6-24-24 Newsletter

 

“Democracy is never a thing done. Democracy is always something that a nation must be doing.” — Archibald MacLeish, American poet and writer BIDEN-TRUMP DEBATE THURSDAY The debate is Thursday, June 27 at 6 pm Pacific time, in Atlanta. It will be broadcast on CNN and streamed on CNN.com. Moderators are Jake Tapper and Dana Bash. Don't wait for others to tell you what happened and who said what. You can share accurate information and fight back against the GOP's disinformation campaign. WRITE TO VOTERS This week we'll continue writing postcards to support Ruben Gallego, who's running against super-MAGA Kari Lake for the US Senate from Arizona. TUESDAYS, 3 - 4:30 pm - WineKraft, at the east end of Pier 11 Mall, 77 11th Street, Astoria  No purchase necessary.   INCO provides postcards, scripts, pens, stamps, and Wite-Out.   "My wife & I have been doing this. Activate America has sent MILLIONS of postcards, and they work! And we are organizing postcard writing parties as our friends can't wait to join in. It helps to not feel helpless watching the maggots garner so many fans." -- Reader's comment on Substack, June 18, 2024 TRUMP'S SECOND TERM What would a Trump second term be like? Joanna Lydgate, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of the States United Democracy Center talks with Joyce Vance about Project 2025. States United is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization dedicated to free, fair, and secure elections.  "Joyce: Project 2025 is 920 pages long. What are the most important things we need to understand about it—the top lines. "Joanna: I think the first thing to understand is that this is an instruction manual. It’s created by people who understand the levers of government in a deep way. And it’s plug-and-play. If Trump wins the election, they want him to follow these instructions to radically remake the federal government, and in a matter of months. "And that’s key here: We shouldn’t expect a second Trump term to look like the first. This document shows that the people around him want to be ruthlessly efficient if they get another shot at this. So those of us who are concerned about democracy need to be prepared for that. "....I say this all the time because it really is true: Whatever issue is most important to you, it comes down to free and fair elections. That’s why we do this work." Joyce takes a break from legal issues with one of her many colorful chickens.   JOYCE'S PROJECT 2025 STUDY GROUP  An online study group hosted by noted attorney and legal commentator Joyce Vance will examine Project 2025. It's a blueprint for authoritarian governance in the US,  and Trump's right-wing allies and funders plan to make it happen. "... the more I study Project 2025, the more I appreciate the importance of understanding Trump’s plan for America. Like Trump, who often says the quiet part out loud, the plan reveals what we can expect—at a minimum—from a second Trump administration. "The table of contents for the Project reveals how comprehensive the plan for “taking the reins of government” is, with detailed plans for cabinet level agencies and for “managing the bureaucracy”—loyalty to Trump not optional. Project 2025 is a road map for forcing out thousands of civil servants, creating an uber-powerful presidency at the expense of the other two branches of government, dismantling agencies like the Department of Education that have been long-time conservative targets, and more sweeping tax cuts that mostly benefit the people who need them the least. "It’s more than just policy disagreements, it’s a path towards authoritarianism. "They’re don’t think Americans will read all 920 pages. They’re counting on that. We’re going to find a way to do it together and prove them wrong." -- Joyce Vance, Civil Discourse, June 17, 2024 Sign up for Joyce's Substack newsletter to be part of her Project 2025 study group. The 920-page Project 2025 document is here. John Oliver featured Project 2025 in his June 20 show, including the project's chilling videos, its lies about the left, and more details about the proposal itself. "Pick a chapter that interests you and start reading. We’ll be studying Project 2025 in the days and weeks ahead. Stay tuned."  -- Joyce Vance, Civil Discourse, June 21, 2024 COMMUNITY AND SOLIDARITY "Earlier this month, Finnish software and methodologies company Check First released a report exposing “a large-scale, cross-country, multi-platform disinformation campaign designed to spread pro-Russian propaganda in the West, with clear indicators of foreign interference and information manipulation.” The primary goal of “Operation Overload” is to overwhelm newsrooms and fact-checkers and spread “the Kremlin’s political agenda.”  ".... They also recognize that chaos and uncertainty give them business opportunities in the West. Disrupting democracies by feeding radicalism makes the democratic world lose its sense of community and solidarity. "When it does that, [journalist and historian Anne] Applebaum notes, it loses its ability to stand up to autocrats."  -- Heather Cox Richardson, Letters from an American, June 17, 2024 INCO INSIGHTS Hope has two lovely daughters, anger and courage. Anger so that what must not be will not be and courage so that what can be will be.                        --St. Augustine 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 here. Look for the INCO column in Hipfish Monthly. We're on Facebook, too. INCO Weekly Newsletter  June 24, 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.

6-17-24 Newsletter

 

23 VOTES DECIDED CLATSOP ELECTION "Every vote matters!" Anthony Huacuja was elected as Clatsop County Commissioner, District 2, receiving just over half of the votes in the May 21 election. The final count was June 12, and the election will be certified today. Of the 2,284 total votes,  50.31% (1,149) voted for Anthony and 49.3% voted for Tessa (1,126), a 23 vote difference. About 1/3 of the district's registered voters voted. Less than half of registered Democrats voted in the May 21 election. WRITE TO VOTERS "As I read the comments of postcard writers and others feeling discouraged I flashed on the beginning. That fight was soldiers sleeping on the ground, eating badly , being an ocean away from their loved ones and every day wondering if it would be their last day. This fight we get to sleep in our beds, be with our loved ones, take walks to enjoy nature… “   — Annamarie, reader’s comment, Substack, June 7, 2024 TUESDAYS, 3 - 4:30 pm - WineKraft, at the east end of Pier 11 Mall, 77 11th Street, Astoria  No purchase necessary   WEDNESDAYS, 3 - 4:30 pm - Geneia's home in Seaside. Contact geneiajam60@gmail.comfor details. INCO provides postcards, scripts, pens, stamps, and Wite-Out. "STAY FOR THE PEOPLE" "Every time I attend a grassroots meeting with readers, someone approaches me to say they are distressed by the current political environment and fearful about our nation’s future. They thank me for the hope this newsletter gives them. "I relate that fact not to pat myself on the back, but to make four important points: "First, if you feel that way, you are not alone. Millions of Americans share your feelings of anxiety and worry. "Second, one of the most effective things you can do is to seek out community. Being with others who are working to defend democracy is uplifting! As the saying goes, “Come for the cause, stay for the people!” "Third, action is the antidote to anxiety. If you are able, funnel your nervous energy into action! You will feel better while doing good! "Fourth, if you are one of the lucky people who can maintain a hopeful outlook in the face of anxiety-producing news, display your optimism and confidence! It is contagious! If you model hope and optimism, you will lift others in ways you will never know. "These are difficult times, made worse by the amplifying effect of a 60-minute news cycle, social media, and constant news alerts. But we have endured and prevailed over worse—and we can do it again." --Robert Hubbell, Today's Edition, June 11, 2024 "Dictatorships depend on the willing. They can't rule by compulsion alone. People support them to gain power or advance their careers, because they like giving orders or take comfort in receiving them. They act on their prejudice or pocketbook, religious beliefs or political ideals, at first, then on their fear. They may not realize what they're supporting until it's too late." -- Burkhard Bilger, "The Stasi Files, The New Yorker, June 3, 2024 "Dictators need the middle to function, and the vast majority of people are in the middle. They don't stick up their heads." -- Dagmar Hovestedt, former head of research to examine, reassemble, and release the East German Stasi surveillance files -- Jennifer Rubin, newsletter, Washington Post, June 12, 2024 -- The New Yorker, May 2024 INCO INSIGHTS "If life is a staircase, then reality is a Slinky." -- Louis Mendan 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 here. Look for the INCO column in Hipfish Monthly. We're on Facebook, too. INCO Weekly Newsletter  June 17, 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.

6-10-24 Newsletter

 

WE MUST DEFEAT THEM An Astoria woman told me the other day that "Indivisible is a cult." This and other lies drive the Republican and MAGA campaign to elect Trump and other right-wingers to Congress, state legislatures, and local governments.    The GOP is hoping we'll give up while they continue to suppress votes, attack our elections, and attack liberal and progressive programs and values. We must defeat them.  Please do whatever you can to defend our democracy and protect our freedoms. Volunteer with local and national campaigns, contact your elected representatives, donate, write to voters, etc.  As my son says, "This is not a time to sell securities, buy gold, move to Canada, gloat about victory, or wallow in despair. There is important work to do; we all are just the ones to do it." Laurie Caplan INCO co-founder and INCO leadership team ARMCHAIR ACTIVISM Channel your hope for election victories into writing to voters from home.  Sign up for the campaigns you want and write postcards when and where you want. These groups have campaigns available that do not give tight deadlines for getting postcards done. Contact INCO at incoregon@gmail.com with questions or if you'd like INCO's postcards and stamps.  https://www.commit2democracy.com/sign_up https://www.activateamerica.vote/postcards https://secure.everyaction.com/wWYzSycvi0uyLrKtsMnNXw2 https://postcards.markersfordemocracy.org/ PROJECT 2025 AND YOU INCO urges you to read this and other information about Project 2025. Project 2025's threat to our freedoms and way of life is very real, especially if Biden loses the November election. Donald Trump and MAGA's major backers and funders sponsor Project 2025, proudly displayed online and endorsed by Trump. INCO has bolded some parts below. "“Project 2025” is a plan to execute what amounts to a comprehensive authoritarian takeover of American government. "Broadly speaking, it envisions a vast expansion of presidential power over the executive branch. Moreover, “Project 2025” seeks to dismantle certain parts of government, the administrative state, and federal agencies – while simultaneously mobilizing and weaponizing others. And finally, “Project 2025” is a promise to purge from government anyone who is not all in on the Trumpist project and replace them with loyalists and ideological conformists. ".... But in general, “Project 2025” is evidence that the American Right has concrete plans and a detailed strategy of how to take over and transform American government into a machine that serves only two purposes: autocratic revenge against the “woke” enemy, and the imposition of a reactionary vision for society against the will of the majority. ".... But beyond just dismantling the state, “Project 2025” also seeks to mobilize and weaponize government in a far-reaching effort to punish and purge “woke” enemies and impose a reactionary white Christian patriarchal order on American society. Public health, for instance, is seen purely as a tool to uphold a traditionalist, conservative Christian understanding of gender, family, and motherhood. Labor Policy? A tool to create more room to legally discriminate in the workplace.  “Project 2025” openly demands, for example, that the president “Rescind regulations prohibiting discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation, gender identity, transgender status, and sex characteristics. ".... In a very real sense, that’s what’s on the ballot in November. The election isn’t really about Biden vs. Trump; it’s a referendum on whether the effort to finally realize the promise of a truly democratic, pluralistic, multiracial society should be continued or abolished altogether. Those are the stakes. -- Highlights from The Big Picture interview withThomas Zimmer, who is a historian at Georgetown University focusing on the recent history of American democracy and the anti-democratic impulses of the American right. He explores the topic at length in his Democracy Americana Substack where he has raised the alarm about Project 2025, and co-hosts the Is This Democracy podcast. * Trump endorses the GOP's Project 2025 , as do the right-wing funders and promoters of this plan for an American dictatorship. Among their goals: Destroy independent news coverage, stack the courts, arrest dissenters, establish concentration camps, obstruct voting and fair elections, weaponize the Justice Department to engage in revenge politics; and prohibit contraception, marriage equality, and other health and sexuality measures. * Another Substack newsletter about Project 2025 is How to Tell Your Friends About Project 2025. Basic Q&As show that many Americans are already suffering under Republican-led laws from Project 2025. WRITE TO VOTERS "I really enjoy working on them and listening to some good conversations at the postcard table. I feel like I am helping in a small, but valuable, way." --  Sandra, INCO postcarder   TUESDAYS, 3 - 4:30 pm - WineKraft, at the east end of Pier 11 Mall, 77 11th Street, Astoria  No purchase necessary   WEDNESDAYS, 3 - 4:30 pm - Geneia's home in Seaside. Contact geneiajam60@gmail.comfor details.   INCO provides postcards, scripts, pens, stamps, and Wite-Out. INCO INSIGHTS "We were born into the opportunity to be aware, to care, and to create meaning in action."  --David Lee Myers 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 here. Look for the INCO column in Hipfish Monthly. We're on Facebook, too. INCO Weekly Newsletter  June 10, 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.