Time to get your reports in. For all sorts of reasons there has been a fall off in reporting, and maybe also in actions. Quite natural. Perhaps, whichever way the vote comes out later today, we can use the result as a springboard for local action and organizing. I have signed some petitions but done little else because of my obsession with preparing my apartment to sell. Now that work is done, so I should be able to become more active once more.
Let me hear from you, maybe from some new folks as well.
Gave some money to the TYT (the young turks) fund to hire more anti-establishment reporters. They just hired Dylan Ratigan, and David Sirota.
ReplyDeleteSlow week for me as well... Donated to Ossof and In These Times and did a few online petitions...
ReplyDeleteMade my weekly donation to the Ossoff campaign--and get 15 or 20 emails a day from asking for more!
ReplyDeleteOn a day when Trump's first big push to destroy millions of lives crushed and burned, this is still the most purely joyous news I've read: http://m.huffpost.com/us/entry/us_58d4b262e4b02a2eaab244cd?section=us_politics
ReplyDelete1. I attended and spoke at a union meeting about a potential strike on May Day.
ReplyDelete2. In response to the testimony of a former student before the school board, I organized a meeting to discuss how we can integrate ethnic studies curricula into our social studies courses. (Is this a political act? If trying to help empower young people of color is a political act, then I will count this organizing as political.)
3. I called Sen. Cantwell's office to thank her for her public opposition to dismantling the ACA and to encourage her to hang tough in her opposition to the nomination of Gorsuch.
Tried to get a bunch of rural, conservative Lutheran leaders to explore ways to support sanctuary for undocumented immigrants. That went over like a fart in an elevator.
ReplyDelete1. Called the office of Rep Patrick Meehan (PA-05) to urge him to votes against the execrable American Health Care Act (which alas was not voted on); each time I was told that the mailbox was full. I took this as a good sign.
ReplyDelete2. Registered for the general assembly for the New Sanctuary Movement of Philadelphia (anyone who has seen the movie "The Hunchback of Notre Dame" with Charles Laughton and remembers the scene in which Quasimodo [Laughton] holds Esmerelda and claims "Sanctuary, Sanctuary" cannot help but be stirred by sanctuary.
3. Called the office of the hopeless Pat Toomey (R-PA) (Mr. Club for Growth which would be better called the Club to Keep a Boot on the Neck of the Poor) urging him to oppose the nomination of Neil Gorsuch to the Supreme Court ( I don't expect much from this effort)
4. Wrote to Sen Bob Casey (R-PA) (when did politicians became known as Bob and Pat and Bill and Jimmy rather than Robert, Patrick, William, and James) urging him to continuing his opposition of the Trump agenda.
Tom,
ReplyDeleteIn either case you have got your revenge.
1. Spent government money on queer theory. Went to a conference and talked about gender and gay men.
ReplyDelete2. Tried to explain what queer theory is (who can say, really) to about four people on the way to the conference.
3. Donated to Jon Ossoff for the second time.
4. I joined stampstampede.org! It's a cool project, where people are stamping their cash, to protest money in politics. Regardless of whether or not it works, it is a lot of fun. http://www.stampstampede.org/
5. Sent the following postcards to my representatives a few days before the health care vote: https://vk.com/id313285303?w=wall313285303_139%2Fall
I'm very pleased with them.
6. Made nice with a friend I had previously shouted out about politics and alienated. Mistake. Corrected.
7. Called (last week) my city council and Chuck Edwards, NC state senator who is trying to promote an affirmative action program for Republicans in my hometown's city government. http://www.citizen-times.com/story/news/local/2017/02/28/new-senator-says-asheville-forced-into-districts/98548786/
8. Received membership cards from NAACP and ACLU.
9. Continued making a monthly contribution to the NC state senate Democratic Caucus.
10. Continued toying with the idea of supporting or starting an NC non profit that would push a left-wing educational effort--counteracting these organizations: John Lock Society, Ayn Rand Society.
11. Participated in a successful fundraising effort for _Cellar Door_ the official undergraduate literary magazine at UNC, which does good work, but has been having trouble with austerity.
12. Took this opportunity to set two goals for next week:
Watch Roy Cooper's (NC Governor's) State of the State address and find two good things he is doing and write him a thank you note.
Respond to Rep. Patrick McHenry's weekly newsletter with a phone call.
More money to Jon Ossoff. More emails to various senators.
ReplyDeleteT Verga,
ReplyDeleteI had the same reaction--similar to the one I had a couple of weeks ago concerning the unemployed WVA coal miner who voted for Trump because Trump would reopen the mine and he wouldn't need Medicaid any more. The fact that others would still need it didn't enter into his calculation. There will be many people hurt by the election of Trump, and if there were some way to confine the injury to those who vote for him, I'd support it wholeheartedly.
A little late on this, but actually did some stuff this week...
ReplyDelete1. Went to a county level planning meeting for Our Revolution. Ended up on a small committee dedicated to promoting cross-solidarity with a local immigrant rights group. We are planning a "bystander training" for well meaning white folks in conjunction with the immigrant rights group. Also made plans for the May Day strike.
2. Spoke at my local city council meeting in favor of making our town a sanctuary city. I'm happy to report that it looks like this will pass when they vote on it, and it even has the support of the police chief.
3. Attended a letter writing party, wrote letters to my federal reps about NEA and NEH cuts, and letters to my state reps about the minimum wage.