CharJTF :a11y: (she/her)

Accessibility advocate, writer/editor, mom. Grateful recipient of cadaver kidney. Currently fighting Stage 4 lung cancer. #VoteBlue #Antifa #immunosuppressed #PleaseWearAMask #CivilRightsForAll #BLM #TransRightsAreHumanRights #AbortionIsHealthCare

Header photo: Front of the left side of our house. Forks mark where red frilly tulip and Crocus Sativus bulbs have been planted. A lampshade protects a honeysuckle.

Profile photo: Photo of Kamala Harris, with text "I'm with her".

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npub1avqrwhz8dcmndqkxv327zz7nmk6ptru6500xqy8fqc6sc6474cvqk0uj4w

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CharJTF@a11y-info.mostr.pub

Profile Code

nprofile1qqswkqpht3rkudekstrxg40pp0famdq437d28hnqzr5svdgvd2l2uxqpzemhxue69uhhyetvv9ujumn0wd68ytnzv9hxgqg3waehxw309ahx7um5wgerztnrdaksgh9hev

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relay.nostr.band

nostr21.com

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npub1avqrwhz8dcmndqkxv327zz7nmk6ptru6500xqy8fqc6sc6474cvqk0uj4w

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Last Notes

2024-11-03 19:41:32

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@npub1mmf…eknq Virginia should also be in that list. (I know it's not your list.)

2024-10-27 15:05:33

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@npub16xr…qzyf I'm so sorry 😢

2024-10-13 12:29:37

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@npub16xr…qzyf Here, too. And of course, I have things outside that need to be done.
Guess I'll be getting wet 🙂

2024-10-06 19:22:17

After sleeping eight hours last night and taking a two-hour nap (I might have been tired?), my to-do list is still a bit long.
But I've got veggies to prep for soup, which I can do sitting down, so I can make the soup tomorrow.
I harvested the eggs (just over two dozen) from the Easter Egg plant that's in the front yard. I kept those that are light, medium, and dark yellow, and we threw away those that are still white. (We definitely have enough seeds!)
#FuckCancer #gardening
1/2
https://cdn.masto.host/a11yinfo/media_attachments/files/113/262/087/830/910/881/original/a9087197a72ca893.jpg

2024-10-05 19:14:18

And it turned out that today was my annual review by the dogs. (The cat got distracted by the open windows and didn't participate.)
Review went well. I gave the dogs treats and passed 🙂
#DogsOfMastodon
#CatsOfMastodon
https://cdn.masto.host/a11yinfo/media_attachments/files/113/256/369/958/278/655/original/36d13c2ea38d404f.jpg
https://cdn.masto.host/a11yinfo/media_attachments/files/113/256/390/515/874/438/original/4b4257d757b75aba.jpg

2024-10-05 19:03:02

The yard thatching crew showed up unexpectedly this morning.
They only did a small area. I'm unhappy with the service LOL.
https://cdn.masto.host/a11yinfo/media_attachments/files/113/256/362/757/934/051/original/2d655f5de9d7b7f5.jpg

2024-10-05 13:55:19

So yesterday was when my body gets to deal with all the stuff that gets pumped in during a chemo treatment. This includes anti-nausea drugs in my IV (looks like a Pina Colada and supposedly has a "taste", although I've never tasted anything); anti-nausea pills; one super steroid; a saline drip. (And they've started lowering how much saline I get, which keeps the swelling in my feet down while still keeping me hydrated.)
1/?

2024-09-24 19:01:00

Cancer treatments are a wee bit expensive. I had to go through my claims today and learned that one treatment (includes labs and chemo) costs $22K before insurance.
After insurance, the cost is $4K.
Right now, I've met my deductible and out-of-pocket (OOP), and next year, when everything resets, the cost of my first treatment will cover my deductible and most of my OOP.
I have no idea what people without insurance do.
#FuckCancer

2024-09-20 16:25:38

And I now have a PleurX, and Jim and I are both trained in how to drain it.
Because that's a new thing we both expected to have to learn at our ages 🤣
I got a chest X-ray to verify the placement, and now we're heading home. I'm just waiting for my lung to adapt to air again (lung tissue gets hard when there's fluid and it takes time to adapt back.)

2024-09-19 13:25:25

Fluid has been accumulating in my left lung...slowly, but it's accumulating.
Last week, I told the oncologist that I needed a tap and that I'd prefer the PleurX (chest tube) because this every other month process of X-ray, CT scan, tap is going to get old really fast. And expensive.
I know that the various teams were talking but, last night, when I still didn't have any answers, I emailed the thoracic surgeon and oncologist.
I get the PleurX tomorrow morning :-)

2024-09-12 00:19:26

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@npub16xr…qzyf Isn't it? I'm just hoping I can stay awake to at least attend for a bit. (It's about time to head to bed, but I started super steroids today so I might be awake. Frazzled LOL but awake!

2024-09-12 00:09:42

Over on Facebook, Diary of a Mom shared a new group for Kamala. We've now got...
Introverts for Kamala
Her post explains it in better detail than I can, so check out https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=1069321007883561&id=100044170160685.
I've registered but I'm not sure I'll make it, but the cool thing about being an introvert is that we don't have to talk 😁
#Kamala2024

2024-09-10 22:21:21

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@npub16xr…qzyf Thank you! Hair is now blue and purple. I'm ready 💪

2024-09-10 20:04:54

A friend of mine from Washington (state) sent me a gorgeous quilt for those chilly chemo treatments 💜
I'll take it to the hospital this week 🙂
It's absolutely gorgeous 💜
#DogsOfMastodon
https://cdn.masto.host/a11yinfo/media_attachments/files/113/115/024/266/566/627/original/9a6dc683274a7c49.jpg

2024-09-09 23:52:57

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@npub128a…lww3 Weirdly, not really. I typically wash it, towel dry it, and comb it. Now I have to put something in after that for the curls.
I don't own a hair dryer LOL

2024-09-09 23:37:54

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@npub128a…lww3 Thank you 💜 I didn't color it for ages because my hair was so long (down to my waist), so it's nice having my colors back!

2024-09-09 18:48:23

Last Friday, I got my hair cut at Emerald Oasis Beauty Bar in Haverhill (MA) . Tee found my curls! (I, however, have to get better at styling it after washing it.)
And my neighbor came over and applied the colors (purple, blue, teal, and pink, although this photo shows mostly blue and purple).
Dear cancer, I'm in full fighting mode now. You better watch out 😅
https://cdn.masto.host/a11yinfo/media_attachments/files/113/109/079/756/261/074/original/ecd3a97d9b60a2aa.jpg

2024-09-08 17:02:21

Almost the last harvest (we have some tomatoes, including San Marzano, still ripening).
I either didn't take or didn't post photos of the other harvests.
#gardening
https://cdn.masto.host/a11yinfo/media_attachments/files/113/103/004/084/467/567/original/f054d43b24578991.jpg

2024-09-05 16:43:59

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@npub1jqc…3mpt How's everything going today? I haven't looked yet to see if there's an update.

2024-09-01 11:48:57

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@npub128a…lww3 It was the next step in what is becoming a very long process LOL
After we install the baseboards and paint, we need to move everything back in. That will be fun (not, given how little I can do).

2024-09-01 00:48:29

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@npub1c57…awu5 Will soft foods help?

2024-09-01 00:46:39

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@npub16xr…qzyf Thanks!

2024-08-31 11:40:13

Back in June (which I'm pretty sure was about 18 months ago), a pipe on our hot water tank blew out. That part of the house was flooded (hallway, utility room, bedroom, bath).
It knocked out our hot water and heat pump. Luckily, drying everything went fairly quickly service was restored while the weather was still nice.
Since then, around my hospital visits and treatments and whatever else, we've (slowly) painted, sanded, and cleaned.
Today, the new floor gets installed 🙂

2024-08-30 23:31:32

We both have appointments to get our COVID shots next Thursday.
We'll do the (senior) flu shot in another month or so. While I typically have no reaction to vaccines, Jim does. And a friend got both at the same time and was wiped out for more than a day, so we timed it around his work schedule and my chemo schedule.
Hopefully, we'll make it thru next weekend!

2024-08-27 12:04:25

Yesterday, I took the last dose of "super steroids" for this round.
I'm seriously hoping this means that I'll sleep all night tonight. This 3-6 hours of interrupted sleep is...well, not good. (Feel free to pick an adjective 🙂.)

2024-08-25 00:41:39

I had to go to CVS (and the bakery, of course), and TFG supporters with signs were EVERYWHERE.
As we drove by, I shook my head and hubby gave them a thumb's down 🤣
Some grimaced. Some laughed at us.
But what I have noticed? Many neighbors have removed their TFG signs. Not all, but quite a few.
I really want to put out signs, but given that I'm sick, hubby doesn't want me to invite any trouble. And I choose my battles carefully. I'm ok not getting my way for this one.

2024-08-24 19:31:46

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Mine is purple (because of course it is). I might have to find my embroidery thread and fancy it up a bit 😉
I've unzipped one sleeve to demonstrate. And while my infusion yesterday was in my left arm, from now on, I'll be getting the infusions in my right forearm...the pump gets mad if I bend my arm LOL. (Easy enough to fix... straighten my arm, push OK on the pump, push Start. I can do that, but the sound is annoying.)
2/2

2024-08-24 19:31:19

My chemo sweatshirt arrived!
It has zippers in both sleeves so that I can wear it while getting my infusions. And it's going to be awesome when I get labs done in the winter because I don't have to take it off.
I got this on Etsy from DangerTZone. It can also include a chest zippers for those who need them.
1/2
https://cdn.masto.host/a11yinfo/media_attachments/files/113/018/640/595/355/515/original/934f2dfbfb80b5b5.jpg

2024-08-24 02:27:24

First chemo treatment is over.
In general: I'm dealing with various side effects, but I think if they were gone, I'd feel OK.
(*) I'm tired, exhausted, and fatigued. (Yep, it's possible to be all three.)
1/?

2024-08-18 20:03:59

Harvested more veggies yesterday, so today I made tomato sauce (just tomatoes, olive oil, and a little bit of salt simmered for hours); meatballs with shredded zucchini and onions; pasta with zucchini, onions, blistered cherry tomatoes, a little bit of the sauce (not enough cherry tomatoes), fresh parsley, and fresh basil.
And now I'm done for today. I'll jar and hotpack the sauce tomorrow.
And the garden is still producing!
#gardening

2024-08-18 00:59:33

Midnight has made herself comfy on the table next to my recliner.
My. Lap. Is. Right. There.
#Caturday
https://cdn.masto.host/a11yinfo/media_attachments/files/112/980/296/450/522/823/original/d6f489155febf509.jpg

2024-07-25 17:19:58

I'm going home! After six days of everything moving at 2 miles per hour, things picked up. I'm packed, Jim's on his way, future appointments have been set up.
Now to wait for the bills... 😉
More later on what they found and what the plan is.

2024-07-24 18:12:53

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@npub128a…lww3 We even did a Facetime so I could show him how to set up the food processor (to shred the zucchini) 🙂

2024-07-24 17:45:11

My husband has decided that, since I'm in the hospital *and* we have lots of zucchini, that he's going to teach himself to bake.
The biggest problem he has is not knowing where things are 😂 So he texts me so he can find flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, and so on.
They're in the places I put them when we moved in Sept 2018 LOL
(He sent me photos of yesterday's zucchini bread. It looks awesome! And he says it tastes good, too.)

2024-07-22 21:40:18

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@npub1lzz…jhl3 I love these threads, but this one in particular. Thanks!

2024-07-17 16:22:26

UPDATE: I'm home!
I didn't need surgery, just what they call a "tap" (similar to tapping a keg LOL. They consider the tap a "surgical procedure" but I only got local anesthesia, so I don't. Recovery is completely different.)
They pulled out 1.8 liters (almost 2 quarts) of fluid. (A lung holds 3 liters.)
1/?

2024-07-11 22:03:19

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@npub1lzz…jhl3 The NY Times is dead to me. Which is sad because, when I was taking journalism classes in the mid-1980s, it was THE newspaper to emulate.

2024-06-17 14:28:38

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@npub1lzz…jhl3 "All the News That's Fit to Print"...really?
Disgusting.

2024-06-06 17:07:03

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@npub1xyj…6rzz Wow...very cool!

2024-04-05 12:30:00

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@npub1lzz…jhl3 And this should terrify everyone who wants to live in our democratic republic...as a democratic republic and not an autocracy.

2024-03-22 17:23:07

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@npub1lzz…jhl3 Oh, I missed your toots, probably because I drop in-and-out when I need a break from work.
Otherwise, I wouldn't have suggested you read an article you already ready 🙂

2024-03-22 14:47:51

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@npub1lzz…jhl3 Before getting to your toot, I saw toots for https://statuskuo.substack.com/p/the-publicly-traded-presidential and https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/donald-trump/trump-claims-500-million-cash-undercutting-lawyers-claims-bond-money-rcna144614.
He might not be in a bind after all...or at least, it will be a different kind of bind.

2024-03-07 23:32:40

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@npub1lzz…jhl3 It's on YouTube. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=W4xPGwbSOnw&pp=ygUPVmF1Z2huIGhpbGxpYXJk

2024-03-07 19:27:31

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@npub1lzz…jhl3 Vaughn Hilliard (embedded with the TFG campaign) interviewed folks last week. Many of them said that Putin was fine and Zelenskyy was the problem.
<sigh>

2024-03-03 23:41:46

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@npub1uwt…p8lz We installed solar panels a year after we moved to our new house (November 2019). Last year, we installed a heat pump (instead of replacing the leaking oil tank and the compressor that needed to be replaced).
We paid our first electric bill in almost a year last week 🙂🙌
Now to finish paying off the solar panels...

2024-02-27 23:53:51

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@npub1y3m…r6lg I'm in southern NH. When I woke up (5:30 am), it was 26F. Eight hours later, it was in the low 60s.
Tomorrow will be warm, too...followed by 3 cold days. Guess I'll find stuff to do in the house.

2024-02-23 18:57:30

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@npub1zt3…0v09 I use forks (four around each bulb). It both lets me know where we planted them *and* deters the squirrels from digging them up.
My profile header photo shows my "fork garden" several months ago :-) We planted both tulips and crocuses in that area.
(The lampshade is protecting a baby honeysuckle plant because I didn't want to take a chance that the critters would eat the leaves.)

2024-02-22 16:43:23

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@npub1v5a…5yax My dog (11yo black Lab) had to have a toe amputated several months ago because there was a tumor.
She spent several weeks in similar foot dressings 🙂 The first was almost up to her knee, but they gradually ended up at the size Bella is wearing.
They never let us dress it, though, probably because Whidbey managed to pop the stitches *in the middle* of the incision. Which, of course, required frequent visits until they got it cleared up.

2024-02-12 13:54:09

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@npub1zyl…t54n Yep, totally on brand.
What's a bit weird is that she's a white billionaire and he's a white millionaire football player, playing for a team in the middle of the country. Seems that they should be the couple the right wing should love.
@npub1675…nd5w

2024-02-12 13:50:55

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@npub1zyl…t54n No, it was Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce (who plays for the Kansas City Chiefs).
They've been dating since last July (or thereabouts) and she started attending games in September.
And yes, the right wing is having all sorts of fits and conniptions, partly because Swift endorsed Biden and Harris in 2020. This has turned into a conspiracy that their relationship was a setup by the White House or Pentagon or some group to promote Biden.
@npub1675…nd5w

2024-01-28 01:46:12

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@npub1lzz…jhl3 If he appeals, he has to come up with $83.3 million plus 11%.
I don't know what happens if he chooses not to appeal...that is, I don't know how they make him pay. He had to pay $5 million to appeal the first verdict.
@npub1tkz…qshu

2024-01-16 14:39:28

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@npub1lzz…jhl3 I love his writing. His articles always make so much sense, as well as being easy to read.

2024-01-06 22:48:51

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@npub1lzz…jhl3 So I keep wondering...
If SCOTUS decides that TFG has permanent presidential immunity, doesn't that mean that every future president also has it?
And, if that's the case, doesn't it mean that Biden would also have it?
I'm sure TFG plans to say it applies only to him. And I'm sure that Biden wouldn't violate the Constitution.
But it makes me think...

2023-12-29 19:53:01

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@npub1j8m…v5r7 {{{hugs}}}

2023-12-17 20:56:56

Jim (hubby) once made the mistake of giving the dogs treats when we get home from grocery shopping. (They're Labs...they like patterns.)
He was organizing food on the island while I was putting stuff on the fridge. At one point, I turned around and noticed the dogs nicely waiting.
More in the alt...
https://cdn.masto.host/a11yinfo/media_attachments/files/111/597/751/442/201/328/original/5c4268591b6a903d.jpg

2023-11-09 12:52:36

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@npub1lzz…jhl3 Once upon an eon, I got a BA with a specialty in Journalism. (School didn't have a journalism degree at that time.)
We were taught things like getting multiple sources, being objective, and more.
This is not what most journalists are doing these days. At least some remember the tenets...unfortunately, they're rare.

2023-09-16 12:50:42

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@npub1lzz…jhl3 I'm reading "You have to be prepared to die before you can begin to live" about civil rights in the 50s and 60s. I'm in the section about the children's marches in Birmingham but haven't gotten to the bombing yet. (I'm about halfway through).

2023-09-16 00:03:37

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@npub189n…satx {{{hugs}}}

2023-09-02 00:34:51

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@npub14nn…8zq6 In the 1960s, I fell off a skateboard and ended up with a sprained ankle and four broken toes.
Ah, the good old days LOL

2023-08-30 15:15:50

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@npub1lzz…jhl3 WT actual F.
Of course, Tennessee has the House Speaker who doesn't live in the district that elected him and who refuses to let Democrats speak on the floor...especially if they're opposed to gun violence.

2023-08-26 20:06:52

Today's harvest (description in alt).
I'm gonna be busy to tomorrow 🙃
#gardening
https://cdn.masto.host/a11yinfo/media_attachments/files/110/957/711/348/676/859/original/6adf5e3bbf41bfc7.jpeg

2023-08-24 23:56:44

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@npub189n…satx LOL
They could set up a platform for the tiny house, still with multiple fences.
And they could call that Fuck Around and Find Out Island 🏝 😂
@npub1x8p…vh82

2023-08-24 23:52:35

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@npub1x8p…vh82 Hey, it would be a pretty easy gig 🤣
@npub189n…satx

2023-08-24 23:48:15

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@npub189n…satx Build a tiny house in a fenced area in a prison yard. Surround it with its own fence. Put Secret Service around the outside of the fence, and then put another fence around that.
House arrest is too good for him.

2023-08-24 23:48:15

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2023-08-24 18:47:32

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@npub189n…satx I had to go to the Transplant Clinic a couple of weeks ago.
I was masked and so was my doctor, but only a few patients were.
Dear people in the waiting room, YOU HAVE A SUPPRESSED IMMUNE SYSTEM (or you live with someone who does).
(I just sat as far away from the unmasked as possible.)

2023-08-24 13:52:44

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@npub1lzz…jhl3 If any of them get the nomination (instead of TFG), they're going to have a fun time trying to move to the center for the election itself.
How many people really want the voting age raised to 25?
How many people want a federal ban on women's health care (aka abortion)?
How many people want to live in an autocracy?
According to a Gallup poll, Republicans are now 25% of the total electorate (with 25% Democrats and 50% Independents). 25% isn't enough to win an election.

2023-07-18 22:04:10

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@npub1j8m…v5r7 I love the blue and purple one, so I just bought the last one 💜
(When I was in high school, I chose hematite for my class ring. And my favorite colors are blue and purple. I couldn't resist it!)
I'm so glad you're feeling better...or at least, not so low. {{{hugs}}}

2023-07-16 23:46:59

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@npub1u23…9fez We had a gorgeous male tuxie for about 14 years. It was six months before he stopped hiding in the basement all day. It was easily another year before he made friends with one of the dogs. And there was always a buffering period when old dogs crossed the rainbow bridge and new dogs joined the family.
You'll all get there 🙂

2023-06-06 21:41:57

This doesn't look comfortable, yet she's sound asleep.
#DogsOfMastodon
https://cdn.masto.host/a11yinfo/media_attachments/files/110/499/442/153/109/604/original/0561c69fab21085c.jpeg

2023-05-03 23:43:14

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@npub1v2s…mqq5 Wow. Just...wow.

2023-04-18 00:17:50

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#[0] THIS, THIS, THIS. I'm an old, white, cishet, atheist female who's been an independent for...wow, almost 50 years.
Protecting civil rights for everyone doesn't cost me anything and makes the world better. I don't quite understand why some think that people who don't look, love, or live like me are somehow wrong. They're not.
As the meme says, more rights for others doesn't mean fewer rights for me. It's not pie.
#[1] #[2]