Karen
@karenvm.bsky.social
Very proud (but not surprised) to see my pastor sign this letter.
NEW: 200+ Chicago-area clergy — Protestants, Catholics, and evangelicals — have signed a letter decrying ICE's efforts and voicing a willingness to put their "bodies on the line" for migrants.
"What Kristi Noem and her ICE agents are doing is immoral," they write. religionnews.com/2025/10/21/a...
"What Kristi Noem and her ICE agents are doing is immoral," they write. religionnews.com/2025/10/21/a...
October 21, 2025 at 11:57 PM
Very proud (but not surprised) to see my pastor sign this letter.
Reposted by Karen
With Trump and his cronies using the shutdown as cover to shut off the food stamp program, food banks will soon be flooded with demand from the 42 million Americans--including 16 million kids--who rely on the program. Which means the rest of us will need to step up and give whatever we can.
October 21, 2025 at 12:55 PM
With Trump and his cronies using the shutdown as cover to shut off the food stamp program, food banks will soon be flooded with demand from the 42 million Americans--including 16 million kids--who rely on the program. Which means the rest of us will need to step up and give whatever we can.
Reposted by Karen
MIT's response to the Trump admin's proposed "compact" is excellent and should be a model for other universities. orgchart.mit.edu/letters/rega...
October 10, 2025 at 2:14 PM
MIT's response to the Trump admin's proposed "compact" is excellent and should be a model for other universities. orgchart.mit.edu/letters/rega...
Reposted by Karen
Reposted by Karen
Political violence disproportionately hurts people with less power, not people with more power. Political violence will disproportionately hurt people of color and women and LGBTQ people. It’s not fair, but that’s the way it works. Celebrating political violence means at best indifference to that.
Political violence is bad. It usually begets more political violence.
Celebrating political violence is bad. It usually encourages more political violence, against various targets.
Campus shootings are bad. They make everyone on campus less safe.
It's bad that what I wrote here is controversial.
Celebrating political violence is bad. It usually encourages more political violence, against various targets.
Campus shootings are bad. They make everyone on campus less safe.
It's bad that what I wrote here is controversial.
September 10, 2025 at 7:09 PM
Political violence disproportionately hurts people with less power, not people with more power. Political violence will disproportionately hurt people of color and women and LGBTQ people. It’s not fair, but that’s the way it works. Celebrating political violence means at best indifference to that.
Reposted by Karen
Know your rights, Illinois.
Stay safe and stay informed.
Stay safe and stay informed.
September 6, 2025 at 7:40 PM
Know your rights, Illinois.
Stay safe and stay informed.
Stay safe and stay informed.
Reposted by Karen
It's here! The 2025 SK Classroom Wishlist Project starts today. Here is the spreadsheet of all the classrooms that have requested help getting school supplies:
docs.google.com/spreadsheets...
docs.google.com/spreadsheets...
July 29, 2025 at 7:37 PM
It's here! The 2025 SK Classroom Wishlist Project starts today. Here is the spreadsheet of all the classrooms that have requested help getting school supplies:
docs.google.com/spreadsheets...
docs.google.com/spreadsheets...
Reposted by Karen
🖤 Following heartfelt discussion and careful consideration, General Synod took a clear stand in naming the ongoing genocide of Palestinians “a humanitarian crisis that calls for immediate action.”
📰 News Story: generalsynod.org/news-listing...
#UCCSynod
📰 News Story: generalsynod.org/news-listing...
#UCCSynod
General Synod Passes Declaration for an End to Genocide in Palestine
General Synod Passes Declaration for an End to Genocide in Palestine
generalsynod.org
July 18, 2025 at 11:34 AM
🖤 Following heartfelt discussion and careful consideration, General Synod took a clear stand in naming the ongoing genocide of Palestinians “a humanitarian crisis that calls for immediate action.”
📰 News Story: generalsynod.org/news-listing...
#UCCSynod
📰 News Story: generalsynod.org/news-listing...
#UCCSynod
Reposted by Karen
I want to be clear: this is what American prisons are like.
I spent years posting about the humanitarian crisis in U.S. prisons. The criminal legal system consigns Americans who are incarcerated to live like this FOR YEARS. DECADES.
I spent years posting about the humanitarian crisis in U.S. prisons. The criminal legal system consigns Americans who are incarcerated to live like this FOR YEARS. DECADES.
July 16, 2025 at 11:02 PM
I want to be clear: this is what American prisons are like.
I spent years posting about the humanitarian crisis in U.S. prisons. The criminal legal system consigns Americans who are incarcerated to live like this FOR YEARS. DECADES.
I spent years posting about the humanitarian crisis in U.S. prisons. The criminal legal system consigns Americans who are incarcerated to live like this FOR YEARS. DECADES.
Reposted by Karen
Like I've said before, if you have any doubts about climate change, just go to a super-boring insurance conference and listen to the super-boring panels where they dryly talk about the growing threat of disasters so catastrophic and unpredictable in scope they simply cannot be insured at any price.
Wild how the Fed chair saying that *entire regions of the United States* won’t be able to get a mortgage in the next decade barely registered as a news event
June 18, 2025 at 9:44 PM
Like I've said before, if you have any doubts about climate change, just go to a super-boring insurance conference and listen to the super-boring panels where they dryly talk about the growing threat of disasters so catastrophic and unpredictable in scope they simply cannot be insured at any price.
Reposted by Karen
Every year on Memorial Day, I share this video of French caretakers who take sand from Omaha Beach in Normandy, and scrub them into the letters to give them the gold coloring.
They do this for all 9,386 US soldiers who died.
France also gave us this land as American soil.
They do this for all 9,386 US soldiers who died.
France also gave us this land as American soil.
May 26, 2025 at 5:39 PM
Every year on Memorial Day, I share this video of French caretakers who take sand from Omaha Beach in Normandy, and scrub them into the letters to give them the gold coloring.
They do this for all 9,386 US soldiers who died.
France also gave us this land as American soil.
They do this for all 9,386 US soldiers who died.
France also gave us this land as American soil.
Reposted by Karen
Today, House Republicans are unveiling their plan to increase energy bills and pollution for everyday Americans, just to give billionaires another tax break. A summary of their proposals. THREAD! 🧵
May 12, 2025 at 4:51 PM
Today, House Republicans are unveiling their plan to increase energy bills and pollution for everyday Americans, just to give billionaires another tax break. A summary of their proposals. THREAD! 🧵
Reposted by Karen
There’s so much happening right now, I thought I’d put together a running thread on the dismantling of #climate and research and knowledge infrastructure in the United States 🧵
May 7, 2025 at 12:11 PM
There’s so much happening right now, I thought I’d put together a running thread on the dismantling of #climate and research and knowledge infrastructure in the United States 🧵
Reposted by Karen
Scientists who study climate don't automatically attribute all changes to human activity. Rather, we carefully investigate every possible natural factor that could explain the planet's warming.
Could these be the real culprits?
The evidence is in--and the answer is NO.
This thread explains! 🧵
Could these be the real culprits?
The evidence is in--and the answer is NO.
This thread explains! 🧵
May 1, 2025 at 10:32 PM
Scientists who study climate don't automatically attribute all changes to human activity. Rather, we carefully investigate every possible natural factor that could explain the planet's warming.
Could these be the real culprits?
The evidence is in--and the answer is NO.
This thread explains! 🧵
Could these be the real culprits?
The evidence is in--and the answer is NO.
This thread explains! 🧵
Reposted by Karen
Good reminders ahead of the upcoming Kentucky Derby
"An estimated 10,000 “unprofitable” or simply unwanted Thoroughbreds from the U.S. are trucked to Canada and Mexico and slaughtered each year"
Check out this article: www.peta.org/issues/anima...
"An estimated 10,000 “unprofitable” or simply unwanted Thoroughbreds from the U.S. are trucked to Canada and Mexico and slaughtered each year"
Check out this article: www.peta.org/issues/anima...
Horse Racing | PETA
Behind the romanticized façade of thoroughbred horse racing is a world of injuries, drug abuse, gruesome breakdowns, and slaughter.
www.peta.org
May 1, 2025 at 5:57 PM
Good reminders ahead of the upcoming Kentucky Derby
"An estimated 10,000 “unprofitable” or simply unwanted Thoroughbreds from the U.S. are trucked to Canada and Mexico and slaughtered each year"
Check out this article: www.peta.org/issues/anima...
"An estimated 10,000 “unprofitable” or simply unwanted Thoroughbreds from the U.S. are trucked to Canada and Mexico and slaughtered each year"
Check out this article: www.peta.org/issues/anima...
The women’s book club at my church is reading On Tyranny this month. We would have read it in March, but every copy in the library system was checked out, so our library wouldn’t have been able to get enough copies for us in time.
"On Tyranny" is a #1 NYT bestseller again. I wish the moment were different. But I’m glad the book is useful. And grateful for all the kind words about putting the 20 lessons to work.
snyder.substack.com/p/twenty-les...
snyder.substack.com/p/twenty-les...
Twenty Lessons, read by John Lithgow
Key selections from On Tyranny, for viewing and sharing
snyder.substack.com
April 12, 2025 at 6:11 PM
The women’s book club at my church is reading On Tyranny this month. We would have read it in March, but every copy in the library system was checked out, so our library wouldn’t have been able to get enough copies for us in time.
Reposted by Karen
On this day in 1865, Jack Miner was born.
From his property in Ontario, he established one of the first bird sanctuaries in North America. His efforts likely saved many bird species from extinction.
He has been called the father of North American Conservation.
🧵1/11
From his property in Ontario, he established one of the first bird sanctuaries in North America. His efforts likely saved many bird species from extinction.
He has been called the father of North American Conservation.
🧵1/11
April 10, 2025 at 3:24 PM
On this day in 1865, Jack Miner was born.
From his property in Ontario, he established one of the first bird sanctuaries in North America. His efforts likely saved many bird species from extinction.
He has been called the father of North American Conservation.
🧵1/11
From his property in Ontario, he established one of the first bird sanctuaries in North America. His efforts likely saved many bird species from extinction.
He has been called the father of North American Conservation.
🧵1/11
Reposted by Karen
I'm starting a thread with the legal profession's response to President Trump's attacks on it. Please feel free to add any that I miss.
I'll start with Perkins Coie's response.They have created an entire website so that we can follow along. 1/
www.perkinscoiefacts.com?gad_source=1...
I'll start with Perkins Coie's response.They have created an entire website so that we can follow along. 1/
www.perkinscoiefacts.com?gad_source=1...
Perkins Coie’s response to the unlawful Executive Order targeting the firm
The order violates core constitutional protections, including the rights to free speech and due process, and undermines all clients’ right to select counsel of their choice.
www.perkinscoiefacts.com
March 23, 2025 at 1:59 PM
I'm starting a thread with the legal profession's response to President Trump's attacks on it. Please feel free to add any that I miss.
I'll start with Perkins Coie's response.They have created an entire website so that we can follow along. 1/
www.perkinscoiefacts.com?gad_source=1...
I'll start with Perkins Coie's response.They have created an entire website so that we can follow along. 1/
www.perkinscoiefacts.com?gad_source=1...
Reposted by Karen
Imagine identifying a crisis, working for decades to see it solved, and then have to watch it return
US could see return of acid rain due to Trump’s rollbacks, says scientist who discovered it
US could see return of acid rain due to Trump’s rollbacks, says scientist who discovered it
Gene Likens, who first identified acidic rainwater in 1960s, said the Trump administration’s ‘rollbacks are alarming’
www.theguardian.com
March 28, 2025 at 11:01 PM
Imagine identifying a crisis, working for decades to see it solved, and then have to watch it return
Reposted by Karen
Due process is one of the fundamental principles of American democracy.
You cannot have American democracy if not everyone is afforded due process.
Due process isn't meant to be convenient. It's meant to protect individual liberty.
You cannot have American democracy if not everyone is afforded due process.
Due process isn't meant to be convenient. It's meant to protect individual liberty.
And here we go -- Fox News is now saying we should get rid of "due process" because it's too cumbersome.
Brian Kilmeade: "But I also think it's not practical to think that we can do due process on 8 million people."
www.mediamatters.org/brian-kilmea...
Brian Kilmeade: "But I also think it's not practical to think that we can do due process on 8 million people."
www.mediamatters.org/brian-kilmea...
Fox's Brian Kilmeade: “It's not practical to think that we can do due process on 8 million people” Co-host Lawrence Jones: Constitutional rights “are afforded to illegals in this country. We should re...
www.mediamatters.org
March 24, 2025 at 4:07 PM
Due process is one of the fundamental principles of American democracy.
You cannot have American democracy if not everyone is afforded due process.
Due process isn't meant to be convenient. It's meant to protect individual liberty.
You cannot have American democracy if not everyone is afforded due process.
Due process isn't meant to be convenient. It's meant to protect individual liberty.
Terrifying. This reads like the plot of a dystopian novel.
This is absolutely horrifying. www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...
I’m the Canadian who was detained by Ice for two weeks. It felt like I had been kidnapped
I was stuck in a freezing cell without explanation despite eventually having lawyers and media attention. Yet, compared with others, I was lucky
www.theguardian.com
March 19, 2025 at 2:07 PM
Terrifying. This reads like the plot of a dystopian novel.
Reposted by Karen
The Agriculture Department has axed two programs that gave schools and food banks money to buy food from local farms and ranchers, halting more than $1 billion in federal spending. www.politico.com/news/2025/03...
USDA cancels $1B in local food purchasing for schools, food banks
States have been notified that they will not receive 2025 funding for schools to buy food from nearby farms.
www.politico.com
March 11, 2025 at 3:09 AM
The Agriculture Department has axed two programs that gave schools and food banks money to buy food from local farms and ranchers, halting more than $1 billion in federal spending. www.politico.com/news/2025/03...
Reposted by Karen
New post at CAMPAIGN TRAILS on the "sheriff's posse" and the "Bloody Sunday" beatings in Selma, sixty years ago today.
campaign-trails.ghost.io/work-in-prog...
campaign-trails.ghost.io/work-in-prog...
Work in Progress: The Selma Posse
Work in Progress is a recurring feature on CAMPAIGN TRAILS, in which I share some of the more interesting materials I’ve uncovered in my book-in-progress on the work of John Doar and the Civil Rights ...
campaign-trails.ghost.io
March 7, 2025 at 3:00 PM
New post at CAMPAIGN TRAILS on the "sheriff's posse" and the "Bloody Sunday" beatings in Selma, sixty years ago today.
campaign-trails.ghost.io/work-in-prog...
campaign-trails.ghost.io/work-in-prog...
Reposted by Karen
Close your eyes. Take deep breaths. Slowly inhale through your nose, and exhale through your mouth. With each breath, imagine the face of someone you love, or a place you hold sacred. They are why we do this. Recommit yourself to the work. May we be strong. May we be steadfast. May we never forget.
March 5, 2025 at 2:51 AM
Close your eyes. Take deep breaths. Slowly inhale through your nose, and exhale through your mouth. With each breath, imagine the face of someone you love, or a place you hold sacred. They are why we do this. Recommit yourself to the work. May we be strong. May we be steadfast. May we never forget.
The brother’s “Yes you are” when Toula says Ian’s going to think she’s not worth it. 😭. #RomComBracket
March 1, 2025 at 2:38 AM
The brother’s “Yes you are” when Toula says Ian’s going to think she’s not worth it. 😭. #RomComBracket