Things to be Truly Thankful For This Year

It’s been a week since we all gathered around awkward dinner tables for Thanksgiving, but there is still so much to be thankful for this year. Here are some of mine …

I’m thankful that I didn’t get my arm blown off by our militarized police state while protesting for clean water.

Sophia Wilansky, 21, was seriously injured on November 21 while protesting the Dakota Access Pipeline. Fellow protestors, or water protectors as they prefer to be called, supported Wilansky’s account that a concussion grenade thrown directly at her by police blew the skin, muscle, and parts of bone from her arm and hand.

According to the AP and NPR, police claim that propane tank bombs constructed by protestors may have caused her injuries and deny using water cannons and grenades directly on the protestors despite video and photographic evidence to the contrary.

Wilansky has been in and out of surgery for the last few days as doctors attempt to reconstruct her arm and hand as much as possible to avoid amputation.

“The doctor just said she may need as many as 20 surgeries over very many months to have any hope of saving her arm and her hand,” Wayne Wilansky, Sophia’s father, told reporters outside of County Medical Center in Minneapolis where Sophia had been airlifted for emergency care.

Wilansky’s GoFundMe for medical has raised more than $412,000 in since November 22. You can donate here.

I’m thankful that Gov. Pat McCrory wasn’t reelected.

When Republican governor of North Carolina Pat McCrory signed HB 2, the “bathroom bill” that decimated queer rights in North Carolina, he lost the state over $400 million, garnered international outrage, and kissed reelection goodbye. But that hasn’t prevented him from refusing to concede the race to his opponent, Democrat Roy Cooper, even though Cooper is currently leading by over 8,700 votes.

McCrory called for a recount, continuing the false Republican narrative of voter fraud as an excuse for his loss. The final declaration of governor will now be postponed for at least several more weeks, and the Washington Post reports that McCrory has had to solicit for donations to pay for the costs associated with the recount.

I’m not even pretending to be an objective journalist about this, guys. I am loving that he lost and that he is throwing a giant manbaby tantrum about it.

I’m thankful that over 50,000 donations have been made to Planned Parenthood in Mike Pence’s name.

President of Planned Parenthood Cecile Richards confirmed to the Daily News o that of the more than 200,000 donations made to Planned Parenthood since the election, 50,000 have been made in Vice President elect Mike Pence’s name.

Pence has been extremely vocal about his support of overturning Roe v. Wade and became infamous after passing HB 1337, which would have required women who had abortions to pay to cremate or hold a burial for the fetal tissue. I honestly wish that last part was a joke.

Thankfully HB 1337 was struck down in court, but Pence has made it clear that his main priority will be the erosion of women’s reproductive rights once he’s in office. Let him know what you think of that by following Twitter user (Ms.) Chanandler Bong’s lead and donate to PP.

Every time you make a donation on behalf of Mike Pence to Planned Parenthood an angel gets it’s wings pic.twitter.com/GK3o7LxQcS

— Chanandler Bong (@kittiebittie91) November 13, 2016

On the lighter side…

I’m thankful that Donald Trump helped Alec Baldwin find his true calling