10-9-23 Newsletter

 

OUR COMMON HUMANITY "Let us hope that we stand up to those who would wreak havoc and death. Let us hope that we continue to try to find ways to lessen suffering so that violence doesn’t feel like the only option for those who are desperate. Let us never give up on yearning for peace. The vast majority of humans want safety and security. And in that truth, we can find hope that ultimately this majority will prevail. But in the meantime, the bloodshed will continue.  "The pull of our humanity is what gives us a reason to smile when we see what is good and beautiful in our world. But it also is what provokes such sadness when we know others are in pain. We need to hold onto both the good and the bad so we can hold onto each other. We need to remember all that we have in common as we try to cope with the difficult realities of life." -- Dan Rather and Elliot Kirschner, STEADY newsletter, October 8, 2023 Our values on display at INCO's 2020 Summit at Fort George   INCO COMMUNITY MEETING Thursday, October 12, via Zoom 6 pm - social     6:30-7:30 pm - meeting Campaigns, Clatsop County, candidates, Congress, cooperation What's on your mind? Join Zoom Meeting https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87835618044  Meeting ID: 878 3561 8044 One tap mobile +12532050468,,87835618044# US +12532158782,,87835618044# US (Tacoma) COIN CALL TO ACTION FOR CLIMATE Thank you to everyone who submitted comments to Oregon's Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) about Oregon's Climate Protection Program (CPP). DEQ has extended the comment period till Friday, October 13, 2023 at 4 p.m. COIN's Climate Energy and Environment (CEE) Team is asking everyone to take a few minutes to submit  public comments if you haven't already done so.  Send in your comments now to Climate.2023@deq.oregon.gov. We know that the more comments that are submitted, the greater our influence will be. If you'd like COIN's suggested talking points and related info, contact incoregon@gmail.com so we can send them to you. This series hosts informed guests and skilled interviewers. It's from 5-6 pm most Wednesdays. Register here for this free Zoom webinar. The interviews are posted on YouTube later the same night. "OUR ACTIONS CAN BEAR FRUIT" If you could tell our readers one thing about what you have learned in your years of studying and speaking about authoritarianism and fascism, what would that be? Authoritarians do their best to get us to feel that it is hopeless to resist, that we should just submit to their aggressions and self-censor. That's because authoritarians live in fear of those they govern and know how powerful mass nonviolent opposition in all its forms can be. So we should never give up hope that things can change, that our actions can bear fruit, and that we can bring another future into being. -- Interview with Ruth Beh-Ghiat, The Big Picture newsletter, October 3, 2023 Professor Ruth Ben-Ghiat is the recipient of Guggenheim and other fellowships, an advisor to Protect Democracy, and an MSNBC opinion columnist. She appears frequently on MSNBC, PBS, and other networks. WHY POSTCARDS TO VOTERS? WHY NOW? "Our strategy has never just been about immediate victories.  It's been about strengthening the habit of voting among Democrats.  It's also been about leveraging present opportunities for substantial future impacts." -- Tony the Democrat, Founder of Postcards to Voters   Important campaigns in New York and elsewhere need us! INCO can order and pay for your stamps so you can write postcards and letters to voters. Stamps will be mailed to you. Many writers use heavy-weight 4x6 index cards for postcards. Other people buy cards online. What's important is reaching voters!   INCO wants to support your pro-democracy activism, so contact Laurie atincoregon@gmail.com for stamps and other supplies. "LOSING AND GAGGING" "All of us have a solemn duty to stay informed, to prepare for the upcoming elections, to get engaged in local and national politics. Democracy hangs, quite literally, in the balance, and we continue to have important work to do." -- Joyce Vance, Civil Discourse newsletter, October 4, 2023 AUDITIONING FOR FOX NEWS "Elected officials should act in service to the needs of the people. But for years, Republicans have acted in service to the booking agents of Fox News, who eagerly elevated the most extreme and nihilistic voices. Moderation, thoughtfulness, and even the desire to legislate were treated as useless impulses, if not outright signs of weakness. Democrats were demonized. Expertise was excoriated. And performative poppycock was praised. These have been the evolutionary pressures that were reshaping the Republican Party even before Trump. And like an asteroid from outer space, his arrival sent dissenting voices in the party on a quick path to extinction." -- Dan Rather and Elliot Kirschner, Steady newsletter, October 3, 2023  INCO INSIGHTS "If you keep saying things are going to be bad, you have a good chance of being a prophet." -- Isaac Bashevis Singer, author; Nobel Prize for Literature, 1978 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   October 9, 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. 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