Chop Wood, Carry Water 8/5

graphic by @1WrittenNotes on twitter

Hi, all, and happy Friday!

And it’s genuinely sort of happy, isn’t it? Kyrsten Sinema has taken her pound of flesh (shame on her) but agreed to support the Inflation Reduction Act; Breonna Taylor’s killers could be held to justice; pundits are still exclaiming over the “surprise” victory in Kansas (which wasn’t surprising to some of us); Alex Jones got a bit of what he deserved. All in all a decent week.

The ship is turning. Now is the time to dig our oars in deeper and row with all our might. (Before you accuse me of sloppy metaphors—imagine a Greek Trireme 😉).

We. Can. Win. In. November. We can facilitate another “surprise”—one that will surprise no one on the ground.

Remember, when it comes to today’s politics pundits are blindered—they have been so for years. They’re like weather forecasts in Nova Scotia—well intentioned but largely meaningless. The climate we live in moves too quickly, too ahistorically for them; it’s impossible for them to pin down. Old rules simply don’t apply. They live in a world of past theory. We live in a world of current reality.

And of action.

We know what’s possible. Because we create it.

So let’s go do that one more time.

Call Your Senators (find yours here)

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

[If Democrat:] I’m calling to say that I want the Senate to pass the Inflation Reduction Act NOW before leaving for August recess. Now is the time for you to act. Don't leave for recess before getting this critical bill passed. Thanks. [H/T]

[If GOP] I’m calling AGAIN to ask the Senator to commit to supporting S. 4556 the Respect For Marriage Act. Marriage Equality shouldn’t even be up for discussion, but with this radical Supreme Court we need to protect it—-as well as interracial marriage—now. Will the Senator vote yes?

Extra Credit ✅

More on the missing text messages.

Dick Durbin has called on the Inspector General of the DOD to investigate why the DOD “wiped” the phones of former acting Defense Secretary Chris Miller and former Army Secretary Ryan McCarthy in the days after the attack on the Capitol.

The IG have responded that they “would consider the request.” This doesn’t seem good enough to me.

So I found a “hotline” number on the DOD IG’s web page. It says:

The mission of the DoD Hotline is to provide a confidential, reliable means to report violations of law, rule, or regulation; fraud, waste, and abuse; mismanagement; trafficking in persons; serious security incidents; or other criminal or administrative misconduct that involve DoD personnel and operations, without fear of reprisal.

So I called it: 800-424-9098. I said:

My name is ____ and I’m calling from _____. I understand this is a hotline for reporting violations of law and criminal misconduct involving the DOD. I’m calling about the text messages that were illegally wiped from the cell phones of former acting Defense Secretary Chris Miller and former Army Secretary Ryan McCarthy in the days after the attack on the Capitol. As an American citizen I am extremely concerned about this likely criminal act, and I’m calling to second Senator Durbin’s request that you conduct an independent investigation into this egregious lapse in protocol and security. It seems very likely laws were broken. Please get to the bottom of it. Thanks.

Give 💰

OK, I did it. In light of the horrible Trumpists who won their primaries in Arizona on Tuesday I started an AZ giving circle with the States Project. ALL of the money raised will go to candidates running to flip statehouse seats in Arizona this November (read more about how doable this is here.) But obviously this will also help us win the Senate, Governor, Secretary of State, and more.

Which we MUST. Because these GOP candidates are *scary.*

Give here if you can, please. I’m hoping to raise…a lot.

Get Smart! 📚

Speaking of the above, next week the States Project’s ongoing State of the States series will be focussed on Arizona. If you want to hear more about the INCREDIBLE work they’re doing there and why it matters please come! They’ll have great speakers and inspiring insights into how we can—and will—win big in this state!

TUESDAY, AUGUST 9 at 8-9PM ET / 5-6PM PT. Register here.

Help Voters Vote! ✅

This is so cool! Voter Riders—one of my favorite voter registration and assistance orgs—is recruiting folks to work their helpline and Chatbot. What a great way to volunteer! The training and info session is Tuesday, August 9 at 7 pm ET.

Helpline and Chatbot volunteers directly interact with voters who call or text Vote Riders, answering their questions and getting them ready to vote with confidence. No experience needed – they’ll provide all the training and information you need!

Register here.

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

[to your Senators] [Quick send text SIGN PJTSSB to 50409]

I’m writing to ask the Senator to commit to supporting S. 3223, the Access to Birth Control Act. It pains me to even have to ask, as this should be settled law and utterly uncontroversial, but with our Supreme Court acting daily more radical we need to codify even the most basic rights. Will the Senator send me written confirmation that they will not only support this bill but co-sponsor it and actively work to get it passed before SCOTUS can strip yet another essential right away from us?

I look forward to your written response. Thanks.

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

Talk tomorrow.

Jess