Chop Wood, Carry Water 1/15
Another ACA vote / Block DHS funding / Heather Cox Richardson event / push for an indoor waiting area at Delaney Hall / deep canvas with Swing Left / Florida action on guns / and more!
Hi, all, and happy Thursday.
Deeeeeep breaths. There is a lot going on. I say this as Iran smolders, ICE increases its attacks in Minnesota, and Trump floats the possibility of invoking the Insurrection Act.
Will he do it? We don’t know. Either way, though, things are escalating, so we’re going to have to focus on our breath, self-care, and community ties right now. And, of course, we must continue to take action. Doing so will sustain and strengthen us as Trump, growing ever weaker and more embattled, flails and attacks like a wounded, trapped animal.
I know this is really hard. Please remember, a majority of the country loathes him. They. Loathe. Him. They loathe ICE, too. The majority of us are not with this administration. This is not just me saying that. It’s poll after poll after poll. Now, public opinion doesn’t fix anything in the short term, but in the long term it does matter. A lot. Midterms are coming. Lawmakers are up for re-election. Trump is poison at the ballot box. They know it. So do we.
He is weaker than he appears. He is hemorrhaging support. We will beat him.
Speaking of which, political strategist (and friend) Mike Lux posted a short Substack piece this week celebrating the courageous Americans rising up across the country to protest ICE. He titled his post after the Woody Guthrie song “All You Fascists Bound to Lose.” I played the song to myself this morning and it did so much good that I decided I would include it here today (see above). Because we all need an anthem, and we need one now; I believe this is the right tool for the job.
It also serves as a reminder that the best people have aligned against—and fought—fascism from time immemorial. After all, fascism is like a virus. It lies dormant in the body politic, then flares up during times of upheaval, stress, or rapid change. As much as we’d like to believe otherwise, it never goes away entirely.
But we, the people, are the antibodies every time. Unlike the unproven “remedies” to which some initially turn, like politicians, or the press, or the business world, we alone have a track record of success. Why? Because we, not they, were made for this job. We, further, can—and do—evolve. As the sickness mutates, in other words, so do we. We surge where needed, constantly learning and adapting new forms to meet new threats. Once we have overcome one strain of fascism we internalize that ability, using those antibodies to help beat the next one.
We are the white blood cells of the body politic, y’all. Because of us, the patient will live. Our immune system, such as it is, is entirely up to this task.
The fascists, then, ARE bound to lose. Because we are strong, wholly determined, and growing in numbers by the day.
Thank you for all you do. Bless you for being the cure. Now let’s you and me get to work.
P.S. — Tim Walz posted an excellent statement on Instagram (and other platforms) yesterday about the situation in MN. It’s 6 minutes long but worth every minute. I urge everyone to watch it in its entirety and share it widely. It IS the messaging we need. It’s on Instagram here and YouTube here.
Call Your Senators (find yours here) 📲
Hi, I’m a constituent calling from [zip]. My name is ______.
First, I understand that Senator Schumer tried to pass the ACA premium tax credit extension bill last night by unanimous consent and that Republicans blocked it. This angers me. Please tell the Senator I support these subsidies and want him/her to do everything possible to get them passed.
Second, I am horrified by ICE’s abuses in Minnesota and elsewhere. The Senator needs to refuse to vote for any DHS appropriations bill that fails to rein them in. And I’d like the Senator to make a public statement saying as much. We can’t wait around while ICE harms more people. The Senator must push for an appropriations bill that puts serious restrictions on it, ends its dragnet raids, and doesn’t add a penny to its already bloated budget.
[If Democrat add:] And please push Chuck Schumer to get on board with this effort and make a public statement about it. His weakness in this moment is deeply disappointing.
[ONLY if Hawley or Young add:] One more thing: I can’t believe the Senator backed down on the Venezuela War Powers Resolution. Shame on him. He is ignoring the will of his constituents and abdicating his Congressional duties. I will never forget it.
Call Your House Rep (find yours here) 📲
Hi, I’m a constituent calling from [zip]. My name is _______.
I’m calling to urge Representative [Name] to refuse to vote for any appropriations bill for the Department of Homeland Security that fails to rein in ICE. And I’d like them to make a public statement saying as much. Renee Good’s killing on January 7 is part of a broader pattern of unchecked violence, impunity, and abuse carried out by federal immigration enforcement agencies against our communities. We can’t wait around while ICE harms more people. Representative [NAME] must push for an appropriations bill that puts serious restrictions on ICE, ends its dragnet raids, and doesn’t add a penny to its already bloated budget.
[If Democrat add:] And please ask the Congressmember to push Hakeem Jeffries to get on board with this effort and make a public statement about it. His weakness in this moment is deeply disappointing.
Extra Credit ✅
Delaney Hall is an ICE detention facility in Newark NJ with no indoor waiting facility (the only one without an indoor waiting facility in the country), so people waiting hours to see their loved ones are being exposed to the elements and smog. Activists and community members are emailing the facility director of Delaney Hall demanding an indoor waiting area so that people can wait to see their loved ones without risking illness for themselves or their children.
An enterprising reader found the Assistant Director of the Delaney Hall facility’s email address—his name is Sekou Ma’at and his email is sekou.maat@geogroup.com. The other email she found is corporaterelations@geogroup.com to reach the corporate office.
Her suggested letter is:
Mr. Ma’at,
I am writing to urge you to immediately establish an indoor waiting area at Delaney Hall for the families and loved ones who come to visit those detained there.
At present, families, including children and infants, are required to wait outdoors for hours at a time, exposed to freezing temperatures and harsh waterfront conditions, simply for the chance to see their loved ones. This is not only unacceptable; it is inhumane. Volunteers who have come to provide basic support and assistance to these families have already experienced hypothermia after just two to three hours in current weather conditions. If healthy adults are becoming ill, it is deeply troubling to imagine the impact on children, elderly family members, and infants.
No family should be subjected to physical harm or serious health risk simply for attempting to maintain contact with a loved one. The absence of an indoor waiting facility reflects a disregard for basic human dignity and safety, and it places people in avoidable danger. This is a problem with a clear, practical solution, and it requires immediate action.
I urge GEO Group and on-site leadership to address this without delay before someone is seriously injured or worse. Providing a safe, indoor waiting area is the bare minimum standard of care and decency, and Delaney Hall must meet it.
Please send an email! Thanks!
Extra Credit for Floridians!
The Florida legislature and Desantis are looking to lower the legal age of purchase for an AR15 and other long guns from 21 to 18 years old. After the horrific Parkland School Shooting the age was raised to 21 and this has had a positive impact in keeping Florida safer than it otherwise would be. Lowering the age will only increase the likelihood that these weapons of war will get into the wrong hands and will without question result in more shootings, more deaths and more families and communities torn apart.
If you live in Florida or can help mobilize people in Florida to oppose
this dangerous bill, please go to this link for the Newtown Action Alliance
and see the different actions that you can take to help.
Get Smart! 📚
Red, Wine, and Blue presents: Stand Together with Heather Cox Richardson: One Year Post-Inauguration
Tuesday, January 20th at 7:30 pm ET.
On the one-year anniversary of Trump’s inauguration, we are exhausted and anxious. That’s why we’re turning to our favorite historian Heather Cox Richardson to help us reflect on the year and how we can and must continue to stand strong together.
This conversation is not just about naming what’s gone wrong; it is also about recognizing what’s beginning to shift. She will share why the tide may be turning as cracks form in the MAGA movement and more people are rejecting extremism in favor of humanity. Let’s start the new year talking about how we will continue to bring positive change and the power we have when we stand together.
Messaging! Messaging! Messaging! 📣
Please post this on your social media:
Indivisible is holding a call in day today to push Democrats to refuse to vote for more DHS funding until ICE is reined in. WE HAVE LEVERAGE HERE —Republicans need 7 Democratic votes to pass this funding—but Dems need to be pushed to use it. Please, even if you don’t usually call your reps, we need your voice right now. Lives are at stake. You’ll be provided with a script. Make three calls—to your two US Senators and your one House Rep. Thanks!
https://indivisible.org/ice-out-house
https://indivisible.org/ice-out-senate
Give 💰!
If you’re on Instagram I highly recommend following Smitten Kitten —they are a small Minneapolis shop that has become a hub for mutual aid—their posts are amazing and so informative. I just donated to two places they suggested—Wrecktangle Pizza, which is delivering food to immigrants hiding at home, and a social worker who’s distributing supplies to those in need in the twin cities area (her Venmo is : @ Edali-Terrones and her cashapp is $itsdali28).
There’s also a whole MN mutual aid linktree here. And a website with loads of ways to help here.
Grab your Wallet! 💳
I’ve decided to create a spreadsheet of corporations to boycott. I will include a column explaining why we’re boycotting, another one with contact info, and another one with sample messaging so that we can let them know we’re boycotting and why. It’s just begun and it’s here. My assistant Andrea is helping me with it but if anyone else feels like working on it or has suggestions for companies to add please email me at hijesscraven101@gmail.com
Win Races! 🗳
[From the HODG newsletter]
In 2024, Dems lost ground across nearly every demographic. The Democratic brand clearly needs to be fixed. That will require what every broken relationship requires: rebuilding trust and listening.
Voters and volunteers are bone-tired of short-term, transactional outreach that starts too late, misses the mark, and ends abruptly after Election Day. Campaigns rely on outdated tech, incomplete data, and narrow targeting that overlooks potential supporters who could make the difference in tight races.
Swing Left is trying to change all that with Deep Canvassing.
The idea is not new, but it’s a tactic that’s under-utilized. Deep Canvassing means you are having meaningful, deep-listening conversations with a wide range of voters – not just likely Dems – so you can learn what those folks care about, what specific challenges they’re facing. You can then bring those concerns back to candidates so they can respond to them.
To do this deep canvassing -- which they’re calling “Ground Truth“ -- Swing Left has doubled its operational budget, hired more staff and is piloting a canvassing program that uses AI to help Dems fix what we all sense when we talk to voters: a broken party infrastructure.
Swing Left is now looking for volunteers to get trained in Deep Canvassing, and reach out to voters. If that sounds interesting to you, then sign up to learn more.
Sign Up to Learn More about Deep Canvassing with Swing Left
Chop Wood, Save the Planet 🔥
Is your money sitting at one of the 10 US megabanks that disproportionately finance fossil fuels?
Moving your money to a community development or minority depository bank or credit union is one of the most effective things you can do to fight the climate crisis while building your community.
Are you ready to move your money to a bank or credit union that builds your community instead of fossil fuels? Then Green America’s Better Banking Action Hour is for you.
Join them on Thursday, January 22, at 7 p.m. ET / 4 p.m. PT to learn:
How banks use your deposits
How to find a bank or credit union that doesn’t finance fossil fuels
How to switch to a new bank or credit union
Resistbot Letter (new to Resistbot? Go here! And then here.) 💻
[To: all 3 reps] [H/T Coleman Rogers ] [Text SIGN PQFQEF to 50409, or to @Resistbot on Apple Messages, Messenger, Instagram, or Telegram]
(Note that for the most effective RESISTBOT it’s best to personalize this text. More about how to do this here. But if you’re short on time just send it as is using the above code.)
Since the first day of his second term, President Trump has shown open contempt for the Constitution. He now asks Congress to ratify that lawlessness by passing a continuing resolution that would fund the federal government at current levels—including funding for unconstitutional conduct, state-sanctioned violence, and dangerous abuses of military power.
Congress must refuse.
Instead, Congress must use its Article I authority to defund an authoritarian agenda that is already harming Americans and destabilizing the world.
OK, you did it again! You’re helping to save democracy! You’re amazing.
Talk soon.
Jess
“All you fascists bound to lose” is DEFINITELY the hymn of this time. I hope more Substacks will publicize it and that lyrics will be spread to such groups as the “Ragin’ Grannies” to lead the singing of it on every possible occasion.
Any elected official in favor of sending troops anywhere should be required to send their own kids or family equivalent.