Chop Wood, Carry Water 5/6

Hi, all, and happy Friday!

Yesterday’s fundraiser for Jessica Cisneros was a resounding success—at last tally we’d raised 13K—our original goal was 5K! Thank you so, so much to all who gave! 💙

The Zoom event was wonderful. Cisneros spoke, and was every bit as smart, inspiring and determined as I remembered her to be.

She was introduced by another incredible lawmaker—Ayanna Pressley, who herself ousted a 10-term Democratic Congressman back in 2018 to become a “Squad” member. Her talk was also outstanding, and I wanted to pass along something she said, when discussing this week’s leaked SCOTUS decision. She stated:

“I have a dear friend named Brittany Packnett—she’s an amazing activist and organizer—and she says: ‘I choose the discipline of hope over the ease of cynicism, and I choose fortitude over fatalism.’ It’s a quote I repeat often at times like this.”

I had to toggle over to my notes and write it down immediately.

“I choose the discipline of hope over the ease of cynicism.” YESYESYES!!

Hope is a discipline. It is easier to throw our hands up, give in to despair, and lose ourselves in numbing activities while Rome, proverbially, burns around us.

It is harder, more effortful, and more demanding to refuse to give up. But that refusal itself is a muscle, and as we use it it strengthens. Hope, once small, becomes larger and more established. It begins to exist separately from circumstance. It becomes habit. This is why, when people ask me how I keep such a positive attitude, I can honestly say “I practice.”

Hope is an action. A practice. A discipline. And a self-fulfilling, self-perpetuating one, at that.

So let’s choose the discipline of hope one more time today. Let’s choose fortitude over fatalism. It is far from the first time humans have been faced with oppression, terror, and calamity. It is far from the last. We have one, very brief lifetime to use to either face it and try to overcome it…or to succumb to it, thereby becoming part of the problem ourselves.

I know how I’m using my time.

And I think I know how you’ve decided to use yours. Thank you for that.

P.S.—Pro-choice groups have announced a day of action on Saturday, May 14, which will include big protests in New York City, Washington, DC, Chicago, and Los Angeles. I trust we’ll all be there, flexing our hope together.

Call Your Senators (find yours here)

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

First, I want the Senate to pass S 1975 the Women’s Health Protection Act. Like most of America I support a pregnant person’s right to choose. I also want the Senator to support S 1141 the Judiciary Act to expand the Supreme Court, which is utterly broken and has lost all semblance of impartiality.

Second, please ask the Senator to reauthorize the Family Violence Prevention and Services Act (S. 1275) with permanent funding for a National Indian Domestic Violence Hotline. Thanks. [H/T]

Call Your House Rep (find yours here)

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

First, has the Congressmember yet co-sponsored the Judiciary Act, H.R.2584? [If yes, thank. If no add:] I will continue to call and ask for this daily until s/he is on board. This is a dealbreaker for me as a constituent. Our Supreme Court is hopelessly compromised. It must be fixed.

Also? I want the Congressmember to support access to asylum for those seeking freedom and safety in the U.S. by opposing the continuation of Title 42. Thanks. [H/T]

Extra Credit ✅

Let’s call Deb Haaland and ask her to protect gray wolves. This is easy.

Dial 202-208-3100

Step 2: If a live representative answers the call, ask to be connected to the Secretary of the Interior’s office. If you get the recorded message, press 3 to be connected to the Secretary of the Interior’s office.

Step 3: Whether you have the opportunity to talk to a live representative or leave a voicemail, here’s what you should say:

• Share your name, where you live, and a little bit about yourself. Example: My name is Sarah Smith and I live in Missoula, Montana. I am a biologist. Example 2: This is John Stewart from Yakima, Washington. I am a hunter and a father of three.

• Explain why you care about wolves. Why do wolves matter to you, your family, your business, or your community? How does this issue affect you?

• Say this: “I want Secretary Haaland and President Biden to take a stand for wolves and protect this iconic American species. The Fish & Wildlife Service is in the process of releasing a 12-month finding about the status of wolves, and they can also issue a rule for the relisting of wolves. I am asking Secretary Haaland and President Biden to support relisting. We must relist wolves to protect them.”

• Say thank you and end the call.

Extra Extra Credit ✅✅

Post this on social please:

💥Did you know the same abortion pills you'd get at a clinic are available online & medically safe for self-use? EVERYWHERE? 💥

Spread the word about plancpills.org to ensure everyone knows where to find them - your body is not up for a vote. Thx @plancpills.

#RoeVWade

Get Smart! 📚

I’ve got two new Activism 101 workshops on the books for next week, and both are open to “strays!” The first is Monday the 9th at 5 PM PT / 8 PM ET and the second is Thursday the 12th at 4 PM PT / 7 PM ET.

You can register for the Thursday one here. If you want to come on Monday email me and I’ll send you the link when I get it.

For those of you who are new, this is a one-hour free workshop that’ll teach you LOTS of easy ways you can help us win in November. It’ll also give you a massive pep talk and remind you of why your actions matter! Please join us! Or email me and ask me to give an Activism 101 to your group!

Win Races! 🗳

Vote Forward, my favorite letter-writing, election winning org, is bringing back The Big Send—their biggest letter writing program of the year—with a goal of sending 10 million letters to voters ahead of the midterm elections this fall.

These letters are SO EASY—print them up, write a couple of lines about why you vote, address them, and hold them until the Big Send date in October. Studies show they boost turnout by .8%, which in electoral terms is HUGE!

But VF needs LOTS more writers.

If you’ve done this before please hop over to your dashboard and adopt even 5 letters. If you haven’t, here’s the sign up page.

Also, to kick off the return of The Big Send, Vote Forward is hosting a virtual letter writing event on May 12 at 8pm ET / 5pm PT. It’ll be a fun way to learn about what they do, have the letters explained to you, and see how many others are writing them!

Sign up here.

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

[to all 3 reps] [H/T] [quick send text SIGN PIUSFT to 50409]

The climate crisis rages on as a massive global threat. Global scientists have issued a dire warning: It’s time to act – it’s now or never for any hope of staving off the worst ravages of climate breakdown. We are running out of time and Congress is not acting fast enough.

Congress must start addressing the issue meaningfully. And they can do just that, right now, by joining 129 countries and ratifying the Kigali Amendment – an amendment that sets targets for every nation to phase down climate-polluting hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs), the synthetic chemicals used in cooling appliances, insulating foams, and more.

Ratifying the Kigali Amendment and phasing out HFCs will prevent up to half a degree Celsius of warming by the end of this century – that is a huge deal, and necessary.

The Kigali Amendment is something the Senate can ratify and work towards right now – it has U.S. business support, bipartisan support, and global support. This is what we’re talking about when we say ‘immediate climate action’.

Please get to work curbing the climate crisis. Ratify the Kigali Amendment and phase out climate super-pollutants. Thanks.

---

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

Talk tomorrow.

Jess