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Victoria Veldhoen's avatar

A perfect entry. This line especially, loved: "I would have let my arm be fed into a mangler before I would have budged." I love too that we both wrote about AWP, in two different ways, today. And both referenced the same panel.

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Amy Martin's avatar

Well I just read your piece and love it. I hope everyone hops over to read it too. And I think we were both struck by the neck tattoo poet and by many of the other things people said. My memory is so bad I actually forgot about the whole self-censorship piece and now I’m like oh right I need to write about that too. That’s a whole thing.

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Victoria Veldhoen's avatar

Your memory is fine. The only reason I remember what I did is through notes. Also, I should buy that poetry book you bought too

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Beth Anderson's avatar

You give me hope, Amy.

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Dennis Beaver's avatar

Thanks for another insightful read, Amy, folding together one of my favorite heroines and another favorite hero, along with your story about the impolite fellow passenger. My last flight to SC I was treated to a similar experience and politely asked my seat mate if he had enjoyed his flight. I then thanked him for reminding me what it was like to travel with inconsiderate people. You did well! BTW, planning on joining a local protest this Saturday afternoon. Not sure what good it will do, but it’s time to do more than make bets on candidates via small contributions. Cheers!

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Amy Martin's avatar

Thanks Dennis. I’m going to see if I can make it to a protest as well. I’m headed off on an international trip that night so might be tough but agree that I need to do something more.

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Dennis Beaver's avatar

Travel safe! Enjoy!

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Loretta Flatray's avatar

Enjoyed this article-especially the arm rest -I’m sure every woman has experienced that fight! I’m glad you are the woman to hold your own -I feel a little vindicated. 💕

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Amy Martin's avatar

Thanks Lorie! And thanks for reading. See if you can pull Lynn over here to Substack. I need more readers and more strong women like you all advocating and sharing my work.

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Loretta Flatray's avatar

Recommending your Substack to all the women I know. 💕

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Joseph J. Cleveland's avatar

Great, just great Amy. Ordinary people rising to confront an extraordinary situation. Right on! Fight on! Write on!!!!

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Amy Martin's avatar

Thanks Joseph!

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Laura Hallen's avatar

Incredible. I’m an inspired, rage filled tiny giant woman too. Let’s do this

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Amy Martin's avatar

You’re one of my favorites!

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Karen Linstrom's avatar

Brilliant article on RBG. Just to let you know you have a global audience who support you

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Karen Linstrom's avatar

Western Australia

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Karen Linstrom's avatar

Our little farming community is supporting our US friends first and foremost with moral support. Secondly, we’re supporting our Commonwealth colleagues in Canada by buying Canadian products. We know that this will hurt US companies in the short term, it’s also sending two messages. First , Australians don’t like bullies. And Second, we value our democracy and will support people trying to save theirs. Tesla sales have tanked and we’re getting curriculum additions for school kids to learn to identify fake news and build critical thinking skills. People have spoken to me about revising travel plans to the US to go north to Canada or Europe. This is all approached with a very heavy heart. Australia and the US have been allies since WW I. The pain results from our knowing these actions will end up hurting innocent, decent Americans. But it’s the most practical and demonstrable way we have to let people in the US know we care

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Amy Martin's avatar

Karen, Everything you’ve written here is spot on and amazing. I love and support every aspect of it. Thank you for showing your support to Canada and for helping stamp out the American bully. This is the kind of collective world-wide support we need to regain control of our Country. Thank you. Thank you.

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Amy Martin's avatar

Thank you Karen where are you living?

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Karen Linstrom's avatar

Western Australia

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Robert Sawers's avatar

Amy, you are not a small person, you are as large as you want to be in what you believe in and what you do for yourself and others! Women like you are small in stature but have a large shadow! Shadows like yours have blocked out racism, bigotry, sexism, misogyny and oppression throughout history as well as keeping authoritarian regimes accountable for their crimes! This is another part of history that needs addressing by small women with large shadows, such women will see us through the darkness by shining their light on the future generations of humanity! 👍😎📚📚📚🇨🇦🇺🇦🇮🇪🌎🇪🇺🇬🇧🇳🇴💣👻🇫🇮☕️🍩

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Amy Martin's avatar

Robert this was the most beautiful ode to (small) women I’ve ever heard. Thank you. And obviously we’re showing up. I particularly love when I hear about tiny older ladies requiring multiple policemen to haul them out. Cuz they’re not gonna make it easy.

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OopsICrappedMyDiaper's avatar

what does -my- Resistance look like?...

;)

In the stinking darkness under the barn, he raised his shaggy head. His yellow, stupid eyes gleamed. I hunger, he whispered.

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Amy Martin's avatar

Wow this really brought out the weird.

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OopsICrappedMyDiaper's avatar

its from stephen king!!! 😂💕

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Amy Martin's avatar

Oooooohhhhhhh

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OopsICrappedMyDiaper's avatar

i was in the army.

our unit motif was a werewolf

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OopsICrappedMyDiaper's avatar

cycle of the werewolf.

ca. 1984

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Thomas M Gregg's avatar

My version of Resistance? Well, I’d begin by decapitalizing “Resistance,” so as to deprive it of a claim on dignity that it absolutely doesn’t deserve. Recent examples of Resistance—torching Teslas, Senator Spartacus’s bug-eyed twenty-five hour hissy fit in the Senate chamber—leave me with a feeling that real resistance lies in a rejection of this adolescent playacting, with its lexicon of demon words that Resistance warriors can’t be bothered to define. “Fascism” may as well be retired, because most people who mouth it have never stopped for thirty seconds to ask themselves what it means. That’s my definition of resistance—resistance to groupthink, resistance to the corruption of language, resistance to the nihilism of postmodern progressivism.

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Amy Martin's avatar

As always Thomas thank you for bringing in another perspective. It’s good to not only be read by people who agree with me. Thanks for reading and thanks for commenting.

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Thomas M Gregg's avatar

My version of Resistance? Quite honestly, the question has not occurred to me. Of course the word, capitalized, is ideologically charged. Alas, we’re back to where we were in the Sixties, when the personal was the political. Thank you, no, however. I am not at all desirous of enlisting in the postmodern reboot of the Weather Underground. If a new heaven and a new earth are to be created, count me out of that project, which like all past projects of that kind will inevitably crash and burn.

There’s a wonderful line from Shakespeare’s “Henry V” that lodged itself in my memory: “We are but warriors for the working day,” Harry the king tells the herald of the French. Activism is a delusion—an outward projection of self-esteem. Resist that, focus instead on the daily work actually before you among family, friends, neighbors, everything close and familiar, and at the very least you’ll contribute nothing toward the abundant sorrows of the world. The good you do may be incremental, scarcely discernible, but it’s the only thing of lasting value that you’ll leave behind at your life’s conclusion.

So I don’t worry about the future of “our democracy.” If, as I believe, America is a great and good country, soundly founded on ideas that are a unique amalgam of principle and practicality, we have nothing to worry about. But if, as the Resistance asserts, America is really in danger of succumbing to fascist tyranny, the game is already up. In that case, what limit could logically be imposed on Resistance? Would it not be a case of Resistance by any means necessary?

Well, I resist that entire line of reasoning.

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