CodyyyGardner Categories Society
Goodbye 2020 and good riddance.
Thank you all for sharing the journey with me. Thank you for the questions, comments, gifs. We got through 2020. 2021 will be better.
2021 will be the year to Make Democracy Cool Again.
How about a few resolutions?
#1: Run for Something
(or help someone else run for something)
Want to really make a difference in politics and government? Don’t just march, @runforsomething.
Make sure things are done right. Be the person in
#2: If you can’t run for something, find someone you know who would be terrific, and encourage that person to run.
You can also volunteer to help Run for Something screen candidates.
#3: Be a Community Organizer
Do you have a talent for organizing? If so, democracy needs you. One reason the Tea Party was successful was that they organized locally and put pressure on local officials.
#4: Register New Voters
Start now. It's not too early.
In some states, you can become an official volunteer voter registrar. James Williams in Maryland told how he did it in his state.
How to become a volunteer voter registrar
— 5 DAYS UNTIL THE GEORGIA RUN-OFF. KEEP THE FAITH. (@JamesMWilliam18) May 31, 2019
It is actually very simple. I live in a Maryland suburb, and I called my county Board of Elections to schedule a meeting. Once that was done, I spent about two hours going over the laws, rules and regulations.
To kick off 2021, here's an update on:
- S:N501 variants (501Y.V1/V2) with data from 31 Dec 2020
- 69/70del variants
- 20A.EU1 variant (most prevalent variant in Europe)
(Here are some fireworks that look a bit like phylogenies! 🎆)
1/23
The latest sequences from 31 Dec show new sequences in the S:N501Y.V1 variant (originating from SE England) from Netherlands, Denmark, Australia, Italy, Canada, the USA, Germany, Switzerland, & India.
2/23
S:N501 link
https://t.co/TfHfPgBEBS
Image link
https://t.co/3aCKv1pAcI
Canada, Germany, & Switzerland all have sequences that fall in 501Y.V1 for the first time, scattered across the tree.
3/23
The USA also has its first 2 sequences that fall in 501Y.V1, from Colorado & California. India also had its first 3 sequences, also from different regions.
In both cases, the sequences are not connected, indicating separate introductions.
4/23
In countries with previous sequences:
6 new sequences from Netherlands, in orange/yellow (green are older).
1 is clearly separate - zooming in (& in divergence view, coloured by country) it is harder to determine the relationship between the others.
5/23
TRAFFIC ADVISORY: First Amendment Activity
— DC Police Department (@DCPoliceDept) January 2, 2021
From Jan 5th to Jan 7th, 2021, First Amendment demonstrations are scheduled to occur in DC. There will be parking restrictions & potential street closures that motorists should take into consideration.
Release: https://t.co/Pdk5PKLmTf pic.twitter.com/W5LBqwVPEK
Is it too much to ask for the leaders of both parties start acting like the adults in the room and stop treating political opponents like enemies of the State. If it is too much to ask for then the end of this country is inevitable. And I honestly don't believe that is hyperbole.
— Matthew Kolken (@mkolken) January 8, 2021
You could take the next week to quiet down, reflect on how you contributed to getting here, and then have the usual transition markers, but instead you need to escalate things by trying to throw the guy out.
And not just him, but everyone else remotely associated with him. You created this situation by taking away every avenue people had to try to change direction and have driven them ever further towards the options we do not want them to take.
The Tea Party was the perfect expression of what we expect of voters dissatisfied with the direction of the country to do. They protested peacefully, spoke to their reps at the designated times and places, and ultimately threw the bums out by voting.
The response to this was to label them all racists and for the new bums to promptly spit in their faces. When they tried to rally around everyone except the pre-designated "next-in-line" guy, they got labelled as whackobirds and ignored.