Chop Wood, Carry Water 6/20
Hi, all, and happy Monday!
Today we officially observe Juneteenth; in honor of this federal holiday I wasn’t going to write at all. I did so only because there is one pressing item to call about, and I also wanted to post a couple of time-sensitive invitations (including one for an Activism 101 workshop I’m giving tonight!) This will, however, be a truncated edition.
Before I sign off, though, I offer you a quick rumination on a quote from Frederick Douglass. He says:
The life of the nation is secure only while the nation is honest, truthful, and virtuous.
This is true, and as such the life of this nation is not at all secure.
Right now we are fighting a battle for the very soul of our country. We all know it; if we had any doubts then the platform released by the Texas GOP yesterday confirmed it. To say that the MAGA Party—I will no longer call them Republicans—is NOT honest, truthful or virtuous is a breathtaking understatement. Their position grows more cruel, fascist, and mendacious by the day.
Our chances of stopping them rest more and more on a single election: November’s.
I will tell you again: we can win then, and we must. We are fighting for our lives; as the mother of an LGBTQIA+ kid I am fighting for my child’s life as well.
There can be no illusion about what we’ll face should the MAGA party wrest control from Democrats in the Midterms.
There can be no illusion about how much work will be required of us to stop them after that.
There can be no illusion about how many of us will need to be activated to ensure our victory this November.
But there can also be no doubt: if we all pull together, if we do what we know works, if we don’t succumb to fear, apathy, or denial, we can stop them.
And we must.
So breathe in power, breathe out fear. Act, whether you believe your actions will work or not. Victory comes from what we DO, not what we think.
You are but a tiny part of a great, massively powerful whole. Never forget it as you act. Or forget it if you must.
But act. The moment of urgency has arrived.
Call Your Senators (find yours here)
Hi, I'm a constituent calling from [zip]. My name is ______.
I’m calling because I understand that Republican Senators are now considering removing the Red Flag provisions from the bipartisan gun bill. I also understand they are balking at closing the so-called “boyfriend loophole.” I want to be really clear: this bill is already weak. To weaken it further betrays the promises you made to Americans that you would pass something meaningful. We will not accept it. We know Red Flag Laws work—they have prevented countless deaths. We know closing the boyfriend loophole would do the same. The point is to save lives, not to try to please a vocal minority of extremist gun fanatics. Keep these provisions in the bill and pass it now, please. Thanks.
Get Smart AND Win Races! 📚
THIS IS VERY EXCITING!
Tomorrow at 12:00pm ET Sylvester Johnson, National Volunteer Manager at Vote Riders, will join Big Tent to talk letter writing and how it can help fight voter suppression! Vote Riders is a nonpartisan voter protection organization which helps voters navigate the Voter ID law requirements in many states across the country.
We will learn about their work and begin sending letters making sure eligible voters have the ID and information they need to cast a ballot that counts. This is fun, easy, and EFFECTIVE!
Give 💰!
Because it is Juneteenth, I’m forwarding this excellent list from Indivisible of national organizations to give to today if we can:
Win Races! 🗳
Want to get more involved in helping win races, but not sure how? Interested in phonebanking but scared to try? Need a general pep talk about the state of play as we head into November? Good news! I’m giving an Activism 101 workshop tonight for Swing Left Inland Valley, and you’re invited!
It’s from 7-8PM PDT and it’s free. If you’d like to come here is the Zoom link. I promise you’ll get something out if it, and I would love to see you!
Resistbot Text (new to Resistbot? Go here! And then here.)
[To your Senators] [Quick send: text SIGN PRNSSN to 50409]
Yes, this is the same as our call script. Do BOTH!
I’m writing because I understand that Republican Senators are now considering removing the Red Flag provisions from the bipartisan gun bill. I also understand they are balking at closing the so-called “boyfriend loophole.” I want to be really clear: this bill is already weak. To weaken it further betrays the promises you made to Americans that you would pass something meaningful. We will not accept it. We know Red Flag Laws work—they have prevented countless deaths. We know closing the boyfriend loophole would do the same. The point is to save lives, not to try to please a vocal minority of extremist gun fanatics. Keep these provisions in the bill and pass it now, please. Thanks.
OK, you did it again! You helped save democracy! You’re amazing.
Talk tomorrow.
Jess
Thank you, Jessica, for your stalwart and steady day in and day out coaching, guiding, cajoling, and encouraging. I have found it very difficult to get started being more active as an advocate for the issues that you bring into focus, so I am setting myself a Challenge to Make It a Habit to chop wood and carry water every day that you write until it is no longer difficult to get started. Today I have made a start.