Worked on Songs for Singing
I didn’t even mention the last couple of weeks that I have been doing some song writing. I was inspired by the insanity happening mostly in Southern California, especially in San Diego where a group of folks chanted “Shame! Shame! Shame!” at retreating ICE agents.
Find one of the things I recently made here:
https://solomoneverta.com/now-is-the-time/
I also discovered an old song I wrote twenty years ago and polished it up. It’s pretty good, but maybe it hits hard for me because I know all the back story. At some point The Slightest Rainbow will make it into a Songs for Singing zine.
Attended Agenda Review Group (ARG!)
I wasn’t the bottom liner this time, but I was fully engaged and still have a leadership role in the group. We talked a bit about the Humboldt Solidarity Coalition, the Civil Grand Jury, the Sheriff, and I heard myself articulating my methodology of social change. A refined version goes something like this:
The things I help create give people the opportunity to practice engagement.
Agenda Review Group is practice reading agendas, planning to speak at a meeting, composing a letter to the editor or government representative, and (maybe most importantly) thinking about an issue and explaining it to someone else.
The Humboldt Solidarity Coalition is practice making a pitch for your group by keeping it short and engaging. And it’s practice talking with (building community with) other antifascists.
Solidarity Study Group is practice thinking about historical documents and talking about how the complex ideas you come across in written works affect your perspective on how to make a better world. And maybe you might even practicehow to relay the lessons learned from history to engage others in the work.
“We’re talking about practice.” — Ted Lasso
https://youtu.be/_UMIcM66S1M?si=xyqh1kAYyAabJ-2A
Atttended Chamber of Commerce New Member Orientation
Learned about how to maximize my investment in a Chamber membership. I’m hoping that my employees can have some professional development here. Also setting my expectations low that I can be a voice of reason in a “capitalism is the only way to make the world better” type of environment.
Attended Another Top Secret Meeting
Sometimes projects shouldn’t be talked about until you open the new location.
Played Games Again
Is co-creating fantasy worlds doing the work? Sure! It may be fun but I also learn about group dynamics and the challenges of scheduling with a group of eight.
Made Book Collections House Calls
I won’t go into all the details of running a bookshop which is what takes the majority of my time, but I did make another housecall. These folks were retired and moving to Portugal. Yet another fleeing American…
Hosted Solidarity Study Group
This week we discussed Dean Spade’s Mutual Aid. It’s timely. That’s for sure!
Attended Centro del Pueblo’s Know Your Rights Public Assembly
While I was inspired by the real on the ground organizing happening in Centro del Pueblo, I feel distant from that work. I am inspired to find ways to connect our work.
Before the assembly on the Arcata plaza I went to Northtown Books where Centro was releasing their publication La Semilla, featuring many voices from their youth council.
I found the speakers touching, from the heart, and ultimately inspirational. I look forward to all they are doing, including opening an office in Eureka at 3008 Broadway.
Baked a Big Bunch of Bread!!
My sweetheart’s mom’s memorial was on Saturday. I was baking bread while the big No Kings protest could be heard walking past the end of the alley.
What I’m Listening To
The Daily from the New York Times
As part of the series on “Modern Love” this episode featured an interview with Mireille Silcoff who recently wrote an article for The New York Times Magazine titled “Why Gen X Women Are Having the Best Sex.” I found myself recognizing a bit of what was shared in the lives of the women around me and in my own life. Quite often, I fell into patterns usually described as things that happen to women. I have been told that my expression of masculinity is unique. Don’t get me wrong — I’ve got plenty of traditional masculine tendencies, but also have some freedom to adopt some traditional feminine roles, including some which are unhelpful to me. Talking about gender is always revealing.
The Daily from the New York Times (again)
“In this episode, the editorial director David Leonhardt and the Opinion columnist M. Gessen discuss the very human inclination to try to return to normal life in the midst of a serious crisis.”
I found Gessen’s clear eyed view of what’s happening in the U.S. (based on their years reporting in Russia) enlightening, especially the push back Gessen gave to the host who comes from a pretty centrist Democrat perspective.
https://youtu.be/0lEA36tB7J0?si=eUe6QT_r48D44ING
The Mutual Aid Learning Series
The first video is with Dean Spade. This was in preparation for Solidarity Study Group on Wednesday night. I listened instead of watched which worked fine.
https://www.shareable.net/mutual-aid-101-learning-series/
The Fascism Barometer
Every time I start listening to this podcast I am surprised at how engaging it is. The interviews help me feel like anyone (even me!) can take some responsibility to resist fascism. Even better, they help me feel like we can win.
This week’s guest Linda Sarsour helped me see how fighting for Palestinian liberation is not a single issue. Rather, it is a single issue that highlights all the challenges that people have in the struggle for collective liberation. The talk is mostly about the overarching solidarity that the world needs — that’s my jam!
https://www.fascismbarometer.org/podcast-episodes/episode-12-linda
The Daily from the New York Times (yet again)
This 20 minute explanation of a single technical issue that has reverberations throughout the world is what the daily does well. This time they talk about China’s grip on rare earth minerals and the different ways countries respond (spoiler alert: the U.S. keeps flubbing it). You can listen on podcast or YouTube.
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/06/10/podcasts/the-daily/rare-earth-metals-china-trade-us.html
Raging Moderates
Many months ago I got excited by Scott Galloway’s viral TED Talk which did a great job of pointing out so many problems with our economic and social systems. He presented clear attainable goals and even methods for achieving them as a country. For awhile I used him as a filter to hear a rather mainstream (but reasonable) view of current events in economics, technology, and politics via his variety of podcasts. He partners with smart people to get across an — again — reasonable centrist Democratic Party liberal line. I got tired of his disregard for genocide and outright vitriol directed at people who stand up against it. So, I listen only occasionally.
The most current episode (which I can’t find a link to specifically) is titled “Are Protestors Playing Into Trump’s Hands?” so I knew I could get some moral superiority and supposed tactical insight for movement strategy from the episode. I was not disappointed. Sometimes it is beneficial to hear a good argument you disagree with so you can decide how to respond or decide not to respond when it comes at you locally. Nothing new or unexpected here.
I found a latter discussion about how to build a better alternative interesting, including a moment where Galloway suggests a flat tax of 24% starting with earners who make $80K/year and we can be done with deficits. That’s the type of thinking that is fun to hear here. Also the idea of the US fracturing into separate countries was interesting. Galloway noted California pays more into the federal government than we get back in federal services, so California can just keep the $80 billion plus in surplus and have the homeless problem solved.
https://podcasts.voxmedia.com/show/raging-moderates
Heather Cox Richardson has a conversation with Pete Buttigieg
On her regular Letters from an American feed Richardson uploaded this conversation about what’s going on. Buttigieg is his clear eyed, reasonable, well-spoken self. If I was a Democrat, I would mistakenly pin my hopes on him now that Bernie has been removed from the picture twice. Anyway, nothing new here, but interesting nonetheless.
Fifteen Minutes of Fascism
Always a great rundown of what the fascists are up to.
The Daily with California Governor Gavin Newsome on the L.A. Protests
This is helpful for me in understanding the present moment. Also watched his press conference on Thursday June 12th after the court ruled in California’s favor. Subsequently, there was a stay on the order until the case can be heard, so maybe it wasn’t such a win. In any case, this will all be old news when this summary is being read.
The Daily talks with Helene Cooper about the Trump Military Parade
I won’t link to the Daily again, but I did find this conversation more enlightening than I expected. Just understanding the history of how this parade came about was interesting.
Novaro FM: How to Redistribute the Globe w/ Jo Guidi
Novaro Media gives me a refreshingly British Leftist view on things. I find their conversations often overly theoretical, but sometimes that’s what I’m in the mood for. This one fits right there, but also presents a thesis that I’ve held for awhile — to understand history, understand events as a struggle for land. It may seem self-evident, but Guidi really digs into it and demarcates an era from 1881 to 1975 which aligns with something else that I hold as important but not talked about enough — that the early 1970s were a particular historical conjuncture. But then again, maybe once I start looking for it, my theory can find justification and “evidence” everywhere. What do they call that? Confirmation bias?
In any case, I would love to talk with friends about this.
https://novaramedia.com/2025/06/13/how-to-redistribute-the-globe/
What I’m Reading
Democracy in Chains by Nancy MacLean
This is in preparation for the July 16th Solidarity Study Group. Though first published in 2017, this is historical in nature. It’s the story of a specific plan for the political far right to overthrow the United States in reaction to progressive ideas since the late 1800s.
Got a bit further in and it doesn’t disappoint. Look forward to discussing this with folks.
Rebecca Solnit on June 9th 2025
Always right on. Interestingly, Solnit disappeared on Facebook after she posted this article. Subscribe to her directly here:
Fox News Website
I thought it would be interesting to see what the news was like the day after huge No Kings Protests, the assasination of a member of a State Representative Body along with her husband at home, the attempted assasination of another and his spouse, and the ridiculous military parade by the President. My suspicions were confirmed and maybe I have a little more understanding of how people buy into this fascist nonsense.
More thoughts on the big No Kings protests next week.
Cheers!
Solomon Everta 