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.