Chop Wood, Carry Water 3/19

Be a giant.

Hi, all, and happy Tuesday!

Deep breaths. Fighting for justice is tiring, isn’t it?

Still, isn’t it nice to know that we’re part of a long line of people doing the same? I just learned this morning, for example, that the first ever recorded labor strike happened under the Egyptian Pharaoh Ramses III in 1159 BCE! Wow! The strikers were tomb workers and artisans, and their action took place in Thebes.

These high-prestige workers’ pay had been delayed repeatedly, and at some point they lost their patience, walked off the job, and just took to the streets. Even though no one had done it before!

As the World History Encyclopedia describes it:

The workers had waited for 18 days beyond their payday and refused to wait any longer. They lay down their tools and marched toward the city shouting “We are hungry!” They first demonstrated at Ramesses III's mortuary temple and then staged a sit-in near the temple of Thutmose III.

The local officials had no idea how to deal with the situation; nothing like this had ever happened in the history of the country…

Officials ordered pastries delivered to the striking workers and hoped they would be satisfied and go home…The pastries were not enough, however, and the next day the men took over the southern gate of the Ramesseum, the central storehouse of grain in Thebes.

The strikers eventually got their pay.

And so will we, walking thousands of years later in their footsteps, fight to ensure that basic rights survive and expand for the next generation. It’s our job, our duty, and a historical legacy we both inherit and pass on.

Remember, we stand on the shoulders of giants. But we must be giants, too, so that our shoulders will be wide, strong and ready for the fighters to come.

Call Your Senators (find yours here) 📲

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

I understand that Senator Fetterman has introduced a resolution that targets senators indicted for crimes affecting national security, and would bar them from serving on congressional committees, receiving classified information, submitting spending requests for appropriation bills, or using official funds for international travel. It would effectively strip Sen. Bob Menendez of his committee assignments and bar his access to classified information and briefings. I want the Senator to support it. Thanks.

Call Your House Rep (find yours here) 📲

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

I understand that Congress has come to an agreement on the second tranche of funding bills and that the current package is free of poison pill provisions. Good. Please pass it quickly and get on with the business of securing aid for Ukraine. This has to be a top priority—global security relies on it. Thanks.

Extra Credit ✅

From

Erin Reed

Take action for trans people in Maine!

Libs of TikTok, Riley Gaines, and other huge anti-trans far-right activists are trying to flood Maine legislators so that they don't pass a sanctuary bill for transgender people. If you'd like to advocate to keep trans people safe, please send them an email and let them know that you support LD227 and the trans sanctuary bill. Email addresses are below (I’ve also made this easy click-to-send link if you want to email them all at once—please customize your message and sign):

Donna Bailey, Senator, District 13 Donna.Bailey@Legislature.Maine.gov 

Cameron Reny, Senator, District 13 Cameron.Reny@Legislature.Maine.gov 

Anne C. Perry, Representative, District 9 (Bill Sponsor) Anne.Perry@Legislature.Maine.gov 

Poppy Arford, Representative, District 101 Poppy.Arford@Legislature.Maine.gov 

Sally Cluchey, Representative, District 52 Sally.Cluchey@Legislature.Maine.gov 

Anne-Marie Mastraccio, Representative, District 142 Anne-Marie.Mastraccio@legislature.maine.gov 

Kristi Michele Mathieson, Representative, District 151 Kristi.Mathieson@Legislature.Maine.gov 

Jane Pringle, Representative, District 107 jane.pringle@legislature.maine.gov

Your message can be as simple as:

I support LD227 and the trans sanctuary bill. [Include reasons you support trans people] Please don’t listen to the haters. Protect our most vulnerable people and pass this bill!

Get Smart! 📚

The Missing Constitutional Right
Wednesday, March 20, 3–4 p.m. ET

The right to vote is one of the foundations of democracy, yet it has never truly been available to all Americans. Author Richard Hasen argues in his new book, A Real Right to Vote, that a constitutional amendment would end tumultuous fights over the franchise for good. But could it be that simple?

Join the Brennan Center for a live/virtual event with Hasen and moderator Wilfred Codrington III in a discussion on how an amendment to the Constitution would enshrine the right to vote and what it would take to get there. 

RSVP HERE

Spread the Word! 📣

This ad. OMG. Please share it widely.

Give 💰!

The wonderful Center For Common Ground, an organization that “educate[s] and empower[s] voters of color in voter suppression states,” is raising money to reach 18 million voters in seven such states. They need to raise $115,000 by the end of March.

Whatever donation you make until they reach $10,000 will be instantly doubled. That means $5 becomes $10, or $100 becomes $200.

The closer they get to raising $115,000, the more states they can work in and the more voters they can mobilize. Since 2020, legislators have passed laws making it harder for people to vote, especially voters of color. CFCG ensures voters of color get the information they need to cast their ballot despite barriers to voting with personalized postcards, phone calls, and text messages. 

Information is power; with your help, we can empower millions of voters of color this year. This is money so well spent! Give to the Center for Common Ground today!

Win Races! 🗳

Swing Blue Alliance is starting a phone bank to recruit volunteers for the Mecklenburg County Democratic Party. They are teaming up with All in for North Carolina (AINC) who run their own phone bank on Sundays.

Building Democratic capacity in Mecklenburg County is essential if we are going to Flip NC Blue.  Mecklenburg County has more registered Democrats than any other NC county but votes in below average numbers.  If they turned out to vote at the same rate as in other counties in NC, 10,000 more Democrats would vote in Mecklenburg!

You will be calling strong Democrats inviting them to a social event. Democrats who attend these events volunteer at surprisingly high rates.

Their every other Wednesday phone bank starts on 3/27 from 6-8pm EDT.  Please sign up HERE.

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

[To: all 3 reps] [H/T] [Text SIGN PAZMTK to Resistbot at 50409 or via Apple Messages / WHATSAPP / MESSENGER]

Please support farmers and help families access the food we all need to thrive by strengthening The Emergency Food Assistance Program (TEFAP) through co-sponsoring the Farmers Feeding America Act (S. 2713 and H.R. 6203). This legislation would:

- Double annual mandatory funding for TEFAP food purchases to help people facing hunger and support the U.S. agricultural economy.

- Increase annual funding for TEFAP storage and distribution to $200 million to help food banks offset the rising costs of storing, transporting and distributing nutritious foods from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

- Establish alternative delivery options for commodities allocated to geographically isolated states.

A strong agricultural sector that has deep partnerships with food banks and other emergency food assistance providers is essential to helping end hunger in the U.S. Co-sponsoring the Farmers Feeding America Act is an important stepping stone toward a future without food insecurity. Thanks!

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

Talk soon.

Jess