Democracy Out Loud #443: Stepping up

There are many ways to fight fascism, some very close to home

Dear friends,

ICE was at the Durham courthouse yesterday, and Durham responded immediately in several ways, including an evening protest (below photo by Jenny Warburg). If you are not already connected with a group supporting immigrants, consider getting on the mailing list of Siembranc.org, and donating to support their work. Or find another rapid-response organization, because concentration camps, disappearances, and deportation to third countries continue to escalate. A massive peaceful protest, immediately, by local people can be an effective response especially if it is disciplined.

NC General Assembly (NCGA) needs our energy right now because there are many bills which might (or might not) become law depending on the votes to override (or uphold) the Governor’s veto. And, there is a newly proposed very bad bill.

Although we will have a zoom call as usual this coming Tuesday July 29, many of us will be in Raleigh that day dramatizing and protesting NC HB 958. The Republican majority of the NCGA has been destroying free and fair elections in our state for about 15 years, through extreme gerrymandering and a series of shocking power grabs. The fact that they are a majority is itself the result of a lot of cheating, since Republicans comprise way less than 1/3 of NC voters. Rev. William Barber has called it “An illegitimate assembly passing immoral laws.” It is indeed.

HB 958 is the latest power grab and we are hoping you will help us call attention to it any way you can. In particular, contact your Senator and Representative in the NCGA to voice your concern about this bill, and sign up to join our protest at 11 am on July 29. We believe HB 958 will be in the Judiciary I committee at 1 pm that day in Room 423 of the Legislative Office Building. Join us there too, or listen to the audio.

Our Legislative Response Team, led by Mark, has been tracking the bad bills which have been ruthlessly passed by its Republican majority (even though the majority of voters are not Republican, but that’s another story). You can see them on this spreadsheet. Note that there are two tabs, the one on the left has directions and the one on the right has the contact information of the Democrats we need to contact to encourage them to uphold Governor Stein’s veto. These are Democrats who abstained or were absent. We can’t afford for a single one of them to be absent or vote to override the veto. There are two bills directly connected to ICE, three anti-DEI bills, and one directly related to the climate crisis.

If you would like to join the Legislative Response Team, email Mark at DemocracyOutLoud@gmail.com.

Meanwhile, Trump & Co are growing increasingly desperate and dangerous. Darlene sent the Democracy Docket in an email; I copied some of this here in order to promote the work of Marc Elias and encourage you to subscribe. More than anyone, he is fighting for democracy and understands attempts to undermine it.

Plans by the GOP in Texas to pick up more illegitimate US House seats are egregious and Democrats in California and New York should respond accordingly.

Anna sent this recording of American Conversations: Kate Barr and Justice Anita Earles with Heather Cox Richardson, very much connected to this issue. “We must fight back against voter suppression.”

Gann sent this lovely account of the Poor People’s Campaign protest in Gastonia, NC.

If you don’t go to Raleigh on Tuesday, you are invited to our regular zoom from 11:30 am to 12:30 pm. I am deeply grateful to Eloise Harris who will be MC, for Jewel who will host, and for Randa who will hold down the music. If you need the zoom link, email Jewel at DemocracyOutLoud@gmail.com and tell her just a bit about yourself.

Consider signing up for Indivisible’s weekly zoom calls at 3 pm every Thursday.

Consider joining Jewish Voice for Peace to respond to the escalating genocide in Gaza.

By all means join the second One Million Rising: Strategic Non-cooperation with Authoritarianism on July 30 at 8 pm. You can watch the recording of the first session at this link.

As Trump grows increasingly cornered by the truth about Epstein (among other things), he will grow more dangerous. Cliff sent this important article, “She Can Take Out the Country: The Psychodynamics of Regime Collapse” which deals with yesterday’s insane performances at the White House and warns us that we now must be ready for anything.

I remember being the pastor of a church in Greenwich Village during the AIDS crisis in the 1980’s and slowing realizing that state, local, and federal governments were not going to help us, even as my closest friends and most of my community were dying without access to social services or even medical and pastoral care.

What happened was that we rose to the occasion, nursing our dying friends and setting up our own small groups and agencies and coordinating with each other as best we could. Out of that came magnificent heroism and a deep understanding of the reality of death and of our shared humanity. Each of us were pushed beyond our limits. Our activists were brilliant, our community magnificent - and our efforts were not nearly enough to stem the tide of suffering and death. Still we knew we had to keep going and keep doing the best we could.

This time is like that. No matter what we do, it will not feel like enough. That’s okay. The most important thing is that we practice compassion for ourselves and everyone else, and open our hearts and minds even though they may be flooded repeatedly with grief. We can keep connecting, learning, and reaching out. And sometimes we have to rest.

love, Karen

THE WELL OF GRIEF

Those who will not slip beneath

the still surface on the well of grief

turning downward through its black water

to the place we cannot breathe

will never know the source from which we drink,

the secret water, cold and clear,

nor find in the darkness glimmering

the small round coins

thrown by those who wished for something else.

_ David Whyte