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theshatterpoint.substack.com
The Shatterpoint: Simple US Civics
@theshatterpoint.substack.com
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Breaking down the confusing stuff: civics, government, and politics into simple language any with 7th grade reading level can follow!

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The Shatterpoint: Simple US Civics @theshatterpoint.substack.com · 24d
While the Vice President of the United States holds the official title of President of the Senate, the real day-to-day power in the upper chamber lies with the Senate Majority Leader.

*Every article on The Shatterpoint is FREE and written specially for adults who read at a junior high level.
What is The Senate Majority Leader?
The Architect of the Senate
open.substack.com
theshatterpoint.substack.com
youtu.be/HrLbxDZYsB8
Nonviolence vs Defense: The Civil Rights Movement
YouTube video by JJ Hastings
youtu.be
February 7, 2026 at 5:24 AM
theshatterpoint.substack.com
youtu.be/XmOuWBTvrT0
Black Wall Street & the Destruction of the Black Middle Class
YouTube video by JJ Hastings
youtu.be
February 7, 2026 at 5:24 AM
Reposted by The Shatterpoint: Simple US Civics
jjhastings.com
BHM 2026. Yesterday's video was too long, so you can find it on my TikTok, as well as theshatterpoint.substack.com.
February 3, 2026 at 4:48 PM
theshatterpoint.substack.com
Reconstruction did not fail.

It was deliberately dismantled.

Kicking off our Second Annual BHM with a breakdown of how Black Democracy was strategically destroyed during Reconstruction, paving the way for segregation.

THE SHATTERPOINT IS ALWAYS FREE.
Black History Month Special: Reconstruction Did Not Fail...
It was deliberately dismantled.
open.substack.com
February 2, 2026 at 11:09 PM
theshatterpoint.substack.com
The process of lawmaking in the US is designed to be slow, careful, and public.

The entire journey begins with a bill (a formal written proposal for a new law), which can be introduced by any member of the legislative branch (the part of government made up of House of Representatives and Senate).
The Journey of a Bill: How Ideas Become National Law
Understanding the Step-by-Step Path from a Representative’s Desk to the President’s Pen
open.substack.com
January 31, 2026 at 7:06 PM
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jjhastings.com
I've uploaded 2 #videos to my website about TPS rulings related to Burma, Venezuela, and Haiti. They are too long to post to Skylight, I apologize!

They are totally free to watch, like everything on my website:

jjhastings.com/2026/01/31/t...
TPS Rulings: Burma, Venezuela, Haiti
Visit the post for more.
jjhastings.com
January 31, 2026 at 5:50 PM
Reposted by The Shatterpoint: Simple US Civics
jjhastings.com
Dance and Sing, Dance and Sing | An original piece by JJ Hastings
January 29, 2026 at 6:14 PM
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jjhastings.com
ICE Agents Attempt to Breach Ecuadorian Consulate in Minneapolis, Violating the Vienna Convention on Consular Relations.
January 28, 2026 at 5:35 PM
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jjhastings.com
The Revolution Will Not Be Televised
January 27, 2026 at 5:13 PM
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jjhastings.com
Are you not ashamed, Kevin?
January 27, 2026 at 5:25 PM
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jjhastings.com
Indiana GOP Wants Return of Firing Squads
January 27, 2026 at 9:36 PM
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jjhastings.com
My Defense $ slides from this month's free teach-in, which focused on impacts of the Big Beautiful Bill on education, environment, taxes, surveillance and militarization. 2/2

If you want to watch the 8.5 minute video that provides context to the slides, please visit jjhastings.com/2026/01/26/b...
The Industrial Base and The "Mineral War" • Government Intervention: ○ $7 Billion for "Critical Minerals" and the National Defense Stockpile. ○ $100 Billion loan guarantee program (Section 20005b) to help private companies build weapons factories. • The Risk: The government is "picking winners and losers" in our economy. • Prioritizing Death: They are prioritizing "Solid Rocket Motors" and "Heavyweight Torpedoes" over the production of green energy or medical supplies. • The Future: They are building a world where the only "stable" job left is making things that kill Protecting Your Community • Watch the "1033 Pipeline": ○ The bill funds $16.3 Billion in "Military Readiness" (maintenance and spare parts). ◦ The Connection: When the military gets "new" equipment from this bill, they offload "old" armored vehicles and high-powered rifles to local police through the 1033 Program. ◦ Action: Watch your local police board and accountability groups. If they get "new" gear, it likely started here. Digital Defense: ○ $1.68 Billion for "cryptographic modernization" and Al research. ◦ The Threat: The state's ability to crack encryption is growing. ○ Action: Move community organizing to encrypted platforms like Signal. ○ Action: Practice "Digital Hygiene": assume any device not encrypted is a window for federal "fusion centers." Don't use DMs on social media to share critical information due to lax data protections. Civic Action: Targeting the Money • FOIA the "Collaborative Campuses": Section 20002 spends $400 Million for shipbuilding and defense manufacturing. on campuses ○ Action: Check if your local community college is a site. Demand a public hearing: Should our schools train students for war or for actual community needs? • Perform a "Peace Audit": ○ Action: Take the numbers for one Guided Missile Destroyer ($5.4B) or one Submarine ($4.6B) to your City Council. ○ The Question: "How many units of permanent supportive housing could we have built in this city with the cost of just one of those ships?" Expose "Impact Aid" Strings: Section 20001 gives $100 Million to local schools. ◦ The Catch: This money often brings increased military recruitment ○ Action: Demand your school board guarantee "Equal Access" for restorative justice mentors and community organizers to talk to students, not just military recruiters.
January 27, 2026 at 3:44 AM
Reposted by The Shatterpoint: Simple US Civics
jjhastings.com
My Defense $ slides from this month's free teach-in, which focused on impacts of the Big Beautiful Bill on education, environment, taxes, surveillance and militarization. 1/2

If you want to watch the 8.5 minute video that provides context to the slides, please visit jjhastings.com/2026/01/26/b...
The Great Diversion • The Engine of the Bill: Title I| moves over $150 Billion in mandatory taxpayer money into the Pentagon and private weapons contractors • Perspective on the Spending: $150 Billion is more than the entire annual budget of many individual U.S. states. • The Diversion: While we are told there is "no money" for permanent housing, mental health clinics, or lead-pipe replacement in our neighborhoods, this bill finds billions for killing machines and surveillance. . The Shift: This is a move toward a Permanent Wartime Economy that trickles down into our streets, affecting our privacy and local resources. Quality of Life" as a Recruitment Tool • The Facts ($8 Billion Total): ○ $3.3 Billion for military housing and barracks. ○ $2.9 Billion for rent subsidies (BAH) ◦ $162 Million specifically for military childcare and staffing • The Critical View: Why is the government capable of providing "universal childcare" and "guaranteed housing" for the military, but not for our neighborhoods? • The Goal: These aren't just benefits; they are recruitment tools. • The Risk: Authoritarianism uses human needs to tell youth that if they want a roof over their head, an education, or a safe place for their baby, their only option is to join the war machine Rise of the Robots: Autonomous Surveillance . Militarizing New Technology: ◦ $16 Billion to scale "low-cost" and "autonomous" weapons. ◦ $1.4 Billion for a small drone industrial base and $1.5 Billion for low-cost cruise missiles. ○ $2 Billion for the Defense Innovation Unit (DIU) to "militarize" the same tech found in your personal phones and cameras, • The Risk to Our Streets: * $250 Million for an "Al Ecosystem" and $500 Million for "counter-drone" programs • The Reality: Technology never stays on the battlefield. These are prototypes for tech that will eventually end up with local police, hovering over our protests and our backyards. Program Funding The Function Autonomous Weapons $16 Billion Scaling low-cost drones and cruise missiles. DIU Tech Transfer $2 Billion Taking tech in your phone and "militarizing" it. Al Ecosystem $250 Million Creating high-speed surveillance prototypes. Counter-Drone $500 Million Development of tech that ends up in local police hands. The "Golden Dome" and Space Militarization • The Facts: ○ Nearly $25 Billion for the "Golden Dome" integrated air and missile defense system. ○ $7.2 Billion for space-based sensors. ○ $5.6 Billion for space-based interceptors (weapons in orbit),. • The Critical View: We are moving the "front line" of war into space. • The Trade-off: While our local bridges and power grids are crumbling, the federal government is spending billions to put weapons in orbit • The Profit: This is a massive wealth transfer from your paycheck to aerospace companies like Boeing and Lockheed Martin.
January 27, 2026 at 3:44 AM
Reposted by The Shatterpoint: Simple US Civics
jjhastings.com
For those who weren't able to join our full training tonight, I was able to capture my section on the defense spending within the Big Beautiful Bill on my second camera.

Includes slide visuals and full captions, up for free on my website at the link below.
jjhastings.com JJ Hastings @jjhastings.com · 11d
BILLIONS TO THE WAR MACHINE

Breaking down the defense and militarization portion of the Big Beautiful Bill, which was part of a larger free training hosted live on 1/26 that breaks down this part of the Bill, as well as impact on education, environment, and your taxes. This 8.5 minute video has…
BILLIONS TO THE WAR MACHINE
Breaking down the defense and militarization portion of the Big Beautiful Bill, which was part of a larger free training hosted live on 1/26 that breaks down this part of the Bill, as well as impact on education, environment, and your taxes. This 8.5 minute video has been sped up to 1.2 times for ease of listening.
jjhastings.com
January 27, 2026 at 3:27 AM
Reposted by The Shatterpoint: Simple US Civics
atrupar.com
Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O'Hara: "People have had enough. This is the third shooting in less than 3 weeks. The MPD went the entire year last year recovering about 900 guns from the street, arresting hundreds of violent offenders, and we didn't shoot anyone ... this is not sustainable."
January 25, 2026 at 3:47 PM
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jjhastings.com
We will never forget those of you who are complicit in trying to subjugate our Black brothers and sisters back into chattel slavery. We will never forget that you chose your minimum wage job over dignity, sanctity, and humanity. (3/3)
January 23, 2026 at 5:36 PM
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jjhastings.com
I do not have the appropriate words for the level of disgust I feel for Park Service employees who are going along with this, while telling themselves, "well, I'm just doing my job..." (2/3)
January 23, 2026 at 5:36 PM
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jjhastings.com
I do not have the appropriate words for the disgust I feel watching Park Service employees removing historical markers related to slavery from US park spaces. (1/3)
January 23, 2026 at 5:36 PM
theshatterpoint.substack.com
The executive branch does not get to establish religion any more than Congress does, and pretending otherwise is either bad-faith hair-splitting or a fundamental misunderstanding of how constitutional law works.

jjhastings.com/2026/01/21/i...
It’s 3 Branches, Not 3 Governments
No, you’re not missing some hidden constitutional gotcha while everyone else is playing 4D chess. The Establishment Clause is a limit on government power as a whole, not a suggestion box that only …
jjhastings.com
January 21, 2026 at 7:26 PM
theshatterpoint.substack.com
The United States Congress is responsible for handling thousands of bills every year.

Because there is too much work for every member of Congress to be an expert on every single topic, Congress use a system of smaller groups to work on laws.

These groups are called committees.
Committees, the Engines of Congress
Understanding the Congressional Committee System
open.substack.com
January 21, 2026 at 6:28 PM
theshatterpoint.substack.com
Donald Trump is too dumb to understand the 15th Amendment, and the Civil Rights Act.

Don't be like Donald Trump.

Read The Shatterpoint.

*Every article on The Shatterpoint is FREE and written specially for adults who read at a junior high level.
The 15th Amendment: Securing the Right to Vote
The right to vote was not always guaranteed for all Americans. The 15th Amendment was a major step forward, but the fight for true voting equality continues to this day.
open.substack.com
January 14, 2026 at 9:34 PM
theshatterpoint.substack.com
While the Vice President of the United States holds the official title of President of the Senate, the real day-to-day power in the upper chamber lies with the Senate Majority Leader.

*Every article on The Shatterpoint is FREE and written specially for adults who read at a junior high level.
What is The Senate Majority Leader?
The Architect of the Senate
open.substack.com
January 14, 2026 at 9:01 PM
theshatterpoint.substack.com
The United States government is built on the principle of shared power, but the Speaker of the House of Representatives is one of the most powerful and visible officials in the United States government.
What is the Speaker of the House?
The One with the Most Influence
open.substack.com
January 7, 2026 at 8:57 PM
theshatterpoint.substack.com
Articles Coming Soon:

- The Speaker of the House: Their Role and Power
- What is a House Majority Leader?
- What Congress Does by Committee and Why It Matters

Launching in January:
Your Civics Minute, a daily 60 second civics lesson, in easy video format!
January 6, 2026 at 5:34 AM
Reposted by The Shatterpoint: Simple US Civics
jjhastings.com
TikTok removed multiple of my videos reading verbatim Epstein legal filings and claimed they are "misinformation", and gave me strikes against my account.

Not surprising, just sharing.
December 27, 2025 at 5:10 PM