Civil Rights: Global and Insuppressible

Mel: Welcome to The Resist bot
Podcast, hosted by me, Melanie Dione. Join me this week and every week
as I chat with the advocates and activists in your neighborhood at the
intersection where policy meets people. Now let's start the show.

Mel: And once again, it's time
for the Resist Bot podcast.

I am your host, Melanie,
welcoming you back after

post-election, post holiday hiatus.

I am hope you took care of yourself.

I was busy turning 46,
so happy birthday to me.

I know that a lot of you since last
time we met, you got out there to

stop the red wave that couldn't,
and I appreciate you for that.

But the.

Continues.

There are still a lot of things going on.

One of the things we're gonna discuss
a little later on in the show, but I

wanna jump right into it and you know
I'm not great at small talk, but also B

I'm very excited for this week's episode.

We are shifting the lens a little bit
overseas, and so of course I am having

my favorite international woman of
mystery as a guest friend, Christine Lou.

Hi,

Christine: Christine.

Hey Mel.

Good to see you or hear from you, I should

Mel: say.

Welcome, welcome, welcome.

So glad to have you back around the way.

How have you.

Christine: I have been good.

I have been busy and I can't believe
we're already at the end of the

year and we're hearing Mariah carry
in the department stores again.

Oh my goodness.

Mel: And it's terrible for me
now because I'm in New Orleans

and so everybody's in shorts.

Like I looked outside, my neighbors
are walking around in shorts

carrying like Christmas presents
and putting up decorations.

It's really like a mine.

Christine: Yeah.

This this year has
flown by, but I am good.

Thank you for having me.

Mel: news has been eventful.

Yes.

Understatement, , understatement.

I mean, there's always something of
course, but with that, always something.

There has been a lot going on in China.

So before we get into the actual
protest, wanna talk a little bit about

something that you are passionate about?

I, and I always appreciate your insight
on this, when we talk about relations

between China and Taiwan or Taiwan and
China, when the conversation, when we

talk about, for example, Ukraine, and
Russia, everybody can identify with.

but people don't always connect
that there's a very similar dynamic

between Taiwan and China in that
you are an independent democracy.

And China kind of bogar
the conversation a bit.

And so I wanna talk a
little bit first about.

rising aggression that we've
seen against Taiwan from China.

And I'll start here.

We saw the visit from Nancy Pelosi
and how it has seemed to pick up an

intensity since then, but I wanna
get your thoughts first on that.

When, with that part of the
conversation, do you find that as.

Pretext or do you think that's
more of, this is when people really

started paying attention, but this
has been bubbling under the surface.

Can you speak a

Christine: little to that?

Yeah, I think those that have been
paying attention to international

relations and especially the, us,
China, Taiwan Triangle of Relations,

it's been bubbling for decades, it's
why you have people call themselves.

China watchers because they're paying
attention to what's going on over there.

I think from a US-centric lens, it may
feel like Taiwan has come out of nowhere

and has been in the news constantly.

I think that is a byproduct
of the US and China relations.

No longer.

As, friendly as it was in the last
decade leading up to Trump administration

when you saw a shift in the tone.

And the same goes for Xing Ping,
the current and now potentially

forever, forever Leader now
that he has, cemented him.

For a third and indefinite term, the
relations are going to reflect that.

And unfortunately, when
that happens, Taiwan usually

gets, , brought up on both sides.

you see China becoming more aggressive.

In terms of their stance, so they
could signal to the US and the world

that they are going to maintain
their policy and approach to Taiwan.

Like they say, they always have, which
they claim, Taiwan is part of China,

which it's not, and then you have the
US needing to counterbalance that.

But, when people, take notice of really,
you know, that media storm that came about

where people were literally following her
plane when Nancy Pelosi went to visit.

That, that has a lot to do with,
I think also people's feelings

about the domestic politics here,
and how divided we are here where.

If Nancy Pelosi's hopping on a
plane, you better believe that.

You know, the Republicans are gonna
make you know something of it that

is going to fit their narrative.

And then even within the democratic
wing, you're gonna see folks who you know

don't necessarily think she represents
where Democrats should be going.

They're going to pay attention
and have their narrative.

And then in the midst of all this,
though, you still need to maintain this.

Foreign policy of engagement where,
this happened and a lot of the media

and the conversation around it kind of
misses this, the her visit as speaker

coincided with the passing of the
chips act, you don't really hear that.

You hear the, what's Nancy Pelosi doing?

Stirring up trouble, getting
on a plane and going to

Taiwan, what you don't hear is.

She's the speaker.

We just passed a monumental chips
act that's going to bring back jobs

and technology and manufacturing of
semiconductor, which means we will be

less reliant on overseas production.

And given that we can't do this without
Taiwan, because a lot of people don't know

this, 90% of the world's semi conduct.

Advanced semiconductors
are manufactured in Taiwan.

So who has the knowhow?

Who's helping the US right now build
these new fabs that they call it, right?

These semiconductor manufacturing
facilities in Arizona, right?

That's gonna need 1500 highly skilled
engineers, five years and 12 billion,

I believe, to build the Taiwanese . So
I think in, given that, from that

lens, People should know that, this is
just us diplomacy, in action, right?

And, and then we start adding
all our other meaning to it.

That's kind of how I saw it.

Mel: I appreciate you bringing that
up because one of the things that I

see when we have these conversations
as Americans, there are the people who

are just gonna side, you know, With
America first, with Western values,

with Christian values, et cetera.

There are also those people who
have a more skeptical lens, right?

And often those people fall on
the left and are not always gonna

line up with, American, maybe not
necessarily enemies, but people at.

With American ideology, they
will not always be locked

up with that conversation.

And sometimes that will lead
to those folks citing, you

know, with, that government.

And it especially happens when
the government is non-white,

when the government is
non-Christian, we see that a lot.

So in a case like this, when we're dealing
with a country like China, Who is under

scrutiny, who receives criticism from
the us and we see people on the left who

may unwittingly side with authoritarians.

how do you approach that?

How do you engage that and
maybe give them ideas of how to.

Suss out, when, hey, this is American bs.

You know, this is, this is kind of some,
some Bs, but this is authoritarianism.

And I think we can agree
that that's all bad.

Like how do you encourage that?

and I'm asking you this, not only
because you're you and you're my

friend and you're smart because
you are also a Taiwanese woman.

So you know how this
affects from a personal.

Right.

Christine: Definitely.

As someone who's
Taiwanese American, right?

So in both Taiwanese and American,
I have no choice but to see it from

different lenses and we were just
talking about that off the air.

We often talk about, you know, in
every issue we, we need to be, mindful

that we bring our own lens to it.

So Americans speaking in, you know,
general terms tend to bring our American.

And all its domestic politics and all
your feelings and need to be right.

And we keep that lens when we're
looking outward towards other countries

and what they're dealing with.

And so, I would say, When I see that,
you know, again, I think it's maybe a

construct of age, , I'm no longer that
20 something year old that just, you

know, has to be right all the time.

You kind of take a pause and you
realize where it's coming from, where

this, misunderstanding or this need
to have, and stick with a narrative to

the point where you have an inability
to listen and see a bigger picture.

Acknowledge that.

Okay, let's acknowledge that that's,
that's what we're dealing with here.

But then it's usually what
I say to those situations.

It's it's a reminder that we are so
damn lucky we live in a democracy that

we even have the freedom to do that.

I actually don't mind
when people challenge.

whatever it is they wanna challenge with
the US government, I totally get it.

Oftentimes, I'm on their side.

If you talk about the domestic
issues, we can all relate to

where people are coming from.

it's when people don't realize that it
is possible, this is what I say, it's

possible to be critical of your own
government and hold them accountable

while at the same time not propping.

Authoritarian countries
who oppress their citizens.

In order to do that, you can be
critical of your own government

and also want people who live under
authoritarian governments to have

the same freedoms that you do.

And in the case of Taiwan, we have that
now, and you, we don't wanna give that.

Right.

We don't want to, go quote unquote
back or reunify, quote unquote.

I say that in quotes because it's
all propaganda to, unify or reunify.

They always stay with China
because many Taiwanese don't even

see ourselves as part of China.

But you know, again, and you
made a great point, oftentimes,

Americans, US government is really.

And their policy, their foreign
policy is really good at this.

You don't actually see the
people in the will of the people.

Everyone's playing chess
for their own win, right?

So what happens when you have two
superpowers, the US and China now

on terms that are more competitive,
they call it rather than friendly.

Taiwan is the paw, right?

And what happens is it causes people to.

Not even see what Taiwanese
people want for themselves.

So that's kind of where
I find it important.

And many other Taiwanese Americans who
have a voice who can speak in the language

of people who may understand better.

it's important for us to have
our own voice to remind people,

no, actually this is why we don't
consider ourselves part of China.

This is the history of our people.

, this is the history of our people that
actually I didn't even grow up learning

in the us, our education system, because
we had a certain narrative and it's

much more complicated than people think.

It would take way more time.

So I advise you, go look up a Wikipedia
page, you know, and let's start there.

Right?

You know?

And so was, that would be my approach.

Mel: Thank you for that
because it's, we have that

inclination as Americans to
play world police even when,

when we don't intend and even.

, we think we're not on the side of wrong
when we think we're on the side of right.

There's still that in that
inclination to speak almost over

people who know what's going on.

So with you as a Taiwanese American,
with that knowledge that you have,

how does that inform discourse?

you are being, the word I think
you used earlier was Taiwan Swain.

How does that, how do you, a
deal with that yourself and what

do you encourage people who may
unwilling wittingly do that?

What do you encourage them to,

How they should redirect maybe the
conversation a bit or their, their

line of thinking in addition to,
you know, the things you've, you've

Christine: mentioned before.

Well, I think for us as Taiwanese
people we're just so used to it,

And so, you almost are surprised
when people actually wanna take

the time to listen because often.

it's an afterthought, or it's something
they haven't given thought to.

So all of a sudden it's new, it's in
the news and and they're just going

to go with the new sources or the
headlines or the narrative that they

maybe trust or they're used to hearing,
and then adopt that as their own.

So I just would say, listen, and it's
so much, it sounds so much easier said

than done, but people need to listen
to the voices of Taiwanese people.

In the same way people need to listen
to the voices of Uyghur people in China

and the people of Hong Kong who no
longer recognize Hong Kong they grew

up in, because it's much different now.

And even let's dovetail to the recent
protest of young Chinese who are living in

China and living and working outside of.

Who are finding their voice because
they've been silenced or self censored

for many years and we haven't heard this
side that's coming out in the last week.

And it's also surprising people,
I think people should listen more.

Mel: I absolutely agree cuz I can't
remember anything kind of on this

scale and it does not mean that my
brain is not skipping something out.

But we've talked about this
before, my introduction.

Protest in action where, you know,
not not learning about it in history

books or hearing about it, but actually
seeing, the progression of it was Tina

and Square when I was, 11, 12 years old.

So that was where I was aware
enough to know what was going

on, comprehend what was going on,
and see the seriousness of it.

So in watching this repeat, or
not necessarily repeat, but,

watching this and knowing.

how this can escalate.

Can you talk a little bit, because you
have an awareness of how this goes, and

we've talked about it a little bit, but
can you talk about what it is like even

when Chinese students are in America?

Can you talk about what that's like?

What protesting for them is
like even here, we won't even

get into China yet, but here.

Yeah.

Christine: Well you'll see
this in the news, right?

In the last week, Chinese student.

in campuses across the US and also in
front of their own consulates, their

own Chinese consulates, our protesting,
what has gone on in the past week.

and prior to that, the reason
why we didn't hear a lot is

because quite frankly, the
risks of doing so was very high.

So if you think about what
we're seeing now, knowing.

The risk is high and they
know the risk is high.

Something has gotta give.

And I do remember Tiananmen Square.

I was 13 years old watching it live on
CNN unfold, and the buildup of it and

kind of feeling initially this hope of, oh
my gosh, it's amazing that so many young

Chinese really want reform and democracy.

And then to see the aftermath of
how the government reacted to it.

The interesting thing I wanna remind
people, this generation of young Chinese

have no memory or recollection or even
reference to Tiananmen Square, so they

don't even know it's not something
that's taught when they grow up.

I have had students that didn't even
know about Tiananmen Square until

they were in their early twenties,
and they came to the US for.

That is how censored the
news and how revisionist the

history is in that country.

So what you're seeing in terms of the
protests right now and the protests

are very creative because now we have,
social media and word travels fast and

people understand that their government,
is very repressive when it comes to

information control and cens censorship.

They're getting creative.

That's why you're seeing them
hold up this blank paper.

Because they're very aware of
being censored all their life.

They have learned to
survive in their government.

The, look the other way, and
you may have a normal life.

You can drink your Starbucks, you can
drive your Teslas, you can go to the

movies and watch Hollywood movies.

You can, you know, even go to a
nightclub and have fun with your

friends at the mall as long as
you stay away from certain topic.

And you don't talk about certain
things that maybe make you feel

uncomfortable, but you know it's
not affecting you personally.

So mind your own business,
live a great life and let the

government do their thing.

That has been what this generation has
grown up doing until the last three

years with these very strict zero
covid policies that China has enacted.

Of course, the official line is it's
to protect the citizens from covid.

, but I think most people going on year
four now realize it's not to do with that,

and it's perhaps more to do with using c.

and zero Covid policies as a way to
keep a population under control at a

time when they're not happy because
the economy's not doing so well anymore

because the, they don't feel like they
have the freedom because people are really

hurting with these, you know, lockdowns.

And then they watch the rest
of the world, especially this

past week with the World Cup.

The rest of the world looks like
they're just back to normal and

something's gonna give with that.

And sure enough, you know, a lot of
people don't know the source of these,

this flare up, but you know when people
are at their last straw, even though

it's been bubbling up, it's what you
see with the deaths that have happened.

in Xang, in Ucci, the Uighurs who,
burned alive and died in that building.

Kids, families, I think as a
result of being under lockdown

for a hundred days mm-hmm.

, I think that was a tipping point.

Mel: And I realize a lot of, what
I was reading is that the policies,

the lockdown policies seem to have
delayed the firefighters to help.

Oh, is that, is that the.

Yes.

Christine: And the fact that, I don't
know if you see these videos when they do

Covid Zero, they're not giving you a text
message saying, everybody stay at home.

Like kind of they did with us right here
in the us and even that was too much.

They are physically going and seal
your apartment, building your doors.

You cannot actually leave your,
and it's not even the front

of your, apartment complex.

It's your individual doors.

So you tell.

What happens when a fire breaks out?

This has always been the fear actually.

And now the fear has been realized.

And, officially speaking the
report has been 10 deaths.

But you know, a lot of people
don't always trust the official,

numbers, if you will, of casualties.

I

Mel: think that's a byproduct
of just the time we live in.

Mm-hmm.

now when there has been
authoritarianism, cross with corruption.

Like how do you, how do you, what's real?

What do you believe?

who do you listen to?

So I can't imagine that that type
of distrust helped sentiment at all.

So that's, where we are.

I think it's something here in the US
when we didn't have policies anywhere

near as strict as that, we are not okay.

there is just this, Overwhelming sense.

I mean, there is the depression, the
loss, the grief that is still being

combined with trying to move forward
and, and, and act like life is normal.

So I cannot imagine what
it's like when you are.

Still dealing with Lockdowns.

this isn't the American complaint of
lockdowns where people just suggesting

you maybe get socially criticized.

This is a legal, a government, backed

Christine: lockdown.

Oh, I don't know if people understand.

Imagine, again, makes you feel
lucky to live in the country.

We do imagine a lockdown where.

phone has a health code.

that your movement and your ability
to navigate in your society is

dependent on If you have a health
code that is either red, yellow, or

Mel: green , and you have
to show that wherever you,

Christine: and if it is red or
yellow, you can't access anything.

You can't access buildings, you
can't go shopping, you can't

ride the subway, you can't go to.

, you know what I mean?

So, mm-hmm.

, so this has been going on for the last
several years and it's not letting up

and, and then you combine the fact that
not everyone in China has the ability

to stock up on two weeks worth of food.

So there was food insecurity going.

and a lot of people who
were able to get the food.

Guess what are we surprised?

Were privileged people with Bunny
who lived in really fancy apartments

and had the means to self-organize
and get on these apps and order

food online and have it delivered.

What about the elderly?

What about the less educated?

You know, what about the
folks that don't know how to

navigate the world in that way?

So it really became an issue and I
think people collectively are just fed

Mel: up and that's why we're at
a point where it's something.

So far, there have been 20 identified
demonstrations to the point that

apparently now police are being or are
checking phones to see if you have things.

Telegram or signal to, to
disseminate information.

What makes, what you said to me a little
earlier, just a little more chilling.

When I think about something that was
so impactful for me in understanding

protests and seeing protests, AST
Square, and knowing that there are

people who do not have access to that
information and just kind of doing

the math, we're thinking about the
children of, you know, of that generat.

how quickly history like that can be
lost is absolutely chilling to me.

And as some, you know, as, as
someone, when we look at the country

that we live in now, where we have
these arguments about critical

race theory and, and, and how.

books are being banned
and things like that.

When you look at how quickly you can
lose history, how quickly you can lose

something that is still accessible, like
this is accessible on the internet, but

for a, an, an entire country, it's not.

That's,

Christine: yeah.

Imagine your learned history is
then dependent on the stories

you pass down from people.

off the record because it doesn't exist
in your history books or officially

according to the government, like
Tiananmen Square did not exist.

, it is the official government
stance when we all like we, the

rest of the world is being gaslit.

When we hear that, cuz uh, we remember it.

Mm-hmm.

, we saw it.

But you do have a generation, I
will say this though, on the flip.

. Imagine being able to successfully do
that as an authoritarian government

and wipe a, a monumental event in,
your history off the books and still

30 years later, have young students
demonstrating and protesting and, rising.

that is probably causing a lot of
concern for this government right now.

Mel: It should be a light bulb moment
because you cannot crush the human spirit.

Even if they believe that
they're gonna Exactly.

If they're going to be the first
ones to do it, then to hell with it,

we're just gonna be the first ones.

And that's, astounding.

You know, it's commendable.

, as you know, as someone who
is older and who has seen it.

Of course I have a, a strong level
of concern because we live in a world

that has not gotten less violent.

People have not gotten kinder

Christine: to descent.

Oh, absolutely.

For us, we are, those of us who
are old enough to look at this,

the feeling has been very mixed.

It's both inspired.

Yeah.

And it's scared for them.

Mm.

.
Mel: Do you know what

Christine: I mean?

Yeah.

Yes.

So I'm not gonna candy coat that.

It, it's a mix of feelings where you're
inspired you're reminded of, you know,

I often say over and over, like a
broken record to remind people that the

Chinese government is not the Chinese
people, and to not see the two as such.

And it's because I have the privilege
of having had experience in deep,

Decades worth of relationships there
where I have these conversations.

So there's the Chinese government
and the propaganda that they've been

putting out for the last several years.

And then there's the Chinese people
that I know and that many of us,

I'm sure in our lives have known,
who have a different voice, but they

don't feel like they can voice their
opinion because there is consequences

to them doing so by their own.

and we need to remember that.

Yeah.

And so just taking it back very
locally, like I said, even though this

is, this looks like a foreign policy
issue, you will see this play out.

You're seeing it play out in our own
backyard here in the US on college

campuses because over 600,000 Chinese
students study overseas around the.

many of them, you know, around two,
300,000 here in the us you can't ignore.

You're gonna see the effects of that.

these kids are either gonna find
their voice because thankfully we give

them a taste of during their time
here of what it's like to be able to

express ourselves, without fear of d.

those kind of consequences
that they face back home.

Or you're gonna also see their
government extending their reach

to censor and silence them.

They have their systems.

Just look at the news recently, I
don't know if people have been paying

attention, but they've discovered over
the last several years overseas Chinese

police stations have been set up in
different countries around the world.

Not to help you with your
passport or driver's license.

That is to literally keep tabs on their
citizens and the dissidents because you

know, it's kind of like having somebody
who's over controlling, making sure

that when you're overseas, playing in
the backyard of democratic countries,

that you don't get any bright ideas
to bring some of those ideas to,

back home and undermine your control.

This is some serious.

Mel: And I'm sure there's also the
reminder because they have, even

though they're here, their family
they still have family at home.

Exactly.

So I'm sure that's also a factor
in how people can be threatened.

Mm-hmm.

, uh, basically to behave, Yeah,
you have a friend in America,

but your mama still lives here.

And that's a, that has got to be
something that is chilling and sobering

and unfortunately, likely very.

I'll

Christine: never forget on Clubhouse
back, you know, when everyone was on

lockdown, it was very popular to get on.

There was a 19 year old student in
San Diego, a Chinese student who

didn't even create a room about
anything controversial, but simply

offered his opinion on something.

And soon enough, his
social media was doxed.

His parents got a call.

Police in China, even though this
kid was in San Diego in a clubhouse

room, doing what 19 year olds
do when they're in the US Yeah.

On social media.

But I just wanna make people aware
of that because that is also why we

haven't heard too much coming from this
generation that was told to go global and

they did they, these Chinese, uh, young.

Went global, studied English,
went overseas, started working

here, internationalized, and then
all of a sudden your government,

it's almost unrecognizable.

Imagine that.

Actually, we can imagine that because
that was four years under Trump . Yeah.

You know what I mean?

Mel: But imagine, and it's, it's amazing
how those small changes, that almost

seem incremental, can become very,

drastic in the blink of an eye.

And so looking at things like that
as, an American who, you know,

oh, that couldn't happen here.

Yes.

The hell it could.

I, I appreciate it.

Christine: Almost did so
many times it still can.

Mm-hmm.

. Well,

Mel: when we look at, how.

systems are, one of my friends says
something that always sticks in my

head, no matter what that institutions
are as steadfast or as trash as

the people who are upholding them.

And that is, you can have whatever
rules and guidelines you like, but

if the people who are upholding those
guidelines don't have good motives.

Then those guidelines are going to,
they're susceptible to corruption.

They're susceptible to be twisted.

They're susceptible.

Susceptible to be turned into something
that you probably didn't sign up for.

So that's something that I don't think
any of us, even as, as Americans, you

know, we can't just be comfortable
and say, mm, couldn't be me.

It could absolutely.

BQ and it probably should concern you
how quickly it can be, and that's why

while you have a voice, you use it,
as long as you have the voice, it's

important that, that you use it and
not take that for granted because

there are a lot of people who cannot.

Absolutely.

I'm looking at, what's going on,
speaking of people who are using their

voice in the and bringing it back home.

We've got the Rail Workers Union
that I'm still learning about.

I'm, I am not a pundit, I am
not a union or labor expert.

There are a lot of people who I've been
begging to come on the show to talk to,

to talk labor because I, it's always
kind of like a fascinating thing to me.

I've always done like at will employment
and that type of thing, but my dad was

a union guy and so that's always been.

, almost like a different,
different life to me.

And so we're looking at the Rail
Workers Union and the dispute between,

something as serious as sick time
that we realized became a, that they

realized became, was a bigger deal
than they thought it was during covid

and how negotiations have stalled.

And today, Joe Biden had a meeting
with the majority and minority leaders.

and are pushing for legislation to avert
the strike and what that looks like.

How of course, you know, Joe Biden,
labor President, how that has,

or, pro-labor president, how that
has put him at odds with that.

So one of the things that I am doing is
a learning, what the hell, I'm talking

about , because I don't, I'm, I'm.

Learning about how unions function,
because the, just to give a kind of

brief breakdown, there are 12 unions
who voted, eight of the unions agreed.

Four, and I think there are three
or four rather large didn't.

And so now we're at
this, there's an impasse.

And so Congress has gotten involved.

You know, everyone is saying that
they, of course they don't want.

force people to work.

They don't want to stand in the
way of laborers, but also talking

about the implications of the supply
chain, what it can do to the economy.

And it's, for me, it's placing
me at a big crossroads.

I understand the purpose, but
I also know that something like

sick time is not something that
workers should have to fight.

And so one of the things that we
do have right now is a petition

by our friend Jess Cravin.

It is Rail Workers deserve Fair Pay
and Time Off if you'd like to support

that petition and let your senator let
your representative know that you are.

In support of rail workers, you can
text P Z P A K G 2 5 0 4 0 9, or you

can hit us up on Twitter or Facebook
or Telegram, or I believe Instagram.

Now we're integrated with Instagram.

So those are ways that you
can, support rail workers or,

or let your representatives.

How you feel about this, about the strike
and how you would like them to act?

It is something that
requires quick action.

I believe the agreement is only
going to hold until December 9th, and

we're just over a week out from that.

But this is not something,
yes, a strike should.

Yes, we agree that a strike is bad,
but we also agree that people should.

be compensated fairly and, you know,
have time off and, especially sick time

when we're dealing with, I can't, like,
I'm losing count of how many pandemics

do we have, how many, things do we have?

We've got what the RSV with
the kids, we've got c we're

about to approach flu season.

this is a basics.

So if they're that important to industry,
they should be important enough to

make sure that they're also cared for.

When they get sick, because more times
than not, we get sick on the job.

We spend more time there than with
our families more times than not.

So that's something for those of
you who are, in support of that.

Again, that's P Z P A K G, and as usual,
thank you Jess, for this petition.

Outside of that state side, we've
also got the Georgia Runoffs going on.

If you have submitted your request
for your early ballot, you can track

it by texting track, so 5,409 Resist
Bot will help you make sure that

it's gotten where it needs to go,
and if your ballot needs to be cured,

it'll take care of that for you too.

I wanna thank all of you
for joining me, Christine.

Thank you.

It feels like all
times . Thank you for having

Christine: me.

It's great for you on.

Again, I

Mel: am so glad to a talk to you and
you know, I love talking to you about

international stuff because you always are
able to put that in sort of a container

that I can digest with my scattered rain.

And so if you can do it for me,
I know a lot of other people are

really benefiting from that, so I
really appreciate that and I really

appreciate the lens that you put on it.

Not only as somebody.

, it has an awareness, but it's somebody
with a personal state and knowledge of

what is actually going on and how that
affects you as a Taiwanese American.

How that affects you as a person who
still has family, in both places and the

parallels between there and here and how.

Fragile democracy can be.

So thank you so much for joining.

I wanna thank all of you
for joining us as well.

We are going to be back next Thursday.

I also wanna want you to remind you that
I am on Instagram Monday, Wednesday,

and Friday with Mel's midday mug.

Stop by midday, have a cup of coffee
and we will catch up on current

events and the most popular parti.

If you would like to, if you like us,
if you like me, if you like what we

are doing, text donate to 5 0 4 0 9
and support Resist Bot because we

are able to work because you help us.

So I wanna thank you again for
joining and I will see you next time.

The Resist Bot Podcast is a production
of Resist Bot Action Fund, a social welfare nonprofit organization. Resist Bot is funded by
monthly donors like you. Support Resist Bot by texting. Donate to 5 0 4 0 9. You can learn more and see a complete guide to using the service, a real time list of trending petitions. Learn how to organize your own pressure campaigns or launch your own voter pledge drives at www dot resist. bot.

Thanks so much for joining,
and we'll see you next week.