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Font made out of gerrymandered congressional districts shows how effed up our system is

UglyGerry.com

Gerrymandering is a funny word, isn't it? Did you know that it's actually a mashup of the name "Gerry" and the word "salamander"? Apparently, in 1812, Massachusetts governor Elbridge Gerry had a new voting district drawn that seemed to favor his party. On a map, the district looked like a salamander, and a Boston paper published it with the title The GerryMander.

That tidbit of absurdity seems rather tame compared to an entire alphabet made from redrawn voting districts a century later, and yet here we are. God bless America.

RELATED: She railed against gerrymandering in an epic tweetstorm. We should all listen.

The Gerry font is a real, usable font "created by your congressional districts." It was actually created by a couple of guys in Chicago, but they seem to prefer remaining anonymous and letting the letters speak for themselves. Most of the letters are singular voting districts, while some are pieced together from a couple of different districts. But the fact that any voting district could look like any readable letter of the alphabet is a bit, well, absurd.

You can download the font for free at UglyGerry.com. The website specifies the districts used to make each letter and encourages people to use the font "to tell congress how happy you are that your vote doesn't matter."

Your letter to congress might end up looking a bit like a ransom note, but that's kind of the point. Our votes are being held hostage by politicians trying to gain the upper hand by squiggling with Sharpies on our maps. The geographical gymnastics they engage in to do so would be impressive if it wasn't so ridiculous.

RELATED: Why is this 5K race route so confusing? Because it was drawn by politicians.

As Representative Mark Takano of California pointed out, "Gerrymandering in America is so bad, they made an entire font out of it. This font is hard to decipher and makes no sense—just like most congressional districts."

Seriously, what kind of psychopath draws a voting district that looks like an "N" or an "C" or a "K"?

To give you an idea of what gerrymandering looks like on a real map, see this map of Ohio:

Jim Jordan's district looks like a letter "J"—and that's not even the district the Ugly Gerry folks used in their font.

If you think this is dumb and something that shouldn't be allowed, you're not alone. Unfortunately, you're also not on the Supreme Court, whose majority seems to have tossed up their hands and said, "Nothing we can do!"

So it looks like writing our representatives some sternly worded letters in the creepy Gerry font may be our only recourse if we hope to end this silly practice on both sides of the aisle.

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Obama has 3 powerful messages for anyone concerned with the state of America.

Barack Obama is speaking out about the future, and it is coming at a time when we definitely need to hear it.

In addressing what's now going on in the world at a Democratic fundraiser on June 28, Obama had painful and hopeful words about the road to progress in America. Here are the three main messages he wants Americans to focus on:

1. Don't wait.

Obama gets that people are worn down and frustrated. "You're right to be concerned," he said. But it's also up to us to carve out a better future.

"Do not wait for the perfect message; don't wait to feel a tingle in your spine because you're expecting politicians to be so inspiring and poetic and moving that somehow, 'OK, I'll get off my couch after all and go spend the 15-20 minutes it takes for me to vote,'" Obama said. "Because that's part of what happened in the last election. I heard that too much."

2. Fear is powerful.

Obama made clear that while recent elections have certainly provided some relief, it's only the beginning. Fear can be a powerful tool that galvanizes a population.

"Telling people that somebody's out to get you or somebody took your job or somebody has it out for you or is going to change you or your community or your way of life," Obama advised, "that's an old story, and it has shown itself to be powerful in societies all around the world. It is a deliberate, systematic effort to tap into that part of our brain that carries fear in it. There's a fundamental contrast of how we view the world. We are seeing the consequences of when one vision is realized or in charge."

It's imperative to not give into that fear. Instead, we should recognize it for what it is and use it as a lightning rod to spur change.

3. Vote.

If there's one thing every one of us can do right now, it's making sure that our voices are heard in upcoming elections. That means getting registered, being informed, and voting in both local and national elections.

“I am not surprised," Obama noted, "that instead of replacing what we had done with something better, they just have done their best to undermine and erode what's already in place. ... You should go out and vote.”

"Boil it down," he added. "If we don't vote, this democracy doesn't work."

It's up to us to to create the future we want.

His words are tough but true if we want to create a better, more equitable future. Consider one thing you can do today to move the needle of progress forward. Call your reps, stand up for what you know to be right when the current administration gets it wrong, and don't lose heart — because November is coming.

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'Simpsons' creators hilariously slam Ted Cruz for his CPAC comments.

Sen. Ted Cruz took the stage at the annual Conservative Political Action Conference and started an important conversation about ... "The Simpsons"?

"I think the Democrats are the party of Lisa Simpson," said the Republican senator from Texas at one point during an interview. "And the Republicans are, happily, the party of Homer and Bart and Maggie and Marge."

[rebelmouse-image 19495461 dam="1" original_size="480x360" caption="GIF from "The Simpsons."" expand=1]GIF from "The Simpsons."

Now, it's pretty clear what he meant: The Democratic Party is a bunch of wet-blanket elitist vegetarian know-it-alls while he and his fellow Republicans look out for the average American. OK! That's his opinion, and that's cool — but not everyone agreed.

A number of people involved in creating "The Simpsons" shared a few thoughts on the comparison, and it wasn't especially charitable to Cruz.

Former "Simpsons" writer Daniel Chun poked fun at the fact that Cruz accidentally "liked" a tweet from a porn account a few months back.

Animator Anna Maltese broke things down a bit more saying that the only one Cruz might be right about would be Bart, but that's not necessarily a great thing.

She also suggested that Cruz's reference was a ploy to land a guest spot doing a voiceover, pointing out that he even made an "audition" tape in 2015 for BuzzFeed.

[rebelmouse-image 19495462 dam="1" original_size="450x253" caption=""I'm a vegetarian! I don't eat animals!" is Cruz's impression of Lisa. GIF from BuzzFeed/YouTube." expand=1]"I'm a vegetarian! I don't eat animals!" is Cruz's impression of Lisa. GIF from BuzzFeed/YouTube.

Executive producer Al Jean joked that even the billionaire Mr. Burns might be thinking of becoming a Democrat.

And Yeardley Smith, the voice of Lisa Simpson herself, offered perhaps the most charitable and optimistic reading of all (which is a very Lisa thing to do!).

Sure, "The Simpsons" has poked fun at all political parties over the years. And there are a few examples of characters on the show who are unabashedly Republican.

Ned Flanders, Krusty the Clown, Mr. Burns, and Sideshow Bob have been identified as Republicans in various episodes.

[rebelmouse-image 19495463 dam="1" original_size="480x360" caption="GIF from "The Simpsons."" expand=1]GIF from "The Simpsons."

The show also includes a few glimpses into the Springfield Republican headquarters, for what it's worth.

Arnold Schwarzenegger shows up in "The Simpsons Movie" as a president who was "elected to lead, not to read" — which might sound a little familiar.

[rebelmouse-image 19495464 dam="1" original_size="480x200" caption="GIF from "The Simpsons Movie."" expand=1]GIF from "The Simpsons Movie."

But maybe Cruz's comparison was right — or at least, not totally wrong.

In any case, if Cruz's analogy does hold true, that might not be good news for the Republican Party when 2020 rolls around — just sayin'.

But seriously, don't think too much into it.

[rebelmouse-image 19495465 dam="1" original_size="480x360" caption="GIF via "The Simpsons."" expand=1]GIF via "The Simpsons."

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Indiana Republicans asked for 'horror stories' on Facebook. It backfired.

That escalated quickly.

Want to hear a scary story? The Indiana Republican Party sure does.

On Monday, July 3, 2017, the party took to its Facebook page to ask followers to share "Obamacare Horror Stories."

"Did you lose a doctor that you liked? Have your premiums increased? Did your insurer leave the exchange? Are burdensome regulations hurting your small business?" the post reads.

The horror! The absolute horror of it all! (Insert spooky music here.)

Did you lose a doctor that you liked? Have your premiums increased? Did your insurer leave the exchange? Are burdensome...

Posted by Indiana Republican Party on Monday, July 3, 2017

Instead of getting actual health care horror stories, people responded with powerful, emotional defenses of Obamacare.

Health care providers lined up to share how the Affordable Care Act not only helped improve the overall health of their local communities, but helped improve their local economies.

[rebelmouse-image 19532046 dam="1" original_size="750x315" caption=""Not only did those people benefit, but we had to hire more therapists to care for them, which created jobs." All screenshots are from the comments on the original Facebook post and used with permission by the individual commenters." expand=1]"Not only did those people benefit, but we had to hire more therapists to care for them, which created jobs." All screenshots are from the comments on the original Facebook post and used with permission by the individual commenters.

Parents shared tearful stories about how before the ACA, their young children would have run up against their insurance's lifetime limits well short of adulthood. Thanks to the ACA, annual and lifetime limits are a thing of the past, and people can't be charged more for a pre-existing condition (such as being born prematurely).

[rebelmouse-image 19532047 dam="1" original_size="750x126" caption=""Obamacare has saved our family and we are so grateful for it."" expand=1]"Obamacare has saved our family and we are so grateful for it."

[rebelmouse-image 19532049 dam="1" original_size="1062x250" caption=""Under Obamacare, the insurance companies have to insure him with what they define as his 'pre-existing' condition."" expand=1]"Under Obamacare, the insurance companies have to insure him with what they define as his 'pre-existing' condition."

Others expounded on how the care received because of the law literally saved their lives or those of people they love.

[rebelmouse-image 19532050 dam="1" original_size="750x242" caption=""If it were not for Obamacare my kids would have no mother, I would not have a partner, and parents would have lost their daughter. She would be dead."" expand=1]"If it were not for Obamacare my kids would have no mother, I would not have a partner, and parents would have lost their daughter. She would be dead."

Entrepreneurs talked about how the ACA allowed them to take a chance on starting their own small businesses and escaping "job lock," something that would almost certainly return if the law were to be repealed.

[rebelmouse-image 19532051 dam="1" original_size="750x158" caption=""Obamacare made it possible for me to take the plunge."" expand=1]"Obamacare made it possible for me to take the plunge."

[rebelmouse-image 19532052 dam="1" original_size="750x243" caption=""We have been able to stay healthy and afford our medications, even with our pre-existing conditions."" expand=1]"We have been able to stay healthy and afford our medications, even with our pre-existing conditions."

But the truth is that none of the "repeal and replace" proposals put out there by Republicans in Congress address the "horror stories" of losing access to a doctor you might like or rising premiums. Even if they did, are those flaws any more horrific than the fact that millions more will lose their access to lifesaving health care under these new proposals? Probably not.

Maybe instead of trying to score political points, our elected representatives should simply try to do what's best for the country.

And Facebook user Dana Ann nailed it with her comment about coming together for the sake of creating a health care system that works for all Americans, for all political parties. Lives are actually on the line, and it's time for our members of Congress to stop playing like this is a game.

[rebelmouse-image 19532053 dam="1" original_size="750x182" caption=""We are not playing a football game where one side wins and one side loses... we are ONE nation!"" expand=1]"We are not playing a football game where one side wins and one side loses... we are ONE nation!"

There's still time to stop the ACA repeal effort, and there's still time to demand that your senators and representatives work together, regardless of party, to fix the flaws in our system. You can start by calling your senators today.

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