Beth's Reading List
July 2025
A reading list (roughly in reverse chronological order) of contributions to the common pool of resources" beginning late July.
— a readers travelogue ::: to bear witness
Democratic leaders, parliamentary government, and hope
from Wolves and Sheep
Question #1: "I recently read something about an 'alternate state' of government that posits that the majority of us will continue to live fairly normal lives and get complacent/compliant while the Trump administration does their dirty deeds (disappearing people, taking away our rights and civil liberties, cutting programs to profit billionaires). Given that this already seems to be happening, what can we do about it?"
Answer #1: "(Chris) I agree that this would indeed be a disturbing outcome! That said, I disagree that this is happening right now. Two of the largest protests in the history of the United States, the “Hand's Off!” protests of April 5, and the “No King's” protests of June 14, have taken place during the first six months of the Trump administration. While some large media companies occasionally make high profile concessions to Trump, dissent against the administration is thriving and growing on social media and in hundreds of independent outlets made possible by Substack. Democrats are crushing it in special elections, which are continuing to happen without any difficulty. Democratic dissent in the United States seems alive, well and thriving to me. I don't feel like the country has become complacent and compliant at all."
Question #5: "Hope is something that's important to me and I continue trying to figure out what it is. How do people hope? What do they hope for. For me, it's not about outcomes, but in doing the work. So, my question to you is—what's hope for you? What does it mean to you to hope?"
Answer #5: "(Chris) To me, hope is two things. First, hope is having something to look forward to every day. Not just something to look forward to on the weekend, on vacation, around the holidays, or an accomplishment several years in the future, but every single day. Whether it is a walk I can take, a book I can read, something which I can accomplish at work, or an activity I can engage in with my family, I find that having something to look forward to every single day has provided me with more hope than anything else in my life. Making the every day something to look forward to is what makes me feel, in the phrasing of the life motto that my wife and I have adopted for ourselves, 'excited to live!'"
"(Matt) Thank you for asking this very thoughtful question. To me, hope is about possibility. It is about the resilience of the spirit. It is about envisioning a future where I would want to live, grounded in what I believe to be attainable, and—like you—working to make that future happen. And as the old saying goes, it is a journey rather than a destination. It is remembering that nothing remains constant, that pendulums swing, and that is history is filled with moments of peril like ours and resolutions to those moments. As long as I can remember that light always follows darkness, I have hope."
Fighting Authoritarianism Resource Toolkit
from New Left Accelerator
"We are living through extraordinary times. Social justice and nonprofit work is increasingly taking place in a high-threat environment that is designed to sow fear and confusion, to increase risk to our organizations, people, structures, and to undermine the bold, powerful work organizations have been doing in the field.
"In this environment, it can be hard to know where to find trusted resources. NLA has created this toolkit to share vetted resources, tools, and trusted movement capacity-building partners that will help our communities remain vigilant, stay informed, and prepared for the hard work ahead. We will be updating the toolkit monthly, so save the link to your bookmarks and share with your team!"
Campers Warned of ‘Sneaker Snatcher' Fox as Shoes Vanish
from National Park News
"The fox stole a surprising 19 shoes in recent weeks, so National Park Service crews put up signs in the Wyoming park warning campers to keep their footwear in a safe space, like tents, vehicles, or bear boxes. That didn't do the trick though. Since then, the cunning fox has taken a whopping 32 shoes! "
The Great Egg Heist
from The Washington Post
"280,000 eggs disappeared from America's top producer. Then came a ransom note..."
This Tiny MAGA Town Borders Canada. They're Ready to Say Good Riddance
from Politico
"NORTHWEST ANGLE, Minnesota — Paul Colson compared the Angle to a scene painted by Norman Rockwell: It's quiet, safe and the fishing's great. But life in this United States exclave — a 150-person pocket of Minnesota that is entirely surrounded by water and Canada — isn't always picture perfect, the third-generation resident acknowledged one morning last month.
"The only way to reach this fishers' paradise without driving through Canadian customs is via prop plane, boat or — during ice fishing season — by snowmobiling more than an hour across the Lake of the Woods, the second-largest lake in the land of 10,000 of them. The Angle is only part of the country due to an 18th-century surveying error, which has made it the northernmost point in the contiguous U.S. For elementary-aged kids, there's a one-room schoolhouse (if you don't count the recently added gym and kitchenette), but starting in sixth grade students in the Angle have to go through four international border checkpoints and be bused more than 120 miles round trip to Warroad, Minnesota, for class each school day."
- Residents who overwhelmingly voted MAGA are increasingly frustrated as Trump's tariffs on Canadian imports drive up costs of essentials.
- Repeated threats to annex Canada and dismantle trade agreements have unsettled locals reliant on cross-border commerce, leading a few core supporters to question their allegiance.
- But most residents support Trump's crusade against Canada, whom they feel has often made things difficult for them.
- Even as MAGA signs remain, a growing minority of residents say they will back candidates promising to stabilize US-Canada relations and ease economic pressures.
Call for Stories
from the Minnesota Reformer
"Moving forward, it'll be my full-time job to cover the impact of the federal government in Minnesota. I'll be writing about immigration, cuts to federal spending and health care, tariffs and more.
"Got any story ideas? Send them my way. mmcvan@minnesotareformer.com."
Beyond Woke: How elite language preoccupations perpetuated injustice while hurting Democrats' electoral prospects
from the Urban Rural Bridge Initiative
"Musa al-Gharbi will share his analysis of why Democratic candidates have faltered in recent electoral cycles. al-Gharbi is a sociologist and assistant professor in the School of Communication and Journalism at Stony Brook University. He is a columnist for The Guardian and the author of We Have Never Been Woke: The Cultural Contradictions of a New Elite."
Indivisible Red & Rural Caucus August Call
from Indivisible's Red and Rural Caucus
- When:
- August 27, 7:00–8:00pm CDT
- Where:
- Online
"When we come back together at the end of August, we will be doing a deep dive into understanding how disinformation plays a role in your red and rural organizing! This won't be a call to miss!"
The battle to shape the public’s perception of Trump’s big bill is just beginning
from the Minnesota Reformer
"'Donald Trump promised to lower costs on day one, but six months into his disastrous second term, he’s robbing working Minnesotans to fund tax handouts for his billionaire backers,' Martin said in a statement accompanying the new tracker. As chair of the Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party, Martin never lost a statewide race in 15 years.
"One problem for Democrats in the near term, however: Republicans shrewdly — politically, if not fiscally — delayed the safety net cuts until after the midterm elections, which means many Americans will see the benefits of the bill while the costs won’t be felt for some time."