Chop Wood, Carry Water 11/30
Some "Hope" from Vaclav Havel
Hi, all, and happy Thursday.
I’m behind on just abut everything this morning, so instead of writing an introduction I’m simply going to post something below that my husband texted me this morning. (I think he knew I needed a pep talk).
It’s by Vaclav Havel, a Czech statesman, author, poet, playwright and dissident. His writings on hope are some of my favorites, but I’d forgotten this one:
HOPE
Either we have hope within us or we do not.
It is a dimension of the soul and is not essentially dependent on some particular observation of the world.
HOPE is an orientation of the spirit, an orientation of the heart. It transcends the world that is immediately experienced and is anchored somewhere beyond its horizons.
HOPE in this deep and powerful sense is not the same as joy that things are going well or willingness to invest in enterprises that are obviously headed for early success, but rather an ability to work for something because it is good, not because it stands a chance to succeed.
HOPE is definitely not the same thing as optimism. It is not the conviction that something will turn out well, but certainty that something makes sense regardless of how it turns out.
It is HOPE, above all which gives the strength to live and continually try new things.
Hope that touched you as deeply as it touched me.
Now let’s go “work for something because it is good.” We know how to do that.
P.S. Maybe I’ll see some of you at the
burnout workshop soon! I’m a last-minute addition to the program. (:Call Your Senators (find yours here) 📲
Hi, I'm a constituent calling from [zip]. My name is ______.
First, I support a continued pause of hostilities in Gaza so that more hostages can be freed, more aid can get to Gazans, and a diplomatic solution can be found to this horrific conflict.
Second, I know that Senator Wyden just introduced the as-yet-unnumbered Billionaires Income Tax Act, legislation to ensure billionaires start paying their fair share in taxes. Legislation like this has wide support. Americans are tired of seeing billionaires not paying what they owe. Will the Senator co-sponsor this bill?
Call Your House Rep (find yours here) 📲
Hi, I'm a constituent calling from [zip]. My name is _______.
First, I support a continued pause of hostilities in Gaza so that more hostages can be freed, more aid can get to Gazans, and a diplomatic solution can be found to this horrific conflict.
Second, I’m alarmed by the new whistleblower account alleging CBP supervisors failed to adequately monitor the agency’s medical service contractor for staffing shortages, unsafe care and other problems before the May death of an 8-year-old girl in U.S. custody. What will the Congressmember be doing to ensure that these facilities receive proper oversight? And how will s/he ensure that those responsible for this child’s death face consequences? I’ll take my answer in writing. Thanks.
Extra Credit ✅
Today let’s contact CNN about their coverage. Make sure to tell them if you’re a viewer. Go here to make a comment. Again, the suggested text—WHICH YOU SHOULD EDIT—is something like:
Donald Trump is a fascist who wants to be a dictator. He tells us so, over and over.
Yet news organizations like CNN are all too often sugar-coating Trump’s poison.
It’s past time for major news organizations like yours to take a bold stand against Trumpian fascism before their soft-pedaling of the threat puts the public in further danger and causes the news outlets themselves to lose credibility.
You need to make clear that a vote for Trump is a vote to end democracy. That’s not opinion. It’s fact, and you’re doing bad journalism if you don’t cover it. Will you do this? If not you are abdicating your responsibility—one we all share—to help protect democracy. Thanks.
Get Smart! 📚
Declaration For American Democracy is holding a small donor financing briefing.
Tuesday, Dec 5, at 2:00 PM ET
"Experts will join us to discuss the benefits of small donor financing programs and advocates from states and communities will share lessons learned from successful small donor financing campaigns and programs across the country.”
They'll also be joined by U.S. Congressman John Sarbanes to discuss the fight to pass small donor financing on the national level.
Please register here to join them.
Spread the Word! 📣
The Biden campaign just dropped this new ad to highlight the disparities in healthcare policies between him and Trump. Please watch and please share!
Give 💰!
I made a Giving Tuesday TikTok to raise money for the political organizations I think are most strategic right now: Movement Voter Project, the States Project, Run For Something and also for the NC fundraiser I’m co-hosting. If you feel like people would be interested in my quick descriptions of why these groups matter so much, I made a video. (Here, here, here, and here are the donation links that go with it. Please share those too, or you can post the link to my linktree, which will take them to all of the links in one place.
Chop Wood, Save the Planet 🔥
Did you know that aphids — tiny, garden-destroying menaces — really hate cloves? Instagram-famous gardener Jil Hinds shared an amazing video showing how these plants can pest-proof your yard.
[H/T The Cool Down]
Resistbot Letter (new to Resistbot? Go here! And then here.) 💻
[to all 3 reps] [Text SIGN PYZTZF to Resistbot at 50409 or via Apple Messages / WHATSAPP / MESSENGER] [Source]
As Congress negotiates an emergency supplemental funding bill, some Members of Congress are misusing these negotiations in order to extract cruel, ineffective and radical changes to our immigration and asylum system. I oppose this.
We all share a commitment to ensuring that our communities thrive and that those who need protection can find it here in the United States. A smart funding package would better fund the system and ensure humane treatment for asylum applicants and would not permanently block access to safety for all who need refuge. We can do that by hewing to these goals:
—Invest in Frontline Efforts to Effectively Address Migrant Needs
—Fund Customs and Border Patrol’s Office of Field Operations to ensure they can safely and effectively screen migrants and people seeking asylum at ports of entry in a streamlined way that reduces the backlog at the border.
—Improve Funding for Legal Representation. A right to representation is foundational to this nation, but the majority of migrants don’t have access to lawyers.
—Invest in Case Management Pilot Program to strengthen support for immigrants undergoing asylum and other case adjudication as a more effective and cost-efficient alternative to detention.
—Strengthen Services for Unaccompanied Children to improve the processes for humanely and effectively taking care of children who arrive alone to the U.S.
—Increase Funding for USCIS to streamline the process of employment authorization to strengthen our workforce.
—Develop Coordinated Communications and Planning Best Practices for cities, localities, and non-governmental organizations to follow as migrants arrive in our communities.
—Fund Shelter and Services Program for cities, localities and non-governmental organizations assisting newly arrived migrants.
—Support Regional Migration Solutions in the Americas including by partnering with the United Nations Refugee Agency, UNHCR, and the International Organization for Migration with funds needed for stabilization, regularization programs, migration pathways, and integration initiatives.
We should also oppose permanent policy changes that harm asylum seekers and use them as ransom for measures such as aid for Ukraine or avoiding a government shutdown. The system needs more resources now and comprehensive reform over time. But Congress should steer clear of last minute, poorly thought-out policy changes in 11th hour budget negotiations that would make a poorly functioning system worse.
Also, we MUST keep ineffective policies out; increased detention of asylum seekers and immigrants, family separation, impossible standards for accessing asylum protection, and other harmful policy changes should not be part of a foreign assistance package or a stop gap measure to keep the government open for the American people.
Finally, Congress should not increase funding for detention centers, more Border Patrol agents or other harmful items, or fund third country repatriation flights.
Thanks for considering my views.
OK, you did it again! You helped save democracy! You’re amazing.
Talk soon.
Jess
Jessica,
Janet and I just attended the Robert Hubbell / Jill Bickett Zoom meeting on activist burnout and resilience, and we were looking forward to what you had to say in your prepared presentation. But your time was truncated. Is it possible to record a video of your full presentation that can be shared on your blog and linked on Robert’s blog or shared with his activist group?
Thank you for all that you do — including your sharing of the beautiful quote of Vaclav Havel!
Dear Jessica, I’m a longtime activist and a fairly recent subscriber to CWCW. I first encountered you on ballot curing phone banks in 2022, and was amazed to find you on every bank that I participated in. You inspire me and so many I am sure. I freely admit to being a man, and I freely admit that the bulk of my activism is done hand in hand with my amazing wife, who among other things, runs a postcard and letter writing group on zoom every Friday. I am 99.9% of the time the only man in the group. This seems to carry over to most other groups that I get involved with, including Center for Common Ground and Consolidated Oregon Indivisible Network, where you recently gave an amazing presentation that gave me clarity and fired me up all over again. I caught the last half hour of today’s “Burnout” presentation, and I must say, even though your time was cut extremely short, you still get me fired up like none other. The other speakers dealt only with process, which just made me feel inadequate in my activism and would add to any case of burnout, while you, as always, armored us with hope and gave us a call to action. Maybe this is the answer to “where are the men?” Maybe we men respond better to your type of rhetoric, and the invitation to do something bigger than ourselves, as a team? I don’t know, but I will continue to be grateful to you, and I will keep working. Thank you! (Could you please post what you were going to say if you had not been cut off? Thank you!)