6-26-23 Newsletter

 

"A MARVELOUS VICTORY" "To be hopeful in bad times is not just foolishly romantic. It is based on the fact that human history is a history not only of cruelty but also of compassion, sacrifice, courage, kindness. What we choose to emphasize in this complex history will determine our lives. If we see only the worst, it destroys our capacity to do something. If we remember those times and places–and there are so many–where people have behaved magnificently, this gives us the energy to act, and at least the possibility of sending this spinning top of a world in a different direction. And if we do act, in however small a way, we don’t have to wait for some grand utopian future.    "The future is an infinite succession of presents, and to live now as we think human beings should live, in defiance of all that is bad around us, is itself a marvelous victory."  -- Howard Zinn quoted in Jessica Craven; Chop Wood, Carry Water newsletter, June 22, 2022 "THE TRUTH TELLERS" Congressman Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) spoke on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives on June 21, responding to the resolution introduced by Congresswoman Anna Paulina Luna (R-Fla.) and backed by MAGA Republicans to censure him in an effort to silence and intimidate him for holding Donald Trump and his allies accountable.  He began his remarks with this:  "To my Republican colleagues who introduced this resolution, I thank you. You honor me with your enmity.  "You flatter me with this falsehood. You, who are the authors of a big lie about the last election, must condemn the truth tellers, and I stand proudly before you.  "Your words tell me that I have been effective in the defense of our democracy, and I am grateful."  INCO urges you to watch the video of his speech HERE - you'll be inspired!   Full transcript of remarks here. SIGN UP FOR COIN'S SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC JUSTICE TEAM COIN member Tim Bailey has created a Social and Economic Justice Team for people who want to learn more about how to incorporate equality and diversity into our work. The focus of the team is to center a Race Class narrative into the mission of COIN and its local networks to align with the National organization. The group has been meeting on the second and fourth Mondays via Zoom from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. You can join by going here. WHAT DO POLLS TELL US? Don't panic, and don't celebrate either. Polls can provide information, but political analyst Simon Rosenberg advises us to regard them cautiously: "Polling only tells you where things are right now, and cannot predict what is going to happen in the election. This data is only relevant for today and could be different in a few weeks or even days based on events.  "In general, it’s important to not let any single poll drive your understanding of politics. Polls can err, and many have a 3-4 point margin of error built in so they are far more a sketch than a photograph. In this poll Biden is up 4, but with margin of error that could be 6-7 or 1-2. A common mistake folks make is to ascribe a greater degree of accuracy to a poll than the poll can deliver. The results are really a range, not an exact number. It’s a sketch, not a photograph. This is really important.  "Try to look at trends - how are things moving over time? That is often the most important data. In this poll we see movement for Trump in the GOP primary, and for Dems in the Congressional generic. This is important data." Simon interprets current polling in his Hopium Chronicles newsletter on Substack. TAKE A BREAK FROM WEEDING Americans must love elections because we hold elections throughout the year.  If you want to help elect progressives/liberals to office, expand voting rights, or support important issues, then check out Postcards to Voters. It's convenient activism you can do at home - and a nice break from your other summer activities. INSIGHTS    "If we are to keep our democracy, there must be one commandment: Thou shalt not ration justice." --Learned Hand, American jurist and judicial philosopher 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      June 26, 2023 Website Email Twitter Copyright © 2023 INDIVISIBLE North Coast Oregon, All rights reserved. You are receiving this email because you opted in at our website or signed up at a community group meeting. Our mailing address is: *|766 Lexington Avenue, Astoria, OR 97103:HTML|* Want to change how you receive these emails? You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list.

6-19-23 Newsletter

 

COIN MEETING Tuesday, June 20 at 7 pm, via Zoom   Now that Oregon's GOP senators have returned to work and made a quorum, the senate can vote on numerous bills that had been ignored for weeks during the walk-out.  It appears that a number of bills are being modified so as to bring the Republicans back to work. Regardless of the outcome, join COIN at its Tuesday, June 20 meeting to discuss the future of reproductive freedom and also gun safety legislation which may also be compromised by this "deal".  Register here for the June 20 Zoom meeting and other COIN meetings this year.     •  Who won the walkout? The Oregonian provides helpful perspective in this editorial. JUNETEENTH, 2023 KITCHEN TABLE ACTIVISM FOR OUR RIGHTS Other states besides Oregon are being attacked by their Republican leaders. For instance, Ohio has a special election on August 8, 2023, in which Republicans will try to make it harder for citizens of Ohio to enshrine the right to reproductive liberty in the Ohio constitution. Thanks to Robert Hubbell's Today's Edition newsletter for this information. You can help defeat this measure: Send postcards through PostcardsToVoters.org! Just text “join" to 484-275-2229, or write an email to Join@TonytheDemocrat.org. Or write letters through Vote Forward for its Ohio Campaign. Or phonebank to tell Ohio voters to Vote NO on the August 8th ballot measure. Vote NO Campaign Virtual Phonebank and Training · Ohio Democratic Party (mobilize.us  Dems = growth, Rs = recession  Joe Biden is the third consecutive Democratic President who has brought strong growth, lower deficits and American progress. The last three Republican Presidents all brought recession, higher deficits, American decline. Sources - Bureau of Labor Statistics and With Democrats Things Get Better THE SEARCH IS ON  State Senator Suzanne Weber finally returned to work on Friday, June 16, after the Republican 6-week walkout. If you don't want Weber and other anti-democracy elected leaders in office, please start looking for candidates to run in our next local and state elections, consider running for office yourself, or plan to help good candidates win. The next state senate election is in 2026.  INSIGHTS    "Better to trust the man who is frequently in error than the one who is never in doubt." --Eric Sevareid 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      June 19, 2023 Website Email Twitter Copyright © 2023 INDIVISIBLE North Coast Oregon, All rights reserved. You are receiving this email because you opted in at our website or signed up at a community group meeting. Our mailing address is: *|766 Lexington Avenue, Astoria, OR 97103:HTML|* Want to change how you receive these emails? You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list.

6-12-23 Newsletter

 

A MOMENT OF SELF-CONGRATULATION "Our republic has shown surprising resiliency in the face of not only a corrupt president but a political party that was willing to shield him. We are not the healthy, vibrant democracy, the shining city on the hill that can speak with authority to other nations about improving democracy at home and abroad, but we are still here. And we are in the moment that will determine whether we continue to grow stronger and what our future looks like. ".... Nonetheless, this is a moment to take stock and to realize how far we’ve come from the fragility that shook the country in January of  2021. We’re entitled to a small moment of self-congratulation to appreciate everything that we have accomplished, and to double down on the commitment to preserve an American Republic from succumbing to a dangerous cult leader with fascist tendencies." -- Joyce Vance, Civil Discourse newsletter on Substack, June 8, 2023 * * * * * * * * * * * *  "And Tuesday begins a new chapter in America. All signs point to the former president taking, and keeping, and hiding those secrets which would sell for the most money. As unfathomable as an American commander in chief who would sell out our troops is, in some ways there is hope in what’s coming this Tuesday. ".... For years now the inhumanity that has taken hold of the Republican party has been dependent on Republican voters pretending who Donald Trump is and a good chunk of the rest of the country letting them pretend. With Tuesday’s charges the pretending ends." -- Bill Penzey, bill@penzeys.com Congresswoman Bonamici spoke at this INCO event, June 14, 2019. CONGRESSWOMAN SUZANNE BONAMICI TELEPHONE TOWN HALL  Tuesday, June 13 at 6 pm Sign up  at www.bonamici.house.gov/live To receive her email newsletters and updates, sign up here. THE INDICTMENT EXPLAINING: INCO recommends 3 excellent Substack newsletters for clarifying and tracking the legal ins-and-outs of the indictments related to Trump and his cronies: Joyce Vance, "Civil Discourse;" Jay Kuo, "Status Kuo;" and Robert Hubbell, "Today's Edition." You'll find many other choices on the Substack website. MESSAGING: INCO and Jessica Craven like this excellent messaging guidance from Anat Shenker-Osorio of the Research Collaborative.  Americans value our freedoms – our freedom to elect leaders who respect our will, protect our interests and govern in our name. Now, a Grand Jury of everyday Floridians across race, background, and party issued a federal indictment of the former MAGA President for threatening America by stealing national security documents, conspiring to obstruct justice, and lying in order to cling to power. Yet the MAGA Republicans in office today that supported, schemed and covered up for him want to overturn our legal system to allow him to evade consequences, carry on this criminal conspiracy and seize power unchecked.  From the House of Representatives to the Supreme Court to state legislatures, including the very scene of the crime in Florida, they want to take away our freedoms and rule for the wealthy few. We must come together and demand that anyone who aided, abetted or excused the MAGA criminal conspiracy be held accountable so we can make this a place where our leaders honor their oaths, protecting our country and our freedoms.  We suggest you use language like this to talk about the indictment with politically pliable friends or family members. More on the indictment and the best way to message it can be found here and here. TELL SENATOR WEBER TO DO HER JOB In her newsletter, Weber continues to boast about how hard she's working. Unfortunately, she's working hard as a shameless adversary of democracy, a promoter of division, and an opponent of the legislative process.     Contact Senator Suzanne Weber at 503-986-1716 or at  Sen​.SuzanneWeber@oregonlegislature.gov The Pittsburgh Pride parade, 2023. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar) ACTION, SERVICE, AND HUMOR "To say that we live in dramatic times is, well, a dramatic understatement. "How do we navigate these relentlessly turbulent waters? How do we prevent fatigue, overwhelm, and despair? How do we stop our heads from (figuratively) exploding? "It’s a big question, but for me the answers are simple: action, service, and humor. "Taking small but meaningful actions every day keeps me from feeling helpless; it gives me agency, strength, and vigor." -- Jessica Craven, Chop Wood, Carry Water newsletter on Substack, June 7, 2023 * * * * * * * * * * *  The White House has unveiled a great new website detailing the investments now being made in America due to the President’s successful economic policies.¹ More from this week's news to celebrate at Jessica Craven. 5-STAR VOTING SYSTEM INCO activist Lynn McConnell introduced an innovating idea for voting at INCO's last Community Meeting. It's called STAR Voting. "STAR Voting is an innovative voting method for more representative elections. Instead of being limited to picking just one candidate, you can score as many candidates as you like, showing your preference order and your level of support for the options." To learn more, contact incoregon@gmail.com. INSIGHTS    "The moment we begin to fear the opinions of others and hesitate to tell the truth that is in us, and from motives of policy are silent when we should speak, the divine floods of light and life no longer flow into our souls."  -- Elizabeth Cady Stanton, leader of the women's rights movement in the U.S. during the mid- to late-19th century 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      June 12, 2023 Website Email Twitter Copyright © 2023 INDIVISIBLE North Coast Oregon, All rights reserved. You are receiving this email because you opted in at our website or signed up at a community group meeting. Our mailing address is: *|766 Lexington Avenue, Astoria, OR 97103:HTML|* Want to change how you receive these emails? You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list.