The Promised Land always lies on the other side of a wilderness.
—Havelock Ellis
Hi, all, and happy Thursday.
With so much distressing news recently, it was truly thrilling to hear of a huge victory here in Los Angeles: our City Council voted unanimously yesterday to phase out oil and gas drilling in L.A. It’s an incredible environmental win, and will have huge and positive ramifications for the health of millions of people.
But more than that, it’s remarkable proof, as one activist wrote, that “persistence and stamina can overcome systemic resistance.”
The organization behind this victory, a local coalition called STAND LA, was founded in 2013. That’s almost TEN YEARS ago. When they started their quest to end neighborhood drilling in L.A. they were told they stood no chance. They were treated as nut jobs, as crazies.
They didn’t care. They believed in justice for the communities—mostly Black and brown—being negatively impacted by Los Angeles’s ubiquitous resource extraction sites.
They knew the road would be long. They took action anyway.
They organized. They gathered likeminded groups. They worked at a granular level: One meeting, one subcommittee, one door-knocking event at a time.
They persisted.
Yesterday’s victory wasn’t a “miracle.” It wasn’t an “overnight success.” It was the result of that persistence and stamina.
I will urge us all to emulate it.
We may not win this month. Or this year. We may lose for another decade. (I hope not, but it’s possible).
If we don’t give up, if we continue to organize, if we continue to build our coalitions and do the footwork…
We, too, will have our day of victory.
Call Your Senators (find yours here)
Hi, I'm a constituent calling from [zip]. My name is ______.
First, I'm calling to urge the senator to fully support bold climate action now— the climate emergency can’t wait any longer. 2021 was the fourth hottest year on record and the deadliest year for climate disasters. By passing a bill to invest in real climate and care solutions, we can address this crisis while also creating millions of good union jobs. [H/T]
Second, please ask the Senator to vote yes on Judge Alison Nathan’s nomination to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. Thanks. [H/T]
Call Your House Rep (find yours here)
Hi, I'm a constituent calling from [zip]. My name is _______.
I’m calling to ask the Congressmember to support HR 6283, the Get Foreign Money Out of U.S. Elections Act, which would close the loophole created by the Citizens United decision that allows for-profit corporations primarily owned by foreign investors to pour unlimited money into our elections."
Extra Credit
Post this on social.
Texans, this upcoming Monday, January 31 is the last day to register to vote for the primaries. Check out the different ways you can register before the deadline or go to mifamiliavota.org/registertovote/ for more info! 👇🏼
#TexasPrimaries #Vote
Win Races! 🗳
One of my favorite 2022 candidates is Jessica Cisneros, running to unseat the awful (and under-investigation) Henry Cuellar in TX-28. Her election is, for all intents and purposes, on March 1st—if she can beat Cuellar in the TX primaries she should be able to win the seat fairly easily in November. That means Election Day is soon!
Although a Democrat, Cuellar voted with Trump 75% of the time. He was one of the main impediments to getting the BBB passed in the House. He is an oil and gas darling. He voted against the Womens Health Protection Act in the House.
Cisneros, on the other hand, is the daughter of Mexican immigrants and a human rights lawyer. She’s a climate hawk. She’s pro-choice. I’ve met her. She’s fantastic. She ran in 2020 and only lost by 2000 votes. This. Is. So. Doable.
Please consider signing up for a Thursday phonebank here or a Saturday phonebank here.
Get Smart!
Tonight at 8PM EST Demand Justice is holding an emergency organizing call to talk about what we need to do to ensure President Biden’s SCOTUS nominee is confirmed as quickly as possible. Republicans will do everything in their power to steal another Supreme Court seat, so we need all hands on deck!
Resistbot Text (new to Resistbot? Go here!)
[to all 3 reps] [H/T] [Quick send: text SIGN PKRFEP to 50409]
From 2014 to 2018, 25 of the richest Americans’ wealth grew by $401 billion, yet they paid just $13.6 billion in federal income taxes during those years. It might seem like a large sum, but it only amounts to an effective 3.4% tax rate. In fact, the wealthiest Americans avoid paying $163 billion each year – that’s the shortfall between how much they owe under the current system and what is collected. This is so unfair!
This system is exacerbating already significant and dangerous income inequality in America. It's time to stop trying to fix a complex and nuanced issue with incremental changes. We need bold action from Congress if we are to right the ship of wealth inequality in America and make major new investments to help families afford healthcare, childcare, housing and to fight climate change.
We need to reform the system by passing the Billionaires Income Tax or a wealth tax on the ultra-rich; taxing income the wealthy get from their investments at least at the same rate as workers’ paychecks are taxed; closing loopholes and raising tax rates on wealthy corporations; imposing at least a 15% minimum tax on corporate national and foreign profits, imposing a surcharge on stock buybacks, and more. I want you to fight to make this happen. Thanks.
OK, you did it again! You helped save democracy! You’re amazing.
Talk tomorrow.
Jess
Before finishing eading your story about Stand LA, I wrote this poem.
If Stand LA wants it, it is theirs. It’s a gift.
They Don’t Care
They don’t care
The lungs breath free
The smiles are without fear
Without doubt
They don’t care
Streams run clear on the skin
Fingers dip in for a taste
Clear, cold and sweet
They don’t care
Bodies immerse
Without crust from the mines
From the filth of farms
They don’t care
Eyes see without pain
The moon without a black ring
The tree leaves without death
They don’t care
The mind and heart are saved
The blood runs happy
Life has helping hands