5-29-23 Newsletter

 

Heather Cox Richardson remembers Beau Bryant, a young man who served our country. "Some things are made harder by expecting them to be easy."  It's whack-a-mole time as Republican extremists and reactionary judges dismantle long-established social safety nets, environmental regulations, and voting and reproductive rights; undermine the rule of law, and ignore the values and wishes of most Americans.    You can help make things better. •  Write to voters, support pro-democracy organizations, and speak up for your neighbors and community. •  Read Timothy Snyder's ON TYRANNY, TWENTY LESSONS FROM THE TWENTIETH CENTURY for a primer on resisting and defeating authoritarianism. •  Watch Bryan Cranston in the film, TRUMBO, and George Clooney in GOOD NIGHT AND GOOD LUCK about real people who resisted America's embrace of tyranny in the 1950s.  •  Don't wait for someone else to step up for you.   "There is important work to do; we are just the ones to do it." SENATOR WEBER CONTINUES TO DEFY HER OATH OF OFFICE Now we know what she really thinks about democracy "Oregon Senate Republicans on Tuesday declared they're willing to return to the floor to pass bipartisan legislation and budget bills on June 25, the final day of the session." -- The Astorian and Oregon Capital Chronicle, May 25, 2023 "Republicans plan to challenge the constitutional amendment in court that voters approved last year to prevent walkouts from halting legislative work" -- Oregon Capital Chronicle, May 25, 2023   Contact Senator Suzanne Weber at 503-986-1716 or at  Sen​.SuzanneWeber@oregonlegislature.gov REPUBLICANS MANUFACTURED THE DEBT CRISIS    President Biden looks like a winner with the tentative budget and debt limit bill agreed on over the weekend. How did he manage it? Will it pass Congress's Wednesday vote? Jay Kuo provides some answers. * * * * * * * * * * *  "Republicans in Congress have turned their backs on the American people; they are shamelessly holding the country hostage by refusing to raise the debt ceiling without deeply slashing programs that provide support to millions of vulnerable Americans. "The Republicans are blaming this crisis on so-called "reckless spending," when in fact, they are causing it with their political theater. Plus, it's astounding to see them label important programs like SNAP food assistance, education, veterans benefits, and affordable housing assistance as "reckless." "Let's be clear: Republicans didn't complain about raising the debt limit when Donald Trump was in the White House – they did it three times without conditions. "In fact, Donald Trump and his massive tax cuts added $6.7 trillion to the debt between fiscal year 2017 and fiscal year 2020, a 33.1% increase." -- Congresswoman Suzanne Bonamici, newsletter, May 25, 2023 --Jessica Craven; Chop Wood, Carry Water, May 23, 2023 TIME TO TARGET TARGET "Citing concern for staff safety, Target has yielded to the loudest voices and will be removing some LGBTQIA+ Pride items from their shelves.   "Let’s remind Target that when they give in to the worst impulses in society, those impulses will grow; we expect them to stand firmly with the LGBTQIA+ community or cease their rainbow-washing completely.  We can write to Target at Corporate.Responsibility@target.com." -- Jessica Craven; Chop Wood, Carry Water, May 26, 2023 We've learned that haters will seek new people and groups to attack. It might not be you this time, but it could be you next. Please tell Target their decision is not acceptable, at Corporate.Responsibility@target.com. DEMOCRACY DOCKET "Democracy Docket hit an important milestone! Our comprehensive case database now contains over 600 voting rights, elections and redistricting lawsuits. Find summaries, filings and updates for the cases we're tracking on our site." -- Democracy Docket newsletter, May 25, 2023 -- 'Andrea Mitchell Reports' on MSNBC HAPPENINGS Thursday, June 8 - INCO Community Meeting, via Zoom. Social time at 6 pm; meeting is 6:30-7:30 pm. All INCO members are invited to attend. We meet the 2nd Thursday of each month. Link to join Zoom meeting https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87835618044  Meeting ID: 878 3561 8044 One tap mobile +12532050468,,87835618044# US +12532158782,,87835618044# US (Tacoma) INSIGHTS    “The very force of his personality both created and crippled.  How much more could he have accomplished had he been kinder?  But then, dynamism and kindness often didn’t go together, though when they did they were unstoppable.” -- Louise Penny, BURY YOUR DEAD Indivisible defends democracy by opposing authoritarianism, bigotry, and corruption. 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      May 29, 2023 Website Email Twitter Copyright © 2023 INDIVISIBLE North Coast Oregon, All rights reserved. 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