Keep fighting. We are winning. It will take more of us. Bring others along.
“Let me give you a word of the philosophy of reform. The whole history of the progress of human liberty shows that all concessions yet made to her august claims, have been born of earnest struggle. The conflict has been exciting, agitating, all-absorbing, and for the time being, putting all other tumults to silence. It must do this or it does nothing. If there is no struggle there is no progress. Those who profess to favor freedom and yet deprecate agitation, are men who want crops without plowing up the ground, they want rain without thunder and lightning. They want the ocean without the awful roar of its many waters."
"This struggle may be a moral one, or it may be a physical one, and it may be both moral and physical, but it must be a struggle. Power concedes nothing without a demand. It never did and it never will.” - Frederick Douglass
You are my hero. I wish we had you in my state (Georgia). Here, we do not have the ballot initiative right at all. It seems a travesty that depending on the state you live in, your ability to vote for changes are completely different. It seems that when people are allowed to vote for things such as reproductive rights, they vote for common sense. Let us vote!
Voters do not have the ballot initiative in Indiana either. We have a supermajority Republican legislature, and true MAGA believers in our governor, one Senator (the other is a nominal MAGA, which may be worse), our Lt. Governor, and our AG. We have nothing on the order of Blue Missouri. At least in Georgia, there appears to be some strong state-wide organizing by Democrats. It hasn't happened here.
Jess, I am proud to subscribe to someone who is actually making a difference. There is more work to be done, but it must be quite rewarding to see what you and your group have achieved in Missouri so far. I would encourage you to not worry about whether it seems like bragging when mentioning your accomplishments. There's an old saying that applies here: "It ain't braggin' if it's the truth." Keep on keeping on.
If Amendment 3 is not proof Republicans intend to control, and punish everyone I do not know what it is. All while they pretend they got the approval of the voters they think they have hidden their true aim. How stupid they are to think their constituents cannot read. Thank goodness more Missourians have awoken, no doubt due to you. Thank you for continuing to recruit and support more people to the cause of Democracy.
I can’t stand seeing those Amendment 3 billboards. Probably going to see one on my way to enjoy one of MO’s lovely state parks (yay for Amendment 1 being passed).
That being said…I was on 44W going to Rolla and saw a sign that said “Wake up rural America! Democracy not autocracy!”
Trip update: Rode on 44W, saw that stupid Amendment 3 sign, enjoyed the wonderful outdoors, and joined Blue Missouri once I got home 🙃. Thanks for all you do, Jess!
Jess, I live far from Missouri in upstate New York, but I read you, love your "voice", recommend you to others, and admire your grit. Thank you for the work you do!
I don’t live in Missouri, but I love reading your posts because they give me hope. I have to believe that if the people of Missouri are willing to fight this hard to keep making their voices heard, then there is hope that we will ALL make it through this dark time and this dangerous administration that is openly corrupt and making a mockery of our democracy. You are making this happen, Jess. You may be only one person, but reading your Substack shows the power that one person has. Keep fighting! Keep talking to your neighbors! I re-post so many of your posts in the hope that others will follow your lead. You are a bright light and you are making a difference. 💙
It's so gratifying to read your comment, Donna R. As I am sickened to acknowledge the influence of one person, DJT, on America, and the entire world, seeing the influence of one like Jess buoys my spirits. I truly believe there are more of us who will see us through this terrible time. Frederick Douglass's quote about struggle, and the daily writings of Heather Cox Richardson, remind us of our history, that progress is hard-won. Thank you all for reading, and being here in this forum. Thank you especially, Jess, for your work and inspiration.
I have to hope there are folks all over the country who believe as you and I and others do! Keep on with this battle against these lying, cheating politicians- sadly not all of them are Repubs!
Al's post below with the Frederick Douglas quote says it all.
Reproduction rights - not abortion alone - have been "removed" from women for far too long. Our say on OUR bodies!!
It is the constant replay of the same here in Idaho. The will of the people continues to be unheard by revamping the words a different way to run the same narrative. Change a word or title, fool the people, it’s a crafty way to tell a lie. It’s a Heritage Foundation scrimmage to take the people’s voice and power away. Everyday it’s imperative to not look away. The sneak and lie pops up over and over again.
The Heritage Foundation and the Federalist Society... It seems to me - especially after all of the harm both of those organizations have done - they should be banned as subversive.
Yes, here in Mo, they use the same arguments but flip the wording just to confuse us.
When we worked to get Amendment 3 on the ballot last time (two years ago), we all had to vote yes to get it to pass. They trotted out those crazy transgender billboards to get us to vote no.
Now, they brought Amendment 3 back and we must vote no to keep our rights. So the same crazy billboards are back up trying to convince us to vote yes. See how that works?
By the way, the Catholic Church is supporting a yes (what they call pro-life) vote this time which is confusing people even more. Some Catholic friends think the church is now endorsing abortion (women’s health) rights.
Thank goodness for people like Jess who have dedicated their lives to educating and encouraging us.
Back in 1976 when I was fighting for the one-tenth of one percent sales tax to go directly to the Missouri Department of Conversation, they did the same thing--made it sound like if you voted "yes", you were voting against it. The people were too smart for that tired old ruse then, and they are now, too. As a result, Missouri has the best conservation department in the country and should be so proud!
As I wrote today on my Substack, everything about this amendment is duplicitous, as you’d expect from Missouri Republicans, especially those who wrap themselves in the cloak of religiosity.
It cynically goes by the name of Amendment 3, which was also the title of the amendment voters approved two years ago enshrining abortion rights in the Missouri Constitution.
The original ballot summary, which was written by Republican lawmakers, didn’t tell voters that the new Amendment 3 would repeal the old Amendment 3.
And while the ballot summary mentioned the amendment’s exceptions for rape and incest, it failed to mention that the exceptions would apply only during the first 12 weeks of pregnancy.
This is what unaccountability looks like. In Missouri, Republicans have wielded power for so long that they no longer even pretend to give a damn about what voters want.
Exactly! Don’t you get tired of voting on the same things over and over? I swear, every time I vote here in Mo, I have at least one issue that we’ve already addressed back on the ballot. This time, I swore we’d voted on both Amendments 1 and 2 before. 🙄
Keep fighting. We are winning. It will take more of us. Bring others along.
“Let me give you a word of the philosophy of reform. The whole history of the progress of human liberty shows that all concessions yet made to her august claims, have been born of earnest struggle. The conflict has been exciting, agitating, all-absorbing, and for the time being, putting all other tumults to silence. It must do this or it does nothing. If there is no struggle there is no progress. Those who profess to favor freedom and yet deprecate agitation, are men who want crops without plowing up the ground, they want rain without thunder and lightning. They want the ocean without the awful roar of its many waters."
"This struggle may be a moral one, or it may be a physical one, and it may be both moral and physical, but it must be a struggle. Power concedes nothing without a demand. It never did and it never will.” - Frederick Douglass
You are my hero. I wish we had you in my state (Georgia). Here, we do not have the ballot initiative right at all. It seems a travesty that depending on the state you live in, your ability to vote for changes are completely different. It seems that when people are allowed to vote for things such as reproductive rights, they vote for common sense. Let us vote!
Voters do not have the ballot initiative in Indiana either. We have a supermajority Republican legislature, and true MAGA believers in our governor, one Senator (the other is a nominal MAGA, which may be worse), our Lt. Governor, and our AG. We have nothing on the order of Blue Missouri. At least in Georgia, there appears to be some strong state-wide organizing by Democrats. It hasn't happened here.
🤔 hey - You might be “You” in GA 🤗 Good Morning ☕️ Let’s Make Life Better all over 👍
Jess, I am proud to subscribe to someone who is actually making a difference. There is more work to be done, but it must be quite rewarding to see what you and your group have achieved in Missouri so far. I would encourage you to not worry about whether it seems like bragging when mentioning your accomplishments. There's an old saying that applies here: "It ain't braggin' if it's the truth." Keep on keeping on.
Thank you!!!
If Amendment 3 is not proof Republicans intend to control, and punish everyone I do not know what it is. All while they pretend they got the approval of the voters they think they have hidden their true aim. How stupid they are to think their constituents cannot read. Thank goodness more Missourians have awoken, no doubt due to you. Thank you for continuing to recruit and support more people to the cause of Democracy.
How stupid do they think *we* are? It is offensive.
I can’t stand seeing those Amendment 3 billboards. Probably going to see one on my way to enjoy one of MO’s lovely state parks (yay for Amendment 1 being passed).
That being said…I was on 44W going to Rolla and saw a sign that said “Wake up rural America! Democracy not autocracy!”
Yessssss!!!
Trip update: Rode on 44W, saw that stupid Amendment 3 sign, enjoyed the wonderful outdoors, and joined Blue Missouri once I got home 🙃. Thanks for all you do, Jess!
Very glad to hear about that!
Jess, I live far from Missouri in upstate New York, but I read you, love your "voice", recommend you to others, and admire your grit. Thank you for the work you do!
Godspeed! Joan
❤️
Me, too! I'm in the U.P. of Michigan!
I don’t live in Missouri, but I love reading your posts because they give me hope. I have to believe that if the people of Missouri are willing to fight this hard to keep making their voices heard, then there is hope that we will ALL make it through this dark time and this dangerous administration that is openly corrupt and making a mockery of our democracy. You are making this happen, Jess. You may be only one person, but reading your Substack shows the power that one person has. Keep fighting! Keep talking to your neighbors! I re-post so many of your posts in the hope that others will follow your lead. You are a bright light and you are making a difference. 💙
❤️❤️❤️
It's so gratifying to read your comment, Donna R. As I am sickened to acknowledge the influence of one person, DJT, on America, and the entire world, seeing the influence of one like Jess buoys my spirits. I truly believe there are more of us who will see us through this terrible time. Frederick Douglass's quote about struggle, and the daily writings of Heather Cox Richardson, remind us of our history, that progress is hard-won. Thank you all for reading, and being here in this forum. Thank you especially, Jess, for your work and inspiration.
Your resilience and determination are inspiring! Thank you!
I have to hope there are folks all over the country who believe as you and I and others do! Keep on with this battle against these lying, cheating politicians- sadly not all of them are Repubs!
Al's post below with the Frederick Douglas quote says it all.
Reproduction rights - not abortion alone - have been "removed" from women for far too long. Our say on OUR bodies!!
Thank you, Jess, for what you do.
It is the constant replay of the same here in Idaho. The will of the people continues to be unheard by revamping the words a different way to run the same narrative. Change a word or title, fool the people, it’s a crafty way to tell a lie. It’s a Heritage Foundation scrimmage to take the people’s voice and power away. Everyday it’s imperative to not look away. The sneak and lie pops up over and over again.
The Heritage Foundation and the Federalist Society... It seems to me - especially after all of the harm both of those organizations have done - they should be banned as subversive.
Yes, here in Mo, they use the same arguments but flip the wording just to confuse us.
When we worked to get Amendment 3 on the ballot last time (two years ago), we all had to vote yes to get it to pass. They trotted out those crazy transgender billboards to get us to vote no.
Now, they brought Amendment 3 back and we must vote no to keep our rights. So the same crazy billboards are back up trying to convince us to vote yes. See how that works?
By the way, the Catholic Church is supporting a yes (what they call pro-life) vote this time which is confusing people even more. Some Catholic friends think the church is now endorsing abortion (women’s health) rights.
Thank goodness for people like Jess who have dedicated their lives to educating and encouraging us.
Back in 1976 when I was fighting for the one-tenth of one percent sales tax to go directly to the Missouri Department of Conversation, they did the same thing--made it sound like if you voted "yes", you were voting against it. The people were too smart for that tired old ruse then, and they are now, too. As a result, Missouri has the best conservation department in the country and should be so proud!
Is that the one that we just voted in for another 10 years (amendment 1)?
I’m so very glad that people like you were out there stumping for this. You’ll never know how much I and many others appreciate this.
Thank you, thank you from the bottom of my heart.
♥️
My absolute pleasure!
The plan the pattern and the corruption of trust by the lies. Honestly, they never speak a word of truth.
Thank you for your words, which help to educate voters who may not have the time to dig for the truth, which some of these crafty politicians distort
As I wrote today on my Substack, everything about this amendment is duplicitous, as you’d expect from Missouri Republicans, especially those who wrap themselves in the cloak of religiosity.
It cynically goes by the name of Amendment 3, which was also the title of the amendment voters approved two years ago enshrining abortion rights in the Missouri Constitution.
The original ballot summary, which was written by Republican lawmakers, didn’t tell voters that the new Amendment 3 would repeal the old Amendment 3.
And while the ballot summary mentioned the amendment’s exceptions for rape and incest, it failed to mention that the exceptions would apply only during the first 12 weeks of pregnancy.
This is what unaccountability looks like. In Missouri, Republicans have wielded power for so long that they no longer even pretend to give a damn about what voters want.
Solidarity!
Exactly! Don’t you get tired of voting on the same things over and over? I swear, every time I vote here in Mo, I have at least one issue that we’ve already addressed back on the ballot. This time, I swore we’d voted on both Amendments 1 and 2 before. 🙄
Keep up the fight. You are a shining light in the battle. We are ALL proud of what you do.
You are a bright light of hope in a sea of darkness, Jess.
Thank you for you tireless, clear eyed, driving down the road to a better place kind of work!
From an old follower up in Nebraska. Peace.