I've been doing genealogical research because I'm looking for documents of my relatives for Canada's new citizenship by descent law (Bill C-3). I remember seeing a lot of photos of my mom holding me as a baby watching parades of men in kilts playing bagpipes and looking out at the Bay of Fundy.

"Conversion therapy" is a form of torture. There's no other valid way to describe it.

The US has the resources to fully fund social welfare programs, but it is always a fight to even marginally fund them. Many people are about to lose food stamps and medicaid because they are ill, disabled, older, homeless, and/or face discrimination in employment. And the economy is in the tank.

We were warming up our kiln and making some ceremonial offerings to it. The rest of the wood was added from above in the bourry box. Most of the fuel was sourced from downed trees from county parks and from cabinet makers' trimmings. #ceramics #woodfire #transartist

Two bowls made with the Chocolate clay body from New Mexico Clay. I really like color and feel of this very smooth and very dark clay body, so I wiped back the rims to expose it. #ceramic #pottery #transartist

Ash encrusted woodfired cup. This was under the bourry box and was completely buried in ash as the firing progressed. #ceramic #pottery #transartist

Reclining figure of a young woman with a round belly and wide hips. Woodfired stoneware, about 24in long. I sold and then delivered this piece to a collector in NY. It paid for my move from the East Bay (CA) to Boston. #ceramic #sculpture #transartist

A life-sized sculpture I sold to a collector at a college ceramics conference in CA. #ceramic #sculpture #transartist

Small woodfired sculpture. You can see where it was buried in the ash on the floor of the kiln. I like the streaks of ash glaze dripping down the piece. #ceramic #sculpture #transartist

A tile that I made after my dog. It's about 4x4 inches and made of a mix of reclaimed stonewares. A watered-down glaze was applied to the surface and lightly wiped off. #ceramic #sculpture

Rough 15 minute maquette. Stoneware with rutile and iron oxide surface and fired to cone 10. #ceramic #sculpture

Relief sculpture of a queer woman's back and upper buttocks area. Stoneware with iron oxide and rutile staining. #ceramic #sculpture

Tile-sized maquette of a comfort gesture of a friend of mine. #ceramics #sculpture

I've mostly been handbuilding lately, but a couple of days ago I used a potter's wheel and made some small pitchers or creamers. These are drying out for a bisque fire. #ceramics #pottery

Unfortunately these are headed for the dumpster. Two have cracks that are my fault and two were cracked by whomever loaded them into the bisque firing. I'm still making other pitchers and I might try a smaller and more crenulated version of the large vase. #ceramics #pottery

Small pitcher or creamer. #ceramics #pottery

Large coil-built pitcher without a handle. #ceramics #pottery

This small bas relief was a commissioned piece. #ceramics #sculpture

It was a challenge, but I made 8 plates that are stackable (6 shown here). The person who commissioned them is very happy with them. I made 2 of the larger plates with the extra flare on the rim. The other one just came out the kiln, so it is not shown here. #ceramics #pottery

A large double spouted stoneware vessel that I sold to a good friend. This is her photo from her dining room table. I put a lot of myself into this piece and was glad that my friend connected with that. #ceramics #pottery

"Another darkness was closing in as surely, when the church bells, then ringing pleasantly in many an airy steeple over France, should be melted into thundering cannon; when drums should be beating to drown a wretched voice, that night all potent as the voice of Power and Plenty, Freedom & Life..."

"So much was closing in about the women who sat knitting, knitting, that they their very selves were closing in around a structure yet unbuilt, where they were to sit knitting, knitting, counting dropping heads." A Tale of Two Cities Charles Dickens

Headline: Minnesota says "uff da" to the feds.

I'm already on the lists and I don't care.

I always like the replies here that are hidden.

People will use whatever tactics they need to use. If you are uncomfortable with other people's activism, then walk away and go do something else. Most importantly, mind your own business. It's not your place to tell others how to defend their rights.

If you are splitting hairs over using the word protest vs resistence, you have too much time on your hands and probably aren't doing sht.

Please stop uncritically sharing copaganda ...the nicey nicey videos showing feds giving out donuts. It's cringey bs. And confront people who suggest that protestors are not doing it right. These tactics are used to justify hurting the very people out there on the street fighting for your rights.

Co-equal and lower levels of government and some large private entities will continue to side with the executive branch. Do not be surprised by this, even when the situation gets worse. Plan now for the consequences of this acquiescence.

Just FYI. I've found that smaller entities such as universities and city councils will sometimes go great lengths to suppress people doing what's right. They have the ability to monitor you via cctv, ring doorbells & traffic ticket sensors. They can easily delete evidence and alter footage & audio.

Trump is waging war on us & his private army doesn't care about our laws or what's right. But how can anyone else believe that kicking in everyone's doors, beating people unconscious, crashing into cars, and pointing guns at & sometimes killing people is somehow ok? We are already in a civil war.

Re: walkie talkies. They require line-of-sight and are obviously not secure, but they are very inexpensive, low tech, and accessible. Just about every sporting goods store, and even toy stores, have them. My brother and I had a set of them when we were kids, which was good fun.

Just fyi --- sometimes informants will also use walkie talkies or other two way radios (scanners) during events. I'm sure the feds/ICE are monitoring everything. People who are weak, seem overly enthusiastic (unstable, fickle), or have pending criminal charges are sometimes turned and will talk.

Signal jamming equipment is often used near protests so that people cannot coordinate/communicate. It affects both cell and internet service and I've heard it's being used in the door-to-door searches in Minnesota. The equipment might be in the support vehicles.

Remember how Canadians complained a few years ago that their butter was harder. Then there was a propaganda campaign that made fun of Canadians rather than being transparent about why their butter so drastically changed. The reason for the complaints is in the feed given to dairy cows.

This is a "strongman" takeover of the US. We also have 750 military bases all over the world and an unmatched nuclear weapons arsenal, so it's a worldwide threat. Other countries are going to have to isolate and make sanctions against the US. Even with that, Trump is unlikely to cede any power.

Violence from Trump's private army will continue to escalate because they have to gain & maintain control. If they lose control and/or are curbed by legal means, they will go to jail (at the very least). Honestly, I don't think there's a feasible, internal legal avenue for a check on his power grab.

One of the many problems with sociopaths is that they get even more aggressive if/when you confront them. That doesn't mean you shouldn't do it, but do not make the mistake of predicting their behavior based on your sense of morality. They mimic having an emotional life and they truly DO NOT care.

I love xmas because most everything is closed and the roads and parking lots are empty. That's the real peace and joy. Then everything "goes back to normal" and people are busybusy at nothing.

We don't have to perpetuate capitalism. It is not the default mode of humanity. It requires our compliance and we don't have to do it.

Please consider giving resources directly to people who are in need. Everyone knows someone who's having difficulties and you can make a difference to at least one person. And/or please support non-religious mutual aid groups (e.g. food not bombs) that will distribute these resources for you.

Instead of buying some plastic crap that you don't need, please consider buying a share in a CSA (a small, sustainable type of farm), sharing some seeds you've saved or food you've preserved, and complimenting artists on their work (and then buying it).

We don't have to perpetuate capitalism. It is not the default mode of humanity. It requires our compliance and we don't have to do it.

Instead of buying some plastic crap that you don't need, please consider buying a share in a CSA (a small, sustainable type of farm), sharing some seeds you've saved or food you've preserved, and complimenting artists on their work (and then buying it).

Please consider giving resources directly to people who are in need. Everyone knows someone who's having difficulties and you can make a difference to at least one person. And/or please support non-religious mutual aid groups (e.g. food not bombs) that will distribute these resources for you.

Large pinchpot bowl. #ceramics #pottery

Pitcher w/o a handle. Stoneware with maiolica and iron oxide. The rest of my pieces, including a new bas relief sculpture and a commissioned tile, are in the queue for firing. #ceramics #pottery