The following guest post was written by Jenny Doezema, a Kalamazoo resident who sends her children to Kalamazoo Public Schools. Enjoy. Earlier this month, Kalamazoo schools were closed when more than 1,900 students fell ill on the same day. The district closed all schools on a Friday to allow them to disinfect the school buildings over a long weekend. Other […]

The following guest post was written by Ingham County Clerk and former State Representative Barb Byrum. Enjoy. Recently, President Trump assigned Vice President Mike Pence to oversee a special commission to investigate what he believes to be voter fraud. While I welcome this investigation, I believe the resources that will be expended could be better spent on strengthening the integrity […]

The following essay was written by an Eclectablog reader who wishes to remain anonymous. Enjoy. Is this a sprint or a marathon? I recently texted a local elected official and suggested he lead a protest against the latest Trump attack on American morality, the Muslim Ban. The official responded that we had just had a massive protest against Trump and […]

The following essay was written by a friend who wishes to remain anonymous. Enjoy. It’s time… It’s time to realize that we lost. It’s time to move on to the next battle. It’s already started, and our failure to realize that has put us two steps behind a ruthless and effective opponent. No. I’m not talking about the Presidential election. […]

The following guest post was written by Walt Sorg, a long time political activist and observer from Lansing, Michigan. Walt was a candidate for the Michigan House of Representatives in 2012 in the 67th State House District. Follow him on Twitter at @WaltSorg. Enjoy. We look at the cabinet appointments of the incoming President, and we are baffled. It is […]

The following guest post was written by Ron Bieber, president of the Michigan AFL-CIO. You can sign up to receive legislative action alerts from the Michigan AFL-CIO HERE. You can also follow them at facebook.com/miaflcio, twitter.com/miaflcio, and twitter.com/ronbiebermi. Enjoy. Lame duck sessions are when bad bills happen to good people. That’s been true in Michigan after every major election since […]

The following essay was written by Ingham County Clerk Barb Byrum, a Democrat who was reelected to a second term. Prior to serving as County Clerk, Byrum represented the 67th District in the Michigan House of Representatives for three terms. She is renowned for being banned from speaking on the House floor for saying “vasectomy;” for performing what has been […]

The following guest post is by my friend Ned Staebler. Today, Ned presents us with sage advice on how to move forward in the new America with a “man” like Donald Trump at the helm. It’s a good segue from the “PROCESSING TRUMP” series I have been running. You can follow Ned on Twitter at @NedStaebler and he’s a dynamite […]

Two days after the election last week, a group of women artists – comedians, poets, singers, dancers, storytellers, and visual artists – gathered at the Pointless Brewery & Theatre in Ann Arbor for a performance art show called HERsay. The event, organized by friend of the blog Patti Smith, ended up being the perfect antidote for many of the attendees […]

Over the next few days, I’m going to share the thoughts of friends and acquaintances as they process the reality of a Donald Trump presidency. Some will be from people willing to share their identity. Others will be anonymous. All will help us to understand that we’re not alone in our grief and struggle to understand “what’s next.” Installment Five […]

Over the next few days, I’m going to share the thoughts of friends and acquaintances as they process the reality of a Donald Trump presidency. Some will be from people willing to share their identity. Others will be anonymous. All will help us to understand that we’re not alone in our grief and struggle to understand “what’s next.” Installment Four […]