Words of Wisdom
1) Don't collapse the future into the present moment. (In other words, take each day, each ugly action, one at a time to avoid despair.)
2) Don't ascribe superpowers to Trump that he simply does not have. Don't forget--he won by a very slim margin.
3) Come back to community. As soon as you can, come back to the grassroots organizations that saved us during the first Trump administration. Don't give up.
4) We will win. Our efforts made a difference before. We just have to find our strength and do it again.
(thanks to Robert Hubbell)
SWIM AND PARTNERS UPDATES
See SWIM's website here for more news and events from our many partners!
MEMBER MEETING
We will be re-assessing the schedule for the Member Meetings. We will send updated information in the January Newsletter.
WHAT'S UP WITH OUR SENATORS?
As our Senators get settled into the new session, we will be setting up regular meetings as we have done in the past. Pleased watch your email for more information.
SWIM DEMOCRACY WORKING GROUP
We have re-started the Democracy Working Group to help organize our actions in the coming year. During the Lame Duck Session in the State Legislature, we were busy organizing our members to make contact with their representatives as well as House and Senate leadership to secure passage of vital gun violence protection legislation. Thank you to all who participated, your voices made a difference in applying pressure to our legislators!
The celebration - we won HB 5450 & 5451, "Safe Homes, Safe Schools" or the school notification bill, and HB 6046, Medicaid funding for Community Violence Intervention! The bad news, due to a lack of a quorum in the House (our reps deciding to not show up for work!), SB 942 to ban bump stocks and SB 1149 & 1150 to ban ghost guns never got to a full vote in the House. If you are interested in participating in this group we would love to have you. You can make contact at info@statewideindivisiblemi.com. There will be lots to do and many hands makes light work.
INDIVISIBLE NATIONAL NEWS
INDIVISIBLE GUIDE
The new Indivisible Guide launched on November 13 - this is indispensable to our moving forward! You will be inspired and reinvigorated. Read it here - Indivisible: A Practical Guide to Democracy on the Brink.
GROUP LEADER MEETING WITH SCOTT
Stayed tuned for additional information on meetings with our Indivisible Regional Representative Scott Ickes. Reach out any time at scott@indivisible.org with questions.
IF YOU GET YOUR EVENTS FROM MOBILIZE, FOLLOW SWIM'S MOBILIZE PAGE HERE.
CALLS TO ACTION
WHAT CAN YOU DO NOW!!
CALL OUR SENATORS TO ASK THEM TO DEFEAT H.R. 9495 AND TO FILL EVERY JUDICIAL VACANCY NOW!!!
Call Senator Stabenow 202-224-4822and Senator Peters 202-224-6221
Hi, I'm a constituent calling from [zip]. My name is ______.I’m calling to ask the Senator to oppose H.R. 9495, a bill that could be used to target any non-profit organizations that Trump dislikes. Please vote no if it comes up as a standalone bill, or if it gets snuck into a “must-pass” package. I expect you, as my Senator, to stand up against authoritarianism - not rubber stamp it.(And if you want to add: I’ve been working to defend our democracy at the grassroots level and getting H.R. 9495 will protect all of us grassroots activists from becoming revenge targets, so this is personal to me.)Also please keep working to confirm every judge and pro-democracy appointee possible before Biden’s term is up. Stay late, work extra days—do whatever needs to be done. We can’t leave one spot vacant. Thanks.
CYBER SECURITY MEASURES FOR EMAILS/MESSAGES FROM DEMOCRACY LABS
The FBI and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency caution us to stop using traditional text messaging between iPhone and Android devices. Why? These communications lack the security features needed to protect against modern cyber threats.
If you are concerned about the security and privacy of your emails, check out this tool brought to our attention from Demlabs:
MakeItPrivate is a free solution from Democracy Labs that lets you encrypt messages even while you’re offline. Hackers have a much harder time when they cannot see what you’re writing when you’re off the internet. Paste your encrypted text in emails, texts and social media posts. Share the secret keyword needed to decrypt the message with the intended recipient. MakeItPrivate can be downloaded and shared freely without registration or providing any info. The solution works on phones and laptops in a browser. It’s fast, simple and free. (H/T TheDemlabs.org)
WRITE ABC NEWS AND PRESSURE LET THEM KNOW NOT TO BOW TO AUTHORITARIANISM
Far too many of the institutions we count on to check the White House are preemptively surrendering in the face of challenges by Donald Trump. The newest addition to this Hall of Shame is ABC News, which agreed to give $15 million to the Trump presidential library to settle a defamation suit over news host George Stephanopoulos describing Trump as having been found liable for raping E. Jean Carroll where Trump was technically found liable for sexually abusing her. This comes in spite of the judge in Carroll’s case having agreed the jury found Trump was a rapist as the word is commonly understood, if not in the far narrower definition used in New York law.
This attempt at using civil suits to silence negative press is a common Trump tactic, and journalists need to be ready to resist if they intend to report accurately about this administration.
ABC News needs to be reminded of their responsibilities. Let’s contact ABC News President Almin Karamehmedovic to let him know of our disgust as news consumers of the channel’s unwillingness to fight back and that our viewership of ABC News will depend on their willingness not to fold when pressured by those in power. We can do so online here or via mail at the address listed here. (H/T Rogan’s List 12/17/2024)Keep an eye on our reliable sources - MSNBC is also capitulating to both-sides-ism to appease Trump.
Check out Marc Elias' Democracy Docket for this list of unassailable reading:
Letters from an American: A daily must-read newsletter from the iconic historian Heather Cox Richardson. Puts our current politics in historical framing.
Civil Discourse: Another must-read by an extraordinary lawyer/analyst/writer, Joyce Vance.
Emptywheel: Journalist Marcy Wheeler offers a unique insight on so many topics, particularly legal ones.
DOING GOOD WITH YOUR WALLET
The smartphone app Goods Unite Us enables people to see the political donations made by companies they shop with, has been downloaded over 250,000 times since the election. This holiday season use the app to make mindful choices about where and how to spend your money.
SOCIAL MEDIA CHANGES
SWIM, like millions of others, has officially dumped Twitter/X into the trash heap of history where it belongs. We are now on the independent BlueSky, along with lots and lots of activists and media - join us! Escape the nanny state and negativity tantrums on Twitter and establish your presence on friendly BlueSky, then follow us @mi-swim.bsky.social. Indivisible National is here: @indivisibleguide.bsky.social.
There are serious concerns we should all have about government monitoring of activists going forward. Check out the Digital Drumbeat Substack blog from DemCast for suggestions on how to keep you and your group safe online - found here: The Digital Drumbeat by DemCast | DemCast USA | Substack
Here is a little reward for reading through to the end.
Make one and toast yourself for all your hard work in 2024!
PERSIST AND RESIST!
Comentarios