Chop Wood, Carry Water 6/22

Toby Morton @tobymorton

I’ve applied to be a poll worker this election season. Thank you Lady Ruby and Shaye Moss ❤️🇺🇸

Hi, all, and happy Wednesday.

Perhaps I’m an optimist, but yesterday’s hearings felt like a turning point to me. Could it be that more Americans are waking up to the ethical morass Trump created around himself, as well as the danger we’re in? Shaye Moss’s testimony was SO POWERFUL—her mother’s, too. The outrage it elicited in everyone I know who watched the hearings was palpable and intense.

What really encouraged me, though, was the response I saw to the above tweet. Morton has a large following, so lots of people read it. And commenter after commenter responded: “I just signed up, too.”

If you, like so many of us, are furious about what you saw yesterday, one of the best ways you can respond is by signing up to be a poll worker. This website will steer you to the right place. Do it for Ruby. Do it for Shaye.

Do it for your country.

Remember, the evil we are fighting is powerful, but together we are more so. Trump and his henchmen aren’t superhuman. They’re not immortal. They’re simply very, very ruthless, and very determined to succeed.

We must be equally determined.

I am. I believe you are, too.

If we channel that determination into action we literally cannot lose.

Call Your Senators (find yours here)

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

I understand we now have a gun bill, the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act. Please vote yes. It’s not everything we want, but it’s a good start and we must have it.

Also, I understand the Senate will be voting on the S 1658, the PUMP Act soon. I want the Senator to support it. This bill would amend the Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 to expand access to breastfeeding accommodations in the workplace—it’s important. Thanks.

Get Smart! 📚

I have heard EXCELLENT things about this workshop:

In 2020, 34% of eligible voters didn’t vote. In this popular interactive training by Mission for Arizona and Swing Left East Bay you will learn how to make “I don’t vote” the beginning of the conversation, not the end. Dr. Jacqueline Tulsky and Elizabeth Chur share stories of success, and give you tools drawn from Motivational Interviewing to help you draw out “high-potential voters,” elicit their desires for change, and turn them into voters. Whether you’re new to canvassing and phone-banking or have been doing it for years, this interactive training is designed for you.

A recent attendee raved: “Superb. I have been to a lot of meetings and training in 53 years as an activist, but this might have been the most useful.”

Thursday, 6/23, 4-6 pm Pacific! Register here.

Win Races! 🗳

To encourage and inspire folks to write more letters, Vote Riders is hosting one more letter writing party during Pride month, and this one is a DOOZY.

They have some very special guests: cast members from the hit musical HAMILTON! Whoooooo! Join them and these musical theater stars for an hour of activism, community, and letter-writing tomorrow, Thursday, June 23 at 5:30 PM ET (2:30 PM PT / 4:30 PM CT). Sign up here!

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

[to President Biden] [H/T] [Quick send: text SIGN PXIZRN to 50409]

I’m writing to ask you to direct the immediate closure and defueling of the U.S. Navy’s Red Hill Facility in O’ahu.

The U.S. Navy’s Red Hill Facility has leaked over 180,000 gallons of fuel since 1943, poisoning the drinking water supply and endangering the people, wildlife, and ecosystems of Oʻahu. In December 2021, the Navy was to suspend operations and defuel over 100 million gallons, but have yet to fulfill that obligation nor commit to a transparent timeline in response to the urgent situation.

In solidarity with the people of O’ahu, I demand:

1. A commitment from the Navy to defuel Red Hill by September 2022;

2. Full transparency for all information and data—past, current, and future— regarding the status of the Red Hill Facility and the safety of local water;

3. Department of Defense compensation to all residents, workers, schools, businesses, and government agencies for past and future costs incurred from aquifer contamination;

4. Full community oversight in the cleanup and restoration of the current contamination of Kapūkakī and the groundwater aquifer below it; and

5. Alternative fuel arrangements that do not threaten the water and foundation of life for other communities in Hawai’i and elsewhere.

President, you can do this with the stroke of a pen. Please help protect one of the most beautiful and pristine places on earth. Thanks.

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

Talk tomorrow.

Jess