Chop Wood, Carry Water 4/11
Hi, all, and happy Tuesday.
I’m on my monthly call with Senator Padilla’s staffer, so pardon my brevity.
I’ll simply say this: My cat woke me up at 4AM this morning, as is his wont. There’s no reason for it—he’s grown capricious in his later years. Anyway, in the process of trying to fall back asleep I started thinking about this newsletter, and what my opening today might be. Then I had the rather unexpected thought: “where does the word steadfast come from?” I told myself not to forget this question, knowing that I likely would.
But—surprise—I didn’t.
So I looked it up just now. Vocabulary.com said:
The word steadfast traces back to the Old English word stedefæst, a combination of stede, meaning "place," and fæst, meaning "firmly fixed." Picture a steadfast person standing firmly in place, not wavering or budging an inch, and you'll have a good sense of what this word means.
The passage added:
Someone can be steadfast in a belief, an effort, a plan, or even a refusal. Whatever it is, it means that the person will calmly hold firm to the chosen position and follow through with determination. (Italics mine.)
No wonder that word came to me last night. There is simply nothing we need more right now than this—the ability to calmly hold firm and follow through with determination. To remain fixed in place. To not waver or budge an inch.
Let us, then, channel our inner steadfastness, y’all. It’s a word that’s been around for centuries; grab hold of it now. You have so much of it inside of you—I see it!
It is this steadfastness—this holding firmly, calmly, unyieldingly in place—that will save us.
Call Your Senators (find yours here) 📲
Hi, I'm a constituent calling from [zip]. My name is ______.
Americans are reaching a tipping point when it comes to gun violence. I hope that the Senator can see that. Students are walking out of their classes daily, the Tennessee legislature is in an uproar — even a general strike is being discussed. Is the Senator co-sponsoring S. 25 the Assault Weapons Ban Act? How about Senator Murphy’s S.951, companion legislation for Maxwell Frost’s Office of Gun Violence Prevention Act of 2023? [If yes thank. If no add:] I expect the Senator to co-sponsor both of these bills right away and get to work fighting for them to pass. [If especially bad on guns add:] The time is over when lawmakers could block common sense gun legislation and hope to keep their seats. If the Senator doesn’t get on board with these bills I will do everything in my power to make sure s/he is voted out. Thanks.
Call Your House Rep (find yours here) 📲
Hi, I'm a constituent calling from [zip]. My name is _______.
Americans are reaching a tipping point when it comes to gun violence. I hope that the Congressmember can see that. Students are walking out of their classes daily, the Tennessee legislature is in an uproar — even a general strike is being discussed. Is the Congressmember co-sponsoring HR 698 the Assault Weapons Ban Act? How about HR 1699, Maxwell Frost’s Office of Gun Violence Prevention Act of 2023? [If yes thank. If no add:] I expect the Congressmember to co-sponsor both of these bills right away and get to work fighting for them to pass. [If especially bad on guns add:] The time is over when lawmakers could block common sense gun legislation and hope to keep their seats. If the Congressmember doesn’t get on board with these bills I will do everything in my power to make sure s/he is voted out. Thanks.
Extra Credit ✅
Let’s contact the FDA and tell them to keep mifepristone on the market—there is precedent for them to do so.
Click here for a quick-send link that will auto-populate an email in your default email program. Please edit it to personalize and sign at the end.
If that doesn’t work the address is druginfo@fda.hhs.gov and the text I used is:
To Whom It May Concern at the FDA,
In light of Judge Matthew Kacsmaryk’s disastrous decision on mifepristone I call on the FDA to keep ensuring access to this drug while it seeks to comply with this baseless court order and re-confirm its safety assessment. I also call on the FDA to use its enforcement discretion to allow mifepristone to remain on the market and state publicly that it is doing so. The FDA has in the past used its authority to allow other unapproved drugs on the market needed to treat medical conditions when there are no FDA-approved drugs available.
This is a nationwide crisis. This latest attack by anti-abortion extremists affects the availability of mifepristone for the entire United States. If they get away with undermining the FDA this time, it could also set a precedent putting the availability and use of other drugs and devices used for reproductive health care at risk.
I urge the FDA to use its enforcement discretion to allow mifepristone to remain on the market. Thanks.
[H/T]
Get Smart! 📚
On Sunday, April 16 from 4 – 5pm PDT Swing Left is having a virtual event with Simon Rosenberg called Our Dem Grassroots is Powerful—Now, Let’s Be Proud and Get Loud!
Hear from Rosenberg, one of the only people to correctly predict a competitive election in 2022, about the power of the Dem grassroots. Simon will explain why we need to BOTH continue our game-changing electoral work AND become loud and effective at sharing how things always get better with Dems. And be sure to check out Simon on the new substack he has launched, Hopium Chronicles. He’s built it in part to be better able to communicate with all of us.
Spread the Word! 📣
An important reminder from America’s Voice:
Ten years ago this month, the 2013 comprehensive immigration bill was introduced in the Senate by a bipartisan group of senators, eventually passing with 68 Senate votes in June 2013. Today, we are still paying the price for House Republicans’ absolute refusal to allow a vote and the GOP’s subsequent deliberate and calculated descent into even more border chaos and cruelty.
Read more here and remind everyone you know that the crisis at the border is a direct result of Republican obstruction. And they still have no solutions. They can’t govern—they can only block progress, stoke hatred, and create chaos.
Win Races! 🗳
On April 21st at 12PM ET get trained to send postcards to low propensity environmental voters with the Environmental Voter Project!
During this orientation, they'll walk through an overview of EVP’s postcarding program and discuss the expected timeline for their upcoming campaign into AZ. They will outline the required action items, messaging, and commitments necessary to ensure a successful postcarding campaign. After completing the orientation, you will have the opportunity to sign up to be a part of their upcoming August 8th Tucson, AZ municipal primary election campaign. (They provide the postcards for free!)
*This training is intended for new EVP postcarding volunteers. Already-trained EVP postcarders are welcome but not required to attend.*
Resistbot Letter (new to Resistbot? Go here! And then here.) 💻
[Please send this to all 3 reps] [H/T] [Quick send text SIGN PJNBCH to 50409]
Permitting reform is a hot topic in Washington, but it has to be done right.
The Dirty Deal proposed by Senator Joe Manchin last fall was a first attempt at permitting reform, but it was heavily slanted toward the fossil fuel industry. And now, H.R. 1 is a fossil fuel lobbyist’s dream. Permitting reform must benefit clean energy only. That means:
Require the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to consider climate and environmental justice impacts, as well as climate benefits.
Respect bedrock environmental laws, with no rollbacks to community participation or environmental impact analysis.
Clean energy we need must not come at the expense of frontline communities and existing environmental laws.
Without transmission reform, we face little chance of meeting our clean energy goals. Congress must prioritize clean energy in permit legislation, and FERC must create federal guidelines on transmission planning to ensure grid planners across the country are preparing for the clean energy future. Thanks.
OK, you did it again! You helped save democracy! You’re amazing.
Talk soon.
Jess
Hi Jessica! I'm relatively new here, but I want to thank you for all of your hard work! Also, I received another lame answer back from Tommy Tuberville here in Alabama. I wondered if you might be interested in reading an excerpt from his ridiculous reply... It's so frustrating.
"In a country as fortunate as ours, it is heartbreaking that so many Americans find themselves without healthy, regular meals. Fortunately, the SNAP program provides a federal safety net to help those who need it most in our community. As a member of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry, I will continue to monitor the SNAP program, encourage individuals to rise out of poverty, and achieve self-sufficiency. Please know that my goal, which I believe you share, is to provide the most efficient and effective support programs possible for those in need."
apparently you don't need a law license to be on the Supreme Court (!@#$!!!), but it will add gravitas to any actions if he has been disbarred ... I'll send you the letter. THANKS!!