JANUARY 18, 2023

Good morning and Happy New Year! It’s been awhile since I’ve posted any actions. There is always more work to do and I know that many of you depend on these action alerts. So I will try to post more regularly, using actions from Susan Rogan and Jessica Craven, both …

NOVEMBER 23, 2022

Good morning! I have been clearing out my parents’ home these last couple of months and have not had the time or focus to send out as many political actions as I wanted to. But as we all know, our lives are often directed not by our plans but by …

NOVEMBER 11, 2022

Good morning! Like you, I’m waiting on pins and needles to see the final results of the midterm elections. If you want to get started on Georgia’s runoff to elect Rev. Warnock to the Senate, you can find information from Jessica Craven’s list below. Have a not-too-nervous weekend! Betty HELP …

NOVEMBER 2, 2022

Good morning! There is still time to help Democratic candidates in battleground states. Phonebank with Joan’s Democracy Cafe Text with Movement Labs Choose an action at Vote Save America Have a winning Wednesday! Betty

OCTOBER 28, 2022

Good afternoon! Just a quick note about another way you can help to GOTV! @Rideshare2Vote connects drivers with voters who need a ride to cast their ballots. You can volunteer or sign up yourself if you need it. Click here: rideshare2vote.com Have a great weekend! Betty

Bloodlines by Ann Bookman

BIRCH BARK EDITING MicroLit Almanac Field Notes: An Uneasy Legacy by Elizabeth Reed  Blood Lines by Ann Bookman What’s it like to carry a ticking time bomb in your body? What kind of battle are you fighting and does that make you a warrior? Women with the BRCA 1 or …

OCTOBER 26, 2022

Good morning! Voting has started and all focus is on Getting Out The Vote. Texting has proven effective and you can participate in this effort. Movement Labs runs text banks for many organizations. All you need to do is a 1 hour training session. Then, you can text from their …

OCTOBER 19, 2022

Good morning! Today’s action comes from Jessica Craven’s daily actions. I have limited internet tonight so I have not actually tried the action myself but can vouch for her reliability in posting useful actions. Here it is: As we all know, INTERACTIVE conversations are THE most important tactic this close …

OCTOBER 12, 2022

Good morning! This Sunday, October 16th at 5 p.m. EST you can join (online) a coalition of speakers from Swing Blue Alliance, VoPro Pros and Indivisible Acton Area to learn the steps you can take to protect the voting online, on the phone, or in person. The speakers are: Steve Miller, volunteer …

OCTOBER 5, 2022

Good morning! Looking for an organization concentrating on voter turnout? Focus For Democracy is partnering with Working America and Movement Labs to mobilize voters for the midterms, especially Black, Latino and Asian American voters. They are using texting campaigns based on behavioral science and lessons from recent elections. Their results have been highly effective. …

SEPTEMBER 28, 2022

Good morning! Writers—we need you!! Postcards for Voters needs volunteers to help write 1.5 million postcards. Click on this link to sign up: https://www.turnoutpac.org/postcards/?utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email Greenpeace launched a new letter-writing campaign, focusing on environmental positions of Democrats running in key swing Congressional districts. The letters are bilingual. You can print them …

SEPTEMBER 21, 2022

Good morning! School gun violence is still on the front burner. As the new school year gets underway here is something you can do. Action Contact your local School Board Chairperson (Google the contact information) and ask if they have a “hardening” policy in place. If they do, urge them …

SEPTEMBER 19, 2022

Good morning! If you are looking for a resource of volunteer opportunities across the board (virtual, in person, writing, calling, texting) take a look at this: https://www.mobilize.us/ Have a good start to the week! Betty

SEPTEMBER 14, 2022

Good morning! Our trip through three countries put miles between me and politics and now I am ready to hunker down for the home count! Action: Spread this information in any way you can. Just in time for the new school year. . . The Brooklyn Public Library is offering …

AUGUST 11, 2022

Good morning! The month of July was a blur with taking care of my father, who passed away on July 25th, on his 95th birthday. He had a long and full life, and my two sisters and I were with him on his final journey. No matter the age, the last …

JULY 20, 2022

Good morning! Last week’s Digital Defenders webinar presented by the Women’s March was excellent. I will send out more information as I review and research the content. For now let’s start with an upcoming opportunity for women AND men. Join the Feminist Cyberforce The Digital Defenders program is looking for folks …

JULY 13, 2022

Good morning! I will be attending the digital defenders virtual workshop tonight, organized by the Womens March organization. Come join me! https://www.womensmarch.com/initiatives/digital-defenders Voting rights: Several members reminded me that the League of Women Voters has excellent information on elections. You can always count on them: https://www.lwv.org/ One action you can take: Join …

JULY 6, 2022

Good morning! It was a welcome relief to ignore politics during our two-week trip to the Azores, even better because we were traveling with good friends. SCOTUS’s decision on Dobbs vs. Jackson wasn’t anything I could stick my head in the sand about, even in the Azores, but I have …

JUNE 15, 2022

Good morning! Many of my past resources have retired from political resistance so I am always on the lookout for individuals/groups who are promoting actions that can make an impact. I recently discovered a group that is focusing on voter registration and participation. I encourage all of you to take …

JUNE 8, 2022

Good morning! With state restrictions on access to abortion clinics, many women will have to go to another state to get an abortion. But most women don’t have the funds for this. The following organizations offer financial support. You can spread awareness of their existence through social media. You can …

MAY 26, 2022

Good morning,  I apologize for the wrong date on yesterday’s message – it should have been May 25, a day we will long remember for all the wrong reasons. If you want to contribute to gun safety organizations here is a good list: The Giffords Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence provides …

MAY 25, 2022

Good morning,  There are no more words of comfort, no more thoughts to send, no more prayers to whisper. Do whatever brings you peace but hold onto the anger, nurture the rage, remember the devastation, save the determination to save ourselves and our country from this madness. I send you all …

MAY 18, 2022

Good morning! Do you know someone looking for a part-time research assistant job? Send them this link: https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/were-hiring-a-part-time-research-assistant/ SwingLeft has an excellent map showing what key elections (federal & state) are coming up. You can click on this link to see what is at stake in your state, or a …

MAY 11, 2022

Good morning! Marches organized by Planned Parenthood Federation of America, Ultraviolet, and MoveOn, will be taking place this weekend across the country to protest the expected reversal of Roe v. Wade. Anchor marches are planned for New York, Washington, Chicago and Los Angeles. Hundreds of parallel marches will take place …

MAY 6, 2022

Good morning! This week has been hard. The day Ruth Bader Ginsburg passed, we knew we were going to lose the Supreme Court. We knew the Republicans couldn’t wait to get their hands on Roe v. Wade and strip 50% of Americans of a constitutional right. We knew Roe v. …

MARCH 22, 2022

Good morning! As I head off to Philadelphia for the Association of Writers & Writing Programs conference I’m calling on anyone who has ever held/read/loaned/borrowed/devoured/listened to/written/published or bought a book to participate in the action below! Writers for Democratic Action is launching BOOK THE VOTE (BTV), a drive to bring …

MARCH 3, 2022

MARCH 3, 2022 Good morning! On our last day of our campaign to contact the five largest companies that do business in Texas we can reach out to AT&T. Make the last day of this effort your best one! Have a great Thursday! Betty Action No. 1 megan.ketterer@att.com

MARCH 2, 2022

Good morning! On the fourth day of our campaign to contact the five largest companies that do business in Texas we can write to Dell. You know the drill by now! Have a great Wednesday! Betty Action No. 1 Investor_Relations@dell.com  

MARCH 1, 2022

Good morning! This is Day Three of our campaign to contact the five largest companies that do business in Texas. Use the letter you wrote to American Airlines and Hewlett Packard to contact Oracle today. Please remember to change any personalization within the letter. Let’s make March 1st the Oracle …

FEBRUARY 28, 2022

Good morning! Continuing our campaign to contact the five largest companies that do business in Texas, today we can write to Hewlett Packard. If you need the basic script template, I am including it below. Make the last day of February a meaningful one! Betty Action No. 1 Email:  InvestorRelations@hp.com …

FEBRUARY 25, 2022

Good morning! It is a sad day as we watch Putin’s war on Ukraine destroy innocent lives. And it’s frustrating that, as individuals, there is little we can do right now. For me, there is some comfort in having a level-headed president in the U.S. who is taking action that …

FEBRUARY 23, 2022

Good morning! United States Postmaster General Louis DeJoy, a hangover from Trump’s presidency, has proposed spending $11 billion on a new fleet of USPS delivery trucks, 90% of which will be gasoline-powered. The EPA blasted the proposal and we should, too. DeJoy is appointed by the Board of Governors. Biden …

FEBRUARY 10, 2022

Good morning! Todd Huston, a top executive for the College Board is paid $460,738 to serve as the College Board’s Senior Vice President for State and District Partnerships. The College Board designs the SAT and Advanced Placement courses. They have an enormous influence on what is taught in high schools …

FEBRUARY 4, 2022

Good morning! More than 5 million Americans are denied the right to vote because of felony convictions. People in prison represent about 25% of that number. Two states, Maine and Vermont, allow people in prison to vote. Voting is not a constitutional right, but several amendments protect our right to …

JANUARY 19, 2022

Good morning! Have you been paralyzed by the distressing news regarding the voting legislation in Washington? I certainly have. It’s hard to act when we feel that action is futile. Throughout history, however, surprises have popped up. Remember John McCain voting “no” on the attempt to repeal the Affordable Care …

NOVEMBER 16, 2021

Good morning! New York, California and the District of Columbia have passed “Second Look” legislation that allows courts to reevaluate cases of prisoners who have been sentenced to life in prison. Many are nonviolent offenders with no option for parole. In Pennsylvania a victim’s family was instrumental in getting the …

NOVEMBER 5, 2021

Good morning! Local School boards are being attacked verbally, politically and physically because of misinformation spread by right-wing strategists. Narrative Initiative, Showing Up for Racial Justice, the Women’s March, 22nd Century Initiative, and NYU Metro Center are offering a free training session on Wednesday, November 10th from 8:00-9:30pm EST about …

MARCH 10, 2021

Good morning! It has been such a pleasure to wake up and not feel as if yet another bomb has dropped. This is certainly due to having a new president and administration, but also to having control over the Senate. There’s always someone who wants the limelight and the power, …

Day 1561

Good morning! Almost 4 years to the day, a group of us from Belmont traveled to Washington D.C. to participate in the Women’s March on Washington. On the recommendation of our daughters’ former Girl Scout leaders we stayed at the Hotel Harrington, an old, modest hotel with family rooms that …

DAY 1426

Good morning! Poll workers in Georgia are mainly Black women are being harassed and threatened on Facebook . Facebook offers additional privacy and safety features to journalists and politicians but refuses to protect election workers.  Action No. 1 Color of Change has a petition you can sign: Ballot counters who …

DAY 1411

Good morning! On this last day of Native American Heritage Month, we can raise our awareness about the language we use when we talk about Native Americans. Action No. 1 This is a list of 100 changes we can make to honor Native Americans with simple changes in our vocabulary. …

DAY 1406

Good morning! In the spirit of Thanksgiving, let’s thank the first Republicans who stood up to Trump by acknowledging Biden’s win. Senator Mitt Romney (R-Utah) https://www.romney.senate.gov/contact For House or Representatives look up their contact information at https://www.house.gov/representatives Rep. Fred Upton (R-Michigan) Rep. Will Hurd (R-Texas) Rep. Tom Reed (R-New York) …

DAY 1376

Good morning! Free or discounted rides to the polls are available in a variety of offers. Public transportation in many states will be free, and community groups are offering free rides. Lyft and Uber are also offering free/discounted rides not just on transportation by car, but also on bikes and …

DAY 1369

Good morning! Florida is a key state in every election, particularly this one. You can help with ballot curing there (contacting a person who has submitted a ballot that contains an error, which prevents it from being counted.) Sessions will be held from 5-8pm starting Monday, October 19 and continuing …

DAY 1364

Good morning! With early voting well underway, voting groups are focusing on “chasing” (asking the voter to complete and submit the ballot) and “curing” (contacting a person who has submitted a ballot that contains an error, which prevents it from being counted.) This is an important step to make sure …

DAY 1359

Good morning! Over the next weeks I will be focusing on actions we can take to protect the integrity of our votes, after we have voted. Action No. 1 Volunteer to photograph precinct totals.   Precinct totals have been seen to change between precinct totals and county totals, which can trigger …

DAY 1325

Good morning! We All Vote’s online rally yesterday inspired me to do something out of my comfort zone. This week I will contact 10 friends to make sure they are registered to vote. I am taking a step further and doing the uncomfortable act: asking them to vote for Biden. …

Day 1317

Good morning! Some days are just so full of bad news that it’s a temptation to ignore it all. Yesterday was one of those days for me. The climate disasters, police brutality with impunity, 45’s administration’s blatant breaking of laws, not to mention the coronavirus catastrophe. . . But today …

Day 1292

Good morning! Today is the first Monday of August so it’s time to check out Breitbart and report to Sleeping Giants. There is a new twist to the Sleeping Giants campaign however. Nandini Jammi, the woman behind the FB site for Sleeping Giants is leaving. Her co-founder, who runs the …

Day 1286

Good morning! Launched by the League of Women Voters Education Fund provides nonpartisan information to the public with both general and state-specific information on the following aspects of the election process: Absentee ballot information Ballot measure information (where applicable) Early voting options (where applicable) Election dates Factual data on candidates …

DAY 1268

  Good morning! The Center for Voter Information is a non-partisan, non-profit organization that provides unbiased information about candidates and their positions on issues. It’s a good source to keep in your back pocket as the election draws near. Action No. 1 Save this link: https://www.centerforvoterinformation.org/about-us/ TGIF! Betty

DAY 1059

Good morning! Last year the Center for Biological Diversity sued the Trump administration for failing to issue habitat protections required by the Endangered Species Act. After a court-ordered agreement in April 2019 the federal government proposed a new rule expanding critical habitat protection along the West Coast for endangered Southern Resident killer whales, …

DAY 1012

Good morning! Ed Stack, CEO of Dick’s Sporting Goods has received a lot of flack for his decisions to a) stop selling assault weapons and b) destroying their stock of those weapons. As politicians continue to stonewall any progress on gun law reform, we need private business owners like him …

DAY 987

Good morning! Many of you have asked me how to stay sane and have some peace of mind in the midst of the continuous political storms. My month off from politics in August showed me that it is unnecessary to take in the daily barrage of news about the Tangerine …

DAY 777

Good morning! Teaching Tolerance is a program for classroom teachers, staff developers, librarians, school counselors and administrators who are active in K-12 education, including people working at the university level in teacher preparation programs.  Read more about this organization here: https://www.tolerance.org/about Action No. 1  Even if you don’t fall into the above …

Day 634

Good morning! If you are looking specifically for political candidates who are pro-gun-safety, there are some links that have done this work for you.  Take a look. Action No. 1 You do not have to be a member (or admit to being one!) to look at aarp’s site: https://www.aarp.org/politics-society/government-elections/info-2018/midterm-candidate-guide.html?intcmp=DC-POL-ELC-R1C1 Action …

DAY 586

Good morning! Remember when we were aghast at the prospect of the Sinclair merger, which would have increased the conservative right increased control of the media? Your calls to FCC Chair, Ajit Pai, paid off. https://www.cnet.com/news/sinclair-broadcast-group-merger-with-tribune-media-is-dead/ The merger is off the table.  Good work everyone!

DAY 509

Good morning!  It’s two-action Tuesday : Action No. 1 Continuing yesterday’s well-received action, let’s write to Japan’s Prime Minister, Shinzō Abe, to apologize for Trump’s insolence, ignorance and impudence. Action No. 2 Writers unite at this weekend’s Writers Resist event: http://bostonlitdistrict.org/event/greater-boston-writers-resist-2018/ Have a great Twos-day! Betty

DAY 508

Good morning! This is one of those mornings when I’m glad I’m in the U.S. and not in Europe so that I don’t feel personally obligated to apologize to every European I know for 45’s ignorance and insolence. I can only think of one act to let the G6 countries …

DAY 417

Good morning! 45 continues his attempts to defund educational programs that support what he isn’t—scholars. Action No. 1 The Fulbright Exchange Commission is looking at a 71% budget cut. Established in 1946, the organization provides approximately 8,000 scholarships a year to scientists, artists, historians and teachers. The Foreign Student Exchange …

DAY 239

Good morning! It’s two-action Tuesday on Day 222 Action No. 1 Take a look at upcoming resistance events through this link.  You can choose the date and plug in your zip code. https://www.resistancecalendar.org/ Action No. 2 Here is a site where you can give your anonymous opinion about confederate statues …

DAY 222

Good morning! It’s two-action Tuesday. Action No. 1 Take a look at upcoming resistance events through this link.  You can choose the date and plug in your zip code. https://www.resistancecalendar.org/ Action No. 2 Here is a site where you can give your anonymous opinion about confederate statues. https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/americamagazinestatues Enjoy your …

DAY 81

Good morning Friend! Here are some easy actions to take this Monday: Action No. 1 It is a rarity when we agree with this man. Let’s take advantage of this unusual opportunity and thank Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) for his public reprimand of Trump for ignoring the Constitution and taking …

DAY 41

Good morning! Before the NYTimes ran the tv ad about “Truth” during the Oscars on Sunday night, they posted this full-page statement in Sunday’s paper (Feb. 26, 2017)  I found it much more powerful than the tv ad and very inspiring.  I hope you will, too.  Betty The Truth is …