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WARNING: THIS POST HAS CONTENT THAT MAY BE DISTURBING TO SOME READERS. VIEWER DISCRETION IS ADVISED!
THIS IS A DUPLICATE POST THAT HAS ONLY THE MOST RELEVANT QUOTES IN THE SERIES OF 'UPDATES' FROM MY BLOG POST TITLED, "I AM NO LONGER BEING AN ACTIVIST IN THE SAME WAY THAT I WAS," WHICH CAN BE SEEN IN THE POST NO. 149 BELOW THIS ONE
I Am No Longer Being An Activist
In The Same Way That I Was, Part 2
Due to being stressed out—and until further notice—I am no longer being an 'Online Activist' in the same way that I was before, which includes no longer signing petitions from political, social, environmental and charitable organizations, as well as no longer making donations to political, social, environmental and charitable causes the same way that I was in the past. (The reader should know that I am HIV-positive with full-blown AIDS.) And so, I am consciously choosing to not engage in any 'activism,' however, I am still planning to exercise my 'civic duty' by voting in upcoming elections.
Below, please find relevant quotes from a series of 'updates' that highlight the most important changes to my current activism, which are titled as follows:
▪ [A Quote From My] March 7th, 2017 Update
▪ [A Quote From My] November 5th, 2018 Update
▪ [A Quote From My] September 16th, 2021 Update
▪ [A Quote From My] November 10th, 2021 Update, Written On November 11th, 2021
▪ [A Quote From My] March 13th, 2022 Update
▪ [A Quote From My] March 16th, 2022 Update
▪ [A Quote From My] March 17th, 2022 Update, Which Also Discusses March 16th, 2022
▪ [A Quote From My] April 3rd, 2022 Update
▪ [A Quote From My] April 12th, 2022 Update
▪ [A Quote From My] April 17th, 2022 Update
▪ [A Quote From My] April 17th, 2022 Update—Continued
▪ [A Quote From My] April 17th, 2022 Update—Continued Further, Written On June 17th, 2022
▪ [A Quote From My] June 17th, 2022 Update
▪ [A Quote From My] July 7th, 2022 Update, Written On July 11th, 2022
▪ [A Quote From My] July 7th, 2022 Update, Written On July 11th, 2022 (Follow-Up No. 1, Written On July 27th, 2022)
▪ [A Quote From My] April 17th, 2023 Update
▪ [A Quote From My] April 17th, 2023 Update—Continued
▪ [A Quote From My] November 6th, 2024 Update No. 1
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[A Quote From My] March 7th, 2017 Update: "This update is a follow-up to my 'November 2nd, 2016 Update,' where I explained, in part, that I am no longer being an 'Online Activist' in the same way that I was before, which includes no longer signing petitions from political, social, environmental and charitable organizations, as well as no longer making donations to political, social, environmental and charitable causes the same way that I was in the past. I wanted to clarify the fact that I do still donate to homeless folks where I live, as a way of giving 'alms to the poor.' And I also donate to charitable organizations that are fundraising through local stores at which I shop, as well as to charities that may be fundraising on the street. Besides that, I also sometimes donate to charities that send me 'free gifts enclosed' (such as calendars, greeting cards, key chains, etc.) when they are asking for a donation. Thus, I occasionally utilize one of those 'free gifts enclosed,' and so I send them a donation if I do!"
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[A Quote From My] November 5th, 2018 Update: "I wanted to explain to you the way that I have changed how I vote! And, in order to explain how I changed, please let me quote myself—specifically from my July 1st, 2012 post titled, 'For the Year 2012 — My Posting Sabbatical, Part 2,' which is published on my 'Small All White in the Forest' and 'Poet, Artist and Philosopher' blogs:
My Writing About How I Vote: When I vote, I typically consider the recommendations of various organizations, news publications, as well as election 'political mailers' and, then, I decide whose recommendations for, or against, each candidate or ballot measure make the most sense. Plus, I usually always vote for Democrats. And that's how democracy rolls in this house! –Paul Whiting (written October 28th, 2012 and revised November 8th, 2022)
Now, that quote still applies to how I vote; however, in 2018, I decided to not just read voter recommendations of 'various organizations, news publications, as well as election 'political mailers.'' Instead, I read news publications during the entire year. And, in that way, I can be a more informed voter, as well as a more informed citizen, throughout the year! And, thusly, when it comes to voting on Election Day, I have spent the entire year preparing to vote and have not been preparing only when it's time to vote. And, just to clarify, for some publications, I still only read their voter recommendation editions when I am preparing to vote."
[A Quote From My] September 16th, 2021 Update: "I wanted to let you know that I have started subscribing to news organizations, which I can afford given my monthly spending budget (the reader should know that I am HIV-positive and that I have full-blown AIDS; plus, I am on Social Security Disability Insurance, or SSDI, so my income is quite limited), since I have a smart phone again, after years of only having a feature phone.
So, I subscribe to the news organizations whose news articles I read the most, based upon Google news searches that I do in order to keep up with the news! Thus, I scan the titles of the most popular articles and then I read the articles that I feel are the most relevant.
And I am reading news organizations' articles during the entire year, so that I can be a more informed voter, as well as a more informed citizen, which is how I am being an activist these days along with how I spend my money.
You see, I figured out that 'putting my money where my mouth is'—in terms of being a 'Conscious Consumer,' who is aware of how my spending habits affect the entire planet and all of its inhabitants—is the best way for me to be an activist, in addition to keeping up with the news and making sure that I vote!"
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[A Quote From My] November 10th, 2021 Update, Written On November 11th, 2021: "I signed up on Charity Navigator to make donations for holidays, special occasions, or current issues, to highly-rated charities..."
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[A Quote From My] March 13th, 2022 Update: "I have started donating to Democrats on a regular basis again, because I recently signed a petition regarding saving the United States Postal Service and then I made a political donation! And that's basically the first political petition that I have signed and/or political donation that I have made since around November of 2016.
You see, I am a 'Democratic Activist!' And I think that the Republicans know who I am—and they DO NOT like me—which is basically why I stopped signing political petitions and/or making political donations right before the November 2016 Election, when I created this 'I Am No Longer Being An Activist In The Same Way That I Was' post on my 'Poet, Artist and Philosopher' blog.
Thus, I was afraid that the Republicans might retaliate against me in some way, depending upon what type of activism I was engaged in, if they were in control of both Congress and the White House. And I also feared that once the Republicans won Congress and the White House that they would try to turn America into an oligarchy!
And, after the January 6th, 2021 Capitol Attack, my fears were confirmed. [Or, it was the January 6th, *1776* 'normal tourist group'; or, the insurrectionists that attacked the Capitol Complex—in order to stop the certification of Joe Biden's win—were really 'Antifa' protestors; or, they were Black Lives Matter protestors; or, they were paid actors and actresses; or, in all actuality, they were incited by ('Gasp!') the FBI. Regardless, however, it was clearly 'a false flag operation' designed to make President Donald J. Trump 'look bad'—like he needs any assistance doing that!]
Therefore, I am trying to stay informed about what is happening in politics again, especially due to the upcoming 2022 Midterm Elections. So, I am trying to help Democrats win, because I am greatly concerned about the Republicans retaking both the House and Senate of Congress, and eventually retaking the White House, since Republicans are acting like Radical Christian Terrorists!"
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[A Quote From My] March 16th, 2022 Update: "I made charitable donations today, March 16th, 2022, to multiple charitable organizations via Charity Navigator for the 'Crisis in Ukraine' after I watched three videos on YouTube titled, 'Zelenskyy: Peace Talks Between Ukraine And Russia 'Sound More Realistic'' and 'Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy delivers virtual address to the U.S. Congress — 3/16/22,' in addition to 'Ukrainian President Zelenskyy Calls For Assistance In Virtual Address to Congress.' For, I am greatly concerned about this act of war against Ukraine!"
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[A Quote From My] March 17th, 2022 Update, Which Also Discusses March 16th, 2022: "I made a donation today, March 17th, 2022, as well as yesterday, March 16th, 2022, to the USO (United Service Organizations). You see, I received a text message yesterday, March 16th, 2022, from the USO, which stated the following:
USO: Sorry to interrupt, but as war unfolds in Ukraine, thousands of U.S. troops are deployed in Eastern Europe to support NATO allies.
We still need 76?2+ more Americans to sign our card by midnight to thank them for their sacrifices -- and your name is missing. Will you sign now?***
And so, I filled out that survey yesterday, March 16th, 2022, and then I made a one-time donation to the USO via Charity Navigator as part of the charitable donations that I made yesterday for the 'Crisis in Ukraine,' which I explained in my 'March 16th, 2022 Update.'
And then today, March 17th, 2022, I received an email from the USO with the subject line, 'TAKE THE QUIZ: How many military terms do you know?', which stated the following:
HOW WELL DO YOU KNOW YOUR MILITARY LINGO?
TAKE THE QUIZ »***
Paul: From the National Guard to the Marines, each branch of our military uses different phrases to quickly pass important information to their fellow service members.
We know you're a dedicated patriot, so this quiz is perfect for you. Have some fun testing yourself on how well you understand the jargon our troops are using every day!
Take our 60-second quiz to test your knowledge of all kinds of military words and phrases.
TAKE THE QUIZ »***
Good luck!
The USO
***[I used to include hyperlinks contained within the email messages, or the text messages, to which I am referring in these "Activism Updates"; however, I could not figure out how to include the aforementioned hyperlinks, regarding some relevant action that I had taken—such as signing a petition, sending a letter or message to my representative(s) in Congress, signing a USO 'Thank You' card, and/or making a donation—without including my personal information.]
And so, after I took the quiz, I made a one-time donation on the USO.org website. Plus, I also included a monthly donation in order to show my support for our U.S. Military Personnel..."
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[A Quote From My] April 3rd, 2022 Update: "I keep changing the way that I donate to Democratic political organizations based upon three basic factors: Factor Number One, I am trying to stay within some kind of 'monthly donating budget' of how much I can give within each month (the reader should know that I am HIV-positive and that I have full-blown AIDS; plus, I am on Social Security Disability Insurance, or SSDI, so my income is quite limited); Factor Number Two, I am trying to donate as often as I can manage for each Democratic organization from which I am receiving emails and/or text messages (since I decided to start getting emails and/or text messages from the Democrats in order to keep up with all of the updates for the 2022 Midterm Elections); and Factor Number Three, I am donating on a monthly basis to the USO (United Service Organizations), which starts this month, April 2022, and so I am also including those donations in my 'monthly donating budget.' Therefore, I am hopefully helping the Democrats to win this November in order to prevent Republicans from controlling both Congress and the White House, because I fear that the Republicans will try to turn America into an oligarchy!"
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[A Quote From My] April 12th, 2022 Update: "I am donating to Democratic political organizations—while still trying to stay within a 'monthly donating budget'—so I am basically making one donation per organization per day from which I am receiving emails and/or text messages each day..."
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[A Quote From My] April 17th, 2022 Update: "...This update is a follow-up to my 'March 17th, 2022 Update, Which Also Discusses March 16th, 2022,' where I explained, in part, that I made a donation on March 17th, 2022, to the USO (United Service Organizations) on the USO.org website. And with that one-time donation, I included a recurring monthly donation in order to show my support for our U.S. Military Personnel. Thus, that recurring monthly donation started today, April 17th, 2022..."
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[A Quote From My] April 17th, 2022 Update—Continued: "I have started making recurring monthly donations today, April 17th, 2022, to Democratic political organizations. And my plan is to let these recurring donations on the 17th of each month be the donations that I make for that day of each month, since I am making one donation per Democratic political organization per day from which I am receiving emails and/or text messages each day—while I am still trying to stay within a 'monthly donating budget'—which is all that I can afford given my monthly spending budget..."
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[A Quote From My] April 17th, 2022 Update—Continued Further, Written On June 17th, 2022: "I explained on my 'April 17th, 2022 Update—Continued' that I started making recurring monthly donations on April 17th, 2022, to Democratic political organizations via ActBlue.com**; however, I deleted my ActBlue account on June 11th, 2022.
You see, I think that my ActBlue account was compromised because, on June 8th, 2022, I attempted to make a $1.15 donation to the Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee (DLCC), plus I included an $0.11 tip for ActBlue, but when the payment processed, it was for $1,000.11! And that is why I deleted my ActBlue account on June 11th, 2022. Please see my 'June 11th, 2022 Update,' which can be found below for a detailed explanation.
**[I deleted my ActBlue account! Although, I am still processing payments through the ActBlue website (they seem to be the main donation processing website for most Democratic political organizations and many progressive organizations); however, since I deleted my ActBlue account I have noticed that there are more options for making contributions via ActBlue, but by utilizing different payment processors, such as Google Pay, PayPal and Venmo. Please see my 'June 11th, 2022 Update' for a detailed explanation.]..."
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[A Quote From My] June 17th, 2022 Update: "This update is a follow-up to my 'April 17th, 2022 Update—Continued Further, Written On June 17th, 2022,' where I explained that I deleted my ActBlue account on June 11th, 2022. ... So, I have restarted making recurring monthly donations today, June 17th, 2022, to Democratic political organizations. Therefore, my plan is to make regular donations to the various Democratic political organizations from which I am receiving emails and/or text messages each day—while I am still trying to stay within a 'monthly donating budget'—which is all that I can afford given my monthly spending budget..."
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[A Quote From My] July 7th, 2022 Update, Written On July 11th, 2022: "I have made approximately $[redacted] in total donations to Democratic political organizations and to various Democratic political campaigns from about March 2nd, 2022 through about July 5th, 2022.
And, as of July 7th, 2022, the total amount that I owe on my credit card is $[redacted], which is going to take me at least one year and eight months to pay off!
Plus, I am also making recurring donations to the main Democratic fundraising and coordinating political organizations of $3.00 on the 17th of each month: and my plan is to continue donating those recurring donations indefinitely, since that is all that I can really afford to donate given my monthly spending budget...
...In addition to that, I already make a recurring monthly donation to the USO in order to show my support for our U.S. Military Personnel...
...Thus, the total for the main Democratic fundraising and coordinating political organizations recurring donations, and for the USO recurring donation, is $46.00 per month (which used to be $41.00 per month, but I increased my monthly USO donation from $5.00 to $10.00 per month, so starting on August 17th, 2022 the total monthly donations are now $46.00 per month).
Therefore, I am continuing to make recurring monthly donations to the main Democratic fundraising and coordinating political organizations...and to the USO; however, that is all I can afford to donate for the foreseeable future (with the exception of occasional one-time donations to the USO, plus various progressive organizations), given how much I went over my spending budget on political donations...
...And, as I mentioned above, the total amount that I owe on my credit card, as of July 7th, 2022, is $[redacted], which is going to take me at least one year and eight months to pay off as I have calculated, which I have estimated without any interest being calculated, and without any additional future charges, besides the above-mentioned monthly recurring donations.
So, this political donation information is why I wanted to update you with regard to my most recent donations to Democratic political organizations—as well as to Democratic political campaigns—and my planned recurring monthly donations to the main Democratic fundraising and coordinating political organizations recurring donations, as well as to the USO.
And I am still making one-time donations to the USO—as often as I can manage when they request a donation via email or text message, in addition to making the aforementioned recurring monthly donation. Plus, I am also still making one-time donations to various progressive organizations."
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[A Quote From My] July 7th, 2022 Update, Written On July 11th, 2022 (Follow-Up No. 1, Written On July 27th, 2022): "This update is a follow-up to my 'July 7th, 2022 Update, Written On July 11th, 2022' and it is kind of complicated!
You see, my monthly donations of $3.00 each to the main Democratic fundraising and coordinating political organizations processed on July 17th, 2022...
...And then, today July 27th, 2022, I also made one-time donations to Democratic political campaigns of $3.00 each for the most competitive races (of which I am aware) regarding Democratic House of Representatives and Senate seats. In addition to that, I made one-time donations of $3.00 each to the most competitive races (of which I am aware) regarding Democratic gubernatorial—or governor's—seats. Plus, I made an additional one-time donation to my local Democratic Party of Oregon.
Now, here is where my 'July 7th, 2022 Update, Written On July 11th, 2022 (Follow-Up No. 1, Written On July 27th, 2022)' gets complicated: Earlier, I said that I was going to only 'make recurring monthly donations to the main Democratic fundraising and coordinating political organizations...and to the USO...with the exception of occasional one-time donations to the USO, plus various progressive organizations,' which is what I have done, so far!
However, I decided that I needed to 'up my game' and to continue making donations to individual Democratic political campaigns, but I am planning to only donate to them once per month, on the 27th of each month, until election day. Thus, I am donating each month—and I am donating $3.00 per campaign, just like I am donating to each of the main Democratic fundraising and coordinating organizations—and that way I am donating to help Democrats win in November, in a way that is affordable to me, for the 2022 Midterm Elections."
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[A Quote From My] April 17th, 2023 Update: "This update is a follow-up to my 'April 17th, 2022 Update,' where I explained, in part, the following:
'...This update is a follow-up to my 'March 17th, 2022 Update, Which Also Discusses March 16th, 2022,' where I explained, in part, that I made a donation on March 17th, 2022, to the USO (United Service Organizations) on the USO.org website. And with that one-time donation, I included a recurring monthly donation in order to show my support for our U.S. Military Personnel. Thus, that recurring monthly donation started today, April 17th, 2022...'
Plus, this update is a follow-up to my 'July 7th, 2022 Update, Written On July 11th, 2022,' where I explained, in part, the following:
'...In addition to that, I already make a recurring monthly donation to the USO in order to show my support for our U.S. Military Personnel:
01. USO: United Service Organizations recurring donation of $10.00 (which used to be $5.00 per month, but I increased it by an additional $5.00 per month; so starting on August 17th, 2022, the USO recurring donation is now $10.00 per month)...'
Therefore, today, April 17th, 2023, is the first full year that I have made a recurring monthly donation to the USO!
In addition to that, I usually make one-time donations to the USO each month—as often as I can manage when they request a donation via email or text message—in order to show my support for our U.S. Military Personnel! Therefore, I am planning to continue making one-time donations to the USO in the future, as often as I can manage to make donations, in addition to making the aforementioned recurring monthly donation.
By the way, did you know that the USO is a not-for-profit organization and not part of the Department of Defense (DoD)? The following description of the USO is from their 'About Us' webpage:
"The USO is not part of the federal government. A congressionally chartered, private organization, the USO relies on the generosity of individuals, organizations and corporations to support its activities, and is powered by a family of volunteers to accomplish our mission of connection."
So, that is why I 'volunteer financially' as a member of the "USO Home Team" through a recurring monthly donation, as well as through one-time donations to the USO each month!"
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[A Quote From My] April 17th, 2023 Update—Continued: "This update is a follow-up to my 'April 17th, 2022 Update—Continued,' where I explained, in part, the following:
'I have started making recurring monthly donations today, April 17th, 2022, to Democratic political organizations...
...And so, here are the Democratic political organizations to which I am making these recurring monthly donations via ActBlue.com** (although, I did not include a tip for ActBlue on these donations, which I usually do, due to the fact that the 'tip box' did not appear, because I made these donations through ActBlue Express):
01. DCCC: Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee
02. DGA: Democratic Governors Association
03. DNC: Democratic National Committee
04. DSCC: Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee
05. NCDM: National Conference of Democratic Mayors
06. DLCC: Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee
07. DAGA: Democratic Attorneys General Association
08. DASS: Democratic Association of Secretaries of State
09. NDCO: National Democratic County Officials
10. DMO: Democratic Municipal Officials
11. NDRC: National Democratic Redistricting Committee
12. DPO: Democratic Party of Oregon...'
Plus, this update is a follow-up to my 'April 17th, 2022 Update—Continued Further, Written On June 17th, 2022,' where I explained, in part, the following:
'I explained on my 'April 17th, 2022 Update—Continued' that I started making recurring monthly donations on April 17th, 2022, to Democratic political organizations via ActBlue.com**; however, I deleted my ActBlue account on June 11th, 2022.
You see, I think that my ActBlue account was compromised because, on June 8th, 2022, I attempted to make a $1.15 donation to the Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee (DLCC), plus I included an $0.11 tip for ActBlue, but when the payment processed, it was for $1,000.11! And that is why I deleted my ActBlue account on June 11th, 2022. Please see my 'June 11th, 2022 Update' for a detailed explanation...'
Besides that, this update is a follow-up to my 'June 17th, 2022 Update,' where I explained, in part, the following:
'This update is a follow-up to my 'April 17th, 2022 Update—Continued Further, Written On June 17th, 2022,' where I explained that I deleted my ActBlue account on June 11th, 2022...
...So, I have restarted making recurring monthly donations today, June 17th, 2022, to Democratic political organizations...
...And so, here are the Democratic political organizations to which I am making recurring monthly donations via ActBlue.com** [although, because I no longer have an ActBlue account—since I deleted it, due to the fact that I think the account was compromised—I am still donating through the ActBlue website (they seem to be the main donation processing website for most Democratic political organizations and many progressive organizations), but I am donating for some of these recurring donations through other payment processors, such as Google Pay]:
01. DCCC: Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee
02. DGA: Democratic Governors Association
03. DNC: Democratic National Committee
04. DSCC: Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee
05. NCDM: National Conference of Democratic Mayors
06. DLCC: Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee
07. DAGA: Democratic Attorneys General Association
08. DASS: Democratic Association of Secretaries of State
09. NDCO: National Democratic County Officials
10. DMO: Democratic Municipal Officials
11. NDRC: National Democratic Redistricting Committee
12. DPO: Democratic Party of Oregon...'
In addition to that, this update is a follow-up to my 'July 7th, 2022 Update, Written On July 11th, 2022,' where I explained, in part, the following:
'...I am also making recurring donations to the main Democratic fundraising and coordinating political organizations of $3.00 on the 17th of each month: and my plan is to continue donating those recurring donations indefinitely, since that is all that I can really afford to donate given my monthly spending budget. (The reader should know that I am HIV-positive with full-blown AIDS. And I am on Social Security Disability Insurance, or SSDI, so my income is quite limited.)
And so, here are the Democratic political organizations to which I am making recurring monthly donations via ActBlue.com**...:
01. DCCC: Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee recurring donation of $3.00
02. DGA: Democratic Governors Association recurring donation of $3.00
03. DNC: Democratic National Committee recurring donation of $3.00
04. DSCC: Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee recurring donation of $3.00
05. NCDM: National Conference of Democratic Mayors recurring donation of $3.00
06. DLCC: Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee recurring donation of $3.00
07. DAGA: Democratic Attorneys General Association recurring donation of $3.00
08. DASS: Democratic Association of Secretaries of State recurring donation of $3.00
09. NDCO: National Democratic County Officials recurring donation of $3.00
10. DMO: Democratic Municipal Officials recurring donation of $3.00
11. NDRC: National Democratic Redistricting Committee recurring donation of $3.00
12. DPO: Democratic Party of Oregon recurring donation of $3.00
Total Democratic Organizations Monthly Recurring Donations: $36.00...'
**[I deleted my ActBlue account! Although, I am still processing payments through the ActBlue website, since they seem to be the main donation processing website for most Democratic political organizations and many progressive organizations. Please see my 'June 11th, 2022 Update' on my blog post "I Am No Longer Being An Activist In The Same Way That I Was," which can be found on my "Poet, Artist and Philosopher" blog, for a detailed explanation.]
Thus, April 17th, 2023 is the anniversary of the first year that I have made recurring monthly donations to the main Democratic fundraising and coordinating political organizations! Plus, this past year is the first time that I have donated to Democratic political organizations when it isn't an election year; however, I decided to change the way that I am donating to Democrats, so that I am helping their fundraising and coordinating operations throughout the year and not just during election years.
And I have just gotta say how incredibly nice it is to be able to make recurring monthly donations to Democratic political organizations—because the payments process automatically each month—and I don't have to do one extra thing in order to help fund the operations of the main Democratic fundraising and coordinating political organizations throughout the year!"
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[A Quote From My] November 6th, 2024 Update No. 1: "Due to Donald Trump winning the 2024 Presidential Election—and until further notice—I am no longer being an 'Online Activist' in the same way that I was before, which includes no longer signing petitions from political, social, environmental and charitable organizations, as well as no longer making donations to political, social, environmental and charitable causes. Full stop. In fact, I am cancelling all of my monthly political donations to the main Democratic fundraising and coordinating organizations, as well as to the USO (United Service Organizations), because I am absolutely terrified of this second Trump administration. And I fully expect that democracy in America as we know will be over! So, I am choosing to not engage in any 'activism'—plus, I am not even sure that I will be exercising my 'civic duty' by voting in any upcoming elections because, as a donating and voting Democrat, I totally fear the retribution of President Donald Trump."
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Above, please find relevant quotes from a series of 'updates' that highlight the most important changes to my current activism, which are titled as follows:
▪ [A Quote From My] March 7th, 2017 Update
▪ [A Quote From My] November 5th, 2018 Update
▪ [A Quote From My] September 16th, 2021 Update
▪ [A Quote From My] November 10th, 2021 Update, Written On November 11th, 2021
▪ [A Quote From My] March 13th, 2022 Update
▪ [A Quote From My] March 16th, 2022 Update
▪ [A Quote From My] March 17th, 2022 Update, Which Also Discusses March 16th, 2022
▪ [A Quote From My] April 3rd, 2022 Update
▪ [A Quote From My] April 12th, 2022 Update
▪ [A Quote From My] April 17th, 2022 Update
▪ [A Quote From My] April 17th, 2022 Update—Continued
▪ [A Quote From My] April 17th, 2022 Update—Continued Further, Written On June 17th, 2022
▪ [A Quote From My] June 17th, 2022 Update
▪ [A Quote From My] July 7th, 2022 Update, Written On July 11th, 2022
▪ [A Quote From My] July 7th, 2022 Update, Written On July 11th, 2022 (Follow-Up No. 1, Written On July 27th, 2022)
▪ [A Quote From My] April 17th, 2023 Update
▪ [A Quote From My] April 17th, 2023 Update—Continued
▪ [A Quote From My] November 6th, 2024 Update No. 1
This prose (with some poetry) was only published on my "Poet, Artist and Philosopher" blog.
-Paul Whiting
(a.k.a., Poet, Artist and Philosopher)
"I am the poet who thinks that he knows it!"
THIS IS A DUPLICATE POST THAT HAS ONLY THE MOST RELEVANT QUOTES IN THE SERIES OF 'UPDATES' FROM MY BLOG POST TITLED, "I AM NO LONGER BEING AN ACTIVIST IN THE SAME WAY THAT I WAS." PLEASE SEE THE HYPERLINK BELOW FOR THE AFOREMENTIONED POST:
https://poetartistandphilosopher.blogspot.com/2016/11/i-am-no-longer-being-activist.html
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My Philosophical Notes:
The reason that I wrote this prose can be summed up with the following statement: "Due to being stressed out—and until further notice—I am no longer being an 'Online Activist' in the same way that I was before, which includes no longer signing petitions from political, social, environmental and charitable organizations, as well as no longer making donations to political, social, environmental and charitable causes the same way that I was in the past. (The reader should know that I am HIV-positive with full-blown AIDS.) And so, I am consciously choosing to not engage in any 'activism,' however, I am still planning to exercise my 'civic duty' by voting in upcoming elections."
This prose was only published on my "Poet, Artist and Philosopher" blog.
This prose was written in Portland, Oregon.
-Paulee
THIS IS A DUPLICATE POST THAT HAS ONLY THE MOST RELEVANT QUOTES IN THE SERIES OF 'UPDATES' FROM MY BLOG POST TITLED, "I AM NO LONGER BEING AN ACTIVIST IN THE SAME WAY THAT I WAS." PLEASE SEE THE HYPERLINK BELOW FOR THE AFOREMENTIONED POST:
https://poetartistandphilosopher.blogspot.com/2016/11/i-am-no-longer-being-activist.html
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February 26th, 2024 Update No. 1, Which Also Discusses February 25th, 2024: This 'update' that I am writing today, February 26th, 2024, is regarding my "Post No. 149: I Am No Longer Being An Activist In The Same Way That I Was" being unpublished by Blogger yesterday, February 25th, 2024, on my "Poet, Artist and Philosopher" blog. A copy of the notification email can be found below:
Subject: Your post titled "Post No. 149: I Am No Longer Being An Activist In The Same Way That I Was" has been unpublished
From: Blogger [email redacted]
To: [email redacted]
Date: Feb 25, 2024, 2:32 AM
Hello,
As you may know, our Community Guidelines [web address redacted] describe the boundaries for what we allow-- and don't allow-- on Blogger. Your post titled "Post No. 149: I Am No Longer Being An Activist In The Same Way That I Was" was flagged to us for review. We have determined that it violates our guidelines and have unpublished the URL http://poetartistandphilosopher.blogspot.com/2016/11/i-am-no-longer-being-activist.html, making it unavailable to blog readers.
Why was your blog post unpublished?
Your content has violated our Spam policy. Please visit our Community Guidelines page linked in this email to learn more.
If you are interested in republishing the post, please update the content to adhere to Blogger's Community Guidelines. Once the content is updated, you may republish it at [web address redacted]. This will trigger a review of the post. You may have the option to pursue your claims in court. If you have legal questions or wish to examine legal options that may be available to you, you may want to consult with your own legal counsel.
For more information, please review the following resources:
Terms of Service: [web address redacted]
Blogger Community Guidelines: [web address redacted]
Sincerely,
The Blogger Team
Now, this is by no means the first time that I have had this particular blog post unpublished by Blogger! And, the very first time that this happened, which was on April 19th, 2023, I thought that it was because of my blog post 'update' labeled, "April 18th, 2023 Update," the topic of which was Holocaust Remembrance Day (Yom HaShoah) 2023.
Therefore, at that time, I just assumed that the post was unpublished due to the fact that I was using text from several websites [the organizations of which I donated to for Holocaust Remembrance Day (Yom HaShoah) 2023] to which I referred in the blog post 'update' without permission from those websites. So, I kept the basic description of the reason that I had donated to those organizations for Holocaust Remembrance Day (Yom HaShoah) 2023, but I removed the text, which was describing those organizations, that I had originally quoted from their websites.
Then, lo and behold, the above-mentioned blog post was republished a few hours later, after I requested a 'Review!' However, I was just guessing that the reason this particular blog post was unpublished was due to the fact that I had quoted text from the above-mentioned organizations to which I donated, since the email notification—which was identical to the email above—simply stated "Your content has violated our Spam policy." And that very first email (just like all of the other emails that followed it) didn't clarify why "[my] content [had] violated [Blogger's] Spam policy," nor, specifically, did it clarify what content was in violation!
In fact, I was so worried (panicked, really!) about the above-mentioned 'quoted text' being the actual reason my blog post was unpublished that I removed all of the 'quoted text' from every one of my 'updates' in that "I Am No Longer Being An Activist In The Same Way That I Was" blog post on that same day, including all of the quotes from 'Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia' that I had referenced in my 'updates!'
Later on, though, as I noticed more, and more, instances of my "I Am No Longer Being An Activist In The Same Way That I Was" blog post being unpublished due to it 'violating Blogger's Spam policy,' I concluded it was, in fact, all of the web addresses that I included in the 'updates,' since I assume that Blogger tries to avoid blogs that reference a lot websites outside of Blogger, because (I assume) those referenced website are considered "Spam."
There again, though, I am only guessing!
Plus, in subsequent times that I have received these emails notifications about the above-mentioned blog post being unpublished, I have simply requested a "Review" of the blog post and—without actually changing any of the post's content—the post was republished, usually a few hours after requesting the 'Review.'
So, just like usual, I requested a 'Review' of this blog post yesterday, February 25th, 2024, at around 7:00 A.M. (PST), here in Portland, Oregon, once I noticed the email quoted above. And, as I am writing this 'update,' after 5:00 A.M. (PST), it has almost been twelve hours since I requested said 'Review' and my blog post has not been republished!
Therefore, I am thinking about editing the many 'updates' that I write regarding current news articles that I am currently reading to only include the titled of each article, the author(s) and the publishing date—without actually providing a hyperlink to each article—just in case it is all of those web addresses from these news articles that are causing this blog post to keep getting unpublished.
Although, I am just guessing!
To clarify one thing, though: doing this much editing on all of the current news 'updates' that I have written on my "I Am No Longer Being An Activist In The Same Way That I Was" blog post is going to take a lot of time to complete.
And, even then, that may not "do the trick," so to speak, with regard to getting this particular blog post republished; I can only do the editing and then request that the post be reviewed again (if it hasn't already been republished by then); otherwise, I may have to edit out all of the 'updates' that I write regarding current news articles that I am reading, if those 'updates' are, in fact, what's causing the 'Spam' violation.
Although, again, I am simply guessing...
–Paul Whiting (written February 26th, 2024 and revised February 27th, 2024)
P.S.: Hallelujah! My blog post "I Am No Longer Being An Activist In The Same Way That I Was" has been reinstated as of today, February 27th, 2024, at around 3:00 AM (PST) here in Portland, Oregon. A copy of the notification email can be found below:
Subject: Your post titled "Post No. 149: I Am No Longer Being An Activist In The Same Way That I Was" has been reinstated
From: Blogger [email redacted]
To: pauleewhiting@gmail.com
Date Feb 27, 2024, 3:07 AM
Hello,
We have re-evaluated the post titled "Post No. 149: I Am No Longer Being An Activist In The Same Way That I Was" against Community Guidelines [web address redacted]. Upon review, the post has been reinstated. You may access the post at http://poetartistandphilosopher.blogspot.com/2016/11/i-am-no-longer-being-activist.html.
Sincerely,
The Blogger Team
Anyway, I am not sure what "did the trick," so to speak, for finally getting my blog post reinstated, as I have outlined below:
1. I don't know if it was reinstated because I wrote about the fact that it had been unpublished in this blog post 'update,' which I subsequently published on the duplicate post that I have as a backup to my "Post No. 149: I Am No Longer Being An Activist In The Same Way That I Was," since 'Post No. 149' gets unpublished by Blogger a lot! And that backup blog post can be found immediately after 'Post No. 149,' the title of which is "Post No. 150: I Am No Longer Being An Activist In The Same Way That I Was, Part 2 (THIS IS A DUPLICATE POST)";
2. I don't know if it was reinstated because I wrote about the fact that I am no longer including hyperlinks from the articles that I am reading in the current news 'updates' that I write;
3. I don't know if it was reinstated because "The Blogger Team" had the time to read my blog at around 3:00 AM (PST) today, February 27th, 2024—since they originally unpublished the post at around 2:30 AM (PST) two days ago on February 25th, 2024—and maybe "the wee, small hours of the morning" is when the 'The Blogger Team' does most of the evaluating for posts that have been flagged due to violations of their Community Guidelines and/or the reevaluating for posts that have been requested to be reviewed by Blogger; or,
4. I don't know if it was reinstated because of some other totally unrelated factor (or, factors) since that original 'unpublished notification' email on February 25th from Blogger didn't clarify why "[my] content [had] violated [Blogger's] Spam policy," nor, specifically, did it clarify what content was in violation! Plus, this 'reinstated notification' today February 27th from Blogger didn't clarify why the post had been reinstated... (And that is exactly like all of the other notification emails that I have ever received from Blogger regarding the unpublishing, or the reinstating, of blog posts.)
However, I do know that this is the longest period of time that my "I Am No Longer Being An Activist In The Same Way That I Was" blog post has been unpublished by Blogger at just over 48 hours [from February 25th, 2024 at 2:32 A.M. (PST) to February 27th, 2024 at 3:07 A.M. (PST)], since the previous longest period of time was (as I recall) about 11 hours.
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For my complete political, progressive and charitable donation updates—that include all of my current "Online Activism"—please see my original blog post titled, "I Am No Longer Being An Activist In The Same Way That I Was," which can be found on my "Poet, Artist and Philosopher" blog.
Please see the hyperlink below for the post:
https://poetartistandphilosopher.blogspot.com/2016/11/i-am-no-longer-being-activist.html
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This "Poet, Artist and Philosopher" Post No. 150 was edited on November 7th, 2024.
"Prose is using all of the words that are necessary in order to describe all that is necessary to describe." –Paul Whiting [June 1st, 2022]
"Poetry is using the fewest words possible in order to describe all that is possible to describe." –Paul Whiting [June 1st, 2022]
