Chop Wood, Carry Water 1/7

Hi, all, and happy Tuesday!

Yesterday after getting the newsletter out I took Mj on a trip to the Cloisters. This wasn’t our first visit—we go almost every time we come to NY—but it had been a few years. As always, it didn’t disappoint.

The Cloisters, if you don’t know, is a glorious museum situated in Fort Tryon Park in upper Manhattan. It specializes in European medieval art and architecture. Owned by the Metropolitan Museum of Art, it contains a large collection of medieval artworks shown in the architectural settings of French monasteries and abbeys.¹ Its most popular exhibit? The so-called Unicorn Tapestries—a magnificent set of seven 15th century tapestries depicting the hunt and subsequent captivity of a unicorn. These tapestries are some of my favorite pieces of art in the world, and I’m not alone. They’re considered some of the finest art in existence. Seeing them in real life is a profound and moving experience—it literally never gets old.

But here’s the thing I find most spellbinding about these tapestries: the mystery surrounding them. No one knows for whom they were made, who made them, or what, exactly, their imagery means. It’s all a giant riddle, and while theories abound, the truth will likely never be known. At the center of this mystery is the identity of the “AE” whose initials are woven prominently, and numerous times, into each of the tapestries. AE was, presumably, the person who paid to have the tapestries made. They must have been enormously powerful, and vastly wealthy. In their day they were known widely; they ruled their world.

Today they are lost to the sands of time.

The same can be said of the brilliantly skillful people who devised these tapestries, and the craftspersons who executed them. Gone, gone, gone. Only the fruits of their labor remains.

So, too, one day, will we, and President Biden, and Donald Trump, and JD Vance, and Elon Musk, and all the rest, be lost to time. All that will remain of us is the tapestry of history, which will consist of the threads we weave into it in the time allotted to us. These threads are made of what we do, and every single warp and weft will affect it. While MAGA tears and pokes at the fabric, we can restore and strengthen it, adding new colors, more stunning visions, and better designs. Where it has been destroyed we can painstakingly create something better—if we stay with the task. If we keep our fingers moving. If we stay at the loom.

We may fade away, and the story of humankind move on, but we can—and will— leave behind something glorious and lasting for others.

I consider our work to be a sort of weaving. We cannot see the entire tapestry, but we can bring out best thread, and attention, and love to the work.

And so we shall, one more time. Someday I like to think the world will marvel at what we achieved.

Call Your Senators (find yours here) AND Your House Rep (find yours here) 📲

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

I’m calling to express my strong opposition to the SAVE Act — an extreme voter suppression bill that Congress will apparently be prioritizing this session. If passed, most Americans would be unable to register to vote using their driver's license or other state-provided identification alone. It’s nuts! The SAVE Act will especially burden young people, who would face hurdles that already-registered citizens do not face, and married women, who often change their names and will therefore no longer be able to use their birth certificates to register. The SAVE Act isn’t necessary—it’s already illegal to vote if you’re not a citizen—and it’s going to make it harder for citizens to vote. Please oppose it. Thanks.

[Read more about this from the Civic Center’s Laura Brill here]

Extra Credit ✅

Throughout the United States, fires, floods, and extreme weather driven by climate change are destroying people’s homes. Rather than rising to the occasion, insurance companies are withdrawing coverage and doubling, tripling, and quadrupling rates while raking in huge profits. (The Senate Budget Committee just released a fascinating report on the looming home insurance crisis—you can read it here.)

The Federal Insurance Office has data that would expose how insurance companies are raising rates, limiting coverage, and denying claims due to climate change.

We need to take this information out from behind closed doors. People need data to make informed decisions. We need it to hold insurance companies accountable, and — most importantly — to propose solutions to our climate-driven property insurance crisis.

Please sign Green America’s letter to tell the Federal Insurance Office to make data on insurance premiums and claims publicly available. This issue is going to become more and more urgent; we need transparency and we need it now.

Get Smart! 📚

The leaders of Indivisible will be holding a weekly discussion every Thursday in January at 3pm ET / noon PT. That’s 1/9, 1/16, 1/23, and 1/30. They’ll open with some reflections on news of the day, but mostly they’ll be taking in your questions -- which you can send ahead of time or ask live. These are really helpful get-togethers; I hope many of you will join them! This week’s is called “Bracing For Impact,” and it’ll be specifically geared towards preparing for Inauguration Day and everything that comes immediately after. I know I’ll be there!

Register and drop your questions here.

Things to Do Over Inauguration Weekend.

1. Join Indivisible’s “Help Over Hate” Weekend of Service.

   Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. taught us that injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere, so this inauguration weekend -- as Trump and his allies prepare to attack our rights and divide our communities -- we’re coming together through action and solidarity. From January 17-20, Indivisible groups across the country will unite for this weekend of service by hosting events designed to empower their community. Check out their toolkit to find out how you can participate!

2. Attend the People’s March on the 18th—there are smaller marches all over the country or a big one in D.C.

Win Races! 🗳

HELP NEEDED FOR CRITICAL SPECIAL ELECTIONS IN SNOW-COVERED VIRGINIA TODAY!!

There are two critical special elections in Northern Virginia today which were triggered by State Senator Suhas Subramanyam getting elected to Congress in November. The stakes are high because Democratic control of the State Senate and House of Delegates are at risk and there are important proposed amendments on abortion rights, restoring voting rights and marriage equality that are being considered in the upcoming legislative session.

Unfortunately, Virginia got hit with several inches of snow yesterday so turnout might be lower than expected. These are normally blue seats but Northern Virginia had a close call a few years ago because of a cold January special election so we want to make sure we win and do it convincingly if possible.

If you have some time to spare today to remind Democrats to vote please join the candidates’ phone bank here. There are several shifts to choose from. ALL HANDS ON DECK, Y’ALL!

Chop Wood, Save the Planet 🔥

Let’s fix those ultra-confusing ‘best by’ labels!

Ever tossed out a can of beans or tub of yogurt because the date on the package made it seem like it was inedible? We’ve all been there: 84% of consumers chuck some of their food because the “best-by” date told them to. The thing is, those dates mean pretty much nothing in terms of food safety. That means we’re not only throwing money away, but also sending food waste to the landfill to decompose and burp methane, a greenhouse gas 28 times more potent than carbon dioxide.

The FDA currently has a proposal out to swap those “best by” dates for a clearer “best if used by” stamp. The agency is now taking public comments on the change, which is a great chance to voice your support. Click here to tell the agency why you back the new labeling scheme, and use data (like, say, the stats above, or this quick explainer) to make your point.

[H/T subscriber Nadine H.]

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

[To: all 3 reps] [H/T subscriber Cathy T.] [Text SIGN PVZCLK to Resistbot on Apple Messages, Messenger, Instagram, Telegram, or by text to 50409]

I understand that a plaque honoring the police officers who protected the Capitol building—and legislators like you—from the insurrectionists on January 6 is being held up by the architect of the Capitol. The plaque was approved by the Senate and was supposed to have been installed by May of last year.

Please urge the architect to follow through on installing the plaque. The courageous Capitol police officers who gave so much to defend our institutions on that shameful day deserve no less. Because they stood their ground on that dark day, our democracy is still standing. We should acknowledge, honor, and commemorate that. Thanks.

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

Talk soon.

Jess

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