Chop Wood, Carry Water 7/16

A hopeful story...

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Hi, all, and happy Tuesday!

With so much bleakness and fear swirling around I want to tell you a story. You won’t hear about it on the news, but believe me, it’s newsworthy.

Yesterday, in the midst of crazy day making content about the Republican Convention, Aileen Cannon’s disastrous ruling, and the announcement of Trump’s MAGA VP pick, I got a text from my friend Nadine.

“Are you on?” she asked?

On what? It was 4:30PT and I was deep in a TikTok about J.D. Vance. I had no idea what she was talking about.

“I’m on the zoom with Heather Cox Richardson!”

Oh, right! I’d forgotten it was happening. Too bad—I’d hoped to attend. But I was buried.

Then Nadine added this:

“Over 30,000 people on! It’s awesome!”

WHAT?

Nadine isn’t one to exaggerate, but the number seemed implausible. So a bit later that night I emailed Katie Paris, who runs Red, Wine, and Blue. Her response?

42k total and apparently we turned ppl away…I’m floored.

Not 30,000 but FORTY-TWO THOUSAND people on a Zoom about Project 2025, you guys. That’s absolutely jaw-dropping. Staggering.

And there’s more:

After receiving Nadine’s text I made a TikTok to tell my followers about the high attendance at this Project 2025-related call. It seemed significant to me, and I’m always looking for ways to instill hope in my followers.

I made the video quickly—it wasn’t particularly well thought out, and I assumed only a small number of people would watch it. At the end I made an off-the-cuff offer to send anyone who asked me for it a recording of the Zoom. I figured I might get a handful of requests. I posted the video right before I went to bed.

I woke up to find it had 125K views.

Opening my email inbox soon after I learned I’d received over 500 emails from people asking for the recording. They are still pouring in. I will be answering them all day.

Folks, I know the media is saying we’re going to lose. Trump is saying we’re going to lose. Pollsters are saying we’re going to lose. Pundits are. CNN is. George Clooney is. Heck, Democratic lawmakers are even saying it (shame on them).

But those numbers I just gave you? They tell me we’re going to win. I feel it in my gut. And it’s going to be a big win, too. Americans—and especially American women—are not going to take fascism lying down. (Don’t believe me? Read this.)

So have hope, and join me in taking action. Because don’t forget—hope is an action. And the more action we take the more hopeful we’ll feel.

By the way, the link to the recording of the HCR event is here. And if you want to sign up with Red Wine and Blue, you can enter your info here —that way you can also download their AMAZING Project 2025 Toolkit.

Finally, don’t forget: there’s another Heather Cox Richardson event tomorrow, with NOPE and a bunch of other co-sponsors, about the importance of grassroots organizing. It, too, will be super inspiring. You can sign up here.

OK, folks. Maybe I’ll see some of you at the “Fix the Farm Bill” event later today.

Either way, let’s buckle down and do the work. Because THAT is how we win.

Call Your Senators (find yours here) 📲

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

I’m calling to ask the Senator to support a couple of climate-related bills that have bipartisan support.

1. S. 3261 the National Coordination on Adaptation and Resilience for Security Act would mandate a national climate adaptation and resilience strategy.

2. S 3338 the Natural Disaster Safety Board Act would establish a commission to study future climate disasters and advocate for necessary policy changes.

Climate change is a top concern of mine. I hope the Senator will prioritize addressing it and increasing funding for climate mitigation everywhere s/he can. Thanks.

Call Your House Rep (find yours here) 📲

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

I’m calling to ask the Congressmember to support a few climate-related bills that have bipartisan support.

1. HR 6311, the National Coordination on Adaptation and Resilience for Security Act, would mandate a national climate adaptation and resilience strategy.

2. HR 5599, The FEMA Independence Act, would elevate FEMA to a cabinet-level organization. 

3. HR 6450, the Natural Disaster Safety Board Act, would establish a commission to study future climate disasters and advocate for necessary policy changes.

4. H.R. 8790, The Fix Our Forests Act, would clearly grant the Forest Service the authority and flexibility it needs to conduct prescribed burns.

Climate change is a top concern of mine. I hope the Congressmember will prioritize addressing it and increasing funding for climate mitigation everywhere s/he can. Thanks.

Extra Credit ✅

Over 50 years ago, then-President Richard Nixon declared a War on Drugs. The devastation was swift — between 1975 and 2019, the U.S. prison population skyrocketed from less than 250,000 people to nearly 1.5 million. 

Today, 1 in 5 people in prison anywhere in the world are in prison here, in the U.S.

The Biden Administration recognizes mass incarceration as a problem. That is why they are lowering the level of risk they assign to marijuana. But if they recognize this problem, lowering the level is not enough. Under their plan, people will still be arrested and incarcerated for marijuana, losing years of their life behind bars and being shut out of economic opportunity thereafter.  

We know that’s unacceptable. If you agree with me and the 88% of Americans who believe the Biden Administration should end federal marijuana prohibition, please help by using SPLC’s easy tool to make a comment on the Federal Register. Click here. I just did it—it took two minutes to personalize and send.

Help Jess?

I have a PDF of 20 Vote Forward letters that I committed to write and send to overseas voters and I simply can’t get to it—I’m so overextended. Each potential voter gets a short letter with a few handwritten sentences and also two forms that you print. The postage will be higher because these letters are going to Europe. They need to be mailed ASAP. Would anyone be able to take them for me? I can email you the PDF and I’ll even pay for postage if it’s an issue. Please answer in the comments AND email me at hijesscraven101@gmail.com—that way folks will know if it’s already been covered. THANK YOU!

Get Smart! 📚

The Media and Democracy Project is hosting a Zoom Watch Party and Q&A of the documentary, "OUTFOXED: Rupert Murdoch's war on journalism" on Saturday, July 20, 2024 at 8 pm ET. 

They hope you and your friends can join them and their special guests, "Outfoxed" Director Robert Greenwald, and Julie from Truth Tuesdays! 

Sign up and share this link: http://tiny.cc/outfoxed

Spread the Word! 📣

As we process the horrifying events of the Trump campaign rally, ASO Communications has offered the following messaging guidance, with further suggestions in the Trump Rally Messaging Guidance here.

No matter our background, zip code, or political party, most of us believe that violence has no place in our political process and weapons of war have no place in our communities. We all deserve to live our lives, move through our communities, and engage in our political process peacefully — whether we are running for office or running through a school hallway. 

Voters in this election have a chance to reject a MAGA movement that feeds, grows off and promises more violence, and choose instead a country where no one fears for our lives or our loved ones. A country where we ban weapons of war so they’re not used against elementary schoolers or politicians, moviegoers or concert attendees. A country where the people who represent us respect our freedoms — to live without fear of gun violence, to cast our votes and have them counted, and to decide for ourselves what our futures will hold. 

This guidance is essential to those talking with voters on the ground, writing communications, and leading progressive organizations.

Please keep sharing and using their Freedom Over Fascism toolkit, too!

Give 💰!

I’m just dropping the Run For Something 10K matching campaign link here again. If you appreciate what I do here please give me a “tip” by donating to them! I can’t emphasize enough how important their work is right now. Please give if you can!

Win Races! 🗳

Want to do some Project 2025-related postcarding? You’re in luck!

Field Team 6 has just started a massive Project 2025 postcarding campaign to register likely Democrats in all 12 of their target states (AZ, CA, NV, GA, FL, NY, MT, MI, WI, PA, NY and NC).  They're offering a message of "urgency and agency” —urgency in explaining the dangers of Project 2025 and agency in what folks can do to stop it: register and vote for Democrats! 

To get started postcarding with Field Team 6, head to this link. They also offer a quickie postcarding training to get people up to speed on their postcarding system. You can sign up here.

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

[To: all 3 reps] [H/T Newtown Action] [Text SIGN PHLLPK to Resistbot at 50409 or via Apple Messages / WHATSAPP / MESSENGER]

On Saturday, a 20-year-old gunman with a legally purchased AR15-style assault rifle attempted to assassinate former President Donald Trump at his campaign rally, resulting in President Trump sustaining an injury to his ear, the death of one spectator, Corey Comperatore, and critical injuries to two others. The FBI is investigating the attack as a potential act of domestic terrorism, though no clear ideological motive has been identified.

Assault weapons are a threat to all elected leaders, politicians, school children, church parishoners, movie and concert goers, shoppers, and other Americans.

We cannot stand idly by as our nation continues to be torn apart by gun violence. The shooting at President Trump’s rally was the 293rd mass shooting incident of this year. It is a stark reminder of the dangers posed by assault weapons in the hands of civilians. These weapons of war have been used time and time again to inflict mass casualties in any type of public venues, and it is beyond time for Congress to act.

I urge you to immediately pass H.R. 698/S. 25, the comprehensive federal assault weapons ban legislation. This critical measure aims to remove military-style firearms from civilian use, thereby reducing the likelihood of mass shootings and saving countless lives. We urge members of Congress to prioritize the safety and well-being of all Americans by enacting this lifesaving legislation.

In addition to calling for an assault weapons ban, I call on all political leaders to denounce all forms of violence unequivocally and to foster a culture of respect and dialogue. Political violence threatens the very foundation of our democracy, and it is imperative that we address it with the seriousness it deserves.

No one should have to live in fear of being shot, whether they are in a classroom or attending a political event. I urge you to stand in solidarity with all victims of gun violence to fight for a safer, more peaceful future for our nation. Thanks.

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

Talk soon.

Jess