INCO COMMUNITY MEETING Saturday, January 18, 2025 at 11-12:30 Astoria Senior Center, 11th at Exchange, Astoria Along with Indivisibles across the country during this Weekend of Service, we'll gather to pay it forward. Color us excited about our service project!
AGENDA Weekend of Service project - Bruce Protecting the vulnerable Watching local governments - Julia Running for office Communications and social media - Sherise and Denise Partnering with local groups COIN (Oregon's Indivisibles) - Cheryl What's on your mind? ******
COIN LEGISLATIVE WATCH TEAM TRAINING
This training begins immediately following the INCO meeting on January 18 at the Senior Center. To learn more or volunteer to be on this team, contact Cheryl Conway at conwayct2007@hotmail.com.
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INCO's Day of Service andSupport Martin Luther King, Jr. Day • Inauguration Day Monday, January 20, 2025 at 9 a.m. Columbia River Coffee Roaster (CRCR) - formerly 3 Cups Coffee House 279 West Marine Drive, Astoria We'll gather for community and connection. This day and time align with the inauguration in Washington DC.
INCO has a colorful service project to help our neighbors and brighten our spirits! We'll be painting the outside doors of the units of Astoria's Columbia Inn, an emergency shelter run by Clatsop Community Action (CCA).
One of INCO's goals this year is to protect people at risk from the Trump administration, which fits this project. Per the CCA website: "Since October 2023, the Columbia Inn has served as an emergency shelter in Clatsop County, prioritizing specific demographics. It caters to families with homeless children, individuals and families fleeing domestic violence, youth aged 18-24, those with mobility-affecting disabilities, and underserved communities like Latin(x), 2SLGBTQIA+, and Veterans.”
We'll meet on Monday, January 20 at Columbia River Coffee Roaster to enjoy coffee,finalize our painting plans, and share support and concerns. This will be way more enjoyable and productive than watching the inauguration.
HOW TO PARTICIPATE: Sign-up for this painting project at INCO's January 18 meeting, come to the January 20 gathering, or contact incoregon@gmail.com.
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THE NEW SUPERHEROES
"At root, however, we must acknowledge that what we are experiencing is not normal. Indeed, it is unprecedented in the history of our nation. Feeling overwhelmed, confused, anxious, or angry is a normal human reaction. Indeed, not experiencing those feelings (to some degree) is not a normal human reaction.
".... Watching billionaires surrender to Trump from fear or greed should make us feel like superheroes of the resistance. We do not have the insulating wealth of Musk, Bezos, and Zuckerberg. And yet, we have found the courage and moral clarity to stand our ground against Trump's agenda.
"Compared to you, Musk, Bezos, and Zuckerberg are small, petty, pathetic creatures who will be remembered as collaborators in the same way the Vichy government of France is remembered as a puppet regime of the Third Reich.
".... We are standing on the bulwarks of democracy, defending the rule of law. We have no time for the naysayers and issue spotters. We have real work to do. Stay strong, keep the faith, and keep your eyes on the horizon!" -- Robert Hubbell, Today's Edition, January 8, 2024
THE LOS ANGELES FIRES
".... Consider the immense technological, cultural, and legislative invention that has come from the Golden State. The state is home to 39 million Americans. Its economy ranks fifth internationally, behind the US, China, Germany, and Japan. On a per capita basis, California's GDP is greater than that of all of these countries.
"....There is no scenario in which America succeeds with a failing California. Only an imbecile would root for California to fail or burn, and tragically, there is no shortage of fools in America rooting for both."
INCO encourages you to read "The Great Fire," by Steve Schmidt, in Robert Reich's column, January 10, 2024.
CONSCIENCE AND COURAGE
"Against that backdrop, today’s sentencing hearing, as strange as this may sound, gives me hope more than it gives me pause. It leads me to believe the damage Donald Trump has done and will continue to do to our system can be repaired through individual acts of conscience and courage."
INCO encourages you to read the entire Civil Discourse article, "Sentenced," by former US Attorney Joyce Vance, January 10, 2025.
"HOW HITLER DISMANTLED A DEMOCRACY IN 53 DAYS"
The author says "he used the constitution to shatter the constitution." Read Timothy W. Ryback's article in The Atlantichere.
DEFENDING THE RULE OF LAW Welcome, Indivisible Tillamook Coast Action!
Thanks to our friends in Tillamook who shared this list with us. The Tillamook Democracy Project is merging with the new Indivisible group there.
Using our legal system will be one of the most effective ways to challenge unconstitutional and illegal actions by the Trump administration. Here is a list of organizations to consider supporting.
Historian Timothy Snyder wrote ON TYRANNY: TWENTY LESSONS FROM THE TWENTIETH CENTURY after Trump's election in 2016. INCO encourages you to read this brief important book.
"Because Trump believes nothing, he holds out the tantalizing prospect that he could do anything, and many people are willing to take him up on the offer.
".... Ironically, after failing as a businessman in Atlantic City, the president-elect has finally succeeded in creating a casino at the White House where everyone wants in on the action.' -- Yair Rosenberg,"Trump’s Secret Weapon," The Atlantic, January 9, 2024
FUN STUFF
-- Bob Eckstein, The New Yorker, January 8, 2025 * * * * * * *
-- The Borowitz Report, January 12, 2025
INCO INSIGHTS “It takes all of us to look after all of us.” — Sasha Miller
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 • January 13, 2024