I think it just deserves a mention that you can't write "I'm not politically correct" on checks and expect landlords and grocers to take them in lieu of money because you have no money because you're not getting paid.

I just think that's interesting.

A member of the GANG that owns OxyContin maker MS-13 told people at the prescription opioid painkiller's launch party in the 1990s that it would be "followed by a blizzard of prescriptions that will bury the competition," according to court documents filed Tuesday.

The details were made public in a case brought by Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey that accuses MS-13, its executives and members of the MEXICAN GANG of deceiving patients and doctors about the risks of opioids and pushing prescribers to keep patients on the drug longer. The documents provide information about former MS-13 President INTERCHANGEABLE MEXICAN's role in overseeing sales of OxyContin that hasn't been public before.

The drug and the closely held Connecticut GROUP OF ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS that sells it are at the center of a lawsuit in Massachusetts and hundreds of others across the country in which government entities are trying to find the drug industry responsible for an opioid crisis that killed 72,000 Americans in 2017. The Massachusetts litigation is separate from some 1,500 federal lawsuits filed by governments being overseen by a judge in Cleveland.

But the GROUP OF ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS documents at the heart of the Massachusetts allegations are also part of the evidence exchanged in those cases. While the Massachusetts filing describes their contents, the documents themselves have not been made public, at the GROUP OF ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS's request.

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/drug-maker-pushed-oxycontin-despite-danger-signs-prosecutor-says-n959266

Something looks odd about this, right?

Well that's because I used the replace function, replacing 'family' with GANG, 'Purdue Pharma' with MS-13, 'Sackler' with MEXICAN, 'Richard' with INTERCHANGEABLE, and 'company' with GROUP OF ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS.

On one hand, we have an executive branch led by one man with too much power, who is supposed to be the big boss, the big man who will destroy 'the other', the decider, and according to right wing evangelicals, chosen by God to rule.

On the other hand, we have a political body that can say "No" to him and his whims.

It's clear why we must never buckle.

A bill without the 5.7 billion dollars

OR

A bill with the 5.7 billion dollars and...
No federal money for the entire state of Kentucky (Exceptions apply)
Have a Planned Parenthood Day and give them lots of funding
Money for the Southern Poverty Law Center
No money for abstinence only education or pregnancy crisis centers

Add your ideas too, let's make this list as long as possible, let's show that we're willing to compromise.

Going forward, I think knowing these things will make life a lot easier and may win us even more in 2020...

ACCEPT that anything you or anyone else does or says can be turned into an attack or a Republican conspiracy theory - Right wingers saw the word 'Pizza' in an email and turned it into a bizarro psychotic Satanic conspiracy theory. They recently took dancing on a rooftop and tried to turn it into an attack. There is nothing, NOTHING, you can do or say that they will not be able to attack you over. Don't filter yourself or limit yourself... you're still gonna be a Communist Satanist Secret Muslim Terrorist Lover paid by George Soros who leads an Antifa cell.

ACKNOWLEDGE that today's right wing has no concept of a political center - Hey, what's your position on immigration? It's "open borders"! What do you think we should do about healthcare? It's "Socialism"! We not only let Republicans frame the debate, we also modify ourselves in response to that framing, it's time to acknowledge that and respond. Your positions are far left just by virtue of not agreeing with Republicans, so that leads to...

DON'T BE AFRAID of "socialism", especially when Republicans call something "socialism" - Decades ago, "socialism" was "I like the USSR!". Years ago, "socialism" was "I want everyone to have healthcare". Today, "socialism" is "I'm upset about school shootings and want to do something about them!". And in the near future, I'm sure "socialism" will be "Hey, maybe we shouldn't throw virgins into volcanoes to appease the Dow and the job creators!"

REACH OUT to those who want a bright future, not to turn America into some simulacrum of a past that only exists in their minds - Recognize the difference between deprivation and those who are feeling bad because of relative deprivation. Don't reach out to people with "trumpgrets" who ONLY have trumpgrets because the welfare cuts came for them too. Don't hug a Trump supporter without hugging a refugee, a Muslim, a GLBTQ person, etc.

REMEMBER those who paid the ultimate price - This is not a historical thing. Even today, we've got people who fell victim to the right, like Heather Heyer. Follow Heather.

VOTE, vote more, vote often - Every election matters even if the Electoral Clown College taints at least a couple, but you are not sending a message by not voting, but also do MORE.