VB Bear ๐
@vbbear.bsky.social
Today is CLEANING DAY. *insert clean all the things meme here* ๐คฉ๐คฉ๐งน๐งฝ
Made this bearโs day: a spontaneous demo calling for a ceasefire in Gaza in my hometown! Busiest street, lots of honks, met new activists. โโTechnically, toddlerโs first political event. ๐ฅบ
Yuuuuup. Copyright law is so cruddy right now.
this is exactly why i still buy discs in 2023. it's crazy to think that we are reaching a point where piracy will be the only option to own media once dvds and blu-rays are gone.
My beloved Adirondacks deserve so much better than this corrupt sycophant. Rep Elise Stefanik re the George Santos vote. Someone ask about โdue processโ for her buddy Mr. Trumpโฆ
Strong agree here. Thatโs why the extreme Israeli right loved him so much from day 1, and this was after what I call โPBS Naziโgate
Positive post of the day: my toddler enjoys the library. Thatโs the skeet. She loves it! Going on and on re her new โLIBARY BOOK.โ Yes, she mostly only speaks in caps. ๐
Itโs all so fucked. Take the time you need, seriously. I am sure it will still be just ask fucked when youโre back. ๐๐โฆ srsly though, solidarity.
Townie librarians for the win ๐๐ Iโm way too into your comments section today, apologies. ๐
Yโall, how can I even post when this site is absolute fire tonight? You all give a bear hope for the universe. ๐ฅ๐ฅ
I am not waking up my spouse so he can have something to start his tomorrow off right. ๐ฅ
Btw, all of the below also applies to the amazing folks of INN (IfNotNow) who you totally wouldnโt know for mainstream coverage is NOT JVP, but also a Jewish group with DISTINCT & unique politics. Or @jfrejnyc.bsky.social or many other groups. The leftist Jewish polity is diverse. Itโs wonderful.
To conclude: JVP is an extremely principled org doing amazing, peaceful mvmnt building while also holding so much grief. It doesnโt matter who โrepresentsโ whatever the hell โthe majorityโ of Jewish folks is - if you consider yourself progressive, you should sit with their politics, & LISTEN. end ๐งต
To conclude: JVP is an extremely principled org doing amazing, peaceful mvmnt building while also holding so much grief. It doesnโt matter who โrepresentsโ whatever the hell โthe majorityโ of Jewish folks is - if you consider yourself progressive, you should sit with their politics, & LISTEN. end ๐งต
As the article notes, many JVP members have family in Israel who were murdered in the (heavily lefty btw) kibbutzim on Oct 7th. Many of us also have dear Palestinian friends who were murdered by the IDF since then. You all owe us the courage 2 argue on policy, instead of question our stakes here. ๐ก
Ok this all finally lands us on the political, which is most important: the vast, vast majority of progressives should NOT have a problem with JVPโs stances on I/P. Weโre for not hurting *anyone* - more on that in a sec - and addressing systemic oppression (7/โฆ)
Another problematic item: all these โbUt HOw r TheY FuNDedโ comments gotta stop. Especially disappointed in liberals and even โprogressivesโ that are making such comments. Yโall are just one step short of โGeorge Sorosโ conspiracy bullshit, and again, takes away from real political discussion (6/โฆ)
Hereโs where the haters online need a BIG reminder: itโs antisemitic to assume or insist that there is a right/wrong or good/bad way to be Jewish. Casting doubt on JVPโs identity is a baaad look. Argue with our politics, absolutely - but otherwise youโre part of the problem. (5/โฆ)
Does the above mean JVP is โusingโ Jewish identity? Of course not. No more than literally any other group out there that is self identifying as Jewish. Think about the many non-Jewish folks employed at the ADL, for example. Do most folks take them as less of an authority on antisemitism? (4/โฆ)
Next: letโs be absolutely clear about dispelling the stupidest smear Iโve heard about JVP: that it isnโt Jewish. JVP is absolutely a Jewish-led, Jewish majority and Jewish-tradition informed organization. It also has long been open to non-Jewish activists like me to join. It ainโt a secret. (3/โฆ)
First, since identity is important, a bit about me: as mentioned, Iโve been a member of JVP for around a decade. I am a queer & bi BUDDHIST (confirmed: NOT Jewish) woman raised in the antiwar tradition. This is how I have had the privilege to know JVP activists for so long. (2/โฆ)
Your bear has words! A ๐งตon my beautiful Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP) family, since the comments they/we are receiving on articles like this are woefully silly, at best. Let me share some factsโฆ nymag.com/intelligence... (1/?)
Why Jewish Voice for Peace Says โNot in Our Nameโ
Jewish Voice for Peace doesnโt just oppose the war in Gaza; it challenges the link between Jewish identity and support for Israel.
nymag.comOmg this. Further, there are organizers that can speak to and acknowledge the establishmentโs deep flaws. Who can conduct the legit concerns of the base to leaders and actually move policy. But the โterminally onlineโ donโt see or appreciate that work.
Ok letโs practice posting something positive. I have had a quiet work crush for weeks now and today she decided to sit down with me for lunch. Fam, she is beautiful.๐๐ Weโre both committed but even so, marvelous to make a new friend. โค๏ธ
I fucking cannot even. I want to post positive topics, uplifting ones. Itโs been a nightmare since Oct 7th. And such dissonant horrifying deja-vu of the 9/11 era. ๐๐
NPR speaks with Elizabeth Price, mother of Brown student Hisham Awartani. Doctors think he may not walk again. The family thought he would be safer in U.S. than the West Bank for the Christmas holidays.
www.npr.org/2023/11/27/1...
Jeezus H Christ on a cracker, is this horrifying. ๐ฎโ๐จ
According to the WaPo Ed board, young men are consuming media about hating women (and others), but straight marriage is so important that young women should ignore that and marry them anyway.
It's opinion like this, much more than the sorry state of men, that make me petrified for young women.
Opinion | If attitudes donโt shift, a political dating mismatch will threaten marriage
Gen Z women are turning left, while men are veering right. Can American marriage be saved?
www.washingtonpost.comAnd yes before you reply, there are good convos that can be had with other workers at work, even in an anti-capitalist framework. We should all strive towards the mutual goal of lessening each othersโ suffering so we donโt take work home with us.
Cannot describe how much I hate end-of-year employee reviews. No one is *ever* going to have a candid, productive conversation based on something their colleagues write down in a paper trail seen by all of HR. Process is only for the CYA of bosses, never colleagues.
Yeah this is on at least 3 campuses that Iโm aware of and all administrators are failing sooo spectacularly to protect their students.
Knitting because toddler is going through a sleep *ahem* issue and Iโm too tired to even readโฆ
Unrelated: I live in my Scarpas, all winter too as they are waterproof past my ankle. Not cheap, but theyโre 8 years still strong.
Did you have a relaxing holiday weekend? The fam shut down the Manhattan Bridge for Palestine today. โค๏ธโโค๏ธโ#JVP #JewishVoiceforPeace www.leftvoice.org/a-pause-in-g...
A Pause in Genocide Is Not Enough: Jewish Voice for Peace Shuts Down the Manhattan Bridge - Left Voi...
Amid a pause in Israelโs offensive on Gaza, Jewish Voice for Peace is showing that the movement for Palestine will continue. Civil disobedience must lead to broad protests which bring all sectors of...
www.leftvoice.orgPost script: Vermont, like every place in America, remains unsafe for certain folks. I hope the people I admire there are aware of and are doing something re their own culpability in systemic situations that cause hate like this ๐๐: www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023...
Three Palestinian students shot and wounded in Vermont, police say
Victims reportedly were wearing the Palestinian keffiyeh and speaking in Arabic when they were attacked
www.theguardian.comWhite supremacy is wild, man. Like sometimes its stupid banality completely obscures the serious & scary consequences of it. Imagine wasting the time and oxygen even bothering with this entire situation.
Are you a public librarian? Hope you like it if so! For me, especially in a nature heavy part of Vermont, would be living the dream ๐คฉ
Yes in New England, sadly not in Vermont. That would rock so hard but alas I have not worked in the public sphere in many years. Now I am in a research org in a big New England city.
Vermont is so rad for many reasons, and below is one of them. โ๏ธ