Chop Wood, Carry Water 2/13

Don't panic. Organize.

Someone named Kelly Boughton Michaud posted this on her Facebook page and I just love it.

Hi, all, and happy Thursday.

Hope you’re hanging in there. We’re getting a glorious rainfall here in L.A., so I’m feeling grateful for that, at least. Those of you who live in wetter climates may not understand the joy we Angelenos feel at getting a good soaking. It’s so rare, and it does so much good, that when it happens it almost feels like a holiday. Of course, considering the recent fires, this can start to tip over into catastrophe quickly, so we’re hoping to get a good rain, but not too good. It’s a delicate balance these days.

There’s very little that’s delicate, on the other hand, happening in the federal government right now. Quite the contrary, it feels like a constant assault with a hammer, a blowtorch, and a bullhorn. This morning we saw RFK Jr. confirmed; yesterday it was Tulsi Gabbard. Trump and Musk’s corruption, illegality, and cruelty continues unabated, and Republicans have simply decided to lay down for it. It’s shocking; it can feel like we’re trapped in a speeding car with a couple of drug-addled madmen. We sort of are.

We do, however, have a great deal of power in a few places. One is in the amount of noise we make—and this is absolutely key. We’ve seen Congress and/or the President blink a couple of times, now—and each time it was after there’d been a massive outcry from the public. I simply can’t overstate the importance of calling our reps every day right now—ESPECIALLY if we have Republican representatives. They are the ones who need to know that their future re-election prospects are threatened, and they’ll only understand that if their phones never stop ringing. Call ALL of their offices—not just the DC ones! (You can look up their district office phone numbers on their official websites.) Keep making noise!

The other place we have an enormous amount of power is in our purchases. We must use it. We should boycott Tesla, Walmart, Amazon, McDonald’s, and all the other companies rolling over for Trump—when we can, of course. If we care about climate we should consider giving up (or cutting back on) beef and switch everything we can to electric. We can get books from the library or places like bookshop.org or Powells, we can stop buying clothes from big retailers who are practicing destructive fast fashion practices, we can shop at small businesses whenever possible, and so on. Not all of these choices will immediately put pressure on Republicans, but all of them will do good, and if enough of us take them for long enough Wall Street—and the political party it owns—will take notice.

Oh, and see below for information on the upcoming February 28 “buy nothing” day.

We have street protests, too, and trust me, more of them are coming. Lots of you have written to ask me about various actions coming up—I’m going to refer you to a new Substack, The People Dissent, which does nothing but keep track of such things. I highly recommend you subscribe. I’ll have some of these protests in the newsletter, but it’s unlikely I’ll be able to cover them all. The People Dissent has pledged to try to do just that.

Our levers of power may be slower to work, but work they can, and work they will. I know this moment in history is scary—it really is!—but I’m telling you, we can prevail if we work together, trust in our strength, and refuse to give up. So let’s do that!

OK. I have to hop off to attend my Indivisible call. Maybe I’ll see some of you there!

Now let’s get to work.

Call Your Senators (find yours here) 📲

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

I understand that Kash Patel advanced out of the Senate Judiciary Committee this morning in a 12-10 party-line vote. His nomination could be brought up for a floor vote as soon as next week. I am horrified that Republicans are thinking of confirming someone so dishonest and unqualified to run the FBI. It’s terrifying. Please vote no — to do otherwise is to put Americans like me in danger. Thanks.

[If Democrat add:] Democrats need to do everything possible to block his confirmation. Keep fighting—even harder, please. We will have your back. Thanks.

[If GOP add:] If the Senator bucks his/her party and votes no I will have his/her back going forward. Thanks.

[Remember, if you didn’t send your Senators the Resistbot letter two weeks ago opposing Patel’s confirmation you can still do so by texting SIGN PEYWUE to 50409]

Call Your House Rep (find yours here) 📲

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

I understand that House Republicans just introduced a budget resolution with over 4 trillion dollars in tax cuts for rich people and corporations, a 4 trillion dollar debt limit increase, AND at least 2 trillion dollars in spending cuts, most of which will come out of Medicaid and SNAP? Are you kidding me? We are going to blow up the deficit, take health care away from 70 million people and take food away from 14 million poor Americans so that Jeff Bezos can get more tax cuts? This is disgusting and I absolutely oppose it.

[If Democrat add:] Democrats need to use all the means at their disposal to stop this from passing. If Hakeem Jeffries can’t start acting like a courageous and tough leader Dems should replace him with someone who knows how to fight. Because this can’t pass. Thanks.

[If Republican add:] The Congressmember had better oppose it as well or s/he will be looking for a new job in two years. That’s a promise. Thanks.

Extra Credit ✅

Earlier this week House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries gave, according to Ezra Levin of Indivisible, one of “the most embarrassing press conferences in recent memory.” It was weak, ineffective, and low energy. He is absolutely not meeting the moment. Axios has also reported—although some are skeptical that it’s true—that Jeffries secretly complained about Indivisible and Move On members’ calls.

Indivisible has crafted a letter to Jeffries asking him to do better, and they’re asking us to sign it.

You can do so quickly and easily—after reading it, of course—here. Ideally you’ll personalize it, as that always makes it more effective.

FWIW, I also called Jeffries yesterday at ‭(202) 225-5936‬ and said:

My name is ______ and I’m calling from _____. I just learned that during a closed-door meeting for House Democrats on Monday — a meeting Minority Leader Jeffries was at—members of the Steering and Policy Committee complained that groups like MoveOn and Indivisible had driven thousands of phone calls to members' offices. THIS is what you’re complaining about? What did you expect us to do in the midst of a coup? The problem is not us, but Democratic leadership, which seems to be experiencing some form of moral paralysis. Until someone fills the leadership vacuum at the top there will be more calls. We’re trying to push you to FIGHT. Please do. Thanks.

Feel free to join me in calling if you like.

Get Smart! 📚

I’ve got another great newsletter for you if you care about reproductive rights!

Repro Ready: Your Action Plan for Reproductive Rights

Pari and Eve, the voices behind @GEMMA_Talks and the Women in America series, are bringing their excellent feminist content to your inbox with Repro Ready: An Activist Newsletter. Designed for those who refuse to sit on the sidelines, Repro Ready is a pro-science, pro-choice, pro-woman resource that equips readers to take action. Each edition delivers sharp analysis, practical tools to fight misinformation, and strategies to amplify marginalized voices—keeping you informed and ready to defend reproductive rights in an era of relentless attacks. Subscribe here!

Messaging! Messaging! Messaging! 📣

BE BOLD. BE LOUD. Is there an overpass near your house or a busy street corner? Get your message out to the world so that people know they are not alone in this crisis! Example below.

Want some pointers on how to do it? Check out The Visibility Brigade Activist Toolkit and get started!

Don’t Spend 💰!

Vote With Your Wallet

The People's Union is organizing a 24 hour spending boycott on Friday, February 28.

WHAT NOT TO DO:
Do not make any purchases
Do not shop online, or in-store
No Amazon, No Walmart, No Best Buy
Nowhere!
Do not spend money on:
Fast Food
Gas
Major Retailers
Do not use Credit or Debit Cards for non-essential spending

WHAT YOU CAN DO:
Only buy essentials of absolutely necessary
(Food, Medicine, Emergency Supplies)
If you must spend, ONLY support small, local businesses.

SPREAD THE MESSAGE
Talk about it, post about it, and document your actions that day!

WHY THIS MATTERS!
~ Corporations and banks only care about their bottom line.
~ If we disrupt the economy for just ONE day, it sends a powerful message.
~ If they don't listen (they won’t) we make the next blackout longer (We will)
This is our first action.
This is how we make history.
February 28th
The 24 Hour Economic Black Out Begins.

Win Races—Connecticut! 🗳

Special election in Connecticut, Feb 25th!

Stratford Town Councilor Tony Afriyie is running for CT State Senate District 21. Born in the Bronx, NY, and raised in Stratford, CT, Tony is committed to making government work for the people and ensuring that every family has the opportunity to thrive.

Sign up to make calls here. (This event is listed as In Person but can be done virtually. The campaign will send a link to dialer)
Sign up to knock doors here.

Chop Wood, Save the Planet 🔥

If you’re feeling inspired to not use Google for web searches anymore—I was!—you’ve got options! Like one that plants trees or funds biodiversity efforts. It took me about 3 minutes to change my settings on my phone and laptop so that I’m not using Google to search anymore. Now I use Ecosia. They want to go to the dark side? They can go there without me.

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

[To: ] [H/T] [Text SIGN to 50409, or to @Resistbot on Apple Messages, Messenger, Instagram, or Telegram]

No Resistbot today—sorry!

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

Talk soon.

Jess