Chop Wood, Carry Water 3/21
Hi, all, and happy Friday.
It’s almost the weekend, thank God. I don’t know about you, but I consider every week we survive this administration to be a miracle. I hope you plan on getting some rest, relaxation, and recreation over the next couple of days. Remember, these things are every bit as important, as foundational, and as necessary to our success as your actions. Every bit! Refilling our wells is mandatory if we’re going to keep showing up with courage under these stressful circumstances. So let’s do that!
Me, I’m hoping to attend a Tesla Takedown protest tomorrow—because of course!—but I also have family coming into town and look forward to spending some quality time with them. I’ll take breaks from the news, get some exercise, listen to good music, keep reading my Che Guevara book, and try to take a few naps. Such things feed my spirit, which is what’s sustaining me right now. You have your own spirit-sustaining activities—cling to them! They’re worthy in and of themselves, but they’re also shelters from fascism—remember, people like Musk and Trump have no notion of beauty, or connection, or friendship, or simple pleasures. Fascists eschew such things, and that’s all the more reason we shouldn’t.
Who knew that dinner with a dear friend, a walk with one’s dog, or a trip to an art gallery would be part of our resistance? But they are. They truly are. So please, fit them in somehow.
Now on to less pleasant things. I’m keeping an eye on a story that broke this morning that should concern us all: After losing in court yesterday the DOGE folks, along with their stooge at the SSA, are threatening to shut down the Social Security Administration completely. Why? Because they disagree with the court’s ruling. Leland Dudek, the acting head of SSA, stated petulantly this morning that “Really, I want to turn it off and let the courts figure out how they want to run a federal agency.”
Outrageous. The Musk/Trump regime is looking for any excuse they can find to tank Social Security. We need to be loud about it. I’ve included a script below—please be sure to call.
There’s a lot more, but I’m not going to recap the news for you. Instead, I’m going to give you things to do about it. Because here at CWCW we “work the program, not the problem.” It’s how we survive, how we thrive…and how we’ll eventually win.
Let’s get to work one more time.
Call Your Senators (find yours here) 📲
Hi, I'm a constituent calling from [zip]. My name is ______.
First, I am calling to express my horror at Trump’s March 14 Executive Order targeting the Institute of Museum and Library Services. Museums and libraries are some of our most precious public commodities. I urge the Senator to work to prevent the administration from moving forward with this.
Second, I understand that the acting head of the Social Security Administration is threatening to shut down the whole agency because Elon Musk disagrees with yesterday’s court ruling. What the hell is happening? Get Musk and his goons out of Social Security! 73 million of us rely on those earned benefits. What Musk and DOGE are doing is illegal, dangerous, and cruel. When will Congress stand up for us? Shut them down NOW! Thanks.
[If Democrat add:]
Finally, Chuck Schumer needs to be replaced. When will the Senator call for it?
Call Your House Rep (find yours here) 📲
Hi, I'm a constituent calling from [zip]. My name is _______.
First, I am calling to express my horror at Trump’s March 14 Executive Order targeting the Institute of Museum and Library Services. Museums and libraries are some of our most precious public commodities. I urge the Senator to work to prevent the administration from moving forward with this.
Second, I understand that the acting head of the Social Security Administration is threatening to shut down the whole agency because Elon Musk disagrees with yesterday’s court ruling. What the hell is happening? Get Musk and his goons out of Social Security! 73 million of us rely on those earned benefits. What Musk and DOGE are doing is illegal, dangerous, and cruel. When will Congress stand up for us? Shut them down NOW! Thanks.
Extra Credit ✅
Here’s another great use of our postcarding skills from the folks at 50501!
From their Instagram post:
Major news networks are failing to report on the 50501 movement. If they won’t cover the 50-state protest on April 5, we’ll make sure they hear us.
📢 HERE’S HOW TO TAKE ACTION:
📝 Write/Postcards: Demand media coverage of the protest.
📬 Send to News Outlets: Mail them BEFORE March 24 so they land in newsrooms on time.
📸 Post & Share: Snap a pic of your postcard and use #DemandCoverage to show solidarity!
They don’t provide a suggested script but you could simply say “Ignoring the movement is a choice. Cover the 50501 protests before history records your silence!” The various addresses are printed on the graphic.
Extra Extra Credit! ✅✅
I’ve partnered with the awesome Brennan Center to try to get the word out about the SAVE Act — I’ve made a video for them and I’m helping to share their petition about it. If you’d like, please sign the petition here and/or watch the video here. Then consider sharing!
Get Smart! 📚
Starting March 24th, the Supreme Court will hear nine cases over just six days—cases that could have lasting consequences for our rights, our elections, and our future.
That’s why United For Democracy is hosting a briefing call—to give grassroots advocates like you the tools to fight back. You’ll get:
✅ Social media graphics to mobilize and spread the message
✅ Talking points to make the case for why this matters
✅ Public opinion research to guide our strategy
✅ Case summaries that break down what’s at stake
✅ Action strategies for how we push back effectively
Please attend if you can!
📅 March 26, 2025 at 12:30 PM ET
🔗 Registration Link
Give 💰!
Join me at Sister District's State Bridges fundraiser on Wednesday, March 26 at 5pm PT / 8pm ET in support of the New Virginia Majority Education Fund.
We have HUGELY important elections coming up in Virginia! The State Bridges Program activates volunteers and progressive supporters across the country to fundraise for grassroots organizations leading year-round power-building work. In this event we’ll be raising money for the Come hear about the great work NVMEF is doing to ensure we win big in VA in November!
Get in the Streets! 🪧
50501 has lots of resources in their linktree to help get ready for April 5. There are flyers you can download and personalize for your local march, information about how to plan an event, organizer resources, and more. Find it all here. I love this flyer so much but all of their options are great.
Win Races! 🗳
Interested in the Florida Congressional races?
We’re coming together for an ALL HANDS ON DECK National Organizing Call to support these special elections.
Join us on Thursday, March 27th at 7:30pm EST/4:30pm PST to hear from DNC Chair Ken Martin, Florida Democratic Party Chair Nikki Fried, FL-01 Democratic nominee Gay Valimont, FL-06 Democratic nominee Josh Weil, as well as from top influencers like Robert Hubbell, JoJoFromJerz, Olivia Julianna, me, Micah Erfan, and more!
Register for the call here.
Resistbot Letter (new to Resistbot? Go here! And then here.) 💻
[To: all 3 reps] [H/T] [Text SIGN PJKRKA to 50409, or to @Resistbot on Apple Messages, Messenger, Instagram, or Telegram]
I urge you to put the needs of your constituents above the profits of big banks and vote NO on overturning the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s (CFPB) new safeguard that caps overdraft fees.
At a time when Americans are already struggling with rising costs -- skyrocketing rent, grocery prices, gas, and medical bills -- now is the worst possible time to abandon limits on excessive overdraft fees. Families are stretched to their limits, doing everything they can to keep up, and the last thing they need is another financial burden designed to exploit their hardship.
These charges have been used as a predatory tool, targeting Black, Latino, and low-income communities, making it even harder for people to escape financial instability. The CFPB’s rule is putting $5 billion back in the pockets of hardworking families instead of Wall Street executives. Repealing it would serve only one purpose: to protect big banks’ ability to profit off the financial distress of everyday Americans.
I urge you to reject any effort to repeal these crucial protections and oppose any legislation that raises overdraft fees. Instead of giving handouts to Wall Street, Congress should focus on policies that help working families build financial stability. Stand with your constituents -- vote NO.
OK, you did it again! You’re helping to save democracy! You’re amazing.
Talk soon.
Jess
Jessica, you’re the best!! I just saw your post on Instagram, and a commenter said where is a script for 5Calls, and, “Chop wood , Carry water popped up in my feed!! On my way to make some calls !!!!
I think, at this point, the only way to stop this takeover is to start arresting people. Arrest the lawyers that are lying to the courts, arrest the security staff that are unlocking doors, arrest the cabinet staff that are implementing illegal actions. Take away the people that are carrying out orders and that will cause a halt.