shinelikethunder:

shinelikethunder:

things-that-are-great:

NEW YORK — In response to Donald Trump’s election as president of the United States, Anthony D. Romero, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union, had the following statement:

“For nearly 100 years, the American Civil Liberties Union has been the nation’s premier defender of freedom and justice for all, no matter who is president. Our role is no different today.

“President-elect Trump, as you assume the nation’s highest office, we urge you to reconsider and change course on certain campaign promises you have made. These include your plan to amass a deportation force to remove 11 million undocumented immigrants; ban the entry of Muslims into our country and aggressively surveil them; punish women for accessing abortion; reauthorize waterboarding and other forms of torture; and change our nation’s libel laws and restrict freedom of expression.”

“These proposals are not simply un-American and wrong-headed, they are unlawful and unconstitutional. They violate the First, Fourth, Fifth, Eighth, and Fourteenth Amendments. If you do not reverse course and instead endeavor to make these campaign promises a reality, you will have to contend with the full firepower of the ACLU at every step. Our staff of litigators and activists in every state, thousands of volunteers, and millions of card-carrying supporters are ready to fight against any encroachment on our cherished freedoms and rights.”

“One thing is certain: we will be eternally vigilant every single day of your presidency and when you leave the Oval Office, we will do the same with your successor.”

You can donate to the ACLU and/or join in their actions help them with the fight to defend the freedoms of those who need it most.  

All those posts talking about how we can fight– this is one good way to do it.

If you want a cause to contribute to in the aftermath of this wretched election, the ACLU is one of your best bets. They cover a wide variety of issues, and they get RESULTS. They are fighting in your corner, they punch way above their weight class, and there is nothing they love more than fucking authoritarians’ shit up.

They’re also a long-beloved, nonpartisan, well-organized Civic Institution™ with a variety of ways to contribute. Dollars, volunteer hours, legal aid, participation in local letter-writing campaigns and petitions, signal boosting, swinging by their online store and picking up a pocket Constitution, etc. The ACLU is basically one-stop shopping for where the meaningful battles are and what you can do to help just about every group–and every civil right–Donald Trump is about to try and fuck over.

Seriously, though. If you’re feeling helpless, frustrated, like nothing you do or say or contribute could even help restrain the 2016 political dumpster fire, let alone strike a decisive blow, you might want to take a stroll through the ACLU’s greatest hits.

You may have heard of Loving v Virginia?

Or the Scopes monkey trial?

How about a little court case called Roe v Wade?

Or fucking every precedent-setting free speech case in the history of ever, including New York Times v Sullivan, aka those libel laws Trump wants to “open up” so he can sue people who say mean things about him into silence. Buddy, that’s not how the Force the Constitution works.

Or basic safeguards like the right to a lawyer for indigent defendants (Gideon v Wainwright), the inadmissibility of evidence obtained by illegal searches (Mapp v Ohio), public schools not being Constitution-free zones (Tinker v Des Moines), being informed of your right to remain silent before the police can wring incriminating statements out of you (Miranda v Arizona), the Constitutional right to privacy (Griswold v Connecticut, in the specific context of contraceptive bans)…

Lawrence v Texas: states can no longer make gay sex illegal (2001). Goodridge v Department of Public Health: gay marriage in Massachusetts (2003). Obergefell v Hodges: gay marriage nationwide (2015).

Fuck yes I am a card-carrying member of the ACLU. THEY GET SHIT DONE. They’ve been a thorn in the side of powerful bullies since 1920, and if Donald Trump tries to make good on even a fraction of his campaign promises, I will take enormous pleasure in being there to help the ACLU fucking rip him to itty-bitty wannabe-totalitarian shreds.

rarepairhellhq:

I admit I’m not fully sober right now, but listen up:

I just looked over at my cat and realized that she doesn’t give a shit about who’s president.  And why doesn’t she give a shit?  Because I take care of her.  

So here’s what we’re gonna do, we’re all gonna take care of each other.  Watch each other’s back, let each other vent, support your friends who are lgbt, black, disabled, muslim, or any of the things that a Trump presidency is hateful towards.

Go fucking vote in 2018, every single House seat is contested in the mid-term.  But until then, UNITE, ok?  Enough of this clique shit, we’re all fighting the same battle.

We’re gonna take care of each other.  We’re gonna make it.  And we’re gonna kick ass in the long run.

lysistratia:

the whole idea of “stay in school!!!!” is great and all but hard to hear when you’re someone who couldn’t stay in school

so here’s a post for every person who’s had to drop out of school. whether it was do to illness or money or just because you didn’t want to be there, you’re no less of a person for dropping out. you own your own life, and you’re just as important as people who were able to graduate 

torisoulphoenix:

jcrewtraphouse:

builtbybeans:

Denver

Boulder

Portland

New York

Seattle

Detroit

Berkeley

Los Angeles

San Francisco

Dallas

Chicago

Miami

Expect more of this. We are uniting. We will be your worst nightmare if you take away peoples’ rights. We’re not fucking around.

THIS is my country. This is something to feel proud of. 

GO AWF!!!!!!