I am so impressed with you! Thank you for your work! We have a GOP supermajority in Tennessee, and our constitution limits citizen initiatives. But I am an eighth-generation Tennessean, and my family fought for the Union in the Civil War. No one is rewriting our history while I am here.
Yes, and unfortunately, I didn't call my state senate representative because she had always been against them, even though she's a Republican. Both she and my state house representative went to great public schools here and sent their kids to great public schools. It's maddening -- I feel especially blindsided by my state senator.
I contacted our representatives repeatedly. Even some from other counties. I direct texted one of them and he assured me he was a No on vouchers. They all caved! I’m so disgusted with these cowards and I feel so sorry for the new representatives who just won their seats and had so much to celebrate with their hard earned victories, and this is what they are witnessing in how the TN government works. This is not a democracy! This is not a normal government body!
Tracy, I also called my state representative Justin Lafferty. Yes, we're going against what Tenneseans have said about no vouchers and support public schools. Really pitiful 💔😔
Thanks for the cautionary tale, Tracy. My two esteemed senators from Oregon always vote my values. But I still contact them frequently to thank them for their activism.
I live in NC, which is gerrymandered with surgical precision by the Rethuglican majority. These people did not run for office to represent their constituents and make people’s lives better. They ran for power and money. When they leave government, they intend to be set for life.
Oh, we hear you here in Missouri. I live in Columbia, where our flagship university is located, and they managed to cut our college town directly in half to prevent a Democrat from representing us.
Thank you for your eloquence and steely reserve. I live in Maine and have called my senators and reps. No one answers. I’ve written them mostly about the outrage at what Musk is being allowed to do. I am gobsmacked at the lack of response by republicans. Imagine if a Democrat was in office and had a foreign national doing this. What the hell is going on?
Thank you, thank you, thank you! I cried reading your testimony. I've felt helpless wondering what I can do. Your encouraging words took so much pressure off of me. I can't change the world, but I can change a mind. I try to do that every day. Oh, and BTW, I am in St. Louis. I'd love to help in more practical ways in Missouri.
If you aren't already, support Blue Missouri and your local Democratic party club. Call our Senators and your Congressperson regularly, they have pretty nice staff people if you get through to them and they're always willing to listen to what you have to say even if it doesn't usually agree with their boss's position.
Thank you for reminding me who we’re doing this for. I needed it. I’ve been calling every day, being sent to voicemails or full mailboxes more often than not. But that great-grandfather, the women’s bible group, the farmer - all of them are with us and need us to keep fighting. I’m doing my best and I’m tired, but I will keep fighting.
Thank you, Jess, for testifying to Missouri legislators about their horrible resolution to overturn the vote of the people of our state. I live in Missouri and worked tirelessly to pass this constitutional amendment allowing abortions to be performed in Missouri. Let’s hope we prevail!
Excellent three minute speech! Very proud of you. #yougogirl
Thank you for your resistance; it's inspiring.
I wrote my R Senator about Elon's illegal access to OPM and you can imagine his response--it was a bunch of BS and his support for our felon president. However, I will continue to express my horror and outrage at the continuing coup. I refuse to be silent.
I vote in Missouri from abroad and I am so deeply grateful for all the work that @Jess Piper does, including insisting that our elected representatives respect the will of the people. Thank you for saying it to their faces. Thank you for making them listen to our voices.
Celia, thank you for voting from abroad, from a member of the League of Women Voters. We love all voters, but especially those that make extra effort. You’re extra special!
My Canadian-American son was shocked over the length and complexity and confusion of the Missouri ballot. Voting in Canada is much simpler, and there’s a checkbox.
It makes me mad when people puff up their chest and boast about “the freest country in the world !”
And MO is trying to make it harder! Voter suppression bill SB 62 has been introduced into the MO Senate.
When they hold a hearing, this will be my testimony:
SB62’s requirement of a document that shows place of birth in the US, a Real ID, passport, or birth certificate, to prove American citizenship to register to vote in federal elections is unnecessary. Our election board verifies citizenship before it finalizes registration. Most eligible voters do not have easy access to the necessary documents. As acquiring them costs money, it amounts to a poll tax, which is illegal.
This is an onerous and Un-American barrier to the voting process. American history remembers that those who make voting harder are never on the right side of the Constitution.
You rock, Jess, all the time! Thank you for being an American patriot.
I attended the rally at the Treasury Department yesterday and there were LOTS of electeds there. Also there were Elon Musk's college students, looking at us from the windows of the building, where no employees or elected officials can enter. It was creepy to know they have access to all of our personal financial information. Jess is right; call your senators and Congress people!
Thank you Piper for your service to the thinking people of Missouri. A lot of folks don’t seem to care that their indifference has precipitated this problem.)
Thank you, thank you for all of your work! You inspire me with your courage and wisdom.I'm blessed to live in a blue state (MN) but came from a very red part of a purple state and know first hand that the right wing from there have barely travelled beyond a 100 mile radius of their lifelong home. No idea of what a diverse world this is.
Thank you, Jess for your encouragement. I for one don’t want this country back after what they’ve done to it. I followed you the night of the elections and it was quite impressed with your panel of Compassionate Democratic leaders. This is what we need now. Broken institutions at this point , is not worth saving. We need to reconstruct and build a new Democratic constitutional republic I don’t want to take back what the oligarchs have broken in order to obtain a tax break at the people’s expense. I’m with you, Jess I’m with all Americans and only in solidarity and quite frankly revolution is the only way we’re going to gain our freedoms again.
You are amazing Jess. You bring hope to those who haven’t had to fight like you living in red states. Now we are all in the fight: red, blue or purple. Thank you 🙏.
I am so impressed with you! Thank you for your work! We have a GOP supermajority in Tennessee, and our constitution limits citizen initiatives. But I am an eighth-generation Tennessean, and my family fought for the Union in the Civil War. No one is rewriting our history while I am here.
Thank you for doing the work and oh my God. I saw you guys are passing vouchers. I’m so sorry.
Yes, and unfortunately, I didn't call my state senate representative because she had always been against them, even though she's a Republican. Both she and my state house representative went to great public schools here and sent their kids to great public schools. It's maddening -- I feel especially blindsided by my state senator.
I contacted our representatives repeatedly. Even some from other counties. I direct texted one of them and he assured me he was a No on vouchers. They all caved! I’m so disgusted with these cowards and I feel so sorry for the new representatives who just won their seats and had so much to celebrate with their hard earned victories, and this is what they are witnessing in how the TN government works. This is not a democracy! This is not a normal government body!
Tracy, I also called my state representative Justin Lafferty. Yes, we're going against what Tenneseans have said about no vouchers and support public schools. Really pitiful 💔😔
Thanks for the cautionary tale, Tracy. My two esteemed senators from Oregon always vote my values. But I still contact them frequently to thank them for their activism.
I live in NC, which is gerrymandered with surgical precision by the Rethuglican majority. These people did not run for office to represent their constituents and make people’s lives better. They ran for power and money. When they leave government, they intend to be set for life.
Oh, we hear you here in Missouri. I live in Columbia, where our flagship university is located, and they managed to cut our college town directly in half to prevent a Democrat from representing us.
Thank you for your eloquence and steely reserve. I live in Maine and have called my senators and reps. No one answers. I’ve written them mostly about the outrage at what Musk is being allowed to do. I am gobsmacked at the lack of response by republicans. Imagine if a Democrat was in office and had a foreign national doing this. What the hell is going on?
Exactly. What the hell is going on?
This article in Slate and the one in Wired describes what is going on. And it is d*mned scary. Please share both widely.
https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2025/02/elon-musk-power-grab-trump-coup.html
https://www.wired.com/story/chaos-usaid-staffers-sent-home/
Thanks!
Right?! The hypocrisy is DEAFENING!
Try this.
https://5calls.org/
I got straight through to a person at my senator’s office when I used this app.
Thank you, thank you, thank you! I cried reading your testimony. I've felt helpless wondering what I can do. Your encouraging words took so much pressure off of me. I can't change the world, but I can change a mind. I try to do that every day. Oh, and BTW, I am in St. Louis. I'd love to help in more practical ways in Missouri.
You can do this! One thing.
Kathleen, I’m looking forward to hearing the new ways you decide to help. Thank you for joining the Resistance. Activism > Extremism.
If you aren't already, support Blue Missouri and your local Democratic party club. Call our Senators and your Congressperson regularly, they have pretty nice staff people if you get through to them and they're always willing to listen to what you have to say even if it doesn't usually agree with their boss's position.
Thank you--I'll look them up. I appreciate the direction!
We're all in this together Kathleen and the more we work together the more effective we'll be and the better we'll feel about where we're going.
I shed a tear myself. Jess is so eloquent and courageous.
Yes, her willingness to put herself out there is inspiring.
I’m in STL too! Hi neighbor! 💙
Thank you for reminding me who we’re doing this for. I needed it. I’ve been calling every day, being sent to voicemails or full mailboxes more often than not. But that great-grandfather, the women’s bible group, the farmer - all of them are with us and need us to keep fighting. I’m doing my best and I’m tired, but I will keep fighting.
❤️❤️❤️
That great grandfather is an amazing person. Jess, thanks for amplifying his desires for his great granddaughters.
Thank you, Jess, for testifying to Missouri legislators about their horrible resolution to overturn the vote of the people of our state. I live in Missouri and worked tirelessly to pass this constitutional amendment allowing abortions to be performed in Missouri. Let’s hope we prevail!
I appreciate your work, friend
USA is so fortunate to have you, JP. Keep on with your good trouble and encouraging us to all stay brave!
Excellent three minute speech! Very proud of you. #yougogirl
Thank you for your resistance; it's inspiring.
I wrote my R Senator about Elon's illegal access to OPM and you can imagine his response--it was a bunch of BS and his support for our felon president. However, I will continue to express my horror and outrage at the continuing coup. I refuse to be silent.
THANK YOU!!!
Missourians are lucky to have you. Heck, Americans are lucky to have you. Thanks for all you do, Jess.
I vote in Missouri from abroad and I am so deeply grateful for all the work that @Jess Piper does, including insisting that our elected representatives respect the will of the people. Thank you for saying it to their faces. Thank you for making them listen to our voices.
Celia, thank you for voting from abroad, from a member of the League of Women Voters. We love all voters, but especially those that make extra effort. You’re extra special!
My Canadian-American son was shocked over the length and complexity and confusion of the Missouri ballot. Voting in Canada is much simpler, and there’s a checkbox.
We could learn so much from Canada!
It makes me mad when people puff up their chest and boast about “the freest country in the world !”
And MO is trying to make it harder! Voter suppression bill SB 62 has been introduced into the MO Senate.
When they hold a hearing, this will be my testimony:
SB62’s requirement of a document that shows place of birth in the US, a Real ID, passport, or birth certificate, to prove American citizenship to register to vote in federal elections is unnecessary. Our election board verifies citizenship before it finalizes registration. Most eligible voters do not have easy access to the necessary documents. As acquiring them costs money, it amounts to a poll tax, which is illegal.
This is an onerous and Un-American barrier to the voting process. American history remembers that those who make voting harder are never on the right side of the Constitution.
You rock, Jess, all the time! Thank you for being an American patriot.
I attended the rally at the Treasury Department yesterday and there were LOTS of electeds there. Also there were Elon Musk's college students, looking at us from the windows of the building, where no employees or elected officials can enter. It was creepy to know they have access to all of our personal financial information. Jess is right; call your senators and Congress people!
And please read Heather Cox Richardson today.
I am about to listen to her! I read her every morning
HCR is a national treasure, just like you are.
Thank you Piper for your service to the thinking people of Missouri. A lot of folks don’t seem to care that their indifference has precipitated this problem.)
They have NOT a CLUE what's going on. WE CANT WAKE THEM UP!! WILLFUL IGNORANCE, NON READERS.
Dang you are a shot in the arm.
❤️
Thank you, thank you for all of your work! You inspire me with your courage and wisdom.I'm blessed to live in a blue state (MN) but came from a very red part of a purple state and know first hand that the right wing from there have barely travelled beyond a 100 mile radius of their lifelong home. No idea of what a diverse world this is.
How I love your state!
I was happy to contribute my own online statement in opposition to what the legislature is trying to do to Amendment 3. The fight continues.
THANK YOU! It makes such a difference when hundreds of us are doing the work.
Thank you, Jess for your encouragement. I for one don’t want this country back after what they’ve done to it. I followed you the night of the elections and it was quite impressed with your panel of Compassionate Democratic leaders. This is what we need now. Broken institutions at this point , is not worth saving. We need to reconstruct and build a new Democratic constitutional republic I don’t want to take back what the oligarchs have broken in order to obtain a tax break at the people’s expense. I’m with you, Jess I’m with all Americans and only in solidarity and quite frankly revolution is the only way we’re going to gain our freedoms again.
Solidarity.
You are amazing Jess. You bring hope to those who haven’t had to fight like you living in red states. Now we are all in the fight: red, blue or purple. Thank you 🙏.