220 Comments

I’m reading your posts before HCR these days because I’m so heartened by your attitude about the possibilities for our country and especially rural America. Thank you Thank you Thank you!

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I find it hard to believe polls reporting of a very close race between a serious NORMAL candidate and an indicted lifelong career criminal and fraud untethered to reality and his fast talking partner that admits he lies to gain attention.

This election answers a fundamental question about who we are as a nation. If felon Donald is re-elected, everything will change:

We will no longer be a nation of equal justice for all.

You can remove the tablet from the Statue of Liberty. The idea of liberty only applies to the rich, the white, and males. Women will become second-class citizens.

We will abandon our allies and embrace authoritarian dictatorships.

In short, we will have become the antithesis of the ideals upon which this country was created!

It's clear that what we're seeing in this election is a referendum on racism and misogyny in our country and it's TRULY disturbing.

That's why I enjoy wearing these kinds of shirts in front of bigots 👇

teespring.com/stores/libtees-2

I believe Harris is going to beat Trump but the idea that this election is even close makes me sick with anxiety! She will make such a good president. 🙏

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Heather…it’s not close..the right wing media WANTS us to buy into that so they can point out something is wrong when they are handed a landslide loss.

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I veer from pessimistic to optimistic. I've concluded that many Americans are too stupid, or two gullible or too lazy to take a moment to get some actual facts about the political parties. Like the fact that, despite what Republicans believe, Democratic administrations have always (not just sometimes) done better for the economy and the American people than Republican administrations. And which party put in place the things we value, like Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, the ACA, and a host of regulatory protections for workers and consumers? Democrats. Our ignorance does not augur well for our future.

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Heather B, perfection in your response. 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻💙💙💙💙

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I so wish you would go away

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Who are you talking to?

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The T shirt seller

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Talking to yourself?

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Who ARE you talking to?

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T shirt seller

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What do you have a disagreement about? Or you’re a TR*LL?

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Same. I'm a woman who has been pregnant four times, birthed two and adopted one child. I know about miscarriage and my very first pregnancy was "topic". I love to read this stack daily as well!

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Knocking doors, I had a Yes on 3 Yes on Elad magnetic bumper sticker on my car, and parked next door to a house with a No on 3 sign and sacred heart of Jesus flag. When I got back to my car, that homeowner was waiting for me. He introduced himself as John Paul. He told me the best option for an ectopic pregnancy was to remove the fallopian tube. I blurted, “but you just cut that person’s fertility in half without achieving any benefit!” He smiled and said, “yes, but you didn’t directly kill a living being.” They live among us. They vote. Call, text, tell everyone you know. Failure is not an option.

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I can think of something else that could be cut off that would help reduce pregnancies.

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Thank you, we should start with him!

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Sarah, same. 2 pregnancy losses, 3 children. I am sorry for your losses.

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I recently subscribed to your Substack. I love the way you write; I am equally impressed by what you are doing. When my phone pings with a new alert for your letter, my heart thrills. I am excited to read you. Thank you for all you do!

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Thank you, friend.

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Caroline Crolla- so agree with you. Keep it up Jess

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Someone should remind Andrew Bailey that if your Governor would expand Medicaid Coverage like the people of Missouri voted for there would be more federal funding. We need to stop the madness around women's reproductive health.

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We finally did get it expanded, but only because we forced their hand. Even after we passed Medicaid expansion, they refused to fund it. They are awful.

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Greg Abbott has done the same in Texas. Why people believe he’s ’fighting for Texans’ when his actions prove differently, is beyond me.

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And this is a ‘topic’ we can all get behind! Thank you, Jess! If you are optimistic in Missouri (God bless you!), we should all be optimistic where we are.

Signed, ‘Nauseously Optimistic’ in Florida 👍💙

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You have good reason to be nauseously optimistic—Go.Go.Go Florida

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I am in awe of you, Jess. You are a true patriot and a National Treasure.

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My first Substack read this morning and what a great way to start the day! Jess, I am optimistic with you, for all of you who are working so hard to bring back sanity. I like to think of myself as a Canadian cheerleader for all of you who are considered “the enemy within”. Praying for the right thing to happen in Missouri!

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There should be a T-shirt: “proud enemy within.” 😂 I grew up in Kansas but I’m so glad I have lived in California for 57 years! So proud that Kansas finally has a female democrat governor. And I was so proud when Kansas voted for the amendment that made abortion a constitutional right in Kansas.

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Thanks for my first read of the morning. I live in MO and I’m pissed, ashamed, sad,scared but also feel optimistic. When I read the article you referenced about teen pregnancy being basically a voter and money to the state I had to read it three times to make sure I read it correct. I too remember when teen pregnancy wasn’t viewed this way. I’m spreading the word and have voted. It felt great. Thanks Jess for all you do. You are the inspiration that got me more politically aware and involved. I have been post carding and phone banking. I wear my “🐱, la” tee and Harris/ Walz pin everywhere I go.

We. Aren’t. Going. Back.

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❤️❤️❤️

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Go. Go. Go. Carol!!! 💕

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If they can’t spell ectopic pregnancy, they don’t get to tell MDs what to do with ectopic pregnancies or any other pregnancies. They’ve lost their turn at playing doctor-doctor a long time ago.

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I don’t think it’s the fact that they cannot spell ectopic pregnancy. They clearly do not even know what it is. Good grief. 😡

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Republicans, especially in Missouri, have demonstrated an astounding lack of familiarity with basic biological principles. And yet they go full bore into legislating what they think medical practices should be for Missouri women. It is very disturbing.

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In the last days before the election we should talk every minute about women’s reproductive issues.

There are conservative women out there who know this could happen to them. No one knows who one votes for in the privacy of voting space.

Vote Democratic

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God bless you Jess Piper. Thank you for all you do and for consistently talking this old woman off the ledge.

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I love this. This article is a realistic, first-hand account of the hippocracy, meaness, uneducated, and big-mouth politicians who know nothing about nothing. They talk to hear themselves talk. My loved-one’s pregnancy ended at 7 months. She had suffered maternal hemmorage and the baby was born with one-quarter of her blood gone. Both could have died. Are these abortion haters calling this a late-term abortion? Well, it wasn’t. From the first minute, the doctors worked frantically to save both mother and baby by delivering the baby, taking care of her for almost 3 months in the hospital. They brought my loved one back from a near-fatal condition. That’s not even an attempted late-term abortion. It was a heroic effort to save both mother and daughter The other day, this baby, now over 1year old, my great -grandchild, called me grammie for the first time. To even think that these despots are even trying to curb doctors from making these kind of decisions floors me. Knock their red hats off.

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Election sickness is going around. The vaccine is to vote blue. I am with you and voting Blue.

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Following your lead, I'll keep this PG. Your posts often have a "holy crap" moment. This post was chock full of them. As I read it, I muttered something akin to "holy crap" over and over. To shamelessly quote myself, "The best writing makes the reader 'feel' something." That's what your essays do. Thank you for that, Jess. By the way, I'm always on the lookout for a different way to say what I've said before, so I'll be stealing the R version of "unscrewing" for use in my own stuff. :)

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Solidarity, friend.

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of course he doesn’t know much about the topic of pregnancy. Indeed, I suspect volumes could be written about the depth of his ignorance on any number of topics.

However, ignorance is not his problem. It is the willfulness of his ignorance that is the problem, which, to my way of thinking, is reckless endangerment with callous disregard for life, or depraved indifference. I thought we had laws that imposed rather harsh penalties for that sort of thing.

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In a recent piece by Amanda Marcotte, she said that these folks certainly are not "pro life" They are "sadistic misogynists"! What's so horrifyingly true for Missouri, is true here in Tennessee and in too many other red states! VOTE FOR SANITY!

I was heartened by seeing the "army" of students marching to the polls in North Carolina! Thank you for your generous work and support of these issues, Jess. You are truly an amazing activist ❣️💙🌊💙🌊💙🌊💙🌊

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Yes. We. Can. Do. This!

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