Chop Wood, Carry Water 2/28
Holy Toledo. That was crazy.
Hi, all, and happy Friday,
I just watched clips from Trump’s and Vance’s Oval Office meeting with President Zelensky. I’m stunned. What an embarrassment. I’ve done my best to throw together a quick script for our lawmakers—I think the words are less important than just getting those phones ringing off the hook right away. It’s time for us to start screaming from the rooftops that Trump is a Russian stooge, it’s no longer debatable, and that we won’t have it.
It’s really painful to watch our country devolve in this way, so take care of yourselves today and over the weekend. We’re going to recover from this, but a lot of damage is being done, and it sucks to have to live through it.
But please, take heart. It is up to us to bring our democracy back from the brink. So be angry right now—be sad, be outraged, be horrified. But don’t quit. We’ll beat these awful human beings eventually. We have to. And we will.
It starts with getting—and staying—deafeningly loud.
So let’s do that.
Call Your Senators (find yours here) 📲 and Your House Rep (find yours here) 📲
Hi, I'm a constituent calling from [zip]. My name is ______.
Trump and Vance’s Oval Office meeting with President Zelensky today was a major embarrassment, and totally horrifying. The way Trump and Vance spoke to Zelensky was disrespectful, condescending and antagonistic. It was clear they were using Russian government talking points. We look like imbeciles on the world stage, and, more importantly, like a country that is fully in league with Vladimir Putin. Trump’s fealty to Putin and Russia is dangerous and unacceptable. I stand with Ukraine and want the Senator/Congressmember to make a statement saying that s/he does as well. We are either for freedom and democracy or we are not. Which side is s/he on? Thanks.
Extra Credit ✅
[H/T LB Marger Moore]
Three proposed changes to passport policies would all require that new and renewed passports list a binary sex marker that matches the sex assigned at birth. We all know how dangerous these policy changes are, and many of us are positioned to be directly impacted.
Legal experts have described the importance of public comments as a strategy to mitigate the effects of harmful policies by stalling the process (agencies must review and consider all submitted comments), by potentially positively impacting policy development, and also by providing public records which can then be used by litigators fighting these policy changes.
The public comment period has around 20 days left (depending on which policy).
This Reddit thread has some helpful reflections, if you'd like to review. Perhaps most important is that comments should be unique. There is no "perfect" comment, and our resistance is strongest with more truthtelling voices.
Here are the pages for the three proposed changes:
There is a "submit comment" button in the banner at the top of each page, or in the left side column with a speech bubble.
This is one of many functional ways to take action at this time.
Extra Extra Credit:
The Department of Education has just launched a website, enddei.ed.gov, where people are supposed to go to report instances of “divisive ideologies and indoctrination” in schools. It doesn’t verify your email address, so you can make one up to submit a comment. You can also make up a school district—or google a random one. I used Aberdeen School District in Idaho. Zip is 83210.
It would be a shame if folks flooded this form with…well, whatever they can come up with. Have fun!
Get Smart! 📚
Worried abut the SAVE Act? Attend the Troublemaker Training: How to Stop MAGA from Taking Away Our Vote on Monday, March 3, from 8:00 PM - 9:00 PM ET.
The SAVE Act is a bill designed to stop people from voting by requiring a birth certificate (with a last name matching their current last name) or passport when they register to vote.
This anti-voting bill could block the votes of tens of millions of Americans, including married women who changed their name, immigrants, trans people, kids in foster care, first-time voters, and anyone who may have simply misplaced their birth certificate! It would also prevent Americans from being able to register to vote by mail or online and end voter registration drives nationwide.
Join Red, Wine, and Blue for a timely conversation with voting rights experts to learn more and see how we can fight back.
Give 💰!
Join NOPE Neighbors on Zoom on March 4 at 7 PM EST to hear from Judge Susan Crawford, the progressive candidate for Wisconsin’s Supreme Court. We’ll also hear from Wisconsin Secretary of State Sara Godlewski.
Electing Judge Crawford will maintain the court’s current liberal majority and help safeguard voting rights in this pivotal swing state. It will also send a strong anti Trump-Musk-MAGA message less than three months into the Trump presidency.
Judge Crawford’s opponent is a right-wing MAGA extremist who is receiving increasing funding from Elon Musk. Our meeting will help raise the funds Judge Crawford needs to win. You’ll have an opportunity to give during the meeting – or, you can give today by clicking here.
Helping to protect fair voting in Wisconsin is something concrete we can do right now. Use the button below to register for the meeting now.
Resistbot Letter (new to Resistbot? Go here! And then here.) 💻
[To: all 3 reps] [H/T] [Text SIGN PNSEAK to 50409, or to @Resistbot on Apple Messages, Messenger, Instagram, or Telegram]
I’m writing in strong opposition to the Trump Administration’s attacks on the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. In seeking to “shut down” CFPB, President Trump wants to eliminate the agency that protects Americans from unfair, deceptive, and abusive corporate practices, giving even more power to his corrupt billionaire friends serving as top advisors.
Following the 2008 crisis, millions of families lost their jobs, homes, and entire life savings. All the while, the wealthy executives responsible for the crisis rewarded themselves handsomely with excessive pay and bonuses. This is precisely why the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau was created. Unfortunately, what we are seeing right now from the Trump Administration is the culmination of a 15-year effort to systematically and illegally block the agency from doing crucial work to take on the megabanks and predatory lenders that are ripping off hard-working Americans. It’s really, really enraging.
I want you to make protecting the CFPB a top priority. Remember, all of you work for us. Protecting Americans from getting ripped off should be a top priority, not something you let an unelected Ketamine addict do on his lunch break. Thanks.
OK, you did it again! You’re helping to save democracy! You’re amazing.
Talk soon.
Jess
Utterly disgraceful!!! I am so ashamed and angry by the belligerence and disrespect by Trump and Vance against Zelenskyy, a man and his country who have been fighting and dying to protect their emocratic nation.
It is time that WE demonstrate our support (AGAIN) for Zalenskyy and directly help Ukraine in whatever er we can. One suggestion: Next month we repeat the economic boycott and instead of buying something, we each donate $1, $10, $100, $1000 to Ukraine to help them fight Russia. There were $75M people who voted for Kamala. If each person donated just $10 to herp Ukraine, that would generate $750M! If you agree, please indicated your agreement and let's all figure out how to get it done!
Jess, you've taught me well. Before I opened Substack to see replies to this abomination, in utter disgust I dialed one of my Senators (pounded out that memorized phone number!) and did exactly what you ask in this article. I refrained from the use of the F word many times, but it was clear I wanted to insert that word (and many others). I am INCENSED at what took place in the Oval Office today. Utter disgusting disrespect for Zelensky. Unbelievable. WHEN will someone do something! This is just nuts. Thank you for being here for us. I can only imagine how much you would like to lose your [poop] at times, and your restraint is nothing short of miraculous, because losing our [poop] is the only thing that feels right, right now. ONWARD!