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Reposted by Erik Schlenker-Goodrich

Jeff VanderMeer @jeffvandermeer.bsky.social · 10h

This heartfelt and meaningful statement by Portland resident and author Cristina Breshears on another social media platform bears reposting here. I don't think the intent is to idealize Portland but to remind all of us what is important and why. (Posted here with permission.)

For nine nights now, the steady thrum of Black Hawk helicopters has circled over Portland. The sound is constant, invasive; a low mechanical beating above our homes. It’s expensive. It’s intimidating. And it’s unnecessary.

Our protests have been largely peaceful. There is no insurrection here. Yet this federalized military presence makes us feel like we are living in a war zone (the very kind of chaos this administration claims to be protecting us from).

The irony is painful: it is only this occupation that makes Portland feel unsafe.

Each hour of helicopter flight costs taxpayers between $2,000 and $4,000, depending on crew, fuel, and maintenance. Multiply that by multiple aircraft over multiple nights, and you’re looking at hundreds of thousands (if not millions) of dollars burned into the sky.

Meanwhile, the Woodstock Food Pantry at All Saints Episcopal Church — which feeds working families, elders, and people with disabilities — has seen its federal funding slashed by 75%. How can we justify pouring public money into intimidation while cutting aid to those who simply need to eat?

This is waste, fraud, and abuse in plain sight:
* Waste of public resources on military theatrics.
* Fraud in the name of “public safety.”
* Abuse of the communities that federal agencies claim to protect.

Portland is a Sanctuary City. A sanctuary city is not a fortress. It’s a promise — a living vow that a community will protect the dignity and safety of everyone who calls it home. It means that local governments and ordinary people alike will refuse to criminalize survival. That schools, clinics, churches, and shelters will remain safe spaces no matter who you are or where you were born. But the term reaches far beyond policy. It’s an ethic of belonging; a refusal to criminalize need, difference, or desperation.

Sanctuary isn’t weakness. It’s courage. It takes moral strength to meet suffering with care instead of punishment, to believe that our neighbors’ safety is bound up in our own, to insist that safety is not achieved through force but through community, inclusion, and trust. It is living Matthew 25:40 out loud and in deed. It is an act of moral imagination and moral defiance. To hold sanctuary is to say: you belong here.

When we hold space for the most vulnerable — refugees, the unhoused, the undocumented, the disabled, the working poor, the displaced — we become something larger than a collection of individuals. We become a moral body. We do more than offer charity. We offer witness. We declare that the measure of a nation is found not in its towers or tanks, but in its tenderness.

Sanctuary cities are not lawless; they are soulful. They represent the conscience of the nation, a place where the laws of empathy still apply. To make sanctuary is to affirm that the United States is not merely a geographic territory, but a moral experiment: a republic that must constantly choose between fear and compassion, between domination and democracy.

A nation’s soul is measured not by the might of its military, but by the mercy of its people. When helicopters circle our skies in the name of order, while food pantries struggle to feed the hungry, we are forced to ask: What are we defending, and from whom? The soul of a nation survives only when we make sanctuary for one another. Not through walls or weapons, but through compassion and collective will. If we allow intimidation to replace compassion, we will have traded our conscience for control.

Please know that despite the hum of war machines overhead, the conscience of our city — whimsical, creative, stubbornly kind — can still be heard.

Portland is not the problem. Portland is the reminder. A reminder that a city can still choose to be sanctuary. That a people can still choose to be human.

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Reposted by Erik Schlenker-Goodrich

Marisa Kabas @marisakabas.bsky.social · 20h

New — Video shared with me shows ICE officers in DC detaining a man on Friday.

Bystander filming asks man for his name. ICE agent lies and says he’s not allowed to speak to him “by law” and another says “We’ve arrested American citizens for being too close…If he gets any closer, put him in cuffs.”

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Matthew Stiegler @matthewstiegler.bsky.social · 19h

Roberts is presiding over, and driving, a stunning collapse in faith in the U.S. Supreme Court, not just among the public, but among federal judges.

What a failure. The Titanic captain of chief justices.

Murshed Zaheed @murshedz.bsky.social · 20h

“More than three dozen federal judges have told The New York Times that the Supreme Court’s flurry of brief, opaque emergency orders in cases related to the Trump administration have left them confused about how to proceed in those matters and are hurting the judiciary’s image with the public.”

Federal Judges, Warning of ‘Judicial Crisis,’ Fault Supreme Court’s Emergency Orders

www.nytimes.com

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Reposted by Erik Schlenker-Goodrich

Dustin Mulvaney @dustinmulvaney.bsky.social · 22h

This article explains that what happened to the Esmeralda seven projects: “the proponents and BLM agreed to change their approach for the Esmeralda 7 Solar Project in Nevada,” instead of programmatic review, developers can review individually. 🔌💡
www.reviewjournal.com/business/ene...

Feds cancel review of Vegas-sized solar farm in Nevada desert

Esmeralda 7 in Nevada would have been among the nation’s largest solar projects. The Bureau of Land Management has listed the Nevada project as canceled since Thursday.

www.reviewjournal.com

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Reposted by Erik Schlenker-Goodrich

Andrew Lawrence @ndrew.bsky.social · 21h

every single tech idea is like “soon our robots will be capable of playing catch with your kid, freeing you up to spend more time working on your employers’ spreadsheets”

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Erik Schlenker-Goodrich @riogranderift.bsky.social · 21h

At least a dozen times a day I go, "WTF?"

This is Trump's America. And it's a disgrace to everything my family has stood and fought for since we landed on America's shores in the 17th century.

In particular my grandfather, who fought fascists in WWII.

jen sometimes aph 🌻 @bunnibytz.bsky.social · 22h

via @youranonnews.bsky.social

CHICAGO: Trump's lawless goons (ICE) make a U-turn and smash into a woman's car, then proceed to arrest her by dragging her out of the vehicle.

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Reposted by Erik Schlenker-Goodrich

Leah Greenberg ❌👑 @leahgreenberg.bsky.social · 1d

"After a few moments of laughter, the No Kings Coalition issued the following statement"

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Barred and Boujee aka Madiba Dennie @audrelawdamercy.bsky.social · 1d

aaand we are officially in the hide-your-neighbors stage

Sophie Sherry @sophiesherry.bsky.social · 1d

During a military-style raid on a building in Chicago’s South Shore, one resident heard a knock on his door.   It wasn’t the feds — it was a mom and her 7-year-old daughter, pleading for help.

He let them hide in his unit for the next 3 days.

chicago.suntimes.com/immigration/...

Neighbor shielded 7-year-old during South Shore federal raid: ‘I didn’t want them to take her’

During the Sept. 30 raid one tenant protected a terrified girl and her mom. Remnants at the complex, including a detailed map of all the units, offer clues to what authorities may have known before th...

chicago.suntimes.com

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Erik Schlenker-Goodrich @riogranderift.bsky.social · 1d

Cortez Masto also sided with Republicans on the shutdown.

Some might call this poor judgment.

jael holzman @jael.bsky.social · 1d

Cortez Masto voted to confirm Doug Burgum, saying she “believe[d] Governor Burgum understands the need for a balanced approach to Nevada’s public land management that safeguards our environment [and] spurs clean-energy development”

jael holzman @jael.bsky.social · 1d

Nevada Sen. @cortezmasto.senate.gov calls on Interior Secretary Doug Burgum to provide more information about the gigantic solar project in her state that just got axed with zero public explanation (via @lasvegassun.bsky.social)

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Erik Schlenker-Goodrich @riogranderift.bsky.social · 1d

*INEFFECTIVE* permitting reform = fixation on agency process rather agency mission + "tech neutral" / "all of the above" energy policy (which serves as an excuse to not challenge fossil fuels) = political ping-pong.

We need to deal with root causes, not just symptoms.

Erik Schlenker-Goodrich @riogranderift.bsky.social · 1d

Correct.

*EFFECTIVE* permitting reform = Directing agencies such as the Bureau of Land Management to leverage their assets in service of a transition from fossil fuels to renewables.

BLM's current "multiple use" mission, as implemented, is a directionless mess enabling Trump regime's behavior.

jael holzman @jael.bsky.social · 1d

yeah, pretty sure permitting reform and repealing regulations wouldn’t save a solar farm blocked by a government refusing to issue permits

the final approval for esmeralda 7 was locked and loaded to come in july lol

Ben Schifman of IFP: The largest solar project in North America - 6.2 GW Esmeralda 7 project in NV - has been cancelled.

It takes >2 pages just to list the laws, regulations, & policies it had to comply with to be permitted.

Our permitting system is too complex with *far* too many veto points.

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Reposted by Erik Schlenker-Goodrich

jael holzman @jael.bsky.social · 1d

this is the kind of thing that usually leads to international alerts from press advocacy orgs

Heartland Signal @heartlandsignal.bsky.social · 1d

BREAKING: Masked Border Patrol agents aggressively arrested WGN video producer Debbie Brockman in Lincoln Square Friday morning, supposedly for "obstructing justice." (Video via Josh Thomas on Facebook)

Follow @heartlandsignal for more.

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Erik Schlenker-Goodrich @riogranderift.bsky.social · 1d

I think the debates center on permitting reform fights in Congress. Which are about distinctive policy differences but are, IMHO, more about power and influence over post-Trump vision, goals, strategies. E.g.,: bsky.app/profile/riog...

Erik Schlenker-Goodrich @riogranderift.bsky.social · 1d

Exhibit #1000 in why "tech neutral permitting reform" is little more than a dodge from the hard work of politics and building solidarity amongst climate advocates to forcefully confront the entrenched power of fossil fuels.

John Kostyack @kostyack.bsky.social · 3d

"The White House is offering 'concierge, white glove service' to oil, coal and other fossil fuel companies that are seeking to gain fast approval for their projects, according to an energy official, while simultaneously slowing down or blocking solar and wind projects."

Erik Schlenker-Goodrich @riogranderift.bsky.social · 1d

I get it. Thanks for link!

Erik Schlenker-Goodrich @riogranderift.bsky.social · 1d

Did you happen to find the specific PDX frog costume?

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Erik Schlenker-Goodrich @riogranderift.bsky.social · 1d

This 💯: "We have passed through the veil. Whatever becomes of American liberal democracy in the near or distant future, it will be a resurrection & not a continuation."

Politics, policy, organizing must realize a new vision and ambition, not restore weak-sauce pre-Trump status quo.

All In Our Heads: On Losing Our Democracy and Life Beyond Our Imaginations

Our language has to meet the moment, and we have to be relentless about dispelling the fiction MAGA is selling.

www.liberalcurrents.com

Erik Schlenker-Goodrich @riogranderift.bsky.social · 1d

Kavanaugh stop. Kavanaugh stop. Kavanaugh stop. Kavanaugh stop. Kavanaugh stop. Kavanaugh stop.

Mother Jones @motherjones.com · 1d

Lawyers have been publicizing a new term to describe ICE's racially targeted detainments: a “Kavanaugh stop.”

Mother Jones reporter Pema Levy explains in this new video:

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Erik Schlenker-Goodrich @riogranderift.bsky.social · 1d

Why? Because climate/environmental NGOs are the ones holding the line in this moment, who are clear-eyed that the climate crisis cannot be solved by gizmos & markets, but by bottom-up people power & ideas bringing to life a vision of linked social + ecological progress.

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Erik Schlenker-Goodrich @riogranderift.bsky.social · 1d

To me, "permitting reform" concepts, like the Westerman/Golden SPEED Act, are driven by aligned fossil/tech industry lobby efforts & centrist think tank milquetoasts whispering in the ears of certain rudderless Dem politicians. Both seek to kneecap climate/environmental NGOs.

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Erik Schlenker-Goodrich @riogranderift.bsky.social · 1d

Setting aside that the "permitting reform" bills now percolating misdiagnose permitting challenges/opportunities, I fail to see climate logic of 119th Congress agreeing to a deal that'd be implemented by the Trump administration.

It's a deal w/the devil that leads to one thing: fossil fuels.

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Erik Schlenker-Goodrich @riogranderift.bsky.social · 1d

Exhibit #1000 in why "tech neutral permitting reform" is little more than a dodge from the hard work of politics and building solidarity amongst climate advocates to forcefully confront the entrenched power of fossil fuels.

John Kostyack @kostyack.bsky.social · 3d

"The White House is offering 'concierge, white glove service' to oil, coal and other fossil fuel companies that are seeking to gain fast approval for their projects, according to an energy official, while simultaneously slowing down or blocking solar and wind projects."

White House offers ‘concierge’ service to fossil fuel firms, official says

Brittany Kelm, a senior policy adviser for the National Energy Dominance Council, detailed in a podcast how the council works to advance fossil fuel projects.

www.washingtonpost.com

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Reposted by Erik Schlenker-Goodrich

DocDanPgh @docdanpgh.bsky.social · 2d

People keep saying that Trump is prosecuting his political enemies but that’s not what this is.

She’s not a political enemy, she’s a prosecutor who charged and tried a criminal. The criminal got away and now has the power to exact revenge. A mobster ordering a hit. That’s all this is!

Steven Beschloss @stevenbeschloss.bsky.social · 2d

It’s hard to overstate how grotesque is the prosecution of Letitia James. I hope John Roberts—who unleashed this malignant, vengeful career criminal on our beloved country—is enjoying Trump’s utter abuse of power and trashing of justice and the rule of law.

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Erik Schlenker-Goodrich @riogranderift.bsky.social · 2d

Trump *and* Justice Kavanaugh's America.

CollinCountyDems @collincountydems.bsky.social · 2d

This is terrifying!

ICE breaks into this woman’s car in the pick-up line at West Loop Elementary school in Chicago and detains her before she can pick her kids up from school. (They were eventually let go after showing their documents)

This is Trump’s America.

Erik Schlenker-Goodrich @riogranderift.bsky.social · 2d

As we fight to hold the line in this moment & assess challenges & opportunities that (will) emerge from the Trump 2.0 ruins, I hope demand-side dogmatists abandon this argument.

Too much is on the line. We need both supply & demand side energy strategies. Full stop.

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Erik Schlenker-Goodrich @riogranderift.bsky.social · 2d

...was used to rationalize "deals with the devil" that accommodated rather than challenged fossil fuel power.

E.g., "permitting reform" & false solutions such as fossil methane hydrogen, carbon capture, etc.

In other words, demand-side dogmatists created a permission structure for fossil fuels.

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