Chop Wood, Carry Water 12/16

The hero within us.

Hi, all, and happy Monday!

As we continue to slog through this challenging period, I find myself in constant search of bits of wisdom and encouragement to share with you. I don’t mean only my own—I seek that of others, as well. I am, after all, a finite source—I occasionally require more than my own words to fill these pages.

Today I came across a quote that seemed to fit the moment well. It was this:

Courage doesn’t always roar. Sometimes courage is the quiet voice at the end of the day saying, ‘I will try again tomorrow.’

– Mary Anne Radmacher

It seemed to encapsulate the subscribers to this newsletter perfectly.

You don’t roar—I don’t think!—but you do call your representatives, write letters to the Editor, raise and give money, volunteer for left-leaning candidates, gather with like-minded patriots, and work to amplify Democratic messaging. You show up. You are sometimes afraid, sometimes tired, sometimes discouraged, sometimes angry. A lot of the time you are ALL of those things.

But you show up anyway. And when the day—or week, or month, or electoral cycle— doesn’t go as you’d like, you don’t quit.

You say “I will try again tomorrow.”

It is a beautiful and truly admirable thing to behold. I hope you know how remarkable you are for it.

Which leads me to the second quote I found this morning:

Hard times don’t create heroes. It is during the hard times when the ‘hero’ within us is revealed.

– Bob Riley

We are watching exactly that take place: The “hero” within countless average Americans is being revealed. True, the cowardice in others is being revealed as well, but it’s important to highlight the millions of us who are not giving up. Who refuse to “obey in advance.” Who are staying in the fight. Who are putting one foot in front of the other, even on the days when it feels there’s no point.

Those are the heroes. And you are one of them.

So as we begin another long week, let us take a moment to salute the hero in each of us, and to resolve that, no matter how rough it gets, we will “try again tomorrow.”

If we do that we cannot lose.

Call Your Senators (find yours here) 📲

Hi, I'm a constituent calling from [zip]. My name is ______.

First, please ask the Senator to support S. 597, the Social Security Fairness Act of 2023. This bill would fully repeal the Windfall Elimination Provision and Government Pension Offset, both of which have undermined the ability of millions to retire with dignity. It needs to pass! [H/T]

Second, two senators, Manchin and Welch, have introduced a constitutional amendment that would establish term limits of eighteen years for Supreme Court justices. It is blindingly obvious that we need this. Pretty much every other peer democracy in the world has such limits; every state Supreme Court does, too. We need to address the corruption in our court—this is a good and very reasonable way to start, and it has widespread support amongst Americans. Please ask the Senator to back this amendment.

Call Your House Rep (find yours here) 📲

Hi, I'm a constituent calling from [zip]. My name is _______.

I know the Senate just passed the Stop Institutional Child Abuse Act with unanimous support. This bill would place greater federal safeguards on institutional youth treatment programs; it’s long overdue. Will the Congressmember vote yes?

[If Democrat add:]

Also, I know Rep. Ocasio-Cortez is running to be the ranking member of the House Oversight Committee but that Speaker Emerita Pelosi is working to elevate someone else—Rep Gerry Connolly—to that position. I’m calling to say that my support is unequivocally behind AOC. Unless Democrats want to lose the enthusiasm of every voter in the party they will support her bid. We need new, young blood—not the status quo. AOC is the brilliant and fearless leader we need at this moment. Please ask the Congressmember to back her bid. Thanks.

Extra Credit ✅

One of my subscribers, Andrea C., had an idea that I love. She suggested that we should send postcards to Sen. Joni Ernst telling her that she is a coward for even considering Hegseth as a possible candidate for the Secretary of Defense. I love it! Let’s do it!

People can send their postcards to either, or both, of her addresses--one in Iowa and one in Washington. (You can also, apparently, contact her through her website. Another subscriber did this and told me her out of state address was accepted. Postcards, though, may be a better option if you’re not in Iowa because they don’t have a return address at all.)

This is what my subscriber wrote (edited lightly), but of course, people are free to write what they want:

Dear Senator Ernst:

Pete Hegseth is not fit to serve in the military, much less to lead the Department of Defense. To support his nomination is cowardly. You are abandoning your military brethren and betraying your oath to this country. Show us that you are a leader by refusing to support Hegseth’s nomination. You owe this to all who serve, and to our veterans! Be strong!

Thanks,

[Name]

Here are 2 addresses for her:

Senator Joni Ernst, 733 Federal Building, 210 Walnut Street, Des Moines, IA 50309

or:

260 Russell Senate Office Building, Washington, DC 20510

Get Smart! 📚

[From subscriber Cathleen D.]

Back in 2017 Timothy Snyder wrote an amazing little book entitled On Tyranny. In it he outlined 20 steps to take to stand against tyranny. To his surprise his little book was translated into multiple languages and published in many countries.

Then, back in 2021, he re-published the book with some new illustrations. And, most importantly for us right now, he also created a video series of 20 short and to-the-point episodes, one for each of his chapters.

Here, thanks to Timothy Snyder, are his 20 videos. Do not feel overwhelmed. Each lesson is a very short video. In fact, only 4 of them are longer than 10 minutes.

Below is the link to all 20 videos. Chapter One will begin on the screen, and then on the right side of your screen you will see a box "On Tyranny," and you will find all the other videos listed right there. Easy for you to watch however you wish.

SPEND 💰 WISELY!

If you’re not aware of the app Goods Unite Us now is the time to download it! It will tell you the political donations made by any company and its senior employees. You’ll see information on Apple, Walmart, Patagonia, Koch, AARP, New Balance, Starbucks, AT&T and thousands more. It’ll enable you to vote with your dollars by supporting companies that share your values, and NOT support those who don’t!

I just exchanged emails with the app’s founder—the work he and his wife are doing is really exciting! More exciting? The app has been downloaded over 250,000 times since the election!

The link to download the app is here.

(The founders have also launched a more in-depth paid version of their app called IndexAlign.com. And they even have an Index fund if you want to invest in companies that are doing the right thing! So cool!)

Resistbot Letter (new to Resistbot? Go here! And then here.) 💻

[To: your Senators] [H/T] [Text SIGN PBOSDW to Resistbot on Apple Messages, Messenger, Instagram, Telegram, or by text to 50409]

I am writing to urge you to oppose the confirmation of Billy Long as the next IRS Commissioner.

Long’s troubling record speaks for itself. As a congressman, he co-sponsored bills to abolish the IRS and replace it with a regressive 30% national sales tax. His post-congressional work in a fraud-plagued tax credit industry further raises concerns about his ability to lead an agency tasked with enforcing our tax laws.

The current Commissioner, Danny Werfel, has made significant strides in holding wealthy tax cheats accountable and improving taxpayer services. Replacing him before his term ends jeopardizes these gains and threatens to weaken the IRS just as it’s in the midst of implementing critical reforms.

Long’s nomination would erode public trust in our tax system and empower wealthy individuals and corporations to skirt their obligations at the expense of everyday taxpayers.

I urge you to reject Billy Long’s nomination and stand up for tax fairness. Thank you for your consideration.

---

OK, you did it again! You’re helping to save democracy! You’re amazing.

Talk soon.

Jess