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In which we love and tolerate the SHIT outta 2016
We can all list the many, many things that sucked about 2016. We have spent much of our Wonkette Year In Review Spectacular whistling past them. So here is your ultimate smile-time feel-good (or mostly good) collection of the finest Nice Time Stories of thisĀ annus horribilisĀ (Latin for "horrible ass-end of a year"), just to remind you that there really are some silver linings out there -- and some of them are even largely cloud-free. May 2017 bring us a higher proportion of these!
The Helpers
Now, this being Wonkette, the definition of "nice" may sometimes be a tad mixed, sometimes because the good stuff comes in the aftermath of some horror, like the announcement by Orlando area hospitals that they wouldĀ waive medical billsĀ for victims and survivors of the Pulse nightclub massacre. We need our affirmations of normality and decency in the face of tragedy, because they remind us of Mr. Rogers' wisdom toĀ always look for the helpers.Ā His advice was for parents explaining tragedies to children, but it applies to adults, too. Orlando needed a lot of helpers, and yes,Ā the helpers were there.Ā Including, of course, Imam Azhar Subedar, whoseĀ reaction to the shootingsĀ was to remind us what America is about:
āCause I said this before and Iāll say it again to you all, the only thing the world envies America ⦠they donāt envy us for our technology, iPhone is made in China. They donāt envy us for our roads. There are roads in Europe and South America that are better than our roads. They donāt envy us for our water system . Iām not even gonna GO there. [...]
You know what they envy us for? That weāre so different. Weāre so diverse. We have so much baggage of our own individual self, but we live together. We go to school together. We live in neighborhoods with each other. We go to the same grocery stores, we eat at the same restaurants, and yes, times like this we can come together.
This is what they envy! This is what they canāt fathom. How can humanity thatās so different be so united? Thatās why we are the United States of America. We are the united humans of America and we want to be the united humans of the world.
To which we say a big secular "Amen."
A few other Nice Time silver linings that had hella big clouds to shine out from:
The FedsĀ finally desegregated schoolsĀ in a Mississippi town that had been fighting real desegregation for decades.
Ā Ellen DeGeneres told MississippiĀ exactly where it could put its anti-gay law.
A group of women veteransĀ told Donald Trump exactly whereĀ heĀ could go,Ā too.
Homelessness sucks, but the city of Aurora, Colorado, voted to take $1.5 million inĀ tax revenue from the sale of legalized pot to help the city's homeless.Ā
Barack ObamaĀ increased his own record number of commutations of sentencesĀ for nonviolent federal prisoners convicted under old drug laws that had mush harsher minimum sentences than those convicts would face if convicted since sentencing reforms. A mixed blessing, since there are still far too many people in prison under those old laws.
Electoral Nice Time, Hillary Clinton Edition

Hillary Clinton is a genuinely good person, and if you need evidence, look not only at that photo from aĀ couple years backĀ (we firmly believe that while bad peopleĀ canĀ fool little girls, they cannotĀ make them beam like thatĀ ), but also at these Wonket stories: Hillary ClintonĀ wrote an excellent letter to a young womanĀ who'd written about the need to destigmatize sexually transmitted infections, and when she was herself but a young lass, Hillary ClintonĀ punched a mean old boy right in the noseĀ for failing to protect a nest of baby bunnies.
Electoral Nice Time, Everyone Edition
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Ā Voters in North Carolina, by 'LucidHurricane'
Not enough Americans vote. Too many Americans voted badly this year. Too many places make it hard for too many Americans to vote at all. But you know what? Americans nonethelessĀ get pretty damned excited about voting,Ā and that's an unalloyed Good Thing.
Barack Obama Made Some Monumental Decisions
Barack Sexxytime Nature and History Lover Obama protected America's historical and natural heritage this year,Ā designating the Stonewall Inn a national monument,Ā proclaiming it the gay Mount Rushmore -- without even stealing any Indian land to do so. (OK, fine, there's the whole thing with Manhattan and the $24 in beads, but that was farther back than the big presidential heads). And speaking of Native People, just this week Obama did it again, protecting sacred, historical, archaeological, and just plain beautiful sites byĀ designating two new national monumentsĀ in Nevada and Utah. Friends of the extraction industries howled, but did so in corporate and legislative offices. Out in the wild, it was a great opportunity to Enjoy the Silence.
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Ā Now it's Gold Butte National Monument; image via Sen. Harry Reid's website
In Spite Of Everything, People Insisted On Being Good At Heart

Anti-refugee hatred is entirely too common, and now it'll be official U.S. policy under the New Cruelty. But plenty of Americans insisted on bucking the trend:
There was the Maryland Jewish congregation whoĀ sponsored a Syrian refugee familyĀ -- and in the same post, we also looked at the letter sent to President Obama by six-year-old Alex from New York, who asked if his family could adopt Omran Daqneesh, the little boy dug out of the rubble of his home in Aleppo (fortunately, Omran is not an orphan -- his parents survived the bombing, although his older brother did not).
And then there was this response to Donald Trump Jr.'s goddamned stupid "poisoned skittles" meme: Ā
ĀSo say we all.
In Tucson, Arizona, aĀ bake sale by Syrian refugee womenĀ was too blasted successful -- it sold out in an hour. So the pro-refugee group that sponsored the bake sale went and held a second one a week later, with an even bigger turnout.
And in Boise, yes, the one in Idaho, aĀ gay Syrian refugeeĀ named Shadi Ismail couldn't believe how lucky he was to find a home in a smallish city where he also found love and a new family of choice. You may want to have a hanky ready while you reread this one. We misted up just typing this two-sentence summary.
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Ā Caution: Ninjas may sneak in and cut onions as you readWe're not crying, YOU'RE crying.
Civil Rights Hero John Lewis Crowd Surfing. That is All.
John Lewis went on the Stephen Colbert Show. And he crowd-surfed.
He also received aĀ National Book AwardĀ for the third and final volume of his epic graphic memoir,Ā March.Ā If you haven't readĀ March,Ā you need to, and that linky there gives Yr Wonkette a nice kickback. In fact, Yr Dok Zoom has only read the first two volumes, so we believe we'll treat ourselves to the set as a late year-end bonus.
Share YOUR happy news in the comments, which, as an extra-nice service to our readers,Ā we don't allow.Ā

It's Your Super Duper Mega-Nice 2016 Ultimate Nice Time Compendium!
Much to the displeasure of other New Yorkers! They didn't like him in the first place, you know all this extra traffic & security isn't helping. Never thought I'd see a person elected for President opt to live elsewhere.
This one is probably 8 years old, and in winters with a hard frost, it dies back to the ground, and generally grows this much in a season. Last winter the stalks survived, as it did not get too frigid here, but it probably would not get much bigger, just more stalks.In south Florida, they were like weeds and would get larger, with a bigger trunk, and I had to hack them back in certain areas as they grew so fast and spread. They like getting regular watering, but generally are easy keepers.I've had many colors, this one starts out white, and turns to a light coral/orange.Good luck, they are beautiful plants, and the aroma comes out after sunset, and is just lovely.