Governor JB Pritzker: “Here’s the problem with the do-nothing crowd now telling us what to do: while they spent their years watching Republicans illegitimately pack the Supreme Court, take away voting rights from people of color, and systematically chip away at the constitutional order, all the while they offered only a simple defense of norms and decorum — in a blind hope that one day soon Republicans would wake up to find their better angels. That got us exactly where we are today. The reckoning is here. And now that this culture of timidity is on full display, these same do-nothing Democrats want to blame our losses on the defense of Black people, trans kids, and immigrants, instead of on their own lack of guts and gumption.” (continued)

Marwan Makhoul: “In order for me to write poetry that isn’t political, I must listen to the birds - and in order to hear the birds, the warplanes must be silent.” ⁂

“Relationships are meant to be your safe haven and happy place, not another battle you have to fight.” ⁂

“In my dream world, books are free and reading makes you thin.” ⁂

Rep. Pramila Jayapal: “It is BATSHIT CRAZY that I had to introduce an amendment to prohibit ICE from detaining and deporting U.S. citizens. It’s even more insane that Republicans VOTED AGAINST MY AMENDMENT. They’re betraying their own constituents.” ⁂

lloydrang: I’m GenX. We grew up in an all-print world. We read really fast. So, my Millennial and GenZ peeps, I beg you for the love of Bananarama, please just send me the article and not the TikTok of the dude talking about the article. In Prince’s funky name, amen. ⁂

“When you’re not used to being confident, confidence feels like arrogance. When you’re used to being passive, assertiveness feels like aggression. When you’re not used to getting your needs met, prioritizing yourself feels selfish. Your comfort zone is not a good benchmark.” ⁂

“I would rather adjust my life to your absence, than adjust my boundaries to accommodate your disrespect.” ⁂

Paul F. Haacker, Canadian public radio journalist: “Here in Canada, many of us believe we are witnessing the fall of the U.S. empire. Would a civilized country limit health care or food assistance for the poor; leave crops rotting in the fields; destroy the educational system; target women and attempt to eliminate their reproductive rights while refusing to help resulting babies; abuse desperate immigrants; pretend to believe in Christianity while perverting and debasing its tenets; and refuse to protect the Earth from destruction? The world is watching.” (continued)

Bill Moyers: The NRA is the enabler of death — paranoid, delusional, and as venomous as a scorpion. With the weak-kneed acquiescence of our politicians, the National Rifle Association has turned the Second Amendment of the Constitution into a cruel and deadly hoax. ⁂

“Some of these sex changers can flip with astonishing frequency. The chalk bass (Serranus torugarum), a neon-blue Caribbean fish that’s about the size of your thumb, has been known to switch sex up to twenty times a day. Chalk bass don’t do this in order to play the field; quite the opposite - switching sex is their recipe for relationship success. Chalk bass are known to display unusual levels of sexual fidelity and are considered more or less monogamous. Their sex change habits are a coordinated response with their long-term partner. Researchers believe that taking turns laying eggs, which are bigger and more energy-consuming to produce than sperm, keeps the reproductive investment fair. Each fish fertilizes as many eggs as it produces. Proving that even with fish you get what you give in a relationship.” (continued)