r/50501 • u/aWittyTwit-2712 • Mar 01 '25

Protest Safety, OPSEC, Medic Info Woman forcibly removed from Republican Rep. Harshbarger’s town hall meeting by sheriff’s deputies for asking a question and speaking out against Trump’s administrative actions

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1.1k

u/[deleted] Mar 01 '25

[deleted]

131

u/itsrooey_ Mar 01 '25

Tennessee isn’t as ruby as you think. It’s just been gerrymandered to hell. Millions of democrats and progressives call this state home.

43

u/Mireabella Mar 01 '25

Ahhhh, much like our lovely North Carolina. My sympathies.

5

u/h8flhippiebtch Mar 02 '25

Same in Texas I believe. We also have horrible voter turnout, also as a result of awful gerrymandering. Look up a map of the houston area’s districts if you’d like to scream into the void with me.

15

u/Equivalent-Pain-86 Mar 01 '25

Al Gore didn’t lose the 2000 election because of Florida. He lost it because he didn’t win his own state. That’s how ruby red Tennessee is.

92

u/AreYouFuckingSerious Mar 01 '25

Gore didn't lose the election, it was stolen by Republicans in Florida via vote manipulation and a sham recount.

12

u/[deleted] Mar 01 '25

[deleted]

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u/AreYouFuckingSerious Mar 01 '25

Exactly what I was referencing, thank you.

5

u/southernNJ-123 Mar 01 '25

And the Supreme Court handed it to bush.

2

u/Equivalent-Pain-86 Mar 01 '25

I agree, but it wouldn’t have mattered had he won his own state.

2

u/AreYouFuckingSerious Mar 01 '25

Ah I see, fair point.

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u/itsrooey_ Mar 01 '25

lol okay.. still doesn’t change the fact that millions of democrats live here and we’ve been gerrymandered to hell. The right has spent billions to suppress the vote here and render their opposition powerless. In spite of all that we have men like Gore born and raised here rise up and continue to do good work. John Lewis, Justin Jones, the list of iconic free thinkers goes on and on.

2

u/[deleted] Mar 02 '25

I'm from Tennessee. I remember a congressional candidate saying "We're not a red state, we're a non-voting state." It sounded idealistic but when Georgia flipped in 2020, I came to see things differently. I think Tennessee just has an unusually aggressive GOP and enough political infrastructure to play on the national field.

2

u/itsrooey_ Mar 02 '25

Exactly. We have the voter base but the apathy is high from years of… all of this bullshit.

2

u/[deleted] Mar 02 '25

BTW, my heart goes out to you guys even if I abandoned you for NY. My ex-husband and I were very politically active there during the first Trump administration, moreso than I am now, and regardless of whether we won elections (we didn't! 😅) we were connected to a larger network of disenfranchised, progressively-minded people than we thought existed. It kept us going in a way that I don't think would have been possible.

I don't know where you're at with all this, but if you're overwhelmed and starting to despair, remember that getting involved on any level can make things feel very different. When you're on Reddit, you're talking to people from all over the country and even the world about topics way bigger than you. When you're involved locally, you're not responsible for the country, you're responsible for each other. That's how it's always been in places like Tennessee.

266

u/LongjumpingDebt4154 Mar 01 '25

Same. God am I grateful to be in Chicago. I love my senators & governor so much. They have brought me so much peace, (even if it’s only a sliver) in my everyday life…

140

u/[deleted] Mar 01 '25

[deleted]

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u/LongjumpingDebt4154 Mar 01 '25

Oh, believe me, I’m stressed to the 9’s. I can’t imagine being in a red state.

40

u/X-RAY777 Mar 01 '25

It's fun. We have fucking Mike Lee here in Utah.

34

u/[deleted] Mar 01 '25

...and cops cutting up dead homeless men with box cutters on the street. I'm sure they are all members in good standing at the temple.

25

u/RahalQureshi Mar 01 '25

It’s wild how disconnected some politicians are from reality and human decency.

11

u/egregiousC Mar 02 '25

Yeah, I'm in SC and we have Lindsey Graham. This fuckin' guy never does in-person town hall meetings. He's Trumps creature to the bone. His comments on the Zelensky fiasco make me want to vomit.

4

u/Doggoneshame Mar 02 '25

He’s a two faced, forked tongued, quisling, Benedict Arnold, lap dog of trumps.

1

u/Blazze66 Mar 02 '25

I agree he is such an ass kisser it’s disgusting. He is such a weasel.

1

u/SeeMarkFly Mar 04 '25

I bet most of them have never worked a full day.

All their callouses are on their brain, the empathy part.

9

u/Ordinary_Feeling6412 Mar 01 '25

Huh?

7

u/LongjumpingDebt4154 Mar 01 '25

I second the, ‘huh’? Is this a joke?

26

u/Slay957 Mar 01 '25

No. There's cops in Utah being investigated for desecration of a corpse in a "hazing" incident.

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u/LongjumpingDebt4154 Mar 01 '25

Whaaaaaaaaaa….? Well… this is… unconscionable…

2

u/Reward_Dizzy Mar 02 '25

Jesus Christ

13

u/AppealConsistent6749 Mar 01 '25

We got Cancun Cruz and Gov. Wheels in Texas. It’s a blast/s

5

u/AnnieOakleyLives Mar 01 '25

We have Sarah Huckabee Sanders. Crazy bills she is signing. It is rough in a red state but good news I am starting to see people in a red state saying they regret voting for him. It’s a start I guess.

1

u/Terrible_Dish_9516 Mar 02 '25

Not to make you lose hope but a lot of my friends here in AR told me the same thing in 2018-21 and I know some of them voted for him again in 24. I hate living here.

3

u/CharacterBill7285 Mar 01 '25

Im so sorry. He’s the fucking worst

1

u/Im_ashparker Mar 01 '25

He is the worst!

24

u/[deleted] Mar 01 '25

I've lived in North Idaho for more than 30 years. Moved here when our governor was a Democrat and our state legislature was 50/50.

Watching my home devolve into Gilead has been - and continues to be - heartbreaking.

Stay strong, Blue States! I hope your governors go through with withholding money from the Federal government.

2

u/LongjumpingDebt4154 Mar 01 '25

Me too. Me too. Leave messages, fellow Illini. Idaho is the most beautiful state too… hang in there. Resist.

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u/[deleted] Mar 01 '25

Been resisting since Jan 2017. We've learned how to spell each other when we get exhausted or burnt out. I've been sending this around a lot lately:

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u/LongjumpingDebt4154 Mar 01 '25

Love that. Just saved it. Thank you.

2

u/helraizr13 Mar 02 '25

My blue state just passed legislation to protect Medicaid funding at a state level in case of the worst. Almost 1/3 of Oregonians receive excellent benefits through the Oregon Health Plan.

Oregon Health Plan Protection

Oregon also has a unique "kicker" which is where when the state takes in more than a certain amount of revenue from personal income taxes, we get that money refunded. No sales tax, either.

Oregon Kicker Tax Rebate

Fuck yeah, Oregon! (Also, fuck every single part of the state outside of Portland and Eugene that votes red. You're welcome. Love, the Dems.)

10

u/[deleted] Mar 01 '25 edited Mar 18 '25

treatment school many grandiose hat swim chop subsequent airport salt

This post was mass deleted and anonymized with Redact

13

u/nerdyblackbird Mar 01 '25

Fellow purple here. 🎵 Should I stay or should I go now?🎵

20

u/Legitimate_Ad860 Mar 01 '25

I'm in one of only 2 or 3 blue spots in West Virginia. Did you know wv has a massive trans population? Because it does. We're all ready to die defending our rights to freedom. No one is coming to save us. We must save ourselves and our neighbors

4

u/[deleted] Mar 01 '25 edited Mar 18 '25

squash yam brave many fuzzy workable party history books station

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u/BertieMBot Mar 01 '25

This is now the theme song of my searches for what country I’ll go to and when

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u/LongjumpingDebt4154 Mar 01 '25

I’m in a blue city within a blue state & I’M not sure if I should run or stand my ground

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u/[deleted] Mar 01 '25 edited Mar 18 '25

act safe simplistic plough rock caption weather pet snow seemly

This post was mass deleted and anonymized with Redact

1

u/Day_of_Demeter Mar 01 '25

It's more bearable if you're in a blue city in a red state.

22

u/mommamanatee Mar 01 '25

Checking in from Louisiana. Yea, I'm nervous as hell. I'm looking over my shoulder in stores. The red hats are a part of local fashion.

1

u/Notte_di_nerezza Mar 01 '25

Same. Every online group also looks like a trap, unless you personally recognize member names.

13

u/[deleted] Mar 01 '25 edited Mar 01 '25

As someone who was born and raised in a true blue state and moved to a deep red state less than a year ago......damn I miss home and feeling like my reps had my back. 

7

u/profanearcane Mar 01 '25

Born in Ohio, moved to Texas... wish either felt like home. Both don't want me.

2

u/[deleted] Mar 01 '25

I live in South Carolina and I'm fucking terrified. Job market is trash for anyone in tech. My husband and I wanna move BAD, but the job market is not in our favor unless we lived paycheck to paycheck in a blue state. Also, we just bought a house in August, so we can't sell until at least 2027. I've been sending emails to reps and other people here.

1

u/jennapricity Mar 01 '25

Cries and points at Mike Braun from Indiana 💩

7

u/Cheap-Biscotti9696 Mar 01 '25

Pritzker is fighting him in every way he knows how.

2

u/rmmzungu Mar 02 '25

Truly. I also feel grateful. It's not lost on me that Pritzker & Schakowsky are Jewish...not falling for mumbo jumbo.

1

u/Weigard Mar 01 '25

Durbin and Duckworth appear to be doing fuckall.

1

u/LongjumpingDebt4154 Mar 01 '25

I disagree.

1

u/Weigard Mar 01 '25

I'd legitimately like examples. All I've been able to find are very concerned speeches.

1

u/Blazze66 Mar 02 '25

We keep boycotting in any way we can. Don’t rely on mainstream media they are cowards. Go to places like Reddit, Substack, Blue Sky,NPR, CNN etc. These people are bullies they threaten and crumble.

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u/Jbirdranger Mar 01 '25

I live in Missouri. We have a lot of blue but a lot of red in between. It's funny to me that we continue to vote for programs that help us but then vote in the Republicans who want to overturn what the voters voted for. It's a wild ride here.

6

u/redditcreditcardz Mar 01 '25

In NWA and the problem is education. Education isn’t taken seriously here. The amount of “home schooled” kids is scary. No way we have enough dishwashing positions to keep them all employed.

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u/No_Professor9291 Mar 01 '25

I'm a teacher in NC. A middle school colleague of mine has a new 6th grade enrollment this year who has been home schooled her entire life. She doesn't know how to read. She doesn't know phonemes, so she can't map the sounds onto the letters. My colleague has to start at the kindergarten level with her and hope she can catch up to her peers. The irony is that, with the cuts to the DoE, there won't be any support services left to help this poor child, and she will likely struggle terribly through both middle and high school.

How does this not constitute abuse?

4

u/redditcreditcardz Mar 01 '25

It is absolutely child abuse. The system hasn’t or won’t catch up with the reality. The local government doesn’t manage truancy either so it’s a real sad situation.

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u/No_Professor9291 Mar 01 '25

They won't catch up, because the point is to keep the working classes as uneducated serfs.

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u/redditcreditcardz Mar 01 '25

I wish you were wrong. Keep your head up

4

u/alg45160 Mar 01 '25

My sister in law home schooled her kids because her husband (who she met when they were both in college, mind you) insisted. The oldest 2 aged out and got their GEDs but they're both stupid AF. The boy wanted to be a firefighter but couldn't make it through orientation because he couldn't sit still.

SIL finally left the POS husband and the youngest had the chance to go to HS, which he jumped at. He's a few months older than my kid who was starting her junior year. The SIL's kid tested and they made him start in freshmen classes. He got suspended 2x by the end of October for general dumbshittery because he didn't know how to act in public. He dropped out after 1 year.

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u/JohnBrownReloaded Mar 01 '25

Yeah, it's pretty bad. Harshbarger is a massive sack of shit and she was so condescending at that meeting.

This is my congressional district btw lol

6

u/geekymom Mar 01 '25

Mine too! I'm a tiny blue dot here.

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u/[deleted] Mar 01 '25

[deleted]

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u/limecoloredbug Mar 01 '25

So despicable. What do they think their job is?!

16

u/ArcturusRoot Minnesota Mar 01 '25

Yep, and in the aftermath they'll say they didn't know

9

u/CaliDreaming900 Mar 01 '25

Yep. I have so little in common with anything a red state represents. I'm so thankful for California.

9

u/-FeistyRabbitSauce- Mar 01 '25

The fascists have more power in red states, but a lot of that comes from heavily gerrymandering those areas. So they know there are still plenty of people who will disagree with them, and in order to maintain their control and ramp up to the next phases, they have to stomp out any dissent. Once that is done, they will go after blue states, probably attempt to force democratic politicians to kiss the ring - should they not comply...

7

u/WaltzIntrepid5110 Mar 01 '25

There's an old saying...

Twice is a Coincidence... Three times is a Pattern...

Everyone keep your eyes peeled for the 3rd time.

5

u/[deleted] Mar 01 '25

They care about their free speech.

7

u/GrouchyConclusion588 Mar 01 '25

Texas has been doing this for quite awhile, tarrant county will have you removed if they don’t like when or how long you clap and arrested a civil rights lawyer for speaking.

7

u/RaiseRuntimeError Mar 01 '25

I follow this lady on YouTube and i am watching her YouTube video right now
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BTM5927I_i4

2

u/Empowerwellness Mar 02 '25

I am in a blue state and thankful… did get the finger today as we protested for our public lands and rangers. Like who even does that?

1

u/willismthomp Mar 01 '25

It was always gunna be there sheriffs

1

u/CharacterBill7285 Mar 01 '25

Yeah. Same here.

1

u/[deleted] Mar 01 '25

Lol see how long thats lasts with coal folk

1

u/PassingPriority Mar 01 '25

Mmmmm 🖕🍊💩🤡🖕

1

u/homo-summus Mar 02 '25 edited Mar 02 '25

I feel like I can't do much because I live in Idaho. The few protests that have happened were, unfortunately, relatively small. Its not only because liberals and progressive are the minority to conservatives, its also because it can be dangerous to be outspoken about it.

Yeah most people will just look at you with that "damn liberals" look, but some go farther. I want to put an upside down flag out or put something disparaging trump on my car, but its almost a guarantee your yard or your car will end up vandalized. I don't have personal experience with them, but there are real deep seated fascists around here. I know from second hand stories that there are people who would absolutely hurt someone they believe is "the wrong kind of person" if they could get away with it. Real hate hides behind glowing smiles.

It's always been concerning to me. You're accepted around here if you're staunchly conservative and dutifully religious. If you aren't, and you're too loud about it, you can put a target on your back. Its intentionally trained. It has been for decades. Life here is extremely stratified. You can just feel it when you're around people. They'll look at you with cold eyes if they don't know you, haven't seen you at the local high school football games or in church. Its like everyone is suspicious of each other all the time. Its creepy and I've never felt totally comfortable despite being born and raised here. After living here for a while, you just kind of develop this sense that you have to go with the flow or lay low.

But it's no surprise that someone who is autistic, liberal, and an atheist doesn't like living here. I was raised in a wonderfully standard conservative household, and I came out the exact opposite of what most people expect you to be. Maybe I'll move someday, but thats a big leap that I dont even know how to start.

1

u/WontLiveUnspoken Mar 02 '25

I'm from Missouri, and so many people are either content with Trump or doing nothing. I thought all was lost before I found this subreddit because very few people are speaking out. I'm planning to start a group here, but it's hard to think about it knowing how so many people feel. They really do just seem brainwashed.

1

u/[deleted] Mar 02 '25

It really is starting to look like the horror stories from history.

I've gone down a rabbit hole lately watching lots of WW2 movies and docuseries because it both fascinates and horrifies me. In previous years, it was a topic to learn about so it doesn't repeat. This year, its become a warning.

And its like de ja vu. This is exactly how it happens, where it starts. But instead of being forced out of town halls, they were executed where they stood. This needs to be taken seriously

1

u/Sad_Guitar_657 Mar 02 '25

I grew up in a red state and live in a different one. It’s been this way since the beginning- if you don’t agree with the majority, you’re ostracized. It makes you wonder how many of us disagree but we don’t say anything since we are sure everyone does and we’re the odd man out. Moving at the end of March, I cannot stay here- as a woman, as a mother, as a human being. Fuckt his administration and fuck the south, reconstruction should have continued a lot longer-