I went to a protest outside a MAGA congress woman’s office yesterday. I live in a red county in California and it was nice to see so many fellow dems and progressives making our voices heard 💙
You’re welcome! Yes there were a few trumpers driving around but a lot of people were honking in support of us. I also saw a man ask what the protest was for and we told him and he said he agreed and was happy to see us. I didn’t see any coverage because we’re in a super conservative area but we had a good showing and a ton of support!
So happy to hear you had visible (and audible) support! Even though there was no media coverage, just talking to curious folks matters. I made a dark joke about d oge yesterday at work and my teammate had no idea what I was talking about. Sent him some articles. No idea if he will read them, but I'm glad for the opportunity to open more eyes.
One of the less reported effects of gathering to peacefully protest is that you find out that you are not alone - many others feel just the same way you do. I will never forget the exhilarating experience of participating in the first Women’s March. Seeing the huge throngs of women, men and children who came out to voice their disgust at Trump’s first election was one of the most heartening experiences of my life. Good for you for doing this!
I just want to add that I dropped Amazon--a place I bought loads of things because I'm a retiree and it was easy. Well, it's fine. I'm shopping locally just as my parents did. It works and makes me feel I'm doing something.
I dropped Amazon years ago and I’ve never looked back. 95% of us could do it with a tiny bit of extra effort. I heartily encourage anyone who can afford to and who doesn’t fall into that 5% to do so.
I notice that you are consistently polite in your suggested scripts to our congresspeople. I admire that, because I just want to call and rant at them (the R's that is) and not very nicely. I dampen my inclinations, at least up to a point, and adopt your more civilized tone. Thank you for the check on my tendencies!
And, as good as ranting & raving sometimes feels in the moment, I have to (begrudgingly) admit that my mom was right about the whole honey, flies, and vinegar thing—lol! 😉
I called Governor Newsom's office about joining with other blue states to withhold our tax payments until musk is removed. I emailed AG Bonta and asked for musk to be charged with violating my personal privacy as well as the data breaches in several Federal departments. I filed a complaint with https://cppa.ca.gov/webapplications/complaint about the data breach compromising my personal information.
I've been watching Democratic Senators for much of last night and this morning hold the Senate Floor. I'm seeing so many of them in a new way. I'm super impressed and inspired by them and by everyone who has showed up and spoken up this week. I think we've broken through our fear and paralysis. It's a scary time, but I'm also feeling more hopeful than I have in a long time too.
Isn’t true that the SAVE Act also disenfranchises every married woman who takes her husband’s name? She will have to provide a marriage certificate if her name doesn’t match her birth certificate or passport? This is an insidious way to make women have to jump hurdles to vote.
In Québec, Canada, they changed the rules over 20 years ago : for a woman to take her husband's name, she has to make a special request. So only a few older women use their husband's name, with a few exceptions.
Govt medical cards have an optional field for the spouse's name.
From a Canadian: Some Canadian products to buy, courtesy of a lovely Canadian woman I found on a Substack forum:
Grocery Products:
Maple Syrup: Crown Maple and Butternut Mountain Farm.
Honey: Billy Bee Honey.
Flour: Brands such as Five Roses Flour and Robin Hood Flour. I tend to use Robin Hood unbleached all-purpose flour.
Jams and Preserves: E.D. Smith
Dairy Products: Saputo is a common one. There may be others.
Frozen potatoes: McCain or Cavendish Farms. I really like Cavendish.
Household Products:
Cleaning Supplies: Attitude offer eco-friendly cleaning products including shampoo, shower gel etc.
Paper Products: Cascades paper towels and tissue.
Dark Beers:
Alexander Keiths (not dark, but excellent all-round beer), Sleeman Honey Brown, Big Rock Traditional. And from Fort Garry Brewing Company (I’m in Winnipeg) is their Dark. And from Quebec is Maudite Ale by Unibroue.
Thank you so much for all your help, insight and inspiration. Please see the following letter I am sending out to Dem and Indivisible groups in Eastern WA. —Gretchen
TRUTH IN LOCAL NEWS
Dear fellow Dems,
This is an invitation to armchair action to represent truth and reality in our communities. Please join a discussion group about writing letters to the editor of our local papers. I will set up a Signal chat group for those who tell me they are interested.
Local publications are just one venue—the truth about the Administration’s attacks on our freedoms, security and decency needs to be in every comment thread, on the airwaves, on billboards—but local papers do reach a substantial and generalized part of the community. While local papers are still accepting letters about reality and liberal democratic values, let’s use them as much as we can.
Each of us can help get the REAL news in front of voters faces. The list of topics to address grows everyday. We can highlight local impacts. Don’t wait, write and send in letters now, but also sign up for this discussion group to share ideas about topics, audience, tone, etc. We can inspire and support each other!
Please email me to tell me you’d like to be in this chat group with the subject line TRUTH IN LOCAL NEWS.
I called Judy Chu's office (I'm a constituent) to thank her for taking action with Johnson yesterday. I also called Gwen Moore's office in WI. The staffer seemed very pleased to hear from someone about Gwen's actions. He didn't ask for any identifying information, and wanted to know if all I wanted to say was "Thank you!" So I said, "Tell her to keep it up!"
Just tried to download goodsuniteus app and apparently it doesn't work on all phones. Otherwise, I'm having a good time talking to the occasional staffer when I get through and we appear to be having some impact. The injunction on activities at the Treasury Department will be huge, especially if they abide by it.
I’m in the little blue pond of Atlanta and a very red state of Georgia. I’ve been calling both Osoff and Warnock and the state rep in my district Hank Johnson. They are all Democrats but what I wanted to know if it will do any good for me to call the Republican representatives in Georgia , even though they’re not in my district.
Indivisible typically suggests we stick with our own reps for maximum effectiveness and I would definitely say in this moment when it’s so hard to get through it might be good to leave their phone lines open for people who are actually constituents. Just because they are genuinely not going to listen to anyone else.
I’ve been emailing Republican senators who I think (thought) might be swayed. Not sure if the emails get read, but I’ve sent a number of them opposing Cabinet nominees to McConnell, Murkowski, Collins along with others.
At Wyden’s office yesterday outside in the cold and heard from his staff, Merkley’s staff and our Rep’s person, organized by Indivisible. Calling every damn day too, and donating/writing postcards for Susan Crawford. Doing some small thing and keeping in the know helps me stay calm. Thank you ALL for being community!
I've been thinking the same thing -- that a general strike and boycotts will be necessary. That it only shutting down the economy will affect MAGA at all.
I went to a protest outside a MAGA congress woman’s office yesterday. I live in a red county in California and it was nice to see so many fellow dems and progressives making our voices heard 💙
Thank you for showing up, especially when there may be hostilities around MAGA offices.
You’re welcome! Yes there were a few trumpers driving around but a lot of people were honking in support of us. I also saw a man ask what the protest was for and we told him and he said he agreed and was happy to see us. I didn’t see any coverage because we’re in a super conservative area but we had a good showing and a ton of support!
So happy to hear you had visible (and audible) support! Even though there was no media coverage, just talking to curious folks matters. I made a dark joke about d oge yesterday at work and my teammate had no idea what I was talking about. Sent him some articles. No idea if he will read them, but I'm glad for the opportunity to open more eyes.
Amazing!
One of the less reported effects of gathering to peacefully protest is that you find out that you are not alone - many others feel just the same way you do. I will never forget the exhilarating experience of participating in the first Women’s March. Seeing the huge throngs of women, men and children who came out to voice their disgust at Trump’s first election was one of the most heartening experiences of my life. Good for you for doing this!
Love to hear it!
was it vince fong by any chance?
I just want to add that I dropped Amazon--a place I bought loads of things because I'm a retiree and it was easy. Well, it's fine. I'm shopping locally just as my parents did. It works and makes me feel I'm doing something.
I dropped Amazon years ago and I’ve never looked back. 95% of us could do it with a tiny bit of extra effort. I heartily encourage anyone who can afford to and who doesn’t fall into that 5% to do so.
I have stopped ordering on Amazon too. Also canceled my audible subscription use Libby at the library now!
Libby is wonderful! Hoopla is good, too.
And libro.fm is owned by bookshop.org — they have a similar subscription model to Audible but you get to select a local bookstore to support!
Adding: I just put in a grocery order at Costco.
that's great Sheena. just don't shop target or walmart for as you know they dropped all their DEI policies. thanks.
Showing us all how its done! Way to go!
I notice that you are consistently polite in your suggested scripts to our congresspeople. I admire that, because I just want to call and rant at them (the R's that is) and not very nicely. I dampen my inclinations, at least up to a point, and adopt your more civilized tone. Thank you for the check on my tendencies!
Honestly, I’m not quite as civil when I call lol. I give you guys sort of a baseline and assume that you will extemporize from there.
KC, I found too, that speaking more politely keeps my anger from ramping up, and then I'm much calmer after I get off the phone.
And, as good as ranting & raving sometimes feels in the moment, I have to (begrudgingly) admit that my mom was right about the whole honey, flies, and vinegar thing—lol! 😉
I called Governor Newsom's office about joining with other blue states to withhold our tax payments until musk is removed. I emailed AG Bonta and asked for musk to be charged with violating my personal privacy as well as the data breaches in several Federal departments. I filed a complaint with https://cppa.ca.gov/webapplications/complaint about the data breach compromising my personal information.
Nice!
I agree that we need a legal way to withhold our Federal tax payments. Is it best to pursue this through our local Attorney Generals office?
Yes, we should withhold our FIT payments in protest of this corrupt and illegal administration.
I've been watching Democratic Senators for much of last night and this morning hold the Senate Floor. I'm seeing so many of them in a new way. I'm super impressed and inspired by them and by everyone who has showed up and spoken up this week. I think we've broken through our fear and paralysis. It's a scary time, but I'm also feeling more hopeful than I have in a long time too.
How did you watch, Antoinette?
I'm watching on the C-Span website. Lisa Blunt Rochester from Delaware is speaking right now!
Isn’t true that the SAVE Act also disenfranchises every married woman who takes her husband’s name? She will have to provide a marriage certificate if her name doesn’t match her birth certificate or passport? This is an insidious way to make women have to jump hurdles to vote.
Yes
Did you pm me? It seems fishy…
In Québec, Canada, they changed the rules over 20 years ago : for a woman to take her husband's name, she has to make a special request. So only a few older women use their husband's name, with a few exceptions.
Govt medical cards have an optional field for the spouse's name.
From a Canadian: Some Canadian products to buy, courtesy of a lovely Canadian woman I found on a Substack forum:
Grocery Products:
Maple Syrup: Crown Maple and Butternut Mountain Farm.
Honey: Billy Bee Honey.
Flour: Brands such as Five Roses Flour and Robin Hood Flour. I tend to use Robin Hood unbleached all-purpose flour.
Jams and Preserves: E.D. Smith
Dairy Products: Saputo is a common one. There may be others.
Frozen potatoes: McCain or Cavendish Farms. I really like Cavendish.
Household Products:
Cleaning Supplies: Attitude offer eco-friendly cleaning products including shampoo, shower gel etc.
Paper Products: Cascades paper towels and tissue.
Dark Beers:
Alexander Keiths (not dark, but excellent all-round beer), Sleeman Honey Brown, Big Rock Traditional. And from Fort Garry Brewing Company (I’m in Winnipeg) is their Dark. And from Quebec is Maudite Ale by Unibroue.
Dear Jessica,
Thank you so much for all your help, insight and inspiration. Please see the following letter I am sending out to Dem and Indivisible groups in Eastern WA. —Gretchen
TRUTH IN LOCAL NEWS
Dear fellow Dems,
This is an invitation to armchair action to represent truth and reality in our communities. Please join a discussion group about writing letters to the editor of our local papers. I will set up a Signal chat group for those who tell me they are interested.
Local publications are just one venue—the truth about the Administration’s attacks on our freedoms, security and decency needs to be in every comment thread, on the airwaves, on billboards—but local papers do reach a substantial and generalized part of the community. While local papers are still accepting letters about reality and liberal democratic values, let’s use them as much as we can.
Each of us can help get the REAL news in front of voters faces. The list of topics to address grows everyday. We can highlight local impacts. Don’t wait, write and send in letters now, but also sign up for this discussion group to share ideas about topics, audience, tone, etc. We can inspire and support each other!
Please email me to tell me you’d like to be in this chat group with the subject line TRUTH IN LOCAL NEWS.
In solidarity,
Gretchen Chambers
Vice Chair, LD13 Democrats
KCD PCO Coordinator
I called Judy Chu's office (I'm a constituent) to thank her for taking action with Johnson yesterday. I also called Gwen Moore's office in WI. The staffer seemed very pleased to hear from someone about Gwen's actions. He didn't ask for any identifying information, and wanted to know if all I wanted to say was "Thank you!" So I said, "Tell her to keep it up!"
Just tried to download goodsuniteus app and apparently it doesn't work on all phones. Otherwise, I'm having a good time talking to the occasional staffer when I get through and we appear to be having some impact. The injunction on activities at the Treasury Department will be huge, especially if they abide by it.
I’m in the little blue pond of Atlanta and a very red state of Georgia. I’ve been calling both Osoff and Warnock and the state rep in my district Hank Johnson. They are all Democrats but what I wanted to know if it will do any good for me to call the Republican representatives in Georgia , even though they’re not in my district.
Indivisible typically suggests we stick with our own reps for maximum effectiveness and I would definitely say in this moment when it’s so hard to get through it might be good to leave their phone lines open for people who are actually constituents. Just because they are genuinely not going to listen to anyone else.
Thank you !!
I’ve been emailing Republican senators who I think (thought) might be swayed. Not sure if the emails get read, but I’ve sent a number of them opposing Cabinet nominees to McConnell, Murkowski, Collins along with others.
Thank you Jess! YOU are amazing!
Good news: https://www.thebaltimorebanner.com/national/judge-temporarily-blocks-federal-worker-buyouts-P5GU5TYIQ5B43ISDWJDW6XC22Q/
That IS good news!
I am so interested in hearing how the meeting with Schiff's staff goes!! Thanks for reporting on the meeting with Padilla staffers.
I was encouraged by the response emails I got from his office this morning, sounds like he may be finding his spine
At Wyden’s office yesterday outside in the cold and heard from his staff, Merkley’s staff and our Rep’s person, organized by Indivisible. Calling every damn day too, and donating/writing postcards for Susan Crawford. Doing some small thing and keeping in the know helps me stay calm. Thank you ALL for being community!
I've been thinking the same thing -- that a general strike and boycotts will be necessary. That it only shutting down the economy will affect MAGA at all.