Much of white America, especially white male America (disclosure: I'm a white man), is suffering from delusion. Too many in my demographic have debased themselves through thoughtless xenophobia, callous sexism, knee-jerk bigotry & angry cynicism. (THREAD) #SOTU 1/
62% of white men & 52% of white women knowingly cast their vote in 2016 for a racist demagogue who admitted to being a sexual predator, publicly attacked POWs & gold star families, mocked the disabled, made fun of overweight women, & embraced white supremacy. #SOTU 2/
White America, especially white "Christian" America, jumped the shark when we cast our lots for an admitted sexual predator, coarse bully, & willful ignoramus. We've embraced white nationalist tribalism over timeless American values of life, liberty & equality for all. #SOTU 3/
The hypocrisy of white Evangelical Christians giving a serial adulterer/sexual predator a 'mulligan,' embracing a purely amoral Machiavellian relationship with a fascist tyrant, is something their churches should never recover from. #EmptyThePews#SOTU 4/
Instead of measuring 'manliness' by the size of our pickup truck & gun arsenal, or how coarsely we make fun of women, environmentalists gays & immigrants, I long for a day when my demographic measures their worth in nuanced intellect, compassion & support for equality. #SOTU 5/
If America is to truly become great again, white America must renounce tribalism & white nationalism. We must embrace the true American identity, which is heterogenous and plural, while at the same time recognize that as a country, united we stand but divided we fall. #SOTU 6/
Many white Americans r guilty of deep hypocrisy when they claimed that Obama won the black vote bc of his skin color. Rather, these whites projected their own tribalism via blind embrace of Trump, #birtherism & rejection of an objectively successful Obama Presidency #SOTU 7/
When a culture or tribe rejects science, statesmanship, & smart diplomacy, and adopts crackpot conspiracy theorists like Hannity and Alex Jones as their primary source of information & inspiration, you know that culture is hopelessly corrupt. #SOTU 8/
I saw this phenomenon in my crazy, handyman uncle, who told my Ivy League professor of geochemistry father that #climatechange is a liberal hoax. Witnessed this in his equally crazy wife, who hates Orrin Hatch simply b/c he was friends w/ Ted Kennedy, a Democrat. #SOTU 9/
White America needs to look to the example of real heroes, not Fox News demagogues & fascists, for inspiration & direction. Lincoln, FDR, Eisenhower, MLK, Mother Theresa, Pope Francis, Mandela, Malala, Rosa Parks, etc, are a good place to start. #SOTU 10/
I didn't risk my life to serve my country in multiple war zones, including Afghanistan, to see the liberties we fought for undermined by American members of my own demographic - my own extended Mormon family. We are better than this. #SOTU 11/
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FACT: Suicide is the number one cause of death of all #Utah youth; this is not the case nationally. More alarming, the teen suicide rate in Utah has doubled since 2011. #LGBT#UTpol#LDS#Mormon#BYU
Another Fact: Teen suicide is lower when there is an #LGBTQ supportive environment. #Utah is notorious for its lack of support for and acceptance of the #LGBT community. #LDS#Mormon#UTpol#BYU
Relatedly, studies show that in areas where homosexuality is tolerated, mental health outcomes for #LGBTQ are the same as non-LGBTQ people. Elevated risk of suicide correlates w/ elevated risk of mental illness that is prevalent among LGBTs living in areas hostile to them.
COMEY MEMOS: (THREAD) Working my way through the 15 pages of #ComeyMemos. Here are the most important and/or shocking revelations: 1/
During #Comey's 1/6/17 at Trump Tower, @Comey told Trump that the Russians allegedly had tapes involving Trump & prostitutes at a Moscow hotel in 2013. Could these be the infamous #PeeTapes? #ComeyMemos 2/
Trump also praised #Comey on 1/6/17 for his handling of the #ClintonEmails investigation. @realDonaldTrump lavished praise on @Comey, indicating that Comey had conducted himself "honorably" and had a great reputation. #ComeyMemos 3/
1/ Do not obey in advance. Do not acquiesce or conform to the new regime, offering to comply before compliance is required by law. Hitler's party consolidated power b/c too many citizens offered anticipatory obedience.
2/ Defend Institutions. Trump has aggressively sought to undermine all independent institution that opposes his admin, including the free press, the judiciary, DOJ, FBI, & #Mueller. Choose an institution you cherish and take its side.
#WhyWeResist (THREAD) Renowned spiritual leader John Neuhas once said:
"Genuine #tolerance does not mean ignoring differences as if differences made no difference. Genuine tolerance means engaging differences w/in a bond of #civility & #respect." #CampaignforCivility 1/
Once fascists & bigots are in power, they vilify all who are different, all who dare to disagree. They only care about one thing: consolidating their power. #CampaignforCivility#WhyWeResist 3/