Did you know the “weekend” and working only 8 hours per day used to be considered a radical, liberal idea?

139 years ago today, in Bay View, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, 7 workers (including a 13 yo) lost their lives to advance this revolutionary idea.

A 🧵

Nothing to see here. Just @emilyjaynef.bsky.social being forcibly removed from NY-17 Rep. Mike Lawler's town hall tonight for having the temerity to act like a citizen of the United States. Hero.

Many time, of late, I’ve said, in my head, “Lighten up, Frances.” I’m confessing this because I’m half curious how many people in my circles have any idea that that’s a pop culture reference. I’m still not likely to say it out loud.

When you think about the very substantial risks people took with say, early smallpox innoculation, people 250 years ago would have been flabbergasted that people now have very safe and very effective vaccines and don’t want to use them!

I continue to be deeply moved by this statement to the heavens by President Carter.

A lot of the positions people like RFK jr. take (anti-vax, anti-pasteurization etc.) get described as “controversial.”

They’re not. There is no controversy. This is long-settled science. The correct term is “stupid.”

Today, for literally the first time in my ten years of using Patreon as a wonderfully safe, intelligent and supportive place to gather with and talk with and to my community, I got this dumb threatening comment from some troll on my actual Patreon, in the chat. Wow! Here we go everyone!! WHEEEEEE🎉

Forgive me for being blunt.

But “we’ll fix this in the next election” is NOT A GREAT RESPONSE TO WHERE WE ARE.

Normal rules are NOT in play.

Act now.
Organize now.
Speak up now.
Plan now.
Push back—and urge power- holders to do the same.

Now.

To President Biden and all elected Democrats: Stop playing by rules that no longer exist. At this point, it's not just spinelessness, it's complicity.

New in PN: "Black women have long had to navigate being twice as good to get half the amount of credit. Kamala Harris’s presidential run was evidence of this." -- @itsafronomics.bsky.social