sparked controversy in the days before the march. Antiabortion activists said they were excluded.

Siobhan Rooney, 32, drove from Philadelphia this morning to march for women’s rights. For her, that includes the rights of their unborn children.

[Is there a place for women opposed to abortion at the Women’s March?]

“We are in the same page on so many issues. It’s just this one issue,” she said.

Teresa Shook, who is in her 60s, was on hand to marvel at what emerged from her original proposal for a march in a November post on Facebook. The grandmother of four from outside of Hono­lulu accepted hug and after hug as the crowd surged around her.

“This is the woman who came up with the idea for today’s march,” one woman said. “Thank you!” shouted another.

“I’m so blown away,” Shook said.

Read more:

Worldwide, people rally in support of Women’s March on Washington

[gabrielle]

(01-21-2017, 06:51 PM)flbones too Wrote: What is the point of these protests? Trump is already president. It's going to accomplish nothing.

These protests are to show that we are going to hold him accountable.  His administration can't be allowed to violate the constitution and roll back years of progress.

[flbones too]

Hold him accountable for what? What rights are women lacking or not getting that men get? Feminism is irrelevant in today's society. I think it may even be a mental illness.

[gabrielle]

(01-21-2017, 10:10 PM)flbones too Wrote: Hold him accountable for what? What rights are women lacking or not getting that men get? Feminism is irrelevant in today's society. I think it may even be a mental illness.

Because Trump is a sexist asshole.  But that's just one of many reasons women (and men) were protesting against him today.

I'm sure if you've been reading these forums, or paid any attention at all to what is going on, you would be familiar with these reasons.

[pbrower2a]

There will be plenty more to protest. If you have no idea of what else those potential objects of protest are, then you must have been sleeping since November 8 or earlier..

[gabrielle]

Did anyone else march today, either in DC or your local city?  More than a million people participated around the world.

Here in St. Louis there were maybe 13,000 (according to police) or 20,000 (according to organizers), with no incidents.





Here are some photos my friends and I got:

[Eric the Green]

awesome

[pbrower2a]

(01-21-2017, 06:51 PM)flbones too Wrote: What is the point of these protests? Trump is already president. It's going to accomplish nothing.

Much the same was said of the Tea Party in 2009 and 2010. Media other than FoX News pooh-poohed the relevance of the movement, but the movement hit some nerves. Democrats lost the House in 2010 and the Senate in 2016 -- and all but some state and local politics in 2016. With a despotic leader like Trump and a monolithic Party dominating Congress, the USA is close to being a single-Party system like China in which a nominal, but ineffective opposition exists in federal politics. All that is missing for the sort of system that Freedom House considers "Not Free" is a police-state apparatus, and you can be sure that the Trump Administration is working on that.

Much the same was also said of the American South in the early 1960s as the Civil Rights movement sought representation and a meaningful vote for southern blacks who then had about as much freedom as citizens of a Commie state.  Opponents of the Trump regime at least do not face the likes of Bull Connor this time.   I can imagine some Governors (Scott Walker, Fascist-Wisconsin) trying to establish secret police forces analogous to the infamous Mississippi State Sovereignty Commission

Protests like these led to the overthrow of Ferdinand Marcos, Moammar Qaddafi, and (in 1989) some Communist-dominated states.

We are in a full-blown Crisis that we were not in so recently as three months ago. Every institution in America is on the brink of transformed into something very difference in purpose, composition, and responsibility. We have a President who acts more despotically than any of his predecessors. America stands to become much more dangerous, whether from political violence, secession movements, or from the imposition of dictatorial rule. 230 years since the establishment of the Constitution that we now know we could have its meaning transformed into a rationale for a dictatorship that any of the Founding Fathers would have found odious. Donald Trump, a corrupt, vain, deceitful, despotic, and incompetent Head of State is the sort of leader who is vulnerable to a military coup under almost any system other than ours.

Suggested reading for you: It Can't Happen Here. If Donald Trump doesn't remind you of the fictional Berzelius "Buzz" Windrip, then you just don't get what I write here.

[pbrower2a]

Heck, I've seen better cabinets from kits sold at Wal*Mart. (I will not deprecate the brand name -- the cheap cabinets have their uses).

[flbones too]

Woman have gotten all their rights. There really is no true purpose of feminism in today's society. It was necessary at a time when women couldn't vote. At its core these women are just pissed Clinton didn't win.

[pbrower2a]

(01-22-2017, 10:13 AM)flbones too Wrote: Woman have gotten all their rights. There really is no true purpose of feminism in today's society. It was necessary at a time when women couldn't vote. At its core these women are just pissed Clinton didn't win.

Pre-emption of any anti-feminist legislation that Donald Trump and Mike Pence might bring about.

Feminist women (and really, any decent person irrespective of gender) have cause to be appalled at a leader who has said that he "grabs women by the p8ssy". That's why you see the knitted pink hats with pussycat ears.

I see suggestions that President Trump falls short of the normal standards of decency of most of us.  People can read some ominous tendencies into some of his statements.  He reminds me of some people whom I new regrettably well in the public school, people that I had good cause to stay clear of. Most of those either grew up as adults with honest, unglamorous jobs or ended up in prison after dropping out of high school. They were definitely not "college material".

[The Wonkette]

(01-22-2017, 12:36 AM)gabrielle Wrote: Did anyone else march today, either in DC or your local city?  More than a million people participated around the world.

Here in St. Louis there were maybe 13,000 (according to police) or 20,000 (according to organizers), with no incidents.

I marched with my daughter at the original one in DC, along with half a million.  It overwhelmed the city, spilling out all across the Washington Mall (it was supposed to be centered on Independence Avenue.)

[The Wonkette]

Trump inauguration.



Women's march on Washington.


Source is Slate.com

http://www.slate.com/blogs/the_slatest/2...mages.html

[Eric the Green]

Add your Women's March numbers to this updated list. At 130 of 700 protests, 3.5 million+ show up

By Meteor Blades
Saturday Jan 21, 2017 · 3:59 PM PST
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2017/1/21/...short-list

Here are numbers from 100 of the 600-700 cities involved in today’s Women’s March opposing Trumpism. (Sources vary from police to organizer estimates to media estimates.)

What they all seem to have in common—as we're all aware by now—is that more people—typically FAR MORE—showed up than expected. In addition to the 500,000 to 680,000 in D.C., the 400,000 in NYC and the 250,000 in Chicago, there are these:

100,000+ in Denver (Denver Post)
60,000 in Atlanta (Atlanta Journal-Constitution)
40,000-50,000 in Austin, Texas (Austin American-Statesman)
750,000 in Los Angeles (Los Angeles Times)
100,000 in Portland, Oregon (The Oregonian)
5-10,000 in Augusta, Maine: (police estimate and organizers’ estimate} 600+ in Augusta, Georgia (WRDW)
15,000 in Cleveland: (Cleveland.com)
90,000-100,000 in Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minnesota: (St. Paul Pioneer Press)
20,000 in Houston: (Houston.com)
75,000-100,000 in Madison, Wisconsin: (Channel 3000)
5-8,000 in Dallas (Dallas Morning News)
10-15,000 in Santa Fe, New Mexico (Santa Fe New Mexican)

Please add numbers from where you marched today and I will add them to this list.

Now, all we need to do to convert the millions who showed up today into an ongoing effort to topple Trump, Trumpism and the politics that put this fascist crew into office.

20,000 in St. Petersburg, Florida (Tampa Bay Times)
300+ in Jackson, New Hampshire (Conway Daily Sun)
9,000 in Lansing, Michigan
4,000 in Detroit, Michigan (Detroit Free Press)
15,000 in Tucson, Arizona: (police estimate)
20,000 in Phoenix Arizona: (The Arizona Republic)
10,000 in New Orleans (New Orleans Advocate)
15,000 in Nashville, Tennessee (Nashville Scene)
1,000 in Monterey, California
7,000 in Colorado Spring, Colorado (The Gazette)
130,000 in Seattle, Washington (KING 5 News)
35 in Zebulon, Georgia (SPLC)
1,500 Duluth, Minnesota (organizers’ estimate)
17,000 in Raleigh, North Carolina (Raleigh News & Observer)
1,500 in Wilmington, North Carolina (Star News​)
600 in New Bern, North Carolina (Sun Journal)
800 in McMinnville, Oregon
15,000 in Montpelier, Vermont
40,000 in San Diego, California (SDPD)
3,000 in Bend, Oregon
200+ in Ogden, Utah (Standard Examiner)
175,000 in Boston, Massachusetts (Boston Globe)
1,000 in Lafayette, Indiana
15,000 in St. Louis, Missouri
25,000 in Charlotte, North Carolina (Fox46)
5,000 in Providence, Rhode Island
7,800-10,000 in San Luis Obispo, California (KSBY)
11,000 in Ann Arbor, Michigan
2,800 in Charleston, West Virginia (Fox Eyewitness News)
2,000 in Charleston, South Carolina (Live 5 News)
10,000 in Hartford, Connecticut (New Haven Register)
3,300 in Sioux Falls, South Dakota (Argus Leader)
1,000+ in Rapid City, South Dakota (KEVN)
1,600 in Newport, Oregon
1,200 in Carbondale, Illinois
84,000 in Oakland, California (CBS)
20,000 in Sacramento, California (Sacramento Bee)
1,000 in Kingston, New York (CKWS)
6-10,000 in Bellingham, Washington
10,000 in Portland, Maine (Portland Press Herald)
1,000 in Newark, Delaware
10,000 in Miami, Florida (Miami Herald)
750-1,000 in Ukiah, California (Ukiah Daily Journal)
6-7,000 in Asheville, North Carolina
6-7,000 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
1,000 in Ketchum, Idaho
5,000 in Lexington, Kentucky
85-100 in Alpine, Texas
30,000 in Santa Ana, California
3,500 in Laguna Beach, California
1,000 in Langley, Washington
10,000 in Reno, Nevada
4,000 in Las Vegas, Nevada
2,000 in Anchorage, Alaska
6-10,000 in Kansas City, Kansas
6-9,000 in Memphis, Tennessee
5,000 in Spokane, Washington
1,000 in Port Townsend, Washington
100,000 in San Francisco, California (CBS)
7-800 in Murray, Kentucky
30-40,000 in San Jose, California
5,000 in Santa Rosa, California
3-5,000 in Boise, Idaho
10,000 in New Orleans (New Orleans Advocate)
8,000 in Santa Cruz, California
500 in Clemson, South Carolina
5,000 in Stamford, Connecticut (Stamford Advocate)
11,000 in Ann Arbor, Michigan (MLIVE)
7,000 in Park City, Utah (Park Record)
7,000 in Little Rock, Arkansas (Arkansas Matters)
2,500-4,000 in Erie, Pennsylvania (Go Erie.com)
500+ in Idaho Falls, Idaho (Local 8 News)
5,000-10,000 in Birmingham, Alabama (AL.com)
26,000 in Des Moines, Iowa (WHO-TV)
8-10,000 in Seneca Falls, New York (CNY Central)
10,000 in Helena, Montana (Billings Gazette)
12,000 in Omaha, Nebraska (Omaha World Herald)
2,000 in Lincoln, Nebraska (Lincoln Journal Star)
1,200+ in Cheyenne, Wyoming (Wyoming Tribune Eagle)
1,000 in Fargo, North Dakota (Valley News Live)
10,000+ in Sarasota, Florida (Sarasota Herald-Tribune)
25,000 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (Action News)
5-7,000 in West Palm Beach, Florida (Palm Beach Post)
3,000 in Roanoke, Virginia (WBDJ7)
22 in Utqiagvik (formerly Barrow), Alaska (ADN.com)
7,000+ in Cincinnati, Ohio (Fox)
5000+ in Santa Rosa, California (Press Democrat)
1,000+ in South Bend, Indiana (South Bend Tribune)
2,000 in Wenatchee, Washington
1,500-2,000 in Hilo, Hawai’i (police estimate)
1,000-2,000 in Flagstaff, Arizona (Arizona Daily Sun)
50,000 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (NBC 10)
1,200 in Prescott, Arizona (Daily Courier)
1,100 in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania (WITF)
3,000 in Traverse City, Michigan (Record-Eagle)
3,000 in Dayton, Ohio (Dayton Daily News)
14,000 in Tallahassee, Florida (Tallahassee, Florida)
100s in Durango, Colorado (Durango Herald)
1,500 in La Cruces, New Mexico (Las Cruces Sun-News)
3,000 in Sonoma, California (Sonoma Index Tribune​) 5,000 in Poughkeepsie, New York (Poughkeepsie Journal​) 5-9,000 in Fort Worth, Texas (Star Telegram)
7,000 in Albany, New York (Times-Union)
150-200 in Vancouver, Washington
3-5,000 in Chattanooga, Tennessee (Times Free Press)
1,600 in Annapolis, Maryland (Capital Gazette)
300 in Tillamook, Oregon (Headlight Herald)
1,000 in Falmouth, Massachusetts (Falmouth Enterprise)
6,000+ in Santa Barbara, California (Santa Barbara Independent)
2,500+ in Naples, Florida (Naples Daily News)

+++

30 in Willow Springs, Missouri
400 in Nantucket, Massachusetts (The Inquirer and Mirror)
300 in Gualala, California
1,000+ in Chico, California (ChicoER News)
1,000 in Woodstock, New York (Daily Freeman)
300 in Redding, California (Record Searchlight)
2,000 in Charlottesville, Virginia
100 in Jerome, Arizona

[TnT]

(01-22-2017, 10:13 AM)flbones too Wrote: Woman have gotten all their rights. There really is no true purpose of feminism in today's society. It was necessary at a time when women couldn't vote. At its core these women are just pissed Clinton didn't win.

Oh, dear god.  This reminds me of the Right's argument that collective bargaining for labor is no longer necessary because business has become enlightened since the labor movements of the early-mid-twentieth century.

[gabrielle]

(01-22-2017, 10:13 AM)flbones too Wrote: Woman have gotten all their rights. There really is no true purpose of feminism in today's society. It was necessary at a time when women couldn't vote. At its core these women are just pissed Clinton didn't win.

I voted for Sanders in the primaries, so Clinton wasn't my first choice, but hell yeah I'm pissed she didn't win.  I'm pissed that my country has fallen into the (tiny) hands of a fascist maniac.

And the fact that you, and apparently many others, can't seem to handle the idea of women marching together against Trump's misogyny and many other flaws is indication to me that feminism is still much needed.

[Skabungus]

I did not attend the marches.  I was in a media blackout with 50 odd Girl Scouts in the middle of the woods in central Michigan.  It was nice to have a break from the constant buzz and to spend time with my daughter and her little friends.  

I however have marched many times.  In the 1980's I was an organizer for the marches against apartheid and on human rights in Central America, so I am quite familiar with the process of organizing, staging and then the after effects of such happenings.

I am seeing the steady stream of right wing dismissals of the march, discounting the event, writing it off as a waste of time.  I expect that.  Even lefties who have never participated in such events tend to discount them as a flash in the pan, and ask "what now?".  I contend such folks are totally missing the point.

Certainly the impact of a national (and in this case global) march of this magnitude makes a clear statement on what the participants think of the current state of affairs.  The fact that so many showed should make clear that the right wing agenda has some vocal critics, willing to put their feet where their feelings are.  They made a statement, they made a mark, and policy makers have no choice but to acknowledge their existence.  Still, that is not the point, or even close to the total value impact of the march.

Marches bring thousands of people together for a shared common experience that serves to galvanize their beliefs, solidify their political stance and accelerate their activism.  In reality marches are like giant organizing meetings wherein people make connections; discuss and refine positions; share organizing tips; expand and diversify their networks; gain strategies; gain power; give support and on and on.  Marches are not only a marker of public opinion at a point in time, they are even more so a point of departure from which a movement grows.  They represent the beginnings, not the end.

In the 1980's I learned more about becoming a good organizer by standing with a sign in the freezing rain, than I had ever learned working with my local group.  I met hundreds of people that were so unlike me, and ended up making them my friends and allies.  I would never have imagined I'd become life long friends with an Episcopal priest, or an Columbian accountant, but we are friends and organizers to this day.   Marches galvanize people to causes.  Marches increase the organizing, networking and movement making capacity of all involved.  

In the 1980's we had to use pay phones and walkie talkies, and Kodak cameras.  We wrote letters and mailed them, and we lobbied our politicians in person.  We were effective and we were successful.  Modern connectivity brought about by the digital age will make exponential improvements in movement making.

Those who state that marches are pointless, miss the point entirely.  Marches are the planting ground of movements.  As such they are made up of many things the full spectrum of which will only be known in the future.

The fuse is lit.  Thanks ladies.