Monday, March 28, 2022

3-28-2022 Newsletter

 

LOCAL CANDIDATE INTERVIEWS ON YOUTUBE
Check out candidates ballot in this virtual forum that was hosted by the Clatsop County Democrats. Candidates include Mark Kujala, Nathan Pinkstaff, Liane Thompson, and Pam Wev - Clatsop County Commissioners (nonpartisan); Logan Laity, the Democratic candidate - State House District 32; and Melissa Busch, the Democratic candidate - State Senate District 16.

INCO has endorsed Pam Wev  for re-election. If you'd like to display a yard sign to re-elect Pam, sign up 
here. Donate or volunteer at her website.

This election is May 17. Final date to register to vote is midnight, Tuesday, April 26.
"WE NEED TO BE CLEAR-EYED"
"But we emerged anew in the great battle for freedom: a battle between democracy and autocracy, between liberty and repression, between a rules-based order and one governed by brute force.

"In this battle, we need to be clear-eyed.  This battle will not be won in days or months either.  We need to steel ourselves for the long fight ahead....

"A dictator bent on rebuilding an empire will never erase a people’s love for liberty.  Brutality will never grind down their will to be free.  Ukraine will never be a victory for Russia — for free people refuse to live in a world of hopelessness and darkness.

"We will have a different future — a brighter future rooted in democracy and principle, hope and light, of decency and dignity, of freedom and possibilities." 
-- President Joe Biden, March 26, 2022, Warsaw Poland. 
This speech came after three days of meetings in Europe with the G7, European Council, and NATO allies.
Join the COINversation with gubernatorial candidate, State Treasurer Tobias Read on Monday, April 11 at 7 p.m.  Register and submit your question for Tobias Read here.
FREEDOM IN THE WORLD
US - 83      Finland - 100       Jordan - 33      Uruguay - 97      Vietnam - 19      South Africa - 79
Check out how the world's nations score in terms of political rights and civil liberties at Freedom House. Its mission: "Freedom House works to defend human rights and promote democratic change, with a focus on political rights and civil liberties. We act as a catalyst for freedom through a combination of analysis, advocacy, and action. Our analysis, focused on 13 central issues, is underpinned by our international program work."  
YOUR VOICE MATTERS
Cheryl Conway's LTE saluting good governance was in Saturday's Astorian. 
Your Letter to the Editor (LTE) about issues you care about can inform and persuade voters: the economy, housing, schools, elections, tourism, city council, or ....

WRITE A LETTER TO THE EDITOR!
LTEs in the Astorian from now until November can inform voters and promote voting. Write a few sentences or more, up to 250 words. Send to editor@dailyastorian.com, along with your name, address, and phone.
HAPPENINGS 
Tuesday, April 12 - INCO South County Community Group Zoom meeting, 6:30 pm - 8 pm. Please RSVP to Kathleenannmacdonald@yahoo.com thru Monday, April 11 for your Zoom link.

Saturday, April 23 - INCO Astoria-North County Community Group Zoom meeting, 11 am - noon. If you are new to this group, contact incoregon@gmail.com by April 22 to get the Zoom link.

INCO Warrenton Community Group Zoom meeting. TBA. Contact incoregon@gmail.com for more information.

Every Friday - INCO Write to Voters (WTV), via Zoom, 3-4 pm. Informal chat while we write letters and postcards to voters. If you are new to this event, contact incoregon@gmail.com to get the Zoom link. 

Write postcards for Jamie. Be part of a statewide effort to support Jamie McLeod-Skinner for Congress from Oregon's revamped District 5, by writing voters with her campaign postcards. To get postcards, talking points, stamps, and voter addresses, please contact incoregon@gmail.com  

Write To Voters - Elections and issue campaigns need you year-round. INCO encourages you to sign up to write to voters at www.postcardstovoters.org. For general Get Out the Vote letter campaigns, sign up at Vote Forward. For prepped postcards, stamps, or information, contact incoregon@gmail.com.
INSIGHTS 
"There is no marriage as stable and enduring as that of ignorance and certitude.” 
— Kevin D. Williamson
--Michelle Rial, "Am I Overthinking This?" calendar
Comments, news, and photos to INCO at incoregon@gmail.com
Resources and other information at www.incoregon.org and www.indivisible.org.
Encourage others to sign up for the INCO newsletter at our website 
or here.
Look for the INCO column in 
Hipfish Monthly. We're on Facebook, too.
INCO Weekly Newsletter  March 28, 2022

Monday, March 21, 2022

3-21-2022 Newsletter

 

“It is a serious thing
 to be alive
 in this fresh morning
 in this broken world.”
-- Mary Oliver
A woman wrapped in the Ukrainian flag protests in front of the International Criminal Court in The Hague, Netherlands, March 7, 2022. (AP photo/Phil Nijhus)
 
RESISTANCE, HOPE, AND CONSOLATION
"Because Ukrainians are resisting, not just on the battlefield but as a society, they console us all.  Every day they act is one when we can reflect, and hope. People do have values. The world is not empty.  People do find courage. There are things worth taking risks for. “ 
— Timothy Snyder, historian, March 14, 2022, on
 Substack
WHY AUTOCRACIES FAIL
On paper, Russia, China, and other authoritarian regimes can look invincible. New York Times columnist David Brooks presents the basics of why autocracies fail. Read his full column here. Here are highlights:

•  The wisdom of many is better than the wisdom of megalomaniacs....
•  People want their biggest life....
•  Organization man turns into gangster man....
•  Ethnonationalism self-inebriates....
•  Government against the people is a recipe for decline....

"To me, the lesson is that even when we’re confronting so-far successful autocracies like China, we should learn to be patient and trust our liberal democratic system. When we are confronting imperial aggressors like Putin, we should trust the ways we are responding now."
INCO ENDORSES PAM WEV FOR COUNTY COMMISSIONER
Serving as a county commissioner since 2018, Pam Wev is the lone progressive on the board. She has worked hard to keep our county thriving. Though it's meant to be a part-time volunteer job, Pam has worked tirelessly to represent county residents locally and at countless state and regional meetings. INCO believes Pam is an effective public servant, and we are delighted to endorse her for re-election. 

If you'd like to display a yard sign to re-elect Pam, sign up 
here. Donate or volunteer at her website.

This election is May 17. Final date to register to vote is midnight, Tuesday, April 26.
COUNTY HOUSING ZOOM MEETING TOMORROW
The Clatsop County Planning Commission and the Countywide Community Advisory Committee will hold a Public joint Zoom meeting Tuesday, March 22, 9:00 to 3:00pm, to discuss a draft of Goal 10, which is Housing, for revision of the County Comprehensive Plan.  Public input thus far has been sparse to non-existent, except as ably provided by the seven or so members of the CCAC.  More public comment is needed on most of the Comp Plan Goal Revisions.  Those interested can attend electronically -- 
https://co-clatsop-or-us.zoom.us/j/99442792459?pwd=NkZzRHFLMy9pZnFlbVFEMDBKcU4zUT09

Agendas can be found at:  https://www.co.clatsop.or.us/meetings

OPEN HOUSE FOR HERITAGE SQUARE PROPOSAL THURSDAY

The City of Astoria hosts a second open house regarding the proposed housing at Heritage Square. It is Thursday, March 24 at the Armory, 1636 Exchange, Thursday, 4:30 – 7:30. This event is not a formal presentation, but an opportunity to discuss the proposal with various people involved in designing it.

THE REPUBLICAN PLAN FOR AMERICA
"....the chair of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, Florida senator Rick Scott, has provided a blueprint for what the Republicans will do if they get a majority in the next election.... Scott promised that the Republicans “will protect, defend, and promote the American Family at all costs....The nuclear family is crucial to civilization, it is God’s design for humanity, and it must be protected and celebrated. To say otherwise is to deny science."

"The plan promises that children will say the Pledge of Allegiance and “learn that America is a great country,” they will not learn critical race theory, and discussion of race will be banned from American society. The country will build former president Trump’s border wall and name it after him.

"To protect the family, the Republican plan calls for destroying the business regulation, social safety net, federal promotion of infrastructure, and protection of civil rights that Americans have embraced since the 1930s and handing power over to the wealthy.... Republicans, the plan says, will dramatically increase taxes on Americans earning less than $100,000, raising $1 trillion over ten years, although since they will also cut the Internal Revenue Service by 50%, the government might be hard pressed to collect those taxes. Since “government should not be doing anything that the private sector can do better and cheaper,” they will make sure all laws expire after five years, ending them with the idea that Congress will simply repass good laws. They would end Social Security (which, by the way, protects children as well as the elderly and disabled), Medicare, Medicaid, and so on. They will sell off all “non-essential” government assets, buildings, and land (are national parks essential?) and cut funding to states “other than disaster relief.” 

"This plan is “easily the most radical document put forward by a member of the leadership of a major political party in modern times,” Washington Post columnist Dana Milbank wrote.

"“Americans deserve to know what we will do,” Scott said in his introduction to the plan."
-- Heather Cox Richardson, historian, 
Letters from an American, March 18, 2022 

Sound unbelievable? Check it out at the GOP website describing their plan.

YES! NO! MAYBE?  
Many Americans, including Republicans, don't know about the GOP proposal, described above by Heather Cox Richardson. Your LTE will inform voters about GOP intentions.

WRITE A LETTER TO THE EDITOR!
Letters to the Editor in every issue of the Astorian from now until November can inform voters and promote voting. Write a few sentences or more, up to 250 words. Send to editor@dailyastorian.com, along with your name, address, and phone.

BE A LETTER-WRITER

HAPPENINGS 
INCO Warrenton Community Group Zoom meeting. No meeting in March. Contact incoregon@gmail.com for more information.

Tuesday, April 12 - INCO South County Community Group Zoom meeting, 6:30 pm - 8 pm. Please RSVP to Kathleenannmacdonald@yahoo.com thru Monday, April 11 for your Zoom link.

Saturday, April 23 - INCO Astoria-North County Community Group Zoom meeting, 11 am - noon. If you are new to this group, contact incoregon@gmail.com by March 18 to get the Zoom link.

Every Friday - INCO Write to Voters (WTV), via Zoom, 3-4 pm. Informal chat while we write letters and postcards to voters. If you are new to this event, contact incoregon@gmail.com to get the Zoom link. 

Write postcards for Jamie. Be part of a statewide effort to support Jamie McLeod-Skinner for Congress from Oregon's revamped District 5, by writing voters with her campaign postcards. To get postcards, talking points, stamps, and voter addresses, please contact incoregon@gmail.com  

Write To Voters - Elections and issue campaigns need you year-round. INCO encourages you to sign up to write to voters at www.postcardstovoters.org. For general Get Out the Vote letter campaigns, sign up at Vote Forward. For prepped postcards, stamps, or information, contact incoregon@gmail.com.
INSIGHTS 
"One of the hardest, but most essential rules of politics is that the choice is often not between good and evil, but between not so good and worse."
— Jon Margolis
--Michelle Rial, "Am I Overthinking This?" calendar
Comments, news, and photos to INCO at incoregon@gmail.com
Resources and other information at www.incoregon.org and www.indivisible.org.
Encourage others to sign up for the INCO newsletter at our website 
or here.
Look for the INCO column in 
Hipfish Monthly. We're on Facebook, too.
INCO Weekly Newsletter  March 21, 2022

Monday, March 14, 2022

3-14-2022 Newsletter

 

Senator Merkley met with INCO activists at his town hall at the college, May 25, 2019.
 
CLATSOP COUNTY TOWN HALL • SENATOR JEFF MERKLEY
Saturday, March 19, 2022  at 2:30 p.m., via Zoom

"I invite all Clatsop County residents to join online, on mobile devices, or on the telephone to discuss what we need to do to strengthen our state and our nation." 

Zoom on a computer, smartphone or tablet: click here or use this link:  https://senate.zoomgov.com/j/1618467823?pwd=S1JKdjZQLzZXa2dEQW1CY3pwYzVRUT09#success

On the phone:  Call 669-254-5252
   Enter meeting ID: 161 846 782 
   Enter participant ID: #
   Enter passcode: 86224072# 

DIGNITY AND DEMOCRACY 
If you need a dose of hope and a reminder of democracy's belief in human dignity, check out this recent column by American historian Heather Cox Richardson. 
This photo of Ukraine was taken before the war by Heather Cox Richardson's friend, Nadia Povalinkska, who recently fled her home in Ukraine. 
CANDIDATES FOR COUNTY COMMISSIONER
District 1: incumbent Mark Kujala, Warrenton
District 3: incumbent Pam Wev, Astoria; Nathan Pinkstaff, Astoria
District 5: incumbent Liane Thompson, Arch Cape; Steve Dillard, Seaside

This election is May 17. Final date to 
register to vote is midnight, Tuesday, April 26.
SHARE YOUR VALUES. INSPIRE OTHERS.  
WRITE A LETTER TO THE EDITOR!
Democracy vs. authoritarianism
Voters vs. voter suppression and voter apathy
May 17 primary election 
 
Letters to the Editor in every issue of the Astorian from now until November can inform voters and promote voting. Write a few sentences or more, up to 250 words. Send to editor@dailyastorian.com, along with your name, address, and phone.

BE A LETTER-WRITER

WHEN GOVERNMENT IS LEGITIMATE

"If history is any guide, we are at the point when voters of all parties must push back, to say that we do, in fact, believe in the principles stated in the Declaration of Independence, that all people are created equal, and that our government is legitimate only if we have a say in it."
-- Heather Cox Richardson, historian, 
March 12, 2022 newsletter

WHY INDIVISIBLE EXISTS 
"Republicans are following a step-by-step plan to transform elections and the electorate."

"1. First, undercount the number of Black and brown people who are in the country, in order to skew congressional districts and the Electoral College....
2. Use census data to racially gerrymander states....
3. The next step is to erect barriers to when, how and if people can cast a ballot.4. Then allow big money to operate virtually unchecked to influence the electorate....
4. Then allow big money to operate virtually unchecked to influence the electorate....
5. Reject as many ballots as possible....
6. Change “the referees” of elections, as States United Action 
put it....
7. Finally, have a Supreme Court stacked in such a way that it is hesitant to step in and beat back these restrictions...."

More details in this 
New York Times opinion piece by Charles Blow.  If you can't open it, contact incoregon@gmail.com to receive an email copy of it.
HAPPENINGS 
INCO Warrenton Community Group Zoom meeting. No meeting in March. Contact incoregon@gmail.com for more information.

Saturday, March 19 - INCO Astoria-North County Community Group Zoom meeting, 11 am - noon.
 If you are new to this group, contact incoregon@gmail.com by March 18 to get the Zoom link.

Tuesday,
 April 12 - INCO South County Community Group Zoom meeting, 6:30 pm - 8 pm. Please RSVP to Kathleenannmacdonald@yahoo.com thru Monday, April 11 for your Zoom link.


Every Friday - INCO Write to Voters (WTV), via Zoom, 3-4 pm. Informal chat while we write letters and postcards to voters. If you are new to this event, contact incoregon@gmail.com to get the Zoom link. 

Write postcards for Jamie. Be part of a statewide effort to support Jamie McLeod-Skinner for Congress from Oregon's revamped District 5, by writing voters with her campaign postcards. To get postcards, talking points, stamps, and voter addresses, please contact incoregon@gmail.com  

Write To Voters - Elections and issue campaigns need you year-round. INCO encourages you to sign up to write to voters at www.postcardstovoters.org. For general Get Out the Vote letter campaigns, sign up at Vote Forward. For prepped postcards, stamps, or information, contact incoregon@gmail.com.
INSIGHTS 
"Nevertheless, I should never have allowed the gates of the town to be opened to people who assert that there are higher considerations than those of decency."   
-- J. M. Coetzee, WAITING FOR THE BARBARIANS
--Michelle Rial, "Am I Overthinking This?" calendar
Comments, news, and photos to INCO at incoregon@gmail.com
Resources and other information at www.incoregon.org and www.indivisible.org.
Encourage others to sign up for the INCO newsletter at our website 
or here.
Look for the INCO column in 
Hipfish Monthly. We're on Facebook, too.
INCO Weekly Newsletter  March 14, 2022