1-22-24 Newsletter

 

-- Library of Congress SHED A LITTLE LIGHT Savor this musical inspiration as you reflect on last week's Martin Luther King, Jr. Day and how we can work for social justice and civil liberties every day. "If we keep doing what we’re doing we’re going to keep getting what we’re getting: victories."  -- Jessica Craven, Chop Wood, Carry Water; January 17, 2024 Chop Wood, Carry Water is all about inspiration and effective actions for our freedoms. INCO recommends this Substack newsletter for its: •  updates from grassroots groups and activists around the country •  important and often easy actions you can do at home •  abundant good news, especially in her Sunday newsletter •  clever memes and terrific videos Want to reach climate voters? Check out Saturday's Chop Wood, Carry Water newsletter. Want to see what you and other democracy activists achieved this week? Here's Sunday's newsletter featuring victories for us and our country. TEENSY NUMBERS = TRUMP FAILED THE IOWA CAUCUS Last week's Iowa GOP caucus was not the signal of anything, except Trump's failure. He got support from 56,000 caucus-goers in a state with 3.2 million people. That equals about 7% of registered Republicans in Iowa and only 3% - THREE PERCENT - of all registered voters in Iowa. Of those GOP voters who defied the extreme cold to attend, only 51% backed Trump. Next week’s New Hampshire primary is in an even smaller state with only 1.4 million people. YOUR GOOD CAUSES  Voters are looking in the INCO newsletter for good causes and candidates to support. If you've found a pro-democracy activity to recommend to others, please let us know at incoregon@gmail.com. CHOOSING AUTHORITARIANISM AND VIOLENCE *  "...some Trump voters are not merely misunderstanding “the economy,” or imagining his “principles,” and they don’t think that the “mean tweets” are regrettable. Some of them want the authoritarianism." -- Jonathan V. Last, The Bulwark, January 15, 2024 *  Why do people vote for Trump? Check out Jonathan Last's look at recent news and surveys of Trump voters. If this doesn't motivate you to get out the pro-democracy vote, what will? *  Violent threats and actions are increasing since Trump began to encourage political violence. INCO recommends Jay Kuo's excellent analysis - complete with details of actual threats and actions against people Trump has targeted. Kuo concludes, "But above all, we must have a keener awareness of exactly how Trump is using these rhetorical techniques to pull us all toward a far more violent and dangerous political future. Calls to violence can’t get a pass, nor can dehumanizing language, election lies, and stochastic terror."  PICKING A TRUMP JURY Would you be picked to serve on a jury at a Trump trial? Here's a fascinating look at how the jurors in the E. Jean Carroll defamation case were questioned and then chosen to serve. INCO recommends attorney Joyce Vance's explanation of the who, what, and why of this case and its jurors. Vance concludes, "The case is important for Carroll, but it’s also important for the country. And while the criminal trials move forward on a slower track, this case’s moment is now." INSURRECTIONISTS IN COURT AND IN PRISON "More than 1,200 people have been charged with Capitol riot-related federal crimes. About 900 of them have pleaded guilty or been convicted after trials decided by a jury or judge. Over 750 of them have been sentenced, with nearly 500 receiving some term of imprisonment, according to data compiled by The Associated Press."  Reed Knox Christensen, 65, who briefly ran an unsuccessful campaign in the Republican primary for governor of Oregon after storming the Capitol, was sentenced to nearly four years in prison. He charged at a group of police officers outside the Capitol and assaulted five of them before rioters breached the police line, prosecutors said. More about other insurrections facing justice is here. INCO INSIGHTS "Be wary in front of a billy goat, in back of a horse, or on any side of a fool."   -- Traditional Yiddish saying 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   January 22, 2024 Website Email Facebook Copyright © 2024 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.