A new episode of the podcast dropped yesterday. You can subscribe, download and listen here.
If you have already listened, you know what it’s about. Again. Gun violence. We had started recording the podcast on a regular Monday. We hit pause because Busy had to be on set. Then when we opened our phones, we saw the news about Nashville. So, when we came back, instead of continuing the conversation we’d planned, we had to talk about our nation’s absolute deranged addiction to guns and refusal to make any change whatsoever, no matter how many children and other innocent people are gunned down in their communities. Not gonna lie, I think when we recorded, we were both feeling pretty hopeless, as were a great many of you, I’m sure. I couldn’t stop thinking about how this wasn’t even the first recording of our podcast that was pre-empted by a school shooting. That’s how regularly scheduled they have become. But today is another day and we have a new mission, should any of you choose to accept it.
SO, remember all the good work you helped us do with Giving Circles and the States Project to help flip some seats blue in some crucial places where women’s bodily autonomy is under attack? We’re asking you if you want to do it again, this time with the goal of making real change and forcing common sense gun control. So if you are:
Overwhelmed by the senseless loss of human lives? Ignore the voice in your head that says there is nothing you can do to take real action on the issues you care most about — because there is.
The vast majority of the movement on gun safety in the past decade has come from state legislatures — not DC. State lawmakers are leading on this issue and we cannot afford to ignore them.
You don’t have to be a millionaire who writes big checks to politicians to create change. It is often cheaper to change the balance of power in an entire state legislature than it is to win a single competitive Congressional seat.
Everyday people — like us and our friends, like you and yours — can have a real impact in the places where these policies are actually being decided: in state capitals.
Here’s the link to Busy's Giving Circle — join us. Give one-time, make it a recurring donation, think of it as a steady action that's the antidote to despair.
And it's not only guns. It's all the issue we care about. Arizona just passed a bathroom bill — a BATHROOM BILL. Governor Hobbs will veto it, but winning one seat in either chamber in Arizona stops this in its tracks.
Rep. Laura Terech, who Busy's Giving Circle supported last year, took a powerful stand in Phoenix yesterday. But the bathroom bill passed because of one seat. Let's get that seat.
And if you want to start your own circle with your friends and neighbors, you can!
Last year, nearly 70 of our listeners formed Giving Circles with the States Project — and collectively raised over $100,000 for states like Arizona, Michigan, Minnesota and Pennsylvania. Michigan, Minnesota and Pennsylvania flipped! Arizona is just one seat away in each state chamber. We can do this. Here's how:
Make a list: The friends you texted when you first heard the devastating news of another school shooting? The parent group chat you’re in? The moms and dads you wave to at drop off each morning? Write down those names. All of them.
Write one email: 3 kids and 3 teachers killed in their school. How did you feel when you first read those words? What went through your mind? Put it on paper. Channel your grief, anger, helplessness — all of it — into words.
Help shift power: Go statesproject.org/action, tap the Start Your Circle button, and fill out the form. Join a community of thousands of everyday people who start Giving Circles to impact the issues they care about most by shifting power in state legislatures.
It's not sexy, it's not where the glamour is. But it's where the Kochs focus, the DeVoses, the architects of the rightwing — they work in state legislatures. And we can push back if we do it together.
So is it worth what you spend on coffee every week? Is it worth what you spent on your last nice dinner out? Is it worth what you spent on your last vacation? Those types of dollars can make a HUGE impact here, where races are won by a few hundred votes and power shifts mean EVERYTHING.
Thanks for this pod, ladies! The male diaper story really made me LOL and yes, I have definitely not known what was on my CC statements at times. Once I thought I had lost my wallet and when I looked at my CC statement it said GCDS a bunch of times and I freaked out and called the bank telling them someone else was using my card. Later that day when I found my wallet in a tote bag on a hook under my jacket I realized it was “great Canadian dollar store” and those purchases were all me prepping for my kids bday party 🤷🏻♀️🤦🏻♀️🤷🏻♀️
This week's episode was difficult to listen to, but it said things that needed to be said. I do appreciate that you followed up with things we can do to make a difference. Most important is to find candidates we can support and then vote. It might be hard and it's going to take a while, but we have to start taking the long view.
That said, I'm going to focus on the other parts of the episode. As to strange packages, I've only had a couple so far. The first was a long time ago when I got some charcoal toothpaste I didn't order. It was so long ago that I still had to call Amazon to return it. This confused them because they wanted to send me a refund. I tried and tried but I just couldn't convince them that I'd never ordered it so no refund was required. Eventually they agreed to email me a return label and I sent it back and sure enough, I got the refund. It was less than $5 and I never understood why they sent it but it just seemed like a lot of bother for such a small amount. The second was I received a high end dash camera that I didn't order. This one was harder. The box was addressed to me and there was a box with a dash camera inside but there was no invoice, no return label, and no information as to what company even sent it. I never got charged for it and so I kept it on my dining room table for almost a year but never did figure out where it came from. Just a week ago, when I had the Got Junk come by for the annual visit to haul out junk from my garage, I just tossed it in the bag with the other electronics that I was getting rid of. It's still a mystery, but it's not my mystery any more.
I'd also ask a little grace for the TSA agents at the airport. Sure, they can be a little short with us sometimes but remember, they work eight hour shifts where they deal with a lot of people who aren't all that thrilled to interact with them and who apparently have no idea on how to bathe their feet. With athletic shoes and sneakers, I think that too many people tend to hang on to them too long. People, if you're shoes have "stink-foot" please give them an honorable send off and get rid of them. Anyway, while it can be frustrating I remain convinced they're not trying to piss us off but are doing what they can to keep the line moving as fast as possible. For example, with TSA precheck we often don't have to remove shoes or jackets. That said, when I wear one of my light Columbia jackets that are mostly nylon, it's not a problem. On the other hand if I'm wearing one of my fancy leather jackets with its metal snaps and zippers, I'm usually asked to because it's going to set off the metal detector. Same with shoes, if I'm wearing joggers, I'm ok. If I'm wearing dress shoes I'm ok. If I'm wearing hiking boots I'll check to see if they're ok once again because of the extra metal in them.
Two things I've found helpful. One is a bit of advice that TSA gave me. I always have a backpack and carryon and I designate one compartment in one of them as my "security compartment". Before I get in line at the check point I take the stuff out of my pockets, take off my watch and extra jewelry (a college class ring will set off a metal detector every time) and put them in that compartment. After I get past the ID and boarding pass check, I put my ID and phone in the same compartment so when I go through the metal detector I generally get through easy-peasy. Having everything in that compartment also minimizes the chances that I'll forget something in a bin.
The second is I downloaded the TSA app. It's a good tool and has references as to requirements for mostly anything. I'm always checking it to make sure I'm putting rechargeable things like shavers and electric toothbrushes in the right bag. They also have numbers you can call to ask questions for stuff you're still not sure of.
You can also follow them on social media where they provide helpful hints. Also, I've even asked those stoic people watching the line for advice while I'm standing in it and they help.
Yup, TSA something we're all not thrilled with but that we need. Just this month I've seen postings of all the guns they've found with their checks. This month they caught people hiding knives in things like solid deodorants and peanut butter. It's frustrating but necessary. So even when they're being a little short tempered, smile and say thank you. Being nice doesn't cost anything.
Keep doing your best everyone. And remember, it's never wrong to do the right thing.