We Are One.

This is what I believe.

We have a crisis among us.

A crisis of humanity. A crisis of connection and disconnection.  A pharmaceutical crisis. A social media crisis. A gun crisis. A depression crisis. A loneliness crisis. A leadership crisis.

We are in pain.

We are bombarded by constant stimulation – a 24-hour news cycle which doesn’t mean to proselytize and yet, because it never turns off, they have to say something anything, even though that something anything is often nothing and not worthy.

I don’t blame them.

I don’t you.

I don’t me.

I don’t blame Trump.

I don’t blame opioids.

I don’t Zuckerberg or @Jack.

I don’t blame the cops.

I don’t blame those who voted to blow the whole thing up.

I don’t blame because blaming gets me nowhere. Blaming keeps me trapped in a hell of how dare you, how could you, fuck you.

We are in grief, shock and reviled by the inhumanity we experience daily.

Too much has become too hard to look at, too hard to read, too hard to listen too. The belly of beast is dark and cold and we are holding our breath hoping, praying and (please tell me your are) voting to get out alive.

In this particular moment of humanity some of us are on the front lines, some of us are feeding the front lines, some of us are waiting to be called to duty, some of us are in hiding, some of us are unable to look, some of us are tending the injured, some of us are causalities and some are fatalities.

We keep searching for what we can do right here, right now.

We can pay attention, attention to what makes us spiritually well and what corrodes us.

Attention to what makes us feel connected – to ourselves, to other people, to the world at large. What brings us love and peace. What makes us feel open and energized.  Who inspires us, what we aspire to create and how much perspiration we are willing to give.

Attention to what makes us feel disconnected. What makes our heart race and our throats close. What makes us anxious, panicked, overwhelmed. What cause us to boil over.

We stop the madness by deeply seeing other. By asking a friend, a neighbor, a family member how can I help? What do you need? How are you? Not as a salutation, but in how are you my brother, my sister? Do you need anything? Are you lacking? I just want you to know how much I care.

On Saturday I called the people who I know suffer from depression to tell them they matter, to remind them not to give up, to literally ask them call anybody before they go towards suicide.

It’s constant work to find hope and light with this disgrace of a President, with the heartlessness of elected officials, with cops killing innocent people, with children being ripped from their parents, with the disregard for our Mother Earth.

I realized being pissed, and I am beyond outraged, motivated me for a minute, but that minute was made of pure adrenaline. Being pissed all the time depletes me. I can’t do good when I’m depleted. Nobody can.

I can’t keep participating in the swirl of each new atrocity. The swirl is bringing me down. I need a better strategy.

I believe we are right here because we have an opportunity to heal what ails us and reimagine how we live, love and connect.

Systemic change isn’t in the swirl of madness.

Systemic change is in deepening our connections to each other and ourselves.

Systemic change is in knowing what we value, what’s important to us, how generously we love and how we spend our time and money.

Systemic change is forgiveness, forgiving ourselves and forgiving those around us. In releasing the burden of holding on to what’s no longer now.

Systemic change is in the narrative; the narrative that spotlights the strength and empowerment of the people working collectively and consciously, in love, to innovate the way we build and experience our society.

Systemic change is amplifying the stories of those fighting for the rights of people and our planet, like the youth-lead gun control movement, instead of shining the spotlight on those who steal lives.

We each have extraordinary gifts to bring forward. We each have pain and sadness. We all know what it is like to feel like we’re not enough.

The opportunity lies in loving ourselves deeper, believing in ourselves more, recognizing when we feel good and understanding what makes us feel that way. To look out for each other, we must take care of ourselves, not in isolation, but in community.

We are being asked to see each other, in all our complexity, in our pain and sadness. Each of us carries a burden. It is strength to recognize our sorrow and to approach it with love in our hearts. In the beginning we were made from love.

Please tell me how you are and what you need. I am here. I hurt too. And I believe my work is in shining a light in the darkness so we can see each other’s pain, embrace it and walk in the light together.

I love you.

:: Genessa

If you are struggling with thoughts of suicide, please call 1-800-273-8255 or text HOME to 741741. 

Enough.

Tomorrow, March 24 2018, we, again, take to the streets in protest. We, again, raise our voices to demand a system that values people over profits.

We march to honor every life lost to gun violence. We march as a show of unity. We march to ensure no more lives are lost. 

The youth are leading the way. As adults, we follow their lead. As adults, we guide them towards actualized change. We help them channel their energy into voting. Nothing changes if these greed mongering, heartless individuals currently in Government, the people more interested in getting reelected and profiteering than actually creating a system of care, don't get voted out. Historically, youth sit out elections, especially in midterm elections. I don't believe they will this year AND yet, they need to know how to register and how and where to vote.

We guide them to the polls.

We protest until there is true gun reform. We protest until gun violence ends. We protest until we don't have to protest any longer. 

And we vote. Voting is an act of patriotism and protest. 

I hope to see you out there tomorrow. Find your local March here. 

Before you turn your attention elsewhere, please take a moment to read and watch these bold young women who are changing our world - Emma Gonzalez was made a leader because her friends were killed, her life forever altered. Her words and the words of her peers matter. Check them out in Teen Vogue (which is also leading the revolution)!

March like your life depends on it, as it just might.

Love and gratitude -

:: Genessa

What I need.

My dearest community of activists and compassionists –

I rarely activate these days. Not because I don’t want to, but because at some point last summer I grew weary. Being attuned to the madness became too corrosive. My sources of information -- endless cycles of news reading, watching and social media -- felt like the swirl of an endless storm, spinning around and picking up trash at the rate of madness.

For my humanity and sanity, I needed to step away. Yet, in stepping away, I’ve turned off the most essential piece of me, the piece that knows that with each action we take, change occurs. By taking no action, I have turned away by from the time we’re in, which allows the storm to continue with ferocity.

These are incredibly unique times.

On one side devastation and heartlessness rule, and on the other side deeply heartfelt and determined resist.

I’ve said this before, it’s like we’re in a Marvel or DC comic.

Villainous creatures are working with all their might to steal and rob humanity of its beauty and sacredness. They are causing damage. Yet, we know that arc of the universe bends towards justice. We, the people united in humanity, will persevere for our families, our communities and our mother Earth. We know we are all in this together, interconnected, and the only way through is determination.

Like a comic, we will prevail.

I am optimistic. We are changing the course of history. With each courageous act, I am moved and awestruck.

The young people of Parkland are fierce. Thank goodness. The youth are rising and they are bringing us with them.

So many heroes have emerged and will continue to do so, both sung and unsung. The Mayor of San Juan Puerto Rico. Nicole Hockney, who lost her son Dylan in Sandy Hook. Ady Barkan, the young man with ASL who is spending ever moment he has left of communication fighting the corrupt healthcare system. The storytellers. The water protectors. The first responders. The ten people on stage with Common and Andra Day during the Academy Awards. These people who are on the front lines daily protecting Native lands, feeding those devastated by hurricanes, refugees and immigrants, on the front lines of reproductive health, sharing stories of marginalization and changing lives.

Ady Barkan on Capitol Hill. Watch him address Senator Flake on an airplane. 

Each time we make a phone call, donate to a candidate, talk to somebody in line at the grocery store, each time we turn towards the pain of others instead of away, we are awakening consciousness and fighting evil.

I woke the day after the election with a sense that I was made for this moment. I had no idea why or how; I simply knew I needed to be a light in the shadow.

In my own small way, I hope I have been just that.

Sometime around the Solar Eclipse, the shadow enveloped me. Since then I have been in the dark. I can see the light around me and yet I am not the light. Not right now.

Darkness is scary. Even at age almost 50 (49 is a non age…), I struggle to remember that this too shall pass. Even knowing the progress being made outside of me, I wonder if I am stuck in the dark. Even having traveled between the light and dark in the past, I can’t remember how I emerged. Wisdom of experience fails me. I feel like the closing of a Looney Tones cartoon when they said, “that’s all folks” and the screen churns into a pinhole of blackness.

Ouch.

I feel like I’m bringing you down by saying that. I feel embarrassed. It is hard for me to show you my pain and my sense of personal despair, as I don’t want to be seen in my pain and yet, this is my current truth.

Having had that sense that I was made for this moment, even though I didn’t know why, connected me purpose and meaning. The darkness has rattled that connection. I see others lighting the path, which is how I remain optimistic, even when I can’t see how to get on the path myself. I am not hopeless. I am simply in the thick of fog.

Which brings me to what I need from you.

I need your stories of inspiration.

• How do you keep going when things get overwhelming?
• Who inspires you?
• What do you do to keep the faith?
• How do you stay healthy and well and in love and in hope and in action and in connection?
• How do you stay connected to your purpose?

And lastly, since this is an activism list, and today is primary election day in Texas,

• Please remind your network to vote.
• Please consider phone banking for local candidates. The link above has a list of races that matter (all of them matter).

Hillary was close to winning in Texas. That big red wants to be blue.

The best thing we can do at this point is support local candidates who will change laws towards humanity, away from greed and guns, and towards progress and positivity.

Thank you friends. Thank you for each of you. Thank you for being beacons of hope and light.

In love and gratitude –

:: Genessa

Imagine.

Imagine the seemingly impossible is possible.

Imagine thoughts and prayers, words that hold no genuine meaning, are morphed into action and laws.

Imagine we’re capable of overcoming the narrative that keeps people more attached to guns and the NRA than safety and protection.

Imagine joining clubs of non-violence that are so much bigger, so much bolder and are able to combat the bizarre attachment to the second amendment.

We are boiling over, in outrage and heartbreak. There is no excuse for inaction. The only recourse is in our voice and our vote.

Our voice to unify.

Our voice to vocalize dissent.

Our voice to hound politicians who take money from an organization who profits on violence and destruction. 

And our VOTE to elect leaders who always put people over profits.

These politicians take contributions from the NRA, many of whom are up for reelection. These are the people who continually blocked the opportunity to genuinely protect, our country from senseless and devastating acts of violence.

If you do anything today, consider giving to an organization that is fighting the NRA, fighting the Gun lobby and fighting to make our country safer. It’s the only sensible thing to do.

https://momsdemandaction.org/

https://everytown.org/

https://www.sandyhookpromise.org/

If you do anything tomorrow, determine how you will participate in getting out the vote for our elections on Nov 6, 2018. We need to get to work. The entire House and these Senators are up for reelection.

Winning back Congress means we can change what is no longer working in our society.

I imagine this is possible.

I imagine we are just the people to do this.

I imagine our time is right now.

In gratitude, in grief and in love - 

:: Genessa

Together we can.

If the only thing that matters to the men currently in charge is money, then there are two things we can do – 1) we can control where and how we spend money and 2) vote them out of office (well, three things, if you are inclined to run for office).

If it’s more important to deregulate the Internet so AT&T, Time Warner, Comcast, etc., can make more money, so Netflix, Hulu and our cable bills cost more, then we protest with our pocketbook (yes, what we protest here is tricky…I, for one, am canceling TV but I still need the Internet).

Today, on the fifth year anniversary of the massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary, when there have been more than 1500 mass shooting since that day, there is still zero legislation on guns. Yet, we can do something. We can donate something whether it’s time, a couple dollars or much more to organizations who are on the front line of prevention. The NRA is wealthy because of their members. We can make the Everytown for Gun Safety equivalent to the NRA. We can put bumper stickers on our cars and patches on our clothes to boast that we are proud members of gun control for the safety and sanity of our world.

And, this holiday season we can be intentional with where our dollars go. The highest form or protest is with our pocketbooks, because the biggest thing this GOP, the Koch brothers, the Mercy Family, the Trump klan care about is $$$$$$$$.

We can shop local, give experiences vs. stuff, buy used or at consignment shops and consider the effects of everything we purchase on our most sacred mother of all – earth. Watch Annie Leonard’s Story of Stuff to understand what and how we consume. It is brilliant. `

I wake each morning inspired by those who are running for office, running organizations, bravely sharing their stories, courageously wearing their hearts on their sleeves.

I cried tears of relief on Tuesday night when Alabama restored my faith in the goodness of people.

Yet, I fear growing numb, complacent, tired. I fear saying the wrong thing, so often I say nothing at all. I fear the false connection or disconnection of social media. I fear judging people who think differently than I do and missing the opportunity to understand and connect. I fear my own limitations and not being as big and bold as I can be during my brief time in this body. I fear loneliness. I fear regret, that I spent much of my youth running from me instead of turning inward to become me. I fear that I don’t know how to ask for help because I’m not sure what I need. I fear being overwhelmed. I fear being verbally attacked. I fear attacking back. I fear that if I don’t send these actions the 313 people on this list, that I am not doing enough. Mostly, I fear that I’m not doing enough.

The question is how do I face these fears? How do I live more aligned and in integrity with my truth? How do I reconcile what causes me pain? How do I use my pain to grow and be more open, raw, connected, feeling? How do I live a life worthy of the time I have?

Mostly I want to connect with you and feel inspired with you to make a difference, to keep fighting the attacks on our humanity and preserve the preciousness of our world.

I want to be more like my wife who lives in joy and yet I know, even in my light, I see the shadow. I am not uncomfortable in the darkness even though I am frequently uncomfortable in my own skin. Yet, I work though the discomfort knowing that with you things matter more, in community, in connection and on purpose.

I thank each of you for doing all you do to make our world feel more connected. I thank you for being awake, for caring, for your compassion, your wholeness, your fears, your hopes and your belief that together we make a difference.

And, each day I strive to live in the belief that we can change what doesn’t feel good, that we can reform our gun laws, that we can vote out greed, that we can live more in love, that we can help those in more pain than we are, that we can openly share our pain as living vulnerably is living in intimacy, however scary that maybe.

In love and gratitude to you –

 :: genessa

Resistance and it feels so good.

Thank you Alabama! Thank you Doug Jones! Thank you African American women and men! Thank you courageous women who spoke out about the pedophilia of the GOP candidate! Thank you everybody who donated, volunteered, shared stories and changed the narrative.

Decency won!

Last night was yet another powerful reminder that we must never lose hope. We must always stay engaged. Every action matters, especially when it comes to voting.

Hillary Clinton, was in Seattle on Monday night reminding us to keep believing and to stay engaged. We are living in particularly dangerous times and yet, as MLK Jr. said "the arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice”

Last night we experienced justice and yet, we must never give up.

• Russia is a real danger to our Democracy and is just getting warmed up.
• It only takes 34 States (take a look at the middle of our country and start counting) to call for a Constitutional Convention, which is why State legislative races are so critically important. The Koch brothers, the Mercer family and the greed mongers want nothing more to rewrite our constitution.
• Too many in the GOP only care about the needs of their donors and the security of their jobs.

As Hillary said, it’s wild to think that many in the GOP wake in the morning excited to fill the Koch brothers pockets, take insurance away from millions of Americans and sink our country into trillions of dollars of debt.

So much is at stake. Net Neutrality, this insane and devastating Tax Bill, Health Insurance (holy hell are we being price gouged or what?!), CHIP and holding this revolting man accountable for his attacks on women.

Our calls matter. Our voices matter. Our actions matter.

TODAY’S EASY ACTIVISM –

1.     Net Neutrality. They will likely vote on Net Neutrality this week. Did you read 1984? If this passes, that will seem awfully familiar. Take these steps please –

• Go to gofccyourself.com (the shortcut John Oliver made to the hard-to-find FCC comment page).
• Under "Proceedings", you will see a 17-108 link (Restoring Internet Freedom). To the far right of that, you will see "+Express" Click this link.
• Be sure to hit "ENTER" (or return key) on your keyboard after you put in your name, so it registers. (They make it a tad tricky there.)
• In the comment section write, "I strongly support net neutrality backed by Title 2 oversight of ISPs."
• Click on Review, then Submit, done. - Make sure you hit submit at the end!
• SHARE WITH EVERYBODY YOU KNOW. 

2.  CALL YOUR REPRESENTATIVES (Senators and MoC) and ask them to

• VOTE NO on the TAX SCAM
• Fund CHIP
• Ask for trump’s resignation for sexual assault
• Support Net Neutrality
• Seat Senator-elect Doug Jones immediately so he can vote on the tax scam bill!

3.  If you use Sirius XM, please cancel your subscription. They gave Steve Bannon a show. How could they give voice to this ultra hateful white supremacist? Gross. Unacceptable. Un-American. Unsubscribe please. They don't make it easy to cancel and here's the link to do it. 

4. Lastly, Puerto Ricans are still suffering and this tax bill would devastate the island further. If you'd like to make a donation this holiday season, click here. 

And always RESIST THE HATE & KEEP THE FAITH. There is too much anger in the world. We are the light of love and kindness. We are the moral universe. Stay kind. Stay in love. Stay activated. Together we can!

In love and gratitude to you -

:: genessa

Curiosity.

Each morning I wake wondering why so many behave so destructively, so heartlessly, so carelessly.

Our history rewards people of courage and kindness. The history books will forever praise the actions of peaceful leaders like MLK, Gandhi, Rosa Parks, His Holiness of Dalai Lama, the current Pope and so many more.

As the confederate statues topple, we will remember the heroics of those who stood strong and in peace for freedom, equality and justice. We remember the courageousness of Standing Rock, those who risk their lives to save others and those who are fighting for their lives every moment. We will remember those who acted courageously to rise for our collective humanity.

We will also remember, not kindly, those who exhibited great greed, cruelty and disdain for women, for Mother Earth, for people of color, for those without wealth. We will remember them as hate mongers.

I remain curious why these people chose horrible when they could be heroic. The choice is so clear to me. What I am missing? What do they see in their actions that I don't understand? Acts of inhumanity and destruction will never be on the right side of history. Never. And yet, this destruction prevails. I don't understand.

TODAY'S EASY ACTIVISM

1. The Tax Scam Bill needs to be reconciled between the House and the Senate. This will take time. Your calls are more important than ever as this bill is pure greed, evil and will rob 13 million of healthcare. Numbers for your Senators are found here. Especially call Senator Collins in Maine, McCain and Flake in Arizona. You may even want to call Bob Corker in TN and thank him for voting for the people and not his party.

While on the phone with your Senators, tell them to protect the Dreamers. 

2. Trump slashes Bear's Ear and Grand Staircase Monument. 90% of American land is open for drilling. 10% of land is protected. This was part of the 10%. Honestly, I don't know what we can do AND Patagonia is leading the charge to create blowback. Go to www.patagonia.com and follow the prompts. While you're there, do some holiday shopping. 

3. Love each other more. Strangers, friends, family. There is a lot of anger in the air. We must be the light in this darkness.

4. If you can, donate to Doug Jones. We need a crime fighter not a pedophile as Senator of Alabama. Seems like a no brainer doesn't it?

And, 

5. There are only 3 more shopping days to get the first addition of Civics in Chaos - an infuriately fun game of civic survival that will Make America Smart Again (wouldn't that be refreshing)! Buy your copy here.

Deepest love and gratitude to you.

Together we can. Together we are. United we stand.

:: Genessa

Timing is Everything

This moment in history is absolutely crazy. Crazy for the antics of greed and disregard for sacred. Crazy in the courage people are showing to stand up for what is good and right for the whole of America.

Courage is everywhere. The media doesn't report on it. We saw it earlier this month with the 2017 elections where the misfits of politics ran for office and won elections. I say misfits as they weren't what we normally see - white, men, rich - instead they were all of us, committed, fierce and determined to change the narrative, change the landscape and give voice to the whole of us. 

Courage continues to hold men accountable who have abused power and women. Men in media who treated Hillary as flawed and unworthy, who are now losing their jobs due to alleged sexual assault. Misogyny is a deep seeded disease. 

Courage is #MeToo, when in the past nobody listened or believed what you're saying. It's hard to be courageous when you're discounted.

Courage is finally listening.

Earlier this week, Obama White House Chief Photographer Pete Souza presented his work documenting the Obama White House. Walking through those eight years, brought the forgotten challenges of the Obama years to the forefront - economic collapse, housing crisis, bailing out the auto industry, the BP Oil Spill, Charlottesville, Sandy Hook, GOP obstruction, and so many more - and yet, I felt safe with Obama. I trusted his ability to lead us even if I didn't always agree with the decisions. He took his work seriously. He led with dignity and respect. He allowed me to live easily. I didn't need to be on the front lines with Obama, as he was doing it for me.

When he left office, he said it was up to us. We've done great work so far. And I'm exhausted. I can't bear the news. I want to check out. Yet, we must stay focused and be courageous.

The guy in the Oval Office is a sexual predator. I said it before and I continue to believe it - we can and should take him down for these deeds. Never forget that over a dozen women have made claims against him, that a woman alleged she was raped by him when she was 13-years old and he said these works

• “I moved on her like a bitch, but I couldn’t get there. And she was married.”
• “I did try and fuck her.”
• “Just kiss. I don’t even wait. And when you’re a star, they let you do it. You can do anything.”
• “Grab them by the pussy. You can do anything.”

Time for him to tumble.

This GOP needs to go too. And it's up to us to ensure that happens.

You know the drill. Grab a cup of coffee and make some calls. And, please encourage your friends to do the same. No tax bill. No Trump. Both are bad for America.

Today's Easy Activism.

1. Call your Senators and say NO to the GopTax Bill.  While you have them on the phone, tell them  to hold Trump accountable for sexual assaults. It's time to investigate these allegations.

2. Call Jeff Flake (AZ), Bob Corker (TN), Susan Collins (ME), John McCain(AZ), Lisa Murkowski (AL) even if they aren't your Senators, tell them to vote no on the tax bill. Leave messages.

3. And, as you may know, I've built a game called Civics in Chaos - an infuriately fun game of civic survival where the checks and balances of our government is playing against the tweets of insanity. We have nine days left on Kickstarter and want to blow this game out of the water. Please consider purchasing one (or more). A game of civics will Make America Smart Again. Lord knows we need it.

Keep resisting. The time is now!

Deepest gratitude and love to you -

:: Genessa

Permission.

If there is anything to learn right here, right now in 2017, it's don’t fuck me without my consent.

We won’t stand for that. No more. No longer.

 

The GOP tax plan, the destruction of health insurance, the executive ordering of inhumanity, is complete consentless fucking.  

Just for the record -

·      Congress held 79 hearings on the Affordable Care Act (Obamacare)

·      The House held 32 hearings on Benghazi.

·      This Congress held ZERO hearings for the GOP Tax Bill, a bill they passed through Congress today that gives tax breaks to corporations and the wealthiest individuals in America.

This administration, this GOP, does not have my permission to pass bills into law that are cruel, greedy, ruthless, insecure and pathetic.

If there is one thing you do today, please call your Senators (call every Senator) and let them know they do not have your permission either. NO TO THE GOP TAX BILL.

Passage without permission is an assault.

Thank you. Bless you. Love you. Appreciate you.

:: genessa

P.S. – Remember how I told you about the game I helped create called Civics in Chaos? Our little game moved the dial for a young woman. She is a very talented designer and works for my gaming partners. She was not an active (or possibly ever) voter and, through her work on this game with our team, she voted. In 2017. An off year. Not only did she vote, she studied who and what to vote for. Not only did she study who and what to vote for, she was then interviewed about her voting decisions by a local paper. I'm taking her actions as a testament to the power of Civics in Chaos. 

Please consider supporting our Kickstarter by buying a game.

Playing an infuriating fun game while having conversations about the state of our union and how government should work matters.  

Make Americans Smart Again.

Last April, I was invited to join a team of creative geniuses (I’m not exaggerating) to develop a card game about Trump.

Inspired by the illustrations of Ed Fotheringham (follow him on Instagram --- he is a true treat), UX designer Ron Morris saw an opportunity to design a physical card game about this particular time in history.

This particular time in history where the world has turned upside down and truth, values and kindness have vacated the White House, the Congress, the Senate, the comments sections in newspapers and on social media.

Over the last seven months, the three of us met determined to make a great, fun and funny game. We drank whiskey (the beverage of champions), played and tweaked the game over and over and over again.

We knew we needed more then simple comic relief from the continual stress of this administration, we needed to make a game that made us smarter about the function of  government, civics and our Democratic society. We needed to Make Americans Smart Again.

In the seventies, we learned civics through School House Rocks’ “I’m just a Bill on Capitol Hill.” The sorrowful yet earnest Bill helped us understand how Congress worked. Our parents voted to elect leaders who worked across the aisle to do what's best for all Americans. The National Enquire produced fake news that looked intentionally and absurdly fake. We could differentiate from truth and lies. Every American feared the Cold War. Not just some of us.

Today, the lines are blurred. Greed is rampant. Courageousness is few and far between (shout out to Kamala Harris, Pramila Jayapal and a handful of others). The 24-hr news cycle is exhausting. Daily devastation is enough to break our spirits. I often feel crushed by a sense of helplessness and despair. Sometimes I simply tune out, check out and stop paying attention. 

Thing is, there is a way through. And while a game, this game which I helped make, won’t Impeach Trump (or will it???), it does encourage civic dialogue. It will inspire us. It will make us laugh. You think I’m over-promising?!

Just like Bill on Capitol Hill, we learned about civics from School House Rock and that knowledge of civic duty has stayed with us.

In just a few hands of very cleverly designed playing cards, we can experience what chaos does to our psyche and how the desire to win can spin us out of control. When every card is a Trump card, we have to be smart, vigilant, creative, on task and ready for chaos.

So, yes, I am asking you to support our game, TRUMPED! A Card Game of Civics and Chaos because knowledge + fun + comic relief matters.

Because we need alternative ways to RESIST.

And because understanding how our Government was designed to work (and it is a smart design) will help us hold our legislatures accountable and elect the RIGHT leaders.

We timed the launch of Kickstarter campaign for Election Day 2017.

Much is at stake in every State.

Your vote matters.

Bill on Capitol Hill is counting on you to ensure that Trump doesn’t kill him.

The question is who’s going to get TRUMPED. Will it be us or will it be them? I’m rooting (and voting) for us and betting, in the end, they all get trumped. 

TODAY'S EASY ACTIVISM - 

• Please support our Game by donating to our Kickstarter campaign. You won't be charged until we met our goal. Please click on the link to donate.
• Please share TRUMPED with your networks. Our hope is that once funded, we can focus on GOTV efforts through the promotion of this game.
• Please VOTE. Nothing matters as much as this. 
• And Always RESIST THE HATE & KEEP THE FAITH.

With gratitude and love to you -

:: genessa

RAPED.

When I was in college one of my dearest friends was raped. She had traveled abroad with a guy she was dating. While thousands of miles from home, she decided she know longer wanted to date him. This didn’t suit him, so he raped her, repeatedly.

She flew home and moved my apartment, which I shared with another dear friend, and stayed in bed for weeks. Her former boyfriend broke something in her. He stole her trust. He gave her reason to be afraid. His violation covered her shame.

At the time, I lacked both the language and empathy to understand what she was going through.

While I had been in numerous deeply uncomfortable situations with boys and men, I, thankfully, have not been raped. I look back now on the many guys I drank excessively with, flirted with, passed out next too and I feel moved by their character. Isn’t that pathetic? I am proud of these guys for not raping me. 

I never doubted my friends experiences and yet, somewhere, in the late eighties, the unconscious misogynistic woman in me thought perhaps she put herself in that position. I was conditioned to believe this. Trained by society. I am mortified to admit this. Actually sickened by my ignorance. At twenty years old, I lacked the feminist insight to understand the depth of disregard we’ve created for, in and about women.

After college, I moved home to Los Angeles and took a job with the most prestigious talent agency in Hollywood. This was the year Anita Hill stood on a mountaintop told the world she was sexually harassed by Clarence Thomas. When my colleagues and I talked about her case, we laughed about pubic hair on a can of Coke.

My conditioned self-loathing, my second-class beliefs a la vagina, were on flagrant display as I joked with my male colleagues, not fully comprehending what was happening culturally, not grasping the ferocity of Anita Hill and the disdain some men have for strong, vocal, intelligent, capable women.

Not believing I was truly worthy, my words aided the myths told about women.

I was sexual harassed repeatedly at this job. Not by my boss, who was and still is an upstanding man, but by other Agents. Agents who would slather all of over me, words, hands, advances. All unwanted, all without encouragement and, yet, I was theirs to fancy. I had no idea how to deal with these men.

Earlier that same year, I had briefly dated a man who, instead of raping me when I refused to have sex with him, literally destroyed the hotel room we were staying in. He threw furniture, smashed the TV and for the finale, punched his hand through the window, glass raining down twenty-six floors onto the Central Park South sideway.

I watched as he raged. I tried to protect him when the security guards came to our room, when I could barely open the door as the cross winds from the missing window created serious suction. I sat by his side in the emergency room as he was stitched up. Then I went back to the hotel with him, to a new clean and undamaged room. I didn’t know what else to do. I had nobody to call.

Why don’t we believe women when they say they have been assaulted and raped?

We didn’t believe the handful of women who claimed Bill Clinton assaulted them.

We didn’t believe the hotel worker who alleged NBA player Kobe Bryant raped her in his hotel room in Colorado.

We didn’t believe two women who said NFL quarterback Ben Roethlisberger raped them.

We shamed Mia Farrow and normalized Woody Allen after he had a relationship with their adopted daughter.

Bill Crosby is still walking the streets.

Everybody in Hollywood knew about Harvey Weinstein, no matter what they claim, and said and did nothing.

Do we really hate women this much?

And are women so deeply conditioned to hate ourselves and other women that 53% of white women gave permission for a man who (highly likely) raped a 13-year old girl, who sexually assaulted dozens of women, who admitted to grabbing our pussies without consent, to occupy the highest office in our country?

62 million Americans cast a vote for the rapist scumbag now occupying the Oval Office.

Since Harvey Weinstein has been ousted, I have learned from too many of my soul sister girlfriends, that they too were raped by male friends, raped while passed out, or fingered by their doctors, their prom dates, friends of the family.

And, last Saturday, while at my nephew’s Bar Mitzvah, an old family friend, a man I have know for over thirty years, my father’s peer, couldn’t take his hands off of me. When I said hello and he tried to kiss me on the mouth, multiple times. He ran his hands up and down my body, touching my back, arms, hips and ass, multiple times. All unwanted, unwarranted and fully disgusting. 

Thing is, I said nothing to him. I avoided him. I didn’t make any eye contact for the rest of the evening. I didn’t know what to do. Outspoken me had no words to tell him to stop. I was afraid of making a scene. I wasn’t even being raped and yet, I was frozen in fear.

As I write this, #MeToo is trending on Twitter. #MeToo are stories of women being raped and assaulted. #MeToo are stories women are sharing to release shame and let other women know we are not alone. #MeToo is a tag of resistance. #MeToo is our voices rising together and take down the perpetuators of these crimes.

The biggest perpetuator of all is the man bearing the title of the President of the United States of America. He has admitted to sexual assault. There are at least 15 women who allege he violated them. There are probably many others.

 

If Harvey Weinstein can be dethroned, so can trump.

And we are the army who can bring him down. We have the voice. We are the majority. We need to speak up and speak out. 

While I don’t know all we can be doing (please do send me your suggestions) here are some ideas –

 

TODAY’S EASY ACTIVISM –

1. If you have the wherewithal, speak up if you have raped or sexually assaulted. If you are on twitter, use the hashtag #MeToo. Do this daily. Keep this hashtag trending so media covers it. Tag @realDonaldTrump

2. Call your Legislatures (Senators and Members of Congress) and let them know they need to hold trump accountable for sexual assault. Ask them what they will do to hold him accountable. Ask that they meet with the victims. Apprentice contestant Summer Zervos, a name to remember, hired Gloria Allred to nail trump on sexual assault. Demand an investigation into the allegations made. I imagine we should have done this with Bill Clinton too.

3. Believe women, and men, who are brave enough to come forward and call rape. While there are rare instances of people do claim to be raped and it’s false, most people are telling the truth. We need to create a culture that supports victims.

4. If you haven’t yet, read Jon Krakauer’s Missoula. It will blow you wide open.

5. Educate your daughters and sons. Educate them on our unique anatomy, on our differences in sex drives, on how to give pleasure, on how to ask for what they need, on how the clitoris works. We seem to neglect this in our society. Too many women are not attended to properly. Educate them that consent is mandatory. No means NO. A woman (or man) passed out is not a glory hole. Pornography does not depict a woman’s pleasure. Make sure they understand.

We need to hold rapists accountable. There was no justice for Jane Doe in regards to Stanford rapist Brock Turner (may we never forget his name).

When people say No Justice, No Peace what they are saying is that there is compromise when lives are being taken. Justice is the only remedy. In cops killing black people — no justice, no peace. In men raping women — no justice, no peace. In trump occupying the Presidency — no justice, no peace.

 

Justice is removing him and his band of complicit counterparts, the majority of the GOP, from office.

While I didn’t do enough for my dearest friend the eighties, which I am so sorry about, I can certainly do something today. Speak out. Speak up. Fight back. Dethrone Trump. Save our Democracy. Save our humanity. Protect each other.

With love and gratitude -

:: genessa

P.S. - Seattleites - VOTE CARY MOON for Mayor. While we will ultimately have a woman mayor (wahoo!), there is only one candidate who intrinsically understands the crisis facing our city from homelessness, housing, jobs, costs, environment, traffic, black lives, diverse lives, etc. She has a solid plan. I've known Cary for years and she is wickedly smart, incredibly hard working, thoughtful, knowledgable and it reaching all corners of our city. 

Yes We Can. We really really can.

The reality is - 

We can curbed gun violence.

We can provide health insurance for all Americans.

We can reduce green house gases and create jobs by doing so.

We can help victims of natural disasters.

We can promote, support and protect diversity for all people regardless ofrace, religion, gender, orientation, etc.

We can protect and care for immigrants.

We can raise the minimum wage.

We can stop police brutality.

We can address the opiate crisis and maybe even end it.

We can create campaign finance reform, overthrowing Citizen’s United, and get big money out of politics.

We have the means. We have the capacity. We have the intellect. We have the heart. We have the creativity. We have the ability. We have the fortitude. We have the patriotic conviction. 

We do this by electing leaders, not political parties, LEADERS who share our values, the values of protecting, caring for, providing for, helping, supporting, loving, giving to all people and mother earth.

This isn’t hard.

It’s about connecting to others in our integrity, through our values. It’s about addressing greed and corruption head on. It’s about asking for the truth and letting political leaders no we won’t be pushed around while they take money from organizations that are emboldened too.

It's about being kind and not accusatory. It's about loving and protecting each other. It's about our sacred humanity. It's about people over profits. 

All lives are touched by pain and our country, our people, are currently in a world of hurt. The greatest salve is our caring, compassion, non-violence and love of each other. The greatest salve is our action.

I am so angry, so sickened by the obscenities of our current government. I want to rage. And yet, raging isn’t the solution alone. The solution is turning rage into endless action until we create the change we want to be, until we are the change we believe in.

Thoughts, prayers and ACTION. Big, meaningful, bold and courageous action. It’s time. 

TODAY’S EASY ACTIVISM – otherwise known as OUR LIST OF DEMANDS

1.     Call your Representatives and DEMAND sensible gun reform – no silencers, mandatory background checks, no gun purchases by those who are mentally unwell or have a history of domestic violence. Senators and Members of Congress. Make their phones ring off the hook.

2.     And while you have their office on the phone, DEMAND funding for CHIP. 9 million children are at risk of losing their health insurance as this congress let coverage lapse vs. renewing it on Sept 30.

3.     Also, DEMAND aid for Puerto Rico. And donate if you can – Hispanic Federation is donating 100% of money raised to Puerto Rico. To donate via text, text 41444 & type UNIDOS (space) YOUR AMOUNT (space) and YOUR NAME.  For example: Unidos 100 John Doe)

4.     Talk to everybody you know about the importance of voters for leaders invested in saving lives vs. making more money.

I am so sick of this and yet, I will never stop fighting for what we know is right.

With love and gratitude.

:: genessa

P.S. I am no longer on social media as it was draining me of my vitality, energy and optimism. If you would like to reach me directly, please email me.

Just This -

To help the people of Puerto Rico, click here. 

Please do what you can. Give what you can. These are our brothers and sisters. Patriotism is an act of generosity and belief that we are all in this together. 

With love and hope -

:: genessa

Dialing for Democracy.

The world has gone mad. As in crazy. And angry. And crazy angry. There is no need repeat the list of madnesses as it only increases our blood pressure. The boil over zone is not healthy for any of us.

When the things we treasure are under constant siege – truth, healthcare, national monuments, justice, keeping Spicy off TV – it becomes brain and heart numbing.

Numb is what they depend on. Numb gets laws passed that incarcerate more people of color for nothing, ruin our environment (which we can’t back paddle on), cause multi-millions of Americans to lose healthcare. It’s wrong. It’s backwards. It’s a horror show.

Today please call your representatives about healthcare and anything else that is ailing you TODAY. We need to keep dialing for democracy. The critical phone numbers (especially for blue staters) are in the image above.

It’s up to us. We are the warriors keeping madness at bay.

Keep resisting. Keep loving. Keep on keepin' on.

:: Genessa

p.s. I've missed you.

Founding and Foresight.

I have not written in a month. I have made fewer calls. I have read and watched less news. I have needed the pace and ease of summer to reconcile my capacity to create change in our current state of existence.

And then last week my wife and I saw Hamilton and I awoke again to the reality that every action matters, life is short and I feel an imperative to participate, to activate and create a community and country where all people are equal.

From the moment the first note struck in that darkened theater, I cried. I am not a big crier. Often I want to be and accessing my tears has never come easily. Yet, throughout this show, I had a nonstop stream.

I cried for so many reasons.

Lin Manuel's utter brilliance as experiencing genius at that level overwhelms me.

Recalling the casts plea to Mike Pence immediately following the election. A plea that seems to have fallen on deaf ears and, yet, so urgently conveyed the sense of safety we all were craving, that we still crave.

And mostly, because of the integrity, conviction, imperative that Hamilton and our Founding Father's had in designing our country.

The foresight shown in creating the Constitution, the Executive branches of Government and Hamilton's insight in writing the Federalist papers is simply astounding. They designed a system of checks and balances to protect us from where we are today. Hamilton had the foresight to give Electors permission to overthrow States votes on a unfit President-elect. We have a system that is designed to stop the corruption and chaos we're living through, because in the late 1700's there were enough people in the room where it happened with integrity and a desire to create change.

What continues to strike me is the marriage of conviction and integrity. That integrity, knowing what our values are and what we believing is worth fighting for, creates the conviction to persevere in the unknown and darkness.

That said, there was (and still is) much about that time in history that has scarred the psychology of our country. We may never recovery from slavery, certainly many in the South can't seem to get over it. We must never gloss over the truth of the statement - No Justice, No Peace. Justice, integrity, honesty, morality, love are our guiding principles and it is through these principles, principles that Hamilton seemed to possess, that we will write our history to be inclusive of and caring for all people.

There have been so many times in history when our voices as citizens mattered. This is one of those times. We are creating our present and our future through our participation. The only way to heal this divide is to heal the divide within in ourselves, by forgiving ourselves for our vulnerable humanity and by recognizing that until all people are safe, equal and free by law none of us are safe, equal are free.

Until we have Universal Healthcare, we are not living up to our potential or our promise as a great country.

TODAY'S EASY ACTIVISM - 

CALL YOUR SENATORS ABOUT HEALTHCARE TODAY.

If you are a blue state person - call Dean Heller in Nevada - (202) 224-6244, call John McCain - (202) 224-2235 and Jeff Flake in Arizona - (202) 224-4521, call Susan Collins in Maine - (202) 224-2523, call Rob Portman in Ohio - (202) 224-3353.

Pick a red state and make a call.

Like Lin Manuel's Hamilton, we are not throwing away our shot.

With love and gratitude -

:: genessa

Values Democracy Style.

Two years ago today I woke early, grabbed my phone and sobbed as I read the Supreme Court decision to uphold Marriage Equality.  My wife of 11 months was sleeping next to me. I wrapped my entire being around her and whispered, "it passed." 

I had no idea, in that moment, the profundity that marriage and marriage equality would have in my life. I had no idea that I had carried so much shame, from age 15, about my sexuality. I had no idea how much I would love being married and how hard it is to stay in a strong, healthy, committed, communicative relationship.

I had no idea that oppression lifted is freedom and that freedom creates infinite possibilities.

I woke this morning and felt sickened when reading about the Supreme Court upholding elements of the Muslim Ban. Every piece of news, every executive order, every element of the so called healthcare bill is crushing. Crushing as the inhumanity is mind boggling, the cruelty is so extreme and my inability to make it change makes me feel entirely out of control.

I, once again, feel the weight of oppression.

The remarkable thing about the LGBTQ community is that Gay crosses every line - race, religion, gender, economics. We represent every demographic that has been and is ~ism'd. We see oppression as we know oppression. We, while still human and still limited in recognizing every injustice, believe that all are welcome and all people deserve equality.

If you have never been to a Pride parade or celebration, I encourage you to go next year as every color in our rainbow is represented and we are adding more colors.  

Until every person is free from being oppressed for their authenticity, for the color of their skin, for the amount of money in their bank account (if they have one), for their gender and gender orientation, for their religion or place of birth, I will fight.

On June 27, 1969 a group of fed up dykes, fags and drag queens (exactly as they were identified and as we co-opted the ~ism) fought back. They fought the police for days in the streets. They fought because they could know longer tolerate being oppressed for who and how they loved. They fought because they loved themselves and each other enough to risk it all to be free.

Tomorrow it will be 48 years to the day since the Stonewall Uprising. In my lifetime LGBTQ people have risen, have fought back, and have invited the world to see that we are everywhere, we are loving and we are loved. 

With love in my heart, I invite you to do Today's Easy Activism tonight or tomorrow. Tonight you'll get voicemail. Tomorrow perhaps a person, probably not. We are still fighting for our lives and even if the life isn't mine, I'm going to fight until there is no more reason to fight. 

TODAY'S EASY ACTIVISM -

1.  Call Republican Senators and tell them to vote NO on the HEALTHCARE bill. These Senators are a great place to start as they either oppose or are on the fence. Call again, if you've already called. Keep calling. We are what democracy looks like.

THE VOTE IS ON THURSDAY!!!!

 PLEASE CALL

• Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) - (202) 224-4343
• Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) - (202) 224-5922
• Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) - (202) 224-5444
• Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI) - (202) 224-5323
• Sen. Dean Heller (R-NV) - (202) 224-6244
• Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) - (202) 224-2523
• Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) - (202) 224-6665
• Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV) - (202) 224-6472
• Bill Cassidy (R-LA) - (202) 224-5824
• Rob Portman (R-OH) - (202) 224-3353

2.  Read this Tweet thread from Cody Keenan, a speechwriter for Obama. It is a remarkable reminder of the strength and perseverance of our democracy. We will rise again. 

Love and gratitude -

:: genessa

Healthcare vs Wealthcare.

Let's keep this simple and real. Today's Easy Activism is to make 8 - 10 calls. Numbers for the 8 calls are below. The 2 extra is if you're so lucky to have GOP asshats representing your state. 

Yesterday, disabled protesters were physically removed from protesting in front of schlong-swallowing Mitch McConnell's office. Literally removed from their wheelchairs, arrested and put in police vans. Protesters in wheelchairs were handcuffed. This makes me so sickened and heart crushed. Where's our humanity?

And, since the devastation continues to mount, HUMOR is your morning motivation. Funny or Die's take on the wealthcare reveal is so so good. Let it motivate you to make your calls and literally save lives. 

Click here to watch. You will laugh out loud. 

Today's Easy Activism -

 

Call YOUR Republican Senators.

 

If you don't have a Republican Senator, call the list below as they could be swayed.

• Senator Bob Corker, TN - (202) 224-3344
• Senator Lisa Murkowski, AL - (202) 224-6665
• Senator Rob Portman, OH - (202) 224-3353
• Senator Susan Collins, ME - (202) 224-2523
• Senator Bill Cassidy, MD - (202) 224-5824
• Senator Cory Gardner, CO - (202) 224-5941
• Senator Dean Hiller, NV (up for reelection) - (202) 224-6244
• Senator Jeff Flake, AZ (up for reelection) - (202) 224-4521

This really is life or death for too many Americans.

5 minutes to make these calls. Chances are you'll get voicemail. You don't have to tell them where you're from unless they ask. 

And PLEASE SHARE WITH YOUR NETWORKS. We need to jam their phone lines! We stopped them before. We can to do it again.

You are amazing and beautiful.

Celebrate PRIDE.

Celebrate each other.

FIGHT the oppression.

Say Their Names.

Dial for Democracy. 

Love and gratitude -

:: genessa

SAVE HEALTHCARE

Calling our Senators is the only way to SAVE OUR HEALTHCARE. 

Cruel, inhumane and greedy behavior has 13 white men determining our healthcare in secret. Nothing about this is American or patriotic or caring. It's sickening and the idea of it is making me sick.

 

PLEASE CALL YOUR SENATORS TODAY!!! Especially, those of you with GOP Senators.

And, while you're at it, call these folks too,  encourage people you know in these states to call them or get addresses and zips and call them yourself. We need to sway 3 Republicans

Senator Cory Gardner, CO - (202) 224-5941

Senator Bob Corker, TN - (202) 224-3344

Senator Lisa Murkowski, AL - (202) 224-6665

Senator Rob Portman, OH - (202) 224-3353

Senator Susan Collins, ME - (202) 224-2523

Senator Bill Cassidy, MD- (202) 224-5824

Together we can!!

:: genessa

Say Their Names.

I have a story to share.

It’s a story I’ve written many times before and never shared it publicly.

On March 22, 2013, an unarmed black man was murdered by the Bellevue SWAT team on our small and very familial block in Seattle.

This man had been in and out of jail for much of his life. It is possible he committed the armed robbery, the crime the SWAT were coming to arrest him for, yet we’ll never know as he was murdered. Regardless of whether he did it or not, shooting at an unarmed man 26 times is brutality. Vicious, cruel, heartless brutality.

His story is gruesome and terrifying, as is every police killing.

After Russell Smith(say his name) was murdered, after our outrage settled and activism accomplished, after we held a community meeting and received a smattering of press, we, the white people on our block, went back to our lives, because we could. Because, while this forever changed our perception of the police and altered our psychology, we were simply witnesses. This brutality will never happen to us. Our skin color is an insurance policy, protecting us from being shot by cops.

After the shooting, I met regularly with the Seattle and Bellevue Police Chiefs, our South Precinct Sargent, local politicians, basically anybody who would talk to me about Police reform, because Police need to be reformed.

Police Departments in the United States are not healthy. While Jeff Sessions is lifting citizen protections, we need to demand change in our policing. Black people will continue being killed for being black. We will say more and more names. More families will experience the injustice of a failed system. More protests and even riots will unfold. And we will slowly go crazy in the demise of what is holy and precious – human life – as numbness sets in from being under constant assault.

On Saturday, while riding my bike throughout Seattle, I stumbled upon Native American prayer ceremony at outdoor festival. Women, men and children in full headdress were ceremonially dancing and chanting as the drums played and sage burned.

As every race, age, gender and orientation watched in awe, a sense of sorrow, shame, awakening, awareness, collectiveness washed over me. A knowing of how cruel and uncaring we’ve been, of the violence we’ve inflicted, even if our personal actions were non-violent. I was aware of my inability to fully acknowledge, comprehend and relieve the suffering of our brothers and sisters.

I felt such deep heartbreak. And shame. I realized I am growing numb from not knowing what to do. From reading too much news. For OD’ing on Social Media. I don’t know how to feel and I don’t know who I am in the midst of this mess.

In my heartbreak, while being prayed for in a language of the people who are our first settlers, it struck me that we are burning.

There are daily attacks. Too many people are not held accountable for their actions. Cops shoot people and get paid leave. Can you imagine that killing a person of color gets them a paid vacation?

I realized we need to do entirely differently than we’ve been doing.

The universe is screaming at us. Dramatic change is needed right now.

Our heartbreak allows this change to happen. By staying awake to the pain, we can work towards making different. Women are rising. Feminists are showing up in every gender, as that’s what feminism is about – equality. We are communicating deeper. We are seeing each other, perhaps for the first time in an awfully long time.

We are figuring out how to do the work that requires crossing color lines and gender lines and religious lines - all the lines that have separated us vs. uniting us.

It  may take time before we experience the shift, the Malcolm Galdwell tip, as we have to learn how to truly intersect – to develop a common language, to make mistakes, to ask for help, to look inside of each other.

It will take curiosity, empathy and lens in, which may not be our normal lens as many of us have not experienced true injustice. We may not understand the rage or defeat or the I-don’t-know-what-the-fuck-what-people-feel who aren't free to drive, to walk, to call the police because of the color of their skin.

Can you imagine getting killed for calling the police?

Can you imagine getting killed because your tail-light was out?

Our tail-light is out as I type this. Nobody’s going to shoot me over it.

Quite honestly, I don’t know what to do here. There is no easy activism for this one. This requires a deep re-wiring of our entire system.

Philando Castile was pulled over 43 times for driving while black.

I can count on one hand how many times I’ve been pulled over and I’m almost 50 years old. And I have never been pulled over for doing nothing.

This requires all of us.

All of us to stay outraged.

All of us to march in Black Lives Matter protests.

All of us to demand from our cities and states that police be retrained.

Police need mandated mental health treatment. Police need to learn to not shoot to kill. Police need race, religion, immigrant, gender training. Perhaps Police need women bosses. Hell, I don’t know.

Four years ago I went to the Police and City of Seattle with a program called Rebuild Together to humanize the people police were serving and to humanize the police and they laughed me away. They invited me to the Policemen's Ball and yet, laughed me away as a citizen who’s neighbor's brother, Russell Smith, was murdered by the police. 

I know policing is probably a crappy job. Police are vilified (with good reason). Police are a tribe of other that for too many people feels like a mob. Police, most likely, are 90% bored and 10% scared out of their heads. 

They need help. We need help. You know the drill. Make the calls that need making. Call your Mayor and let them know - No Justice, No Peace.

No Justice. No Peace.

Say their names. Put them in the signature line of your emails. Wear them on your sleeve. Write the families. Help their children. Get involved. The only way through is with all of us working together.

Charlenna Lyles. Say Her Name.

In love and sorrow –

:: Genessa 

P.S. Call your Senators about this secretive healthcare bill and demand to know what is in it.

Healthcare.

Getting straight to the point.

These are cruel and unkind people. They are not doing their jobs. They lie, obstruct and steal from Americans. They care not that Russia hacked into our elections. They care not that people depend on the ACA for medical care. They care not that mentally ill people have no services and have access to guns. They care not for our planet. The list is endless.

So please, take this one simple action today and call your Senators right this moment to save healthcare.

Even if you called yesterday, call again today.

Call everyday until we see this bill and the Senate holds hearings on the content of this bill.

Hopefully you have their numbers programmed in your phones and if you don't - https://www.senate.gov/senators/contact/.

Thank you.

Gratitude and love to you -

:: gnessa