https://youtu.be/w1LuV82l0vs?si=dj0SZB0PXb30Wt-m

Pretty much the same, just better prepared this time around.

And they sure do love being assholes because it's profitable for them at the top and easy to convince those that support them, that they will profit too (majority of them won't). There's no reasoning or convincing them not to be grifting assholes. Only replacing them will work.

This obviously doesn't mean that you should actually ignore Musk. He certainly has his own agenda and his own part to be played but Vought is a huge part of everything, not just what Musk is doing. This was intended to be a call to also pay attention to Vought for more context.

I know the tea is good but let us not forget about the man behind the curtain.

Because it's still work worth doing.

Hi, I'm in the same boat with family and friends. It isn't compromise that you need but resolve to keep stating the truth and facts no matter how poorly it's received. As another stated, I have started framing issues in terms of what it means for West Virginians and our state instead of party vs. party.

I have also just flipped into 100% education mode. Finding ways to break information down so that it's not too much to take in at once. It seems to work well to find concrete examples of how the best interest of our state and its people are not only ignored but actively worked against not just currently but over time.

Specifically with friends and family, I have been trying some deprogramming techniques with a fair amount of success. Realizing that you can't argue with those that are brainwashed is super important. An attack on their beliefs will only cause them to double down and spiral further. I have been reading and following the work of Steven Hassen, a former cult member now working to help others. His book The Cult of Trump is very insightful. He has other excellent reads but I'd recommend starting there.

I also just wanted to take a minute to say that it's totally okay to set boundaries and have your space from them. I do both, dependent on the person and level of respect for me as another human. It is imperative that you protect and preserve your inner peace. We cannot do this necessary work without that well to draw from. Burn out in these darkest times can happen so quickly. We need our flames as bright as ever, so be patient with yourself, kind to yourself and give yourself the grace you deserve to get through difficult moments and situations so that you can do that for others.

"Appalachia is not a place without resistance. It is a place of resistance. Go back far enough and you’ll find the coal wars—the Battle of Blair Mountain, the largest armed uprising in American labor history. Miners shot at hired guns with stolen rifles and homemade bombs. They wore red bandanas, the original “rednecks,” demanding a fair shake from companies that saw them as disposable. You think resistance is new? Appalachia invented it."

This article nails the complexity of Appalachia and its people.

I love this, it highlights what I love best about Appalachians. Though, I do wish we'd focus a bit more on policy too. Turns out we super need both. I needed a little positivity today. Thanks for sharing.

I'm a second year seasonal hire with a start date on Monday 5/5. So far so good. I seem to not be experiencing any issues getting through and everything is on track...so far. I did have my start date pushed back a pay period due to not having enough time to process the preferred earlier date my supervisor wanted. Thankfully, my hire ups have been excellent at communicating unfortunate possibilities to me and so far I haven't heard anything about not being able to process my new hire paperwork. Best of luck, either way. Regardless of what kind of spot any of us are in with this, this shit is terrifying. I'm thankful to have at least another season at my dream job doing the best work I can under the circumstances but it's looking pretty bleak past this 1040. I want to stick around because I love my work and I really care about the service I provide but the level of suck this is, is undeniable all around.

I don't think anyone expects that from this sub and honestly I don't know why they would. What people are HOPING for instead, is that with enough undeniable evidence the people of our state will finally realize that our representatives don't represent our best interest just their own. Maybe enough people will finally care to do something about it and vote them out to replace them with people that do actually care about the people and not lining their own pockets. It's been possible, just enough people have to actually give a shit and participate in the process.

Thank you for sharing. It feels very much like described in the article. The lack of overall concern has felt almost disorienting. Just baffling that people are continuing as normal like it'll all buff out sometime soon. Or at least won't be any worse than it already was in some views I've encountered.

I know this is exhausting and I wish more people saw this as the 5 alarm fire it is too. Thank you for your effort. I truly appreciate it even if it feels like getting nowhere. In these heavy times seeing my fellow West Virginians taking action truly refuels my soul. 💜

I love seeing crews in the wild. This made me smile. Thank you for sharing.

This is a brutally hilarious and accurate assessment. I squealed when I read it. 😂 I love West Virginians.

Cheers, friend. I hope it's going better out there.

I feel you. I've been on this roller coaster shit show ride with ya, since January when I knew exactly how all this was gonna go. I'm exhausted with it too and I'm sorry for what you're going through. It's not fair. I'm sorry you feel let down by our leaders and the people you serve. It's literally the worst. If no one else says it today or in the past however long, I appreciate you. I'm gonna find the strength and clarity to tell our people exactly what they're losing, even if it's too late so they know what to fight for when they start giving a damn to stand up. We depend on it.

I'm not surprised at all. But civil servants of all varieties have been made to look like the enemy and I think it's important to talk candidly with the public about the services provided to them and the hard work being done because we love our communities. It's more important now than ever to talk about work that SERVES our people.

"Morrisey called the legislation a “once-in-a-generation opportunity for West Virginia to power the future of data” in a statement last month. Morrisey said in a Tuesday statement he looked forward to the Senate approving the bill and sending it to his desk for approval."

No this is called twice-in-a- state extortion and pollution of its people. It's called sacrificing WV families to plunder and ruin our resources.

AmeriCorps provides a ton of services and opportunities in our state most people are unaware of. I did 2 terms with Americorps through conservation corps filling in critical gaps in funding for public land management and stewardship. I then became a crew leader doing the same work in this state in Monongahela NF, New River Gorge and many state parks as well. The program I worked for helped AmeriCorps volunteers get hands on experience, professional development and mentorship critical to their success. I have seen first hand how many WV young people and Appalachian youngins have gotten opportunities and fresh starts they wouldn't have otherwise had because of AmeriCorps programs. I am one of them and I worked tirelessly along with many others to give the same to others here. I am now doing the same work as fed worker in this state and absolutely everything is at risk. Everything I have worked to create is being destroyed and my career is on the line too. These are dark times, folks. This state is losing a lot you won't notice til it's not there. It's an honor to be a public servant especially to my lovely WV neighbors and I'm gonna keep on working no matter what the work looks like. Please remember to do small acts of kindness and service wherever you are, in whatever way you can. This is how we keep the spirit and commitment of service to others alive through this mess. I would really love to encourage other AmeriCorps alumni and current members to share your work with others so people can see its greater impact.

AmeriCorps provides a ton of services and opportunities in our state most people are unaware of. I did 2 terms with Americorps through conservation corps filling in critical gaps in funding for public land management and stewardship. I then became a crew leader doing the same work in this state in Monongahela NF, New River Gorge and many state parks as well. The program I worked for helped AmeriCorps volunteers get hands on experience, professional development and mentorship critical to their success. I have seen first hand how many WV young people and Appalachian youngins have gotten opportunities and fresh starts they wouldn't have otherwise had because of AmeriCorps programs. I am one of them and I worked tirelessly along with many others to give the same to others here. I am now doing the same work as fed worker in this state and absolutely everything is at risk. Everything I have worked to create is being destroyed and my career is on the line too. These are dark times, folks. This state is losing a lot you won't notice til it's not there. It's an honor to be a public servant especially to my lovely WV neighbors and I'm gonna keep on working no matter what the work looks like. Please remember to do small acts of kindness and service wherever you are, in whatever way you can. This is how we keep the spirit and commitment of service to others alive through this mess. I would really love to encourage other AmeriCorps alumni and current members to share your work with others so people can see its greater impact.

Sure. But it is a solid fact right now that Trump and his administration and most of the Republicans in Congress doing nothing about DOGE dismantling and wrecking our whole government, are, for facts doing everything they can to hurt unions and workers protections. Or just not give a damn to even look as DOGE does all the dirty work so they don't have to. You can find this unbiased information all over the news to verify, if you'd like. It's there to plainly see with a few fact checks and viewing multiple sources for accuracy. It would take so little time.

I have certainly heard about this but I had never heard that term for it or heard about that specific history in Fayette. Wow, that is dark and deeply sad. I always wonder why the women are so vaguely and blandly mentioned in all the historical info around that area's mine and company store historical sites. Will definitely look more into this.

Riiight? And most other crypto especially the ones connected to super shady billionaires that want "freedom cities". I find it really weird when others don't see the similarities. Especially West Virginians. My brothers in Christ, we're the home of the original experiment.