Chop Wood, Carry Water 8/31 ⭐️
Hi, all, and happy Wednesday!
A Greek Stoic named Epictetus once said: “If your choices are beautiful, so too will you be.”
I couldn’t agree more. I believe that our choices—our actions, if you will—create not just our reality and our future, but us. We ourselves are a product of the actions we take.
How important, then, to make those actions “beautiful.”
And what could be more beautiful than taking action in the pursuit of justice, fairness, equality and democracy?
I can’t think of much.
So let’s do that again one more time. After all, who doesn’t want a bit more beauty in their lives? 😉
Call Your Senators (find yours here)
Hi, I'm a constituent calling from [zip]. My name is ______.
Today is National Overdose Awareness Day, and I was astonished to read that in the last year at least 108,000 people died from preventable overdoses. This is the highest number ever. We have to do something about it. Fortunately there’s a great bill in the Senate that will go a long way towards reducing overdose deaths, and I wanted to see if the Senator was a co-sponsor. It’s called the Mainstreaming Addiction Treatment (MAT) Act of 2021 (S. 445). It passed with bipartisan support in the House on June 22. If the Senator isn’t a co-sponsor will they sign on now? I’d love an answer in writing. Thanks. [H/T]
Call Your House Rep (find yours here)
Hi, I'm a constituent calling from [zip]. My name is _______.
I’m calling to ask if the Congressmember is a co-sponsor of H.R.4725, Eric Swalwell’s No Student Loan Interest Act. This bill would provide for zero-interest rates on most federal student loans. President Biden’s debt cancellation plan was a great first step, but anyone with student loans knows that it’s the interest that gets you. The government shouldn’t be making a profit on the backs of students. Please ask the Congressmember to co-sponsor this bill now. Thanks!
Extra Credit ✅
With the most important election of our lifetimes getting closer, we need to take every opportunity to remind folks to register to vote and/or check their registration to make sure it’s up to date. Please consider adding the below—or something similar—as a footer/signature to your email. (Not sure how to add a footer? Ask a young person to help you or google it!)
Abortion rights are on the ballot November 8th!
Verify your voter registration here.
Register to vote here.
Sign up for an absentee ballot here.
Learn how to vote in your state here.
Extra Extra Credit! ✅✅
UPS drivers have no air conditioning in their trucks. It’s a huge problem. Drivers are literally dying from heat exposure. It would cost the company $185 per truck to have AC, but they don’t want to spend the money. This, even though it’s getting hotter every year and the company is projecting 100M in profits in 2022.
More Perfect Union has a cool tool that enables you to quickly send emails directly to the company’s leadership. Please personalize their letter and ask UPS to treat their drivers humanely by putting AC in all of their trucks. Do so here.
Get Smart! 📚
I know lots of you will be excited about this—Heather Cox Richardson is the special guest at tomorrow night’s Red, Wine, and Blue Troublemaker Turnout meeting!
It’s on Thursday, September 1st, at 7:30PM EST.
Come learn from an incredible historian, get inspired, and commit to doing the MOST impactful thing you can do in the 2022 election to help protect our rights, freedom, and democracy. Should be amazing!
Win Races! 🗳
I signed up for a training tomorrow to become a Beto O’Rourke letter writing host, and thought some of you might like to join me. We’ll basically be learning how to write letters for the campaign and invite others to join us. This can be as small as writing letters with one friend, or as large as bringing packets of letters to your next book club meeting and getting everyone to write a few.
The point is, LETTERS! For BETO! Easy, fun, and Lord do we want that guy to win!
The training I’m going to is Thu, Sep 1, 5:00pm–6:00pm CDT, but they have them every Thursday and Sunday.
Resistbot Text (new to Resistbot? Go here! And then here.)
[to POTUS] [H/T] [Quick send text SIGN PYUAFP to 50409]
I’m writing to ask the President to declare a Climate Emergency under the National Emergencies Act.
Months of devastating flooding in Pakistan have displaced 33 million people and killed over a thousand. Pakistan contributes less than 1% of the global carbon emissions. Along with other low-emitting nations and poor communities worldwide, Pakistan is bearing the brunt of the global climate crisis.
Pakistan has declared a national climate emergency to address the flooding. It's time for the United States to follow suit!
And it’s not just about climate justice, of course. Americans are suffering acutely from the global climate crisis too. Last month, a deluge of floodwater in Kentucky swept homes away, leaving local residents with nothing but the clothes on their backs. 39 Kentucky residents died from the flooding.
It’s too late to prevent climate change related disasters — they’re already here. But it’s not too late to address the root causes. By stopping oil and gas drilling and investing heavily in renewable energy, the United States can back off the cliff of extreme weather events that are devastating communities and claiming lives.
Declaring a national emergency will empower us to do just that. Once you declare a national climate emergency, you'll be able to invoke the National Emergencies Act to halt crude oil exports, limit oil and gas drilling in federal waters, and direct federal agencies to boost renewable-energy sources — all crucial actions if we want to stem the deadly tide of climate change.
The next deadly flash flood or wildfire could happen at any moment. The White House must act now. Thanks.
OK, you did it again! You helped save democracy! You’re amazing.
Talk tomorrow.
Jess
sent to UPS
Extra, Extra credit ✅